Booking Holdings Survey: “The Next Billion in India” Will Use the Internet to Advance Their Social Standing

Booking Holdings, the global leader in online accommodations and travel e-commerce, conducted a study to explore the impact of digital transformation in Asia and gain insight into how increased Internet access will affect the burgeoning population in the region.  According to the study titled “The Next Billion Online,” Internet access in India is considered to be a ‘fundamental right’ and a basic necessity. Around 95 percent of respondents in India believe that the “Next Billion in India” will use the Internet a useful and empowering tool to advance their social standing.

Interestingly, 88 percent of tech experts and opinion leaders believe that if the Next Billion gained access to the Internet, there will be economic growth, 84 percent feel that there will be social improvement and 65 percent believe that it will cause political advancement.

Booking Holdings surveyed more than 1,000 digital leaders and experts in Asia’s three most populous countries, China, India and Indonesia, to better understand their communities’ expectations, aspirations and areas of caution for the digital future. Findings reveal that rising Internet penetration rates across Asia are expected to match those in Western markets, with another one billion people signing up online. With Internet access increasing alongside a growing number of users, India’s economic opportunity is anticipated to boom due to new learning opportunities presented online. While 75 percent of them will spend time on social media, a close 71 percent will use it for news. Around 67 percent of them will use it for Voice/Video calls, 64 percent will use the Internet to send messages and 59 percent will use it for research.

“Looking at the ways in which respondents anticipate the Next Billion using the Internet, a picture emerges of aspirations waiting to be unleashed. When these consumers are finally connected to the Internet, it is likely to accelerate a whole range of areas including the retail market, the job market and leisure and entertainment landscape.” said Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking Holdings, speaking on the findings.

The “Next Billion Online” research study also revealed an attitude change similar to that seen in Western markets a decade ago. The Indian population is beginning to embrace Internet access as a human right due to its ubiquity and vital role in providing the connectivity and opportunity needed to advance in society today. Additionally, the survey found:

96 percent of Indian tech experts and opinion leaders, agree that acceptance and trust in new technology will drive Internet adoption in India
95 percent of Indian tech experts and opinion leaders agree that better network infrastructure, Internet education and affordable Internet devices and strong Internet policy initiative by the government will drive Internet adoption in India
86 percent of Indian tech experts and opinion leaders think that expanding the Internet will unify the people of India.
74 percent of Indian respondents consider the Internet access a necessity and call it a “fundamental right”.
69 percent of Indian tech experts and opinion leaders strongly agree that Indian society on a whole is supportive of the Internet, and young generations want to use the Internet
64 percent Indian experts strongly agree that the next billion will use the Internet to become more educated and 54 percent will use them for economic gains
India is projected to have the second largest Internet user base and is a market of interest for major technology companies. As per International Telecommunications Union, in 2018 number of smartphone users in India grew by 16 percent - the fastest growth rate in the world
One of the most notable and economically significant impacts of the connectivity expansion in Asia has been the corresponding improvement in the lives of women and girls: 47 percent of overall respondents said that gender inequality was a barrier to Internet adoption in their country. Around 86 percent said that increased gender equality would drive adoption, and 91 percent said greater digital participation would also improve gender equality in their country.

Although Internet use continues to grow in Asia, barriers to access remain. Respondents identified a range of barriers to digital participation which must be removed if the next generation of Asian Internet users is to gain maximum benefit from going online. With findings pointing to the dominance of English being one of the biggest barriers to Internet adoption in these three countries, the study points to a dichotomy of sorts. Internet connectivity provides the potential to access information and education (including language skills), but if new internet users do not already speak a commonly used language, then the potential benefits of the internet usage remain out of reach.

Having identified these issues, there is opportunity for governments and organizations alike to help overcome these barriers. The value of effective localization has long been recognized. What’s more, this challenge is also an opportunity, primarily for people in Asia. The demand for high-quality localized content is here and it’s going to grow massively over the next decade. Unlocking the barriers of adoption will itself release even more growth, for Asia and for the world economy.

Association of Anti-Virus Asia Researchers (AVAR) Appoints J Kesavardhanan as its First CEO

K7 Computing Private Limited today announced that it’s Founder and Chairman, J Kesavardhanan, has been elected as the first Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Association of Anti-Virus Asia Researchers (AVAR). Founded in 1998, AVAR is an independent non-profit organization established with the mission of countering the spread of malware and mitigating its impact. It is the pre-eminent anti-malware research conference in the APAC region, facilitating interactions among anti-virus and malware researchers from across 17 countries, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, and the USA.

K7 Computing has been an active member of AVAR and a strong advocate of collaboration and cooperation among cybersecurity researchers and experts in their shared mission to protect consumers and enterprises from cyber threats.

Commenting on his appointment, J Kesavardhanan, Founder and Chairman, K7 Computing said; “It is my privilege and honor to become the first Chief Executive Officer of AVAR. AVAR is a one-of-a-kind platform, created for anti-virus and malware researchers to engage in collaborative work to prevent the spread of cyberattacks and damage caused by it. It gives me an opportunity to work towards ensuring that proper exchange of information and knowledge on various aspects of cybersecurity take place between the member organizations consistently.”He further added; “Cybersecurity is a subject of National significance in India as well as in many other countries. The Governments are putting their best foot forward in dealing with cybersecurity incidents as well as in preventing them. Going forward, I aim to reach out to them to get their active participation in AVAR.”

Kesavardhanan, plans to develop AVAR as a platform that will cater to industries which are most affected by cyber threats and inspire them to get associated with AVAR.

On the new addition to the AVAR leadership team, Mr. Seiji Murakami, Founder, AVAR said; “I am very glad to see AVAR flourishing so well. AVAR has been embraced well by the cybersecurity vendor and anti-malware research communities during the past 21 years.” He further added; “Kesavardhanan has a great understanding and experience of the cybersecurity domain. I am certain, through his knowledge, drive, and leadership, he will take AVAR to the next level of increased collaboration, knowledge sharing and improved outcomes. I wish him huge success in his new role.”

K7 Computing recently hosted the annual AVAR Conference in Goa, India and previously hosted AVAR in Chennai, India in 2013. The International security conference in its 21st year saw one of the largest gathering of cybersecurity experts, researchers, product developers and eminent speakers from around the world, engaging in panel discussions and paper presentations.

About K7 Computing Private Limited

K7 Computing is a global provider of leading IT security solutions for enterprises and consumers. Incorporated in 1991, K7 Computing has its registered office in Chennai and a strong presence in all Indian states. With more than 20,000 channel partners, K7 Computing is protecting more than 25 million customers worldwide against the threats to their IT environment.

K7 Computing has always believed in offering completely indigenous security products to its users worldwide. The recent notification from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on procurement of 100% indigenous cybersecurity products establishes K7 Computing as the sole Indian player to comply with the Public Procurement Order 2018 for Cyber Security Products.

K7 Computing was accepted as the first Indian anti-virus company in Japan, partnering with SourceNext to distribute K7 Total Security under the name ‘Virus Security Zero’. SourceNext Corporation is Japan’s top-most domestic PC software seller with access to more than 25,000 retail shelves across the country. The widely acclaimed product commands a major market share in the retail segment in Japan.

Prachi Garg Releases Latest Novel ‘Legends of a Start-Up Guy’ in Bangalore

India's leading adventure travel influencer, women entrepreneur and award winning author Prachi Garg released her latest novel ‘Legends of a Start-Up Guy’ at a formal book launch event to be held at Sapna Book House, Residency Road in Bangalore on Sunday, 10th March 2019 at 5:00 pm. The book has been published by New Delhi based publishing house, Srishti Publishers & Distributors and is priced at Rs. 175 /- .

The book launch was followed by a brief discussion on the authors life journey and the book. Prachi spoke about her experiences throughout her journey, her inspirations, her book-writing process and also answered questions from the audience.

Prachi is the founder of Ghoomophiro, which is an organization that promotes women travel and is completely run by women only. They run and promote all women tours, where they try to accommodate and empower maximum number of women vendors ( Drivers, tour guides , cooks etc). They also promote solo women travel and plan out complete tours for them.

Prachi Garg started her travel journey with her sister Himadri Garg in early 2007. In the past 12 years, the two sisters have travelled to the most remote and unexplored parts of the country. In the year 2010 she decided to take her passion to the next level to help other solo women also chase their travel dreams. This eventually lead to the birth of their travel start-up http://www.ghoomophiro.com.

Prachi’s book, ‘The Legends of a Start-up Guy’ is a tale of someone who was born with a silver spoon and yet, decided to write his own destiny, on his own terms and to bring meaning to his existence out of the shadows of his lineage. It is the story of how an entrepreneur is born, the story of his challenges, and his actions to sail through them, carefully interwoven with stories from the Hindu mythology, to bring to the table the wisdom of the gods.

In the past, Prachi  has authored  books like ”Superwomen”, the book that talks about the journeys of women entrepreneurs, "Supercouples" which is about couple-preneurs and their journey of balancing the relationship and work. “Supersiblings” was the 3rd in series and captures the essence of sibling and startup together. All her books feature many leading business tycoons from across the country.

“I am extremely thrilled to be back here in Bangalore for the launch of my latest book. I have put a lot of heart and soul into this one and  I do hope my readers enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it” said Prachi Garg, speaking on the book.

Prachi has interacted with students across over 50 colleges in India. She has delivered lectures at many IIT's, IIM's and many leading premiere institutes across the country. She has spoken across topics that include entrepreneurship, travel, writing, motivation, goal setting etc.

Blurb of the book:

‘Legends of a Start-Up Guy’ is a tale of Ganesha. Ganesha is jovial, intelligent and the youngest in the family. A foodie by heart and laid back by nature, always looking for ways to make life easier. Despite being born to the all-powerful Shiva and Parvati, with Uncle Vishnu and aunts Lakshmi and Saraswati to back him at every point in life, he has to battle through many ups and downs to establish his individual identity, just like his accomplished brother, Skanda. Under layers of perfection, benevolence and jovial extravaganza was a young boy battling to be found for who he really was.

Tata Motors Bags Orders of Over 2500 units’ of Commercial Passenger Vehicles from Institutional Customers

Continuing with its commitment to provide best-in-class solutions for public transportation, Tata Motors, India’s largest commercial vehicle player today announced that they are working towards delivering over 2500 units orders from institutional customers. The recent one being, an order of 1045 buses from Gujarat State Roadways Transport Corporation (GSRTC) and 1000 Winger ambulances from National Health Mission (NRHM), Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal and Haryana. Tata Motors has bagged 65% of the orders for Fully built buses to provide passenger comfort and convenience and offers Annual Maintenance Contracts on 400 of these buses for maintenance of ITS systems as value added services to customers.

Mr. Girish Wagh, President- CVBU, Tata Motors, said, “The demand for public transportation is rapidly increasing in India with government’s thrust towards providing smart, safe and convenient mode of commute to the citizens. Tata Motors acknowledges the forward thinking and proactive approach of various STUs and the bus body regulatory institutes for providing such contemporary buses to passengers. We take great pride in partnering with various STU’s in delivering best-in-class solutions, and to create and maintain a sustainable mass public transportation system. We have always encouraged our customers to adopt latest technologies, helping them to lower their total operating costs and expand their user base & ridership.”

Tata Motors today offers a comprehensive range of buses catering to an entire gamut of day-to-day travelling needs - from luxurious intercity travel options, to safe transport and driver-friendly choices. The company has pioneered technological innovations in the bus segment and are fully equipped with a range of solutions powered by alternate fuels such as Hybrid, Electric, CNG, LNG and Articulated buses to meet the future transportation needs of the ‘Envisaged Smart Cities’,  aimed at reducing pollution and promoting an eco-friendly transport system in the country. With an extensive product portfolio of future ready buses, Tata Motors will continue to play an active role in mass public transportation, with a commitment towards striking the right balance between sustainable growth and profitability.

Ubuntu - The Consortia of Women Entrepreneurs Associations Launched on International Women's Day

Government of Karnataka, in association with AWAKE, the Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Karnataka, celebrated the International Women’s Day and launched Ubuntu, the consortia of women entrepreneurs Associations, at IAS Officers Club, Bengaluru, 8th March.

Women entrepreneurs and officials from various women's associations were present at the programme and extended their support to women entrepreneurship.

The programme was inaugurated by Gaurav Gupta, Principal Secretary - Commerce and Industries, IT, Biotech and Science and Technology and Retired IAS officer and former Karnataka Chief Secretary K Ratna Prabha.

Ubuntu was launched by Principal Secretary Gaurav Gupta, in the presence of Ms. Ratna Prabha and the nine founding members of Ubuntu.

The brain behind forming the consortia, Ratna Prabha, introducing Ubuntu, stressed on the need for women to move forward by empowering and encouraging each other. Ubuntu focusses on entrepreneurship development of women, she explained.

She said that Ubuntu has been launched with the spirit of “I am because we are.” The consortia aims at reducing the gap between rural and urban entrepreneurship and slowly merge them. It also intends to have a holistic approach towards development of women tackling major concerns like health, education, security, financial support under one umbrella, she added.

Ratna Prabha asserted that without women there's no balance as they play a very crucial part in society. The government too has the responsibility on them to account for women's contribution and acknowledge and give value that they deserve, she said. She called on the women entrepreneurs to be good entrepreneurs as well as  good human beings. The only way forward is to help and encourage each other and achieve progress together, she felt.

In his keynote address, Gaurav Gupta said technology has been a great leveller in the society. Because of technology, women have been able to work and achieve on equal footage with men. He said the Karnataka Government has been taking several steps to encourage women entrepreneurs. He said the Government has introduced 'Chethana' project, in association with Samsung and Infosys, targeted at girl students of Government schools across Karnataka. Through this, 500 girl students will be mentored at a week-long training camp, he said. He also noted that there are special preference for women entrepreneurs in all the incubation programme by Karnataka Government. He advised the women entrepreneurs to not only concentrate on the conventional mode of business but also integrate new-age entrepreneurial systems and opportunities.

The inaugural event was followed by insightful sessions by Wanitha Ashok and Roopashri Kathri. Urban and Rural women entrepreneurs shared their success stories on the occasion.

Ms. Shalini Rajneesh, Principal Secretary Primary and Secondary Education, several members of several associations of women entrepreneurs such as AWAKE, Emerge, COWE, KASSIA, WEKAS, LAMP were present on the occasion. 

New Trihund Software Incorporates Robotics Solutions in India

Technology software solutions provider Trihund Solutions has commenced a relaunch of their pioneer software brand ‘SamayLa.’  The new software brand, WorkKey incorporates robotic process automation and the use of new-age interfaces that allow data to be used between multiple applications.

With its intuitive features, WorkKey represents a forward leap in business process automation. The company has undertaken a major review of the platform’s access, uptake, and usage. The redesign simplifies the setup process, improves ease of use  allows a high level of customization. As such, WorkKey  offers economy of scope in which the principles of automation can be brought to bear on the smallest tasks.

Trihund Solutions brings to the emergent field of workflow management a philosophy that encourages simplicity in organizing voluminous data such as email. Its pioneering SamayLa software was based on a patent-filed nested structure that uses templates to organize data generated by complex projects and vast teams. The new WorkKey software provides email integration and crystal clear communication channels featuring high-quality video calls, along with high end automation processes like audits, agent management system, AI assist and project management.

What’s changed?

WorkKey creates logical mind maps using pre-defined templates and state-of-the art dashboards. It maps work into logical categories and drastically reduces time spent on repeat communications.  Adoption of the new brand improves the efficiency with which an organization can handle large volumes of data generated by business processes and large teams. Most importantly, it helps in building a healthy work culture with clear accountability across the organisation. The underlying technology based on micro services and a new tech stack, which makes the product way faster in terms of performance. New modules and features have been incorporated to increase usability of the product; thus it offers chat, video calling, voice calling, group calling,  email support, FAQs, and so on. This reduces the dependency on client support people and further accelerates adoption in the organization.

About WorkKey

An algorithmically designed logical tree structure which ensures that your work is mapped into logical categories and the communication is contextual. This drastically reduces the time spent on repeat communication and further aligns reporting which results in ensuring efficiency. In the long run, WorkKey adoption in an organisation builds a healthy meritocratic work culture with clear accountability. The minimalistic, simple design ensures focus on productivity and what matters most to ensure smooth communication. The patent-filed nested task structure makes the platform flexible. Customization capabilities along with the focus on security ensure that the product can be deployed in minimal time across an organization.

About Trihund Solutions

Trihund Solutions provides practical and easily implementable technology solutions to the challenges faced by large organisations due to the ever changing work scenarios. With a focus on simplicity backed by robust security standards, Trihund’s products help organizations focus on results. With options of customization and the ability to automate processes, Trihund provides solutions which custom fit the needs of organisations and aim to serve as a bridge while moving from legacy systems to new-age applications that incorporate  the latest advances in design, technology and security.

Delhi-Ghaziabad Metro Line to Provide Access to Interior Ghaziabad, Lucknow Gets its First Underground Metro

 

TATA Projects Limited, one of India's fastest growing and most admired infrastructure companies announced the inauguration of its 2 major Metro Rail projects for Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation  (DMRC) by the Prime Minister of India,  Narendra Modi.

Delhi Metro Project (Dilshad Garden-Ghaziabad)

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has inaugurated its INR 778 crore first line extension constructed by TATA Projects led JV. This 9.63 km Dilshad Garden-Ghaziabad New Bus Adda elevated extension is along the first line alignment and includes a 170-metre bridge across the Hindon River. Work on this Delhi Metro first line extension commenced on December 2014 and includes stations such as Shahid Nagar, Raj Bagh, Rajender Nagar, Shyam Park, Mohan Nagar, Arthala, Hindon and New Bus Adda. This is the first metro line to reach the interiors of Ghaziabad and will be a boon for millions of commuters who travel to Delhi for work or other purposes each month.

Speaking on the inauguration of Delhi Metro’s new line, Mr. Rahul Shah, Chief Operating Officer (Urban Infra)  – TATA Projects, said, "We are proud to have executed these projects by adopting latest technologies and constructing in accordance with world-class standards. Executing projects in congested urban areas is always challenging but TATA projects’ used long formworks of 25m length for speedy construction, and minimal disruption to traffic”.

The stations have also been planned differently with two separate small buildings on either side of the alignment thereby allowing speedy construction through elevated viaduct and track laying remained independent of station buildings. The length of the platforms at all stations is 185 mts and height from the ground level is about 13.5 mts. In addition, all the stations have been designed with disabled friendly features.

Lucknow Metro Project (Hussainganj-Hazratganj)

Inauguration of LMRC’s First Underground Line Done by TATA Projects JV

Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) today inaugurated its Phase 1A (Underground) extension constructed by TATA Projects led JV. This 3.68 km Hussainganj-Hazratganj extension passes through the heart of Lucknow and its bustling areas. Work on Lucknow Metro 1A line commenced on April 2016 with expected completion of around April 2019. However, the sustained efforts of the LMRC and TATA Projects led execution team ensured completion much before schedule. This new metro line includes stations such as Hussainganj, Sachivalaya and Hazratganj.

“We are delighted to provide a world-class metro line to Lucknow. The new line will provide a fillip to development, ease commuting and serve nearby communities. Using latest technology, we have ensured completion before the deadline,” said Mr. Vinayak Deshpande Managing Director, TATA Projects Limited.

The project involved tunnelling under thickly inhabited areas with heritage structures thereby requiring rigorous instrumentation and monitoring. Construction of tunnel below Haider Nallah was executed with a clearance of merely 970mm.