LUMS Computer Science Graduate Pursues Excellence in Management Information Systems

LUMS Computer Science graduate, Arsalan I. Anwer’s software company, Computing Solutions, recently won the ‘Jonathan Scutt Memorial Technical Excellence Award 2020’ – awarded annually by Retail Pro International to its best global retail partners. This is the first time a Pakistani software company has bagged this prestigious international award.

The fast-rising software house then also went on to win the 'Service Excellence Award – Middle East & Africa 2020' for their innovative retail IT solutions second year in a row.

Anwer graduated with a major in Computer Science from LUMS in 2002. Prior to his undergraduate degree, he did his FSc (Pre-Eng) from the prestigious, Cadet College, Hasanabdal. He founded Computing Solutions, as a result of his passion for Information Technology. “I was introduced to Management Information Systems very early on, even before I had graduated, by way of real industry projects that some of my teachers were very kind to give me the opportunity to be part of. I found my calling in the same and that's the path I took.” Anwer recalls that he was motivated to establish his own company while attending Dr. Shafay Shamail’s Java class in the year 2000.

Computing Solutions is a technology company, which supports large-scale organisations digitise their operations. Over the past 2 decades, the multiple award-winning company has executed some of the most interesting digital transformations in Pakistan's retail landscape. Their clients include HKB stores, Nirala Sweets, Stylo Shoes, Sefam, Sapphire Textiles, DVAGO and Chase Up to name a few.

Expressing his feelings on his company winning an award from Retail Pro International, Anwer shared, “I was completely surprised, and on top of the world at winning the Jonathan Scutt Memorial Technical Excellence Award 2020. Since we weren't expecting it at all, we were quite overjoyed! It's rare for a company to win such an award within just 2 years of its becoming a Retail Pro partner. And then to be ranked #1 globally!”

Anwer wants Computing Solutions to accomplish quite a few goals. He wants the company to be the most ‘reliable’ service provider; to bring fame and respect to Pakistan and to develop high-performance teams who take pride in their work. Most importantly, he wishes to "continue to innovate" through his company.

Anwer and his team's professional work has been used as a subject of several case studies by LUMS and Retail Pro International. His pioneering work in retail technologies, 'Managing Information in a Growing Business', was published by LUMS in 2004-5 and is widely taught at many universities across Pakistan. On the international forum, professional organisations like Retail Pro International have published two case studies, 'Ehad Healthcare uses Retail Pro Prism as the tech foundation for community pharmacies' and ‘How Meri Pharmacy spreads social impact with Retail Pro Prism in Pakistan's pharmaretail revolution'.

The case study on Ehad Healthcare's Retail Pro implementation by Retail Pro International describes how Computing Solutions enabled Ehad Healthcare, which provides personalised drug labelling, to provide designed system-generated dosage labels to its clients. These labels are a patient’s complete drug record, detailing what medicine has been taken and in what dosages, facilitating traceability of medicine. This is an extraordinary innovation in the field of community pharmacy. In addition, Computing Solutions developed software for the pharmacy, which would not only manage inventory and sales efficiently but could also integrate with other solutions such as clinic management and carry out business-as-usual tasks with ease and efficiency.

Sharing how LUMS enabled him to reach his goals, Anwer said that the right teachers, the right exposure and the right networking opportunities during his undergraduate studies at the University set him off on the path to success. He also credits LUMS for introducing him to some of the best mentors he’s had in his journey. “When you've got the right mentors, your personal, as well as professional development, is well taken care of.”

For aspiring entrepreneurs, Anwer shared very inspiring advice. He said entrepreneurs should prefer quality over quantity, focus on developing people and put "Pakistan first!"