Microsoft rolls out Project Vikas for pharma cluster in Ahmedabad

In an attempt to boost IT adaptation by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) clusters like pharma and diamond in Gujarat, Microsoft India announced roll out of Project Vikas. The project, a joint initiative of Microsoft India and the National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC), Government of India, has been launched for the pharma cluster in Ahmedabad and will later be taken to Surat-based diamond cluster.

"Project Vikas focuses not just on driving IT penetration, but also skill and capacity building, helping the clusters increase their efficiency and reliability. It's all about giving choice to the customer, both on how he wants to use the software, and how we wants to pay for it. Some customers prefer not to make upfront investments or maintain an IT staff – so a hosted model works best for them; while others prefer an on-premise solution. Project Vikas endeavors to drive efficiency in the SMEs through IT, so we first try to understand the need of each cluster, then customize solutions that fit, and lastly, give the manufacturers choice on how they want to 'consume' the solutions," said Rajiv Sodhi, director, emerging geographies of Microsoft India.

NMCC has assigned Microsoft around 25 clusters across the country for driving IT penetration. Of these, the company, through its partners is currently present in 10 clusters, said Sodhi.

For the pharma cluster in Ahmedabad, Microsoft India will offer ERP solution PharmaSuite+ developed by its partner Soham Computers, the hosted CRM solution by Enzen, and the hosted exchange by Global Outlook. Developed by Microsoft partners, these affordable software solutions have been tailor-made to address critical business pain points in each vertical.

While PharmaSuite enables companies to have a single enterprise-wide solution and gives a real picture of the business, the hosted CRM solution by Enzen is a CRM software to improve marketing, boost sales, and bolster customer service interactions for the manufacturers. It includes a state-of-the-art Data Centre with 10MBps high speed connectivity.

As for the hosted exchange by Global Outlook, the solution is designed around the pay-per-use model. It allows the manufacturers to provide valuable service to their enterprise customers and create an easy recurring revenue stream, added Sodhi.