Click here to see – ITN’s exclusive interview with Debyani Sinha

“The digital divide that separates generations in the home is gradually creeping into the workplace, and as an organization it’s imperative to catch up. Life as modern consumers has trained us to use mobile devices for our everyday needs, and there’s no reason why HR can’t create the same flexibility and access to information for employees.

The entire talent arena has become one of the more dynamic functions within HR wherein we look for candidates who set themselves apart by leveraging technology, establishing themselves as adaptable, versatile and agile, using novel ways to create an identity that excites employers.

With a technology driven environment, HR will only become more strategic, while using technology to engage and help employees to be more productive. Reports and statistics can now be easily drawn-up through the system. Decisions can be made fast when data are readily available through the system.

Embracing technology would also create transparency and foster an open culture where employees can easily recognize and communicate the great things that happen every day in organizations.

With each passing month, the landscape of solutions available for HR services is evolving. Automation of key routine tasks is improving efficiency in manifolds.

Technology is no longer a nice-to-have, it has become a must have for HR to perform at their optimum. As the wave of technology continues to speed up, those who choose not to ride it will inevitably fall behind.”

Kiran Yadav
Director – HR

Deputy Director – HR at PNB Metlife India Insurance Co Ltd. Prior to that she worked with Aviva Life Insurance and GE Capital in various roles in the HR function. A seasoned HR professional with over 17 years of experience, Kiran has spent over 12 years in the Insurance sector.

Parents can now give the entire pocket money for the month to their children on the Slonkit card and get instant updates on the “spends” made by children Children can use Slonkit’s money management features to practice great money habits and also avail exciting offers across their favourite merchants to get maximum value from their money

This Diwali, Indian parents have found an ideal gift for their children in the form of Slonkit. Slonkit is a prepaid VISA card linked to a mobile application that helps parents to give pocket money to children aged 10 and above. The children can use features on Slonkit app such as expense manager, budget tracker to manage their money better and get more value from it.

With Slonkit, parents can give money to their children through the Slonkit card and get instant updates on their mobile phones when the children spend on the card. The money can be loaded on to the Slonkit card in a matter of minutes through a debit card or a net banking account.

Slonkit has incorporated the best levels of security and its one-click “suspend” feature helps lock the card if it is lost.

A parent can get a Slonkit card for your children anytime with just a few clicks on the Slonkit mobile app. You do not require a KYC or visits to the bank to get Slonkit for your children and the card will be delivered to your address with the initial amount loaded by you within a week. You can also set transaction limits to ensure that children do not spend the entire money allotted to them for the month within a few transactions.

The children can intuitively learn to manage their money by analysing the “spends” across categories such as food, movies, travel etc. , and also practice the art of spending within a budget. They also get a host of offers across their favourite merchants by using the Slonkit card (both online and in-stores).

Gifting Slonkit cards to both her daughters, aged 13 and 16 years,  Aparna Mhatre, a resident of Goregaon, Mumbai, said, “Slonkit is an extremely useful way of making children responsible and happy, while still having a control on their spends. I transfer their pocket money at the beginnning of every month and let them manage their expenses using the Slonkit app while receiving spend updates and occasionally giving advice on how to manage money better. Now, I do not have to worry about how much money my children are carrying, every time they step out of the house. Its one-click “suspend” feature ensures that my children wont lose the money even if the card is lost. As Slonkit is accepted everywhere, they can buy important stuff, recharge their mobile, avail great offers and realize the value of everything they spend on. Slonkit also enables me to set transaction limits and ensure that my children won’t spend the entire pocket money in a day. Slonkit is a much needed product and a welcome respite for parents like me.”

Expressing his views on Slonkit, Javed Tapia, Founder, Slonkit, stated, “Many parents that I have met have told me that Slonkit has enabled them to seamlessly manage the money they give to their children. From my own experience, I can say that it is great to incorporate good money habits in children at a very early age and also have engaging conversations with them on the importance of budgeting and saving rather than just asking “where they spent the money”. Slonkit enables every parent to inculcate these good money habits in children at an early age and prepare them well before they start earning and using credit cards.”

Highbar Technologies, an HCC group company, has announced, its working closely with the Nagpur Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (NMRCL) for creating a SAP integrated Digital Project Management Platform. The unique solution includes an Owner Support Office (OSO), implementation, supply and support of 5D Building Information Modelling (5D BIM) & Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Speaking about the association, Mr. Brijesh Dixit, Chairman, NMRCL said, “SAP Partner – Highbar Technologies has a majority stake in designing of the core technology solution for enablement and efficiency of one of the most advanced metro systems country has ever seen. The project is targeted for completion in 6 plus years, along with support and contribution from few other partners. SAP ERP and associated suite of products stands as a robust backend organization wide integrated platform and will have major role in operational stage of NMRCL including data integrations with specialized tools like Automatic Fare Collection.”

Commenting on the uniqueness of the project, Mr. Satish Pendse, President Highbar Technologies, said, “This would be for the first time in India that an integrated 5D BIM would be achieved to enable the next level of project management. Time (4^th Dimension) & Cost (5^th Dimension) are being added to the intelligent 3D model to arrive at the 5D BIM. US and UK have been making use of 5D BIM technology in a big way, keeping a check on their project timelines and cost escalations.”

With the implementation of 5D BIM, NMRCL will not only emerge as a pioneer in using this technology but will also set time saving and cost reduction as the key success parameters for other projects as well. The technology will also enable the engineers witness an improvement in the construction quality while reducing the construction cost.

Highbar will setup an Owner’s Support Office (OSO) which will function as an extended arm of NMRCL’s management team including the Managing Directors office. This will help NMRCL in the successful & timely implementation of Metro project using the 5D BIM Digital platform. This platform would be designed and managed by Owner’s Support Office (OSO) team comprising of specialized professionals with expertise in Metro Domain.

It perhaps, would be a proud moment for Highbar Technologies, when the NMRCL is would be ready to run on the digital platform, contributing in realising our Prime Minister’s ‘Digital India’ Movement

Langoor, the leading digital agency, has been selected by MoneyGram International to manage company’s digital channels in the Middle East and Asia Pacific. The agreement also includes Langoor managing the company’s Twitter Cricket account (@MGCricket). Langoor will support the money transfer organization through a wide range of expertise that includes insightful marketing strategies, building innovative web systems, e-commerce platforms, relevant campaigns, creating engaging experiences, effective analytic’s and impactful digital marketing.

On their win in Dubai, Ruchir Punjabi, Founder & Chairman of Langoor,commented, “This is an exciting win in the Middle East region. MoneyGram has a history of bringing people closer and we are excited to be associated with helping them to fulfill this mission. Across both MoneyGram Cricket and MoneyGram media mandate we intend to support MoneyGram’s digital transformation. With this win we have added yet another strong footprint to our presence in the Asia and Pacific regions.”

“We are excited to work with Langoor. They have shown a great, in-depth understanding of our target audience. What made our choice easy was the strategy based on data, their insights and focus on ROI. I am looking forward to working with Langoor on MoneyGram’s digital media strategy for the Middle East and Asia Pacific regions,” said Julie Filion, Head of Digital and Ecommerce atMoneyGram International.

Langoor is already making heads turn in the region with this win. Wait to hear more exciting news from them soon!

Hon. PM’s Speech

Brothers and sisters,
To break the grip of corruption and black money, we have decided that the five hundred rupee and thousand rupee currency notes presently in use will no longer be legal tender from midnight tonight, that is 8th November 2016. This means that these notes will not be acceptable for transactions from midnight onwards. The five hundred and thousand rupee notes hoarded by anti-national and anti-social elements will become just worthless pieces of paper. The rights and the interests of honest, hard-working people will be fully protected. Let me assure you that notes of one hundred, fifty, twenty, ten, five, two and one rupee and all coins will remain legal tender and will not be affected.
This step will strengthen the hands of the common man in the fight against corruption, black money and fake currency. To minimise the difficulties of citizens in the coming days, several steps are being taken.
1. Persons holding old notes of five hundred or one thousand rupees can deposit these notes in their bank or post office accounts from 10th November till close of banking hours on 30th December 2016 without any limit.
2. Thus you will have 50 days to deposit your notes and there is no need for panic.
3. Your money will remain yours. You need have no worry on this point.
4. After depositing your money in your account, you can draw it when you need it.
5. Keeping in mind the supply of new notes, in the first few days, there will be a limit of ten thousand rupees per day and twenty thousand rupees per week. This limit will be increased in the coming days.
6. Apart from depositing your notes in your bank account, another facility will also be there.
7. For your immediate needs, you can go to any bank, head post office or sub post office, show your identity proof like Aadhaar card, voter card, ration card, passport, PAN card or other approved proofs, and exchange your old five hundred or thousand rupee notes for new notes.
8. From 10th November till 24th November the limit for such exchange will be four thousand rupees. From 25th November till 30th December, the limit will be increased.
9. There may be some who, for some reason, are not able to deposit their old five hundred or thousand rupee notes by 30th December 2016.
10. They can go to specified offices of the Reserve Bank of India up to 31st March 2017 and deposit the notes after submitting a declaration form.
11. On 9th November and in some places on 10th November also, ATMs will not work. In the first few days, there will be a limit of two thousand rupees per day per card.
12. This will be raised to four thousand rupees later.
13. Five hundred and thousand rupee notes will not be legal tender from midnight. However for humanitarian reasons, to reduce hardship to citizens, some special arrangements have been made for the first 72 hours, that is till midnight on 11th November.
14. During this period, government hospitals will continue to accept five hundred and thousand rupee notes for payment.
15. This is for the benefit of those families whose members may be unwell.
16. Pharmacies in government hospitals will also accept these notes for buying medicines with doctors’ prescription.
17. For 72 hours, till midnight on 11th November, railway ticket booking counters, ticket counters of government buses and airline ticket counters at airports will accept the old notes for purchase of tickets. This is for the benefit of those who may be travelling at this time.
18. For 72 hours, five hundred and thousand rupee notes will be accepted also at
• Petrol, diesel and CNG gas stations authorised by public sector oil companies
• Consumer co-operative stores authorised by State or Central Government
• Milk booths authorised by State governments
• Crematoria and burial grounds.
These outlets will have to keep proper records of stock and collections.
19. Arrangements will be made at international airports for arriving and departing passengers who have five hundred or thousand rupee notes of not more than five thousand rupees, to exchange them for new notes or other legal tender.
20. Foreign tourists will be able to exchange foreign currency or old notes of not more than Rs 5000 into legal tender.
21. One more thing I would like to mention, I want to stress that in this entire exercise, there is no restriction of any kind on non-cash payments by cheques, demand drafts, debit or credit cards and electronic fund transfer.

SAP Partner Diverse Infotech, today announced the successful Go-Live of ‘SAP Business All-in-One’, ‘Business Analytics’ and ‘Fiori’ at CP Plus, a global leader in Advanced Surveillance & Security Solutions.

Speaking on the occasion, Meenal Grover, CEO Diverse Infotech said, “We are delighted to have partnered with CP Plus,  at a time, when the organization was planning for an aggressive expansion.  With our SAP expertise and skill sets on architecting the right solutions, Diverse Infotech helped CP Plus automate end-to-end processes and scale up with a robust IT infrastructure, leading to a multi-fold increase in the growth.”

In a highly data-driven industry like trading and distribution, some of the key volume-based functions include order management, inventory management, fulfillment and customer profiling. With access to real-time business insights, CP Plus will be able to have a better visibility of inventory, manage inventory aging, improve collection from customers, gather better control on credit notes and improve control on sales orders by efficient approval processes. With an integrated payroll and finance, CP Plus will be able to achieve accurate and faster account closing and efficient reporting to the management.

Aditya Khemka, CEO, CP Plus (parent company Aditya Infotech Ltd.) said, “With SAP Business All-in-One, we are determined to be the company of the future. Earmarking a higher growth rate, we are now ready to address newer market needs, access real-time data anywhere and deliver and manage customers efficiently. SAP has truly helped us Run Live. We would like to congratulate the whole team at Diverse Infotech for helping us through our journey in making CP Plus  India’s No. 1 brand for Security and Surveillance.”
With a perfect mix of service and value delivery, this IT transformation project at CP Plus has been truly significant.

Facts 

The demonetization of 500 and 1000 rupee banknotes is a step taken by the Government of India on 8th November 2016 to fight corruption and black money issues in the country. Starting from midnight of 8 November 2016, all 500 and 1000 rupee notes ceased to be accepted as a form of legal tender in India.

Globally, this is not unusual. Central banks of several countries pump massive amounts of cash into the economy, mostly in very large denominations. In the US, $100 note accounts for 80% of the cash supply. In Japan, ¥10,000 note (about $100) accounts for 90% of total cash holdings. Across countries, most of this cash has been supporting underground black economies.

Why it is done?

The demonetization was done in an effort to stop the counterfeiting of the current banknotes alleged to be used for funding terrorism and for cracking down on black money in the country.

Impact of the move

Demonetization will increase bank’s deposits by a huge margin. This will also increase the lending activity because banks have a CRR (cash reserve ratio) to maintain and with more deposits they can do more lending. Credit (loans) will become easier and interest rates may come down. Thus, it will attract more foreign investments in near future.

Further, the move will probably push down property prices, including land prices as investors will not be able to utilize their cash in real estate and thereby forcing builders to sell at lower prices. Greater transparency in Indian real estate sector will assist in improving the country’s image and attract more foreign investments.

About the author:
Neeraj Bhagat is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) since 1997. He is also an Associate member of Association of International Accountants, United Kingdom. He is the founder of Neeraj Bhagat & Co., an Indian Chartered Accountancy firm serving various MNCs from across the globe with offices in New Delhi, Gurgaon and Mumbai. They are part of Allinial Global Accounting Association which is one of the World’s Top 10 in accounting associations.

For more information please log on to: http://www.neerajbhagat.com

SOURCE Neeraj Bhagat & Co.

So far we have been throwing around big words like demonetization of the currency, economic stability and destruction of the wealth. Now let’s look at the same story from the perspective of an ordinary person or a common man. What is the difference when the same issue is not discussed in a board meeting or by politicians and bureaucrats? It brings out the immediate impact of this extreme step taken by the current government in power to tackle corruption and black money.

The common man philosophy is different. He focuses on his growth and meeting his basic needs. The 500 and 1000 denomination rupee notes is must for all of us, even for those who can barely afford it. If you take a glimpse into the wallet or purse of any individual there will be secret stash which has at least one or more of these notes, through which we console ourselves with. It is also called our emergency money or fallback money. Now you are suddenly telling us that we do not have a safety vault (no matter how small) to fall back on? Or are you telling us that we have lost the value of all our Piggy banks?

Now as an honest patriotic citizen I have the best interest of my country at heart but there are many factors that confuse me. In how much time will I see the results of my sacrifice? Are the corrupt really being penalized? Was there a privileged group who got a way out of this? Will this reform bring about the changes it intends to or is it nothing more than an inconvenience? Discussing this historical move, C M Grover, Executive Director, IBSFINtech India Pvt. Ltd., said “Demonetization has eradicated the Demon in the money which was curse for the poor and boon for the riches. Now it’s just a rejuvenation of reversal of the Demon! The complete process has brought the realities of a new India sparkling in the eyes of common man who were keeping such dreams under their Pillows every night they went off to sleep!”

So far, despite the disruption of daily activities there has been a positive vibe about it among people who have been breaking honest bread day after day. Talking like a true common man, it feels like long overdue justice if nothing else. Mr. Murad Nathani, Co-Founder of Slonkit gave his view on this issue -“It’s a great first step. However, we need to ensure that cash comes into the formal economy and that it is ultimately channeled towards economic priorities like infrastructure development. In the long run, I am confident that this would give a boost to digital payments like Slonkit, which gives the user a seamless cashless experience online as well as offline. Ultimately, success would be if we can further drive “financial inclusion” in the true sense and connect more than a billion Indians with the formal banking system. That to me, would be revolutionary, and the path that we must work towards”

The India PR & Corporate Communications Awards 2016 (IPRCCA) defines itself to be “the most extensive and exhaustive awards to recognize the contribution and success of the PR Industry.”

Why is such a recognition platform required in India at the moment? Public Relation Management is relatively a new concept in India. A layman wouldn’t have heard of the PR industry if it was not for Bollywood mentions, high profile events and aggressive campaigns. This budding and blooming industry has not only made its mark in the Indian markets but now is quintessential for promotion and awareness of any kind – may it be a product, personality or project. The PR industry has taken simple concepts of ‘maintaining contacts,’ ‘being at the right place, at the right time’ and ‘touching the pulse of the nation’ to the next level all together. In this regard, Pankaj Pachauri, a veteran Journalist & ex-advisor to the PM of India said, “PR in India is still under-appreciated, underestimated and underreported phenomena in many spheres of economic and social endeavors. I am confident that The India PR & Corporate Communications Awards 2015 will help in raising the bar of excellence for the sector and showcase its best and the brightest.”

This event goes beyond recognition. Through its practices, it can nudge the industry in the right and ethical direction. By rewarding the correct set of principles and practices it is encouraging and enforcing it among the PR industries. We have seen the growth of PR to a level where it has come at par with advertising. Since Public relation deals with strategic communication, it becomes an inescapable add on to any agenda; a complete and convenient package to make sure that the targeted set of people are on board. It is also an impressive fact that fairness has been observed in the event. There are categories and a qualified jury to select the best among the best. The fact that an event of this sort is not rigged is essential as well. The list of attendees and speakers of this event encompasses who’s who of the Indian PR connect right from politicians and representatives of top brands. The glorious winners of 2015 and 2014 already set the right kind of benchmarks.

This event is nothing short of a meeting of the creative minds.

To further check the details of IPRCCA 2016, press on the given link http://www.exchange4media.com/events/iprcca-2016/

SAP Platinum partner itelligence India Software Solutions Pvt Ltd, announced the successful go-live with SAP S/4HANA solution for Shree Malani Group, a leading and oldest manufacturer of sleep solutions in India.

Shree Malani Group, operating in a highly demanding market providing quality foams besides other products, faced several challenges in lieu of transparency, goods tracking among the business units, manual tracking of serial numbers and managing of promotions and schemes, manual pricing, stocking and serviceability, AR, cash discounts, cash flow, credit management and controls. The company did not have an efficient system in place to combat the operational challenges.

Mr Sanjeev Deshpande, Managing Director Itelligence India said, “We implemented key SAP solutions for Shree Malani Group, which included variant configuration of mattresses and multi-mix production scenarios in their business environment, which helped them in an era where automation directly impacts the quality of the products and services.”

The solution implemented under variant configuration was the usage of selection conditions and procedures of BOM items. Repetitive manufacturing for sub-assemblies, standard process order environment under multi-mix production scenario in their business environment and handling unit management. itelligence India ensured the solution was thorough and comprehensive.

Mr Siddharth Malani, Managing Director Shree Malani Group stated, “SAP S/4HANA implementation helped our business in centralizing pricing and discounts, stopped revenue leakage, automated sales pricing, derived transparency and tracking at order level, tracking of serial number was simpler, visibility of stocks across all locations, centrally control credit check/release, manage cash discount and simplify return goods management process.”

 Itelligence India has been delivering best of the breed, customer-centric SAP solutions to its clients in terms of S/4HANA consulting, implementation, cloud products, application management services, their technological expertise and customer-driven engagement models while leveraging itelligence’s global assets, which has helped successful go-live for Shree Malani Group. 

Like Retail sector, we do not have the names of Business to Business (B2B) companies at our finger tips. However, this industry is vast. It can also be considered as the backbone of retail industry or at least the prior source of goods since the sale is from manufacturers to wholesalers, or wholesalers to retailers. B2B companies are resorting to internet sales and expanding their reach in e-commerce technology these days. To quote www.b2becommerceworld.com, “Business-to-business executives are getting more bullish on e-commerce technology, with 75% of them expecting to spend more on it next year, Forester Research Inc. says in a recently released study. That’s up from 73% a year earlier who said the same in a prior study.”

Now the purchasing population across categories can be found online. It makes sense for B2B businesses to cater to their customer needs online as well. Top B2B e-commerce software vendors are gearing up for the increasing market demands and supplementary customer services; and finding out ways to build a long lasting manufacturer – customer relationship. The sale is one part of the job, ancillary functions are essential as well.

The Obstacles in the Way

For the B2B companies, the survival will not be the same as it was. So far, most of them took internet for granted until now. Also e-commerce was comparatively immature and is still developing. However, we can say that the pace has considerably increased. Handling Online Traffic is also another issue altogether. The users will increase drastically and the vendors should have the ability to effectively handle them and satisfy their needs. Especially with Demonetization of the higher value currency the Indian buyers would prefer purchasing online without compromising on the quality. There is also the millennial paradigm shift where the expected workforce is expected to increase. The turnover would however also be high.

Result of Online Transactions – Zero Tolerance for Bad Customer Experience

E-commerce is well known for its instant and immediate feedback. The customers online have a zero tolerance for anything promised yet not delivered. In the past we have seen case studies where negative feedback has shut down businesses. The immediate response to customers on their concern is going to be a must for all. Customers need to be given the importance and the kind of treatment they deserve.

A lot of changes are foreseen with the way buying purchasing patterns are evolving. The internet is the world’s greatest gifts to B2B companies. Come 2017, this statement is going to hold more value than ever.

In an exclusive interview with India Technology News, Rajesh BLN, SVP – Business Development, Vayana, talks about how their newly launched banking solution is a boon to Apple users and the future technological plans of the company

What motivated you to bring banking solutions to the literal finger tips of Apple users, who are obviously a very large number?

Our Customers (Banks) are always looking to do something new and different on the Digital Channels. In particular, Retail Banking Channel is like a fashion business, and one has to be on top of the trends. Wearable especially Apple Watch caught the fancy of affluent and we saw an opportunity for us and our customers to differentiate in the marketplace. We started working with one of our customers to see their interest in taking this offering to market. Fortunately, we had the right customer to partner with for this offering. Most of the players in this space offer reporting and notification services on wearable but our customer wanted to offer transaction services as well. They worked with the regulators on the necessary approvals to enable transaction services on the new channel.  So here we are with a new trendy channel to deliver our solution that is just beyond notification services.

Do you think the market is prepared and will use this application for regular monitoring of their banking activities?

We are heading towards the world where devices and form factor may not matter. New technologies such as BOTs are making executing transactions much simpler and banks have started adopting it. So we will see this developing into device agnostic market. We believe customers, would expect banking services to be available irrespective of the channel they access it from. It could be desktops, mobiles, wearables, Social Media, Television, eComm Portals. We will see these trends with different levels of maturity in different markets. Hence it will be imperative for Banks to be available across all these channels.

Should android users expect good news as well?

From Channels point of view we are ready. As we have segregated the presentation layer from the customer experience layer we can cater to any form of channel. As far as Android users are concerned we are ready with the platform and are in different stages of discussions.

What is Vayana’s future plans when it comes to digital banking solutions?

Today there is lot of talk about digital banking. Banks are working on evolving their digital strategies given the challenges of multiple legacy systems, different technologies, multiplicity of channels, integration challenges, and devices. Given this situation and our long experience in the channels space, we believe Vayana has a unique role to play in terms of working with our clients and prospects to help them streamline their digital strategies. From Solutions point of view, we already developed Omnichannel Customer Experience platform based on the Open API driven architecture. This allows us to present ourselves through variety of channels. We will be constantly working on developing innovative engagement tools which will enhance the customer experience and help our clients to engage with their customers at much deeper level. We are helping different banks in moving a lot of their services DIGITAL – such as new customer on-boarding, loan approvals and on-boarding new investments.
As we work on helping banks to deepen their engagement with their customers, there will be lot interactions between banks, customers and the various channels and lot of data will be generated. This data will be useful for our clients to understand their customer behavior. So this leads us to Channel Analytics which will be made available as part of our offering.

What are your next geographical expansion plans?

Conventionally we have focused on India, Middle East and Africa. In the immediate future, our focus will be on developing North African Market, other Arab world countries such as Iran and South East Asian markets such as Indonesia and Vietnam. Many of these markets are challenged by high number of unbanked population but at the same time there is a high degree of mobile and internet penetration which will enable banks to serve these customers. Therefore, our strategy will be to equip the financial institutions to define their digital strategies and provide innovative solutions.

Can you please elaborate on your emphasis on omnipresence of banking solutions?

As I said earlier the world will become more device agnostic and at one point it will move towards banking without interface. Artificial Intelligence will play larger role in customer interactions. From current stage of multi-channel, siloed systems and fragmented data, the banks must quickly move in customer’s world to provide seamless customer experience across channels. So, doesn’t mean they must scrap their current legacy systems because it is not feasible from time as well as investment point of view. Banks should look at strategies on how to create an omnichannel customer experience layer around their existing infrastructure. This omnichannel customer experience layer will shield their current systems and help them to provide consistent experience across channel. But is that enough because the financial institutions will have to constantly analyze the world of their customers where they are spending their maximum time and ensure that they are omnipresent in their customer’s world.

Click here to see – ITN’s exclusive interview with Debyani Sinha

The post ITN’s exclusive interview with Debyani Sinha, GM HR at NEC Technologies India ltd (Heading HR) appeared first on India Technology News.

Capturing the evolving needs of enterprises undergoing true digital transformation, CRMNEXT and Netmagic announced availability of Cloud based Enterprise CRM Infrastructure Services powered by Cisco.

The enterprise and SMB customers will receive a CRM solution on cloud running on high security data centers, thus providing robust, secure and scalable infrastructure.

Sushil Tyagi, Director Global Sales and Marketing, CRMNEXT explains, “Leveraging the unique strengths of CRMNEXT coupled with power of Cisco and Netmagic deployment capabilities, we are now offering a ready-to-use solution with the best available technology platform encompassing the three core pillars of scalability, agility and auto-upgrade. This will help enterprises to reduce time to go live, faster ROI and a platform which can match the dynamic needs of their business. Customers would enjoy easier decision-making, quicker TAT, effective TCO along with desired security and best-practices.”

Nitin Mishra, SVP & Chief Product Officer, Products & Services, Netmagic, explains “This partnership provides integrated SaaS offering to customers, thereby making it much convenient to deploy and scale CRM tool. It provides the flexibility to deploy CRM in single tenant mode thereby providing compliance on data security.”

Enterprise and SMB customers will get a solution that makes their business run simpler. The robust infrastructure and cloud services shall facilitate the customers with ease on transition. With this unique proposition, customers not just from India, but globally would route all of their Enterprise CRM needs centrally and would help accelerate the service levels and offer more job opportunities for the country.

The multi-fold benefits for the customers is that they will get a proven, ready to use CRM solution, deployed on Netmagic and hosted on cloud which is powered by Cisco.  Faster go live, flexibility to scale on demand, zero capex, reduced TCO and convenient subscription model are the key factors.  Further, easy to manage and upgrade, this cloud based Enterprise CRM Infrastructure Service by CRMNEXT Technologies gives 99.9% uptime to ensure a faster ROI.

The post CRMNEXT and Netmagic to Offer Cloud Based Enterprise CRM Infrastructure Services Powered by Cisco appeared first on India Technology News.

Riding on a financial turnaround and renewed strategic focus, 3i Infotech Limited, a global IT company, has launched AMLOCKLite – FS for Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs). AMLOCKLite – FS is a comprehensive compliance solution for anti-money laundering (AML) & counter – terrorist financing (CFT). A derivative of AMLOCK, one of 3i Infotech’s flagship banking products, AMLOCKLite – FS is a solution tailored for NBFCs. AMLOCKLite – FS derives all its power from AMLOCK^® which has installations in over 75 Banks & Financial Institutions across the globe and which has efficiently addressed their AML compliance requirements for over 10 years.

AMLOCKLite – FS is an enterprise AML-CFT solution and is an intelligent, customer-centric anti-money laundering solution designed to detect and manage unusual activity. It will enable NBFCs to minimize losses, improve efficiencies, comply with government regulations and adhere to global best practices on AML.

Speaking on the occasion Krish N, Global Business Head – Banking, said, “The BFSI sector is undergoing major changes with NBFCs, Payment Banks & Fintech companies offering innovative financial products and services for targeted segments. Competition in this sector is intense through extensive use of technology and disruptive & innovative business models which provide cheaper, simpler and easy-to-access services. In the midst of this competitive environment, small and medium sized NBFCs seek value-for-money software solutions that ensure effective AML compliance and will reduce the pressure on their IT budgets. AMLOCKLite – FS is an ideal solution for such organisations as it gives a steady balance between risk and profitability.”

With international cooperation on curbing money laundering, there has been increased scrutiny of accounts and heightened AML regulatory pressure on Banks & NBFCs by the Central Bank. Every small, medium and large NBFCs is under the radar of the Central Bank and is governed by strict AML guidelines. Many NBFCs face challenges in implementing AML guidelines as they use in-house developed solutions which at most does basic AML compliance, but does not provide effective list screening or advanced pattern recognition algorithms to detect suspicious transactions. Increased compliance norms have high associated costs which impacts operational profitability.

Ravikanth Sama, Delivery Head of Amlock said “AMLOCKLite – FS helps to streamline and automate KYC processes, risk profile customers and identify suspicious transactions. Its wide-ranging reports module comprises Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs), Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) and Counterfeit Currency Reports (CCRs). With a structured execution process to shorten the implementation timeframe, AMLOCKLite – FS can empower small NBFCs to adopt regulatory compliance processes within weeks. AMLOCKLite – FS scores exceedingly high on cost effective infrastructure deployment thereby reducing the overall TCO”.

AMLOCKLite – FS with comprehensive KYC/CDD (Customer Due Diligence) processes and suspicious transaction reporting will now enable NBFCs to respond promptly and positively to regulatory issues. By adopting AMLOCKLite – FS solutions, NBFCs can adopt best practices in governance, risk management and technology.

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Avalara, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based tax compliance automation, elaborated the role of ASP in GST compliance in the Times GST Expo & Summit Pune. The one-day conference received an overwhelming response, attended by esteemed dignitaries’ i.e Rajesh Pandey, Addl DG, Directorate Gen (GST General) Pune and Rajiv Mitra, MD Govind Milk.

Avalara has a well-defined technology road-map to simplify GST for businesses. Avalara ensured to inculcate knowledge and understanding around the basic mechanism of GST & GST return filing and compliance. The event also provided a platform to collaborate, exchange learnings and discuss enablement impact regarding the roll-out of GST compliance by ASP.

Gautam Mukherjee, General Manager, Avalara lighting the lamp at the GST Expo & Summit

 To help businesses secure tax compliance under the new rules Avalara has been named an Application Service Provider (ASP), partnering with authorized GST Suvidha Providers (GSPs) in India.

In the opening presentation, CA Harshad Shinde, Product Manager, GST India spoke upon ‘The Role of ASP in GST compliance. He highlighted the role of automation in GST Compliance and also provided insights into how Avalara’s GST solution is well suited to meet the complex environments with real time processing. In the same session, William Rau, Sr. Director, Engineering for Avalara provided attendees with a checklist of attributes they should look for in a great ASP, including a strong security and reliable team, a solid history of delivering SaaS based taxation solutions, and a demonstrated ability to handle the high transaction volumes that GST compliance will require.    

Following the opening session authorities from various governmental and non-governmental organizations fielded queries and provided perspectives to “unlock the game-changer, GST, India’s biggest tax reforms for the 21^st century.” The gathering saw tremendous potential and interest from the enterprises that were keen to decode the nuances of the new tax structure.  Mr. Gautam Mukherjee, General Manager, Global Delivery elaborated why Avalara is especially apt to provide an end-end solution for GST compliance in India.   He highlighted the company’s 13+ years of experience solving the complexity of indirect tax worldwide through automation, rich content research and focus on customer success.

The post lunch sessions saw in-depth discussions towards seamless transition and integration of the financial structure from the existing to the new one.   CA Harshad Shinde of Avalara lead a lively panel discussion of fellow ASP service provides which highlighted the value added by each and helped attendees see the overall importance of this new industry segment.

William Rau then provided the capstone presentation entitled ‘The stages of GST understanding’; he highlighted the natural progression of learning the intricacies of GST.  Every organization will begin with basic survival in the new regime with base tax rates and valid invoice formats.   They will progress through basic compliance and then understand the continuous reporting in GST that demands automation.   Only then an organization will start to see how they can grow and thrive under GST by leveraging opportunities created by the new tax code.

His closing remarks encouraged all attendees to share what they learnt during the summit.  Mr. Rau emphasized, “GST is not a zero-sum game. We all benefit together as we collectively grow and understand, the free flow of tax credits is only possible if everyone in the value chain understand their part.  Building this understanding becomes the responsibility for all of us to truly have one country under one tax.”

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Synergizing with the rapid futuristic transformation, Knowlarity, today announced its rebranding. The leading cloud communications services provider in emerging markets across South Asia and other regions of the world, has decided to completely redefine its look, vision, the entire avatar. Hinging its new identity on being a pioneer of futuristic technology, Knowlarity is marching towards greater expansion, incorporating larger enterprises in its ever-expanding client base, and providing services hitherto unseen in the business communications domain.

Knowlarity, despite its pole position, has decided to sustain its dynamism. It recently reinvented itself with an array of cutting-edge technologies and process enhancement initiatives. This includes fostering in-house and market-oriented innovations, spearheaded by new-age technologies such as AI, elastic web architecture and implementing such state-of-the-art technology into various unconventional fields. The brand has, moreover, been successful in catering to large-scale enterprises belonging to diverse market verticals through its state-of-the-art technological offerings, while still being the choicest solution for small enterprises. Through expanding the scope of its services and introducing adaptive techniques, it has endeared itself to businesses of different scale and sizes. Its transformed identity is underlined through a re-created logo that defines the modern, minimalistic, focused and clear approach of the organization through its colors, structure and overall aesthetics.

Commenting on the makeover, Ambarish Gupta, Founder and CEO Knowlarity said, “Innovation is a never-ending process, and following that route to infinity has led Knowlarity to where it is today, a domain leader renowned for many firsts. The rebranding initiative has been successful and has managed to perfectly encapsulate Knowlarity’s metamorphosis as a tech pioneer. As we leap into the future riding on the latest technology, it is our vision to usher in a new and more interconnected era in the realm of information technology. We are confident that this redefined identity will be able to perfectly convey the spirit of innovation brand Knowlarity is known for.”

Clarity and focus being the key principles behind the logo design, it has successfully been able to showcase communication and collaboration, the driving forces of Knowlarity. The choice of colors-purple for mobility, ambition and power, blue for intelligence, honest professionalism with calm confidence and a vignette color transition between them adds the required dash of dynamic progression and adaptability.

Knowlarity’s approach of sustained innovation combined with client satisfaction has given it a firm credence while ensuring the organization remains nimble in its thought and approach. With various new innovations in the pipeline, it can be safely assumed that Knowlarity will be a pivotal factor in deciding the course global business communication takes in the future.

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ScanMemories, a unique service for restoring old photos both digitally as well as physically, was recently launched in Mumbai. There are no organised players focusing on personal photos and memories which are dear to every individual, and this is where ScanMemories comes into picture.

As per an independent study conducted by ScanMemories with 130 respondents across India,

• 56% respondents cited lack of time as the main challenge for digitising old photos
• 30% respondents were unhappy about the quality of photos digitised by themselves
• 90% respondents have not, but wish to preserve old photos in new albums
• 40% respondents wish to surprise dear ones with restoring old photos

To cater to this audience, the company has come up with a bouquet of services which are flexible and aimed at saving time of the customers. The company has right skills, well defined processes and best-in-class equipment to restore the photos. The key services offered by the company include,

• ScanPhotos for scanning and digitising of physical photos while improving the image quality to the best extent possible.
• ScanAlbums is about scanning the photos in albums
• PhotoPreserve helps customers extend the lifespan of old physical photos and preserve them in new albums.
• ScanShare helps customers share memories and enjoy with dear ones in different digital modes such as collage, videos, social media posts, photo galleries, etc.
• All the ScanMemories services are also available for non-profits such as schools, colleges, cultural organisations etc. at special rates.

ScanMemories is operating out of Thane and caters to entire Indian market. To seek ScanMemories services, the customer has to fill an online order form (http://www.scanmemories.co/contact-us/) and courier the photos and albums to ScanMemories Thane office. The company processes the order and sends back the physical as well as digital photos to the customer.

Speaking about the experience of ScanMemories, one of its customers Swati Desai said, “My old photos and albums were in a very bad condition. Opted for ScanPhotos, ScanAlbum and PhotoPreserve services. Results are beyond Imagination. Very happy with ScanMemories. Will recommend to all!”

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Infinite Computer Solutions, a global provider of IT based solutions for Fortune 1000 companies, has developed a mobile application called E-Nivaran for the Uttar Pradesh State Government, which was launched at Lucknow on June 30th. During the launch event Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, announced the advent of the application, which allows the users to create their own electricity bills, make payments online and file complaints. The app is available for download on Google Play Store.

As part of Uttar Pradesh Government Digital drive, E-Nivaran app is designed to strengthen Uttar Pradesh’s Government commitment to more transparency, and allows for efficiency in resolving consumer complaints about their electricity and power bills.

The application will also help secure the correct payment of electricity bills, providing additional benefit to its users.  E-Nivaran was built for both the rural and urban populations, and will be used by approximately 15 million UPPCL (Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited) consumers.

“Technology simplifies everything that we do today – with this application, customers can generate their own bill and make payments online,” said Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.  “We have an obligation to continually invest in our nation, and it is essential to install new technologies to ensure proper development.”

“Infinite Computer Solutions is honored to work with Uttar Pradesh to create this revolutionary app technology for consumers.  We believe that this application will help transform the state into a digitally empowered society and economy, and we hope to see this extend to the entire nation as well,” said Upinder Zutshi, Managing Director & CEO of Infinite Computer Solutions. “We will always provide innovative services and solutions, and are confident that our customers will see the most optimal results.”

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