HP has unveiled HP Haven OnDemand, an important milestone in its Big Data strategy that gives organizations of all sizes cloud-based access to key components of HP’s world class analytics platform.
HP Haven OnDemand, which runs on the HP Helion cloud, enables customers to analyze all forms of data, including business data, machine data, and unstructured, human information. Developers can also leverage this innovative web service, as well as engage with a robust and growing community to create next-generation applications and services.
“Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals; we deliver critical information via a combination of innovative technology and industry expertise,” said Chris Blatchford, Director, Business Operations – Platform Group Thomson Reuters (@thomsonreuters). “For a recent hackathon event, we utilized HP’s Haven OnDemand platform to produce several innovative new applications over an incredibly short amount of time. In particular HP IDOL OnDemand’s intuitive interface and wide array of API’s allowed our developers to ‘think big’ and realize their vision.”
HP also announced that it will embed its unique Haven assets deeper into the HP Software application portfolio with new offerings that leverage Big Data analytics to help businesses transform their IT operations, power information governance and compliance, and achieve greater levels of information security.
Empowering the Entire Enterprise with Data Discovery and Next-Gen Applications. HP Haven is a powerful platform that allows organizations to put data and insights at the core of their business, transforming every aspect of an enterprise, from the data center to mobile, customer-facing applications at the edge. With HP Haven OnDemand, customers, partners, and developers can tap into key components of the HP Haven Enterprise platform to gain blazing fast insights, rapid time to value and analytic functionality on all types of data, within minutes.
The launch of several initiatives by the new Government, changing sentiments around corruption and an intense regulatory push made 2014 a watershed year for India. Corporate India seemingly followed suit, propagating good governance but at the same time, struggling to stay compliant. The general disposition of industry leaders’ points toward increased awareness around risks related fraud, bribery & corruption; but there is still immense ground to cover. Arpinder Singh, Partner and National Leader, Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, EY India lists five key trends that organizations should look out for in 2015 as they move toward a more transparent and ethical way of doing business.
Corporate India to overpower ethical dilemmas
The introduction of several regulatory changes such as the Companies Act 2013, revised SEBI guidelines, Lokpal Bill have demonstrated the government’s commitment to weave a more ethical business fabric. These changes, which can be attributed to a more globalised environment, have been strategically outlined for enhancing the state of corporate governance. Throughout the last year, organizations have been inducted into the new norms, made efforts to imbibe sound governance practices in their corporate DNA, including roadmaps to compliance. Given the legal implications that could arise out of flouting rules, companies have been assessing the moral standards of their employees and laying down expected behaviour in form of comprehensive codes of ethics/conduct. A recent survey conducted by EY’s Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services practice on the public perception on anti-bribery and corruption revealed that a strong majority, 87% stated their willingness to blow the whistle if they witness some unethical activity. However, 94% of the respondents still believe that greater enforceability is required. We can expect to witness greater regulatory enforcement in 2015, with the government coming down heavily on companies not complying with the regulations (may also amount to penalties being levied).
Protecting the portfolio
PEs and VCs have continued to bet big on Indian entrepreneurial ventures, anticipating bigger return on investments. So while the ‘India innovation’ story is still going strong, some investors did end up burning their fingers in recent deals. This has made them more cautious than ever before. In 2015, it is expected that PEs will closely monitor their investments through increased due diligence – not just before but also post investment. Their approach to gauge the feasibility and sustainability of the venture will go beyond just weighing the business plan – and they will evaluate the credibility and depth of the ‘new age’ entrepreneurs. This will enable building a strong ethical foundation so the venture continues to progress as it achieves scalability.
Issues around rising NPAs in corporate loans
The financial services sector has been under intense regulatory and media scrutiny with the rapid increase in Non-Performing Assets (NPA) in 2014. Questions have been raised around the reasons behind these mounting cases – are they business decisions which went askew; were there any mala fide intentions; and is the lending and monitoring business conducted with integrity? The general sentiment with bankers seems to focus on enhancing internal controls around NPA reporting and monitoring. In 2015, it will be prudent to invest more resources to proactively handle stressed accounts through independent borrower checks, leverage technology & data analytics to catch early warning signals, develop internal skill sets on credit assessment and evaluation etc. These will play an instrumental role in easing the banker’s life.
Government impetus on transparency
For this first time in 18 years, India fared better as compared to China in the Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International. Moving up by 10 places, it stands at 85 in the 2014 rankings which is a marked improvement in perception. Changes undertaken in the regulatory framework such as the Public-Interest Litigation (PIL), Right to Information Act (RTI, Companies Act 20`3 and the Jan Lokpal Act reflects the sentiment shift from the India Shining story to ‘Ache Din’. On the back of these changes, the government has also undertaken multiple initiatives such as ‘Make in India’, ’Invest in India’, ‘Digital India’, opening up of foreign investment in new sectors and amendments in labour laws. These initiatives are game-changers from the perspective of delivery of pro-citizen good governance which is a synchronised and coordinated engagement of the entire government. In the coming year, the government’s propaganda toward driving transparency within corporate India through pending anti-corruption bills (Prevention of Bribery Bill, updating of the Anti-Corruption Bill, Whistle-blowers' Protection Bill etc.) will see precedence. We expect to see an increase in the enforcement of anti-bribery and anti-corruption regulations with stringent measures.
Increased litigation and disputes
India has emerged as a strategic and cut throat market. To create a level playing field, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has stepped in with an agenda to sustain competitiveness but at the same time, reduce instances of companies abusing their dominant positions. It is also opening up to arbitration being a cost-effective and swift mechanism for dispute settlement. There has been an increasing rise in institutional arbitration compared to ad hoc arbitrations; inclusion of arbitration clause will also continue to be an essential part of contracts to expedite resolutions. Going forward, litigations and disputes are expected to see an increase with organizations vying for a bigger slice of the market pie in their respective sectors. The use of e-Discovery will be critical in litigations as costs will need to be managed prudently. The introduction of electronically stored information in legal procedures will bring a new era of litigation, one which would not have businesses cut corners.
Juniper Networks , a industry player in network innovation, today unveiled its first ever Global Bandwidth Index Report, which explores differences between how people use mobile Internet connectivity in their day-to-day lives at work and at home and what they hope to achieve using their connected devices in the future.
Juniper Networks commissioned the independent firm Wakefield Research to survey 5,500 adults in developed markets, comprising Australia, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, which are typically moving quickly to implement high bandwidth Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks capable of delivering mobile services up to 100 times faster than older networks. Wakefield also sampled consumers in emerging markets, comprising Brazil, China, India and South Africa, where networks tend to be slower and less reliable.
The study reveals that twice as many people in developing countries regularly use connected devices for educational purposes as compared to those in developed markets. In India, for example, 45 percent of people surveyed say connectivity has fundamentally changed how they access textbooks, complete coursework or use teaching tools, compared with just 7 percent in Japan.
Further, access to the Internet plays a crucial role in the professional environment of an individual in India, as 69 percent of the respondents indicated poor and / or lack of connectivity had an impact on their professional opportunities. The study also reveals that 55 percent of respondents have experienced a significant improvement in their earning power due to connectivity in India.
The Global Bandwidth Index Report also yielded the following key findings for India:
Emerging Satisfaction
Consumers in developing markets are significantly more satisfied with their networks than their counterparts in developed countries, a surprising result given that network speed and reliability tend to be slower and less reliable in the developing world.
* Respondents in the study gave India an “A+” grade (A being the highest and F, the lowest) in the matter of connectivity satisfaction, while the U.K. and Japan received an “F” grade.
* 58 percent of respondents in India are satisfied with the current Internet connection. That being said, the majority (63 percent) of the respondents feel that speed still keeps them from fully utilizing the mobile connectivity capabilities.
* 48 percent of the respondents state security concerns as a reason for mobile connectivity capability utilization being low.
