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  • How Patient Groups are Shaping Arthritis Management with Dr. Chandrasekhara S

    Mission Arthritis India’ (MAI) organizes National Patients’ Convention

    PUNE:  Apart from moral support and information resources, patient support groups will have a larger role to play in the research, advocacy, guidelines, and influencing policy decisions opined Dr Chandrasekhara S, President IRA (Indian Rheumatology Association). He was speaking at the annual ‘National Patient Convention’ organized by Mission Arthritis India (MAI), a voluntary support group for patients of arthritis and rheumatism since 2000. Chief Guest Dr. Chandrasekhara S, President IRA, Guests of Honour Dr. Kiran Seth, Senior Consultant Rheumatologist, Delhi, Dr. Kavita Krishna, HoD Rheumatology, Bharati Vidyapeeth Medical College, Mrs. Manisha Sanghavi, Director Sancheti Healthcare Academy along with Dr. Arvind Chopra Director and Chief Rheumatologist Center for Rheumatoid Diseases (CRD), Sharayu Bhat, Founder Member & Trustee, MAI, Deepa Mehta, Chairperson, MAI, Shweta Kulkarni, Secretary, Rani Parasnis, Trustee, Mission Arthritis India, & Shivani Barve, Treasurer were present on the occasion. The Annual souvenir was also released on the occasion. 

    More than 100 patients and about 15 rheumatologists came together to discuss various aspects and management of rheumatoid arthritis.

    Dr Chandrashekhara S, President of IRA (Indian Rheumatology Association) said that the way we see, treat, or manage patients of autoimmune arthritis has changed. The concept itself has changed over the last twenty-five years. We now have choices with more than 40 to 50 drugs. Which one to give, when to give, how much to give, there is a lot of research that goes on. Therefore guidance and recommendations are key. The disease itself is complex and affects different persons differently. Hence apart from moral support and information patient support groups will have a larger role to play. Dr. Chandrashekara pointed out two areas the first being research where advocacy groups, associations, and societies can help create funds for research which can be useful for the medical fraternity and can change the perspectives of treatment and management. Secondly, referring to the Western world, he said that patient groups need to push themselves to be a part of advocacy in terms of creating some guidelines. Patient support groups should also play an active role in presenting various issues like insurance to the Government and other policy-making bodies.

    Addressing the patients, he said that arthritis keeps coming but your spirits should not die with it. When we start walking fall is inevitable, we should get up and get walking, and when we look at it from this perspective things change 

    Dr. Kiran Seth, Senior Consultant Rheumatologist, Delhi said that every human being has the power to fight the disease but also to create an environment where they can inspire others to fight it. Following prescription, diet, exercise, mental health, and attitude are key for arthritis patients to make life easier. 

    Dr. Kavita Krishna HoD Rheumatology said that it is true that arthritis is seen more in women, especially autoimmune arthritis.

    It is challenging for women with arthritis. Correct diagnosis, treatment, and control of modifiable factors like weight management, low-impact exercises, diet, medication and can help in pain management.

    Mrs Manisha Sanghavi, Chairperson of Sancheti Healthcare Academy said that arthritis can slow us down but the human spirit is far superior.

    The highlight of the program was Late Shri. P C Nahar Oration Award was conferred to Dr Vaijyanti Lagu Joshi one of the first female rheumatologists in Pune.

    CRD Vat Viruddha Yoddha Award was given to Shalaka Burande from Pune &  Vachasamrita S, Co-Founder of Lupus Trust  India, Kochi was conferred Shri Haribhau Rathiji Vat Viruddha Yoddha Award.Shweta Kulkarni. Secretary MAI gave the welcome address, Deepa Mehta, Chairperson MAI said this year is an important milestone for us as we celebrate the SILVER JUBILEE year.Deepa Mehta, Chairperson of Mission Arthritis India said this year is an important milestone for us as we celebrate the SILVER JUBILEE year. The platform is for seeking knowledge from renowned doctors about arthritis. The patient support group for arthritis provides emotional support, a sense of belongingness, understanding others’ similar concerns in a nonjudgemental environment, sharing experiences, and information, and making all understand that they are not alone. This helps in empowering the patients and helps them make informed decisions.Dr.Arvind Chopra Director and Chief Rheumatologist Center for Rheumatoid Diseases (CRD) said that if we want to create awareness about bone and joints at every level, we need people who can be a bridge between doctors and patients. And that was the reason we started this support group ‘ MAI’. Awareness, Knowledge, and empowerment are the main pillars of MAI.

  • Pensionable Age Cut: Will the age for additional pension for retired employees be reduced? know latest update


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    Pensionable Age Cut: The government has assured that the payment of additional pension is made automatically through banks and pension distribution agencies. Instructions are also issued from time to time to avoid any delay or disturbance in this.

    There has been a long standing demand to reduce the existing age limit for additional pension to retired central employees. However, the government has once again clarified its stand on this matter. The central government said that there is no plan to reduce the minimum age eligibility for additional pension to retired central employees.

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    There is no approval for reducing the minimum age limit for additional pension
    The central government has made it clear that the minimum age for additional pension will remain 80 years. In response to a question asked in the Lok Sabha, the government said that there was a proposal to increase this limit to 65 years, but it has not been approved.

    An MP asked whether the government was considering reducing the age limit to 65 years as recommended by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Pensioners’ Grievances and, if so, sought details about it.

    In response to this question, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said in the Lok Sabha that on the recommendation of the Sixth Pay Commission, the government has approved 20% additional pension at the age of 80 years, 30% at the age of 85 years, 40% at the age of 90 years, 50% at the age of 95 years and 100% at the age of 100 years.

    He said that as age increases, especially health-related needs also increase, so provision for additional pension has been made. But there is no plan to reduce the minimum age eligibility for additional pension.

    Will the rules on additional pension age change for central government employees?
    The Parliamentary Standing Committee had recommended giving additional pension from the age of 65 in 2021. The government considered it and also submitted its report in 2022. After this, the committee decided not to pursue the issue further. That is, at present the government has no plans to reduce the minimum age eligibility.

    How are central government pensioners paid?

    The government has assured that the payment of additional pension is done automatically through banks and pension distribution agencies. Instructions are also issued from time to time to avoid any delay or disturbance in this.

    How will the impact of rising inflation on pension be reduced?

    Dearness Relief (DR) is given to pensioners, which applies to both their basic pension and additional pension. Its rate is the same as that of Dearness Allowance (DA).

    Possibility of change in pensionable age in future?

    At present, the government does not intend to make any changes in this rule. But in view of the rising inflation and cost of living, the government will keep an eye on this issue. It is clear from this decision of the government that one should not expect to get additional pension before the age of 80 years. At present, Dearness Allowance is the only support for retired central employees, through which they can get some relief.

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  • Knox Suite – Enterprise Plan: Full-control enterprise mobility management 

    You’ve decided to equip your large-scale enterprise with Samsung devices — a smart choice for today’s connected business world. But managing thousands of devices efficiently and securely requires more than just hardware. That’s where the Knox Suite Enterprise Plan comes in. Designed for large organizations with advanced IT needs, like enterprise mobile device management, this plan gives you complete control, unmatched security, and actionable insights to optimize your operations — no matter how big your team. 

    At Samsung, we believe business solutions should fit your needs, not the other way around. That’s why Knox Suite – Enterprise Plan leverages our fully fledged mobile solutions designed for business and optimized for Galaxy to help you manage and secure devices with precision, so your team can focus on what matters most — growing your business.

    Here’s what you get with the Knox Suite – Enterprise Plan: 

    • Advanced unified endpoint management (UEM): Simplify IT enterprise endpoint management with precise control over your Samsung devices. From deploying policies to configuring updates, Samsung’s UEM gives you the tools to manage thousands of devices seamlessly with powerful cross-platform management and compatibility with Android, Windows, iOS, macOS, Chrome OS, iPadOS, and Wear OS.
    • In-depth device analytics: Make data-driven decisions with detailed analytics on device usage and performance. Gain insights and visibility that help you optimize efficiency, minimize issues, identify potential threats, and maximize ROI. 
    • OS update control: Stay in control of operating system updates across your device fleet. Ensure updates happen on your terms, reducing downtime and compatibility issues. 
    • Enhanced business features: Turn Samsung devices into powerful business tools. Use mobile devices as barcode scanners, set up kiosk mode, and enable configurations tailored to your business needs. Features also include sign-in automation for shared devices.
    • Simple and easy deployment: Simple, over-the-air (OTA) configuration and enrollment allows IT admins to quickly and easily manage a large fleet of Samsung devices.

    Already have an existing UEM but want to unlock more advanced Knox tools? The Knox Suite – Companion Plan perfectly complements your current setup, delivering the best of Samsung’s business capabilities.

    Not ready for Knox Suite – Enterprise Plan? See how Knox Suite Plans compare and check out our full Introduction to Knox Suite Plans.

    Get more details about the Knox Suite – Enterprise Plan here or contact a Samsung sales representative today for a personalized consultation. We’re here to support your success every step of the way. 

  • How Samsung desktop monitors are helping power the future of hospitality signage

    Emerging technologies like AI, automation and predictive analytics are quickly transforming hotel management and the guest experience. The latest generation of desktop monitors plays a big part in enabling users to leverage these new technology tools to enhance customer interactions, streamline operations and promote hospitality products and services.

    Samsung desktop monitors are popular not only because they help hoteliers achieve these goals but they also provide a pragmatic and cost-conscious way to level up pre-existing hotel IT setups and drive digital transformation at scale. Here’s how.

    Where desktop monitors make a difference

    When choosing the best desktop monitors for your hospitality property, you want to consider more than just screen size, resolution and connectivity options. What parts of your business will use these devices? Here are several common areas where monitor solutions, such as Samsung’s 24-inch or 32-inch ViewFinity S6 (S60D) and Samsung’s 24-inch and 32-inch ViewFinity S6 (S60UD), can raise the game of your current IT setup and hospitality business:

    Hotel business centers

    Mixing business and leisure — aka “bleisure” — is giving hotel business centers new relevance, as guests increasingly incorporate a few hours of work into their holidays. It has become easier and more productive with the latest desktop monitors, including Samsung’s ViewFinity S6 (S60D) and ViewFinity S6 (S60UD). Both boast stunning 2560 x 1440 QHD resolutions, and 100Hz refresh rates ensure a smooth workflow. They can be daisy-chained across two monitors controlled by a single mouse and keyboard, thanks to the built-in KVM switch. The USB-C port on the monitors also enables simultaneous data transfer and 90W charging, while a built-in LAN port allows ethernet connections with guest laptops.

    Digital transformation and the guest experience

    Learn how a single, unified digital solution can elevate and personalize your guest experience.
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    Front desk reception

    Empowering front desk staff to quickly keep tabs on virtually every aspect of hotel operations, streamline check-ins and surface individual guest preferences is becoming increasingly critical. Providing USB-C, LAN and daisy-chain capability, Samsung ViewFinity desktop monitors make these tasks easier to conduct by grabbing data from multiple screens and sources. Easy setup with split screen, picture-in-picture, and picture-by-picture display options helps staff monitor more operations simultaneously, increasing efficiency and response times.

    Back-of-house administrative offices

    From lighting and temperature controls to hospitality signage and billing operations, back-office functions are becoming more centralized and streamlined. Here, too, Samsung’s ViewFinity S6 monitors can make a difference by enabling easy connections between data sources and devices. They also boast adjustable viewing options and TÜV-certified Intelligent Eye Care to reduce eye strain, making it simpler than ever to visualize and ingest large volumes of data.

    Corporate headquarters

    Executives at corporate headquarters need to consider the big picture, and both Samsung desktop monitors help make that happen. In addition to being optimized for connectivity with myriad devices and data sources, they’re also graphically enhanced to create vivid graphs and charts, render intricate designs and complex diagrams, and produce dynamic video content. Corporate teams can further enjoy bulk-pricing discounts on orders.

    Food and beverage outlets

    A picture speaks a thousand words, and when displayed in 1.07 billion brilliant colors that look vibrant from every angle, they inspire action. That’s particularly true when it comes to food and beverage, where monitors can make the day’s specials look more tantalizing than ever. Silky-smooth refresh rates and higher pixel density visuals make for pictures and videos so lifelike they’ll make guests’ mouths water.

    Health clubs and spas

    Facilities and treatments will appear even more tantalizing on the Samsung ViewFinity S6 (S60D) and Samsung ViewFinity S6 (S60UD) monitors, especially when integrating audio and video content demonstrating these services — and their revitalizing effects. These might also include virtual tours of these facilities that may make guests more comfortable stepping inside.

    Integrating monitors with hospitality signage

    Cutting-edge desktop monitors don’t just operate on their own but are part of a larger digital signage strategy. Predictive technology and data collectors in digital signage, for example, can be channeled to desktop monitors to help hoteliers hyper-personalize offers, services and stays. At the same time, the monitors offer guests a dynamic access point to engage these services and products, enhancing the customer relationship on every front.

    Across the board, hotel digital signage bolsters these efforts, helping inform, guide and empower staff as they interact with guests. Adding desktop monitors to this technological ecosystem helps hotels make the most of this. Collectively, it all adds up to hoteliers creating a technology-forward hospitality business that works more efficiently and effectively than ever before by tying all digital elements together in an organized system.

    Bang for the buck

    One more upside of Samsung desktop monitors is the value they bring for the price. That’s important because 94% of IT decision makers plan to invest around $74,337 on average on high-tech hospitality signage and solutions this year alone, according to a 2024 survey by Amadeus. Coupled with a growing push to see measurable returns on new technology investments, such as tangible boosts in bookings and more cost-efficient property management practices, desktop monitors offer a way to achieve these goals at a low price point. That means the new displays don’t just expand tools and capabilities for hospitality businesses but provide a practical and powerful IT upgrade.

    Get your free guide to learn how Samsung desktop monitors are production hubs. Also learn how to daisy-chain multiple monitors for premium productivity.

  • Hewlett Packard Enterprise drives agentic AI era with an intelligent, unified data layer for AI – CRN

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise drives agentic AI era with an intelligent, unified data layer for AI – CRN

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise unveiled a unified data layer for AI, deeper collaboration with NVIDIA, and significant enhancements across its enterprise data storage portfolio. Enterprises will be able to achieve quicker time to insight through easy access, built-in intelligence and governed control of multi-vendor, multicloud data through HPE GreenLake cloud.

    The new unified data layer brings together both structured and unstructured data, speeding up the AI data lifecycle through a combination of HPE’s high-performance data fabric and leading enterprise storage with sophisticated data intelligence. When deployed with the new NVIDIA AI Data Platform, organizations will be able to feed their AI applications, models and agents intelligently with AI-ready data.

    “To thrive in the agentic AI era, data management must undergo a fundamental shift. With our unified data layer, intelligent storage, and HPE Private Cloud AI, enterprises can run AI at scale—wherever their data lives,” said Fidelma Russo, executive vice president and general manager, Hybrid Cloud and CTO at HPE. “Our approach for harnessing highly distributed, hybrid data in collaboration with NVIDIA gives organizations a competitive edge, while accelerating time to value.”

    “NVIDIA and HPE are working together to pave the way for AI agents to connect to business knowledge through high-performance intelligent data infrastructure. The AI data platforms we’re building together will enable enterprises to leverage their data during inference to power AI reasoning that delivers insights and drives action,” said Justin Boitano, vice president, Enterprise Software at NVIDIA.

    HPE and NVIDIA transform the entire AI data pipeline to accelerate business insights

    The rise of agentic and physical AI is set to radically increase data generation and use from edge to cloud, but today the fragmented and distributed nature of enterprise data limits AI-driven insights. Together with NVIDIA, HPE will accelerate the entire pipeline of data through the unified data layer and the new NVIDIA AI Data Platform.

    Built on NVIDIA’s expertise in AI workflow optimization, the NVIDIA AI Data Platform is a customizable reference design for integrating NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking and AI software with enterprise storage to transform data into actionable intelligence. HPE will support the NVIDIA AI Data Platform through HPE Private Cloud AI as well as HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000, HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 and HPE GreenLake for File Storage. The platform speeds AI reasoning workloads with specialized AI agents that use NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, including NVIDIA AI-Q Blueprints, NVIDIA NIM microservices and new NVIDIA Llama Nemotron reasoning models.

    To ensure high-speed AI data access, HPE Alletra Storage MP will also expand support for NVIDIA Networking.

    Additionally, HPE GreenLake for File Storage, the file storage service for HPE Private Cloud AI, is now validated for enterprise AI Factories with the new NVIDIA-Certified Storage Program. This program is designed for enterprise deployments and represents a significant step forward in ensuring that enterprise AI factories are built on a foundation of high-performance, reliable data solutions.

    HPE accelerates AI time to value with AI-ready data across hybrid cloud

    The intelligent, unified data layer is designed to expedite data flow across HPE GreenLake cloud and multi-vendor, multicloud environments with:

    • Unified, seamless edge-to-cloud data access: HPE Data Fabric Software, which will now support HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 and Apache Iceberg, is the data backbone of the HPE Private Cloud AI data lakehouse and the unified data layer. HPE Data Fabric ensures AI models are consistently supplied with optimized, high-quality structured, unstructured and streaming data.
    • AI-ready data with advanced intelligence: The latest advancements to HPE Alletra Storage MP X10000 will enable organizations to create AI-ready object data with new automated, inline metadata tagging. Enterprises can infuse their object data—as it is stored—with intelligence that accelerates ingestion by downstream AI applications. HPE expects to further accelerate the X10000’s performance through the ongoing collaboration with NVIDIA to enable a direct data path for remote direct memory access (RDMA) transfers between GPU memory, system memory and the X10000.

    “The VodafoneZiggo vision is to transform into an autonomous network driven by data and AI, with a Network Data Hub (NDH) for Assurance Data,” said Jannie Minnema, Head of Operational Support Systems Assurance and Tools, VodafoneZiggo. “The HPE Data Fabric is the foundation of our NDH, enabling our journey towards secure and seamless connectivity. HPE Data Fabric supports us to deliver data-as-a-service with data unification, governance, intelligence, orchestration, and transformation.”

    HPE expands block storage with unified file storage, Microsoft Azure cloud storage and integrated ransomware detection

    To simplify data management, the HPE Alletra Storage MP B10000 is expanding to enable customers to address more diverse workloads via unified file access, enhance ransomware protection, and easily move data between on-prem data centers and public clouds.

    • Superior flexibility and economics with unified storage: HPE is the industry’s first vendor to support disaggregated scale-out unified block and file on a single operating system (OS) and storage architecture. With a common storage architecture and OS, customers can manage their entire environment as a unified fleet, which reduces management complexity and improves efficiency.
    • Simplified management with AI-driven hybrid cloud experience: New HPE Alletra Block Storage for Azure simplifies data management and workload placement across hybrid cloud with software-defined storage on Microsoft Azure. Comprehensive AIOps automate provisioning and support, creating the foundation for autonomous storage management.
    • Minimize Ransomware Risks: Customers can now safeguard data with multi-layered ransomware detection and protection. The combination of new native ransomware detection and recovery in the B10000 array and Zerto means data is protected across storage arrays and apps.

  • India expresses concern over situation in Gaza, calls for release of hostages 

    Indian government ash expressed concern over the current situation in Gaza following resumption of Israel airstrikes
    India expresses concern over the current situation in Gaza. Photo Courtesy: Unsplash

    The Indian government on Wednesday expressed ‘concern’ over the escalating tension in Gaza where at least 400 people died after Israel attacked the region.

    “We are concerned at the situation in Gaza,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a statement.

    He said the release of the Israeli hostages captured by Hamas during the October 7, 2023 attack is ‘important’.

    “It is important that all hostages are released,” the spokesperson said.

    “We also call for supply of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza to be sustained,” he said.

    UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday spoke of new “intolerable” suffering for Gazans following the resumption of deadly Israeli airstrikes, underscoring three immediate needs: a renewed ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and the unconditional release of hostages.

    “We will not give up on these objectives,” António Guterres said during a press encounter at the UN Office in Geneva.

    Aid Blocked

    In a statement issued earlier in the day, UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said Guterres was “shocked” by the Israeli strikes, which reportedly killed hundreds overnight.

    He issued a strong appeal for both sides to uphold the ceasefire and allow humanitarian assistance to resume.

    Briefing the Security Council on the dire humanitarian situation, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher confirmed that Israeli forces had resumed widespread airstrikes, accompanied by new evacuation orders.

    “Our worst fears materialised,” he said, describing the renewed hostilities as a devastating setback to recent humanitarian efforts – marking the return to “abject fear” in Gaza.

     Fletcher reported that since 2 March, Israeli authorities had cut off all lifesaving supplies – food, medicine, fuel and cooking gas – into the Gaza Strip.

    “Food is rotting and medicines are expiring,” he warned, adding “Our repeated requests to collect aid sitting at Kerem Shalom crossing have been systematically rejected.”

    Ceasefire gains reversed

    Fletcher further warned that modest humanitarian gains made during the 42-day ceasefire had been wiped out.

    “During that period, over 4,000 trucks of aid per week entered Gaza. We reached two million people,” he said, noting also that 600,000 received polio vaccinations and maternity care for 5,000 births.

    “The suspension of aid and commercial materials is reversing the progress that we achieved during that brief period. Essential survival resources needed are now being rationed,” he added.

    At least 400 people died and hundreds of others were injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, marking the biggest attack since the January 19 ceasefire commenced.

    Speaking on the airstrikes, Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas was responsible for the war.

    “Hamas is responsible for this war,” he said.

    “Israel will fight and win and we will destroy Hamas,” he said.

    Earlier, Hamas accused Israel of attacking “defenceless civilians”, adding that the US bore “responsibility for the massacres” in Gaza, after it emerged Israel briefed the US on the strikes prior to launching them, BBC reported.

  • The ROI of retail digital signage and media solutions for small businesses

    In just a few years, shopping has undergone a revolution. With digital options exploding in number, it’s increasingly important for small businesses to take advantage of technology to keep up in the market. This starts with a full embrace of the digital world — and the features people love about it. Rather than seeing the digital and physical as separate, it’s time to focus on integrating them.

    Retail digital signage is an effective tool to blend the digital world with the brick-and-mortar environment and create a more seamless journey for customers. The latest generations, such as Samsung displays, can do far more than just flash static ads. When matched with loyalty programs, content management systems, geolocation and other digital assets, they can achieve the frictionless, personalized experience that shoppers have come to expect today. This drives engagement, boosts loyalty and increases return on investment (ROI).

    Here’s how digital displays can help small business retailers thrive.

    Personalized shopping experiences that drive sales

    As data-driven marketing becomes more sophisticated, shoppers expect high levels of convenience and personalization. That goes for small businesses, too. Retailers that step up to meet these expectations by supplying data-driven, personalized offers are seeing growth in basket size, upsells and ROI. This requires not just the hardware but also the software. In-store digital signage with a robust and dynamic content management system (CMS) is the key to success.

    How digitizing retail experiences boosts ROI

    Explore customer behavior with and the operational benefits of a complete digital retail ecosystem.
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    Samsung VXT, an innovative, cloud-based CMS, enables small businesses to easily create, schedule, manage and monitor content specifically for digital signage, improving outcomes. For example, with VXT Canvas, retailers can create custom content tailored to specific brands, promotions, events and even weather to drive sales. Software partner Sprinklr offers yet another platform to do the same on Samsung displays. Another feature shows the displays connected to each event and the success or failure of each screen, helping managers assess performance and strategy.

    The graphic element adds more options to make a visual impact and target attention. In addition to thousands of fonts, templates and preloaded images, users can upload their retail media and VXT Art (sold separately) to apply more than 10,000 pieces of content from world-class art museums and galleries — often an ideal pairing for luxury brands.

    Batteries Plus, a consumer electronics chain, offers an example of how digital signage integrated with VXT can enhance ROI. The company uses Samsung 4K UHD LED displays as “silent salespeople” to promote products triggered by real-time weather alerts.

    Self-service capabilities for faster transactions

    In retail, fast, frictionless transactions are the goal, which helps explain why so many consumers prefer self-serve technologies. In fact, Salesforce’s 2024 State of the AI Connected Customer report shows that 61% prefer self-service for simple issues. Its State of Service report shows the impact of self-service on success, with 80% of high-performing service organizations providing a self-service option. These perspectives make digital kiosks a particularly powerful upselling and cross-selling tool.

    Samsung Kiosk allows businesses to implement self-serve technology quickly and easily. The intuitive, interactive kiosk boasts an all-in-one ordering and payment system that accepts cash, credit cards and contactless solutions such as barcodes, QR codes and near-field communication for digital wallets.

    For restaurants in particular, Samsung Kiosk can come preinstalled with GRUBBRR proprietary restaurant management software, or other menu platforms like Bite, PAR or Nanonation. Using AI and machine learning, the system knows how to daypart and feature more popular or profitable items higher on the digital menu board. As at Batteries Plus, restaurants can connect products with weather events, promoting soup or hot chocolate on a cold day and ice cream and slushies on a scorching one. Self-checkouts also never forget to upsell, which increases profit-building activity and ROI. And partners like PopID simplify ordering and make transactions even smoother with easy kiosk login.

    Lucrative loyalty programs

    Another way retailers can increase wallet share is by integrating in-store technologies with lucrative loyalty programs. That pays off quickly. Research from the 2024 Achieving Customer Amazement study noted that 81% of customers prefer companies offering personalized experiences. That perception of improved customer service significantly impacts business, as the same report noted that 85% of customers will go out of their way to go to a company with better customer service.

    The personalization that Samsung digital displays and software enables transfers to loyalty programs. When customers feel like a business knows them and understands their purchasing patterns, they will likely stay loyal to that business. Samsung Kiosk partners with loyalty programs like Punchh to help achieve this through consumer data collection. Using these insights, brands can create and deploy customized, hyper-personalized loyalty campaigns that convert customers and increase basket sizes.

    Fast adaptation to customer and market needs

    Digital signage allows retailers to adapt messaging and promotions in real time to customer behavior, inventory levels, emerging trends, market shifts and other variables. For example, restaurants can quickly add and remove items from menu boards. During the holidays, stores could also customize displays to feature the season’s trending gifts.

    Speed is essential, too, and a key benefit of Samsung displays. Businesses can change content quickly and easily, be it updating pricing, displaying new products or promoting limited-time offers. Additionally, interactive digital displays can provide customers with valuable extra information that just might inspire conversion. This could include product details, reviews and recommendations.

    One novel way retailers can respond to customer and market needs is through traffic analysis. By incorporating solutions like FastSensor, which leverages AI and heat mapping to gather and analyze foot traffic data, retailers can quickly adapt to customer needs by managing queues and determining which in-store marketing messages work — and which don’t.

    Samsung Kiosk models perfectly complement this. The kiosks come in three installation types — floor stand, countertop, and wall-mounting — which allow them to fit into a wider range of spaces within the traffic flow. Their sleek, modular, space-saving design and gray-white color blend in with practically any aesthetic, too.

    The digital future of retail

    As the retail landscape evolves, businesses that embrace small business technology will be able to provide enhanced customer experiences and reap the ROI rewards of digital transformation. The tangible returns on investment in cost savings, revenue growth and customer engagement make a compelling case for retailers to make Samsung displays and end-to-end solutions an integral part of their business strategy.

    Sign up for a VXT free trial. Explore Samsung’s wide selection of digital signage and commercial displays and how they can help drive retail traffic and sales.

  • LEO1’s Fee Reimbursement Model Now at Jyothy Institute of Commerce and Management

    Bangalore 19th March 2025 : LEO1, an edu-fintech company, has partnered with Jyothy Institute of Commerce and Management, Bangalore, to introduce the Fee Reimbursement Card on campus. This first-of-its-kind card incentivizes students and parents for timely and advance fee payments while streamlining the institution’s financial processes.

    rajesh1

    Families are motivated to pay tuition fees on time as it rewards them with LEO1 Coins, where 1 LEO1 Coin equals one rupee. The card functions like a regular debit or credit card, enabling students to manage various expenses both on and off campus. With every transaction, students earn LEO1 Coins, which can be redeemed with 200+ brand partners, including PVR, Zomato, Uber, Starbucks, Myntra, and more—transforming everyday spending into valuable savings.

    In addition to benefiting students, the partnership brings LEO1’s plug-and-play fee management software to the campus, simplifying administrative processes by tracking payments in real-time and managing student data efficiently. The partnership also addresses cash flow challenges through LEO1’s incentivization module, reducing manual efforts and enabling the institution to focus on expanding its academic and extracurricular offerings.

    Rohit Gajbhiye, Managing Director & Founder of LEO1, said: “Managing educational expenses effectively remains a challenge, often creating financial strain for both students and institutions. LEO1 addresses this with India’s first Fee Reimbursement Card, enabling students to earn redeemable coins on every payment. These coins unlock discounts and vouchers, helping to ease costs and make education more accessible.”

    He further added, “We are excited to partner with Jyothi Institute of Commerce and Management to bring this initiative to life. We are witnessing rapid adoption of the LEO1 model, with a total of 50 lakh LEO1 Coins redeemed in 2024 and an impressive 20 lakh Coins consumed in just January 2025. This trend is very promising, showing that students and families are actively embracing the opportunity to earn LEO1 Coins through timely payments, helping to reduce their financial burden to some extent. This collaboration aims to reshape the financial experience for students and institutions, empowering Jyothy Institute to enhance its offerings while enabling students to focus on their academic goals with greater confidence.”

    Rajesh K, Executive Director, Jyothy Institute of Commerce and Management, said “At Jyothy Institute, we are focused on enhancing the educational experience through innovative solutions. Partnering with LEO1 to introduce India’s first Fee Reimbursement Card will streamline financial transactions for our students and parents, while rewarding timely payments. This initiative not only simplifies financial management but also promotes financial literacy among students and reduces some of the financial burden on families.”

    LEO1’s platform also offers easy EMI-based fee financing. Students can top up their wallets, track their spending, and build better money management habits. To date, more than 5 lakh students have benefited from LEO1’s solutions, helping reduce financial stress and improve financial security. LEO1 was the finalist in IFTA for most innovative fintech start-up of the year in 2024.

  • Lenovo hybrid AI advantage with NVIDIA boosts business productivity and efficiency with new scalable Agentic AI solutions – CRN

    Lenovo hybrid AI advantage with NVIDIA boosts business productivity and efficiency with new scalable Agentic AI solutions – CRN

    At NVIDIA GTC, Lenovo unveiled new Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA solutions designed to accelerate AI adoption and boost business productivity by fast-tracking agentic AI that can reason, plan and take action to reach goals faster. The validated, full-stack AI solutions enable enterprises to quickly build and deploy AI agents for a broad range of high-demand use cases, increasing productivity, agility and trust while accelerating the next wave of AI reasoning for the new era of agentic AI.

    New global IDC research commissioned by Lenovo reveals that ROI remains the greatest AI adoption barrier, despite a three-fold spend increase1. AI agents are revolutionising enterprise workflows and lowering barriers to ROI by supporting employees with complex problem-solving, coding, and multistep planning that drives speed, innovation and productivity. As CIOs and business leaders seek tangible return on AI investment, Lenovo is delivering hybrid AI solutions that unleash and customise agentic AI at every scale.

    The AI solutions combine Lenovo’s full-stack AI portfolio and ready-to-customise use cases with new platform options that will support the latest NVIDIA Blackwell Ultra platform, NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition GPUs, and networking innovations to empower organisations everywhere to accelerate applications, such as AI reasoning, agentic AI and real-time video generation.

    “Lenovo continues to drive smarter AI for all, bringing together AI models, data and computing power – running on devices, edge, and cloud, and connected with network- to deliver AI solutions that empower human innovation and enable productivity gains,” said Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang. “Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA integrates cutting-edge services and the next evolution of Blackwell accelerated infrastructure to help enterprises easily scale agentic AI across private and public AI models that deliver substantial benefits in effectiveness, cost, efficiency, security, accessibility and customisation.”

    “Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA combines cutting-edge services with the latest NVIDIA Blackwell platform to deliver end-to-end AI solutions. This empowers Indian enterprises to seamlessly scale agentic AI across private and public models,” said Amit Luthra, Managing Director, Lenovo Infrastructure Solutions Group, India. “With AI adoption in India set to contribute over $500 billion to the economy by 2025, businesses can now develop and deploy AI agents within weeks—driving productivity, efficiency, and innovation. At Lenovo, we are committed to accelerating this transformation and delivering real ROI at scale.”

    “AI agents that can reason and adapt are redefining how we work,” said NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang. “NVIDIA and Lenovo are providing the essential infrastructure to power AI inference and reasoning at scale—bringing generative and agentic AI from research labs into real-world enterprise applications.”

    Hybrid AI defines the next Era and fuels Agentic AI

    Data exists everywhere – in manufacturing, retail, banking, healthcare business locations, enterprise data centres and in the public domain. Hybrid infrastructure allows data to be collected, stored, processed, and then fed into enterprise AI models for training in the hybrid cloud, and provides inferencing at the edge or on devices with training models.

    The new offerings leverage Lenovo’s leadership in hybrid infrastructure and the recently announced Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA to efficiently scale agentic AI across business locations using a factory-type approach that turns data intelligence from everywhere into transformational outcomes.

    Fully validated and tested Agentic AI use cases

    The Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA framework includes the Lenovo AI Library, which consists of a portfolio of customised, tested and proven use cases empowering teams to be more productive and deliver AI. Agentic AI can be uniquely accessed on personal devices, workstations, and data centres across enterprise locations and enable ROI in key areas, such as:

    • Content Generation – Automating content creation up to 8x faster, enhancing quality, and personalising customer interactions.1
    • Customer Service – Improving customer service efficiency by 50% with reduced response times, automating chatbot interactions, and reducing handling times by 20%2
    • Knowledge Assistants – Breaking down data silos, enhancing enterprise knowledge sharing, and automating workflows, such as faster contract reviews. For legal teams, for example, this has boosted productivity by up to 80% and enhanced accuracy by 45%.3

    At NVIDIA GTC, Lenovo debuted the Lenovo AI Knowledge Assistant, a digital human assistant that engaged in real-time conversation with attendees to transform their event experiences and navigation. Powered by the Lenovo agentic AI platform, the solution enables organisations to rapidly customise Lenovo AI Library use cases and operationalise new AI agents and assistants within weeks. The demo was customised using the digital human NVIDIA AI Blueprint and NVIDIA NIM™ microservices, running on a Lenovo PX ThinkStation.

    Attendees used natural voice and language to interact with the AI assistant about relevant event details, maps, schedules and meeting locations, maximising their time and optimising navigation. The demo brings to life how Lenovo’s tested and proven solutions can help businesses get customised agentic AI up and running faster, connecting and collaborating with customers and employees on a whole new level to improve outcomes and experiences.

    The Lenovo agentic AI platform, the industry’s most complete on-prem agentic AI solution, simplifies deployment so customers can scale agentic AI across personal, enterprise, and public environments to automate workflows, boost productivity, and accelerate decision-making. Fully integrated with the NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform, it includes essential software toolkits, advanced data tools, pre-trained models, and automated deployment features. Lenovo AI services and experts provide guidance to streamline adoption while ensuring AI delivers real value. The platform also prioritises security and trust with a Responsible AI framework and a GenAIOps dashboard for centralised AI management, performance monitoring, and bias detection.

    Enterprise-ready hybrid AI factory for scalable growth

    As the world transitions to accelerated computing for AI workloads, Lenovo is helping businesses quickly build, scale and operate their own AI factories — high-performance, scalable and protected environments for delivering trusted AI solutions. These new platforms help organisations efficiently build, scale and integrate agentic AI across business locations using validated designs that support multiple workloads with standardised, modular, hybrid deployment options. The factories simplify AI training, inferencing, and deployment—whether on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge.

    Delivering full-stack data centre infrastructure that includes workstations, servers, networking, storage, partner solutions and services, the hybrid AI factory platforms are built with Lenovo Validated Designs based on NVIDIA Enterprise Reference Architectures and NVIDIA-Certified Lenovo ThinkSystem servers. The factory options include the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR675, 680, 685 servers and storage solutions using NVIDIA Hopper GPUs, NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, NVIDIA Grace™ CPUs, NVIDIA Spectrum-X networking, and NVIDIA BlueField DPUs.

    For data centres, the Lenovo ThinkSystem SR675 V3 server, equipped with NVIDIA H200 NVL, NVIDIA Networking and NVIDIA AI Enterprise software platform delivers exceptional performance for AI and HPC workloads. The platform scales from a single server, with just 4 GPUs as a starter environment, to a rack scalable unit (SU), offering a turnkey infrastructure solution that enables enterprises of all sizes to quickly deploy a hybrid AI factory or extend their existing IT infrastructure.

    Lenovo’s AI factory ecosystem also includes:

    • AI-ready Lenovo ThinkStation PX workstations with NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Workstation Edition and NVIDIA AI Workbench for developers.
    • Lenovo Neptune liquid-cooled AI infrastructure, efficiently powering AI at scale and built with the next generation of NVIDIA accelerated computing for cloud service providers tackling LLM workloads.
    • Lenovo AI fast start services for rapid deployment, integration, and scaling that helps businesses deploy use cases and prove business value in 90 days or less.

    Driving the next AI breakthroughs

    Across industries, Lenovo hybrid AI solutions are already transforming healthcare, finance, manufacturing and retail—from summarising medical research and automating compliance reporting to enhancing customer experiences with intelligent recommendations. Lenovo and NVIDIA are working with leading institutions and enterprises to unlock AI’s potential. In Germany, Lenovo secured the first NVIDIA GB200 project with the Technical University of Darmstadt to advance scientific discoveries. The project will feature the new energy-efficient Lenovo ThinkSystem SC777 V4 Neptune systems, advanced high-performance servers powered by Lenovo’s 6th generation Neptune direct water-cooling platform and services. This collaboration builds on the strong partnership between Lenovo and Technical University of Darmstadt, further enhancing the sustainable and high-performance ‘Lichtenberg NHR-Stage 1’ Supercomputer with a pioneering next-gen Grace-Blackwell partition.

    To optimise the patient experience and medical evaluations in preventive health check-ups, the healthcare software development company, Artificial Intelligence System for Human Analysis (AISHA) trained an AI model to analyse MRI scans using a Lenovo and NVIDIA hybrid AI solution. The AI model can analyse a full-body scan in just 30 minutes—over 99% faster than manual analysis—providing doctors with rapid insight and enhancing the patient check-up experience.

    “Without the power of the Lenovo and NVIDIA solution, the model would simply not be able to exist. Lenovo and NVIDIA are unmatched in the field of AI,” said Dr. Juan Pablo Reyes Gonzalez, Head of AISHA.

    The future of AI is hybrid

    By simplifying AI adoption and scalability, Lenovo Hybrid AI Advantage with NVIDIA solutions are helping organisations across industries unlock data from anywhere to harness AI for real business value. 

  • Deloitte announces strategic alliance to redefine customer engagement and retention with CleverTap – CRN

    Deloitte announces strategic alliance to redefine customer engagement and retention with CleverTap – CRN

    Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP has entered a strategic alliance with CleverTap to help businesses transform their customer engagement strategies through data-driven insights and AI-powered automation. The partnership aims to enable enterprises to optimise customer interactions, improve retention and accelerate digital transformation.

    As businesses shift towards data-led, insight-driven engagement models, there is a growing need for real-time analytics, predictive customer insights and personalised experiences. This collaboration will focus on key sectors, such as retail, financial services, quick commerce and travel, where enterprises are seeking to create seamless, personalised and scalable customer experiences.

    Commenting on the alliance, Hemendra Upadhyay, Partner, Deloitte India, said, “In today’s hyper-competitive business landscape, delivering a personalised and customer-centric experience has become a defining factor for success. Organisations across industries are leveraging data, digital tools and advanced technologies to not only identify their most valuable customers but also to stay ahead of the curve. This partnership is not just about addressing today’s challenges—it is about equipping businesses with the tools and insights to stay competitive in an evolving digital landscape through the “power of collaboration.”

    Anand Jain, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at CleverTap, added, “Partnering with Deloitte marks a pivotal step in expanding CleverTap’s reach. Their innovative strategies and local insights, combined with our AI-driven enterprise-grade platform, will empower businesses to drive deeply personalised, scalable engagement. Together, we’re redefining customer connections and accelerating growth across regions.”

    Balaji Venkataraman, Partner, Deloitte India, highlighted the importance of customer engagement in today’s business landscape, stating, “As businesses move beyond traditional models, they need scalable, AI-driven solutions that integrate seamlessly with their digital strategies to enhance agility and drive meaningful customer engagement. This partnership will bring together Deloitte’s expertise in advisory and build and operate with CleverTap’s advanced technology for brands to enrich customer experiences, increase retention and drive long-term business value.”

    Sidharth Pisharoti, Chief Revenue Officer at CleverTap added, “Joining forces with Deloitte underscores CleverTap’s commitment to solving critical business challenges by delivering real-time, data-driven insights and personalised engagement at scale. Through our integrated solutions and joint go-to-market initiatives, enterprises can deepen customer relationships, optimise operations, and achieve sustainable growth. Together, we’re setting a new benchmark for how brands accelerate digital transformation and drive market leadership.” 

    CleverTap’s MarTech solutions, product experience platform and VoIP-based engagement capabilities will be integrated with Deloitte’s digital strategy expertise, allowing businesses to enhance personalisation, automate marketing workflows and optimise engagement touchpoints.

    In the short term, the alliance will focus on pilot projects, joint training and co-marketing initiatives to validate integrated solutions and showcase early successes. Over the mid-term, efforts will deepen through industry-specific solution development, expanded go-to-market strategies and feedback-driven optimisation. Looking ahead, the long-term vision includes co-innovation labs, ecosystem expansion through strategic partnerships and a commitment to sustainable growth metrics to drive measurable value. This roadmap will evolve through continuous collaboration, ensuring market alignment and impactful digital transformation for clients.