Custom Web and Mobile Application Developer, QBurst, Sets Sights on Smartphones, Cloud Migration

With the rapid growth in mobile technology and smart phone adoption showing no signs of abating, and the interest of businesses in cloud computing, custom web and mobile application developer QBurst is emerging as a major developer of world-class products and services. I had a chance to speak with QBurst CEO, Prathapan Sethu, about his company and the nature of the mobile and cloud computing trends.

By Mike Hackmer | March 2, 2010

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): Good afternoon, Prathapan. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. For people who may not be familiar with your company, could you provide a brief background on what QBurst is all about?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): Certainly. QBurst is a private company, based in Fairfax, VA. We are a leading software development services provider for small and medium businesses and startups, and have been in business since 2004. Most of our customers are from the technology industry (web hosting companies, technology startups, etc.), though we also have customers from other industries like healthcare, telecommunications and finance. We develop custom web and mobile applications for small and medium businesses and help technology startups build world-class products. Services on offer include development of web and mobile enabled line-of-business and operational support systems, extending business systems to smart phone platforms, migrating business systems to the cloud, development of content managed websites, ecommerce sites etc. We leverage Open Source Software to speed up development and reduce costs.

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): There are a lot of web application developers and a lot of companies designing products for smart phones. How does your company compete in the marketplace? What are your key differentiators that make customers buy?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): Having worked with numerous startups, we have imbibed the startup culture. This means we are able to deliver working software faster compared to our competitors. We have made lean software development methodologies part of our DNA. So we would say speed is the biggest differentiator.

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): Do you see higher demand for the iPhone applications over Google’s system at this stage? And even though iPhone has the lead in applications, do you see Google catching up?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): The iPhone has a big lead in applications and customers. I think many consumers are not as aware of the new Google phone and the Android system, because it was launched recently. I think Google has a good strategy in place, and it may take a couple of years to catch up. But Google’s platform is very open, which will benefit them going forward. For QBurst, we are betting on both. We have a development team that works on both systems. Right now, however, most companies we work with are interested in iPhone application development.

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): Many companies experience challenges as they grow and evolve. Describe one of your biggest challenges and how you resolved it?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): The biggest challenge has been during the initial phase of the economic downturn, which saw many of our customers tightening their budgets. However, we came up with serious cost saving measures for our customers like moving their applications to the cloud.

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): How has QBurst weathered the downturn?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): The downturn put us in a tough spot initially, but we quickly adapted to the new economic reality where everyone is looking for value.  The downturn has helped us become leaner and more efficient. We have seen our profit margins go up during the downturn, because of the improvements in efficiency.

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): With every challenge, there usually are opportunities out there. Despite the downturn, what is the biggest opportunity you have experienced recently?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): We had to prove to many companies under tight budgets that software development and maintenance need not be an expensive proposition. We have given our  customers maximum bang for their buck by coming up with solutions that do not need expensive software licenses or upfront investment in powerful hardware. By using open source software, they can drastically cut down licensing costs; by moving to the elastic cloud they can get on-demand computing power and by employing lean and agile methodologies they can cut down development costs and time to market. Thus projects that used to run into hundreds of thousands of dollars can now be done in tens of thousands of dollars, a cost reduction by an order of magnitude.

Michael Hackmer (dcTechSource): Lastly, every company’s culture is a little bit different. How would you describe the atmosphere at QBurst?

Prathapan Sethu (CEO, QBurst): At QBurst, we focus a lot on people, and hire those who fit into our culture. I’d say, QBurstians have a passion for technology and are always ready to surf the next wave.
 

QBurst:

3900 Jermantown Road, #490
Fairfax VA 22030
703-652-8473

Contact Binny Cherian, COO, for more information at: www.qburst.com

Target Client/Customer Base:
Technology startups and SMBs who need help with building their presence on the web and line-of-business systems.

Products And Services:

• Mobile app development (iPhone, BlackBerry and Android)
• Web application development primarily using LAMP technologies
• Rich Internet App development using Silverlight and Flex
• Website development using content management systems like Drupal
• Search engine optimization
• Website design
• Mobile version of websites

Management Team:

• Prathapan Sethu (Chief Executive Officer)
• Binu Dasappan (Chief Operating Officer)
• Ansar Shahabudeen (Chief Technology Officer)
• Matt Grest (Chief Operating Officer) QBurst UK
• Binny Cherian (Chief Operating Officer) QBurst USA
• Abhi Kunjumole (Chief Information Officer) QBurst USA
• Suresh Nair (Vice President - Operations)

Related Keywords : mobile technology , cloud computing

Read More News