SREI Group Elevates Its Security Posture With Trend Micro Vision One

* The threat defense platform provides centralized visibility, faster detection and response across their IT landscape 

Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, is now providing a comprehensive suite of cybersecurity solutions to Srei Group of Companies, India’s leading asset finance and leasing institution. The company secured its endpoints and instances in the cloud within a month with the help of Trend Micro’s all-inclusive and robust solutions, which elevated its security posture. 

Being a large and diversified business group, Srei was looking for the right security partner who could offer a unified, comprehensive view of their entire security landscape. The extended detection and response (XDR) capabilities at the core of Trend Micro Vision One have empowered Srei to gain visibility across multiple security layers and also helped resolve skill and resource constraints by correlating security events to help reduce alert fatigue. 

Vijendra Katiyar, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Trend Micro said, “Time is of the essence in cybersecurity. Considering the evolving threat landscape, organizations need to have quick and comprehensive visibility across the enterprise. Trend Micro Vision One enabled SREI to achieve a greater level of threat detection and investigation across their IT infrastructure. This contextual visibility helped them to hunt, detect, contain and respond to threats in a faster and more efficient manner.” 

Speaking on the deployment, Amit Deb, AVP IT Operation, Srei Group of Companies said, “Cybersecurity today is an integral part of ensuring seamless business operations. With Trend Micro providing vendor consolidation and being a single point of support, we have now achieved tight API integration with our SOC, enabling us to take immediate actions wherever required. The XDR capabilities of Trend Micro Vision One provided us with a future-ready solution. It has increased visibility through its 24/7 alert monitoring, correlation, and prioritization, which has accelerated the remediation mechanism. We are now able to take immediate action on events that need further investigation. The single source of managed detection and response has further helped resolve skill and resource constraints.” 

About Trend Micro 

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com. 

About SREI Group 

Srei Group of Companies is one of India’s leading asset finance and leasing institutions with a prominent presence in other sectors including infrastructure, power, hospitality, and healthcare.  

Srei has over 30 years of successful business to its name constantly and consistently delivering innovative solutions. Among its many achievements, Srei is the first Indian infrastructure non-bank financial institute (NBFC) to be listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2005. It is also the first company to lay the ground for passive telecom infrastructure sharing in India. 

Alumni Achievement Of Manipal College Of Health Professions, MAHE - Manipal

Physiotherapy MCHP alumnus Mr Sumansh Sivalanka (BPT, MPT) is one of the Team Physiotherapist of Indian Badminton Team (Badminton Association of India) and he has been part of Team delegation of Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Badminton champion Ms PV Sindhu bagged the Bronze medal in this Olympics and she is the first female Indian athlete to win two medals at the Olympic Games for the consecutive years.

Physiotherapy KMC, MCHP Mangalore, alumnus Mr. Chinmay Shrirang Bhide, (BPT, MPT) is one of the Team Physiotherapist of Indian Badminton Team (Badminton Association of India) and he has been part of Team delegation of Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Badminton champion Ms PV Sindhu bagged the Bronze medal in this Olympics and she is the first female Indian athlete to win two medals at the Olympic Games for the consecutive years.

The delegation was invited for Indian Independence Day Celebrations 2021 and was felicitated with High Tea by Hon'ble President Shri Ramnath Govind, Hon'ble Vice President Shri Venkaiah Naidu and Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at Rastrapathi Bhavan, New Delhi on August 15, 2021.

Photo caption of Sumansh and Chinmay along with Honourable President of India, Vice president of India and Prime Minister of India.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Recognized For Best Water And Hazardous Waste Management Practices By CII

* TKM has won two awards “BEST WATER MANAGEMENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR” and “BEST HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT COMPANY” by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region Award

Toyota Kirloskar Motor was awarded by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Southern Region for its outstanding contribution in Water and hazardous Waste management at the recently conducted 1st Edition of Water & Waste Management Competition, held in Chennai (Virtual session).  The award recognizes relentless efforts of TKM in setting-up benchmark practices in becoming “Water Positive Company” and enhancing TKM’s Waste KPI performance through impactful initiatives.

Over the years, TKM has consciously transformed the core of its business spirit from a carmaker into a mobility company by applying the values of sustainable business practice. The company’s commitment towards a sustainable future outlines the brand’s endeavour towards natural resource management and safeguarding the environment.

Keeping with our principle of ‘Respect for the Planet’, Toyota announced the ‘Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 (TEC 2050)’ in October 2015 comprising of six environment challenge. The holistic vision aims to achieve Net ZERO CO2 from product, manufacturing & across life cycle. Further the set challenges aim towards creating a positive impact on the environment by water conservation, establishing a recycle based society and living in harmony with nature.

Water scarcity is one of the most critical issues of the 21st century. Thus, water conservation at TKM has become an utmost priority and multiple efforts were taken to address the environmental challenge of minimizing and optimizing water consumption. Water being a shared and valuable resource in India, we strive to bring down our freshwater consumption by adopting Recycling, Rainwater Harvesting, and promoting Kaizen to reduce specific water consumption. Through these initiatives, we have reduced our freshwater utilization by 90% for manufacturing. During FY 2020 -2021, we could reduce 142,982 m3 of freshwater consumption.

Further, as a part of TEC2050, TKM focuses and promote effective implementation of Reduce, Reuse & Recycle concept in manufacturing process. TKM has established effective Waste Management practices at its operation through source reduction by implementing innovative technologies and we have enhanced the recyclability of waste to 96%. Moving further, the company intends to implement the concept of CRADLE to CRADLE, where the waste material is put back to manufacturing process, thus supports the principle of circular economy.

Our philosophy of Toyota Production System (TPS) involves achieving complete elimination of all waste in pursuit of the most efficient methods under the concept “Just-in-time” in which each process produces only what is needed, when it is needed, and in the amount needed for the next process in a continuous flow with improved productivity. This basic principle facilitates producing quality products efficiently through the complete elimination of waste, inconsistencies, and unreasonable requirements on the production line (known respectively, in Japanese, as Muda - Unwanted, Mura - Unevenness, Muri - Over-burden).

Through adopting 6R concept, we are continuously striving towards establishing a recycle based society and aiming at promoting these initiatives across our value chain. Focusing on source reduction, we have taken up various activities such as sealer recycling, Metal dust recycling, Robo-Distance Reduction, and sludge reduction through drying process etc.

Expressing his delight on receiving the award, Mr. Raju B. Ketkale, Deputy Managing Director of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, said, “Toyota has given utmost importance to environment and all our initiatives are designed in such a way that serves towards lowering our environmental impact and achieving the ultimate goal of ‘Living in Harmony with Nature.’ We are continuously striving to be a role model in the industry with our unique initiatives, aiming towards creating a positive impact on the environment by water conservation and waste management.

It is an honor to achieve this award recognizing TKM’s incalculable efforts and responsible contribution to build a safer ecosystem for society thus bringing an impactful difference in the lives of the people. This achievement is a testament of our efforts and inspires us to continue to improve our processes”

Toyota’s interventions thrive on community awareness, involvement and ownership, the seeds of which are sown in our holistic engagement model. With the support of all its stakeholders and business partners, TKM intends to build a future society in harmony with nature.

Signzy Enters The UAE In Strategic Partnership With The Seed Group

Seed Group, a company of the Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, has entered into a strategic partnership with Signzy, a Bangalore-based banking workflow automation company, for financial services, to give further push to digital transformation of businesses across the UAE. With the support of Seed Group, Signzy aims to triple its growth in the region by the end of fiscal 2022.

The partnership comes at a time when the UAE is expediting tech transformation across government services and industries, as per the goals of the UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025.

Under the partnership, Seed Group will help Signzy expand its operations in the Emirates and the wider Middle East, reach the right audience, access top decision-makers in government as well as private sectors, and market their products effectively in the region. The AI startup, on the other hand, will bring the best products and technologies to the region and help companies automate their back office operations, create security and data protection infrastructure and speed up digitisation of their processes.

Hisham Al Gurg, CEO of Seed Group and The Private Office of Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum, said, “The UAE is taking giant strides to meet the objectives of the UAE Digital Government Strategy 2025 and double the size of the digital economy in the next 10 years. Businesses are going through a phenomenal digital transformation and are on a lookout to adopt affordable smart technologies.”

“Having Signzy as our strategic partner will give the country’s digitisation agenda the much-needed push. Signzy has been successfully providing to various institutions cutting-edge digital solutions. We see a huge potential for their services in the UAE and the Middle East,” he added.

Signzy Co-founder and CEO Ankit Ratan said, “Seed Group brings a wealth of experience and regional access to the MENA region which will power us to rapidly grow market share. Businesses, especially banks, financial institutions, and fintechs across UAE and Middle East are doubling efforts to digitize and automate services to build a robust digital financial infrastructure that improves access, transparency, and speed of delivery. We are pleased to partner with Seed Group to fulfil UAE’s vision of digital transformation.”

Signzy, a company that works with over 100 financial institutions, including the four largest banks in India and the top three banks in the US, and various other businesses, seeks to help financial institutions automate their back-office operations, create security and data protection infrastructure, and speed up digitisation for faster customer onboarding and real-time verification and fraud detection. With over 240 fintech API pre-integrated on the platform, Signzy assists banks become digital ready from day one and expedite customers’ digital journey.

Seed Group is a notable force in the technology, healthcare, hospitality, and telecommunications landscape in the Middle East. Over the past 16 years, it has formed successful strategic alliances with leading global companies representing diverse regions to accelerate their sustainable market entry and presence within the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

About Seed Group

Over the past 16 years, Seed Group has formed strategic alliances with leading global companies representing diverse regions and industries. These companies have propelled their business interests and goals in the Middle East and North Africa region through the support and strong base of regional connections of the Seed Group. The Group’s goal is to create mutually beneficial partnerships with multinational organisations and to accelerate their sustainable market entry and presence within the MENA region. Seed Group has been a key point in the success of all its partners in the region, helping them reach their target customers and accelerate their businesses. The Private Office was established by Sheikh Saeed bin Ahmed Al Maktoum to directly invest in or assist potential business opportunities in the region, which meet The Private Office’s criteria. For more information, visit www.seedgroup.com.

About Signzy

Signzy is a leading provider of AI-based digitalization and automation solutions to the BFSI industry and counts globally leading banks and NBFCs as its clients. As one of the leading bank workflow automation players, Signzy helps more than 200 institutions make their digital regulatory processes simple, secure and compliant. For more information, visit www.signzy.com.

upGrad Crosses 2 Million Learners; Becomes Largest Higher Edtech In Indian Market

* The global edtech forecasted reaching 2Mn in 18 months & beats itself on its own target by reaching the milestone in 8 months; M&As bolster learners’ strength 

Asia’s higher edtech major and recently turned unicorn, upGrad, records yet another striking milestone by crossing the mark of 2Mn learners on its platform. This has been achieved in just 8 months after the global edtech crossed the 1Mn mark in January this year.

upGrad’s growth has been propelled by its strategic M&As as well, and includes international learners driven by the brand’s global university partnerships. About 40% of the total registered learners are from the group companies like upGrad KnowledgeHut, upGrad Campus (previously Impartus), and upGrad Jeet (previously The Gate Academy), while the remaining 60% of learners are registered with the parent brand.

Commenting on this milestone, the three Co-founders, Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, and Phalgun Kompalli in a joint statement said, “We remained bullish on our plans for being a truly global company for the 1 Bn workforce and our strategic M&As have also been helping us with inorganic growth across geographies. We are witnessing demand from a wider audience who are being careful about the evolving market needs and is indulging in LifeLongLearning to catapult their career growth. While we feel a certain sense of accomplishment on beating our own targets in less than half of the expected timeline; we are all set for a much bigger success that awaits in the near future.”

The unemployment rate in the country rose to a six-week high of 8.1% in the week ended August 8, the CMIE data suggest. On the other hand, India is expected to have over 1.5 million unfulfilled job vacancies by 2025 just in the field of Cybersecurity, Michael Page India recently reported. The number is far graver if one takes all the new-age Data & Tech roles. Such alarming circumstances in the country are indicative of the massive skill gap that players like upGrad are seeking to bridge.

upGrad, known for driving meaningful career outcomes, offers a host of career services like paid internships, 1:1 mentorship, career counseling, and placement support. Such during and after-course value-added services make upGrad a leader in the higher education sphere that not only concentrates on quality content but is equally committed to driving employment in the country.

Recent reports suggest the company is in advanced talks for a USD 400 Million fundraise at a valuation of USD 4 Billion, and therefore, the milestone of unicorn is not any destination, but a mark on its path towards achieving a larger goal.

About upGrad: 

upGrad is a pioneer in the online education revolution, changing the lives of millions for the better by “Powering career success for every member of the global workforce as their trusted lifelong learning partner”. Co-Founded by one of the world’s most impactful entrepreneurs, Ronnie Screwvala along with Mayank Kumar and Phalgun Kompalli, upGrad has impacted over 1 million total registered learners in over 50+ countries.

upGrad, Asia’s higher EdTech leader, uniquely drives deep learning for the real world, by creating original content harnessing industry experts across the globe and offers learners a hyper-personalized, comprehensive one-stop solution, combining the power of its’ proprietary AI-driven technology platform with its army of counsellors who handhold learners for the entire duration of their course.

To provide the best university quality education, upGrad brings together the world’s leading universities, faculty & industry experts on an integrated digital platform, delivering an immersive experience with full flexibility to study at one’s own pace. upGrad’s ever-expanding roster of leading global universities includes Duke Corporate Education (US), Michigan State University (US), Liverpool John Moores University (UK), Deakin Business School (Australia), Swiss School of Business Management, (Geneva), IIT Madras (India), IIM Kozhikode (India).

upGrad’s alumni base is employed by blue-chip organizations like Gojek, PayTM, Gartner, Flipkart (Walmart-acquired), Accenture, and E&Y. upGrad is #1, LinkedIn Top Startups India 2020 and is in Top 50 of the FT Asia-Pacific High-Growth Companies 2021 and the GSV Global EdTech 50.

Godrej Appliances Keeps Your Perishables Fresh For Upto 30 Days With New Cool Balance Technology In Its Latest Refrigerators

* Available in two of its Frost-Free refrigerator ranges -Godrej New Eon Valor and Godrej Eon Alpha, ensures up to 60% longer preservation of your fruits and vegetables

As the demand for premium appliances witnesses a rise after a subdued summer, Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, announced that its business Godrej Appliances, one of the leading appliances players in India unveiled two new series of advanced frost-free refrigerators: Godrej Eon Valor and Godrej Eon Alpha.

With higher safety concerns, more consumers are refraining from frequent visits to the stores and hence the rising need for cooling solutions that provide lasting freshness for veggies and fruits. The new Godrej Eon Valor and Alpha refrigerators deploy new Cool Balance Technology with break through air flow design, offering up to 30 days of freshness and up to 60% longer preservation.

The Godrej Eon Valor and Godrej Eon Alpha refrigerators offer a much higher value with a host of relevant features –

a.    Multi-Inverter technology in Eon Valor for more efficient cooling

b.    Intelligent Weather Sensing technology in Eon Valor for automatic adjustment of cooling according to external weather conditions

c.    Moisture control technology in the vegetable tray to enhance freshness

d.    Convertible freezer technology with 6 in 1 mode in Eon Valor

e.    Thickest Insulation with Best-in-class PUF insulation of 2.75 inches and 2.24 inches respectively in Valor and Alpha series, ensuring cooling retention for up to 24 hours.

f.     Widest freezers in the segment for convenient storage and access with completely movable ice maker

g.    Prism LED light for uniform brightness

h.    Largest Vegetable Tray of 27 L in Eon Valor

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Kamal Nandi, Business Head and EVP – Godrej Appliances said, “The pandemic has accelerated certain shifts in consumer behaviour like increased storage needs at home for perishables. The higher end of appliances is also witnessing increased demand. Our newest additions to refrigerator portfolio – Godrej New Eon Valor and Godrej Eon Alpha are high on preservation, aesthetics and convenient storage and in sync with the brand’s promise of ‘things made thoughtfully.”

Mr. Anup Bhargava, Product Group Head – Refrigerators, Godrej Appliances, further added, “Frost free refrigerators account for about 24% of the total refrigerator sales and are growing faster than the rest of the category, at 45%. Our recently launched Godrej New Eon Valor and Godrej Eon Alpha allow consumers to get lasting preservation and more convenience and are also high on aesthetics. We are confident this new range will further strengthen our position further in the refrigerator category.”

Godrej New Eon Valor is available in 3 capacities – 244L, 265L and 294L, starting from INR 34,700 while Godrej Eon Alpha is available in 234L and 253L, starting from INR 30,200. 

About Godrej Appliances

Godrej Appliances, a business unit of the highly diversified Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. is one of the leading Home Appliances players in India. Godrej was the first Indian Company in 1958 to manufacture Refrigerators and has since then, expanded its portfolio across many other categories like Washing Machines, Air Conditioners, Microwave Ovens, futuristic Thermo-electric cooling solutions, Air Coolers, Deep Freezers, highly specialized Medical Refrigerators and more recently, UVC Technology-Based Disinfecting devices and Dishwashers, all powered by the driving philosophy of 'Things made thoughtfully’/ ‘Soch Ke Banaya Hai’. 

This thought extends from human-centric design to planet centric design. Environment is a core value at Godrej Appliances. Both manufacturing units of Godrej Appliances’ - in Maharashtra and Punjab, became the first in the country to win the coveted Platinum Plus Green Co certification for their pioneering green manufacturing practices. 

The brand takes pride in not just its carefully designed products and environment-friendly technologies, but also best in class after-sales service delivered through over 680 service centers and more than 4500 SmartBuddy service experts spread all over the country. Godrej customers can now book or track service requests on WhatsApp (9321665511), besides the toll-free 1800 209 5511.

Shareholders Fully Support All Resolutions Proposed By The Board Of Directors At 17th AGM Of YES BANK

The General body of the Shareholders of YES BANK, has approved all the five (5) Resolutions with an overwhelming majority, in the 17th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held virtually on August 27, 2021. The outcome reflects a summation of remote E-voting and voting through electronic means at the AGM on August 27, 2021.

Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti, Non- Executive Director and Mr. R. Gandhi, Additional Director appointed by RBI attended the AGM remotely.

The Shareholders approved the following:

Ordinary Business:

1)         Adoption of Annual Audited standalone and consolidated financial statements of the Bank for the year ended March 31, 2021 (Ordinary Resolution);  

2)         Amendment in the terms of appointment of M/s M. P. Chitale & Co., Statutory Auditors in compliance with recent RBI circular on Appointment of Auditors (RBI Circular No. DoS.CO.ARG/SEC.01/08.91.001/2021- 22 dated April 27, 2021) (Ordinary Resolution);

3)         Appointment of M/s Chokshi & Chokshi LLP, Chartered Accountants, as Joint Statutory Auditors (Ordinary Resolution);

Special Business:

4)         Noted appointment of Mr. Ravindra Pandey (DIN - 07188637) as a Nominee Director (Ordinary Resolution); and

5)         Authorized capital raising through issuance of debt securities (Special Resolution)

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sunil Mehta, Chairman, YES BANK said, “The Bank has crossed significant milestones in the past year – all because of the immense trust that our customers and stakeholders have reposed in the fundamentals of the institution. During an exceptional time that tested the resolve of all businesses across the globe, the Bank was able to post sequential gains for the first three quarters of FY21 and make the necessary provisions for stressed assets, so we don’t carry forward any burden into FY22.

On the economic outlook, while there exists some uncertainty on the likelihood of a third wave of COVID-19, the forward-looking surveys shared by RBI point towards positivity with respect to consumption projections and investment behavior of the private sector. There are encouraging indicators of demand returning to the economy. Capital expenditure targets of the Central Government are strong in FY22 which is expected to unleash a positive multiplier effect on the economy. Consequently, despite some challenges, opportunities for the banking sector have been significantly enhanced to serve and support growth of customers in rural and urban markets.

At YES BANK, all through last year, we made significant gains in optimising our operations and costs and strengthening key parameters, all of which reflect in the ratings upgrades by various agencies. Perhaps some of the most notable improvements have emerged from the very challenges that we collectively faced due to COVID-19, which impelled us to do better, fast. The Bank has appropriately and expeditiously dealt with all legacy governance, compliance and risk issues to be future ready for strong sustainable growth.

The Bank has delivered a robust liabilities momentum with 55% growth in deposits over previous year. This reflects very inspiring customer confidence across all segments. The accelerated digitisation of key banking services have ensured that customers could access them from the safety and comfort of their homes. The Bank has established very detailed protocols and taken multiple initiatives to keep our communities safe. Further ESG considerations have been integrated into Banks’s core business strategy by addressing environmental and social risks as well.

Several changes across functions, driven by Board level decisions, have brought about a transformation that has put the Bank on a course of continual improvement and innovation. This is clearly demonstrated by the Bank’s performance in the first quarter of this fiscal - a 355% profit surge year on year to Rs 207 crore, the highest in 10 quarters. The Bank’s focus on digitization has been intense with a record 9.06 billion UPI transaction reflecting 102% growth over previous year, as a clear market leader in the industry. Overall, the operating profit for FY21 increased by 42% over previous year which amply demonstrated strong resurgence in Bank’s operating performance.

As we continue to honour our promise to stakeholders, we have been able to enhance the value we bring to our customers through the Bank's forward-looking vision and aspiration to serve all our customers efficiently and empathetically. The Bank has vigorously strengthened its position on its strategic priorities – capital, cost, liquidity, stressed assets, risk, governance and growth.  I have full faith that as we progress on this exciting journey, the Bank will continue its positive transformation to ensure sustainable growth for all our stakeholders."

The 17th AGM of YES BANK held on Friday, August 27, 2021 was attended by all the 8 Board Members as under:

·         Mr. Sunil Mehta, Chairman

·         Mr. Prashant Kumar, Managing Director and CEO

·         Mr. Atul Bheda

·         Mr. Mahesh Krishnamurti

·         Mr. R Gandhi

·         Mr. Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan

·         Mr. V S Radhakrishnan

·         Mr. Ravindra Pandey

About YES BANK

YES BANK is a ‘Full Service Commercial Bank’ providing a complete range of products, services and technology driven digital offerings, catering to Retail, MSME as well as corporate clients.

YES BANK operates its Investment banking, Merchant banking & Brokerage businesses through YES SECURITIES and its Mutual Fund business through YES Asset Management (India) Limited, both wholly owned subsidiaries of the Bank. Headquartered in Mumbai, it has a pan-India presence across all 28 states and 8 Union Territories in India including an IBU at GIFT City, and a Representative Office in Abu Dhabi.

PHOTO CAPTION: L-R: Mr. Niranjan Banodkar, CFO; Mr. V. S. Radhakrishnan, SBI Nominee Director; Mr. Atul Bheda, Non-Executive Director; Mr. Prashant Kumar, MD&CEO; Mr. Sunil Mehta, Chairman; Mr. Ananth Narayan Gopalakrishnan, Additional Director appointed by RBI; Mr. Ravindra Pandey, SBI Nominee Director and Mr. Shivanand Shettigar, Company Secretary.