By Ayshwaria Lakshmi
As Raksha Technologies completes 20 years in IT security, its CEO V. Anand shares the secret behind its successful run. Upon successfully completing his master’s in management in 1996, V. Anand joined K7 Computing, a Chennai-based IT security company. A physics and management graduate, Mr Anand possessed negligible computer knowledge. The four years in the company allowed him to be exposed to and experience the world of computers.
“Those years were the golden period of my life. I had complete freedom and trust from the company to learn, as I evinced keen interest and had ethical grounding. It was difficult for me in the beginning, as I didn’t have structured learning. They pushed me into things and I learned everything with limited access to computers. I had help when I failed or when I wanted to learn a new subject. But all those factors depended on your interest. In the end, the more questions you asked, the more you would learn,” reminisces Mr. Anand, now the Director and CEO of Raksha Technologies.
Back in 2000, Mr. Anand wanted to start a business and found immense potential in the IT security domain. With the help of a few people – and seed capital from a friend who was once a customer – he launched Raksha Technologies. “Initially, we concentrated on providing solutions only for enterprise companies. The breakthrough happened only in 2001-02 when a lot of e-mail threats were taking place. We had expertise in this area and invested in the right set of people and training to provide the best solutions,” explains Mr Anand. The company moved up the supply chain after adding in more solutions to accommodate the needs of the market.
Major Lessons in the Tech Sector
“One of the major lessons and successes for me is creating and upholding the culture of an organization. Trust between people and mutual respect among the staff would take you to great heights; they are our assets. This is possible only if you give your employees a good infrastructure to learn and freedom to fail. It is important to emphasise on the importance to fail. It is a given I do not let them fail the customers, but I would make sure they have all the opportunity to train, experiment and fail in the organization premises,” asserts Mr Anand.
He further stresses on the importance of constantly updating oneself, as the demands in the market differ and technology grows. “It is critical for a company to invest, experiment and be focused. The security needs these days are wider than what it was a few years ago. Being focused in the security spectrum allowed me to build and develop Raksha to what it is today.”
Leadership Style
Investing in employees’ personal and professional growth allows one to be a better leader. A leader should motivate his team constantly, handle disagreements among the staffs, have a good decision-making framework.
“I attend the various training programmes, not only within the industry, to have the maturity in dealing with issues and improve my leadership skills. I invest a lot of time and money in decision-making framework, such as having consultants on board to be my sounding board, hiring smart people to learn from them and join with them to grow the organization,” continues Mr Anand.
He apparently makes sure that his team gets all the credit for the success and ensures that both the organizational goals and the individual goals grow simultaneously. “In case of failure, I take the onus. I would never let my team have its self-esteem dented.”
Balancing Professional and Personal Life
“It’s crucial to have proper professional and work-life balance. We have to realise that happiness is the key to life and should have the maturity to put in efforts, bear the pain and enjoy the journey to find happiness eventually,” advises Mr Anand.
A passionate cyclist – known professionally as the Super Randonneur – he spends two hours every day, which helps him to rejuvenate and contemplate about himself. “There is nothing called no time. You can have both a family and work life. For this, one should have good communication with both family and at work. A good team is important to delegate the work and honouring one’s commitment.”
Mr Anand makes sure he spends time with his two daughters, who are 13 and 9 years old. “I take them to see the sunrise early in the morning. Early mornings provide you a lot of time to spend time for yourself and family,” he concludes.
Testimonials:
Anand a good old friend of mine. He is also a technical wizard, a simple, helpful, innovative, and passionate individual. While completing 20 years in the tech sector is not a game of cards, my heartiest congratulations to him and ‘Team Rakha’ in completing 20 years of their jounery, Best wishes for the future , keep growing keep shining.
-Manasi Saha, CEO, Macaws Infotech, Kolkata
I was with them for more than a decade and I had overwhelming experience in all aspects. I always cherish the moments with
Mr. Anand 
is a humble person. Raksha is the place I learned lots of things and Raksha has a great amount of opportunity extended for the performers. It is a life-changing lesson and experience for me with Mr. Anand whom I admire for the Focus and Dedication he extends to customers and employees.
-Saravana Prabhu, CEO, IntactIT Infosystems, Bengaluru (Alumnus of Raksha Technologies)
