By IANS
Chennai : Sify Limited, a leader in consumer internet and enterprise services in India with global delivery capabilities, has announced that it will work with Microsoft India to help bridge the digital divide in the country.
Sify will partner with Microsoft and enable easy access for Microsoft’s initiatives through its over 3,500 I-Way cyber cafés as well as through its home Internet access services.
Sify will offer its cyber café subscribers access to licensed Microsoft Office software to begin with, so that they can use the cafés as a virtual office for their needs.
“Microsoft Unlimited Potential is a path breaking initiative that will go a long way towards helping bridge the digital divide. The programme will also contribute to economic development by empowering people for a technologically advanced society,” said Raju Vegesna, Sify chairman and CEO.
“This initiative furthers our objective of empowering millions of Indians with IT services and the Internet to improve the quality of their lives,” he added.
“Our alliance also encompasses providing low-cost utility computing for the masses that is affordable and easy to use,” he said.
Sify’s initiative will include training people in the use of MS Office for Microsoft Office Certification.
Sify is also supporting Microsoft in bringing the industry together for the path-breaking ‘IQ PC’ initiative.
The computer, aimed at families with school going children, will include 100 hours of free Internet access.
The alliance will also include other Microsoft Certification programmes, affordable utility computing for the middle class and content for online education through the Sify I-Way cafe chain.
“Microsoft Unlimited Potential is an effort to help people everywhere achieve their goals and dreams and realise their true potential – through relevant, accessible, and affordable technology,” Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan said.