MUMBAI:Sify Limited has entered into alliance with Microsoft for Microsoft Unlimited Potential in India. Microsoft‘s initiatives would be provided in Sify‘s over 3500 strong ‘I-way‘ cyber Café chain and home internet access services.

Partnership also includes other Microsoft certification programs, affordable utility computing for the middle class and content for online education through the Sify I-way cafe chain.

Sify will offer its cyber café subscribers access to licensed Microsoft Office software to begin with, so that they can use the café as a virtual office for their needs. This will include training them in the use of MS Office for Microsoft Office Certification to increase their productivity and skills.

Sify is also supporting Microsoft in bringing the industry together for the path-breaking ‘IQ PC‘ initiative. The PC, aimed at families with school going children, will include 100 hours of free Internet access. This is over and above the Microsoft suite and its partner offerings from Brilliant, Pacsoft, Edurite, etc.

Sify chairman and CEO Raju Vegesna said, "I believe this 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. We are very happy to partner with them in this initiative as it furthers our objective of empowering millions of Indians with IT services and the Internet to improve the quality of their lives. Our alliance also encompasses providing low cost utility computing for the masses that is affordable and easy to use."

Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan said, "Microsoft ‘Unlimited Potential‘ is an effort to help people everywhere achieve their goals and dreams -- their true potential -- through relevant, accessible, and affordable technology. The idea is to work together, given the confluence of objectives of Sify as a company and our ‘Unlimited Potential‘ commitment, to offer affordable, easy to use services to Indians by leveraging Sify‘s IP capabilities, market reach over its sophisticated network and data centre infrastructure across the country."