The financial year 2016-17 is predicted to be the year of acquisitions in the startup industries, with the number of acquisitions and mergers by bigger companies forecasted to surpass previous years' figures. Large companies such as Flipkart and Snapdeal are looking to make strategic purchases to consolidate cap tables and minimize competition. Read more at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/FY-2016-17-to-be-the-year-of-acquisitions-in-startup-industry-Analysts/articleshow/52444353.cms

According to Gartner's latest report on global smartphone sales of Q1 2016, the sales of the major North American companies have taken quite a hit. Apple and Samsung held on to the top two spots with 14.8% and 23.2% of the market respectively. While Huawei and Oppo were the big winners this past year, Lenovo fell off the map entirely. The ambitious projects of Microsoft and BlackBerry, though, have simply not worked, with them holding 0.7% and 0.2% of the market, and it looks extremely unlikely for them to compete with the Android market and neither company seem particularly keen to try developing their own brands with the collapsing market shares. Read more at: http://www.extremetech.com/electronics/229092-latest-smartphone-sales-data-is-grim-news-for-windows-phone

Although a vast amount of data available on the internet, we can't simply use that data because they are using different APIs, different languages, different point of access. The Open Data Protocol (OData) solves this problem. It helps the users to make a critical decision as it gives real time data from different systems. It can become the standard protocol of choice for mobile and cloud apps in the increasingly agile enterprise, as it allows users to analyze data in real-time from any number of sources. Read more at: http://www.cmswire.com/web-cms/why-odata-may-be-a-marketers-best-friend/

Amidst numerous technological advances communication gap due to language problem is a huge barrier. A technology called Pilot may be the solution to it. It's a Universal Translator cum Speech Recognition on-the-go. Being a portable device, this means you need to have 24X7 always-on data connection. How will this affect your smartphone is a big question. This is going to burn your smart phone battery so fast that even a giant Galaxy-S series battery will need to be charged every 45 minutes. This device can be one of the best answers for those who deals with foreign people through Skype, thus breaking down all cultural barriers yet letting you talk to dreamy French girls! Read more at: http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/228831-new-in-ear-device-could-be-the-beginning-of-a-world-without-language-barriers

Lifeline of today’s living culture is communication. But the way we connect with people is changing with the enhancement of technologies. Its business needs that has been driving this change and has revolutionized the communication industry. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) companies is setting this trend. Some of the hottest trends in VoIP for business right now are - VoIP Not Required; Easier Ways to Connect; Faster and Cheaper; VoIP and Then Some; Going to the Cloud. Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/voip-news/5-of-the-hottest-trends-in-voip-for-business-73294

Everybody is familiar with digital marketing. But this field requires the updates with latest trends and technology to stay in the game. Here are some trends in Digital Marketing to help you out-

1.       Social Ads: Ads provided at social media platform

2.       Facebook Messenger for business: Facebook messenger can also work like email marketing campaigns and sometimes even more efficiently.

3.       Podcasts

4.       Native Advertising: this helps in getting rid of ad blocking technology

5.       Personalized PPC

6.       Search

7.       Mobile

8.       Apps

9.       Content

10.   Popups

Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/tech-advances-business/top-10-trends-in-digital-marketing-to-promote-your-business-online-73273

Internet of Things or IoT has revolutionized the technology sector. It is the buzzword which everybody is talking about. The idea of connecting every device together sounds exciting. And this trend is obviously on the rise with more and more devices connecting to the internet daily. But one factor which no one is really emphasizing on is the security of IoT devices. So here are some habits which might help achieve the same:

1.       Get a Vulnerability Report from the Vendor

2.       Make Security Patches Part of the SLA

3.       Know Where Your Data Goes

4.       Choose IoT with Remote Firmware Upgrades

5.       Always Use Role-Based Network Access

6.       Encrypt IoT Traffic during Transit

7.       Change Default Passwords

8.       Stay Vigilant Through Constant Monitoring

Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/itmanagement/eight-habits-for-better-iot-security-73286

Well who loves a virus in their computer, hacked accounts, stolen data or corrupt data? No one right. So apart from having a nice and durable anti-virus system there are certain habits which must be developed for safe computer experience.

1.       Use a VPN everywhere

2.       Enable two-step or two-factor authentication for your online accounts

3.       Always lock your PC

4.       Encrypt your drive

5.       Make sure your own Wi-Fi network is secure

Read the complete article here: http://www.computerworld.in/how-to/5-secure-habits-paranoid-pc-user

Software development is a tough job. And what is tougher? Its managing those software projects. Its not enough to know about project management. But what really needed is keeping pace with the oh – so –fast moving IT industry. So here are some challenges that might be faced by the project management team-

1.       Globalization causing extremely high competition

2.       Legacy systems and infrastructure issues

3.       Sufficient software specific expertise

4.       SaaS offerings taking over

5.       Multiple complicated user level requirements

6.       Third-party integration and interface issues

7.       Quality testing and bug fixes requiring numerous software iterations

8.       Revenue recognition reporting requirements for the software industry

Read the complete article here: http://www.computerworld.in/feature/8-challenges-affecting-software-project-management

Election month has again arrived in India with 5 states having their state government election. All the politicians are again targeting voters with all the means they can attract their votes. The medium which highly used now a days is social media. But with its rise, will bulk messaging and voice services of the campaign see the doom? The engagement through various social media has been very beneficial because of features like pictures, info graphics, tweets, polls. But how far social media can take you. Its reach is limited is limited to the internet and it's still not available to every corner of the country. So bulk messaging and social media needs to work hand in hand for a successful campaign. Read the complete article here: http://www.computerworld.in/feature/election-campaigns-should-we-vote-social-media-or-bulk-messaging-services

Software engineers and developers often make great IT leaders. They are tech savvy, are updated with latest market trends and have the trust of the IT team. Have IT leaders in team bridges the gap between the management and your IT team. IT leader will be a person who understands both aspects of the business. So what does it takes to become a great It leader- Team building skills; Networking skills; Talent hunting skills; Smart business skills; Good communication skills; Technical skills. Read the complete article here: http://www.computerworld.in/feature/6-traits-engineers-need-succeed-it-leaders

Creators of Siri (the most popular A.I tool that serves as a personal assistant which can answer your questions, write your mails and plan your schedule), presented its sibling Viv. The creators claim that Viv will be a complete game changer in the field of artificial intelligence. But it has a long journey to cover. It must be integrated with smart phones and other smart devices. Read the complete article here: http://www.computerworld.in/news/new-siri-sibling-viv-may-be-next-step-ai-evolution

Data Scientist has been coined as the hottest job for the year 2016 by many leading platforms. But should it be the only reason to choose data science as a profession. Not at all. So here are some more reasons that can help you. The starting salaries are on the rise, you will earn more, PhDs are no more essential. There are enormous opportunities in various industries including finance, healthcare, and transportation. You get a chance to make a difference. Read the complete article here: :http://www.itworld.com/article/3063499/5-more-reasons-to-be-a-data-scientist.html

CRM has been there for years but still people wonder what is it or whether to invest in CRM or not. Well CRM is solution based software which aims to provide best service to customer while building a successful enterprise. Still wondering about CRM? Check out these reasons for investing in Customer Relationship Management Software:

·         Better Customer Relationships

·         Improve Marketing Stratesgies

·         Streamline Operations

·         Save Time and Money

·         Flexible Solutions

·         Grow Your Business

·         Increase Sales

Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/7-reasons-why-you-should-invest-in-crm-software-73050

Every business wants to flourish and stay ahead of the competition. This why they are so keen to develop ways to increase their efficiency. Well CRM or Customer Relationship Management tool does is one way to achieve the same. CRM is solution based software that enhances the relationship between customers and employees. Its power comes from its knowledge base about the customers of the company.  It constantly gathers and interprets customer data and give insights into how serve them best. Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/crm-for-success-73151

Customers are the key to any business success. The more customers you have, the more revenue you generate. But the customers don't come on their own. They get attracted by an advertisement. The company targets them with marketing strategies. All the local marketing techniques like flyers and direct mail are still used. But since marketing is an enormous activity and has funds associated with it, we must track and analyze to its optimum level. Hence CRM comes to the rescue. They are - Use CRM to bring Analytics to Paper Marketing; to Automate Communications and Improve Response Time; to bring Social to a Local Business; to motivate the sales team. Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/how-crm-software-can-maximize-your-local-marketing-73152

CRM or Customer Relationship Management industry is growing day by day which expected evaluation of $36.5 billion by 2017. More and more companies are using CRMs to harvest their data and increase their profits. Despite the growth, still some people make mistakes which cost them a fortune. So here are three blunders to avoid –

·         Ignoring Social Media Integration

·         Forgetting Mobile

·         Annoying Customers with Too Much Marketing Material

Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/3-crm-blunders-you-need-to-avoid-73160

CRM or Customer Relationship Management System helps companies in building a healthy relationship with their clients. It increases company's productivity and profitability. Having the right set of technology not only benefits your business, but also smooth your relationship with your client. So these are few factors which must be kept in mind while looking for a customer Relationship Management system for your company- Focus, Host Infrastructure, Functionality, Your budget and Deployment. Read the complete article here: http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/insidecrm/5-factors-to-consider-when-selecting-the-right-crm-solution-for-your-business-73169

Search engine optimization (SEO) is process through which web data is collected .Web design directly affects the efforts of SEO. Analytics evaluates whether these efforts are working or not. Some of the efforts by web design analytics that can robust the search engine performance is:

1. Site analytics tools give the insights about most popular content on the web site. Therefore, one can tailor the content according to the theme.

2. One of the crucial analytics related to the web design is how fast (speed) the page loads, Google will take in consideration the speed factor in ranking the page.

3. Accessibility of the site is also important.

4. The content of the site should be relevant, specific location key words must be used in order to attract more customers.

To know more read article by Vinod Jethwani : http://www.business2community.com/seo/streamlining-seo-efforts-using-web-design-analytics-01534695#kjhQ7oxU11kCZeWv.97

Today companies are gathering more and more data but are not certain of what to do with this data. For the last five years, companies are getting in to the big data practices in order to get competitive advantage. Big data is basically using analytical software to visualize unstructured data (data available to the public) and structured data (companies propriety information) .This visualization does wonders, it gives predictive sales figures, future prospective of the company and sales target .Gathering information is getting simpler with the emerging software & IoT; but sorting and filtering the huge pile of data is a complicated process.

According to a new report, an analyst spends about 50-90% of their time in just cleaning and filtering the raw data. Companies can solve this problem by improving the data software where data can have lower level of risk for data scientist and algorithms can help in data cleaning.

To know more: http://www.zdnet.com/article/big-datas-biggest-problem-its-too-hard-to-get-the-data-in/