Small and medium businesses (SMBs) needed focussed attention from the information technology companies for their growth. Capitalising on their requirements, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading IT services, consulting and business solutions company, has decided to create a separate business unit iON, an integrated information technology solution for SMBs.
The iON solution, which carries TCS brand and provides on-demand business solutions using the cloud computing technology, will deliver IT in the third generation service model to SMBs. Using the pay-per-use business model, iON will help SMBs leverage world-class technology solutions as a key business differentiator.
iON will address the entire spectrum of an SMB's technology needs which range from business solutions such as human resource, finance, inventory, sophisticated domain-based ERP solutions to basic applications like e-mail, document management and website services. iON is pre-configured, with hardware, network and software bundled together and backed by business, technical and consulting services. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, V. Ramaswamy, Global Head, iON, said IT spend by Indian SMBs was $11.9 billion during 2010 and this would go up by $48.5 billion in 2015. Mr. Ramaswamy said this solution would reduce the cost of operation for an SMB by 35-40 per cent. He hoped that in five years from now, the market opportunity for TCS would be $1 billion. Already the company had about 150 clients. On the operational front, he said to reach remote corners of India, TCS would hire cloud service partners (CSP). These CSP's would work on revenue-sharing model with TCS. iON had created an eco-system of 85 CSPs across India and the solutions were currently available for manufacturing, textiles, education, retail, quick service restaurants, wellness and professional services.
