In the early ‘90s implementations of large-scale SAP systems were in full swing among companies with expansive global operations. Many of these large projects were fraught with costly mistakes. Deadlines were missed. Costs skyrocketed. CIO careers were destroyed. There was a gaping disconnect between expensive software and critical business processes. Seamless integration of multiple systems deployed across a global enterprise was more a pipe dream than a reality.

At that time Gurvendra Suri, or simply ‘Suri’ as he prefers to be called, had immigrated from India to the U.S. just a few years before. He was newly married and working hard for a large wholesale pharmaceutical distribution company in Dallas. From this vantage point, Suri saw first-hand companies taking high-risk gambles with hugely expensive and complex SAP systems, and he knew there was a genuine need for consultants with the experience and know-how to bring these projects to fruition.

Then 33 years old, Suri’s future was promising. He had numerous employment offers from leading, well-established companies and could easily have played it safe. But instead, Suri opted for the thrill, challenge and considerable financial risk of starting his own company. He carefully assembled a team of SAP experts with a deep understanding of enterprise technology architecture and global business process design, and in 1995 Optimal Solutions Integration was born.

Reflecting back on Optimal’s beginning, Suri says he would tell other entrepreneurs to be bold, do their homework and determine precisely what will differentiate them from competitors. “While it is crucial to develop a bullet-proof business plan, it is more important to deliver value,” says Suri.

In a short period of time, Optimal earned a reputation as a consulting firm that knew SAP cold, that was not afraid of complexity, that could tackle global enterprise architecture issues, mitigate risks and make expensive SAP investments pay off.