The past few years have demonstrated our tremendous potential for hope and resilience. With the use of technology, we learned, adapted, and most significantly, opened new growth opportunities. I had the good fortune to interact with our customers and partners regularly and witness firsthand the incredible things they are accomplishing with technology. This has been a watershed moment for India’s small business sector, as entrepreneurs took advantage of digital technologies to rethink their business models and better serve their clients. They rose to the occasion, demonstrating incredible resilience and agility in the face of adversity.

However, many businesses found it difficult to pivot and adopt a digital-first approach as they faced a host of challenges ranging from IT infrastructure, capital, security, among others. I firmly believe that small businesses have a positive sentiment towards revival, but all they need is a technology advisor who can provide tailor-made solutions that match their requirements. If India is to fully grasp the potential of technology, it will be critical to assist these firms in their digital transformation journey. As per NASSCOM, there will be a 20x demand for digital skills by 2024, which can create 1.3 million jobs and a trillion-dollar opportunity for Indians and Indian SMBs.

At Dell, entrepreneurship is part of our DNA, and we aim to help people and organizations achieve more with the help of technology. We are helping small businesses expand their networks, find valuable resources and ultimately showcase how technology can enable innovation and growth. We are committed to supporting their digital transformation journey by offering customized solutions, as they form a priority segment for the company. Our Small Business Advisor Program is for companies with 1-99 employees can receive free assistance on planning for and optimizing their technology investments. These are highly trained specialists with over 160 hours of training and are dedicated and available when needed via email, chat and phone. Dell also has a unique Rewards Program, exclusively for small businesses, which involves discount coupons for their purchases. We are also working closely with these businesses to evaluate if certain investments can help reduce costs, solve business issues and drive growth.

As work landscapes continue to evolve, there are five key tenets that small businesses must follow to maintain a perfect mix of efficiency, customization and security, thereby enhancing the overall employee experience.

• • Find the right technology partner – It is important to find the right technology partner who can understand the requirements and provide customized solutions. This also helps in reducing costs and ultimately driving business growth
  • Install the latest technology updates – Not only does technology offer a better experience, it helps employees’ efficiency and effectiveness. According to a study conducted by Dell Technologies titled, Brain On Tech, employees can achieve an astounding 37 percent more in a workday when using technology that is not only newer but supported with the correct software and services
  • Reskilling and upskilling employees to increase productivity – As technology continues to play an increasingly important role across industries, one of the most important things that these businesses must consider is assessing skill gaps and identifying the digital skills that employees need to develop. Investing in reskilling and upskilling programs will significantly contribute to increased productivity and talent retention
  • Pre-emptive solutions to safeguard from technical difficulties – Now is the time for businesses to plan against IT issues and arm themselves with IT support. Dell’s ProSupport Plus with SupportAssist warns businesses about hardware issues so they can fix them before they cause downtime. Leveraging the use of emerging technologies like AI and ML helps in detecting any unusual activity that could indicate and prevent a breach
  • Secure and productive solutions for a hybrid workforce – Small businesses must have a holistic, new approach to security and must consider endpoint security as an integral part of their business. They must also protect the BIOS which is critical to their security posture

Resilience, agility and adaptability are what continue to define the small business landscape in India and we’re extremely thankful to our customers who are forging their paths with ingenious pivots and perseverance. As they look to unlock the next phase of growth, we will sharpen our focus on providing them with the essential technology infrastructure required to thrive in this digital-first era.