Rahul Takkallapally of BharathCloud on Building a Made-in-India Sovereign Cloud, Security-First Infrastructure, and Simplifying Cloud Adoption for MSMEs

StartupTalky presents Recap'25, a series of exclusive interviews where we connect with founders and industry leaders to reflect on their journey in 2025 and discuss their vision for the future.

In this edition of Recap’25, StartupTalky speaks with Rahul Takkallapally, Co-Founder of BharathCloud, who shares insights on building sovereign, India-hosted cloud solutions tailored for SMEs, SMBs, and MSMEs navigating digital transformation. He reflects on how cloud adoption in India has often been slowed not by lack of intent, but by overly generic offerings, technical jargon, and fragmented product models that make it difficult for non-technical business leaders to choose the right cloud stack.

Takkallapally explains how BharathCloud is addressing this gap by offering simple, customizable cloud infrastructure and managed services—spanning backups, disaster recovery, virtual desktops, AI/ML, and security—built on India-based data centers with compliance and data residency at the core. The conversation explores how rising awareness around ransomware, regulatory needs, and data sovereignty is shifting expectations toward security-first cloud partners, and how BharathCloud is integrating Zero Trust architecture, AI-driven monitoring, and flexible platform design to support regulated sectors such as healthcare, BFSI, and VFX. He also shares key learnings from 2025 and BharathCloud’s roadmap for 2026, including deeper penetration into MSME markets, expansion through channel alliances, and next-gen AI-led cloud platforms built for industry-specific needs.

StartupTalky: What service does BharathCloud provide? What was the motivation/vision with which you started? 

Rahul Takkallapally: BharathCloud provides customized cloud solutions for businesses, especially SMEs, SMBs, and MSMEs. Our services include cloud infrastructure, platforms, software, backups, disaster recovery, virtual desktops, AI/ML, and managed security, all hosted on India-based data centres and tailored to different business needs.

The idea for BharathCloud came from my time working at IBM, where it was clear that many Indian businesses struggled with cloud adoption. Not because they lacked intent, but because available solutions were too generic and filled with technical jargon. Most providers offered fixed products and expected customers to figure out what they needed, which doesn’t work for non-technical business owners. We realized this market needed simplicity and customization. Instead of talking about servers, storage, or computers, we focus on what businesses understand—like how many users they have—and build solutions around that. COVID further highlighted this gap, as businesses were forced to go digital quickly without the right support.

Our vision is to build a Made-in-India sovereign cloud that meets global standards while addressing local needs such as compliance, data residency, and latency, making cloud adoption simple, secure, and practical for Indian businesses.

StartupTalky: What new services have been added in the past year? What is/are the USP/s of your service?

Rahul Takkallapally: BharathCloud has made significant expansion with the new AI-led and platform-driven products. We introduced new versions of our AI Smart Storage solution, which is designed to simplify container orchestration for enterprises. Moreover, we improved our Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) platform to allow secure remote working at scale.

The most significant differentiator of Framework which ensures that cloud adoption is not rushed or fragmented. BharathCloud has incorporated enterprise-class security at its core, not as an afterthought. With the adoption of a Zero Trust architecture, HIPAA and TPN certification, multi-layer security and customers’ data residing in India-based data centres, customers are assured that their systems are both compliant and resilient. By combining immersion into the culture of the market with world-class benchmarks, we have developed a unique position in the competitive cloud market.

StartupTalky: How has the industry you are in changed in recent years and how has BharathCloud adapted to these changes?

Rahul Takkallapally: BharathCloud adapted early by moving beyond being a pure cloud provider to becoming a full-stack technology partner. Businesses now look to their cloud partners to provide the necessary security, compliance, performance and scalability within one comprehensive solution, rather than as separate services. Awareness of the impact of ransomware attacks and issues surrounding data sovereignty has also increased significantly over the last two years.

In response to this changing market, BharathCloud transitioned from a pure provider of cloud services to an end-to-end technology solutions partner. They invested in building a security-first architecture, using artificial intelligence. 

Another factor that influenced BharathCloud's growth was the continued rise in demand for cloud services from regulated industries such as healthcare, banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI), and visual effects ( VFX). As customers increasingly demand stronger compliance and robust protection against data loss from disasters, BharathCloud has prioritized building flexibility into its platforms. This approach allows customer requirements to evolve without the need for major redesigns or migrations, while also helping organizations clearly understand the solutions they need to become truly cloud-ready and AI-first.

StartupTalky: What key metrics do you track to check the BharathCloud and performance?

Rahul Takkallapally: BharathCloud measures scale and quality growth through key performance indicators (KPIs). Retention and renewal rates are our key metrics because building trusted relationships takes more time than achieving quick wins. We also evaluate uptime performance, SLA performance, and incident resolution times for the degree of reliability that enterprises require. 

From a business perspective, we look for additional revenue growth from service offerings, especially through AI-led managed services, as well as client onboarding and implementation timelines to evaluate if we are maximising operational efficiency without compromising service quality. Productivity and training completion of employees, as well as their certification level, are also tracked as these elements directly correlate to the customer experience. These performance metrics provide us with the ability to evaluate performance holistically beyond revenue-related metrics.

StartupTalky: What were the most significant challenges your company faced in the past year and how did you overcome them?

Rahul Takkallapally: One of the biggest challenges over the past year was how fast customer expectations changed. Many businesses jumped straight from basic cloud needs to talking about AI, GPUs, and automation, even though they weren’t fully cloud-ready yet. At the same time, there was a lot of hesitation around cost, security, and data control.

Another challenge was cutting through the confusion. SMEs and MSMEs are often overwhelmed by technical jargon and end up either overbuying or delaying decisions altogether.

We handled this by keeping things simple and consultative. Instead of pushing the latest technology, we focused on what actually made sense for the customer. We helped them start small, test ideas, control costs, and scale only when needed. That approach helped us build trust and move forward together rather than treating it as a one-time transaction.

StartupTalky: What are the different strategies you use for marketing? Tell us about any growth hack that you pulled off?

Rahul Takkallapally: The company’s primary marketing approach consists of building relationships and gaining credibility with prospects. Rather than using a broad, aggressive mass marketing approach, we rely on customer success stories and industry-specific engagement. We use webinars, closed-door CIO sessions, and participation in technology forums to develop meaningful relationships with the decision makers. Content plays a strong role, particularly in areas such as Data Sovereignty, Security, and Best Practices for Cloud Adoption. Additionally, we collaborate closely with system integrators and technology partners that already have significant levels of trust established in Enterprise Ecosystems.

StartupTalky: What are the important tools and software you use to run your business smoothly? 

Rahul Takkallapally: Using a mixture of enterprise-level tools and purpose-built tools, we are able to manage our operations with the highest level of efficiency. For Infrastructure Management, we rely on our own cloud platforms combined with advanced monitoring and automation tools to track performance, security events, and uptime across locations. 

CRM and Customer Support systems allow us to better develop and manage our Customer Relationships, track Customer Issues, maintain fast response times, and resolve customer issues. To support the Security Operations within our Company, we have implemented AI-based monitoring, SIEM Tools, and Vulnerability Management systems. We also incorporate Analytical Dashboards to provide real-time operational metrics and business metrics. The focus at all times is on using tools that eliminate time-consuming efforts and promote Scalability without complexity.

StartupTalky: What opportunities do you see for future growth in your industry in India and the world? What kind of difference in market behavior have you seen between India and the world?

Rahul Takkallapally: The digital transformation of enterprises, startups, and government entities in India will create tremendous growth opportunities for companies like BharathCloud. With the introduction of Data Localisation Laws, Increased Cyber Security Awareness and the need for Low-cost Cloud Solutions, there is currently strong support for Domestic Providers within India. 

Globally, we see opportunities in markets that value compliance-driven and secure cloud deployments, especially in regions seeking alternatives to hyperscalers. The difference in behaviour between the Indian and international Cloud Markets is, Indian enterprises typically take longer to evaluate but stay longer once onboarded. Globally, decisions may be faster, but expectations around documentation and SLAs are stricter. Our future growth strategy balances both by offering globally compliant services with local adaptability, backed by India-based innovation.

StartupTalky: How are you using AI, whether in service delivery, internal processes, or customer experience, and what impact has it created?

Rahul Takkallapally: AI is deeply integrated into how BharathCloud delivers and manages services. Our AI storage solution utilises intelligent algorithms to optimise data protection, access speed, and reduce costs. The AI-supported monitoring enables BharathCloud to detect anomalies, predict failures, and proactively correct issues prior to impacting customers.

Internally, AI assists BharathCloud with capacity planning, detecting security threats, and optimising performance across network infrastructure. This has substantially decreased the risk of downtime and improved response times. From a commercial perspective, AI has enabled BharathCloud to operate more efficiently with reduced manual intervention. It also allows us to provide enterprise-level reliability at competitive pricing.

StartupTalky: How do you plan to expand the Customers, service offering, and team base in the future?

Rahul Takkallapally: We plan to grow by bringing more SMEs and MSMEs onto the cloud, helping them start their journey with simple, tailored solutions. Customer expansion will focus on deeper penetration into regulated and high-growth sectors such as healthcare, BFSI, VFX, and AI-driven startups. We plan to increase distribution via channel partnership models and develop a larger ecosystem of systems integrator alliances in more geographies and enterprise segments.

On the service side, we will continue to invest in the next generation of advanced artificial intelligence platforms, cloud stacks designed for various industries specifically. 

StartupTalky: One tip that you would like to share with another Service company founder?

Rahul Takkallapally: Concentrate on identifying genuine solutions rather than just following the latest trends. Long-term success comes from understanding customer pain points deeply and building solutions that genuinely reduce their risk, cost, or complexity. Invest early in processes and people. This investment will make growth sustainable in the future.

Explore more Recap'25 interviews here.