Tag: SMBs in India

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Technology

Indian SMBs To Get Major Boost As Microsoft India Announces ‘Dynamics 365 Business Central’, a Comprehensive Business Management Solution

Microsoft
Microsoft (Photo Credits: Twitter)

With an aim to encourage small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in India, Microsoft India has announced the general availability of Dynamics 365 Business Central, which is a comprehensive business management solution SMBs. The tech giant has customized this solution for India. The Dynamics 365 Business Central solution comes with inbuilt features that address local regulatory and market requirements for ease of business, including a tax engine comprising over 500 pre-configured use cases and business scenarios for GST, TDS and tax collected at source (TCS).

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central solution was announced by Microsoft during ‘Building a Resilient Future’, a virtual summit organised to discuss building resilience among SMBs in the presence of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is available through Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers (CSPs) in the country, the company said.

Here’s how Dynamics 365 Business Central would benefit the Indian SMBs:

  1. An all-in-one cloud solution, Dynamics 365 Business Central helps companies ensure business continuity by connecting sales, service, finance, and operations teams.
  2. It offers customers affordable and easily manageable tools that simplify and expedite everyday business processes.
  3. “We believe it will help small and medium-sized organisations move to the cloud confidently and be future proof,” said Rajiv Sodhi, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India.
  4. The solution can be accessed from any mobile device to conduct business on-the-go

During the launch, Gadkari said digitalisation is of utmost importance in the development of MSMEs, and could make the system more transparent, time-bound, and result-oriented. “In future, this would create efficiencies, create more market, and would be important for the growth of MSMEs in the country,” Gadkari added.

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Technology

SMBs in India Get Major Boost As AWS Launches ‘Amazon Digital Suite’ To Help Businesses Overcome Challenges of Technology Adoption

onlline business

New Delhi, April 19: With an aim to boost the startup ecosystem in India, Amazon Web Services (AWS), the Cloud arm of Amazon has launched a curated set of software solutions aimed at empowering the SMBs in the country. The initiative will help to digitise 10 million Indian small and medium businesses (SMBs) by 2025. Touted as ‘Amazon Digital Suite’, it provides a broad selection of business software focused on SMBs from seven AWS Partner Network (APN) Technology Partners in areas such as accounting, customer support, and human resources.

It must be noted that all Amazon Digital Suite software can be purchased individually with discounts of up to 75 per cent from the suggested retail prices, the AWS said in a statement. As per details by the company, the ‘Amazon Digital Suite’ is now available for purchase on amazon.in. Prices of the products that are part of the Amazon Digital Suite begin at as low as Rs 20.

Here’s how the ‘Amazon Digital Suite’ will help Indian SMBs:

  1. Puneet Chandok, President-Commercial Sales, AISPL, AWS India and South Asia said the Amazon Digital Suite brings the best of what AWS and Amazon offer as an affordable, simple-to-use, and value-driven package
  2. Customers purchasing the Amazon Digital Suite during the ‘Amazon Smbhav 2021′ event from April 15-23 will be eligible for discounts of up to 30 percent in the Amazon Digital Suite store.
  3. With the Amazon Digital Suite, SMBs can overcome the challenges of technology adoption, digitise their operations, innovate in their business, accelerate their growth, and help India prosper.
  4. The Amazon Digital Suite comprises various solutions from Razorpay, Freshworks, greytHR, ClearTax, Zoho, Vinculum and OkCredit.

Vedanarayanan Vedantham, Head – SME Business, Razorpay said that the launch of the Amazon Digital Suite will be a game changer; it will empower millions of SMBs of any size, and make it possible for them to reach new customers around the world.

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Startup

SMBs in India To Get Major Boost As Microsoft and Intel Help Empower SMBs With New Range of Modern Devices

Businesses in India (Photo Credits: Pexels)

New Delhi, April 3: With an aim to empower small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India with modern devices, Microsoft and Intel has announced the availability of a range of Windows 10 Pro devices powered by the Intel vPro platform. The new range of modern devices aims to provide SMBs the agility for adapting to a constantly changing world. Microsoft and Intel understood the significant challenges that SMBs face with computer systems, which are more than four years old, in terms of performance, productivity, security and manageability, and inked a pact to help them.

Farhana Haque, Group Director – Devices, Microsoft India, said that the new modern Windows 10 Pro devices powered by the Intel vPro platform will give employees the tools to work confidently. “The new line of modern Windows 10 Pro devices powered by the Intel vPro platform will give employees the tools to work confidently and securely and help them rise to any challenge. Improving workforce productivity, enhancing security and reducing overall costs are top of mind for SMBs and refreshing older devices periodically can truly help them do more,” Haque said.

Here’s how the collaboration aims to help Indian SMBs:

  1. Windows 10 Pro devices powered by the Intel vPro platform would help seamless multitasking across apps by up to 35 percent faster.
  2. It would help in using applications remotely without issues and also increases overall performance by up to 40 percent.
  3. New Windows 10 PCs are a highly strategic investment for SMBs to succeed in the modern workplace.
  4. “Intel’s vPro platform brings unmatched performance, comprehensive hardware-based security, connectivity, and remote manageability, solving for critical IT pain points and to meet the evolving needs of employees,” Roshni Das, Director – Marketing, Intel India, added.
  5. Some of the latest features in the new devices include hardware-to-OS security reporting for enhanced security of devices, identities and long-lasting battery life that can help power through the day.

In a bid to protect the safety and health of every person and honouring its commitment to environmental sustainability, Microsoft partners with recycling organisations, joins forces with collection schemes, and works with supply chain partners to facilitate the return and end-of-life management process of devices, batteries, and packaging.

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Finance

SMBs in India To Benefit As Google Announces Rs 109 Crore for Small and Micro Enterprises in the Country

Google (Photo Credits: Unsplash)

New Delhi, February 18: With an aim to support small and micro enterprises (SMBs) in India amid the COVID-19 pandemic, tech giant Google on Wednesday said it would give $15 million to Indian SMBs. The amount that has been announced by Google for businesses in India is nearly Rs 109 crore. Reports inform that the investment is part of the $75 million commitment from Google to help small businesses outside of the US. “In India, we will invest $15 million to support small and micro enterprises across the country and are in discussions with local partners,” the company said in a statement.

Google said it is working with non-government partners who have a long track record of providing resources to businesses that are generally overlooked by traditional lenders. When the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020, Google had announced a $200 million investment fund as part of its more than $800 million commitment to support small businesses. In a statement, Google said it has had a special relationship with small businesses around the world – helping them scale, innovate and reach new customers. “With today’s announcement, we’re proud to help them meet a new challenge — accessing capital needed to recover and build resiliency for the future,” the tech giant said.

In July 2020, Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, had announced a ‘Google for India’ digitisation fund through which, the company will invest Rs 75,000 crore or approximately $10 billion over the next five to seven years to help India go digital. During the ‘Google for India’ virtual conference, Pichai had said, “We will do this through a mix of equity investment, partnerships, and an operational infrastructure ecosystem in India. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy”.

 

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Technology

‘Nayi Shuruaat’, a Campaign Launched by Facebook to Celebrate the Success of Small Businesses in India Amid Crisis; All You Need to Know

Facebook (Photo Credits: Pexels)

In a bid to spread the success of the small business and their growth in India, social media giant Facebook on Tuesday launched ‘Nayi Shuruaat’. The newly launched campaign celebrates the small businesses of across the country. The campaign will help these businesses crawl back to normalcy and make a new start or a ‘Nayi Shuruaat’ amidst the deepest crisis the world has seen in recent times. The campaign by Facebook celebrates many such real stories of optimism, strength, and economic recovery from across the country. Facebook on Tuesday said that it is committed to help India quickly recover economically and socially in 2021 from the pandemic-hit year, by deepening support for small businesses and test and roll its new features from the country to the rest of the world.

About ‘Nayi Shuruaat’ campaign:

  1. The ‘Nayi Shuruaat’ campaign was launched during Facebook’s ‘Fuel for India’ event. It is an ode to the resilience of small businesses amid crisis.
  2. Nayi Shuruaat celebrates many such real stories of optimism, strength, and economic recovery from across the country
  3. Several such stories were also be unveiled during the upcoming Facebook Fuel for India virtual event on December 15 and December 16.
  4. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg via a virtual address during the event said that India’s building local capabilities and tech capacity to power innovative new business models and provide the citizens access to digital financial inclusion.

Facebook said it will continue to work closely with key partners to build a stronger ecosystem for small business growth in the country by investing in skilling programmes such as Boost with Facebook, entering in key partnerships such as with venture capital funds for the VC Brand Incubator program, and by giving people new ways to support small businesses such as the Instagram Food Stickers.

Zuckerberg on Tuesday said its partnership with Jio Platforms will help support millions of small businesses in India. Zuckerberg made the remark during a conversation with Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries at the first Facebook Fuel for India 2020 event.

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Technology

Facebook Rolls Out ‘SMB Guide’ to Help 9 Million Indian SMBs in Building Digital Presence and Reaching Potential Customers Online

Facebook (Photo Credits: Pexels)

New Delhi, November 4: With an aim to help the micro and small businesses in India to limp back to normalcy, social media giant Facebook on Wednesday rolled out a dedicated offline to online ‘SMB Guide’. In order to help these businesses recover from the pandemic-induced crisis, Facebook has come up with new resources to help make this journey frictionless for them. Reports inform that this offline to online SMB Guide for India is free and publicly available. However, the social networking giant is also proactively reaching out to nine million small businesses across the country to ensure it reaches the businesses who need it the most.

The SMB Guide is available in Hindi as well as in English in order to support a large number of businesses across distinct geographies. Archana Vohra, Director Small and Medium Businesses, Facebook India, said in a statement said that the new resources are geared to helping the smallest of businesses across geographies to move from offline to online with minimum effort. “”While the offline to online SMB Guide is publicly available, we are proactively reaching out to 9 million small businesses across India to ensure timely support”, she said.

The SMB Guide:

According to a report by IANS, the SMB Guide has been designed to provide a step-by-step direction on how the smallest of businesses can build a digital presence quickly, and reach potential customers online. The guide covers Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, and key themes such as building an online presence, mobile storytelling, social media advertising, and creative and performance strategies.

The social networking giant said it is also rolling out the next leg of ‘Boost with Facebook’, a skilling and learning programme for scaling young businesses. The programme went virtual earlier this year, and is now going vernacular, and will be delivered primarily in Hindi through Facebook Live sessions. One of the key themes discussed during Boost with Facebook will be how small businesses can build for Diwali and the festive season beyond it, the company said.

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Marketing Sales

COVID-19 Impact: Meeting Customer Expectations Top Challenge for Indian SMBs Amid Pandemic

New Delhi, October 15: Amid the coronavirus pandemic in India, the small and medium businesses (SMBs) have been finding it challenging to bring innovative offerings to market, personalise customer engagements and keep up with demand when meeting customer expectations. A new report revealed that financial management is the top challenge SMB leader respondents personally face when growing their business. According to a study conducted by leading Cloud software company Salesforce, maintaining financial growth is the top challenge constraining future business growth. It added saying that meeting customer expectations is the top constraint on operations for SMB respondents in India.

The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Salesforce. Sunil Jose, Senior Vice President, Salesforce India, said that while reduced customer demand is the top constraint on future growth, applying for financial assistance is the top consideration for the future of the business for the SMBs in the country. “Amid a challenging business environment, SMB leaders have displayed remarkable strength and resilience with only 16 per cent of SMB respondents in India expecting an entirely new structure post the pandemic,” the study said. “This demonstrates that SMBs’ in India are resilient and positive of business continuity ensuring they get back on track”, the study added.

A report by IANS said that while 30 percent of the SMB leader respondents in India expect business to be as usual, 48 percent believe it would be slightly modified. In addition to pre-pandemic challenges, the SMB leaders in India are now faced with operational restrictions, compliance mandates, and shifting customer expectations. However, SMB leaders remain optimistic about the future of their businesses globally, the report added.

It added further that even during the pandemic, SMBs are continuing to adopt new technology, with at least one in five SMB respondents reporting they’ve implemented at least one of the following technology solutions in the last six months, including email marketing software, customer service software, project task collaboration tools, or e-commerce software. “Globally, SMBs’ are at a critical juncture. The key to accelerating consumer demand and solving problems for scale, come down to how they leverage technology to deliver the best customer experiences,” Jose explained.