Category: technology

A webinar on Canadian Wood – Versatile, Sustainable and Legal

Forestry Innovation Consulting India Pvt Ltd, the crown agency of the provincial Government of British Columbia (B.C.), popularly known as Canadian Wood, has announced on hosting a webinar to educate their audience about “Canadian Wood – sustainable, versatile and legal” wood sourced from sustainably managed forests of British Columbia, Canada.

Canadian Wood is all set to host a thought-provoking webinar on the importance of Sustainable Forest management, legally harvested and wood as a versatile material. The speakers will highlight a variety of significant topics, including Canadian wood species and their applications and certifications.

The session will begin with a welcome note by Mr. Pranesh Chhibber, Country Director – Canadian Wood which will follow with presentations by our respective speakers Mr. Peter Bradfield, Technical Advisor – Canadian Wood and Dr Jimmy Thomas, Asst. Director technical services – Canadian Wood. The webinar will be moderated by Rambeer Singh Yadav, Asst. Director – Business development – Canadian Wood. The session will also follow with a Q&A session to address the question received from the audience.

Sustainable forestry helps to maintain and enhance the long-term health of forest ecosystems for the benefit of all living things. British Columbia (B.C.), Canada is recognized as a global leader in sustainable forest management and is known for meeting the environmental, social and economic needs of current and future generations.

The popularity of sustainably sourced wood has skyrocketed in recent years. Today the industry preferences for sustainable material have shifted as they become more aware of various environmental issues. Canadian Wood species are such material which are sourced from sustainable managed forests of B.C Canada.

Registrations for the webinar are now open. Click on the link below to confirm your participation for this enriching experience.

Day & Date: Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Time: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM

Exterro Strengthens Leadership Team with Two New Executive Appointments

Exterro Inc., the preferred provider of Legal GRC software specifically designed for in-house legal, privacy, and IT teams at Global 2000 and AmLaw 200 organizations, today announced the appointment of two new executives to its leadership team: Debora Jones as Chief Operating Officer and Dr. Kavitha Thangasami as Chief R&D Officer. The two appointments come at a time of rapid growth and momentum for Exterro, as the company has driven record revenue and customer growth over the past fiscal year.

As COO, Jones will be a key member of the management team responsible for overseeing the company’s client operations. A seasoned executive with nearly 20 years of operational experience and a proven track record of growing revenue and improving margins, Jones has created engaging workplace cultures and built lasting relationships with clients and partners. Prior to Exterro, Jones spent 13 years at Lighthouse Global, a leader in technology-enabled e-discovery, compliance, and information governance services, where she led various functions including client and technical operations, client onboarding, and go to market strategies. Jones holds a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University Law School, in Washington, D.C., receiving honors as a Thurgood Marshall Scholar.

Dr. Kavitha Thangasami, who has served as VP of Talent Management and Chief Data Scientist at Exterro for the past 9 years, has been promoted to Chief R&D Officer where she will oversee all facets of the company’s growing R&D operations including software development, technical support, recruiting, and corporate management. With more than a decade of applied research experience in distributed data sciences and doctoral degrees in computer science and engineering, Dr. Thangasami will direct Exterro’s Big Data strategy along with the development of its next generation predictive and prescriptive analytics tools. In addition to her doctoral degrees, she also has earned a master’s degree in business administration.

“Innovation can only happen if people are given the space and freedom to experiment and test the limits of their creativity,” said Bobby Balachandran, CEO of Exterro. “This is the type of ethos that we have worked hard to cultivate since Exterro was first founded and has been essential in helping us attract and retain world-class talent across our organization. We are thrilled to expand our leadership team with Dr. Thangasami’s promotion and Ms. Jones’ addition as we work to blaze new trails in the Legal GRC market.”

In addition to these two appointments, Exterro also announced that Alice Lawrence, who has served as the company’s Chief Customer Officer since 2019, will be officially retiring from this role so she can focus on leading the Exterro Gives Back initiative, the company’s philanthropic arm that supports a variety of non-profit organization both in the U.S. and abroad. With employee donation matching and paid time off for volunteer activities, Exterro is dedicated to giving back to communities wherever its team members live.

Tenable Research Reveals “Do-It-Yourself” Ransomware Kits Have Created Thriving Cottage Industry of Cybercrime

Mumbai, June 24, 2022 —The shift to the subscription economy has created a new norm in the as-a-service world. And it’s not just Netflix and Spotify that have adopted this business model. New research from Tenable®, the Cyber Exposure company, found that one of the main reasons ransomware has prospered is due to the advent of ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS), which has catapulted ransomware from a fledgling threat into a force to be reckoned with. The service model has significantly lowered the barrier of entry, allowing cybercriminals who lack the technical skills to commoditize ransomware.

In 2020 alone, ransomware groups reportedly earned $692 million from their collective attacks, a 380% increase over the previous six years combined ($144 million from 2013-2019). The success of RaaS has also attracted other players such as affiliates and initial access brokers (IABs) who play prominent roles within the ransomware ecosystem – oftentimes more than ransomware groups themselves.

Affiliates who earn between 70%-90% of the ransom payment, are charged with the task of doing the dirty work to gain access to networks through tried and true methods such as spearphishing, deploying brute force attacks on remote desktop protocol (RDP) systems, exploiting unpatched or zero-day vulnerabilities and purchasing stolen credentials from the dark web. Affiliates may also work with IABs, which are individuals or groups that have already gained access to networks and are selling access to the highest bidder. Their fees range on average from $303 for control panel access to as much as $9,874 for RDP access.

The research found that ransomware’s current dominance is directly linked to the emergence of a technique known as double extortion. The tactic, pioneered by the Maze ransomware group, involves stealing sensitive data from victims and threatening to publish these files on leak websites, while also encrypting the data so that the victim cannot access it. Ransomware groups have recently added a variety of other extortion techniques to their repertoire, including launching DDoS attacks to contacting customers of their victims, making it even more challenging for defenders. These tactics are part of the ransomware gangs’ arsenal as a way to place additional pressure on victim organizations.

“With RaaS and double extortion, Pandora’s box has been opened, and attackers are finding holes in our current defences and profiting from them. In 2021, double extortion ransomware increased by 117% globally. CERT-In noted that the country witnessed double the ransomware attacks in 2021 compared to 2020, leading to more organizations paying ransoms,” said Satnam Narang, senior staff research engineer, Tenable. “So long as the ransomware ecosystem continues to thrive, so too will the attacks against organizations and governments. It’s imperative that these entities prepare themselves in advance so they are in the best position possible to defend against and respond to ransomware attacks.”

“While ransomware groups get the most notoriety and attention for attacks, these groups come and go. In spite of the turnover, affiliates and IABs remain prominent fixtures in this space and more attention should be given to these two groups in the ecosystem at large.”

Overclock in Style with Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB

Mumbai– 24 June 2022 – Kingston FURY, the gaming division of Kingston Technology, a world leader in memory products and technology solutions, announced today the release of Kingston FURY™ Beast DDR5 RGB memory. The Kingston FURY Beast family boasts the first DDR5 module used to hit 10,004MT/s, this latest addition to the portfolio features enhanced RGB lighting effects with a new heat spreader design that provides bright and smooth illumination.

Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB is the perfect solution to customize the style of next-generation DDR5 systems. Intel® XMP 3.0-Ready and Certified, and qualified by the world’s leading motherboard¹ manufacturers, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB lets users build with confidence. With Kingston FURY CTRL² software, users can choose from a library of preset patterns and effects. Alternatively, users can customize the smooth and vibrant RGB effects to make their system completely unique.  All Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB modules feature the patented Kingston FURY Infrared Sync Technology™, which keeps the lighting effects in perfect lockstep.

Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB starts at 4800MT/s, which features Kingston’s unique Plug N Play technology that automatically overclocks without having to select a profile.  On modules 5200MT/s and faster, Intel XMP 3.0 profiles are enabled to lock in the speed, timings, and voltage. Whether you’re a veteran gamer or beginner enthusiast, Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB allows you to maximize your gaming.

“We’re happy to add Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB to our memory lineup,” said Kingston. “Now those who want the power of DDR5 along with the fun look of RGB can enjoy both. Plus, with the personal touch of customizing the lighting effects users can really take the full gaming experience into their own hands.”

Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB is available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB single modules and kits of 2 up to 64GB, with speeds up to 6000MT/s. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty and legendary Kingston reliability. All the variants of Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB are available on Amazon.in from here- Kingston: GAMING MEMORY 

Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB Features and Specifications:

• Enhanced lighting with new heat spreader design for brighter and smoother RGB illumination: Game in style by customizing the smooth, stunning range of RGB lighting effects using Kingston FURY CTRL² or the motherboard manufacturer’s software.
• Patented Kingston FURY Infrared Sync Technology™: Vibrant RGB effects light in unison with Kingston’s patented Infrared Sync Technology.
• Intel® XMP 3.0-Ready and Certified: Advanced pre-optimized timings, speed and voltage for overclocking performance and save new user-customizable profiles utilizing a programmable PMIC.
• Qualified by the world’s leading motherboard manufacturers¹: Tested and trusted for your preferred motherboard so you can build with confidence.
• Improved stability for overclocking: On-die ECC (ODECC) helps maintain data integrity to sustain ultimate performance while you push the limits!
• Plug N Play at 4800MT/s^3,4: Kingston FURY Beast DDR5 RGB will auto-overclock itself to the highest listed speed allowed by the system BIOS.
• Capacities:
  • Singles – 8GB, 16GB, 32GB
  • Kits of 2 – 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
• Frequencies: 4800MT/s, 5200MT/s, 5600MT/s, 6000MT/s
• Latencies: CL38, CL40
• Voltage: 1.1V, 1.25V, 1.35V
• Operating Temperature: 0°C-85°C
• Dimensions: 133.35 mm x 42.23 mm x 7.11 mm

Providing secure SD-WAN connectivity for branches post-pandemic

By Sundar Balasubramanian, Managing Director, Check Point India, and SAARC

In a post-pandemic world, key industries such as Finance and Healthcare are seeing an increase in the number and sophistication of cyber-attacks, ranging from double ransomware to social hacktivism entering the political realm.

Here in India, our Check Point Threat Intelligence Report states that an organization in India is being attacked on average 1783 times per week in the last 6 months, compared to 1645 attacks per organization in APAC, with 89% of the malicious files in India delivered via Email in the last 30 days.

Managing a bank’s security operations entails many features and areas to protect, which can sometimes be a complex undertaking in keeping up with evolving security needs, from protecting mobile banking to banks’ IoT assets to branch security.

In some instances, connecting bank branches directly to the cloud can significantly increase the risk of attack via malicious files, malware, zero-day, bots, viruses, APTs, and more.

To mitigate these risks, many banks seek to gradually enable their branches with SD-WAN connectivity to the internet and cloud to ensure enhanced security.

Here, I would like to share a real-life use case of a European investment firm, their challenges, and the solution they leveraged to overcome the challenge and boost their security posture, to enable other similar organisations to learn from this organisation’s efforts to bolster their security.

Customer story: European investment firm connects dozens of branches with SD-WAN without compromising security

The European investment firm selected Quantum Edge, Check Point’s on-premise virtual security gateway for high performance and privacy, which is deployed on the VeloCloud appliance. With this solution, the firm secures its connected facilities with top-rated threat prevention, having executed a simple deployment, and thereafter leveraging ongoing simplified management.

Top-rated threat prevention

• Incoming and outgoing connections secured with Firewall, URL Filtering, IPS, Anti-Bot, Antivirus, Threat Emulation
• Up to 1 Gbps threat prevention

Simple to deploy & manage

• Easy high availability deployment with Velocloud SD-WAN
• Unified cloud-based management (Smart1)

Deploy in minutes with SD-WAN partners

• Cisco, Velocloud, Versa, Aryaka, Oracle, Citrix, etc.

Banks can also bolster SD-WAN connectivity protection with the Check Point Harmony Connect Firewall-as-a-service (FWaaS) solution, which:

• Protects branch-to-internet connections
• Assures consistent security
• Enables a fast setup
• Offers fully tested integrations with leading SD-WAN offerings

Protect branch to internet connections

Prevent the most evasive cyber attacks with a full cloud-delivered security stack

Consistent Security & fast setup

Consistent security across 1000’s of branches, 5 mins setup with advanced automation

Fully Tested Integrations

Fully tested integrations with SD-WAN leaders

Solution for securing remote branches from the cloud or on-premises

Check Point Software solutions assure secure SD-WAN connections to the internet and cloud to protect the bank’s remote branch offices from every threat. With Check Point Quantum Edge, connected bank facilities on-premises are secured with top-rated threat prevention. Check Point Harmony connect provides simple integration with any SD-WAN platform to secure connectivity through a powerful cloud service, deployed and managed by Check Point.

Check Point Quantum Security GWs will be extended to include full SD-WAN functionality during 2022 natively, with the following capabilities in mind: 

• Rich SD-WAN capabilities – to optimize your WAN performance by constantly steering the traffic to the best path automatically
• Uncompromising security and performance – Security is essential for any SD-WAN deployment; therefore, we are delivering the best industry’s threat prevention capabilities together with high performance for your WAN infrastructure
• Unmatched simplicity and management, so it will be easy to configure and deploy at scale

In conclusion

Check Point enables banks to provide advanced digital services to their customers with the highest level of security to their network, cloud, users, and access, with Check Point Quantum, CloudGuard, Harmony, and Infinity products.

By adopting a consolidated security approach with the Check Point Infinity architecture and services, banks gain pre-emptive protection against advanced fifth-generation attacks while achieving a 50% increase in operational efficiency and a 20% reduction in security costs.

Check Point’s broad cybersecurity offering of solutions and services has enabled 6,500 financial institutions around the world to overcome their toughest challenges today.

HyperloopTT takes crucial step to reality with world-leading digital signalling and traffic management system, co-developed with Hitachi Rail

Hitachi Rail and HyperloopTT have achieved an important milestone towards the commercial running of the innovative system – that will be able to run at speeds of up to 1,200km/h – with the completion of proof of concept for a cloud-based ERTMS signalling system for HyperloopTT’s capsules.

Working from Hitachi Rail’s site in Naples, Italy, the partnership has successfully created a digital simulator that allows for the integrated testing of the traffic management, the signalling and some of the physical safety requirements of the hyperloop system – and is now developing an interface with HTT’s simulators for functional integration.

By replacing the capabilities of complex physical equipment with cloud-based software, the solution offers greater reliability, greater flexibility in deployment, cuts maintenance costs and is more sustainable. The simulator can also help to make HyperloopTT more efficient by automating repetitive tasks and detecting and managing potential disruptions, instead of reacting to events as they occur.

The partnership is based on the system on ERTMS and ETCS L2 (European Train Control System Level 2) signalling technology to simulate the regulation and control of capsules moving at very high speeds. ERTMS has the benefit of being used and recognised internationally, making it highly interoperable, thereby allow HyperloopTT systems to operate safely across the world without the need to create new standards.

Having completed the simulation model the next step in the process would be to digitally integrate both the signalling infrastructure and the cloud-based model for the physical capsules. This would open the door to moving to physical testing of the whole system at HyperloopTT’s test track in Toulouse.

Andres De Leon, CEO of HyperloopTT said:

“Hitachi Rail’s experience in installing, maintaining, and monitoring traffic management systems in the rail industry is second to none. We’re delighted to have collaborated with them on this cutting-edge simulation of ERTMS and ECTS systems on our hyperloop which takes us one step closer to achieving our goal of creating the world’s fastest, most efficient, and most affordable end-to-end transportation solution. We love working with partners that can help us unlock technical advancements with minimal investment and this project is a great example of that.”

HyperloopTT remains committed to solving the key long-term challenges faced by modern society: overpopulation, traffic congestion, CO2 emissions and air quality.

Leonardo Impagliazzo, Chief Director of Innovation, Hitachi Rail, said:

“Hitachi Rail is committed to pioneering new digital mobility technologies. Our digital signalling technology is used in the USA & Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia to help safely move millions of passengers every day. This partnership allows us to evolve our best-in-class signalling and automation systems and to customize it for HyperloopTT’s super high-speed transport. We are excited about this achievement and are looking ahead to the next stage of the programme.”

Hitachi Rail originally announced its technology partnership with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) in December 2020 with the objective to integrate hyperloop’s capsule traveling system with Hitachi Rail’s industry-leading signaling technology, ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System). Hitachi Rail is a global industry leader in digital signalling for high-speed rail and is the first provider to introduce ERTMS technology in Europe – in the UK, Italy, Spain, Sweden, and France – and in the highly competitive markets of China and India.

H-Bots launches H-Labs, the first and biggest Robotics R&D Ecosystem.

H-Bots Robotics unveils H-Labs, the first and the biggest Robotics R & D ecosystem in a brief function held at T-Hub at Gachibowli on Thursday evening.

Mr Shrikanth Sinha, CEO, Telangana Academy for Skills and Knowledge (TASK), Govt of Telangana and Dr. Shanta Thoutham, Chief Innovation Officer, TSIC, Govt of Telangana launched H-Labs

The launch was graced by representatives of various colleges, management, students and Robotics Researchers and Robotics enthusiasts.

H-Labs is a Research lab owned and operated by H-Bots Group. 24 colleges across Telangana state have come forward to set up H-Labs. Nearly 40 to 50 lakh rupees will be invested in each lab. These H-Labs will become functional in the next couple of months. By next year each college or job is expected to come out with one product to begin with. Once this model clicks, we will soon go national, announced Mr PSV Kishan, Founder and CEO of H-Bots.

H-Labs research program is aimed to make people ready for the 4.0 generation Industrial Revolution, Kishan added

At H-Labs, we incubate new concepts and apply the latest technologies to deliver breakthrough solutions for business and society, Kishan informed.

Addressing the 100 plus gathering immediately after unveiling the H-Lab, Mr Shrikanth Sinha, CEO, Telangana Academy for Skills and Knowledge (TASK), said that people have misconception that Robots replace people to do repetitive jobs. But in reality they support and do not replace people.

15% of the population is disabled. So you must make Robots that assist disabled to lead a normal life. Shrikanth Sinha asked H-Bots to focus on this area.

Mr Sinha expressed his happiness as Hyderabad has got national recognition as the city for emerging technologies. as the. Bangalore is the IT city, but we are one step ahead and we are known as the city for emerging technologies.

The 7.5 billion Population of the entire world is influenced by just 1000 people. Would be interested in being the follower or influencer Dr. Shanta Thoutham, Chief Innovation Officer, TSIC, Govt of Telangana asked the gathering. She told the youth to be change makers. We at Innovation cell are working to build innovation culture in the state. There should be an innovator from every house she said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the launch with the media Kishan said H-Bots is now getting fully involved in Robos and Robotics as a service. Post the pandemic many Robotics companies were exploring alternative players out of China to manufacture Robots. H-Bots rose to the occasion and started manufacturing robots in bulk for their clients in the UK and USA. They have manufactured 140 robots both Health and Education Robots. In the next one year they are planning to

Manufacture 2500 Robots for their clients.

H Bots is also manufacturing 500 Outdoor Delivery Robots for one of their clients. These robots can take delivery of the goods at the gate and deliver the same internally to individual homes in gated communities.

H-BOTS Research has been exploring Robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and 3D printing technologies and techniques for decades. It believes Robotics will transform the world in dramatic ways in the coming years. It is building Robots that can combine different forms of knowledge, unpack causal relationships, and learn new things on its own.

Bites Launches Unique AI Integration in its Professional Training Tools Enabling Employers to Reach and Train Gen Z

Bites platform is already deployed by leading QSRs and retailers including HP, H&M, Unilever, and Planet Smoothie. With over 1M views, Bites is a gamechanger for brands with frontline employees during Great Resignation.

Tel Aviv, ISRAEL – Bites, an innovative player in learning management and employee communications, followed up on its successful seed fundraising round by introducing AI tools into its innovative, social-media-styled employee training platform.

The AI upgrade makes Bites the first and only tool with the capability to create instant content. Speech enhancement tools eliminate background noises from the file, making it easier to develop training videos in high-traffic, loud locations. Auto-subtitling tools make the content more accessible, while automated translation tools enable brands to train employees in multiple languages with a single Bite. Natural language processing tools, meanwhile, offer advice on improving content.

Bites comes at an important time for businesses, many of whom are reeling from the Great Resignation. “Reusable, trackable training videos with engagement tools that reinforce internal messaging are critically important to companies dealing with high turnover rates and struggling to train new front-line employees,” said Eran Heffetz, CEO at Bites.

Corporate content creators use social-media-styled video tools to create authentic, professional-grade training content catered to today’s employees. Videos can be enhanced with the same type of elements that are found on leading social channels, including visual effects, music, and gifs.

With Bites, managers are able to cut down on training time. A recent case study with a US-based restaurant chain found Bites reduced onboarding time by 67%. New employees received consistent training from across the chain.

The chain saw a measurable increase in revenue. Employees were far more compliant with corporate directives, from upselling to customer engagement, which led to higher customer satisfaction.

Since launching, Bites has blazed a trail of success. The company increased its customer base by 8 times in 2021, and currently has over 200 customers. It recently crossed the 1 million views milestone. Bites’ active users create an average of 10-30 new bites per month for their frontline employees and enjoy a 90% engagement rate.