Business (Not) As Usual

Shaken by the impact of Covid-19, organisations are devising various strategies to keep their business afloat The world is battling this century’s worst pand...

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Reliance Jio’s hand at video-conferencing: Jio Meet app coming soon

“Jio Meet is a platform which has many uniqueness- it actually has an ability to work on any device, any operating system, and it has an ability to do a complete collaboration,” Pankaj Pawar, senior VP, Reliance Jio Infocomm, told reporters after the company’s parent, Reliance Industries declared its fiscal fourth quarter results on Thursday.

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IDC sees India's IT spending drop by 4.5 pc in 2020 amid COVID-19 pandemic

It said growth in spending on software this year is expected to drop to 4.1 per cent due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, as compared to 2019 growth rate of 16.7 per cent as enterprises re-look at their buying decisions owing to increased focus on profitability. Growth in IT services is expected to be almost flat at 6.9 per cent.

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Focused on long-term play in India, helping SMBs scale up: Facebook India Head

"This investment does indicate Facebook's commitment to India, we are excited about the country and are really playing for the long term. We see the potential of the country that is in the middle of this massive digital transformation and Facebook's mission of connecting people and giving people the power to build communities," FB Indian head Ajit Mohan said.

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With 7.45 lakh followers, RBI most popular among central banks on Twitter

With the microblogging site emerging as a key platform for information dissemination, many central banks are active on Twitter, especially in these times of economic uncertainties amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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Facebook aims to extend products, tech built with Jio to other markets

"All the products and technology that we're building to enable that partnership (with Jio) are going to be things that we want to do around the world. So, we're excited about working with them to drive this vision forward and then extending it everywhere over the coming months and years," Zuckerberg said during an investor call.

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IT firms TCS, Infosys, Wipro to reduce subcontractors to control costs

“We will be reducing dependency on contractors to some extent to optimize it (cost). Lateral hiring will be done for specific skills in a limited manner and we also continue to build talent within the organisation,” Milind Lakkad, Global Head, Human Resources at TCS, told ET.

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Subcontractors face the axe as IT rejigs costs

TCS, Infosys, Wipro and Mindtree said subcontracting costs are expected to fall in the coming months. On average, subcontracting forms about 10-15% of total employee cost. In the last few years, subcontracting costs had spiked as IT firms looked beyond in-house talent for new-age technical skills.

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Google Inc makes Meet app free for all users

Earlier, the premium video conferencing app was available only for paid enterprise users of the GSuite. This is the first time that a product designed for enterprise use is being extended to individual users, Smita Hashim, Director, Product Management, Google Cloud told ET

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Vivo India donates 15,000 PPE suits, 50,000 litres of sanitizer

Smartphone maker Vivo India has donated 15,000 PPE suits and 50,000 litre of sanitizer to the central government to protect caregivers and healthcare professionals from coronavirus, the company said.

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Can you imagine AI’s promise after the coronavirus?

As Covid-19 reshapes the global economic and humanity looks for new ways to collectively respond, technology is naturally at the forefront - but unlike past generations, the increasing penetration of the internet and a new generation of digital natives is reshaping the way in which new technologies are diffused and democratised.

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Global lobbying groups call for delay to India's new digital tax

The tax also applies to advertising revenue earned from companies overseas if those advertisements eventually target customers in India. Google is particularly concerned that it would not be able to swiftly identify countries where such advertising arrangements were in place, Reuters has reported.

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Covid-19 outbreak: Tech companies talk to hotels to board staff

Hotel chains, however, are currently unable to accede to their requests due to the lockdown restrictions imposed in view of the Covid-19 virus outbreak.

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Indian IT can count on US banks’ tech spend plans

JP Morgan, BoA & Citigroup to increase tech spends in 2020, despite a short-term blip

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WhatsApp doubles video participants limit to 8

The move could help it compete with popular videoconferencing app Zoom.

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Indian tech firms gear up to reopen offices with distancing measures

Bengaluru-based Wipro opened its office in Kochi with necessary social distancing measures, while Capgemini looks to reopen offices across different states with near 10% staff, those required for critical projects. HCL Tech is stepping up sanitization measures at its offices, while SAP is thinking of increasing its office transport fleet,

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Increase in state-sponsored cyber security attacks on government bodies

Cybersecurity firm Cyfirma said it had alerted the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (Cert-In), the country’s nodal cyber security agency, about conversations linked to a Pakistan state-sponsored group that identifies itself as ‘IOK’.

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After Aarogya Setu app, similar solution for feature phones in the works; to be launched soon

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday interacted with state IT ministers through video-conferencing to discuss COVID-19 challenges, tech innovations and road map for the IT and electronics sector.

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Blockchain technology can tackle supply chain failures exposed by COVID-19, boost economic recovery: WEF

The WEF, which describes itself as an international organisation for public-private partnership, said crises such as the coronavirus pandemic dramatically increase pressure on governments and businesses to maintain resilient supply chains.

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Entry level, refurbished smartphones to be in focus, once sales resume

The share of smartphones priced below Rs 5000, categorized as entry-level, has trailed from 12% in 2017 to 4% in 2019, whereas, for those priced between Rs 5000-Rs 10,000, categorized as basic, it has fallen from 45% to 42%.

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Indian IT firms to benefit from large US banks bet on technology spend in 2020

JP Morgan’s annual report for 2019, released on April 6, disclosed that it would increase its technology spend by 4% over last year despite the pandemic.

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IT services companies to suspend hiring this year: Mohandas Pai

The former Chief Financial Officer of IT services major, Infosys Ltd, said the IT industry has done a "fabulous, unbelievable and remarkable" job in transitioning more than 90 per cent of its employees to work from home.

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Digital-ad downturn may complicate life for Google, Facebook

So far it's not clear how badly the tech giants might be hit. Some of the early clues are expected this week when Google's corporate parent, Alphabet, and Facebook report their first-quarter financial results. But those results will only give a hint of the impact, given that the pandemic didn't start to zap the global economy — and ad budgets — until late February.

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‘Google tax’ could draw reprisal, US cautions India

US also marked a slew of issues in India’s digital trade including those in the ecommerce policy.

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Covid lockdown: BPM firms see sluggish quarter, to defer promotions and hikes

Analysts said other BPM companies are also taking cost-cutting measures, such as delayed increments and promotions, as they increasingly look to maintain existing contracts with clients. Although WNS reported strong growth in the previous financial year, Murugesh said clients across industry sectors have been impacted and the company was witnessing at least “six months’ pause” in business growth.

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Five former employees file class action suit against Wipro over discrimination

According to the suit, the former employees have alleged “discrimination” against staff who are not of South Asian and Indian origin. The employees have sought “injunctive, declaratory, equitable, and monetary relief for Wipro’s systematic pattern and practice of discriminatory employment practices based upon individuals’ race and national origin.

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Over one million IT employees will continue to work from home post-lockdown: Kris Gopalakrishnan

The Chairman of early stage startup accelerator and venture fund, Axilor Ventures, also said that many of the smaller Indian startups have found that they are as effective working out of home and are now wondering whether they require permanent office space at all.

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Fixed line broadband users, data usage surge due to lockdown: Report

A Crisil note said due to the aggressive play by the telcos, the number of subscribers has stagnated at 19 million since 2016. Till now, the lower speed 4G served the purpose for people due to affordable smartphones, it noted. "But now, subscriptions to fixed broadband, especially in the urban areas, have surged because millions are working from home...," it said.

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US fiscal stimulus will keep IT downside in check: Infosys

The US government’s massive $2-trillion stimulus is expected to provide liquidity to companies, including banking and financial services that are the biggest outsourcers of IT. Infosys gets 31% of its revenue from banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI).

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Reliance and Facebook that rolled JioMart WhatsApp will have long term benefits for both: Credit Suisse

Facebook gets the majority of revenues from advertisements but is also venturing into commerce (Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Checkout, WhatsApp Business accounts, Meesho investment, etc.).

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Advantage for Tech Mahindra as AT&T looks to stay on digital course

“We’re not backing off on our cost and efficiency transformation initiatives that remain largely under our control. If anything, we see this as an opportunity to approach all our businesses differently and better align our work with how Covid has reshaped customer behaviours and the economy,” AT&T chief operating officer John Stankey told investors last week. Stankey will take over as AT&T’s CEO effective July 1.

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Indian companies need to deploy robust measures to deal with increasing cyber attacks: PwC

On the volume of attack, the report said that after March 15, when India witnessed rising COVID-19 cases, there was a massive wave of attacks targeting several Indian companies.

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Facebook takes aim at Zoom with video chat upgrade

Facebook on Friday unveiled a new video chat service with virtual "rooms" where people can pop in to visit friends, aiming at users turning to the popular Zoom platform during the pandemic.

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Coronavirus lockdown impact: Social elites wake up to TikTok

While TikTok declined to comment on its recent user growth, an App Annie report released earlier this April states that it was the most downloaded app in India in the social media category as the country went into a lockdown.

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'Essentials tag' call divides handset makers, retailers

Sharp differences have emerged within handset makers and retailers over the treatment of devices during the lockdown.

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Expect cash-rich IT to go shopping

Cash rich IT services providers Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys and Wipro are likely to go on an acquisition spree, as companies will be available at discounted valuations due to the Covid-19 crisis.

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Aarogya Setu app crosses 75 million downloads

"The minister was informed that 75 million people have already downloaded Aarogya Setu app on their mobile phones. He called this app one of the most important tools in fighting COVID-19 and one of the lifelines for common people during this global pandemic. He asked the officials to make all-out efforts to popularise the app," MeitY said in a statement.

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HCL Tech lends tech to help TN govt fight Covid 19

The Noida-based group is also helping to improve and expand the state's disaster management helpline (1070) through technological upgradation, manpower assistance and effective reporting mechanisms, a statement said.

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4 crore users may be without mobile phones by May-end if curbs not lifted: ICEA

The government has allowed sales of only essential goods and services during the lockdown which has entered into the fifth week. Operations of telecom, internet, broadcast and IT services are permitted but not for mobile devices that are pivotal for accessing these services.

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Apple clears bills of partners for 2 months

Apple has paid its 500-odd exclusive stores in the country two months of rent and salaries for store staff apart from extending payment period to 60 days.

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Reliance Jio & Facebook differ on key issues

Facebook and Jio’s views diverge sharply on the matter of providing access to data.

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Covid lockdown: Handset companies seek essentials tag

“We request for your kind direction to the MHA on this very important recommendation from the industry which is duly considered and approved by the crisis management structure set up you – the Empowered Group of Technology and Data Management,” India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo wrote in the letter.

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Caught in a maze with Covid-19, Cognizant rejigs top brass pay

CEO Brian Humphries and other top leaders receive fixed components like basic pay as well as non-fixed ones like performance-based pay. Humphries earned a total annual compensation of about $16.5 million in 2019.

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WhatsApp Pay to comply with all rules in India by May

A full-fledged rollout of WhatsApp Pay has not been approved for over two years due to concerns over its data storage policy in India and over sharing of that data with its parent entity. In February, a plan to allow WhatsApp Pay to increase the number of users in a pilot project, from 1 million to 10 million, did not take off.

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Apple aims to sell Macs with its own chips starting in 2021

The company is working on three of its own Mac processors, known as systems-on-a-chip, based on the A14 processor in the next iPhone. The first of these will be much faster than the processors in the iPhone and iPad, the people said Apple is preparing to release at least one Mac with its own chip next year, according to the people.

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View: Only time will tell if Jio-Facebook deal is beneficial for India

This deal gets Jio easier access to hundreds of millions of users across WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram.

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Lockdown: Mobile devices firms urge government to lift sales restrictions

"Senior citizens and those with underlying health conditions are most susceptible to COVID-19. In such cases, the fatality rate is upwards of 10 per cent. The disease is such that all times, the patients need to fend for themselves from the time they communicate with municipal authorities regarding symptoms to testing and treatment.

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COVID-19: We'll come out stronger from this situation, says Infosys CEO

"Last year, we had 9.8 per cent growth and the year before 9 per cent growth. We've had a really extremely successful business over the last couple of years, a very strong operating margin and expansion in earnings per share, USD 9 billion in large deals," he said.

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Google to make verification mandatory for all advertisers

Google until now required identity verification only for political advertisers running election ads on its platform.

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WNS suspends guidance, expects 15% YoY drop in Q1 revenue

WNS reported 14.8% growth in net revenue to $235.8 million during the fourth quarter (January-March). For the whole fiscal, WNS reported 13.85 % growth in net revenue to $896.2 million.

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