Officenet Commends Digital Advancement with POSH Compliance Feature

Mumbai, 12 March 2025: Officenet, a leading HRMS solutions provider, has enhanced its platform with a new digital approval system to streamline compliance with the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act. This addition enables organizations to automate policy acknowledgment, ensuring seamless adherence to workplace safety regulations.

In response to the Supreme Court’s directive for stricter POSH compliance, Officejet has introduced a new feature enabling seamless digital acknowledgment of the POSH policy within its platform. Employees can review and confirm their acknowledgment, ensuring transparency and adherence to workplace safety regulations, while HR administrators can efficiently track and maintain compliance records. The integration also includes AI-powered compliance tracking, automated monitoring, reporting, and policy acknowledgment reminders. Non-compliance cases are escalated automatically, reducing administrative burden and reinforcing a safe, inclusive, and regulation-compliant work environment.

“With digital transformation reshaping HR processes, automating compliance is a natural step forward. By integrating digital POSH approvals into our platform, we simplify regulatory adherence while reducing administrative effort, making HR operations more efficient,” said Ms. Sonali Chowdhry, CEO of Office.

 The platform also offers comprehensive POSH training integration, allowing organizations to educate employees on workplace safety and legal compliance. Furthermore, customizable compliance features enable businesses to tailor policies and reporting structures to align with their internal frameworks.

As a deep-tech HRMS provider integrating AI and Machine Learning, Officenet continues to enhance automation and compliance features. The platform serves over 500 mid- and large-cap enterprises, including industry leaders such as Havells, LG Electronics, Prince Pipes, JBM Group, Trivitron Healthcare, Acme Generics, Bajaj Auto, Vishal Megamart, among others.

Nisara Perfumes Commends Timeless Elegance with New Oud Gift Set

March 12,2025:Nisara Perfumes, a renowned brand known for its exquisite and high-quality fragrances, proudly unveils its exclusive ‘Oud Gift Set’—a meticulously curated collection featuring four opulent Oud scents: Rose Oud, Musk Oud, Leather Oud, and Glorious Oud. Crafted for true fragrance connoisseurs, this set encapsulates the richness, depth, and allure of Oud in its most refined form.

Each fragrance in this luxurious collection offers a unique olfactory journey. Rose Oud intertwines floral elegance with the richness of Oud for a mesmerizing blend. Musk Oud captivates with its velvety, musky appeal, and Leather Oud delivers a bold, refined character infused with smoky, leather-like intensity Glorious Oud exudes warmth and sophistication with its deep woody undertones

According to Tarvinder Pal, Co-Founder & CEO of Nisara Perfumes, “As a brand that stands for craftsmanship and excellence, we wanted to offer something truly special for fragrance enthusiasts. The Nisara Oud Gift Set embodies the finest Oud blends, bringing together tradition and innovation in a way that appeals to today’s connoisseurs. This collection is more than just a fragrance set, as it is an invitation to experience the timeless opulence of Oud.”

Designed for those who appreciate sophistication, the Nisara Oud Gift Set transforms the art of gifting into an extraordinary experience. Whether for personal indulgence or as a luxurious present, this collection is a perfect harmony of tradition and modernity.

Lazy Never Felt Better Pepperfry Launches CLOUDDIO Campaign

Mumbai, March 12th, 2025: Pepperfry, India’s leading e-commerce furniture and home décor company, has launched its latest mattress brand, CLOUDDIO, with the new campaign ‘Lazy Knows What Lazy Wants.’ In a world obsessed with hustle culture, CLOUDDIO flips the script, celebrating those who embrace comfort, and rest unapologetically. Whether it’s hitting snooze guilt-free, turning the bed into a second home, or perfecting the art of doing absolutely nothing, this campaign redefines relaxation. More than just a mattress, CLOUDDIO is designed for scrolling, snacking, binge-watching, and lounging—because true comfort lovers know exactly what they want, and now, they have it.

The campaign challenges the notion that laziness is a flaw, proving instead that it’s a lifestyle—one that demands the perfect mattress. CLOUDDIO is crafted for those who don’t just sleep but truly live in their beds. With premium comfort and expert-tested, it supports every lazy-day essential, from binge-watching marathons to midday naps. After all, embracing the lazy life isn’t just about indulgence—it’s about balance. Taking time to rest and recharge is essential for reducing stress, improving well-being, and boosting productivity when it actually matters. Because when it comes to relaxation, no one knows better than the pros of doing the bare minimum.

Hussaine Kesury, Chief Business Officer at Pepperfry, shared, “CLOUDDIO isn’t just a mattress; it’s a rebellion against hustle culture. With ‘Lazy Knows What Lazy Wants,’ we’re celebrating those who take their relaxation seriously and embrace the slow life without guilt. We believe comfort is more than just sleep—it’s about creating a space where you can truly unwind, recharge, and be yourself. CLOUDDIO is crafted for those who make their bed the coziest place on earth, and we’re proud to be their partner in ultimate relaxation.”

So go ahead, hit snooze again, stay in bed a little longer—CLOUDDIO has got your back.

Join the Movement. Because lazy isn’t a flaw, it’s a lifestyle.

Trend spotting; Magicbricks Poll: 58 Percentage Homebuyers Prefer Plots for first-time investments

New Delhi, March 12, 2025: Magicbricks, India’s leading real estate platform, has observed a growing preference for plotted developments among first-time investors, who are drawn to their higher appreciation potential and long-term capital returns. According to a recent poll conducted by Magicbricks surveying approximately 2,200 homebuyers, 58% of respondents preferred investing in plots, followed by commercial spaces (17.1%).

Platform insights from Q4 2024 (October-December) indicate that Bengaluru accounted for the highest demand for plots (36.5%), followed by Chennai (11.0%) and Lucknow (8.9%). Notably, Lucknow recorded the highest preference for plotted developments, with 42.66% of property buyers in the city opting for plots over other property types.

The platform further revealed that plots ranging between 1,000–2,000 sq. ft. commanded 46.76% of the total demand in Q4’2024, highlighting a preference for mid-sized land parcels. Additionally, 50.83% of investors preferred plots priced up to INR 50 lakh, reinforcing the growing interest in affordable land investments.

According to Magicbricks, the average price of plots in Hyderabad stood at INR 2,765 per sq. ft., with Shadnagar, Kadthal, and Sadashivpet emerging as the leading supply hubs. Lucknow (INR 2,836 per sq. ft.) and Chennai (INR 3,208 per sq. ft.) were also identified as affordable cities for plotted investments.

In contrast, Gurugram (INR 21,901 per sq. ft.) and Noida (INR 22,523 per sq. ft.) were positioned as premium markets for plotted developments. However, Greater Noida, with a relatively affordable average price of INR 7,654 per sq. ft., can potentially emerge as a promising investment destination within the NCR region.

With plotted developments witnessing strong investor interest and developers responding with integrated township projects, this segment is set to play a key role in shaping India’s evolving real estate landscape.

Strong Real Estate Surge: Hyderabad’s Outskirts to House 12-15 percent of Grade A Offices by 2030

Gurgaon, India, 12 March 2025: Hyderabad’s real estate growth is rapidly expanding beyond its core hubs, with peripheral areas emerging as the city’s new growth frontiers. Fueled by prominent upcoming infrastructure projects such as the Metro Phase II extension, proposed Regional Ring Road (RRR), and industrial corridors, Hyderabad’s peripheral areas hold immense growth potential in the coming years. Additionally, supportive government policies such as Information & Communication Technology 2.0, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) policy, Data Center policy, etc., a conducive business environment, and relatively affordable real estate price points are set to make Hyderabad’s peripheries increasingly attractive for businesses and investors.

While established hotspots in the West & Central Hyderabad will continue to drive real estate activity, peripheral areas including North, South, East, and West peripheries are expected to account for 12-15% of Hyderabad’s Grade A office stock and 5-10% of annual office space demand in the next 3-5 years, according to Colliers’ latest report, ‘Hyderabad: Emerging Real Estate Growth Hotspots’. The residential market is also set to witness significant traction, with property prices in the peripheral areas projected to rise 10-20% over the next 3-5 years.

“Hyderabad’s office market continues to mature, driving one-fifth of the demand and over one-fourth of the new supply across the top 6 cities in India during 2024. The city’s peripheral areas are set to enter a transformative growth phase, fueled by upcoming infrastructure projects and supportive government policies. The West Periphery micro-market in particular, including Kokapet, Neopolis, Narsingi, etc. is likely to witness heightened commercial activity, driven by price arbitrage compared to established IT hubs of Gachibowli & HITEC City and enhancements in metro connectivity. Both demand and supply of Grade A office spaces are likely to grow multifold in the next few years. Although average rentals in the West Periphery micro market could potentially increase by 10-15% from the current levels, the price arbitrage will persist and continue to be an attractive proposition for domestic & global occupiers, including GCCs.” says Arpit Mehrotra, Managing Director, Office Services, Colliers India.

Micromarket Definition- Old City includes Charminar, Nampally, Malakpet, Lakdi-ka-pul, Mehdipatnam, Attapur, Towlichowki, Karmanghat, etc.Central Hyderabad includes Jubilee Hills, Banjara Hills, Ameerpet, Punjagutta, Begumpet, Secunderabad, Somajiguda, Malkajgiri, Alwal, etc.

West Hyderabad includes Kondapur, Kukatpally, Kothaguda, HITEC City, Raidurg, Madhapur, Gachibowli, Financial District, Nanakramguda, Manikonda, etc. West Periphery includes Narsingi, Kokapet, Neopolis, Mallampet, Gopanpally, Nalagandla, Lingampally, Miyapur, Patancheru, Bandlaguda, etc.

While existing established markets in Hyderabad such as HITEC City, Raidurg, Kondapur, Gachibowli, Nanakramguda, etc. will continue to drive the office market, peripheral areas are likely to increasingly complement established office micro markets in the next few years. Emerging areas in the city’s periphery are likely to account for 20-25% of Hyderabad’s Grade A new supply, significantly up from a current share of less than 5%. Moreover, areas including Kokapet, Shamshabad, Uppal and Pocharam are expected to see notable rise in Grade A space uptake. Resultantly, peripheral micro markets can contribute up to 10% of Hyderabad’s annual leasing activity in the next 3-5 years. Additionally, Grade A stock in the peripheral areas can increase to 20-25 million sq ft in the next few years, from around 13 million sq ft currently. With heightened demand, average rentals across the four peripheral micro markets, too can rise further by 5-15% in the near-mid-term.

West Periphery is likely to see heightened office & residential activity Office: Driven by proximity to established IT hubs in West Hyderabad, and anticipated infrastructure upgrade in the form of Corridor 5 of Metro Phase II, peripheral areas like Kokapet & Neopolis can witness spillover office space demand in the next few years. Interestingly, the majority of the upcoming supply in the micro market already holds pre-LEED certification. Both Grade A office space demand & supply in West Periphery is projected to grow multifold times. Consequently, we can anticipate Grade A office stock in the micro market to double up and reach close to 22 million sq ft in the next 3-5 years.

Residential: Housing prices in the Western Periphery micro market have already surged by over 50% in the last five years, with further increase of 10-15% expected in prominent localities like Kokapet, Neopolis, Nalagandla etc. While upscale residential developments will continue to focus on these areas, affordable & mid-segment housing will gain larger ground in Tellapur, Lingampally, Bandlaguda and Miyapur.

Strong intra-city connectivity to drive real estate developments in South Periphery Industrial & warehousing: Within the South Periphery micro market, areas like Shamshabad, and adjoining localities such as Kothur & Shadnagar are primed for industrial & warehousing growth, benefiting from manufacturing clusters near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), the upcoming airport metro connectivity and proposed Hyderabad-Bengaluru Industrial Corridor.

Data Centers: Data Center market in Hyderabad is likely to see robust growth in the coming years driven by the State Data Center policy and the updated Information & Communication Technology policy. Leading operators have already announced their expansion plans and are likely to set up more than 350 MW of Data Center capacity in the South Periphery micro market in the next 3-5 years.

East Periphery growth to be driven by affordability & proximity to Tier II CitiesResidential: The upcoming Corridor 8 of the Phase II metro project and the proposed Hyderabad -Warangal Industrial Corridor is likely to spur residential real estate of East Periphery micro market across housing categories including plotted development and luxury villas. Areas such as Uppal, Pocharam, Nagole, Hayath Nagar, LB Nagar, etc. will continue to see strong housing demand amidst improved connectivity, and price arbitrage of 40-50% compared to central areas of the city.

Industrial & warehousing: Existing connectivity to Warangal & Vijayawada and the upcoming industrial corridor are likely to fast-track greenfield project development and catalyse demand for warehouses, logistics hubs, and manufacturing units near Pocharam, Ghatkesar, Rampally, etc. Ancillary industry development in the EV sector can also add to the warehousing demand over the course of the next few years.

“Apart from office and industrial & warehousing segments, Hyderabad’s peripheral areas are experiencing a surge in residential real estate activity. Upscale offerings in Kokapet, Neopolis, and Nalagandla etc. of West Periphery micro market are likely to witness significant traction due to its proximity to established commercial hubs. At the same time, locations within the East Periphery micro market such as Uppal, Pocharam, and Hayath Nagar, can witness an uptick in housing sales across all segments, particularly in the affordable and mid-range categories. Additionally, rental housing in industrial hubs such as Medchal in the North Periphery micro market is set to gain momentum, driven by affordable land prices and demand from industrial workers & migrants.” says Vimal Nadar, Senior Director & Head of Research, Colliers India.

North Periphery to witness traction in industrial & warehousing as well as alternative segments
Industrial & warehousing: The North Periphery micro market, led by proximity to existing industrial hubs in Medchal, Kompally, and Shamirpet and proposed infrastructure projects such as the Regional Ring Road and Hyderabad-Nagpur Industrial Corridor will drive demand for Grade A warehouses in the long-term. The micro market will continue to significantly contribute to Hyderabad’s industrial & warehousing demand driven by Third-party Logistics (3PL), retail and electronics segments. Additionally, with the influx of state-of-the-art warehouses, supply-side constraints can be mitigated to a large extent over the next 3-5 years.

Life sciences: The North Periphery micro market, driven by its proximity to Genome Valley and key R&D clusters, has the potential to complement the city’s life sciences and pharmaceutical industry. Real estate requirements and investments for innovation, research, manufacturing centers, and ‘plug & play’ laboratories are expected to rise further in the coming years. Overall nascent alternative segments such as life sciences can witness quantum growth over the next few years, backed by anticipated segment-specific policies, and incentivization of dedicated manufacturing clusters.

Lenskart Breaks Ground on New Manufacturing Facility in Telangana

12 March 2025, Hyderabad/Gurugram: Lenskart, one of Asia’s leading eyewear companies has commenced work at its upcoming state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, Telangana. They celebrated the ground-breaking ceremony on 6th March, at the new site, in the presence of Honorable Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce and Legislative Affairs, Shri D. Sridhar Babu, in the state of Telangana. This milestone marks a significant step in Lenskart’s ongoing commitment to make high quality eyewear accessible globally. The MoU signed last year with the Government of Telangana mentions that the first phase of investment will span over the next few years, setting up the facility for commercial operations.

Poor vision is one of the major causes of disability globally. In India, more than half of the population is suffering from refractive errors. Further, majority of those affected by refractive errors in India currently see their errors go uncorrected due to low awareness, limited access and lack of affordable quality eye wear. The gap presents a significant growth opportunity for the eyewear industry in India, with similar trends playing out in many other countries as well.

Lenskart is designing the Telangana facility to have a high degree of automation, enabling strict adherence to their quality principles within their efficient supply chain network, and facilitating the provision of high-quality eyewear globally. Like their manufacturing unit in Bhiwadi, it is planned to be an integrated facility with capabilities across all aspects of the manufacturing process including frame, lens and eyewear manufacturing. This facility aims to further add onto their existing manufacturing capacity and cater to India and international geographies in Asia and Middle East.

Speaking about the ground-breaking ceremony, Peyush Bansal, CEO & Co-Founder stated:
“Today’s ground-breaking is an important moment for us at Lenskart, as we continue to power the future of eyewear globally through technology and innovation. Our focus remains on delivering world-class products and designs that enable our customers to expand their quality of life and express themselves through their eyewear. We believe that this facility will not only enable us to meet the growing demand for eyewear but also create new opportunities for the community at large. We look forward to working closely with local stakeholders, Government officials, and community leaders to ensure smooth and successful project completion.”

F5 VELOS Hardware Powers AI for Service Providers and Enterprises

INDIA, 12th March 2025 – F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) announced powerful new additions to the F5 VELOS product line, giving service providers and large enterprises a unified and customizable solution to optimize modern applications required for AI, safeguard workloads, and reduce downtime across single and multi-tenant application environments.

AI applications are highly distributed, with vast amounts of valuable data traveling in complex patterns. As organizations accelerate their use of AI, high-performance traffic management and advanced security are critical. Part of the F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform, VELOS reduces complexity of large-scale AI deployments by converging availability, management, and security capabilities.

With the new VELOS CX1610 chassis and BX520 400-Gbps blade, the solution scales to multi-terabits of throughput, suitable for the highest performance NEBS-compliance standards and supporting the most demanding 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) services.

For service providers, VELOS provides 6 Tbps of high-speed L4 throughput for FWA deployments, along with an unmatched 6.4 billion concurrent connections (400 million per blade) for exceptional scalability, and 80 million L4 connections per second for firewall security. Both the VELOS CX1610 chassis and BX520 blade are already deployed in a production 5G network with a Tier-1 U.S. telecommunications provider.

“Making AI practical and simple for end users and practitioners is a massive undertaking, and legacy infrastructure is becoming a barrier for service providers and large enterprises seeking to implement AI-enhanced apps,” said Maggie Stringfellow, VP and GM, BIG-IP, F5. “With integrated load balancing and support for 5G workloads, VELOS optimizes performance, streamlines operations, and secures applications in support of hybrid multicloud environments, enabling apps, APIs, and large language models with the services required to unlock the true potential of AI.”

Delivers Comprehensive Performance for AI Workloads

F5 VELOS offers a fully integrated and tested system, providing scalable, reliable performance for any application. Organizations no longer need to engineer their individual application stacks with different combinations of server hardware and operating software, hypervisors, and ADCs. Moreover, VELOS dynamically allocates resources based on workload demands, optimizing traffic flow and ensuring AI models receive the data processing power they need without excess lag. VELOS addresses the increasingly complex and large data traffic volume demands of AI and data-intensive applications, maintaining low latency and consistent throughput for data flows. As a result, end users enjoy a vastly superior experience with AI applications.

Protects any Application from Sophisticated Threats

VELOS defends applications with F5’s comprehensive security offerings. It protects against today’s expanding threat landscape while maintaining optimal performance, enabled by offloading to FPGAs. With its 5 million L4 connections per second per blade, VELOS is primed to deliver unsurpassed firewall performance. Taking a unified, layered approach to security, F5’s extensible architecture supports numerous use cases. Highlights include:

  • BIG-IP AFM protects networks against incoming threats like DDoS attacks via machine learning, stress monitoring, dynamic signatures, and real-time attack mitigation.
  • BIG-IP DNS can hyperscale up to 100 million responses per second to manage rapid increases in DNS queries. With multicore scalability, DNS Express, and IP Anycast integration, DNS delivery can handle millions of DNS queries and ensures top application performance for users.
  • BIG-IP Advanced WAF defends apps, APIs, and data against the most prevalent attacks such as zero-day vulnerabilities, app-layer DoS attacks, threat campaigns, application takeover, and bots.

Supports Hybrid Deployments and Enhanced Automation

VELOS enables efficient management and scaling of application delivery services to meet increasing demands. It seamlessly bridges the traditional services gap between legacy and modern application architectures by supporting both F5 BIG-IP and BIG-IP Next cloud-native tenants, further realizing the promise of microservices-based architectures. With BIG-IP Next, VELOS enables seamless API integration with cloud providers, promoting consistent application delivery. In addition, supported integrations with Ansible, Terraform, and Kubernetes take advantage of automated deployment workflows, simplifying continuous integration and deployment in hybrid environments. Unifying application delivery and security with modern automation capabilities, organizations can reduce app deployment times from weeks to minutes and significantly improve operational efficiency.

“Service providers and large enterprises are experiencing increased requirements from emerging AI applications, broadband subscriber traffic, and overall application demands, leading to a critical need for increased bandwidth, low latency, and advanced application networking and security capabilities,” said Paul Nicholson, Research VP, Cloud and Datacenter Networks, IDC. “F5 VELOS offers a scalable, high-performance, and consolidated solution that brings together multiple services required into a single solution, such as DNS, firewall, DDoS, CGNAT, TCP, and video optimization capabilities. Performance and flexibility in the datacenter are of strategic importance to enhanced user and emerging AI-based services, while delivering key resilience and fault tolerance to meet business objectives.”

Availability

F5 VELOS is now available as a 16-RU (VELOS CX1610) and a 4-RU (CX410) chassis, each with support for 100 Gbps and 400 Gbps blades, with limited availability for the VELOS CX1610 chassis and BX520 blade. General availability for the new offerings is anticipated during the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.

APM Terminals Pipavav Commends Female Health Initiatives with New Sanitation Facilities

Rajula, Gujarat – March 12, 2025 – APM Terminals Pipavav inaugurated a new sanitation block consisting of waiting lounge and ten units of toilets at Smt. TJBS Girls School, Rajula.  The initiative marks a significant step in enhancing hygiene and sanitation facilities for the school’s 1,200 students. The school, which had been providing secondary and senior secondary education for over 63 years, lacked modern sanitation infrastructure until this initiative.

In addition to constructing the sanitation block, APM Terminals Pipavav collaborated with Coastal Salinity Prevention Cell to train students on menstrual hygiene management. This helped inform, educate and sensitise pupils towards health and hygiene education for young girls. These efforts highlighted the company’s consistent focus on community welfare, particularly in education and women empowerment.

Speaking at the inauguration, Seema Ben, Principal of Smt. TJBS Girls School expressed her appreciation and gratitude for APM Terminals Pipavav’s contributions. “The company’s initiatives, especially in education and women’s empowerment, have made a significant impact on our students and the community as a whole,” she said.

Over the past six years, APM Terminals Pipavav has constructed over 3,500 household sanitation units in surrounding villages and a sanitation block at Kumbhariya Primary School. These efforts aligned with the company’s broader vision of improving hygiene and sanitation standards in local communities.

Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit 2025 India Day 1 Highlights

We are bringing you the highlights from the Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit, taking place this week in Mumbai, India. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of Day 1 of the conference. Some key announcements include the Gartner opening keynote around turning disruption into cybersecurity opportunities, discussing how to protect APIs from security breaches, and exploring how integrating identity hygiene, security posture management, and identity threat detection and response can enhance organizational resilience.

Key Announcements

  1. Gartner Keynote: Harness the Hype: Turning Disruption Into Cybersecurity Opportunity – Presented by Deepti Gopal, Director Analyst, Gartner and Dennis Xu, VP Analyst, Gartner

In today’s fast-paced environment, hype — whether fueled by AI, emerging technologies, or the latest cyber attack — can pose a significant risk to strategic business objectives and the crucial partnership between cybersecurity and the broader business. In this session, Deepti Gopal, Director Analyst at Gartner, and Dennis Xu, VP Analyst at Gartner, explored how chief information security officers (CISOs) can exploit the power of hype to drive innovative and adaptable cybersecurity programs.

Key Takeaways

  • “Hype can drive organizations to overinvest in unproven technologies or cause cyber and risk teams to slow down excessively, risking missed market opportunities. However, hype often contains a kernel of truth and signals change that cannot be ignored.”
  • “Organizations are investing in hyped, cutting-edge technologies like generative AI, and the CISO plays a crucial role in balancing innovation’s rewards and risks by guiding intelligent risk-taking.”
  • “ODMs facilitate communication and agreement on protection levels with the business, enabling CISOs to harness hype and deliver mission-driven outcomes.”
  • “To harness the hype around AI, build AI literacy with a beginner’s mind, foster critical thinking, and develop AI champions to spearhead AI initiatives.”
  • “In cybersecurity, skills shortage and burnout create a vicious cycle, exacerbated by the constant influx of hype that overwhelms teams with change and disruption. Change management and learning agility can help harness this hype, ensuring team resilience.”

2. Protect Your APIs to Avoid Security Breaches – Presented by William Dupre, VP Analyst, Gartner

Cybersecurity attacks leveraging application programming interfaces (APIs) as an attack vector pose a significant threat to organizations and their sensitive data. In this session, William Dupre, VP Analyst at Gartner, discussed strategies for executing API security projects.

Key Takeaways

  • “API security breaches are a major concern among organizations, as an average API breach leads to at least 10 times more leaked data than an average security breach, causing more damage.”
  • “AI and APIs have a symbiotic relationship, with APIs playing a crucial role in training AI models. This makes securing APIs essential to protect AI systems from unauthorized access and data breaches.”
  • Gartner highlighted five steps for setting up an effective API security program:
  1. Discovery: Inventory all first-and third-party APIs.
  2. Posture Management: Identify misconfigurations and prioritize remediations.
  3. Testing: Detect API vulnerabilities through testing techniques.
  4. Runtime Protection: Monitor for malicious or suspicious behavior in API traffic.
  5. Access Control: Implement fine-grained API access control.
  • “Begin API discovery and posture management with a focus on access control issues.”
  • “Anticipate and prepare for the additional workload that comes with implementing behavior-based API runtime protection.”

3. Demystifying the Hype: Identity Security, Posture Management, Threat Detection and Response – Presented by Abhyuday Data, Director Analyst, Gartner

As identity becomes a cornerstone of business enablement, it simultaneously expands the attack surface, making it the leading vector for breaches and highlighting the need for identity-first security. In this session, Abhyuday Data, Director Analyst at Gartner, discussed how integrating identity hygiene, security posture management, and identity threat detection and response (ITDR) can enhance organizational resilience.

Key Takeaways

  • “The legacy approach to identity and access management (IAM) fails to address security risk pervasively or in real-time, prompting leaders to shift investments to identity-first security.”
  • “Cyberattacks often begin by targeting the identity infrastructure, requiring a defense-in-depth approach to IAM infrastructure that includes prevention, detection, and response.”
  • “Security leadership must understand ITDR as a security discipline and reach a consensus on who will serve as the ITDR owner or facilitator.”
  • “An IAM leader is accountable for connecting the ITDR initiative into the larger IAM program and deriving business value from it.”
  • “Collaborate with security and business teams to leverage insights from various tools, address high-risk issues, and understand their use of identity to explore intersection points.”

That’s a wrap on Day 1! You can view the complete agenda for the second day of the conference i.e. tomorrow here. If any session interests you and you would like to get more insights, you can reach out to us, and we can set up an interaction with the analyst.

Arena Animation Commends Student Talent at Immersive National Meet 2025

INDIA, March 12, 2025: Arena Animation, one of India’s leading animation institutes and a training brand of Aptech Limited, successfully hosted the highly anticipated National Student Meet 2025. This three-day event, held from March 4th to March 6th near Lonavala, provided an enriching learning and networking experience for students aspiring to build careers in the dynamic Media & Entertainment industry.
With a strong focus on Animation, VFX, Gaming, and Digital Media, National Students Meet 2025 aimed to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations. The event was designed to equip students with practical skills and exposure, ensuring they are well-prepared for real-world challenges. The program featured interactive industry sessions, hands-on workshops, and engaging discussions, bringing together students, faculty, and professionals from leading studios and organizations.
An Experience Beyond the Classroom
The event commenced on March 4th with an energetic inauguration ceremony, setting the stage for an inspiring and immersive experience. The day featured insightful sessions from distinguished industry professionals, including Ashish Kulkarni, Chairman, of Animation, VFX, Comics and Gaming Forum, FICCI, Sanjeev Naik, a Senior VFX Supervisor, and Yogesh Chhag, VP of Business, among others. These sessions provided students with valuable insights into the latest trends, technological advancements, and career opportunities in the AVGC (Animation, Visual Effects, Gaming, and Comics) sector.
March 5th was dedicated to hands-on learning through a series of workshops designed to enhance practical knowledge and technical proficiency. Students participated in diverse sessions covering topics such as Digital Portrait Sculpting, VFX Breakdown for the movie Thangalaan, Character Rigging and Animation Workflow in Unreal Engine 5.5, and CG Compositing and Integration on Live Plate. These workshops were led by accomplished professionals, including Krishna Babu from Zebu Animation, Art Director B. N. Vichar, and John Varghese and Hariharan from Hybrid 360.
A key highlight of the day was the Industry HR Conclave, which offered students an exclusive opportunity to interact with hiring experts from top studios. The panel featured HR representatives such as Niloy Kanti from Wacky Toons, Reshav Pandey and Karan Shimpi from Fluid Studio, Dipali Sawant from NY VFXWALA, and Kunjal Dedhia and Ruchi Sharma Nair from Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). These experts shared insights into hiring trends, essential skills, and career pathways in the Media & Entertainment sector.
Reflecting on the impact of NSM, Mr. Sandip Weling, Chief Business Officer, Global Retail Business, Aptech Limited and Brand Custodian, Arena Animation, said, “National Students Meet 2025 was more than just a student conclave; it was a transformative experience that equipped students with the industry exposure and practical skills necessary to excel in their careers. By bringing together industry veterans, thought leaders, and young creative minds under one roof, we aimed to foster innovation, skill development, and meaningful connections that will shape the future of the AVGC sector. Through National Students Meet 2025, Arena Animation reaffirms its commitment to empowering students with industry-relevant education and experiences, ensuring they are well-prepared to thrive in the ever-evolving Media & Entertainment sector.
Speaking about the importance of such industry interactions, Ms. Dipali Sawant, Head of Human Resources at NY VFXWALA, remarked, “Talent is everywhere, but opportunities are not always evenly distributed. The AVGC-XR VFX industry is evolving at a rapid pace, creating a demand for skilled professionals who can adapt to cutting-edge technologies and storytelling techniques. Events like National Students Meet serve as a crucial platform for aspiring artists to connect with industry leaders, gain hands-on exposure, and understand what it takes to succeed in this highly competitive field. It’s not just about learning software or technical skills; it’s about developing an artistic vision, problem-solving abilities, and a collaborative mindset. By fostering these connections, we empower students to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations, ensuring they step into the professional world with confidence and clarity.
Adding to the excitement, a Live Creative Digital Art Competition, hosted by HUION, provided students with a platform to showcase their artistic talent. This competition encouraged creativity and innovation, pushing participants to apply their skills in a competitive setting. HUION is world’s leading pen tablet display brand that builds drawing tablets and pen displays, largely used by creative professionals worldwide.