Rama Krishna Sangem
Of late, we have been seeing more posts on Facebook and other social media platforms promoting or highlighting Zoho, a Chennai based Technology Company. Swadesh groups have been urging people to switch over to Zoho from Microsoft for all their needs.
The campaign gained momentum after Union Home Minister Amit Shah and IT and Telecom minister Ashwin Vaishnaw took to Zoho, for their mail and application needs. Arattai, an equivalent to Whatsapp, too is being promoted by these groups. Arattai too is from Zoho Company, founded by Sridhar Vembu. Zoho is attracting Indians not just because of its technological features, but also due to the simplicity and Swadeshi touch of its founder Sridhar Vembu. Now, he is one of most searched person on the Net by Indians.
Who is Sridhar Vembu?
Sridhar Vembu (born 1968) is an IIT Madra product in electrical engineering and an Indian billionaire who founded Zoho Corporation. He was former chief executive officer of the Zoho. According to Forbes, he is the 39th richest Indian with a net worth of $5.85 billion, as of 2024. He was awarded India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2021.
He went to the US earned his MS and PhD in Electrical Engineering degrees from Princeton University in New Jersey. After working for Qualcomm for some time, Vembu started his own AdventNet, a software solutions firm which was later renamed as Zoho in 2009. He returned to Tenkasi, Taml Nadu in 2019 for good.
Now, Zoho Corp. is emerging as the flag-bearer of India’s growing self-reliance drive in technology, nearly three decades after it was founded in Chennai. Its business management apps, email and messaging platforms, and workplace tools are gaining traction among policymakers and the common man alike, underscoring the “Swadeshi” wave in the world’s most populous nation.
People are comparing Zoho of 12 billion US dollars firm, with 4 trillion US dollars worth Microsoft. Zoho is compatible with MS Office through its ability to open, edit, and save MS Office files, and by offering add-ons and integrations that allow users to use Zoho products with Microsoft applications like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. You can also continue to use Microsoft Office Suite to store files on Zoho WorkDrive, making it easier to collaborate across platforms.
How Zoho Works with Microsoft Office:
File Compatibility: Zoho Office Suite can import, edit, and export Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) without significant loss of formatting or structure. Zoho WorkDrive Add-on: An add-on is available for Microsoft Office Suite that allows you to save files directly from Word, Excel, and PowerPoint to Zoho WorkDrive and open WorkDrive files in the Office apps, according to Zoho Marketplace.
Integrations: Zoho offers several integrations with Microsoft applications, such as:
Zoho CRM and Microsoft Office 365: An integration allows for user import, contact synchronization, and calendar synchronization. Zoho CRM and Outlook: A free add-in for Outlook enables users to create leads, manage CRM records, and associate emails with customer data directly from Outlook.
Zoho Books and Office 365: You can import contacts from your Microsoft account to Zoho Books. Coexistence and Split Delivery: For email, Zoho Mail can be configured to coexist with Office 365, allowing for split delivery to both systems, notes Zoho.
This integration allows teams to continue using the Microsoft tools they are familiar with while also benefiting from Zoho’s cloud-based storage and collaboration features.
Not easy fight
By all means, Zoho may emerge a leading tech services company with sizable presence, but unlikely to replace Microsoft in near future. Because, this is a David vs Goliath fight in which Goliath still remains strong. But, Zoho story will inspire many Indians who want to grow big in the tech sector. More innovations will surely to follow!
