A successful rollout of Sri Lanka’s National Fuel Pass, global expansions with new offices in Singapore and Bangladesh, a growing team now 500+ individuals strong, and several awards. With these stellar achievements and many more, 2022 has been a wildly successful year for MillenniumIT ESP (MIT ESP). For over 25 years, it has been a driving force in shaping Sri Lanka’s technological landscape.
You may also like
As a complete Enterprise Solutions Provider, MIT ESP’s services cover various technological needs for enterprises in several industries ranging from banking to government to manufacturing, MIT ESP’s core business areas today include setting up core infrastructure, cloud, cybersecurity enterprise applications, intelligent automation and data, smart buildings, and managed services. In conversation with Arteculate, CEO of MillenniumIT ESP, Shevan Goonetilleke, elaborated on the company’s successes in the past year and its global expansion plans for the future.
MIT ESP’s global expansion with a network of partnerships
In January 2023, MIT ESP will be celebrating its 27th anniversary. During its 2 decades of existence, the tech company has pioneered several initiatives that shaped the Sri Lankan tech landscape. These include several turnkey solutions across all industries in Sri Lanka and maintain a significant presence working with some of the largest banks, telecom operators, and several other industry-leading organizations. Hence, Shevan shared that it was a logical step for MIT ESP to expand beyond Sri Lanka’s shores and was part of a three-year growth plan the company embarked on in 2021.
The first steps of this global expansion involved establishing an office in Singapore, which serves as a hub for its international operations, particularly for the ASEAN region. Another satellite office in Bangladesh also gives MIT ESP a base in the country known for its fast-growing manufacturing enterprises. In 2022, the company also strengthened its partnership ecosystem with channel partners and international principles. Through these partnerships, MillenniumIT ESP has been able to complement the services of its partner companies and engaged with customers in 10+ countries over the year.
Overcoming the challenges of global expansion
2022 was an exceedingly challenging year for Sri Lanka. For MillenniumIT ESP, its international expansion efforts helped minimize the impact of the Sri Lankan economy’s struggles. However, that’s not to say the company didn’t overcome its fair share of challenges. Chief among these was adopting a new mindset to operate globally. “Operating very much in Sri Lanka up to now, there was a mindset shift when it came to working with local stakeholders versus working with partners and customers outside of Sri Lanka,” Shevan said.
He added that another challenge was effectively packaging MIT ESP and its portfolio to different markets. Other challenges with scaling up included understanding different commercial structures and resolving issues like repatriating funds. However, MillenniumIT ESP’s channel partner model helped mitigate many of these challenges. The channel partnership model, which focused on medium-sized partners, allowed MIT ESP to remain in control of the quality and delivery of impactful software solutions that meet the needs of client organizations.
MIT ESP’s achievements in 2022
Building Sri Lanka’s National Fuel Pass in just 10 days
Among MIT ESP’s biggest highlights for 2022 was its role in developing the National Fuel Pass app, which resolved Sri Lanka’s fuel crisis. “It was a significant turning point. The country’s productivity had come to a standstill – offices had closed, manufacturing had stopped, people were dying in long queues, and $600 million a month was being spent on fuel,” recalled Shevan of the context that led to the National Fuel Pass app. Yet, not long after its rollout, the long fuel queues had disappeared, and Sri Lanka returned to life. Behind the scenes, MillenniumIT ESP had worked closely with Dialog Axiata, the Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA), and The Ministry of Power and Energy to deliver the system in just 10 short days. Such a short timeline is virtually unheard of in the tech industry – especially for a system of grave national importance. Nevertheless, their tireless pro bono efforts resulted in the National Fuel Pass system becoming a major victory and a turning point for Sri Lanka.
A collection of awards both locally and internationally
As with any other year, 2022 saw MillenniumIT ESP bag several awards. Locally, the company won the Chairman’s Award at NBQSA 2022 for the National Fuel Pass and was recognized by LMD as one of Sri Lanka’s most respected entities for the year. Internationally, MIT ESP was recognized by CyberArk for Best Technical Team in the SAARC region, the Support Partner of the Year Award from Infosys Finacle, the Indo Pacific Partner Award from F5, the Partner of the Year for Emerging Regions – Sri Lanka by Hitachi Vantara and Partner of the Year Awards from Fortinet, Arista Networks, EGUARDIAN, and Veritas.
A fast-growing team of 500+ individuals
In 2022, MIT ESP crossed the threshold of 500 people on its team – employees, consultants, and interns. Shevan emphasized that this growth in personnel comes at a time when several other organizations were to tighten their belts. In addition, as the company expands internationally, this number is expected to grow further. Toward this goal and helping more individuals take their first steps into the IT industry, MillenniumIT ESP also signed an MoU with SLIIT recently. The partnership offers promising students of SLIIT an opportunity for their studies to be sponsored while also working at MIT ESP, obtaining valuable experience working alongside its talented team.
Continuously giving back to the community
As it grew and became a titan of the Sri Lankan IT industry, MillenniumIT ESP has never forgotten its roots. From its earliest days, the company had several CSR efforts to support local underprivileged communities. On its 25th anniversary, MIT ESP formalized these efforts under the MillionPaths foundation, which supports rural schools and disadvantaged communities. Since 2021 it has embarked on 14 projects to update infrastructure in several schools and initiatives for women empowerment in rural areas. Commenting on the efforts of the Foundation, Shevan stated, “The MillionPaths Foundation serves as an effective vehicle to drive our CSR and sustainable initiatives to the next level. As an organization, we are passionately driven to support and uplift society through various initiatives. While focusing on the most critical needs, we will continue to support such ventures continuously and sustainably.”
The Road Ahead for MillenniumIT ESP
Looking to the future, Shevan is optimistic about the road ahead for MillenniumIT ESP. While 2022 presented serious challenges owing to Sri Lanka’s circumstances, the company managed to stay on track with its long-term vision. Building upon its success the past year, chief among its goals for 2023 is expanding its international footprint with plans to open 3 more offices globally while strengthening its partnership network. Reflecting upon their successes and challenges, Shevan described MIT ESP’s future outlook, saying, “As a nation, Sri Lanka has gone through a lot the past few years, as has MillenniumIT ESP. Nevertheless, we have sustained and been resilient through it all. We will continue to do so as we expand our global footprint.”
