cloud future in India

The cloud is calling, but is India ready?

Considering that the concept of 'zero' actually came from India, you would think that data, basically a huge combination of numbers, will be of great importance in this country. Well, in many ways, it is true.

There are more than a billion people in this country whose records are stored in public archives. There are academic records, stored in the archives of schools, colleges and universities. Moreover, the blooming healthcare industry in India also collects and stores new data every single second. But what's unique about the data situation in India is that, till the 90s, most of it was stored in hard copies - paperwork that could fill up football stadiums.

The need for data security

US accused China of backing hackers who allegedly stole crucial information that could hamper America's trade prospects. On the other hand, the NSA in America has been accused of similar crimes when they admittedly intercepted personal messages from China Telecom to learn more about the Chinese military. Therefore, it is high time that India should hugely invest in data security. Being a developing nation, cost is an issue, though. And that is exactly why Cloud-based computing might be one way to go about it.

Is India Cloud-ready?

Now that is the million-dollar question, isn't it? In India, Microsoft Office 365 is available for a price of Rs 330 per month or Rs 3,299 per year. According to reports available from Microsoft, its goal for India is to have at least 25 million users for Cloud services. And with the growing love affair of Indians with their smartphones and tablets, such a goal is not at all unreachable. But is India ready for such an overwhelming change?

The Asia Cloud Computing Association came up with a Cloud Readiness Index for 14 nations across the continent this year and the previous one. While Japan topped the list both times, India came in 9th last year but slipped to 13th in 2014. The areas where India scored the lowest points are international connectivity and data centre risk. IPR protection in India also needs a serious overhaul. When the report came out earlier this year, it stated that India did not have a pro-ICT (Information and Communication Technology) business environment. But now that the country has a new leadership, one that is said to be business friendly, things may turn for the better.

Cloud computing is big and it is here to stay. Also, India has extremely skilled resources.