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QUALITY & AFFORDABILITY DRIVING TWS MARKET GROWTH IN INDIA
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Enduro N3
RUGGED TO THE CORE. LIGHT TO CARRY. Military Grade Tough | IP53 Certification | All-day Battery
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COVER STORY PAGE : 16 - 21
QUALITY & AFFORDABILITY DRIVING TWS MARKET GROWTH IN INDIA Publisher & Editor : Rajeev Ranjan Executive Editor : Jyoti Janda Assistant Content Manager : Jai Prakash Content Coordinator : Suraj Rawat Office Coordinator : Raju Thapa Consulting Art Direction : Vikas Sharma Visualiser : Akriti Arora Production Head : Rajiv Singh
GAMERS BUZZ
SPOTLIGHT
Marketing Executive : Balvinder Singh
PAGE NO - 06 Seagate Launches Next-Gen Gaming Storage Solutions in India
PAGE NO - 07 Kaspersky Launches Advanced Cybersecurity Solution for Gamers Across India
EXCLUSIVE CHAT
INTERVIEW
PAGE NO - 08 “We Are Estimating A Double-Digit Growth In Printer Usage At Home Due To WFH” Mr. C Sukumaran, Director- Consumer Systems Products and Imaging Communication Products, Canon India.
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“We Foresee Renewed Interest in Data Security as Businesses In India Continue To Evolve Digitally” Pamela Ong, Sales Director – APAC, ESET
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SPOTLIGHT
SEAGATE LAUNCHES NEXT-GEN GAMING STORAGE SOLUTIONS IN INDIA Seagate has introduced its latest lineup of storage solutions for gamers. This new range of gaming storage solutions provide exceptional speed and freedom of storage capacity for any size of games.
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eagate Technology plc announced in India, its new line of revolutionary internal and external storage solutions for gamers. The solutions announced include - Seagate® FireCuda® 520, Seagate® FireCuda® 120, Seagate® FireCuda® Gaming SSD, and Seagate® BarraCuda® Fast SSD. “Next-gen gaming is going to be all about high speed, robust performance, compatibility, and flexibility. We are committed to providing a whole new gaming experience to our customers in India,” said Sameer Bhatia, Director Asia Pacific, Consumer Business Group and Country Manager for SAARC & India, Seagate Technology. “Whether it’s a boot drive to run heavy duty games or a secondary drive for mass storage and streaming, Seagate’s advanced gaming solutions help gamers push their builds and upgrades to the next level. Our gaming solutions deliver the performance, simplicity, and ingenious design to help gamers realise their peak potential.”
SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 Built to deliver the intense speeds needed
for the rigour of modern gaming, the FireCuda 520 SSD is the company’s fastest solid-state drive and offers plug-andplay compatibility with all PCIe Gen4 motherboards. With sequential read-write speeds of up to 45% faster than PCIe Gen3 NVMe drives, the FireCuda 520 delivers an extreme boost in performance for PC gamers looking for the edge. The M.2 2280 SSD is available in 500 GB, 1 TB or 2 TB capacities and compatible with the new AMD X570 chipset and third-generation AMD Ryzen™ Desktop Processors. It features plug-and-play compatibility with PCIe Gen4 motherboards delivering an extreme boost in performance as well as backward compatibility with PCIe Gen3 6
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devices. The FireCuda 520 offers a five-year limited warranty and includes the Seagate’s SeaTools software that monitors health, tracks performance, and keeps you up to date on firmware updates. Seagate’s FireCuda 520 retails for ₹13,999.00 (500 GB), ₹28,999.00 (1 TB), and ₹44,999.00 (2 TB).
SEAGATE FIRECUDA 120 SATA SSD Underpinning the company’s line of PC game storage, the FireCuda 120 takes
competition. Purpose-built for gamers, it marries Seagate’s premium FireCuda NVMe 510 SSD and the latest cutting-edge SuperSpeed USB 20 Gb/s (USB 3.2 Gen2×2) interface, delivering staggering read speeds of up to 2,000 MB/s1. Optimised for performance and high on style, the drive offers capacities of 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB and features a signature chisel metal enclosure with customizable RGB LED lighting. Gamers can personalise the drive’s full-range RGB LED with the free Seagate Toolkit software and synchronise the LEDs, creating an immersive setup. The FireCuda Gaming SSD includes a fiveyear limited warranty and retails for INR 32,999.00 (500 GB), INR 39,999.00 (1 TB), and INR 53,499.00 (2 TB).
SEAGATE BARRACUDA FAST SSD Also new to the Seagate SSD line-up is the
gaming rigs to the next level with a SATA 6GB/s interface and roars to life with sequential read/write speeds of up to 560/540MB/s offering more responsive downloads, installs, and multitasking. Meeting the demands of sustained use, the FireCuda 120 was built for durability, delivering a 1.8M hour MTBF and up to 5600 TBW. For total peace of mind, Seagate backs the drive with a five-year limited warranty. Seagate’s FireCuda 120 retails for ₹14,999.00 (500 GB), ₹27,999.00 (1 TB), and ₹57,999.00 (2 TB).
SEAGATE FIRECUDA GAMING SSD The portable FireCuda Gaming SSD delivers performance to help scorch the
BarraCuda Fast SSD offering 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB of capacity. With mobile gamers and active power users in mind, the SATA SSD external drive features rapid read/write speeds of up to 540 MB/s1 for improved gameplay and quick file transfer. Pocketsized, the sleek drive features an attractive green LED and offers versatility with a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port. It is PC and Mac (exFAT) compatible out of the box, includes Seagate’s Toolkit with simple backup and sync, and a complimentary two-month subscription to the Adobe Creative Cloud® Photography Plan. Seagate’s BarraCuda Fast SSD offers a three-year limited warranty, and retails for INR 7,499 (500 GB), INR 14,999 (1 TB), and INR 28,799 (2 TB).
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GAMERS BUZZ
KASPERSKY LAUNCHES ADVANCED CYBERSECURITY SOLUTION FOR GAMERS ACROSS INDIA Kaspersky has expanded its cybersecurity offerings with launch of new cybersecurity solutions for gamers. This advanced security solution enhances the gaming experience by eliminating the security breaches and also ensures encrypted chats, emails and searches. Platinum winner of the customer choice award for endpoint protection platforms and one of the most trusted names in the field of cybersecurity, Kaspersky is set to launch a new gamer edition that will be exclusively available at amazon.in for a limited period. Available in a slim jacket pack, Kaspersky Total Security solution comes with a special offer that also includes the premium Kaspersky Secure VPN connection. Providing complete security, the primary features of this edition include the premium antivirus software, a tailor-made gaming mode, a VPN service and a security system for your passwords and payments. Elaborating the vision behind the launch and explaining the features available in this edition, MR. DIPESH KAURA, GENERAL MANAGER, KASPERSKY (SOUTH ASIA), www.digitalterminal.in
said, “The objective behind launching a specific gamer edition was to make sure that users enjoy their gaming experience to the hilt while we protect their accounts and data with top-rated cybersecurity. Our system is powered by artificial intelligence and is capable of detecting and removing malware and blocking pop-ups and tracking. It autoactivates the gaming mode to make sure that the user experience is uninterrupted. We have also updated our basic features and provide intelligent security for the passwords and payments of users. Most importantly, this edition comes with a VPN to encrypt your chats, emails and searches, as well as to enhance your gaming experience by bypassing ISP throttling.” A one-year, one-device license, this package is priced reasonably at Rs.1995/-. As a special offer, the Kaspersky VPN available with this pack will give users an unrestricted data limit with the independence to connect to any available VPN server from a global list. MR. PURSHOTTAM BHATIA, HEAD OF CONSUMER BUSINESS SOUTH ASIA, KASPERSKy said, “We targeted millennials and gamers with this product and made sure that we
take care of all common grouses. Apart from blocking pop-ups, upon autoactivating the gaming mode, the software also blocks notifications to deliver an interruption-free experience. The fact that it exerts minimal amounts of load on the CPU and maintains an optimal FPS makes sure that the performance of your PC is affected in no way. Also, the software automatically updates itself throughout the duration of the license period, making sure that users are able to enjoy any additions or tweaks we make.” With this latest launch, Kaspersky has managed to raise the bar of cybersecurity yet again as they promise users an unforgettable experience.
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INTERVIEW
“WE ARE ESTIMATING A DOUBLE - DIGIT GROWTH IN PRINTER USAGE AT HOME DUE TO WFH�
Mr. C Sukumaran, Director- Consumer Systems Products and Imaging Communication Products, Canon India.
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Ever since COVID-19 forced people to work from home and learn from home, technology market players have adapted themselves to meet the demand for technology products that are required to set-up a working or learning environment at home. Printers are among one such product segment where we saw an increase in demand during this period. In addition, newly evolving technologies in the printing space are proving to be important for accelerating the growth of this market in the coming years as well as which will open up new growth opportunities for market players. The Indian printing market is mainly dominated by a few tech brands and Canon is one of them. Canon holds a large market share in India and recently Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal, interacted with Mr. C Sukumaran, Director- Consumer Systems Products and Imaging Communication Products, Canon India. During the discussion, he explained the overall printing market scenario in the current situation for the Indian market, opportunities in the new normal, and how Canon is helping its channel partners during this pandemic. Read below excerpts of this interview:
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INTERVIEW
RAJEEV: AS THE MARKET IS SLOWLY PICKING UP THE MOMENTUM POST LOCKDOWN SO HOW DO YOU SEE THE GROWTH PROSPECTS FOR THE HOME PRINTING SEGMENT IN THE CURRENT MARKET LANDSCAPE? C SUKUMARAN: The COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns have changed the way people work and have made work from home an imperative for several industries. In the current situation, one of the biggest potentials for us lies in the home printing solutions. With everyone adapting to the new normal and seeking solutions that provide ease of connectivity while working from home, there has been a rise in the demand for home printers. As per our studies and market feedback, we are seeing a surge in demand for laptops and printers. We are estimating a double-digit growth in printer usage at home due to the increased work from home and learn from home scenarios. Interestingly, home printers were amongst the top 10 most searched products on e-commerce platforms during the lockdown, and ink tank printers are specifically the favorite choice among the home consumers. RAJEEV: WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES FOR YOU IN THE CURRENT SITUATION THAT ARE HAMPERING YOUR MARKET ACTIVITIES? WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO OVERCOME SUCH CHALLENGES? C SUKUMARAN: At Canon, we believe that every crisis also presents an opportunity for businesses to think differently and adapt to the changing landscape. With printing in the office moving to print at home, we see more opportunities than challenges. For instance, Work from Home and Study from Home has shifted the usage pattern from customers visiting copy shops for their print requirements to getting a quick fix solution at the comfort of their home. The implementation of virtual classes has further proliferated the growth of home printers as parents look forward to printing learning materials and homework for their children. Working from home also demands a high-speed cloud-enabled network printer and Wi-Fi enabled ink tank printers that give them the ease to initiate print outs directly from their smartphones and laptops. While these scenarios might be a challenge for the customers, however, these are opportunities for us to help them adapt to these challenging times by offering them an efficient solution through our printers. RAJEEV: WHICH ARE THE MAJOR TECH TRENDS IN PRINTING MARKET ESPECIALLY AMONG CONSUMER & SME SEGMENTS?
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C SUKUMARAN: In the printing segment, the top technology trends that we foresee is an increase in the adoption of connected and cloud or Wi-Fi enabled MFDs. The pandemic has changed the way people work and has made work from home an imperative across many industries. It can be one of the takeaways from the lockdown as it has now evolved from policy to strategy and this will make Wi-Fi enabled ink tank printers a piece of standard equipment across each home. This can also be substantiated by the fact that there has been a rise in the demand for home printers and consumables. To increase productivity and provide connectivity to its mobile workforce, we also foresee an increase in the demand by the SME segment for implementing cloud and Wi-Fi enabled high volume ink tank printers, providing them with maximum ROI. With the advent of WFH and LFH has seen a surge in home printing. We are optimistic that the printer segment in India will continue to grow and expand its user base, as more and more people understand the convenience of owning a home printer. RAJEEV: WHAT SUPPORT DO YOU PROVIDE TO YOUR PARTNERS AND EMPOWER THEM FOR THEIR BUSINESS GROWTH & CONTINUITY? C SUKUMARAN: Channel partners have played an important role in our success story and as one of our key stakeholders, they have enabled us to strengthen our foothold in the industry and reach out to a diverse range of customers. Following our belief in delighting our customers, we have invested significantly in developing a sound partner ecosystem that is spread across geographies. We have organized training sessions for partners and their sales teams to help them better understand the changing trends and how to adjust and cope with the new normal. We are also mindful of our channel partners’ profitability and long-term sustenance. We have been continuously reviewing the distribution and retail structure as well as actively exploring new business opportunities that will help our channel partners expand their product portfolio. With a strong network of 100+ distributors and 3000+ channel partners across the length and breadth of the country, we aim to further consolidate our regional presence. Regional penetration is one of our core focus areas as we want to make our products and services available to the farthest geographies in the country. We are taking every possible step to fight this pandemic and help our partners during these tough times. We have also expanded our reach by opening 125+ PIXMA Zones and 830 + OIC Signature Stores. The primary objective is to increase the availability of Canon Printers and genuine consumables
across India along with the Brand Presence. RAJEEV: PLEASE SHARE YOUR PRODUCT STRATEGY TO MEET MARKET DEMAND FROM WFH/LFH SEGMENT. C SUKUMARAN: With everyone adapting to the new normal and seeking solutions that provide ease of connectivity in a hybrid working environment, there has been a rise in the demand for home printers. With a strong customer base in India, for both our inkjet and laser businesses, it will be our constant endeavor to boost our presence and enhance the top of the mind recall among consumers. In line with the evolving requirements of our customers, we will continue to bring to fore products backed by innovation. We have a ‘full lineup strategy’, consisting of a range of printers varying catering to all segments from Home to Small Office to Enterprise in the printer category. Along with our best in the class product portfolio, we believe that a strong consumer connection will also play a key role in expanding our business. Keeping this in mind, we recently rolled out the “India Ka Printer” campaign to position the Canon PIXMA G series Printer as the ideal choice for every printing need from business proposals, projects, homework, photographs or recipes. Aimed at creating a positive mindshare among both home-user and Small & medium enterprises, the campaign promotes Canon PIXMA G series printers that are equipped to cater to the extensive needs of the consumers. Through both offline and online outreach campaigns, we aim to reach out to consumers across the country and tap potential markets. RAJEEV: ON WHAT NOTE/TARGET YOU WOULD LIKE TO END THIS CALENDAR YEAR WHICH SAW VERY LITTLE BUSINESS SO FAR DUE TO PANDEMIC. C SUKUMARAN: 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us, however, there have been companies which have deemed essential during this time. We, at Canon India, have focused on business continuity whilst continually monitoring the situation. With the change in the market ecosystem owing to the pandemic, we took the opportunity to help people adapt to the challenging hybrid working environment and focused on products that will aid the changing workplace. There are immense opportunities present for us in both B2B and B2C segments, as users look forward to technology that will enable them to adapt to the new normal. We are following a focused approach to meet our goals as well as continue to provide products for the Pic Source: www.freepik.com essential infrastructure we serve.
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TECH TALK
“WE WILL WITNESS AN UPWARD DEMAND FOR NEXT-GENERATION DATA PROTECTION SOLUTIONS IN NEAR FUTURE” Today, while business continuity remains a top priority for organizations, ensuring data security at the same time has become a major concern for IT teams in the WFH landscape. Companies have realized this key aspect and are working accordingly to deploy the best data security solution for a secure digital journey. Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal, interacted with RIPU BAJWA, DIRECTOR AND GENERAL MANAGER, DATA PROTECTION SOLUTIONS, DELL TECHNOLOGIES INDIA. The discussion revolved around data protection in the time of COVID-19, the key trends in this space and the position of enterprises in adopting data protection solutions.
RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU SEE THE SECURITY OF DATA IN THE CURRENT SITUATION WHEN THE WFH MODEL WILL CONTINUE TO STAY FOR LONG? RIPU BAJWA: The current times have forced
organizations to transform their business models and opt for working from home, due to social distancing norms and rising safety concerns. While business continuity is the prime concern for organizations, what complicates the situation for them is the necessity to ensure data security amidst the work-from-home culture. Organizations and their employees are aware of the cyber threats that are constantly hovering around their data storage 24*7. The lack of knowledge and unavailability of sophisticated data protection solutions, many times poses a deep challenge for security officers. Some of the major threats that organizations are facing in their data protection management are 1) exposed data storage gateway because multiple devices are used and 2) the unavailability of proper infrastructure to safeguard all the points. These give attackers a chance to identify the least protected gateway and hamper the entire database. Another common threat that is being witnessed is the manipulation of VPN’s. There are vulnerabilities for VPNs that need understanding and internalizing rather than blindly trusting, and many applications that are becoming a critical element of IT infrastructure, face this challenge. Hence, it is critical to have endpoint integrity checking and strong authentication in place once the VPN is active. 10
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RAJEEV: HOW HAS BEEN THE OUTLOOK OF ENTERPRISES AND CUSTOMERS TOWARDS ADOPTING BETTER DATA PROTECTION SOLUTIONS TO SAFEGUARD THEIR PRECIOUS DIGITAL ASSETS? RIPU BAJWA: Both organizations and customers in India are looking at data protection like they have never before. They are definitely seeing a better value in their data capital and to an extent even monetizing it. However, many organizations are still not very confident about whether their current data protection solutions will be able to meet current security challenges and the future requirements, as per the Dell Technologies Global Data Protection Index 2020 report. But this is slowly changing. The rapid advancements in new-age technologies is resulting into a data deluge. This will unfortunately create more loopholes in data security. Hence, amidst the looming threat, we are hopeful that organizations will make data protection an integral part of their business strategy. Now, since companies are increasingly giving in to working remotely, exposing themselves to cyber-threats, they are slowly realizing how important, protecting data is. Therefore, we are hopeful that organizations will take data security more seriously and invest well, to prepare themselves for any future contingency.
RAJEEV: IS THERE ANY GROWTH IN DEMAND OF DATA PROTECTION
SOLUTIONS DUE TO ONGOING PANDEMIC? RIPU BAJWA: The data protection landscape in India has evolved manifolds over the past few years, and in current times it has changed even quicker. While this unprecedented growth has created enormous opportunities for businesses, however, at the same time, it has also become a breeding ground for cyber criminals, as mentioned before. Since the data will continue to grow at an increasing pace, so will the risk of a cyber-attack. Hence, over the last few quarters, we have witnessed a growth in data protection solutions and are expecting it to become a critical component in the overall business strategy in the future as well. Furthermore, I believe that we will witness an upward demand for next-generation data protection and management solutions in the near future too. RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU SEE THE NEW PROPOSED BILL FOR DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY IN INDIA? RIPU BAJWA: Data protection and privacy have become two buzzwords now. A lot of businesses have understood the importance of keeping a copy of sensitive data within the national boundaries with the consent of their concerned user. We at Dell Technologies believe that the right to privacy is a fundamental right and it is a moral duty of an organization that is dealing with customer’s data to abide by the laws of the country. www.digitalterminal.in
BRAND CONNECT
Acer Unveils Enduro N3 Rugged Laptop with Top Notch Features
ACER unveiled the rugged Enduro N3, the thinnest and lightest 14” IP53-rated laptop with military standard durability is designed for mobile professionals who require extra reliability on top of premium-level security. It packs a punch in terms of performance as it is powered with up to 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processor. It is specifically devised to provide the endurance, portability, and performance needed by professionals working in the field. The Acer Enduro N3 is a powerful laptop that strikes a balance between rugged build and portability, making it ideal for users who interchange between several worksites such as architects, project supervisors, field researchers, and scientists, wild and nature photographers, and anyone who works in a harsher environment.
constructed using shock-absorbent items containing a honeycomb shell and is engineered to resistant drops, falls, and water. The shock absorbent angles protect the hard drive and have been independently certified to meet MIL-STD 810G impact resistance.
Speaking on the launch Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer, Acer India said, “With progressively diverse industries and professionals needing laptops, more and more laptops are being deployed in the field where they are subject to tougher handling. Our new line Enduro N3 laptop is designed to be used outdoors and can survive drops, extreme temperatures, and water exposure while remaining portable enough to carry it around weighing a mere 1.9kg.”
This physical shield comes on top of premium levels of protection against cyber threats thanks to technology like Discrete Trusted Platform Module, AEMS, and password-protected HDDs. This host of security and management tools ensures that all work done over the device’s 13-hour battery life is safe, and this safety does not come at the cost of performance.
IMPACT RESILIENT
The laptops can be purchased at a starting price of Rs 76500/-
The new Enduro N3 laptop has been
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SPILL-RESISTANT It is designed to be used in wet weather conditions; this laptop’s components are protected by IP53 level certification. The display is coated with Corning® Gorilla® Glass to safeguard the display from water and the unique water-resistant Aquafan™.
STRONG ON SECURITY
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY:
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS: • Acer Enduro N3 features up to 10th Gen Intel® Core™ processor for top notch performance in a rugged body • Weighing a mere 1.985kg and measuring just 24.85mm high, this laptop is the thinnest and lightest 14” IP53-rated rugged laptop • Boasting with a memory expandable up to 32GB DDR4 and 512GB PCIe Gen3 NVMe SSD, laptop delivers high-data speed for demanding applications • The Enduro N3 is built to meet tough working environment Combining Military Standard (MIL-STD-810G) durability, IP53 certification, and a unique Aquafan™ designed to repel water and drops from all angles. • Enduro N3 also comes with multiple layers of security with Hardware TPM 2.0, fingerprint reader and 3 years of warranty
www.digitalterminal.in
TÊTE-À-TÊTE
“AORUS IS A BRAND FOR GAMERS, OFFERING THE MOST EXTREME GAMING EXPERIENCES” The Indian eSports industry is rapidly evolving and there are immense opportunities for brands that bring cutting-edge hardware products for setting-up a powerful gaming PC. Grand eSports tournament and the popularity of several major games such as DOTA, CSGO and PUBG attract Indian youth to take up gaming as a career and grow within this space. This has led to a huge increase in demand for high-end gaming PCs and hardware. AORUS, one of the leading brands from Gigabyte, is catering to this market by offering wide product portfolio to Indian gamers. Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal recently interacted with SUNIL GREWAL, DIRECTOR, GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY (INDIA) PVT. LTD. to further know about the overall channel and product strategy of Gigabyte. Read below the excerpts: RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU SEE THE GROWTH MOMENTUM FOR GAMING MARKET IN INDIA WHEN MARKET IS SLOWLY OPENING UP? SUNIL GREWAL: When lock-down announced in April, to urge the gamers to stay safe and practice social distancing as much as possible. The wellbeing of the community is of paramount importance to us. AORUS hosted a Team-Up, Fight Corona campaign in 5 games, total 247 teams engage with us. From Q2 till now, ongoing gaming activities we brought to the gaming community. We are delighted to see the engagement is growing online between fans, gamers, streamers, and brands. RAJEEV: HOW IS AORUS BRAND SUPPORTING THE GAMING COMMUNITY IN INDIA? WHAT IS YOUR GAME PLAN FOR THIS MARKET DURING OND QUARTER? SUNIL GREWAL: AORUS is a brand for gamers, offering the most extreme gaming experiences for enthusiasts worldwide. We ran regular tournaments, show matches, and over 20 Livestream on AORUS FB/YT channel each month to bring excitement to the communities. To thanks fans for the support, we conducted a giveaway campaign to appreciate the support.
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Most of the tournaments are hosting for superstars and influencers worldwide. As gaming is a concept growing in India, and we would like to work and grow together with the community teams. Starting in November, we will be hosting a ShowStopper Series last for 3 weeks. A total of 128 Indian gaming teams will participate, and the top 20 teams will have a chance to vote by the fans as a challenger. We hope to take this opportunity to make a spotlight on the local gaming teams. Team Up, Fight Together for the growth.
RAJEEV: PLEASE BRIEF SOMETHING ABOUT THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED RTX 30 SERIES GRAPHICS CARDS AND YOUR EXPECTATIONS FROM THIS PRODUCT LAUNCH. SUNIL GREWAL: RTX 30 series graphic cards deliver the ultimate performance for gamers and creators. The new generation of AORUS RTX 30 Series graphic card featured the MAX-Covered Cooling technology. With stack fan, exclusive wind claw, and the alternative spinning fan making designed to eliminate turbulence and improved thermal efficiency. In terms of game performance, we’ve seen a significant gaming improvement on the FPS. The RTX 30 series had 26% improvement compare to RTX 2080Ti, and 43% increase over the GTX 1080Ti. Besides excellent cooling and
superior performance, LCD Edge View is another spotlight of AORUS RTX 30 series graphics cards. The LCD Edge View can allow users to customized content including text, pictures or even short GIF animations.
RAJEEV: WHAT ARE YOUR TOP COMMITMENTS TO YOUR CUSTOMERS REGARDING SERVICE SUPPORT FOR MOTHERBOARDS AND OTHER ACCESSORIES? SUNIL GREWAL: GIGABYTE has 6 service hub and 50 collection points across India. We care much about user experience and customer feedback. From research and development, we had a dedicated team to make sure the product quality is good. If the customer has any feedback on the products, we offer E-support online system and service center for further quires. RAJEEV: HOW ARE YOU ALIGNING WITH YOUR CHANNEL PARTNERS TO SPEED-UP THE GROWTH MOMENTUM IN THE COMING MONTHS? SUNIL GREWAL: GIGABYTE works closely with channel and eTailer partners as usual. We aligned with key channel partners to promote on social media, webpage, and online campaign. With more visibility to help both sides to grow.
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EXCLUSIVE CHAT
“WE FORESEE RENEWED INTEREST IN DATA SECURITY AS BUSINESSES IN INDIA CONTINUE TO EVOLVE DIGITALLY” Organizations are constantly coming forward to deploy robust security solution as an accurate approach to secure their digital transformation journey. Now a days, cybercriminals are using all possible ways to breach the security cover of organizations irrespective of their size. Recently, studies conducted across the world have seen that India is one of the most cyberattacked countries worldwide. Keeping such huge threats in mind, organizations need to rework on their cybersecurity strategies. Making the same issue a topic of discussion, Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal recently interacted with PAMELA ONG, SALES DIRECTOR – APAC AT ESET. The discussion revolved around the overall market scenario, increasing cyber incidents, and solution offered by ESET. Read below the excerpts: RAJEEV: BEING A MAJOR PLAYER IN THE INDIAN CYBERSECURITY INDUSTRY, HOW IS ESET WORKING TO BOLSTER ITS MARKET POSITION AND SECURE A GOOD MARKET SHARE IN FY 2021? PAMELA: India is a key market for ESET
and the past year has been incredibly busy one for us as we made available various new security products and solutions, established new tie-ups with local partners and invested to expand our business operations in India. We have also recently announced our collaboration with Ingram Micro India to ensure a wider audience and channel partners have access to our security solutions through Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace. To better support these customers in the current business climate, we are also providing a monthly subscription option. Looking forward to 2021, we foresee renewed interest in data security as businesses in India continue to evolve digitally and prepare themselves to comply with future regulations on personal data protection. ESET is well-positioned to benefit from this, our security solutions and services are designed to help businesses secure their IT infrastructure as well as to meet various compliance requirements including personal data protection laws. We are confident 2021 will be another positive year for us and our partners in India.
RAJEEV: HOW ARE CYBER CRIMINALS EXPLOITING THE VULNERABLE IT INFRASTRUCTURE OF INDIAN ENTERPRISES? PAMELA: Based on our study, the three top causes of security breaches faced by enterprises in India were human errors, phishing and ransomware attacks. This 14
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correlates with ESET telemetry which has shown that in Q3 2020, the most commonly detected threats remained those that manipulated humans into clicking and enabling malicious macros usually embedded in email attachments. When executed, a malicious macro would typically download and run a multitude of different types of malware including those that allow backdoor access for bad actors to siphon off highly sensitive data. Regardless of the payloads and the techniques used by cybercriminals, enterprises should take note that cyberattacks are usually targeted and persistent. We have also seen a trend of ransomware operators using APT (advanced persistent threats) tactics; they will conspire with other bad actors that have planted backdoors, to gain access into corporate networks to deploy ransomware. Such backdoors can remain undetected for months or even years. Therefore, it is crucial for enterprises evaluate their security posture regularly, to ensure that they are using the right products with capabilities to proactively detect APT and targeted attacks before any data breach occurs.
RAJEEV: HOW ARE YOU WORKING TO BRING ADVANCED ENTERPRISE SECURITY SOLUTIONS? HOW DO YOU SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES IN ENTERPRISE BUSINESS? PAMELA: ESET is a R&D-focused company with around 40% of our staff worldwide work in research and development. We constantly introduce new products and technologies to keep both ESET customers and the world at large safe from the latest and most advanced cyberthreats. We have recently launched our own endpoint detection and response security solution (EDR) - ESET Enterprise Inspector, to
partners and businesses in India. This advanced tool allows IT admins to monitor network activities in real time, run indepth analysis of suspicious processes and swiftly response to cybersecurity breaches. It offers complete prevention, detection and remediation to ransomware, zeroday threats and APT when used together with our award-winning ESET Endpoint Protection Platform. As news and information are now at everyone’s fingertips, businesses are also becoming more proactive with regards to setting up their cybersecurity defences. More than 60% of India’s security software market is made up of medium and largesized businesses, we see tremendous opportunities for ESET and our partners to help these organisations to secure their IT infrastructure and sensitive data as they push ahead with their digitalisation plans.
RAJEEV: WHAT ACCORDING TO YOU ARE THOSE IMPORTANT THINGS THAT MODERN CTOS/CIOS ARE MISSING IN THEIR STRATEGIES FOR KEEPING THEIR ORGANIZATIONS WELL PROTECTED FROM ADVANCED CYBER INCIDENTS? PAMELA: CTOs and CIOs need to take note that the threat landscape is constantly evolving and possible attack vectors for launching successful attacks are virtually endless as both machines and humans are susceptible to cyberattacks. In light of the new normal, IT infrastructure will no longer be physically confined to the office’s four walls. Virtualising devices as being onpremise is no longer sufficient to maintain governance on how off-premise devices, work or otherwise, connected to the corporate network are being used. www.digitalterminal.in
EXCLUSIVE CHAT
This is why security models such as zero trust approach, microsegmentation, and dynamic security are the ways forward. These policies maintain strict access controls by creating monitorable and controllable secure zones with continuous verification of the device’s identity and its user. Even with this, breaches may still occur. Therefore, organisations must be able to maintain full visibility of devices and users that are connected to the corporate network in order to detect anomalies or any indication of breaches. The answer to this is cloud-based security management along with an EDR solution that is capable in collecting data point history to indicate signs of possible breaches and remediate them.
RAJEEV: PLEASE TELL ABOUT YOUR EXISTING AND UPCOMING SECURITY SOLUTION OFFERINGS WHICH CAN PROVIDE THE MAXIMUM SUPPORT TO THE SMBS IN COMBATING ANY SECURITY BREACH. PAMELA: ESET Enterprise Inspector is an excellent solution to combat security breaches as it enables organisations to uncover sophisticated cyberattacks and take necessary action to prevent security breaches from happening. Deploying an EDR tool would require IT personnel who are trained in cybersecurity and we understand not many SMBs have such resources at their disposal. To enable more businesses to benefit from what EDR has to offer, we have recently teamed up with a local partner Sattrix Information Security to make available Managed EDR security service to businesses in India. With this, businesses will get end-toend support that includes local technical support, solutions management, regular security posture assessment, threat hunting and round-the-clock threat monitoring. All these will take place in Sattrix’s Security Operations Centre (SOC) using ESET Enterprise Inspector. Additionally, ESET recognises that the pandemic poses a great challenge for many small businesses, and we aim to help these companies to build cybersecurity resilience during these unprecedented times. As such, we curated a new security solutions bundle that are designed for businesses with as few as five devices to protect themselves from various cyber threats regardless of where their employees are working from. It also comes with powerful encryption software so small businesses can increase their data security to meet compliance regulations. The bundle is affordably priced, with up to 50% of savings compared to purchasing products individually. www.digitalterminal.in
PAMELA ONG, SALES DIRECTOR – APAC, ESET RAJEEV: HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU SEE THE ROLE OF CHANNEL PARTNERS FOR YOU IN INDIA? PLEASE BRIEF ABOUT YOUR COMPLETE CHANNEL STRENGTH AND UPCOMING PLANS FOR THE CHANNEL. PAMELA: As a channel-focused business, we value our partners as an important extension of the team. They bring valuable knowledge and experiences around India’s evolving tech landscape and consumers. Our channel partners are important in helping us strengthen our go-to-market strategy and expand our brand presence to all corners of India. Recently, ESET has been reaffirmed as a ‘Champion’ – the highest possible status - in the 2020 Canalys Global Cybersecurity Leadership Matrix. Canalys has recognised
us for our for ongoing improvements in channel processes to drive simplicity and ease of doing business, willingness to boost growth opportunities for partners as well as commitment to growing the share of revenue generated through the channel. We have also received the highest global channel feedback score ahead of 16 other cybersecurity vendors. In the coming months, we will continue to expand our partner base to widen the availability of our business solutions and services across India. We foresee huge opportunities to support the India government in line with the Digital India initiative to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. We are excited to work closely with existing channel partners and the potential ones to build on India’s digital narrative.
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QUALITY & AFFORDABILITY DRIVING TWS MARKET GROWTH IN INDIA
The Indian TWS market is significantly growing and managing to achieve new heights by each passing quarter. There are many factors contributing to this huge growth but adoption of smartphones for entertainment purposes turns out to be the major factor. According to Counterpoint’s research, The India TWS market posted a massive 700% growth in 2019 and expected to be much higher in 2020 as people are working from home and learning from home. These newly evolved segments have further boosted the demand for TWS earphones. The tech brands are looking very optimistic about the growth trend in this segment and have geared up to tap this enormous opportunity. In order to know more about the TWS segment growth, DT recently interacted with top brands who are serving this market. Read the full story below:
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COVER STORY
INDIAN TWS MARKET LANDSCAPE Since the pandemic has hit the world there has been a major shift in the preferences of wearables as people are working from home and students are attending online classes the TWS has become a lifestyle statement for many people because they are compact and provide comfort for longer hours. GOPAL JEYARAJ, HEAD INDIA AND SAARC, ANKER INNOVATIONS said, “The introduction of TWS has brought in a major shift in the way people consume their content. Its tangle free experience further adds ease to the use. The earlier versions of the TWS were not as advance as they are now, previously the TWS had lower battery and uncomfortable wearing style but now the TWS have started coming with battery capacity, the silicon gels makes the use more easier and most essential bring comfort in use. Overall, the TWS category is one of the fastest growing categories in the headphone category. They are growing about 300-400% year on year. The shift to e-learning and remote working led to higher audio consumption, which resulted in greater demand.” TWS are mostly used by working professionals and young generation due to it’s ease of use and innovation in connectivity technology. DINO LALVANI, CHAIRMAN, BINATONE GLOBAL & HUBBLE Connected said, “TWS hearable market is growing exponentially in India. This is owing to the growing demands for audio products by working professionals and students. Ease of use, portability, auto connectivity with mobile devices, better sound clarity and availability of affordable TWS will continue to drive the demand for the TWS segment. Being the new technology in hearable category and the trend of staying connected has made it well accepted by the consumer.” Despite other market
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being badly affected in last six month due to ongoing pandemic, TWS market grew exponentially during this period. SUKHESH MADAAN, CEO, BLAUPUNKT AUDIO INDIA said, “The pandemic definitely hijacked the first 6 months of the year for the segment. I would say that India's True Wireless Stereo (TWS) market posted 650+ percent (year-on-year) growth in the second quarter of this year (2020), becoming one of the few segments which actually grew during the pandemic. The major factors that are contributing to this growth trajectory are the aggressive entrylevel pricing from various brands in the sector and content explosion due to OTT channels. Moreover, there is a huge jump in audio content consumption, portability, and advancements like health and fitness tracking; smart assistants are making TWS popular among smartphone users and driving the demand.” “Having said that, the recent lockdown situation due to COVID-19 has accelerated the demand for TWS as many people are still working from home and connecting through voice and video calls. This seems to be a continued demand that will carry on over the next year since many organizations have decided to work remotely; many workers have shifted to a contractual or remote working mode entirely and so on. I am confident that this will continue to boost the growth in the segment and the market will flourish again in 2021,” added by SUKHESH MADAAN. The TWS market has gained exponential growth in recent times and likely to grow with more pace in the coming years. Elaborating about the growth of this market, ROHIT NANDWANI, COO, HAMMER said, “The TWS hearables market is growing and it is expected to rise even more by 2025. The major factors responsible for this growth trajectory are majority mobile brands are already discontinuing incorporating the port for earphones in their products which directly is promoting truly wireless technology. Second, people are becoming technology-oriented and want to experiment with vast technology. Also, since the TWS hearables are easily accessible in PAN India, it, in turn, has decreased the chances of buying from foreign brands, hence also promoting native brands. Moreover, the Indian TWS hearables are primarily focused on comfort
followed by quality and will definitely pave its way more into becoming a consumer’s first choice.” As the Indian market is continuously looking for innovation & upgrade in the tech industry, TWS is expected to constantly boom because of the varied number of factors. AASHISH KUMBHAT, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, INBASE said, “In the last couple of years, TWS market has grown exponentially. Even, according to the latest research from Counterpoint, the shipment of hearables especially true wireless stereo devices has seen a massive 700 percent growth in 2019 and becoming the fastest growing market in hearables in India. It’s been one of the most acceptable products among millennials and business people. The significant factors that are contributing to the growth could be the ease of using the product, fashionable looks, more convenience without the hassle of wires and the lightweight, etc.” MUKESH TANEJA, GENERAL MANAGER (SALES), INTEX said, “India being a high potential market for audio wearables, TWS as a product has seen exponential growth, year on year in last few months. The major growth drivers in this category being – work from home / online education culture and availability of affordable devices. An increasing preference and usage of wireless & smart devices is the major factor boosting the demand. Also, the growing trend of wireless earphones as they provide freedom of movement and can be used for handsfree calling, during gym workout, sports, or other physical activities due to the convenience is another factor anticipated to propel its growth in the Indian market. With the penetration of this product in the category still at single digit, the potential is huge.” “India’s true wireless stereo (TWS) market registered a year-on-year growth of 656% in Q2 2020. Infact, the TWS products segment is the only segment that recorded growth this year. Coupled with launch of more affordable devices pushed the average selling price (ASP) to the lower side, making it possible to reach a larger section of NOVEMBER 2020
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the population. One major reason was increase in audio consumption due to remote working and digital education. Since the penetration is currently at 10%, so we feel it should have great growth trajectory in times to come” stated AJAY ARORA, CEO, MATATA. AMEEN KHWAJA, FOUNDER & CEO, PTRON commented, “As per recent reports, India’s true wireless stereo (TWS) market registered a year-onyear growth of 656% in Q2 2020, and pTron has been placed fairly well. There has been an overwhelming market response for our True Wireless Earbuds since its launch last Diwali and we have sold more than 10 lacs units since September 2019. It all started from selling record 10k units of our first TWS Bassbuds at 999/- in just 3 days back in Oct 2019. Since then there has been no stopping for us. In just a year’s time, our TWS catalog has grown to 10 products.” AMEEN further added, “Till 2019 the wireless earphones market was growing along with the increasing demand for wireless technology in the market. The global pandemic boosted the consumption of smart devices such as smartphones, laptops, and others, as people started to work from home and study online. This has boosted the market growth of wireless earphones on a large scale across market segments. pTron has witnessed constantly growing demand for its wireless and true wireless earphones since June this year due to their great quality and affordability.” Indian
TWS segment is growing at a very fast pace due to advancement in technology and easy availability of products at a very reasonable price. PAREKH VIJ, FOUNDER & DIRECTOR, U&I said, “According to a Counterpoint Research Report, India's True Wireless Stereo (TWS) market saw a 656 per cent (year-onyear) growth in the second quarter of this year, becoming one of the few segments in the mobile industry which actually grew 18
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during the pandemic. The major factor for such a growth is the growing demand for TWS products among millennial and business people. Others factors that are contributing to this growth is the ease in using TWS product, their fashionable and peppy looks and design, lightweight and no hassle without wires etc.” Indian market is one of the largest consumer markets across any global market and this gives brand a great reason to cheer. MANDEEP ARORA, MANAGING DIRECTOR, UBON commented, “The TWS market in India recorded a massive growth in the past several years, becoming the fastest growing market. The segment holds huge growth potential and opportunities for an optimistic future. The reason behind this surge in demand is the increasing audio content consumption, portability, and advancements of features like health and fitness tracking, smart assistants are making TWS popular among the consumers.” Headphone market is a growing market, as per the industry report by Report Linker, the global true wireless headphones market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 17% over during the period 2019–2025. Sharing more on this, VARUN GUPTA, CHIEF ARCHITECT, BOULT AUDIO, says, “Major factors leading to the growth is consumers are investing in earphones which are compatible with portable devices. Moreover, growth of this market is propelled by the increasing demand for smartphones as a source of entertainment, consumer preferences for portable devices, and advancements in wireless technologies. As per the recent Counterpoint research report, India’s true wireless stereo (TWS) market registered a year-on-year growth of 656% in Q2 2020. The increasing audio content consumption, portability, and advancements like health and fitness tracking, smart assistants are making TWS popular among smartphone users and driving the demand.” VARUN GUPTA further added, “A major trigger for growth in the TWS category is the fact that most of the major smartphone
brands have gotten rid of the headphones jack, forcing customers to upgrade to wireless. With the true wireless as a technology getting more stable and mature, the product quality and customer experience is getting better. Moreover, there’s a huge assortment from most of the audio brands, and price points are dropping making TWS earphones more affordable, thus today the customer is switching from wired to not just wireless, but true wireless!” According to ARIJEET TALAPATRA, CEO, TRANSSION INDIA, Year 2020 has witnessed a massive increase in the disruptive digitization of not only industries & commerce but also a large part of our daily lives that have been transformed with numerous technology disruptions. He adds, “It is needless to say that the TWS market has also witnessed a healthy growth of 656% in Q2 alone as per recent reports by Counterpoint. It all essentially comes down to the connect experience that the TWS technology offers and plays a vital role in elevating the entire consumer experience. The factors that can be attributed to this increased in the TWS growth trajectory are multifold -Ranging from the consumer’s increased need of productivity on smartphones during the pandemic, to the affordability & availability of products as well as the consumer tech industry’s increased focus on improving the entire connected digital experience for the end consumer across all income sections. The TWS hearable market is likely to grow even more as time progresses as a healthy & more competitive market is likely to help consumers to get better products at cheaper products over time.”
QUALITY ASSURANCE & AFFORDABILITY FACTOR The TWS hearables market is predominantly based upon two important factors, affordability and quality. Tech brands are rapidly shifting their focus towards offering quality TWS earphones at an affordable price point. Elaborating about the efforts to develop and offer quality products, GOPAL JEYARAJ said, “Soundcore has always understood the needs of the customers and has been delivering the perfect blend of quality at affordable price points but with that no compromise in innovation. At Soundcore we ensure, that our customers are getting better and www.digitalterminal.in
COVER STORY
advanced technology at the most prudent prices, this has also helped us establish our key differentiation in the Industry. Infact, Soundcore is one of the few brands that have its own R&D center focused on product development and also new technologies.” GOPAL JEYARAJ further added, “Apart from sales, while a product is being sold – we prioritize & analyze the customer’s reviews, ratings and feedback to understand the demographics and also the changing consumer trends. We have been following this as a strategy for all the brands which fall under the umbrella of Anker Innovation. We have also made sure that the retailers and the distributors are comfortable and are getting the required margin which has been one of the key contributors for us reaching the expected growth level. Soundcore has seen a tremendous growth in the Indian markets since its launch in India.” Sharing more on product quality factor, DINO LALVANI, BINATONE stated, “Motorola has been a pioneer in Technology & Innovation. We are committed to the highest quality and look for ways to innovate and bring forth the best products in the market. The same legacy has been carried through all Motorola Lifestyle Audio products at an affordable price. To sum up we are an affordable Lifestyle Brand.” “Having said that, the recent lockdown situation due to COVID-19 has accelerated the demand for TWS as many people are still working from home and connecting through voice and video calls. This seems to be a continued demand that will carry on over the next year since many organizations have decided to work remotely; many workers have shifted to a contractual or remote working mode entirely and so on. I am confident that this will continue to boost the growth in the segment and the market will flourish again in 2021,” said by SUKHESH MADAAN. Success of any tech brand completely depends on product quality they bring for Indian customers. Therefore, tech brands invest hugely in their R&D centers to bring out the best product for its customers. Talking about the quality factor, ROHIT NANDWANI said, “Hammer ensures that all its products are well tested with all the quality measures before reaching the consumer. Also, it provides superior quality with all the major specifications within an affordable price range as compared to other audio brands.” “The products that we design are built from the top manufacturers across the globe. As a brand, we are always highly conscious of the www.digitalterminal.in
quality of our products. Also, we are one of the very few brands who believe in the word of mouth marketing, where the goodwill of our brands stands. And in turn, it leads to a minimum budget spend on marketing that directly reflects in affordability of our highquality products,” commented by AASHISH KUMBHAT.
of the Indian market and the consumer, manufacturing in India will allow us better control on quality and allow us to go more aggressive on the pricing. More importantly, all our products are certified by FCC (US), CE (Europe), BIS (India) & Bluetooth (by BQB labs). Very few Indian brands in our segment and category can claim to have these.”
MUKESH TANEJA said, “With technology & innovation at the heart of everything we do at Intex, we have a full-fledged team working on this category and we are ensuring to bring a complete range of best in the class products in this category. We currently have few models available and fuelled by the response we got for them from our channel partners and end users, we are very excited about this category. The range will have products to suit everyone’s needs and pocket. Intex being an established name already in audio category, our customer expect only the best from us and we are happy to fulfil this.”
While designing any product, brands too work on customer’s requirement and comfort. Sharing more on this, PAREKH VIJ said, “Our products are designed internally keeping in mind the comfort and wants of our target audience. Also we have the best in class after sales services and all our products come with a good warranty period.”
Offering the quality products to customers remain at the top priority of any brand and this is the biggest factor that helps a brand to retain customers. Ajay Arora, said, “Matata believes in providing its customers with premium quality products at an affordable price. Matata TWS comes with 13 mm big sized drivers to give unmatched audio performance. Besides it has LED Display and smart touch handsfree function.” According to AMEEN KHWAJA, “pTron has always focused on component level detailing of products which gives us extensive control over product cost & quality. We have strong relations with cost-efficient & reliable manufacturing partners and hence we work directly with PCB and chipset manufacturers. With these capabilities and having our own in-house design team, we can vouch for the originality and distinctiveness of our products. Also, we have a strict quality control procedure in place, through which all our products go through 5 levels of quality check to ensure that a consumer does not face any issue with our products. Additionally, pTron offers 6 -12 months warranty replacement on all the products.” AMEEN KHWAJA, pTron further added, “We have also started manufacturing in India with our signature TWS Bassbuds Plus and great news is that 20k got sold out just in a week’s time. We are also manufacturing Powerbanks at our Kurnool plant in AP now. By the end of 2020 we plan to add more products to the list of Made in India clan. As our biggest strength is our control over manufacturing and understanding
“UBON follows a no-compromise policy and uses the best and latest Japanese technology along with technologies from different countries to serve better with the highest quality products. Apart from this, we are working on a minimum profit plan as we are constantly working for the consumer satisfaction rather than focusing on revenue generation. We have rigorous checking measures at our factory and corporate office. All products are required to go through severe and extensive checking on various measures. We at UBON believe only Quality Check & Quality Assurance together can make a perfect product for the consumer. UBON is the first company in India to launch solar power banks, wireless power banks and wireless charging pads,” revealed by MANDEEP ARORA. MANDEEP ARORA, UBON further added, “Also we aim to be the best consumer electronics and accessories company in India, that too in terms of every aspect. ‘After Sales Service’ is the most important factor when it comes to consumer satisfaction & customer retention and we cannot afford to compromise on the same. Speaking on the same, I should mention, all UBON products are covered under 1-year UBON Black Warranty. We have more than 650+ service centers all over India to cater to every need of the consumer.” “At Boult Audio, our products are designed in USA. We design all our products in-house to ensure that every product is exquisite, and in structurally engineered to delivery outstanding performance. We borrow learnings from disciplines like design, acoustic engineering and ergonomics to ensure the product not just sounds impeccable, but is robust, long lasting and feels comfortable to the ear. Having design in our DNA, we want to make world class designs affordable for the Indian market, so that the customers don’t have to shell out a fortune to own a piece of true beauty,” NOVEMBER 2020
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commented by VARUN GUPTA. Tecno recent product in this segment has gained good traction in the Indian market. Expressing his pleasure on recent product success, ARIJEET TALAPATRA said, “Brand TECNO ramped up its product portfolio with some great TWS products this year, that providing consumers a hassle-free and tangle-free quality audio listening experience at affordable prices. Both our products have received an overwhelming response from consumers. The Hipods H2 & Minipod M1, priced at priced at INR 1699 and INR 799 respectively, are customized to cater to the needs of consumers of Greater Bharat, with better battery life, enhanced audio quality, immersive surround sound at affordable rates.”
CHANNEL ECOSYSTEM The importance of channel can’t be ignored for any tech brands. Yet this segment is still growing and majorly demands are coming from online channel especially in last few months when offline channel was struggling due to impact of lockdown. But brands are concerned about making a balance between both platforms. GOPAL JEYARAJ said, “For our brand Soundcore we have created a strong eco-system. Having said that, we are a very channel-driven brand and believe in growing together with our partners. Since all the channels are important to us, we make sure we are not biased towards any particular channel in general. Both the online and offline channels are contributing to our tremendous growth as we provide the customers with an exclusive SKU (stock keeping unit) in both the online as well as the offline markets in order to avoid any price conflicts in the sales.” Channel partners play a very significant role in the success of any brand. Dino Lalvani, said, “Our strategy is to go multi-channel to serve our customers in the most efficient manner. Presently we’re available on both offline and online channels. We would like our product user to be our mouthpiece and brand ambassador.” Speaking about the role of channel partners and overall channel ecosystem, SUKHESH MADAAN said, “Currently, we don’t have a physical store in India. For the company, 65-70 percent of our sales are through online platforms, 15 percent come through organized retail or large electronic chains like Croma and Vijay Sales while the rest of the business is through corporates sales and other distributors. We are aiming to double our turnover year on year between 2019 to 2020. Currently, we are also
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focusing on growing our business from our own online channel, www.blaupunktaudio. in this gives us a lot of flexibility in terms of offering, bundling, and even offering recertified products at very aggressive pricing.” “Hammer is currently holding around a 2% market share in the audio market across PAN India. Due to the pandemic, the sales are more from the online channel which has led us to more focus on the online platforms now and for the years ahead. This is the reason we partnered with Nykaa in recent times,” concluded by ROHIT NANDWANI. Sharing more about channel plans, AASHISH KUMBHAT said, “We are very strong in offline channels where we are collaborating with the country’s top LFRs. Coming to the online market, we have just landed our first footmark of development of our own website and started with marketplaces like Amazon, Flipkart, etc. Our vision for online presence is also mammoth, and hence we are working extensively to reach the objectives. Currently, we are on an expansion spree and are looking for the expansion of the dealer & distribution network all across the nation and globe.”
platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Snapdeal, TataCliq, Reliance Digital, 2Gud, Shopclues and ranks as the Best Sellers under various categories. pTron products are available in more than 6,000 retail outlets in India with a strong distribution network in major Tier 1 & Tier 2 cities of Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, etc. For FY 20, we are working aggressively on expanding our wholesale distribution channel to reach out to a larger base of offline retail consumers.” “We have a strong presence in both offline and online channels and our whole variety of products are available in both channels but also people can also buy our products on our website too. In all we are focussing on both channel of distribution to increase sales. Our vision and objective is to expand our reach to a large audience and provide our products as the first choice. Currently, we are looking to expand our network all across the nation through increasing our dealers and distribution agents,” concluded by PAREKH VIJ.
AJAY ARORA stated, “We plan to focus on all business channels. We are already present on Amazon and Flipkart and in few of premium retail chains. Offline presence is also increasing and we expect to have Pan India coverage within next 5-6 months.”
“From a small wholesale shop in Lajpat Rai Market to opening an exclusive showroom in Karol Bagh and another store in Lajpat Rai Market, I think we have come a long way. Today, we are present in over 3,000 cities of India through our offline presence. In addition, we are also present on multi brand channels and e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart as well as social media platforms like Instagram for online selling. UBON has a robust supply chain network which enables it to distribute its products all over India basis the distribution network level available in every state. We have equal focus on both offline and online mediums as both play vital roles in the success of the brand,” said by MANDEEP ARORA.
“pTron’s growth has been promising since the inception of the brand. The brand has performed consistently in the last two quarters with 425% growth in sales as compared to last year October. We have sold a wide range of products like True Wireless, Wireless & Wired in the Wearable Audio category and cables and power banks in the power and charging category along with Smart wearables like fitness band and smartwatches. We have sold more than 6 million units of pTron accessories across Online & Offline channels till now, the TWS segment being the largest contributor to this growth,” said by AMEEN KHWAJA.
Boult Audio’s presence is across all leading online platforms. Adding more on this, VARUN GUPTA said, “This is the strategic decision we took before introducing the brand to the consumer. The current situation has completely changed the consumption pattern. Consumers now prefer safe, hygienic, and contactless routes, resulting in increased usage of e-commerce portals which offers convenience and safety. Therefore, our efforts are focused on building a robust online channel to drive sales as well as we have been consistently upgrading channel to provide a better experience.”
AMEEN KHWAJA further added, “The brand sells aggressively on major e-commerce
With the brand’s essence of Expect More, TECNO is committed to giving the masses access to the latest technology at accessible
“Our products are currently available at thousands of outlets across the country. Simultaneously, these products have got a very good response on e-commerce channels, especially during the lockdown. As a strategy, we plan to be available offline, online and LFR alike. The idea is to be available wherever the customer is,” added MUKESH TANEJA, Intex.
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prices, allowing consumers to reach beyond their current limitations and uncover a whole new world of possibilities. “TECNO’s focus has been on ‘India First’ smartphones to disrupt the entry level and mid-budget markets with products customized to cater to the Indian sensibilities in a better way and to meet the needs of the citizens of a new
Bharat. With the outbreak of the pandemic, it is difficult for people to visit physical stores frequently. Keeping this in mind we are taking different steps to meet consumer demand. TECNO smartphones are available both offline retail outlets as well as online E-commerce platform, granting consumers quick and easy accessibility to the brand’s
products. Having said that, we will continue to strengthen our presence across India in the near future, and surprise the consumers with path-breaking innovative technology, at aggressive price points,” concluded by ARIJEET TALAPATRA.
NEW ARRIVALS
SNOKOR ‘IROCKER GODS’ TWS EARBUDS
SNOKOR is introducing a revolutionary new addition to its range of TWS for the upcoming festive season. The latest iRocker Gods has been ergonomically designed to reflect upon its brand DNA of style, passion, and emotion and is irresistibly priced at INR 1999. The all-new SNOKOR iRocker Gods features a powerful 13mm Dynamic bass boost driver and is equipped with high fidelity speakers with high quality PU & titanium magnet for an unmatched and powerful sound experience. The earbuds also come equipped with Bluetooth v5.0, which offers an enhanced range and stable & robust connection even in a congested environment. The IPX5 sweatproof and dustproof design of the earbuds also makes them a perfect training partner. iRocker Gods is equipped with 500mAh + 35mAh*2 batteries that offer up to 24 hours of playtime, the case can get fully charged at 5x speed in 2 hours whereas the earbuds can replenish its battery in just one hour.
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MOTOROLA UNVEILS NEW TECH3 TRIX WIRELESS EARPHONES
Motorola Tech3 TriX, a first-to-market combined wired and true wireless earphone solution that promises to change the earphone game forever and revolutionize the way one listens to music. TriX’s adaptive technology offers a groundbreaking solution that provides flexibility and freedom. The Motorola Tech3 is powered by Hubble with the Verve Life app and built-in Amazon Alexa to keep users connected and grant them greater access to control and manage a wide range of settings. It allows the user to locate a lost earbud through the help of last used location on the map. With the Ear Detect feature, Tech3 automatically turns on when plugged in and turns off when both earbuds are removed from the ear. This revolutionary headphone offers three wearable styles providing the opportunity to choose between the flexibility of True Wireless, Sport Loop, and the world’s first True Wireless headphones that include a “direct plug-in” audio solution. Tech3 TriX earphones are priced at Rs 9,999
ASUS GAMING MOTHERBOARDS
ASUS announced the Republic of Gamers (ROG) Crosshair VIII Dark Hero, TUF Gaming X570 Pro (WiFi) and ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming WiFi — three gaming motherboards designed for gaming builds featuring the latest-generation AMD® Ryzen™ Zen 3 architecture processors. In addition to the latest X570 and B550 motherboards, all ASUS 500 series motherboards (X570, B550 and A520) are ready for AMD Ryzen Zen 3 architecture processors. ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero is the first ASUS X570 board to implement a completely passive cooling design, featuring a sizeable heatsink that extends from the chipset zone to the space between the PCIe slots. The new flagship of the B550 motherboard range, ROG Strix B550-XE Gaming ensures uprated power with its 16 integrated TI 90 amp power stages (identical to ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero) to drive present-day and next generation AMD Zen 3 architecture processors.
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PRODUCT REVIEW :
AVITA LIBER V14 LIMITED EDITION
FIRST IMPRESSION, DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY The AVITA LIBER V14 looks quite modern and stylish like its base model. The body looks quite decent and provides a smooth grip. The attractive look of this laptop is enhanced by its golden navy blue color. The AVITA brand logo is placed on the lid and the lid's unique design helps to open it. This out-of-the-box design comes due to top-up webcam. AVITA brings very thin and light laptops and continues the legacy with this new laptop. The total weight of the laptop is just 1.25 kg, so it is easy to lift and carry. There are not many things around the top of the laptop. The back panel of the laptop is well organized and has 2 speakers on either side. Hot air is exhausted through the vent under the laptop. The first impression of this laptop is satisfactory and the build quality is also very durable.
CONNECTIVITY OPTIONS To the right of the laptop is an HDMI port, a USB Type-C port, and a USB 3.0 port. These ports can help you connect other devices to laptop such as a smartphone, external HDD, or any other device. And another port has been given to power the device. On the other side is the USB 3.0 port, a headphone jack is provided next to the USB port. One amazing thing is that this laptop also has a microSD card slot, this is actually a very useful feature in this laptop.
BACKLIT KEYBOARD AND LARGE TOUCHPAD AVITA is looking to provide customers with a delightful user experience due to which AVITA has given the laptop an extra-large touchpad. The extra-large design of the touchpad helps to use it without any problems. Also, the touchpad of this laptop is ultra-responsive and it feels very smooth to move your fingers on the touchpad. The keypad of the LIBER V14 is very compact and the keys are easy to press. The fingers do not stick to the keys and typing becomes very easy. We were expecting a backlit keyboard and AVITA has not disappointed us on this front. Backlit keyboard is very useful in low light conditions.
FHD BEZEL-LESS DISPLAY The LIBER V14 is at the forefront of the scene as it sports a wide 14-inch FHD screen with an IPS display and comes up with antiglare technology. The display provides a 178-degree viewing angle to keep colors and
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photos clear. The display appears very large because the bezels have been kept as low as possible and also it has body ratio of 78.2%. Providing top-up webcam is also good idea by AVITA as it provides extra space for display and on the other hand, it helps to open the lid. This is a 1MP webcam and the quality is average.
FINGERPRINT SENSOR When we checked the fingerprint sensor next to the keypad, we were surprised because it unlocked the laptop within a second. This security feature helps in keeping data secure. At the same time, this feature also helps to unlock the laptop quickly.
SPECIFICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE The AVITA LIBER V14 is based on the Intel Core i7 10th Gen processor and is the perfect processor to support high-end computing with 1TB SSD and 16GB of RAM. The laptop is quite fast and it takes even less than 10 seconds to boot up. The laptop worked very well on multiple windows on single time and we must say that the amalgamation of SSD has become the X-factor for the laptop. This laptop did not disappoint us anywhere when it comes to performance and we must say that AVITA has strengthened this laptop on all fronts which are necessary for an ideal laptop. AVITA LIBER V14 is backed by a 4830 mAh Li-ion Battery. The battery life of the laptop is stated to be 10 hours according to AVITA, but in our usage, we got a backup of about 4-5 hours. But it all depends on different usage.
PRICE AND AVAILABILITY This laptop comes in 16GB + 1TB SSD storage
option and is priced at Rs. 62,990 / -. The price is slightly higher but the performance of the laptop justifies it. We have recently reviewed other laptops which are cheaper but they lack in performance somewhere.
DT VERDICT AVITA has done a quite good job in every area and LIBER V14 seems to be a perfect companion for everyone. The performance of the laptop was impressive and you can play heavy games or can run high end applications. The build quality is also decent and being lightweight, it is easy to carry. The video and sound quality is also nice and the display is not so bright but the vibrant colors don’t let you feel this. We found this laptop an ideal choice in its category.
Pros • Good build quality • Impressive performance • Secure and fast • Lightweight • Bezel-less display
Cons • Suppressed audio quality • Average battery life
Ratings (out of 5) • Design: 4.5 • Build quality: 4 • Battery life: 3.5 • Display: 4 • Performance: 4.5 • Overall: 4
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MARKET REPORT
HP RETAINS NUMBER ONE POSITION FOR PC MARKET IN INDIA
The Indian traditional PC market inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations delivered a strong quarter with 9.2% year-over-year (YoY) growth in 3Q20 (JulySeptember 2020), according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. 3.4 million units shipped during the quarter, as the demand for e-learning and remote working remained strong, resulting in 3Q20 being the biggest quarter in the last seven years in India. Although the commercial segment had very few government and education projects, the consumer segment recorded its biggest quarter ever with 2.0 million shipments, growing 41.7% YoY and 167.2% from the previous quarter. Schools and colleges continued to function virtually, leading to a surge in demand for consumer notebooks, especially in large cities. Despite the supply challenges, vendors were able to stock up for the upcoming online festivals. However, the demand for notebook PCs remains much higher than the current supply, which is likely to lead to another strong quarter of shipments in 4Q20 (Oct-Dec). New entrants like Xiaomi and Avita were able to leverage this opportunity but remained outside of the top five companies in the consumer segment. Apple shipments also grew 19.4% YoY as it ended its biggest quarter of shipments in the country. Commenting on current demand for consumer PCs, Bharath Shenoy , market analyst for PC Devices at IDC India states, “There is still a lot of uncertainty if and when will the schools and colleges return to physical classrooms at full strength. This is forcing students to manage 24
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all their learning virtually. This demand is expected to stay strong as India remains underpenetrated in PCs. To add to this, the growing broadband connectivity in the country is making online learning easier for students. Hence, this opportunity will continue to be relevant for PC vendors for at least a few more quarters.” In the commercial segment, enterprises continued investing in PCs under their business continuity planning to manage their remote working requirements. However, the volume of key big deals has come down in this second wave of enterprise buying as compared to initial orders in 2Q20. This led to a marginal 3.1% YoY growth in the overall enterprise segment. Notebook shipments grew at a strong 70.1% YoY as enterprises preferred them over desktops. SMBs resumed their purchases after taking a slight pause, as business operations started for most of the sectors with a relaxation in the lockdown restrictions. Shipments to this segment grew 5.5% YoY in 3Q20. However, this growth can also be attributed to channel procurement for better control over inventories amid the uncertain supply situation in the ecosystem.
TOP 5 COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS: 3Q20 HP INC. retained the top position in the
overall PC market with a share of 28.2% in 3Q20. The vendor recorded a strong quarter in both consumer and commercial segments with a 16.6% increase in shipments when compared to the same time a year ago. HP also remained the leader in the consumer segment. However, its market share fell to 24.2% in 3Q20 from 28.2% in 2Q20.
LENOVO was marginally ahead of Dell with
a share of 21.7% in its overall shipments. The vendor witnessed a 27% YoY growth in the consumer segment on the back of its portfolio extension this quarter. Also, the vendor registered 46.2% growth in its SMB shipments as it prepared the channel to avoid supply uncertainties in the coming months. Overall, Lenovo’s shipments fell 16.9% YoY in the absence of any large education deal this quarter.
DELL Technologies secured third place with
a share of 21.3% in the overall PC market as its shipments grew 18.2% YoY in 3Q20. After a few quarters of declining shipments in the consumer segment, the vendor returned to growth with an impressive 74.6% YoY increase in its shipments, replacing Lenovo in the second consumer ranking.
ACER Group retained the fourth position with a 9.5% market share in 3Q20. However, the vendor registered a 12.4% decline in its overall shipments. Acer continued to dominate the commercial desktop category with a 27.1% share in 3Q20 as it managed to win a few key banking and education projects. ASUS maintained the fifth position and registered an impressive 55.4% YoY growth in its overall PC shipments. ASUS has been aggressive in expanding its offline presence, this helped the brand to secure the fourth position in the consumer segment. Also, this quarter the vendor officially entered the commercial segment with the launch of its Expert series.
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CHANNEL BUZZ
SAFE DNS COLLABORATES WITH BD SOFT FOR INDIAN MARKET
Strengthening its Cyber portfolio, BD Software introduces US based Safe DNS, Cloud-Based Web Filtering Solutions into the Indian Markets. Taking into account the rising threats in the cyber space, amid and post Covid-19, the solutions by Safe DNS shall help to safeguard the Indian consumers/businesses against cyber threats and attacks and objectionable content on the internet. The Safe DNS, Cloud-Based Filtering Solutions caters to a wide spectrum of consumers, covering all businesses, education, non-profits, partners and telecoms, hardware/software vendors, as well as families. It is designed to protect the corporate or private network against malware and phishing and provide a safe browsing environment. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Zakir Hussain, Director, BD Software Pvt. Ltd. said, “The increased interconnectivity due to the growing popularity of cloud network puts all consumers’ data at stake. These threats on the internet need to be filtered out even before the can enter your device. By bringing the Cloud-Based Web Filtering solutions of Safe DNS into the Indian market, we shall be addressing these critical needs of the online audience.”
IRIS GLOBAL SUPPLIED 1,000 SAMSUNG MOBILES TO BTS TOWER COMPANY The New Delhi headquartered India's fast growing IT Distribution Company “Iris” known wide and large as the “Distributor of Choice” by partners who like them for their business flexibility and their personal touch has enabled the supply of 1,000 Samsung mobiles. Iris’s help came a big way, by structuring their deals, perfectly end to end. In its yet another endeavor IRIS has expanded operation by venturing in the field of supplying mobile devices to India's leading BTS Telco Tower Company. Mr Sanjiv Krishen, Chairman, Iris Group, said that the company has received an order of supplying 1,000 such Samsung Mobile Phones to be handed over to the company employees of India’s largest Telecom Tower company - Indus Towers through our newest partner “Awesome Entertainments”, who are well known for their event management services & capabilities specially for large corporates. Iris assessed and helped them by extending credit and opening their warehouse at midnight to meet the urgent critical delivery deadlines of their customer. With the deal, Welcoming the new partner with their invincible personal touch they have completed the supply promptly and efficiently.
NETGEAR SIGNS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH INGRAM MICRO NETGEAR announced the signing of a value-added distribution agreement with Ingram Micro, the global technology, and supply chain services provider. With this agreement, Ingram Micro will be authorized to sell and promote NETGEAR’s portfolio of networking and security solutions through its vast channel network in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Egypt. NETGEAR selected Ingram Micro, as a top distributor for the Region, because of its strong base of system integration channel partners and reseller network to sell its full range of networking products. “We are excited to partner with Ingram in the Middle East; this will certainly help us to reach out to more Channel Partners & System Integrators. We will be working closely with Ingram to enable NETGEAR’s cutting edge Pro-AV switching solutions, Award-winning Home WIFI systems, Business-class Access points & Storage Solutions to become more reachable to all allies and customers across the Region,” said Marthesh Nagendra, Country Head, India, ME, and SAARC regions. 26
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INGRAM MICRO HOSTED ITS BIGGEST VIRTUAL IT CHANNEL EVENT ‘GLOBAL ONE EXPERIENCE’ Extraordinary times have compelled organizations to adapt key aspects of business, including in-person events. So, this year when Ingram Micro decided to combine four marquee regional conferences into a single mega virtual event, the team had to address some unique challenges. • Creating an event with a truly inclusive agenda that catered to a diverse global audience. • Virtually engaging and entertaining 20,000+ attendees across two days. On the 4th & 5th of November, Ingram Micro held the first-ever Global ONE Experience, bringing together APAC ONE, EMEA ONE, LATAM ONE and North America ONE. Delegates from 60+ countries participated in an immersive online experience where they were treated to a distinctive blend of business, technology and entertainment that inspired them to ‘Imagine Next’. Attendees were also able to network with other delegates and interact with participating vendors through designated vendor cyberspaces. Live games and polls ensured that the audience stayed engaged. Ingram Micro gave away several surprise rewards including 8 Apple Watches Series 6. A musical extravaganza with performances by up-and-coming artists and bands from around the world as well as an exclusive private performance by a Grammy award-winning musician made this a truly unforgettable event. The Global ONE Experience was a unique event that gave delegates a glimpse into Ingram Micro’s vast global ecosystem that underpins the company’s extensive local market reach and expertise. Reflecting on the event, Diego thanked delegates for attending and reiterated that relevant business teams would reach out locally to channel partners to help them identify new business opportunities and deliver greater value to customers. www.digitalterminal.in
BRAND CHAT
“CUSTOMERS PREFER LAPTOPS THAT ARE THIN, FEATURE SSD STORAGE, AND COME EASY ON THE POCKET” The Indian laptop market is flourishing at a very good pace due to the significant surge in the demand. The increased demand for laptops attributed to work from home model adopted by the companies. Also, the laptops are generally preferred over desktops due to mobility. So the laptop brands have been very aggressive to capitalize on the growth opportunities in this segment. There has been a good growth momentum for online retailers as people chose online medium to buy rather than visiting the offline stores during this pandemic situation. In the Indian laptop market, AVITA is a prominent provider of innovative & advanced laptops under an affordable price range. In an effort to know more about the overall landscape of the Indian laptop market in the current situation as well as AVITA’s further plans, Rajeev Ranjan, Editor & Publisher, Digital Terminal recently interacted with MAHMOOD, HEAD- ONLINE SALES, NEXSTGO. He shared his thoughts upon AVITA’s business operations, buying trends and their service commitments to customers. Read below the complete interview: RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU SEE THE ROLE OF ONLINE RETAILERS FOR AVITA’S BUSINESS DURING THE LAST FEW MONTHS? MAHMOOD: Online sales channels have
played an extremely important role for us in the last few months. The channel ensured our products were available at an extensive number of pin codes across the country. Additionally, associations with our online partners have been rewarding as we have identified the portfolio gap in the category and filled those gaps with the right proposition in terms of specifications and pricing. Another reason for the success of the online channel is its ability to execute swiftly, making deeper inroads into the target audience and getting their feedback instantly.
RAJEEV: WHAT ARE THE THREE BUYING TRENDS IN LAPTOP CATEGORIES WHEN IT COMES TO BUY ONLINE?
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MAHMOOD, HEAD- ONLINE SALES, NEXSTGO
MAHMOOD: The biggest factor driving the growth of the industry is that families are moving from one laptop per family to a laptop for each member as we increasingly witness people working from home or studying from home. Customers prefer laptops that are thin, feature SSD storage, and come easy on the pocket. Online customers are more evolved and aware of the right specifications, purchase offers, easy return policies, etc, something that Avita promises unconditionally to its customers.
RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU ASSURE THE BEST SERVICE SUPPORT FOR CONSUMERS WHO ARE BUYING ONLINE? Mahmood: At Avita, we pride ourselves on our best-in-class service support and believe that it sets us apart from our industry peers. Going one step ahead of the standard offerings, we also extend WhatsApp services to customers wherein they can send their queries and our team quickly responds to and resolves them.
RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU TAKE CARE OF A BALANCE BETWEEN OFFLINE & ONLINE CHANNEL? MAHMOOD: The only way to find a
balance between online and offline channels is to discern where the customers are. We understand the pulse of our consumer base and offer different products across different channels by figuring out where the maximum demand is being generated. This helps us in providing ease of business to our partners and ensuring profitability.
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LIBER V
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