MAM
Ripe opportunity to utilize lockdown for adapting to changing realities
Collectively, we are facing possibly the biggest crisis and turning point in history. This is going to significantly impact the landscape of business, and most importantly the business of communication. Right now, being extra sensitive and showing empathy seems to be key in winning the game of communication. It’s not about individual perceptions anymore; the world is leaning towards a dominant emotion, and everyone is taking it upon themselves to be the harbinger of awareness and sensitivity.
Moreover, uncertainty has become the norm of the times. The Covid2019 pandemic has turned many businesses upside down, and people are struggling to stay afloat. This is as true for marketing and PR agencies, as for any other company facing lost revenue in terms of clients, mounting debts owing to stuck payments, halt of potential business opportunities and much more.
However, despite all of this, I believe that we will emerge out of this stronger and wiser. It’s true that many sectors are facing quite volatile times, but there are also many businesses that have managed to sail through these testing times by virtue of their product offerings.
Moreover, at a time when most PR and marketing professionals have been forced to work from home, there is a huge ripe opportunity waiting for us to utilize this time to adapt to changing realities and prepare for a world post-Corona. How about we double down on our efforts and approach it with an innovative bent of mind. How many times have you wanted to test the effects of digital PR on your business, but couldn’t find enough time to try it out? How much effort have you previously put in training your staff to be more digitally-adaptable? The time is now.
Even big brands are leveraging this time to become the epitome of corporate social responsibility. For instance, legacy adhesive brand Fevicol effectively created a conversation around social distancing as a precautionary measure during the outbreak in order to strengthen bonds in the times to come. From Amul to Bigbasket, all brands, big or small, are leaving no stone unturned to cash in on this great marketing opportunity, while also spreading awareness.
The government has not been far behind either. Leaders are coming together to show they care about the welfare of their citizens. All governments are on a war footing, constantly updating their social media handles, informing people of the pandemic, and assisting them in every possible way.
At a personal level, as the owner of a PR and communications firm, our processes have been streamlined to get the maximum in terms of productivity. Since all of us have been working from home for weeks now, it has given us the opportunity to assess and reassess our priorities and how we work. Right from quick Google calls in the mornings to jot down tasks, to allocating every resource across business functions, including business development, we are ready to fight this out. Instead of putting a halt on our digital efforts, we are continuing to go full throttle. Instead of de-boarding our current clients, we are working with them at reduced budgets, but are also simultaneously chalking out innovative strategies to get better ROI during these times. We believe that during a downturn like this, there is always less competition, which means it is easier and faster to get results if you remain in the game. We are trying our best to maintain the maximum mindshare so that we are in better shape to fight anything once we are past this crisis.
The economy will slowly get back on its feet. We have hope too. We just need to keep working hard towards our goals.
The author is CEO and founder of The Pivotals
Brands
Zscaler, Airtel launch India AI Cyber Research Centre
New hub to boost cyber resilience and trusted AI use
NEW DELHI: As India’s digital engine roars ahead, so do the risks riding shotgun. In response, Zscaler, Inc. and Bharti Airtel have joined hands to launch the AI and Cyber Threat Research Center – India, a national initiative aimed at strengthening the country’s cyber defences and accelerating responsible AI adoption.
The centre is designed as a multi stakeholder platform that brings together industry, government and academia. Its mission is clear: protect critical sectors such as telecom, banking and energy, shield everyday digital users, and future proof India’s fast expanding online ecosystem.
India has long been a major innovation hub for Zscaler, with a substantial portion of its cyber research talent based here. With this new centre, that footprint evolves into a national collaboration engine. The idea is simple but ambitious, build in India, for India, and help power the country’s journey towards a secure and digitally self reliant future.
The timing is telling. India is building digital systems at population scale, not just enterprise scale. That scale has widened the attack surface dramatically. At the same time, cyber criminals and nation state actors are deploying AI to scan, probe and exploit vulnerabilities in minutes.
Zscaler’s research arm, ThreatLabz India, reports millions of infiltration attempts every month. These include espionage campaigns linked to regional geopolitical tensions, 1.2 million intrusion attempts from 20,000 sources targeting 58 Indian digital entities, and a rise in zero day exploit attempts across multiple industries.
In such an environment, perimeter based security models are struggling to keep pace. The new centre aims to push a shift towards secure by design systems and Zero Trust architecture.
Its strategy rests on four pillars: protect through real time intelligence, remediate by working directly with government agencies, facilitate adoption of AI driven security and Zero Trust frameworks, and build a stronger cybersecurity talent pipeline through specialised certifications.
As founding members, Zscaler and Airtel will combine global threat intelligence with local network visibility. Zscaler will deploy a dedicated India focused research team and draw insights from its Zero Trust Exchange platform, which processes over 500 billion daily transactions worldwide. Airtel, meanwhile, will contribute deep visibility into IoT and mobile traffic, helping detect suspicious activity faster and coordinate response across the ecosystem.
Bharti Airtel executive vice chairman Gopal Vittal, said the partnership extends Airtel’s commitment to safeguarding customers and the nation’s digital fabric. He added that the collaboration would address challenges unique to the Indian market and encourage secure and confident digital engagement.
Zscaler chief executive, chairman and founder Jay Chaudhry, said India’s digital ambition cannot be secured with legacy firewalls and VPNs. He noted that a modern Zero Trust architecture is essential for a hyper connected world and that the new centre would harness the scale of Zscaler’s global security cloud while empowering a new generation of Indian cyber defenders.
Additional members from critical public and private sectors are expected to join the initiative in the coming months, expanding its scope and deepening collaboration.
In a world where threats travel at machine speed, India’s answer is to think faster, collaborate wider and build smarter.
