The interview
Q: What is your name?
I'm Klaus Maier, CEO of Softklix. I've been in IT business for almost 40 years and worked 13 years in Silicon Valley before returning to Europe and founding Softklix.
Q: What is your product?
I decided to do something against the hegemony of Microsoft and created Softklix, a solution that helps migrate away from Microsoft offices and manage all their applications through a single platform.
Q: Can you name users or clients of your solution? Preferably in the CAC40, DAX30, Fortune500, European governments?
Our customer base is predominantly from developing countries, for example India, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Pacific Islands. For these countries we are an affordable alternative to Citrix or VMware based on our use of open source (MySQL, Ruby, Python, xRDP) and the development of our own virtual machine and services.
Q: What European policies do you suggest to ensure sustainable development of your technology and its adoption?
It would be wise for German and European institutions to become aware of the technological, economic and political stakes involved in their fear of turning to and promoting smaller but equally efficient local companies. It is essential for research and development to create European technologies. Softklix currently has a customer base of more than 60% from emerging countries that cannot cover the costs of GAFAM tools but are satisfied with the services offered by Softklix. Large scale deployment in Europe would be just as feasible.
Q: Tell us about a successful implementation. How did you implement it, why was it a success, where is this implementation today? Plans for the future? How is the relation with the client? Did the client help you get other clients?
Among our many customers, the government of the Republic of Northern Macedonia is a typical success case. We were asked to provide a Linux-based solution to all schools and universities in the country. The Macedonian government's criteria for choosing Softklix included a desire for independence from Microsoft and other GAFAMs, particularly in terms of security and data protection for the country's students and education staff. They also wanted a solution that was reasonably priced, easy to install, easy to use and reliable. We replied to their invitation to tenders and the collaboration is a real success, which also shows that European SMEs are quite capable of meeting a government's needs in a competitive manner.