Microsoft launches Edu-Cloud for institutions in India

The tech giant has invested over Rs 670 cr in various education initiatives in last one decade

Information technology giant, Microsoft, today launched Edu-Cloud, a cloud computing-based offering that will enhance digital learning and teaching in schools and higher education institutions, in India.

“Today’s students are digital natives. At Microsoft, we help them imagine the future and realise it. With the help of cloud computing, they create, deliver and manage content from any device, anywhere, anytime, making learning easy and fun,” Microsoft India chairman, Bhaskar Pramanik, told mediapersons here.

Stating that Microsoft was very passionate about education and that it had invested over Rs 670 crore in various education initiatives in the last one decade, touching 50 million people in 20 states in the country, Pramanik said Microsoft wanted to partner Indian schools and colleges in their digital transformation journey.

“The idea is to change the economies of cloud computing in India. We expect Edu-Cloud to benefit one million teachers and six million students in 1,500 institutions in India over the next 18 months,” he said.

Microsoft, which is celebrating its 40 years of existence globally and 25 years in India, has drawn up a strategy to become a leading platform and productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, Pramanik said.

The company would be launching its commercial and cloud services (Azure and Office 365) from its three cloud data centres in India by the end of this calendar, he added.

Deploys Edu-Cloud in 80 Sri Chaitanya Schools

Sri Chaitanya Schools, a pan-India network of K-12 education institutions, today adopted Microsoft's Edu-Cloud-based digital classrooms platform for its teachers and students in 80 schools. Teachers and students of Sri Chaitanya will use 14,000 Windows-powered tablets to access content from the Microsoft cloud.

With Edu-Cloud, students will have access to digital content and free access to Office 365 from Microsoft on their Windows-powered tablets. Using the cloud, students and teachers can communicate better, collaborate, create, access and consume content. In addition, they will have access to eDevelop, a learning management solution developed by Microsoft’s partner Mobiliya, the company said.