Brands Training India In New Age Skillsets for Young Minds

In the age of digitalisation, cybersecurity, data literacy and analytics, have come to be some of the most sought after skillsets. However, the nascent fields are fast-evolving, thus falling short on the required curriculum for training the young minds. However, several established conglomerates in the respective fields have taken it upon themselves to impart essential skills and training and these important disciplines. Here’s taking a quick look at some of the well-established enterprises that are also venturing into imparting training & development in the field of education, data analytics, cybersecurity, and more. 

Qlik: The Qlik Academic Program

Having served over 50,000 customers across the globe, including some of the leading names in India like BookMyShow, Bajaj Auto, Micromax and more, Qlik is a data analytics and business intelligence platform that believes that data literacy is an important skill.  Qlik’s emphasis on data literacy is crucial for a future workforce that needs to be comfortable with data regardless of what industry they are in. When we talk about becoming data literate, it’s not about becoming a data scientist. It’s about learning a skill that is now as important as the ability to read and write. To the same end, Qlik has expanded its ‘Qlik Academic Program’ to over 150 universities across India. The program now runs in some of the most noteworthy institutions in India, like IIM-B, IIM-A, TISS, SP Jain School of Global Management, NIT Karnataka, NIT Patna, and more.

The adoption of the Qlik Academic Program in India is most prominent across engineering institutions since analytics aligns well with subjects such as data mining, database management and programming. However, there has been an uptake in other academic streams such as business management and social sciences, which are starting to use the program to both assists with research projects while also to learning to improve decision-making processes through data. Through this free-to-use online program, Qlik is helping India’s young minds and professionals to be job-ready, equipped with essential skills in advanced analytics and data literacy.

Cyberbit Range – Cybersecurity Training & Simulation Platform

Despite substantial investments in cybersecurity products, organizations are not prepared for cyberattacks because their cybersecurity teams will only experience their first cyberattack while on the job. Furthermore, organizations are experiencing a drastic shortage in cybersecurity professionals, projected to reach 3.5 million globally by 2021.

Cyberbit Range is the world-leading platform for training cybersecurity teams. It uses a unique, hyper-realistic simulation approach, which immerses cybersecurity teams in a virtual security operations center (SOC), and confronts them with real-world, simulated cyberattacks. Trainees use commercial security tools to detect, investigate and mitigate the attack. This approach mirrors a real-life attack scenario and therefore prepares security teams more effectively than ever before, to be at peak performance during the attack. Cyberbit Range is used by enterprises, governments and universities worldwide to train and upskill cybersecurity experts, educate students, and address the cybersecurity skill shortage.

ONVU Learning by Onvu Tech

Surveillance systems are gradually becoming a part and parcel of modern educational institutions. ONVU Learning is taking this burgeoning infrastructure one step forward by integrating it with Video Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. This approach enables the respective educators to gain superior insights into their pedagogical techniques and address the challenges that they are not able to otherwise visualize. Similarly, it also helps them in better class management, thanks to 360-degree cameras which capture the complete view of the class throughout their lecture.

Samsung Smartphone Sales Grew After Six Consecutive Quarterly Declines Globally: Gartner

Global sales of smartphones to end users declined 1.7% in the second quarter of 2019, totaling 368 million units, according to Gartner, Inc.

“Demand for high-end smartphones has slowed at a greater rate than demand for midrange and low-end smartphones,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner. “To try to boost smartphone replacements, we’ve seen manufacturers bringing premium features such as multilens front/back cameras, bezel-less displays and large batteries from their flagship smartphones into lower-priced models.”

Among the top five global smartphone vendors, Huawei and Samsung exhibited the strongest annual sales increases in the second quarter of 2019 at 16.5% and 3.8%, respectively (see Table 1). “As a result, they both grew market share in the quarter, which led them to account for more than a third of total smartphone sales globally,” said Mr. Gupta.

The Huawei ban announcement led to a sharp decline in Huawei’s smartphone sales in the global market in the second quarter of 2019, although sales did improve slightly on the ban’s deferment. While its smartphone sales total was weaker globally, strong promotion and brand positioning helped Huawei sell a record number of smartphones in Greater China in the quarter, growing 31% in the region.

Samsung Returned to Growth, Apple Continued to Decline

Samsung sold over 75 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2019 and grew its share by 1.1 percentage points year over year. “Strong demand for Samsung’s new Galaxy A series smartphones and the revamp of its entire entry-level and midrange smartphone range helped this positive performance,” said Mr. Gupta. “Demand for Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S10 started to weaken during the quarter, however, indicating that achieving growth in 2019 as a whole will be a challenge.”

Sales of iPhones continued to decline year over year, although at a lesser rate compared with the first quarter of 2019. Apple sold just over 38 million iPhones in the second quarter, a 13.8% decline year over year. “Too few incremental benefits are preventing existing iPhone users from replacing their smartphones,” said Mr. Gupta.” Apple has reached an inflection point marked by shifting its business toward services, which represented 21% of the vendor’s total revenue in the first quarter of 2019.”

China and Brazil: Only Countries in the Top 5 to Show Smartphone Sales Growth

Among the top five countries in smartphones sales, China held the No. 1 position with 101 million smartphone sales in the second quarter of 2019, up 0.5% year over year. With more 5G smartphone models available in the second quarter, vendors in China had to clear out inventory of 4G high-end smartphone models. Achieving 10.8 million smartphone sales in the same period, Brazil was the only other country in the top five to exhibit growth (1.3% year over year). As the economy in Brazil is starting to slowly recover, this smartphone growth is a small indicator of stronger economic growth expected in 2020.

India sold a total of 35.7 million smartphones, achieving market share of 9.7% in the second quarter of 2019. Those sales in India represented a 2.3% decline year over year, however, mainly due to slowing consumer upgrades from feature phones to smartphones.

Global smartphone sales will remain weak for the rest of the year. Gartner analysts expect that sales of worldwide smartphone sales to end users will total 1.5 billion units in 2019. 

CSS Corp Wins Gold Stevie Award in 2019 International Business Awards

CSS Corp, a new-age IT services and technology support company, today announced that it has won the Gold Stevie® Award in the “Best Technical Support Solution – Computer Services” category at the 16th Annual International Business Awards® 2019. CSS Corp was acknowledged for its Digital Customer Experience Suite which leverages emerging technologies to revolutionize complex enterprise technical support ecosystems. The awards will be presented to winners at a gala awards banquet at the ANDAZ Hotel am Belvedere, Vienna, Austria on 19 October.

CSS Corp’s Digital Customer Experience Suite enables it to provide a comprehensive set of services that offer a 3-pronged strategy to transform enterprise support - digitized end-user experience, automation-driven operational efficiency, and technology-amplified engineer productivity. The modules included in the platform are cognitive assistant, mobile-based support, process automation and integration, smart case analytics, and customer 360 workbench. The platform leverages cognitive technologies like AI, intelligent automation, and advanced analytics to accelerate customer resolutions, reduce operation costs, optimize workflows and amplify employee performance. It empowers enterprises to simplify their complex technical support function by improving service outcomes, boosting efficiency, and reducing overheads.

Speaking on occasion, Manish Tandon, Chief Executive Officer, CSS Corp, said, “Modern technology ecosystems are complex, and so are their support needs. Enterprises need to use automation to optimize their support resources and deliver stellar customer experiences. As automation experts, CSS Corp is a frontrunner in building AI-enabled automated technical support solutions that solve customer problems swiftly while also amplifying the support agents. The efficiency gains from support automation have brought about tangible cost advantages to our customers while boosting CX.”

“We are excited to be recognized once again by Stevie, for our suite of automated support solutions.  We will carry the momentum forward by continuously upgrading our offerings to drive better outcomes for our customers.”, he further added.

The IBA judges from across the world were highly impressed with the platform’s capabilities. One of the judges noted, “Perfect! You address not only the end-user but also the support engineer. In creating a seamless support experience, this is an absolute prerequisite.” “CSS Corp's integrated intelligent enterprise solutions help various clients to simplify their digital transformation journey.”, another judge commented.

More than 4000 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were evaluated in this year’s competition. Stevie Award winners were determined by the average scores of more than 250 executives worldwide who participated in the judging process from May through early August.

Instamojo Crosses Rs 110 Crores Milestone of Sachet Loans Disbursal for Small Businesses

Instamojo, the full-stack solutions provider for MSMEs, recently crossed the 110 crore loan mark for their MSME-focused product - Sachet loans. The company has achieved this milestone in less than 10 months post the launch of Sachet Loans as of last year. With an aim to further empower nearly 7 crore Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the country, it was in September last year that the company expanded its suite of products and services with the launch of mojoCapital and mojoXpress. While mojoCapital addressed the capital needs of small business owners, mojoXpress offers shipping services to merchants.

MSMEs are a significant part of the Indian economy, contributing to 29% of the country’s GDP, despite a population of 63 million MSMEs in the country. Speaking on the milestone achievement, Sampad Swain, Co-Founder & CEO, Instamojo said, “The challenge of Cash Crunch has long been a growth hurdle for small businesses across the country. At Instamojo, our focus has always been towards empowering the growth of the MSME sector through our products and services. Through sachet loans, thousands of small businesses have benefitted, opening up several growth avenues. The tremendous response we have received since the launch of our lending arm is a witness to this positive development. This also indicates the progressive transition of the otherwise traditional MSME sector, towards digital methods which in turn also contributes to the larger purpose of Digital India.”

Sachet loans offer Next Day Payouts, Instant Payouts and Same Day Payouts which was recently introduced. Of the Tier I markets, Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi and Chennai top the list with the maximum loans issued, while in Tier II, cities like Gurgaon, Ahmedabad and Lucknow saw maximum loan disbursals. Of the three segments, Next Day Payouts is the most-sought after payment option, followed by Instant Payouts.

Instamojo provides a host of services ranging from digital payments, logistics to lending. The company today works with and enables over 900,000 MSMEs to build, manage and grow their business. As part of their upcoming plans this year, Instamojo aims to introduce promotional services, helping the MSME sector stay relevant in a competitive digital business landscape.

TCS iON IntelliGem to Help School Students Build 21st Century Skills

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization, announced that it is now accepting registrations for the second edition of TCS iON IntelliGem, a national-level contest for students in class 5 to 9.

TCS iON IntelliGem, which is structured as a test, helps young learners develop 21st century skills in five areas – Creativity and Innovation, Communication, Financial Literacy, Universal Values, and Global Citizenship.

Students who clear the qualifying round of proctored computer-based tests will compete in the City Round and Pre-Finals, and then the Grand Finale. This final test, to be held in Mumbai, will put them through buzzer rounds and one-to-ones with an expert panel. Registrations are accepted only through schools and are open till September 20, 2019.

Top students and schools stand to win exciting rewards including cash prizes, new age toys, leadership training, trophies, medals, and certificates. They will also get an opportunity to visit esteemed educational institutions and connect with industry stalwarts. The top performing schools will receive School Excellence Awards and gain national recognition.

As part of TCS iON’s LifeLong Learning initiative, participants of the contest will have free access to digital learning content that will help them prepare for the contest. Moreover, teachers from all the participating schools will get access to the TCS iON Teachers’ Network that hosts a vast pool of learning resources.

Venguswamy Ramaswamy, Global Head, TCS iON, said, “In the 21st century, students are expected to constantly prove their mettle in skills such as creativity, adaptability, critical thinking and effective communication. IntelliGem has been conceptualized with the vision to nurture the ‘gems of tomorrow’ and inspire students to learn skills beyond academics, to stay ahead of the curve. These skills have high value in the complex, globalized, and rapidly-changing digital world, and will help students succeed in future careers.”

The recently released Draft National Education Policy, also endorses the critical need to equip students with 21st century skills, early on. To help schools integrate these subjects into their curriculum, TCS is organizing conclaves for Principals and Educators in various Indian cities.

Make Way for Ambulance: a New Campaign Initiated by HWARF in Association with ONGC

In association with ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) an Indian multinational oil and Gas Company &  Humanitarian Welfare and Research Foundation NGO (Mumbai) in attempt to draw attention on Make Way for Ambulance in Delhi city was a huge success

The 3 Days  Campaign began on  21st August  and concluded  on 23rd August 2019 with positive response from the citizen of Delhi

The Campaign was held at 6 location in south Delhi Vasant Vihar, Vasant Kunj, Moti Baug, Munirka, Kisangarh and Fortis to spread awareness  in an attempt to draw attention on  saving critical patient lives in emergency vehicles. This campaign made positive impact on every citizen endorsed their pledge and  acknowledged that whenever they hear the siren of ambulance or see the ambulance stuck in traffic they will make their best effort in making way for Ambulance in giving life to patient on emergency vehicle.

The statistics say that many times ambulance does not reach to hospital on time because of excessive traffic in roadways and highways which cost loss of someone's valuable  life.People of south Delhi have shown their support in  view of  emergency vehicles Ambulance carries precious life which can be saved if they reach to hospital on time and as a responsible citizen they will move one step ahead in making way for Ambulance in reaching them to the nearest hospital.

Ms. Christine Swaminathan Founder Trustee  from   ‘Humanitarian Welfare and Research Foundation NGO (Mumbai)
 have always initiated on social & welfare campaign in benefiting the society and have made huge impact on  “Make Way For Ambulance”  campaign in spreading  awareness amongst people to be more responsible and attentive in giving way  to ambulance in this way one can contribute their charity towards humanity.

Mr. Rakesh Kumar Trustee from HWARF adds that “It  was necessary to create a Campaign like Make “Way for Ambulance” so people get more cautious when they hear the siren of Ambulance and help the Ambulance to reach their destiny at time so person’s life can be saved at time”.

Alka Mittal – Director (HR) – ONGC said “Now a day due to increasing Traffic, Ambulance gets stuck in the traffic with critical patient  fighting between life and Death make impossible to reach their destined hospital without the social need of campaign. This campaign will make impact on people of Delhi for Making Way for Ambulance will create an awareness amongst the every responsible citizen in saving live of our dear ones in Ambulances.

Bentley Systems’ Going Digital 2019 Event for Advancing Infrastructure Attracts 330 Attendees in Mumbai

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading global provider of comprehensive software and digital twins services for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, recently held its Going Digital 2019 event in Mumbai. More than 330 infrastructure professionals attended the event, which featured live demonstrations of Bentley Systems’ solutions and services that help professionals learn how to integrate digital context, digital workflows, and digital components into their infrastructure projects, enabling better decision making for improved project outcomes and better performing infrastructure assets.

In his keynote presentation, Phil Christensen, senior vice president, Reality Modeling, iTwin Services, Bentley Systems, discussed how infrastructure digital twins empower users with continuous and comprehensive design review, immersive visualization, and analytics visibility to understand the impact of change and predictively model the performance of a project or infrastructure asset in the real world. He highlighted the benefits of digital workflows and how organizations can use technologies such as 3D/4D visualization, reality modeling, mixed reality, and geotechnical engineering for immersive visualization and analytics visibility.

Phil Christensen said, “It was great to see such an enthusiastic turnout for our event in Mumbai. Digital workflows are becoming integral to every infrastructure project—from design through to operations. And what we’re demonstrating here is that going digital is not merely a convenience or a useful tool, it is a necessity for designers, engineers, constructors, and owner operators to make informed decisions, optimize asset performance, and ensure the resilience of cities, sites, and buildings. Leveraging digital twins for analytics and immersive visualization of real-time project and performance conditions is a vital piece of the going digital journey.” 

Participants attended insightful sessions with industry leaders from Siemens and Microsoft discussing digital twin technology and cloud solutions for industry to accelerate the digitalization of plants and smart infrastructure around the world. Paul King, industry sector director, construction, Bentley Systems gave a technology update on digital solutions and processes that can help initiate improvements in project performance and how companies that embrace emerging technologies can gain a strong competitive advantage. He also showcased Bentley’s project delivery solutions that are enabling better project team collaboration and safer, more efficient construction in the field.

The Going Digital 2019 event also included industry forums for attendees to learn about technology and solutions for their specific interests including Digital Cities; Geostructural; Rail, Road and Airport; and Process Plant.

Bentley software users from India were recognized for their outstanding projects nominated for last year’s Year in Infrastructure Awards program.

Bentley’s next Going Digital 2019 event will be held on 19 September in Moscow.