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                                                                           REACH SOUTH INDIA

                                 TECHNOLOGY NEWS MAGAZINE
                              Andhra Pradesh l Telangana l Tamilnadu l Pondicherry l Karnataka l Kerala
                             Vol-15 Issue-02, Krishna, September - 2020, Pages-16, `40/-

                                           BECAUSE IT’S NOT JUST VIDEO.
                                                  IT’S INSIGHT.
                                                      Surveillance solutions from edge to core

Authorised Partners : Telangana : PL Computers, : 9246352400 | Andhra Pradesh : PL Computers, : 9871987066 • Emerald, : 7702191204 • Krishna Computer Peripherals, : 9246476588 • Shweta Computer Park,
: 9848127866 • Vishal Electronics, : 9494417648 | Bengaluru : Gadget IT Solutions, : 080-41249119 / 08 • Lead Tech IT World, : 9341216331 • Mach Computers, : 9845183575 | Chennai : ICom Systems Pvt. Ltd.,
: 9840753857 • Hi-Focus Electronics India Pvt. Ltd., : 9500087331 • Supreme Computers India Pvt. Ltd., : 9840083388 • Pelikan Office Automation P. Ltd., : 09840095577 • Vajawat Computers,
: 8610378019 • Metro Enterprises, : 9841316448 | Coimbatore : Navkar Infotech Private Ltd., : 9894717316 | Kerala : A.J. Distributors, : 9496281396 • Digital World, : 9847017020 • Forerun Computers,
: 9544800281 Yobel Systems, : 9142444405
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VIDEO. IT'S INSIGHT - Technology ...
NEWS IN FOCUS

  Birlasoft To Drive Cloud-Led Digital Transformation                                                            Ingram Micro
     for customers in Collaboration with Microsoft                                                               signs distribution
                                                                                                                 agreement with
Birlasoft Ltd., part of the USD 2.4 billion diver-      the full power of digital by combining enterprise
sified, The CK Birla Group, announced a Global                              applications with the most

                                                                                                                 cybersecurity
Strategic Cloud Alliance with Microsoft to help                             modern platforms, software
its clients to accelerate their digital journey. With                       and digitalization processes.

                                                                                                                 provider
this collaboration, Birlasoft is strategically posi-                        Through this cloud alliance
tioned to support its enterprise clients with their                         with Microsoft, our customers
cloud transformation needs, right from infra-                               can expect an even broader
structure to business applications.
Birlasoft has plans to scale its current Microsoft
cloud business to $100M. Building on the cur-
                                                        range of solutions, delivered at a continually
                                                        faster pace, which will accelerate the execution
                                                        of their digital transformation strategies.“
                                                                                                                 InstaSafe
rent collaboration, Birlasoft will focus on deliv-      Gavriella Schuster, Corporate Vice President,            Ingram Micro has announced the addition of
ering end-to-end services on Microsoft Azure,           One Commercial Partner at Microsoft Corp. said,          cybersecurity provider InstaSafe to its Cloud
Microsoft 365, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, to                               “This collaboration combines         portfolio in India. InstaSafe was named as one of
its clients. Together with Microsoft, Birlasoft will                        Birlasoft’s industry expertise       the runners-up of the India edition of the Comet
create innovative industry solutions and enable                             with the power of the Micro-                                          Competition con-
customers in focus industries to adopt Microsoft                            soft cloud platform. Together                                         ducted by Ingram
cloud technologies and services.                                            we will help our customers                                            Micro Cloud in
Dharmender Kapoor, CEO and MD, Birlasoft                                    accelerate their digital transfor-                                    2019.
.”Birlasoft empowers our customers to harness           mation with new and innovative solutions across                                           Recognized      by
                                                        industries.“                                                                              Gartner as a
                                                                                                                                                  zero-trust ven-

     Tata Group poised to take on RIL, Amazon; you could                                                                                          dor,     InstaSafe
                                                                                                                                                  helps organiza-
         soon order ‘everything’ using Tata super app                                                                                             tions      provide
                                                                                                                 distributed teams with secure access to critical
The Tata Group is reportedly poised to unveil           pany of the $113-billion group said, “It will be a       applications by replacing existing, obsolete hard-
a “super app” by December or early next year,           super app, a lot of apps in apps and so on. We           ware-based solutions with a highly scalable, cloud
                   which will put the conglomer-        have a very big opportunity.”                            security solution. InstaSafe empowers organiza-
                   ate in competition with rivals       The development assumes significance following           tions in their digital transformation journey by
                   Amazon and Reliance Indus-           Asia’s richest man Mukesh Ambani-controlled              simplifying network security and enabling users
                   tries (RIL) in India—the world’s     RIL raised $20 billion from private-equity firms         to securely access enterprise applications.
                   fastest growing e-commerce           and leading technology behemoths Facebook                Commenting on the partnership, Jyotil Mankad,
                   market.                              and Google in an attempt to expand its digital           Director & Head of Cloud business at Ingram
                   The super app will provide           services arm Jio’s base. Worth mentioning here           Micro India said, “With security becoming a
food and grocery ordering, fashion and lifestyle,       is that as per a Goldman Sachs May report, the           strategic priority for organizations, partners and
consumer durables, insurance and financial ser-         online retail will account for 2.5% of India’s gross     customers are constantly looking for ways to
vices, healthcare and bill payments. N Chandrase-       domestic product (GDP) by 2030, growing 15               keep their data and systems protected. InstaSa-
karan, Chairman of Tata Sons—the holding com-           times and touching $300 billion.                         fe’s range of Zero Trust Network access solutions
                                                                                                                 helps bridge this gap and we are excited to offer

       Acer ranks No. 1 in PC desktop
                                                                                                                 their innovative Security-as-a-Service solutions to
                                                                                                                 our network of partners. “
                                                                                                                 Sandip Kumar Panda, CEO and co-founder at

            category in H1 2020                                                                                  InstaSafe Technologies said “With the grow-
                                                                                                                 ing trend of cyber-attacks and the new normal
                                                                                                                                                  of WFH situa-
Acer, one of the world’s leading PC makers have         Commenting on the achievement, Sudhir Goel,                                               tions, our cus-
successfully led the spot of “No.1 Desktop cat-         Chief Business Officer, Acer India said, “We are                                          tomers are eager
                   egory” in India in the overall       proud to attain the No.1 position in the overall                                          to adopt a sim-
                   commercial and consumer              desktop category. Over the last couple of quar-                                           ple but efficient
                   desktop category for H1 2020         ters, Acer has recorded a substantial growth in                                           security solution
                   with a market share of 23%           the desktop market in India. Our strong foot-                                             for safeguarding
                   as per IDC Q2 tracker 2020.          holds in various sectors like BFSI, government,                                           their infrastruc-
                   Acer also ended the Q2 quar-         education, small businesses, and corporates have                                          ture 24×7, while
ter with an overall PC desktop market share of          helped us achieve the top position. With the                                              managing       the
26.67% to confirm their dominance in this space.        business transformation to adapt the new nor-                                             application deliv-
Acer gained the top spot in the commercial desk-        mal, the company has done remarkably well with           ery to users seamlessly and securely. InstaSafe’s
top category for Q2 with a huge market share            smart thinking and new marketing strategies that         award-winning solution alongside Ingram Micro’s
of 33.93% and H1 2020 with a market share of            helped us to lead this segment and will continue         reach and ability to work with and deliver ser-
30.04%. Along with sizeable wins from the edu-          to delight our customers towards strengthening           vices to a wide range of channel partners is a
cation segment, Small offices, Small businesses,        market leadership.”                                      powerful combination. With this partnership,
BFSI, ITeS, and large private corporates are also       To stay ahead of the competition, Acer’s aggres-         we look forward to empowering the large chan-
driving the demand. Acer India observed signifi-        sive product positioning clubbed with strive             nel network of Ingram Micro to adopt Zero Trust
cant traction in the last few months due to edu-        to meet the rising demand for WFH, LFH, and              Network Access Security as a Service (SaaS) solu-
cation and work style transformation that helped        Small-Medium Businesses, the company will con-           tion for their customers and helping them grow
us maintain a stronghold in the overall desktop         tinue to lead the product category in the coming         exponentially in the evolving multi-cloud infra-
category.                                               quarters.                                                structure for the organization.”

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                 		                 2		              		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VIDEO. IT'S INSIGHT - Technology ...
CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			   		   3		   		   KRISHNA, September -2020
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VIDEO. IT'S INSIGHT - Technology ...
Relatively shorter payment timeframe for AGR dues can                                                           EDITORIAL
  have a longstanding impact on the industry structure                                                           EDITOR: Dinesh Shyam Sukha
The SC has pronounced its judgment on the AGR              basis. The telecom operators pay a revenue            CO-ORDINATOR : Siddhi
case on September 01, 2020 and allowed a 10-year           share to the DoT in the form of license fee and       PRODUCTION & OPERATION: Ramayya
payment term (as against 20 year proposed by               spectrum usage charges which are linked to            POSTAGE & PACKING: L.N.Rao
DoT) with 10% upfront payment for repayment                the AGR. The SC ruling mandated the operators         ADVERTISING SALES: V.K.Gupta
                              of the AGR dues              to include some components of revenues like           DESIGN : Dikshit
                              amounting          to        dividend income, rental income, forex gains, etc      CREATIVE DESIGNER: MKVS
                              around Rs. 90,000            while computing AGR on a retrospective basis,         ACCOUNTS: Murthy
                              crore for the three          which along with interest and penalties on the
                                                                                                                 MAGAZINE CUSTOMER SERVICE:info@cellit.co.in
                              telcos. As per ICRA          same translated into sizeable dues for the telcos,
                                                                                                                 Ads: press@cellit.co.in
                              note, this relatively        amounting to Rs. 1.19 lakh crore for Bharti Airtel
                                                                                                                 contact@cellit.co.in, 9246402144
                              shorter      payment         Limited (BAL), Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) and
                              timeframe      exerts        Tata Group (Tata) combined. Of this, these telcos
                                                                                                                 NOTE:
                              additional pressure          have already paid Rs. 30,000 crore till date and      All products, brands, service names
                              on the cash flows            the balance amount remains payable.                   mentioned may be trademarks of their
                              and      necessitates        The telecom industry, after witnessing a turbulent    respective owners
sizeable ARPU increase and can have an impact              phase with intense competition and pricing
on the industry structure.                                 pressures, was on a path to recovery. The telecom
Explaining this further, Ankit Jain, Assistant Vice        operators announced substantial tariff hikes in       4.6 lakh crore as on March 31, 2021 owing to
President, Corporate Ratings, ICRA, says, “The             December 2019, which along with moderation            addition of AGR dues.
proposed payment pattern adds to the burden                in capex intensity and deleveraging initiatives       Concludes Ms. Anupama Arora, Vice President
of the industry which was already saddled with             pointed towards greenshoots of recovery in the        and Sector Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA,
elevated debt levels. This will also exert pressure        sector that was expected to result in expansion       “The government had earlier allowed deferral
on the cash-flows and leaves limited room for              in cash flow generation. The tariff hikes have led    of the spectrum auction instalments for FY2021
network capex and expansion, especially for                to restoration of pricing power to the telcos and     and FY2022.However, this 10-year payment for
the relatively weaker player. Assuming these               aided improvement in the operating metrics of         the AGR dues dampens the relief on auction
payment terms are implemented on the balance               the industry with growth in revenues and profit       payments to some extent and is likely to weigh
amount to be paid, the telcos will have to shell           margins.                                              heavily on the balance sheet of the weaker
out an amount of Rs. 9,000 crore by March 31,              The industry has been saddled with elevated debt      telecom operator, especially when the two-year
2021 as upfront payment, followed by 10-annual             levels amid consistently high capex requirements.     moratorium gets over and auction payments start
instalments of around Rs. 12,000 crore at 8% rate          As per ICRA estimates, the debt as on March 31,       in FY2023. The annual instalments for the auction
of interest starting February 2022 till February           2019 stood at Rs. 5.0 lakh crore, which witnessed     payments are to the tune of Rs. 32,000 crore for
2031.”                                                     a decline to Rs. 4.4 lakh crore as on March           the industry starting FY2023, which along with
In October 2019, the honorable Supreme Court               31, 2020 following the series of deleveraging         Rs. 12,000 crore annual instalment for the AGR
(SC) of India had pronounced its judgment                  measures undertook by private operators during        dues starting February 2022 will necessitate
pertaining to the definition of adjusted gross             FY2020. Moreover, despite the improvement             substantial increase in the ARPUs to more than Rs.
revenue (AGR) and inclusion of some non-core               in cash flow and moderation in capex intensity,       350 and has the potential to have a longstanding
revenues in AGR calculations from retrospective            the debt is further expected to increase to Rs.       impact on the industry structure.”

     Krea University establishes Atal Incubation Centre ‘Catalyst’ in Jaipur
Krea University has set up an Atal Incubation              of the formal economy, nurture greater inclusion      partnerships with educational and research
Centre (AIC), Catalyst, under the aegis of the Atal        and growth in rural areas.                            institutes, corporates, startup ecosystem players,
Innovation Mission (AIM), which is a flagship              The Catalyst AIC focuses on solutions that            and investors.
initiative of NITI Aayog. Established as a Section         seek to strengthen access to digital financial        Dr Sunder Ramaswamy, Vice Chancellor of Krea
                      8 entity, Catalyst AIC seeks         services, improve supply chain management,            University shared, “The Catalyst AIC reflects Krea’s
                      to accelerate innovative,            skill development and workforce management,           ethos to nurture an inclusive ecosystem built
                      disruptive and inclusive tech        among others. It is unique in its value proposition   on exchange of knowledge, ideas, insights and
                      solutions for the last mile.         as it provides startups with real-world test          meaningful collaborations. It also strengthens our
                      Over a five- year period, the        environments to rapidly test, iterate and deploy      vision to interweave high quality research with
                      program will work towards            their solutions and integrate data-driven insights    impactful solutions on the ground”.
                      building a robust support            on their consumer segments to improve product         “While urban India has seen rapid digitisation of
system for entrepreneurs working to enhance                design and delivery.                                  processes and systems across all domains through
livelihood opportunities for underserved segments          Located in Jaipur, the Catalyst AIC offers a          startups, India’s last mile communities have been
in rural India, with a focus on rural artisans.            dedicated incubation space of approx. 10,000          left largely unserved. With Catalyst AIC, we aim to
Home to a 200 million-plus strong artisan                  sq. ft. to incubatees. As part of the incubation      provide a holistic support ecosystem for inclusive
community, India’s handicrafts and handloom                program, selected incubatees will receive support     tech startups, building solutions for the last mile.
sector is deeply linked with its cultural heritage and     in identifying target customer segments, piloting     We believe that with the right support systems
is a crucial pillar to provide sustainable livelihood      solutions, access to domain experts and fine-tuning   in place, India has the capability and capacity
opportunities in rural areas. With the exception of a      business models, drawing on Krea University’s         to produce the next high performance business
few supply chains, the sector is largely unorganised,      thought leadership and research centre LEAD at        model, exclusively serving these vastly untapped,
and artisans have poor access to formal capital,           Krea University’s deep expertise in field-based       underserved communities.”, said Deepanshu
weak exposure to new technologies, and markets.            research. Drawing on a broad spectrum of partners     Khandelwal, CEO of Catalyst AIC. He has previously
Inclusive tech applications, combined with relevant        from the IFMR-Krea ecosystem, the Catalyst AIC        worked with EY in the form of a consultant to state
livelihood initiatives, can bring artisans into the fold   incubation program will also facilitate relevant      governments on their startup policies.

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                    		                4		            		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
EDITED, PRINTED, PUBLISHED AND OWNED BY DINESH SHYAM SUKHA. PRINTED AT PRINT ZONE, 26/20/18, SWAMY STREET, GANDHI NAGAR, VIJAYAWADA - 520 003, KRISHNA, ANDHRA
 PRADESH. PUBLISHED AT CELL IT DIGITAL MEDIA, 54-20/3-11, PLOT NO. 3, GURUNANAK COLONY, VIJAYAWADA- 520 008, KRISHNA, ANDHRA PRADESH. EDITOR: DINESH SHYAM SUKHA.
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CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                                                       		                           5		                       		                                              KRISHNA, September -2020
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NEWS IN FOCUS

        CORSAIR Appoints WPG as National                                                                    into the gaming market and help us offer top
                                                                                                            of the line gaming solutions to our customers.

               Distributor in India
CORSAIR®, a world leader in high-performance                            strong distribution network,
                                                                                                            We believe this association will go a long way in
                                                                                                                              enhancing Corsair’s presence
                                                                                                                              and addressing the specific
gaming peripherals and enthusiast components,                           deep understanding of local                           needs of the gaming market in
announces the appointment of WPG C&C Com-                               consumers’ demands & market                           India.”
puters and Peripherals as their National Distri-                        trends, we are well positioned                        Headquartered in Taipei, Tai-
bution partner in India. The agreement involves                         to meet the current and future                        wan, WPG Holdings operates
the distribution of Corsair’s highly innovative                         needs of customers. We look                           through four leading distribu-
portfolio comprising components (cases, power                           forward to further expanding        tors of semiconductor components – WPI group,
supplies, coolers, etc) and peripherals (headsets,   our reach as well as reputation in the region.”        SAC group, AIT Group, and Yosun Group. It serves
keyboard, mice, mouse mats etc).                     Rajeev Bajpai, President at WPG C&C Comput-            as a franchise partner for near 250 worldwide
“We are very pleased to align ourselves with a       ers and Peripherals said, “We are excited to col-      suppliers. With 5,000+ staff in over 130 sales
passionate partner like WPG,” said M.A.Mannan,       laborate with Corsair, a world leader in enthusi-      offices around the world (about 80 in Asia-Pacific
Country Manager, SAARC at CORSAIR “This move         ast-grade PC components and peripherals. This          region), WPG Holdings achieved US$17.07 billion
reflects our endeavour to provide greater cus-       tie-up will serve as a getaway for us to venture       revenue (unaudited) in 2019.
tomer convenience in Indian Market.With WPG’s

   OPPO’s Commitment to Atma Nirbhar India                                                                  It was the support of the government of India and
                                                                                                            the various states, that helped OPPO serve their
The outbreak of COVID-19 and government-man-         and recognizes that innovation and entrepre-           customers better. The brand set up a Greenfield
dated social distancing norms has impacted           neurship are crucial for the future growth of the      Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Greater
various sectors. Business sustenance became a        economy.                                               Noida to manufacture electronics and accessories
                               challenge, and it     OPPO has been continuously working to                  locally. This was possible through the support of
                               led many organiza-    strengthen its commitment to “Make in India”           the Department of IT and Electronics of the Uttar
                               tions to fast track   and has made an ongoing investment of 2,200            Pradesh government and approval in principle by
their digitalization journey since most of their     crores in the Greater Noida manufacturing facil-       the Ministry of Electronics and Information Tech-
task force has been working remotely. While a        ity, which has not only helped them produce            nology. OPPO also partnered with the Telangana
smooth conversion might be difficult in the short    close to 50 million smartphones annually but also      government to encourage and co-develop inno-
run, but as we progress, industries like telecom,    provided employment opportunities for the local        vative solutions that will transform the smart-
manufacturing, electronics, etc. can witness a       community.                                             phone industry across the country.
huge transformation due to this. The collective      The brand also understands that it is important to     Businesses and the Government need to and are
effort of all stakeholders like the organizations,   engage with the local community at both stages–        working together at all levels to promote literacy,
the government of India, industry bodies, and the    manufacturing and innovating. OPPO India               skilling, and thus, in turn, employment. India is
consumer will play an important role in business     opened its R&D centre in Hyderabad in October          rich in talent and some multiple skilled artisans
sustenance at this time.                             2018 and is focused on gaining deeper insights         and individuals need the right platform to show-
Brands can be defined as Indian if they are oper-    about Indian consumers and market thereby              case their innovation. Brands like OPPO with
ating, manufacturing, and employing within the       building India centric innovations and custom-         global operations help expose these talented
country and for its citizens. It is time for them    ized product offerings – affordable 5G devices,        individuals to world–class, cutting edge tech-
to strengthen their commitment to India. OPPO        India Local solutions, Camera Innovations, Fasted      nology and bring in a chance to be mentored by
India, understand the need of the hour and being     Android OS Upgrade. This R&D Centre has helped         experts from around the world.
a global brand brings in the expertise required to   the brand tap vast Indian R&D skillsets and exper-     We, as a country need to believe that together
help in the movement to becoming Atma Nirbhar.       tise thereby supporting it to respond promptly to      we can. It is the unified and collaborative efforts
Operating in India –its focus market, OPPO India     growing consumer aspiration in overseas mar-           of the individual, the brand, and the government
is committed to the development of the country       kets.                                                  that will make India ‘Atma Nirbhar’.

  RELIANCE RETAIL TO ACQUIRE RETAIL & WHOLESALE BUSINESS AND
  THE LOGISTICS & WAREHOUSING BUSINESS OF THE FUTURE GROUP
Reliance Retail Ventures Limited (RRVL), subsid-     into Future Enterprises Limited (FEL). As a part of    are pleased to provide a home to the renowned
iary of Reliance Industries Limited, announced       the same Scheme:                                       formats and brands of Future Group as well as
                             that it is acquir-      (i) the Retail & Wholesale Undertaking is being        preserve its business ecosystem, which have
                             ing the Retail &        transferred to Reliance Retail and Fashion Life-       played an important role in the evolution of
                             Wholesale Business      style Limited (RRFLL), a wholly-owned subsidiary       modern retail in India. We hope to continue the
                             and the Logistics       of RRVL;                                               growth momentum of the retail industry with our
                             &      Warehousing      (ii) the Logistics & Warehousing Undertaking is        unique model of active collaboration with small
                             Business from the       being transferred to RRVL; and                         merchants and kiranas as well as large consumer
                             Future Group as         (iii) RRFLL also proposes to invest:                   brands. We are committed to continue providing
                             going concerns on       (a) INR 1,200 crore in the preferential issue of       value to our consumers across the country.”
                             a slump sale basis      equity shares of FEL to acquire 6.09 % of post-        The acquisition of the retail, wholesale and
                             for lumpsum aggre-      merger equity; and                                     supply chain business of the Future Group com-
gate consideration of INR 24,713 crore, subject to   (b) INR 400 crore in a preferential issue of equity    plements and makes a strong strategic fit into
adjustments as set-out in the composite scheme       warrants which, upon conversion and payment of         Reliance’s retail business. This will help Reliance
of arrangement (Scheme).                             balance 75% of the issue price, will result in RRFLL   retail to accelerate providing support to millions
The above acquisition is being done as part of the   acquiring further 7.05% of FEL.                        of small merchants in increasing their competi-
Scheme in which Future Group is merging certain      Ms. Isha Ambani, Director, Reliance Retail Ven-        tiveness and enhance their income during these
companies carrying on the aforesaid businesses       tures Limited, said: “With this transaction, we        challenging times.

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                              		                6		             		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VIDEO. IT'S INSIGHT - Technology ...
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CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                                		                       7		       		                        KRISHNA, September -2020
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VIDEO. IT'S INSIGHT - Technology ...
HARDWARE  & TECHNOLOGY
SPECIAL NEWS

       Intel Launches World’s Best Processor for                                                                  MediaTek Conduct
                Thin-and-Light Laptops                                                                          World’s First Public Test
Intel unleashed a new era of laptop performance
with the launch of its next-generation mobile PC
                                                       capabilities for real-world productivity, collabora-
                                                       tion, creation, gaming and entertainment across
                                                                                                                of 5G Satellite IoT Data
                                 processors and        Windows and ChromeOS-based laptops.                     Connection with Inmarsat
                                 the evolution of      Leveraging Intel’s new SuperFin process tech-
                                 its broad eco-        nology, 11th Gen Intel Core processors optimize        MediaTek is pushing the boundaries of advanced
                                 system partner-       power efficiency with leading performance and          IoT 5G satellite communications with a suc-
                                 ships that are        responsiveness while running at significantly          cessful field trial that transfers data through
                                 propelling the        higher frequencies versus prior generations.                                         Inmarsat’s Alphasat
mobile PC industry forward. New 11th Gen Intel         More than 150 designs based on 11th Gen Intel                                        L-band satellite, in
Core processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics (code-     Core processors are expected from partners                                           Geostationary Orbit
named “Tiger Lake”) are the world’s best proces-       including Acer, Asus, Dell, Dynabook, HP, Lenovo,                                    (GEO) 35,000 kilo-
sors for thin-and-light laptops with unmatched         LG, MSI, Razer, Samsung and others.                                                  meters above the
                                                                                                                                            equator.
     Qualcomm’s Breakthrough Adaptive Active                                                                                                The    results
                                                                                                              MediaTek and Inmarsat’s IoT field test will be
                                                                                                                                                              of

           Noise Canceling Technology                                                                         contributed to the 3rd Generation Partnership
                                                                                                              Project (3GPP)’s Rel-17 standardization work on
Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., a           sumer demand for active noise cancellation has         Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN), which is part of
subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, launched          increased year on year and it is now the fourth        its overarching initiative to establish 5G stan-
                     Qualcomm®            Adaptive     most wanted feature for earbuds. This makes            dards toward new use cases and services.
                     Active Noise Cancellation         it a key differentiator for manufacturers,” said       The new 5G satellite NB-IoT technology estab-
                     (ANC) a new technology            James Chapman, vice president and general              lished a bi-directional link from MediaTek’s sat-
                     designed to deliver an            manager, Voice, Music & Wearables, Qualcomm            ellite-enabled standard NB-IoT device to a com-
                     improved user experience          Technologies, International, Ltd. “However, it can     mercial GEO satellite, breaking new ground for
                     for earbuds with integrated       sometimes be difficult for OEMs to deliver con-        a truly global IoT coverage. The successful test
                     ANC. Qualcomm Adaptive            sistent ANC performance because earbuds will           builds the foundation for hybrid satellite and
ANC is designed to enhance user comfort and            not always have the same fit or be placed in the       cellular networks to enable new ubiquitous 5G
provide consistent sound quality for true wire-        ear in the same way, and both how and where a          IoT services at a global scale.
less earbuds by adapting its performance to meet       consumer uses these devices can vary greatly. We
variations in how an earbud fits in a user’s ear,
and adapt in real-time to changes in fit as the ear-
                                                       have designed our Qualcomm Adaptive ANC to
                                                       help customers deliver consistent performance              Western Digital
buds are in use.
“Our 2020 State of Play report found that con-
                                                       levels and great sound for the largest possible
                                                       number of consumers.”
                                                                                                                Launches New WD
                                                                                                               Purple Ultra Endurance
  World’s Fastest Discrete Graphics Memory From Micron                                                             microSD Card
     Powers NVIDIA’s Breakthrough Gaming Speeds                                                               The increasing demand for Artificial Intel-
Micron Technology, Inc., announced the world’s         processing units (GPUs), which are tailored to         ligence-enabled video cameras and higher
fastest discrete graphics memory solution,             support the fast speeds that immersive, high-          4K and beyond video resolutions are driving
                                GDDR6X, the            performance gaming applications demand.                                          the increased need
                                first to power         Micron’s GDDR6X serves as a powerful enabler of                                  for on-camera stor-
                                s y s t e m            NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 and GeForce RTX 3080                                     age. Western Digital
                                bandwidth              graphics cards’ performance. Building on its most                                Corp. a leading data
                                up to one              recent collaboration with NVIDIA for the GeForce                                 infrastructure   com-
                                terabyte per           RTX graphics card (enabled by GDDR6), Micron                                     pany, today addressed
second (TB/s). Working with visual computing           transforms the memory/GPU interface with                                         head-on the need to
technology leader NVIDIA, Micron debuted               GDDR6X, accelerating performance on complex            optimize storage for video and AI analytics
GDDR6X in the new NVIDIA® GeForce                      graphics workloads across next-generation              at the network edge, by introducing the WD
RTX™ 3090 and GeForce RTX 3080 graphics                gaming applications.                                   Purple™ SC QD101 Ultra Endurance microSD™
                                                                                                              card designed specifically for equipment mak-
 ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Swift 360Hz PG259QNR                                                       ers, resellers and installers in the mainstream
                                                                                                              security camera market.
                                   ASUSRepublic        Kit.PG259QNR will be available in Q4 2020, while       The WD Purple SC QD101 microSD card fea-
                                   of Gamers (ROG)     ROG Swift 360 Hz PG259QN — a similar model             tures Western Digital’s advanced 96-layer 3D
                                   announced ROG       without the Reflex Latency Analyzer and the ROG        NAND technology. It delivers a cost-effective
                                   Swift    360Hz      Desk Mount Kit — will be available this month.         combination of ultra-endurance, high-perfor-
                                   PG259QNR, the       The astounding 360 Hz refresh rate offered             mance storage, and a wide capacity range of
                                   world’s fastest     by PG259QNR delivers up to 50% more frames             up to 512GB* (available in capacities of 32GB,
                                   esports gaming      per second than 240 Hz gaming monitors,                64GB, 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB) for the grow-
                                   monitor with        giving gamers an edge over the competition.            ing security video market. This microSD card
                                   refresh    rates    The 24.5-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) display features       is ideal for backup/failover on-camera storage
                                   of up to 360        Fast IPS panel technology for a superfast 1 ms         and continuous recording. With the help of the
Hz.This 24-inch monitor features Fast IPS panel        gray-to-gray (GTG) response time, thanks to            card health monitor in compatible cameras, it
technology, as well as built-in NVIDIA® G-SYNC®        liquid crystal elements in the display that turn       provides them with the ability to gauge the
and Reflex Latency Analyzer technologies.              on and off up to four times faster than those in       remaining endurance and preemptively service
PG259QNR also includes the ROG Desk Mount              conventional IPS panels.                               the card if needed.

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                		                8		             		                         KRISHNA, September -2020
BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST VIDEO. IT'S INSIGHT - Technology ...
MOBILITY

                OPPO F17 Pro to Debut with AI-powered                                                          Fitbit Debuts Sense, Its Most
                    photography with 6 Cameras                                                                Advanced Health Smartwatch
                                                                                                              Fitbit announced Fitbit SenseTM, the company’s
OPPO, a global premium smart device brand is all      photography.                                                                 most advanced health smart-
set to introduce yet another photography marvel       The F17 Pro packs a camera powerhouse that’s                                 watch, bringing innovative
                        with the OPPO F17 Pro in      designed to capture pictures at par with that                                sensor and software technol-
                        the Indian market.            of professional pictures. The smartphone is                                  ogy with the world’s first elec-
                        Keeping up with the leg-      designed to offer a powerful combination of AI                               trodermal activity (EDA) sen-
                        acy of the slim form fac-     cameras including a 48MP wide-angle quad-cam-                                sor on a smartwatch to help
                        tor, OPPO F17 Pro comes       era setup on the rear, and Front Dual Depth cam-                             manage stress, along with
                        with a 7.48mm ultra-thin      eras in the front that together offers better clarity   advanced heart rate tracking technology, new
                        design making it the          and quality to pictures.                                ECG app, and an on-wrist skin temperature sen-
                        sleekest design of 2020.      The Dual Lens Bokeh leverages both the second           sor, all powered by 6+ days of battery life. Paired
                        Built to deliver AI-pow-      2MP depth camera and the 16MP main camera               with a free six-month trial of Fitbit PremiumTM,
                        ered photography, the         paired with software level image processing to          it can help you track key trends in your health
OPPO F17 Pro will come equipped with a suite of       create a more accurate and precise bokeh effect.        and wellbeing, like heart rate variability (HRV),
6 AI portrait cameras and video stabilization fea-    Moreover, the feature helps add more bokeh              breathing rate, and SpO2 with the new Health
tures to further elevate the experience in portrait   effects to photos with multiple people in the           Metrics dashboard.
                                                      frame.                                                  Fitbit is also introducing Fitbit Versa 3TM , with
                                                                                                              exciting new health, fitness, and convenience fea-
VIVO Unveils Y20 with 18W FlashCharge, 5000mAh Battery                                                        tures, including GPS and the addition of Google
                                                                                                              Assistant.
vivo, the innovative global smartphone brand          The vivo Y20 comes with a 6.51-inch Halo iView
                    has, announced the latest
                    addition in the power-
                                                      display which features an elongated aspect ratio
                                                      of 20:9 and HD+ (1600 x 720) resolution. The
                                                                                                              The new Dell XPS 17 makes
                    ful Y-series portfolio- Y20
                    series. The first device to
                                                      device also has impressive side-mounted finger-
                                                      print scanner which unlocks the phone in just
                                                                                                                   its debut in India
                    launch in this Y20 series is      0.22s.                                                  The XPS 17 features the latest 10th Gen Intel®
                    the Y20 and will be avail-        The smartphone packs a massive 5,000mAh bat-                                       Core™i7 processors
                    able for purchase on all          tery with 18W FlashCharge technology that lasts                                    and up to NVIDIA
                    partner retail stores, vivo       upto 16 hours of online HD movie streaming and                                     GeForce         GTXTM
                    India E-store, and other          11 hours of resource-intensive games. The Super                                    graphics. Its virtually
                    major ecommerce websites          AI Triple camera setup provides enhanced picture                                   borderless,     4-sided
                    starting August 28, 2020.         capabilities with 13MP main camera, 2MP Bokeh                                      InfinityEdge    display
Priced at INR 12,990 for the 4GB+64GB variant         camera and a Macro camera. At the front, the            makes it smaller than 48% of 15-inch laptops
in two gorgeous colors- Obsidian Black and Dawn       smartphone features 8MP camera for perfect sel-         available, putting the XPS 17 into a class of its
White.                                                fie experience.                                         own. Under the hood lies a unique thermal design
                                                                                                              equipped with GORE™ Thermal Insulation for
 Xiaomi Unveils Redmi 9 Budget Smartphone in India                                                            increased fan airflow to fuel demanding projects.
                                                                                                              The XPS 17, made from two pieces of machined
Xiaomi India, has launched Redmi 9 in India. The      ally, which is a testimony to the trust that our con-   aluminium, is lightweight, yet strong, and durable
                              new smartphone          sumers have shown in us. With Redmi 9 we want           for users on the move. 100% of the XPS enclosure
                              brings high value at    to build upon the legacy of the number series.“         is made through CNC (computer numerical con-
                              an affordable price     “There has been a significant increase in the           trol) machining process and Corning® Gorilla®
                              point in line with      usage of smartphones for work, media consump-           Glass 6 is bonded to the aluminium to make it
                              Redmi’s mission of      tion, as well as education across all segments.         damage-resistant, durable, and elegant.
                              bringing innovation     With Redmi 9, we are bringing a minimum of              The XPS 17 is badged with Creator Edition on
                              for everyone.           4GB RAM and 64GB of storage to cater to the             Dell.com to support hobbyists and creative
                              Sneha      Tainwala,    increasing requirement of high performance at an        enthusiasts. The optional 4K Ultra HD+ (3840
                              Redmi India Lead,       affordable price. By amalgamating superior per-         x 2400) resolution provides pinpoint accuracy,
                              said, “With each        formance with premium design, we hope to re-in-         precise detail, and sharp images and immersive
Redmi device, we are moving closer to making          vent the experience an entry level smartphone           viewing experience. The Eyesafe® display tech-
sure technology is available for everyone. Redmi      can provide to the users.”                              nology helps reduce harmful blue light while
8 series has shipped nearly 25 million units glob-                                                            maintaining vivid colors.

             Samsung Launches Galaxy Tab S7 and Tab S7+ in India
Samsung, India’s most trusted smartphone              Series, which is loaded with tools to unleash your      for bringing all your ideas to life.
brand, announced the launch of Galaxy Tab S7          creativity, immerse you in entertainment and take       “At Samsung, we believe in creating products that
                                                      your productivity to the next level. Galaxy Tab S7      equip our consumers for an ever-changing world.
                                                      comes with 11” display, while the Galaxy Tab S7+        In this era of the Next Normal, Galaxy Tab S7
                                                      comes with 12.4” display.                               and S7+ will help people find new ways to stay
                                                      Packed with cutting-edge features and seamlessly        productive, connected and entertained through
                                                      integrated into the Galaxy ecosystem, the Galaxy        their day. The large immersive display and pow-
                                                      Tab S7 and S7+ are built to support you in every        erful processor coupled with the in box S Pen and
                                                      pursuit—from work to play, and everything in            new and improved DeX mode are designed to let
                                                      between. Featuring a new-and-improved S Pen,            consumers switch seamlessly between work and
                                                      a stunning display and a suite of creativity fea-       play,” said Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobile Busi-
                                                      tures, Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ offer a vast canvas        ness, Samsung India.

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                               		                9		              		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
SPECIAL NEWS

        We will have to vaccinate the whole planet:
                     Nandan Nilekani
Nandan Nilekani has never been afraid of dream-        ness itself than the use of technology to solve big     his own against the virus – helping oversee the
ing big.                                               problems.                                               response of India’s most global and connected
                                                       To tackle Covid-19 Nilekani, 65, believes what          company.
                                                       will be needed is a global biometric ID system to       Like other big companies Infosys was forced to
                                                       handle the digital immunity certificates required       adapt quickly to an extraordinary situation.
                                                       to determine who has been vaccinated and who            “It was all done in a matter of weeks and 99pc of
                                                       is at risk.                                             people were able to work from home so it was
                                                       Perhaps more than anyone else on the planet,            very successful,” he says. After weeks spent in
                                                       Nilekani thinks he knows how this could be done.        lockdown, Nilekani says India’s handling of the
                                                       A passionate believer in the power of technol-          pandemic – while far from perfect – has stacked
                                                       ogy to accelerate India’s development, after            up well given its vast population and under-
                                                       nearly 20 years co-founding and building Infosys        funded healthcare system.
                                                       as chief executive, in 2009 he left the group to        “The number of cases is mounting,” he says. “We
                                                       become chairman of the Unique Identity Author-          are number three in the world today [in terms of
                                                       ity of India (UIDAI) – the nation’s push to create      cases], but I think for many reasons, perhaps a
                                                       a biometric ID scheme. Aadhaar, as it is known in       relatively youthful population, it’s not quite as
                                                       India, has been called “the biggest social project      catastrophic as was painted when this all began.”
The billionaire founder of Infosys is sitting in his   on the planet”.                                         With 1.35bn people, India has so far recorded
home office in Bangalore talking about the future      With more than 1.2bn users – each one of whom           nearly 53,000 deaths. That is a tragic total, of
of humanity.                                           has a unique ID authenticated by iris and finger-       course, but not so bad when compared with the
The first step to ending the pandemic naturally        print scans – it is used for everything from the        UK, which with one-twentieth of the population
is to develop an effective coronavirus vaccine, he     disbursement of agricultural subsidies to health-       has suffered over 41,000 deaths.
says. But once one exists, how will it be rolled       care benefits and financial services.                   While Covid has been a colossal human tragedy,
out globally? What technology will be required to      The Aadhaar scheme came into its own during             Nilekani believes the economic forces unleashed
ensure that everyone can benefit as quickly and        the pandemic, he says. India’s government used          by the pandemic also represent a potentially vast
equitably as possible – from the streets of big        it to distribute emergency payments to hundreds         business opportunity for India.
cities like London and New York to the remotest        of millions of people left unable to work during        “I think in the US so many people are moving out
corners of India, Africa or the Amazon?                lockdown.                                               of Silicon Valley to Austin, Texas or other cen-
Nilekani – a business visionary who built Infosys      Now, as the world races to develop effective            tres where costs are lower and the quality of life
from a two-man band into a global technology           treatments and vaccines, Nilekani believes a sim-       is better. If you can have an employee in Boise,
and outsourcing giant worth £40bn – believes he        ilar scheme applied globally could help eradicate       Idaho, why not in Bangalore? It’s increased the
has the answer and that India’s experience build-      the pandemic.                                           comfort level about doing work from anywhere…
ing a biometric identity card scheme for its popu-     He dismisses the view that Aadhaar shows India          Absolutely we are going to see a big ramp-up [in
lation of 1.35bn offers lessons for the world.         is moving in the same direction as China in its         activity].”
“Effectively we will have to vaccinate the entire      use of tech for surveillance and social control. “I     That trend, combined with a booming domestic
planet – so how do we reach everywhere? How            don’t think it’s fair,” he says. “I would not com-      start-up scene in India, could offer a big boost
do you make sure everyone is covered? This is          pare them.”                                             to the country’s technology industry, which has
about large-scale information management. Tech-        Nilekani certainly doesn’t seem like an authori-        received a huge infusion of foreign cash in recent
nology will have a supporting role.”                   tarian. A keen fan of Neil Young who eschews the        months, he claims.
Bespectacled and dressed in a blue shirt sur-          flashy lifestyles of many Indian billionaires, he has   Since the start of 2020, the biggest names in US
rounded by books and paintings, this is vintage        had a unique career.                                    tech have pumped $17bn into India – including
Nilekani, a business tycoon whose interests have       Born and raised in Bangalore, Nilekani and Mur-         $1bn from Amazon in January, $6bn from Face-
always ranged far beyond the narrow world of           thy have arguably done more than any one else to        book in April and $10bn from Google last month.
software development where he built his $1.9bn         build India’s IT and outsourcing industry, a pow-       So could the next Google or Facebook emerge
(£1.4bn) fortune.                                      erful engine of economic growth which now gen-          from India? Nilekani demurs, but clearly believes
When he created Infosys in the Indian city of          erates $191bn in annual revenues and employs            it is possible. “You can never say never. If you had
Pune in 1981 with just $250 of starting capital,       4m people.                                              asked me four years ago if a Chinese company
its first office was the front room of his partner’s   During his five-year tenure as chief executive          would come from nowhere and become so domi-
home, Narayana Murthy – now the father-inlaw of        from 2002 to 2007, Infosys’s revenue grew sixfold       nant as TikTok, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Britain’s Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, who married     to $3bn as countless Western companies began            One critical factor is the increasingly strict visa
Murthy’s daughter, Akshata, in 2009.                   outsourcing work to India and other low-cost            regimes being applied in the US and UK, which
Today, with 240,000 employees in 40 countries,         countries. After nearly a decade spent outside          are becoming a growing obstacle for talented
Infosys has a blue-chip client list that includes      Infosys, in which his family holds a 2.3pc stake,       Indians.
many of the world’s biggest companies – from           he returned as chairman in 2017 after a brief spell     He views them as a massive own goal. “Every sec-
HSBC to Goldman Sachs and Cisco Systems to Rio         dabbling in Indian politics.                            ond company in Silicon Valley has an Indian chief
Tinto.                                                 Married with two grown up children, who both            executive,” he says, reeling off the likes of Micro-
Scattered across the globe from Canary Wharf           studied at Yale University, he ran unsuccessfully       soft’s Satya Nadella and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
to Mumbai and Silicon valley, its global army of       for parliament in 2014 and wrote two books              “The immigration of bright people to the US has
techies maintains a low profile but quietly runs       about the future of India and the role technology       played a big role in its economic vitality… If the
many of the essential systems on which modern          can play in improving governance and tackling           US is no longer a magnet for such talent then
business relies – writing code, managing data-         corruption.                                             that talent will stay at home and build businesses
bases, providing back office services and man-         From his home in India’s buzzing technology             here… It’s in the US’s strategic interest to stay
ning call centres.                                     capital, Nilekani has been engaged in a fight of        open.”
And yet Nilekani is less motivated by the busi-

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                		                 10		            		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
SPECIAL NEWS

   Network As A Service Adoption To Accelerate
       By 38% Within The Next Two Years
                                                                                                        Prakash Krishnamoorthy, Director, Aruba India

Businesses will experience profound changes             been significant both on their employees and          Kong).
as employees’ transition to hybrid work envi-           short-term network investments:                       • Anyhow Indian statistics shows a positive
ronments following COVID-19, in turn changing           • 50% describing the impact on their employees        response in investing the emerging needs of the
                                        the way IT      as ‘significant’ (widespread furlough or layoffs),    market under IT organisations for a better come-
                                        teams pro-      while 35% considered it ‘moderate’ (temporary         back on the networking investments.
                                        cure     and    reductions in some functions), and 15% ‘low’          ADOPTION OF NEW CONSUMPTION MODELS IS
                                        consume         (very few jobs impacted).                             ACCELERATING
                                        networking      • ITDMs in India (57%) and Brazil (34%) were          As ITDMs shape their investment plans, they are
                                        solutions.      most likely to cite a significant impact on their     looking at alternative modes of consumption to
                                        In response     employees, while those in Hong Kong (12%) and         achieve the best balance of value and flexibility.
                                        to the pan-     Mexico (10%) reported the least, highlighting a       • 55% globally say they will explore new sub-
                                        demic, IT       massive swing in experiences between regions.         scription models for hardware and/or software,
                                        leaders are     • 77% said that investments in networking             20% managed services for turnkey hardware/soft-
                                        now invest-     projects had been postponed or delayed since          ware and 35% financial leasing – all as a result
                                        ing more        the onset of COVID-19, and 28% indicated that         of the impact of COVID-19. This reflects the
                                        in    cloud-    projects had been cancelled altogether.               increased need for more financially flexible mod-
                                        based and       • Project cancellations were highest in Sweden        els in a challenging environment.
AI-powered networking technologies as busi-             (59%) and lowest in Italy (11%), showing there are    • Networking subscription models are more
ness recovery plans take shape. That’s according        also significant disparities between countries        popular in APAC (61%) than in the Americas (52%)
to a global survey of 2,400 IT decision-makers          within the same region, while 37% of ITDMs in         or EMEA (50%), and at a country level the high-
(ITDMs) commissioned by Aruba, a Hewlett Pack-          education and 35% in hotels and hospitality glob-     est demands are in Turkey (73%), India (70%) and
ard Enterprise company.                                 ally said they have had to cancel network invest-     China (65%).
As IT leaders respond to the challenges associ-         ments.                                                • The industries that most likely to be consider-
ated with enabling a highly distributed work-           THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT: INVESTING FOR EMERG-            ing the subscription model are hotels/hospitality
force and the emergence of the hybrid work-             ING NEEDS                                             (66%), technology and telecom (58%) and educa-
place – with people needing to move seamlessly          By contrast, future plans are aggressive, with the    tion (57%). The impact of COVID-19 on IT behav-
between working on campus, at home and on               vast majority of ITDMs planning to maintain or        ior has made the desire for flexibility and pre-
the road – they are looking to evolve their net-        increase their networking investments in light        dictability in spending, while reducing risk from
work infrastructure and shift away from CapEx           of COVID-19, as they work to support the new          initial capital costs, greater than before. Well in
investments towards solutions consumed ‘as a            needs of employees and customers. Along with          India every industry is ready to do investments in
service’. The average proportion of IT services         which, ITDMs could increase its penetration at        the networking systems, because of the contact-
consumed via subscription will accelerate by 72%        an ease with the increase in potential sectors        less work culture is promised.
in the next two years, from 64% of the total today      and consumers.                                        • In stark contrast, just 8% globally plan to con-
to 82% in 2022, and the share of organizations          • An astounding 38% globally will increase their      tinue with only CapEx investments, though the
that consume a majority (over 50%) of their IT          investment in cloud-based networking, with 50%        proportion is higher in the Netherlands (20%), US
solutions ‘as a service’ will increase by approxi-      maintaining the same level, India market and 15%      (17%), Spain (16%) and France (15%). Across indus-
mately 72% in that time.                                scaling back. The APAC region was the global          tries, 15% in retail, distribution and transport will
“With the emergence of the hybrid workplace,            leader with 45% stating increased investment in       continue to focus solely on CapEx investments,
IT leaders are being asked to deliver a delicate        cloud-based networking, rising to 59% among           versus just 5% in IT, tech, education and tele-
balance between flexibility, security and afford-       ITDMs in India. With cloud solutions allowing         coms, and 2% in hotels and hospitality.
ability at the edge,” said, Prakash Krishnamoor-        for remote network management at large scale,         “With the needs of customers and employees
thy, Director – Aruba India. “Every part of the         these capabilities are particularly enticing for IT   having changed so comprehensively in recent
workplace needs to evolve: the campus must              teams when being on-premises is not possible or       months, it’s no surprise to see IT leaders seeking
be embedded with technology to support social           challenging.                                          more flexible solutions. They are having to adapt
distancing and contactless experiences, and the         • ITDMs are also seeking improved tools for net-      fast and ensure that more complex, distributed
home office must offer enterprise-level connec-         work monitoring and insight, with 34% globally        networks can securely support the experiences
tivity, security and support. It’s increasingly clear   planning to increase their investment in analyt-      users demand. The need for agility and flexibil-
that, to support these new needs in a financially       ics and assurance, 48% indicating that they will      ity in network management is now greater than
challenging environment, IT decision-makers are         maintain their level of investment and 15% reduc-     ever”, says Prakash Krishnamoorthy, Director –
attracted to the reduced risk and cost advan-           ing it. This allows IT organizations to trouble-      Aruba India.
tages offered by a subscription model.”                 shoot and fine-tune the network more efficiently,     While the pandemic has clearly negatively
The report, which surveyed ITDMs in over 20             as demands on it are augmented by a distributed       impacted ongoing projects, this research sug-
countries and eight key industries, looked at           workforce.                                            gests it will also catalyze medium-term invest-
how they have responded to IT and business              • There is also an emphasis on innovative tech-       ment into advancing networking technologies,
demands in the wake of COVID-19, what invest-           nologies that simplify the lives of IT teams by       and a shift to more flexible models of consump-
ment decisions are being made as a result, and          automating repetitive tasks. We found 35% of          tion that limit up-front capital demands. Trends
the consumption models now being considered.            ITDMs globally are planning to increase their         that were already taking hold will now accel-
A number of key findings stood out:                     investment in AI-based networking technologies,       erate, including the move to the Edge and the
IMPACT OF COVID-19 HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPLI-               with the APAC region leading the charge at 44%        adoption of cloud-based and AI-driven intelligent
CATIONS                                                 (including 60% of ITDMs in India and 54% in Hong      networks.
ITDMs report that the impact of COVID-19 has

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                                 		                11		           		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
INTERVIEWS

    Flipkart Wholesale To Digitally
Transform Kiranas And Msme’s In India
                                                     Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President and Head, Flipkart Wholesale
                                                                                                          other hurdles to doing business. Flipkart Whole-
                                                                                                          sale customers will have access to an easy credit
                                                                                                          facility to manage cash flow, a wide range of Flip-
                                                                                                          kart Assured quality products, simple and conve-
                                                                                                          nient order returns, and speedy product delivery
                                                                                                          directly to their shops with an easy order-tracking
                                                                                                          facility.
                                                                                                          In addition, our customers will have access to
                                                                                                          micro-market level B2B and B2C insights from
                                                                                                          the Flipkart ecosystem to better understand cus-
                                                                                                          tomer demands specific to their area so that they
                                                                                                          can buy and sell the right products.
                                                                                                          WHAT STRENGTHS IS THE NEW DIGITAL MAR-
                                                                                                          KETPLACE BRINGING TO THE CURRENT RETAIL
                                                                                                          SCENARIO IN INDIA?
                                                                                                          The distribution model that serves India’s MSMEs
                                                                                                          and kiranas remains largely outdated. Combining
                                                                                                          the expertise of Flipkart and Best Price, we have
                                                                                                          the opportunity to transform the B2B ecosystem
                                                                                                          with technology. Flipkart Wholesale will leverage
On July 23, 2020, the Flipkart Group announced      We are witnessing the coming of age of the retail     Flipkart’s strong homegrown technology capabili-
the launch of Flipkart Wholesale, a new one-        space in India, and technology will be at the core    ties, extensive leadership in the consumer e-com-
stop digital marketplace aimed at transforming      of enabling growth and innovation — both in B2C       merce segment, and unique understanding of the
the kirana retail ecosystem in India by lever-      and B2B. The Indian B2B market is large but with      industry in India. The business will also utilise the
aging cutting-edge and locally developed tech-      an antiquated distribution model. Today, 90% of       Flipkart Group’s vast supply chain infrastructure
nology. As part of this launch, the Group also      commerce in India flows inefficiently through         to reach kiranas and MSMEs across the country.
announced the acquisition of 100% interest in       kiranas.                                              Flipkart Wholesale will draw on the strong mer-
Wal-Mart India Private Limited, which operates      The current retail model proves to be a challenge,    chandising experience of the Best Price team, its
the Best Price cash-and-carry business, to lever-   especially for small and mid-sized businesses.        strong relationships with brands, deep DNA of
age the strong wholesale capabilities of the        They have limited access to credit, inadequate        servicing kiranas and 12+ years of experience
company and enable growth and prosperity for        product selection, and they withstand high leak-      in operating Best Price stores. This will provide
kiranas and MSMEs.                                  ages in margins. These MSMEs comprise approx-         invaluable insights and on-ground expertise to
Kiranas (neighbourhood general merchandise          imately 85% of stores in our country. Neither cur-    further develop and nurture a model that puts the
stories) and MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium         rent ways of working nor existing B2B companies       needs of kiranas and MSMEs at the centre of Flip-
Enterprises) are the nerve centre of India’s        can address their needs effectively at scale. With    kart Wholesale’s business.One of India’s largest
retail ecosystem. Flipkart Wholesale focuses on     the strong capability within the Flipkart Group       cash-and-carry businesses, Best Price currently
meeting the needs of these small businesses by      in B2B, we will focus on meeting the needs of         supports more than 1.5 million members, includ-
providing them with a wide selection at signif-     kiranas and MSMEs by providing these small            ing kiranas and other small businesses.
icant value, powered by technology, to bring        businesses a wide selection at significant value,     HOW CAN KIRANAS AND MSMES BECOME PART
convenience and ease to their operations. With      powered by technology to make their lives easier.     OF FLIPKART WHOLESALE?
Flipkart Wholesale, these small businesses in       HOW WILL FLIPKART WHOLESALE EMPOWER                   Flipkart Wholesale is starting operations with the
grocery, general merchandise or fashion will        MSMES AND KIRANAS?                                    Fashion category where 95% of products will be
have one-stop access to an extensive selec-         As a one-stop digital marketplace solution for the    sourced locally. The platform is currently avail-
tion of products. Among the key offerings are       retail ecosystem, Flipkart Wholesale offers small     able for fashion retailers, especially footwear and
attractive incentives, supplemented with data-      businesses a wide selection of products at sig-       apparel, in Gurugram, Delhi and Bengaluru, and
driven recommendations for stock selection,         nificant value. Our goal is to digitally transform    soon to Mumbai as well. By the end of 2020, Flip-
delivered through a fast and reliable network       kiranas and MSMEs by helping them grow faster,        kart Wholesale will have three categories — fash-
to drive greater efficiencies and better margins.   retain their customers, and improve their profit-     ion (apparel, footwear and accessories), home
Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President and Head        ability.                                              furnishing, and grocery — and we will expand to
– Flipkart Wholesale, has a long track record       We will achieve this in a number of ways. One is      another 20 cities.
with multiple leadership roles at Flipkart. He      to enable ease of procurement. Flipkart Whole-        For kiranas and MSMEs, the onboarding process
is excited to be part of this new initiative that   sale will help small businesses procure goods in      is quite easy and hassle-free. Business-owners
leverages the synergies between Flipkart and        varied categories, starting with Fashion. This will   can register through our website and download
Walmart India as the Flipkart Group deepens         be accompanied by attractive schemes and incen-       the Android app from Google PlayStore to follow
its focus on transforming the wholesale experi-     tives, supplemented with data-driven recommen-        a simple process to be onboarded where they
ence for kiranas and MSMEs.                         dations for stock selection, which will be deliv-     will need to submit a few details and a proof of
Excerpts from a Q&A                                 ered through a fast and reliable network aimed        business — GSTIN, trade licence, shop and estab-
WHAT IS THE NEED GAP THAT FLIPKART WHOLE-           at driving greater efficiencies and better margins.   lishment licence, FSSAI registration, drug licence,
SALE AIMS TO ADDRESS?                               Financial empowerment eases entry barriers and        Udhyog Aadhaar, etc.

CELL IT, VOL-15, ISSUE - 02			                             		               12		            		                          KRISHNA, September -2020
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