Accenture’s Australian Security Company Redcore Will Expand Security’s Offerings

Accenture has entered into an agreement to acquire Redcore, a privately held Australia-based consulting company that specializes in providing identity and access management services (IAM), as well as security services for Cloud, network management, public key infrastructure, cyber defense, applications and the internet of things. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms are not being disclosed.
 

As part of its offerings, Redcore develops holistic authentication, authorization and administration services across a range of cloud, web, mobile and adaptive access-management technologies. Redcore has deployed multiple large-scale cybersecurity solutions, including multi-factor authentication and secure application gateways that are used by some of the major Australian banks and government agencies.
  

“The acquisition of Redcore will allow us to expand our existing IAM services and security-as-a-Service capabilities – along with other critical cyber defense services – while also immediately extending our leadership position in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Kelly Bissell, managing director, Accenture Security. “Redcore has a team of seasoned security leaders who have exceptional security skills and industry knowledge. Together, we will be better positioned to tailor intelligent security services to organizations’ unique businesses and industries and deliver innovative solutions that help build business resilience from the inside out.”

Redcore, with its headquarters in Melbourne, Australia, provides security services and IT service management for a wide range of clients, including government agencies and companies across the finance, health, retail and telecommunications industries. Founded in 2010, Redcore has multiple offices in Australia, India, New Zealand, the Philippines and Singapore and has approximately 130 security professionals.

Joseph Failla, co-founder, Redcore, said, “We are excited to become part of Accenture Security and to bring our proven deep, highly-specialized skills and services to strengthen Accenture’s IAM and other cybersecurity offerings. We are very proud of Redcore’s wonderful team and our achievements, and we now look forward to creating an unrivalled combined cybersecurity team and launching capabilities that will change the market. With Accenture’s extensive global security resources, its methodologies and its interdisciplinary security ecosystem of innovators from across the world, we will be able to rapidly advance Redcore’s capabilities and innovate leading-edge solutions for clients, as well as provide excellent opportunities and career paths for our employees.”

FullContact Expands Footprint with Acquisition of Profoundis in Kerala

FullContact, a US-based provider of the most powerful contact management platform for professionals and enterprises, today announced the acquisition of Profoundis, a Kerala, India-based provider of technology enabled human verifieddata research platform.This is the first-of-its-kind acquisition in Kerala’s startup community.

 Funded by a group of angel investors since mid-2015, Profoundis was founded in 2012 by a group of enterprising technology professionals who were batchmates at the College of Engineering, Chengannur, Kerala. Based at Startup Village, Kochi, the company was the first company from Kerala to get selected to the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator programand one of the three companies to get selected for ‘Start-Up Chile’, an initiative by the Chilean Government in 2013.

FullContact’s purchase of Profoundis follows $25 million in new funding, which the company will use to accelerate its growth, recruit global talent and fund further acquisitions.

“Our goal is to be the smartest, most comprehensive, and most up-to-date address book on the planet.” said Scott Brave, CTO, FullContact. “The only way to truly achieve that is by integrating the best of human intelligence with machine intelligence. Profoundis is a key element of that strategy.”

FullContact will integrate all of Profoundis’ 70 employees, most of whom will remain in Kochi, into its global workforce and add human-based data research to its growing list of capabilities supporting its strategy for expansion and rapid growth. This combination will establish FullContact as a market leader in data quality and data breadth across its contact management solutions for individual professionals and businesses and have a direct impact on the company’s revenue and sales.

“As a strategic partner, Profoundis has been instrumental to adding value and increasing the effectiveness of our data solutions for our clients,” said Bart Lorang, co-founder and CEO of FullContact.  “Together we can further accelerate the growth of FullContact as we continue to build the most powerful fully-connected contact management platform for professionals and businesses.”

“With Profoundis, we were on a mission to help businesses do better by providing additional contextual data about organizations and people,” said Arjun R Pillai, Co-founder and CEO of Profoundis who will be FullContact’sHead of Data Strategy. “Becoming part of the FullContact team allows us to further execute on this mission globally, and together, our users will benefit by having more detailed information about their contacts, allowing them to be even more awesome with people."

Currently, FullContact is used by millions of people through its free apps, enterprise customers and API platform partners. With the suite of consumer apps spanning across iOS, Mac, Android, Gmail, and Web, FullContact’s offerings support two-way sync between iCloud, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Exchange and multiple Google email accounts.

 "The acquisition of Profoundis marks a key milestone for Kerala and its startup community,” said Keyur Patel, Chairman of Profoundis and Founder, Chairman of Fuse Global Ltd. “It also indicates the growing maturity of startup teams in the enterprise space and showcases the global cultural and technological synergies that are evolving. FullContact is the fastest emerging player in the contact management space and picking Profoundis to become part of its growth clearly shows the value each company can derive over the coming years at a global scale.”

Academy of Cyber Defence & Advanced High Tech Advanced Security Now in India

The Vital Intelligence Academy will be a full service facility that will incorporate a multitude of highly advanced training capabilities to include several state-of-the-art training classrooms, conference and event halls, high tech business meeting rooms and the world's most advanced security and cyber security training simulators.

The Vital Intelligence Academy will provide a full range of courses that will fill the needs of emergency management, law-enforcement, disaster management and safety organizations, military and governmental agencies, private security groups, executive protection personal, corporate executives, E-learning facilities (able to live stream safely and securely to most locations in the world) and host international visiting students.

The Vita Intelligence Academy will also serve as a “showcase” for the most advanced and up-to-date cyber defense and security related technology and an integrated gateway to demonstrate and market niche’ and unique security related technology coupled with some of the world's most experienced professional counter terrorism experts. 

After identifying cybersecurity as one of the most serious economic and national security challenges India faces, along with the threats of physical terror attacks that are not at all new to India, the Vital Intelligence Group will share skills and technology in an effort to create sensitive job skills much required especially in the Cyber Sector as well as unique teaching modules in the counter organized crime and terror spheres that will integrate the two providing an aggressive defense platform for the information and communications infrastructure and the development of a comprehensive approach to securing India's digital infrastructure as physical assets.

In making the announcement, Kamal Punjabi, Director of Colosseum Events Pvt Ltd., who with his team has been appointed as the Vital Intelligence Academy's official marketing and P.R agent and representative in India stated “Marc Kahlberg's military and policing intelligence experience along with his fearless approach to voicing key issues of security will provide a valuable point of view and an overall solution to reducing the current threats on a national and personal level but also create the needed skills and eventual jobs that are waiting for this specific sector."

Before his business career, Kahlberg served in the South African Army, Israel Defense Force and Israel National Police. He has created and established police units and has trained Law Enforcement personal from all over the world. Kahlberg has witnessed first-hand 16 serious terror events in the form of suicide bombers and vehicle borne terror attacks. Kahlberg served as the Commander of the Israel National Police Tourist Police Unit in Netanya and Police foreign press spokesperson for Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip. He was involved in the security architecture and design for the South African hosted 2010 soccer world cup, trained and consulted to the organizers and emergency management personal of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament in Poland amongst other large projects.

Marc Kahlberg is the Vital Intelligence Group's CEO and a founding member of the Vital Intelligence Academy and will lead the initiative and program backed by experts from Australia, Africa, Europe, India, Israel, the U.K and the United States. 

ConveGenius Raises Rs 60 Million from Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

ConveGenius, a leading ed-tech company committed to offering mobile solutions for an enhanced quality of education in India, has raised an equity investment worth Rs 60 million from The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. ConveGenius will leverage the invested amount in providing engaging, impactful ‘education for the masses.'

Built on a business model that artfully combines delivering profit by driving volume of sales with improved learning outcomes among children from all backgrounds, ConveGenius curates content from multiple high-quality companies like Mexus Education (Iken), StoryWeaver from Pratham Books, and Chipper Sage. The company’s strength lies in using cutting-edge technology, assessments and data analytics tools to track the progress being made by students in real time, and provide them personalized learning paths with the most relevant content.

Jairaj Bhattacharya, Cofounder and CEO of ConveGenius says “We are excited to be backed by MSDF in our endeavors to reach 3 million children across India and other emerging markets by 2020, thus working towards bridging the gap between the availability and accessibility of good quality educational content. With the current investment, we seek to scale our operations, build on our existing archive of educational content by aggregating more exciting content providers across various languages, and further strengthen our technology for self-learning by building in intelligence and Adaptivity on the CONVEGENIUS Slate platform." 

Director for Michael and Susan Dell Foundation’s India Education portfolio, Prachi Windlass says, “Unlike most educational tech companies that are spending all their time and resources on creating more content, ConveGenius has taken a bold approach: to be a platform leveraging already available content and focus its energies on effective delivery.”

Founded in 2013 by Jairaj Bhattacharya and Shashank Pandey, alumni of IIIT Hyderabad, ConveGenius aims to improve learning outcomes of school-going children by making learning interactive, result-oriented and fun. The company is the first platform company in the K-12 space in India, offering learning programs that enhance grade level competencies for primary school children. The Company had been backed by Mr. Ashish Gupta, Founder and Trustee of Ashoka University and ex COO and Global Head of Evalueserve in their Seed and Angel rounds apart from other angels from Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

The solution’s disruptive price of about Rs 4500/year has enabled its widespread adoption by NGOs across India as well as high-end learning centers in Singapore. This year, their flagship tablet-based product -- ConveGenius Slate will impact nearly 90,000 children across the country. In June 2016, ConveGenius partnered with Lenovo to launch the first learning tablet mapped to NCERT for classes KG to 5 which is currently available for parents to purchase online on Flipkart.

Latest Touchscreen Car Stereo AVH-X8890BT from Pioneer India

Pioneer India Electronics, the first in-car entertainment systems company to launch Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for Aftermarket in India, today launched its latest touchscreen car stereo AVH-X8890BT as a part of its 2016-17 lineup.

Priced at Rs. 39,990, AVH-X8890BT revolutionizes the driver’s smartphone experience by bringing both Android Auto (for android phone users) and Apple CarPlay (for iPhone users) into a single car stereo. AVH-X8890BTgives its users the best of both the worlds. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay allow users to access their phones from the stereo’s Touchscreen and use apps in a safe way while driving.

Commenting on the launch, Gaurav Kulshrestha, Manager - Marketing & Product Planning, Pioneer India Electronics said, “All the features in AVH-X8890BT are designed with one goal at hand — minimizing the use of the phone, and keeping the person safe behind the wheel. The touchscreen interface of AVH-X8890BT is optimized for glance ability and readability while driving. Android Auto organizes required information into simple cards whereas Apple CarPlay features big icons with a plain background for better readability. To ensure safety special emphasis is given to voice commands. With the use of Google talk in Android Auto and Siri in Apple Car Play, users get to use the best-in-class speech technology for controlling everything with voice. Users can attend calls, send and receive messages all through voice commands with the help of the Bluetooth wired mic that comes along with AVH-X8890BT.”

With Android Auto, users can access Google Maps, listen to smartphone’s music, Manage calls, Listen and reply to messages and WhatsApp. Whereas with Apple CarPlay, users can access Apple Music, Manage calls, messages and listen to Audiobooks and podcasts. The interface of CarPlay and Android Auto is purpose built for driving with simple voice

Commands to control the above features.   Various third-party apps are also compatible with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay depending on the region.

Android Auto or Apple CarPlay is devilishly simple to use. One just needs to plug the phone into the Pioneer’s receiver through the phone’s charging cable and it’s ready to use. For Android Auto one must have the android auto app installed on his android phone whereas CarPlay app is preinstalled on the latest iPhones.

The stereo is also compatible with AppRadio Mode- iPhone/Android. This application gives users the ultimate solution to all their needs during commute by combining the services they want into a single, easy-to-use design. Offline navigation apps like Navmii and Navitel, media, news information and the events calendar are all within reach with its smooth and intuitive interface.

AVH-X8890BT is also loaded with other features like steering wheel control, Dual Zone Audio Video, Bluetooth, 13 Band EQ, Time alignment, HDMI interface, multi-color LED display, Dual USB, and Mixtrax.

Ashish Gaikwad Appointed New MD of Honeywell India from October 1

Honeywell Automation India Limited has announced that Ashish Gaikwad has been appointed as its managing director effective October 1, 2016. Gaikwad succeeds Vikas Chadha, who was recently named president, Honeywell India.

Speaking about the appointment, Suresh Senapaty, chairman, HAIL, said, “HAIL has a 25-year legacy in India, in developing and manufacturing technologies that serve a diverse and extensive customer base across verticals including oil and gas, power, metals, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, mining, infrastructure, IT/ITeS, telecom, banking, healthcare, hospitality, automobiles, defense, aerospace, transportation, and the residential sector. With more than 25 years of experience in automation, control, and advanced software applications in the process industry, Ashish will strategically lead HAIL to continued growth in the region, and strengthen the brand and its equity with customers and other key stakeholders.”

Vikas Chadha, president, Honeywell India, said, “This appointment is a testimony of the maturity and depth of Honeywell’s leadership pipeline and focus on building talent from within. Ashish has successfully driven the growth of the Advanced Solutions business for the Asia Pacific region. With his hands-on knowledge of the latest in automation and control solutions, including software solutions, digital transformation, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), and his understanding of the Indian market, I am confident Ashish will take HAIL to new heights.”

Gaikwad joined Honeywell in 1992 and has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility, most recently serving as general manager for the Advanced Solutions business for the Asia Pacific region within Honeywell Process Solutions. He brings to the role a successful track record from a career spanning more than 26 years with a mix of operations, strategic marketing, and general management. Gaikwad has a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani. 

“Not only is India among our top high growth regions globally, it is expected to contribute significantly to Honeywell’s global growth for years to come. With seven state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities and five technology development centers, a lot of Honeywell’s software engineering and product development capabilities are also right here. So, it is a great time for me to take on this responsibility in India, especially as Honeywell continues its evolution as a cyber-industrial company. I’m looking forward to driving HAIL forward, and to serving our customers with some of the world’s leading technologies, said Gaikwad.”  

Shramona Chakraborty from Kolkata Winner of IET South Asia PAWT Competition 2016

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has announced Shramona Chakraborty from MCKV Institute of Engineering, Kolkata as the winner of the IET South Asia 'Present round the World (PATW) 2016 finals in a ceremony that took place at the Hotel Hindustan International, Kolkata today. PATW is a global presentation competition for students, graduates and young professionals aged 18-30 years and aims to provide a platform to showcase and explore their talent and innovative thinking.

Shramona Chakraborty’s winning presentation focused on the topic “Wheelchair on POWER: A revolutionary discover for the physically challenged.” She was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 36,000 and will now compete in the global finals to  be held in London in November this year for a cash prize of £1,000 (approx. Rs. 100,000/-). Vanky Kenny Kataria, student of KK Wagh Institute of Engineering Education and Research was declared runner up for his presentation on the topic “Football Science and Technology”was awarded with the cash prize of Rs. 27,000.

The competition encourages engineers to use their technical know how to solve a social problem, thereby inculcating a culture of application of their academic knowledge by developing their communication skills during the process. As part of the competition, the individual competitors give a presentation for 10 minutes on a subject related to engineering and technology and answer questions for a further five minutes.

This year, the competition witnessed participation from engineers across India and Sri Lanka vying for the top honors. The jury included Prof (Dr)Anish Deb, Professor, Department of Applied Physics, University College of Technology, University of Calcutta, Mr Sankar Nath Mukhopadhyay, DGM, Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Ltd and Prof (Dr) Amitava Chatterjee, Dept of electrical engineering, Jadhavpur University.

On the side lines of the event, Shekhar Sanyal, Country Head and Director, IET India said "Historically, academia, students and parents have largely focused on developing their technical skills, ignoring a critical component - soft skills. There are multiple surveys that mention engineering students have been increasingly rendered unemployed because of the lack of their communications skills. We at the IET believe that a competition like PATW helps provide a unique platform for students and young professionals to showcase their presentation skills and in turn contribute to their holistic development. It is integral to their rounded growth as professionals and we are thrilled to see the tremendous response from the student ecosystem for this competition series over the years and wish the winner all the best for the global final.”