Applications
Airtel teams up with HP to launch cloud platform
MUMBAI: Telecom Major Bharti Airtel has launched its Cloud Enablement Platform (CLEP) based on the HP Aggregation Platform for Software-as-a- Service (AP4SaaS).
Bharti Airtel will offer hosted SaaS and IaaS (Infrastructure-as-a-Service) applications to the small and large enterprises on a pay-as-you-go model.
Initially, Airtel will offer solutions like ERP, accounting packages, storage and compute on the Airtel CLEP Platform. Going forward the company will introduce diverse SaaS applications on the same platform especially for SMB customers, thereby helping them to meet the ever evolving business demands.
Airtel asserts that its Cloud Services will enable businesses of all sizes to optimize their IT costs while providing security, scalability and flexibility.
Bharti Airtel CEO (India & South Asia) Sanjay Kapoor said, “Cloud computing market in India is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 40 per cent by 2014. Bharti Airtel, with our end to end telecom solutions bundled with the latest technologies like 3G and 4G, is uniquely poised to lead this space by offering a wide range of Cloud based services /applications to our customers.
HP Enterprise Services built a CLEP using the HP AP4SaaS, integrated into Bharti Airtel‘s existing network system. A key component of the HP Cloud Services Enablement portfolio, the AP4SaaS is a common platform from which Airtel can not only deliver IaaS but also Communications as a Service and SaaS, either hosted on operator premises or integrated with third-party SaaS providers.
It provides a flexible set of web service interfaces for enhancing the Cloud Service Provider’s (CSP) customer portal and facilitates distribution, subscription, and consumption via a marketplace portal.
“Communications service providers need flexibility, innovation and speed to market to attract new customers and drive new revenue streams,” said HP India MD Neelam Dhawan. “HP Aggregation Platform for SaaS eases the integration of SaaS and IaaS into the CSP environment, expediting the delivery to Airtel’s small and medium business customers.”
HP will offer implementation and management of the end-to-end Cloud Enablement Platform.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
