Dataquest 31 May

MAy 31, 2015

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08 Edit 09 DQ Team 108 Last Matter

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contents

industry 10

Short Takes

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unisys’ Cloud 20/20: Driving Innovation, Nurturing Offshore Talent

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How Technology Can Help in Finding Earthquake Victims

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Can Vishal Sikka Help Infosys realize the $20 bn Dream?

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The growing Importance of SDI

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As the World gets ‘Smart’

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The Technology Bridge to Payments Bank

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Thwarting a New Breed of Cyber Attacks

100 Indian Wearable Innovation Helps you Take the right Step to your Destination 104 How to Become a Digital Enterprise

talking point

Digital Strategy Should Be In Sync With the Changing Customer Behavior —Sandeep GhoSh Md and CeO, Bharti AXA life Insurance

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IT has to Work as a Business Enabler

Compliance Gap Can Be Filled by Setting up the Right Practices and Processes 80

Wi-Fi Is Going to Be a Key Building Block in India’s Digital Empowerment 84

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—puneet Gupta Chief technology Officer, Brillio

IoT is Changing the Fundamentals of Business

We Are Simplifying IT Operations Significantly —amit midha President, dell Asia-Pacific, and Chairman, dell global emerging Markets

—Sanjeev Sarin CeO & Founder, Ozone networks

Digital Is a Strong Catalyst for Innovation

—aShok kannan AVP – It Head, Ashok leyland John deere Construction equipment Company

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—mayank SrivaStava Managing director and general Manager, softwareOne

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—rajeSh kumar CMO, sAP India

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Srikanth RP [email protected]

Could the Nepal Earthquake Have Been Predicted by Using Big Data?

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ith the recent Nepal earthquake claiming more than 6,000 lives, many of us have often wondered why earthquakes cannot be predicted the same way as Tsunamis or cyclones are predicted. Scientists say that while it is possible to identify the key regions where earthquakes can occur, it is impossible to predict the exact time when they would occur.

While past data is useful, predicting an earthquake is immensely difficult as it means analyzing not only past data but also predictors which show the probability of an earthquake. A huge number of parameters that have to be looked at for arriving at a conclusion, make predicting earthquakes a near impossible task. Parameters are typically looked in isolation as it is not possible to crunch every parameter and arrive at an insight. To improve the accuracy of predicting earthquakes, all diverse parameters have to be brought together and analyzed. Till date, this was a difficult task as the volume and diversity of data made it practically impossible for analysts to arrive at any meaningful analysis. However, with the advent of Big Data, there is a hope. An innovative company called Terra Seismic believes that it has an answer, and more importantly, believes that earthquakes can be predicted 20-30 days before they occur. Using Big Data and satellite technology, the firm processes large volumes of satellite data, which is taken each day from the regions where the probability of an earthquake is huge. This data is then combined with a huge number of earthquake precursors such as ground water level changes, sudden cloud formations, bizarre behavior of animals, birds and fishes, and variations in seismic waves velocity. Algorithms built by the firm then analyze this combined data to judge the probability of an earthquake. The company claims to have successfully predicted a number of earthquakes. For example, on April 5, 2013, the firm issued a forecast for Japan. On April 12, 2013, an earthquake hit the identified area and 33 people were injured. On June 4, 2013, the firm again made a prediction for an earthquake in North Italy. On June 21, an earthquake hit the identified area. On March 3, 2013, the firm issued a forecast for an earthquake in Iran. Again, after 35 days, an earthquake hit the identified area. While the firm has had a number of successes, it is clear that it is not perfect as it has not been able to detect every earthquake—such as the recent Nepal earthquake. That said, there is a hope, as the usage of Big Data can help in making the system more accurate. Improved accuracy will help nations prepare more adequately for impending disasters, save lives, and lessen the huge economic losses that are caused by earthquakes.

Srikanth RP Editor

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A CyberMedia Publication

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eDitorial

EDITOR AND GROUP EDITOR: Ibrahim Ahmad EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Srikanth RP ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Shrikanth G (Chennai), Shweta Nanda (Pune)

SENIOR EDITORIAL CO-ORDINATOR: Manishika Miglani ASST MANAGER DESIGN: Bhagbat Pattnayak, Harnek Singh, Pramod S Rawat EDITORIAL ADVISOR: Prasanto Kumar Roy

SR ASST EDITOR: Onkar Sharma (Gurgaon), Smita Vasudevan (Bengaluru)

COVER DESIGN: Pramod S Rawat

ASST EDITOR: Charu Murgai, Ruchika Goel, Prerna Sharma, Jasmine Kohli

EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Ed Nair

business HEAD OF SALES & MARKETING Satish Gupta ([email protected]) Sales NORTH Harminder Singh, Vandana Chauhan, Ajay Dhoundiyal, Sudhir Arora, Shoeb Khan SOUTH Ravindranath Nair, Aparna Tawde, Kanchan Kadam eaST Sandeep Roy Chowdhuri weST Pradeep Kumar, Arun D Marketing Renuka Deopa, Kuldeep Khatana events & Communities MANAGER: Debabrata T Joshi ASST. MANAGER: Prerna Chauhan Operations GENERAL MANAGER: CP Kalra MANAGER: Ashok K shared services SR VICE PRESIDENT: Rachna Garga PRINT SERVICES: T Srirengan CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTION: C Ramachandran, Jagdeep Khanna, Raghavendra S, Raju Salve SR MANAGER AUDIENCE SERVICE: Sarita Shridhar MANAGER MIS & DATABASE: Ravi Kant Kumar SR PRESS COORDINATOR: Harak Singh Ramola

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Dataquest (not affiliated with Dataquest Inc., a division of Gartner Group, USA), is printed and published by Pradeep Gupta, on behalf of Cyber Media (India) Ltd, printed at M/s Karan Printers, F 29/2, Phase II, Okhla Industrial Area, New Delhi, published at D-74, Panchsheel Enclave New Delhi 110017, India. Editor Ibrahim Ahmad. Distributors in India by IBH Books & Magazines Dist. Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai. subscription (inland): `1500 (24 issues), `3000 (48 issues) subscription (foreign): US $145 (SAARC Countries), US $75 (Rest of the world) By Airmail. (For subscription queries contact : [email protected]) Dataquest does not claim any responsibility to return unsolicited articles or photographs unless accompanied by adequate returnpostage. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means without prior written permission from the publishers.

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Compiled by Ruchika Goel [email protected]

LG Launches G4 smartphone Powered by Qualcomm snapdragon

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G recently launched its new LG G4 smartphone—the first smartphone to feature the Qualcomm snapdragon 808 Processor with X10 Lte. It features a broad set of mobile offerings from advanced camera, graphics, and audio to enhanced connectivity and location. LG and Qualcomm technologies collaborated from the initial stage of the snapdragon 808 introduction to expertly tune the technologies and make several of the LG G4’s unique features possible so that the users can truly notice the difference in areas like call quality, overall audio quality, lightning-fast download speeds up to 450MBps with Qualcomm’s X10 Lte modem, an incredibly smooth user experience, and power efficiency. Internal testing has shown that the LG G4 gets more than a full day of use on a single charge, in part due to the exceptional integration of the snapdragon 808 processor.

Challenged by Mobile Wallets, Citibank to Launch Mobile solutions

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itibank India is one of those banks which is wary of the mobile wallet challenge posed by the likes of PaytM, Freecharge, etc. the bank is about to take serious steps to deal with the challenges and is expected to come out with a counter solution, targeting the mass market. In a conversation, sridhar Iyer, Director of Digital Business at Citibank India shared, “Mobile wallets are increasingly gaining strength in India. We are also aware of their challenges and want to embark upon the journey so that we can offer similar solutions to consumers. however, the mobile wallet players are somewhere taking the banking route since no transaction is complete without the banks.” Citibank India is now looking at mobile as a serious tool to further penetrate in the market. “Mobile is an important tool for us. We are in the process of increasing our mobile portfolio in the country. While I cannot share the details right now, I can assure you that we will come out with interesting solutions,” added Iyer. 10

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Citibank has always tried to give tough competition to its counterparts in the country. however, its new challenge is not from the traditional players. start-ups coming out with interesting solutions are giving the global bank tough times.

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Indian Insurers to spend `130 bn on It and services in 2015: Gartner

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ndian insurance companies are expected to spend `130.4 bn on It products and services in 2015, a 10.4% increase over 2014, according to Gartner. this forecast includes spending by insurers on internal It

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(including personnel), hardware, software, external It services, and telecommunications. “Gartner’s 2015 CIo Agenda survey showed the top three technology priorities for Indian insurance CIos this year are mobility, business intelligence and analytics, and digitalization/digital marketing—in that order,” said Derry Finkeldey, research Director at Gartner. “the big story here is around loyalty amongst agents and insurers who are taking a mobile-first strategy in their efforts to foster it.” Growth in investment will be the highest in the burgeoning health segment, but growth in the much larger non-health segment is not far behind—driven by necessity. the largest spending segment in 2015 is It services, which at `46.3 bn is 36% of the total market. BPo is expected to grow fastest at 22.8% in 2015 to become a `5 bn market.

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the Muthoot Group & Wiki technologies UsA Partner to Launch us-India Payment Corridor

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he Muthoot Group announced its partnership with Wiki technologies of UsA to open a Us-India payment corridor by leveraging the power of the WikiPay platform. Under the partnership, the Muthoot Group will initially market the WikiPay platform to its 22,000 employees and subsequently to its 6 mn customers in India. through the platform, people residing in the Us can use the WikiPay online platform to send payments to friends and family to any bank account in India and more than 8,000 cash pickup locations across India. the association with Wiki technologies will expand the Muthoot Group’s reach in the Us, while allowing Wiki technologies to leverage the international money transfer license of the Muthoot Group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, royal exchange UsA, for transactions to India.

Capgemini to Acquire iGAte in $4 bn deal

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apgemini and iGAte announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Capgemini will acquire iGAte for a cash consideration of $48 per share. the transaction will amount to $4 bn and is expected to be immediately accretive to Capgemini’s normalized earnings Per share (ePs). the merger agreement has been approved unanimously by both Capgemini’s and iGAte’s board of directors. the transaction has also been approved by the written consent of shareholders holding a majority of iGAte’s shares. iGAte is a prominent Us-listed technology and services company headquartered in New Jersey with revenues of $1.3 bn, double-digit growth, and a 19% operating margin. North America is iGAte’s largest market, representing 79% of revenues in 2014, followed by europe (14%) and Asia-Pacific (7%). iGAte strengthens Capgemini’s key businesses in application and infrastructure services as well as BPo and engineering services. Moreover, the transaction enriches Capgemini’s portfolio with new flagship clients such as General electric and royal Bank of Canada. this transaction would lead to a group with an estimat12

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ed combined revenue of €12.5 bn in 2015, an operating margin above 10% and around 190,000 employees. the combined group will pass the 100,000 employees landmark in its rightshore delivery centers in 2015. this transaction fulfils one of the essential components of Capgemini’s strategy in expanding its presence in the North American market.

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InduStry | ShoRT TAkES

NIELIT Signs MoU with Snapdeal

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he National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), Department of Electronics and IT (DeitY), Ministry of Communications and IT has signed an MoU with Snapdeal to roll out digital marketing courses for small and medium sellers and artisans across India and enable them to take advantage of eCommerce opportunities.

NIELIT is actively engaged in the development of qualified human resources in the areas of IT, electronics, communication technologies, hardware, cyber law, cyber security, IPR, GIS, cloud computing, ESDM, eGovernance, and related verticals. NIELIT’s India presence includes 31 centers besides a network of 900+ accredited institutions and 6,000 plus facilitation centers engaged in the delivery of digital literacy programs. As a part of the Digital India initiative, NIELIT has been undertaking various capacity building activities in information and communications technology. Snapdeal has a growing seller base of 100,000 sellers and has a deep understanding of the challenges that SMBs face while looking to expand their business through online channels. Drawing synergies from each other’s areas of expertise, Snapdeal and NIELIT are partnering to build and launch digital marketing courses which will educate and train SMBs on the finer nuances of selling online.

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Online Aadhaar Hackathon Encourages Indian Developers to Develop Unique Apps Using UIDAI’s Platform

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ngelPrime, a seed-stage venture capital fund based in Bangalore and Nasscom, in collaboration with UIDAI, will host an online ‘Aadhaar Application Hackathon’ from June 6-7, 2015. The aim of the Aadhaar hackathon is to encourage and promote the development of applications that utilize the open Aadhaar APIs. The online hackathon is open to

participants across India and will require them to take an online entry test to ensure they meet the minimum eligibility criterion. The event will see qualified participants indulge in a non-stop two-day coding marathon. Starting from June 6-7, 2015, developers will build products under any of the following categories: Government benefits, financial services (banking, insurance, and brokerage), payments, healthcare, FMCG, and online + offline (O2O). Developers can choose to participate from the comfort of their homes or can walk into any of the offline venues that will be announced on May 20, 2015. The Aadhaar Hackathon will be administered via the HackerEarth Sprint, a unique tool developed by HackerEarth for conducting large-scale online hackathons. All applications will be required to prove the successful use of the Aadhaar APIs and will be judged automatically for the quality of code and sophistication of the application. A team of experts will judge the top five applications in each category and pick one winner from each category on June 8, 2015.

Infosys Launches Preventive Maintenance Offering ‘Finacle Assure’

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nfosys announced the launch of Finacle Assure, which the company claims is a preventive maintenance service offering based on an IT Operations Analytics (ITOA) platform. This service will help in proactively identifying potential issues before these become an actual threat. As a result, banking organizations will be able to save time, lower operational costs, and gain agility. If the company is to be believed, Finacle Assure’s 24×7 monitoring and remedial services can prevent outages, thereby, lowering the cost of operations. This service, managed in an offshore command center, also offers a quick response team that ensures rapid resolution of any

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incident. The offering has a powerful set of analytics capabilities, which help in early detection of application performance issues.

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Ed Nair

[email protected]

Unisys’ Cloud 20/20: driving Innovation, nurturing Offshore talent Teams from three engineering colleges crack the Unisys challenge. Here’s how Unisys spots innovation talent to support its global product engineering

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trong linkages between the industry and the academia are a proven way to spur innovation. Project contests, organized and supported by tech companies, help unleash creativity and innovative thinking amongst students in applying disruptive technologies to solve challenging problems. Unisys India recently announced the winners of Cloud 20/20, the sixth edition of one of India’s largest online technical project contests. Three projects represented by IMS Engineering College, Ghaziabad; Pondicherry Engineering College, Puducherry; and VR Siddhartha Engineering College, Vijayawada respectively were awarded in the final round. More than 1,400 teams from colleges across India participated in Cloud 20/20 Version 6.0. Unisys received about 530 project submissions, up more than 34% from the prior year’s competition, the company claims. “It is imperative that we get the next generation, who have grown up with these technologies, involved in finding creative solutions to these challenges and that’s precisely what Cloud 20/20 aims to do,” said LNV Samy, VP, Engineering, Global Technology Centers – India, China, and Australia, Technology Products Group, Unisys. Working in teams of four, supported by project guides from Unisys and their institute, the contestants showcased projects on application development for the cloud; security issues in the cloud; big data in the cloud; cloud-based testing; system programming; and potential future technologies, open source technologies, and disruptive technologies. In addition, this year, Unisys India introduced a new category called ‘Targeted Innovation Projects,’ wherein students had the opportunity to work on project ideas proposed by the Unisys Technical team on topics of relevance to Cloud 20/20. “Unisys has always been committed to investing in 18

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Winning Projects 1.

A railway emergency response messaging system designed to transmit, receive, and display incidents in real time through the mobile. It allows passengers to alert railway authorities about thefts, fires, and health issues so that they can quickly respond to emergencies. The proposed system also provides mobile alerts to doctors.

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An application that helps to minimize power consumption while streaming and downloading videos from the cloud on mobile devices. Users form a group with people of similar interests to stream the video cooperatively in an ad hoc cloud.

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An application that helps users to extract important information from 3D geo-data by combining GeoRDBMS and augmented reality. The app brings the entire 3D geo-data in various formats onto a common platform. The application has the potential of being used in urban planning, infrastructure management, disaster management, and environment monitoring.

supporting the next generation of innovators. This year’s winners prove that with the right education, resources, and guidance, young people can indeed use their creativity and ingenuity to solve some of our most critical technology challenges,” said Bob Supnik, VP, Technology Products Group, Unisys. Based on requirement, the students from winner project groups would also be considered for employment by Unisys in India after they graduate. LeveragIng IndIa

Like most other technology companies, Unisys too has offshore product engineering centers in India that leverage engineering talent based in India. Contests such as Cloud 20/20 help in gaining access to good talent. Technology engineering in Bengaluru is the largest of Unisys’ worldwide product engineering sites. Unisys A CyberMedia Publication

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It is imperative that we get the next generation, who have grown up with these technologies, involved in finding creative solutions to these challenges and that’s precisely what Cloud 20/20 aims to do —LNV Samy VP, Engineering, Global Technology Centers—India, China, and Australia, Technology Products Group, Unisys

Unisys has always been committed to investing in supporting the next generation of innovators. This year’s winners prove that with the right education, resources, and guidance, young people can indeed use their creativity and ingenuity to solve some of our most critical technology challenges

—Bob Supnik VP, Technology Products Group, Unisys

India has created approximately 20% of all patents filed annually by Unisys. “We have centers of excellence based in India that specialize in virtualization, real-time infrastructure, mobility, Microsoft technologies, services management platforms, enterprise command centers, application packaging, unified messaging, and database management,” said Bob. The India center plays an important role in the biometric solutions Unisys provides globally such as the creation of the building blocks for Identity and Credentialing (ID&C) solutions and delivering several international ID&C projects involving biometrics, eg, Angola national ID 20

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project, Mexico national ID project, Australian Department of Immigration & Citizenship (DIAC), and Queensland smartcard drivers’ license. In India too, Unisys is focused mainly on ID&C and surveillance projects for the government and transportation sectors. One of Unisys’ biggest strength areas is aviation. The company was the master systems integrator for the Terminal 3 project of Delhi International Airport (DIAL), the largest project taken up in the history of Indian aviation. Unisys also tested the core airport operational systems implemented at Mumbai International Airport’s (MIAL) new Terminal 2. It has also worked with Air India for more than 30 years to provide services and technology. A CyberMedia Publication

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DQ Team [email protected]

How Technology Can Help in Finding Earthquake Victims In the recent Nepal earthquake, tech giants Google and Facebook, demonstrated how technology can be used to connect people in the earthquake zone with their friends and relatives

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t’s no secret that technology can prove to be a critical aid when a disaster strikes. The power of technology in supporting disaster relief efforts was showcased by Silicon Valley tech giants, Google and Facebook, in the recent earthquake in Nepal. Both, Google and Facebook, pitched in to help with relief efforts and offered tools for finding Nepal earthquake victims.

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Within hours of the massive earthquake hitting Nepal, Facebook activated its ‘Safety Check’ feature, which was launched in October last year. The feature allows people in affected areas to notify their friends and family that they’re okay. Similar to Facebook, Google also launched a ‘Person Finder’ service to help locate missing people in the earthquake. A CyberMedia Publication

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FacEbook’s ‘saFEty chEck’

The way the feature works is that Facebook sends out notifications to users who are struck in the crisis zone. The notification asks users to respond with a simple click. Users can click the ‘I’m safe’ or ‘I’m not in the area’ button and the update is posted on their Facebook News Feed and sent as a notification to their friends. The Safety Check feature also allows people to check on their friends who might be stranded in the disaster zone. It further allows people to indicate the status of the friends in their network, by marking them safe. GooGlE PErson FIndEr

Leveraging Technology to Create Early Warning Systems for Earthquakes Apart from finding and helping earthquake victims, technology can also be used to alert about an upcoming large earthquake. For example, a recent study by scientists at the US Geological Survey found that the sensors in smartphones and similar devices could be used to build earthquake warning systems. Despite being less accurate than scientific-grade equipment, the GPS (Global Positioning System), receivers in a smartphone can detect the permanent ground movement (displacement) caused by fault motion in a large earthquake. Using crowdsourced observations from participating users’ smartphones, earthquakes could be detected and analyzed, and customized earthquake warnings could be transmitted back to users. |

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Like Safety Check, the Person Finder tool is aimed at connecting people in a disaster area with their friends and family around the world. Available in English, Chinese, Nepali, Hindi, and Japanese, the Person Finder tool provides a massive, open platform to collaboratively track missing persons’ reports. The Person Finder tool from Google allows three options: Search a database for names; offer information about someone; and create a record for a missing person. Google collates these records into a searchable database of individuals in the area, along with important details like their phone numbers, email addresses, and last known locations. All the data entered is available to the public and viewable and usable by anyone. www.dqindia.com

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Smita Vasudevan [email protected]

—Vishal sikka CEO, Infosys 24

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Can Vishal Sikka Help Infosys realize the $20 bn dream? Infosys disappoints with its FY15 results, but tries to keep optimism alive with its ambitious target announcement of hitting $20 bn revenue by 2020. Will the far-sighted CEO be able to pull it off?

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hen a technology wizard took on board as Infosys’s first non-founder CEO nine months back, he was handed over the herculean task to turnaround the slowing down IT company and bring it back on the growth track. Since then, investors and stakeholders were curiously watching out each and every move of the iconic IT company under its new leader Vishal Sikka. Now as the company is out with its FY15 results, it seems to have invoked mixed reactions across the industry. The performance in the last quarter of FY2014-15 doesn’t offer much to write home about, with quarterly revenues falling by 2.8% and YoY revenue also remaining on the lower end of the guidance. After all that anticipation, the financial performance has proved to be a dampener on investors’ confidence, which also reflected in the company’s stumbling stock prices. The disappointing results might raise questions on the new leadership, but it can’t totally overshadow the fact that Sikka’s tenure so far has been one that fueled optimism in

and around the Infosys ecosystem. “To start with, Sikka changed the whole management ladder and reporting. He started focusing on building new IPs and cloud offerings,” says Rajeev Suman, Senior Analyst, Pierre Audoin Consultants (PAC), a global market research and strategic consulting firm for the software and IT services industry. Although it might take time for these decisions to pay off, industry experts and analysts have been quite optimistic that the new CEO is making the right noises and that under his leadership the company is heading in the right direction. When he took over, Infosys had a lot of ground to cover. The revenues were lagging behind its close rivals like TCS and HCL. Attrition levels were soaring and there were many senior level exits in a span of few months. So regaining lost momentum was a high priority. The main task for Sikka while taking the reins at Infosys was to revive investor and client confidence, which has been deteriorating over the past few years. His initial strategy was to strengthen the top management with strategic hiring, roping in top talents mainly from his previous company, SAP.

Infosys is in the process of transitioning its revenue base to a non-linear growth trajectory. Its vision is to transform from a peoplecentric to a knowledge-centric growth model which will require some short-term sacrifices. Achieving $20 bn by 2020 target will require a disruptive and non-conventional approach —Anupam Govil Partner, Avasant

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Sikka has changed the whole management ladder and reporting. He is focusing on building new IPs and cloud offerings. He now needs to bring the profitability of Infosys to its past levels as right now, it lags behind its closest peers —Rajeev Suman Senior Analyst, Pierre Audoin Consultants

“The second priority has been to lead Infosys into the future through innovation and differentiated solution offerings, moving beyond the offshore labor paradigm,” says Anupam Govil, Partner, Avasant. His ‘renew and new’ strategy seems to be in line with the innovative vision and bold approach that he is trying to put forward. “Sikka clearly understands the need to shore up Infosys defenses and make up lost ground in the rapidly changing market by offering innovation-led services. He has a dual pronged strategy to meet both immediate and long-term needs,” adds Govil. Sikka has been strongly advocating the need to move from traditional IT services to transformation deals involving automation and artificial intelligence. He reinforced this view with the big ticket acquisition of automation company, Panaya earlier this year. “Sikka clearly showed what he is up to by acquiring Panaya. He has been a big fan of the automation of IT services and artificial intelligence and this acquisition proves the point. Additionally, Panaya gives Infosys a strong foothold in Israel,” says Suman. A $20 bn CompAny by 2020: Is It possIble?

Despite the below average financial results, the recent announcements gave investors and stakeholders some reasons to cheer. Attrition rate has been brought down to below 15%, which means the employee-related initiatives have worked well in boosting morale. What really caught attention was the Infosys CEO revealing the company’s farsighted aim to be a $20 bn company by 2020. This would have taken industry watchers by surprise and would have got many tongues wagging. But the question is, is it likely 26

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to get there. Considering the current growth rates, it looks like a distant dream. The forecast for FY2016 also doesn’t look very bright. To achieve $20 bn in revenues by 2020, the company will have to grow at a compounded annual rate of over 20% starting from FY2017. In Sikka’s words, “It is an aspirational goal. We use that to organize our thoughts. I believe we can get there.” bIg Hurdles to Cross

There are enough factors that have worked for him and also set him apart from previous leaders at the company. “The biggest positive that worked for Vishal Sikka is the fact that he came in unbridled of Infoys’s legacy and that gave him the opportunity to bring in large-scale changes,” says Govil. But as the company struggles to attain profitability, there is an immense pressure to deliver at present. “Foremost, Sikka still has to bring in the profitability of Infosys to its past levels. Right now, it lags behind its closest peers,” says Suman. The recent acquisitions will bring in fresh challenges to integrate the new resources and people into the existing ecosystem. The ‘next generation IT services’ view that he is trying to drive in will require not just operational changes but a mindset change throughout the organization. This could be an uphill task as well. “While Sikka definitely managed to stem the slide, it will take at least a few more quarters for these to take effect and show results. The biggest challenge for him will be to ensure smooth operationalization of the changes being put in place,” adds Govil. But it is still too early to write him off. Investments into new technology areas can well take time to bear fruit, but if it does, sometime in the near future, it can prove to be a real game changer. A CyberMedia Publication

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School

DQ-CMR SURVEY

Top T-Schools 2015

India's top tech schools ranked based on survey of colleges, employers, and alumni

T-SchOOl | in depth

Onkar Sharma [email protected]

Top T-Schools: Where Do the Private T-Schools Stand? India’s T-Schools empower the IT companies around the globe with the best and skilled minds. While the government T-Schools have always been in the limelight, this year’s DQ-CMR T-School survey has reviewed the positioning of private institutions

28

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A CyberMedia Publication

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T-SchOOl | in depth

I

ndia’s T-Schools have always been a huge source of skilled manpower not only for the Indian IT sector but also for the global IT industry. As the talent, which every year passes out of these schools, enables the IT companies to create and deliver world-class IP, software products, and services, there is a huge demand for Indian engineers in every department of these companies. Whether it is Infosys, Wipro, TCS, IBM, Accenture, Cognizant, HCL, Tech Mahindra, Mindtree, Capgemini or CSC, most of the global enterprises line up at the door of Indian schools to clinch the engineering talent. Their rush has often fetched the highest pay-packages for the Indian graduates. Many of the software companies have their research & development (R&D) centers in India since they are aware of the engineering talent which they can hire at much lesser salaries compared to the US and other countries. This is the reason that today Indian engineers can be found everywhere. Whether it is a services company like Infosys or a product company like Google, graduates of Indian T-Schools, have manifested their talent at all levels and earned recognition. They are capable of handling and driving innovation at all levels—entry, mid, and senior. The proof of their talent is very much apparent in technology giants like Google and Microsoft where Indian engineers are working at key positions. The rise of Satya Nadella as the CEO of Microsoft is one such example. Many Indians hold key positions at Google too. While IITs are always considered as the benchmark for most institutions, a number of other institutions have tried to surpass their standards and set new benchmarks. This is the reason why it is not limited to the IITs today. Many other institutions—government and private—have gone the extra mile to set standards and deliver the best-ofbreed engineers who can catalyze the IT industry. Satya Nadella who rose to the position of CEO at Microsoft Corp is not an IITian but a Manipal University alumnus. Private institutions have also shown leadership in delivering the quality engineering education and match the global standards. Every year Dataquest (DQ) brings the spotlight back to the T-Schools in India, which have nurtured the great minds, by ranking the T-Schools on the basis of a survey conducted in conjunction with the CyberMedia Research (CMR). The DQ-CMR T-School Survey 2014-15 has taken an interesting step by putting the private and the government T-Schools into two different lists. The |

A CyberMedia Publication

idea is to evaluate the private T-Schools differently so that their competitiveness surfaces against the traditional and benchmarking institutions such as BITS Pilani and others. Since the government-funded and owned IITs, NITs, etc, often steal the show—with of course some of the private institutions giving them a tough fight—it is important to know the positioning of various private engineering colleges, which have mushroomed in the country in the last few years. Hence, the DQ-CMR Top T-School Survey 2014-15 has created two separate lists: 1) Top Government T-Schools and 2) Top Private T-Schools. This is one-of-a-kind survey where private T-Schools are being ranked in a different list. At Dataquest, it is a judicious decision since the rankings would inspire private schools to excel, compete, and outdo not only their private counterparts but also the government institutions. The survey sought details on core parameters like the infrastructure, academic environment, industry interface and placements, etc, through different rounds. Who wins the T-School marathon? Getting a respectable place in the private T-School list was not easy, as the survey considered all qualitative aspects to match the standards of private institutions against the industry requirements and the changing aspect of the technology landscape. A cursory glance at the list is enough to understand how fiercely the private TSchools have fought to grab their spot in the list. Private T-Schools have rapidly graduated to the next level, giving students competitive environment to learn, experiment, exchange knowledge, and prepare for the future challenges that they would be exposed to when they step out into their professional lives. The findings underline that the private institutions are at par. They have invested in creating infrastructure, getting the best people to work with them, and providing exposure to their students. The Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) in Pilani and Ranchi have set the benchmark for the private institutions and thus, have stolen the show with the top two slots in the DQ-CMR Private T-School list. BITS has been at the forefront of delivering quality education and even outpacing some of the IITs in the country. We have intentionally kept the government T-Schools in the background since there is barely any change in their infrastructure and facilities. But the government TSchools are still the benchmark for the private T-Schools. www.dqindia.com

May 31, 2015 | 29

Permanently Affiliated to Anna University, Chennai and Approved by AICTE. Vattamalaipalayam, NGGO Col ony Post, COIMBATORE 641022 Web: www.srec.ac.in, Email: [email protected], Ph:9865133599

learning through professional society chapters - IEEE, ISTE, SAE, CSI, IETE, ISOI, BMESI, etc  Team work through Clubs and Technical Associations  Encouragement for Athletics and Sports  Confidence Building through Outbound training and Yoga  Technical Value Addition for Global Certification  Active Alumni Networking and interactions

Industry Institute Interaction

 Peer

Personality Development

prescribed outcome based curriculum with Industry Professionals in Board of Studies  Interdisciplinary elective courses  Sponsorship for publications / presentations in National / International forums  Qualified, Experienced and Dedicated team of 329 members of faculty with 66 of them holding Ph.D.  Centre for Innovation to nurture multi-disciplinary approach

 MoU

with industries – Pricol Ltd, Pricol Technologies, L&T, Texas Instruments, SIEMENS, Intel, Tech-Mahindra, Roots Industries, National Instruments & their alliance partners  Industry Immersion Programmes for faculty members  Training, Testing & Consultancy services for industries  Industry internships in major corporates  Research

funding from Agencies - AICTE, DRDO, CSIR etc., to the tune of Rupees One Crore every year  Funding from DST under FIST, INSPIRE and NSTMIS programmes  Annual conferences funded by CSIR, AICTE, DRDO, IEEE and other agencies

Research Activities

Effective Teaching Learning

 Industry

COURSES O F F E R E D B.E / B.Tech Civil Mechanical EEE ECE CSE EIE IT Aeronautical Biomedical

M.E. / M.Tech Computer Science & Engg Control & Instrumentation Embedded Systems Manufacturing Engg Nanoscience & Technology Power Electronics & Drives Software Engineering VLSI Design Thermal Engg

MBA

I N D I C AT I V E L I S T O F O U R R E C R U I T E R S

T-School | Methodology

How We Ranked the T-Schools The methodology of the Dataquest-CMR Best Tech School Survey 2014-15

T

o determine the top technology schools (B.E, B. Tech or similar level graduate technical course) in the country and rank them on a list of parameters important for both students and recruiters, Dataquest in conjunction with the Cyber Media Research (CMR) conducted an extensive survey. The tenth Dataquest-CMR survey scorecard on the best T-Schools in the country was compiled on the basis of a methodology and calculations vetted by the CMR.

ReSeaRch MeThodology

The Dataquest-CMR survey was done in two phases. Phase 1 – desk Research In this phase, the CMR team did an exhaustive desk research to identify the list of all tech schools in the country and invited them to be a part of the survey. Lists of government institutes and private institutes were prepared separately. The colleges established post 2008 or not offering a B.E, B. Tech or similar level graduate technical courses were removed from the list. Phase 2 – Primary Research The primary research consisted of three modules as mentioned below: „ Module-I: Institute Survey „ Module-II: Alumni Survey „ Module-III: HR Survey Module I: Institute Survey The tech schools shortlisted in the Phase 1 were approached by the CMR team. For the tech schools, both email responses and face-to-face interviews with the college representatives (preferably the placement coordinator) were considered. The information collected was on four broad heads: Placement, academic environment, infrastructure, and industry interface. These broad parameters constituted various sub-parameters as mentioned below: Placements „ Percentage of students placed „ Number of companies visiting the campus per student 32

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May 31, 2015

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„ Maximum salary per annum „ Average salary per annum Infrastructure „ Computer to student ratio „ Percentage of computers connected to the Internet „ Percentage of students that can be accommodated in the institute’s hostel „ Internet access in the hostel „ Percentage of P IV/latest configuration computers „ Internet access in computer labs „ Batch strength for the PG course in engineering disciplines „ Availability of digital/network in campus library academic environment „ Faculty/student ratio „ Percentage of permanent faculty „ Percentage of permanent faculty with Ph.D „ Number of patents obtained by the institute „ Batch strength of Ph.D course in engineering discipline „ Percentage of students passed with first division in B.E./B. Tech degree „ Average number of research papers in 2014-15 Industry Interface „ Number of MoUs signed by the industry „ Average number of assignments in 2014-15 „ Incubation center Along with the above information, institutes were requested to provide the database of their alumni and recruiters. In this module, 133 institutes participated (26 from government and 107 from private). Module II: alumni Survey In this module, the respondent segment was the alumni of the institutes. Graduates who had completed their engineering degree in the last two years were considered. The list of alumni received from the respective institutes in the previous module was used for the Alumni survey. A CyberMedia Publication

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T-School | Methodology

A questionnaire comprising list of parameters was sent to the alumni network through email. Respondents had to rate their respective institutes on a 10-point scale. Along with the overall rating, different parameters such as faculty, alumni strength, fee structure, curriculum, placement, infrastructure, etc, were also rated. The survey saw participation from 1,700 alumni from over 133 institutes. It was ensured that minimum 10 alumni were covered for each institute. Module III: hR Survey In this module, the respondent segment was HR managers of different companies who are involved in the campus recruitment process. The list of recruiters received from the respective institutes was used in this survey. Apart from that, internal HR database of CyberMedia was also used for capturing the feedback on the institutes. A questionnaire comprising the list of parameters and list of institutes was sent to respondents. Respondents were asked to evaluate the institutes where they have done campus recruitments. Evaluation on various parameters such as overall reputation, quality of students, and curriculum relevant to the industry, was done on a 10-point scale. Around 350 interviews were done in this module. The Ranking The ranking of the institutes were done separately for Government and Private. Composite score of each institute was derived by combining the Institute score, Alumni score, and HR score. Following weights were assigned to different scores: Institute score

40%

Alumni score

30%

HR score

30%

Institute Score: It was derived by calculating weighted average of scores on the following broad parameters: Parameters

Weight (%)

Placement

35

Academic environment

25

Infrastructure

25

Industry interface

10

The weights were pre-determined by the CMR based on the experience of conducting such study for the last 10 years. alumni Score: It was derived by calculating weighted average of scores of the following parameters: |

A CyberMedia Publication

Parameters

Weight (%)

Placement

15

Alumni strength and networking

14

RoI (Return on Investment)

14

All-round development of the student

12

Faculty

13

Infrastructure

12

Curriculum relevant to the industry

12

Fee structure

8

Weights were derived by running multiple regression between the overall rating and all the above parameters. Regression co-efficient of each independent variable was taken as weights. hR Score: It was derived by calculating weighted average scores of the following parameters. Parameters

Weight (%)

Brand image of the institute

38

Overall quality of students

34

Curriculum relevant to the industry

28

Overall quality of students included sub-parameters such as soft skills, industry exposure, intellectual capital of students. Weights were derived by calculating the average rating of importance of each parameter. analySIS MeThodology

All the absolute data collected under each module was normalized and converted to relative data to evaluate the relative distance among the institutes across different parameters. After normalization, the data was multiplied with respective weights of each parameter and then the total objective score was calculated for each module. These three scores of three modules were then added up and a composite score was calculated out of 100. The whole data was then arranged in descending order in the Government and Private categories. And finally, we got the top institutes across India in both the categories. ValIdaTIon PRoceSS

For the data validation exercise, the CMR team asked for a few documents from the institutes like the list of companies that visited the campus, number of students recruited by each one of them, salary offered to the students, placement brochure, institute prospectus, companies for whom consulting/industrial assignment has been done, name of journals where research paper has been published, and an official copy of the semester results. www.dqindia.com

May 31, 2015 | 33

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T-School | Private

Top 100 Private T-Schools College Name

City

Composite Score (Out of 100)

Rank

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Pilani

72.85

1

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi

64.95

2

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University College of Engineering

Pune

62.12

3

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

61.81

4

Institute of Technology, Nirma University

Ahmedabad

50.76

5

Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

Erode

49.47

6

BS Abdur Rahman University

Chennai

49.42

7

Galgotias University

Greater Noida

49.19

8

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology

New Delhi

48.76

9

SSN College of Engineering

Chennai

48.39

10

Sri Eshwar College of Engineering

Coimbatore

48.21

11

Ganeshi Lal Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management

Gautambudh Nagar

48.21

12

National Institute of Science & Technology

Berhampur

48.08

13

SJB Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

47.77

14

Rungta College of Engineering and Technology

Bhilai

47.61

15

Lakshmi Narain College of Technology

Bhopal

47.29

16

Chitkara University

Patiala

47.28

17

New Horizon College of Engineering

Bengaluru

47.17

18

Bharti College of Engineering & Technology

Durg

47.13

19

Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

47.12

20

M Kumarasamy College of Engineering

Tamil Nadu

47.03

21

Rajalakshmi Engineering College

Chennai

46.87

22

Nandha Engineering College

Erode

46.68

23

Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology

New Delhi

46.65

24

The LNM Institute of Information Technology

Jaipur

46.61

25

BMS Institute of Technology & Management

Bengaluru

46.59

26

Sona College of Technology

Salem

46.41

27

Trident Academy of Technology

Bhubaneswar

46.37

28

Chandigarh Engineering College

Mohali

46.29

29

PES University

Bengaluru

45.95

30

Veltech Multi Tech Dr Rangarajan Dr Sakunthala Engineering College

Chennai

45.93

31

GLA University

Mathura

45.86

32

Panimalar Engineering College

Chennai

45.72

33

SCMS School of Engineering and Technology

Ernakulam

45.67

34

College of Engineering Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar

45.59

35

36

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T-School | Private

Composite Score (Out of 100)

Rank

Vijayawada

45.36

36

NMAM Institute of Technology

Nitte

45.33

37

Vidya Vikas Institute of Technology

Chevella

45.28

38

Erode Sengunthar Engineering College

Erode

45.14

39

Rajagiri School of Engineering & Technology

Ernakulam

45.05

40

Sri Shakthi Institute of Engineering and Technology

Coimbatore

45.00

41

GH Patel College of Engineering & Technology

Vallabh Vidyanagar

44.96

42

DIT University

Dehradun

44.94

43

IMS Engineering College

Ghaziabad

44.81

44

BNM Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

44.70

45

Don Bosco College of Engineering and Technology

Guwahati

44.70

46

Bhagwan Parshuram Institute of Technology

New Delhi

44.47

47

Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology SD India

Panipat

44.04

48

Karnatak Law Society’s Gogte Institute of Technology

Belagavi

43.85

49

Synergy Institute of Engineering & Technology

Dhenkanal

43.83

50

VSB Engineering College

Karur

43.68

51

RMK Engineering College

Chennai

43.57

52

Army Institute of Technology

Pune

43.38

53

Chhatrapati Shivaji Institute of Technology

Durg

43.14

54

Shri Ram Institute of Technology

Jabalpur

43.13

55

CV Raman College of Engineering

Bhubaneswar

42.82

56

Sambhram Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

42.78

57

Hooghly Engineering & Technology College

Hooghly

42.67

58

Mepco Schlenk Engineering College

Sivakasi

42.56

59

GMR Institute of Technology

Rajam

42.33

60

Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College

Coimbatore

42.17

61

Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering

Pune

42.16

62

Reva Institute of Technology and Management

Bengaluru

41.96

63

Mohandas College of Engineering and Technology

Thiruvananthapuram

41.26

64

Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering

Tirupati

41.26

65

Er Perumal Manimekalai College of Engineering

Hosur

41.05

66

Kasegaon Education Society’s Rajarambapu Institute of Technology

Islampur

41.04

67

Sapthagiri College of Engineering

Bengaluru

40.88

68

Maharana Pratap Engineering College

Kanpur

40.64

69

Shri Shankaracharya Institute of Professional Management and Technology

Raipur

40.64

70

BP Poddar Institute of Management & Technology

Kolkata

40.39

71

Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering

Shegaon

40.31

72

IES College of Technology

Bhopal

40.27

73

Gnanamani College of Technology

Namakkal

40.23

74

College Name

City

Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College

38

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ADVERTORIAL

MICROSOFT LAUNCHES EDU-CLOUD TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION IN INDIA

W

ith a commitment to expand digital inclusion, Microsoft firmly believes that technology can empower both educators and students in India in this new mobile-first, cloud-first world. In this spirit, Microsoft India recently launched Edu-Cloud, a unique cloud computing-based offering, to transform education with the use of technology. It supports students, teachers and school administrators through virtual learning platforms, easier content access, discussion boards, cloud storage, analytics & dashboard for learning outcomes, monitoring and improving teacher pedagogy, and creating custom learning modules. Edu-Cloud is expected to benefit 10 lakh teachers and 60 lakh students in 1500 institutes over the next 18 months. Microsoft Edu-Cloud enrollment details are available at https://www.microsoft. com/india/edu-cloud/ Launching Edu-Cloud, Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman, Microsoft India, said, “Today’s students are digital natives. At Microsoft, we help them imagine the future and realize it. With the help of cloud computing they create, deliver, and manage content from any device, anywhere, anytime making learning easy and fun. We believe technology can transform education and help build engaged, aware and digitally empowered citizens. We want to partner with Indian schools and colleges in their digital transformation journey.” Highlighting the power of technology to transform education, Meetul Patel, General Manager - Small and Midmarket Solutions, Microsoft India, said, “Cloud Services present the next big leap in Information Technology and are rapidly becoming a core part of the business world. Microsoft is committed to helping educational institutions benefit from this technology and supporting students in their need to become familiar with what will be a prevalent platform in their future careers and ventures. Through Edu-Cloud, we provide faculty and students with unparalleled access to Cloud training, infrastructure, tools, and solutions.” One of the first K-12 education networks to adopt Microsoft India’s Edu-Cloud are Sri Chaitanya Schools. Using 14,000 Windows-

powered tablets, they will access rich, interactive and relevant content from the Microsoft cloud, as well as access to eDvelop, a Learning Management Solution from Mobiliya, a Microsoft partner. Speaking about their adoption of digital learning tools, Dr. B. S Rao, Founder, Sri Chaitanya Schools said, “The world over, teaching and learning has been transformed by the use of new digital technology. Microsoft’s Edu-Cloud infrastructure is the best-in-class and we are proud to have our teachers and students use it to enhance their digital learning and teaching.” Over the years, it has partnered with students, educators, school leaders as well as with governments and communities to transform education through effective technology, pedagogical innovation and best practices. In the last decade alone, Microsoft India has invested over INR 670 crore in education, skill development, entrepreneurship and digital literacy programs such as YouthSpark, touching over 5 crore people in 20 different states of India. You can find more information on Microsoft India’s initiatives and impact at http://www. microsoft.com/about/corporatecitizenship/en-us/youthspark/

T-School | Private

Composite Score (Out of 100)

Rank

Ichalkaranji

40.15

75

Shri Shankaracharya Technical Campus

Bhilai

40.05

76

BIT Sindri

Dhanbad

39.90

77

Babu Banarsi Das Institute of Technology

Ghaziabad

39.65

78

The Oxford College of Engineering

Bengaluru

39.56

79

Truba Institute of Engineering and Information Technology

Bhopal

39.43

80

Sri Jagadguru Chandrashekaranatha Swamiji Institute of Technology

Chikkaballapur

39.27

81

Anand Engineering College

Agra

39.20

82

Shirdi Sai Engineering College

Bengaluru

39.09

83

Orissa Engineering College

Bhubaneswar

39.04

84

Meerut Institute of Engineering & Technology

Meerut

38.85

85

Gudlavalleru Engineering College

Vijaywada

38.64

86

Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology

Virudhu Nagar

38.59

87

CMR Institute of Technology

Hyderabad

38.50

88

Bansal Institute of Science & Technology

Bhopal

38.20

89

Hindustan Institute of Technology & Management

Agra

38.19

90

Veltech High Tech Dr Rangarajan Dr Sakunthala Engineering College

Chennai

38.03

91

Vignan Institute of Technology & Science

Nalgonda

38.00

92

Lords Institute of Engineering & Technology

Hyderabad

37.87

93

Adhiparasakthi Engineering College

Melmaruvathur

37.57

94

Vidyavardhaka College of Engineering

Mysore

37.41

95

Adichunchanagiri Institute of Technology

Chickmagalur

37.31

96

Parul Institute of Engineering & Technology

Vadodara

37.27

97

Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering and Technology

Chittor

37.02

98

Hindustan College of Science & Technology

Mathura

36.53

99

Sai Vidya Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

36.36

100

College Name

City

DKTE Textile & Engineering Institute

Score Analysis

B

ITS, Pilani being the number one institute in the DQ-CMR Top Private T-School survey maintains the same rank in the Institute and HR scores but is at the second position in the Alumni score. Interestingly, BITS Mesra ranks #2 in the list, in spite of not being able to attain top two ranks in any of the individual scores, ie, Institute, Alumni, and HR. On the other hand, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology, in spite of securing first and second rank in Alumni and Institute scores respectively, ranks fourth in the overall list due to its comparatively lower score in HR feedback. Here’s a detailed analysis of score findings as per Institute, Alumni, and HR surveys. 40

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13

VSB

ENGINEERING COLLEGE, Karur.

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University Ranks

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T-School | Private

Institute Scores

B

ITS Pilani has attained the first rank due to high score in placement and academic environment parameters, whereas high scores in infrastructure and placement parameters have helped Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology obtain the second position. Nandha Engineering College ranks third in the Institute score though it doesn’t feature in the overall top ten ranking. Similarly, M Kumarasamy College of Engineering, New Horizon College of Engineering, Sri Eshwar College of Engineering, and Rajalakshmi Engineering College have secured a rank in the top 10 Institute score though they are not featured in the overall 10 ranking. SSN College of Engineering ranks fifth due to the high infrastructure score.

Top 10 Institute Scores 2015 S.No.

College Name

City

Institute Score

1

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Pilani

22.6

2

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

21.2

3

Nandha Engineering College

Erode

20.7

4

M Kumarasamy College of Engineering

Karur

20.4

5

SSN College of Engineering

Chennai

20.3

6

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi

19.8

7

New Horizon College of Engineering

Bengaluru

19.7

8

Institute of Technology, Nirma University

Ahmedabad

19.2

9

Sri Eshwar College of Engineering

Coimbatore

18.9

10

Rajalakshmi Engineering College

Chennai

18.9

Alumni Scores

D

hirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology has got the highest score in alumni feedback. BITS Pilani, though ranks number one in the overall ranking, stands at number two in the alumni score due to comparatively lower score in the all-round development of the student parameter. BIT Mesra has been placed at distant third due to its comparatively low score in the faculty parameter. DKTE Textile & Engineering Institute and Sona College of Technology have made it to the list of top 10 alumni scores due to very good score in alumni strength and networking.

Top 10 Alumni Scores 2015 S.No.

College Name

City

Overall Alumni Score

1

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

26.1

2

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Pilani

26.0

3

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi

24.6

4

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University College of Engineering

Pune

23.7

5

Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

Erode

23.5

6

VSB Engineering College

Karur

23.0

7

Sri Eshwar College of Engineering

Coimbatore

23.0

8

Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College

Vijayawada

23.0

9

DKTE Textile & Engineering Institute

Ichalkaranji

22.8

10

Sona College of Technology

Salem

22.7

42

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B.N.M. Institute of Technology ( Approved by AICTE, New Delhi and Govt. of Karnataka, Affiliated to VTU, Belagavi ) 12th Main, Banashankari II Stage, Bangalore – 560 070, Website : www.bnmit.org. Fax : 26710881 Phones : 26711780/781/782, E-mail : [email protected]

ISO 9001-2008

AT BNM EDUCATION IS FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FOR LIVELIHOOD BNM Institute of Technology is among the top Engineering Colleges under VTU with excellent results in all branches of Engineering, MBA & M.Tech with more than 90% students getting First Class with Distinction. BNMIT is located in the heart of Bangalore City close to Jayanagar and Banashankari 2ndstage shopping complexes.

Courses offered : UG (B.E. Degree) * Electronics & Communication Engg., * Electrical & Electronics Engg., * Computer Science & Engg., * Information Science & Engg., * Mechanical Engg., BNMIT has secured 36 ranks in VTU exams. UG : 30 ranks including three 1st ranks PG : 06 ranks including three 1st ranks

PG Courses * Master of Business Administration M.Tech. Courses * VLSI Design & Embedded System * Computer Science & Engg., * Computer Application in Industrial Drives * Computer Networking and Engg * Software Engg.

Research Centres : M.Sc. (Engg.) and Ph.D. *Electronics & Communication *Computer Science *Electrical & Electronics *Mathematics *MBA Placement : All most all students get placed, some with more than one offer, in the salary range 3 lakhs to 19 lakhs per annum. Companies visiting BNMIT are Accenture, Exeter, Celstream, Ernst & Young, FireTide, HCL Technologies, HP, IBM, Indian Navy, L & T Infotech, Mentor Graphics, Microsoft, Microchip, National Instruments, Nokia Siemens Networks, Sasken, Sonus Networks, Merchant Navy, Subex, TCS, Tech Mahindra and others.

Prof. B.C. Rajanna Chairman

Shri. Narayan Rao R. Maanay

Secretary

BNMIT conducts Innovation Project Lab (IPL) for all students. Mr. Vasudev R. of IV semester Electrical & Electronics Engineering won Second Prize of One Lakh rupees in MANTHAN 2015 – Business Plan Competition conducted by Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce of Industry (FKCCI).

Prof. T. J. Ramamurthy

Director

Dr. K. Ranga

Dr. M.S. Suresh

Dean

Principal

“ BUILT BY EXCELLENCE BACKED BY EXPERIENCE ”

T-School | Private

HR Scores

B

ITS Pilani has got the highest HR score due to its reputation. Bharati Vidyapeeth ranks at number two due to high score in the industry relevant curriculum and the quality of students parameters. GLA University (though not featured in the top 10 overall ranking) has featured in the top 10 HR score due to high score in the quality of students. Similarly, high score in the overall reputation has helped Galgotias University to be placed at number six (though placed at number eight in the overall ranking).

Top 10 HR Scores 2015 S.No.

College Name

City

Overall HR Score

1

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Pilani

24.8

2

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, College of Engineering

Pune

22.4

3

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi

21.2

4

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

14.3

5

Ganeshi Lal Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management

Gautambudh Nagar

10.4

6

Galgotias University

Greater Noida

9.8

7

BS Abdur Rahman University

Chennai

9.5

8

GLA University

Mathura

9.4

9

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology

New Delhi

9.3

10

Institute of Technology, Nirma University

Ahmedabad

9.1

44

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T-School | Private

Zone-Wise Top Private T-Schools East Zone

B

ITS Mesra ranks number one with the highest score in all the broad parameters such as Institute, Alumni, and HR, while NIST is the distant second. Scores of all the other institutes in the region differ by a very small margin. In spite of high Institute and HR scores, College of Engineering, Bhubaneswar ranks sixth due to its low Alumni score. Similarly, Synergy Institute of Engineering & Technology has got the second best Institute score in the east zone just after BIT Mesra, but it has been placed eighth due to its low HR score. Trident Academy received the second best HR score but it ranks fifth due to its low Alumni and Institute score.

East

S No

Institute

City

Overall Rank

1

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi

2

2

National Institute of Science & Technology

Berhampur

13

3

Rungta College of Engineering and Technology

Bhilai

15

4

Bharti College of Engineering & Technology

Durg

19

5

Trident Academy of Technology

Bhubaneswar

28

6

College of Engineering Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar

35

7

Don Bosco College of Engineering and Technology

Guwahati

46

8

Synergy Institute of Engineering & Technology

Dhenkanal

50

9

Chhatrapati Shivaji Institute of Technology

Durg

54

10

CV Raman College of Engineering

Bhubaneswar

56

North Zone

B

ITS Pilani, with the highest score in all the broad parameters, tops the list. Galgotias University has secured the second spot in the north zone institutes due to its relatively higher Alumni score. Similarly, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology has secured third place due to its relatively higher Institute score. Ganeshi Lal Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management has been placed at the fourth position despite having the second highest HR score in the north zone because of its low Alumni score. GLA University ranks #10 due to low Institute and Alumni scores.

North

S No

46

|

Institute

City

Overall Rank

1

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Pilani

1

2

Galgotias University

Greater Noida

8

3

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology

New Delhi

9

4

Ganeshi Lal Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management

Gautambudh Nagar

12

5

Lakshmi Narain College of Technology

Bhopal

16

6

Chitkara University

Patiala

17

7

Maharaja Surajmal Institute of Technology

New Delhi

24

8

The LNM Institute of Information Technology

Jaipur

25

9

Chandigarh Engineering College

Mohali

29

10

GLA University

Mathura

32

May 31, 2015

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Nandha Engineering College

(Affiliated to Anna University, Chennai & Accredited by NAAC & NBA) Counselling Code (Autonomous) 2715

NCT

NANDHA COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY

Nandha College Of Technology (Affiliated to Anna University, Chennai & Accredited by NAAC)

Counselling Code

Vaikkaalmedu, Erode - Perundurai Main Road, Erode - 52 2752 Mobile : 7373714477 | www.nandhaengg.org | www.nandhatech.org Courses Offered

B.E.: Civil | Mech | EEE | ECE | CSE | IT | EIE

M.B.A | M.C.A

M.E.: CSE | Engg. Desig. | Stru. Engg. | App. Elec. | PED | EST. | VLSI Design | Comm. Sys.

Recruiters @ our Campus . . .

Infosys

Tech Mahindra

48

20

Total offers

06

05

05

02

05 01

as on 30.3.2015

83

The Indian Navy

Placement 2015

Accredited by

MoUs with iGate

L & T Info Tech

`

Lakhs

25 89 32 84 UG & PG Courses

510

Companies Visited for Campus Interview in 2014 - 15

University Ranks

Highlights ! Centralized Placement & Training Cell with

Online Test Facility ! Modern Hostel for Boys & Girls ! Transport facility covering 70 km Radius

Management Scholarship

(for Merit Students)

1240 Prizes in Academics & Sports

54 MOUs with Universities & Industries

Our Other Institutions... College of Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Nursing Polytechnic, Arts & Science, College of Education Teacher Training Institute Matric. Hr. Sec. School, Central School (CBSE) Central City School (CBSE)

V. Shanmugan, B.Com., Chairman

T-School | Private

South Zone

B

annari Amman Institute of Technology has secured the first spot in the south zone due to its very high Alumni score, while BS Abdur Rahman University marginally missed the first position due to relatively lower Alumni and Institute scores. However, it boasts of the highest HR score in the south zone. On the other hand, in spite of the highest Institute scores in the south zone, Nandha Engineering College and M Kumarasamy College of Engineering have been placed at the tenth and eighth position respectively due to lower HR and Alumni scores.

South

S No

Institute

City

Overall Rank

1

Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

Erode

6

2

BS Abdur Rahman University

Chennai

7

3

SSN College of Engineering

Chennai

10

4

Sri Eshwar College of Engineering

Coimbatore

11

5

SJB Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

14

6

New Horizon College of Engineering

Bengaluru

18

7

Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology

Bengaluru

20

8

M Kumarasamy College of Engineering

Karur

21

9

Rajalakshmi Engineering College

Chennai

22

10

Nandha Engineering College

Erode

23

West Zone

B

harati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, College Of Engineering has got the first place in the west zone as it has got the highest HR score and the second highest Alumni score in the region. Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology has been placed at the second position, while Institute of Technology, Nirma University is at the third position in the west zone. Lower Alumni score has caused Shri Ram Institute of Technology to be placed at the seventh position. Similarly, Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering and Shri Shankaracharya Institute of Professional Management & Technology rank eighth and tenth respectively due to lower Institute and HR scores.

West

S No

48

|

Institute

City

Overall Rank

1

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, College of Engineering

Pune

3

2

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

4

3

Institute of Technology, Nirma University

Ahmedabad

5

4

Velagapudi Ramakrishna Siddhartha Engineering College

Vijayawada

36

5

GH Patel College of Engineering & Technology

Vallabh Vidyanagar

42

6

Army Institute of Technology

Pune

53

7

Shri Ram Institute of Technology

Jabalpur

55

8

Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering

Pune

62

9

Kasegaon Education Society’s Rajarambapu Institute of Technology

Islampur

67

10

Shri Shankaracharya Institute of Professional Management and Technology

Raipur

70

May 31, 2015

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T-School | Private

Top 10 Private T-Schools Overall Top 10 Institutes’ Rank Comparison in Different Scores S.No. College Name

City

Institute Rank

Alumni Rank

HR Rank

Overall Rank

1

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

Pilani

1

2

1

1

2

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Ranchi

4

3

3

2

3

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, College of Engineering

Pune

8

4

2

3

4

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

Gandhinagar

2

1

4

4

5

Institute of Technology, Nirma University

Ahmedabad

5

8

8

5

6

Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

Erode

6

5

9

6

7

BS Abdur Rahman University

Chennai

9

6

6

7

8

Galgotias University

Greater Noida

10

7

5

8

9

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology

New Delhi

7

9

7

9

10

SSN College of Engineering

Chennai

3

10

10

10

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T-School | Private

Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani

01 Rank

Parameters

Rank

Institute

1

Alumni

2

HR

1

02

Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

Rank

52

|

Parameters

Rank

Institute

4

Alumni

3

HR

3

May 31, 2015

B

ITS Pilani has topped the chart in the private T-School ranking, with high scores in almost all the parameters. The institute has been setting high standards and playing a benchmarking role in the field of education. The Birla Institute of Technology & Science is an all-India institute for higher education. BITS Pilani has scored high on parameters such as top institute, human resources, and alumni. Over the years, BITS has provided the highest quality technical education to students from all over India, admitted on the basis of merit. Its graduates may be found throughout the world in various areas of engineering, science, and commerce. BITS symbolizes the maturing of Indian technical ability and ‘can-do’ entrepreneurial spirit, especially as derived from the private sector. Its students are placed in the top companies and draw high pay packages. Most IT companies line up to hire students from this institute.

R

anked 2nd in the top private T-School survey, the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra (BIT Mesra) is an institute of higher education located in Jharkhand, India. The institute has performed high on most qualitative parameters, which demonstrates its competitiveness in technical education. The institute has a robust infrastructure and stands at par with most IITs in the country. The institution has set high standards of education in the country and has been a coveted place for students. BIT Mesra is one of the most reputed institutes for higher education in India and its alumni are placed in top IT companies. The institution has graduated to the next level as it also offers a platform for research to its students. BIT Mesra has 21 academic departments and offers undergraduate B.E./B. Tech degrees and M.E./M.Tech degrees in various engineering departments. The department of IT also offers Master of Computer Applications. Besides, the institute has established global tie-ups as it has collaborative arrangements with the US, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Pakistan, China, and the Netherlands.

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A CyberMedia Publication

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T-School | Private

Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, College Of Engineering, Pune

03 Rank

Parameters

Rank

Institute

8

Alumni

4

HR

2

Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology

04 Rank

54

|

Parameters

Rank

Institute

2

Alumni

1

HR

4

May 31, 2015

R

anked #3, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University College of Engineering, Pune has been instrumental in raising the educational standards in the country and has been at the forefront in offering IT engineering training. Its students are placed in the top IT companies today. The institute is located 5 km from Pune on Pune-Satara Road. This college has established itself as a premier institute where the ‘supremacy of technology–enabled learning’ empowers the students to pursue their passion to realize their ambitions, irrespective of their geographical locales. The institute claims to align to the mission ‘social transformation through dynamic education,’ and is therefore committed to attain global standards where knowledge is the key driving force in the rapidly changing globalized economy. The institute became a constituent unit of Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University in June 2000.

R

anked #4 in the DQ-CMR Top Private T-School survey, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Communication Technology has left no stone unturned to match the global standards of education in the country. The institute provides world-class infrastructure and the best training facilities to its students. It has scored high on all parameters to stand up in the list. Located in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, the institute has a number of tie-ups that help its students gain international insights. The institute began admitting students in August 2001, with an intake of 240 undergraduate students for its B.Tech program in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Since then, it has expanded to include postgraduate courses such as M.Tech in ICT and M.Sc in Information Technology, along with a doctorate program. The institute boasts of qualified and experienced faculty members.

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T-School | Private

05

Institute of Technology, Nirma University

Rank

Parameters

Rank

Institute

5

Alumni

8

HR

8

06

Bannari Amman Institute of Technology

Rank

56

|

Parameters

Rank

Institute

6

Alumni

5

HR

9

May 31, 2015

R

anked #5, the Institute of Technology, Nirma University is a leading T-School in the country, which has delivered a host of quality engineers to the IT industry in India and globally. The institute has ranked several notches higher in the list this year as it has performed better in all aspects such as infrastructure, faculty, HR, alumni, and reputation, among others. The Institute of Technology, Nirma University, was the first self-financed engineering college in Gujarat. Within 18 years of inception, the institute has become a leading hub of education, offering multidisciplinary undergraduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D programs in engineering. The faculty members and students of the institute have won many prestigious awards and brought laurels to the institute. The institute’s placement ratio is higher than most private colleges which makes it a hot favorite among the aspiring engineers.

R

anked #6, the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology is an autonomous institution, affiliated to Anna University. It offers higher education in engineering, technology, and allied sciences. Because of its competitive standards, the institute has been able to secure a place in the top 10 private schools in the country. Most of the top IT companies pay a visit to its campus to hire students every year. The institute also offers global exposure to its students through guest lectures, study tours, and projects in association with IT companies. It offers doctorate courses and is trying to graduate to the next level by becoming a research hotspot. The institute has won a myriad of accolades and awards over the years, which stand as a testimony to its educational excellence.

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T-School | Private

07

BS Abdur Rahman University

Rank

Parameters

Rank

Institute

9

Alumni

6

HR

6

08

Galgotias University

Rank

58

|

Parameters

Rank

Institute

10

Alumni

7

HR

5

May 31, 2015

R

anked #7 in the list, BS Abdur Rahman University has left many private colleges behind to enter the top 10 list. Previously functioning under Madras University (1984-01) and Anna University (2001–09) as BS Abdur Rahman Crescent Engineering College, the institute gained deemed status in 2008–09. Located in Tamil Nadu, it is one of the largest engineering institutions in India and has emerged as one of the most sought-after institutes among students due to its quality standards in delivering education. The college has a vast campus and infrastructure including nine hostel blocks—seven for men and two for women. The engineering course in this institute has eight semesters. The odd semesters start from June/July and end in October/November. The even semesters begin in December and end in April/May. The college has been ranked #6 in the alumni list which speaks of its reputation among the former students. It has an active alumni association, which conducts several activities and undertakes initiatives, including alumni scholarship scheme.

R

anked #8, the Galgotias University’s spot in the list is well-deserved as the institute has endeavored to match the global standards in education. What bolsters its position is its constant efforts to provide students quality education environment and global exposure. Galgotias University has been consistently climbing the ladder over the years in the T-School survey. It has a vast campus where it runs various engineering programs. Its central library supports teaching, research, and extension programs. Galgotias University also offers the Web SIM service that helps students to store their data right from personal details, placement details to library information, and assignments. Besides, the institute has begun to offer doctorate programs, which shows its gradual shift to the research side.

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|| JAI SRI GURUDEV || Sri Adichunchanagiri Shikshana Trust (R)

SJB INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

MORE ABOUT SJBIT

SJBIT was established in 2001 as one of the most promising Engineering & Management Ins tute and is named a�er the His Holiness Padmabhushana Jagadguru Sri Sri Sri Dr. Balagangadharanatha Swamiji, President, Sri Adichunchanagiri Shikshana Trust ® Bangaluru, Karnataka state, India.

Awards & Recogni ons

Why to Choose SJBIT ? u u u u u u u

Accredited by M/s TCS. Trusted academic partner by M/s Wipro. Recognized by AICTE. Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University. Highly qualified and well experienced faculty. Provides excellent ambiance for educa on. Located in the silicon valley of India.

Ranked as No.1 in (amongst VTU affiliated Engineering Colleges). Ranked as No.2 in Karnataka. Ranked as No.8 in south zone. Ranked as No.30 on all India basis (Compared to IIT's and NIT's).

u u u u

(as per CMR-Data Quest Ranking, April 2014 issue)

“Excellent Training & Placement Ins tute in Karnataka” - by Visvesvaraya Technological University, AICTE, CMAI, etc., NI Lab view Academy School by M/s Na onal Instruments. "Centre of Excellence for Training & Research in Automa on Technologies" by Bosch Rexroth.

u u u

Ameni es in Campus u u u u u u u

Set on a sprawling 13-acre campus. State of the art Class Rooms & Laboratories. Digital Library & Access to online Journals. On Campus Hostels & Students Ac vity Center. Out Door & Indoor Sports Facili es. Gymnasium & Aerobic Center. On Campus Bank, ATM & 24x7 Medical Assistance. Wi-Fi Enabled Campus.

Available Courses u u u u u u u u

Address For Communica on :

SJB INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

u

B.E. - Computer Science & Engineering. B.E. - Informa on Science & Engineering. B.E. - Electronics & Communica on Engineering. B.E. - Mechanical Engineering. B.E. - Civil Engineering. B.E. - Electrical & Electronics Engineering. M.Tech – CSE, ISE, E&C, Mechanical and Civil. MBA Program. Research Centers – CSE, ISE, ECE, Mechanical, Civil, Mathema cs and Physics.

# 67, BGS Health & Educa on City, U arahalli-Kengeri Main Road, Kengeri, Bengaluru–560060. Ph : 080–2861 2445, Fax: 080–2861 2651. Website: www.sjbit.edu.in, Mail: [email protected]

T-School | Private

09

Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology

Rank

Parameters

Rank

Institute

7

Alumni

9

HR

7

10

SSN College of Engineering

Rank

60

|

Parameters

Rank

Institute

3

Alumni

10

HR

10

May 31, 2015

R

anked #9, Maharaja Agrasen Institute of Technology (MAIT) is one of the most coveted engineering colleges in the country. MAIT has 12 departments (five engineering, four research and three auxiliary). It is affiliated to the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi and is amongst one of the top four engineering colleges in New Delhi. Last year, the college ranked 15th in the T-School survey. The list also included the government colleges including the IITs. Its rankings are a proof of its reputation and educational standards. It focuses on giving the industry exposure to its students. Plus, the institute has tie-ups with global institutes that allow its students to get international exposure. The institute has a team of highly qualified and experienced faculty members, who have published their research papers in several international journals. Further, the institute has secured patents in various key areas in the last few years.

S

SN College of Engineering has been able to secure the 10th berth in the DQ-CMR Top Private T-School list. The college has built a strong reputation in the last few years on several parameters. Its standards are apparent from the ISO 9001:2000 certification from the National Board of Accreditation. In association with Carnegie Mellon University, the SSN School of Advanced Software Engineering was started in 2001. The college has been at the forefront in offering innovative courses that are in sync with the industry trends. In the T-School survey, the institute has left many institutes behind to grab a place in the top 10 list. The institute has tie-ups with different agencies and IT companies in order to offer its students the best academic environment as per the industry requirements.

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T-School | government

Top Government T-Schools College Name

City

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Mumbai

Composite Score (Out of 100)

Rank

81.52

1

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Kharagpur

80.38

2

International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad

Hyderabad

77.69

3

Indian Institute of Technology, BHU

Varanasi

76.32

4

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati

Guwahati

70.52

5

Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology

New Delhi

70.18

6

Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi

New Delhi

64.70

7

National Institute of Technology, Karnataka

Mangalore

64.16

8

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

Rourkela

63.74

9

West Bengal University of Technology

Kolkata

61.82

10

College of Engineering, Pune

Pune

57.40

11

National Institute of Technology, Silchar

Silchar

56.91

12

Thiagarajar College of Engineering

Madurai

55.17

13

Ambedkar Institute of Advance Communication Technologies and Research

New Delhi

50.75

14

Madhav Institute of Technology and Science

Gwalior

48.70

15

National Institute of Technology

Patna

47.95

16

Govt College of Engineering, Amravati

Amravati

47.32

17

PDPM-Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing

Jabalpur

45.27

18

National Institute of Technology, Agartala

Agartala

43.72

19

Shaheed Udham Singh College of Engineering & Technology

SAS Nagar

43.03

20

Government Model Engineering College

Cochin

42.42

21

College of Engineering & Management

Kolaghat

41.23

22

Govt. College of Engineering & Ceramic Technology

Kolkata

38.70

23

College of Engineering, Adoor

Adoor

36.75

24

Malnad College of Engineering

Hassan

33.69

25

Bheemanna Khandre Institute of Technology

Bhalki

33.37

26

Score Analysis

I

IT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur being the top two institutes in the DQ-CMR Top government T-School list also maintain the first and second rank respectively in Institute, Alumni, and HR scores individually. Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology is on the third position in the Alumni score, although its overall rank is sixth due to its lower HR and Institute scores. IIT Guwahati has secured fifth rank largely due to its very high score on HR feedback. NIT Rourkela has comparatively fared better in the Alumni score, whereas NIT Karnataka has comparatively fared better in the Institute score. Here’s a detailed analysis of scores of government T-Schools as per Institute, Alumni, and HR surveys.

62

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Permenantly Affilated to

Accredition “A” Grade

Approved by AICTE, New Delhi

Accredited by

Accredited by INTERNATIONAL ACCREDITATION ORGANIZATION

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Discipline is the hallmark A huge campus situated in Acres Green zone with zero percent polluuon Concentrated effort in the learning process Separate blocks for Juniors' Class Work Periodical feedback from the students Industry oriented teaching Efficient members in CRT E-classrooms WiFi Campus Project Clubs AC Seminar halls Open Air Theatre Girls waiung halls Separate Hostels for Boys & Girls AC / Non-AC Hostels

www.aditya.ac.in

Aditya Nagar, ADB Road, Surampalem - 533 437, Andhra Pradesh, Cell : 70950 76663, 76664, 76665.

T-School | government

Institute Scores

I

IT Bombay being the number one in the Top government T-Schools list has got the highest score in parameters such as academic environment, infrastructure, and industry interface, followed by IIT Kharagpur which ranks number two in the list, with the second best score in the individual parameters. IIIT, Hyderabad has secured the third position due to high score in the placement parameter, whereas the West Bengal University of Technology ranks fifth due to high score in academic environment and infrastructure parameters. Seventh position in the Top 10 list has been secured by Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology due to high score in placement and industry interface parameters. In most of the cases, the ranking based on the Institute score is almost in tune with the overall ranking.

Top 10 Institute Scores 2015 S.No.

College Name

City

1

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Mumbai

Institute Score 26.4

2

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Kharagpur

26.1

3

International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad

Hyderabad

25.3

4

Indian Institute of Technology, BHU

Varanasi

24.8

5

West Bengal University of Technology

Kolkata

24.4

6

National Institute of Technology, Karnataka

Mangalore

23.8

7

Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology

New Delhi

23.5

8

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

Rourkela

22.1

9

Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi

New Delhi

21.9

10

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati

Guwahati

20.9

Alumni Scores

I

IT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur have attained top two ranks due to high score in all-round development of students, alumni strength, and networking parameters. In spite of being at the sixth position in the overall list, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology has got third rank in the Alumni score due to its high score in the Return on Investment parameter. Similarly NIT, Rourkela has got sixth rank (in spite of ninth rank as per the overall score) due to high score in industry relevant curriculum. Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai and College of Engineering, Pune feature in the list for top 10 Alumni scores though they are not in the top 10 overall list.

Top 10 Alumni Scores 2015 S.No.

College Name

City

Overall Alumni Score

1

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Mumbai

27.08

2

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Kharagpur

26.43

3

Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology

New Delhi

26.43

4

International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad

Hyderabad

26.38

5

Indian Institute of Technology, BHU

Varanasi

25.99

6

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

Rourkela

25.82

7

Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi

New Delhi

25.39

8

Thiagarajar College of Engineering

Madurai

25.00

9

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati

Guwahati

24.34

10

College of Engineering, Pune

Pune

24.23

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T-School | government

HR Scores

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IT Bombay and IIT Kharagpur have got top two ranks due to high score in all the broad parameters of HR such as the overall reputation, industry relevant curriculum, and the quality of students. NIT Silchar is placed at #9 in HR feedback though it is not featured in the top 10 institutes as per the overall ranking. The HR scores of most of the institutes are in tune with their overall ranks. High score in the parameter industry relevant curriculum has helped International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) to be placed at #3 position. Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology and Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi have scored high in the quality of students.

Top 10 HR Scores 2015 S.No.

College Name

City

1

Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay

Mumbai

28.25

2

Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur

Kharagpur

28.12

3

International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad

Hyderabad

26.20

4

Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati

Guwahati

26.14

5

Indian Institute of Technology, BHU

Varanasi

25.76

6

Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology

New Delhi

20.26

7

Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi

New Delhi

17.35

8

National Institute of Technology, Karnataka

Mangalore

16.47

9

National Institute of Technology, Silchar

Silchar

16.03

10

National Institute of Technology, Rourkela

Rourkela

15.56

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Overall HR Score

A CyberMedia Publication

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Industry | In Depth

Chandra Sekhar Pulamarasetti [email protected]

The Growing Importance of sdI By enabling digital transformation of an enterprise to an application-aware infrastructure that captures workload requirements and leverages analytics to optimize in real-time, SDI is an IT trend that can have the greatest impact on an enterprise’s infrastructure and operations

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s organizations are adopting SMAC (social media, mobility, analytics, and cloud computing), enterprise applications are becoming smarter with context sensitive analytics powered by mobility and social media. These newer capabilities are driving the underlying infrastructure to handle huge amounts of data. Constant innovation to stay relevant in the current competitive world is pushing the IT teams to spend more time with business than operating the infrastructure. This requires the underlying IT infrastructure to be more smart and self-managing completely. Software Defined Infrastructure (SDI) provides exactly this, where the applications define the policies and the underlying infrastructure delivers the application needs seamlessly with total automation. It enables digital transformation of the enterprise at a very optimal cost.

sdI: ChangIng BusIness OperatIOns

According to Gartner, SDI is one of the major technology trends that impacts infrastructure and operations of the businesses. As infrastructure and operations constitute about 55% of the IT budgets, it obviously goes to SDIs. Gartner’s top 10 strategic technology trends for 2015 also include Software-Defined Applications and Infrastructure (SDAI). Gartner clearly emphasized on the role of SDAI, predicting that it will change the nature of business operations. Cloud computing and web-scale IT are closely related to SDAI and leverage the capabilities with each other. Unlike one architecture or platform that runs a particular software, SDAI can run several independent applications simultaneously. Cloud and virtualization are fundamental underlying technologies that enable SDI. While virtualization delinks the underlying infrastructure from the applica68

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tion layer, cloud software enables self-service and policydriven models for consuming the infrastructure resources more elastically through automation. Orchestration engines infusing application-centric policies that deliver best practice deployment models on top these two layers enable SDAI for enterprises. Why sdI Is a game Changer

The primary goal of SDAI is to deliver an applicationaware infrastructure that captures workload requirements and best practices through policy-based automation across datacenters, and leverage analytics to optimize in real time. Automation of infrastructure and application processes is key to scale up in SDAI. Automation enhances efficiency of components when there are many tasks of repetitive nature in a business A CyberMedia Publication

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Industry | In Depth

process. For example, when you insert your card in an ATM, the back-end SDAI activates certain actions related to your activities. When you withdraw cash, it activates a print out on the same ATM, SMS alert from a different server, and an email from another server. While the first corresponding action is initiated on the same machine, the other two are initiated elsewhere in the infrastructure. Such automated actions are cost-effective compared to silo actions. At the same time, they eliminate human errors. Automation coupled with elasticity helps in optimal utilization of resources. If a server of an eCommerce website is overloaded, then the automation program can quickly balance the load across the existing infrastructure of servers or replicate additional servers according to the need. When the traffic recedes, the automation program can quickly relieve the added servers. In this process, the extra costs happen only in times of need and at other times total and dynamic cost management takes place automatically. hOW sdI Is transfOrmIng the tradItIOnal It

SDAI ensures agile programming of everything from applications to basic infrastructure operating under it. As a result, organizations can deliver a broad spectrum of flexible processes. According to Gartner, software-defined networking, storage, datacenters, and security are maturing. Cloud services are software-configurable through application programme interface (API) calls. Rich API is being made available for applications to consume these infrastructure services. For example, an application can fulfil its service continuity and recovery needs dynamically through application defined continuity policy API, provided by the underlying SDI. In such a scenario, digital businesses will have a super structure that helps to scale up or down quickly. The recent changes that are sweeping SDI can be compared to the initial days of personal computers. If PC with a small program operating at one point of geography is a speck of the universe, the SDI is the entire universe that is at your disposal with anytime, anywhere, and any scale availability. Paying per capacity, software, professional hours, etc, will become history with SDAI. Businesses pay only for the all encompassing resources used. Location, software upgrades, infrastructure in silos will be history soon. SDAI offers all these as a bundle of service. An SDAI service provider offers servers, storage resources, back-up plans, recovery solutions, cloud computing, automation program, and many more services in just a single package. |

A CyberMedia Publication

Web-scale IT is a pattern of global class computing. It delivers the capabilities of large cloud service providers in any enterprise IT setting. With the advent of private cloud infrastructure in the form of converged systems, enterprises can bring the dynamic and highly scalable cloud service provider infrastructure capabilities to the enterprise users on their premise. Such infrastructure provides seamless scalability and makes the enterprise very agile and help it run its IT very optimally. Compared to application on hardware in the business premises, this separates the application layer from the hardware one. Business users no more need to manage infrastructure IT as well as application IT. These can be owned by different owners. They do not even need to know who really owns and operates. Only APIs coordinate and communicate with them. web-scale IT gives the opportunity of vertical or horizontal scaling. As many things need to be connected for business that operates across the globe, web-scale IT makes this seamless by eliminating the need to put in complex middleware applications for this connectivity. SDAI will enhance the web-scale IT capabilities significantly. With the increased adoption of mobility, cloud computing is reshaping itself as client computing. Convergence of cloud and mobile is driving cloud to extend and run applications on the end-user mobile devices to leverage the huge amount of compute and memory resources available on them. It will be available as a self-service computing on any device including a handheld device. As network and bandwidth costs are critical issues, the apps on devices will be smarter and use less storage space. Managing these devices will be based on the cloud. This ensures application portability across devices and geographies. Applications evolving to support simultaneous use of multiple devices and screens will be a reality. SDAI will make all of these possible, as it seamlessly allows for expanding the boundaries of the cloud from a datacenter to end user devices. In summary, organizations adopting SMAC will benefit immensely from SDAI. With the deployment of private cloud infrastructure on premise, enterprise IT will have the capabilities of web-scale IT, similar to that of large service provider infrastructure, providing great agility. With increased convergence of mobility with cloud, cloud computing will extend to include end-user computing and resources, thereby providing rich user experience and unmatched service scalability. SDAI will extend these two areas significantly with its software defined approach and total automation. The author is Co-founder & CEO, Sanovi Technologies www.dqindia.com

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EntErPriSE | TALKING POINT

Prerna Sharma [email protected]

Digital Strategy ShoulD Be in Sync With the changing cuStomer Behavior —Sandeep GhoSh MD and CEO, Bharti AXA Life Insurance

EntErPriSE | TALKING POINT

With today’s customers demanding an always-on and seamless user experience across all touchpoints, going digital is no longer an option but a default for enterprises. More and more organizations are realizing this and embarking on their digital transformation journey, keeping the customers at the center of their digital strategy. Insurance firm Bharti AXA Life is one such company that is agressively pursuing digital to transform customer experience and gain a competitive edge. To know more about the company’s key digital initiatives, Dataquest caught up with Sandeep Ghosh, MD and CEO, Bharti AXA Life Insurance. Excerpts

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hat are the fundamental aspects of your digital strategy? The digital revolution in India has dramatically changed the rules of business. And the ‘early adopter’ of this change is the customer himself. As this revolution is poised to gain further momentum, it is imperative that our organization’s digital strategy is in sync with the changing customer behavior. With this in mind, we at Bharti AXA Life, have committed ourselves to the journey of digital transformation. How would you describe your digital strategy and what does it encompass? Our digital strategy envisages the creation of different digital assets, which will enable our customers to buy a new product or service with their existing products, either directly or via the distributor. We have mapped the complete customer cycle and have framed our digital strategy around it. The relevant digital assets in the form of websites, portals, and mobile apps are aligned to the customer’s life cycle. To give a complete secular experience to the customers of our digital acumen, we have designed our digital processes around the distribution team. The sales force is equipped with handheld devices backed by robust systems that not only improve the efficiency of our sales team but also speeds up the process. How have these digital initiatives helped? As the first step in our digital journey, we began by enabling our sales force with several digital assets, which have improved their overall efficiency and productivity. |

A CyberMedia Publication

We strongly believe that a company’s sales person acts as a guide and can greatly influence the customer’s decision during the buying process. This in turn led to the birth of the digital advisor, who is digitally empowered with several digital assets to positively impact the sales process and truly transform the experience for the customer. Please share insights about key digital initiatives which have delivered measurable benefits for your organization. We have taken many digital initiatives during the past few years. Some noteworthy ones include: Leads Management System (LMS): This is a cuttingedge mobile application that uses geo-based technology for real-time allocation of leads. Leads are auto-allocated to a sales person through an algorithm, which takes into account his proximity to the customer, his availability, his performance so far, and his capability/skillset. The LMS has an in-built power analytics module, which displays all the relevant leads funnel metrics, on a real-time basis. This enables timely intervention by the supervisor and drives efficiency within the process. Within three months of the pilot launch, we saw a very significant improvement in the two key metrics of meetings (increase of 29%) and conversion (increase of 20%). needs-Based Selling Module (SWitCH): ‘SWITCH’ is an interactive sales tool in the form of an Android app that allows the digital advisor to do a comprehensive needs-based sale for every prospective customer. It recommends a product or a combination of products, which are best suited to meet the customers’ needs. The high degree of customization allows the customer to evaluate www.dqindia.com

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EntErPriSE | TALKING POINT

multiple illustrations and calculations, before deciding what suits him best. By the end of the pilot launch, ‘SWITCH’ had helped improve the efficiency and productivity of the digital advisors. YoY sales productivity improved by 16%, and the number of first meeting closures increased by 120%. the BHArti AXA in-MY-POCKEt Mobile App: BHARTI AXA IN-MY-POCKET is a suite of mobile apps, designed for the Bharti AXA sales force. This suite of tools is designed to empower the digital advisor to cater to the customers’ needs in a more effective and real-time manner, and in turn, boost their productivity. It is a ‘first’ in the Indian insurance industry and puts Bharti AXA Life high on the map, for digital and mobile innovation. With the Scan & Upload App, multiple visits for collecting documents has reduced, thereby saving time for the sales person. We believe in giving complete control to the customer when it comes to management of their policies. Our customers have the option to research for the policy, purchase it, and manage the policy post purchase online from the comfort of their home. Our online sales portal allows a customer to calculate the right life insurance amount for him and purchase it online. The self-service website allows the customer to manage the policy-related queries and requests online. What are the key challenges that you have faced in 72

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your digital journey? The key challenge lies in managing the change in the distribution team. Getting the sales personnel to adopt the new digitally-enabled sales process required a high degree of engagement, involvement, structured training, and convincing them of the benefits. The solutions that we were suggesting had to address their pain points and clearly showcase the benefits that they could derive, by going digital. Besides the challenge of change management, the technology challenge had to be handled effectively as well. The new digitally-enabled sales process had to be easy, convenient, and intuitive to use, without intimidating the sales person. The other challenge was pertaining to the standardization of the software platform and the hardware. To begin with, we decided to standardize our apps on the native Android platform, which automatically covered between 85-90% of our sales force. And to ensure the best quality output, we standardized on the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 (8”) as the preferred device. Another challenge that we face is the limited interaction the customer has with the insurance company post purchase of the policy. The first preferred option of interaction for the customer is agent and then the company call center. This limits the scope of our digital strategy as we have to continuously encourage customers to interact with us more on our online platforms. We currently run campaigns to increase the usage of the self-service portal. A CyberMedia Publication

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EntErprisE | TALKING POINT

IT HAS TO WORK AS A BUSINESS ENABLER —Ashok kAnnAn AVP – IT Head, Ashok Leyland John Deere Construction Equipment Company

Charu Murgai [email protected]

EntErprisE | TALKING POINT

Organizations across industries are viewing technology as a critical enabler for business transformation and increasingly tapping into its power to gain a competitive advantage, and the construction equipment manufacturing industry is no different. To know more about IT implementation and usage in the sector, Dataquest spoke to Ashok Kannan, AVP – IT Head, Ashok Leyland John Deere Construction Equipment Company, a joint venture between the Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland, and a US-based firm John Deere. Excerpts

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s a CiO of a construction equipment manufacturing company, how do you perceive it? is it working as a support function or a business enabler? In the construction equipment manufacturing industry, there are key players which are big MNCs, as well as emerging players which are being supported by giants. There is a huge competition among several players, and the competition is intensifying every day. As we are relatively a new player in this industry, so far we have experienced that all the companies use IT to differentiate in specific areas, although the market we operate in is primarily for cost leaders. Hence, IT has to work as a business enabler, and IT should have a planned transition, such that the organization moves from IT-enabled to ITdriven. Our parent organization, Ashok Leyland, has also been helping us a lot, so that our business is already ITenabled in various areas. What are the most common it challenges in the construction equipment manufacturing sector? The most common IT challenge is to address the entire supply chain effectively, especially taking care of our dealers and end customers. We are currently trying to address the same through our SAP system. What trends do you see as far as it implementation and usage goes in the construction equipment manufacturing sector? The trend is towards analytics to provide meaningful and effective insights for the decision-making management team. Other areas of ISMAC (Internet of Things, Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) are also influencing the IT imple|

A CyberMedia Publication

mentation and usage, based on the size of the organization and its long-term IT strategies. How are you leveraging social media, mobile, and cloud computing? We are currently trying to leverage analytics out of ISMAC, as we feel that we will be able to improve our decision-making based on useful insights. We are planning to utilize the effectiveness of mobile technology 12 to 18 months down the line. We are still analyzing the security aspects of cloud computing. in order to avoid a trade-off between security and accessibility, how can CiOs best ensure a mix of both? This is a very big challenge in any industry. As I am playing multiple roles of a CIO, CTO, and CISO for my organization, my life becomes relatively easier as only one person is the decision-maker. However, we are facing the tradeoff requirement whenever the security requirement slows down the system speed, for instance. The required security standards have to be in place, and hence security takes our top priority. As required by our parent organizations, Ashok Leyland and John Deere, we are following the ISO 27001, SOx, and COBIT standards. How important is big data and analytics for Ashok Leyland John Deere? As we do not have huge petabytes of data, we are not planning big data initiatives in the immediate future. Big data will definitely be useful to our parent organizations, considering their data size and number of years of existence. However, we are planning to implement analytics to get useful insights for effective decision-making. www.dqindia.com

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INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

—Amit midhA President, Dell Asia-Pacific, and Chairman, Dell Global Emerging Markets

Anil Chopra, Ibrahim Ahmad, Thomas George [email protected]

INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

We are simplifying iT operaTions significanTly To meet its global vision to ‘transform, connect, inform, and protect customers,’ Dell has been investing actively, undertaking large-scale acquisitions. To know more about Dell’s future strategy and outlook for the Indian market, Dataquest caught up with Amit Midha, President, Dell Asia-Pacific, and Chairman, Dell Global Emerging Markets. Now based in Shanghai, Midha has been with Dell for more than 15 years, holding leadership roles. Edited excerpts from the exclusive interview follow

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sing technology to transform businesses and societies to bring more efficiency and affordability is one of the aims of Dell. How do you see that happening around you? Let’s take pharmaceutical and medical services industry for instance. It is evolving at a great pace. Genome sequencing, for example, has evolved rapidly—in 2004 it used to be $20 mn, today it is down to $1,000 heading to $100 by the end of this year. By 2020, you will be able to sequence someone’s genomes in a few cents. In fact, it will become much cheaper. You can imagine a doctor in 2020 will have more in common with a data scientist and a computer scientist than today’s doctor. It’s all about information. The doctors will have to deal with probabilities and tendencies. They will have to see what can be done from medicines with acute care to derive a better outcome. When you have an impact like this on genome sequencing, then sky is the limit for what’s going to happen. But in all this, data security is also a big concern. How is that being addressed? This whole big trend that I talked about is also around |

A CyberMedia Publication

security—the more digital we become the more information is available for people to exploit and people to use for games, financial, or otherwise. And in that construct, security cannot be an afterthought. Security has to be a part of the solution. How has been the response to Dell’s new strategy: Transform, connect, inform, and protect? We have been following this for a few years now. I would say transformation is doing phenomenally well for us. And datacenter transformation is exceptionally good. For example, at the Singapore Stock Exchange, they have an IT mainframe and they basically went to a point and said we connect and rely on a single company to give all our innovation. We have customers that moved from COBOL to modern programming. You can see the transformation in our server business also and we think that SDCs are going to be hugged. Our business is booming. We are #1 across Asia Pacific and Japan and #1 in India with 26% revenue now on the server side. Hyper converged infrastructure is helping us improve our performance, which in turn is enabling us simplify IT operations significantly for our customers. www.dqindia.com

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INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

If you look at $3 tn IT industry globally, two third of that is people. So unless we can move away from selling our customers a carburetor to selling them an engine, customers won’t be able to do more and that’s what our whole mindset is. If customers need to innovate more to change their business models to digital transformation, CIOs need to have their desks full today, in terms of what they can handle and they require a set of solutions which are more aggregate v/s solutions in the past. So that’s where we are. Transformation and security are doing exceptionally well. We are handling 100 bn cyber security incidences a day. And this number used to be less than half last year. We want to help our customers transform their business—help them connect with their customers and employees in ways that weren’t possible earlier, get better insights from their data, and protect their assets. That’s our global vision: Transform, connect, inform, and protect. The Dell cloud marketplace you talked about, is it available in India? If not, when will it be available here? As a product, it is available today. As a service, we have launched it only in the US. We don’t have a date yet but it depends on how well the US piece goes as we just launched it there. India is #3 in terms of our revenue and #1 in terms of employee based outside of the US. India plays a strategic role for us in terms of our business opportunities, operations as well as financial success and is a part of the top 10 countries. How do you compare IT in China versus IT in India? I would say at the micro level, China market is almost five times that of India. From IT maturity perspective, I would say China’s level of sophistication—be it the digital market size, or the user of open source technology to building unbelievable mobile Internet offerings—is second to none. Not even the US compares to China. China has moved from the use of technology as an efficiency mechanism to creating an innovation journey around mobility better than anybody else. You have witnessed both the markets—China and India. Do you see India at an inflection point? I would say that in digital services, India does better than 78

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anybody else. You know you have applications after applications, but most of the applications are coming out of India which are cutting edge and are targeted towards the US and Europe, basically trying to serve those markets digitally outside India. What is happening here is nothing short of a revolution. According to me, a lot of shake up will happen. Technology resources are also pretty strong. We have seen Dell doing some selective acquisitions. What’s your say on this? I cannot give the names of the companies but I can tell you that we are continuing to be active in the investment process. We are investing in storage, software, security, and healthcare companies. Some of those may or may not be public. Some of them are bigger and transformative where we do think we want to integrate and build. I believe that our financial strength now is such that we are ready to go for large-scale acquisitions as well, when needed. But our criteria doesn’t change. It has to come under ‘transform, connect, inform, and protect.’ We will not change our DNA. These are our core values that have made us successful. We see a lot of business transformation leads also happening through IT outsourcing. We don’t hear much from Dell’s side. Please throw some light on that. We have a BPO business that’s primarily for the US and overseas markets, executed in India. We have done a few in the past here too but we realized that outsourcing is just about labor arbitrage and not our cup of tea. We think companies should be rethinking about outsourcing instead of just saying let’s outsource IT to someone else. We have seen many customers who have outsourced and came back after 6-7 years and said, “IT is a mess today, because I don’t even know where to start and I don’t have connection to businesses as well. I have not innovated in my business models. I feel that my team is weak and the senior management is no longer there.” So I think if every company has to fight for survival, then the biggest difference in their ability to survive will fail because of talent. Use of talent and technology is very important. A CyberMedia Publication

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INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

Prerna Sharma & Ruchika Goel [email protected] [email protected]

COMPLIANCE GAP CAN BE FILLED BY SETTING UP THE RIGHT PRACTICES AND PROCESSES —Mayank SrivaStava Managing Director and General Manager, SoftwareONE

INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

Given the complexities involved in software licensing, there is a huge market demand for licensing consultants in India. Naturally, SoftwareONE, a global software licence consulting firm, is seeing huge potential in the Indian market and has made inroads into the country to cash in on the opportunity. In an interview with Dataquest, Mayank Srivastava, Managing Director & General Manager, SoftwareONE talks in detail about the company’s business model, strategy, and unique challenges as a start-up in the niche segment. Excerpts

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hat was the idea and key objective behind starting SoftwareONE in India, considering that you were already working with Microsoft? While working with Microsoft, I was a part of the worldwide licensing and pricing team where we used to discuss how pricing is done and licensing is managed for our customers. When we went for customer meetings, we understood that licensing is a hugely complex process. The terms, conditions, right usage is not very clear to the customers end to end. The customers are always perplexed about the kind of models they should use, contracts they should sign, and how can they justify the RoI on the investment. We went through a huge round of trainings internally where we understood what licensing is all about. What’s the philosophy behind Microsoft and what’s the school of thought when they built a licensing program or they built use rights for a particular program. For example, we understood the philosophy behind why a product X can be used in a particular environment by a said number of users. Microsoft is just one example; the case is similar with Oracle, VMware, and SAP. The licensing document itself is about 350 pages and nobody has the time to read it. When we went and met customers, we realized they were in need of somebody who could understand licensing in and out and make it transparent to them. So, when I got an opportunity to interact with SoftwareONE, a global company headquartered in Switzerland, which was purely into licensing, I thought that I could leverage on my strengths and my knowledge and could help head the brand in India. I knew the market potential was huge as there was a need for strong licensing consultants. It was |

A CyberMedia Publication

an easier thing for me to join and start a company and hire the right kind of people, go to market, and be the trusted advisor for the customers. What is the key differentiator for SoftwareONE in the licensing industry? If you look at the overall community in India, traditionally it is a community of re-sellers—they typically buy and sell, they don’t do any value add in terms of services. What typically happens is software is a commodity and it is a standard package product, you cannot alter or change the product from a feature standpoint because it is standard and it is the copyright of the publisher. What you can do is that you can understand the feature of the software and try and sell it. All the publishers have partner channel programs where they appoint channel partners and use them for transactions. All the channel partners buy the software and add their cost of transaction. This is what they were doing earlier. The customers were supposed to use and deploy the license on their own as and when they required and also used to install them on their own. Earlier, it used to come in DVDs and CDs and now it comes online. But how to use the features, how to train people was still owned by publishers. When I was with Microsoft, I was working with a huge set of channel partners. SotwareONE was the first company where they said we want to tell the customer what all possible licensing solutions are there which typically can be known if the person has worked in that environment. There are a very few people who can talk about licensing to end customers. I build a team of consultants who had this knowledge and could take this knowledge to end customers, so that the customers trust us for whatwww.dqindia.com

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ever they are buying—they are not being forced to buy, they can see the value of the product, compare the pricing, and do RoI analysis on the investment they make, and then buy. So this is where SoftwareONE stood out. What challenges did you face while starting SoftwareONE? I think the biggest challenge was finding the right people and trying to convince them to join us. We started off in a very small office in West Delhi and the candidates who would come for interviews did not feel that this was a look and feel of a global MNC. It was very difficult for us to convince people to start working in a start-up environment because they were not sure how long and how secure their future was with us. Second biggest challenge was trying to tell the customers that we are a team of people who are starting and be a part of us, because start-up companies usually don’t get a heads up into large enterprises because they have been working with other engagements. For example, a large customer is working with Dell for everything—services, laptops, desktops, and software. How do you break into the account? Initially, it was very difficult to pitch rightly to the endcustomer and you need to have a team in place that is able to deliver that as well. Understanding the taxation system was also difficult. It is even difficult today. To comply with all the laws and to ensure we have enough liquidity to be able to manage the business was also another challenge. Scale was also a challenge because a lot of these companies have offices all over the country and they wanted local representatives to be there. So it was important for us to scale fast. Do you work with partner channels? We work with them on a different model all together. We are the channel partner of Microsoft because we also buy and sell but we buy and sell independently and advise customers on the right model. Advisory services come as a part of our reselling business model to the end customer. We have the VARassist model with our channel ecosystems—if there are small partners like networking partners, hardware partners who can influence their customers to buy software through us or use SoftwareONE as their consultant, we typically give them a portion of the profitability. So the partners can refer their end customers to us and then we will share the profitability transparently with them. That is the model we brought in India which 82

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was earlier used worldwide by SoftwareONE. We started talking to customers to understand their pain points to differentiate ourselves from others. We not only help our customers in giving the right kind of product but also share our experiences with them. Do you work with any specific software publishers? If you look at the overall business we do in India, we do about $200 bn business, about `1,200 crore and nearly 80% of it is Microsoft, then we have IBM, Adobe, VMware, and Oracle. These are the top five publishers. Can you suggest some steps that companies can take to fill the compliance gap? Compliance gap can be filled by setting up the right practices and processes internally. Typically, in an organization, user teams and business teams have different software requirements and they all go to the procurement division, which then initiates the purchase. But who manages these assets, and who controls the usages of these licenses. Nobody. Only a few large companies have a separate compliance team to control, monitor, and track. One of the major risks in organizations that lack robust software compliance and monitoring processes is that they cannot track which software is being taken by employees when they leave the organization. Therefore, you need to have the right process built in to be able to monitor the usage of licenses, control the usage of licenses, and ensure that you are able to comply with all the usage terms of a license. We advise customers on how to set up the right processes—what should be the right workflow from the time a user intends to buy the software to the time it is actually delivered. More importantly, customers need to have a practice and workflow internally that they need to follow to ensure compliance. In your opinion, which model is preferred by customers—cloud or on-premise? Depends upon the segment. Typically, all large and medium organizations are still using on-premise. Companies with less than 2,000 employees are trying to migrate to cloud because of the added advantage of not having to take care of hardware, bear maintenance cost, etc. So now companies are moving their basic solutions and requirements on cloud. Everyone wants uptime, fast access, and ease of use, which is where cloud is making more sense. But the biggest problem is that all the datacenters reside outside India. A CyberMedia Publication

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INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

Prerna Sharma [email protected]

Wi-Fi is GoinG to Be a Key BuildinG BlocK in india’s diGital empoWerment —Sanjeev Sarin CEO & Founder, Ozone Networks

INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

In the wake of Delhi government’s announcement regarding providing free Wi-Fi in the state, Dataquest spoke to Sanjeev Bobby Sarin, Founder & CEO, Ozone Networks to know more about how the plan will help in fuelling India’s digital journey and how it will impact the service providers. Excerpts

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ccording to you, how important is Wi-Fi in India’s digital empowerment? Internet penetration in India is still very low if we compare it with the rest of the world. I strongly feel that if India really wants to be a digitally empowered country, Wi-Fi is going to be a key building block as there is a severe lack of infrastructure for home broadband and consistent wireless coverage. Wi-Fi is unique as it is an inexpensive data-centric broadband access technology available in the majority of devices shipped today. This makes Wi-Fi a high potential technology for low-cost data access and rural communication services for the masses. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges in the government’s Digital India vision? I believe Digital India is one of those visionary ideas that have the potential and depth to transform India. The plan is to establish a digital platform to digitally connect and deliver government programs and services to individuals across India, alongside content and services users want to access. There are a few challenges that need to be addressed if we are to achieve the Digital India goal; infrastructure, neutrality, and security being the prime concerns. India will need massive data storage as all the data needs to be backed up at an alternate site. This will require huge investments to set up datacenters in various parts of the country. We need to encourage all service providers and partners to educate users to use the networks, and ensure they have a sustainable business model. So neutrality is key to the roll out of infrastructure. All providers should get access equally to grow Digital India. If we are not inclusive, like projects in other countries, the project will fail, and it’s too critical to fail. India is a nation where we do not take security seriously, which has left our IT infrastructure defenceless. Securing the data is going to be a huge challenge. How will the announcement of free Wi-Fi impact serv|

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ice providers? How will they be able to cover their infrastructure investments? I would not call the service ‘free Wi-Fi’ but instead call it a complimentary Wi-Fi for the customers. At the end of the day nothing is free, as someone has to pay for the network, so we will have advertisers and partners sponsor usage by the customers, so that we can fund operations and grow our network. I certainly believe that connectivity or Internet has become more of an infrastructure requirement like the road, water, and electricity, so the need for Internet is going to be huge. Only 6% population is connected today in a population of 1.27 bn. This leaves out a huge population of around 800-900 mn unconnected. Again, we also need to understand that it’s not totally free. Service providers offer complimentary packs to consumers. For instance, for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes and in certain cases even annual packages, depending on the customer preference and usage. Also, the customer is notified once the complimentary session is over and has the choice to pay and continue. I would also like to add that every industry needs to work with a combination and have a free plus paid model, but in the end all businesses need revenue to survive and grow. As a service provider, one needs to monetize things to cover infrastructure investments and continue to deliver customers a seamless Internet experience, investing in more and more locations to give true access where the user needs it. Please share your views on how free Wi-Fi will impact mobile data companies. Wi-Fi has a definite role to play to improve traffic concerns in certain locations or at certain times of the day and it is the preferred and the primary form of data connection used by many customers. So I would say that globally, Wi-Fi is a complimentary part of the data network ecosystem for operators, and India will be no different, as the surge of traffic on mobile networks will need Wi-Fi networks to shoulder the load. www.dqindia.com

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INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

Ruchika Goel [email protected]

Digital is a strong Catalyst for innovation —Puneet GuPta Chief Technology Officer, Brillio

INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

Organizations that embrace the digital wave early and effectively will be the ones that will innovate better and connect deeper with customers, says Puneet Gupta, Chief Technology Officer, Brillio in an interview with Dataquest. He sheds light on the factors that are driving the organizations to go digital and the key technology challenges that enterprises face. Excerpts

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hat makes digital transformation so important for organizations in this new business scenario? Until recently, organizations regarded technology as just an enabler. Today, most organizations realize that it’s a core driver, and are trying to figure out how to take advantage of technology to serve their customers better, faster. Technology is radically changing business paradigms and customer relationships— and their brand experiences—at an unprecedented scale. To keep pace with this market dynamics, it’s important for organizations to proactively embrace digital transformation. Enterprises are trying to take advantage of the digital phenomena by transforming into technology-first businesses. Digital is helping businesses extend their reach and penetrate newer target segments and geographies quickly and easily. What are the biggest technology challenges enterprises face? The pace and breadth of technological change taking place today is too great for most organizations to comprehend. Every industry and corporation stands the chance of being disrupted and made obsolete or inefficient virtually overnight. Organizations are trying to figure out how to put the breakneck pace of technology to their unique advantage. As the digital transformation drive becomes stronger, what will be the opportunities for enterprise buyers and their vendors? How are you dealing with changing expectations of the enterprises with respect to your offerings? It is important to create a clear, holistic digital strategy that takes into account not just the short-term priorities, but the long-term opportunities as well. The right place to start is by acknowledging the profound impact digital transformation can create for an enterprise, the impact on customer relationship and experience—of creating a seamless experience through the digital and physical realms—and the phe|

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nomenal business outcomes this can lead to in the long run. Simply put, digital is a strong catalyst for innovation. We should keep in mind that digital transformation is a journey, not a destination. Organizations that embrace the digital wave early and effectively will be the ones that will innovate better and connect deeper with customers by reimaging experiences, making their every touchpoint a sensory delight. Please describe your key offerings in the digital space. How are these playing out in comparison to your competitors? Digital transformation is a continuous process. Brillio’s digital consultants focus on aligning technology opportunities with an organization’s digital vision to drive specific business outcomes. Broadly speaking, Brillio’s digital solution suite spans Digital Enablement & Transformation, Mobility, User Experience (UX), and the Internet of Things (IoT). What kind of technologies will shape the future of this industry? Technologies like IoT, cloud, mobility, big data, and analytics (especially predictive) will continue to shape the industry. I am particularly excited by the potential of phenomena like Artificial Intelligence (AI), neural networks, advanced machine learning, and augmented reality. As a CTO, I am thoroughly enjoying the way technology has woven itself into the fabric of society and influencing every aspect of our lives. What piece of advice would you like to give to the CTOs or CIOs? CTOs and CIOs are the closest to the technology disruption and stand the best chance to take advantage of technology as a strategic enabler for their organizations. The real advantage of transformation comes from seeing potential synergies across silos, and then creating the conditions for unlocking value throughout the organization. As every business becomes a digital business, the C-suite needs to lead their organizations’ digital transformation from the front. www.dqindia.com

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Industry | EvEnt REpoRt

Ibrahim Ahmad

[email protected]

As the World Gets ‘smart’ India must engage actively with IFA 2015

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t was a press conference for IT, communications, and tech journalists. But the products being discussed and displayed were from everyday life in the drawing room, the living room, and the kitchen. While Gibson Innovations provided a peek into their very interesting new products such as a loudspeaker that features crystal-clear 360-degree sound, Grundig’s kitchen showcased how IT and Internet are making kitchens smarter. On similar lines, Haier, a major Chinese manufacturer of home appliances, presented a more energy-efficient and smarter washing machine than we see in the markets. And Microsoft talked about how Windows 10 will play a role in household appliances. Philips showcased its smart lighting solutions that conserve energy, and another tech player TP Vision said that in 2015, 80% of its TV sets will be equipped with Android. Further, ZTE showcased a mobile HD projector and a smartphone which recognizes spoken commands without being connected to a network. The global press meet gave a glimpse of trends that will dominate the forthcoming consumer electronics and white goods show, IFA 2015. The show attracted over 240,000 visitors and almost 1,500 exhibitors last year. This year, the mega show will focus on convergence of IT and connectivity in devices and smarter living. Jürgen Boyny, Global Director, Consumer Electronics at market research firm, GfK said, “Consumers are increasingly spending on consumer electronics. We expect the positive trend to continue worldwide in 2015 and anticipate 1.5% growth in the consumer electronics sector. Smart cities and smart living will push the growth further.”

the opportunIty In smart home applIances

Device makers uniformly echoed the need for more efficient products. They talked about the rapidly growing need for integrating more ICT into the traditional household devices. According to Bernd Laudahn, MD, Philips, “There are a lot of opportunities emerging in the health technology space due to increased collaboration between healthcare professionals, care givers, and institutions.” According to him, appliance makers are now realizing that data is the oil of the future, and trying to leverage that in their offerings. Resonating the same thought, Yannick Fierling, CEO, 90

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Haier Europe said, “We are very aggressively getting into healthcare and energy solutions. Our new watch will help you track where your kids and ageing parents are.” Murat Sahin, CEO, Grundig Multimedia said, “We have more than 500 products for every room of a household today, and in each one of them we are trying to build in more intelligence.” Similarly, Waiman Lam, Sr Director at ZTE Devices said “We now have a mobile-ICT vision for the entire product range.” And Marc Harmsen, Global Marketing Lead, TP Vision said, “Smart TV is going to be the center piece of the main living room.” What IndIa needs to do to be ‘smarter’

Just when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has rolled out the first level plan for building 100 smart cities at the cost of `48,000 crore, it is important that the concerned city planners, IT secretaries, and even smart city specialists be exposed to all the new technologies and business models that are coming up across the world. And what better place than these expositions. While the fact is that traditionally IFA has been more Europe-centric, the organizers agree that the growth markets now lie in the emerging geographies such as India. “We know there is a lot of action in India, and we are accordingly planning to reach out to more exhibitors and visitors there,” said Jens Heithecker, IFA Executive Director. However, he also thinks that doing business in and with India has its own challenges. Hope the Indian industry and government is listening. It will not be just about buying, but it could also explore opportunities for manufacturing in India, another very important thing on the country’s agenda. A CyberMedia Publication

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Industry | In Focus

Mihir Gandhi [email protected]

The Technology Bridge to Payments Bank Technology has served as a game changer in the payments space. Quite naturally, prospective payments banks will be looking at technology as a differentiator to reach more customers, generate higher transaction volumes, and enhance customer convenience and security

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ayments bank as a concept is an interesting proposition, with diverse players like prepaid payment entities, mobile phone operators, business correspondents, forex companies, corporates, NBFCs, etc, having applied and showing a keen interest in applying to become a payments bank. The list of applicants is awaited from the RBI and a sizeable number of applicants are expected to be awarded payments bank licenses.

Why technology?

RBI’s key imperative for a differentiated banking structure like payments banks is to bring the unbanked to the financial mainstream (banking channel) by offering them low-cost banking options and moving them away from the informal channels. RBI specifically mentions the need for the applicants to be technology driven for achieving objectives related to various banking operations such as account management, risk management, security, AML, etc. The key ‘differentiating’ factor of a payments bank from a traditional bank is providing superior customer service for its product offerings, through usage of technology and innovative models. With this understanding, the technology deployment for a payments bank should be smart enough to ensure the bank achieves all its objectives through a cost-effective and sustainable operating model. hoW to go ABout It—‘the BrIdge’

The proposed ‘smart’ technology deployment for a payments bank depends upon the existing model of the applicant. PPI players can tweak their existing mobile wallet platform to carry out the basic functions of a core banking solution, rather than going for a full-fledged CBS upfront. NBFCs can leverage upon their existing suite of financial services applications to meet any specific demand of a payments bank. Some of them could be connectivity with various regulatory bodies (RBI/NPCI), reporting and analytics modules related to risk management, AML, etc. The existing network of micro ATMs, business correspondents, offline/online delivery channels, card management systems, and switch needs be suitably leveraged upon to build up the distribution model. Currently, less than half of the Indian population has bank accounts but the mobile phone penetration is estimated to reach almost 100% of the population in the next 3-4 years. Now let’s look at a scenario where a certain Mr X has read about payment banks and a list of various banking options. He decides to download a mobile banking app |

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for one of them and check its features. To his surprise, he sees an option to register through Facebook. He quickly logs in and is redirected to a screen where he has an option to open an account through eKYC using Aadhaar ID and bio-metrics. Mr X goes for it and to his surprise his account is instantly opened and is ready to access the whole gamut of banking services! Mobile channel can thus be a key enabler for achieving the main objectives of a payments bank, ie, bringing the bank to the unbanked and improving the customer experience. Key consIderAtIons And the WAy ForWArd

A critical decision is the choice between the hosting (opex) model and the licensed (capex) model. Capex model with inhouse hosting of systems gives better control to the bank, but involves higher lifecycle management costs. Considering the expected operating model and scope of services, the opex model with outsourcing of system infrastructure seems to be a better bet, from cost effectiveness and market readiness point of view. Technology, which has typically, been a cost hurdle due to large setup and maintenance costs can be better utilized by following the pay-per-use cloud computing model, offering unlimited resources with reduced upfront capital expenditure. A hybrid model could help combine the best of various models. Needless to say, the basis for technology-related decisions should be innovation. Innovative products, and flexible design would help the payments bank to achieve a sustainable model. The model should be flexible and agile enough to accommodate future business and regulatory requirements. The proposed architecture should also assist the bank in meeting various other criteria explicitly mentioned by the RBI such as those for branch distribution, customer service standards, capital management, etc. Technologyrelated decisions and considerations should thus be integral parts throughout the entire transformational journey towards a payments bank, rather than be piecemeal or ad-hoc ones. This transformation would no doubt throw up challenges, and technology would be no exception to that. However, innovation and smarter solutions at each stage in the technology design and implementation, with an eye on the future, would assist the new payments bank to achieve the desired goals effectively and be future-ready for new challenges and opportunities. The author is Managing Consultant, Technology Consulting, PwC India www.dqindia.com

May 31, 2015 | 93

Industry | In Focus

Jyoti Prakash [email protected]

Thwarting a New Breed of Cyber Attacks To prevent new-age attacks in the digital age, industries need to implement a cyber security strategy that outlines the best practices for employees, sets comprehensive protocols for responding to a breach, and most importantly, encourages the necessary steps to ensure active network and data security

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ybercrime has evolved from simply stealing information for financial gains to ruthlessly infiltrating industries with the goals of destroying intellectual property, damaging reputation, and crippling critical operating

functions. As one of the most recent and malevolent examples, the Sony Pictures Entertainment hack brought global attention to the issue of cyber security and will likely have a significant impact on the future government policies and 94

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national responses to cyber attacks perpetrated against countries or companies. Motivation plays a big role in who is targeted by these threats and how they are executed. Although the Sony hack has garnered significant attention, its impact pales in comparison to the implications of an attack on critical infrastructure, which has the potential to be politically, economically, and physically devastating. The FBI has said the Sony hack was either perpetrated or sponsored by North Korea, and it is guaranteed that A CyberMedia Publication

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Industry | In Focus

other nation states and organized non-state actors are paying attention to see how the US responds. With 2015 expected to be another landmark year in terms of both the frequency and impact of cyber breaches, organizations and officials cannot ignore the potential risks associated with these threats, risks that go beyond the digital world and cause actual, physical damage. Cyber AttACks set to Get Worse

As the number of devices connected to the Internet increases to the tens of billions in the coming years (Morgan Stanley estimated the number to be as high as 75 bn), the risk from network intrusions, mechanical sabotage, and data loss increase as well. For instance, in December an unidentified group of hackers led a cyber attack on a German iron plant that caused physical damage to the machinery and was executed in a way that prohibited plant workers from intervening in the override. This resulted in multiple components of the machinery malfunctioning, causing massive damage to the system and the plant’s output. The breach was accomplished using a technique called spearphishing, a simple attack that utilizes social engineering to provoke the user to open an email appearing to be from a trusted source but designed with embedded malware. Once hackers compromised and gained access to the system, they applied sophisticated technical knowledge to override the control systems and caused massive destruction. This breach is significant because it is the second publicly confirmed case of a cyber attack causing physical damage to a system—the other being the 2010 sabotage of centrifuges used to enrich uranium gas at an Iranian facility. It is important to emphasize that a cyber attack on a physical infrastructure poses a unique threat, not only to an organization’s network and data, but also its physical and human capital as well as the surrounding population. These threats require distinct procedures, standards, and proactive protections. Industries need to implement a cyber security strategy that outlines the best practices for employees, sets comprehensive protocols outlining a response to a breach, and most importantly, encourages the necessary steps to ensure active network and data security. The Council on Cyber Security and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), for instance, have |

A CyberMedia Publication

both outlined critical security controls as well as public security measures that organizations can take to better secure and defend the network, data, and vital business assets. To address the full array of cyber security threats, near real-time solutions in the form of continuous systems monitoring and risk mitigation are required. When an organization lacks the awareness to determine who has access to its network and sensitive data, it is forced into a reactive posture where breaches are dealt with after the attack, leading to a state of perpetual damage control that diverts further resources away from threat detection and prevention. In today’s environment of advanced threats, being proactive is essential, as it is inevitable that bad actors of some kind will gain access to an organization’s critical data with enough persistence. A strong cyber defense relies on the strength of multiple layers of security targeting underlying software security assurance, data encryption, network defense, and near real-time monitoring to quickly identify a breach and respond before the damage can be done. Without comprehensive situational awareness of an organization’s network, intrusion prevention and detection systems are limited to stopping only the attacks they have been programmed to identify. Pairing near real-time monitoring solutions that have been calibrated with the latest threat intelligence can give IT managers a comprehensive picture of their data environment, so threats can be detected and mitigated before they cause any harm. This is why threat indicator sharing and collaboration is such a necessary and crucial step not only for the protection of individual organizations, but also for industries, critical infrastructure, and national security. Cyber attacks are no longer simply practical jokes or non-lethal schemes of siphoning information for monetary gains. An attack on critical infrastructure presents a clear danger to human life as well as life-sustaining industries. Breaches are an inevitable and expected occurrence in the digital age. Now we must place the priority on how we can prevent and respond to these threats together, which can mean the difference between business as usual and a national crisis.

The author is Country Director, India and Saarc countries, HP Enterprise Security Products (ESP) www.dqindia.com

May 31, 2015 | 95

INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

IoT Is ChangIng The FundamenTals oF BusIness

—Rajesh KumaR CMO, SAP India

Srikanth RP [email protected]

INDUSTRY | TALKING POINT

In an era of consumerization, it has become critical for the CMO to have a deeper understanding of the impact of the connected consumer on enterprise value propositions and marketing practices, says Rajesh Kumar, CMO, SAP India, in an interview with Dataquest. Edited excerpts

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hat is the future of the CMO in a market of empowered customers, big data, and the Internet of Things? In a competitive business environment, CMOs today are going through a radical transformation, driven by multi-channel customer choices, data analysis, and marketing technology. The accelerating pace of the change is creating a wide range of potential new priorities for chief marketers—leading change efforts across the whole corporation, playing a more active role in shaping the company’s public profile, helping to manage complexities, and building new capabilities within (and even outside of) the marketing department. It has become critical for CMOs to have a deeper understanding of the impact of the connected consumer on enterprise value propositions and marketing practices. The importance of marketing as a strategic focus area for the business will be such that I see the CMO emerging into the bellwether of the company. Those CMOs who move from good to great will enroll support from their CIOs to use technology as an enabler in the business and stay in control of the sweeping changes. They will take on a more significant role within the executive team as they become more accountable for customer facing initiatives. At the same time, being close to the customer and already having a pulse of the customer will enable them to leverage many opportunities for leadership within the company. In 2012, Gartner had boldly predicted that CMOs will spend more on IT than CIOs by the year 2017. From your experience, have you seen this shift happening? The prediction was based on a very simple truth that a CMO can no longer delegate technology issues/spends. The rapidly changing market landscape demands that they understand and embrace technology. Whether it is to connect with an always on consumer who expects the same level of engagement in the offline or online world or to leverage big data for improved and targeted marketing campaigns, the CMO needs to work in close conjunction with the CIO to direct spends on technology. So rather than a shift, I foresee the CMO enrolling the support of the CIO to make technology purchases and thus bolstering the overall tech spend within a company. Many companies are also creating the role of the Chief Digital Officer |

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who promises to drive the digital agenda within an organization and unify marketing and IT efforts of the business. What in your view, are some of the top challenges for marketers? How can technology help in solving some of these challenges? Some of the key challenges CMOs face today where technology is a great enabler include: Managing data for actionable insights: According to the Cisco Visual Networking Index, the global IP traffic will reach 1 zettabyte per year in 2015. With these data volumes plus the structured data contained in internal corporate systems, managing data is a huge challenge for most companies. I’d like to give you an example here of Asian Paints— with a team of 1,200 sales representatives connected to a network of more than 40,000 dealers and distributors who market the company’s well-known brands in more than 65 countries, Asian Paints was dealing with an exponential amount of data. Analyzing sales trends and other key performance indicators for such humongous data quantities started becoming a challenge with the then IT architecture, thereby greatly limiting data access, visibility, and usability. This was the time when SAP’s real-time analytics tool, SAP HANA, came in handy. Asian Paints leveraged the near-line storage (NLS) functionality of SAP IQ software to store the data more affordably, enabling real-time analytics, and dramatically streamlining data-intensive tasks. Logging onto where the customer is: Customers are increasingly moving between the online and offline worlds. According to a study by Vantiv, a US-based payment processing and technology provider, more than a third of customers today see an item in-store, compare prices on a mobile app, and then go online to complete the purchase. Another half are researching and purchasing online and simply picking up the product in-store. Marketers today face the challenge of logging onto where the customer is. Technology can help marketers develop and hone their omni-channel capabilities to provide a consistent experience to customers across channels. In this new era of digitization, how has SAP positioned itself to be more relevant to digital marketers? When looking across digital marketing channels, the CMO in 2015 needs to have an excellent grasp on digital www.dqindia.com

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marketing. Advancements in mobile technology and the proliferation of social channels have given consumers the ability to connect and access information at any time, and their attention is more fragmented than ever. So it is very important for marketers to have a deep understanding of how the customers are going to consume media. In this era of digitization when customers are keen to blend multiple channels, our new omni-channel solution, the hybris marketing platform is a perfect fit. The hybris marketing platform provides businesses a complete visibility to communicate, engage, and do commerce with customers wherever they are. All large retail companies are currently talking to us for this solution. Retail giant, Future Group, announced its association with hybris last year in September to converge its digital and physical channels. How can marketers do location-based marketing without being intrusive? Can you give us some examples? I recently came across an extremely interesting information with respect to this trend. According to a study by Accenture, nearly two-thirds of the online shoppers would trade increased privacy for more personalized offers from retailers, as long as they are given options on how their personal data is used. This should be the principle that guides most location-based marketing initiatives today. Successful location-based marketing initiatives will be those that are able to identify a real customer need at that particular moment and tailor fit a solution that appeals to the customer. Take for example, you receive a message on your mobile with a discounted offer from your preferred brand as soon as you walk into a retail store you generally frequent. Wouldn’t this offer appeal to you? This is possible and can be done. SAP has a Precision Retailing solution that can help retailers create personalized offers in real time by combining the consumer’s shopping context and location with the company’s knowledge of the consumer’s profile, preferences, and purchase history along with in-store product availability. As you can imagine such location-based marketing initiatives are a win-win for both customers and marketers. How are you leveraging technology trends like IoT in your marketing strategy? IoT is changing the fundamentals of business all together. We are not merely looking at doing things incrementally because of this technology proliferation but in fact re-im98

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agining our future. Indeed, the Internet of Things is taking connectivity up from just mobile phones to our everyday objects. Most research bodies indicate anywhere between 50-75 bn web-enabled devices by the year 2020, creating a universe of intelligence everywhere. Since we work with so many Fortune 500 companies at SAP, our current dialogues with them are about a very exciting future—it is the next level of growth as companies think of the revolutionary ways in which they can monitor, analyze, and automate processes. We recently unveiled a Hyperconnected Asia Showcase in Singapore, showcasing some of our real life examples of IoT applications across different industries from healthcare to sports to retail. Whether it’s helping the Hamburg Port of Authority optimize the flow of goods and direct traffic better or creating connected cars with BMW, in particular helping drivers navigate vehicles to available parking spaces more efficiently, and personalizing and delivering promotional offers for fuel or food to drivers based on their actual driving route, SAP is helping customers gain from an increasingly connected world. Can you give us some examples of your clients from the marketing function who have benefited from using your solutions? There are several examples on this. I would want to mention a few here: Hungama Digital Services, a leading digital advertising and marketing promotion agency, uses SAP’s Social Media Analytics Application by NetBase to capture actionable customer insights in real time. Not only has this streamlined online reputation management for Hungama’s clients but it has also brought about 35% in time saving as a result of better team collaboration and control. For Asian Paints, SAP HANA and IQ platforms have facilitated in zeroing in on markets and dealers that are experiencing service issues at the moment, rather than relying on historical data crunching over a span of weeks. Our omni-commerce technology solution allows Future Group’s Big Bazaar’s customers to view the retailer’s complete inventory, thereby gaining access to products online that cannot be made available at physical stores. Customers can order products online and collect the packaged order from the nearest store. Also, if a product ordered at a store is out of stock, the customer can get the product delivered at home when available. The use of this solution is helping Big Bazaar penetrate deeper in the market without the cost of adding new physical stores to its portfolio. A CyberMedia Publication

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Industry | InnovatIon

Shweta Nanda [email protected]

Indian Wearable Innovation Helps You take the right step to your destination Ducere Technologies’ Lechal is the world’s first interactive haptic footwear that uses vibrations to tell a wearer which way to take to reach their destination

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n a mountaineering expedition, you get separated from your other group mates and after walking for a while you reach an intersection. Just then, your footwear ‘talks’ to you and sends vibrations to your left foot to convey that you need to take the left turn. You continue following the instructions of your shoes and safely reach your destination. No, this is not a scene from a science fiction or a fantasy movie, the world’s first interactive haptic footwear can actually show you the way and ‘guide your feet’ towards the right path. Aptly termed as ‘Lechal,’ which means ‘take me along’ in Hindi, the footwear is an innovative wearable developed by an India-based company Ducere Technologies. The footwear uses the technology of touch or haptics to guide the wearer by vibrating. It uses Bluetooth technology to connect to the user’s smartphone via an app. Using GPS, the app determines the directions and then communicates with users via gentle vibratory responses or haptic feedback. What makes Lechal interesting is the fact that it allows a completely hands-free experience—you don’t need to

constantly look at maps on your phone while running or biking, making it a safer and convenient option. Lechal is available in two forms—a complete set of shoes or as insoles for existing shoes. This fiery red smart and fashionable footwear, apart from giving directions can also be used as a fitness tracker for counting calories, distance travelled or for logging fitness activity and charts. The footwear also lets users tag their favorite locations, as well as share routes or destinations with other users. Interestingly, Lechal footwear was initially conceived by Krispian Lawrence and Anirudh Sharma, graduates of the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology respectively, as a solution to help the visuallyimpaired navigate their worlds better. Along the way, the duo realized that as the wearable is versatile, it can be used by anyone and everyone. “Lechal is for everyone—people who are interested in wearables, people who like to travel and explore, people who like to keep a track of their fitness metrics, people who are tech-savvy and those who are not, and people who are fashion-conscious, etc,” states Krispian Lawrence, Co-Founder & CEO, Ducere Technologies.

How Lechal Works

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—Krispian Lawrence Co-Founder & CEO, Ducere Technologies

How It empowers tHe vIsually ImpaIred

Since Lechal’s genesis lies in using haptic technology to help the visually-challenged, there are several elements built in to the design that retain that legacy. For example, the app responds to audio commands. Another key feature is that users can control their entire Lechal experience through the volume buttons on their smartphones. “At every stage, the interaction with the app or the footwear is intuitive and organic,” says Lawrence. The impulse to empower the visually impaired continues to guide Lechal’s design philosophy and aesthetic. “We have also created the Lechal Initiative under which a part of the proceeds from the sale of every pair of Lechal footwear sold will be used to subsidize the footwear for someone who is visually-challenged. We have tied-up with LV Prasad Eye institute in Hyderabad to make this a reality,” adds Lawrence. tHe story beHInd tHe world’s fIrst InteractIve HaptIc footwear

In 2011, when Lawrence and Sharma had founded Ducere Technologies with an aim to create intuitive and user-friendly wearables, the wearable technology was at a very nascent stage. Thus, as a start-up, the company had to encounter a number of challenges. Lawrence put this in perspective, “The last few years have seen wearable technology become a buzzword but in 2011 no 102

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The last few years have seen wearable technology become a buzzword but in 2011 no one quite knew what we were talking about. Initially, there were several challenges, from funding to finding the right talent, to finding the right manufacturing vendors. But now, things have fallen into place and we are currently in an expansion phase

one quite knew what we were talking about. Initially, there were several challenges, from funding to finding the right talent, to finding the right manufacturing vendors. But now, things have fallen into place and we are currently in an expansion phase.” Today, the company has scaled from 2 people to 80 employees and is making significant strides in releasing the Lechal footwear. “We have completed our design refinements and are currently awaiting final samples and expect to start mass production in a few weeks. We hope to start shipping our pre-orders by the end of May or early June and we aim to be in retail and e-tail stores in the US, UK, Middle East, and India by OctDec. Customers in other markets will be able to order the footwear from our website until we make inroads into their home countries. We plan to expand into more markets in 2016,” updates Lawrence. Lechal footwear will come with the world’s first interactive charger that responds with audio feedback when you snap your fingers. The insoles will cost around $150 and the shoes will be around $250. “We will also have India-specific pricing that will be lower than all the other markets,” says Lawrence. The company is also working on making Lechal available in brick and mortar stores in India and across the world. It has received an overwhelmingly positive response and has already got over 50,000 pre-orders from across the globe. A CyberMedia Publication

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Industry | In Focus

Ajay Chhabra [email protected]

How to Become a digital Enterprise Organizations need to move beyond adopting social, mobile, analytics, and cloud within the enterprise to become a true digital business 104

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Industry | In Focus

is increasing and the speed at which the enterprise data doubles is reducing. Given this scenario, if you don’t have digital natives in your enterprise the chances of being competitive are lean. Digital not only enhances the customer experience but also increases the productivity of the workforce, operational efficiencies, collaboration between teams and employees, service delivery, and new customer acquisition. The lack of digital awareness and failing to meet consumers’ changing needs and demands has forced a large number of enterprises to shut down. All these factors and trends are forcing us to change the way we run the business and interact with employees, investors, and customers. In my opinion, the digital enterprise is that organization, which irrespective of its size has brought in digital thinking in the board’s DNA. Digital enterprises hire digital natives across multiple functions and SBUs and tasks them to reinvent products, services, and customer connect. These enterprises are experimenting with the Internet, upgraded digital media tools, latest technologies, and applications for their internal and external ecosystem. thE dIgItal smac

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e are parked at the crossroads where the desktop Internet is on the decline and mobile Internet is on the rise and ready to take the world by storm. New strategies and upgraded mobile applications are taking lead over the traditional and age-old business trends. We are quickly hopping from 2G to 3G and 3G to 4G, and beyond. Internet enables each and every device in the world to have an IP address. Self-service delivery, digital products, services, and 3D printing is revolutionizing and redefining the supply chain process. Production, consumption, sharing, and storage of data |

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EntErprIsE

EcosystEm

BEyond

There are many ways and technologies to watch than just adopting social, mobile, analytics, and cloud for your enterprise. A true digital enterprise needs to focus on other aspects like search marketing and optimization, real-time marketing, multi-channel delivery, big data, digital media and marketing, content management systems, email marketing, digital strategy, responsive User Interface Design (UX), eBusiness, videos, content marketing, etc. The Chief Digital Officer or the Chief Digital Transformation Consultant audits the current level of maturity and then creates a strategy and tasks a team to enhance the maturity levels. dIgItal stratEgy componEnts

Digital strategy for any enterprise has multiple components. It has web/mobile and social/search at one place and other important business functions on the other. Third-party digital tools, technologies, platforms, and guidelines are the foundation of a digital enterprise with business objectives at the top. www.dqindia.com

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Digital Enterprise Strategy Matrix

Business Objectives Multi-channel Experience | Operational Efficiency | Collaboration | Productivity | Digital Products & Services | Customer Acquisition

Web/Mobile Marketing

Sales & BD

Manufacturing

Human Resources

Information Technology

Social/Search Digital Tools, Technologies & Guidelines Content Management Systems| Web Analytics| Marketing Automation | Email Marketing | Social Media Monitoring

digital governance thE rolE of thE cdo In thE Enterprise dIgItal EntErprIsE Digital Strategy Matrixestablishes – Simplified – Ajay Chhabraand rules; identifies digital A Chief Digital Officer has multiple tasks and responsibilities to perform. He works in conjunction with the business unit heads and understands their core business challenges; builds a digital marketing strategy and roadmap for the organization; identifies processes and monitors products and functions for digital pilots;

tools and technologies, partners and solutions; and hires talent and motivates them to think and introduce newer digital business models. He also owns digital assets and data, creates multi-channel digital use experience for customers, and transforms the business digitally. closIng thoughts

Buids Digital Marketing Strategy Introduces Digital Business Models

Reports into Boardrooms

Recruits Digital Talent

Chief Digital Officer

Transforms Business Digitally

Owns Digital Assets and Data

Creates Digital User Experience Ensures Multi Channel Delivery of Content

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As a first step towards their digital journey, organizations should digitize each and every function within the enterprise. A conscious effort should be made to hire digital-savvy people across functions. Depending upon the budgets, organizations could take help of digital transformation specialists or consultants. The organizations should focus on training and encourage board members to attend digital orientation or short-term workshops. Finally, for their digital transformation journey, organizations should allocate at least 20% of their IT spend, 20% of the sales and business development spend, 30% of the marketing spend, minimum 20% of their HR spend and 10% of the manufacturing spend into digital media tools, technologies, and marketing. This is 20-20-30-20-10 rule for a 100% digital enterprise.

The author is Founder & Chief Digital Officer, A3R Digital. www.dqindia.com

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last matter

Ed Nair [email protected]

The Two Parts

M

uch has been written and spoken about the making of a digital enterprise. It is now well understood that the digital enterprise is not only about technology but also about identifying areas for innovation, creating new business processes, and in many cases, creating new business architectures and new business models. Converging technologies make these endeavors possible. Even though it might seem to be the preponderant element, technology alone wouldn’t help in realizing the dream of a digital enterprise. What is/are the missing element/s? It is hard to call it by any one name, but it is a motley set of capabilities that really determine the chances of success in creating the digital enterprise. This set includes things as diverse as organization culture, mindset towards innovation, ability to understand customer behavior, organization structure, and many more. Call it the ‘creative’ part of the organization. Taken together with technology, it forms one whole. It is like the yin and yang, the body and the mind, or the left brain and the right brain. Enterprises need to understand this dichotomous aspect to be able to transform themselves into digital enterprises. In reality, mastering the creative side of the organization is the bigger challenge. Technology and capabilities in technology can be sourced externally most of the time, but the creative aspects have to be nurtured internally. For example, the creative aspect could mean devising a new approach for customers to co-create products or services in a hyper-customization mode and the technology used to deliver this new approach could be procured from a technology vendor. The impact of this duality is so telling that even technology service providers are grappling with their own set of challenges. I met a leading global IT services vendor who claimed to offer digital transformation services. The vendor had acquired capabilities in digital marketing, customer experience management, consulting by buying out various specialist companies. But when they set out to sell their services in the market, various incompatibilities between the technical part of the organization and the creative part of the organization arose. The vendor pointed out that such incompatibility issues also existed within their client organizations so much so that it became a four-way problem! CIOs would often find themselves bang in the middle of this turmoil. Yet, CIOs are the most suited to play the bridge between the technical and creative sides of the organization. The challenge is huge, but the rewards are handsome.

Ed Nair Editor-at-large

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