Riverbed Appoints Alex George as Country Manager for India & SAARC

Riverbed has announced the appointment of Alex George as the Country Manager for India. His role will encompass growing Riverbed’s market share in India, as well as the management of Sales and Channels across SAARC. In addition to this appointment, Riverbed India’s sales team has moved to a partner-led model to align with market needs, ultimately simplifying business processes and maximizing growth potential.

Under his leadership, Riverbed India’s 150-strong team will continue to serve its 1,200 existing customers as well as offering counsel to those businesses that are looking for solutions for the first time in the wake of COVID-19.

With over 20 years of experience, Alex approaches the role of India and SAARC lead with a strong skill set spanning across channel management, sales management and business development.

Alex previously held the position of Director of Sales for the Western Region, which saw him play an instrumental role in building up a diverse portfolio of customers for Riverbed India across a range of verticals.

Prior to his roles at Riverbed India, Alex held the position of Regional Sales Manager at Hitachi Data Systems, where he managed large enterprise accounts across the banking, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing industries.

“With networks becoming more and more complex, Riverbed India has worked hard to be local business’ simple solution,” Alex George, Country Manager of Riverbed India says.

“We experienced significant growth this past year and I look forward to continuing to build on this momentum by ensuring local businesses are aware of Riverbed India’s capability to assist with any issues across the networking spectrum, catering to all workloads across on-prem, on cloud and SaaS applications.”

“We’re very excited for Alex to take on this new role, especially during this time of unprecedented digital change. Our offering to customers has never been more integral in ensuring business continuity as our global workforce becomes remote. His deep expertise in network performance and visibility is extremely valued, particularly as customers look to Riverbed as a source of support and guidance through this time,” says Richard Steranka, VP of Sales, Asia Pacific and Japan at Riverbed Technology.

Riverbed India’s team features a number of divisions including sales, systems engineering, technical support, IT and R&D. The depth and breadth of Riverbed’s expertise locally ensures that solutions are developed with local customer concerns front of mind. This allows Riverbed to cater to all workloads across on-prem, cloud and SaaS applications and ensures it has the ability deploy technology unique to each customer’s needs.

Riverbed continues to be a market leader in maximizing performance and visibility for networks and applications both in India and globally.

Experian India Partners with Redington to Further Strengthen its Decisioning & Analytics Solutions for BFSI Industry

Experian, one of India’s leading data, analytics and decisioning companies today announced a partnership with Redington, the largest IT software and products distributor in India. This collaboration will further boost Experian’s commitment to help the Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) industry with innovative analytics and technology solutions to enable smarter and faster lending decisions.

As part of this partnership, Redington will distribute Experian’s PowerCurveTM suite of products in India to a wider range of customers through their 15000-strong partner network. Experian’s PowerCurveTM solutions help clients acquire customers, automate processing and decisioning, increase revenue, and reduce acquisition costs and risks. Experian India will combine its expertise in decisioning and analytics and leverage Redington’s distribution network to enable a seamless flow of products and services to the BFSI industry including fraud detection, identity verification and prudent decision making for their customers.

Commenting on the partnership, Sathya Kalyanasundaram, Country Head and Managing Director, Experian India said, “Financial institutions that have well-structured risk management frameworks are most likely to weather the weakness in market sentiment and demand created as a result of Covid-19. We believe that these financial institutions will focus their investment towards analytics, fraud detection, digital customer acquisition, customer management strategies and build efficient collection processes. We have built smart solutions across all these key focus areas; to effectively assist such institutions in navigating the current times. We believe that Experian’s solutions along with Redington’s proven channel partner will provide the necessary impetus to aid the industry in these challenging times.”

R. Venkatesh, Executive Vice President, Redington, said, “At Redington, it is our endeavour to provide best-in-class solutions to our customers. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to represent Experian. Our association with Experian has come at a time that is critical for the BFSI industry. There is a lot riding on this sector and Experian’s solutions will allow them to make informed decisions.

Experian’s analytics and data driven solutions leverage proprietary algorithms and tools to generate intelligent and actionable insights, making it easier to understand customers and their needs. The end-to end-solutions enable the user to automate customer acquisition, improve persistency, help to upsell and prevent frauds with smarter claim management. We are looking forward to this association to be a long and fruitful one.”

Vodafone Idea Enables all Bank Account Holders to Recharge from Safety of their Home

India’s leading telecom services provider Vodafone Idea has introduced a unique service to empower feature phone users and non-digital savvy customers to recharge their Vodafone Idea numbers with just a valid UPI ID. Vodafone Idea has tied up with Paytm - India's leading financial services to launch this service across the country. The move will help millions of consumers who use feature phones to top up their numbers without having the need to visit physical retail touchpoints. The service doesn’t require mobile-internet facility to undertake such recharges and non-Paytm app users can also easily avail this service.

This service is based on the innovative payment service *99# which works on the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) channel. Envisioned as a key facilitator to financial inclusion, this service allows mobile banking transactions using basic feature phones without having to depend on mobile internet.

Vodafone and Idea customers can undertake a Recharge using this service in the following manner.

Steps to follow in case Customer's UPI ID is already registered with BHIM UPI

Customer dials in USSD code - *99*1*3# (USSD for UPI Money Transfer : Flow owned by NPCI)
Customer's bank account number linked to mobile number through which USSD is dialed is detected
Enters the UPI id defined by Paytm ({mobilenumber}.{operator_name}@paytm).
Eg : Vodafone Customers can enter (98********.vf@paytm) and Idea customers can enter (98********.id@paytm)
Enters amount
Enters a remark (optional)
Enters UPI PIN
Transaction is successful and a UPI reference ID is generated
Steps to follow in case Customer's UPI id is not registered with Bhim UPI

(Customer mobile number registered with bank for UPI- UPI ID available – but no UPI PIN | Option available to set the UPI PIN)

Dial *99#
Customer is shown all his/her bank accounts linked with the mobile number from where the USSD is dialed in
Customer selects the bank account he/she wants to register his/her UPI id with
Customer sets the UPI PIN
To do a mobile recharge, user needs to again dial *99# and do the procedure (a)

Announcing the launch of this UPI based recharge facility, Avneesh Khosla, Director-Marketing, Vodafone Idea Limited said, “It is our constant endeavour to ensure that our customers remain connected and safe during these times. In the last 2 months we have a launched a slew of initiatives to help consumers stay connected.  We believe that this partnership with Paytm will help facilitate a  large number of our digitally unconnected customers  to recharge through USSD without being dependent on mobile internet, any digital app or a physical retail touchpoint.Through this partnership we will be able to provide a simple and secure solution, enhancing the convenience factor to these pre-paid customers during very testing times so as to ensure that our consumers do not have to leave the safety of their homes to recharge their phones.”

Vodafone and Idea customers presently have the below options to recharge their Sims across through online and digital platforms:

* Apps – MyVodafone App, MyIdea App
* Websites – www.vodafone.in, www.ideacellular.com
* E-Wallets – Like Paytm, Google Pay, PhonePe, Amazon Pay, etc.

Home Credit India Donates 30,000 KN95 Respirators & 180,000 Surgical Masks to Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

To help India fight the COVID 19 battle, Home Credit India (HCIN), a local arm of the international consumer finance provider with operations spanning over Europe and Asia, will provide medical aid to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The aid includes 30,000 KN95 respirators and 1,80,000 surgical masks.

Ondrej Kubik, Chief Executive Officer, Home Credit said, “We at Home Credit, stand by the nation and mankind during these tough times. As a responsible corporate, we are contributing to the society by providing this equipment to help fight this pandemic. We have been deeply impacted by this pandemic and we must all come together to provide the necessary support in our capacity to the government, healthcare workers and the NGOs working to fight this. I am confident that together we will win this battle.”

Shri T. Rajasekar, Director,  HLL Lifecare Ltd. Said,“ At the outset on behalf of Government of India, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Ministry of Textiles and people of India, we thank you for donating protective KN95 masks and surgical masks for the protection and safety of Medical community in India. Yours is one of the first few Indian organizations that has come forward to be a helping hand to Government of India’s effort to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic.

We take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude and appreciation for the generosity shown by your esteemed organization by donating protective medical suites to Govt. of India. The donation was timely and helpful.”

Home Credit India is supporting the fight against COVID 19 by supporting other activities. They recently provided ration to 20,000 destitute people in Gurugram, Haryana. The company was also the among the first corporates to introduce a special COVID-19 hospitalization insurance cover of Rs. 5,00,000 per employee.  Any employee tested COVID-19 positive and requires immediate hospitalization would be able to avail this insurance plan.

AESL Expands Presence in South Asia; Ties-Up with Delhi Public School, Biratnagar, Nepal for Distance Learning Programme

Aspart of the company’s vision to help students overseas take the first step in their endeavor to become doctors and engineers, Aakash Educational Services Ltd. (AESL), India’s leader in test preparation services, has expanded its presence in South Asia (outside India) by entering into a strategic tie-up with Delhi Public School, one of the most reputed schools in Biratnagar, Nepal, to provide Distance Learning Program (DLP) to its students from Class VIII-XII.

It is AESL’s first collaboration with an educational institution in the Himalayan country, where it is already offering digital courses to students.

Under the tie-up, Aakash offers a one-year “DLP” programme for students of standard VIII, IX, X, & XII, and a two-year “DLP” programme for students of standard XI of Delhi Public School, Biratnagar, Nepal.  AESL will share the required books and study materials to help students prepare for competitive exams. This will help improve the skill sets of the students who are preparing for JEE Main, JEE Advanced and NEET examinations.

Besides providing quality study material aligned with NCERT, AESL will conduct online test series and webinars on select topics. An online doubt resolution facility whereby every student is allowed to ask 5 questions per day, will also be offered to all students enrolling for the program. In a highly competitive surrounding, this curriculum will help students familiarize themselves with the online test environment in a disciplined manner. Students can hone their time-management proficiency, evaluate their exam-testing strategy and analyse the time productively spent on each question.

Commenting on the tie-up, Mr Chandra Shekhar Mishra, Head, Distance Learning Programme, Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL), said: “The association with Delhi Public School, Biratnagar, Nepal is our first with an educational institution in South Asia outside India. Keeping in mind the competitive environment and the evolving education landscape, we look forward to providing the students of DPS Biratnagar with the best platforms to improve their performance. The tie-up reinforces our commitment to creating an engaging learning environment for students overseas apart from in India and help them perform better in the competitive exams.”

Added Mr Parshu Ram Ghimire, Principal, Delhi Public School, Biratnagar, Nepal, “Delhi Public School Biratnagar feels overwhelmed and supremely excited to implement the teaching learning practices designed by AESL to enhance student’s confidence for competitive exams like NEET, JEE (Main and Advanced), BITSAT and other State Level Entrance Exams for admission in undergraduate courses but also prepare them for School Boards and Junior Competitive Examinations such as NTSE, KVPY and Olympiads. I believe this tie up between AESL and DPS Biratnagar will prove to be result oriented for students and attainment of supreme satisfaction for parents and teachers witnessing the success of our Kids."

Future Generali India Insurance Settles INR 276 Crores PMFBY Claims in 19 Districts During Lockdown

Future Generali India Insurance Company Limited (FGII), the general insurance arm of the joint venture between retail game-changers Future Group and global insurer Generali, has settled INR 276 crores of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) claims during the lockdown period.

The company has paid PMFBY claims in districts of Karnataka (Belagavi, Chamrajnagar, Bagalkote, Raichur, Ramnagar, Tumkur, Yadgir), Rajasthan (Ajmer, Kota, Sawai Madhopur, Jaipur, Pali, Pratapgargh) and Maharashtra (Ahmednagar, Buldana, Nanded, Satara, Yavatmal). The claim amount has benefitted 1,64,917 loanee farmers & 85,460 non-loanee farmers in 19 districts of these 3 states. Out of which, 38,928 female farmers received claims amounting to Rs. 44.32 cr via Direct Beneficiary Transfer.

Mr. Anup Rau, MD & CEO, Future Generali India Insurance Company said, “Shortage of labour force and breakdown in supply chains has left many farmers struggling to sell their crops. In these testing times, we at Future Generali India Insurance fast-tracked our settlement process which benefitted more than 2.5 lakh farmers so far”

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) offers start to end insurance cover against losses of crops during the entire cycle from preparation of sowing to harvesting and post-harvest due to poor yield.

Hyundai Opens Showrooms & Workshops Driving Industrial Wheels Towards Progress in Indian Market

Showrooms Open

* 806 Showrooms (Dealership & Rural Sales Outlets) and 863 Workshops opened   across India, in compliance with Government Regulations
* Close to 9 000 Customer Bookings received and 5 600 new cars delivered to customers in the last 22 Days
* Over 1 Lakh Hyundai cars serviced in 530 cities so far in May
* Production resumed at Plant on May 08, 2020, with shift operations in place & compliance to social distancing norms

Hyundai Motor India Ltd., country’s first Smart Mobility Solutions Provider and the largest exporter since inception, announced the opening of 806 Showrooms (Dealership & Rural Sales Outlets) and 863 Workshops across India, in compliance with Government Authorities.

Commenting on the Opening of Dealerships, Mr. Tarun Garg, Director – Sales, Marketing & Service, Hyundai Motor India Ltd., said, “Towards our effort to support the country’s objective of reviving the economy, we have commenced operations of our Showrooms and Workshops in line with the approvals granted by Central & State Authorities. We are also happy to report that we are witnessing an encouraging traction for our products especially the “All New CRETA” and recently launched “Spirited New VERNA”. We have received close to 9 000 new car bookings and delivered over 5 600 Hyundai Cars to customers across the country in a short span of 22 Days. In addition, our Workshops have serviced more than 1 lakh cars across 530 cities in India during the same period”.

In accordance with Government mandates, All the open Hyundai Showrooms and Workshops adhere to the strictest guidelines that promote safety and welfare of Customers and Employees. Moreover, Showrooms and Workshops are being operated in a graded manner ensuring 100 % social distancing compliance, while also conducting frequent sanitization of facilities.

Hyundai Customers can now opt for remote car demonstrations through online video conferencing application with Sales Consultants at Dealerships. Further, with Hyundai’s Click-to-Buy Integrated end-to-end online car sales website, customers can buy a brand new Hyundai Car online with minimal physical contact, minimal paperwork and home delivery options. For customer convenience, there is an option to have a Sales Consultant assist them in the process at any point in the entire online purchase journey.

Hyundai service facilities can also be experienced via 360◦ Digital & Contact-less Service. From online service booking through Hyundai Care App, Vehicle status update via WhatsApp, Pick and Drop from home/office and online payment facility, a touch free service experience is ensured for the customers, wherever they are and whenever they want to. Hyundai has always been at the forefront in providing the best ownership experience to its customers. Hyundai has been ranked No.1 by JD Power in 2019 Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) study and Customer Service Index (CSI) study.