What Indian Start-ups in the Cloud may be Missing!

Indian start-ups are high on SMAC and are brimming with ideas and many are working hard on their ideas in a garage somewhere in Bangalore or yonder;  working day and night to bring out the next big winner in the cloud, but can they hit pay dirt like Hewlett & Packard?

Many of these start-ups will be driving SAAS solutions on the cloud and Nasscom has added  momentum by leading the charge with a target of 10,000 start-ups a very modest number, India can  do with a million start-ups'  to service the world  and create economic value for India.

The first aspect the start-up needs to get right is the domain name, is it "startup.in" or is it startup.com, starup.biz, starup.net, it is nice to be nationalistic but in the cloud SAAS you are building could be used by anyone in the world and will  need a global address.; also is the start-ups  twitter handles and other social media address available in the proposed name of the start-up?

The website is the start-up's sales brochure in the cloud,  have the founders spent enough time on the start-up's website and do they have a social media footprint and presence. Awesome technology alone will not bring in the revenue, you need marketing muscle and agile selling online, plus you need audience. There have been great technology companies, names we cannot even remember now in the cloud rush that vanished before they were even born. Get the Branding and Positioning Right of the start-up right, if it does not work change the name of the start-up, not driven by an astrologer or numerologist but by the attributes of the product offering.

The first is S in SMAC has to be done right; either your start-up is in social media or you are not there. Word of Mouth is good to take your start-up places and bring in the eyeballs, but you need to get it right. Has the website been launched in more than one language, the world's most spoken language is Spanish followed by Mandarin, do you provide support in these languages other than English for your global customers? If you do not have Spanish you will miss most countries in Latin America and without Portuguese you will miss Brazil which is a mature Digital Market.

The next is M -  Mobile support, does your website and application work in the mobile, has the start-up tested their presence in various mobiles and tablets.

Then there  is  A - Analytics, is the start-up measuring its engagement in the digital world,  if you do not know how to do it, subscribe to a SAAS solution in the cloud which can do it for you.

The last is C - Cloud; has the start-up chosen the right cloud partner for its solution.

The Start-up has to get its SMAC right and to get high in the cloud.

Some more some more pointers which need to be addressed by the start-up up in its

digital avatar starts with the description of its offering. Does the start-up's  web page and

 social media campaigns get prospective customers excited about their product, is it

supplemented by video advertising on Television and You tube and other social media

sites?

Is the start- up  able to sustain its  digital footfall and get visitors  excited and subscribe to  its offering? Remember  layman's  language works best since most SAAS users do not understand Geek language.  Tell your prospects  why they should try your offering, and highlight the features and benefits of your solution,  be transparent on the pricing and let there be no surprises. Make sure you offer a self service trial of your offerings from your website, which can be  used with no fuss and can be concluded with two mouse clicks. If the trail user's like the start-ups solution they will continue using it irrespective of the pricing, so getting them to use it is the first step.

The start-up needs to explain the security around the offering, cloud is all about trust, the more you share the better is the TRUST.  A full  page on security is warranted, including standards, backups and what not to convince your customer they are in safe hands.

The start-up should share its coverage in the media and also customer  success stories and testimonials, this gives confidence to a prospective customer.

Start-up needs to talk about the Help & Support available, it needs to provide a chat room for immediate support on inquiries  to close sales and offer solution support.  The start-up needs to share its  marketing presentations and videos to  be easily viewed by the prospective customer, remember you will need to close the sale most times without ever meeting your customer in person. Many Indian start-ups still believe they need to meet the customer and close the SAAS sale, this shows their reluctance and lack of understanding of Digital Branding and Marketing. The most classic lament is we do not have a Beta as yet, how can a start-up get a Beta without a self-service delivery of its SAAS solution on its website. Who has the patience to write to the start-up for a Beta site, when I stumble on the start-up's site I am looking for instant Nirvana  not Penance.

The start-up needs to share on the website details about its partners, affiliates and Careers, also needs to Provide  Contact through, an online form, email, chat, social media, phone and any other innovative ideas of communication. The start-up should encourage prospect to remain connected through Social Media, email and newsletters.

If Indian start-up companies with great technology skills and brilliant SAAS solutions incorporate some of these points which they may have missed, then India can serve the world and multiply into a million start-ups in the cloud.

Back to our Cocoons'!

It is a long weekend in most parts of India, and we are all back into our Cocoons again.
Just like a silk worm we keep weaving away cocoons which finally will get destroyed.
We believe we have the finest security barriers to our digital assets, but alas every day is a new beginning.
We forget about the last attack Heartbleed which seems like it has been overcome, little do we even ponder the outcome of poor design and its outcome on the end users.
Almost everyone's privacy has been compromised, some .organizations put up a banner proudly stating that they were not affected by Heartbleed.

Maybe next time around it may be Terminal disruption of the digital eco-system, companies who do not get back to their cocoons will be prepared for the next attack and survive to tell the story.
Those who gloat that they were not attacked and become complacent and get back into their cocoons  are doomed to be put down next time, though many may miraculously survive.  Miracles do happen in a digital world !
What do you want to do, do you want to spin a secure cocoon and keep at it and protect yourself, or do you want to gloat on the fact you were not affected this time around and rest in your cocoon?

Is your organization ready for the Digital World driven by Social Media?

In the old days the only professionals who suffered from Ulcer were those who worked in the fast paced real time market of Trading stocks, currency, commodities and more. They had to think on their feet and made or lost millions based on their ability to respond to information and act on it immediately.
With the advent of Digital World driven by Social Media in Real time organizations need to get Digital Traders onto the floor who can respond in real time to delight customers and protect your organization from Demise.
Can organizations be shaken  from their slumber to respond in real time to social media and infuse the speed required to be on top of your customers needs and suggestions?  The way forward is not throwing in more people with attributes of Traders (and candidates for Ulcer)  but to use technology driven real time analytic solutions to keep listen and respond on the Digital Highway.

 Organizations need business value from traffic in the Digital World!

This means if your organization having a presence in the Digital World driven by Social Media  is not enough! the organization  needs to invest on real time analytic tools which can help them to respond and sieve the good grains from the chaff in the real time traffic of social media.
Organizations who get this strategy right and make investments in the right people and analytic tools have a clear advantage of surviving, while those who don't will go extinct like the dinosaurs.
Are your ready to take on the  Digital World driven by Social Media?

Can  Indian Banks do a Flipkart to Digital Banking Experience

Indian Banks struggle to find a toehold in the digital space with reluctance by customers to  accept internet banking, mobile banking and tablet banking. Every bank tries to get the Indian customer on the digital highway but with mixed results, some  have tried using social media with mixed results. What keeps Indian Bank customers away from adopting and converting to Digital Banking?

The answer for this problem faced by Indian Bankers may lie with Flipkart who has  conquered the digital space for ecommerce in India, they have succeeded in every digital medium they have chosen and have successfully changed perceptions on how to ride the digital highway in India.

Here are some key figures from socialbakers.com the respected portal for social media engagement analytic.

The graph below shows the consistent growth of Flipkart month after month in social media.

Here are the growth of Flipkart fans per day, per week and by month, impressive figures again from socialbakers.com.

And below are the distribution of fans of Flipkart with 95% from India 2.5 million strong, more than the population of many countries in the world.

So what makes the juggernaut Flipkart a success story, the first and most important is the customer intimacy, at every step they are with the customer and keep reminding them of what they can buy, to share and rate their customer experienc. They pamper their customers in  their digital interaction.

They deliver as promised, ahead of time, their packing is easy to open and if you order for gift wrapping it is awesome. If there are any breakages they give you a replacement without a fuss. These are customer service levels unheard of in India.

There couriers are courteous, they let you know at what date and time they will deliver and they do it as promised. Again no nail biting suspense for the date and time of delivery.

The customer experience shows in the growth of their social media presence which is the best measure of success in digital experience.

Indian Banks can learn from Flipkart, can they shower the same customer intimacy to the customer of the bank using digital tools, deliver prompt and courteous customer service? Learn to cross sell from Flipkart and also the art of reminding the customer to buy something they searched for in the internet. 

Can Indian Bankers change their stripes and become a customer focused bank rather than an intimidating monolith.  Maybe it is time for Indian Banks to transform customer experience in digital banking by learning from Flipkart. Are Indian Banks Listening ? Are Indian Banks ready for the Leap of Faith into the digital Highway?

Audit Logs the Important Sauce for a Secure Organization

In a recent audit I found that audit logs were not being archived, the team was puzzled on why I was insistence on audit logs. 
Here are my thoughts on the importance of enabling the Audit logs for the various targets in your digital ecosystem, we need the audit logs for your servers, end point devices, applications, databases, network devices, security  tools in your digital ecosystem.
Many administrators disable the audit log since because they do not understand that the audit log is one of simplest & effective tools available to keep your environment safe.

The audit log tracks every action undertaken in your digital ecosystem by users and unwelcome visitors (read potential hackers), the audit log records the duration of time that an user was logged in, which files were opened, what was changed and if required even the keyboard activity.

To run a secure organization we need to constantly assess our vulnerability and the audit log is the key to  collecting data in the digital environment to be able to constantly monitor and proactively defend.

Audit Log is used to automatically track every action undertaken by users on a network. It can record what time a user logged on, which files they opened, what they changed and even which key strokes they used.

It can be used as proof if an employee is not using the system as they are supposed to.

 The Audit Log is Like a Rear View Mirror –  You need to know what is behind you! 

It is also very handy for a team to understand how a problem happened by accident - after all people make mistakes but it is great to know how it happened and what needs to be done to fix the problem and to avoid making the same mistake again. Audit logs (in our experience) can be a very useful to gain an insight of what is really happening in your digital ecosystem. 

If you are a large enterprise you could merge your logs and use analytic tools to get a granular view of what is happening in your network, devices and applications.  This could help your company in strengthening its defenses and also optimize on usage of resources.

Flying in a single formation - An Unified Blog Site

Over the years I have created a number of  blog sites to address cyber security, banking, cloud computing, financial exchanges, cloud security, new technology and more.
I have now brought all these blogs under one umbrella and have all my earlier  blog posts available here for your convenience.
Do continue reading and sharing your thoughts on my blog spots, this has been possible because of  your support and encouragement, Thank you.

Regards
LS Subramanian

Securing your organization by use of Psychometric Testing

Most companies use psychometric testing today as a tool to recruit the right person with the right skills and attitude for the job. The tools used for psychometric testing are reliable, mostly computerized, secure and it is generally not possible to fiddle with them to get a job.

The test results are systematically scored against well researched and authenticated models to make sure there is a fool proof testing and assessment. 

The psychometric tools available today balance the questions against each other to ensure that the interpretation is accurate in assessing the test takers psychological attributes and personality. 

The most popular method is to use two type of questions, the first type measures the candidates characteristics relative to each other while the second type measures the candidates profile in the given business. 

In the light of maturity in psychometric assessment the time has come for organizations to also access the candidates attitude to information security of the organization. Psychometric testing must be able to assess the candidates attitude to integrity, loyalty and honesty by adding this to the existing questionnaire.

This approach will ensure in the long term that Business stop a Snowden from entering the organization and thus ensure continuity of compliance, ethics and integrity in their organization.

Identify the fault lines before they bring your organization to a standstill!

The employee has been the weakest link in the security of the organization and psychometric testing gives the organization the chance to be proactive in stopping unwanted rogue employees from entering the organization and proving to be a threat to the business.

It is time organizations started administering psychometric testing to evaluate the integrity, honesty and ethics of the employees in its organizations and this must include all existing employees and also new recruits.

Psychometric testing has been successfully used in Latin America to lend to the poorest of the poor for establishing a credit score based on the borrowers psychological profile to access the intent to return the money borrowed. The success of this has been encouraging and can the details can be found in various micro-finance journals. 

In an ungrateful and dangerous world psychometric  testing for information security will ensure that your organization is secure and your colleagues have been rated by a standard psychological evaluation about their integrity.

Cloud Computing Adoption & Cloud Appreciation Courses

I had a wonderful buffet today and was amazed at the aggressive pricing of the food on offer, after a sumptuous meal my thoughts wandered Cloud Computing.  

The Buffet  pricing was based on the philosophy that the customer will pick and choose what they need but overall the price will average out and so will the margins, since no two people have the same appetite or intensity to eat. 

More experienced buffet eaters know what to choose and eat and I call them value pickers, if they pay Rs. 300 they will make sure they eat that value of food irrespective of its consequences to their health. The second are the health conscious eaters who will pick healthy food which is valuable in nutrition and good for their health. The last is the one who will eat what they need and leave the rest on the buffet table.  To adopt any one of these strategies one needs to have experience with buffets, I still remember one of my classmates who used to visit a Chinese Buffet on Sundays, on the third Sunday he was declined entry, he was a value and quantity eater whom the eating establishment had identified after two visits :-) and hence was kept out.

You need a teacher to help you choose the right cloud to ride !

This is not a Warren Buffet class on investing  or a TV Food class,  the analogy is cloud is similar to the buffet and also warrants an investment strategy. The primary requirement for investing is understanding the underlying asset, which is the cloud computing utility.

So how does one understand cloud computing, my lament to my friend was I have been evangelizing the cloud for many  years, I have spoken in conferences, conducted cloud technology training, shared knowledge at business forums, engineering &  business schools to evangelize cloud and entrepreneurship. 

My friend across the table came up with a wonderful insight, he told me to focus on personalized cloud computing education.  People cannot appreciate something they have not understood, it is like looking at flawless Indian Chola bronze without understanding how it was made and the intricacies used in creating this piece of art and its current value in the art market.  The wise go to an art appreciation course before investing in pieces of Art to make sure that their  investments in art appreciate and also add joy to their existence.

The same is true for cloud computing, many use Facebook, LinkedIn, Google  Twitter, Pinterest and more without understanding what lies behind it, no wonder business is reluctant to adopt social media.
They are users who are clueless about how to leverage on social media in the cloud for their business.

Just like an art appreciation course there is a need to conduct Cloud Appreciation Courses.

Like the buffet the Cloud Computing Appreciation Course(CCAC)  will be segmented based on the audience, so here goes my thoughts on the various appreciation programs : 

• CCAC for the Board - For the Board of Directors 

• CCAC for the Regulator - For the Regulators of sectors like Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Financial Markets

• CCAC for the Corporate - For  the CMO, Chief of HR, CIO, CTO, CXO & SBU heads

• CCAC for the Leaders - For the future leaders in the organization.

• CCAC for Technology Team - This is for the IT team to understand the nuts and bolts .

• CCAC for Start-ups - This is for entrepreneurs and start-ups who can benefit from the cloud.

• CCAC for Business Schools - This is for the future business leaders in school

• CCAC and Golf - A blending of Cloud Computing  with the game of golf.

Today's lunch buffet was wonderful, we agreed it was value for money meal, and the bonus was my friends sagacious advise to take the cloud to decision makers.

If you are a decision maker and need help to ride the cloud remember you may need a Cloud Appreciation Course for a safe and enjoyable cloud journey.

Be Prepared for your Social Media Presence !

Social Media is here to stay as more companies join the band wagon every day, many companies believe the first step in Social Media is to create their company presence with a  Facebook Page, Twitter Handle, LinkedIn company page, Pinterest presence and finally a Google Plus+ presence and maybe a few more to be safe !

Most companies do not have a social media strategy or a social media management agenda or team, most of the social media management is outsourced to ad agencies or social media specialists. Companies need to understand  they are best equipped to respond and support their customer through social media; customer engagement is too valuable to be outsourced ?

Business could use the services of social media strategists who can help them with their campaign and build a road map for their social media presence and  so train their team to handle social media in real time.

Companies who do not handle social media in real time are doomed and will stand  out as non-customer focused companies.

The Toddy Tapper - Social Media is Heady but Be Prepared !

The CEO must lead the social media charge with a Twitter handle and a blog page at the minimum, CEO's could learn from Sir Richard Branson  (@richardbranson) who has a great social media presence. 

Social media affects your company in multitude ways and is unforgiving, one social media gaffe could  be the death knell for your company. Companies need to understand that social media is  double edged sword, it can hurt and maim with equal ease as it can conquer and subjugate customers.

To get your social media strategy right, start in small increments, big bang does not work for social media, maybe start with a Facebook Page and Twitter handle, tend it well like a good gardener and reap the harvest in abundance. Like a good gardener you must know what to plant, when to harvest and when to leave the land fallow for best outcome of your social media strategy.

Be Prepared before you venture into social media; Be ever watchful like a good gardener and enjoy the benefits of your Social Media Presence!

The Milk man in Ole Bangalore

When Bangalore was still a sleepy town surrounded by villages, the villagers would supply the Bangalorean's their household needs.
One of them was the Milk man who would brave the cold weather and dew and land with his cow every morning to supply fresh milk for our household.
The milkman had  a designated area inside our garden near the gate where he would tether his cow, and if there was a calf it would also accompany its mother.
The cow would make itself at home and bless the patch of garden with its ablutions for the day of large quantum of urine and a generous quantum of cow dung.
and the area for the cow in the garden used to be quite a mess after the cow and milkman left.
The ritual was simple the milk man would start milking the cow after one of us had verified that his milking jar did not contain water,
but he had a trick, he would have the water in the jar and while feigning to throw it out he would always retain some water in it.
Someone had to keep an eye on the milkman at work and make sure he did not add water and that his container was empty before milking the cow.
But the milkman would still take a chance of adding water, since that was essential in his enterprise of supplying fresh milk.
There was a small clump of bushes where he tethered his cow while milking and he would always have a bottle of water ready there, though his claim was|
it was to clean the udders of the cow, but whenever he got a chance it was added to the milk.
He would patiently milk the cow and after milking the cow he would measure it in his half liter aluminium measure and here again he had a few tricks up his sleeves.
The milkman  had a way of handling the measure so that there was residual milk in the measure and all of it was not poured into the vessel provided for collecting the milk.
If there was any excess milk he would take away in a container which he always carried with him.
The milkman's haste was in emptying the vessel before milking the cow and also while measuring the milk, when he milked the cow he was in no hurry since he was
waiting to add water if ever he got a chance or the person given the job to keep an eye on him was distracted.
Over the years the milkman too moved on and my mother switched over to dairy milk which was half toned, full toned and one of the children had the honor
of stepping out in the  cold morning to buy the bottles from the milk booth which used be built with Aluminium sheets.
It was a challenge to get us to venture in the cold, so the milkman thrived for many years supplying fresh milk straight from the udders of the cow, with some
water added whenever the opportunity presented itself.
The milkman is a relic of the ole Bangalore which was unhurried and based on relationships, but today the city races on in a mad rush leading to nowhere and milk
booths have been replaced with malls with tetra pack milk which you can store for months.

Do you have a Snowden in your Organization?

As information technology becomes the core engine for Business the Board needs to review their understanding of the Risks posed by your team members.

It is clear today that Snowden though a low ranking officer in the NSA he was able to snoop and access classified data by using free ware tools.  When someone does the same to your organizations digital assets it will have grave repercussions on your business and could make it bankrupt. 

In one organization a few employees were monitoring email and were aware of management decisions and thoughts exchanged on email by the leadership of  including internal matters relating to finance, human resources and other confidential information. The leadership was clueless about the risk posed to the organization by this simple act of leakage of email. 

Who is the Snowden in this turbaned Group !

Most Boards and leadership teams allow the IT team to sit in an ivory tower little understanding their activities, they consider the IT team as a set of elves they need to deal with to give their wish list and it would be done.  Most leadership teams are happy with their collaboration tools and operational applications working for them, most often the CFO is the leader who interacts with the IT team and in many companies is also head of IT.  The CFO is most times is least qualified to understand the technology risks and the exposure of the organization from its IT team.

With cloud computing and large bandwidths large tranches of information can be moved from your organizations digital environment. 

In a world where digital tools are essential for business, it is time that the leadership and board woke up to the risk and realities of having  a Snowden clone in your team. This calls for introspection in hiring and also managing their teams and also a better understanding of information management. 

You can begin by sanitizing the entire team including outsourced resources, but you must also be vigorous and objective with your own  IT team.  Though there may objections to this exercise it is essential for the well being of your organizations digital assets to be protected and secured. 

How do you begin, the first step in this process is educate the Leadership Team and the Board on the need for weeding out Snowden's in your organization. This could be led by the Chief Risk Officer of the organization assisted by Human Resources Department. If you do not have the expertise you can take the help of experts who can help you with this activity. 

All the best in weeding out the Snowden in your organization.   

   

The Vegetable Vendor - Kai-Amma - in Ole Bangalore

When Bangalore was still a sleepy town surrounded by  villages, the villagers  would supply the Bangaloreans their household needs.

One of them was the Vegetable Vendor - KaiAmma ( Kai - Vegetable,  Amma- Lady) .

Kai Amma was a shrewd woman from a village known as Lingarajapuram, today a suburb or Bangalore.

She would take the first BTS - Bangalore Transport Service bus and reach the City Market in Town where she would buy the vegetables for the day and fill her round basket made of cane.

She would return with a full Basket of Vegetables for sale, normally she used to come to my home during the end of her days efforts and had a great rapport with my mother.

My mother would listen to her challenges in managing a brood of kids and as the main bread winner of her family and the mother she was also ambitious for the future of her children and wanted them to be educated and comfortable. Her wish was that her children did not have to carry the heavy basket to earn their daily bread.

Kai-Amma was a great friend of mine and would humour me while she waited for my mother, she would always give me some green vegetables which I could eat, my favourite being pea pods.  She would be tired and was glad that she could rest in the shade of our veranda unhindered.

She was a persuasive sales woman and would normally leave my home with an empty basket thanks to my mother's kindness.

She had in her basket a weighing balance and a collection of weights and stones to weigh the vegetables. When there was any special requirement of vegetables she would bring them from the market for my mother.



The interesting sales technique of kai-amma was  she was a person in no hurry to conclude the sale, plus she had the habit of giving something more then what you bought as gratuity.  She was also willing to discount on the price if she wanted to empty here basket and go home to her family. She would choose  the customers to whom she sold her vegetables and did not visit every home on the street. Neither did she shout like other vendors who sold vegetables and fruits, she did it in a dignified and wonderful manner, knowing that her loyal customers would ensure an empty basket for the day.

The vegetables were fresh, clean, edible and tasty and seasonal, she had a knack of arranging her basket so that the weight was equally distributed to make it easy for her to carry the basket on her head.

Her grit and determination ensured that all her children did well in life and not one of them had to sell vegetables from door to door for a living.

She was my first encounter with a women entrepreneur, Kai-amma must have died many years ago, but her personality and determination still lingers in my memory  and  I  wanted to share it in this blog post.

Back Office of a Bank reflects the reality !

Recently I visited the Back Office of a Bank and it was quite different from the Corporate Office.
There was not enough place to be seated, and there were many people floating around the place and the seats taken at the reception of the bank's back office included vendors of various hues.
The corporate office was all glitzy and nice and had the trappings of  power and confidence, but the Back Office had a different story to tell.
At the Back Office there was no effort made to be customer friendly, since most visitors were vendors of the bank who came here to provide the bank services. Somehow I believe the way a banks treats its vendors will be the way it will treat its customers. If you treat vendors well and with respect you will carry the same attitude to your customers else the crack will show sooner of later.

You cannot have a colored view of the world, with one set of rules for vendors and another for customers, the code of conduct and etiquette need to be consistent across the bank and must be constant irrespective of the relationship.
Banking is about relationship, trust and consistency whoever the entity maybe, you cannot get on a high horse and wield a whip on a vendor because you are in a position of strength and in the same breath you cannot fawn and get on all fours to please a customers.
Banks must work in uniformity in dealing with their customers and vendors with the same courtesy and care and respect. How does your bank conduct itself ?

Technology Product Rating for Software Companies

Technology Product Rating for Software Companies

As Indian software companies gear up to making technology products for the world as the next growth engine it is important for them to get their products Rated by an independent assessor who understands Technology, Risk and Business.

Technology Products need to Blend Business and Technology for their success and product rating needs to be done at the Beta Testing stage or after a few trial runs  rather than after time and effort has been expedited in acquiring customers to use the product.  

Rating gives confidence to investors, customers and users of the products and will form an important feature in product selection in the next phase of growth of Indian software companies

.

A Technology Product could be rated by using rating symbols given in the table below, where AAA is the highest rating for a Technology product and D is the lowest where the product cannot be assessed since it is still in development. Refer to the Technology Product Rating Table.

Methodology for Rating Products

The technology products will scored on four key parameters

1.     Security architecture of the Product

2.     Functionality of the Product

3.     Design Compliance of the Product

4.     Application  Architecture of the Product.

Each of these parameters will have a  number of sub-parameter with a scoring methodology which will be done using proprietary rating methodology to ensure uniformity and fairness in the rating There will be a Rating committee with domain experts to review the outcome of the rating process before finalization of the technology product rating.

The Rating will be valid for a year or until a major change is undertaken in the technology product which has to be intimated as part of the Rating contract.

The Rating will be a paid service and there will be an annual fee for retaining the rating, all ratings will go through a bi-annual review to ensure that the technology product has not undergone major modification which will impact its Rating.

Conclusion :

It is important that Product Rating is adopted by Indian companies if they want to capture the world markets for their solutions. As the world shrinks thanks to cloud computing services and SAAS based solutions it is important that Indian companies get their products rated.

Are you ready to subject your technology product for rating and get it Branded as the Best of Class product in the world?

Technology Product Rating Table

Symbol	Description
AAA	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have the highest degree of safety regarding  security, functionality, technology and solution architecture. Such  technology products carry  lowest deployment and investment risk.
AA	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have high degree of safety  regarding security, functionality, design compliance and application architecture. Such technology products carry very low deployment and investment risk.
A	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have adequate degree of safety regarding security, functionality, design compliance and application architecture. Such technology products carry low deployment and investment risk.
BBB	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have moderate degree of  safety regarding security, functionality, design compliance and application architecture. Such technology products carry moderate deployment and investment risk.
BB	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have moderate risk of non-performance regarding security, functionality, design compliance and application architecture.
B	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have high risk of non-performance regarding security, functionality, design compliance and application architecture.
C	Technology Products  with this rating are considered to have high risk of non-performance regarding security, functionality, design compliance and application architecture.
D	Technology Products  with this rating are in development and cannot be rated at this juncture.

Digital World and Freezing Temperatures!

AS North America gets snowed down the digital connectivity with family and friends gives us an insight into their lives on a frozen day. 

We see their postings of shoveling the snow in the  driveway  and can feel the infinite silence in the photos of a snowed out landscape

As they struggle to find meaning to life cuddled in their heated homes nowhere to go the schools and offices are closed and have been ordered to stay at home.

Well maybe a nice day for lots of hot food and nourishment but no one likes to be caged at home including the animals in our zoological parks.

The free chat rooms and voice telephony allow them to make calls made thousands of miles back home to connect and hear real voices who are in are in a more comfortable environment and must be heart warming for the frozen in the biting cold. 

Digital connectivity today has become the drug for the masses who want to live in a world of make believe and many have been frozen in a digital world of utopia which is causing distress and affecting social relationships. 

So it it time to freeze our Digital interactions in a world which is slowly legalizing even the marijuana, or is the Digital world another addiction like marijuana. 

It is for you the reader to judge, and if you are frozen in North America it is time to spend time in contemplating on what you want to do next in the digital world, stay on, moderate or continue the Binge or wait for the Government to regulate it like marijuana.. 

Enjoy the Cold while it lasts and be careful not to get frozen in the Digital World and remember there is a real life waiting for you once the weather improves!

Cost of Operations and Compliance Signals Merger of Banks !

As the cost of operations and compliance keep heading North Banks across the world will have to merge to optimize operational and compliance cost.
We will see a momentum in mergers of even large banks who will be force to come together to beat operational and compliance cost.
What does this mean for bankers, for one the reduction of jobs will be the first of these optimization initiatives, but more importantly Banks will  work towards bringing in outsourced services in-house to help retain their employees.
There will be blood on the Streets and Bankers will have a rocky year but merged banks means fewer Banks for customers to choose.

Banks of Different Shades Will be Forced to Merge !

The Customer will be affected when banks become larger and lose the personal touch which customers enjoy today , customers in the digital world are already transaction driven and do not bother about the human interface in banking anymore.
Unfortunately digital adoption in retail banking has been slow and hence the customer on the street will be stressed with dealing with the new avatars of the Banks.
Wholesale banking will expand as the financial portfolio increases with larger volume of funds to be managed in the merged Banks.
The writing on the wall is clear for Banks across the world, Merge of Perish & Merger of Banks will be the manna for Investment Bankers and Corporate lawyers.
The only Banks exempt will be those who are owned and propped by Governments across the world, whether this model is sustainable is suspect as Central Banks strain to keep these poor performers alive with infusion of fresh capital.
But Banks who cannot merge may also be put down, which will be  a sad day for bankers and banks.
But in a regulated world where the cost of compliance impacts operations the writing on the wall is Loud and Clear for Banks across the World - Merge of Perish.

Love Share & Trust

Love, Share and Trust are needed in abundance in the New Year to make our lives meaningful.
Love is described in the thefreedictionary.com as " A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness".
The key message here is of underlying oneness, the belief that we are all same in the eyes of the Lord irrespective of our position in Life. Hence loving your family, friends, neighbours and even strangers will make the world a much better and rewarding place for all of us to live happily.
Share is described in the thefreedictionary.com as - A part or portion belonging to, distributed to, contributed by, or owed by a person or group.
The key message here is sharing your time, knowledge, wealth, joy with others by selflessly giving whatever you can in time, kind or money or even volunteering to make our world a happier place.
Trust is described in the thefreedictionary.com as - Firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing ; also Something committed into the care of another; charge.
We need to have Firm reliance on the integrity of our fellow beings to forge strong relations and also build bridges. Trust is the glue which binds us together as human beings and which allow us to Love and Share, without Trust we will be living in a hollow and insular world.
Thus bring in the New Year with a reaffirmation on Love, Share and Trust in your life; The best day to begin is on the First Day of the Year 2014.

Wishing You and your family, friends and acquaintances a Year filled with Love, Share & Trust.

2014 - A year of Clear Skies for Cloud Computing

As Cloud Computing goes mainstream and drives the collaboration , commerce, cohesion and social mores in the World, the cloud skies are history and let us ring in 2014 as the Year for Clear Skies for Cloud Computing.
Here are 14 thoughts for 2014 -

1. 2014 will be the year where if you are not in the cloud your IT strategy maybe suspect. 
2. 2014 will be the year when cloud computing will be referred to as computing and be the technology for business and individuals.
3. 2014 will be the year when your health parameters and personal life will be logged in the cloud through the internet of things. 
4. 2014 will be the year when mobility will be pass, phablets will rule the end point device market.
5. 2014 will be when cloud security will not longer a concern, rather the cloud will be engine to secure the digital world.
6. 2014 will be the year when SMAC will be an utility for the CMO.
7. 2014 will be the year when Community Clouds will take center stage. 
8. 2014 will be the year when cloud evangelists be history. 
9. 2014 will be when the highest marketing decibels will be from hardware vendors like IBM, Dell, HP.
10. 2014 will be the year when there will be more successful startups outside the Silicon Valley.
11. 2014 will be the year when countries that do not have cloud connectivity be economically crippled.
12. 2014 will be the year when cloud security solutions will make more money then traditional security solutions.
13. 2014 will be the year of consolidation of cloud service providers, a great year for Merger & Acquisition specialists.
14. 2014 will be the year when the valuation of cloud companies will be more then the value of old economy companies in Wall Street.

Wishing you and your family and colleagues a Wonderful Year with clear skies for (Cloud) Computing. 

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Christmas in Ole Bangalore East

Christmas in Ole Bangalore East used to be a week of joy and merriment, the city used to be colder and we would have children singing Christmas Carols from Door to Door for chocolates and goodies.
The houses would be all decorated with lighted Stars at the key location of the bungalows and the whole air became festive. The Holy Ghost Church and the Catholic Center would be packed with the faithful for the midnight mass. Those were the days when Mass was still recited in Latin and many of us would join the midnight mass for the fun and bonhomie.
There were still independent houses or cottages with tenants living in the outhouses on rent in the larger properties. Alas the old buildings are all gone to be replaced by apartments and there are but a few still remaining waiting for the day to go under the hammer .... going going gone .The whole area would smell of baking and cooking and the aroma would waft through the air and tingle our taste buds. We would look forward to the sweets and savouries that our neighbors the would share with us. Well gone are those days as the area has slowly transformed into apartments, with carol singing confined to the apartments.
But there was time when the whole of Bangalore East would be dressed in their best clothes between the day before Christmas right through ringing in the New Year.
Though Bangalore East has transformed with the passage of time, the wonderful memories still stay on and spring back to life before Christmas. Merry Christmas to all my friends wishing you'll joy and fun with your family & friends

[caption id="attachment_706" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Wishing you a Wonderful Christmas and Joyous New Year.[/caption]

CIO Journey to the Corner Office - A reality or a Fantasy !

Recently I was in a panel discussion in a Seminar and the question of the CIO's journey to the corner office as the CEO of the Company.
Unfortunately the instances of the CIO transforming to a CEO are few in the world of business and there are number  of reasons logically this transformation is possible but in a Real world it is a fantasy.
Let us examine the qualities of a good CIO the first of course is being a good team player, second political acumen to survive and please the various stake holders in business and the last is the IT prowess.
CIO's who are successful do excel in people management and handling corporate warfare and wading through uncertain cycles in the business.
But are these qualities enough to make them the CEO, there are certain factors missing, the CIO never leads the business troops which is essential to be a CEO, neither does the CEO interact with the Board on a regular basis in most companies, the CIO is drowned in budgets,data and analysis whereas many successful CEO's are street smart and lead from the Gut.

Let there be a New Dawn for CIO's to realize their Potential as Business CEO's 

Thus the qualities needed by a CIO and the CEO are world's apart, though the CIO has a ringside view of business the CIO is not the doer, the CIO is just the observer watching from the sidelines.
The CIO seldom has an opportunity to demonstrate leadership attributes ; the CIO does lead  the IT team, which are mostly a breed with high IQ and high emotions thus when the CIO has to lead the troops it will be greeted with resistance and followed by failure.
The Board seldom gives face time to the CIO, most often it is the CFO who gets the credit from the Board and whom the Board trusts for IT Investments, this puts the CIO at a Disadvantage but the CEO is comfortable, since the probability of the Bean Counter wanting the corner office is generally remote.
Though some CFO's have become CEO's  the outcome has been mixed.
So if the reality is that the CIO Journey to the corner office is doomed, then how does the CIO realize one's fantasy?
IF the CIO firmly believes that one is made for the corner office, then then at the first opportunity the CIO should jettison the IT department as a cost center, and as the first step make the IT department the profit center.
Few Boards will agree with this approach, so it is the CIO's persuasive powers alone which can make it happen and a good time to try is when the Business is doing well.
The CIO  has an enlightened Board and the IT Department becomes a profit center, the next step of  the CIO  is to reduce the exposure of IT services to the parent business and expand the IT services to outside companies. This should to be done quickly and with profits must accrue into the balance sheet of the Profit Center led be the CIO.
A smart CIO can show exponential growth in IT services, since the angel investor is the parent company and when the CIO converts the IT company into an independent unit then the CIO's  fantasy will be a reality .
Surprisingly IT companies return on Assets employed is one of the highest in the world and the IT Division can be spun as a separate entity and subsequently get listed and create wealth for all and bigger corner office to the CIO transformed in the CEO.
Here is wishing all CIO's a wonderful journey to the corner office as the CEO's of their own IT companies, after nothing succeeds like success driven by one's own core competence.
May more CIO's transform in CEO's in 2014!

P.S. There are number of these CIO's today who due to circumstances or of their own choice have transformed themselves into CEO's and  seem to be happier and effective.
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