India – the country with the largest democracy in the world signifies its importance in having a flexible yet secured payment gateway ecosystem which can help the people of the country for an easy and convenient way of doing the day-to-day transactions with advantages unmatched by the traditional payment system. “Cashless, Faceless and Paperless” are the main agenda for promoting the new payment system in the country with a long term vision plan on successfully executing the Digital India Programme by the Govt. of India.

The Need for Digital Payment Service: Technology today has reached and grown to such an extent that even the complex of things can be performed in a fraction of a second. In terms of financial assistance, till a few years back we could not imagine that money transfer could have been so easy and convenient, irrespective of the years-old traditional method where people have to go and queue in long lines in the banks to transfer the money or carry a large amount of cash which increases the risk of theft and other anti-socio activities. As such, there was a big gap in overcoming these issues which led the Govt. of India think of new and innovative tactics for a digital payment ecosystem for the common masses. The issuance of an enormous amount of paper currency by the Reserve Bank of India was also one of the important reasons for moving toward a new technology-based digital payment ecosystem in the country.

Mode of Digital Payment Services in India: With the advent of smartphones and mobile applications, people of India started getting their desired services right just through a click of a button. The entire banking system came into the palm of the hands of common people and thus made it easy for the Government to introduce various modes of Digital Payment services in the country among which one of them was the Unified Payment Interface or popularly known as UPI which later became one of the most desired methods of digital payment services in the country. Apart from UPI, the Government of India and banking institutions also promoted some of the existing methods of cashless services like Mobile Wallets, POS, Internet Banking, Micro ATMs, AEPS, Banking Cards etc.

Introducing UPI Technology: Today, if anyone in India wants to transfer money to their known ones, 90% of people’s first choice would be the Unified Payment Interface. UPI has been a revolution in the Indian finance sector and this can be stated by the fact that according to NPCI; the governing body for UPI, has recorded over 45 billion transactions in the fiscal year 2022 and is expected to reach 217 billion (21,700 crores) transactions by the financial year 2026. It is worth mentioning that companies like PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm etc. also play a vital role in the growth of this digital revolution in the country.

Role of Technology in Changing the Ecosystem: As it is rightly said by N. Chandrababu Naidu – “In information technology, money is not the issue. Willingness to implement and execute is the issue”; the desire to change the age-old payment system in the country allowed Information Technology to play its role as the primary medium to help the citizens of India experience the easiest yet a safer way of peer-to-peer (P2P) as well as person-to-merchant (P2M) payments system which forced Indian consumers to helm the technological aspects used in the financial sector. Introduction to QR-based payment facilities and transferring of funds through mobile numbers, just by the use of an application or swiping of payment cards in POS machines by the use of NFC Technology are some of the highlighting prospects in making this structure so popular among the masses.

The Growth: The MSME sector in India has grown exponentially over the recent years, thanks to the various startups in the form of fintech companies rising to the cause. Here IT companies like BoldTek also play a major role in serving entrepreneurs with the development of mobile-based applications which can be used for various online payment-related services along with other features.

Lastly, we can say, the growth of the Digital Payment System in the coming years is huge and here India can act as a role model in showcasing its technological advancements to the rest of the world which might help the country in making its dream possible of a 1Trillion Dollar economy country.

Artificial Intelligence as we all know is the growing or rather already adopted a branch of computer science which every individual or company is well aware of in today’s time. It’s the ability of a machine to be controlled via a computerized system to carry out different tasks in an efficient and organized manner, without much of the human intervention. Although it demands a high and robust coding experience, but looking at the massive advantage of implementing it at an individual or organizational level cannot be ignored.

Artificial Intelligence and its Usage

AI has been widely used in every industrial sector one can think of. Be it creating Virtual Assistants or Chatbots for a business website or its use in Retail, Fashion, Health, Sports Analytics, Manufacturing and Production, Autonomous Vehicles, Logistic Supply Chain etc., artificial intelligence is everywhere. Alexa and Google Assistant can be taken as two of the best AI-based virtual assistant examples to demonstrate how this technology has reached the lives of the common people in their day-to-day activities.

How does Artificial Intelligence work?

This is one of the most specific and desired to know questions by every individual who is related to the field of Information Technology i.e. how does AI work or what is the mechanism and working method behind Artificial Intelligence? Basically, AI systems work by combining large sets of data and leveraging their interactive processing algorithm to detect and learn the pattern and features in the data that it analyzes and constantly tries to test and measure its performance for better output results. The primary objective of the whole of the AI science is to build a computer system which will be capable to think like humans and act accordingly to solve complex problems in the shortest possible time.

Why Artificial Intelligence is important in the modern world?

Today’s world is all about automating the whole of our daily tasks; be it for an individual or from a business prospective. Especially if we look from an organizational point of view, Artificial Intelligence is very much essential since it reduces the time and effort of the employees and accordingly they can work on other productive tasks.

Also, integrating this technology for companies working in industrial sectors like logistics, supply chain and manufacturing can boost their sales and production lineup in their factories since a whole lot of tasks can be accomplished by robotic automation. Here, we can take the example of BoldTek; an IT service provider which leverages AI and ML-based predictions for manufacturing and functional defect of the product lineup for one of their global hi-tech clients.

Can artificial intelligence replace human intelligence?

Although incorporating Artificial Intelligence can hugely benefit the lives of common people and businesses but there is always a question that arises in every people’s mind – can Artificial Intelligence replace human intelligence? Well, in my personal opinion, maybe not because it’s the human intelligence that is working behind the scene and still holds the advantage in guiding effectively the work process of this technology. But, yes maybe to some extent it can replace a few jobs which are still in demand in the current market, although we know with new innovation and technology there arises a whole lot of opportunities and careers which people can pursue to live a happy and sustainable life.

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Artificial Intelligence and its future growth

There is no denying the fact that Artificial Intelligence is the next future technological advancement where tech enthusiasts and companies would definitely like to shift their focus to leverage a bigger impact on society. Job seekers who are in the field of information technology can definitely look for career options like Big Data Engineer, Data Scientist, Machine Learning Engineer, AI Data Analyst etc. which can bring enormous growth to their professional careers. Also, tech giants like Google, Amazon and Huawei have already invested billions of dollars in their R&D for strengthening their services, product delivery and new innovation for and by the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Today’s era is all about being Digital, be it in Education, Health, Finance or Consumer Discretionary whichever sector you name so. Not only been limited to big industrial sectors, but even SMBs of varied fields are also highly dependent on upgrading their businesses on the Digital platforms. As so, the need for employers in seeking employees with Digital Marketing skills has grown exponentially over the years.

Introduction to Digital Marketing

In layman’s terms, any form of Marketing which is done through the use of digital mediums is known as Digital Marketing. There are various components that are mainly associated with Digital Marketing, which every Marketing professional must be aware of to boost his/her business in this fast competitive world. A few of these components can be termed as SEO, SMO, SMM, PPC Ads, Web Design & Analytics, Content Marketing and Email Marketing among others.

However, in the context of this blog, I would highlight the importance of SEO and how it makes a significant impact on any Business growth.

What SEO Means?

Search Engine Optimization or commonly abbreviated as SEO is the optimization of web content in the search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. to make it more relevant for the algorithms to rank the page or website at the top of the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP).

SEO was introduced in the year 1991 as during that time, the world’s first website was launched which soon was crowded with many more in the later years. However, the practice really kicked off when in 1996, Sergey Brin and Larry Page built the most recognized search engine; BackRub, which eventually got the name of our beloved Google, which later registered as a domain in the year 1997. (History Source: A Brief History of SEO )

                                     SEO

How SEO Works?

The biggest question for any individual or business owner is on the technicalities of how Search Engine Optimization works or rather how this mechanism can help in the growth of any organization. To understand this, let us first know about the insights of this practice.
There are basically 3 different types of SEO; On-Page, Off-Page and Technical SEO.

A. On-Page SEO: Any optimization related to the website or web pages content in order to rank higher in the Search Engine Results Pages is referred to as On-Page SEO. Here it is mainly related to how users revamped their content by using different keywords specific to their niche.

In order to rank a user’s website or page in the top results, 2 factors play a very important role which is worth mentioning; Meta Title which is nothing but an HTML element that specifies the title of a web page. Another one is the Meta Description, which is also an HTML snippet element that showcases a brief description, summarizing a page’s content.

B. Off-Page SEO: This technique is mainly associated with action taken outside of your website to get high traffic in the form of website visitors in order to rank at the top of the SERP. Various tactics can be used for Off-Page SEO such as Social Media Marketing, Blog Writing, Backlink Generation, Forum Submission, Business Listing to name a few.

C. Technical SEO: This form of Search Engine Optimization mainly deals with the technicalities and resolving of the issues associated with the website such as broken links, unresponsive pages, low page loading speed etc. Professionals can regularly monitor their website’s performance through the use of various analytics tools such as Google Search Console, Ahrefs, SEMrush etc in order to get a better understanding and performance of their website.

Why SEO Is Important?

Till now, we have got a basic understanding of SEO and its working mechanism which might help you in getting a brief knowledge of this technology. Now coming on to how exactly it is important for businesses in their overall growth. Well, for that, the answer lies in its working mechanism. As you know, the growth of any business in today’s time is mostly dependent on its digital presence where the brands can make a significant impact of it in front of their online audiences and these audiences in return can turn into prospective buyers while visiting the websites and avail of the services or buy the products.

In the context of SEO, studies also reveal that the first five organic results account for 67.60% of all the clicks in the SERP which eventually impacts the overall increase in the ROIs of the companies.

                            Business Growth

Future of SEO

Many a time you might wonder what’s the scope of SEO in the future or even will this technique exist in the next 5 years. Hmmm, sounds quite interesting if you see the current trend in the market where everything is getting automated and on top of that, the emergence of Web 3.0 might also change the whole course of action for this decade long effective mechanism.

Well, though you can automate a few tasks to simplify your SEO tactics like Site Monitoring, Rank Tracking or Backlink Analysis, but, you cannot completely robotize this whole process as because the human intervention in this mechanism still implies high relevancy and its dominance will definitely be seen in the coming years by some form or the other even after the introduction of the next web version on how humans interact with the digital platforms.

Hey Google – What’s the weather for today; sounds quite strange, right, asking a bot about a day’s weather? But this is probably the best example I can say to describe one of the most talked-about terms in the current technology world which is the Internet of Things (or IoT).

IoT in its simplest form can be defined as the concept of connecting multiple devices to the Internet to make it work as a smart device. It can be anything from a smartphone to a smart door locking system or even a small portable smartwatch. The technology and concept behind IoT is the seamless working of devices to make it more convenient and easy to use for the users through the use of the Internet.

History of the Internet of Things (IoT): The term Internet of Things (IoT) was first coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999 when he used the phrase as a title for his presentation on a sensor project. Ever since then the term came into existence among the masses. However, the first IoT device was invented by a group of students at Carnegie Melon University in the year 1980.

IoT Devices in a nutshell: There is no question about the increasing popularity of IoT devices in the current market. Thanks to the introduction of the 5G Technology in some of the developing nations, the demand for IoT devices have surpassed to a larger extent. It is estimated that by the year 2022, there may be around 20 billion IoT smart devices up and running with on average, every individual in the US having 10 IoT devices of his own. In terms of revenue, it is estimated that worldwide spending on IoT will surpass the $1 trillion mark in 2022.

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Advantages of IoT: The Internet of Things can be characterized primarily into 2 features –

a. Automation: It involves the workflow between multiple devices without the need for human intervention.
b. Connectivity: This is probably the feature where the main concept of IoT came into existence; where it involves the establishment of devices with the help of a smart internet connectivity feature to make it more convenient and usable in terms of data sharing among the users.

Apart from the above stand out features, IoT has got numerous advantages beneath it in the form of Improved Productivity, Cost Effectiveness and Better Use of Resources to name a few.

IoT Explained: IoT comprises 5 major components for the overall functioning of the whole process. Below are the details of each of them.

1. Smart Devices and Sensors: Smart devices and sensors are the ones that are mainly involved in the collection of data and transmitting the same to the next layer. These smart devices and sensors are connected via wireless networks like Wi-Fi, ZigBee, Bluetooth, Z-wave etc. Some of the commonly used sensors in the Internet of Things include temperature sensors, pressure sensors, moisture sensors, humidity, light intensity detectors, proximity detection and RFID tags.
2. Gateway: Gateways are mainly used for the pre-processing of data received from smart devices and sensors and transmitting it to the next layer. It manages the bi-directional data flow between different networks and protocols.
3. Cloud: IoT creates a massive amount of data that needs to be organized in a systematic way. The IoT cloud thus is used for storing, retrieving and managing this huge amount of data which can be accessed by the users and businesses remotely and take critical decisions as and when necessary.
4. Analytics: It is the process of analyzing the huge amount of data being created and received by billions of smart devices and sensors to interpret it and get some useful insights from it. An efficient IoT system works with real-time data analytics and prevents irregularities to get meaningful information out of it.
5. User interface: The user interface is the most visible part of the whole IoT system where the developers need to make sure it provides a minimalistic design to the interface to encourage more user interaction out of it. A simplistic design interface is what developers should go for to have a bigger impact in terms of end-user usability and to sustain the device in this competitive market.

Disadvantages of IoT: Although the Internet of Things is what every user and business are relying on in today’s world, but it has also got some disadvantages in terms of its usability and work process. Some of it can be listed as too much dependency on the internet, less physical work and labour, increase in unemployability and lastly the security and privacy issue of the end-users.

How Businesses can be benefitted from IoT: Businesses or organizations can be highly benefitted from the IoT. Huge chunks of data can be accessed remotely and through real-time smart analytics of it, companies can take vital decisions and grow their businesses.

How BoldTek can help set up your IoT Ecosystem: BoldTek have a highly skilled team of developers who can work on setting up your smart devices and data processing ecosystem. We offer new ways to drive efficiencies, engage customers, and develop new business with greater insights. Connect devices across multiple protocols and standards, merge data streams, and optimize acquired data for relevancy and context. Areas, where we can help, are Agriculture, Manufacturing, Education, Business etc. (Writing credit: Satish Upadhyay, Technical Project Manager)

Conclusion: Today we live in an era where every one of us is highly dependent on the Internet and smart devices. Be it a business or an individual user, everyone is using IoT in their day-to-day activities which have helped people to make things work smarter and less time-consuming. However, we should also keep in mind that too much dependency on smart gadgets can reduce human interaction which can even lead to the social isolation of an individual. As rightly being told by Matt Mullenweg – “Technology is best when it brings people together.”

The northeastern region of India is vastly diversified by its rich heritage and culture. This easternmost region of the country comprises 8 states namely; Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Sikkim, and shares its international boundaries with countries like China, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bhutan. In 1971, the North Eastern Council (NEC) was formed comprising of all the states of the North-East and ever since it has been at the forefront of the socio and economic development of the region.

World-famous One-Horned Rhino of Assam

Guwahati city in Assam is the largest metropolis in North-East India. It is also known as the “Gateway of NorthEast” and thus, making it an ideal choice for people to settle down in this one of the fastest-growing cities of India. Surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra and in the foothills of the Kamakhya Temple, this city has witnessed substantial growth over the years in terms of the employability of the common people.

Employment in North-East India: Employment has always been a chronic issue for the northeastern people of India. Lack of opportunity, skill development potholes and inclination towards agrarian works are the major roadblocks that paved the way for the rest of Indian states to grab the opportunity for its people. However, in the last two decades or so, companies have started realizing the potential growth and talent this region boasts of its people and as such, many big companies have started investing in projects which had opened the door for the youth of NorthEast to settle down in their own place and work for some of the renowned organizations of the world.

Technology Development in North-East: There is no question that North-East India is a nature-loving region with mesmerizing scenic beauties and delicious cuisine. However, there has always been a hindrance to the acceptance of technology. Maybe such was the case with the earlier generations. But now, the time has changed and so does the attitude of the people towards the embracement of new technology services. Govt. of India has also initiated the “Digital North East 2022” Programme with an aim of leveraging digital technologies to transform the lives of the people of North East India. Digital Infrastructure, Promotion of Electronics Manufacturing, Digital Innovation and Start-ups, Cyber Security are some of the highlighting prospects this initiative takes care of. A complete diagrammatic presentation can be viewed in the picture below:

Mission and vision of the Digital North East 2022 Programme

Role of Technology Companies: It is indeed true that for the industrial economic growth of any place, tech companies play a major role. In this case, we can take the example of the Bengaluru city of India, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, where once after the first step put by tech giants like Infosys and Wipro in the 1980s, today almost all IT majors like HP, Samsung, Delloite, HCL, Accenture, to name a few, have their presence in this city.

In North East too, many well-known tech companies like BoldTek is working for the growth and development of the region and also have succeeded in nurturing the local talents, especially of Assam. Although having its headquarter in the USA, BoldTek’s vision is to provide every possible employment opportunity to the youth of Assam and to make North-East, the IT Hub of India.

Competition amongst the best: There should also be a healthy competition amongst the tech companies of North-East in bringing new innovative solutions to the region and here, Guwahati, just like the Bengaluru city, can play a major role in bringing some of the best IT companies in Guwahati, Assam, which eventually will help in the development and employability for the youth of North East.