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Zoho Corporation is a global Indian multinational technology company known for its comprehensive suite of web-based business software tools and online office solutions. Founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas, the company initially operated under the name AdventNet, Inc., specializing in network management software before transitioning to focus on small and medium businesses. In 2009, it was renamed Zoho Corporation, reflecting the success of its online office suite, Zoho Office Suite.
Headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, with its US headquarters in Austin, Texas, Zoho operates offices in nine countries and has built a significant international presence. The company remains privately owned, with key ownership held by the founders and family members.
Zoho's product evolution began with Zoho CRM in 2005, followed by a series of business applications such as Zoho Writer, Projects, Creator, Sheet, Show, Zoho Docs, and Zoho Meeting. The portfolio has since expanded to include solutions across customer relationship management, finance (Zoho Books), collaboration (Zoho Workplace), HR (Zoho People), invoicing, email (Zoho Mail), and numerous other business functions. In 2017, Zoho launched Zoho One, an integrated suite comprising over 40 applications, which has steadily grown to include 50+ apps serving more than 50,000 organizations worldwide by 2022.
Zoho's product evolution began with foundational applications and steadily expanded into a comprehensive suite of business solutions. Here's a detailed timeline and description of major milestones in Zoho's product development:
2005: Zoho released its flagship CRM product, Zoho CRM, as an elegant and affordable on-demand customer relationship management solution targeting small and medium businesses. The same year, Zoho Writer, the first product in its Office suite (a next-generation word processor), was launched.
2006: Zoho launched multiple business applications to build out its Office suite and business tools. This included Zoho Projects (project management), Zoho Creator (a powerful low-code platform for building custom apps), Zoho Sheet (spreadsheet software), and Zoho Show (online presentations). Additionally, Zoho introduced Zoho Accounts and Zoho Wiki.
2007: The company expanded into collaboration and online meeting tools with Zoho Docs (online file management for teams) and Zoho Meeting (web conferencing and webinar software). Zoho also introduced Zoho Chat and Zoho Notebook.
2008: New applications launched included Zoho Invoice (online invoicing), Zoho People (HR automation), and Zoho Mail (secure business email hosting). By this year, Zoho reached one million users.
2009: The company rebranded from AdventNet to Zoho Corporation, emphasizing its focus on SaaS and the Zoho Office suite. Also introduced were remote access software Zoho Assist and applicant tracking system Zoho Recruit.
2010-2013: This period saw the addition of Zoho Desk (customer support software), Zoho Campaigns (email marketing), Zoho Books (online accounting), Zoho BugTracker, Zoho Sites (website builder), Zoho Vault (password manager), Zoho Survey, Zoho Connect (team communication), Zoho ContactManager, and Zoho SalesIQ (customer engagement).
2014-2015: Zoho Social (social media management), Zoho Subscriptions, Zoho SalesInbox (email client for sales), Zoho ShowTime (training platform), Zoho Expense, Zoho Inventory, Zoho CRM Plus (customer experience platform), and Zoho Subscriptions were released.
2016: Focus shifted to mobile-first designs for collection, collaboration, and consumption of business data. Zoho expanded support for mobile platforms.
2017: Zoho launched Zoho One, an all-in-one integrated suite combining over 40 applications across CRM, finance, HR, collaboration, marketing, and IT management, aimed at providing a complete business operating system.
2021-2022: Zoho One expanded to over 50 applications, serving more than 50,000 organizations globally in over 160 countries. The user base grew to more than 80 million. The company also introduced new collaboration platforms like Zoho Trident for multi-channel communication.
Zoho's product lineup today covers key business functions including:
- Customer Relationship Management (Zoho CRM, Zoho Desk)
- Finance & Accounting (Zoho Books, Zoho Invoice, Zoho Expense)
- Human Resources (Zoho People, Zoho Recruit)
- Collaboration & Office Productivity (Zoho Workplace, Zoho Mail, Zoho Docs)
- Marketing Automation (Zoho Campaigns, Zoho Social)
- IT & Helpdesk (Zoho Assist, Zoho Vault, Zoho BugTracker)
- Custom Application Development (Zoho Creator)
- Analytics & Business Intelligence (Zoho Analytics)
This diversified portfolio integrates closely to allow businesses to operate on a unified platform, enhanced by automation and AI-driven capabilities. Zoho continues to innovate and add new apps, emphasizing affordability, ease of use, and adaptability to different business sizes and industries.
Zoho has demonstrated robust growth, reaching over 50 million users by 2020 and surpassing 80 million users by 2022. Despite global economic challenges, Zoho has maintained a focus on innovation, heavy investment in research and development, and a unique philosophy of company-building rooted in community, sustainability, and inclusivity, notably establishing offices in rural areas to promote rural talent.
Beyond software, Zoho organizes an annual user conference called Zoholics India and collaborates with global partners to enhance its fintech and communication platforms. The company continues innovating products to help streamline business operations and drive productivity globally.
In the end, Zoho Corporation is a pioneering technology company that has grown from its network management roots into a leading provider of diverse business applications globally, with a strong emphasis on integrated solutions, customer-centric innovation, and social responsibility.
