Ratan Tata: Entrepreneurial Creativity Needs to Adapt to Changing Needs of the Country & Globe

Ratan Tata, at the backdrop of TechSparks 2020 today, addressed entrepreneurs on the changing needs and times of a developing nation. Shining a spotlight on key issues in India and the world must contend with including humanitarian crises, hunger and global food shortage as well as advancements in space-age technologies and advanced electronics. 

“We know we're not doing it for ourselves, we're doing it for the enjoyment of doing something that hasn't been done before, but more importantly, meeting the needs of either the country or the planet as a whole,” Mr. Ratan Tata via video said, signing off the event. “While innovation and creativity are the corner stones of entrepreneurship, guiding entrepreneurs to the changing needs of the country is critical,” he added.

Mr. Tata ended his address by making a call for humility among entrepreneurs and asked them to introspect on how they can make a difference, not just in valuation but also to humanity and the human population.

Appended below is the link to Mr. Ratan Tata’s entire address at Tech Sparks 2020:

Keynote: Ratan Tata | TechSparks 2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQhb1g9WgWU

Elkem Selects Icertis to Reduce Risk and Stay Out in Front with Contract Intelligence

Icertis, the contract intelligence company that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM), announced today that Elkem, a global leader in fully integrated silicone manufacturing, has selected the Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform to digitally transform its global commercial and supply chain contracting processes and ensure compliance. By unifying and connecting vital contract information with other enterprise systems, Elkem will gain critical insights into its supplier and customer relationships in order to accelerate its business and reduce risk.

Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, Elkem is one of the world’s leading companies in the environmentally responsible of metals and materials. With over 6,700 employees located at 31 productions sites and an extensive network of sales offices around the world, the company was looking for contract management software that could support both its process and discrete manufacturing businesses. Elkem needed a system that could connect vital contract information to its people and processes in order to increase the quality of insight and decision making while reducing risk and ensuring compliance.

“Our mission at Elkem is to contribute to a sustainable future by providing advanced silicon, silicones and carbon solutions, and adoption of new digital capabilities is a central part of our strategy,” said Marg Goldberg, General Counsel, Elkem. “We saw significant opportunity to compete more effectively in our global markets by connecting the data in our contracts to commercial and supply chain systems. Icertis’ advanced capabilities will drive analytic-based decision making and additional commercial opportunities as we continue to grow.”

Elkem selected Icertis for its ability to integrate with core business platforms including Salesforce, SAP ECC, Infor M3 and the company’s supplier relationship management system. To provide a seamless lead-to-contract process for its commercial organization, Elkem has added the ICI Experience for Salesforce so that its teams can create, view, approve, and collaborate on contracts within the customer relationship management (CRM) environment their sales teams use every day.

To reduce risk and improve agility in its supplier onboarding process, Elkem will use the ICI Sourcing application as well as the recently launched ICI Supplier Onboarding and Diversity Compliance application. The ICI Sourcing application places contracts at the center of the sourcing process to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and to get a complete view of supplier relationships. The Supplier Onboarding and Diversity Compliance application will enable Elkem to quickly evaluate suppliers and rapidly onboard them, while providing collaboration capabilities to ensure suppliers are compliant with organizational and customer policies, including supplier diversity initiatives.

“We are excited to empower Elkem with the high-value contract insights they need to develop the advanced materials that will shape our future,” said Samir Bodas, CEO and Co-founder of Icertis. “Manufacturing companies around the world are recognizing the need for a contract intelligence platform that allows them to act on all their contracts organization-wide, so the intent of every contract is fully realized. The ICI platform structures and connects contracts to business processes to create substantial strategic advantage now and into the future.”

The recent disruption to global trade caused by the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing manufacturers to reevaluate their commercial and supply chain systems to meet changing customer and marketplace demands. Icertis is the trusted partner for global manufacturing corporations embracing the need for real-time visibility into the relationships defined by their contracts. Elkem joins the growing roster of manufacturers including Airbus, BASF, Daimler AG, Rheem, Saint Gobain, Vertiv, and others that have deployed the ICI platform.

For more information about Icertis, visit www.icertis.com.

About Icertis

With unmatched technology and category-defining innovation, Icertis pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with contract lifecycle management (CLM). The AI-powered, analyst-validated Icertis Contract Intelligence (ICI) platform turns contracts from static documents into strategic advantage by structuring and connecting the critical contract information that defines how an organization runs. Today, the world’s most iconic brands and disruptive innovators trust Icertis to fully realize the intent of their combined 7.5 million+ contracts worth more than $1 trillion, in 40+ languages and 90+ countries.

ASM Technologies Limited Announces Acquisition of Semcon’s India Delivery Centre

ASM Technologies Limited (ASM) (BSE: ASMTEC), a global Engineering and Product R&D company, today announced its acquisition of Semcon’s offshore delivery centre in India. Semcon headquartered in Sweden is an international technology company that help their customers in transforming technology into excellent user experiences by uniting premium physical and digital solutions.

ASM has over two decades built expertise in the semiconductor, hi-tech, automotive and medical industries while Semcon works with a large number of clients in the automotive industry, energy and life science sectors. With the acquisition, ASM Technologies will benefit from a combined talent pool with domain expertise in diverse industry verticals. In particular, ASM will build both scale and competence, relevant to the automotive industry as it transitions to new propulsion systems and ever-increasing levels of driver assistance and autonomy.

ASM and Semcon have also entered into a Global Cooperation Agreement to provide Semcon continued access to India’s unrivalled scale and capability base for Engineering Services. Pursuant to the agreement, ASM will also deliver services to the Scandinavian market leveraging Semcon’s customer-facing team. Both the companies will collaborate to scale by reciprocal access to a combined talent pool and strong capabilities in key areas such as Product Design and R&D, Embedded and Electronics, Value Engineering, Digital Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering.

Talking about the announcements, Rabindra Srikantan, Managing Director, ASM Technologies Limited, said, “The acquisition further strengthens our proposition for our clients while providing us with the additional scale and growth. We want to take this opportunity to welcome Semcon India employees into our fold and supporting us in our growth. The global agreement is a win-win deal since both the companies complement each other well in terms of respective capabilities and market leadership. We are eager to be joining forces with Semcon to accelerate innovation at scale for customers in existing and new markets.”

“Our activities in India need to be scaled up in order to ensure delivery capacity and long-term profitability. We have reviewed different options to strengthen the operations in India. Instead of doing so organically, we have chosen to divest the operations to ASM Technologies, which already has a strong presence in India. At the same time, we have entered into a strategic cooperation agreement. This enhances value for our customers while allowing us to create the conditions to focus on other prioritized growth areas,” says Markus Granlund, President and CEO of Semcon.

About ASM Technologies

ASM Technologies Limited is a publicly listed company in India. With over two decades of experience, ASM has been supporting customers in the areas of Engineering Services, Product R&D and Manufacturing engineering. ASM has multiple delivery locations in India with a global presence in USA, Singapore, UK, Canada, Japan, Thailand, China and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.asmltd.com and read more.

About Semcon

Semcon is an international technology company that develops products based on human needs and behaviours. We strengthen our customers’ competitiveness by always starting from the end user, because the person who knows most about the user’s needs creates the best products and the clearest benefits to humans. Semcon collaborates mainly with companies in the automotive, industry, energy and life science sectors. With more than 1,800 specialised employees, Semcon has the ability to take care of the entire product development cycle, from strategy and technology development to design and product information. Semcon was founded in Sweden in 1980 and has offices in over 30 locations in seven different countries. In 2019, the Group reported annual sales of SEK 1.9 billion. 

GIGAnet From Vi Is The Most Consistent And Fastest 4G Network In India: Ookla

Close on the heels of the launch of GIGAnet from Vi, Ookla - the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications, has verified it as the most consistent and fastest 4G network across India. As per Ookla, Vi delivered the fastest 4G Download and Upload speeds compared to all other operators for the July to September 2020 period.

The most consistent and fastest 4G network verification is based on analysis by Ookla of tests taken with Speedtest by 4G users across the country.

GIGAnet from Vi has been verified as the fastest 4G network, with the highest download and upload speeds in some of the top states like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Delhi, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Assam and other states of North East. GIGAnet has topped the speed charts in 120 key cities across the country including major cities of Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Indore, Rajkot, Agra, Kochi as well as the metros of Mumbai, Delhi NCR and Kolkata, among others.

Speaking about the accomplishment, Ravinder Takkar, MD & CEO, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “Our network helps us be a champion of Digital India, enabling us to power the hyper-connected needs of the digital consumers. GIGAnet from Vi is a world-class network with the largest spectrum portfolio, huge capacity, and built on many principles of 5G architecture, enabling the delivery of a superior network connectivity and digital experience for individual and enterprise customers. This recognition by Ookla is a validation of our concentrated efforts to build a future ready network with investments in latest technology deployments and the world’s largest network consolidation.”

VIL has done one of the largest AI-powered ma-MIMO deployments in India with 12,000+ installations and the world’s largest DSR deployment across key markets doubling capacities and substantially increasing speeds despite higher usage in recent times. 

Vodafone Idea’s 4G population coverage now reaches nearly 1 billion Indians. GIGAnet is the result of the largest network integration completed in record time and the first-of-its-kind spectrum reframing exercise in the world. GIGAnet has India’s largest deployment of universal cloud, making it the strongest, future-ready, new-age, dynamic network of these times, to accommodate the enormous amount of data traffic that the post Covid world has seen.

The latest verification by Ookla comes on the back of fastest 4G network verifications for GIGAnet across various circles over the preceding quarters.

About Vodafone Idea Limited

Vodafone Idea Limited is an Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Group partnership. It is India’s leading telecom service provider. The Company provides pan India Voice and Data services across 2G, 3G and 4G platform. With the large spectrum portfolio to support the growing demand for data and voice, the company is committed to deliver delightful customer experiences and contribute towards creating a truly ‘Digital India’ by enabling millions of citizens to connect and build a better tomorrow. The Company is developing infrastructure to introduce newer and smarter technologies, making both retail and enterprise customers future ready with innovative offerings, conveniently accessible through an ecosystem of digital channels as well as extensive on-ground presence. The Company is listed on National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) in India.

Airtel IQ will Help Businesses Drive Deeper Customer Engagement Through Seamless and Secure Cloud Communication

 

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest integrated telecommunications company, marked its entry into the fast-growing cloud communications market with the launch of Airtel IQtoday.    

Airtel IQ, a cloud-based omni-channel communications platform, enables brands to deepen engagement with customers through timely and secure communication.  Take for example a customer ordering food through an online platform and calling the delivery agent to find out the status of her order. The entire communication is orchestrated seamlessly and securely over Airtel IQ. The communication is encrypted and all mobile/telephone numbers are masked.  

A true game changer in the Indian enterprise communication segment, Airtel IQ eliminates the need for multiple communication platforms for different channels. With just a slice of code, businesses can embed communication services such as Voice, SMS, IVR in their applications and digital properties across desktop and mobile, all through a unified platform. For more details www.Airtel.in/iq 

Airtel IQ has been fully developed by Airtel’s in-house engineering teams and highlights the company’s growing digital prowess to deliver world-class solutions. Natively integrated into telco grade infrastructure and architected by top digital talent, Airtel IQ is robust, secure, cost-efficient and intuitive. 

Many of India’s biggest companies such as Swiggy, Justdial, Urban Company, Havells, Dr. Lal Path Labs and Rapido have signed up as customers for Airtel IQ during the beta phase itself.     

Commenting on Airtel’s latest innovation, Vivek Sunder, COO, Swiggy, said, “Seamless and secure communication between our customers, delivery partners and partner restaurants is key to our service enablement. With Airtel IQ, we have been able to deliver seamless and highly intuitive communication between all parties across our platform in a privacy contained and simplified fashion.”  

Adarsh Nair, Chief Product Officer, Bharti Airtel, meanwhile, had this to say, “At Airtel, we are obsessed with solving customer problems and Airtel IQ is first amongst several game changing products that we will be bringing to the market. Businesses are increasingly looking to cloud-based digital platforms to engage with consumers and Airtel IQ is built to raise the bar when it comes to brands delighting consumers. So, the next time you enjoy shopping online, ordering food from your favourite restaurant or hailing a ride, remember there’s a bit of Airtel IQ in there making it happen seamlessly and safely.”   

The Indian cloud communications market, estimated to be worth USD 1 billion*, is growing close to 20 per cent annually. Airtel is India’s largest player in the B2B connectivity space and serves over one million businesses with an integrated portfolio that includes connectivity, cloud, security and collaboration and data centre solutions. The company is uniquely positioned to capture this large emerging opportunity and be a leading player in this segment.  

*Market size based on Airtel Internal Estimates   

About Airtel 

Headquartered in India, Airtel is a global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa. The company ranks amongst the top three mobile operators globally and its mobile network covers a population of over two billion people. Airtel is India’s largest integrated telecom provider and the second largest mobile operator in Africa. At the end of June 2020, Airtel had approx. 420 mn customers across its operations.  

Airtel’s portfolio includes high speed 4G/4.5G mobile broadband, Airtel Xstream Fiber that promises speeds up to 1Gbps, converged digital TV solutions through the Airtel Xstream 4K Hybrid Box, digital payments through Airtel Payments Bank as well as an integrated suite of services across connectivity, collaboration, cloud and security that serves over one million businesses.   

Airtel’s OTT services include Airtel Thanks app for self-care, Airtel Xstream app for video, Wynk Music for entertainment and Airtel BlueJeans for video conferencing. In addition, Airtel has forged strategic partnerships with hundreds of companies across the world to enable the Airtel platform to deliver an array of consumer and enterprise services. 

Worldline Welcomes Ingenico, Creating a New WorldClass Leader in Payment Service

By combining forces with Ingenico, Worldline will become Europe’s new world-class leader in payment services and joins the league of international payment leaders. Worldline is committed to operating payment solutions that enable viable economic growth and reinforce trust and security in our societies. With its global footprint and its dedication to excellence, innovation and sustainability, Worldline is set to accelerate the development of the European payments industry, further shaping new ways of paying, living and doing business.

Merchants can expect solutions and services that support their growth agenda, and a wider range of digital payment capabilities for operational efficiencies and better customer engagement through: 

State-of-the-art integrated payment solutions

Advanced technology

Enhanced innovation capacities

Extended global footprint

Gilles Grapinet, Chairman and CEO of Worldline, said: “This is a very exciting milestone for Worldline, specifically designed to decidedly reinforce the value proposition of our businesses. Having the scale and now global capabilities, we have reshaped our group entirely in order to support, now more than ever, our clients, merchants and banks in particular, enabling them to rely on state-of-the-art electronic payment services to accelerate their own growth as well as their digital transformation strategy. In doing so, we are more than ever committed to contributing to the sustainable growth of the societies we operate in, while remaining at the highest possible level of social and environmental responsibility. Despite the difficult times we are all facing at the moment, I have never been this confident in the group’s potential and future and in its 20,000 employees.”

Mr. Deepak Chandnani, Managing Director, Worldline South Asia and Middle East said, “The acquisition of Ingenico by Worldline enables us to offer our customers a broader range of innovative solutions both in the physical and online payment space. With the coming together of the two organizations, both of which have a deep knowledge in the payments space, we will be able to serve our customers’ needs more comprehensively and seamlessly as they strive to offer a faster, more secure and frictionless payment experience. Worldline will now become the largest merchant acquirer and payment processor in Europe and is number 4 on a global scale. This deal will also enhance Worldline’s leadership position in India. We remain committed to contributing to the ideal of a less-cash economy and our combined organization will be focused to achieving that goal.”

Yamaha Apparels and Accessories are Now Available on Amazon.in

India Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd. today announced the online availability of its wide range of Apparels & Accessories on the country’s biggest online store, Amazon India. This is for the first time in India that Yamaha will sell its Apparels & Accessories online. With this move, now Yamaha customers and motorcyclists will be able to buy a wide range of accessories and apparels for both motorcycles and scooters in an easy and convenient way through Amazon India. 

Yamaha merchandise on Amazon India will include a wide range of riding apparels such as T-Shirts, Jackets, [refer to the annexure attached]. Besides, the company will also retail other merchandise like Stickers, Key Chains, along with other two-wheeler accessories like Tank Pads, Bike Cover, Seat Cover, USB Mobile Charger, Engine Guard, Skid Plate, Frame Slider, Graphic Set, Floor Mats, Scooter Guard Set. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Motofumi Shitara, Chairman, Yamaha Motor India Group of companies said, “We are continuously working to strengthen our online presence in the Indian market and today’s announcement is another step in this direction to connect & communicate with our target audience. Recently we have started “Vehicle online sales”, an online two-wheeler buying platform facilitating the entire range of Yamaha two-wheelers. Now, Yamaha will widen its customer reach for attractive riding apparels and accessories by making all of it available online while at the same time, reaching out to the customers who have not yet associated with Yamaha, thus expanding “The Call of the Blue” campaign. The brand’s endeavor to expand its horizons of sporty and stylish quotient through riding apparels and accessories will help it to fulfil its commitment of creating exciting experiences.”  

Momspresso Celebrates 10 Years, Announces Birthday Bonanza Contest for Bloggers and Vloggers

Momspresso.com, India’s leading platform for women has announced a spectacular contest for bloggers and vloggers to mark its 10th anniversary. The 10th Birthday Bonanza will give mom bloggers and vloggers a chance to win from a kitty of INR 4 lakh and INR 1 lakh respectively. Now that’s B-I-G!

Contest winners will be based on all organic page views garnered between October 10, 2020, and November 20, 2020. The calculation of the winnings will be based on a particular blogger or vlogger’s contribution to the total number of organic page views of their blog or vlog as a percentage of the total organic page views and video views on Momspresso, respectively.

As an additional birthday surprise, Momspresso.com will be considering all organic views received during the contest period for content that has been created during and even prior to the birthday celebration. All participating mums need to do is create a blog/vlog onMomspresso, share their posts– both old and new - with friends, family, and social groups to boost the number of views, and earn based on their contributions to Momspresso.com’s total page views! The earnings will be shared with participants through MyMoney after 90 days of completion of the birthday bonanza.

 Speaking on the contest, Vishal Gupta, Co-Founder & CEO, Momspresso, said, “From MyCity4Kids to Momspresso.com, it has been an entirely incredible and rewarding journey. Since our success is hinged upon the creativity and active participation of all our bloggers and vloggers, this is the perfect opportunity to express our immense gratitude. With the 10th Birthday Bonanza, we are giving our prized users a chance to earn from a kitty of INR 5 lakh based on organic page views, and are extremely excited to see the relatable and fun content which will be created on the back of this contest. Let’s get together and celebrate this milestone with the entire Momspresso.com family!”

 In a bid to help its cherished users make the most of this opportunity, Momspresso.com has also shared tips and tricks to increase organic views through social channels like Facebook and Instagram, and the platform itself. With this contest, Momspresso.com has cemented its stance as a platform that revels in the financial empowerment of Indian mums while providing them a safe space to hone their creativity and express themselves freely among like-minded individuals

About Momspresso.com:

Momspresso.com is India’s largest user-generated content platform for women. The finely-brewed content on Momspresso.com  offers support to moms across the country, not just in their journeys as parents but also in their lives as wives, daughters, and – most importantly – as women! Launched in 2010, Momspresso.com  is based out of Gurgaon, Haryana. The platform attracts users and bloggers to create content on subjects as diverse as conception, pregnancy and baby care, teenage and adolescent issues, beauty, fashion, healthcare, and travel. Momspresso.com  users can quickly set up their own blog and express themselves to like-minded mothers in 10 different languages including English, Hindi, Gujarati, Bengali, Marathi, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Punjabi and Kannada. The brand has now extended its commitment to empowering Moms financially, with the introduction of MyMoney, a simple way to make money by participating in campaigns by brands they love and use.   

Smart Home Trends And How New Age Tech Are Enabling It In India

By Niyati Chander, Cofounder and COO SmartDEN 

‘Smart’ as the word suggests is technology that learns and reduces the effort taken by a human to complete a task, whether it be smart phones, smart watches, or smart TVs. The same concept goes with Smart Homes- this technology understands the usage pattern of the homeowner, reduces the effort one takes and increases the security and safety of the house.

Few years back, the smart home technology was complicated to understand due to the civil work it takes to automate the home. Apart from the wiring that a person needs to do at home, smart devices used a common hub to send information to home gadgets such as lights, fans, switches, and other home devices. All the process made adoption to smart homes/ smart products slow.

In addition to Smart Lights, Smart  Switches and Smart Thermostats, Smart home has seen the following advancements in terms of the technology and availability:

1.      Smart Wi-Fi Products:

Looking into the growth of smart homes, the world market leaders of smart products have started to manufacture products which don’t need hub and are easy to install and control. There has been incorporation of Wi-Fi technology in the smart products which has made it easier for any homeowner to install the easily and use them efficiently. With Wi-Fi technology, devices are now capable to communicate directly to the apps without the help of the hub.

2.      Wi-Fi Mesh Technology:

Along with the Wi-Fi enabled smart products, manufacturers has also taken into consideration the requirements of Wi-Fi mesh technology which can connect multiple IoT products without any glitches. This technology helps in providing maximum coverage in the house and making sure all the products are connected to each other.

3.      Voice Assistant Technology:

Named players in the market has come out with the voice assistant technology which works on people’s voice commands. With the introduction of voice assistants and control systems, a homeowner can easily control his home remotely. Smart Homes have become even more easy to use with Voice assistants being able to understand the contextual speaking of a user that brings in a huge advancement in speech technology.

Due to the technological advancements and better availability of the smart products in the market, the adoption of smart home technology has increased and so has the incorporation of the new age technology in smart products. IoT generates huge amount of data. When we talk about IoT products and smart homes, Machine Learning is a process that will help in innovating a lot of applications and features over and above the existing technologies.

1.      It will help in monitoring the energy consumption of all your smart devices and give a detailed report of energy consumption habits. The first step to adopting a better lifestyle is to understand what you are currently doing wrong.

2.      It will also help in understanding the user behaviour and understanding the usage of devices. This will help in providing recommendations for efficient usage of the smart products and understand them to behave automatically.

Due to this advancement of technology in recent times, homeowners can now understand their homes better by tracking their energy consumption and thereby be more environmentally friendly.

This brings us to another key aspect of Smart Homes that is creating a shift towards the adoption of home automation – It helps homeowners reduce cost!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Niyati is co-founder and COO of SmartDEN, a company that provides Smart Home Solutions. She plans to carve her niche in this industry by welcoming challenges and taking the industry by storm. She is an entrepreneur at heart and an avid reader!

Rangesh Raghavan Appointed as Vice President and General Manager of Lam Research India

Lam Research Corp. (Nasdaq: LRCX), a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment to the semiconductor industry, announced the appointment of Mr. Rangesh Raghavan as vice president and general manager of Lam Research India, who will lead the company’s India operations based out of Bengaluru. 

In his new role, Rangesh will oversee the company’s India operations and drive the long-term vision and growth strategy for Lam India. He previously served as the vice president of strategic development at Lam’s headquarters in Fremont, California.

Rangesh comes with more than 25 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Lam in 2013, he served as the vice president of marketing and strategy at Veeco Instruments. His employment experience also includes KLA Corporation, where he served in various marketing and application roles for over a decade, and PDF Solutions, a design-for-manufacturability solutions firm. He began his career at Texas Instruments in the advanced process R&D group.

He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, and an MBA (Honors) from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Since 2000, Lam Research India (Pvt.) Ltd. has been working on the leading edge of the semiconductor innovation cycle. Lam India’s mission is to deliver world-class product development and business solutions to our customers and internal partners with a team of engineering and business functional experts.

About Lam Research

Lam Research Corp. is a global supplier of innovative wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry. As a trusted, collaborative partner to the world's leading semiconductor companies, we combine superior systems engineering capability, technology leadership, and unwavering commitment to customer success to accelerate innovation through enhanced device performance. In fact, today, nearly every advanced chip is built with Lam technology. Lam Research (Nasdaq: LRCX) is a FORTUNE 500® company headquartered in Fremont, Calif., with operations around the globe. 

The Black Lover Introduces The Angels of the Nations Segment to Support Marginalized Sections of the Society

The ruthless world that we live in calls for aid and assistance for the helpless older adults, children, Trans lives, and all those who are continually mistreated and abandoned by the society. Thus, India's homegrown e-commerce brand The Black Lover has launched the Angel of the Nations segment on their website today to help those in need.

The Black Lover has decided to come forward and raise funds for a cause. The Angels of the Nations will showcase the champion of our country, wearing the brand's customized products. The same will be available to the customers at reasonable prices. The funds that will be accumulated through these purchases will be directly handed over to various NGOs that the brand has collaborated with. Currently, the brand is working with Umeed and Feed Back Foundation to provide financial assistance for those in dire need of it. The customers will also be able to keep a track of the utilization of the funds through the website.

Commenting on the occasion Akshay, the CEO and Founder said, "Since a very young age I had the realization that the marginalized sections of our society are abandoned and mistreated. As the Black Lover started growing, we decided to do something special for those who make our nation a better place to live in. We will do everything possible to make sure that we are helping those who are in need as our sole focus is not making monetary profit only."

With the launch of The Angels of the Nations, The Black Lover envisages becoming a helping hand for thousands of lives who are deprived of their basic necessities.

About Black Lover

Black Lover Pvt. Ltd. is an e-commerce company founded in 2020 by Akshay Kumar. The Black lover has launched its product range under the name 'TBL apparels & merchandise' with categories including men in black, women in black, men's casual, women's casual, Blackstone & seasons special. It has a unique store for all your fashion & lifestyle needs being the first e-commerce Store for Black lovers. We aim to provide a hassle-free & enjoyable shopping experience to shoppers across India, Italy & Australia with the widest range of products on its portal. The brand is making a conscious effort to bring the power of fashion to shoppers with the latest & trendiest products available in black color.

McAfee Launches Truly Integrated Architecture To Secure Cloud Native Application Ecosystem

McAfee Corp. (Nasdaq: MCFE), the device-to-cloud cybersecurity company, announced MVISION Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP), the industry’s truly integrated architecture to secure the cloud native application ecosystem. MVISION CNAPP delivers consistent data protection, threat prevention, governance, and compliance throughout the cloud-native application lifecycle, including container and OS-based workloads.

Accelerated by COVID-19, every enterprise is undergoing a digital transformation mandate. Most enterprises are leveraging the agility and innovation velocity of the public cloud, either solely or in conjunction with their private data centers. These enterprises need a simplified architecture; one that enables them to leapfrog the cost and complexity of the patchwork quilt of point products, and benefit from the cloud-native ecosystem, without major investments in tools or developer talent.

“Enterprises are adopting cloud architectures in their digital transformation journey to drive innovation. However, threats have evolved to exploit cloud-native misconfigurations, resulting in loss of data and reputational damage. Developers need to be empowered with the tools that can address the security needs of this new environment, to unleash their creative potential, and deploy applications that can augment the power of the cloud,” said Venkat Krishnapur, vice-president of engineering and managing director, McAfee India. “What enterprises need is a simplified framework to help them wade through the complex patchwork of point products. McAfee MVISION CNAPP extends MVISION Cloud’s data protection to provide comprehensive threat prevention, risk management and compliance through an automated and frictionless model to secure the cloud native application ecosystem.”

MVISION CNAPP is the industry’s first platform to bring application and data context to converge Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) for public cloud infrastructure, and Cloud Workload Protection (CWPP) to protect hosts and workloads including VMs, containers, and serverless functions. MVISION CNAPP provides five key capabilities:

Deep Discovery: The ability to discover all cloud resources and prioritize them based on risk. MVISION CNAPP uniquely provides deep discovery of all workloads, data and infrastructure across endpoint, networks and cloud.

Shift Left: The ability to protect against configuration drift and provide vulnerability assessment across virtual machines, containers and serverless environments. This helps unleash developer productivity through frictionless automation.

Zero Trust: The ability to build policy based on zero trust, behavioral observation to eliminate false positives and achieve scale with known good behavior enforcement.

MITRE ATT&CK Framework: The ability to empower the Security Operations Center (SOC) by mapping cloud native threats to the MITRE ATT&CK framework for expedient remediation.

Governance and Compliance: The ability to automate security controls for continuous compliance and governance of data and permissions.

“EA’s business depends on public cloud IaaS and it’s my role to manage the security of that environment,” said Bob Fish, enterprise security architect, Electronic Arts.  “Every application deployed across our public cloud infrastructure requires onboarding, vulnerability management, run time protection, threat prevention and SOC integration, while ensuring continuous availability.  We are excited about MVISION CNAPP because we prefer a single unified security platform to implementing separate point products for each security capability required. The unified approach of MVISION CNAPP allows us to use fewer people to manage security risk across all our IaaS resources.”

MVISION CNAPP beta is available at McAfee MPOWER Digital 2020, with general availability planned for March 2021.

Honeywell Releases Next Generation of Quatum Computer in India

Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced a breakthrough in the early era of quantum computing with the introduction of its next-generation quantum computer, the System Model H1. The H1 generation of computer features Honeywell’s differentiated quantum charge-coupled device1 (QCCD) trapped-ion technology and is strategically designed to be rapidly upgraded throughout its lifetime.

The newest generation quantum computer from Honeywell initially offers 10 fully connected qubits, a proven quantum volume of 128 (the highest measured in the industry) and unique features such as mid-circuit measurement and qubit reuse, which were made possible through Honeywell’s heritage of precision controls expertise. This announcement further affirms the company’s commitment to rapidly increase quantum volume by at least an order of magnitude annually for the next five years. 

System Model H1 is directly accessible to enterprises via a cloud application programming interface (API), as well as through Microsoft Azure Quantum, and alongside channel partners including Zapata Computing and Cambridge Quantum Computing. Access to System Model H1 is through a subscription that provides customers access to Honeywell’s most technologically advanced quantum computer on the market.

“Honeywell’s aggressive quantum computing roadmap reflects our commitment to achieving commercial scale for our quantum business. Our subscription-based model provides enterprise customers with access to Honeywell’s most advanced system available,” said Tony Uttley, President of Honeywell Quantum Solutions. “Honeywell’s unique methodology enables us to systematically and continuously ‘upgrade’ the H1 generation of systems through increased qubit count, even higher fidelities and unique feature modifications.”

Uttley offered an analogy: “Imagine if the streaming service to which you subscribed became twice as good in a few weeks, 10 times as good in a few months and thousands of times better in a few quarters,” he said. 

In addition to the announced H1 computer, Honeywell confirmed it has already begun integration activities for its future System Model H2 generation as well as development activities in support of its H3 generation and beyond.

Honeywell’s novel trapped-ion qubits can be uniformly generated with errors better understood compared with alternative qubit technologies that do not use individual atoms. These high-performance operations require deep experience across multiple disciplines, including atomic physics, optics, cryogenics, lasers, magnetics, ultra-high vacuum, and precision control systems-- areas where Honeywell has a long heritage of experience and expertise.

“The introduction of the System Model H1 is a significant milestone in shaping and accelerating the development of quantum computing and bringing its power to enterprises,” added Uttley. “We’ve seen demand skyrocket in 2020 and are thrilled to partner with customers seeking to solve real business problems via quantum computing.”

Honeywell is also disclosing the latest enterprise companies with access to its quantum computer. That list includes DHL and Merck as well as a collaboration with Accenture. These companies demonstrate the wide range of quantum computing use cases, which include pharmaceuticals and logistics as well as Honeywell’s own internal applications in its Aerospace and Performance Materials and Technologies businesses. Honeywell’s differentiated technology, exemplified by the high-fidelity quantum operations and fully connected qubits with mid-circuit measurement and qubit reuse, enables customers to push the frontier of quantum computing applications.

“We believe that addressing tomorrow’s global logistics challenges requires an unwavering commitment to advancing some of today’s most promising technologies, and that includes Quantum Computing. By attempting to solve computationally complex problems with Honeywell, we have taken another step towards exploring improving operational efficiencies and leveraging quantum computing’s potential to innovate within the logistics industry,” said Justin Baird, head of innovation, Asia Pacific, for DHL Customer Solutions & Innovation.

Kam Chana, director, computational platforms at Merck said, “It was illuminating to experience the properties of real quantum hardware first-hand through Zapata’s Orquestra platform. Seeing one of Orquestra’s native QML algorithms run on Honeywell’s H1 system was an exciting moment for Merck in our journey to quantum readiness. The combination of Orquestra’s programming environment with quantum hardware opens up quantum computing widely to our data scientists and brings new approaches for development of AI/ML based models.”

Honeywell is also collaborating with Accenture on new use cases for Honeywell’s quantum technology.  “At Accenture, we’re excited to be working with quantum industry leaders as well as our clients to unlock new value through quantum computing,” said Marc Carrel-Billiard, senior managing director and Technology Innovation lead at Accenture. “Working with Honeywell in this rapidly-developing space has already yielded new insights, and we look forward to exploring ways that the System Model H1 can be applied to business challenges across industries.”

In addition, JPMorgan Chase has continued its collaboration with the Honeywell team. “JPMorgan Chase is pleased to continue innovating alongside Honeywell and its new System Model H1 quantum computer,” says Dr. Marco Pistoia, head of research and engineering, JPMorgan Chase.

Honeywell currently has a cross-disciplinary team of more than 150 scientists, engineers, software developers and functional professionals dedicated to advancing quantum computing and addressing real enterprise problems across industries.

Synechron Launches Digital Innovation for the Investment Management Industry with its New InvestTech Accelerator Program

Synechron, Inc., a leading Digital Transformation Consulting firm for the financial services industry, has today announced the launch of its InvestTech Accelerator program built for the investment management and asset management sector of the financial services industry. This is the eighth Accelerator program that Synechron has launched in the last five years and offers five real-world solutions that meet the growing demands and address the pain points of the institutional investment management industry. Current challenges include shrinking margins, the need to create operational efficiencies, addressing risk management issues and meeting the growing demand for personalized investment services. These new Accelerator solutions respond to the need for evolving technologies and digitized ways of working with and for clients, as well as automating processes for buy-side firms that include tracking regulatory compliance requirements.

Synechron’s fresh new InvestTech Accelerator program’s solutions are built to solve some of the current challenges and add value through time and cost savings. These future-forward solutions are built through Synechron’s own internal R&D efforts in close collaboration with key investment industry firms’ leaders.

The new suite of InvestTech Accelerator solutions includes the following:

ESG Booster: Provides a fresh way to “score” Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) portfolios and individual companies based upon multiple external data and inputs and can recommend alternative component companies for enhanced ESG scores and performance.

WillPower solution: Safeguards the digital assets, documents/records/videos necessary for an easier estate planning process by providing a blockchain-led centralized digital safe deposit box and to facilitate inheritance of digital assets.

VisualRE tool: Provides a comprehensive predictive analysis model of real estate funds, commercial real estate properties and Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) securities, for possible external stresses and tenant/property owner defaults based upon the ingestion of data across varied sources.

360+: Provides a dashboard-presented holistic 360 degree picture of each customer and their portfolio based upon individual preferences and behavioral patterns, and allows better targeting of investment products/services.  

Digital Compliance: Enables the automatic intake of all new and changing detailed regulatory promulgations and mandates applicable to the investment/asset management industry and enables customization for compliance professionals to work smarter and faster. 

Synechron’s new InvestTech Accelerator program brings together the firm’s Digital, Business Consulting and Technology experts. Our newest digital tools and data science-led solutions seek to enhance the initiatives of the asset management firms’ leaders toward doing a better job of analyzing investments—particularly ESG and Real Estate investment securities—as well as assessing performance risks/rewards. One new tool also enables gaining a deeper, more holistic view of each customer and their receptivity to new products and services. In addition, these solutions facilitate the development of an industry-leading  blockchain-based centralized digital repository for clients’ assets and key documents, and automate the now-cumbersome manual systems for regulatory/compliance awareness and responsivity. In developing these InvestTech Accelerator solutions, Synechron has partnered with some of the largest, most innovative and forward-thinking data and technology firms who will help power our Accelerator solutions.

“Leveraging our award-winning global Financial Innovation Labs (‘FinLabs’), we collaborated with leaders across the investment management industry, as well as numerous external innovation partners, to innovate artificial intelligence and predictive analytics-driven solutions for these firms real-world struggles,” said Sandeep Kumar, Managing Director, Head of Synechron’s InvestTech Accelerator Program. “These will address multiple use cases and can be fully-customized to the particular needs and nuances of each firm, utilizing the underlying technology components as building blocks,” he added.

“Since 2016 when we launched our very first and industry-pioneering Blockchain Accelerator program for the benefit of the financial industry, Synechron continues to invest heavily in R&D and develop ways to apply new, cutting-edge and digitally-forward accelerated technology solutions to solve many of the global financial services industry’s most difficult business and operational challenges,” said Faisal Husain, Synechron Co-founder and CEO. “We don’t invent solutions then chase problems to back them into. Instead, we actively work with the financial services industry’s participants to identify pain points and business blockers, then leverage our digital and technological expertise and our technology innovation partner firms to ideate, build and deploy smart and targeted solutions.” he added. “Our Accelerator program solutions not only seek to mitigate problems but can identify and help companies adapt and pursue new opportunities that can set them apart.”

About Synechron

Synechron is a leading Digital Transformation consulting firm dedicated exclusively to financial services. Its core mission lies in Accelerating Digital for financial institutions by providing innovative solutions to the financial services industry through its three main business focus areas: digital, business consulting, and technology. Based in New York, the company has 18 offices around the globe, with over 8,000 employees producing over $550+M in annual revenue.

The United Nations Recognizes GlobalShala’s Superhero U Contest

Taking inspiration from the United 'Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Ed-tech company had announced its initiative Superhero U. In the pursuit of cultivating a force of forward-thinking and self-responsible leaders. The contest invited students to self-imagine a "Superhero" that essentially takes on universal challenges and strives to make the world a better place. Winners of the competition will also be awarded an opportunity to visit the U.N. Headquarters in New York, USA.

To distinguish future leaders' creative engagement, the United Nations recognized the contest as an impactful initiative to encourage imaginative student ideas to solve global problems. This special recognition marks a proud moment for Globalshala, a company inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  In today's complex, global society, the need for innovative and creative problem-solving has never been greater. Our communities face myriad challenges, and each individual should have a role in reimagining their future with the powers and intelligence required to create an idealistic society. Globalshala's dynamic engagement platform enables young social entrepreneurs to catalyze their creative thinking and social innovation.

Superhero U was a collaborative effort between GlobalShala and Northeastern University, a UNAI member institution, and a top 50 ranked research university in the U.S. and a global leader in experiential learning.

Anushika Jain, Founder & CEO, GlobalShala, said, "The entire GlobalShala team extends gratitude for the recognition from the United Nations for the innovative approach to inspiring students in solving real-world problems with the "Superhero U".  It is delightful to see the impact of our work and 1,000+  aspirants from more than 80 countries taking upon the opportunities provided by GlobalShala. We revel on the feature on the U.N. website and hope to thrive more with our collaborative efforts."

GlobalShala focuses on empowering students and educators through experiential learning and education to open up hopes and dreams of lifelong learners worldwide. Through the GlobalShala platform, individuals can participate in exciting global competitions and events, have a chance to earn international scholarships, receive hands-on training through global internships, and secure batches and certificates towards lifelong learning.

About GlobalShala:

Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, notably Education, Gender Equality and Women Empowerment; GlobalShala provides lifelong learners from across the globe a platform to express, experience, explore, and engage. Globalshala offers hopes and dreams to make a good world better through various learning opportunities, including competition,  internships, and career-focused learning modules.

Link: https://globalshala.com/

Apollo Hospitals and Medtronic Partner to Advance Stroke Management Using Artificial Intelligence

* Medtronic will support Apollo Hospitals with technical expertise, training and setting up of comprehensive stroke centers aiming at reducing door to needle time ~

* Apollo Hospitals, with one of the largest Neuro care team in South Asia to use AI in an organized and scalable manner for comprehensive stroke management ~

Apollo Hospitals Group today announced a partnership with India Medtronic Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Medtronic plc (NYSE: MDT) to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) for advanced stroke management for the first time in India. The USFDA approved AI platform for stroke diagnosis has been validated by clinical trials.1 The AI software will provide automated analysis in less than two minutes as against currently accepted imaging practices for diagnosis of stroke that takes up to one hour to complete, enabling faster decision making in stroke where every second counts. Through this partnership, Medtronic will help in bringing in stroke technologies, technical expertise, training and comprehensive stroke management with the integration of AI platform at the Apollo Institute of Neurosciences at ten locations in Apollo Hospitals across the country, taking stroke management to the next level by standardizing stroke diagnosis and empowering clinicians to make faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Stroke is a major global public health problem with 1 in 4 people over the age of 25 years suffering a stroke during their lifetime, according to data from the World Stroke Organization2. The fourth leading cause of death today, around 1.8 million people in India suffer from a stroke every year and it is only early treatment that can reduce morbidity and mortality.3 There is an urgent need to improve the treatment and management of stroke using digital technologies. Today, AI platforms are improving patient care and outcomes every day, and at Apollo Hospitals, we are proud to be at the forefront of the AI revolution in healthcare. This partnership brings together Apollo Hospitals’ clinical expertise, AI platform and stroke technologies from Medtronic to transform stroke treatment in the country. With this partnership, Apollo Hospitals continues to be the torchbearer in adoption of digital technology as the first hospital group in South Asia to use AI in an organized and scalable manner for comprehensive stroke management. Also, with the introduction of 640 slice CT Scan having a capability of doing cerebral angiogram, the patient will definitely gain by means of advanced technical adaptations in stroke treatment.”

Mr. Madan Krishnan, Vice President, Medtronic Indian Subcontinent said, “Medtronic has been leading the fight against acute ischemic stroke (AIS) – enabling our physician partners with meaningful stroke technologies to empower their expertise. There is a huge unmet need with regards to stroke awareness and therapy in India. Medtronic has been partnering with hospitals to create centers of excellence in the country so that patients are identified faster, and they receive the best treatment. We are aiming to address the current treatment gaps in stroke with our innovative technologies, aiming at reducing door to needle time, thereby potentially improving outcomes for patients. Our partnership with Apollo Hospitals will further our goal of creating awareness and providing quicker access to quality healthcare for stroke patients in India.”

The AI platform uses artificial intelligence to create high quality, advanced images from non-contrast CT, CT angiography, CT perfusion, and MRI diffusion and perfusion scans, helping hospitals to improve time-critical triage or transfer decisions and facilitate better patient outcomes. The stroke team will be able to remotely access the brain scans of stroke patients with the AI analysis on mobile app or email for faster decision making without losing time. Other benefits include physicians being able to evaluate the patients remotely and visit in-person only when the AI analysis of the scans suggest indication for treatment. This will help to reduce unnecessary exposure in a COVID situation. The AI system will also generate a valid document proof to support the clinician’s decision taken on the course of treatment for a stroke patient.

Ms. Preetha Reddy, Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The Apollo Hospitals – Medtronic partnership will bring about a paradigm shift in acute stroke management, building and establishing a world-class stroke program with uniform stroke protocol across the group. Trials have shown success in achieving substantially larger clinical benefits through the use of AI technology and the Apollo – Medtronic partnership will support early diagnosis and effective clinical decision in stroke patients leading to the shortest treatment time for better clinical outcomes. While early treatment leads to the best clinical outcome, a trial of stroke patients treated up to 6 to 24 hours with use of AI technology lead CTP or MRI scans showed better clinical outcomes for the patients.1 The partnership also envisages a structured training and education program to further improve the clinical efficiency of the Apollo stroke clinicians and support team.”

The Apollo Hospitals and Medtronic partnership to build comprehensive stroke management will lead to multiple patient benefits. The use of AI platform in stroke management will reduce diagnosis time from 60 mins to 2 mins1. The time saved is brain cells saved as every minute of delay leads to 2 million more brain cells dying. A stroke at odd hours of night will not result in patient losing time for an expert review to begin treatment. Time between onset of stroke to treatment is significantly reduced which can help in improving outcome, reducing hospital stay and saving costs for the patient not just on hospitalization but also on follow-up and rehabilitation. Every patient will receive appropriate treatment as per the indication and not lose any treatment opportunity.

Ms. Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “The Apollo Institute of Neurosciences has revolutionized high-end neurological care in the country. With a legacy of innovation and excellence, it has been working at the cutting-edge of neuro-imaging, neuro-intensive care and medical and radiation oncology services to deliver outcomes that match the leading neurology institutions in the world. A highly skilled multidisciplinary neurosciences team dedicates itself to enhancing patient care through cutting edge technology and the partnership with Medtronic will elevate the quality of stoke care with world-class AI-powered stroke treatment.”

Apollo Hospitals’ comprehensive stroke center equipped with 24/7 emergency, a team of specialized experts, CT, MRI facility, and capability of specialized surgical and interventional therapies will have treatment taken to the next level through AI. With AI technology, stroke diagnosis will be standardized and scans will be available remotely within no time to the stroke physician. The technology will increase utilization of IV-tPA (intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke). It will also increase detection of LVO (large vessel occlusion) which accounts for up to 38% of acute ischemic strokes4 and utilization of mechanical thrombectomy (physical removal of the clot in the brain by a special device threaded through the blood vessels). The partnership will optimize stroke protocol and create a strong regional tele-stroke network with the power of AI.

Ms. Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “AI has been a boon for the healthcare industry and has transformed many different aspects from drug development to diagnostics and clinical medicine and surgery. It has simplified the lives of patients, doctors and hospital administrators, taking over tasks that are routine, saving time and costs, freeing the doctors to dedicate more time to their patients. It has helped to reduce the chances of errors in diagnostic processes and medical errors due to heavy case loads. At Apollo, we have been harnessing the power of AI in oncology, telepathology, radiology, and robotic surgery, and this partnership with Medtronic brings in world class technologies for the benefit of our patients. The AI analysis of stroke patients will generate clinical data that can be used to identify any gaps in the stroke protocol, improve treatment time, and develop a referral network. The technology will standardize stoke diagnosis, take individual bias out and help in making quick decisions.”

The AI technology enabled advanced stroke management will be launched at the Apollo Institute of Neurosciences at Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru; Apollo Hospitals, Greams Road, Chennai; Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai; Apollo Hospitals, Ahmedabad; Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad; Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi; Apollo Speciality Hospitals, Jayanagar, Bengaluru; Apollo Hospitals, Sheshadripuram, Bengaluru; Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysore; and Apollo Hospitals, Indore.

About Apollo Hospitals:

Apollo Hospitals was established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, renowned as the architect of modern healthcare in India. As the nation’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is acclaimed for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country. Apollo Hospitals has emerged as Asia’s foremost integrated healthcare services provider and has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, including Hospitals, Pharmacies, Primary Care & Diagnostic Clinics and several retail health models. Since its inception, Apollo Hospitals has been honoured by the trust of over 150 million individuals who came from 140 countries. At the core of Apollo’s patient-centric culture is TLC (Tender Loving Care), the magic that inspires hope amongst its patients.

About Medtronic

Medtronic plc (www.medtronic.com), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is among the world’s largest medical technology, services and solutions companies – alleviating pain, restoring health and extending life for millions of people around the world. Medtronic employs more than 90,000 people worldwide, serving physicians, hospitals and patients in more than 150 countries. The company is focused on collaborating with stakeholders around the world to take healthcare Further, Together.

Mzaalo - A Newly Launched, Unique Platform, Allows Users to Watch Content and Win Rewards

Mzaalo, a blockchain-based Video Streaming application today announced the launch of its AVOD platform. The gamified video ecosystem is designed to reward consumers for viewing content on the platform. Mzaalo's system is secured by blockchain, trusted infrastructure for content and brands to own engagement and commerce for their users.

The AVOD platform offers consumers 50,000+ hours of premium content from over 25 content partners. The content library features a mix of Bollywood and Regional Movies, Original series, music videos, linear television programing and more that will be available in Hindi and nine other Indian regional languages. 

The wide-ranging content catalogue will attract users who can enjoy an immersive experience in which they can earn for watching content, interacting with the community, inviting friends as well as sharing, liking, and commenting on social media platforms. The process of watching content and being incentivized in the form of blockchain-based rewards adds to Mzaalo's credibility in building engagement, loyalty and driving growth. 

The earned reward coins are stored in the users' digital wallets and can be spent on premium experiences, physical merchandise, partner products and services, digital goods, games, and charitable giving. Mzaalo plans to on-board established brand partners spanning across range of categories such as health & fitness, fashion, accessories, electronics, travel, wellness, and much more.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Vikram Tanna, COO, Mzaalo said, "Technology is increasingly becoming the centre of every human interaction. Also, brands today are adopting to innovate and engage with users by creating bespoke, experiences without disrupting the entertainment journey. Mzaalo’s consumer centric ecosystem is the first to reward consumers for their time and attention. Moreover, our engagement algorithm is designed for advertisers to build valuable user–brand experiences based on data transparency and privacy.”

Mzaalo has conducted consumer research across the country to understand user sentiments towards sharing personal data on various platforms and the process of selecting winners and rewarding customers. Understanding the requirement of user privacy and data protection, Mzaalo created an ecosystem that addresses consumers' needs by providing a rewarding entertainment experience in a trusted environment.  

Mzaalo shall adopt a secured Decentralized Ledger Technology (DLT) to establish a trusted entertainment ecosystem where participants derive value from their contribution to the network. Additionally, users will be empowered to take control of their digital identity and shall be gratified for valuable behavior such as providing engagement on the platform through recommendations and for bringing peers onto it.

FanCode Announces Partnership with WSC Sports to Innovate the Delivery of Video Content

FanCode, India’s premier digital sports destination for all fans, has introduced WSC Sports AI technology on the platform to power the delivery of video highlights. The partnership with WSC Sports will allow FanCode to grow the speed, scale and personalization of video content for their key sports rights content.

WSC Sports’ technology was first launched across T20 Cricket tournaments earlier in the year and has now expanded to other sports leagues and tournaments in the region. The partnership will allow FanCode to dramatically expand their video storytelling capabilities, with the use of machine learning and automation for live and post live sports content.

FanCode Co-Founder, Yannick Colaco, said: “FanCode aims to provide the best digital experience to Indian sports fans and leveraging technology is a critical component of delivering on our promise. Our partnership with WSC allows us to deliver a  superior interactive match viewing experience to our users through customized and near real-time highlights of their favourite games.”

“It is an exciting partnership as FanCode is truly innovating the delivery of sports content to Indian sports fans,” WSC Sports Head of APAC Guy Port said. “We look forward to the opportunity for scale and personalization of highlights in the future.”

The agreement adds to the list of global sports properties working with WSC Sports’ AI automation technology. This includes the BBL and WBBL in Australia and other top global sports leagues such as the NBA, Bundesliga, PGA Tour, MLS and FIBA.

ABOUT FANCODE:

FanCode is India’s premier digital sports destination committed to giving all fans a great personalized experience in Content, Community and Commerce. Founded in 2019 by sports industry veterans, Yannick Colaco and Prasana Krishnan, FanCode offers live streaming, sports fan merchandise (FanCode Shop), fastest interactive live match scores, comprehensive live commentary, fantasy sports data and statistics (Fantasy Research Hub), expert fantasy tips, sports news and much more. Dream Sports, India’s leading Sports Tech company, is the parent company of FanCode and also has brands such as Dream11 and DreamX in its portfolio. FanCode has already amassed over 1.5 crore+ app installs and won the “Best Sports Startup” award at FICCI India Sports Awards 2019.

Russian Helicopters Launches Mi-8 Test Operation Program in Indonesia

Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (U-UAP) as part of Russian Helicopters holding company (State Corporation Rostec) launches Mi-8/171 type helicopter test operation program, which is aimed at the assessing of all the advantages of helicopters real operation in conjunction with all available corporate support tools and implemented aftersales services of Russian Helicopters holding company. The pilot project is being implemented in Indonesia, where two Mi-8AMT helicopters are already involved in firefighting operations.

Helicopters sent to the Republic of Indonesia with crew and technical staff of U-UAP were relocated to the island of Kalimantan almost immediately upon arrival to extinguish forest fires. In the future, the rotorcraft will be on operational duty on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

«A contract with PT. National Utility Helicopters (PT. NUH), a utility helicopter operator in Indonesia with 50 years of experience in providing services for Indonesian Government as well as private companies, has become the pilot project of this program. The main task under the contract is to carry out firefighting operations in the region, as well as provide consulting services regarding the formation of its own air fleet of Indonesian operators for annual firefighting operations” said Leonid Belykh, Managing Director of U-UAP.

In the process of temporary use of helicopters, the customer gets the opportunity to consult the company's specialists in 24/7 mode, access to a replacement fund and a fund of additional equipment.

It is worth noting, that one of the first Mi-171A2 helicopters manufactured by the enterprise, since 2018 has been participating in a test operation program at UTair-VU airline, where it successfully fulfills the tasks facing the operator and demonstrates high flight performances. The experience of the joint work of the manufacturer and the customer was reflected in the U-UAP helicopter test operation program for Indonesia.

Mi-8/171 helicopters for a long time have been involved in the disaster relief operations not only in Russia, but also abroad. They have proved themselves as one of the most effective tools in the firefighting, medicine delivery and casualty evacuation operations, as well as in passenger and cargo transportation to hard-to-reach areas.

JSC Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant  is one of the manufacturing enterprises of Russian Helicopters holding company. Modern production and technological capacity of the plant allows to organize quickly production of new types of aircrafts, to combine creation of prototypes with aircraft serial production. During the 80 years of existence the plant have produced more than 8000 aircrafts. Today the plant specializes in production of the Mi-8AMT (Mi-171E), Mi-171 and Mi-8AMTSh (Mi-171Sh) helicopters.

JSC Russian Helicopters (a part of the state owned corporation Rostec) is one of the world leaders of the helicopter production industry, the only developer and manufacturer of helicopters in Russia. The holding is established in 2007. The head office is located in Moscow. The holding company includes five helicopter plants, two design offices, and also the enterprises on production and service of vendor items; the aircraft repair plants and the service company providing after-sale support in Russia and beyond. Buyers of holding production – the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, EMERCOM of Russia, other state customers, “Gazpromavia” and UTair airlines, the large Russian and foreign companies.

Rostec State Corporation is the Russian corporation established in 2007 for assistance in development, production and export of hi-tech industrial production of civil and military purpose. It includes more than 700 organizations from which nowadays established 11 holding companies in military-industrial complex and 4 in civil industries, and more than 80 organizations of direct control. Such known brands as AVTOVAZ, KAMAZ, the Kalashnikov Concern, “Russian Helicopters”, VSMPO-AVISMA, Uralvagonzavod etc. enter a portfolio of Rostec. The organizations of Rostec are located in the territory of 60 territorial subjects of the Russian Federation and deliver production on the markets of more than 100 countries. The consolidated revenue of Rostec in 2017 has reached 1 trillion 589 billion rubles, consolidated net profit - 121 billion rubles, EBITDA - 305 billion rubles. The average salary in the corporation in 2017 was 46,800 rubles. According to the strategy of Rostec, the main objective of Corporation is ensuring technological advantage of Russia in the highly competitive world markets. One of the key objectives of Rostec is implementation of new technological mode and digitization of Russian economics.

Shiv Nadar University Chennai Launched - The First Private University to be Legislated in Tamil Nadu After 90 Years

 

* Mr. R Srinivasan to be the Chancellor of the University and Dr. Kala Vijayakumar appointed as the Pro Chancellor

* Dr. C. Rangarajan, 19th Governor of Reserve Bank of India and Dr. Raj Reddy, Indian-American computer scientist and winner of the Turing Award to be distinguished mentors

* The University announced admissions for four programs under the School of Engineering, and School of Commerce and Management for the academic session 2021-22

Shiv Nadar Foundation today announced the launch of its third initiative in the field of higher education- “Shiv Nadar University Chennai”. The University is the first private University to be legislated in Tamil Nadu after 90 years (since Annamalai University Act in 1928), upon the passing of the Shiv Nadar University Act 2018. Shiv Nadar University Chennai will be housed in a sprawling, vibrant campus at Kalavakkam. It will be home to world-class facilities including academic and research blocks, state-of-the-art cricket stadium, library, sports centre, hostel facilitates for students and a faculty housing complex, auditorium, guest house and 24/7 internet access. The new University was virtually announced by Ms. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson, HCL Technologies and Trustee, Shiv Nadar Foundation in the presence of Mr. R Srinivasan, Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University Chennai along with Dr. Kala Vijayakumar, Pro-Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University Chennai.

Dr. C Rangarajan, former Governor of Reserve bank of India and one of the most eminent economists and policymakers of the country, and Dr. Raj Reddy, acclaimed computer scientist, University Professor at Carnegie Mellon University and winner of the Turing Award will be distinguished mentors at the University. The University has also appointed a renowned academician from one of the IITs as the Vice Chancellor, who will take over the role in December 2020. Additionally, the University announced the appointment of Dr. T. Nagarajan as Professor and Head of Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Dr. S. Gurusamy as Professor and Head of the Department of Commerce, School of Commerce and Management.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, Chairperson, HCL Technologies and Trustee, Shiv Nadar Foundation said, “My father, Mr Shiv Nadar, is a product of education and strongly believes in its power to transform people’s lives. The Shiv Nadar Foundation was created with this vision and has established institutions offering world-class education to contribute to nation building. The Foundation has been on this journey for the last 26 years and our institutions are testament to how education can be a force multiplier, transforming not just individual lives, but those of groups and communities at large. We are, therefore, thrilled to set up a world-class private university in Chennai that has been envisioned with a core raison d’etre of moving beyond disseminating knowledge. Shiv Nadar University Chennai will be a catalyst for new research, novel discoveries and creation of new forms of expression…eventually helping create responsible, well rounded citizens.”

Mr. R Srinivasan, Founding Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University Chennai said, “Shiv Nadar University Chennai comes as a response to the overwhelming persuasion by parents and alumni of our institutions to establish a multidisciplinary university after seeing the quality of education we had to offer through our other institutions of higher education. The University will strongly focus on holistic development of students through an approach that blends academic rigor, culture of research and sustained industry engagement. While we are announcing the University today with two Schools (Engineering and Commerce and Management), our hope is that over the next five years, the University will significantly expand its offerings, including establishing a School of Law. We also want to take this opportunity to invite acclaimed academicians and scientists to join us as we set out on this journey of creating new knowledge and contributing to meeting the human capital needs of the world.”

Dr. Kala Vijayakumar, Pro-Chancellor, Shiv Nadar University Chennai said, “Shiv Nadar University Chennai will offer programs that will prepare students with the skillsets needed in an ever-evolving world. The curriculum has been modeled on global best standards with a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary research, cutting across all schools, allowing the University to break disciplinary silos and institute a broad-based academic structure. We are thrilled to bring to students a university that will enable them with an enduring foundation for their future success.”

The University will open for admissions in April 2021 with four specialized courses in disciplines of Engineering and Commerce. These programs have been designed in-line with the evolving educational and professional requirements within India and internationally.

·         The School of Engineering will offer students a strong engineering orientation through four-year undergraduate courses in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science and Computer Science and Engineering with specialization in Internet of Things (IoT). These programs will inculcate a strong theoretical foundation, systematic professional knowledge as well as powerful practical skills in their respective subjects.

·         The School of Commerce and Management will offer curated programs in Bachelor of Commerce (Professional Accounting) preparing students for professional destinations such as CA, CWA, CMA; and a Bachelor of Commerce offering a broad- based academic background in analytical and financial domains, preparing them to solve real world financial issues and problems.

In addition to courses offered in Engineering as well as those offered by the School of Commerce and Management, the University also plans to introduce a four-year undergraduate program in Business Management (BMS) in the following academic year (2022 – 23). Over the next five years, Shiv Nadar University Chennai will continue to introduce new programs and expand its offerings, including establishing a School of Law at the University.

For more information, please visit https://shivnadaruniversitychennai.edu.in/.

About Shiv Nadar University, Chennai

Shiv Nadar University, Chennai (website link) is a research-focused University offering wide-range of specialized academic programs at the undergraduate level. The University has been set up by the Shiv Nadar Foundation, a philanthropic foundation established by Mr. Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL - a US$ 9.9 billion leading global technology enterprise. The University endeavors to become a pioneering institution of higher education, setting new global academic benchmarks and revolutionizing the education landscape in the country.

The University campus features state-of-the-art infrastructure for learning, including seminar halls, auditoria, libraries, gymnasium, a sports complex and hostels for men and women. The campus is entirely wi-fi enabled with 24/7 internet access.

The University offers a holistic educational environment that is continually evolving to bridge the gap between the classroom and global demands by world-class faculty who are progressive academicians, leading thinkers and innovative educators from ranked global universities. The University has commenced its journey towards becoming a globally acclaimed centre for learning and innovation in fields of engineering and commerce and will continue to add diverse disciplines to its repertoire.

About Shiv Nadar Foundation

Established in 1994, by Shiv Nadar, Founder, HCL - a US$ 9.9 billion leading global technology enterprise, the Foundation is committed to the creation of a more equitable, merit-based society by empowering individuals through transformational education, and to bridge the socio-economic divide. Over the last 26 years the Foundation, has directly touched the lives of over 30,000 alumni and students through its marquee institutions in literacy, K12 and higher education. Today, the Foundation has a community of over 100,000 constituents, which includes not only globally dispersed alumni and students but also faculty members, corporate executives, and extended families.

The Foundation has invested ~$1bn in its six landmark institutions and initiatives across education and art. Currently over 12,600 students and over 2,000 faculty are part of the Foundation along with around 19,000 strong globally dispersed alumni community.

The Foundation’s students have gone to study at some of the best institutions globally including the Ivy League in the US and top universities in other countries including Australia, Singapore, China and UK. Students are also working across major corporations, including Goldman Sachs, Honda, HP, Schindler, and several others both in India and across other geographies. Faculty across the Foundation institutions are drawn from the best Indian and international universities, with a strong focus on research and innovation. 

The Shiv Nadar Foundation pursues the philosophy of 'Creative Philanthropy'. It is a powerful model which envisages creation of institutions that are built to last and continue to impact future generations. It is an approach that allows sustained institutionalized philanthropy for long-term, high impact, socio-economic transformation.

Supporting Your Child’s Journey Towards Better Digestive Health

 

Has your toddler been refusing to poop in the toilet? Does she cry or make faces while passing stools or has the frequency of pooping reduced to less than thrice a week? If you’ve noticed any of these signs, then it’s possible that your child is constipated.

But there’s no need to panic. Many children go through chronic constipation. Studies have found the prevalence can be as high as 29 percent, and constipation is most commonly seen in kids when they are 2-3 years old. This is usually the toilet training phase which can prove challenging for both mothers and children.

Understanding digestive health

A healthy digestive system can effectively break down food, absorb essential nutrients and eliminate undigested components smoothly. Trillions of good bacteria in the gut including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus aid these functions and contribute to digestive health.

Moreover, 95 percent of the hormone serotonin, which regulates emotions, is found in the gut. And 70 percent of the immune system is active in our digestive system.

What to do if your child is constipated

Constipation is not a trivial matter. Even if a child sees temporary relief, relapses can disrupt the toilet training process. Frequent straining can cause painful anal fissures. The fear of passing painful stools often leads to a vicious cycle: children hold their bowel movements, which in turn hardens the stool and makes it more painful to poop.

There are many home remedies that parents can consider. Increase fluid intake by encouraging your child to drink more water or homemade fruit juices. Including exercise as part of their daily routine also helps stimulate digestion. Naturally, a healthy and balanced diet is vital, and it also helps to set specific meal times and give children smaller portions to let them eat slowly and prevent overeating.

Yet there are situations when constipation still persists. Supplementation with an appropriate prebiotic could help. Prebiotics (not to be confused with probiotics) are non-digestible food ingredients which play an important role in digestion. Dr. Vandana Rao, The Children's Clinic, MICO Layout, Bangalore, said, “Despite the fact that about one in three children face constipation during toilet training, child gut health can often go unaddressed. In my experience, parents report child constipation late, and usually continue with home remedies for a month or two before seeking help. Timely and sustained treatment is important to establish consistent and healthy toilet habits. Palatable child-friendly prebiotics can not only help relieve constipation, but also promote better long-term digestive health in kids.”

Prebiotic supplements release nutrients that encourage the growth and activity of ‘friendly’ digestive bacteria, while reducing the levels of ‘bad’ bacteria. They can relieve the symptoms of childhood constipation by softening stool and facilitating regular motion.

Prebiotics are commonly found in fruits and vegetables such as bananas, onions, garlic and leeks. But if your kid is a fussy eater, then what are your options?

There are innovative, child-friendly formats available, explains Dr. Srirupa Das, Medical Director, Abbott India. She says, “Constipation requires a long-term solution that is compatible with setting a regular toilet habit. Through it is treatable, our research shows that only 30 percent of parents consult their doctor on time and pediatricians observe frequent relapse due to non-adherence. Responding to this need, we have launched Duphalac Bears in India, which is a new product featuring fruit-flavoured gummy bears containing the prebiotic lactulose. This safe, child-friendly food supplement promotes healthy intestinal balance and bowel regulation to promote digestive health.” 

A healthy digestive system is paramount to children’s physical growth and mental development. Ensuring your child has a balanced diet, engages in regular physical activity and stays hydrated will go a long way, and appropriate supplements can help ensure they receive all the nutrients they need for a healthy body and good intestinal health.