Sify Technologies Announces Channel Partnership With Colt Technology Services For Europe

Sify Technologies Limited (NASDAQ: SIFY), India’s most comprehensive ICT solutions provider with global service capabilities spanning Data Centers, Networks, Cloud, Infrastructure Managed services and Applications management, today announced a channel partnership with Colt Technology Services, a leading provider of high bandwidth and on-demand connectivity, to cover the European geography.

The partnership introduces Sify’s collaborative practices for Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), the Infrastructure-as-a-Service that delivers on-premises computing power to run cloud-native and enterprise company’s IT workloads. This is made possible by Colt’s network connectivity capability with its On Demand service allowing specifically for connectivity to be flexed up for the OCI migration. Translated, that means, the customer gets the additional connectivity only when it is required.

Multiple businesses across Europe are beginning to leverage the full benefits of Oracle Enterprise Cloud offering. Most of these businesses are also struggling with expertise to plan and migrate Oracle workloads and licencing to a more commercially viable solution. This new partnership allows the adoption of OCI to be done efficiently over a fast, reliable, and secure network connection.

With Colt’s Dedicated Cloud Access and On-Demand offerings, customers can securely and reliably provision new connectivity services on a low latency, high-performance network in a matter of hours compared to weeks and months. The On-Demand offering scales the bandwidth as per the application or workload consumption patterns thereby resulting in substantial cost savings.

Justin Polley, Commercial Director, Sify Europe said, “This engagement combines Sify’s deep Oracle consulting experience with Colt’s European flexible networking services. The combination enables Oracle Cloud adoption at a much faster pace, to extremely high standards and at a much lower cost. Furthermore, the unification of resources brings unrivalled expertise in migrating many other types of databases to the Public cloud”.

Colt was the clear choice for this partnership because they have invested heavily in best-in-class Cloud connectivity to deliver dedicated, secure, and high-bandwidth connectivity in near real-time customer Cloud migrations.

Mark Hollman, VP Partner Development & Success, Colt said, “We know there’s a direct correlation between the success of enterprise cloud projects and reliable connectivity. Moving to the cloud is more mission-critical than ever, and Enterprises need a robust cloud connectivity strategy to evolve. That’s why we are delighted to partner with Sify. Together, we can unlock and amplify our joint value to power Enterprises’ migrations to Oracle Cloud”.

Sify is an accredited member of the Oracle Partner Network for the OCI Cloud Sell and Service specifically in the areas of solution assessment, implementation and migration, Cloud management, colocation and DR-as-a-service. 

About Sify Technologies

Sify Technologies is India’s most comprehensive ICT service & solution provider. With Cloud at the core of our solutions portfolio, Sify is focussed on the changing ICT requirements of the emerging Digital economy and the resultant demands from large, mid and small-sized businesses.  Sify’s infrastructure comprising state-of-the-art Data Centers, the largest MPLS network, partnership with global technology majors and deep expertise in business transformation solutions modelled on the cloud, make it the first choice of start-ups, SMEs and even large Enterprises on the verge of a revamp.

More than 10000 businesses across multiple verticals have taken advantage of our unassailable trinity of Data Centers, Networks and Security services and conduct their business seamlessly from more than 1600 cities in India. It has sales and operations globally in the UK, Singapore, United States and UAE. In Europe, Sify operates as an offshore Telecoms Network and Digital services enabler working through a channel partnership model.

Sify, www.sify.com, Sify Technologies and www.sifytechnologies.com are registered trademarks of Sify Technologies Limited.

About Colt Technology Services

Colt Technology Services provides world-class network and voice connectivity to businesses in Europe, Asia and the US. The Colt IQ Network connects 900+ data centres across Europe, Asia and North America's largest business hubs, with over 29,000 on net buildings and growing. Colt is an Oracle Partner Network member and a Global OCI Fast-Connect Partner, providing point-to-cloud and multi-cloud Ethernet connectivity solutions. Colt have been specialists in their field for over two decades and are recognised as an innovator and pioneer in Software Defined Networks (SDN) and Network Functions Virtualisation (NFV).

WardWizard Innovations & Mobility Achieves Highest Ever Monthly Sales In August 2021

* Dispatches more than 2,000 units, recorded with 435% growth YoY

Continuing with its strong sales performance, WardWizard Innovations and Mobility Ltd (BSE Code: 538970) – one of the leading manufacturers of electric two-wheelers brand ‘Joy e-bike’ registered highest ever monthly sales in August 2021.

Led by the demand for its popular product portfolio, the company sold 2001 units of electric scooters and motorcycles in the month, registering a growth of 435% over the corresponding month of the previous year (August 2020), when the company had sold 374 units.

The company has further observed a strong rebound of sales with a growth of 112% as compared to last month (July 2021) where the sales stood at 945 units

Noteworthy, the company has also received the highest ever booking order of more than 4500 units, backed by the demand for low-speed electric two-wheelers.

Commenting on the highest ever monthly sales, Mr Yatin Gupte, Chairman & Managing Director, WardWizard Innovations and Mobility Ltd, said, “Our primary focus for the current financial year is to strengthen our market presence in every part of the country as we are witnessing good growth in demand for our entire product portfolio. Further, the inquiries have increased significantly and, we have received high booking orders across our dealerships especially in markets like Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan. As electric two-wheelers are becoming the most preferred choice of the customers, we are expecting the highest ever growth in the coming festive season.”

SBI General Insurance Launches Its Sonic Brand Identity With The Launch Of Its Musical Identity

SBI General Insurance (SBIG) today launched its signature tune, thereby establishing its sonic brand identity. The newly launched musical id is a delightful symphony that encapsulates modern and forward-looking attitude. 

The company’s musical id is envisaged to create a deep and multisensory experience for its customers and thereby amplify its key messaging of trust and support. The music id will act as the brand’s signature tune, thereby integrating the tune in digital touch points. This sonic tune is a celebration of SBIG’s new brand identity which was launched last year.  

Speaking on the launch Mr. PC Kandpal, MD and CEO, SBI General Insurance shares, “With the revamp of our brand identity, we had introduced our brand promise as 'Suraksha aur Bharosa dono'. The launch of our sonic logo resonates “Suraksha” and “Bharosa”. Further, this musical logo will make our brand ubiquitous and thereby connect well with our customers.” 

SBI General having a strong foundation with multiple milestones, this new sonic identity will be another milestone in the trajectory.  

Link of the sonic tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KgDorVyCnU 

About SBI General Insurance Company Limited:  

SBI General is one of the fastest growing private general insurance companies, with the strong parentage of SBI, we, at SBI General Insurance, are committed to carry forward the legacy of trust and security; and have a vision is to become the most trusted general insurer for a transforming India. 

Ever since our establishment in 2009, from 17 branches in 2011, we have expanded our presence to over 137 branches pan-India. Till date, we have served around 8.7 crore customers.  

We follow a robust multi-distribution model encompassing Bancassurance, Agency, Broking and Retail Direct Channels. On the distribution network front, we have strong distribution partners adding up our reach to every nook and corner of India, with SBI’s over 22000 branch network, Agents, other financial, OEM and digital partners.  

We currently serve three key customer segments viz. - Retail Segment (catering to Individual & Families), Corporate Segment (catering mid to large size companies) and SME Segment; and are future-ready to serve the growing needs of Indians with new age-processes and services at affordable prices.  

SBI General Insurance closed the financial year 2020-21 with a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs. 8312 crore with a growth of 22% and net profit of the Company grew by 32%. The company has shown steady growth for the past 4 years, while maintaining positive track record of underwriting.  

KRAFTON Opens Pre-Registration Of PUBG: New State In India

* Pre-registration is live today in India on Google Play & App Store 

* Gearing up to expand the countrywide popularity of PUBG IP  

KRAFTON, the South Korean video game company announced that the pre-registration of PUBG: NEW STATE, a new title of PUBG STUDIOS to launch this year, goes live in India.  

In response to the heavy excitement and strong support of the Indian fans for the PlUBG IP, KRAFTON decided to expand the regions for PUBG: NEW STATE pre-registration following the launch of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA.  

Developed by KRAFTON’s PUBG STUDIOS, pioneers of the battle royale genre and creators of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG: NEW STATE will launch as a free-to-play experience on Android and iOS in 2021. PUBG: NEW STATE recreates PUBG: BATTLEGROUND’s original Battle Royale experience, making it the most realistic battle royale game on mobile.  

PUBG: NEW STATE garnered great attention from the global mobile gaming community in the pre-registration stage, with over 32 million pre-registrations on Android and iOS globally excluding China, India, and Vietnam. While India was initially not included in the pre-registration countries, Indian fans expressed great excitement about the game’s launch and commented positively on the posts on PUBG: NEW STATE’s various social media channels.  

PUBG: NEW STATE Executive Producer Minkyu Park said, “Knowing that PUBG IP from KRAFTON is enjoying countrywide popularity in India and our Indian fans have high interest in the launch of PUBG: NEW STATE in India, we at PUBG STUDIOS are doing our best to offer a battle royale experience only we can deliver based on the stable service for our Indian fans." 

KRAFTON has been investing heavily in the development of Indian gaming, esports, and IT entertainment industries with the establishment of its Indian office. The company invested a total of 70 million USD this year in the Indian IT sector including the leading Indian esports company NODWIN Gaming, the game streaming platform Loco, and the Indian No.1 web novel platform Pratilipi. 

The link to pre-register is available here on Android and iOS. 

o9 Solutions Supports Pirelli In Digital Integrated Business Planning

Pirelli and o9 Solutions will partner for the digital transformation of Pirelli’s Integrated Business Planning. o9, the premier AI-powered platform, is already being used by the premium tire company for the long term strategic planning and soon will be live also for the Global Demand Planning and Supply Planning of the company.  

By leveraging o9’s ‘Digital Brain’ platform, Pirelli is able to process and connect data in a single platform for supply chain optimization and integrated business decisions, breaking through silos within the company. Together with o9, Pirelli is now able to create a long-range demand plan, incorporating leading indicators of demand and key market trends. Using o9’s Enterprise Knowledge Graph technology, Pirelli can run different scenarios and evaluate them based on different indicators for all categories, channels, and countries across all time horizons within an interconnected platform, instead of disparate Excel spreadsheets.

Pier Paolo Tamma, Chief Digital Officer at Pirelli said: “Thanks to o9, Pirelli is now able to keep our Strategic Plan alive, thanks to the real time visibility on the impact that each change in the supply chain, production capacity and market demand has on the expected plan evolution. Additionally, thanks to o9 AI capabilities, Pirelli will be able to preempt issues and bottlenecks and assess possible alternative resolution scenarios. ” 

“We are committed to helping Pirelli to reach their ambitious strategic goals with our AI-powered integrated platform,” said Igor Rikalo, President and Chief Operating Officer of o9 Solutions. “One of the biggest core values of o9 is Client Value and we are pleased to support Pirelli in their digital transformation journey. It is great to see how Pirelli is able to make better decisions and deliver so much value to their clients. We look forward to helping them with the latest technologies for many years to come.”

Raffaele Avila, Sales Lead for Italy and Southern Europe said: “o9 Solutions recently opened an office in Milan to grow its presence in Italy. o9 is quickly ramping up its resources in the country and is committed to continue investing to empower our growing Italian client base to make better business decisions thanks to o9 digital brain platform”.

About o9 Solutions, Inc.

o9 Solutions is the premier AI-powered platform for integrated business planning and decision-making for the enterprise. Whether it is driving demand, aligning demand and supply, or optimizing commercial initiatives, any planning process can be made faster and smarter with o9’s AI-powered digital solutions. Bringing together technology innovations—such as graph-based enterprise modelling, big data analytics, advanced algorithms for scenario planning, collaborative portals, easy-to-use interfaces and cloud-based delivery—into one platform. 

Signify Illuminates The Kusum Sarovar Complex With Warm White 618 LED Light Points

Signify (Euronext: LIGHT), the world leader in lighting has illuminated the Kusum Sarovar complex in the historic town of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, India, using its Color Kinetics Monochrome White LED system. Signify provided 618 LED light points in warm white color to enhance the architectural features of the historical complex to help encourage night tourism. The project has been executed by the company in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department.

The lighting has been carefully designed to highlight the various architectural accents in this ancient complex, giving visitors an unparalleled view of its opulent architecture, domes, ornate columns, gardens, and the lake at night. The multiple shades of white light and narrow beam lenses highlight its various architectural features and the water body. The interactions between the lighting, the water and the monument create a visually invigorating experience for a visitor right from the entry of the complex and help create a narrative that emphasizes the mythological significance of the site.

“At Signify, we are committed to helping Indian cities develop more eco-friendly tourist landmarks by using LED lighting to lower energy use and reduce operating costs. The Kusum Sarovar complex is a historically significant landmark that has deep ties with the holy city of Mathura. We are proud to be a part of this project that will help bring to life the beauty and glory of this monument, using our Color Kinetics solution,” says Sumit Padmakar Joshi, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Signify’s operations in India.

This latest project joins the expanding list of historical monuments Signify has previously illuminated using Color Kinetics, including Rashtrapati Bhavan, Qutub Minar, Howrah Bridge and Somnath temple amongst others.

Kusum Sarovar is an important cultural icon for Mathura’s citizens and pilgrims

The sandstone monument was built in the 18th century by the Jat leader Maharaja Suraj Mal for his queen Kishori Rani on the holy Govardhan Hill between Manasi Ganga and Radha Kund in the Mathura District of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is visited by millions of pilgrims each year during the annual Govardhan Parikrama pilgrimage. The historical landmark is famous for its many legends associated with Lord Krishna and features a canopy of Maharaja Suraj Mal, flanked on either side by two smaller canopies of his two wives. The architecture and carving are in the pierced stone style and the ceiling of cenotaphs are adorned with beautiful paintings that depict the life of Lord Krishna.

Unsafe Sanitation Is A Driver Of Enormous Public Health Costs: National Faecal Sludge And Septage Management Alliance

The National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance, brought together leading practitioners, health experts and researchers to emphasize on the ‘State of Knowledge: Public Health and Sanitation’ through a webinar. The panel discussion highlighted the importance of integrating public health approaches when working towards inclusive and safe sanitation discourse in the country. The course of the discussion was guided by senior practitioners of the NFSSM Alliance and other leaders as panelists - Madhu Krishna, Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, India; Dr Anuradha Jain, Advisor, Health Systems Strengthening, USAID; Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, Center for Advocacy and Research; Neeraj Jain, Country Director, PATH, India; and Dr M.R. Seetharam, Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon, Vivekananda Memorial Hospital. 

Moderated by senior sanitation practitioners and NFSSM Alliance members, Depinder Kapur, Senior Fellow, Shiv Nadar University; Sanjeev Jha, Project Leader, India Sanitation Coalition and Shubhagato Dasgupta, Senior Fellow, Center for Policy Research, the panel discussion brought these insights to the forefront:

* Health and WASH – 90% of all deaths from diarrhoea, mainly in children, are caused due to lack of access to safe, clean drinking-water and basic sanitation facilities – further influencing child mortality and morbidity. It was recently also identified as a major factor contributing to child stunting. Although measurable impact of safe sanitation on health is influenced by various factors such as environment, the child's innate immunity, etc. the counterfactual remains to be strong that untreated human waste is linked to pathogens which further leads to bad health.

The session also pointed out certain positive aspects in relation to WASH and health wherein with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, community members have started to understand the importance of hygiene and water quality and are willing to seek help and care.

* Lack of WASH infrastructure monitoring in healthcare - WASH in Healthcare Facilities refers to the provision of water, sanitation, health care waste management, hygiene and environmental cleaning infrastructure, and services across all parts of a facility. The state or district wise comparable data on WASH in Healthcare Facilities are required to monitor the core indicators for “basic” WASH service, and these are currently scarce. There is evidence that mentions reduction in water borne diseases by adopting appropriate WASH practices. However, different variables exist that impact the rate of diarrhea and water borne diseases and direct correlation isn’t always possible.

* Increased Public Health Costs: Apart from high mortality rates due to spread of diseases, poor sanitation also incurs high public health costs. During the pandemic, not having effective WASH systems have had an enormous impact on the economy where urban slums have borne the costs. The discussions during the webinar highlighted that WASH in healthcare facilities is an essential factor to the successful implementation of Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 in India as well as the newly launched Pradhanmatri Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana 2021.

Speaking at the event, Madhu Krishna, Deputy Director, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, India said, “We have invested extensively in sanitation and will continue to do so. It is evident that untreated human waste has adverse impact on our health and safe sanitation is required to prevent a host of communicable diseases. Looking at it from the gender lens, service delivery impacts women and girls more. Therefore, we need to take an inclusive approach. 90% of the frontline workers are women, yet sanitation facilities are not ensured for them. Providing universal safe sustainable sanitation is like a vaccination and the need for it is growing in urban areas now.”

Neeraj Jain, Country Director, PATH, India said, “We need to look at preventive and curative measures, where preventive is appropriate WASH practices and curative is access to health services. Additionally, environment hygiene is important. Diseases spread due to bad hygiene and environment. We are a large country where scalable solutions are critical for a success of a public health program. Today we are witnessing large-scale funding in healthcare, and we need to align WASH under health priorities of the country.”

There have been many efforts at the community level to create ‘shadow change agents’ and ‘FSM Champions’ through various engagement and incentive-based interventions to ensure power is handed back to the community to enforce WSH mandates and maintain allied infrastructure.

Akhila Sivadas, Executive Director, Center for Advocacy and Research said, “the groundswell from communities, their own compulsion, their own involvement and participation is absolutely necessary to drive the agenda of health outcomes. Convergence requires a certain amount of rethinking and recalibrating; norms of engagement must be changed. The system itself is not a catalyst of change, there needs to be a certain upsurge to foster change.”

The panelist concluded that opportunities for convergence in the Sanitation and Health Sector at various levels were a combination of a broad spectrum of efforts ranging from focusing on the emphasis and scaling of sanitation and nutrition under health mandates to attract greater institution and funder goodwill. This means, including sanitation under health curriculum being taught in educational institutions, focusing on functionally appropriate water and sanitation infrastructure in hospitals and health centers and engaging communities for demanding convergence and change. Most importantly the panel emphasized the importance of providing support to various government departments at the central, state, and local level to ensure greater coordination for programmatic intervention as part of the Family, Health, Nutrition and Welfare initiatives thus ensuring joint outcomes and accountability. 

About NFSSM Alliance

The National Faecal Sludge and Septage Management (NFSSM) Alliance was established with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2016 to support safe sanitation at the national, state and city level. The Alliance is recognized as the collaborative body that drives the discourse of faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) forward in India. The NFSSM Alliance in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DWS) has been instrumental in the passage of India’s first national policy on FSSM in 2017.