Five Tips To Protect Your Smart Appliances From Cyber Intruders

 

By Kishan Jain, Director, Goldmedal Electricals

Smart home devices have become an integral part of our digitally connected world. While these highly innovative devices have transformed our way of life in many ways, they sometimes come with their fair share of risks. One of the major challenges faced by manufacturers is to provide steps to defend these devices from cyberattacks. Here are a few steps that I feel most people can take to protect and safeguard their smart devices from malicious cyber intruders.      

1. Choose your devices smartly

The first step in buying smart appliances should be to carry out necessary market research on various manufacturing brands regarding their safety aspect. It is critical to the safety of your devices and home that you evaluate the security protection and privacy features offered by various brands. It’s safer if they provide regular firmware updates for better performance and continuous protection. The product should always be bought from authorized resellers of the brand for genuine and authentic products.

2. Secure your Wi-Fi Network

Since a Wi-Fi range can go beyond the four walls of the home and offices, it makes your home network vulnerable to cyber intrusion. But this can be prevented by installing a good Wi-Fi router and securing the network with a unique network name and password. Some routers have the option to create a secondary network, which can be used specifically for all smart home devices. This will restrict the hacker’s movement and access. The “hide network” option also prevents outsiders from connecting to the network. Lastly, install VPN on your smart devices to protect your privacy in case it is connected to a public network.

3. Power of passwords

The key to every device is the password that is set for it. During the setup process, the default password must be changed immediately. Ideally, passwords should be at least 8 characters long and include numbers as well as special characters. Use of generic or easy-to-guess passwords with personal information like name, date of birth etc. should be avoided. It is advisable to change the password occasionally, once every six months. Two-factor authentication is another way to keep your devices and data protected from cyber intrusion.

4. Disconnect to protect

Most routers have the universal plug and play (UPnP) option that lets you find and connect to other devices on the same network easily, but it also a security hazard. It gives outsiders a chance to find and access your devices. Turn off UPnP on the router to prevent a potential intrusion. Similarly, not all smart home devices need to be active and connected at all times. Disconnect devices or turn them off when you plan to be away for a long period of time.

5. Keep your operating system and apps in check

The operating system as well as the apps installed on the smart devices should be regularly updated. Most of these updates include security and bug fixes that prevent hackers from exploiting vulnerabilities that the smart devices might have. It is also important to monitor apps and double check permissions requested by them. It’s crucial to watch out for warning signs like if an app is requesting access data that is not pertinent to its function.

EPL’s Platina Is World’s First Fully Recyclable Packaging Tube

EPL Limited (formerly known as Essel Propack Limited), the world’s largest specialty packaging company, has received global recognition from the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR), USA for its Platina Tube with an HDPE closure.

EPL’s Platina is the first fully sustainable and completely recyclable tube in the world, including shoulder and cap, to get this recognition. It is the only tube to have an integrated shoulder INNER BARRIER LINER (IBL) that is also recyclable in HDPE recycle stream. This is a big step forward as it allows the total tube to be recycled in a single recycle stream

APR maintains exacting standards for certification. Platina went through a rigorous test and qualification process for more than 3 months before the results were announced. Platina is an eco-friendly laminated tube produced with less than 5% barrier resin, and has earlier received recognition from the APR, USA, for consistently meeting or exceeding the most stringent APR HDPE Critical Guidance criteria.

After use, the Platina tubes and caps can be recycled in the dominant #2 plastic stream used across the globe for recycling Milk Cans, Juice bottles etc. Use of HDPE in Platina and GML tubes increases the stiffness of the tubes, enabling EPL to reduce polymer content and in turn help users to deliver on their sustainability commitments. 

The Platina range of HDPE tubes are designed to deliver source reduction and recyclability without the loss of any barrier properties. This allows for sustained product stability and durable shelf life of the packed content. Platina tube is especially suited for oral, toiletries, and food brands. Platina tubes and caps were also certified as 100% recyclable by RecyClass European certification for ‘Code 2’ (recycling) earlier, making them the only speciality packaging tubes and caps to be recognised as 100% recyclable, globally.

Mr. Sudhanshu Vats, MD & CEO EPL said, “Sustainability is a key area of focus for us and we constantly endeavour towards achieving it. We are extremely delighted to receive this recognition from APR, and this will motivate us to develop more innovative and sustainable solutions and consciously reduce our carbon footprint. This showcases our strong R&D capabilities, underlining EPL’s global position as one of the world’s leading innovative packaging manufacturers with the highest standards of sustainability, resource efficiency and recycling/reuse (PCR)”.

“We will encourage and enable our customers to convert to this packaging format; helping them to meet their sustainability commitments faster.” he added. 

Mr. Hariharan K. Nair, Vice President, Creativity and Innovation, said “This is a big achievement for us at EPL. Sustainable solutions is a key focus area for us and we are striving towards achieving this objective across product lines. A first-in-the-world tag makes us proud and is a testament to our disciplined and creative work ethic. Recycling helps the environment and even as it creates new economic opportunities, as recycled products can be made into new goods. Recycling helps still-useful materials prevent clogging up landfills and helps reduce fossil fuel consumption.”

About APR

The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) is The Voice of Plastics Recycling®. As the international trade association representing the plastics recycling industry, membership includes independent recycling companies of all sizes, processing numerous resins, as well as consumer product companies, equipment manufacturers, testing laboratories, organizations, and others committed to the success of plastics recycling. APR works to enhance quality and increase supply through technical resources, testing programs, design solutions, corporate training, regulatory leadership, and education programs. 

About EPL

EPL Limited (formerly known as Essel Propack Ltd.) is the world’s largest specialty packaging company, manufacturing laminated plastic tubes catering to the FMCG and pharma spaces. Employing 3158 people from 25 nationalities, EPL operates through twenty state-of-the-art facilities in eleven countries, selling about 8 billion tubes per annum. 

With a market leading Oral Care volume share of 36% globally, EPL has units operating across the USA, Mexico, Colombia, Poland, Germany, Egypt, Russia, China, Philippines and India. These facilities cater to 5 core categories of Oral Care, Beauty & Cosmetics, Pharma & Health, Food & Nutrition and Home Care; offering customized solutions through constant innovations in materials, technology, design and processes. 

VMware Named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software

 

VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW) today announced that the company is positioned furthest on the completeness of vision axis in the Gartner Inc. December 2020 Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software. In addition, VMware is also in the Leaders quadrant of the report based on the ability to execute axis for the fourth consecutive report.

“HCI has fast become a default infrastructure of choice that spans the datacenter, edge locations, and the public cloud. That’s because organizations across every industry need to accelerate delivery of new applications and scale as businesses respond to changing demands,” said John Gilmartin, senior vice president and general manager, Cloud Platform Business Unit, VMware. “We are thrilled to be recognized by Gartner which we believe demonstrates our commitment to provide customers with trusted, enterprise-grade HCI solutions.”

As the foundational platform for traditional applications, cloud native applications, and hybrid cloud, HCI eliminates IT silos and makes infrastructure future-ready. Most recently VMware made available VMware vSAN 7 Update 1 which includes more new features than any previous release over the past three years. This latest offering streamlines customer adoption of Kubernetes and supports stateful applications with new developer-ready capabilities and enhance scalability and operations with new features. Additionally, VMware introduced new capabilities across its HCI and hybrid cloud platforms to further support customers’ modern applications needs. 

VMware has the broadest HCI ecosystem that includes 15 jointly certified OEM server vendors, or vSAN ReadyNodes, with more than 500 validated configurations, Global Partner Appliances that simplify HCI adoption and maintenance, a jointly engineered solution, Dell EMC VxRail, and 70-plus cloud verified partners that offer VMware Cloud Foundation, including all global hyperscalers.

Additional Resources

Read more on “The Gartner Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software” at VMware Virtual Blocks blog

Learn more about VMware HCI

Learn more about VMware vSAN

Learn more about VMware Cloud Foundation

Connect with VMware on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Hyperconverged Infrastructure Software, Jeffrey Hewitt, Philip Dawson, Julia Palmer, Tony Harvey, 7 December 2020

VMware, VMware vSAN, and vSAN ReadyNodes are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other jurisdictions. This article may contain hyperlinks to non-VMware websites that are created and maintained by third parties who are solely responsible for the content on such websites.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

About VMware

VMware software powers the world’s complex digital infrastructure. The company’s cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact. 

Save on TECNO Smartphones During ‘Flipkart Big Saving Days’ Sale

* New TECNO POVA (6+128 GB) variant debuts on Flipkart sale (https://rb.gy/rnuzmy ) starting 18th December at 12am

* TECNO’s SPARK Power 2 Air & CAMON 15 available at a special price of INR 7999 & INR 9999 respectively

* Consumers can also avail an instant 10% discount on SBI credit cards

With Christmas and New Year around the corner, TECNO has come up with exciting offers and discounts on popular smartphones to add to the festive cheer during Flipkart’s upcoming ‘Big Saving Days’ Sale from 18th to 22nd December, 2020 in a quest to make the celebrations bigger and memorable. 

Earlier, TECNO POVA 4GB +64GB saw a stellar response from consumers that made TECNO the ‘Highest rated Smartphone brand’ on Flipkart with its consistent rating of 4.5 and above. Rolling on the back of this success the debut sale of the TECNO POVA 6GB+128GB will commence tomorrow available at INR 11,999 only. Consumers can also avail a special offer of an instant 10% discount on SBI cards.

The TECNO POVA is currently holding the crown of bringing together the most competitive smartphone featuring a high-performance MediaTek Helio G80 Octa-Core Processor, an in-built Hyper Engine Gaming Technology and a 6000 mAh battery with 18W Dual IC Fast Charge for a seamless, un-interrupted gaming and multitasking experience. It also houses a massive 6.8-inch dot-in display that provides an immersive viewing experience.

This Flipkart Big Saving Day’s sale will witness TECNO being the best smartphone brand in budget category. With SPARK POWER 2 Air flaunting many category defining features such as 6000 mAh battery with AI power charging & safe charging, Big 6.95- inch Dot-notch display and 13MP AI powered Quad camera with category defining dual speakers with stereo sound at just INR 7999. And CAMON 15 a feature rich smartphone offering combination of 48MP rear camera smartphone with 16MP dot-in selfie camera in the sub 10K at a special price of INR 9999. Additionally, SBI Bank credit card users can avail a 10% instant discount on their cart value while buying these TECNO phones during the sale.

GE Healthcare's Edison Accelerator Launches 2nd Cohort with Six Technology Startups

 

Highlights 

* The six startups onboarded are AarogyaAI, BrainSightAI, Fluid AI, InMed Prognostics, Wellthy Care and Onward Assist

* The start-ups of 2nd Cohort will focus on point-of-care diagnostics, remote patient monitoring, virtual hospitals, data management and insights and asset health monitoring

‘India EdisonTM Accelerator – Startups powered by GE Healthcare’ announces the launch of its second Cohort, with the enrollment of six remarkable health-tech startups - AarogyaAI, BrainSightAI, Fluid AI, InMed Prognostics, Wellthy Therapeutics and Onward Assist. In its second year now, India EdisonTM Accelerator, the company’s first startup collaboration program based out of India is committed to mentoring and creating strategic partners to co-develop healthcare solutions alongside GE’s engineers and scientists. Riding on the success of the first Cohort of the program, this time the focus is on technology solutions aimed at streamlining healthcare delivery across verticals- Advanced Imaging and Visualization, Precision Diagnosis and Treatment, Computer-aided Detection and Diagnosis, Point-of-Care Diagnostics, Remote Patient Monitoring,  Virtual Hospitals, Data Management and Insights, and Asset Health Monitoring.

Girish Raghavan, VP, Software Engineering, GE Healthcare South Asia said, “The aim of this program is to harness the brainpower of the start-up ecosystem for developing solutions on the Edison platform for some of the toughest healthcare challenges existing today. We are excited about the second Cohort of ‘India EdisonTM Accelerator – Startups powered by GE Healthcare’ and the collaboration that we are already seeing between the startup community, our colleagues and the Edison platform itself.”

The applications received were screened through a three-stage process and the shortlisted entries were evaluated based on the strength of the business idea/plan, maturity and the closeness to productize their solution, team capabilities and relevance to defined focus areas among others. ‘India EdisonTM Accelerator – Startups powered by GE Healthcare’ is providing a zero-equity cash-in-grant of USD 10000 to each of the selected startups. In addition, they will have access to mentorship, skill development programs, commercial and regulatory guidance, and data provision as additional benefits.

About the five startups:

AarogyaAI: enables quick and accurate diagnosis of DR-TB so that the patient can be rightly prescribed effective drug combinations for treatment, instantly. https://aarogya.ai/

BrainSightAI: is building an MRI-bases SAAS platform, which can transform how neuro-psychiatric disorders are addressed. https://www.brainsightai.com/

Fluid AI: offers data driven solutions backed with AI analytics and insights that can help businesses take smarter decisions with respect to operations, sales, credit etc. https://www.fluid.ai/

InMed Prognostics: is an artificial intelligence and machine learning based MRI tool, helping neuro-radiologists, neuro physicians and psychiatrists understand the brain better and effects of different conditions. http://in-medprognostics.com/

Wellthy Therapeutics maps the patient journey and plays a 24*7, continual real-time role to patients as a companion solution to help them manage their chronic conditions better. https://www.wellthy.care/

Onward Assist: is an advanced cancer prognostics platform for histopathologists and radiologists, building machine learning models to support decision making and improve outcomes. http://www.onwardhealth.ai

The first cohort which graduated in June this year included five impressive tech startups -- 5C Network, DeepTek, Orbo, Predible and Synapsica. They successfully integrating their solution with the Edison platform, and the program continues to engage with them on taking their solutions to market through the alumini program.

About ‘India EdisonTM Accelerator – Startups powered by GE Healthcare’

GE Healthcare unveiled the ‘India EdisonTM Accelerator – Startups powered by GE Healthcare’ in August 2019 with a focus on nurturing the startup ecosystem and working with them to create healthcare solutions leveraging the Edison platform and decades of GE Healthcare’s expertise. Startups will collaborate with GE Healthcare to arrive at solutions that improve patient outcomes and experience, efficiency of clinical practice and that of the healthcare facilities, reduce waste and inefficiencies, and eliminate costly and harmful errors.  For more information on the program, visit: startups.gehc.co. You can follow the program on Twitter @GEHCI_Xlerator

About Edison

Edison is an advanced intelligence offering used by GE Healthcare’s internal developers and strategic partners to develop new healthcare applications, services and AI algorithms. It comprises applications, smart devices and the Edison platform. Over the next few years, we expect Edison to become central to the healthcare ecosystem and an important hub for healthcare innovation with thousands of applications and services available. There are around 100+ applications currently available on the Edison platform, and we expect that number to grow.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare is the $16.7 billion healthcare business of GE (NYSE: GE). As a leading global medical technology and digital solutions innovator, GE Healthcare enables clinicians to make faster, more informed decisions through intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services, supported by its Edison intelligence platform. With over 100 years of healthcare industry experience and around 50,000 employees globally, the company operates at the center of an ecosystem working toward precision health, digitizing healthcare, helping drive productivity and improve outcomes for patients, providers, health systems and researchers around the world. In India, GE Healthcare operates in a JV (Wipro GE Healthcare WGE)) with Wipro Limited. WGE is focussed on some of the country’s toughest healthcare challenges– lowering maternal and infant deaths, enabling early detection of cancer and addressing heart diseases early. WGE pioneered innovation of healthcare imaging technologies ‘In India for India and the world’ to enhance access to quality healthcare at affordable costs to more people. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Insights , or visit our website www.gehealthcare.in/ for more information.

Garware Polyester Becomes First PPF Manufacturer in India; Eyes 300 Cr Incremental Revenue by FY23

Garware Polyester Ltd. (GPL), the flagship company of the Garware Group and a leading player in specialty Polyester and Sun Control Films in India commenced the production of Paint Protection Films (PPF) for automobile paint protection. Currently, Paint Protection Film has an estimated global market size of $500m and is dominated by global giants like 3M, Llumar (from Eastman), XPEL etc.

Paint Protection Film is designed to give automobile paint coatings the highest level of protection and impact resistance, and these films are clear, self-healing Paint Protection Films. This type of special extends the life of the paint coating on vehicles and has self-healing properties. The PPF is manufactured using a specially formulated Thermoplastic Polyurethane film (TPU), which offers high reliability and consistent performance. The highly specialized film protects the vehicle’s paint from scratches, dents and damage caused by road debris and rocks, as well as from environmental elements, through its force-dissipation properties. 

The company estimates Paint Protection Films to contribute 20% of FY23 revenue estimated at an incremental Rs. 300 Cr.  The GPL PPF will also be more competitively priced than those available in the Indian market today, as it is manufactured in GPL’s highly efficient, integrated manufacturing set-up. 

Commenting on the PPF line production commencement, Mr. S.B. Garware, Chairman and Managing Director, Garware Polyester said, "Garware has been the pioneer in polyester film manufacturing since 1974, and after our strong second quarter performance we expect the commencement of the PPF line to contribute significantly to the company’s performance. The product will be available to both our domestic customers as well as export markets. We plan our product lines very carefully with an aim to acquire global leadership in any specialty product that we manufacture. I am confident that we will achieve the same with our PPF line as well.”

About Garware Polyester Limited 

Garware Polyester Ltd. (BOM: 500655) is the flagship company of the Garware Group co-promoted by the Chairman and Managing Director Mr. S.B. Garware in the year 1957 along with the Founder-Chairman Late Padmabhushan Dr. Bhalchandra Garware. The company makes Specialty Performance Polyester Films in India and has its State-of-the-Art manufacturing facilities at Aurangabad in Maharashtra, India. GPL is the pioneer and one of the largest exporter of Polyester Films in India and the winner of top exporters’ awards for continuous 33 years from PLEXCOUNCIL. 

Garware Polyester Ltd.’s (GPL) manufacturing facility in Aurangabad is vertically integrated, from manufacture of polyester chips to the finished product of polyester films with four independent manufacturing lines and a business that spans the globe.  Polyester Films are used for variety of end-applications such as PET Shrink films for Label application, Low Oligomer PET films for insulation of hermetically sealed compressors motors, Electric motor insulation and cable insulation, sequin application films, TV and LCD screen application, Packaging applications etc. Garware Polyester Ltd is also the market Leader and India’s only manufacturer of Sun Control window films for Building, safety and auto applications. The company has facilities for manufacturing various coated products and co-extruded products for specialty application, apart from its capacity to design the recipe for raw material of PET films to suit the end application of the product.  The company has also developed surface-protection films designed to deliver the highest level of protection and impact resistance which has applications in many sectors. 

Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films Decodes the Growth and Evolution of the Short Film Format with the finest in Cinema

Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films, one of the biggest and most celebrated short films platform in India, recently hosted some of the greatest minds from the world of films who came together for an engaging conversation on the ever evolving world of cinema.

The platform, that has released some of the most prodigious award winning short films, announced the launch of the new power-packed series that will be aired on Zee Cafe starting from 19th December 2020 at 8:30 PM and on &Pics at 11:00 PM.

The brand has collaborated with the finest personalities in Indian cinema who truly stand for originality and creativity. Saif Ali Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj Bajpayee, Samantha Akkineni, Divya Dutta, Sayani Gupta, Shweta Basu Prasad, Tisca Chopra, Niranjan Iyengar, and Shivani Raghuvanshi shared the stage in a captivating discussion moderated by Mandira Bedi. Having successfully straddled the worlds of both feature film and the short format series these artists shared insights and their experience with new age cinema storytelling. The conversations revolved around the power of the new formats that bring forth diverse stories and characters which enables artists to elevate their craft.

Commenting on the occasion, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said, “Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has revolutionized the short film format in India and has redefined the movie-watching experience. The testament to its wide popularity and success is the overwhelming response to each of our releases as well as industry recognition awarded to our groundbreaking and category-defining films We are delighted to leverage the power of this platform and associate with incredible story tellers, who, like the brand, personify the spirit of pursuit of excellence. As the short film genre grows, our endeavor is to bring these powerful stories and their creators to the forefront for the most diverse entertainment experience for our consumers.”

The discussions covered various interesting trends prominent not only in the short film industry today, but also in the world of cinema at large. From convergence, where regional cinema with mainstream content was streamed globally to collapsing of the commercial and indie barriers along with resurgence of diversified and authentic representation of characters, the conversations delved into everything that the artists have experienced in new age storytelling. 

Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films is one of the most influential and celebrated platforms for short films in India. It has become ‘the’ destination for Indian short films where viewers can experience the taste of great films. The platform has collaborated with successful storytellers from the world of cinema who truly stand for originality and excellence. It has created an ecosystem and with a slew of powerful films and is the perfect stage that provides a canvas for directors and actors to tell compelling stories within 15-20 minutes.

About Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films:

Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films has released some of the most prodigious award winning short films with renowned artists and directors from the industry which truly reflects originality, creativity and perfection.  Ahalya, Interior Café - Night, Ouch, Chutney, Anukul, Mumbai Varanasi Express, Khool Aali Chithi, The School Bag, Bruno and Juliet, ‘Shunyata’, Juice, Maa, Chhuri, Her First Time and Iktarfa are some of the phenomenal films that have been released on this platform. Royal Stag Barrel Select Large Short Films as a platform for original short films has been the pioneer in popularizing this genre of filmmaking.