VARINDIA IT MAGAZINE

Cyber Security market currently at $1 billion, is expected to grow to $35 billion by 2025. The demand for skilled professionals in the space is very high. To create a trained talent pool of Cyber Security professionals in India, PwC India and NIIT University (NU) have entered into a strategic partnership. Towards this end, academic experts from NU and senior professionals from PwC India have co-created a two-year work-integrated specialized Master’s Programme in Cyber Security. Rajendra S. Pawar, Chairman, NIIT Group and Founder – NU, said, “Technology has changed the way businesses are run and has brought along with it unique challenges and threats. In today’s digitized environment securing our cyber space has become a priority for businesses and citizens across the world. This calls for a team of trained professionals who are equipped to combat the challenges that are posed by hackers every day.  Our partnership with PwC India is a step in that direction.”... Re...

Genpact and Arria NLG, a world leader in artificial intelligence and natural language generation, have tied up to help banks, financial services companies, and other enterprises dramatically transform how they leverage automation and run complex business reporting processes. “Through this relationship with Genpact, Arria NLG’s Platform reaches a far wider, global audience than can be achieved through our own direct sales process,” said Stuart Rogers, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Arria NLG. “Our investment in expanding our development and technical teams to support the projects coming from Genpact is a core part of our strategy, and we also look forward to partnering together in Genpact’s Silicon Valley innovation lab.” Read more

To drive innovation in the fast-evolving e-commerce industry, Microsoft has entered into broad-ranging agreements with JustDial, PayTm and Snapdeal, a special cloud initiative for start-ups aligned to smart cities, and availability of its flagship devices – Microsoft Lumia 950 and 950 XL, and Microsoft Surface Pro 4 in December and January, respectively.  Microsoft also showcased the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 at the event. Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft Corporation, said, “At Microsoft, we strive to empower every Indian citizen and every business and government organization to achieve more. With the newly launched Microsoft Cloud and with Surface Pro 4, our customers here in India have the digital technology they need to seize incredible new growth and opportunity on a global scale.”... Read more

According to a report by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), the incremental human resource requirement in the Electronic and IT hardware sector is expected to be 89 lakh by 2022. Electronics and IT Hardware is one of the emerging sectors for employment growth in India. The industry currently employs over 4.3 million people across manufacturing, Sales and marketing (including Retail) and Repair & Maintenance segments. Demand for electronic and IT hardware products is expected to touch Rs.24 lakh crore mark by 2020. According to the report India’s per capita GDP has nearly tripled since 2000, rising from US$455 to US$1,489 in 2012. This is expected to rise to over US$2,000 by 2017, and will continue to be the major source of demand in consumer electronics in the country. The key government- initiated programmes which include the UIDAI project, the National Knowledge Network (NKN) and the National Optic-Fiber Network (NOFN) will continue to be the primary demand d...

Rakesh Garg, Chairman, Telecom Commission & Secretary (Dept of Telecom), Ministry of Communications & IT, Government of India, while addressing the CII Telecom Convergence Summit organized by CII in the national capital has shared that the Government has finalized the spectrum sharing guidelines and will notify the same in a few days while the spectrum trading rules, which are also in the last phase of finalization will be shared by the end of this month. “Our Government’s objective is to enable mobile operators to utilize / sell the excess available airwaves in a better way and to check the call drop issue. The guidelines have been finalized in such a way as to promote India as one of the most favoured destinations to do business in the telecom industry,”... Read more

In yet another trendsetting initiative that will benefit legions of customers across India, Zicom Electronic Security Systems Limited has announced its foray into the business of Internet of Things (IoT) business by offering security services under SaaS ( Security-as-a-Service ). Zicom IoT business has come up with various solutions that cater to individuals, housing societies and enterprises. The company has acquired over 15,000 client accounts. With its strong customer base, Zicom is making this foray at a right time when the Indian market is getting ready for an explosion of Internet-connected home appliances and consumer devices. Speaking at the launch of Zicom Care, Manohar Bidaye, Chairman, Zicom Electronic Security Systems Limited, told the packed gathering at the MIG Cricket Club in Bandra, Mumbai, “Zicom is moving up the value chain. It successfully completed a long journey of 20 years in which many things changed save the company’s unflinching commitment to its custome...

The “Make-In-India Awards for Excellence – 2015” has honoured the contribution of companies, organizations, institutes, and individuals, among others, who are an epitome of excellence in their chosen area of interest and who are playing a pivotal role in the economic development of the nation. In this regard, CELKON Mobiles was honoured with “Make-in-India Award for Excellence – 2015” in the Telecom Gadgets category. Celkon Mobiles has inaugurated its first state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hyderabad on the 11th of June, 2015 with four production lines and eventually enhanced its capacity to higher levels. celkon mobiles logo Celkon Mobiles receives Make in India Award for Excellence 2015Celkon was one of the early movers in envisioning a manufacturing unit in the country with 30,000-sq. ft. in area, started production from Day 1, making Celkon the first brand to start operations in the state. The facility is ISO certified... Read more

Microsoft will be working with Andhra Pradesh on TV White Spaces Project, a technology that uses unused TV spectrum to deliver low-cost Internet connectivity to users. Anil Bhansali, Managing Director, Microsoft India R&D, and Prashant Shukla, National Technology Officer, and other executives called on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to discuss the company’s initiatives. Anil Bhansali Prashant Shukla with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu 300x300 Microsoft will start pilot on White Spaces and Machine Learning Technology in Andhra PradeshIn a first-of-its-kind pilot, Microsoft, DOT, DEITY and ERNET are working with the Government of Andhra Pradesh to bring low-cost broadband internet connectivity to four educational institutions in the district of Srikakulam which had no internet connectivity earlier. With Z. P. High School at Voppangi as the base station, the other three campuses were receivers located at distances of 10 kilometres or more from the base station... Read...

NASSCOM Foundation, in collaboration with Mphasis and Genpact, has announced the launch of the eighth edition of the NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum – a “Tech for Good” platform that aims to drive technology-led innovation to create sustained social impact. The annual awards, as a part of the Forum, identify, select, honour and support innovative solutions and projects that use Information & Communication Technology (ICT) to address gaps in the key developmental areas and foster inclusive growth. Riding on the last year’s success, where the programme received interest from over a thousand innovators, NASSCOM Social Innovation Forum (NSIF) hopes to see robust participation this year as well, from a wide array of social innovators, including NGOs, Social Enterprises, For-profit Enterprises, Individuals... Read more

Accenture has announced that Rekha M. Menon will be chairman of Accenture in India and Anindya Basu will be country managing director in India. These appointments are effective August 21, 2015. As chairman, Menon will play an active role in growing Accenture’s business and further strengthening the company’s presence in communities across India.  She will continue to be deeply engaged in the company’s Inclusion & Diversity and Corporate Citizenship initiatives and will also be responsible for institutional relationships with public authorities and industry associations. Menon is currently managing director, Human Resources, for Accenture’s growth markets and has been leading the development and execution of the company’s human capital strategy for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, Russia, Turkey and Latin America. Previously she was managing director, Geographic Operations for India, ASEAN and the Asia Pacific Delivery Centers, where she supported the growth and develop...

Informatica has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by a company controlled by the Permira funds and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for approximately $5.3 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Informatica shareholders will receive $48.75 in cash for each share of Informatica common stock. Informatica is acknowledged as a leader in several technology categories, including Cloud Integration, Data Integration for Big Data initiatives, and MDM Solutions. Informatica’s three-pronged growth strategy is to expand across all major geographic regions, grow across all customer data initiatives, and advance technology leadership in all things data.... Read more

RAH Infotech has added Accelerite to its product portfolio. Accelerite’s offerings are compelling and complementary to RAH Infotech’s portfolio and would enable its partners to address business and security concerns of customers around endpoint management, cloud and mobility. ashok kumar rah infotech 150x150 RAH Infotech ties up with Accelerite Ashok Kumar, Chairman & MD, Rah Infotech Ashok Kumar, Chairman & MD, RAH Infotech, said, “There is great value in Accelerite’s offerings which complement our approach of providing products that should be able to provide tangible business benefits and significant added value service opportunities for our channel partners.” Eric Webster Chief Revenue Officer Accelerite RAH Infotech ties up with Accelerite Eric Webster, Chief Revenue Officer, Accelerite “We continue to invest in building stronger relationships with our partners, and to provide world-class solutions to our customers. Through our partnership with RAH Infotech, ...

Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman & Group CEO, Bharti Enterprises, said, “Digital India has power to transform the country in the shortest time, also digitally friendly. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the right man to lead the drive and he understands the power of technology and how it can transform the nation, connect the nation in the shortest time frame and Airtel will invest $16 billion to build deeper IT infrastructure to offer telecom services to Indian citizens in rural and urban parts of the country and will bring 4G for the masses.” See more  

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries, said, “With Digital India, the Government has moved faster than the industry. He added that Reliance Jio Infocomm will invest Rs.2, 50,000 crore as part of Digital India programme. The company will also roll out a best-in-class internet network.”   See more

Reliance Group has announced an investment of Rs.10,000 crore to fund transformational initiatives across the Digital, Cloud and Telecom space. “Digital India’s success depends on the availability of unlimited cloud computing power. We will achieve full deployment of Next-Generation content and Cloud Delivery Network by the end of this year, with – what is a first for India – 5 fully operational Cloud Xchange points,” said Anil Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Group. The Xchange nodes can help government departments access 240 times the amount of computing power currently available in government data centers, and over 6 times the high- speed storage currently available in India. This will enable network to scale up 100% every 90 days as Digital India initiative gathers momentum. anil ambani Reliance Group plans an Investment of Rs.10,000 Crore across Digital, Cloud and Telecom SpaceReliance Group is also India’s largest provider of data center facilities, with a total capacity of ov...

To speed up e-ticketing operations, the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) has imported five new servers from Singapore. The initiative to import five new servers from Singapore comes close on the heels of IRCTC introducing two new high-speed servers earlier this month that have doubled peak-time efficiency for booking Tatkal tickets in the morning hours. Dr A. K. Manocha IRCTC Chairman 150x150 IRCTC adds five new servers to improve e ticketing operationsDr A. K. Manocha, IRCTC Chairman & Managing Director, said, “The five new HP Itanium servers, to be installed shortly in the middle layer of the Passenger Reservation System (PRS), would considerably speed up the booking of e-tickets and streamline the Next-Generation E-Ticketing System (NGET).” “There are already five servers in the PRS at its middle layer. With the addition of five new servers from Singapore, their number would go up to ten,” he informed... See more  

Sify Technologies Limited has announced the launch of the company’s Cloud services targeted at the Enterprise and SMB market in Kerala. Sify has tested the Kerala market and has received encouraging response. As a special offer, Sify’s Cloud services will be made available to customers in Kerala for a trial period 15-day. Sify has chosen a mix of internal promotions and Channel partners to maximize its go-to-market strategy. Under its Cloud services portfolio, Sify will offer Public, Private and Managed Cloud services to Kerala market which is fast emerging as an important SMB hub. With the second-largest digital service penetration in the country, Kerala is an attractive market for adoption of new-age IT technologies. Raju Vegesna Chairman Sify Technologies 300x300 Sify launches Cloud Solutions for SMBs from KeralaCommenting on the occasion, Raju Vegesna, Chairman, Sify Technologies, said, “We have received commendable response from Enterprises and SMBs here and are extremely e...

As a part of its commitment to help India become a world leader in manufacturing and further fuelling the country’s digital transformation, Cisco has announced new investments in the country. Aligned with Cisco’s strategy to invest in emerging countries, Cisco has announced new local strategic initiatives, including the move to enable manufacturing in India to support the Digital India vision. As India plays a pivotal role in the company’s overall growth, innovation and talent strategy, the company has announced plans for direct and indirect investment of up to US$20 million over the next five years into the Cisco Networking Academy, with an additional US$40 million for the next phase of expansion in India. John Chambers, Chairman and CEO said, “We are investing big in India. We came to India for the quality of the workforce. We invested in innovation, which is now transforming industries. Cisco is committed to partnering with India’s government to translate the Digital India visi...

To collaborate and explore opportunities in the areas of Safe and Smart City technologies and Cybersecurity, NEC and Keonics (Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The partnership aims to promote and drive economic growth in Karnataka as well as other parts of India through NEC-driven, innovative IT solutions, and capacity building training. In the area of cybersecurity, NEC and Keonics will collaborate to provide solutions that protect against cybercrime, as well as focus on talent development to enhance the security capabilities of Karnataka as well as the rest of India. “Keonics, together with NEC, is proud to be able to play a role in converting Indian cities into smart, safe and world-class security offerings. NEC is a global company with strong expertise in public safety solutions and we look forward to a successful partnership,” said U. B. Venkatesh, Chairman, Keonics. Koichiro Koide MD NEC India NE...

COAI, in its Annual  General  Body  Meeting has announced  the  election  of  its  new leadership  for  the  term  2015-16. Himanshu Kapania, Managing Director, Idea Cellular Ltd. has been elected as the Chairman and Gopal Vittal, Joint Managing Director and CEO (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel Limited, has been elected as the Vice-Chairman. COAI also designated its Executive Council for the new term at the meeting. Himanshu Kapania has been the Managing Director of Idea Cellular since April 2011. He has rich experience of over two decades. He spearheaded Idea Cellular Ltd. to be one of top 3 telecom players and also serves on the board of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd. (ABMCPL), the strategic advisory unit of the US$ 40 billion Aditya Birla Group. He is an alumnus of Birla Institute of Technology (Mesra), and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. Gopal Vittal, Joint Managing Director and CEO...