Netmagic, Zerto Partner to Expand its Disaster Recovery as a Service

Netmagic, an NTT Company, and India's leading managed hosting and multi-cloud Hybrid IT solution provider, today announced its partnership with Zerto to enrich its Disaster Recovery as a Services (DRaaS) portfolio. The partnership will enable enterprises with faster and cost-effective disaster recovery of critical IT infrastructure. Zerto, a leader in IT resilience, replaces legacy solutions with a single platform to enable disaster recovery (DR), data protection, and workload mobility across hyperscale clouds, hosted services, and on-premise data centers.

Netmagic DRaaS is a complete DR Management platform with a pay-per-use model. With workflow automation capabilities, it simplifies DR processes and dashboards to provide real-time visibility that is tied into the organization's objectives in terms of availability, Recovery Point Objective (RPO), and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). With this new partnership with Zerto, customers will get a lower-cost alternative to traditional DR solutions. With Netmagic managing the entire DR process, customers can stay focused on their core critical business.

Speaking about this, Nitin Mishra, Chief Product Officer, Netmagic (An NTT Company) said, “The partnership with Zerto will enable us to boost up our existing capabilities in DRaaS. With the Zerto IT Resilience Platform, we will be able to provide Cold DR Solution which will enable on Demand DR and a reduction in TCO for customers. This will be an end-to-end DR service allowing for the design, plan, and implementation of DR, with the key highlights being automated failover and failback operations beside dashboards for governance. By leveraging Zerto’s IT Resilience Platform, we will provide managed services for all aspects of DR planning, testing, and management.”

With organizations shifting to a new normal and work from home approach, data security and digital transformation initiatives are more significant than ever. Netmagic is a pioneer in offering the best tech-based solutions and with Zerto, these offerings will be further enhanced. Netmagic DRaaS service is based on per protected workload (Virtual machine) on a pay as use model. Customers will not only benefit by an upscale data continuity but also a much-optimized pay per use infrastructure.

“We are excited to have Netmagic join Zerto’s ecosystem of partners. We see Netmagic as a critical component to our strategy of providing DRaaS to the marketplace in India. Netmagic’s offering will allow customers to consume DRaaS, with the ability to scale on demand.  This offering will meet the needs of customers who need world class DR while taking advantage of the cost benefits of the pay-per-use model,” said Greg Bailey, Director of Channel & Cloud Sales EMEA, Zerto.

Acronis Recognized as Visionary in Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions

Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, was positioned in the Visionaries quadrant in the Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions

According to the report, “the move toward public cloud, heightened concerns over ransomware, and complexities associated with backup and data management are forcing I&O leaders to rearchitect their backup infrastructure and explore alternative solutions. This research provides analyses of backup and recovery vendors.”

“Over the past several years, Acronis has shifted its focus from being a backup vendor to offering cyber protection, a holistic approach that combines data protection and cybersecurity. It is encouraging to be acknowledged as a Visionary by Gartner, and we see this recognition as validation of the critical interdependency between backup and cybersecurity,” said Acronis Founder and CEO Serguei “SB” Beloussov.

While the Gartner 2020 Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions report is focused on the data center, the primary focus for Acronis has always been protecting the edge and endpoint. Beloussov continues, “We have a unique ability to provide cyber protection for enterprises - focusing on edge and endpoint workloads. Our newest solution Acronis Cyber Protect provides AI-powered anti-malware protection, vulnerability assessments and patch management, continuous data protection, URL filtering and fast, reliable backup and disaster recovery, all from an easy-to-manage console.”

Gartner, “Magic Quadrant for Data Center Backup and Recovery Solutions”, Santhosh Rao, Nik Simpson, Michael Hoeck, 20 July 2020.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's Research & Advisory organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About Acronis

Acronis unifies data protection and cybersecurity to deliver integrated, automated cyber protection that solves the safety, accessibility, privacy, authenticity, and security (SAPAS) challenges of the modern digital world. With flexible deployment models that fit the demands of service providers and IT professionals, Acronis provides superior cyber protection for data, applications, and systems with innovative next-generation antivirus, backup, disaster recovery, and endpoint protection management solutions. With award-winning AI-based antimalware and blockchain-based data authentication technologies, Acronis protects any environment – from cloud to hybrid to on-premises – at a low and predictable cost.

Founded in Singapore in 2003 and incorporated in Switzerland in 2008, Acronis now has more than 1,500 employees in 33 locations in 18 countries. Its solutions are trusted by more than 5.5 million home users and 500,000 companies, including 100% of the Fortune 1000, and top-tier professional sports teams. Acronis products are available through 50,000 partners and service providers in over 150 countries in more than 40 languages.  

Emirates Will Cover Medical Expenses If Passengers Catch Covid-19 Pandemic

Emirates airline, the United Arab Emirates flag carrier, has become the world's first airline to offer to cover customers' medical expenses and quarantine costs should they contract Covid-19 during their trip.

The airline will pay medical expenses up to €150,000 ($173,000) and quarantine costs of up to €100 for 14 days, should they be diagnosed with the coronavirus during their travel, while away from home.

The cover will be available to all customers, at no extra cost, from now until October 31, 2020. It's valid for 31 days from the moment they fly the first leg of their trip, so passengers can continue to have the benefit even if they travel onwards from their Emirates destination.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Emirates group chairman and chief executive, said in a press release, "Emirates has worked hard to put in place measures at every step of the customer journey to mitigate risk of infection, and we have also revamped our booking policies to offer flexibility.

"We are now taking it to the next level, by being the first in the industry to offer our customers free global cover for Covid-19 medical expenses and quarantine costs should they incur these costs during their travel."

While Emirates is the first airline to take this step to boost traveler confidence, it's not the first player in the tourism industry to offer Covid payouts.

Central Asian nation Uzbekistan has promised the sum of $3,000 as compensation to visitors who contract Covid-19 while vacationing there.

The Mediterranean island of Cyprus, meanwhile, which reopened its borders to selected countries in June, is pledging to cover the cost of lodging, food, drink and medication for visitors who test positive for the virus during their stay.

Emirates is regularly named one of the world's top airlines in Skytrax's prestigious annual awards.

The UAE's strategic location between Oman and Saudi Arabia makes it a key connection for travelers heading from the West to the East and vice versa.

The airline's HQ is at Dubai International Airport, named the world's third busiest airport in 2018, and the carrier will be keen to resume its once bustling international operations.

5 Points to Consider Before Purchasing a Second Health Insurance Plan in Indian Market

Buying a second health insurance plan is not a trivial task. You need to assess several things before buying an additional plan for a successful health insurance investment.

In this article, InsuranceDekho attempts to help potential insurer buyers choosing a second health insurance policy make an informed decision. Before going in for a second health insurance plan, do consider the existing conditions and future requirements. 

Some of these requirements are as follows:

* Your age and family members to be covered

* Number of family members to be covered under the plan

* Current income

* Entire family members’ medical record, past and current

* Coverage available under the current policy

Policy Coverage 

If your existing plan is falling short of delivering the promised offerings, then it’s time to look for another plan. Sometimes policies cannot meet a family’s medical needs due to some limitations, exclusions or capping features. You should ensure that the second policy acquires no sub-limits, co-payment clauses, or any other hidden limitations or exclusions. This will help avert any type of hurdle during hospitalization.

Top-up Plans

Besides going for a second health insurance policy, you can buy a top-up plan. A top-up plan provides coverage beyond the sum insured in the insurer’s existing plan. It enhances health insurance features and benefits.

A top-up plan can be bought on an existing plan or as a basic policy. You can opt for such plans either from the current insurer or from any other insurer. If you possess an insurance cover offered by your firm, you can pick a top-up policy on the same and can enhance his saving.

So, consider going in for a top-up plan before buying a new health insurance policy.

Critical Illness Riders

A critical illness rider is an optional add-on feature. It enables policyholders to avail a lump sum (Sum Assured) amount in case he/she is diagnosed with critical illnesses mentioned in the policy wording. Thus, it can protect you and your family from any financial crunch that may arise due to some unforeseen critical illnesses.

The best thing is that a critical illness rider is available at a lower premium rate than the premium paid for second health insurance. You can buy it to compliment his existing health insurance. It can protect you and your family from any financial crunch that may arise due to some unforeseen critical illnesses.

So, it is advisable to opt for a critical illness rider instead of going for another policy in certain cases.

Look for portability feature

The portability feature is an option to change health insurance policy from one insurance company to another without losing benefits the insurer has accumulated.

If planning on buying a second health insurance policy just because the services are unsatisfactory, it is advisable to change the insurer. This way you will not lose the benefits of the existing policy.

While availing the portability option, you should opt for a higher sum insured (higher than the sum insured of the current insurer) with extra offerings and benefits such as critical illness cover. So, portability can be an ideal option to upgrade your existing plan and avail more coverage benefits and better service than before. 

Lifelong Renewability

If you have a health insurance policy, which allows the renewability option up to a certain age only, then you must opt for a new plan with lifetime renewability feature. This is beneficial because once you reach the age beyond which you can’t renew your policy, a plan with the lifetime renewability allows you to renew your policy lifetime i.e. without any age restriction.

So, even if you forget to renew your plan before the due date, the grace period (the policy will be renewable provided you pay the premium within 15 days after the expiry date) can give you a chance to renew your plan post the due date without losing its benefits.

Aegon Life Updates its Life Insurance with Covid 19 Cover in India

Owing to the COVID – 19 spread across the country, self-protection is now of prime importance. In light of this situation, Aegon Life, the pioneer of digital insurance in India now provides an upgraded ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy that provides a life cover up to Rs. 50 Lakh and hospitalization cover up to Rs. 5 Lakh on a positive diagnosis of the condition. The launch of this product is in collaboration with Flipkart, India’s homegrown e-commerce marketplace, aimed to provide maximum benefit to the insured in case of a positive diagnosis.

The cost of hospitalization for COVID-19 has increased significantly in recent months which adds to the financial stress in addition to the emotional stress already faced by the family. Aegon Life’s ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy requires no medical test for purchase. The policy can be bought hassle-free on the Flipkart App from the comfort and safety of one’s home. For a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, the insured gets a guaranteed lump-sum payout on hospitalization for more than 24 hours. 

Shedding more light on the ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy, Mr. Satishwar Balakrishnan, CFO, and Principal Officer, Aegon Life said, “At Aegon Life, we are focused on the “direct to customer” model and therefore we can keep pace with our customer requirements, which, is our topmost priority. We introduced an innovation in the industry by launching the industry’s first life + hospitalization cover for COVID-19 earlier this May with Flipkart. However, we acknowledged the market scenario and the customer demands and felt the need to increase the cover to serve our customers better. The new updated ‘Life Insurance with COVID-19 Cover’ policy will further help to ease the financial burden on the policyholder if he/she tested positive for COVID-19 by now offering cover up to Rs.5 Lakh on hospitalization”.

A detailed structure of this policy is available on the Flipkart App. Customers can choose from a range of premium price points to best suit their needs.

About Aegon Life Insurance Company:

AEGON Life, one of the leading digital insurance companies in India, is a new-age digital service company and is amongst the first companies to launch Online Term Plan in India. Being the online protection specialists, AEGON Life has a company-employed service team that is fully geared to provide customers the highest levels of service.

With a vision to be the most recommended new age Life Insurance Company, the company’s Direct to Customer focus establishes a direct dialogue with the customers to make for greater clarity and transparency.

Why are banks in the US on the downfall?

The U.S. economy is showing signs of recovery, but despite that fact, the number of bank failures in the U.S. has continued to increase with 123 entities going out of business so far this year. The authorities shut down three banks - Orion Bank based in Naples, Pacific Coast National Bank in San Clemente and Century Bank F.S.B of Sarasota on November 13, taking the count of failed banks to 123 this year, according to PTI.

The Federal Deposit Insurance (FDIC), which was named the receiver of the failed banks, took over Orion Bank, with about $2.7 billion in assets and $2.1 billion in deposits and Century Bank with $728 million in assets and $631 million in deposits. Pacific Coast National Bank was also shut down. It had $134.4 million in assets and $130.9 million in deposits. In addition, FDIC had entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with Iberia Bank of Lafayette, Louisiana, to assume all of the deposits of Century Bank, FSB.

However, the maximum number of collapses this year took place in July, when 24 banks were closed down, while 20 entities bite the dust last month.

Despite the slowly improving economic situation, soaring unemployment rate have resulted in rising defaults, primarily impacting the small and medium banks.

Agencies

Is the global recovery set to begin?

The worst is over for the global economy and a recovery is likely to begin later this year, says a bank report released here.

The global economic crisis has bottomed out and positive indicators have begun to emerge, said the report by the Royal Bank of Canada which is the top bank in the country. It said there were encouraging signs for global recovery as the US economy was showing signs of recovery after worst-ever declines in its GDP in the last quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009.

Thanks to low interest rates, an easing in credit crunch and Obama's fiscal stimulus package, the US housing market is already showing some stability, it said. This, coupled with rising consumer confidence, hints at a moderate recovery for the US economy by the second half of 2009, the report said.

"The benefits of significant fiscal and monetary policy stimulus (in the US) are starting to have traction," said RBC chief economist Craig Wright. He said, "There is an unprecedented amount of money bolstering the world economy."

"What we will be watching is the impact this spending has on labour markets, as well as household and business confidence. The degree of impact will be a crucial factor in shaping economic recovery."

Though the recession has thrown six million Americans out of jobs - pushing the unemployment rate to a record 9.4% in 25 years, the recent data suggests that this rate has started declining, the report said.

It said home sales in the US are also poised to pick up as affordability improves.

But the most potent indicator of the onset of recovery was that US consumer spending has increased after six months of decline.

This trend will continue in the second half of 2009 because of low interest rates, firmer credit markets and fiscal stimulus, the report said.

About Canada, the report said its economy will shrink by 2.4% this year. With over 360,000 jobs lost nationwide since October, consumer confidence will remain low as the unemployment rate peaks at 9.2% by the end of 2009.

The report forecast that the Canadian dollar, which has rallied 15% since March, will hover between 85 to 92 cents US for the remainder of this year.

Agencies

Does SAP sees signs of recovery from recession?

SAP Co-Chief Executive Leo Apotheker said the next few months may bring "glimmers of hope" for the global economy.

Apotheker also said he believes the business software maker should stay independent, following fresh speculation in European markets that Microsoft Corp could bid for the German company. The talk was sparked by Microsoft's plans to sell a multibillion-dollar debt issue.

"We're probably starting to see a stabilization of the situation," Apotheker said at a news conference in New York. "We'll probably start to see some glimmers of hope in the second half of the year for the global economy." Global markets will likely see a fuller recovery in 2010, he added.

The S&P 500 and Dow industrials pared losses after his comments. Apotheker, who will become the sole CEO of SAP when Henning Kagermann's retires later in May, declined to comment on the Microsoft speculation, but said he believed it is in SAP's interest to remain independent.

"Our customers believe an independent SAP is the best value they can get," he said. Rumors periodically surface that either IBM or Microsoft might acquire SAP, which sells business management applications to large businesses that neither of those technology giants have in their portfolios.

Apotheker criticized rival Oracle Corp's decision to purchase hardware maker Sun Microsystems Inc, saying that businesses do not want to buy from vertically integrated technology companies that sell software alongside the computers that run it.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said in response to a question on how Oracle's $7.4 billion purchase of Sun might reshape the industry. "It won't affect the industry much."

But Apotheker said SAP will do a few acquisitions "as we go along." SAP announced on Monday that it bought privately held Clear Standards, a small maker of software that helps businesses manage greenhouse gas emissions. Apotheker did not discuss financial terms of the acquisition.

Sterling, Virginia-based Clear Standards sells software that helps companies measure and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global climate change and are increasingly coming under regulatory scrutiny.

Apotheker also said that previously announced job cuts are progressing as planned at SAP. The company is not planning any more job cuts, he added.

Agencies

Is Wipro riding on the recovery wave?

The last two quarters were a bitter time for the computer industry in India. However, with a slight recovery seen in sales during January, Wipro Infotech wants to ride on the recovery wave in the notebook segment by launching its new series.

As per IDC reports, notebooks market will see a growth of 12% in India and with this expectation, Wipro has rolled out e.go, its new range of notebooks in India.

Talking to CXOtoday, Anand Sankaran, Chief Exclusive of Wipro Infotech said, “The industry has gone through a rough period during the last two quarters but we are seeing a sign of recovery since January 2009 and expect this trend to continue. We have launched our new range we reach out to the bold new Indian.”

This is Wipro’s second range of notebooks launched and will cater primarily to the Indian market. What more the e.go comes in three models and most unique one is the 7F3800 with a 10 inch ultra portable netbook priced at Rs 19,990 excusive of taxes. It comes in four vibrant colours including chrome red, ocean blue, racer yellow, autumn red and coral blue. “We are setting a new revolution by coming out with a netbook priced sub of Rs 20,000 that more ever comes with such high features,” said Ashok Tripathy, General Manager & Head, Computing Division, Wipro Infotech.

The notebooks have been designed integrating aerodynamics contours with advanced thermo dynamics to ensure perfect harmony of design and function.

The company plans to reach out to the enterprise as well as the consumer segment. “We have seen a negative growth in the enterprise segment but the consumers’ continue to show a positive trend in sales,’ said Sankaran.

Besides the range also comes with all ‘Green’ features that are eco-friendly and have all RoHS complaint features installed that can be recycled without causing any damage to the environment.

In fact, Wipro recorded a 60-70% jump in notebook sales during the last year but due to the present global scenario doesn’t permit similar growth this year, said Sankaran.

Wipro will target the consumers segment by selling its new desktops at Reliance Digital, Next and Pantaloon’s E Zone outlets across the country. “We expect to add more retailers in the coming months,’ said Tripathy.

Wipro has a manufacturing capacity of 1.5 million units from its two units at Pondicherry and at Uttaranchal. However, they did not disclose if the plant is utilizing its full capacity at it two units or not.