As ManageEngine and Elitser Technologies mark two decades of partnership, their journey offers a compelling example of how trust, shared values and a customer-first approach can turn a vendor-partner relationship into a long-term strategic alliance. What began with a single deal in the UAE has grown into a relationship spanning more than 20 years, encompassing 850+ enterprise customers across 20+ industries and more than 3,000 successful projects.
Reflecting on the journey, Jignasu Rathod, CEO of Elitser Technologies, and Nirmal Kumar Manoharan, Vice President of Revenue Operations at ManageEngine, offer perspectives from both sides of the partnership, looking back at the milestones that shaped their relationship, the principles that have sustained it, and the opportunities they see ahead.
For Rathod, the foundation of that longevity is straightforward: “The key factor behind the longevity and success of our 20-year partnership has been trust, mutual respect and a common value system.” Technology, markets, customer expectations and business cycles have all changed, he notes, but the organisations have remained aligned through trust, transparency and mutual respect.
From the outset, both organisations shared a vision centred on delivering customer value rather than simply selling products, offering the right solutions at reasonable pricing without compromising on features or functionality. ManageEngine continued to develop solutions ahead of market needs, while Elitser translated those technologies into business outcomes through services, support and customer success.
Most importantly, the relationship has never been transactional. Rathod says, “Over two decades, it has evolved into a partnership built on shared values, shared aspirations, and a genuine commitment to each other’s success.” The two organisations have supported each other through both favourable and difficult periods, operating more like an extended family than a conventional vendor-partner relationship.
From the first deal to 3,000 projects
The partnership’s origins can be traced to Elitser’s search for technology vendors in 2006, when the UAE was entering a new phase of technological evolution. Organisations were investing in modern IT infrastructure to improve operational maturity and digital capabilities, while the IT management market itself was still relatively young.
Rathod vividly recalls the first deal. An Infrastructure Manager at a leading Abu Dhabi bank approached him after becoming dissatisfied with one of the dominant IT management vendors. The bank’s existing ITSM provider had imposed rigid practices and was charging significant fees to generate basic reports from its helpdesk platform. The experience ultimately led the bank to adopt ManageEngine as its preferred IT service management solution.
That initial success became the starting point for a much larger journey. Over the following two decades, the partnership established a strong presence in the UAE, serving more than 850 enterprise customers across more than 20 industries and delivering over 3,000 successful projects. Customer retention has exceeded 94 per cent, while across most industries, Elitser serves four to five of the top 10 enterprises.
As customer requirements became more sophisticated and technology evolved, ManageEngine continued to respond by listening to the market, enhancing existing products and introducing new solutions. Its portfolio has grown from around 7–10 core products to more than 60 solutions.
That evolution also changed Elitser’s role. The company moved beyond implementation to become a trusted advisor, shifting from a product-centric approach to a solution-driven and customer-focused engagement model. It developed stronger technical expertise, delivery capabilities and support infrastructure, while its teams continued to invest in new technologies and best practices.
The partnership also became increasingly involved in market development, from joint go-to-market strategies and marketing initiatives to sharing customer intelligence and influencing product enhancements. “Today, our position is not just that of a partner but of a long-term stakeholder, deeply invested in customer success, continuous innovation, and sustainable market growth,” Rathod says.
Built to last
Trust and collaboration have remained central to the relationship. “Trust is not built overnight; it is earned through commitment, consistent actions, transparency, and standing by each other during both successes and challenges,” Rathod says. Over the years, commitments have been honoured, communication has remained open, and both organisations have operated with mutual respect and a shared sense of purpose.
Collaboration has been equally important. ManageEngine has treated Elitser as an extension of its own team, working together on go-to-market strategies, marketing events, market intelligence, complex business challenges, product enhancements and new capabilities.
The relationship was particularly tested during economic uncertainty, market disruption and the pandemic. Rather than focusing on contractual boundaries or assigning blame, both organisations remained focused on finding solutions, supporting customers and helping each other succeed.
That approach has translated into tangible customer value. Elitser has built its ecosystem around ManageEngine’s products, combining the vendor’s technology with local expertise, consulting capabilities and end-to-end service delivery.
The model is closely aligned with globally recognised frameworks and standards including ISO 20000, ISO 27001 and COBIT. Elitser established a Consulting Division to design processes and policies required for these standards and align technology implementation with them. Its Managed Services Division then helps customers operate those environments and generate the evidence needed for compliance.
People remain central to this model. Elitser has a workforce of more than 350 employees, including over 100 consultants dedicated exclusively to ManageEngine, making it one of the largest and most specialised teams within the global ManageEngine partner ecosystem.
The strategic value of Elitser
From ManageEngine’s perspective, Elitser’s value lies in three areas. Manoharan points first to its deep understanding of the UAE market, including relationships, decision-making culture and sectors investing in IT management solutions.
Second is its focus on customer outcomes. “Elitser’s approach is to understand the business challenge first, then architect the right solution around it,” Manoharan says. This gives customers confidence in Elitser’s recommendations and ensures ManageEngine deployments are driven by the right business intent.
The third differentiator is Elitser’s ability to go beyond implementation. Its consulting practice around IT governance frameworks such as ISO/IEC 20000 and ISO/IEC 27001 positions ManageEngine technology as part of a broader enterprise compliance strategy. “That depth is significant in any partner ecosystem, especially one operating at this scale in the region,” Manoharan says.
Elitser has also helped strengthen ManageEngine’s credibility among enterprise customers. Successful deployments have become customer references, creating trust and opening doors to new organisations. Combined with ManageEngine’s platform reliability, Elitser’s implementation expertise has helped expand the vendor’s presence across multiple industries.
Its role extends beyond deployment, with managed services helping customers continue to optimise their environments and sustain long-term value from their investments.
New frontiers of growth
The next phase of the partnership will unfold against a rapidly changing Middle East technology landscape. Both organisations see significant opportunity in the region’s continued investment in digital transformation, particularly across Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Cybersecurity, Enterprise Service Management, Full-Stack Observability, and Identity and Access Management.
AI and automation are expected to increasingly drive productivity, operational efficiency and user experience through intelligent automation, predictive analytics and AI-powered decision-making. Cybersecurity will remain a priority as threats become more sophisticated and regulatory requirements become more stringent, increasing demand for integrated solutions focused on visibility, governance and resilience.
Enterprise Service Management represents another major opportunity as organisations extend service management beyond IT into HR, Finance, Facilities and Shared Services. Meanwhile, hybrid and multi-cloud adoption is increasing demand for Full-Stack Observability across applications, infrastructure, networks, databases and user experiences.
Identity and Access Management is also becoming a strategic business requirement rather than simply a security function, driven by remote work, cloud adoption and digital services. Organisations increasingly require identity governance, privileged access controls and zero-trust security frameworks.
Together, ManageEngine’s portfolio and Elitser’s consulting, implementation and managed services capabilities provide a foundation for addressing these opportunities. “Our shared vision is not only to help organisations adopt new technologies but also to ensure they realise measurable business outcomes from their investments,” Rathod says.
The Middle East’s AI ambitions are also creating new possibilities for the partnership. Regional initiatives such as the UAE 2031 Vision are driving demand for AI-powered operations, intelligent infrastructure and stronger cybersecurity across government and enterprise environments.
Manoharan sees the relationship becoming even more strategic as a result. “It will no longer be just about delivering software but about helping customers simplify IT operations, automate routine tasks, strengthen cyber resilience, and make better business decisions using AI-driven insights.” The focus will also remain on helping customers adopt these technologies confidently while meeting local compliance and data residency requirements.
The road ahead
For Elitser, the growth agenda extends beyond its established UAE base. Over the last 20 years, the company has expanded across the GCC, India and parts of Southeast Asia, and plans to replicate its customer-first model in new markets.
The company aims to deepen relationships with existing clients by improving retention and expanding revenue through new products, solutions and services. It also plans to add at least 100 new customers year-on-year, while its workforce is expected to double over the next few years to support the expansion.
Elitser also sees an opportunity to contribute more broadly to ManageEngine’s global ecosystem. “We aspire to act as an extended delivery arm of ManageEngine’s global partner ecosystem, contributing to worldwide customer success and extending our capabilities to support ManageEngine’s clients across multiple geographies,” Rathod says.
For organisations looking to build similarly enduring channel relationships, Rathod’s advice is to move beyond a transactional, “box-moving” approach. Partners need to understand customers’ business challenges, identify their pain points and deliver solutions that create outcomes. Investment in people and continuous learning is equally important because customers place their trust not only in technology but also in those who implement, support and manage it.
As the two companies celebrate the milestone, Rathod’s message is ultimately one of gratitude, pride and optimism. He credits customers for their trust and for challenging the organisations to continuously improve, while recognising the teams at both Elitser and ManageEngine whose expertise, resilience and customer-first mindset have driven the partnership’s success.
He also acknowledges the wider partner ecosystem for its collaboration, trust and shared vision. “Strong partnerships are built over time,” Rathod says, emphasising that the milestone is less about looking back at what has been achieved and more about recognising the people who made it possible and embracing what lies ahead.
After 20 years, the partnership is therefore entering its next chapter with the same principles that shaped its foundation, but with a broader ambition. As AI, automation, cybersecurity and increasingly complex IT environments reshape the region, ManageEngine and Elitser are looking to build on their combined strengths to help organisations navigate this transformation with greater confidence. The milestone is not simply a celebration of two decades of collaboration, but a marker of what the partnership can achieve next, across new markets, new technologies and an increasingly connected global ecosystem.
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