How Data Centers Helped India Deal with Demonetization?

By Praveen Nair, General Manager for DCD, Mumbai, India

In November 2016, the Government of India announced it would demonetize the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series. The bold move of swiftly taking the notes out of circulation set off a chain reaction of events that led to a period of uncertainty and chaos throughout the nation. Now that the dust has settled and life has returned to normal in most cities, we examine how data centers were central in ensuring that across the country, the average person could still go about their lives with minimal disruption.

Fast growth in digital

Since demonetization, government statistics say digital transactions have increased between 400 to 1000 percent with a huge growth in business from 52 Crores to 191 Crores. The surge in data traffic has in turn increased investment in data centers, with data center players increasing their data capabilities and capacities. The Internet & Mobile Association of India has estimated India’s data center business will touch US$4.5 Billion by 2018, which makes it the 2nd largest in the Asia Pacific region.

At the recent DCD > Focus On Hyderabad conference, Srinivas Muppaneni, CIO of Andhra Pradesh State Cooperative Bank and Telangana State Cooperative Bank spoke about the importance of data centers especially post demonetization. He asserted: “Demonetization has forced many banks including ours to provide digital service in villages. For instance, post demonetization many villages in Telangana state have gone digital.”

The increase in digitization of the processes led to huge demand of storage especially from the BFSI (banking, financial services and insurance), telecom, and IT/ITES sectors. These sectors were unable to fulfill the sudden and huge demand of storage from their existing infrastructure and hence they were looking at data center providers. Muppaneni shared his bank’s experience. He said, “Being from the BFSI sector, post demonetization, we were worried whether our existing infrastructure would be able to handle the huge digital transactions or would our systems crash?”

Storage demands

Today, industries are looking at a place where massive amounts of data can be stored and utilized with security and efficiency. Hence it is crucial for today’s data centers to have the right storage, processing and security capabilities. But according to Muppaneni, data centers in India are not yet ready to handle the huge data traffic and there are very few data centers located in India. He asserted: “Data centers in India are not yet ready to take up the increased data volumes and being from a BFSI sector, due to security norms, we cannot host our data in the data centers that do not have a physical presence in India. Hence localization of huge data centers with all the required storage, processing and security capabilities is vital.”

Demonetization had an adverse effect on many businesses, but for data center players, business has been good as there has been an increase in data traffic, usage of network infrastructure and storage space. The data center players are realizing the importance of the Indian market and they are trying to fulfill the demand of Indian companies. However, demand is still outstripping supply.

Some experts in the industry have told us we are currently at a stage whereby the need for more data centers in India is a cause for concern. So what could be done? For starters, State Governments would do well to emulate the Telangana State Government by coming out with a data center policy which encourages more data centers to be set up by ensuring the entire process is free from bureaucratic red tape, and also ensuring the availability of power and connectivity. Existing data centers should be refurbished and upgraded, data center practitioners educated and trained with a comprehensive framework in mind and finally, data centers should be audited and certified as to meeting key standards.

DCD>Webscale Bangalore 2017

To know more about the impact of demonetization and how data centers are an integral part of the digital economy, join us on the July 19-20 at DCD>Webscale Bangalore at the Sheraton The Grand, Bangalore.

This year we have a conference packed with international and local experts discussing the latest trends and technologies, networking opportunities and break-away sessions. To register for the conference or for more information, please visit www.dcd-india.com

Tally to Conduct 7000 GST Adoption Camps to Help Businesses Transition

Tally Solutions, India's premier software product company today announced that it will conduct 7000 “Upgrade your Tally” camps across the country to help its customers to move to its GST ready software. The company will work with its network of 28000+ partner network in the country to cover all cities and towns. The schedule of camps is available at tallysolutions.com/events.

Businesses can walk into any of these camps as per their convenience between 8 am to 8 pm, get their Tally upgraded to GST ready Tally.ERP 9 Release 6 and also get their GST queries answered by GST experts. In addition, businesses who are interested to experience GST ready Tally will also be able to get a free demo of the product on-site. The company is also hosting DIY tools on its site help.tallysolutions.com to simplify the migration process.

Speaking on the occasion, Tejas Goenka, Executive Director - Tally Solutions said, "Our focus is to help our 11 lakh plus customers to move to the new tax era smoothly. We have already had 4 lakh+ downloads of our GST ready software in 4 days and we are expecting this rush to continue over the next few weeks. To provide on-ground support to our customers, we are conducting these camps so that businesses find it easy and convenient to move. Our partners are working round the clock to not just make these camps happen but supporting from their office premises as well. For post implementation support, we have doubled our customer service wing and increasingly promoting self-service so that people can move faster", he signed off.

The company along with its 28000+ strong partner network pan India has already conducted more than 5000 GST events across the country. It has tied up with associations like CAIT, FAIDA, ASSOCHAM, CII and principal companies for the same and reached out to more than 2 lakh businesses already. Tally also launched an exclusive blog (blogs.tallysolutions.com) and mobile app (Tally for GST) to demystify and simplify GST. 

In order to help businesses who are currently maintaining books manually to automate in the GST era, the company recently launched Biz Guru in association with Acer India and CAIT. Biz Guru is a one stop plug and play accounting and GST compliance solution. They intend to continue these initiatives and drive several more activities to help the business community with GST.

Hilton Named One of India’s Best Companies to Work For in 2017: Great Place to Work Institute & Economic Times

For the second year in a row, Hilton has been recognised as one of India’s Best Companies to Work For, an accolade dedicated to companies with exceptional workplace cultures. Ranked 25^th on the Top 100 list, Hilton has been distinguished for creating a high trust and high performance organizational culture by offering Team Members (employees) great environments, careers and rewards.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be recognized as one of India’s Best Companies to Work For consistently for the second year running. As a business of people serving people, our Team Members truly are at the heart of our success,” said Brendan Toomey, vice president of human resources, Asia Pacific, Hilton. “I am extremely proud of our team in India and the incredible culture that we have built together which aligns with our commitment to be the most hospitable company in the world."

This recognition follows a series of other recent accolades for being a great place to work. Hilton was ranked third in the Asia's Best Multinational Workplaces 2017 and Best Companies to Work For in Greater China 2017 by Great Place to Work. Last month, Universum also named Hilton as a top hospitality employer and one of Top 100 Most Attractive Employers for business students in China.

The awards and recognitions bear testament to the leading practices and programmes that build a winning team culture at Hilton. In India, these include:

· Five-day workweek policy, which is currently in place across the majority of hotels and corporate office in India. Plans are underway to implement this policy across India.

·  Travel with Purpose, Hilton’s corporate responsibility commitment enables Team Members to positively impact local environments and communities around the world through initiatives including Global Month of Service, Earth Week and Travel with Purpose Action Grants. To date, US$42,000 worth of Action Grants have supported 10 projects in India.

·  Celebrating diversity in the workplace through initiatives such as Women in Leadership events that have empowered more than 30 female Team Members in India since 2016, helping them in their career journeys. The ongoing effort underpins Hilton’s pledge to drive diversity across Asia Pacific as a Singapore IMPACT Champion in support of HeForShe, an UN-led gender equality movement.

·  Opportunities for development through programmes such as Hilton South East Asia & India Management Trainee Programme, which was introduced to India in 2015. So far, 20 graduates and trainees from India have had the opportunity to gain overseas work experiences in hotels across Asia Pacific. Other initiatives include Hilton University, a substantial online learning resource, as well as E3 (Elevate, Engage, Excel), a leadership development framework.

·  Go Hilton, a programme that provides exclusive travel discounts and benefits for Team Members, as well as their family and friends.

·  Opportunities for recognition through programmes such as Catch Me at My Best, and the CEO Light & Warmth Awards that acknowledge Team Members at all levels from guests, peers and managers, as well as Team Member Appreciation Week which saw over 100 events organized to celebrate Team Members in India.

Every year, Great Place to Work collaborates with The Economic Times to identify India’s Best Companies to Work For. Over 600 organizations, spanning 20 industry sectors were assessed in 2017. The selection process includes an employee survey and an in-depth questionnaire about company practices and programmes.

Hilton employs more than 2,500 people in India across its 15 trading hotels and corporate office. The company is creating thousands of new jobs in India through its pipeline of 18 new hotels, including the forthcoming Conrad Bangalore, which opens later this year.

India Industry-Academia Collaborative Mission for Accelerating Discovery Research to Early Development for Biopharmaceuticals

In a bid to create a globally competitive biopharmaceutical industry that addresses the country’s major concerns around barriers to affordable healthcare, Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science andTechnology launched the Innovate in India (I3) program on June 30, 2017 in New Delhi.  The 250 million USD program of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of science and technology; is a first- of-its-kind mission that brings together industry and academia to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the biopharmaceutical sector. This flagship program of the GOI in collaboration with World Bank, will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a Public Sector Enterprise, set up by DBT.

The mission was launched in the presence of Dr. K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; Junaid Ahmad, Country Director, World Bank India; dignitaries from the concerned Ministries: Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, DG- ICMR; Dr. J.P Prakash; Secretary Department of Pharmaceuticals, Dr. GN Singh DCGI and DBT officials.

The Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan stated “This Mission is anticipated to be a game changer for the Indian Biopharmaceutical industry. It aspires to create an enabling ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector”. The programme will specifically focus on the development of new vaccines, bio-therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices to better address the rising burden of diseases in the country. It will also bring isolated centres of excellence together, enhance regional capabilities and strengthen the current bio-clusters network in terms of capacities as well as quantity and quality of output.

 Expanding on the scope of the program Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology and Chairman BIRAC shared, that “This endeavor will help nurture next- generation technical skills; promote entrepreneurship; and support institutions in adoption of global innovations, technologies, and licensing models. It will provide young entrepreneurs the confidence as well as the systemic support to pursue their aspirations in biotechnological innovation, and transform India into a global hub for cutting-edge biotechnology research and development”.

The oversight to the program would be provided by the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee comprising of members from various Ministries; and would be supported by Program Technical Advisory Group comprising of global and national leaders from industry and academia. The program thereby stands unique in its approach as it becomes a cradle to innovate, co-create and co-facilitate scientific discoveries and offers young entrepreneurs an avenue to engage with the best in the industry.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Renu Swarup, Senior Adviser DBT and MD, BIRAC shared, “We undertook an extensive landscaping study to identify critical gaps impeding growth and innovation in the Biopharma sector. Taking cognizance of these gaps, i3 is focussed on targeted measures to develop platform technologies for product validation, link disparate institutions to strengthen clinical trial networks, promote partial de-risking  for novel products, and build capacities in emerging areas such as translational bioinformatics, bioethics etc.”With an aim to provide a level playing field for new entrants, the program would open calls for research proposals beginning August and roll-out in October this year.

The program launch occasion was also graced by the presence of eminent scientists from academia and representatives from the Indian industry. It promises to boost the growth curve for domestic biopharma in India by accelerating the translation of research concepts into viable products,enabling sustainable networks for collaboration between industry and academia, and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem amongst many others.

Over 400 Exhibitors Showcase Medical Equipments & Technology at India Med Expo-2017 in Bengaluru

The 8^th India Med Expo-2017 was inaugurated here today at Dr. Prabhakar Kore Convention Centre, Bengaluru. India Med Expo is being held in Bangalore for the first time and its one of the largest exhibition of medical equipments, medical technology and surgical instruments. India Med Expo provides a good opportunity for Industry Experts, Doctors, Health Centre's, Hospitals, etc. to upgrade themselves with modern medical apparatus, technology, etc. India Med Expo 2017 is being held from July 1-3, 2017.

India Med Expo-2017 is also the Single Largest Exhibition on Medical Equipments and Surgical’s to be held across India. More than 300 Companies are participating in India Med Expo and will be showcasing more than 5000 Medical-Surgical and Medical Technology Products. The Expo will feature Companies, Importers and Manufacturers of Surgical Equipments, Technology Oriented Surgical’s, Radiology Instruments, Pathology Technology Instruments and many other requirements of present day medical industry.  Many international participating companies from Taiwan, Malaysia, Korea, China and Hong-Kong will be displaying their products and technology at the expo.

Speaking at the launch event,  Arun Sharma, Director of G India Technology, Chief Organizer “India Med Expo”, said “It is the Eighth Edition of India Med Expo and it will also be one of the biggest expo in Bengaluru featuring medical technology, medical services, healthcare services etc.” Further, he added, Bengaluru is one of the best location in South India because of its proximity to Technology. Bengaluru has seen an immense growth in all most all fields like Technology, Pharma, Medical and Healthcare, etc. Also he pointed out that India Med Expo is also featuring renowned international companies from countries like Taiwan, Malaysia, Honk-Kong, Korea, China, etc. These companies are renowned for their expertise in medical technology, precision medical and surgical instruments and more. 

HealthCare at HOME launches the ‘#DoctorsDayOff’ Campaign

Doctors are healers. They give hope to many and to some a new lease of life. But what most of us tend to forget is that doctors are also humans. Long working hours, sacrificing family life and personal interests are all inevitable in a doctor's life. They shoulder enormous responsibilities daily and are still expected to do more. Doctors often advise us to take rest to restore our health. Isn't it time we ask them to try their own medicine for a change?

 To celebrate the contributions of this noble profession in a special way, HealthCare atHOME (HCAH) has launched the ‘#DoctorsDayOff’ campaign starting from 30^th June 2017. This unique drive will kick off in various HCAH partner hospitals across Delhi and Punjab.

 As part of the campaign, posters in the form of Do Not Disturb door knobs will be hung on the doors of the doctors’ chambers in hospitals. These creatively designed door knobs have compelling messages like, “Every doctor needs a family-time. One day a week, I won’t disturb, I promise”.

 In addition, Facebook and Twitter profiles of HCAH will use the hashtag #DoctorsDayOff to spread awareness about the importance of the campaign.

 “We wanted to show our gratitude to doctors by helping them take some time off for themselves. Physicians and surgeons not only make themselves available to their patients 24x7, but also have to constantly engage in academic learning to keep themselves abreast of the latest medical developments. This leaves them with hardly any time for themselves or their families. They deserve a break more than anyone else.” says Vivek Srivastava, CEO & Co-founder, HealthCare atHOME (HCAH).

 Dr. Gaurav Thukral, Senior Vice-President and Business Unit Director, HCAH “A medical career is both rewarding and highly demanding however studies have shown that all around the world about 80 per cent of doctors don't take sick leaves for illnesses for which they otherwise recommend patients to stay home. As a doctor, our sole aim is the well-being of our patients. To achieve that on a day-to-day basis takes enormous amount of dedication and professionalism. When you see, you’re making a difference in someone’s life, all the sacrifices seem worth it. But doctors do tend to overstretch themselves doing their duties. Therefore, we feel that the ‘Doctors Day Off’ campaign will be much appreciated by the medical fraternity. As doctors, we can provide the best for our patients only when we ourselves are at our own best.”

The expectations from doctors are extremely high. If a person in another profession is unwell, he will take a sick leave from work to visit a doctor. But if a doctor is unwell, there is very little chance that he will do the same. Apart from making sure that patients are not caused any inconvenience, doctors hardly ever take days off so as to not disrupt the schedule of the hospitals and put the extra burden of patients on another already overworked colleague.

 While doctors have infinite patience and stamina, they too suffer the risk of a burnout. This can have serious consequences on their health causing both physical and emotional exhaustion. Therefore, it’s time we understood that just like us, doctors too require some downtime to unwind. For any emergency, we can be rest assured a doctor will be there to provide medical assistance. But we should also learn to withhold from calling on them for every trivial matter.

 HCAH’s ‘#DoctorsDayOff’ campaign, therefore, raises this critical but less voiced issue. Our indomitable doctors will never stay down on their own, so it’s also up to the patients to ensure that they appreciate their physicians by allowing them to take some personal time off.

ITC Infotech to Host 3rd Edition of its Flagship Co-Creation and Technology Innovation Platform – iTech 2017 on June 22-23

ITC Infotech, a global scale full-service provider of technology solutions and a fully-owned subsidiary of ITC Ltd, today announced the third edition of its flagship annual co-creation and technology innovation platform ‘iTech 2017’. The event will take place at the ITC Infotech campus in Bangalore on July, 22-23, 2017.

This year, iTech 2017 will run two parallel tracks, a startup ‘Showcase’ segment and ‘Codeathon’. For ‘Showcase’, ITC Infotech will invite startups to demonstrate solutions leveraging Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Cognitive Computing, Automation, Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Bots, to address specific business challenges.   These real-world industry challenges are crowdsourced from across ITC Infotech’s global client base, as well as from ITC Ltd.

Some of these use cases include:

·  Voice-controlled AI devices/technologies (such as Amazon Echo, Google Home, Siri or Cortana) to improve inpatient hospital experience by providing an intelligent virtual assistant to hospital patients

·  Identify patterns in Loyalty customers and drive proactive engagement for Retail, Consumer Goods, Travel, and Hospitality

·  Enable personalized marketing (across industries, including Banking, Insurance, Retail, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, Insurance, Travel, and Hospitality)

·  Predictive Maintenance in factories

·  Yield prediction for Agriculture

·  Identification of pest (insects, diseases, weeds etc.) through image analysis, and recommender system for remedies

·  Golden Batch Analysis in Process Manufacturing

o Control limits for various process parameters

o Predictive & prescriptive composition of raw material

·  AI based Trade promotion/campaign management

The Codeathon segment will see 40 teams, shortlisted from the entries received, face-off in a race against time to create code components for complex business applications. Participants can present their ideas across challenge areas provided by ITC Infotech. The event is free and open to all students, professionals, developers and early stage technology startups.

Sushma Rajagopalan, MD & CEO, ITC Infotech, said, “iTech is where young technology disruptors and innovators from across India come together to celebrate all things ‘new’ in technology. Technocrats and business leaders from across our global client base will be joining us for these two days to understand how they can unlock the untapped opportunity within their organizations through the latest digital technologies. With iTech 2017, we will be bringing together some of the sharpest technology minds to compete, create and code, while interacting closely with the vibrant ecosystem of entrepreneurs and business leaders of the future.”

An exciting addition to iTech 2017 for technology startups is the ITC Infotech Grant of Rs. 5 Lacs for a paid POC, and the opportunity to partner with the company in creating a thriving ecosystem to foster technology innovations. With the phenomenal success of iTech 2015 and iTech 2016, ITC Infotech is excited to host iTech 2017 and recreate an innovation platform to ‘Experience Intelligence’.

About iTech 2017

iTech, an ITC Infotech initiative, is an annual technology innovation platform. The platform will focus on leveraging emerging and disruptive technologies to create business-ready solutions, for addressing some of the most challenging problems faced by the industry.