Microsoft has announced a trade-in scheme for SMBs in India to help them make the jump to the cloud by giving away their old hardware in return for cloud setup and credit.
The scheme is applicable to SMBs exclusively in India with 250 or less personal computers. Companies will be required to either call up a toll-free number or register on Microsoft’s move to Azure website.
Once registered, a representative from Microsoft’s authorised hardware recycle partner will visit the participating SMBs and evaluate the residual value of the hardware. A post-evaluation trade-in quote will be offered to the participant and if agreed to, a hardware pickup shall be arranged and a purchase acknowledgement will provided.
The value of the hardware traded-in can be used to avail monthly credit on Windows Azure, based on an upfront initial commitment.
“Once SMBs have opted for windows Azure usage based on the exchange value of their legacy hardware they will be able to work with any of Microsoft’s Azure circle partners to migrate and expand their infrastructure on Windows Azure”, said Microsoft India General Manager (SMB) Meetul Patel in a press conference.
Microsoft claims that the new scheme will give SBMs in India a jump-start enabling them to reap significant benefits of the cloud. “This transition will help them reduce maintenance cost and get future ready for modern platform”, added Patel.
“This is an opportunity for SMBs to get value for their legacy hardware and at the same time leap to the cloud. This will help them reduce maintenance costs and get on a modern platform,” said Karan Bajwa, managing director of Microsoft India.
