A 360 Degree Overview on Cloud Computing For SMEs

In an exclusive conversation with Mr Sudhir Kothari Founder & CEO of Embee Software, it is found that how organizations are evolving their efficiency levels and redefining their productivity goals with cloud computing tools and solutions.

Embee Software Private Ltd is a leading Indian Technology solutions and services provider focused on driving digital transformation in the Indian mid-market, with a turnover crossing USD 100 million in FY21.

Here are edited excerpts based on the exclusive interaction with Mr. Sudhi Kothari of Embee Software and Faiz Askari Founder Editor of SMEStreet.

Faiz Askari: Why cloud technology is important and how major an impact it will create in different organizations.  

People are gradually discovering the ‘new normal, be it in social interaction, business operations, or even leisure. COVID-19 has hit us all suddenly. Many businesses found themselves unprepared and scrambled to adopt various technologies to keep the ball rolling. Comprehensive technologies for remote productivity, collaboration, and business continuity have existed for several years. The future is digital, and I firmly believe that businesses and institutions must use this disruption as an opportunity to adapt and transform with technology. We at Embee have been enabling organizations to precisely do that for over three decades.

Cloud computing has become a big game-changer in all the sectors offering the benefits of flexibility, scalability, remote work management, data security, unlimited storage, easy access, pay-as-you-go model, and data analytics. Many organizations are even shifting to hybrid cloud models to address the need to analyze data closer to the source. Big Data including Application Modernization, Data security, and backups will also be important pieces of the digital transformation puzzle in coming years. 

Organizations opting hybrid cloud as demand for technology solutions increases.

As per the latest cloud computing trends, 84% of enterprises run on a multi-cloud strategy. The rise of the hybrid cloud will put an end to the debate regarding whether to go for private cloud or public cloud. Statistics reveal that businesses have difficulty choosing between the two and as a result, look for deploying a mixture of both private and public clouds.

A Hybrid Cloud allows customers to enjoy the benefits of both the Public Cloud and the Private Cloud. Most organizations have an IT landscape that is too complicated to go for either a completely Public Cloud, or a Private Cloud-based approach. Budget constraints too may prevent companies from implementing a Private Cloud model where data security concerns, as well as security requirements, may prevent them from a completely Public model. In such a case, a Hybrid model allows the creation of a Public as well as Private cloud to fulfill both requirements.

But the implementation of multiple cloud providers undergoes the risk of failure in tracking resources and controlling the expenses. Hybrid cloud puts an end to these concerns as it merges the security and cost-effectiveness of the private cloud with the power-packed performances of the public cloud.

Digital Transformation: In-demand skills for 2021

You can go for a leadership and management course from UpGrad as they connect you with industry experts and offer a certification program from Michigan State University. Now is the best to make a career in IT not only in India but all over the world. If you are focused, creative, flexible in adopting new technologies, and can work under stressful conditions, then you are the right fit for this kind of job. 

6 Ways cloud creates a future-proof Organization.

Save Costs and Boost Profits- Ultimately, the underlying driver for moving from the existing on-premises enterprise data to the cloud is saving costs. The on-premises cost not only includes the direct cost of owning or licensing data center equipment but also the cost of third-party service, maintenance, and management, training, and policy. Instead, you can migrate to the cloud and save all this trouble and money. 

High Performance- Cloud services infrastructure gives you the flexibility and best-in-class equipment in the industry: the latest Intel processors, the most optimized RAM, petabit networking, SSD storage, GPU arrays, and even programmable hardware in the cloud. 

Security and Compliance- Cloud service providers such as Azure understand that millions of customers trust them for data security. As a result, it meets the highest security standards in the industry, set by healthcare, financial, and government institutions. This makes certifications such as SOC2, ISO27001, HIPAA, and PCI much easier to obtain when running on an already certified IT infrastructure. 

DevOps- It is an ideal toolchain for SMEs which don't have ample capital for massive restructuring but want to be agile. It can be leveraged by any organization irrespective of the cloud environment they are using or if it's a public or private one. In 2020, Embee won the finalist award in the DevOps on Azure category in the annual Microsoft Inspire Awards.

Application Modernization- Azure’s Platform as A Service (PaaS) offering can help create, deploy, and run applications faster and more efficiently. With features like built-in auto-scaling and load balancing, it provides a flexible cloud platform for both updating apps and building a new app. 

Remote Desktop Management- Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) is a gateway for new users who are yet to migrate to the cloud while simplifying licensing needs of those who have made the move. Being a Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialized Partner for WVD, Embee is known for its technological approach and complies with the requirements of the program. 

Powering digital transformation in India. Power to empower

Decision-makers are now keen on reaching beyond descriptive analytics that their current business intelligence solutions already provide them with. As Intelligent Cloud matures, it is enabling them to extract greater insights from a variety of data sources and effectively bridge the gaps between predictive, and cognitive analytics. It is thus facilitating better decisions- Cloud data centers will process 94% of workloads in 2021. Regardless of the size of the business, cloud computing can affect the speed and intensity of its growth through several factors. When businesses are on the cloud, complex tasks are made simpler and data processing more efficient.

With over 60% of businesses using cloud services, it is obvious that cloud business is not only here to stay but grows substantially. Real-time updating with the cloud ensures data is available asap and there is no time lag in between backups as opposed to on-premises backup systems. Cloud automation is an exciting development for small companies because it can give back workers some time out of their schedules if some of their tasks are already automated.

The transition to the cloud can enhance the overall productivity reduce the financial burden and enhance capabilities and scalabilities. In the immediate context, it can drastically reduce the limitation posed by the remote and work from home. Employees can access and share any data or information on the cloud and can work in better collaboration with them. Cloud uses many technologies, of which the programming model, data management, data storage, virtualization are the key technologies. Virtualization is a method of deploying computing resources.

FA: HR/Resource management challenges faced by organizations during the lockdown and how HRMS Octane can help?

According to the latest HR software market analysis, the global HR market will become a $38.17 billion industry by 2027. This tremendous growth is due to an increase in the interest of companies in team-focused management. 

Gone are the days when your employees used to go to HR for any attendance, leaves, assets, and payroll-related queries and approvals. In today’s era where most of the people are working from their homes, it can be quite challenging to reach out to HR for everything, hence there is a growing need for robust systems to make processes automated and independent. 

An HRMS solution is an effective way of managing your remote workforce. HR software simplifies daily HR tasks, streamlines employee processes, and minimizes administration. It is a comprehensive employee lifecycle management solution to automate tedious, repetitive, and time-absorbing manual HR tasks.

The employees can mark their attendance, request for leaves, claim reimbursements, save/edit personal and asset details, upload documents, check status and approvals, and much more with HRMS.  

FA: Again with Lockdown HRMS Octane will become more critical for traditional businesses and sectors for aligning the workflow.

Octane HRMS automates the typical HR processes such as resource onboarding, recruitment, payroll management, performance management, etc. can be highly time-consuming and resource-intensive. But when automated with an HRMS, the process takes just a few hours with no or minimal requirement of human intervention. 

Octane provides remote access and enables employee self-service, which means employees can themselves generate these documents from any location by simply logging into the system with their credentials. This saves time for both the employee and the HR department.

One of the biggest benefits that an HRMS brings to the table is process automation. A carefully researched and implemented HRMS can help automate most tasks related to payroll management and filing, which not only saves time but also helps eliminate common errors such as incorrect salary calculations, double credits, missed deductions, etc. which can cause small companies to lose up to US$ 1,000 in penalties.

As per research, companies can lose up to 5% of revenue every year to fraudulent transactions done by employees. Octane HRMS’s security features cover every aspect of data security including user data encryption, physical data security, access-based control to avoid unauthorized access, internal security controls, and much more. It is compliant with GDPR to ensure data privacy and security.

FA: According to your observations what are the cost-benefit assessment of workplace management for SMEs?

Assisting SMEs in expanding their revenue by migrating their data and apps to a cloud platform is Embee, whose cloud solutions on Microsoft Azure offer integration solutions that cater to SMEs’ needs within specific timelines and costs. Embee helps its clients unleash their full potential so that they can build and innovate faster and be more agile. 

1. Improved productivity levels: Leveraging Azure can aid in expediting innovation for SMBs who often depend on new solutions to be agile in challenging environments.
2. Greater levels of security: The cloud environment deploys multiple-level security controls and specialized threat intelligence backed by Microsoft security solutions.
3. Access to business intelligence: The cloud solutions enable SMBs, start-ups, and small and medium-sized corporates (SMCs) to use analytics for making smarter business decisions.
4. Optimized cost: These solutions help in optimizing costs by reducing businesses’ expenditure on computer equipment, IT tools, and software.

As a Microsoft Azure cloud partner, Embee is committed to helping you make most out of your Azure investment while helping you drive undisrupted work continuity, reduce IT costs, faster go to market, or other desired business outcomes, along with:

• Cloud Optimization for cost reduction on Azure billing– With Embee being a preferred technology partner for cloud optimization and cost savings, we can help you achieve up to 40% cost reduction without changing BOM or impacting your cloud performance.
• Free Consultancy– Free Azure Consulting to mitigate security risks, reduce migration risks, faster deployment, and better user experience.

FA: What are your views on the need for cloud-based data centers in India?

Cloud data centres will process 94% of workloads in 2021. Regardless of the size of the business, cloud computing can affect the speed and intensity of its growth through several factors. When businesses are on the cloud, complex tasks are made simpler and data processing more efficient.

With over 60% of businesses using cloud services, it is obvious that cloud business is not only here to stay but grows substantially. Therefore, there is a huge need for data centers in India. 

FA: Also, please help us in getting some clarity on common Cloud myths.

One of the most prevalent myths about the cloud is that it is all about money. But this is not the case. There are many other reasons for migrating to the cloud such as flexibility and scalability. Cloud can be used for everything. Cloud is a great fit for highly variable or unpredictable workloads or for where self-service provisioning is key. However, not all applications and workloads are a fit for the cloud. Opting for only one cloud service provider. A cloud strategy must be able to accommodate the use of more and more cloud services.