Bentley Systems Announces Drummond Community High School Team as Winners in First Future Infrastructure Challenge: DEC Hyperloop

Bentley Systems, the leading global provider of comprehensive software solutions for advancing the design, construction, and operations of infrastructure, announced Drummond Community High School of Edinburgh, Scotland as the winning team of the first ever Future Infrastructure Challenge: DEC Hyperloop, which took place April 7 through 9. Hosted by Bentley Institute and Class of Your Own, the challenge included sixth form students, ages 16 to 18, from four schools in the UK whose assignment was to conceptualise a design of a hyperloop transport system and stations for Singapore.

Students from participating schools, The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School from Greenford, London; Drummond Community High School from Edinburgh, Scotland; King Ecgbert School from Sheffield, South Yorkshire; and More House School from Farnham, Surrey, travelled to Bentley Systems’ offices in London on April 7. They were tasked with creating the hyperloop concept and a presentation to convey their cohesive plan to a judging panel.

The overall winners of the challenge are students from Drummond Community High School, Faye Fulton, Ryan Gordon, Alizah Mughal, and Wiktor Rauba, led by DEC (design, engineering, construction) teacher, Mark Holden. The winning team members and their teacher were awarded a complimentary trip to Singapore from Bentley Systems to attend its annual Year in Infrastructure Conference, which will be held this year October 21 through 24 at the Marina Bay Sands Resort in Singapore.

The four participating schools were selected from 100 schools studying the Class of Your Own Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) learning programme, which is intended to educate students about and encourage exploration of careers in architecture, engineering, and construction.

In the spring of 2018, following meetings with students studying DEC at a higher or advanced level, the four schools were invited to enter teams to take part in the first Future Infrastructure Challenge to mark the 10th anniversary of Class of Your Own. Delivered in partnership with Bentley Systems, the programme will be released as a full curriculum for schools around the world later this year.

Mark Holden, teacher for the winning team, said, “Drummond High School is committed to nurturing big ambition in its students and equipping them for the world and workplace of tomorrow. The school became involved in the DEC curriculum after seeing its success – and the attributes of its students – from across England and recognising how closely this fit our own aims. We have enjoyed several years of unparalleled opportunities and great successes and are delighted that this has led to this collaboration with Bentley and COYO. The development of our team has been incredible to watch, but also the effect on the school community as a whole has been palpable. Knowing that students from our school are taking part in such a huge project, working with such esteemed professionals on this scale is a constant reminder to all of our students of what they can achieve.”

Over the two days prior to the presentation day, the students created their designs using laptops and software provided by Bentley Systems at the offices of four globally recognised companies: Arup, Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners, Turner Townsend, and WSP.

On April 9, the teams presented their concepts to a distinguished panel of judges:

Harj Dhaliwal – Managing Director Middle East & India, Virgin Hyperloop One

Chris Barron – Chief Communications Officer, Bentley Systems, M. Arch., Harvard Univ., board member of the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure

Professor John Miles – Arup/Royal Academy of Engineering Chair Transitional Energy Strategies, University of Cambridge

Professor Cam Middleton – Laing O’Rourke Professor of Construction Engineering, University of Cambridge

Iain Blight – Director of Station and Building Engineering at HS2

Chris Preston – President of Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (ICES), Bentley’s Inaugural Professor at the National College for High Speed Rail

Sadie Morgan – Co-founder, dRMM Architects; board member National

Infrastructure Commission / Chair of Independent Design Panel for HS2

Andrew Tyley – Partner, Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners

Ian Stilgoe – Vice President Geopositioning Europe, Topcon Positioning Group

Harj Dhaliwal, managing director Middle East and India of Virgin Hyperloop One, said, “We can’t solve 21st century challenges with 19th century technology. As the first new mode of transportation in over 100 years, hyperloop is changing the narrative for mass transportation. It’s great to see the next generation of engineers and designers embracing this technology and the new type of thinking it requires. I have been overwhelmed by the approach to innovation and the out-of-the box thinking the young students have demonstrated. All of them are winners today.”

The teams’ concepts were judged according to feasibility and quality of design, social and economic impact, building efficiency, sustainability, originality, and quality of the presentation.

Chris Barron, chief communications officer for Bentley Systems, said, “It has been a pleasure hosting these talented students, seeing their hyperloop designs, and watching their excellent presentations. It was, in a word, inspiring, not only because of the depth of research they performed, and the thoughtfulness of their designs, but also because they demonstrated that the next generation of infrastructure professionals are ready to face the challenges of advancing our economy and sustaining our environment. Bentley is committed to supporting STEM learning programmes like Class of Your Own, which inspire and challenge students to think creatively about the future of infrastructure and to perhaps even pursue careers in infrastructure-related fields. We’re looking forward to hosting more events like this around the world.”

71% of Indian Consumers View ‘Security’ as Most Important Element of their Online Experience: Experian Report

Experian, one of the leading data analytics and decisioning companies, today released the 2019 Experian Identity and Fraud Report: Asia-Pacific Edition. The report highlights that trusted online relationships are based on businesses providing both a secure environment and seamless consumer experiences. With insights from almost 6,000 APAC consumers including India, the report found that majority (71%) value ‘security’ as the most important element of an online experience, followed by ‘convenience’ (15%) and ‘personalisation’ (14%).

Of the 590 APAC businesses surveyed, 65% of Indian businesses have experienced an increase in online fraud-related losses over the past 12 months. This includes account takeover attacks and fraudulent account openings. Majority of the respondents in India feel they are sacrificing privacy for convenience in today’s unpredictable threat landscape.

“The Asia Pacific edition of Experian’s Identity and Fraud 2019 Report highlights the need for adoption of a secure and convenient platform by businesses” said Sathya Kalyanasundaram, Country Managing Director, Experian India. “While companies continue to innovate on new solutions that enhance the customer experience, there needs to be a focus on reducing the customer’s risk exposure by securing the data and information they currently access.”

While existing security methods used by organisations are still more traditional in nature, report findings revealed that 64% of Indians favoured the new technologies and advanced authentication solutions. In India, more than 40% of the consumers surveyed encounter advanced authentication methods regularly, which is the highest in APAC.

Transparency is another key determinant in building mutual trust. The report found that 65% of the Indian consumers expect full transparency from businesses around how their personal information is used. In line with this trend, Government agencies in India such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), are constantly working towards consumer’s online security in a proactive manner. RBI has been diligently putting measures in place to ensure digital transactions in India that are protected through the implementation of Know Your Customer (KYC). Regulatory bodies have also upheld consumer protection by holding several large industry players liable for the unauthorised use of personal data.

Experian’s identity and fraud business comprises of nearly 300 fraud experts around the world working to protect people’s identities and fight fraud for businesses across multiple sectors, including financial services, telecommunications, retail/e commerce, insurance, government, and healthcare.

To Strengthen e-Commerce Business, Flipkart Opens 2nd Data Centre in Hyderabad

Flipkart, the country’s largest e-commerce entity, announced the launch of a data centre in the city, besides investment in the state (Telangana) to strengthen its technology infrastructure.

This is Flipkart's second data centre in the country, the first being in Mumbai. It says the new one (built in partnershop with CtrlS) is part of one of the largest cloud deployments in the country, to strengthen its growing marketplace e-commerce business.

"In our growing e-commerce business, data centres play a critical role. We recognise the tremendous opportunity for sustained data-driven transformation in India and are pleased by the support we have received from the state government," said its chief corporate affairs officer, Rajneesh Kumar.

Flipkart had built its own data centre infrastructure much earlier, to store and manage the enormous data that gets generated from online sales, involving customers and sellers. It has developed its own technology tools, without having to depend on the cloud platforms of larger players like Micrsosoft or AWS for its data storage requirements or analytics.

Hyderabad is considered, after Mumbai, the most secure place for data storage and business continuity plans by many companies, which usually keep their data in separate locations to cope with any extreme eventuality. The BSE stock exchange's second data server, for instance, is also in Hyderabad.

Flipkart's technology prowess was publicly hailed last week by Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon (the US retailing giant bought majority control in Flipkart last year) during his visit to the company's Bengaluru headquarters. Among other things, he'd said Walmart would try to use some of Flipkart's superior technology tools across the former's facilities.

Flipkart refused to divulge details of the data centre, citing security requirements. The Hyderabad facility is expected to enhance the company's overall preparedness for large-scale operations, adding to the technology capabilities in its cloud platform software.

"Telangana was the first state to come out with a dedicated policy on data centres. To see such encouraging results come out is very satisfying for all of us. We welcome Flipkart and its team," said Jayesh Ranjan, the state government's principal secretary, information technology.

Suryoday Small Finance Bank Commences Operations in Bangalore with Launches of Jayanagar Branch

Suryoday Small Finance Bank (SSFB), one of the fastest growing small finance banks announced the commencement of its banking operations in Bangalore by launching its first bank branch today. The branch was inaugurated by Shri G. K Mahantesh , President of Cricket Association for the Blind in India ( CABI ) & World Blind Cricket ( WBC ) at SSFB, GVS Complex, No 329, 10th A Main, 3rd Block Jayanagar, Opp. To Cosmopolitan club, Bangalore: 560011 .

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Baskar Babu – MD & CEO, Suryoday Small Finance Bank said, “Suryoday Small Finance Bank is focused on ensuring financial inclusion of the un-banked and under-banked through innovative banking practices. We are happy to start our banking operations today with our first bank branch in Bangalore. With the launch of this branch we look to further strengthen our existing presence in Karnataka state which is a strong forte for the bank and we will offer one the most competitive interest rates on deposits to our customers because of our robust business model with low operating costs”.

He further added  “We have completed 2 years of operations as a Small Finance Bank and we plan to continue building a healthy book and generate wealth for our customers.  In this financial year, the focus will be to deliver not just excellent customer experience but to create delight factors for all the segments we cater to, through technological initiatives and innovations”

Suryoday Small Finance bank offers one of the most competitive deposit rates in the industry. Currently, a savings account can get an interest rate of up to 7.25%, whereas, on fixed deposits, the customer can earn up to 9% interest rate. For senior citizens, the interest rate offered is 9.5% for 950 days term. The interest on savings account is credited every month.

India’s Digital Infrastructure will Help Revive the Economy: Nandan Nilekani at FICCI NECM

The Co-founder and Chairman of Infosys Technologies, Mr Nandan Nilekani said that India’s digital infrastructure will play a major role in reviving the economy. Mr Nilekani was addressing FICCI members at the National Executive Committee Meeting on ‘Digital India and its Impact on Economy and Industry’ in Bengaluru.

He said that the country has witnessed dramatic transformation through Aadhaar-based e-KYC and online payments, adding that India’s digital data architecture will set the tone for business revival.  “Once data becomes the basis for decision-making in many sectors, you will see a big change,” said Mr Nandan Nilekani.

“World over, data is becoming central to people and government. Data empowerment architecture in India will benefit all segments of the economy,” he said.

Mr Nilekani said that Aadhaar e-KYC has been revolutionary in making life simpler for people and India now has the infrastructure to deal with direct benefits transfers (DBT) in any segment, adding that DBT can revive the power sector.

Mr Nilekani also said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) has increased the number of taxpayers. “GSTN is a great example of technology-led co-operative federalism,” he said and also added that RFID tags linked to bank accounts is another big reform.

Earlier, addressing a session on ‘India’s Growing Bio Economy’, Ms Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairperson, Biocon Ltd, said that the country’s Bio-economy sector is set to reach USD 200 billion by 2030.

“Bio-economy is a crucial segment of our economy and the new government must focus on this in a big way,” she said.

Pointing out that in India, the investment in research and development is less than 1% of GDP, Ms Shaw said, “we must invest at least 2% of our GDP in science, technology and research”.

She said that our education system must embrace research culture and we must leverage the powerful tool of scientists and engineers available in the country.

Ms Shaw also said that gene sequencing cost has come down substantially, which can be utilised for diagnosis of critical disease and in other areas — Indian companies can hugely benefit from gene sequencing.

She also urged FICCI to take up the changes required in the Bio-diversity Bill with the government.

In another session, Mr Rajeev Chandrashekhar, MP and Past President, FICCI, said that industry must play an important role in the deliberations on a secure India and a responsive governance structure.

“We have to independently ensure our safety and security,” he said. Mr Chandrashekhar also said that, in another critical area, the process of reforms in governance started in 2014, and added that, “governance reforms with increased transparency will enhance efficiency of spending”.

Mr Sandip Somany, President, FICCI in his opening remarks for the three sessions, talked about the contributions of the three speakers in their respective domains and also the challenges faced by these areas. “Digital empowerment has led to greater inclusiveness, with the efforts of government as well as several private sector enterprises,” while welcoming Mr. Nandan Nilekani.

Ms. Sangita Reddy, Senior Vice-President, FICCI, and Mr. K Ullas Kamath, Chairman, FICCI Karnataka State Council, gave the vote of thanks.

Razorpay Forays Payment Pages: An Easy Way to Accept Payments for Businesses Without a Website or Mobile App

India’s first converged payment solutions company, Razorpay, announced the launch of its Payment Pages today. Convenient and cost-effective, Razorpay Payment Pages is designed to help all kinds of businesses accept online payments with zero integration and minimum set-up, without any hosting costs, maintenance charges or fixed fees.

India’s biggest business unit, SMEs, account for 30% of the country’s GDP. However, 68% of these small and mid-sized businesses do not have any web presence, especially in Tier 2 & 3 cities. Considering the fact that consumers today expect to pay for products and services online through default modes such as Cards and UPI, it is imperative for businesses to be technologically enabled to accommodate them.

Offering online payments to customers especially in the absence of a website or mobile app can be a long daunting process, requiring time and resources that many small businesses cannot afford.

Razorpay Payment Pages is designed to address this pertinent need by helping businesses create a payment page in less than five minutes and go live without any customer support. Some businesses, sometimes, seek to collect payments for a one-time campaign where a separate integration could be cumbersome and time-consuming; Razorpay Payment Pages helps launch a customised page in minutes with a shareable link for multiple use.

Shashank Kumar, CTO & Co-Founder, Razorpay says, “At Razorpay, our aim is to consistently marry intelligent technology solutions with the payment needs of businesses to deliver a sound, cohesive and comprehensive payment experience. Payment Pages is one such product. It is custom made to enable smaller businesses and underserved sectors embrace digital payments with no technical effort at all. We have been receiving some great feedback from our existing merchants who are using Payment Pages,  and we predict a 10X growth in this number by the end of 2019.”

Razorpay Payment Pages will be launched for fee collection at educational institutes, by event organisers, utility companies for bill payments, for not-for-profit organisations and campaigns, for insurance premium collections and for online donations in case of any natural calamities. In its beta version, over 700 businesses started using Razorpay Payment Pages, a few of  them are Schindler, Swiggy, Don Bosco School, BMW Financial Services, Nestaway and, Testbook and FinanceBazaar, among others.

TCL to Launch Complete Range of Home Appliances on April, 25 2019 in Indian Market

As a global top-two television brand and a leading consumer electronics company, TCL revealed its plans of unveiling a complete range of intelligent home appliances in India. Driven with a vision of making life intelligent and following an India-first approach, TCL is gearing up to unveil its latest range of smart and innovative home appliances like AC, Washing Machine, Refrigerator, Sound Bar, in addition to UHD Android TV powered by artificial intelligence. Already an established leader in the TV and home entertainment segment, TCL is expected to further strengthen its position in India with the launch of cutting-edge home appliances.

The announcement also reaffirms TCL’s strong focus and expansion plans in the Indian market. With a view of winning the ‘heart’ of the nation, the brand had recently announced its partnership with Indian Premier League’s (IPL) Delhi Capitals as a sponsor. Also, in December last year, TCL had inaugurated its panel factory - TCL Industry Park in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, marking the brand’s first manufacturing unit outside of China. The 1st Overseas Integrated Industry Park in India will not only allow TCL to provide Indian-centric products at competitive prices but also create over 8,000 job, fuelling up the economic development of Tirupati region.

Speaking on the announcement, TCL India Country Manager Mr. Mike Chen, said, “India is home to a growing number of tech-savvy and digital users that demand more from the products that they use. Driven to make life intelligent through our products ranges, we are going to launch a range of innovative and affordable home appliances for our Indian consumers. At TCL, it has been our endeavour to follow an India-first approach, as reflected in our brand promotion strategy or the launch of our first-ever factory plant in India. We are affirmative that our latest range of products will resonate with the mature sensibilities of Indian users, providing them with smart home appliances that easily integrate the latest advancements in the field of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, amongst others.”

TCL has unveiled industry-leading innovations through its prime focus on a customer-first approach. Instead of relying on the buzzwords, TCL studies the market requirements and innovate to offer cutting-edge technologies that daily users can easily adopt. Owing to its deep understanding of Indian consumers provided through an Indian-first approach, the brand has integrated AI-enabled Google assistance in its range of products. As part of the latest plans, TCL would be packing its competitive advantages in key areas like OLED printing technology, Quantum Dot display material and technology, and AI and IoT in the home appliances segment to make everyday life intelligent in India.

Soon after its national launch, TCL has emerged as one amongst the leading players in the Indian market. As per the Economic Times, TCL is ranked fifth in the Indian market, in terms of 2018 sales of televisions. With an envious product range that leverages industry-leading advancements in artificial intelligence and IoT, TCL is clearly a consumer favourite for various categories, such as home entertainment. Furthermore, the launch of innovative home appliances in the near future will further strengthen TCL’s position as a household brand for the Indian consumers. A Global leading Smart Technology Company, TCL is present across 160 countries and regions across the globe.