By: Mr. Brad Rosairo, BitTitan, Director of Business Development, Asia Pacific
India is now the world’s fifth largest economy, having leaped ahead of France and the United Kingdom, according to a recent report from the World Economic Forum. And when it comes to the digital consumer, India is the second largest online market, ranked only behind China. By 2021, it is predicted there will be about 635.8 million internet users in India.
Despite the country’s massive presence in the business world and number of digitally-connected consumers, business cloud adoption is still nascent in India, with an adoption rate roughly half that of the U.S. and UK as recently as 2019. But the worldwide pandemic is upending this trend. As companies across India work to adapt to the new business normal, 64 percent of organizations in India are expected to increase their demand for cloud computing and 56 percent are expected to adopt cloud software (SaaS) to support a remote workforce.
Additionally, the increasing adoption of advanced technologies, such as big data, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), is propelling the growth of the Indian cloud infrastructure market. Government initiatives including DigiLocker, MeghRaj, and Cloud vision for India 2022, among others, have supported the growth of the cloud infrastructure market and established India as a global hub for cloud computing, content delivery, and data communication services.
This all suggest a tremendous untapped opportunity for cloud service providers in India. Globally cloud players, like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, as well as domestic cloud players are all vying for market share by promoting new products and services, and the many advantages of operating in a cloud environment.
The cloud can help businesses improve IT operations, including improved security, more efficient deployment of tools, updates and patches, and improved flexibility to scale with company needs. And the benefits are significant for end users as well. The cloud allows companies to centralize data in a location that can be accessed by employees from anywhere, at any time. This helps improve business continuity and employee productivity by enabling collaboration for employees regardless of their remote location. Having all company data in one accessible place also allows employees to look at insights and analytics more easily and track key performance indicators. This is often challenging in an on-premises environment, where data is likely to live in silos across the organization.
But choosing a cloud vendor and executing a cloud migration is not a simple endeavor and requires careful planning. Many businesses in India are moving from an on-premises environment to the cloud for the first time. Others may have already taken small steps to the cloud and are now considering more wide-scale adoption. In either case, it’s important to assess the needs of the businesses and determine the right cloud strategy given the latest offerings.
A leading trend in the cloud space is multi-cloud environments, a strategy that takes advantage of multiple cloud vendors to avoid “vendor lock-in,” which puts businesses at risk by becoming deeply reliant on a single vendor. The advantages of multi-cloud are numerous, including the ability to have more control and flexibility to manage cost. If one vendor decides to raise prices, resources can be shifted easily to the other cloud vendor. Working with multiple cloud vendors provides companies access to a wider range of products and services, increasing their ability to innovate and operate efficiently.
Regardless of the specific path companies take, implementing a cloud strategy requires the successful migration of massive amounts of data. Moving data from on-premises servers into the cloud, or from one public cloud to another to take advantage of improved pricing or services are just two examples. With the upheaval of the economy in India and around the world, mergers and acquisitions between companies are expected to rise and will result in the need to migrate and consolidate company data in the cloud.
As businesses across India further embrace the cloud and improve their cloud strategies, the ability to easily migrate data will be essential. Fortunately, there are easy, cost-effective tools to help with this process. BitTitan’s MigrationWiz is a 100 percent SaaS-based tool that employs automation functionality, and can be leveraged anytime, from anywhere. This is especially important now, while IT professionals are executing migrations within the confines of social distancing guidelines. MigrationWiz also simplifies the process of moving data from legacy, on-premises solutions to the cloud, a process that can be fraught with complications that result in business disruptions if not managed properly.
For companies without in-house cloud strategy and migration expertise, bringing in a partner to help can ensure a smooth process with minimal downtime. The fragmented nature of the cloud market in India is leading to a rising role for channel partners, who can help guide businesses based on their specific needs.
India may be behind the curve when it comes to the speed of cloud adoption, but this trend is turning around. Given the sizeable untapped potential, companies throughout the cloud ecosystem would do well to pay attention and seize the opportunities as they arise. It will be an interesting transformation to witness; the future of cloud computing looks bright for India.
