Microsoft bets on SMBs to bolster cloud business

Microsoft has around 10,000 partners across the country who are capable of remotely configuring cloud services: Alok B Lall

Microsoft India is betting on small and medium businesses (SMBs) to bolster its cloud services business in the country.

The company provides a wide array of Microsoft cloud services including Office 365, Azure and CRM Online, to its customers from different industry sectors — government; education; banking, financial services and insurance; utility; and enterprise.

“Our goal is to reach out to as many SMBs as possible for offering our cloud services. Cloud is redefining economics for these businesses. We have a very strong partner ecosystem that is helping SMBs to grow their businesses through cloud services. Microsoft has around 10,000 partners across the country who are capable of remotely configuring cloud services,” said Alok B Lall, director, Microsoft Office Division.

Lall said Microsoft’s cloud service business has posted a healthy double-digit growth rate in the country for the past five years. He declined to comment on India specific figures citing that Microsoft came out only with consolidated global revenues.

Quoting a study commissioned by the Boston Consulting Group, he said, among the SMBs, tech leaders outpaced their peers in revenue and job growth and also scored in access to markets. According to the report, these technology leaders are increasingly looking towards cloud solutions to store, mine and analyse the growing cache of data.

The Indian information technology sector is expected to grow 11 per cent a year and triple its current annual revenue to reach $350 billion by 2025, according to a study by the National Association of Software and Services Companies. According to a Gartner report, the public cloud market in India is estimated to treble to $1.9 billion by 2018.

Three of Microsoft's cloud business services - Office 365, Azure and CRM Online - are available from Microsoft’s India data centres and ensure the highest level of security and regulatory compliance.

Microsoft Office 365, Azure and CRM Online help businesses collaborate, communicate, and connect better in their ecosystem and expand to more markets and customers. The combination of online applications and always-on customer support gives businesses the desired competitive edge and helps explore newer opportunities.

“Cloud technology provides significant opportunities for businesses to achieve their business goals and meet their IT needs. With the availability of our cloud-based services from the local data centres, businesses can access new markets, engage with customers more efficiently, and manage their costs better,” said Lall.

In Odisha, Microsoft India has partnered In2IT Technologies to enable the businesses in the state with enterprise-grade cloud technology from Microsoft.