Now Watch TV on the Go with New Zee's DittoTV Prized at Rs 20 Only

Zee Digital Convergence Ltd., one of India’s leading entertainment companies that has been at the forefront of innovation in entertainment, today unveiled the new avatar of dittoTV - the ideal live TV platform that allows viewers to watch their favourite programmes at the time of broadcast. Positioned as ‘DeshKaTV’, it promises to make live television available to every Indian via any device – phones, tablet or PC, at just Rs 20 per month.

The app in its new avatar allows users to access 100+ Hindi, English and regional-language channels, encompassing general entertainment, sports, movies, news and lifestyle. It is designed to deliver an affordable and effortless viewing experience and flexible viewing options.

To ensure that live television is within the reach of every Indian, it has joined forces with one of India’s leading telecom players Idea Cellular, to offer its users of 3G and 4G internet packs a free monthly subscription with every recharge. It provides its customers the ease of streaming their favourite TV channels live on their smartphones. Under a promotional offer, all Idea customers in Idea 3G and 4G provider circles will be able to subscribe to dittoTV free of cost, along with select monthly data packs, until 31st July’16.

Speaking at the launch, Punit Goenka, MD and CEO Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd said, “The digital entertainment space in India is at the cusp of a strong phase of growth. With the new avatar of dittoTV, we aim to change the media landscape to suit the evolving media consumption preferences of consumers. It will allow consumers to control where they watch television in a way that has not been possible before. We are proud to present a platform that will help scale up this transformation by making it affordable for people across a wide economic spectrum.”

dittoTV is available on Android, Windows and iOS platforms, making cumbersome annual contracts, satellite dishes and set-top boxes obsolete. The subscription charges for three months, six months and one year are INR 50, INR 90 and INR 170 respectively.

In keeping with its brand promise of being the nation’s television, dittoTV has partnered with Siti Cable and ITZ Cash to supply easy-to-use recharge cards at retail channels. The app’s adaptive technology will adjust to a range of internet speeds in order to deliver a seamless viewing experience, making it the first TV entertainment app that is customized for both urban and rural markets.

Archana Anand, Business Head, dittoTV added, “With the new avatar of dittoTV, we expect to change the way India watches TV forever. At the incredible price of Rs 20, we see dittoTV becoming a necessity and everyone’s default app on their mobile phones, allowing them to access TV just about anytime and anywhere. We see it serving as your first and only screen, as your second screen or just your TV on the go! Keeping the Indian landscape in the mind, dittoTV is also available in Hindi and will soon be available in all regional languages.”

With dittoTV, a phone or second screen is all that is needed to ensure that no one ever misses their favourite programme again.

Sashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular said, “With the rapid rollout of our 4G services and increased penetration of smartphones in the country, we are providing our customers an array of rich digital services to meet their demand for engaging apps and content. TV being synonymous with entertainment for the Indian masses, we are excited to partner with dittoTV to enable consumers to carry their entertainment wherever they go.”

Anupam Pahuja Takes Charge as PayPal India MD & Country Manager

PayPal, one of the world’s leading payments platforms has appointed Anupam Pahuja as the Managing Director and Country Manager for India.  Anupam is a PayPal veteran and has been with the company for over six years, heading technology for APAC.

As the MD and Country manager for India, Anupam will be responsible for all aspects of PayPal’s India business and further strengthening the company’s  operations in India. 

Rohan Mahadevan, APAC CEO, PayPal Pte Ltd said “India continues to be a key part of PayPal’s growth strategy. In India’s fast-growing e-commerce and payments market, we have enabled hundreds of thousands of small and medium businesses and entrepreneurs participate in the global economy. With Anupam’s appointment as the business leader of this market, we will continue to bring our global scale, experience and risk management platforms for safe and frictionless experiences to our customers.”

Anupam has a wealth of experience in managing large-scale multinational enterprises and is an entrepreneur and innovator at heart. He was instrumental in establishing PayPal’s technology centers in India and making PayPal India one of the best places to work in the country.

Prior to PayPal, Anupam was the Managing Director for India for NASDAQ-listed SumTotal Systems, the world’s largest eLearning company. In this role, Anupam managed the company’s global product development and led sales, marketing, and professional services for the APAC region.

Anupam has founded and sold several businesses in the US and in India and serves as a Board Member for several companies and nonprofit organizations.

Anupam holds an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in International Business from Georgetown University.

Oracle’s Digital Hub in Bengaluru; Aims to Hire 1,000 to Drive Mid Markets in APAC

To help ensure the most simple, personalized and effective sales experience for customers and future customers, Oracle has significantly transformed and digitized its sales operations. As part of this plan, the company will build five “Digital” sales hubs placed strategically throughout Asia Pacific. Oracle also plans to hire 1,000 professionals to keep pace with continued demand for cloud, among midsize organizations.

Last year, Oracle hired 1,000 cloud professionals throughout Asia Pacific. Across Asia Pacific, midsize organizations continue to invest in Oracle’s complete cloud portfolio because Oracle offers enterprise-grade cloud capabilities that are flexible, affordable and scale over time.

Through the company’s new Digital sales unit, Oracle aims to help more midsize organizations transition to the cloud quickly and seamlessly. With the recruitment of 1,000 professionals, coupled with innovative technology and enhanced business processes, Oracle is well-positioned to make cloud purchases quicker and easier for the burgeoning mid-market. In India, Oracle will hire 200 professionals as part of this recruitment initiative.

The Oracle Digital team will leverage the most modern sales tools, techniques and technologies transform the buying experience, provide elite customer service, and deliver customized solutions.

Armed with world class training and resources like “Smart Walls” (to deliver real-time demos to customers anywhere in the world, without leaving the office), “Social Listening Hubs” (to provide the sales team with the most advanced tools to stay ahead of industry and customer trends in real-time), one-click contracts and more, the Digital sales representatives will be equipped for rapid response to customer requests and market changes. These sophisticated tools and infrastructure will be built directly into the Digital Selling hubs, new state-of-the-art Oracle offices slated for Australia, China, India, Korea and Singapore.  

“The demand for cloud is rising fast. As a result, Oracle’s cloud business in Asia Pacific has been on an upswing. Today, Oracle supports many customers in the region with our vast cloud portfolio,” said François Lançon, senior vice president, Oracle Asia Pacific. “We are going through an exhilarating phase of growth; the industry is going through a major transformation in the way IT is consumed. Cloud is the future.”

“Our new, one-of-a-kind sales unit will focus solely on supporting cloud development in Asia Pacific’s mid-market economy, which includes a thriving start-up community,” continued Lancon.

“We are witnessing one of the fastest technology adoptions in India with Oracle cloud. The combined forces of cloud, mobility and social are changing how customers want to buy and be catered to in today’s digital market place. To meet this growing demand we want a ‘quick action’ sales force that is digitally savvy and will leverage modern software tools to offer a seamless buying experience to our customers. We will train them and equip them with the most advanced tools and infrastructure to support their roles.” added Shailender Kumar, managing director, Oracle India.

In the last year, Oracle has significantly grown its cloud business throughout Asia Pacific, and helped a diverse range of organizations in their cloud journey. These companies represent large and midsize firms across industries including communications, insurance, high tech, media, financial services, healthcare, e-commerce, natural resources, and education, among others.

Deceptive Advertising Viruses Are Running Rampant in India, Says Cheetah Labs

Based on analysis by Cheetah Mobile Security Research Lab, mobile malware has been running rampant in India. India is now the second largest smartphone market in terms of active unique smartphone users. According to data collected by Cheetah Mobile, out of all the infected devices around the world, 17.8 percent are from India. Almost 45% of the infected phones are dealing with the following top 10 viruses. Here are the top 10 viruses affecting most Indian smartphone users in the first half year of 2016: 

Budget Android phones are very popular in India. Unfortunately, some of these mobile phones have been pre-loaded with viruses even before reaching to consumers.

Based on information from Pornhub, a famous porn website, India stands at third place in terms of global porn viewership as of January 2016. Back in August 2015, the government of India ordered internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to 857 pornography websites, although the ban was partially lifted five days later, due to criticism over authorities’ decision.

It’s no surprise that porn website is one of the most popular channel for spreading malware. Users are tricked into downloading various apps related to porn while they are browsing these websites, which greatly increases the possibility of exposing their mobile device to infecting new viruses.   

In this ever-changing security landscape, some of these malware now focus on making profit via spreading deceptive advertising. Below, Cheetah Mobile Security Research Lab summarizes several typical categories of these deceptive advertising viruses. These viruses keep producing pop-ups on users’ phones, which impacts user experience severely. The viruses also consume a lot of network traffic while they download unnecessary (and even harmful) apps in the background, without users’ knowledge.

Deceptive advertising can take many forms, therefore, users are affected differently. Here are a few scenarios users might experience deceptive advertising on their mobile devices:

Turning on or charging your phone 

When users turn on or start charging their phones, the virus is prompted to display full-screen advertisement. Once you click on it, the virus will start downloading unnecessary apps or even malwares to your phone. 

Installing or uninstalling apps

When users install or uninstall apps, the virus will trigger pop-up ads disguised as return and close icon, so users have no choice but forced to click on the ad.

When an app is running

When user activates an app, this particular virus would pop up an ad which covers the entire interface, making it impossible to continue using the app.

Exiting an app

When user exits an app and tries to return to the home screen, the virus would then pop up an ad, tricking the user into clicking and installing an unnecessary app.

Random app recommendations on the desktop

Some users might notice icons of new apps on their desktop that they didn’t downloaded themselves. If they click on the unknown icon, it will then activate the installation automatically (and the return/close button will be hidden so users can’t terminate the installations.) In fact, the APKs have been downloaded by the virus, and the icons are aimed to trick users into installing unnecessary apps that leveraged deceptive advertising.  

Random pop-ups or permanent ads on the notification bar

The Google search box in the following screenshot is disguised by virus for tricking users into using the fake search box, so it can recommend users installing other apps.  

Random full-screen ads

Unwanted apps will be downloaded automatically after users click on these ads.

According to Cheetah Mobile Security Research Lab, among the top 10 viruses infecting most phones in India, five are root trojans. Once these trojans manage to get into victims’ mobile phones, they will try to root the infected devices and embed the major behavior module into the systems. Antivirus tools must have root privilege to kill these trojans, so they typically live much longer than ordinary trojans. Root Trojans are also able to silently install other apps on users’ phones. 

The lack of network security knowledge is the main reason mobile viruses are running rampant in India. Some users in India are still not completely aware of the damage mobile virus might bring to their mobile life, while many users aren’t familiar with removing these tricky viruses from their devices. Cheetah Mobile aspires to help promote awareness towards mobile security and ultimately help secure mobile devices in India. 

Oracle’s ISVs Gain New Revenue Opportunities through Oracle Cloud Marketplace

The conversion to the cloud is one of the most significant IT transformations in history. IDC predicts that by 2018, at least half of IT spending will be cloud based. To help customers transition to the cloud with proven enterprise applications, while accelerating time-to-market for partners, Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) has unveiled Oracle Cloud Platform Ready for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs).

The new offering enables ISV partners to quickly register and publish their Oracle Cloud-compatible applications on the Oracle Cloud Marketplace, allowing them to fast-track new business opportunities in the cloud.  

“Any new product we develop will go to the Oracle Cloud Marketplace first. We envision in the future that most of our customers will research, validate and request our solutions directly from the Oracle Cloud Marketplace,” said Charles Farnell, CEO, Ventureforth.

Oracle Cloud Platform Ready provides OPN members at Silver level or higher, a simple way to create an initial application listing on Oracle Cloud Marketplace in the Platform and Infrastructure sections in mere minutes. Any partner application that supports an Oracle Cloud compatible operating system or technology product can run on Oracle Cloud without the need for rewrite, and at no additional cost. To speed time-to-market, partners can quickly request access to Oracle Cloud Specialists and other technical resources directly from the Oracle Cloud Platform Ready registration. Additionally, ISVs with an Oracle Cloud Marketplace listing are eligible for the Oracle Cloud ISV Partner of the Year award and may apply for OPN Cloud Standard program benefits, including easy access to Oracle Cloud development and test environments.

“Oracle's Cloud Specialist team provided in-depth technical support during our proof of concept testing that allowed us to create automated deployment scenarios quickly and efficiently,” said Brent Rhymes, Executive Vice President Enterprise Sales & Marketing, Synacor/Zimbra. “Managed Service Providers can create new business opportunities by becoming a Zimbra Hosting Provider in the Oracle Cloud, while customers can deploy and manage their own collaboration solution within minutes. In each case, the flexibility of Zimbra plus the Oracle Cloud means users can start small and grow, or start big and get bigger.” 

In addition to quick access to Oracle Cloud Marketplace and development resources, partners engaging in the new offering will have the benefit of being able to reach Oracle’s expansive customer base, field sales, 25,000 global partners and 15 million developers through enhanced marketing and promotion efforts.

“The cloud represents a huge opportunity for our ISV partner community,” said Dan Miller, Senior Vice President of ISV, OEM and Java Sales, Oracle. “Through the Oracle Cloud Marketplace, and joint initiatives like Oracle Cloud Platform Ready, we are enabling ISV partners to focus more on their unique innovation, while leveraging the Oracle Cloud to get their solutions in front of a broad market of potential users quickly and at scale.”

Second Edition of its Sustainability Report By Indus Towers Unveiled

Building on its philosophy of ‘Putting India First’, Indus Towers, India’s largest telecom tower company, recently launched the second edition of its annual Sustainability Report for FY2014-15. In line with its vision of ‘transforming lives by enabling communication’, the report showcases Indus Towers’ commitment to protecting the environment, enhancing engagement with communities, while continuing to create value for all its stakeholders in a sustainable manner. Reinforcing its commitment to providing a robust and well-connected mobile telephony infrastructure, Indus Towers showcased its efforts towards creating an efficient, cleaner and greener network system in the country.

Bimal Dayal, CEO, Indus Towers said, “The second edition of this report demonstrates our commitment towards innovation and sustainability for the environment; and all stakeholders.”

Commenting on the occasion, Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief of Regulatory Affairs & Sustainability, Indus Towers added, “Indus Towers is religiously working towards strengthening the telecom backbone, enabling high-quality communication services across India. Our second Sustainability Report 2014-15, is a showcase of the sustainability practices that we follow and while creating value for our customers.”

With a focus on the correlation between strong economic performance, social responsibility and respect for the environment, this report is an indicator of Indus Towers’ on sustainability in every aspect of the organization. The report highlights Indus Towers’ bolstered focus in creating a prolific engagement with the environment and the community it operates in, reiterating its pledge towards sustainable development in the country.

Indus Towers currently operates over 1.19 lakh towers across the country and has been a standout leader in the telecom tower industry in India. The company has been very conscious of its role as a responsible corporate citizen and focuses on community development activities - particularly in the areas of customer-focused measures, stakeholder engagement, operational excellence, and environment-friendly initiatives. Through the report, Indus Towers has clearly identified a way forward for its sustainability initiative which will help the company achieve its objective of putting the community - and more importantly “India first”.

Building a Green Economy

Working on its core values of ExCITE (Excellence, Customer, Integrity, Teamwork, and Environment), Indus Towers continues to be responsible and sensitive towards the environment and the communities it operates in. While maintaining highest standards of health and safety, Indus Towers maintains over 50,000 ‘Green Sites’ in India. These Green Sites use innovative solutions like Free Cooling Units and fast charging battery banks like Li-on batteries to reduce energy consumption and to reduce the carbon footprint. Through this, the company has been driving its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint in the circle as well as across the country.

Furthermore, through its ‘Shut AC’ initiative Indus Towers has converted over 50,000 sites from indoor-to-outdoor (Non-AC) by shutting down ACs across the country, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emission and pollution.

Local Community and Training Initiatives

As a part of its initiatives to grow and sustain the local economy, Indus Towers continuously aims to improve the skills of all its employees by way of various training programs such as technical trainings, in association with NTTF, for its nearly 2500 field force technicians as well as mandatory 2.5 man-days training programs for each employee every year.

Reiterating its focus on the community, Indus Towers, in association with SOS Children’s Villages of India (SOS India), supports a total of 28 families - 280 children across the country. Indus has also partnered with Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), a not-for-profit social enterprise that empowers people at the edge of information, including marginalized and underserved communities. Indus also has partnership with TERI to sponsor clean energy and rural entrepreneurship through the Lighting a Billion Lives Program (LaBL) that reaches over 165,000 people across 660 villages in India. Indus is also working with NGO ‘Goonj’ to collect and distribute old clothes amongst the poor. 

Ex Deloitte Carol Lindstrom Appointed to Genpact Board of Directors

Genpact Limited, a global leader in digitally-powered business process management and services, today announced that it has appointed Carol Lindstrom, formerly of Deloitte, to its Board of Directors. The appointment is effective immediately. 

"It is an honor to have Carol join the Genpact Board. Her global experience in technology and consulting will be extremely valuable to Genpact and we look forward to her contributions.  We are very proud of the caliber of our twelve-member board, which now includes three distinguished women," said Robert Scott, Chairman of the Board, Genpact. 

Lindstrom recently retired as vice chairman of Deloitte LLP, where she led strategic relationship management, and was also president of the Deloitte Foundation. She was a member of the Deloitte & Touche Board of Directors for six years and served on the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTT) Global Board of Directors for eight years. Lindstrom held many management and client leadership positions during her Deloitte career, including managing director of global strategic relationship clients in the United States; managing director of Deloitte's e-business unit, dc.com; managing director of the Americas technology practice; managing director of the San Francisco and Orange County practices; and lead advisory and client service partner for many significant clients. She joined the firm in 1995 after having served as a partner at Andersen Consulting for many years. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Carol has unique experience and expertise in large-scale technology implementations and transformation journeys for clients in our targeted industry verticals, as well as great insights on cultivating deep client relationships. Carol’s presence in Silicon Valley for many years will also help us as we continue our pivot on Lean Digital. We are thrilled with this addition to the diverse leadership and collective business acumen of our Board as we serve our clients and shareholders," said NV 'Tiger' Tyagarajan, president and CEO, Genpact.