Zoho Opens First Office in Qatar

Zoho has recently opened its first office in Qatar, located in Doha. This move comes after significant growth in the Qatari market, where Zoho saw a 29% increase in revenue and a 50% expansion in its channel partner network in 2023.

The new office will help Zoho provide customized services, expand its local team, and strengthen its network of IT service providers and resellers.

This expansion reflects the rising demand for Zoho's business applications, such as Zoho One, Zoho Books, Zoho People, Zoho Creator, and Zoho Expense.

The announcement was made during Zoholics Qatar 2024, where Zoho also shared insights from a survey on productivity and collaboration trends among businesses in Qatar.

Zoholics Qatar 2024 was a significant event for Zoho, marking the opening of their first office in Doha. The event featured powerful insights, meaningful connections, and fresh perspectives on productivity and collaboration trends among businesses in Qatar.

Zoho also shared findings from a survey involving 3,301 employees across the Middle East and Africa, including 396 respondents from Qatar. The survey highlighted the challenges and opportunities in workplace collaboration, with a focus on the local business environment.

The event underscored Zoho's commitment to supporting digital transformation in Qatar and the wider region.

Besides India (Chennai), Zoho operates in numerous countries around the world. As of 2021, Zoho has offices in nine countries which includes United States (corporate headquarters in Del Valle, Texas), China, Singapore, Japan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), South Africa (Cape Town) and now latest in Qatar.

To recall, Zoho is also expanding within home country. To recall, in early of last month, Sridhar Vembu, CEO of Zoho, announced the setting up of a research and development (R&D) facility in eastern Uttar Pradesh by the end of this year.

Zoho's global presence allows it to cater to a diverse range of markets and provide localized support to its customers.

Tech Mahindra Opens New BPS Business Centre in Latvia, Northern Europe

Tech Mahindra has just announced the expansion of its Business Processing Services (BPS) business in the Baltic States with a new centre in Riga, Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, which is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe.

The new market expansion is a significant part of Tech Mahindra's ongoing strategy to deliver innovative technology solutions worldwide. The centre was inaugurated by Mr. Tanmaya Lal, Ambassador of India to the Republic of Latvia & Sweden, Mr. Jurģis Miezainis, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Economics, Republic of Latvia and Mr. Vilnis Ķirsis, Mayor of Riga.

The expansion of BPS business will help Tech Mahindra bolster its presence in Europe, providing local and regional customers with direct access to its comprehensive range of services, including 5G, Metaverse, Blockchain, Quantum Computing, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence. Tech Mahindra will establish a state-of-the-art Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service within the cutting-edge Jaunā Teika complex.

Birendra Sen, Business Head, Business Process Services, Tech Mahindra, said, "Tech Mahindra's expansion into the Baltic States is a pivotal stride in our growth strategy. Latvia's thriving tech ecosystem, skilled workforce, robust IT infrastructure, and favorable government policies make it an ideal hub for accessing European markets. This expansion highlights our commitment to regional growth and technological advancements in Europe, further empowering our customers to scale at speed and adapt their businesses like never before.”

The centre will employ approximately 500 professionals, further extending Tech Mahindra’s global workforce which spans over 145,000+ employees across 90+ countries.

Vilnis Ķirsis, Mayor of Riga, said, "The opening of Tech Mahindra's new service centre in Riga once again confirms the city's development and growing competitiveness. Riga is becoming increasingly attractive to global business service centres. The presence of these centres promotes both growth and innovation in research and smart technology. High-quality services improve the local business environment and increase company efficiency. We welcome Tech Mahindra to Latvia!"

Tech Mahindra’s commitment to environmental sustainability is exemplified by the new office in Jaunā Teika, Latvia’s premier business hub renowned for its dedication to innovation and sustainability. This facility is BREEAM certified, a globally recognized program administered by the Building Research Establishment (BRE). The office complex meets the highest standards of sustainable building design and features the largest electric car charging station in the Baltics, extensive multi-story parking, and adaptable office layouts to meet the diverse needs of its occupants.

Viktors Savins, CEO at EfTEN Capital Latvia, said, “The successful attraction of global corporations such as Tech Mahindra represents a notable accomplishment for property owners and our country, particularly against a slower Riga office market in recent years. These collaborations strategically position our capital as a dynamic and competitive hub for technology enterprises, contributing positively to the local economy, workforce, and overall reputation.”

Tech Mahindra Business Process Services is at the forefront of future-ready technology and has 55+ delivery centers in 15 countries that provide services in 50+ languages to 270+ global customers.

About EfTEN Capital:

EfTEN Capital is a leading real estate fund management company in the Baltic region, focusing on commercial real estate investments and offering comprehensive asset management services. With a solid track record in managing a diversified portfolio of properties, the firm aims to provide investors with attractive returns while focusing on responsible investment practices.

"EfTEN Capital" Latvian portfolio includes shopping center "Domina Shopping", office complex "Jaunā Teika", office buildings "Tērbatas Biznesa Centrs", "Duntes biroji" and "Blaumaņa Centrs", headquarters of the Latvian national airline "airBaltic", logistics centers "EfTEN Logistics Bergi", "EfTEN Logistics Piepilsetas", "EfTEN Logistics Ķekava" and "DSV logistics center", business and industrial complex "Technological Park Jūrkalne" and shopping center "RAF Centrs" in Jelgava. More: www.eften.lv

BPM Arm of Infosys Opens 2nd Office in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico

Infosys BPM, the business process management arm of Infosys, has announced that it has inaugurated a second facility at the Montana Industrial Park in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, a Caribbean island, Commonwealth, and unincorporated territory of the United States.

This expansion represents an investment of $200,000, supported by the Puerto Rico Economic Incentive Fund, allocated by the Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC). It will create 325 new jobs, adding to the current workforce of 300 employees.

The new office will enable Infosys BPM to serve more clients across various industries, including aerospace, healthcare, insurance, financial services, and telecommunications.

Infosys BPM's new office in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, will provide a range of services across various industries. These services include business process management, IT consulting, application development, and outsourcing solutions. The expansion aims to enhance client support and create more job opportunities on the Island.

Infosys has a presence in the Caribbean, and while the recent expansion was in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, there are other offices as well. For instance, in Costa Rica, Infosys has an office located in San Jose.

Infosys has been expanding its presence in the United States by establishing new offices.

In 2017, Infosys chose central Indiana for its first state-of-the-art technology and innovation hub. As of now, Infosys has technology hubs in North Carolina, Indianapolis, Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island. In 2012, Infosys opened a delivery center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This facility provides end-to-end technology, consulting, and systems integration services, along with a training center.

These expansions demonstrate Infosys' commitment to growth and job creation in the U.S.

Reaffirming the company's commitment to enhancing operational efficiencies, driving greater productivity, and providing exceptional value to its clients, Anantha Radhakrishnan, CEO & Managing Director, Infosys BPM, said, “Our expanded new facility in Puerto Rico is another significant step towards accelerating innovation for global companies, as Infosys BPM continues to be laser-focused on providing value from great processes and compelling experiences. We appreciate the immense support given to us by local policy makers to accelerate our vision for shared progress.”

Infosys BPM Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Infosys Limited (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY), was established in April 2002. It offers integrated end-to-end transformative business process management (BPM) services and have journeyed through the table stakes of effectiveness and efficiency with an ever-increasing focus on enhancing stakeholder experience and empathy. Infosys BPM enable clients to navigate their digital journey, operating from 45 delivery centres across 16 countries, with over 57,500 people from 111 nationalities.

HCLTech Opens New Offices in New Jersey and California

HCLTech, a leading global technology company, announced the opening of new offices in East Brunswick, New Jersey and Santa Clara, California, further strengthening its footprint in North America.

The New Jersey office is already operational, while the Santa Clara location is scheduled to open in mid-August.

The company celebrated the office launch in New Jersey with a traditional Indian ceremony, a community service activity with employees and a grand opening party with clients and partners. The Santa Clara office will officially open in mid-August.

Situated at prime business hubs on the NJ Turnpike and California Highway 237 respectively, the facilities are outfitted with state-of-the-art technology spaces to foster collaboration, creativity and culture for its people, while bringing services and innovation closer to clients and ecosystem partners.

According to Chief Marketing Officer Jill Kouri, “The offices will offer all of the post-COVID features of modern workspaces that will encourage our people to want to work from the office. Both locations will feature HCLTech’s Customer Experience Center (CEC) showcasing the best of company’s innovations and capabilities, including our immensely popular AI and Cloud Native Labs.”

“The inauguration of HCLTech's East Coast headquarters in New Jersey is a testament to our 2019 economic mission to India," said Governor Phil Murphy. “We’re thrilled that it has resulted in the expansion of their New Jersey footprint, underscoring the growing preference innovative enterprises have for making New Jersey home to their strategic hubs. With its cutting-edge office now established in our state's nucleus, this fast-growing tech trailblazer, specializing in GenAI, Cloud, and other emerging technologies, will undoubtedly make significant contributions to, and reap rewards from, our dynamic innovation ecosystem and the AI moonshot we have launched."

With the addition of the two new offices, HCLTech now has ten offices, 26 delivery centers and seven labs across North America. The company has over 23,000 people in North America and is ranked a number one employer in North America by the Top Employer Institute.

These new offices reinforce HCLTech's global delivery network and complement its existing presence in North America, with other key locations in Dallas, Seattle, Raleigh-Durham, Toronto and Vancouver.

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 227,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around digital, engineering, cloud and AI, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending March 2024 totaled $13.3 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

Cybersecurity Platform BluSapphire in Expansion Mode, Unveils New Office in Hyderabad

Full-stack cybersecurity platform BluSapphire Cyber Systems has kickstarted its pan-India expansion by moving into a new office space in Madhapur, Hyderabad. This comes a few months after BluSapphire raised $9.2 million as part of its Series A round. The company is also ramping up efforts to expand its team, in contrast to the current trend of mass layoffs at tech firms.

The Hyderabad office of BluSapphire is 8500 square feet in size and is situated in Cyber Gateway, Hi-Tech City in Madhapur, Hyderabad. It can accommodate 120 employees. The huge scope of growth available in Hyderabad prompted BluSapphire to choose the city. Hyderabad is rapidly scaling up and now boasts one of the best metro infrastructures in India. The cost of living in the city is approximately 40% lower than that of other metros in the country. Moreover, Hyderabad possesses a substantial talent pool and offers high quality of living. The Government of Telangana is actively promoting innovation and striving to transform Hyderabad into a global destination.

Commenting on the launch, Kiran Vangaveti, the CEO and founder of BluSapphire, said, “The launch of this office is a milestone for BluSapphire in its expansion journey. Hyderabad’s favourable environment will be a launching pad for BluSapphire’s growth. Our plan is to expand our research and development, in alignment with our robust product roadmap, and bolster our global security operations to serve our clients across the globe better.”

Currently, BluSapphire’s Hyderabad team size is 75+, and the company anticipates adding 50+ professionals in the next two quarters. As such, BluSapphire has embarked on an aggressive hiring spree.

BluSapphire is an industry-first, purpose-built, cloud-native, Hybrid XDR™ platform powered by AI and Big Data analytics. Along with technology, BluSapphire offers managed detection and response services enabling organisations to quickly transform their cybersecurity posture, resulting in faster time to value and allowing faster cyber breach detection and mitigation, thereby reducing the organisation’s overall business risk posture. It was founded in 2017 by Kiran Vangaveti, a veteran of the cybersecurity domain with almost 17 years of experience. Observing that cybersecurity programmes always stayed counterproductive with negative ROI due to siloed technologies and/or service implementation with no automation lever, Vangaveti launched BluSapphire Cyber Systems, a hyper-growth cybersecurity SaaS platform and a Gartner Cool Vendor. Besides India, BluSapphire has a presence in the US and has expanded into the Gulf as well.

In 2022, BluSapphire Cyber Systems raised $9.2 million as part of its Series A round. The round was led by Barings Private Equity India, with participation from cross-border VC firm Dallas Venture Capital, Binny Bansal-backed xto10x, RPG Ventures, and Merisis Venture Partners.

About BluSapphire

BluSapphire, a Gartner Cool Vendor, is a hyper-growth cybersecurity SaaS platform. Founded in 2017 by Kiran Vangaveti, the platform solves the industry gap in security operations and visibility space. The full-stack AI and predictive analytics coupled with MDR services enables clients to prevent sophisticated cyber attacks across cloud, on-prem and hybrid work environments.

DXC Luxoft Expands its Presence in India with Inauguration of New Pune Office

The new office will enhance DXC Luxoft’s ability to develop, and seamlessly deliver tailor-made, end-to-end software solutions to clients in Pune and across the region

Luxoft, a DXC Technology Company (NYSE: DXC), has formally inaugurated a new office in Pune, India, to enhance its servicing offerings and capabilities for its global clients. The new office in Pune has a headcount of over 120 top professionals, with plans to expand in the coming years, which is in line with DXC Luxoft’s strategic growth vision in the region.

DXC Luxoft’s expansion in Pune is at a time when the region is experiencing tremendous growth in the automotive and fintech industry, driven by a vast talent pool, an accelerated pace of digital adoption, and its position as an engineering and software services hub in India. This new office will not only act as flexible office space for employees in the Western part of India, but will also serve as one of DXC Luxoft’s Global Delivery Centers (GDC), extending the reach of DXC Luxoft’s global offerings and seamlessly delivering customized, end-to-end software solutions to clients, many of whom are in the automotive, banking, and several other industries who are embarking in their digital transformation journey.

“Pune has been one of our key strategic locations for expansion in India. We are confident that the new office opening here will give us right skills in several domains that we work for our clients and hire the scale to meet our customer demand–” said Madhusudan Deshpande, Managing Director for India & APAC, DXC Luxoft. “The synergies in our new location in Pune are similar to our first location in Bangalore. In the last four years, we have scaled Bangalore to almost 2,000 employees – and the aim is to replicate our results with Pune,” said Deshpande.

Situated in the prominent business hub of Hinjewadi, DXC Luxoft’s Pune office is situated within ​​the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park, positioning it favorably among a host of tech companies and business parks and offering employees easy access to transportation and a variety of amenities.

Apart from Pune, DXC Luxoft has a presence in two other locations within India – Bengaluru, which was established in 2017, and Chennai, which was recently established last year. In addition to expansion efforts in India, DXC Luxoft has also amplified its presence across the Asia Pacific region in recent years. DXC Luxoft’s global footprint now stretches across five continents and 23 countries, with more than 17,000 employees.

About DXC Luxoft

DXC Luxoft, a DXC Technology Company (NYSE: DXC), is a digital strategy and software engineering firm providing bespoke technology solutions that drive business change for customers the world over. DXC Luxoft uses technology to enable business transformation, enhance customer experiences, and boost operational efficiency through its strategy, consulting, and engineering services. DXC Luxoft combines a unique blend of engineering excellence and deep industry expertise, specializing in automotive, financial services, travel and hospitality, healthcare, life sciences, media and telecommunications. For more information, please visit www.luxoft.com

Lal10 Sets Up 7 Satellite Offices to Digitise Textile factories (MSMEs) PAN India

In the first phase, centres have opened in Jaipur, Hyderabad and Varanasi

With a vision to digitise the MSMEs in India for global trade, Lal10, a cross-border B2B tech-enabled full-stack platform, has announced that it will launch seven satellite offices across seven states by the end of June 2023. With 2292 MSMEs in its fold, Lal10 has become the largest pan-India aggregator of textile factories.

The MSME sector of India is one of the biggest contributors to the nation's GDP and the export markets, with a 30 percent and 50 per cent share respectively. Digitising these factories, Lal10 claims to be the largest cloud-export house from India to the world. This expansion is in line with the start-up's strategy to leverage technology and transparent supply chains to unleash the latent potential of these MSMEs for global trade.

It is opening offices in Varanasi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur, and Noida, all of which are close to the country's major centres for textile production. These centres are at the mouth of manufacturing, where the company will digitise these textile factories. The supporting regional offices will be empowered with a Production Manager who will head operations, a Quality Control Manager who will be responsible for uniform product quality as per global standards and the Catalogue Manager who will look after up-skilling the manufacturers and teaching them how to 'come online' and reap the benefits of economies of scale in raw material and finance sourcing, efficient inventory management while being updated on global design trends.

This expansion is in keeping with the scale planned by Lal10 to service its midsize to large-scale global buyers in the US, UK, Japan and the Middle East. With its current base of MSMEs already on-boarded with an unutilised capacity of $600M, Lal10 is already among the top export houses in the country. It aims to add another 12,500 Indian MSME partners with an output of $1 billion in the next 3-4 years. 

Commenting on this expansion, Maneet Gohil, CEO and Co-Founder, Lal10 said, "With such huge global demand for textiles, Indian MSMEs have enormous potential to grab a larger share of the export market. There is an immediate need to enable more textile hubs from India to plug this demand and provide a large assortment of products. The traditional Indian textile hubs are only contributing to domestic markets. We are leveraging technology to map these factories on production, streamline processes for quality and design and make the systemic changes which were due for Indian manufacturing to go global. Tech built to support our regional operational expertise at the satellite offices is helping us build for scale. We will be the largest export house from India in a span of the next 18 months.”

Currently, there is a huge discrepancy between the few big exporter belts of the country and the rest of the MSMEs which have tremendous production capacity but lose out due to systemic inefficiencies which are easily addressed through transparent technology solutions. Lal10 consolidates the raw material demand of our MSMEs helping them to get the best quality inputs at the lowest costs, eliminating the long line of middlemen. It also connects them to banks and NBFCs providing them affordable credit which is at least 10-15 per cent cheaper than what they currently get from the exploitative informal financing sector. To keep pace with global trends we also upskill our MSMEs with 300-400 designs per month.

Lal10's revenues increased by 1200% in the previous year with the current MoM growth clocking at 70-80 per cent. The company strives to provide the broadest selection of goods to its customers from all parts of the nation through an exhaustively mapped out, transparent supply chain and now services 200+ mid-size to large buyers and 12+ marquee brands in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and the Middle East. Satellite offices in Jaipur, Hyderabad, Noida and Varanasi are already live with 3 more centres set to go live shortly.

Amid Rising Sea Levels, World's Largest Floating Office Launched

The world’s largest floating office, Floating Office Rotterdam, pictured on its voyage through the Dutch waterways [Image - powerhouse-company.com]

What if sea levels rise due to climate change and which is certainly be the case sooner or later. Willem-Alexander, the King of the Netherlands, has launched carbon-neutral floating office - "Floating Office Rotterdam (FOR)" in September this year.

The 3-storey floating office structure offers a glimpse into how the world population might work with the effects of climate change in future when rising sea levels caused by climate change are expected to bring more frequent and severe floods.

FOR is one of a number of buildings that have been redesigned to exist on the water in anticipation of rising sea levels, floods and land loss.

Image - Weforum.org

With its own solar energy source and water-based heat-exchange system, the floating office FOR is completely self-sufficient. Built entirely of timber wood, to minimize its carbon footprint, the floating office building has three stories and is accessed via a boardwalk. Overhanging balconies around each floor plus a pitched roof provide shade. FOR also features public facilities: a restaurant with a large outdoor terrace and a swimming pool.

The project is supported by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon – whose non-governmental organization, the Global Center on Adaptation, is located there – as well as International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.

By 2050, over 570 low-lying coastal cities, including Kolkata and Mumbai, will face projected sea level rise by at least 0.5 meters. Sea level rise and flooding can impact essential services such as energy, transport, and health. When Hurricane Sandy struck New York in 2012, coastal floods impacted an estimated 90,000 buildings, 2 million people lost power, which caused extensive damage and disrupted commercial activity to a cost of over $19 billion.

Many coastal communities around the world already live with the threat from sea level rise and coastal flooding; where climate impacts can drown neighbourhoods, put people’s lives at risk and wreak economic havoc.

SOURCE - WEF

Robotics Firm Addverb Technologies Announced Opening of Singapore Office to Further Extend their Global Footprint

Global robotics company Addverb Technologies, announced expansion of its footprints in South East Asia by establishing their first offshore entity in Singapore. The new office will serve as a strategic location and will focus on serving the company's South East Asian customers by providing them best-in-class automation solutions to improve the efficiency and accuracy of their intra-logistics operations.

Continuing with innovative practices, human-centric products, and solutions to embrace Industry 4.0, this will be the company’s first office in this region. This decision deliberately focuses towards increasing brand awareness, exploring new partnership and business development across Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, South Korea and Australian sub-continent.

Commenting on the expansion news Mr. Sangeet Kumar, CEO and Co-Founder, Addverb Technologies said, “We are extremely delighted to share this development amid the ongoing pandemic. Singapore strategically holds a significant importance in the Asia Pacific region with a great potential of developing as an innovation hub.”

He further added, “Over the next few quarters, we are targeting to reach the potential customer base and establishing brand presence by showcasing our products and solutions in various seminars and global Robotics’ events of South Asia region. Keeping this in mind, we have also participated in the Home Delivery Asia Virtual 2020, which is Asia’s first-of-its-kind virtual event dedicated to Retail Logistics. This would set the stage for embracing new partners, customers and suppliers to further enhance our vision of offering comprehensive solutions in the intra-logistics automation and robotics space.”

Addverb envisions to grow three-fold in the next three years and plans to attract volumes of local and international talent through this expansion. The brand also recently partnered with leading retail, food & beverage, FMCG, e-commerce, fashion, healthcare etc from Phillippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.

About Addverb Technologies - With a vision to disrupt the Indian manufacturing and supply chain industry, the home-grown company ‘Addverb Technologies’ is a pioneer in implementing state-of-the-art robotic and automation solutions across factories and warehouses. The company has been building robotics and automation technologies in India which are suitable for a wide range of businesses from Fortune-500 companies to small and medium-sized businesses. It leverages technologies such as AI, Machine Learning, Robotics, Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS), Shuttles, IoT along with their in-house software solutions such as Warehouse Management System, Warehouse Control System etc to improve the performance and accuracy of warehouse and factory operations. They provide end to end automation solutions using a unique approach of 4D’s (discovery, design, develop and dedicate), i.e., discovering the right automation for a customer’s problem, designing the solution to manufacturing the product and project execution and dedicated after-sales support.