YAAP Digital, a super specialty digital content company that focuses on the 3 digital content service lines of Design, Discovery and Distribution announced that it has acquired Brand Planet Consultants for USD 3 million.

Brand Planet Consultants is a strategic branding and design company founded in 2008. Till recently, the firm was known as Elephant Delhi-the North Indian operations of Pune based design independent, Elephant Design.

The branding and specialist packaging consultancy market is a growing market in Asia with several new start ups and existing brands seeking new differentiation and portfolio expansion. This will, in the coming years, provide the company new opportunities to retain its position as a market leader and specialist in packaging design & brand consultancy.

Over the years, Brand Planet has been involved with key strategic initiatives such as corporate brand definition, identity development, packaging design for new and re-branding FMCG, B2B and employee communications, retail and POSM development besides pure-play brand consulting initiatives including market entry strategy, brand positioning, portfolio management advisory and corporate visioning and identity.

Since its inception, Brand Planet has established itself clearly as the market leader in the area of branding and specialist design services in NCR. Brand Planet is currently engaged with blue chip clientele in Delhi NCR such as The Coca Cola company, Mrs Bector’s Foods, , Mahindra Comviva, Godfrey Phillips India, SBI Cards, Hero Cycles, PI Industries and LT Foods, to name a few.

Brand Planet is also the breeding ground of several start ups in food and beverages, education, IT, commuting and healthcare. One notable start up where communication services were developed for its launch was Bla Bla Car. Bla Bla Car launched in India in 2015 with a city specific radio campaign and came in to prominence in a major way during the Delhi Govt’s odd-even programme for ride sharing. Other notable branding initiatives managed by Brand Planet include Paper Boat (from Hector Beverages), the re-launch of English Oven breads and Coca Cola’s dairy brand Vio.

Commenting on this development, Anjan Roy, Director, Brand Planet said

Brand Planet and YAAP have a common goal of deepening the connection with consumers. We believe that consumer intimacy has always been the secret to building powerful brands. The specialisation of brand building and technology coming together is a platform for brands, companies and institutions to become powerful and develop deep stakeholder relationships.

Shouvik Roy, Director, Brand Planet added

We believe that tomorrow’s brand marketing is all about delightful conversations about a variety of ‘mutual interest’ subjects. Our new beginning with YAAP will add to our strengths of brand building and give it the digital edge it needs, helping us become firm front runners in the industry.

Atul Hegde, Co-Founder Rainmaker Ventures added

As YAAP prepares for its global expansion, they are extremely fortunate to acquire a company like Brand Planet so early in their life-cycle. The Content Design service line in YAAP will get a huge boost with this addition. I am also happy that both the co-founders Anjan Roy & Shouvik Roy are joining the the YAAP management team as Senior Partners. Post this acquisition Brand Planet will be re-branded as YAAP.

The best cloud storage providers simplify our digital lives. They make it easy to share files and photos and provide a secure place to back up our most important memories. We love the cloud and made it our mission to find the best cloud storage provider.

Note* : This article was previously featured on Reviews.com and content is reproduced here with author’s consent.

After exploring over 45 different options, interviewing power users across the nation, and personally testing 26 different apps, we are confident that DropBox, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Box are the best, most reliable cloud storage providers on the market today.

Image Source - Cloud Storage
Image Source* – Cloud Storage

All four of our top picks will provide you with roughly the same lineu of features and each has a freemium version, letting you take advantage of the cloud without paying a dime. So, picking your favorite cloud storage option will be a matter of how much space you need, how much you’re ready to pay, and which one is the easiest for you to use.

How We Found the Best Cloud Storage

We started by compiling a list of 45 different cloud-based software solutions and then we hit the books (well, the internet, that is). We read reviews from the top technology blogs, dissected user guides, toyed with a bunch of settings, and narrowed our list down to our top four recommendations using these five criteria:

1. We removed services that are focused primarily on media- and OS-level backups.

Of the active users we surveyed, 53 percent primarily use cloud storage for media and file sharing, so our best picks had to be well-rounded, and not focused on automated, system-level backups.

2. We removed services that are just for business and have no personal option.

Enterprise cloud solutions are technical, and include a plethora of features that most people either don’t need, or would find confusing, such as task management and user comments.

3. We cut all services without extensive support for OS X, Windows, Android, and iOS.

A huge benefit of cloud storage is that it bridges the gap between operating systems. We only passed services that support all of the most common desktop and mobile operating systems.

4. We cut any cloud storage services that did not offer a freemium version.

Offering a freemium version is obviously a great way for companies to win new users, but it’s also part of being the best cloud storage service. Not everyone is a power user, after all. And why pay when you don’t have to?

5. We cut any contenders that didn’t have an average of 3.5 stars or higher from the App Store, Google Play Store, and Windows Store.

If there’s one thing that should be indicative of cloud storage, it’s mobility. Filtering out low-rated mobile apps was a great way to find out which companies really catered to their users. Of course, app scores change with every update and release, but as of our latest update all of our top contenders had high marks.

Cloud Storage Reviews and Testing

After narrowing down the cloud storage contenders to our top recommendations, we spent a week testing them all on four different operating systems (OS X Yosemite, Windows 10, iOS 9.1, Android Lollipop 5.1.1) and on seven different devices. We updated files, shared a ton of pictures (maybe one or two selfies), and installed a bunch of apps. We even used Google Drive to write and edit this review.

We also tested the transfer speeds for each contender by uploading a leisurely afternoon’s worth of iPhone photos (about 30) from three different locations. As you can see below, Microsoft OneDrive consistently logged the fastest times, while Box and Dropbox duked it out for last place.

Speed Test : Save a Few Seconds on Every Upload

Packet Size: 393.6Mb (Note: Lower score is better)
Packet Size: 393.6Mb (Note: Lower score is better)

Capital Float, the largest digital lending platform to SMEs in India, has partnered with OfBusiness, a leading B2B e-commerce marketplace to help small scale Indian manufacturers and traders avail easy funding for expanding their business. Through this partnership, buyers on the OfBusiness platform can leverage Capital Float’s Pay Later product to avail instant funds for procuring industrial materials.

Capital Float has enabled purchase financing for small scale manufacturing companies and assists them in growing their business on OfBusiness. This partnership will help in bringing these informal borrowers into the mainstream credit ecosystem. Buyers on this platform often face hurdles in obtaining timely finance to operate and expand their business, due to their lack of credit history based on traditional credit parameters.

However, Capital Float’s tech and big data-driven algorithms uniquely underwrite applicants, confirming their eligibility in minutes, while also offering credit limits in real time. Some of the factors taken into consideration during the decision-making process include transaction history, cancellation rate and customer rating on the platform.

Sashank Rishyasringa, Co-Founder, Capital Float said

For the first time, a partnership of this scale is focused on enabling B2B e-commerce buyers in India. We are the pioneers of digital lending in India and the first movers in the online seller financing space. The insights we have gained by closely working with online sellers has aided us in developing this best-in-class product, custom-built to address the needs of buyers on the OfBusiness platform.

Through this partnership, we aim to diversify our customer portfolio and strengthen our position in this space. Our target is to increase our present loan disbursement by three times by the end of September 2016.

Capital Float has strategic partnerships with some of the largest online marketplaces. Equipped with this rich experience in the online selling space, Capital Float is augmenting its reach by penetrating into the B2B e-commerce segment. The company is aptly placed to serve the unique needs of the sector with it’s highly customized credit offerings and swift processes.

Ruchi Kalra, Co-founder, OfBusiness said

SME financing in the manufacturing space requires deep understanding of SME’s cash flows. We at OfBusiness, are committed to building a tech-enabled ecosystem for SMEs for all their commerce and credit needs. Partnering with Capital Float has enabled us to bring customized financing solutions in the manufacturing space.

About Capital Float

Capital Float is India’s leading digital financing platform that provides quick and easy capital to help SMEs fund rapid growth and achieve their next milestone. The company also manages India’s largest online lending marketplace, with leading banks and financial institutions participating as lenders.

Founded in 2013, Capital Float which is the trade name for Zen Lefin Private Limited a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) registered with the Reserve Bank of India. It is a dominant player in the e-commerce lending space that includes partnerships with Snapdeal, PayTM, Shopclues, eBay, Alibaba, UBER & Via. For more information please visit CapitalFloat

There’s a software solution for basically every question that you might have related to your business. There’s software that can track customers, manage your budget, help with your inventory. Customer service can be managed better through software too, so much so that it’s standard in the world of business today.

The newest customer service software enables companies to track service from any and every channel and touchpoint. Although automation is a selling point, so too is how use-able it is and how supported the software is once it’s installed. In addition, that same software must be adaptable to the individual uses of your company.

As companies analyze their options, cost is an essential element to review, as is the return on investment that the customer service software may provide. The below info-graphic can work through this complex decision for your company (irrespective of whether you are a startup or not) !!!

What to look for when reviewing customer service applications

via Salesforce

For more information, please visit Customer Service Software Reviews

PS : The content was reproduced with author’s consent.

Intex Technologies in collaboration with DragonTrail has enriched its 4G portfolio with the launch of its latest feature-rich, powerful and stylish 4G smart phone-Aqua S7. The marshmallow smart phone comes with 3GB RAM, powerful DragonTrail glass, Fingerprint Sensor and a big battery. All these high-tech features will be available at a price of Rs. 9499

The 4G-enabled Aqua S7 comes with 5-inch HD IPS display supported with a 2.5D curved glass display giving a smoother touch & swipe experience along with a premium and elegant look. The display is well protected with the super tough DragonTrail glass, one of the best for protection and sturdy usage, being six-times tougher than conventional glass. Aqua S7 with 8.7mm thickness and weighing just 150gms, sports a sleek look and design that anyone would flaunt.

Keshav Bansal, Director, Intex Technologies said

The Aqua S7 is our latest tech marvel, a symbol of style, strength and performance for the ubiquitous users and the market. With 4G picking up pace in the country, we have enriched are already diverse 4G product portfolio to stay ahead in time and offerings for our discerning consumers.

Takuzo Mikawa, Asahi Glass’s Deputy General Manager of Applied Glass Division said

Asahi Glass’s Dragontrail as already been adopted as cover glass for most of the global major brands. We believe damage-resistant Dragontrail glass is perfectly suited to INTEX Aqua S7. As the world’s largest glass company, we will offer more and better products in the Indian market.

 The Aqua S7’s 4G network is enriched with the VOLTE feature (Voice Over LTE), enables users to enjoy crystal clear high quality HD voice calls. Aqua S7 is powered with 3GB RAM and a 64-bit Quad Core Mediatek processor, ensuring smooth performance while playing high-end games or watching videos and multitasking, coupled with latest Android Marshmallow OS 6.0. The smart phone is equipped with the latest bio-metric security – finger print sensor at back panel. The scanner will scan and verify authority, making the smart phone completely secure.

For photography enthusiasts and selfies lovers, Aqua S7 has 13MP Rear AF Camera with single LED flash and 5MP selfie camera. The device comes with multiple navigation features, gesture controls and emergency rescue. The 4G dual-SIM smart phone has a big battery of 3200 mAh Li-Poly, which offers a talk-time up to 22 hours along with a standby time of at least 10 days.

Aqua S7 has an in-built 16GB ROM with an expandable memory of up to 64GB. It has Matrabhasha service that enables communication in 21 regional languages including Hindi. Also features other pre-loaded apps such as FOTA, Intex Service, Follo, OPERA MINI, Clean Master, Daily hunt etc. The elegant Aqua S7 will be available in three premium colors – Champagne, Rose Gold and Dark Blue. For more information please visit Intex India

India’s leading B2B e-commerce startup Industrybuying has joined hands with Capital Float, the largest digital lending platform in the country, to offer a unique credit solution called Pay Later to businesses across India. This cutting-edge loan product enables SMEs to procure industrial products using a pre-defined credit line that gets reset upon repayment.

Swati Gupta, Co-founder & CEO, Industrybuying said

Working capital management is a problem faced by most SMEs. Along with solving this problem for existing businesses, the availability of hassle-free loans can help numerous entrepreneurs to lead the establishment of various SMEs and SMBs in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of India wherein the real bulk of India’s bustling industrial sector lies. We are seeing more and more businesses buying online for their procurement and other business purposes. This is a huge step in that direction and we are delighted to extend this option to our customers.

‘Pay Later’ product comes as a convenient feature for SMEs and SMBs looking to procure industrial products as it allows them to avail online credit of up to 25 lakhs almost instantaneously without paperwork and hassles associated with getting a loan from elsewhere.

Gaurav Hinduja, Co-founder, Capital Float said

The market opportunity is sizeable and encouraging. Our collaboration with IndustryBuying will incorporate the strengths of two growing businesses, taking finance to tier 2 and tier 3 markets, which were previously ignored due to inadequate financial infrastructure. We intend to make convenient finance accessible to SMEs at a granular level

To avail the Pay Later option, companies need to register themselves on the Industrybuying website and Industrybuying will share customer details with Capital float for processing. Post verification done by Capital Float, the credit line will be setup on IndustryBuying and ready for use within 72 hours. Payment through Pay Later is available for a purchase amount of Rs. 25,000 or higher.

Industrybuying is revolutionizing B2B e-commerce with the introduction of innovative and Business-friendly Payment mechanisms on its platform. Earlier, Industrybuying had also partnered with Innoviti and integrated EMI features for its customers who were transacting through debit/credit card and looking to avail EMI features at a flexible interest rate.

About Industrybuying

Industrybuying is a leading Business e-commerce platform, selling a wide range of business and industrial products to SMEs as well as large businesses. It has over 5,000 registered sellers and more than 75,000 registered businesses – SMEs and large corporate, procuring online from Industrybuying. Industrybuying is backed by some of the leading Indian and global investors. Based out of Delhi NCR, the company has a Pan-India footprint with fulfillment centres in Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad & Bangalore. For more information, please visit IndustryBuying.com

About Capital Float

Capital Float is India’s leading digital financing platform that provides quick and easy capital to help SMEs fund rapid growth and achieve their next milestone. The company also manages India’s largest online lending marketplace, with leading banks and financial institutions participating as lenders. Founded in 2013, Capital Float which is the trade name for Zen Lefin Private Limited a Non-Banking Financial Company (NBFC) registered with the Reserve Bank of India. It is a dominant player in the e-commerce lending space that includes partnerships with Snapdeal, PayTM, Shopclues, eBay, Alibaba, UBER etc. For more information:, please visit CapitalFloat

Now you dont have to run to any state-run bus counters at the last minute to get your preferred seats. State Bus booking is now available on Via.com

Via.com, Asia’s largest travel network of flights, hotels, buses and holidays has announced real-time online booking for a range of State Road Transport Corporation bus services.

The company has partnered with state-operated corporation buses to offer service on the company’s website, mobile app and its agents’ outlets. Currently, it has tied up with seven state corporations, including Gujarat, J&K, Odisha, Patiala and East Punjab, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Kadamba-Goa.

With this move, VIA is expecting an increase of 30 per cent in its overall bus bookings by the next quarter. Currently, VIA sells bus tickets worth of Rs 10 crore every month. Apart from the state-run buses, Via.com offers bookings across categories such as Volvo, air-conditioned, non-air-conditioned, deluxe, semi deluxe, sleeper and semi sleeper buses.

VIA will offer competitive prices on bus tickets through over 5000 bus operators and more than 75000 routes across India, the company said. The portal enables customers to search, compare and book bus-tickets with complete transparency. To increase its presence in the land transport sector, the company is also looking at tying up with other state-run bus operators, including Himachal Pradesh, Rajashtan, Uttar Pradesh and Maharastra in the near future.

Swaminathan Vedaranyam, Chief Executive Officer, VIA said

We are seeking to strengthen our portfolio of offerings and ensure that we remain the one-stop shop for travel solutions. With this integration, we aim to open this channel for a section of travellers who are loyal to state-run buses to make life hassle-free and easier for them.

The ticket prices for most routes range from Rs 650-1500. From April-July 2015 to April-July 2016, the growth in terms of sale bookings from the bus segment has grown 3X on Via.com, the CEO added.

About Via.com

Via.com is Asia’s leading omni channel travel, retail & fin-tech company. Its distribution strategy includes enabling small businesses with an intuitive tech platform which helps them with best in class content, closed looped wallet and a range of CRM & accounting functionalities to run their business effectively. Through its global network of over 100,000 independent re-sellers in the travel, retail & fin-tech space, the company provides access to a broad array of  products including air travel, train tickets, hotels, holiday packages, buses, car rentals, insurance, mobile recharges and money transfer.

Established in 2006 as flightraja.com, Via.com was incorporated in 2007 and has since dramatically disrupted the Indian travel space with its innovative offerings that became hugely viral in multiple markets. IndoUS Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital are the primary investors in Via.com. For more information, please visit Via.com

Intel Security have released findings from its new study Digital Detox – Unplugging on Vacation. This was conducted to better understand the ways consumers stay digitally connected while travelling and to highlight the ways in which they may unknowingly be putting their personal identity and devices at risk.

Study findings indicated that India defines being unplugged as having ‘no electronics usage at all (39%). While almost two thirds of Indians (65%) claimed to have gone on vacation in the past year with the intention to be unplugged.

Vacations are full of distraction and opportunity, and savvy criminals have learned how to capitalise on these moments. Travellers can be targets for cyber-criminals who count on human and device vulnerabilities to provide them with a point of access to consumers’ data and devices. They can gain access to sensitive information via unsecured smartphones, laptops and even wearables, while also collecting data from social channels.

Venkat Krishnapur, Head of R&D Operations for Intel Security’s India Development Centre said

Findings from the survey indicate that a huge majority of Indians (84%) connect to the internet while on vacation. While doing so, they often access and share sensitive information without considering the potential cyber risks of divulging credit cards details, works mails and personal information on unsecured public Wi-Fi.

Through this survey, we wanted to raise awareness about the need to adopt safe digital habits and share security measures to prevent personal information from being compromised while travelling.

Findings from the survey indicate that more than one of three Indians (38%) who went on the vacation with the intent to unplug were not successful in doing so. As cyber-criminals are on the lookout for such opportunities, consumers need to be vigilant and take precautionary security measures to prevent exploitation of their personal information.

Major findings from the India

  • 84% of Indians connect to the internet while they are on vacation
  • Almost three out of four Indians (74%) say that they would want to be unplugged on a week-long vacation if work obligations were not a factor.
  • Majority of Indians (54%) are not willing to leave their smartphone at home while on vacation and Indians fared second worst globally (only Singapore was ahead at 42%) in being able to abstain from social media while on vacation at 43%.
  • Communication with the family (57%) or being available in case of emergencies (46%) are the main reasons that end up keeping people from being unplugged during vacations

 

 

Indians need to be vigilant

  • Indians (31%) that travel, access or share sensitive information while using public Wi-Fi, which is highest amongst the 14 countries surveyed.

Mexico (19%), Brazil (18%), Spain (17%), Singapore (16%), US (15%), Italy (15%), Canada (11%), France (11%), Germany (11%), Australia (10%), Japan (10 %), UK (10%), and Netherlands (09%)

  • Indians lead their global counterparts in willingly sharing personal information such as credit card number or log in name/password. More than one out of three Indians (36%) shared their personal data even when they realize that this will make them vulnerable, which is highest amongst the 14 countries surveyed

US (21%), Brazil (20%), Spain (15%), Germany (13%), Italy (13%), UK (13%), France (12%), Australia (12%), Mexico (12%), Singapore (12%), Canada (10%), Japan (09%), and Netherlands (09%)

  • 37% of Indians could not last a day on vacation without checking social media This is second only to Japan (45%) when compared globally

 

Tips to Minimize Your Travel Security Risks

Create Social Walls : Waiting in airports can be quite boring and often this can lead to posting updates from mobile device. Whether it’s your location or that selfie where your hair looks just right, criminals are more able to monitor your whereabouts via social activity and take advantage of you when you have the weakest protection.

Be Careful When You Share : We love to share our experiences with friends and family via social media, but it’s important to not indicate publicly where or when you’ll be taking that relaxing vacation. Wait until you return home before posting all about it; otherwise, you could leave yourself open to would-be thieves who want to know when your home will be vacant.

Limit Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Use : Data can be expensive but switching on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when out and about can be a recipe for disaster. Connecting to unprotected Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices can expose your personal information to a cyber-criminal. You should be especially careful when exchanging payment information. With this in mind, make sure to update your Bluetooth and Wi-Fi history by removing previously ‘remembered’ wireless networks like ‘cafewifi.’

Check and Monitor Your Accounts : Keep an eye out for suspicious activity in your bank account history. If you aren’t meticulous about monitoring your activity, a criminal could have access to your accounts for quite some time before you are aware.

Find more information, please visit Blog post from Gary Davis

Study Methodology
The research was conducted between 18th–29th March, 2016 by MSI via an online questionnaire to 1,423 people in India, age 21-54. Global study was conducted across 13,960 consumers between the ages of 21 to 54, evenly split by gender.