PremiumBENGALURU : India remains one of the fastest-growing markets for German software major SAP AG due to the rapid adoption of digital technologies. SAP India is now expanding its footprint to digital natives and other new-age internet-led businesses that are mushrooming in the country. With 80% of its customer base belonging to the mid-market segment, this remains a key pillar for SAP India, the second largest subsidiary within SAP worldwide. In an interview with Mint, Kulmeet Bawa, president and managing director, SAP Indian subcontinent, talks about the company’s focus on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), key growth drivers and technology focus areas. Edited excerpts:
How do you plan to tap into the SME market in India?
In the new normal we live, innovation and agility have become the pivots that drive growth and transformation across industries. We are witnessing a rapid transition from the digital age to the era of intelligence. With 80% of our customer base being from the mid-market segment, this remains a key pillar for us in SAP India.
We have solutions that offer flexibility and choice both from a business as well as a deployment perspective. In addition to our best-in-class technology offerings, we have leveraged our understanding of the Indian market to develop certain industry-specific solutions along with our partners.
We have also launched the Global Bharat initiative to enable SME businesses to become globally competitive. The movement is already making inroads in India as many SMEs gain access to the global marketplace, upskill their workforce and enhance their overall business value.
Which verticals are growing faster than the others for SAP in India?
We are truly privileged by the trust customers place in us to run their mission-critical business processes across the globe. Last year, SAP presented its new industry cloud approach, where we offered a wide range of specialized applications designed to address specific industry needs. Built by SAP and our partners on an open platform-as-a-service, these solutions work together with our customers’ existing systems, extending the value of their investments. SAP provides industry-specific solutions for 25 distinct industries. In India, we already have a strong presence in sectors like oil and gas, CPG (consumer packaged goods), retail and public services, to name a few, and are now strengthening our presence in the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) segments in India.
We are also expanding our footprint to digital natives and other new-age internet-led businesses that are mushrooming in the country. Our focus, of course, is to provide agility along with distinct measurable value for all our customers.
How has the pandemic impacted customers’ adoption of your solutions?
Despite economic volatilities, India continues to remain one of our fastest-growing markets for SAP globally due to the fast-paced adoption of digital technologies by Indian enterprises. Being a lifeline to more than 13,600 customers in India, we ensured business continuity and provided seamless business operations as well as support to our customers.
We took multiple steps to accelerate and stabilize the digital journey of our customers and opened access to our technologies that could help them, their employees and communities to ensure business continuity. We have seen rapid adoption of cloud technologies among businesses that are looking to stay relevant and provide better working options for their workforce.
In recognizing our efforts and growth, SAP India was awarded the Market Unit of the quarter two times in a row in 2021. This reflects a comprehensive performance across all aspects of our business, customers and to become the workplace of the future.
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