PhonePe Completed Three Significant Steps In Domicile From Singapore To India

-          All subsidiaries have already migrated from Singapore to India

-          Employees’ ESOP plan moved from PhonePe Singapore to PhonePe India

-          IndusOS also moved from PhonePe Singapore to PhonePe India

PhonePe, India’s leading FinTech platform, today announced that it has completed three significant steps in moving its domicile to India. These steps include:

Firstly, over the past year, PhonePe has moved all businesses and subsidiaries of PhonePe Singapore to PhonePe Pvt Ltd - India directly. This includes its Insurance Broking Services and Wealth Broking businesses.

Secondly, PhonePe’s board recently approved the creation of a new ESOP plan and the migration of 3000+ PhonePe Group employees’ existing ESOPs by issuing new ESOPs under PhonePe India’s new plan.

Finally, under the newly liberalized automatic ODI rules, PhonePe has also moved the ownership of recently acquired IndusOS Appstore (OSLabs Pte Ltd) from Singapore to India.

Following these actions, all PhonePe Group businesses and entities are now wholly owned by and consolidated under PhonePe Pvt Ltd - India.

About PhonePe:

PhonePe was founded in December 2015, and has emerged as India’s largest payments app, enabling digital inclusion for consumers and merchants alike. With over 400 million registered users, one in four Indians are now on PhonePe. The company has also successfully digitized 32 million offline merchants spread across Tier 2,3,4 and beyond, covering 99% pin codes in the country. PhonePe forayed into financial services in 2017, providing users with a safe and convenient option to invest in 24-karat gold, and has recently also launched silver on its platform. Since then, PhonePe has introduced several Mutual Funds and Insurance products like tax-saving funds, liquid funds, international travel insurance, life insurance, COVID-19 insurance amongst others. Using PhonePe, users can also send and receive money, recharge mobile, DTH, pay at stores and make all their utility payments. PhonePe was recently recognized as the Most Trusted Brand for Digital Payments as per the Brand Trust Report 2022 by Trust Research Advisory (TRA).

Agro-Biz Startup Greenikk Floats India’s First End-To-End Supply Chain For Bananas

 

* Initiative aims to boost banana exports, farmers to get higher returns

A Kerala-based agro business startup has launched a pioneering venture to build India’s first full-stack supply chain connecting banana cultivators, traders and exporters on a single platform, tapping into the country’s surging exports of the nutrient-rich fruit with the potential for a strong global brand for its value added products.

Greenikk, a startup co-founded by young techies Fariq Naushad and Previn Jacob, will seamlessly connect banana farmers, dealers, wholesalers, and B2B buyers in the country, the world’s largest banana producer. 

Greenikk has built Enablement Centres (EC) in the major banana producing agri-belts, in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These ECs provide the farmers with required supports such as finance, seeds, crop advisory, insurance coverage, agri inputs, including weather tips, and market connect, covering the entire gamut of production and marketing both inside the country and outside. Similar ECs are planned in other south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and further scaling across the whole of India.

Also, the platform, an innovative and promising initiative, will help farmers convert stems of the post-harvest banana plants into natural fibre and re-purpose the other leftovers as manure or poultry feed.

Noting that almost 20 crore post-harvest plant stems are being burnt or wasted every year, the Greenikk promoters said their aim is to ensure supplementary income for farmers through value addition of the wasted materials, besides helping curb air pollution.

“While venturing into this uncharted territory, the question that we often confronted was what made us to choose bananas, of all fruits available in the country. Having worked closely with some banana farmers, dealers, and buyers, we realised that it has the maximum potential among the fruits grown in India, if linked to a strong and reliable value chain that would scale up exports,” said Fariq and Previn, who were earlier promoters of an East Africa-based IT software startup.

India accounts for around 25 per cent of the world’s banana production, and the country’s exports of this fruit have grown eight-fold in the last nine years.  

The National Research Centre for Banana (NRCB) has reported that India produced 32.6 million tons of bananas in 2020 with a land area of 9.6 lakh hectares under cultivation.  There are more than 10 million stakeholders too. The domestic market size is pegged at around $18 billion.

“Though countries like USA and the UK have just one-third of India’s production, they own most of the popular global brands of value-added banana products. India, with a huge capacity for banana exports, is yet to capture the huge global market for banana-based snacks, health and nutrient supplements. What we are looking at is to place Indian banana on a strong supply chain with global reach, which will ultimately benefit our farmers” the Greenikk founders pointed out.

“The shortcomings in the country’s agro system have prevented the realisation of the enormous export potential of bananas. We have launched this technology-driven platform to remove the inefficiencies in the banana value chain besides addressing the problems of various stakeholders,” they said. 

Fariq and Previn, driven by the passion to promote green and clean agro-based products that would replace plastic, successfully came up with the idea of a sustainable alternative to plastic and paper straws – papaya straws made out of waste petioles. This product won them an award at the TATA Social Enterprise Challenge in January 2020, on becoming the first team from Kerala to reach the finals of the challenge.

During the pandemic-induced lockdown, they launched a truck store (Farmy) that delivered fruits and vegetables, directly sourced from farms, at the doorsteps of apartments and various housing societies in the city.  

UST Broadens Commitment to Education of Meritorious Students In India Through Vidyadhan Scholarships

* UST-Vidyadhan scholarships doubles sponsorship budget, expands to more states

* UST has so far sponsored 306 students through Vidyadhan

Taking a giant step forward in its commitment to transform lives through education, digital transformations solutions company UST has doubled its sponsorship budget to Vidyadhan Program, to cover additional students from four new states - Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Maharashtra, besides Kerala. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between UST and Vidyadhan in this regard to double the sponsorship budget.

Vidyadhan is a Shibulal Family Philanthropic initiative under the aegis of Sarojini Damodaran Foundation, set up by Kumari Shibulal and S D Shibulal. The UST - Vidyadhan partnership started in 2018 with scholarship support for 100 engineering students from Kerala and has grown in strength year after year. UST has so far sponsored 306 students under Vidyadhan. Among the 102 UST-supported students who have graduated, 61 percent have found employment in various companies and institutions, 10 percent have chosen higher studies, and 15 percent are preparing for competitive exams.

The road ahead for Vidyadhan has been well charted, with more corporate sponsorships and more states being added under its purview. Hon’ble Governor Of Kerala, Arif Mohammed Khan, will inaugurate a one-day event, “Partnerships For Social Impact” on October 8, 2022, Saturday, at Hotel O by Tamara in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.  The one-day event will have the participation of Vidyadhan stakeholders and beneficiaries sharing their thoughts on the prestigious program.

Post-pandemic, the challenges faced by the Pan-India Vidyadhan scholarship programme made it envisage modifying operations and seek renewed commitments from partners. It is in this context UST, who has been partnering with the programme for the past four years, decided to step up its involvement and further enhance its commitment to the programme.

According to Alexander Varghese, Chief Operating Officer, UST, “The UST-Vidyadhan journey rides on the commitment towards transforming lives through education. We had been partnering with Vidyadhan since year 2018, offering financial scholarship support to engineering students from Kerala. The numbers have grown over the years. This apart, the UST CSR team has been offering mentoring and training to selected students too. The partnership will now be strengthened and more students from different parts of India will be provided with the opportunity to continue their studies in a hassle-free manner.”

Kumari Shibulal, Managing Trustee, Sarojini Damodaran Foundation stated, “Vidyadhan is not just a program, but an idea that every individual can make a difference. It's the responsibility of every citizen, corporate and social sector organization to create opportunities for the youth from economically backward families.   It is a journey that is best traversed together, and in UST we have found a dependable and like-minded partner who stepped up its commitment post pandemic.”

Vidyadhan follows a rigorous selection process including test, interviews and home visits to pick meritorious students hailing from financially backward families right after their 10th grade.  A unique aspect of Vidyadhan scholarships is that the entire sponsorship money goes to the students chosen.

UST has also been contributing in non-financial ways to the Vidyadhan program, through its participation in the selection processes, mentoring and training. One such successful initiative has been the Chrysalis Program, an Employability Soft Skill Training provided by UST for final-year degree students.

S D Shibulal, Trustee, Sarojini Damodaran Foundation stated, “As we scaled Vidyadhan, now present in 14 states, we realized that it is important to bring in partnerships. These partnerships are not only about sponsorships, they are also about mentorship and creating opportunities for employment. Notably, the students who were mentored and sponsored by UST are getting 3 times the scholarship amount as their first year’s salary, thereby also pulling their respective families out of the poverty trap.”

Pushing forward the new MoU, UST and Vidyadhan will also chart out a detailed plan for soft skills training for students so that such training is extended to more and more students.

About UST

For more than 22 years, UST has worked side by side with the world's best companies to make a real impact through transformation. Powered by technology, inspired by people, and led by our purpose, we partner with our clients from design to operation. Through our nimble approach, we identify their core challenges, and craft disruptive solutions that bring their vision to life. With deep domain expertise and a future-proof philosophy, we embed innovation and agility into our clients' organizations—delivering measurable value and lasting change across industries, and around the world. Together, with over 30,000 employees in 30+ countries, we build for boundless impact—touching billions of lives in the process. Visit us at www.UST.com

About Vidyadhan:

Vidyadhan is a Shibulal Family Philanthropic Initiative  under the aegis of Sarojini Damodaran Foundation, set up by Kumari Shibulal and S D Shibulal in 1999. Vidyadhan provides funding, mentoring and life skill training to meritorious students from disadvantaged background to pursue higher education. Currently 5000 students are enrolled in the program from 14 states in India.In addition, Vidyadhan has helped 2200 students complete their higher education and become productive citizens so far. . Alumni comprise 150 doctors, 618 engineers, 250+ students in professional courses (Nursing, Pharma, Agriculture,.)Our technology platform provides an easy and transparent way for all stakeholders to engage with the process and connect on an ongoing basis. The program is designed as a “pay it forward” model where beneficiaries are committed to sponsoring future students in need once they themselves become self-reliant. Through this, we expect the program to be self-sustaining. Vidyadhan was set up in 1999 and opened to public sponsorship in 2015 through the “Each One Teach One” initiative to scale Vidyadhan by inviting more corporates and individuals to partner with us. Since then, several sponsors across India have helped us provide scholarships with zero administrative cost to them, making it a unique and transparent model. Visit us at www.vidyadhan.org

78% Consumers Plan To Shop From Retail Stores Near Home This Festive Season: Axis My India October CSI Survey

* 14% would prefer shopping through E-commerce sites

* 43% are buying smaller packs of their monthly groceries

* Overall household spending has increased for 58% people

·         10,058 people surveyed; 67% are from rural India while 33% are from urban India

·        Overall household spending has increased for 58%, net score down by -4

·        Consumption of essentials products increased for 44%, net score down by -3

·        Consumption of discretionary products increased by 2%, net score up by +1

·        Consumption of health-related items has increased for 37%, up by 1%

·        Increase in media consumption remains the same as last two months, at 19%

·        Mobility has increased for 6% of the families, and remains the same for 85%

·        Sentiment to spend more than last year’s festive season up by 1% point, now at 21%

·        44% plans to spend on apparels this festive season

·        14% plans to shop from E-commerce sites this festive season

·        81% said that shopping for family will contribute as a ‘major’ expense this festive season.

Axis My India, a leading consumer data intelligence company, released its latest findings of the India Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI), a monthly analysis of consumer perception on a wide range of issues. The October report reveals that sentiments have improved across 1 out of 5 relevant sub-indices i.e., spends across discretionary products. Prompting discretionary spends, 44% plans to buy apparel during Dusshera/Diwali while 8% each plan to buy white good and mobile phone and 8% plan to buy either a 2-wheeler or 4-wheeler. The survey further highlights that 81% believe that shopping for family will be the ‘major expense’ during the festivities

The October net CSI score, calculated by percentage increase minus percentage decrease in sentiment, is at +8, from +10 last month reflecting a decrease by 2 points.

The sentiment analysis delves into five relevant sub-indices – Overall household spending, spending on essential and non-essential items, spending on healthcare, media consumption habits & mobility trends.

The survey was carried out via Computer-Aided Telephonic Interviews with a sample size of 10058 people across 32 states and UTs. 67% belonged to rural India, while 37% belonged to urban counterparts. In terms of regional spread, 24% belong to the Northern parts while 23% belong to the Eastern parts of India. Moreover 28% and 25% belonged to Western and Southern parts of India respectively. 61% of the respondents were male, while 39% were female. In terms of the two majority sample groups, 34% reflect the age group of 36YO to 50YO, while 30% reflect the age group of 26YO to 35YO.

Commenting on the CSI report, Pradeep Gupta, Chairman & MD, Axis My India, said “Increase in discretionary spends across households demarcates the continuity of festive sentiments. From visiting physical stores to scanning through online sites, consumers are not only investing on household products but are also splurging for themselves and their families. However, one can witness the spending capacity to be conscious as the expenses are mostly on low budget items such as clothes as compared to heavy ticket items such as vehicles or properties. Cash though continues to be the king, digital modes of payment like UPI & debit/credit card usage is also growing rapidly.”

Key findings:

·        Overall household spending has increased for 58% of families which reflects a decrease by 3% points from last month. The net score which was +53 last month has decreased by -4 to +49 this month

·        Spends on essentials like personal care & household items has increased for 44% of the families which is a decrease by 2% points from last month. The net score which was at +29 last month has decreased by -3 to +26 this month

·        Spends on non-essential & discretionary products like AC, Car, and Refrigerator has increased for 9% of families which reflects an increase by 2% points from last month. The net score which was at +2 last month has improved to +3 this month. This marks heightened consumer sentiment towards the festivities.

·        Health and fitness continue to remain important for consumers amidst the festive season wherein expenses towards health-related items have increased for 37% of the families. The health score which has a negative connotation i.e., the lesser the spends on health items the better the sentiments, has a net score value of -22, net score increase by +1, as compared to last month.

·        Consumption of media remains the same as the last two month at 19%. The overall, net score, which was at -1 last month, is at -3 this same.

·        Mobility has increased for 6% of the families, which reflects a decrease by 1% point from last month. The overall mobility net indicator score which was at 0%, last month, has reported -3 this month.

On topics of current national interest:

·        According to Axis My India Consumer Sentiment Index Survey, 21% of consumers plan to spend more this festive season as compared to last year. This sentiment has improved by 1% point from last month.

·        81% said that shopping for family will contribute as a ‘major’ expense this festive season. 7% aid that their major expenses will be parked towards investments.

·        In an attempt to understand the key areas where consumers are expected to spend this Diwali/Dusshera, the survey discovered that 44% plans to spend on apparels, while 8% each plan to spend on Mobile phones and white goods (such as AC, Washing Machine, Refrigerators).

·        In terms of big-ticket items, purse strings are still tight as only 6% of consumers plan to spend on jewellery, 5% plans to spend on 2-wheeler, 3% plans to spend on four-wheeler and 1% to spend on tractor/commercial vehicle. Also, only 2% plan to spend on home/plot/or a commercial property.

·        The survey further revealed that a majority of 78% plans to shop from local physical retail stores near their home and 14% plans to shop from E-commerce sites like Amazon/Flipkart this festive season.

·        As compared to pre-Covid times 43% are buying smaller packs/sizes of their monthly groceries

About Axis My India:

Axis My India is India’s foremost consumer data intelligence consultancy that has revolutionized the field of election polling in the country, with an accuracy rate of ~93% spread across 28 states and 8 union territories and 2 national elections. The company has a presence in over 737 districts and has touched 85 million Indian households. It counts some of India’s largest corporations, state governments as well as Union Government in its clientele and offers a repertoire of research related services, including consumer insights, product validation, market segmentation, on-ground brand activation, personalized media solutions and micro marketing. The company publishes an annual Consumer Trust Index – spread across 45 consumer and product categories, and 1 million respondents.

For more information: https://www.axismyindia.org/

Medtronic LABS Launches Ear-Screening Initiative For Uber Drivers In Indian Market

* Preventive healthcare initiative to focus on potential hearing loss in drivers due to prolonged exposure to high noise

Medtronic LABS, an independent entity supported by Medtronic (NYSE: MDT), today announced the launch of an ear-screening initiative for drivers on the Uber platform across India. The testing will be conducted under Shruti, a flagship program of Medtronic LABS in India that has emerged as the country’s largest outreach program in the domain of ear care. 

According to the annual CPCB report (Central Pollution Control Board), almost 80% of the noise monitoring stations under the National Ambient Noise Monitoring Network (NANMN) reported higher than permissible limits of noise1. Further, industry reports have established that traffic and specifically honking are some of the leading contributors to the noise levels in various cities in India2. Given the prolonged exposure of drivers to such noise levels, they are particularly at risk of noise induced hearing loss, which is one of the most common workplace disorders among drivers. Such hearing loss can detrimentally impact an individual's quality of life and employment. Noise exposure is also a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular and metabolic disorders.3

The ear screenings will help assess the adverse impact of prolonged exposure to traffic noise for drivers, and identify cases that need further medical attention. By addressing an often ignored health concern, this initiative will increase awareness about noise induced hearing loss and will aim to bring corrective measures to impact drivers’ lives. 

Dr A K Agarwal, President- Society for Sound Hearing 2030, Ex-Dean and Prof. of Excellence, Dept of ENT, MAMC said, “Early intervention can play a significant role in minimizing negative consequences of hearing loss. Community based solutions that combine tele-otology and tele-audiology can aid in timely intervention, especially for at-risk populations such as the drivers. This is indeed a groundbreaking partnership between Shruti and Uber. More such organizations should come together to spread the need for ear care.”

The screening will be conducted using an innovative ear screening kit called the ENTraview which is a custom designed smart otoscope designed by Medtronic LABS. The kit has been specifically built for field usage and the initial screening takes less than 2 minutes. A telemedicine application on the device enables one to capture and transmit patient ID, symptoms, images of the ear and preliminary diagnosis to a cloud server which can then be accessed by a clinician. Those who might need additional assessment for hearing loss are further assessed using additional applications. For those who might need clinical intervention, Medtronic LABS shall provide possible treatment pathways as may be applicable.  

Medtronic LABS is an innovator in the global health space that pioneers tech-enabled community health solutions for the underserved segment of the population. 

Kaustubh Bhatnagar, Chief Operating Officer, Medtronic LABS said, “Hearing loss is an invisible disability and ear care in general is often ignored. Shruti has been a pathbreaking initiative that has created an enabling ecosystem across the ear care continuum. From innovative field screening tools, cloud infrastructure to treatment pathways- Shruti has been instrumental in taking ear care to the communities and has screened upwards of 10 lakh people and more. We are excited to partner with Uber to offer this comprehensive ear care program to their driver partners.” 

Over the years, Uber has launched several initiatives to improve the health and well being of drivers on its platform. These include free online doctor consultations and up to 20% discounts on medicines. Uber’s insurance partners also provide on-trip accident insurance drivers.

Shiva Shailendran, Director - Operations, India and South Asia, Uber said, “Drivers are at the heart of what we do at Uber. We’ve continually focused on the safety and well-being of driver partners and their families. Our partnership with Medtronic is another step to address an often overlooked health concern and improve their experience with Uber. We believe that this initiative will help raise awareness  and bring meaningful change  in drivers’ lives.”

Medtronic LABS will roll out this initiative one city at a time starting with Bangalore followed by Hyderabad and Pune before scaling to other cities. The screening program will be conducted at various strategic locations in each city to ensure that the maximum number of driver partners benefit from this initiative. 

About Medtronic LABS

Medtronic LABS is an independent entity supported by Medtronic (NYSE: MDT). Medtronic LABS is the only health systems innovator that develops community-based, tech-enabled solutions for underserved patients, families, and communities across the world. We partner with governments, private sector entities and development sector organizations to strengthen health systems.  By bridging hyper-local services with cutting-edge technology, we provide sustainable and localized healthcare solutions that produce measurable patient outcomes for all.

About Uber 

Uber's mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 15 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

MYRE Capital Closes Commercial Property of INR 70 Crores With Massive Demand In Bengaluru

* MYRE’s Vaishnavi Tech Park Opportunity 1 & 2, saw demand from investors hailing from  11 countries and 18 cities

* This is the second Bengaluru property to be oversubscribed, by 30%+, indicating an increased interest in CRE

* This opportunity witnessed ~26% of the aggregate interest stemming from NRIs

* The investor profile consisted of senior employees and CXO’s at firms such as Goldman Sachs, Deloitte, Amazon, Intel etc.

* MYRE Capital crosses AUM of INR 200 crores; aims to cross INR 350Cr by end of FY22

MYRE Capital, India’s first Neo-Realty investment platform has successfully closed the second offering in Vaishnavi Tech Park (VTP), Bengaluru. Post witnessing a huge demand with 38% oversubscription to the last offering in VTP, MYRE Capital launched another property in the same building and closed the opportunity with equal enthusiasm and demand from investors. The property was oversubscribed yet again by 30%.

Bengaluru being the IT/ITES capital of the world, has witnessed continued increasing demand from MNCs and has been able to sustain market growth whilst keeping vacancies in single digits. Vaishnavi Tech Park (VTP) is located strategically at the intersection of Outer Ring Road (ORR) and Sarjapur Micro Market. ORR is the largest IT hub of Bangalore whilst the Sarjapur Micro Market has a 0% vacancy rate. These micro markets are home to some of the most prominent MNC tenants, including - LinkedIn, Deloitte, Microsoft, Accenture, HCL, Tata, Wipro. Due to the favourable micro markets, investors have shown 100% commitment as MYRE Capital has been able to bring to the table a rare off market opportunity. Bengaluru has always been one of the top cities for commercial real estate investments as per MYRE Capital’s Neo Realty Survey.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Aryaman Vir, Founder & CEO, MYRE Capital said “At MYRE Capital we strive to bring the best available real estate investment opportunities for our investors. We value the trust that our investors have instilled in us and we are overwhelmed with the response received for the both the opportunities in VTP. With the closure of this property, we have reached an AUM of INR 200 crore and we target to reach INR 350 crore by the end of the fiscal year. It has been a phenomenal year so far for MYRE Capital as we are also in works to launch India’s First Neo-Realty alternative investment fund to cater to this ever-rising demand for Grade-A assets in commercial real estate. Apart from this, we have also garnered investor interest to invest in overseas CRE opportunities. We are in talks with an international platform to bring a variety of global selection of curated real estate investment opportunities for Indian investors.”

The entire VTP building has been designed for IGBC platinum rating and has been leased to Smartworks, the market leader in managed leasing solutions, for a total tenure of nine years. Managed leasing comes with an additional layer of rental security and stability with minimal vacancy risk. This is because the operator is liable to pay the rental agreed upon irrespective of sub-tenant occupancy as per contract.

This asset offered by MYRE Capital is pre-leased and managed so investors can look to earn stable monthly rental income and long-term capital appreciation. The assets are spread across NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore. Since inception, MYRE has maintained a 100% occupancy rate across its portfolio and has 35,000+ users on its platform.

About MYRE Capital:

MYRE Capital, a venture by Morphogenesis, is a tech-enabled NEO-Realty fractional ownership platform that provides easy access, transparency, and liquidity to a curated selection of rent-yielding commercial real estate assets. Each asset is shortlisted based on stringent criteria involving predictive analytics across 150+ data points, 25 years of industry expertise, and our proprietary technology solutions. The company was founded by Mr. Aryaman Vir with his expertise in technology, finance, and real estate.

MYRE Capital provides real estate owners and developers a reliable source of stable finance whilst providing potential investors and stakeholders with end-to-end investment management and execution thus enabling them to redevelop trust in this asset class and reposition the Indian real estate market on a global platform.       

SonicWall Backs Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Places Emphasis On Empowering People

* This year’s theme — ‘See Yourself in Cyber’ — demonstrates that while cybersecurity may seem like a complex subject, ultimately, it’s really all about people

SonicWall announced today its global commitment to support Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October with an added emphasis on the ‘people’ component of cybersecurity. This intiative helps provide information and resources to educate Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) partners and the public, and ensure all individuals and organizations make smart decisions whether on the job, at home or at school.

“We’ve all come to understand that sound protection includes people as the most important pillar of a sound cybersecurity strategy,” said SonicWall Executive Vice President and CMO Geoff Blaine. “An organization cannot be secure until the entire workforce is engaged in reducing cyber risks. Each member of the group has the power to harm or to help, since each one has access to information, systems, handles sensitive data, and makes decisions every day that could maintain, erode or strengthen the human “attack surface” of the organization.”

“Placing emphasis on the people in security awareness is a critical first step in what often feels like an extraordinary task of guarding any organization,” said Debasish Mukherjee, Vice President, Regional Sales APJ at SonicWall Inc. “Employees must do their part to remain vigilant and educated against threats that are rapidly growing in volume and sophistication. October’s awareness efforts present an opportunity for the IT industry to update users on the latest tactics cybercriminals are leveraging and share essential best practices for staying safe online.”

Individuals, employees and consumers alike need to take basic steps to protect online information and privacy, while vendors and suppliers can take ownership by putting strong cybersecurity guidelines in place at work to help prevent cyberattacks and incidents. There continues to be a global need for skilled, diverse workers with technical skills to meet the cyber challenges of today and tomorrow.

Four Steps to Keep Safe Online

Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, helping individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace.

This intiative is co-led by the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This year’s theme of ‘See Yourself in Cyber’ is the idea that cybersecurity comes down to us all as individuals. Throughout October, CISA and NCSA will highlight key action steps that everyone should take to help stay more digitally safe:

Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Use Strong Passwords

Recognize and Report Phishing

Update Your Software (i.e., maintain strick patching policies)

“Moving the needle on cybersecurity awareness requires a collective approach,” said Lisa Plaggemier, NCA’s executive director. “Businesses, nonprofits, and governments all have a role to play in helping to up-level preparedness for cyber threats.”

For additional information about Cybersecurity Awareness Month, visit StaySafeOnline.org or read more on the SonicWall blog.

About SonicWall

SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organizations mobilizing for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

About Cybersecurity Awareness Month

Cybersecurity Awareness Month is designed to engage and educate public- and private-sector partners through events and initiatives with the goal of raising awareness about cybersecurity to increase the resiliency of the nation in the event of a cyber incident. Since the Presidential proclamation establishing Cybersecurity Awareness Month in 2004, the initiative has been formally recognized by Congress, federal, state and local governments and leaders from industry and academia. This united effort is necessary to maintain a cyberspace that is safer and more resilient and remains a source of tremendous opportunity and growth for years to come. For more information, visit staysafeonline.org/cybersecurity-awareness-month/.