ITC’s Sustainability Solution for Fashion Retail Organizations to Reduce Adverse Impact on the Environment

ITC Infotech, a specialized global full service technology solutions provider, today announced the launch of “Sustainability solution” for the fashion retail industry. This innovative solution will address the fashion retail industry’s increasing demand for sustainable offerings while reducing their adverse impact on the environment.

Developed by ITC Infotech’s expert Product lifecycle management (PLM) team, the product is built on the PLM platform and designed to make the entire process of sustainability scoring seamless – right from product design to commercialization. It will enable fashion retail organizations standardize sustainability measurements for brands, products and facilities, and provide visibility into product designs and developmental processes with corresponding measurable sustainability scores.

Commenting on the need for this solution, Sushma Rajagopalan, CEO and MD, ITC Infotech, said, “By measuring sustainability performance, fashion retailers can address inefficiencies, resolve damaging practices, and prove to investors and customers that they are a green business. Through this solution, we will enable our partners to measure their environmental impact and meet important sustainability challenges through strategic responses that result in business optimization.”

While talking about the value preposition, V. Sreenivasan, President - Lines of Business, ITC Infotech, said, “Our solution can help fashion retailers make greener decisions at every stage of product development. By choosing more sustainable material, processes and working with the right suppliers to create environment friendly products, we are positive that the solution will immensely benefit our clients.”

Being a strategic partner to the Fortune 500 companies, ITC Infotech realizes its customers need an effective tool to measure their environmental impact; and sustainable solutions are increasingly becoming an important business strategy for the retail industry. Built over a period of four months, the solution will provide real time comparison of target vs actual sustainability score, identify product sustainability levels through colour codes, and filter the products based on compliance to targets.

Micromax Invest Rs 100 Crore for New Manufacturing Plant in Telangana for Mobile Handsets, LED TVs, LED Lights

Taking ahead Government of India’s ‘Make in India’ campaign, Micromax, India’s leading handset manufacturer, inaugurated its newest manufacturing facility in Telangana. The plant was inaugurated by  K T Rama Rao, Hon’ble Minister for IT and P Mahendra Reddy, Minister for Transport in the presence of other senior State dignitaries. The Telangana manufacturing facility has been made operational from scratch in flat six months and will have the capacity to manufacture one million Mobile Phone devices per month. The facility currently employs 700 people and will increase the number to 1000 employees in the next two months, boosting employment opportunities in the State.

K T Rama Rao, Minister for IT, Panchayat Raj and Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Telangana said, “Telangana Government strongly believes in the vision of ‘Make in India’ and has always encouraged corporates to establish their factories and R&D centres in the state. We are very happy that Micromax who has been a front runner in demonstrating technological prowess by bringing future disruptions at affordable price points and has chosen Telangana as the destination for setting up its manufacturing facility. We believe this partnership will provide new opportunities to youth of the state and develop an electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Telangana.”

The minister added that the government has always encouraged corporates to establish their units in the state. The government has enacted TS ISPASS act which has been appreciated by the industry. A total of 1691 units have been sanctioned with an investment of Rs 20,347 crores creating 36691 jobs. Of these about 840 units have already commissioned production. The fact that more than 50% of the approvals have already commissioned production in less than a year speaks about the ease of doing business.

Elaborating the salient features of the ease of doing business under the TS ISPASS, the minister said that all the line department portals have been integrated with TSSIPASS under a single portal. The registration, renewal and inspection module is being done online. Least possible turnaround time for consent of establishment and consent for operation anywhere in the country. Single helpline number (7306600600) has been introduced. Reduction in number of mandatory documents by combining common features across departments has been introduced in the act, the minister added.

Referring to the labour and factories reforms, the minister said inspection schedules have been computerized and the inspection report to be uploaded by the inspecting officer within 48 hours. Joint inspections will be carried under 10 acts which is a major relief to industries. Licenses for factories can be renewed in one go with a validity up to 10 years which is a major relief to units. Voluntary self certification scheme has been introduced in the act, the minister added.

The minister also spoke about the reforms relating to fire, registration, commercial tax and pollution control board departments which include stamp duty payment for property registrations have been made online and through eSTAMP. A single Tax ID for filing of returns, of all the taxes, registrations can be done online and returns can be filed online through e-payment. Exemptions to green industries from any inspections. Renewal perios increased from 1 year to 5 years through auto renewal mode. Third party certification introduced for medium risk industries and self certification for low risk industries.

The minister thanked Micromax who has been a front runner in demonstrating technological prowess and has chosen Telangana as the destination for setting up its manufacturing facility. He said this partnership will provide new opportunities to the youth of the state and develeop and electronics manufacturing ecosystem of global standards in Telangana.

P Mahendra Reddy, Minister of Transport, Telangana mentioned that, “In a very short span of time since its formation, Telangana has emerged as one of the fastest growing states with immense focus by the Government on public-private partnership for the growth and prosperity of the state. With inception of Micromax plant, the company will focus on integrating product design capabilities with efficient manufacturing processes which will help in economic development of the state.” Telangana has the advantage of having good connectivity with rest of the country and major global hubs. Government of Telangana is also focused to provide trained manpower to various sectors including electronic sector through the newly constituted Telangana Academy for Skill and Knowledge (TASK). A large number of ITI, diploma and degree institutes are already functional in the state which provide requisite manpower to the sector.

Commenting on inauguration, Rajesh Agarwal, Co-Founder, Micromax said, “By 2017, we aim to be India’s first and largest indigenous phone manufacturer. We have been the front runners for the 'Make in India' initiative, by assembling the products locally and quickly ramping up and building capacity of complete manufacturing in close partnership with the Government. We are grateful for the support of government of Telangana for providing a slew of incentives, provisioning of all approvals and compliances in a time bound manner and providing necessary infrastructure and conducive ecosystem for conduct of business. It is primarily due to the industry friendly approach and forward thinking policies of Government of Telangana, that we could set up the plant here in a record time of six months.

The latest plant at Hyderabad promises not just state-of-the-art manufacturing unit of high-tech products but will also bring in the much needed employment and economic growth to the region creating thousands of jobs for the local citizens. The company has already invested over 100 crores in the project in the first phase.

The ESDM sector is receiving highest attention by Government of India and Government of Telangana is also supporting this effort by manufacturing this import substitution product thereby reducing outflow of forex from the Country. 

IPL Franchise ‘Gujarat Lions’ Ropes in Astral Poly Technik as Associate Sponsor

Astral Poly Technik Ltd. has taken another significant step by partnering with IPL 2016’s newest entrant, the ‘Gujarat Lions’, as their Associate sponsor. The new giants of this year’s IPL will be a team to reckon with and will feature swashbuckling Indian and foreign players from the world of cricket.

Astral is gearing up as it extends its support to the Gujarat Lions as they tread a journey to claim victory in their debut run this IPL season. With this association, the company looks to boost its image and reach out to the cricket lovers of Gujarat. Astral has been the king of the plumbing industry with its continuous novelty and consumer-oriented services. Being one of the premiere Indian companies in the plumbing industry, it has become a game changer by introducing CPVC and lead-free UPVC pipe fittings. Conferred with the title of India’s most trusted brand in the pipe category this year, the company deems this a remarkable feat.

On partnering with Gujarat Lions for the 9th edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL), Kairav Engineer, Sr. Business Development Manager, Astral Poly Technik Ltd. says, "We are elated to be the Associate sponsors for the Gujarat Lions franchise at this year’s IPL. The Gujarat Lions comprehend the significance of cricket in India and they believe, as we do, the commitment and support that the sport requires. We are ready for a great head-start as the team debuts and hope that it is a great season for them.”

“We are happy to have Astral Poly Technik as our associate sponsor. The support of a Gujarati brand such as Astral makes our association with the state and the fans stronger. We are thrilled about the partnership and are sure that it will help both brands expand our reach across the country”, said Keshav Bansal, Owner, Gujarat Lions and Director, Intex Technologies.

Gujarat Lions will feature world-renowned players like Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, and Brendon McCullum, among others and will be led by our very own Suresh Raina.

The 9th edition of the Vivo Indian Premier League begins on 9th April 2016 in Mumbai. Gujarat Lions will play their first match against Kings XI Punjab at PCA Cricket Stadium, Mohali on 11th April 2016. 

PM Modi’s E-Mandi Drives Farmers to Sell Produce Online, Bypass Touts

PM Modi launched an electronic mandi to help farmers sell their produce online and do away with the problems many farmers face in agricultural markets. 21 mandies from 8 states connected with the platform.

Getting the right price for their hard work and produce has always been a challenge for farmers in the country. 

In order to deal with this long standing issue, PM Modi on Thursday, on the occasion of Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary, launched the National Agriculture Market for farmers. 

Connecting 21 Agriculture Mandis from 8 states on an e-platform, PM Modi termed it a very important step for the welfare of the farmers.

Through the e-trading portal farmers will be able to sell their produce at the right price.

That is to say, farmers will be able to sell their produce online. 

With the help of this initiative, 25 types of crops including wheat, rice, mustard and some vegetables could be sold online.

This will empower farmers to decide the price of their produce and traders across the country can buy them online.

In the first phase, this farmer-friendly initiative will kick-start in states like Haryana, UP, MP, Chattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Telangana.

PM Modi assured that soon mandis from across the country will be connected to e-platform. The government believes that with this initiative, farmers will be able to get the right price for their produce.

The cost and wastage involved in carrying the produce to the mandi will reduce.

The consumers will also get quality agriculture products at cheaper rates.

PM Modi also spoke with farmers from mandis of various states on the occasion. 

Modi government at the centre have made it clear from the beginning that welfare of farmers is their priority. 

They have taken a number of steps to improve the condition of the farmers. 

The online portal of National Agriculture Market is one giant step in the same direction.

Let us hope that the step not only changes the destiny of farmers in the country but also helps realize the govt's aim of doubling their salary.

Critical Need for Improved Trust to Advance Cloud Adoption: Intel Security Report

Intel Security today released Blue Skies Ahead? The State of Cloud Adoption, a global report advocating the need for technology vendors to help businesses, governments and consumers understand the implications surrounding the growing adoption of the cloud. With a majority (77 percent) of participants noting that their organizations trust cloud computing more than a year ago, just 13 percent completely trust public cloud providers to secure sensitive data. These findings highlight improved trust and security are critical to encouraging continued adoption of the cloud.

“This is a new era for cloud providers,” said Raj Samani, chief technology officer, Intel Security EMEA. “We are at the tipping point of investment and adoption, expanding rapidly as trust in cloud computing and cloud providers grows. As we enter a phase of wide-scale adoption of cloud computing to support critical applications and services, the question of trust within the cloud becomes imperative. This will become integral into realizing the benefits that cloud computing can truly offer.”

The cloud already has a strong impact in the daily lives of many people and businesses, with an ever-growing number of activities performed on digital devices leveraging cloud computing in some way. The increasing use of the cloud is underscored by our survey, which found that in the next 16 months, 80 percent of respondent IT budgets will be dedicated to cloud computing. 

Survey results also highlight: 

·         Cloud Investment Trends: A majority of organizations are planning on investing in infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) (81 percent), closely followed by security-as-a-service (79 percent), platform-as-a-service (PaaS) (69 percent), and lastly software-as-a-service (SaaS) (60 percent).

·         Security and Compliance: A majority of respondents (72 percent) list compliance as the primary concern across all types of cloud deployments, and only 13 percent of respondents noted knowing whether or not their organizations stored sensitive data in the cloud.

·         Security Risks and the Cloud: Perception and Reality: More than 1 in 5 respondents expressed their main concern around using SaaS is having a data security incident, and correspondingly, data breaches were a top concern for IaaS and private clouds. On the contrary, results found that less than a quarter (23 percent) of enterprises are aware of data breaches with their cloud service providers.

·         The C-Suite Blind Spot: High-profile data breaches with major financial and reputational consequences have made data security a top-of-mind concern for C-level executives, however many respondents feel there is still a need for more education and increased  awareness and understanding of risks associated with storing sensitive data in the cloud. Only one-third (34 percent) of respondents feel senior management in their organization fully understand the security implications of the cloud.

·         Shadow IT, Risk and Opportunity: Despite IT departments’ activity to cull shadow IT activity, 52 percent of the lines of business still expect IT to secure their unauthorized department-sourced cloud services. This lack of visibility into cloud usage due to shadow IT appears to be causing IT departments concern when it comes to security, with a majority (58 percent) of respondents surveyed in Orchestrating Security in the Cloud noting that shadow IT has a negative impact on their ability to keep cloud services secure.

·         Security Investment: Cloud security investment varies in priorities across the different types of cloud deployment, with the top security technologies leveraged by respondents being email protection (43 percent), Web protection (41 percent), anti-malware (38 percent), firewall (37 percent), encryption and key management (34 percent), and data loss prevention (31 percent).

The cloud is the future for businesses, governments and consumers,” said Jim Reavis, chief executive officer of the Cloud Security Alliance. “Security vendors and cloud providers must arm customers with education and tools, and cultivate strong relationships built on trust, in order to continue the adoption of cloud computing platforms. Only then can we completely benefit from the advantages of the cloud.”  

AMD Unveils Professional Workstation Graphics Card with Industry-Leading 32GB Memory

At the 2016 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show, AMD announced the new AMD FirePro W9100 32GB -- the world’s first workstation graphics card with industry leading 32GB memory support for large asset workflows with creative applications planned for availability in Q2 2016. AMD also introduced the AMD FireRender plug-in for Autodesk 3ds Max®, which enables VR storytellers to bring ideas to life through enhanced 4K workflows, photorealistic rendering functionality, and powerful creation support.

“The imagination of the creator is limitless so much so that the professional creator consumes all available resources to produce new and never before seen designs and experiences. Some professional creative workflows demand very high bandwidth memory subsystems while others demand high memory size. AMD pioneered the era of High Bandwidth and Ultra Efficient Memory through the introduction of HBM technology in 2015 and will bring it to content creators with the introduction of Radeon Pro Duo graphics. With the new AMD FirePro W9100 32GB, AMD is unleashing the world’s largest memory size professional workstation graphics card,” said Raja Koduri, senior vice-president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group (RTG), AMD.  “Along with exceptional hardware, AMD is also delivering software tools to leverage our high bandwidth and large memory GPU configurations effectively.” 

At the 2016 NAB Show StudioXperience’s AMD FirePro GPU Zone (booth SL2425), attendees can experience powerful technologies showcased in industry-leading creation applications demonstrating how to efficiently balance content creation workloads with outstanding visual quality, application responsiveness and compute performance. The exhibit showcases solutions from Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Blackmagic Design, Dell, HP and Rhino offering attendees a range of hands-on workflow experiences powered by AMD FirePro professional graphics, including:

* An AMD product showcase demonstrating support for a VR production workflow featuring the new AMD FirePro W9100 32GB graphics card for speed and ultra-high-definition visual performance, and the Radeon Pro Duo graphics card – which forms the world's most powerful platform for virtual reality (VR) when combined with the AMD LiquidVR SDK, capable of both creation and consumption of VR content. The AMD FirePro W9100 32GB graphics card is also designed for Computer-Aided Engineering (Siemens NX Nastran, SIMULIA Abaqus) and Visualization tools (AutoDesk VRED 2016).

* An Autodesk demonstration featuring the AMD FireRender plug-in designed for Autodesk 3ds Max 2016 powered by an HP workstation with dual AMD FirePro W9100 professional graphics.

* An AMD FirePro graphics demonstration offering increased color accuracy and support for display resolutions up to 4k, as well as GPU-acceleration to empower content creation with the Adobe video tools, including Adobe® Premiere Pro CC and Adobe After Effects CC.

* A free interactive photorealistic ray trace renderer for the forthcoming Rhino version 6 that works inside the Rhino viewport for physically correct material with rendering technology based on the OpenCL-accelerated AMD FireRender plug-in.

Global Market Leaders Failed to Capitalize on PaaS Growth in 2015

Worldwide application infrastructure and middleware (AIM) software revenue totaled $23.9 billion in 2015, a 0.1 percent increase from 2014, according to Gartner, Inc. The considerable appreciation of the U.S. dollar in 2015 masked growth in the market. In constant currency terms the market grew 7.8 percent, driven by rapid growth in the platform as a service(PaaS) segment.

"The PaaS segment showed the most impressive growth, not just in the AIM market but across the entire enterprise software market," said Fabrizio Biscotti, research director at Gartner. "Integration PaaS (iPaaS) grew 55 percent in U.S dollars, while application PaaS (aPaaS) grew 40 percent, despite headwinds from the appreciating U.S. dollar."

While older technology remains the first choice for the most demanding application scenarios, the evolving maturity of cloud application infrastructure now offers greater agility, scalability and efficiency than traditional on-premises technologies. This ongoing transition to cloud services and the emerging wave of innovation surrounding the Internet of Things (IoT) further pushes application infrastructure spending away from older models toward event-driven analysis and processes.

"Market concentration among the largest vendors is diminishing under pressure from specialists, and open source and cloud providers," said Biscotti. "The growth of iPaaS and aPaaS has, largely, not worked out to the benefit of the market incumbents."

In 2015, the largest vendors retained their market positions, but market leader IBM suffered a revenue decline of nearly 13 percent, falling to 25 percent of the total AIM software market Oracle's revenue also dropped, by nearly 4 percent, capturing 13 percent of the total market. Microsoft's 5 percent revenue growth meant it was the only one of the top three players to grow its revenue. Salesforce retained the fourth spot, while Software AG dropped out of the top five — switching places with TIBCO Software.

"Salesforce continues to disrupt the AIM market, with its revenue growing more than 36 percent to just over a billion dollars," said Biscotti. "Salesforce's strong performance, as well as steady growth in the ‘Others’ category, underlines the trend of cloud-only firms and smaller specialists picking up market share at the expense of traditional vendors in this space."

This trend is consistent with AIM buyers' pursuit of innovation — not necessarily from a technology perspective, but most of all from go-to-market, business model and delivery channel perspectives.

"2015 was the year that iPaaS became a serious alternative to traditional software-based integration approaches," said Keith Guttridge, research director at Gartner. "Buyers are choosing iPaaS due to its lower entry costs, reduced operational demands and improved productivity. Vendor interest in this space is also growing rapidly, with the number of offerings doubling in the past 12 months."