Atlassian to Double Employees Headcount and Strengthen Advanced Cloud Solutions in Indian Market

By Manu Sharma

Atlassian Corporation, a leading provider of team collaboration and productivity software is likely to double its headcount to 1000 in India by June 2021. Established in 2018, the technology firm plans to grow the Bengaluru office into a world-class R&D and customer support center, and has already hired more than 300 employees locally and will add another 200 additional employees to reach 500 by June 2020 and than double a year later in Bengaluru.

Speaking to the media, Vandana Abraham, Head of Design, India, Atlassian says, "Bengaluru has some of the brightest tech talent in the world, and within our first year in market, we’ve hired incredible talented work force and whose work has had a direct impact on our global customer base. Going forward, I'm sure we will we able to find more such talented workforce to touch 500 by June this year and double the number to 1,000 by next year."

Atlassian plans to expand further in Bengaluru the coming months by adding a number of engineering, design, product management, recruitment, and customer support roles. Atlassian's new office is located in RMZ Ecoworld, and has room to grow to more than 700 employees.

Archana Rao, Chief Information Officer (CIO), Altassian Global says, "The country's exceptional technical talent, leadership and business infrastructure naturally aligns with our long term company goals."

Atlassian is the maker of products such as Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket, and Trello that are used by over 144,000 customers worldwide, including Ola Cabs, Reliance, Walmart Labs, and Flipkart in the Indian market. "R&D has been key to Atlassian’s growth and innovation all along, and we don't invest in marketing," adds Vandana.

Atlassian Strengthens Advanced Cloud Solutions in India

Atlassian is also a leading provider of team collaboration and productivity software and the market of Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket and Trello products has commitment to deliver on its cloud solution offering for the Indian market. As per a recent Nasscom report, with India witnessing a huge uptake in cloud adoption, and with the cloud market expected to grow approximately 3X times to $7.1 billion by 2022, tech firms like Atlassian are building products to cater to this demand and also provide Indian customers access to its innovative new cloud offerings to customers like Ola, Reliance, Walmart Labs, Flipkart among others.

To achieve this, Atlassian is aiming to double its headcount by next year. The employees will help support the growth of the research and development (R&D) centre in Bengaluru set up in 2018. The company has surpassed $1 billion in lifetime revenues on the marketplace and posted total revenues of approx $409 million from Q2 2020, up 37% year-over-year.

Cloud has been the key driver of Atlassian's growth and innovation, with overall subscription revenues, which is primarily cloud driven, growing at 50% yearly. The company has aggressively invested in India on the cloud front with cloud security being the prime focus for its customers. Archana Rao, CIO, Atlassian Global says, "With India embracing digitization across industries and enterprises accelerating cloud adoption, our solutions are uniquely placed to serve the Indian customers looking at leverage the immense benefits of cloud. We have announced new programs and tools that will aid existing customers in their transition from our self-managed, on-premise, offering to the cloud and in tern giving our customers the access to the latest security, reliability, privacy and compliance road-map for our products and services."

The company announced enterprise-grade controls and security features, with data privacy upgrades to its underlying cloud platform. The company has also said new integrations, allowing customers to integrate Atlassian cloud products with Microsoft Active Directory Federation Services (ADS) for SSO. Google Cloud Identity for SSO and user provisioning and cloud security offering include data residency for customers who want greater control over where their data is located and data encryption at rest and in transit to help guard against unauthorized access. 

McAfee and Samsung Extend Partnership to Protect Personal Data and Information

McAfee announced its extension of the long-standing partnership with Samsung to protect consumers personal data and information from online threats. Through this partnership, Samsung smartphones, including the Galaxy S Series, Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Fold, will come pre-installed with anti-malware protection powered by McAfee. In addition to mobile, the partnership expands to better protect Samsung PCs and laptops users, where it matters.

The digital landscape for consumers is constantly evolving, with more consumers living an online life. There are now roughly four billion consumers connected online for an average of over six hours a day, from sharing photos to socializing with friends to completing bank transactions. Consumers expect to be able to do what they desire online- whenever and wherever they want- without worrying about the potential risks that might be lurking online. According to McAfee Labs, 504 threats are discovered every minute- showcasing just how important it is that consumers are vigilant when connecting online.

“Consumers are connected more than ever, and McAfee is dedicated to protecting them online when they shop, bank, share and journey across the internet,” said Terry Hicks, executive vice president, consumer business group, McAfee. "Our partnership with Samsung continues our mission to give consumers peace of mind that their personal data, as well as their families and friends, won't be jeopardized online."

Smartphones

Samsung announced that the new Galaxy S Series, Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Fold will come pre-installed with anti-malware protection powered by McAfee. These join the existing Samsung Galaxy lineup, including Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S9, that has McAfee VirusScan protection.

PCs and Laptops

Samsung announced that their PCs and laptops, including Samsung Galaxy Book Flex, Samsung Galaxy Book Ion, and Galaxy Book S will come pre-installed with McAfee LiveSafe. Consumers will benefit from added protection against viruses, online threats and ransomware with online and offline protection. All Samsung laptop users are able to enjoy to a 60-day free trial and will receive special discounts after the trial period is over.

Collaboration & Convergence, Sustainability will be the Growth Engines of Indian Chemical Industry

Highlights

* Chemicals Industry in India covers more than 80,000 commercial products and it is expected to double its size at USD 300 billion by 2025.
* The Indian Chemical Industry will focus on creating a new ecosystem through which they will move closer to customers
* The Indian Chemical Industry is increasingly focusing on sustainability and safety

With the growing challenges like environmental sustainability, climate change and trade flow restrictions and trade wars, the Indian Chemical Industry is bringing in meaningful solutions in order to address these multifaceted challenges. Indian Chemical Council, the apex national body dedicated for the growth and development of chemical industry, outlined vision 2025 for the chemical industry. The key trends identified were digitalization, global mergers and acquisitions, and focus on downstream speciality chemicals.

The chemical industry is an industry-of-industries with a combined turnover of USD 160 billion growing at 100 basis points faster than India’s GDP, making it an important sector to propel the growth of the nation’s economy. Being one of the most diversified industries, the chemical industry in India covers more than 80,000 commercial products and is expected to double its size at USD 300 billion by 2025.

Speaking at the conference, Mr. Vijay Sankar, President, Indian Chemical Council, said “The use of chemicals in our modern life is indispensable, now more than ever, with most modern industries being deeply dependent on the chemical industry, ranging from soaps to automobiles. It is one of the most diversified industries, and India has observed high growth in the past decade while holding substantial potential for future growth as well.”

“Sustainability and Safety is a key focus ICC has been advocating though its Nicer Globe and Responsible Care initiatives. It is now imperative to create a new ecosystem for the Indian Chemical Industry moving closer to customer needs with collaboration and convergence as the new mantra of growth.” adds Mr. Sankar

About Indian Chemical Council

INDIAN CHEMICAL COUNCIL (ICC) the apex national body representing all branches of the Chemical Industry in India such as Organic & Inorganic Chemicals, Plastics & Petrochemicals & Petroleum Refineries, Dyestuffs & Dye-intermediates, Fertilizers & Pesticides, Specialty Chemicals, Paints etc.

The Indian Chemical Council is dedicated to the growth of the Indian Chemical Industry. Established in 1938, ICC has over the years grown its functions and offerings to cater to the varying needs of the Indian Chemical Industry.

91% Indian Singles Look for Love in Matrimony: BharatMatrimony Valentine’s Day Survey

Of the 8058 members who participated in a BharatMatrimony survey recently, a whopping 91% of singles ready to marry said that they’re actually looking for the “love of their life” on BharatMatrimony, not just a life partner.

Interestingly, 86% participants said they’d celebrate Valentine’s Day with spouse. 58% women and 45% men opined that celebrating the day “helps strengthen marital bonds” while 31% women and 48% men said that it was a “special day to express love.” Among those who said they may not celebrate the day post marriage, 31% women and 41% men reasoned that “anniversaries and birthdays are more important days,” while 35% women and 29% men said Valentine’s Day was “just a marketing gimmick.”

When asked how they wanted their partner to express love on Valentine’s Day, interestingly 54% women wished that their partner expressed love to them by saying “I found my equal'”. Only 22% women opined that they wanted a gift. 32% men, however, said they’d express love to spouse by “Gifting her something she loves”, 25% by “Saying I found my equal,” 21% by going out on a romantic dinner and 15% by holidaying.

When posed “What’s the best day of the year to express love post marriage?” 47% women and 42% men said “Wedding anniversary” while 34% women and 31% men felt “Partner's birthday” and 17% women and 23% men preferred Valentine’s Day as the day to express love to partner. In response to “Who should plan for Valentine’s Day after marriage, 27% said the husband, while 23% opined the wife should do the honours.

In response to “How important is it to gift spouse on Valentine’s Day?” 61% men said “they can’t forget to gift her on this day”, while interestingly a whopping 83% women said, “it was not important” and 17% women humorously said, “it won’t be a good day if he forgets it”.

“We’re pretty close to our customers, constantly studying their changing aspirations with regard to relationships and matrimony. Our current survey proves that young singles are not merely seeking a life partner but rather “the love of their life”. Matrimony.com’s widest choice of over 4.5 Million bride and groom profiles, detailed information about the members including their interests, features like secure chat and the option to directly call matches one likes, help members discover their love that leads to a happy marriage, says Rajasekar KS, GM – Marketing at Matrimony.com.

Columbia Pacific Communities Celebrates ‘#ExpressionOfLove’ this Valentine’s Day

Beyond the fences of age, love knows no boundaries and only grows stronger with time. To celebrate love in in all its myriad forms and glory, Columbia Pacific Communities, India's largest provider of services and care to senior living communities took a unique initiative this Valentine’s Day titled ‘#ExpressionsOfLove’.

Often seniors in society are associated with various labels and celebrating love and being romantic is considered an impractical idea for seniors.

As a brand, Columbia Pacific Communities has always stood against ageism, and attempted to break age-related stereotypes, whether it is through our campaign RELEARN or through initiatives such as organising south India’s first senior citizens flash mob.

Through a unique Valentine’s Day experience for its senior residents, the brand takes the conversation of “positive ageing” forward.

Drawing parallels between food and relationships, Columbia Pacific Communities believes that both come with their own unique flavours, and both need time and patience to be nurtured. #ExpressionsOfLove is a symbol of acknowledgment that love is ageless and selfless. It focuses on the fact that food often is an individual’s first love, and the love for food often builds lasting, loving relationships. Nothing spells ‘love’ more than a platter of delicious fare.

Commenting on the initiative, Piali Dasgupta, VP - Marketing, Columbia Pacific Communities, said, “Popular culture and mass media, for long, has associated Valentine’s Day with the youth. But what’s love and its many expressions, including romanticism, got to do with age? Through “Expressions of Love”, we once again break this stereotype, and help our senior residents to celebrate the day of love with their special one. That special someone could be your spouse or partner, you friend, colleague, dog or anyone else that you truly love.”

Turn this Valentine’s Day into Galentine’s Day with your Gal-Pals

Who says Valentine’s Day is a day only couples celebrate? Its a day about celebrating love -  love for family, friends, colleagues and so on. This year, why not turn Valentine’s Day into a celebration of your valuable relationship with your favorite girls!? These girlfriends are your best shopping dates, 4 AM chat buddies, your best motivator as well as critique and so much more. So, here are some simple yet great ways of enjoying your Galentines’ day to the fullest with your girlfriends and make your bond grow even stronger!

Weekend Trip: 2020 has been kind enough and 14th February is a Friday! So you can plan a long weekend getaway with your girlfriends to a nearby location and enjoy some therapeutic girl time! Depending on your location you can plan a beach getaway or a hill station and soak up some sun. All you need is your phone to make bookings via apps like Make My Trip for flights, Uber to sort your nearby travel, OYO to book accommodation at the tap of a button. Its as simple as that! In case you are worried about safety, you can use apps like Safetipin to know more about your surroundings and take safer decisions

Book a Spa Day or a Salon appointment! What better excuse than this to indulge in some pampering with your gal-pals! Pamper yourselves with a good spa or salon experience and de-stress yourselves. With a plethora of options like O2 Spa and several luxury resort spas in India you can either indulge or sit back at home and simply book an UrbanClap service. Don’t just refresh, rejuvenate!

Weekend of Positivity: In our busy lives we tend to forget to take a deep breath and relax. This is the time to take a step back and do it with your closest friends by your side. Book yourself and your friends a weekend yoga or meditation retreat and learn the art of mindfulness. What better way to spend time than learning and spreading some positivity!

Time for F.R.I.E.N.D.S: Stream your favourite shows and binge on scrumptious meals at the same time in the comfort of your home. Let’s say technology has really made things easier for us. While Netflix or Amazon Prime will let you snuggle in bed and enjoy a movie marathon, Swiggy, or Zomato will get you food at your doorstep. So, you literally have to do nothing but just operate few apps and relax with your girlfriends

Shopping Fiesta: Your gang can also indulge in some crazy shopping this weekend with some great sales going on. If you are not amongst the ones who like offline retail therapy, indulge in online shopping with e-commerce platforms like Myntra, Amazon and the likes offering great discounts. Be each other’s not-so-secret Santa, who cares if it’s February on the calendar!

This special day is about loved ones, so spend it with the ones who are really special to you! Happy Valentine’s Day!

GitHub Expands International Operations to India, Home of its Third Largest Developer Community

GitHub Inc., world’s leading software development platform, has announced the opening of its subsidiary, GitHub India Private Limited, with the aim to better serve the developer community and GitHub’s enterprise customers in the country. India is home to GitHub’s third largest community of developers, growing 22 percent over the past year, adding to an already significant base.

Speaking at the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum 2020, Erica Brescia, Chief Operating Officer, GitHub, said, “As the third largest group of active developers on GitHub, Indian developers are truly building the future of software. Over the past year, the number of public repositories in India has grown 75 percent, demonstrating a sharp increase in collaboration across the Indian developer community. In building out a local team in India, our goal is to create stronger relationships with developers and support open source development across developers, maintainers, and enterprises.”

GitHub’s growth strategy in the country will be spearheaded by Maneesh Sharma, General Manager of GitHub India. Over the next few months, GitHub will build a team across all functions—including community, engineering, sales, support, marketing and services—to enable customers to adopt DevOps best practices at scale and collaborate with over 40 million developers across more than 100 million projects.

Along with support for a thriving open source community in India, GitHub is also working with organizations across industries to help them deliver winning customer experiences using a modern software supply chain and industry best-practices.

A growing number of companies in India, including Swiggy  and ArisGlobal are collaborating and building the software that powers their businesses on GitHub Enterprise.

GitHub is also expanding its channel partner program to support GitHub Enterprise customers in running their software development operations effectively, and enable them to achieve their digital transformation ambitions. 

India is also home to one of the largest communities of student developers in the world. GitHub is committed to supporting the next generation of developers and helping more student communities come together to learn and build on GitHub. As part of the efforts to empower student developers, GitHub Education is extending its popular GitHub Hackathon Grant program to students in India, supporting student hackathons with up to $1,000 in grants.

About GitHub
GitHub is the developer company. We make it easier for developers to be developers: to work together, to solve challenging problems, to create the world’s most important technologies. As the home of the world’s largest community of developers and their code, we foster a collaborative community that can come together—as individuals and in teams—to create the future of software and make a difference in the world.