SPOTLIGHT Page No : 17
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CONTENT
VOL - 12 , I SS UE -0 9 , S E PTE MB E R 2 0 2 1
06 OPINION
17 SPOTLIGHT Western Digital Launches High-Performance WD Elements SE SSD
Livestreaming Gains Momentum As Edge Computing Becomes More Ubiquitous
18 CASE STUDY
BS Teh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Sales Operations, Seagate Technology
Pinnacle Teleservices Deploys TTBS’s Smartflo Solution
08 DT EXCLUSIVE
19 SECURITY FOCUS 83% of Indian Organizations Witnessed Increase in Cyber Attacks During Pandemic: Sophos
Sanjeev Mehtani, Country Manager, Sales, Acer India Himanshu Jain, CEO & Director, Acro Engineering Rajendra Seksaria, MD, Balaji Solutions Private Limited
26 INTERVIEW
Sanjiv Krishen, Chairman, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Ketan Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Creative Peripherals
Neeraj Garg, Director, VNS International Ashish Sikka, Director – Channel & SMB, Lenovo India Shivangi Bhadauria, PR and Marketing Executive, MSI
27 LAPPY CORNER Dell Launches New Alienware, XPS and G Series Laptops in India
25 GUEST COLUMN 28 SMARTPHONE SHELF Apple introduced new iPhone 13 Pro Max
Smart Video (CCTV) Is More Than Just Seeing; It’s Looking Ahead
Infinix announced the launch of HOT 11S in India
Authored by Khalid Wani, Director- Sales, India, Western Digital
Realme introduced new realme Narzo 50A smartphone
Editorial & Marketing Office
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OPINION
LIVESTREAMING GAINS MOMENTUM AS EDGE COMPUTING BECOMES MORE UBIQUITOUS Authored by BS Teh, Senior Vice President, Global Sales and Sales Operations, Seagate Technology transmission of real-time content. Non-linear video streaming – such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video - enables viewers to record or download videos on-demand on televisions, computers, or smartphones, and watch them later. It enables users to view content anytime, has a large capacity for storage, and can be recorded for convenience and series linking.
Since more than a year now, people have spent excessive amounts of time indoors. We have adapted to our modern environments through teleworking, learning new skills, and keeping entertained through a plethora of internet-based content. In the new normal, livestreamed data has become increasingly popular and significantly impacted the way we live and work. It is empowering a slew of emerging interactive services spanning over-the-top (OTT) channels, video conferencing and remote communication platforms, ecommerce services, video game streams, e-sport tournaments, as well as live events. In many countries, streaming data now makes up a considerable portion of all raw information in use. A report by MarketWatch states that the global video streaming market is expected to reach USD 102 billion by 2023. Understanding the basics of livestreamed data: Video streaming itself can be split into two broad categories – live video streaming and non-linear video streaming. Live Video Streaming, such as in Youtube, involves
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Redefining storage for Live streaming services create a heavy load on network infrastructure that impacts live video quality. If you take 1.1 billion hours of live video, then at 1080P this equates to 1.65 exabytes, and at 4K this equates to 7.92 exabytes. This is particularly so when more people are relying on streaming to work remotely. According to IDC, - streamed data is likely to be cached in storage media until the servers complete analysis. The amount of data stored at the edge is increasing at a faster rate than data stored in the core. To avoid infrastructure problems, service providers and enterprises can apply the power of edge computing for data caching. Edge computing caches popular content in facilities located closer to the end-user. For any enterprise that is looking to involve livestreaming more in its business operations, then it will have to look at revamping its IT systems. This is applicable from front facing operations, such as e-commerce or customer support, to dayto-day activities, like teleconferencing. Processing livestreamed data: Streamed data processing requires two layers - a storage layer and a processing layer. The storage layer enables fast, inexpensive, and replayable reads and writes of large streams of data. The processing layer is responsible for consuming data from the storage layer, running computations on that data, and then notifying the storage layer to delete data that is no longer needed. When it comes to implementing livestreamed business services, there is a requirement for both edge computing and cloud computing. This data needs to be processed sequentially, and used for a wide variety of analytics including correlations, aggregations, filtering, and sampling. According to Seagate’s Rethink Data Report, on average, organizations periodically transfer about 36% of data from the edge to core. Within only two years this percentage will grow to 57%. The volume of data imme-
diately transferred from edge to core will grow from 8% to 16% as well. To accommodate this increase, data management plans must enable a much more significant movement of data—from endpoints, through edge, to public, private, or industry clouds. Object Storage: Object storage provides more than just storage and instant access for content-laden companies. It can be considered a cross between a web server, content delivery network, and an asset management solution. Object storage has rapidly become the standard for capacity storage, quickly augmenting and displacing file storage due to improved economic efficiencies and scalability. Applications benefit from the greater intelligence incorporated in data sets and object stores provide this intelligence. Storage types include block, file, and object. Block is critical for so many mission critical applications that are performance sensitive. File has serviced legacy applications and provided robust architecture for years. Object storage is focused on new application development in combination with block storage Edge Storage: As video conferencing becomes a more popular, the requirements for data will increase. Edge storage systems, made up of completely disposable physical infrastructure, will play an important role here. The critical data would be stored in the public cloud so that individual hardware elements at the edge can be treated as expendable since they are more exposed to the rigors of life out in the field. Fortunately, with the expansion in production and the lowering of costs, the deployment of such end points has become easier and cheaper. So even if there is an outage replacement is quick and easy. As more livestreamed data will need to be analysed and actioned at the edge, there will be a growing need for appropriate object storage. The shift of data’s center of gravity to the edge is being driven by emerging technologies such as AI and IoT, with the move to 5G also providing extra impetus. Businesses need to plan for scalability, data durability, and fault tolerance in both the storage and processing layers, when using livestreamed data across all industries.
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DT EXCLUSIVE
ACER CREATED A REMOTE SUPPORT SERVICE FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS, TO MINIMIZE THE DOWNTOWN ISSUES In recent years, the adoption of laptops has surpassed desktops due to more flexibility. Especially post COVID, preference for laptop was much more due to it’s comfort to carry the PC at home. Now a days, hybrid work model has become a necessity for all set of businesses. PC brands are now more aware of this trend thus they endeavor to develop and bring more cost-effective as well as cutting-edge laptops. However, in some of the sectors like government, banking, or research, there is good demand for desktops but in the corporate and education sector, laptops are becoming a preferred option. Sanjeev Mehtani, Country Manager, Sales, Acer India recently spoke to Digital Terminal to share his views over the existing PC market scenario.
-Sanjeev Mehtani
CURRENT MARKET DEMAND The laptops have become a very essential device in today’s time and has proved to be a savior for professionals as well as students amid pandemic. The market has picked up a quite good momentum due to the rising demand from across the country. Elaborating about the key factors propelling the laptop demand, Sanjeev Mehtani, Country Manager, Sales, Acer India stated, “The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated to be a tipping point influencing almost all sectors of the economy. In the order to keep their workforce safe, enterprises have quickly converted to remote working as the new normal, involving mission-critical ones remotely. With schools and universities closed due to the pandemic, it has become mandatory for educational institutions to include digital tools to impart educational content remotely. Therefore, the pandemic compelled educational institutions to quickly change their digitalization approach from ‘organizing to become digital’ to essentially ‘being digital’. Hence, given the rise in the necessity for remote working and digital learning, the PC industry has seen an increase in demand for devices.” FUTURE OF DESKTOP MARKET As mobility is a key for individuals owing to hybrid mode of work and study. Traditional desktops might not fit into the modern lifestyle. On the increasing adoption of laptops over desktops, Sanjeev Mehtani said, “I feel desktop will also have a role to play in various form-factors and in segments. We have All-In-One desktops, Small Form 8
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We believe that the union of both online and offline distributions is the most feasible way forward Factor desktops which fits behind monitors etc. and aims to provide compact PC solutions. When you look at consumer market there might be tendency to arrive at a conclusion that desktop is in decline but if you look at government, banking, research and other sectors there is still a huge demand for desktop which offers more flexibility in configuration. At Acer we have witnessed excellent growth in desktop segment as well along with our laptops. The current need is digitization be it with laptops or desktops as there is still large population which still doesn’t own a PC in any form.” CHANNEL STRATEGIES Having a robust channel strategy to catch the opportunities is must. Sanjeev Mehtani added, “At Acer, our strategy, and promise is to support and empower our channel partners by offering industry-relevant solutions that they can effectively leverage in the Indian market. Also, at the same time, our mantra is to train them and help them create and build sustainable and profitable business models. Hence, a lot of our focus is on being close to the reseller partners, understand their needs, and empower them with the right set of knowledge and tools, so that they can stay up to speed with the latest products and offerings, and serve their customers with the right products keeping in mind current consumer requirements.”
“We have also introduced an innovative Omni-Channel experience for our partners and customers to provide them with a seamless path to purchase and serve them smoothly across channels that showcase our technological prowess. The aim is to provide a single and integrated experience to customers across all channels. We believe that the union of both online and offline distributions is the most feasible way forward. With the aim to utilize themselves to manage the customer experience and provide the quintessential experience with easy accessibility and convenience aiding the shopping experience for consumers.” BEST-IN-CLASS SERVICE SUPPORT A best-in-class service infrastructure plays a crucial role in delighting the customers and retaining them back. Sanjeev Mewww.digitalterminal.in
DT EXCLUSIVE
htani commented, “At Acer, we have been working diligently to ensure we’re well-positioned to provide the best of service and tech support to our customers at any given time. Our messaging is extensively focused on usability and relevancy to the recipient. During these challenging times, we as a brand should value the share of time that the customers are giving to us by engaging and communicating with them often and carefully listening to their feedback. To offer customer friendly solutions, we extended the warranty for 3 months across the customer spectrum during lockdown to give chance to customer to get into extended warranty /AMC for continuous support. We increased the manpower of our call centers and social media response team to offer
rapid response and also extended the customer support timing till 12 AM midnight.” “To offer support to our customers who migrated to their native places owing to remote working, we on boarded more service providers for consistent on-site support. Our online store helped deliver laptops, tablets, and other accessories to over 20000 pin-codes which were critical to the remote working and learning environment. Where a smartphone hits the ceiling when it came to capabilities; PCs became the most preferred option. We also proactively started reaching out to our Key Account partner’s to provide them with any help that we could offer and also to understand whether they were able to access the remote support from call
centers. Additionally, we also ensured that immediate actions were taken to address the need of spares, so as to help reduce downtime for consumer at the same time reducing logistical delays.” “We have created a remote support service for our customers, to minimize the downtown issues. We also created a WhatsApp customer system and have a dedicated customer support team. As a channel-friendly organization, we also ran many programs which helped them through the pandemic and also enabled them to make use of an Omni-channel facility which benefited our partners to a great extent.”
JUST-IN
ACER EXPANDS ITS SWIFT SERIES WITH LAUNCH OF SWIFT X LAPTOP Acer India announced the launch of its new Thin and light laptop - Acer Swift X the newest member of its premium Swift line of laptop, the first of its series to come powered with RTX 30 series discrete graphics. Speaking on the launch Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer, Acer India said, “The Swift X is designed to be a high-performance ultraportable laptop for consumers who prefer elegance and performance on the go. The laptop delivers on multiple counts be it style, ultra-portable design, performance, long battery-life and more. It is truly a unique model and provides the “X” factor for the customer.” A POWERHOUSE IN PERFORMANCE The Acer Swift X delivers impressive battery life in a high-performance and ultraportable design Powered by the highly efficient and extremely powerful AMD ‘Zen 3’ core architecture. It levels up your arsenal with the AMD Ryzen™ 5000 processors, the supercharged NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050 Ti discrete graphics card, memory up to 16GB of RAM, and storage up to 2TB SSD. A SLICED AND SLICK DESIGN The sliced metal body captures the mobility of modern creatives at just 1.39 kg and 17.9 mm sharp. The mobility is carried by its 59Wh battery, with up to 15 hours of use, www.digitalterminal.in
and fast charging support. A TRUE VISUAL REPRESENTATION The Swift X features a 14-inch FHD IPS display with an 85.73% screen-to-body ratio, 300 nits brightness, and 100% sRGB which is enough for editing 4K video. An ample array of ports including full-function USB Type-C ensure ultra-fast data transfer, video streaming, and battery charging, facilitating this process, while Wi-Fi 6 means faster overall connectivity.
The laptop also includes a fingerprint sensor for more secure sign-in through Windows Hello, AI-enhanced noise suppression for smoother video calls, and Acer BlueLightShield technology to help lessen eye strain during long editing sessions. Pricing and Availability The Acer Swift X will be available on, Acer Online Store, Flipkart, Acer Exclusive stores, Vijay Sales and other authorized retail stores starting from Rs 84,999. SEPTEMBER 2021 I
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ACRO TO INCREASE THEIR FOOTPRINT IN THE DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL SEGMENT The Indian IT industry is one of the fastest-growing industries across the world and market players are putting huge efforts to capitalize on the opportunities. During lockdowns, the market witnessed a little bit sluggish demand but post-pandemic, the distribution business has picked up quite good momentum which has definitely helped distribution houses to fuel their growth further. Moreover, they are now using multiple platforms to sell their products for driving revenue. In a recent talk with Digital Terminal, Himanshu Jain, CEO & Director, Acro Engineering shared his outlook about the market and plans to grow in coming days.
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As the internet is reaching every corner of the country, we do see the online laptops sales taking over offline business
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-Himanshu Jain
CURRENT MARKET SWING In the IT distribution space, the opportunities are huge but only for those who go with the right approach. The distribution houses apparently seeking to get a push in the post-pandemic era to cover up the losses. Distribution houses are analyzing the market situations and planning accordingly to leverage the opportunities in the months to come. Commenting on the plans to grab the growth opportunities, Himanshu Jain, CEO & Director, Acro Engineering said, “Due to the pandemic situation, the requirement for the Laptop segment has seared over the past year. With this sudden demand, we are capitalizing by expanding our distribution network. With the introduction of new branches and related upcountry reach, we will be increasing our influence and footprint in the distribution and retail section.” ECOMMERCE PRESENCE E-commerce has become one of the best platforms for customers to buy anything. 10
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Offline players have also started selling on such eCommerce platforms to be in the competition as well reach huge customer base irrespective of their region. Commenting on the online presence, Himanshu Jain said, “Yes, we do use the reputed eCommerce platforms as they provided a very good and serious customer base along with good exposure to the end customer directly.” ONLINE LAPTOP SALES GREW The influence of online platforms can be seen everywhere as the customers now prefer buying online due to discount offers, ease of comparing and convenience of shopping from home. All such aspects are making a huge difference in the market and eCommerce platforms are taking over the offline market. Sharing his views on the increasing dominance of eCommerce platforms in the market, Himanshu Jain said, “Yes, as the internet is reaching every corner of the country, we do see the online laptops sales taking over offline business, Although the change is not as fast as some perceive. With
the existing connections to the eCommerce channel, it is manageable in terms of the logistical and marketing standpoint for us and the brands to slowly shift our focus along with the customers.” INVENTORY SUPPORT The market has started picking up momentum quarter on quarter and demand for IT products is rising which is testing the supply chain strength of distributors. The festive season is around the corner and demand will definitely increase further. Sharing the views on support from vendors in terms of uninterrupted supply of inventory, Himanshu Jain added, “During the initial stages of the pandemic, there were some issues with the supply and inventory but as time progress, the brands have almost rectified this issue. At the current stage, brands are doing well with supply and demand requirements in various consumer segments.”
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DT EXCLUSIVE
BSPL ACTIVELY MONITOR THE SITUATION WITH AN OBJECTIVE TO KEEP THE SUPPLY CHAIN HEALTHY India has one of the largest customer bases across the world which generates a mammoth demand for technology products. The laptop is among one such device which has become a part of almost every individual’s life. Be it a working professional, student, or business person, everyone finds laptop a worthy device thus the demand has spurred swiftly. Post-pandemic, the market players have witnessed a great response in the market and working towards meeting customer requirements by bringing the best devices. In addition, the new segments like Work from Home and Learn from Home have majorly contributed to fueling the demand. Channel partners are working on building a strategy to cater to the demand and drive good revenue. Rajendra Seksaria, MD, Balaji Solutions Private Limited recently talked to Digital Terminal and elaborated about the market scenario and their plans to grow.
CURRENT STRATEGY Indian laptop market is now in sync with global market and it is growing at a fast rate because of the change in working ecosystem due to pandemic. Commenting on their plans to leverage the growth opportunities, Rajendra Seksaria, MD, Balaji Solutions Private Limited said, “Access to data anytime and anywhere along with portability with speed is also a key reason for faster adoption of laptops. According to estimates the Indian laptop market has grown past 4.4 million units in CY 2020 and the growth trajectory is likely to continue. At BSPL, we are already engaged in distribution with one of the leading brands and as a strategy we will continue to build on the existing two tier distribution model with a focus on increasing or width of distribution. As an organization we are also contemplating to invest and build a competent ISD team which will focus more on quality aspects. We intend to create experience zones along with respective brands as a touchpoint for potential customers.” VENDORS’ SUPPORT TO FULFIL DEMAND The demand for good laptops has dramat-
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ically increased in recent times. The channel partners are tirelessly working towards fulfilling this demand through strengthening the supply network. Tech brands are monitoring the situation and planning accordingly to bridge the demand-supply gap in the market. On the note of supply chain, Rajendra Seksaria added, “Abnormal has become the new normal. The entire humanity witnessed times that were unheard of and never experienced before. Consumer Laptops became a necessity over luxury and their requirements changed from aesthetics to performance all of this topped up the sense of urgency for staying connected remotely. Tech brands were also caught unawares of the surge in demand that led to a gap in supply chain. At BSPL we were quick to envisage the surge in demand and decided to work closely with our respective principals trying to mitigate the gap in supply. Chip shortages continue to haunt the entire industry as there was limited or no capacity expansion due to pandemic. We actively monitor the situation and analyze demand with an objective to keep the supply chain healthy.” ECOMMERCE STRATEGY The eCommerce platforms have gained an edge over the offline market amidst the pandemic. The buying behavior of customers has also changed and they are aware of price differences between online and offline platforms. On the use of eCommerce platforms, Rajendra Seksaria stated, “Being a tier one
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We intend to create experience zones along with respective brands as a touchpoint for potential customers -Rajendra Seksaria
national distributor, BSPL strictly adheres to the policies of respective brands and abides by the protocols adopted by them. We have built a very strong ecosystem comprising of intellect team that is dedicated and adept for meeting the requirements of digital world however we work at the behest of brands for e-commerce.” A BALANCE DOMINANCE While online definitely pampers the consumer by providing ease of shopping experience along with customized delivery options, offline provides the much needed physical experience. Rajendra Seksaria added, “Our internal analysis is that tier 2 & tier 3 cities and towns will emerge much stronger for e-commerce sales due to lack of retail and experience zone in a given perimeter however in tier 1 metro towns customers will prefer offline, especially in tech products, due to ease of access to retail. Having said, the truth is that a decided customer is a rare phenomenon in e-commerce world and this is one of the main reasons for a customer to visit offline retail. Biggest difference between the two is the potential to upsell which is possible only at offline point of sale. Tactical sales is also possible with offline by offering customer value for money. Online became the primary & probably the only source of purchase for consumers during pandemic nevertheless retail has picked up in recent times. Laptop sales will continue in both and as mentioned we at BSPL are well equipped for both the verticals so long as one does not cannibalize the other.”
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IRIS GLOBAL WITNESSING STRONG DEMAND FROM THE GOVERNMENT & EDUCATION SEGMENTS The pandemic has significantly contributed to the growing demand for IT products. People have adopted digital modes for their professional as well as educational needs. Laptop gained huge adoption as professionals switched to work from home mode whereas students also moved to online classes. This trend will continue to stay and will bring enormous opportunities for brands and partners. However, there are some challenges that hamper business operations. In the coming months, partners must be looking to make robust strategies to cement their position and accelerate the growth momentum. Sanjiv Krishen, Chairman, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd. recently talked to Digital Terminal where he shared crucial insights about their business and growth in the laptop segment.
-Sanjiv Krishen
requirement, we are suggesting that customers upgrade to higher specifications that may have better availability with the OEMs. • Especially in education segment, we are providing customers with the option of switching to tablets, that can serve the purpose of online classes and surfing the net. STRONG COLLABORATION
DEMANDS LEADING THE WAY The laptop segment has been growing well owing to the ever-increasing demand. Commenting on the plans to capitalize on the growth opportunities, Sanjiv Krishen, Chairman, Iris Global Services Pvt. Ltd. said, “This financial year we have seen huge spurt in the demand for the laptop segment. Consumer requirements do not seem to be fading anytime soon and enterprises have restarted their notebook purchases now. Moreover, we are witnessing strong demand from the government and education segments as well. However, the severe supply challenges for lower end CPUs and panels have restricted the growth and will continue to do so for some months more. In light of this and to mitigate the challenges we are doing the following things: • Building up strong order base of notebooks with our leading OEMs like HP, Dell, and Acer. We are working closely with their operations and order management teams to proactively secure as much stock as possible. • Wherever OEMs are unable to address the 12
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The channel partners are very aggressively working to meet the demand for laptops with help of brands. On-time supply of inventory remains a major concern point for partners as the disruption in the supply chain may cause huge losses. On the inventory support from vendors, Sanjiv Krishen added, “We are working very closely with our vendors, and they support us by providing timely information on the tentative availability of particular CPUs and panels. This allows us to maintain an accurate picture of what will be coming down the pipeline and we then suggest those laptops to fulfil the demands of our partners.” ECOMMERCE STRATEGY The benefit of online presence is huge but before going into this space, distributors need to define their business goal. Speaking about the participation on online platforms, Sanjiv Krishen commented, “We remain focused on the market segments that still depend heavily on the offline business model which we prefer to call the ‘personalized-interactions business model’ as it is based on providing customers with personalized advice and guidance from distribu-
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We are sure that offline business especially from the corporates, government and education will come back on track
tors, resellers and retailers. We recognize that there are many advantages in using ecommerce platforms and we may look at entering this space in the future but for the time being we intend to continue putting our efforts into the personalized-interactions business model.” “Online business has left a dent in offline laptops sales during the pandemic and because of this we have seen a severe shortage of laptops in the earlier part of this year especially for our partners that use the personalized-interaction business model. As we all adapt to the new normal, we are sure that offline business especially from the corporates, government and education will come back on track,” stated Sanjiv Krishen. Sanjiv Krishen further added, “However, to ensure that we continue to deliver our revenues and margin numbers, we are tying up with some the best and leading products in Enterprise Storage and Security, Tablets, Power Solutions, Surveillance, Audio Visual experiences to enhance our overall offering and be relevant to our partners. Lastly, huge investments are being in made in Government and BFSI sectors and we specialize in executing end-to-end big turnkey and complex projects viz. SSA, State Govt schools and certain major banks to name a few. We are leveraging this specialization and are focusing on such untapped projects. We are sure that these steps will definitely add value to our customers and partners. They will keep us ahead of our competition and also help us adapt to the challenging and dynamic market conditions.”
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DT EXCLUSIVE
LENOVO BUILDING LIGHTER PCs WITH MORE FLEXIBLE FORM FACTORS The demand for laptops has witnessed tremendous growth in the past one year due to adoption of new normal ecosystem. Good feature-rich laptops deliver an exceptional PC experience and help consumers execute their assigned work in the best possible way. In the new normal, laptops have gained preference over desktops as a result of hybrid work model. Ashish Sikka, Director – Channel & SMB, Lenovo India recently interacted with Digital Terminal and shared crucial insights about the market scenario, service support infrastructure and plans to grow further.
In order to enable our channel partner to align in the right direction, we have put multiple measures in place DEMAND FROM ALL VERTICALS The rapid growth of laptop segment has driven the attention of the IT industry. Post-pandemic, there has been huge boost of demand for laptops across all segment. Commenting on this growth trajectory, Ashish Sikka, Director – Channel & SMB, Lenovo India said, “Lenovo saw steady growth throughout the past fiscal year and delivered an exceptionally strong performance this past quarter. We saw strong demand across businesses in India over the past year, and the first quarter this year did exceptionally well. We recorded 73.4% YoY growth in 1Q21. Some key trends observed in the personal computing market are- the demand for portable and affordable PCs for students learning from home, more flexible machines with better battery life for people working from home, larger screen sizes for tablets for more productivity on-the-go, better processing speed and display quality so that work PCs can double up as a device for gaming and entertainment.” BEST POSSIBLE INNOVATIONS Even customers preference has changed over the last one year. Ashish Sikka said, “Today’s consumers are extremely agile, as they continue to learn and work from home. They are looking for ultra-portable devices to match this lifestyle. To support these evolving consumer preferences, we are building lighter PCs with more flexible form factors such as detachables and convertibles. With Lenovo’s comprehensive technology services, broad range of devices, and infrastructure solutions, we are engineering a transformational experience for our consumers. Going beyond devices, we have recently introduced ‘Lenovo Aware’ solution to support a superior remote learning experience for www.digitalterminal.in
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-Ashish Sikka
consumers. Lenovo Aware addresses these issues by using the PC’s built-in camera to detect a person’s body language and eye contact with the device. The software reminds the user to sit back from the screen, straighten up their posture, take a break from the screen to rest their eyes, with the help of pop up notifications and audio alerts.” CHANNEL PLANS TO GROW The channel partners are in integral part of Lenovo business as they put deep efforts to drive sales and revenue. Ashish Sikka stated, “We at Lenovo, understand challenges and provide extensive and customized programs, from incentives to rebates to co-marketing to help channel partners sell more and reap greater rewards, gain expertise, and receive support.” “In order to enable our channel partner to align in the right direction, we have put multiple measures in place. The partner programs are mainly focused on tackling the challenges by providing extensive and customized solutions. We also focus on the programs that are different in several ways to encourage business partners to drive a right mix of PC, Services and S&P attach depending on customer requirement.” COMMITTED FOR BEST SERVICE SUPPORT As per a global Lenovo study, 42% of IT teams are not equipped or trained to manage all device issues post-purchase and, on an average, teams waste up to 22 minutes per day dealing with IT issues in the workplace. “The biggest challenge which
SMBs are facing these days is the impact of the pandemic on their decision making. That is why Lenovo has separated SMBs into a standalone segment in the Asia Pacific. Part of our commitment to supporting SMBs means that we spend time understanding their challenges and ensuring we enable them to have a smooth IT journey that addresses all their concerns” said, Ashish Sikka. Lenovo provides a host of Managed Services like Smart fleet management, Onsite help desks, compliance monitoring and management, inventory control, DaaS, and software solutions. Some key services that have aided their customers during the pandemic are: - Lenovo Premier Support is a priority service support providing 24x7x365 access to quality customer support, delivering unscripted tech support by a real engineer to every employee in every location, allowing the IT staff to manage routine support tasks, freeing up their time and budget to focus on strategic efforts that move the organization forward. - Lenovo Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering combines the best of technology through our leadership in devices and comprehensive end-to-end support - Sentinel One is our next-generation antivirus software that proactively identifies and blocks malicious activity from infecting the endpoint, cloud, and Internet of Things (IoT).
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DT EXCLUSIVE
VNS INTERNATIONAL MADE INVESTMENT TO ENABLE THEIR PARTNERS TO BUY ONLINE FROM THEM Laptop sales have tremendously increased in the past one-year due existing pandemic. Tech brands and partners are investing hugely to encash the opportunities. The market scenario is quite good for the channel community and they are very keen to pick and leverage every single opportunity. The demand might surge in the coming months due to the festive season. It will propel the demand and brands will be interested to take their growth to new heights. In a recent talk with Digital Terminal, Neeraj Garg, Director, VNS International shared his views about the growth in the laptop segment, supply chain issues and their plans to fulfill the demand.
DEMAND SUPPLY NEEDED URGENT ATTENTION
MARKET PLANS TO LEVERAGE OPPORTUNITIES “PC market is seeing huge demand for personal computing products mainly in laptops due to disruptions in work and education from the pandemic. WFH & LFH have fuelled the demand for laptops to a level and we are all geared up to meet the same for our channel partners and end customers. We have made big investments in inventories and market reach. We are using marketing tools like Print Media and Digital Media for promotion and product awareness” said Neeraj Garg, Director, VNS International. “We have increased focus on Digital marketing in last couple of years with presence on all social media networks as well. Further we have introduced with OMS app (Order Management System) for channel partners which gives them power to explore and order in their hands. Using the app, dealer can explore the entire product catalogue, request for quote, place order and track order status and delivery status. Further we push schemes for partners to order thru this online app which makes the entire experience of the channel partner convenient and seamless.” 14
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The market players are seeing huge demand for laptops and proper inventory support is needed to meet this demand. Competition is very high in the market thus channel partners are not leaving any stone unturned and working hands in hands with their vendors. Speaking about the support from brands, Neeraj Garg said, “Brand are facing laptop shortages due to global supply-chain disruption and huge shortages of components. The entire process of order loading, tracking and fulfilment is in bad state. This has led to uncertainty and lack of proper information wrt to supply timelines. Brands need to provide digital interface to distributors where they can view details of the products, their availability, pre-book / order products and track status of the same. This can help streamline product availability information and help to fulfil the even growing laptop demand from consumers.” ECOMMERCE POSSES BIG THREAT Speaking on the use of eCommerce platforms to drive revenue, Neeraj Garg stated, “We do not use and ecommerce platform to sell laptops. In fact e-commerce market
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We have increased focus on Digital marketing in last couple of years with presence on all social media networks as well place are a major threat to brick and mortar business model driven by distributors, channel partners and retail stores. We do use digital platform to reach to our channel partners thru OMS application as mentioned previously.” FOCUS ON DIGITAL MODELS Laptops’ sale across online platform has spiked and it might continue over the years. On the role of increasing share of online players, Neeraj Garg added, “Online sales on e-commerce platforms and by online stores of LFRs and Brands is growing year on year due to low cost model and vast reach. Also aggressive marketing and discriminatory pricing has further helped this growth. Further the pandemic and fuelled online laptops sales because consumers are reluctant to move out and buy from retail stores or channel partners. We have already made investments to enable our channel partners to buy online from us. Further we are making investments to further extend the same platform to our end customers and end customers of channel partners where they will be able to buy digitally sitting at home. This will enable us and our channel partners to get the customers to use the application to explore, select and order laptops. Fulfilment and commercials will then be taken care by our channel partner. This ensures end customer retention and also takes care of business interests of our channel partners.”
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DT EXCLUSIVE
MSI IS ALL ABOUT CREATING PREMIUM BUYING EXPERIENCE FOR OUR END USERS The PC market has evolved swiftly in the past few years and new trends pushing the market to new heights. Pandemic has played a big role in further accelerating the adoption of laptops. Portability is one of the key factors which has led the demand to new growth avenues. Tech brands are also bringing customer centric laptops to elevate the PC experience. Shivangi Bhadauria, PR and Marketing Executive, MSI spoke to DT to talk upon the latest trends in the PC market and their plans to grow.
Since the outbreak of pandemic, demand for laptops has grown multi folds where leading players like MSI is bringing wide range of innovative machines to suit consumers requirement. Commenting on the surge in the demand for laptops, Shivangi Bhadauria, PR and Marketing Executive, MSI said, “While we all have settled into the new normal and adapted to remote working, laptops have become an indispensable tool for our productivity and entertainment quotient. As our lines for work and leisure time seem to blur, we see a significant increase in demand for laptops depending on the need of our end-user. MSI being the first movers in innovation and technology have always made sure our laptops are at power with the changing needs. Be it distance learning classes or intensive work hours, no more are the laptop demand driven by specifications but also the functionality of the laptop. Portability, compactness and data security are few key factors that are taken into account to help fit the current scenario and are well incorporated by us in our laptops.” PLAN FOR FESTIVE SEASON In the coming months, the demand is expected to rise further as the OND quarter plays a significant role in boosting the demand further, especially for technology devices. Sharing her views on the plans, Shivangi Bhadauria stated, “With festivities around the corner and customers enjoying relaxations as per COVID guidelines, store visits are back in action. MSI is all about creating that premium buying experience for our end users. As we believe in creating a holistic environment, we have tried to expand our customers touch points with the brand be it offline or online. Shop renovations, updating our brand visibility and expanding our retail footprint in India are some of the opportunities before we close this year.” DESKTOP TO STAY
The demand for desktop in current scenario is quite low due to lack of portability and
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As we believe in creating a holistic environment, we have tried to expand our customers touch points with the brand be it offline or online
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SURGING DEMAND
-Shivangi Bhadauria
form factors. Commenting on this development, Shivangi said, “The demand for desktop might have been impacted to some extent, but we expect it to return to normal as it still has the advantages in some scenarios like high-end gaming or content creation. With more games coming to the market and the growth of content-creation use, it’s still promising that the demand will keep increasing.” BEST SERVICE SUPPORT Service support has a big role to play for any tech brands. Customers are now more aware about this fact and review their service support infra while buying any device. Shivangi Bhadauria commented, “The new normal demands us to change how customer grievances are addressed. With restrictions on mobility, no longer can a customer move around the city too much to get his issues resolved. Everything needs to be online. Therefore, adapting to the change we take up service issues through our social platforms providing our customers the ease to connect with a revert time of 24-48Hrs. However, the current scenario has human touch missing from the equation which does become quite a hurdle. Pacifying the customer is a skill that must be mastered in current times due to restrictions on part availability and movement. Nevertheless, we try and create a hassle-free process for our customers.” SEPTEMBER 2021 I
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CHANNEL EXCLUSIVE
TAKE GREAT PLEASURE IN SELLING MICRON’S PRODUCTS TO THEIR CUSTOMERS Micron is one of the foremost market players in the storage market and has strengthened its position through tireless efforts and performance-oriented products. Micron’s storage products are being adopted across all segments. Partners are playing very important role to help Micron in leading the market. In a series of interaction with Micron’s partner, DT recently interacted with Digit Computers, a well know distributors based in Delhi. To get a deeper insight into Micron’s overall performance and demand for its products, Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, DT exclusively spoke to Tarun Agarwal, Director, Digit Computers.
The Indian IT industry has been growing exponentially since the last few years due to the rapid digital transformation. The growth trajectory continues to take the Indian IT industry to new heights. The growing demand for reliable and cost-effective IT products across sectors has increased the confidence among the market players. Moreover, new innovations in this domain are shaping the growth of the market. “The pandemic has completely changed the way we work and learn. Thus it pushed two new segments that are Work from Home (WFH) and Learn from Home (LFH). Consequently, strong demand from WFH and LFH has resulted in satisfactory growth for the distribution business. Due to such a remarkable growth of the overall IT market, Digit Computer is also growing well. We expect the market to become more opportunistic in the coming months and we aim to meet the demand for the IT peripherals that we sell,” commented Tarun Aggarwal, Director, Digit Computers. ASSOCIATION WITH BRAND MICRON There is no doubt that Micron is the leader in the storage market and the growth it has achieved in India over the years is commendable. “We are very happy to sell Micron’s next generation products in the Indian market as the demand for such reliable products always helps us to grow. Since we’ve been selling Micron products, we’ve seen a huge increase in sales of storage products. We have gained tremendous momentum over the years and we look forward to continuing this association. The customers to whom we sell these Micron brand storage products are very satisfied with the quality and durability. As the market is evolving and customers are upgrading their PCs with powerful hardware, there will be a huge demand for faster SSDs and RAM. To meet this demand, we are very fortunate to have Micron, the best brand on board,” said Tarun. He further added, “We have great business relationship with Micron and selling their products gives us a competitive edge in 16
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Micron has certainly outperformed its competitors by bringing in high performance storage products and best service support -Tarun Agarwal
the market. We have been in the distribution business for so long and we have seen growth in this market over the years. Today, the Indian IT market seems very opportunistic and it brings great opportunities for the growth of the market players. India has always been a focal point for global brands due to a large customer base and this leads to intense competition. But, Micron has shown exceptional performance through its next-gen storage products like SSD and RAM. Furthermore, we can say that the service support provided by Micron to its loyal customers enriches the reputation and brand value. Customer retention is also based on best-in-class service support and Micron is ahead in the race. Micron has certainly outperformed its competitors by bringing in high performance storage products and best service support.” MICRON CONTRIBUTES 25% OF SALES Commenting on the business of Micron products, Tarun Aggarwal said, “Since onboarding Micron, our business has grown extremely well. For RAM and SSD, we deal only with Micron as it earns us enough revenue and we don’t need to go for any other brand. Digit Computers cater to a large market and Micron’s products are enough to fulfill the demand in the sectors we cover. Looking at the market scenario, it would not be wrong to say that the market is now having good momentum as compared to a few years back. Micron has helped us grow at a greater pace as its quality-led products drive big revenue. We have been able to sell a good number of SSD and RAM and have pretty good support at the level of inventory. Micron accounts for about 25% of our total sales. That’s why we take great pleasure in selling Micron’s products to our customers. We sell SSD’s (M.2, NVME, SATA External) and all types of RAM (Laptops, Desktop and Gaming) to our customers.”
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DIGIT COMPUTERS GROWING WELL
He further added, “Micron’s USP is to make quality products and the failure ratio is almost zero. In a short span of time, we get great response from customers, especially in the high-end segment, for example NVME and Gaming RAM. The customer response to Micron’s products is great and their trust has only grown for Micron.” CHALLENGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS “The challenges are always there in the business but Micron’s team is very responsive, cooperative and helpful. They have helped us each time to navigate through the challenges. We get good response from Micron and they provide us the optimum solutions to our problems. Gaming segment is generating a good demand so our goal with Micron is to increase the Gaming segment products and also external SSDs. We are looking forward to increase our business with Micron 3-4 times and we are pretty sure that we can achieve our goals easily with the help of Micron team and National Distributors,” concluded by Tarun Aggarwal.
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SPOTLIGHT
WESTERN DIGITAL LAUNCHES HIGHPERFORMANCE WD ELEMENTS SE SSD Western Digital announced the WD Elements™ SE SSD, a new portable storage solution that marries pocket-sized design with performance. This compact device is a great solution for consumers who need a portable drive to move files fast. With the WD Elements™ SE SSD, the consumer is in control of their content across laptops, desktops, and other devices, whether on the job or creating content for fun. Speaking on the launch of this new addition to the WD SSD portfolio, MR. KHALID WANI, SENIOR DIRECTOR SALES, INDIA, WESTERN DIGITAL SAID, “Solid-state drives are the next big wave in the storage industry because of their performance, speed, reliability, and for the ease they provide. Our new WD Elements™ SE external SSD is a productivity-driven solution for Mac and PC users.” MR. JAGANATHAN CHELLIAH, SENIOR DIRECTOR - MARKETING, INDIA, WESTERN DIGITAL added, “Western Digital is focused on bringing innovative technology to make it convenient for Mac and PC users to manage their content. WD Elements™ SE External SSD provides an excellent blend of performance,
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compact size, and capacity. It’s an outstanding choice for consumers looking to back up and share content between multiple devices.” With read speeds of up to 400MB/s** and capacities of up to 2TB*, this new portable SSD enables consumers to quickly move large files so they can get more done each day. The drive’s plug-and-play functionality means it is ready to use right out of the box and can seamlessly integrate into any workflow.
this the perfect drive for your on-thego lifestyle. Continuing the renowned Western Digital storage legacy of durability, the drive is backed by a three-year limited warranty worldwide. PRICING AND AVAILABILITY The WD Elements™ SE SSD is available at Amazon.in, Flipkart, Croma Retail, and other leading IT and Mobility stores across the country. MSRP starts at Rs 6499 for the 480GB* capacity drive.
The WD Elements™ SE SSD features a compact, portable design that is drop-resistant up to 2 meters, making
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CASE STUDY
PINNACLE TELESERVICES DEPLOYS TTBS’S SMARTFLO SOLUTION Businesses are constantly re-imagining their operating models and working environments by leveraging various cloud-based technological solutions. Tata Tele Business Services recently offered its Smartflo solution - an advanced Cloud Communication suite to Pinnacle Teleservices - A digital mobile solutions house. Belonging to voice aggregator segment and operating in a wide array of target markets, Pinnacle is using Smartflo solutions for a secure expansion of its services to its customers. As the company was running a pre-recorded voice broadcast campaign for its customers on behalf of one of the state government, it did not want to display state Short- Distance Charging Area (SDCA) codes for better call pickup ratio. It wanted to display Calling Line Identity (CLI) which looks like mobile number series in order to have maximum call pickups. Pinnacle also needed prompts to be enabled for dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) inputs embedded in the On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) prompts. Being a growing market leader in the enterprise space, TTBS provided its SmartFlo solutions to the company after a detailed analysis of their requirement. By facilitating the solution, TTBS provided the company with a complete cloud communication suite for all their hosted communication needs. The solution helped them achieve OBD prompts with Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency inputs with API (Application Programming Interface) integration to dip into customer records before broadcast. TTBS also provided a single portal control for numbers (CLIs) of 079 and 080 series – one each from Bangalore and Ahmedabad to ensure higher call take-up rates for their OBDs. TTBS instantly created Interactive Voice Responses (IVRs) on the portal, making it easy to create and scale-up campaigns. MR. MANNU SINGH, VICE PRESIDENT, TATA TELESERVICES SAID, “Smartflo is an anytime, anywhere, flexible suite of cloud communication solutions that optimizes connectivity, helps build operational resilience and enables businesses to deliver better customer experiences across channels. With its comprehensive and advance features, it is well equipped to fulfil the emerging needs of the company and add value to the business.”
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With a quick set-up, zero installation charges and no capex investment, Smartflo solution provides an uptime guarantee of 99.5% backed by TTBS 24X7 managed service capabilities and trust, ensuring uninterrupted business continuity.
security and reliability. TTBS’s Smartflo solutions comes with host of features like: • Intelligent routing of customer calls to the best of agents/employees
COMMENTING ON SMARTFLO TECHNOLOGY, MS. ASHWINI FULZELE, NATIONAL SALES COORDINATOR, PINNACLE TELESERVICES LTD. SAID, “We at Pinnacle benefited greatly from this digital transformation by Tata Tele Business Services as it ensured a faster, smoother and streamlined call flows. We were also able to maintain a higher call take-up rates for OBDs while giving unmatched and on-demand scalability. The solution also offered enhanced team collaboration and infrastructure optimization, thanks to the seamless data connectivity.”
• Voice to Text conversion with keywork mapping
TTBS provided customizable campaign flows that could be fed back to IVRs as well as portal rights for enriched customer experiences while ensuring enterprise-grade
• On demand scalability without additional Capex
• Call sentiment analysis to understand your customers better • API integration with all enterprise applications to get a single customer view • Quality checks of customer interactions through live call barge-ins • Analytics and reports to get in sights and enhance your business outcomes
• In-build Enterprise Grade security and reliability. www.digitalterminal.in
SECURITY FOCUS
83% OF INDIAN ORGANIZATIONS WITNESSED INCREASE IN CYBER ATTACKS DURING PANDEMIC: SOPHOS Sophos announced the findings of its global survey, “Phishing Insights 2021,” which reveals that phishing attacks targeting organizations ramped up considerably during the pandemic, as millions of employees working from home became a prime target for cybercriminals. The majority (83%) of IT teams in India said the number of phishing emails targeting their employees increased during 2020. “Phishing has been around for over 25 years and remains an effective cyberattack technique. One of the reasons for its success is its ability to continuously evolve and diversify, tailoring attacks to topical issues or concerns, such as
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the pandemic, and playing on human emotions and trust,” said CHESTER WISNIEWSKI, PRINCIPAL RESEARCH SCIENTIST AT SOPHOS. “It can be tempting for organizations to see phishing attacks as a relatively low-level threat, but that underestimates their power. Phishing is often the first step in a complex, multi-stage attack. According to Sophos Rapid Response, attackers frequently use phishing emails to trick users into installing malware or sharing credentials that provide access to the corporate network.” The findings also reveal that there is a lack of common understanding about the definition of phishing. For instance,
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67% of IT teams in India associate phishing with emails that falsely claim to be from a legitimate organization, and which are usually combined with a threat or request for information. Sixty-one percent consider Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks to be phishing, and half of the respondents (50%) think thread jacking – when attackers insert themselves into a legitimate email thread as part of an attack – is phishing. The good news is that most organizations in India (98%) have implemented cybersecurity awareness programs to combat phishing. Respondents said they use computer-based training programs (67%), human-led training programs (60%), and phishing simulations (51%). “The ideal would be to prevent phishing emails from ever reaching their intended recipient,” said Wisniewski. “Effective email security solutions can go a long
way towards achieving this, but this should be complemented by alert and primed employees who are able to spot and report suspicious messages before they get any further.” THE SURVEY ALSO SHOWED THAT • Four-fifths of Indian organizations assess the impact of their awareness program through the number of phishing-related tickets raised with IT, followed by the level of reporting of phishing emails by users (77%) and click rates on phishing emails (60%) • All the organizations surveyed (100%) in Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata say they have cybersecurity awareness program in place. This was followed by Chennai where 97% have such programs , and then Bengaluru and Mumbai at 96% each.
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CHANNEL FOCUS
RP TECH INDIA PARTNERS WITH CORNELIS NETWORKS FOR HPC SOLUTIONS RP tech India has announced a strategic partnership with Cornelis Networks. Win-win for both the companies, the partnership brings RP tech closer to its vision to become the complete solution provider in the enterprise space and enables Cornelis Networks to expand its footprints in the Indian HPC market through RP tech’s wide coverage and a robust SI-channel ecosystem. During the initial months, RP tech India will offer Cornelis solutions to HPC specialists, AI, ML solution providers and customers in the Higher Education Research vertical. The company is already strong in the server, storage, and data center space with a comprehensive solutions portfolio and a wide network of 50 branches spread across India.
“We are excited to partner with Cornelis Networks to drive the innovation in the fastest growing HPC market in India. The deployment of HPC solutions in the sectors such as Education, R&D, Biotechnology, Robotics etc. has taken a decent lead in the past few years. We are very bullish over this segment and Cornelis is a great addition to our comprehensive solutions offerings to enterprise customers. We will be working closely to develop a customer base for Cornelis Networks in the Indian HPC market”, said Mr. Rajesh Goenka, Director, Sales & Marketing at RP tech India.
INGRAM MICRO INDIA ANNOUNCED DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH CONTEC Ingram Micro has announced a strategic distribution agreement with Contec, a global Japanese electronics manufacturer and systems integrator with headquarters in Osaka. Contec specializes in the field of Industrial Computers, measurement and control, networks and innovative M2M-IIoT solutions and helps organizations address business challenges, improve efficiency and reduce costs. Contec has 45 years of industry experience in serving global customers and is known for its impeccable quality and world-class engineering. Under the terms of the agreement, Ingram Micro will offer Contec’s complete enterprise portfolio of Industrial PCs, Data Acquisition and Control, IoT/M2M and Embedded solutions through its ecosystem of channel partners in India. Commenting on the partnership, Navdeep Narula, Executive
Director, Mobility & Compute, Ingram Micro India said, “The successful convergence of information and operational technology is crucial to helping organizations achieve business growth and maintaining a competitive advantage. Contec offers businesses a simple and effective way to increase efficiencies and reduce downtime through predictive maintenance that helps to lower equipment maintenance overheads. It offers unparalleled reliability and connectivity even in harsh industrial environments. We look forward to working with Contec and offering their range of solutions to customers across the Manufacturing, Healthcare, Automotive, Transportation, Smart City, Robotics, Energy, Logistics,
INFLOW TECHNOLOGIES TO DISTRIBUTE BARCO’S CLICKSHARE SOLUTIONS ACROSS INDIA Barco announced its partnership with Inflow, a niche player in the IT Infrastructure Distribution Services market in SAARC region, for the complete range of Barco ClickShare solutions. With the PAN India scope of the association, Barco plans to enhance outreach in the Unified Communication & Collaboration segment and provide partners and end customers seamless hybrid collaboration and meeting experience solutions. Inflow, which has a strong presence in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan, will boost Barco’s presence in the subcontinent with its 2300 channel partners and over 50 global technology vendors. According to Rajesh Kumar, Vice President - Technology, Inflow, “Inflow has offered reliable and scalable services to 20
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a number of partners in the SAARC market and, following this association with Barco, we look forward to strengthening our presence in the UC & C space in India. Barco’s ClickShare solutions are innovative and imperative for the hybrid workspace and we are eager to take the solution to a wide range of organisations across India. With our extensive network of vendors and channel partners, and Barco’s hands-on approach, we are primed to offer splendid hybrid collaboration experiences to customers across the country.” www.digitalterminal.in
CHANNEL FOCUS
BD SOFT SIGNS DISTRIBUTION PARTNERSHIP WITH DATA RESOLVE BD Soft recently added another feather in its cap of strong business partners. The company recently announced a tie-up with Data Resolve, as a distributor an emerging player in the area of cyber security & intelligence for enterprises. In its role as the national distributor, BD Soft will provide Data Resolve access to a diverse and vibrant channel ecosystem and strong customer connections in the Enterprise, Government and SME sectors. This shall also help Data Resolve to focus on multiple verticals and build more robust defenses. “Despite Covid19, the security space in India is still in its earlyto-mid development stage. As the range of threats broadens and new vulnerabilities emerge, Data security has become the need of the hour for several sectors. The year 2020 and 2021 is a testimony on how organizations need to adapt to
the ever-changing digital world, to protect their data and manage business continuity. This is exactly where organizations like Data Resolve, an expert, can address the holistic needs of the industry. This partnership could not have come at a better time. We are glad to partner and establish their outreach through our impressive channel network,” says Mr. Zakir Hussain – CEO – BD Software Distribution. “Our focus is to approach SMB from 10-100 users who are looking to secure their data and depend on their reseller to service their needs. We have a good reseller network who are servicing similar SMB clients and we hope to take their support to increase the reach for Data Resolve solutions.”
SYNOLOGY SIGNS DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH TECH DATA Synology announced the partnership with Tech Data, a TD SYNNEX company, a leading global distributor and solutions aggregator for the IT ecosystem. The partnership fortifies Synology’s commitment to boosting local stock levels to meet India’s growing storage demands. “Demand for data storage has spiked as technologies for working remotely, digital transformation is playing a critical role in keeping companies functional in this pandemic scenario.” said Danny Wang, Sales Manager of Synology India. “With Synology’s comprehensive solutions, businesses could overcome current challenges while optimizing costs and
operations, we believe collaborating with Tech Data could really help us expand and explore new opportunities in the Indian market.” “We are excited to partner with Synology to take its data management solutions through our channel partners in the Indian marketplace.” said Mahesh Bellur, Business Manager, Tech Data India. “The distribution agreement with Synology will not only help us capitalize on the growing demand for data-management solutions but also offer solutions to overcome challenges, such as connecting remote teams and enabling file sharing and collaboration.”
iVALUE COLLABORATES WITH SENTINELONE FOR ENDPOINT PROTECTION iValue InfoSolutions announced their collaboration with SentinelOne, Inc., an autonomous cybersecurity platform company and a pioneer in delivering autonomous security for the endpoint, DCs and cloud environments. Founded in 2013 by an elite team of cybersecurity and defense experts, who developed a ground-breaking approach to endpoint protection, SentinelOne is a brand trusted by some of the world’s leading and largest enterprises. “The threat surface has been continuously growing and so is the need to consistently augment endpoint security readiness. The need further accelerated with the on-set of the Covid-19 era, as enterprise controls primarily shifted from Network to two end states - Remote Endpoints & Data, in-transit & at rest. SentinelOne, a recognized Magic Quadrant leader by Gartner, partners with iValue, a leading technology aggregator in the Cyber Security space to jointly address key pain points of CIOs/ www.digitalterminal.in
CISOs across the industry verticals. We will continue to enable and empower our partners to serve their customers with effective solution and operational model,” said Harsh Marwah, Chief Growth Officer, iValue InfoSolutions. Being a premier enabler, iValue has endured to consistently partner with the right mix of widespread and niche technology providers to help customers in their transformational journey. iValue’s penchant to select the right partner and aid its customers with niche and trustworthy solutions has helped them grow relentlessly fostering the trust of their 5,000+ customers across verticals in 13+ locations across multiple continents resulting in iValue being India’s fastest growing Value-Added Distributor. This has made iValue the best choice for companies to market their products and solutions. SEPTEMBER 2021 I
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NEWS IN BRIEF
AMBRANE LAUNCHES ITS NEW BRAND IDENTITY Ambrane unveiled its new identity strengthening the vision of their brand. The new identity with the icon i.e. therefore, symbolizes the brand as the logical choice for the consumers looking for next gen & tech savvy products that are ‘Made in India’. Each of the dots of the symbol in an upright triangle stands for the three attributes of the brand – Indian, reliable and modern. The new brand identity and logo underlines the brand positioning statement and summarizes the company’s commitment to this endeavour. Ambrane, since its
inception in the year 2012, has built thoughtful products that have impacted the lives of over 20 million plus customers in India. The company, with its new logo, introduces a fresh & balanced colour wheel. It uses a vibrant orange primary colour palette that depicts the brand’s zest and enthusiasm, while the calm blue palette displays Trust and expertise. The overall colour scheme in soulful and modern colours is seen as the colour of innovation & modern thinking for the brand.
KONICA MINOLTA HOSTED TREE PLANTATION DRIVE TO CELEBRATE ITS 11TH ANNIVERSARY Konica Minolta has recently celebrated its 11th Anniversary by hosting a tree plantation drive in association with SankalpTaru. As a part of this initiative, it has successfully planted 100 trees in the NCR region while strictly adhering to all COVID-19 safety protocols. The idea is not just to plant saplings and forget, instead they have arranged for tending to those till they become full grown trees and throughout their lifetime. Aravalli Hills is chosen as the location
because of a multitude of reasons foremost among them being that it checks the desertification of the norther plains in India, it also acts as the “green lungs” for not only Delhi NCR but also the adjoining states and last but not the least has a positive impact on the overall climate of the region by helping in the recharge of the ground water as well as ensuring that the bio diversity continues to thrive.
SYNOLOGY LAUNCHES NEW CLOUD SERVICE TO SECURE FILE TRANSFERS Synology announced the availability of C2 Transfer, a new cloud solution designed to securely transfer files between businesses and their clients, partners, and other external parties. Synology’s on-premises storage solutions already empower businesses and home users to solve their data management challenges, such as connecting remote teams and enabling file sharing and collaboration between people. C2 Transfer is instead designed to solve the last mile problem — when teams send out important and potentially sensitive files to clients. Most file collaboration solutions, cloud or on-premises ones, protect data through permission management and audits of individual account activity. However, deliverables still have to be sent to external parties that do not have accounts. C2 Transfer keeps things simple for both parties while 22
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ensuring that files are always delivered to the right person, even if a link is accidentally published or shared with the wrong person. C2 Transfer verifies identities by sending a one-time password (OTP) to a sender-specified email address or phone number to ensure that only the intended recipient can access the files. www.digitalterminal.in
NEWS IN BRIEF
ZOOM CUSTOMERS CAN NOW SAVE THEIR MEETING RECORDINGS ON SEAGATE LYVE CLOUD Seagate Technology reached an agreement with Zoom that will soon enable the video conferencing company’s customers to use Seagate Lyve™ Cloud to store meeting recordings. When Zoom’s customers record their meetings, they will have the option to save these media files on Seagate’s S3 storage-as-a-service (STaaS) platform. Seagate’s always-on edge-to-cloud mass-storage Lyve Cloud is designed to overcome common storage challenges—unpredictable costs and complexity of storing, moving, and activating
data at scale. The multiyear deal between Seagate and Zoom is for a Silicon Valley cloud location, with other options on the horizon. “We made cloud economics simple and predictable regardless of the high volume of meetings recorded or the number of times viewed,” said Seagate’s Ravi Naik, executive vice president of storage services and chief information officer. “Lyve Cloud charges no API fees and egress fees, and our always-on storage means Zoom users can view their recordings when they need to.”
ACER BEGINS PRODUCTION OF SERVERS AND WORKSTATIONS IN INDIA Acer announced that it has taken its manufacturing capabilities to the next level by producing high-performance servers and workstations in India. The Altos Tower Server T110F5 and Altos Tower Workstation P130 F5 manufactured in Pondicherry factory are the products that are first of the blocks and there will be more to follow. Servers and Workstations will form a critical backbone for varied use cases and with manufacturing now done in India Acer will be able to deliver custom solutions to enterprises and governments to fit the demands. Mr. Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer, Acer India said, “We are excited to announce this endeavour to meet the fast-growing
needs of the Datacenter and Cloud market in India. With the arrival of lower mobile data costs and increasing awareness, there is a rise in demand for servers amongst Indian enterprises. The Altos servers and workstations manufactured in India is capable of meeting demands of performances, scalability, security, and reliability needed for a wide range of applications and organisational requirements.”
MSI DDR4 MEMORY OVERCLOCKING COMPETITION CONCLUDED SUCCESSFULLY MSI hosted a DDR4 memory overclocking competition from July to August 2021. Over 100 entries received from 20+ countries*, with enthusiasts showing blistering fast memory frequencies to compete for the Optix MAG274QRF-QD, MAG CH130 X Gaming Chair, MPG CORELIQUID K360 cooler, and many more such exciting prizes! The Intel 500 series chipset is the first time Intel has made RAM overclocking available on a B series motherboard, users can now enjoy improved performance, particularly an increase in FPS while www.digitalterminal.in
gaming. Furthermore, with the inclusion of MSI’s exclusive “Memory Try It!” functionality in BIOS, tuning memory-related parameters is much easier, and there is no need to manually tweak all of the numbers like timings, voltages, etc. only to reach a higher frequency. It’s also the first time MSI has organized an amateur DDR4 memory overclocking competition. MSI OC lab is well known for breaking world records for CPU and memory frequencies, the vast bulk of MSI motherboards are designed to handle hardcore overclocking as well. SEPTEMBER 2021 I
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NEWS IN BRIEF
ESET RECOGNIZED AS CHALLENGER IN OMDIA MOBILE SECURITY MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS REPORT ESET has been named as a Challenger in the Omdia Market Radar – Mobile Security Management Solutions report. ESET’s mobile security management solutions were evaluated in this report which explores the market for such solutions due to their growing importance in securing hybrid and mobile-first work styles. Omdia conducts independent market research to gain a holistic view of technology ecosystems and offers this report to help enterprises, vendors and service providers understand how mobility affects the workplace. This is the first time ESET has been included in Omdia research and is one of only seven vendors featured in the report.
With the pandemic acting as a catalyst for a significant increase in remote and hybrid working, mobile device security must be a priority for businesses. Omdia highlights that those vendors supporting the mobile security needs of enterprises will be increasingly important to businesses’ security strategies, while the mobile security management landscape itself is set to expand.
PRATIVA MOHAPATRA APPOINTED AS VICE PRESIDENT & MANAGING DIRECTOR AT ADOBE INDIA
Adobe announced the appointment of Prativa Mohapatra as Vice President and Managing Director for Adobe India. In this role, Prativa will lead Adobe’s India business across Adobe Experience Cloud, Adobe Creative Cloud and Adobe Document Cloud, reporting to Simon Tate, Adobe’s President for Asia Pacific (APAC). Adobe’s strategy for unleashing creativity, accelerating document productivity, and powering digital businesses gives brands a competitive advantage, enabling them to engage customers across every digital touch point. With a track record built on innovation, category leader-
ship, and rapidly expanding market opportunity, Adobe India is poised for continued growth. Prativa received a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science and Engineering from Regional Engineering College (now NIT), Rourkela, India. She attended Xavier Institute of Management in Bhubaneswar, India for her Post Graduation in Management, where she specialized in Systems and Finance.
INDIA RECORDED HIGHEST GROWTH IN FIXED BROADBAND DOWNLOAD SPEEDS: OOKLA Ookla released updates on its Speedtest Global Index for the month of August 2021. According to the data, India has maintained its growth trajectory in the overall fixed broadband download speeds to achieve the mean speed of 62.45 Mbps in the month of August, the highest ever, the country has achieved, on the Global Index report. With this India has maintained its global ranking on 68th spot in the fixed broadband speeds in the month of August 2021. India’s overall performance in mobile download speeds also registered a slight increase from 17.77 Mbps in July 2021 to 17.96 Mbps. How-
ever, the country still dropped four spots, in the global ranking for mobile speeds, from 122 to 126, owing to the better performance shown by countries like Uzbekistan, Colombia, Belarus and Côte d’Ivoire. As per the August Global Speedtest Index, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore are on the top spot in mobile broadband and fixed broadband with a mean download speed of 195.52 Mbps and 262.20 Mbps respectively.
DELL TECHNOLOGIES INTRODUCES ADVANCED TELECOM SOLUTIONS IN INDIA Celebrating 5 years of successfully enabling customers with newage innovative technology solutions, Dell Technologies has come up with new and enhanced offerings for communication service providers. Building on its vast experience helping companies digitally transform, Dell Technologies is anchoring the open, cloud-native telecom ecosystem—with infrastructure and solutions, industry partners and a new innovation lab—to put communications service providers (CSPs) on the fast track for innovation and revenue growth. Dell Technologies is creating open software solutions and services designed for the unique requirements of the telecom 24
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industry. Collaborating with Dell, CSPs can use these new solutions to embrace software-defined industry standards, simplify integration and management of data at the edge and capture new revenue opportunities. Dell Technologies is in a unique position to help CSPs transform—backed by its industry leading IT infrastructure; secure, global supply chain; and IT services with more than 60,000 dedicated professionals and partners in more than 170 countries. www.digitalterminal.in
GUEST COLUMN
SMART VIDEO (CCTV) IS MORE THAN JUST SEEING; IT’S LOOKING AHEAD Authored by Khalid Wani, Director- Sales, India, Western Digital CCTV or video surveillance isn’t just about security any longer, it goes beyond storing the visual data. Today’s surveillance systems have come far from simple low-resolution videos that remained as just a recording on a drive. With 4K video quality supplemented by advanced analytics software, surveillance solutions have unlocked new business value for video recordings. They can bring actionable knowledge to businesses and organizations who can gain insights into different aspects of their business such as customers’ retail shopping behaviours, smart city management of traffic congestion, or providing more efficient operations and yields. Here’s a list of a few examples of how smart video (CCTV) surveillance is helping us• Theft Prevention The technology is advancing at a lightning speed. Today, a special camera created with AI capabilities is able to detect potential shoplifters in retail stores based solely on their movement. The cameras use special AI technology to create real-time models of the body position and motion. Deep learning systems then train these smart cameras to analyze these models in real-time and recognize specific body movements that are likely associated with shoplifting. The camera can alert the shopkeeper if it detects suspicious behaviour, so the shopkeeper can prevent the loss. However, it is important to note that if you are not using the right storage solutions then deploying this advanced smart video camera system is of no use. You need storage that is built ground up for the unique, always-on demands of such cameras in these settings such as WD Purple® drives and microSD cards • Retail Display Management The role of psychology has long been critical to successful retail stores. Knowing where and how to display items for sale can be the difference between profits and losses. Video analytics paired with machine learning and other algorithms can provide robust feedback for retailers. They can test various layouts based on the movement pattern of customers within the store. The science behind retail stores is far more mature than www.digitalterminal.in
many people realize, and the field of video analytics is poised to offer a host of new information. Warehouse management Video analytics offer a compelling suite of new tools for manufacturing units and industries. Warehouse management requires a considerable amount of human labour, as inventory management is at the center of successful operations. Armed with video analytics, warehouse managers can rely on automated tracking and leverage analytics tools to operate more efficiently, providing a competitive advantage. Video monitoring is increasingly being used to detect product faults and gaps in the manufacturing process and conduct predictive maintenance in extensive facilities. • Remote Monitoring in Healthcare Smart video monitoring systems offer healthcare professionals an edge to work with greater efficiency. Being able to track patients remotely can prove to be very helpful, especially in the present day. One specific use case is: monitoring patients with dementia. Those with Alzheimer’s and other conditions are prone to walking away with the risk of losing their way or endangering themselves. With facial recognition, care centers can promptly alert staff members of such situations and act immediately. However, there continues to be a need to address privacy concerns about use of smart video in healthcare facilities to ensure compliance with regulations and patient expectations. Today actionable insights can be pulled from data of smart video by applying analytics. However, having the right storage is as important as the camera. WD Purple portfolio for surveillance is engineered specifically for the extreme demands of high temperature,
KHALID WANI, DIRECTOR- SALES, INDIA, WESTERN DIGITAL
always-on surveillance environments. The new addition to the portfolio, WD Purple Pro drives, are designed for new generations of high-end AI-enabled recorders and video analytics appliances and they come in a range of 8TB to 18TB* to support a variety of systems for AI-heavy workloads, including backend enterprise servers. Additionally, you also need storage on the edge should cameras lose connection with the NVR. WD Purple microSD cards come with capacities of up to 1TB*, providing backup for your smart video solution. These use cases illustrate the promise of smart video, but to take advantage of these you must have the right storage solutions. *As used for storage capacity, 1TB = one trillion bytes. Actual user capacity may vary depending on operating environment.
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INTERVIEW
“FOCUSING ON IT ESSENTIALS IS REALLY GIVING A BOOST TO OUR OVERALL TURNOVER” The IT distribution market has witnessed many challenges during last one year. Although the demand for IT products has increased, challenges in the supply chain remain one of the major concerns for the distribution houses. The growing demand for IT essentials has enabled IT distributors to grow and survive amid the existing pandemic. Segments like work from home and learn from home have contributed significantly to the growth of the market during the pandemic. Market players are improving their distribution models and strategies to fuel the growth momentum. Apart from this, they are also very excited about the upcoming festive season which will come as additional opportunities for them. Creative Peripherals, India’s one of the leading NDs, is also quite optimistic about future of IT business in India. Rajeev Ranjan, Editor, Digital Terminal interacted with Ketan Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Creative Peripherals, in order to get crucial insights about strategies to capitalize on the growth opportunities. Mr. Ketan elaborates on their business operations, marketing plans and much more. Read the excerpt below:
Ketan: Our journey is always an exciting & inspiring one, CY 2021 is considerably better compared to 2020 overall, as due to relief in lockdown norms, business is picking up quite well. For every business second half of the year is game changer wherein everyone is geared up to perform, deliver and in India majorly festive seasons plays a vital role in the second half. This year will be bit a different compared to last year, as we are living in new normalcy and we have learnt from last years’ experience and to perform better in current year. Also this year is going to be more progressive as everyone strive to outperform & accelerate after stagnant & slow movement in past year. RAJEEV: WHAT IS YOUR TRUE STRENGTH IN THE DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS? HOW DO YOU INTEND TO DIVERSIFY AND EXPAND YOUR OFFERINGS? Ketan: Every individual & function is our strength, being into distribution business our distribution model & strategies sets us apart, to strengthen & enhance our core competency we are expanding at large scale, as a strategy we have added warehousing capacity to 375% in Mumbai & Chennai. Delhi & Kolkata will be our new warehousing hubs to take imports and to serve PAN India customers in quickest possible time. We have also standardise our processes. API integrations with Logistics partners like Blue Dart who is pioneer in industry, our push notifications has help us to delight customers on delivery front. RAJEEV: HOW IS THE GROWTH OF YOUR PC COMPONENT & GAMING PERIPHERAL BUSINESS AS OF NOW? WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MAJOR DEMAND COMING IN? Ketan: IT industry is experiencing an upward line since & during pandemic specially PC
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components as it’s a need of the hour, at the start people were particular about saving money & spend less due to uncertain time but as pandemic is still on and now they are witnessing that they can upgrade the gears, components, accessories and they should opt for excellent products without compromising on the quality part. Also, Gaming industry is flourishing especially e-Sports segment, target audience for e-sports gaming is millennial or Gen-Z between the age group 12 to 35, who spend around 3
“
Business shift to the digital platform has encouraged us to put more focus & efforts on our own B2B Platform – Ckartonline
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RAJEEV: HOW DO YOU SEE CREATIVE PERIPHERALS’ BUSINESS JOURNEY SO FAR IN THE YEAR CY 2021?
-Ketan Patel
hours on games & e-sports, to have better experience for these 3 hours they go for superior class products, this young millennial will never compromise quality experience over the price. RAJEEV: PLEASE TELL ABOUT THE MAJOR BRANDS THAT YOU HAVE ON-BOARD. ARE YOU PLANNING TO PARTNER WITH MORE BRANDS TO GROW YOUR PRESENCE? Ketan: We are known for experiential brand & products plus value addition to brand, partners & customers, we always think & consider what’s new technology is coming, also we strive to add new brands & products to enhance customer experience. Recently we tied up with MSI and they have launched the world’s first Intel Gen 10 Mini PC exclusively distributed us. We tied up with Colorful as well for SSD business, Honeywell Audio
range is set to launch, Honeywell Air Purifier Portfolio and more products will follow us soon. In coming times we have more big news & announcement for our business partners & customers, there will be more addition of brands in our portfolio, please do follow us! RAJEEV: HOW ARE YOU PLANNING TO TAKE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD IN NEW NORMAL? PLEASE SHARE YOUR TARGETS BY THE END OF 2021. Ketan: After going through ‘n’ numbers of lock down & unlock down in the phase I & II, we have learnt how to tackle in such type of situation and make ourselves prepared for new normal in personal & professional life. We have made changes in our work culture by adopting work from anywhere/ work from home and hybrid model basis the importance & criticality of employee role. Focusing on IT Essentials is really giving a boost on our overall turnover. Business shift to the digital platform has encouraged us to put more focus & efforts on our own B2B Platform – Ckartonline, we strongly believe that this avenue of ours will explore new business opportunities. We plan to grow minimum 25% upward against last year. www.digitalterminal.in
LAPPY CORNER
DELL LAUNCHES NEW ALIENWARE, XPS AND G SERIES LAPTOPS IN INDIA Dell Technologies in India launched the new consumer PC portfolio. Building upon a 25-year legacy of pioneering gaming PCs widely celebrated for their aggressive form factors, iconic design, and impressive performance, the Alienware family is now stronger with the Alienware X-Series. The new line up comprises Alienware’s thinnest ever laptops that introduces a suite of new thermal technologies to balance power and style. Leveling up with Alienware’s goodness, the latest Dell G15 series is designed for gamers with improved thermals and high-performance features. Further enhancing the XPS experience, the new XPS 15 and XPS 17 are upgraded with the latest performance specs for all the juice creators need and more. Commenting on th e launch, Anand Subramanya, Director- Product Marketing, Consumer and Small Business, Dell Technologies, India, said, “India is a growth market for the overall gaming
Culminating the quiet and coolness in an exceptionally thin form factor, the Alienware X-Series offers an abundance of high-performing technologies to create a gaming laptop experience for those who stop at nothing: • Featuring the latest performance technologies for gamers - 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i9H-series mobile processors on x15 and i9K CPU on the x17 and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 GPUs support on both
industry and we are witnessing a rising interest among consumers when it comes to adopting gaming, either for entertainment or competing. The Dell G series & Alienware range addresses the evolving needs of diverse gamer profiles. At Alienware, there is always something exciting brewing - with the Alienware X-Series, we are bringing new thermal solutions and breakthrough system-level engineering controls to let gamers play the latest titles with ease. With this launch, we are debuting a brand-new mobile gaming family that demonstrates our values of innovation, high performance, iconic design, and premium quality, in India.”
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• These laptops feature an artfully crafted and evolved, Alienware Legend 2.0 design identity. While this new identity, featuring Dark Core, first-appeared on the recently announced Alienware m15 R5/R6 gaming laptops, X-Series enhances this second-gen iteration to unlock high-performance in ultra-thin forms
sacrificing display quality PRICING AND AVAILABILITY (INCLUSIVE OF TAXES) • The Alienware x15 is available at a starting price of INR 2,40,990 • The Alien ware x17 is available at a starting price of INR 290,990 • The XPS 15 is available at a starting price of INR 2,23,990 • The XPS 17 is available at a starting price of INR 2,64,490 • The Dell G15 AMD at a starting price of INR 82,990 • The Dell G15 Intel at a starting price of INR 94,990
• The CHERRY MX keyboard with a 3.5mm ultra-low-profile design incorporating German stainless-steel mechanical components for a tactile experience like no other, as an option on the x17 • All of the X-Series configurations include a Windows Hello IR camera for quick facial biometric logins. • Panel options include ComfortView Plus, a hardware based, low-blue-light technology to help reduce eye strain without SEPTEMBER 2021 I
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SMARTPHONE SHELF iPhone 13 Pro Max Apple introduced new iPhone 13 Pro Max, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a smartphone. Redesigned inside and out, iPhone 13 Pro Max introduces an all-new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion featuring an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, making the touch experience faster and more responsive. OS: iOS 15 RAM: 6GB Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB Display: 6.7‑inch OLED Display Chipset: A15 Bionic Rear Camera: 12MP (Telephoto, Wide, Ultra Wide) Front Camera: 12MP TrueDepth Battery Capacity: 5000 mAh iPhone 13 Pro Max comes in four color variants: Sierra Blue, Silver, Gold and Graphite. The new iPhone is priced at Rs. 129900 for 128GB, 139900 for 256GB, 159900 for 512GB and 179900 for 1TB storage variant.
Infinix HOT 11S Infinix announced the launch of HOT 11S in India. Taking ahead the legacy of HOT series by delivering excellent consumer experiences, HOT 11S is all set to take the next level of innovation. OS: XOS 7.6 Based on Android 11 RAM: 4GB Storage: 64GB Display: 6.78” FHD+ Display Processor: Helio G85 Octa-core Processor Rear Camera: 50MP Triple Camera Front Camera: 8MP In-display Selfie Camera Battery Capacity: 5000mAh HOT 11S have three color variants Green Wave, Polar Black, and 7 Degree Purple. Infinix HOT 11S is available on Flipkart for INR 10,999.
Realme Narzo 50A
Realme introduced new realme Narzo 50A smartphone loaded with numerous features that include powerful gaming processors, mega battery, and an AI-enabled camera, amongst others, will deliver an exceptional gaming experience for the users. OS: Realme UI 2.0 Based on Android 11 RAM: 4GB Storage: 64GB & 128GB Display: 6.5” Mini-drop Display Processor: Helio G85 Octa-core Processor Rear Camera: 50MP Triple Camera Front Camera: 8MP Selfie Camera Battery Capacity: 6000mAh Realme narzo 50A is priced at Rs. INR 11,499 for 4GB+64GB storage and INR 12,499 for 4GB+128GB storage variant. The smartphone is available in Oxygen Blue and Oxygen Green colors. 28
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INDUSTRY FOCUS
TECH INDIA TRANSFORMATION CONVENTION 2021 CONCLUDED SUCCESSFULLY Tech India Transformation Convention (TITC), one of the most influential business-to-business shows highlighting significance of technology in the Next Normal in the country was concluded successfully on September 18, virtually in presence of industry veterans and thought leaders. Conceptualized by Industry Live, the convention witnessed participation from over 500 brands from the tech industry along with more than 800 delegates. Presented by KartmaX by GreenHonchos, supported by VR/AR Association, with Sugarbox Networks and Ambab Infotech as the session partners, the unique TITC forum brought together all the stakeholders across the industry on one platform to deliberate on trends, areas of growth and innovation, and the future course of action to revive and thrive in the post-COVID times. The media partners for the convention were CIO Review India, Digital Terminal, DeviceNext, Electronics Maker, NFA Post, BIS Infotech, Smart State India, Techmezine, IndiaTechOnline, Proche & Telecomtoday.in The convention kick-started with a keynote address by Mr Jagdish Mitra, Chief Strategy Officer & Head of Growth, Tech Mahindra who shared his thoughts on Connecting India to Bharat through AI - Leveraging AI to Create a $5 trillion Economy. Further, the day was replete with a power-packed agenda distributed over Eleven different sessions on various topics such as Silver lining for the tech industry in India in the New Normal; AI, IoT, Machine Learning - Powering the Digital Future; Drones & Robotics - An Emerging Solution in the New Normal; Transforming Health Care with a Jab of Technology; The Serious Business of Digital Gaming; Pandemic Fuels Tech Inclusion in the Financial Sector; How AR/ VR technology is helping in addressing the challenges posed by the COVID Pandemic?; Building the Digital Trust (Cyber Curve); How ecommerce is leveraging deep tech to unlock seamless growth? and Challenges to solve while scaling up your D2C business online. The sessions were joined by eminent industry leaders including the likes of Mr Amit Malik, MD, Global Service Provider Segment, Cisco Asia Pacific, Japan & Greater China; Mr www.digitalterminal.in
Saurabh Saha, Head Product Management, NASSCOM FutureSkills; Mr Pradeep Khanna, Executive Director Asia Pacific & CEO, VR AR Association (VRARA) & Global Mindset; Mr Navin Joshua, Founder/Director, GreenHonchos & KartmaX; Mr Rohit Paranjpe, Co-founder & CEO, SugarBox Networks; Mr Jitendra Joshi, CEO, Ambab Infotech; Mr Rohit Dhar, President – Products & Technology, upGrad; Dr Puneet Agarwal, Chief Technology Officer, Zensar Technologies Ltd. Mr Ankush Sabharwal, Founder & CEO, CoRover.Ai; Mr Rahul Narvekar, Founder CEO, The India Network, Startup Studio & India Angel Fund; Mr Sachin Punyani, Business Development Lead (AI/ML, Analytics, IoT), Amazon Internet Services; Mr Vincent Lau, Managing Director of International Operations, Huobi Global; Mr Srini Sandaka, CTO, MOURI Tech; Mr Rahul Prasad, Co-Founder, CTO, Bobble AI Technologies; Mr Ajay Agrawal, Senior Vice President & Head of CoE – AI/Analytics, Happiest Minds; Mr Yashoraj Tyagi, Chief Technology Officer, CASHe; Mr Rohit Purohit, CEO, ViitorCloud Technologies; Mr Raman Kalra, Chief Digital Officer, ReNew Power; Mr Ankit Mehta, Co-founder & CEO, ideaForge; Mr Kanav Kumar, Business Head & Director, Better Drones; Mr Smit Shah, Director, Drone Federation of India (DFI) and etc. The event concluded with Tech India Transformation Awards. Celebrating the best in the Indian tech and the allied industries, the entire fraternity joined hands to celebrate excellence and to raise a toast to outstanding achievements in the industry so far and keep the businesses going in the difficult times of the pandemic. A vastly experienced jury panel comprising Mr Amit Malik, MD, Global Service Provider Segment, Cisco Asia
Pacific, Japan & Greater China; Mr Saurabh Saha, Head Product Management, NASSCOM FutureSkills and Mr Pradeep Khanna, Executive Director Asia Pacific & CEO, VR AR Association (VRARA) & Global Mindset judged winners across 40+ categories. Few of the renowned Winners at the ceremony were – Amazon Web Services was conferred with the “Best Cloud Service Provider of the Year” award; upGrad won the “EdTech of the Year” award; CropIn was awarded the “Agri Tech of the Year”; GreenHonchos was conferred with the “D2C Enabler of the Year” award; Khatabook won the “App of the Year” award; MOTOVOLT was awarded the “Best in Innovation”; RESET was conferred with the “Best Tech Start-Up of the Year (Fitness & Wellness)” award; CCAvenue (Infibeam Avenues Ltd) won the “Fintech of the Year” award; Zensar Technologies was awarded the “Tech Company of the Year”. KartmaX by GreenHonchos was conferred with the “Best Tech Start-up of the YearEcommerce” award; Altorum Leren won the “Best Tech Start-Up of the Year (IOT)” award; MY JEN AI PVT. LTD was awarded the “Best Tech Start-Up of the Year- Artificial Intelligence”; Samaaro was conferred with the “Best Tech of the Year (Web Conferencing/Virtual Meeting Platform)” award; Orion Security Solutions Private Limited won the “Best Tech of the Year (Security)” award; Nexus Engineering was awarded the “Best Tech of the Year (Manufacturing)”; Mr. Manan Shah; Founder & CEO; Avalance Global Solutions was conferred with the “Young Trailblazer of the Year” award; Dr. Geetha Manjunath, Founder, CEO & CTO, NIRAMAI won the “Difference Maker of the Year” award to name a few. SEPTEMBER 2021 I
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NEW ARRIVALS SEAGATE FIRECUDA 530 GAMING SSD
Seagate Technology Holdings plc announced its newest PC gaming SSD, the FireCuda™ 530. The new drive offers gamers the latest PCIe Gen4 NVMe SSD technology and the fastest performance from the company’s line of PC gaming storage products – bringing speed, endurance, and high capacity to the peak of PC performance. Delivering sequential read speeds of up to 7300 MB/s, the FireCuda 530 catalyzes PCIe Gen4 power with transfer rates up to two times faster than PCIe Gen3 SSDs and 12 times faster than SATA-based SSDs. The drive is built with a Seagatevalidated E18 controller and the latest 3D TLC NAND to provide the most advanced speed and durability for PC gaming. Seagate also offers a minimalistic heatsink option, specially designed by EKWB that swaps out cooling fins for a more massive, high-grade aluminum block with a finely textured finish, maximizing cooling. Seagate’s FireCuda 530 includes a three-year Rescue Data Recovery Service plan and a five-year limited warranty so gamers have peace of mind knowing their data is secure.
MI NOTEBOOK ULTRA
Designed to raise the bar for productivity laptop displays, Mi NoteBook Ultra comes equipped with the all-new Mi TrueLife+ Display which brings awe-inspiring true to life visuals. It covers 100% of the sRGB colour gamut and brings to life images, 30
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videos and games. Offering true to life detail with a large 39.62cm(15.6) display with a 3.2K(3200x2000) resolution. Mi NoteBook Ultra is powered by the latest 11th Gen TigerLake Intel® Core™ i7 and i5 H35 series processors built on Intel’s 10nm Superfin process technology - these processors are both more powerful and more efficient than the last generation. Also, with up to 16GB of 3200MHz DDR4 RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD storage, it is blazing fast while booting up, and with data transfers and application installations. To keep power users equipped to handle a full day, Mi NoteBook Ultra houses a large 70 WHr battery and offers up to 12 hours of battery life. Also, with the 65W USB Type-C charger, it can charge from 0 to 50% in just under 45 mins.
FITBIT CHARGE 5
Fitbit introduces Fitbit Charge 5, most advanced health and fitness tracker, to help keep a pulse on your fitness, stress, heart health, sleep and overall well being – all in a thinner, sleek design. With a brighter, color touchscreen and up to seven days of battery life (varies with use), Charge 5 delivers the convenience features you need to focus on what’s most important. With Charge 5 you also get a Stress Management Score in the Fitbit app, so you can see each morning if you’re mentally ready to take on more challenges, or if you need to recharge. With Premium, you get access to more than 300 meditation and mindfulness sessions from brands and experts, like Ten Percent Happier and Mindful Method by Deepak Chopra to help you manage your stress. We are also announcing a partnership with Calm, the #1 App for Sleep, Meditation and Relaxation, which will soon provide Premium members with access to Calm content.
AMAZON ECHO SHOW 8
Amazon introduced the new Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen), an upgrade of its best-selling Echo Show. The new Echo Show 8 has an 8’’ HD screen with adaptive colour for a better display experience; an improved 13-megapixel camera and dual stereo speakers for clear, balanced sound. With the dual stereo speakers and an 8” HD screen, the new Echo Show 8 delivers a delightful entertainment experience. Simply ask for your favourite TV series or movies from Amazon Prime Video and Netflix or ask Alexa to play your favourite music from Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, JioSaavn, Apple Music, Hungama music or Gaana. Echo Show 8 is the perfect companion to help you manage your day better. Just ask to set timers and reminders, pay mobile and electricity bills, get weather updates, cook along to your favourite recipes, catch up on latest news, and much more. While the new Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) is priced at INR 13,999, it will be available at a discounted price of INR 11,499 for a limited time period. It comes in two colour variants: Black and White.
LENOVO IDEAPAD SLIM 5 PRO
Lenovo announces the launch of the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Pro laptop in India. The device boasts of a 14” 2.2K IPS anti-glare display that’s bright enough for direct sunlight, at 300 nits. Users can also choose the other variant which features a 16” www.digitalterminal.in
NEW ARRIVALS WQXGA IPS anti-glare display and 350nits brightness. The immersive experience offered by the IdeaPad Slim 5 Pro is further reinforced by the Dolby Atmos® speaker system. The IdeaPad Slim 5 Pro is equipped with up to 11th Gen Intel® Core™ i7 and up to AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processors. The device delivers accelerated functionality with the multiple options for graphics by NVIDIA GeForce, Intel Iris Xe, and AMD Radeon. Available in the Storm Grey colour option, the IdeaPad Slim 5 Pro is constructed using aluminum with an anodized surface treatment that contributes to a great looking IdeaPad system. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5 Pro is now available at a starting price of INR 77,990.
eSCAN–CYBER VACCINE EDITION SECURITY SOLUTION
MicroWorld Technologies Inc has launched eScan Version 22 - Cyber Vaccine Edition, a comprehensive cybersecurity solution aimed at empowering consumers, enterprises and governments across the world in their fight against digital malice. Equipped with cutting-edge technologies, MicroWorld’s latest offering aims to reinvent cybersecurity in the face of an everevolving threat landscape, especially in light of the ongoing pandemic. The cyber vaccine edition is devised to protect users against all kinds of malicious software, cyber-attacks along with spam, and can protect the digital systems from any new digital viruses. To prevent any data leakage and unauthorized access to the data, eScan provide Data Vault feature that creates password-protected vault to protect the confidential data. eScan’s Real-time Protection layer prevents the new and unknown malware variants as well as advanced persistent threats (APTs) by constantly monitoring for any suspicious activity. The cyber vaccine edition has now improved eScan’s detection of third-party hacking tools with its layered defense approach.
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MSI ALPHA 15 GAMING LAPTOP
MSI revamps its Alpha 15 with the AMD Ryzen™ 5000 H series mobile processors and the latest AMD Radeon™ RX6600M series mobile graphics. The technological amalgamation announced, is an insignia of MSI fulfilling the necessities & desires of the gamers & its universe. Alpha 15 will now come with the latest Radeon™ RX6000M series mobile graphics, offering up to 70 percent faster speeds, as well as up to 1.5x faster on battery usage, compared to its previous generations AMD graphics. Powered by the AMD Radeon RX 6700M GPU, Alpha 15 delivers 1080p gaming at max settings. The exceptional display of Alpha 15 is equipped with up to 144Hz high refresh rate, featuring unique AMD Radeon™ Anti-lag and Radeon™ image sharpening technologies. Along with enhancing the image detail, it also minimizes the input lag, which altogether reinforces the gaming experience. To offer a paramount gaming experience, Alpha 15 is equipped with MSI exclusive Cooler Boost 5 thermal solutions. The Alpha 15 will be available at a price of INR 145,990/-
PORTRONICS ‘PURE SOUND 101’ SOUND BAR
Portronics launches ‘Pure Sound 101’, a Sound Bar with Wired Subwoofer that offers a powerful sound output and High-Definition Bass. The Pure Sound 101 Sound Bar can be easily accessed with the fully functional remote control that allows switching between various music modes
along with play, pause, volume, bass, treble, etc. Now, one can enjoy the complete theatre-like audio experience without any hassle. The newly launched Sound Bar produces 120W of powerful sound output that amplifies every aspect of the entertainment whether you are listening to music, watching movies and sports or even playing games. Its 2.1 channel surround sound system enhances a balanced sound that reaches to each and every corner of the room. Portronics Pure Sound 101 (120W) comes with the latest Bluetooth technology version 5.0. It is available at a best price offer of INR 7,999/-.
NETGEAR ORBI RBK353 WIFI 6 MESH SYSTEM
Netgear has continued to add value to the connectivity solutions by unleashing the new Orbi RBK353 WiFi 6 Mesh System (AX1800) in the Indian market. The device offers a super-fast internet speed of up to 1.8Gbps, enabling the router to support lag-free high-definition gaming and 4K/8K UHD streaming. Users can enjoy up to 25 connected devices simultaneously, with 4X capacity and improved efficiency for longer battery life. The new Orbi RBK353 (AX1800) is ideally designed to work flawlessly in medium and large-sized homes and offers an essential whole-home Wi-Fi solution that covers up to 300 m2. It comes with two high-performance internal antennas with high-powered amplifiers - 2.4GHz (600Mbps†) and 5GHz (1200Mbps†). Powered by a Quad-Core 1.8GHz processor, the new Orbi RBK353 Router comes with 512MB NAND Flash memory and supports 1GB RAM. On the security front, the Orbi RBK353 router supports a comprehensive anti-virus and data theft protection for PCs, Mac® and mobile devices which are connected with NETGEAR Armor.
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CASE STUDY
LAPCARE LAUNCHES HIGH-PERFORMANCE CLASS 10 MicroSD CARDS Lapcare has announced the entry of its latest and high-performance microSD card lineup for Indian customers. The microSD cards are engineered to provide durability, high-storage capacity and prolonged endurance to meet the customer requirements. The memory cards can be used in harsh environments and are durable enough to protect the stored data. The customers’ demand for performance oriented and sustainable storage cards has increased which led Lapcare to bring this new SD-card lineup for Indian customers. This new range is reliable as well as secure so the customers can use these SD-cards to store their confidential data. The microSD cards carry superior transfer speeds to boost the workflow and efficiency of the users. It allows users to save more time to take their creativity to next level. These advance memory cards supports A2 Application Performance Class for faster ap-
plication performance on your smartphones or tablets. Talking exclusively to DT on launch of Class10 MicroSD Cards, Atul Gupta, CEO & Chairman, RX Infotech Pvt. Ltd, said, “We are extremely happy to bring this advanced range of microSD cards for Indian customers that provide a seamless user experience. These memory cards are built for heavy workloads and will meet the customers’ needs. We aspire to elevate our efficiency for developing more customer-centric products that will ultimately help us improve our customer base. In recent times, we have succeeded in gaining the trust of customers who seek to buy high-performance tech products. Our endeavor is to serve them with more quality products at an affordable price point and provide best-in-class service support as
well.” These Lapcare microSD cards are compatible with smartphones, tablets, digital cameras and MP3 players as well. The high-performance memory cards are suitable for the travel vloggers. The vloggers can shoot stunning 4K Ultra-HD videos and high quality pictures. The memory cards are launched in various storage capacities including 4GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB. Lapcare also ensures best service support for its customers to give them best buying experience. Lapcare is offering a warranty of 5 years on its MicroSD cards. Moreover, with robust network of service centres across India, Lapcare is committed to deliver a best-inclass customer experience.
DT EXCLUSIVE
GRAPHLINE COMPUTERS SELLING ONLY COMMERCIAL PCs FOR BRAND HP ONLY In the post-pandemic era, the Indian IT industry is growing well as the reopening of the offices, markets and educational institutions is generating good demand for IT products. Among all, Laptop is the one segment which has gained utmost growth. The adoption of laptops among professionals and students is bringing huge opportunities for partners. Vendors and partners are working aggressively to pick and leverage these opportunities. While talking to Digital Terminal, DP Sinha, Managing Director, Graphline Computers Pvt. Ltd shared his views upon the adoption of laptops, market scenario and much more. Read below the excerpts:
The laptop segment has picked up a quite good momentum in recent years as the demand has increased from various segments, especially corporate who now rely on hybrid work model. The modern work lifestyle is agile and mobility is one of the leading factors that have contributed to the huge adoption of laptops. Opportunities are huge for partners, but stock availability is one major challenge in current scenario. “We have great plan and fund to pick up Laptop assignments but issue remains the same which is supply on time. We are getting max 20% material against our order. TAT is very high in commercial segment (almost 120 days +),” said DP Sinha, Managing Director, Graphline Computers Pvt. Ltd. This situation has been really creating a lot 32
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of challenge for partners who are not able to deliver the products due to shortage in timely delivery. Even the corporate or commercial laptop sales have been affected and partners are looking towards their brands to resolve this ongoing challenge. “We do only commercial series laptop of only one brand which is HP. Currently we are much worried as we are getting no support from principal company as far as supply is concern because of raw material shortage (Processor and Display Screen),” commented by DP Sinha. CHALLENGES WITH ECOMMERCE E-commerce is a major platform in today’s time as customers now prefer buying online especially in post COVID world. But selling on platforms also poses certain challenges. Speaking about the presence on online plat-
“
We have great plan and fund to pick up Laptop assignments but issue remains the same which is supply on time
“
PLANS TO GRAB THE OPPORTUNITIES
-DP Sinha
forms, DP Sinha said, “We were doing business through E-commerce platform earlier but now a days we are not doing because of payment issue from E-commerce vendor.” As due to challenge with eCommerce too, the company is focusing majorly on commercial projects only. “we are doing only commercial segment product and most of corporate buy product after comparing various quotes from competition and also buy on credit,” concluded by Mr. Sinha. www.digitalterminal.in
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