Mahindra’s Revolutionary iMAXX Telematics Connected Vehicle Tech Set To Transform Indian Vehicle Fleet Management

 * Mahindra’s iMAXX offers unprecedented predictability & control over the transporter’s fleet, leading to higher profits and a hassle-free ownership experience

* Featured as Standard Equipment in the BS6 compliant range of BLAZO X HCVs, FURIO ICVs & LCVs and CRUZIO Buses with free subscription package

* New Telematics platform deploys cutting-edge telemetry technology to provide powerful insights on vehicle health and performance

Mahindra Truck and Bus (MTB), a part of the USD 19.4 billion Mahindra Group, today announced the launch of its revolutionary connected vehicle technology, Mahindra iMAXX. This new Telematics platform is fitted into Mahindra’s BS6 emission norms compliant CV range, including the BLAZO X range of HCVs, FURIO range of ICVs & LCVs and CRUZIO range of buses. This new technology promises to further strengthen the value proposition of the MTB range for the company’s discerning customers.

The new Mahindra iMAXX technology, coupled with the tried & tested BS6 engines (mPOWER and MDI Tech) with FUELSMART technology and robust aggregates, retaining over 90% of the parts of the erstwhile BS4 vehicles, will help fleet owners and transporters transition to the BS6 ownership experience smoothly and efficiently. 

Speaking on the occasion, Jalaj Gupta, Business Head, Commercial Vehicles, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. said, “At Mahindra we are the pioneers in Connected Vehicle technology, which has become even more important in the new BS6 era, given the increase in electronics based vehicle controls.”

Mr. Gupta added, “The Mahindra iMAXX Telematics solution, is based on next generation telematics technology and is at the heart of our brand promise -HAR CHEEZ GUARANTEE KE SAATH, for our BS6 vehicles. It is an intelligent fleet telematics solution which deploys cutting-edge telemetry technology like Dual CAN (Controller Area Network), 4G and other leading digital technologies, including Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, to provide powerful insights on vehicle health and performance. This helps in maximizing returns for Fleet Owners.”

With the right telematics platform, like Mahindra iMAXX, enhanced fleet operations efficiency leads to higher asset productivity/ fleet utilization, lower costs of operations and higher fleet safety. Mahindra iMAXX, is an intelligent platform and a differentiated solution compared to other offerings in the market that focus mainly on location tracking based services and basic vehicle electronic data.

Today, Mahindra is seeing an unprecedented number of success stories from its BS4 fleet customers who are achieving upwards of 10% fuel economy improvements across their fleet.  In fact some customers are even achieving 100% asset productivity improvements in terms of kilometers driven per vehicle per day, thanks to the intelligent insights provided by the Mahindra iMAXX platform that was soft launched and co-created with customers in the earlier BS4 era.

Unique Benefits of Mahindra iMAXX Telematics Platform:

As against the regular telematics solutions that focus mainly on location tracking based services and basic vehicle performance analysis, the intelligent and revolutionary Mahindra iMAXX is in a different league due to the following:

Embedded Device Capability – The core capability of the Mahindra iMAXX embedded device is to absorb large scale, high frequency engine and allied system data securely, and transmit on a real-time basis over 4G airwaves for server processing. To put this in perspective, the amount of data transmitted through the Mahindra iMAXX device from the vehicle is on an average 600% higher than the previous generation telematics systems available in the market.

Digital Twin Platform – Once such a large amount of data comes into Mahindra iMAXX cloud servers, the machine learning algorithms and artificial intelligence models put in place at the Mahindra iMAXX digital twin platform level helps provide accurate, reliable and predictive business and engineering insights. While most telematics solutions fetch and show vehicle data to customers without any further intelligence or analysis built-in, Mahindra iMAXX has the unique and unparalleled capability to add machine intelligence to normal data for enhanced credibility, efficacy and reliability – a First in Indian CV industry.

To appreciate the power and uniqueness of this solution, and how this technology powers our service guarantees for customers, consider this actual case that occurred on one of the customer’s vehicle during Lockdown 1.0. The artificial intelligence built into the system which monitors multiple correlated vehicle parameters was able to predict an engine cooling system issue, 33 hours prior to it actually occurring on the vehicle i.e. vehicle sending a high coolant temperature fault code through its ECU. With the predictive alert available at the right time to our NOW 24X7 helpline and Uptime monitoring team and to the customer, coupled with the agility and timely action of the customer support team, a possible major vehicle breakdown was averted and the driver continued on the trip after minor repairs provided by our mobile service van.

For more details on the features of Mahindra iMAXX, please click on:

https://www.mahindratruckandbus.com/imaxx.aspx

Godrej Locks Introduces Contactless Key, Arm-Operated Door Handle and Foot-Operated Door Openers, e-Commerce on Amazon India

Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems, the 123-year-young leading manufacturer of innovative locking solutions, announced its foray into the contactless products segment with an innovative contactless safety access range for the post COVID-19 world. The company has launched four new products in the range including Universal Brass Key, Arm-Operated Door Handle and two variants of Foot-Operated Door Opener. The company has launched this range exclusively on e-commerce and is currently available for purchase on Amazon India.

In the new normal, people are concerned about the surfaces they touch with their hands. They want to avoid any direct contact to keep themselves safe from germs, bacteria and viruses. Godrej Locks addresses these genuine concerns of people with its new contactless safety access range. These new products are designed proficiently for homes and commercial spaces like hotels, restaurants, malls, retail stores, hospitals, etc., ensuring people don’t have to touch surfaces directly with their hands. 

Godrej Universal Brass Key ensures that people do not touch any contaminated surface directly with the hands. The Universal Brass key provides a wide range of applications such as to pull door handles in public and private places, press pin pads, open and close bathroom doors, turn on/off electrical switches, carry groceries, among others. This key has antimicrobial properties since brass kills germs and bacteria and avoids spreading of viruses.

Godrej Arm pull handle is an arm-operated door opener that works on any latch-less wood, or metal door. Similarly, Godrej Foot Pull is a foot-operated door opener that can be used to open any kind of doors. Be it opening washroom door, internal & main residential door, hospital door, office door, commercial spaces or retail stores, both these hands-free solutions ensure one can open doors without touching them with hands. This makes Godrej Arm pull handle and Foot Pull a reliable solution to avoid transmission of germs and bacteria. These products can be installed easily on doors, without the help of a carpenter.

Commenting on the launch, Shyam Motwani, EVP and Business Head, Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems, said, “With the outbreak of COVID-19, the world has seen people take proactive measures for better health and hand hygiene. As concerns over the spread of the virus through contact or shared surfaces continue to threaten the world, the segment of contactless products is becoming the preferred choice for people, be it for home or commercial spaces. Hence, looking at this current need of people, we have launched a contactless safety access range offering them a unique solution to go touchless.”

He further added, “We have opted for an exclusive e-commerce launch as we will be able to reach out to a wider audience across geographies within India. We are confident that these high grade contactless solutions will ensure the safety and well-being of our customers.”

The entire contactless safety access range is very affordable keeping in mind the interest of people. Godrej Universal Brass Key comes at a price of INR 299 only. Godrej Arm pull handle and Godrej Foot Pull is available for INR 499. These products are currently available on Amazon India. Godrej Locks is likely to partner with other e-commerce platforms to make its innovation contactless solutions available for customers.

About Godrej Locks and Architectural Hardware & Fittings

Godrej Locks & Architectural Hardware and Fittings is a 123-year-old leading manufacturer of innovative locking devices. Since its inception in 1897 by Ardeshir Godrej, the name ‘Godrej’ has become synonymous with trust, protection and integrity. From the first Anchor branded lock in 1897 to the first ever spring less lock in 1907, to the iconic 'Navtal' in 1954, and to the postmodern biometric locks, Godrej has set every benchmark in the locks industry. Over the years, Godrej Locks and Architectural Hardware & Fittings have changed in form, function and scope of application. But one thing still remains the same – the solid stamp of trust and reliability. Godrej Locks adhere to global quality norms and hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications.

With their locks reaching several countries around the world over a period of time, the brand has come a long way in delivering world-class smart locking solutions, therefore revolutionizing the very perception of a locking device from a mere functionality at an entry and exit point, to a proud pause at the doorstep, a moment to take in the significance of how far they have come.

Binance Launches “Build For Bharat”; First DeFi-Focused Digital Hackathon in Indian Market

Binance, the global blockchain company behind the world’s largest digital asset exchange, today launched ‘Build for Bharat’, a twofold program with a hackathon and acceleration opportunities for blockchain developers and startups in India.

The hackathon is sponsored by Google Cloud, along with leading technology companies Matic Network, Marlin Protocol, Band Protocol and Ankr cloud infrastructure, while the acceleration comes under Polaris, an initiative by the Blockchain for India 50M fund, launched by Binance and WazirX in March 2020.

Spanning over a few months  -- from 24th August to 31st October 2020 -- the Build for Bharat hackathon will be open to creators, innovators, startups, and BUIDLers from all over India working on unique and creative products utilizing digital assets and blockchain technology. The solutions will be centered around decentralized finance (DeFi) such as mini-Tokens, micro-financing products, blockchain datasets, blockchain-AI solutions and more.

“India has been one of the most interesting countries Binance has tapped into!” said Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ). “We’ve seen entrepreneurs create robust blockchain-based solutions from scratch and scale it. With the second-largest blockchain developer base in the world - India has already kickstarted the revolution of decentralization and we’re here to fuel it!”

Selected participants will undergo three stages of filtration with 100 teams shortlisted in the first cohort, 20 teams in the second, and five teams in the final cohort. The finalists will receive rewards from a pool of 30,00,000 INR while the winning teams stand a chance to secure additional investment and mentorship opportunities under the Polaris accelerator, an initiative by the Blockchain for India fund.

To apply for Build for Bharat program, head over to the event registration website. Registrations for the program are open from today till 11th September 2020.

[The event is managed by Lumos Labs (Formerly known as IBC Media) - A Singapore-based innovation management platform.]

About Binance

Binance.com is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume. Binance Exchange serves users from 180+ countries and regions. Binance’s dual-chain architecture comprises Binance Chain & Binance Smart Chain that empowers the developer community to build their own decentralized apps and digital assets on one blockchain, while also taking advantage of the fast trading performance offered on the Binance Decentralized Exchange (DEX).

7.4% Reduction in Severely Acute Malnourished Children after Successful Year of BSI’s Nutrition India Programme

 * BSI NIP saved 6,500 children between 0-5 years across districts of Amravati and Nandurbar in Maharashtra from malnutrition

* An independent evaluation by sustainable Square found every INR 1 invested in the BSI Nutrition India Programme delivers INR 36.90 of social value 

* The ongoing programme additionally aims to engage with 1,77,000 mothers and children with the goal to eradicate malnourishment in Amravati & Nandurbar in the next four years

After the first successful year of Dettol BSI - Nutrition India Programme, the community witnessed a 7.4% reduction in the proportion of severely acute malnourished children across the districts of Amravati & Nandurbar in Maharashtra. Within the first 10 months, the programme was able to save the lives of 6,500 children between the years of 1-5 with the help of 41 community nutrition workers. An independent evaluation by sustainable Square also found that every INR 1 invested in the BSI Nutrition India Programme delivers a social value of INR 36.90.

The programme was developed to support in the first 1000 days of a child’s life, utilizing digital and artificial intelligence-based innovative modules, to strengthen the health, hygiene and nutrition status of pregnant women and children in Maharashtra’s Amravati and Nandurbar.

Commenting on the partnership initiative, Gaurav Jain, Senior Vice President, South Asia, Reckitt Benckiser Health, “Proper nutrition & sanitation are the catalyst to social change and one of the most critical aspect to empower young children and mothers. Given the alarming number of malnourishment cases witnessed in states like Maharashtra, districts of Amravati and Nandurbar became the starting ground for the Nutrition India Programme in partnership with Plan India. The five-year programme is aimed at strengthening the health, hygiene, and nutrition status of pregnant women and children across impacted communities.”

Acknowledging this support Mohammed Asif, Executive Director, Plan India, said, “Nutrition India program has shown the light on the imperative of collaborative actions by governments, corporates and civil society to successfully tackle the challenge of malnutrition and undernourishment in rural communities. The learnings and outcomes from this program should be widely disseminated so that other development actors are able to replicate. Also this initiative by Reckitt Benckiser and its partners is contributing to the larger national efforts to mitigate the public health challenge posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

“We are thankful to RB for the partnership and for ensuring timely access to life-saving and preventive measures to ramp up nutrition and public health outcomes in underserved communities.” He added.

In the past one year, Nutrition India Programme has worked with local communities and developed a workforce of travelling nutrition champions who are known as ‘Community Nutrition Workers (CNWs)’. These workers are given rigorous training by public health experts, pediatricians, gynecologists, and community development specialists, and are educated about the golden rules of good nutrition. 

The ongoing programme is focusing on maternal and child health. Everything related to it is being taught to these community nutrition workers, such as–what precautions are to be taken by expecting mothers, what should be their diet, lessons on breastfeeding, the importance of breastfeeding within the initial hour of birth, exclusive breastfeeding for the newborn, and the diet which should be given to a child so that he/she is saved from the ill effects of malnutrition.

Over the next four years, the programme aims to reach 1,77,000 mothers of undernourished children across 1,000 villages with a target of 40% reduction in the number of children under five who are stunted, and to reduce and maintain childhood wasting to less than 5%.

Plan India’s on-ground expertise is helping reach communities properly through a systematized process. The partner organization is also supporting by providing nutrition workers with simple interactive tools that deliver clear and effective messaging around nutrition and hygiene to create behavioral changes in the society. For more information on Plan India, login to www.planindia.org

Social Return on Investment measures the value of the benefits relative to the costs of achieving those benefits. It is a ratio of the net present value of benefits to the net present value of the investment. The total public health impact could be measured for a population of 5 lakhs

About RB:

RB* is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone.

RB is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million RB products a day are bought by consumers globally.

RB's passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. For more information visit https://www.rb.com/

*RB is the trading name of Reckitt Benckiser group of companies.

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT CREATED BY NUTRITION INDIA PROGRAMME IN ONE YEAR

* 71% increase in proportion of child with timely initiation of complementary feeding

* 7.4% reduction in proportion of severely acute malnourished children

* 7% increase in proportion of pregnant women with Complete Ante Natal Care Coverage

* 23% reduction in pregnant women with anemia

* 59% increase in institutional birth at a public facility

* 56% reduction in proportion of low birth weight babies

* 37% increase in proportion of children with breastfeeding initiated within 1 hour of birth

* 11.6% increase in proportion of lactating women whose diet diversity is ensured

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).

SmarterBiz Raises INR 8 Crores Pre-Series from StartupXseed and Prominent Angels

 • A post-COVID new norm start-up working on Customer Experience delivery with the most secure technology stack

• Aims to grow at 8X doing about 72 Crores in ARR by Mar 2021 

• Remote WFH solution to enable companies to traverse towards OPEX model 

• Solving Customer Experience (CX) for enterprises 

SmarterBiz, India's first end-to-end CX platform enabled with the gig workforce has raised INR 8 crore as a part of their Pre-Series A round. 

The contributors for this funding round were StartupXseed Ventures (Deep Technology – B2B – Early-stage fund); Mr. Bhaskar Pramanik, Former Chairman of Microsoft India; Mr. MJ Aravind, Former co-founder Daksh, Former Partner Artiman; Mr. Ravi Viswanath; Mr. Ramesh Radhakrishnan; Mr. Ranjan Biswas; and Mr. MJ Aniketh. 

Founded in 2014 by Rajesh Bernard, Vijay Krishna, and Prateek Mehta, the company was funded initially by Utthsihta Yekum Fund.

SmarterBiz is an AI-powered customer experience platform that enables remote management of customer journeys and agent life cycles. SmarterBiz has helped several enterprises, including unicorns build scalable, flexible, and hyper-local customer experience, cost-effectively. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged businesses to ensure business continuity and manage increased customer interactions through remote workforce and reduced costs. With the SmarterBiz CX platform, customers can now remotely enable and manage the complete life cycle of the CX process across both digital and human touchpoints. With a single integrated approach, SmarterBiz takes away the pain of running customer experience on multiple siloed systems and processes that do not talk to each other. SmarterBiz provides an end-to-end platform to CX teams to manage the entire lifecycle of their customer, technology backbone, process, and customer support agents on the cloud. 

SmarterBiz serves several enterprises, including five segment leaders in E-commerce, BFSI, Hospitality, and Telecom sectors. It manages more than 5000 agents as part of its gig workforce. 

Rajesh Bernard, CEO & Co-founder of SmarterBiz said, "SmarterBiz has built a CX platform for a gig-workforce ideally suited under these COVID 19 conditions. SmarterBiz is committed to offering an omnichannel experience that elevates the experience across all customer touchpoints. We provide a competitive advantage to our customers by offering a choice between automation and manual intervention at all these touchpoints. With the investment, we plan to grow by 8X ARR this year and create more gig opportunities in the market." 

"Companies like SmarterBiz can foresee the benefits technology can bring, to reinvent the businesses and add value to the system. It will surely be a game-changing category disruptor during and post-COVID 19. There will be an increasing need for companies to integrate customer journeys, tech, remote work, and Gig models into their business process. We believe that SmarterBiz will be one of the most sustainable global companies of the future, for the solution it brings in and the execution capabilities of the team," said Mr. BV Naidu, Managing Partner, StartupXseed Ventures.

"At last, a seasoned leadership team, a novel premise, immaculate conceptual skills, and meticulous execution. SmarterBiz is indeed a company to watch out for." Mr. M J Aravind, Ex co-founder Daksh. 

The key benefits of the solution for customer experiences are that it facilitates remote work opportunities across India, flexible working hours, earning potential in a WFH set up, and is a mobile light, simple, and efficient application. 

The unique CX platform—Uearn.ai— streamlines the customer journey across multiple touchpoints with an omnichannel CX tech platform, fluid workflow management, and gig workforce, replacing the CapEx model to an OpEx model. The competitive advantage of SmarterBiz is the scalability (4X) it offers at lower costs and faster time to serve as compared to traditional models. 

About SmarterBiz: SmarterBiz, founded in 2014, is India's first end to end CX platform enabled with gig-workforce. It allows companies to shift their CX centres to 100% OpEx model. SmarterBiz streamlines customer journeys across multiple touchpoints with its CX platform—Uearn.ai—lowering the cost to serve, time to serve, for CX centre. It delivers the customer experience through its platform and gig-workforce, bringing convergence of tech and people to run multi-layered operations for its clients. Its fluidity allows clients to scale 4X times faster than the traditional model supported by a talented workforce that can work from remote distributed locations. Uearn.ai facilitates remote work opportunities and has 5,000 trained gig workforces with customer experience profiles. Uearn is available as a remote gig workforce app in Google Play Store. 

SmarterBiz is transforming the CX delivery for some of the leading banks to tech unicorns. To know more, visit www.smarterbiz.ai

Trend Micro Brings DevOps Agility and Automation to Security Operations through Integration with AWS Solutions

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), the leader in cloud security, enhances agility and automation in cloud security through integrations with Amazon Web Services (AWS). As a result, Trend Micro delivers flexible and scalable all-in-one security that helps DevOps engineers securely build and innovate as they migrate to and build in the cloud. 

Trend Micro has demonstrated the strength of its collaboration with AWS since 2012 with a deep understanding of customer use cases and by integrating with leading AWS security services at launch. Most recently, Trend Micro Cloud One™ offerings have been natively integrated with AWS Control Tower and AWS Systems Manager Distributor. These additions are designed to bring immediate benefit to security, cloud, and DevOps teams leveraging AWS by automating enforcement of security capabilities earlier in the account and resource provisioning process. 

"Trend Micro is an Advanced Technology Partner in the AWS Partner Network (APN) with  a long-standing history of providing security solutions to help customers address their portion of the shared responsibility model," said Siva Padisetty, General Manager, AWS Systems Manager, Amazon Web Services, Inc. "Trend Micro's continuing investment in integrations with native AWS capabilities, such as AWS Control Tower and AWS Systems Manager Distributor, reduces onboarding and management friction while adopting an enhanced security posture." 

According to a recent report from IDC, "Trend Micro is the dominant leader in Software-Defined Compute (SDC) workload protection," making up 29.5% of the worldwide hybrid cloud workload security market share, proving the company's hybrid cloud security expertise, capabilities and trust by customers. As the leading cloud security experts, Trend Micro engineers develop security solutions designed to meet the needs of cloud engineers. 

"We understand that security teams don't always have complete control or visibility into how cloud instances are being spun up, configured and used across the company," said Sanjay Mehta, senior vice president of business development and alliances for Trend Micro. "Listening to and understanding customer needs and feedback drives our innovations and collaboration with AWS. Having our solutions plug in natively with AWS offerings like AWS Control Tower and AWS Systems Manager Distributor adds visibility and automates security for our customers." 

Through this collaboration, Trend Micro Cloud One offers the broadest platform support and API integration to protect your AWS infrastructure whether building with Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) instances, AWS Lambda, AWS Fargate, containers, Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3), or Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC) networking. 

UV-C Devices, Launched by NCR-based Company, to Destroy Corona Virus Within Seconds

 Corona Virus

* Multiple products like UVC Baggage Conveyer, UVC Sterilizer Cabinets and UVC Room Sterilizers were launched to prevent surface-to-human virus transmission.

* The product takes approximately 5seconds to 10minutes for disinfection depending upon size of object & type of the product.

* Certified and approved by Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and a 3rd party NABL Accredited lab.

The current pandemic is causing a major socio-economic shake-up in the country. Currently, India stands third in the highest number of cases through COVID-19. It is of utmost importance to find solutions to contain or at least mitigate the chances of serious outbreaks of virus especially when the country is slowly opening up. To cater to this need, Bright Beginings Pvt Ltd, a NCR based home-grown manufacturing set-up, has come up with some innovative UV-C sterilization devices to effectively inactivate the viruses within minutes from any inanimate object. The products are created with state-of-art-technology, easy to use, low maintenance and without any chemical, which disinfects frequently touched objects and personal items thus preventing surface-to-human transmission. The product has the UV LED as light source and it takes approximately 5 seconds to 10 minutes for disinfection depending on the size of the object and type of the product. All the products are designed and manufactured in India with in-house capabilities. This new range is another step in the company’s support to the government’s call towards “Make in India” and “Be Vocal for Local” for self-reliance.

Bright Beginings’ UV-C products have been certified by India’s top most university in Science Research – Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, for treating Corona Virus.  Also tested and certified by the third party NABL accredited lab for confirming time for curing.

The disinfection system can quickly and effectively disinfect objects of daily use in homes, such as fruits and vegetables, packaged food, keys, mobile phones, stationery, laptops, and baby products. The UV-C exposure on fruits and vegetables also extends their shelf-life, keeping them fresh for longer periods. The range comes in three variants and would be available on leading e-commerce platforms.

Bright Beginings Pvt Ltd’s UV-C products are:

v UVC Baggage Conveyor for the commercial establishment like malls, hospitals, airports etc. The working mechanism of the product is as under:

·         Luggage is placed on the Loading Section of the Conveyor

·         Luggage enters into UVC Chamber.

·         Sterilisation process takes 5 seconds.

·         Sterilised luggage gets pushed to the Unloading Section of the Conveyor.

UVC STERCAB and UVC MINI-STERCAB are compact Ultraviolet Storage Cabinets that are capable of sterilizing office files, courier packets, laptops and other electronic gadgets.

* UVC ROOM STERILIZER sterilize bigger areas like rooms, hospitals, hotels, airports etc. with 360° coverage of the area.

Commenting on the launch, Mr.Arvind Raghav, CEO, Bright Beginings, said “Our products have been tested for their disinfection efficacy by the leading institutions. UV-C radiation technology is renowned globally for being the safest and most effective in terms of disinfecting surfaces to prevent transmission of multiple viruses including corona viruses. We believe hygiene will be the new frontier in the new normal as a sector and being a start-up, we are focusing on offering cost effective range of products to our customers. The products are largely indigenous, except the UV-C LEDs, which we are currently importing from a leading South Korean company, that has a lot of patents in UV Technology and is a pioneer in LED technology. Progressively, we will also become Aatmanirbhar to serve the nation.” Further UVC LEDs are 25% more effective in Germicidal Lighting than UVC tubes.

About Bright Beginings:

Bright Beginnings is an ISO 9001 certified organisation manufacturing high-tech electronic equipment. They are a team of tech enthusiasts who wanted to utilise the industry experience and knowledge in creating state-of-the-art technology products. Their USP is the perfect blend of technology with ultimate user satisfaction. The products are made according to the precise requirement of the clients and are highly appreciated for their reliability, durability, cost-effectiveness and efficiency. They manufacture Mobile Phones, Chargers, Power Banks, Bluetooth Speakers, Earphones, Infrared Thermometers, Oximeters and UV-C sterilisers.

Manipal Hospitals Salutes Mamtaz Begum’s Unflinching Approach in Fighting Covid19

As India celebrates its 74 years of Independence on August 15, as a patient centric organization, Manipal Hospitals will showcase its patriotism in a responsible way. Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road will grace this occasion along with its COVID warriors who are fighting to get freedom from the invisible enemy.

Ms. Mamtaz Begum from Manipal Hospitals Nursing team is a real COVID Warrior and recognizing her valiant efforts, the hospital has given her the privilege to hoist the flag along with all other COVID warriors and the management team. 

Ms. Mamtaz Begum is a living proof of a responsible and sensible citizen. She is a frontline warrior with 26 years of experience. She has gone through tough times in her life as well as during this pandemic.

Ms. Begum was a student of Manipal and started her career at Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road. Her personal journey started when she fell in love with a Muslim boy and was trying to convince her parents. Fortunately, her parents have agreed and she married her love of life in 1996 and changed her name as well. Her life took a complete twist in 2016 when she was diagnosed with high Creatinine. The news came as a shock to everyone in her family as both her renals were damaged.

Dr. Viswanath S, HOD & Consultant - Nephrology, Transplant Physician, Manipal Hospitals Old Airport Road advised her that she had to undergo renal transplant. Mamtaz has had an immense support from Manipal Hospitals financially as well as professionally. Her husband and her two sons stood like a pillar during this journey. Her renal transplant done at Manipal Hospitals, Salem was successful and she was recuperating well. She was aware of the plight of her health conditions; yet continued to lead a cheerful life by staying positive.

Destiny had something else in store and life took a U-turn once again in her life during these unprecedented times. She was serving all the vulnerable amongst us and performing her duty professionally as a Nurse. She was diagnosed as a COVID Positive and her family was shattered as she also had underlying disease.

Mamtaz once again stood the test of times and fought this battle positively and came out as a COVID SURVIVOR.

Mr. Deepak Venugopalan, Regional COO, Bengaluru & TNN Cluster, MHEPL said, “Colleagues like Mamtaz are a huge inspiration for all of us. They put their duty and patients before themselves. Glad that she got her independence from Covid and who better than her to hoist the flag on 15th August.”

She would like to thank Manipal Hospital’s entire Management for being with her during all odd times and giving her moral support. Her mantra in life is to stay strong and to be positive for any tough battle. She has joined back her duty and has stepped up to help others, putting the country’s needs before everything else, even her family members.

Ms. Mamtaz Begum has stood tall against all odds and is indeed a great role model for others to follow.

 

Mahindra Unveils All-New Thar: The 4x4 Icon is Now a Contemporary, World-Class SUV

Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., a part of the $19.4 billion Mahindra Group, today unveiled the All-New Thar, the most eagerly awaited and legendary SUV, on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day. In its all-new avatar, the Thar is a quantum leap in terms of performance, everyday comfort & convenience, technology and safety, as it stays true to its core promise of unmatched off-roading capability and builds on its iconic design.

Unveiling the All-New Thar, Dr. Pawan Goenka, MD & CEO, M&M Ltd said, “Today, with the unveil of the All-New Thar, we rewrite history once again. The All-New Thar is firmly rooted in our rich automotive heritage and upholds the Mahindra DNA in its purest form. We are proud of our authentic SUV legacy that has been guarding the freedom of this nation by serving the armed forces since the 1950s, while simultaneously becoming the spirit of adventure and a lifestyle icon. The All-New Thar is a dynamic expression of fun, freedom and independence, and is geared up for its next adventure”.

The All-New Thar will not only attract die-hard Thar enthusiasts, but also appeal to all those people who have always dreamt of owning an iconic vehicle, with all the bells and whistles of a contemporary SUV. 

The All-New Thar has the following exciting features:

·         All-new BS-6 compliant Engine options: The 2.0 litre mStallion TGDi Petrol engine and the 2.2 litre mHawk Diesel engine

·         New Gearbox options: 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission & 6-speed manual transmission mated to an authentic manual shift-on-the-fly 4x4 transfer case

·         All-new Roof options: A Hard Top, a first-in-class Convertible Top and an optional Soft Top

·         All-new Seating options: 4 front-facing seats & 2+4 side-facing seats

·         All-new Technology Features: Drizzle resistant 17.8 cm touchscreen infotainment system, cruise control, adventure statistics display and a whole lot more

·         All-new Comfort and Convenience Features: Sporty front seats, roof-mounted speakers and lots more

·         New Safety Features: ABS + EBD, Dual airbags, ESP with rollover mitigation, Hill-hold and hill descent control and a whole lot more

According to Rajesh Jejurikar, Executive Director, Auto & Farm Sectors, M&M Ltd., “The All-New Thar will enhance the appeal of a brand that is already a cult, to a wider set of consumers. It will target people who seek extraordinary journeys and wish to Explore the Impossible. The All-new Thar will be launched on 2nd October, 2020 which is also our Founders Day”

Veejay Nakra, CEO, Automotive Division, M&M Ltd. said, “The Thar has represented the spirit of freedom, thrill and fun-to-drive character that few other vehicles can match. With the All-New Thar, we aim to protect this legacy with superior performance both on and off the tarmac, advanced technology features, excellent safety and everyday ride comfort, all adding to the unadulterated driving pleasure of a true-blue modern SUV.”

Ever since India became a free nation, ‘The Mahindra Classics’ have enabled Indians to explore new worlds and conquer even the most challenging terrains. For over seven decades now, The Mahindra Classics have shared a close bond with India’s story and the unveil of the All-New Thar on the momentous occasion of our country’s Independence Day is a significant milestone in taking this journey ahead.

As Ralph Waldo Emerson, the renowned poet said, “Do not go where the path may lead; Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” The All-New Thar allows you to do just that.

Designed and engineered in India and manufactured out of Mahindra’s Nashik Plant, the All-New Thar will be available in 6 exciting colours, Red Rage, Mystic Copper, Napoli Black, Aquamarine, Galaxy Grey and Rocky Beige.

‘Made in India’ Social Media App, Explurger, Built on AI to be Launched on the Independence Day for Global Audience

 

APP 

* The new-age social media app ready to be launched on Aug 15, to further India’s ‘Aatma Nirbhar Bharat’ Mission

* Packed with exciting features such as sharing high-quality pictures, videos, creating a bucket list, achieving Explurger levels, sharing future travel plans, automatic Travelogue and much more

* India’s own social media app for the world to connect

* Go #VocalforLocal with Explurger

Centered on user experience, a completely home-grown new-age social media app ‘Explurger’ is ready for a long-awaited global launch on Aug 15, 2020. The app is built to stimulate Aatma Nirbhar Bharat Mission and promises to put India on the world map with the world social media giants.

Explurger is proud to be a truly ‘Made in India’ app — fully conceived, designed, coded by Indians — that offers a safe and secure platform for all its users spread across the globe.

With its simple yet innovative AI-based features, Explurger is packed with exciting features like sharing high-quality pictures, videos, creating a bucket list, achieving Explurger levels, sharing future travel plans, automatic travelogue and much more. 

Jitin Bhatia, Founder, Explurger, talking about the inspiration, says, “Being a software developer at heart, I have always wondered about the fact that despite some of the best apps in the world being powered by Indian brains, there is no social media app in the top category which could be called truly Indian.

So, I was looking for an idea to build an Indian app. Some three years back, upon returning from a business trip, my staff told me that it was probably my 30th trip in that year. That had me thinking that if there were a way to keep a count of the number of times one travels away from home, or tells people how many miles they have travelled, that would be something. And that was my Eureka moment. That’s how Explurger was born. Finally my labour of love, some 2.5 years later, Explurger is all set to be my Independence Day gift to India and the world. I hope people download it and reciprocate my love. I’d love to see PM Modi, US President Trump and Mark Zuckerberg Explurging.”

Although there are several Indian-origin social media apps available in iOS and Android, but Explurger outshines them with its following features:

Complete Travelogue: Check-ins are temporary, Explurge-Ins are forever. Every time you create a post, the AI automatically updates your personalised Travelogue.

Bucket List: When a friend shares a picture/video from a cool place, just add it to your bucket list. So, whenever you’re in the area, Explurger would remind you to check out that place.

Future Travel Plans: Make your future travel plan announcements exciting with a ‘Live Countdown Timer.’

Explurger Levels: Now for the first time ever, gamify your social media experience with Explurger. Everytime you explore a new country, city, cafe, or share a post or get Kudos on your wall, your Explurger level goes up. Go, flaunt it! 

Kudos: Show your approval, give your fellow Explurgers Kudos. Why stick with one like when you can give up to three kudos!

Spread: With a click of a button, now share all your exciting Explurges on other social media apps out there as you post it on Explurger!

Rate on the go: This app allows you to rate an experience, cafe, city, or place!

Explurger is all set to make its mark in the global market.

BPO and IT Sectors Lead Talent Demand Recovery with Double-Digit M-o-M Growth: RecruiteX

* BPO (15%), IT (10%) and BFSI (7%) emerged as the top three sectors with maximum M-o-M growth in talent demand in July 2020   

* BFSI – had shed most talent demand in June 2020 - picked up the pace and gained 7% growth in talent demand in July 2020 M-o-M study

* Customer Services/Tele Calling, Front Office/Administration and IT/Telecom were the most sought after job profiles in July 2020

* Vadodara (over 30% growth) and Hyderabad/Secunderabad (16%) were the top gainers for talent demand in July 2020 study

* Professionals with 5-10 years of experience were most in-demand in the review month

With ‘recovery’ as the key focus in ‘Unlock3’, talent demand is already picking pace as BPO and IT/Telecom sectors noted a double-digit growth in July 2020 analysis. TimesJobs RecruiteX noted that BPO (15%), IT (10%) and BFSI (7%) emerged as the top three sectors with maximum M-o-M growth in talent demand in July 2020.      

TimesJobs RecruiteX is a monthly recruitment index that records the demand and supply of talent at India Inc.

Overall, talent demand in July 2020 grew by 2% M-o-M, pushed largely by growth in high volume sectors like BPO, IT and BFSI.

Talking about the details of RecruiteX July 2020 edition, Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “The talent demand trends for July 2020 are heartening. Though the overall growth in July 2020 is only 2% since it’s based largely on high volume sectors as BPO, IT and BFSI, I’m very confident that this trend will continue in the coming months. I foresee the talent demand to pick up from here on as India Inc has actively started working towards the road to recovery. Smart companies are, now, focussing on constructive learnings from this difficult situation which would help them to grow in future. ”

Industry-wise (MoM growth):

Following its growth pattern of June 2020, the BPO sector saw an impressive 15% M-o-M increment in talent demand in July 2020 too. The IT/Telecom and BFSI sectors had witnessed (-6%) and (-2%) de-growth respectively in June 2020 but bounced back in July 2020. Here are the top three sectors for talent demand in July 2020:

·         BPO: 15%

·         IT/Telecom: 10%

·         BFSI: 7%

Functional areas:

Customer Services/Tele Calling job profile jumped from 4% growth in talent demand in June 2020 to 18% growth in July 2020. On the other hand, Front Office/Administration profile had clocked 21% growth in June 2020, but could only register 11% growth in July 2020 analysis of talent demand. Here are the top three job profiles as per talent demand in July 2020:

·         Customer Services/ Tele Calling: 18%

·         Front Office/ Administration: 11%

·         IT/Telecom: 8%

Location-wise:

Most talent demand in July 2020 was posted in Tier-II cities, with Vadodara recording a growth of over 30%. Among the metropolitan cities, Chennai saw the most growth with 10% increment. Mumbai and Delhi noted 8% and 1% growth in July 2020. Bengaluru noted de-growth of (-7%) in July 2020.  Here are the top three cities as per talent demand in July 2020:

·         Vadodara: over 30% growth

·         Hyderabad/Secunderabad: 16%

·         Ahmedabad: 11%

Work experience-wise:

Professionals with 5-10 years of work experience were most in demand, and this category noted 11% M-o-M growth in talent demand. Here are the categories of work professionals as per talent demand in July 2020:

·         5-10 years of work experience:11%

·         2-5years of work experience: 8%

Hyundai’s Hyundai Mobility Membership - First Smart Ownership & Lifestyle Experience

 Beyond Mobility Solutions

* First of its kind initiative to offer customers exclusive benefits for their car and non-car needs

* Partnered with country’s leading brands to create an ecosystem providing access to exclusive offers and benefits across several categories

* ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’ is based on 3 Strong Pillars: Core Car, Smart Mobility and Lifestyle

* Visit the ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’ microsite www.membership.hyundai.co.in to download the App.

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL), country’s first smart mobility solutions provider and the largest exporter since inception, today launched ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’ - India’s First and Most Exclusive one stop solution to fulfil different needs of customers throughout their ownership journey. ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’ has been curated across categories to provide exclusive benefits and enhanced convenience for all our new customers.

Commenting on the launch of, ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’, Mr. S S Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Building on the strength of Hyundai’s ‘Future Ready’ Business Strategy, we have introduced an exclusive program ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’ for an unmatched ownership and lifestyle experience. Through these endeavours we at Hyundai aim to become the Lifetime Partner of our Valued Customers in Automotive and beyond. We will cater to the diverse needs of our customers and closely knit a long-lasting relation through this unique initiative.

He further added, “Beginning the journey with more than 20 distinct partners under one platform and no membership fee, ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’ will create value proposition further leading to enhanced customer convenience and satisfaction”. 

Hyundai has collaborated with reputed partners to form an ecosystem catering to the 3 Key Pillars of customer needs under the ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’.

Core Car- Care free Driving: ‘A one stop solution that caters to all your car needs’

Partners – Hyundai MOBIS, Shell and JK Tyre

Mobility- Always on the Move: ‘Smart Mobility options for all travel needs’

Partners – Revv, Zoomcar, Avis, Savaari and DriveU         

Lifestyle – Your Life Your Way: ‘Benefits to offer convenience for daily transactions’

Partners – Gaana, Zee5, Dineout, Sterling, 1Mg, Fitternity, Eazydiner, Chaayos, ,OYO, Portronics, Lenskart, Housejoy and Vedantu

As a pioneer in technology with innovation at its core, Hyundai has always sought to provide value added products and services to its customers. With the new ‘Hyundai Mobility Membership’, HMIL will continue to build a strong connect with its Valued Customers and keep adding additional partners and benefits regularly to ensure a Happy Life for Hyundai Car Owners.

Stride Ventures Invests Rs 15 Crores in ZipLoan; Marks First Foray into Fintech Lending

Stride Ventures, one of India’s leading venture debt funds, has led a debt round of INR 15 crores in ZipLoan, a technology-enabled lending platform that provides loans to MSMEs. Through their customized offerings and deep relationships across banks and corporates, Stride aims to be a strategic partner in Ziploan’s journey.

This is Stride’s first foray into Fintech lending and the amount will be disbursed across two tranches. The investment underlines the firm’s commitment to leverage traditional banking capital to cater to the startup ecosystem.

ZipLoan caters to the need of working capital loans for kirana stores and micro industries. Its proprietary ZipScore platform, that tests creditworthiness of a borrower, has so far helped it maintain its non-performing assets (NPA) at under 3%. 

Ishpreet Gandhi, Founder and Managing Partner, Stride Ventures, said “We are excited to partner with ZipLoan in their pursuit to revolutionize lending to small business owners. It is our endeavour at Stride to make credit accessible and efficient as we try to prevent equity dilution and make entrepreneurs truly ‘Atmanirbhar’. The company has exhibited tremendous growth without compromising the quality of the loan book. We are confident that the company will continue to scale even in these challenging times.”

Kshitij Puri, Co-founder & CEO, ZipLoan, added, “We are privileged to partner with Stride Ventures as they help us realise our mission of addressing funding needs of small business owners. The MSME segment is the most important contributor to our economy, but still continues to be credit starved. Even during the current crisis, the MSME segment has shown great resilience demonstrated by strong collections we have had.” 

Stride Ventures launched its maiden fund in 2019 with a target corpus of INR 500 crores and plans to invest in 35-40 startups over the next 3 years.

About Stride Ventures 

Stride Ventures is focused on providing debt solutions to growth stage start-ups. Stride provides tailor-made debt solutions to start-ups, enabling them to strategically allocate capital. Bringing more than six decades of collective underwriting experience, the fund helps its portfolio companies leverage the banking ecosystem through their domain expertise and extensive network.

About ZipLoan

Ziploan is a tech-driven digital lender focused on small ticket business loans. Till date, Ziploan has disbursed approx. INR 400 Cr across 10,000 borrowers. Ziploan is present in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Indore, Jaipur, Lucknow and Dehradun. Ziploan is addressing the key pain point of small businesses i.e. access to formal credit by customizing the loan sourcing and underwriting process for its target customer base.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Signs Strategic MoU with TechGig to Power Online Assessments for Faculty and Students

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has recently collaborated with TechGig Assess Online – a cutting edge assessment platform – to facilitate its academic assessments. TechGig is India’s one of the largest technology community and is a part of India’s leading digital media conglomerate – the Times Internet Ltd.

Both JNU and TechGig have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to corroborate this alliance. JNU hosted a workshop on 10th August, 2020 for its faculty members to announce this partnership followed by a hands-on demonstration of the platform by the TechGig’s team.

Online is becoming the preferred medium to ensure learning and education continuity amid the COVID-19 situation. In such a scenario, this new-age talent assessment has been developed by team TechGig indigenously, keeping the Indian education scenario in mind.

While inaugurating the digital platform, Prof. M. Jagadesh Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, JNU expressed his optimism that Assess Online will be a big boon for students residing in the far-flung areas of the county. “We were concerned about the future of the students – specially the terminal students. These students need to complete their exams so that they can continue with their higher education or apply for jobs, thereafter. This is where online assessment platforms come very handy. At JNU we have a ‘continuous evaluation’ system and I hope that Assess Online will be much help there”. Its noteworthy that JNU was the first higher education institute to introduce remote ‘viva’ for its students, which helped many to take exams from their respective locations, without worrying about visiting campus for just one exam day.

Talking about the partnership with JNU, Sanjay Goyal, Business Head, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “We are thrilled to partner with one of India’s most reputable educational institute. Assess Online is India’s very own platform designed specifically to eliminate the struggles of Indian school/colleges teachers and students. It has advanced plagiarism detectors and remote proctoring measures to ensure a fair assessment. I am hopeful that JNU’s faculty and students will find it immensely helpful.” He also informed that Assess Online is already being used in 25+ colleges and 35+ schools pan-India. About 57,000+ assessments have been created and facilitated on Assess Online.

Assess Online is an easy-to-use platform that lets the teachers create the desired assessments using multiple tools. Its ‘auto-evaluation’ reviews students’ performance automatically, offering a lot of time for teachers to focus on enriched learning.

JNU plans to train its faculty members as well as the students through series of training programs to equip them well with state-of-the-art technological knowledge to enable them to deal with the present pandemic situation.

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.

Trend Micro Lands Industry’s Most Comprehensive XDR Platform in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704); the leader in cloud security, today announced that its XDR suite is officially available in Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa (AMEA). Trend Micro XDR is the first in the cybersecurity industry that offers the most extensive correlated detection going beyond endpoint detection and response (EDR). It collects and analyzes activity data from emails, endpoints, servers, cloud workloads, and networks, enabling security operations center (SOC) teams to detect, investigate, and respond to threats more effectively.  

Today’s SOC analysts are up against sophisticated threats that are designed to circumvent the most advanced protection. Adding fire to the fuel is the massive volume of alerts they have to triage on a daily basis. Low job satisfaction and cybersecurity talent shortage are commonplace challenges for SOCs across the region.  

Trend Micro’s XDR is designed to address such operational nightmares in a SOC. It delivers three major benefits, unparalleled by any other existing point solution:  

Reducing alert fatigue: XDR automatically correlates and analyzes data from multiple security vectors to tell a bigger story. With XDR, level one SOC analysts no longer have to comb through mountains of noisy alerts and logs to identify a potential attack. XDR does it automatically for them and generates a few high-fidelity alerts instead of a thousand low-confidence ones, significantly reducing alert volume.  

Powerful workbench that provides contextual visibility for alerts: The XDR dashboard presents attacks in a visualized manner, enabling SOC analysts to see the different stages, attack vectors, dwell time, and the spread and impact. XDR also offers contextually aware response options so SOC analysts can take quick actions within the platform.  

Augmenting SIEM and effortless API integration: Trend Micro XDR augments SIEM for the SOC team, with centralization of normalized data and incident response capability that improve operational efficiency and productivity. XDR provides pre-built SIEM connector for Splunk to pull high-fidelity alerts into SIEM dashboards. For customers with their preferred SIEM solution, a public API can be used for the integration.  

Trend Micro’s XDR is also available as a managed service (MDR), to further alleviate the pressure of constrained in-house teams. The MDR team conducts 24/7 full-threat analysis and threat hunting, and provides response plans and remediation recommendations.  

“EDR is only one piece of the whole detection and response puzzle. It’s great but it has limited reach, as it only collects data on the endpoints. To have integrated visibility across multiple security vectors is a top-priority item on any SOC’s to-do list. And XDR ticks that box”, says Dhanya Thakkar, senior vice president for AMEA. “There has been tremendous demand from our customers in the region for XDR capabilities since last year. Now they will be able to have the full XDR experience.”  

“XDR gives us an additional dimension in threat detection - it allows for faster correlation of endpoints events to related services, such as network and email, to help us quickly identify entry point and the spread of infection visually. This is a tremendous boost to the efficiency of our incident response teams”, shares Ian Loe, Senior Vice President, Cybersecurity, Infrastructure & Performance Architecture, at NTUC Enterprise Co-operative Limited.  

Trend Micro’s XDR is recently named by Forrester as a Leader in enterprise detection and response, and achieved the highest initial detection in the MITRE ATT&CK Framework.  

HATCH 2020 Online Event by St.Francis College, Koramangala on August 12, 2020

 * Online meeting of the Global Learning Community to discuss ‘Educating the Next’

* Release of the Publication ‘Hatch 2020 – Educating the Next’ with over 100 Educational Institutes & Thought Leaders across the globe.

St. Francis College, Koramangalawill release the debut publication ‘Hatch 2020 – Educating the Next’ together with a panel discussion featuring thought leaders from across the globe on the 12thAugust 2020 from 10 to 12 noon via an online webinaraligned with the UN International Youth Day.

The publication is a step forward to unite and collaborate with the global learning community under once platform to shape future leaders and most importantly sustain a positive mindset during the period of Covid-19. It is also a platform to share best practices, insights and how educationists can come together and further the cause of education.

The publication will be released by noted personalities such as:

* BomanIrani – Indian theatre & film actor

* T. R. Parasuraman – President of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce& Whole Time Director – Toyota Industries Engine India Pvt. Ltd.

* Dr. Joseph V.G -  Honorary Consul General, Republic of Maldives – Bengaluru & Chancellor, Garden City University

* IndrajitLankesh– Indian Film maker & producer and publisher of LankeshPatrike.

* Prof. J Philip – Founder & Chairman , Xavier Institute of Management & Entrepreneurship (XIME)

* FarzanehMajed – CEO & md, Partner Transform Alliance, UK

* Ashish Ballal - Former Indian Hockey Captain, Asia Game Gold Medalist, & Olympian

* RaginiPrajwal – Kannada Film Actor with recent movie hit ‘Law’

* Augustus Azariah – IBM India Pvt. Ltd

* Jalal ElNasser – Reginonal Manager – UTS Insearch University, Sydney, Australia

* RJ RiazBasha - Anchor, TV presenter, Big Boss contestant

* Ibrahim Khalil – Up by Levels – Dubai & Saudi Arabia

*  DJ Ivan - A DJ, music composer and host on a radio show Hotmix in Bangalore

* Samie – Alchrafi- Award-winning speaker, author and podcaster. Author of Business for Humanity.

* Br.Sayimon(Director)& Ms. Sameera Fernandes – (Director – Strategic Planning), St. Francis College, Koramangala

The panel discussion is moderated by Shekhar Vijayan.

Commented Br. Sayimon, Director, St. Francis College, Koramangala, “Our objective is to encourage the global learning community to come out with innovative ways to shape our future leaders. With plentiful insights into the publication, I am sure this can be a useful toolkit when framing policies and practices on the education front”.

Commented Ms. Sameera Fernandes, Director – Strategic Planning & Dean, St. Francis College, Koramangala, “SFC-publication is an ideal avenue for the learning community across the world to come together and contribute their ideas on the theme educating  next. The culture of inclusivity and collaboration is what the education sector should strive for moving forward.

Quite a few partners too have come forward which includes Talent 2 International Education Consultancy, Indigo Music, Bangalore Chamber of Industry &Commerce, Ecosol Global, India Today, Arivupro, Threadworks, Xavier Board of Higher Education in India and Catholic Club.

HATCH 2020 is an in-house e-publication aims at creating a new tomorrow with the global learning community. The publication brings together the highly valuable insights from principals, faculty and students in the form of articles and interviews.

Together with the learning community, we can build strong and safe world to live in. Watch us live on You tube, Face book, Instagram to support, enjoy and make a difference.

Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSezyg76bWnpT9PWReAKLVsFwPG0hBeFNKGU9BhtTiJQ47z7Pw/viewform or log on to our website www.stfranciscollege.net

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Sameera Fernandes

Director – Strategic Planning & Dean

St. Francis College, Koramangala

Mobile: 97400 66551

Email: dean@stfranciscollege.net

Five Key Sectors That Will See A Transformation With 5G Technology

 

By Mr. Preetham Uthaiah, EVP - Marketing and Strategy, Saankhya Labs

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a long lockdown, which has spurred a digital transformation in the economy. Education has gone truly digital with the advent of online classes and exams, doctors are providing consultations online, meetings are being conducted via video conferencing platforms and even international trade exhibitions have shifted to online webinars and events. As a result of this digital transformation, internet usage has surged extensively putting immense pressure on existing communication networks. A reliable and robust 5G communication network can help industries maximize this digital transformation. The SLA’s (service level agreements) and QoS (quality of service) that need to be met for some of the time-critical applications can be accommodated using 5G technology with some of its advanced features such as ‘Slicing’ and low latency communication that ensures that real-time communication happens without getting affected by the traffic loads.

Here are some key sectors that are bound to benefit from a 5G driven digital transformation -

1. Healthcare

The healthcare industry will immensely benefit from 5G networks. With increasing use of online consultations and tele-medicine, a reliable and faster connection is critical to effectively deliver remote healthcare services. The low latency and faster speeds which are a main feature of 5G will help in time critical telemedicine applications such as remote surgery and remote patient monitoring etc. Hospitals also transmit large amounts of patient data including large files like CT Scans and MRIs. Some hospitals like King’s College Hospital, UK; Sinchuan University Hospital, China and Samsung Medical Centre, South Korea are installing private Enterprise 5G solutions to support their IT networks.

2. Agriculture

In this emerging technological world, scientific farming techniques are being used to boost productivity in farms. These include use of Agri-IoT sensors for soil monitoring, water management, smart irrigation, crop health monitoring, drone-based farm management etc. Deployment of 5G networks will provide added benefit to manage these drones and get real time data from the sensors by effectively using the 5G networks

3. Construction

The real estate sector, which has for long been known for its offline operations, is set to transform itself with the advent of 5G technology. In its new avatar, virtual property tours using AR/VR technologies, as well as 3D printed models of homes will be a reality in aiding digital marketing and sale of properties. Powered by stable and fast networks with lower latency, 5G will also ensure the smooth functioning of various stages of the design process to include 3D architectural visualization and collaborative meetings with various stakeholders.

4. Auto

5G brings with it unprecedented speed and connectivity to make autonomous, or self-driving cars a reality. An autonomous car is expected to produce up to 25 GB data per hour. Current networks will not be able to handle such large volumes of real-time data. 5G networks will allow faster-than-ever communication and real-time data processing between vehicles, networks, infrastructure and even pedestrians.

5. Manufacturing

The manufacturing sector is becoming more and more autonomous. High speed connectivity is needed to monitor and direct robots working on the factory floor. Additionally, many factories are becoming more “smart” with IoT sensors being installed across the factory, sharing real-time updates to a central server. 5G technologies can provide network characteristics that are vital for the manufacturing industry. This technology will allow for increased flexibility, lower costs, and smaller lead times for layout changes and alterations at the manufacturing units, factory floor production reconfiguration etc. Large organizations like Worchester Bosch, Siemens, Ford Motors etc. are deploying enterprise 5G networks to streamline their operations. 5G is poised to aid manufacturing/production operations, helping them become more efficient, while also refining security and reducing maintenance and operating costs.

Hailed as an upcoming tech revolution, 5G promises advantages that will touch every aspect of our lives, from healthcare to education to products and services we buy and beyond!

Studds Sets Up Asia's Biggest Helmut Manufacturing Facility in Haryana with Investment of Rs.200 Cr

Reiterating its commitment towards manufacturing in India, for the world, STUDDS Accessories Ltd., the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheeler helmets (in terms of volumes sold in a year), commenced operations at its new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Faridabad in Haryana. 

Spread across an area of over 5.5 acres, the Company has made an initial investment of over Rs.160 Crore to set-up the largest helmet manufacturing facility in Asia. Apart from producing some of the most popular motorcycle helmets from STUDDS, including the Shifter and Thunder series, the facility will also produce bicycle helmets for domestic market.

In addition to setting-up the biggest helmet manufacturing facility in Asia, STUDDS also recently began operations at  its another manufacturing plant, which is India’s only facility with an in-house Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) production line. EPS is a crushable foam used in helmet production and is the most important safety feature in the helmet. Spread across 1.5 acers, STUDDS has invested Rs. 40 Crore in the second plant, marking a total investment of over Rs. 200 Crore in the manufacturing plants.

The new plants will have production capacity of 7.5 million units of motorcycle helmets and 1.5 million bicycle helmets per annum. These facilities will ensure direct employment for over 1500 individuals.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Sidhartha Bhushan Khurana, Managing Director, STUDDS Accessories Ltd., said, “This is a huge milestone for all of us at STUDDS as we move forward in the post-COVID era. This step is a testament to our commitment towards Make in India, for the world, reaffirming our role as the market leaders, with integrating some of the best manufacturing practices from across globe. With the goal of expanding our production efficiency, our new plants would provide employment prospects for local citizens as well as add to the overall economic growth.

“Currently, we have just begun operations and are planning to ramp up production gradually. With the commencement of our new plants, we have doubled our production capacity from 7 million to 14 million units of motorcycle helmets.”

The world-class facilities are highly automated and bring some of the best manufacturing processes to the Indian market, including paint shop, moulding, visor coating, packaging and warehousing.

With these new manufacturing units, STUDDS now has four manufacturing factories in the country, all of them located in Faridabad, Haryana.

STUDDS is currently exporting its helmets to more than 40 countries and the new plant is aimed at ramping up the exports. The company also plans to introduce a new range of exciting helmets within this financial year.

About STUDDS Accessories Ltd.

STUDDS ACCESSORIES LIMITED is the world’s largest manufacturer of two-wheeler helmets. The company has two flagship brands STUDDS & SMK HELMETS. It has a wide range of helmets and motorcycle accessories, which keeps evolving every year with new technology, design and graphics. The brand believes that our focus on safety, quality and style makes us a lifestyle choice for our customers, and positions STUDDS and SMK as aspirational brands. Its flagship brand STUDDS is marketed and sold in 40 countries across the globe.