HMD Global Announces HMD Easy Pay, A New Smartphone Financing Solution In Collaboration With DMI Finance

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, is delighted to announce the official launch of HMD Easy Pay, a revolutionary smartphone financing solution created in partnership with DMI Finance. The launch event took place in New Delhi, redefining affordability and accessibility for Nokia smartphone enthusiasts.

HMD Easy Pay marks a significant milestone in HMD Global's mission to provide accessible and user-friendly smartphone financing options. In collaboration with DMI Finance, the program aims to redefine the way customers access and own Nokia smartphones. This Affordability Program offers a seamless and user-friendly experience while providing a host of internal benefits and features:

Instant & Paperless: The program's truly digital application process results in instant approval, with end-to-end completion taking only minutes.

Diverse Customer Base: HMD Easy Pay extends its reach to a diverse customer base, including new to credit individuals.

Quick Disbursal: Loan amounts are disbursed to channel partners within 2 hours of the transaction, ensuring minimal impact on working capital of the partner.

Best Offers: Customers can enjoy no-cost EMIs and transparent pricing across different tenure and down payment options, with no hidden fees.

Ravi Kunwar, VP-India & APAC, HMD Global said, "At HMD Global, our commitment to providing users with quality and accessible smartphones has been unwavering. HMD Easy Pay is the realization of that commitment, a ground-breaking financing program that places Nokia smartphones within reach of all. We are thrilled to be partnering with DMI Finance to bring this revolutionary solution to our customers."

Shivashish Chatterjee, Co-founder & Joint Managing Director, DMI Finance, added, "In a world where affordability is a central concern in the mobile phone industry, our goal is to provide device financing solutions that cater to a wide spectrum of consumers, including those who are new to credit. Thanks to our advanced technology and the integration of the HMD Soft Lock solution in the backend, this vision is becoming a reality.”

Devices under HMD Easy Pay Program

The HMD Easy Pay Program covers a variety of Nokia smartphone models, including the Nokia G42 8/256GB, Nokia C32, Nokia C22, and Nokia C12 Pro, offering options to suit diverse customer preferences.

HMD Easy Pay offers a smart and quick way to finance smartphones, ensuring speedy loan approvals. It offers a truly digital application process and attractive offers, such as no-cost EMIs, making it easy for customers to access Nokia smartphones.

One of the key advantages of HMD Easy Pay is its ability to reach a diverse customer base, including those new to credit. The program aims to make smartphone ownership more inclusive and accessible. As the world of smartphone ownership evolves, HMD Easy Pay is set to make a significant impact by redefining affordability and accessibility for Nokia smartphones.

Responsive Extends Market-Leading AI Capabilities With Its Strategic Response Management Platform At Responsive Summit23

Responsive, the global leader in strategic response management (SRM) software, kicks off Responsive Summit23 where it will unveil enhanced AI product capabilities and showcase customer success highlights across multiple response management use cases.

During the Summit, Responsive executives, including CEO Ganesh Shankar, CPO AJ Sunder and COO Sankar Lagudu, will share their vision for the future of the company and its leading Strategic Response Management Platform as well as best practices to empower response teams at the world’s leading companies to accelerate revenue growth, mitigate business risk, and respond effectively to mission-critical information requests.

Recent research shows that only 18% of organizations are leaders in SRM, leaving a whopping 82% of proposal and response professionals struggling to drive revenue growth and improve operational efficiency. Responsive customers, including Microsoft, Akamai, Netsmart and CAPTRUST, highlight the power of using mature strategic response management practices and technology to enhance collaboration, agility, and access to information across multiple teams.

All response use cases – from RFPs and RFIs to DDQs, security questionnaires and more – can be enhanced by Responsive’s AI features. Responsive was first in the SRM category to offer AI capabilities, and it maintains industry leadership by consistently releasing AI features that provide the best possible experience for more than 400,000 users.

“It is heartening to see an increasing number of Responsive customers using our Strategic Response Management Platform to address multiple use cases across the enterprise, which helps fuel growth, bolster security and provide better employee experiences,” said Ganesh Shankar, CEO at Responsive. “We’re excited to host Responsive Summit23 to provide customers with the solutions and expertise they need to continue being successful in the year to come.”

At Summit23, Responsive will share product roadmap highlights, including details of the Responsive Fall 2023 Release, which builds on the platform’s proven track record of using AI to improve response workflows. Responsive adds new tools and automation capabilities to its SRM platform – which supports RFP, RFI, DDQ, security questionnaires and more – to enhance productivity, security and speed to response. A few of these capabilities include:

Enhanced AI Assistant: Responsive’s leading generative AI solution for creating, summarizing and elaborating response content can now source information from customers’ Content Libraries, in addition to publicly available sources, enabling faster response times and productivity.

Deeper Content Management Automation: Responsive has expanded its best-in-class technologies for automating the prevention and removal of redundant, obsolete and trivial (ROT) content, offering substantial productivity gains and ensuring its content library is a reliable source for generating content with AI.

Broadened Profile Center: Responsive now offers the ability to share web-based information profiles as public Trust Centers, in addition to offering private invitation-only information profiles.

These new features come on the heels of a year of major company growth. Customer reviews helped Responsive rank #1 in 9 of G2’s Fall 2023 Grid® Market Reports, including best Global RFP Software. Additionally, Responsive recently welcomed VP of Growth Francois-Olivier Grisel, VP of Product Marketing Jennifer Cannizzaro and VP of GTM Operations Imran Musaev to the leadership team to help propel Responsive’s growth and meet the growing need in the strategic response management field.

“Responsive prioritizes a customer-driven product roadmap, and we deeply appreciate the consistent  input that our customers share, which helps us build meaningful and powerful tools,” said AJ Sunder, CPO and CIO at Responsive. “We are particularly excited about the rapid adoption of capabilities like our AI Assistant, and we look forward to the progress customers will make with today’s enhancements to our AI, automation and privacy offerings.”

What Customers Are Saying

“We have over 17,000 employees using the Responsive platform globally. Responsive allows us to quickly and easily share information with our teams around the world and across languages. Providing these capabilities to our internal teams empowers them to respond faster to requests and has become a real business differentiator for us.” - Amanda Heather, Strategic Growth Manager at Microsoft

“My team was tasked with being change agents for our organization, and the Responsive platform has been key to our success. With increased implementation and adoption of Responsive, and by automating additional processes, our team has processed 35% more RFPs year-over-year without additional strain to our resources.” - Andrew Mersman, Senior Director, Solution Consulting at Netsmart Technologies.

Action- Packed College Rivals' India Tour Reaches Bangalore!

Ampverse DMI, a pioneer in the esports industry, is all set moving to Bangalore for its much-anticipated College Rivals tournament. The event is now poised to ignite the gaming passion to its next destination entering Bangalore as part of its pan-India tour which will be followed by Pune, and Mumbai in the coming months. The resounding response from students and educational institutions in Delhi and Hyderabad, along with the tournament's resolute presence on social media, serves as a testament to its soaring popularity.

College Rivals continues its dedicated mission to nurture esports talent by engaging with the burgeoning gaming culture in India's educational institutions. The city awaits a thrilling event that promises to unlock esports players true gaming potential as College Rivals invites students and gamers from every part of the city to embark on this extraordinary journey. The College Rivals mobile gaming truck will traverse Bangalore, conducting player selections and offering an immersive experience. Participants will be plunged into a world of high-stakes esports, fiercely contested tournaments, engaging influencer interactions, pulsating live DJ performances, and boundless entertainment.

Students from all over India are registering for six different categories of games including Battleground Mobile India (BGMI), Counter-Strike, FIFA 2023, Road to Valor: Empires, Valorant, and Tekken7. Crossing more than 26000 registrations pouring in through both online and offline channels, College Rivals has captured the imagination of the youth. The arrival of College Rivals in Bangalore signifies a new chapter in Ampverse DMI's mission to elevate competitive gaming and foster a unity amongst the college students. Students will have an opportunity to engage with interactive games on college campus, and well-known gamers and influencers like Payal Gaming while enjoying electrifying musicals, building up the tempo for an unmatched gaming experience.

Ashwin Haryani, Country Head, Ampverse India, expressed his enthusiasm, stating “Bringing College Rivals to Bangalore is a momentous stride in our journey to empower the vibrant gaming community across India's educational institutions. The enthusiasm we have witnessed in Delhi and Hyderabad has been inspiring, and now, as we set foot in Bangalore, we're ready to amplify the gaming spirit even further. Together with DMI Finance, we're set to redefine the esports landscape. Bangalore, gear up for an exhilarating ride into the heart of competitive gaming!"

Watch College Rivals Action: Ampverse's esports collegiate IP launch of College Rivals

Godrej Locks Introduces ‘My Home Safety Quotient’ – An Initiative That Allows Consumers To Gauge The Safety Of Their Own Homes

* “54% Of Respondents Have home safety concerns at the back of their mind”: ‘Live Safe, Live Free’ research by Godrej Locks

As a part of their annual campaign ‘Har Ghar Surakshit’, Godrej Locks has been celebrating the 15th November as Home Safety Day. Ahead of it’s 7th year of celebration, the brand unveiled for the first time ever, ‘My Home Safety Quotient’ - a test wherein consumers can assess their own homes’ safety through a quick questionnaire.

As a part of their annual initiatives under ‘Har Ghar Surakshit’ – Godrej Locks had announced a programme last year called ‘Live Safe, Live Free Programme’ wherein free home safety assessments were conducted across 52 cities across India in 52 weeks. This programme reached over 17,500 households. Inspired from this programme, the brand felt the need to dive deep into the consumer behaviour and fears when it comes to home safety in 2023 and hence commissioned this research. One of the insights shared that more than half of respondents (54%) still have underlying concerns about home safety.

These kind of insights triggered the thought of introducing a new concept, i.e. The Home Safety Quotient. Introduced this year by the brand, ‘My Home Safety Quotient’ is a test that is accessible on a new microsite designed, wherein consumers can respond to a few easy to answer questions and be assessed via the system on how much risk their home is at. This preliminary assessment is just the beginning, once the Safety Quotient is revealed, consumers have an option of getting a home safety check up and in-depth analysis done by a team of safety experts – for free. The aim is to trigger thoughts for consumers and help encourage them to invest in good home safety and locking solutions.

“Some of the initial insights that we found from the ‘Live Safe, Live Free’ research was that individuals are experiencing   hesitancy when it comes to embracing a carefree lifestyle, especially during the festive season – that is now upon us. This is why the ‘My Home Safety Quotient’ is important. As a brand we have always helped our consumers with home safety assessment and spread the word on the need of the right kind of locking solutions at home. This simple test will allow consumers to gauge this themselves. Understand what the Home Safety Quotient is, understand where your home needs those safety upgrades and then if required, you still have an option to call experts for an in-depth analysis.

The launch of the ‘Home Safety Quotient’ is backed by the findings from our research, that shed light on the significant impact of home safety concerns in the lives of many. About 44% of respondents have forgone dinners or social gatherings due to worries about thefts and break-ins during their absence. Moreover, 32% of those surveyed reveal that home safety is a constant thought on their minds. Also, for more than one in every five individuals (22%), safety becomes a prominent concern when planning to celebrate festivals away from home or when visiting relatives.

An uptick in crime rates during the festive season accentuates the paramount significance of giving top priority to home safety. Although the market presents an array of technological solutions, our study brings to light a substantial disparity in the awareness and implementation of these innovations. The core aim of our research and various initiatives that we run annually for consumers, to emphasize the necessity for enhancing safety and convenience to live safe and live free without any worry”, says Mr. Shyam Motwani, Business Head at Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems.

Godrej Locks & Architectural Fittings and Systems (GLAFS) is a business of Godrej & Boyce, the flagship company of the Godrej Group, is one of India’s most iconic brands and a leader who has been fostering a culture of home safety among consumers since it’s inception, Godrej Locks had conceived and introduced, ‘Home Safety Day’, a nationwide initiative dedicated to raising awareness regarding the essential need to upgrade to advanced home safety technology. This was introduced under a campaign that has been running for over 6 years – ‘Har Ghar Surakshit’.

This year marks the seventh anniversary of 'Home Safety Day,' a significant occasion that coincides with the festive season. Hence, with a core philosophy of home safety in mind, the brand encourages consumers to make home safety worry-free, and enjoy the social aspects of the festive season while simultaneously shielding themselves from the risks of thefts and break-ins.

Sify Reports Consolidated Financial Results For Q2 FY 2023-24

HIGHLIGHTS

Revenue was INR 8,791 Million, an increase of 11% over the same quarter last year.

EBITDA was INR 1,519 Million, an increase of 1% over the same quarter last year.

Profit before tax was INR 52 Million, a decrease of 76% versus the same quarter last year.

Profit after tax was INR 15 Million, a decrease of 87% versus the same quarter last year.

CAPEX during the quarter was INR 1,797 Million.

MANAGEMENT COMMENTARY

Mr. Raju Vegesna, Chairman, said, “India’s Data Policy is entering the final phase of being adopted into law. This will give shape and clarity to data ecosystem and formalize regulation around Data security, which will help accelerate investment in India’s Data Center landscape. This will also lead to India being viewed as a more viable interconnect point between Asia and the Middle East by international connectivity players. 

Enterprises exploring digital transformation and government entities looking to automate social welfare systems will be an important target audience for Sify’s digital transformation tools and services”.

Mr. Kamal Nath, CEO, said, “As Enterprises pursue their digital transformation and digitalization objectives, they are also re-calibrating their digital infrastructure across hybrid cloud, network, security and edge infrastructures. Customer experience, business continuity, cyber security, application modernization and overall adoption of AI models are the prime drivers for this recalibration.

Our infrastructure investments and services portfolio are fundamentally aligned to meet the customer goals. Simultaneously, we are continuously engaged with our customers to identify their specific needs and selectively recalibrate our propositions to support the same”.

Mr. M P Vijay Kumar, ED & Group CFO, said, “We continue to make substantial investment in capacity creation and people to build skill sets for IT services opportunities we foresee, given the digital transformation engagements that India Inc is actively pursuing. This has led to the accompanying depreciation and interest cost, reflecting on our net profit.

We are also actively scaling up our sustainable measures across all businesses, especially our Data Centers.

The cash balance at the end of the quarter was INR 7570 Million”.

BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS 

The Revenue split between the businesses for the quarter was Data Center colocation services 31%, Digital services 28% and Network services 41%.

During the quarter, Sify added 1.2 MW of new Data Center capacity.

As on September 30, 2023, Sify has deployed 6535 SDWAN service points across the country.

Sify now provides services via 952 fiber nodes across the country, a 14% increase over the same quarter last year.

During the quarter, Sify invested ­USD 1.5 Million in start-ups in the Silicon Valley area as part of our Corporate Venture Capital initiative. To date, the cumulative investment stands at USD 7.07 Million.

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENTS

Among the most prominent new contracts during the quarter were the following:

Data Center Services

Two public sector and one private bank signed up for colocation space.

A privately held international stock broking firm entering India contracted for colocation space.

A private bank migrated from their on-premise Data Center to Sify Data Center.

A private telecom player will set up their disaster recovery unit at one of Sify’s locations.

One of India’s largest private bank contracted for DC expansion and refresh.

Digital services

A state government welfare department and two private enterprises signed up to migrate from their on-premise DC to Sify’s Cloudinfinit platform, along with managed services.

A NBFC, a health solutions player, an insurance broker and a steel major contracted for Sify greenfield cloud implementation.

A division of a state government signed up for a complete platform migration and managed services.

One of the larger online insurance policy platforms, a hosiery major, one of the oldest content service providers, a software player and a citizen service provider signed up for Sify’s digital services.

The technology partner of the Union government, a State government data center, the power distribution arm of another state government, a private power transmission player, a private insurance major, a white goods, an industrial chemical manufacturer and an insurance information bureau signed up for managed services.

More than a million online assessments were conducted for an autonomous banking institute and a government service selection platform.

An international power products manufacturer and another refrigeration major signed up for Sify’s cloud-based supply chain solution.

Network Services

A leading Indian airline has contracted for the management of its entire network infrastructure, including Network Operations Center.

A heavy machinery distributor and a Spirits major contracted for managed and secure SD WAN.

Sify also contracted for network expansion with multiple prominent banks, a tyre manufacturer and a logistics major.

One of the global outsourcing majors, a personal care conglomerate and an Edutech startup signed up for hosted contact and CPaaS services.

During the quarter, Sify activated its VNO license to support SIP trunking in India.

St.Botanica Launches DVC With Brand Ambassador & Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan

* The new campaign highlights the brand promise of sourcing the world’s finest ingredients to provide the best hair care solutions

YouTube Link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7aE0hT8_RI

St.Botanica, a leading direct-to-consumer (D2C) beauty brand and part of South Asia's largest beauty and personal care conglomerate Good Glamm Group, launches a new DVC featuring actor and brand ambassador, Kareena Kapoor Khan for their Moroccan Argan Hair Care range, underlining the brand’s promise of curating the world’s finest ingredients to create effective self-care products.

The campaign underscores St.Botanica's commitment to providing consumers with the world's finest ingredients in their self-care products. With a range of luxurious, potent blends containing Argan Oil sourced all the way from Morocco, the campaign shines a spotlight on St.Botanica's core principles: using powerful ingredients from around the world, crafting rich and effective formulations, ensuring products are free of harmful chemicals, and conducting rigorous scientific testing for guaranteed results. Leveraging Kareena Kapoor Khan's widespread appeal, the Digital Video Campaign engages new generations of consumers, emphasizing the brand's promise of delivering high-quality ingredients in their self-care essentials.

“At St.Botanica, our core focus and commitment lies in using the world's finest ingredients in our products, ensuring that our customers experience unparalleled quality and luxury in their haircare rituals.    Our latest DVC and partnership with Kareena Kapoor Khan further enhances the essence of St.Botanica's philosophy and strengthens our dedication to providing consumers with the very best in self-care." stated Sukhleen Aneja, CEO, Good Brands Co, Good Glamm Group.

Expressing her excitement, Actor and Brand Ambassador, Kareena Kapoor Khan said, “My association with St.Botanica has spanned for more than a year now, and during this time, I've wholeheartedly embraced the brand's core philosophy. St.Botanica is dedicated to providing toxin-free products with meticulously created formulations featuring the world's finest ingredients. My experience with the products and deep resonance with the brand's values fuels my excitement to be a part of St.Botanica's journey.”

St.Botanica's Moroccan Argan offerings include a range of hair care products:

St.Botanica Moroccan Argan Shampoo is created using natural ingredients and plant extracts. It thoroughly cleanses the scalp without leaving residue. This Moroccan Argan Oil Shampoo leaves your hair smooth and frizz-free while giving it naturally-powered nourishment and care for soft, manageable hair. This nourishing shampoo can also help reduce hair damage caused by pollution and everyday exposure on your strands.

St.Botanica Moroccan Argan Hair Conditioner is developed using natural ingredients that your hair is going to love. The creamy Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner will help moisturize your hair strands ensuring soft and frizz-free hair. The potent hair-enhancing natural ingredients present in this conditioner will provide all the nourishment your hair needs to thrive and grow healthy. This hydrating deep conditioner is enriched with the goodness of plant extracts and natural oils like Moroccan Argan Oil, Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Wheat Protein and Avocado Oil.

St.Botanica Moroccan Argan Hair Oil is a natural hair oil that helps stimulate hair growth, strengthens hair roots, and adds shine to your tresses. It helps reduce scalp dryness and repairs damage caused by exposure to heat and hair-styling chemicals. Made of natural oils and plant extracts, this Moroccan Argan Oil is essential for healthy hair growth.

St.Botanica Moroccan Argan Hair Serum is developed using premium natural oils and plant-based ingredients. This Moroccan Oil serum ensures smooth and shiny hair. This hair serum helps moisturize dry hair without making it greasy and makes hair smooth and glossy. Moroccan Argan Oil is an essential ingredient that provides intense nourishment to your strands.

St.Botanica prides itself on research-based formulations that incorporate the world’s finest and most efficacious ingredients, while consciously avoiding preservatives, parabens, mineral oils, synthetic colors, and other harmful substances. The brand's emphasis on research-based formulations featuring natural and organic ingredients makes it an ideal choice for conscious consumers mindful of their purchase impact. The brand offers a range of cruelty-free products, duly certified by PETA, catering to conscious consumers who prioritize the environmental impact of their purchases.

St.Botanica invites everyone to experience the world's finest ingredients in their self-care routine and embrace the promise of luxury, efficacy, and safety. Discover the St.Botanica difference today!

For more information about St.Botanica and its products,  visit www.stbotanica.com

About St.Botanica:

Founded in 2015, St.Botanica is a premium brand known for its quality-driven approach in developing products crafted with curated blends of international and exotic ingredients, while maintaining a toxin-free formula. The brand's formulations are carefully crafted using the world's finest ingredients, backed by extensive research conducted by a team of cosmetic scientists, resulting in exceptional products that deliver outstanding results. The brand takes pride in offering products that are free from harmful chemicals and undergo dermatological testing. St.Botanica is also a proud member of the PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies Program, ensuring that its manufacturing process remains cruelty-free.

In October 2021, St.Botanica was acquired by South Asia's largest beauty and personal care conglomerate, the Good Glamm Group built on a unique content-creator-commerce-community flywheel. This acquisition has further solidified St.Botanica's position in the industry, providing new opportunities for growth and innovation. In December 2021, the brand welcomed leading actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as its brand ambassador in the hair category. In April 2022, St.Botanica launched its first-ever national television campaign, establishing a stronger presence in the market and reaching a wider audience with its product offerings.

St.Botanica remains steadfast in its commitment to quality, research-driven formulations, and ethical practices as it continues to create exceptional beauty and personal care experiences for its valued customers. St.Botanica has made a positive impact on people's lives across the globe, with its products reaching customers in the USA, Australia, Singapore, India, and the UK. 

Health And Family Welfare Minister, Karnataka, To Launch Tele-Family Helpline, Lays Foundation Stone At UIM’s Silver Jubilee Celebration

-          Urban India Ministries celebrate their Silver Jubilee

-          Dr. Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister for Health & Family Welfare to launch the family helpline and lay the foundation stone for their Education Centre

-          30% of families in Bengaluru are going through serious marital issues

-          They have programmes for families in the slums, for children in schools in Bengaluru and also hold similar sessions for corporates.

Urban India Ministries (UIM) was registered as an NGO 25 years ago as an effort of a group of friends to help families that were imploding because of the pressures of new urban trends.

On October 28, ’23 as part of their silver jubilee celebration, Mr. Dinesh Gundu Rao, the Honorable Minister for Health and family welfare, Govt. of Karnataka, will launch UIM’s Counseling Family Helpline and lay the foundation stone for the ‘UIM- Family Education Centre’. He will also release the Family Education curriculum for urban slums.

The Counseling Family helpline – 888 4470705 - will be available in Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Telegu, Hindi and English. UIM plans to create a network of counselors in all states of India through this initiative. Family helpline number will be operational from 2nd November 2023.

The soon-to-be constructed UIM Family Education Centre will be located behind the premises of UIM Family Mission Centre at Shalom Springdale layout in Kothanur, Bengaluru.   

UIM’s efforts have taken the shape of several initiatives that cater to lakhs of families and to young and old individuals over these last 25 years.

Dr. P.C. Mathew, Director, UIM, said, “Conservative statistics say that in Bengaluru, the number of families that have serious troubles that need intervention is around 30%  These issues are not confined to just the educated class which is why UIM offers our family life education program – ‘Kutumb Jyothi’ - in the urban slums. To ensure that children get an early awareness of good family values, we hold our popular life skills program – ‘Trendsetters’ - in schools across the city.”

They also have a corporate initiative called “Kutumb Communications”, a counseling initiative called “Home Shanti” and their web magazine ‘Family Mantra’; just some of the ways they help families of all life stages and ages.

Mrs. Ciby Mathew, Director, UIM, said, “With newer issues confronting families, its time systematic preventive family education is carried out in schools, colleges and community than spending so much time in firefighting through counseling.”