Month: October 2021

Impact by Honeywell, a brand created by the Fortune 100 company to cater to the growing mid-market segment in India, recently announced the launch of three locally developed products to solve the unique problems of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the country. These ‘Make in India’ offerings include an AC controller that can save up to 30% in energy costs, an AI-based video surveillance offering, and a DIY connected smoke detector. The brand is also expanding its reach through leading e-commerce platforms for these plug-and-play connected products and solutions. Engineered in India, Impact by Honeywell’s product portfolio has been designed to increase productivity, enhance safety, reduce costs, and enhance compliance for SME customers in and beyond tier-1 and tier-2 cities. “India is a global center for innovation, production and sustainable growth. Since its launch, Impact by Honeywell has created a robust product pipeline by leveraging Honeywell’s local engineering talent in design, hardware, and app-based software capabilities,” said Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell Building Technologies, Asia, “The depth of our engineering experience in India provides us with an understanding of local requirements and has helped us create a local-for-local manufactur-ing ecosystem. We are excited about the strong demand for our products and look forward to continuing to expand our offerings to serve our customers in India.” New product introductions The Impact AC controller is a battery-operated, DIY offering created for small- and mid-sized commercial buildings. These categories of buildings conventionally do not rely on centralized air conditioning for their cooling needs, typically using remote-controlled split, cassette and window air conditioners (ACs) that require human intervention to turn on or off. The AC Controller ensures that ACs are not left running in unoccupied cabins, meeting rooms, conference rooms. AC is the main power consumer in small- and mid- sized buildings. Honeywell’s offering can potentially save businesses up to 30% in energy costs. The Impact AI-based video surveillance offering comprises an integrated camera-processor setup, which performs analytics on the edge and instantly and intelligently delivers alerts to the user via a mobile app. This removes the need to invest in expensive servers or increase network bandwidth to perform video analytics. The product uses proprietary algorithms and offers data analytics through its cloud infrastructure. It is offered with a subscription-based engagement model. The Impact wireless smoke detector is a DIY offering for buildings in which elaborate installations of fire detection systems are not possible. This product provides basic fire safety to the masses and will be sold on leading e-commerce platforms in India. Impact by Honeywell Middle-income households in India are set to almost double by 2030, offering SMEs with an opportunity to meet their burgeoning demands. Furthermore, the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan is expected to give a boost to the SME sector, which is the backbone of the Indian economy. “Impact by Honeywell allows us to reach more building customers by providing them with products that are easy to use, install and maintain and better suited for their needs to help them save on their operational costs,” said Jasmeet Bhatia, GM, Impact by Honeywell, Honeywell Building Technologies, “The DIY functionality of these products also enables us to offer them on e-commerce platforms to make them more accessible to these customers.” Impact by Honeywell’s portfolio is spread across building technologies and safety and productivity solutions. Since its launch, Impact by Honeywell has developed a strong portfolio of products and solutions that serve SME customers. Impact by Honeywell is a new brand, which has been especially created for India. It brings the weight of Honeywell’s technology capabilities to offer world-class, affordable solutions that are tailored to solve the problems of mid segment customers. These are easy-to-buy, -install and -use products and digital solutions that increase productivity, enhance safety, reduce costs, and ensure compliance for businesses catering to mass markets like India, fuelled by a growing middle-income population.  

Hikvision India has participated in an online event ‘Hikvision Day Virtual Expo and Conference’ on 9th September to share the updates on cutting edge technologies, products and solutions. The online event was powered by Prama Hikvision India in Association with IFSEC and Informa Markets. The ‘Hikvision Day’ event had a wide variety of trending technology themes. The keynote address was delivered by A.L. Narasimhan, Vice President, Strategic Business Alliance, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. on behalf of Ashish P. Dhakan, MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. The keynote address highlighted the relevance of the ‘Hikvision Day.’ He added, “It is a time to update, upgrade and upskill with the best of industry experts on the security technologies and product knowledge. The event is important because it is the best opportunity to know and grow with the latest trends in the security industry. It is time to rethink, restart and reimagine, the new normal world. ‘Hikvision Day’ is a starting point. We need to rethink as the security industry trends are changing with time. It’s time to restart after a long pause of lockdown and slowdown induced by the pandemic scenario. We need to reboot the business with lots of resilience and caution. One should never ever lower the guard against the pandemic. It is time to face the challenges and tap new opportunities.” The high tech product and technology updates were presented by the Hikvision’s domain experts. The key presentations included ‘Latest trends in the Video Security’ by A.L. Narasimhan; ‘Movement Control Management using Artificial intelligence & Video security’ by Vinay Mishra, Senior Vice President, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.; Alarm & Inspection Solutions by Ankur Panchal, Product Head – Intrusion and Inspection Products, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.; Access Control, Entrance Solutions and Video Intercom Solutions by Ashish Gujarathi, Assistant Vice President (AVP), Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.; Transmission & Display by Bhavin Chauhan, Assistant Vice President (AVP), IT Products, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.; and Robotics & Machine Vision Solutions by Ramesh Bhorania, Vice President, Robotics and FA Division, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd. The event had a thought provoking panel discussion on the theme – Safe Reopening in New Normal: What are the major shifts? The panel discussion was moderated by Ratna Pawan, Transformation Director, Risk Advisory, EY. The insightful discussions on pre- and post-pandemic security challenges were headed by eminent panellists including Vinay Mishra, Diwakar Nath Pandey, PCI, Physical Security Health and Safety, Axa Insurance, Purvesh Gada, Chapter Leader, Global Association for corporate Services –Mumbai Chapter, Sharad Shrivastava, Director, Enhansafe India. The ‘Hikvision Day Virtual Expo and Conference’ got an overwhelming response from the security professional community comprising security industry partners, business associates, system integrators, consultants and end-users. The vote of thanks was given by A.L. Narasimhan, Vice President, Strategic Business Alliance, Prama Hikvision India Pvt. Ltd.  

Videonetics, world’s leading AI & DL powered Unified Video Computing Platform (UVCP™) development company, has been honoured with prestigious fire & security industry award ‘Product of the Year,’ by Finest India Skill Talent (FIST) Awards 2021, for their AI powered industry safety & security solution at FSAI Maha Yatra. “At Videonetics, we understand the challenges and complex requirements associated with providing security and safety to industrial and critical infrastructures. We pride ourselves on innovating solutions based on AI & DL powered framework DeeperLook™ that addresses their need with precision at the lowest TCO. We are excited to receive product of the year award that validates our drive for high performance, innovation, differentiation and global scalability” Avinash Trivedi VP – Business Development of Videonetics Initiated by Fire & Security Association of India, the FIST Awards recognize extraordinary contribution of organization and individuals in the field of security, safety, firefighting, and emergency response. The virtual and on-site gala award night was attended by stakeholders, decision makers and policymakers from the industry fraternity. Paneled by jury comprising independent, veteran and industry stalwarts, the award was adjudged using a robust rating scale and evaluated on key criteria such as product differentiators, design, integration capabilities, real-world applications to name a few. Videonetics AI & DL powered industrial safety & security solution was designed and developed with emphasis on preventive security, centralized visibility along with efficiently complying to Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) standard. The solution ensures safer workforce and workplace along with helping business to optimize their operations. After having deployed at various sites, the stake holders are empowered to stay one step ahead of security breaches for timely interventions, improving operational efficiency while keeping property and people safe.  

Akamai, one of the world’s most trusted solutions to power and protect digital experiences, recently shared how the Zero Trust model is the present and future of online security, delivering significant business value in addition to being a first line of defense against cybercriminals. The insights come on the back of the recently concluded Akamai Zero Trust Journey Roundtable series in India. During the event, Akamai shared how important it is for organisations to adopt a Zero Trust network architecture to protect enterprise data, wherever users and devices are, whilst also ensuring that applications work quickly and seamlessly without any downtime. This is particularly important as COVID-19 work from home policies have resulted in employees using more personal devices. Siddharth Pisharoti, RVP, India & SEA region, Akamai said, “At Akamai, we regularly observe enterprises suffering from cyberattacks that could have easily been thwarted using a Zero Trust approach. While it may sound scary or difficult to implement, Zero Trust is truly more than a defensive strategy, and can bring many business benefits, helping modernize cybersecurity and provide business and IT leaders the peaceof-mind they need.” Unrelenting assault by cybercriminals Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity incidents continue to rise globally. As the world’s largest and most distributed edge platform, Akamai analyses over 300 terabytes of new attack data per day. Through this analysis, Akamai has noted record-breaking highs in attack vectors such as: Distributed-Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks: Akamai mitigated 1900+ DDos attacks in Q1 2021, marking a 34 percent year-on-year increase. Credential abuse: 63 billion credential abuse attacks were identified in Q1 2021, a whopping 133 percent increase. Application layer attacks: Over two billion Web Access Firewall (WAF) alerts were triggered in Q1 2021, a 70 percent year-onyear jump. In light of these startling numbers, Akamai’s CEO, Tom Leighton urged businesses to move away from traditional perimeter defense strategies and protect internal apps the same way they protect external facing apps – as if there was no perimeter. Zero Trust: More than a line of defense but a mindset and approach for the future Akamai’s platform data shows that cybercrime is increasingly lucrative, and that cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated. At the same, the cybersecurity industry is highly fragmented, making it challenging for businesses to choose the right cybersecurity solutions. Here, the Zero Trust mindset comes in. Zero Trust is a network security model, based on a strict identity verification process, using the principle of least privilege. The framework dictates that only authenticated and authorized users and devices can access applications and data, ensuring that applications are never exposed. At the same time, it protects those applications and users from advanced threats on the Internet. At Akamai’s APJ Zero Trust Journey Roundtable series, the company’s CIO, Mani Sundaram shared more about the business’ adoption of this path-breaking security approach and why all organisations should be on the same journey. He also underscored how Zero Trust is more than a line of defense, but instead can benefit businesses by reducing IT complexity, providing greater network visibility, reducing the IT security workload, improving data protection and most importantly, improving user experience. Akamai’s mission is to make the internet fast, intelligent and secure. Zero Trust is a network security model, based on a strict identity verification process. The framework dictates that only authenticated and authorized users and devices can access applications and data. At the same time, it protects those applications and users from advanced threats on the Internet. This model was first introduced by an analyst at Forrester Research and although not entirely a new theory, it has become more and more important for modern day digital transformation and its impact on business network security architecture. Akamai powers and protects life online. The most innovative companies worldwide choose Akamai to secure and deliver their digital experiences – helping billions of people live, work, and play every day. With the world’s largest and most trusted edge platform, Akamai keeps apps, code, and experiences closer to users than anyone – and threats farther away.  

Smiths Detection, a global player in threat detection and security screening technologies, has recently opened a new global technology development centre in Bangalore, India. The site will act as a global hub for the development and delivery of new digital technologies that will be used by Smiths Detection’s customers across the aviation, defence, urban security, and ports and borders industries. Furthermore, the site will also be used as a hybrid office for the over 100 strong digital team, who work with colleagues across the globe, including at key sites in Singapore, France, Germany, the UK, and the USA. “We’re thrilled to be officially opening this site in Bangalore, which will be a pivotal delivery centre for the next generation of digital security technologies,” said Vice President Technology and Programme Management, Matt Clark, “The opening of this site demonstrates our commitment to growing our business across multiple sectors and geographies, allowing us to further advance our global mission of making the world a safer place.” The opening was held virtually so that members of Smiths Detection’s international team, who were unable to attend due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, could join. In addition to the new office in Bangalore, Smiths Detection’s India headquarters as well as its global training site are both situated in Gurugram.  

AVEVA, a global leading player in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability, entered a distributor partnership agreement with Schneider Electric India, a leading player in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. The combined strength of this partnership will enable organizations on their journey to industry 4.0 through digitization and meet their end-to-end digital transformation requirements in a holistic way. Through its wide community of specialized systems integrators, Schneider Electric India will deliver AVEVA’s comprehensive industrial automation software suite. The companies will extend this partnership to the greater India region including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Schneider Electric India will support its channel partners to promote AVEVA offerings through in-depth training and enablement sessions, certifications, incentivized programs, value-added services, dedicated channel workshops and roadshows. The company will focus on upskilling its system integrators on AVEVA’s leading-edge software solutions and offer comprehensive lead generation and implementation support for its partners across verticals. “Our business strategy of establishing leadership in industrial software that spans segments (process and discrete), aligns perfectly with AVEVA’s expertise in helping customers achieve their digital transformation ambitions while also meeting the sustainability goals. Through our EcoStruxure architecture, Schneider will be able to offer its customers digital solutions that cover the total lifecycle of the project in terms of project design, process design and simulation, and enterprise level/ operations planning” Senthil Kumar Venkataramanujulu Vice President, Industry Business, Schneider Electric India   “AVEVA is committed to delivering innovative and state-ofthe-art technologies to help organizations embrace the driving force of digital transformation. Our distribution agreement with Schneider Electric India supports this overarching goal and empowers customers to advance their digital agendas. Schneider Electric’s robust ecosystem of system integrators providing a broad coverage across all geographies and verticals will help us jointly address the unique requirements of regional customers. Their wide reach and deep market knowledge will help AVEVA maintain, expand and scale its leadership position in the industrial automation software space” Abis Zaidi Head of Partners, Greater India Region, AVEVA The combined partnership will provide a complete portfolio of digital transformative solutions for the end user to expedite their digital journeys across energy management, automation systems, and services. Schneider Electric will assist AVEVA customers in optimizing these solutions so that they may successfully update their operations and ensure business continuity. Schneider’s purpose is to empower all to make the most of their energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. They call this life is on. Their mission is to be the customers’ digital partner for sustainability and efficiency. We drive digital transformation by integrating world-leading process and energy technologies, end-point to cloud connecting products, controls, software and services, across the entire lifecycle, enabling integrated company management, for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industries. They are the most local of global companies. They are advocates of open standards and partnership ecosystems that are passionate about shared meaningful purpose, inclusive and empowered values. AVEVA is a global leader in industrial software, driving digital transformation and sustainability. By connecting the power of information and artificial intelligence with human insight, AVEVA enables teams to use their data to unlock new value. They call this Performance Intelligence. AVEVA’s comprehensive portfolio enables more than 20,000 industrial enterprises to engineer smarter, operate better and drive sustainable efficiency. AVEVA supports customers through a trusted ecosystem that includes 5,500 partners and 5,700 certified developers around the world. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, with over 6,500 employees and 90 offices in over 40 countries.

Eagle Eye Networks, the leading global player in cloud video surveillance, today announced the acquisition of artificial intelligence leader Uncanny Vision, accelerating the company’s leadership in providing AI and analytics to make customers’ businesses more efficient and the world a safer place. The acquisition also includes research and development capabilities and a new regional office in Bangalore, India. “After evaluating more than a dozen AI companies, we began working with Uncanny Vision in 2020. It didn’t take long for us to conclude that Uncanny Vision is the clear leader in surveillance AI. Their award-winning AI technology is deployed across thousands of locations, including Fortune 500 customers” Dean Drako CEO, Eagle Eye Networks   “After evaluating more than a dozen AI companies, we began working with Uncanny Vision in 2020. It didn’t take long for us to conclude that Uncanny Vision is the clear leader in surveillance AI,” said Dean Drako, Eagle Eye Networks CEO, “Their award-winning AI technology is deployed across thousands of locations, including Fortune 500 customers.” “We share the Eagle Eye team’s vision to deliver advanced, cyber secure AI cloud video surveillance offerings that transform video surveillance for businesses around the globe” Ranjith Parakkal Co-Founder, Uncanny Vision   The deal accelerates Eagle Eye’s plan, announced in November 2020, when Eagle Eye raised funds from venture capital firm Accel, to dramatically reshape video surveillance. Uncanny Vision’s deep learning algorithms enable recognition, identification, and prediction, improving business operations, customer service, and site safety. Uncanny Vision’s award-winning AI is used today in multiple applications, including: Smart parking. Retail analytics. Gate security. Toll automation. Smart cities. ATM monitoring. Worker safety. Perimeter security. Drako said, “Uncanny Vision’s tools for training, building, and optimizing models, and its infrastructure for managing and storing training data are superior. This is a key component we’re excited to add to the Eagle Eye Networks platform.” All 60 Uncanny Vision employees will be retained, and Eagle Eye plans to expand the Bangalore office. Eagle Eye is committed to supporting Uncanny Vision’s current customers, and will continue to build its global infrastructure to provide the very best 24/7 support to its valued customers around the world. Uncanny Vision co-founders, Ranjith Parakkal and Navaneethan Sundaramoorthy, have joined the Eagle Eye leadership team. Parakkal said, “We share the Eagle Eye team’s vision to deliver advanced, cyber secure AI cloud video surveillance offerings that transform video surveillance for businesses around the globe.” “The economic model of delivering subscription-based AI on a per-camera basis through a global cloud infrastructure will ignite growth for security integrators who are otherwise challenged with how to build a financially stable business,” said Alper Cetingok, Managing Director and Head of the Security & Safety Practice at Raymond James. Eagle Eye Networks is the leading player in cloud video surveillance worldwide. Their 100% cloud managed solutions provide cloud and on-premises recording, bank-level security and encryption, and broad analog and digital camera support – all accessed via the web or mobile applications. Eagle Eye Networks delivers cyber secure cloud-based video with artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics to make businesses more efficient and the world a safer place. All products benefit from Eagle Eye’s developer friendly RESTful API platform and Big Data Video Framework™. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Eagle Eye has offices in Bangalore, Tokyo, and Amsterdam. Founded in 2013, Uncanny Vision is an award-winning AI-based computer vision company delivering next generation intelligent surveillance solutions for smart cities, smart buildings and infrastructure specifically for people and vehicle monitoring using cameras. Uncanny Vision surveillance enables cameras to ‘see’ and “understand’ their environment instantly, using optimized real-time AI/ deep learning algorithms.