Satyendra Pathak
Doha
Zoho, the global technology company with the most extensive product portfolio in the industry, has announced that the company’s business in Qatar in 2021 witnessed 44 percent growth and the channel partner network grew by 37 percent.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the company’s first annual user conference in Qatar entitled ‘Zoholics: Qatar’ held in Doha on Sunday. On the occasion, Zoho also announced that the company began hiring employees in Doha in 2021 as it continues to set up its local presence in the country.
Zoholics is Zoho’s annual user conference that aims to offer training and guidance to attendees on its products and provide them with the space to network with peers and experts. With sessions covering everything from basic usage to advanced techniques, Zoholics brings to users the newest and latest features of Zoho’s products, best practices, and knowledge about the latest technological trends that can help them transform their business.
In a statement issued on the occasion, Zoho Corp MEA President Hyther Nizam said, "Zoho’s growth in the region is largely underpinned by local businesses realising the power of SaaS applications, as they reap benefits of digitising their operations. The breadth and depth of Zoho’s product portfolio, which includes over 50 business apps and our integrated suite Zoho One, enables businesses to digitise every aspect of their operations, without worrying about data silos or integration hassles.”
"Our vision for transnational localism has also helped us expand organically in the region, a strategy where our company growth is rooted in local business ecosystem development and community progress. Aside from increasing our on-ground presence with new offices and hiring local talent, our focus over the year has been on serving regional customer needs like local payment gateway integration, and enabling tech accessibility through partnerships with government bodies and local business networks,” he said.
Addressing a media roundtable on the sidelines of ‘Zoholics: Qatar’, Zoho Corp MEA Regional Director Ali Shabdar said, "During the pandemic and its multiple waves, we have seen a surge in demand for customer experience platform, low-code platform and business intelligence offerings, as they became instrumental for any business to stay operational and react to the quickly changing market demands.” "Zoho One—the Operating System for business, which unifies 45+ apps built on the same technology stack that contextually integrate with one another and are supported by a common data model allows business owners to transcend departmental silos, unify processes, and further leverage cross-functional smart reporting and analytics by combining data across different departments. This is an attractive offering for any business. Availability of RTL Arabic language support in our major apps such as CRM, Books and Creator, and other attributes like ease of use and affordable pricing have helped increase the adoption of our solutions in the region,” he said.
About the company’s growth in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, he said, "In 2021, Zoho grew by 52 percent in the Middle East and Africa region, which is the second-highest growing region for the company. It grew its partner network by 55 percent and tripled its workforce in the region. The company also established its presence in seven countries, and set up new offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and South Africa.”
In 2022, he said, Zoho plans to open offices in Kenya, Nigeria and three other countries, with Dubai serving as the regional headquarters. It also plans to continue hiring locally in other countries to serve its customers, as it expands its footprints across the region.