Dell Technologies Brings Speed, Security and Smart Design to Mobile PCs for Business

Sleeker, more compact and easier to carry whenever and wherever, the 10th generation of Latitude commercial PCs from Dell Technologies has been completely reimagined to address the needs of the evolving workforce. The new portfolio of Dell mobile business PCs is designed with IT departments in mind and aims to get business users productive faster and keep them productive longer, no matter when, where or how they work.

Redesigned portfolio boosts productivity, offers powerful security features
A powerful integration of hardware and software that transforms how IT departments deploy, manage, secure and support their devices, the new Latitudes include a bevy of express technology options. ExpressCharge provides an up to 80% battery charge in just one hour[i], while ExpressCharge Boost charges to up to 35% in just 20 minutes. Select systems also feature Dell’s innovative ExpressConnect, which intelligently detects and connects to the strongest WiFi for up to 40% faster throughput than a conventional antenna, resulting in fewer dropped connections, more reliable file transfers and faster email syncs.

A recent Ispos survey conducted on behalf of Dell found that full-time working adults consider built-in security features to be one of the three most important factors when choosing a work PC. In fact, nearly 80% believe having security features built into their work PC helps keep their company’s data safe.

To address these concerns, the notebooks add new layers of enterprise-class security that saves users the hassle of remembering passwords and offers lightning-fast, secure sign-on. Many new Latitudes now can be equipped with fingerprint readers built into the power button and Windows Hello-capable IR cameras for a more trusted, biometric authentication. Many systems also can be equipped with Dell SafeScreen, new camera privacy shutters and FIPS 201 contacted Smart Card Reader or contactless Smart Card Reader with SafeID to protect user credentials. The laptops also support Dell’s recently announced SafeBIOS utility, that gives customers added visibility to BIOS changes by verifying the firmware’s integrity securely in the cloud.

The 10th generation Latitude portfolio is optimized for the new Dell Technologies Unified Workspace while giving workers a frustration-free, ready-to-work experience.

“The modern workforce’s computing needs have changed. They’re not at their desks nine to five. They’re in motion between meetings, remote or frequently travelling, and one-size-fits-all laptops won’t cut it,” said Rahul Tikoo, vice president and general manager, Commercial Mobility Products at Dell. “Our new Latitudes make it easier and more enjoyable to work, collaborate and innovate anytime, anywhere. With security concerns looming over both employees and IT departments, businesses can rely on our new Latitudes, combined with Dell Technologies Unified Workspace, to make it simple for IT to ensure workers have the best device for their needs – up and running fast, working smarter and always secure, wherever they are.”

Smaller, lighter business-class PCs designed for the way the world works

With more style than ever, plus the choice to be equipped with 8th Gen Intel Core vPro processors and Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) solutions to give employees faster connections, there’s a new Latitude for any remote worker, corridor warrior or on-the-go pro.

In addition to the award-winning Latitude 7400 2-in-1 launched this year at CES, the new Latitude line includes:

Latitude 7000 series
In 13- and 14-inch form factors, the Latitude 7000 series are the world’s smallest premium business-class notebooks available. Encased in durable new machined aluminum or carbon fiber materials, the laptops feature a variable-torque, drop-hinge design that enables easy, one-finger opening of the anti-glare, narrow-border display. Designed to minimize battery drain when in use, the innovative digital SafeScreen technology narrows the screen’s field of view for security while working in public.

The portfolio also includes the Latitude 7200 2-in-1, which sports a thinner, lighter design, brushed anodized aluminum premium finish and backlit keyboard.  This 12-inch, fully IT serviceable device is Dell’s most secure, manageable and feature-rich detachable Latitude, as well as Dell’s smallest, for those who prioritize portability in tablet mode.

All the laptops can be equipped with up to 32GB of memory[vi] and up to an impressive 20 hours[vii] of run time on select configurations —up to 25% more than the previous generation. For the ultimate mobile professional, the Latitude 7000 also offer the first narrow border 4×4, CAT16, cellular antenna with dynamic antenna tuning in the PC industry, delivering gigabit LTE speed on the go for faster downloads.

Latitude 5000 series
The world’s smallest mainstream business notebooks in their class also offer a broad range of business features and configurability. The Latitude 5000 series form factors (13-, 14- and 15-inch) in new carbon fiber reinforced chassis and a targeted industry-leading run time of up to 20 hours mean users can enjoy uninterrupted focus. Narrow-border HD, Full HD or touchscreen display configurations and powerful 8th Gen Intel Core processors with optional discrete graphics take on the most demanding tasks.

In addition, Dell Technologies is introducing the new Latitude 5300 2-in-1, the world’s smallest mainstream business-class 13-inch 2-in-1.  With a starting weight of just 3.15 lbs, the Latitude 5300 360o hinge-convertible features a durable Full HD edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen display with anti-glare coating for a screen that’s easier to read. This 2-in-1 can be configured with up to 32GB of memory and up to 1TB of storage.

Latitude 3000 series
The new Latitude 3000 Series sets the standard for entry-level business notebooks with enterprise-class capabilities for essential productivity, while remaining accessible to any company. Now with an even smaller footprint and an updated look, the laptops are available in 14- and 15-inch form factors as well as a stunning, new 13-inch model, which is the world’s smallest and lightest 13-inch essential business notebook.

World’s most powerful charging docks
Dell’s latest commercial docking stations are the world’s most powerful charging  and first modular docks with upgradeable power and connectivity. Available with three connectivity options – Thunderbolt 3, dual USB-C or single USB-C and featuring ExpressCharge and ExpressCharge Boost technology support for Dell laptops – the new docks provide up to an 80% charge in one hour and up to a 35% charge in just 20 minutes on compatible systems.

The docks’ upgradable connectivity and power delivery meets the ever-changing needs of a modern workspace, making them an ideal investment to be used for several generations of PCs. Intelligent management capabilities to streamline deployment and management through unified firmware – mean that IT departments to perform updates quickly without disrupting end users.

Pricing and Availability
Dell’s 10th generation Latitude portfolio is available for sale on May 1 at Dell website.
·       Latitude 7×00 laptops starting at $1,299
·       Latitude 7200 2-in-1 starting at $999
·       Latitude 5×00 laptops starting at $819
·       Latitude 5×01 laptops starting at $1,179
·       Latitude 5300 2-in-1 starting at $949
·       Latitude 3×00 laptops starting at $599

Dell’s next-gen docks are available now at Dell website.
·      Dell Dock (WD19) for $229.99 for 130W and $279.99 for 180W
·      Performance Dock (WD19DC) for $329.99
·      Thunderbolt Dock (WD19TB) for $329.99

Virtual Desktops on Microsoft Azure Power Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance’s Sales Team Across 100 Branch

Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance (ABSLI), one of India’s leading private sector life insurance companies, is adopting cloud technology to enhance experience, productivity and process efficiency for its team of insurance sellers and distributors. As part of the initiative, ABSLI has implemented Virtual Desktops on Microsoft Azure cloud for 1,400 members of its sales team, at over 100 branch locations across India. This initiative is enhancing customer acquisition and revenue generation for ABSLI.

ABSLI has been operating for nearly two decades, and has developed an extensive network of branches and partner agents. Adoption of Virtual Desktops on Azure cloud has reduced the capital expenditure involved in hardware refresh of a distributed IT infrastructure, reduced usage costs as the Virtual Desktops are on a pay-as-you-use model, and enabled availability of infrastructure during seasonal business spikes. It has also enabled ABSLI sales force to access data and applications across branch locations seamlessly, thereby improving end-user experience and productivity. The replacement of old desktops with virtual desktops has also led to power savings.

The Virtual Desktop, also referred to as Desktop-as-a-Service, solution has been implemented by Microsoft partner, Anunta. The solution has been designed for 1,400 users and 1,000 end-points. It includes Citrix Xen Desktop and Firewall implementation, data and Office 365 migration, peripheral integration, monitoring and management of complete VDI (Virtual Desktop Integration) stack in the Azure environment. ABSLI is now planning to rollout this solution for its entire sales team, across India.

Mohan Shetty, Senior Vice President IT, Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance said, “Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance is championing implementation of people-centric digital solutions that can ease the way our end-users perform their day to day operations. We wanted to implement cloud-based solution that could enable anytime, anywhere accessibility of data and applications for our large number of sales-force across branch locations in India. Anunta’s innovative EUC solution implementation on Azure Cloud enabled us to adopt secure cloud hosted desktops and has resulted in significantly enhanced end-user productivity, reduced power consumption, increased mobility of sales-force with access to data and applications anywhere, anytime, and enhanced end-user experience.”   

Rajiv Sodhi, General Manager, Partner Ecosystem Microsoft India said, “It is a delight to see how organizations with operations across the length and breadth of India are embracing digital innovation to drive business outcomes. The Virtual Desktops on Azure solution from Anunta is a first of its kind implementation, enabling Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance to empower its field-force by ensuring anytime, anywhere access to core business applications, securely and in a cost-effective manner. The solution is improving end-user experience and process efficiency, and with seamless integration with legacy systems, is leading to enhanced productivity.”

Sivakumar Ramamurthy, COO, Anunta added, “ABSLI’s use of digital technologies has been exemplary and we are happy to have been a part of this journey. Using DaaS on Microsoft Azure, the company will be able to derive higher satisfaction for its customers as well as salesforce.”

“We are proud to see ABSLI pioneer DaaS on Azure solutions in the financial services segment by porting our virtual apps and desktop licenses on Microsoft Azure (IaaS). Being a business-critical project, this will enable Aditya Birla Sun Life in augmenting its digital transformation initiatives. The project has been successfully deployed for more than 1400 users across 100 branches ensuring a great end-user experience. Thanks to our partner, Anunta for successfully enabling ABSLI with a secure implementation and seamless transition in an extremely short duration,” said Dixit Roy Mahidhara, Regional Director, Citrix.

IT Services Major Cognizant Reported Disappointing March 2019 Quarter on All Counts

CTSH delivered weak revenue growth, missed margin targets and reported decline in cash generation in March 2019 quarter. CTSH has cut CY2019 c/c revenue growth guidance to 3.6-5.1%, down from 7-9% at the beginning of the year citing weakness in banking, healthcare and weaker execution. Delivering on medium term goals laid out at the analysts’ day seems challenging. Turnaround themes have their set of challenges; CTSH seems to be going through one with broad-based slippages.

Cognizant misses revenue growth guidance for March 2019 quarter

CTSH reported constant revenue growth of 6.8% in c/c, lower than guidance range of 7.5-8.5% for March 2019 quarter. On organic c/c basis growth was 4.2%. On a sequential basis, CTSH reported revenue decline of 0.5% to US$4.11 bn. Management indicated that revenue growth started weakening towards the second half of the quarter. The magnitude of miss for the quarter was surprising noting that guidance was laid out in the first week of February. The revenue miss was contributed by the slowdown in growth to a trickle in financial services (0.2% yoy c/c growth, 1.5% qoq USD revenue decline) and healthcare (+4.6% yoy in c/c, negligible excluding Bolder acquisition and down 3.1% qoq in USD terms). Other vertical continued robust performance. GAAP EBIT stood at 13.1% and had 290 bps impact from the recent Supreme Court of India ruling on Defined Contribution Obligation; CTSH has accrued impact of the ruling assuming retroactive application. Adjusted EBIT margin of 16% fell short of guidance primarily due to flow through impact of weaker revenue growth.

Steep cut in CY2019 revenue growth guidance, adjusted EBIT margin guidance band cut 17%

CTSH has cut CY2019 revenue growth guidance to 3.6-5.1% in c/c (guidance includes inorganic component), down from 7-9% growth guidance set out at the beginning of the year. Revised guidance bakes in 170 bps contribution from inorganic growth. Cut in guidance captures—(1) slowdown in the financial services vertical (35% of revenues) that was broad-based. Revenue decline from three of the five large banking clients continued. Regional banks are turning more cautious on spending outlook. M&A in regional bank client base also impacted revenue growth outlook. Guidance does not assume any recovery or deterioration in the financial services business and (2) healthcare vertical (28% of revenues) was impacted by M&A in the client base, accelerated movement of work to a captive center at a large North American client. Revised guidance assumes 0.5-2% sequential revenue growth in 3Q-4Q of CY2019. CTSH also cut adjusted EBIT margin guidance to 17% from 19% for CY2019. The company attributed the entire shortfall to weaker revenue growth outlook relative to initial expectations. EBIT margin expectation for 1HCY19 stands at 16% with recovery expectation in 2HCY19 (implied closer to 18%). CTSH cut CY2019 adjusted EPS guidance by 10-12% with a revised number that stands in a range of USD3.87-3.95/ share. CTSH expects to deliver 3.9-4.9% revenue growth in constant currency for June quarter.

Turnaround themes are difficult; CTSH has a few challenges at hand

CTSH’s poor performance surprised us. Weak revenue growth and guidance cut reflects execution challenges at CTSH rather than industry wide growth slowdown. The transition to a profitable growth model initiated a couple of years back had its share of challenges which have been compounded by slippages in execution. The new CEO has a challenge at hand. We would not be surprised with a few leadership changes, common in any turnaround effort. Against this backdrop, ability of the company to deliver board-backed medium term revenue growth target of 7-11% and EBIT margin of 19% with 10 bps expansion every year seems unrealistic to execute in the near term.

Timing the turnaround themes is challenging. CTSH stock may seem inexpensive after the potential correction in stock price but will have its share of bumps in performance and disappointments.

Read through for other IT services companies

Large part of the slippages seems specific to CTSH and not representative of growth across the industry. However the risk to industry growth from the financial services vertical cannot be denied. Clients in the capital market segment of banking have turned a bit more cautious in spending outlook. In addition spending by regional banks in the US is also turning cautious. Other segments of financial services are steady in our view.

Key highlights from earnings call

* Commentary on BFSI: BFSI vertical registered flay yoy growth in constant currency. The vertical is affected by insourcing among CTSH’s BFSI clients. The company reported conservatism in spending among several regional banking clients in North America with some banks impacted by M&A activity. Slowdown in decision making particularly around larger deals in the pipeline due to executive transitions in several clients impacted growth in insurance. Softness in three out of the top five clients is expected to continue in the near term. Management expects pressure on banking spends in 2HCY19 due to moderating growth outlook in the business.

* Life sciences and healthcare. M&A related activity accelerated movement of work to captives in a large client and ramp down of an account in which CTSH is a subcontractor impacted growth in the vertical. The company expects further deterioration in the next quarter and reported sluggish outlook for the full year. Softness was mainly in the healthcare payers business. The company reported strong double-digit growth in life sciences sub-vertical.

* Commentary on products and resources and communication & media verticals. The company reported strong double-digit constant currency growth in retail and consumer goods, travel and hospitality as well as in manufacturing, logistics, energy and utilities. Retail sub-vertical was strong despite bankruptcies in a few smaller clients. Growth in digital services for media and entertainment clients offset slower growth in the communication industry which is affected by consolidation trend.

* Margin levers. The company expects margins to improve in 2HCY19 on the back of procurement optimization, better utilization, improved pricing, simplification of business unit overhead structure, rationalization of delivery costs and shift to higher value services such as digital

* Digital. Digital business now accounts for 33% of overall revenue and is the primary driver of growth. Digital revenue growth in the quarter was strong at 20+%. Core modernization, digital engineering, AI and analytics, intelligent process automation, platform solutions, interactive customer experiences and IoT form the core of Cognizant’s digital strategy

* Senior management. Ex-CEO Frank D’ Souza who is currently in the role of Executive Vice Chairman will transition to Vice Chairman of the Board at the end of June 2019. Raj Mehta has stepped down as president. Malcolm Frank has been appointed as the new President of Cognizant’s digital business. Prasad Chintamaneni, EVP and President of Global Industries and consulting will additionally manage the banking business on an interim basis.

Linium Receives Award for Delivering Outstanding Value in Digital Transformation, innovation

Linium, a Ness Digital Engineering Company and a leading provider of digital business, engineering, experience and transformational consultancy services, has been recognized by ServiceNow as the 2019 ServiceNow Americas IT Workflow Partner of the Year. The achievement is the result of demonstrating overall excellence in expanding the breadth and depth of its IT Transformational Cloud Practice size.

The ServiceNow Global Alliances and Channel Ecosystem recognizes the achievements and contributions of its best in class partners who have successfully grown its ServiceNow business through transformation or innovation in business, technology and customer success. This year's awards are based on partner performance in 2018 – a combination of revenue contribution, product line expansion, workflow and skill growth, and business innovation or transformation.

“Always doing the right thing for our customers, employees, and partners is core to Linium’s culture and integral to sustained success,” said Joe Burke, president, North America at Linium. “This award reflects our comprehensive approach to helping our customers leverage ServiceNow as part of their overall digital business strategy. Our deep roots in software engineering help us guide our customers and take into account a range of areas from data and analytics to DevOps and automation. Today’s organizations need to elevate employee experiences and reshape customer service, and Linium is fully committed to making this a reality for our customers.”

With over 3,500 successful enterprise transformations since its inception in 2000, Linium enables modern workforce experiences and empowers organizations to make better decisions faster by enhancing collaboration, reducing manual tasks, aligning work to business priorities, and resolving issues quickly and proactively. Converging 4,000+ strategic thinkers, exceptional technologists, and user experience experts from around the globe, Linium is dedicated to creating the most value-driven experience for its customers by applying non-traditional thinking to solve traditional business challenges. From designing cutting-edge modern service experiences to mitigating compliance risk; gaining financial visibility to resolving security threats; building custom applications to managing operations, Linium solves complex business challenges across the enterprise.

Judith McKenna Walmart CEO Visits Flipkart Campus in Bengaluru

Judith McKenna, President and CEO of Walmart International, on Friday visited Flipkart campus in Bengaluru and interacted with Flipkart Group leadership and employees to mark the first anniversary of Walmart’s partnership with Flipkart.

Judith was accompanied by Richard Mayfield, CFO Walmart International and Leigh Hopkins, International Strategy & Business Development Head.

Judith praised the creativity and passion of the team and commended the leadership for its commitment in bringing ecommerce to more Indian consumers. She was impressed with how Flipkart as a group is innovating to create world class experiences for customers using technology and making a huge difference to the whole ecosystem including sellers and manufacturers across the country.

Flipkart Group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said Flipkart’s partnership with Walmart is helping the Group better serve Indian customers and accelerate its growth with products and solutions that solve real problems in the country. These include supply-chain infrastructure that is disrupting the industry to benefit local consumers, suppliers and manufacturers.

Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore Remain Top Job Creators in India: Shine.com Jobs Report

IT/Software, Education/Training and BFSI sectors have shown promising growth since 2018; Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore remain top job creators in India

3rd, May 2019: In a bid to study the current dynamics of the jobs landscape, Shine.com, the second-largest online job portal in India, recently mapped the key growth areas in terms of hiring in April 2019 vis-à-vis last year. Leveraging its vast pool of data, the job search platform released its April Jobs Report that studies the sectors, functional areas and cities that are creating maximum jobs this year, in comparison with 2018.

Industry-wise growth in jobs:

An industry-wide demand analysis highlighted that the booming IT/Software sector reigns supreme by continuing to create the maximum jobs in the country. In a surprising development, however, the BPO/ Call Center industry has dropped down several places, forfeiting its 2nd position on the list to the Manufacturing industry, which has shown promising growth. Further, the BFSI and Education/Training industry has witnessed increased jobs creation, allowing them to retain their top spots in the list.

Functional areas displaying high caliber:

In terms of functional areas, the Production, Maintenance and Service sector has shown the most exceptional growth, shifting to the number one position on the top 10 list. As the manufacturing industry gains significant scale in the country, the sector’s shift to the top spot is not surprising. As the Hospitality industry in India continues to boom, the Restaurant/Hotel sector has earned a place on the list of top job creators. Additionally, with more and more professionals focusing on upskilling/reskilling themselves for new-age job roles, the Education, Training, and Language sector has also registered a significant the uptick, appearing high on the top 10 list.

In a significant movement, Sales/BD, a domain that created the most jobs in 2018, has dropped down to the 5th position on the list, as several areas such as Production, IT, Quality Testing and Customer Service take precedence over it. Furthermore, the survey registered a slowdown in job creation across numerous domains including Marketing/Advertising/MR/PR/Events, Administration/Front Office/Secretary and HR/Recruitment. These domains, which were a part of the 2018 top 10 list, were dropped out of the list in 2019 due to this slowdown.

Speaking on the changing trends, Zairus Master, CEO, Shine.com, said, “The increased focus on technological deployment across industries has truly accelerated the growth of job opportunities. We are witnessing a substantial increase in jobs in domains such as IT, education, training and language, and restaurant/hotels. While metro cities such as Bangalore and Delhi continue to flourish as top job creators, it is interesting to note the increase in job opportunities for professionals in tier 2 cities like Jaipur and Chandigarh,  a trend that will continue in the years to come.”

Top performing cities:

In a city-wise analysis, Shine.com found that Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi have retained their position as the top job creators in the country. While metro cities are absorbing maximum professionals, substantial growth in jobs is also being witnessed in tier 2 cities such as Chandigarh and Jaipur, proving that Tier 2 cities are also beginning to stake their claim in the jobs landscape. The high talent demand from emerging cities is expected to continue as these regional hubs accelerate technological deployment only to create a plethora of new, high-value jobs for skilled professionals.

Vodafone Idea Limited Strengthens Relationship with IBM to Drive Synergy and Enhance Customer Experience

Vodafone Idea Limited ("Vodafone Idea") announced signing a multi-million-dollar five-year agreement with IBM to deliver an enhanced customer experience to millions of connected consumers and businesses in India. In addition, this engagement will also contribute to Vodafone Idea’s merger synergy objectives by reducing its IT related costs.

The collaboration will provide Vodafone Idea with a hybrid cloud based digital platform to enable more intimate engagement with its over 387 million subscribers (as of December 31, 2018), enhancing business efficiency, agility and scale plus simplification of its business processes. We believe that this new infrastructure platform will remove constraints to the exponential growth of data usage driven by increasing consumption of video, streaming and digital commerce.

Vodafone Idea is collaborating with leading global technology partners including IBM to deploy new age technologies with built-in customizations and novel innovations. We believe that use of IBM’s Hybrid and Multicloud, analytics and AI security capabilities will accelerate Vodafone Idea’s progression to an open, agile and secure IT environment. It will also provide a platform for fast-track joint initiatives in AI and IOT.

“Delivering better customer experience through digital medium is one of the focus areas for Vodafone Idea, said Balesh Sharma, CEO, Vodafone Idea Limited, speaking about the renewed strategic relationship with IBM. “This five-year collaboration with IBM, opens new opportunities for us to partner together in domains like cloud, AI and IoT.  We will also be able to leverage collateral from the cloud partnership already announced between Vodafone and IBM in Europe. Achieving synergies post-merger from the combination of Vodafone India Limited & Idea Cellular Limited is a strategic priority for us and we continue to be ahead of track.”

All of Vodafone Idea’s customers, from consumers to enterprises, will have to embrace the challenge of digital disruption over the next years. We believe that this agreement builds the foundation for both companies to address these emerging opportunities, while ensuring a continued high level of service for its customers.

IBM will continue to seamlessly deliver enhanced services for Vodafone Idea leveraging its prior capabilities with Vodafone India and Idea Cellular. It will consolidate applications, and infrastructure including Data centers, Disaster Recovery Centers, and further accelerate existing Cloud usage. Solutions deployed by Vodafone India Limited and Idea Cellular Limited earlier will be merged and big data capabilities be enhanced.

Vodafone Idea will also leverage Dynamic Automation and Robotic Process Automation to drive efficiency and standardization across IT operations. AI and machine learning based Cognitive Solutions aim to provide Vodafone Idea with a secure environment ensuring regulatory compliance, intelligent threat detection, and data protection.

IBM is also supporting Vodafone Idea with an option of extended flexible payment plan structure for the term of the contract through IBM Global Financing, its wholly owned subsidiary.