In the last year, there’s been an upward trend in cloud adoption in India. In fact, NASSCOM finds that cloud spending in India is estimated to grow at 30% per annum to cross the US$7 billion mark by 2022.

At Google, in our conversations with customers, discussions have evolved beyond cost savings and efficiencies. While those are still very relevant reasons for adopting cloud technologies, Indian enterprises are looking to Google Cloud to help them drive digital transformation, identify new revenue generating business models, reach previously untapped consumer markets, and build customer loyalty through greater insight and personalization.

Here are some companies and their stories.

Tata Steel: Mining data and maximizing its power

Tata Steel is a great example of an established enterprise from a traditional industry that is modernizing and embracing cloud computing. With an ambition to be a leader in manufacturing in India and a digital-first organization by 2022, Tata Steel believes smart analytics is key to enhancing operational efficiency and gaining business advantage. 

To organize data from siloed systems across the organization and make it easily accessible to all employees, Tata Steel is using Cloud Search and plans to scale it to more than one million documents and 28 disparate enterprise content sources including enterprise resource planning (ERP) and SharePoint. In fact, Tata Steel is one of the first Indian enterprises to harness the power of Cloud Search to meet some of the most aggressive ingestion demands, with indexing durations reduced from weeks to seconds.

They are also leveraging Google Cloud Platform (GCP) services like Google Cloud Storage and BigQuery to build their data lake and enterprise data warehouse so they can take advantage of advanced analytics and machine learning. Managed services such as AI Platform further enable Tata Steel to manage end-to-end AI/ML workflows within the GCP console. This complements their existing on-premise reporting and analytics tools, and brings data management to the forefront of everything they do—from forecasting market demand to predictive equipment maintenance.

“Digital is not just a goal, it’s become a way of life. We are digitizing everything from the deployment of factory vehicles to improving material throughput to marketing and sales. As a result, we have petabytes of structured and unstructured data that is not only waiting to be mined, but that we can generate intelligence from to create opportunities across our multiple lines of business using GCP,” said Sarajit Jha, Chief Business Transformation & Digital Solutions at Tata Steel.

Helping L&T Financial Services reach customers in rural communities

In rural communities, quick access to financial services can make a tremendous difference to livelihoods. L&T Financial Services provides farm-equipment finance, micro loans and two-wheeler finance to consumers across rural India backed by a strong digital and analytics platform. Their digital-loan approval app, which runs on GCP, makes it significantly faster and easier for people to apply for financial assistance to purchase important things such as farming equipment and two-wheelers. It also helps rural women entrepreneurs get quicker access to funds for their businesses through micro loans.

L&T Financial found G Suite to be a far better collaborative tool to help staff work together efficiently. Employees can interact with each other in real time using Hangouts Meet, and the task of information sharing is more seamless and secure through Drive. BigQuery also helps L&T Financial Services generate behavior scorecards to track credit quality of its micro-loan customers.

“Cloud is the technology that enables us to achieve scale and reach. Today there are countless data points available about rural consumers which enable us to personalize our products to serve them better. With access to faster compute power, we can also on-board consumers more efficiently. Our rural businesses have clocked a disbursement CAGR of 60% over the past three years.” said Sunil Prabhune, Chief Executive-Rural Finance, and Group Head-Digital, IT and Analytics, L&T Financial Services.

Creating conversational connections for Digitate’s customers

Digitate, a venture of TCS (Tata Consultancy Services), has integrated Dialogflow into its flagship brand ignio, an award-winning artificial intelligence platform for driving IT operations, workload operations and ERP operations for diverse enterprises. This integration is the next step in ignio’s product development journey, and will enable users to chat or talk with ignio to detect issues, triage problems, resolve them and even predict system behavior.

“ignio combines its unique self-healing AIOps capabilities for enterprise IT and business operations with Dialogflow’s AI/ML-based, easy to use, natural and rich conversational capabilities to create an unparalleled, intuitive and feature-rich experience for our customers,” says Akhilesh Tripathi, Head of Digitate.

Indian enterprises going G Suite

The base of Indian enterprises that are making the switch to G Suite to streamline their productivity and collaboration also continues to grow. Sharechat, BookMyShow, Hero MotorCorp, DB Corp and Royal Enfield are now able to move faster within their organizations, using intelligent, cloud-based apps to transform the way they work.

A hybrid and multi-cloud future in India

IDC predicts that by 2023, 55% of India 500 organizations will have a multi-cloud management strategy that includes integrated tools across public and private clouds. (IDC FutureScape: Worldwide Cloud 2019 Predictions  — India Implications (# AP43922319). We look forward to sharing more success stories of Indian enterprises that have taken the next step in their digital transformation journey.

Many of the world’s leading companies run on SAP—and deploying it on Google Cloud extends the benefits of SAP even further. Migrating your current SAP S/4HANA deployment to Google Cloud—whether it resides on your company’s on-premises servers or another cloud service—provides your organization with a flexible virtualized architecture that lets you scale your environment to match your workloads, so you pay only for the compute and storage capacity you need at any given moment. Google Cloud includes built-in features, such as Compute Engine live migration and automatic restart, that minimize downtime for infrastructure maintenance. And it allows you to integrate your SAP data with multiple data sources and process it using Google Cloud technology such as BigQuery to drive data analytics.

SAP server-side architecture consists of two layers: the SAP HANA database, and the Netweaver application layer. In this blog post, we’ll look at the options and steps for moving the database layer to Google Cloud as a lift and shift or rehost, a straightforward approach that entails moving your current SAP environment unchanged onto Google Cloud.

Deploying an SAP HANA system on Google Cloud

Google Cloud offers SAP-certified virtual machines (VMs) optimized for SAP products, including SAP HANA and SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, as well as dedicated servers for SAP HANA for environments greater than 12TB. (For a complete list of VM and hardware options, visit the Certified and Supported SAP HANA Hardware Directory.)

Before proceeding with a rehost migration to Google Cloud, your current (source) environment and Google Cloud (target) environments should meet these specifications:

Prerequisites:  

• The configuration of the Google Cloud environment (i.e., VM  resources, SSD storage capacity) should be identical to that of the source environment. If the underlying hardware is different, however, you must use Option 2 for your migration, detailed below.
• Both environments should be running the same operating system (SUSE or RHEL Linux).
• The HANA version, instance number, and system ID (SID) should be identical.

• Schema names must remain the same.
• Establishing the network connection between the on-premises environment and Google Cloud will be required in this phase to support rehost of the SAP application.you can use Cloud VPN or Dedicated Interconnect. Learn more about Dedicated Interconnect and Cloud VPN.

Note: Depending on your internet connection and bandwidth requirements, we recommend using a Dedicated Interconnect over Cloud VPN for production environments. 

We offer a number of automated processes to accelerate your cloud journey. To deploy the SAP HANA system on Google Cloud, you can use the Google Cloud Deployment manager or Terraform and Ansible scripts available on GitHub with configuration file templates to define your installation. For more details, see the Google Cloud SAP HANA Planning Guide.

Note: To deploy SAP HANA on Google Cloud machine types that are certified by SAP for production, please review the Certification for SAP HANA on Google Cloud page. 

Moving an SAP HANA Database to Google Cloud

There are two different options you can use to rehost your SAP HANA database to Google Cloud, and each has pros and cons that you should consider when deciding on your approach.

Option 1: Asynchronous replication uses SAP’s built-in replication tool to provide continuous data replication from the source system (also known as the primary system) to the destination or secondary system—in this case residing on Google Cloud. It’s best for mission-critical applications for which minimum downtime is a high priority, and for large databases. In addition, the high level of automation means that the process requires less manual intervention. Here’s where you can learn more on HANA Asynchronous Replication.

Option 2: Backup and restore relies on SAP’s backup utility to create an image of the database that is then transferred to Google Cloud, where it is restored in the new environment. Downtime for this method varies by database size, so large databases may require more downtime via this method vs. asynchronous replication. It also involves more manual tasks. However, it requires fewer resources to perform, making it an attractive option for less urgent use cases. Here’s where you can learn more on SAP HANA database Backup and restore.

How to migrate the SAP HANA database to Google Cloud using Asynchronous Replication

1. Create and configure Dedicated Interconnect or Cloud VPN between the current environment and Google Cloud.
2. Set up SAP HANA asynchronous replication. You can configure system replication using SAP HANA Cockpit, SAP HANA Studio, or hdbnsutil. See Setting Up SAP HANA System Replication in the SAP HANA Administration Guide.
3. Be sure to use the same instance number and HANA SID in the template as the primary instance.
4. Configure the Google Cloud instance as the secondary node for using HANA Asynchronous replication.
5. Perform data validation once full data replication is completed to the SAP HANA database in Google Cloud. To learn more: HANA System Replication overview.  
6. Perform an SAP HANA takeover on your standby database. This switches your active system from the current primary system onto the secondary system on Google Cloud. Once the takeover command runs, the system on Google Cloud becomes the new primary system.To learn more: HANA Takeover. 

How to migrate the SAP HANA database to Google Cloud using Backup and Restore

1. Create a full backup of your SAP HANA database in your current environment.
2. Create a new storage bucket in your Google Cloud environment. Visit Creating Storage Buckets in the Google Cloud Storage documentation. 
3. Download and install gsutil onto the source environment and run it to upload the HANA backup to the Google Cloud storage bucket. To install gsutil utility on any computer or server, visit Install gsutil in the Google Cloud Storage documentation.
   Note: You can run parallel multi thread/multi processing in gsutil to copy large files more quickly.
4. Recover the HANA database on Google Cloud using SAP’s RECOVER DATABASE statement. See RECOVER DATABASE Statement (Backup and Recovery) in the SAP HANA SQL Reference Guide for SAP HANA Platform.

Note: BackInt agent is an integrated SAP interface tool used for HANA database on Google Cloud.Backint agent for SAP HANA can be used to store and retrieve backups directly from Google Cloud Storage. It is supported and certified by SAP on Google Cloud. To learn more:  SAP HANA Backint Agent on Google Cloud. 

In summary, we recommend using Asynchronous Replication (Option 1) for mission-critical applications that require the lowest downtime window. For all other applications, we recommend Backup and Restore (Option 2), as this approach requires fewer resources. It’s also a great way to implement the backup and restore functionality on Google Cloud.

A rehost migration is the most straightforward path to getting your SAP on HANA system up and running on Google Cloud. And the sooner you migrate, the sooner you can take advantage of the many benefits Google Cloud brings to your SAP solution. For more information on the different migration options please review: SAP on Google Cloud: Migration strategies. 

Learn more about deploying SAP on Google Cloud. Technical resources can be found here.

Like many businesses around the world, Google is trying to combine on-site and off-site work into an efficient hybrid model. And like most businesses, we’re also figuring out how to get it right. As we grow our vision for the best possible hybrid workplace, one theme consistently emerges: the need for collaboration equity. 

Collaboration equity is when all workers have the ability to contribute and communicate equally, regardless of location, role, experience level, language, and device preference. A lack of collaboration equity can stem from hierarchies in video calls or language barriers on international calls. It can mean junior employees don’t feel empowered to speak up in meetings, off-site employees struggle to access their on-site managers, or frontline workers lack the communication tools their office colleagues enjoy.

When these disparities add up, they can damage an individual’s wellbeing, career potential, and effectiveness. When they permeate an organization, team performance suffers, innovation wanes, and talent leaves. In our recently commissioned global survey with Economist Impact, 62% of respondents agreed with the notion that “limited networking opportunities with senior employees and co-workers has a negative impact on career growth.” Proximity bias is just one of many new challenges we face in hybrid work environments. 

We believe the location from which you participate shouldn’t influence your outcome. And while it’s easier to have everyone on-site or everyone off-site, hybrid models demand deeper thinking about social, organizational, and technological challenges. These ideas should be addressed at the C-Suite level with solutions that garner buy-in from every part of the organization. 

So, how do we deliver on the promise of a hybrid workplace where flexibility, wellbeing, and meaningful impact coexist? 

At Google, we’re bridging the gap between the in-person and the “somewhere else” by pushing technology, culture, and physical spaces to be more inclusive and maximize participation. We’re also innovating new Google Workspace features to power collaboration equity for our billions of users worldwide.

To guide our work, we’ve identified three pillars of collaboration equity: representation, participation, and information.

Representation equity

Achieving representation equity means that all employees can be seen, heard, and portrayed equally, whether working off-site or on-site. When the pandemic hit, we were all scrambling to make sure people could simply connect safely with one another. Google’s existing technology for distributed teams was pressure tested, and I’m proud of how well it performed. But we’re now faced with the disconnect that happens when you merge off-site work with on-site work. 

When we were all participating in meetings remotely, everyone shared equal-sized tiles on videos. There was no one sitting in a corner office, no hierarchy—everyone was represented equally. In a hybrid environment, it’s distorted. The people participating remotely appear giant on a conference room monitor, while the people in the conference room appear tiny on screens at home. It can be difficult to decipher who’s even in the room. This is certainly not equal representation.

Some of these issues can be solved with technology. For example, we’ve been working on features like AI-driven video adjustments in Google Meet to compensate for low-light environments and auto-zoom to keep all participants in focus, and both will improve representation equity for hybrid workplaces. Additionally, we can now limit data usage on slow mobile networks so no one has to turn off video during a call. All of these technological innovations improve representation equity for hybrid workplaces, but we also need to adopt new workplace norms as well. For example, some organizations have implemented policies where if one person joins a meeting from off-site, then everyone joins via device so they are all represented equally.

Participation equity 

We think of participation equity as the ability to host, present, and participate equally, regardless of location. At Google, we were already accustomed to joining meetings virtually from different offices. With the new tools we’ve developed in the last 18 months, everyone’s ability to participate equally has grown. Wider adoption of meeting tools like hand raise, polls, Q&A, and breakout rooms gives us an ordered, structured way of talking in distributed groups. 

But how will we interact when many of us are back in the office? How do we ensure that off-site workers can still engage as meaningfully as others? Companion mode, a tool we’ve developed for Google Meet, gives both in-person and off-site attendees the same meeting experience. Each individual can host, present, and participate in meetings in the same way, with the same tools, regardless of their location. 

Teams can also promote participation equity by using meeting moderators who encourage the use of hand-raising features so no one dominates the conversation or interrupts—a challenge that often arises when multiple people are in the same location. While it may feel forced and prevent natural back-and-forths, it does help everyone’s voices be heard. We’ve also learned that many people find it distracting to see their own image, so we’ve enabled users to hide their own video feed. I’ve seen firsthand how these tools and practices are improving participation equity. 

Information equity

Information equity means that regardless of whether people work on- or off-site, they have equal access to information. Ensuring free flow of information is key to better long-term thinking, creativity, and cooperation among teams. As individuals exercise their autonomy for where and how they work best, their preferences affect recruiting and retention. If we’re going to accommodate a range of preferences, how do we best equalize access to information? 

First, we should actively prioritize keeping each other informed. We can support this proactive mindset through technology by ensuring that meetings have agendas, are recorded or transcribed, and have shareable, accessible information. Our tools, including Spaces and Drive, can be used as information hubs where teammates can reliably access crucial files, conversations, and updates. And coworkers can leverage smart suggestions to @-mention others linked to the project, so no one is left out. 

We must commit to solving the information equity problem together or risk ending up in a mushy middle ground where no one is satisfied. Because while most people enjoy working from home, they won’t sacrifice career progression to keep it. If the center of gravity tilts too far toward on-site work, the hybrid model will collapse. We’re not advocating a “choose your own adventure” mentality, nor a one-size-fits-all model. We’re empowering teams to meet the preferences of individual members in a deliberate fashion that supports the larger organization. 

During this pivotal time, we are enthusiastic about how we’re seeing work change and advance around the globe. Delivering on the hybrid-work promise of “the best of both worlds” feels more within our reach than ever before. But if we’re going to succeed, we must strive for collaboration equity. Our experience tells us that when you give people freedom and opportunity, they will amaze you. 

How to build collaboration equity in your hybrid workplace:

✅ Start with representation. Can every employee be seen and heard? Do they have the tools, technology, and devices to be adequately represented?

✅ Enable participation. Is everyone encouraged to provide their input and voice their opinions? What tools and forums exist to provide this input? How is the input acknowledged and acted upon?

✅ Share information. Do people have access to all the information they need to do their jobs? Does information flow freely or is it hoarded?

✅ Let teams and departments design their own hybrid schedules. Hybrid will not work if every individual is “choosing their own adventure.” Consider using on-site days for collaborative, creative, and brainstorming projects and reserving off-site days for deep focus work. 

✅ Reward outcomes, not activities. An employee’s individual preference for how and where to work should not matter as long as they are getting things done. This means flexibility in location and work schedule to maximize impact.

✅ Highlight our shared responsibility to each other. Every manager should ask:

1. What does the team need to know about how you work best? 
2. What are you personally doing to ensure the entire team is successful?

Follow other trends and insights on our Future of Work site.