GoDaddy: Committed Towards Digital Enablement of MSMEs

India has taken a transformation journey in last five years. Internet is changing the way we eat, shop, connect and pay. Contributing to over one-third of the country’s GDP, small businesses or MSMEs are currently leading the charge of the India’s digital economy. Discussing the potential of Internet for Indian MSMEs, Nikhil Arora, VP & Managing Director of GoDaddy India emphasized digital trends for the SME sector. In an exclusive conversation with Faiz Askari of SMEStreet, critical opportunities in the form of digital were discussed.

Here is an edited excerpts: 

Faiz Askari: Digital India has taken a center stage in Indian Economy. What are your views on this mega trend especialy from a perspective of top web enabler for Indian businesses?

Nikhil Arora: The growth of India's internet accessibility and initiatives such as Digital India are intrinsically linked to millions of small businesses coming online and leveraging technology to drive business growth.

In today’s scenario, having an online presence is no longer optional for small businesses to help them grow.  At GoDaddy, we are dedicated to engaging with our customers through our Customer Engagement Program and our India Customer Care Center. Our initiatives are focused on educating the new, as well as existing, customer around the power of the internet and what it can do to help grow their businesses.

Faiz Askari: Where do you see the role and scope for MSMEs/SMEs in Digital boom? 

Nikhil Arora: Businesses, especially small firms/ MSMEs today can no longer be only reliant on traditional methods to connect with their consumers, such as by word-of-mouth or advertising on traditional media. In today’s hyper-connected age, it is essential for businesses to have online presence to help them further grow their venture. The digital platform allows companies to target customers like never before with a greater deal of specificity, allowing them to reach their audiences more quickly and cost effectively.

According to data from Target Group Index, 73 percent<1> of the 51 million SMBs are located in India’s tier two and three cities. Hence, there are many challenges to reach these audiences such as:  limited technological awareness, non-regional language customer support, and skilling abilities. We are committed to help solve challenges for our customers and help them easily and affordably create a presence online. At GoDaddy, we are enabling the Indian SMBs with innovative online solutions and helping to support the digital wave by engaging with SMBs to help educate them about the benefits of the internet and the variety of digital tools available to help them be empowered.

As part of GoDaddy's Online Security Awareness Program, we are empowering and educating our customers on the importance of online security with the launch of new security solutions to help protect their online presence.

Faiz Askari: What is the status of Digital Security in the Indian SME domain? 

Nikhil Arora: Digitalization has empowered companies with greater ease of doing business. Small businesses are gradually realizing the power of having a business website and how a unique online identity can help them reach larger audience. However, access to sensitive customer information, while driving rapid improvements in business, is also making SMBs more vulnerable. Hence, it is important for small business owners to focus on the security of their website and customer data, as much as other business operations. It is important for small business owners to help protect their websites with SSL Certificates and website security solutions.

We understand that the use of the internet and connected devices is now an integral part of businesses and has made small businesses a more frequent target for cyber intrusion. Hence, as part of our Online Security Awareness Program, we are empowering and educating our customers on the importance of online security with the launch of new security solutions to help protect their online presence.

Faiz Askari: How is GoDaddy committed towards ensuring a secured web interface for Small Businesses? 

Nikhil Arora: Security has become an important element for any business to have a successful digital presence. GoDaddy’s Online Security Awareness Program and the on-going Customer Engagement Program is driving the awareness to help them understand the easy and affordable ways to secure their online identities.

GoDaddy has recently launched website security protection services to help protect against cyber threats such as Malware, and Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). Website protection not only improves the site load time by at least 50%, it is also an ‘always on’ securing system powered with advanced security monitoring and malware prevention tools. SSL certificates are also an addition to our security kit which helps protect the transmission of customer information and can help SMEs sustain customer’s trust. To encourage small businesses to secure their websites, GoDaddy is also currently offering a 40% discount on all security solutions that customers can take advantage of until December 31.

As a small business provider, GoDaddy has made efforts to provide advanced enterprise grade security tools for our small business and entrepreneur customers. These new security solutions are dedicated to help empower SMEs with the tools to more confidently grow their business and build trust with their customers. GoDaddy will continue to drive awareness around the benefits of being online, available tools and security protections.

Faiz Askari: What are the key priority segments for GoDaddy in terms of market expansion?

Nikhil Arora: India is a key strategic market for GoDaddy and we are committed in our focus to empower small business owners and entrepreneurs with the right solutions to help them create an effective online presence for their ventures. With the continuous innovation of online products and services, GoDaddy’s goal is to reach out to the non-digitized SMEs across India, including in untapped regions of the country. According to the research by Target Group Index (TGI)<2>, as much as 61 percent of India’s prolific internet growth is now coming from its regional belts. We are focused to help SMEs and independent entrepreneurs grow by realizing the benefits of the internet.

<1> http://www.ptinews.com/pressrelease/19309_press-subGoDaddy-Announces-Availability-in-Three-Indian-Languages-to-Accelerate-Digital-Growth-for-Small-Businesses

<2> http://www.ptinews.com/pressrelease/19309_press-subGoDaddy-Announces-Availability-in-Three-Indian-Languages-to-Accelerate-Digital-Growth-for-Small-Businesses