Canara Bank Records Narrow Losses of Rs 551 Crore Due to Lower Bad Loans During Q4, 2019

Canara Bank, India's leading PSU bank on May 10, 2019 said its net loss narrowed multi-fold to Rs 551.53 crore for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018-19, mainly driven by lower provisioning for bad loans. The bank had posted a net loss of Rs 4,859.77 crore during the corresponding January-March period of the preceding fiscal.

"Total income of the bank during the March quarter rose to Rs 14,000.43 crore, compared to Rs 11,555.11 crore in the year-ago period," said R.A. Sankara Narayanan, MD & CEO of Canara Bank.

Total income of the bank during the March quarter rose to Rs 14,000.43 crore, compared to Rs 11,555.11 crore in the year-ago period, Canara Bank said in a regulatory filing.

For the full 2018-19 fiscal, the bank has posted a net profit of Rs 347.02 crore. There was a net loss of Rs 4,222.24 crore in 2017-18.

Total income during the fiscal was higher at Rs 53,385.30 crore as against Rs 48,194.94 crore a year earlier.

The Bengaluru-headquartered lender witnessed improvement in the asset quality with the gross non-performing assets (NPAs) falling to 8.83 per cent of gross advances at March-end 2019 compared to 11.84 per cent a year earlier, he said.

Net NPAs or bad loans stood at 5.37 per cent, compared with 7.48 per cent year ago.

In absolute-value, the gross NPAs were Rs 39,224.12 crore at March-end 2019, as against Rs 47,468.47 crore a year earlier. Likewise, the net NPAs stood at Rs 22,955.11 crore in the quarter under review, compared to Rs 28,542.40 crore.

There was also a reduction in provisioning requirement to the tune of Rs 5,120.85 crore in March quarter FY2019 as against Rs 8,762.57 crore parked aside in the year-ago period.

The overall provisioning and contingencies stood at Rs 5,523.50 crore, less than Rs 9,075.04 crore a year ago.

Canara Bank said, as per the RBI directive, it restructured as many as 41,602 MSME account as on March 31, 2019 with amount involving Rs 753.51 crore as a relief to them under Goods and Services Tax (GST).

During the quarter ended March 31, 2019, six fraud accounts were detected, amounting of Rs 704.06 crore, wherein the bank is required to provide Rs 429.87 crore, in addition to the provision of Rs 274.19 crore already provided up to December 2018, it said.

"The total amount provided during the quarter is Rs 107.47 crore, representing 25 per cent of the provision to be made. Further, the remaining unamortised provision amount is debited to other reserves, which will be amortised during first three quarters of next financial year," it added.

During the March quarter, the bank allotted 2 crores equity shares at Rs 186 each under Employee Share Purchase Scheme, the lender said.

Provision coverage ratio as on March 31, 2019 stood at 68.13 per cent, as against 58.06 per cent a year ago.

Shares of Canara Bank closed 3.21 per cent up at Rs 265.45 apiece on the BSE.

Seagram’s Royal Stag Unveils Limited-Edition Cricket World Cup Pack

Royal Stag, the official whisky partner of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, is truly making the cricket fever larger than ever with the launch of a new limited-edition Cricket World Cup pack.

The limited edition packaging has been conceptualised & designed by Ogilvy & is inspired by the actual ICC World Cup Trophy. The innovative packaging design represents elements from the sport of cricket along with iconic monuments from England & Wales. The pack truly embodies the spirit of cricket & has been launched just before the start of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 being held in England and Wales.

Commenting on the launch of new packaging, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India said, “For Indian fans, The ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 goes beyond the boundaries of a regular sporting event. The passion, madness, thrill, excitement and love for the sport can be seen in every devoted cricket lover. Our long-standing association with cricket bolsters our relationship with consumers across the nation. By introducing a limited-edition Cricket World Cup pack, we are giving cricket lovers a world cup memorabilia to hold on to & together celebrate the spirit of cricket. Additionally, the on pack contest offers consumers a chance to watch the ICC Cricket World Cup Live in England & Wales”

Speaking on the occasion, Kapil Arora, President, Ogilvy said, “Cricket and Royal Stag have been synonymous with one another for many years. However, when the brand decided to partner with the ICC Cricket World Cup, the world’s greatest festival of cricket - it deserved a special commemoration. The result is a limited-edition pack of Royal Stag that will give fans of the brand and cricket, an opportunity to collect a unique pack that celebrates and brings alive the spirit of the World Cup.” 

Emirates Group Records 31st Consecutive Year of Profit of US$ 631 million at 2018-19 Results

Key Highlights 

Group records 31st consecutive year of profit of AED 2.3 billion (US$ 631 million)

Strong business growth leading to a record revenue of more than AED 109 billion (US$ 29.8 billion)
Solid cash balance of AED 22.2 billion (US$ 6.0 billion)
Declares a dividend of AED 500 million (US$ 136 million) to the Investment Corporation of Dubai. 
Emirates reports a profit of AED 871 million (US$ 237 million), 69% down from the previous year

Revenue increases by 6% to AED 97.9 billion (US$ 26.7 billion), supported by steady passenger and cargo performance
Airline capacity crosses 63 billion ATKM with a net addition of 2 new aircraft to the fleet
dnata makes record profit of AED 1.4 billion (US$ 394 million), which includes AED 321 million (US$ 88 million) gain from one-time sale of HRG stake

Revenue increases by 10% to AED 14.4 billion (US$ 3.9 billion), reflecting further business expansion with international business now accounting for 70% of revenue
Expands global footprint with acquisition of Qantas catering in Australia and 121 Inflight catering business in the Americas, adds new facilities and service capabilities across its airport operations, catering, and travel services divisions

The Emirates Group today announced its 31st consecutive year of profit and steady business expansion.

Released today in its 2018-19 Annual Report, the Emirates Group posted a profit of AED 2.3 billion (US$ 631 million) for the financial year ended 31 March 2019, down 44% from last year. The Group’s revenue reached AED 109.3 billion (US$ 29.8 billion), an increase of 7% over last year’s results. The Group’s cash balance was AED 22.2 billion (US$ 6.0 billion), down 13% from last year mainly due to large investments into the business, including significant acquisitions and payment of last year’s AED 2 billion (US$ 545 million) dividend. 

In line with the overall profit, the Group declared a dividend of AED 500 million (US$ 136 million) to the Investment Corporation of Dubai for 2018-19.

His Highness (H.H.) Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “2018-19 has been tough, and our performance was not as strong as we would have liked. Higher oil prices and the strengthened US dollar eroded our earnings, even as competition intensified in our key markets. The uptick in global airfreight demand from the previous year appears to have gone into reverse gear, and we also saw travel demand weaken, particularly in our region, impacting both dnata and Emirates.

“Every business cycle is different, and we continue to work smart and hard to tackle the challenges and take advantage of opportunities. Our goal has always been to build a profitable, sustainable, and responsible business based in Dubai, and these principles continue to guide our decisions and investments. In 2018-19, Emirates and dnata delivered our 31st consecutive year of profit, recorded growth across the business, and invested in initiatives and infrastructure that will secure our future success.”

In 2018-19, the Group collectively invested AED 14.6 billion (US$ 3.9 billion) in new aircraft and equipment, the acquisition of companies, modern facilities, the latest technologies, and staff initiatives, a significant increase over last year’s investment spend of AED 9.0 billion (US$ 2.5 billion).

In February, Emirates announced a commitment for 40 A330-900s and 30 A350-900s worth US$ 21.4 billion at list prices in an agreement signed with Airbus, to be delivered from 2021 and 2024 respectively. The airline will also receive 14 more A380 deliveries from 2019 until the end of 2021, taking its total A380 order book to 123 units.

dnata’s key investments during the year included: the acquisitions of Q Catering and Snap Fresh in Australia, and 121 Inflight Catering in the US; the buy-out of shares to become the owner of Dubai Express, Freightworks LLC; and a 51% majority stakeholder of Bolloré Logistics LLC, UAE; the build of new cargo and pharma handling facilities in Belgium, the US, the UK, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and Pakistan; the acquisition of German tour operator Tropo, and a majority stake in BD4travel, a company providing artificial intelligence driven IT solutions in the travel sector.

Across its more than 120 subsidiaries, the Group’s total workforce increased by 2% to 105,286, representing over 160 different nationalities, mainly influenced by dnata’s new acquisitions and its international business expansion.

Sheikh Ahmed said: “In 2018-19, we were steadfast with our cost discipline while expanding our business and growing revenues. By slowing the recruitment of non-operational roles, and implementing new technology systems and new work structures, we’ve improved productivity and retarded manpower cost increases.”

He concluded: “It’s hard to predict the year ahead, but both Emirates and dnata are well positioned to navigate speed bumps, as well as to compete and succeed in the global marketplace. We must continually up our game, that’s why we invest in our people, technology, and infrastructure to help us maintain our competitive edge. As a responsible business, we also invest resources towards supporting communities, conservation and environmental initiatives, as well as incubating talent and innovation that will propel our industry in the future.”

Data Literacy Project Announces Community Forum Dedicated to Fostering a More Data Literate Society

Today the Data Literacy Project, the community dedicated to making a data literate world, announced the launch of its official community forum – an online destination where individuals and organizations can engage with industry leaders and influencers to share ideas that fuel data literacy.

An essential skill in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, data literacy empowers everyone to ask questions of data and machines, build knowledge, make decisions and communicate its meaning with others. The Data Literacy Project, which was launched by founding partners Qlik, Accenture, Cognizant, Experian, Pluralsight, Chartered Institute of Marketing and Data to the People in October 2018, aims to create a more data literate society and places data literacy at the heart of individual and organizational success.

This official community forum will be the epicentre of the data literacy conversation, where people can have their questions answered, start discussions around the most important and relevant topics, share tips and ideas, and ultimately give back by supporting others to shape a successful, data literate world.

Last month, the Data Literacy Project announced the launch of its Advisory Board with eight key appointments: Jordan Morrow, Qlik; Paul Malyon, Experian; Jane Crofts, Data To The People; Rahul Bhargava, MIT; Meri Rosich, VISA; Chantilly Jaggernauth, Millennials and Data; Ben Jones, Data Literacy, LLC; and Alan Schwarz, DataPhi Communications, LLC.

These data literacy thought leaders will also be active on the forum to provide impartial, third-party strategic counsel and direction in support of the Data Literacy Project’s three commitments:

Inspiring major organizations globally to make data literacy an imperative
Creating the most accessible and comprehensive global data literacy educational resource ecosystem
Empowering educational institutions globally to place data literacy into the mainstream curriculum

“The new community forum will further aid us in our mission to create a more data literate society,” said Jordan Morrow, Chair of the Data Literacy Project Advisory Board and Global Head of Data Literacy at Qlik. “As the Data Literacy Project’s community continues to grow, we’re excited to provide a space that will foster constructive conversations and allow us to spread our message on the importance of data to individuals around the world.”

The community forum is now live on the Data Literacy Project website at www.thedataliteracyproject.org/forum.

Nutanix Expands Private and Public Cloud into Multicloud Solution Portfolio for Customers

Nutanix, Inc., a leader in enterprise cloud computing, has announced the continued evolution of its offerings across private and public clouds, further making multicloud computing a reality for its customers. With today’s news Nutanix is extending its Xi Frame desktop-as-a-service solution from the public cloud to the private cloud, enabling the delivery of apps and desktops in a true hybrid cloud environment. In addition, the company is announcing new functionality and additional planned availability zones for its cloud-based disaster recovery (DR) service, Xi Leap.

According to the ​IDC InfoBrief, Sponsored by Nutanix​, “Surviving and Thriving in a Multi-cloud World,” multicloud deployments are now the norm for enterprise organizations – less than 30% of customers report using single cloud environments. Most customers leverage different cloud platforms across multiple service providers. The interoperability of data and applications between these varied cloud environments is growing in importance and yet access to hybrid cloud capabilities where a single application runs across clouds remains elusive to most organizations. As companies eagerly seek out ways to make the multi cloud environment a reality, these new updates from Nutanix provide additional capabilities to streamline the implementation of their cloud services deployments.

Introducing Nutanix Xi Frame for the Private Cloud

With Nutanix Xi Frame customers can already access applications and virtual desktops from popular public clouds like AWS and Azure, simply and easily, using any browser and any device. With the latest Xi Frame update running on the Nutanix AHV hypervisor, customers can now extend desktop delivery to their Nutanix private cloud, integrating virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) services with the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud platform. Xi Frame desktops can be simultaneously delivered via multiple clouds and managed via a single console for seamless control and administration, providing a true hybrid experience.

In addition to being available to users on AWS and Azure, Xi Frame is now also available to customers worldwide for Nutanix private cloud deployments using AHV. Customers can provision 1000s of virtual desktops in minutes as opposed to weeks enabling them to improve the economics, speed and scale of desktop delivery. IT teams can now select the right cloud - public or private - for their VDI initiatives.

Extending the Reach of Cloud-based DR to More Regions with Nutanix Xi Leap

As enterprises continue to embrace cloud services, and enterprise infrastructures become more virtual, data and IT operations are rapidly migrating to the cloud. When done right, cloud-based disaster recovery is an attractive strategy for any size organization to protect their business-critical applications. Nutanix Xi Leap extends the enterprise datacenter to the cloud allowing IT teams to harmonize public and private clouds, and to deliver enhanced availability for critical data and applications. Customers get a natively-integrated DR cloud service, and single pane management, to protect critical workloads running in the datacenter ​and in a cloud, delivering improved business continuity.

Nutanix is adding new capabilities to its Xi Leap DR service, including:

New Availability Zones: ​Nutanix Xi Leap is expanding beyond its current availability zones in US West, US East and the U.K. In the coming months, additional Xi Leap availability zones are expected to be available in Italy, through Nutanix’s partnership with Sparkle, the international services arm of Telecom Italia Group, as well as in Japan and Germany.
Support for ESXi: ​Xi Leap now also provides DR services for enterprise workloads running on Nutanix private clouds using VMware ESXi, making it even simpler to transform existing applications into a hybrid service.

“With previous disaster recovery systems, we weren’t able to achieve the performance we expected for virtual machine restoration and managing DR as a separate silo made our infrastructure more complex,” said Patrick Sudderth, Director of Technical Services, Lexipol. “Nutanix Xi Leap allows us to configure policies that automate the DR workflow directly within the Prism Console and restoration happens in a matter of minutes. No other DRaaS vendor can come close to the simplicity of execution we experience with Xi Leap.”

Securing Cloud Applications

Fundamental to delivering applications in a multicloud architecture is ensuring that applications remain secure - independent of the cloud infrastructure chosen. Comprehensive and automated compliance assessments are necessary to ensure application mobility between clouds. Xi Beam, a Nutanix SaaS offering that provides cloud governance, will include a real-time security compliance module designed to identify critical cloud infrastructure vulnerabilities and recommend specific remediation. With new security and compliance functionality, IT architects will be enabled to fix security risks before they impact the business.

“The multicloud world is the new reality for IT - it’s no longer up for debate. Customers need solutions that can bring together the full mix of public, private, and edge clouds that will soon make up their critical infrastructure without drowning them in needless complexity and unchecked costs,” said Sunil Potti, Chief Product and Development Officer, Nutanix. “By continuing to add new capabilities to our portfolio, we’re giving customers the freedom to deliver their applications and data from the cloud that makes the most sense for their business.”

Availability

Nutanix Xi Frame for Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform deployments using AHV is available now. Xi Leap services are currently live in several availability zones including US West, US East and the U.K. Additional availability zones are planned for Italy, Germany and Japan in CYQ3’19. Nutanix Xi Beam is already generally available for cloud governance and optimization. The real time security compliance capabilities in Xi Beam are currently available to certain customers in early access, with general availability expected in CYQ2'19.

This Mother’s Day, Indulge in a Travel Holiday Unique Experience

Mothers are amazing and so should be your plan for Mother’s day. Break the cliché and move past the usual greeting card and ‘cook-your-mom-a-meal’. Hop onto an adventure to capture some blissful mom-ents! Make her feel truly special by planning a much-needed vacation to the North-East or a short getaway closer home. This Mother’s Day, here are five amazing ideas to spend some quality time with your mom! Go on, celebrate with your Mother beyond one day!

Escape to the lands of Darjeeling for a view of the Kangchenjunga

If your mom loves getting her endorphins pumped and craves to travel, make sure to go on a scenic trip to Darjeeling with your mom. The landscapes in Darjeeling are beautiful. Travelling with your mom through East India has so much to offer that it would be a lifelong memory to cherish. Surrounded by lush tea estates you can explore the colonial-era architecture, pay a visit to the Buddhist monasteries, and ride on the 140-year-old well-known Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
Try out theatrical dining….. some drama for the queen!

If other than the perfect taste for food, your mom also enjoys a bit of drama, then the immersive theatrical dining is the next thing to try out. Visit paChaak, where dinner will be part of a dramatic experience. Combining gourmet and some dramatic gusto, the meal will satiate your palate while keeping you engaged and entertained.  For more details, visit @Pachaaked.

Visit the Winter Wonderland, Vivid Sydney!

Beat the hot summers in India and head ‘Down Under’ for your next trip. Partake in the gorgeous sensory indulgence at Vivid Sydney 2019. Vivid Sydney is the ‘Biggest Winter festival’ in the Southern Hemisphere, which allows you to embark on a journey and witness the different avenues of light, music, art and ideas! Sydney shines during winter each year when Vivid Sydney warms up the city with a celebration of light, music and ideas. The creative heart of Sydney comes to life in a program of amazing light art and music. Vivid Light takes you to another world, with shadows that spring into colour and building facades that reveal a hidden world of magic. The city transforms into a nighttime wonderland through large-scale illuminations, laser lightshows and 3D-mapped projections. Vivid Music spotlights the city’s live music culture by both bringing in influential overseas acts and placing a firm focus on local talent. Dynamic electronic act RÜFÜS DU SOL and genre-bending popstar FKA Twigs headline this year’s Carriageworks program. British alternative rock pioneers The Cure mark the 30th anniversary of their landmark album Disintegration

A relaxing spa to ward away all worries

With a list of activities that would even put the mightiest super-heroes to shame, our mothers take on several tasks everyday with much ease! However, every mother needs some pampering and what better occasion than Mother’s Day to shower her with some love! Gift your mother a rejuvenating spa for a perfect detox. While we do have a couple of options to choose from in the cities, the state of Kerala will present you with several luxurious options to choose from. She can take a break from hustle-bustle of everyday life and partake in the immersive experiences at meditation centers and aruyvedic spas. With the help of the professionals and wise instructors, she can explore the several benefits of yoga as well.

The perfect ending to a finale! Day-out with your mother at the IPL 2019 match

If your mom is a sports enthusiast, take her out to watch the IPL Finale match this Mother’s Day. The game is definitely going to be exciting and she would totally appreciate the effort. Even if your team loses, you sure will win her heart!

Weekend wine-getaway

Image result for grover zampa vineyard
Take a journey to the vineyards of Nasik. Partake in some lovely wine-tasting sessions and relax against a scenic backdrop. Watch your mother turn into a child and get messy as you both smash, stomp, crush, and tramp some grapes!

Gift your Mother CK’s Bakery’s Scrumptious Choco Butterscotch Cake for Mother’s Day

Like buttons, Mothers hold everything together and here is a chance to celebrate the strong women in your life with CK’s Bakery’s latest Choco Butterscotch cake. On the occasion of Mother’s Day, CK’s Bakery, youngest bakery chain in the country has introduced a scrumptious choco butterscotch cake that is filled with love and compassion, just like our mothers. Layered to perfection, the newly launched choco butterscotch cake is priced at Rs. 499/- and is the perfect surprise for your mother in every bite.

Baked to perfection with a marble sponge, the cake is layered with a delectable combination of decadent choco truffle and rich butterscotch cream. Covered in mouth-watering molten chocolate and garnished with crunchy butterscotch nuts, the bespoke cake exudes richness that one can relish in every bite. With chocolate and butterscotch being the most favourite flavours enjoyed by Indian mothers, the fusion of the two would make an ideal amalgamation of tastes.

The Choco Butterscotch cake is available in stores from 11th May onwards and is priced at Rs.499/-. Customers can now visit any of the neighbourhood CK’s Bakery outlets located across Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Bangalore and Kochi to buy these cakes. For more details please visit the official Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cksbakery/

Mindtree Awarded for Best Compliance Practices at Compliance Leadership Summit & Awards 2019

Mindtree, a global technology services and digital transformation company, has been recognized today with the ‘Best Compliance Framework of the Year’ award at the Compliance Leadership Summit & Awards 2019 by UBS Forums. The accolade recognizes Mindtree’s focus on transparency, accountability, integrity, and independence as the core elements of its Compliance Framework, and how it elevates the organization’s corporate responsibility index.

Commenting on the achievement, Erwan Carpentier, SVP and General Counsel, Mindtree said, “Mindtree has always approached compliance issues with zero tolerance and we always take pride in our strong compliance structure. It is not only helping us to be consistent with our high standards of integrity, transparency and ethos, but also inspiring us to evolve as a better and more responsible organization each day. The recognition only reiterates Mindtree’s high standards in corporate governance.”

Ajit Dive, Conference Producer, UBS Forums added, “Mindtree has time and again demonstrated that the supreme quality of leadership is its unquestionable integrity. Mindtree has set an industry benchmark with highest standards of integrity, honesty, and values. It has become a core feature of their organizational fabric. We commend their effort and our recognition is a small token of appreciation.”

Mindtree has established a unique systematic compliance framework that is fully prepared for any change that impacts the compliance structure. It is a highly preventive rather than curative system, which allows Mindtree to seamlessly engage in relevant markets without compromising on ethical standards, resulting in enhanced brand integrity and deeper connect with governments, investors, clients, partners and Mindtree Minds.

The award recognizes the work done by enterprises from all over India in developing a comprehensive compliance framework that enables the organization with strong compliance and regulatory policies. UBS Forums is India’s largest platform to conceptualize, organize, and execute business transformation events and sessions to unlock the latent potential of enterprises.

Host Fleetwood Shows Amazing Consistency to Win in the Hero Challenge

Tommy Fleetwood, the host this week, emerged victorious at the Hero Challenge yesterday amonsgt a large number of fans lining up the waterside at the iconic Liverpool Waters Princess Dock.

Fleetwood playing his third Hero Challenge showed amazing consistency as he made sure that he was right on target with each of his shots from the customised tee to the floating green in the middle of the water to score with each of his 22 shots and won the title in the innovative event ahead of the British Masters beginning Thursday.

Dr. Pawan Munjal, Chairman, Hero MotoCorp, presented the trophy to Fleetwood.

The fast-paced event featured tournament host Fleetwood, fellow Englishman Matt Wallace, two time Major Champion Martin Kaymer, Ladies European Tour star Charley Hull, reigning Hero Indian Open champion Stephen Gallacher and Frenchman Alexander Levy, who won the inaugural  Hero Challenge in 2016.

Even though he found the target with each of his shots, Fleetwood at one point was one shot away from being eliminated by Charley Hull, the first woman to play the Hero Challenge.

Meanwhile, the Hero Challenge, was a high-scoring contest with players showing great ability to stop the ball on a floating target. Fleetwood totalled up a hige 250 points in the final to beat Wallace, the Hero Indian Open winner in 2018.

“I’ve not done well in these before, so if I had to pick one to win it would definitely be this one,” said Fleetwood, who plays host at the British Masters this week.

“Charley really pushed me in that semi-final - I was one shot away from being out. She was relentless, I knew it was going to be hard work when she was disappointed that she only scored 25 points with her first shot.

“I didn’t miss the target once in 22 shots, so I’m really happy with that. It was great having the home support in the final too.”

In the earlier matches, Kaymer got the event going in the first round with Wallace and Fleetwood. The players had 90 seconds to hit a maximum of ten balls at a target with four rings worth five, ten, 25 and 50 points, and the player with the lowest score was eliminated.

Kaymer hit a bullseye with his third shot en route to scoring 65 points but he was soon eliminated as Wallace (230) and Fleetwood (160) were in terrific form. Wallace had three bullseyes while Fleetwood registered 160 as he scored with every shot.

In the other first round match, Gallacher, the reigning Hero Indian Open champion, scored 100 points from his last three shots but he hit his final shot after the hooter to total 105.

Levy scored 110 to progress and while Hull only hit eight balls in her 90 seconds, but that was enough with four 25s and a bullseye that hit the pin giving her 150 points.

In the semis, the players were gven six shots each, hitting alternately. Wallace applied early pressure with three 25s in his first four shots, beating Levy. The second semi-final was a classic, as Hull put the pressure on with a bullseye with her third ball but Fleetwood made one with his fourth. Hull aced her final ball and Fleetwood needing to do the same did just that.

In the all-English final against Wallace, Fleetwood won a hit to spare after 25-25-50-50-50 in his first five shots.

Castrol India with Zee Announces Third Edition of Castrol Super Mechanic in 20 Indian Cities

Castrol, India’s leading international lubricant company, launched the third edition of its highly successful and much awaited Castrol Super Mechanic contest, India’ largest mechanic testing and training initiative. This event supports car and bike mechanics across India to test their skills and gain recognition nationally by displaying their knowledge and talent.

The programme, which saw an overwheliming participation of more than one lakh mechanics in 2018,  commenced with the computerized Interactive Voice Response round (IVR). This round will further select 40 mechanics each in the cars and bikes category.  The final round in Mumbai will have the top ten mechanics in each category vie for the top slot on national televisionand will encompass challenges that will test their theoretical knowledge and practical skills.

Stepping it up this year, Castrol India will be conducting learning sessions endorsed by Automotive Skills Development Council (ASDC) for close to 5,000 mechanics in 20 cities doubling the cities they are being held in, compared to last year . To broaden the reach and amplify the exposure of this event, Castrol India has associated with Zee Media Corporation to conceive and curate it, making it the largest Castrol Super Mechanic competition to date.

Passionate about the success and growth of the mechanic community, Omer Dormen, Managing Director, Castrol India Limited said, “The Castrol Super Mechanic programme accentuates Castrol India’s commitment to elevate the skills of the mechanic community and recognises their talent and huge contribution to the society through a public platform. It is extremely delightful and gratifying to help the transformation of these mechanics who help keep India moving.” He further added, “We hope the programme and previous winners of the Castrol Super Mechanic contest inspire many more this year to script their winning story.”

Zee Media Corporation will be airing various segments from the Castrol Super Mechanic programme across various Zee channels thus giving an opportunity to many mechanics to be on national television. Speaking on the occasion, Ashish Sehgal, Chief Growth Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises said, “Bringing alive the stories of the mechanic community for our audience is something never seen before on Indian television. In the true spirit of Zee’s culture of transforming ordinary people into extraordinary heroes, we are delighted to join hands with Castrol India for this project to build pride in their profession.”

The programme will conclude with Super Mechanic winners announced at a glittering red carpet finale in Delhi and it is slated to go on-air on Zee Anmol starting July 2019. The show will also be aired on various Zee network channels including Zee News

Speaking on his wonderful journey, Super Mechanic Ravish Siddegowda, winner of Castrol Super Mechanic 2018, said, “Castrol Super Mechanic transformed my life. Being on national television helped me get social recognition. My business has grown, and today I have a team that works with me. People in the city want to get their vehicles checked and repaired at my garage. Becoming a Castrol Super Mechanic was the biggest moment in my life!”

To participate:
To participate, the applicants can dial 1800-120-1401 and follow further directions.

Dates and registration details regarding the mechanic learning sessions will be announced shortly. Mechanics will also be informed through SMS and can stay updated by visiting www.castrol.co.in 

Nutanix Hyperconverges Secondary Storage with Nutanix Mine Open Platform Solution

Nutanix, Inc., a leader in enterprise cloud computing, today announced Nutanix Mine, a new open solution that integrates secondary storage operations with the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform, delivering a complete platform for primary and secondary storage within the private cloud. Through native integration with industry-leading backup vendors Veeam, HYCU, Commvault, Veritas and Unitrends, customers will be able to manage their HCI environment and backup operations from a single management console, reducing the operational cost and complexity of standalone back-up and recovery solutions. Mine will streamline overall deployment, and simplify the full lifecycle of data backup operations, including on-going management, scaling and troubleshooting - all while preserving the customer’s freedom to choose the right back-up service for their particular infrastructure environment.

According to Gartner,

“There are many challenges with current backup and recovery solutions deployed today. The top concerns are most often related to the cost, complexity and capability.” Gartner goes on to state, “These costs often continue to rise despite overall cost improvements in the IT industry, and many organizations continue to perceive backup as an expensive insurance policy.”1

As companies modernize their datacenter with HCI to realize the simplicity, performance and scalability needed to run modern applications, their backup and data protection strategies have remained siloed from their core datacenter environment. With Nutanix Mine, customers will be able to converge secondary storage operations into the Nutanix Enterprise Cloud Platform to deliver intelligent data backup services for all business applications. Integrated with Nutanix’s native HCI data fabric that provides intelligent tiering and advanced data reduction capabilities, Mine will enable enterprises to choose the best data backup software for their organization, optimized for their Nutanix HCI environment; reducing the time and expense of configuring standalone secondary storage solutions.

Embracing an open platform strategy, Nutanix Mine will integrate with popular back-up solutions from Veeam, HYCU, Commvault, Veritas and Unitrends. Through tight integration with Nutanix’s HCI data fabric and advanced Prism management console, Mine will provide:

A reduction in the complexity of separate systems to back-up and recover business data, so secondary storage can be managed as easily as primary data storage
The simplification of the full lifecycle of data backup operations, including initial sizing and procurement, streamlined installation, and easy provisioning of the full solution, and
The ability to easily scale-out both primary and secondary storage to accommodate business growth

“The hyperconverged market’s rapid growth is largely attributable to its promise of modernizing infrastructure and reducing complexity by eliminating silos within the datacenter. But even as customers embraced HCI, the secondary storage silo persisted,” said Sunil Potti, Chief Product and Development Officer, Nutanix. “With Nutanix Mine, customers will get all the benefits of collapsing this silo into a single platform - reduced management complexity, simplified operations and reduced TCO - without the requirement that they forgo the backup solution best suited for their business needs.”

Availability
Nutanix Mine with Veeam, sold by Nutanix, and Nutanix Mine with HYCU are expected to be available in calendar Q3 of 2019. Nutanix Mine with Commvault, Veritas and Unitrends is expected to be available in a future release.

(1) Gartner, “Report Highlight for Market Trends: Expand Your Software-Defined Storage Market by Leveraging Backup and Archiving”, by Santanu Patro, July 2018, ID G00367503

CSS Corp Conducts Computer Literacy Training Program for Autistic Students in India

CSS Corp, a new-age IT services and technology support company, organized a ‘Computer Literacy Training program’ for students of Jayam Special School, Chennai from March 14th to April 26th, 2019. The program equipped autistic students with essential IT skills such as word processing and computer safety. To ensure students have ongoing access to IT equipment, CSS Corp also set up the school’s first computer lab.

The initiative is a part of CSS Corp’s ‘Digital Literacy’ CSR program, which aims to equip students with the computer skills necessary for modern life.

During the program, CSS Corp employees worked closely with school authorities to conduct engaging training sessions that equipped students with vital digital skills. Highlights included:

Introduction of a computer literacy program as part of the school curriculum
Students with speech impairments learned to communicate with teachers using technology
Students participated in fun activities such as envelope and cover making, and were invited to display their art skills at the CSS Corp facility in Chennai

CSS Corp has organized IT training programs for close to 2,200 students across a variety of Chennai schools, including a ‘Computer Literacy Program’ at a Government Girls Higher Secondary School during 2018. Students attending these programs are trained in word processing, spreadsheets, and Internet safety, and also receive career and development counseling.

Knight Frank Appoints Sharad Agrawal as Executive Director, Capital Markets in India

Knight Frank India, one of the leading International Property Consultants, inducts industry veteran Sharad Agrawal as Executive Director, Capital Markets. Sharad comes with over 20 years of experience in Investment Banking, Capital Markets and Coverage experience with a strong focus on real estate funds, banks, and fund of funds. He has worked across geographies and real estate segments on a variety of transactions such as structured/project finance, Land acquisition, offshore financing, SEZs, etc., he has over the years developed strong relationships with local and global financial institutions, rating agencies and portfolio company management teams. He has a strong understanding of Capital Markets and has worked with lenders across foreign banks, PSU banks, NBFC’s and mutual funds as well.

In his role at Knight Frank, Sharad Agrawal will lead a talented and experienced team of professionals and will be responsible for strategizing and executing capital markets deals across including fundraising, partner search, joint development, joint venture, equity partnerships, structured financing, debt syndication, etc. He will be based out of the Gurugram office and will report to the Chairman and Managing Director, Shishir Baijal.

“India is witnessing a structural shift in operations across industries, especially in the real estate sector owing to meaningful interventions by policymakers, real estate and the banking regulator. This has made India an attractive avenue for foreign capital inflows. The first successful listing of REIT is a testimony to this. In light of this dynamic scenario, our Capital Markets business solutions become an important driver. Sharad’s appointment is key to our strategy in discovering new growth avenues and providing a new dimension of our presence in the industry.” said Shishir Baijal, Chairman & Managing Director, Knight Frank India.

Speaking on his appointment, Sharad Agrawal said “I am extremely excited to be part of Knight Frank, a global organization which offers a compelling platform to build and grow the capital markets business in a rapidly changing environment. I am looking forward to creating value for the organization and for our esteemed clients and scaling the business to new heights.”

Elite Elevators Unveils First Thyssenkrupp Home Elevator Experience Center in Bangalore

 

Thyssenkrupp, in association with Elite Elevators, has launched its First Home Elevator Experience Center in India on 8th May 2019. This showroom is for all the prospective and existing clients to experience the look and feel of their exclusive products. The company sold 200 units last fiscal and expects the growth to reach 300 units by the end of this fiscal.

Thyssenkrupp has introduced the concept of Home Elevators in the Indian market. Since there are no set standards for Home Elevators in India, therefore all their elevators follow European Safety codes and go through 194 different parameters of safety. As opposed to commercial lifts, Thyssenkrupp home elevators require no pit (just 100mm) and no headroom space. These lifts operate on single phase power supply and require no oiling and lubrication on rails, which reduces the maintenance cost to minimal. Moreover, all their home lifts are certified by third-party organizations post installation, which imprints the safety standards they follow.

The inauguration of showroom at Prestige Meridian, Bangalore, was done by Mr Andrew Warbrick, Managing Director, Thyssenkrupp Access Ltd. This showroom will cater to both sales and after-sales services. The one-of-its-kind experience center has been designed as per Krupp's global 'Blue Cube' design language for showrooms.

Live demonstration of all their products is available at the showroom, for all the prospective clients. HE300, their premier model runs on cogged belt has an innovative belt-driven technology unlike the conventionally used ropes, chains or piston. This not only reduces the maintenance cost, but also improves the lifespan of the elevator. In accordance with above features, each HE300 lift is certified with Safety Integrity Level 3, which is the body that certifies safety of nuclear plants. Addressing the launch Press Conference Mr. Vimal Babu, National Sales Head, Elite Elevators said, "ThyssenKrupp Access has always been a trendsetter in home elevator industry; this elevator is destined to change the face of elevator market in India."

This experience center also showcases their award winning Flow 2A stair lift, which too is functional for users to check how it operates. One will be amazed by the patented 'swivel technology' which is used in these chairlifts. As mentioned by Mr. Vimal Babu, "The sole purpose of launching this experience center is to give our customers the first-hand look and feel of our products." This is the first step in Thyssenkrupp's endeavour to expand its presence across country. Elite Elevators is planning to launch multiple such experience centers across India in near future, where one can easily step into the World of Home Elevators.

About Thyssenkrupp Access Ltd.:

Thyssenkrupp is a 200+ year old German goliath, with its wings spread across multiple sectors like automobile, steel, elevation, etc. They generate revenue of around $44 billion annually and are pioneers of technology and innovation in multiple sectors. In 2018, Thyssenkrupp officially established themselves as No. 1 Home Elevator selling Company. Established in 2002, Thyssenkrupp Elevator (India) installs, maintains and modernizes elevators and escalators in India and Bangladesh. They have a strong presence in various segments, such as residential, office and infrastructure.

TVS Motor Invests US$3.85 M in TagBox as Part of Series A Funding

TVS Motor Company has invested US$3.85 Million in TagBox, a supply chain IIoT and Machine Learning platform company as part of its Series A funding round. This round was entirely led by TVS Motor Company Limited and its Singapore based Subsidiary, TVS Motor (Singapore) Pte. Limited

Rajesh Narasimhan, Board Member of TVS Motor Company and CEO of TVS Motor (Singapore) quoted “We evaluated many companies providing IoT solutions in the Supply Chain and logistics space and found TagBox’s product offerings and solutions to be an unique blend of IoT, Machine Learning and close-loop AI. Their ability to help organizations monitor, predict and prevent SKU health risk in the supply chain is a clear differentiator. We are happy to invest in and strategically partner TagBox as they continue to pursue bottomline impact for Fortune 1000 companies by improving their supply chain processes while leveraging them for our own group businesses. Our current investment in Tagbox is part of the initial set of investments being made in strategically relevant digital startups.”

“Organizations across the globe are increasingly adopting IoT and Machine Learning solutions to improve their supply chains and operations. We are excited that TVS Motor’s worldwide operations and experiences will help make our product and value proposition stronger and highly differentiated”, said Adarsh Kumar, CEO of TagBox. Adarsh further added, “We have already delivered ROI from our IoT based predictive insights solutions for leading Retail, E-commerce, Pharma, F&B, Dairy and Manufacturing companies in India and APAC. We believe it is now time to scale our product globally.”

TagBox plans to use the funds to strengthen product innovation and R&D while expanding its global footprint. TagBox will continue to invest in their BoxLens and AssetLens platforms and develop new predictive analytics and automation solutions to solve various customer use cases.

upGrad Sees 6X Increase in Gross Revenue in a Span of 2 Years; Targets Over Rs 250 Crore Revenue in FY20

upGrad witnessed a 113% jump in its gross revenue from Rs 57 crore in FY 18 to Rs 121 crore in FY 19. The robust financials have helped upGrad to consolidate its position as the largest online higher education company in the country, basis gross revenue generated from Indian market in just 3 years of its operations.

With a learner base of over 300K, upGrad saw a strong uptake for its educational courses from working professionals as well as corporates. The company expects to cross Rs 250 crore gross revenue in FY 20, with a significant contribution from its college business, which is expected to grow 15X.

Currently upGrad has a strength of over 400 employees and plans to add 100+ employees in FY 20. The company has strengthened its senior leadership team with an aim to capitalise on the potential opportunities in the online education sector. With over 16 years of experience across corporate & retail banking, consumer internet / e-commerce and fintech, Abhishek Arora has joined upGrad as the Chief Business Officer – Consumer Business. The company has also brought in Kushal Dev Kashyap from Byju’s to Head Direct Sales and with 18 years of experience Tanya Ahluwalia joins as Vice President - Brand Marketing.  Rahul Karthikeyan, who was earlier with Wavemaker, has joined as the Head of Digital Marketing.


During FY 19 upGrad took several steps to democratise education and skill building in India:

·         Consolidated its position as a leading company in the online learning space with the aqui-hire of Acadview’s team

·         Launched first ever skill building and learning programme for college students, helping them to take the first step towards building their careers

·         Partnered with HDFC Life Insurance to introduce a comprehensive Post Graduate Program in Life Insurance, with 100% job guarantee on successful course completion

·         Introduced first of its kind fully online Master’s Degree Program in Data Science in India in collaboration with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU)

Ronnie Screwvala and Mayank Kumar, Co-founders, upGrad, said, “Lifelong learning, that can have a tangible impact on career, is the new mantra and the need of the hour for all working professionals; Online education offers these professionals a platform to upskill at their own convenience. Over the last two years upGrad has grown over 100% every year, which further establishes the scope and opportunity for digital learning in India. upGrad has developed a holistic digital education experience for working professionals and college students for upskilling and reskilling. We will continue this growth momentum and are particularly excited with the potential in the college segment.”

upGrad widened its communication reach with marketing spends of over Rs 100 crore to launch a marketing campaign and roped in Vicky Kaushal as the brand ambassador.

Since its inception upGrad has introduced 35 programs in the areas of data science, technology and management and has a paid learner base of 13K. upGrad learners have witnessed ~46% increase in their salaries post compleition of programs. It has partnered with leading academic institutes like BITS Pilani, IIIT-Bangalore, Cambridge Judge Business School of Executive Education and MICA to develop its course content. The company has collaborations with some of industry’s best like Google, Flipkart, Gramener, Oyo to create a cohesive and practical learning experience.

Linux Experience Opens to Every Enterprise, Every Cloud and Every Workload with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

From bare-metal servers and Linux containers to public and private clouds, the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform drives new levels of intelligence, automation and developer productivity, delivering a more consistent business foundation

Red Hat, Inc, the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the general availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, the operating system designed to span the breadth of deployments across enterprise IT. For any workload running on any environment, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 delivers one enterprise Linux experience to meet the unique technology needs of evolving enterprises. From deploying new Linux workloads into production to launching digital transformation strategies, the next-generation enterprise is built on top of the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is the operating system redesigned for the hybrid cloud era and built to support the workloads and operations that stretch from enterprise datacenters to multiple public clouds. Red Hat understands that the operating system should do more than simply exist as part of a technology stack; it should be the catalyst for innovation. From Linux containers and hybrid cloud to DevOps and artificial intelligence (AI), Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is built to not just support enterprise IT in the hybrid cloud, but to help these new technology strategies thrive.

As the importance of hybrid cloud and multicloud deployments grow, the operating system must evolve as well. According to IDC[1], 70 percent of customers already deploy multicloud environments and 64 percent of applications in a typical IT portfolio today are based in a cloud environment, whether public or private. Red Hat views the operating system as the keystone to this IT innovation and more, especially as Red Hat Enterprise Linux is poised to impact more than $10 trillion in global business revenues in 2019[2], according to a Red Hat-sponsored IDC study.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Intelligent Linux for the hybrid cloud
For more than 15 years, Red Hat has helped enterprises innovate on Linux, first in their datacenters and now across the hybrid cloud. As datacenters grow in scale and scope and workload complexity builds, the skills required to deploy and maintain Linux-based production systems become increasingly critical. With the announcement of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, this intelligence and expertise is now built-in to Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions by default with Red Hat Insights, delivering Red Hat’s Linux expertise as-a-service.

Red Hat Insights helps proactively identify and remediate IT issues, from security vulnerabilities to stability problems. It uses predictive analytics based on Red Hat’s vast knowledge of open technologies to help administrators avoid problems and unplanned downtime in production environments.

Managing systems dispersed across a variety of on-premise and cloud-based infrastructure can present a significant challenge to IT organizations. Red Hat Smart Management, a layered add-on for Red Hat Enterprise Linux, helps IT teams gain the benefits of hybrid cloud computing while minimizing its inherent management complexities. Combining Red Hat Satellite for on-premise systems management and cloud management services for distributed Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments, Red Hat Smart Management provides rich capabilities to manage, patch, configure and provision Red Hat Enterprise Linux deployments across the hybrid cloud.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Blazing a faster path to modern applications
To meet evolving business demands, IT organizations are looking to new workloads, from artificial intelligence (AI) to the Internet-of-Things (IoT), to drive competitive advantages in crowded marketplaces. Linux provides the innovative muscle to power these differentiated services, but only Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 delivers this innovation along with a hardened code base, extensive security updates, award-winning support and a vast ecosystem of tested and validated supporting technologies.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has always been known as a stable and secure foundation for applications. However, in the past it was hard to get the most up-to-date languages and frameworks that developers wanted without compromising that stability. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 introduces Application Streams - fast-moving languages, frameworks and developer tools are updated frequently in this stream without impacting the core resources that have made Red Hat Enterprise Linux an enterprise benchmark. This melds faster developer innovation with production stability in a single, enterprise-class operating system.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8: Introducing a world of opportunity for everyone
Linux continues to be the number one operating system for developers building the next generation of enterprise applications. As these applications move into production, stability, enhanced security and testing/certification on existing hardware and environments become paramount needs. This shifts the onus from developers to operations teams and, paired with the trend of Linux being looked to as a primary platform for production applications, makes Linux administration and management skills critical for modern datacenters. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is designed to lower the barrier to entry for Linux, enabling greater accessibility for Windows administrators, Linux beginners and new systems administrators without fear of the command line.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 abstracts away many of the deep complexities of granular sysadmin tasks behind the Red Hat Enterprise Linux web console. The console provides an intuitive, consistent graphical interface for managing and monitoring Red Hat Enterprise Linux system, from the health of virtual machines to overall system performance. To further improve ease of use, Red Hat Enterprise Linux supports in-place upgrades, providing a more streamlined, efficient and timely path for users to convert Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 instances to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 systems.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 also includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Roles, which automate many of the more complex tasks around managing and configuring Linux in production. Powered by Red Hat Ansible Automation, System Roles are pre-configured Ansible modules that enable ready-made automated workflows for handling common, complex sysadmin tasks. This automation makes it easier for new systems administrators to adopt Linux protocols and helps to eliminate human error as the cause of common configuration issues.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux: Enabling the world of possibilities without sacrificing security
IT innovation is rooted in open source, with Linux often serving as the catalyst for major advancements in enterprise technology, from Linux containers and Kubernetes to serverless and AI. Backed by a more secure, hardened open source supply chain, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 helps pave the way for IT organizations to adopt production-ready innovation by deploying only the necessary packages for specific workloads. This enhances the adoption of emerging technologies while helping to minimize potential risk.

To enhance security, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 supports the OpenSSL 1.1.1 and TLS 1.3 cryptographic standards. This provides access to some of the strongest, latest standards in cryptographic protection that can be implemented system-wide via a single command, limiting the need for application-specific policies and tuning.

With cloud-native applications and services frequently driving digital transformation, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 delivers full support for the Red Hat container toolkit. Based on open standards, the toolkit provides technologies for creating, running and sharing containerized applications. It helps to streamline container development and eliminates the need for bulky, less secure container daemons.

Every datacenter. Every cloud. Every application.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 drives a thriving partner ecosystem, as is expected of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, encompassing thousands of certified applications, Linux container images, hardware configurations and cloud providers. Building on the deep collaborations forged by Red Hat with other IT leaders and through extensive testing, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 drives added value for specific hardware configurations and workloads, including the Arm and POWER architectures as well as real-time applications and SAP solutions.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 forms the foundation for Red Hat’s entire hybrid cloud portfolio, starting with Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform 4 and the upcoming Red Hat OpenStack Platform 15. Also built on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is the forthcoming Red Hat Enterprise Linux CoreOS, a minimal footprint operating system designed to host Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform deployments.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 is also broadly supported as a guest operating system on Red Hat hybrid cloud infrastructure, including Red Hat OpenShift 4, Red Hat OpenStack Platform 15 and Red Hat Virtualization 4.3.

The launch of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 also coincides with the general availability of the Red Hat Universal Base Image, a userspace image derived from Red Hat Enterprise Linux for building Red Hat certified Linux containers. The Red Hat Universal Base Image is available to all developers with or without a Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscription, providing a more secure and reliable foundation for building enterprise-ready containerized applications. Applications built with the Universal Base Image can be run anywhere with the benefits of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux life cycle and support from Red Hat when run on Red Hat Enterprise Linux or Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform.

Press webcast
Red Hat will host a press conference live from Red Hat Summit at 11 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 8. Following remarks, press and analysts are invited to participate in a live question and answer session.

To register for the press conference or view the replay after the event, visit https://onlinexperiences.com/Launch/QReg/ShowUUID=45D50AF9-7E2C-4F8C-8606-B85EBDA927AC

Supporting Quotes

Paul Cormier, president, Products and Technologies, Red Hat

“Over the past two decades, we’ve seen Linux grow from a niche operating system to a default for enterprise datacenters. Red Hat Enterprise Linux has been at the forefront of this evolution, supporting nearly every workload and enterprise IT environment that our partners and customers can conceive. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 continues this work, but delivers more than just production-ready Linux; it provides a catalyst for innovation at cloud-scale. ”

Stefanie Chiras, vice president and general manager, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Red Hat

“Innovation and Linux are inseparable - from building the Internet’s backbone to forming the first neurons of AI, Linux drives IT’s present and future. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 embraces the role of Linux as IT’s innovation engine, crystallizing it into an accessible, trusted and more secure platform. Spanning the entirety of the hybrid cloud, the world’s leading enterprise Linux platform provides a catalyst for IT organizations to do more than simply meet today’s challenges; it gives them the foundation and tools to launch their own future, wherever they want it to be.”

Fabio Martinez, senior manager, Architecture & Global Deployment, BBVA

“As we work to digitally transform our company to provide more services faster to our customers, we still need to have a stable, more secure operating system underpinning our IT environment. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 emphasizes providing innovation along with hardened code and security updates, key characteristics for us as we build our cloud-native strategy with Red Hat’s hybrid cloud technologies, including Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform.”

Jim Nauer, IT engineer, Case Western Reserve University

"Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 Application Streams will allow us to provide our researchers an OS platform with not only an enterprise support lifecycle, but also access to up-to-date languages and tools in a way that interoperates easily with third-party source code."

Tibor Incze, technical lead, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Datacom Systems Ltd.

“The capacity for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 to not only run multiple versions of the same application or database on a specific operating system but to also have a clear and efficient way to manage them is a significant benefit to Datacom and our customers. As we continue to execute on our internal DevOps strategy, we’re also pleased to see improved container capabilities in the operating system and extensive automation, all factors that will help us bring differentiated services to our end users.”

Kevin Ichhpurani, corporate vice president, Partners Ecosystem, Google Cloud

“Google Cloud and Red Hat are deepening our collaboration to enable enterprise-grade solutions for customers with the availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 on Google Cloud. We’re excited to bring together our innovative technologies and services to help even more businesses gain the benefits of cloud.”

Arvind Krishna, senior vice president, Cloud and Cognitive Software, IBM

“As companies enter the next phase of their cloud journey, they need a hybrid cloud strategy that incorporates their own data centers with multiple private and public clouds in an open and secure way. IBM and Red Hat have been working together for more than 20 years to drive innovation through open source, first with IBM serving as an early supporter of Linux, helping to develop and grow it for the enterprise, and more recently to bring Kubernetes and hybrid cloud solutions to customers.”

Ashish Nadkarni, group vice president, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group, IDC

“Enterprises need to build and modernize their infrastructure upon a more secure, stable, high-performing platform. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the foundation for the enterprise hybrid cloud, designed to scale to meet the needs of organizations today and tomorrow with the same user experience regardless of the underlying infrastructure.”

John Gossman, distinguished engineer, Microsoft Azure

“We have seen growth in applications being deployed using Red Hat Enterprise Linux on Azure, including Microsoft SQL Server, for cloud-native, hybrid, and cloud migration scenarios. We’re excited to see what customers will create with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 on Azure with continued integrated support from Microsoft and Red Hat, as well as the operating system’s new capabilities to build applications for workloads like AI.”

Arlen Shenkman, executive vice president, Global Business Development and Ecosystems, SAP

“Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 for SAP Solutions offers high availability capabilities, which are important for SAP workloads, and downtime is unacceptable for business critical applications such as S/4HANA. For more than two decades, we've worked with Red Hat on maintaining a stable, open foundation for SAP applications, helping our customers make smarter decisions, faster, across the hybrid cloud.”

Jason Beard, senior Linux administrator, Stream (Stream Energy)

“The energy market is complex and highly competitive, especially when it comes to being able to deliver updated information as quickly as possible to our customers. As an existing Red Hat Enterprise Linux user, the in-place upgrade capabilities of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 provide an opportunity for us to continue answering customer demand without taking systems offline to upgrade the operating system. We are also very interested in the container capabilities presented by Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8, especially as our development environment continues to evolve to drive additional business value.”

3i Infotech’s MFund Plus Suite Bags the Renowned IMC Digital Technology Award 2018

3i Infotech Limited, a global Information Technology company recently bagged the prestigious IMC Digital Technology Award 2018, for its globally established Investment Management solutions suite, MFund Plus. The award was presented to the company at an event held at The St. Regis, Palladium, Mumbai.

3i Infotech’s product MFund Plus suite is a multi-currency enabled web based application, designed to cater to the end-to-end operational requirements of global asset and portfolio managers. It is listed in the Oracle Cloud Market place and uses technologies like cloud and mobility. Inherent with smart features, MFund® Plus ensures regulatory compliance and provides insights that drive intelligent and informed decisions.

Speaking on receiving the prestigious award, Mr. Rakesh Doshi, EVP & Business Head, 3i Infotech said, “We are delighted to have received such a prestigious award among luminaries within the industry. With the aim to lead digital transformation for Indian enterprises in India & globally, we are expanding and constantly re-inventing ourselves. We are seeking to carve our future as a clear digital engineering partner, and hence all our solution offerings are aimed to help ready our customers and enterprises in adapting to the rapidly evolving digital transformation worldwide.”

The IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an apex Chamber of trade, commerce and industry which has relentlessly pursued the agenda of driving Indian businesses with the single minded focus of sustainable growth. The IMC Digital Technology Awards series recognizes and rewards the accomplishments of IT companies and the End Users of IT for technological solutions, applications and improvements that have transformed business.

Nerolac Continues to Transform Lives with “Royal Challengers Bangalore”

The brand will allocate an amount equivalent to Man of the Match presented for all home matches as a grant. Allocated grant to be used for skilling of unemployed youth in Karnataka with the help of local NGO Vimochana Sangha

Staying true to its commitment of supporting skill development initiatives and to inculcate the spirit of performance amongst youth, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL), one of the leading paint companies in India, in association with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) announced its unique initiative - ‘Man of the Match’ (MoM) Grant in Bengaluru today.

Kansai Nerolac Paints is one of the team sponsor’s for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The event witnessed Mr. Peeyush Bachlaus, GM – Marketing, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd., Mr. Sanjeev Churiwala, Chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore and RCB’s star players handing over a cheque of INR 700,000 to Mr. Basavaprabhu Patil of the NGO, Vimochana Sangha, an organization which works towards the cause of skill building and creating livelihood opportunities for the unemployed youth in the state of Karnataka. 

Furthermore, a captivating documentary highlighting the fruition of Kansai Nerolac’s skill development initiatives at the grassroots level in the remote villages of Uttarakhand and Sikkim west, were showcased at the event.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Peeyush Bachlaus, GM – Marketing, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd. said, “At Nerolac, we believe that livelihood and skill enhancement is imperative to driving the growth trajectory and development of our country. This became even more critical to us when we made a small beginning by visiting remote parts of our country as part of our skill development programme. Majority of our current population comprises of the youth who are eager to learn and waiting to realise their potential. Our Man of the Match grant is inspired by these thoughts and aids in empowering the youth and transforming their lives by enhancing their skills through classroom and practical training by our experts. We remain committed to this cause and look forward to taking this initiative to many more parts of the country.” 

The MoM Grant will match the Man of the Match amount presented in each of the home games played by Royal Challengers Bangalore, amounting to a sum of INR 700,000 cumulatively.

Mr. Basavaprabhu Patil, Vimochana Sangha commented, “Kansai Nerolac’s ‘Man of the Match’ grant is a great initiative. We are pleased that the grant is allocated to the unemployed youth of Karnataka for their skill development this time around. We are sure that such a step will go a long way in helping them develop livelihood earning capabilities and transforming their lives for the better.”

Mr. Sanjeev Churiwala, Chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore said, “Skill development in all walks of life, be it sports, painting or any other vocational programmes is the need of the hour. It helps in channelizing the energy of our youth in the right direction and can even lead to livelihood opportunities. Nerolac’s strong impetus to drive skill development helps ensure the availability of skilled workforce and development of communities as a whole. We are proud to share this skill development platform with our team sponsor Kansai Nerolac.”

Land Rover Announces Sale of Locally Made Range Rover Velar

Jaguar Land Rover India announced the start of sale of the locally manufactured Range Rover Velar with prices starting from INR 72.47 Lakh in India. Available in two powertrains, 2.0 l Petrol (184 kW) and 2.0 l Diesel (132 kW), the locally manufactured Velar offers a seamless blend of reductionism and elegance The Velar’s local manufacturing will now enable Jaguar Land Rover India to gain a competitive edge within the Indian luxury SUV segment.

Rohit Suri, President & Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover India Ltd. (JLRIL), said:
“Since its launch in 2018, the Range Rover Velar has received an overwhelming response from customers across the country. Now, with the introduction of the locally manufactured Range Rover Velar, we are able to offer this iconic, award winning product at a very attractive and compelling price than before. This will enable more Range Rover fans in India to own and drive this striking, good looking and distinctive vehicle.”

AESTHETIC APPEAL REDEFINED

The Range Rover Velar has optimised proportions that beautifully harmonise automotive refinement, elegance and modernity. The powerful volumes of the vehicle’s front end, visible through a flowing, continuous waistline that culminates into a taut and elegantly tapered rear, exhibits the Velar’s proud Range Rover lineage. The Range Rover Velar sports a distinctive design, owing to a mix of striking features like All-LED lights, deployable flush door handles and integrated rear spoiler on the exterior. Collectively, these features drape the Velar with a compelling design that also translates into improved aerodynamic efficiency.

EMPOWERED WITH TECHNOLOGY

The interiors host the revolutionary Touch Pro Duo technology, which enhances the Velar’s assertion of luxury and innovation. Further elevating this high-tech character is the presence of two seamlessly integrated 25.4 cm (10) Touchscreens and minimalist controls as standard. Interactive Driver Display allows access to a vast amount of driving information and active safety data. It allows viewing of the full screen map, as well as usage of phone and control of other media.

The vehicle also stays true to Land Rover’s luxurious pedigree of unparalleled capability under any circumstance, owing to the state-of-the-art All Terrain Progress Control (ATPC) system. This enables the driver to maintain a steady speed in challenging conditions that entail slippery surfaces like mud, wet grass and dirt roads, thus enabling a sense of luxurious refinement through seamless composure and control.

LUXURIOUS REFINEMENT

The Range Rover Velar’s interior design architecture comprises of strong, elegant horizontal lines that complement its high-tech features. The configurable ambient interior lighting, sliding panoramic roof, four zone climate control and the elevated sports command position enhances the driving experience by an appreciable margin. The Activity Key wristband promotes the ease of accessibility, which negates the need to carry the conventional key fob.

Land Rover Product Portfolio in India

The Land Rover range in India includes the Discovery Sport (starting at ₹ 44.68 Lakh), Range Rover Evoque (starting at ₹ 52.06 Lakh), All-New Discovery (starting at ₹ 76.94 Lakh), the New Range Rover Velar (starting at ₹ 72.47 Lakh), Range Rover Sport (starting at ₹ 103.74 Lakh)  and Range Rover (starting at ₹ 181.86 Lakh) . All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Jaguar Land Rover Retailer Network in India

Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are available in India through 26 authorised outlets in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Karnal, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai, Nagpur, Noida, Pune, Raipur, Vijayawada and Surat. 

Adani Group Commits Rs. 25 Crore to Odisha for Rehabilitation in the Aftermath of ‘Fani’

Adani Group has committed INR 25 crore to the Odisha Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, to support the people affected by the recent spate of devastating cyclone, ‘Fani’. Demonstrating its philosophy to work with people and partners for upliftment of communities, Adani Group will extend full support to the government’s rehabilitation efforts towards the affected areas of Odisha.

Speaking to media persons, Karan Adani, CEO, Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone said, “We are deeply pained by the devastation caused by Cyclone Fani in Odisha. The Adani Group stands united with the state administration and the people of Odisha during this hour of despair. For immediate relief, we commit to contribute INR 25 crore to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Going forward, we also plan to provide key resources for the massive rehabilitation work underway. We want to reassure the people of Odisha that the Adani Group will work shoulder to shoulder to rebuild this beautiful state.”

The Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL), a 100% subsidiary of Adani Ports and SEZ, is situated between Haldia and Paradeep. After receiving the forecast regarding the landfall of cyclone Fani from IMD; officials of DPCL met Sarpanches of adjoining Gram Panchayats and assured all support in case of any eventuality.

To minimise the impact from the cyclone, Adani Group had engaged all resources to ensure the safety of their staff and clients. Arrangements for medical support, dry relief, restoration of communication, drainage and providing specialised marine services; was placed on priority. As a safety measure people from areas likely to be hit by the cyclone were shifted to the Adani DAV School.

In the ongoing rehabilitation work, Dhamra Port Company Limited (DPCL) is coordinating with government officials and their on ground staff for distribution of food, water and medical supplies.

CSS Corp Secures a Win for Best Use of Emerging Technologies at IMC Digital Technology Awards

CSS Corp, a new-age IT services and technology support company, recently bagged the SmartTech Award under the “Best Use of Emerging Technologies” category at IMC’s Digital Technology Awards. The event was hosted by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry at St. Regis Marriott Hotel in Mumbai. The company was recognized for its innovative adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Customer Service Management.

CSS Corp’s homegrown customer experience solution helps simplify complex business processes and streamlines customer life cycle management. By using artificial intelligence, the solution leverages real-time data to effectively deliver personalized and context driven customer engagement. Additionally, in a customer support ecosystem, CSS Corp’s platform uses AI and analytics to identify issues, analyze the best course of action and guide customers through specific solutions.

Speaking about the win, Manish Tandon, Chief Executive Officer, said,” It is an honor to be recognized for our innovation in digital capabilities and excellence. This accolade strongly reaffirms our expertise and nimbleness in understanding our customers’ needs and delivering fulfilling experiences through cutting edge technologies. We will continue to invest in using emerging and agile technologies to further innovate, and empower businesses to achieve their business outcomes while delivering unparalleled customer satisfaction.”