Marc Carrel-Billiard New Managing Director of Accenture Global Technology R&D

Accenture has announced the appointment of Marc Carrel-Billiard as managing director of Global Technology Research & Development within Accenture Technology. In this role, Carrel-Billiard will oversee the Accenture Technology Labs, Accenture’s global technology R&D organization which explores new and emerging technologies, with locations in Silicon Valley, California; Sophia Antipolis, France; Arlington, Virginia; Beijing, China and Bangalore, India.

Marc Carrel-Billiard, Managing Director, Global Technology R&D, Accenture

Additionally, Carrel-Billiard will direct Accenture Open Innovation, the group that works with start-ups, venture capitalists, leading academic organizations and corporate R&D groups.  He will also lead Accenture’s annual Technology Vision research, which looks at the future of enterprise IT and makes recommendations for how organizations can take advantage of technology to improve their competitiveness and business results.

 “I’m thrilled to take on this incredible opportunity to lead Accenture’s Technology R&D group which continues to stretch the boundaries of traditional enterprise technology and help clients reimagine the future,” said Carrel-Billiard. “I look forward to working with an incredible global team of top minds, researchers and scientists, to take the latest technology innovations from vision to value for our clients.”

Carrel-Billiard joined Accenture in 1998. His most recent role was as Accenture’s global lead for emerging technology. He has conducted extensive research into artificial intelligence, and is the author of several articles and books. He holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Sciences from École Nationale des Telecommunications de Paris as well as a Master of Science degree in Computer Sciences from École Nationale Supérieure d'Informatique pour l'Industrie et l'Entreprise / ENSIEE (formerly Institut d’Informatiqu e d’Entreprises / CNAM) in France.

 “Marc is a visionary technologist who is highly respected in our industry and exceptionally qualified to lead this area of our company,” said Sanjay Podder, Accenture managing director, Bangalore Technology Labs and Software Engineering R&D. “He has extensive experience in developing and delivering emerging technologies, including key areas of IT such as cognitive computing and robotics. Throughout his career, Marc has distinguished himself as a thought leader and evangelist for new and innovative technologies, and has also had great success as an Accenture leader delivering business results to clients.”

Interior of the Accenture Technology Lab in Beijing

Accenture’s five Technology Labs are comprised of R&D professionals who research and explore key technology areas to uncover new methods of disruption, identifying and scaling innovative solutions to ultimately bring new opportunities to life for clients. Through the work of the Technology Labs under Accenture Technology R&D organization, Accenture is incubating new ideas that are changing how businesses operate and compete in the market. Accenture’s Open Innovation network and work has been hailed as pioneering by independent analyst firm Horses for Sources.

Boxer Inc.to be Acquired by VMware Shortly

VMware has announced that it plans to acquire Boxer, a privately held company that offers a comprehensive and secure personal information management (PIM) solution for mobile devices to businesses and consumers.

The proliferation of applications, devices and an increasingly mobile workforce has driven up the cost and complexity of managing end-users. Access to mobile email is essential for employees who need to work on the go. However, corporate email often contains sensitive data and documents. It’s important that companies have a strategy for productivity and social collaboration applications keeps data secure while providing an intuitive experience for end-users. Boxer enables the secure synchronization and use of native and third party productivity applications (email, calendar, tasks and contacts) and enterprise social collaboration tools (Salesforce, Box, Evernote, etc.) across mobile devices and platforms (iOS and Android).

The Boxer team, which will join AirWatch, has developed a mature PIM solution for enterprises that offers a container approach to mobile application management and security. The company has partnered with industry leaders and supports market leading productivity, enterprise and social networking solutions including Box, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Gmail, iCloud, Salesforce, Twitter, Outlook and Yahoo, just to name a few.

“I am incredibly proud and excited to share that VMware has announced plans to acquire Boxer,” said  Andrew Eye, CEO, Boxer. “Both of our teams strive to provide solutions that are “consumer simple and enterprise secure” which made this an obvious fit. The Boxer team will continue development of our consumer apps, which are available for download on the Apple and Google app stores.”

“I still remember the first time I was able to get my work email on a handheld device. I felt connected and empowered to be in the know, and get things done from anywhere. Since then, the world of enterprise mobility has evolved significantly,” said Noah Wasmer, chief technology officer and vice president of product management, mobile products, End-User Computing, VMware. “Upon closing of the acquisition, the combination of Boxer and AirWatch by VMware will create a world-class suite of services that will enable businesses to provide their employees with secure access to their email, content and apps.”

Boxer will enhance the AirWatch Inbox solution with a robust mobile PIM client that offers secure email, calendar, contacts and tasks. The solution aligns well with the AirWatch architecture and will offer customers a mature, all-in-one PIM that is enterprise mobile management (EMM)-ready and secure.

India's Second IBM Public Data Centre Comes Up In Chennai

IBM, a leading technology company on Tuesday launched public data centre in Chennai to tap into growing demand from financial services and government sectors. The move is also likely to help IBM tap into the government initiatives like Smart Cities and Digital India.

Part of the company’s global investment of $1.2 billion, it is IBM’s second such centre in India. The first one in Mumbai offers private cloud computing services. Its cloud clients include Tata Sky, Bharat Light and Power, Janalakshmi Financial Services and Mankind Pharma.

"We are looking at setting up another public cloud data centre. As you know, sectors like government and financial services prefer their data residing within the country," said Vanitha Narayanan, IBM India Managing Director.

“With a local onramp to IBM Cloud, Indian customers, especially those in regulated industries, gain more flexibility to store and compute data within the country,” said Robert LeBlanc, IBM Cloud senior vice president told media.

This is IBM’s 42nd data centre in its expansive network, providing users with performance and disaster recovery to ensure business continuity, he added.

He, however, did not disclose details about specific investments on the centre and the size of the centre.

IBM has cloud centres in cities such as London, Beijing, Melbourne, Toronto and Dallas.

The centre will help IBM tap into government initiatives like ‘Digital India’ and ‘Smart Cities’ It will also enable the company to tap into data sensitive sectors like banking, financial services and telecom that often mandate that data be hosted in local data centres.

Earlier this year, Microsoft had also announced setting up of three local data centres in India to tap into what it believes is a $2 trillion cloud opportunity.

“India’s cloud market is poised for exponential growth. The Chennai data centre will support India’s growing customer demand for in-country cloud solutions with faster network speeds,” LeBlanc said.

IBM has also partnered IT industry body Nasscom for the latter’s 10,000 start-ups initiative.

“In an effort to accelerate digital transformation both at the enterprise and start-up level, IBM is establishing a partnership with Nasscom to launch Techstartup.in, a digital hub wherein the entire Indian start-up ecosystem, including angels, mentors, investors, academia and venture capitalists, can interact with each other to grow the cloud market,”, said Sandy Carter, IBM GM, Cloud Ecosystem and Developers.

Highlighting the role that the Chennai data centre can play for start-ups, LeBlanc said developers and start-ups are an integral part of India’s ecosystem and key to Digital India initiative.

A study suggests that by 2018, India will have 5.2 million developers, surpassing the US, he said.

“This growth will only increase as thousands of start-ups are expected to establish themselves in India, generating employment opportunities. This will not only pave the way for innovative services, but will also act as a major booster for the development of the Indian economy,” he added.

IBM has also launched two initiatives - Works Premium and a cloud certification programme - to enable developers with tools and skills to compete and innovate in the global marketplace.

Indian Start-Ups Ecosystem Records 4x Growth to $4.9 Billion in 2015

As per a recent report from Nasscom & Zinnov indicates that the start-up ecosystem in India has experienced a 4X growth in PE’s and VC’s funding of $ 2.1 billion in 2014 to $4.7 billion in 2015. Likewise, overall funding is estimated to grow by 12%, from $2.2 billion in 2014 to $4.9 billion in 2015. The other highlights of the report covers the number of deals from 224 during the previous year to 458 deals in 2015 and also that the new start-ups are moving away from the traditional e-commerce to leveraging technology to solve India’s urban problems like power, infrastructure, healthcare and financial inclusion.

With a 40 percent growth since 2014, the start-up eco-system in India now has scaled up to No 3 position only behind USA and UK in 2015.  Report indicate that India has about 4,200 to 4,400 start-ups spread mostly across the NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore while USA, the leader has 4,750 to 4,800 start-ups followed by UK 4,500 to 5,000. India has overtaken Israel that recorded about 3,900 to 4,100 during the same period.

Nasscom along with Zinnov launched the second edition of the start-up report titled “Start-up India – Momentous Rise of the Indian Start-up Ecosystem” on the side-lines of Nasscom Product Conclave 2015 in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The report was launched by R Chandrashekhar, President, Nasscom, Ravi Gururaj, Chairman, Nasscom Product Council and Rajat Tandon, Vice President, Nasscom 10 K start-up program.

The report also highlights that the Indian technology start-ups landscape has seen a tremendous growth in the emergence of innovative start-ups and creative entrepreneurs. In terms of providing a conducive ecosystem for the start-ups to thrive, India has moved up to third position and has emerged the fastest growing base of start-ups worldwide. India is one amongst the first five largest startup communities in the world with the number of start-ups crossing 4,200, a growth of 40 per cent, by the end of 2015. India's position as a global startup hub that is becoming attractive for investors, startups, & corporate.

Sharing his views, R. Chandrashekhar said, “The maturing Indian start-up ecosystem is now contributing to the Indian economy in many ways. Apart from positively impacting the lifestyles of citizens involved, start-ups are now creating innovative technology solutions that are addressing the key social problems that India is facing and creating significant growth opportunities for every stakeholders. To enable the next stage of growth for these start-ups, Nasscom will work closely with the government to ensure ease of doing business, by simplifying procedures and create a conducive environment for these start-ups to grow.”

With 100 per cent growth in number of private equity, venture capitalists, angel investors along with a 125 per cent growth in funding over last year, Indian start-up ecosystem has risen to the next level. The total funding in the India based start-ups is estimated to be nearly $5 billion by 2015. Various central and state government start-up initiatives are further supporting this progressive phase of start-ups in India.

The report also highlights certain ways and means to make starting-up further easy in India. Nasscom has recommended ease the rules and regulation for registration of a business in India, funding, and simplifying compliance procedures by minimizing licenses/permits/approvals/tax for start-ups. Removal of angel tax, simplifying norms for capital raising, enabling easier exit for entrepreneurs and requisite changes in the credit guarantee for loans to start-ups are few recommendations that will further enhance a smoother functioning of the start-ups in India.

Stakeholders across the ecosystem must also come together to create market access by way of guidance in regulatory requirements for project participation and specialized training for start-ups working in innovative areas. Steps must be taken to create an even more conducive environment by facilitating incubation, IPR, and innovation norms and also encourage academia-industry tie-up and collaborate to develop the right kind of talent and capabilities that will propel the growth further. Another important aspect will be to encourage and recognize these start-ups for the innovation and rapid growth by sharing their success stories on a national-level and awarding at relevant Indian and global platforms to help India build a reputation of a startup-friendly nation.

Ravi Gururaj said “India is the youngest start-up nation in the world with 72% of the founders are less than 35 years old, and 50% rise in share of female entrepreneurs in 2015 over 2014. We are thankful to the Government for the policies and initiatives that are aimed towards improving the overall start-up ecosystem. Nasscom has been partnering with the Governments for Start-up warehouses to create a micro-ecosystem where start-ups and entrepreneurs can work together, share their learning and best practices with each other. This is fostering an entrepreneurial culture contributing to the increased knowledge, employment and societal wealth.”

Rapid growth of Indian startups has created significant growth opportunities for every stakeholder within the ecosystem. Further, start-ups are providing an exciting work culture along with attractive financial benefits to attract new and retain existing talent. This maturing start-up ecosystem is contributing to the Indian economy in multiple ways.  There is a need to regularly nurture the startup ecosystem through regulations, branding, collaboration, mentorship and funding to stay ahead of disruptive growth.

The report identifies the current scale and size of the startup landscape, factors that are impacting the growth of the overall ecosystem and steps that need to be taken to make the environment more conducive for start-ups. It analyzes the existing scenario and evolving trends across the various dimensions that define the Indian startup ecosystem, and measure.  

Volvo Group Provides Competitive Integrated Financial Solutions in India

Volvo Financial Services has announced the launch of its operations in India. The Volvo Financial Services offering strengthens the Volvo Group’s ability to provide a competitive and total one-stop shop solution of equipment, loans, leases, insurance, maintenance, and other aftermarket services, to customers and dealers of the Volvo Group and VE Commercial Vehicles Ltd. (“VECV”, a joint venture between the Volvo Group and Eicher Motors Limited) in India.

Volvo Financial Services in India offers a comprehensive selection of customisable loan, lease and insurance options for truck, construction equipment, and bus customers under three different Volvo Group brands – Volvo Financial Services, Eicher Financial Services and SDLG Financial Services.

Volvo Financial Services seeks to enable value for customers and dealers throughout the business lifecycle. Scott Rafkin, EVP and Global President, Volvo Financial Services, who officiated the launch today said, “Volvo Financial Services is a global enterprise, and being part of the Volvo Group, we have a strong understanding of the use of the products made by Volvo Group and VE Commercial Vehicles under the Eicher Trucks and Eicher Buses brands, and the industries in which our customers operate in. We are ready to support our customers and dealers through all business cycles. India has always been an important market for Volvo Financial Services and the Volvo Group, and this exciting development underlines Volvo Financial Services’ commitment to Volvo Group and VECV customers and dealers. Our value proposition and competitive advantage are customized financial solutions, expertise, and knowledge of both our customer’s business and the products we are financing.”

John Rakocy, President, Volvo Financial Services Region Asia-Pacific added, “After running a private label financing program with one of the leading finance companies in India during 2011 to 2014, we decided to launch full-fledged operations in India using our own balance sheet. Through the Volvo Group’s experience in India for over 17 years, Volvo Financial Services has developed a solid understanding of our Indian customers’ and dealers’ needs and expectations of financial solutions. India continues to be a key growth market in the APAC region, and we are here to demonstrate our long term commitment to India’s growth story by facilitating our customers’ and dealers’ business.”

Santosh Aiyer, Managing Director, Volvo Financial Services India said, “Whether our customers are large fleet operators or small business owners, they are at the core of everything that we do. We work hand-in-hand with our construction equipment, truck, and bus colleagues to understand their business model, propose customised and integrated solutions that meet their business needs, and deliver these solutions in a responsive and efficient manner. The launch of Volvo Financial Services in India further confirms Volvo Group’s commitment to India and while Volvo Group was already a strong part of the ‘Make in India’ story, we now also ‘Finance in India’.”

Customers who finance their Volvo or Eicher products with Volvo Financial Services or Eicher Financial Services can preserve their existing lines of credit with their banks for other business needs, while enjoying the benefits of an integrated solution from the Volvo Group and VE Commercial Vehicles. Kamal Bali, Managing Director, Volvo India said, “With Volvo Financial Services now in India, we are better equipped to creating even higher value for our customers and partners. We believe that this investment will further fuel and fructify Volvo Group’s vision of providing sustainable transport solutions, thereby catering to the needs and aspirations of a resurgent India. This is also in line with our constant endeavours over the last 17 years in India to invest in state-of-the-art technologies and solutions, many of which have brought about a paradigm shift in the industry”.

 Vinod Aggarwal, CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles commented, “As a major player in the Indian trucking industry, we are extremely excited by the possibilities that Volvo Financial Services opens up as a captive financial solutions provider for our customers and dealers, and we believe that our integrated solution will be a winning value proposition for our customers.”

Explaining the value of the integrated solution, Dimitrov Krishnan, Vice President and Head of Volvo Construction Equipment India said, “Volvo CE customers are looking for a competitive solution that takes care of their every need so that they can focus on their core businesses. By bundling all of our customers’ needs into one package that includes equipment, financing, insurance, maintenance, and other aftermarket services, our customers will enjoy peace of mind.”

V.R.V. Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses India commented, “Volvo Bus customers have unique and exacting needs. With Volvo Financial Services as a captive financial solutions provider, we are able to tailor financing solutions to fit our customers’ needs.” 

Indian Hospitals on Telemedicine Drive

By Manu Sharma

In order to provide quality healthcare to all, information technology has become essential. Off late, telemedicine has generated strong excitement and anticipation within both developed and emerging countries. Infact, telemedicine is a technology initiative that has the potential to revolutionize healthcare especially in rural India.

 In a recent development, Dr Devi Prasad Shetty of Narayana Healthcare launched a telemedicine initiative with the Border Security Force (BSF) STS Camp in Yelahanka with Narayana Healthcare, Bangalore. With this facility, BSF patients who are far flung can now consult with experts for treatment and consultation.

Scope of Telemedicine

Allaying recent fears about rising cases of dengue and chikungunya across the country, some state governments are looking at ways to provide affordable healthcare to the patients not just in urban cities and towns but also in the rural and far flung areas. 

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has launched a dedicated satellite for healthcare and also the government under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has earmarked a sum of Rs 10 million per annum for state government to increase telemedicine in their respective states. Already states like Madhya Pradesh, Harayana, Punjab are leading the way and other like Karnataka and Tamilnadu are getting into it. 

Technology Can Help Connect Doctors & Patients

In a country like India, where healthcare access and facilities to all is still abysmally low. Setting a new paradigm in telemedicine technology, Tele-ICU is a kind of virtual ICU (intensive care unit) that remotely monitors a patient’s status via state-of-the-art audio-visual communication and computer systems with the help of a good networking with the bedside ICU team.

Tele-CU uses state-of-the-art equipment to connect patients to intensivists 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from anywhere in the country. Doctors and nurses, at a centralized location, use remote-control cameras, video conferencing and continuous monitoring technology to access real-time patient information. This service continues to provide care to ICUs in major cities to smaller Tier II and Tier III towns.

In theory, a fully deployed telemedicine ecosystem would increase the quality of healthcare services by increasing access to constrained resources like doctors while reducing costs through greater utilization of assets such as doctors and hospitals. With state governments exploring telemedicine beyond the parameters of cost, quality, and access to healthcare itself, it’s time other states follow this model.

Telemedicine Market in India

Reports indicate that the India’s Telemedicine market is estimated at $10-12 million and is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 20% over the next five years. It is estimated that 150,000 people in India are already benefitting from telemedicine every year. 

Growth in the telemedicine market is expected to be driven by India’s lacking healthcare infrastructure and shortage of hospitals and doctors, especially in the rural areas. Other key growth drivers include the widespread use of wireless and web-based services, and improving technology which includes the adoption of 3G and upcoming availability of 4G spectrum and optic networks. 

Drivers of Telemedicine in India

Some of the key drivers of telemedicine in India include:

·         Lack of proper healthcare in rural India

·         Reduction in technology costs

·         Shortage of qualified medical staff

·         Great urban rural divide

·         Dedicated ISRO satellite for healthcare communication

 Challenges of Telemedicine in India 

Every technology has its share of challenges. These include infrastructure challenges such as poor bandwidth in some areas are indeed a hindrance. However, implementation and viability seem to be some of the biggest issues at the moment.

Another challenge has been the lack of technology skill sets in rural India. In order to implement telemedicine, training is needed at the village end for technicians, IT staff, and local doctors. While at the consulting doctor’s end, a lot of pushy administration and coordination is required.

So far, telemedicine in India has been largely a free offering by large hospital groups. Large hospitals are able to offer these services at no extra charge because of their in-house expertise. However, time for consultations is an issue, and there is a lack of incentive due to no fees being recovered.

Key Players in Telemedicine Space                                                                                 

Some of the key players, including organizations with the facilities able to provide telemedicine services include the AIIMS, PGIMER, Fortis Healthcare Ltd, Apollo Hospitals, Narayana Healthcare Ltd, Fortis Healthcare Ltd, Manipal Hospital and Aravind Eye care, among others. 

Medical Equipment Providers include GE Healthcare Ltd, Wipro Healthcare Ltd, Philips Healthcare Ltd and Siemens India Ltd. Telemedicine software providers include C-DAC, Televital, Apollo Networks.

Telecom Equipment Providers include Cisco, Ericsson, VTel and video conference equipment providers include Polycom, Lifesize, Sony among others

Business opportunities in India’s telemedicine: 

• Telemedicine technologies 
• Training programmes 
• Affordable delivery models 
• Growing demand for light and small sized equipment and devices, but high in performance 
• Patient and data privacy and security solutions  

BEL’s Largest Defence Systems Integration Complex to Come Up in 900 Acres in Anantapuramu District, Andhra Pradesh

Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is setting up a Defence Systems Integration Complex at Palasamudram, Gorantala Mandal, in Anantapuramu district of Andhra Pradesh. It will be the largest such facility in the country once it is commissioned, covering an area of over 900 acres. The Raksha Mantri, Manohar Parrikar, laid the foundation stone for this facility on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, in the august presence of N Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister for Urban Development n Parliamentary Affairs, P Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Y S Chowdary, Minister of State for Science n Technology.

S K Sharma, Chairman Managing Director, BEL, said: “We at BEL have been continuously investing in modernization and creation of special infrastructure to cater for emerging defence business opportunities. The upcoming facility at Palasamudram is one such initiative. We are also strengthening our infrastructure in areas like Night Vision technologies and elements of Multifunction Radars. Various new Surface to Air Missile (SAM) programmes are proposed to be taken up by BEL, viz, Quick Reaction SAM , Long Range SAM, Medium Range SAM, etc, in addition to Network Centric Communication and Electronic Warfare systems.’’

BEL CMD added, “To achieve self-reliance in defence, there is need for a very strong indigenous RnD. In this direction, BEL has not only maintained a consistent policy of RnD investments but also has launched collaborative RnD with private SME firms in the country. On an average, 80% of BEL’s Sales turnover is from indigenous RnD every year. BEL has now launched a Product Development n Innovation Centre at Bangalore to give further thrust towards indigenous RnD.”

As part of diversification and business growth, BEL is looking towards major expansion into New Generation SAM systems, High end Image Intensifier Tubes and Thermal Imaging detectors for Night Vision Devices, Inertial Navigation Systems, Electronic Ammunition Fuses, Air Traffic Management Radars, Intelligent Traffic Management Systems and Solar Power Plants.

The Palasamudram facility will enable BEL to expand its Missile systems business and will carry out manufacturing & integration for the ongoing and upcoming projects. It will have state-of-the-art infrastructure such as Assembly Hangars and Hard Stands for Radars and Weapon integration, RF radiation sources for target simulation, Automatic Test Equipment, Clean Rooms for electronic assembly, Non-Explosive n Explosive Integration Buildings, Missile Storage buildings, Environmental Test Chambers, Fire Stations, Solar Power Plant, Estate and Admin buildings.

BEL is currently manufacturing the Akash Missile Systems (AMS) for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army. The Akash Missile System is a supersonic, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed and developed by DRDO, with the capability to engage a wide variety of aerial threats like aircraft, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. BEL is the lead integrator of the Akash Missile System for the Indian Air Force and supplies the Radars, Control Centres, Simulators, associated maintenance vehicles and the integrated software.

Testing and integration of missile systems involves actual deployment of Air Surveillance Radars, Fire Control Radars, Control Centers, Missile Launchers and other support systems to validate the detection, tracking, command and communication link parameters. Multiple groups of the equipment have to be positioned at suitable spacing over a large area to simulate field conditions. The upcoming facility will cater to these requirements. At present, BEL carries out its missile manufacturing and integration activities and system level checks at its Bangalore Unit. In order to cater to the large requirements of futuristic Surface to Air Missile systems, missiles and associated electronic sub-systems n components, BEL is setting up this facility in Andhra Pradesh.

The facility is about 80 Km from the Bengaluru International Airport on NH 7. The proposed Complex will be a world-class facility with Automated Guided Vehicles and Industrial Robots for material movement and handling. The facility will be built in stages as the various projects mature and the estimated investment will be about Rs.500 Crores over 3 to 4 years. BEL also plans to expand this facility for the creation of a Military Industrial Complex to set up the necessary ecosystem for manufacture of electronic components and equipment for various upcoming Defence projects in collaboration with SMEs as part of the Government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative.