The Data Driver

By Cloudera, the platform for machine learning and data analytics, optimised for the cloud

2018 was a year of fundamental change. Underpinning this was the impact of data management and analytics and of course GDPR. Commentary from Cloudera looks back over the year and looks at six key tech areas for 2019…

1. IoT 
We have created IoT solutions and edge networks that are far too gullible and trusting.
In 2019, security has to be the number one focus point for organisations to ensure the safety and efficacy of edge devices and networks accordingly. There are too many vulnerabilities and gaps in the security posture for IoT devices --  organisations must take a proactive approach to securing devices. Organizations must use the data, metadata, device logs - treating IoT devices like any other network device to predict and accurately respond to the available signals.

Context is the next major frontier in IoT.

More data islands have been created with IoT, we are now starting to bridge the is…

Avast announced the market launch of the new WIND FAMILY PROTECT application in Italy. Avast and Wind Tre, a top Italian mobile operator and among the main operators in the fixed-line market, partnered to create a simple and effective app that helps parents manage their children’s access to the internet and keeps track of their whereabouts.

“Our partnership with Wind Tre is the latest example of how we work with carriers to help them provide valuable offerings to subscribers - in this case, families in particular,” said Gagan Singh, SVP and Chief Product Officer of Consumer at Avast. “Mobile devices are a great way for children to learn and be entertained but as they provide the door to the digital world, this can give rise to online and real-world risks. Children can be exposed to unsuitable content, visit inappropriate sites or spend too much time online on their devices. Avast and Wind Tre collaborated to develop features that address the key usage and concerns of their customers,…

The Gurugram-based packing and moving start-up ShiftKarado has recently announced that it will soon be launching the updated version of its app which will be powered by cutting-edge AI in the coming few months. The app is being redesigned with the purpose to enhance the customer experience at ShiftKarado using the latest technological advances, including Artificial Intelligence, GPS and Barcode technology handing customers a complete control over the planning and execution of their relocation moves.
Using the newer version of ShiftKarado app, the customers will be able to track the status from packing till delivery of their consignmentusing GPS technology. Not only will it maintain transparency between ShiftKarado and its customers, but also bring efficiency throughout the relocation process. 
Currently, the customers need to login to the app and select the items they want to move from the pre-defined list such as furniture, desktops, refrigerators, or AC. But, in the new version, th…

Realme announced a Selfie Campaign with a Selfie Contest for all youths across the country. The top winners of the contest will be chosen as the brand ambassadors of Realme U1 Fiery Gold Through this contest, students from various collages will compete to be the first ever official brand ambassadors for the young brand. Realme is the first smartphone brand to appoint the brand ambassador directly from their consumers.

The competition will be conducted in various stages. The contest begins today and all the entries will be accepted by 26th December 2018. All the submitted selfies by the students will be reviewed by the Realme team and will shortlist six top finalists, which will be announced on 26th December 2018. The selfies of the shortlisted finalists will be posted on Realme social media platforms from which top two winners will be selected through a public voting procedure along with the opinion of Realme jury. The 2 winners will be appointed as  the brand ambassadors for the Real…

The Cognizant U.S. Foundation, a non-profit organization focused on supporting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) education and skills initiatives for U.S. workers and students, today announced it has made a $4.1 million grant to the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT).  The grant will fund digital skills education programs and an awareness campaign designed to increase interest among women of all ages in pursuing technology careers.

NCWIT is a non-profit community of more than 1,100 universities, companies, non-profits, and government organizations nationwide.  With the Cognizant U.S. Foundation award, NCWIT will establish new specialized coding skills camps for girls and women, as well as training opportunities for professional school counselors, in communities historically lacking computing education resources and a technology workforce.  Focusing initially on the south/southeastern U.S., NCWIT will launch programs in communities where it a…

ASUS announced the new F570 gaming laptop and the thinner and lighter VivoBook 15 (X505), featuring the latest AMD Ryzen 5 processor with up to 8GB DDR4 memory and AMD Radeon Vega8 graphics. Consolidating its partnership with Paytm Mall, ASUS will make both the laptops exclusively available on the e-commerce portal for the 1st month. Commenting on the launch, Arnold Su, ROG & PC Head of ASUS India said, “We are excited to unveil the Gaming F570 and VivoBook 15 (X505) specially designed for our Indian consumers. Both the laptops feature the latest AMD Ryzen 5 processor and Radeon Vega graphics, ensuring effortless productivity, multitasking, and entertainment. Pioneering the thin and light segment we are the only brand with models catering to this segment with Ryzen processor. We’re positive that the rising brigade of India’s ambitious users demanding more from their laptops would appreciate the latest offering.”

Peter Chambers, Director of Consumer Sales for APJ, AMD commented, “A…

Fujitsu India Pvt. Ltd. announces that it has entered into distribution agreement with Tech Data¹ to market and sell its portfolio of IT products and solutions across India.
Local partners from Tech Data will now have easier access to the rich portfolio of Fujitsu’s high quality, safe and reliable products: desktops and notebooks as well as more complex Data Center solutions. They will be offered the opportunity to join Fujitsu’s SELECT Partner Program², which is designed to support its channel partners in their transition from resellers to providers of managed services by enabling them to embrace new opportunities and become trusted advisors who can guide their customers on digital transformation journeys. Tech Data will support SELECT channel partners efficiently enabling them to offer the complete range of Fujitsu product and solutions adding value and allowing them to open up new business opportunities.
“We are pleased to announce our distribution agreement with Fujitsu in India …

By: Tejas Sheth, Cloud Security Architect, Trend Micro

“What is my security responsibility in the cloud when I am using IaaS, PaaS and/or Serverless application?” This is one of the most common questions we get asked by companies that are considering moving to the cloud and/or modernize their application with micro service architecture. This is because, today the application uses multiple services from single/multiple cloud service provider and each service in cloud has different shared security responsibility.

Shared security responsibility in the cloud environment change based on application architecture and type of cloud services it integrates to.

Generally speaking, the cloud service provider, such as AWS or Azure, takes care of the infrastructure and security of the cloud. The customer, on the other hand, is responsible for securing everything in the cloud.

This shared responsibility model gives businesses the ownership and control of their data, applications, and operating syste…

“Man-Machine co-existence is the new reality of jobs” – says Manish Bahl, AVP, Centre for the Future of Work, Cognizant

The prevailing sentiment surrounding the future of work is that amid all the uncertainty, work done by human is going to disappear; that we’re all doomed.

Last year, Cognizant outlined 21 jobs that will emerge in the next 10 years and be central to the future of work. As we enter 2019, the company predicts 21 more jobs that will emerge in a world of AI, automation, algorithms, bots and big data. Both reports espouse Cognizant’s view that even as work is changing with the

emergence of AI, humans have never been more integral to the future of work.

These jobs are both plausible and futuristic – and represent important work that humans will continue to need to do.

No matter how technology-driven our lives become, ultimately, we as humans, want the human touch. Cognizant’s 21 More Jobs report fall under three broad themes born from the deep-seated human aspirations for t…

 By: AV Antao, Chief Operating Officer, Synergy Property Development Services

Technology plays a pivotal role in shaping Indian construction industry. One new-gen technology that is gaining interest in the construction industry is the usage of drones. It is poised to serve as an effective medium towards building smart cities in a cost-effective, faster and safer manner with optimum utilisation of skills and efforts. It is expected that in the next 10 years, the use of drones in construction will register a manifold growth and will play a leading role in futuristic buildings.

According to a recent industry report, India is one of the fastest growing markets for UAVs and by 2021, the Indian UAV market is expected to reach USD 885.7 million. The usage of drones in the construction industry, has seen a 239% growth year-over-year globally, higher than any other commercial sector. In India too, the growth is set to increase manifold.

In the present scenario, it is very crucial for India to r…

iCubesWire has bagged the digital mandate of Singer India Limited, a leading manufacturer & seller of sewing machines and home appliances. The agency will be responsible for handling 360-degree digital marketing for the brand which includes social media platforms, website maintenance, SEO and media buying. iCubesWire won the mandate post a multi-agency bid.

Commenting on the association, Mr. Rajeev Bajaj, Managing Director, Singer India, says, “We chose iCubesWire as our digital partners as their strategies were distinct and focused on enhancing brand integration. We have a strong foothold in the sewing machines segment and aim to elaborate that to the home and kitchen appliances as well. To foster this thought, we plan to increase our market share in consumer durable segment with a CAGR of ~25%. With iCubesWire’s digital quotient, we anticipate efficacious results.”

On acquiring the prestigious account, Sahil Chopra, Founder & CEO, iCubesWire, says, “We are excited to work wi…

By: Terri Hiskey, Vice President of Product Marketing for Manufacturing at Epicor Software
Manufacturers in the Middle East must do things differently to win market share in today’s environment. To survive and thrive, manufacturers must focus on growth, and one of the ways they can achieve this is to leverage Industry 4.0 technologies. In fact, according to research from PwC, for businesses in the Middle East, Industry 4.0 creates the potential to reap cost savings of US$17.3 billion per year and gain US$16.9 in incremental revenue.
Industry 4.0 is all about doing things differently—introducing automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing. The goal is the "smart factory" with cyber-physical systems capable of autonomously exchanging information, triggering actions, and controlling each other independently. This facilitates fundamental improvements to the industrial processes involv…

ELGi Equipments welcomed over 200 employees, students and industry representatives to the 1st edition of Technology Day 2018, at the Le Meridien, Coimbatore. The event witnessed the unveiling of ELGi’s ‘State of The Future Art’– a signature initiative focused on fostering innovation.

“ELGi’s goal is to be the No. 2 player in the global air compressor market by 2027. Our technology breakthroughs will transform the conventional boundaries of compressor technology with a relentless focus on increasing performance and energy efficiency. The ‘State of the Future Art’ is an ELGi initiative aimed at identifying and developing advanced technology and nurturing innovation” said Dr. Jairam Varadaraj, Managing Director, Elgi Equipments.

Air compressor technology has evolved over the years, from air billows to advanced compressor product innovation, to reach breakthrough levels of performance and efficiency. Since its inception, ELGi has adopted innovation as a key differentiator, keeping pace wi…

To provide additional source of income to over 25,000 brokers associated with it, Square Yards is introducing mortgage option on its ‘Square Connect Mobile App’ through which brokers will be able to offer home and other loans to their clients at best rates chosen from a clutch of 90 partner banks and NBFCs.

Brokers will now be able to provide their clients the best solution for loans, an important component in property purchase process in most the cases and earn higher commission for themselves as compared to what they would have earned by selling only property. This will also help Square Capital, the mortgage arm of Square Yards, to achieve multi-fold growth in the current levels of facilitation of around Rs 300 crore disbursements every month.

The brokers will be able to help their clients take advantage of cutting-edge software solutions that Square Capital uses for getting through a maze of complex valuation decisions at the hands of banks and excessive documentation. The technolo…

Infosys announced the formation of a joint venture with Hitachi, Ltd., Panasonic Corporation and Pasona Inc., strategically enhancing its presence in Japan. Executing on its strategy to help clients navigate their digital journey, the entity formed by complementary, iconic companies coming together, will accelerate business process transformation leveraging digital procurement platforms for the local and global needs of Japanese corporations.

Infosys will acquire 81% of the shareholding in Hitachi Procurement Service Co., Ltd., Hitachi’s fully owned subsidiary that currently handles indirect materials purchasing functions for the Hitachi Group. Hitachi, Panasonic and Pasona will be minority shareholders of the entity.

Infosys will bring its global expertise in procurement processes, consulting, analytics and digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to the venture. Combined with Hitachi and Panasonic’s knowledge of their procuremen…

In a move which will delight consumers and gadget lovers across the country, iFFALCON, an India-centric smart TV brand from the world’s top-three TV manufacturer TCL Electronic Technology, has joined hands with leading e-commerce marketplace Flipkart to announce the launch of ‘iFFALCON TV Days’. Scheduled from December 15 to December 17, 2018, this first-of-its-kind initiative has been launched on popular mass demand, at the request of iFFALCON fan community and gadget lovers in India.

During ‘iFFALCON Days’, the entire range of iFFALCON’s innovative entertainment Android TV offerings ranging from 32’’ to 75’’ will be available for purchase to Indian consumers in F2A, K2A and H2A series. The iFFALCON TVs come with unmatched features like Dolby Audio, built-in Chromcast, Pre-installed Netflix, Google Assistant support and HDR 10. Flipkart users will also get up to Rs 24,500 off on exchange and No Cost EMI offers on iFFALCON TVs from December 15-17th to further elevate their shopping e…

By: Ashraf Sheet, regional director, Middle East and Africa at Infoblox

Cyber threat intelligence (CTI) involves the collection, evaluation, verification, and distribution of information about ongoing and emerging cyber threats and attacks against network assets and infrastructure. It is becoming increasingly difficult and costly for organizations to defend against cyberattacks on their own. More companies are reaching out to their peers and to other sources for threat intelligence data.

Below are 7 Cyber Intelligence insights from the Ponemon Institute’s Third Annual Study on ‘Exchanging Cyber Threat Intelligence: There Has to Be a Better Way’. 1200 IT and cybersecurity practitioners were surveyed in the EMEA and US.

Insight 1
The #1 barrier to eff ective threat intelligence is internal silos among IT departments and lines of business. This finding indicates the importance of a centralized program and tools to make exchange of threat intelligence easier.

Insight 2
60% of enterprises re…

By: Dave Russell, Vice President for Product Strategy at Veeam
The world of today has changed drastically due to data. Every process, whether an external client interaction or internal employee task, leaves a trail of data. Human and machine generated data is growing ten times faster than traditional business data, and machine data is growing at 50 times that of traditional business data. With the way we consume and interact with data changing daily, the number of innovations to enhance business agility and operational efficiency are also plentiful. In this environment, it is vital for enterprises to understand the demand for Intelligent Data Management in order to stay one step ahead and deliver enhanced services to their customers.
I’ve highlighted 5 hot trends in 2019 decision-makers need to know – keeping the Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) market in mind, here are my views:
1. Multi-Cloud usage and exploitation will rise. With companies operating across borders and the rel…

LG Electronics India introduced another innovative Signage. The Landmark Signage is unique and innovative of a kind in India made using 63 custom-made curved OLED panels. This innovative Signage display is conceptualized and executed by HS Ad India in collaboration with LG Electronics, LG CNS and key Ambience Group Associates. This is second landmark signage executed by LG in India; 1st one was installed in Ambience mall Gurgaon. With its elegant form, this is the ideal way for retailers to catch the visitor’s interest. Besides that, its curved flexibility maximizes the space design versatilities, which makes this product ideal for various promotion purposes, such as advertising high-end products.
The Landmark Signage has been installed at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj Delhi. Along with presenting top-notch 4K content, the Signage can be used for creating immersive Augmented Reality experiences. The norms of conventional design and aesthetics have been challenged and stepped-up to create…

Centum WorkSkills India Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Centum Learning, today announced the inauguration of a skill training centre in Aman Vihar, New Delhi, under Delhi Police’s ‘YUVA’ programme. The training-cum-skill development centre aims to benefit the juvenile delinquents by imparting them with relevant skills and help get jobs under Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY). 
Seju P. Kuruvilla (IPS) – DCP Outer District and Anita Roy - Addl DCP - II, Outer District, Delhi Police, were present at the launch. Shri Seju P. Kuruvilla (IPS) – DCP Outer District while addressing the august gathering, encouraged all students to undergo the training so that the same can help them in better employability. 
The centre currently offers ‘Self-employed Tailor’ and ‘Field Technician - networking and storage’ for the youth. In addition to classroom training, emphasis is on hands on training for which the centre has IT lab as well as sewing machine lab. It also has zones dedicated for…

Amazon.in, in association with OnePlus, a smartphone maker announced its unique ‘OnePlus Lucky Star’ campaign last week to celebrate the fourth anniversary of their partnership. Shashank Shekhar, a 24 year old resident of Delhi has been declared the ‘OnePlus Lucky Star’ and is now eligible for 600 exclusive gifts ranging from electronic appliances to fashion to home decor. The 600 gifts were delivered personally by Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India to his doorstep.
The winner received over 600 exciting gifts ranging from INR 100 to INR 80,000 across 35+ categories from a wide selection available on Amazon.in. These included items like laptop, gaming console, large appliances, furniture, musical instruments, sports equipment, kitchen & home items and even stationery.
Manish Tiwary, Vice President – Category Management, Amazon India, said, “We received an overwhelming 3 times growth in demand for OnePlus 6T during the anniversary offer. We are happy to see our ‘OnePlus L…

Symantec Corp. introduced Industrial Control System Protection (ICSP) Neural, the industry’s first neural network-integrated USB scanning station that helps organizations protect critical infrastructure by preventing the devastating physical consequences of cyber-attacks on operational technology (OT).
OT is mission-critical in industries such as energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, and transportation, but legacy systems are often outdated and nearly impossible to secure with traditional endpoint security. Companies have typically relied on unscanned USB devices to update these systems, increasing the potential for malware infection and targeted attacks.
The threat of cyber warfare – including physical damage and personal safety – is very real and the consequences are potentially devastating. Despite this, the industrial control systems that power critical infrastructure often run on outdated Windows systems leaving them vulnerable to both known and unknown threats. For example, the in…