Microsoft targets Zim SMEs

via Microsoft targets Zim SMEs – NewsDay Zimbabwe December 14, 2015

Microsoft will next year focus on doing business with small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Zimbabwe, imploring them to leverage on technology in business operations.

BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA

Official statistics show the informal market constitutes 75% of the economy, while unofficial statistics place that figure anywhere between 85% and 90%.

Speaking to NewsDay on Wednesday, Microsoft sales director for sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, Small and Medium Business Segment, Claire Gribbin, said the company realises the potential role SMEs played in an economy.

“Microsoft has enabled 140 000 SMEs to go online across Africa, all offering and consuming services enabled by modern technology. We want SMEs in Zimbabwe to take advantage of such offers to help them scale and grow their businesses, we realise the potential and important role that SMEs play to a country’s economy, especially for African countries,” Gribbin said.

“For example, through our Biz4Afrika online hub, we support the SME sector by aggregating online solutions, freemium [at no charge] offers, relevant services, training and skills services, all complimented by valuable content, locally-relevant information and resources.”

She said the cloud platform helps businesses to be more responsive and competitive and attractive to third-party developers and enterprises.

When data and computing power are available on demand, developers and businesses can extend them to fit their unique needs without having to worry about identity and data management, while taking advantage of our breakthroughs in machine learning and analytics.

This comes as the computer software giant has experienced commercial cloud momentum with over $8,2 billion in annualised revenue run rate for the platform, while intelligent cloud revenue grew 13% in constant currency.

Productivity and business processes revenue grew 4%.

Economist Prosper Chitambara said Microsoft’s plans of doing business with SMEs will “help them to expand their international coverage and influence their business”.

Gribbin said SMEs represented over 90% of private business in Africa contributing more than 50% of employment and gross domestic product.

“We understand that across the world, many SMEs don’t have access to modern technology or even to broadband networks. Just having a website can radically increase an SME’s chances of success and Internet access opens up new borders and markets to help them acquire new customers,” she said.

“The range of cloud-based tools and services we’re offering on the Biz4Afrika hub for example will give SMEs easy and cost-effective access to the modern technology they need to operate at their maximum potential.”

Gribbin said Microsoft’s other platform, Biz 4Afrika, will enable youth in Zimbabwe to get world-class job training experiences, which has been provided to over 350 qualified students per year in over 20 Microsoft Africa locations.

Microsoft will also use two other programmes — MySkills 4Afrika and Microsoft Virtual Academy 4Afrika. MySkills 4Afrika is a skills-based corporate volunteering programme and Microsoft Virtual Academy 4Afrika is an educational platform that provides free online training courses across a variety of relevant disciplines to SMEs.