'Technology is just an enabler, business needs vision to run'

Having been in the industry for nearly 18 years, Soni believes that technology is useless if it not used in a proper way, and that is his guru mantra for the success. Working with a vision is the only way to do justice to any job, says the CIO responsible for IT shared services, information security, SAP implementation, business process re-engineering, and IT risk management. Having done his Masters in Engineering from BITS, Pilani in systems and information; he is also responsible for aligning IT strategy with the business one, data center optimization, and cloud computing.

Having traveled almost every country, he has an excellent experience in Oracle apps 12.0.1 implementation, experience in utilities, services, and R&D companies in India, UK, and Australia. Gaining expertise in the technology domain has helped him optimize the usage of the cloud in his enterprise. He says cloud has helped him save a lot of money for his organization.

Having so much expertise in the industry, the CIO believes that mistakes are an integral part of one's career. He admits his own folly which he committed 5 years ago, when he kept insisting on technology being the only thing that could run a business. He realized soon that technology is just an enabler whereas vision is the bigger thing. It is not only the technology that solves all problems - an investment in human resources, processes, and then taking on technology is the vision that makes a business successful.

His business plans include employing business intelligence and mobility in less than 6 months. As far as career plans are concerned, Soni is planning to stay in Everest for at least one year. After 2013, he plans to switch business in terms of position in operations or CXOs.