Hybrid Cloud Deployment Could Result in 5%-30% Cost Savings for Enterprises: Microsoft – Zinnov Report

A Microsoft-Zinnov study has revealed that the Hybrid Cloud market in India is fast becoming a new standard for delivery of digital transformation. With the substantial cost as well as organizational benefits, Indian enterprises are increasingly intensifying their reliance on a hybrid cloud setup.

The report observed that hybrid cloud deployment at a steady rate could result in cost savings of anywhere between 5% and 30% for an enterprise (depending on the growth of virtual machines in an enterprise’s data centre and a proportion of workloads moving from private data centre to public cloud infrastructure), based on the output of its proprietary cost modeller. As per the modeller, the hybrid cloud solution offered by Microsoft Azure is the most economical.

As per the survey conducted as part of this study, over 40 percent of enterprises have planned or are planning to build a hybrid cloud infrastructure or transform their existing IT infrastructure. The primary reasons cited for adopting hybrid cloud solutions include, lowering total cost of ownership (54 percent), facilitating innovation (42 percent), enhancing operational efficiencies (42 percent), and enabling companies to respond to and meet customer expectations more readily (40 percent).

Highlighting the need for hybrid cloud, Meetul Patel, General Manager, Marketing & Operations, Microsoft said, “Many organizations have existing investments in IT infrastructure and business-specific needs to keep parts of it on their own premises. At the same time, the cloud presents an incredible opportunity to improve RoI, develop innovative solutions, and respond rapidly to changing business demands. The hybrid model is a ‘best of all worlds’ option that allows customers to benefit from the cloud on their own terms”.

According to Pari Natarajan, CEO, Zinnov, “Hybrid cloud is becoming the preferred deployment model across sectors. Industries where the impact of digital transformation is the highest are the ones that are adopting hybrid cloud at an accelerated pace. However, enterprises need to select a hybrid cloud providerthat can provide them with the right migration tools to enable seamless relocation of existing services - between dedicated private cloud and public cloud infrastructures - without lengthy or unplanned disruption to live service.”

According to the report, adopting a hybrid cloud model requires transformational change in the way companies interact with their IT and business. There is a need to enable employees with competence in contract management, as hybrid cloud deployment models involve interaction with third party cloud providers. Members within the organization need to be skilled to handle any exigency involving the cloud service provider. Therefore, training is needed to facilitate employees within the organization to familiarize themselves with the new business processes and governance structures, said the study.

Zinnov analysed more than 50 global cloud channel partners and found that hybrid cloud deployments constituted 45-50% of their overall cloud business. These channel partners are distributed across large-tier IT service providers, mid-tier IT service providers, Hosters and Telcos, Digital Marketing, and Platform BPO companies.

The growth of the cloud industry has been spurred by the funding and investments in cloud tech startups, which have increased exponentially. In 2016, the cloud market saw an estimated 370+ deals with the average investments growing at CAGR 15% between 2012-2016. The hybrid cloud deals accounted for 45-50% of the total cloud deals that happened from 2012 to 2016, and these primarily focused on storage, automation as well as hybrid cloud management solutions.

In addition, there has also been an increase in the cloud-specific acquisitions, growing at 35% CAGR from 2012 to 2016 with an average investment jump of 81.25%. In 2016 alone, there have been 115 cloud-specific acquisitions with the likes of CenturyLink shelling out US$34 billion for Level 3 Communication, a provider of Data Center Connectivity and Cloud.

Rapid growth in internet adoption – fueled by government initiatives like demonetization and GST, growth of mobile data (the number of mobile developers is estimated to double from the current 300,000 by 2020), and digital transformation, led by the emergence of disruptive start-ups, especially in areas such as fintech, e-commerce, SaaS, are stated to be the key reasons for this development.

Infosys Turmoil Unfortunate: Remarks Karnataka Minister Deshpande

Karnataka Industries Minister R V Deshpande termed the recent developments at IT major Infosys following sudden resignation of Vishal Sikka as "unfortunate".

"Very unfortunate developments, this should not have happened at Infosys," Deshpande said when asked about the recent events at the city headquartered company.

"I can understand transparency is very important. If there is no transparency there are ways to find out the truth, but unfortunately, according to me, investors' confidence and shareholders' confidence have been shaken," he told reporters.

"Infosys is the pride of the country, it is known to the entire world. We are all proud of Infosys. I can only say such developments are unfortunate," he added.

Last Friday, Sikka, the first non-founder CEO of Infosys, resigned from the company following months of acrimony with high-profile founders, led by N R Narayana Murthy, citing "malicious" and "personal attacks" on him.

While Sikka did not name Murthy for his exit, the board of the US$10 billion firm blamed the founder for "continuous assault" through "factually inaccurate" and "already-disproved rumours" for the resignation of the CEO.

Murthy, however, maintained that his only concerns were the lapses in corporate governance standards, something that Infosys was admired for at one point.

Sharp decline in Infosys share prices following the developments has wiped out Rs 34,000 crore of investors' wealth in the last two days.

When asked about reports that Nandan Nilekani is likely to return to Infosys, Deshpande said he would not like to comment on it, and it is left to the decision of the board, founders and shareholders of the company.

Nilekani, one of the co-founders of the company had joined the Congress party ahead of 2014 Lok Sabha polls. He had also contested and lost the election from Bengaluru South constituency.

Noting that the developments at the company were not healthy, Deshpande said, "founders have struggled for the company, at the same time shareholders have fully cooperated. Vishal Sikka also has good reputation. These things should have been sorted out in-house".

"I think, still time is there. I am confident that they are all people with rich experience, good people. The board, founders and shareholders will come under one roof to resolve this issue," he said.

Second Innings Most Likely for Infosys Co-founder Nandan Nilekani

Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani is likely to return to helm the IT giant, according to media reports.

However, clarity on the status of Nilekani's specific role will be clearer in another 48 hours.

Meanwhile, the buzz of Nandan Nilekani's return to Infosys led to the company's shares rise as much as 3%.

Many domestic institutional investors including ICICI Prudential Asset Management, HDFC Asset Management, Birla Sun Life AMC among others, had written to Infosys board to bring former chief executive Nandan Nilekani back to take care of the firm in turbulent times after Vishal Sikka's resignation as MD and CEO.

Nandan Nilekani was among the seven founders that set up Infosys more than three decades ago and served as its CEO between March 2002 to April 2007. Later in 2009, Nilekani had left the firm to head the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

According to a moneycontrol.com report, the Nilekani family owes a 2.29% stake in Infosys, as per the quarter ended June this year.

Earlier in the day, Narayana Murthy postponed a scheduled conference with the company's investors. The said conference will now reportedly be held on August 29.

Miklens Bio Sets Up India’s First Agri Microbial Tech Plant in Bengaluru

Miklens Bio Pvt. Ltd, a Research and Development driven Agri Microbial Technology (AMT) product start-up headquartered in Mumbai has announced the inauguration of its first manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. The plant was inaugurated by Dr. Stephen Devanesan, Former Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, Professor, Principal Scientist & Associate Director of Research, Kerala Agricultural University, in the presence of Miklens Bio management team, scientists and organic farming activists.

Miklens Bio manufacturing facility & R & D laboratory is spread over 10,000 sq. ft. and has an installed capacity to manufacture 10 lakh litres annually. The in-house developed research-based agri inputs to be manufactured will include Plant Growth Enhancers, Plant Protection, Bio-Fertilizers and Bio-Pesticides. Importantly these products are pest & pathogen specific and not crop specific, thus offering farmers the choice to use only those inputs which meet their specific requirement.

With the plant starting commercial production, Miklens Bio will have the necessary edge to scale up their production to meet the demand of our farmer brethren. These products have undergone extensive trials under lab and open field conditions. Miklens Bio has been certified as “Approved Input for Organic Agriculture” by Control Union a reputed certifying agency worldwide. In addition to this, the products have been tested in Canada for their efficacy.

Inaugurating the facility, Dr. Stephen Devanesan, said, “It is heartening to note that start-ups like Miklens Bio through their research are developing and manufacturing products that have profound impact on our eco-system and paving way for sustainable growth. Miklens Bio agri inputs, I am sure would go a long way in helping our farmers increase yields, improve crop quality, ensure residue free cultivation and in the process not only improve their income but also help reduce health hazards of consumers. I am told that the products are derived from nature and thus they are not only good for the soil but also monetarily viable for the farmers in comparison with the synthetic counterparts.”

According to Santosh Nair, Founder & Managing Director, Miklens Bio Pvt. Ltd., “We believe in sustainable & responsible agricultural practices and as a natural corollary our bio products promote the idea of ‘Farming with naturally driven microbes’ with a goal to reduce the dependence on toxic chemical based inputs. Our effort is to bring to the market agricultural inputs that are globally accepted because of the positive impact they have on farming communities, and on the society.”

Further, he said, we aim to become a preferred supplier in the “Pure Bio” segment. Our research focus is to develop & manufacture various biotechnology-based agricultural inputs to cater to the need of farming community by promoting the effective advantage of bio-based agri inputs. Also, our research initiatives will focus on developing innovative products that are not only eco-friendly but safe and help in increasing the yields across crops, he added.

Our bio start-up has an ambitious goal to promote sustainable edge to the society and environment, pointed out Dr. Nisha M M, Director - Research, Miklens Bio Pvt. Ltd. Following this mission, we are building mastery in developing bio products that help in Residue Free Cultivation. This advocate’s use of products derived from microbial sources. Besides being perfect natural replacements for chemical pesticides, these products are cost-effective as well and assimilate into the ecosystem without leaving any toxic residue. Unlike broad-spectrum synthetic chemicals, these products work specifically against certain target organisms without harming beneficial organisms, she added.

Smart Software Testing Solutions Invests in Online Crowd Testing Platform, Crowd4Test.com

Smart Software Testing solutions Inc. (SSTS), the company behind Bangalore basedpCloudy.com - one of largest mobile device cloud platform, today announced a strategic investment in Crowd4Test.com, a Bengaluru, India based startup building SaaS platform for managed Crowd Testing and User Experience testing. The company also announced its intent to integrate pCloudy and its AI powered Mobile App Testing platform with Crowd4Test.com with an aim to build world’s largest cloud platform for mobile and IoT Testing by as early as 2019. As part of the arrangement, Avinash Tiwari, Co-founder & Director of SSTS will join the board of Crowd4Test.com.  

SSTS Inc. founded in 2015 by Pankaj Goel, Lalit Jain and Avinash Tiwari is leveraging AI and robotics across its two products, OpKey and pCloudy, to solve some of the pressing testing needs of enterprises undertaking digital transformation and IoT journey. 

Avinash Tiwari, Co-Founder of SSTS Inc. said “The investment in Crowd4Test aligns with our focus of building All-In-One platform for Mobile app and IoT app Testing. By combining our mobile device cloud and AI powered App certification engine with 2000+ strong global community of testers at Crowd4Test, we are uniquely positioned to serve mobile testing needs for all segments of our customers from DIY to Real User Beta Testing and A/B Testing”

SSTS is backed by one of India’s Leading Early Stage funds – YourNest Angel Fund, along with some of the marquee angel investors from the industry.

Commenting on this development, Girish Shivani, Executive director YourNest Angel Fund added – “We are very bullish on the market for mobile application testing solutions and have seen it grow significantly over the last few years and is projected to grow to $13.3 billion market by 2026. SSTS has shown significant traction in this space by on-boarding 200+ enterprise customers and more than 10,000 mobile developers and testers over last two years. We are confident that this investment by SSTS team will help them further expand footprint into this fast-growing segment and position them as a leader in Mobile application testing space”

Ranganadh Damera, Founder CEO of Crowd4Test expressed confidence adding “Within a short span of time, we have been able to create a niche Managed crowd testing platform trusted by 100+ customers and 2000+ community of tester globally and now by combining forces with SSTS, we are confident of becoming a leader in our chosen niche”

Indus Towers Achieves 50% Portfolio of Green Sites; Envisions to go Diesel-Free

Indus Towers, India’s largest telecom infrastructure company, achieves a key milestone in its sustainable telecom journey by converting half of its portfolio to green sites. In line with its commitment towards protecting the environment, the company has made significant progress in expanding its green sites portfolio to over 62,000 mobile sites across India. Today, Indus Towers operates more than 86,200 sites as outdoor sites, totalling to 70% of portfolio, by eliminating usage of air-conditioners at such sites.

Marquee initiatives like ‘Shut AC’ program coupled with deployment of disruptive storage solutions have resulted in - significant reduction in direct carbon emissions equivalent to planting 27 million trees and diesel savings of 200 million litres in last five years. Since its inception in 2008, the company has consistently worked towards creating value for all its stakeholders in a sustainable manner with commitment towards green initiatives and ‘Putting India First’. Technology innovations continue to be the backbone of every change envisaged at Indus Towers with focus on driving down environmental impact while enabling uninterrupted telecommunication networks.

Speaking on the occasion, Bimal Dayal, Chief Executive Officer, Indus Towers said, “Our vision is to achieve diesel free operations and we are actively exploring deployment of new-age solutions to reach this goal. Technology and innovation remain to be at the core of all our business operations as we focus on sustainable telecom journey for a better India.”

Leveraging innovation and technology to reduce environmental impact

Indus Towers uses high-energy efficiency solutions to achieve maximum power output and has been deploying Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid (VRLA) batteries at its sites. Implementing environment-friendly initiatives such as Solar Cooling Units (SCUs) and Simple Power Solutions (SPSs) at sites, the company has saved nearly 40 per cent energy savings since inception. An SCU is a smart and innovative solution that runs independent of power from a grid, battery or diesel and is charged with solar energy. It also uses natural air as its coolant, with zero cost of cooling. The company is also testing Hybrid solar, fuel cells, bio-mass and CNG/PNG energy solutions to power mobile towers.

Energy Use and conservation

One of the accomplishments towards reducing significant power consumption has been replacing air-conditioning with Free Cooling Units (FCUs) and Natural Cooling Units (NCUs) to maximise the conversion of Indoor (ID) to Outdoor (OD) as a part of SHUT AC initiative. The company has reduced energy consumption in mobile towers in addition to lowering carbon emissions.

DHL eCommerce Gets Logistics Tech Platform - FarEye On Board

FarEye, a Logistics Management Solution became a partner of choice for DHL eCommerce to enhance its customer experience, optimize its resources and deliver its brand promise ‘real-time’. DHL eCommerce is a division of the world’s leading logistics company Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenue of more than 57 billion euros in 2016. DHL eCommerce provides international, standard parcel delivery for business customers. It supports business processes with mature e-commerce shipping solutions and technology platforms that help enable various online businesses.

DHL eCommerce continuously invests in technology to improve processes and have better communication across all parties. FarEye’s platform became an apt fit as it seamlessly integrated with the organization’s existing systems and made the IT infrastructure flexible and agile. Being a SaaS platform, FarEye gave DHL eCommerce the flexibility to the scale-up and down depending on the demand levels, which gave them an edge to adapt quickly to any work environment.

DHL eCommerce measured vendors not only basis the features they offered but evaluated them holistically from a ‘process proposed’ perspective.

Charles Brewer, CEO DHL eCommerce expressed, “With eCommerce growing at such a rapid pace we see a fantastic opportunity for high-quality solutions that will offer a great customer experience and more choice, convenience and control for online shoppers. FarEye’s platform is scalable, future-oriented and flexible. With FarEye we can deliver ‘delight’ by having complete visibility of the logistics movement and keeping customer informed at every step, ‘real-time’.”

Kushal Nahata, Co-founder & CEO FarEye said, “FarEye is an indispensable support system for brands whose focus is enhanced customer experience and complete visibility of their logistics. Our association with DHL e-commerce has been extremely gratifying as we were competing against giants. FarEye is an enterprise grade technology platform and this win is a testimony to our platform’s capability and defined processes. We shall continue to strive towards excellence and keep our customers at the center of all our activities.”

FarEye has proved to be a partner of choice for DHL eCommerce by optimizing their resources, enhancing their customers’ experience with real-time alerts & smart analytics and making parcel shops more efficient with complete visibility.