In this installment of our Partner Q&A Series, Erin Wainscott sat down with Naren Velu, President & CEO of Astra Canyon Group to update us on some exciting changes to their organization and share what’s to come this year.
You may recall, my colleague Alexander Fjelltveit sat down with then IFS Partner Astra back in 2019. Since then, a newly named Astra Canyon Group has formed from their partnership with another IFS Partner, Canyon Tech. Astra Canyon Group leverages the strength and experience of Astra and Canyon Technologies in an exciting and dynamic way. The combined company, Astra Canyon Group LLC, forms one of the largest services groups within the Global IFS partner ecosystem.
We had our last Partner Q&A session in 2019, what’s new since then?
A lot has changed since 2019 – bringing huge challenges and great rewards.
Like many companies, we navigated our way through the global Covid pandemic while keeping a clear focus on our customers’ needs and adapting to their challenges along the way.
Thanks to the tremendous efforts and coordination between our employees, partners and clients, we weathered the storm quite well while still providing our customers the level of outstanding support they’ve come to expect. The pandemic also gave us an opportunity to rethink our strategy. Seeing the increased importance and benefit of digital transformation throughout the pandemic, Ajay Gupta (Managing Principal, Canyon Tech) and I discussed the possibility of merging both our entities and the resulting opportunities for our clients and the overall IFS ecosystem. On March 1st, 2021, we joined hands and established a new entity – Astra Canyon Group LLC – focusing on the philosophy of “Stronger Together.”
Tell us about the newly formed Astra Canyon Group. Why did you decide to merge the two organizations?
Astra Canyon Group is one of the largest services partners in the global IFS Partner Network. We have more than 70 IFS Consultants with expertise in all facets of IFS’s solutions. Astra and Canyon Tech bring more than three decades of combined company experience, having worked with more than 300 clients in various industries, like discrete manufacturing, food and beverage, aerospace and defense, utilities, oil and gas and many more.
Astra and Canyon Tech also shared common values and a passion for the success of our clients. Uniting the teams under one group was the natural progression in our journey. As Astra Canyon Group, we aspire to provide a one-stop shop for all things IFS. This merger will also align us closer to the IFS growth strategy. We are now even better positioned for larger and more complex implementation projects that require scale, global coverage and in-depth IFS expertise.
That’s very exciting! Tell us, what makes Astra Canyon Group unique?
Our passion for customer delight and customer engagement is what separates us. We firmly believe in the philosophy– “Stronger Together” – and in the collective success of our stakeholders. We listen to our clients and focus on providing the highest quality services. Our digital transformation products for IFS ERP help our clients achieve higher operational efficiencies, enhance productivity and minimize costs. In a nutshell, we are a turnkey solution provider for everything related to the IFS solutions, and it has helped us create a strong brand identity for Astra Canyon Group.
What does this mean for IFS Customers?
One of the key motivating factors for this merger was that it would enable us to better serve IFS customers – not only in North America, but worldwide. We have a presence in five global locations – USA, Canada, India, UK and Sri Lanka – and are engaged in further expansion in other geographies.
We are an ideal partner in our customers’ IFS journey, providing services at all stages of the IFS product lifecycle – starting from end-to-end implementation to migration, integration, reporting and future upgrades. Our team of IFS experts are always willing to go the extra mile to make sure that customers are fully leveraging their IFS solution and making the best use of this incredibly powerful tool.
How would you describe your firm’s values and how do they align with IFS?
The Astra Canyon Group core values are:
- Quality
- Honesty & integrity
- Results-driven
- Teamwork
- Innovation
Like IFS, we believe that our success hinges on being prepared to deliver at our customers’ critical Moment of Service. By embracing our core values, we ensure that our employees understand and share the key attributes that make this possible – truly making us stronger together.
What are some of your goals this year as an IFS partner?
We are now moving into a new territory with IFS and are now a Channel Partner also. So, our focus will be on developing channel sales opportunities, in addition to providing quality, best-in-class services and add-on products for our clients in the IFS ecosystem. We are looking forward to expanding our global footprint, hiring new talent and establish strategic collaborations for a successful future together.
To learn more about our partner landscape, please visit the IFS Partner Network.
Do you have questions or comments?
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