India’s IT Minister Switches to Zoho, Urges Adoption of Home-Grown…

Sarah J · 2025-09-25T17:45:51.000Z

India’s union minister for electronics and IT, Ashwini Vaishnaw, has publicly switched to using Zoho’s productivity tools and encouraged India’s 1.4 billion citizens to adopt indigenous “Swadeshi” platforms to promote self-reliance. Praising Zoho’s software capabilities as “phenomenal,” Vaishnaw’s move aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to reduce dependency on foreign products and services. Zoho, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Chennai, offers a comprehensive suite of over 40 applications, including productivity tools like Zoho Writer and Sheet, business management software like Zoho CRM and Books, and customer service and HR solutions. With more than 100 million users worldwide, Zoho positions itself as a cost-effective alternative to global giants like Microsoft Office 365 and Google Workspace. The company has also accelerated investments in AI, creating its own large language model and AI-driven assistants, aiming to further reduce reliance on foreign technology. This shift is occurring amid rising geopolitical and trade tensions with the United States, which has imposed tariffs on Indian exports and increased H-1B visa fees, moves seen as targeting Indian IT firms. Vaishnaw’s endorsement signals potential shifts in government policy that could impact multinational tech companies expanding in India, reinforcing the country’s strategic emphasis on building a robust domestic IT ecosystem. @zoho

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India’s IT Minister Switches to Zoho, Urges Adoption of Home-Grown… | SEINET