iYogi: A Virtual, Global Geek Squad?

iyogi_logo_remote_pc_support

iYogi’s business pitch is pretty basic:

Hmmm. Eager to learn more, The VAR Guy traded email with Vishal Dhar, president and head of marketing at iYogi. Here’s a sampling of the conversation.

The VAR Guy: Industry buzz suggests you’re growing and hiring. True?

Dhar: iYogi has been growing very rapidly to support high demand for our support services and an innovative delivery model. We currently have 850 employees, which is up from 650 just three months ago and 450 a year ago. In addition, as part of our unique global service delivery strategy and to support growing North American demand, we are rapidly recruiting and training additional US-based support staff to enhance our current base of 150 employees here.

The VAR Guy: So, are you looking to fill positions in North America?

Dhar: We are aggressively recruiting North American service personnel to support our high demand here and our overall global support strategy.  That involves the training and hiring of hundreds of individuals here as well as teaming with other personnel networks and resources.

The VAR Guy: You acquired Clean Machine Inc. earlier this year. What triggered the deal?

Dhar: We announced the acquisition of Clean Machine Inc, a provider of remotely administered PC security and performance management services, in May of this year.  Clean Machine was a natural fit as part of iYogi’s global delivery support model, and has helped further extend our market reach and support infrastructure in high growth regions.  We expect to leverage the strong leadership, customer base, and remote support expertise that Clean Machine
brings to the table.

The Bottom Line

iYogi sounds like a virtual Geek Squad for small businesses and consumers. At $139.99 a year for unlimited PC support, iYogi seems to have set an aggressive price to troubleshoot consumers’ PCs, printers, MP3 players and applications.

The big questions: Can iYogi scale its business in a profitable way? Are small businesses looking for this type of consumer-designed virtual helpdesk support? The VAR Guy is all ears.

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