<ul><li>India’s new <keyword id="10824385" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbonwatch-mobile-app">CarbonWatch mobile app</keyword> helps users calculate their <keyword id="10824388" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="individual-carbon-footprint">individual carbon footprint</keyword> but still leaves a lot to be desired.</li><li>The primary issue is that it does not account for people who may be renting an individual room or only a part of the house.</li><li>In effect, the overall <keyword id="6404408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Carbon-footprint">carbon footprint</keyword> score it provides is for the entire household, not for individual consumption.</li></ul><keyword id="10824387" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbonwatch">CarbonWatch</keyword> is India’s first mobile application to help users understand their individual carbon footprint. It takes in details like water consumption, energy use, waste segregation, and transport to tell you the extent of your <keyword id="6375918" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="carbon-emissions">carbon emissions</keyword>. <br /><br />          <div type="image" title="2" msid="81203358" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Start up screen of CarbonWatch mobile application&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The application can be used by anyone across the country, but the data offered up by the residents of Chandigarh will be used to compile a study assessing consumption. The results of the study will help the Union Territory (UT) formulate targeted programs that will address the sensitisation of residents to climate changes and mitigation strategies, claims the application.<br /><br />Once you have shared your details, like the amount of water you consume per month, it gives you a score of between 0 to 10 — your carbon footprint. This is the amount of carbon dioxide you are likely to have released into the atmosphere as a result of your activities.<br /><br />While one can understand the appeal of self-assessment, there are limitations within the app that could misrepresent your actual carbon score.<br /><br /><strong>How does the CarbonWatch mobile application work?<br /></strong>You can download CarbonWatch from the Google Play Store. Apple users will have to wait a little longer for it to be available on iOS.<br /><br />        <div type="image" title="3" msid="81203420" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;CarbonWatch is only available for download on the Google Play Store, not on the iOS App Store&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />While signing up, you will have to provide your phone number and your email address. The one-time-password to verify your identity, however, will only be delivered on your email ID.<br /><br />        <div type="image" title="4" msid="81203435" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While signing up for CarbonWatch it is necessary to include both your phone number and email address&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Once you have been verified, you can login and start to calculate your carbon footprint.<br /><br /><strong>The app will ask you for the following details: </strong><br />1. The average units of fresh water billed per month and whether or not you have your own borewell.<br /><br />      <div type="image" title="5" msid="81203479" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;For water consumption, CarbonWatch asks for the average kilolitres of fresh water consumed per month&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />2. The monthly billing average of electricity units and what kind of cooking connection you use .<br /><br />      <div type="image" title="6" msid="81203497" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;CarbonWatch asks for monthly average of electricity used but does not account for the fact there may be multiple members living in one household&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />3. The monthly distance travelled by bus, monthly distance travelled by train, monthly distance travelled by autorickshaw and annual travel by flight in hours.<br />4. If you drive a car — the type of fuel you use, the year of manufacturing, mileage, the average distance travelled in a month and whether or not you carpool.<br />5. If you ride a two-wheeler — the type of fuel you use, the year of manufacturing, mileage, the average distance travelled in a month and if someone rides pillion with you<br /><br />      <div type="image" title="7" msid="81203524" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;CarbonWatch accounts for all modes of transport&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />6. Whether or not you segregate your household waste<br /><br />      <div type="image" title="8" msid="81203538" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;While CarbonWatch asks whether or not an individual segregates their waste, it does not ask for the amount of waste generated&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Once all those details are in, the app will calculate your final carbon footprint. In this case — with about 20 hours of air travel, monthly power consumption of 350 units, 135 kilolitres of water, and very little local travel— we got a score of 6.61 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per person per year.<br /><br />      <div type="image" title="9" msid="81203550" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;BI India&amp;#39;s carbon footprint score on CarbonWatch&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br /><strong>Issues we faced while using CarbonWatch<br /></strong>For starters, there was a server issue that did not let us sign up for an account in the first place. After reaching out to Sparrow Analytics, the mobile app publisher, we were informed that it was a ‘server issue’ which was fixed shortly after.<br /><br />Also, the function of providing your mobile number if the one-time password (OTP) will be sent on the email ID seems redundant. Users should have the option of providing one or the other. Necessitating both seems like an unnecessary load on data collection.<br /><br /><strong>The <keyword id="10824384" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="limitations-of-carbonwatch">limitations of CarbonWatch</keyword><br /></strong>While obviously helping a person gauge their carbon footprint and how their activities affect the environment around them, the CarbonWatch mobile app is not the most user-friendly — not in terms of the user interface, but the calculations.<br /><br />For instance, the carbon footprint score does not change even when you adjust the number of family members in a single household. This means the details of water consumption, electricity use, and gas consumption are not averaged out. The overall score is not for an individual, but the entire household.<br /><br />The app also only shows the latest recorded emission score. There is no historical data or a way to keep track of whether your emission score has gone up or down if you’ve changed the input values. Comparative charts and the ability to export data would go a long way in helping people track their progress.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="carbonwatch (1)" msid="81203730" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;CarbonWatch only displays the most recently recorded carbon emission score&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />For instance, your electricity and water consumption is likely to be higher during the summer than during the winter months — but there is no way for me, as an individual, to track that change and the resulting effect on my carbon footprint within the app. <br /><br />The app also does not let you take screenshots. This means the only way for you to track the changes in your carbon footprint is to note down the score manually or take pictures using secondary devices.<br /><br />Now, about the actual inputs. CarbonWatch asks users for their average units of freshwater billed per month in kilolitres. That means you need to have your utility bill on hand. There are no comparative guidelines on how you may be able to gauge your consumption based on how many buckets of water you use per month.<br /><br />The reason this is important is because not everyone rents an entire house, especially students or bachelors. They usually have a single room or only a part of the house for use. Hence, they may not necessarily have access to the utility bill. And, even if they do have access to it, the entire consumption of water does not rest on their shoulders. <br /><br />The same applies to the consumption of electricity. It would be easier if the app asked users what kind of lights they use (LED, CFL or other ordinary bulbs), how many are in the room or house, and how many hours, on average, they are switched on for. <br /><br />And, while it is useful to ask whether or not a user is segregating their waste, the app doesn’t ask for an estimate of how much waste is being produced in the first place.<br /><br />A score of 6.61 fairly high. And, the only basis of comparison is worldwide averages. In our case, it was much higher than India’s average of 1.81 or even the global average of 4.74 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="carbonwatch" msid="81203744" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Carbon footprint score is only compared to global averages&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />While helpful, it would be better if the consumption could be compared according to the locality you live in. It would help you gauge if others in your area have a similar carbon footprint or not. If not, it would be more insightful to know what other households are doing differently than have general guidelines thrown up on the screen.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/rbi-wants-you-to-memorise-all-your-debit-and-credit-card-numbers/articleshow/81186570.cms">RBI wants you to memorise all your debit and credit card numbers — Amazon, Zomato, Netflix and others argue this will make online payments more tedious</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/indian-government-wants-its-it-hardware-industry-to-be-as-globally-successful-as-tcs-hcl-tech-and-infosys-announces-pli-scheme-worth-7250-crore/articleshow/81189588.cms">Indian government wants its IT hardware industry to be as globally successful as TCS, HCL Tech and Infosys — announces PLI scheme worth ₹7,250 crore</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/covid-19-vaccination-for-senior-citizens-to-start-from-march-1-in-india-will-be-free-at-government-hospitals/articleshow/81189035.cms"><strong>COVID-19 vaccination for senior citizens to start from March 1 in India — will be free at government hospitals</strong></a><br />

CarbonWatch — India’s first mobile app to calculate your carbon footprint falls short of its promises

New Delhi, May 3 () The third phase of the countrywide lockdown begins Monday with "considerable relaxations", but curbs will continue in containment areas so that the gains achieved so far in the fight against COVID-19 are not "squandered away", officials said Sunday.<p>The country has been divided in three zones -- Red, Orange and Green - based on coronavirus risk-profiling. The extended lockdown is slated to last till May 17.</p><p> According to the Home Ministry, activities prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zones are: air, rail, metro travel; inter-state movement by road; schools, colleges, and other educational, training and coaching institutions; hospitality services, including hotels and restaurants.</p><p>Places of large public gatherings -- cinema halls, malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes -- social, political, cultural and other kinds of gatherings and religious or public worship places are in the prohibited list.</p><p> However, movement of individuals for non-essential activities in all zones, barring containment areas, is allowed but strictly between 7 am and 7 pm.</p><p>Barber shops, spas and salons in Green and Orange zones is allowed to open as is the sale of non-essential items by e-commerce firms.</p><p>Sale of liquor will be allowed with certain conditions in all zones, barring containment area, in standalone shops, not in markets or malls.</p><p> Sale of liquor, barber shops and salons were not allowed during the first two phases of lockdown. when sale of non-essentials by e-commerce companies was  also not allowed.</p><p> In all zones, persons above 65 years of age, those with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, and children below 10 years shall stay at home, except for essential and health purposes.</p><p> Movement of people by air, rail and road is allowed for select purposes, and for purposes as permitted by the MHA. In containment areas, movements of people is totally banned and essential services are delivered at the doorsteps.</p><p> The list of permitted activities also include: OPDs and medical clinics in all zones with social distancing norms and other precautions. However, these will not be permitted in containment zones.</p><p> All goods traffic will be permitted and no state or UT shall stop the movement of cargo for cross land-border trade under treaties with neighbouring countries.</p><p>In Red zones (outside the containment areas), some additional activities are prohibited: plying of cycle rickshaws and auto-rickshaws, taxis and cab-aggregators; intra-district and inter-district buses; barber shops, spas and saloons.</p><p> Certain other activities have been allowed in the Red zone with restrictions: Movement of individuals and vehicles for permitted activities with a maximum of 2 persons (besides the driver) in four-wheelers, no pillion rider on two-wheelers.</p><p>In Red zones, e-commerce companies are allowed to sell only essential commodities. Barber shops and salons are not allowed to open.</p><p>In all liquor shops, customers will have to maintain a minimum six-feet distance (2 gaz ki doori), and no more than five persons allowed at one time.</p><p> On domestic helps in red zones, resident welfare associations should take a call on allowing in outsiders.</p><p> If allowed by RWAs, health protocols have to be maintained by the domestic helps and employers, and the responsibility lies with the person who employs maids in case of any mishappening.</p><p> Industrial establishments in urban areas, like Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Export Oriented Units (EOUs), industrial estates and industrial townships with access control have been permitted from Monday in all zones, except containment areas.</p><p> Private offices can operate in red zones with up to 33 per cent strength with the remaining persons working from home.</p><p>In Orange zones, all activities permitted in red zone (outside containment zone) and taxi and cab aggregators (driver with 2 passengers only) are allowed.</p><p> Inter-district movement of people and vehicles for permitted activities, 4 wheelers with 2 passengers besides driver, pillion riding on 2 wheelers are allowed. However, inter and intra-district movements of buses, except those permitted by the MHA, is prohibited.</p><p> In Green zones, all activities are permitted except the ones prohibited throughout the country, irrespective of the zone.</p><p>However, buses can operate with upto 50 per cent seating capacity and depots too at 50 per cent.</p><p> A district is considered in 'Green' zone if there are no confirmed cases so far or there has been no reported case for the past 21 days.</p><p> According to the health ministry, as on Friday, there were 130 'Red' zones, maximum of 19 in UP, followed by 14 in Maharashtra. The number of 'Orange' Zones was 284 and 'Green' was 319.</p><p>All the districts of the national capital have been put under 'Red' zone.</p><p>Other activities allowed outside containment areas of a Red Zone (with restrictions) in urban areas are: manufacturing of essential goods like drugs, medical devices and their supply chain, manufacturing of IT hardware, jute industry, construction (if workers residing on site).</p><p>Operations of homes for senior citizens, children, destitute etc., government offices, and emergency, health, sanitation and security services.</p><p> In rural areas: industrial and construction activities; agriculture, animal husbandry and plantation, financial sector including banks, NBFCs, public utilities, courier and postal services; media; IT, ITeS, warehouses services by self-employed persons, except barbers.</p>States and UTs may put certain restrictions based on their assessment.   ACB SKL   TIRTIR

Lockdown 3.0 begins tomorrow with 'considerable relaxations'; some curbs to continue

New Delhi, May 1 () The central government on Friday issued guidelines for extended lockdown restrictions after classifications of districts into 'Red', 'Orange' and 'Green' zones based on COVID-19 risk profiling.•<p>Districts with zero confirmed case or with no confirmed case in the last 21 days are Green Zones.•</p><p>Districts will be defined as Red Zones or Hotspot districts, by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).•</p><p>Districts, which are neither defined as Red nor Green Zones, shall be Orange Zones.•</p><p>In case the district is classified as a Red Zone and there is no confirmed case in the last 21 days… then the area may be labelled as an Orange Zone.•</p><p>In case the district is classified as an Orange Zone and there is no confirmed case in the last 21 days… then the area may be labeled as a Green Zone.•</p><p>Containment Zones shall be demarcated within Red (Hotspots) and Orange Zones by states/UTs and district administrations based on the guidelines of the MoHFW.•</p><p>The local authority shall ensure 100% coverage of Aarogya Setu app among the residents of Containment Zones besides other restrictions.</p><p>The following activities will continue to remain prohibited across the country, irrespective of the Zone, for a period of two weeks with effect from May 4.•</p><p>All domestic and international air travel of passengers, except for medical services, air ambulance and for security purposes or for purposes as permitted by the MHA.•</p><p>All passenger movement by trains, except for security purposes or for purposes as permitted by the MHA.•</p><p>Inter-State Buses for public transport, except as permitted by the MHA.•</p><p>Metro rail services.•</p><p>Inter-State movement of individuals except for medical reasons or for activities as permitted by the MHA.•</p><p>All schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions etc. However, online/distance learning shall be permitted.•</p><p>Hospitality services other than those used for housing health/ police/ Government officials/ healthcare workers, stranded persons including tourists, and those used for quarantine facilities.•</p><p>All cinema halls, shopping malls, gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, entertainment parks, theatres, bars and auditoriums, assembly halls and similar places.•</p><p>All social/ political/ sports/ entertainment/ academic/ cultural/ religious functions/ other gatherings.•</p><p>All religious places/ places of worship shall be closed for public. Religious congregations are strictly prohibited.</p><p> •</p><p>The movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities, shall remain strictly prohibited between 7 pm to 7 am. Local authorities shall issue orders under appropriate provisions of law, such as prohibitory orders (curfew) under Section 144 of CrPC, for this purpose, and ensure strict compliance.•</p><p>In all zones, persons above 65 years of age, persons with co-morbidities, pregnant women, and children below the age of 10 years, shall stay at home.•</p><p>In Containment Zones, Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and Medical clinics shall not be permitted to operate. However, these may be permitted to operate in Red, Orange and Green Zones.</p><p> Following activities shall not be permitted in Red Zones:•</p><p>Cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws, taxis and cab aggregators, intra-district and inter-district plying of buses, barber shops, spas and salons.</p><p> The following activities shall be permitted with restrictions in Red Zones.•</p><p>Movement of individuals and vehicles, only for permitted activities. Four wheeler vehicles will have maximum two passengers besides the vehicle driver; for two wheelers, pillion rider is not allowed.•</p><p>Industrial establishments in urban areas: Only Special Economic Zones (SEZs), Export Oriented Units (EOUs), industrial estates and industrial townships with access control; Manufacturing units of essential goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates; Production units, which require continuous process, and their supply chain; Manufacturing of IT hardware; Jute industry with staggered shifts and social distancing; and, Manufacturing units of packaging material are permitted.•</p><p>All industrial activities are permitted in rural areas.•</p><p>Construction activities in urban areas: Only where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside and construction of renewable energy projects are permitted.•</p><p>All construction activities are permitted in rural areas.•</p><p>All standalone (single) shops, neighbourhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas, without any distinction of essential and non-essential.•</p><p>E-commerce activities will be permitted only in respect of essential goods.•</p><p>Private offices can operate with up to 33 per cent strength as per requirement, with the remaining persons working from home.The following activities shall be permitted with restrictions in Orange Zones.•</p><p>Taxis and cab aggregators, with 1 driver and 2 passengers only, inter-district movement of individuals and vehicles, only for permitted activities. Four wheeler vehicles will have maximum two passengers besides the driver. In Green Zones, buses can operate with up to 50 per cent seating capacity.•</p><p>All States/UTs shall allow inter-state movement of goods/ cargo, includingempty trucks.•</p>Any person violating these lockdown measures and the National Directives for COVID-19 Management will be liable to be proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Sec. 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions as applicable.  CPS  SMNSMN

Guidelines issued by MHA after lockdown extended till May 17

New Delhi, Apr 19 () The government's U-turn on home delivery of non-essential items will leave consumers disappointed, the world's largest online retailer Amazon said, but the decision was welcomed by local kirana store body CAIT that called it the "most pragmatic".<p> Four days after allowing e-commerce firms to also deliver non-essential items such as electronic goods and readymade garments, the government on Sunday said non-essential items will continue to be prohibited during the lockdown period.</p><p> Commenting on the decision, Amazon India said the new guidelines will disappoint consumers whose list of essentials has expanded to 'work from home' and 'study from home' products, as well as small businesses, sellers and manufacturers.</p><p> The company said it will continue to follow the guidelines and deliver essential products and work with authorities for expedited processes to make safe deliveries of priority products possible.</p><p> "The new guideline will disappoint not only the consumers whose list of essentials had expanded to work from home and study from home products but also the thousands of small businesses, sellers and manufacturers across the country, who had geared up in the last 48 hours to provide millions of people with safe access to products," Amazon India spokesperson said.</p><p> Amazon India further said the company hopes that "this situation is rectified soon so that the urgent need of consumers is met and that there is revival of economic activity".</p><p> The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which had been campaigning hard against allowing e-commerce firms to also commence non-essential deliveries during the lockdown period, "lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for the most pragmatic decision" of "valuing the sentiments of Indian traders and protecting their business interests".</p><p> Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on his part said the move will "help in creating a level-playing field for small retailers".</p><p> Separately, the Retailers Association of India (RAI) said the government's home delivery permissions need to be broad based and all types of retailers, including neighbourhood stores, should be allowed to operate.</p><p> The retailers' body said allowing neighbourhood stores and large essential products' chain retailers to do home delivery will help fulfil consumer needs in these trying times and play a part in enhancing social distancing.</p><p> Soon after the government had on April 16 announced graded plan to lift the lockdown by allowing all e-commerce deliveries and movement of trucks, some states such as Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan issued notifications allowing non-essential deliveries alongside essential ones.</p><p> CAIT had resented the move and said that the state governments were against Indian traders and "prefer to destroy the businesses of Indian traders at the hands of foreign e-commerce players".</p><p> "Multinational e-commerce players have been trying to disrupt the businesses of small Indian traders by adopting unfair business practices such as deep discounting and predatory pricing by controlling inventory. Even in the lockdown period, they would have adopted their vitiated business model and promote all kinds of malpractices to damage the foundation of Indian retail," CAIT said in a statement on Sunday.</p><p> The home ministry on Sunday issued an order saying the following clause -- "E-commerce companies. Vehicles used by e-commerce operators will be allowed to ply with necessary permissions" -- is excluded from the guidelines issues.</p><p> Players like Paytm Mall have urged the government to expand the ambit of essential goods to include products like laptops and mobile phones to facilitate people working from home.</p><p> "Safety of fellow Indians is of utmost importance to us and, therefore, we support the government's decision in spirit to limiting e-commerce operations to essentials. However, we believe that the ambit of essential goods should be increased," Paytm Mall Senior Vice-President Srinivas Mothey said.</p><p> He added that people in the country are mostly working from home at the moment but many are finding it difficult as they are running low on certain items necessary to effectively operate under lockdown.</p><p> "Laptops, mobile phones, and accessories, computer hardware, webcams, all these things should be allowed to be part of essential goods. If the lockdown continues, lack of proper technical support would hinder the efficiency of employees which in turn would affect a company's operations," he said.</p><p> Sanjay Sethi, CEO and co-founder of ShopClues, echoed similar sentiments. "It is imperative to expand the definition of  'essential goods'. In fact, not doing so could be counterproductive at this time," he said.</p><p> He added that while the entire nation is forced indoors and working from home for extended period, it is important that besides products like food, groceries and medicine, one also ensures supply of other critical items like small kitchen appliances, personal hygiene items, work from home essentials like phones, laptops and accessories.</p><p> Under the first phase of the nationwide lockdown between March 24-April 14, the government had only allowed delivery of essential goods through e-commerce platforms.</p><p> On April 16, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued fresh guidelines for the current lockdown allowing e-commerce companies to sell non-essential items as well.</p><p> A Snapdeal spokesperson said the company will continue to operate in complete compliance with the guidelines issued by the government in this regard.</p><p> Nasscom President Debjani Ghosh tweeted that the decision could have been "better thought through".</p> "This could have been better thought through...  a lot of the eCommerce cos have invested in planning for the 20th.  And most don't have deep pockets to handle these kinds of reversal in decisions. The focus, I feel, should have been on ensuring adequate safety protocols," she said.  SR MBI RR RKL ANZ  HRS

Govt U-turn on home delivery of non-essential items leaves Amazon miffed, retailer body overjoyed

<p class="source"><span>Goldman Sachs</span></p><p class="caption">"None of us were necessarily experts in logistics," Goldman CTO Atte Lahtiranta said. "There was a two-week period where nobody slept a wink."</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Goldman Sachs had to bulk purchase monitors, hard drives, and internet-connected phones, put them together, and ship them to employees' homes, according to CTO Atte Lahtiranta. </li><li>The bank sent out thousands of these kits during the month of March as part of a plan to get 98% of employees working from home by early April. </li><li>To create the kits, the bank turned a trading floor in its Manhattan headquarters and then a data center in northern New Jersey into pop-up logistics centers. </li><li>With the first part of the operation complete, Lahtiranta has started thinking about new technologies like virtual reality and ensuring that employee wellness remains a focal point. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime?module=article&amp;area=summary" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Goldman Sachs's six-story trading floor in Manhattan typically hosts traders and engineers, including those who work on an institutional trading platform known as Marquee. Stock and bond traders ply their wares on the floors below. </p><p>In early March, the cavernous space hosted a different kind of activity. In the back, overlooking a Manhattan side street, Goldman's technology and operations team was doing some of the early work to enable its 38,000-plus employees to work from home. </p><p>The execs were assembling kits of technical gear - large computer monitors, internet-enabled phones, hard drives, and, in some cases, backup power sources and WiFi devices - needed for employees to work remotely. They were then packaging them up and shipping the gear to employees' homes. </p><p>A parallel effort was underway across the Hudson River at a facility in Jersey City. </p><p>The kit building and other efforts to ready Goldman for an unprecedented shift to working from home fell on the shoulders of Chief Technology Officer Atte Lahtiranta, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goldman-sachs-incoming-cto-atte-lahtiranta-interview-2019-11">a newcomer who joined the bank in October from Big Tech</a>.</p><p>That experience couldn't prepare him for the speed and breadth of what was needed. His plans to take a year to get Goldman's systems up to speed got compressed into just a few weeks. </p><p>"None of us were necessarily experts in logistics," Lahtiranta said in an exclusive interview with Business Insider. "There was a two-week period where nobody slept a wink."</p><p>On March 8, the firm sent a staff memo <a href="https://www.goldmansachs.com/media-relations/in-the-news/current/03-08-2020-guidance.html">enacting</a> its business continuity plan, which involved moving some staff to backup sites and enabling others to work from home. On March 17, the firm encouraged "most of our people" to work from home. By April 3, CEO David Solomon boasted to CNBC that 98% of the firm's workforce was working from home. </p><p>Much like the advertising industry decades ago, when deals were clinched with liquid lunches off Madison Avenue, Wall Street has depended on face-to-face interactions for much of its 225-year history.  </p><p>Senior investment bankers fly to meet clients in Missouri or Milan, while junior employees put in 100-hour weeks at the office for the promise of facetime with senior managers. Traders congregate on desks just feet from each other where they can share information by shouting or gesturing. </p><p>The coronavirus put an end to all that. In just weeks, the industry found itself scrambling to comply with government shelter-in-place orders as the first positive cases of coronavirus began showing up on US shores. </p><p>Goldman's approach is a microcosm of how corporate America sprang into action.  And as the first phase of the rollout winds down, Lahtiranta has started to worry about employee wellness and cutting edge technologies like virtual reality. </p><h2>Know your role</h2><p>The first thing Lahtiranta did was divide the company's workforce into different roles based on the specific requirements of their remote working setup. Investment bankers, traders, engineers and coders, and operations and compliance people each had different needs.  </p><p>As the early days of the crisis unfolded, the first of those groups to get his attention were the firm's traders, grappling with a surge in volatility not seen since the 2008 financial crisis. Doing so would require accelerating a number of technology trials already underway. </p><p>Goldman purchased software licenses for a complex phone system known as a trading turret. Patterned after the hard-wired command centers used in the office to connect hundreds of phone lines to colleagues, clients, and exchanges, the software versions could accomplish much of the same functionality from home. </p><p>The engineering team was still exploring the products' full feature set when the pandemic forced it to accelerate its roll-out, according to Orla Dunne, Goldman's London-based global co-head of engineering deployment, runtime and architecture. So far, the bank has installed more than 1,000.</p><p>The software turrets can record phone calls on the system's back end rather than a trader's computer or phone, making them less reliant on the speed or quality of broadband or mobile phone reception, she said. And it's compliant with regulations. </p><p>The bank stopped short of hard-wiring physical turrets at traders' homes, which some peers have chosen to do. The reason, Dunne said, is because they wanted to be thoughtful about bandwidth consumption, knowing there would be incredible demands with entire families staying at home. (Some streaming companies have <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/19/tech/netflix-internet-overload-eu/index.html">lowered</a> bandwidth requirements or quality in order to continue serving customers.) </p><p>Traders have also been using Zoom, the videoconferencing app that has become the de facto way for millions of people trapped at home to communicate. (Goldman helped take the company public last year.) In many cases traders are using video links that stay open all day for colleagues to remain in contact. A Zoom trial had been underway. </p><p>As Lahtiranta has started thinking about the future, he says a virtual reality trading desk may be an option for staff who depend on human-to-human interaction to fine tune their intuition and make markets. </p><p>"Is there a next step beyond the Zoom call?" he said. "If we go a little bit more, is it that maybe their social hours should be done in VR. We are not there now, but like I said, across the industry, these last few weeks for everybody has changed quite a lot."</p><p>The CTO was coordinating all this from his home outside Silicon Valley, where his office has a wall very close to the color of Goldman blue, and white shelves filled with books on software coding. Like many, he is trying to home school his children. </p><p>One day, as he was holding a meeting with his direct reports and facilities chief Roy Joseph, he asked a rhetorical question about what else could go wrong. Soon, the rooms of the managers dialing in from Salt Lake City started shaking as a magnitude 5.7 earthquake rippled through the region. Officials from the Utah division of emergency management <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/earthquake-utah-salt-lake-city.html">said</a> it was the largest to hit the state since 1992. No one from Goldman was hurt. </p><h2>Softphones</h2><p>Next up for remote-work setups were Goldman's investment bankers, the employees who advise on mergers and underwrite debt and equity issues.</p><p>The bankers got so-called softphones, which allow for more complicated routing than typical call forwarding techniques. Most importantly, the phones mean that clients can call a Goldman number and have that ring the mobile phones of multiple people, ensuring the call is always answered.</p><p>The work wasn't trivial: Goldman's telephone systems weren't set up to handle call forwarding for thousands of people at the same time, and the company had to work closely with its telecom vendors to make the transition. </p><p>An ongoing pilot using Cisco Jabber Mobile app for making calls and sending messages was also accelerated. The bankers also got access to Zoom. </p><p>To have the hardware when Goldman needed it meant thinking ahead about the potential vulnerabilities in its supply chain. </p><p>In a Feb. 25 email, Dunne suggested the engineering team start thinking about its ability to source the equipment it would need if large scale shelter-in-place orders were handed down. By then, Goldman's Asia units had already gone through lockdowns and had some experience to share. </p><p>Less than a week after Dunne's email, northern Italy became the first country in Europe to get walloped by the spreading disease. </p><p>"It was like the last day of February, I think, when I took the first call and we had to start shipping to Milan," Dunne said. "The closer it gets to your doorstep, that's when it really begins to become very real."</p><p>Goldman was ultimately able to continue working with its vendors to get the hardware it needed. </p><h2>Ramping up output</h2><p>Soon into the kit-making operation, execs realized they needed to increase their output. The operation at 200 West Street and 30 Hudson Street would eventually be merged into a sprawling data center in northern New Jersey, where teams set up huge assembly lines in the space that didn't house the firm's enterprise data servers. </p><p>The facility made it easier to take deliveries for pallets of computer screens, for example, and sped up the operation, said Robert Naccarella, head of enterprise tech operations. </p><p>In the beginning, Goldman's employees were building a kit in about four hours but over time, the bank was able to achieve a pace of making more than 200 kits a day. </p><p>"The first week was a little rough because things were taking long," Naccarella said. So they started thinking about "something that we would build sequentially that would take four hours, how do we build 40 of them at a time in that same four hours? It took us one to two weeks to figure all of that out," he said.  </p><p>To get them shipped to employees, they relied on everything from the US Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, and even black car service, Naccarella said. In some cases, they had to send it a second time because no one was home to sign for the package. </p><p>"Who knew that we were going to have to kind of become a mini version of Amazon, taking in requests, getting suppliers of all the parts, assembling it, and shipping it out through different methods of transport," he said. </p><p>With much of the hard part done, Lahtiranta has started considering the long-term effects of working from home. Goldman, like many companies, now provides group fitness classes, read-aloud story time for the children of employees, and mindful breathing and meditation workshops. <br /><br />"Wellness is becoming the next big question," he said.</p><p>"It took 10 years for Big Tech to figure out how to maintain working from home when it comes to work-life balance. Now put that on the constrained time frame of a couple weeks," he said, adding "we have to be thinking about how we make certain, as a finance industry, that we take the learnings of the tech world and apply that super fast so that people can stay efficient, keep their mental balance and remain healthy."</p><p class="tagline"><a href="https://store.businessinsider.com/products/banking-briefing-subscription?itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=wallstreet&amp;itm_campaign=banking-briefing-subscription-2"></a></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-most-expensive-liquid-thoroughbred-horse-semen-2020-3">Why thoroughbred horse semen is the world's most expensive liquid</a></h3>

Inside a 38,000-person remote work rollout at Goldman Sachs: sleepless nights, assembly lines, and an Amazon-like hub on a Manhattan trading floor

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Army/Sgt. 1st Class Michael O'Brien</span></p><p class="caption">British and US soldiers are transported to a training mission in a US Army 12th Combat Aviation Brigade Chinook helicopter near Rena, Norway on October 27, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Russia has expressed dismay about NATO's massive Trident Junctur exercise.</strong></li><li><strong>The exercise is NATO's largest drills in nearly 20 years, and comes amid growing tensions between the alliance and Russia.</strong></li><li><strong>Now Moscow is planning its own exercises right next to where NATO forces to carrying out their drills.</strong></li></ul><p>Since October 25, tens of thousands of NATO troops and hundreds of ships, planes, and vehicles have been roaming across Norway and plying the air and waters of the Norwegian and Baltic seas as part of exercise Trident Juncture.</p><p>Forces from every NATO member country as well as Finland and Sweden are taking part in the exercise, which runs through November 7 and is NATO's largest such drills in nearly 20 years.</p><p><span>As an Article 5 exercise, Trident Juncture "will simulate NATO's collective response to an armed attack against one ally," Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this month. "And it will exercise our ability to reinforce our troops from Europe and across the Atlantic."</span></p><p>"This is a necessary exercise" to "send a strong signal of unity," Stoltenberg said on Tuesday, as he visited the maneuvers.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sgt Marc-André Gaudreault/JFC Brunssum Imagery</span></p><p class="caption">NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meets with Canadian soldiers during Exercise Trident Juncture 2018 Distinguished Visitor Day in Trondheim, Norway, October 30, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The exercise comes amid growing concern among NATO members about Russian behavior, particularly after Moscow's 2014 incursion in Ukraine.</p><p>Stoltenberg has said that the drills will be "fictitious but realistic" and are "purely to prevent, not to provoke," but Russia has still blanched at a massive exercise taking place so close to its boundaries and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/as-natos-big-war-games-begin-russia-is-worried-about-sweden-finland-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">involving so many of its neighbors</a>.</p><p><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amid-nato-war-games-activity-rises-around-kaliningrad-baltic-2018-10">As NATO gets ready for its biggest military exercise in years, things are heating up closer to Russia</a></em></p><p>"NATO's military activities near our borders have reached the highest level since the Cold War," Russian <keyword id="6354810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="defense">Defense</keyword> Minister Sergei Shoigu said on October 24, adding that Trident Juncture will be "simulating offensive military action."</p><p>Russia's Foreign Ministry also <a href="https://www.rt.com/news/442665-norway-russia-missile-drills/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last week that while NATO says the exercise is defensive in nature, "this show of military force is clearly anti-Russian."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">A Russian warship fires missiles during a rehearsal for the Russian Navy Day parade in Sevastopol, Crimea, July 24, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Now Moscow is planning its own show of force not far from where NATO troops will be active.</p><p>The Russian navy will <a href="https://twitter.com/CivMilAir/status/1057400671039832064" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carry out</a> rocket tests between November 1 and November 3 in the Norwegian Sea, in international waters west of the cities of Kristiansund, Molde, and Alesund.</p><p>According to a <a href="https://twitter.com/dylanpwhite/status/1057231421461446657" target="_blank" rel="noopener">notice</a> posted Wednesday by Dylan White, a NATO press officer, Russian rocket tests are also scheduled to take place farther north between November 6 and November 9.</p><p>NATO has <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_158620.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> its exercises will take place in central and eastern Norway, as well as "the surrounding areas of the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, including Iceland and the airspace of Finland and Sweden."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Google Maps/NATO/Russia</span></p><p class="caption">Coordinates given for Russian rocket tests in early November, left, partially overlap with NATO's area of operations for the Trident Juncture exercise, right, which runs through November 7.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>US Marines practiced amphibious landings in Iceland days before Trident Juncture began. This week they carried out the same maneuver on beaches east of where Russian naval forces will carry out their tests starting Thursday.</p><p>Earlier this month, the USS Harry S. Truman became the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trident-juncture-navy-aircraft-carrier-in-arctic-first-since-cold-war-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">first US aircraft carrier north of the Arctic Circle</a> in nearly 30 years when it sailed into the Norwegian Sea for Trident Juncture-related operations.</p><p>Stoltenberg said Russia notified NATO about the planned drills last week.</p><p><em>Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ramstein-air-base-in-germany-got-its-biggest-ammo-delivery-since-1999-2018-10">The US military's largest base outside the US just got its biggest ammo delivery in 20 years</a></em></p><p><span>Erik Lodding, a spokesman for the Norwegian state firm that runs the country's airports, <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-plans-missile-firing-exercise-off-norway-amid-nato-drills/29570878.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Russia had given the company notice of the tests, calling it "a routine message."</span></p><p>"There is nothing dramatic about this. We have noted it and will follow the Russian maneuvers," <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-plans-missile-firing-exercise-off-norway-amid-nato-drills/29570878.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen.</p><p>US Navy Adm. James Foggo, who is overseeing Trident Juncture, said Russia has been monitoring the drills with "<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-nato-chief-both-sides-expected-to-behave-despite-drills-2018-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener">curiosity</a>," based on recent Russian troop movements by air and sea in the region, but he did not elaborate on their activities.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Marine Corps/Sgt. Averi Coppa</span></p><p class="caption">US Marines and sailors conduct an amphibious landing on a Landing Craft Air Cushion during Exercise Trident Juncture 18 in Alvund, Norway, October 29, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Russia shares a northern border with Norway, and the Russian Northern Fleet, as well as Russia's submarine-based nuclear weapons, are based on the Kola Peninsula, not far from the Norwegian border. (Russia has also increased its military presence in the Arctic in recent years.)</p><p>Stoltenberg <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-plans-missile-firing-exercise-off-norway-amid-nato-drills/29570878.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">acknowledged</a> that Moscow "has a sizable presence in the north," and that "Large [Russian] forces take part in maneuvers and they practice regularly" in the area. On Wednesday, Russia <a href="http://tass.com/defense/1028693" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> two of its Tupolev-160 strategic bombers carried out a routine mission over the Barents and Norwegian seas.</p><p><span>On Tuesday, Stoltenberg said NATO expected Russian forces to "act in a respectable way" as they conducted drills in proximity to NATO forces.</span></p><p>He also <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/10/30/nato-says-norway-exercises-will-go-ahead-despite-russian-missile/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> NATO drills would continue as planned. "I don't expect that that will cause any serious problems, but as I said we will follow the movement of the Russian maritime capabilities closely, and they are informed about our exercise, so we do whatever we can to avoid any dangerous situation."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/comparing-russia-most-advanced-military-equipment-nato-hardware-us-defense-2017-1">How Russia's most advanced military equipment stacks up against NATO hardware</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Russia aims its missile drills shoulder-to-shoulder with NATO's biggest war games in years

<p>The US Navy is just months away from adding <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/12/5091138/christening-the-ford-inside-the-most-advanced-most-expensive-warship-ever-built">the most expensive warship in history to its fleet</a>, the $13 billion USS Gerald Ford.</p><p>The USS Ford, the lead ship of the new Ford-class aircraft-carrier series, is expected to join the US Navy in early 2016, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2015/06/18/uss-gerald-ford-orig.cnn">according</a> to CNN. Once deployed, the ship will be among the largest carriers ever to ply the seas and will feature a number of changes and advancements over the US' current Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. </p><p>Here's a look at this multibillion-dollar beast:</p><h3>The USS Gerald Ford is expected to cost upward of $13 billion by the time it is deployed. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Screengrab/Youtube</span></p><p class="caption">The USS Gerald R. Ford.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>The Ford, and the Ford-class of aircraft carrier, is intended to relieve stress and overdeployment within the US Navy. Currently, the Navy operates 10 carriers but wants an additional vessel to take pressure off of the rest of the fleet.</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>U.S. Navy/Huntington Ingalls Industries/Chris Oxley</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>The ship will feature a host of changes over the Nimitz-class carrier. Ford-class carriers will be capable of <a href="http://m.military.com/daily-news/2015/06/16/navy-plans-to-fire-lasers-from-carriers.html">generating</a> three times more electrical power than the older carrier classes, for example. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Newport News Shipbuilding</span></p><p class="caption">A 3D model of the USS John F. Kennedy, the second ship the Ford-class carrier series.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>This increased power supply allows the Ford to run more cutting-edge hardware. The newly designed Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) will allow the vessel to launch 25% more aircraft a day than the previous steam-powered launch systems. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOijb3JPCe4">www.youtube.com</a></span></p><p class="caption">A successful test of the EMALS launch system.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>The amount of electricity onboard also makes Ford-class carriers <a href="http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/americas-new-aircraft-carriers-will-use-lasers-annihilate-13140">ideal candidates to field</a> laser and directed-energy weapons in the future, like <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navys-new-weapon-explained-in-5-gifs-2014-4">rail guns</a> and missile interceptors.</h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Screenshot/www.usatoday.com/videos/news/2014/04/08/7464129/</span></p><p class="caption">A demonstration of a rail gun.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>Once launched, the Ford will be among the largest warships in the world. It will be 1,092 feet long and displace upward of 100,000 tons. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Navy/John Whalen</span></p><p class="caption">Newport News Shipbuilding floods Dry Dock 12 to float the first-in-class aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit Gerald R. Ford</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>This size will allow the carrier to house about 4,400 staff and personnel while carrying more than 75 aircraft. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>US Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aidan P. Campbell</span></p><p class="caption">The aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) gets underway, beginning the ship's launch and transit to Newport News Shipyard pier 3 for the final stages of construction and testing.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>The Ford is <a href="http://theweek.com/articles/561194/how-military-reloaded-big-power-warfare">expected to carry</a> F-35s and, and carrier-based drone aircraft once they become available. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Mike Blake</span></p><p class="caption">A Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35C Joint Strike Fighter is shown on the deck of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier after making the plane's first ever carrier landing using its tailhook system, off the coast of California, November 3, 2014.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h3>But for all the advances within the Ford-class carrier group, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/navy-captain-us-should-rethink-aircraft-carriers-2015-4">some have questioned</a> the wisdom of continuing an astronomically expensive carrier-heavy naval strategy in a time when interstate warfare is rare and nations like China are working on potentially carrier-killing <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/these-weapons-could-be-chinas-most-threatening-military-advancement-2015-1">long-range antiship cruise missiles</a>. </h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_aircraft_carrier_USS_Dwight_D._Eisenhower_(CVN_69)_is_moored_at_Naval_Station_Mayport,_Fla.,_July_1,_2013,_after_returning_from_a_deployment_to_the_U.S._5th_Fleet_and_U.S._6th_Fleet_areas_of_responsibility_130701-N-SR567-065.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p><p class="caption">The USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ian-bremmer-vladimir-putin-most-powerful-man-world-2015-5">Why Putin is the most powerful man in the world </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="RhNTFkdTovrJg1rP-s9ZqAiCXm6cMBEh" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

You Searched For "IT hardware PLI" and got 7 results

CarbonWatch — India’s first mobile app to calculate your carbon footprint falls short of its promises

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Inside a 38,000-person remote work rollout at Goldman Sachs: sleepless nights, assembly lines, and an Amazon-like hub on a Manhattan trading floor

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Russia aims its missile drills shoulder-to-shoulder with NATO's biggest war games in years

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This is America's new $13 billion warship

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