AWS has been at the forefront when it comes to providing cloud computing. Over the years, AWS has built a formidable ecosystem and solution marketplace that can be leveraged by organizations that want to focus on rapid growth by innovating and introducing newer products and services quickly. Whether you take DevOps, Analytics, or Infrastructure, the ‘concept to reality’ scenario has been made possible and seamless by AWS. At the same time, the cloud architecture provided by AWS ensures that adequate security controls are maintained to ensure compliance and handle any cyber security concerns that organizations are likely to have.
AWS itself is a very innovative initiative and introduces multiple services frequently, which otherwise the businesses would have had to develop on their own. These services that are a result of R&D investment by AWS in PaaS, IaaS, and SaaS, give organizations an option to hyper-scale with extremely low risk, thus enabling them to be disruptors in their core businesses. For Ahana Systems and Solutions Pvt Ltd., innovation-led growth is what it focuses on as a business and tries to achieve the same for its clients.
In an interview with Insights Success, the team of Ahana shares their views about cloud computing and how AWS is proving to be a boom for every industry globally. Below are the highlights of the interview.
How are you driving innovation in the services you provide?
Cloud has become a rapid innovation enabler in the past few years, and we, with the help of partners such as AWS, have managed to optimize the benefits of cloud to drive innovation for its clients.
This is achieved by using the cloud to automate different service elements for our clients in the realm of IT or Business processes. By focusing on building use cases for automation, adopting dev-ops, and creating POCs for our clients that can be quickly moved from pilot to production, we manage to create innovative solutions for our clients in terms of GTM business opportunities and improved end-user experience.
Being a leader, what was the greatest piece of advice that you have followed?
Sustaining and growing a business in an ever-changing ecosystem is never easy. We followed the most significant piece of advice is ‘always keep your eyes open and ears to the ground’. It essentially meant that as a company, we have always been quick to spot green shoot trends, tested them, invested in the successful ones, and scaled them as required. This advice has never failed us to date.
Many IT companies spot the trends and shifts in IT but are scared to adapt to them. In the case of Ahana, though, we have ensured that we take quick decisions when it comes to adapting to trends that can lead to growth. As a result, we have been able to gear up our service offerings around Cloud, RPA, Analytics, and AI/ML.
What are the dynamics of Ahana and AWS?
Ahana is a select partner for AWS and works very closely with AWS to work for its enterprise and SMB clients. Being a choose partner allows Ahana to access AWS resources to scale up its capabilities and work collaboratively to engage with customers.
AWS has always been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to IT Infra. Our partnership has ensured that we can provide our clients with the most suitable Infra solutions for their business specifications. We value our partnership with AWS and appreciate that, as an organization, they are highly responsive and collaborative when it comes to understanding client requirements and fulfilling them.
What is innovation according to you?
Anything that makes my life better is what I consider innovation. Anything that can be looked into can be developed and turned into something that can make our today better than yesterday, our tomorrow better than today. As long as it is in a positive direction in terms of time, cost or efficiency and impacts our lives, it can be termed innovation.
How are you enhancing the application of cloud computing being used in businesses?
Ahana’s clients for cloud computing fall into two categories. The first category is the ones who come in with knowledge of the cloud or intent to move to the cloud. The second category of clients is those who have been with us for years and want to move to the cloud from their existing on-premises infra. For both sets of customers, we take the responsibility to educate them on the cloud and its benefits.
Understanding how cloud works, how the adoption of cloud can help save Capex and Opex, how scale-up can happen at a fraction of time that was required earlier – are ultimately the benefits that need to be communicated to every client. We at Ahana ensure that we educate our clients on the benefits of cloud computing and clarify cloud-related security concerns to each of our clients.
We also try and make them comfortable with all aspects of cloud computing by creating proof of concept that demonstrates the benefits. Ultimately, most clients need hand-holding to start their cloud journey.
Being a leader, what will you say to the young generation who are keen on entering the cloud computing or AWS space?
For new-gen start-ups, the cloud is the only way to go. Cloud computing providers provide exclusive support in the form of technical know-how and support to test, setup, and aim for rapid scale. They also offer start-up credits for server usage, which is a massive help for those who are just getting started. These initiatives have turned out to be a major booster for the growth of start-ups in India.
In the case of new-gen IT Infra service companies, though, the cloud is a vast area, and they need to understand every service line that cloud computing providers as AWS provide. For example, many companies just focus and provide workplace management, and one can build a business with just that. They must take the time to find their niche and build in a small way and scale it up by making their offerings and expertise slowly and steadily. Cloud computing and AWS will definitely give assured returns that the young generation is looking for if they do it the right way.
How IT, ITES, and AWS space is positioned to grow in India?
Pandemic and the resultant shift to all things digital has ensured that the IT, ITES, and AWS space is poised to grow at an exceptionally robust rate shortly. The cloud market was valued at INR 301.40 Bn in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~29.02% during the 2021 – 2025 period to reach INR 1,169.23 Bn by 2025. (Source: Nasscom Cloud Infrastructure Market Report 2021).
In our view, the premise of ‘Digital India’ is entirely centred on IT, and this requirement transcends across industries. Whether it is public sector or government institutions or the current insanely dynamic start-up ecosystem in India, the ‘Digital India’ mandate has created the usual frenzy and the resultant expected growth for IT, ITES, and AWS space and will continue to do so.
How do you think AWS will impact the world in the future?
In the coming years, the cloud will impact the world in terms of how things will be utilised and used in every aspect when it comes to IT. This is hugely transformational. AWS is the largest and the most prominent cloud provider with close to 30% market adaptability, is undoubtedly poised to impact the world in general. AWS and its parent company are highly innovative companies and are bound to introduce services and products that will continue to transform and impact the world in the future.
