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Press Release
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Ravindran S Tata Communications +91 92 233 06610 ravindran.s@tatacommunications.com |
Shaily Vaswani Tata Communications +91 9223364554 shaily.vaswani@tatacommunications.com |
Vaishnavi Corporate Communications +91 92 233 02179 skohari@vccpl.com |
Tata Communications offers hosted CRM solutions to Indian businesses
Partners with US-based SugarCRM to provide end-to-end solution on software, hosting infrastructure and network connectivity at an affordable cost to small, medium and large enterprises
Mumbai, India – February 16, 2009: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) has gained wide acceptance across the globe, continues to grow in India and with the current economic scenario addresses the key business issue of "pay-as-your business-grows" without having to worry about IT skills or infrastructure. Tata Communications, a leading provider of the new world of communications, now offers hosted Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services by partnering with US-based CRM leader SugarCRM.
SugarCRM is the world's leading provider of commercial open source customer relationship management (CRM) software. It has close to 4,000 customers world-wide. In India, Tata Communications and SugarCRM have come together to offer a robust CRM infrastructure on TCL's state-of-the-art CRM platform to provide a 24x7 service that does not require the customer to have their own infrastructure or skilled IT organization to provide the users with a complete Customer Relationship Management solution. The TCL Hosted CRM solution will enable our customers to grow their business by servicing their clients based on their needs. This solution will deliver a capability-on-demand that our customers have been asking us to create for them to help them manage their business. Tata Communications will host this service at its world class, internationally certified Data Centers that will provide end-to-end solution to customer including software, hosting infrastructure, and network connectivity.
"The market for On-Demand CRM in India is over Rs. 150 crore ($32 million) in 2009 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 50-60% for the next few years. With our world-class infrastructure and leadership in emerging markets, Tata Communications is uniquely positioned to serve this need," said, Mr Alok Bardiya, Vice President, Industry Verticals and New Initiatives, Tata Communications Limited.
Under SaaS model, customers pay as per their usage instead of investing, owning and managing the complete infrastructure themselves. It has been very popular with businesses that don't need to or do not prefer to invest in high cost infrastructure and hence can deploy their capital in their core business activities.
This Hosted CRM service includes features that improve sales force automation, marketing automation, customer support and reporting processes. Tata Communications is a leading provider of India centric and global network services to business and offers security, collaboration, data solutions and voice solutions to enhance reach and productivity of Indian businesses.
"Our broad market reach and managed services expertise, makes Tata Communications the perfect match for the Indian market when combined with the best in class CRM capabilities of Sugar CRM. Our partnership will enable us to offer a high-quality CRM solution to Indian businesses at an affordable price." said Mr Sunil Joshi, President (Enterprise Business), Tata Communications.
"We are thrilled to be working with Tata Communications and look forward to working with such an esteemed firm to serve the Indian market," said Jeff Campbell, Vice President of Channel Sales at SugarCRM.
About Tata Communications
Tata Communications, a member of the $62.5 billion Tata Group, is a leading global provider of a new world of communications. The emerging markets communications leader leverages its advanced solutions capabilities and domain expertise across its global and pan-India network to deliver managed solutions to multi-national and Indian enterprises, service providers and Indian consumers.
Tata Communications' range of services include transmission, IP, converged voice, mobility, managed network connectivity, hosting and storage, managed security, managed collaboration and business transformation for global enterprises and service providers, as well as Internet, retail broadband and content services for Indian consumers. The Tata Global Network encompasses one of the most advanced and largest submarine cable networks, a Tier-1 IP network, with connectivity to more than 200 countries across 300 Pops, and more than 1 million square feet of data center and co-location facilities.
Tata Communications' unique emerging market depth and breadth of reach includes a national fiber backbone network and access to network in over 60 cities and 125 Pops in India, strategic investments in South African converged services operator, Neotel, Sri Lanka and Nepal and, subject to fulfillment of conditions precedent, a 50% ownership in China Enterprise Communications (CEC) providing full country VPN coverage in China.
Servicing customers from its offices in over 80 cities in 40 countries, Tata Communications is the number one global international wholesale voice operator and number one provider of international long distance, enterprise data and Internet services in India, the Company was named "Best Wholesale Carrier" at the World Communications Awards in 2006, "Best Pan-Asian Wholesale Provider" at the 2006 and 2007 Capacity Magazine Global Wholesale Telecommunications Awards and was awarded "Best Progress in Emerging Markets" at the 2008 Mobile Communication Awards.
Tata Communications Limited along with its global subsidiaries, (Tata Communications), is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India and its ADRs are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. (NYSE: TCL)
About SugarCRM
Sugar CRM is a world leading provider of commercial open source customer relationship management (CRM) software for companies of all sizes. SugarCRM easily adapts to any business environment by offering a more flexible, cost-effective alternative than proprietary applications. SugarCRM's open source architecture allows companies to more easily customize and integrate customer-facing business processes in order to build and maintain more profitable relationships. SugarCRM offers several deployment options, including on-demand, on-site and appliance-based solutions to suit customers' security, integration and configuration needs. Close to 4000 customers world-wide are using SugarCRM, including Yahoo!, Starbucks, and Shinsei Bank.
Forward-looking and cautionary statements
Certain words and statements in this release concerning Tata Communications and its prospects, and other statements, including those relating to Tata Communications' expected financial position, business strategy, the future development of Tata Communications' operations, and the general economy in India, are forward-looking statements. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including financial, regulatory and environmental, as well as those relating to industry growth and trend projections, which may cause actual results, performance or achievements of Tata Communications, or industry results, to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The important factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements include, among others, failure to increase the volume of traffic on Tata Communications' network; failure to develop new products and services that meet customer demands and generate acceptable margins; failure to successfully complete commercial testing of new technology and information systems to support new products and services, including voice transmission services; failure to stabilize or reduce the rate of price compression on certain of the company's communications services; failure to integrate strategic acquisitions and changes in government policies or regulations of India and, in particular, changes relating to the administration of Tata Communications' industry; and, in general, the economic, business and credit conditions in India. Additional factors that could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from such forward-looking statements, many of which are not in Tata Communications' control, include, but are not limited to, those risk factors discussed in Tata Communications' various filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Tata Communications is under no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or alter its forward-looking statements.