New Delhi: Small businesses that embrace cloud-enabled technologies in India are expected to unlock up to ₹1.6 trillion in annual productivity gains and support 45.9 million jobs across the healthcare, education, and agriculture sectors by 2030, representing 9% of total jobs in India, mentioned report released by Amazon Web Services (AWS).
AWS commissioned the ‘Realizing a Cloud-enabled Economy: How Cloud Drives Economic and Societal Impact Through Small Businesses’ report to examine the potential benefits of moving to the cloud for small businesses (defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees) addressing societal issues. Conducted by global professional services firm, Accenture, the report uses Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) definition of cloud adoption levels to forecast a cloud-enabled economy[1] in 2030, where 90% of all businesses adopt at least a basic level of cloud technology.
The report mentions:
In the agriculture sector:
- Cloud-enabled small businesses help with addressing food shortage problems, by implementing data-driven practices through cloud technologies such as AI.
- The report estimates small businesses in India can help unlock ₹1.1 trillion in annual productivity benefits in agriculture, and one in nine farms will use precision agriculture solutions that enhance productivity by 2030, representing a 300% increase compared to the current usage rate.
In the healthcare sector:
- Cloud-enabled small businesses help with addressing the challenge of limited access to healthcare faced by underserved communities.
- The report estimates cloud-enabled small businesses can help unlock ₹199.5 billion in annual productivity benefits in healthcare and support 47 million telehealth consultations in India by 2030.
In the education sector:
- Cloud-enabled small businesses help with addressing the challenge of accessibility and inclusivity of education through digital platforms.
- The report estimates these small businesses can help unlock ₹291.6 billion in annual productivity benefits in education and provide 99 million students in India with e-learning solutions by 2030, which is 165% more than the current usage rate.
- The report also highlights 248 million adults are expected to access education resources via cloud-enabled small businesses.
The report also reveals that:
- India’s current rate of at least basic cloud adoption for all businesses, such as the use of web-based email services or cloud-based storage solutions, is at 28%.
- It highlights greater opportunities to unlock with the adoption of intermediate applications like the use of customer relationship management or enterprise resource planning tools, and advanced applications such as the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including generative AI, and machine learning (ML) tailored for sophisticated tasks including fraud detection or supply chain forecasting.
- Moving to the cloud, small businesses can deliver tangible benefits to the economy and society. And, can facilitate remote medical consultations, improve access to education, enhance precision agriculture, and more, which contribute to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Closer Collaboration to Realize the Cloud’s Potential
- Cybersecurity challenges, organizational culture, lack of access to information technology (IT) infrastructure (software and hardware) and digital skills are the primary barriers to cloud adoption among small businesses.
- To help small businesses accelerate cloud adoption, the report outlines five key recommendations: 1) Identify how the cloud can streamline strategic business needs, 2) evaluate industry and government support, 3) upskill and educate employees in cloud, 4) review data and security policies, and 5) create a whole-of-business cloud migration strategy.
‘Small businesses in India are a major driver of innovation, economic growth, and societal impact in the country. They play a vital role in solving grassroot level challenges, such as improving access to digital healthcare, agriculture, and education services,’ said Deepti Dutt, Leader – Verticals, Public Sector, AWS India Private Limited.
Cloud 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. By adopting advanced cloud-enabled technologies like generative AI, small businesses can accelerate their growth and digital transformation. AWS is working alongside governments, educators, and the industry to help small businesses in India realize economic and social benefits while creating a better future for all, she added.
‘While there are significant benefits that are unlocked by small businesses adopting at least a basic level of cloud technology, there is still a huge opportunity for them to further advance their cloud adoption as this will accelerate their ability to address some of the biggest challenges in society,’ said Aaron Hill, Managing Director of Economic Insights, Accenture Strategy and Consulting.
‘With more support from governments and the industry, these businesses will have greater ability to harness the power of transformative technologies such as generative AI to unleash even more innovation, drive economic productivity, and deliver meaningful change to society,’ Hill said further.
‘By leveraging the latest AWS technologies and with the support of programs like AWS Activate, we have harnessed the scalability, flexibility, security, and robust features of AWS, to develop a serverless cloud-native solution called ‘Ayushman Cowfit’. It provides regular updates to farmers on cattle health, which helps them make better decisions about their herd and improves dairy yields by more than 10%,’ said Srinivas Subramanian, Managing Director, Areete Business Solutions.
‘With AWS, we’ve been able to scale our solution to rural communities across India, helping low- income children develop crucial pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills. We are also collaborating with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to transform 1.39 million Anganwadi Centres into vibrant learning hubs,’ said Vishal Sunil, Co-Founder and CTO of Rocket Learning.
‘By harnessing the wide range of AWS AI and ML services, we’ve been able to deepen our engagement within communities. We provide real-time behavioural nudges and personalised reports to caregivers, all while using automation to efficiently expand our impact. This approach allows us to manage costs effectively and maintain the stability and security of our programs. Our ultimate aim is to enable 30 million children to access high-quality early childhood education and be well-prepared for school within the next five years,’ added Vishal.
