Accenture Recognized as Leader in Inaugural IDC MarketScape Report for Worldwide Managed Cloud Services

Accenture has been positioned as a Leader in the first ever IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Managed Cloud Services 2019 Vendor Assessment (Doc # US43251618, July 2019).

In the report, which evaluates 10 service providers across the full spectrum of clouds and IT applications and infrastructure for managed public, private, and hybrid cloud services, Accenture was named a Leader.

“Managed cloud services are becoming a primary means of enterprises getting critical support by third-party managed SPs to help them manage their cloud environments,” said David Tapper, vice president of Outsourcing and Managed Cloud Services at IDC. “The breadth of its investment along with its strong consulting and migration capabilities make Accenture a good partner for any business looking to exploit the opportunities inherent in the cloud.”

Looking at Accenture’s main strengths, the IDC MarketScape noted the company’s high utilization rates of Platform-as-a-Service delivery, investments in centers of excellence, strong financial growth performance, high client retention, high service availability, fast response times rates, and robust recovery services.

The IDC MarketScape also noted that “Accenture’s growth rate in the managed cloud services surpassed market standards.” Finally, Accenture was rated highly for “application capabilities in supporting SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft, along with systems infrastructure software, that are deployed on public clouds.”

The strength of Accenture’s offering was underlined by highly positive client feedback sourced by IDC during the writing of the report. According to the IDC MarketScape, “Client feedback reflects an overall high satisfaction rating, with strength in providing technology expertise, possessing industry and/or business process knowledge, and delivering a full array of security and recovery capabilities.”

Kishore Durg, senior managing director and Accenture Cloud lead, commented: “Businesses are increasingly looking to managed cloud services for business transformation. Accenture’s approach is to apply the innovation usually seen in public cloud to hybrid alternatives, helping businesses with powerful automation, self-service and microservice capabilities. It’s about staying focused on business outcomes to make an impact within their organizations. The IDC MarketScape shows that we are on the right track, and we look forward to building on this strong leadership position.”

In the IDC Managed CloudView 2018: Executive Summary, which involved 1,500 respondents across six countries, used to complement this competitive analysis, Accenture received a higher rating against rivals in which respondents indicated that they would recommend Accenture to a friend or colleague.

Tata Motors Passenger Vehicle Ranks 2nd in J.D. Power 2019 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) StudySM

Key highlights:

* An achievement for the third successive year
* By scoring 870 on a 1000-point scale, the company has crossed the industry average score (826 for this year) for the fourth time

In an acknowledgement of Tata Motors’ commitment to offer its customers a seamless after-sales experience, the Company has once again been ranked the 2nd highest with a score of 870 (above industry average of 826) in the prestigious J.D. Power India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) StudySM for the year 2019. This is the third consecutive year that Tata Motors has secured this rank.

This study is based on responses from 7,177 new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between March 2016 and August 2018, it was fielded from March through August 2019. Now in its 23rd year, the Study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the after-sales service process by examining dealership performance in five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality (30%); service initiation (18%); service facility (18%); service advisor (17%); and vehicle pick-up (17%).

Commenting on this achievement, Mr. Mayank Pareek, President – Passenger Vehicles Business Unit (PVBU), Tata Motors, said, “We are delighted to announce that we have secured the 2nd rank in the prestigious J.D. Power CSI Study rankings once again this year. This is an incredible achievement for all of us at Tata Motors as it attests to the success of our initiatives that result in an exceptional overall customer experience. We are committed to the continuous improvement of our customer service efforts by keeping our customers’ needs in mind and through constant industry analyses so we can constantly succeed at being the best in terms of overall customer experience.”

According to Mr. Subhajit Roy, Head Customer Care, Domestic & International Business – PVBU, Tata Motors - “We have always aimed to provide our customers with excellent quality service on all their products and we have successfully achieved that yet again by being ranked 2nd in the coveted J.D. Power CSI Study rankings this year. We hope to continue to succeed in this endeavor and consistently provide our customers with a refined and value-for-money experience.”

Tata Motors has a countrywide presence, catering to customers across 650+ workshops by consistent quality & service delivery. Tata Motors continues to upgrade its workshops with comfortable lounges and state of the art technology, to better serve its patrons. TML workshops are continuing to practice the waterless, foam washing at customer doorstep and at around 200 workshops across India.

Further, the company has added a slew of features in the Tata Motors Service Connect App, like Service Booking, Dealer Locator, Cost Estimate Calculator for Scheduled and Standard Repairs and Service History among others. Reinforcing the company’s image as a customer-centric brand, the app has been rated as one of the best in its segment by customers on the Google Play store. Tata Motors is also focusing on digital transformation of workshops by launching applications like job card opening through tablets, digital ready reckoner, electronic estimate tool, vehicle tracking and bay scheduler etc. to further enhance the digital experience of customers.

Additionally, the online platform, Tata Motors Service Website can be visited for booking an appointment for car service & repairs and for information regarding vehicle servicing, Authorized Dealers / Service Center locations, as well as services like extended warranty, annual maintenance contracts (value care), 24x7 roadside assistance support, Women-Assist Program and so forth.

OPPO Showcases 5G Readiness in Partnership with Qualcomm & Jio at India Mobile Congress 2019

OPPO, the leading global smartphone brand showcased its Reno 5G smartphone in partnership with Qualcomm and Jio at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019. The demo of its first 5G smartphone at IMC is a testament to OPPO’s commitment of offering new and innovative technology to India. 

Earlier this month, OPPO had announced that it is working on providing 5G capabilities on all its premium mid-range smartphones in 2020. With the demo of a 5G capable smartphone, OPPO has cemented its status as a technology leader in the segment and proved their capabilities in bringing 5G connectivity to the masses.

OPPO Reno 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor combined with the X50 5G modem. The 5G capable chip was launched in February at MWC 2019 and is the first to integrate 5G baseband and 5G modem into the processor. Keeping up with its status quo of being the first with technology breakthroughs, OPPO was the first brand to demonstrate a 5G capable smartphone at MWC 2019 powered by Qualcomm’s new 5G chip. 

OPPO has always focused its energies on advancing technology keeping the consumer at the center of their innovation strategy. Continuing on the same path, OPPO has invested a great deal in 5G research and development across the globe and plans to continue working closely with leading industry partners to bring the best products and experiences to consumers.

Plan to Set Up 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centers Across 9 Cities in Media & Entertainment Sector

Highlights

* Cities include Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Pune, Shillong and Trivandrum
* AWSITC aims to provide best in class training to candidates to showcase their skills at national and international competitions, by making them industry ready

Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Hon’ble Union Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), today announced the launch of 14 Authorized World Skills India Training Centers (AWSITC) across 9 cities in India, for the Media and Entertainment sector. The new institutes are being set up for advanced skill training of candidates in the media and entertainment sector, not just to compete in the WorldSkills and IndiaSkills competitions buts also to further develop the skilling eco-system for training candidates for the international market.

The state of the art AWSITCs, set up in partnership with the MESC (Media & Entertainment Skill Council), will help the candidates to enhance their skill as per the global standards and the training programs will be designed as per the NSFQ level, which will be industry linked. All candidates will get hands-on training on live projects.

The minister also marked the event by felicitating some of the winners of the recently concluded WorldSkills competition, held in Kazan in August this year.

For winning a bronze medal in the graphic design category at Kazan, Shweta Ratanpura and her mentor Mr. Sathish Narayan received a cash prize of Rs one lakh. Nidhin Prem, winner of a Medallion of Excellence for 3D game Art, and his mentor Mr. Pradeep Kumar received INR 50,000 while Shrenik Gagule and his mentor Mr. Sameer Prabhune received INR 20,000 each for scoring 11th Rank in the Printing Technology category.

This year was India’s best ever performance in the biennial WorldSkills competition. The 48-member Indian team won one Gold, one Silver, two Bronze medals besides 15 Medallions of Excellence at the competition.

The event also witnessed the presence of Ms. Sunita Sanghi – Sr. Advisor, MSDE; Mr. Manish Kumar, CEO, NSDC; Mr. Subhash Ghai, Chairman, MESC; Ms. Shobha Ghosh, Asst. Secretary General, FICCI; Mr. Mohit Soni, CEO, MESC among other eminent dignitaries from industry and academia of various states.

Dr. Mahendra Nath Pandey, Union Minister for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship said on the occasion “With the advent of technology, skilling in the sector is gaining traction worldwide. There are lot of avenues for skilled workforce across evolving sectors like graphic design, 3D Digital Game Art, Print Media etc. These world class state of the art centres will help in preparing the candidates to be ready in making our country proud at various competitions and also equip them with enhanced skills in order to become industry ready.”

Mr. Subhash Ghai, Chairman, Media and Entertainment Skill Council said at the event, “Participating in the WorldSkills competition is a great honour. It is a global platform and privilege of being there and then coming back with a medal is something memorable. Platform like WorldSkills go a long way in incentivizing and encouraging people to not just learn a skill but excel at it. We hope that through this institute, we can encourage more youth to get skilled and not just participate, but come back with a medal and make their country proud.”

Mr. Manish Kumar, CEO, NSDC said, “Vocational training in technical sectors has a lot of scope and opportunity. Within this, it is important to link skill training with industry requirements which can help us to effectively create a sustainable skill ecosystem in the country. Achieving the overall vision of making India the skilling hub of the world is on track and these state of the art AWSITC will be a key endeavor for this. It is our duty towards the youth to provide them with the best training infrastructure and modules which will take them closer to realising their dreams.”

After the remarkable performance at WorldSkills Kazan, 2019, MESC is geared up to mark its best performance at WorldSkills Shanghai 2021 with the help of 14 AWSITC with the purpose to train and groom the future WorldSkills Competition champions with the help of industry engagement and participation in live projects. AWSITC will also be the stage for Faculty and Student Exchange Programs ensuring global standards and cater to the evolving manpower demand from the Industry.

The certification courses of 9 months to 36 months duration on graphic design technology, 3D Digital Game and Print Media technology will be offered at the centres. Striving to achieve Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Skill India across the nation, AWSITC shall also function as a platform for all states to leverage and be benefited in terms of training the candidates who will be identified at state/regional or different levels of progression.

STL Unveils Stellar Fibre, Industry's First Universal Fibre, at IMC 2019

NSE, a global data networks innovator, launched Stellar Fibre at India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2019, in the presence of Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of IT and Communications. Stellar Fibre is a path-breaking solution that will power the next-gen ultra-high definition future. The leading edge innovation from STL’s optical design solutions guarantees best-in-class data transfer, negligible data loss even with high fibre bends, and compatibility with all fibres in use today.

Stellar Fibre is one of a kind in the current industry to have a bend insensitive (ITU-T G.657.A2) fibre design that has a mode field diameter (MFD) of the size of a legacy ITU-T G.652.D fibre. This feature enables service compatibility with existing networks which are provisioned with the legacy fibre, while bringing in the next-gen advantages of macro bend insensitivity. This makes Stellar Fibre an ideal choice for an existing network’s capacity enhancement or new network provisioning for Metro and Long Haul or Fibre to the X (FTTx) application.

Commenting on the launch, Ankit Agarwal, CEO-Connective Solutions, STL said, “We believe Stellar Fibre is an ideal product for the network operators of today who endeavour to provide their customers with new-age, enhanced experience. Dense and Deep fibre networks is the need of the hour and we hope Stellar Fibre can work as a cornerstone in making this transformation happen”

Stellar’s unique geometry ensures minimal splice loss and first-time right installation. This makes the fibre to be an installer’s delight. Simulations at STL’s Centre of Excellence suggest 10+ years increase in network lifetime on using the new bend insensitive fibre. It’s resilience to cuts and accidental bends brings down the network operations cost by a significant amount, making it the fibre of choice for network operators world-over.

Limerick Institute of Technology to Offer Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Programme with Lufthansa Technik

Irish based Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) in conjunction with Lufthansa Technik Shannon Limited (LTSL) have launched a dynamic new course in aviation open to students all over the globe. The new Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering is a full-time QQI Level 7 accredited course that will run for 28 months.

Expressing her interest in the affiliation, Cliona Campbell – Director of International Affairs, Limerick Institute of Technology said, "Collaborating with Lufthansa Technik Shannon helps us to create an extraordinary teaching programme that will boost a student’s career in aviation." Successful students will not only be awarded with a degree from LIT, they will also have completed an European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part-66 Category A programme as well as completing 70% of the B1 and 50% of the B2 aircraft maintenance licence modules. “Having heard about the Indian populace, the delegates from LIT look forward to meeting with the Indian students at the Education in Ireland fairs to discuss our new BSc in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and other courses that LIT has to offer.”

The high calibre training programme is divided into three stages, which will equip students with the skills, expertise and confidence to begin a career in the global aviation industry. Students will gain experience across every area of the aircraft and will experience modules such as, Electric Fundamentals, Inspection Techniques, Basic Aerodynamics, and many more to bolster their knowledge. Students will also have the distinct opportunity to complete On-The-Job training in Lufthansa Technik Shannon, an EASA and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 145 facility, which specialise in providing airframe heavy maintenance services to the world’s leading airlines.

David Ward, Business Development Manager for Aviation Training with Lufthansa Technik Shannon says, “We are excited to get the opportunity to visit India with LIT and Education Ireland to promote our new BSc in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering. This unique degree offers students the best possible entry into the world of aircraft maintenance engineering. An academic qualification from LIT and a European Aviation Safety Agency Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Licence. We look forward to meeting everyone and discussing his or her possible future careers in the aviation industry.”

Mr. Barry O'Driscoll - Senior Education Adviser for Education in Ireland mentions, "This is another significant milestone for Education in Ireland as we continue to reach out for quality and excellence in the programmes we offer." On successful completion, graduates will be qualified to apply to the Irish Aviation Authority for a EASA Part-66 Category A Aircraft Maintenance Licence. Requirements for the licence have been carefully integrated into the programme so that students can begin their career immediately. He adds, "The Aircraft Maintenance Programme will open direct employability access for graduate students in the aviation markets."

Graduates from this programme can also find employment as Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineers in aircraft base maintenance facilities, Licenced Aircraft Maintenance Engineers in airline line maintenance, Complete B1.1 and or the B2 licence, Tech Services / Continued Airworthiness Management to name a few.

Interested candidates will have the opportunity apply directly to the BSc in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering or learn more about it from both Limerick Institute of Technology and Lufthansa Technik Shannon who will attend the bi-yearly Education in Ireland fairs held in Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Pune and Mumbai in October 2019.

Fitness Chain - cult - Celebrates 100 Fitness Centres in Namma Bengaluru

Leading health and wellness start-up cure.fit, celebrates 100 cult fitness studios in Bengaluru, making fitness more accessible to their consumers in the city.

cult operates over 200 centres across Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai, Jaipur , Ahmedabad, Mysore, Kolkata, and Dubai. The phenomenal achievement for the preventive healthcare leader is the result of organic growth through and inorganic growth with the acquisition of Mumbai-based Fitness First chain in late 2018, one of the most prominent developments in the start-up space last year.

Commenting on this, Naresh Krishnaswamy, Growth and Business at cure.fit, said, “Opening 100 centres in a single city, for any brand is a great achievement .We are proud to have achieved it in a short span of time and in Namma Bengaluru, where our journey started.  We are India’s largest and most loved fitness brand and want to thank the cult family for supporting us in this journey. “

We have over 200 operational centres and by the end of 2020, we aim to have over 500 operational centres. Our focus remains metros, making inroads in non-metro cities as well and our international expansion.”

cult.fit has an active membership count of over 150,000, by making fitness easy for the urban Indians to access a variety of workout formats and achieve their health goals. The fitness chain’s non-equipment, trainer led group workouts span multiple intensity and impact formats, including Strength and Conditioning, Boxing, Yoga, as well as exclusive celebrity curated modules, including Hrithik Roshan’s HRX and Tiger Shroff’s PROWL. cult.fit’s Do-It-Yourself (DIY) workout videos are also popular on the company’s mobile app, where downloads have crossed two million.

One of the highest funded startups, cure.fit plans to leverage technology and brick-and-mortar expansion to increase the company’s overall subscriber base.