Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 9 (IANS): Recovering data and maintaining business continuity is among the topmost challenges for small and medium businesses (SMBs) in South India, as 25 per cent SMBs surveyed in the region said they had experienced a security breach, according to Microsoft.
Farhana Haque, Group Director (Devices), Microsoft India, told the media here on Monday that technology can be a real enabler for businesses, both small and large, and SMBs need to recognise the value that IT investment can bring to their present and future growth.
"SMBs employ over 110 million people in India, significantly contributing to India's economic growth. Microsoft wants to work alongside SMBs in India to help them realise their ambitions and succeed in this competitive marketplace," said Haque.
It was also pointed out that SMBs in South India with PCs that are more than four years old and running on older operating systems can experience significantly reduced workplace productivity as compared to newer PCs.
Microsoft also found out that nearly 40 per cent of SMBs in South India were using outdated PCs and more than half -- 62 per cent -- of them were using older versions of Windows.
These findings were revealed in the latest Microsoft study in partnership with global SMB IT market research and analyst organisation TechAisle, which polled almost 2,000 SMBs across the Asia Pacific.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft set up its India operations in 1990 and its entities in India have over 10,000 employees across 11 Indian cities.