Model Lisa Haydon To Promote Myntra's Campaigns

Myntra.com, the ultimate online fashion destination, has signed the gorgeous Lisa Haydon as their Brand Ambassador. A diva in her own right, style and panache comes effortlessly to the actress who will be endorsing Myntra’s attractive range of apparel and accessories.

As the brand ambassador for Myntra.com, Lisa Haydon will be part of Myntra’s largest marketing campaign, ‘Live for Likes’, an initiative to engage with today’s social media savvy generation and encourage them to shop on Myntra.com. To begin with, the model turned actress will be the face of a dedicated microsite launched to pique the interest of online shoppers, and bring alive the brand’s philosophy of ‘Live for Likes’. The microsite (which will go live later this week) will host a series of initiatives including a virtual game which will feature Lisa Haydon as the main character; and will also showcase some stylish looks and selections.

Speaking of her association with Myntra.com, Lisa Haydon said, “I am extremely excited to be associated with Myntra.com - a brand that is vibrant and provides the latest and most sophisticated fashion trends for shoppers online. It has truly been a pleasure to work intimately with the Myntra team in the past, and I am looking forward to endorsing the brand now, starting with their latest ‘Live For Likes’ campaign, that aims at bringing alive the first ever virtual engagement game for shoppers. It is a highly enthralling game and I am sure people will get addicted to it over the next couple of weeks.”

"It’s great to have the lovely, talented diva, Lisa Haydon, as part of the Myntra family," stated Vikas Ahuja, Chief Marketing Officer, Myntra. “The Myntra brand is very fashionable and relates to the youth of today; this resonates very well with Lisa Haydon who is an ideal blend of simplicity, style and sophistication, making her the perfect choice. She truly embodies our brand values and we are delighted to have her on board."

Lisa Haydon had earlier been a part of Myntra’s ‘Hottest December Ever’ campaign, which comprised of a very peppy, youthful and vivacious TV commercial featuring the beautiful actress.

Myntra.com has previously collaborated with popular celebrities like Ranveer Singh for their private label - Roadster, Hrithik Roshan for the exclusive HRX collection and Chitrangada Singh to represent the company’s engaging initiative, Fashion Icon of the Month.

New Form Factors Devices From Lenovo

Lenovo, a leading PC player in India, today took the era of ‘thin and light’ computing to the next level of transformation with its brand new portfolio of sleek PCs. The high-performance range includes multi-mode laptops - Yoga 2 and Flex 2, everyday and mainstream laptops- G40/G50 and Z50, and an entry level All-In-One (AIO) with space saving design – C260. This one-stop range strikes the perfect balance between performance, colorful design, and affordability; and is sure to keep users entertained and make impressions wherever they go. 

Speaking at the launch, Shailendra Katyal, Director- HSB (Home and Small Business), Lenovo India said, “Lenovo has always been ahead of the technology curve and captivated users with products that truly stand apart. We are pioneering entirely new categories with Table PCs and AIOs, continuing our leadership in multi-modes and also making great inroads this year in the Tablet and Smartphone category. Winning global accolades in some of the world’s largest innovation platforms is a proof point of our technology prowess. The journey so far has been incredible. We are confident of achieving our goal to become a PC Plus leader as well as one of the most respected technology companies in the world.”

Lenovo’s product line-up this year is exceptionally strong aimed at breaking clutter in the crowded PC market. The key multi-modes include Yoga 2, from the award winning Yoga series; and Flex 2 offering budget-friendly computing with longer battery life for the user who is on the go. Lenovo Flex 2 had been designed with the belief that a notebook can’t just be a mere notebook, it has to be more. Owing to its ability to flip around 300 degrees this notebook is also a very handy tablet. It’s not just a gadget you work on but a gadget you can play with too. Both Yoga 2 and Flex 2 are multi-mode, highly flexible, superbly-designed machines that are the perfect collaboration of exquisite design and great functionality.

Other devices in the new portfolio include G40/G50, Z50 and C260 that are both versatile and affordable.

Key product features:

* Lenovo Yoga 2 convertible ultrabook:  Yoga 2 brings affordable multimode computing into reach. The budget-friendly Yoga 2's 10-point  multi-touch display flips back 360 degrees to offer four different usage modes  — Laptop, Tablet, Stand, and Tent. EUP: Rs 59990 (all inclusive)

* Lenovo Flex 2 (14 inch): Budget-friendly multimode computing is here at last in the Lenovo Flex 2 (14 inch), a 14” dual-mode laptop with a touchscreen that flips 300 degrees from laptop to stand mode.  The laptop has backlit keyboard and comes in graphite grey colour. EUP: Starting from Rs 41,990 (all inclusive)

*  Lenovo G40/G50: A thin and light laptop with GIGALAN support, Lenovo G50 laptop PC combines a slim design with a comprehensive set of features, including a DVD drive and great performance from its AMD processor. It has integrated Dolby advanced audio and comes in Ebony black and silver options. EUP: Starts from Rs 22990 (all inclusive)

* Lenovo Z50: A multimedia notebook offering a good balance between features & performance. The 15.6" HD display notebook features an AccuType keyboard that boasts a modern look and feel with flatter, slightly curved keys that enhance comfort while increasing typing accuracy. Equipped with Dolby advanced audio, the notebook comes in silver and white options. EUP: Starts from Rs 39990 (all inclusive)

* Lenovo C260: The 19.5” all-in-one C360 is ideal for the whole family. Sleek and responsive, it’s great for home entertainment and is very affordable. With Lenovo Assistant managing files is easy, while upgrading storage or memory is tool-free. Available with touchscreen. EUP: Rs 28,490 (all inclusive).

Anirban Dey Quits SAP Labs; Likely Shift To Infosys

SAP Labs India announced that Anirban Dey has left the organization for personal reasons. He was associated with SAP Labs since 2008 and was appointed as the Managing Director of SAP Labs India in January, 2013. Sources in the industry reveal that, Dey is most likely to join the newly formed team at Infosys led by Vishal Sikka, his former colleague at SAP.

Additional information on Anirban’s replacement will be forthcoming. Clas Neumann, Senior Vice President and Global Head of the SAP Labs Network will work closely with the SAP Labs India leadership team to ensure a smooth transition till a new MD is appointed.

“I want to take the opportunity to thank Anirban Dey for his leadership and contributions to SAP over the years. I would like to wish him the very best for his future endeavors”, said Clas Neumann, Senior Vice President and Global Head of the SAP Labs Network. “SAP Labs India will continue to play a key role in the SAP eco-system by contributing significantly to SAP’s products and technologies.”

SAP Labs India is the third largest R&D center outside Germany for SAP and contributes to a wide spectrum of SAP’s product portfolio ranging from developing technology platform and enterprise software, to providing customer support, accelerating sales and partnering with a rich and vibrant SAP ecosystem in India.  SAP Labs India has facilities in Bangalore, Gurgaon and Pune.

Major Revamp In Avaya Channel Partner Program

Avaya Inc. has announced changes to its Avaya Connect Channel Partner program to advance partner expertise in successfully solving  customers’ challenges using Avaya Collaboration technologies. The program changes will help channel partners differentiate their respective companies and help drive a high-quality end-to-end, customer experience.

Changes to the Avaya Connect Partner Program includes revisions to the requirements for achieving Silver, Gold and Platinum level status and the introduction of six new Solution Experts designations: enterprise unified communications and contact center, midmarket unified communications and contact center, networking and video. To achieve the Solution Expert designation in any one of these areas, partners need to acquire credentials in sales and design, achieve certain revenue thresholds as proof of their experience, and demonstrate customer satisfaction.  The Silver, Gold and Platinum level status will be determined based on the number of Solution Expert designations achieved by each partner company.

The changes to the program make it easier for channel partners to achieve a higher level status for their chosen business model and to distinguish themselves based on their expertise.  Highly flexible, the program supports both capex and opex sales models, allowing channel partners to support premise, cloud and hybrid cloud models. They can also take a ‘full stack’ approach to the Avaya solution portfolio, or they can focus on a particular area such as networking or contact center and still differentiate their expertise and gain the financial benefits for their solution area.

The program changes go into effect on October 1, 2014 with Avaya’s fiscal 2015, allowing partners a transition year during which they can earn their status levels based on current or new requirements, whichever works in their favor .

Avaya Connect Channel Partners can view a replay of Worldwide Channel Vice President Richard Steranka’s presentation and the announcement being made today in the Avaya Virtual Partner Forum.

“Business challenges require the expertise of a trusted partner who understands how technology can be applied to achieve the desired business outcome. It’s rare that a customer will require a single isolated product. The changes to Avaya Connect address what we as a vendor need to do to encourage our channel partners to develop the expertise to help ensure customer needs are met to the highest level of their satisfaction and reward them for doing so,” says Richard Steranka, vice president, Worldwide Channels, Avaya.

“It’s great to be recognized for the value we provide to our customers. I know our customers appreciate us, but now Avaya rewards us based on our dedication and capabilities to delivering a great customer experience,” says Dayal Hemrajani, Chairman & Managing Director, Enkay Technologies (GGM Authorized Partner).

Juniper Networks Bags 2 Major Italian Telecom Customers

Juniper Networks, the industry leader in network innovation, today announced that Telecom Italia, a leading infrastructure telecommunications company, offering fixed, mobile and Internet services and solutions in Italy with operations also in South America, has adopted Juniper Networks MX Series 3D Universal Edge Routers on its service point of presence (PoP) infrastructure.

Juniper's MX Series acts as an edge services aggregation node -- or "Service hub" -- for Telecom Italia's PoP infrastructure; the solution will also be used as a universal software defined networking (SDN) gateway to seamlessly connect physical and virtual networks.

News Highlights

• Telecom Italia is currently trialing Juniper Networks Contrail SDN and NFV controller with OpenStack to transform its service creation complexity by integrating virtual and physical network functions as well as creating flexible, dynamic service chains.

• Juniper's open approach to SDN/NFV networking enables Telecom Italia to integrate physical and virtual network functions from Juniper Networks as well as third party vendors, enabling a true ecosystem of best-of-breed solutions to achieve differentiated services and subscriber value faster and at lower operating cost.

• Telecom Italia's "Service hub" is a point of flexibility for inserting physical and virtual appliances. The Contrail technology could be used as an enabler to deliver a SDN model of dynamic service-chaining capabilities including flexibility and improved time to market.

"The integration of Juniper Networks high performance technology as a "service hub" brings increased flexibility to introduce new service features to our customers. We leverage Juniper's expertise to make SDN/NFV technologies the key to shortening time-to-market and improve cost effectiveness," Paolo Fasano, Data Networks Innovation, Telecom Italia. 

"Telecom Italia's selection of Juniper's MX Series to evolve the service PoP will help provide a High-IQ network that is massively scalable and automated to enable rapid service provisioning. We're thrilled they chose to test Juniper Networks Contrail to help create a dynamic services environment," says Mike Marcellin, senior vice president of strategy; marketing, Juniper Networks.

Personal Interaction Still Trumps Technology In India

Today, organizations use technology extensively for the screening process, but, as a TimesJobs.com survey revealed, in the overall hiring process it is still just an enabler. 55% organisations claim to use online job portals to source candidates and a similar number use personality profiling tests to assess the candidates. However, when it comes to making the final decision, 82% organizations still rely on face-to-face interviews. 

Organisations believe that though technology has made an impact on the global hiring landscape, some traditional methods like personal interaction with the candidates still hold a lot of significance in hiring the best. 

Hiring on ‘face-value’ 

Hiring managers are certainly open to new age techniques in hiring and interviewing but only at a nascent stage. Most organizations indicated that a telephonic or video interview is always followed up by an in-depth face-to-face interview.

According to the TimesJobs.com survey, nearly 15% organisations indicated that while they use telephonic or video interview techniques they are followed by face-to-face interactions. Only 3% reported using just video interviews for selecting a candidate reveals the TimesJobs.com study.

A sector-wise glimpse

98% of organisations in both the Automobile sector and BPO industry rely solely on in-depth face-to-face interviews, followed by the IT/Telecom sector (90%).

Healthcare was one of the key sectors to report using video/telephone interviews followed by face-to-face interactions. About 50% organisations in the Healthcare sector use video/telephone interviews followed by face-to-face interactions states the TimesJobs.com study.

Demographical variations

The trend for video interviews is a little better in metros and key job hubs including Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

Nearly 11% of representative organisations in Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore conduct video interviews but they are followed by face-to-face interactions. Same is the case with 22% organisations based in Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

About 84% organisations in metros and 78% organisations in Pune, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad prefer using only face-to-face interviews. Nearly 80% organisations belonging to tier I cities/state capitals use the in-depth face-to-face interview process, while 20% do video interviews followed by a face-to-face interaction, the TimesJobs.com study reveals.

Video interviews will take time to evolve

The advent of websites such as YouTube, Metacafe, etc. has made conducting video interviews easier. “Globally there’s a growing trend of putting a corporate video along with the job posting which not only gives a preview of an applicant’s career graph, but leaves a lasting impression as well. Recruiters these days prefer a video interview on Skype or Hangout for conducting preliminary rounds of interviews,” said Ravi S Singh, founder, Insiders Research Solutions LLP in an exclusive interaction with TimesJobs.com.

Industry experts believe that while the trend of video interviews is popular globally, it will take another five years for technology-enabled solutions to overtake face-to-face interviews. In India, however, it will take longer because of awareness and accessibility issues.

San Jose To Be Intel’s First Smart City

Chip vendor Intel today announced its Smart City contract with San Jose city. This is Intel’s first smart city implementation in the United States.

Intel did not share financial details of Smart Cities USA pilot program.

It is expected that the project – as part of the city’s “Green Vision” goals – will create 25,000 clean-tech jobs, create environmental sustainability and enhance the quality of life for residents.

The pilot program in San Jose will the deployment of a range of smart city solutions including air and water quality, traffic and parking management to communications systems and other city infrastructure, said Intel.

The Smart Cities USA pilot project will give San Jose residents real-time, local data that can inform their personal decisions. For example, when there is a local air quality alert, residents can choose to take public transit, bicycle or carpool to get to work or school and thus reduce emissions and improve air quality.

San Jose is installing a network of sensors to create a sustainability lens that uses Intel technology to measure characteristics such as particulates in the air, noise pollution and traffic flow.

Intel for Smart Cities

City governments are projected to collectively invest approximately $41 trillion over the next 20 years to upgrade their infrastructure.

San Jose city has installed a sensor demonstration platform using Intel Gateway Solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) with an Intel Quark processor and third-party sensors. Each gateway incorporates Wind River Intelligent Device Platform software with McAfee security features connected to Intel’s Hadoop distribution in the cloud.