Indian SMEs and startups are feeling the effects of the high dollar. These businesses use hyperscalers(MNC Cloud) who cannot modify their rates to account for the changing exchange rate. For certain companies, even a little shift in the currency rate may have a significant effect on their bottom line. Did you know, when the INR-USD exchange rate moved from 60 to 70 in December 2015, it had an impact of around 20% on Digital Innovation?
As the rupee is inching closer to 82 per dollar, the strong dollar has directly impacted the costs of cloud services for Indian businesses. The high cost of storage and computing power, along with bandwidth charges from overseas vendors, has led to a huge increase in the effective rate of these services. This is especially true for startups and SMEs that rely on cloud computing to store and process user data. With the strong dollar continuing to impact the cost of cloud services, it is essential for Indian companies to evaluate their options and adopt local alternatives wherever possible. This blog post will discuss how the strong dollar impacts cloud costs, as well as potential Indian alternatives you can explore in response to this global economic trend.
What is a Strong Dollar?
A strong US dollar($) is a term used to describe a situation where a US’s currency has appreciated in value compared to other major currencies. This can be due to a variety of factors, including interest rate changes, a country’s current account deficit, and investor sentiment. When a currency appreciates, it means that it is worth more. A strong dollar makes imports more expensive, while making exports cheaper. Strong dollars have been a growing trend in the past couple of years. As the US Federal Reserve continues to hike interest rates, the dollar strengthens further. The rising value of the dollar means that the cost of cloud services, especially from hyperscalers based in the US, will rise as well.
Increase in Cloud Costs Due to Strong Dollar
Cloud services are essential for modern businesses, as they provide easy access to software, storage, and computing resources. Cloud services are delivered over the internet and are typically charged on a per-use basis. This makes them incredibly convenient for businesses, as they can pay for only the resources they actually use. Cloud computing allows businesses to scale their resources up or down, depending on their current business needs. This makes it suitable for startups, where demand is uncertain, or large enterprises with global operations. Cloud computing is also inherently scalable and allows businesses to quickly react to changing business needs. Cloud computing is a very competitive industry and providers offer attractive prices to attract customers. However, these prices have been impacted by the strong dollar. The dollar has strengthened by 15-20% against the Indian rupee in the last few years. As a result, the costs of services such as storage and bandwidth have increased for Indian companies. Vendors charge their Indian customers in Indian rupees, taking into account the exchange rate. This has resulted in a significant rise in the costs of these services for Indian companies.
Why are Cloud Services Becoming More Expensive?
Cloud services are priced in US dollars. When the dollar is strong, the effective price of services will be higher in Indian rupees, as the cost is not re-adjusted. There are a couple of reasons for this price discrepancy. First, Indian customers will have to pay the same prices as American customers, despite a weaker Indian rupee. Second, vendors have to ensure that they make a profit.
Possible Indian Alternatives to Cloud Services
If you're looking for a cost-effective substitute for services provided by the U.S.-based suppliers, consider E2E Cloud, an Indian cloud service provider. When it comes to cloud services, E2E Cloud provides everything that startups and SMEs could possibly need.
The table below lists some of these services and compares their cost against their US equivalents.
According to the data in the table above, Indian E2E Cloud Services are much cheaper than their American equivalents. The difference in price between some of these options is substantial. When compared to the prices charged by suppliers in the United States, E2E Cloud's bandwidth costs are surprisingly low. Although not all E2E Cloud services will be noticeably less expensive. Using Indian services, however, has an additional, crucial perk: data sovereignty.
Conclusion
The price of cloud services will rise as the US Dollar appreciates. Indian businesses will need to find ways to counteract the strong dollar's impact on their bottom lines. To do this, one must use E2E Cloud. The availability of E2E Cloud services in INR currency is a bonus on top of the already substantial cost savings. An effective protection against the negative effects of a strong dollar.
