BANGALORE: The investment is expected to ensure the Bangalore-based company's foray into professional services and consulting as well as providing training in the Asia Pacific region. "Apara provides the channel to reach smaller companies and I am determined to help create the eco-system for storage area networking (SAN) to reach the small and medium enterprises," he told a news conference here. Malavalli was inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame in Silicon Valley. "To put the other way around, the benefits have to trickle down from Fortune 100 companies to the Fortune 2000 or 3000 companies. I plan to invest another 50 million in Apara," he said in reply to a question. Malavalli has already invested over $12 million in various companies spread across the Silicon Valley, Canada, Israel and India to create the eco-system for the growth of SAN. Malavalli has been made the chairman of Apara. "Apara will also offer education and training in storage including certified courses for the world's leading storage vendors," said M.S. Sidhu, the managing director of Apara. And to provide a boost to its foray into the education and training field, Apara has also got G.S. Ravi of Edurite Technologies appointed as director on the board. "You will not imagine the opportunity in education and training in the AsiaPacific region. It is right now close to 200 million. We will be the first ones to provide education and training in SAN," Ravi told IANS. Apara was started with an initial investment of $100 a few years ago. Today, it is a $ 20 million company with a clientele in the banking sector, oil and gas, manufacturing and other sectors.
Source: IANS