Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in India have overcome several challenges over the last few months to adapt, transform, and pivot their operating models. Before the global crisis, more than 28% of SMB workers in India were mobile but less than 14% of SMBs had a mobility strategy in place. Additionally, over 40% of SMBs in India still use PCs that are four or more years old, making them at least 3.8 times more likely to need repairs. Struck by the crisis, when people and organizations the world over were moving to remote everything, SMBs were faced with a unique set of challenges.
Microsoft understands the current challenges of SMBs and the need to stay connected, productive, and secure while working remotely. Underlining its commitment to enable SMBs in the country to recover and reimagine, Microsoft is helping build adaptive and future-proof businesses with modern PCs and Microsoft solutions. In their journey to prepare for the future, businesses are looking to focus on three areas:
· Empower employees
Businesses need technology which provides a positive, shared work experience, and makes teams feel productive and empowered. Compared to traditional working arrangements and offices, the dynamics of remote working is significantly different. As a result, businesses are grappling for ways to easily adopt and adapt to remote working.
· Create future-flexible workplaces
Technology needs of each business will fluctuate as they adjust with this new reality. At the same time, this could expose the security infrastructure of businesses, making them highly susceptible to cyber threats and data breaches.
· Foster communication and community
The ability for teams to communicate and collaborate is a vital ingredient in enabling business continuity, agility, and growth. Collaboration and communication maximise workforce productivity and empower teams to contribute their best ideas.
Farhana Haque, Group Director – Devices, Microsoft India, said, “SMBs have shown immense resilience in their efforts to respond and recover amid the global crisis. We are committed to helping businesses navigate this unprecedented moment. Aided by simple and flexible remote work management, collaborating on Modern PCs using solutions like Microsoft Teams keeps the workforce in SMBs connected, productive and secure anywhere and anytime.”
A recent report launched by Microsoft reflects a record of 2.7 billion meeting minutes in one day. Further, nearly 71% managers and employees stated the desire for flexibility to work from home, post the pandemic. In such moments when we are all adjusting to the new next, it important for organizations to stay up and running with simple management and configuration of devices and more secure tools. With Windows 10 Pro, Microsoft ensures all personal and organization information is secure and protected.
- Windows Defender – Windows Security repeatedly scans for malware, viruses, and security threats. Updates are downloaded automatically to help keep devices safe and protect them from threats. Windows Defender Antivirus uses the power of the cloud, wide optics, machine learning and behaviour analysis to protect devices from any threats.
- Sign in fast, secure, and password-free – Modern PCs feature Windows Hello, with facial recognition or fingerprint for instant access up to three times faster than a traditional password login.
- BitLocker and BitLocker To Go – Keep files safe with BitLocker and get the same security on removable storage devices with BitLocker To Go
- Files are secured and accessible across devices – Save files to OneDrive to keep them protected, backed up, and accessible from all your devices, anywhere.
- Find my device – This feature can help you locate your Windows 10 device if it is lost or stolen.
“SMBs are the backbone of the country’s economic future and it is important they are equipped to be future-ready with modern IT infrastructure to face disruptions, keep business running and thrive in the evolving market scenarios. With Microsoft, we continue to pursue our vision to provide SMBs with modern PCs which are secure, reliable and built to meet the demands of flexible workspace to help businesses progress in this journey during extraordinary times,” said Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer, Acer India.
“As the world shifts from response to recovery, our focus remains on supporting business continuity for our customers. Dell Technology Advisors are available to small business customers to advise on building a digital footprint as they embark upon digital transformation for their businesses. Here, collaboration tools from Microsoft can act as a pivot for increasing productivity and thereby results,” said Ritu Gupta, Director- Marketing, Dell Technologies, India.
“As SMBs race against time to make up for the lost opportunities, our role at HP is to accelerate their growth with the most advanced and secure business solutions. Our modern laptops like Dragonfly and Elite book comes equipped with the latest Windows Pro and host of industry first features that are designed to ensure business continuity. We have added an extra layer of AI enabled security, 24×7 tech support and easy finance options to ensure business owners can focus on what’s important,” said Prashant Jain, CMO, HP India.
“At Lenovo, our vision is to enable “Smarter Technology For All”. One element of our mission is to bridge the technology gap to provide innovation to all. We work closely with our business partners to deliver highly customized joint solutions to SMBs which have enabled them to stay productive and efficient during these unprecedented times. We are proud of the solutions which have been driven by our deep partnership with Microsoft globally,” said Ashish Sikka, Director – SMB, Lenovo India.
Upgrading to Modern PCs with Windows 10 Pro can help businesses reduce considerable time and IT costs. New intelligent PCs from Acer, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are designed to boost productivity from anywhere. These mobile workstations with Windows 10 pro offer mission-critical reliability and power to enhance productivity, manageability, and security with flexible configurations.
