Cyberia - Think Big, Start from Small

Cyberia

“Think Big, Start from Small”

Cyberia is one of the first IT consulting companies, which is a 100% Lao owned and operated by local professional staff who have been trained in overseas. When the business initially started, it caught a significant interest from people in public. For further information please visit: www.atcyberia.com

When did you spot the opportunity to start this business?

In 1999, we noticed that internet cafes were booming in Laos, but there was no complete IT consulting service provided in the country. With qualifications, skills and networks that we have established in Laos, we considered demand for IT services by comparing Laos to other countries regarding to technology implementation in real business situation, we found an opportunity to open an IT consulting firm. Our goal is to become a leader in IT sector in Southeast Asia region.

How did Cyberia start?

The business started in a form of partnership called “Cyberia” by using personal funding among friends who specialized in Information Technology field. Few years later, the team decided to change the company from partnership to a corporation and named “Cyberia Company Limited”.

Cyberia management team was not only thinking of creating a new venture, but we were thinking of how our action could impact the economy and technological industry in our country, Laos. We see that when people or large companies would like to use IT services, they only think of international IT consulting companies, but we would like to change a perception of people and corporations in Laos to use local IT service providers.

Which strategy did you choose to start the business?

Cyberia started by using Resource Minimization Strategy, with low start-up costs, and therefore, the business did not seem to face high risk. This is another factor in which we decided to put efforts and move forward to the venture.

What was the main concern when the business started?

We understand the fact that the team has a strong technical knowledge. However, we do not have sales, marketing and business management experiences, and hence, it was difficult for the business to promote products and services because we did not know how to launch such a marketing campaign at the beginning.

What is the emphasis of Cyberia working culture?

Professionalism, quality of employees, demand in the market and changes in technology

How did you really operate your business?

Just start with small things first and see how it grows, then gradually move forward for a bigger thing, but never stop moving forward. The company always has back-up and contingency plans when we take a certain action. This is important for a consulting company because the company can evaluate what the best alternative would be for making decisions and also back-up plans would help manage risks and minimize losses when things go wrong.

When you cannot solve problems which are not in your area of expertise, you need to outsource or seek professional advice. If you have to pay for such services, do not hesitate otherwise the problem will stay with you for a long time and result in other failures.

What are your recommendations?

Firstly, you need to do things step by step, gradually and steadily expand your ventures while you have to prepare for back-up. Secondly, you need to have strong knowledge, build a good management style and appropriate internal control mechanisms. Finally, you need to get the right people to work for you in order for the business to succeed.

“It is not easy to be at the top, but it is harder to maintain being at the top”

Cyberia, a leading IT solutions provider in Laos today, still plans to expand itself and maintain its reputation in Southeast Asia.