Artist Bharati Shah Unravels the Saga of Life with a Painting Expo in Bangalore

Usha-Dawn- The rise of a new day; an array of vibrant colors is the theme for artist Bharati Shah's painting exhibition. The exhibition will be held from 1st December to 4th December at Gallery time & space, Bengaluru. The painting exhibition brought out the life itself manifest in the early hours of a day with the landscape paintings of Bharti Shah, the author of “Spices Synonyms in Indian Languages”. All the displayed paintings celebrates the hues of a new dawn.

A self-taught artist, Bharati’s bold artistic expression traversing different mediums such as oil, water color, acrylic etc. has landed her innumerable stints at some of the most coveted art shows and spots in India and abroad. Starting out with Mumbai in 1998, she went on to deck the caves at Amdavad ni Gufa in 2008, the Ravishankar Raval Kala Bhavan in 2010, and L & P Hutheesing Visual Art Centre in 2014.

“The painting exhibition USHA is a manifestation of my memories, as well as the phases that a person goes through, during relationships, during loss, birth, death. A slice of each completes the person and fulfills his purpose in life. All those emotions are painted on canvas in vibrant colors,” said Bharti Shah, the artist.

A chance to showcase her collection at Arterie Fine Art Gallery, made Chicago the next stop in Shah’s artistic sojourn. Her exhibition at India House, London, and a group show at Bhutan, fortified further her connect with the global artistic circuit. In a span of 18 years, her collection has been through Hyderabad, Gurgaon, New Delhi and Baroda.

Apart from the national and international shows, her works have also sought popular demand with top government officials from India, USA, Germany, United Kingdom and Australia.

Genpact Launches New Partner Program to Expand Innovation for Clients

Genpact, a global professional services firm focused on delivering digital transformation, has launched its new partner program, Genpact Partner Plus, to leverage a strong partner ecosystem to accelerate digital-led innovation and digitally-enabled intelligent operations for its clients.

“As the market is in transition and companies in all industries are plotting digital transformation strategies, alliances and partner ecosystems has never been more critical. Genpact is committed as a company to building strong partnerships and to collaborating with leading software and services firms to drive success with clients,” said Chris Webber, Research Director for IDC Strategic Alliances.

While Genpact has been collaborating with a wide range of companies to help clients since its inception, the new Genpact Partner Plus program offers a more targeted approach to building innovative and market-leading joint services and platforms to accelerate client impact. The Genpact Partner Plus partner ecosystem includes three categories of partners to extend its strategy of bringing best-in-class digital, consulting, and domain capabilities to its clients – Consulting Partners, Digital Technology Partners, and Industry Solution Partners. The goal is to deliver repeatable and scalable offerings to the market.

More specifically, through the Partner Plus program, Genpact is working with partners to: 

·         Leverage combined expertise to solve clients’ toughest business problems  

·         Build new managed services offerings that provide flexible outcome-based pricing models for clients

·  Provide best-in-breed digital technologies to accelerate digital transformation and competitive differentiation for its clients

“In an environment where our clients need to adapt to change and disrupt faster than ever, leveraging a partner ecosystem allows us to bring additional agility and speed to our transformation services,” said Scott Van Valkenburgh, Global Alliances Leader, Genpact. “Genpact’s partners benefit from our global delivery network, domain and process expertise and our digital- and analytics-led products and services, and we benefit from their range of targeted technology and services offerings.”

“Genpact’s comprehensive portfolio of products and services is well-poised to further integrate offerings from partner companies as part of a solid, formal program,” said Andy Efstathiou, Banking Sourcing Research Director, NelsonHall.

As one of the initial members of the Genpact Partner plus program, OneSource Virtual (OSV), a Workday platform as a service (PaaS) provider, and Genpact are working together to transform how companies run and operate their finance functions leveraging state-of-the-art digital technologies and process redesign.

“We are incredibly excited to be part of the Genpact Partner Plus Program. We are bringing two best-in-class companies together to uniquely solve client problems in innovative ways,” says Trey Campbell, CEO, OneSource Virtual. “Genpact and OSV are excited to explore new ways for companies to run and operate their organizations by streamlining business processes with technology, including state-of-the-art digital and analytics capabilities.”

Boeing’s HorizonX Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Aerospace Innovation in India

Boeing announced the launch of the Boeing HorizonX India Innovation Challenge 1.0 to energize aerospace innovation in India. The challenge is a collaboration with T-Hub, India's fastest growing startup engine.

The Boeing HorizonX India Innovation Challenge is aimed at attracting the best Indian startups to propose disruptive solutions to tackle complex challenges in the areas of autonomous and unmanned systems, advanced manufacturing, industrial IOT and automation, analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Entrepreneurs will be invited to present ideas on select themes that include drones and data application, factory productivity, supply chain, aircraft maintenance and services, passenger experience, defense, commercial and industrial uses.

“The Boeing HorizonX India Innovation Challenge 1.0 is our attempt to channelize India’s incredible talent and entrepreneurial energy for the future of innovation in aerospace and related areas,” said Pratyush Kumar, president, Boeing India. “The Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) provides a perfect backdrop for us to unleash a wave of innovation, both within and outside of Boeing.”

 “We are happy to be working with Boeing to identify the right startups and entrepreneurs for the Boeing HorizonX Challenge” said Jay Krishnan, CEO T-Hub. “In today’s age, innovation is fostered by collaboration rather than competition, resulting in co-creating possibilities for the future and a win-win partnership between startups and industry. T-Hub is playing an important role in bringing together the best companies and startups to work with each other, resulting in the most innovative and practical solutions.”

By leveraging the power of the world’s largest aerospace company, Boeing HorizonX globally invests in new business ventures, seeks opportunities through nontraditional partnerships, and assesses disruptive innovations and business strategies. The Boeing HorizonX Ventures portfolio includes investments in autonomous systems technology, wearable enabled technologies, augmented reality systems, hybrid-electric propulsion, advanced materials and artificial intelligence.

“Boeing has a vision to encourage a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem around the world, driven by our belief that innovation happens everywhere,” said Steve Nordlund, vice president, Boeing HorizonX. “We are proud to work with T-Hub and support Startup India to help local entrepreneurs further India’s potential to help define the future of aerospace.”

The 22-week long challenge kicks off today and will be open to startups across the country. Regional outreach events at T-Hub centers will be organized in Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai, followed by final selection in Hyderabad. The finalists will receive funding to participate in a three month accelerator program at T-Hub, where they will be mentored by Startup India, Boeing subject matter experts and industry experts to shape their ideas.

The winners of the competition will have opportunity to engage with Boeing on future partnerships. 

Modular, Containerised and Micro; the Future of the Data Center?

By Navin Andrade, General Manager - India, DCD

The future data center will need to accommodate whole new ways of storing, sharing and processing IT.  In a digitalized and cloud-reliant world, data centers will be required to provide increased services and, most likely, with constraints on the resources (such as power, skills, connectivity, money) with which to achieve this. Efficiency of operation has also to be a priority. The increased role of cloud and the greater efficiency of ‘on demand’ services need also to be factored in as companies move towards some form of hybrid IT arrangement by which cloud services or virtualised environments are used for some workloads and in-house or outsourced servers for others.

In terms of the future data center, modular, containerised and micro are often mentioned. None of these are particularly new forms of data center but each has in its way evolved to meet new challenges.   

Firstly, some definitions of what these three terms mean. The general principles of modularity is based on construction of a data center using infrastructural components that are prefabricated and which can then be assembled into an integrated whole and where components can be replaced as required.  This can be of use when building a data center in a remote location – the Verne Global data center at Keflavik in Iceland was prefabricated and shipped to site across the North Atlantic. The modular data center usually includes the componentry necessary for housing and supporting the IT with power, cooling and racks.  Increasingly, the modules may already include the IT or storage equipment and networking in a ‘preconfigured architecture’.  The IT equipment may be used to access cloud and virtualised environments. Modularity can be used for individual components within a data center that operate within discrete systems connected to the facility – UPS, for example.

Containerised data centers, known also as portable or ‘pod’ data centers, are a variant on this. They fit data center equipment (servers, storage and networking equipment) usually into a standard shipping container which is then transported to the required location.  This means that a data center may be deployed outside, possibly in remote or difficult locations, or as an overflow for a standard data center or they may be aggregated to form a data center ‘farm’.

The micro data center is a similar in principle to the containerised data center although less associated with the shipping container.  It tends to be smaller and more various in its form; again, it is self-contained but it is closer to the data equivalent of telecoms equipment where units are deployed in networks.  The micro data center is associated with the evolution of edge computing where smaller, robust and hi-spec devices are required to enable data collection, processing and transmission at the point where the data is generated (for example, within a smart home or city, within an autonomous vehicle or on a factory floor). 

All three of these have roles to play in the future development of the data center.  Modular construction will continue to increase as a proportion of all data center investment due largely to the growth of large data centers for the provision of colocation, cloud and related services.  This scale of data center requires an efficiency of operation to justify the scope of such operations.  It also requires scalability to meet changing demand.  The profile of modular build is seen to help enable this as capacity can be introduced quickly to meet demand efficiently.  Amazon, for example, reported at the end of 2016 that the new server capacity it now deploys every day would be enough to support its entire operations in 2005 when it was an online retailer (and when it was as large in capacity terms as many Fortune 500 companies today). Thus, modular solutions have facilitated a more dynamic, scalable and manageable environment where it is easier to control and in many cases customize IT and infrastructure equipment. This makes a modular approach a key component of the business and operational model for cloud data centers and both commercial and enterprise multi-tenant data centers.

Containerised data centers similarly have increased in deployment and in investment value 2016 to 2021 from an estimated USD 4.4 billion to USD 6.8 billion.  They will continue to be deployed in situations where a standard data center construction would be too slow or risky and will continue also to be used as ‘overflow’ units where capacity is stretched.  Yet containerised data centers running containerised applications such as Docker are seen to have a key role in enabling software to operate reliably when moved between computing environments, for example at different stages of development and production, and to do so using less computing power than a virtual system.  The use of ‘containers as a service’ avoids the situation whereby entire operating systems are used to run a single application, allowing more containers to be deployed when compared to an equivalent workload on a virtual machine. This is a fast-evolving, complex trend.

The forward trend in micro-data centers is possibly more difficult to project since it depends how edge processing evolves and the extent to which, for example, existing networking and processing equipment can be customized and programmed for the requirements of edge computing. As edge takes shape so investment in purpose-designed equipment will take off.    

Ninth Edition of Unisys Cloud 20/20 Tech Project Contest– Registrations Now Open

Unisys Corporation has announced that registration is open for the ninth edition of Cloud 20/20, the company’s annual flagship technical project contest in India.

Cloud 20/20 focuses on the creation of solutions for key disruptive trends such as data analytics using machine learning, security, Internet of Things (IoT) and future technologies, applied to address a range of challenges in government, financial services and commercial sectors. It is designed to encourage passion for technology and innovative thinking in tertiary students to address various technical challenges in the IT industry.

This contest is open to research students and postgraduates, as well as pre-final and final-year engineering students in Computer Science, Information Technology and other related disciplines. It allows students to test and refine their technical skills for industry readiness by collaborating with leaders in the industry as well as explore exciting career opportunities with Unisys. This edition of the contest will also introduce contestants’ ideas to incubators, entrepreneurs, investors and industry stalwarts who may help convert them into market-ready solutions.

K Nageswara Rao, Vice President, India Technology Center, Unisys said, "Unisys has always been at the helm of change within the IT industry. Cloud 20/20 started eight years ago, with the aim to identify the brightest minds in the country and equip them with the right skills to drive innovation in India and globally. Today it has become a premier event in the engineering student community. Through Cloud 20/20, we aim to create an ecosystem of innovation by nurturing talent and encouraging ideas that create positive disruptions for our marketplace.”

Unisys India’s campus outreach program involves working with engineering students from the second year of their course to help them be ready for ever-evolving industry demands through informative demonstrations, educational roadshows, webinars and knowledge sharing sessions led by industry experts. 

Ravikumar Sreedharan, Managing Director, Unisys India and Head - Global Delivery Network, Unisys said, “Technology is integral to all walks of life, and Millennials are the driving force for future innovation. To address the unforeseen challenges and opportunities, from security threats to automation and things we haven’t even thought of yet, we must encourage and equip Millennials to be innovative and ready for the future. Through longstanding initiatives such as Cloud 20/20, we aim to enable students not only to explore potential career opportunities with our company, but also play a dynamic role in the digital revolution."

The contest concludes in April 2018 in Bengaluru, where the finalists will demonstrate their technical projects to a panel of industry experts. The winning teams will share a prize pool valued at Rs 4.25 lakhs.

Registrations for the ninth edition of Cloud 20/20 will close on December 31, 2017. Visit the Cloud 20/20 website for more information on Cloud 20/20 Year 9 and registration details.

Ezeego1.com Opens Second Travel Services Franchise Store in JP Nagar, Bangalore

Ezeego1.com, a global travel market place, opened its second franchise store in Bangalore to cater to the growing travel demands in the city. Managed by Kandha Kumar, the outlet is located at Navodayanagar, JP Nagar 7^th phase, Bangalore, and will provide a bouquet of travel services from leading travel suppliers from India and overseas. Services like flight tickets, hotels, packages, rail and cruise holidays are provided on a single platform from a diverse mix of travel suppliers offering best in class offerings and services.

Speaking at the launch, Neelu Singh, CEO & Director, Ezeego1, said, “Distribution is the key to success in the growing travel market and the opening of our new franchise will help us gain a foothold in this market. Our offerings are curated from a slew of travel aggregators and we enable and distribute it through our platform.’’ 

Ezeego1 will provide the franchisee with an active marketing, technical and store development support. The marketing activity will include print and radio advertising, attractive and preferential commercials. Store development support will include store designing to reinforce the brand’s look and feel. Training and technical support will be provided to all franchisee staff to effectively address the changing technology and enhance customer interface.

Travellers can choose from a wide variety of group tour summer packages to domestic destinations like Ladakh, Andaman, Sikkim, Himachal, Goa and Kashmir and international destinations like Europe, South Africa, Dubai, Thailand, Mauritius, Hong Kong, Singapore, amongst many others. The store will also offer only- veg tours for travellers who have a vegetarian or Jain food preference.

To book packages, travelers can visit the Ezeego1 store at #16/A, 4TH CROSS, 1ST MAIN ROAD, NAVODAYANAGAR,  JP NAGAR 7TH PHASE, BANGALORE,560078, or call Kandha Kumar on +91 9538455568.

Ezeego1.com is a global travel market place that provides end-to-end travel related services from leading travel suppliers from India and overseas, including flight bookings, online hotel reservations, holidays & package tours, car rentals, train ticket booking, bus tickets, cruises and more. Founded in 2006, Ezeego1.com helps you find the best deals on air bookings on all Indian & International Airlines flight deals.

Ezeego1.com is the first online portal to be ISO 9001:2008. Ezeego1.com offers real time information and transaction capability online. It uses the best technology platform in the Indian travel industry and employs a unique Single Window platform for multiple services. Ezeego1.com has safe and reliable online and offline payment options, which help cater to customers in any part of India.

Muthoot Finance Eyes 10% Growth With New Gold Loan Scheme for SMEs in India

Muthoot Finance, the leading gold financing company, has launched a new loan scheme targeted to small and medium enterprises for their working capital requirements. Under the scheme, Muthoot Finance will disburse gold loans above Rs 10 Lakh at an interest rate of 12% per annum which is very attractive as compared to prevailing interest rate offered by banks (approximately 14-15%). The company hopes to scale up its SME sector growth from 4% to 10% by end of this fiscal or first quarter of next fiscal.

George Muthoot Alexander, Executive Director, Muthoot Finance said, “We are delighted to announce the new gold loan scheme. This is a unique offer, which will benefit all sections of clientele. The company expects to grow its customer base in this high ticket loan category from currently 4% to 10% by Q1FY2019 (June 2018). This loan will be now available through all 4200 branches, including the 487 branches in Karnataka.”

The Muthoot Group has 18 diversified divisions and 4500 plus branches with global presence. Over 2,53,000 customers visit The Muthoot Group branches every day. The story of The Muthoot Group is built on the foundations of passion, commitment, honesty, traditions and values.

Muthoot Finance Ltd, the flagship company of The Muthoot Group was founded in 1939, by M. George Muthoot. The company today is India’s largest and the world’s biggest gold loan company. With a holding of 146 tonnes of gold, Muthoot Finance is also one of the companies to hold the largest gold reserves in the country.

Muthoot Finance has 487 branches in Karnataka which are administered through 9 regional offices. Bangalore has the highest number of 250 branches. As of today, the group has generated employment to 2,614 people in the state. AUM (Assets under Management) in Karnataka is Rs. 3,365 crore in H1FY18. The company till date has served the total customer base of 11,80,374. Muthoot branches witnesses average walk – ins of 18,963 customers daily.  Every day our branches disbursed 6,262 gold loans.  The average value of gold loan is Rs. 35,000 and the company disburses Rs. 21.91 crore everyday in the state.

Through transparent, fully automated system and procedure, Muthoot Finance has become the preferred choice of a variety of customers be it farmers, entrepreneurs, traders, businessmen or housewives. Muthoot Gold Loans has revolutionized the concept of retail gold loan in the country. People from all walks of life have realized that gold can be released from its idle state in the house lockers to create more opportunities and fuel economic growth.

The company is continuously focusing on diversifying the overall investment products. During FY17, Muthoot Finance acquired 64.60% in equity share capital of Belstar Investment and Finance Private Limited (BIFPL), an RBI registered micro finance NBFC. Its loan portfolio grew by 114% at Rs. 567crore in FY17 with profit after tax of Rs.10 crore as against PAT of Rs.6 crore.

The company also acquired 100% stake in Muthoot Insurance Brokers Pvt Limited, an IRDA registered Direct Broker in insurance products. It generated a first year premium collection amounting to Rs. 70 crore during FY17 as against Rs. 48 crore during previous year.

During FY17, company increased its shareholding in the housing finance company - Muthoot Homefin (India) Ltd from 79% to 88.27%. Its loan portfolio increased by Rs. 409 crore at Rs. 441 crore. Total revenue for FY17 stood at Rs. 24 crore as against Rs.2 crore in FY16. It achieved a profit after tax of Rs. 2.87 crore during the FY17 as against Rs.1.36 lakhs.

During the year, Company increased its shareholding in the Sri Lankan subsidiary - Asia Asset Finance PLC. It increased its loan portfolio by 26% at LKR 866 crore in FY17. Total revenue for FY17 stood at LKR 213crore as against LKR 139crs in FY16. It generated a profit after tax of LKR 28 crore during the year as against previous year profit after tax of LKR 18 crore.