DT November Issue 2021

DT PARTNER SUMMIT 2021 CONCLUDED SUCCESSFULLY Page No : 08

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NOVEMBER

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V O L U ME 12

I S S U E 11

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CONTENT

VOL - 12 , I SS UE -1 1 , NOV E MB E R 2 0 2 1

8 DT PARTNER SUMMIT 2021

6 MARKET REPORT Xiaomi Retains Leadership Position in Indian Smartphone Market with 23.40% Market Share

DT Partner Summit 2021 Paves The New Ways for Traditional Channel Growth

HP Continues to Lead Indian PC Market With 28.5% Market Share 12 DT PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021

17 LAUNCH PAD ASUS ROG Launches Groundbreaking Motherboards and Premium Monitors

DT Partner excellence Awards 2021 Honors Top Channel Partners Across India

19 BRAND CONNECT Kaspersky Marks The Digital Money Movement in APAC 16

BRAND FOCUS

Micron Announces Availability of Crucial DDR5 Memory, Delivers Blazing Speeds for Next-Gen Desktop PCs

29 SPOTLIGHT Over 51% of PC Users Believe That Upgrading To SSD Enhances PC Performance: Western Digital

24 INTERVIEW

31 SECURITY FOCUS

“India is an Important Market for MediaTek and We Are Commitment to Support ‘Make in India’

36% of Businesses in Manufacturing and Production Sector Faced Ransomware in 2020: Sophos

Rituparna Mandal, General Manager, MediaTek Bangalore

Editorial & Marketing Office

Publisher & Editor : Rajeev Ranjan Executive Editor : Jyoti Janda Assistant Content Manager : Jai Prakash Consulting Art Direction : Vikas Sharma Visualiser : Akriti Arora Graphic Designer : Shubham Tomar Content Desk : Sourabh Yadav Production Head : Rajiv Singh Marketing Executive : Balvinder Singh Circulation: Ashok & Raju

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Address :

News Dot Media Pvt. Ltd. Jodhka House, 12 Sant Nagar, East of Kailash, New Delhi - 110065

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011 - 45160276

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info@digitalterminal.in, editdesk@digitalterminal.in

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Printed, Published and Owned by Rajeev Ranjan from S-560, IInd Floor, School Block-2, Shakarpur, Delhi-92. Magazine printed at Sangat Printers Pvt. Ltd. C-105, Naraina Industrial Area, Phase I, New Delhi. Editor Brajesh Kumar. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, in whole or in part, is prohibited. Every possible care has been taken to print this magazine as the content have been sourced from in house writers, as well from other reliable sources including freelancers and content writers. We can not be held responsible for any mistakes or errors. We do not take responsibility for its absolute accuracy. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi only. While care is taken prior to acceptence of advertising copy, it is not possible to verify its contents, Digital Terminal cannot be held responsible for such contents, nor for any loss or damages incurred as a result of transactions with companies, associations for individuals advertising in its newspapers or publications. We therefore recommend that readers make necessary inquiries before sending any monies or entering into any agreements with advertisers or otherwise acting on an advertisement in any manner whatsoever

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MAG WOR LD EXPO 22

MOBILES | ACCESSORIES | GADGETS

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MARKET REPORT

XIAOMI RETAINS LEADERSHIP POSITION IN INDIAN SMARTPHONE MARKET WITH 23.40% MARKET SHARE According to the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker , India’s smartphone market registered a year-over-year (YoY) decline of 12% in 3Q21 (Jul-Sep), shipping 48 million units after four consecutive quarters of growth. Much of this can be attributed to component shortages as well as an unusually high 3Q20 comparison base (whereas this year’s post-lockdown demand was addressed by July).

Compared to 3Q19, 3Q21 grew by 3% as channels stocked up for the Diwali quarter amid the supply shortages.

“The first nine months of the year (JanSep’21) already shipped 120 million units, with 1H21 clocking 42% YoY growth. Due to supply challenges, 4Q21 is expected to see a decline, resulting in annual shipments below 160 million in 2021. The first half of 2022 will remain challenging, with some easing out expected in the latter half of 2022. Vendors/channels will keep an eye on the over-stocking situation in case demand stays limited due to the price hikes by the suppliers and vendors,” said Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India.

KEY MARKET TRENDS FOR 3Q21 INCLUDED: • Online channels clocked a record high 52% share, although with a 5% YoY shipment volume decline. eTailer sales festivals (The Big Billion Days on Flipkart and Amazon Great India festival) started in early October, even before the Navratri festival this year, continuing until Diwali.

Offline channels registered an 18% YoY shipment decline. IDC expects online shipments to surpass offline shipments in 2021.

• India was the third-largest 5G smartphone market globally with 7% of worldwide 5G shipments, shipping 10 million units at an ASP of US$401 in 3Q21. From Jan-Sep’21, 17 million 5G smartphones were shipped to India and is expected to be under 30 million for 2021. The OnePlus Nord CE, iPhone 12, and Galaxy A22 were the most popular 5G models in 3Q21.

• Overall ASPs peaked at US$196, driven

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by price hikes and a greater 5G contribution. The sub-US$200 segment dropped by 24%, while US$200+ smartphones grew by 56%, signaling a shift to higher price buckets, driven primarily by supply.

“IDC believes that a growing dependency on smartphones triggered by remote work and learning, as well as a subsequent requirement for better quality hardware is pushing consumers to spend more. With continued chip shortages and logistics costs, brands are also compelled to expand upwards in terms of price points across channels,” says Upasana Joshi, Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

TOP 5 SMARTPHONE VENDOR HIGHLIGHTS Xiaomi continued to lead but shipments declined by 17% YoY. Poco, Xiaomi’s sub-brand exclusive to online channel, witnessed high 65% YoY growth. 72% of Xiaomi’s shipments were concentrated in the online channel, with its market share there dropping to 32%. The Redmi 9A/9 Power/9/Note10s were the major volume drivers along with the Poco M3 and Poco C3.

Samsung, at the second slot, registered the highest YoY decline amongst the top 5 vendors at -33% in 3Q21. With a key focus on the Galaxy M and F series, 49% of its shipments were sold online, allowing the

vendor to take 16% of all online shipments. However, offline models like the Galaxy A22/A12 accounted for 23% of the vendor’s overall shipments. The opening quarter for the Galaxy Z Fold3 and Z Flip3 witnessed a demand surge but had supply constraints. Samsung stood at a leadership position within the 5G segment with its new model offerings.

Vivo was at the third position, with a shipment decline of 13% YoY. It continued to cement its offline presence with a share of 30% of that segment. Also, it strengthened its portfolio in the US$200300 segment with its V and iQOO series as well as its marketing campaigns for the X series.

Realme at the fourth slot had the best performance of the top 5 vendors with a YoY decline of 5%. In the online space, it continued to be at second slot ahead of Samsung with a high 22% share. However, within the 5G segment, it slipped to the third slot. The C11 (2021) and realme 8 (which includes both the 4G/5G models) were the highest shipped devices.

OPPO, at the fifth slot, witnessed a decline of 16% YoY in 3Q21. However, in the US$300-500 segment, OPPO rose to the second slot with an 18% share, driven by high shipments for the Reno 6 series.

Also, it slipped to the third slot in the offline channel with a 17% share there.

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MARKET REPORT

HP CONTINUES TO LEAD INDIAN PC MARKET WITH 28.5% MARKET SHARE Image source: www.freepik.com

The India traditional PC market (inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations) continued its growth momentum despite ongoing supply and logistical challenges. The traditional PC shipments witnessed a 30% year-over-year (YoY) growth in 3Q21 (Jul-Sep), marking the fifth consecutive quarter of growth in India, according to new data from the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. A total of 4.5 million PCs were shipped during the quarter, making it India’s biggest-ever single quarter. To put this in perspective, it is bigger than the total yearly consumer shipments in 2019, a year before the pandemic hit us.

As a result, many brands also reported their biggest quarter of PC shipments.

Notebook PCs continue to dominate the overall category with more than 80% share. Enterprise and consumer demand helped the Notebook category to reach over 3 million units for the first time, and the desktop category also continued its upward momentum as it grew by 30.5% YoY in 3Q21.

The demand for consumer notebooks continued to be robust while vendors struggled to get enough supplies to cater to the existing demand. Despite these challenges, vendors were able to bill a total of 2.3 million consumer PCs, making it the biggest quarter for the consumer category in India. Etailers also managed to procure stock for upcoming flagship sales, with over 771 thousand shipments in 3Q21, also reported the biggest quarter ever for online.

The commercial segment too, saw healthy shipments growth of 47.6% YoY in 3Q21. Vendors had large backlog orders from enterprises and SMB clients from the last few quarters. With better allocation in September, they were able to fulfill a significant portion of these pending orders. Additionally, some of the long-due education projects started materializing, giving the education segment momentum.

Commenting on the ongoing supply situation Bharath Shenoy, Senior, Market Analyst, PC Devices, IDC India said, “Despite the better allocations to a few segments, www.digitalterminal.in

the demand-supply gap continues to be a challenge as enterprises and SMBs continue to order in big volume.”

Shenoy further added, “As the top three vendors are struggling to fulfill the entire requirement, some of the orders are moving to smaller vendors, thereby helping them to improve their presence in the commercial segment.”

TOP 5 COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS: 3Q21 HP Inc. maintained its lead in the overall PC category as it reported the third consecutive quarter with over a million shipments in the country. It led both commercial and consumer segments with a 28.5% share in the overall PC category, while it maintained over 30% share in the commercial segment for the third straight quarter, its share fell to 25.3% in the consumer segment despite its consumer shipments growing 22.5% YoY in 3Q21.

Dell Technologies retained the second position with over 23.8% share in the overall PC category. The vendor had a consistent inflow of supplies during the quarter that helped it register its first quarter in India with over a million shipments. It also overtook Lenovo in the consumer segment to take second place with a share of 19.2% in 3Q21.

Lenovo maintained the third position with an overall share of 18.6% in 3Q21. Its shipments grew 19% YoY in the commercial segment on account of a strong performance in the SMB and enterprise segments. However, its consumer segment saw a marginal 3.4% YoY growth during the quarter.

Acer Group retained the fourth position with an 8.6% market share in 3Q21. Acer also recorded its biggest quarter as it shipped 381 thousand PCs in 3Q21. With

a 31.5% share in the commercial desktop category, it recaptured its clear lead with its shipments at an impressive 55.7% annually.

ASUS retained the fifth position with a share of 8.5% in 3Q21. Asus also shipped over 300 thousand PCs for the first time in the country, which helped the brand to get a six percentage points sequential jump in its share in the consumer segment as it finished fourth in the respective segment.

Commenting on the outlook for upcoming quarters, Jaipal Singh , Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India, said, “After five straight quarters of annual growth, the consumer market is hinting demand softening as schools and colleges resume their physical classes. Brands have prioritized margins in last few quarters, however, to boost the penetration further, brands need to initiate new programs around affordability, awareness, and education to utilize the stimulus that pandemic has given to digital learning to plan their long-term growth.”

Singh further added, “Demand from enterprises and SMBs still look favorable to support the PC vendors in 2022 as key verticals continue to provide fresh orders. Additionally, vendors will target to materialize the long-pending education deals with improving supply situation in the country.”

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DT PARTNER SUMMIT 2021

DT PARTNER SUMMIT 2021 PAVES THE NEW WAYS FOR TRADITIONAL CHANNEL GROWTH

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DT PARTNER SUMMIT 2021

Digital Terminal concluded the ‘DT Part-

ner Summit 2021’ along with ‘DT Channel Excellence Awards 2021’ in New Delhi. The prominent dignitaries and professionals from IT Industry, key Channel Partners, Dealers & Distributors, Associations, and top executives from leading IT vendors attended this prestigious event.

everyone amidst the ongoing pandemic.

Digital Terminal inspired and educated tech partners over key trends, opportunities and growth prospects in the Indian market.

Continuing its legacy, DT Partners Summit brought together all the partner community to have a fruitful discussion on various topics related with their growth.

The summit was effectively designed to promote thought provoking keynote sessions, powerful presentations and panel discussions in order to successfully address business opportunities & challenges for technology partners. The summit provided a great opportunity for all the participants to gain more impactful insights into the consolidation of channel business. DT offered a interactive platform to traditional channel partners to discuss the challenges they are facing currently in the market. Leading vendors imparted useful tips and their opinions that will surely help them in growing channel business and achieving their business goal.

The 2021 edition of Partner Summit was organized in hybrid mode for the very first time ever by Digital Terminal. Partners, resellers and IT professionals joined the event physically as well as virtually on several digital platforms including Airmeet, Facebook and YouTube where the event was live streamed. Digital Terminal followed all the COVID norms, and made it necessary for all the attendees to make the venue safe for

The event witnessed two brainstorming panel discussions with Industry’s top IT leaders. The first session was on “Changing Landscape of Traditional Channel Business in New Normal”. The discussion was very fruitful as panellists shared detailed information about the emerging opportunities for channel partners across key IT segments.

For this session, the panellists were Mr. Sanjeev Mehtani, Country Manager, Sales,

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Acer India, Mr. Ajay Kumar Joshi, Country Manager, ESET India, Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd, Mr. Jitender Kohli, National Head, Fortune Marketing Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. Sewak Nautiyal, Vice President, PCAIT. The first session on “Changing Landscape of Traditional Channel Business proven very successful as lots of channel partners/distributors and retailers shared the problems that they often face and talked about the opportunities for them in current market.

The panellists helped them with their vast experience in this sector and gave them several suggestions to face those challenges and leverage each opportunity for the betterment of their business.

Mr. Sanjeev Mehtani, Country Manager, Sales, Acer India commented, “During the pandemic, we thought it will disrupt the whole thing however our distributors and partners adapted very fast. The key to distribution business is connecting with customers at the NOVEMBER 2021 I

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DT PARTNER SUMMIT 2021

right time and right places which requires a better coverage. As soon as coverage is concerned, through our digital medium the kind of coverage our distributors have done is phenomenal. We never expected this kind of growth they will be able to manage.

Second important thing is right information availability. At Acer, we ensure that the right information is available to them in terms of available to them. We were not able to cater to all the segments due to shortages so it was important to communicate to partners and distributors that where we should be focusing. Also we upskilled our partners which was required at that time.”

Commenting about the changing channel landscape, Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd. said, “There were a lot of challenges that pandemic brought for all of us in the last one and half year. We really worked hard along with our partners and we ensured that we are there for our partners. We also ensured that our revenue didn’t drop and we continue to grow as per our estimates. We got huge opportunities from healthcare segment which we grabbed with both hands. On the other hand, the projects got delayed and payments got impacted adversely so to mitigate that risks, we started further pushing our due diligence in all our projects. So this is how landscape changed for us.”

Sharing about the ESET efforts to support channel, Mr. Ajay Kumar Joshi, Country Manager, ESET India, said, “ESET is a channel focused vendor and our key priority always has been to continue supporting our channel partners. It was very important for us to be there for our partners during the difficult times.

There were some demands from our customers and partners about temporary license extensions and so we did it without any additional costs. That was the time when our customers and partners needed our support.”

Talking about the challenges during pandemic, Mr. Jitender Kohli, National Head, Fortune Marketing Pvt. Ltd said, “The biggest challenge during pandemic was to manage the business growth. So, we decided to import some healthcare products to help our business partners. We also imported masks, thermometers, oximeters and all other products to sustain and 10

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continue our growth momentum.”

Whereas second session discussed the opportunities in SSD & PC component business. This session passed very crucial information to channel partners about the upcoming opportunities in this domains. The panellists for this insightful session were Mr. Rajesh Gupta, Director Sales and Country Manager, Micron, Mr. Vinay Shetty, Regional Director – Components Business, India and South Asia, ASUS, Mr. Himanshu Jain, CEO & Director, Acro Engineering Company, and Mr. Kunj Gupta, Head - Enterprise Business, AVS Infotech. Both the panel discussions were moderated by Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal.

Commenting about the advancements happening in the SSD segment, Mr. Rajesh Gupta, Director Sales and Country Manager, Micron stated, “The innovations have happened both on consumer and enterprise sides. Democratization of products and data has happened, people are consuming more data and these emerging technologies have ensured that they are able to get it in a cost effective manner.

Micron has been at the forefront of many of the emerging technologies for example, Micron is a leader in NAND technology where we have implemented 176 layer technology.

And the other thing that we have been able to do is to bring the products ahead of time and make it widely available for all kind of customers. So these kind of endeavours have helped us to gain leadership position.”

Mr. Vinay Shetty, Regional Director – Components Business, India and South Asia commented, “From the ASUS perspective, we had a lot of products. We still continue having not just the motherboard and the graphics card which predominantly are our strengths and that the backbone of all our productions. But in the last one year, the industries that have helped the component business which was successful, were from the LCD business, the wireless business, and the gaming peripherals.”

To share opportunities in the gaming business, Mr. Himanshu Jain, CEO & Director, Acro Engineering Company said, “We recently launched a cloud gaming platform ‘Ant Play’ that is going to change the revolution of gaming in

India. There is a usual challenge with gamers that why to buy an expensive PC, what is going to be the life of desktop, what kind of performance I am going to get so you just log on to our server and we will give you a complete experience of a high-end gaming desktop. It is not just limited to gaming it is for professional services as well.”

While expressing the kind of growth channel has seen on the SSD part, Mr. Kunj Gupta, Head - Enterprise Business, AVS Infotech, “RAMs and SSDs have the least failure rates and Micron and Crucial along with Kaizen playing a vital in giving least SLA to customers and improving customer satisfaction.”

At the very last stage of the event, DT announced the winners of ‘DT Channel Excellence Awards 2021” in over 30 categories to acknowledge and reward top channel partners. The channel partners from across the country were honored for their great contribution in fueling growth of IT market.

This kind of acknowledgments helps channel partners to work more aggressively and accelerate their business growth. Digital Terminal took this initiative and honored the partners which will definitely motivate the partners.

Digital Terminal also organized some fun activities during the event. There were some amazing and useful gifts from Crucial by Micron and Galax. The lucky draw was one of the amazing activities that cheered all the attendees. During this amazing lucky draw session, Digital Terminal distributed Galax Gaming Mouses and Crucial SSDs among the audiences.

This Summit was physically attended by over 100 key partners who made it a grand success. Moreover, the event was virtually watched by a record over 3000 ICT partners and IT professionals PAN India across all our digital platforms. DT Partner Summit was supported by Dell Technologies, Crucial

by Micron, Acer, Iris Global Services Pvt Ltd, ESET, Airmeet, Kaizen, ASUS, Creative Newtech Limited (Formerly known as Creative Peripherals and Distribution Limited), Secureye, Lapcare, Fortune Marketing Pvt Ltd, Acro Engineering Company, BD Software Distribution Pvt Ltd, Technology and Gadgets (TAG), Guruji Technologies, Galax, FAIITA, India IT Channel, PCAIT, and TAIT. The event was managed by News Dot Media Pvt. Ltd. and Telecom Today was the media partner.

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DT PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021

DT PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 HONORS TOP CHANNEL PARTNERS ACROSS INDIA Digital Terminal successfully concluded DT Partners Excellence Awards 2021 in New Delhi. This grand award night received overwhelming & huge response from whole IT fraternity that includes officials from IT associations, Officials from leading IT vendors and top Channel Partners of the country. This platform honored top channel partners who contributed to the success of brands through their tireless efforts and marketing expertise.

RP tech India won Best ICT Distributor of The Year award whereas Supertron Electronics Pvt Ltd received Best Val-

This initiative by Digital Terminal will further help channel partners to work more aggressively as such recognitions boost their overall growth by building excellent market reputation.

In Every business, Channel Partners are the core strength and they play key role in boosting the revenue as well as boosting company’s goodwill in the market. Channel Partners take care of company’s sale, revenue and the market value that helps company to further expand its operations and sustain the market for long run.

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ue-Added Distributor of The Year award.

Ingram Micro Cloud India was honored with Best Cloud Distributor of The Year award and TECH DATA ADVANCED SOLUTIONS (INDIA) was conferred with

India’s Leading IT National Distributor for The Year 2021 award. TECHNOLOGY AND GADGETS (TAG) received Most Trusted Value Added Distributor for Gaming in India award while Acro Engineering Company was named Best National Distributor for Gaming in India.

Best Preferred & Leading Technology Support Partner award was given to Kaizen and Rah Infotech Pvt Ltd was conferred with Most Promising VAD for Data & Security Solutions award.

Rx Infotech P Ltd honored with Most Promising National Distributor award.

Creative Newtech Limited (Formerly known as Creative Peripherals and Distribution Limited) won Best Performing National Distributor for Year 2021. Fortune Marketing Pvt Ltd received Fastest Growing National Distribution Company in India award and Iris Global Services Pvt Ltd. won Most Trusted National Distributor of The Year.

Find below the list of all the winners of DT Partner Excellence Awards 2021.

DT PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 WINNERS Most Promising VAD for Data & Security Solutions

Most Valuable IT Distribution Company

Most Popular ICT Distribution House in India SAVEX TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD

RAH INFOTECH PVT LTD

Amity Infosoft Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Manjeet Singh, Sr. VP, Rah Infotech Pvt. Ltd. receiving award from Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, Publisher & Editor, Digital Terminal and Ms. Jyoti Janda, Executive Editor, Digital Terminal

Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET receiving the award on behalf of Amity Infosoft from Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, Publisher & Editor, Digital Terminal and Ms. Jyoti Janda, Executive Editor, Digital Terminal

Mr. Nitin Malik from Savex Technologies Pvt Ltd receiving the award from Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, Publisher & Editor, Digital Terminal and Ms. Jyoti Janda, Executive Editor, Digital Terminal

Fastest Growing National Distribution Company in India

Best Cloud Distributor of The Year

Most Trusted National Distributor of The Year

Mr. Jitender Kohli, National Head, Secureye receiving the award from Mr. Rajeev Ranjan, Publisher & Editor, Digital Terminal and Ms. Jyoti Janda, Executive Editor, Digital Terminal

Mr. Ankit Mathur from Ingram Micro receiving the award from Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET

India’s Leading IT National Distributor for The Year 2021

Most Trusted Value Added Distributor for Gaming in India

Mr. Vijay Joshi, Business Development Manager, Tech Data receiving award from Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET

Mr. Bharath Bhushan Singla from Technology and Gadgets receiving award from Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET

Fortune Marketing Pvt Ltd

TECH DATA ADVANCED SOLUTIONS (INDIA)

INGRAM MICRO CLOUD INDIA

TECHNOLOGY & GADGETS (TAG)

IRIS GLOBAL SERVICES

Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. Achin Kumar, Product Manager, Iris Global Services receiving award from Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET

Best Preferred & Leading Technology Support Partner

KAIZEN

Representative from Kaizen receiving award from Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET

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DT PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 WINNERS Best Value Partner for Enterprise Security Solution – North

Best National Distributor for Gaming in India

CYBERNET SECURITY

ACRO ENGINEERING COMPANY

Mr. Alok Gupta from Softmart Solutions receiving award from Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Sales Head, ESET

Mr. Prageet Anamaya from CYBERNET SECURITY receiving the award from Mr. Alok Gupta, Joint Secretary, PCAIT

Mr. Jain, from Acro Engineering Company receiving the award from Mr. Alok Gupta, Joint Secretary, PCAIT

Fastest Growing Distributor For West India

Most Promising National Distributor

Best Commercial PC Distributor - North India

SOUND SOLUTIONS

Rx Infotech P Ltd

GRAPHLINE COMPUTERS PVT LTD

Most Trusted Software Solutions Provider SOFTMART SOLUTIONS

Mr. Sunil Thariani, Proprietor, Sound Solutions receiving the award from Mr. Alok Gupta, Joint Secretary, PCAIT

Mr. Shubham Chaudhary from Rx Infotech receiving the award from Mr. Alok Gupta, Joint Secretary, PCAIT

Mr. Surya Prakash from Graphline Computers Pvt. Ltd. receiving the award from Mr. Alok Gupta, Joint Secretary, PCAIT

Fastest Growing Value Added Distributor – North

Best Performing National Distributor for Year 2021

Best Electronic Security Solution Provider North India

AVS INFOTECH

Mr. Kunj Gupta, Head-Enterprise Business, AVS Infotech receiving the award from Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd.

CREATIVE NEWTECH LIMITED (FORMERLY KNOWN AS CREATIVE PERIPHERALS AND DISTRIBUTION LIMITED)

Mr. Kapil Sharma from Creative Newtech Limited receiving the award from Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd.

GURUJI TECHNOLOGIES

Mr. Sudhanshu Bhatia, Director and CEO, Guruji Technologies receiving the award from Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd.

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DT PARTNER EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 WINNERS Fastest Growing Distributor For Delhi

Emerging Gaming System Integrator - Delhi

Emerging Distributor for Gaming Products

PAN INFOTECH

PERFECT COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Mr. Akash Garg from Perfect Computer Systems receiving the award from Mr. Pranav Pandey, Group Business Manager, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd.

NITEX INFOTRADING

Mr. Amit Jain from PAN Infotech receiving the award from Mr. Sudhanshu Bhatia, Director and CEO, Guruji Technologies

Fastest Growing Distributor for B2B IT Security

SEA INFONET

Mr. Shantanu Singh, National Sales Manager, Sea Infonet receiving the award from Mr. Sudhanshu Bhatia, Director and CEO, Guruji Technologies

CATEGORY Best Enterprise Partner - South India Best Value-Added Distributor of The Year Most Reliable Value Added Partner Most Preferred Distributor for Cybersecurity

Mr. Niranjan Singh from Nitex Infotrading receiving the award from Mr. Sudhanshu Bhatia, Director and CEO, Guruji Technologies

Best Laptop Retail Store Delhi CITYTECH SOLUTION

Mr. Vikas Lohia from Citytech Solutions receiving the award from Mr. Sudhanshu Bhatia, Director and CEO, Guruji Technologies

WINNER Technosphere Solutions Supertron Electronics Pvt Ltd Spark Technologies Pvt Ltd BD Software Distribution Pvt Ltd

Most Promising Distributor – Delhi

VNS International

Fastest Growing IT Reseller – South

AnandIT Infotech Ltd

Fastest Growing Distribution Partner for Enterprise Solutions

Esconet Technologies

Best ICT Distributor of The Year Best Laptop & Mobile Retail Store Kerala

RP Tech India MyG (3G Mobile World)

BRAND FOCUS

MICRON ANNOUNCES AVAILABILITY OF CRUCIAL DDR5 MEMORY, DELIVERS BLAZING SPEEDS FOR NEXT-GEN DESKTOP PCS The new Micron Crucial DDR5 memory has been validated and is compatible with 12th Gen Intel Core processors that support DDR5, along with many of the major DDR5 compatible desktop motherboards currently available.

Micron Technology, Inc. announced the immediate availability of Micron Crucial DDR5 desktop PC memory products that deliver up to 50% faster data transfer speeds over previous-generation DDR4 memory, providing mainstream PC users with enthusiast-level performance. Whether a PC is used for business, learning, creativity, interactive entertainment or personal use, the computing experience is defined by performance, flexibility and efficiency.

Micron’s DDR5 memory technology advancements offer higher bandwidth per core, nearly doubling the effective memory bandwidth to provide multi-core CPUs with the data they need for multi-tasking and other demanding PC applications.

“Micron has long been at the forefront of defining the PC industry’s DDR5 specifications, leading the charge for this groundbreaking technology and enabling the industry’s transition by offering the DDR5 Technology Enablement Program (TEP),” said Malcolm Humphrey, vice president and general manager of Micron’s Compute DRAM Product organization. “Through our DDR5 TEP, we have accelerated ecosystem access to Micron’s industry-leading product design, development, system integration and testing to maximize DDR5 performance for customers.”

DDR5 allows for better power efficiency, decreasing operating voltage to 1.1 volts. Plus, its unique features enable future chip density to grow from today’s 16Gb up to 24Gb, 32Gb and beyond, quadrupling the module density of DDR5 over DDR4 DRAM. This provides headroom and future scalability for DDR5-enabled systems. Improved bus efficiency results in higher effec16

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tive bandwidth. By combining higher bandwidth, lower power and higher density, DDR5 enhances performance for emerging PC applications such as 4K and 8K content creation, interactive entertainment, personal and business productivity, and virtual reality experiences. By feeding hungry multi-core CPUs, DDR5 memory also helps make multitasking more efficient without bogging down system performance.

The new Micron Crucial DDR5 memory has been validated and is compatible with 12th Gen Intel Core processors that support DDR5, along with many of the major DDR5 compatible desktop motherboards currently available.

Micron Crucial DDR5 DRAM features predefined XMP profiles to enable users to easily recover memory performance up to JEDEC speeds, in the event of a system-level memory speed downclock.

Availability Micron Crucial DDR5 memory products in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB densities are available now on crucial.com and worldwide from leading retail and e-tail stores, commercial resellers and system integrators, enhancing system performance and user productivity on every continent.

“As we celebrate 25 years of Micron’s Crucial brand of consumer DRAM and SSD products, we are entering a new

era of PC computing. The rapid adoption of DDR5 memory will further enable Micron’s vision of transforming how the world uses information to enrich life for all,” said Teresa Kelley, vice president and general manager of Micron’s Consumer Products Group. “Micron’s Crucial DDR5 memory is built to deliver the compatibility, speed and reliability that high performance PC enthusiasts have come to expect from us and is now available to mainstream customers around the globe.”

“With the launch of the 12th Gen Intel Core desktop processor family we are leading the PC industry transition to DDR5,” said Mandy Mock, Vice President and General Manager of Desktop, Workstation and Channel Group, Intel. “Intel has collaborated closely with Micron on the development and enablement of the DDR5 ecosystem to deliver the highest performance computing experiences to PC users.”

Micron’s Crucial brand is uniquely able to connect millions of customers to the innovation and technology that Micron has been perfecting for more than four decades. Online tools like the Crucial Selector Tool have made it easy for content professionals, gamers, PC enthusiasts and DIY system builders to find compatible memory (DRAM) and storage (SSD) products for more than 175,000 desktops, laptops and workstations. www.digitalterminal.in

LAUNCH PAD

ASUS ROG LAUNCHES GROUNDBREAKING MOTHERBOARDS AND PREMIUM MONITORS ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced a groundbreaking new generation of Intel®-based motherboards, power supplies, monitors and more during its Break All Limits event. For the first time, gamers can wield DDR5 memory modules and PCIe® 5.0 devices, plus Intel® Core™ CPUs that have been redesigned from the ground up to feature as many as 16 cores and 24 threads.

ROG MAXIMUS Z690 EXTREME As their label suggests, ROG Maximus Extreme motherboards are the pinnacle of enthusiast motherboard design, and the new Z690 version is no different. With DDR5 support, 24+1 teamed power stages ready for up to 105 amps, MicroFine alloy chokes and premium-grade capacitors cooled by a massive cold-forged heatsink, the ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme is prepared to reach all-new heights of performance and clock speeds. With bundled ASUS-exclusive software including AI Overclocking, AI Cooling and Fan Xpert 4, everyone from beginners to power users can coax incredible speeds and experiences out of this eagerly awaited Intel platform.

ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO For users interested in dipping their toes into the Maximus line, ASUS offers the ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. It brings high-end performance with 20+1 power stages rated for up to 90 amps, but what users may notice first is the new Polymo lighting.

This LED display graces the I/O cover of the Hero with an eye-catching microstructural array of light and color made up of intricate RGB patterns, empowering builders to show off a luminous RGB style that they won’t see anywhere else.

ROG STRIX Z690-E GAMING WIFI The ROG Strix Z690-E Gaming WiFi delivers 18+1 power stages, 8+8 ProCool II power connectors, high-end alloy chokes and rugged capacitors. These elements are cooled by two aluminum heatsinks covering the rear I/O and VRMs, and they are connected by an L-shaped heatpipe to further improve thermal performance. Even the PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot gets a heat-pipe as a part of the innovative ASUS Combo-Sink design, and the two remaining onboard M.2 slots get backplates in addition to pre-installed heatsinks to be placed on top of an NVME www.digitalterminal.in

SSD. And if more storage is needed, this motherboard comes with a ROG Hyper M.2 card containing two additional slots for PCIe 4.0 drives.

ROG STRIX Z690-F GAMING WIFI With 16+1 power stages and PCIe 4.0 storage options, the ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WiFi arrives just below the Z690-E while still packing a hefty punch. While users need to upgrade to the Z690-E Gaming WiFi to get features like M.2 Combo-Sink and built-in PCIe 5.0 M.2 support, there’s still a lot to like about the Z690-F Gaming WiFi. For example, there’s still AI Overclocking, AI Cooling and AI Networking, and connectivity highlights include onboard WiFi 6E, Intel 2.5 Gbps Ethernet and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C. ROG STRIX Z690-G GAMING WIFI For enthusiasts who enjoy building in a micro-ATX system, the ROG Strix Z690-G Gaming WiFi is the premiere choice. With 14+1 DrMos power stages, plus thick heatsinks on the I/O cover, VRMs and M.2 slots, the Z690-G Gaming WiFi packs premium power delivery and cooling into a compact design that can handle 12th Gen Intel CPUs with ease. And networking remains lightning-quick, with onboard Wifi 6E and Intel 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, while connectivity options include HDMI® 2.1 and USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C. RGB lighting is also fully supported with ASUS-exclusive Aura Sync software that connects to one RGB header and three addressable Gen 2 headers.

ROG THOR 1600W TITANIUM AND THOR

850W, 1000W, 1200W PLATINUM II PSUS To help enthusiasts feed their systems with all the clean and reliable power that modern PCs demand, the ROG Thor 1600W Titanium presents a new pinnacle of ROG PSU design. Alongside this new king of the hill, the ROG Thor Platinum II series boasts several enhancements that make these PSUs even better.

ROG STRIX XG309CM GAMING MONITOR For gamers seeking a sizeable and highend wide-aspect monitor, ASUS introduces the ROG Strix XG309CM. At 29.5 inches with a 2560 x 1080 resolution, it features a 1 ms GTG response time and up to 200 Hz refresh bolstered by ASUS ELMB (Extreme Low Motion Blur) Sync. ELMB Sync enables the simultaneous use of ELMB and variable-refresh-rate technology for fluid and responsive gameplay. This Fast IPS unit can keep up with the twitchiest shooters around.

ROG STRIX XG276Q GAMING MONITOR For gamers who prefer to stick to 1080p displays, ASUS offers the ROG Strix XG276Q finished in Space Grey, with a new gaming-inspired pattern on the backside of the monitor. This 27-inch Fast IPS model is capable of a 165 Hz refresh rate, 1 ms GTG response times, and is DisplayHDR 400 compliant. And like the ROG Strix XG309CM, the ROG Strix XG276Q features a tripod on the monitor stand that’s ideal for attaching a webcam or microphone, allowing gamers to create their own streaming setup.

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CHANNEL CONNECT

KASPERSKY APPOINTS NETPOLEON AS ITS NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR INDIAN MARKET The partnership will benefit Netpoleon through Kaspersky’s tailored offerings for its vendors such as access to latest information and research in the world of cyber security solutions, enhanced service offering capabilities, assistance in marketing, various incentives, as well as joint business planning with Kaspersky.

Kaspersky has chosen Netpoleon as its national level distributor. Kaspersky is working to expand its presence in the B2B space with its end-to-end cybersecurity solutions for enterprises and institutions. It has established a robust vendor partner network comprising cybersecurity solutions firms providing services to the enterprise industry.

Netpoleon, which is headquartered in Singapore, and has multiple offices in countries of the APAC region, is a chosen partner for Kaspersky distributorship in India at the national level. Through this partnership, Kaspersky will be able to reach out to Netpoleon’s partners with its integrated cybersecurity solutions and data protection offerings.

The partnership will benefit Netpoleon through Kaspersky’s tailored offerings for its vendors such as access to latest information

and research in the world of cyber security solutions, enhanced service offering capabilities, assistance in marketing, various incentives, as well as joint business planning with Kaspersky. This comprises a definitive competitive edge for Netpoleon.

Says Dipesh Kaura, General Manager, Kaspersky (South Asia), about the partnership, “We greatly appreciate the role of our distributor network in helping us to service to the all-business sector in a proactive and satisfactory. This network is geared to help our vendors grow by enhancing their capabilities to provide excellent service to their clients. With Netpoleon on board, we are looking forward to harness our synergies in the world of cybersecurity

solutions.”

Adds Sachin Relwani, Head of Channel Sales, Kaspersky (South Asia), “These partnerships are an exciting opportunity to explore new markets and provide enhanced offerings to our consumers.

We work together with our partners to grow and expand our influence.”

Says Mohan Kumar, T L, Director, Netpoleon, “As a leading player in cybersecurity solutions space working with a number of big-ticket clients, we’re very excited about becoming the national distributor for Kaspersky in India. It affords us a greater opportunity to make deeper inroads in a market that is growing rapidly in terms of size as well as awareness.”

BIWIN APPOINTS FORTUNE MARKETING TO DISTRIBUTE HP SSDS IN INDIA BIWIN holding the official license for design, production, and marketing of personal storage (internal and external SSDs) for HP, appoints Fortune marketing as its national distributor for internal and external SSD’s.

The products would be made available across different parts of the country by Fortune Marketing and its wide network of resellers, retailers, sub-distributers, and e-commerce partners.

The portfolio of HP-branded personal SSD storage products includes high-performance M.2 PCle NVMe SSD, 2.5” SATA-III SSD, M.2 SATA-III SSD, and Portable SSD, with each segment comprising multiple variants. The M.2 PCle NVMe SSD comprises EX950, EX920, EX900 Pro, and EX900 whereas 2.5” SATA-III SSD includes S8000, S700 Pro, S750, S700, and M700. All the variants come with the widest range of Maximum Sequential Reading and Writing 18

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speeds and storage capacities.

The Portable SSD( P800, P700, P600 & P500 series )– where performance meets elegance, also comes with a wide capacity range starting from 120Gb till 2TB. “We intend to capitalize on BIWIN’s manufacturing capabilities, HP’s global brand recognition, and Fortune Marketing’s widest reach across India, to provide the latest storage solutions for all Indian users. Given the wide range, each offering serves specific purposes for professional as well as personal storage needs. It has been our constant endeavour to bring the best Storage solutions to young Indians and the association with Fortune marketing is yet another milestone,” said BIWIN Country Head -Consumer Business, Rajesh Khurana.

Referring to the increased adaptability of

state of the art storage solutions in the Indian market, Fortune Marketing MD Manoj Gupta said, “With increased penetration of technology and internet, the demand for cutting-edge storage solutions has been soaring for a while now. We are trying to fill the supply chain gap by offering a credible solution like HP to users across the country and are pleased with the developments.” www.digitalterminal.in

BRAND CONNECT

KASPERSKY MARKS THE DIGITAL MONEY MOVEMENT IN APAC Electronic payments, one of the key pillars of the digital economy, has helped enhance the economic and social wellbeing of billions of people globally, especially during this pandemic time. Closer to home, the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is the largest contributor to global payments revenue, with analysts expecting the sector to exceed USD $1 trillion revenue by 2022 or 2023.

With the rapid proliferation and adoption of digital payments here, industry players in this dynamic ecosystem are clearly playing a high stakes game, expanding aggressively into multiple markets with creative marketing solutions in the hope that every single click would represent a small but significant step towards market domination.

To better understand the pulse of digital payment adopters from the region and this trend’s security implications, Kaspersky holds a virtual media conference themed “Marking the money movement in APAC”.

The global cybersecurity company aims to explore the rising e-money adoption and to deep dive into the cyberthreats that come with it through topline presentations from Kaspersky’s elite researchers and an industry expert. The company’s executives will also join the session with journalists from the 12 countries in the region.

“The surging demand for digital payments has transformed the way we transact both online and offline. Businesses are now digitalising their operations to capture additional revenue through digital payments, while consumers are heavily reliant on it due to the ease and convenience it offers. It is clear that the demand for quick, efficient and lowcost payment experiences will encourage further innovation in this space, and we are seeing that happening with the emergence of real-time payment rails,” comments Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.

Kamluk, Director of Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) for APAC at Kaspersky

ysis Team (GReAT) for APAC at Kaspersky, takes the audience back to the infamous Bangladesh Bank Heist attributed to an APT group named BlueNoroff ---believed to be the financial subdivision of a larger Lazarus gang that conducts traditional cyberespionage.

He also expands on how this group has evolved since the headline-grabbing heist and now focuses on the rising value of cryptocurrency.

Heist incident, SWIFT, commercial banks and the rest of financial industry were carefully tracking BlueNoroff compromises and money theft of less protected banks around the globe. Due to a lot of attention over long time, BlueNoroff became less and less successful in their operations, which also required a lot of additional efforts for money laundering and covering their traces. This is when they started turning their heads to cryptocurrency, which price has also skyrocketed,” says Kamluk.

“Even years after the Bangladesh Bank

To zero in on the “New Generation of Financial Attacks”, one of Kaspersky’s elite researchers, Vitaly Kamluk, will also explain how targeted financial attacks look today, who is the main target and how big is the scale of the theft.

Kamluk, Director of Global Research & Anal-

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CHANNEL FOCUS

BENQ INDIA HOSTED PARTNERS MEET & GREET EVENT IN MUMBAI BenQ organized a partner Meet and Greet event in Mumbai at Taj Lands End, Mumbai.

The company celebrated the newly formed association with Preeti Trading Corporation (PTC) as the regional distributor during the event. Among those invited were the premium home AV segment partners of BenQ in the Mumbai region.

Rajeev Singh, Managing Director, BenQ India, said, “The core motive of organizing the Meet and Greet event was to celebrate our new association with Preeti Trading Corporation (PTC) as the regional distributor for BenQ home video projectors and honour our partners for their constant support and trust. Our partners have truly supported us

in the period of turbulence and transformation amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to this support we have been able to grow our home video projector business by more than 2 times during last one year and strengthen our position in the market as No. 1 4K projector brand.”

To educate and align these partners with BenQ’s significant growing projector segment in India, the company also organized dedicated demo sessions for its new

product line-up in the 4K home video and portable projector segment. The hero product for the event was V7050i, an ultra-short throw 4K laser projection system, which the company is pitching as a replacement to big-screen TVs.

RP TECH INDIA HONORED WITH PRESTIGIOUS ‘GREAT PLACE TO WORK’ CERTIFICATION RP tech India has moved further in the quest to have higher employee satisfaction and a sense of pride. We have been taking multiple employee-centric initiatives for the last few years. This year we decided to go for third party review and certification. We are happy to announce that we have received the ‘Great Place to Work’ certification based on the survey done in our 50 branch locations pan India.

Mr. Kapal Pansari, Director, RP tech India, said, “We are happy to be certified as the Great Place to Work in India. This certification is the testimony of our continuous efforts towards employee empowerment

and growth. At RP tech, we treat employees as our extended family. We are committed to supporting their personal and professional growth aspirations. In the quest of improving our efforts, we decided to get the evaluation done last year. We are thrilled to see the outcome of the rigorous screening process spanned over months. This recognition brings us closer to our vision to be among the top 100 great places to work in India.”

Great Place to Work is an independent research and consulting firm, and its certification process considers more than 60 elements of overall job experience. The firm

surveyed 700+ employees at 50 locations and evaluated the work culture on various parameters. RP tech India scored a high ranking for work ethics, job security, career growth, monetary benefits, facilities and work-life balance.

INGRAM MICRO ENTERS INTO DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH NETFOUNDRY Ingram Micro announced the addition of NetFoundry to its cloud portfolio in India.

NetFoundry is a renowned provider of embeddable zero trust, high performance, cloud-native networking.

With the radical acceleration of cloud and app adoption, zero trust is designed to protect modern digital envi20

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ronments, rooted in the principle of “never trust, always verify”. Businesses can enjoy end-to-end control, visibility and security - removing dependency on legacy infrastructure and design cycles to achieve faster deployments.

Commenting on the collaboration, Jyotil Mankad, Director & Head of Cloud business at Ingram Micro India said, “With security becoming a strategic priority for organizations, partners and customers are constantly looking for ways to keep their data and systems protected. NetFoundry’s

platform eliminates complexity by enabling customers to programmatically embed private networking into their applications and solutions. Zero trust security and optimized performance helps bridge this gap and we are excited to offer their innovative Security-as-a-Service solutions to our network of partners.”

www.digitalterminal.in

CHANNEL FOCUS

RAH INFOTECH SIGNS DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH ACCEDIAN RAH Infotech announced it has partnered with Accedian to jointly empower their customers with network performance optimization, cloud visibility and application performance management to assure their digital experiences. With this partnership, RAH will leverage its pan-India partner network to distribute Accedian’s cloud-based network analysis and performance monitoring solution to customers and help them to elevate service assurance and improve customer experience.

“We are very excited to partner with Accedian. Future-ready enterprises are reliant on a robust digital ecosystem to deliver exceptional performance assurance and best in

class user experience to their customers.

Accedian is an industry leader in this space,” said Ashok Kumar, MD, RAH Infotech.

Skylight is a virtualized performance assurance solution, delivering end-to-end network, application and service performance visibility—right from the edge to the core network and cloud. This solution allows customers to proactively manage their networks and applications to deliver an exceptional customer experience and increase competitiveness with automation and assurance capabilities.

“We at Accedian are very excited about this partnership & we look forward to building a

successful partnership. I am confident this will create a larger market value for our customers in the markets we serve,” says Rajesh Pathak, Country Director - India & SAARC, Accedian. “With an always-on and connected experience, we strive to provide our enterprise & Telco customers with the assurance that they are able to see far and wide in their digital infrastructure (s) for providing the always ON and rich experience.

This partnership will enable is to share this experience to the larger market.”

SUPERTRON ENTERS SERVICE INDUSTRY, BUYS MAJORITY SHARE IN RESTORE LAB Supertron group forays into IT Services industry with acquiring majority share into HDD & SSD repairing / refurbishing and data recovery company Restore Lab Pvt Ltd. The newly acquired company is headed

by Sharad Srivastava.

Mr. Srivastava has more than 30 years of HDD/Tech industry experience.

Electronics Engineer by profession, He handled country head position in various HDD companies for more than 14 years and last 8 years has been into services/ refurbishment of Hard Disk Drive (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD).

“We strongly believe that Supertron can add lot of value in IT service industry with its strong network and leadership”, said Mr. Vibhor Agarwal, Director Marketing, Supertron, “We believe product services/ refurbishment is key to our IT industry growth. By servicing & refurbishment, the faulty component/ Sub-assembly, we are not only able to increase cost effectiveness of IT solutions to our customer but also, by extending the useful life of the product, we

are reducing the e-waste and thus helping mother Earth and nature.”

“ReStor Lab, started with customer need of refurbishing out-of-warranty HDD few years ago as” Mr Sharad Srivastava, Founder and CEO explained that “Hard disk is most fragile part of a Computer. Even free fall from 2 inch height on a hard surface can kill the drive. Out-of-warranty drives are considered junk in India and badly mishandled.

However, majority of drives can be repaired if handled properly. A proper and careful handling of HDD can improve the possibility of drive reparability and thus profitability of customers.”

MERCUSYS DELIGHTS ITS CHANNEL PARTNERS WITH GOA TRIP Mercusys India organised an invitational trip to Goa for its esteemed partners from all over the country. Total 22 partners qualified for the trip and were taken to Goa as a token of appreciation for their sales achievement and their commitment towards Mercusys brand. The beautiful trip embarked on the 18th of October, 2021 for a 2 nights - 3 days staycation to our channel partners. Our team along with the partners visited several tourist attractions and famous places in

www.digitalterminal.in

Goa, all the partners had a gala time and enjoyed their stay. The partners praised the sheer efforts put in by Mercusys team and are eagerly waiting for the next trip. Mercusys will regularly rewards its partners with schemes and trips for their hard work and cooperation.

“We always believe in getting the channel community together especially during these tough times. Trust and long-term partnership will go ahead with Mercusys brand as well” said Mr. Bijoy Alaylo, Vice President (TP-Link & Mercusys)

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NEWS IN BRIEF

SEAGATE DEMONSTRATED SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF ITS LYVE MOBILE ARRAY SOLUTION IN JAGUAR I-PACE Seagate Technology Holdings plc demonstrated its newly-available mass-capacity data transfer and storage solution, Lyve™ Mobile array, in a Jaguar I-PACE converted

by FMCI into self-driving prototypes. The 96TB storage solution transfers massive autonomous vehicle (AV) datasets quickly and securely for AI and ML processing at the edge and the cloud. The demo took place at the Future Mobility Campus Ireland’s (FMCI) Showcase Event, held in Shannon, Ireland.

The development of smart cities should bring safe, sustainable, and connected mobility ecosystems. Innovation in sustainable transport and specifically in Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric (CASE) vehicles promises to help cut emissions through more efficient engine management, reducing congestion, and cutting road traffic deaths, 59% of which are caused by human error according to UK Government statistics.

ESET HONORED WITH 2021 TECH CARES AWARD BY TRUSTRADIUS

ESET announced that it has been recognized for giving back to its community with a 2021 Tech Cares Award from TrustRadius. The

second annual Tech Cares award celebrates companies that have gone above and beyond to provide strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). To be accepted for the Tech Cares Award, each nominated organization had to be a B2B technology company that demonstrated strong CSR in 2020 and 2021.

Anyone was welcome to nominate an organization for the award, including people who work for or with the company.

All nominations were thoroughly vetted by the TrustRadius research team on their

CSR initiatives. Alongside other pioneers in the technology industry, ESET is leading the way in pursuing meaningful progress in social, environmental, and cultural spaces.

By encouraging employees across various volunteering activities, ESET is playing an active role in society and demonstrating a commitment to the broader community. The ESET Foundation provides support through ESET’s own Employee Grant Program to offer employees aid and assistance for projects for which they volunteer.

MSI HONORED AT TAIWAN EXCELLENCE AWARD FOR ITS NEXT-GEN INNOVATIONS

Honored for the repeated recognition from Taiwan Excellence Award, MSI once again

bags the award with its MPG ARTYMIS 273CQRX-QD curved gaming monitor powered by Quantum Dot technology and telematics solution for electric buses. “As a global leading brand in high-end gaming and intelligent transport solutions, we are more than honored to be once again recognized by Taiwan Excellence Award. Our award-winning gaming monitor

with 1000R curvature offers the best fit for human field of view and depth perception.

The widely acclaimed telematics solution for electric buses is our efforts towards achieving low-carbon mobility in view of the global trend to tackle carbon emissions. In our endeavor of developing intelligent transport solutions, initially through electric buses nationwide, we are looking forward to shaping a new future of zero-carbon transport,” said Sam Chern, MSI Vice President of Marketing.

FUJIFILM INDIA ELEVATES ARUN BABU TO NEW ROLE Fujifilm India Pvt Ltd recently announced the elevation of Mr. Arun Babu from General Manager, EID & Optical Device to the Head of Division - Electronic Imaging, Optical Devices and Instax Division. The elevation will come into effect on 11th October 2021. In his new role, Mr. Arun Babu will be responsible for the general management of all the three divisions and looking after the end-to-end operations of the combined 22

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divisions. Talking about his appointment, Mr. Arun Babu, Head of Division - Electronic Imaging, Optical Devices and Instax Divisions said, “I am delighted to be taking this additional charge of managing the Instax division at Fujifilm India. Instax cameras and accessories have been doing extremely well with the audiences in the past. The cameras have been performing well with the youth and I hope that I am able to take this growth to the next level.”

www.digitalterminal.in

NEWS IN BRIEF

REALME PROMOTES MADHAV SHETH AS PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS GROUP Realme announced the appointment of Madhav Sheth, Vice President, realme and CEO, realme India, Europe and Latin America as President of the International Business Unit. Madhav’s new designation would now be CEO, realme India, VP, realme and President, realme International Business Group.

Madhav will be fully responsible for realme’s overseas business operation, reporting directly to the founder and CEO of realme, Sky Li. Helmed by Madhav’s strategic vision and keen market acumen, realme will bring leap-forward technology and trendsetting

design to the consumers in global regions. Madhav will be fully responsible for realme’s business operations in Africa, Asia Pacific (excluding mainland China), Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Western Europe. Madhav’s leadership has led realme to become one of the most popular technology brands among the youth as well as the fastest-growing smartphone brand in these regions. The elevation marks a significant milestone with Madhav Sheth emerging as the first Indian Global CEO in the smartphone industry, hailing from India to the world.

EKTA GRAPHICS INSTALLS HP INDIGO 12000 HD DIGITAL PRESS Ekta Graphics and Printing Solutions has installed India’s first upgraded HP Indigo 12000 with HP Indigo 15K value pack Digital Press at its facility in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.

The printing solutions’ company that caters to photographers & direct photo studio businesses will utilize HP Indigo 12000 HD Digital Press to venture in the new B2 size albums, Pharma Packaging and sheet fed labels. Using HP Indigo 12000 HD Digital Press, Ekta Graphics and Printing Solutions

aim to digitally revolutionize the picture, packaging, and commercial printing segment. Unlike conventional printing methods, HP Indigo HD Digital Press allows high quality printing, allowing the users to achieve its maximum color gamut. HP Indigo press offers special colours like LCLM, LLK, VPVG for an enhanced output. This installation will enable Ekta Graphics to provide a digital print solution in 20 X 30 size.

VIEWSONIC ELEVATES MUNEER AHMAD AS VICE PRESIDENT-SALES AND MARKETING ViewSonic Corp announced the appointment of Mr. Muneer Ahmad as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Audio-Visual and EdTech Solutions for ViewSonic India.

In his new role, Mr. Ahmad will be heading the sales and marketing of AV and EdTech segments for ViewSonic in India. His role at ViewSonic will be to strategize marketing plans which are in sync with the company’s goals and objectives which will further enhance sales, growth and customer satisfaction. He will be responsible for managing AV

and EdTech products, distribution channels, and deployment of sales for the company.

His role at ViewSonic India will also include business and market development, customer management, management of market research, strategic direction for promotions and advertising. Having an experience of more than 4 years with ViewSonic, Mr. Ahmad has played an instrumental role in positioning AV and EdTech Solutions of ViewSonic at par with its industry peers and competitors.

NEXSTGO ANNOUNCED MAJOR BUSINESS EXPANSION PLANS ON ITS 5TH ANNIVERSARY NEXSTGO is celebrating its 5th year anniversary and announcing its latest business strategies to capture opportunities emerged from the increasingly connected and digitalised world. Since 2016, NEXSTGO has been committed to invest in research and development (R&D) and product designs, as well as manufacturing and servicing capabilities, aiming to bring the technology start-up to international status. NEXSTGO is announcing three new strategies to mark its next www.digitalterminal.in

business milestone. NEXSTGO will continue to focus on technologies and products that enable people to work and live better in a more connected virtual world. Exclusive Offers & Solutions at Nexstmall, our online platforms know who our customers are and what they need in the next digital generation. NEXSTGO is keen to research and understand the work and social life mode of our customers

by providing diversified digital products and offering. NEXSTGO is developing a holistic approach to address people’s growing need in smart devices for health.

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INTERVIEW

“INDIA IS AN IMPORTANT MARKET FOR MEDIATEK AND WE ARE COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT ‘MAKE IN INDIA’ The innovations in the mobile chipset market have been extraordinary as the players in this domain have worked very aggressively towards bringing the best consumer experience. The market players are harnessing the next-gen technologies to speed-up the development of performance-oriented chipsets. Moreover, the augment of 5G has been a key growth enabler for the chipset manufacturers. They are scaling up the R&D centers to focus on delivering premium smartphone experience to users. Furthermore, such players are diversifying their approach to make chipsets for Chromebooks, wearables, and automotive products. MediaTek is one the leading semiconductor company catering to the global market with a vision to ensure incredible experience for their users. Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal recently spoke to RITUPARNA MANDAL, GENERAL MANAGER, MEDIATEK BANGALORE. Rituparna shared crucial insights about the current market landscape, state of their R&D centers and future expansion plans. Read below the excerpts:

RAJEEV: WHAT MAJOR CHANGE HAVE YOU NOTICED AMONG TECH PEOPLE WORKING AT R&D CENTRES IN THE POST COVID-19 WORLD? RITUPARNA: In this time of global crisis, it becomes difficult for companies to efficiently manage their workforce and maintain productivity. MediaTek, the leading fabless semiconductor company, on a global scale, is handling this situation in a well-planned manner and taking initiatives to keep the positive spirit alive. Even as our solutions became imperative in the new normal, MediaTek also faced some challenges due to Covid-19. As ours is a technology-intensive company, and the Bangalore team is involved in extensive Research and Development work for innovative chipsets, collaboration within and across teams, as well as lab work, was a challenge due to the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown.

We were working on several critical and aggressive projects when the lockdown was announced so teams had to evolve quickly and adapt to the new working scenario.

While we did have difficulties in managing coordination and research in the initial days of the lockdown, the team managed to innovate and ensure quick resolutions for all ensuing issues. We have seen tremendous productivity across projects, driven by our business strategy which was focused on diversification. As MediaTek looked to diversify its portfolio during the pandemic, several of our project deadlines were pulled in and we had to innovate to complete 24

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the tasks on time. We can safely state that the lockdown has, therefore, affected our productivity positively during work from home. I firmly believe that when we fully empower employees, give them flexibility to manage their health and safety, and continue to have well defined outputs and milestones, employees will always step up and deliver to their best potential and that is exactly what we have seen at the site.

Similarly, I believe that the tech workforce, across industries, has stepped up to meet the challenges and ensured that the world is, at large, better prepared to respond to the disruptions in the post-COVID world.

RAJEEV: HOW ARE YOU WORKING TOWARDS UPGRADING YOUR DIMENSITY FAMILY? WHERE DO YOU FIND THE DIMENSITY CHIPSETS FAMILY IN THE RACE TOWARDS 5G? RITUPARNA: When we envisioned the future of connectivity, 5G was always at the forefront for MediaTek and, right from our first Dimensity SoC, launched in 2019, we have strived to create optimal chips to power innovative 5G smartphones. At MediaTek, we always listen to our customers and, nowadays, consumers look for a wholesome and incredible user experience. MediaTek’s Dimensity family of high-performance smartphone chipsets enables global brands to cater to this requirement and we have consistently upgraded the chipset family to reflect the evolving needs of our customers. From superlative image quality to high velocity gaming and uninterrupted connectivity, our

upgraded chips ensure that customers only get the best experience when they invest in a MediaTek-powered 5G smartphone.

Our ‘Incredible In Incredible Out’ philosophy encapsulates bold, progressive and innovative thinking, along with brilliant technology, resulting in a family of 5G chips designed for carriers, device makers and consumers. Our constant upgrades have also ensured that the Dimensity 5G family powers not only the highest-end smartphones but also brings flagship 5G technology to the mass market so that everyone can experience these transformative capabilities. With a wide range of 5G chips powering different smartphone segments, across the globe, we believe that MediaTek Dimensity is at the forefront of the 5G race. Combining speed and innovation to power the world’s most capable 5G devices, Dimensity represents a step towards a new era of mobility – the fifth dimension.

RAJEEV: PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE VISION BEHIND DEVELOPING KOMPANIO SOCS FOR CHROMEBOOK. HOW DO THESE SOCS TRANSFORM THE CHROMEBOOK EXPERIENCE FOR CUSTOMERS? RITUPARNA: MediaTek is a semiconductor company which believes in diversification. We are a frontrunner in various segments, including smart home appliances to Chromebooks, wearables, and automotive products.

While developing the MediaTek Kompanio platform, our vision was to ensure www.digitalterminal.in

INTERVIEW

that users can count on incredible mobile computing experiences. Aimed at transforming customers’ Chromebook experience, the Kompanio 900 delivers robust computing power, outstanding audio and video multimedia features, smooth gaming capabilities and support for the latest 5G and wireless features.

Keeping with our strong history of developing innovative, always connected and highly efficient smartphone and tablet platforms for Android OS, MediaTek has created a range of similarly advanced SoCs for Chromebooks, since 2016. Chromebooks free users from typical mobile computing limitations, with a blend of Cloud and edge experiences ideal for anywhere computing, whether it’s work, education, video conferencing, social, shopping, streaming entertainment and more.

RAJEEV: HOW IS MEDIATEK’S BANGALORE R&D CENTER SCALING UP ITS EFFICIENCY AND CAPACITY TO DEVELOP NEXT-GEN TECHNOLOGIES? RITUPARNA: MediaTek’s Bangalore R&D centre, along with the facility in Noida, forms the base of our efficient operations in India and on the global platform. Both these centres are constantly working towards upgrading our technologies and creating innovations to differentiate us from other players.

Eyeing strong growth and expansion in the Indian ecosystem, and focusing on next-gen technologies, MediaTek’s Bangalore R&D centre is geared up to scale its efficiency and capacity in a significant manner. India is an important market for MediaTek, and we have reiterated our commitment and support to the government’s ‘Make in India’ programme by investing in local Indian talent and scaling capabilities to drive innovation for India and global markets.

We plan to continue scaling up this year and are hiring aggressively from Indian campuses to strengthen our research and product design capabilities across Bangalore and Noida.

RAJEEV: WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS TO BOOST YOUR R&D FOOTPRINTS ACROSS INDIA IN LIGHT OF FOCUS ON FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES? RITUPARNA: MediaTek plans to further strengthen its India R&D footprint by www.digitalterminal.in

Rituparna Mandal, General Manager, MediaTek Bangalore

enabling the smart device ecosystem through OEM collaborations in technologies like 5G, IoT and Wi-Fi routers.

MediaTek has also reiterated its commitment to spur innovation in the smart devices segment across a wide range of products such as Chromebooks, Smart TVs, and Voice Assistant Devices (VAD).

We are ambitiously pursuing the vision of creating incredible technologies and delivering exceptional 5G solutions to everyone. We have strengthened our R&D in India to further advance our product portfolio. Our continued efforts towards boosting the R&D footprint in India has brought several leading OEM brands on board, and we are enabling them to deliver on the commitment of incredible experiences across device categories. MediaTek has identified a great opportunity in the Indian smart devices segment and has tailored its products to address the emerging demands from digitally empowered customers here, opening a new world of opportunities for both industry players and intrepid customers.

ACCELERATE YOUR GROWTH? RITUPARNA: One of the major issues we faced recently was the disruption in supply chains due to worldwide lockdowns. The incident led to a radical shortage of devices and caused stock availability issues, as the demand for devices boomed due to the pandemic and ensuing work from home. This forced us to quicken the pace of our R&D efforts and increase the speed of our go to market channel even as we grappled with WFH challenges. Other than this issue, the R&D industry has, over the last year, also faced challenges such as regulatory barriers and natural disasters. However, the biggest challenge is to always be at the forefront of technological innovation, and to not only survive, but thrive during crises.

We have always focused on innovation and diversification as the means to overcome these challenges and our recent hiring has also been a step in this direction.

RAJEEV: WHAT ARE THE KEY CHALLENGES FOR YOU IN THE R&D INDUSTRY? HOW ARE YOU PREPARED TO ELIMINATE SUCH CHALLENGES AND NOVEMBER 2021 I

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NEW ARRIVALS LENOVO YOGA TAB 11

Lenovo announced the launch of Yoga Tab 11 in India. It is a premium android tablet designed and built for best-in-class multimedia experience with great features for home entertainment, uninterrupted streaming, gaming, and surfing the internet. The Yoga Tab 11 is a go to device for entertainment on the go thanks to its stunning 11” 2K (2000x1200) IPS TDDI 400 nits display with Dolby Vision. Users can binge-watch without worrying about screen time, as the tablet is certified by TUV Rheinland. The Yoga Tab 11 is powered by MediaTek® Helio G90T processors, allowing users to play games and stream games in high-resolution, high speed, and lowlatency. Users can enjoy intense gaming sessions on the go without having to plug in, as the Yoga Tab 11 has a battery life of close to 15 hours and recharges in no time with a 20W quick charge. Lenovo Yoga Tab 11 comes with Lenovo Premium Care and available at INR 40,000.

TAGG VERVE NEO SMARTWATCH

TAGG has launched its fourth Verve series of smartwatch, the TAGG Verve Neo in India - The Lightest Smartwatch with the Biggest Display available on Amazon India at just INR 1899. TAGG Verve Neo Smartwatch is just 21 grams light with a 1.69” ultrawide IPS-LCD large display with 500 nits and designed with chamfered edges. The smartwatch is designed for those who

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want dazzling looks but don’t want to compromise on comfort, TAGG Verve Neo is your perfect lifestyle partner with 16 sports mode. It’s light and sporty with IP68 water resistance, fashionable yet affordable.

Apart from being a fitness tracker, TAGG Verve Neo provides a complete healthcare solution with a Heart Rate Sensor that monitors your heart rate 24 hours a day and tracks your sleeping hours. It also has SpO2 measurement as well that measures blood oxygen saturation and an additional feature of female health-tracking with an overhauled interface (Menstrual Cycle Tracker).

PORTRONICS ‘PURE SOUND 102’ SOUNDBAR

Portronics announces the launch of its newest Soundbar- ‘Pure Sound 102’ with Wireless Subwoofer. Featuring 160-Watt of powerful system output with a wireless subwoofer, the soundbar provides 3D surround sound with up to 2.1 channels ensuring that every nook and corner of your room is filled with a clear and premium sound quality. So now, your movies and music will never be the same again.

Furthermore, its easy remote-control access allows switching between various music modes along with play, pause, volume, bass, treble, etc. IT also packs in some of the latest technologies to create an allrounder feature-packed audio system. With Bluetooth 5.0 technology, Pure Sound 102 offers a host of other multiple connectivity options such as– USB Drive, 3.5mm Aux-In, Optical Input Port and HDMI. Portronics Pure Sound 102 is available in attractive black color with matt finish at a discounted price of INR 8,999/-.

KODAK CA PRO SERIES ANDROID TVS

Kodak TV India has announced its biggest launch ever. The brand has introduced two

new models under their CA PRO series, delivering a complete work from home, gaming and entertainment solution and experience. Starting at prices as under as INR 7,999 CA PRO series Android TVs will be available in two variants—43-inch and 50-inch with 4K UHD Display. The highlight features of these models are 40W sound output, Dolby MS12 & DTS TruSurround, dual-band Wi-Fi to support 5GHz internet bandwidth & eye-catching metallic design.

The CA PRO variants are also loaded with features such as an ARM Cortex A53 processor, an Android 10 interface, and multiple connectivity options with USB 2.0, HDMI 3 (ARC, CEC) and Bluetooth v. 5.0 that has a user-friendly remote control. With a near bezel-less design and a sound output of 40W by Dolby Audio Stereo box Speaker, the TVs have over 6000 Plus Apps and Games like Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar, Zee5, Sony LIV, and Google Play Store with 500,000 Plus TV Shows.

ASROCK Z690 MOTHERBOARD

ASRock proudly announces its comprehensive new range of motherboards featuring Intel® Z690 chipset, a brand new LGA1700 socket platform to pair with latest 12th Generation Intel® CoreTM Processors, opening endless possibility with PCI Express 5.0 and DDR5 high speed memory. To pair with the latest and greatest performance from the 12th Generation Intel® CoreTM Processors, the Z690 Taichi is also capable of supporting the newest DDR5 DRAM module, the reinforced DIMM slot is surfaced mounted onto the motherboard to give better physical strength as well as a more stable memory signal, with this www.digitalterminal.in

NEW ARRIVALS superior revolutionary design, it is able to dramatically overclock DRAM module up to insane frequency. Protect your valuable data from hackers! The Z690 Taichi has uniquely added one SATA & USB port that is independent from others, once this feature is activated from BIOS setting, the independent SATA & USB port is cutoff from other ports to prevent malwares and ransomware from accessing.

RAPOO GK500 MECHANICAL GAMING KEYBOARD

RAPOO gives the gaming world yet another champion input device– the GK500 wired Mechanical Backlit Gaming keyboard.

RAPOO’s GK500 is out of the ordinary. It features a full-sized 104-key block with each key sporting RAPOO’s mechanical key switches and durable keys that are designed with double colour injection molding keycaps. Each key is backlit with mix-colour LEDs for a glow that helps with an additional adrenaline boost to enhance your gaming mood. The RAPOO GK500 is carefully crafted to last a lifetime of gaming.

The keyboard has a suspension design and displays a metal cover for additional toughness and durability. Additional features include driver-free setup, multimedia hotkeys, and options to choose between black and white colours to suit your gaming rig. The RAPOO GK500 Backlit Gaming Keyboard is available on Amazon. in and other offline and online stores at an affordable price of INR 3,999.

MSI Z690 MOTHERBOARDS MSI presented the latest Z690 motherboards. The latest 12th Gen Core processor is the first to incorporate Intel 7 process technology and Hybrid Architecture.

To match the performance of the 12th Gen Core processors, all MSI Z690 Series www.digitalterminal.in

Four breathtaking colours are what the boAt Vertex offers. Deep Blue, Active Black, Raging Red or Cool Grey – take your pick from these four skin-friendly silicone watch straps on that classic Slim metallic design.

And along with 100+ Watch Faces, you can simply keep changing them every hour if you need to match your OOTD. The boAt Vertex is priced at Rs 2,499. motherboards are upgraded. The highlight of the new platform is the latest PCIe 5.0 and DDR5. All MSI Z690 motherboards support PCIe 5.0 solution which provides 128GB/s of transfer bandwidth. MSI has Z690 DDR5 and DDR4 motherboards to meet different needs. Excitingly, MSI OC LAB tuning boosts the memory frequency performance by over 30% based on MSI’s exclusive Memory Boost technology.

With the optimized layout, MSI uses the SMT process for both PCIe 5.0 and DDR5 to maintain the stability of high-speed transfer. The newest core processors need mighty power phases. The MSI Z690 Gaming Series motherboards have at least 16 DrMOS with Duet Rail Power System and dual 8-pin CPU connectors, which guarantee stable and strong current delivered to the core processor.

BOAT ‘VERTEX’ SMARTWATCH

boAt introduces yet another revolutionary smartwatch Vertex. The boAt Vertex features a 1.69-inch capacitive square dial with a highly responsive touch interface.

Equipped with some of the most accurate health sensors, the boAt Vertex keeps track of your Heart Rate and SPO2 levels all day, day after day, in real-time. The boAt Vertex is carefully designed to make you keep up your promise of a healthy life. Using the Vertex and the companion boAt Crest app, you can design your workout plans and also get customized fitness plans based on your current BMI and activity levels.

CANON PIXMA E4570 PRINTER

Canon India launched the all new PIXMA E4570 inkjet multifunction printer.

Engineered to increase productivity and efficiency at work, the all-new PIXMA E4570 offers a suite of productivity features, combined with high print yields and low-cost printing, making it an ideal essential for students, home offices, and even small offices. Driving the seamless adoption of a hybrid work environment, the Canon PIXMA E4570 has been built to cater to the growing demands of customers willing to get a quick fix solution to their printing needs at the comfort of being home. The PIXMA E4570 can print up to 400 prints of text documents with the use of the PG-47 black ink cartridge, while the CL-57S colour cartridge can print up to 180 prints, ideal for school projects and even use in a home office. Both ink cartridges are affordably priced and easily replaceable, making the printer an attractive option for users with moderate printing needs.

The compact size of this printer hides a generous feature-set. Not only does this printer support print, scan, copy and fax functions, a 20-sheet compact Automatic Document Feeder helps with digitizing piles of schoolwork, written notes or invoices into images or PDF. The PIXMA E4570 also supports automatic two-sided printing, as well as other convenient features such as the ability to copy an ID card onto a single page, as well as an audible alert when a document original has been left under the scanning lid after scanning.

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IN FOCUS

LAPCARE DHAMAKA SCHEME AND LUCKY DRAW IS BACK WITH MORE EXCITING PRIZES Pick a month on the calendar and pick a date, ask Lapcare representatives what offer do/did they have on product purchase, and you’d get to know of a long list of diverse deals for partners big and small, on every level of distribution network.

as Laptops, Mobile phones, Bikes, Tata Tiago, and Kia Seltos through publicly executed and announced Lucky Draw. As last years’ successor, Lapcare Dhamaka Scheme, and lucky draw (2021-22), this time is more indulging and rewarding.

As they call it,” Carnival of offers, all year long”, Lapcare is miles ahead than the competition in terms of keeping it exciting and fruitful for its partners and buyers. That could be one of the key factors why Lapcare is cruising on heavy Customer retention.

As per this scheme, partners will achieve prizes ranging from Mobile phones, Air Conditioners, Washing Machines, Electric Bikes, Royal Enfield 350 and even BMW Motorbikes in accordance with the target slab achievement, assigned by Lapcare. Through the Lucky Draw some participating partners will take home Mobile phones including iPhones, Laptops, Electric bikes and more.

One lucky winner will drive home Tata Tigor Electric.

Amongst all the offers and deals, one stands out that outshines even the shiniest and most lucrative offerings.

Once again, Lapcare is back with its mega scheme, “Lapcare Dhamaka Scheme and Lucky Draw”. Not a long time has passed since partners were benefitted through achieving prizes ranging from Mobile phones, Tablets, Bikes and more.

A few lucky ones won amazing prizes such

Mission and Vision statement, which guides the organisation to always keep the partner betterment on higher grounds.

Keeping it true to its green initiative, Lapcare is committed to reduce its carbon footprint and that could clearly be seen in the prize array of this scheme as most of the prizes are electric. The scheme and Lucky draw prove that when it comes to going extra mile for its associates, Lapcare sticks to its

IN FOCUS

MAG WORLD EXPO 2022 ALL SET TO SHOWCASE LATEST TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS This dedicated expo will provide a platform for industry players to present their brands, showcase latest products and technology to the entire supply chain - distributor to retailer in an apt business environment.

Exhibitions have always been an ideal platform to market a brand and to create desire, product awareness apart from showcasing innovation. As the world is opening again and mood is upbeat, Virgo Communications and Exhibitions have planned to create a unique and dedicated platform for the mobile phone accessories industry to enable connect, communicate, and expand the mobile accessories market in India to reach INR 35,000 crores (USD 3.54 Bn).

showcase latest products and technology to the entire supply chain - distributor to retailer in an apt business environment.

Bangalore has been strategically chosen to tap the premium Southern India market and establish a solid interface between manufactures and resellers.

Rising young population with disposable income, launch of latest 5G enabled smartphones, increasing internet penetration and a tech-driven lifestyle are key factors that will continue to boost this industry’s growth.

This market potential has led to MAG WORLD EXPO, a first-of-its-kind international trade meet for Mobiles, Accessories & Gadgets to be held from 10th to 12th March 2022 at KTPO, Whitefield, Bangalore.

Speaking about the expo, Mrs. Anitha Raghunath, Managing Director, Virgo Communications and Exhibitions said, “We have always focused on bringing the best possible business & knowledge sharing platforms for various niche market segments and we are very upbeat to present MAG WORLD EXPO. The markets are back to normalcy and majority of the players in the mobile accessories industry are confirmed to be at the event. We are committed to offer the best business and networking opportunities in a safe and secure environment to all the stakeholders.”

This dedicated expo will provide a platform for industry players to present their brands,

Speaking about their partnership with the upcoming event, Hetal Shah, Co-Founder,

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Mobitech Industries LLP, makers of Mobilla said “We got excited about this initiative and instantly agreed to be the lead partners as it offers a great opportunity to showcase our product portfolio and expand presence in the premium South Indian market”.

Aashish Kumbhat, Managing Director, Sunshine Telelink, makers of inbase and Urban who are also participating said “We are excited and very happy to participate at the event to re-build our business and sales with the best distribution network mainly in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana”.

MAG WORLD EXPO will be powered by Mobilla and has other leading partners like U&I, URBAN, KDM, Varniand Tessco. Other brands include Carefone, Bluei Tech, Pebble, Robotek, Rise Electronics, JBTEK, Ticon, iGear, iTouch, Oxy and many others.

For more information, visit: www.magworldexpo.com www.digitalterminal.in

SPOTLIGHT

OVER 51% OF PC USERS BELIEVE THAT UPGRADING TO SSD ENHANCES PC PERFORMANCE: WESTERN DIGITAL

PCs have become an essential part of our daily lives in today’s hyper-connected world. People have become highly conscious of ramping up their productivity to free up more time. As per the recent ‘PC Health and Upgrade’ study, consumers are looking to upgrade their PC components to extend their computing devices’ life and enhance productivity.

The research found that over 51% of the respondents feel that upgrading from HDD to SSD is critical for enhancing their PC performance. However, more than 80% of PCs in the country are still supported by HDDs, and 4 in 5 PCs have 500GB as internal capacity, both of which exacerbate performance-related issues in PCs. Predominantly used for productivity linked applications, the survey also finds that a PC has become an all-purpose device today. Consumers buy PCs and laptops for a variety of reasons such as generic computing (62.5%), productivity (59.3%), entertainment (57.6%), education (57.2%), social networking (55%), video conferencing (43.6%), gaming (42%), multimedia creation (36.6%) and only 4.4% of the respondents use them for other activities. Therefore, PC performance matters more than ever before, as the consumers want to do more in less time.

Mr. Jaganathan Chelliah, Senior Director - Marketing, India & MEA, Western Digital, said, “The study has given us a lot of interesting insights about PC users In India. More than 40% of PC users are www.digitalterminal.in

spending 5 to 12 hours on their devices for a variety of tasks and therefore are seeking an upgrade in their PC performance. For Western Digital, these insights have enabled us to offer relevant storage solutions to consumers. For example, our WD Blue SSDs are designed specifically for productivity seekers and content creators who want both performance and reliability” Mr. Khalid Wani, Senior Director - Sales, India, Western Digital, said, “We are continuously introducing innovative products to address consumers’ different needs. For PC upgrade, we have an entire portfolio of WD Blue SSDs, both SATA and NVMe, to help consumers spend less time worrying about their PCs health and more doing what they love.”

for almost twice as much time with WD Blue SATA SSD compared to when using an HDD. In India, about half of the laptops being used (46%) are either more than three years old or are due to be three years old in the next six to nine months. As a result, the users have already started experiencing performance issues. They are considering buying new laptops or upgrading critical components to improve the device’s performance. According to the study, upgrading to an SSD increases the overall desktop performance by up to 80%.

The WD Blue™ SN550 NVMe™ SSD is designed for lightning-fast, ultra-responsive PC performance. The WD Blue™ SN550 NVMe™ SSD offers sequential read speeds of up to 2,600 MB/s (2 TB model). It is a slim single-sided M.2 2280 PCIe® Gen3 x4 NVMe™ SSD. The WD BlueTM SATA SSD is designed to meet users’ high-performance computing needs while offering greater capacity and enhanced reliability.

Laptop users are also looking for enhanced battery life. As per the study, battery runs NOVEMBER 2021 I

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ENTERPRISE FOCUS

TATA TELE BUSINESS SERVICES INTRODUCES ‘SMART INTERNET’ WITH CLOUD BASED SECURITY Digitally driven businesses that continue to modernize their operations require network manageability and visibility alongside consistent and fast internet connectivity with built-in robust cyber threat protection. Due to the increased frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks like phishing, ransomware among others, network manageability and visibility has always been a concern that has rendered many businesses unproductive with profound impact on their financials, reputation, and sustainability. Smart Internet helps overcome all these challenges.

Tata Tele Business Services (TTBS) has announced the launch of Smart Internet,

Industry’s first smart internet leased- single suite combining high speed internet with cloud based security and greater control at an optimised cost.

Commenting on the launch of Smart Internet, Mr. Vishal Rally, Senior Vice-President, Product & Marketing, Tata Teleservices said, “Protection, Control and Manageability are the fundamental components required for a smart network. Smart Internet has been developed with an endeavour to minimize cyber-attacks encountered by businesses especially SMBs and provide them with seamless connectivity entrusted with advanced security at an affordable price. With

Smart Internet, businesses can now easily access bandwidth-heavy applications on our highly- secured and high-performance network with real time usage control and manageability to enhance their productivity.

TTBS remains committed to deliver effective digital transformation capabilities and help businesses accelerate their growth journey.”

DELL EXPANDS EDGE INNOVATIONS TO ENABLE ORGANIZATIONS HARNESS DATA Dell Technologies announces edge innovations across its infrastructure and PC portfolio to help organizations simplify deployments and capture more value from data generated and processed outside the traditional data center and public cloud— from rugged and remote locations to retail stores and factory floors.

“The edge is technology’s next great frontier, and it’s all around us, everywhere from retail to manufacturing, smart cities and hospitals,” said Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer, Dell Technologies.

“At Dell, we’re innovating simple solutions, so organizations can analyze data closer to

where it’s created, make faster decisions, improve outcomes and drive progress.”

“As we move ahead in this new normal, we are witnessing more and more businesses adopting new-age technologies to accelerate their growth and development. This, in turn, is leading to enormous data growth, forcing organizations to analyze their data in real-time, to stay ahead of their competitors. Hence, organizations should look at the deployment of edge solutions which enable them to harness data and derive insights at the source, where data is being generated”, said Srinivas Rao, Senior Director, System Engineering, Dell Technologies India. “We at

Dell Technologies, understand our customer’s preferences and for the same have introduced these edge innovations across our infrastructure and PC portfolio. Our edge portfolio will help our customers simplify deployments, and derive more value from data being processed outside the traditional data centre and public cloud”.

ONGC SELECTED HPE GREENLAKE TO MODERNIZE ITS MISSION-CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), the largest crude oil and natural gas company in India, has selected the HPE GreenLake edge-to-cloud platform to run its advanced SAP S/4HANA® mission-critical environment to improve performance, accelerate digitization, reduce transaction processing and gain better insights from improved analytics. ONGC, which boasts one of the largest SAP® implementations in the world, chose to host the SAP S/4HANA workloads on the HPE GreenLake platform in ONGC data centers, due to strategic compliance, performance, and security priorities.

ONGC is a leading energy supplier in India

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that contributes an estimated 71% the nation’s domestic oil and gas production.

To continue its commitment to national production while meeting new regulatory requirements and security protocols, ONGC recognized the need to modernize its SAP workloads to be flexible and scale up or down based on new demands and allow it to digitize more applications, improve analytics and eliminate critical data loss. ONGC was looking for a pay-per-use model that could be implemented quickly without any impact on security and availability.

“Customers are increasingly choosing the HPE GreenLake platform to obtain the best cloud experience for their industry-critical

workloads, because it gives them the security and control of keeping and managing their apps and data wherever they want,” said Som Satsangi, managing director, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, India. “Because our HPE GreenLake cloud services run on HPE technology solutions which have been perfectly tuned to run these different workloads, we can also deliver market-leading performance.” www.digitalterminal.in

SECURITY FOCUS

36% OF BUSINESSES IN MANUFACTURING AND PRODUCTION SECTOR FACED RANSOMWARE IN 2020: SOPHOS Sophos has published a new sectoral survey report, “The State of Ransomware in Manufacturing and Production 2021,” that reveals companies in this sector were the least likely (at 19%) to submit to a ransom demand to have encrypted files restored and the most likely (at 68%) to be able to restore data from backups.

The practice of backing up data could be a reason why this sector was also the most affected by extortion-based ransomware attacks, a pressure technique where attackers don’t encrypt files, but rather threaten to leak stolen information online if a ransom demand isn’t paid. The survey studied the extent and impact of ransomware attacks during 2020.

The ransomware findings for the manufacturing and production sector include:

Image source: www.freepik.com

• 36% of the businesses surveyed were hit by ransomware in 2020

threat hunting to neutralize today’s advanced human-led cyberattacks.”

• 9% of ransomware victims were hit with extortion-based ransomware attacks, compared to a global average of 7%

The findings also show that manufacturing and production companies worry more than any other sector about being attacked with ransomware in the future. Sixty percent of respondents said this is because attacks are so sophisticated, they have become harder to stop. Forty-six percent believe that since ransomware is so prevalent, it is inevitable they’ll get hit by the cybercrime.

• The average ransomware recovery cost was $1.52 million, less than the global average of $1.85 million “The sector’s high ability to restore data from backups enables many companies to refuse attacker demands for payment in the case of traditional, encryption-based ransomware attacks,” said Chester Wisniewski, Principal Research Scientist at Sophos.

“However, it also means that adversaries are forced to find other approaches to make money from victims, such as stealing data and threatening to leak company information if their financial demands aren’t met.

Backups are vital, but they cannot protect against this risk, so manufacturing and production businesses should not rely on them as an anti-extortion defense.

Organizations need to extend their anti-ransomware defenses by combining technology with human-led www.digitalterminal.in

In the light of the survey findings, Sophos experts recommend the following best practices for all organizations across all sectors: 1. Assume the organization will be hit. Ransomware remains highly prevalent. No sector, country, or organization size is immune from the risk. It’s better to be prepared and not be hit than the other way round.

2. Make frequent backups. Routine backups are the number one method organizations used to get their data back after an attack.

Even if organizations pay the ransom, attackers rarely return all of the data, so backups are essential either way. Aim for an approach that involves at least three different copies, using at least two different backup systems, and with at least one copy stored offline and preferably offsite.

3. Deploy layered protection. In the face of the considerable increase in extortion-based

attacks, it is more important than ever to keep the adversaries out of the network in the first place. Use layered protection to block attackers at as many points as possible across an entire estate.

4. Combine human experts and anti-ransomware technology. The key to stopping ransomware is defense in depth that combines dedicated anti-ransomware technology and human-led threat hunting.

Technology provides scale and automation, while human experts are best able to detect the telltale tactics, techniques and procedures that indicate when a skilled attacker is attempting to break in. To bolster in-house skills, enlist the support of a specialist cybersecurity company. Security Operations Centers (SOCs) are now realistic options for organizations of all sizes.

5. Don’t pay the ransom, if this is an option.

Independent of any ethical considerations, paying the ransom is an ineffective way to get data back. Sophos research shows that after a ransom is paid adversaries will restore, on average, only two-thirds of the encrypted files.

6. Have a malware recovery plan and continuously test and update it. The best way to stop a cyberattack from turning into a full breach is to prepare in advance. Organizations that fall victim to an attack often realize they could have avoided a lot of cost, pain and disruption, if they had an incident response plan in place.

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Event Partner

Government Partner

Co–Host

Co – Partner

2n d e d i ti on

THE

INITIATIVE

INDIA 2021

03 - 15 Decembe r 2021 | Be ngaluru | Hybrid

INDIA’S LARGEST SMART PLATFORM FOR SMART TECHNOLOGIES

First-hand Product and Technology Launch Platforms 10,000+ Smart Technologies Professionals from across the country B2B meetings and Networking opportunities

First of its kind integrated event for smart technologies in all key sectors Participation from Central and State Governments

Cross-Linkages and Networking with potential clients and partners

International Outreach to 10+ Countries International and Domestic Conference

400+ Exhibitors (both National and International)

Media Partner

Supporting Partners

Live Demonstrations of latest technologies

Technology Partner

Corporate Partner

For exhibition, contact Vishvvarat Kanojia

vishvvarat.kanojia@assocham.com +91 98710 57791

Sunil Singh

sunil.singh@assocham.com +91 99107 95900

ww w.s mar tecindia.in

Logo Partners

Works with

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