Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) today announced its partnership with global technology leader Microsoft to launch BSNL Managed SaaS (software-as-a-service) in India. This partnership will enable BSNL to offer hosted solutions on core Productivity, Collaboration and Line of Business Applications to business customers.
BSNL also launched "BSNL Managed Business Mail" – the first offer resulting from this partnership.Based on Microsoft Exchange platform, BSNL Managed Business Mail moves beyond conventional email options to empower businesses with tools to increase productivity, mobility and collaboration at an affordable monthly fee.
This will provide a range of services for businesses across enterprise, SMBs and Public Sector segments to enhance communication coordination by enabling them to share email messages, contacts, calendars, task lists and documents from any device (PC or mobile phone).The partnership and launch marks BSNL's foray into managed business solutions based on the SaaS model. Since this service will be delivered via the Internet - users will save on upfront costs related to hardware, licenses and installation for their IT infrastructure. Business owners will also be able to focus on their core business tasks – without any disruptions and distractions pertaining to IT headaches like security patches, software updates, monitoring and backups. In turn, this will eliminate need for in-house IT management manpower.
According to Kuldeep Goyal, CMD, BSNL: "We are proud to announce a long term partnership with Microsoft India to offer a wide range of Managed services based on the SaaS model and are confident of the value that this will deliver to our customers. We are equally proud to launch BSNL Managed Business Mail as our first SaaS based managed service, and the first under this partnership."
"Managed Business Mail is an innovative messaging and collaboration service for Indian businesses that will provide enterprises and SMBs with rich enterprise-class email applications that deliver 24X7 access and significant productivity benefits – all at an affordable price". BSNL Managed Business Mail will be available in four editions at affordable prices starting from Rs. 420/- per month.
The unique feature of BSNL's Managed Business Mail will be its availability from the mobile platform. This implies that the service will be accessible on smartphones of any service provider. This unique facility will seamlessly extend the best in class experience benefits of the service to end consumers on the move," he added.
Commenting on the partnership, Rajan Anandan, MD Microsoft India, said: "Customers find value in a combination of software plus services delivered via the Internet, thus making owning and managing IT more affordable and convenient. We believe that BSNL's foray into the S+S model will provide ample value to businesses looking to leverage technology to maximize productivity while ensuring lower spends - especially in today's cost controlled environment. We are excited about our partnership with BSNL for their managed services business and look forward to further strengthening our association".
