Ruckus Brings Affordable, High-Performance Wi-Fi to the Hospitality Market

  

Ruckus, a part of Brocade, has announced its fourth generation wall-mounted access point (AP) designed to provide hotel guests with fast, reliable Wi-Fi. The Ruckus H320 all-in-one AP and switch features the latest 802.11ac Wave 2 technology, enabling guests to simultaneously connect multiple devices to hotel Wi-Fi networks. The AP also allows property managers to connect wired devices such as VoIP telephones and IP-ready televisions without dedicated per-device cabling. Designed for deployment in every hotel room, the H320 AP delivers the required quality of service (QoS) to meet guest requirements for high-performing Wi-Fi to support their business and personal needs. 

“Today’s travelers expect reliable, high-performance Wi-Fi to support multiple devices, each loaded with bandwidth-hungry apps,” said Ted Watson, vice president, global hospitality and multi-dwelling unit solutions, Ruckus. “The Ruckus H320 AP and switch allows hotels to meet these expectations by including an AP in every room—an unrealistic financial option until now. The flexibility and affordability of the solution will revolutionize the guest Wi-Fi experience throughout the hospitality industry.”

Ruckus offers an industry-leading portfolio of in-room, wall-mounted, all-in-one APs and switches. The addition of the H320 AP rounds out a complete suite of wall-mounted devices that fit into any hospitality environment. The H320 AP is a cost-effective alternative to the full-featured, IoT-ready H510 AP and the DOCSIS-enabled, wall-mounted C110 AP and switch for use in hotels where only coax is available.

“In today’s competitive hospitality environment, our guests depend on and demand fast and reliable Wi-Fi. Ruckus Wi-Fi has proved itself a guest favorite,” said Jason Greene, information technology officer, Maine Course Hospitality Group. “Our properties equipped with Ruckus solutions are top performers in guest satisfaction, outperforming those that are using other solutions. Ruckus is our go-to Wi-Fi solution.”

The H320 AP and switch is based on the 802.11ac Wave 2 technology—the highest-performance Wi-Fi standard—to satisfy steadily increasing in-room bandwidth requirements. It includes two fast Ethernet ports to enable connectivity for any wired in-room IP device, including IPTV, VoIP phones and IP cameras.

“Guest expectations and behaviors are continually changing and high-quality Wi-Fi is an investment with tremendous potential for hotels,” said Jim Duffy, senior network analyst, 451 Research. “As the hospitality market begins implementing technologies such as IoT and robotics, Wi-Fi will become a hotel ecosystem requirement.”

Ruckus will be showcasing the new offering in booth 1829 at the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC) in Toronto, June 26-29, 2017. The Ruckus H320 AP is planned to be available in August at an MSRP of US$285.

Vamaship Successfully Concludes the Second Round of ‘The BVC DOO Initiative’

Vamaship, world’s first integrated online logistics platform as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility have successfully fulfilled a heartwarming gesture through 'The BVC DOO Initiative'. Through this initiative, Vamaship reached out to the underprivileged children homes and old age homes across 71 cities of the country to deliver them clothing and essential stationery, Vamaship has lent their full provision as the logistics partner. 

With the help of ‘The BVC DOO Initiative’, Vamaship shipped smiles and love to over twenty thousand kids in 144 children homes including Aditya Birla Centre for the Welfare of Children and Aamcha Ghar amongst many. Furthermore, in addition to last year, this year they even shipped clothes to 599 senior citizens in 12 old age homes like Rajeev Rajan Adharghar, Vatsalya Vruddhashram across the country.

The ‘BVC DOO Initiative’ was held at BVC offices across 29 cities including Mumbai. Corporates and officials from within the premises were invited to participate. Brands like Decor, Disney, Indusind Bank, Ola, Satellite Group, Club Mahindra along with BVC Logistics contributed clothes, books and stationery.

These products were shipped from 29 cities to orphanages and old age homes in 71 cities across India with the shipping expertise of Vamaship. They distributed thousands of books, clothes and stationery weighing over 5 tons. To empower the mission and vision of BVC Foundation, Vamaship initiated this nationwide drive which would make a difference to thousands of elderly folks and children.

Speaking on the occasion, Bhavik Chinai – Founder and CEO, Vamaship stated, “We are delighted to provide our services to successfully fulfill this noble initiative. In addition to last year, this year we extended our support to over 20,000 kids along with 599 senior citizens in 71 cities across the country. It feels good to use our expertise in making a difference in people’s lives. We hope to continue the same in coming years”.

On receiving the shipment, Christ Faith Home, Chennai stated “With gratitude budding from the very inch of our hearts, we would like to thank Vamaship for their generous contributions of long and small size ruled notebooks which are indeed a great support to our school going children. Kindhearted people like you make it possible for us to continue to serve these needy ones. On seeing your good doings to our children God of Love will bless you and your team members in all walks of life with immense grace and multiplied blessings. Once again on behalf of the management we thank Vamaship wholeheartedly for their generosity”

On receiving the shipment, Vatsalya Vruddhashram, Nashik commented, “We would like to wholeheartedly thank BVC Foundation and Vamaship for showering us with such love and affection. The support extended by the organization will give a new lease of life to the old age citizens. Such little gestures gives a ray of hope and optimism to the elderly. It also encourages us to continue our efforts in serving them“

Mouser Electronics and Grant Imahara Unveils “Shaping Smarter Cities” Video Series

Mouser Electronics Inc. is teaming up with celebrity engineer Grant Imahara for the Shaping Smarter Cities project, the newest series in the successful Empowering Innovation Together program.

The exciting series features five videos that showcase engineers and companies from around the world that are working to make cities more intelligent and resourceful through innovative smart technologies. The new series is supported by Mouser’s valued suppliers Analog Devices, Intel, Microchip Technology and Molex.

In the first Shaping Smarter Cities video, Imahara meets with WIRED Brand Lab host Michael Copeland in San Francisco to kick off the series. Together, they explore the challenges facing today’s growing cities and set the stage for how the series will unfold.

“Innovation is the true source for creating solutions to existing problems,” said Glenn Smith, President and CEO of Mouser Electronics, a leading global distributor of the newest semiconductors and electronic components. “We look forward to seeing how engineers around the world are crafting solutions to problems that are unique to their locations, and then learning how these solutions can be applied to other cities as well.”

“It’s always exciting to be at the forefront of this type of critical discussion on what the cities of tomorrow will be like,” said Grant Imahara. “Engineers, by nature, are problem solvers, so I am excited to see what these engineers around the globe are doing to shape the smart cities of the future.”

The series will take viewers to cities in Portugal, Japan, and Southern California, covering regional challenges and the  fascinating new technologies developed to address them. Mouser and Imahara will explore how buses and city vehicles with connected access points and sensors are forming a mesh network that provides free Wi-Fi and massive amounts of data to help a city run more efficiently. The series then investigates how indoor farming could be the future of agriculture in dense cities, and follows up with how augmented reality can help engineers visualize and troubleshoot construction of a massive project before it’s even built.

Highlights of IT Technology Major Infosys Offices in India

· In fiscal 2017, three of Infosys’ buildings in Pune, Mysuru and Thiruvananthapuram were awarded the LEED India Platinum rating

· The Pune and Hyderabad STPI campuses were awarded the LEED EB platinum certification. The Hinjewadi campus in Pune was awarded the Platinum Certification under LEED EB O&M v.3 of the 2009 rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the largest campus in the world to have achieved this distinction.

·  Infosys now has 17 LEED platinum-rated buildings, two LEED EB platinum-rated campuses and four buildings with GRIHA 5-star rating making it to the total of 11.1 million sq. ft. of buildings with the highest level of green certification

·  In fiscal 2017, the per capita electricity consumption reduced by 2.88% taking the total per capita electricity consumption down by 51% compared to fiscal 2008. The company achieved its goal of ‘reducing per capita electricity consumption by 50% in fiscal 2018’ by fiscal 2017, one year ahead of the committed year

· Currently, over 20 million sq. ft. covering 91 buildings is monitored through the Central Command Center in Bengaluru and Mysuru.

·  During fiscal 2017, 118.90 million units of electricity was from renewable sources, which is about 44.6% of overall electricity requirements of their campuses in India

· Infosys is at the forefront when it comes to exploring the possibilities of solar energy, 17,572 MWh of electricity was generated from solar PV systems at Infosys’ campuses.  The company has installed 15.2 MW rooftop solar plants and ground -mount installations across our campuses in India.

·  Efforts in energy efficiency and the use of RE has helped the company reduce their carbon footprint by about 70% across their scope 1 and 2 emissions. As a part of their carbon neutrality commitment, Infosys is implementing carbon offset projects with the goal of offsetting our scope 3 emissions

· During the year, the company started three new carbon offset projects – a rural electrification project and two projects which involved distribution of high efficiency biomass cook stoves for households in rural areas. Together, they will generate approximately 50% of our carbon offset requirement in 2017-18.

·Infosys is working to achieve zero waste to landfill and 100% food waste treatment within their campuses. Currently 63% of the waste generated is treated in biogas plants.

·  The company has installed 9.25 TPD installed capacity of Biogas plants across our Mysuru, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Pune, Mangaluru and Bhubaneshwar campuses. In addition to the biogas plants, Infosys also has 3.1 TPD installed capacity of composting plants in our Mysuru, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru campuses

·  Infosys’ water conservation strategy encompasses action to reduce recycle and reuse. In fiscal 2017, Infosys reduced per capita water consumption by 8.33% over the last year.  The company’s data-driven approach and water efficient fixtures have decreased the  per capita water consumption by 46% since 2008

·  Infosys’ harvest rainwater in all their campuses and have constructed 270 deep-injection wells and 25 lakes for recharging groundwater with the harvested rainwater. The company’s goal is to harvest 100% roof top rainwater from all their buildings and use it for consumption after treatment

· The innovative smart water metering program enables Infosys to monitor all water consumption online on a continuous basis and eliminate water wastage significantly.

PwC India Launches GST Compliance Solution to Assist Companies in India

PwC India has launched a customised software solution that will help companies in India in end-to-end automation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) compliance. This software will help automate month-end tax compliances and reporting for companies with options for interfacing with multiple enterprise resource planning (ERP) environments.

The software solution has been developed by PwC, a leader in Tax technology and has been used very successfully and extensively in Europe and other parts of the world.

Elaborating on the solution, Pratik Jain, Partner and Leader Indirect Tax, PwC India, said: “Under GST, most companies will move towards a managed tax compliance model, wherein all the filings would be done centrally. Today’s tax tools may be inadequate in catering to the needs of tomorrow’stechnology-driven GST compliance requirements and this would be a big challenge for corporates. There was a need for a solution to help our clients navigate these issues, especially in the Indian context.

We are getting very encouraging feedback from clients on our tool. We are in the process of deploying it with many large companies”, he added.

Effective 1 July, GST will entail electronic filing of multiple monthly state-wise returns, transaction-level data upload, numerous reconciliations (revenue reconciliation, reconciliation with vendor details, upload on GST Network) and complex tax computation.

PwC’s GST Compliance Solution has several key benefits:

·  Comprehensive compliance coverage

·  Seamless interface with GSTN for information upload/download

·  100+ data validation checks to ensure factual as well as legal precision

·  Extensive reporting/business intelligence modules providing relevant insights to the

concerned stakeholders

·  Intuitive dashboards for different user profiles

·  Continuous monitoring of compliances for timely completion of related activities

·  Secured infrastructure

·  Access control mechanism to ensure users see only what is necessary

·  Audit trail for both internal as well as external stakeholders

·  Integration with PwC’s GST App (GST with PwC)

All this and more is backed by a strong team of PwC India’s indirect tax and technology professionals who will provide implementation and ongoing support for the compliance solution.

Sula Wines Appoints Sula Nick Pringle as Chief Operating Officer

Sula is pleased to announce the appointment of Nick Pringle as the company’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective immediately. In his capacity as the COO of India’s leading wine company and fastest growing alcobev company, Nick will work closely with Rajeev Samant, Founder and CEO, Sula Vineyards, while overlooking the company’s strategy and operations.

Rajeev Samant commented, “I am delighted that Nick Pringle is joining Sula as COO. Nick brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at Accolade Wines and AB InBev and is the right person to help steer Sula Vineyards, one of Asia’s fastest growing wine and alcobev companies, to even greater heights!”

Nick has over 20 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry. He has worked extensively in international markets to create a significant category across emerging markets for wine and spirits consumption and he strongly believes that numerous opportunities lie in the Indian alcobev industry.

Nick Pringle stated, “India is a very young and dynamic market. It has immense potential to grow in the wine sector and the enthusiasm, with great people that Sula possesses is infectious! Despite barriers, Sula entered the wine industry here in India and carved a niche for itself as both, the best and leading wine company. Sula recognized the changing industry trends and launched Sula Selections and Artisan Spirits to diversify itself, becoming a genuine front runner in the industry. I am proud to be associated with a brand that has turned things around for the industry altogether and look forward to creating more milestones for us to achieve together.”

Prior to this, Nick worked at AB InBev for 12 years. He later joined Constellation to assume a variety of roles and eventually joined Accolade Wines to strengthen Hardys globally in 2011.

At Accolade Wines, Nick was in charge of emerging markets and responsible for travel retail relationships across regions spanning Africa, the Middle East, South and Central America, Asia Sub-Continent and Southern Europe. Key markets for growth from his regions were Central and South America, Africa and India, which became a passion for him, while in India an increasing number of consumers were experimenting and progressing from beer and spirits to the wine category, during this time he was working in partnership with Sula. In 2016, Nick was appointed as Head of Accolade Wines for China, a significantly growing market for the company, before being given this amazing opportunity with Sula.

Before working in the wine and spirits industry, Nick was a professional cricketer and played for his home county - Somerset, from 1986 to 1991. Now he loves to see his son, Mathew play cricket and enjoys playing with him too. A thorough sportsman, he also used to play rugby and he loves watching football. Nick is a fitness enthusiast and also takes keen interest in music and travelling.

2nd edition of the IoT India Congress 2017 Opens Entries for IoT Start-Up Awards and the IoT Thought Leadership Awards

Call for entries for the two prestigious awards at the second edition of the IoT India Congress, 2017 opens today. The two signature awards, IoT Start-up Award and Thought Leadership Award aims to recognize excellence in the IoT ecosystem.

The IoT Start-up Awards will identify start-ups with breakthrough innovations in IoT and a winning strategy to monetize their product/services and propagate the evolving movement of IoT in India. The Thought Leadership Award is uniquely designed to honour individuals with over 1-5 years of experience of leading an IoT project that is transformational in nature or worked towards building and sustaining awareness on IoT. Members of the jury for the awards include Dr Richard Soley, Executive Director, Industrial Internet Consortium, Arun Jain, Director, Sales & Marketing Texas Instruments India Pvt Ltd, Sanjeev Malhotra, CEO – IOT Centre of Excellence Nasscom, Shradha Sharma, Founder & CEO YourStory Media and Vivek Sharma, Managing Director STMicroelectronics Pvt. Ltd.

The IoT India Congress 2017, a platform-of-platforms for empowering business outcomes using the Internet of Things in India, will be a two-day mega event to be held on 14-15 September 2017 at Park Plaza, Bangalore. The IoT India Congress is conceptualized and designed by the members of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (The IET) IoT Panel – an independent and neutral visionary think-tank led by select industry leaders. The panel envisions laying a solid foundation in the next step of adoption of IoT by supporting policy makers, and bringing together the practitioners and IoT enablers to work together and create a platform that is industry efficient as well as robust.

HH Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder, Art of Living will be the Chief Guest for the IoT Thought Leadership Awards on September 14, 2017. Submissions for nominations for both the awards close on July 30, 2017.

Nomination for the eligible IoT enthusiasts / company can be made by submitting the details in the form provided on the website – http://www.iotindiacongress.com/awards/

In this context, Dr. Rishi Bhatnagar, Chairman of the IET India IoT Panel said, “The IoT India Congress is a neutral platform that extends beyond the borders of organisations for people to come together and create the roadmap for IoT adoption. We wish to replicate the success seen at the Congress last year by identifying and recognizing exciting work done in the field of IoT by start-ups and individuals through these awards. These are exciting times and we look forward to seeing some great nominations.”