 "US tech giant Oracle Corp")
Riding on initiatives like Digital India, Smart Cities, Jan Dhan Yojna and Aadhaar, the country is well-poised to take maximum advantage of what the global technology industry has to offer when it comes to Cloud infrastructure, cyber security and a complete ecosystem, a top Oracle executive has reiterated.
According to Shailender Kumar, Managing Director, Oracle India, the transition to the GST mandate is another radical change that will fast-track India's journey towards digitalisation.
"India has always been a critical market for Oracle. After being here for over 30 years, we now have nearly 700 partners in the country and the largest workforce outside the US. With one of the biggest transformations in history, the entire world is watching India closely as this digital revolution is expected to bring the country to the forefront of the global economy," Kumar told IANS.
Oracle is set to organise its flagship global event "Oracle OpenWorld" for the first time in India this month where Safra Catz, CEO, and Thomas Kurian, President - Product Development, will share insights on how the company, governments and businesses of all sizes can work in unison to build India's new digital economy.
"Oracle is completely dedicated to make the Digital India dream a reality. 'Oracle OpenWorld India' will serve as a platform to encourage collaboration between public and private players to accelerate the digitalisation process in the country," Kumar added.
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India is uniquely positioned to benefit from cloud-based solutions for three reasons. First, there are more than 300 million mobile internet users in the country which is an essential building block for a shift to Cloud.
"Secondly, the e-commerce willingness in this market. Lastly, India has the largest IT service businesses in the world across SIs (systems integrators) and they are now looking at adjacent revenue streams like the cloud to take cost out," Kumar had told IANS in an earlier interview.
According to market research firm Gartner, 2016 was the defining year for Cloud, with private Cloud steadily making way for hybrid Cloud and nearly half of large enterprises predicted to have hybrid Cloud deployments by the end of 2017.
More than 80 per cent of enterprise IT organisations will commit to Hybrid Cloud Architectures by 2017.
In India, there is a growing demand for hybrid Cloud, especially among mid-size enterprises, including manufacturing companies even though private Clouds are deemed expensive.
"We are witnessing very good traction for our hybrid Cloud solutions in India, and expect it to emerge as the preferred model for most enterprises. Oracle's hybrid Cloud strategy combines a proven technology stack across on-premises and Oracle Cloud with a unified management experience for all services," Mitesh Agarwal, Vice President - Solution Consulting, CTO, Oracle India, told IANS.
For Prasad Rai, Vice President, Applications, Oracle India, the company's comprehensive suite of solutions and technologies for commerce, service and support, sales, insight, loyalty and marketing and social media is the key to deliver customer satisfaction and seamless experiences to its customers.
"In order to enable our customers deliver exceptional experiences to their consumers, we have changed our team structures, brought in more focus on Cloud, recruited new sales teams and expanded our market focus by adding more regional cities/towns into our business agenda," Rai added.
"What exactly are Indian enterprises looking for when it comes to embracing the Cloud?
For Rai, the domestic enterprises are keen on embracing nimble, innovative, Cloud-based technology that could help them quickly diversify their product line.
"Some of their expectations from the Cloud technology include faster innovation, seamless scalability, built-in modern best practice, data security, more powerful analytics, seamless transitions and updates," Rai told IANS.
Not just established enterprises, "Oracle Startup Cloud Accelerator" programme is fostering eco-development and co-innovation for start-ups.
"Some of the key benefits to start-ups include Free Oracle Cloud Access, world-class mentorship and advice, access to Oracle's 400,000-plus customers, hands-on engagement with R&D teams, co-working space and amenities, investor connection and engagement, customised curriculum and business development," Kumar noted.
When it comes to data in Cloud, security is increasingly being seen as a cloud-enabler rather than a threat.
"CIOs want to build scalable hybrid Cloud solutions while taking the necessary steps to secure their data across their enterprises. With the right security solutions and processes, even the most demanding enterprises can move to the Cloud with confidence," said Agarwal.
