From NPCI to Fluid AI, Google Cloud preparing Indian firms for new normal

As businesses around the globe adapt to the new normal, Google Cloud is helping a diverse set of organisations, from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based company Fluid AI efficiently manage their workloads across remote locations, Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Google Cloud India, said.

Bajwa, a senior industry veteran with over three decades of leadership experience who joined Google Cloud in March this year, said that most businesses and users in the country depend on Google Cloud to stay connected and get work done.

“As Covid-19 runs its course, we at Google Cloud are working hard to deliver technology and business solutions to help millions of people stay connected. We believe today more than ever, we need to collaborate and innovate and build new features to make our tools helpful, secure and safe,” he said in a blog post.

Bajwa said that today, employees of NPCI have been able to efficiently manage work across remote locations where employees can securely work and collaborate with colleagues, clients and stakeholders.

“Kochi-based conglomerate Muthoot Group, one of the largest financial services providers in the country has been using G Suite’s collaboration tools to stay connected and carry business as usual during the lockdown period,” he informed.

Popxo, India’s largest community of women online was able to accomplish a smooth transition to Google Cloud and optimise performance with the help of highly efficient tools and the support and collaboration from teams.

According to Bajwa, real estate company Rustomjee can access every business application via Google Cloud Platform.

“Fluid AI has leveraged our collaboration to spin up custom virtual machines on demand in the cloud for employees and stream it to them in a secure, cost effective way that is monitored and restricts data transfer,” he added.

Google Cloud has a rich list of customers in India, including Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Indiamart, Hero Motocorp, ICICI Prudential, L&T Finance, LIC HFL, Manipal Hospitals, OYO Hotels and Homes, Truecaller, Wipro and others.

In March, the company announced plans to expand its presence in India by launching a cloud region in Delhi, adding to its Mumbai region that was opened in 2017.

Google Cloud this month appointed former Microsoft executive Anil Bhansali as Vice President of Engineering.

In his new role, Bhansali will coordinate all software development support efforts for Google Cloud in India.

Bhansali joins Google Cloud from Microsoft where he was Corporate Vice President of their Azure cloud division and site leader for their R&D team in India.