Gartner Predicts Up to Two-Thirds of iPaaS Vendors Will Not Survive By 2023

Although the market for integration platform as a service (iPaaS) shows strong growth, the first signs of market consolidation are starting to emerge. Gartner, Inc. predicts that by 2023, up to two-thirds of existing iPaaS vendors will merge, be acquired or exit the market.

“The challenge for most iPaaS vendors is that their business is simply not profitable,” said Bindi Bhullar, senior research director at Gartner. “Revenue growth and increasing customer acceptance can’t keep up with the costs for running the platform and the heavy spending in sales and marketing.”

Megavendors such as Oracle, Microsoft and IBM are better-equipped to handle those challenges as they offer more-competitive offerings with more-aggressive pricing and packaging options than smaller players in the market. Gartner expects that this trend will continue, further diminishing the market share of specialist iPaaS players.

“For organizations looking to purchase an iPaaS solution, this is good news,” said Mr. Bhullar. “They can capitalize on the evolving market dynamics by solving short-term/immediate problems today, while preparing to adopt another iPaaS offering from an alternative vendor as the expected market consolidation accelerates through 2023.”

However, market consolidation means an increased risk that platform services will be discontinued due to the vendor exiting the market or being acquired. “Buyers should minimize exposure to vendor risk by adopting platforms that can deliver short-term payoffs, so that the cost of any eventual replacement can be more easily justified,” Mr. Bhullar added.

RPA Spend to Reach Over $2 Billion in 2022

Gartner estimates that global spending on robotic process automation (RPA) software will total $2.4 billion in 2022, up from $680 million in 2018. This increase in spending is primarily driven by the necessity for organizations to rapidly digitize and automate their legacy processes as well as enable access to legacy applications through RPA. “Organizations are adopting RPA when they have a lot of manual data integration tasks between applications and are looking for cost-effective integration methods,” said Saikat Ray, senior research director at Gartner.

Gartner predicts that by the end of 2022, 85 percent of large and very large organizations will have deployed some form of RPA. Mr. Ray added that 80 percent of organizations that completed proofs of concept and pilots in 2018 will aim to scale RPA implementations and increase RPA spending in 2019.

This shows that the technology is viable and has the desired effects. However, application leaders who are new to the technology should start with a simple RPA use case and work with internal stakeholders to identify more applicable processes.

Moving forward, Gartner expects more organizations to slowly discover that RPA offers benefits beyond cost optimization. RPA technology can support productivity and increase client satisfaction when combined with other artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as chatbots, machine learning and applications based on natural language processing (NLP).

Consider the example of a client complaining that their invoice is showing the wrong amount. Chatbots engage with the client to understand the initial issue and delegate to a RPA bot to reconcile the invoice against the actual order entry record at the back-end. The RPA bot performs the matching transaction and sends the result back to the chatbot. The chatbot processes the RPA response and intelligently answers the client.

Gartner clients can read more in the report: “Predicts 2019: Democratization of IT Requires Different Strategies for Integration.” More predictions for all aspects of the IT industry can be found in the Gartner Trend Insight Report “Predicts 2019: Leadership Means Expanding Options, Not Limiting Them,” a collection of research aimed at helping CIOs and IT leaders focus on how the landscape is shifting for individuals, businesses and IT organizations.

Affle Completes its Omni-Channel Consumer Platform with the Acquisition of Shoffr

Affle, a consumer intelligence driven mobile marketing company, has acquired Shoffr, a Singapore-based online to offline (O2O) platform that converts online consumer engagements into in-store walk-ins and transactions. As part of the transaction effective 19 February 2019, Shoffr Pte. Ltd.’s business, brand name, intellectual property rights, business relationships, technical information, assets and employees have been transferred to Affle Group.

Shoffr enables online to offline consumer journeys by converting online engagements into in-store walk-ins and transactions. It reveals offline retail stores inventories online via API and programmatic links and provides catalog management, order management with measurable ROI to retail brands.

This acquisition will strengthen the Affle group’s Consumer & Enterprise platforms by providing an integrated consumer journeys and allow brands to transparently attribute the impact of digital advertising on in-store footfalls and transactions.

Commenting on this acquisition, Anuj Khanna Sohum, the Chairman, MD and CEO of Affle said, “We are excited to announce the acquisition of Shoffr, which is our third acquisition after the Vizury Commerce Business and Market in the last 12 months. We welcome Shoffr’s team on-board who have joined us in our Singapore and India offices. With increasing influence of smartphone-based engagements on the retail purchase decision, we believe that Shoffr complements our existing Omnichannel Platform to enhance the ROI for brands through both online and offline transactions.”

Sharing his thoughts about this development, Abhishek Dadoo, CEO   & Founder of Shoffr Pte. Ltd., who has now joined Affle International as the Director, Omnichannel Platform, said, “We are glad to commence on this exciting journey together with the Affle group. Shoffr’s online to offline capability to drive in-store traffic is used by several retail brands in India & South East Asia and we look forward to growing Shoffr into an omni-channel platform by leveraging synergies with the Affle group. We believe that we will be able to see our vision for Shoffr, to deliver and measure end-to-end consumer journeys come to life.”

A recent report* by Frost & Sullivan India Pvt. Ltd. (“Frost & Sullivan”) states that e-commerce comprises one-tenth of the total global retail sales at USD 2.29 trillion. The report further states that the primary challenge for brands and retailers (both offline and online) is how to seek and target the right customer through digital avenues. With this acquisition, Affle will aim to leverage this market opportunity.

This acquisition comes after the Affle group’s acquisition of the Vizury Commerce Business in September 2018 and Affle Global Pte. Ltd.’s acquisition of the Markt in March 2018, which was consequently acquired by Affle International when it had acquired Affle Global Pte. Ltd.’s business effective July 1, 2018.

‘Idea Sakhi’, a Mobile Based Safety Service Launched Exclusively for Women

To address the increasingly felt, safety related concerns of women who wish to step out and do more, brand Idea has designed a unique mobile based solution, Idea Sakhi. It is a free of cost service available to all women customers using either prepaid or postpaid services of Idea, across the country. Accessible on both smartphones and basic feature phones, Idea Sakhi offers three extremely useful features - Emergency Alerts, Emergency Balance, and Private Number Recharge.

Launched during the International Women’s Week, this service has already been made available to women customers of Idea across AP & Telangana, Assam & North East, TN incl. Chennai, Kerala, Gujarat, J&K, Maha & Goa, MP & Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Bihar & Jharkhand, Kolkata and Rest of WB, Punjab and Odisha. It will be extended to all 22 circles within this month.

Launching the Idea Sakhi service, Avneesh Khosla, Operations Director - Marketing, Vodafone Idea Ltd. “Technology can help overcome barriers and solve problems in the life of the consumer. With almost half of our population being women, and 59% of them* using a mobile phone, we are in a unique position to extend the benefits of technology for their safety and security. With Idea Sakhi, we are taking forward our long-term commitment of driving inclusion and deploying technology to serve a social purpose.”

Idea Sakhi works on all smartphones and feature phones, and even if the customer does not have any voice or data balance - thus ensuring that the service can be easily accessible to women whenever they need to use it.

Women Customers can register and activate Idea Sakhi in two simple steps:

Step1: Call on a multi-lingual toll-free number 1800-123-100

Step2: Register Emergency Contacts (Friends & Family). Up to 10 mobile numbers can be saved as Emergency Contacts.

A registered Idea Sakhi customer will:

·         Receive a 10-digit proxy number, with which she can recharge her connection at any retail store without revealing her actual mobile number.

·         Receive 10 minutes of free local/STD calls, 10 SMS and 100MB data when her balance reaches < Re. 1 or if she exhausts her data pack.

To send an Emergency or a Safe Alert, the Sakhi user will need to:

●        Give a missed call to 55100 to send an Emergency Alert. A call, flash and SMS with the location and time details of the Sakhi user will be sent to the Emergency Contacts, alerting them.

●        Call 55100 and press 2 to send a Safe Alert. SMS with the location and time details of the Sakhi user will be sent to the Emergency Contacts, for assistance.

Speaking about the Idea Sakhi service, Sunita Bangard, National Brand Head – Idea, Vodafone Idea Ltd., said, “Brand Idea has always championed causes that help change lives. With Idea Sakhi, Brand Idea wishes to give women the freedom to live their lives and pursue their dreams and understand the need of women to feel safe when they step out of their homes. On this special occasion of International Women’s Week, we are happy to offer Idea Sakhi to the women of India, to feel more confident and safe - Ab idea Hai Udne Ka.”

Mashreq Global Services wins Big at Business Leader of the Year Awards 2019

Mashreq Global Services won dual accolades at Business Leader of the Year Awards’19 in a ceremony held in Mumbai reinforcing its leadership in banking and financial services.

Mashreq Global Services was adjudged as a winner of the awards for Most Admired Financial Services Provider and Organization with Best Employee Relations Practices in the Financial Services and HR categories respectively.
Mashreq Global Services being the leader in financial services have always encouraged the two dimensional impact on their business; firstly, Customer Experience and secondly, Cost Efficiency, making them the most admired financial service provider.

The awards recognize Mashreq Global Services and their leaders which have demonstrated a sustained commitment to organization development and effectiveness within their operating practices, and for the positive efforts made by the organization to cement strong relations with its staff.

With intensive efforts in enhancing brand awareness, complete revamp of the HR policies and processes and focused employee engagement initiatives, Mashreq Global Services has continually created an exemplary culture that drives performance through healthy employee relations within the workplace.

Speaking on this occasion, Mr. Santhosh Mahalingam, Managing Director, Mashreq Global Services said, “This dual win is a testament of our efforts over the years to not only be a leader in the Financial Services space and work on some of the latest breakthrough technologies, but also creating a healthy and inclusive workplace with employee friendly policies and practices. We truly rely on the strength of our people and believe that motivated, engaged and knowledgeable employees will provide the best services and contribute to the long term success of our company.”

A platform for transformational leaders across the globe, the Business Leader of the Year recognizes leaders which have performed exceptionally well and made a meaningful difference to the society, and the awards are their most coveted awards in Finance and HR categories.

X1 Racing League Launches X1 Esports League in Indian Market

Xtreme1 Racing League or X1 Racing League, world's first franchise-based motorsport league announced an iconic India-centric initiative christened “X1 eSports League” (X1EL). X1 eSports League will present a platform and opportunity for youth and aspiring racers to fulfill their dreams of being a professional race car driver. With this, the promoters have finalized the offering under the X1 brand, X1 Racing League and X1 eSports League. Being a tried-and-tested formula at the highest levels of motorsports including Formula1, X1 is confident to find India’s next big race car driver through this grassroot program.

X1 Racing League is founded by country’s top international young car racers Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel and sanctioned by The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

X1 eSports League is soon going to organize a countrywide virtual car racing competition for men and women. X1 E-sports will set a benchmark in India’s gaming and racing history by paving out a way for individuals from virtual games to real life tracks. X1EL will be held across the major cities in India in colleges and malls.

X1 Racing League has done a surprising amount of work blending the real world and virtual reality, developed a virtual racing platform wherein the participants will get to compete head to head on accurately modelled tracks using simulator operations. X1 eSports League will be open to anyone and everyone from layman to a professional gamer.

Armaan Ebrahim says, Esports is certainly getting bigger and bigger, and has become the go to hunting ground for young and aspiring race drivers. We are seeing Formula 1 integrate Esports and there are certainly immense possibilities for this in our country too. There is a huge potential untapped in our country when it comes to esports racing or even real track racing. With the inception of our India centric esports competition, X1 Esports we are moving a step towards filling that void.

Aditya Patel says, we are delighted to announce our Esports competition as a part of X1. I believe it is the dream of every youngster to be professional race driver, all geared up in a high-speed racing car. With the onset of X1 Esports in India we are no just aiming aim to give a recognition to the esports culture and e-racers/gamers, but we also try to bring out the best of the talents and train them to represent India in real racing on world level.

Registrations for participation in the X1EL will open both online as well as offline medium one week prior to the commencement of competitions in each city. Anyone above the age of 15 years will be eligible to register for X1 eSports League irrespective of their profession and gender. With the purpose to make this historic and landmark concept accessible to maximum people, registrations will be done free of cost and will be on first-come-first-serve basis. Specifics about the registration process will be announced on the X1 website and social media channels.

X1 eSports League competitions will be held in 8 different cities. Individuals will compete on an esports racing simulator over the span of 7 days in each city. 50 individuals will be selected from each city based on best lap times to participate in the finals. Top 5 winners with the best lap times will be announced at the end of the competition and will bag a chance to be part of a professional racing team and test drive the X1 Racing League car.

Winners of the competition will not just experience their high-octane dream coming true but will also get once in a lifetime opportunity to get trained as professional racers under the guidance of country’s top international car racers Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel.

CropIn Concludes First Phase of CCE Pilot Studies in Partnership With Central Government of India

The Central government has partnered with CropIn along with nine other research institutions and private agencies, to make the Crop Cutting Experiments (CCE) more accurate, swift and scalable. The CCE optimization initiative using cutting edge technologies was carried out by the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Centre's flagship crop insurance programme, and monitored by Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC). The objectives of these pilot studies were two-fold: (1) Optimisation of number of crop cutting experiments to bring it to more manageable levels, (2) A robust and self managed claim dispute resolution mechanism which enables swift resolution of claim disputes. The pilot studies, were initiated in September 2018, and concluded with the CCE of Rabi crops in Feb 2019.

The PMFBY requires the states to carry out minimum four crop-wise CCE in every gram panchayat for the submission of the yield data to insurance companies within 30 days of harvest. The government has traditionally been using a random survey method to estimate the crop yields of a given location. However, considering that there are 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in India, it is challenging to conduct reliable and accurate CCE in the country at scale within a short harvesting window. Applying technology to the otherwise rudimentary and time-consuming process of CCE will expedite risk assessment when processing insurance claims and loan applications made by farmers under the PMFBY.

CropIn is currently conducting CCE through its scalable yield mapping technology through remote sensing in the Koppal and Bellary districts of Karnataka. CropIn's SmartFarm and SmartRisk collectively enables accurate and efficient execution of CCE, resulting in timely clearance of claims. Given that India is a country of small-hold/marginal farmers, CropIn's technology can also be used to evaluate varied/smaller unit areas, thereby rationalizing the entire process of CCE.

For conducting CCE experiments that are a lot more scientific and less arbitrary, SmartRisk™, an award winning AI- and ML- powered digital platform by CropIn, makes use of ground-level data and satellite imagery to identify the plots that are apt for these experiments. Millions of data points are analysed and run through proprietary AI & ML models to zero in on farm plots that will represent the most accurate sample for the region. With the help of this data, government officials can easily identify the right plots that should be included in the study, removing all ambiguity from the process of selection. The benefits of technologically-aided CCE are not just limited to choosing the right sample for study. Apart from offering a more optimized method of plot selection, this platform also helps in providing the government and insurance companies with scientific, scalable, and accurate reports for processing of insurance claims and crop yield assessments.

SmartFarm—CropIn’s digital farm management solution—captures the precise location and size of the farm and the details of the farmer at the time of conducting the CCE. This ensures the field data is accurate, enabling complete visibility and transparency in the CCE process.

CropIn improves the operational efficiency of CCE at scale by providing centralized access to regional/unit area data points to government and insurance companies. The company applies complex algorithms for the smart-sampling of crops. CropIn's Smartfarm gives complete control of the process to all stakeholders. Right from identifying the crop being grown in a unit area, harvest readiness of the crops to determining the optimal crop yield points, stakeholders can leverage the data points to carry out CCE effectively. The CCE process is executed by field agents and the data is updated to SmartFarm for the perusal of government. Based on the crop insurance guidelines defined by PMFBY, a crop yield threshold is adhered to for claim clearance.

Even though Indian farmers have access to subsidized insurance policies, claiming coverage or availing credit is not without challenges. CCE needs the intervention of technology to make the process, objective, accurate and fair. Government and private agtech companies are teaming up to solve these challenges jointly.

R&M Acquires Optimum Fiber Optics Inc Strengthens its US Business

The Swiss cabling specialist, R&M, has announced the acquisition of Optimum Fiberoptics Inc., a U.S. fiber optic cable and connectivity specialist based in Elkridge, Maryland. Founded in 1997, Optimum is a premium manufacturer and supplier of fiber management products for the commercial, industrial and governmental market. It has developed strong customer relationships in Washington D.C. and the Mid-Atlantic states supported by its quality products and its agility to provide customized solutions within short lead-times.

"Optimum is an excellent addition to our current activities based out of our North American Headquarters in the Silicon Valley and will enable us to accelerate our ambitious growth strategy," says Markus Huber, Executive Vice President R&M North America. "We are excited about the new opportunities. Optimum is ideally located to serve our existing customer base on the East Coast as well as to target new customer groups. Furthermore, it will give us excellent access to the fast-growing data center market area in Washington D.C. and Northern Virginia."

With its new location on the East Coast, R&M can offer the full range of its products and services nationwide. Further investments will follow over the next 24 months to further strengthen R&M's presence in the North American market. 

Jay Megan, Co-Founder of OPTIMUM, says "Over the last 20 years, we have built excellent customer relationships through our in-depth expertise in fiber optic technology and our ability to react quickly on customer needs. We are proud to become part of R&M and are convinced that with the additional resources and technology we can take our business to the next level."