January, 2018 Vol. XI, No.

01 `80/-

Manufacturing Sector
Technology to lead in 2018
inside
Cleaner Fuels,
The Only Pragmatic Answer
Close to 1,000 cars and about 48,000 two wheelers are sold
every day in India and this number is rising steadily given the
growing appetite for vehicles among Indians. More families are
turning nuclear which will further increase the need for vehicles.
This once again, brings back focus on the type of
fuel used in these vehicles.Tangible electric

10
alternatives being years away, With 13 of the 20
most polluted cities in the world belonging to India,

Digital Banking The power of the collective

Post Demonetization
The Indian banking sector has come a long way since
demonetisation over a year ago. The withdrawal of high-
currency notes on the night of November 8, 2016, has given a
significant impetus to digital banking — catapulting customer
education and customer adoption to a scale never seen before.
Electronic funds transfer through Internet banking
Crowdworking in the Digital Age
In 2010, the Indian government decided it was time for a
symbol to denote the rupee. In a fascinating move, they
chose to crowdsource the project. Similarly, in 2005 the
British Royal Mint held a crowdsourced competition for its
new currency. This choice symbolised a distinct
shift away from traditional modes of working.

12 Evolving Role of Genetic 30

or mobile banking and debit card usage at merchant Traditionally these opportunities would never
establishments saw a massive upswing. have been available to budding designers,

How adoption of Solar can

help SMEs? Is it feasible?
The demand for electricity has been rising at 6% per annum and
is expected to further rise because of factors such as new
industries, increasing population, more urbanization, smart
cities, rural electrification and as more Indians move into the
middle class – increased use of power intensive appliances
increases the per capita consumption of power. On the other
hand, the addition of new capacity to meet this
Counselors in Healthcare
The successful completion of the Human Genome Project
in 2003, resulted in an exponential increase in volume of
genetic information linked to human diseases.
Development of new technologies, especially next
generation sequencing (NGS) has increased the
accessibility of genetic information. The wealth of
information we've garnered is helping provide
opportunities to advance medical care, improve

16 Multimedia for SMEs in 32

demand has lagged in the past and India is expected health outcomes and cut costs through more
to have only 50% of its requirement by 2030. effective management of diseases.

Five Things to Consider Today's Business Ecosystem

Before Moving to Cloud
Moving to the cloud is a global phenomenon which has gripped
businesses alike, irrespective of the industry or offerings. If not
already a cloud subscriber, businesses are so
perplexed by the concept of an asset-light business,
that moving to the cloud is an inevitable business
decision in the near future.
18
Manufacturing Sector Set for
Significant Change in 2018
Manufacturing, along with virtually all other industries, is going
through a significant period of change. Driven by rapid
technological development, manufacturers are having to work
smarter, operate more efficiently and be prepared to innovate. As
an enabler of growth, technology will play a key role
in empowering businesses to innovate and embrace
seizethe opportunities that will present themselves
in 2018.
JANUARY, 2018
22 8
Every business, big or small goes through an initial
learning curve and transformational phase. The transition
from running small operations to larger ones can often be a
painful process. For SMEs to undergo a
seamless transition, being proficient in
operations, productions and service delivery are
simply insufficient. 34
Customer Engagement in the
Amped-up Digital Environ
Organizations today have an instinctive urge to be ahead of
customer expectations. Thus, nearly every enterprise rallies
around enhancing customer engagement. Better engagement
with customers and prospects can ensure revenue
enhancement for organizations by maximizing
their share of the wallet. Share of wallet is a direct
function of how well an organization serves its
existing customers and engage with them. 40
www.smeworld.asia

Follow us :
Minister Inaugurates NSIC's
Ambitious NTSC Training Centre
Giriraj Singh, Minister of MSME and Dr.Arun Kumar Panda,
Secretary, MSME inaugurated NTSC - Advanced Training Centre in
the presence of Ravindra Nath, CMD, NSIC last month. Also present
were P. Udayakumar, Director (P&M), NSIC and senior officers of
NSIC. The Minister applauded this initiative of the NSIC for the
growth of MSME sector by offering various types of advanced
training for the youth of the country.
BITS Pillani Goa
Campus Competition
CEL, BITS Pilani Goa Campus aimed at nurturing
entrepreneurship and business spirit among people all around the
globe, brings to you WINCITE'18, a national level B-plan
Competition accelerating your Idea to a commercial success.
Right from recognizing the potential of your Idea, to developing a
Business Model and pitching it in-front of investors this
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Who should register?
Applications are open to all kinds of startups, in all stages, from
Ideation stage to prototype to Growth Stage. Regardless of
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participate and be a part of WINCITE 2018. Register yourself in the
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What to expect?
WINCITE offers unprecedented
opportunities to its participants
encompassing the following:
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For more updates and details about us refer our website
http://celbitspilanigoa.in and
For registration visit https://goo.gl/forms/kXRqYY71oCtSOtRr2
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 Suyash Gupta
Cleaner Fuels,
The Only Pragmatic Answer
A t a time when
pollution has
started taking
epidemic proportions,
quick but lasting
solutions need to be
found out. Role of clean
automotive fuels simply
cannot be
overemphasized.
Close to 1,000 cars and about 48,000
two wheelers are sold every day in
India and this number is rising steadily
given the growing appetite for vehicles
among Indians. More families are
turning nuclear which will further
increase the need for vehicles. This
once again, brings back focus on the
type of fuel used in these vehicles.
Tangible electric alternatives being
years away, With 13 of the 20 most
polluted cities in the world belonging
to India, according to the WHO, the
choice of fuel is automatically
restricted to cleaner fuels like the Auto
LPG and CNG.
As a means to tackle the growing
pollution problem, the government has
decided to allow sales of only electric
vehicles in the country from 2030
onwards. Even the judiciary is doing its
JANUARY,2018
bit for environment protection. The
Honorable Supreme Court had earlier
this year decided to stop the sales of
vehicles complying to BS-III fuel
norms from 1stApril 2017.
Viable Solutions
These measures need to be augmented
with more lasting and viable solutions
for the benefit of the people. If all
vehicles sold in the country by 2030
have to be electric, India will be
emitting more CO2 eventually since
about 68% of all power produced in
India is produced by burning fossil
fuel. Here Auto LPG can play a very
important role in role achieving the
target of pollution mitigation.
Auto LPG is win-win for the consumer
as well as the society. One big
advantage for an Auto LPG customer is
that it takes only as much time to tank
up as it takes in
case of a petrol
or diesel car.
Another
advantage is
that the Auto
LPG kits are
smaller and
compact and
can be placed
in the well of
the boot easily.
Auto LPG
emits up to 120
10
The use of LPG as an
automotive fuel was
legalized in India with effect
from April 24, 2000 and since
then there has been no
looking back. . More than 500
cities have been covered by
Auto LPG with more than
1100 stations since then.
Globally, Auto LPG is the
third most commonly used
automotive fuel after Petrol
and Diesel.
times lesser particulate emissions than
diesel vehicles, 96% lesser nitrogen
dioxides (NOx) than diesel and 68%
lesser NOx than petrol. Also, auto LPG
emits about 22% lower carbon dioxide
(CO2) than petrol. At the same time, it
is much cheaper than petrol, diesel and
CNG. Auto LPG is only clean fuel that
is viable for installation on two-
wheelers. It is to be underlined that
emissions from two-wheelers are major
culprits for poor urban air quality.
There are countries where Auto LPG is
used in two wheelers and similar
models can be successfully adopted in
India.
Clean Urban Environment
At time when the people are getting
environmentally more responsible and
also looking at a cheaper mode of
transport, these cleaner fuels can play
an even larger role. There are large
www.smeworld.asia

scale conversions happening from
conventional fuel system to cleaner
fuels. About 10,000-15,000 vehicles
are getting converted every month but
there is every possibility to take this
number higher.
The use of LPG as an automotive fuel
was legalized in India with effect from
April 24, 2000 and since then there has
been no looking back. . More than 500
cities have been covered by Auto LPG
with more than 1100 stations since
then. Globally, Auto LPG is the third
most commonly used automotive fuel
after Petrol and Diesel. Over 26 million
vehicles across 70 countries use Auto
LPG to help clean their urban
environment. Globally seven of the ten
largest car manufacturers produce LPG
powered cars.
Successful Experiments
Many countries, including some in
Asia, have had very successful
experiments with Auto LPG.
Indian Auto LPG Coalition (IAC) has
been working closely with all
stakeholders, especially the
government, to bring about greater
convergence in making popular the use
JANUARY,2018
of Auto LPG in the country. It is also
trying to have a wider network of Auto
LPG station in the country. It has been
successful in having 1100 stations in
the country so far. It is also bringing
global knowhow in sales and
distribution of the gas to India. It has
also been trying to bring about a level
playing field for authorised kit
conversion players who are
disadvantaged currently against the
unauthorised ones.
IAC is the nodal body for the
promotion of Auto LPG in India.
Members of the Coalition include the
Oil Sector PSUs, Private Auto LPG
marketers, Kit Suppliers and
Equipment manufacturers. The
Coalition works very closely with the
World LPG Association, Society of
Indian Automobile Manufacturers and
Automotive Research Association of
India.
IAC is also a member of “Central
Motor Vehicle Rules - Technical
Standing Committee” (CMVR-TSC) &
“Standing Committee on Emission
Legislation” (SCOE), TED26 (Bureau
of Indian Standards), Government of
India.
11
Auto LPG is win-win for
the consumer as well as
the society. One big
advantage for an Auto
LPG customer is that it
takes only as much time
to tank up as it takes in
case of a petrol or diesel
car. Another advantage is
that the Auto LPG kits are
smaller and compact and
can be placed in the well
of the boot easily.
About Suyash Gupta
Suyash Guota is Managing
Director, CleanFUEL India. He
has been the Director General of
Industry Body, Indian Auto LPG
Coalition for the last 14 years
and has been very closely
associated with the Indian LPG
Industry since 1993. He is a
member of the Global Steering
Committee of 'Cooking for Life'
initiative promoting use of
cleaner fuels and represents
India on the Core GAIN Group
of World LP Gas Association at
Paris.
A former consultant to National
Energy Technology Laboratory,
US Department of Energy, Mr
Gupta is also a member of apex
committees of Union Ministry of
Road Transport & Highways,
Government of India, being a
member of Standing Committee
on Emission Legislation (SCoE)
& Central Motor Vehicle Rules
(Technical Standing Committee)
(CMVR-TSC).
www.smeworld.asia
 Digital Banking
Post Demonetization
T he Indian banking
sector has come a
long way since
demonetisation over a year
ago. The withdrawal of
predominantly salaried
segment, became much
more ubiquitous, with
rapid penetration in the
rural areas and the self
Digitisation has also made it
easier and convenient for banks
to open savings accounts and
term deposits for new
customers. The physical
high-currency notes on the employed section of our presence of a consumer is not a
night of November 8, 2016, society. must anymore. Banks help an
has given a significant If we were to look at the evolution of individual to open an account
impetus to digital banking consumer banking over the past three
from the comfort of his or her
decades — we see the emergence of
— catapulting customer ATMs, phone banking, the use of home or office.
education and customer merchant POS terminals in the 1990s,
adoption to a scale never the advent of internet banking in 2000s
and the disruptive world of mobile wants, at the time she wants. The
seen before. Electronic banking in the current decade — What advent of Aadhaar, the smartphone
funds transfer through is noteworthy is that no single explosion, the presence of business
innovation has replaced another. In correspondents (for various banks) and
Internet banking or mobile
spite of the several technological the digital push provided by
banking and debit card advances and more convenient options, demonetization have ensured that
usage at merchant all the services introduced earlier are mobile banking is increasingly
still around — be it manual teller becoming the access channel of choice
establishments saw a counters inside bank branches, phone for most banking customers.
massive upswing. Digital banking, ATMs or payment cards. If
banking which was anything, these facilities are only Significant Innovations
complementing one another. The In the past one year, digitisation has
essentially a preserve of customer wants the choice to reach his seen many significant innovations,
the young, urban and bank account in the mode that she which includes Aadhaar-linked ATMs.
JANUARY,2018 12 www.smeworld.asia

The implementation of GST,
which is paperless fully
electronic mode of filing tax
returns is another step which is
ensuring rapid customer
adoption to electronic financial
literacy. More and more self
employed businessmen are
adopting simple systems which
assist in invoice creation,
reconciliation of input credits and
filing of GST returns.
To put it simply, customers can use
their Aadhaar number and fingerprint
(biometrics) to withdraw money from
an ATM, instead of using an ATM card
and pin. The 'card-less and pin-less'
ATM is the next big wave, which will
provide immense convenience and
unmatched security to the customers.
Every new concept has its share of
challenges, and digital banking is no
exception. Convincing people to
migrate from traditional to electronic
channels has been the biggest challenge
of digitisation. The next big test is to
assure them that the digital systems put
in place were safe and secure. And
lastly, it is important to match customer
expectations with reality. These
challenges can be easily mitigated if
banks and customers become partners
in the digitisation journey, where banks filing tax returns is another step which
initially handhold their customers and
guide them through the various digital
JANUARY,2018
banking channels, and win
their confidence.
Digitisation has also made it
easier and convenient for
banks to open savings
accounts and term deposits
for new customers. The physical
presence of a consumer is not a must
anymore. Banks help an individual to
open an account from the comfort of
his or her home or office. While not
fully online, it is an assisted process,
where a banker can help fill the
necessary details on a tablet, scan the
biometric details, digitally submit
photographs and instantaneously open
a bank account. The bank will do a
verification based on PAN and/or
Aadhaar numbers. The result is that the
individual can open an account and
start operating it in a matter of minutes,
without once entering the bank branch.
Customers as Ambassadors
of Banks
Notwithstanding their reservations
about digitisation, customers are
turning out to be the 'Ambassadors of
Banks'. Consumers who have
experienced the potential benefits of
digital banking are now strongly
recommending it to family and friends
and their wider social circle. And the
good news is that they are winning new
customers for banks.
The implementation of GST, which is
paperless fully electronic mode of
13
is ensuring rapid customer adoption to
electronic financial literacy. More and
more self employed businessmen are
adopting simple systems which assist
in invoice creation, reconciliation of
input credits and filing of GST returns.
I am confident that, in years to come,
digital banking will not just be a one-
off thing or a mere paperless
transaction — but a way of life that
will ultimately benefit Banks, Indian
economy and more importantly the
consumers.
Praveen Kutty is Head - Retail and
SME Banking, DCB Bank
If we were to look at the
evolution of consumer banking
over the past three decades
— we see the emergence of
ATMs, phone banking, the
use of merchant POS
terminals in the 1990s, the
advent of internet banking in
2000s and the disruptive world
of mobile banking in the
current decade — What is
noteworthy is that no single
innovation has replaced
another. In spite of the several
technological advances and
more convenient options, all
the services introduced earlier
are still around — be it manual
teller counters inside bank
branches, phone banking,
ATMs or payment cards.
www.smeworld.asia
Aroon Sharma

Power Sector Throws Opportunities for SMEs

T
he Chandigarh-based Hartek
Group is one of India's fastest
growing enterprises catering
to the power sector through five
strategic business units—Power
Systems, Rooftop Solar, Power
Distribution Products, Fuel Services
and Value-Added Services. An
integrated conglomerate contributing
immensely to the entire power sector
value chain, the Hartek Group also
manufactures a complete range
of power distribution
equipment/solutions catering to
the needs of the industry as well
as utilities. Having a long-
standing tie-up with reputed
global suppliers like Siemens
and Schneider Electric, the
group haa secured more than
3,000 clients since our
inception 26 years ago.
Simarpreet Singh, Head,
Strategy, Hartek Group,
interacts:
Hartek Group's success story
serves as an example for other
SMEs striving to get a foothold
in the power industry. How has
the Hartek Group contributed
to the power sector value chain
over the years?
Our flagship company, Hartek
Power Pvt Ltd, is one of the
fastest growing EPC companies
in the country with expertise in
executing high-voltage substation
turnkey projects and a presence across market intelligence firm. Having
17 states. Held in high esteem for its commissioned 13.75-MW rooftop solar
uncompromising quality standards and projects, we have also been rated
timely execution of projects, Hartek
Power provides complete EPC
solutions on substations and
transmission lines to the industry,
independent power producers and
utilities. It has created immense value registering steady growth. We bagged
in the T&D value chain by executing Pralhad
JANUARY,2018
more than 150 high-voltage and extra
high-voltage substations and
transmission lines.
An emerging player in renewable
energy and a part and parcel of India's
solar sector, we also provide complete
solar EPC, turnkey and rooftop solar
installation solutions. Having
connected about 600 MW of solar
power to the grid for leading IPPs, we
have recently been rated as the fourth
Simarpreet Singh
largest solar EPC player in India by
Mercom Capital Group, a leading
among the notable rooftop solar
installers in the country with a 2%
market share by Mercom Capital.
The past one year has been spectacular
for us with all our five business units
Bhutada
1,025-MW solar grid EPC orders in
14
2016-17, a phenomenal increase of
733% as compared to our order size in
the previous year. We connected 340
MW of solar power to the grid in 2016-
17, which comes out to be more than
the combined figure of the previous
three years. As an acknowledgement of
our expertise in executing smart grid
technologies, we bagged a prestigious
smart grid order from the Punjab State
Power Corporation Ltd this year for the
supply, installation and commissioning
of SCADA relays at 55
substations in the upcoming
Smart Cities of Ludhiana,
Amritsar and Jalandhar.
What strategies have you
adopted to make the most of
the opportunities thrown
open by the rapidly growing
industry and remain one up
on competitors?
While T&D will continue to be
at the heart of all our
businesses, we also have plans
to take our rooftop business to
the next level by coming up
with innovative rooftop/small-
scale solar solutions and
attractive business models to
capitalise on emerging trends.
We have five business units,
but our core business model,
which relies on forward and
backward integration, remains
the same. Since supply chain
holds the key for every project,
our move to go for backward
integration by manufacturing the
equipment used in substation EPC has
been a game changer for us.
Sustainability being at the core of our
strategies, we will continue to invest in
sustainable technologies and focus on
the key factors that have contributed to
our success, namely timely execution
of projects, unmatched quality
standards, a high-quality product
basket and emphasis on services.
www.smeworld.asia

How can SMEs play a greater role in
the power sector growth story in
years to come?
Driven by reforms, the Indian power
sector is growing at an unprecedented
pace. The single-window system
adopted by the government has resulted
in timely approvals for projects. Going
from strength to strength, SMEs in
India are second to none in terms of
technical knowhow and domain
expertise. They have played a vital role
in the expansion of the power sector by
providing equipment at competitive
rates including machinery and services
for coal and ash handling, water
treatment, cooling towers and
chimneys, pumps and electrical
equipment. Since the core strength of
the Indian industry lies in SMEs, a new
model should be evolved where one
large player, joined by various small
companies, can form a consortium for
the execution of large projects.
The market conditions are favourable
for the greater participation of SMEs in commercial and industrial categories.
India's power sector growth story. The
most positive development has been
the creation of a conducive business
environment, which has given a big
boost to investment. There has been an in providing complete power
increase in private participation, even
in the T&D domain. While the
situation has vastly improved on the
power generation front, T&D
infrastructure is also coming up on a
war footing. The thrust on rural
electrification, “Power to All” and solar (MENA) region through strategic tie-
energy will go a long way in improving ups with leading companies there.
the health of the industry. Higher
spending on electrification will result
in more orders for companies in the
transmission sector and gradually
improve the energy demand and plant
load factor levels for power generation
entities to some extent.
What are Hartek Group's future
plans?
Building on last year's momentum,
when we had secured more than 1-GW heart of India's power system will
solar EPC orders, we will now be
targeting larger projects to get to the 2- and governance practices. There is a
GW mark by the end of the current
financial year. We will be next going
for the extra high voltage class in a big execution
JANUARY,2018
The market conditions are
favourable for the greater
participation of SMEs in
India's power sector growth
story. The most positive
development has been the
creation of a conducive
business environment,
which has given a big boost
to investment.
way. We are already working on 220
KV grid and plan to take this up to 400
KV and 765 KV in coming years, for
which we are heavily investing in
design and engineering and integrating
latest technologies to be ahead of the
game. We are also looking to take up
more Smart City projects under area-
based development, brownfield and
rooftop solar projects.
We aim to enhance our share in rooftop
by laying more emphasis on
Focused on developing a sustainable
power ecosystem, we are also foraying
into residential and small-scale solar.
Our vision is to become a global leader
distribution and smart grid power
solutions. We aim to build a truly
global company following world-class
processes with people adding value to
it at every step. We are also looking to
tap the Middle East and North African
What are the major challenges for
the renewable energy market in
India?
Technical difficulties such as grid
stability and storage of renewable
energy are among the key issues,
especially in rural areas. India lacks a
comprehensive national policy and
legislative framework for renewable
energy. Having renewable energy at the
require a paradigm shift in planning
need to consolidate the institutional
structure to ensure timely and effective
of policy targets.
15
The biggest bottleneck is financing.
The Indian renewable industry needs to
be made appealing enough to attract
funds. Another challenge is equipping
the country's electricity grid with the
capacity to absorb intermittent power
surges that occur because of renewable
energy. The grid should also have the
capacity to carry electricity from
regions where power is generated to
regions where it is needed.
These challenges notwithstanding, the
share of renewable energy in India's
installed power generation capacity is
bound to increase substantially. The
growth in the energy storage and E-
mobility markets will boost the power
sector on the whole. We also foresee
rural electrification projects being
executed on a massive scale. Besides,
we will witness cities entrusted with
the Smart City mandate moving
towards a more sustainable power
ecosystem.
About Simarpreet Singh, Head,
Strategy, Hartek Group
Simarpreet Singh is pursuing the
adoption of ingenious power solutions
with a passionate zeal. Driven by a
resolve to contribute significantly to the
Indian power sector value chain, he has
led from the front to turn the Hartek
Group into one of India's fastest
growing conglomerates, especially in
the Transmission and Distribution
(T&D) and Solar EPC space. An
integral part of the core management,
Simarpreet has charted the growth story
of the Hartek Group in the
manufacturing and EPC domains.
A regular guest faculty member at
nationally reputed institutes of
professional education like the Narsee
Monjee Institute of Management,
Mumbai, SP Jain Institute of
Management and Research, Mumbai
and Indian Institute of Management,
Amritsar, Simarpreet constantly
motivates young entrepreneurs and
business professionals to pursue their
dreams. A passionate proponent of
renewable energy and sustainable
technologies, he aspires to turn the
Hartek Group into a market leader in
smart-grid power solutions.
www.smeworld.asia
 In today's highly competitive market, cost cutting at various stages of production becomes the
need of the hour for every business whether it is small or big. With the skyrocketing prices of fossil
fuels and an ever-increasing demand for electricity, along with a rising consciousness about
cleaner sources of energy alternative renewable sources has become a popular choice for every
business entity especially SMEs who want to keep their cost down. Solar among them is a much
sought-after option for various reasons, chief among them being, a clean and renewable source
and cheaper in the long run. Moreover, it is profitable for companies both in terms of cost cutting
and as a corporate social responsibility to invest into it.

How adoption of Solar can

help SMEs? Is it feasible?
-Saket Yadav
Feasible Option not available. In some states, the

T he demand for electricity has

been rising at 6% per annum
and is expected to further rise
because of factors such as new
industries, increasing population, more
urbanization, smart cities, rural
electrification and as more Indians
move into the middle class – increased
use of power intensive appliances
increases the per capita consumption of
power. On the other hand, the addition
of new capacity to meet this demand
has lagged in the past and India is
expected to have only 50% of its
requirement by 2030. However, with
the Government's intent of pushing
renewable energy, especially Solar, we
are seeing an uptick in the addition of
new capacity and the government has
targeted 100GW of solar of which 40%
is through distributed or rooftop solar.
The small and medium enterprises
(SMEs) are turning to solar as a viable
alternative because it offers cost
effectiveness (it is cheaper than the
grid tariff and offers protection from
rising costs), energy security (no need
to rely on erratic power supply and
aging grid infrastructure) and helps
meet their sustainability commitments.
Following are some of the criteria to
evaluate while considering solar.
JANUARY, 2018
Relative to other sources of alternate
energies, solar is the most feasible
option both commercially and in terms
of ease of deployment. For as little as
INR 45-50 lakhs and 10,000 square
feet of shadow free area, one can install
a 100 kWp solar power plant which can
churn almost 1.45 lakh units of
electricity per year. The savings in
energy bills could range from 50% -
60% with a payback period (a function
the cost of a solar power plant, the
current utility tariff and the generation
from the solar power plant in that
location) of anywhere between 3 – 5
years.
In a bid to encourage businesses to
adopt solar, the government has rolled
out various incentives. Businesses can
claim 40% accelerated depreciation
(AD) on the cost of the setting up a
solar plant. Given this, distributed solar
is today cheaper than tariffs charged by
utilities across India.
The government has also introduced
net metering, whereby any power
generated in excess of that consumed
immediately can be supplied to the grid
and balanced against units consumed
from the grid when supply from solar is
16
government even offers to pay a
nominal price per unit in cases where
one has exported more units to the grid
than that consumed from it. The
process of applying for net-meter
involves seeking CEIG clearance after
the plant is installed and filing an
application for net-meter whereby the
existing unidirectional energy meter is
replaced with a bi-directional meter
which records for export & import of
the energy. At Fourth Partner Energy,
we have a dedicated team assisting our
clients with CEIG approvals and Net
Metering for our projects across India.
The Models
On the financing end, clients have 2
models under which they can set up the
solar plant. Under the CAPEX model,
the client bears the capital cost of the
plant and enjoys the power generated
from the power plant for free.
Additionally, as mentioned above, the
client is also entitled to claim AD
benefit, further increasing savings.
Today, banks offer long term
preferential debt specifically for solar
assets which makes going solar
affordable and financially attractive.
Alternately, the clients can opt for
BOOT / OPEX model whereby they
www.smeworld.asia
 The small and medium
enterprises (SMEs) are turning
to solar as a viable alternative
because it offers cost
effectiveness (it is cheaper than
the grid tariff and offers
protection from rising costs),
energy security (no need to rely
on erratic power supply and
aging grid infrastructure) and
helps meet their sustainability
commitments. Following are
some of the criteria to evaluate
while considering solar.
enter into a long-term power purchase
agreement for a tenure usually ranging
from 20-25 years. Under this model,
the clients only pay for the power
generated from their plant and these
tariffs are typically 50-60% cheaper
than their current grid tariff. Fourth
Partner Energy offers financing
solutions under both models where it
assists its clients in sourcing bank
funding as well as evaluates projects on
medium & long term PPA basis.
Solar offers freedom from vagaries of
rising electricity tariffs and interim
power cuts. Further, high solar
insolation coupled with the fact that on
an average we receive 300+ sunny
days, makes solar an ideal energy
source for India. A myth about solar is
that it does not generate any electricity
during cloudy and rainy days.
However, this is not true. Solar is based
on concept of light and irradiation and
since there is some amount of light
even during the rainy and cloudy days,
one can expect the solar unit to
generate electricity. Fourth Partner
Energy has developed a plant
monitoring app through which its
Clients can monitor the generation
data.
Minimum Maintenance
Another factor that needs to be
considered while installing a solar
rooftop plant is the roof type. Two
factors that should be always
considered while evaluating the roofs
are the acceptable load bearing
capacity and shadow making objects.
On tin-shed the acceptable load bearing
JANUARY, 2018
capacity is above 20 kgs/m2 while that
on RCC is above 60 kgs/m2. Shadow
making objects can be avoided by
using raised structures which will
slightly increase the plant cost but
ensure optimum plant generation.
An added advantage of adopting solar
energy system is that it requires
minimum maintenance. O&M costs per
year are typically around 1% of the
plant value, yet can be an absolute
game changer. Simple cleaning of
panels in a timely manner will ensure
that the plant runs efficiently. Since
there are no moving parts, there is no
wear and tear. Moreover, most reliable
solar panel manufacturers give 20-25
years' warranty. The inverter is usually
the only part that needs to be changed
after 10-13 years. Fourth Partner
Energy has a dedicated team of 20
service professionals who constantly
monitor all of our plants and ensure
maximum plant up-time and the
generation.
About Fourth Partner Energy
Fourth Partner Energy was founded by
three partners in 2010, Fourth Partner
Energy believes that – the customer,
supplier, employee, financier or any
other stakeholder is the FOURTH
PARTNER and therefore a focus of all
its business activities. They aim to
build, develop and manage a large
operating portfolio of de-centralized
solar power assets in India and is
positioned as a leading Renewable
Energy Services Company
(RESCO).They strive to be a Partner
for sustainable change. Theyendeavor
to do so by providing innovative
Business Development, Fourth Partner Energy.
17
Lastly, and more importantly, solar
offers environmental benefits and helps
reduce carbon emissions. According to
EIA (U.S. Energy Information
Administration), power generated
through coal emits 136 tonnes of CO2
per year. This is equivalent to planting
6244 matured trees over the life of the
solar asset. Transportation and
installation of solar systems have been
associated with the emission of
greenhouse gases. Nevertheless,
rooftop solar energy pollutes far less
than the other alternative energy
sources and is the most commercially
feasible option.
In the past couple of years, adoption of
solar ranks high on India's agenda and
in a bid to become power independent.
We are witnessing more and more
corporates, large and small adopting
solar and is of little surprise that we at
Fourth Partner Energy, have been more
than doubling our installed base year
on year.
products and services that harness the
renewable resources available on our
planet, and provide their customers
with superior quality at lower costs.
They are an MNRE empaneled
Channel Partner and an ISO 9001:2008
certified company. They are also
registered as a partner with state bodies
such as RREC (Rajasthan), TNREDC
(Telangana) and NREDCAP (Andhra
Pradesh).Fourth Partner Energy is a
leading RESCO with support in every
part of the solar project: Financing,
Engineering, Project Installation, Post-
installation support.
-Saket Yadav is Assistant Manager,
www.smeworld.asia
Five Things to Consider Before Moving to Cloud
Taking one's business to the sky has been an age old metaphor used to describe
the achievement of tremendous success. Little did we know that soon this would
rather turn into a way of ensuring business success. We are living in an era
where business behemoths are competing with smaller companies and startups,
as the latter are introducing innovative ideas to challenge the legacy solutions
and spoiling customers for choices. This rise in competition and need for
optimization has triggered a war of agility, innovation and omnipresence, in
which cloud is serving as a potent weapon.

M oving to the cloud is a global

- Preethi Menon, Vice President and head,
Practices, Clover Infotech.
JANUARY, 2018
phenomenon which has gripped
businesses alike, irrespective of
the industry or offerings. If not already a
cloud subscriber, businesses are so perplexed
by the concept of an asset-light business, that
moving to the cloud is an inevitable business
decision in the near future. But, amidst this
race to the cloud and the delirium that
surrounds it, business decision-makers need
to take a time-out to really block-out all the
pressure, expectations and assess it as one of
the business solutions, rather than thinking
of it as the only solution or a self-imposed
mandate. And, even if you are a business
that absolutely needs to move to the cloud or
one with a business where cloud migration
would actually turn out to be a game-
changer, there are few critical things that
you should analyze and address before
taking this leap.
18 www.smeworld.asia

Here are 5 things IT
decision-makers should
consider/answer before
moving to the cloud:
1. Is it really required/are
you moving too quickly?
This might seem to be a no-brainer,
but is actually the most important
thing to consider. Is your business
and its offerings such that you would
benefit from the migration. Is your
infrastructure huge enough or
isceaseless operation of utmost
importance, that your business
continuitydemands a migration?
After you identify the benefitting
areas or the business impact it will
Cloud migrationor IaaS
(Infrastructure as a Service)
offeringsare rapidly finding
buyers as businesses are
trying to reduce infrastructure
investments. The pricing,
storage, upgradation and
operational ease that cloud
offers provide immense
benefits to a business. Moving
to the cloud not only saves
your upfront capital
expenditure, but also makes
your critical data and
applications always available.
JANUARY, 2018
have, only then you would be able to
justify your move to the cloud.
2. How dependable is your
cloud platform and
serviceprovider?
Your cloud platform provider and
your migration service provider need
to be in sync with the requirement
and also about the responsibility and
clauses. In case of a business-critical
requirement or a major issue, your
cloud service provider should be
capable and dependable enough to
address your concerns in time.
3. Allocation of
responsibilities and
application support
After migrating to the cloud, most
issues faced by companies result
from the fact that the post-
implementation responsibilities were
not well defined. Businesses often
end-up suffering as the implementor
and the cloud provider try to avoid
taking responsibility for operational
issues.This results in serious
problems in the case of a fix required
to ensure efficient operation. Ensure
that you have allocated detailed
responsibilities and a thought-out and
well-defined scopeof support &
maintenance responsibilities to your
vendor.
4. Study and choose the best-
suitable subscription
Evaluate your current requirements
and also be mindful of your near
19
future requirements. Make sure you
accommodate all your business needs
and all the businessnecessities that
need to be migrated. Also, study the
available pricing options and choose
the best-suited one as per your
requirements and business objectives.
5. Consider the maintaining
and upgrading costs
The best benefit of moving to the
cloud is its subscription model. You
pay as you use the cloud services, but
it is essential to consider your
maintenance as well as upgrading
costs. Basis seasonal/campaign
requirements, your cloud
requirements can always be up-
scaled, but as a business investment,
it is necessary to consider this cost as
a part of your overall cost.Failing to
do this, your actual investment and
the expected investment would
eventually vary drastically.
Cloud migrationor IaaS
(Infrastructure as a Service)
offeringsare rapidly finding buyers as
businesses are trying to reduce
infrastructure investments. The
pricing, storage, upgradation and
operational ease that cloud offers
provide immense benefits to a
business. Moving to the cloud not
only saves your upfront capital
expenditure, but also makes your
critical data and applications always
available. With a cloud migration,
your business is also well-equipped
to counter disasters and natural
calamities, ensuring data protection
and operational continuity.
So, now that you have made the
important decision to take your
business to the cloud, it is an equally
critical task to choose a reliable
services provider for your IaaS
requirements.
- Preethi Menon is Vice President and head,
Practices, Clover Infotech.
www.smeworld.asia
 Dr. Arun Ninawe
Ajay Jadhav: A Success Story in Sustainable Organic Farming
T he Department of
Biotechnology, Govt. of India,
Ministry of Science &
Technology promotes entrepreneurial
skill development through its
programme area Biotechnology based
Programme for Societal Development.
The main objectives of the programme
is to promote the use of
biotechnological processes and tools
for the benefit of the disadvantaged
section of the society comprising
women, rural population, SC/ST and
weaker section. The programme aims
to create platform for self-employment
generation among the target population
and diffusion of proven and field-tested
technologies through demonstration,
training and extension activities with
its broad focused on agriculture and
allied sector, health, nutrition &
sanitation, value chain and post
harvest, agripreneurship development,
biodiversity conservation and
rehabilitation and restoration measures
for natural calamity. Department has
been very proud in providing excellent
benefits of the programme through its
implementation.
Wave of Success
A major emphasis of the Department is
entrepreneurship development which
has been greatly benefitted to large
number of unemployed educated youth.
One of such is Ajay Prakashrao Jadhav.
After seeing an interaction with him at
his organic farm, I personally believe
entrepreneurs are born with adopted
ideas and curiosity of scientific
enquiry. He has good business mind,
although he is not very high educated,
first generation business person, never
went to business school and taken
entrepreneurship courses. He become a
Commerce Graduate and has no
science background to think about
risky business of fish farming. Being
more analytical and determined, he
could promote fishery business by
JANUARY, 2018
Ajay Jadhav
handling all together different
environment with limited financial
resources.
As it is very well known fact that the
farmers of Marathwada region in
Maharashtra are suffering and
continuously facing tough situation of
drought, unseasoned rain, lightening
and hailstorm and other hand from
increased labour wages, Governments
apathy towards farmers and fallen
prices of agricultural produce from last
four years. There are evidences that
farmers are committing suicide due to
financial distress, lack of timely help,
crop failure and poor prices for their
crop. When youths are discarding
themselves from agriculture field due
to such natural and created calamities,
the educated youth Ajay Prakashrao
Jadhav has come forward to
demonstrate sustainable organic
farming. He is having only four hectors
of land from small village 'Kheda' in
Kannad tehsil of Aurangabad district
devoted his life with new experiments
in farming. In spare time Ajay Jadhav
was also running general stores in
Kannad. After his brother's death in
2005 he closed his business and tried to
search his fate in agriculture field. For
him first two years were full of
hardship.
20
Path-breaking Success
After great success in farming, as a
model he is helping and creating the
confidence among surrounding farmers
with new experiments in farming. The
main reason to have negativity for
farming is due to increased expenditure
and fallen prices for farm produce. He
has shown the path to get rid of these
problems educated youth, Ajay Jadhav
focused on using natural ways to
enhance the quality of soil and
cultivated crop by following the
organic agriculture. This lessened his
cost of product and got good price to
organic produce. He produced organic
vegetable, packed in various packing
(small and medium) as the need of
family and sold door to door in
Aurangabad city and created his own
market for his produce. He went to
Raipur to study the Vimalbhai
Chavada's farming of ginger. He
produced tomato, ginger with modern
technology and got good income. Most
of the farmers were following the same
way, use modern technology with
commercial way. They were using high
dosed of chemicals, pesticides,
fertilizers to get more and more
produce without thinking hygiene of
soil and of human. Next farmers came
to know that their soil lost its quality
and they were not getting proper prices
for their produce due to fluctuation in
market. With all farmers, Ajay Jadhav
was also in the same maze.
Meanwhile with consultation of Prof.
B. B. Waykar, Head of Zoology Dept.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada
University, Aurangabad, Ajay Jadhav
put 10 beehive (bee-boxes) in his farm
and started new business of bee-
Keeping ( Apiculture). But after some
days he knew that instead of profit, he
could not get desired honey. Instead of
increase, bees were dying on large
scale. After consultation with Dr.
www.smeworld.asia

Waikar he stopped the use of
chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers. He
found good result. He got honey as
well as good crop.
Organic Methodoly
This experience gave him the energy to
make experiment on large scale. He
started growing near about 100
different types of vegetables with help
of bees and using all organic
methodology. He found that he was
increasing the health of soil and
keeping nature and human health
unharmed. He found the best way to
enhance the health of soil and of
human. For honey he grew variety of
crop with vegetables such as Maize,
Mustard, cotton, Pomegranate, Tur,
Ginger, Turmeric etc. He produced
vegetable as inter-crop with main crop.
Ajay Jadhav for his organic farming
instead of using harmful chemicals
used Tricoderma, Verticillium,
Paecilomyces, Pseudomonas, PSB as
useful bacterial inoculums to enhance
the soil. He used grass in farm as
covering and adopted techniques of
crop rotation, green manure, biological
pest control and compost with recycled
organic matter. Though Ajay Jadhav
succeeded in producing organic
vegetable which is good for human
health, but how to sell it was a big
challenge before him. On one hand he
did not get customers for honey and on
JANUARY, 2018
other hand he had produced the organic
vegetable on large scale which has
good market demand. Generally,
consumers are search in market low
priced vegetable and avoid to purchase
such organic produce by paying more.
However, regular awareness could help
him develop a good business through
ICT network.
Successful Marketing
He is packing all the produced
vegetable in boxes of various sizes as
per need of families and sold the box
containing the vegetable which was
sufficient for a week for a family with
200 to 300 rupees in nearby city
Aurangabad where some people knew
the importance of organic produce. He
captured the 60 to 70 customers which
regularly purchased his boxes. He
started getting 15 thousand per week
form vegetable. This vegetable is inter-
crop and main crop will give more
profit to him. When people started
eating hygienic organic food they get
good results of healthy eating. Seeing
believes, the neighbours of his
customers have also started demanding
the organic produce now for various
health reasons.
With guidance of Prof. Waykar and
Mahtma Gandhi Mission, Gandheli,
Ajay Jhadhav started his way to
organic farming and has a multiplier
impact by introducing the organic
farming technology to other nearby
farmers who are demanding beehive
and guidance for organic farming. Now
Ajay Jadhav has also formed 'The
Farming Club', a registered body to
grow and supply the organic produce in
Maharashtra and various metro cities of
Pune, Mumbai and Thane.
21
About Dr. Arun Ninawe
Dr. Arun S. Ninawe, a distinguished
scientist, deals with programs in life
sciences and biotechnology under the
Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of
Science and Technology, Govt. of India and
actively involved in coordination and
planning activities, engaged in identifying
research priorities, project formulation,
monitoring, evaluation and deals with
various policy issues and research funding.
He has been dealing this specialized area of
Aquaculture & marine biotechnology, for
more than three decades. He is also
involved in social sector programme of the
Department of Biotechnology and
supporting programmes and projects
through biotech-based scheme of societal
development.
Presently he is functioning as Scientist “G”
and Adviser in the Department of
Biotechnology. He has also successfully
discharged the responsibility as the Vice-
Chancellor, Maharashtra Animal & Fishery
Sciences University, Nagpur, during 2007-
2010 and supported the academic and
professional education, research and
extension in Animal and Veterinary
Sciences.
As a policy facilitator, he has promoted
research priorities, identification and
formulation of projects in various
disciplines of life sciences especially in
Marine Biotechnology and various projects
have been materialized on bio-prospecting,
genomics, aquaculture technology
development, health management, fish
nutrition and reproduction. With his active
persuasion he has been instrumental in
funding more than 600 R&D and outreach
programmes through training and
demonstration activities in various sectors
of animal sciences, aquaculture and marine
biotechnology and societal development
areas through intra-disciplinary approach.
www.smeworld.asia
 Manufacturing Sector Set for
Significant Change in 2018
Thiru Vengadam
M anufacturing,
along with
virtually all
other industries, is going
through a significant
period of change. Driven
by rapid technological
development,
manufacturers are having
to work smarter, operate
more efficiently and be
prepared to innovate. As
an enabler of growth,
technology will play a key
role in empowering
businesses to innovate and
embrace seizethe
opportunities that will
present themselves in 2018.
JANUARY,2018
But where exactly are these
opportunities likely to come from?
Here, we identify the top trends that we
believe will be central to success in the
upcoming year.
The need for flexibility
A key factor for manufacturing growth
in 2018 and beyond will be whether
businesses are flexible enough to be
able to deal with the amount of
predictable and unpredictable change
coming their way.
Flexible businesses will be able to ride
out the potential issues those political
or legislative changes like GST may
cause, such as having to adapt internal
processes or employ personnel with
different areas of expertise.
The even greater challenge comes from
responding to unpredictable changes
that can appear at any moment. By
taking the view that change is constant,
well-prepared manufacturers will be
able to take advantage of the
opportunities, mitigate the threats and
control the impact of unpredictable
external factors
One of the biggest barriers to flexibility
for many manufacturers is having to
rely on an outdated enterprise resource
22
planning (ERP) system. Too many
businesses are still using legacy
software, which can hold them back in
several ways, such as making it harder
to scale production up or down.
They will also miss out on the valuable
competitive advantages that a strong
ERP solution can provide. For
example, integrated ERP systems
enable manufacturers to rapidly
respond to last-minute order changes
and improve resource management to
control spending and reduce waste.
As more and more 'smart'
devices are integrated into
organisations in 2018, Industry
4.0 will continue to dominate
the manufacturing industry,
offering valuable benefits
including predictive
maintenance of machinery and
increased levels of automation
to help manufacturers optimise
their operations. One example
of this is for inventory control of
spares and raw materials.
www.smeworld.asia

Having a flexible IT solution will be
the engine of growth for forward-
thinking businesses.
Transitioning to Industry 4.0
The growth of 'Industry 4.0' has been a
widely discussed topic in 2017 and its
steep upward trajectory is certainly
going to continue.Essentially, Industry
4.0 is about combining artificial
intelligence and data science to realise
the potential of the Internet of Things
(IoT),
As more and more 'smart' devices are
integrated into organisations in 2018,
Industry 4.0 will continue to dominate
the manufacturing industry, offering
valuable benefits including predictive
maintenance of machinery and
increased levels of automation to help
manufacturers optimise their
operations. One example of this is for
inventory control of spares and raw
materials. Sensors are being used to
identify stock levels and, based on
historical information, automate the
replenishment of these items. This
innovation decreases production down
time and ensures an optimised delivery
schedule.
It's about being able to build upon a
loop of intelligence that feeds into a
cycle of continuous improvement. In
layman's terms, this involves gathering
as much data as possible, turning this
data into insight and finally into
intelligence which can be used to
improve business processes.
This is the mindset manufacturers
should adopt when it comes to ERP.
However, making the move towards a
smarter ERP system can require a
cultural shift for manufacturers as well
as financial investment.
ERP systems are already collecting
more business data than ever before,
but making sense of this data and
taking action on it will be the key
differentiator in the year ahead.
Customer experience is king
Customer experience is an area that,
thanks to increasingly competitive
business landscapes, is now more
important than ever. Success in 2018
JANUARY,2018
A flexible, fully-integrated ERP
system that streamlines
operational processes and
connects back-office with front-
office functions throughout the
lifetime of an asset or product
enables manufacturers to offer
a much higher level of service.
A level of service that they are
able to charge more forand will
set them well apart from their
competitors.
will boil down to how well companies
can differentiate themselves from the
rest and focusing on the customer
journey will be a key aspect.
For manufacturers dealing with a
complex supply chain, a robust and
modern ERP system is now widely
recognised asplaying a crucial role in
improving the customer experience.
IDC research reports that 85% of
manufacturers with more than 5,000
employees identify ERP as being a
vital platform to delivering positive
customer experiences.
A flexible, fully-integrated ERP system
that streamlines operational processes
and connects back-office with front-
office functions throughout the lifetime
of an asset or product enables
manufacturers to offer a much higher
level of service. A level of service that
they are able to charge more forand
will set them well apart from their
competitors.
23
AI-driven future
Linked to improving the customer
experience is the role of Artificial
Intelligence (AI), which is set to have a
profound impact on ERP systems in
2018 in several diverse ways.
For example, AI-driven ERP is being
used to create dynamic workflows that
learn the various ways in which an
organisation and its employees interact
with the software, before suggesting
different optimisations for individual
users..
Furthermore, AI in the form of
predictive analytics can be used to
produce deeper insights for specific
business outcomes and make more
sense of the mountains of data
manufacturers are now collecting and
storing.
More use cases will become apparent
as the technology continues to develop,
but what's already clear is that the
potential of AI when it comes to ERP is
significant.
Organisations that concentrate on
making themselves smart and agile will
be the ones that are best positioned to
take advantage of growth opportunities
in 2018.For manufacturers, this process
starts by ensuring that internal software
systems are fully supported with the
latest updates, thereby enabling them to
react to change and view them as
opportunities rather than threats.
-ThiruVengadam is Regional Vice President
India at Epicor Software
www.smeworld.asia
 Indian INCs Look at Investment
in Security Big Time in 2018
Ron Davidson,
2 017 will undoubtedly be
considered as 'Year of
ransomware', the year when
the global security landscape was
forever changed by attacks like
WannaCry and NotPetya. The
havoc caused by these attacks
reached far beyond the paltry
ransom demand. Hospitals turned
away patients. Production lines
came to a halt. Nuclear radiation
monitoring was disrupted. Cyber
events like these were a wakeup
call to the brave new world of
cyberattacks and how they could
reach further into the 'real world'
than ever before.
But it's not just ransomware and the
threat landscape that have changed.
Digital transformation initiatives like
the move to the cloud and the
increasing convergence of IT and
operational technology (OT) have
drastically changed networks and
expanded responsibilities of security
teams tasked with protecting them.
These initiatives, for all their business
benefits, have caused network
complexity to skyrocket — an issue
cyberattackers are all too eager to
exploit. All the while, the labor force to
safeguard against attacks remains
stubbornly inadequate.
As we head into 2018, here's a look at
the cybersecurity trends sure to emerge
amid the intersection of the most
capable threat landscape, the most
complex networks and a worldwide
—including India — skills shortage:
Hybrid Networks Stretch Attack
Surfaces
JANUARY,2018
The attack surface — the total sum of
the ways an organization is susceptible
to cyberattack — is like a balloon. It
expands with the introduction of new
attack vectors and attack targets, like
extensions into virtual, cloud and
operational technology environments.
It contracts with the good cyber
hygiene and risk reduction. The larger
your attack surface, the more likely it is
to pop.
To control an attack surface that
encompasses hybrid networks and
that's affected by a constantly evolving
threat landscape, organizations will
need to unify visibility and centralize
management. Gaining seamless
visibility across physical IT and OT
networks, as well as virtual and cloud
networks, will give them a holistic
foundation on which to build a security
program ready to address an agile
threat landscape.
While different technologies, processes
and teams may be involved to secure
various types of networks, attackers
don't pay attention to such divisions. If
anything, they exploit these divisions
in security management, and simply
follow the path of least resistance to
reach their intended target, no matter
where the attack originates. In 2018,
we'll likely see attackers leverage
hybrid network connectivity to
infiltrate cloud and OT networks where
traditional cybersecurity measures are
still being fleshed out.
Ongoing Evolution of
Distributed Attacks
While NotPetya was originally dubbed
a ransomware attack, seemingly a new
iteration of WannaCry, it was pretty
lousy at the ransom part. What it and
24
WannaCry demonstrated, though, was
the distributed attack model on which
modern ransomware relies. It targets as
many victims possible, looking for
low–hanging fruit, so attacks can be
carried out easily and automatically,
maximizing the attacker's ROI.
Ransomware is a perfect fit for this
model, in that any target can be
extorted for payment. Now that the
distributed attacks have proven
global–reach capabilities, we're sure to
see more mass–scale attacks in 2018.
The good news about the distributed
attack model? Cybercriminals sell or
share proven attack methods, such as
vulnerability exploits, to carry out
distributed attacks. Again, this practice
gives them a better ROI than
developing new, native exploits or
exploits for a specific target. It also
means a relatively small number of
vulnerabilities exploits are being used
and reused. If vulnerability
management programs can take a
threat–centric approach and focus on
this subset of vulnerabilities, they'll
have a greater impact on their
organization's security than if they
targeted only CVSS critical
vulnerabilities.
Security Goes Automated
Out of Necessity
As mentioned earlier, networks are
growing increasingly complex,
meaning that IT security teams must
contend with growing amounts of data
that needs to be contextualized,
analyzed and acted upon. At the same
time, the industry is suffering from a
worrying talent shortage, which means
that there are fewer skilled workers
available to manage these issues. This
is creating an environment where
www.smeworld.asia
attack vectors abound, increasing the
organization's risk of attack.
As a result, in 2018 we expect to see a
surge in the adoption of automated
solutions, particularly for integrated
analytical workflows. These can
deliver actionable intelligence to
security practitioners of what to focus
on — such as vulnerabilities posing an
imminent threat — what tools are at
their disposal to take action and
tracking the workflow to ensure tasks
are carried out to completion.
The Scales Tip to the Cloud
At present, most firms are in a
transition phase, with networks made
up of a hybrid of physical, virtual and
multi–cloud environments. 2018 is set
to be the tipping point, as corporate
networks become predominantly or
entirely virtual or cloud–based.
Organizations will need to be sure they
understand and can support the shared
responsibility model of the cloud, in
that the cloud service provider is
responsible for security of the cloud
while the organization is responsible
for security in the cloud. The
assumption that cloud networks are
inherently secure needs to be
overcome, and security teams need to
have the means to understand how
traffic moves into, out of and within
cloud networks to put the proper
security controls in place.
The importance of automation, as
mentioned above, becomes even more
important in cloud–networks. The
elasticity of clouds makes their security of the interaction between these
management too much to handle via
manual processes. If organizations are
aiming for a complete move to the
cloud, they need to ensure that security Compliance–Focused H1
programs are poised to support the
approach.
Increased Attacks on
Operational Technology
The convergence of IT and OT
networks presents several advantages
in terms of productivity, ease of
management and cost–effectiveness.
But it has also introduced new cyber
risks to critical infrastructure
organizations such as utilities, energy
producers and manufacturers that could
have very real impacts on uptime,
JANUARY,2018
human safety and the environment.
Because of the havoc that can be
caused, OT networks have become an
attractive target for APTs as well as
cybercriminals. In 2017, we've seen an
increasing trend in the application of IT
threats to OT networks, such as
ransomware. NotPetya disrupted
radiation monitoring systems at the
Chernobyl nuclear site, and cost
Maersk alone $300 million. WannaCry
forced hospitals to turn away patients
and brought production lines to a halt.
These attacks were just a glimpse of
the risks present in the networks we
rely on in our everyday lives. In 2018,
we'll see attackers further testing the
security of OT, whether for their own
financial gain, mayhem or nation–state
attacks. Organizations need to wake up
to the fact that they need to get a hold
converged networks, their risks, the
threats against them and the tools
available to secure them.
In May 2018, the General Data
Protection Regulation (GDPR) will
take full effect, impacting any business
with E.U. operations as well as any that
process E.U. citizen data. This latter
component is still taking some
non–E.U. companies by surprise.
Organisations late to the preparation
game will make for some panic in the
first half of the year.
There is a bit of good news, though, in
the race to GDPR readiness. First there
have been some assurances that if
25
organizations can demonstrate good
faith efforts to comply with the new
regulation, they will likely see some
leniency. If they ignore it, however,
they risk fines much larger than the
current regulation — up to €20 million
or 4 percent of turnover.
The other good news is that if
companies are working on cloud
transitions and also need to be ready
for GDPR, both initiatives require
similar prep work. It all starts with
visibility. Both from a security and
compliance standpoint, organizations
need to know what data resides where,
the paths around it, the controls in
place to protect it and its risks. With
this type of foundational knowledge,
organizations can implement policies
with better accuracy and efficiency and
stay abreast of their overall security
and compliance status.
Massive Indian Growth
Comes with New Security
Challenges
For India, there are a good number of
large infrastructure projects in the
pipeline, such as: large scale
government sponsored digitization
endeavors; the fostering of smart
cities;the “Make in India” initiative;
new transportation projects (airports
and metro railways);thedevelopment of
electronic cities; andthe formation of
new banking and finance organizations.
These large-scale projects are driving
massivegrowth in India,which in turn
will drive growth in managed security
services.Growth in these areas will also
increase IT and OT (operational
technology) network size complexity
and lure moretargeted attacks.
Consequently,Indian organizations
(including businesses in the private
sector,government and
PSUs)willheavily invest in multi-layer
security solutions that provide a
holistic approach to cybersecurity and
can address the complexity of
managing risk and protecting against
advanced threats on very large,
heterogeneous networks.
Ron Davidson is CTO and Vice President,
R&D, Skybox Security
www.smeworld.asia
 Siddharth Chaturvedi
Skill Development Key to Jobs Creation
in Semi-Urban and Rural India
A country's
economic policies
and strategies are
the precipices for its
bloom. A successful
economic strategy would
always put tremendous
faith in people and
prioritize fostering the
skill-set of workforce
thereby reducing the cost
of doing business and
making available the
resources, which any
business needs to thrive in
today's competitive and
globalized world.
The Challenges
In our current atmosphere of prevailing
unemployment and frail jobs
infrastructure, there are several factors
that have obstructed businesses and
individuals from growing faster. One
such factor is the shortage of
appropriately skilled workforce. This
becomes especially relevant in non-
metropolitancontext where most of the
junior level workforce ranks are filled
by people with little or no formal
JANUARY,2018
training in their respective fields.
Recruiters simply can't find properly
skilled job-seekers to fill these
vacancies. The country that once
gained global appreciation as an
attractive outsourcing destination is
struggling hard to overcome its skilled
workforce woes. India's available
workforce is the second largest in the
world after China. But there is a huge
mismatch between the jobs that are
available and the workers that are out
there.
AISECT is established on a self-
sustainable, scalable model
under which our ICT-based
centres are used for a variety of
educational and developmental
activities including skill
development programmes and
job placements. So far, we have
successfully trained over 20 lakh
people under various self-
engineered and government-
linked skills development
initiatives, created employment
opportunities within the network
for more than 75,000 people and
empowered the lives of over 50
lakh people through numerous
innovative services.
26
In order to find a solution for these
problems, we must first understand the
major reasons behind skills-lag in our
workforce. Every year, approximately
12 million new job seekers enter the
market while our current skilling
infrastructure can handle a maximum
of 3.1 million entrants. Language is
another great barrier as some workers,
despite being informally but adequately
skilled in their field of work, don't
pursue formal accreditations due to
lack of proper language literacy. Also,
our rural understanding hardly accepts
skills-based training as education. We
must create awareness in every nook
and corner of the country that skill
development of aspiring job seekers is
crucial and at par with formal
education. Our nation has a large chunk
of population that is below 25 years of
age and most of them are based outside
metro cities. If we tread systematically,
this gigantic youth can be effectively
transformed into a productive
workforce who could bestow the Indian
economy with a massive edge which it
desperately needs.
Devising Workable Solutions
We must draft suitable solutions to
these challenges in our policy-making;
solutions that suit the interests of all
parties concerned – people, industries
and the Government. Migration to
metro cities is a visible trend among
rural and semi-urban populations, but
www.smeworld.asia
In our current atmosphere of prevailing unemployment and frail jobs infrastructure, there are several factors that have obstructed
businesses and individuals from growing faster. One such factor is the shortage of appropriately skilled workforce.
most of them migrate unwillingly, in an
absence of feasible job infrastructure in
their vicinities. To overcome this, we
must develop a whole new system
where fresh opportunities are created
for people at district and sub-district
levels. Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL) is an ambitious scheme in the
pipeline, under the NSQF framework,
which accredits the skills of workers
who have gained them through
experience in informal sector. RPLwill
provide proper certifications and
gradations to this workforce upon
clearing certain assessments. Though
functional at some levels and under
process in others, a full-fledged
implementation of RPL as soon as
possible would help us to bring our
massive informally skilled workforce
into the mainstream.
On the part of industries and
businesses, they must be open to hiring
people based on their skills expertise
and qualifications. Most of the
businesses judge candidates on the
basis of their formal degrees and
performances in formal sector. The
Industry must break the trend and also
welcome people on the basis of their
skills competitiveness and informal
sector experience.
AISECT's Initiatives
Addressing the above challenges,
AISECT has emerged as one of the
leading players in the sphere
ofemployment-linked training and job
placements across the country. We are
working tirelessly to bring about an
inclusive change in the semi-urban and
JANUARY,2018
In order to find a solution for
these problems, we must first
understand the major reasons
behind skills-lag in our
workforce. Every year,
approximately 12 million new
job seekers enter the market
while our current skilling
infrastructure can handle a
maximum of 3.1 million
entrants. Language is another
great barrier as some workers,
despite being informally but
adequately skilled in their field
of work, don't pursue formal
accreditations due to lack of
proper language literacy.
rural areas of the country with our pan-
India presence of 20,000 Skill
Knowledge Provider and Services
Centres at grassroot levels. Ever since
our establishment in 1985, we have
been reaching out to the remotest
corners of the country to empower
people, generate employment for the
youth and unfold entrepreneurial
initiatives. Our decades-old strong
belief in skilling people for overall
progress has been reaffirmed by the
Government of India's recent emphasis
on 'Skill India' and 'Make in India'.
AISECT is established on a self-
sustainable, scalable model under
which our ICT-based centres are used
for a variety of educational and
27
developmental activities including skill
development programmes and job
placements. So far, we have
successfully trained over 20 lakh
people under various self-engineered
and government-linked skills
development initiatives, created
employment opportunities within the
network for more than 75,000 people
and empowered the lives of over 50
lakh people through numerous
innovative services. We launched
India's first skills-based university, the
AISECT University, to lay special
focus on cognitive skill development of
the future workforce.
In 2013, we established India's biggest
rural job portal RojgarMantra.com,
which focuses on bridging the demand
and supply gap in the job market. It is a
one-of-a-kind job portal focused on
providing relevant employment
opportunities and related services to the
job seekers while at the same time
providing a medium for employers to
recruit suitable skilled and unskilled
manpower. AISECT regularly
organizes 'RojgarMelas' or job fairs to
link rural job seekers with employers in
their region.
Bottomline
Our country has a long way to marchin
order to reach a level at par with
developed nations in terms of jobs
infrastructure. We must understand that
the way forward for jobs in India is
wholly linked with skill development
and capacity building of those seeking
jobs. There is a huge scope of
generating massive skilled workforce
in our country and active involvement
of both the Public and the Private
sectors will act as a backbone to it. A
skilled workforce in an amicable job
environment would act as a formidable
foundation for our economic
development and we must continue to
make well-thought and well-
intentioned strides towards such a
system for our mutual prosperity.
-Siddharth Chaturvedi is
Director, AISECT.
www.smeworld.asia
 Challenges

12 Lies To Stop Telling Yourself

Lying to others is wrong, but lying to yourself is an absolute tragedy
The worst lies are the ones we subconsciously you know who your 'real friends' are. It just takes be ourselves, and appreciate the truly great
tell ourselves. They've been ingrained in our a little time to figure it all out. people and things in our lives as they arrive. And
minds by bad external influences and negative 5.Things will never get better. – There is no even though there are some things we can never
thinking. So the next time you decide to un- person in the world capable of flawlessly recover and people who will never be sorry, we
clutter your life and clean up your space, start handling every punch thrown at them. That's not now know better for next time.
with your intellectual space by clearing out the how we're made. 9.I never need to meet anyone new. – It sounds
old lies and negative self-talk you often recite to harsh, but you cannot keep every friend you've
yourself. In fact, we're made to get upset, sad, hurt,
stumble and fall. Because that's part of living – to ever made. People and priorities change. As
Here are 12 such lies to stop telling yourself: face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over some relationships fade others will grow.
1.I don't have enough yet to be happy. – In the course of time. This is what ultimately molds Appreciate the possibility of new relationships as
every mistake and struggle there is a message. us into the person we become. When you find you naturally let go of old ones that no longer
Some people miss the message because they're yourself cocooned in isolation and cannot find work. Trust your judgment. Embrace new
too busy berating themselves for the mistake, or your way out of the darkness, remember that this relationships, knowing that you are entering into
fretting over the problem. To be upset about what is similar to the place where caterpillars go to unfamiliar territory. Be ready to learn, be ready
you don't have is always a waste of what you do grow their wings. Just because today is a terrible for a challenge, and be ready to meet someone
have. The happiest of people aren't the luckiest, day doesn't mean tomorrow won't be the best that might just change your life forever.
and they usually don't have the best of day of your life. You just got to get there. 10. I can't live without those who are gone. – If
everything; they just make the most of everything 6.Failure is bad. – Sometimes you have to fail a someone comes into your life and has a positive
that comes their way. The reason so many thousand times to succeed. No matter how many impact on you, but for some reason they can't
people give up is because they tend to look at mistakes you make or how slow you progress, stay, don't mourn for too long.
what's missing, and how far they still have to go, you are still way ahead of everyone who isn't Be thankful that your paths crossed and that they
instead of what's present, and how far they have trying. Don't get so hung up on one failed attempt somehow made you happy, even if it was just for
come. that you miss the opening for many more. a short while. Life is change. People really do
2.My dreams are impossible. – Don't let All of your ideas that don't work are simply come and go. Some come back, some don't, and
someone who gave up on their dreams talk you stepping stones on your way to the one idea that that's okay. And just because one person leaves,
out of going after yours. The best thing you can does. And remember, failure is not falling down; doesn't mean you should forget about everyone
do in life is follow your heart. Take risks. failure is staying down when you have the choice else who's still standing by your side. Continue to
Don't just make the safe and easy choices to get back up. Always get back up! Oftentimes appreciate what you have, and smile about the
because you're afraid of what might happen. If good things fall apart so better things can fall memories.
you do, nothing will ever happen. If you keep together. 11. I'm not ready because I'm not good
doing what you're doing, you'll keep getting what 7.Great things will come to me effortlessly. – enough yet. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready
you're getting. Let your dreams be bigger than We are who we choose to be. Nobody's going to when an opportunity arises. Because most great
your fears and your actions speak louder than come and save you, you've got to save yourself. opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our
your words. Do something every day that your Nobody's going to give you anything, you've got comfort zones, which means we won't feel totally
future self will thank you for. to go out and earn it. Nobody knows what you comfortable at first. Stop berating yourself for
3. I am stuck with people who hurt me. – Life is want except for you. And nobody will be as sorry being a work in progress.
too short. Look out for yourself. If someone as you if you don't achieve it. Start embracing it! Because being a work in
continuously mistreats you, have enough Never leave your key to happiness in someone progress doesn't mean you're not good enough
respect for yourself to leave them. It may hurt for else's pocket, and don't wait on someone else to today; it means you want a better tomorrow, and
a while, but it'll be OK. You'll be OK. Oftentimes build your dream life for you. Be the architect and you wish to love yourself completely, so you can
walking away has nothing to do with weakness, keeper of your own happiness. The more you live your life fully. It means you're determined to
and everything to do with strength. We walk take responsibility for your past and present, the heal your heart, expand your mind and cultivate
away not because we want others to realize our more you are able to create the future you seek. the gifts you know you're meant to share. You are
worth, but because we finally realize our own ready. You just need to start.
worth. 8. My past is 100% indicative of my future. – At
some point, we've all made mistakes, been 12. I have way too much to lose. – In the end
4.My failed relationships were a waste of walked on, used and forgotten. you will not regret the things you have done
time. – There are certain people who aren't nearly as much as the things you have left
meant to fit into your life. But no relationship is We've let people take advantage of us, and undone. Trust me, you'd rather look back at your
ever a waste of time. If it doesn't bring you what we've accepted way less than we deserve. But life and say, “I can't believe I did that!” instead of,
you want, it teaches you what you DON'T want. we shouldn't regret one moment of it, because in “I wish I would have…” It's better to think “Oh
those moments we've learned a lot from our bad well,” than “what if.”
We rarely lose friends, we just gradually figure choices. We've learned who we can trust and
out who our real ones are. Never force someone who we can't. We've learned the meaning of It's better to have a lifetime full of mistakes that
to make a space in their life for you, because if friendship. you learned from, rather than a heart full of
they know your worth, they will surely create one regrets and empty dreams.
for you. And remember, when you're up, your We've learned how to tell when people are lying
and when they're sincere. We've learned how to -K S Ahluwalia,Executive Coach and
'friends' know who you are, when you're down,
Mentor-Excalibre,E-mail: ks.ahluwalia@yahoo.com
JANUARY, 2018 28 www.smeworld.asia

9/11 Lensmen On Whom The 2 Tower Fel
T he story has been with me since
2002. It's a mix of duty; it's a
mix of adventure. The
photographer had the time, not all the
time, to click the tower which was fast
de-piecing itself into debris which
were in a free fall from several storey
up. The pull of gravity had no antidote.
No body had any time -- to be safely
out of the way of the monster of
reinforced steel and even more
reinforced concrete scampering
towards earth from heights -- much
less time to snap a view a last time.
The rubble came down on him; likely
his head, possibly a thick, uneven slab
of reinforced cement filled up in a net
of steel, broke his skull with an
echoing thud. Dust and fire billowed
elsewhere.
Bill Biggart's time was up. The surmise
is that dust blinded him, and then
choked him. Slabs of steel and
concrete minced meat his shoulders
and limbs; pointed, spiky shards of
glass panes flew and scratched at
random the limbs, the back, the torso.
The sharpest glass corners seeded
themselves into the soft flesh. The
rubble mix was of the Second Tower
built later but it was often hailed as for
its every brick, every slab, every metal
frames, even twisted shape steel rods
being reinforced. Nobody could
survive it.
Emotions played 20 minutes while
Bigg Biggart was more than half way
through his job. As her wife saw the
First Tower fall, she mad reached out
him on the mobile. He responded that
he would be with her in 20 minutes
adding 'I am safe”, later reassuring that and mangled ) in the body bag, and his
“I am with the firemen.” ( Firemen
were allowing the accredited photo,
video and film grapplers even warning younger to Biggart's 54 years. She was
JANUARY,2018
them to steer clear of debris. )
Now the tragic side of the story which
moved me when I read it first; moves
me when ever I go through it again.
The Second Tower came down and Bill
Biggart's body was lost under the
rubble. The firemen kept up the search
with snuffer dogs. Four days later, the
body was pulled out of the rubble. He
(lifeless, bruised, bloodied, mutilated
personal effects were handed over to a
the grieving widow, Wendy Doremus
29
nd
his second wife. The couple had
two children. All lamented that
nothing could have survived in
the peeled of, sheared two film
cameras and one digital camera
with a flash card.
After the mourning period,
Biggart's widow hand over the
retrieved camera bag with
equipment to a close
photographer friend. He cast
aside the film cameras. The
digital camera before him was
dust smeared, the lens stood
sheared off but when he
unclamped the chamber that held
the 'flash card', to his dismay he
found it was in mint condition. It
held 150 photographs. The last
two were time stamped 10:28.24.
The Second Tower has come
down at 10.30. And the
photographs were soon all over
TV and newspapers.
– The photographs are on display
at the International Centre of
Photography, New York City as
“Bill Biggart: Final Exposures”
and at Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History,
Washington, D.C as ”Bearing
Witness to History”.
– All the three cameras of Bill
Biggart are on display at the
Newseum in Washington, D.C
– Bill Biggart is memorialized at
the South Pool on Panel S-66 at
the National September 11
Memorial and Museum
– Bill Biggart's name has been
added to the 'Freedom Forum
Journalists' Memorial at the
Newseum in Washington, D.C.
www.smeworld.asia
Soham Thacker

The power of the collective

Crowdworking in the Digital Age

I n 2010, the Indian Leveraging the power of the collective

government decided it
was time for a symbol
to denote the rupee. In a
fascinating move, they
chose to crowdsource the
project. Similarly, in 2005
the British Royal Mint
held a crowdsourced
competition for its new
currency. This choice
symbolised a distinct shift
away from traditional
modes of working.
Traditionally these
opportunities would never
have been available to
budding designers, but
with technology opening
up new means of
communication,
crowdworking enables a
unique democratisation of
creativity.
JANUARY,2018
in the digital age, crowdsourcing or
crowdworking, enables organisations
to source content and information from
around the world. While crowdworking
itself has been practiced for centuries,
its potential has exponentially grown
over the last couple of decades because
of the internet. The crowd is a powerful
weapon and modernization has
expanded the horizons of what it is
capable of. Crowdfunding,
crowdsourcing, crowdvoting etc. are
just a few examples of its growth and
power.
Digital platforms have immensely
increased the scope of crowdworking
by allowing complex projects to be
fulfilled through different means.
Micro services such as designing a
logo, writing a blog, editing a
photograph etc. are available on
various digital platforms and worked
upon by skilled individuals.
Communication and coordination
between the crowdworker and the job
creator has been made easy through
different tools available on the internet.
In today's hyper connected world, there
are portals that host crowdworkers by
allowing them to display their skills for
the right company to find them. This
reduces the challenges of
communication, payment, quality of
30
Data indicates that the USA&
Europe have the largest amount
of jobs created for
crowdworkers. As one would
imagine, the countries where
skilled work force is expensive
and scarce, the demand for
crowdworkers is increasing.
Conversely, job seekers are
largely from developing yet
educated countries such as
India, Bangladesh and Indonesia
among others.
work and credibility. Crowdworkingon
every platform is different; some of
them have bids while others havea
fixed price, soliciting jobs from various
categories. There is no one size fits all
approach, and this enhanced flexibility
is one of its biggest advantages. It
opens up opportunities to those who
may not want to pursue full time work,
it offers a platform for those tentatively
exploring new avenues and it creates a
space where creativity and quality are
valued fairly.
Commission Model
Most crowdsourcing companies work
on a commission or a registration fee
www.smeworld.asia
The crowd is a powerful weapon and modernization has expanded the horizons of what it is capable of. Crowdfunding,
crowdsourcing, crowdvoting etc. are just a few examples of its growth and power.
model depending on the type of
crowdworkers and services they solicit.
Most micro services companies work
on a commission model since the
amount per service charged in not that
high. The ones offering macro services
on their portal usually work on a
registration fee or a monthly package
model.
Keeping this dynamic in mind,
crowdworking is a win-win for both
the job creator and the job seeker. For
the job creator it is cost effective,
reduces dependency on employees,
provides multiple experts & is largely
scalable. For the job seekers, it gives
them an opportunity to do what they
love with minimal restrictions and
additional convenience of time and
space.
However, like every other system,
crowdworking is not perfect. There are
a few challenges that can crop up
during the process. The foremost being
that because it allows anyone to
participate, for the job creator it can
result in unusable contributions and
additional time sorting the good from
the rest. Additional pitfalls include
confidentiality and miscommunication,
both of which can hamper the success
of the project.
Fulfilling Multiple
Commitments
For job seekers, there are equal risks
involved. A guarantee of payment, and
the resultant lack of trust can be a
massive deterrent to future work.
Additionally a lack of employment
benefits such as insurance and a stable
salary, make it challenging to pursue
crowdworking full time. In most cases
no legal contracts bind the creators and
the seekers, making it a risky process.
While this does deter a fair amount of
potential job seekers, there are those
who are thriving in this agile
environment.
Primarily though, crowdworking works
on the phenomenon that the job creator
has multiple tasks but not enough
resources to fulfil them and that the job
seeker has skills & additional time to
JANUARY,2018
work of these tasks. Individuals get the
opportunity to prove their skills by
doing small tasks though
crowdworking which benefit their
experience and help them earn an
additional income. Similiarly, job
creators are able to fulfil multiple
commitments with minimum resources.
This delicate trade-off is the
cornerstone of crowdworking, and is
the primary reason why this mode of
working seems to be growing at an
exponential pace.
Digital platforms have
immensely increased the scope
of crowdworking by allowing
complex projects to be fulfilled
through different means. Micro
services such as designing a
logo, writing a blog, editing a
photograph etc. are available
on various digital platforms and
worked upon by skilled
individuals.
Data indicates that the USA& Europe
have the largest amount of jobs created
for crowdworkers. As one would
imagine, the countries where skilled
work force is expensive and scarce, the
demand for crowdworkers is
increasing. Conversely, job seekers are
largely from developing yet educated
countries such as India, Bangladesh
and Indonesia among others. These
crowdworkers work for competitive
wages and the options for job creators
are plenty.
Additional Income
Additionally, citizens of from
developing countries often struggle
with lower wages and income disparity.
The average remuneration for skilled
workin these countries is possibly less
than that of an unskilled work in the
USA or Europe. We have also seen that
due to economic stresses, people from
developing economies often lack the
exposure and resources to express their
31
talent. Crowdworking has given an
opportunity to these skilled individuals
from developing and underdeveloped
countries to work on credible projects
while earning an additional income,
thereby boosting their experience and
lifestyle.
The internet is largely responsible for
enabling this unique dynamic. With
communication becoming cheaper and
easier, the world is growing
increasingly smaller, allowing a global
crowdworking economy to take shape.
While there is a visible cost benefit
trade off, the benefits at this point far
outweigh the pitfalls, making
crowdworking an important part of the
working landscape of the future. As it
gains momentum, crowdworking will
soon be ubiquitous and when it comes
to India, the potential that it offers is
limitless. We have only touched the tip
of the iceberg, the best is yet to come.
About Soham Thacker
Soham Thacker, an Electrical
and Computer Enginner from
Rutgers University, NJ, USA has
worked for multinational
companies such as Motorolla,
Johnson & Johnson and Colgate
Palmolive. In 2011 Soham
decided to leave his high paying
salary and against the run of
flow, move back to India to
fulfill his entrepreneurial dream.
He started his journey with a
couple of failed ventures,
followed by a successful venture
called Just Mexican (a Mexican
fast food chain across Gujarat).
In 2016 Soham decided to come
back to technology with
Fixpocket (an internet based
startup for digital services).
Soham has been performing
seminars and workshops across
different areas of India to
generate awareness among the
rural audience pertaining to the
world of digital services.
www.smeworld.asia
 Evolving Role of Genetic
Counselors in Healthcare
PERSONALIZED same syndrome, when the same
syndrome has multiple outcomes and
MEDICINE when response to therapies is
The current buzz word in healthcare is unpredictable based on the disease
“personalized medicine”. Personalized signs and symptoms alone.
medicine essentially works on the
Interpretation of this data requires a
assumption that a disease can be
good understanding of the intricate
caused by multiple factors, where any
relationship between genetics,
one factor is neither necessary nor
environment and physiology. With the
sufficient to cause the disease. It
rapid accumulation of new information
recognizes gene x environment, gene x
and its interpretation and application in
gene and other more complex risk
clinical practice, the understanding of
combinations and interactions, making
its psychological consequences is also
genetics a vital component of
vital in this shift.

T
personalized medicine. The application
he successful Genetic counselors are healthcare
of personalized medicine is needed
completion of the when multiple etiologies cause the professionals who have intense training
and experience in
Human Genome the psychological
Project in 2003, resulted in implications of
an exponential increase in genetic testing.
Genetic
volume of genetic Counseling is a
information linked to communication
process. The
human diseases. primary goal of
Development of new this process is to
help individuals,
technologies, especially couples and
next generation sequencing families
(NGS) has increased the understand and
adapt to medical,
accessibility of genetic psychological,
information. The wealth of familial, and
reproductive
information we've implications of
garnered is helping the genetic
contribution of
provide opportunities to health conditions.
advance medical care, The process of
improve health outcomes genetic
counseling
and cut costs through more involves
effective management of Interpretation;
family and
diseases.
Dr. Aparna Dhar
JANUARY,2018 32 www.smeworld.asia
medical history assessment, patient Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer medicine of appropriate testing.
education, and support by non- or Lynch Syndrome or other hereditary With continuous development in
directive decision facilitation. Genetic genetic disorder genetic counselors genetic research and the inclusion
Counselors are trained to address the acquire a family and personal history of Personalized medicine in patient
physical, mental, social, and emotional for a holistic view of the family and care it is essential that the
impacts of genetic conditions, acting as pattern of inheritance. Specific positioning of a Genetic counselors
advocated for their patients. criteria's have been established to in the delivery system be optimized
Calculating recurrence risks, inform genetic testing for these in assisting a physician's decision
determining appropriate testing and conditions and genetic counselors are to ethically improve care and
identifying risk of family members are trained to determine the appropriate quality of life for patients with
also skills possessed by a genetic testing approach. Genetic Counselors diseases.
counselor. discuss the test and its implications,
review genes/chromosomes and
GENETIC COUNSELORS facilitate the testing process.
About Dr. Aparna Dhar
With the rapid advancements in the Appropriate testing may involve single
scope and cost of genetic testing, there gene testing, a panel of genes or site- Dr. Aparna Dhar, Medical
is a demand for genetic counselors. specific testing when a familial Geneticist, CORE Diagnostics, is a
They play a critical role in assisting mutation has already been identifies. Mayo Clinic College of Medicine
physicians and patients in the Post testing the genetic counselor and University of Glasgow trained
management of chronic complex reviews the results with the treating Medical Geneticist and Genetic
diseases like Pancreatitis. Alcohol is an physician and patient and coordinate Counsellor. She has worked on
established clinical research projects with the
environmental risk Mayo Clinic MN, Broad Institute
factor for pancreatitis, of MIT and Harvard, National
however, with Health Services, Scotland and
advancements in Persons with Special Needs.
genetic research we've At the Mayo Clinic, her research
learned that the gene work was focused on eMerge
CLDN2 plays a key (Electronic Medical Records and
role in increasing the Genomics) for investigating the
risk for alcohol related genetic determinants of Peripheral
pancreatitis. Other Arterial Disease (PAD) using the
complex diseases like Genome Wide Association
inflammatory bowel approach. This study was in
disease, liver cirrhosis, collaboration with the Broad
asthma and chronic Institute of Harvard and MIT.
renal diseases are other Simultaneously she also worked on
complex diseases where genetic studies appropriate care. investigating and identifying genes
assist in providing guidance and better associated with Peripheral Arterial
management. In addition to standard IMPROVED CARE Disease used for Circulating
patient education by genetic counselors In addition to traditional genetic transcriptome whole genome micro
about genes, chromosomes and counseling, Genetic counselors are also array analysis. The results of these
inheritance, Counselors also factor in being used in “non- traditional” roles. were validated using Real Time
environmental risks. Like in the case ofLaboratory genetic counselors facilitate PCR and the findings were
Pancreatitis, smoking and alcohol communication between health care published in the Journal for
consumption provides valuable professionals and the diagnostics Clinical Bioinformatics.
information for treatment options and laboratory to ensure that genetic testing
In addition to clinical research
risks for complications such as diabetesis used wisely and correctly. With the
projects, she has worked in
mellitus. Such information results in evolving role, today a genetic
multiple discipline Genetic
increased surveillance, treatment, and counseling session includes natural
Counseling clinics and as a clinical
prevention in at-risk family members. history of a disease, lifestyle changes,
study co-coordinator for multiple
Genetic Counselors also play a key role treatment/preventive options rather projects in UK, US and Dubai.
in hereditary diseases like Cystic than just inheritance patterns, risk for
Fibrosis, Cancer etc. In the case of family members, and identification of

JANUARY,2018 33 www.smeworld.asia
Prasad Ajgaonkar

Multimedia for SMEs in Today's Business Ecosystem

Every business, big or small goes through an initial learning curve and transformational
phase. The transition from running small operations to larger ones can often be a painful
process. For SMEs to undergo a seamless transition, being proficient in operations,
productions and service delivery are simply insufficient. In order for SMEs to establish
themselves and stand out from competitors, effective communication and marketing
tools- using multimedia- are essential. By effectively using these tools, SMEs can cut
through the clutter in the world of digital communication and establish themselves in
their industry.

Multimedia in business communication

has two distinct components: digital
transformation and digitization. There is
a stark difference between these two
components, which in many cases goes
unnoticed. Simply establishing an ERP
does not equate digital transformation.
Digital transformation essentially refers
to creating a new business model for the
digital ecosystem, which goes far beyond
making a website. For instance, take a
moment to think about how the hotel
industry got transformed by Airbnb, or
how the transport industry got
transformed by cab aggregator services
such as Ola or Uber. For SMEs to step
into the digital world, their first step is to
build digital communication, because the
entire audience of the SME sphere
operates digitally. SME clients- which
Prasad Ajgaonkar are large organisations- also function,
evaluate and select SMEs clients
digitally.

Digital Technology
iRealities has over two decades of
experience in making business
transformations come alive for leading
organisations and MNCs including the
Adani group, L&T, Siemens, Godrej,
Blue Star and many more. At iRealities,
we seamlessly integrate high quality
content and cutting-edge digital
technology to implement successful and
impactful business transformations.
While doing so, the iRealities team has
grown from 4 people to 150 people. As
Prasad Ajgaonkar an organisation with humble beginnings,
JANUARY, 2018 34 www.smeworld.asia
iRealities has over two decades of experience in making business transformations come alive for leading organisations and MNCs
including the Adani group, L&T, Siemens, Godrej, Blue Star and many more. At iRealities, we seamlessly integrate high quality
content and cutting-edge digital technology to implement successful and impactful business transformations.
Design level thinking brings
focus and discipline as
opposed to open-ended
thinking, which is abstract
and can move in any random
direction. Design thinking
involves complete clarity
about the objective of
communication and roadmap
to achieve your end goals.
we understand and empathize with the
hardships of business growth in the
SME sector. At iRealities, we strongly
believe in applying the branding and
communication knowledge and
experience we have acquired through
our work with MNCs over the past two
decades to young organisations and
SMEs. iRealities is passionate about
productising its services and making it
affordable for young entrepreneurs, so
that they can establish themselves in a
cluttered digital business space. We
comprehensively understand buyer
needs, and know what leading
companies such as Siemens, L&T,
Maruti, etc. look for, and what
determines how they choose a SME to
work with. We apply this knowledge to
our SME clients and accordingly
design communication strategies to
match their prospective clients' needs.
Channels or mediums of
communication for SMEs
Simply having a Facebook, Twitter or
Instagram account as a communication
medium does not guarantee success in
digital media. Rather than simply
posting on social media or creating a
website without a focused strategy or
end goal in mind, we show you how to
effectively use different online media
tools to easily reach your target
audience. We find the right tools
customised for your business after
carefully evaluating which tool will
work best for your brand and
audiences. Based on these analyses,
iRealities designs your
communications and digital strategy.
JANUARY, 2018
At iRealities, we make sure the design discipline as opposed to open-ended
and architecture of your website is such thinking, which is abstract and can
that concerned parties seamlessly move in any random direction. Design
understand what your company has to thinking involves complete clarity
offer and can reach you in a timely about the objective of communication
manner. At iRealities, we implement a and roadmap to achieve your end goals.
one-stop solution which includes We work closely with SMEs,
content marketing, digital marketing, understanding their objectives and road
business communication and maps, and we then align them with
restructuring of business data for their target buyers' road maps,
business communication across all structuring the communication
types of digital platforms. Our accordingly to achieve the defined
solutions are backed by our vast objectives. We break SMEs'entire
experience of implementing digital communication strategy to achieve
marketing solutions for clients like their defined goals in small, practical
Pepsico, Quaker Oats, HUL, Maruti, steps and road maps.
Toyota and many more The size of a SME is an extremely
At iRealities, we have over a decade of important factor when defining their
experience in implementing design communications budget. iRealities sets
level thinking for digital business a benchmark for SME communications
communications of large companies. budget and calculates it after factoring
Design level thinking brings focus and in a SME's complete budget.
About Prasad Ajgaonkar
Prasad Ajgaonkar is C.E.O, iRealities Pvt. Ltd. is an innovator in his own right.
From solving the most complicated technical problems, to making India's most
commercially successful animated movie, he is not just a dreamer but a doer
too. Prasad's unique and innovative ideas to revolutionize the multimedia
industry and digital businesses, don't just remain ideas, he brings them to
fruition with his constant determination and enthusiasm. His personality is
mirrored in the iRealities culture and successes. Since the past two decades,
Prasad and the iRealities team have worked with leading companies, including
Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Siemens and Microsoft on hundreds of successful
projects. Prasad has actively participated on several platforms related to small
and medium enterprises, and has mentored start-ups across various industries.
Prasad is an advocate for various social causes and an advisory board member
for multiple corporations and entrepreneur projects.
Prasad is relentless in his pursuit of one-of-a-kind, impactful business
strategies and solutions. His strategies aren't merely formulated on creative
whims; he ensures that the strategies he puts forward are grounded in
fundamentals. Prasad will formulate a strategy or solution only after carefully
considering how it will impact the client and all other stakeholders involved.
Empathy and the practice of stepping into various stakeholders' shoes is
something Prasad ensures that the entire iRealities team follows.
35 www.smeworld.asia
 Debadutta Upadhyaya

On-demand Home Services

Gaining Ground
Today, the metro cities around India are filled with a vast migrant working population. While there
are many online and printed classifieds available, but they furnish unverified and one-solution-fits-
all information. This leaves a large void in the service sector that needed addressing. Busy lifestyle
of the metro dwellers, hardly leaves them with enough time to relax. Some of this precious
relaxation time is further curtailed by searches and running around to find reliable home chores
services provider. The founders of Timesaverz, recognized this pain area and took it upon them to
home chore service seeking a simple affair. Now, with a click on the mouse or a swipe on the mobile
screen, qualified and verified home chore service providers can be booked!

I ndia's move towards a digital

economy impacted every business
category in some way or the other.
The demonetization drive launched by
the Indian government and the days
following that massive change, brought
to the fore advantages of e-services. It
was just the launch pad, this rapidly
evolving business category required. In
the following days, Uberification,
shared economy, democratization of
employment, selective employment,
digital economy were the buzzwords
everywhere! Ride hauling services, and
e-payment services among others were
grabbing the headlines. Powered by
fast Internet, for once the Indian
populace understood: they could exist
with a cashless economy! And it was
the e-services that made this rapid
transition happen!
Evolution of e-Services
After the tumultuous times, now that
the things have settled down, it is a
Pralhad
good time to ponder over what the e-
JANUARY,2018
services have attained in India and
what they could further aim at. This is
one business category, that can be
proud of itself. For, e-services have
leapfrogged in terms of their evolution,
adoption and consolidation rates. It
took about a decade for e-commerce to
This business category has
ushered in a life of convenience
and comfort for the end users. As
mentioned before, one of the key
influencer's behind the meteoric
rise of e-services is the nuclear
family based urban ecosystem
existing today. While the modern
day nuclear families like to make
their purchases from e-commerce
stores, they have other
requirements too. They want
instant help (in the forms of
services) to support their fast
goingBhutada
lifestyle.
36
translate into a habit for the Indian
populace. e-Services have attained this
feat in twice less time! The sector is of
course fueled by factors such as
mobility of things, skill development
initiatives and a nuclear family focused
urban ecosystem. The declining mobile
Internet rates across India have also
played their part in reaching this new
business model to the end users.
Services that People need
This business category has ushered in a
life of convenience and comfort for the
end users. As mentioned before, one of
the key influencer's behind the
meteoric rise of e-services is the
nuclear family based urban ecosystem
existing today. While the modern day
nuclear families like to make their
purchases from e-commerce stores,
they have other requirements too. They
want instant help (in the forms of
services) to support their fast going
lifestyle. Further, the services are
www.smeworld.asia

needed at prices and timings of their
choice. Unlike their predecessors, the
families of the modern times look upon
physical searches (for essential
services) as a wastage of time and
energy. They are looking for solutions
on the Internet, to be precise through
utility mobile apps. If they find
affordable and convenient services,
which reaches their doorsteps on time
they are happy! And the on-demand
and timely e-services are supporting
them ideally.
New Employment Scopes
While talking about the massive
growth of the e-services sector, it
should also be pointed out that this
business category is ever under the
magnifying lenses of the business
analysts. As the category facilitates
more intensive customer touch points
than any other of its peers, it is always
under the scrutiny. The scope of
operations for the e-services has also
expanded in the last few years. The
operations scope that was restricted
outside homes (through cabs) has now
come inside homes (through doorstep
deliveries and services). This
proliferation of the scope opens room
for new support ecosystems such as
background verification, skill up
gradation and digital coaching, which
in turn can open up new employment
scopes for Indians.
Path Ahead
Having harped on the highlights of this
sector, it should also be remembered
that just like any other developing
business category, e-services still needs
some time to mature. The services
under this category are still grappling
with the fundamentals of
standardization in scope of service and
experience. As the last mile delivery
JANUARY,2018
Business models within this
business category are changing
at a fast pace, from lead based to
multiple marketplace models. As
we move into the future, it would
be interesting to watch how
these models evolve: whether
the unit economies or full stack
model works best for the
business category. Till date, the
major players are doing their
own permutations and
combinations to find a winning
model.
remains and will remain, for better
part, un-automated having huge
dependency on human efforts. So, the
major players need to make judicious
choices in terms of their execution
plans. Consumers have already got a
taste of the convenience that the e-
services (doorstep delivery and
services) model can offer. And now
that they have choices, the
differentiating factor for the major
players in the niche would be the
customer experience or satisfaction
quotient. Brands in this business
category should rightfully aim at
creating brand evangelists, and not just
end consumers. Rightfully, many
service providers are moving away
from judging their success in terms of
the vanity metrics and adopting the
hardcore ones such as NPS, return
usage, cohorts on multiple service
adoption etc.
Models that work
Business models within this business
category are changing at a fast pace,
from lead based to multiple
marketplace models. As we move into
the future, it would be interesting to
watch how these models evolve:
whether the unit economies or full
stack model works best for the business
category. Till date, the major players
are doing their own permutations and
combinations to find a winning model.
Like any other business category, the e-
services business sector too would
would go through the evolution-churn
and finally settle down into a tried and
tested business model. We at
Timesaverz, have had the privilege to
37
witness these interesting changes
ongoing in the business category. It has
been a fulfilling experience to see e-
services grow so fast in India!
About Debadutta Upadhyaya
and Timesaverz
Debadutta Upadhyaya is Co-Founder
and CEO, Timesaverz.png, India's first
e-home services company. Debadutta is
IIM Kolkata pass-out along with co-
founder Lovnish Bhatia. The company
helps the busy denizens of metropolitan
cities, save their time and energy
wasted while scouting for home chore
solutions. Available as a website as
well as a mobile app, Timesaverz
endeavors to make the everyday lives
of Indians simple. One key factor that
indicates a promising future for the
company in this crowded and
competitive space is that it is indeed
making profits in certain categories and
cities, unlike other key players in the
segment. The company is gradually
becoming more proficient unit
economics wise and going against the
odds of the startup ecosystem.
Three years into its journey,
Timesaverz has provided curated
support for various home services
needs ranging from deep cleaning
tasks, appliance repairs, pest control
services, handymen jobs, at-home
beauty services, just to name a few. In a
country with a huge unemployment
ratio, the company is connecting many
talented servicing professionals with
the end users, helping them earn a
steady flow of income too.
Timesaverz was started with an initial
investment by founders as well as
Neville Taraporewalla (who is
presently a Board member). Incubated
at GSF, shortly afterwards the company
was seed funded by a group of angel
investors, led by Rajesh Sawhney
before Ronnie Screwvala's Unilazer
Ventures funded the A-Series round in
2015. Based in Mumbai, Timesaverz
operates in all the key metro cities such
as Delhi NCR, Pune, Hyderabad and
Bangalore. In the coming years, the
company intends to launch new range
of services and expand its service
offerings across Tier-II and III cities in
India.
www.smeworld.asia
SME WORLD Bureau

With Technological Edge, Elica Has Huge Expansion Plans

Only 1% Indians Use Kitchenhoods

A
n Indian counterpart of
“Elica SpA” manufacturers
of kitchenhoods, Elica PB
India has made an audacious move
by introducing Electric Hoods in the
country in 1995 which was
practically non-existent back then.

Elica PB India set up a plant in Pune,

Maharashtra and manufactures 10
lakh pieces of hoods per annum.
Having 60% market share in Industry
the company is aiming to double the
turnover and increase 40-50%
dealership and distributors by 2020.
Elica PB India boasts of introducing Split Hood, Touch
Hood and latest technology “Deep Silent Hood” for the
first time in India. The Company is all set to
revolutionise the kitchen hood industry in India.

In an interaction with SME WORLD, Pralhad

Bhutada, CEO, Elica PB India.
What is the ?Kitchen Hood industry scenario in
India??
Kitchen is no longer a closed space. People are going
in for open kitchen which is modular of course. They
are looking out for added comfort. Besides kitchen is
also becoming a place to socialize. Kitchen space is no
longer only the domain for women, both men and
women are playing equal roles.
With kitchen assuming such as import spot in the
house, nowadays we get to see kitchen which are clean
and linear and everything goes in the cabinet and
chimneys have taken a front seat.
Pralhad Bhutada

JANUARY,2018 38 www.smeworld.asia

India has a lot of potential when it
comes to Kitchen hoods. Not even 1%
of the population have chimneys so one
can very well imagine the immense
scope the country has to offer to this
industry. Also the European market is
saturated as Chimneys are common
when it comes to kitchen and has been
there for years. But it is vice versa in
our country. The potential is very high
as it has been only been 10 years that
chimneys have entered the Indian
market. For the next ten years it is
certainly going to be one of the fastest
growing markets when it comes to the
chimney industry. The future and the
growth rate of the industry are
extremely bright in India.
With changing lifestyles, the industry
is set to grow exponentially; what is
the growth strategy of Elica?
Technological edge, lean structure and
superior product quality sets us apart
from other players and is a part of our
growth strategy. Also we offer superior
technology and design at an achievable
price scale. Moreover, we never have
quality issues and we cover the entire
spectrum of customers from low to
mid, mid to high and premium
which no brand does at present. We
have something for all!
Additionally, we have a strong
presence across India. We are a
national brand with a pan India
presence. At present we sell
through 2000 retail outlets and
approximately 60 distributors. We
are planning to increase this
number by 20-30 percent next year as a
part of our growth strategy.
Furthermore, most players are into
trading, that is, they import the
products and then sell. While at Elica
PB India our core is manufacturing and
not trading. That is what sets us apart
from the other brands and we get a lead
because of this current lag and lack in
manufacturing prowess of other brands.
JANUARY,2018
We are able to offer better performance
hoods at better prices.
In fact we at Elica PB India ensure our
products are competitively priced,
offering the desired features, designs
and aesthetics. And we are surely doing
this well as we are growing at 40%.
And have a turnover of 200 crore.
Also as Elica PB India is leading in all
the segments we are hopeful that for
Elica PB India boasts of
introducing Split Hood,
Touch Hood and latest
technology “Deep Silent
Hood” for the first time
in India. The Company is
all set to revolutionise
the kitchen hood
industry in India.
the next three years we will continue to
grow at 40%. Also by 2020 we are
expecting a turnover of 400 crore.
How Elica plans to face challenges
from a host of other players?
We are already leading in the industry
and the other players lack the prowess
that we have to our advantage. Elica is
positioned as world's number one
chimney brand.
39
To put it straight forward there are no
such challenges that we are facing as
the market is wide open and very
accommodating. Other brands do not
offer customer satisfaction the way
Elica PB India does. We offer superior
technology and design at an achievable
price scale.
What's the USP of Elica?
We tailor the international design to
boost functionality. We are a value for
money brand. Elica is positioned as
world's number one chimney brand and
our hobs are promoted as brass burner
hobs for Indian cooking.
We believe in offering quality,
functionality and consistently adding
innovative features and upgrading
technology. Our product of any range
assures you of quality without
compromise. It is only due to the
aesthetics that the price is more or less.
Has Elica devised products for the
middle rung of consumers? Explain.
?Yes, we do so. In fact Elica PB India is
the only brand to cover the entire
spectrum comprising all the categories.
And we are leading in all the segments
too.
The current market basically
comprises of three categories. First is
low to mid which is the mass market.
The price bracket for the hoods range
in this category is below 10000/-.
The range will have basic control
features, but functionality will be
good.
Second is mid to high which is the
affordable high end category. The
price bracket for the hoods range in
this category is between 10000/- to
20,000/-. It will have superior
control features; lights will be led
and will boast of better aesthetics
although the performance will be the
same.
Third is high end covering the
premium segment. The hoods range
will be beyond 20,000/- and will have
advanced control features, better
lightings such as led and strip lightings
and superior technology and aesthetics.
www.smeworld.asia
 Virender Jeet

Customer Engagement in the

Amped-up Digital Environ

O
rganizations today Failure of Communications architecture with integration
capability into enterprise content
have an instinctive Rolling out the right communication, at management, backend systems and
urge to be ahead the right time, to the right audience databases.
drives customer engagement. Sadly,
of customer expectations. most of the communications fail for Omni-channel & Multi-form
n
Thus, nearly every three reasons: Communication- It goes without
m Improper or inadequate channel saying that organizations should be
enterprise rallies around able to get through with the
m Wrong timing
enhancing customer m Incomplete or absence of context
customers' over the channel they
prefer.Thus, business users should
engagement. Better have the ease and ability to send out
Technology Infrastructure –
engagement with customers the same communication through
Need of the Hour
and prospects can ensure multiplechannels, while adapting to
To deliver timely, accurate and the form-factor, as well as medium
revenue enhancement for personalized communications, a well- or channel. It could be Web, or
organizations by designed technology infrastructure is a mobile, or tablet, oremail, or even
maximizing their share of must. For the challenges go beyond
putting together the communication,
traditional print format. More impor-
tantly, it should be easy to monitor,
the wallet. Share of wallet organizations must have a structured,
is a direct function of how contextual and scalable approach. It is
well an organization serves important to understand the customer's
preferences first and coalesce the data
its existing customers and into a single unified view. Doing so
engage with them. sparks positive emotional reactions and
foster customer engagement.
Easier said than done, siloed
communication processes can impact Adieu Dry and Static
the service delivery and adversely bring Communications
down an organization's share of
customers' wallet. Customers are no Given below are few ways for
more synonymous with ID numbers or organizations to approach contextual
username and can interact with an customer engagement:
organization through multiple Unified Customer Communication
n
touchpoints. Hence,to keep customers Platform-To deliver right
happily engaged across all engagement communication, users should be able
channels,it becomes vital for to pull out relevant and precise
organizations to deliver timely, relevant information from silo'ed processes
and contextually accurate and systems and integrate into the
communications outgoing communication. This
would requirea loosely coupled
JANUARY,2018 40 www.smeworld.asia

control and configurable for different
channels.
Personalization-To enhance
n a well-designed technology
retention rate, enrichment and
advocacy loyalty of an organization's
customers, theymust feel valued. It
can be done when business users will
have access to a wide array of
predefined templates via which they
can add a decent degree of privacy
and personalization instead of rolling
out dry, static communications. The
outgoing communication should be
configurable, based on target
segment parameters, such as
demographics, geography, product
and service line and others.
Contextualization- It is important to
n grow their share of customers' wallet.
drive the sentimental value of
customers and can be done only
when business users can prioritize
the customer's emotional moments.
The biggest turnoff for most
customers is the lack or absence of
context in communications that they
receive. One-size-fits-all
presentation of the gospel is now a
thing of past. Thus, it becomes
important to speak customers'
language and use their imagery over
To deliver timely, accurate and
personalized communications,
infrastructure is a must. For the
challenges go beyond putting
together the communication,
organizations must have a
structured, contextual and
scalable approach. It is
important to understand the
customer's preferences first
and coalesce the data into a
single unified view.
is only simplest of the context. Users To conclude, customer engagement is
should be able to configure and
design communication based on
rule-sets that are flexible as well as aligned to elevate the customer in the
scalable, and include/exclude content long-term prospect.
based on specific needs or
requirements.
Kunal Singhal on the PHD Chamber
ICT Committee
The Huge Breakthrough
A great customer engagement strategy
is one that is efficient and scalable. It is
about omni-channel, personalization,
contextualization, timing, and
efficiency. That's when a powerful and
adaptive Customer Communication
Platform comes to rescue and can be a
game changer in the amped up digital
environment. The platform enables
organizations to achieve customer
delight and enhance customer
engagement. By leveraging Customer
Communication platform,
organizations can build the required
competencies and be rewarded with a
bigger market share, mindshare and
the focal area around which Customer
Communication Management must be
- Virender Jeet is Sr. VP Technology,
Newgen Software.

bombarding them with irrelevant
emails or text messages. A cross-sell
or up-sell communication cannot
ignore the current status of the
customer's account, which certainly
I
ndustry body PHD Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
has appointed Kunal Singhal,
Managing Director, EazyERP, as
the co-chairman of ICT and
Electronics Committee.
Kunal, founded Eazy ERP in
2007 and started his journey as an
entrepreneur. He has been
working very closely with
MSMEs and has achieved
different levels of milestone in
making MSMEs digitally
equipped to enhance their
business as well as to be at power
to make a mark in the
international market.
'It is indeed a great opportunity to
have been appointed in this
position. I look forward to
playing a meaningful role to
further strengthen PHD Chamber's quest of enhancing the Indian Industry,
particularly the MSMEs, and help them adopt Information and
Communication Technology (ICT). We will also work towards making the
industry aware about various government initiatives and help them take
benefit of the schemes', said Kunal.

JANUARY,2018 41 www.smeworld.asia
Sudhir Singh

Marg ERP for SMEs

Overcome Your Compliance Hurdles

T he transition to The Marg team, with its local partners Marg's GST software, a big leap
in different cities across India, forward in terms of technology
GST, the mother of organized several seminars in which it transfer, was widely applauded by
all tax reforms, roped in eminent chartered accountants different business segments.
required businesses to to pass on their knowledge and Moreover, the compliance acceptance
expertise on GST adoption. by the tax and accounting
change their accounting professionals, also gave it a thumbs up.
More than a thousand such seminars
software to get tax were held in West Bengal alone during It guaranteed that the Marg system was
compatible with theGST Service
compliant. Marg ERP Ltd, the Registration phase and MARG Provider (GSP).
canopies were put up near all the GST
India's leading business Registration Windows in different Marg ERP did not limit its efforts to
solution software provider, states technology up-gradation alone; it
has been a frontrunner in Seamless Solution created GST subject knowledge and
training programs that helped
creating ease of The Marg team helped taxpayers in businesses cross major hurdles towards
compliance both for SMEs filling the form in the registration GST compliance. Marg was quick to
and MSMEs.
The biggest challenge in GST
compliance was to provide businesses
(SMEs and MSMEs included) with a
robust technology and infrastructure.
Businesses were desperately looking
out for affordable software that could
also provide a training module or kit to
help them get an understanding of GST
and how to use it.

Reliable Brand
Marg ERP could visualize this market
need. They knew that with GST
implementation most businesses would
need to upgrade their software or shift
to a reliable brand that was 100% GST
compliant.
With the coming of GST, the biggest
issue for businesses with regard to
compliance was to get them registered
before the appropriate tax authority.
Under the new tax regime, every new
taxpayer was to be allotted a GSTN
number, but most of them had no
clarity about the registration procedure
and were struggling to get themselves
registered. Marg ERP Ltd was one of
the few brands which reached out to
businesses to ease their registration
hassles.
procedure and also passed on the
government's instructions about the
seamless flow of input tax credit on
suppliers to recipients at pan-India
level.
At a time when most SMEs and
MSMEs were struggling to map
accounting software and IT system
which could fulfill the needs of new
GST provisions like creating GST
invoices, and extract required reports,
Marg was already in the market with
the solutions. It was the first company
to make its software customer base
GST complaint.
react to market need and created an
additional GST-skilled resource to
ensure swift implementation of GST.
While GST aims to streamline
businesses and protect consumer
interests, Marg ERP has come up with
innovative solutions such as creation
of Marg - Business Mobile Apps and
Marg Digital Business Management
Tools which can be accessed anywhere
with the help of mobile phones.
Sudhir Singh is Co-founder and
Managing Director, Marg ERP,

JANUARY,2018 42 www.smeworld.asia