ITV

Tag: GUEST COLUMN

  • Guest Column: Kids – the new-age teachers

    Guest Column: Kids – the new-age teachers

    I am surrounded by friends who as parents are consciously checking their behavior in the presence of their children—they are either mindful of their conversation or check the way they conduct themselves generally. As parents, it is their duty to inculcate the right habits in their children, and the best way, indisputably, is by example. As someone who does not have children, and therefore first-hand knowledge of parenthood, I naturally endorse the belief that it is only the parent who is the teacher.

    This perception changed considerably through my interactions and observations with different children, as I realized that while we as adults are responsible to teach the right values, ethics, behavior, etc to our offspring, there is so much that we ourselves can learn from our children. In my close proximity to children, I have been fortunate to have observed the following three main Aspects which have made me stop and think.

    Financial planning: As complicated as the term might sound and you will be amazed  to see kids effectively putting this into practice. I noticed the kids carefully count their money and safely keeping their hard-earned stash away.  When I spoke to few of them, I realized that these kids were confident of exactly what their priority was, how much money they could earn by doing that particular activity and finally how much they would need to save to pick up a merchandise of their choice. It would appear that the term ‘impulsive shopper’ does not apply to the little ones

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    Curiosity:  If you are a parent inundated by the variety of questions your little explorers ask, irrespective of whether or not you know the answers, you might agree with me regarding their unending curiosity and yearning to learn and grow. It is amazing how seriously these kids take their roles.  Recently I noticed a seven year-old playing the role of a police officer, asking a numerous pertinent questions which would help him solve ‘the case’. Another little girl working as a chef, was curious to know why salt is always the last ingredient added during the cooking process. A confident child does not have a problem in asking questions, no matter how numerous or inane; it is a well-known fact that without questioning one cannot learn and progress. And so often, it is a child’s question that hits home and makes the adult stop and think, and makes him open his eyes to take a look from a different angle, and not take things for granted.

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    Being social: It is nearly impossible for many adults, especially introverts, to start a conversation with strangers in a new place. The fear of one’s ego of being judged makes a person tend to rehearse the scene multiple times in one’s head before approaching a group of strangers to strike up a conversation.

    Remember the first day at your new job wondering who your co-workers will be, will you be accepted, etc.  As children tend not to have ego problems, they work very well in groups. Just give them a task and a bunch of four- to 14-year-olds will display tremendous teamwork! And most importantly, as children are innocent and unaware by the ugliness of the world, it comes automatically to them to treat other kids as equals. So parents, be open and willing to experience and encompass your children’s bold ideas, their creativity, their zest for knowledge, their ability to dream big. It will be an enriching and rewarding experience. Spend some quality time with your children before these unique teachers with a constant never-ending supply of fresh intakes on life and situations, grow up to ‘retire’ into adulthood.

    public://Viraj Jit Singh.jpg This article has been contributed by KidZania India CMO Viraj Jit Singh. Views expressed here are of the writer’s, and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

     

  • Guest Column: Are you good enough to be a CEO: The 4 ‘Selfie’ Check-up

    Guest Column: Are you good enough to be a CEO: The 4 ‘Selfie’ Check-up

    It is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.  There are secret opportunities hidden inside every failure.  Life is not really a solo sport – even if you’re the CEO.  Being a CEO is at least twice as hard as the next hardest position in a company.  It is really, really hard.  This is especially true with founder CEOs.
    To become a proven transformational leader and creating a successful track record of building brands, businesses and value requires much more than just an opportunity.

    Working with start-ups exposes one to holding positions of high responsibility and leadership earlier than most of one’s fellow colleagues. Shaping and growing new businesses and building a profitable and large opportunity canvass requires thought leadership, entrepreneurial management style, creative strategy and execution. Most important survival and growth strategy is the ability to reimagine businesses and build innovative business models.

    In delineating the four essential faces for a CEO, I am adapting leading mythologist Joseph Campbell’s description of each of us as “a hero with a thousand faces,” and Erica Fox’s article. A CEO needs to be like a

    Dreamer – this is the visionary face led by intuition – suggestive of an inner CEO.
    Thinker – this is the evaluation face led by reason – suggestive of an inner CFO.
    Warrior – this is the relationship face led by willpower – suggestive of an inner COO.
    Lover – this is the relationship face led by emotion – suggestive of an inner CHRO.

    Everything ultimately becomes the CEO’s problem, no matter where it starts. Reason why some CEOs crack under the pressure.

    A CEO’s job consumes you.

    It should not be looked at as a step-up but as a calling! 

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    (Piyush Sharma, a global tech, media and entrepreneurial leader, created the successful foray of Zee Entertainment in India and globally under the ‘Living’ brand. The views expressed here are of the writer’s and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.)

     

  • Guest Column: Expansion of marketplace in digital age

    Digital – the word itself exudes the possibility of limitless outreach. The fierce pace of digitization and technology adoption has almost redefined the entire industrial scenario, transcending the physical barriers and lending it a virtual persona – all this while, rewriting the rules of surviving and winning in the marketplace. This spell of change casted by the advent of technology is not only limited to the organizations, but has also led to the birth of a new-age consumer breed who has clear-cut expectations from brands, takes pride in its dynamic choices and is relentlessly volatile in purchasing behavior. 

    With all these complexities plaguing the trade setup, organizations these days are faced with a catch-22 situation – Where are my new set of customers? How to cut through the saturated customer pie and reach out to new potential consumers? How do I expand my potential market place?

    In this chicken and egg situation – where digitization is one significant causative agent for marketplace saturation, it is also the solution for marketplace expansion.  To begin with, thorough assessment of the current state of affairs will form the baseline for deciding the future course of actions for any business. The huge gap between the addressed customer base and the actual addressable segment can be regarded as the premise of the whole situation, while being an opportunity as well. 

    Addressing the HOW of marketplace expansion

    Digitization and globalization are making it necessary, as well as, easy for organizations to parallelize their market roll-out activities in a way that enables access to this available, yet untapped marketplace. With digital, while the marketer can become omni-present in the consumer mind space, it also equips the customer to have instant access to the product info, reviews and services etc., all available at one click. Even in such scenario, technology dons the role of a catalyst in enhancing the industry in entirety. 

    Aspects detailing the role of digitization or technology-advent, in the augmentation of marketplace could be summed up as follows:

    – Given the growing adoption of digital by consumers, staggering amount of information becomes accessible – from proprietary data to completely new open data sources. 

    – Digital networks, often lodged in the cloud, helps in understanding the consumer preferences, habits and consumption patterns through the application of analytics. Such trend mapping takes into account the sales history, purchasing seasonality, etc. and helps in ascertaining the probability of converting an ‘interest’ into a ‘consumer’. 

    – This, in turn, aids companies to develop a near accurate prospective database for themselves. 

    – Based on this propensity calculation, digital once again enable the marketers with the requisite set of marketing tools, which eventually helps in building a communication that is personalized, automated, timed and made relevant to the precise requirement of the audience. 

    – Once the potential audience is tapped and the market-pie share is augmented, the role of technology just does not end but rather becomes amplified. Software-driven retention strategies, when applied optimally, also helps organizations to drive repeat purchases, thence, leading a successful sales lead conversion whereby a prospective entity becomes a loyal customer eventually. 

    Ultimately, even after having an expanded marketplace and new touch points at hand, the facility of constant customer-reaction tracking and thus, provision of requisite support at the right time, is also something which becomes possible with the technological advances. This endowment, in fact, can be termed as enabling better sales interactions in totality. With digital boom enabling the organizations to deliver a custom-tailored experience to the consumer, in return, it facilitates their transformation into on-ground brand ambassadors who ‘advertise’ their experiences through the digital ‘word-of-mouth’. 

    While any change brings with itself its own set of challenges, it also precedes great deal of opportunities. Many brands are adapting and thriving in this current wave of digitization and expanding their outreach, and the one’s that do not align with this burgeoning trend will take on a one-way road to obsolescence. To summarize, by embracing digital, one can be certain of being on the winning side of the shift – by edging out competition, delivering better and personalized experiences and creating an evolved, long-term connection with the customers — all of them leading to an expanded marketplace in the end.

    public://sehans.jpgSnehashish Bhattacharjee is the global CEO & co-founder of Denave. Views expressed here are of the writer’s and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

  • GUEST COLUMN: Is The Current News Dumbing Us Down?

    “Sonu Nigam Quits Twitter!!”flashed on my TV screen today morning. We obviously thought this was worthy of coverage at a national level, because the ‘breaking news’ kept playing in loop for a considerable period of time. 

    When CNN covered the Gulf war in the early 90s, it was to be the coming of age of News television. As explosion after explosion played out on the screen to the background score of intermittent gun-fire, News was suddenly more interesting than daily soaps and movies. This was information, played out in real time, offered without filter or opinion. The promise of a new age of journalism was immense, and Indian news channels mushrooming over the next decade carried this promise with them. 

    Cut to today, when the same channels are falling over each other purely with an objective to grab eyeballs. Celeb gossip has replaced substance, leaving crucial news stories and events to fade away, thus resulting in what is called the‘dumbing down’ of us, the audience. Issues that have no worth culturally or socially are being brought to the forefront and as breaking news.Today, when a celeb singer was quitting a social media platform as breaking news, a major bus accident in Uttarkashi was relegated to the background. In layman terms, breaking news refers to events that are unexpected and impromptu. 

    Clearly, news topics such as politics or calamities are a lot harder to report on in an interesting way. While allnews channels pursue stories of lesser significance, some may even choose to embrace it as their lead story. After all, in order to hold more viewership than that of the competitions’, it obviously must be something that entertains and excites.As a result, we are forced to air content that is appealing to masses because we gauge both news and non-news by the same yardstick.

    Television is primarily consumed for entertainment and anything that’s entertainment will get the numbers, anything that’s not will simply miss out on the ratings. As a result, globally in the current scenario, most of the news stories cater only to human interest. 
    Ideally, there should be six factors thatmake a story newsworthy- 

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    How is the content of a news channel judged?

    Arbitrating the content of a news channel is a subjective call. It is not a mechanical process, there has to be human intervention to gauge the quality of what is being aired, which would be the 5 factors covered above along with On-Air presentation.

    The other even more critical factor – Distribution.

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    News ratings are direct impact of distribution and affinity from a panel, relevant to news itself, while taking distribution factors into consideration.What news is witnessing today is more the consequence of the Medium’s Measurement Methodology, than that of Distribution’s Multi-LCN phenomena. 

    The import lies in being able to measure news qualitatively on-air, and cannot be limited to extrapolation of minute by minute viewing data.Furthermore, there are content affinity (On-Air presentation) factors that impact news delivery today- starting from News Pick, Graphic Display, Screen Packaging, Treatment to LIVE, Anchor Presentation, Expert Panel Members and so on.  

    Coming to distribution, there are critical factors like Pack Placement by MSOs leading to Channel Non-availability in the Universe, Multi LCNs, Landing Channels, EPG Ranking, Channel Neighbourhood, etc. It is therefore important to factor the Universe delivery and presentation dynamics, in the viewership measurement methodology, as the Sample itself derives itself from the Universe. In the Universe lie 6000+ Towns, 6 Lac+ Villages, 1200+ licensed /otherwise channels, 60,000+ LMOs and some 5000 large and independent Distribution Providers.

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    It is time the industry understands the grave impact the delivery chain has on Viewership Measurement. In my view, On-Air factors (qualitative) married with Off-Air factors (distribution) would create abalanced News Viewership Index, thus making way for news that is relevant, fair and informative.

    public://pankaj.jpgPankaj Krishna is the founder & CEO of Chrome Data Analytics & Media Pvt. Ltd. Views expressed are personal, and indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them.

     

  • Guest Column: As digital spreads wings, bolstering security is paramount

    Guest Column: As digital spreads wings, bolstering security is paramount

    The dream of moving towards a cashless society has never been closer than it is today in India. With the recent decision of demonetization, the public is being actively urged to move online for their transactions, big or small. Aiding the public in this move has been a slew of ads, demos, tutorials and YouTube videos galore, followed by a huge migration to online shopping, boosting the digital economy of the nation. However, as a landscape changes, so does how we navigate it. And, as the market rises to meet this new demand, new and relevant questions arise — questions about the security parameters and overall security strength of e-commerce platforms.

    Immediately after the demonetization announcement that caught the entire nation off-guard, there was a noticeable drop in sales on e-commerce portals. But now things are stabilizing and the stats are looking up. In the wake of demonetization, India’s mobile wallet industry is expected to soar from US$ 22.41 million in 2015-2016 to US$ 4.37 billion in 2022. This means a huge jump in the value of mobile wallet transactions from US$ 3 billion to US$ 800.35 billion during the same period, according to a July forecast by Assocham-RNCOS titled Indian M-wallet Market: Forecast 2022.  Every second, three more Indians experience the internet for the first time and by 2030, more than 1 billion of them will be online.

    Besides making this the most exciting time to be a part of the ecommerce sector, these advances are also expected to make businesses efficient in the long run. Digital payments are now seen as the future and are believed to be a way of life soon. However, with this clickable economy and with commerce involved, there is also a valid risk of cybercrimes.

    Security in OTT e-subscriptions

    In fact, let’s first look at the OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hotstar and others, which are witnessing an increased demand for paid content. What it means is an increased set of security features to manage subscriptions and paid-content access.

    The three key areas of security for OTT content are authentication, geo-blocking and control of account sharing. Netflix as a provider uses message security layer instead of using HTTPS protocol. Being tied to SSL and TLS, HTTPS suffers from fundamental security issues unknown at the time of their design. Examples include padding attacks and the use of MAC-then-Encrypt, which is less secure than Encrypt-then-MAC.

    MSL is a modern cryptographic protocol that takes into account the latest cryptography technologies and knowledge. It supports the following basic security properties:

    -Integrity protection: Messages in transit are protected from tampering.

    -Encryption: Message data is protected from inspection.

    -Authentication:  Messages can be trusted to come from a specific device and user.

    -Non-replayable: Messages containing non-idempotent data can be non-replayable.

    MSL has pluggable authentication and may leverage any number of device- and user-authentication types for the initial message. The initial message will provide authentication, integrity protection, and encryption if the device authentication type supports it. Future messages will make use of session keys established as a result of the initial communication.

    With MSL Netflix has eliminated many of the problems they faced with HTTPS and platform integration. Its flexible and extensible design means it will be able to adapt as Netflix expands and as the cryptographic landscape changes.

    Securing trust in e-commerce 

    This demonetization era calls for the strengthening of cyber security mechanisms. Anyone with an email address and a social media account is at threat and can be a target. The most common kinds of cyber-crimes associated with e-commerce are to do with data privacy and protection, and include bogus deals and purchases, trademark and copyright infringement, payment frauds, disputes in B2B and B2C transactions, FEMA violations, issues of web content ownership, contract violation, hacking, phishing, cyber stalking and cyber-squatting.

    Nearly 45 per cent of transactions are done via mobile, giving scope for several cons. According to a joint study by Assocham and PwC released in August 2016, cyber-crimes in India have surged around 350 per cent between 2011 and 2014.

    India has germinated into a fertile ground for e-commerce, but consumers are exposed to security threats too. Fraud in the e-commerce sector leads not only to financial loss, but also a loss of reputation and simultaneously, a severe loss in business. Once a loyal customer, the individual switches to a competitor for his needs in case of breach of trust. Consumer trust in such a complex and interactive environment has become the need of the hour.

    Addressing the risk of fraud

    At HGS Interactive, our teams are proactive in addressing the risk of fraud that ecommerce companies can face by taking a hard look at their business models and vulnerability to fraud so that their customers can buy their products with confidence.

    We understand that effective fraud risk management is a continuous process of reviewing and addressing the significant risks of fraud. Network security, confidentiality and authentication are three essential components of an e-commerce website. Several companies such as PayTM use 128-bit encryption technologies for storing information, which makes it tough to crack a password. Front-end payment card validation wherein MOD 10 checks, BIN checks, authorization responses, customer profile checks, security questions, login analysis, basic site rules such as number of orders placed through one account, value of orders or back-end manual order reviews must  be put into place.

    Digital signatures and dynamic IP protection are exemplary methodologies and should be implemented on all ecommerce websites. A secure and reliable web hosting service is a prerequisite to guarantee optimum performance of an ecommerce website, all through the year.

    HGS Interactive recently worked for Nakshatra, which is one of India’s most reputed diamond jewelery brands and is from the pioneer Gitanjali Group. We ensured we hosted their web app on a safe hosted service provider to whom we mandated extremely strong privacy and data security policies enforced actively. Whether it is for a top jewelery brand or numerous other clients across sectors, high-end and world class web and digital security is of paramount importance. Financial information is typically stored by payment gateways primarily for small and medium businesses, while larger platforms prefer to have their own security parameters and store the data themselves, as it provides more control and security over this extremely sensitive data.

    Hosting providers like Amazon Web Services and DigitalOcean provide full access to their security profiles, but skill and expertise is required to manage and stay ahead of the curve and avoid being hacked. Credit data is stored in an encrypted format and never as pure text, so it is protected as long as the encryption is strong.

    Encryption equals protection

    I strongly believe that encryption of data equals protection. Encryption lets you scramble information using a mathematical formula, which is tough to break without a “key”. You can implement technologies like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and SHTML (Secure-HTML), with web forms to secure your ecommerce website. Encryption can also be incorporated in your email package through a technology known as S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). It is mandatory to have these in place during transactions to prevent vulnerable attacks from networks.

    Firewalls are another essential aspect in stopping attackers before they can breach your network and gain access to your critical information. Major certifications reaffirm credibility, while a full-featured secure environment is expected to boast security measures like virtual private cloud, encrypted data storage, identity and access management, and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to provide users with peace of mind.

    To summarize, customers expect a safe experience when shopping on any ecommerce website. And as a responsible business, protecting their personal and financial information is not only the paramount responsibility of any business, but it is also considerably easier and far less costly than recovering from a breach. It is crucial to ensure the security of the existing infrastructure and upgrade present systems and oversee the smooth transition to the more advanced digitization of India.

    Also Read

    Irdeto joins Frog by Wyplay community to offer integrated security solutions

    Jaitley, stakeholders discuss broadband speed & penetration, wi-fi, digitisation, open Net & cyber security

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/drupal7.indiantelevision.co.in/files/styles/large/public/sachin-karweer.jpg?itok=sSyD4McyThe author, Sachin Karweer, is Business Head, HGS Interactive, a Hinduja Group company that creates new paradigms for digital consumer experience. The views expressed here are personal and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them
  • Guest Column: As digital spreads wings, bolstering security is paramount

    Guest Column: As digital spreads wings, bolstering security is paramount

    The dream of moving towards a cashless society has never been closer than it is today in India. With the recent decision of demonetization, the public is being actively urged to move online for their transactions, big or small. Aiding the public in this move has been a slew of ads, demos, tutorials and YouTube videos galore, followed by a huge migration to online shopping, boosting the digital economy of the nation. However, as a landscape changes, so does how we navigate it. And, as the market rises to meet this new demand, new and relevant questions arise — questions about the security parameters and overall security strength of e-commerce platforms.

    Immediately after the demonetization announcement that caught the entire nation off-guard, there was a noticeable drop in sales on e-commerce portals. But now things are stabilizing and the stats are looking up. In the wake of demonetization, India’s mobile wallet industry is expected to soar from US$ 22.41 million in 2015-2016 to US$ 4.37 billion in 2022. This means a huge jump in the value of mobile wallet transactions from US$ 3 billion to US$ 800.35 billion during the same period, according to a July forecast by Assocham-RNCOS titled Indian M-wallet Market: Forecast 2022.  Every second, three more Indians experience the internet for the first time and by 2030, more than 1 billion of them will be online.

    Besides making this the most exciting time to be a part of the ecommerce sector, these advances are also expected to make businesses efficient in the long run. Digital payments are now seen as the future and are believed to be a way of life soon. However, with this clickable economy and with commerce involved, there is also a valid risk of cybercrimes.

    Security in OTT e-subscriptions

    In fact, let’s first look at the OTT platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hotstar and others, which are witnessing an increased demand for paid content. What it means is an increased set of security features to manage subscriptions and paid-content access.

    The three key areas of security for OTT content are authentication, geo-blocking and control of account sharing. Netflix as a provider uses message security layer instead of using HTTPS protocol. Being tied to SSL and TLS, HTTPS suffers from fundamental security issues unknown at the time of their design. Examples include padding attacks and the use of MAC-then-Encrypt, which is less secure than Encrypt-then-MAC.

    MSL is a modern cryptographic protocol that takes into account the latest cryptography technologies and knowledge. It supports the following basic security properties:

    -Integrity protection: Messages in transit are protected from tampering.

    -Encryption: Message data is protected from inspection.

    -Authentication:  Messages can be trusted to come from a specific device and user.

    -Non-replayable: Messages containing non-idempotent data can be non-replayable.

    MSL has pluggable authentication and may leverage any number of device- and user-authentication types for the initial message. The initial message will provide authentication, integrity protection, and encryption if the device authentication type supports it. Future messages will make use of session keys established as a result of the initial communication.

    With MSL Netflix has eliminated many of the problems they faced with HTTPS and platform integration. Its flexible and extensible design means it will be able to adapt as Netflix expands and as the cryptographic landscape changes.

    Securing trust in e-commerce 

    This demonetization era calls for the strengthening of cyber security mechanisms. Anyone with an email address and a social media account is at threat and can be a target. The most common kinds of cyber-crimes associated with e-commerce are to do with data privacy and protection, and include bogus deals and purchases, trademark and copyright infringement, payment frauds, disputes in B2B and B2C transactions, FEMA violations, issues of web content ownership, contract violation, hacking, phishing, cyber stalking and cyber-squatting.

    Nearly 45 per cent of transactions are done via mobile, giving scope for several cons. According to a joint study by Assocham and PwC released in August 2016, cyber-crimes in India have surged around 350 per cent between 2011 and 2014.

    India has germinated into a fertile ground for e-commerce, but consumers are exposed to security threats too. Fraud in the e-commerce sector leads not only to financial loss, but also a loss of reputation and simultaneously, a severe loss in business. Once a loyal customer, the individual switches to a competitor for his needs in case of breach of trust. Consumer trust in such a complex and interactive environment has become the need of the hour.

    Addressing the risk of fraud

    At HGS Interactive, our teams are proactive in addressing the risk of fraud that ecommerce companies can face by taking a hard look at their business models and vulnerability to fraud so that their customers can buy their products with confidence.

    We understand that effective fraud risk management is a continuous process of reviewing and addressing the significant risks of fraud. Network security, confidentiality and authentication are three essential components of an e-commerce website. Several companies such as PayTM use 128-bit encryption technologies for storing information, which makes it tough to crack a password. Front-end payment card validation wherein MOD 10 checks, BIN checks, authorization responses, customer profile checks, security questions, login analysis, basic site rules such as number of orders placed through one account, value of orders or back-end manual order reviews must  be put into place.

    Digital signatures and dynamic IP protection are exemplary methodologies and should be implemented on all ecommerce websites. A secure and reliable web hosting service is a prerequisite to guarantee optimum performance of an ecommerce website, all through the year.

    HGS Interactive recently worked for Nakshatra, which is one of India’s most reputed diamond jewelery brands and is from the pioneer Gitanjali Group. We ensured we hosted their web app on a safe hosted service provider to whom we mandated extremely strong privacy and data security policies enforced actively. Whether it is for a top jewelery brand or numerous other clients across sectors, high-end and world class web and digital security is of paramount importance. Financial information is typically stored by payment gateways primarily for small and medium businesses, while larger platforms prefer to have their own security parameters and store the data themselves, as it provides more control and security over this extremely sensitive data.

    Hosting providers like Amazon Web Services and DigitalOcean provide full access to their security profiles, but skill and expertise is required to manage and stay ahead of the curve and avoid being hacked. Credit data is stored in an encrypted format and never as pure text, so it is protected as long as the encryption is strong.

    Encryption equals protection

    I strongly believe that encryption of data equals protection. Encryption lets you scramble information using a mathematical formula, which is tough to break without a “key”. You can implement technologies like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and SHTML (Secure-HTML), with web forms to secure your ecommerce website. Encryption can also be incorporated in your email package through a technology known as S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions). It is mandatory to have these in place during transactions to prevent vulnerable attacks from networks.

    Firewalls are another essential aspect in stopping attackers before they can breach your network and gain access to your critical information. Major certifications reaffirm credibility, while a full-featured secure environment is expected to boast security measures like virtual private cloud, encrypted data storage, identity and access management, and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) to provide users with peace of mind.

    To summarize, customers expect a safe experience when shopping on any ecommerce website. And as a responsible business, protecting their personal and financial information is not only the paramount responsibility of any business, but it is also considerably easier and far less costly than recovering from a breach. It is crucial to ensure the security of the existing infrastructure and upgrade present systems and oversee the smooth transition to the more advanced digitization of India.

    Also Read

    Irdeto joins Frog by Wyplay community to offer integrated security solutions

    Jaitley, stakeholders discuss broadband speed & penetration, wi-fi, digitisation, open Net & cyber security

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/drupal7.indiantelevision.co.in/files/styles/large/public/sachin-karweer.jpg?itok=sSyD4McyThe author, Sachin Karweer, is Business Head, HGS Interactive, a Hinduja Group company that creates new paradigms for digital consumer experience. The views expressed here are personal and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them
  • Guest Column: Regulating video in Internet age: Pressing challenges, slow movement

    Guest Column: Regulating video in Internet age: Pressing challenges, slow movement

    Video markets in Asia, as in other parts of the world, are being swept by a wave of commercial and technological adjustment to the rise of internet-delivered video, frequently referred to as “OTT” television.  Unfortunately, in most countries adjustment of regulatory policies by governments is way behind.

    Asia’s cities, in particular, are rapidly being wired for broadband connectivity.  In developing countries like Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India a broad digital divide has opened, with major urban areas enjoying improving connectivity and the countryside still reliant on more traditional modes of video delivery to consumers. 

    That divide is a problem needing attention, but in the meantime urban populations, at least, are enjoying a “sweet spot” of improving broadband and adequate disposable income to pay for services consumers want.  As a result, they have become the object of a “race to serve” on the part of video providers on every scale:

    • Traditional pay-TV operators are upgrading their VOD offerings and broadening device access to include smartphones and tablets. 

    • At the same time, new entrants are seeking to construct the right content offerings at the right price to win over consumers.  Major global providers (Netflix and Amazon Prime) entered Asia during 2016, and immediately were confronted with the need to adapt a global approach to Asian realities (including lower price points).

    • A raft of regional Asian OTT platforms have expanded their offerings (including Viu TV, Hooq, IFlix, and Catchplay), alongside a plethora of locally-oriented offerings (like Hotstar, Dittotv and Voot in India, plus Toggle, Monomaxx, Doonee, USeeTV, MyK+, etc., in Southeast Asia.)

    These market developments have significantly ratcheted up the pressure on governments, who are seeing more and more consumers migrate to lightly-regulated (or totally unregulated) online content supply, and away from the heavily-regulated traditional TV sectors.   Governments are in a quandary – most do not wish to impede their citizens’ access to global information sources, but at the same time they see evident challenges to long-established policies for content acceptability, broadcaster licensing, taxation, advertising etc.   At the extreme, “pirate” OTT services happily locate offshore, respect no rules and meet no obligations of any kind (not limited to copyright authorization), all the while reaping millions in subscription and/or advertising revenues.  Local content industries are crying foul. 
    This very unbalanced competitive landscape causes deep damage to network operators, content creators at home and abroad, and investors in local economies.  In general, it isn’t possible to subject online content supply to outdated “legacy” broadcasting rules, so alternative solutions have to be considered, including self-regulatory approaches (which can gain acceptance from legitimate OTT suppliers, if not the pirate scofflaws) and lightening the burdens on existing players.

    So far, despite various governments in our region trumpeting a desire to update regulations to suit the digital age, only piecemeal measures have been adopted.  Several “major policy reviews” in places like Australia, New Zealand and Singapore have produced thin gruel in the way of concrete adjustments.  That said, to policymakers’ credit, there are now a few examples showing how existing rules can be lightened to allow licensed video providers to give consumers more of what they expect, in the internet age.  South Korea relaxed rate regulation on cable TV operators so they could compete more fairly; Singapore eased its content censorship on VOD over pay-TV networks, to more closely match the approach used for online content suppliers; Vietnam allowed pay-TV providers to construct their own content offerings with different foreign channels instead of hewing to a single national content list.

    So a start has been made, but there remains a huge work to be done; a vast thicket of taxes, licensing rules and interventionist regulation constrains licensed pay-TV providers throughout Asia and these burdens will have to be reduced to attract investments for modernizing network infrastructure and developing local content offerings.   Even governments for whom this is not much of a current issue can see the future coming:  more and better broadband is on the way for Asian consumers, and like viewers everywhere they will be looking to view their content online.  

    Unfortunately, ingrained habits die hard.  Hong Kong’s regulators are wasting energy in a fight with major broadcasters over whether product placement in programming is too prominent; TRAI is going the wrong way – actually seeking to extend and tighten rate regulation on digital content when supplied by traditional cable operators; Thailand – eager to justify the high bids for digital terrestrial licenses – levies burdensome “must carry” rules on cable and satellite operators; Indonesia’s content regulators are pushing protectionist “made in Indonesia” rules for ads on traditional TV platforms.   (Who looks at prices charged, products touted, or ad origins for online content?)

    A better approach is reliance on self-regulatory systems wherever possible.  Many issues (e.g. product placement, ad origination, content guidelines) should be the object of clear rules negotiated by industry bodies which can be applied by the respective players to online and offline networks.   The ad industry is very accomplished at doing this; in the UK, for example, advertising self-regulation is being extended to online platforms as well as traditional ones.
    In another corner of the industry, India’s own BARC is showing well how self-regulatory bodies can wield substantial influence, as it seeks to stem malpractices in audience measurement.
    Rarely is the scope of future challenges so clear, as it is for Asian governments looking at the video industry.  It is time to move to meet those challenges in a pragmatic and realistic way.

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/drupal7.indiantelevision.co.in/files/styles/large/public/jhon_0.jpg?itok=TsRQkaOVThe writer is Chief Policy officer of Hong Kong based media industry group CASBAA. The views expressed are personal and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them
  • Guest Column: Regulating video in Internet age: Pressing challenges, slow movement

    Guest Column: Regulating video in Internet age: Pressing challenges, slow movement

    Video markets in Asia, as in other parts of the world, are being swept by a wave of commercial and technological adjustment to the rise of internet-delivered video, frequently referred to as “OTT” television.  Unfortunately, in most countries adjustment of regulatory policies by governments is way behind.

    Asia’s cities, in particular, are rapidly being wired for broadband connectivity.  In developing countries like Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and India a broad digital divide has opened, with major urban areas enjoying improving connectivity and the countryside still reliant on more traditional modes of video delivery to consumers. 

    That divide is a problem needing attention, but in the meantime urban populations, at least, are enjoying a “sweet spot” of improving broadband and adequate disposable income to pay for services consumers want.  As a result, they have become the object of a “race to serve” on the part of video providers on every scale:

    • Traditional pay-TV operators are upgrading their VOD offerings and broadening device access to include smartphones and tablets. 

    • At the same time, new entrants are seeking to construct the right content offerings at the right price to win over consumers.  Major global providers (Netflix and Amazon Prime) entered Asia during 2016, and immediately were confronted with the need to adapt a global approach to Asian realities (including lower price points).

    • A raft of regional Asian OTT platforms have expanded their offerings (including Viu TV, Hooq, IFlix, and Catchplay), alongside a plethora of locally-oriented offerings (like Hotstar, Dittotv and Voot in India, plus Toggle, Monomaxx, Doonee, USeeTV, MyK+, etc., in Southeast Asia.)

    These market developments have significantly ratcheted up the pressure on governments, who are seeing more and more consumers migrate to lightly-regulated (or totally unregulated) online content supply, and away from the heavily-regulated traditional TV sectors.   Governments are in a quandary – most do not wish to impede their citizens’ access to global information sources, but at the same time they see evident challenges to long-established policies for content acceptability, broadcaster licensing, taxation, advertising etc.   At the extreme, “pirate” OTT services happily locate offshore, respect no rules and meet no obligations of any kind (not limited to copyright authorization), all the while reaping millions in subscription and/or advertising revenues.  Local content industries are crying foul. 
    This very unbalanced competitive landscape causes deep damage to network operators, content creators at home and abroad, and investors in local economies.  In general, it isn’t possible to subject online content supply to outdated “legacy” broadcasting rules, so alternative solutions have to be considered, including self-regulatory approaches (which can gain acceptance from legitimate OTT suppliers, if not the pirate scofflaws) and lightening the burdens on existing players.

    So far, despite various governments in our region trumpeting a desire to update regulations to suit the digital age, only piecemeal measures have been adopted.  Several “major policy reviews” in places like Australia, New Zealand and Singapore have produced thin gruel in the way of concrete adjustments.  That said, to policymakers’ credit, there are now a few examples showing how existing rules can be lightened to allow licensed video providers to give consumers more of what they expect, in the internet age.  South Korea relaxed rate regulation on cable TV operators so they could compete more fairly; Singapore eased its content censorship on VOD over pay-TV networks, to more closely match the approach used for online content suppliers; Vietnam allowed pay-TV providers to construct their own content offerings with different foreign channels instead of hewing to a single national content list.

    So a start has been made, but there remains a huge work to be done; a vast thicket of taxes, licensing rules and interventionist regulation constrains licensed pay-TV providers throughout Asia and these burdens will have to be reduced to attract investments for modernizing network infrastructure and developing local content offerings.   Even governments for whom this is not much of a current issue can see the future coming:  more and better broadband is on the way for Asian consumers, and like viewers everywhere they will be looking to view their content online.  

    Unfortunately, ingrained habits die hard.  Hong Kong’s regulators are wasting energy in a fight with major broadcasters over whether product placement in programming is too prominent; TRAI is going the wrong way – actually seeking to extend and tighten rate regulation on digital content when supplied by traditional cable operators; Thailand – eager to justify the high bids for digital terrestrial licenses – levies burdensome “must carry” rules on cable and satellite operators; Indonesia’s content regulators are pushing protectionist “made in Indonesia” rules for ads on traditional TV platforms.   (Who looks at prices charged, products touted, or ad origins for online content?)

    A better approach is reliance on self-regulatory systems wherever possible.  Many issues (e.g. product placement, ad origination, content guidelines) should be the object of clear rules negotiated by industry bodies which can be applied by the respective players to online and offline networks.   The ad industry is very accomplished at doing this; in the UK, for example, advertising self-regulation is being extended to online platforms as well as traditional ones.
    In another corner of the industry, India’s own BARC is showing well how self-regulatory bodies can wield substantial influence, as it seeks to stem malpractices in audience measurement.
    Rarely is the scope of future challenges so clear, as it is for Asian governments looking at the video industry.  It is time to move to meet those challenges in a pragmatic and realistic way.

    http://www.indiantelevision.com/sites/drupal7.indiantelevision.co.in/files/styles/large/public/jhon_0.jpg?itok=TsRQkaOVThe writer is Chief Policy officer of Hong Kong based media industry group CASBAA. The views expressed are personal and Indiantelevision.com need not necessarily subscribe to them