From a Challenger to a Tech Giant: How IFS Emerged as an Enterprise Software Market Leader

We are all too familiar with companies that started from a garage and went on to become a world leader. But do you know the story of the tech company that started from a tent at the site of their first client?

Well, that’s how IFS began its journey in 1983. From the very beginning, IFS continued to focus on its clients, especially the ones in asset-intensive industries like manufacturing, aerospace and defense, telecommunications, and oil and gas. The solutions built by IFS became a hit with their clients. The primary reason behind this has been IFS’ laser-focus approach to its client industries which has helped the company probe deeper into the specific issues and deliver bespoke solutions.

The Early Years of IFS and Expanding Horizon

While IFS quickly became popular in its home country Sweden, the company started to penetrate markets in the surrounding European countries like Finland, Norway, Denmark, and Poland. This was just the beginning for the soon-to-be ERP market leader. IFS soon entered the North American market in 1995 and established its R&D center in Sri Lanka. And by the end of the decade, IFS had its footprints in every continent.

But to be a market leader, having a broader geographic presence is not enough. One needs to constantly improve its offering with the changing business needs of different countries. IFS realized this during the early phases of its growth. Such an understanding led IFS down the path of strategic acquisitions, which would eventually help the company expand its solution offerings to include field service, enterprise assets, workforce management, customer experience (CX), and more. Thanks to these expanding capabilities and geographic presence, IFS has been able to change its image from being a challenger of the incumbent enterprise software providers to a market leader.

In Purple We Trust

Today, the purple color of the IFS logo has become synonymous with ingenuity, originality, and visionary thinking, which are integral to the company’s operating principle. Purple also stands for counterculture and unconventionality, the very characteristics defining IFS. These are evident from the common reasons businesses opt to work with IFS.

• Customer centricity – IFS strongly emphasizes its client needs, not just to streamline their present workflows but also to future-proof them.
• Value-driven partnerships – IFS collaborates with any client to develop and implement their desired enterprise software solutions..
• The internal culture of excellence - IFS has access to a diverse workforce specializing in different aspects of an enterprise, resulting in collective expertise and experience that sees every project to its completion.

Up, Up, and Ahead

There’s no denying that the story of IFS is a testament to how a bold vision and relentless perseverance can help a company leap lightyear ahead of its contemporaries. And IFS is focused on continuing down this path in the coming months to shape the future of enterprise software and stay at the frontline of technological advancements. IFS is particularly prioritizing creating an impeccable Moment of Service that aims to deliver delightful experiences for every stakeholder involved in a business, be it the end customers, employees, or the leadership teams. To bring this kind of organizational excellence to Indian companies, TechM is enhancing the partner ecosystem in India as IFS's exclusive distributor in the region.