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Cloud computing for small businesses: Amazon’s cloud computing services arm Amazon Web Services (AWS) in India on Thursday — in a report pertaining to the benefits of cloud adoption for small businesses — said that small units in the healthcare, education, and agriculture sectors are expected to unlock up to Rs 1.6 trillion (Rs 1.6 lakh crore) in annual productivity gains. Moreover, cloud-enabled small businesses are also likely to support 45.9 million jobs in India by 2030.
The report ‘Realizing a Cloud-enabled Economy
“The impact of small businesses in a cloud-enabled economy is expected to be profound by 2030, with agriculture, education and healthcare sectors expected to unlock Rs 1.1 trillion (Rs 1.1 lakh crore), Rs 291.6 billion (Rs 29,160 crore) and Rs 199.5 billion (Rs 19,950 crore) respectively in annual productivity benefits,” Deepti Dutt, Leader – Verticals, Public Sector, AWS India told FE Aspire in an interview.
Here are the edited excerpts of the interaction:
How are small businesses driving innovation in the fields of education, healthcare, and agriculture?
Small businesses are a major driver of innovation and India’s economic growth. They are tackling some of the most critical societal issues faced by the country today. From addressing disparities in access to quality healthcare to enabling access to education, to supporting smarter, more sustainable farming practices, small businesses in India are adopting cloud to deliver transformational impact at scale. According to the report, 45.9 million jobs expected to be supported by small businesses in India by 2030 in a cloud-enabled economy would be 9 per cent of the total jobs in India, an increase from 3 per cent currently.
Also read: Govt’s DGT partners with Amazon Web Services to upskill students in AI, ML for better employability
In what ways do you see small businesses creating impacts within their local communities and contributing to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals?
Cloud technology offers small businesses new ways to produce and commercialize technology solutions that generate positive societal benefits, in addition to economic benefits, across a range of industries. In India, cloud-enabled small businesses are unlocking new ways to support healthcare systems by enhancing patient care, improving outcomes, and enabling access, while also driving operational efficiency to lower the overall cost of care.
In terms of education, the cloud is playing a significant role in assisting businesses in making learning more engaging, personalized, and convenient, thereby bridging the digital divide across the country. Cloud-enabled small businesses are expected to facilitate 248 million Indian adults also other than students to receive online learning by 2030. Similarly, cloud-enabled small businesses are developing data-driven and more efficient farming practices. Precision agriculture technology supported by cloud-enabled small businesses is expected to be in operation in one in nine farms across India by 2030.
How can cloud technology help small businesses achieve sustainable growth?
Cloud is a digital equalizer, as it enables small businesses to access the same set of scalable and secure technologies as large global enterprises, and also helps them to focus on solving business problems at a fast pace and in a cost-efficient way. Among the many cloud-enabled technologies available to small businesses today, AI (artificial intelligence
In addition, cloud-enabled small businesses can employ technology and digitization to directly reduce environmental impact through innovations such as more efficient resource usage and smarter waste management. The report notes that by 2030 one in five businesses worldwide is expected to use services provided by cloud-enabled small businesses to directly address their climate and sustainability objectives, such as through energy or emissions monitoring and reduction.
How is AWS collaborating with governments and industries in India to support small businesses to drive societal change?
Since our inception, we have helped small businesses leverage our cloud infrastructure and use cloud technologies to seize opportunities in the digital economy and transform their business models. In 2022, we launched a series of “Innovation Pods” to support startups and connect them with public sector organizations to accelerate the startups’ solution innovation and development. The AWS Innovation Pod is a five-month acceleration program for tech startups developing drone tech solutions on AWS Cloud.
For example, in June 2022, Hyderabad-based innovation hub and ecosystem enabler T-Hub, along with Telangana State Innovation Cell (TSIC) collaborated with AWS to launch India’s first-ever drone-tech accelerator program. AWS will continue to work with governments, educators, and the industry
Also read: Amazon’s AWS launches new programme for SMBs in India to adopt cloud services
Lastly, how is AWS backing small businesses to unlock this huge potential?
As per our report, around 28 per cent of all businesses across India now utilize at least some basic form of cloud technology such as office tools and storage. In 2020, Amazon pledged to digitize 10 million micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and enable $10 billion in exports from India by 2025. Furthering this commitment, earlier this year, AWS launched AWS Lift in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand, a program that caters to SMBs that are new to the cloud. AWS Lift provides SMBs with a starter pack of cloud credits of up to $83,500 over 12 months, and together with our partners, we help them start digitizing in the cloud.
We understand that small businesses begin at different points in their digitization journey, and therefore we tailor programs to support their unique needs. Some small businesses are built on the cloud from day one. We have established global programs such as AWS Activate that have been helping young startups over the past 10 years looking to accelerate and grow their business.
Since 2019, the program has provided more than $2 billion in AWS credits to help startups manage costs, and get technical expertise, industry training, and business mentorship. We also run a number of accelerator programs to bolster small businesses’ growth in specific verticals, including the globally run AWS Healthcare Accelerators as well as supporting women-led startups through programs like AccelerateHer in India.
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