The Future of the Indian Tech Ecosystem: Zoho New Wave: Arattai, Ulaa & Vani.

How long did it take you to see an Indian company beat global technology giants at their own game? The majority of us consider Google in terms of a browser, WhatsApp in terms of messaging, and Miro or Figma in terms of collaboration. However, Zoho, the silent but mighty Indian SaaS prominence, has just taken its largest stride in history with the three products, which have been surfing, Arattai, Ulaa, and Vani.

It is not a mere expansion of products. This is an indicator that India is no longer a mere user of the worldwide technology but a major producer. Now, we shall go into the detail of what these tools are, why they are important, and how they might influence the future of the Indian tech ecosystem.

Arattai: Indian WhatsApp Competitor

One morning you wake up only to discover that an app you liked to use to send messages has suddenly led to concerns over privacy. We have all been in that situation when the new privacy policy of WhatsApp made us question whether our information was being violated. It was the time when many Indians knew that they needed a homegrown option.

In comes Arattai which literally translates to "chit-chat" in Tamil. It is Zoho trying to recreate instant messaging in the contemporary world safe, confidential, and Indian.

So, what is different about Arattai?

Data Privacy First: Zoho has long been against the selling of user data. Arattai also adheres to that rule so that no one is profiting off your conversations, calls, or files.

Pocket: How many times have you sent a message to yourself in WhatsApp only to take a note or a photo? The Arattai is designed with an inbuilt pocket, which allows you to save your ideas, documents, or reminders. Little things like these have a great impact on everyday usage.

Rapid growth: To provide you with the idea of the buzz, the daily signups of Arattai have recently surged from 350,000 per day up to about 3,000 per day. That is a 100x increase, and it has occurred almost overnight. Clearly, people are curious.

Naturally, whether it will manage to disrupt the network effect of WhatsApp will be the true test of Arattai. The quality of any messaging app is, after all, as high as the people you can chat with. However, the founder of Zoho, Sridhar Vembu, has already stated that Arattai will pursue interoperability. Similar to UPI, which enables money transfer between banks, Arattai will enable message transfer between platforms. When they take this away, then the game may be transformed.

Ulaa: The Browser That Cares About Your Privacy.

Now let's talk about browsing and tell the truth: when did you last ask your browser something? To most of us, Google Chrome simply exists, consumes memory, and silently follows our lives. Firefox and Brave have attempted to position themselves as alternatives yet have not been popular in India.

This is where Zoho is letting its new browser, Ulaa (meaning "journey" in Tamil), enter the frame: zero tracking, zero monitoring.

Here's why Ulaa stands out:

Privacy Modes: Ulaa has five modes, namely Work, Personal, Kids, Developer, and Open Season. Consider them as alternate identities to your surfing. As one example, safety content is blocked by the browser in Kids Mode. In Work Mode, it keeps off distractions.

Embedded Ad and Tracker Blockers: You do not have to install any more extensions; Ulaa has default blocking of intrusive ads and trackers.

Made in India, Built on Chromium: Like Brave or Edge, Ulaa is based off the Chromium engine, with its own privacy-oriented layer.

Cross-Platform: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS; they have done it all.

Imagine that you are a freelancer engaged in dealing with several clients. With Chrome, you risk confusing your personal and work browsing history with your YouTube watch history. The Work Mode of Ulaa also helps to make sure that your productivity is not disrupted by useless tips. And when you are through, you need only get back to Personal Mode to take a break.

Ulaa came at the right moment when digital privacy is not a priority in a country where such a consideration has been overlooked. and that it has just won the Indian Web Browser Challenge makes it still more authoritative.

Vani: A Canvas to Work in a Team

So, now we are going to jump to the future of collaboration. Workaway and hybrid work are here to stay. However, to speak honestly, staring at spreadsheets and unlimited sessions on Zoom can destroy creativity. That is where such tools like Miro or Figma Whiteboard became popular all over the world.

Zoho's answer? Vani is a visual collaboration platform that aims to reinvent the experience of working as a team.

What does Vani take to the table?

Infinite Canvas: Think about a scenario where you and your team members are brainstorming on a business idea, drawing relationships, putting up sticky notes, or creating a workflow in real time.

In-built Video Catchups: Vani allows users to watch video as a part of the canvas instead of multitasking between Zoom and a whiteboard tool.

Smart Templates: You do not need to create a blank sheet of paper when it comes to brainstorming, product roadmapping, or project planning.

Competing With Globally: Vani would be competing directly with Miro, MURAL, and Microsoft Whiteboard. The difference? It is less expensive, it is part of the Zoho ecosystem, and it is less expensive for Indian startups.

Here is an example of working with a designer in Mumbai and a marketer in Bangalore, who is a startup founder. You can invite Vani, brainstorm, add mockups, and make decisions all in the same place with Vani and the three of you. It is as much like standing around a whiteboard in an office as it can be.

Why This Matters for India

You may be asking yourself, why then should we care? Isn't there already a global application that does all this?

That is the main one here, digital self-reliance. And India, over the years, has been dependent on Silicon Valley in its daily digital existence, Google, WhatsApp, Facebook, Zoom, etc. However, when any of these platforms alters its rules or creates an issue, Indian users do not have many options.

Zoho is demonstrating that India is not only geographically equipped to develop software on behalf of others; it is also willing to go the extra mile and create consumer products that are of world quality that can compete with products of the world.

And it is not only about nationalism. Consider the following as an example: at the time of the introduction of UPI, people questioned whether it would ever be effective against the established wallets. Nowadays UPI is an international case study. In case Zoho manages to win over Arattai, Ulaa, and Vani, we might notice such a change in the way we converse, explore, and work together.

The Road Ahead

Naturally, it will not be an easy ride. Arattai should fight the WhatsApp monopoly. Ulaa needs to demonstrate how it can remain lightweight and dependable. Vani has to fight with such giants as Miro that already have millions of users.

However, Zoho does have strong trust. Zoho has had a profitable period of more than 25 years without selling user data. It is welcome in a world where Big Tech has made a business selling surveillance.

And perhaps this is why people are willing to give Zoho an opportunity. Since at the end of the day, technology is not just about features; it is about whether you believe the people who are behind it.

Final Thoughts

The new generation of Zoho, called Arattai, Ulaa and Vani, is not merely three new applications. It is a fact that India can develop technology not only in India but at the global level.

We as users are finally given options. Ulaa is a good option to use in case you are concerned about privacy. Considering that you would like an alternative to WhatsApp, you can try Arattai. In case your team is being bored with video calls, check Vani.

Now the question arises, will Indians accept these products produced locally like they absorbed UPI? In case yes, Zoho can perhaps be used to encourage an entire generation of Indian technology firms to aim higher.