Microsoft says Two Lakh Indian Companies Using Its Cloud Service

Microsoft, which is facing increasing competition, especially from Google, in the cloud business, today said it has two lakh Indian companies as clients for its cloud offerings, including 70 of the top 100 listed entities. It pegged overall digital opportunity in India, including cloud offerings, at USD 107 billion. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services are considered as entrenched players in this category, where Google is seeking to make inroads through initiatives such as dedicated `cloud regions'. Anant Maheshwari, the country president for Microsoft, said 70 of the top 100 listed BSE companies are using its cloud services for digital transformation.

The company claimed it was the first global cloud services player to offer local cloud services in India through its three data-centres started in September 2015. The centres are located in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai, he said. Google, as part of a USD 30-billion global investment programme, opened three data-centres in Mumbai this year. Microsoft serves a total of 2 lakh enterprises and 5,000 start-ups with cloud offerings, he said. Maheshwari said the Indian digital opportunity has evolved into a USD 107 billion potential where intelligent cloud and intelligent edge supported by connected devices will play a major role. The company said 10 of the top 12 domestic financial institutions including SBI, ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank use its cloud offerings. Similarly, top auto players like Tata Motors and Hero Motocorp also use its services, he said. On the Government front, the company said it works with the Union government and 29 states.

It also announced the launch of `Azure Stack' for the country created with partners. It has a total of 9,000 cloud partners in the country. Strongly backing the virtues of artificial intelligence amid a global debate about its possible drawbacks, Maheshwari said even though machines outnumber humans, they only add to our capability. "I believe AI will help create better doctors, farmers and teachers," he said.

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