Internet-based solutions like cloud services are beneficial to the development of Qatar’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and could help address issues like cost and increased productivity, according to industry experts.
The market is rife with innovative products and services that could help promote and develop Qatar’s SME sector, said Mohamed Arif, Windows & Devices Business Group Lead at Microsoft Gulf. Some of the issues encountered by SMEs cloud services can address are cost efficiency and increased productivity, Arif pointed out, adding that Microsoft offers a range of products that provide SMEs access to enterprise grade solutions.
“Instead of paying $50,000 upfront, entrepreneurs can pay only $10 for every use per month – that’s the kind of buying model that cloud enables. We actually have solutions that are already built into Windows, which eases a customer’s buying pattern.
“Whatever the size of the company, your payment for cloud services is proportionate to how you use it, almost like a ‘pay-as-you-go’ model. That kind of model has really enabled SMEs to focus on spending not only in security but in IT in general,” Arif told Gulf Times in an interview.
Paula Januszkiewicz, CEO and security consultant at CQURE, also told this paper that cloud technology “is a fantastic introduction” for SMEs.
“There are different types of solutions for every company. A lot of our customers are using cloud-related solutions and it has one major benefit – they do not have to buy a server. Sometimes companies do not even have the space for it. And even if they do, it is not cost efficient to change hardware every one or two years.
“Companies invest on servers to optimise performance but on the other hand, the value of the equipment depreciates. In the case of cloud, it doesn’t, so that’s the benefit out there,” she explained.
Arif added, “Without a doubt, we want to ensure that we enable SMEs who are budget conscious, who have to manage many things and at the same time drive innovation. We have a lot of programmes which enable that.”
In a workshop held in 2014, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (then ictQatar), Microsoft Qatar, and Enterprise Qatar encouraged SMEs from all over the country to maximise the potentials of cloud technology and its uses.
Speaking at the event, Microsoft International president Jean-Philippe Courtois said the software giant wanted to empower some 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Qatar with cloud technology.
Aside from cloud technology, Courtois said Microsoft aims to create a family of devices that will enable businesses to virtually engage with other industry players like banks, clients, and other stakeholders through seamless communication.
Source: http://www.gulf-times.com/story/530890/Cloud-technology-seen-key-to-Qatar-SMEs-developmen