Indian Software Programmers are Rooting for Cloud Certifications Amid COVID Lockdown: TechGig Survey

Survey Report

●    COVID-19 lockdown has catalysed the willingness of techies to getting certified, finds TechGig survey

●    Deep understanding of a new-age technology emerged the biggest reason for techies to take a certification

●    Freshers and new joiners are more interested in getting certifications than working professionals

●    Around 35% of respondents admit that the prices of certification courses are out of their budget

Cloud technology – which is facilitating communication and remote working amid the present COVID-19 lockdown – is also the preferred choice for upskilling for the Indian developers, reveals a survey conducted by TechGig. The preference for Cloud overshadowed other new-age technologies as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. 

The jobs of the future would require expertise in new-age niche skills, and upskilling is the only resolve for a long term career in technology. Hence certification programs are gaining popularity among the IT professionals.

Over 1,750 IT professionals participated in the TechGig ‘IT Certification Survey’, where around 78% of respondents belonged to the 25-30 years age bracket. More than 82% of respondents were already employed in the IT sector. About 55% of the survey respondents were freshers with 0-2 years of work experience.

Commenting on these findings, Sanjay Goyal, TimesJobs and TechGig said, “In today’s peculiar COVID-19 time, technology is the only thread which is holding the world together. From Cloud computing – which are assisting work-from-home to Artificial Intelligence – which is helping Banking, Retail and critical sectors run operations; and even Robotics – which is helping the front-line hospital staff; new-age technologies are helping the world connect in the present time. The TechGig survey reveals that eagerness of Indian developers to upskill on these new-age technologies. Also, about 86% of people said that their career got a boost because of upskilling – which is an actual proof that employers prefer people skilled in these technologies”. 

Here are the key takeaways from the survey -

IT certifications help boost career

More than 86% of the respondents had previously joined a certification program and said that their certification had boosted the career prospects.

Adoption of certification courses is on the rise

Over 90% of the respondents revealed that they are planning to have an IT certification soon. About 58% of people are more inclined to learn new and niche technologies rather than upskilling in a known one.

Deep understanding of technology is the biggest reason for certification

The TechGig survey revealed that the biggest reason for people to go for an IT certification is the willingness to deeply understand a modern-age technology. However, more than around 25% of people said that they want to take a certification to upskill and get ready for a better job.

People are inclined to leave their organisation after certification

Surprisingly, people who are joining a certificate program are more interested in leaving the current organisation once their certification is complete. Getting an appraisal in the current organisation is the last thing in their minds and only 18% of people want to stay in the same organisation after their certification.

COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the desire to get certified 

The COVID-19 pandemic and home isolation have worked as catalysts for around 93% of techies to motivate them to go for a certification. When asked if they will continue their certificate course once the pandemic has ended and bans are lifted, 91% of the respondents gave it a nod.

Cloud technology is the hottest domain for upskilling

One of the most interesting findings of the survey is that despite the emergence of a whole bunch of ultra-modern technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Quantum Computing, the favourite domain with 28% votes goes to Cloud computing.

Budget is a major concern for techies in choosing a certificate course

The survey reveals that most of the techies (83%) seek a certification course that is under INR 10,000. No one wants to spend a big amount on certification. Around 35% of respondents admit that the prices of certification courses are out of their budget. Also, people are more inclined to join a free certification program. Only 38% of people say that they are willing to pay a fee only if the certificate adds great value to their resume.

Short-term certifications are most in-demand

Around 87% of people said that they do not want to spend more than 3 months on a certification program.

People understand that certification is a need of the hour

When asked who advised them to take a certification program, more than 83% of the respondents say that they are self-motivated to become a highly-skilled professional.

Exide Life Insurance in FY 2019-20 Delivers Strong Growth of INR 29 Crs, up 141% in Profits

Exide Life Insurance, a 100% owned subsidiary of Exide Industries, reported a growth of 141% in Profits Before Tax (PBT) at INR 29 Crores in the Financial Year ended March 2020, compared to INR 12 Crores in the previous Financial Year (FY 18-19). This is the eighth consecutive year in which the Company has reported profits.

The Company has continued its emphasis on protection products resulting in the protection business mix increasing from 9% of Annualized Premium Equivalent (APE) in FY 18-19 to 11% in FY 19-20.

The Company has achieved its highest ever Claims Settlement Ratio at 98.15% and has a healthy Solvency Ratio of 210% versus the regulatory requirement of 150%.

Continuing with a very strong track record of declaring bonus payouts to participating policyholders every year since inception, the Company has announced Policyholder Bonus distribution of INR 324 Crores in FY 2019-20, a growth of 13.1% over previous FY.

Commenting on the results, Kshitij Jain, MD & CEO, Exide Life Insurance said, “Our primary focus remains value creation for customers and shareholders. Our long term strategy is to grow new business faster than the industry while continuing to improve on the quality of business.

Our commitment to this philosophy has paid off and our business performance has manifested in superior returns to our policyholders, with us being able to pay bonus to participating policyholders every year since inception. Needless to say we live by our promise and our core brand essence of Lamba Saath, Bharose Ki Baat.”

Policyholder Bonus

Considering the surplus that arose over the Financial Year in the Participating fund, the Company announced policyholder bonus of INR 324 Crores in FY 2019-20, a growth of 13.1% over FY 2018-19

Solvency Ratio

The solvency ratio of the Company stood at 210% as on 31st March 2020, compared to the regulatory requirement of 150%.

Assets under Management

The Company’s Assets under Management (AUM) recorded a growth of 10% over the last financial year and stands at INR 15,795 Crores.

Profit Before Tax (PBT)

During FY 2019-20, the Company recorded Profit Before Tax of INR 29 Crores, compared to INR 12 Crores in FY 2018-19. 

Claim Settlement Ratio

The Company continued its growth journey with ‘Individual Claims Settlement Ratio’ improving to an all-time high (since inception) of 98.15% in FY 2019-20. The Company paid death claims worth INR 213.70 Crores (Individual INR 88.95 Crores and Group INR 124.75 Crores) during the Financial Year 2019-20.

Renewals and Persistency

The Company achieved 12% growth in individual renewal premiums at INR 2,221 Crores with improvement in persistency ratios for 13th month, 25th month as well as 37th month.

Protection Business Mix

The mix of protection business was further strengthened to 11% of the individual new business premium (Annualized Premium Equivalent).

Life Insurance Coverage (Sum Assured)

The Company has increased its total coverage and now has total Sum Assured of INR 3.44 Lakh Crores as on 31st March 2020.

Awards

The Company’s all round performance on value creation continued with receiving external recognition in various areas of business. Some of the noteworthy awards won are:

1.    Exide Life Smart Term Plan voted as Product of the Year 2019

2.    Helmet Saves CSR initiative won:

a.    Best BTL campaign for a socio economic program in Masters of Modern Marketing

b.    Brandvid (Gold) Best brand integration in Music Video

c.    Brandvid (Silver) – Best brand film for Social initiative

d.    FICCI best CSR initiative in Life Category 

Acclaimed Artist & Activist Madame Gandhi Debuts New Music Video for “Waiting For Me’’

Multi-talented artist, percussionist, producer and activist MADAME GANDHI releases her newest video for Visions track “Waiting For Me”. Directed by Misha Ghose, “Waiting For Me” has been conceptualized and produced by an all-female team and features queer, trans, female and gender non-conforming cast members and marks Madame Gandhi’s first-ever video shot in India.  With its contrasting industrial imagery and color palettes, the visual brings to life the song’s empowering message, an eco-feminist call to action that eschews institutionalized power structures in favor of forging new narratives of self-expression.

Madame Gandhi explains, “We as artists have the power to use our art to vividly reimagine the world we wished we lived in. ‘’Waiting For Me’’ is a song about questioning societal norms as they exist.  The video opens with the quote, ‘We always assume our own powerlessness, but never our own power.’ With the interconnected social justice movements happening around the world, we are seeing a larger belief in the power of the collective for change. This music video is a call to action for each of us to examine how hierarchy, capitalism and systemic oppression serve to keep us obedient, with little space for dialogue or critical thinking. My hope is that this video inspires folks to ask, ‘Are my behaviors contributing to the oppression of somebody else? And what contributes to my own oppression? What does my version of freedom look and feel like?” 

The video for “Waiting For Me” launches the next chapter in Madame Gandhi’s already critically-acclaimed career, as she announces her signing with Sony Music Masterworks.  With an imitable pairing of complex percussive rhythms and empowering messages of liberation, Madame Gandhi is known for her passionately uplifting body of musical work that continues to elevate the female voice and redefine notions of gender, identity and politics.  Having released her first two EPs as part of an overarching short-form album trilogy, most recently 2019’s Visions, Madame Gandhi begins her new partnership with Sony Music Masterworks ahead of the third and final installment in the series. 

Selected as 2020 TED Fellow for her commitment to creating meaningful and positive change, Madame Gandhi will also participate in TED2020 later this year, joining multidisciplinary individuals across the globe for an online gathering of conversations, sessions and performances.  She returns to the TED Stage later this year after her 2018 TED Talk about the importance of making music accessible to those hard of hearing. The talk now has over 200k views – watch here.

Further, today’s news and video arrive on what has been a massive week for Madame Gandhi, who made her NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert debut recently, performing tracks from both her Visions and Voices EPs.

Please find below the video link for your reference.

* “Waiting For Me” video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bNdmBeQHI4 

VMware Partners with Netmagic to Launch CloudHealth Service in India

Netmagic, an NTT Company, and India’s leading Managed Hosting and Multi-Cloud Hybrid IT solution provider, today announced its partnership with VMware to launch SimpliInsight Services powered by VMware CloudHealth service in India. VMware Cloud Provider Program (VCPP) s is a global ecosystem of providers offering cloud services based on VMware technology.

Netmagic is one of the largest VCPP partners in India to develop the orchestration layer on top of the VMware virtualization platform.

Netmagic has achieved VMware Cloud Verified status and becomes the first Cloud verified partner to launch SimpliInsight Services powered by VMware CloudHealth in the country.

The Cloud Verified badge signals to customers that Netmagic offers a service running on top of the complete VMware Cloud infrastructure. Through Cloud Verified partner services, customers attain access to the full set of VMware Cloud Infrastructure capabilities including integration and interoperability, cost optimization and flexibility.

With SimpliInsight Services powered by VMware CloudHealth, Netmagic will deliver a consistent and actionable view into cost and resource management, security, and performance for applications across multiple cloud environments. SimpliInsight Services powered by VMware CloudHealth will help Netmagic’s customer realize costs saving across multi-cloud deployments such as Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), etc.

“We are extremely pleased to partner with VMware. Netmagic's SimpliInsight service powered by VMware CloudHealth will support businesses with in-depth visibility on cost, performance and security – allowing our customers to make informed strategic decisions for their deployments across hyperscalers like AWS, Azure and Google,” said Nitin Mishra, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer, Netmagic.

Pradeep Nair, Managing Director, VMware India, “Cloud infrastructure services spend hit yet another record in Q1 2020, growing 34% (YoY) to $31 billion[1]. This growth in cloud services is driven in no small part by the global shift to remote working and increased push for digital transformation. Organizations in India are cognizant of the value delivered by cloud and we are witnessing a significant upswing in cloud adoption across sectors. At VMware we strive to help our customers manage their cloud infrastructure seamlessly and efficiently for maximum ROI. With CloudHealth, organizations in India can effectively manage multiple cloud environments through a single pane of glass.  Our partnership with Netmagic will enable a wide range of Indian customers to benefit from our unified cloud management solutions and help accelerate the Indian cloud adoption narrative further.”

David Bate, VP, Cloud, VMware Asia Pacific & Japan, VMware, “Enterprises in APJ are embracing a multi-cloud model and are looking for ways to assemble, deploy, shift and manage workloads across their hybrid cloud environment.  The partnership with Netmagic will bring together the capabilities for delivering cloud infrastructure, consumption and resource management to customers in India. We are excited to support their journey and are confident that SimpliInsight Services powered by VMware CloudHealth will utilize our platform to deliver a fully automated cloud management experience.”

VMware’s global network of more than 4,000 VMware Cloud Providers leverage VMware’s consistent cloud infrastructure to offer a wide array of services, provide geographic and industry specialization, and help customers meet complex regulatory requirements. Cloud Providers operating under the VMware Cloud Provider Program deliver individually tailored cloud solutions and services in more than 120 countries.

OTIPY - Social Commerce Venture by Crofarm Aims to On-Board 5000 Women from Delhi NCR by July 2020

OTIPY, the social commerce venture of India’s fastest-growing farm to retail agritech start-up Crofarm, has recently announced its plans to on-board 5000 women resellers in Delhi NCR. The platform aims to engage with these women by July 2020.Currently working with 500+ women resellers, the brand aims to further expand this number to 5000 by leveraging social media, awareness campaigns, and referrals. By joining the platform’s social commerce workforce, women would be able to earn up to INR 60,000 per month by supplying fresh fruits and vegetables in their community. Otipy resellers earn approximately 10% of their daily sales. To join the platform they can register themselves on the OTIPY website (https://otipy.com/partner.html) or their Facebook page.

OTIPY also offers basic training to newly onboarded resellers on their platform on How to grow their Otipy business; which includes the usage of the reseller partner app, social media promotion, customer care and deliveries. Considering the scalability and efficiency, the training is offered through video conferencing. The brand onboards and activates reseller partners within half hour.Speaking on the brand’s growth plans, Mr.  Varun Khurana, Founder, Otipy – a social commerce venture by Crofarm said, “A majority of our resellers 70% are women. Till now we have on boarded 500 women and we are determined to achieve our goal of onboarding 5000 women by the end of July. To ensure the safety and financial sanctity, we only onboard relevant resellers with valid KYC documents. We have also enabled a WhatsApp feature where women resellers can engage with their neighbourhood customers and understand them and their preferences. This will help them have a strong influence on the community and cater to the specific needs of the consumer. Furthermore, there is no investment required for them to start. We look forward to fulfilling our goal and serving the community better by bringing them fresh produce straight from the farm.”

OTIPY works on a social commerce model where the company delivers the products to the resellers who will then handle the last-mile deliveries within their neighbourhood and earn a healthy commission. Otipy currently serves over 50,000 active customers in the Delhi-NCR area and is targeting the large market with a scalable demand-led model. The fruits and vegetables are sourced from various regions across the country such as Haryana, UP, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra. Crofarm also recently raised a funding of USD 1 million led by Smile Group.

About Otipy (Social commerce venture by Crofarm)

Otipy (Social commerce venture by Crofarm) is India’s fastest growing farm to fork agritech start-up. Otipy focuses on-demand harvesting as per predicted demand to keep minimum wastage through state-of-the-art technology used for procurement, distribution and delivery.  Otipy sources fresh produce from farmers across Haryana, UP, Delhi, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra.

Acer India Appoints Sudhir Goel as the Chief Business Officer for India and Bangladesh

Acer India, the global PC brand, has appointed Sudhir Goel as their Chief Business Officer. Sudhir has been associated with Acer India since 1999 handling various leadership roles spanning product engineering, manufacturing, support, supply chain and recently as the head of commercial business group. In his new role as Chief Business Officer, Sudhir will be responsible for leading both the commercial and consumer business of the company in India and Bangladesh.

With over 35 years of experience, Sudhir brings in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role in Acer India. He was instrumental in establishing Acer India’s manufacturing facility at Pondicherry. He later took on the portfolio of Chief Supply Chain officer, handling complete supply chain - operations, procurement, material planning and manufacturing functions. In addition, he assisted Sales and Marketing in strategic calls on all large deals. Before this role, he was responsible for Acer India’s commercial business group handling PnL, product strategy, alliance relationships and establishing leadership position in multiple categories. He was also in charge of the company’s product solution development in Asia Pacific countries.

Harish Kohli, President, and Managing Director, Acer India said, “Under the leadership of Sudhir Goel, Acer India has successfully excelled in an intensely competitive environment and gained substantial impetus in Indian commercial PC market. Sudhir brings in excellent prerequisites to navigate Acer India in a challenging business situation and we are confident that his strategic thinking, experience, and ability to drive people will navigate the organization to even greater success in the future.” 

Commenting on appointment as Chief Business Officer of Acer India Mr. Sudhir Goel said, “I am honored to be appointed Chief Business Officer and excited to lead Acer's Commercial and Consumer business with support from our executive leadership team, as our company shapes the future of our industry. And now with the new normal where we are seeing a paradigm shift in consumer behavior, it is times like these when being effective, innovative and intuitive really makes a difference and I am looking forward to successfully lead both the business groups."

Before joining Acer India, Sudhir started his career in 1985 with DCM Data Products as a Design Engineer and later joined Compaq as National Tech Support Manager for two years. He has done his engineering degree from BITS Pilani and did his MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University. He is fond of reading both fiction and non-fiction and loves to watch movies in his spare time.

Vedanta's SESA Football Academy Continues to Foster Skill Development in Sports Across the Country

SESA Football Academy (SFA), a flagship CSR program of Vedanta which aims to identify, nurture and groom young footballing talents in the country, felicitated young graduates during Convocation Ceremony 2020 through virtual platforms. 27 boys who completed their football training at SFA were felicitated and awarded with E-certificates in the distinguished presence of Mr. Annanya Agarwal (President- Sesa Football Academy), Mr. Sauvick Mazumdar (CEO- Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business), Mr. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar (former Captain of Indian football team and  Arjuna Awardee), Mr. Denzil Franco (Former Indian team player, ISL player and an SFA alumnus) and Ms. Leena Verenkar (Head- Group CSR , Vedanta Limited).

The event witnessed an active impressive line-up of core team members of SESA Football Academy and young sports enthusiasts cheering for the graduating students and wishing them for their future endeavors.

Sesa Football Academy was established in the year 1999 with an aim to identify, nurture, create platforms and build talent for Indian football. Till date, around 200 footballers have graduated from the academy. Apart from this, football initiatives undertaken by SFA have also positively impacted over 500 young players belonging to Goa and other cities of the country through various grassroot training programs. The residential academies provide systematic and robust football training through its team of national and international football experts, along with formal education of the trainees during the training period.

While congratulating the graduating batch, Mr. Annanya Agarwal, President, Sesa Football Academy said, “I am extremely happy and equally proud to see that we could produce another talented pool of 27 footballers, who will be next generation football icons of the nation. In line with our vision to contribute towards development of Indian football through robust grassroots training programs, we at SFA are taking significant steps in providing world class training to budding footballers to nurture their talent and groom them as professional footballers. I wish all our graduating players great success and a bright future.”

The SFA alumni have very good track records, making their mark in premier national football platforms including Indian national team, ISL teams and other prestigious football clubs across the country.

Mr Sauvick Mazumdar, CEO of Vedanta Sesa Goa Iron Ore Business said, “At Vedanta, community engagement is at the core of our business philosophy. Sesa Football Academy, developed on reclaimed Sanquelim mine with an aim to provide a training platform for Goan youths, has immensely contributed to Goan football & nation at large. Despite difficult business situations for past several years, Vedanta has continued with our flagship CSR initiatives, especially SFA, to ensure uninterrupted contribution towards development of Indian football. I congratulate all our graduating students and wish them a very bright & successful footballing career.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Brahmanand Sankhwalkar, former Captain of Indian football team and Arjuna Awardee said, “SFA has been doing praiseworthy work for the football community in Goa and country at large. The academy is producing good football talent by grooming them through grassroot training programs. I am happy to see these young players get such amazing training opportunity at SFA which is helping them pursue their career in football”.

Former Indian Football team player and SESA Football Academy alumnus, Mr. Denzil Franco congratulated all players and said, “I take pride in being a part of SFA. Contribution of SFA towards honing skills of young and talented footballers of Goa is immensely commendable. I am confident that the students graduating today from SFA will achieve greater heights and bring laurels for the academy boosting its legacy further."

SESA Football Academy also aims to raise the standard of women’s football in the country through Vedanta Women's League, which is helping in development of women footballers by providing them a platform to showcase and hone their talent. Vedanta’s contribution in development of sports is recognised by FICCI, and was conferred “Best Organisation Contributing in Sports through CSR” at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019.