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Microsoft, Sify join hands for ‘Microsoft Unlimited Potential’
MUMBAI:Sify Limited has entered into alliance with Microsoft for Microsoft Unlimited Potential in India. Microsoft‘s initiatives would be provided in Sify‘s over 3500 strong ‘I-way‘ cyber Café chain and home internet access services. |
Partnership also includes other Microsoft certification programs, affordable utility computing for the middle class and content for online education through the Sify I-way cafe chain. Sify will offer its cyber café subscribers access to licensed Microsoft Office software to begin with, so that they can use the café as a virtual office for their needs. This will include training them in the use of MS Office for Microsoft Office Certification to increase their productivity and skills. Sify is also supporting Microsoft in bringing the industry together for the path-breaking ‘IQ PC‘ initiative. The PC, aimed at families with school going children, will include 100 hours of free Internet access. This is over and above the Microsoft suite and its partner offerings from Brilliant, Pacsoft, Edurite, etc. |
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Sify chairman and CEO Raju Vegesna said, “I believe this is a path breaking initiative that will go a long way towards helping bridge the digital divide. The programme will also contribute to economic development by empowering people for a technologically advanced society. We are very happy to partner with them in this initiative as it furthers our objective of empowering millions of Indians with IT services and the Internet to improve the quality of their lives. Our alliance also encompasses providing low cost utility computing for the masses that is affordable and easy to use.” Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan said, “Microsoft ‘Unlimited Potential‘ is an effort to help people everywhere achieve their goals and dreams — their true potential — through relevant, accessible, and affordable technology. The idea is to work together, given the confluence of objectives of Sify as a company and our ‘Unlimited Potential‘ commitment, to offer affordable, easy to use services to Indians by leveraging Sify‘s IP capabilities, market reach over its sophisticated network and data centre infrastructure across the country.” |
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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.
