Acronis True Image 2021 Unites Award-Winning Backup With Advanced Antimalware, Creates Personal Cyber Protection Solution

Acronis, a global leader in cyber protection, has today announced the release of Acronis True Image 2021. The new release integrates advanced cybersecurity capabilities with unmatched personal backup to create the first complete personal cyber protection solution for home users, prosumers, and small businesses around the world.

Delivery comes as the COVID-19 pandemic exposes gaps in traditional solutions and strategies. Securing home machines has never been more important, yet a recent Acronis survey found nearly half (47%) of remote workers never received clear guidance on working from home.

Incorporating cybersecurity capabilities such as real-time antimalware protection, on-demand antivirus scans, web filtering, and videoconference protection into Acronis True Image ensures users have complete cyber protection. For individuals and small business users, unifying these vital capabilities in one solution makes their protection easier to manage and more affordable, while greatly improving the security.

“As more people work or attend classes from home, the FBI documents a 400% increase in cyberattacks because hackers know home systems are not usually as well-defended as an office,” said Serguei “SB” Beloussov, founder and CEO of Acronis. “Backup without cybersecurity is an incomplete option in that situation, as is cybersecurity without backup. Acronis True Image 2021 delivers the easy, efficient, and secure cyber protection needed today.”

Standalone backup and cybersecurity are obsolete

With the modern reliance on everyday devices like computers, smartphones, and tablets, the data they contain has an inherent value. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their attacks to reach that data, which is why security research firms such as AV-Test report more than 350,000 new malware threats every day.

Since backup software and files are often the targets of these new attacks to prevent recovery, backup alone no longer provides suitable protection for users. Similarly, conventional cybersecurity solutions do not provide the data protection and recovery capabilities users need.

Relying on multiple products that were not designed to work together creates security gaps, is more complex to manage, and is more costly. With a single, integrated solution, Acronis True Image 2021 users can proactively stop any malware attack and then quickly restore affected files. The single, intuitive interface reduces the complexity of managing their security and backups.

Integration delivers superior cyber protection

For the last few years, Acronis True Image has been the only personal backup solution with a built-in antiransomware that stops attacks in real-time, while automatically restoring any affected files.

With the launch of Acronis True Image 2021, those capabilities are expanded with the addition of the company’s advanced antimalware technology, which is currently deployed in Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud. This next-gen, full-stack antimalware has been shown by independent security labs such as Virus Bulletin and AV-Test to return a 100% detection rate with zero false-positives.

As a result, home users gain advanced capabilities with Acronis True Image 2021, including:

* Real-time protection, driven by AI-enhanced behavioral heuristics, which stops all malware – including zero-day attacks by never-before-seen threats

* On-demand antivirus scans of the full system or quick scans of at-risk files, either of which can be scheduled in advance or run instantly

* Web filtering that automatically blocks Windows users from accessing malicious websites that harbor malware, disinformation, scams, and phishing attacks

* Videoconference protection prevent hackers and malware injection attacks from exploiting popular apps like Zoom, Cisco Webex, and Microsoft Teams

* Comprehensive detection, with both behavioral analysis and signature-based analysis engines

These advanced antimalware capabilities are included with Advanced and Premium licenses, and offered as a three-month trial with Standard and Essential licenses.

Acronis True Image 2021 gives individuals and small businesses access to the same protection technologies relied on by global companies and top teams in the world’s most high-pressure professional sports.

“Cyber protection is a top priority for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing,” explains Bobby Rahal, co-owner of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. “When our races were on pause, Acronis continued to provide protection for our team working remotely. Now, with Acronis True Image, everyone can safeguard their personal data against the worst-case scenario.”

Pricing and availability

Four versions of Acronis True Image are available: Standard, Essential, Advanced and Premium. One-computer licenses starting at $59.99 for Standard and $49.99 for Essential. Special launch prices for Advanced and Premium licenses (starting at $69.99 and $99.99, respectively) are available until November 2020, at which time the full MSRP will be in effect (starting at $89.99 and $124.99, respectively).

Aspirational Bharat Sees 120% Spike in Work Productivity on Smartphones During COVID-19: TECNO-CMR MICI Survey

 

Survey Report

* Consumers in Aspirational Bharat are seeing a >50% spike on smartphone usage during lockdown, including 120% on productivity.

* Beyond work, consumers spent increased time on their phone for consuming content, including video OTT (70%) and audio OTT (60%), and gaming (62%).

* Fast-depleting Battery life and limited screen size were the biggest challenges that consumers faced with their smartphones.

A new Mobile Industry Consumer Insights (MICI) Survey, conducted by CyberMedia Research (CMR) in association with TECNO Mobile, has for the first time provided a comprehensive understanding of changing consumer behaviour and smartphone usage patterns in Aspirational Bharat. The CMR MICI survey revealed that consumers of Aspirational Bharat saw a 120% spike in smartphone usage for productivity compared to pre-COVID levels.

According to Prabhu Ram, He ad- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, “The smartphone is a key daily driver for consumers living in cities and towns beyond Tier I. We call this the Aspirational Bharat. What the survey highlights is how smartphone usage is changing, during lockdown and in the neo-normal, cutting across use cases, such as productivity, personal development, and leisure. In preparation for the neo normal, consumers in Aspirational Bharat are seeking smartphones that offer larger screen size and much better battery life.”

Echoing the sentiment from TECNO’s perspective, Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India said, “As a leading smartphone company commanding substantial presence and market share in the Aspirational Bharat’, we have iterated the growing importance of telecommuting and productivity usage of smartphone in the wake of COVID-19. In Aspirational Bharat, where affordability and utility go hand in hand, smartphones have emerged as a primary medium of work, information and entertainment. The CMR MICI Survey reinforces the fact that TECNO has the sense of the pulse of its aspirational consumers. And with our SPARK series, which focuses on battery, display, and camera in sub-10K smartphone category is a testimony to TECNO’s deep commitment of introducing products with segment-first features at a disruptive price point where the consumer is more ready to experiment with the product. We are optimistic that our latest launches Spark 6 Air smartphone and TWS Minipod M1 will be well-received by the audience and enable our consumers to find a work-leisure balance in this Neo Normal.”

(A) COVID-19 and Impact on Smartphone Usage in Aspirational Bharat during lockdown

* During COVID-19 Lockdown (March 25 - May 31), smartphone usage spiked by 50%, with smartphone usage for work surging by >100%.

* Smartphone users in Aspirational Bharat depend on their smartphone to empower their professional and personal life.

* 84% of consumers depend on their smartphones, for instance, for accessing information on government schemes, weather patterns, and market linkage information for farm produce.

* 83% of consumers use their phones for content consumption including creating and consuming short-form videos, music and videos.

* 83% feel empowered, using their smartphones for online banking, shopping, and utility bill payment, among others.

* Beyond work, consumers spent increased time on their phone for consuming content, including video OTT (70%) and audio OTT (60%), and gaming (62%).

* Around three in every seven users in Aspirational Bharat have started some new activities and hobbies during the period of lockdown. For instance, 21% of the consumers have learnt new skills, 19% have listened to music, while 18% have taken up new hobbies on their phones.

* One in every three parents depend on their smartphone for facilitating their kid’s online education during lockdown.

(B) Smartphone Usage in the Neo Normal (June onwards)

* Two in every seven users (29%) have faced some challenge while working from home.  One in every seven users (15%) faced difficulty in managing work-life-balance as well as productivity issue.

* The top three smartphone features that consumers have started relying more in the neo normal are Camera (61%), battery life (57%) and sound quality (51%).

* Some consumers faced problems with their smartphones –  phone overheating (58%), limited screen size (47%) and swift battery drainage (46%) were the top three challenges.

* When it comes to their next smartphone purchase, consumers are looking for smartphones that offer long battery life (54%) and large screen size (53%) for viewing to cope with neo normal.

About CMR – TECNO Mobile MICI Survey

The Mobile Industry Consumer Insights (MICI) Survey by CyberMedia Research (CMR), in association with TECNO Mobile, is the first-ever, comprehensive study of changing consumer behavior on smartphones in Tier-I, Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns of India, across three phases: pre-COVID-19, during pandemic, and neo-normal.

The CMR Mobile Industry Consumer Insights (MICI) Survey covered 1052 respondents cutting across ten study locations, including, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Surat, Indore, Guwahati and Sonipat. The study covered consumers in the age groups of 20 to 35, and socio-economic levels of SEC B & SEC C, having a affordable smartphone in the price range of INR 6000 – 10000.

For results based on a randomly chosen sample of this size, there is 95% confidence that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3% of what they would be if the entire population had been surveyed.

Aspirational Bharat Sees 120% Spike in Work Productivity on Smartphones During COVID-19: TECNO-CMR MICI Survey

Survey

* Consumers in Aspirational Bharat are seeing a >50% spike on smartphone usage during lockdown, including 120% on productivity.

* Beyond work, consumers spent increased time on their phone for consuming content, including video OTT (70%) and audio OTT (60%), and gaming (62%).

* Fast-depleting Battery life and limited screen size were the biggest challenges that consumers faced with their smartphones.

A new Mobile Industry Consumer Insights (MICI) Survey, conducted by CyberMedia Research (CMR) in association with TECNO Mobile, has for the first time provided a comprehensive understanding of changing consumer behaviour and smartphone usage patterns in Aspirational Bharat. The CMR MICI survey revealed that consumers of Aspirational Bharat saw a 120% spike in smartphone usage for productivity compared to pre-COVID levels.

According to Prabhu Ram, He ad- Industry Intelligence Group (IIG), CMR, “The smartphone is a key daily driver for consumers living in cities and towns beyond Tier I. We call this the Aspirational Bharat. What the survey highlights is how smartphone usage is changing, during lockdown and in the neo-normal, cutting across use cases, such as productivity, personal development, and leisure. In preparation for the neo normal, consumers in Aspirational Bharat are seeking smartphones that offer larger screen size and much better battery life.”

Echoing the sentiment from TECNO’s perspective, Mr. Arijeet Talapatra, CEO, TRANSSION India said, “As a leading smartphone company commanding substantial presence and market share in the Aspirational Bharat’, we have iterated the growing importance of telecommuting and productivity usage of smartphone in the wake of COVID-19. In Aspirational Bharat, where affordability and utility go hand in hand, smartphones have emerged as a primary medium of work, information and entertainment. The CMR MICI Survey reinforces the fact that TECNO has the sense of the pulse of its aspirational consumers. And with our SPARK series, which focuses on battery, display, and camera in sub-10K smartphone category is a testimony to TECNO’s deep commitment of introducing products with segment-first features at a disruptive price point where the consumer is more ready to experiment with the product. We are optimistic that our latest launches Spark 6 Air smartphone and TWS Minipod M1 will be well-received by the audience and enable our consumers to find a work-leisure balance in this Neo Normal.”

(A) COVID-19 and Impact on Smartphone Usage in Aspirational Bharat during lockdown

* During COVID-19 Lockdown (March 25 - May 31), smartphone usage spiked by 50%, with smartphone usage for work surging by >100%.

* Smartphone users in Aspirational Bharat depend on their smartphone to empower their professional and personal life.

* 84% of consumers depend on their smartphones, for instance, for accessing information on government schemes, weather patterns, and market linkage information for farm produce.

* 83% of consumers use their phones for content consumption including creating and consuming short-form videos, music and videos.

*  83% feel empowered, using their smartphones for online banking, shopping, and utility bill payment, among others.

* Beyond work, consumers spent increased time on their phone for consuming content, including video OTT (70%) and audio OTT (60%), and gaming (62%).

* Around three in every seven users in Aspirational Bharat have started some new activities and hobbies during the period of lockdown. For instance, 21% of the consumers have learnt new skills, 19% have listened to music, while 18% have taken up new hobbies on their phones.

* One in every three parents depend on their smartphone for facilitating their kid’s online education during lockdown.

(B) Smartphone Usage in the Neo Normal (June onwards)

* Two in every seven users (29%) have faced some challenge while working from home.  One in every seven users (15%) faced difficulty in managing work-life-balance as well as productivity issue.

* The top three smartphone features that consumers have started relying more in the neo normal are Camera (61%), battery life (57%) and sound quality (51%).

* Some consumers faced problems with their smartphones –  phone overheating (58%), limited screen size (47%) and swift battery drainage (46%) were the top three challenges.

* When it comes to their next smartphone purchase, consumers are looking for smartphones that offer long battery life (54%) and large screen size (53%) for viewing to cope with neo normal.

About CMR – TECNO Mobile MICI Survey

The Mobile Industry Consumer Insights (MICI) Survey by CyberMedia Research (CMR), in association with TECNO Mobile, is the first-ever, comprehensive study of changing consumer behavior on smartphones in Tier-I, Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns of India, across three phases: pre-COVID-19, during pandemic, and neo-normal.

The CMR Mobile Industry Consumer Insights (MICI) Survey covered 1052 respondents cutting across ten study locations, including, New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Surat, Indore, Guwahati and Sonipat. The study covered consumers in the age groups of 20 to 35, and socio-economic levels of SEC B & SEC C, having a affordable smartphone in the price range of INR 6000 – 10000.

For results based on a randomly chosen sample of this size, there is 95% confidence that the results have a statistical precision of plus or minus 3% of what they would be if the entire population had been surveyed.

65% of Indian Consumers Express Positive Buying Sentiment in Diwali’20: TRA Whitepaper

 TRA Research, India’s leading consumer insights and brand analytics company, today released a whitepaper titled TRA’s Diwali 2020 Buying Propensity Report gauging the changing buying mindsets and sentiments for the upcoming Diwali in November 2020. 65% of all consumers expressed a Positive Buying Sentiment as compared to now, and 28% felt it would remain the same. The Apparels category was a positive outlier and had the Highest Buying Priority at 3.11 times the average of all other categories. Mobile Phones, Consumer Electronics and Two-wheelers were on Very High Consumer Buying Priority, followed by Home Furniture, Jewellery and TVs, which were on High Priority. The survey was conducted with 503 consumer-influencers across 16 cities between 9th June and 15th July 2020. 

Speaking about report N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research, said that, "Diwali has traditionally been a period of consumption boom as consumers tend to increase spends, and brands scramble to catch their attention. This Diwali will be a deciding factor for many brands, as they prepare trepidatiously for the festive season. This report gives a very good view on which will be the preferred categories for Diwali buying."

"This is good news of course, but the pre-Covid consumer spends were already lower on account of a depressed and strained economy, and a comparison between the consumer household spends between the two Diwalis of 2019 and 2020, show that this year is likely to see 5.1% lesser spends than the previous one,” Chandramouli added. 

‘Medium Consumer Buying Priority’ included Personal Accessories, Cars, Laptops and Kitchen Appliances, while ‘Low Consumer Buying Priority Zone’ includes Travel, Health Insurance and Home Renovation.

The survey results also revealed that online shopping is set to see an unprecedented boom in a post-Covid-19 world. Also, kirana stores or small standalone store, close-by neighbourhood stores, local groceries are the preferred places to shop. Big formats stores like Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Branded outlets are unlikely to see many visitors, and Malls carry a negative sentiment due to tremendous consumer reluctance despite relaxed norms and promise of better safety. 

Nearly 95% consumers rated Product Quality as the most important influence when making purchases for Diwali 2020 followed by product usefulness (89%), Product Price (88%), Buying Convenience (87%) and Brand Name (86%). Advertising at 71% remains the lowest choice driver for Diwali shopping.

About TRA Research

TRA Research, a Comniscient Group company, is a consumer insights and brand intelligence Company dedicated to understanding and analyzing stakeholder behavior through two globally acclaimed proprietary matrices of Brand Trust and Brand Desire. TRA Research conducts primary research with consumers and stakeholders to assist brands with their business decisions based on Consumer Behaviour insights.

TRA Research is consulting brands on transitioning during and after the Covid-19 crisis, to help them be more aligned to consumer and client expectations. TRA Research is the also the publisher of TRA’s Brand Trust Report and of TRA’s Most Desired Brands.

For more information, please visit www.trustadvisory.info

Survey Finds Low Levels of Awareness About Typhoid Prevalence and Ways to Prevent It

Summary 

* Nationwide survey of 1,337 respondents across eight cities shows low awareness on typhoid prevalence and ways to prevent it including vaccination

* More than one sixth (17%) of respondents in Bangalore who did not vaccinate their children considered typhoid to be ‘not at all serious’ or ‘mild/easily manageable’

* With 2.2 million cases of typhoid recorded in India in 2016, the country has one of the highest incidence rates in the world, with the disease affecting mainly children

* Typhoid symptoms are often non-distinguishable from other illnesses but early preventative treatment measures including education play a key role in protecting children

Abbott, one of India’s leading healthcare companies, partnered with Babygogo (part of the Sheroes Network), to conduct a nationwide survey across eight cities* to assess awareness around typhoid fever. With 2.2 million cases of typhoid being recorded in India alone in 2016,[1] typhoid fever poses a serious disease burden in the country. In fact, in Karnataka alone, there were 137,973 cases in 2017, contributing 6.21% to India’s total burden.[2]

Typhoid fever, which is a bacterial infection, tends to affect children most, with peak incidence occurring in children aged 5-15 years.[3] Currently available evidence shows that vaccination against typhoid is effective and tolerable.[4] The survey results highlighted that only 66% of respondents reported being aware of a typhoid vaccination.

Key Survey Findings

* There are higher levels of awareness for mandatory vaccines, i.e., vaccines given in National Immunization Program of the country (NIP) such as rotavirus (82%) compared to vaccines not given in NIP such as influenza (67%) and typhoid (66%).

* The survey revealed that more than one sixth of respondents in Bangalore who did not vaccinate their children (17%) considered typhoid to be ‘not at all serious’ or ‘mild/easily manageable’, unaware of the fact that the bacterial infection can lead to serious complications  if left untreated or treated with inappropriate medicines.

* Other findings suggest that key reasons for not vaccinating include absence of vaccine recommendation by the pediatrician (48%) and non-inclusion in the list of NIP vaccines (36%).

Misleading Symptoms and Delay in Treatment

Commenting on these findings, Dr. R. Kishore Kumar, Senior Neonatologist & Founder Chairman of Cloudnine group of hospitals said, “The Indian subcontinent has the highest incidence of typhoid worldwide.[5] The illness is characterized by prolonged fever, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, and constipation or sometimes diarrhoea[6]. Since these symptoms are often clinically non-distinguishable from other illnesses causing fever, typhoid is frequently not treated appropriately at the early stages when such treatment is most effective – which makes prevention all the more important. In a yet unpublished study carried out at Cloudnine, we found many children affected now a days are much younger – as young as 7 months in contrast to the olden days when children were school going age group. The findings of this survey carried out by Abbott indicate that physician recommendation can play a key role in ensuring higher immunization rates to protect children from this disease, as can efforts to educate patients. I encourage parents to seek guidance from their doctors about this vaccination.”

Myths on Causes for the Disease

Survey findings also show that myths about the disease are highly prevalent. As a bacterial bloodstream infection, typhoid fever spreads through contaminated water and food, often due to lack of hygiene and access to drinkable water. Yet 57% of survey respondents nationwide inaccurately attributed the cause of typhoid to a change of weather or season. Significantly, less than half of mothers from Bangalore identified close contact (37%), touching contaminated surfaces (20%) or eating food cooked by a typhoid patient (25%) as risky behaviours that could spread typhoid.

Prevention Helps Lessen Infections and Drug Resistance

Studies have shown that vaccinations can help lower the incidence of infection, but 13% of the respondents in Bangalore stated that they prefer to take the risk of getting a serious medical condition than to receive a vaccination for it.

Dr. Kishore Kumar added, “Prevention through vaccination will help reduce typhoid burden and mortality. IAP has recommended now the vaccine can be given to children as young as 6 months along with the influenza vaccine. Given the rising emergence of drug-resistant strains of typhoid, administration of typhoid vaccination to populations at high risk of infection is a public health priority. [7]  The survey findings indicate the vast majority of mothers have low levels of awareness about typhoid and the specific precautions that need to be taken to protect themselves and their families. Educating mothers about the benefits of getting their child vaccinated is the need of the hour.”

Dr. Srirupa Das, Medical Director, Abbott India, explains, “The findings shed light on awareness levels, motivation and behaviors around typhoid vaccination in India. They suggest that increased awareness on typhoid and ways to prevent it, such as improved hygiene levels and vaccination, can contribute to lessening India’s health burden due to typhoid infections. As part of our mission of helping people live healthier lives, we support educational initiatives on typhoid fever in India, especially amongst new mothers and parents in general.”

About the survey

Abbott India, in partnership with Babygogo (part of the Sheroes Network), conducted a survey across eight cities* namely Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune to understand the perceptions and barriers surrounding typhoid vaccination. A total of 1,337 respondents were surveyed online on awareness levels, motivation and behaviours surrounding vaccination against typhoid in India. 37% of caregivers surveyed had children aged 0 to 6 months, 39% had children aged 6 months to a year and 24% of people had children 1-2 years old.

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader that helps people live more fully at all stages of life. Our portfolio of life-changing technologies spans the spectrum of healthcare, with leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and branded generic medicines. Our 107,000 colleagues serve people in more than 160 countries. In India, Abbott was established in 1910, and is one of the country's oldest and most admired healthcare companies. With over 12,000 employees in the country, Abbott in India is helping to meet the healthcare needs of consumers, patients and doctors throughout urban and rural India.

Bengaluru’s Residential Prices Fell by Almost 3% in Last Quarter: Magicbricks Propindex Report Q2 2020

COVID-19 Effect

* Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Bellary Road and Electronic City were the top 4 micromarkets in the city

* Strong demand for smaller size 2 & 3BHKs; together accounting for 88% of the property searches

* COVID-19 induced a price decline of 1-3% across most budget segment

Amidst COVID-19, Bengaluru’s residential prices have witnessed a QoQ decrease of approx. 3% in the second quarter of 2020, revealed the latest edition of Magicbricks’ PropIndex (Q2, 2020). Bengaluru residential market maintained a steady momentum in the last 5 years with 17.7% and 33.3% surges in ready to move and the under construction segment prices, respectively. However, the QoQ 2.8% price decline in the ready-to-move segment washed away the gains made during the previous six quarters.

The under-construction segment had a decent 33% growth in the last 5 years, but the recent pandemic brought a decline of 0.8% in Q2 2020.  Shortage of labour, supply chain disruption and extension in the RERA deadline by 3 months in Bengaluru is likely to shift delivery of some under construction projects by a few months.

According to the Propindex, Bengaluru thrives on a healthy mid-segment demand, with both 2 and 3 BHKs each accounting for more than 40% of the demand and supply. Together they account for 88% of the property searches and 92% of the supply. However the market is slowly shifting to the affordable segment, and a small demand-supply mismatch is emerging in the less than INR 5,000 per sqft price bucket. The demand for 1 BHK and 2 BHK configurations is likely to further increase due to the reduction of stamp duty between 3% to 5% for properties costing upto INR 35 lakh.

Commenting on the PropIndex, Sudhir Pai, CEO, Magicbricks, said, “India’s real sector is gradually adopting to the new normalcy. The economy had almost come to a stand-still in March but now hopefully we are on the road to recovery. At a pan-India level, the price decline has been just 1.5% QoQ while repo rates have been lowered by more than 100 points. This augurs well for the industry. Our data also suggests that consumer interest has not tapered off and developers have to grab the attention of the home buyers through attractive deals and offers. There is a pent-up demand for ready-to-move in properties as our data suggests that the 80% of searches are happening in this segment and the rest for under-construction.”

Post COVID-19 pandemic, government has allowed partial sales of plots In the layouts to ease the liquidity situation of developers and accelerate the layout development process. State government allows the regularization of over 75,000 land parcels, which were initially a part of the BDA development scheme but were under unauthorized possession for more than 12 years, by payment of penalty.

Whitefield, Sarjapur Road, Bellary Road and Electronic City were the top 4 micromarkets in the city, supported by factors such as affordability, better access to IT hubs and sound connectivity to the airport. The extension of metro lines from Baiyappanahalli – Whitefield and RV Road – Bommasandra is likely to boost the demand for the economic hubs of Whitefield and Electronic City in the future

However, it will be interesting to see how these factors play out as the market recovers from the outbreak of COVID-19 and the ensuing national lockdown. Magicbricks data indicates that overall, consumers are back to the marketplace, albeit in lower numbers. Developers are running various schemes and promotions to entice home buyers and drive transactions. The next three to six months will remain key to determine any developing trend in prices and transaction volumes. It has become even more of a buyers’ market with the onus on sellers to make the right interventions to enable the real estate market bounce back.

About Magicbricks: India's no 1 property site

Magicbricks is India’s No.1 property site. With monthly traffic exceeding 20 million visits and with an active base of over 1.4 million+ property listings, Magicbricks provides the largest platform for buyers and sellers of property to connect with each other in a clear, transparent manner. With this in mind, Magicbricks has innovated several product features, content and research services, which have helped us, build the largest audience pool.

51.4% of MSMEs Assessed were First Time Borrowers, Says NeoGrowth Research

An exhaustive study by NeoGrowth Credit on a base of over 17,000 MSMEs across cities including Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, Pune, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad, revealed some interesting insights about the MSME industry.

Credit bureau scores have been traditionally used as a report card of one's credit history and repayment behavior. The lack of sufficient credit history or no credit history usually makes it difficult for the borrower to get loan approvals. According to NeoGrowth Research, over 51.4% of the MSMEs assessed were first-time borrowers

According to the Sixth Economic Census released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in 2018, womenconstitute around 14% of the total entrepreneur base in India i.e. 8.05 million out of the total 58.5 million entrepreneurs.  10.8% of the total disbursements of the 17,000 MSMEs assessed for FY2019-20 were towards businesses that were run by women either as sole proprietors, partners, or directors.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem in India has been conventionally led by experienced players that have been reigning in their respective markets for generations. While first generation entrepreneurs are finally emerging in the scenario, they are starved of growth opportunities majorly due to a lack of credit. NeoGrowth Research establishes that about 77.6% of the MSMEs assessed were revealed to be first-generation entrepreneurs.

With digital connectivity growing rapidly and emergence of smart cities, Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are the new business hubs, employment centres and consumer markets of the country. About 19% of the MSMEs assessed in the study, were originating from Tier-2 cities.

The Indian Government considers MSMEs and entrepreneurship as key to driving economic growth, innovation, job creation and social upliftment across the nation. By generating 120 million employment opportunities, MSMEs boast of being the second largest job creators in the country. As per the study, 28% of the MSMEs assessed showed an increase in the number of their employees’ post availing a business loan.

These insights form part of an annual assessment conducted by NeoGrowth. Over these years, NeoGrowth the company has successfully maintained its unique product proposition by providing collateral free, short-term, quick, and customized business loans on flexible repayment terms. Having disbursed loans amounting to more than INR 5,500 crores, NeoGrowth has been funding and enabling MSMEs to grow and sustain their businesses while continuing to tread on its initial journey of achieving inclusive growth.

Mr. Dhruv Khaitan, Founder and Chairman, NeoGrowth said, “We are happy to share our Sixth Social Impact Report, an annual effort to engage with our key stakeholders – MSMEs, to understand their financial needs, challenges faced by them and assess the impact of lending activities on their lives. At NeoGrowth, we have always focused on creating strong positive social impact on MSMEs by lending to first generation entrepreneurs, assisting women entrepreneurs and enabling our customers in job creation and improvement of credit scores via our loans.”

NeoGrowth Research is the in-house research team of NeoGrowth that keeps a continuous track on the emerging trends in the payments, fintech and MSME sectors and publishes insights.

Seagate's ‘Rethink Data’ Report Reveals that 68% of Data Available to Businesses goes Unleveraged

The report also identifies the missing link of data management—DataOps—which can help organizations harness more of their data’s value and lead to better business outcomes.

Seagate Technology plc, a world leader in data storage and management solutions, today released Rethink Data: Put More of Your Data to Work—From Edge to Cloud. The report—based on a survey of 1500 global enterprise leaders, which was commissioned by Seagate and conducted by the research firm IDC—identifies today’s most pressing data management challenges, and solutions to them. It pinpoints the amount of data available to enterprises that goes unused: 68%.

“The report and the survey make clear that winning businesses must have strong mass data operations,” says Seagate CEO Dave Mosley. “The value that a company derives from data directly affects its success.”

The most significant findings include:

Data management is increasingly important as data proliferates. IDC projects that over the next two years enterprise data will grow at a 42.2% annual rate.

Only 32% of data available to enterprises is put to work. The remaining 68% is unleveraged. 

The top five barriers to putting data to work are: 1) making collected data usable, 2) managing the storage of collected data, 3) ensuring that needed data is collected, 4) ensuring the security of collected data, and 5) making the different silos of collected data available.

Managing data in the multicloud and hybrid cloud are top data management challenges expected by businesses over the next two years.

Two thirds of survey respondents report insufficient data security, making data security an essential element of any discussion of efficient data management.

 

The report identifies the missing link of data management: data operations, or DataOps. IDC defines DataOps as “the discipline connecting data creators with data consumers.” While the majority of respondents say that DataOps is “very” or “extremely” important, only 10% of organizations report having implemented DataOps fully. The survey demonstrated that, along with other data management solutions, DataOps leads to measurably better business outcomes. It boosts customer loyalty, revenue, profit, cost savings, plus results in other benefits.

"The findings of this study illustrating that more than two-thirds of available data lies fallow in organizations may seem like disturbing news," said Phil Goodwin, research director, IDC and principal analyst on the study. "But in truth, it shows how much opportunity and potential organizations already have at their fingertips. Organizations that can harness the value of their data wherever it resides—core, cloud or edge—can generate significant competitive advantage in the marketplace."

The survey queried 1500 respondents—500 in the Asia Pacific and Japan region, 475 in Europe, 375 respondents in North America, and 150 in China.

About Seagate Technology

Seagate Technology crafts the datasphere, helping to maximize humanity’s potential by innovating world-class, precision-engineered data management solutions with a focus on sustainable partnerships. Learn more about Seagate by visiting www.seagate.com or following us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and subscribing to our blog.

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.

©2020 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved. Seagate, Seagate Technology, and the Spiral logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Talent Demand Tanks in Most Sectors in June 2020, Green Shoots in BPO, Health & Auto: TimesJobs RecruiteX June’20

Highlights

-        Retail, BFSI shed most talent demand in June 2020 M-o-M study 

-        Talent demand picked up in BPO, Health & Automobiles in June 2020 

-        In Y-o-Y analysis, the demand for talent remained same in June’20 and June’19

 

The TimesJobs RecruiteX, monthly talent demand index, marks a 4% growth in talent demand in June’20 (89) over May’20 (85). However, the demand in high-volume sectors including IT, BFSI and Retail records a steep fall. The Y-o-Y analysis showed that the talent demand index for June’19 (89) and June’20 (89) was the same. 

M-o-M talent demand trends: The growth in demand index is contributed by Automobiles (17%), Healthcare (16%) and BPO (14%) sectors who are re-hauling the business post the Unlock 1.0. With the Government relaxing lockdown norms, companies in these sectors are eyeing growth hacks by customising their offerings in the changing business scenario. 

Q-o-Q talent demand trends: The Q-o-Q analysis shows that demand for talent in IT and Retail sectors witnessed growth in AMJ’20 over JFM’20. Both, these sectors witnessed double-digit growth. Talent demand index stood at 370 points in AMJ’20 over 338 points in JFM’20, a 9% growth. The Retail sector witnessed a 30% growth in AMJ’20 in comparison with JFM’20. 

Y-o-Y talent demand trends: The Y-o-Y analysis for talent demand shows no growth, or loss from June’19 to June’20.  The Consumer Durables sector showed a growth of about 30% in Y-o-Y talent demand analysis, followed by Healthcare. The BPO sector saw the steepest fall of (-34%) in talent demand in the yearly comparison.

Commenting on the findings of RecruiteX June 2020, Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “The findings of RecruiteX June 2020 are a silver lining in the present scenario. The rise in BPO, Healthcare and Automobile’s talent demand hints that companies are striving hard to get back to normalcy after the Unlock 1.0. Not just the M-o-M analysis, but even the Q-o-Q comparison (AMJ’20 v/s JFM’20) has shown growth, with a double-digit hike in the IT and Retail sectors”.   

Here are the major findings of the RecruiteX June 2020 edition:

Industry-wise

Sectors which gained talent demand:  

- Automobiles: (17%)

- Healthcare: (16%)

- BPO: (14%)

Sectors with steepest loss in talent demand: 

- Retail: (-13%)

- IT/Telecom: (-6%)

- BFSI: (-2%)

Functional areas: 

Functional areas which gained talent demand:  

- Doctors/Nurses/Medical Professional: (20%) 

- Logistics/Supply Chain Management/ Procurement: (10%)

- Engineering: (5%)

 Functional areas with steepest loss in talent demand:  

- IT/Telecom: (-10%)

- Sales/Business Development: (-3%)

Location-wise: 

Cities which gained talent demand:  

- Indore: (4%)

 - Ahmedabad: (2%)

 - Hyderabad/Secunderabad: (2%)

Cities with steepest loss in talent demand:  

- Bengaluru: (-18%)

- Jaipur: (-6%)

 - Chennai: (-5%) 

Work experience-wise: 

 Work experience category which gained talent demand:  

- Over 20+ years of work experience: (6%)

- 10-20 years: (5%)

- 2-5 years: No gain, no loss 

Work experience category with the steepest loss in talent demand:  

- Freshers and people with less 2 years of work experience: (-13%)

Indian Software Programmers are Rooting for Cloud Certifications Amid COVID Lockdown: TechGig Survey

Survey Report

●    COVID-19 lockdown has catalysed the willingness of techies to getting certified, finds TechGig survey

●    Deep understanding of a new-age technology emerged the biggest reason for techies to take a certification

●    Freshers and new joiners are more interested in getting certifications than working professionals

●    Around 35% of respondents admit that the prices of certification courses are out of their budget

Cloud technology – which is facilitating communication and remote working amid the present COVID-19 lockdown – is also the preferred choice for upskilling for the Indian developers, reveals a survey conducted by TechGig. The preference for Cloud overshadowed other new-age technologies as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. 

The jobs of the future would require expertise in new-age niche skills, and upskilling is the only resolve for a long term career in technology. Hence certification programs are gaining popularity among the IT professionals.

Over 1,750 IT professionals participated in the TechGig ‘IT Certification Survey’, where around 78% of respondents belonged to the 25-30 years age bracket. More than 82% of respondents were already employed in the IT sector. About 55% of the survey respondents were freshers with 0-2 years of work experience.

Commenting on these findings, Sanjay Goyal, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “In today’s peculiar COVID-19 time, technology is the only thread which is holding the world together. From Cloud computing – which are assisting work-from-home to Artificial Intelligence – which is helping Banking, Retail and critical sectors run operations; and even Robotics – which is helping the front-line hospital staff; new-age technologies are helping the world connect in the present time. The TechGig survey reveals that eagerness of Indian developers to upskill on these new-age technologies. Also, about 86% of people said that their career got a boost because of upskilling – which is an actual proof that employers prefer people skilled in these technologies”. 

Here are the key takeaways from the survey -

IT certifications help boost career

More than 86% of the respondents had previously joined a certification program and said that their certification had boosted the career prospects.

Adoption of certification courses is on the rise

Over 90% of the respondents revealed that they are planning to have an IT certification soon. About 58% of people are more inclined to learn new and niche technologies rather than upskilling in a known one.

Deep understanding of technology is the biggest reason for certification

The TechGig survey revealed that the biggest reason for people to go for an IT certification is the willingness to deeply understand a modern-age technology. However, more than around 25% of people said that they want to take a certification to upskill and get ready for a better job.

People are inclined to leave their organisation after certification

Surprisingly, people who are joining a certificate program are more interested in leaving the current organisation once their certification is complete. Getting an appraisal in the current organisation is the last thing in their minds and only 18% of people want to stay in the same organisation after their certification.

COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the desire to get certified 

The COVID-19 pandemic and home isolation have worked as catalysts for around 93% of techies to motivate them to go for a certification. When asked if they will continue their certificate course once the pandemic has ended and bans are lifted, 91% of the respondents gave it a nod.

Cloud technology is the hottest domain for upskilling

One of the most interesting findings of the survey is that despite the emergence of a whole bunch of ultra-modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Quantum Computing, the favourite domain with 28% votes goes to Cloud computing.

Budget is a major concern for techies in choosing a certificate course

The survey reveals that most of the techies (83%) seek a certification course that is under INR 10,000. No one wants to spend a big amount on certification. Around 35% of respondents admit that the prices of certification courses are out of their budget. Also, people are more inclined to join a free certification program. Only 38% of people say that they are willing to pay a fee only if the certificate adds great value to their resume.

Short-term certifications are most in-demand

Around 87% of people said that they do not want to spend more than 3 months on a certification program.

People understand that certification is a need of the hour

When asked who advised them to take a certification program, more than 83% of the respondents say that they are self-motivated to become a highly-skilled professional.

Gen X and Boomers More Willing to Return to Work, While Gen Z and Millennials Prefer to Wait: LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index

LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network, today announced the findings of the sixth edition of the LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index, a fortnightly pulse on the confidence of the Indian workforce. Based on survey responses of 1,351 professionals in India, findings from the fortnight of June 1-14 reveal how India’s workforce feels about returning to work, and how professionals from different generations exhibit varied confidence levels towards returning to the physical workplace.

This fortnight’s LinkedIn Workforce Confidence Index shows that India’s overall confidence remains steady with a composite score of +48, as India gets ready to return work. The cautious optimism also reflects in the strong short-term and long-term employer confidence levels of professionals from sectors such as Corporate Services and Manufacturing. India’s workforce is also beginning to feel more confident about their personal finances as 1 in 4 professionals in India expect their earned incomes (25%) and personal spending (26%) to increase in the next 6 months. In fact, about 1 in 3 professionals also expect their personal savings (31%) and personal recurring debt payments (29%) to increase in the next 6 months. This financial confidence comes at a time when India’s economy is gradually restarting.

Commenting on this rise in financial confidence, Leadership Coach Harsh Johari says, “Professionals will continue to be prudent about money management, given the prevailing uncertainties. While some businesses in the digital space are seeing growth, the actual financial impact on India Inc will only become clear when listed companies unveil their results for the quarter ending June 30.”

Working remotely for the past three months has encouraged businesses to adapt innovative and digital measures for business continuity. However, as India ‘unlocks’ and workplaces reboot, findings of the sixth Workforce Confidence Index underscore a pronounced difference in how the older and younger professionals feel about returning to the physical workplace.

About 1 in 3 Gen Z and Millennials will continue working remotely until safer

As the business landscape resumes, older professionals appear keen on stepping out into the post-Covid-19 world while younger professionals are not rushing to embrace it. Findings reaffirm this difference in perception as 38% of Gen X and 29% of Baby Boomers said they will willingly return to the workplace as soon as they are allowed, whereas 1 in 3 Gen Z (29%) and Millennials (32%) said they will continue working remotely until they feel safer about being around others. One reason for this, as HR expert Abhijit Bhaduri states, “Younger workers are adept in using digital means of communication. Senior professionals may find it challenging to hire and manage performance of remote teams.” Hence, varied levels of digital prowess could be one of the reasons behind such contrasting outlooks from different generations.

Risk of exposure, commute to work, and close proximity worry Indian professionals

While the nationwide lockdown is gradually being lifted, the stigma around COVID-19 prevails due to uncertainty around safety measures. Findings reveal that more than half (55%) of Indian professionals think being exposed to people neglecting safety precautions is a key concern. 58% of Millennials and 56% of Gen X professionals are shown being concerned about the same problem. Probing further, findings highlight that 42% Millennials are concerned about commuting to work while nearly half (46%) are worried about eating and sharing resting/collaborative spaces. The report also shows that inadequate space between workstations is cited as another primary concern with returning to work, as it could make it tough for professionals to practice healthy measures of social distancing.

Corporate Services and Manufacturing professionals most confident about the future of their companies

This fortnight’s findings also gauge how Indian professionals feel about the short-term (6 months) and long-term (1 year) future of their companies. With regards to short-term employer confidence, survey findings show that 50% of Corporate Services professionals, 46% of Manufacturing professionals, and 41% of Education professionals think their companies will be better off six months from now. When it comes to long-term employer confidence, findings reveal that 64% of Manufacturing, 60% of Corporate Services, and 59% of Software & IT professionals believe their companies will be better off one year from now. Based on these findings, it is observed that professionals from Corporate Services and the Manufacturing sectors have the strongest short-term and long-term company outlook, respectively.

Delhi, Guwahati Top TRA’s Mental Well being Index During Covid

TRA Research, a consumer insights and brand analytics company, released a whitepaper today tracking the Mental Wellbeing of citizens across urban India during the lockdown period. The survey was conducted across 16 cities between 23rd March and 21st May 2020. The study measured Health Worry, Economy Worry, Family Worry and Financial worry of citizens and their ability to cope with them.

The demographic pattern of the Mental Wellbeing Index (MWBI) shows that citizens of Delhi (NCR) and Guwahati display the highest mental strength in their ability to cope with their anxieties since the coronavirus spread started in India. Hyderabad had 87% Mental Wellbeing Index score displaying ‘Excellent’ Mental ability. Indore and Chandigarh, both at 78% are rated ‘Very Good’ on Mental Wellbeing.

However in the South, most cities showed greater vulnerability in coping with their Covid worries with Chennai having the lowest MWBI score at 43% followed closely by Kochi at 45%. Nagpur was also in the same range with a 44% score.

Speaking about report N. Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research, said that "Research shows that Mental Wellbeing impacts people's coping effectiveness, relationships, performance, mood, emotional balance, and also physical health. The necessity of measuring Mental Wellbeing is crucial as the most important indicator of how people, cities and countries may get impacted when faced with such a severe crisis, and how they emerge in its wake".

"The sharpening coronavirus curve, a long-drawn lockdown, with related health, economic and financial insecurities have pushed Indian citizens into a wave of mental wellbeing anxieties without enough coping mechanisms." N. Chandramouli added elaborating on the findings of report.

“Mental Wellbeing is ‘bi-directional’, implying that mental illnesses are not merely consequences of the pandemic, but an inability to deal with them effectively can lead to a greater collective impact of the disease”, TRA’s CEO said.

About TRA Research

TRA Research, a Comniscient Group company, is a consumer insights and brand intelligence Company dedicated to understanding and analyzing stakeholder behavior through two globally acclaimed proprietary matrices of Brand Trust and Brand Desire. TRA Research conducts primary research with consumers and stakeholders to assist brands with their business decisions based on Consumer Behaviour insights.

TRA Research is consulting brands on transitioning during and after the Covid-19 crisis, to help them be more aligned to consumer and client expectations. TRA Research is the also the publisher of TRA’s Brand Trust Report and of TRA’s Most Desired Brands.

India Transitions to ‘Purpose-Driven’ Entrepreneurship from ‘Necessity-Driven’ Entrepreneurship: GEM Report

Report 

* The country ranks high on three out of four parameters introduced by GEM Consortium to understand motives behind starting a business

* India ranks first among 50 economies with around 87% of total early-stage entrepreneurs agreeing ‘to make a difference in the world’ as their motive to start their business

India has transitioned to a ‘Purpose-driven’ entrepreneurship from ‘Necessity-driven’ entrepreneurship as depicted by the latest ranking of the country in three out of four parameters introduced by Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) consortium. GEM Consortium, which studies entrepreneurship ecosystem in 50 countries every year, has incorporated four parameters in 2019-20 Adult Population Survey (APS) to fully reflect the nuances in motivations for founding contemporary start-ups.

India ranks first among 50 economies with around 87% of the total early-stage entrepreneurs agreeing ‘to make a difference in the world’ as their motive to start their business. In other two parameters ‘to build great wealth or very high income’ and ‘to continue a family tradition’; the country ranks third and second respectively with 87% and 80% agreeing for above as their motive. In the fourth parameter ‘to earn a living because jobs are scarce’; the country ranks tenth.

“Over the last few years, the approach towards entrepreneurship in India has largely been positive and is gaining strength among all stakeholders of the ecosystem. The entrepreneurship in India was mainly constrained to family businesses until a decade ago. However, today the ecosystem is much favourable to start-ups who want to chart their territory and build a business. Supportive government policies, positive perception of the society towards start-ups and availability of funds from the financial community has given much confidence to entrepreneurs for opting to start a business with a specific ‘purpose’ in mind, rather than just another option to the job,” said Dr. Sunil Shukla, Team Leader, GEM India and Director General, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII).

“Until 2018, GEM had distinguished opportunity and necessity as primary motivations for entrepreneurial activity. However, this distinction didn’t fully reflect the motivation behind starting the business and hence in 2019, the global consortium decided to further add parameters that could provide an insight into entrepreneur’s mind behind starting a business,” said Dr. Amit Dwivedi, Member, GEM India and Faculty, EDII.

“The fact that India ranks higher in parameters other than that related to job scarcity proves that the country is moving from necessity-driven to purpose-driven entrepreneurship. Going forward, the strengthening ecosystem will ensure the country moves into next phase of ‘innovation-driven’ entrepreneurship, which is the last step for any economy to become a country of job-creators, rather than job-generators,” said Dr. Pankaj Bharti, Member, GEM India and Faculty, EDII.

Companies are increasingly being held accountable for their environmental and social impacts and for their contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the majority of countries, entrepreneurs agree to most of the parameters listed above as their raison d’être for starting a new business, which is substantive evidence of ‘purpose-driven’ entrepreneurship taking hold at the grassroots level an encouraging sign of a collective will for future business sustainability.

63% of HR Managers are Hiring Amid COVID-19 Tension, Most Recruiting for Niche Job Roles Solely: TimesJobs Survey

Survey

* In the TimesJobs survey, 16% of respondents said that their top leaders are seeking ways to collaborate with competitors to ensure business growth

* A majority (42%) of HR managers stated that they are using talent assessment platforms to evaluate candidates 

* Around 21% of HR managers claimed that they conducted hiring audits to ensure they were recruiting a diverse set of talent 

With 63% HR managers at India Inc. buoyed about hiring amid the COVID-19 lockdown, this quarantine period may not be as gloomy as it seems. 

In a recent TimesJobs survey, a majority (63%) of HR managers said that their company had been hiring amid the COVID-19 crisis time. Out of these, nearly 65% of respondents stated that they were hiring for niche positions only. 

TimesJobs survey titled ‘The Indian workplace response to COVID-19’ gathered responses from 1,145+ HR managers working across different industries. The important takeaways from this survey include:

1. Diversity topped the hiring agenda: A majority (61%) of HR managers asserted that hiring diverse talent was their top priority even when compared to other factors as Learning & Development.

2. Leadership response was proactive: Around 34% of respondents said their executive management was working proactively to ensure business survival amid the crisis.

3. Employee well-being gained the centre stage: More than 34% of respondents stated that restructured the employee health initiatives in sync with the public health advisory. 

4. The virtual workplace is here to stay: Nearly, 49% of respondents claimed that companies were investing in preparing for virtual work-ready modules, followed by compulsory upskilling activities.

Explaining the findings of the TimesJobs survey, Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “The last few months have been a roller-coaster ride. However, on the brighter side, it forced companies to adopt virtual operations more seriously. The survey also pointed that most companies were hiring for the niche roles only, and in my sense, these are the organisations which are virtual-ready, and have restructured/are restructuring their products and processes for customers and employees via technology.”

Other notable insights from this survey were - 

‘Business survival’ crucial for top leadership:

Around 34% of professionals stated that their top management was working aggressively to find new solutions for business survival. Nearly, 24% of respondents said that their top brass was working on building a strong and transparent communication network within the organisation to smoothen the processes. While 16% of respondents asserted that their leaders were seeking ways to collaborate with competitors for business growth. 

Companies investing in assessment tools to evaluate skills: 

TimesJobs survey asked how the hiring managers were assessing candidates in the present lockdown. Around 42% of respondents stated that their company used assessment platforms to evaluate skills on candidates, this hints that companies are becoming more cautious of who they bring on board. 

Corporates held hiring audits to uphold D&I agenda while hiring amid COVID-19:

Around 24% of HR managers said that they wrote neutral job posting to encourage diverse hiring during the COVID-19 lockdown. About 21% of professionals said that their company conducted a hiring audit to ensure the Diversity & Inclusion mandate was fulfilled. While 16% of respondents said that they were writing job posting using a tech-based tool to ensure they were hiring a diverse talent pool. 

Will the Web run out of address space?

The world could well run out of internet addresses next year, unless urgent action is taken to switch to a new generation of net addresses, the European Commission has warned.

According to the commission, businesses urgently need to upgrade to internet protocol version six or IPv6, a new version of the web’s addressing protocol, which will hugely increase the number of available addresses.

The IPv6 system has been ready for over a decade and is providing 340 trillion web addresses. But, not many companies are actually ready to migrate to the new platform.

A survey, conducted by the commission, found that few companies are prepared for the switch from the current naming protocol, IPv4, to the new regime, IPv6, the Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday. The IPv4 and IPv6 protocols refer to the way in which addresses are created and assigned. Each website has a unique IP address, represented by a string of numbers, such as 192.168.1.1, which are then given a user-friendly web address to make them easier to remember.

The IPv4 protocol uses 32-bit addresses, which enables the web to support around 4.3 billion unique addresses while IPv6 uses 128-bit web addresses, creating billions of possible new web addresses. The EC survey found that of the 610 government, educational and other industry organisations questioned across Europe, the Middle East and Asia, just 17% have upgraded to IPv6.

Detlef Eckert, director in commission’s information society and media directorate-general, said: “Only by ensuring that all devices connected to the internet are compatible with IPv6 can we stay connected and safeguard sustainable growth of the internet.”

Agencies

Ex-lovers most popular online search on the Net

Most people look for their long lost love on the internet, a new survey has found.

The study found that one out of four people are using social networking sites like Facebook to search a childhood sweetheart.

Search engine Ask Jeeves claims that 9% even confessed trying to know details of a one-night stand.

Nearly 37% said that they wanted to learn about their ex to just “see what they were doing these days”, reports the British tabloid the Sun.

Surprisingly, 4% even looked for former flames just to inform them how happy they were without them, while 3% searched to find out how miserable their ex were.

Apart from searching for previous lovers the poll also suggested that a trend of “vanity searching”, which means looking for yourself on the net, has become increasingly popular.

Agencies

Check out the best IT employer: Dataquest-IDC survey

The average salary increase in the IT sector during 2009 was down at 1.4%, according to a Dataquest-IDC survey.

Employees under two years of experience earned a 2% increase in salary, while those between 2.1 to 5 years had their salaries cut by 7%. Those between 5.1 to 10 years got an average salary hike of 5% and those with over 10 years experience earned a 4% salary increase.

In the survey, HCL Infosystems emerged as the best employer in the IT industry, followed by iGate, Rolta, RMSI and SAS Institute. HCL jumped up two positions from last year, while iGate slipped one notch to No. 2.

The survey covered 200 IT companies of which 31 companies were short-listed for the final round. For the first time, India’s top four IT companies declined to take part “as layoffs and salary re-alignment leads to dip in IT employee morale”, the survey said. The top four IT firms employ about 40% of the IT professionals in the country.

Seven new entrants — R Systems (6), Perot Systems (7), Ingram Micro (11), Sify Technologies (13), Infogain (17), Unisys (18) and Novell (19) — made it to the Top 20 Best Employers in IT list.

The employee attrition rate came down to an average of 15%, from 18% last year. A majority of IT employees said they changed job for better salaries and compensation (53%), overseas postings (38%), better job security (18%), flexible working hours (18%) and training and development (9%). While the average retention rate, defined as percentage of employees retained out of the total employees as on March 31, 2008, improved to 85%, from 79% in 2008, Hexaware Technologies showed a remarkable retention score of 100.

The study also reveals that companies have become more transparent in their communication with employees giving them a sense of belonging. They have also gone ahead and adopted a higher degree of professionalism in their dealings with employees as well as customers or suppliers.

Another key finding is that more employees are satisfied with the interest shown by their companies as well as their immediate seniors in helping them strike a worklife balance compared to last year. The study reveals that there is a drastic fall in the number of people who feel that their job is secure within their company.

Agencies

Highest software budget for 2009-10 comes from APJ firms

Asia Pacific companies plan to increase their software budgets by 4.4 percent on average in 2010, while overall IT budgets was expected to decline by 3.1 percent on average, according to the latest survey by Gartner. More organizations in Asia Pacific (38 percent) expect to increase their software budgets in 2010 than their overall IT budget (31 percent).

"For most organizations, the budgeting process happens once a year, but adjusting the IT budget is a continuous exercise that is driven by economic conditions and changes in the business," said Gartner Research Director Yanna Dharmasthira. "In the midst of economic volatility, hardware budget allocation remains the top priority in most countries, but software budgets are a real bright spot and continue to demonstrate a positive outlook, although more cautious when compared with last year's survey."

The survey showed that the average expected increase in software budget of 4.4 percent in Asia Pacific is higher than all other regions surveyed including Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), North America and Latin America. India-based respondents are consistently the most optimistic, with the highest number of respondents intending to increase their IT budget in 2010 (42 percent), followed by China (32 percent). On the other hand, Malaysia-based respondents remain pessimistic, with the largest number of respondents intending to decrease their spending (52 percent), followed by Singapore (48 percent of respondents).

The respondents of this survey were asked whether they expected their 2010 IT budget to be below, the same or exceed their IT budget for 2009. Gartner surveyed 323 IT managers in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, China, India and Hong Kong, as part of a worldwide survey of 982 respondents, to help business and IT managers compare their enterprise IT spending with peer organizations.

Software is expected to represent the second-largest portion of the IT budget in most countries, with the exception of India (where software and hardware spend are roughly equal) and Australia (where spending is notably higher on IT staff). India is the most aggressive with the highest software budget allocation (26.9 percent), followed by Singapore (25.8 percent), Malaysia (24.1 percent) and China (23.1 percent).

India is also the most optimistic in software spending, with the average expected change in software budget of plus 10 percent. Dharmasthira said that vendors should revisit their potential customer list, as they may have shifted in terms of geography, as well as market segments. "Software vendors should not only focus sales efforts on traditional hot spots such as India and China, but look at opportunities in mature markets too. The intentions to increase software budget have become more varied among different countries and organizations, presenting good opportunities in a mix of developed and emerging countries," said Dharmasthira.

Agencies

Indian CEOs better than their western counterparts

Despite the grappling impact of the global meltdown, Indian firms are in a more favorable position as against other countries like the U.S. Over last few years, Indian business houses have come into focus for their international competitiveness that sets them apart from their western counterparts, as per a survey.

Professor Harbir Singh said, "Our very unique difference is that Indian leaders think in English, thanks to the Western education. But, act in an Indian context. They internalize Western best practices and adapt them to India." The findings are based on a study titled 'The DNA of Indian Leadership: The Governance, Management and Leadership of Leading Indian Firms'. It was conducted by Singh along with his three other Management Professors from the University of Pennsylvania, named Peter Cappelli, Jitendra Singh and Michael Useem. In the study, each India CEO was asked asset of questions about the leadership skills, competitive advantage and corporate governance.

According to R.Gopalakrishnan, the Executive Director at Tata Sons, the Indian executives' strategic thinking, risk taking abilities, flexibility as well as the setting of the shared architecture of the firm were some of the important leadership capacities. They are occupied with long-term strategic vision, talent nurturing and maintaining the organizational culture.

Also, the Indian leaders perceive the role of their firms in the society, rather than prioritizing the investors in the company. But, for the Western CEOs, the shareholders emerge at the top of the priority list.

However, as per the report, some of the Indians CEOs carry a unique management trait- the "jugaad" factor, which is the tendency to resort to an unplanned makeshift in the company. "While this can be perceived negatively, it can also be a positive trait because of its inherent inventiveness and survival instinct," concluded Singh.

Agencies

Now get your Mobile Web report from Opera

Opera’s popular mobile browser Opera Mini claims to enhance the mobile internet experience. The software organization has now broadcasted its State of the Mobile Web report that further ascends the browser. This report presents some fascinating data that offers a detailed description about the evolution of Web browsing on mobile phones.

Opera conducted a study of vital factors that influence the mobile Web globally and publishes it as the State of the Mobile Web, monthly. The report provides information about the most regularly visited sites. Moreover it also includes key data metrics from Opera Mini and a picture of a particular development selected by the analysis team for that month.

The company had introduced the Opera Mini and Opera Mobile which are premium software for mobile Web browsing on both feature phones and smartphones. Opera Mini offers faster Web services on the handset. Moreover even the page is viewed just as it appears on the desktop browser. The Opera Zoom feature articulates the contents so as to enhance the readability and interaction. Additionally, it also incorporates Opera Link that facilitates users to synchronize their bookmarks for free. It also offers a Speed Dial option and personal bar between all the Web browsers.

The report reveals that 25.4 million Opera Mini users have browsed over 9.6 billion pages, as per the records in the month of May, 2009. Further it claims that since April, 2009, page-views have risen by 11.0% and increased by a remarkable 227% from May, 2008. It also illustrates that users generated almost 160 million MB of data for global operators in May, 2009.

The content analysis is based on an assessment of the top 100 sites ranked based on page views in every country. The designation of sites to particular kind was devised by local content professionals by following Opera’s guidelines to exemplify each site.

Additionally, demographic data was also gathered from voluntary user surveys. The data was then provided to a random subset of Opera Mini users through their handsets, in English, Russian, Chinese, German and Polish. Survey responses were accumulated between February to June, 2008.

Agencies