UL’s Self-Test Platform Enables Compliance with Updated EMV 3-D Secure Regulation

UL, a global safety science company, has announced its commitment to enable customers’ compliance with EMVCo 3-D Secure (3DS) 2.2.0 requirements, with the UL 3DS self-test platform. Payment schemes, Visa and MasterCard, have directed their clients to adopt EMVCo 3DS 2.2.0, a key requirement of the Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) regulation, which came into force from September last year.

UL’s web-based self-test platform enables product providers, payment service providers, merchants and issuers to perform tests while they are building and enhancing their 3DS components. The platform gives 3DS players all the three test components - 3DS Requestor Environment (3DS Client, 3DS Requestor & 3DS Server), Directory Server and Access Control Server (ACS) – to confirm compliance of their products. The platform, which provides a one-stop implementation and certification solution, helps players wishing to implement EMV 3DS 2.1.0 and/or 2.2.0 to do so in a more automated, user-friendly and scalable way.

Mr. Suresh Sugavanam, vice president and managing director in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa for UL, said, “We are focused on providing the latest testing platforms and laboratory services to the ecosystem players in India in line with global and local norms. We are further building our identity management and security offerings to facilitate the move towards a faceless, paperless and cashless society.”

Besides the platform, UL offers advisory on migration from earlier protocol versions and is the first company to be approved by Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) to perform security evaluations for the PCI 3DS Software Development Kits (SDK) program. By offering the only end-to-end 3DS program in the world, UL helps clients with product and business model strategy and definition, test simulation and certification to help reduce risks and accelerate time to market.

Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe Unveiled in India, Priced Rs 62.70 Lakh and Comes with Digital MBUX System

India's largest luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz has launched the 'Made in India' GLC Coupé in two variants, the 300d 4MATIC diesel and GLC 300 4MATIC petrol. With the roll-out of the GLC Coupe, Mercedes-Benz India has now added the 10th global product in its local production portfolio in India. The GLC Coupe combines outstanding on and off-road driving characteristics with spaciousness, practicality, innovative technologies and intelligent driving assistance systems. GLC Coupé is a paragon of sportiness, safety and efficiency. The interior of the GLC derives its fascination from the contrast between the luxurious and elegant design and the digital high-tech of our MBUX system.

Martin Schwenk, Managing Director and CEO, Mercedes-Benz India and Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations, Mercedes-Benz India rolled-out the GLC Coupe from the assembly line in Chakan, Pune. The SUV Coupé had its market launch at Sundaram Motors, Mercedes-Benz's state-of-art dealership in Bangalore. The GLC Coupé will be available across all Mercedes-Benz dealerships in India.

Speaking about the launch, Martin Schwenk, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented, "With the GLC Coupe, we are excited to add yet another stylish lifestyle and dynamic SUV in our portfolio and continue the unmatched product offering in the luxury SUV segment. The GLC Coupe now locally produced in its series version, will further enhance the popularity of the SUV Coupe. The GLC Coupe is distinguished by its technological prowess thanks to the most intuitive and engaging MBUX which is capable of 'Over the Air' updates via Mercedes me connect services. The SUV features the intelligent virtual in car assistant popularly known as 'Hey Mercedes' and comes with a NTG 6.0 with class leading 24X7 connected features and services from Mercedes Me Connect."

Commenting on the rollout of the GLC Coupe in India, Piyush Arora, Executive Director, Operations, Mercedes-Benz India commented, "Mercedes-Benz India's manufacturing facility has remained the backbone of our growth story in India and we are extremely satisfied with our localization strategy, which is pivotal to our long-term success in this dynamic market. The adding of the 10th product reiterates the highest level of refinement and implementation of advanced technology and flexible processes that ensure our production quality conforms to the most stringent global standards, and we create novel benchmark in manufacturing for the luxury car industry in India. Going forward we will strive to introduce more locally value added vehicles depending on future market dynamics and growth."

Special Features of MBUX System

The latest MBUX system by Mercedes-Benz is a step in this direction and helps the carmaker to maintain its dominance by keeping the sense of exclusivity and premiumness intact. It's already been sometime that the world has seen the system in updated models like the 2019 GLE and GLS and now it has finally arrived in India in the new GLC facelift as a standalone product for the time being.

Local Production of the GLC 4MATIC Coupe:

The GLC production involves the use of latest technology in Mercedes-Benz India's world-class production facility. In terms of technical processes, Mercedes-Benz uses advanced body building techniques for joining and welding multiple body weight reducing alloys.

The high level of refinement and implementation of advanced technology and flexible processes ensures our production quality conforms to the most stringent global standards, and creates new benchmark in manufacturing for the luxury car industry in India. This manufacturing facility is also unique in terms of its high flexibility as it manufactures Sedans and SUVs all under one facility.

With the advent of new technologies and digitization in the automobile industry in India, Mercedes-Benz has already been pioneering digitization in vehicle manufacturing and is well poised to become future ready by rapidly adapting such future trends. Industry 4.0 elements play an important role in making of high-tech cars like the GLC Coupe. Our plant is equipped with Virtual Reality technology and other state-of-the-art digital manufacturing technologies with maximum flexibility, state of the art digital technology and passionate people.

With regards to Industry 4.0, digitalization at the shop floor enables Mercedes-Benz to have an end-to-end visibility of production processes and monitoring of information at real time. All these processes and systems put together along with the proper implementation of lean concepts, helps us to strike the right balance between efficiency, quality and flexibility all of which centres around customer focus & satisfaction.

The most important advancements of the GLC

The GLC Coupé is characterized by its dynamic appearance and elegant lines. Hallmark off-road features include the dominant front end, powerful forms and standard-fit chrome details like the front and rear underride guards.

Expressive design: The stylish appearance of the new GLC Coupé encapsulates the design philosophy and combines the flexibility of an SUV with the sense of style and sportiness of a Coupé. The model owes much of its extraordinary character to the diamond radiator grille, which is available in silver as standard, featuring a chrome trim incorporating formal elements of the underride guard. Further eye-catching features include the standard MULTIBEAM LED headlamps with their torch design and unmistakable light signature.

The elegant lines are drawn to a successful conclusion by the compact rear end featuring a new-look diffuser with underride guard and tailpipe trims as well as full-LED tail lamps.

MBUX - Innovative telematics: The combination of the touchscreen displays, navigation with augmented reality, intelligent voice control via the talk button or the "Hey Mercedes" prompt, connectivity and the user interface makes the GLC Coupé state of the art.

In addition to this, the latest generation of the MBUX Mercedes-Benz User Experience infotainment system boasts intuitive logic and a wide range of control options. There are five different ways to interact with the GLC's infotainment system:

• By touch control on the central display• Using the Touch Control buttons on the multifunction steering wheel

• With the multifunction touchpad on the centre console

• By voice control, using the "Hey Mercedes" prompt

Drive system: The GLC Coupé comes with a choice of efficient four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines from the latest generation. The diesel engines already meet the requirements of the BSVI  standard. The new-generation GLC Coupé is a blend of exceptional and sophisticated features, further underlining its leading position with this combination of style and ability. At present, Mercedes-Benz has a successful presence in the SUV segment with eight models (GLA, GLC, GLC Coupé, GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS, G-Class).

Dr. D.Y. Patil Hospital & Research Centre Selects Juniper Networks to Power Tech-Enabled Healthcare in India

Juniper Networks, a leader in secure, AI-driven networks, today announced that it has been selected by the Dr. D.Y. Patil Hospital & Research Centre in Pune, one of Asia’s leading medical institutes[1], for its network upgrade. This will greatly simplify the hospital’s network configuration, management and maintenance and allow it to deliver world-class, technology-enabled healthcare with zero downtime.

Founded in 1996, the fast-growing Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth University (DPU) has developed into a large network that encompasses nine medical and teaching institutions. The state-of-the-art, multi-specialty hospital in Pune itself stretches across 725,000 square feet, with provision for over 2000 beds, 13 basic outpatient departments (OPD), eight super-specialty OPDs and 31 operation theatres.

In line with the country’s push toward a Digital India, DPU was seeking a cost-effective and easy-to-manage network upgrade that could accommodate the healthcare industry’s rapid digital transformation.  The requirements included the ability to not only support, but also futureproof the hospital’s digitization efforts, especially with initiatives such as the electronic health record system (EHR), picture archival and communications system (PACS) and the hospital information system (HIR).

Juniper Networks was selected for its ability to deliver a resilient, secure and highly automated architecture that could operate 24x7 with 100 percent uptime, while still allowing for scalability alongside the growth of the institute. This solution framework was crucial for significant improvements in treatment and recovery time, without negatively impacting the performance and availability of other critical healthcare applications.

Across a sophisticated network infrastructure, DPU has deployed comprehensive upgrades from Juniper, including the QFX5100 and EX4600 switches, while implementing an inside-out security model through Juniper Connected Security by deploying the SRX1500 services gateway. In addition, the Junos Space network management platform has allowed the small IT team to automate policies, configurations, change management and troubleshooting – all from a central location.

Since the Juniper Networks deployment, D.Y. Patil Hospital & Research Centre has seen 100 percent availability and an increase in network performance by over 60 percent. With Juniper’s proven network automation capabilities, the entire institute is now managed by only two engineers who supervise over 5000+ IT users across the campus.

News Highlights

The EX4600 switches at the campus core are connected to DPU’s datacenter situated at its head office, which has QFX5100 switches at the datacenter’s core.
As a part of the Juniper Connected Security solution, the SRX1500 services gateway alongside the Juniper Advanced Threat Protection Appliance were integrated into the network, to ensure an inside-out security model securing both N-S and E-W traffic across the network.
Junos Space tied everything together and provided centralized management, allowing the small IT team to easily automate policies, configurations, change management and troubleshooting.

Supporting Quotes

“DPU’s world-class Dr. D.Y. Patil Hospital & Research Centre situated at Pimpri, Pune is a prime example of how network infrastructure in the Indian healthcare sector needs revamping in order to stay vigilant and agile, without compromising on patient experience and customer accessibility. We’re thrilled to have been selected by DPU to provide our state-of-the-art networking and security solution. We see this as a benchmark for secure and efficient IT infrastructure across the healthcare ecosystem, and are committed to continued transformation alongside a Digital India.”

Sajan Paul, Managing Director and Country Manager, India and SAARC, Juniper Networks, India
“What we have built alongside Juniper Networks at the D.Y. Patil Hospital & Research Centre is a true example of medical advancement. As a healthcare institution, our reliance on a reliable network infrastructure is especially critical. Having made the transformation into paperless, digitized systems, any downtime would severely hamper the course of treatment or restrict access to information. With the network upgrades, our robust, automated and scalable infrastructure today has allowed for 100 per cent uptime, with the ability to constantly adapt. We are delighted to have grown our infrastructure with the assistance of Juniper Networks over a long-term partnership, and we look forward to the continued build-up of a world-class healthcare ecosystem for many years to come.”

Dr. Somnath P. Patil, Secretary, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth Society

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Upscales Skill Initiatives Across India Organizing Unique Regional Skill Contests

In continuation of its relentless efforts to build a highly skilled ecosystem for Auto Industry in India, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) today, organized a seminar for Toyota Technical Education Program (T-TEP) stakeholders followed by a skill contest for the T-TEP instructors in Bangalore. The annual regional level seminar provided a platform for all T-TEP stakeholders to share best practices and standardize operations across T-TEP institute network, whilst the skill contest acted as a motivational engagement for all the T-TEP Instructors.

Organized at the National Manpower Excellence Centre (NMEC), Bangalore in Toyota’s Bidadi plant, the event was graced by Mr. Arun Lakshman, Automotive Skills Development Council – India (ASDC), Mr. Ramaprasad Kalkunte L, Deputy General Manager, Government Tool Room and Training Centre, Bangalore and Mr. Pundareekaksha, Principal, Government Tool Room and Training Centre, Bangalore along with Mr. Tadao Kidokoro, Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor in the presence of stakeholders including TTEP Instructors, Supplier Partners, ITI/Diploma Instructor & Principal from institutes and institutional dignitaries. This year, three regional T-TEP seminars are being conducted across the country, in Bangalore (Southern region), Manesar (Northern & Eastern region) and Pune (Western region).

The seminar, acting as a common platform for all the stakeholders including TKM personnel, T-TEP Institutes, Dealer partners and Supplier partners, provided a unified platform for exchanging best practices and challenges with regard to T-TEP operations and its training modules. The event also witnessed TTEP Instructor presenting innovative ideas to promote the Kaizen (continuous improvement) culture among all the participating stakeholders.

Expressing his views on the occasion, Mr. Tadao Kidokoro, Vice President, Toyota Kirloskar Motor said, “With the ever-evolving customer needs, dynamic regulatory environment, emerging technology trends, there is a huge demand for newer and advanced competencies and skill levels in the industry. The shortage of skilled workforce continues to be a matter of concern, making skill-based learning of paramount importance for better employability. Through Toyota Technical Training Program, we aim to upscale quality

technical training in the Indian Auto Industry. Our focus is not only to support rising demand for skilled manpower, but to match the skill requirements by nurturing the talent to be future-ready to meet the industry requirements.

He further added, “Quality is synonymous with brand Toyota and we try to instill this in our programs and initiatives. Hence, this program is not only restricted to students but is also for the T-TEP Instructors, who with the help of the program, are trained and certified by TKM. Through this initiative, we are able to convene talent under one roof, identify the gaps that may exist and train them to overcome unique skill barriers thus making them market-relevant.”

This holistic program also hosted a skill contest, an interactive activity for all the T-TEP Instructors Divided into four categories General Repair, Automotive Body Repair, Automotive Paint Repair and Service Advisor . The participants were evaluated on presentation skills and basic automotive knowledge in their respective categories. The top winners of the contest were certified by the Toyota’s senior management for each of the respective categories.

Launched in 2006, T-TEP is a special training module aligned with Government of India’s ‘Skill India Mission’. Under this initiative, Toyota has associated with 49 ITI/Diploma institutes across 17 states in India, benefitting over 8000 students till date. The program is aimed at educating and providing technical training with hands-on real time experience to ITI students in Toyota dealer outlets. In its first year, the program was implemented in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Hubli. The program was subsequently introduced nation-wide covering Bengaluru, Mysuru, Lalru, Pune, Cochin, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Ghaziabad, Kolkata, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Indore, Vizag, Ludhiana, Cuttack, Haldwani, Nalbari, Gurgaon, Satara, Paramakudi, Chalakudy, Mangaluru, Calicut & Nashik.

T-TEP is widely recognized across the globe for its effectiveness. The program has been successfully introduced in 508 institutes across 55 countries by Toyota, which includes USA, Australia, Italy, South Africa, China, Vietnam and India.

Pre-Commitment To Support India’s Office Growth Story During 2020

The Indian office market is setting new benchmarks in an otherwise gloomy economic climate. According to a JLL research on “Office Pre-commitment” released today, “Nearly 52-mn sq ft of Grade A office space was completed and more than 46-mn sq ft absorbed in 2019 in the seven major office markets of India. This historic leasing activity was backed by strong pre-commitment at more than 50% of the Grade A supply.”

Despite an expected decline of office space supply in 2020 to 47.5 million sq ft from over 51 million sq ft in 2019, net absorption is likely to clock a robust over 40 million sq ft mark backed by significant pre- booking  or pre-leasing of space to the tune of 30% by occupiers. The net absorption for the year 2020 will be much higher than the annual average for the last five years which stood at 35 million sq ft.

“The strong pre-commitment activity is an indication of the intrinsic strength of the Indian office market. Moreover, it bears testimony to the increasing importance of real estate in the business plan of corporate occupiers. In markets that have a shortage of quality office supply and increasing pressure on rents, the need to plan for future space requirements becomes critical. Hence, single digit vacancy markets drive pre-commitment levels with large companies finding it viable to commit to office spaces in the under construction phase,” says Ramesh Nair, CEO and Country Head, JLL India

“IT-ITeS occupiers account for a majority of the pre-commitment leases across most of the top office markets in India. They constitute more than 50% of the pre-committed office space in 2020.  These occupiers require larger floor plates and this type of arrangement becomes a necessity in markets with limited availability of Grade A office spaces. Occupiers from the BFSI and co-working sectors are the next big contributors to pre-commitment in 2020 with a share of 13% each,” says Dr. Samantak Das, chief economist and ED, JLL India.

Office markets like Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune that have very limited availability of Grade A quality office supply lead in pre-commitment activity. Hyderabad witnessed the highest pre-commitment levels amongst the seven major office markets in India, with more than half of the expected supply in 2020 already pre-committed. Even within these cities, pre-commitment activity is concentrated in the primary office submarkets that have low single-digit vacancies.

Lastly, it is pertinent to note that most pre-commitment deals are witnessed in projects by reputed developers with a proven track record of timely delivery. Well-planned amenities and contiguous large floor plates are important factors that entice occupiers to pre-commit to office spaces.

Sumadhura Group Powers BMTC Green Miles Initiative to Decongest Bangalore City

Sumadhura Group, one of the India’s top realtors, has taken the onus to support Green Miles, the great initiative of decongesting Bangalore roads by promoting public transport commuters as part of ‘building your world greener initiative’. The group has partnered with Series-5 Labs as Green Miles partner to incentivise public commuters who uses the digital ticketing service named BMTC Namma Pass.

The IIMB NSRCEL incubated startup Series-5 Labs has launched the Green Miles program to promote public transport and to encourage public transport commuters who uses BMTC Namma Pass for their regular commute.Bangalore, being listed as the most traffic-congested city in the world as per a recent survey report can find some relief, if there are more initiatives like this which attract more commuters to choose public transportation.

The startup has been working with Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and in 2019 they have launched BMTC Namma Pass, a digital ticketing facility for the Volvo Vajra service. So far more than 3000 passengers are utilizing this digital cashless mode of ticketing service and BMTC has received good response from commuters who are especially travelling to ITPL and Electronic city.

Riding on the one year of stupendous success of BMTC Namma Pass, Sumadhura Group and Series-5 Lab have collaborated to launch India’s first public transport miles program for public transport commuters called Green Miles program. With Green Miles Program, the commuter can top up Cash Miles and accrue Earned Miles which can be redeemed for subsequent travel using BMTC Namma Pass.

Speaking about the initiative, Mr. Madhusudhan G., MD and Chairman, Sumadhura Group, said, “Public transportation contributes to both the economic and physical wellbeing of individuals and we at Sumadhura Group highly endorse the same. With increasing traffic congestion and air pollution in Bangalore, an initiative like Green Miles is the need of the hour. Also, we shall continue to increase awareness around public transport and encourage commuters to use BMTC Namma Pass in a border way. I am glad that Sumadhura Group could be a part of this initiative, which helps in keeping Bangalore traffic congestion in check and also reduces depletion of natural resources.”

Knowlarity Appoints Three Leaders to CXO Positions to Reach Next Growth Orbit

Knowlarity is the leading provider of cloud telephony services in Asia. As part of their expansion, the company has hired a seasoned CXO team comprising of Jaideep Kumar, Sumit Punchhi and Puru Govind. The team is expected to propel the next phase of Knowlarity’s growth, allowing the company to reach a higher growth orbit.

Jaideep Kumar, Sumit Punchhi and Puru Govind have joined Knowlarity as Chief Sales Officer, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Product Officer respectively. Each new CXO is a respected veteran from the telecom, IT, and marketing sectors having worked with the world’s leading organisations. 

Jaideep Kumar has over 20 years of experience in Business Development and Sales having worked in the Cloud & SaaS space with market leaders like Salesforce, AWS, Microsoft and Red Hat. His recent endeavour SaaSfocus, which he Co-founded reached the pole position in the SaaS Consulting space. He successfully sold SaasFocus to Cognizant. Jaideep’s breadth of sales and marketing experience in the technology domain will play a crucial role in Knowlarity’s penetration of new domestic and overseas markets.

Speaking about his new role at Knowlarity Jaideep said “The Cloud Telephony space has taken a central place in building a 5-star customer engagement experience and Knowlarity with its offerings is at the forefront of delivering this experience. I am extremely excited to be a part of this journey and working with our customers to redefine the standards in superior customer engagement“.

Sumit Punchhi has over 20 years of experience, out of which 15 years of dynamic telecom experience, handling roles like strategy, marketing, and sales and operations. He understands the dynamics of business and how to straddle between marketing and strategy. His knowledge and experience working with some of the leading telecom companies in the world, including Tata Teleservices, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, will play a key role in shaping Knowlarity’s strategy. Speaking about joining Knowlarity, Sumit Punchhi said: “Knowlarity is an interesting and exciting company to be with its offerings cut across size, sector and solutions for organisations”.

Puru Govind has over fourteen years of experience in Fortune 500 companies, near unicorns and early-stage startups. He has first-hand experience in managing P&L, product management, technology, strategy, and financial planning. Before Knowlarity, he was the Group CTO/CEO-India at B2X Care Solutions and worked for almost a decade at SAP in Germany. As CTO at B2X Care Solutions, he was in-charge of evolving B2X's products and technology that connected a global digital consumer care ecosystem across over 140 countries. He also managed B2X's India operations helping customers like Google, Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and Saregama manage 1100 employees, 38 own stores, 120 partner stores, one service factory and two warehouses. 

At SAP, he was the CEO of a business unit that developed software for top retailers and FMCG companies including Walmart, Burberry, Nike, Adidas, Nestle, and Unilever. Puru had also worked as the National Head of prepay marketing at Tata Teleservices before which he was head of marketing for Tata Teleservices’ Karnataka circle. 

His in-depth knowledge of product management and technology will help Knowlarity create innovative products for globally competitive organisations. Speaking about joining Knowlarity, Puru Govind said “Communications is an integral part of any organisation, and Knowlarity is attempting to disrupt all layers of communication - from networks to apps. I am honoured to be part of this journey where we would redefine communication for the world."

Yatish Mehrotra, the CEO of Knowlarity, feels, "The expansion of the leadership team will help us create exciting products and add more value to our current & future enterprise customers. Our expanded leadership team will aid us to achieve our next phase of growth and increase revenues considerably over the next decade. Each new senior leader has distinct skills that will help Knowlarity immeasurably. Jaideep’s skill and knowledge about the technology domain will help Knowlarity penetrate new domestic and overseas markets.

Sumit’s deep understanding of business dynamics and knowledge of how to balance marketing and strategy will prove invaluable to Knowlarity’s growth. Puru’s product and technology knowledge will help us create even more innovative products that let globally competitive organisations excel. The team will also play a part in making Knowlarity a more enterprise solution-oriented company. I am looking forward to the coming year, which will be an exciting time for us."