![C o v e r S t o r y
Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20188
shows in the world - primarily it's not an auto show. This year
CES witnessed new cars, autonomous cars, shuttle vans, aug-
mented reality dashboards powered by AI etc. Mercedes launched
its smart cockpit the MBUX, which stands for Mercedes-Benz
User Experience – basically a dashboard of the future with two
12-inch LCDs. While BMW, Ford, and Hyundai previously
announced Alexa support, Toyota will start offering the voice-
powered assistant in its Entune 3.0 App Suite and Lexus Enform
App Suite 2.0 later this year. Nissan's B2V -- that's "brain to vehi-
cle" -- technology reads brain waves, which telegraph what the
driver wants to do 0.5 to 1.0 seconds before the driver's hands or
feet undertake the action. Byton and The Kia Niro showcased
their EV version.
Driverless cars have been a hot topic at CES for several years
and this year was no exception. Toyota unveiled the e-Palette, a
glassed-in autonomous vehicle that could be used by companies
to showcase a mobile retail store, deliver food or even increase
the ability for companies to get more done. Several makers had
prototype versions of driverless cars on display with some avail-
able for demo rides.
Keynotes and conferences
Intel, Ford and Huawei took the CES 2018 keynote stage.
Intel’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, took the stage for the preshow CES
keynote to celebrate innovation and explore what’s next for big
data. “[Data is the] unseen driving force behind the next great
wave of tech innovation,” he said. Intel will bring VR content to
the upcoming Winter Olympics through its immersive media plan
and True View platform, delivering the largest ever VR experi-
ence across 30 sports programs. Former NFL star Tony Romo
joined the stage to further highlight how VR will transform the
consumer experience for live sports, offering the potential to view
from virtually any angle through 360-degree cameras, incredible
data storage and super computing power. During his presentation,
Krzanich also noted the recent opening of Intel Studios, a new
workplace in Los Angeles, California to film, gave a live demo of
an Intel-powered autonomous “human drone” Volocopter and set
a Guiness World Record with its Shooting Star Mini Drone show
– the most advanced software fleet of 100 drones controlled with-
out GPS by one pilot.
CES 2018 kicked off with CTA’s State of the Industry keynote
where Gary Shapiro, CTA president and CEO and Karen Chupka,
senior vice president of CES and corporate business strategy
shared the stage. Chupka addressed the global impact of CES,
“[It] touches every sector of the global economy – from health-
care and education to manufacturing and smart cities,” said Chup-
ka. She also highlighted new and growing areas of CES 2018
such as: The CES Sports Zone, Design and Source, Artificial
Intelligence, high tech retailing, Eureka Park and the growing
automotive footprint.
Shapiro followed, addressing the increasing importance of
tech. “The technologies on display across the CES show floor this
week are solving big, global challenges. Technology connects us
with each other. It makes us more engaged as citizens. It makes
us healthier and it saves lives.” He noted that technology raises
everyone up across social and economic divides and highlighted
CTA’s forecast that the U.S. consumer tech industry will grow
almost 4 percent this year to a record-breaking $351 billion in
retail revenues. Shapiro closed by announcing CTA’s first-ever
International Scorecard, ranking the best countries for innovation,](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/gtmarchaprilissue2018doublespread-180427071008/85/Gt-march-april-issue-2018-double-spread-6-320.jpg)
Gt march april issue 2018 double spread
- 1. G L O B A LG L O B A LT E C H N O L O G I E S Your Window To The Tech World Volume 13 No. 2 March - April 2018 INR ` 150 / US $ 10 / Euro € 10 l l l lCES 2018 HKTDC Maharashtra Allied Digital Readers: Our Most Precious Asset
- 2. E d i t Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2018 1 Dear Friends There can be no two doubts that CES, Las Vegas is the world’s largest tech show with almost all the brands (except Apple) vying for space to attract the audience and media. For us journalists it leaves us physically and mentally exhausted as we try to visit as many press conferences, keynotes, exhibitors spread across five venues. But its 100% sure that we in media cannot miss as it gives us an insight into future technologies. This year was no different as more than 3,900 exhibitors showcased world-changing technologies that spanned more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space across Las Vegas – the largest show floor in CES’ 51 year history. There were 860,732 tweets about CES 2018 and 450,554 uses of the #CES2018 hashtag. From major international brands to the more than 900 startups (the startup section witnessed a substantial jump) participating in Eureka Park (home for CES startups) CES 2018. Intel, Ford and Huawei took the CES 2018 keynote stage. CES over the years has become one of the most important auto shows in the world - primarily it's not an auto show. This year CES witnessed new cars, autonomous cars, shuttle vans, augmented reality dashboards powered by AI etc. CES Unveiled, the official media event of CES 2018 spotlighted a record 204 exhibiting companies, including 72 startups from Eureka Park as media and analysts flocked the show floor to see some of the coolest new technology products on the market. This year hot topics were IoT, wearables, robotic devices, latest in AI, smart home, virtual reality, emotion sensing robots, Alexa-enabled mirrors, smart headphones, smart lighting and more. CES Unveiled provided more than 1,900 media with a sneak peak of the innovation launching this week at the show. Globally many people especially environmentalists have been tracking Cape Town’s Day Zero: the day its taps will run dry and has been making headlines across the globe. Today the world is facing a severe drought and water shortage and fourteen of the world’s 20 megacities are now experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions. Unless we citizens of the world and our governments take urgent measures to save water we may have to learn to survive without H2O. World Bank’s forecasts that water availability in cities could decline by as much as two thirds by 2050. In our country it’s no different and thanks to indifference from government Bengaluru might head the Cape Town way. As per assessment by Down To Earth magazine (brought out by Centre for Science and Environment, India) 10 cities across the world facing Day Zeroes – severe water shortage to hit them in the not-too distant future unless cities innovate, diversify supply sources and use water judiciously. Down To Earth’s analysis shows that at least 200 cities across the world are fast running out of water and 10 metropolitan cities are moving quickly towards Day Zero. Bengaluru, in India, is one of them. Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) every year organizes two major electronics shows – one in April (Spring Edition) and another in October (Autumn Edition). This year again the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and the International ICT Expo, will be staged concurrently at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 April 2018. Entering their 15th edition both fairs provide an international platform for around 3,500 exhibitors to showcase their latest electronics products and cutting-edge ICT solutions to global buyers. In 2017, the twin fairs welcomed more than 94,000 buyers from 138 countries and regions. We have previewed this important show. Chandragupta Amritkar Editor chandraguptaa@hotmail.com editor@globalfeatures.info Editor - Chandragupta Amritkar, Managing Editor - Varsha, Design - Manoj Durgam Contact - Global Technologies, B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059, India. Phone - 91-22-29252569, Mobile - 9223419060 / 9969935878 e-mail: editor@globalfeatures.info / globalfeatures@rediffmail.com Annual Subscription Rates - India: Rs. 600; Overseas: US$ 60 (Rates include airmail charges). Printed and Published by Chandragupta Amritkar on behalf of Global Features B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059 and Printed at Sumangal Press Pvt. Ltd. "Sumangal" G-8 Cross Road "A", Near Marol Bus Depot, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 093. Global Technologies makes all efforts to ensure that the information published is correct and reliable. However the publication holds no responsibility for any inadvertent errors, commissions or opinions expressed. An Indian publication, Global Destinations framed in a Ministers office
- 4. C o n t e n t s Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20184 CES 2018 ......................06 Cover Story Curtain Raiser HKTDC .....................20 Allied Digital .....................24 Cyber Security State Expo Magnetic Maharashtra .....................15 CES Unveiled .........11 Solar Monkey ...........14
- 5. There can be no two doubts that it’s the world’s largest tech show with almost all the brands (except Apple) vying for space to attract the audience and media. For us journalists it leaves us physically and mentally exhausted as we try to visit as many press conferences, keynotes, exhibitors spread across five venues. But its 100% sure that we in media cannot miss as it gives us an insight into the near future technologies. This year was no different as more than 3,900 exhibitors show- cased world-changing technologies that spanned more than 2.75 million net square feet of exhibit space across Las Vegas – the largest show floor in CES’ 51 year history. There were 860,732 tweets about CES 2018 and 450,554 uses of the #CES2018 hashtag. From major international brands to the more than 900 startups (the startup section witnessed a substantial jump) partic- ipating in Eureka Park (home for CES startups) CES 2018. “Large and small companies from around the globe came to Las Vegas this week to use CES 2018 to launch technologies that will change our world,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA). “From 5G to smart cities, digital health, AI, VR/AR and more, the technologies that will shape the future of our planet and lives for the better were on display across the show floor. CES is the global platform where you can see the critical ingredient technologies and understand better how they interconnect, providing both a clear snapshot of today’s breakthrough innovations and a vision of the road ahead.” Voice, VR and automobiles CES to a large scale demonstrated how voice-enabled devices and virtual assistants based on artificial intelligence (AI) will be the future. Amazon announced a partnership with Toyota to include its Alexa technology into their 2018 model dashboards. While virtual reality (VR) has been the talk at CES since last 3 years and this year though HTC's Vive Pro, Samsungs Gear VR, Lenovo Mirage Solo did attract a lot of attention most consumers are still not very comfortable looking through VR headsets. CES over the years has become one of the most important auto C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20186 CES: Epitomizes the spirit of innovation What a show. It’s growing and growing. It’s flourishing, expanding, thriving and the tech fever is seeing no end. Chandragupta Amritkar reports from Las Vegas after again experiencing a high at CES on his 13th consecutive visit to the show
- 6. C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 20188 shows in the world - primarily it's not an auto show. This year CES witnessed new cars, autonomous cars, shuttle vans, aug- mented reality dashboards powered by AI etc. Mercedes launched its smart cockpit the MBUX, which stands for Mercedes-Benz User Experience – basically a dashboard of the future with two 12-inch LCDs. While BMW, Ford, and Hyundai previously announced Alexa support, Toyota will start offering the voice- powered assistant in its Entune 3.0 App Suite and Lexus Enform App Suite 2.0 later this year. Nissan's B2V -- that's "brain to vehi- cle" -- technology reads brain waves, which telegraph what the driver wants to do 0.5 to 1.0 seconds before the driver's hands or feet undertake the action. Byton and The Kia Niro showcased their EV version. Driverless cars have been a hot topic at CES for several years and this year was no exception. Toyota unveiled the e-Palette, a glassed-in autonomous vehicle that could be used by companies to showcase a mobile retail store, deliver food or even increase the ability for companies to get more done. Several makers had prototype versions of driverless cars on display with some avail- able for demo rides. Keynotes and conferences Intel, Ford and Huawei took the CES 2018 keynote stage. Intel’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, took the stage for the preshow CES keynote to celebrate innovation and explore what’s next for big data. “[Data is the] unseen driving force behind the next great wave of tech innovation,” he said. Intel will bring VR content to the upcoming Winter Olympics through its immersive media plan and True View platform, delivering the largest ever VR experi- ence across 30 sports programs. Former NFL star Tony Romo joined the stage to further highlight how VR will transform the consumer experience for live sports, offering the potential to view from virtually any angle through 360-degree cameras, incredible data storage and super computing power. During his presentation, Krzanich also noted the recent opening of Intel Studios, a new workplace in Los Angeles, California to film, gave a live demo of an Intel-powered autonomous “human drone” Volocopter and set a Guiness World Record with its Shooting Star Mini Drone show – the most advanced software fleet of 100 drones controlled with- out GPS by one pilot. CES 2018 kicked off with CTA’s State of the Industry keynote where Gary Shapiro, CTA president and CEO and Karen Chupka, senior vice president of CES and corporate business strategy shared the stage. Chupka addressed the global impact of CES, “[It] touches every sector of the global economy – from health- care and education to manufacturing and smart cities,” said Chup- ka. She also highlighted new and growing areas of CES 2018 such as: The CES Sports Zone, Design and Source, Artificial Intelligence, high tech retailing, Eureka Park and the growing automotive footprint. Shapiro followed, addressing the increasing importance of tech. “The technologies on display across the CES show floor this week are solving big, global challenges. Technology connects us with each other. It makes us more engaged as citizens. It makes us healthier and it saves lives.” He noted that technology raises everyone up across social and economic divides and highlighted CTA’s forecast that the U.S. consumer tech industry will grow almost 4 percent this year to a record-breaking $351 billion in retail revenues. Shapiro closed by announcing CTA’s first-ever International Scorecard, ranking the best countries for innovation,
- 7. congratulating 13 Innovation Champions for creating an environ- ment that allows innovation to thrive. Ford President and CEO Jim Hackett then took the stage for the opening keynote to share his bold outlook for Ford. Hackett ide- alized “the living street” and touted a human-centered course for- ward when it comes to smartening our cities. “It’s not about cities getting smarter, it’s about humans having a better day,” he said. Hackett’s vision focuses efforts on creating a reliable future of transportation through a systems-based approach for the people of rising smart cities. Hackett was joined on stage by top influ- encers in transportation and other Ford executives, including Marcy Klevorn, president of mobility, to highlight the company’s road to the future. Ford also introduced its new Transformation Mobility Cloud, an open platform, is designed to simplify the flow of data in support of transportation systems from vehicles and bicycles to mass transit. Huawei took the CES keynote stage Tuesday afternoon to announce the availability of its Mate10 Pro smartphone in the American market next month. Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Con- sumer Business Group outlined the capabilities of the unlocked, $799 flagship phone including an AI-powered Kirin processor; larger battery capacity; dual camera system; high speed and secu- rity; fast charge and a 6” full view OLED HDR display. Huawei also announced a Porsche Design version of the Mate10 that will have premium features. “Our newest consumer solution, the HUAWEI Mate 10 Pro, is the smartphone that U.S. consumers need and deserve,” said Yu. Mr. Yu also unveiled the Huawei WiFi Q2 Series, a home wi-fi system, promising a reliable signal throughout your house, and introduced “Wonder Woman” actress Gal Gadot as their first Chief Experience Officer. “With every major industry now engaged in tech, our show attracts major global brands and innovative newcomers from industries as varied as entertainment and marketing, sports and healthcare, and automotive and lifestyle” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, CES and corporate business strategy, CTA. “We had a record number of international attendees, which is amazing due to the strength of the US dollar and the drop in inter- national business travel to the US. CES is truly a global event, proven year after year." An array of groundbreaking technologies were introduced, explored and analyzed over the past days, showing that our world is heading towards a more connected future. Smart Cities at CES spotlighted many of these innovative technologies, including 5G, AI and IoT. The CES conference program covered the entire tech industry through more than 900 speakers, including 240 women, across some 200 conference sessions. “CES 2018 will be remembered as the year where the wattage of innovation was so huge that it caused a blackout!” said Brid- get Karlin, CTO and VP, IBM. “CES 2018 once again demon- strated that this is the world’s premiere showcase for technology innovation with unparalleled diversity from international public officials to industry leaders to entrepreneurs.” The brand new Smart Cities Marketplace delivered multiple conference sessions that featured policymakers, city officials, industry innovators and more. Additionally, CES 2018 saw sever- al hundred government leaders attend the show including one cabinet official, 10 members of congress and six international ministers. Smart speakers and digital assistants made their way into everything at CES from speakers and glasses to cars and appli- ances. Quantum computing also emerged at CES 2018 as a key component to the future of technology, showcased by exhibitors like IBM and Intel. “CES is by far the world’s preeminent technology showcase and innovation catalyst. At CES, companies, both large and small, along with a powerfully diverse set of entrepreneurs from around the globe come together to define the technologies, prod- ucts and services that will help address society’s most pressing needs,” said John Penney, EVP, consumer business development & partnership, Twentieth Century Fox. “CES is a connection sys- tem for the global community of innovations, their companies, and countries.” CES 2019 is scheduled in Las Vegas from January 8-11. C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201810 CES Unveiled, the official media event of CES 2018 spotlight- ed a record 204 exhibiting companies, including 72 startups from Eureka Park as media and analysts flocked the show floor to see some of the coolest new technology products on the market. This year hot topics were IoT, wearables, robotic devices, latest in AI, smart home, virtual reality, emotion sensing robots, Alexa- enabled mirrors, smart headphones, smart lighting and more. CES Unveiled provided more than 1,900 media with a sneak peak of the innovation launching this week at the show. CES Media Days featured two days of product announcements from companies both large and small. Kicking off a week filled with innovation, 29 companies hosted preshow press confer- ences, with product announcements including: Bosch - "Simply. Connected." portfolio, which highlights the use of smart city technology to revolutionize urban mobility, air quality, energy efficiency and security BrainCo - First affordable, non-intrusive, AI powered prosthet- ic hand Byton - Electric, self-driving, connected concept car expected to launch in late 2019 Continental - Unveiled its long-term goal for seamless mobili- ty and vision zero, Continental’s goal of eliminating all traffic fatalities on roads Dynamic - Announced the world’s first network-certified smart credit card technology Faurecia - Voice-activated cockpit of the future with Amazon Alexa HDMI - HDMI 2.1 Specification – the most recent update of HDMI standards and specification, supporting a higher range of A/V resolutions and bandwidth speeds Hisense - H10E 4K Smart ULED™ TV, and H9E Plus 4K Smart ULED™ TV Hyundai - New, technological flagship fuel cell electric vehicle called Nexo with advanced driver assist capabilities Interaxon – Partnering with Safilo to combine fashionable eye- wear with Muse’s brain-sensing technology Kia - Niro EV Concept, a fully electric compact SUV which can run 238 miles on a single charge with a 30 minute fast charge LG -Showcased its product integration of LG ThinQ AI – arti- ficial intelligence products that can learn from consumers C o v e r S t o r y Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2018 11 CES Unveiled and CES Media Days NVIDIA One of the most well attended events was of NVIDIA where its CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company is collaborating with 320- plus partners on self-driving, including new efforts with key players on three continents. NVIDIA launched Xavier an autonomous-machine processor which can do deep learning, computer vision and high per- formance computing at highly efficient levels. Also underscoring NVIDIA’s role at the center of automotive AI, the company announced partnerships with Volkswagen; top automotive supplier ZF working with Baidu, in China; ride-sharing service Uber; and Aurora. “In the future, every car will be self-driving. There will be 100 million cars built each year, millions of robotaxies and several hun- dred thousand trucks,” Huang said. “All of it will be autonomous. On top of this, what will defne the driving experi- ence is the AI.” Emphasizing the importance of AI to the auto industry, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess joined Jensen on stage to discuss how AI and deep learning will shape the development of a new generation of VW vehicles. The new VW I.D. Buzz — modeled on the automaker’s iconic MicroBus — was highlighted. Apart from auto industry NVIDIA introduced a new breed of Big Format Gaming Displays, or BFGDs, for a giant- screen PC gaming experience. “Big Format Gaming Displays make it possible for you to now enjoy PC gaming in enormous displays that are incredibly fluid, HDR, G-Sync, silky smooth gaming experience like you’ve never had before,” Huang said.
- 8. MobileHelp - Emergency response system for the Samsung Gear S3 Monster - Monster Talk voice-activation technology, to be included in the Superstar Bluetooth speakers, Elements head- phones and Clarity Bluetooth headphones Neutrogena - NeutrogenaSkin360 attaches to smartphone and uses sensors to create a personalized skincare plan Nucalm - Patented relaxation technology, which combines a topical cream, microcurrent stimulation via the NuCalm visor, and the NuCalm neuroacoustic software Panasonic - First 4K OLEDs with HDR10+ format Philips - Philips SmartSleep headband designed to create better quality of sleep with personalized tones and volumes Project Nursery – Alexa-based baby monitoring system Qualcomm – Processor for extensive use across 5G connectiv- ity, automotive, and smart home tech, including low power Blue- tooth audio devices and VR headsets Ripple -App to improve professional networking that uses Rip- ple’s “face connect” technology, allowing users to take a picture of someone and instantly add them to a connection list Royole - Showcased the future of flexible technologies and the human-machine interface Samsung - Unveiled the IoT ecosystem “SmartThings,” the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen and the Samsung Flip Showstoppers Launch.it – Winner of its startup pitching contest was Velco with their “Wink Bar,” the first connected handlebar for bikes with smartphone compatibility Sony – Showcased its A8F OLED TV TCL - TCL Roku Smart Soundbar integrated with the Roku Entertainment Assistant Toyota - Announced their new self-driving mobile market- place, e-Palette Valeo - Low-voltage (48V) all-electric vehicle prototype motorization system, which is 20 percent more economical than existing high-voltage solutions ZF - ZF ProAI, new super computer with modular and scalable architecture C o v e r S t o r y
- 9. C o v e r S t o r y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201814 What’s the main aim of participating at CES 2018 and did you succeed in your goals? The main reason for us to join the CES was to build our inter- national network, together with 50 other Dutch companies. We are a young company that has quickly grown to be market leader in the Netherlands. We have the ambition to launch our products worldwide later this year and in order to achieve that we are building a network of international partners. CES is an incredible event with so many enterprises from around the world, which makes it an ideal place to grow our network. Besides that, we combined the CES with a visit to the San Francisco Bay area to meet potential partners like Google, Tesla, Sunpower etc. How did the idea of entering this solar segment germinate? In 2014 we noticed that solar was an upcoming market in the Netherlands, but there were still many possible improvements that could help develop the market even quicker. First of all, we saw that solar installers were spending a lot of time designing solar systems, calculating energy yields and producing quotes. There were traditional software tools available like PV-Sol and PVsyst, but modelling a solar system was time consuming. A sim- ple solar system design could take up to an hour. Most of the time a preliminary site survey was still required, taking even more time. Secondly, we found that consumers buying solar were often very insecure about the actual achieved energy yield. For them a solar system is a complicated product and after installation there was little service to ensure their solar system performed properly. Based on those two findings we started building Solar Monkey, because we knew we could help the solar market develop so much quicker! Our mission is to enable solar to be the world’s leading power supply. Could you brief us on your range of solar products and what type of services do you provide? We offer online software for installers to remotely design and monitor solar systems. Instead of having to visit a location, a complete solar design and quote can be generated within a minute. This saves an insane amount of time for the installer. The unique thing about our software is that we use LIDAR 3D data to determine roof tilt and shading automatically. The second service we provide is active monitoring. After installation we continuously monitor solar systems to ensure it is working properly. Based on the previously made design and live solar irradiance data we calculate how much energy the system should generate, and we compare this with the actual energy gen- eration. In case of expected issues we inform the installer and the consumer. This way the customer can benefit from the solar sys- tem 100% worry-free, and the installer can promise a great after- care and boost good references. Who are your major customers? In the Netherlands all kinds of clients use our software, varying from small enterprises to the country’s largest utility. We have also partnered with solar wholesalers, who offer the software as an integrated part of their webshop to their installer clients. Such a reseller model is very beneficial for both sides; the wholesaler can offer extra service to their clients, and we have a much big- ger reach and impact. How do you view the Indian market and what steps are you taking to tap the market? I believe that in a country with such a strong economic growth it is essential to incorporate as much sustainable energy as possi- ble during growth. India has been in the top 10 solar markets for many years and there is still a lot of potential for growth, for both residential and utility scale. Above that India has an entrepreneur- ial culture which will enable us to get good partnerships. Through working together with the right partners I believe we can have a lot of positive impact. I can’t wait to open our office there! “India has an entrepreneurial culture which will enable us to get good partnerships” It was a well worded e-mail with a request for a meeting from Olivier Noorduyn, commercial director, Solar Monkey which had an Indian touch that caught my attention. So during CES made it a point to visit their stall and then we went for a nice Indian dinner. Over dinner met the whole team including the dynamic youngster Jan Pieter Versluijs, founder of Solar Monkey. In an exclusive Interview with Global Technologies he elaborates on his company and its expan- sion plans to India. While the state’s top brass focus was on global giants, the expo held alongside the mega conferences was what attracted the com- mon man - with our small sector including tribal region entrepre- neurs pitching their innovative products and some of the stalls that had social concern as the main theme. One of the prominent stall was Mantras – that was showcas- ing the importance of preserving environment through various innovative products. “Environment is my lifeline and it is the need of the hour. We specialise providing water and waste solu- tions. Our Bio-Composter is an Eco-friendly solution for com- posting organic waste (Kitchen/ Garden) into useful organic manure. Priced at just Rs. 7000 with a guarantee for 20 years, it is the ideal solution for what Maharashtra government plans to do away with household waste,” said Dr. U. K. Sharma CMD, Mantras who has done a PhD in environmental sciences. He created the company in 2005 and has always encouraged woman empowerment. 40% employees are ladies and all are post graduates. It is also one of the seven companies in Maharashtra to have NABET and QCI for Environmental Impact Assessment. They are also Winner of top 100 SME’s of India Award, chosen amongst an overwhelming 63,919 nominations across the coun- try. Two other interesting products that I liked were the Bio toilet - a specially designed fermentation tank for accelerated microbial degradation of organic waste and Mantras Kalash is an 1000 ltr water tank which is made from UV Stabilized food grade virgin LLDPE. S.S. Enterprises displayed their e-toilet which was just creat- ed a month back. “It’s a public utility product under Swatch Bharat vision of our PM and CM. We are trying to play a small role to help them achive their goals, “said Harshad Bele, a young- ster who was earlier in defence forces. They manufacture FRP moulded Mobile Toilet Vans. These are self-cleaning (using vacuum) toilets water jets and air compres- sors. They have 3 models with various sensors and timers to open and close the doors. The only company with a drone product was Sky Technologies, based in Nagpur. Run by a father and son duo - Sunil Jejani and Sanket Jejani it provides aerial solutions and services to industrial and environmental focused clients including 3D mapping, topography surveys, aerial LiDAR mapping and detailed site pictures. “I was always fascinated by drones and its technology. After doing some research and in depth study a couple of years back I launched this company. Under my father’s guidance, who is already an established entrepreneur, I started looking at potential utility areas for drones. Today we provide services to most gov- ernment offices including CBI, Maharashtra Police, Ministry of Home Affairs etc.,” said Sanket Jejani. Drones used for LiDAR Mapping/ Aerial inspection /Pho- S t a t e E x p o Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2018 15 Entrepreneurs benefit at Maharashtra Expo It was the Magnetic Maharashtra Expo that saw a large number of footfalls as visitors thronged to see what the states entrepreneurs were innovating feels Chandragupta Amritkar
- 11. S t a t e E x p o Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201818 togrammetry provide this data easily, quickly, and safely with less risk, more frequency, and more detail than manned flight or satel- lite imagery. With down-to-the-centimeter precision our drones can collect data from remote locations with the ability to monitor operations from a ground station. The end user receives opti- mized data reports per specific project needs. “We are using state of art drones controlled by satellite and software and today we were the best in this segment in our coun- try,” said Sunil Jejani. There was a substantial presence of e-vehicles and what a tim- ing when the state had just announced the new e vehicle policy. The policy aims at creating an enabling environment for the man- ufacture of 500,000 EVs in the state within the next five years. While Mahindra e-vehicles are already well known, another com- pany which had a big stall was Sukoza. They were displaying their e-vehicles including 2 and 3 wheel- ers. “We have got a substantial boost due to policy. The proposal of exempting e-vehicles from road tax and registration charges in Maharashtra as well as 15 percent subsidy being provided to owners of the first 100,000 EVs registered in the state is bound to encourage us,” said Mahesh Kulkarni, Director, Sukoza, who was also responsible for creating the e-pavillion at the expo. YU Technologies from Miraj were also displaying their inno- vative products. Though from a tier III city they have created a niche for themselves offering many state-of-the-art products for measurement and control of Various Industrial Processes and Turn-Key Automations. “We are a small SME company with 40 engineers. But some of our latest products are going to help us triple our revenue. For e.g., our YUTECH Brix Analyzer is of the same quality as that from Germany but we are able to sell it at 1/5th the price. Most of our products are also being built so that the users can save substantial power,” said Udhav Dalvi, MD, YU Technologies. Another company from Miraj was Hindustan Nylons. Formed in 1979 they manufacture and market PTFE & other fluropoly- meric semi-finished and finished shapes. Today they are one of the largest processor of PTFE in India & has expanded its range to encompass the full spectrum of PTFE shapes. “We offer design, development & laboratory testing facilities to handle cus- tomer projects from concept to full manufacture. We have a huge, wide & state of art manufacturing facilities; Comprising Hydraulic Presses, Ovens, Ram Extruders, Lathes, Turrets, Milling Machines, Skiving Machine, Calendar- ing Machine etc to cover producing most of the prod- ucts in PTFE,” said Sanjay Aranake, Partner Hindustan Nylons. He is also the president of Sangali Miraj MIDC Manu- facturers Associa- tion. He said that though the harass- Spread across 50,000 sq meters of space at “Magnet- ic Maharashtra: Convergence 2018” saw participation from major Indian companies as well SMEs. The exhi- bition had sectorial focus in areas like Automobiles / Auto Components; Defence; Food Processing; IT/ITes; Electronics; Heavy Engineering; Pharmaceuticals; Gems and Jewellary; Film Studios; Builders promoting industrial parks. There were also food stalls, icecream manufacturers. Major government organisations put up quite a few attractive stalls making public aware of what they do. Select stalls also promoting their SEZs. Stalls were split into zones like Mumbai & Pune, Aurangabad, Nagpur and Nashik. S t a t e E x p o Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2018 19 ment by government officials has substantial decreased, corrup- tion still remains a major issue for the SMEs. He hopes that the CM being so down to earth will help them solve the industry problems. While there were many winery stalls too, I got attracted to Oakwood Vineyards which is not from Nashik but Shrirampur. A small stall but a crowded one they were displaying a variety of wines. “My father Uttam Keval has 40+ years’ experience in the beverage and spirits industry in India, while I have studied alco- hol technology in Pune, and subsequently studied oenology and vinification in France. This has helped us bring out probably the best wines globally. We are already participating in global events but a well-planned branding and promotion will help us reach our targets within India as well as global markets,” said Amit Keval, Director, Oakwood Vineyards. The company currently exports 60% of their wines. They have three range of brands –Reisha, Mystic Oak and Bella Rouge plus an entry level brand Gio Red Wine. Bhumi World Industrial Park Bhiwandi had its presence in two halls. “We are the biggest complex for SSI in Maharashtra. We already have 1050 industries providing employment to 15,000 people. With most of the existing industries expanding and a few more scheduled this year by the end of 2018 we will have 25,000 employees in the park, said Prakash Patel, CMD Bhumi World Industrial Park. Set up in 2010 the industrial park has been successful in getting 150 international companies. They are able to provide a single window clearance for these companies. “You only bring the tech- nology and in six months we will get the registration done, con- struct the ctory, provide manpower and recommend raw material suppliers. Even for your staff we can provide reasonably priced accommodation and for your guests a 3 star hotel is already on the premises,” said Prakash Patel. Among the other interesting companies were Imaginarium which is into 3D printing, Rayon illumination from Aurangabad is into LED lighting and Swami Samarth Electronics is into lasers and economical stoves for the rural people.
- 12. C u r t a i n R a i s e r Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201820 With India becoming an economic power house thanks to its excellence in the field of ICT many Indian IT companies exhibit at major events across the globe trying to provide their knowl- edge and skills to local players in that market. One such impor- tant show is the HKTDC ICT Expo. Infact for Indians the Spring Electronics Fair is more attractive than the Autumn Electronics Fair (even though it attracts more exhibitors and visitors) as this has the ICT Expo running parallel to it. This year again 28 Indian exhibitors are participating under the aegis of Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council (ESC). ESC is considered to be India’s best Electronics and IT trade facilitation organization and assists Indian IT indus- try particularly the SMEs. With 2300 member exporters pan India ESC is also the largest IT association in the country and shows the confidence of the ICT fraternity in ESC. Out of the total mem- bership of ESC, about 70 per cent are SMEs. As a link between the Government and member exporter, ESC provides a platform for interaction on policy issues for the SMEs. Twin Fairs Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) every year organizes two major electronics shows – one in April (Spring Edition) and another in October (Autumn Edition). This year again the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) and the International ICT Expo, will be staged concurrently at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 13 to 16 April 2018. Entering their 15th edition both fairs provide an international platform for around 3,500 exhibitors to showcase their latest elec- tronics products and cutting-edge ICT solutions to global buyers. In 2017, the twin fairs welcomed more than 94,000 buyers from 138 countries and regions. Hong Kong’s electronics industry is the largest merchandise export earner of the territory, reaching US$329 billion in 2017, up nine per cent year on year. As an important electronics trading hub in Asia, Hong Kong is the ideal location to stage influential trade fairs for industry players to explore business opportunities, preview upcoming trends and exchange market intelligence. Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director, HKTDC, said, “HKTDC organises the Spring and Autumn Electronics Fairs in April and October respectively each year to align with the sourc- ing periods of global buyers. The Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) is the largest spring electronics event in Asia with more than 2,900 exhibitors taking part this year. Held con- currently with the Spring Electronics Fair is the International ICT Expo, featuring some 600 exhibitors to create more cross-sector business opportunities for the industry.” Startup zone returns to showcase innovation Launched at the Spring Electronics Fair and ICT Expo for the first time in 2017, the Startup zone will return to the fairs to fea- ture the latest innovations across different categories such as Apps, IoT, Consumer Tech, eHealth, Robotics and Digital Busi- ness. One of the local start-ups from Hong Kong will showcase the wearable electronic Peacify Sock dedicated for babies, which helps monitor the baby’s vital signs such as blood oxygen level, heart rate and body temperature. The collected data can be trans- ferred to the parents’ smartphone in real time and alert them in case of abnormal readings. A Chinese mainland start-up will present a consumer robot, Gomer, which comes with soft hand capable of holding objects in different shapes. The embedded AI algorithm allows Gomer to recogise the user’s face and emotion to provide relevant feed- back. It can be used for home monitoring with live video and two- way audio function. A series of themed events will be held to provide an effective platform for start-ups to present their ideas. These include pitch- ing sessions for them to pitch solutions or product ideas to poten- tial investors, buyers and media on the spot. At the mentoring ses- sions, mentors will help start-ups connect with potential partners at the fairs. There will also be “Startup, Smart Launch” sessions where newly developed technology and products can be intro- duced to buyers, as well as sharing sessions featuring representa- Startup zone to showcase innovation Under the aegis of ESC, India the ICT Expo held in Hong Kong along with Hong Kong Electronics Fair will again see a substantial Indian presence both exhibitor and visitor wise. Global Technologies previews this all important event
- 13. tives from successful entrepreneurs and angel investors to share business tips with start-ups. The popular Tech Hall introduced last year will return at the Spring Electronics Fair to showcase tech-savvy products in four thematic zones: Connected Home, Robotics & Unmanned Tech, Virtual Reality (VR) and Wearable Electronics. The Connected Home zone will showcase the application of IoT for home automation such as smart home system controlled by mobile apps. At the Robotics & Unmanned Tech zone, buyers can find aerial cameras, electric scooters, industrial and house- hold robots. The Virtual Reality zone will feature a range of VR headsets, video cameras and related technology. Another popular zone is Wearable Electronics, which will showcase a wide range of products such as smart watches and smart wristbands that can show smartphone notifications and monitor sports functions. Another highlight of the Fair is the Hall of Fame, which will feature more than 570 internationally renowned quality brands including Bourgini, Desay, Greatwall, HKC, Latitude, Roadrover, SKROSS and Polaroid. During the first three days of the fair (13-15 April), the HKTDC will organise a series of seminars under the “2018 Tech Trends Symposium”. Industry experts will examine the latest technology and application trends in robotics, connected home and wise living, wearable technology, as well as VR, Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR). ICT Expo under the “Smart City” theme Running concurrently with the Spring Electronics Fair, the ICT Expo is the ideal platform for different industries to keep abreast of the latest products and solutions in information, communica- tion and technologies with the objective to enhance business effi- ciency and stay competitive. This year, the Expo will adopt the theme of “Smart City: The Way of the Future” to gather a wide range of related ICT solu- tions to develop an efficient and sustainable urban planning and management. A Smart City zone will be launched to present Hong Kong Smart City Blueprint, mapping out development plans for the next five years and showcasing various solutions and applica- tions for smart city development. Exhibitors include research institutes like the Hong Kong R&D Centre for LSCM Enabling Technologies (LSCM), the Automotive Parts and Accessory Sys- tems (APAS) R&D Centre and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). LSCM will present “Follow-Me” Robots and Platooning Tech- nology. The Robots can carry heavy or bulky objects while fol- lowing the worker who wears a dedicated vest with special sig- nage. Configured with multiple sensors and advanced computer vision techniques, the Robots can detect and avoid obstacles to ensure the workers’ safety. A platooning technology is also devel- oped to facilitate the Robots follow and control each other intel- ligently. A linking of two or more Robots can improve efficiency and reduce turnaround time of delivery. APAS will showcase Portable Charger Kit (PCK), which is a handheld Electric Vehicle (EV) charger that works with propri- etary AC power socket through wireless authentication. The driv- er can simply plug the charger to a nearby PCK Socket and get medium fast charging for the vehicle after parking. It replaces the traditional bulky wall mount AC chargers by simple PCK Sock- ets which are small, low cost and easy for installation and main- tenance. ASTRI will showcase an innovative Smart Pole which lever- ages Narrowband IoT technology to facilitate various smart city applications. The Smart Pole comes with an interactive display. It can facilitate Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communications – enhancing road safety and modernising traffic management. It is also an ideal infrastructure to facilitate high-speed communica- tion technologies like 5G by providing hotspot coverage. SME IT Clinic will return to the ICT Expo, providing compli- mentary professional consultation services on ICT systems and solutions to help SMEs enhance business efficiency. On each day of the Expo, there will be dedicated theme for seminars and sharing sessions featuring hot industry issues, which include Cashless & Secured City, Digitalisation, Smart Living, as well as Digital Marketing & Smart Retail. C u r t a i n R a i s e r Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201822 Partial List of Indian Exhibitors ICT Expo Hall 3G 1. ABC Buildtech Pvt Ltd 2. Adhi Software Pvt Ltd 3. Aosta Software Technologies India Limited 4. Apex Tronic 5. BATOI SYSTEMS PVT LTD 6. Cache Technologies & Communications Pvt. Ltd. 7. CDN Solutions 8. Consagous Technologies Pvt Ltd 9. Cyber Infrastructure (P) Limited, 10. ESC 11. Empower Integrated Solutions (P) Ltd. 12. eQuasar Solutions 13. Hiteshi Infotech Private Limited 14. Kliento Technologies Private Limited 15. Levaral Consultancy LLP 16. Little Flower Investment Company Pvt Ltd. 17. Mango IT Solutions 18. Naico Information Technology Services Pvt Ltd 19. Neosoft Technologies 20. Perfect Team Engineers Pvt Ltd 21. QA InfoTech Private Limited 22. Quality Data Sciences & Analytics LLP 23. RETISENSE TECH INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED 24. Roger International Pvt. Ltd. 25. SISRB Technologies Pvt Ltd 26. Terranet India Pvt. Ltd. 27. WebKlipper Technologies Pvt Ltd (WebEngage) 28. Yalamanchili Software Exports Ltd
- 14. Cybersecurity is vital for any organization but are com- panies getting the message? There is an alarming increase in incidents created out of infor- mation security breaches. A sin- gle attack has the capacity to demolish the business. For example, in world of connected smart devices & IoT, it is predicted by Intel that approximately 200 billion devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020. This phenomenon is changing the way we live and interact with the world around us. A recent report on IoT cybersecurity found that 70% of devices did not encrypt communications, while a survey from IOActive found that IoT cybersecurity and privacy are a top concern for people and companies. However, it seems those people are not being heard. Organizations are aware about various cybersecurity threats. However, there are three challenges faced by organizations to act: 1. Lack of knowledge and awareness about the importance and impact of cybersecurity. Some companies don’t care about cybersecurity, while others care but don’t know what to do or how to act on it. 2. Complex scenarios where old, new and different technologies are used together. This happens frequently as businesses update, and just one insecure component could make a whole system insecure. 3. Lack of time and money for implementing cybersecurity. Few organizations are highly active in managing cybersecurity. Allied Digital believes that building awareness about cyberse- curity within the organization, implementing structured process for Information Security Management System and constant mon- itoring of threat landscape is the key to address these challenges. How would a company go about creating a strong top-to- bottom cyber security culture and what role can Allied Digi- tal play? In cybersecurity, organizations often equate culture with how seriously people take security in their daily activities and behav- iors. That’s certainly part of it, but security culture isn’t the same thing as security awareness. Usually, a strong security culture is one where people put security first as a priority. There are many steps to be taken to build a strong and scalable cyber security cul- ture within the organization. Allied Digital has a program for Cyber Security Risk Manage- ment which encompasses four major areas: 1. Security Master Plan, Framework & Policy Development 2. Build and implement ISMS processes and procedures compli- ant to SOC-2 or ISO 27001. 3. Setup continuous monitoring of threats and response system based on NIST framework 4. Periodic assessments, training and employee awareness pro- grams Many organizations prefer to go on a case-by-case rather than instilling a cybersecurity culture. Your Views Many organizations choose to address the cybersecurity prob- lem by focusing too much on the underlying technology like net- works, firewalls, encryption, identity management tools etc. As important as these are, they are only one-third of the security equation. A disproportionate focus on security technology, can actually leave organizations more vulnerable to security gaps. The other two-thirds of the security equation are people and process. Any organization who is not attending to people, process and technology together is inviting a major, and perhaps disas- trous, security incident. Companies need to build strong, scalable cybersecurity culture within their organization. How do you see the market evolving? The cybersecurity market is expected to grow from USD 137.85 Billion in 2017 to USD 231.94 Billion by 2022, at a Com- pound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 11.0%. The major forces driving the cybersecurity market are strict data protection direc- tives and cyber terrorism. The cybersecurity market is growing rapidly because of the growing security needs of Internet of Things (IoT) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trends, and increased deployment of web and cloud-based business applica- tions. Cybersecurity Research and Market Intelligence Company, C y b e r S e c u r i t y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201824 “Companies need to build strong, scalable cybersecurity culture within their organization” Allied Digital Services has built a niche for itself in the IT Services space. From a three-per- son team, today the company has grown to 3000-plus people spread across 90 countries. Spearheading the operations is Nitin Shah, CMD, Allied Digital Services who has man- aged to make the company a global force. Recently the companies has been laying a lot of thrust on cybersecurity. In a tête-à-tête with global Destinations Nitin Shah throws light on its importance and the role played by his company. Excerpts
- 15. “Cybersecurity Ventures” predicts cybercrime will continue ris- ing and cost businesses globally more than $6 trillion annually by 2021. The estimate is based on historical cybercrime figures including recent year-over-year growth, a dramatic increase in hostile nation state sponsored and organized crime gang hacking activities, a cyber-attack surface which will be an order of mag- nitude greater than it is today, and the cyber defenses expected to be pitted against hackers and cybercriminals over that time. It is high time organization act to develop a top to bottom cybersecurity infrastructure, processes and culture within their organization. Cybersecurity doesn’t only affect large corporate but also SMEs. Unfortunately, SME may not have sufficient invest- ment plans. What can be the solution? Small to medium enterprises are failing to prepare adequately to address cyber threats – despite the risks – because of a lack of knowledge or awareness, lack of investment and false sense of security, thinking that they are too small to become a target for organized cybercrime. Although, SMEs are not the target for organized or state spon- sored cybercrimes, they are still vulnerable to mass cyber-attacks like Ransomware, Malware, Phishing, DDoS etc. A simple Three Step approach can help SMEs to prepare them against cyber security threats: Having a clear plan A good cybersecurity strategy outlines an organization’s com- mitment to & method of – delivering effective cybersecurity. Assess the risks to the organization’s information assets with the same focus as you would for other risks such as legal, regulatory and operational threats. Having the right software in place Download software and app updates as soon as they appear, as they will likely contain vital security upgrades that can keep their devices and data safe and focus on your network security by mon- itoring traffic for unusual or malicious incoming and outgoing activity that could indicate an attack (or attempted attack). In addition, install anti-virus software on company computers, tablets and smartphones to help prevent infection. Lastly, having taken the above elements into consideration, it can also be useful to have a back-up of your data on an external hard drive or cloud- based service. Educating employees Make the teams aware of cybersecurity threats and how to spot them. Share best practice regarding passwords strength and how to handle suspicious emails that might contain fraudulent requests for information or links to viruses. In cybersecurity the role of the government is important. What value do Allied Digital provide and how is it working with government? While the Indian Government has laid out the blueprint for Digital India now, we are well ahead of the curve during this par- adigm shift to address these new challenging opportunities. The Indian government has announced initiatives such as “Make in India”, “Digital India” “Skill India” “e-governance” “Smart & Safe cities” and “Start-up India” and investments by companies are opening a lot of opportunities where we are fully geared to offer our innovative digital solutions and services on the foundation of Information Security. More importantly, there is a diligent effort in making the digital backbone more secure through initiatives such as setting up cyberwatch centers, emer- gency management and active training of relevant government bodies. The Digital India initiative is truly a game changer for us. It has re-affirmed our path towards the transformation journey of the company as we had envisioned. Our gradual track-change and investment in R&D in emerging technologies has rewarded us. We are excited to say that over one-third of our current revenue is generated from Smart/IoT solutions and growing rapidly over time. What other segments do Allied Digital cater too? Apart from being a leading Managed Services Partner, Allied Digital is a Master Systems Integrator who understand customer needs and design tailor made solutions for seamless experience. Our depth of offerings cover ICT, IT, Infrastructure, Applications, communications and analytics. Allied Digital delivers IT solutions in three major areas; End user IT (workplace services and solutions), Enterprise IT (Data center, cloud and Remote managed services) and Integrated Solu- tions (Industry solutions in Smart cities, Innovative domain- based IT-as-a-service). We combine diverse infrastructure skills, customizable integrated IT service management platform and proven methodology for global delivery & software integration skills to bring value to our customers. • Having mastered the IT needs of domains like Retail, Bank- ing, Government and Healthcare, Allied Digital proffers ISDF (Integrated Service Delivery Framework). Re- christened as C y b e r S e c u r i t y Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201826 Mar - Apr 2018 27 ADiTaaS; the solution’s cloud and on premise models are quickly implementable with customizable features. ADiTaaS integration plat- form enables fast delivery of ITIL processes, business workflows, asset management and enterprise IT service assurance with analytics. • On a similar note, the company’s HyperCare solution plays CIO Assist role to provide high touch services to clients. Our domain driven approach to IT helps deliver the accountability and partnership every CIO is looking for. • Our global down-stream partnerships deliver our IT services across 70 plus countries Thus, end-to-end service delivery is managed through systems integra- tion using Smart technology, smart resourcing and strategic partnerships. You were at the world’s largest electronics and ICT show CES, Las Vegas. What was the main aim of visiting and how did the company benefit? The key objective in participating in CES 2018 at Las Vegas was to col- laborate with industry leading IoT, Smart Devices and Automation compa- nies to help develop our Master Systems Integration business at a global scale. We established contact with several technology companies in IoT, Secu- rity, Robotics and automation. We have signed MoUs with three compa- nies to partner for our Automation initiative. More information will be released once we are ready to launch our solutions in the Indian markets in Q3-2018. You also participated in the recently concluded Magnetic Maha- rashtra. What were the main takeaways? This is a good show to showcase technology industry also in Maharash- tra. There were some interesting displays in IoT, AI and Automation. We got exciting response in certain areas such as e-farming (our IoT based solution), smart cities and to certain extent on cyber security. It is good exhibit of the State to showcase upcoming trends in the industries and making common man aware too. Where do you see Allied Digital by 2020? Any road map planned? Our vision for 2020 is to become one of the largest one-stop IT infra- structure services and integrated solutions provider, combining our diverse infrastructure skills, augmented with our customizable integrated IT serv- ice management platform, proven methodology for global delivery and software integration skills to bring direct value to our customers. Allied Digital has planned to achieve this vision successfully in 3 steps: • Provides 360-degree view and management of IT support services and transformative solutions to the customer. • Bring strong systems integration capabilities that ensures optimum value of IT to the business as well as deliver extra value by provision- ing insightful customized analytics of IT and implement self-healing and automation tools. • Provide domain expertise due to deep experience in certain industries that gives CIO the assurance on deployment of optimum IT best mapped to business needs.
- 16. Many pedestrians use their smartphones while they walk along. Instead of paying attention to traffic, their eyes are glued to the display, which poses a huge risk potential. When making a call, listening to music, typing, checking e-mail, or using apps, the amount of attention being paid to street traffic is very limited. That is why Fraunhofer scientists have investigated how an app’s user interface should be designed to minimize the degree to which users are distracted from their surroundings. The studies focused on the size of fonts and interaction buttons. Drivers aren’t the only ones who are at risk of an accident when on the phone. The same applies for pedestrians using their smartphone in street traffic - they are distracted in the very same way as drivers are. Hazards range from oversee- ing uneven ground to not being attentive when crossing busy roads. An interna- tional study by DEKRA’s accident research in six Euro- pean capitals comes to the conclusion that of the nearly 14,000 pedestrians surveyed, around 17 percent are using their smart- phone in street traffic. Accidents repeatedly occur due to this inat- tentiveness and some of them are fatal. The scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Communication, Information Processing and Ergonomics FKIE also see urgent need for action. Their approach to solving this problem: the interfaces for smartphone apps need to be designed so that users are distracted as little as possible in street traffic. When reading longer messages, users adjust their behavior, walk slower or come to a halt. However, speed is often not adjust- ed for short messages, like the ones seen in navigation systems, which means attention to surroundings lapses and the risk of an accident rises. The FKIE researchers hope to create a graphics interface that minimizes the degree of distraction caused by these kinds of smartphone interactions. That is why they are focussing on individual words that can be read at a glance. The test results were used to design GUIs (graphical user interfaces) that can be integrated into navigation apps or any other kind of application. Visual acuity significantly reduced when walking First, the scientists studied the influence walking has on visual acuity when looking at a smartphone. They discovered that visu- al acuity dropped 20 percent when walking compared to when standing. Fonts would therefore have to be 20 percent larger in order to counteract that effect. “That is quite considerable. It’s as if your visual acuity in an eye chart deteriorates by one line,” says Jessica Conradi, scientist, project manager, and deputy head of department at Fraunhofer FKIE. Further studies focussed on font size: How large does a font need to be for text content to be read as quickly as possible? Required font size increases with walking speed Studies involving more than 20 subjects aged 26 to 36 were carried out indoors under laboratory conditions on a treadmill with various types of modern smartphone. Experiment partici- pants wore head-mounted systems with infrared cameras that recorded eye movements. In order to simulate real traffic situa- tions, the test subjects were distracted using a virtual environ- ment. The experiment variables were word length, duration of display, and walking speed. “All three factors influence the font size needed in order to read words reliably. That was indicated by all experiments,” says Conradi. Some of the study findings: longer words require a font size 12 percent larger than shorter words do. For shorter display times, a 20-percent-larger font size should be used. When walking, words even need to be 47 percent larger than when standing in order to attain the same level of leg- ibility. The difference in optimum font size between slow walk- ing and fast walking is 15 percent - that means the font size should increase with walking speed. Conradi explains the test scenario as follows: “Since font sizes are not comparable and screen resolutions vary between displays, we were unable to express size in points. That is why we chose millimeters as the value to describe the height of capital letters. The distance from eye to smartphone was 45 centimeters.” As far as optimum button size is concerned, results were simi- lar: different sizes are needed when standing than when walking in order to click correctly in the shortest amount of time possible with as few failed attempts as possible. When standing, icons should have a minimum size of 8x8 mil- limeters. How- ever, the number of button “misclicks” was even lower at 11x11 millime- ters. When walk- ing, optimum button size was 14x14 millime- ters. R e s e a r c h Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201828 Lower accident risk through variable interfaces for smartphone apps A trial participant performs the visual acuity test with a smartphone while walking on a treadmill. An infrared tracking system monitors the distance between the eyes and the smart- phone. © Fraunhofer FKIE Lab featuring interactive virtual reality for experi- ments in an environment designed to distract trial participants. © Fraunhofer FKIE I n t e r v i e w Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2018 29 What was the main aim of creating Valsec Solutions? As an audit and control professional I have always been guid- ed by ISACA frameworks and guidelines. So the name Valsec stands for Value Secure and it has been coined from the concept of Val IT which means value for IT. My main aim is to have a boutique consulting catered to unstructured problems faced by organizations and catering to business needs in a cost-effective as well as innovative approach. Often, client requirements call for going beyond conventional methodology or standard and giving an optimal solution which can be easily comprehensible and easy to implement. What type of services do you provide? Valsec provides services include- 1. Internal audit 2. Risk Assurance 3. Compliance standards implementation such as ISO 27001, ISO 22301 on business continuity, ISO 31000 for risk man- agement, SSAE 16, for third party audit, etc 4. COBIT implementation 5. System requirement analysis and vendor management for strategic systems. 6. Aligning business processes with IT solutions and leveraging technology solutions for clients to meet growing needs of business. Who are your major clientele? Valsec clients are chiefly from the financial services sector which includes banks, insurance companies, stock brokers, hos- pitality industry, software companies, etc. We recently concluded a ISO 27001 implementation and certification at Maximus Infoware. Can you throw light on your offshore consultancy? We have done readiness for SAS 70 (now SSAE 16) for a US data imaging centre and data center in 2007. Also, we provide online consultancy for risk and compliance as per client require- ments. We have drafted Security Policies for Central Bank of Rwanda along with another professional colleague based on ISO 27001 standard. Performed a business impact analysis and ISO 22301 rollout for a large telecom company in Philippines out of which 60% of the work was performed offshore. Related to your field which as per you are the major issues faced by companies? Globally, companies face issues of resource optimization. To get the right alignment of people, process and technology is very challenging. Management direction and monitoring is important, competition is severe, and margins have slimmed down. In some places there is economic slowdown, in some places there is polit- ical insecurity. Building resilience is a challenge, in a highly dynamic environment, holding the attrition rate, getting into new innovations in business, optimizing business operations to give a reasonable ROI (return on investment) and complying with legal & regulatory provisions are some of the stress points. Increasing dependence on third party service providers also pose its own problems such as tumbling across single point of failure. You are also an author. What motivated, you to write and what books have you authored? Writing has been my hobby. As a professional, I have travelled wide, and I have closely watched how organizations work and I find each organization is typical. In my 24 years of professional practice, I have picked up a lot of insight into organizational oper- ations and bottlenecks they face. Knowledge dissemination is essential, but it does not happen at all levels. So, people know what to do but often miss out on how to do it. My books are lucid, illustrative and comprehensible. I have diagrams, questionnaire, tables to give proforma formats that practitioners find easy to adapt. My published books include- • Information Systems Audit & Security (Lawpoint Publishers) • Management Information Systems for Final CA (Lawpoint Publishers) • Practitioner’s Guide to Business Impact Analysis (Auerbach Publishers-US) Where do you see Valsec Solutions in the next 3 years? I see a very good scope for Valsec as a boutique consulting catering to client requirements. In the next three years, depend- ence on technology and information systems is going to grow tremendously. Governance, risk and compliance are going to be on the forefront and risk advisory services are going to be in high demand. Organizations will want to customize their systems to suit business needs and to keep data secure. Valsec will be doing more of risk advisory and business continuity projects and it will double its scale of operations in the next 3 years. “Valsec will be doing more of risk advisory and business continuity projects” As security in financial sector gains prominence Priti Sikdar, FCA, CISA, CISM, CRISC, ISO 27001 LA, BS 25999 LA, PRINCE 2 (FC) decided to launch Valsec Solutions. With over 20 years of experience in the risk, audit and assurance sec- tor she has created a niche for herself. As subject matter expert, she is consult- ed for complex IT audit and control assignments and she is involved in risk assessments and gap analysis for her clients not just within India but globally. She is also a well-recognized trainer and speaker and author of three books. In an exclusive Interview with Global technologies Priti Sikdar, CEO, Valsec Solutions highlights how her company can make a difference
- 17. Globally many people especially environmentalists have been tracking Cape Town’s Day Zero: the day its taps will run dry and has been making headlines across the globe. Today the world is facing a severe drought and water shortage and fourteen of the world’s 20 megacities are now experiencing water scarcity or drought conditions. Unless we citizens of the world and our gov- ernments take urgent measures to save water we may have to learn to survive without H2O. World Bank’s forecasts that water availability in cities could decline by as much as two thirds by 2050. In our country it’s no different and thanks to indifference from government Bengaluru might head the Cape Town way. As per assessment by Down To Earth magazine (brought out by Centre for Science and Environment, India) 10 cities across the world facing Day Zeroes – severe water shortage to hit them in the not- too distant future unless cities innovate, diversify supply sources and use water judiciously. Down To Earth’s analysis shows that at least 200 cities across the world are fast running out of water and 10 metropolitan cities are moving quickly towards Day Zero. Bengaluru, in India, is one of them The number of waterbodies in Bengaluru has reduced by 79 per cent due to unplanned urbanization and encroachment – while built-up are has increased from 8 per cent in 1973 to 77 per cent now. The water table has shrunk from 10-12 metres (m) to 76-91 m in just two decades. The num- ber of extraction wells has gone up from 5,000 to 0.45 million in just 30 years. The city only uses half of its treatment capacity to treat waste and a substantial amount is dumped into its water- bodies. Bengaluru’s population might reach 20.3 million by 2031 – and is growing by 3.5 per cent annually. Other cities on the verge of an imminent water crisis include - Beijing, China; Mexico City, Mexico; Sanaa, Yemen; Nairobi, Kenya; Istanbul, Turkey; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Karachi, Pakistan; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Kabul, Afghanistan. As per Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, “Be it Cape Town, Bengaluru or Chennai, there isn’t much difference between these cities – they are all witnessing a common present. The important question to ask is whether these cities can create and move toward a common future that is water secure because it is water- wise.” Fraunhofer researcher’s solution: Case study Mangolia Clean water is a rare commodity in many countries in Central Asia. Mongolia is among those greatly struggling to keep their supplies of fresh water flowing. Since 2006, Fraunhofer researchers have been working hard to establish a sustainable water management system in the Mongolian city of Darkhan and the surrounding area. Their efforts in the second-largest industri- al region in the country – covered by thousands of acres of steppe and desert – are now proving to be a great success. Reducing leaks in the region’s water distribution network from 50 to 25 per- cent is just one of their accomplishments. A project is currently underway to install new pipelines, pump systems and waste water treatment plants. Ensuring a supply of clean drinking water and the effective treatment of waste water poses a major challenge in Mongolia. On top of the outdated technical infrastructure, dilapidated pipelines and pump systems have caused living conditions in many regions of the country to deterio- rate in recent years. Increasing industrialization and intensive mining and farming activities are polluting groundwater and rivers, and extreme seasonal variations in temperature make matters even worse. In a project known as MoMo, which stands for Inte- grated Water Resources Manage- E n v i r o n m e n t Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201830 Water Crisis: A reality As Cape Town in South Africa is facing the prospect of all its taps running dry by June-July 2018, Chandragupta Amritkar focuses on the water crisis globally and in India as well as a report by Fraunhofer researchers. Yurt community with no water infrastructure © Fraunhofer IOSB-AST ment for Central Asia: Model Region Mongolia, a team of natu- ral and social scientists, engineers and partner companies have been working since 2006 to put sustainable measures in place for the protection of scant water resources. The Advanced System Technology Branch (AST) of Fraunhofer Institute of Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB is coordinat- ing the municipal water management component of the project – now in phase III. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is backing Fraunhofer’s participation with funding to the tune of 2.9 million euros. The model region selected for the researchers to study covers the catchment area of the river Kharaa and the city of Darkhan, where the team is monitoring environmental factors and installing innovative water management technologies. Darkhan is a typical Mongolian industrial city. It is home to some 100,000 inhabitants, approximately half of whom live in permanent housing while the other half live in yurts on the city’s outskirts. These yurt or “ger” settlements do not have their own supply of potable water. Instead, the inhabitants generally get their drinking water from water kiosks. The communities also lack proper sewage systems. New drinking water systems and water treatment plants Dr. Buren Scharaw, project manager and scientist at Fraunhofer IOSB-AST, has been traveling to Mongolia on a regular basis since 2006, where he has been helping to establish a sustainable supply of drinking water. In phase I of the project, Scharaw, who is Mongolian by birth, used monitoring systems to demonstrate that over 50 percent of drinking water in the distribution network in Darkhan was being lost due to leaks. “Large volumes of drink- ing water were simply draining away into the ground. Given that temperatures drop significantly below freezing in the winter, the pipes are installed 4.5 to 5 meters deep underground. This makes it difficult to locate the leaks,” says Scharaw. Using Fraunhofer’s HydroDyn water management software, the scientists created a computer model of the distribution network and used it to simu- late hydraulic flow behavior, flow velocities and water pressure. By visualizing the network in this way, they were able to gain an understanding of the process in areas for which they had no pre- vious records. They employed a range of different methods, including data monitoring, volume and mass balancing as well as the comparison of physical and simulated values, to identify where the water was escaping. Using this information in conjunc- tion with the sensors installed in the distribution network, Scharaw and his colleagues were able to track down the locations of the leaks, reduce the volume of lost drinking water from 50 to 25 percent and minimize operating costs as a result. “In phase III, we’re renewing the pipework and now that we can monitor their energy consumption, we’re working on optimizing the energy- intensive, decrepit pumps,” says the engineer. Given that ground- water is the only sustainable water supply in Mongolia, Scharaw and his team also analyzed and mapped the groundwater resources, including their volume and quality. “We have to mon- itor the groundwater continuously because contamination levels change all the time.” In another project milestone, the urgently needed reconstruc- tion of Darkhan’s dilapidated central water treatment plant has now begun, with partners from Germany among those involved in the task. Plans are also in place to construct 25 decentralized water treatment plants in Mongolia. Automated water kiosks The yurt communities on the outskirts of Darkhan obtain their fresh water from three water kiosks. Previously these kiosks opened only on an hourly basis. An operator would turn the tap on and off again, selling clean drinking water to the locals – usu- ally children who would come with water canisters to fill. “This setup was highly impractical, which is why we automated the kiosks. Now, the locals can come and fill up at any time at the simple push of a button. They pay for the water with prepaid top- up cards,” Scharaw explains. But the biggest challenge of all for Scharaw is yet to come: Phase III of the MoMo project is scheduled to end on December 31, 2018. This is when the project partners’ involvement also comes to an end. After this date, all plants and equipment must be operated by local staff. “As things stand, they’re not qualified to do so. The staff still need to be trained to make sure the region can continue to supply drinking water and waste water services in the future too. It’s a mammoth task and responsibility lies with Fraunhofer to see it through,” says Scharaw. Afterwards, he plans to transfer the research results to similar neighboring regions and consequently establish a foothold in the environmental and water sectors in the Central Asian market. E n v i r o n m e n t Global TechnologiesMar - Apr 2018 31 Construction of a water treatment plant in Teshig Soum, Bulgan Province © Fraunhofer IOSB-AST Automatic payment at a water kiosk © Fraunhofer IOSB-AST
- 18. For Your Information Global Technologies Mar - Apr 201832 March 06-08 IT Trans 2018 - Solutions for Public Transport, Karlsruhe, Germany March 07 NYC Tech Summit, New York Marriott Downtown, New York, USA March 07 – 11 International Tourism Exchange (ITB) Berlin 2018, Messe Berlin, Germany March 07-09 Convergence India 2018, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi March 14-16 The 8th Korea Smart Device Trade Show 2018, Seoul, South Korea April 09 – 11 China Information Technology Expo, Shenzhen, China April 11 – 14 Global Sources Consumer Electronics, AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong April 13 – 16 HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), Hong Kong April 13 – 16 HKTDC International ICT Expo, Hong Kong April 18 – 21 Global Sources Electronics (Mobile, drone, wearable), AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong April 19 – 22 IFA GPC 2018, Rome, Italy April 23 – 27 Hannover Messe, Hanover, Germany May 23 – 25 Smart Cities India 2018, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi May 10 – 12 ITEX Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 15-16 ICT Spring, Luxembourg, Luxembourg May 15 – 17 Cebit Australia, ICC Sydney, Sydney, Australia May 31 – June 01 Startup Village 2018 (By Skolkovo Foundation), Moscow Russia June 01 – 04 The PC Show, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, Singapore June 05 – 06 Belgrade Future Gaming, Belgrade, Serbia June 05 – 09 Computex Taipei, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Station, Taiwan June 11 – 15 CeBIT 2018, Hannover, Germany June 13-15 CES Asia 2018, Shanghai, China June 26-28 Sensor+Test, Nuremberg, Germany June 26 – 28 ConnecTechAsia (CommunicAsia) Marina Bay Sands & Suntec Singapore August 13 -15 China International Internet of Things Exhibition, Shenzhen, China Aug 31-Sept 05 IFA 2018, Berlin, German September 23 – 25 Prolight + Sound Middle East, Dubai International Convention Centre, Dubai October 08 – 11 Global Gaming Expo, Sands Expo & Convention Center, Las Vegas, USA October 09 – 11 it-sa (IT Security Expo), Nuremberg, Germany October 09 – 12 Taitronics, Taipei, Taiwan October 10 - 11 Cyber Security Nordic, Helsinki, Finland October 11 – 14 Global Sources Consumer Electronics, AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong October 13 – 16 Hong Kong Electronics Fair 2017, Hong Kong October 13 – 16 electronicAsia, Hong Kong October 18 – 21 Global Sources Electronics (Mobile, drone, wearable), AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong October 18-20 Viscom (Visual Communication and Event Services), Milan, Italy October 23-24 enova (vision and optical technologies), Paris, France October 23-25 Broadband - World Forum Europe, Berlin, Germany October 23-25 Smau (ICT), Milan, Italy November 06-08 Vision (machine vision and identification technologies), Stuttgart, Germany Exhibitions and conferences not only give you an opportunity to see and hear about the latest technologies and prod- ucts but also becomes a venue to meet and interact with International partners. One should plan much in advance to participate in an expo so that he can get in touch with existing and prospective customers. We have compiled a list of ICT and related Exhibitions for 2018. If your event is not listed, please e-mail us at editor@globalfeatures.info. It's free! Your Dateline If you are organizing an exhibition/Conference not listed above please get in touch with us at- Global Technologies, B-701, Customs Colony, Military Rd, Marol, Andheri(E), Mumbai-400 059, India. Phone - 91-22-29252569, Mobile - 9224339001 / 9223419060 e-mail: editor@globalfeatures.info