You stay in a residential neighbourhood that houses a handful of standalone general stores. Each of these stores is looking to woo you with its own unique offers and discounts. What better way to connect with you than on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and others. A sneak peek into your social media profile reveals a lot about your interests, tastes and possible brand choices. The next thing you know, these stores are flooding you with purchase offers and deals you can’t refuse, dynamically changing these offers at regular intervals and in sync with your social media posts. And the biggest surprise is that all of these stores are sharing the same computing backbone to reach out to you. Welcome to the new world of micro-vertical cloud business.
Above Image: Anthony McMahon, Senior VP, Global Partner Operations, SAP Asia Pacific & Japan
At its annual Partner Summit in Delhi last week, global business software leader SAP, revealed the next big technology wave to hit Indian consumers. Says Anthony McMahon, Senior VP, Global Partner Operations, SAP Asia Pacific & Japan: “Gone are the days when it was just the big companies that required cloud computing and data analytics. Today, even the smallest of businesses – boutique jewellery shops, one-stop convenience stores, dairy outlets – everyone needs to understand their customer better. Our partners have realised an interesting trend, which is redefining cloud computing and analytics. Competing businesses, usually in the same region are sharing the same cloud computing power to reach out to the same bunch of consumers. This is a New Wave, unique to India and a case study for the world.”
This new trend of micro-vertical cloud business opens up avenues for every individual who aspired to be an entrepreneur but couldn’t afford the technology backbone. As long as you are ready to share a cloud with another business operating in the same area, and selling similar stuff, you need to spend less, and still reach your captive audience, after gaining sufficient intelligence about them. There are no permanent friends or enemies in business only permanent interests. And If sharing a cloud gives you better sales, why not? It's a new combo of cooperation and competition - let's call it Cloud Coop-etition!
