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  • How India is Boycotting Chinese products

    In this time of pandemic, China is pushing borders against India and other neighboring countries.China has a powerful and bigger weapon and that is Economy and that is why China is getting political. China is using its economy to dominate our neighbouring countries and thus it is becoming a superpower.

    It is the worst time for India to go on a war as our economy is down and this war
    couldn’t be won by money as China has its allies around us. It is helping our neighbouring countries in infrastructure and other projects but if no one uses them, it becomes difficult for these countries to pay back China. China also overstates his own bills and there comes China again and asks to handle the operations and takes control over these infrastructures so that it can use these bases as military base in times of war and be prepared. In case, the war is held, it will be from all the sides as we are surrounded by China’s allies. China has a military base in Africa and it is using it to threaten U.S. However, India is taking serious precautions to make China realise that it will impact their economy as well.

    Although this is not for the first time as the supporting stand of China towards
    Pakistan pot URI attack also led to a campaign to boycott Chinese products in India. However, this time, many social media influencers are coming up with several reasons to boycott Chinese products to spread awareness among Indian citizens. I would like to share some YouTube links which are helpful to understand the agenda of China for using Economy as a weapon against India:-
    SonamWangchuk

    Baba Ramdev

    These videos will also help in understanding the reasons to boycott Chinese products. There are many alternatives available for the Chinese apps and if we start using these alternative apps instead of the Chinese apps, it will affect the economy of China. As India is the biggest importer of Chinese goods and trade deficit of India with China is one of the biggest between two trading partners.
    A boycott is only possible if we start using alternatives from other countries or we become self-reliance as our honorable Prime minister wanted to say and import substitution can be done. If we will be able to boycott Chinese products completely then China will be in a situation where he will need to think twice before waging a war against any neighbouring countries. Our country now needs to manufacture products which are ‘Made in India’ but are ‘Made for the world’.

    Here are some examples, how Indians are totally depend on Chinese apps and using them continuously and on daily basis and these apps are the reason behind the growth of Chinese Economy:

    Apps that are Invested by China

    • Paytm
    • Byjus
    • Ola
    • Oyo
    • Swiggy
    • Zomato
    • Big basket

    Also Read: List of Popular Chinese Apps in India

    Chinese Mobile Apps in India

    • Tik-tok
    • UC browser
    • Pubg
    • Xender
    • Cam Scanner
    • Like

    Chinese Phone Companies

    • Xiaomi
    • OnePlus
    • Gionee
    • Oppo
    • Vivo
    • Huawei

    Essentials exported from China

    • Medicine ingredients
    • Solar products,
    • Semiconductors
    • Fertilizers
    • Machines

    According to facts provided by some news and personals, China is using the data from the Chinese invested apps and Chinese apps to gain information and also some information have been hacked by China through these apps as well.Recently a person from Vadodara Twitter account was hacked and the access point were seen as China. He stated that his account was synced with Pubg mobile and that might be the reason of hacking. China is a stakeholder in the company Tencent which has developed Pubg. Now this becomes more important to boycott these Chinese apps, to protect your data and information and also in order to support India so that China’s biggest weapon can be used against
    them.  

    Also Read: 10 Surprising Insights Of Chinese Apps And Their Alternatives

    NO MORE CHINA PRODUCTS:   POSSIBLE BOWL FOR INDIA ?  

    India is also trying their best to deal with China and make them taste their own medicine. They have reviewed the FDI so that Indian can’t Chinese puppet like our neighbouring countries. We are late but we are not in China’s trap and we have learnt the truth about China’s economy.

    Vocal For Local campaign

    Prime Minister Modi in his address to the nation on May 12, 2020 launched a ‘VOCAL  FOR LOCAL‘ campaign.  He urged the citizens of India to buy and promote local goods and brands.  The Prime Minister further said that global brands were once local but when people started supporting them they went global.

    It is known that India and China are the two fastest growing economies in the world and India is the largest importer of Chinese goods and services in the world.

    The trade deficit between India and China is the largest among the major trading partners.  It is interesting to note that India imports about seven times more from China than it exports.  India imports more than $ 50 billion worth of goods from China and exports $ 2.5 billion worth of goods to China.

    It is a known fact that Chinese products are very cheap compared to their Indian counterparts.  In addition, the Chinese government also provides subsidies to its exporters.  India spends around 9% on transportation, energy etc., but this cost is nil by the import duty imposed on China by India.  To avoid import duties, many Chinese companies use trans-shipment routes — sending goods to Bhutan and then India.

    Globalization has spread its roots so deep in our lives and the supply chain is so interconnected, the productions process is so complex that it is difficult to isolate one country and boycott it’s goods completely but as Mr. Sonam Wangchuk mentioned, systematic and phased boycott is possible. We can starts from stop using the Chinese software in a week and hardware in a year. We need to constantly make efforts to ease the business environment in India and bring out labour reforms and look for less expensive alternatives which will take time but it is the time to make some uncommon decisions that will impact our lives and will help Indian Economy and will impact Chinese Economy as well.

    The Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT)

    CAIT

    A traders’ organization, on Sunday expressed solidarity with the Ladakh-based educational reformer and visionary Sonam Wangchuk’s appeal to boycott Chinese goods.
    Tension between India and China, the man who inspired Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots”, has appealed and asked Indians to boycott all Chinese companies.
    In a tweet, the engineer-turned-education reformer asked people to boycott all Chinese products in Ladakh to stop Beijing’s “bullying” and to free 1.4 billion bonded labourers in the country.

    CAIT, which claims to represent seven crore merchants, said it had identified around 3,000 categories of heavily imported Chinese products “which should be immediately replaced by Indian products as good quality for such products Indian replacements are available “

    CAN INDIA REALLY BOYCOTT CHINESE PRODUCTS

    • India imports many raw materials as well as finished products like steel, minerals etc. from China.  When it comes to boycott imports from China, this can only be done in the case of finished goods but the import of raw materials from China cannot be stopped.
    • India also imports consumer durable like electrical appliances, mobile phones, cars etc.  Medicinal drugs like leprosy, antibiotics etc. from China.  In addition, the Chinese smartphone market accounts for $ 8 billion of India’s smartphone market (Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo, etc.).  If India planned to boycott Chinese products, India’s GDP would fall drastically.
    • After the launch of ‘Make in India‘ campaign by Prime Minister Modi, many Chinese companies have set up their units in India, employing hundreds of thousands of workers in India.  If India boycott Chinese products, these companies may face pressure from Chinese authorities to stop their production in India, leaving hundreds of workers unemployed.

    As mentioned above, India imports about seven times more from China than its exports.  If India plans to boycott Chinese products than find an alternative that can match the cost and availability is almost impossible.  Thus, India’s GDP can be contracted.

    5- It is interesting to note that almost every product we use has a little bit of China.  Smartphones, laptops, air conditioners, etc. which we use in our daily life, some parts are manufactured in China.

    We must understand that the present process of manufacturing is interlinked.  For example, a phone is made with the help of Chinese laborers and land, investment from a different country says that the US has made an innovation from Japan and can end the Made in India apps.  Every product has the same process when it comes to labor, investment, innovation, etc.  Thus, it can be concluded that each nation cannot be separated nor its good can be boycotted.

    Many countries in the world started boycotting products from various countries, but were unsuccessful due to the complex manufacturing process.  Some of them are listed below:

    1- In 1930, China tried to boycott all Japanese products to protest against the Japanese colony, but failed.

    2- In 2003, the US attempted to boycott French goods after 9/11 in protest of France’s refusal to send troops to Iraq but then failed.

    SO IS THERE ANY ALTERNATIVE?

    Sonam Wangchuk

    Recently, Sonam Wangchuk answered several questions on the boycott of Chinese products.  He said that the customer is king.  This means that consumers should stop using Chinese products.  He chanted a boycott of China’s software in a week, hardware in a year, finished and non-essential products in a year, and systemic boycott of essential products, raw materials, etc. in the coming years.

    We can also implement the import-substitution method in India to boycott Chinese products.  This means that the products we import from China can be manufactured in India, but in the short term this is impossible.

    The Indian government should reduce the rates at which loans are issued to Indian companies like China.  In addition, the government should provide infrastructure, services, etc. to prepare Indian companies to compete with China.  India may boycott Made in China products but in a systematic and planned manner as stated by Sonam Wangchuk.

  • 26 Unique Ways to Market Startups

    Good marketing makes the company look smart but great marketing makes the customer feel smart.

    The idea of getting into a startup is a big thought on its own. In order to start a startup, all your mind-mapping and imagination needs to come into a reality which can be quite intimidating and pressurizing, but it’s all about the start.

    Now time for a reality check, a startup doesn’t become a successful business overnight and you just can’t leave it on it own to grow. Once, someone said “having a product is just the half of a business, the other half is all about a good marketing”. Hence, marketing is the key to make your products, the talk of the town. So, here we have listed down few eccentric ways to market your startup. Let us see all the 26 unique ways to market startups.

    Unique Ways to Market Your Startup

    1) Word of Mouth

    Word of Mouth

    Word of mouth is an old school trick but it’s always effective. A news always reaches fast, when it travels through mouth. The news can be both positive and negative, because both ways people will take an interest. Hence, use this old trick to promote your startup.

    When, people start talking about something, other people get curious to know and try out the product/service.

    Hence for starters, this technique is a good to get customers attracted to the startup.

    2) Search Engine Optimization

    Everyone notices the one who’s is in the top, no offence but I am talking about our search engine results. We always check the first line which comes after search bar on Google. That’s the beauty of Search Engine optimization. It increases the quantity and quality of the traffic for your startup website.

    You want to get your start up on the top, focus on SEO. Hire a professional SEO expert and get it done, to maximize your traffic and get the attention you want for your startup. Make sure, you do it on the leading search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing etc to get people notice you.

    Also Read: Backlinks | The Key To Get Organic Traffic On Your Website

    3) Hoardings, Posters, Banners, Flyers and Graffiti arts

    Remember the days when a new movie or serial use to come and there was no craze of social media. In those times, hoardings, posters, banners used to come in handy. Everyone notices the big hoardings on road because how quirky, colorful and vibrant they are.

    So contact a advertisement company and get your startup on the big Billboard across your city. Spread across flyers nearby malls, roads and all the crowded places you can find. Paste posters like old school movie promotion, to attract people to actually notice the brand or product.

    Want to do more cool and attractive, then draw graffiti art related to your product and get people talking about it. Even though it’s an old trick but still it is very useful in nature for promotion.

    4) Offers, Stickers and Freebies

    Who doesn’t love a free thing or an offer, maybe God?

    Because us humans, we live for such crazy offers or free stuff. So entrepreneurs, here is your cue to win hearts and customers and a great way to promote your brand or startup. If you are a new startup or brand, then some cool offers on the product or some free stuff is the coolest trick you can use to grab the attention of the people to your startup.

    Give good offers and free stuff, to get customers and to have a great promotion of your app. Now, everyone loves a cute sticker with their product, and even if it’s a personalized  then its more wonderful. Hence, start giving away some personalized stickers with purchase and ask your customers to flaunt them over social media. This will give you an abundance of promotion.

    5) Social Media Marketing

    The key to success is in your hand. Thanks to Jio and other companies, we get plenty of internet to use and to search, browse etc. This is also a place for the grand promotion that you have been looking for, the social media marketing.

    Create your startup account on every social media handle and promote your products. Use your own your creative hashtags and ask people to use them. Hold photo /video contest for your followers and promise for gifts and offers in respective of such contest. Organize free giveaways for your customers and online family. You may have to spend here but you will be able to gather the attention of millions and millions of customers.

    Let me give you an example-

    Sofy, for their new product Sofy Cool Pad, they asked people to post a picture or to upload a picture of themselves, especially girls, describing how they keep cool in summers. There was also use of hashtags like #staycoolinsummers. Hence, it’s the best form of promotion in the current time period.

    Also Read: How To Use Instagram For Business

    6) Targeting a specific customer base and promotion based it

    Now, for a product like crib or diapers or feeding bottle, you cannot target kids of 10-15 because it will be of no use for them. It is very important to target a specific base of customers who are actually going to consume the product. Once, you target the customer base, create videos and animations which will attract the particular customer base and they will strive to  take a look into the product. This is also a smart way to spending your cash in the name of promotion.

    Keep the promotional stuff personalized and it should be encouraging the targeted customers to actually crave a look for the product.

    For example, A makeup enthusiasts will go for a product (foundation) which provides an airbrush look, so creating a video which shows such qualities of your new foundation will surely strike the mind if the make-up enthusiasts to go and look at your product.

    7) Launch a referral program

    What can be good than your regular customers promoting your product among their friends, family. Fascinating, isn’t it. So, for the purpose launch a referral program for your customers to refer your products production family, friends and relatives. Now, the question is, why your customers will do it?

    Treat them with exciting gifts once completing a set of targets. That is how you will be able to reach your product to vast members and your customers will be able to get some exciting gifts.

    Also Read: Everything to know about Referral Marketing that can Boost your Sales

    8) Colorful and electrifying Advertisements

    According to a recent report, our subconscious mind catches whatever is shown with lots of colour and vibrancy. That’s why invest in good advertising for your product or startup. Make it on social media, television and print media. The more number of times  people will see your ad, the more they will keep it in their minds and they will be drawn to your products. Hence, they will be trying and will be telling to other people to try it out. Two targets at one arrow, isn’t it?

    To make it more effective and attractive, hire a celebrity to be the spokesperson for your product because as humans we love to try what the celebrities are trying, hence seeing a celebrity in the ad which actually attract more customers to the startup

    Also, either make it emotional or super funny, don’t make it boring because people generally goes for these emotions and when portrayed properly, it can be a game changer for the marketing of your product.

    9) Start an exclusive beta

    We humans love what we can only have, not others. Using this mechanism, create a beta version of your product under your startup. As this will allow only a few user to use the product initially, it will surely create a buzz among people’s mind which is what is necessary for you. The people will wait to join the beta version making it a popular product and talk of the town. Also, make sure you are open to reviews from the customers who are using the beta version.

    As more good reviews from the standard customers, more and more people will be eager to use the version. Also, these reviews will work as a word of mouth for you. Hence, two forms of marketing under one

    For this reason focus on this exclusivity feature to attract customers and to promote the startup.

    10) Customer reviews and views

    People like if someone cares for them and wants their opinion , even if it is from their product company or service provider. Hence, ask your customers to provide you review and feedback about your startup and improvements related to it.

    This will show that you care for your customers and will create a positive impact on your customers. This will keep them interested in your company on a regular basis and will also fetch new customers for your company.

    11) Collaboration

    Tommy×Zendaya,  Jio×Saavn, Puma×Fenty. These are some of  the hottest collection and collaboration of the popular time. Collaboration is a big way to create buzz for your brand and if you are a startup then it’s the best thing you can do, to turn heads and to promote your startup everywhere.

    Try to get a collaboration with already established brand and its not going to be easy, so to reach up to that level start with another startup. Create a fresh collaboration and create fresh products and make it the talk of the town. This will surely turn up some heads towards your startup, giving you boost in your marketing strategy.

    12) Sponsoring an event

    Do you remember in awards shows and events, the MCs and anchors always start thanking the sponsors for sponsoring the event. That’s a great way to create promotion and marketing for your startup. Sponsoring an event not only gives you the liberty to get your name with shows but also gives you a huge platform to promote your brand.

    This trick is the Trump card of marketing, used by almost every startups, companies, brands. So, don’t hesitate from doing so and use the opportunity of sponsoring events. This will surely bring huge focus on your startup.

    Also Read: Why You Should Use Contests as a Marketing Tool To Generate Leads For Your Business

    13) Charity and Fundraising

    “People remember you for two things, to your good deeds  or  for your bad deeds, so the choice is yours”. We have always heard this statement from every elder in our life. So, for startups, doing the good deed is the key to grab a lot of good attention. Donate to good causes and flaunt that donation, to show people you actually care. This will give you the positive attention you want from people.

    Then, launch online fundraiser campaign for charity and encourage people to donate their. To make it more effective, promise the donors with discounts,  badges, stickers etc. This will do the good marketing for your startup, bringing the perfect reputation for your startup.

    14) Creating a regular customer base

    This is one of the most important eccentric ways to promote startup, Focus on creating a regular customer database for your startup and make sure, you are promoting your new launches with them on a regular basis. Give them newsletter, product booklets to show they still matter to your startup.

    Don’t become stupid here, as to grab new customers, you will ignore and forget about the old customer base of yours. You can actually engage them to your referral programs, reviews to keep them on the board. This will keep your customers base increasing, which is of course you want to do.

    Also Read: Best Marketing and Sales Tools

    15) Skywritting

    It is one of the most attractive marketing techniques that unlike traditional skywriting which uses one aircraft to write out a short message, digital skywriting uses a group of team of five aircrafts working together with onboard computer that regulates smoke output and spells out longer messages in a dot matrix style. The average cost may vary from $1500 to $2100 and may be used accordingly as per the funding available with the start-ups.

    16) Actively participate in trade shows

    To make your startup successful, you should focus on online as well as offline marketing strategies. Hence, you should attend the trade shows to acquire a loyal customer base. Participating in trade shows can be very beneficial for your startup because you can meet several other professionals and learn how they maximize their sales.

    17) Usage of emotions

    Emotion is a huge success in marketing. This emotion makes your concept lively. It is important not to focus on what you are providing people but how much they need what you give.

    Nobody wants to know who you are or what informational value you have but they want to know about how much you care for them.

    In UAE coca cola created the hello happiness booth which accepted bottle caps as currency to make a 3-min international call. It was made for the labourers who stayed away from their families in UAE and rarely were in touch with them.

    Also Read: Understanding Customer Sentiments Is Important For Marketing

    18) Befriending the imperfections

    It doesn’t hurt to show some reality and connect the audience with you. The more raw you can be with your product, the more people will get attracted to it. So, don’t hide from showing some imperfections, when it comes to printing your products in markets.

    The good example of such promotion strategy is was when Dove used 6 ordinary women’s instead of models in its ‘real beauty campaign’ of all different sizes and shapes to promote that every woman is beautiful and one should feel beautiful in their own skin.

    It also shows examples of ordinary women in its advertisement to show how their product is made for everyone. It was a huge success which increase their sales to about 700%.

    19) Email marketing

    So, every startup has one thing in common and that is email promotion. But what you have to really keep in mind is that don’t send those emails very frequently because it would irritate your customer and they would end up unsubscribing to them. Secondly, don’t email as a primary mail. Send it under promotional category because if they are actually interested they would open that up.

    As a startup I think every mail which a user receives must have some personalised welcome feel by the founder. They should feel happy after joining your platform.

    Also Read: Email writing for Engagement stage

    20) Campus Ambassador Program

    Ambassador program is one trending way of creating a hype of your brand amongst people; here a student from a particular institute will be the representative of that company in the particular institute. The various fields of study and learning ensure that no product is of “no use” to a student. So campus ambassador programs can be one of the better ways of branding your proposition, it’s just that you need to select the right institute for the right product, and obviously, the right Campus Ambassador.

    21) Campaign

    Creating a viral video won’t just cut it. You need something more than that because no matter how clever a video is, it might not take off with the consumers. What you need is a challenge to offer to the consumers. For example, Codecademy challenged its users to learn to code back in 2012 as their new year’s resolution and slowly that built its user base.

    Host twitter chats, polls etc. Build hype around your product that would get people attracted to your product. Going Beta is one option too. People love the idea of exclusivity. But be warned. This might severely backfire as well if your product does not have the appeal. Not everything is done through your marketing agency. If you fail to deliver on the mystery of exclusivity, then the same mouths that would spread positive words would work to tear you down, and that is not a road you want to go down.

    Also Read: Best Web Marketing Strategy For Your Startup

    22) Radio promotion

    Radio, it is a nostalgia for entertainment and media. As we are growing in terms of technology and development, we are leaning towards everything visual. Internet, videos etc have become important to us but the radio still has its customers in its pockets.

    There are people who still prefer radio because of its authenticity. Hence, for the regular radio junkies, you can actually take the way of radio promotion. Sponsor a radio event or programme or go for paid promotion. Either way, the purpose should be promotion of the product.

    23) Tie-ups with online wallets for cash referrals

    Come on, who doesn’t like some free money? And with the digitalisation on an incline, a few coupons can always charm your target audience.

    A lot of companies and brands give away digital wallet coupons so that more and more customers come back to access or purchase the product!

    This also creates an image of brand selflessness amongst the consumers and helps in making the brand a favourite brand amongst the market.

    24) Active participation in Trade shows and Popups

    To make your startup successful, you should focus on online as well as offline marketing strategies. Hence, you should attend the trade shows to acquire a loyal customer base.

    Participating in trade shows can be very beneficial for your startup because you can meet several other professionals and learn how they maximize their sales.You can have a pop-up in such trade shows. Pop-ups are small stores featuring your products. This trick is used by every big company.

    Open pop-ups and ask your customers to come and check your stores. To make it more interesting, give some offers and goodies on the products at the pop-ups.

    25) Innovative interactions

    Most of the start up products are millennial centric. And considering this, a very important thing to know is that the millennial do not like cliched branding strategies. They are attracted to anything that is quirky and different. Therefore, to establish a communicable bond with them, you have to be innovative.

    For example, a lot of companies are taking surveys through the Instagram stories by using their poll and ask a question feature.

    Also Read: This is How Podcasts Can Grow your Business Tremendously

    26) Handwritten notes

    A sweet little note you receive as soon as you open the package. How will you feel? Sweet isn’t it? This shows how the brand feels about the customers and wants to make them feel special. Hence, add a sweet handwritten notes to your products. This will make your customers feel special which will give you good reviews and the chances of them coming back will increase, for sure.

    Now these are some of the very popular tricks which you can use to promote your startup. In order to make your startup an effective one, it is very important that you actually focus on the marketing because without proper marketing, it is impossible for your product and startup  to reach the heights you want it. That is why a good startup is the one which has a good marketing strategy.

  • Growth and Evolution of Hacking Industry

    They’re smart. They know their code. They got the ardor to get into your system. The strengths and the backdoors, they know it all. Yes, we’re talking about the brilliant minded, cyber thrill seekers called Hackers. The term hacking, means to gain unauthorised access in someone’s computer or private network for some illicit purpose.

    Nowadays, the word “hacker” carries an excessively negative connotation, projecting  images of digital thieves intent on stealing identities and letting disruptive viruses loose into cyberspace.

    It wasn’t always the same. In fact, computer hackers were originally viewed by society as technology fanatics who wanted nothing more than to optimize, customize and improvise. Decades later, with the growth of viruses and cyber crime – the traditional hackers got stuck together with those of malicious purpose and the censure of hacking began.

    Curious as to how this evolution came to be? Let us now see the complete story behind the topic- Growth and Evolution of Hacking Industry.

    History of Hacking Industry
    Current Trends in Hacking Industry

    History of Hacking Industry

    Hacking originated from the term “phreaking” (hacking phone systems), in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Gaining access within networks was called “cracking.” The primary motive of hackers was to get into the phone system.

    1980s brought with it the personal computers. More people, businesses and governments adopted to them, and a whole new world of technology fascinated the hackers. They had a gala time playing around in this new tech realm, and simultaneously, discovering the loop holes in the network.

    The law responded swiftly. The emergence of cyber criminals was met in 1986 with the first legislation related to hacking, the Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act but this didn’t stop these criminals.

    Initially,  hacking was primarily done to get the adrenaline rush—the computer equivalent of sky diving.But over time, these players realized that they could make money off of their skill. Why destroy a file, corrupt a program and play cat-and-mouse with the IT team when you can rip them off with a code? A black market began to surface.

    By 2003, Microsoft was offering money to hackers that could corrupt Windows. Ethical hacking took birth to discover vulnerabilities and fix them before an unethical hacker gets in.

    Also Read: How Anshul Saxena became a Cyber Hero after the Pulwama Attack

    Current Trends in Hacking Industry

    Hacking Industry

    When cybercrime takes place on a larger scale, like to a giant retailer, the damages value upto tens of millions for a single business.

    Hackers make use of  hardware and software to test how easily a computer network can be infiltrated. Vulnerabilities are sited at any one of a number of points, such as the Internet connection itself, the browser or the operating system of the user’s computer.

    A decade ago, hackers crashed computers, making the user instantly aware they were hacked. Nowadays, hackers leave no proof. How could they get your banking information if your computer is crashed?

    Instead, they inject a Trojan that waits, undetected, then springs into action when you begin online banking—transferring information to the hacker.

    By the mid 2000s hacking was carried by state sponsored hackers, organized criminals, hacktivists and cyber terrorists. Some political attacks like the interference by the Russians in the 2016 Presidential Election or the Stuxnet virus.

    Hacktivists groups use their fervour about certain beliefs and plot an attack against a group that they disagree with. For example, a hacktivist group known as “Anonymous”  attacked the Church of Scientology by flooding its servers with fake data requests. All they wanted was for the Scientology website to take down a video of Tom Cruise endorsing from their website.

    Most attackers hack for the money. They hack into system and demand large ransom payments to prevent information leak.

    There were 1,903 breaches disclosed and 1.9 billion exposed records in Q1 alone, according to RiskBased Security.

    Some repeated patterns that were traced are:

    1) Presence of Misconfigurations

    43% of data breaches linked misconfigurations analyzed by X-Force. That accounts for 990 million records lost.

    2) Phishing is still there

    29% of cybersecurity attacks used phishing, according to go X-For ce. About half of the latest phishing attacks involve hackers fiddling with business email.

    3) Coin-mining malware

    Cryptojacking(unauthorised use of someone else’s computer to mine cryptocurrency) attacks grew a surprising 450% last year, according to Proofpoint.

    4) Extortion as the new ransomware

    Includes credential theft, downloaders, and infected attachments. There has also been a significant surge in direct attempts to blackmail executives.

    5) Missing passwords

    Nearly three-quarters of the records lost in 2019 contained email addresses and passwords, per RiskBased Security. 10%  had credit card or social security numbers.

    6) Malicious domains

    About 10 million DNS requests to harmful sites are blocked each day, according to X-Force.

    7) SMS leads to malware

    Android malware named TimpDoor raised prominence in early 2019. When an attack starts, users are generally prompted to download a malicious app via SMS phishing, or “smishing,” according to McAfee. These apps install an unforeseen backdoor that gives hackers access to corporate and home networks.

    Current Market Size and Future Projection of Hacking Industry

    Hacking collectively called Cybercrime is a major threat to every organisation in the world, its effect on society is reflected in the Official 2019 Annual Cybercrime Report, announced by Cybersecurity Ventures.

    As per the report, it will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021, up from $3 trillion in 2015 marking  the greatest transfer of economic wealth in history, risking the reason for innovation and investment.

    Cybercrime might triple the number of jobs to 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions by 2021 — which is up from 1 million in 2014 – and the cybersecurity unemployment rate will remain at 0%.

    The international cyber security market size was at USD 131.3 Billion in 2018 is expected to reach USD 289.8 Billion by 2026, according to fortune business insights.

    Global security spending on identity access management is accounted to reach 10.58 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. Spending on security services, the largest segment of the information security market, might reach 64.24 billion U.S. dollars in the same year as per Statistica report.

    Also Read: IT Services giant Cognizant Hit by ‘Maze’ Ransomware

    Conclusion

    Hacking trends are tricky to predict.With that said, there are a few ways you can innovate faster than hackers and respond to emerging threats in 2019 and beyond.

    *) Protect the endpoints

    Hardware weaknesses are common, means hackers can keep harvesting data in the easily. It should be kept in mind that the time to address device vulnerabilities is before data loss.

    *) Analyse human error

    Hackers sense vulnerability, and they target the weakest link in your network. Sophisticated social engineering as well as less-sophisticated blackmail attempts take place. Some user may click on spammy attachments, even after years of training.

    Awareness should be spread. Invest in smarter spam filters and devices that can quarantine and eliminate threats before they infect your network.

    *) Visibility is a security advantage

    Hackers love it when you make their job easy with an unprotected cloud database or printers protected with easy passwords. The solution is to install services that enable you to understand risks across multiple cloud environments and multi-vendor printers.

  • The Complete Analysis of Waste Management Industry

    The increase in industrialization, population and demand of consumer goods has resulted in an increase of the solid waste globally. According to World Bank in 2012, urban population produced about 1.3 billion tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) which is expected to grow to 2.2 billion tonnes in 2025. The costs for managing solid waste is expected to increase drastically in lower middle (four times) income countries such as India and Brazil among others and even higher in low income countries (five times) such as Kenya and Ghana among others. Thus there has been an urgent cry for the need to manage these solid wastes on a global scale. Many technological alternatives, economic instruments, and regulatory frameworks have been put to use to manage and sustainably control the waste from ruining the environment. Let us see the complete story behind the topic- The Complete Analysis of Waste Management Industry.

    Division of waste management market

    waste management

    The waste management market is broadly divided on the basis of:

    • Waste type,
    • service, and
    • region.

    Depending upon waste type, the market is classified into municipal waste, industrial waste, and hazardous waste. Since the last few years the municipal waste management segment had been ruling in terms of extracting the GDP of India and providing employment to the mass population.

    On the basis of service waste, there are the collection service waste from the sectors of transportation, collection, handling, storing as as well as the disposal service waste which includes the wastes from recycling, landfill and composting. This disposal segment of waste management has also been sharply dominating the global world where most of the waste management is required.

    Waste management based on region only refers to the various initiatives deployed by the various continents like Europe, North America, Asia and Australia where these countries compete with each other to reduce their volume of waste and become free of hazards.

    Factors that creates the demand for Waste management

    • Growth in urban population

    The urban population has been increasing at a tremendous rate since the last few decades. The UN estimates therefore report that nearly 55-57 percent of people in the world lived in urban areas in 2019. This population statistics goes on increasing at a drastic rate every year. With the increase in urbanisation, the immediate impact is upon the change in demand of these urbanised population. The need of industries which emit solid, liquid as well as gaseous waste pollute the environment from all aspects. With the inclusion of nuclear power there is also a risk of the radio active wastes emerging from these places.

    • Increased amount of waste generated

    As per the data released by the World Bank, in the year 2018, which says that- the global municipal solid waste generated in 2016 was 2.1 billion tons, and is expected to reach approximately 3.40 billion tons by 2050. Most of the highly developed nations such as America, Australia, South Africa, East Asia and China, release 270 million tons of waste each year. This is due to the increasing level of industrialisation and energy consumption per head within the countries.

    Also Read: Quantum Green – One Stop Solution for Effective Waste Management

    Which are the Target Markets?

    The target markets are those which produce the highest volume of solid waste per year. The list below shows the industries which produce the highest amount of waste and also the key ingredients within these wastes.

    1. Steel and Blast furnace

    2. Brine mud

    3. Copper slag

    4. Fly ash

    5. Kiln dust

    6. Cement plants

    7. Lime sludge

    8. Sugar, paper, fertilizer tanneries, soda ash, calcium carbide industries

    9. Mica scraper waste

    10. Phosphoric acid plant, Ammonium phosphate

    11. Coal mines

    12. Iron tailing

    13. Limestone wastes

    14.The medical industries

    1. The agro based industries

    waste administration as a imperative to your business

    • Legitimate Requirements: Industries have a legitimate cause and responsibility to ensure that they discard their waste and maintain the standard of the environment. Neglecting the environment could mean a shutdown of your business permanently
    • Rise in environmental awareness: With the rising consciousness among people, every individual has now to some extent been trying to reduce the amount of waste generated by themselves. This has triggered a growth opportunity for both the public as well as the private sectors in the market to undertake proactive measures to recycle Municipal Solid Waste and are conducting programs and spreading awareness for non-hazardous industrial waste management in order to reduce pollution and mitigate environmental hazards. The risk of untreated waste from medical sectors, chemical industries, plastics have been inducing long term effects to the physical body and spreading diseases worldwide. Thus, the need to manage solid waste is crucial and many industries are coming forward to undertake these challenges.
    • Human Health: If you do not take care of the health of your employees as well as your consumers, it would simply result in lower productivity. It has been noted by WHO that approximately 1 in 4 employees fall ill each week due to factors such as pollution, improper waste management in the neighbourhood or after consuming synthetic substance like fertilizers and insecticides which are sprayed at a huge rate on the crops. To maintain the health of your employees as well as yourself, it is important to undertake waste management.

    Challenges to Waste Management

    The following problems are generally encountered in cities and towns while dealing with industrial solid waste

    • There are no specific disposal sites where industries can dispose their waste;
    • Mostly, industries generating solid waste in city and town limits are of small scale nature and even do not seek consents of SPCBs/PCCs;
    • Industries are located in non-conforming areas and as a result they cause water and air pollution problems besides disposing solid waste.
    • Industrial estates located in city limits do not have adequate facilities so that industries can organise their collection, treatment and disposal of liquid and solid waste;
    • There is no regular interaction between urban local bodies and SPCBs/PCCs to deal such issues relating to treatment and disposal of waste and issuance of licenses in non-conforming areas.

    MANAGEMENT OF INDUSTRIAL SOLID WASTES-COORDINATION (SPCBs & LOCAL BODIES)

    Urban local bodies are constantly in the field and they are well aware of the local situation. They also know sources of waste generation and areas under their control. In order to organise proper collection, transportation and disposal of industrial solid waste, there is need to set up co-ordination between SPCBs, local bodies and industrial departments. Following guidelines are suggested to follow :

    1. Urban local bodies should identify the areas from where industrial solid waste is generated.
    2. Inventorisation of industries could be attempted through SPCBs or industries department for characterisation of wastes.
    3. SPCBs may take necessary actions for issuance of consents/Authorisations to the industries under relevant Acts and Rules.
    4. Urban local bodies may undertake collection, transportation and disposal of solid waste on cost recovery basis as per existing rules and may identify suitable sites for final treatment and disposal of industrial solid waste as per existing rules and regulations.

    These are some of the critical analysis of waste management industries, in today’s world where the blue planet is slowly turning brown, it is extremely vital that the Industries which value waste management and effective disposal come to power and reduce the negative effects from the environment.

  • History of Business in India and Greatest Businessmen of Decades

    India is a vast, populous and diverse nation encompassing many different identities, languages, cultures and religions. People here have the courage and determination to step into the unknown and explore. The roots of business in India can be traced back to the times when it was referred to as the ‘golden bird’.

    This was the period when the Britishers came to India and unknowingly kindled the spirit of business in this earthy country.Indian business remained primarily focused on trading and money lending until the middle of the nineteenth century, although there was a modest demonstration effect as Indians observed a new style of entrepreneurship practiced by Europeans in India. However, things changed as the British built transport infrastructure, abolished internal customs tariffs, and established a legal system which enforced property rights and eliminated the power of government to act in an arbitrary fashion.

    In Bengal, ethnic British entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to build new jute and coal industries.

    In Western India, Parsees such as the Tatas created a new cotton textile industry.

    Although one cannot disregard the imperialist noose the Britishers had on India, the fact remains that British rule, whatever its defects, was on the whole good for Indian business. The most negative consequences of colonialism, was that it maintained the long-standing disinclination of the Indian business elite to invest in technological innovation because of “their easy access to foreign technology, thanks to the imperial connection”. It was unfortunate that these entrepreneurs blind sided to the Britishers when it came to quality which was unexpectedly below standard. This might be considered as a bad case of  “colonial syndrome,” which made them believe that whatever the leading race was using was of the highest grade. Let us see the complete story behind the topic i.e. History of Business in India and Greatest Businessmen of Decades.

    The earliest Kingpins of Business
    Secrets to Successful Business

    The earliest Kingpins of Business

    Business Management

    Some of the earliest players in the Indian market were the  Jamsetji Tata, Ghanshyam Das Birla, Ardeshir Godrej, Kailash Chandra Mahindra, Dhirubhai Ambani. Most of these legendary companies are still going strong and their kin has followed their lineage. Some interesting facts about them are:

    Acknowledged as the founder of the Tata Group, Jamsetji is often referred to as the ‘father of Indian industry’.

    The Tata group has also supported humanitarian causes like in 1974, when the Chota Nagpur region had become the epicentre of the smallpox epidemic, the World Health Organisation (WHO), requested the collaboration of Tata Steel. The company obliged with resources and manpower. In six months, 20,500 villages and 82 towns were inoculated. By 1975, India was declared free of smallpox, for the first time in history.

    The Tata group has been a key contributor to India’s growth story, in 2018 it contributed about 4% to the GDP  and paid 2.24 per cent of the total taxation in India of  ₹47,195 crore highest by any group.

    Ghanshyam Das Birla was the Founder of Birla Brothers Limited, a leading producer of tea, textiles, cement, chemicals, rayon, steel tubes, among others. He laid the foundation for what later became a billion-dollar empire.

    During the Quit India Movement in 1942 he developed the idea of starting a commercial bank. Thus was born The United Commercial Bank Limited. Now known as UCO bank, it is one of the oldest commercial banks of India.

    The company operates in more than 35 different countries & employs more than 120,000 employees worldwide with a revenue of INR 14,577 crores for the year ended 31 March 2017.

    In 1897 after a few failed ventures, Ardeshir Godrej, ventures, sets up a lock company. For him, the key to success turns out to be locks.

    In 1918, Godrej launched Chavi(now Cinthol), the first soap in the world to be made without animal fat.

    There are many more interesting stories behind these pioneers who revolutionised Indian business scenario.

    Secrets to Successful Business

    Towards a Successful Business

    Now to analyse the key aspects of successful businesses over the years, we look into various companies and the principles they swear on.

    1. Desire to innovate

    Bombay dyeing which was founded in 1879, having its headquarters in Mumbai. The founders are Nusli and Wadia family. The company has managed to stay afloat over 100 years, despite competition and cut-throat price wars.

    The company turned to textile only after it started suffering huge losses in its dyeing business in the early 1900s.

    “The company’s ability to innovate and modernise continuously has helped it survive long,” .

    Also Read: What New Innovations will Come after COVID-19 Pandemic?

    2. Acceptance of Change

    Indians thrive on acceptance. Lakshmi Mittal is Britain’s wealthiest man and a non-resident Indian who heads up the world’s biggest steel manufacturer, ArcelorMittal, his view says,
    “Always think outside the box and embrace the opportunities that appear – wherever they might be.”
    Mukesh Ambani, one of the richest man in the world, Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited, has an approach to built a structure that adapts to change:
    “The organizational architecture is really that of a centipede, one or two don’t count. So if I lose one or two legs, the process will go on, the organization will go on, the growth will go on.”

    Also Read: Lewin’s Change Management Model

    3. Living in the moment

    Living more in the moment makes India’s business leaders very adaptable and opportunistic. Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of The Aditya Birla Group and he also counsels leaders to look after ‘the mind’:
    “Leaders must have the ability to mind your mind, which means quickly recognising when one is wrong and changing track accordingly. Also, far from being egocentric, they should have a great sense of humility.”

    4. Problems are a gift

    Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Chair and Managing Director, Biocon Ltd, shows how this works: “My philosophy in life is that every failure can be converted into a success, defeat is temporary but giving up is permanent. The way I approached it was that I am going to be just not brainwashed by perceptions. I thought let me do it my way.”
    The Indian born Lakshmi Mittal, head of Arcelor Mittal, knows about tough times and has this view: “Everyone experiences tough times, it is a measure of your determination and dedication how you deal with them and how you can come through them.”

    Also Read: Common Problems Entrepreneurs Face and The Truth About Startup Life

    Conclusion

    Stories of personal perseverance, the ones where heroes overcome severe obstacles and achieve dizzying heights of success, have been around since the beginning of time but they never get old. They inspire us and inflame our passions, making us believe we too can follow suit.

    The entrepreneurs we saw above and many more are examples of such determination and courage that has now taken India to global heights. The indefatigable will to succeed and own something which is made out of your sweat and blood is what took these pioneers to an unimaginable heights of success.

  • Qualities of “The Perfect Co-Founder “

    ‘You may be smart but there’s someone out there who’s smarter than you’.  Traits like intelligence, creativity, credibility, sensibility and others that I’ve failed to mention are always sought after in an individual who can aspire and inspire others to achieve greatness. The phrase ‘one man army’ exists for a reason—people have done feats unimaginable single-handedly. Innovation is the result of a person’s ideologies and idiosyncrasies, who molds it further with his ability and capabilities. But if you turn through the pages of history, all examples have one thing in common—teamwork. If you still have residual doubts, the world of technology has ample illustrations proving the point. The conglomerates gracing the Fortune 500 list came into being as the result of multiple minds aggregating together. In some instances, only one guy in the team had hogged the limelight but those hidden behind the curtains, concealed from the public’s attention, had a significant if not equal part to play in the success of these ventures. In the world of entrepreneurship, it’s difficult to establish a revolutionary business setup unaided and unassisted; teamwork is imperative here.

    So, when the budding innovator is on the lookout for that person with the same vision and pursuit, certain indicators and tips can make the task at hand simpler with the results being even more satisfying,  because what can be better than a perfect crime partner in your business. Lt us see the complete aspects of- Qualities of “The Perfect Co-Founder “.

    Here are some aspects to look for the perfect crime partner /cofounder :-

    1. Similar vision and goals

    Similar vision and goals

    Birds of same feather flock together, as it said means the one who understands you the best can take you the farthest. Alignment of targets is concordant with higher gains. If an enterpriser can find another visionary striving to seek success in the same realm, then the  path becomes easier and smoother  because it becomes  simple  to tackle difficult situations; the ups and downs that ensue on course of rolling out the product or service are better handled as a team, with the team members working in the same direction.

    2. Credibility

    The efforts put over the past few months is taking shape, the prototype is nearing completion and it’s just a matter of few hours for the final product to be ready. But all of a sudden, the cofounder bails out on the main guy. Saddening, isn’t it? Here, credibility comes into play. Stay away from one who sings his own praises because this guy will be nothing more than an overhead, lying there without giving anything beneficial in return. Do a background check of your going to be cofounder before taking any sort of step. Make sure your cofounder focus  on the duo, not on himself only.

    3. Ability to communicate

    Ability to communicate

    When it comes to idea pitching, every person in the team should be able to articulate and convince VCs and investors. Not only this, being lucid and persuasive in communication is a much needed asset owing to the fact that any business is more than creating products; the finesse in selling the product is the base of the cake rather than the icing. Hence, scout for such a partner that can communicate with one and all because, a wrong communication, your whole hard work is in water?

    Also Read: How to Talk to the Potential Clients as a Freelancer

    4. Financial backing

    How much investment can be made without external support is decisive in creating an effective prototype that would then be used to lure in funding. So if your cofounder can arrange for some financial backing in addition to your existing investment. The more money you put into the startup, the more sumptuous outcome awaits you…there are exceptions to this, of course!

    Also Read: Entrepreneur Finance: Resource Based View(RBV)

    5. Insightful personality

    Ideas can get as crazy as people want them to be. When two or more individuals put their creativity on the table, one gets to actually leverage the benefits of brainstorming. So, a fellow being who can contribute in terms of creativity in addition to technical prowess is a strong contender to become one of the begetters.

    6. Possessing leadership qualities

    Possessing leadership qualities

    A person who can set the right example for others, who can guide others in times of adversity, and one who can bear the responsibility and grunt when others fail to do so…these are the signs of true mentor. If you happen to meet such person, either by chance or intentionally, don’t let go of him/her so easily; he/she may be the cofounder of your next venture!

    Also Read: Ways of Building Trust Among the Employees

    7. Understanding

    You don’t want someone who will go to east, if being mentioned West?Hence, understanding is the key between the confounders. As,  it is evident that some of the biggest collaboration in history happened because of the mutual understanding between the cofounders. So, make sure you have a mutual understanding with your cofounder for the smooth run of your business.

    8. Adaptability

    Adaptation is the key to survival. Humans adapted themselves according to the  climatic changes to survive and evolved through it. So, that is the key to a great partnership, adaptability. A person can be a great cofounder to you, if the person is able to adopt the ups and lows of the company, instead of complaining.

    9. Passion and thirst of knowledge

    Just having same visuals and goals is not enough, sharing same passion is also an  important quality to look in the search of the perfect cofounder. Also, the thirst of gaining more knowledge in the field of your expertise shows your partner ‘s interest in work. So, if you share the same passion with the person, then make sure you discuss you future with the person because it may be “the one “for you.

    10. Emotional Stability

    You don’t want a crybaby to  be your cofounder, because instead of handling the bad situations, you have to handle your partner and have to  wiping those  tears away. So, look for a person who has the emotional stability to separate personal life and professional life and doesn’t mix them up.

    11. Honesty

    Honesty

    You don’t want a partner who will backstab you in future, right? That’s why honesty is so important. A great  partner is one who agrees to its mistakes to the other and have the other partner’s back in case of need. So, do look for honesty as a quality in your cofounder.

    As we all know,  a great team makes everything possible, likewise great coordinator makes everything easy for the team and they can work efficiency. Also, finding  that ideal candidate is like looking for a needle in haystack. You may eventually find the needle but make sure that it isn’t a rusted one. The right cofounder, whose thoughts are in harmony with yours can do wonders to your initiative. Don’t strictly abide by some checklist when building a team, combine practicality with ‘gut feeling’ to actually build a formidable group. And when the group eventually comes into existence, with the team members cohesive in principles and ideals, the probability of positive outcome increases many folds, be it an entrepreneurial project or any other work. Though prima facie finding a cofounder may seem to be a daunting task after reading all this, but then good things don’t come easy.

  • The Rise Of 3D Printing Technology During The COVID-19 Pandemic

    The COVID-19 pandemic has paved way for a global meltdown. Lockdowns and other measures implemented across the globe have helped in damage control and recovery from coronavirus to some extent, but the side-effects are here to stay. Manufacturing, retailing, and logistics sectors have taken a severe hit. This pandemic has effected damage on supply chains across countries and therefore, the distribution of products and services. The world is going towards a global recession phase. Companies working in the manufacturing sector are being compelled to change their working stack in order to see through this challenging time, one where the very existence of organizations is at stake. Consequently, 3D printing has taken the centrestage and is quickly becoming the baseline tech in manufacturing. This post covers the rise of 3D printing technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Reasons behind the use of 3D printing technology

    3D-Printing

    1)  3D printing technology helps in producing parts and pieces whenever and wherever they are required. This technology doesn’t rely on very expensive moulds for production. It directly helps businesses in the sense that transport costs are cut down since 3D printing allows production of elements within one’s own premise.

    2)  If any problem occurs from suppliers’ side, one can produce the same parts without losing their properties through 3D printing. It indirectly helps businesses to use the wide range of materials they have at hand.

    3) Having a 3D printer in your company can quickly help build products in situations the final product depends on a single missing part. This way, last minute dependencies are taken care of through 3D printing.

    Also Read: Chizel – One Stop Platform for Your 3D Printing Needs

    Use of 3D printing Technology during COVID-19

    1) Oxygen Valves

    Italy uses oxygen respiratory valves prepared through the 3D printing technology. An Italian engineering firm, Isinnova, decided to mass-produce the valves using 3D printing. This was taken into consideration when Italian hospitals ran out of the respiratory valves needed to connect COVID-19 patients to ventilator machines. After examining the valve and creating a prototype, the company collaborated with a local manufacturing firm to create 100 valves in 24 hours which were then directly supplied to the hospitals.

    2) Respirators

    Isinnova has also contributed through the development of highly potential airway pressure masks. The functionality of this mask is that it can be used for sub-intensive care of patients suffering from COVID-19.

    3) Quarantine Booths

    In China, 3D printing is a widely used technique employed for all types of works. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Winsun, a 3D printing company based in China, used its resources to 3D print 15 quarantine rooms for Xianning Central Hospital. The rooms were made up of crushed and ground solid urban construction waste.

    4) Ventilators

    Ventilators are no less than godsend at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Minnesota and Protolabs, a provider of 3D printing services, have collaborated for the noble cause of developing the key parts of a low-cost ventilator. Similarly, Formlabs has successfully printed a ventilator splitter which allows a single ventilator to support multiple patients.

  • The Rise Of Digital Contactless Payments Post The COVID-19 Pandemic

    The fast spread of the novel coronavirus has led to a global lockdown hitherto unfathomed. The on-going situation has now become one of the biggest threats to economies and financial markets all over the world, and is leading us towards a global recession. The spread of the coronavirus has impacted the purchasing power of people. We are apprehensive of exchanging traditional currency i.e. notes and coins, to minimize contact. In such a situation, digital contactless payments are gathering a new found attention in these times. Also, countries across the globe are taking numerous measures to maximize digital contactless flow of currency. The culture of digital contactless payments is only going to expand as time passes. This article covers the rise of digital contactless payments post the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Status of Digital Contactless Payment

    Digital Contactless Payments

    The COVID-19 pandemic stopped almost all possible transactions in the beginning. But over the last couple of months, digital payments have picked pace. People are now resorting to digital payments for purchasing all kinds of utilities. Many merchants have witnessed a significant rise in digital contactless payments across different modes. Statistics point towards a rise of around 30% in the role of digital transactions in revenue generation. Several reports attest to this. According to a report from Statista which talks about the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and its consequent lockdown on Indians, a majority of respondents reported no or very less change in their use of digital payments. However, 33 percent said they used digital payments more than before, while nine percent made online payments exclusively.

    Different modes of Digital Contactless Payment

    The different digital payment modes that one can opt for in the current circumstance include:

    Different modes of Digital Contactless Payment

    1. QR Code

    QR code or Quick Response Code-based payment is a modern payment system that has become pretty popular during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. People can simply scan a QR code with the help of their smartphone to pay for items like fuel, grocery, utility bills, fuel, food, travel and several other services. QR codes facilitate instant payments and that too using fool-proof security payment technology. Whenever a customer requests to pay via the QR code, he or she needs to just scan the QR code of the respective merchant. This scanning helps in automatic entry of the merchant’s details and leaves you with only having to type the purchase amount. After this, you are ready for the payment. Just click on the secure payment tab and watch the transaction happen in a jiffy.

    2. UPI

    Unified Payments Interface (UPI), developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), is an instant payment system which relies on your bank account. Whenever a customer requests the UPI payment mode for transacting, the merchant provides his or her unique UPI ID. After this, the customer needs to enter the UPI details of the merchant. The customer can also verify the details displayed on the payment portal.  The customer is then ready for making the payment. Just click on the secure payment tab and it’s done! This is also linked with the QR code of the merchant.

    Also Read: Everything You Need to Know About Unified Payments Interface

    3. Payment Gateway

    Payment gateway is a merchant service provided by different e-commerce platforms and ensures that sensitive information (such as credit card details) passes securely through various channels when entered into a virtual terminal or an e-commerce website . At present, e-commerce establishments are strongly focusing on payment gateways as they refrain from entertaining cash-on-delivery payment orders.

    Also Read: Best Payment Gateways in India for Your Business

    4. NFC Payment

    The Near Field Communication (NFC) feature is a new technology in the e-payment sector that allows you to make contactless payments to retailers. Customers can choose to pay via their contactless credit/debit cards or through a Tap & Pay feature provided by banks via a mobile application; you simply tap on your smartphones.

    5. Prepaid cards

    Closed-loop prepaid cards are the ones that can only be redeemed at the merchant who issued them. On the other hand, “semi-closed loop cards” or “restricted open-loop cards” are similar to shopping centre cards which can be redeemed at various merchants but only within the shopping centre. These cards can be swiped/inserted at the PoS terminal for top-up/withdrawal purposes. You need to enter your pin for completing the payment. This is done for security measures.

  • The Future of Autonomous Vehicles Post Pandemic

    COVID-19 pandemic has created a big problem in front of us. The people are having a great fear from this pandemic. This has led a situation where everyone is thinking about an autonomous facilities in place of human resource facilities. It situation has also marked a great moment for the autonomous vehicle (AV) technology. Although the pandemic has created a long-term impact on the human living conditions and this will accelerate AV innovation in the life of all people. Many experts says that AVs will prove itself and especially useful during future emergencies and outbreaks like the COVID-19 pandemic. Let us see the complete report on the future of autonomous vehicles post pandemic.

    Autonomous Vehicles during pandemic

    Autonomous Vehicles

    Like COVID-19 pandemic, AVs will be the ultimate resource for the upcoming future outbreaks, AVs will provide a useful means of transporting passengers to healthcare facilities, pharmacies and grocery stores. This will also help in maintaining sterilization and leveraging inside-vehicle technology to monitor passengers’ vital signs on the go.

    The AVs are having some of the most valuable use cases like supplementing labour shortages in transportation, food delivery, and additional industries. It can also help in the situation where, there is any problem from the side of the drivers and delivery workers which are showing up to work sick as companies scramble to keep pace with the upcoming high delivery demand.

    The efficient working of AVs can be seen at the time of crisis. In China, it can be clearly seen the use of autonomous vehicles for delivering the medical and food supplies in the hard-hit areas.

    With autonomous big delivery vehicles, businesses can achieve more efficient service with the less no. of human work force. This will ultimately help in boosting the productivity of the business and helps in keeping businesses running during any type of pandemic or any type of challenging economic times.

    Also Read: Robotic Farming- The Upcoming Revolution in the Agriculture Sector

    Autonomous Vehicles v/s Present Time Vehicles

    From the latest surveys, it has been seen that, there is a large no. of miss-happening on the roads with the large number of deaths and massive expenses to the automobile due to human error.

    There are two different types of mind set of the experts talking about this upcoming technology. Many experts believe that fully autonomous vehicles will be taking a long period of time to be functioned at a good amount of scale and this technology might never be capable of fully replacing human drivers. On the other hand, many other technology experts are in the favor of a fast and destructive change in the automobile sector in the upcoming few years post pandemic.

    According to a latest survey, in 2020 found that around 38% of people enjoyed driving “a good deal,” while another 46% enjoyed it “a moderate amount.” This survey comes up with the result i.e. considerable affinity for having control over vehicles, and it’s not unreasonable to think that a hypothetical legislative push to have human drivers completely relinquish the steering wheel would be met with resistance.

  • The Role Of Drones In The Upcoming Future

    The COVID-19 pandemic has created a big problem not only for the people but a bigger problem for the government of the respective countries of the world. This pandemic has now led to so many deaths in the whole world and that too due to its wide spread of virus by the physical contact. Now, government of the countries are trying to have the social distance within the society and trying to resolve the problem of group working so that people can work with minimum or without physical contact. On looking in this case, many experts are saying that drones can play a key role by helping people in different ways to prevent further spread of the corona virus outbreak and any other upcoming pandemic in the future. So, let us see the complete report on the role of drones in the upcoming future.

    Role of drones in the working sectors

    1) Drones as a Surveillance device

    Drones as a Surveillance device
    Drones as a Surveillance device

    All the government authorities across the world are trying to prevent the spread of the virus. This can be only possible by reducing the people contact (group of bulk interactions). For this, most of the countries are imposing the ban of mass gatherings in order to ensure a social distancing which can only limit physical contact and can help in the wide spread of such pandemic in the upcoming future.

    Drones can help the police and the security officials to monitor the people’s movement and social gatherings. Police and the security officials will be helped by eliminating such gatherings from the society which will eventually decrease the risk to society.

    Also Read: Robotic Farming- The Upcoming Revolution in the Agriculture Sector

    2) Drones as a Broadcast device

    Police and security authorities can also use drones for any type of broadcast messages and information for any type of measures taken for the betterment of the society like the lockdown or anything else. This can work effectively especially in the rural area where, there is a lack of technology resources and any type of open communication channels for health information or anything related to their betterment. Drones equipped with loudspeakers can be used for making any type of public announcements for any type of necessary precautions or for making social-distancing or even for wearing the mask if found outside the home. Let us make you know that the countries like China and many European countries are using drones for broadcasting messages to public while doing surveillance.

    Also Read: Computerized Medicine and how it will change India

    3) Drones as a Medicine and Grocery Deliveries device

    Drones as a Medicine and Grocery Deliveries device
    Drones as a Medicine and Grocery Deliveries device

    During this pandemic, we have seen the global lock-down in the whole world. The people are not even allowed to move outside even for the shopping of the daily utility materials. People are having fear in having any type of medical help. So, in this case drones can help in the delivery of any essential good without any physical contact or it can help in taking up the samples for any type of test required by anyone in the society.

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    Not only this, doctors and hospitals will be helped in any type of medical supplies and laboratory testing and also drones can be the safest and fastest ways to deliver medical supplies and transport samples from hospitals to laboratories. One of the live example was seen in Wuhan, the epicenter of the pandemic, where drones were used to deliver medical supplies in the hospital.