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An increasing number of jobseekers prefer to choose companies providing permanent <keyword id="123591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-from-home" source="Orion">work from home</keyword> option, according to a report. The onset of the Covid-19 <keyword id="43587" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pandemic" source="Orion">pandemic</keyword> made working from home the new normal for many job roles. According to <keyword id="218117" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="naukri-com" source="Orion">Naukri.com</keyword>, the job platform has seen 93,000 permanent and temporary remote jobs being listed since July last year. Of these, 22 per cent jobs were for permanent remote roles only. In the last six months, Naukri.com has seen 32 lakh job searches for permanent and temporary remote jobs, by Indian job seekers. Of these, about 57 per cent of searches were made for permanent remote jobs during the same time, with the highest search that is, over 3.5 lakh being reported only in the month of December 2021. "There is a foundational change in how recruiters are setting up organisational structures," said Pawan Goyal, Chief Business Officer, Naukri.com, in a statement. "While uncertainty prevails due to the pandemic, more and more recruiters are acknowledging the benefits of work from anywhere like access to talent and more inclusion and are now beginning to make permanent changes to the human resource and infrastructure requirements at a corporate level," he added. In general, both large and small companies have posted all three types of jobs i.e. regular jobs, temporary work-from-home and totally remote jobs. Data reflects that IT Software, Software Services, ITeS and Recruitment/Staffing sectors are posting more permanently remote jobs. Some of the companies posting both temporary and permanent remote jobs are Amazon, Tech Mahindra, HCL, PWC, Trigent, Flipkart, Siemens, Deloitte, Oracle, Zensar, TCS, Capgemini etc, the report said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/personal-finance/news/these-are-discounts-and-perks-for-lic-policyholders-will-get-while-applying-for-the-ipo/articleshow/89585424.cms">These are discounts and perks for LIC policyholders will get while applying for the IPO</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/kia-carens-price-specs-features-comparison-with-alcazar-india/slidelist/89589644.cms">Kia Carens launched in India — Price, specs, features compared to Hyundai Alcazar</a>

Increasing number of Indians now prefer to permanently work from home since pandemic, says a report

New Delhi, India's IT services heavyweights delivered between 14-20 per cent on-year growth in topline for December quarter, as they raised guard on global uncertainties and choppy verticals, but remained hopeful that costs as well as business considerations will drive tech demand. The tech earnings season began with large IT companies -- Tata Consultancy Services (<keyword id="6357150" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="tcs" source="Orion">TCS</keyword>), <keyword id="6354512" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="infosys" source="Orion">Infosys</keyword>, <keyword id="10862" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="wipro" source="Orion">Wipro</keyword> and HCL Technologies -- declaring their Q3 report card this week, amid analysts' gloomy prognosis around slowdown in advanced economies and fear of geopolitical flare-ups. The industry leaders said they are keeping a close watch on the global economy and cues. Overall, the revenue growth band of the top-tier IT players was pegged at between 14-20 per cent for Q3FY23, compared to the year ago period. Seen sequentially, the topline growth for the large IT pack ranged between three per cent and eight per cent versus previous September quarter. Meanwhile, December-quarter net profit of the top IT deck rose between three per cent (Wipro) to 19 per cent (<keyword id="141968" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="hcl-tech" source="Orion">HCL Tech</keyword>) year-on-year; and about 4 per cent (TCS) to 17 per cent (HCL Tech) when computed on a sequential basis. TCS' overall revenue rose 19.1 per cent to Rs 58,229 crore for the reporting quarter. The chief executive and managing director of India's largest IT services company <keyword id="1422411" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rajesh-gopinathan" source="Orion">Rajesh Gopinathan</keyword> said the firm is more confident about the North American and British operations, which account for two-thirds of its revenues, but there are short-term uncertainties, and it is Europe, which needs closer monitoring as geopolitical tensions restrict clients from making IT spends. TCS management talked of "slow" decision making in Europe, and said it is "fairly constructive" when it comes to markets like the US, although it is keeping a close watch on how things play out over next couple of quarters. The conversations with customers are much more balanced ones, "where they are equally positive as well as cautious" yielding opportunities of "a mix of both cost and transformation deals". Chief operating officer N <keyword id="1564843" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ganapathy-subramaniam" source="Orion">Ganapathy Subramaniam</keyword> said the deal momentum and pipeline are looking good, and the overall situation on technology spending seems to be intact even in this environment. Infosys posted a 20.2 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated revenue for December quarter at Rs 38,318 crore, and surprised many by hiking full year revenue guidance to 16-16.5 per cent. Infosys' consolidated net profit rose to Rs 6,586 crore during October-December 2022 as against Rs 5,809 crore a year back, translating into 13.4 per cent increase. Sequentially, the net profit was 9.4 per cent higher than September quarter. The company raised its annual sales forecast on a strong deal pipeline, but in the same breath, it warned of "constraints" in certain verticals amid slowing global economy. Infosys called out mortgage, investment banking, telecom and hi-tech, saying these segments were "more impacted, leading to delays in decision making and uncertainty in spending." The company was, however, quick to add that sectors like energy, utilities and manufacturing continue to see traction. Moreover, the concerns are more pronounced in Europe than the US, the Bengaluru-based IT bellwether said. "We see in the European markets, more concerns on what's going on with the economy... and the US market is also there, but relatively less so in the US with respect to Europe. We will see how this plays out," Infosys CEO <keyword id="328377" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="salil-parekh" source="Orion">Salil Parekh</keyword> said during the Q3 results conference. Smaller rival Wipro has talked of potential slowdown in retail sector in its earnings' roundup. The management's talking points also touched upon "bit of a lag for conversion of bookings" and "certain level of volatility from customers in particular sectors regarding discretionary spendings." Wipro Ltd on Friday reported a better-than-expected 2.8 per cent rise in consolidated net profit for the December 2022 quarter to Rs 3,053 crore and exuded optimism about "strong" bookings for the fourth quarter despite global headwinds. The company's Q4 guidance, however, came below analysts' expectations. Wipro said its IT services revenue is expected to grow in the range of -0.6 per cent to 1 per cent sequentially in constant currency in the quarter ending March 2023. Wipro expects revenue from the IT services business for the full year to be in the range of 11.5-12 per cent in constant currency terms. The revenues of Wipro stood at Rs 23,229 crore in Q3FY23, 14.3 per cent higher than the same period previous year. Noida-headquartered HCL Tech posted a 19 per cent increase in the consolidated net income to Rs 4,096 crore for just-ended third quarter. Its consolidated revenue grew by 19.56 per cent to Rs 26,700 crore during the reported quarter, from Rs 22,331 crore in the December 2021 quarter. HCL Tech narrowed current fiscal growth guidance in the range of 13.5-14 per cent for the overall revenue in constant currency terms and margin to 18-18.5 per cent. "Looking ahead, we believe there is a near term impact to a few industries, specifically technology industry clients, as they optimise while they will end up as great growth opportunities in medium term with the right propositions," C Vijayakumar, CEO of HCL Tech, said. He added: "Looking ahead we remain positive of our medium term growth, a confidence generated by our good booking and pipeline across every segment." SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/paradyes-on-shark-tank-a-startup-so-good-that-sharks-had-to-pitch-their-expertise-to-founders/articleshow/96993620.cms">Colour them impressed: A startup so good that sharks had to pitch their expertise to founders</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/meta-microsoft-vacating-offices-in-seattle-amid-remote-work-layoffs/articleshow/97002350.cms">Meta, Microsoft vacating offices in Seattle amid remote work, layoffs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-modi-flags-off-vande-bharat-train-connecting-secunderabad-with-visakhapatnam-ld/articleshow/97005023.cms">PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat train connecting Secunderabad with Visakhapatnam</a>

IT biggies post 14-20% topline growth in Q3 as caution, optimism marks mixed earnings' commentary

Over three in four organisations in India experienced more than 25 per cent more increase in <keyword id="569084" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cyber-threats">cyber threats</keyword> or alerts amid the shift to mass remote working owing to the pandemic, a new Cisco report revealed on Thursday. As organisations in India witnessed a significant rise in the <keyword id="137092" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cyber-security">cyber security</keyword> challenges, 65 per cent of those surveyed said they adopted cyber security measures to support remote working, according to networking giant Cisco's ‘<keyword id="10149809" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="future-of-secure-remote-work">Future of Secure Remote Work</keyword>' report. "As remote work continues to garner traction, organisations are turning their attention to building a robust cybersecurity foundation, with cloud security emerging as the top investment for 31 per cent of companies in reinventing their workplaces post Covid-19," said Vishak Raman, Director, Security Business, Cisco India &amp; SAARC. With users connecting from outside the corporate walls, secure access is the top cybersecurity challenge faced by the largest proportion of Indian organisations (68 per cent) when supporting remote workers. Other concerns raised by organisations in the country include data privacy (66 per cent) and protection against malware (62 per cent). "Cybersecurity is the top priority for 84 per cent of Indian organizations," said the report based on a survey of over 3,000 IT decision-makers globally, including India. "The pandemic has amplified the criticality of cybersecurity and brought new complexities to the fore," Raman said. Endpoints are a growing challenge for organisations to protect, as users connect from their home Wi-Fi or use their personal devices to connect to corporate applications. About two in three respondents stated that office laptops/desktops (66 per cent) and personal devices (58 per cent) posed a challenge to protect in a remote environment, followed by cloud applications at 42 per cent. "Over half (53 per cent) of the organisations in India said they expect more than half of their workforce to continue working remotely post-pandemic," the report stated. This compares to an average of just 28 per cent of organisations with more than half of their workforce working remotely before the pandemic. The report highlighted that 77 per cent of organisations in the region plan to increase their future investment in cybersecurity due to Covid-19. There are still challenges, though, that need to be addressed. According to the report, 60 per cent of Indian organisations said that having too many tools/solutions to manage was a challenge faced in reinforcing cybersecurity protocols for remote working, followed by a lack of employee education and awareness (55 per cent). "Greater focus must be laid on educating and building employee awareness as these endpoints will become the first line of defence for the organisation of the future," Raman said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/kumar-mangalam-birla-says-cement-industry-is-recovering-and-analysts-find-evidence-of-it-outside-ultratech-too/articleshow/78791281.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Billionaire Kumar Mangalam Birla is surprised by the rebound in infrastructure and construction in India </a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/hcl-tech-is-bringing-employees-back-to-offices-weekly-once-to-start-with/articleshow/78802219.cms">EXCLUSIVE: HCL Tech is bringing employees back to offices — once a week to begin with</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/luxury-icons-sabyasachi-and-oberoi-open-up-about-their-perfectionist-quirks-like-checking-the-color-of-egg-yolks-and-slashing-clothes-so-they-cant-hit-the-edit-table/articleshow/78771113.cms">Luxury icons Sabyasachi and Oberoi open up about their 'perfectionist quirks' like checking the colour of egg yolks and slashing clothes so they can’t hit the edit table</a>

Cyber threats increase by 25% during work from home leading many to adopt more stringent security measures

<ul><li>A third wave of outsourcing is on its way and <keyword id="6357549" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-IT-companies">Indian IT companies</keyword> like <keyword id="6357585" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-consultancy-services">Tata Consultancy Services</keyword>, Infosys and Tech Mahindra have the most to gain, according to <keyword id="6361649" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Goldman-Sachs">Goldman Sachs</keyword>. </li><li>Riding the third wave, Indian IT services behemoths are on the edge of doubling their market share, seeing double digit revenue growth and wider margins.</li><li>TCS, in particular, will be racing ahead of the rest.</li></ul>There’s obvious opportunity for Indian IT companies like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys, HCL Technologies and others as more businesses look to enable ‘work from anywhere’. This will be the third wave of outsourcing this millennium, according to Goldman Sachs, with the potential to double market share for Indian IT services giants, deliver double digit revenue growth and expand margins. <div type="image" title="IT market share to grow goldman sachs" msid="77864245" hostid="261"></div> <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Time period </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Outsourced IT services spend growth </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Last 10 years </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">4-5% </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2021-2024 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6-8% </td></tr></tbody></table>(Source: Gartner) “After a steep decline of 2.7% in USD revenues for the Top 5 Indian IT firms in FY21E due to the COVID-19 impact, we are expecting a sharp revival in growth over FY22 and FY23E,” said the global investment behemoth Goldman Sachs. The only company that seems to be left behind the fray is Wipro. <div type="image" title="Copy of IT market share to grow goldman sachs" msid="77864258" hostid="261"></div> TCS, on the other hand, may race ahead of the others. It has an edge since it’s the only Indian IT company with greater market share in healthcare than in manufacturing. <div type="image" title="Copy of Copy of IT market share to grow goldman sachs" msid="77864275" hostid="261"></div> “We see TCS as one of the largest beneficiaries of these trends given its wide array of services and capabilities, geographic presence, wide client base, consistent strong execution and ability to work remotely at a large scale with c.450K employees,” said the Goldman Sachs’ report dated August 28. Riding the increased reliance of businesses on digital technology, working from home also cuts down costs like transportation and infrastructure expenses, allowing companies to expand their margin and get a bigger bang for their buck. How Indian IT companies will ride the third wave of outsourcing Demand already exists. History also supports the conclusion that the Indian IT industry is normally a late cycle beneficiary of global changes in technology. When the first wave of outsourcing occurred in 2000 after Y2K — a computer program bug that was expected to cause havoc as the year changed from 1999 to 2000 — the Indian IT sector grew faster than 40% from a small base and minimal global penetration to Indian IT companies becoming market leaders, according to Goldman Sachs. And, again, after the 2008 GFC when the Indian IT industry grew at more than 15% for three to four years before growth returned to high single digits. “This happened both due to a shift to cloud based infrastructure and the higher use of automation tools, forcing Indian IT firms to look for new ways to sell IT solutions, shifting from labor cost arbitrage to business transformation through digital technologies,” explained the report. This is compounded by the fact that India is currently home to the largest pool of digital skilled employees in the world. <div type="image" title="snapshot-1598933384850" msid="77864293" hostid="261"></div> “We believe these digitally trained employees at Indian IT firms are likely to drive overall revenue growth, which would be the key reason for their increasing relevance amid the requirement for digital-at-scale solutions,” said Goldman Sachs. <div type="image" title="pjote chart" msid="77864307" hostid="261"></div> However, not everything is as rosy as it appears Even though businesses are looking to become more digital, recurring revenues for IT companies have been falling as compared to those vendors which specifically provide software as a service (SaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS). In order to address this risk, Goldman Sachs argues that Indian IT services companies will focus more on signing large contracts that look after a client’s entire IT function. These companies also have the option to sell their solutions on a vertical-specialised platform — one that focuses on a specific industry — to increase stickiness of revenue. “Both of the above approaches require more fixed-price and outcome-based contracts with higher risk-reward,” said the global investment firm. Examples of this strategy being applied already exist with Infosys’ deal with Verizon in late 2018 and TCS’ deal with Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) for $1.5 billion in February earlier this year. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/dollar-index-is-at-a-two-year-low-and-heres-how-much-it-may-hurt-tcs-infosys-hcl-tech-and-others-if-it-stays-weak/articleshow/77843868.cms">Dollar Index is at a two-year low⁠ and here’s how much it may hurt TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech and others if it stays weak</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/there-arent-enough-shares-of-hdfc-bank-indusind-bank-and-kotak-bank-that-foreign-investors-can-buy/articleshow/77798108.cms">There aren’t enough shares of HDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank and Kotak Bank that foreign investors can buy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/jio-adds-36-75-lakh-while-airtel-lost-47-72-lakh-subscribers-in-may/articleshow/77760669.cms">It's the day Airtel and Vodafone Idea have been waiting for – here’s the AGR case timeline of 26 years</a>

TCS, Infosys and HCL Tech have the most to gain from post COVID wave of outsourcing

At the onset of the pandemic, in what was an unprecedented shift, <keyword id="123591" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="work-from-home" source="Orion">work from home</keyword> turned out to be the norm rather than the anomaly. While companies have benefitted from reduced costs, employees too have become habitual of working from home. However, at the same time, increasing vaccination coverage has made the likelihood of the economy opening brighter. There are also real concerns of data security and compliance, talent management and maintenance of company culture looming over corporations, which are pulling them away from the prospect of making work entirely remote even when it is possible. Currently, tech behemoths such as Infosys, <keyword id="6354427" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="apple" source="Orion">Apple</keyword> and <keyword id="10862" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="wipro" source="Orion">Wipro</keyword> are planning to open their offices in varying capacities in the future. This has been made possible by ensuring employee vaccination, and taking direct feedback from them. NASSCOM has fully adopted the hybrid work model by following all COVID 19 protocols such as limited office occupancy, better ventilation, social distancing, etc. HCL Tech has moved one step further by provisioning on-campus vaccination for the employees and their families. While there is no consensus on the optimal mix of home vs. office, companies will have to decide the contours of a hybrid model based on factors like client requirements, cost of real estate, and the strength of their data and information security systems. Chief Human Resource Officers from some of India’s top companies ⁠— from Marico to Piramal Group and Tech Mahindra to CRISIL ⁠— will be exchanging experiences from the last 18 months and their ideas for the road ahead, at Business Insider’s <keyword id="1967222" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Future-of-Work" source="Orion">Future of Work</keyword> Summit Top executives such as Nitin Sethi, chief executive officer for human solutions at AON in India and South Asia, and Dan Schawbel, the founder of Workplace Intelligence, will share insights on how to build a collaborative work environment, and how technology can drive digital transformations for the new normal. In order to re-define business-as-usual to include hybrid working with minimal disruption, companies might need to lead through empathy, and implement the<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/technology-is-changing-organisations-and-culture-has-to-keep-pace-with-it/articleshow/85854902.cms"> people before strategy</a> approach in the workspace in the coming decade. New opportunities for innovation would also open up with the digital infrastructure that supports the constant upgrades in technology. The challenge is to be conscious of the advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning while using the energy of a new generation of tech savvy millennials adequately. The future of work is unravelling in front of you. Empower yourself with information and insights to deal with it. Be part of Business Insider’s Future of Work Summit 2021 on September 16 and 17. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/jet-airways-to-soon-start-its-domestic-flights-soon-after-march-2022/articleshow/86159868.cms">Jet Airways may start domestic flights after March 2022</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/education/news/many-private-schools-in-india-are-on-the-brink-of-bankruptcy-and-fear-that-a-third-wave-of-covid-19-could-be-their-end/articleshow/86159621.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Many private schools in India are on the brink of bankruptcy and fear that a third wave of COVID-19 could be their end</a>

As TCS, Wipro and Apple prepare to bring people back to work, there are many lessons from the last 18 months to consider

<ul><li>IT and <keyword id="9739801" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="media-employees">media employees</keyword> are in no rush to return to their offices until more stringent measures are in the place, according to the latest edition of LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index. </li><li>Those who can’t wait to get back to the ‘physical workplace’ are professionals in the recreation, travel, and consumer goods industry. </li><li>Across the workforce, one-third of professionals believe that their savings will increase in the next six months but they are uncertain about job security. </li></ul>As coronavirus restrictions across India reach their fourth month, many are looking forward to returning to the ‘physical workplace’. According to a survey conducted by LinkedIn, professionals in the recreation and travel space, as well as those in the consumer goods industry, are most eager to work from offices/on-site, as soon as it’s allowed. <div type="image" title="Copy of BFSI rev and tech spend (1)" msid="77486085" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Professionals in recreation and travel as well as the consumer goods industry are most eager to get back to work&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> But not everyone is as excited. People working in the IT industry are leaning towards WFH even if the restrictions are lifted. LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index report believes that this could be because the transition to remote work for <keyword id="6467356" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="IT-employees">IT employees</keyword> was a lot smoother than it was more employees in other sectors of the economy. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77407573" title="No coffee breaks or water cooler gossip – work from home is hurting office friendship and the team vibe" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> Professionals in transportation and logistics, as well as media and communications, share the same concerns and are likely to continue working from home until absolutely necessary. <div type="image" title="sanitisation at work_edited" msid="77486261" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Sanitisation at work&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> Concerns about returning to the office It is not that the professionals in the IT and Media industry prefer staying at home. But their major concerns are poor workplace sanitisation and lack of cleanliness that would increase the exposure risk to COVID-19. <div type="image" title="Copy of Copy of BFSI rev and tech spend" msid="77486138" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Concerns about peers not taking COVID-19 precautions seriously is the primary concern for employees looking to return to office&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> While one may follow guidelines to a tee, many employees aren’t confident that their colleagues will do the same. Exposure to those not taking such safety measures seriously is another worry that weighs heavily. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77099043" title="Indian government extends work from home norms for IT and BPO companies till the end of the year" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> On the flip side, many employees are expecting their personal savings to jump in the next six months. But that is shadowed by the fact that when it comes to job security, employees aren’t as optimistic. More than people who work at large companies and multinationals, the workers at small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are worried about keeping their jobs, according to LinkedIn’s Workforce Confidence Index. The online professional network, LinkedIn, surveyed 5,553 professionals across India over the last two months and asked what they were the most concerned about when ‘returning to the physical workspace’. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/tcs-infosys-hcl-tech-and-wipro-open-up-lateral-hiring-as-more-people-walk-out-the-door-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/articleshow/77045880.cms">TCS, Infosys, HCL Tech and Wipro open up lateral hiring as more people walk out the door during the COVID-19 pandemic</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tech-mahindra-cfo-says-lateral-hiring-will-take-time-and-only-after-utilisation-improves-to-pre-covid-levels/articleshow/77440879.cms">INTERVIEW: Tech Mahindra CFO says lateral hiring will take time — and only after utilisation improves to pre-COVID levels</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/uber-starts-hiring-engineers-in-india-after-reports-said-ceo-dara-khosrowshahi-is-eager-to-shift-engineering-innovation-to-india/articleshow/77369162.cms">Uber starts hiring engineers in India – after reports said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is eager to shift engineering innovation to India</a>

IT and media employees are in no hurry to get back to office — not until there are proper policies in place

REUTERS/Denis BalibouseSundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Alphabet<ul class="summary-list"><li>Google workers are raising concerns internally about the company's treatment of contract workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.</li><li>In an internal memo seen by Business Insider, workers are demanding that Google contract workers are given assurances around pay and are not forced to go to company offices unless absolutely necessary.</li><li>"When it comes to our 'extended workforce,' Google and its contracting agencies are falling short," the memo authors wrote.</li><li>Contract workers based in Pittsburgh - which has declared a state of emergency - staged an internal protest on Monday because they had to continue coming into the office.</li></ul>A group of Google employees are challenging the company's treatment of contract workers amid the corona virus outbreak, contending that safety measures designed to protect employees from infection exclude the army of temporary and contract workers that perform vital tasks for the search giant.On Tuesday, a list of demands written by Google workers began circulating internally that calls for better protections for contract workers at the $772 billion company and asks for greater clarity over Google's policies, Business Insider has learned. The letter cites contract workers for Google at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office who were required to continue to come into the office even after Google encouraged its regular, full-time employees to work remotely. The Pittsburgh workers, employed by contractor HCL Technologies, protested on Monday by wearing black to the office cafeteria."We know that leadership clearly values the health and safety of our workplaces and communities," a group of Google workers wrote in the document that circulated internally on Tuesday. "But when it comes to our 'extended workforce,' Google and its contracting agencies are falling short."Google has around 119,000 employees throughout the world - and a similar number of temporary workers, contractors, and external vendors (TVCs). Google's policies on TVCs have proved immensely contentious over the last few years, with critics complaining they amount to a "second-class" workforce denied the perks and privileges afforded to proper Google employees.As COVID-19 (the disease caused by the coronavirus) has spread, sickening more than 181,000 people and killing more than 7,500, Google has taken steps to enable its workforce to work remotely and lock down its facilities. But some employees are concerned that the company's efforts don't do enough for TVC workers."We're working closely with all our vendor partners to increase the ability for their employees to work from home by rolling out remote access as quickly as possible," Google spokesperson Jenn Kaiser said in an email to Business Insider. "HCL employees in Google Pittsburgh were approved for remote access today and no HCL employees will be required to come into the Pittsburgh office starting tomorrow."<h2>"No one should be in a Google office unless absolutely necessary."</h2>The memo's writers - who describe themselves as "a coalition of employees and TVCs who want Google to be Googley - issued two demands: That "no one should be in a Google office unless absolutely necessary," and that "every employee of [Google's parent company] Alphabet, whether direct or contracted, must have complete confidence they can stay home with no disruption to pay."The memo highlighted the office in Pittsburgh, which has contract workers from HCL: "Workers who are contracted through HCL were expected to come into work this week, despite Pittsburgh declaring a state of emergency, closing its schools, and urging non-essential businesses to close." (Earlier in March, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/03/09/tech-contractors-coronavirus/">The Washington Post also published a story detailing concerns by HCL workers about its policies</a>.)These HCL workers recently unionized, and their union tweeted a photo of a worker protest against the coronavirus policies in the company cafeteria on Monday.The memo writers are also asking TVCs at Google to share their experiences around the company's coronavirus policies, though it is not clear how widely circulated the memo has been or how many responses it has elicited."Google has recommended that all North American workers work from home ... but entire offices full of TVCs have no yet had their remote access requests approved, and they are asked to come into the office while this is pending," they wrote."Google has promised that if offices close, workers without remote access will be compensated for the hours they would have worked. But offices have not closed ... TVCs are increasingly being forced to chose between risking infection by going to work, or losing wages."In a statement, HCL spokesperson Meenakshi Benjwal said: "HCL employs close to 150,000 people worldwide and 20,000 in the United States and our employee's health and safety is our top priority. We are taking an abundance of caution by deploying new sick-leave and remote work policies to help our employees take better care of themselves and their families and help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Specific to our Pittsburgh-based employees, we have already communicated a work from home option in consultation with our client, Google. We are enabling a remote working model to keep their health and safety as the priority in line with our other global efforts around the COVID-19 situation."Google employees previously said they were largely confident about their employer's overall preparations for COVID-19, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-employees-company-response-covid-19-free-lunches-2020-3">Business Insider reported earlier in March</a>. "We've been preparing for weeks, with company-wide communications daily, sometimes multiple times a day," a Canadian employee said. "Bottom line: nobody could be more prepared or execute on such a massive scale like this except Google."Do you work at Google or Alphabet? How is the coronavirus outbreak affecting your workplace? Contact this reporter using a nonwork device via encrypted messaging app Signal (+1-650-636-6268), encrypted email (<a href="mailto:robaeprice@protonmail.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">robaeprice@protonmail.com</a>), standard email (<a href="mailto:rprice@businessinsider.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">rprice@businessinsider.com</a>), Telegram/Wickr/WeChat (robaeprice), or Twitter DM (<a href="https://twitter.com/robaeprice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">@robaeprice</a>). PR pitches by standard email only, please. <a href="/intelligence/digital-health?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_subscription&amp;itm_content=health&amp;itm_campaign=digital-health"></a>Featured Digital Health Articles: - <a href="/telehealth-industry-explained">Telehealth Industry: Benefits, Services &amp; Examples</a> - <a href="/value-based-care-pay-for-performance-healthcare-model">Value-Based Care Model: Pay-for-Performance Healthcare</a> - <a href="/senior-care-market-trends">Senior Care &amp; Assisted Living Market Trends</a> - <a href="/wearable-technology-healthcare-medical-devices">Smart Medical Devices: Wearable Tech in Healthcare</a> - <a href="/artificial-intelligence-healthcare">AI in Healthcare</a> - <a href="/remote-patient-monitoring-industry-explained">Remote Patient Monitoring Industry: Devices &amp; Market Trends</a> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bidets-better-than-using-just-toilet-paper-2019-9">Why bidets are better than buying countless rolls of toilet paper</a></h3>

A memo circulating inside Google accuses the company of not protecting its army of contract workers from the coronavirus pandemic

<ul><li><keyword id="265415" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoho" source="Orion">Zoho</keyword> is building on top of the technology it has created over the last 25 years, which has allowed it to launch products faster. s.</li><li>Other companies are acquiring technologies, which is a big issue these days, says Zoho.</li><li>Zoho entered edtech with <keyword id="12636762" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="trainercentral" source="Orion">TrainerCentral</keyword>, which is being pegged as a rival to “Coursera” and “Udemy”.</li><li>The company now has over 50 apps across every major business category — sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and more.</li></ul>Sridhar Vembu-led software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Zoho has launched over ten new products and services in the past eleven months. They promise to not only serve their usual enterprise clients, but also move into new verticals to serve an entirely new set of customers — from teachers to carpenters to small store owners and more. But if you dig beneath the surface, Zoho has got most of its job done already. The company is building on top of the technology and adding features to products it has created over the last 25 years of its existence, which has allowed Zoho to enter new verticals with the speed of light. “Zoho has spent the last two decades building a strong technology stack that extends from the infrastructure layer to the experience layer. All of Zoho's over 50 business applications are built on this stack, along with a common data model, Praval Singh, vice president of marketing and customer experience at Zoho Corp, told Business Insider. He noted that by working on products for almost every business need, Zoho has acquired the skill-set and know-how to work on adjacent areas too. The company started working on an audio-video (AV) framework a decade ago and the same framework is being used for several <keyword id="12343402" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zoho-products" source="Orion">Zoho products</keyword> and offerings. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Product/Service </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">What does it do? </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Base technology </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zoho Meeting </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Video calling facility </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Audio-Visual technology </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">TrainerCentral </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Education infrastructure to enable teachers to teach online </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Audio-Visual technology </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zoho Lens </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Smart remote assistant app, which allows technicians to set up online stores </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Audio-Visual technology </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Zoho BackToWork </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Workplace readiness solution </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Low-code platform Zoho Creator </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> Zoho’s argument is that it has built its own technology stack and while most other tech startups and businesses have built their offering through acquisition, it is a “growing problem in the industry.” These already-developed audio-visual, artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies make it easier for Zoho to build new products and enter newer segments much faster. For example, adding a layer of augmented reality and analytics ⁠to these allow it to offer remote assistance. “The common framework also makes us agile. A new product that we start to work on can immediately use our existing micro-services (such as single sign-on) instead of having to reinvent the wheel,” Singh said, adding that Zoho’s leadership has been with the company for over a decade. The company now has over 50 apps across every major business category — sales, marketing, customer support, accounting and more. The company claims to have 70 million users across 500,000 companies. Singh also mentioned that Zoho’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology such as natural language processing (NPL) gets adopted across products across these different brands of Zoho. Zoho also launched <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/zoho-adds-features-that-can-turn-a-video-call-into-remote-assistance-for-repairing-cars-appliances-and-more/articleshow/87134428.cms">Zoho Commerce in 2019</a> to enable retailers to set up their online shops and provide them with tools to construct websites, accept orders, track inventory and more. This offering will allow 100 product businesses to set up online stores in three weeks. The offering too has similar features like Zoho Lens and TrainerCentral. Zoho’s latest offering is an attempt to take on <keyword id="1017386" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coursera" source="Orion">Coursera</keyword> and <keyword id="2240844" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="udemy" source="Orion">Udemy</keyword> Zoho entered the online learning space with the launch of its latest business vertical TrainerCentral last week. It offers digital platforms to allow individual teachers, solopreneurs and experts in a particular field to offer training online. TrainerCentral — which will be a sister to Zoho’s other brands ManageEngine, Zoho and Qntrl — offers tools like website builder, business administration console, dedicated learner portal, payments gateway, online conferencing and analytics for the trainers. Aarthi Elizabeth, chief brand evangelist of TrainerCentral at Zoho, told Business Insider that Trainer Central is seen as a rival to “Coursera and Udemy” — which enables individuals and universities to offer their courses online. Coursera and Udemy have an entire catalogue of courses being offered online. Meanwhile, Zoho’s TrainerCentral offers a link to trainers who would like to hold live online sessions or classes with their students or customers. Zoho does not have any content ownership, nor any control on the courses being offered to the customers. It simply rents its software for trainers to train online, at a subscription fee of up to ₹3,000 per month. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Companies </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Market cap, as on December 7 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">User base </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Udemy </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$2.83 billion </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Over 35 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Coursera </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$3.85 billion </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Over 77 million </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table>Source: NASDAQ, Media reports The platform has plans to soon integrate with Zoho CRM (customer relationship management) to help trainers engage with leads better and convert customers faster. “Zoho was already in the learning infrastructure space with ShowTime, which was a platform to host live virtual training sessions, webinars and web conferences, therefore already having an established community of trainers and learners, which is an advantage as they do not have to develop a user base from scratch. They are offering this same community a more advanced platform to grow their businesses and to learn better,” investment firm Blacksoil’s founder and chief executive Ankur Bansal told Business Insider. Correction: A previous version of the story has been corrected to reflect Zoho’s point of view. The launch date of Zoho Commerce has been corrected to 2019 and changes have been made to show that TrainerCentral is not just a B2B product. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/ril-tata-motors-hcl-tech-and-pnb-among-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-december-7/slidelist/88135183.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">RIL, Tata Motors, HCL Tech and PNB among top stocks to watch out for on December 7</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/whatsapp-now-lets-you-turn-on-disappearing-messages-for-all-chats/articleshow/88136344.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">WhatsApp now lets you turn on disappearing messages for all chats — here’s how to enable it</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/how-to-check-star-health-and-allied-insurance-ipo-allotment-online/articleshow/88132939.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Star Health and Allied Insurance IPO — Here is how to check your allotment status, GMP at a discount</a>

Zoho is selling its video calling app in as many ways as possible

Stressing that big companies deserve scrutiny, <keyword id="1377264" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Apple-CEO-Tim-Cook">Apple CEO Tim Cook</keyword> has said that his company conducts itself with utmost integrity and professionalism. Speaking at The Atlantic Festival on Monday where he discussed privacy, antitrust issues and his relationship with US President Donald Trump, Cook said Apple has no monopoly over the global markets, reports MacRumors. "I have no issue at all in Apple being put underneath the microscope and people looking and probing. My hope is that as people heard our story and as they continue to hear our story that it will become as apparent to them as it is to us that we have no monopoly. There is no monopoly here," Cook was quoted as saying On the ongoing <keyword id="9978326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="us-antitrust-investigation">US antitrust investigation</keyword> into big tech firms, Cook said that "big companies deserve scrutiny," something that's "fair but important" for the American government. "We're in very, very competitive markets like smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets and personal computers. These things are fiercely competitive. They're basically street fights for market share," Cook stressed. Apple has faced criticism in several markets including in the US and Europe for the App Store fees, with the European Commission opening formal antitrust investigations to assess whether Apple's rules for app developers on the distribution of apps via the App Store violate EU competition rules. Cook said that their core strategy will never produce a monopoly. "It's very rare, almost impossible for the best to become the most as well. Somebody will choose a commodity product and there's enough people that will buy the commodity product that it will have more share. And that's true in all of the different fields we're in". On his relationship with Trump, Cook said that he views the specific conversations he's had with Trump as "private conversations". "We don't focus on politics. And so it keeps us out of the sort of the daily scrum of politics and keeps us very focused on the things that are very important to us," he added. On remote work, Cook said he can't wait for "everybody to be able to come back". "For things like creativity, you depend on people kind of running into each other over the course of a day. We have designed our entire office such that there are common areas where people congregate and talk about different things. And you can't schedule those times". "We've got about 10-15 per cent working today in the office. I'm in the office at different points during the week as well, but the vast majority, 85 to 90 per cent of the company is still working remotely". SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/defense/news/latest-updates-on-india-china-border-issue/articleshow/78162853.cms">Indian Army may call on the double hump camel to help patrol the India-China border</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/markets/news/indian-tech-companies-hcl-tech-wipro-infosys-tcs-share-price-are-green-today/articleshow/78228700.cms">It’s not just the DWS deal, Morgan Stanley's outlook has painted HCL Tech green⁠ — along with TCS, Infosys and Wipro</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/top-ten-phishing-examples-and-tricks-used-by-companies-to-test-their-employees-cybersecurity-smarts/slidelist/78228072.cms">Top ten phishing tricks that companies are using to test their employees’ cybersecurity smarts</a>

'There is no monopoly here' — Apple CEO Tim Cook says big companies deserve scrutiny

<ul><li>At the Business Insider Global Trends Festival 2020, <keyword id="2812596" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Stack-Overflow">Stack Overflow</keyword> <keyword id="10165675" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="ceo-prashanth-chandrasekar">CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar</keyword> explains how his company flipped the script on <keyword id="35559" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="software-development">software development</keyword>. </li><li>Most companies focus on their <keyword id="6356288" type="DEFINITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="product">product</keyword>, build a <keyword id="6359405" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="brand">brand</keyword> around it and then think amount integrating a community.</li><li>Stack Overflow, on the other hand, started off as a community 12 years ago, created a brand and is only now doubling down in its new product — Teams.</li></ul>Companies usually think about their product first and then their brand. Time permitting, <keyword id="48560" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Communities">communities</keyword> may or may not become a third tangent. But, according to Stack Overflow CEO Prashanth Chandrasekar, communities are at the heart of software development. It’s no longer a third vantage point that only comes in when everything else is already set instead, it should be the first step. Bengaluru-born Chandrasekar started the company as a community first, and then established itself as a brand as a result of building a successful community. It’s only now that the company has started out on its products journey with software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings like Teams. “Communities will be absolutely essential for companies to really accelerate their development in the new digital world,” Chandrasekar said at the Business Insider Global Trends Festival 2020. According to him, many incumbents in the industry are now racing to catch up as startups come up with their solutions. And, at the centre of the movement are developers and technologists building solutions fueled by working from home. “Companies are being forced to really rethink how they compete and this entire — what was historically probably postponed as something they would address down the line— has been accelerated very dramatically,” he explained. Stack Overflow is a community of websites where developers can connect, share stories and learn from each other to build the ‘next big thing.’ It currently has over 100 million monthly visitors across its network of 150 websites. According to Chandrasekar, around 60% of developers worldwide sample Stack Overflow — that’s around 26 million to 27 million developers. And, this strategy has worked just fine for the 12-year old startup created by Jeff Atwood and Joel Spolsky. The company started a community (a messaging forum, really), then built itself into a brand and now has a product to offer — Teams. In 2010, it raised its first round of funds amounting to $6 million from a group of investors led by Union Square Ventures. Seven years later, it released an official app on Android and iOS. Next-generation of solutions fueled by the remote work environment As more people worked from home during the coronavirus pandemic, Stack Overflow saw an uptake in the amount of activity for Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services. According to Chandrasekar, this is fueled by the popularity of visual models which are enabled by a cloud force — and almost the nearly $1 trillion of spend that’s moving towards the public cloud. Movements like DevOps — practices that combine software development and IT operations to shorten a system’s development life cycle — have also seen a marked increase. “All of this is fueled by the remote world environment,” remarked Chandrasekar. The pandemic and the culture of communities has leveled the playing field for everyone. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/paytm-uses-jeff-bezos-secret-for-success-building-two-pizza-teams/articleshow/78810520.cms">EXCLUSIVE: Paytm uses Jeff Bezos' secret for success — building 'two pizza' teams</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/india-aws-head-believes-time-to-value-is-the-only-metric-to-measure-innovation/articleshow/78810040.cms">EXCLUSIVE: AWS' India head believes 'time to value' is the only metric to measure innovation</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/hcl-tech-is-bringing-employees-back-to-offices-weekly-once-to-start-with/articleshow/78802219.cms">EXCLUSIVE: HCL Tech is bringing employees back to offices — once a week to begin with</a>

EXCLUSIVE: Communities, brand and then product — CEO explains how Stack Overflow flipped the script on software development

<ul><li>There has been a surge in online malware attacks as new players enter <keyword id="154740" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cyber-warfare">cyber warfare</keyword>, including cybercriminals from India. </li><li>Fairly new to the landscape, these cybercriminals modify existing malware to launch their attacks. </li><li>Patchwork is one such Indian hacker that has been active. </li></ul>Cyberattacks are escalating, and the coronavirus pandemic may have played a role, but is not the only reason behind this surge. Remote working may have created an abundance of targets, but new players — including cybercriminals from India — entering the field is making it increasingly crowded. Former British Intelligence researcher and founder of cybersecurity firm Cyfirma, Kumar Ritesh told Business Insider that not only has this led to a surge in hacking attempts, but <keyword id="9770830" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="old-malware">old malware</keyword> is also making a comeback like never before. These ‘copy-paste’ hackers take the old source code of a virus or malware and repurpose it to launch an attack. “New nations who are joining the game quite late have suddenly skewed the whole cyber warfare landscape in a different proportion,” said Ritesh. Old malware makes a comeback More sophisticated and experienced cybercriminals, like the Russians, North Koreans, or the Chinese, have the tools required to create their new malware. New players, on the other hand, don’t have a lot of capabilities, according to Ritesh. Instead of creating new code, they modify what already exists. “A three-year-old malware which was nowhere in the game has come back all over again in the last four to five months,” said Ritesh. In the last four months, more than 130 new variants of the malware have been spotted by DeCYFIR, Cyfirma’s threat prediction software. Dharma ransomware, which first reared its head in 2016, was spotted attacking small and medium businesses. Many variations of the source code have been dumped online or can be found for sale, according to cybersecurity firms Sophos. Conficker, a 12-year-old malware, also made a comeback. Exploiting weaknesses in Internet of Things (IoT) devices, the malware has inflicted most of its damage in the healthcare sector. Joker, another old Malware found making the rounds on the Google Play Store by cybersecurity firm Check Point. Introducing Patchwork There is no better example of ‘copy-paste’ hackers than one of the more prominent Indian hacker groups, Patchwork. Back in 2016, the Patchwork group of hackers ripped code and tolls from Github and around the Dark New to build their kit. They were able to crack through <a href="https://www.theregister.com/2016/07/08/copy_paste_slacker_hackers_pop_corp_locks_in_ode_to_stolen_code/">2500 corporates and government agencies.</a> In 2018, they resurfaced when cybersecurity firm <a href="https://securityonline.info/volexity-indian-apt-hacker-organization-patchwork-target-us-think-tanks/">Volexity</a> caught them trying to break into US think tanks. Palo Alto Networks also saw an uptake in their activity against South Asian countries, including Pakistan. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tech-mahindra-hcl-tech-wipro-and-likes-are-hoping-global-5g-race-resumes-next-year-bringing-some-large-deals-before-that/articleshow/77583638.cms">Tech Mahindra, HCL Tech, Wipro and likes are hoping global 5G race resumes next year⁠ — bringing some large deals before that</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/gaza-strips-only-power-plant-may-run-out-fuel-in-the-next-24-hours-following-israel-border-shut-warns-expert/articleshow/77584765.cms">Gaza Strip's only power plant may run out fuel in the next 24 hours following Israel border shut, warns expert</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/the-heat-is-on-mark-zuckerberg-in-india-as-facebook-and-whatsapp-incur-the-ire-of-modis-rivals/articleshow/77575358.cms">The heat is on Mark Zuckerberg in India as Facebook and WhatsApp incur the ire of Modi's rivals</a>

Old malware makes a comeback as new players enter cyber warfare

<ul><li>The <keyword id="521686" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Council-For-Educational-Research">National Council for Educational Research</keyword> and Training (NCERT) is chalking out plans to address social distancing with an increased focus on individual assessment. </li><li>The schools will, in fact, not conduct morning assembly, seminars or any other sports event for at least a year. </li><li>Another proposal in the works is the alternate week arrangements or running schools in shifts. </li><li>The government is also considering introducing at least 12 educational channels for students from 1st to 12th grade.</li></ul>Not just industries, educational institutions are also stepping up their efforts to keep up with the ‘new normal’ with a number of remote learning initiatives. In a post Covid-19 world, schools are likely to operate on an alternative model where only 50% of the students will be needed in the classrooms on any given day while others study from their homes — even after the lockdown comes to an end. Even during exams, students will not appear for it on the same day. According to the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT), the Indian government is chalking out plans to address social distancing with an increased focus on individual assessment. The schools will, in fact, not conduct morning assembly, seminars or any other sports event for at least a year. “The bigger challenge will be to ensure the younger children maintain distance; they usually sit close and mingle a lot more than the older ones. The safety guidelines that we will form will include all these things. we will have to look at how to maintain distance between students in school buses, while they are sitting in the classrooms and even when they are using the washroom” The Print <a href="https://theprint.in/india/education/no-assembly-no-sports-classes-in-shifts-the-likely-new-normal-when-schools-reopen-lockdown/416058/">reported</a> citing a source. Another proposal in the works is the alternate week arrangements or running schools in shifts. “The guidelines will also spell out what the students who stay back at home would do. One option is for schools to continue their online teaching and giving assignments and activities,” NCERT Director <keyword id="3138605" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hrushikesh-Senapaty">Hrushikesh Senapaty</keyword> <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/schools-may-go-for-odd-even-plan/articleshow/75613400.cms">told</a> The Times of India. The Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) is expected to announce the guidelines for the learning calendar by next week. Since March 2020, all the schools and colleges have been shut due to <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">Coronavirus</keyword> and there is no confirmation on reopening of schools yet. The education body is leveraging digital adoption as it moves to ‘each class, one channel’ strategy. Under this, the course will be taught via live interactions and aired on TV channels for students to access it. The government is also considering introducing at least 12 educational channels for students from 1st to 12th grade. The idea is to keep the learning continuity for students. Given the delay in the academic year, the higher education regulatory body University Grants Commission (UGC) also laid out guidelines for colleges after lockdown. As per the UGC directive, university students will be giving the final examination in July and the next academic session will begin in August, 2020. The final year students will have to sit for exams — online or offline. However, the students in other semesters may be promoted based on the internal assessment, the statutory body told the higher education institutions. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hcl-tech-follows-tcs-and-infosys-lead-says-50-of-its-employees-will-work-from-home-even-after-the-lockdown-is-lifted/articleshow/75593968.cms">HCL Tech follows TCS and Infosys' lead — says 50% of its employees will work from home even after the lockdown is lifted</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/11-million-unacademy-user-accounts-are-up-for-sale-on-dark-web/articleshow/75595084.cms">11 million Unacademy user accounts were hacked in January — and they are now up for sale on Dark Web</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/reliance-jios-2-23-stake-sale-to-vista-means-its-raised-7-95-billion-in-under-three-weeks/articleshow/75615697.cms">Reliance Jio’s 2.23% stake sale to Vista means its raised $7.95 billion in under three weeks</a>

You Searched For "hcl remote working" and got 12 results

Increasing number of Indians now prefer to permanently work from home since pandemic, says a report

IANS

IT biggies post 14-20% topline growth in Q3 as caution, optimism marks mixed earnings' commentary

PTI

Cyber threats increase by 25% during work from home leading many to adopt more stringent security measures

IANS

TCS, Infosys and HCL Tech have the most to gain from post COVID wave of outsourcing

Prabhjote Gill

As TCS, Wipro and Apple prepare to bring people back to work, there are many lessons from the last 18 months to consider

BI India Bureau

IT and media employees are in no hurry to get back to office — not until there are proper policies in place

Prabhjote Gill

A memo circulating inside Google accuses the company of not protecting its army of contract workers from the coronavirus pandemic

Rob Price

Zoho is selling its video calling app in as many ways as possible

Kritti Bhalla

'There is no monopoly here' — Apple CEO Tim Cook says big companies deserve scrutiny

IANS

EXCLUSIVE: Communities, brand and then product — CEO explains how Stack Overflow flipped the script on software development

Prabhjote Gill

Old malware makes a comeback as new players enter cyber warfare

Prabhjote Gill

An odd-even plan for schools ⁠— India is reportedly planning to let 50% of students attend from home

Prerna Sindwani

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