In the rapidly evolving world of cloud computing, India is emerging as a key player with immense growth potential. Recently, PC Sharma, Director of Cloud Operations at Synycs Group shared insights into the dynamic landscape in a candid conversation with Tech Achieve Media. With over two decades of experience in the technology sector and a decade dedicated to cloud technologies, PC Sharma offers a seasoned perspective on the industry’s transformation. In this interview, he shares his views on the future of cloud computing in India, the distinctive approach of Synycs, and how emerging technologies like AI, ML, and IoT are reshaping the market.
TAM: How do you see the cloud computing market evolving in India over the next five years, and what role do you foresee Synycs playing in this landscape?
PC Sharma: The technologies we’re seeing now are truly revolutionary. I’ve been in the industry for over 22 years, with the last 10 years focused particularly on cloud technologies. My journey in tech began back in 1993, and I’ve witnessed significant transformations, from the early days of hardware-focused solutions to today’s AI and machine learning-driven innovations.
While AI and ML are still in their early stages and surrounded by a lot of hype, their potential to revolutionize industries is undeniable. The growth projections are massive. By 2029, the cloud computing market alone is expected to generate around $18 billion in revenue. According to a recent McKinsey report, the global value added by technologies like generative AI and cloud computing could reach $4.1 trillion annually.
We believe we’re well-positioned to grow in this evolving landscape. As a software development company, we’ve recently expanded into the cloud computing market. We’ve already made significant strides, achieving advanced competencies and adding products to various marketplaces.
AI is set to revolutionize the way businesses operate, offering unparalleled value in terms of time, performance, and cost-efficiency. At Synycs, we provide managed services tailored to businesses of all sizes, with flexible pricing options ranging from zero cost to moderate percentage-based fees. We aim to serve customers of all sizes, with no restrictions on billing, ensuring that even zero-bill customers can benefit from our services
TAM: What sets your offerings apart in the Indian market?
PC Sharma: We have strategically positioned ourselves in the market to differentiate from traditional cloud partners. As I mentioned before, every business, from startups to enterprises, is our market. We’re also focused on offering managed services to these customers at very competitive rates.
When it comes to the timeline for migrating, optimizing, and modernizing applications on the cloud, we stand out. We’ve implemented AI integrations, including power schedulers and specialized programs, that significantly expedite the entire migration process. This gives us a unique edge in our offerings.
TAM: How are you integrating emerging technologies such as AI, ML, and IoT into your services to provide additional value to clients?
PC Sharma: In the past, modernizing applications required manual data collection and heavy reliance on public data sources. There were certain datasets available that could be used to provide solutions, but the process was time-consuming and less customized.
Today, with the advancements in technology, we have access to comprehensive datasets that allow us to create highly customized solutions. As we progress, these datasets continue to assist us in building specific elements tailored to client needs. We also extensively use AI in coding, which is now available in real-time, making the process even more efficient.
When it comes to modernizing a business’s applications compared to their current systems, we can now achieve this in a matter of days, rather than weeks. The entire process has become significantly faster, thanks to the integration of AI and domain-specific datasets. This efficiency is made possible by the advanced technologies we employ, allowing us to deliver solutions quickly and effectively.
TAM: How do you customize your cloud solutions to meet the diverse needs of Indian enterprises across different sectors?
PC Sharma: The sectors we operate in are vast, and the enterprises we work with are large. Customizations are definitely not easy. What I’m focusing on right now is the utility we have at hand.
There are three key factors that matter when it comes to customizations. First, we consider the current infrastructure—how legacy-based it is and the extent of customizations required. We add real-time monitoring and observability on top of it, ensuring a cycle of continuous improvement.
Second, the tools we deploy are crucial. As AI-based system integrators, specifically within the AI.cloud ecosystem, we don’t just rely on cloud services provided by AWS or similar providers. We use whatever best suits the customer. If a third-party tool is needed to deliver an app solution, we integrate it seamlessly.
The third element is delivery. It’s never a one-time process. Success comes through iteration. We continuously refine the solution until the customer reaches the desired level of satisfaction and accuracy. This ongoing cycle is part of our managed services, where change management plays a key role. While certain aspects, such as coding and integrations, do take time, we handle them on a case-by-case basis.
When comparing the process from a few months ago to today, there’s been significant improvement. Looking forward, with the introduction of Chargeability 5 and the growing number of foundational models like large language models (LLMs), I see even greater potential. We leverage these advancements to further reduce delivery times and enhance the accuracy of the solutions we provide to our customers.
TAM: What are the biggest challenges you face and how are you addressing them to ensure sustainable growth?
PC Sharma: Back in 2013-2014, cloud solutions were quite limited. There weren’t many services available, and not every solution could be created on the cloud. Today, that landscape has drastically changed. AWS alone offers around 200 services, and as the pioneer in the field, they hold a 32% market share. Azure follows with 23%, Google Cloud with 10%, and Oracle is also catching up. The market for public cloud services is still wide open, with plenty of opportunities.
One of the challenges I’ve seen is the availability of services in the early days. Now, while there are many services, some are overhyped and underutilized. It’s crucial to strike a balance between the number of services and the ones that truly meet customer needs, all while considering the cost implications for the long term.
Winning customer confidence in public cloud services has always been a challenge, and this remains true today, especially in sectors like banking and pharma. Manufacturing and textiles have embraced the cloud, but banking, pharma, and life sciences are held back by concerns over patents, data residency laws, and government regulations, which impede growth in these areas.
There are some promising developments that could encourage more businesses to adopt cloud solutions, but they aren’t always easily translatable into action. It would be beneficial to have a forum where these concerns could be addressed, and confidence could be built among institutions that the cloud is a safe market.
In my experience, we’ve conducted several proofs of concept (POCs) for enterprises in these sectors, but often, they don’t progress beyond that stage. Concerns are raised, and the projects stall. For example, only a few hospitals have moved to the cloud, and the hospitality industry has also been slow to adopt it. However, outside of these specific industries, cloud adoption is generally strong
TAM: Can you elaborate on your partnership with Crayon and how they enhance your service offerings?
PC Sharma: Crayon has already established a strong reputation in the global market, and we’re leveraging that to our advantage. We’ve partnered with them to benefit from their market penetration experience and to learn from their extensive cloud expertise—both in terms of staff and knowledge. While they are relatively new to AWS, they have significant experience with Microsoft. But experience is experience, and we’ve been very satisfied with Crayon so far. Looking ahead, we may also expand our focus to Azure and Google Cloud. However, as of today, our primary focus remains on AWS.
TAM: What are your future plans, and your vision to cater to specific industries such as healthcare, finance, or manufacturing in India?
PC Sharma: When it comes to IoT devices, AI, and ML in the health sector, there are several AWS services available that open up opportunities for innovation. However, global compliance regulations add a layer of complexity. It’s not easy to obtain audit reports unless you’re using a public cloud, where you have a pre-compliant platform with everything readily available. This allows you to utilize those reports, build your applications according to checklists, and proceed with auditing more smoothly.
In contrast, using non-public cloud environments, such as on-premises or private data centers, where servers are co-located, can be very cumbersome for compliance and auditing processes. That said, the health sector offers a wide scope for innovation. For instance, there was a time when medical prescriptions were handled manually, but even today, medical transcriptions are still in use. With services like HealthScribe, medical terminology can be automatically translated into understandable scripts without human intervention.
While this may reduce some employment opportunities, it also creates a need for professionals to upskill and transition into roles like analysts or business analysts. There’s a significant gap in the talent pool right now. As a director here, I see a big shortage of qualified people in this segment. I encourage those who haven’t yet entered this field to upgrade their skills and explore opportunities with us. There is a strong demand at Synycs, and I’d definitely like to fill these positions.
