iWorld
Vi Business inks pact with HPE to boost India’s enterprise tech game
MUMBAI: In a move that signals smarter days ahead for Indian enterprise networks, Vi Business—the enterprise arm of Vodafone Idea—has signed a strategic managed services deal with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to deliver next-gen networking solutions across industries.
The collaboration leans on the power of HPE Aruba Networking to roll out managed wireless LAN, switching, and security infrastructure, designed to support everything from sprawling manufacturing plants to sleek corporate HQs. With this alliance, Vi Business and HPE are looking to wire up workplaces with scalable, secure and AI-powered tech that runs as smoothly as a late-night software patch.
All services will be handled by Vi’s Network Operations Center (NOC), which promises seamless delivery and in-life support. The offering includes AI- and ML-based analytics for intelligent orchestration, boosting user experience through predictive and adaptive networking. Enterprises also get support with well-defined service level agreements (SLAs), giving them peace of mind alongside performance.
Private data centres are also in focus. Vi and HPE plan to co-develop solutions that can cater to the growing storage and compute demands of private and public sector enterprises—including government entities.
Vodafone Idea chief enterprise business officer Arvind Nevatia said, “We are excited to sign this strategic partnership with HPE. This collaboration will not only strengthen Vi Business’s ICT product portfolio but also enhance our offerings by integrating our telco core with advanced enterprise solutions. Together, Vi Business and HPE are committed to delivering scalable, secure, and high-performance solutions that drive operational efficiency, enabling digital transformation for our enterprise customers”.
HPE Aruba Networking EVP & GM Phil Mottram added, “We are thrilled to join forces with Vi Business, as this represents a powerful leap forward for enterprise innovation in India. By combining the intelligence and security of HPE Aruba Networking with Vi’s strong connectivity and service expertise, we will deliver agile, resilient, and future-ready solutions that will empower businesses to scale confidently in a rapidly evolving digital landscape”.
This partnership brings together robust connectivity and deep tech innovation, creating a one-stop solution for enterprises hoping to modernise their network infrastructure without the usual headache.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
