Small and midsize businesses (SMBs) will get access to the cloud solutions and resources they need to power digital transformation with the opening of Oracle’s first Digital Hub in Asia Pacific, which will be based in Bangalore.
The new facility, one of five Digital Hubs set to open in Asia Pacific, highlights Oracle’s commitment to better serving the midsize market in the new cloud economy. India’s new Digital Hub, part of a global network of best practice centres for SMBs, will help small and midsize businesses leverage Oracle Cloud solutions to streamline operations, boost innovation and gain a platform for growth.
The hub will house Oracle’s new digital sales team and focus on helping more midsize organisations transition to the cloud quickly and easily. With a distinctive Indian feel, and exuding the energy of a start-up, the team will provide timely, personalised and effective support to customers, using the latest collaboration tools, techniques and technologies to transform the buying experience.
François Lançon, senior vice president, Oracle Japan and Asia Pacific, said: “The cloud is democratising IT; you just need a web browser or a mobile phone app to take advantage of it. What’s more, it has incredible transformation potential for small businesses, enabling them to do things they have never been able to do before, at an affordable price, such as use technology to streamline business processes, gain access to an easy-to-use platform for innovation, and digitise their customer experience. We are simplifying the buying process to help these smaller organisations, as well as branch offices and line of business departments, digitally transform their business.”
Customers that want to buy entirely online can utilise the click-to-buy Oracle Accelerated Buying Experience. In addition to the simplified buying experience, Oracle’s Digital Hubs will provide a complete suite of cloud applications, platform, and infrastructure services as both standalone services and as bundles. The range of choices empowers small businesses to select solutions that directly address their goals or issues.
Vivek Vinayak Purekar, vice president and global HR head, Simeio Solutions, said, “We’re constantly trying to reduce operational costs by automating our processes so that we can focus more on our core business, and Oracle understands this very well. The Oracle HCM cloud solution has completely transformed our HR engine to match our fast growth and has given us the freedom to do more with less. It has helped us achieve the right blend of process modernisation and increased efficiencies. The analytics that come embedded enabled us to gain the right insights to drive more contextual collaboration and engagement, and make faster and better operational decisions.”
Yathindra Banappa, managing director, Amego, said, “Amego is India’s first logistical assistance company for medical emergencies on the go. We wanted to implement a scalable, flexible cloud platform that can be accessed from anywhere across the country. With Oracle Mobile Cloud Service, we’ve enabled more than 50,000 people, with one click access, to automatically log medical emergency requests and get approvals on the go. Customers can avail our services whether online or offline, even from far-flung hospitals and pharmacies with no internet connectivity. Going forward, we intend to leverage Oracle’s Intelligent Chatbot offering to deliver greater ease of access and a superior, more intuitive experience to customers.”
The complete package
Shailender Kumar, vice president and regional managing director, Oracle India, said: “There are over 51 million SMBs in India, many of whom haven’t worked with Oracle or used cloud before. They now have access to the most modern solutions in the market, available online, direct via the hub and through our expanded end-to-end ecosystem, working with the vast network in India. The increased choice in cloud technology will help accelerate SMB’s ability to innovate and grow more quickly, paving the way for the next big SMB revolution in the country. This solid investment reiterates our strong commitment to India.”
Praveen Bhadada, partner and practice head – Digital, Zinnov Management Consulting Pvt. Ltd., said, “With nearly 40 percent contribution to India’s GDP, the SMB sector forms the backbone of the Indian economy. Technology enablement of SMBs is expected to further add $1.1 Tn to the GDP and over $250 Bn to exports from India. Technology advancements, particularly around cloud, are playing a key role in helping small businesses to upgrade their operations, launch innovative products and services and expand their reach. Tools that make it easier for these organisations to adopt cloud and are compatible with local business needs will certainly be welcomed.”
The Digital Hub’s work with SMBs complements the Oracle Startup Cloud Accelerator Programme, which aims to fuel cloud-enabled innovation among startups around the globe. Following the success of the pilot program in Bangalore, Oracle recently expanded locations across the globe, including opening two new centres in Delhi–NCR and Mumbai to provide mentorship and technology resources to local startups.
