SME Channels October Issue 2021 by SME Channels

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India’s leading IT magazine for channel business VOLUME 12 | ISSUE 08 | PAGES 36 | OCTOBER 2021 | RS. 20/-

GUEST ARTICLE / 20

5 Hacks for Building a Secure Cloud Infrastructure for Strong Data Protection.

PARTNER CORNER / 22

Five Key Trends Driving A10 Networks’ Channel Growth in 2021.

INTERVIEW / 30

Elevate is Designed for Simplicity.

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India’s leading IT magazine for channel business GUEST ARTICLE / 20

5 Hacks for Building a Secure Cloud Infrastructure for Strong Data Protection.

INTERVIEW / 30

PARTNER CORNER / 22

Elevate is Designed for Simplicity.

Five Key Trends Driving A10 Networks’ Channel Growth in 2021.

MY EXPERIENCE EDITORIAL

BUSINESS IN FULL SWING

SANJAY MOHAPATRA

sanjay@smechannels.com

Dear Friends During my conversation with the partners recent time, I am getting an impression of impatient among the partners to do more. The sense of losing valuable time of one and half year is clearly visible. Similarly, the sense of missing meeting and chatting with peers and customers is also clearly visible. Therefore, many of the cities – specially in metros we can see, partners have started meeting people physically. This is a good sign though, but things are not completely Ok so far. No problem. My feeling is that it should be hybrid. Even when the whole country was locked down business was also as usual. In fact, there were more business during that time as the customers had to strengthen their infrastructure due to various challenges from remote works and cyber security challenges. Now when the things are opened, people want to meet with each other. They are of opinion that the business would much better if they meet and eat together. To this I do not agree strongly because the business is driven according to the demand and introduction of solution and time to execute decision is much faster than physical meetings. First of all it is time consuming. Secondly, it is costly also. Meeting may tilt business opportunity in favor of some solution but for overall business health, it is not favorable. The more the customer evaluates solutions the more is the benefit for his organization. And in long run there is stickiness with the customer organization. Therefore, on the interest of the business, it is better to keep the things hybrid. On top of it, we are used to it by now. We do not feel uncomfortable dealing with someone over a virtual platform. Yes, at times, there is a mental fatigue but certainly productivity is more. From the partners’ perspective, they need to imbibe culture of train and retain its techno-sales people who are front end warriors. They need to bring in more options for the customers. Today, the mindset is to have global leading brands but at the same time, they also look at economics of the company and do not want to make their organization (IT organization) with the company a liability rather a profit center.

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SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

contents

Trusted Advisor of Channel Business

VOLUME 12 ISSUE 08

2021

OCT ate por Cor ory St

Publisher: Sanjib Mohapatra Editor: Sanjay Mohapatra Sub Editor: Nidhi Shail Designer: Shadab Khan Web Designer: Vijay Bakshi Technical Writer: Manas Ranjan Lead Visualizer: DPR Choudhary MARKETING Marketing Manager: Vaishali Shukla Circulation and Printing: Rajkumar Hansa SALES CONTACTS Delhi 6/102, Kaushalya Park, Hauz Khas New Delhi-110016 Phone: 91-11-41055458 / 8587835685 sanjeev@smechannels.com Bangalore #28/1, 3rd Floor, Sri Lakshmi Krupa, Near Shamanna Park, Model House Street, Basavanagudi, Bangalore - 560004 Ph. No. +91 88618 21044 Mumbai Tahmeed Ansari 2, Ground Floor, Park Paradise, Kay-Bees CHS. Ltd.,Opp. Green Park, Oshiwara, Andheri (west), Mumbai - 400 053. Ph. +91 22 26338546, Fax +91 22 26395581 Mobile: +91 9967 232424 E-mail: Info@smechannels.com Kolkata S Subhendu BC-286, Laxmi Apartment, Kestopur Kolkata-700101 Phone: 9674804389

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TCS Partners with Newgen for their Flagship Banking Service Bureau Project Newgen Software is pleased to announce that it has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)—a leading global IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization—to deploy an enterprise-wide content repository and a multi-channel, multi-lingual communication suite for the Banking Service Bureau (BSB) in Israel. Newgen and TCS are enabling Israel’s central bank to transform the country’s banking sector by building a cloud-hosted centralized platform to provide end-to-end banking solutions. BSB will leverage TCS core banking solution (TCS BaNCSTM) and

Newgen’s digital transformation products, including contextual content services (ECM) and omnichannel customer engagement (CCM). With Newgen’s unified platform for automating content and communications, integrated with the cloud-based TCS BaNCSTM, BSB can build a robust, scalable repository to securely access and manage documents throughout their lifecycle. The repository would serve as a shared, plug-and-play digital banking platform to help banks standardize communications and enhance customer experience.

Tata Tele Business Services launches ‘EZ Cloud Connect’ for Businesses Tata Tele announced the launch of EZ Cloud Connect, an easy, fast, reliable, cost effective and secured Point to Point (P2P) cloud connectivity gateway. EZ Cloud Connect enables Enterprises to bypass the internet and deliver data to and from the Cloud Service Provider (CSP) by establishing a dedicated private network connection. EZ Cloud Connect provides improved and consistent network

SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

experience with greater bandwidth throughput while reducing capital and operational expenses. EZ Cloud Connect is a one-stop cloud connectivity solution that has all three elements - leased line connectivity + cross connect + cloud port bundled as a single product offering. Thus, saving an enterprise the cost and effort to deal with multiple service providers and at times sub-optimal solutions

that may constraint their network performance. For Enterprises, EZ Cloud Connect is an all-in-one integrated solution which is easy on the pocket, easy to scale, easy to manage and easy to secure. Enterprises can now experience an all new and easy way of connecting to the cloud. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vishal Rally, Senior Vice-President, Product and Commercial, Tata

Teleservices said “As modern businesses are getting more digitally agile with cloud-first approach, they require seamless cloud connectivity and integration to securely and efficiently run their critical data applications.

PMP

Peak Throughput up to

1.2Gbps

SNIPPETS

Impact by honeywell’ launches ac controller, ai-based video surveillance system, and diy connected smoke detector Impact by Honeywell announced the launch of three locally developed products to solve the unique problems of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. These “Make in India” offerings include an AC controller that can save up to 30% in energy costs, an AI-based video surveillance offering, and a DIY connected smoke detector. The brand is also expanding its reach through leading e-commerce platforms for these plug-and-play connected products and solutions. Engineered in India, Impact by Honeywell’s product portfolio has been designed to increase productivity, enhance safety, reduce costs, and enhance compliance for SME customers in and beyond tier-1 and tier-2 cities. “India is a global center for innovation, production and sustainable growth. Since its launch, Impact by Honeywell has created a robust product pipeline by leveraging Honeywell’s local engineering talent in design, hardware, and app-based software capabilities,” said Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell Building Technologies, Asia. “The depth of our engineering experience in India provides us with an understanding of local requirements and has helped us create a local-for-local manufacturing ecosystem.

uKnowva Honoured with the Best Practices “Entrepreneurial Company of the Year” Award in the AI in Talent Technologies Industry by Frost & Sullivan uKnowva, recently received the “Entrepreneurial Company of the Year” award from Frost & Sullivan. The award recognises uKnowva’s efforts in keeping growth and innovation at the forefront of their vision while effectively addressing new opportunities and challenges for businesses. A Mumbai-based entrepreneurial company, uKnowva has developed a comprehensive cloud-based HRMS that allows companies to automate their manual HR tasks. Incorporating all the essential features of human resource management, uKnowva’s HRMS platform serves as a 360degree console that contains core features like contactless attendance, employee directory, payroll automation, time management and performance management system. The system can easily integrate with the existing HR systems of a client, identify necessary data and personalise outputs and tasks. The system also provides useful insights into employee performances through a “happiness index”, sources and recruits the right talent and assists with easy management of HR functions like leave applications and payslips through AI-based chatbot functionality.

Worldwide PC Shipments Grew 1% in Third Quarter of 2021 Company 3Q21 Shipments

EXECUTIVE MOVEMENT

3Q21 Market Share (%)

3Q20 Shipments

3Q20 Market Share (%)

3Q21-3Q20 Growth (%)

19,945

23.7

19,601

23.5

1.8

HP Inc.

17,624

20.9

18,718

22.5

-5.8

Dell

15,242

18.1

12,048

14.5

26.5

7,222

8.6

6,725

8.1

7.4

7.6

-4.6

6.9

5.5

Lenovo

Apple Acer Group

6,036

7.2

6,327

ASUS

6,028

7.2

5,714

12,049 Total 84,147

14.3

14,153

17.0

-14.9

100.0

83,286

100.0

1.0

Others

“Unlike businesses in Western Europe and North America, Japanese businesses are not motivated to upgrade laptops for hybrid work, as many companies have already stopped remote work entirely or plan to terminate it as they open offices,” said Kitagawa. Looking ahead, the fourth quarter of 2021 will see the global rollout of Microsoft Windows 11, the first major operating system upgrade from Microsoft since 2015. The Windows 11 rollout is expected to have a limited immediate impact for the business market as enterprise-class PCs will likely continue to be available with Windows 10 until 2023. Gartner predicts that by early 2023, less than 10% of new enterprise PCs will be deployed with Windows 11. Overall, Gartner data indicates that PC shipments in the coming holiday season will be weaker than a year ago, with demand driven largely by replacements rather than net-new purchases. These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe

About Gartner for High Tech Gartner for High Tech equips tech leaders and their teams with role-based best practices, industry insights and strategic views into emerging trends and market changes to achieve their mission-critical priorities and build the successful organizations of tomorrow. Additional information is available at www.gartner.com/en/industries/high-tech. Follow news and updates from Gartner for High Tech on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Gartner Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) delivers actionable, objective insight to executives and their teams. Our expert guidance and tools enable faster, smarter decisions and stronger performance on an organization’s most critical priorities. To learn more, visit gartner.com.

SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

FORMER GOLDMAN SACHS VP AFFIX HYPERSIGN AS CSO

LOGMELN TITLED PATRICK MCCUE AS GLOBAL VICE PRESIDENT OF CHANNEL SALES

BOBBLE AI STRENGTHENS ITS SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM

ATUL SONEJA JOINS CITIUSTECH AS PRESIDENT

Transforming telecommunications enriching the customer experience atos.net

SNIPPETS

Alchemy Group earns Great Place to Work ™ certification Alchemy Group a Tech-First Digital Media & Content company has been certified as a Great Place to Work® and is recognized for its solutions driven work around programmatic advertising, influencer marketing, digital audio & regional Trans creation services. This prestigious certification is awarded purely based on employee feedback and their experience working at Alchemy Group. An extensive survey is shared directly with the employees to evaluate the organization as a workplace across categories- Culture, Career Growth, Workplace Environment etc. The Great Place to Work Index©️ survey evaluates companies for certification by measuring employee trust and various aspects of company culture, including their sense of pride within the company. The Great Place to Work® certification is given post assessment and excelling in 5 elements of Trust Index© namely Credibility, Respect, Pride. Fairness & Camaraderie. The survey also conducts a Culture Audit© that identifies Financial Growth, Values, Leadership Effectiveness and Innovation by all. This audit helps in determining Trust and maximizing human potential. “We are exceptionally proud of receiving the Great Place to Work Certification™”, said Karan Gupta, CEO, Alchemy Group. “This is a testimony to how Alchemy Group has dedicated itself in developing a strong culture committed to success, inclusion and having fun.

Savex Technologies Expands Its Unified Communication Portfolio by Partnering with Poly Savex Technologies, announced it has been appointed distributor by leading global collaboration player, Poly (earlier Plantronics and Polycom) in India. Savex technologies will provide Poly’s full portfolio of collaboration and communication solutions. The distributorship gives Savex technologies’ partner community access to Poly’s aesthetically designed and engineered audio and video products backed by software, artificial intelligence, analytics and insights that powers authentic human connection and collaboration. It gives Poly access to Savex’s extensive network of over 10,000 reseller partners. Talking about the partnership, Raunak Jagasia, Director Enterprise Business and Alliance at Savex Technologies Pvt Ltd. said, “We are extremely pleased to collaborate with Poly and leverage its evolving portfolio. Channel partner ecosystem plays an important role in our business growth strategy and this partnership would help us further deliver our services to new market segments with more focus in mid-market, address the rapidly increasing market opportunities, and accelerate business growth”.

Citrix radically simplifies app delivery and security Company launches new, intent-based cloud solution to automate process, enabling IT to deliver superior employee experience and business results .Securely delivering apps is among the most painful tasks IT has to manage. But that’s about to change. Citrix Systems, announced the launch of Citrix App Delivery and Security Service™, a new, intent-based cloud solution that automates the process in real-time. The first and only solution of its kind, Citrix App Delivery and Security service removes the complexity from every step of app delivery, including provisioning, securing, on-boarding, and management, empowering IT to deliver a superior experience that keeps users engaged and productive. “Application experience is the new currency for IT,” said Rohit Mehra, Group Vice President, Network and Telecom Infrastructure at independent analyst firm IDC. “Organizations that deliver a secure, reliable one can drive competitive advantage and workforce productivity, but to do so requires a new approach and app delivery system that can self-detect issues and automatically correct for them.”

Matrix Wins SME-Empowering India Award 2021 Matrix Comsec - a leading manufacturer and provider of Telecom and Security solutions has been honoured with a “Certificate of Appreciation” in the category Electronic Products & Solutions at the recently concluded award ceremony of SME-Empowering India awards 2021 held on 28th September at Desire Hall, Hotel Le Meridian, New Delhi. SME-Empowering India Awards have been constituted with an objective of acknowledging the inestimable contribution made by SMEs to various sectors of the economy. This award seeks to recognize the contribution of such SMEs who through their achievements and growth have empowered the nation. On winning this prestigious award, Ganesh Jivani, Chief Executive of Matrix said, “We are happy to win the SME-Empowering India awards 2021 and thank them for recognizing Matrix for our technologies, engineering and manufacturing.

10 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

McAfee Enterprise sees Proliferation of REvil and Darkside Ransomware Surge in Q2 2021 McAfee Enterprise today released its Advanced Threat Research Report: October 2021, examining cybercriminal activity related to ransomware and cloud threats in the second quarter of 2021. With the shift to a more flexible pandemic workforce and the highly publicized Colonial Pipeline attack, cyber criminals introduced new – and updated – threats and tactics in campaigns targeting prominent sectors, such as Government, Financial Services and Entertainment. “Ransomware has evolved far beyond its origins, and cybercriminals have become smarter and quicker to pivot their tactics alongside a whole host of new bad-actor schemes, said Raj Samani, McAfee Enterprise fellow and chief scientist. “Names such as REvil, Ryuk, Babuk, and DarkSide have permeated into public consciousness, linked to disruptions of critical services worldwide. And with good measure, since the cybercriminals behind these groups, as well as others, have been successful at extorting millions of dollars for their personal gain.” Each quarter, McAfee assesses the state of the cyber threat landscape based on in-depth research, investigative analysis, and threat data gathered by the McAfee Global Threat Intelligence cloud from over a billion sensors across multiple threat vectors around the world.

SNIPPETS

Two-Thirds of Organizations Have Been the Target of at Least One Ransomware Attack According to a Fortinet Ransomware Survey Fortinet unveiled the 2021 Global State of Ransomware Report. The survey reveals most organizations are more concerned about ransomware than other cyberthreats. However, while the majority of organizations surveyed indicated they are prepared for a ransomware attack, including employee cyber training, risk assessment plans, and cybersecurity insurance, there was a clear gap in what many respondents viewed as essential technology solutions for protection and the technology that can best guard against the most commonly reported methods to gain entry to their networks. Based on the technologies viewed as essential, organizations were most concerned about remote workers and devices, with Secure Web Gateway, VPN and Network Access Control among the top choices. While ZTNA is an emerging technology, it should be considered a replacement for traditional VPN technology.

SG Analytics receives GPTW certification in its maiden attempt

Video security in SME market is getting more intelligent and connected Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may not be as large as companies in the enterprise market, but they are equally important in contributing revenue to the economy. According to World Bank, formal SMEs contribute up to 40% of national income (GDP) in emerging economies. They represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide. SMEs grapple with tight budgets, fewer administrative resources, and lack of in-house IT talent, particularly in the face of the unique challenges brought on by the pandemic. However, in truth, with the technology being matured and more products available in the marketplace resulting in cost reductions, the security goals of SMEs are evolving and getting more advanced. Looking to the future Beyond security and monitoring use cases, SME companies are taking advantage of a raft of new technologies like AI, cloud service, technological convergence to undertake a range of tasks.

SG Analytics, a market leader in data-driven research and contextual analytics services, has been certified as a ‘Great Place to Work (GPTW)’ in its maiden attempt. The Great Place to Work Institute uses a rigorous and objective methodology to assess and benchmark organizations from over 60 countries every year.This prestigious recognition is awarded solely on the basis of employee feedback and their experience working at an organization. “This global certification is a testament to our resolve of building a ‘source company’, wherein everybody is successful and content. It also reflects our accountability-oriented workplace that nurtures performance, growth, and appreciation. Congratulations to all my colleagues for us being certified as a ‘Great Place to Work (GPTW),” says Sushant Gupta, Founder & CEO, SG Analytics.

Karnataka Government Partners with Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence India

Forcepoint Enhances Global Partner Ecosystem to Accelerate Customers’ Data-first SASE Journey

The Government of Karnataka (GoK), through its Department of Agriculture (KSDA), has embarked on a major initiative to implement multiple smart precision agricultural centres with Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division in India. The Centres of Innovation & Development in Smart Agriculture (CIDSA) will enable farmers, agriculturalists, entrepreneurs, and students of agricultural universities with future-ready agricultural skills, modern smart techniques, and leverage engineering technologies. This partnership will initiate cutting-edge technology, science and academic research to enable more sustainable agriculture through technology transfer programs. Hexagon’s Skill Development team helps develop and acquire new skills to deliver smart agriculture technology with state-of-the-art solutions that facilitate the full potential of agricultural assets, driving significant gains in efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

Forcepoint, a global leader in data-first cybersecurity, today announced strategic investments to the company’s Global Partner Program that will simplify how partners work with the company while creating significant new business and revenue growth pathways. New enhancements to the Forcepoint Global Partner Program include the creation of an elite tier of Titanium partners delivering the highest levels of technical skills and services. The company is also automating its support infrastructure and introducing a more efficient engagement model with broader incentives that make it easier to work with Forcepoint while enabling partners of all levels to deliver greater customer value. Forcepoint views partners as essential to the company’s go-to-market strategy in securing today’s hybrid workplace.

SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

SNIPPETS

Brillio Collaborate with Ciena’s Blue Planet Division to Develop Network Automation Suite Brillio, a global digital technology consulting and solutions company, is partnering with Ciena to co-launch the Blue Planet Enterprise Automation Suite (BPE), which includes innovative SaaS-based network automation solutions to help enterprise IT teams achieve operational simplicity, greater visibility, and patent-pending AIOps-driven control over their multi-vendor networks. Blue Planet and Brillio will co-invest in bringing the new Network Automation Suite to the enterprise market. The partnership combines the strategic advantages of both firms, with Blue Planet leveraging its software portfolio and extensive track record in the service provider market, and Brillio bringing to the table its domain expertise in product design and engineering, as well as deep and diversified experience in the enterprise market.

Ingram Micro to offer devices pre-loaded with Windows 11 in India Microsoft unveiled its latest OS – Windows 11 and Ingram Micro, the largest distributor of Microsoft devices and cloud solutions in the country, has announced that it will offer PCs and laptops pre-loaded with Windows 11 in India once Microsoft makes it available for purchase. Hybrid work and learning have added an additional layer of complexity to IT, as users work and learn from multiple locations and devices. Windows 11 is the first major update to the Windows operating system in six years and is designed to deliver a more streamlined personal computing experience. It is secure, easy to operate and familiar for IT to deploy and manage. The pandemic has acted as a catalyst for digital transformation across multiple industries. It has transformed the way SMBs and enterprises invest in technology to enhance agility and stay competitive. Windows 11 offers business users a smarter way to collaborate with Microsoft Teams integrated directly into the OS. It also focuses on enhancing employee productivity and offers advanced built-in ZeroTrust security capabilities to protect data and other company assets.

HID Global Opens Warehouse in Bangalore to Strengthen Base in India HID Global opens a warehouse in Bangalore to support the company’s strategic growth in the Security Issuance identity business in the region and support partner community. With this facility, HID Global is better positioned to serve the growing needs of the domestic market and create new jobs. Located in the center of the business hub, local and regional customers will benefit from faster supply chain management, avoid the challenges of international logistic distribution, save on import duties and taxes costs. “As the Indian market witnesses exponential growth in five years, the addition of a 16,000 sq. ft. warehouse will promote the expansion of the workforce, improve service level commitments, and grow partnerships in the community.

LTI has Earned the Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization Larsen & Toubro Infotech has earned the Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure advanced specialization, a validation of a solution partner’s deep knowledge, extensive experience and proven expertise in deploying and managing production workloads in the cloud using containers and managing hosted Kubernetes environments in Microsoft Azure. Only the partners that meet stringent criteria around customer success and staff skilling, as well as pass a third-party audit of their container-based workload deployment and management practices, earn the Kubernetes on Azure advanced specialization. Siddharth Bohra, Chief Business Officer and Head, Cloud and Data Products, LTI said: “Enterprises need ever increasing efficiency in operations, and cloud solutions make this continuous transformation possible. Microsoft is making it easier for organizations to adopt Kubernetes by bringing the latest learnings and best practices from working with diverse customers to Kubernetes community. Our latest specialization on Kubernetes service capabilities will provide the benefits of portability, agility, and scalability to our customers while modernizing their workloads.”

12 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

DIGEST CITRIX AND GOOGLE CLOUD TEAM TO DELIVER FUTURE OF HYBRID WORK CITRIX AND GOOGLE CLOUD ARE EXPANDING THEIR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP TO DELIVER THE FUTURE OF HYBRID WORK FOR ENTERPRISE CUSTOMERS. THE COMPANIES TODAY ANNOUNCED A NEW COLLABORATION WHICH WILL INCLUDE CITRIX LAUNCHING A NEW DESKTOP-AS-A-SERVICE (DAAS) OFFERING ON GOOGLE CLOUD. THE SERVICE WILL LEVERAGE CITRIX’S MANAGEMENT PLANE AND MARKET-LEADING HDX PROTOCOL TO ENABLE SEAMLESS DELIVERY OF VIRTUALIZED APPLICATIONS AND DESKTOPS ON GOOGLE CLOUD. THE EXPANDED PARTNERSHIP WILL EMPOWER DISTRIBUTED AND HYBRID WORKERS TO SECURELY ACCESS THE TOOLS AND INFORMATION THEY NEED TO ENGAGE AND BE PRODUCTIVE, WHEREVER THEY HAPPEN TO BE.

NETPLUS BROADBAND & I2E1 PARTNERS TO LAUNCH PM-WANI PUBLIC DATA OFFICES ACROSS NORTH INDIA THE PRIME MINISTER WI-FI ACCESS NETWORK INTERFACE (PM-WANI) SCHEME IS A SIGNIFICANT MOVE BY THE UNION CABINET TO ESTABLISH PUBLIC WI-FI NETWORKS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IT IS BEING SEEN AS AN ATTEMPT BY THE CENTRE TO ELEVATE WIRELESS INTERNET CONNECTIVITY IN THE COUNTRY. THE SCHEME WILL COMPLETELY REVOLUTIONIZE THE TECH SPHERE AND WILL ALSO SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE THE WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY OF THE COUNTRY. SPEAKING ON THE OCASSION NETPLUS BROADBAND GROUP CEO MR. PREM OJHA SAID “NETPLUS BROADBAND HAS ITS PRESENCE ACROSS 300+ CITIES AND 8 STATES. NETPLUS HAS TAKEN A BIG LEAP FORWARD TO POWER THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY ACROSS NORTH INDIA. WE ARE PLEASED TO JOIN HANDS WITH I2E1, FOR THE PM WANI INITIATIVE.

PRODEVANS TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCED A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH UK BASED SOFTWARE COMPANY CANONICAL PRODEVANS TECHNOLOGIES A BANGALORE AND SINGAPORE BASED LEADING TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION PROVIDER SPECIALIZING IN END-TO-END DEVOPS AND FULLSTACK CLOUD SOLUTIONS ANNOUNCED A NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH CANONICAL FOCUSED ON SIMPLIFYING AND IMPROVING HIGH AVAILABILITY ACROSS MULTICLOUD ARCHITECTURES, CONSISTING OF COMMON PUBLIC CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE AND COST-EFFECTIVE PRIVATE CLOUD. “EVER INCREASING DEMAND FOR MULTICLOUD ARCHITECTURES IS DRIVEN BY ORGANIZATIONS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO OPTIMIZE THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE COSTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ONLY USE AS MANY RESOURCES AS NEEDED AND PAY LESS FOR THEM.” SAYS DEVESH MOHAN, DIRECTOR OF ALLIANCES AT CANONICAL.

SNIPPETS

NVIDIA Expands Early Access Program for VMware’s Project Monterey to Enable Secure, Accelerated Data Centers NVIDIA is extending its collaboration with Lenovo to include participation in NVIDIA’s early access program in support of Project Monterey, which is designed to modernize enterprise data centers with the security and performance of NVIDIA BlueField data processing units. Announced by VMware with NVIDIA and ecosystem partners at VMworld 2020, Project Monterey aims to improve the performance, manageability and security of enterprise data centers through the latest networking technologies, including NVIDIA BlueField DPUs. Built for AI and accelerated computing, BlueField DPUs enable delivery of applications at any scale by offloading, accelerating and isolating data center workloads.

NetApp to Acquire CloudCheckr and Expand its Spot by NetApp CloudOps Platform NetApp has signed a definitive agreement to acquire CloudCheckr, a leading cloud optimization platform that provides cloud visibility and insights to lower costs, maintain security and compliance, and optimize cloud resources. Financial details of the transaction are not being disclosed. As private and public sector organizations together with managed service providers have deepened investments in cloud services over the last few years, cloud cost has emerged as an obstacle to a company’s acceleration to cloud. This acquisition extends Spot by NetApp’s leading FinOps offerings by combining critical cost visibility and reporting from the CloudCheckr platform with continuous cost optimization and managed services from Spot by NetApp. Bringing these capabilities together will enable organizations to better understand and continuously improve their cloud resources and realize the benefits of cloud faster and at scale. NetApp continues to invest in the innovation and growth of the Spot by NetApp portfolio as a core component of its cloud strategy.

Iris Global Delivers Hi Powered UPSs through its Partner to Data Centers at Hyderabad The Delhi based IT Computer, Mobile related products distribution and integration company Iris Global, has received an order for the supply of APC (now Schneider Electric) Hi Power UPS systems from a leading American Software App Company called Sales Force Automation. Speaking to newsman, Sanjiv Krishen, Founder – Chairman, Iris Global said that the supply of the Segment Leader products includes the best solution which can be provided for any mission critical applications. “The most important part of the transaction is that the order was received from one of the Fortune 150 company and a leading American Software Enterprise” Mr Krishen added. He continued, “These UPSs would be in the range of 500 to 800 KVA and cost about Rs 4 crores each. They shall be installed at 3 Data Center at Hyderabad to handle their Data Traffic”.

Telangana Top 11 Sustainability Startups- Showcase Telangana Government showcased 11 top Startups in sustainability space to the global pool of 40,000 registered delegates comprising entrepreneurs, startups and social entrepreneurs from 54 countries on Tuesday, day two of the TiE Sustainability Summit 2021. The Principal Secretary of IT Mr Jayesh Ranjan while speaking at the inauguration the previous day said in the last 7 years since Telangana was formed, the state has demonstrated in umpteen domains how sustainability can be achieved. In continuation to that 11 startups were made to present their companies to the global audience. Speaking on the occasion Ms Shanta Thoutam from the IT Department said, in 2014 when the Telangana state was formed it just had 200 and odd startups. Today there are more than 2000 startups. Telangana is the start-up state of India. It has T-Hub, which pioneers India’s leading innovation ecosystem. It synergises startups, corporations, governments, academia and investors to drive transformative change she informed. The state has ‘WE-Hub’, India’s first state-led incubator exclusively for women.

Bahwan CyberTek wins TIBCO Innovation Partner of the Year Award Bahwan CyberTek has been recognized as the ‘Innovation Partner of the Year 2021’ by TIBCO Software Inc. for its outstanding contribution to the TIBCO partner ecosystem and its execution of large-scale projects through ingenious technology solutions. Conferred at the annual TIBCO NOW™ event, the Partner Excellence Awards recognize partners who leverage TIBCO technologies to develop and deliver industry-leading solutions, while achieving the highest degree of customer success and satisfaction. As a strategic partner of TIBCO since 2016, Bahwan CyberTek (BCT) combines its intellectual property with TIBCO technologies to deliver powerful integration and analytics solutions to the market, delivering a unique value proposition across verticals. This differential capability to collaborate and deliver connected innovation, while remaining technology and domain agnostic, earned BCT the top spot among a competitive field of TIBCO partners. The award comes on the heels of the recent announcement by BCT and TIBCO to extend their strategic partnership by another six years.

SME CHANNELS 13 OCTOBER 2021

SNIPPETS

Cring Ransomware Utilize 11-Year-Old Adobe ColdFusion Software to Begin Advanced Attack, Sophos Research Disclose Sophos a global head in next-generation cybersecurity, has issue research, “Cring Ransomware Exploits Ancient ColdFusion Server,” describing a sophisticated attack the Cring ransomware operators mounted against a target after hacking a server running an unpatched, 11-year-old version of Adobe’s ColdFusion 9 software. The target used the server to collect timesheet and accounting data for payroll and to host multiple virtual machines. The attackers breached the internet-facing server in minutes and executed the ransomware 79 hours later. Andrew Brandt, principal researcher at Sophos, said “Devices running vulnerable, outdated software are low-hanging-fruit for cyberattackers looking for an easy way into a target,” s. “Cring ransomware isn’t new, but it’s uncommon. In the incident we researched, the target was a services company, and all it took to break in was one internet-facing machine running old, out-of-date and unpatched software.

DISH Selects Spirent for 5G Core Automated Testing DISH Network Corporation has selected Spirent Communications to autonomously test its 5G network core and validate its performance. This will allow DISH to continuously integrate functionality into its 5G network and rapidly deliver leading-edge solutions to both retail and enterprise customers. DISH, which is partnering with AWS on cloud infrastructure, is set to become the world’s first telecom company to run its service on the public cloud. Spirent’s solutions will enable DISH to realize the superior agility of deploying an OpenRAN, cloud-native 5G network while ensuring enhanced customer experiences. “DISH is transforming the industry as it prepares to deploy 5G in a public cloud network and pioneer Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology,” said Doug Roberts, general manager of Spirent’s lifecycle service assurance business. “Spirent understands the inherent challenges that come with building an open, secure network and supporting a new, first-of-its-kind delivery model. We’re excited to assist DISH in driving operational excellence across the entire lifecycle with industry-leading automation, coverage and analytics capabilities.” DISH will leverage Spirent’s 5G expertise, proven test methodologies and years of experience in global 5G ecosystems.

Facebook announces its first ever event for the gaming community in India Facebook today announced its first-ever gaming event - FBGamingPressStart in India. Spread across two days, the virtual event will be hosted by popular comedian Abish Mathews and provide game developers, publishers, and creators across India an opportunity to build, grow their communities, and monetize on Facebook. #FBGamingPressStart is another step in Facebook’s mission of bringing the world closer together. On Facebook, people can find entertaining gaming videos to watch, follow their favorite creators and game titles, build meaningful connections in gaming groups and chats, discover new games and play those games with people from across the globe — all in one place. The event’s opening address will be made by Gio Hunt, VP of Gaming Business and Operations, Facebook, Ajit Mohan, Managing Director and Vice President, India, and Manohar Hotchandani, Business Development Director, Facebook.

Dell Technologies Telecom Software and Solutions Speed 5G and Open RAN Innovation Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) introduces new telecom software, solutions and services to help communications service providers (CSPs) accelerate their open, cloud-native network deployments and create new revenue opportunities at the edge. To support the massive growth of data expected from 5G applications and services, CSPs are moving compute infrastructure to the edge and looking to integrate a broad ecosystem of software vendors to capture new revenue opportunities. New technologies like Open RAN (ORAN) are giving CSPs a broader set of options for deploying network infrastructure to support future growth. However, this trend is leading to a large, geographically distributed, open compute deployment that can be difficult to deploy and manage. “With the launch of 5G in India, consumers are anticipating mobile networks, which will support applications requiring significantly higher bandwidths with much lower latencies. Network workloads will become increasingly more demanding and complex, from the core to the edge, across all segments,” said Saurabh Tewari, Director & Chief Technology Officer, Dell Technologies India.

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Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Grew 1% in Third Quarter of 2021s Worldwide PC shipments totaled 84.1 million units in the third quarter of 2021, an increase of 1% from the third quarter of 2020, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. As COVID-19 vaccines become more widely available, consumer and educational spending began to shift away from PCs to other priorities, slowing momentum in the market. “As many schools worldwide reopened, there was no longer an immediate need for PCs and Chromebooks to support at-home education,” said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner. “Business PC demand remained strong, led by economic recovery in key regions and the return of some workers to offices,” added Kitagawa. “However, business PC growth was concentrated in the desktop segment as semiconductor shortages continued to constrain laptop shipments. These component shortages are expected to persist into the first half of 2022.”

SNIPPETS

Keysight Delivers New IoT Security Assessment Test Software Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS), a leading technology company that delivers advanced design and validation solutions to help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world, has delivered a new Internet of Things (IoT) Security Assessment software solution that enables IoT chip and device manufacturers, as well as organizations deploying IoT devices, to perform comprehensive, automated cybersecurity assessments. Increasing numbers of connected IoT devices enable hackers to leverage cybersecurity vulnerabilities for a range of attacks including malware, ransomware and exfiltration of data. According to Statista, the total installed base of IoT connected devices worldwide is projected to grow to 30.9 billion units by 2025 from 13.8 billion units expected in 2021. “IoT device vulnerabilities are especially dangerous as they can facilitate sensitive data breaches and lead to physical danger, such as industrial equipment malfunction, medical device defects, or a home security system breach,” wrote Merritt Maxim, vice president, research director, and Elsa Pikulik, researcher, Forrester, in the State of IoT Security Report 2021.1.

Palo Alto Networks Accelerates Its Investments in India with New Cloud Location Palo Alto Networks the global cybersecurity leader, unveiled its new India multicloud location dedicated to serving local and regional customers. The new cloud location underlines India’s importance in Palo Alto Networks’ global strategy and commitment to the country. With cyberattacks growing in complexity and sophistication, threat detection and prevention is becoming more difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. The new data location provides a global, cloud-delivered, community-driven approach to aggregated threat analysis while addressing data residency and privacy needs that are important among organisations in India. The new cloud location will enable India-based and other regional organizations to benefit from direct, high-performance access to Palo Alto Networks Prisma® Cloud, Cortex XDR™, WildFire® and Cortex® Data Lake while allowing storage of their logs within Indian borders. In addition, customers based in India already benefit from Palo Alto Networks local cloud locations with Prisma Access.

Bridgestone and HERE collaborate to shape a sustainable future for mobility HERE Technologies, a leading platform for location data and technology, announced today its partnership with Bridgestone, a global leader in tires and rubber providing solutions for safe and sustainable mobility. As a first step, Bridgestone’s Mobility Solutions Unit is making anonymized connected vehicle data available on the HERE Marketplace – a hub for global location data exchange and a platform to build location intelligent applications that accelerate data-driven innovation across industries. Bridgestone Mobility Solutions develop innovative data driven fleet solutions, servicing more than 1.2 million vehicles. Bridgestone’s telematics and mobility solutions are used across many industries – such as construction, utilities, emergency services and passenger transport – and are found in a wide range of vehicles going from light commercial vehicles, trucks, Electric Vehicles, trailers to powered assets. Bridgestone Mobility Solutions is also seeking to use connected vehicle data to improve smart city operations, road safety and traffic management.

‘Bitsz’ the safest crypto exchange platform launched in india The city witnessed the gala launch of the most promising Made in India Crypto exchange, BITSZ, on Sunday, October 10, 2021. Popular Actress Niddhi Agerwal, joined Team BITSZ for the grand launch, along with other notable personalities from the city. Sharing his delight at the launch of this new crypto exchange platform, Mr. Naveen Kumar, Founder, BITSZ, said, “Crypto currencies are growing, and we are positive it will lead the market. There is a lack of awareness of digital currency, and this issue can get solved with the support of this platform. Extensive efforts have been made to launch a platform that provides insurance for all accounts. BITSZ is the only platform in the market that ensures every user wallet is secure, compared to other platforms in the market. The platform does not have bugs, and supports Anti-Money Laundering.” Interacting with the audience Naveen said, “It is really exciting to see so many youngsters and crypto enthusiasts showing so much interest in BITSZ.”

Indian Bank Extends The Partnership With Fisdom, Completes The Wealth Management Product Suite Indian Bank, Country’s 7th largest Public Sector Bank, on 08/10/2021, extended its existing partnership with leading Fintech Brand, M/s Fisdom, by adding new digital & HNI products to enrich the suite of wealth management products for its customers. In addition to “Mutual Funds”, new digital products like “Pension Funds”, “Digital Gold” and “OnlineTax Filing” will be available to customers on the bank’s mobile apps. Also, bank’s HNI customers will be able to access sophisticated and customized products (PMS, AIF, FI etc) under the association. These new initiatives were launched by way of execution of an addendum agreement by Shri K. Chandra Reddy, General Manager, Indian Bank and Shri Anand Dalmia, Co-Founder, M/s Fisdom in presence of Executive Director of Indian Bank, Shri Imran Amin Siddiqui. Also present on the occasion were Shri Mahesh Kumar Bajaj, General Manager, Indian Bank and Shri Rakesh Singh, Executive Director, M/s Fisdom.

SME CHANNELS 15 OCTOBER 2021

CORPORATE STORY

Cloud Summit

(& Awards 2021)

KRUNAL PATEL

JITENDRA SINGH

Director - Sales, Team Viewer

President & CDO, JK Cement Ltd.

Dr. RIZWAN AHMED

Dr. MUKESH MEHTA

BISWAJIT MOHAPATRA Partner & Executive Direcor, Hybrid Cloud Transformation Services, IBM

H Re and Toll T

EVENT

SPEAKERS

CTO, delaplex

Chief Technology Officer, Batlivala & Karani Securities Ltd.

AMIT NERURKAR

ARVIND KOUL

ARYAN PANCHAL

NISHANT TRIPATHI

IT Infrastructure & Security Head, Uno Minda Group

Head IT Digital & CISO, Indigrid Ltd.

Cybersecurity Consultant, North, Sophos Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

THE TEAMVIEWER PRESENTS ENTERPRISE IT WORLD CLOUD SUBMIT & AWARDS 2021 CONCLUDED SUCCESSFULLY More than 100 IT Leaders were awarded for their innovation BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA sanjay@smechannels.com

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RAV

CIO, Shalby Limited

Vice Clou

ive oud vices,

CORPORATE STORY

ATUL ANAND

VENKATARAMAN D

Head Production Readiness Delivery and Transformation, Toll Technology Center

Executive Director – Sales & Strategy, Crayon Software Experts India

RAVINDER ARORA

SATYAJIT DAS

CISO, Infogain

Director - Cloud Infrastructure Services, Capgemini Technology Services

SACHIN WAINGANKAR

Vice President & Head Cloud, Web Werks Data Centre

The much – awaited “TeamViewer Presents Enterprise IT World Cloud Submit & Awards 2021” was concluded on 8 October 2021. At the beginning Sanjay Mohapatra, Chief Editor of Enterprise IT World Magazine welcomed the guests and enumerated the importance of cloud computing and said how cloud computing is pushing the CIOs and IT Leaders closer to their objective of achieving digital transformation. At the same time, he also raised the concerns of the IT leaders about how cloud is becoming a costlier affair with the arrival of new technologies. Giving keynote presentation, Kurnal Patel, Director-Sales TeamViewer, said: “We are seeing various models including companies becoming B2B to B2C again B2B and all these changes are putting pressure on the IT systems. He discussed about how AR is taking center stage in a lot of

industries to connect the processes in order to bring all the communications together.” As per him the customer itself is changing and the way you produce and supply is also changing. And with all this changes statuesque is not an option that is why innovation & transformation has become new normal. Innovation and agility to innovate has become one of the important indicators for organizations not only to survive but also to prosper. We have seen over the period, efforts enterprise make for digitalization has been very fragmented. He added, “Yes we have best of the breed ERP and CRM, and on top it you have RPA solution, but we are still trying to find point problem and we are still to some extent not inclusive when we are saying digital transformation for the entire workforce. In his keynote presentation, Venkataraman, D, Executive Director- Sales & Strategic, Crayon Software Experts India, spoke about Cloud to Growth. He said, “If you look at the change that has happened during past 18 – 24 months, I will say everything has changed. The way learning happens today from students to teacher, how the business is reaching out to the customers, how the buyer is finding the seller – all of these changed through a paradigm shift today. And it is for the good. We at Crayon believe the power of technology to drive the greater good. The moment the Human expertise & IT combined; it unlocks the potential of IT & innovation. We strongly believe in this statement and live by this. Our journey started 19 years ago. We developed expertise in software and cloud advisory in 19 years. We have 600 certifications on a wide range of technologies and solutions. We are currently in the position of addressing 80% of global addressable market with about 1600 employees spread across 50 offices in 35 counties. We have a strong partnership tide of with global base life Microsoft and AWS, we are able to serve customers across different clouds. Today, we are publicly listed company in Norway on Oslo stock exchange.” He also highlighted on how Govt sector is focusing on the cloud and segment in order to help to serve the citisens better. Nishant Tripathi, Cybersecurity Consultant, North, Sophos Technologies Pvt Ltd, speaking on Close Gap in cloud Security, said, “For last 18 – 20 months we have been living in a very different era and businesses have been forced to change the way they used to work in the past. In the security industry also we have done a lot to improve in past 4-5 years. Particularly, not only how businesses have evolved but also how attackers have shifted

their game but how the customers have adopted cloud because no one was prepared for this pandemic. As we migrate to Cloud, it is not only putting up servers and applications onto cloud and assessing from anywhere but also this adoption has given a lot of opportunities for companies to grow, opportunities to adopt new business process. But at the same time, this has given a lot of surface area to making an attack from the attackers’ post of view cyber-criminal. They have been very much sophisticated in today’s time. They have introduced new ways to launch and it’s not only about malware but there have been multiple incidents of data breaches and authorized access, and Cryptomining and Cryptojacking kind of concepts.” Biswajit Mohapatra, Partner & Executive Director, Hybrid Cloud Transformation, IBM, speaking on the topic of Robust to Resilience: Your Hybrid Cloud Transformation, said “As you know the world has changed and so also the risk for all of us. The pandemic has provided unprecedented challenges to all of us and at the same time it has presented unique opportunity as well. Today, enterprises as trying to reset their business models and reimagine their business processes and reinvent their business to stay competitive in the marketplace. The world is really becoming more intelligent, interconnected and instrumented today. That is exactly giving us the opportunity to think differently, act differently and transform to the new ways, whether it is economically, socially or technically. A new business paradigm is really evolving. When we talk about the new business paradigm, it comprised of three distinct leavers. The first lever is all about new business models – how organizations can reimagine their businesses, how can they do the market activation – that is evolving as a core focus for many of the enterprises today, the second lever is all about new ways to do work. How can I leverage all those exponential technologies that is available today to create actionable insights for the business; how can make my operations more responsive. The third lever is all about building new expertise by learning, unlearning and relearning is going to be the key focus for all of us. So, building that restless talent and orchestrated ecosystem is going to be extremely important. Gone are those when you could decide that you operate in silos, and you have all the capabilities of the world to deliver solutions to your client and it is not going to work that ways today.” Talking in the panel discussion on, “OnPrem vs Cloud – which is better?” Dr. Rizwan

SME CHANNELS 17 OCTOBER 2021

CORPORATE STORY

Ahmed, CTO, delaplex, said, “Cloud adoption has grown & popularity in recent years is further sustained and accelerated after the pandemic due to the digital transformation leadership according to Gartner. Worldwide end-user dependence on Public Cloud Service is forecasted to grow to a total of US$396 billion in 2021. Cloud services bring freedom enabling hardware consistency, agility, and enhanced functionality. It is very hard to deny the cloud benefits.” Dr. Mukesh Mehta, CTO- CISO, Batlivala & Karani Security India Ltd, added, “Cloud vs on-Prem is the dilemma for every today. It is there for last five years and it would continue to be there. Five years back, when we started our cloud journey, we started with one cloud but today, everyone is in multiple cloud, hybrid cloud and in same problem – whether it is BFSI, Manufacture, even healthcare. These are the common problems that everyone is having. For BFSI, many applications are in cloud, and many are on-prem. So BFSI would continue to stay in hybrid and mix mode.” Amit Nerurkar, Shelby Limited, said “In the cloud governance we have to decide how the users will make the use of the cloud services. We have to create a policies to control the overall cost, minimize the overall security risk & improve the efficiency plus accelerate the deployment of the services for the business to get the benefit out of it. This is extremely important because the cloud at one point gives you a lot of flexibility but with flexibility comes a responsibility & have to check what exactly is happening overall governess frame work you have to have in place so that cost doesn’t go off the rope at the same time risk are minimize plus the business gets the benefit out of it. When it comes to overall governance you have to ensure that asset deployment system, interaction, data security everything is properly considered examined and managed. When you are shifting from on premise IT infrastructure to the cloud you need to have additional layers of complexity for your own system architecture has to be taken care. Atul Anand, Head Production Readiness Delivery and Transformation, Toll Technology Center, said, “when we see that Industries are having a tectonic shift because of so many things, whether it is SNACK phenomena, things are changing. Digital transformation is eating its own pie. For me, most important thing is – business, which is asking to scale up things faster or we looking for the thing which is in our own house. We being 100 plus old organization, the newer implementation the newer role out have to happen on cloud that’s how we can get agility, scalability

18 16 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

as well. Having said that as I also see that how the kind of generation who is going the work force, they are the people how want solution. For them the cloud can be right way because you can put your application, you can put your new development. We need to understand that what the business requirement is.” Talking in panel discussion on, “Is security still a concern on the cloud” Mr. Arvind Koul, IT Infrastructure, added, “The Cloud adoption has been prodigy shift especially during the pandemic time people realize the power of cloud & you need to secure perimeter. Data breaches are something which is happening so frequently that is the first threat in the environment. It’s become so costly for the organization to recover from this happening. The primary reason for all this breaches but primarily I see human error. It’s very important to create an awareness, educated staff, how to handle the data and how to save it from the hackers. We need to think how to remediate and have a strategy to go with the method while we remediate line down all this kind of threats. ” Ravindra Arora, CISO, Infogain, said, “Top five concerned for the security concerned are, People are talking about organization transformation to the cloud but very few people are talking about security for the cloud. I also believe it’s even easy to transform start your journey meet your cloud transformation but also difficult part to ensure that there is an adequate security and privacy controls available in the cloud. Security has really become our biggest priority, there should be a concept of security of design. Once we actually outsource something to the cloud we actually lose control in monitoring this is the most big concerned I have witnessed myself when we have given keys to other person to manage then there is definitely losing control, we don’t know what is happening, we don’t get the 24*7 monitoring so these are the some issue.” Mr. Aryan Panchal, Head IT DIGITAL & CISO, Indigrid Ltd, said, “cloud service provider is responsible for the security of the cloud which is the permitted area and we as customer we are responsible for the security in the cloud (what we are hosting with cloud) so this of and in we need to understand and apply and take the related mentions. There should be an end-to-end security architecture &implementation of it. We need to design and implement root cyber threat intelligence efficiency monitoring of the security breaches, the vulnerability, and the text act to support all this so that we can rely on the detection and the containment of this kind of activity.” Sachin Wangankar, Vice President, Head-

Cloud Web Werks India Pt. Ltd, said “Today security is very important to cloud and cloud companies’ platforms. We listen to a lot of devops but devops cannot be complete without security. Security cannot be a past thought but should be for thought. If you are on SaaS model, then you are more concerned about draining the data and putting the right controls. It gets more and more responsibility oriented as you go for PaaS or IaaS. The responsibility goes more onto the consumer front or to the organization. So, today, we speak about data, storage, data coming from multiple options. Before you store data, there are multiple options we need to choose from. You can’t have a similar or same data for all the data classifications. There are solutions where the data is actually in scripted before it is stored on to the storage mechanism.” Styajit Das, Director Cloud Infrastructure Services, Capgemini Technology Services concluded the session by saying, “We all understand that cloud is the future and irrespective of the security concerned that we have, it is a journey. We have to face it.”

PARTNER CORNER

SAVEX TECHNOLOGIES EXPANDS ITS UNIFIED COMMUNICATION PORTFOLIO BY PARTNERING WITH POLY

RAUNAK JAGASIA, DIRECTOR ENTERPRISE BUSINESS AND ALLIANCE, SAVEX TECHNOLOGIES PVT LTD.

BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA sanjay@smechannels.com

avex Technologies, announced it has been appointed distributor by leading global collaboration player, Poly (earlier Plantronics and Polycom) in India. Savex technologies will provide Poly’s full portfolio of collaboration and communication solutions. The distributorship gives Savex technologies’ partner community access to Poly’s aesthetically designed and engineered audio and video products backed by software, artificial intelligence, analytics and insights that powers authentic human connection and collaboration. It gives Poly access to Savex’s extensive network of over 10,000 reseller partners. Talking about the partnership, Raunak Jagasia, Director Enterprise Business and Alliance at Savex Technologies Pvt Ltd. said, “We are extremely pleased to collaborate with Poly and leverage its evolving portfolio. Channel partner ecosystem plays an important role in our business growth strategy and this partnership would help us further deliver our services to new market segments with more focus in mid-market, address

the rapidly increasing market opportunities, and accelerate business growth”. He added, “We appreciate Poly’s customer focus and believe that our strategic partnership will enable us to meet new and constantly changing user expectations, as businesses are continually seeking for cost-effective and agile ways to fulfil their collaboration needs”. Ankur Goel, Managing Director for Poly India and SAARC, said, “We are in an exciting growth market with the demand for collaboration solutions such as enterprise headsets, audio, and video solutions skyrocketing each year. Poly has one of the strongest collaboration portfolios in the industry. We work very closely with our ecosystems partners like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, and this gives us tremendous opportunities to provide customers with complete, comprehensive communication solutions in the market”. He added, “At Poly, distributors and partners have always played a very crucial role, and we consider them to be our extended arms. We are excited to announce our partnership with Savex Technologies as they have a very strong reach in

ANKUR GOEL, MANAGING DIRECTOR FOR POLY INDIA AND SAARC the Indian market. Through this partnership, we want to expand in tier 2, tier 3 cities in the country, and also amongst the IT resellers in the market as we help customers navigate through the new world of work.”

SME CHANNELS 19 OCTOBER 2021

GUEST ARTICLE

5 HACKS FOR BUILDING A SECURE CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE FOR STRONG DATA PROTECTION

In a hurry to migrate to a cloud-based infrastructure, many companies overlook the importance of building a full-proof data security and protection

20 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

plan. This situation is later exploited by cybercriminals who are always on the lookout to breach fragile and vulnerable networks and steal crucial

data. Here are some methods through which companies can build a secure cloud infrastructure to

GUEST ARTICLE

VIKAS BHONSLE, CEO, CRAYON SOFTWARE EXPERTS INDIA

take full advantage of the many benefits of cloud migrations: The DataSecOps Approach: The DataSecOps

approach is when organizations treat security as part of their data operations. It is an understanding that security should be a continuous part of

the data operations processes and not something to be taken care of during the disaster management process if a ransomware attack or data breach incident happens. Differentiate between Security and Privacy: Data privacy is about ensuring that the personally identifiable information (PII) stored in the cloud stay hidden. Data security, on the other hand, is about specific protection strategies to prevent data theft. With the right mix of both privacy and security measures, a secure cloud infrastructure can be built for an organization. Defining Data Protection Responsibilities: When it comes to data protection during migration to the cloud, there is always a shared responsibility model between the user and the provider. The provider is responsible for specific security areas, and the user is responsible for the others. In most cases, the cloud provider is responsible for securing the cloud itself, while the user is responsible for protecting the data within the cloud. Incorporating a Data Security Mesh: As workforces are going remote and are mostly being supported by the cloud, the data protection strategy is no longer centered on a specific location. With more assets now existing outside the traditional security perimeter, cybersecurity needs to be redefined around every element of the infrastructure, application, network, and data. This is understood as incorporating a cybersecurity mesh, where the data records are protected regardless of the cloud or the data store where it originates, where it is or how it is being stored or processed. Protecting the Data Analytics Pipeline: A data analytics pipeline is a set of actions that ingest raw data from different sources and move the data to a destination for storage and analysis. Approaches like data masking, encryption and tokenization can make data unreadable to those, who try to access it without necessary clearance or authorization. So in case of any breach occur, the data is still of no value to someone trying to steal it.

SME CHANNELS 21 OCTOBER 2021

PARTNER CORNER

FIVE KEY TRENDS DRIVING A10 NETWORKS’ CHANNEL GROWTH IN 2021 BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA sanjay@smechannels.com

020 was an extraordinary year and, if nothing else, the last 18 months have certainly accentuated the importance of digital resiliency. Now, as we move into a recovery phase post pandemic, our own research, undertaken earlier this year, highlighted that the workforce won’t return to pre-COVID working practices, and that we should expect a hybrid approach to the office environment. The research analysed how senior IT professionals in communication service provider organisations will adapt to a post-COVID-19 world, and the challenges they face with a more distributed workplace. It found that 67% believe their customers will continue to operate with employees working from home even post-pandemic. Certainly, the consumer shift online is here to stay, whether that be for public services, retail, entertainment, or healthcare. Again, while some will return to shopping on the high street or going into the civic centre to pay their council tax, others will continue to enjoy the convenience that online delivers. Technology Trends Fuelling Demand Despite the disruption of the last year and a half, business has continued to evolve, and our channel has continued to grow as a result of five key trends. The first is the acceleration and proliferation of IoT. In 2020, there was a noticeable shift in the types of businesses adopting IoT, which is now becoming mainstream as enterprises move from experimentation to deployment across global operations.

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The second and probably most notable trend is the shift to the cloud as organisations continue their digital transformation journeys. In fact, cloud services spend was already growing much faster than on-premises IT spend at the beginning of 2020, and this momentum has only increased during the pandemic. Thirdly, 5G deployment and the associated security issues is very much front-of-mind, which was also reflected in our research. When it comes to 5G, just under one-third of respondents (31%) we surveyed stated that maintaining a quality service and avoiding service outages were top security challenges. While 21% said unpredictable subscriber usage with changing patterns on the network was a top challenge. And certainly, we see channel partners helping customers with cloud migration and the adoption of 5G as they address concerns around network security and the current lack of agility and visibility throughout the IT infrastructure. Overcoming Operational Complexity This brings me to the fourth trend which is around operational complexity. As organisations, regions and countries go in and out of lockdown and need to scale up or scale back certain initiatives, it has created significant IT challenges. In today’s digital business environment, you’ve got to stay agile and innovative to compete, grow, and thrive. In fact, even facing an uncertain economic outlook over the past year, 70% of businesses planned to maintain or increase digital transformation spending during the pandemic. As a result, we

have seen high demand for solutions like A10 Thunder ADC and Harmony Controller, which empowers businesses to deliver secure application services across traditional data centres, and private, public and hybrid cloud environments. This solution underpins our vision to help businesses become more secure, responsive and agile as they bridge traditional and cloud-based application environments. Finally, as ransomware attacks, DDoS, and other threats grow in sophistication, and enterprise environments become more distributed and

PARTNER CORNER

SANJAI GANGADHARAN, AREA VICE PRESIDENT - SOUTH ASEAN AT A10 NETWORKS, INC. AND CHRIS MARTIN, CHANNEL LEADER FOR EMEA AND APAC, A10 INTERNATIONAL

• Distribution underpins our channel strategy and we have continued to recruit new partners across the region to ensure that we are well represented in all territories. • Building our ecosystem and partner network is key to our ongoing success. Our focus here is on partnering with players who are strong in key verticals and can bring talent and expertise to our customers. • Partner enablement: we launched a new technical ambassador programme, through which our technical team are mentoring our partner’s technical teams. • Finally, the Lead the Way initiative, which utilises our partner network to develop leads and marketing initiatives via our partner portal. With channel front and centre to all our programme activities, we renamed our partner tiering model to: Member, Advanced and Elite, and we launched our Elevate to Elite programme designed to help accelerate our partners’ growth and enable them to fast track through the various partner levels.

dynamic, cyber security and compliance become critical challenges. Again, our research showed how important it is for organisations to protect against such threats. Forty-three percent stated that DDoS protection service for enterprise customers was a top security priority in 2021, while 39% of respondents said ransomware protection services for enterprise customers was their highest priority. Focused Programmes that Support the Channel

All these trends have created demand for our products and services and have remained focus areas for both A10 Networks and our channel partners. To address these trends, we introduced five key channel initiatives at the start of 2021 in order to focus support and resources in these key areas: • Deal registration is paramount; we have had deal registration incentives running since the beginning of the year to ensure partners register leads in line with our areas of focus and business growth.

Building a Bigger Footprint Our channel strategy encompasses APAC, EMEA and South Asia and provides us a unique perspective across a large segment. This allows us to consolidate and coordinate our channel strategy to an ever-greater degree while also allowing for flexibility to manage customer and channel needs across individual countries and regions. But, above all, we appreciate that some countries will be emerging at a different pace to others, as lockdowns and restrictions are enforced and relaxed. Therefore, our overriding priority is the security and safety of our partners and customers around the world; we’re committed to working with them to achieve this.

SME CHANNELS 23 OCTOBER 2021

PARTNER CORNER

FORCEPOINT ENHANCES GLOBAL PARTNER ECOSYSTEM TO ACCELERATE CUSTOMERS’ DATA-FIRST SASE JOURNEY BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA sanjay@smechannels.com

orcepoint, a global leader in data-first cybersecurity, today announced strategic investments to the company’s Global Partner Program that will simplify how partners work with the company while creating significant new business and revenue growth pathways. New enhancements to the Forcepoint Global Partner Program include the creation of an elite tier of Titanium partners delivering the highest levels of technical skills and services. The company is also automating its support infrastructure and introducing a more efficient engagement model with broader incentives that make it easier to work with Forcepoint while enabling partners of all levels to deliver greater customer value. Forcepoint views partners as essential to the company’s go-to-market strategy in securing today’s hybrid workplace. The company’s net new business has grown nearly 50 percent in the last year as a result of momentum created by partners switching from legacy cybersecurity vendors to resell Forcepoint’s unique Data-first Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) platform, including many of

24 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

the largest partners from Symantec and McAfee. “Hitachi has partnered with Forcepoint for over 16 years with notable mutual success: its leading cybersecurity products deliver the data security and business flexibility which our customers need,” said Vivek Gupta, SVP Cyber Security Practice at Hitachi Systems “Joining the enhanced program at Titanium level offers us significant opportunities for growth, and with the tailored support of Forcepoint, we will be able to enable our customers as they begin their journeys into building SASE infrastructures.” Data is the building block of today’s digitized economy but the opportunities for both innovation and malice around it are incalculable. Forcepoint leads the industry in Data-first SASE cybersecurity, enabling enterprise and government customers to add new cloud-first, hybridready cybersecurity capabilities at the pace that suits their business requirements, not the vendor’s. The expanded Forcepoint Partner Program rewards partners that invest in jointly securing data wherever it is used, on-premises or in the cloud, for today’s remote workforces.

“The most successful companies stand on the shoulders of partners, and partner-led growth is central to our strategy,” said Parag Patel, senior vice president of channel sales for Forcepoint. “When 98 percent of our commercial business is through the channel, we’re confident we know what our partners need. They don’t want to feel left behind by cybersecurity vendors endlessly restructuring or overly focused on point products of the past. They want to build lucrative value-added infosec services and solutions that can proactively prevent compromise, mitigate risk and bring digital

PARTNER CORNER

PARAG PATEL, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF CHANNEL SALES, FORCEPOINT

delivering deep Forcepoint portfolio and technical expertise and services offerings. Titanium partners can increase financial rewards as their commitment with Forcepoint grows. Additional partner tiers include Platinum and Authorized. Rebates: new program rewards partner-led growth. New Deal Registration Benefits: increased differentiation across partner levels and greater profit available when registering new opportunities with Forcepoint

agility to customers. We expect our new Titanium partners to be at the forefront of this effort.” Program Enhancements Drive Partner Economics, Growth and Services Expertise Forcepoint built the Global Partner Program on the guiding principles of simplicity, growth and partner-led services to ensure customers have the security expertise and support needed, when they need it. In executing on these principles, Forcepoint has also made sales enablement more

efficient while empowering partners to differentiate themselves based on their Forcepoint portfolio accreditation, technical skills and services delivered to secure data and enable business momentum for global organizations of all sizes. Additional Global Partner Program investments and new enhancements include; Financial Rewards: Titanium Partner Level: new elite partner tier

Program Operations Partner Portal: enhanced portal will deliver automation and SaaS tools to make it faster and easier to complete deal registrations, manage business with Forcepoint, access training and premium technical content, and integrate the quoting and ordering process with partner systems. Enablement Programs: new enablement offerings and technical guidance help partners establish a Forcepoint Professional Services practice. Routes-to-Market: single program structure capable of supporting Resellers, Global Systems Integrators, Services Providers, OEMs, and Technology Partners. Strategic Distributors: will deliver a richer engagement model for Platinum and Authorized partners. The expanded distribution structure will include strategic, regional and specialist distributors, adding to Forcepoint’s network of more than 12,000 resellers. Global Partner Program enhancements will go live on November 15, 2021 for Forcepoint’s global distributors and solution providers. The company will continue to launch new enhancements to partner programs, systems, portals, tools and enablement offerings throughout 2022.

SME CHANNELS 25 OCTOBER 2021

SECURITY

ANDREW BRANDT, PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER, SOPHOS

CRING RANSOMWARE UTILIZE 11-YEAR-OLD ADOBE COLDFUSION SOFTWARE TO BEGIN ADVANCED ATTACK, SOPHOS RESEARCH DISCLOSE By Nidhi Shail, nidhi@accentinfomedia.com

ophos a global head in next-generation cybersecurity, has issue research, “Cring Ransomware Exploits Ancient ColdFusion Server,” describing a sophisticated attack the Cring ransomware operators mounted against a target after hacking a server running an unpatched, 11-year-old version of Adobe’s ColdFusion 9 software. The target used the server to collect timesheet and accounting data for payroll and to host multiple virtual machines. The attackers breached the internet-facing server in minutes and executed the ransomware 79 hours later. Andrew Brandt, principal researcher at Sophos, said “Devices running vulnerable, outdated software are low-hanging-fruit for cyberattackers looking for an easy way into a target,” s. “Cring

26 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

ransomware isn’t new, but it’s uncommon. In the incident we researched, the target was a services company, and all it took to break in was one internet-facing machine running old, out-of-date and unpatched software. The surprising thing is that this server was in active daily use. Often the most vulnerable devices are inactive or ghost machines, either forgotten about or overlooked when it comes to patching and upgrades. “But, regardless of what the status is – in use or inactive – unpatched internet-facing servers or other devices are prime targets for cyberattackers scanning a company’s attack surface for vulnerable entry points. This is a stark reminder that IT administrators benefit from having an accurate inventory of all their connected assets and cannot leave out-of-date critical business systems facing

the public internet. If organizations have these devices anywhere on their network, they can be sure that cyberattackers will be attracted to them. Don’t make life easy for cybercriminals.” Sophos found that following the initial breach, the attackers used fairly sophisticated techniques to conceal their files, inject code into memory, and cover their tracks by over-writing files with garbled data or deleting logs and other artifacts that threat hunters could use in an investigation. The attackers were also able to disable security products because the tamper-protection functionality was switched off.

SECURITY

RAJESH MAURYA, REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, INDIA & SARC, FORTINET

TWO-THIRDS OF ORGANIZATIONS SEEMED THE TARGET OF AT LEAST ONE RANSOMWARE ATTACK: FORTINET By Nidhi Shail, nidhi@accentinfomedia.com

ortinet unveiled the 2021 Global State of Ransomware Report. The survey reveals most organizations are more concerned about ransomware than other cyberthreats. However, while the majority of organizations surveyed indicated they are prepared for a ransomware attack, including employee cyber training, risk assessment plans, and cybersecurity insurance, there was a clear gap in what many respondents viewed as essential technology solutions for protection and the technology that can best guard against the most commonly reported methods to gain entry to their networks. Rajesh Maurya, Regional Vice President, India & SAARC at Fortinet said “According to a recent FortiGuard Labs Global Threat Landscape report, ransomware grew 1070% year over year. Unsurprisingly, organizations cited the evolving threat landscape as one of the top challenges in preventing ransomware attacks. As evidenced by

our ransomware survey, there is a huge opportunity for the adoption of technology solutions like segmentation, SD-WAN, ZTNA, as well as SEG and EDR, to help protect against the threat of ransomware and the methods of access most commonly reported by respondents. The high amount of attacks demonstrates the urgency for organizations to ensure their security addresses the latest ransomware attack techniques across networks, endpoints, and clouds. The good news is that organizations are recognizing the value of a platform approach to ransomware defense.” The top concern of organizations regarding a ransomware attack was the risk of losing data, with the loss of productivity and the interruption of operations following closely behind. In addition, 84% of organizations reported having an incident response plan, and cybersecurity insurance was a part of 57% of those plans. In regards to paying ransom if attacked, the procedure for 49% was to pay the ransom outright, and for another

25%, it depends on how expensive the ransom is. Of the one-quarter who paid ransom, most, but not all, got their data back. While concerns about ransomware were reasonably consistent across the board, there were some differences regionally. Respondents in EMEA (95%), Latin America (98%), and APJ (Asia-Pacific/Japan) (98%) were only slightly more concerned about ransomware attacks than their peers in North America (92%). All regions perceive the loss of data as the top risk associated with a ransomware attack, along with the worry that they will be unable to keep up with an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. APJ, uniquely, lists the lack of user awareness and training as their top concern. Respondents in APJ and Latin America were more likely to have been victims of a ransomware attack in the past (78%) compared to 59% in North America and 58% in EMEA. Phishing lures were a common attack vector everywhere, while remote desktop protocol (RDP) exploits and open vulnerable ports were top attack vectors in APJ and LatAm.

SME CHANNELS 27 OCTOBER 2021

PARTNER CORNER

NETAPP DATA ECONOMICS IS DATA AN ASSET OR LIABILITY? BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA sanjay@smechannels.com

hat is Data Economics? o Data economics is a particular science; and it’s never been more relevant. Data is behind every single major socio-economic trend of the last 15 years – from social media, to mass personalization; from IoT, to market valuations. Today’s companies are valued just as much for their use of data as their balance sheet or product inventories. This is the real implication of data economics o Business performance is increasingly becoming (simply) a function of data – effective management and deployment – as of inventory management or cashflow. Organizations which optimize their data economics, will enjoy a competitive advantage over those which do not. This is the reality of data economics.” o If data is a genuine asset – analogous to human capital or infrastructure – how should it be secured, can it be insured, can it be graded in terms of value and/or usage? How should this asset be quantified and valued on the balance sheet? This is the emerging science of data economics.” o At NetApp, we believe that ‘Data Economics’ is the science that can help companies refine their expertise in the collection, storage, deployment and use of this data. o Hence we integrated ‘Data Economics’ basis the pillars through which we strengthen our UPP program n Simplify – Helping partners to simplify customer data with our award winning solutions like ONTAP, AWS FSX for ONTAP n Expand – Helping our partners to expand their ecosystem by providing access to the best of

28 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

hyper scalers like Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure n Invest – Investing in platforms that will help them understand customer data in an efficient way n Differentiate – Overall strengthening their knowledge about efficient data storage and enhancing data management capabilities – making them an indispensable resource o Through our Unified Partner Program, we are committed to a long-term investment strategy, so that our strategic partners have profitable growth opportunities to continue doing what they do best – helping customers drive the most value from their data to achieve exceptional business outcomes • Importance of data-backed business decisions – partner case studies/ scenarios o A recent survey from Deloitte states that, “49% of respondents said data helps them make better decisions, 16% of businesses say that data better enables key strategic initiatives, and 10 % say it helps them improve relationships with both customers and business partners. o We ask our customers, after experiencing a slow sales month or watching a poor-performing marketing campaign, how do you pinpoint what went wrong? Answer to that is - Tracking and reviewing data from business processes helps you uncover performance breakdowns, so you can better understand each part of the process and get to know which steps need to be fixed along with the ones that are performing well o Thus for nearly three decades, NetApp has

maintained a laser focus on innovations that help our partners build stronger, smarter, and more efficient infrastructure o Our goal? Ensuring our partners with the help of our solutions can deliver the right data and applications to the right place, at the right time, and with the right capabilities. o When it comes to your business, we’ll meet you where you are, seek to understand where you want to go, and then help you get there with a data fabric that very well understands your companies ‘Data Economics’ designed for simplicity and agility. o Be it healthcare, IT, Automobile or even Media houses – Data Economics is industry agonistic and we at NetApp understand it to the T. o Some unique usage of data to deliver strategic business results – cite examples of

PARTNER CORNER

Dreamworks/Ducati • Related government policies – what does it mean for the technology sector o The Government of India is working towards providing “Infrastructure status” for the Data Centre sector, at par with other sectors like railways, roadways and power, bringing in the benefits of availing long-term credit from domestic and international lenders at easier terms. This will provide a boost to the investments in this sector o Data Localization: Maintaining data locally may provide a competitive advantage to local organisations. However, it is equally important for the Government and regulators to roll out adequate measures so that setting up barriers for data privacy does not deter global organisations from investing in India.

o How NetApp handles global data laws: As a global company operating throughout the world, NetApp has long recognized the need for the responsible transfer of data across borders, and whatever your data residency requirements are, NetApp has you covered • Future of data economics o The global economy today produces more data per minute than entire decades of human activity once did o By 2030 we will have around 572 Zettabytes of data, which is round about 10 times more than today o By 2050 we will have 50,000–500,000 Zettabytes, which is 1,000–10,000 times bigger (forecast by exponential continuation). o Thus, Almost two-thirds of leading organizations believe that creating data-rich platforms is

one of the best ways they can future-proof their business, according to research from McKinsey o Industry leaders understand data is more than a component of their business—it is the business. But having data and using data effectively are two very different things o Thus our partner program have been aligned in a way, that when a customer walks in they meet the specialists ready to help simplify their data challenges. Expect to dive into real-world, industry-specific questions—they’re experts who love to talk shop o NetApp UPP is a platform where our partners can learn, collaborate, and engage with NetApp experts and industry peers on topics ranging from high-level cloud services overviews to technical deep dives. Also decode together the science of ‘Data Economics’.

SME CHANNELS 29 OCTOBER 2021

INTERVIEW

RITESH SYAL, HEAD & DIRECTOR, CHANNELS & ALLIANCES, INDIA, NUTANIX

ELEVATE IS DESIGNED FOR SIMP LICITY BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA

sanjay@smechannels.com

What is the goal of your new distributor programme? How will it benefit distributors in the future? We’re focusing on creating profit and development routes for all of our partners, regardless of solution areas or company size, so they can expand their service programs and accelerate their offerings. We’re focusing on making it even simpler to conduct business with us by simplifying and automating our procedures to allow partners to transact more quickly. Our new Elevate Distributor program will help partners better discover distributors with the skill sets and competencies they need to accelerate and develop their companies. The program offers advantages and tools to help Distributors improve their operational efficiency, sales momentum and profitability. This means that partners may utilise the Nutanix partner site to find reputable Nutanix distributors with the necessary expertise, resources, and operational capabilities to help them achieve new levels of success. The Elevate program level of a distributor will

30 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

assist partners in identifying the right distributor to work with, one that has competencies to support their own sales and technical teams, as well as digital distribution capabilities to ensure transactions are completed as quickly and frictionlessly as possible. As one year has passed since the launch of your partner programme - Elevate, can you elaborate how it has supported partners till date? Elevate is designed for simplicity and is a result of a lot of discussion with partners across the world. We were able to understand the nuances of their operations, where their pain points are, and what they need to really become more customercentric and increase profitability. We have also launched specific programs for Distributors and Service Providers (the Nutanix Elevate Service Providers Program), and launched our Partner Support Center in Bangalore, as a response to their unique needs. Because it has been such a collaborative effort, the results have been very

positive so far. Due to the PSCs, we have seen a rise in the number of transacting partners quarter on quarter, as well as greater upskilling within our partner ecosystem.

INTERVIEW

“OUR NEW ELEVATE DISTRIBUTOR PROGRAM WILL HELP PARTNERS BETTER DISCOVER DISTRIBUTORS WITH THE SKILL SETS AND COMPETENCIES THEY NEED TO ACCELERATE AND DEVELOP THEIR COMPANIES.”

and troubleshooting, in some cases our partners are able to deliver IT services 80 up to percent faster. Overall, this is helping partners with efficiency in managing IT infrastructure, freeing up significant time to focus on innovation and supporting larger business goals. Elevate has successfully helped us and our partners move away from a traditional tiered program structure to a 100% competency-based program.

With Elevate, our partners are witnessing reduction in management expenses, and greater simplicity in engagement. With one-click deployment, updates, scaling, self-healing capabilities,

What is driving the shift to subscription-models, and how should partners align themselves to this trend? The appetite for traditional, large, capitalised IT investments is rapidly being replaced by flexible licences since organisations do not want to be locked-in with ownership. Longer-term vendor relationships are no longer approached in the same way they formerly were. A subscription

model allows an organization to focus on business outcomes rather than upkeep and maintenance which is not only costly, it can slow down their business. When organizations don’t have to spend time and resources handling “things,” they are freed up to focus on customer service. We’ve successfully transitioned to a subscription-based business, and our partners remain at the center of this transition- from adopting subscription-based consumption themselves, to understanding how it works for their customers. Our Elevate program is helping partners with this because it truly emphasizes expertise and capability over size, and pays on a recurring-revenue basis, meaning that thanks to our subscription model partners aren’t just rewarded during the initial sale but throughout the customer’s engagement with Nutanix. What stage of hybrid and multicloud adoption do you think India customers are at? What is your expectation for the future of India’s enterprises in terms of technology adoption? Going by our latest Enterprise Cloud Index findings, majority of enterprises in India ramped up their investment into hybrid multicloud due to the pandemic. Enterprises are still in the early stages of digital transformation, despite the fact that digital adoption accelerated at the start of the pandemic to support remote work. As companies continue to go digital, they are modernizing their infrastructure and creating modern applications, essentially using cloud as an operating model. In order to do this, simplicity becomes key which is why our customers prefer hybrid multicloud. They have realised it helps them balance agility, costs, performance, and regulatory elements of their IT operations while avoiding the problems of a one-size-fits-all cloud approach. With this in mind, we expect that India will continue to be a big contributor to our projected 25% growth in annual contract value over the next four years. For India’s businesses, the subscription model, intelligent edge computing, and cloud-based automation hold a lot of potential in terms of enhancing customer experience and business agility. The buyer’s journey will continue to develop in today’s subscription and consumption-based economy, and EaaS will allow organisations to consume software and technology as needed. Customers will demand hyper-personalized experiences via digital platforms and services at a quicker pace more than ever, therefore edge computing, analytics and automation will be a big differentiator for businesses.

SME CHANNELS 31 OCTOBER 2021

SECURITY

NIKHIL KORGAONKAR, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, ARCSERVE INDIA & SAARC

MEASURES TO GENERATE AWARENESS AMONGST WORKFORCE TO PREVENT RANSOMWARE ATTACKS BY SANJAY MOHAPATRA

sanjay@smechannels.com

ansomware is now one of the most potentially damaging -- and prevalent -- types of malware. With this lucrative crime, hackers break into a firm’s computer system, encrypting the data, which they will only release for a fee. A Sophos report revealed that the majority (83%) of IT teams in India said the number of phishing emails targeting their employees increased during 2020. Even government agencies are not spared. In February 2021, a number of senior Indian government officials, including those from the ministries of defence and external affairs, were targeted in a phishing campaign. According to the government officials, the attackers were using compromised government domain email accounts to launch their hacking attempts. Back in July 2020, a major Indian snacks manufacturer, Haldiram, faced a ransomware attack on its servers by hackers who allegedly encrypted all its files, data, applications and systems and demanded a ransom of 7 hundred thousand USD for giving access to the stolen data. Cybercriminals have now resorted to stealing information during an attack and threaten to publish this information on leak sites on the dark web or sell it, increasing the pressure for victims to pay the ransom. In February 2021, India’s national airline, Air India, reported a cyberattack on their SITA pas-

32 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

senger service systems containing personal identity information, passport data, ticket information, frequent flyer data and credit card information of about 4.5 million customers around the world. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that ransomware damage costs will exceed $265 billion by 2031, with attacks on businesses, consumers, or devices occurring every two seconds. Whether the prediction is right or wrong, the message stays the same. Businesses need to plan, implement effective data protection and ransomware prevention solutions, and back up their data. While businesses should do everything they can on the technology front to prevent ransomware and malware, people are, unfortunately, a big part of the problem. Gartner Inc. estimates that up to 95% of cloud breaches occur due to human errors such as configuration mistakes, and the research firm expects this trend to continue. Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report says that 60 per cent of ransomware cases in its study involved direct install or installation through desktop apps. The rest of the vectors were split between emails, network propagation, and downloads triggered by other malware. Humans are the common factor among many of these attacks. The report says that 85 per cent of breaches result in the loss of credentials. While a large enterprise may have the means to survive an attack, many small businesses may be forced out

of business due to ransomware’s impacts. Large or small, every organization should do everything it can to protect its data and prevent ransomware. Finding Your Role in Fighting Ransomware Attacks There are all kinds of scams that hackers use to sneak ransomware onto devices and networks. And these scams are constantly evolving. That’s why everyone in the organization must understand what they can do to prevent ransomware. Here are some areas to consider: Train Employees to Spot Scams Businesses need to educate their people with regular cybersecurity awareness and training programs. Training should include recognizing potential threats, the latest news and guidance on new and existing threats, and how to respond to an actual or potential threat. It’s important to maintain awareness throughout the company with regular bulletins, updates, and tips. Reinforce (and Enforce) Company Policies The company should already have set policies regarding confidentiality of user credentials, even for IT and security personnel.

REVIEW

PRODUCT

SPARSH VP510E – THE STURDY AND SLEEK PREMIUM BUSINESS IP PHONE

KLEVV S1 AND R1 PORTABLE SSDS WITH EXTREME SPEEDS BY MANAS RANJAN

info@smechannels.com

ADOPTING INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE AND STYLISH DESIGNS, KLEVV SSDs – the KLEVV R1 and KLEVV S1 are ideal for active lifestyle users and creators that need to transfer large amounts of data, as fast as possible, across PCs, Macs and mobile devices. KLEVV S1 Portable SSD – Extreme Performance with up to 2,000MB/s Transfer Speed This compact, square and soft-edged portable SSD, the KLEVV S1, embodies an eye-catching yet minimalistic design. The metal-like border and stylish, glossy top surface reveals the uncompromising quality KLEVV insists on. The underside features a serrated aluminum heatsink that provides great thermal conductivity to ensure its outstanding sustained speed even in intense conditions.

The premium KLEVV S1 connects via USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) transfer and easy USB-C connectivity to perform extreme data transmission speeds as fast as 2,000MB/s. The S1 fully supports both Windows and Mac OS, and is available in extra-large capacities of 1TB and 2TB. Type-C to C cable and C to A adapter are provided with the product for easy connectivity.

IF “SMART” WAS A COLLABORATIVE COMMUNICATION SOLUTION PRODUCT, “SPARSH VP510E” IS HOW IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SPELT. A BLEND BETWEEN STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGIES AND SLEEK OFFICE ADAPTIVE DESIGN IS WHAT CHISELS THIS IP PHONE, BROUGHT TO YOU BY MATRIX COMSEC. SO SET THE STANDARDS OF WORK ACCORDANCE AT YOUR ORGANIZATION WITH THIS TECHNOLOGICAL EXCELLENCE IN THE ENTERPRISE CONVEYANCE CATEGORY.

ITS EXCEPTIONAL BENEFITS ARE INCLUSIVE OF: KEY FEATURES: • 240*64 Pixels Graphical LCD with Backlit • 4 Context Sensitive Keys • Polyphonic Ring tune • Power over Ethernet (IEEE 802.3af) • Built-in 16 DSS Keys for Feature, Line, and Extension • Fixed Function Keys (with LED) – • Voice Mail, Mute, Do Not Disturb, Headset and Speaker • Message Wait and Ringer Lamp • Adjustable Desk-Stand • Multi-lingual Sleek Display • High-Quality Full Duplex Speaker Phone • Headset Interface – 3.5mm, RJ9 Click : https://www.matrixtelesol.com/ premium-ip-phone.html

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Read more about the new KLEVV R1 SSD at https://www.klevv.com/ken/ products_details/ssd/Klevv_R1_SSD

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SME CHANNELS 33 OCTOBER 2021

PRODUCT PRODUCT

NETGEAR VIAVI

VIAVI UNVEILS CX300 COMXPERT FOR ALL-IN-ONE LMR, PMR AND LTE RADIO TESTING “The CX300 ComXpert builds on our history of more than 40 years delivering industry-leading radio test sets, incorporating our most popular features into a lab-grade, field-portable form factor without sacrificing specifications or performance,” said Edward Latimer, Director of Product Management, Radio Test, VIAVI. “By enabling comprehensive radio testing from the bench to the field, we provide radio technicians and public safety professionals the peace of mind that their radio systems will operate at peak performance.” Product Features: • A large color touchscreen, paired with an innovative, browserlike user interface, lets technicians quickly navigate between test setups. • Frequency range from 100 kHz to 6 GHz. • Intelligent color-coded meters for at-a-glance test verification. • Built-in two port Vector Network Analyzer for easy infrastructure cable and antenna testing. • VIAVI Auto-Test applications for all major LMR and PMR radios.

NETGEAR INTRODUCES ORBI RBK353, THE RELIABLE STARTING RANGE FOR 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. n Pricing and Availability: The NETGEAR ORBI RBK353 Wi-Fi 6 Mesh System (AX1800) is available in India through various e-commerce platforms, through authorized NETGEAR store at a price point of INR 27,999/-.

PANASONIC

PANASONIC LIFE SOLUTIONS NEW RANGE OF VENICE & LUGANO WATER HEATERS Electric water heaters are found in many households today and are a prudent choice contrasted with gas-based water heaters. Moreover, they are profoundly productive and offer you warm, alleviating water in short order. Also, they are not difficult to install and are amazingly low on service and maintenance. n Panasonic Life Solutions India Venice & Lugano Water Heater 1L, 3L & 3L n High Quality Compact Body: It comes with a rust-proof high-quality ABS thermoplastic outer body Its compact size ensures that you can install it in tight spaces in Bathroom and Kitchen n Superior Stainless-Steel Tank: The Panasonic Life Solutions India Venice & Lugano water heater comes with an ultra-thick and superior 304 grade stainless steel tank. n High Performance: For high performance and quick heating, it has copper heating elements.

34 SME CHANNELS OCTOBER 2021

n Starting Price: Maximum retail price of Venice and Lugano starts from Rs 3599 onwards. Venice will be available across retail outlets and, Lugano will be available exclusively on leading e-commerce platforms and Large Retail stores.

Simpler, smarter Wi-Fi Blazing fast, easy setup, enterprise-grade security At a cost that won’t break the bank

CMY

*Now with a 2-year warranty for Instant On Access Points

RNI NO: DEL ENG/ 2010/ 31962 Postal Reg. No.: DL-SW-1/4145/16-18 Licensed to Post without pre-payment U(SW)/19/2017-18

Date of Publication: 13 of Every Month Date of Posting: 15 & 16 of Every Month

SME Channels October Issue 2021

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