Small businesses that embrace cloud-enabled technologies in India's education, healthcare, and agriculture sectors could unlock up to Rs 1.6 trillion in annual productivity gains by 2030—a 152% increase on current levels—according to an Accenture report commissioned by Amazon Web Services.
The report adds that 45.9 million jobs are expected to be supported across these sectors by 2030.
The report—which covers 12 countries, including India—uses the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's definition of cloud adoption levels to forecast a cloud-enabled economy in 2030, by when 90% of all businesses would have adopted at least a basic level of cloud technology.
The report reveals that 28% of businesses in India are using at least basic cloud services, such as web-based email and storage. This leaves a lot of room for growth, as cloud services can offer multiple benefits such as cost-saving, scalability and agility.
“Cloud enables small businesses to access the same set of scaleable 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,” said Deepti Dutt, leader, verticals, public sector, AWS India Pvt.
Impact Of Cloud-Enabled Small Businesses
From facilitating remote medical consultations and improving access to education, to enhancing precision agriculture, small businesses can make considerable contributions to the economy and society by moving to the cloud, the report shows.
Farming: In the agricultural sector, cloud-enabled small businesses are helping address food shortage by implementing data-driven practices powered by technologies such as artificial intelligence. According to the report, small businesses in India can help unlock Rs 1.1 trillion in annual productivity benefits in agriculture by 2030. The report also estimates that one in nine farmers in India will be using precision agricultural solutions by 2030, representing a 300% increase compared to the current usage rate.
Healthcare: Cloud-enabled small businesses in the healthcare sector can help address the challenge of limited access to healthcare in underserved communities. The report estimates that these cloud-enabled businesses could help unlock Rs 199.5 billion in annual productivity benefits and support 47 million telehealth consultations in India by 2030.
Education: Small businesses that are cloud-enabled are helping to make education more accessible and inclusive through digital platforms. The report estimates that these businesses could help unlock Rs 291.6 billion in annual productivity benefits in education and provide e-learning solutions to 99 million students in India by 2030. It also highlights that 248 million adults are expected to access education resources through cloud-enabled small businesses.
“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.
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