The first Indian edition of it-sa, to be held in  Mumbai from 24-25 May 2018 Conceived of as a platform for IT security experts from India and other countries of the sub-continent, the expo and conference is based on the growing realization that the need for IT security goes hand-in-hand with the growth of digitalization. Dr Roland Fleck, CEO of the NürnbergMesse Group, organizer of the expo + conference, believes that the new event is the next logical step in NürnbergMesse’s strategy of internationalization. “The market for IT security is developing space in South Asia, just as it is elsewhere. In view of the skills we have developed with the leading European exhibition, it-sa in Nuremberg, it makes sense to expand our presence in one of the most important industry centers for IT security,” he said. Adds Peter Ottmann, CEO, NürnbergMesse Group, “As an organizer with a global ambit, we are adapting existing trade fair strategies to suit the needs of growth markets. Our success in Europe gives us the encouragement to expand our portfolio to include a new member to the it-sa product family. Current developments in the area of IT security will provide the necessary momentum to the event.” According to a study by IT research entity Gartner, the IT security market in India has grown by 10.71% from $1.12 billion in 2016 to $1.24 billion in 2017. Globalization and the opening of the market are the key drivers. Because of the increase in digital and online data, measures to protect against cyber criminality are growing in importance. As a result, 93% of India’s CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) plan to offer more training for their employees. Vishal Jain, Partner, Risk Advisory, Deloitte India, describes the necessity of the upcoming it-sa India for the sector. “As we rapidly progress towards a digital ecosystem and expand our scope of disruption, we need to strengthen the security infrastructure against unwarranted risks and exposure. Security is no longer an option but has become an imperative because cyber threats are a concern for the entire ecosystem. We believe that the solutions should work intelligently as an integrated adaptive system to offer a protection process for advanced threats. Through our innovation and collaboration with industry stakeholders we aim to address these key areas of security while exploring distinct opportunities through digital transformation,” he said. Sajid Desai, CEO, NürnbergMesse India, is looking forward to the opportunities it-sa will provide and said, “The use of IT in new niche areas is leading to the growth of India’s entire IT sector. With increasing pressure from the government to expand the process of digitalization, the subject of IT security is becoming indispensable, and plays a key part in the overall digital arsenal. That’s why the best time for us to bring it-sa to India is right now.” A platform for IT security it-sa India will provide a platform for direct exchanges between the decision-makers of the industry. It will draw on the successful strategy adopted by it-sa in Nuremberg, Europe’s largest IT security exhibition. At the same time, it will address topics of interest to the Asian market. This is also echoed by Frank Venjakob, Executive Director, it-sa, “Our expertise and the work we have done with our colleagues in India have helped us to evolve an ideal strategy. Backed by the interlinkage within the it-sa product family we provide the essential knowledge of the market and the customer base.” A top-quality conference programme will complement the exhibition. One of the highlights of the event will be the Start-Up Zone, a stage for India’s new start-up scene. By focusing exclusively on IT security solutions, both the exhibition and the conference programme will reflect the trends in the industry. It-sa India will thus serve as a meeting place of the industry for personal exchanges between the relevant players in IT security.

Axis Communications held the third edition of three day ‘Eye Connect – 2017’ event in Agra, with the theme ‘Integrated Security Solution – From Myth to Reality.’ To drive the shift towards integration of a surveillance and security solutions, a consortium of partners from the security ecosystem have come together to engage the customers, drive awareness on the state-of-the-art technology and identify challenges in the sector. Rising threats to security and data management have raised the issue of creating a holistic system of surveillance, analytics, storage, video management, access control and network control. Axis, with their Ecosystem partners Allied Telesis, Milestone, iComply and Solus which showcased their latest offerings to 50 organisations including 60 end customers. The event also contained keynote addresses by the ecosystem partners and panel discussions on verticals such as critical infrastructure, smart cities and transportation. On this occasion, Sudhindra Holla, Country Manager, Axis Communications said, “A nation can only be smart if it is safe. The third edition of Eye Connect focuses on bringing the Ecosystem partners and customers closer to each other under one roof. Creating a robust security infrastructure has many aspects and our consortium aims to provide the larger picture to our customers. They will gain knowledge of the various components that constitute the backbone of security. Our aim is to showcase end-to-end solutions to our customers. Last year we received positive interest and many solutions were eye openers for them, we therefore decided to host it again this year too.” Sandesh Kaup, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Allied Telesis added, “The country is looking for robust & reliable security solutions. We created Eye Connect to streamline our efforts as an ecosystem to educate, empower and derive user feedback. The customers will learn about the latest products that are suited to their needs and the benefits of implementing a strong surveillance network. We hope to continue our efforts in this regard in the years to come.”

Schneider Electric has recently opened its new office in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The new office will offer a single window access to the vast range of offers, to all customers and partners in the region. Centrally located, the office aims to ensure best-in-class services and an enabling atmosphere for the employees. The Indore office inauguration is in line with the company’s plan to consolidate its presence across various cities in India. The office will be led by Revanand Andhale, Regional Sales Director, supported by Debasish Banerji, G.M. Sales- (Madhya Pradesh). Inaugurating the office, S Nagarajan, President, National Sales, Schneider Electric India said, “The opening of our new office in Indore will enable us serve the customers in the state, and address the requirements from the four end markets that support the EcoStruxure strategy of the company – Building, Data Center, Industry and Grid.” Schneider Electric believes that this would enable higher industrial growth in the state which anchors industries like automobile, hardware manufacturing, financial services, pharmaceutical, textiles, hospitals, food processing, mines, etc. The organisation has a strong distribution network through channel partners in the region. At the inauguration, Schneider Electric team along with the channel partners present, pledged to continue their commitment towards maintaining the coveted acclaim of Indore being the cleanest city in India and in spreading awareness about sustainable energy management.

Aligning itself with the emerging technology trends of digitisation, cloud, and analytics, Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, recently launched its IoT-enabled EcoStruxure™ platform for its channel partners at the ‘EcoXpert Meet’ in Pattaya, Thailand. Launched in India earlier this year, the IoT platform is a one-stop IT/ OT solution for achieving cost and energy efficiency for companies in four key markets – buildings, data center, industry and power grid. The digital architecture will now be available for the company’s partners, to be leveraged amongst its customers, to ensure energy efficiency at all levels. The EcoXpert Partner Program is a worldwide network of Schneider Electric trained and certified partner companies offering local expertise and support to resolve the challenges of shared customers. An extension of Schneider Electric, EcoXperts are competent in the fields of building control, and power and energy management. With a proven track record of delivering best-in-class services and solutions, EcoXperts are committed to deliver intelligent and sustainable solutions that add value and longevity to the success of shared customers. Today, Schneider Electric has a strong channel partner network in India, with as many as 106 EcoXperts. The EcoXpert Partner Program has proved to be a successful business strategy for the company in reaching out to its customers in the country. Owing to the robustness of the program, that includes year-long learning initiatives and collaboration to stay abreast of the industry trends and technological developments, the partner community witnessed an approximately 30% growth in their revenue in 2016. The success of the program can also be witnessed through Schneider Electric’s 27% y-o-y growth in 2017 (as on July), recorded through channel partners Speaking at the event, Shrinivas Chebbi, President Buildings Business, Schneider Electric India said, “The EcoStruxure™ architecture offered by Schneider Electric is one of the key elements of our future sales strategy in India. The solution, which combines IT and OT, will provide enhanced value to our customers in terms of safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and connectivity. Our EcoXpert Partner Program is designed to help our partners grow their business. Through training and certification programs, we constantly share our industry expertise and innovative technologies, enabling our partners to deliver innovative solutions. Since the start of EcoXpert program, we have successfully tried to push digitisation through our channel partners. With the addition of EcoStruxure™ as a sales offering in India, we are confident that our partner community will continue to drive success for our shared customers.” The EcoXpert Program facilitates quick on boarding of qualified partners, provides training, sales and technical materials. The program has received the coveted 5-Star rating in CRN’s 2017 Partner Program Guide with India being the only country to launch all 5 badges in EcoXpert program with commercial policy.