2017 has been a tremendous year for the technology industry. It has witnessed a multitude of disruptive technologies become potential game-changers and major topics of discussion for business leaders across the world. Technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, autonomous vehicles, robotics, etc. have taken shape in a way that they are increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives.
Some of the technology trends that will shape 2018 are below
Artificial Intelligence
Efficient NLP/NLU algorithms are going to power the AI systems and will allow humans to communicate with machines in – the language of their choice and seamlessly.
Intelligent Apps and Analytics
Access to large amounts of data and ever-improving processing power have enabled machine learning to take a huge leap forward. Apps can derive rich insights from the learnings, allowing them to make intelligent decisions, for providing great experience to the user. In addition, federated learning models are being built, that aim towards sharing and building collective intelligence, while ensuring user privacy.
Conversational Platforms
The world of technology, even with its initial apprehensions has embraced the chatbot technology, using it as an effective means to provide first level service to the end users. A world where language would become the new user interface and digital assistants would replace applications and browsers is not too far away.
Cloud to the Edge
Bringing intelligence to the source where the data originates from carries huge benefits. The on device AI engine in the keyboard paves way for enhanced user privacy and enables faster responsiveness in making intelligent choices. Additionally, the feature also covers the network connectivity issues that are prevalent in mobile networks.
About the Author
Nutan ChokkaReddy is the CEO of KeyPoint Technologies, a leading pioneer in input technology and User Interface for Mobile Apps globally supports 121 languages.
K7 Threat Control Lab has provided a threat advisory on the recently reported ‘Android Banking Trojan‘, which incidentally is not as recent as it is presumed to be. A storm in a tea cup indeed. The ‘Android Banking Trojan’ also referred as Bankbots, targeting banking applications is nothing new. It has been seen in the mobile malware world for quite some time now.
K7 Threat Control Lab has also emphasized that none of the banking apps that have been named are compromised, nor are they at some super high risk. However it is strongly advised that users ensure that a robust and up-to-date security software is installed on their phone before they use any banking app.
Analyzing this banking Trojan reveals that it still avails of the usual social engineering technique of masquerading itself as a Flash Player app to trick the user into downloading and installing it. As expected this malware is only available on third party markets of low reputation.
Further analysis reveals that the ‘Android Banking Trojan’ originated in Russia, and seeks out not only Indian banking applications, but also banking apps from other parts of the world, based on their geo-location.
Users must always be aware that apps like PDF readers, Flash Players or any document-related apps would never require device administrator privileges, nor would they usually request for permissions to ‘Send or Write or Receive SMS’ since these are not required for their functionality. In contrast, this Android Banking Trojan requests such out-of-context permissions from the user which should be considered very suspicious.
Precautionary Measures
K7 Computing recommends:
Installing a top-rated mobile security product such as K7 Mobile Security to block all kinds of infections
Regularly updating the mobile OS and security application installed to stay clear of mobile malware
Carefully analyzing the messages or alerts which are received before installing any app
Never installing apps recommended by strangers
Always preferring to download an app ONLY from the official Google Play store
Never enabling Download from Unknown Sources
Refraining from downloading applications that you do not need
Always verifying the reputation of the application by checking the reviews available before downloading it
In addition K7 Threat Control Lab has also reported that Android Banking Trojan was blocked as soon as it was first spotted. The desired feature is already incorporated in the K7 Mobile Security product. K7 Mobile Security users are protected against this banking Trojan and its variants with the detection name, Trojan [0051c57a].
ACT Fibernet, Indias largest fiber broadband ISP have announced its partnership with Chennai Super Kings [CSK], one of the most celebrated IPL teams, as its official connectivity and internet partner.
ACT Fibernet, with its extensive fiber broadband connectivity in Chennai aims to ensure seamless internet broadband connectivity for the ardent followers of the CSK team during the IPL matches. The company will be providing WiFi coverage to the entire Chennai stadium taking the in-stadium experience to a whole new level. Over 40,000 fans seated in the stadium will be able to enjoy HD quality speeds on WiFi simultaneously, access internet in the stadium, catch up on live videos, watch match replays, and indulge in social media activities.
Additionally, a whole range of fan engagement activities and contests have been planned by CSK-ACT Fibernet together to significantly enhance the in-stadium experience.
Speaking on the partnership, Sandeep Gupta, COO, ACT Fibernet said
We take immense pride in announcing that we are the chosen connectivity partner of the CSK team. CSK is not just a team but an emotion and passion amongst millions, and through this partnership we are going to significantly enhance this spirit by enabling the CSK teams and its supporters stay connected.
Commenting on the partnership, George John, Whole Time Director, CSK said
Chennai Super Kings is known for its solid performances and consistency, ACT Fibernet complements all of this and therefore is our chosen partner. Our aim has always been to enhance the experience of our fans and supporters. With this association with ACT Fibernet we are certain that we will be able to significantly enliven the in-stadium experience. This is the first amongst the many initiatives we have planned for the CSK fans in partnership with ACT Fibernet.
About ACT Fibernet
ACT Fibernet is India’s largest Fiber broadband ISP Headquartered in Bangalore, ACT Fibernet has operations in 12 Indian cities with 1.2 million customers. For more information, please visit ACT Fibernet
JetSynthesys, a leading digital entertainment and gaming company launched Where’s my Kitty Cat? a mobile game for iOS users who are cat lovers and puzzle enthusiasts. This exciting and quirky game promises to fulfill the player’s fun quotient as he/she tries to find KITTY, the naughtiest cat ever!
Kitty could be anywhere, hiding under cars, over the dining table, in the bath tub, on the neighbour’s porch, in the fish market; the world is her playground. The player needs to use the hints given and logic to solve the different puzzles and find Kitty.
Some features of the game include:
160+ levels
Explore unique locations
Enjoy unpredictable moments
On the occasion of this launch Roopak Nair, Vice-President, Product and Marketing, JetSynthesys said
After the successful run of our sports and Bollywood games, we now tap into a more casual gaming audience with the launch of our newest game, ‘Where’s my Kitty Cat?’. We are confident that this new game will resonate with avid gamers looking for a fun experience, inspiring us to continue experimenting and developing vibrant and exciting games for everyone.
In ‘Where’s my Kitty Cat?’, the player will have his/her own cat who needs to be found through various adventures and collect toys for her to play with along the way. This intellectually challenging yet fun game is now available on iOS. This sweet little cat has the power to steal everybody’s heart and she will definitely become the player’s favourite friend.
Additional updates on the game and download link available here
About JetSynthesys
JetSynthesys is a fast-paced digital entertainment company with a portfolio of world class products, platforms and services, touching the lives of more than 100 million consumers in India and around the world. Through its diversified business divisions across gaming, music, digital & social entertainment, celebrity video blogging, AI & machine learning technologies, the company aims to digitally connect celebrities, brands and consumers and drive user engagement and monetization through personalization. In addition, Jet Ventures the strategic early stage funding entity and JetLabs the accelerator program, partners with passionate founders to build sustainable global consumer products.
In India, the company has innovated and pioneered celebrity gaming successfully with a catalogue of over 300 exciting games across HTML, Java, Android and iOS platforms featuring eminent stars like Salman Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and others. For more information, please visit JetSynthesys
SAP Concur, the world’s leading provider of expense, travel and invoice management solutions, unveiled the deeper integration of two powerful brands to provide a truly connected, customer-centric experience that scales with businesses of all sizes. The unified brand will enable SAP Concur and their partner ecosystem to leverage and drive innovation and continue to simplify expense, travel and invoice management for greater visibility and control.
Together, SAP and SAP Concur will continue to
Deliver greater scale across all markets through our deep investment in R&D to provide customers with the best solutions.
Provide powerful solutions that give customers visibility into spending by connecting employees with brands and apps they love.
With a connected experience, businesses can manage all of their spends—across expense, travel, and invoice – in the cloud, and with native integration with SAP.
Neeraj Dotel, Managing Director, India and SAARC, SAP Concur, said
The travel and expense management market is rapidly escalating with expectations of business travelers requiring more flexibility and personalization as the lines between work and life become increasingly blurred. Business travellers in India feel that it is painful to not only deal with the stress of travel but also with the stress of claiming expenses.
We at Concur believe that digital transformation of an organization should be such that it is easy and intuitive to use and the people using it should be able to reap its benefits. By combining our best- in class solutions and SAP’s expertise, we are now in a much stronger position to provide the superlative expense management products to our customers. We are delighted to be a part of this incredibly talented team of SAP and with our focus on innovation, we look forward to making SAP Concur the best-in-class spend management company.
SAP Concur remains passionately focused on providing their customers and partners with simple and powerful solutions. The company will continue to take businesses beyond automation to a completely connected expense, travel and invoice management solution that grows with them.
Travel as an industry has been digitally leading – starting from the simple step of consumers printing their own boarding pass. As India becomes the 6th largest business travel market by 2019 – business travel will a significant P&L area for customers of SAP Concur as well as a key part of employee experience. Together we are creating a premier process for companies to simplify expense, travel and invoice management for greater visibility and control. This is one of the key building blocks to helping our customers craft their enterprise digital experience.
About SAP Concur
For more than two decades, SAP Concur has taken companies of all sizes and stages beyond automation to a completely connected spend management solution encompassing travel, expense, invoice, compliance, and risk. SAP Concur’s global expertise and industry-leading innovation keep its customers a step ahead with time-saving tools, leading-edge technology, and connected data, in a dynamic ecosystem of diverse partners and applications. For more information, please visit the SAP Concur blog
The popularity of platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. has not only affected the manner in which people interact, shop but also how they socialize. Social Media coupled with Digital Marketing is a powerful tool that businesses use for marketing their products. With the rising internet penetration, growing popularity of affordable 4G phones and increasing number of Indians consuming local content, etc. users are always connected and hence they are able to access Social Media accounts when on the move!
With the e-commerce trend catching up big time in India, online shoppers are always on the lookout for some lucrative deals while they are shopping online. The deal could be in the form of a huge discount while shopping online or in the form a cashback from the e-commerce site or discount by applying ‘relevant’ coupon from a couponing website. It goes without saying that even while shopping online, we discuss with our family & friends before making a final ‘Buy’ decision!
People spend a considerable amount of time on Social Media, but since there are a number of social networking apps, many of them spend time in hopping from one app to the other. Also, none of the apps incentivize their users for spending their precious time on social media. There is not a single platform where an avid internet user can perform all the above-mentioned activities. This is the problem that a Delhi based startup is trying to solve with their app Sagoon,amulti-app platform. Today we review the Sagoon app on Android, so let’s get started…
Sagoon – Connect, Share and Learn
As mentioned earlier, our mobile device has so many apps and every mobile user would be spending a good amount of time in hopping from one app to another. This is where an app like Sagoon can turn out to be very useful since it is a multi-application platform and wants its users to build a rewarding life by following the innovative social path: Connect, Share and Earn.
Swati Dayal, co-founder of Sagoon came up with the idea of the app when she along with her other co-founders realized that there is a dearth of a good social e-commerce platform. Sagoon intends to tap the market worth $300 billion by offering the users the best of social media and social gifting at one place.
In a nutshell, Sagoon enables you to share secret messages, strengthen your relations with family & friends and express your emotional state clearly. Following the social path Connect, Share & Earn, it intends to transform negative experiences on social media into positive ones [Source]
Sagoon – Detailed Review
Sagoon aims at untangling your life and wants you to be Smart, Productive and Connected. Currently, the app is only available for Android users however, users can log in to Sagoon on mobileusing their mobile website until the time the app is not live on iOS.
On Android, the app is ~45 MB in size which is definitely not a deal-breaker for the target segment which is very active on social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. Most of these apps occupy much more real-estate on the mobile!
Sagoon aims to be a one-stop shop for all your needs, be it setting reminders, sharing content, planning & scheduling, chatting and much more. Each product has unique features and a different customer presentation strategy; the purpose of each application is to strengthen true connections and be productive. This is evident from the feature set that Sagoon promises for its users.
My Day: A few years back, if we had to set reminders than we used to pen the schedule in a diary and at the end of the day check how many of the planned tasks are completed. However, with the advent of mobile, scheduling & planning has got a new avatar since apps are now used for the same. My Day feature in the Sagoon app can be used for creating schedules, setting reminders, etc. It can be used as a smart organizer for your personal as well as official purpose.
My Day has the following features
Multi-Location Clock
Weather
Schedule
Reminders
Sharing of Calendar
To-Do List
The UI is simplistic and you can share your schedule with others as well. Though there are many To-Do List apps, we liked the sharing feature in Sagoon that makes ‘collaborative planning and tracking’ to a micro-level.
Story Sharing/Secret: Each one of us gets different thoughts that are dependent on our mood, surrounding environment & many other factors and you want a platform to express your feelings. Secret in Sagoon can be used to share your thoughts, learnings, experience with others, in anonymous & non-anonymous mode.
It also helps you e-meet and learn from like-minded users on the platform. Since users can post anonymously, Secret canalso be used as a scratch-pad by many to just express their emotions online. You are allowed to use 220 characters and up to three images to post a story. As a user, you can post your story [photos and video] under the ‘Open’ category, allowing all of your contacts to view, like, dislike or comment on it. While posting you can also choose to hide your identity. You can also send one-on-one story messages which will vanish after they are read.
It also supports tracking/analytics so that you can check the post insights – likes, dislikes, shares, comments. Thus, the Open Secret feature helps in creating a transparent society and transforms users into change-agents.
Secret has the following features
Create Secrets
Set Privacy
Track Secrets
Attach Multi Images
Like, Dislike, Share or Comment
Hot/Trending Secrets
MoodTalk: It is very commonly said ‘Let your mood do the talking‘ but it is next to impossible to express different emotions – happiness, sadness, sickness, etc. online since you never know the treatment your mood talk would receive at the recipient side.
MoodTalk on PC
With MoodTalk from Sagoon, you can break those shackles of fear & anxiety and express freely as per your emotional state. MoodTalk is a simple chatting tool which lets your mood do the talking. If you are sick and set your mood to ‘Sick’, your near & dear ones would be notified about the same via an SMS and they can then re-connect with you and re-build long lost relations. Since our mood is dependent on many factors and is never permanent, hence in MoodTalk your chats also vanish automatically after 24 hours.
Me Page, Unique ID and more:Sagoon also provides a ‘Me Page’ which can have a mix of personal and professional information. You can customize your profile with a photo, description, interests, etc. since the Page is a reflection of your identity. It can also be used to meet like-minded people. Its functionality is somewhat similar to the offering by about.me
In order to ensure that the app is secure enough, Sagoon uses a combination of email-id and phone number to sync into one, instead of using a customary user-id and PIN. Along with security, the secondary intent of following this approach is to ensure that Sagoon user gets his/her revenue share when they introduce the Social Smart Card option in a couple of months.
Sagoon has a very sleek interface and the same philosophy is also carried forward on its offering for Desktop and Mobile Web. The experience was good on all the platforms, be it Android, Mobile Web or Desktop!
Sagoon – Earn Money by Shopping and Socialising
The Social Smart Card will enable the users to buy things online, send gifts and also buy from physical retail outlets. Every Sagoon user would get the card for free when they create their profile.
Sagoon Social Smart Card
Since social commerce is an integral component in the Sagoon app, each user will get 5 percent cut for the transaction they perform on the platform. This is loosely similar to affiliate marketing but this feature can definitely be a huge game changer! Along with that, Sagoon user would also be incentivized for the time they spend socializing on it.
We are sure that you also found Sagoon interesting as well as useful 🙂 Why to wait, you can download the Sagoon app for Android from here
Sagoon – Conclusion
Sagoon is a promising app, both for social media users as well as social media influencers. With promising features like MoodTalk and Story Sharing, it brings ‘human touch’ that was so far missing in social media. Social Smart Card is a very innovative manner to give back some revenue to the ever-growing lot of social media addicts and we hope that it is released at the earliest 🙂
If you are Sagoon user, please leave your feedback or suggestions in the comments section
Innovative products sell the most and the best essentially because they provide better value for money. The same applies to financial instruments as well. Financial instruments are expected to multiply the money better and thus must be innovative.
With the declining interest rates on savings account deposits, banks came up with a more productive and flexible product known as the money multiplier or the sweep-in fixed deposit. It combines the features of a Fixed Deposit [FD] and Bank Account.
Profitability in flexibility
With a sweep-in FD account, you do not have to worry about maintaining the minimum balance in your account and at the same time, you do not have to be concerned that your funds are not earning enough.
Although the functioning of this money multiplier account varies from one bank to another, the underlying principle is the same. The minimum balance amount is retained in your account and the surplus is converted to an FD.
As and when required, the FD automatically is discontinued and transferred to the regular account to maintain the stipulated balance and meet the debited amount on the account.
This allows you to earn higher interest on the surplus amount in your bank account, through the flexible FD without having to spend time on making and breaking the FD.
Here are five things to pay attention to while selecting this facility.
Tenure of the FD
Different banks have different tenure options available for the auto swipe-in facility and they could charge premature withdrawal penalty. Ideally, the tenure is a year and not all banks charge the premature withdrawal penalty. Different banks have different tenures so do check the same before opening the account.
Threshold limit
Some institutions may levy certain threshold limit while others may allow you to choose the same. A lower limit is beneficial as it enables you to earn higher returns on your savings.
Interest rates
Most banks offer the same interest rate on such facilities as available on regular deposits. However, regular FDs offer marginally higher interest rates to senior citizens but the swipe in FDs may not provide this benefit. Thus, keep this in mind, when opening such an account for your senior citizen parents/relatives or in case if you are one.
FD size
Generally, the surplus amount is divided into smaller ticket sizes and then converted into FDs so that you do no lose in case of premature withdrawal. The lower the multiple the higher are your earnings.
Withdrawals mechanism
Evidently, the interest earned by the FD is going to be proportionate to the tenure it was with the bank and thus, you must opt for Last in First out (LIFO) method of withdrawal. This will allow you to earn better returns. However, if you make frequent withdrawals choosing the First in First Out [FIFO] mechanism is advisable.
The interest earned on the sweep-in FD is taxable as per your tax slab. This facility is beneficial to earn slightly better returns than a regular saving account. However, to meet long-term goals, it is advisable to choose other investment options that provide inflation-beating returns.
The transformation in the world of technology is happening at pace which we have not experienced in the past. Implementation of new cutting-edge technology is moving out from a drawing board stage to being practiced by organizations across the world. As more and more organizations undertake the process of digital transformation to offer tech enabled products or services, IT roles and skills is undergoing radical shifts, something which we are already observing. This will affect the tech job scenario as we move into 2018 and beyond.
In-demand IT roles have started to shift towards including positions focused on advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence [AI], Augmented and Virtual Reality [AR and VR], and the Internet of Things [IoT] along with exciting positions within cyber-security, cloud computing & network technology.
Through these observations we have identified the following as some of the key job roles companies require as they transform their businesses and processes for the future:
Cyber-security Analyst – This individual will manage risk for organizations through use of relevant tools and techniques to gather vital end-point and network host data with the goal of identifying vulnerabilities.
Network Engineer – This role will encompass coordinating between cloud and traditional networking resources to make a business’s communicate efficiently. They will need to know how to map technical network elements [e.g. router, an edge device, a micro-datacenter] to a company’s business needs.
Vulnerability Assessment Manager – The role of a penetration tester has matured. Today’s pen tester does more than hack a server or use fancy security tools. Today’s pen tester takes a responsible approach and conducts strong, comprehensive tests to identify – and correct – unacceptable risks.
Technical Support Specialist – Gone are the days when the help desk professional fixed PCs.The world needs more tech support specialists than ever before: today’s tech support engineer helps manage increasingly complex issues involving data management, authentication and network troubleshooting.
Machine learning engineer – Machine learning use sophisticated programming such as R and Python to develop AI machines and systems that can learn and apply knowledge to perform tasks. These professionals will also work with complex datasets and algorithms to convert machines to intelligent machines.
Network Analysts– Businesses are investing more heavily in their networks as IoT is fast becoming critical to manufacture tech enabled products. A growing number of ‘things’ need to be connected in an efficient way, and that’s going to be a major driver of demand there. Network analysts in the coming years will combine their technical skill set with an understanding of how to apply it to provide real-time trending information on network traffic, and what those insights means for the business.
Cloud engineer – Almost all businesses are mobbing their on-premises systems to cloud and are choosing a hybrid approach, with multiple vendors. In the coming years, cloud engineers will need to create solutions which are mix of multiple technologies. Gone are the days when an Amazon engineer only worked on AWS or Microsoft engineers only knowing Azure.
About the Author
Pradipto Chakrabarty is the Regional Director, CompTIA, the voice of the world’s information technology industry. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, professional certifications and public policy advocacy. You can view his profile here
