The year 2020 has turned out to be a rather dramatic one so far. The COVID-19 pandemic has literally halted the world in its tracks. While parallels are being drawn to World War II, this pandemic is far graver and…
Category: Technology Transformation
Can NTT India Handle Client Needs In A Post-Covid World To Become A $1 Bn company?
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Can MapMyIndia Beat Google To Be The Navigator Of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’?
They know how to pick their battles. When Google Maps made inroads into India after its launch in February 2005, MapMyIndia (MMI) owners Rakesh and Rashmi Verma had a choice: to concentrate on the enterprise segment or take on the tech…
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Vodafone AGR Case Will Impact Connected Cars In India
The Vodafone case in the Supreme Court related to the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) dues will have some dramatic consequences for the Indian connected car market. Vodafone had indicated that the Supreme Court didn't grant a minimum time of 15 years…
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TikTok’s Suitors: Among Microsoft, Walmart, Oracle, and Reliance, Who Makes The Best Match?
Just about a year back, when afaqs! did a cover story on TikTok, it seemed like the short video platform was nearing the end of its problems in India. It seemed like the major concern for the ByteDance-owned video juggernaut…
TikTok Deal With Oracle May Not Lead Easing Of Ban In India
The ‘technical partnership’ deal struck between US-based business software provider Oracle and ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, is unlikely to bring cheers to users of the mobile app in India as the Centre is reportedly in no mood…
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The Big Race For TikTok In India: What’s In It For The Buyer?
In the US, TikTok might be on the last legs of negotiation to find itself an American buyer but the big race is on In India. While several names like Microsoft, Twitter, Reliance Jio and now Oracle have come to…
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Oracle Running TikTok In India Doesn’t Make Sense: Here’s Why
Earlier today, we published a research report on the possibilities and the likely outcomes if Oracle was to land TikTok. Since then, I've received many calls from friends in the media about the implication for TikTok's India business and whether or not…
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Oracle Landing TikTok Means A Lot Of Things, But Definitely Not An Ad Network
Sunday night just got exciting, and how! Reports have confirmed that Oracle has won the bid for the U.S. operations of TikTok (a ByteDance company), leaving behind both Microsoft and Walmart from the race. It's being touted that this deal will not…
Read More Oracle Landing TikTok Means A Lot Of Things, But Definitely Not An Ad Network
#CounterpunchWithSVG E06: Red Hat Believes Open Hybrid Cloud Is About As Close To A Panacea As There Is. But Is It?
The year 2020 has turned out to be a rather dramatic one so far. The COVID-19 pandemic has literally halted the world in its tracks. While parallels are being drawn to World War II, this pandemic is far graver and…
#CounterpunchWithSVG E05: IBM Believes It Can Deliver Security For The Modern Enterprise But I Had Questions That Needed Clarifying
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The Race To Build An Indian Social Network
Over the past three months, home-grown variants of short-video social networking apps have cruised through some unusual times. Border tensions and #BoycottChina campaigns had already resulted in a steady uptick in their user base. And then came the ban on 59…
Why Microsoft Closed Its Experiential Stores
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IT Companies Resort To Layoffs As Pressure Mounts Due To Covid Crisis
The information technology (IT) industry is laying off thousands of employees across the globe and in India, on grounds of non-performance, lack of projects and rightsizing surplus staff as pressure mounts on firms due to an uncertain business environment. …
Read More IT Companies Resort To Layoffs As Pressure Mounts Due To Covid Crisis
With Valuations At Historical Low, M&A Activity To Pick Up Pace In IT Industry
The hunt for the right acquisition in the IT industry is expected to pick up pace as valuations are down to a historical low, with the possible merger of mid-tier players Mindtree and L&T Infotech playing out earlier than expected. …
Read More With Valuations At Historical Low, M&A Activity To Pick Up Pace In IT Industry
Engagement, User Experience Critical For Homegrown Apps To Succeed
The ban on 59 apps with Chinese links has opened up opportunities for homegrown players to accelerate growth but they will have to ensure good user experience and engagement on their platforms to be successful, according to industry analysts. …
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Ban On ‘Made-in-China’ Apps Gives India’s TikTok Rivals A Boost
India's decision to ban 59 'made-in-China' apps is proving a blessing to local software developers, especially alternatives to video-sharing social networking service TikTok, which until the ban had 200 million users in the country. Some experts, however, see challenges…
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Google-Reliance Partnership Heats Up Indian eCommerce Race
TOKYO -- Google's surprise decision announced on July 15 to invest $4.5 billion into Jio Platforms, the digital business arm of India's biggest family-owned conglomerate Reliance Industries, has so far not been accompanied by any announcement on Google's role in Reliance's…
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Trump’s Order Queers The Pitch For H-1B Workers
US President Donald Trump’s order restricting American federal agencies from hiring foreign workers, including those on the coveted H-1B visas, is likely to further squeeze Indian outsourcers as they work on many such projects either directly or as sub-contractors. …
Airtel Inks Strategic Alliance With Amazon Web Services To Tap SMB Opportunity
Bharti Airtel is set to sign a strategic alliance with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud services arm of retail giant Amazon, to tap small-and-medium businesses (SMBs). The pairing will be pitted against the Reliance Jio Infocomm-Microsoft combine as they compete for a share…
Read More Airtel Inks Strategic Alliance With Amazon Web Services To Tap SMB Opportunity
Companies Pivot To Digital Even As IT Budgets Are Under Pressure
As the proverbial light at the end of the Covid-19 tunnel increasingly seems like a mirage, with every day bringing new challenges, IT budgets are under increasing pressure. But companies are also spending on initiatives that will help them recover quickly…
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Some Relief For Indians As Trump Allows Certain Exemptions In H-1B, L-1 Ban
In what could be a respite for Indian IT professionals and those working in the healthcare sector in US, the Trump administration has announced certain exemptions in H-1B and L-1 travel ban for those continuing employment with the same employer.…
Read More Some Relief For Indians As Trump Allows Certain Exemptions In H-1B, L-1 Ban
Not Everyone In India Is Going Without A Salary Hike In 2020
Indian professionals are split between making peace with pay cuts and demanding pay raises in this year of crisis. Some experts say the lack of increments is not a big issue as people are saving money on commutes as they…
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Reliance Likely To Acquire TikTok In India For $5 billion
India's most valuable company Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is reportedly the latest bidder for the Bytedance-owned TikTok in India. The Mukesh Ambani-led firm had begun talks last month with the Chinese firm to acquire its operations in India. The deal…
Read More Reliance Likely To Acquire TikTok In India For $5 billion
Does Acquiring TikTok In India Make Sense For RIL?
Reliance Industries Ltd could gain a deeper connection with consumers by acquiring TikTok in India, but its existing strategic partnership with Facebook — which owns Instagram — could put the deal under the scrutiny of the Competition Commission of India,…
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#CounterpunchWithSVG E04: IBM’s Love Affair With Quantum Computing Is Age-Old Yet New: #CounterpunchWithSVG
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Is Reliance Jio Shaping the Future of Digital India?
India’s struggle against the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t stopped the deal making spree at Reliance Industries. As the country slows down, Mukesh Ambani’s conglomerate by sales and market capitalization has only seemed to speed up. In fact, some critics point out that Reliance…
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What Next For Cash-Rich Jio?
Raising $15 billion through 11 deals over three-months in a normal environment is impressive for any company. But, doing it during a global pandemic when stock markets are fluctuating, confidence in investing is low and the effects of said pandemic…
Reliance-Owned Jio Platforms To Beef Up Its Capabilities With Qualcomm’s Investment
Jio Platforms, the digital arm of India’s largest conglomerate Reliance Industries, which has raised USD 15.7 billion in the last 12 weeks from 11 high-profile investors, has got American chipset maker Qualcomm as its newest backer. According to Sanchit Vir…
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Jio Ready With 5G Solution, Ropes In Google For Affordable Smartphone
Mukesh Ambani unveiled his blueprint to build a complete technology ecosystem around Jio Platforms that includes developing India’s first 5G network solutions and affordable 4G smartphones in partnership with global giants such as Facebook, Qualcomm, Intel and Google. "The decision…
Read More Jio Ready With 5G Solution, Ropes In Google For Affordable Smartphone