Cloud Cover

From supporting work-from-home now to strategising for their customers’ long-term shift to cloud-based models, large technology companies see many opportunities amid the pandemic

- Harichandan Arakali

When the national lockdown was announced in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, some of the world’s largest technology companies sniffed a huge opportunity in helping customers tide over the crisis. As most offices sent their staff to work remotely, from the safety of their homes, it entailed a move to cloud-based systems.

While the initial rush was to establish the communications systems and the remote working capability needed for hundreds of thousands of workers, there will be a more permanent need in future to accelerate the shift towards the cloud, say some of the top tech executives in India.

Since the outbreak, networking tech provider Cisco has been working closely with its customers, partners and the industry, says Daisy Chittilapilly, managing director, digital transformation office, Cisco, India & Saarc. The aim has been to equip companies with tools and technologies that not only facilitate work from home in a secure manner but also help in quick and easy scaling up of work. “As a result, we have seen a massive surge in the demand and adoption of our cloud-delivered solutions,” Chittilapilly says. This has been across collaboration (via a software platform called Webex), security, communication management, and analytics. In March, Cisco registered over 14.3 billion minutes of Webex usage globally. In only one week in March, its security trial requests increased by about 40 percent of last year’s total requests. “These numbers indicate the rise of a new way of working, which I believe will become a norm in the future,” she adds.