Industry Expert Predictions for the Indian IT Industry in 2019

By Padmanabhan Iyer, Managing Director & Global CEO, 3i Infotech

In an era where advancements around technology have leapfrogged exponentially, the year ahead will see the Indian IT industry charter new frontiers, driven by innovation, speed and accuracy. The IT industry would see enterprises move towards Industry 4.0, the convergence of Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing among others will enable them to be future-ready.

Driven by technological advancements and data security at the core, we foresee all sectors in the Indian industry in for exciting times and the Banking, Financial Services, Insurance (BFSI) and Healthcare segments will be no exception. Complexity brews herein, fuelled by regulatory challenges, uncertain economic cycles, risks, partnerships and alliances, talent management and above all ever-increasing customer expectations.

With this backdrop, the top technology trends to watch out in 2019 would be –

Intelligent Digital Mesh

Intelligent digital mesh, the combination of humans, devices, content, and services is going to emerge as one of the major trends of the year 2019. Businesses have already started adapting this innovative technology to convey advanced results, where technology is embedded in almost every facet.

Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning 

With AI and ML already playing a critical role in the assessment and treatment of business KPIs, the IT operations are further set to undergo transformation. In 2019, there will be continued progress toward the integration of AI, ML and deep learning in business applications. AI and ML will enable working with large swathes of data and help converge isolated or distributed data for more informed decisions. There will be a further push to implement machine learning and artificial intelligence into smart devices.

As per a recent industry report, AI will boost India's annual growth rate by 1.3% by 2035. Some of the major growth drivers of AI/ML in 2019 would be - specialized chip optimized for speeding up the execution of AI-enabled applications and Industrial IoT, making it the biggest driver of artificial intelligence in any enterprise.

Internet of Things (IOT)

IoT is no longer viewed as a wonder but an enabler. The year 2019 will see incremental use cases of IoT in the Insurance space. Telematics, wearables, voice assistants and home control devices will mature further and will be increasingly adopted. There will be a continued rise in the demand for wearable devices and IoT.

The convergence of IoT and AI will create new opportunities for insurers and better and more customised premiums for the insured. It will enhance process transparency and service delivery.

Robotic Process Automation

The Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is seeing traction in the IT industry. The robots have been modernizing our way of administering business processes, IT support, workflow, remote infrastructure and back-office work.

In the upcoming year, the improvised RPA models will show some dramatic progress in accuracy, cycle-time and increased productivity in transaction processing. RPA will be efficient enough in providing answers to the queries in a natural language which will be a superior way to conserve resources for large call centres and for customer interactions. We will see the further adoption of tools like chatbots, straight through processing and robotic process automation for routine repetitive processes. Chabot will be integral to websites and mobile apps.

Big data and analytics 

Data and analytics have become daily aspects of organisations today across industries, which improvises business processes and optimizes operations. Presently, it is estimated to be $2.71 billion annually in revenues, which is growing at a healthy rate of 33.5% CAGR in India, as per a recent report. However, 2019 will bring a modern version of big data analytics which has evolved through adopting modern and breakthrough technologies. Speed and efficiency are the major benefits that big data analytics will bring to the industry.

Data and data value management is something that is going to dominate our industries over the next few decades at least. Estimates peg that the analytics, data science and big data industry in India is expected to reach $20 billion, by 2025. Prescriptive analytics driving proactive decision making, cognitive technologies reiterating businesses, increasing adoption of cloud-based platforms for big data analytics by major enterprise and start-ups are some of the future trends that we can look forward to, in 2019.

Blockchain

In 2019, blockchain will bring some enterprise applications into the main stream. The most innovative corporations will start using blockchain to improve collaboration. Blockchain will also see itself out of cryptocurrency transactions and will become an integral part of the business platform. Blockchain enables transactional transparency across a variety of business functions. Blockchain will also be present at the core of business innovation in many industries.

According to a recent report, an approximate of 56% of Indian businesses will be making the blockchain technology a part of their core business. Blockchain adoption will depend on regulatory concerns being addressed. The government and the regulators should take an active role in making this happen. In certain countries, we are already seeing action in this space, whereas most are yet to take their step forward.

IIGP 2.0 Showcases Award Winning Technology Startups at Demo Day in Bengaluru

Winners of the India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) 2.0, showcased their award winning technologies under a Demo Day held in Bengaluru today. The innovations included 12 industrial and 4 social sector technologies, from 2017 and 2018.

The India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) 2.0 is a unique tripartite initiative of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, Lockheed Martin and Tata Trusts. Supporting the Government of India’s missions of “Start-up India” and “Make in India”, IIGP 2.0 enhances the Indian innovation ecosystem by enabling innovators and entrepreneurs through the stages of ideation and innovation, to develop technology-based solutions for tomorrow.

Complemented by several implementation partners, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE) at IIM Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and the Tata Center for Technology and Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; the programme aims to build an innovation pipeline in India through a high-impact programme focused on the social and industrial innovation ecosystem.

Launched in 2007, India Innovation Growth Programme (IIGP) has been one of India’s longest standing public-private partnerships. The programme has provided mentoring and handholding assistance to over 400 innovators coming from diverse sectors from across the country; generated over 350 commercial agreements and over $900 Million of economic value for India. (Source: Second Impact Analysis Report by Ernst & Young in 2015).

Through two annual parallel tracks viz. University Challenge and Open Innovation Challenge, IIGP 2.0 identifies and supports both industrial and social innovations.

As part of the Demo Day event, 16 start-ups made presentations about their technologies and also interacted with potential investors and the wider startup ecosystem of Bengaluru.

These start-ups attended an intensive one-week Bootcamp at IIM Ahmedabad which included classroom sessions focused on measuring financial performance, financial modeling and valuation, design thinking, leadership, business models, pricing, etc. as well as one-on-one mentoring sessions, pitching training and networking opportunities. 10 start-ups in 2017 and 16 start-ups in 2018 were selected as winners and received grants worth INR 25 Lacs each as well as an opportunity to
participate in an intensive global exposure visit to the United States of America to learn and access the US start-up ecosystem.

Jawa Motorcycles’ Open New Doors for First Showrooms in Bengaluru

Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd. is proud to announce the launch of its first three Jawa Motorcycles dealerships in Bengaluru. Close on the heels of the launch of first two dealerships in India in Pune, Classic Legends has now opened dealerships in Koramangala, Basvanagudi and Rajaji Nagar in Bengaluru. These outlets are part of the phase-1 launch of the 100+ Jawa Motorcycles dealerships that are on-schedule to be opened across the country. With the outlets becoming fully operational, customers in Bengaluru can now book and test-ride the iconic Jawa and Jawa forty two motorcycles at the following locations in the city:

Koramangala: Square Auto, Ground Floor, Bldg. No. 8 & 9, Krishnanagar Industrial Layout, Hosur Main Road, near Forum Mall, Bengaluru - 560029
Basvanagudi: Synergy, # 56, Subbaramachetty Road, Near Natkalappa Circle, Basavanagudi, Bengaluru 560004, Karnataka
Rajajinagar : Skanda Motors, No.1036, Dr.Rajkumar Road, 4th Block, Rajajinagar, Bengaluru – 560010

The Jawa dealership is a place to make connections with yourself, with like-minded people and with the motorcycles. Its design philosophy is rooted in authenticity, and the ability to bridge the past and the present through its stories and the motorcycles. It is a biker café ambience which tells the tale of the legend that Jawa is.

The space captures the nostalgia of a golden era which celebrated honesty of materials & craftsmanship through its dark polished wood fixtures, subtle inlays, raw textures and vintage oxblood upholsteries. At the same time, the motorcycles infuse a contemporariness in the showroom with their modern interpretation of classic design, loaded with the latest in engine technology and features. The various elements have been designed to present the contemporary classic Jawa motorcycles amidst a visual narrative layer of legendary stories and monochrome lifestyle imagery. Whether it is the large community table setting for free-flowing conversations, the carefully curated bookshelf for the curious reader, or the Classic Rock in the background for the music lover; the space makes everyone feel easy, whether a hard-core motorcyclist or a millennial looking to immerse into the world of motorcycling.

Ashish Joshi, Chief Executive Officer, Classic Legends Pvt. Ltd inaugurated the showrooms, amidst a throng of Jawa aficionados and customers. Speaking at the inauguration, Ashish Joshi, said, “Bengaluru holds a special place in Jawa’s Indian story by being home to the largest Jawa Community in India. Jawa fans in the city have kept the brand alive for all these years and I feel extremely privileged to inaugurate 3 new Jawa showrooms here today. Mysuru and the state of Karnataka are an integral part of the Jawa legacy and bringing Jawa back to this state is a milestone moment for us. The faith placed by Jawa customers, aficionados and our dealer partners is helping us create a vast dealership network which will offer an un-paralleled customer experience with best in-class sales and service offering for any classic motorcycle brand out there.”

Joshi further added, “To our dealer partner, I say, welcome to the Jawa family. We look forward to you growing with us and together being able to provide a new riding experience to all our customers here in Bengaluru. Our dealer partners have been our pillars. They trusted us on the brand value of JAWA alone, before even seeing the products or knowing about the pricing of the motorcycles. It was their confidence in us that allowed us to build the JAWA showrooms the way you see it today. As a custodian of the JAWA brand, it is my obligation on behalf of the entire Jawa team to make sure every Jawa dealer goes out and changes the way classic motorcycles should be sold to the future riding generation. It is very important to us at the JAWA team to make sure every dealer becomes a strong pillar of our growth and it is our promise that we stand fully behind them, now and always. To all our 100+ dealers, we say, that we stand strongly behind you. We will not leave any stone unturned in providing our customers with the best of the sales, service and spares ecosystem.”

Tarun Sharma, Head of Sales, Classic Legends said, “The experience of buying a Jawa will set a new standard in the two-wheeler industry. The faith placed by Jawa customers, aficionados and our dealer partners is helping us create a vast dealership network which will offer an un-paralleled customer experience with best in-class sales and service offering for any classic motorcycle brand out there.”

The Jawa and Jawa forty two break cover as the brand’s new torchbearers, bringing back the classic appeal of Jawa with a retro-cool twist. These modern machines have the authentic Jawa character that balances performance, capability and quality. An all-new 293cc, liquid cooled, single cylinder, DOHC engine nestled within a double cradle chassis is tuned to bring out the superlative handling and class leading stability, making the new Jawa a true modern classic.

The Jawa and Jawa forty two are priced at INR 1,67,000/- and INR 1,58,000/- respectively (ex-showroom, Bengaluru) and bookings are open online at www.jawamotorcycles.com as well as the showroom.

On the motorcycles, Joshi said, “With the opening of our dealerships we are excited that the products are finally into the hands of the fans of Jawa. We have had a very encouraging media test ride session last week and are glad that the feedback has been so positive. Finally all the effort on design, engineering and engine platform has come to bear fruit in the way we had planned it. I would encourage everyone to visit our dealers and take a look at the motorcycles, test ride them to feel the modern classics we have brought out.”

The new Jawa model line-up for India

Jawa: The timeless style and iconic character of the original Jawa is reborn in this new Jawa. With an evolutionary aesthetic that retains the authenticity and familiarity of the past – classy, elegant, sophisticated, majestic - this one is tuned for the legacy seekers. The Jawa in its form and function is the quintessential classic with old world character and truly modern performance.

Jawa forty two: This is the classic that breaks boundaries and experiments. With quirkiness in its design and unconventional traits the forty two is a - toned, muscled, sporty, assertive version of a classic if there was ever to be one! The forty two is meant to appeal to the heart as well as the head.

New Jawa Engine: The 293cc liquid cooled, single cylinder DOHC engine

With a 293cc liquid cooled, single cylinder, DOHC engine, built from the ground up in collaboration with the best of Italian engineering, it is going to be all new, and at the same time, a classic Jawa experience. It packs 27 bhp and 28 Nm of torque with a generous mid-range and a flat torque curve for an unwavering, consistently powered ride. But at the core of its heart and along the length of its classic lines and with every beat of its signature twin exhaust, it is unmistakably the Jawa you will love. The engine platform is built ready for the BS VI norms.

NetApp Strengthens Evolution of Data Driven Technologies Through Research Partnerships in India

NetApp has announced three research grants to the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Jodhpur and IIT Kharagpur) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for the advancement of research in the data management space. NetApp is a leader in data management and is known as the data authority in the hybrid cloud world.

For the year 2018, the NetApp Faculty Fellowship (NFF) has been awarded to Prof. Vijay Kumar of IISc Bangalore, to support research in private information retrieval and coded computation to enhance security in the age of Cloud Computing; to Prof. Bivas Mitra of IIT Kharagpur, for research on Machine Learning (ML) based model development for storage system troubleshooting and workload characterization; and Prof. Subhajit Sidhanta of IIT Jodhpur has been granted the NetApp Student Fellowship (NSF) to investigate the trade-off in performance and consistency for widely distributed systems used in IoT and Fog computing.

NetApp’s fellowship program has granted 31 such research partnerships with IP (Intellectual Property) free grants up to USD 20,000 over the last 10 years in India. These partnerships open the door for NetApp’s data management technologies, experience, equipment and lab to be shared with academia, paving the road for research with far-reaching consequences for management and security of data, the foundation of today’s digital transformation. This program has ties with several top technology institutes including the IITs, IISc, Anna University and ISI Kolkata.

Pointing to the true value of industry academia relationships, Deepak Visweswaraiah, Senior VP and MD, NetApp, said, “Through the fellowships, NetApp encourages leading-edge research in storage and data management, and seeks to foster relationships between academic researchers and our technical community. What’s more is that the grants come with no strings attached, and we don’t claim any IP from the research, allowing for open technology propagation. We work on cutting-edge technologies in order to stay relevant in the changing technology landscape and be able to provide future-proof solutions. And the results are showing.”

The program offers recipients, opportunities to conduct research in areas of mutual interest to identify and explore trends such as ML, IoT, AI, Blockchain, Data Lakes, Data Analytics and Cyber Security. The grants also prepare students for jobs in the space of advanced technology as it allows them to apply their research to relevant industry problems under the guidance of supervising professors at top institutes in the country.

Talking about the program, Professor Vijay Kumar from IISc said: “The best research is done when you are working on something which has some practical relevance apart from theoretical interest. What this partnership with NetApp has allowed us to do is to bridge this gap, because by talking to companies, we get a sense of what the data industry is looking for. NetApp has been a huge enabler in this over the years.”

“Through our fellowships program, we aim to create an innovation ecosystem including some of the best scientific and engineering minds in the country. We want to leverage the program to translate research into real-world applications. For instance, people associate Machine Learning with image recognition, self-driving cars, and expert-like machines in games. NetApp has worked with professors from IIT Kharagpur to conduct research on unique capabilities of managing complex systems deployed in cloud computing through ML, thus opening further research areas in the process,” echoed Siddhartha Nandi, Director, Advanced Technology Group, NetApp, and leader of this program.

For example, ISI Kolkata’s Prof. Sushmita Ruj, an NFF recipient, works with NetApp to develop efficient and privacy-preserved data auditing schemes that can help a user keep a tab on the reliability of their data stored in multiple clouds. Cloud security is one of the most talked about topics as data-sensitivity concerns grow with massive cloud adoption. This, and many other such areas of impactful technology research are the cornerstones of this program- leveraging the power of data to transform lives and businesses.

Star India Launches its Landmark ‘Star Value Pack’ Making Sports Accessible to Every Indian at Unbelievable Prices!

In keeping with Star India’s belief that every Indian should have access to high quality sports content including cricket, kabaddi, football along with their favorite dose of entertainment, it has launched the Star Value Pack in 7 languages. Offering unparalleled quality content for everybody in the family, the Star Value Pack has the most compelling channels across Entertainment, Movies, Education and the very best in Sports. Viewers get an incredible line-up of sports properties such as Vivo IPL, ICC Cricket World Cup, BCCI tournaments, Vivo Pro Kabaddi League, Hero Indian Super League and more at unbelievably affordable prices. This initiative is in line with the New Tariff Regime beginning December 29th, 2018 empowering consumers to pay only for what they choose.

Sanjay Gupta, Managing Director- Star India says “We believe Entertainment and Sports play a critical role in shaping the nation. By including Sports in the Star Value Pack, we aim to make it accessible to every Indian and thus change the way Sports has been consumed in the country. The Star Value Pack offers viewers the very best from our wide canvas of content across general entertainment, movies, sports and knowledge at unbelievably affordable rates. We have been entertaining, inspiring and serving millions of viewers across India for close to 25 years now, and are delighted to empower the consumer further with even greater choice and value”

Star Network’s consumer awareness campaign -Star India has unleashed a nation-wide multi-media, multi-starrer campaign to bring the idea of how unbelievably affordable the Star Value Pack offerings is. Mega stars like Darshan Thoogudeepa , Aamir Khan, Mohanlal, Kamal Hassan, Nagarjuna, MS Dhoni, movie stars like Dev, Swapnil Joshi and more are spreading the message to educate the consumers across the nation. They will be joined by prominent Star Suvarna television faces like Aishwarya, Ashwini, Priyanka, Krystina and Chandana.

Thinking of ways to offer even greater choice & entertainment for viewer, Star India, in addition to the Star Value Pack, is giving consumers the choice to select the Star Premium Pack that includes the Star Value Pack content as well as the best of international entertainment, movies, lifestyle and marquee sporting events such as Premier League, Grand Slam events and Formula 1. Available in seven languages, the Star Premium Pack caters to the requirements of the discerning viewer.

Karnataka Bank Ties up with Paisabazaar.com for Home Loans

Paisabazaar.com, India’s largest online marketplace for financial products, and Karnataka Bank today announced a  strategic partnership to offer the bank’s home loan product to customers on the Paisabazaar platform.

Through this partnership, consumers will now be able to choose and apply for a home loan from Karnataka Bank, directly through the Paisabazaar platform.

Paisabazaar.com works with 30 partners for its home loan product, which includes India’s biggest private and public banks and HFCs.

“With an increasing number of consumers using digital channels to meet their lending needs, Karnataka Bank is excited to partner with Paisabazaar.com, to offer our home loan product to a massive customer base. Together, we aim to offer simple and convenient processes to help our customers meet one of their biggest life goals, that of buying their own home,” said Mr. Mahabaleshwara M S, Managing Director & C.E.O., Karnataka Bank.

"As a market leader, we aim to provide maximum choice to our consumers, across products. This convenience of choice becomes particularly relevant for products with long-term commitment, like home loans, as the the right product can help consumers save significantly in the long run," said Mr. Naveen Kukreja, CEO & Co-founder, Paisabazaar.com. 

"Paisabazaar.com is delighted to bring Karnatka Bank on board. We expect strong traction towards Karnataka Bank’s home loan product on our platform, thanks to their user-friendly processes and attractive product features including interest rates,” said Ratan Chaudhary, Associate Director & Head of Home Loans, Paisabazaar.com.

Fossil Group Unveils its Next Generation of Smartwatches

Fossil Group is excited to announce the launch of its next generation of smartwatches across brands – Fossil Gen 4 Smartwatch Venture HR and Explorist HR for Fossil, Skagen Falster 2 for Skagen, Michael Kors Access Runway for Michael Kors, Emporio Armani Connected for Emporio Armani, A|X Armani Exchange Connected for Armani Exchange and Diesel Full Guard for Diesel.

As a leader in the fashion space for watches, Fossil Group, with the launch of its next gen smartwatches extends its offerings to provide consumers with several new technology features encased in exquisitely crafted designs. The robust list of technological features translates the brand’s intent to provide customers with one all-inclusive device—both in function and style.

Fossil Group first entered the smartwatch market to meet the growing demand for beautifully designed technology that could be personalized and the new line of Generation 4 watches by the brand is testament to this very promise. Packed with unique design traits to make room for customization from strap to dial – it offers a plethora of exclusive dials, ranging from fashion forward to novelty for the users to choose from. An increasing number of third party apps can be installed for users to enhance their device experience, as well as set social media photos as watch face backgrounds. Additionally, users can now charge their device within an hour to last all day owing to the optimized charge time.

As one of the first fashion forward brands to seamlessly integrate fashion with top-level technology, Fossil is committed to exhibiting how style need not be sacrificed for functionality. Powered with Wear OS by Google and the Qualcomm® Snapdragon Wear™ 2100 Platform, the new devices offer enhancements to every facet of the day, with hardware including Heart-Rate Tracking, Untethered GPS, Swimproof Functionality and much more.

“At Fossil, it is our endeavor to provide our customers with the best of both, fashion and technology. With the launch of next Generation of smartwatches, we have amplified the technological features on the wrist while maintaining our aesthetically fashioned designs, creating an experience individual to each consumer. We are certain they will enjoy it”, says Managing Director, Johnson Verghese.

The spirit of creativity and innovation at Fossil Group has differentiated the brand since its inception and this spirit inspires the brand to innovate products that engage users like never before. Without compromising design standards, this new generation of smartwatches will provide consumers with one device that fits all of their needs – from fitness to technology, fashion and much more!

Talking about the launch, Gautam Sharma, Vice President Brand Strategy – APAC says, “We are in the game and here to stay! Fossil Group offers consumers a diverse breath of designs with features they care about the most. Since our entry into the smartwatch market three years ago, it has been Fossil's mission to meld technology and design. 2018 has been our biggest leap so far: by adding significant features in terms of technology, without compromising our design ethos,