Transformation Tour - Surat Chapter

Over the past ten years, Gujarat has made major improvements to its IT infrastructure, and the state government has implemented a number of initiatives to promote the growth of the IT industry.

The IT sector has grown significantly in Surat, an important commercial hub in Gujarat . The city has established itself as one of the major IT hotspots in the nation, drawing investments and fostering the growth of several IT businesses and startups.

Infrastructure, a competent workforce, government support, startups and entrepreneurship, connectivity, cost-effective operations, and diversification are a few of the major drivers of IT growth in Surat.

Surat's expanding IT industry has led to the creation of job possibilities, a surge in economic activity, and an improvement in the city's general development. Surat is anticipated to maintain its upward trend in the IT sector given the continued emphasis on technology- driven innovation and entrepreneurship.

Gujarat is regarded as one of India's states with the highest levels of industrial development and has a significant number of MSMEs. The state government of Gujarat's proactive policies and initiatives to promote the sector have significantly contributed to the growth of MSMEs in the state. The Gujarat Industrial Policy, which offers MSMEs several incentives and perks like subsidies, tax exemptions, and financial support for technology upgradation, was established as one of the main initiatives undertaken by the Gujarat government.

Gujarat also boasts a vibrant entrepreneurial culture, with a high number of successful family-run businesses. The expansion of MSMEs in the state has been aided by this.

Overall, technology has benefited MSMEs and helped them get through challenging times. To take advantage of the opportunities and meet the city's growing demand for cutting- edge technologies as well as the growth trajectory for MSMEs and channel partners, CRN India, in collaboration with Dell Technologies and Ingram Micro, organised a significant conference, Transformation Tour, in Surat at the Park Inn by Radisson on May 17, 2023.

'Winning in the Data Era with Dell Technologies' was the topic of the opening presentation by Khalid Shaikh, Channel Pre-Sales, West, Dell Technologies. He stressed how, in the present environment, a hybrid architecture is the best method to update your infrastructure.

About 92 percent of businesses currently use a multi-cloud strategy, according to Shaikh. "Data and software, along with cost optimisation, bring true value of digital transformation," he said, guiding the audience through the transformation process.

Dell Technologies APEX, according to Shaikh, offers flexibility to free up time, money, and resources for enterprises to focus on their critical priorities. Additionally, Dell Powerstore has been implemented across numerous industries and has received 300 updates since its launch last year.

"In order to support both traditional and next-generation workloads, it is essential to have a consistent infrastructure, and Dell Technologies' infrastructure solutions make it possible for both workloads to coexist," concluded Khalid.

Khalid Shaikh's insightful presentation was followed by an interesting panel discussion.

The second session featured a discussion on "Navigating the Digital Landscape: Strategies for SMBs in India to Embrace Digital Transformation" by the technology leaders from Surat's SMB sector.

According to Chirag Jagidar, CIO, Concept Medical and Envision Scientific, "SME enterprises need to evaluate their business needs and look for appropriate, scalable solutions in order to embark on a successful digital transformation journey. Additionally, they must use the data well to gain insights and make wise business decisions."

Arpit Thakar, President of The Imaginations, continued, "SME organisations find it extremely difficult to keep up with the pace of technological change. They require subject matter and domain experts who might make wise selections while putting the newest technologies into practice. Evaluation of the rapidly changing technological landscape is quite challenging in the current environment."

Khalid Shaikh, Channel Pre-Sales, West, Dell Technologies, highlighted how SME customers today are willing to embrace technology and develop platforms for digital transformation. "They just need to understand their company's needs and create a proper plan before integrating any technology," mentioned Shaikh.

The panel discussion received an enthusiastic reception from the audience, and numerous rounds of questions and answers followed. After more than 20 tier 2 and tier 3 cities, Surat was visited again on the Transformation Tour. The conference left on an upbeat note. SMBs in the city expressed their gratitude and enthusiastic support for it.

The conference, which was successful, was attended by more than 50 members of the MSME segment.

The visitors appreciated Dell's product line and shared with the CRN India team their thoughts on how Dell assisted MSMEs in Surat in becoming digital enterprises and how this affected the local economic trends.