Business Transformation Asia Issue 06

COVER STORY

APRIL 2022

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JAGDISH MITRA Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra

A HUMAN CENTRIC MODEL WITH AI The world is moving towards a human-centred partnership model with AI, to enhance cognitive performance, including learning, decision making, innovating.

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VALUE ADDITIONS AROUND DX MANAGING DIRECTOR Tushar Sahoo tushar@gecmediagroup.com CHIEF EDITOR Arun Shankar arun@gecmediagroup.com EDITOR Shubhendu Parth shubhendu@gecmediagroup.com CEO Ronak Samantaray ronak@gecmediagroup.com GLOBAL HEAD, CONTENT AND STRATEGIC ALLIANCES Anushree Dixit anushree@gecmediagroup.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR GEC MEDIA GROUP CO-FOUNDER, BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION ASIA Sundip Sibal Sundip@gecmediagroup.com GROUP SALES HEAD Richa S richa@gecmediagroup.com PROJECT MANAGER Anshuman Jyothiprakash anshuman@gecmediagroup.com EVENTS EXECUTIVE Gurleen Rooprai gurleen@gecmdiagroup.com Jennefer Lorraine Mendoza jennefer@gecmdiagroup.com SALES AND ADVERTISING Ronak Samantaray ronak@gecmediagroup.com DIGITAL TEAM Deepika Chauhan - Digital Content Lead Vijay Bakshi - IT Manager Hemant Bisht - SEO & Digital Marketing Analyst BUSINESS LEAD Ankit Vats ankit@gecmediagroup.com Ph: +91-9999756403 DESIGNED BY

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While hyper scalar players are building cloud platforms, cloud applications, and cloud technologies, it is global system integrators, many of them from the Indian sub-continent, who are doing the real value additions around digital transformation. And in many cases quite impressive ones as well!

This month we highlight Tech Mahindra’s strategic approach towards digital transformation and emerging digital technologies.

2021 was the year of digitalisation and 2022 will be the year of recalibrating talent, points out Tech Mahindra’s Jagdish Mitra. Tech Mahindra has put its learning from the pandemic into use by building digital transformation services that impact every touchpoint. It’s learning practices enable resources to fit by transforming them into the next generation of business ready associates.

The world is moving towards a human-centred partnership model between people and AI, to enhance cognitive performance, which includes learning, decision making, and innovating to deliver newer experiences. One of Tech Mahindra’s solutions, NAD-Learn fuels the software delivery conveyor with platforms for planning, contextual right skilling, design thinking.

With telecom service providers, a key part of its global customer base, Tech Mahindra is leading innovation in the area of 5G and its use cases. Recently, this global system integrator built one of the world’s first 5G end-to-end cloud native platform for a tier-1 carrier in Japan.

A major chunk of its contract signings are around either integrating or enabling 5G. Scaled adoption of cloud and driving intelligence into the network systems via analytics and AI is part of 5G contracts. While digital transformation will not happen overnight, yet adoption of 5G will fast track transformation in cellular communication as well.

In our second lead feature of the month, we look at how retrofitting of buildings with building management solutions, can help to reduce energy consumption, and thereby create an ROI for the investment. If you take a building of 5,000 sqm, ABB can produce an energy saving of 25%, and this saving in cost gives a return of investment in two years, explains Thorsten Muller from ABB. When you look at expectations of shareholders, many of the investment funds require ESG performance. In Germany 30% of the buildings are 15+ years old. Another important element is smart metering because that gives you the opportunity to see how much of the utility service is consumed.

In most Asian countries, there is a skew towards apartment buildings and the hospitality sector. And there is a significant opportunity to tap into the potential for generating energy savings.

Inside Asia most of the wiring outlets are conventional, and there is limited automation in hotels, and there is no intelligence or automation built into the HVAC systems. All of these scenarios allow for retrofitting and a use case for generating a return on investment.

With the beginning of the summer season, we wish our readers positive change and transformation in their business.

Arun Shankar arun@gecmediagroup.com

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BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION ASIA

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SECURITY NETWORKING BUSINESS APPLICATIONS IT & COMPUTING TRANSFORMATION IN

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BUSINESS PARTNER

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CONTENTS APRIL 2022

06 OPINION IS MANAGING

CYBERSECURITY SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM?

08 OPINION CEILING IS POINT OF ACTION IN SMART BUILDING

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| PEOPLE 10 INTERVIEW “CLOUD WILL PLAY THE

ROLE OF CONSOLIDATING DATA AND WORKFLOW”

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INNOVATION GALLERY NISSAN’S NEW SINGLE SEATER ARIYA

JAGDISH MITRA Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra

PROCESS TRANSFORMATION RETROFITTING, ENERGY SAVINGS, AUTOMATION

50 INDUSTRY COMMENT

THE SCIENCE OF SHOPPING AND SPENDING

52 INDUSTRY COMMENT

A HUMAN CENTRIC MODEL WITH AI 32-35

FINDING THE RIGHT PROBLEM TO SOLVE IS UNIQUE TO EACH BUSINESS

COVER STORY

37-44

56-59

NEWS

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EXECUTIVE CORNER

60-63

LOOKING GLASS

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OPINION

IS MANAGING CYBERSECURITY SOMEONE ELSE’S PROBLEM? Building healthy cybersecurity practices needs to be added to the daily routine of employees and cannot become someone else’s problem.

A

typical cybersecurity incident can usually be attributed to a people issue since it is employees and humans who are mostly using the organisation’s technology and cyber assets.

If a front door was left open in the night, most probably you would have unwanted visitors walk in. So, what is the way forward?

We can blame an unfortunate employee for leaving the door open or find a solution to prevent the door from being left open again in the future. Clearly the second choice is better.

But there is a caveat. The second choice will only

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work if the organisation is ready to work with its employees and specific groups of people to find a solution to their errant behaviour.

Rather than leading an investigation into finding the errant employee, at this stage, organisations are better off engaging with employees to help change their behaviour and prevent the door from being left open.

Moreover, employees should be able to engage with the security department well before an incident, if they feel they may have been compromised at any stage.

At the core of any successful cybersecurity implementation are people. And organisations that fail to engage with their

Cybersecurity experts also need to engage in a conversation that includes the entire team

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OPINION

BY ANDREW SCHUMER Technical Director, Axon Technologies.

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people lose the one asset which can stop or slow cyber incidents from happening.

Organisations need to realise that the difference between a completely out of control and chaotic situation emerging post a cyber security breach and an organised and systematic, step by step recovery approach, is only practice and training for employees.

Employees and their wayward behaviour may have been the cause of a breach in the first place, but the only way to recover from such a breach is by training employees well and repeatedly, on what to do in such situations.

It seems ludicrous that we do not spend enough time building situational control capabilities and coaching cybersecurity professionals or training employees on how to handle such unforeseen disasters.

Consider three elements of cybersecurity: employees, zerotrust practices, and incidents. What connects these three is how they fit into a systematic, security-friendly or unfriendly daily routine.

A daily office routine can be both positive and negative towards including basic cyber security checks and practices. If we begin and end our day with a few basic cyber security checks that is building a positive daily routine.

If we are erratic in such practices that is probably building a negative daily routine and will likely increase the cyber security threat levels.

We want to keep the daily office routines, but we just want to add a security focus in the beginning and at the end of it. It is important to create and build behavioural habits where there is a value. After all, security is a domain that pays off quickly and has enormous wins.

We need to consider cybersecurity as a people challenge and a people-focused domain.

Ultimately, it is people who ensure the success of any given project.

Being technically savvy,

KEY TAKEAWAYS Employees should be able to engage with the security department well before an incident.

At the core of any successful cybersecurity implementation are people.

Organisations that fail to engage with people lose the asset which can stop or slow cyber incidents.

Difference between out of control situation and an organised step by step recovery is only practice and training for employees.

having the right capability, and implementing the required technology are also key elements to a safe and secure environment.

Cybersecurity experts also need to engage organisations in a conversation that includes the entire team. It is tricky because, in most cases, they are asked to come in after a breach or a complete security breakdown.

This means there may be legitimate feelings of betrayal and trust issues. Even more important is their potential for successful cybersecurity implementation, and this always engages people at the core.

However, it needs to be emphasised that a typical success story does not end here. If we fail to engage with employees, we lose those assets that can help prevent cyber incidents events from happening from the very beginning.

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OPINION

CEILING IS POINT OF ACTION IN SMART BUILDING Wireless may reduce number of patch cords but with WAPs and antennas requiring power and data, things will soon become crowded inside the ceiling.

T

he push for office buildings to become smarter poses several challenges for IT and facility managers on how to achieve that. The nervous system of a smart building is essentially a network. Careful planning is essential to address this added complexity that comes with a converged IP network.

Generally speaking, we can divide the main drivers to operate a smart building into four categories: devices, bandwidth, wireless and power.

#1

The first driver is the escalation in volume and type of devices coming from the operational technology

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side of the business that gets installed in and around a building.

Think here of a myriad of sensors, alarms, activators, humidity and temperature controls, and so on.

These add a lot more devices, and with them different applications and complexity, to the network.

#2

The second one is looking at the bandwidth requirements that we need to address. Bandwidth demand is still escalating, albeit at a slower rate than in the past.

What will change is where in the office space this bandwidth will be needed. In the past most bandwidth requirements were needed at floor level to service computers and telephones.

Going forward we will be putting less points to the desktop, but we will be needing much

BY MIKE HOLMES Solutions Specialist, Nexans Data Network

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OPINION

KEY TAKEAWAYS We can divide main drivers to operate a smart building into four categories: devices, bandwidth, wireless and power.

We will be putting less points to the desktop, but we will be needing much more into the ceiling.

More WAPs need to be installed to cover the same area and deliver the same amount of data these higher bandwidth devices demands.

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more into the ceiling to cover the higher number of bandwidth ready Wireless Access Points.

5G in the office, we have no choice but to place more antennas to cover the same area.

#3

#4

Third is the huge escalation in wireless connected devices and the changes in Wi-Fi technology. We have seen the evolution of wireless data rates progress over the years from a few hundred megabits per second to tens of gigabits per second. The downside of this increase in data rates is that it reduces the reach that WAPs inside the building can cover. As a result, more WAPs need to be installed to cover the same area and deliver the same amount of data these higher bandwidth devices demands.

5G is more of the same. We see the data rates from 4G to 5G increase - and with that - the reach, especially inside buildings, decrease. So, if we want to rely on

These devices have to be powered somehow. We have seen several Power over Ethernet versions being defined by the Standards in the last years, each consecutive one increasing the amount of power that can be delivered to the end device.

In addition to PoE you also have Single Pair Power over Ethernet.

Power is running over a single copper pair instead of all 4 pairs with PoE. Choosing the right copper cable in terms of grade and shielding to counter heating effect is important, regardless of if you opt for PoE or SPoE. These are some of the main drivers to consider when dealing with smart buildings.

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INTERVIEW | PEOPLE

“CLOUD WILL PLAY THE ROLE OF CONSOLIDATING

DATA ANDWORKFLOW”

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INTERVIEW | PEOPLE

BY SHUBHENDU PARTH

A

s the Chief Executive Officer of the company, he is responsible for Netweb Technologies’s leadership, competency, and innovation, and also drives HR, technology, and intellectual assets specifically in high-performance computing, the Internet of things (IoT), and cloud across business and consumerfacing areas. Under his leadership, the company was also recognised by the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) for its contribution to the manufacturing of servers in India.

A seasoned industry expert, Sanjay Lodha has an interest in solving enterprise BIZ-TECH challenges, by leveraging high-performance computing, cloud, big data, and software integrated hardware. In an interaction with Shubhendu Parth, he talks about the changing dynamics of the cloud market, the impact will edge computing on AI, security essentials for HPC infrastructure and its Make in India story. Excerpts:

SANJAY LODHA Co-founder, Netweb Technologies

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INTERVIEW | PEOPLE

The sheer numbers of servers and complexity of managing them are critical for the adoption of the cloud which provides ease and agility to put in more applications on the cloud.

There has been a major uptake in cloud adoption globally during the last two years. What has been the impact of the cloud on enterprise servers, storage, and high computing solutions, in Asia?

There has been a huge digital expansion and adoption going on. Technologies like 5G will be the new pivot point for the time to come. Cloud adoption across Public, Private and Hybrid clouds all have grown and some of the technology soothsayers can say that it is just the tip of the iceberg.

The sheer numbers of servers and complexity of managing them are critical for the adoption of the cloud which provides ease and agility to put in more applications on the cloud.

There have been products coming into the market that are Hyperconverged – compute, storage, and networking all combined – cloud solutions, they set up a very quick private cloud that is easily scalable. In Asia we see the adoption to be good but a tad slower than in the west.

Another technology that is evolving and emerging is edge computing. What impact will edge computing have on AI, both on-premises and in the cloud?

Investors As I said, the use cases and sheer demand for computing are on the boil and we will need to address these at many levels one very effective way is to handle things also at Edge, typically it helps in the rationalisation of the huge bandwidth requirement of taking all the data to the core to process.

One very compelling workload for an edge will be AI. Video analytics stemming from surveillance alone will be a huge market and revolutionise the use of the core cloud to the edge. We will also see a big rise in IoT-based applications and again it will drive the edge in a big way and the cloud will

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play the role of consolidating the data and workflow.

From the AI perspective, what role will it play in supporting the growth in edge computing and emerging edge applications?

AI will play a major role, but the amount of data that is needed to be tackled is not possible to travel to the core of computing and will need to be handled at the edge. We are capturing more video than ever and the actual momentum is yet to build. Most of the AI inferencing will need to be done at the edge and maybe the sample data for further learning and granular data is going to travel further to the centralised cloud.

Since 5G is coming up and will provide 10x more density than 4G, it is going to drive the usage of 5G connections in devices and equipment to an unprecedented level. Devices and equipment around us will become intelligent and get connected and IoT implementation will breach all the records.

Netweb Technologies seems to have its fingers in every pie of storage and computing, from products to services and solutions.

With the world moving towards everything as a service model, how are you integrating these offerings?

Netweb and its innovation teamwork on all the new workloads and also work on new products and solutions which are going to become a mainstay in the future.

We are launching our HCI Cloud product which will make private and Hybrid clouds very easy to install, manage and scale as per requirement. We are also working on the core cloud and edge cloud for this product.

We also see microservices and containers adoption growing at this time. Netweb has a Container repository platform supporting applications for HOC and AI for CPU and GPU for now and will increase to many more users in

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INTERVIEW | PEOPLE

time to come. These are quite handy to get the deployment denser, quicker, and with ease across BareMetal to the private and public cloud. We are also working on various Container orchestration solutions to further leverage our solution.

Products and solutions will be required across the segment but Netweb also is into the services segment and does provide a host of services to customers across the globe. We have been deploying 5G cloud for telecom companies across the globe.

Though security is a big concern and rightly so, the industry is driven by the use cases. If the use cases are compelling technology is most likely to be adopted.

Technologies such as AI, edge computing, 5G, and Wi-Fi 6 are also broadening the capabilities of HPC, leading to newer chip and system architectures that can meet the Industry 4.0 era demands. What is the company doing on the R&D and product engineering front?

The massive computing requirement warrants a good mix of newer chips and system architecture. Some exciting new technologies are coming from many global companies. We are having a good partnership with them and we are working along with them to do the R&D to see how we can leverage these for the new use cases and customers.

High-speed computing, low latency, and the use of automation technologies also

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mean an exponential increase in data volume making security an essential component of any HPC infrastructure. How challenging is the task and how geared up is Netweb to deal with it?

Though security is a big concern and rightly so, the industry is driven by the use cases. If the use cases are compelling technology is most likely to be adopted.

Security is going to determine the adoption rate and unless that is addressed real adoption can be impacted. Security needs to be addressed at multiple levels to use technology responsibly. We do work on some of them to see that we always keep our product aligned with the security.

While India has done fairly well on the software and services front, there are not many high-tech, hardware sector successes. What did Netweb do to script a Made in India story?

The base of any high-end enterprise solution is servers. India always lacked the ecosystem for the hardware. With the Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative of the government, the focus has shifted to developing these key technologies in the country. This has been a phased approach. We are currently making ‘Made in India motherboards’ for servers and we will be bringing out more variants.

We also are strengthening our R&D and increasing our IP in this area.

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INNOVATION GALLERY

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INNOVATION GALLERY

NISSAN’S NEW SINGLE SEATER ARIYA Nissan revealed its new Ariya Single Seater Concept of how the allelectric Nissan Ariya powertrain could be used in a single seater racing car chassis. The Ariya Single Seater Concept explores what a future electrified performance style for Nissan could look like. Design cues from the all-new Nissan Ariya all-electric SUV can be seen across the Ariya Single Seater Concept.

At the front of the vehicle is the electrified and illuminated V motion, familiar from Nissan’s current road car design language. At the side view, inspiration has been taken from the Ariya’s fluid and efficient surfaces, exaggerated to a maximum in carbon fibre. Overall, the Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept describes a form that, as with the Ariya, looks like it was shaped by the air itself.

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INNOVATION GALLERY

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INNOVATION GALLERY

LAMBORGHINI ANNOUNCES 5 SPACE KEY’S WITH NONFUNGIBLE TOKENS Automobili Lamborghini announced its first non-fungible token project. The Lamborghini Space Key has been revealed and will soon be auctioned. Limited to five units, is a piece of advanced carbon fibre composite that Lamborghini sent to the International Space Station in 2019. After the return from space, the carbon fibre composite is now part of this Space Key. Each of the five Space Keys is linked to an exclusive digital artwork by an artist. Lamborghini has entered into the non-fungible token world in partnership with NFT PRO. Non-fungible tokens are unique identifiers recorded on a distributed ledger like Blockchain and tied to a digital asset such as pictures.

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NEWS

Siemens Software joins Mastercard’s Planet Coalition to restore 100 million trees by 2025

GLOBAL

Mastercard welcomes Siemens Digital Industries Software into

the Priceless Planet Coalition, which aims to restore 100 million

trees by 2025, to collaborate in the movement against climate change.

Together, the two strategic partners will work to bring sustainability issues at the forefront of the event and empower businesses and consumers to take collective action through the power of technology.

In the UAE, efforts of the collaboration will be primarily focused on restoring the country’s mangrove ecosystem. With an area of over 150 km2, the UAE enjoys the largest mangrove coverage in the region. The restoration of mangroves can be an effective nature-based solution to capture CO2 and mitigate climate change and its impacts, as mangroves can store up to four times more carbon than tropical forests.

Boeing purchases 2M gallons of sustainable aviation fuel for its commercial airplanes’ operations Boeing announced a supply agreement for two Million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel with EPIC Fuels to power its Commercial Airplanes operations in Washington state and South Carolina through 2022. The agreement is the largest announced SAF procurement by an airframer and further demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to decarbonising aviation.

Sustainably produced jet fuel, which reduces CO2 emissions by as much as 80% over the fuel’s life cycle with the potential to reach 100% in the future, is widely recognised as offering the most immediate and greatest potential to decarbonise aviation over the next 20 to 30 years.

Made from several feedstocks, sustainable aviation fuel is certified for commercial use and can be blended with traditional jet fuel without modifications to airplanes, engines or fuelling infrastructure. Approximately a year ago, Boeing committed to deliver its commercial airplanes capable and certified to fly on 100% SAF by 2030.

The purchase agreement with EPIC Fuels includes a SAF product made from inedible agricultural waste, blending 30% neat SAF with 70% conventional jet fuel.

The purchase will enable broader use of SAF for Boeing

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commercial production, test, ferry, Dreamlifter and customer flights at facilities in Everett, Renton and Seattle in Washington state and North Charleston, South Carolina.

EPIC Fuels will also continue to supply customised blends from 50-50% up to 100% SAF for the Boeing ecoDemonstrator program, which accelerates innovation by taking promising technologies out of the lab and testing them in the air to solve real-world challenges for airlines and passengers.

SAF is currently approved for a 50-50 blend with conventional jet fuel for commercial flights.

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NEWS

Volvo Cars, Northvolt establish battery manufacturing plant in Sweden commencing 2025

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and producing batteries near its manufacturing facilities in Europe, Volvo Cars and Polestar can significantly reduce the environmental footprint attributable to battery sourcing and production for their future cars.

The battery cell production joint venture between Northvolt and Volvo Cars will be a significant player in European battery cell production and will represent one of the largest cell production units in Europe.

Volvo Cars and Northvolt have appointed former Tesla executive Adrian Clarke to lead the production company.

The research and development centre, which will become operational in 2022, will create a few hundred jobs in Gothenburg and positions Volvo Cars as one of the few automotive brands to make battery cell development and production part of its end-to-end engineering capabilities.

The partnership between Volvo Cars and Northvolt will focus on developing tailor-made batteries and vehicle integration concepts that give Volvo and Polestar drivers what they want, such as long range and quick charging times. Establishing deep vertical integration of battery development and production is important for Volvo Cars and Polestar, since the battery represents the largest individual cost component in an electric car, as well as a major part of the carbon footprint.

Taken together, the new battery plant and research and development centre will need a range of competences and the joint venture company is therefore actively recruiting highly skilled engineers and team leaders to advance the project. Large scale recruitment of operators and technicians will begin late 2023.

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GLOBAL

Volvo Cars and Northvolt have selected Gothenburg, Sweden to establish a new battery manufacturing plant which will commence operations in 2025, create up to 3,000 jobs and complement the planned research and development centre that both companies announced in December as part of an investment of approximately SEK 30 billion.

The new plant and close ties with Northvolt will significantly strengthen Volvo Cars’ electrification strategy as the company aims to produce and sell only fully electric cars by 2030.

Construction of the plant will start in 2023 and it will produce state-of-the-art battery cells, specifically developed for use in next generation pure electric Volvo and Polestar cars. The plant will have a potential annual cell production capacity of up to 50 gigawatt hours, which would supply batteries for approximately half a Million cars per year.

The Swedish location of the plant, which will be built in Torslanda, Gothenburg offers benefits in terms of a direct route into Volvo Cars’ largest car plant, access to infrastructure, a strong pipeline of renewable energy supply and relevant job competences, as well as its proximity to both Volvo Cars’ and Northvolt’s research and development units.

As sustainable production is a central tenet of the partnership between Volvo Cars and Northvolt, the plant will be powered by fossil-free energy with focus on driving renewable energy capacity in the region and will integrate engineering solutions which prioritise circularity and resource efficiency.

Battery production for Volvo Cars’ and Polestar’s fully electric models represents a large part of each car’s total life cycle carbon emissions. By working with Northvolt, a leader in sustainable battery production,

GLOBAL

NEWS

Emerson’s control systems supporting Neptune Energy’s green hydrogen production Emerson is helping accelerate technology development for large-scale offshore green hydrogen production.

The company is developing software and systems to enable safe and efficient operation of the world’s first offshore green hydrogen production process on an operational gas platform.

The PosHYdon project is a pilot that aims to validate the integration of offshore wind power and offshore natural gas and hydrogen production at sea— generating renewable fuels by harnessing a green energy source. The Neptune Energy-operated platform Q13a-A in the Dutch North Sea will host the project, which will provide insight into electrolyser efficiency from a variable power supply and the cost of installing and maintaining a green hydrogen production plant on an offshore platform.

Green electricity will be used to simulate the fluctuating supply from wind turbines and power the production process, which will convert seawater into demineralised water and then safely produce hydrogen via electrolysis. The hydrogen is then blended with the natural gas and transported to the coast, via the existing gas pipeline, and fed into the national gas grid.

The 1 MW electrolyser is expected to produce up to three tons of hydrogen per week.

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Emerson’s DeltaV- distributed control system, DeltaV safety instrumented system and DeltaV Live operator interface software will manage the desalination and electrolyser units, gas blending and balance of plant equipment. By meeting the unique application challenges, including variable desalinated water feedstock and power supply, DeltaV software and systems will provide enhanced safety, process uptime and operational efficiency.

The solution will ensure the existing natural gas operations remain unaffected and blended gas meets its required specification. Integration with the existing offshore systems and communication with onshore operations will maximise process visibility and prevent unforeseen issues.

PosHYdon is being developed by consortium partners Nexstep, TNO, Neptune Energy, Gasunie, Noordgastransport, NOGAT, DEME Offshore, TAQA, Eneco, Nel Hydrogen, InVesta, Hatenboer, Iv-Offshore and Energy and Emerson. The project has been awarded a €3.6 Million grant from The Netherlands Enterprise Agency under the agency’s Demonstration Energy and Climate Innovation scheme, which invests in renewable energy developments, including hydrogen pilots.

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NEWS

Hershey’s Middle East identified the insight that at-home baking was growing globally

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GLOBAL

As the global pandemic unfolded last year, consumers’ lifestyles were dramatically changed and with those changes came rapid evolution in consumer needs, attitudes and behaviours.

Hershey’s Middle East quickly identified and delivered on an opportunity based on the insight that at-home baking was rapidly growing around the world as people were confined to their stayat-home last year.

With a portfolio of delicious and chocolatey treats perfectly suited to the skyrocketing baking trend, the Hershey International team went to work to tap into these trends and connect consumers to a range of products to enable their newfound love of in-home baking.

While the brand constantly strives to being adaptive and responsive to developing trends, they ensure in providing their consumers with great quality products that help them in achieving the desired results for themselves and their families.

In celebration of the festive season across the MENA region, Hershey’s exquisitely put together their Bake the Most of the Festive Season initiative to drive their range versatility and category relevancy. Hershey’s Middle East will be accelerating its consumer activations both in-store and athome to drive category education and relevance.

At home, consumers will be targeted through social and digital platforms with the brand’s customised festive weekly recipes, created by expert influencers. Through an online competition, Hershey’s will also be acknowledging and rewarding consumers on their festive recipe submissions with a beautiful Hershey’s Kitchens personalised gift hamper.

At the retail level, the brand will be implementing the festive theme

execution, while highlighting their newly launched baking chips: SemiSweet and Milk Chocolate variants in 200g and 425g stand-up packs.

The main objectives are to fuel trial, reward heavy-duty bakers and the brand’s loyal customers.

Solidifying the success of Hershey’s Middle East in baking products this past year is an example of how the business works to quickly adapt to changing consumer trends, demonstrate agility and satisfy the fastchanging needs of consumers during the pandemic and global lockdowns.

The fact that these trends have continued through 2021, demonstrate that these new rituals are here to stay.

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NEWS

GLOBAL

85% consumers completely trust healthcare providers finds Salesforce’s Connected Report In Salesforce’s most recent Dreamforce keynote in San Francisco, Salesforce Chairman and Co-CEO Marc Benioff outlined his thoughts on a critical question: How do we create more trust?

According to Benioff, the world is currently undergoing a crisis of trust, and every organisation must act. Indeed, Edelman’s 2021 Trust Barometer found that in the last year, trust has dipped across nearly every single industry sector — including healthcare. The cost of trust within healthcare and life sciences industries is especially high, where trusted relationships can be the difference between being vaccinated and unvaccinated, wellness or illness, and even life or death.

To better understand the role of trust within these critical industries, and what trusted health organisations are doing differently, Salesforce surveyed over 12,000 consumers in 13 countries and developed the latest edition of its Connected Health Consumer Report.

While the pandemic impacted healthcare and life sciences companies across the board, consumer trust in 2021 varies by sector. As the daily applause for healthcare workers may have indicated, care providers lead the pack in consumer trust, with 85% of consumers saying they somewhat or completely trust their providers.

Although pharmaceutical companies developed incredible innovations during the pandemic, including the release of the first FDA-authorised mRNA vaccines, pharmaceutical companies found themselves at the low end of consumer trust. Only 58% of health consumers trust the pharmaceutical companies they interact with. And even fewer — one in 10 consumers with a prescription — completely trust pharmaceutical companies.

Salesforce’s study found that consumers who have a trusted relationship with a given health organisation are much more willing to share relevant, non-medical information such as nutrition habits or access to transportation. This holds true across insurers, providers, medical technology companies, and pharmaceutical organisations, with a particularly stark difference within the pharmaceutical space.

Moreover, when compared to consumers who

don’t trust pharmaceutical companies, consumers with trusted relationships express significantly more interest in using different health services, such as reminders to take medicine or enrolling in patient support programs.

Organisations that personalise services in response to an individual’s medical and non-medical health factors are met with increased consumer trust. For example, Salesforce’s research found that compared to providers with lower consumer trust, trusted providers are twice as likely to ask patients about nonmedical needs impacting health. This indicates that to continue building trust, it’s important for health organisations to gain a holistic understanding of the consumers they serve. Indeed, 97% of consumers say it is important for their providers to follow up on their progress — even amid disruption.

MARC BENIOFF

Chairman and Co-CEO, Salesforce

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NEWS

Volvo Cars, Northvolt establish battery manufacturing plant in Sweden commencing 2025

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LORI MACVITTIE

Principal Technical Evangelist, Office of the CTO at F5.

continually into the data and impact our ability to interpret it—and thus gain insight into what it really means.

Eliminating data bias If we want better decisions in a digital as default world, we are going to need better data and that means eliminating as much data bias as we can.

Data lake as a service can also be an effective means of addressing the bias introduced by curation, due to volume and cost to store over time. By outsourcing scale and capacity, organisations can more freely ingest more telemetry, making it easier to uncover anomalies and patterns that impact performance and more. Over the past five years, we have seen a growing menu of such services, often rolled up as part of the XaaS category that continues to consume IT budgets at an increasing rate. Deloitte noted in a report on XaaS this year that nearly 50% of organisations will allocate at least half of their IT spending to XaaS. Finally, by migrating from visualisations to insights, the issue with bias in the dashboard delivery of operational data can be addressed. Rather than just displaying snapshots of data points in time, insights deliver information based on patterns and relationships discovered in the data. What’s more, insights can eliminate unnecessary fire drills caused by reliance on binary metrics. Modern systems are built to fail and recover automatically.

Being notified whenever that happens can cause alert fatigue that drives down productivity. The ability to analyse telemetry in the context of an entire user flow means understanding when a failed component requires intervention and when it doesn’t. Migrating from a mode that relies on interpreting multiple visualisations to leveraging comprehensive insights can eliminate some of the bias inherent in visualisation.

As business approaches a default-digital model, it necessarily relies more and more on data. Eliminating bias in that data will be a critical step in ensuring that decisions based on that data will lead to the best outcome possible for customers and the business.

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GLOBAL

According to F5’s latest State of Application Strategy report, only five out of 100 people are managing to get the insights they need from the myriad monitoring tools they use to track the performance, availability, and security of their digital assets. The other 95%?

They might as well as be staring at cute but ineffective Venn diagrams.

One of the causes of missing insights is not a dearth of tools or even a lack of data; it’s the continuous bias in the data.

Data bias is caused by opinionated curation within a system. Opinionated curation is the result of decisions made regarding everything from what data is collected and from what systems, to how visualisations are displayed on dashboards.

One of the most significant sources of data bias is the legacy of agent-based systems, which require additional software to be deployed on any system from which you want to collect data. Agents are usually paired with an analytics platform. In the past, the pricing of these products often included the cost of agents. Discounted for large deployments, of course, but nonetheless a costly proposition.

The cost of deploying—and managing—agents introduced data bias because it limited the systems from which you could collect data. Opinions— experienced or not—regarding the worthiness of monitoring a given application or system often drove the deployment decision.

The volume of data generated, too, is a source of continuous bias because it led to decisions based on the opinion of the value of specific data points. Do you really need all those metrics, or can we just limit it to three or four? The opinionated curation of metrics means there’s no way to validate shifts or changes in the data overall. Those shifts or changes could be indicative of a potential problem—or risk—but are missed because the data was deemed insignificant.

Finally, dashboard decisions about visualisation further bias interpretation and are often based on skills and experiences that may not be shared with others who use the dashboard. Even the choice of graph can introduce bias. This is particularly true for time-series based operational metrics like performance and uptime.

Bar charts are often used to chart time-series data but aren’t as impactful as line charts. A bar chart forces us to compare bar heights to understand shifts in response time rather than allowing the shape of the line to show us what’s happening. These simple decisions can have a profound impact on operators who rely on visualisation to offer insight into the operating state of a system.

All these decisions introduce bias

NEWS

MEXICO AND INDIA

capabilities to clients in global markets, including the ability to increase application usage time, business management operations and integrated IT services.

As a result of this collaboration, both companies will be able to expand their operations and

access new markets, making them better positioned to explore global markets. NEORIS, with more than 20 years of experience and global presence including operations in Latin America, will strengthen HCL’s presence in territories like Mexico and South America which offer great opportunities for commercial development.

With operations in 52 countries, HCL Technologies will aid NEORIS in expanding its business internationally, primarily in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Together, NEORIS and HCL Technologies can speed up digital transformation, mitigate risks, empower teams based on product development, create a zeroincident culture and save costs. The solutions that NEORIS and HCL will offer together will focus on complementing approaches and solutions, new technologies and talent development among other areas of expertise.

Enabling digital transformation for leading German omnichannel, e-commerce retailers, leading FMCG brands and global mobility providers, oddity has a comprehensive service portfolio comprising digital-first brand management and communication, in-house production, including virtual and augmented reality, experience design and e-commerce services across Europe and China.

Together with Infosys’ earlier acquisition of WONGDOODY, which offers creative and marketing services, oddity will help global

CMOs, and businesses thrive in a digital commerce world with complementary skills and expertise. As part of Infosys’ digital experience and design offering, oddity will become part of WONGDOODY, an Infosys company, and join its network of studios across Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, Providence, Houston, and London, and design hubs in five cities in India.

The acquisition is expected to close during the first quarter of fiscal 2023, subject to customary closing conditions.

GLOBAL

HCL and NEORIS sign agreement for integrated IT Services

HCL Technologies, a leading global technology company, has signed a collaboration agreement with NEORIS, a leading global digital accelerator that co-creates disruptive solutions for digitally aspirational companies. The agreement will bring unique

INDIA AND GERMANY

Infosys to acquire digital marketing agency oddity Infosys announced a definitive agreement to acquire oddity, a Germany-based digital marketing, experience, and commerce agency. The move strengthens Infosys’ creative, branding and experience design capabilities, and demonstrates its continued commitment to co-create with clients and help them navigate their digital transformation journey.

With more than 300 digital experts located in Stuttgart, Berlin, Cologne, Belgrade, Shanghai and Taipei, oddity is one of the largest independent digital agencies from Germany.

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NEWS

On 17th March 2022, Global CIO Forum launched the Global Manufacturing CIO Forum on the sidelines of the 8th edition of The Future IT Summit in the esteemed presence of Pratap Patjoshi, CIO of Mercedez-Benz India and Binita Prasad, Head of IT, Sany Heavy Industry India in The Future IT Summit MEA 2022 at The Ballroom, Level 4, Conrad Hotel, Dubai.

The manufacturing industry, today, is at the cusp of an uproar. Industry 4.0’s close intertwining with digital transformation has further propelled the CIO to look beyond the traditional delivery of IT infrastructure and services towards an unwavering business focus.

Speaking at the launch, Ronak Samantaray, Cofounder and CEO, GEC Media Group said, “Today we are launching the Global CIO Manufacturing Forum, but before that I would like to go two years back when the CIO manufacturing forum actually started back in India and for two years its been a great journey and then we decided to take it to the global platform as The Global CIO Manufacturing Forum; as we all know that manufacturing is one of they key element of the

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UAE

Global CIO Manufacturing Forum launched in Dubai industry and at the global at the moment. As a CIO there is a big responsibility on the shoulders as to see how technology can help.”

Pratap Patjoshi, CIO of Mercedez-Benz India attended the launch of the Global CIO Manufacturing Forum in Dubai and said that in every forum, manufacturing is an integral part and that they had started that in India two years back and now they were there to launch it officially.

Global CIO Manufacturing Forum represents IT Executives and CIOs in the manufacturing sector globally. GMCF is a non-profit community of CIOs and IT leaders whose mission is to facilitate networking, sharing of best practices and executive development, and to collaborate on issues faced by the CIOs and IT Executives. The forum would also foster the growth of knowledge sharing platforms that will help the CIOs of the manufacturing sector develop relevant skill sets to realise the full potential of digital solutions and technologies that drive productivity.

The Global CIO Manufacturing Forum grows IT leaders, speaks with one voice on issues facing CIOs, and builds a vendor-neutral community for safe exchange of ideas and best practices.

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NEWS

MALAYSIA

Mubadala petroleum attains Pegaga gas flow in Malaysia Mubadala Petroleum, the Abu Dhabi headquartered international energy company, has successfully commenced the first gas production from the Pegaga gas field in Block SK 320, offshore Malaysia.

This milestone marks the safe and successful culmination of a challenging gas project, during a period in which Mubadala Petroleum navigated the challenges of the global pandemic. As a key strategic development for the local energy sector, Pegaga will be a key producing field supplying gas to PETRONAS LNG Complex, in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia.

Mubadala Petroleum has been present in Malaysia since 2010 and is the Operator of Block SK 320 with a 55% interest. PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of PETRONAS holds 25%, with Sarawak Shell Berhad holding the remaining 20% interest.

MANSOOR MOHAMED AL The Pegaga gas field is in the Central Luconia HAMED province, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia at about CEO of Mubadala Petroleum.

108-meter water depth. The development concept comprises an Integrated Central Processing Platform LNG Complex in Bintulu. consisting of an 8-legged jacket. The facility is At the height of the pandemic in Malaysia, the jacket designed for gas throughput of 550 Million standard and wellhead deck which were constructed in Lumut cubic feet of gas per day plus condensate. The produced and Kuching fabrication yards, were installed in April gas will be evacuated through a new 4 KM, 38-inch 2020 followed by the Pegaga Development Drilling subsea pipeline tying into an existing offshore gas campaign. The ICPP float-over and installation was network and subsequently to the onshore PETRONAS then safely completed in August 2021.

Malaysia joins Expo 2020 Dubai 5-year legacy programme

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation – MOSTI Dato’ Sri Dr Adham Baba announced Malaysia’s participation in the UAE government’s Expo 2020 Dubai 5-year legacy programme, where the Malaysia Pavilion at the event site will be retained and repurposed for the next 5 years.

The Pavilion will be Malaysian Technology and Innovation Hub in the UAE and will be retained as government-owned and operated by a private Malaysian company for the next 5 years. The Hub will

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operate on a public-private partnership model where both the Malaysian government and the private entity can utilise this facility to host officials and dignitaries as well as a platform to promote technology-based products and services.

In selecting the company which would operate the Hub, a Steering Committee chaired by MOSTI Secretary General Datuk Zainal Abidin Abu Hassan, was set up to ensure the candidates meet the programme’s criteria of being a key player in the main sectors of smart city, smart logistics, smart mobility or Industry 4.0.

Following this, the Committee will oversee the ownership of the Technology and Innovation Hub and to ensure that it achieves what it has set out to accomplish.

Malaysia’s homegrown Aerodyne Group that is also a global player as No.1 Drone Service provider was selected to take over operations of the Pavilion in the UAE. Aerodyne Group will be utilising this facility as their second global headquarters.

The Expo 2020 Dubai 5-year Legacy Programme is part of the UAE government’s long-term initiative of repurposing the event site as an integrated mixeduse community known as District 2020 after the conclusion of the World Expo.

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NEWS

SINGAPORE

TCS and WWF-Singapore to launch AR tiger trail exhibition

Tata Consultancy Services announced it is the Official Solutions Partner for World Wide Fund for Nature Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail, a highly visual and

gamified exhibition aimed at driving awareness and action on tiger conservation and sustainability.

The WWF-Singapore’s AR-mazing Tiger Trail, which is open now till April 9, comprises 33 lifesized tiger sculptures exhibited across different parts of Singapore, including iconic spots such as Gardens by the Bay and Sentosa. These sculptures are designed by more than 60 local and international artists and seek to educate visitors about the debilitating impact on the tiger population in Asia caused by events such as climate change, poaching and deforestation.

Besides the physical exhibits, visitors can also experience a digital version of the trail by scanning a ‘QR’ code at the base of the sculptures. Powered

by TCS, the digital trail is co-designed with WWFSingapore and provides users with an Augmented Reality view of the tigers and their dwindling natural habitats, thereby amplifying the messages on nature and biodiversity.

COLOMBO

MV HR Sarera becomes first caller at JCT after pandamic With a greater focus to provide flexible feeder connections in Colombo, HR Lines, Bangladesh feeder vessel operator, who introduced their feeder service, CCE – Chattogram Colombo Express in April 2021, has dedicated one of their Chattogram loops to call at JCT effective MV HR SARERA Voyage 0042N called at the Jaya Container Terminal of the Port of Colombo on 10.03.2022. The occasion was graced by the Bangladesh High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, H. E. Tareq Md Ariful Islam.

MV HR SARERA is the first inaugural caller at the JCT of SLPA after Covid -19 pandemic. To mark the inaugural call of the vessel plaque exchanges were held at the JCT of SLPA. Clarion Shipping, a subsidiary of Hayleys Advantis Group is the local agent for the vessel.

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HR Lines stared the Colombo – Chattogram feeder service with 02 vessels once a week sailing and eventually will upgrade it to twice weekly with adding 02 more vessels by October 2022. Being one of the prominent feeder operators, within a year, HR Lines has secured a total market share of about 35% of this trade lane. HR Line is a part of diversified group Karnaphuli Bangladesh and is determined to enhance their presence in Colombo with further developments.

SLPA’s Managing Director – Upul Jayatissa, Director (Operations) – Lal Weerasinghe, Chief Manager (Conventional Cargo Operations) – L.P.S. Chandana, Chief Manager (Communication and Public Relations) – Chitral Jayawarna, Senior. Harbour Master – Capt.

S.B.Y.M.Y.L. Wasantha, Ruwan Waidyaratne – Managing Director – Hayleys Advantis Limited, Shano Sabar – Group Director – Hayleys Advantis Limited, Tharanga Perera – Director and CEO – Clarion Shipping, and Chrishantha Silva – Deputy General Manager – Clarion Shipping were also present at the occasion.

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PROCESS TRANSFORMATION

RETROFITTING,

ENERGY

SAVINGS, AUTOMATION

One fifth of CO2 emissions are caused by old public buildings and revamping old buildings can bring considerable advantages in terms of savings and sustainability.

BY ARUN SHANKAR

KEY TAKEAWAYS If you take a building of 5,000 sqm, ABB can produce an energy saving of 25%, and this saving in cost gives a return of investment in two years.

When you look at expectations of shareholders, many of the investment funds require ESG performance.

In Germany 30% of the buildings are 15+ years old.

Another important element is smart metering because that gives you the opportunity to see how much of the utility service is consumed.

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A

BB has a wide portfolio including buying accessories, smart home residential applications, and commercial building automation. Electrification is a global business because you need electricity everywhere.

“In Middle East, all of our divisions are quite well represented. Most of the 21 divisions of ABB are somehow active in the UAE,” says Thorsten Muller, Head of Global Product Group, Building and Home Automation Solutions, ABB. ABB has set for itself certain targets. “The first one is we want to become carbon nuclear with all of our operations by 2030. The second is we want to support our customers with eco-friendly solutions to bring down their CO2 emission by a hundred million tons by 2030,” says Muller.

If you take a building of 5,000 sqm, ABB can produce an energy saving of 25%, and this

saving in cost gives a return of investment in two years.

“After two years, you are just generating better profits and that is super attractive.”

Just five years ago, that would not have been possible using traditional technology and it would require many years to achieve the return on investment.

When you look at expectations of shareholders, many of the investment funds require ESG performance.

Otherwise, there will be no investments in the future.

“If you look into energy distribution applications, like the intelligent microgrid, ABB is very strong there, because this is really the heritage of the company. We are doing that for more than a hundred years,” says Muller.

Another important element is smart metering because that gives you the opportunity to see how much of the utility service is consumed. And then you can have an intelligent

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PROCESS TRANSFORMATION

THORSTEN MULLER Head of Global Product Group, Building and Home Automation Solutions, ABB.

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PROCESS TRANSFORMATION

In Germany

30% of the buildings are 15+ years old.

ABB’S

SUSTAINABILITY

SNAPSHOT

According to a study by Bain in 2021, the sustainability solutions market presents an opportunity of $100bn for ABB and is growing at a CAGR of 17%, reaching $380bn in 2030.

Accenture estimates the value of implementing a circular economy to be $4.5 trillion globally.

Accenture estimates the value of implementing a circular economy to be $4.5 trillion globally.

Analysis by We Mean Business coalition has found that implementing the Paris Agreement will unlock at least $13.5 trillion of economic activity in the energy sector alone by 2030.

Businesses without energy management as a core competency will look for partners who can apply innovation across multiple sites using a range of digital technologies.

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management layer on top, with balancing between different buildings and creation of a smart group,

RETROFITTING OF BUILDINGS

One fifth of all carbon dioxide emissions are caused by public buildings. The great majority of them are deemed to be energy inefficient and not compliant to energy efficiency standards and regulations. Revamping old buildings can bring considerable advantages in terms of savings and sustainability.

The Paris Agreement was opened for signature on 22 April 2016 at a ceremony in New York. The Paris Agreement’s long-term temperature goal is to keep the rise in mean global temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and preferably limit the increase to 1.5 °C, recognising that this would substantially reduce the effects of climate change.

Emissions should be reduced as soon as possible and reach net-zero by the middle of the 21st century.

ABB is committed to supporting the Paris climate.

And if you look into the building stock around the globe, only 3% of the global buildings are built as new, each year.

“If you want to hit the Paris climate goals, you have to work with the existing building stock.

Otherwise simply you do not have any chance,” adds Muller.

In Germany, 30% of the buildings are 15+ years old , and that is why ABB sees building automation as having a strong chance as part of retro fit and renovation applications.

“Retrofit is for us a significant upside. If you have a completely new building, you can unlock even more potential. But we are also very much focused on existing buildings,” explains Muller.

MARKET SEGMENTATION

There are three well defined customer segments to initiate retrofitting solutions: l Businesses having their built-up industrial estate. l Large retail chains with global sustainability targets. l Facility management groups skilled labour managing the premises.

Muller says the backbone required for successful delivery of building management solution is pretty much the same in all countries. “What we need is an intelligent platform, which can collect data, can analyse data and connect on it.”

By bringing in IoT sensors the entire HVAC energy management system, becomes more intelligent and more autonomous.

“There is a very, big potential to save energy. In an average building, where we are deployed, energy cost is going down by 30% to 50%.” It is not possible to predict the energy savings since the energy consumption contracts are different in every country and locality.

A well connected and integrated building management system will automatically start cooling the room before the arrival of the guests. On the other hand, if there are no guests checking in, the building management system will allow the room to warm up slightly, saving energy.

Retrofitting existing building also requires being able to work through traditional data silos.

Building management systems are dealing with siloed areas inside a typical building including security, HVAC, electrification, lighting.

“Taking the power of IoT it is much easier for us now to connect to different silos and to extract data and to work with that data.” Despite these successes Muller still feels, “we are just in the way of transitioning.”

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PROCESS TRANSFORMATION

How ABB’s BMS data is uploaded and synchronised in cloud Ekip UP collects data from field devices. The Ekip UP is connected to the breakers and, via an Ethernet switch, to the Ekip Signalling. The breakers measure energy and power quality, while Ekip Signalling modules send information about status, alarms and the number of operations.

The CMS-700 in the panel is responsible for branch monitoring and is connected to the Ekip UP via Mod-bus TCPIP collects.

It is also possible to control and check status of MCBs through Ekip signalling, connected to the same switch of the CMS-700.

This data, together with information collected by the Ekip UP, then goes to the cloud and is made available on ABB Ability EDCS for further analysis.

Ekip UP is the low-voltage digital unit able to monitor, protect and control the next generation of plants. Thanks to the built-in software-based function, Ekip UP is the unit that digitalises the plant performance. Sharing all the electronics solutions of allin-one platform, Ekip UP completes the ecosystem to fit all the market opportunities. The result is a unit suitable for all the different applications including all the needed functionalities without the need of additional external devices.

ABB Ability Energy and Asset Manager is a state-of-the-art cloud solution that integrates energy and asset management in a single intuitive dashboard. Providing full remote visibility of asset and electrical-system behaviour, ABB Ability Energy and Asset Manager provides insights that help you minimise cost and risk and maximise performance and safety across your operations.

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COVER STORY

JAGDISH MITRA Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra

A HUMAN CENTRIC MODEL WITH AI The world is moving towards a human-centred partnership model with AI, to enhance cognitive performance, including learning, decision making, innovating.

COVER STORY

BY ARUN SHANKAR

P

ost the pandemic, the rise of digital has been nothing short of staggering.

The pandemic has shown us that it is neither the fittest nor the fastest that survives.

It is the most agile and the most responsive.

2021 was the year of digitalisation and 2022 will be the year of recalibrating talent to address the demand for niche skills and digitally adept employees.

Tech Mahindra has learnt from its own experiences during the pandemic. Its business continuity rollout enabled the enterprise to put 98% of its employees working from home in

under two weeks since the start of the lockdown. This has been important in building an understanding of what customers want.

Tech Mahindra has put these learnings to use by building digital transformation services that impact every touchpoint: from digital strategy and design, digital consumer, intelligent operations, digital foundation, digital insights to future of enterprise.

With Tech Mahindra’s pervasive AI approach, it is enabling enterprises to redesign, re-imagine, and reinvent themselves to deliver enhanced experiences to their customers. The world is moving towards a human-centred partnership model between people and AI, to enhance cognitive performance, which includes learning, decision making, and innovating to

While digital transformation will not happen overnight, yet adoption of 5G will fast track transformation in cellular communication.

deliver newer experiences.

ENABLING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION Tech Mahindra is focussed on enabling digital transformation for its customers across the

Transforming global MNCs Robotic service orchestration for better human-machine collaboration for a Japanese megabank.

Platform related, owned best practices for multiple leading global telecom providers AI-at-edge to detect faulty equipment assembly for US based medical equipment manufacturer Business model transformation with predictive maintenance for global industrial manufacturer Business-driven automation CoE strategy and execution for a Canadian energy company Enabling design-led data visualisation for efficiency and predictive actions for a US financial services entity Digital experience and data insights enabling better business performance for global publishing company Creating a multi-year digital roadmap for the aftermarket business for an American auto enterprise Building the world’s first E2E network on cloud for Japanese conglomerate who ventured into CSP business Digital platform with own IP plus business services led to improved medication adherence of +50% for a European pharma major

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COVER STORY

Global challenges around 5G 5G device and accessibility for both receiver and sender Accessibility of remote locations Energy efficiency, which normally improves with new generation innovations Government regulations needing constant refresh Keeping up with rapid pace of transformational technologies

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globe by providing relevant solutions powered by emerging technologies. In this, Tech Mahindra’s technology talent serves as a pillar of support.

Tech Mahindra continues to focus on skill-based hiring across emerging technologies including 5G, XDS, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud, Robotic Process Automation, Blockchain, Internet of Things, and Cyber Security, among others, to build a futureready ecosystem. The learning and development practices at Tech Mahindra enable its resources to be fit for the future by transforming themselves into next generation of business ready associates.

Upskilling encompasses leadership, technical, functional, domain and role-based skilling programs. One such initiative is NAD - Learn, an AI enabled platform. NAD -Learn fuels the entire software delivery conveyor with platforms for planning, contextual right skilling, design thinking, asset curation and reuse, monitoring and

tracking, and a cloud-committed development arena.

NAD-Learn is an AI-based platform powered by new age delivery engine to provide interactive, on-demand, contextual and hyperpersonalised upskilling to employees in self-service mode.

It uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to understand an employee’s profile and job description to match skillsets.

NAD-Learn recommends learning courses, eliminates many manual processes and approvals, and empowers employees to selflearn, freeing up the bandwidth of learning staff.

In another area, Tech Mahindra has adopted its NXT.NOW strategy which aims to provide a seamless customer experience. NXT.NOW is enabling Tech Mahindra’s clients to experience the future of technology now and helping them win by imagining the future of their business, building the right solutions, and helping them run it to attain the right outcomes.

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COVER STORY

Bright spots ahead

Deep vertical cloud solutions

Robust capability in product engineering

KEY TAKEAWAYS 2021 was the year of digitalisation and 2022 will be the year of recalibrating talent.

Tech Mahindra has put learnings to use by building digital transformation services that impact every touchpoint.

The learning practices enable resources to be fit by transforming into next generation of business ready associates.

NAD-Learn fuels the software delivery conveyor with platforms for planning, contextual right skilling, design thinking.

Tech Mahindra recently built one of the world’s first 5G end-to-end cloud native platform for a tier-1 carrier in Japan.

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Sustainability framework geared towards building enduring business

Co-Innovation with customers in AI, IoT, AR VR based technologies

As part of the NXT.NOW framework, which aims to enhance human centric experience, Tech Mahindra focuses on investing in emerging technologies and solutions that enable digital transformation and meet the evolving needs of the customer.

5G FOR BUSINESS

5G’s adoption has become critical for enterprises to achieve the next level of industrial automation and digital transformation that enable higher level of productivity and reduce operational complexity and costs. 5G ecosystem will unlock immense opportunities for industries across sectors to improve productivity and enhance customer experience through digitally powered newage platforms and solutions.

A major chunk of contract signings is around either integrating or enabling 5G. This includes scaled adoption of cloud and driving greater intelligence into the network systems via analytics and AI. Tech Mahindra recently designed, built, tested, and operated one of the world’s first 5G end-to-end cloud

Harness the power of Metaverse to build innovative solutions that can have a positive impact on the society

Sustainable and equitable growth by being mindful of the interests of all stakeholders

native platform for a tier-1 carrier in Japan. The platform enables hyper-personalisation and hyperautomation.

While digital transformation will not happen overnight, yet adoption of this technology will fast track NXT in cellular communication, thereby accelerating enterprises’ ability to deliver superior experiences.

Having said this, organisations all around the world are working on resolving these issues. Given the sheer size, scale, and scope of the opportunity that 5G will unlock, it is critical to join hands, industry, academia or government.

In a public remark, CP Gurnani, MD and CEO, Tech Mahindra has said, “5G will be the lighthouse that will guide us in navigating the uncharted waters of digital transformation and Industry 4.0.

In this voyage, Tech Mahindra will be an eager partner for all CSPs that want to accelerate 5G adoption and re-imagine the enterprises’ journey to the future of connectivity.”

Tech Mahindra’s endeavour is to help customers gear up to this era of augmented intelligence and derive the greatest benefits from it.

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Some wait for Monday to Begin!

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SANJAY MALIK

SVP & Head of India Market, Nokia.

India recorded big growth in mobile broadband data in 2021

Sophos’ data centre starts operations in India Sophos, a global leader in next-generation cybersecurity, announced that its new data center in Mumbai is now open. The Sophos data center provides local capacity to address the growing demand for Sophos Central, the cloud management platform that supports Sophos’ portfolio of advanced, nextgeneration cybersecurity products. The data center also provides private and public organisations of any size with the ability to store, manage and access data incountry, allowing them to meet local data sovereignty regulations.

The initial products and services in the portfolio with access to the new data center include Sophos Extended Detection and Response, Sophos Intercept X, Intercept X for Server, Sophos Encryption, and Sophos Managed Threat Response services.

The Sophos India data center is hosted by Amazon Web Services in Mumbai and is Sophos’ third data center in the Asia Pacific and Japan region. The other two locations are in Australia and Japan.

SUNIL SHARMA

Managing Director of Sales for India and SAARC, Sophos.

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Nokia annual Mobile Broadband Index – MBiT report 2022 reveals that with the Compounded Annual Growth Rate – CAGR of 53% over the last five years, India has one of the highest data usage in the world. The growing number of data users and consumption per user is helping the country advance towards realising the vision of Digital India.

The data traffic increased by 31% in 2021, with average mobile data consumption touching 17GB per user per month. India’s growing 4G networks carried almost all mobile broadband traffic in 2021. The report further revealed that more than 40 Million subscribers were added or upgraded to 4G services in 2021. This number will further grow as adaptation to digitisation continues to grow. Metros have shown a

significant increase in traffic as compared to the previous years.

The growing ecosystem of 4G-capable devices is driving the growth in 4G subscribers and data consumption. India recorded the highest-ever shipment of more than 160 Million smartphones, including 30 Million 5G devices in 2021, with active 4G capable devices crossing 80% and the number of active 5G capable devices, crossing 10 Million.

The report forecasts that user adoption will increase to ~60-75% of the smartphone user base by the calendar year 2025. The massive uptake of mobile broadband and video content is projected in the rural segment on the back of growing smartphone adoption.

Nokia MBiT report projects that 5G services revenue is likely to grow at a CAGR of 164% in five years. This is in line with the global momentum gained by 5G. The technology is expected to contribute up to 1% of global GDP or $1.3 Trillion in revenue by 2030, driven by innovative use cases in several sectors, including healthcare, utilities, nextgeneration media applications, manufacturing, and smart cities.

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enthusiasts, problem solvers, and students to develop innovative and disruptive solutions that can drive transformational, sustainable change by leveraging next-generation technologies. The Copyright and Idea Intellectual Property will remain with the ideators primarily, and Tech Mahindra will act as a guiding force to help convert the final winning ideas and bring them to the product stage.

The ideathon laps will be divided into three stages – registration, idea submission, and evaluation. Top three winners of all the ideathon laps will get an opportunity to virtually intern with Tech Mahindra’s race cities including Riyadh, Makers Lab and Mahindra Racing, Mexico City, Berlin, Jakarta, wherein the ideators will get the Vancouver, New York, and London. opportunity to collaborate and Ideathon laps in Riyadh and Mexico learn from notable industry leaders, City are already in progress and technology experts, and innovators the registrations for the same are of the industry. The winners of each currently open. lap will also stand a chance to meet These Ideathon laps, led the Tech Mahindra and Mahindra

by MakersLabTM, Research Racing leadership teams along and development arm of Tech with MR Formula E team drivers Mahindra, will encourage tech during Season 8.

INDIA

Tech Mahindra to build green digital solutions Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services and solutions, will host Tech in Sustainability Ideathon Laps, as a part of the ongoing Mahindra Racing partnership. The ideathon laps will crowdsource innovative solutions for a better and sustainable future and will be held across multiple

Wipro, Pandorum to accelerate regenerative medicine with AI

Wipro, a leading global information technology, consulting, and business process services company, and Pandorum Technologies, a biotechnology company working in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, announced a long-term partnership. Together, the companies will focus on the development of technologies that shorten time-tomarket and maximise patient outcome during research and development and clinical trials of regenerative medicine. The partnership combines the

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Artificial Intelligence capabilities of Wipro Holmes with Pandorum’s expertise in regenerative medicine.

The initial focus of collaboration will be on ‘bio-engineered liquid cornea’ and will expand across the product pipeline including lung and liver regenerative tissues.

Wipro Holmes Artificial Intelligence-based decision support solution will provide insights on the potential outcomes of specific formulations, apply advanced algorithms to predict and improve the efficacy of therapeutics, and help in clinical study design.

The combined vision of Pandorum and Wipro is to build an Artificial Intelligence system that learns from the multi-dimensional data coming out of Pandorum’s research and development pipeline at the cellular, tissue and organ levels, and provides actionable insights.

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Akamai recognised as a leader in the ‘IDC MarketScape’ Akamai Technologies, the world’s most trusted solution to power and protect digital experiences, has again been recognised as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Commercial Content Delivery Network Services 2022 Vendor Assessment. The IDC MarketScape noted Akamai’s balanced and comprehensive portfolio, and an appetite for innovation among the capabilities and differentiators that helped position it in the Leaders Category.

The IDC MarketScape highlighted Akamai’s balanced and comprehensive portfolio spanning media and web delivery, emerging edge applications, extensive security capabilities, and

programmable edge addresses the needs of all enterprise segments and the developer community.

Among the numerous strengths listed, the IDC MarketScape emphasised how Akamai’s appetite for innovation is showcased by the

NTT DATA, a digital business and IT services leader, announced the launch of NTT DATA AI Hackathon as part of TechGig Code Gladiators

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2022. NTT DATA is hackathon partner of the event which will focus on using artificial intelligence to improve outcomes of detection

and management of diseases.

The hackathon will bring developers and tech enthusiasts from across the world together to create innovative healthcare solutions. Despite recent advances, there is still immense potential for artificial intelligence technologies in the areas of healthcare access, early disease detection and patient support for disease management.

Registrations for the three-round hackathon are currently open.

In the first round, participants will have to clear multiple choice questions. Once they advance to the next round, they will receive a real-life healthcare problem statement and be asked to submit a presentation with a solution. In the final round, they will need to submit a working model of their solution. The hackathon will close on August 2, 2022. Prizes will be awarded to the winner and two runners-up. Developers who submit promising solutions may be interviewed for roles at NTT DATA.

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INDIA

NTT DATA launches Hackathon for AI Innovations in Healthcare

fact that the vendor continues to expand its services and capabilities beyond CDN and leverage innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to address new areas like IoT, DevOps, and blockchain.

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NLB Services, NTT Data announce hackathon for women IT professionals

SACHIN ALUG

CEO, NLB Services.

Sophos’ data centre starts operations in India Sophos appointed Chad Cleevely as director, channel sales, Asia Pacific and Japan. In this role, Cleevely will lead Sophos’ channel operations across the APJ region working with partners and customers to provide the cybersecurity solutions and services required to protect them from today’s fast-changing cyberattacks, including ransomware.

Cleevely joins Sophos from Quest Software where he was APJ channel sales director. During his five-year tenure at Quest Software, Cleevely also spent time leading the regional sales team.

Cleevely’s 25-year technology career comprises various sales and channel leadership roles with Dell Technologies, IBM and Symantec.

CHAD CLEEVELY

APJ Channel Sales Director, Sophos.

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INDIA

NTT DATA announced their alliance on a women-only Hackathon titled, Bridge The Gap. Through this initiative, NTT DATA and NLB Services aim to break biases and tackle the gender gap in the information technology sector, by recognising promising women in technology. The month-long hackathon will be hosted from March 8, 2022, to April 11, 2022.

Kicking off on March 8, 2022, International Women’s Day, the event will offer Java and .NET developers a platform to showcase their skills through a series of challenges. NLB aims to enable finalists, winners, to get an opportunity to interview with top IT, tech companies in India, including NTT DATA. As a drive to raise awareness about career opportunities for women in the technology field, NTT DATA is aiming to offer over 1,000 jobs for women in its workforce by way of this Hackathon, contingent upon successful participation of contestants and completion of an interview process.

The hackathon will consist of two phases. In the first phase, participants will be given a coding challenge in Java and .NET. After the successful completion of the coding challenge, participants will be tested with a Multiple-Choice Question challenge. In the second phase, the MCQ challenge will be conducted on ClearedTalent, an online platform for vetting technology talent and a strategic partner of NLB. ClearedTalent is aimed at building the world’s largest digital talent community of vetted and engaged technology professionals.

Based on performance in the above two challenges, participants will have an opportunity to interview for and secure various tech-based roles at NTT DATA.

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INDIA

SGX Selects TCS as Strategic Partner Tata Consultancy Services announced that TCS BaNCS has been selected by Singapore Exchange to power the NSE IFSC-SGX Connect, its program to connect to NSE IFSC, a fully owned subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India, for trade execution and clearing of Nifty products on behalf of its members in Singapore and globally.

To enable international access to Indian capital markets and create a larger liquidity pool of international and domestic participants, SGX has set up SGX India Connect IFSC Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle at Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, a special economic zone in Gandhinagar, India. SGX selected TCS BaNCS for its multibroker, low latency capabilities, to serve as the end-toend solution for its trading, clearing, settlement and risk management operations.

The Gift Connect will allow SGX members to place orders on NSE IFSC using FIX, proprietary APIs or through the TCS BaNCS dealing terminal. The solution’s clearing and settlement module will interact with the clearing arms of NSE IFSC and SGX for position and limits management, while also performing all regulatory compliance functions.

Using TCS BaNCS’ risk management module, SGX and R VIVEKANAND Global Head, BFSI Platforms and Products, TCS. SGX brokers can define risk rules and profiles, monitor and control trading activities.

TCS BaNCS provides a comprehensive and scalable trading platform for broker-dealers, spanning both institutional and retail business lines. It offers seamless integration of trading and risk management functions and supports multiple asset classes and markets, connecting with several liquidity destinations for order execution and interfaces with market data vendors for data capture, low-latency streaming, and display of Level I and Level II Quotes.

Ankura launches pharma data integrity solution Ankura Consulting, a leading global expert services and advisory firm, announced the expansion of its Pharmaceutical and Biopharma Regulatory Compliance offering with the addition of a Pharmaceutical Data Integrity solution within the Data and Technology practice, bolstering its comprehensive client advisory capabilities.

With this solution, Ankura has enhanced its team of experts to support pharmaceutical clients’ compliance with the Data Integrity guidelines of multiple

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AMIT JAJU

Senior Managing Director in Ankura’s Data and Technology.

regulators through advanced digital technology. The offering includes Early Warning System,

an automated platform to help identify data integrity anomalies in real-time and assist companies in performing forensic data integrity investigations and remediation for any regulatory action such as form 483, warning letter, and import alert.

The EWS solution also solves the challenge of integrating multiple quality systems into one platform, enabling the quality control department to take advantage of the integrated monitoring capabilities and providing alerts for any non-compliant activities.

It also provides the flexibility to customise and deploy the solution to an on-premises environment and customise the workflows and analytics models to each organisation.

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ACOHI launches culinary ID for the hospitality industry

research, information, background many a times wrong vendors people and products were servicing the industry due to which many negative results were seen in past.

In its next move ACOHI brings the world’s costly and premium water to enter the Hospitality Industry of India. The citizens of India and others residing here will get major health benefit out of the most neglected commodity is the prime force now to rebuild the structure of Health for its customers in India ranging from Star category hotels to street food establishments. As our body consists of more than 70% of water the component becomes very important which was neglected so far resulting in various chronic diseases, low immunity and many other health disorders.

ACOHI Alkaline Movement Started in India by ACOHI with the most scientific approach resulting in major changes in the structures of water parameters here in India soon to be followed by the rest of the world, series of Make in India and International products will be introduced to Industry to make sure the end customer is well protected in terms of his health.

Surge in Investment Sees Boost in India’s Realty Sector The ultra-rich Indians and foreign investors continue to be significant contributors to India’s realty sector’s growth. A report by Knight Frank highlights that about 29% of India’s ultra-high-networth individuals – UHNWIs purchased a residential property in 2021. The report also shows that the foreign capital flow into Indian real estate jumped over three-fold to USD 23.9 Billion during the 201721 period as compared to the previous five years which is a quite promising sign.

A Reuters poll conducted recently reflected a quick rise in house prices in the coming months as the nation recovers strongly. Homebuyers are constantly stepping ahead to invest in their dream homes owing to the factors like well-being, future security, comfort, and higher ROI. Additionally, pandemic-led trends such as the hybrid work model and homeschooling have increased demand for bigger customisations across locations including

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tier-2,3 cities.

With COVID fear withering away, companies have started to bring back their workforce to offices.

According to an industry report, gross absorption in office space is expected to touch 45-47 Million sq. ft. in 2022, a growth of about 13-14% from 2021.

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INDIA

The Culinary ID movement has started to bring health and safety in the Hospitality Industry of India here in Pune at the head office of ACOHI Asia. The announcement of Culinary ID certification was today announced at the ACOHI headquarters at a Media conference

by Dr Sanee Awsarmmel, Chairman and BOG Chief of ACOHI – Asian Countries Chamber of Hospitality Industry.

The Culinary ID is only given to people of expertise of their product which is only for one year which has series of paperwork and proceedings the brand has to go through. On satisfaction and completion of paper scrutiny work, the Culinary ID is awarded which stands on City, State, National and International Level which is termed as very prestigious for any brand in the Hospitality Industry which is awarded with the same.

Culinary ID and Listing is the process in entire Asia which talks about the background check and specialty of the person, brand or company. Earlier many a times due to non availability or much

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INDIA

TCS and IIT Madras Partner to Launch M Tech Program in Industrial AI

Tata Consultancy Services has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras to launch an M Tech program in Industrial Artificial Intelligence for working professionals.

The 18-month-long course, designed in consultation with TCS, will be offered by IIT M in a completely online live teaching mode through virtual classrooms. The course is targeted at upskilling corporate employees in the applications of Artificial Intelligence, to solve industrial problems. The first cohort of students for the program will be from TCS. The program will have strong theoretical courses and lab work covering data science and Artificial Intelligence. Theoretical courses will cover concepts in fundamental mathematical techniques required for understanding data science algorithms, time series analysis, multivariate data analysis, machine learning,

CASHe announces appointment of Naresh Karia to Board of Directors NARESH KARIA

Non-Executive and Non-Independent Director of CASHe.

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deep learning and reinforcement learning. Applied courses will describe implementations of Artificial Intelligence solutions for industrial problems in a case study format.

The new M Tech in Industrial Artificial Intelligence program is expected to help scale up capability across the Indian workforce in this important area, expand the knowledge ecosystem in Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, drive innovation using these technologies, and position India as a global innovation powerhouse.

Each subject will have one mid-term and a final examination conducted in online mode, besides project work. There will be a total of 28-30 hours of online classes per week, with post-classroom activities, such as assignments, reading, and preparation, likely to take up 20-22 hours per week.

CASHe, India’s preferred artificial intelligence-driven financial wellness platform today announced the appointment of Naresh Karia as its NonExecutive Non-Independent Director, of its systematically important NBFC arm. Naresh Karia, a rank-holder Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary and Cost Accountant, brings over 21 years of CXO-level industry experience in banking, NBFC and financial services domain, apart from last 4 years as an independent business owner and investor. Previously, Karia served as the CFO at RBL Bank for over 7 years till early 2018 where he was involved in the transformation of the bank into a mainstream, midsized listed bank. Prior to RBL Bank, Naresh served with Citigroup India for over 10 years where he held senior-level positions including Controller at Citibank N.A. India and earlier as Financial Controller and CS of Citicorp Finance India.

“We welcome Karia to our Board”, said Joginder Rana, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of CASHe. “I am confident his broad-based industry expertise and strategic insights will add value to our Board and our operations. We look forward to his contribution at our Board discussions.”

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Speakers at Economic Times conclave discuss Global Capability Centres’ maturity curve The 2nd Edition of The Economic Times GCC Conclave 2022 was successfully held on 22nd March 2022, virtually. The event brought together industry leaders to discuss and deliberate on key trends, best practices, and the future of the industry. Business Transformation Asia was the official event partner.

As Global Capability Centres move ahead in the maturity curve by driving complex transformations and bringing in new age capabilities, it has become important for organizations to adapt to the rapidly changing business and market environment. Talent, technology, new ways of working and revamped operating models are some of the key elements that are driving this transformation in the industry.

The Global Capability Centres sector can potentially scale up to $60-85 Billion in the next five-six years, according to a recent report.

The 2nd edition of the ET GCC Summit was joined by 30 leading leaders including: l Vimi Grewal-Carr, Global Clients and Industries Leader, UK Vice Chair, Deloitte l Siva Kumar Padmanabhan, Managing Director and Head of Global Technology Centre, AstraZeneca

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l l l l

l l l l l

l l

udiip K Goswami, Director, and GM – South India S and Start-Ups, Dell Technologies Punit Sood, Head of International Hubs, Natwest

Group Vishal Parekh, Regional Head – India, Southeast

Asia, Middle east and Russia, Thomson Reuters Deepak Mangla, Chief Executive Officer, Corporate

Centres – India and Philippines, Member Asia Management Committee, JP Morgan Sanjay Dora, Country Operations Executive –

Innovation and Capability Centres in India, Telstra Suhas Pingat, Product Evangelist for Dell Precision

Workstation, Dell Technologies Gaurav Gupta, Partner and Global Capability Centre

Leader, Deloitte India Dean Salters, Group Executive, Global Business

Services, Telstra Sangita Sharma, Head of Operations, Centre

Director, GSC Bangalore and Head, Global Payments COE, HSBC Gopakumar Subramonian, Senior Vice President,

Delivery, Fiserv Global Services Ravi Mehta, Partner, Deloitte India

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EVENT

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EVENT

l l l

l l l l l l l

amal Kanth, Regional Vice President, Salesforce K India Deshant Kalia, Managing Director GBS, PepsiCo Chulanga Perera, Chief Transformation Officer

and Head of Strategy, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Sajid Ahmed, Executive Vice President Head of

Technology, Wells Fargo India and Philippines Aswin Lakshmanan, Director, Strategy and

Planning, Verizon India Padmanabhan, Senior Vice President –

Engineering, GlobalLogic Monojit Mazumdar, Partner, Deloitte India Rubal Sahni, Regional Director, ServiceNow Joseph Alexander, Global Employee Experience

Director, Unilever Nafisa Ojha, Managing Director and Country

Manager, Colt

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Keerthi Kumar, Partner, Deloitte India Prakash Bodla, Managing Director, Carrier

Technologies India l Vikramjeet Singh, President and Chief Human Resource Officer, Bajaj Allianz General Insurance l Gautam Gulati, Director, Schlumberger l Dimple Kaloya, Head of Human Resources, Global Service Centres India and Group Functions GSC HTCs, HSBC l Bimaljeet Singh Bhasin, President- Skills and Careers Business, NIIT l Anandorup Ghose, Partner, Deloitte India, Harish Soni, Resiliency and Security Practice Leader, Kyndryl The Economic Times GCC Conclave 2021 was concluded with the closing note by Balaji Nuthalapadi, Managing Director and Head of Operations and Technology, Citi South Asia at Citi. l l

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

THE SCIENCE OF SHOPPING AND SPENDING

Emotions influence and determine our decisions, with the question why people spend money easily even when they should not, while others find it difficult.

S

BY DR SCOTT RICK Associate Professor of Marketing, University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business.

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hopping is part of everyone’s life today and has been for a long time.

Most people believe that the choices they make result from a rational analysis of available alternatives. However, emotions greatly influence and, in many cases, even determine our decisions. Thus arises the question why some people spend money easily even when they should not, while others find it difficult to splurge even when they can afford it. So, it is essential to understand how a person feels during the whole process of shopping, browsing,

choosing, and paying.

People have been categorised into tightwads, spendthrifts, and unconflicted consumers.

Tightwads are the type of people that simply dislike spending money, not to be confused with frugal consumers who simply want to save up. On the other hand, spendthrifts are the type of consumers that do not mind spending money.

Moreover, most people fall under unconflicted consumers which is a middle ground between the other two types.

This categorisation comes from observing the amount of

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

KEY TAKEAWAYS People have been categorised into tightwads, spendthrifts, and unconflicted consumers.

Many people end up having a similar financial mentality with their partners, even if are different types of consumers.

In terms of emotions felt, we state that buying a gift for someone is less painful than buying something for yourself.

With the decreased sense of pain of paying other emotions might be in play such as anxiety, will they like this gift?

stress associated with the act of paying, with tightwads having the most stress, especially since they are more conscientious, cannot shake the idea of opportunity cost. In regard to everyday purchases for example, the pain is less influential, mainly due to the fact that these things are expected purchases. Therefore, the main differences between spendthrifts and tightwads are mainly shown in shopping for optional things.

The more different people, in terms of financing mentalities are, the more problems this will arise. For example, a spendthrift’s love language can be through gifts, unsimilar to a tightwad.

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This is an advantage for the tightwads in this scenario, because while buying a gift might seem like something that a spendthrift does with ease, when a tightwad gets a gift, it is usually perceived in a higher light.

Even if it might get a bit difficult for spendthrifts since they spend a lot, they can go for something that is handmade or involves an experience.

However, it is important to note that with the increased practice of financial therapy, many people end up having a similar financial mentality with their partners, even if are different types of consumers.

Moreover, in terms of emotions felt, we state that buying a gift for someone is less painful than buying something for yourself.

However, with the decreased sense of pain of paying other emotions might be in play such as anxiety, like will they like this gift. So, all in all, when buying a gift for someone it is more charged with emotions including joy and anxiety.

Another important thing that we address here is the reason why Black Friday sales and big sales are irresistible.

To no surprise, people find these types of sales irresistible because of the idea that this is a lower price than what it usually is, so I am getting a great deal. So, the idea of framing the price as relatively lower than what it normally is or should be, helps reduce the pain of spending money.

In reality, part of this is misinformation and not understanding the kind of universe of deals that are available dayto-day. This stands true today, especially with the easiness of online shopping and the available sales and offers that come along with it.

Speaking of online shopping, we cannot help but wonder whether people would behave differently while shopping online.

We have all been there, you see a product online, you decide to

When buying a gift for someone it is more charged with emotions including joy and anxiety.

buy it, and within seconds, your transaction is complete. In general, many of the same psychological factors are in play in both online and in-person shopping, but online shopping just adds fuel to the fire by making shopping so effortless, easy, and fast to pay. One of the main differences between online shopping and in-store shopping is the waiting period.

An online transaction can be made in a matter of seconds, while with in-store shopping, there are several opportunities to second guess a purchase throughout the process.

Nevertheless, retailers are catching up. They are very skilled in distracting the customer from the moment of payment. For instance, many stores have sales associates that are generally really nice and chatty, and by the time I am usually done with my purchases, I would have these bags that I would not remember paying for.

Essentially, this takes your attention away from pulling out your wallet and how much you actually spent. In addition to that, there are other tricks that focus on shopping momentum. This is why there are displays of somewhat small or cheap items closer to the entrance of a store that people may pick items from. Thus, building up shopping momentum and helping facilitate people spending their money.

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

FINDING THE RIGHT PROBLEM TO SOLVE IS UNIQUE TO EACH BUSINESS There are common threads to be followed, and the problems themselves can be an amalgam of people, processes, legacy technologies, and geographic location.

I

n its most basic form, using data properly is a gamechanger. Almost every business has this data – it may be hidden in spreadsheets or even saved locally on the computer of one worker from a time before online shared folders were fully implemented.

Businesses can realise huge benefits from data science – the process by which we begin to understand data – by using clean and timely information to make quick and informed decisions.

SMBs can often get stuck on the technical side of data science. They need to look beyond the technology, and instead focus on the core principles of data strategy: Projects do not need to be expensive, nor do they need to only solve multi-millionpound problems. In the very

early stages – before high value, game changing problems have been identified – data analysis can even be done with spreadsheets.

The core benefit of using data well, is the ability to make informed decisions based on quantifiable, verifiable information. It’s about moving beyond the lead from the top type mentality that has been so prevalent in businesses over the last few decades.

Effectively using data means that the person closest to a problem is actually able to have a direct input into solving said problem. This brings with it a motivation to learn, and a motivation to change. Two hugely important attributes.

When the data scientist specialism surfaced back in 2001, the biggest challenge was how to leverage insights from relatively limited data sources.

Initially, there was no specific

BY DAVID SWEENOR Senior Director of Product Marketing,Alteryx.

INDUSTRY COMMENT

With technology becoming more and more approachable anyone can become a citizen data scientist.

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training to prepare people for the daily tasks of a data scientist – it was all database specialists, mathematicians, statisticians, and physicists often writing code from scratch.

New, simpler coding languages were later developed, and we started to see drag and drop GUIs that opened up data science to non-coders, but these were still a bit clunky.

Back then, what we would now call a big data project was pieced together from data stored in different departments, within hard to access data silos, and controlled by different people. These data projects needed a huge number of tools and products to take the data from its base form into something useful to the business.

We had to talk to the database specialists for access to the data, learn to write SQL, or find an expert to extract data… then we had to prepare it for analytics. Over the years, this process has become far more streamlined.

This kind of work needed an exceptionally high level of technological expertise and extensive coordination across a big cast of characters to generate any real added value from these complex applications, but value was created. As these early-stage data workers set the foundation of data science, the model was proven, and demand for their expertise increased.

To develop a data-driven culture requires readiness and a strong foundation, from the CEO or business-owner down.

The leadership team need to be all-in on analytics as standard practice – ready to support and drive the change. This is what we see in the most analytically mature companies, and it’s something that can be replicated for SMBs. To become data-driven, we need to start with data literacy programmes. To turn that data literacy into a culture, we need to look at baking in analytics in day-to-day work. This may take

considerable investment but will achieve long-term payoff.

To make this a reality, new initiatives are needed outside of the normal lunch and learns, from providing additional paid learner days, to the gamification of learning, and career led learning for end-to-end workforce planning.

Those closest to a process know where the problems exist, and by amplifying human intelligence to get the best from data science and analytics, they have the context and can see the business impact of solving that question through data.

There’s huge benefit to be found here.

With modern technology and systems becoming more and more approachable and user-friendly, anyone can become a citizen data scientist – a person who is able to use data analytics to create insights. Whether employees should be equipped with these tools is a question that can only be answered at a micro level by individual businesses. Different use cases require different approaches and levels of governance.

There is a limited benefit that could be generated by upskilling store cashiers with data analytics skillsets, for example, but equipping other back-office workers or store managers with data analytics skills could certainly drive value. One option is using computer vision to automate the extraction of data from clock-in cards for timesheet purposes or even automating the extraction of text from receipts and supplychain invoices.

Ultimately, while the option of using data analytics is an option for everyone, businesses looking to upskill their workers still have to follow a core cost-benefit model.

Finding the right problem to solve is a challenge that is unique to each individual business. There are certainly some common threads which can be followed, and the problems themselves can be an amalgam of people, processes,

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INDUSTRY COMMENT

KEY TAKEAWAYS To become datadriven, we need to start with data literacy programmes.

We need to look at baking in analytics in day-to-day work.

Data literacy programmes require considerable investment but will achieve long-term payoff.

Those closest to a process know where the problems exist.

By amplifying human intelligence, they have the context and can see the business impact of solving that question through data.

legacy technologies, or even geographic location.

Before embarking on a data analytics journey, organisations will always have some idea as to what their ideal problem to solve is. The key to being successful is to understand the business decision to be made – and work backwards from there.

Finding the right problem is often the end result of numerous smaller-scale wins as organisations begin to understand not only what they actually need, but also what resources and tools they have in order to get there. It’s about the process – actually completing and fixing small irritations, cutting away at the un-necessary, and using these projects as building blocks to get to where you need to go.

The ability to integrate new datapoints into an analytic process to deliver real-time insights – and the ability to rapidly adapt to changing market demands - is what separates digital-native businesses such as Netflix and Amazon from more legacy organisations buried in technical debt.

The true value of successful analytics work, however, comes from automating these insights – freeing up the project leader to

focus on newer and higher-value projects in tandem. The actual adopters of these insights know the business process they relate to and therefore including them is essential to the design and rollout of such projects.

By investing in non-technical tools such as self-service platforms that every employee from the marketing department to business operations - can easily use, workers are given the space to experiment and learn new data skills at their own pace.

These platforms can support workers as they discover how to automate analytic processes to unlock powerful insights from data, creating a strong skills foundation for the future.

Automating how you discover, analyse, and reach answers is enabling companies to get ahead of their competition. But what’s paramount is that everyone in the workforce should be able to do it, not just a handful of specialists. That’s where ease-of-use and self-service automation comes in. Thousands of organisations and citizen analysts - from small companies to the Global 2000 - rely on our analytics and data science automation every day to find ground-breaking answers to almost any business question.

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A former racer himself, founder Soichiro Honda believed in competition at the highest levels as a means of improving his company, its people and products. More than 55 years later, Honda continues to view racing as a training ground for engineers and designers. The pressures of racing challenge forcing them to find new solutions to problems as they arise.

Honda has celebrated its most successful season of racing worldwide, highlighted by its drivers claiming both the FIA Formula One and NTT INDYCAR SERIES championships. As part of a multi-year agreement, Oracle will bring its Marketing Cloud to develop fan experience with new ways to engage with the sport’s global audience.

Oracle also brings in data analytics and plans to develop a roadmap with Red Bull Racing engineers to expand on the team’s existing data science and analysis tools over the coming seasons. Oracle’s Cloud platform will enable wider use of AI and ML to optimise on and off-track performance.

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HYPERCARS FROM PAGANI AUTOMOBILI Pagani Automobili is one of the world’s most exclusive hypercar brands. With the use of digital configuration tools, representatives can help to create the car of the customer’s dreams. The Pangani Zonda is considered a collector’s item whose value has increased, reaching ten times higher than the original price. The Pagani Huayra, is the world’s first car to feature active aerodynamics and is built with composite materials, such as carbon fibre and carbo-titanium. A hypercar is a perfect blend of scientific and artistic research.

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E-COMMERCE CONTRIBUTES $2B SALES TO BOEING Boeing achieved an annual record for e-commerce parts sales last year with more than $2 billion in online orders. Boeing Distribution sold nearly 70,000 parts products through its e-commerce site to commercial and government customers, with commercial orders accounted for $1.5 billion in sales.

Boeing Distribution’s online revenue last year was 15% higher compared to pre-pandemic levels, while orders were 20% higher. The stronger sales came as the company rolled out new tools to improve the customer experience, including a new homepage, a live chat feature, and an online knowledge centre. The refreshed e-commerce parts website, which features over 500,000 products, saw five million visits from 50 countries last year.

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Source: 2022 Cost of Insider Threats Global Report

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