Recognizing the winds of modernization sweeping across India, Mr. Panicker leveraged his extensive background in marketing electronic products to create a groundbreaking solution for the banking sector: BANCAL. This chip-based banking automation product was a game-changer, achieving over one lakh installations in leading banks across India, including SBI, BOB, UBI, Federal Bank, SBT and Allahabad Bank. Launched at a time when organized computing was still in its infancy in India, BANCAL was hailed as a remarkable achievement and set the stage for future innovations.
Harish has guided HK Infoware from a single-software product enterprise to a dynamic Software-as-a-Service provider, introducing flagship applications like Tulip Desk and HKStar. These solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of the education and hospitality sectors, ensuring our clients are equipped for success in a competitive landscape.
Harish’s leadership philosophy is rooted in a congenial and liberal approach, characterized by open, positive, and constructive communication. This ethos has been instrumental in cultivating a culture of innovation, collaboration, and resilience at HK Infoware, empowering our team to navigate challenges and drive growth.
At HK Infoware Limited (HKIL) , our story is one of vision, dedication, and transformation—a journey that began in 1987 with a simple yet profound mission: to harness technology to empower industries and enhance lives.
In the vibrant city of Kolkata, Mr. P.K. Panicker, an enterprising entrepreneur, founded H.K. Industries with a deep passion for innovation. He set out to revolutionize the banking landscape, and in 1988, launched BANCAL, a cutting-edge chip-based calculator designed to streamline banking processes. This early innovation laid the foundation for a future marked by continuous technological advancement.
As our ambitions grew, so did our capabilities. In 1993, the company evolved into a private limited company, reflecting our expanding influence in the technology sector. Just two years later, we launched Banksoft, a comprehensive software solution that revolutionized branch automation in banks, enabling real-time data processing and significantly enhancing customer service.
The turn of the millennium proved to be a pivotal moment for HKIL. In 2000, we became a Microsoft Certified Solutions Provider, solidifying our expertise in software development and expanding our service offerings. Our commitment to excellence was further demonstrated in 2004, when we successfully implemented Banksoft across Allahabad Bank, from Jammu to Kanyakumari—making a significant impact with a nationwide solution that transformed banking operations.
The year 2007 marked another landmark in our evolution. We rebranded as HK Infoware Limited and transitioned to a public limited company. This transformation not only opened new growth avenues but also empowered us to pursue bolder, more innovative initiatives.
In 2008, we undertook an ambitious e-governance project for the Treasury and Pension Department of the Government of Sikkim, India—showcasing our growing capabilities in public sector projects and digital transformation.
As accolades continued to accumulate throughout the years, reflecting our ongoing commitment to innovation and excellence. In 2012, we were honored as a Silver Independent Software Vendor by Microsoft, recognizing our proficiency in their technologies. The following year, we developed a Guest Tracking System, transforming the hospitality industry in Siliguri, West Bengal, and enhancing guest experiences.
In 2016, we launched HKStar, a user-friendly hotel management software tailored for small and medium-sized establishments, helping them streamline operations and improve customer service. Our commitment to education was further solidified in 2017, when we partnered with the Institute of Hotel Management, Sikkim, to provide training on HKStar, enriching the learning experience for both faculty and students.
By 2018, our reputation as an industry leader was firmly established, with CIO Review recognizing us as one of the 20 Most Promising Travel and Hospitality Solution Providers. This was a testament to our impact in the travel and hospitality sectors, where we were reshaping industry standards with our innovative solutions.
In 2019, we introduced Tulip Desk, a cloud-based school management software designed to streamline administrative tasks, foster innovation in learning, and provide a comprehensive solution for educational institutions.
When the world faced unprecedented challenges in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly adapted by enhancing Tulip Desk with a Virtual Classes module, enabling online learning and assessments for educational institutions. This response highlighted our resilience and our unwavering commitment to meeting the evolving needs of our clients, even in the most challenging of times.
As we look towards the future, HK Infoware Limited remains dedicated to leveraging technology to create meaningful solutions that empower industries and improve lives. Our journey has been one of constant growth, innovation, and impact—and with every new project, we continue to shape the digital landscape of tomorrow.
Our rich legacy is just the beginning. We are committed to developing next-generation solutions that not only meet the needs of our clients today but also prepare them for the challenges of tomorrow. At HK Infoware Limited, we believe the best is yet to come.
Over the past 35 years, we have built a legacy founded on excellence. By focusing on research and development and cultivating a robust skill inventory, we have positioned ourselves at the forefront of technological advancement. Our significant investments in technology upgrades and the latest project management techniques have enabled us to build expertise across platforms, including both Microsoft and open-source technologies. This commitment has enriched our knowledge base and significantly expanded our portfolio of services and products.
Our Vision is to evolve and grow as a prominent Software product and services provider in India with a global footprint! We are committed to earn our customers’ loyalty and patronage through continual improvement of all our work processes driven by Integrity, Innovation and Teamwork.
Our mission is to provide cost-effective, efficient and flexible Software Products and Services of high quality, which deliver long term commercial benefits to our customers based on their key business requirements.
At HKIL, we value our commitment and the trust of our clients and stakeholders. We constantly strive for innovation, excellence, dedication and timely delivery to earn the respect of our clients. At the same time, we do our best to ensure a challenging, yet rewarding and motivating environment for all our team members.
It takes a lot of research and development, planning, technology upgrade and hard work to maintain superior quality of a product or service. At HKIL, we believe in customer satisfaction as the ultimate reward for our efforts,and we achieve that through consistent delivery of high quality products and services in an efficient, cost-effective and timely manner. We pursue continual improvement of all our work processes to meet the expectations of our customers in terms of quality, reliability and service.
HKIL is constantly expanding its eco system by forging alliances with global technology giants and organizations, bringing forth synergy in technology and domain expertise, without losing its focus. After the company’s successful journey for over three decades, the focus area of its future growth is now Education and Hospitality industries.
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BANCAL, launched in 1988, was essentially a ‘Banking Calculator’ and also referred to as such. It had a microchip at its heart and was an efficient device to aid and streamline back-office automation for the banking processes.
With the launch of BANCAL, HKIL entered into the development of automation in banking sector of India. This ushered the company into a new era of growth in the Indian Banking sector. The product was the first and only one of its kind and made entry into the banking industry at a time when the concept of organized computing was yet to come.
This enabled the banks to significantly improve their efficiency levels by automating functions like interest calculations, ledger postings, report generation, etc.
BANCAL was truly ahead of its times as no significant automation initiatives were there for the Banking Industry till then. As a result, it was commissioned by almost all the reputed banking establishments in the country. It was a huge success and sold 1,00,000 units till the advent of the new generation personal computers.
Banksoft was the first software solution developed as a product by HK Infoware in 1995 for the banking sector. This product provided integrated online and real time processing of data which helped the banks to significantly improve the speed and quality of their customer services.
This server independent software was highly secure and could be configured with most database servers and operating system platforms of that time, making it very flexible and convenient for operation. Moreover, it provided a total branch automation (TBA) solution to the banks which benefitted them immensely in their back-office processes and in their customer relationship. This opened a new realm of banking experience for the bank staff as well as the customers.
Banksoft had a very successful track record in various Nationalized Banks, Gramin Banks (RRBs), Co-operative Banks and Credit Societies across the country. It entered the Indian market at a time when the banking sector was ushering into a new world of competition, total automation, security of data, fast and efficient customer service and expansion of branch network.
With the technical skill and industry experience of a highly efficient team at one hand and strategic alliances with other solution providers at the other, HKIL has commissioned many turnkey projects in Banking Automation successfully, like:
Banksoft achieved about 4000 installations across the length and breadth of the country, and was able to build up a loyal customer base in banking sector till 2007 when the Core Banking concept came into being.
