Transformation Tour - Kochi Chapter

The ongoing technological revolution is fueling economic expansion and facilitating socioeconomic changes on a worldwide scale. India has improved the startup ecosystem in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, and the growth has now fully spread outside of the major metropolitan areas. The population of India's lower-tier cities is becoming more affluent and willing to spend. Government policies, better infrastructure, shifting consumer attitudes, and an increase in private consumption in these areas are driving the change.

To embrace and modernize the IT infrastructure in tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India, CRN India in partnership with Dell Technologies started the Transformation Tour.

The Transformation Tour highlights the most recent technological advancements that could enable SMEs in the host city to transform their companies, increase productivity, boost efficiency, and enhance overall service delivery. The latest edition of the Transformation Tour, organized in association with Redington, was held in Kochi city in the state of Kerala, popularly known as “God’s own Country”.

Kochi, also known as Cochin, is one of the most picturesque spots on Kerala's southwest coast line. An all-weather harbor and a grand seascape distinguishes it as the "Queen of the Arabian Sea,"" and is Kerala's financial capital today. The serene city is also one of the most important commercial centers in southern India and opens up most employment opportunities in the state.

Three years after the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world, small and medium businesses (SMBs) that survived are only emerging stronger. They realize the benefits of digital transformation in optimizing costs, productivity, business agility, customer experience, and data security. Employees returning to work anticipate greater safety and flexibility in work schedules and locations. Customers have higher expectations as well. To satisfy these expectations, SMBs must not only invest in the appropriate technology, but also properly plan and accelerate its implementation.

The day started off with a power-packed panel discussion highlighting the topic 'Navigating the Digital Landscape: Strategies for SMBs in India to Embrace Digital Transformation'.

Jyothish K John, Head- Systems & IT operations, Federal Institute of Science and Technology stated, “Adapting to newer technologies can help us sustain in the IT business.” He also pointed out that the “capital budget is the most important concern for any business.”

Linson Paul, Chief Technology Officer, Muthoot Microfin Limited said, “Setting up a plan and streamlining the process can help us achieve the goal of digital transformation. Limited access, high cost and scalability are the primary challenges for SMBs, he added .”

“cloud is a one-way journey” stated Repaka Ramesh, Lead Pre-Sales, Dell Technologies. He also talked about the advantages of investing in better IT infrastructure, which will benefit the business in the long term in any cloud journey.

Repaka Ramesh, Lead Pre-Sales, Dell Technologies, shared an insightful presentation on the theme ‘Modernize Your IT Infrastructure’.

He said, “The way we live, the way we transact, the way we work, everything has transformed and gone through a digital makeover. However, what is to be taken care of is the priorities are focused on reinforcing IT infrastructure and solutions based on the organization’s needs while moving from traditional business to digital business.”

While laying emphasis on how and why Dell Technologies is the market leader among the OEMs, Ramesh stated, “Dell has the industry's largest storage portfolio. Presently, we are providing the 15th generation of servers which is the latest in the industry.”

Speaking of the huge amounts of data that are being produced today as the use of the internet and digital interfaces has increased, Ramesh stated that the majority of the 177 zb of data that will be generated in the coming years will be generated in the next three to four years. However, only 1 percent of this data will be used by businesses.

“Dell wants you to invest into technology which helps to modernize your IT Infrastructure,” he added. He also emphasized on Dell being the no. 1 in data protection with 27.4 percent market share across the globe.

Ramesh also spoke about Dell's EMC unity storage software, which is compellingly simple, has a modern design, can be deployed in a variety of ways, and is reasonably priced. Aside from that, he brought to light Dell as the only IT service provider that provides live optics, a tool that identifies and collects data on workloads. The customer may even access non-Dell IT infrastructure.

The delegates praised Dell's seamless service delivery and customer-centric strategy and shared about their journey with Dell.

Saleem PO, Technical Director at Freston Analytics, commended Dell's latest offerings. He shared his ten-year experience with Dell and expressed his delight at how reliable its products are. He described the panel discussion and presentation as "informative" for the audience.

According to Vijay Nair, Enterprise Architect and CTO at Assyst Advanced System Software Pvt Ltd, he has been using Dell for the past 20 years on both the server and client sides. He complimented the scalability of Dell's products and services and said that his overall experience has been positive.

The Kochi leg of the Transformation Tour came to a successful conclusion. The delegates expressed appreciation for Dell's product lines and agreed that the business has developed a technology solution for every individual. The customers will be able to make well-informed choices thanks to the informative sessions and hands-on tech demonstrations. With Dell's high-demand products and solutions that can help these businesses develop ways to grow, this event offers customers the chance to investigate new growth areas and align with Dell’s strategies.