Zoho’s Own AI Server “Nathu La”: Redefining Infrastructure Sovereignty

Zoho has unveiled “Nathu La,” its first in-house AI server platform, marking a bold step toward reducing dependence on foreign OEMs and cutting escalating AI infrastructure costs. Built in Nagpur with Intel Xeon 6 processors, Nathu La represents Zoho’s ambition to control its full technology stack—from software to hardware—while ensuring sustainability, sovereignty, and efficiency.

Zoho is one of the very few SaaS firms globally to design its own AI servers (Nathu La), but it’s not alone — other SaaS and cloud-native companies like Salesforce, Oracle, and ByteDance have also invested in proprietary AI hardware stacks to reduce costs, improve sovereignty, and optimize workloads.

Zoho’s Nathu La server is built with security baked into every layer of its hardware and software. Because the entire design is created in‑house, Zoho doesn’t rely on outside companies for security checks, firmware updates, or licensing — giving it complete independence.

The platform also follows open‑source software principles and meets India’s highest local content standards, meaning most of its value is created within the country. This makes it especially relevant for government use.

Why Nathu La Matters

• Cost efficiency: Designed to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) by 20–30%, a critical advantage as global server prices have surged 3–4x in recent months.
• Energy savings: Optimized to reduce power consumption by 12–18%, aligning with Zoho’s sustainability goals.
• AI workload optimization: Tailored for inference-heavy tasks and large language model (LLM) deployments.
• Technology sovereignty: Eliminates reliance on Dell, HPE, Lenovo, and other OEMs, giving Zoho full-stack control.
• Talent pipeline: Developed by engineers trained under Zoho’s SETU program in Nagpur, reinforcing local skill development.

Nathu La vs Traditional OEM Servers

Feature	Nathu La (Zoho)	Traditional OEM (Dell/HPE/Lenovo)
Cost of Ownership	20–30% lower	Rising sharply due to AI demand
Power Consumption	12–18% lower	Higher baseline usage
Deployment	Internal Zoho data centres	Sold commercially worldwide
Optimization	Tailored for Zoho apps & AI workloads	General-purpose enterprise workloads
Technology Control	Full-stack sovereignty	Vendor-dependent
Commercial Strategy	Not for sale	Global enterprise sales

Strategic Context

Global AI infrastructure costs have skyrocketed due to supply chain bottlenecks and compute demand. By building Nathu La, Zoho ensures:

• Long-term sustainability through reduced costs and energy efficiency.
• Data sovereignty by controlling hardware and software layers.
• Performance per watt optimization, critical for scaling AI workloads.

This move also aligns with India’s sovereign cloud initiatives, where domestic firms are increasingly building indigenous infrastructure to reduce reliance on foreign technology ecosystems.

Risks & Trade-offs

• No commercial availability: Nathu La is strictly for Zoho’s internal use.
• High upfront R&D investment: Five years of development and Intel collaboration required.
• Scalability challenge: Initial rollout limited to ~2,000 servers by end of 2026.

Impact on Businesses

• Lower subscription costs over time.
• Faster AI-driven features.
• Stronger data governance and sovereignty.

Zoho’s Nathu La is more than just a server—it’s a statement of technological independence and a blueprint for how Indian SaaS firms can build resilient, cost-effective AI infrastructure.

By aligning with national programs like Make in India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, and the National Supercomputing Mission, Nathu La strengthens India’s ability to build its own high‑performance computing systems and sovereign digital infrastructure.

Zoho Slaps ₹10 Crore Suit on Flexype Over Defamatory Posts

Zoho Corporation has filed a ₹10 crore defamation suit in the Madras High Court against Flexype Technologies and its co‑founder Azeem Hussain, alleging that social media posts about its accounting software Zoho Books were defamatory and harmed its reputation. The court has granted Zoho leave to proceed with the civil damages claim.

The matter has only been reported through legal filings and first covered by Bar & Bench and thereafter by media outlets such as The Times of India and Business Today. 

Key Facts:

• Court: Madras High Court, Chennai
• Plaintiff: Zoho Corporation
• Defendant: Flexype Technologies Pvt Ltd and co‑founder Azeem Hussain
• Damages Sought: ₹10 crore
• Issue: Allegedly defamatory social media posts criticizing Zoho Books’ reliability
• Relief Sought: Damages plus injunctive relief

Court Proceedings:

• Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy initially questioned jurisdiction but accepted Zoho’s affidavit.
• The court granted leave for Zoho to initiate the civil damages suit.

Context of Dispute:

• Posts by Flexype’s co‑founder alleged serious issues with Zoho Books.
• Zoho clarified a payment gateway error caused confusion, not flaws in its software.

Implications:

• For Zoho: Protecting brand reputation in India’s SaaS market.
• For Flexype: Potential liability and reputational risk.
• For Industry: Highlights legal sensitivity around social media commentary.

Comparative Snapshot:

Aspect	Zoho Corporation	Flexype Technologies
Allegation	Defamation via social media posts	Criticism of Zoho Books’ reliability
Legal Action	₹10 crore damages + injunction	Defense pending
Court Involvement	Madras High Court	Respondent in suit
Broader Impact	Protecting SaaS reputation	Risk of liability & credibility loss

Takeaways:

• Social media liability can trigger defamation suits.
• Case may set precedent for Indian tech defamation disputes.
• Companies must balance transparency with caution in public commentary.

India Shifts 1.6 Mn Govt Emails to Zoho Cloud in $20M Deal

The Government of India has migrated 16.68 lakh official email accounts of ministries and departments to Zoho’s cloud platform, spending about ₹180 crore (USD 19.4 Million). The move, executed via the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and GeM bidding, is aimed at strengthening data sovereignty, modernizing legacy systems, and improving security.

The official confirmation came through Parliament statements by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY). Minister of State Jitin Prasada informed the Lok Sabha that 16.68 lakh government email accounts were migrated to Zoho Cloud at a cost of ₹180.10 crore.

The government framed this migration as part of Digital India and data sovereignty goals, reducing reliance on foreign providers.

NIC continues to manage the government’s email backbone, but Zoho provides the cloud infrastructure. The initiative mandates NIC email use, now backed by Zoho’s scalable cloud services.

Key Facts

• Total accounts migrated: 16.68 lakh (1.668 million) official email IDs
• Platform chosen: Zoho Cloud, selected through a transparent GeM bidding process
• Cost per account: ₹170–₹300 per month
• Total expenditure: ₹180.10 crore so far
• Executing agency: National Informatics Centre (NIC), under MeitY
• Timeline: Migration announced in October 2025, completed by April 2026

Financial Breakdown

Metric	Details
Accounts migrated	16.68 lakh
Cost per account	₹170–₹300/month
Total spend	₹180.10 crore
Vendor	Zoho Cloud
Process	GeM bidding, NIC-led migration

Strategic Implications

• Digital Sovereignty: India reduces dependence on foreign tech giants
• Security & Compliance: Sensitive communications hosted on secure, indigenous cloud
• Operational Efficiency: Cloud-based systems improve accessibility and uptime
• Symbolic Move: Strengthens Zoho’s position as trusted enterprise provider

Risks & Challenges

• Vendor Lock-in: Heavy reliance on Zoho may limit flexibility
• Transition hurdles: Migrating millions of accounts may cause disruptions
• Long-term costs: ₹180 crore is significant; ROI must be monitored
• Cybersecurity vigilance: Large-scale government data remains a high-value target

India’s Zoho migration is part of a global trend: governments are increasingly wary of foreign cloud dominance and are investing in sovereign or indigenous providers. For a global audience, the analogy is clear—India is doing what the U.S. did with Microsoft, what Europe is attempting with Gaia-X, and what China enforces with Alibaba/Huawei.

Comparison with Other Countries

Country	Provider(s)	Motivation	Analogy to India
United States	Microsoft 365 Gov Cloud	Security, compliance, sovereignty	Trusted domestic provider
EU	Gaia-X	Reduce dependence on U.S. hyperscalers	Sovereign cloud push
Germany	Deutsche Telekom Cloud	GDPR compliance, national security	Homegrown provider
France	Orange/Capgemini Trusted Cloud	Jurisdictional control, sovereignty	National hosting
China	Alibaba/Huawei Cloud	Security, sovereignty, exclusivity	Indigenous SaaS ecosystem

Govt Shifts 12.68 Lakh Emails to Zoho

The Indian government has migrated about 12.68 lakh official email accounts from various ministries and departments to Zoho Mail, including 7.45 lakh accounts belonging to Central Government employees.

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Key details of the transition

• Scale of migration: Roughly 12.68 lakh accounts moved to Zoho Mail, making it one of the largest government email transitions in India’s history.
• Central government employees: Out of the total, 7.45 lakh accounts belong to Central Government staff.
• Data ownership: Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Jitin Prasada, emphasized that data ownership remains with the government, ensuring sovereignty over sensitive communications.
• Security & productivity: The move is designed to enhance security, streamline communication, and improve productivity across ministries.
• Zoho partnership: This reflects a strategic collaboration with Zoho Corporation, an Indian SaaS company, reinforcing the government’s push for indigenous technology solutions.

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Why this matters

• Digital sovereignty: By partnering with Zoho, the government reduces reliance on foreign email providers, aligning with India’s broader Digital India and data localization goals.
• Cybersecurity: Centralized migration helps enforce uniform security protocols, reducing risks of fragmented systems across ministries.
• Efficiency: A unified platform simplifies inter-ministerial communication, potentially cutting down delays and improving coordination.

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Risks & challenges

• Transition hiccups: Large-scale migrations often face compatibility issues, downtime, or user adaptation challenges.
• Training needs: Government employees may require orientation and support to fully leverage Zoho’s features.
• Vendor dependence: While Zoho is domestic, reliance on a single provider could pose operational risks if service disruptions occur.

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Strategic context

This move fits into India’s broader tech sovereignty narrative, where the government increasingly favors homegrown platforms for critical infrastructure.
It also signals confidence in Zoho’s ability to handle enterprise-scale deployments, potentially boosting its credibility in global markets.

Ultraviolette Raises $45M Series E from Zoho & Lingotto, Strengthening India’s Global EV Play

• This growth capital in Ultraviolette will accelerate the domestic and international scale up of current products F77 and X-47 and future product platforms Shockwave and Tesseract
• The investment from Zoho Corporation was led by Sridhar Vembu, Mani Vembu and Kumar Vembu
• Ultraviolette recently launched the X-47 Crossover electric motorcycle which has seen high demand across the country
• Ultraviolette has expanded to 30 cities across India in a short span of 12 months and is expanding to 100 cities by mid-2026

Ultraviolette, today announced that it has secured $45 million as part of its ongoing Series E round. The latest infusion comes from leading Indian technology company Zoho Corporation, and Lingotto one of Europe's largest investment management companies.

This continued momentum in Ultraviolette’s Series E round underscores sustained investor confidence in the company’s growth trajectory and global ambitions. With the F77 and the recently launched X-47, Ultraviolette has built a unique design and technology-led enterprise.

We are glad to announce our Series E investment from Zoho and Lingotto, said Narayan Subramaniam, Co-Founder & CEO, Ultraviolette. Lingotto’s legacy of backing iconic performance and mobility brands, combined with Zoho’s long-term commitment to fostering cutting-edge Indian innovation, aligns perfectly with Ultraviolette’s mission to build category-defining electric mobility solutions for India and global markets.

Niraj Rajmohan, CTO & Co-Founder, Ultraviolette commented, With the ongoing Series E investments, we are doubling down on growth and expanding our production to meet increasing demand. Our focus is on advancing breakthrough battery technology, elevating performance capabilities and expanding production to support upcoming product platforms. This investment will accelerate our journey towards scaling into India and global markets.

Ultraviolette (UV) is an innovator in future-ready Electric Vehicle Platforms and Battery Technology. Infused with Aviation DNA, this enterprise was conceived in 2016 by the founders, Narayan Subramaniam and Niraj Rajmohan. Ultraviolette is backed by a spectrum of global investors, including Lingotto, TDK Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, Zoho Corporation, TVS Motors, and Speciale Invest.

Arattai vs WhatsApp: Zoho’s Messenger Goes Viral in Swadeshi Surge

In a stunning turn of events, Arattai, Zoho Corporation’s homegrown messaging app, has catapulted from obscurity to the top of India’s app charts—registering a 100x spike in daily sign-ups within just three days. Once a quiet alternative to WhatsApp, Arattai is now the face of India’s digital Swadeshi movement.

A Swadeshi Surge, Minister-Backed

The tipping point came in mid-September when Union Ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan, and Piyush Goyal publicly endorsed Arattai, urging citizens to embrace indigenous platforms. Their posts, amplified across social media, triggered a wave of downloads and national pride.

“Let’s support Made-in-India apps like Arattai,” tweeted Minister Pradhan, igniting a digital domino effect.

Feature-Rich and Privacy-Focused

• End-to-end encrypted voice and video calls
• Multi-device login, including Android TV support
• Secret chats, stories, and channels for creators
• Seamless file sharing and group management

Available across Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Linux, Arattai’s cross-platform reach rivals global incumbents.

From 3,000 to 350,000 Daily Sign-Ups

Zoho’s founder Sridhar Vembu confirmed the surge, noting that the team had to rapidly scale infrastructure and optimize code to handle the influx. The app now ranks #1 in India’s Social Networking category on the Apple App Store.

“We’re humbled and energized. This is not just about tech—it’s about trust,” Vembu shared in a recent post.

What’s Next: Arattai 2.0

• Enhanced UI/UX
• New creator tools
• Expanded server capacity
• Strategic marketing push across Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities

Zoho is also exploring enterprise integrations, positioning Arattai as a secure internal communication tool for Indian businesses.

Why It Matters

Arattai’s ascent reflects a broader shift: India’s growing demand for digital sovereignty. As global platforms face scrutiny over data practices, Arattai offers a privacy-first, India-built alternative—backed by sentiment, scale, and substance.

Arattai Vs WhatsApp

Arattai can serve as a strong alternative to WhatsApp by combining privacy-first design, cross-platform availability, and government-backed credibility. Built by Zoho, it offers:

• ✅ End-to-end encrypted calls and secret chats for secure communication  
• 📱 Multi-device support, including Android TV and desktop platforms 
• 🇮🇳 Made-in-India credentials, aligning with the Swadeshi and digital sovereignty movement 
• 📊 Rapid growth and ministerial endorsements, signaling trust and momentum  

With its expanding feature set and national sentiment behind it, Arattai is positioning itself not just as a WhatsApp clone—but as a homegrown messaging ecosystem.

Deloitte India, Zoho Partner to Accelerate Digital Transformation for India's Mid-market and Enterprise Firms

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP (Deloitte India) has announced a strategic alliance with Zoho, a leading global technology company. This alliance is anticipated to accelerate digital transformation for mid-market and enterprise firms in India.

Currently, enterprises face multiple challenges, from rigid, complex legacy systems to time-intensive digital adoption cycles that hinder innovation and growth. With Deloitte India’s deep industry expertise and Zoho’s cloud-based solutions, the alliance aims to dismantle these barriers by delivering tailored, high-impact solutions that streamline operations, drive productivity and unlock new avenues for growth.

The collaboration will focus on providing a range of specific business solutions for sectors such as healthcare, non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), eCommerce and more. This will be enabled by Zoho’s comprehensive suite of 55+ interconnected applications. These include flagship application suites such as Zoho’s finance and operations suite (accounting, travel and expense management, payroll management and inventory management solutions), CX suite (marketing, sales and customer service solutions), Zoho Analytics (business intelligence) and Zoho Creator (low-code platform for custom development and integration).

Vinay Prabhakar, Deloitte South Asia Sales and Alliance leader —

The power of collaboration lies in its ability to drive meaningful transformation. As businesses navigate an increasingly digital landscape, they require agile, scalable and future-ready solutions. Our alliance with Zoho represents a commitment to co-creating tailored solutions that help enterprises modernise operations and drive long-term success. By combining Deloitte’s strategic advisory expertise with Zoho’s cloud-based technologies, we look forward to helping businesses accelerate their digital transformation, enhance efficiency and build resilience for the future.

Bishan Singh, Head - Channel Ecosystem, Zoho, said —

Enterprises operate with unique, well-defined processes that are integral to their success. Streamlining such elaborate workflows requires solutions that are flexible and customisable. The platform capabilities of our cloud portfolio—powered by low-code, no-code and pro-code options—along with Deloitte India’s industry expertise, allows for quicker creation of bespoke solutions across sectors. This approach not only ensures operational efficiency but also empowers businesses to achieve speedy ROI and scale effectively. We look forward to this collaboration

Through industry-specific solution development, and joint go-to-market strategies, Deloitte India and Zoho will empower enterprises to embrace digital transformation with confidence—delivering measurable value while augmenting efficiency and long-term resilience in a rapidly evolving business environment.

Microsoft and Zoho Partner to Train Over 2,600 Entrepreneurs in Querétaro, Mexico

Microsoft and Zoho have partnered with the Municipality of Querétaro to launch a comprehensive training program aimed at equipping over 2,600 entrepreneurs with essential technological skills and digital tools.

Querétaro, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro, is one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico.

This initiative was announced during the Tech Day event and the Municipal Employment Fair on December 10, 2024.

Microsoft and Zoho have signed goodwill letter with the Municipality of Querétaro, to bring AI tools closer to entrepreneurs.

The program includes:

• Monthly in-person sessions on digital transformation by Microsoft. 
• Weekly virtual workshops for groups of 50 entrepreneurs, focusing on specialized topics like finance, CRM, and customer service strategies by Zoho.
• Access to advanced AI tools to help entrepreneurs enhance their productivity and sales.

This collaboration is part of Querétaro's broader efforts to position itself as a leader in economic development, innovation, and technology. The goal is to democratize access to cutting-edge technology and empower local entrepreneurs to thrive in the digital economy.

At the Municipal Employment Fair, 478 jobs were offered by 20 leading companies in the municipality. Of these vacancies, 207 are operational, 119 techniques and 152 professionals, with average salaries of 15 thousand pesos.

Zoho Opens First Office in Qatar

Zoho has recently opened its first office in Qatar, located in Doha. This move comes after significant growth in the Qatari market, where Zoho saw a 29% increase in revenue and a 50% expansion in its channel partner network in 2023.

The new office will help Zoho provide customized services, expand its local team, and strengthen its network of IT service providers and resellers.

This expansion reflects the rising demand for Zoho's business applications, such as Zoho One, Zoho Books, Zoho People, Zoho Creator, and Zoho Expense.

The announcement was made during Zoholics Qatar 2024, where Zoho also shared insights from a survey on productivity and collaboration trends among businesses in Qatar.

Zoholics Qatar 2024 was a significant event for Zoho, marking the opening of their first office in Doha. The event featured powerful insights, meaningful connections, and fresh perspectives on productivity and collaboration trends among businesses in Qatar.

Zoho also shared findings from a survey involving 3,301 employees across the Middle East and Africa, including 396 respondents from Qatar. The survey highlighted the challenges and opportunities in workplace collaboration, with a focus on the local business environment.

The event underscored Zoho's commitment to supporting digital transformation in Qatar and the wider region.

Besides India (Chennai), Zoho operates in numerous countries around the world. As of 2021, Zoho has offices in nine countries which includes United States (corporate headquarters in Del Valle, Texas), China, Singapore, Japan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), South Africa (Cape Town) and now latest in Qatar.

To recall, Zoho is also expanding within home country. To recall, in early of last month, Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho, announced the setting up of a research and development (R&D) facility in eastern Uttar Pradesh by the end of this year.

Zoho's global presence allows it to cater to a diverse range of markets and provide localized support to its customers.

Education Has Become Increasingly Unaffordable Due to Urban Real Estate, Says Zoho CEO Vembu

SaaS major Zoho's CEO & Founder Sridhar Vembu believes that "Education has become increasingly unaffordable. A good part of it due to urban real estate (and even real estate around small towns) becoming extremely expensive; that affects education, health care and of course, housing and retail as well."

Sridhar Vembu further said that – "A lot of corruption money from politics is 'parked' in real estate and that has inflated prices beyond normal market forces. In a sense, all of us pay for political corruption in the form of expensive housing, schools and health care."

In a post over social media platform X, the Zoho CEO referred to a post on X, which showed the term-wise split of the amount to be paid to a school, in addition to a registration fee and an annual fee.

According to the X user's post, which Sridhar Vembu referred as an example for his point, he had to pay Rs 10,000 as a non-refundable registration fee, an annual fee of Rs 25,000 that was recurring and Rs 98,750 each for four three-month terms, between April 2024 and March 2025.

"We are investing in school education to make it affordable (our schools are free) but we can only do it in deep rural areas where land is affordable," added Vembu in the X post.

Notably, the cost of education in India has increased substantially. Between 2012 and 2020, education costs rose by about 10-12% annually. This includes tuition fees, transportation, and examination fees.

The rising cost of real estate in urban areas drives up the expenses for educational institutions. Schools and colleges often pass these costs onto students through higher tuition fees.

Corruption and speculative investments in real estate can inflate property prices, indirectly affecting the cost of education. This creates a cycle where high real estate prices lead to higher educational costs, making quality education less accessible.

Public expenditure on education has remained relatively stable, around 3.9% of GDP in 2018-19. However, private expenditure has grown faster, reflecting the increasing privatization of education. Together, public and private spending on education accounted for 6.6% of GDP in 2018-19.

Although, the education budget has seen periodic increases. For instance, the 2024 budget allocated ₹1.48 lakh crore to education, with significant increases for school education and literacy. Despite these efforts, affordability remains a challenge for many families, especially with the rising costs. And, Zoho founder, Sridhar Vembu, despite being a billionaire raise this issue to bring it in open.

While there are several government schemes aimed at making education more affordable, the implementation and reach of these programs can be inconsistent, limiting their effectiveness.

Addressing these barriers requires a multifaceted approach, including increased public investment, better implementation of government schemes, and efforts to reduce the cost of private education.

Zoho to Setup R&D Centre in East Uttar Pradesh by the End of This Year

Zoho, the prominent Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) provider, is expanding its national footprint by establishing a research and development (R&D) facility in eastern Uttar Pradesh by the end of this year, announced the CEO & Founder of Zoho, Sridhar Vembu.

"We want to create world-class R&D capability wherever we go and there is a speed limit to how fast you can scale up R&D teams and it is not at all like scaling up manufacturing plant," said Zoho's Sridhar Vembu said in a post on X.

Zoho's move aims to tap into the vast talent waiting for opportunities in rural India and contribute to stopping the exodus of youngsters seeking overseas jobs. This initiative aligns with their successful rural office in Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi, which started with just 10 employees and now boasts around 900 professionals working in a non-urban area.

Earlier, Zoho has launched their AI R&D centre in Kottarakkara in Kollam district, Kerala. Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) and Institute of Human Resources Development (IHRD) had collaborated with Zoho Corporation to set up the park that aims at harnessing local talents by training them in cutting-edge technologies.

"We are doing well in Kottarakara in Kerala. We are going to Eastern UP this year, our first major rural expedition North", said Vembu in a post on X.

Zoho’s presence will create employment opportunities for local talent. As the R&D center grows, it will hire engineers, developers, designers, and other professionals, contributing to reduced unemployment rates.

Zoho Making SLMs With Up to 20 Billion Parameters: CEO Sridhar Vembu

Zoho, the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) giant, is developing smaller artificial intelligence (AI) models or better called as Small Language Models (SLMs). According to founder-CEO Sridhar Vembu, these models are based on 7 billion to 20 billion parameters. The Chennai-based company has found that smaller models are better suited for specific domain problems. Additionally, Zoho aims to have its own graphics processing units (GPUs) infrastructure, which is more cost-effective in the long term.

"We are working on models that are based on 7 billion to 20 billion parameters…we are not doing the 500 parameter models as of now. We also want to have our very own graphics processing units (GPUs) infrastructure as that is cheaper in the long term,” Vembu said at CNBC TV18-Moneycontrol's Global AI Conclave.

Notably, Zoho integrates a range of language models (LLMs) within its workflows. These LLMs are used to improve AI output by infusing them with customer and industry-specific data. Zoho essentially plays one LLM against another to achieve better results.

Zoho takes full advantage of Small(er) Language Models (SLMs) to control AI operating costs while maintaining high-quality outputs. By using smaller models with 7 billion to 20 billion parameters, Zoho aims to solve domain-specific problems for its customers.

SLMs like Llama, Mistral, Qwen, Gemma, or Phi3 are designed to be more efficient at focused tasks such as conversation, translation, summarization, and categorization. They offer tailored solutions that are not only cost-effective but also more accessible, allowing for a broader range of applications and innovations.

Zoho's Chief Evangelist, Raju Vegesna, emphasizes that the best AI implementation is when customers don't even notice they're using AI. In other words, the AI seamlessly enhances their experience without being intrusive.

Additionally, Zoho has revealed plans to develop its own extensive language model (LLM), similar to OpenAI's GPT model and Google's PaLM 2. Furthermore, the company is venturing into chipmaking and seeking incentives from the Indian government for this endeavor.

Zoho Opens 1st Dedicated Factory to Assemble Karuvi Line of Power Tools

Zoho, the cloud software major, has just announced its significant step of opening its first dedicated factory to assemble the Karuvi line of power tools. This factory is situated in the Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu, India.

The move is part of Zoho's ongoing efforts to build deep-tech know-how and manufacturing capabilities within the country.

The Karuvi products, which include tools like drills, power saws, and angle grinders, are manufactured with around 95% locally sourced components. This initiative not only promotes innovation but also creates jobs in smaller towns and villages.

The SaaS company, situated in Tenkasi district in Tamil Nadu, last month announced to invest an undisclosed amount in manufacturing startup Karuvi, which would create jobs in smaller towns and villages.

Zoho CEO and Co-founder Sridhar Vembu announced on X social media platform, saying – "We have trained a group of about 15 talented young people drawn from surrounding villages to work in the factory," adding that this is a small beginning for a big dream in rural manufacturing."

Karuvi is an upcoming mechatronics startup founded by Lee Jackson and Abdul Gafoor, and has recently made waves in the manufacturing industry. Lee Jackson is one of the founders and directors of the company, while Abdul Gafoor, founder of Mr. Light Global, played a key role in the inception of Karuvi.

The startup specializes in power tools. They have already launched 10 tools, including drills, power saws, and angle grinders. These products are manufactured using around 95% locally sourced components. The startup plans to expand its portfolio and introduce at least 30 products by the end of 2025.

By focusing on rural manufacturing, Karuvi is not only innovating but also bringing technical skill sets to smaller communities. It's a small beginning with big potential for rural job creation and skill development.

Zoho Invests in Drone Tech Startup Yali Aerospace

Sridhar Vembu promoted SaaS company Zoho Corporation has recently invested in Yali Aerospace, a Tamil Nadu-based drone technology startup. Yali Aerospace has developed a fixed-wing drone with vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities.

The VTOL drone has range of up to 150 km and can carry a payload of up to 7 kg. The drone has Maximum Speed of 155 km/h. These drones address critical challenges, such as delivering medicines and organs to remote areas efficiently.

India's commercial drone market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2020 to 2026. Increased investor interest in the drone space is evident, with recent developments like Google's subsidiary Wing LLC starting drone manufacturing in Tamil Nadu.

Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho, announced the investment, in Yali Aerospace, on X (formerly Twitter). Zoho's investment in Yali Aerospace aligns with India's growing interest in drone technology startups. Yali's innovative solutions caught Zoho's attention, and this investment reflects their commitment to supporting cutting-edge Ventures.

 

Based out of Thanjavur, a city in Tamil Nadu, Yali Aerospace specializes in providing drone solutions for various applications, including – Medical: delivering medical supplies and organs, to remote hospitals using their drones; Surveillance: for monitoring and security purposes; Logistics: Yali's technology facilitates efficient logistics, including transportation of critical resources.

Yali Aerospace, the drone startup, was founded in 2022 by a husband-and-wife team, Dinesh Baluraj and Anugraha Ganeshan, along with Mathuravani. Yali Aerospace aims to build the future of aviation by leveraging cutting-edge technology and beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) experience.

Interestingly, Yali Aerospace offers flagship service called 'Yali Network Bridge', which aims to deliver medical supplies within 20 minutes across India. By establishing a drone-based delivery network, Yali contributes to seamless distribution of vital medical resources, ultimately improving healthcare outcomes.

Additionally, Yali's SkyBase (YNB) serves as a drone hub, connecting hospitals for transporting organs, medical supplies, and automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

Zoho's investment in Yali Aerospace comes at a time when the company is diversifying beyond its core business. Zoho has been investing in areas such as artificial intelligence, data centers, and now, drone technology.

Earlier, Zoho also invested in Saudi Arabia's digital infrastructure development and explored manufacturing hardware devices.

This investment by Zoho underscores the importance of innovation and technology in addressing critical challenges across various sectors. Yali Aerospace's work in the drone domain holds immense promise for healthcare, logistics, and surveillance applications.

With $700 Mn Investment Plan, Zoho Entering Semiconductor Chip Designing

Zoho, the Indian SaaS giant, is making a significant move into the semiconductor industry with a planned investment of $700 million into chipmaking. This strategic decision aligns with India's broader business agenda to strengthen its position in the high-tech sector, particularly in semiconductors, which are crucial for various industries including defense, automobiles, and telecommunications.

The company is seeking government incentives to support this venture, which focuses on compound semiconductors. These are made from materials other than the commonly used silicon and have specialized commercial applications. Zoho's proposal is currently under review by the panel that oversees India's chip initiatives at the IT Ministry – MeitY.

Moreover, Zoho is believed to have secured a strategic partnership with a technology company to establish chip manufacturing operations, which could lead to further collaborations and business opportunities.

This move comes as part of a larger national effort, with India having already approved the construction of three semiconductor plants worth over $15 billion. The country aims to compete with global semiconductor hubs like Taiwan and has projected its semiconductor market to be worth $63 billion by 2026.

Zoho's foray into chipmaking marks a significant diversification for the company, which has been known for its software and related services offered to businesses in over 150 countries. It's a bold step that could potentially reshape India's technological landscape and contribute to the global semiconductor supply chain.

The substantial investment of $700 million indicates a major financial commitment. While Zoho has a strong financial background with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion, this new venture could initially divert resources from its core software business. The move could create synergies between its software and hardware capabilities, potentially leading to the development of integrated tech solutions.

As Zoho enters a new market, it may gain a competitive edge by becoming one of the few companies that offer both software services and semiconductor products.

PwC India and Zoho Announce Strategic Alliance to Enhance Digital Transformation Across the Technology Ecosystem

Today, Chennai-headquartered global technology company, Zoho announced a strategic partnership with PwC India. This alliance brings together Zoho's product portfolio of over 55 products with PwC's proven expertise in driving digital transformation strategy through advisory and consulting services. Through this partnership, PwC India and Zoho will help medium to large enterprises in the country, accelerate their digital transformation journey, enabling them to gain a competitive edge in the market.

Speaking on the partnership, Vivek Belgavi, Partner & Leader – Alliances & Ecosystems, PwC India said, “Zoho is a great addition to PwC India’s expanding alliance ecosystem aimed at technology and digital transformation landscape. Our joint value proposition with Zoho marks an important step towards shaping the future of digital transformation, as we aim to offer the most relevant and agile transformation solutions to drive growth and success for our clients. With Zoho's robust product portfolio and our sectoral and technology expertise, we are in a position to empower organisations in their transformative journeys, delivering human-led, tech-powered innovative solutions.”

Shivendra Singh, Partner – One Consulting, Zoho Alliance Lead, PwC India adds “We are delighted to embark on a transformative partnership with Zoho, driven by our shared vision of empowering our clients in their digital transformation journey. By leveraging Zoho's comprehensive suite of products, we plan to modernise operations and unlock higher efficiency for our clients. With the ability to customise, streamline and automate processes across functions, we are confident that our collaboration will provide strategic solutions that drive tangible results and propel our clients towards sustainable growth. Together, we are well-placed to deliver the future of technology transformation by solving complex client problems.”

“Zoho's partnership with PwC India is an extension of its larger strategy to leverage its SI partners' solutioning expertise to offer industry-specific tailored solutions for enterprises, built on Zoho's technology platform. We are confident that our customers will benefit from the breadth and depth of Zoho’s offering coupled with the industry expertise of PwC. We plan to expand our partnership with PwC to other geographies in the coming years,” said Bishan Singh, Head - Channel Ecosystem, Zoho Corp.

PwC India and Zoho will focus on providing clients and businesses with bespoke transformation solutions such as customer experience platform, custom applications, HR tech, and financial management applications including accounting solutions.

Zoho has a robust portfolio of over 55 products that cater to every business need from customer experience and employee experience to enterprise collaboration, custom solutions and business intelligence. Zoho’s products have been built on a common technology stack, owned by the company, enabling it to offer a truly unified offering. The platform approach ensures that its apps can be easily integrated and extended to fit into the larger technology ecosystem of any enterprise business. Zoho's products can be customised to cater to complex business requirements.

About PwC

At PwC, our purpose is to build trust in society and solve important problems. We’re a network of firms in 152 countries with over 327,000 people who are committed to delivering quality in assurance, advisory and tax services. Find out more and tell us what matters to you by visiting at www.pwc.com. PwC refers to the PwC network and/or one or more of its member firms, each of which is a separate legal entity. Please see www.pwc.com/structure for further details.

About Zoho

With 55+ apps in nearly every major business category, Zoho Corporation is one of the world's most prolific technology companies. Headquartered in Chennai, India, Zoho is privately held and profitable with more than 12,000 employees. Zoho respects user privacy and does not have an ad-revenue model in any part of its business, including its free products. The company owns and operates its data centres, ensuring complete oversight of customer data, privacy, and security. More than 90 million users around the world, across hundreds of thousands of companies, rely on Zoho everyday to run their businesses, including Zoho itself. For more information, please visit: www.zoho.com

Give Your Business a Transformation with the Help of Zoho Consulting Partners

Zoho consulting partners will boost customer satisfaction with the identification of the appropriate set of Zoho tools for addressing the different requirements of each business. They are qualified experts who will provide a terrific customer experience and also deliver excellent implementation, support services, and sales. As authorized Zoho consulting partners, they are the best development team and with experience in Zoho implementation, development, and integrations in various industrial sectors.

How will Zoho Consulting Partners Help Businesses?

• Zoho consulting partners will closely work with a variety of Zoho tools for providing the clients with an effective business management system.
• They are able to utilize all the tools and resources of the developer for getting the best solution for the business.
• They will customize Zoho solutions such as Zoho products or even other products for the management of finance, IT, human resources, marketing, sales, and business intelligence to match the processes of the business.
• Zoho solutions also provide mobile as well as web-based applications to give businesses access to crucial data.
• Zoho consulting partners have a good understanding of the business operations as well as customer requirements to make a plan for integrating Zoho's products.
• They offer implementation which will suit the business processes and customers' requirements and help in increasing the business productivity.
• Zoho consulting partners will also provide training for customers to get the most business value with Zoho solutions.

Services Provided by Zoho Consulting Partners

• Zoho Consulting - As certified Zoho consulting partners, they will provide the best solutions to take the business to the next level.
• Zoho Implementation - Experienced and certified Zoho partners will make sure the organization has an error-free solution with the help of quality checks as well as testing for effective implementation of the solution.
• Zoho Development - They develop customizations to suit the business workflow effectively for reducing the turnaround time and attaining profitable growth in the business.
• Zoho Training - Zoho Partners will provide the necessary training to the employees so that they are familiar with the solution.
• Zoho Integration – They will integrate third-party applications with smooth data migration from the existing applications to the new Zoho solutions very efficiently.
• Zoho Support and Maintenance – The Zoho consulting partners will make sure the delivery is error-free and ensures user satisfaction as they are well equipped for handling the Zoho customizations as well as integrations very efficiently.

Integration of Zoho WhatsApp

Through the Zoho and WhatsApp integration, organizations are able to directly send and receive a number of WhatsApp messages from the CRM tool. Also, the Zoho CRM tool will enable the business to manage all the WhatsApp messages even with no official WhatsApp number.

There is also the ‘WhatsApp History’ module in the Zoho CRM tool that will provide a complete history of all the incoming and outgoing messages that will be useful in the CRM report generation. For improvement in the interactions with the customers, a brand chatbot can also be created with the help of the Zoho WhatsApp chatbot function.

Users may use the Zoho-WhatsApp API for enabling the Zoho Whatsapp integration even without an active WhatsApp number. For the application of the WhatsApp Business API, the following details of the business will be required -

• Business manager ID verified on the Facebook account
• Business mobile number (with no WhatsApp app)
• Business Name that has to be displayed

Get a WhatsApp business account approved in two to five days.

 
Enabling the WhatsApp business account API with Zoho CRM

• Installing the WhatsApp Web tool as a Chrome extension is the first step.
• Launching the Zoho CRM tool on the computer and clicking on the WhatsApp Web menu option.
• Go to the Configure Settings tab and choose the Outgoing Messages tab for sending the WhatsApp messages from Zoho CRM.
• Go to the Leads option in Zoho CRM, and select the Send Bulk WhatsApp button for sending the bulk WhatsApp messages from any kind of CRM module.

Users can also use Create functionality for creating the display and action.

Takeaway

Zoho analytics is an excellent business intelligence tool that will enable the organization to prepare dashboards, and reports and transform its data for making strategic decisions. Zoho analytics will help to find valuable insights from the business data. It uses the AI and ML-based analytics to get effective and fast results from the large amounts of data.

Zoho Launches 'Zoho Commerce' to Help Small Retailers Setup their own E-Commerce Sites

Zoho Corp has announced the launch of Zoho Commerce, an e-commerce solution which will help small retailers set up their own e-commerce sites. The company had been running a beta version of the e-commerce solution for the past year with 3,500 retailers globally, of which about 10% were in India.

The complete e-solution, that comes in monthly/yearly package with minimum of just ₹1,000/month, offers all essential e-commerce features including shopping cart, Shipping Integration, Products Search, Coupons and Page Builder, among others.

According to Hyther Nizam, vp-product management, Zoho Corp, "People want to move away from marketplaces and have more control over their online sales and improve their margins,” he said. The product would be integrated with existing Zoho backend solutions like Zoho Books (accounting software) and Campaigns, an email campaign software.

Zoho Commerce supports both online and offline payments and the complete solution works on the cloud.

There are over 480 million internet users in India, and this number will grow to over 600 million by 2021. The total size of e-commerce market is around $22 billion—nearly 4.5% of the total retail—in India, and it is expected to grow to $50 billion by 2023.

Zoho Commerce is powered by Zoho's AI assistant Zia and is GST compliant. Nizam said that unlike existing companies that offered the same service where the retail pays on a per transaction basis, they would charge a flat monthly fee on a monthly gross merchandise value (GMV) of upto Rs 25 lakhs. “We want to disrupt the marketplace and will take a bottom up approach, starting with small and medium retailers,” said Nizam. The company would also educate the merchants in how to increase traffic to their website, run email campaigns and on social media marketing.

Zoho currently has over 40 products across different business categories, including sales and marketing, customer support and accounting.

Source - Economic Times

Zoho Acquires SaaS-based HR Tech Startup ePoise

Zoho, a global SaaS-based suites giant, has acquired Bengaluru-based ePoise Systems, a HR Tech startup that offers a cloud based SaaS solution, for an undisclosed amount.

Zoho's 40 plus business applications in areas of CRM, HR,
Finance, Office productivity and Customer Service are used by 45
million users globally. They are available separately and under a single
user license as Zoho One.

Founded in 2013, by alumni of London Business School - Sachin Agrawal and Bishan Singh, ePoise automates multiple screening steps for each role, including a set of assessments leading to a video interview, thus bringing significant efficiency to the hiring process for high volume recruiters, says a press release from Zoho.

Founders of ePoise (L-R) -
Bishan Singh & Sachin Agrawal

Backed by Orios Venture Partners, an early-stage venture fund, ePoise eVAL is an asynchronous video interviewing product from ePoise Systems. ePoise has raised a total of $500,000 in funding over 2 rounds.

"The combination of
Zoho's global footprint and depth of product portfolio and ePoise
product capability and talent will add value to our customers. We are
open to such technlogy-focused acquisitions. We look for whether the
acquisition plays well into our existing product portfolio, and more
importantly, if there is a cultural fit at a team level," said Sridhar
Vembu, CEO, Zoho

"We are excited about being part of Zoho. It gives us an opportunity to make an impact at scale." said Sachin Agrawal, CEO of ePoise.

To recall, just few days back Zoho has revealed about a stealth startup backed by its co-founder Sridhar Vembu. Called Signalchip Innovations , the
semiconductor manufacturing startup has built India’s first indigenous "Made in India" semiconductor chips that could be used in 4G/LTE and 5G NR Modem applications.

Zoho Launches Next Generation of Office Suite with AI Features

Zoho announced at Zoholics Mexico City its new version of Zoho Office Suite, which includes four sophisticated, cloud-based productivity software applications—Zoho Writer, Zoho Sheet, Zoho Show, and Zoho Notebook—enhanced with Zia, Zoho's AI-powered assistant. Zoho Office Suite provides deep contextual collaboration to meet the diverse, end-to-end business needs of users, whether they are part of a small business or enterprise.

Applications in the Zoho Office Suite are not only integrated among themselves, but also with Zoho’s communications tools (Zoho Mail and Cliq, a cross-platform messaging app), Zoho’s collaboration tools (Zoho Projects and Zoho Connect, a private social network for business), as well as Zoho’s several other business applications. These contextual integrations, for example, enable users to merge data from Zoho CRM into a document and send it for signature through Zoho Sign.

"The future of work will be characterized by secure, contextual, and intelligent digital workplace platforms that are fully integrated across collaboration, productivity, and business applications to support seamless workflows," said David Smith, founder and principal of Inflow Analysis. "The approach Zoho is taking shows deep understanding of this convergence and the critical need for a fully integrated platform that supports how people actually work. We believe this a challenge to major technology providers that need to address serious gaps in their portfolios and add adjacencies."

Create a Better Document, Spreadsheet, or Note with Zia

• In Zoho's document creation software, Zoho Writer, Zia detects context-based grammar mistakes, rates the readability score of each document, and suggests style corrections to improve overall writing quality. Click here for more information on Zoho Writer's new features.
• In Zoho Sheet, Zia offers deep insights into users' data sets by automatically showing the most relevant charts and pivot tables for their data. Zoho Sheet also supports Natural Language Querying where users can ask Zia questions about their data and Zia will respond with the appropriate function, chart, or pivot table, which can then be added to their spreadsheet. Click here for more information on Zoho Sheet's new features.
• Zoho Notebook is the newest addition to Zoho Office Suite and one of the most advanced note-taking applications on the market. Zia Voice, Zoho's conversational AI, can help users create a customized recipe "smart card" by grabbing the relevant visuals, instructions, and shopping lists from their favorite website—all initiated by voice command—and organizing it neatly into the application.

Dynamic Creation Tools for Today's Workers

• Zoho Writer features a
  new automation hub with document merging, fillable documents,
  form-based document creation, and one-click signature collection
  capabilities.
• Zoho Writer can work
  completely offline on web, mobile, and iPad editions, syncing everything
  to the user's account upon reconnection.
• Zoho Writer offers a
  distraction-free mode, plus a focus mode that highlights the paragraph
  in development and dims everything else in the document. There's also an
  option to enable typewriter sounds to bring back the nostalgia of
  writing on a typewriter.
• Zoho Show's
  user-focused interface helps the author easily and quickly populate
  slides and choose from a variety of themes, with options to include
  smart elements, tables, charts, and path animation.

Zoho First-to-Market Exclusives

• Zoho Sheet is the first spreadsheet software to offer data-cleaning capabilities to address inconsistencies and eliminate duplications. The data-cleaning tool processes the given information, lists all possible errors—with options to replace them—and rectifies them at the click of a button.
• Featuring custom functions powered by Zoho's very own scripting language, Deluge, Zoho Sheet allows users to create their own personalized functions. For example, users can create a script or deploy a pre-built script to pull data across an accounting app to fill in a Zoho Sheet sales or expense report.
• Zoho Show allows users to run presentations on Apple TV-enabled devices as well as Android devices by turning the user's mobile phone into a controller, from which the presenter can beam and control slides on multiple TVs at one time.

"We built Zoho Office Suite to be the most integrated suite of productivity tools of its kind," said Raju Vegesna, Zoho's Chief Evangelist. "For decades, Zoho has provided tools for users to share and work on documents quickly and efficiently. Now, with this new version of Zoho Office Suite—empowered by Zia—Zoho's integrations are tighter than ever before, providing seamless collaboration across departments and teams. We've added features and tools that can't be found anywhere else, such as Notebook's smart cards, Sheet's data-cleansing tool, and Show's integration with Apple TV. Just like the line between productivity and collaboration applications is fading, we see the lines between business, collaboration, productivity, and communication apps fading. It is the combination of these apps, contextually integrated, that makes the modern worker exponentially more productive!"

Pricing and Availability

Zoho Office Suite is available to single users for free, $3 per user per month for SMEs, and $6 per user per month for enterprises.