Category Archives: Technology

Liquibase Secure Now Available on Snowflake Marketplace to Automate and Govern Change Across Data Platforms

AUSTIN, Texas, September 23, 2026 – Liquibase, the leader in Database Change Governance, today announced that Liquibase Secure is now available on Snowflake Marketplace, giving Snowflake customers a new way to automate and govern change.

Snowflake, the platform for the AI era, makes it easy for enterprises to innovate faster and get more value from data. As more critical workloads move to Snowflake, the scope and consequence of change grow with it.

Teams aren’t just changing tables and views. They’re changing roles, shares, stages, warehouses, tasks, and other objects that control how data is accessed, moved, and used. But the processes used to manage those changes haven’t always kept pace. Manual SQL scripts, direct changes, and disconnected workflows become harder to control as more teams, environments, and critical workloads build

Liquibase Secure brings those changes into a standardized, version-controlled delivery process. Teams can automate deployment through existing CI/CD and DataOps workflows, enforce policy before changes reach production, detect drift and out-of-band changes, maintain audit-ready evidence, and recover quickly when something goes wrong.

Govern Change Across the Snowflake Data Platform

Liquibase Secure extends governance beyond traditional schema change to changes that affect structure, access, data movement, and execution. This gives organizations a consistent way to manage change across teams and environments without requiring every team to build and maintain its own process.

With Liquibase Secure, Snowflake customers can:

• Automate change delivery through version-controlled workflows integrated with existing CI/CD and DataOps processes.
• Stop risky changes before production with automated policy checks that enforce organizational standards.
• Detect drift and out-of-band changes when customer environments differ from their expected state.
• Maintain audit-ready evidence with a traceable record of what changed, when it changed, and how it was deployed.
• Recover faster when changes fail with traceable, reversible changes and rollback procedures.

Liquibase Secure works alongside the development, CI/CD, infrastructure, and DataOps tools organizations already use. Teams get a consistent, governed path to production while existing tools continue doing the jobs they were designed to do.

“As organizations expand their use of Snowflake across critical data and AI initiatives, strong governance controls and operational consistency become top priorities” said Rodrigo Rocha, Vice President, Global ISV & Enterprise Technology Partnerships at Snowflake. “The availability of Liquibase Secure on Snowflake Marketplace gives customers another way to govern changes in their Snowflake environments.”

Available on Snowflake Marketplace

Liquibase Secure is available now on Snowflake Marketplace. Eligible customers can use Snowflake Marketplace Capacity Drawdown toward Liquibase Secure purchases, allowing them to use a reserved portion of their committed Snowflake capacity for eligible Marketplace purchases.

For enterprises operating across heterogeneous database environments, Liquibase Secure supports more than 65 database platforms, providing one approach to Database Change Governance across Snowflake and the rest of the database estate.

Red Sift launches BIMI Maker to help every brand get its logo into email inboxes

The free tool uses AI to prepare existing logos for BIMI, validate email authentication, and guide brands through certification in a single workflow.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – September 23, 2026 – Red Sift, the company making the internet fundamentally safer, today launched Red Sift BIMI Maker, a free self-service tool that uses AI to take brands from virtually any logo file to an inbox-ready Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) in a single session, eliminating the need for trademark registration, design work, or engineering resources.

The certificate enables a brand’s logo to appear alongside its emails in Gmail, Yahoo, and other inboxes that support BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), helping organizations increase trust, visibility, and engagement. Organizations with BIMI see a 39% increase in email open rates, yet adoption remains stalled by deployment complexity. While roughly 50,000 domains publish BIMI records today, only about 6,500 organizations have obtained the certificate required for logos to display consistently in inboxes. Research indicates that nearly 87% of organizations that begin a BIMI deployment never complete it, largely because of logo-formatting and trademark-related requirements.

Red Sift BIMI Maker removes those barriers by using AI to prepare existing logos for BIMI compliance, validating email authentication readiness, and guiding users through the certification process from start to finish. The result is a faster path to inbox brand visibility, higher engagement, and increased revenue from email.

“Nobody sets out to spend three weeks learning about an SVG profile. They set out to get their logo in the inbox,” said Rahul Powar, Co-founder and CEO at Red Sift. “The standard has been ready for years. The path to using it hasn’t been. Most of the work between a brand’s logo and an issued certificate is work that software and modern AI should be doing, and CMCs mean the brands that were locked out by trademark rules now have a route in. That’s a much bigger market than the few thousand domains showing a logo today.”

BIMI Maker brings logo preparation, readiness checks and certificate application into one guided workflow. Users can start with their website address or upload an existing logo. AI helps convert the existing logo into the format BIMI requires and match it against branding on the company’s website and archived pages to gather evidence of prior use. Users can preview their logo in an inbox, check their domain’s email authentication and review potential blockers, like DMARC status, before applying for a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC). The tool packages the logo, domain checks and supporting evidence for certificate authority review, then guides users through payment and DNS setup.

“The key to any adoption is ease, and BIMI maker is removing the hurdles that we often see senders struggle with,” said Nick Schafer, Director of Deliverability and Compliance at Sinch Mailgun. “Anything that makes it easier for senders to achieve BIMI compliance is a win for the industry.”

Red Sift BIMI Maker is available now with no signup required to check a logo or generate a compliant SVG.

India’s GCCs Set to Become Agentic Transformation Engines by 2030, Finds Dell Technologies and Zinnov Report

Bengaluru, Sep 23: Dell Technologies, in partnership with Zinnov, today released a report at the Dell Technologies Forum 2026 that charts the next phase of India’s Global Capability Center evolution. Titled “India GCCs 2030: From Capability Centers to Agentic Transformation Engines”, the report draws on surveys and interviews with more than 50 senior GCC leaders across BFSI, retail, manufacturing, and software sectors, concluding that the GCCs poised to lead by 2030 will not be those running the most AI pilots, but those that have built the foundations to scale AI into measurable enterprise outcomes.

“The most influential GCCs of 2030 will not be measured by the number of AI initiatives they launch, but by their ability to industrialize AI responsibly and at scale. As they take on greater strategic ownership, robust foundations across data, infrastructure, and governance will become the bedrock of enterprise innovation. The GCCs that build these capabilities now will define how their organizations harness AI globally, and Dell Technologies is focused on enabling that journey from foundation to transformation.,” said Manish Gupta, President and Managing Director, Dell Technologies India. 

“The GCC model is reaching an inflection point. For the last two decades, the conversation was largely about scale, talent, and capability. The next decade will be about ownership. As AI and agentic systems become embedded into enterprise workflows, GCCs will increasingly be expected to own products, platforms, markets, and measurable business outcomes. Those that build the right data, technology, governance, and talent foundations now will move from being capability centers to becoming true transformation engines for the enterprise,” said Sidhant Rastogi, President, Zinnov.

A Sector at an Inflection Point

India hosts over 2,100 GCCs employing 2.36 million people and generating $98.4 billion in revenue in FY26. 64% of GCC leaders hold dual global mandates, running the India centre while owning a global function. 70% have a defined AI roadmap or charter, and Indian GCCs account for approximately 28% of global GCC AI talent, with over 1,200 centres having built AI and machine learning capabilities. Significantly, 66% of GCC leaders already rank top-line business impact as a high priority for their enterprise AI strategy, signalling that the conversation has moved well beyond cost and delivery.

The maturity curve is also compressing. 27% of new GCCs now reach Portfolio Hub maturity within five years, compared with nearly a decade historically. AI mandates are arriving earlier in the journey, and capabilities once expected at advanced stages are now becoming requirements at earlier ones. 

But scale and ambition alone are not enough. Nearly 70% of GCCs remain stuck at the pilot stage, unable to consistently move promising proofs of concept into sustained enterprise adoption. The constraint is foundational: fragmented data, legacy systems, unclear governance, immature security controls and talent models built for a pre-AI world.

The Pilot Problem and What It Will Take to Solve It

AI pilots stall for structural reasons: production data is messier than controlled environments, governance is addressed after the fact rather than built in, and use cases developed outside common enterprise platforms are difficult to integrate at scale. The economics shift significantly once token consumption, compute, tooling and reskilling costs are factored in at production volume. Agentic workflows can consume between 10,000 and 500,000 tokens per workflow, compared with 1,000 to 2,000 for a standard chat interaction. GCC leaders who do not make workload-level infrastructure decisions early often find themselves managing a budget problem rather than a business outcome.

Four Forces Reshaping the GCC Operating Model

The report identifies four levers that will define the next phase of GCC evolution. Building functional AI capabilities means moving beyond scattered experiments to repeatable, AI-enabled workflows embedded into core business functions. Planning AI architecture ahead of production means treating data readiness, compute, security, governance and economics as one integrated decision rather than a sequence of separate ones. Owning markets means taking genuine responsibility for products, regions and business outcomes rather than supporting them from a distance. And redesigning the workforce means restructuring roles so talent moves from repetitive execution toward engineering, product and business problem-solving where human judgment creates lasting value.

With 55% of routine GCC work already exposed to AI-driven automation and 60% of the workforce requiring reskilling by 2030, the imperative is not incremental AI training but a fundamental reinvention of work itself

Own It or Lease It: Making the Right Infrastructure Call

One of the report’s most actionable contributions is a framework for deciding which AI workloads to own and which to consume through leased or managed environments. Workloads involving sensitive data, regulatory exposure, business-critical processes or high and predictable usage increasingly require greater control. Lower-risk and exploratory workloads may be better served through flexible, leased models. The report also introduces a Sovereign Sandbox model for GCCs that need to experiment with regulated or proprietary data in a contained environment before those workloads progress toward production. As agentic AI moves from experimentation to always-on enterprise operation, getting these infrastructure decisions right early is what will determine whether GCCs can run autonomous workflows at scale or remain constrained by the foundations they failed to build.

Liberating force: How will AI enable our future profession?

By Venkkat Ramanan, FCMA, CGMA, Vice President -APAC, AICPA & CIMA

Artificial intelligence is not just a set of nifty time-saving tools or even a major technological advance. It is an exponential force that is disrupting our profession at a rapid rate. Accountancy and finance professionals have already embraced AI for a wide range of operational and strategic purposes from data entry and bank account reconciliation through to fraud detection, in-depth tax research and advanced financial analysis.

What’s more, despite all the gloomy predictions that AI is taking our jobs, the opposite is true. Accountancy and finance professionals remain highly sought after by employers, who believe they can better deploy their unique human skills and expertise by harnessing the power of AI. A survey by Deloitte found that finance departments globally are wrestling with a shortage of skilled staff, with 40% investing in AI and automation to address their productivity gaps. The research also found that 64% of finance leaders planned to infuse more technical skills and capabilities within their functions.

The truth is, rather than replacing us, AI is acting as a force multiplier for our profession. It is boosting our efficiency and productivity, allowing us to deliver even better results for our organisations than we could achieve as individuals or even as teams.

India offers a striking case in point. As one of the world’s fastest-moving AI markets, it is already seeing the technology reshape core finance functions. EY’s 2025 India Corporate Treasury Survey found that 82% of treasury leaders now view AI as important or critical, with applications emerging in cash forecasting, foreign-exchange risk and anomaly detection. For finance professionals, this points towards a future in which technology handles more of the processing and pattern recognition, while human judgement becomes ever more important in interpreting what the data means and what organisations should do next.

India is also moving quickly from experimentation to practical application. Deloitte’s 2025 Asia Pacific CFO Survey found that 69% of CFOs across the region are prioritising the upskilling and reskilling of their workforces for new technologies, while 49% expect generative AI to change their finance functions within two years. The opportunity for finance professionals, then, is not simply to operate these tools, but to lead with them.

Going forward, AI will continue to enable our profession by:

• Amplifying – but not replacing – our judgement. AI allows us to deliver significant new insights that can help to enhance the performance of our organisations. Nevertheless, we must avoid the temptation to give into ‘cognitive offloading’ – the practice of outsourcing our thinking and decision-making to AI tools. Instead, we should view intelligent systems as a collaborative partner – a partner that frees us up to better apply our critical thinking skills so that we find new solutions to problems and create more value through our work. 

• Helping us to anticipate the future. No one can perfectly predict what will happen next, but being able to look ahead, and plan for different scenarios, is key to success in a fast-changing world. AI tools will enable us to identify and analyse important market trends so that we can support our organisations to seize opportunities and pre-solve problems before they become crises. AI tools will also enable us to embrace systems thinking so we can assess the interconnections between issues and understand the ripple effects of decisions made across our organisations. 

• Showcasing our role as responsible stewards of AI technologies. By drawing on our high ethical standards and acute professional judgement, we can guide our organisations in the competent and responsible adoption of AI systems. We can also provide assurance that those systems are working reliably and as intended. It is not just at a day-to-day, operational level that we can make a difference either. We can also support our colleagues to navigate the complex moral questions created by AI and automation, to ensure our organisations retain public trust. 

• Acting as a catalyst for us to evolve into strategic advisers. Our profession is on a journey from the business partner of today to the strategic adviser of the future. This journey will be enabled by AI and other cutting-edge technological tools. AI will enable us to move upstream from recording what has happened to prescribing what should happen, making our role less scorekeeper and more futurist. 

AI as an enabler

Rise2040, a profession-wide research initiative launched by AICPA and CIMA, has highlighted the huge potential of AI as an enabler for the public accounting and finance profession. The initiative brings together 6,000 insights from across the globe to collectively explore, challenge and shape the future of the profession.

The research highlighted that AI can be a liberating force that automates repetitive tasks and frees up professionals to focus on higher-order advisory work, judgement and strategy. To fully harness its potential, however, we must also find ways to manage the risks it presents. These include training gaps for early-career professionals, overreliance on automation and the erosion of experiential learning.

AI will transform our profession, generating exciting opportunities for us to create new value for our organisations. To seize these opportunities, we must look forward with confidence and be prepared to continuously adapt. We should also remain mindful that AI is the entry point to the future – not the endpoint.

Zapata Introduces Quantum Pilot™ to Enable Systematic Discovery and Development of High-Value Quantum Applications

Drawing on Zapata’s pioneering quantum software expertise, the platform helps enterprises build a clear roadmap to commercial impact

BOSTON, Massachusetts – September 23, 2026 – Zapata Quantum, Inc. (OTCQB: ZPTA) (“Zapata,” “Zapata Quantum” or the “Company”), a leader in quantum computing algorithm and application development, today announced early access to Quantum Pilot, a hardware-agnostic, cloud-based software platform designed to close a growing gap between rapidly advancing quantum hardware capabilities and enterprises’ ability to determine where and how quantum computing can create business value.

Quantum Pilot builds a dynamic roadmap for enterprises that want to deploy quantum technology but are uncertain which applications are relevant to their business and sector, when those solutions will be practical, and what they could be worth. It gives organizations a systematic way to discover potential applications, weigh their technical and commercial potential, and focus resources on the opportunities with the strongest case for investment. Enterprises can then identify and develop applications without betting on a single quantum modality or provider, and reassess application readiness or change their approach as hardware capabilities and algorithms evolve.

“The critical on-ramp to quantum application development is the efficient and rigorous mapping of use cases to quantum computational solutions,” said Sumit Kapur, CEO of Zapata Quantum. “We built Quantum Pilot to make that on-ramp more accessible to enterprise leaders and ensure that quantum activity becomes a capability that compounds—with each experiment and development effort informing and accelerating the next.”

Delivering Quantum Application Intelligence™

Drawing on Zapata’s experience developing quantum algorithms and applications across industries and hardware architectures, Quantum Pilot combines a proprietary knowledge framework with advanced computational tools, including capabilities developed through its collaboration with NVIDIA to apply agentic AI to quantum resource estimation. The platform also builds on Zapata’s collaboration with the University of Maryland on formal methods for quantum software verification.

Together, these capabilities enable Quantum Pilot to deliver Quantum Application Intelligence (QAI)—helping enterprises identify, evaluate and develop quantum applications with scientific rigor and a clear focus on business value. The platform also continuously tracks and updates the global quantum ecosystem’s research, hardware roadmaps and software developments so that application roadmaps are current as the field advances and users are making application decisions based on the latest data.

“Most conversations about quantum readiness focus on the hardware roadmap. That is not where the real risk sits. It sits one layer up, in the applications and software that decide whether the hardware ever produces business value,” said Mark Hill, Chief Digital Information Officer at CSL Behring, a multibillion-dollar global biotech leader, and Advisor to the Company. “Quantum Pilot matters because it forces the harder question enterprises keep avoiding: which applications are worth building now, not just which processor is fastest.” 

Quantum Pilot is powered by three complementary systems:

• Quantum Graph, a proprietary knowledge layer that connects quantum applications, algorithms, research and hardware roadmaps, providing structured context for the platform and its AI agents as the field advances.
• Quantum Engine, a suite of computational tools and agents that supports algorithm selection, resource estimation, experiment design and hardware benchmarking, helping enterprises assess technical feasibility and guide application development.
• Quantum Assurance, a framework that combines formal verification methods with expert review to assess technical results and guide the development process, with Zapata’s scientists helping enterprises interpret evidence and determine next steps.

“Among the things that make Quantum Pilot’s approach to application development distinct is its use of formal verification, rather than after-the-fact validation alone,” said Runzhou Tao, Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, and Fellow, Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS). “That’s the same principle we apply in our research with Zapata on verified quantum software, and it addresses a discipline quantum computing has largely developed without.”

Early Access

Quantum Pilot is initially available through an early access program for select enterprise and government customers. Organizations interested in participating can request a demo and learn more at zapataquantum.com/quantumpilot. 

Microsoft Expands India Cloud Footprint with Fourth Region as AI Demand Accelerates

HYDERABAD, September 21, 2026: Microsoft has expanded its cloud infrastructure presence in India with the launch of its fourth cloud region, strengthening its focus on the country’s rapidly growing demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and data-intensive digital services.

The new India South Central cloud region in Hyderabad adds another major infrastructure hub to Microsoft’s India network, which already includes cloud regions in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai. The expansion comes at a time when Indian enterprises are increasing investments in generative AI, machine learning, data analytics and cloud-based applications.

The Hyderabad region has been developed to support demanding enterprise and AI workloads while providing high availability and resilience. Its infrastructure is designed to help organisations deploy applications that require substantial computing resources, secure data environments and reliable access to cloud services.

Microsoft’s latest investment highlights the growing importance of India in the global AI infrastructure landscape. As businesses move beyond experimental AI projects toward large-scale deployment, demand is rising for computing power, data storage, networking infrastructure and specialised cloud capabilities.

India’s expanding digital economy is also creating significant pressure for additional data-centre capacity. The country generates a substantial share of global digital data, while its existing data-centre infrastructure remains comparatively smaller. This gap is creating opportunities for hyperscale technology companies and data-centre operators to invest heavily in new capacity.

Microsoft has committed billions of dollars toward expanding its cloud and AI infrastructure in India. The company’s investment programme also includes initiatives focused on developing AI skills and strengthening the broader ecosystem needed to support widespread adoption of artificial intelligence.

The Hyderabad facility is particularly significant because of its emphasis on supporting next-generation workloads. AI applications require considerably greater computing capacity than many traditional enterprise applications, making the availability of specialised and scalable infrastructure increasingly important for companies seeking to deploy AI at scale.

Sustainability is another component of Microsoft’s infrastructure strategy. The company has indicated that the new Hyderabad cloud region will use effectively zero water for cooling, an approach aimed at reducing the environmental impact associated with large-scale data-centre operations.

Microsoft is also expanding its efforts to develop India’s AI talent pool. The company has announced an ambitious goal of providing AI skills to millions of people in India over the coming years, reflecting the growing recognition that infrastructure expansion must be accompanied by a workforce capable of using and developing advanced technologies.

The company’s move comes amid a broader wave of investment in India’s data-centre and AI ecosystem. Government programmes, private-sector capital and technology investments are collectively helping build the computing infrastructure required for applications ranging from enterprise automation and financial services to healthcare, manufacturing and public services.

For Microsoft, the fourth cloud region represents a strategic expansion of its long-term presence in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets. For India, the additional hyperscale infrastructure could provide greater capacity for businesses and institutions seeking to adopt cloud technologies and deploy AI applications.

The development also signals a shift in the country’s technology infrastructure priorities. With AI increasingly becoming a core component of business strategy, access to reliable, scalable and energy-efficient computing infrastructure is emerging as a critical requirement for India’s next phase of digital growth.

Cloud PC: How Safe Is Your Data?

The personal computer is undergoing a quiet transformation. For decades, businesses and individuals have depended on physical desktops and laptops to store applications, files and computing resources. Now, an increasing portion of that computing experience is moving away from the device sitting on a desk and into the cloud.

The emergence of the Cloud PC is at the centre of this shift. Instead of relying entirely on local hardware, users can access a virtual computer hosted in a remote data centre. Applications, operating systems and business resources can be delivered through the internet, allowing employees to work from offices, homes and other locations using a wide range of devices.

For companies pursuing hybrid work, centralized IT management and flexible computing, the model offers significant opportunities. But it also raises a question that businesses cannot afford to ignore: when the computer moves to the cloud, what happens to the security of the data?

The Computer Is No Longer Just on the Desk

A Cloud PC changes the traditional relationship between a user and a computer.

In a conventional setup, applications and files may be stored directly on a desktop or laptop. The organization is responsible for securing the physical machine, its operating system, applications and local storage.

With a Cloud PC, much of the computing environment is hosted remotely. The physical device becomes more of an access point to a centrally managed digital workspace.

That architecture can bring security advantages. If an employee loses a laptop, for example, sensitive corporate information may remain within the cloud environment rather than being stored entirely on the missing device.

But the security boundary has changed. The organization now has to protect not only the cloud infrastructure but also the identities, devices, connections and permissions used to access it.

Security Does Not Automatically Come With the Cloud

There is a common misconception that moving data and applications to a major cloud platform automatically makes them secure.

The reality is more complicated.

Leading cloud providers invest heavily in infrastructure security, encryption, identity management and monitoring. However, customers still control many aspects of how their cloud environments are configured and accessed.

A poorly configured Cloud PC can therefore become a security weakness even when the underlying cloud infrastructure is highly protected.

Weak passwords, excessive user permissions, outdated software, inappropriate data-sharing policies and compromised accounts can create vulnerabilities that sophisticated infrastructure security cannot completely eliminate.

The lesson is important: cloud technology can provide powerful security capabilities, but security still has to be designed and managed.

Identity Has Become the New Security Perimeter

Perhaps the biggest change introduced by cloud computing is the growing importance of digital identity.

When employees worked primarily inside corporate offices and connected through controlled networks, organizations could place considerable emphasis on securing the network perimeter.

Cloud computing makes that approach less effective.

An employee may access a Cloud PC from a home office, hotel, airport or another location. The identity of the person requesting access therefore becomes critically important.

If an attacker steals an employee’s credentials, the attacker may attempt to access corporate resources while appearing to be a legitimate user.

This is why multifactor authentication, conditional access, strong identity management and least-privilege permissions have become central components of modern cloud security.

Encryption: Essential, But Not a Complete Solution

Encryption is another major layer of cloud protection.

Data can be encrypted while it is stored and while it travels between systems. Microsoft, for example, documents encryption for Windows 365 Cloud PC storage and protection of network traffic in transit.

Encryption helps ensure that stolen or intercepted data is much harder to use without the appropriate cryptographic keys.

But encryption cannot solve every security problem.

Consider a compromised employee account. If an attacker successfully authenticates as an authorized user, the data may be accessible through legitimate system functions. The information may remain encrypted at the storage level, but the attacker could potentially view or manipulate it through the authorized session.

That is why encryption must operate alongside authentication, authorization, monitoring and data-loss prevention.

The Risk of Misconfiguration

One of the less visible dangers in cloud computing is misconfiguration.

Cloud platforms offer extensive security controls, but organizations must configure those controls correctly. An incorrectly assigned permission can expose information that was supposed to remain restricted.

For example, an employee may receive broader access than necessary, an administrator may leave an unnecessary service enabled, or sensitive information may be permitted to move to unmanaged devices.

These problems do not necessarily represent a failure of cloud technology. They can represent failures in implementation and governance.

For companies adopting Cloud PCs, configuration management should therefore be treated as an ongoing security process rather than a one-time installation task.

What Happens When a Device Is Lost?

The loss or theft of a laptop is one area where Cloud PCs can potentially change the risk profile.

If an organization’s sensitive information is primarily maintained inside the cloud environment, losing the physical device does not necessarily mean losing the entire corporate data set.

However, this protection depends on configuration.

Employees may still download documents, take screenshots, copy information, print files or use local applications. Browser sessions and cached credentials can also introduce additional risks.

Businesses should therefore establish clear rules regarding what information can leave the Cloud PC environment and under what circumstances.

Data-loss-prevention technologies can provide additional controls by identifying and restricting certain types of sensitive information movement.

Remote Work Expands the Attack Surface

Cloud PCs are particularly attractive to organizations with remote and hybrid workforces.

An employee can potentially access a standardized computing environment without carrying the entire corporate infrastructure with them.

But remote access also means that corporate systems may be accessed from networks and devices outside the organization’s direct control.

Public Wi-Fi, insecure home networks, personal devices and phishing attacks can all become part of the security equation.

This is one reason the Zero Trust security model has gained prominence. Rather than assuming that a user or device should automatically be trusted because it is connecting from a familiar network, Zero Trust emphasizes continuous verification of identity, device status and access requirements.

Cloud PCs and Ransomware

Ransomware has added another dimension to the cloud-security discussion.

Moving desktops into the cloud does not make an organization immune to ransomware. Attackers can still target credentials, endpoints, applications and users.

A compromised privileged account can be particularly dangerous because it may provide access to multiple systems.

Organizations using Cloud PCs should therefore combine access controls with endpoint protection, network security, monitoring, segmentation and recovery procedures.

Backup strategy is equally important. A cloud-based system should not be confused with a backup system. Organizations still need appropriate recovery mechanisms for critical business information.

Insider Risk Cannot Be Ignored

Cybersecurity discussions often focus on hackers operating from outside an organization. But legitimate users can also become a source of data exposure.

An employee might accidentally send a confidential file to the wrong recipient. A contractor might download information that should remain inside the organization. A malicious insider might deliberately attempt to remove proprietary data.

Cloud environments can offer improved visibility into these activities when appropriate monitoring and data-governance tools are deployed.

The objective is not to create an environment where every employee is treated as a suspect. Instead, organizations need proportionate controls that protect sensitive information while allowing employees to perform their jobs efficiently.

Building a Safer Cloud PC Environment

Businesses considering Cloud PCs should approach security as a layered system.

First, protect identities. Multifactor authentication should be standard for sensitive corporate environments, supported by strong password policies and appropriate access controls.

Second, limit privileges. Employees should have access only to the applications and information necessary for their responsibilities.

Third, control data movement. Organizations should determine when files can be downloaded, copied, printed or transferred to external devices.

Fourth, maintain software security. Operating systems, applications and browsers should receive security updates in a timely manner.

Fifth, monitor activity. Unusual login locations, repeated authentication failures, unexpected data transfers and other abnormal behaviour should trigger investigation.

Sixth, prepare for failure. Incident-response and recovery plans should be tested before an actual security incident occurs.

Finally, educate employees. Technology is only one part of cybersecurity. A user who cannot identify a convincing phishing message can unintentionally bypass several layers of technical protection.

Who Is Responsible for Cloud PC Security?

Cloud security works through a shared-responsibility model.

The cloud provider is responsible for securing the infrastructure and services it operates. The customer remains responsible for many decisions involving users, permissions, configurations, applications and data.

That division of responsibility is critical.

A business cannot simply purchase Cloud PCs and transfer its cybersecurity obligations to the cloud provider. It must understand exactly which security responsibilities belong to the provider and which remain with its own IT and security teams.

The Future of the Desktop Is Also a Security Question

The Cloud PC represents more than another way of accessing Windows or business applications. It reflects a broader change in enterprise computing.

As organizations move applications, storage and workspaces into cloud environments, the traditional definition of a “computer” is becoming less important. What matters increasingly is the combination of identity, data, applications, devices and cloud infrastructure.

That transformation offers businesses greater flexibility, but it also demands stronger security discipline.

The key question is therefore not whether a Cloud PC is inherently safe or unsafe. Its security depends on how the entire ecosystem is designed and managed.

A properly configured Cloud PC environment can provide strong protection through centralized controls, encryption, identity management and monitoring. At the same time, compromised credentials, excessive permissions, misconfiguration and poor data-handling practices can create serious exposure.

For organizations, the move to Cloud PCs should therefore be accompanied by a corresponding investment in cybersecurity strategy.

The desktop may be moving into the cloud. The responsibility for protecting the data should not.

India’s IT Export Engine Crosses USD 239 Billion as Global Demand Powers FY26 Growth

NEW DELHI, September 18, 2026: India’s technology industry has strengthened its position in the global services economy, with the country’s software services exports rising 9.5 per cent to $239.3 billion in 2025-26, according to the latest data released by the Reserve Bank of India.

The milestone reflects the growing international demand for Indian technology capabilities at a time when businesses worldwide are accelerating investments in digital transformation, cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data-driven operations.

The RBI’s broader measure puts India’s software services exports at $239.3 billion when services delivered through the overseas commercial presence of Indian companies are included. On a basis excluding such overseas commercial presence, software services exports stood at $221.4 billion, registering growth of 8.2 per cent during the financial year.

The numbers demonstrate that India’s IT industry is no longer dependent solely on traditional software outsourcing. The sector has progressively expanded into technology consulting, engineering, business-process services, cloud solutions, analytics and other specialised digital capabilities, creating a much broader export base.

Computer services continued to constitute the largest share of India’s software services exports, contributing more than two-thirds of the total. Business process outsourcing also remained an important component, with finance and accounting-related services forming a significant part of the BPO business.

This diversification has helped Indian technology companies remain relevant to international clients even as the nature of technology spending has changed. Companies are increasingly seeking partners capable of combining technology implementation with domain expertise and business transformation.

The United States continued to be the most important destination for Indian software services. It accounted for 54.1 per cent of India’s software services exports during FY26.

Europe represented another major market, contributing 31.8 per cent of exports. The United Kingdom alone accounted for 15.4 per cent, highlighting the continuing importance of developed markets to India’s technology-services business.

The geographical pattern also illustrates both the strength and the opportunity for the Indian IT industry. While established markets remain critical revenue sources, expansion into Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa and other emerging markets could provide additional avenues for growth and diversification.

The US dollar remained the principal currency used for invoicing India’s software exports. It accounted for 72.6 per cent of export transactions during FY26.

The euro represented 9.6 per cent, while the Indian rupee accounted for 6.3 per cent and the British pound for 6 per cent.

The dominance of the dollar reflects the strong connection between Indian technology companies and North American customers, while the presence of multiple invoicing currencies demonstrates the sector’s wide international reach.

A striking feature of India’s technology-export model continues to be its ability to deliver services remotely. Around 91.7 per cent of software services exports were delivered through off-site modes during FY26.

This model has become an important competitive advantage for Indian companies. Technology teams based in India can work with customers across continents, providing software development, technical support, analytics, consulting and other services without requiring a physical workforce at every customer location.

The growth of remote and distributed delivery has also allowed technology companies to scale their international operations more efficiently.

The RBI’s survey covered 7,569 software-export companies, with 2,363 firms responding. The respondents included most of the large companies and represented around 89 per cent of estimated total software services exports.

The survey therefore provides a significant window into the structure and performance of India’s technology-export ecosystem, particularly the contribution of large and established IT services companies.

At the same time, India’s technology economy has developed a sizeable base of smaller firms, startups and specialised technology providers. Their expansion into niche areas could become increasingly important as global technology buyers look for specialised expertise rather than only large-scale outsourcing capacity.

AI Could Redefine the Next Growth Cycle

The next chapter for India’s IT export industry is likely to be shaped heavily by artificial intelligence.

Generative AI and automation are changing how software is developed and how business processes are delivered. This presents both an opportunity and a structural shift for Indian technology companies.

Rather than relying primarily on labour-intensive technology services, companies are increasingly moving towards AI engineering, data platforms, cloud transformation, cybersecurity, digital products and high-end technology consulting.

For India, the ability to combine its large technology workforce with AI capabilities could determine how much additional value the country can capture from the next wave of global digital spending.

The expansion of software exports also carries significance beyond the IT industry. Technology services are a major source of foreign-exchange earnings for India and form an important part of the country’s services-export surplus.

The continued expansion of software services therefore provides support to India’s broader external sector while reinforcing the country’s reputation as a major global destination for technology and business services.

The latest export numbers also underline the growing importance of technology in India’s international economic engagement. Software is effectively becoming one of the country’s major globally traded capabilities.

Crossing the $239-billion mark represents a significant expansion of India’s technology-services footprint, but the next phase will be less about export volume alone and more about the value generated from each technology engagement.

Indian companies face a global market where AI, automation and digital platforms are rapidly changing traditional business models. Maintaining growth will require continuous investment in skills, intellectual property, research, innovation and specialised technology capabilities.

For India, the opportunity is substantial. The country has already built a globally recognised technology-services ecosystem. The task now is to evolve that ecosystem from a major delivery centre into an increasingly important source of technology innovation, digital products and high-value services.

With software exports reaching $239.3 billion in FY26, India’s IT industry enters its next phase with a larger global footprint—and a technology landscape that is demanding a new generation of capabilities.

iPhone 18 Series Goes on Sale in India, Buyers Queue Up at Apple Stores

New Delhi, Sep 18: Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max went on sale in India on Friday, attracting customers to Apple stores in major cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Sales began at 8 am, with long queues reported outside Apple stores as customers arrived early to get their hands on the latest Pro models. The launch has also drawn attention to the new camera, performance, battery and artificial intelligence features introduced with the latest iPhone generation.

One of the biggest upgrades is the camera system. The iPhone 18 Pro models feature a 48MP Fusion Main camera with a new variable aperture, allowing the camera to adjust to lighting conditions and provide greater control over depth of field. Apple says the new system is designed to improve low-light photography and video recording.

The phones also come with 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide and 48MP Fusion Telephoto cameras. The telephoto system supports up to 8x optical-quality zoom, giving users more flexibility when photographing distant subjects. New Pro camera controls and updated Photographic Styles are also aimed at users who want more control over the look of their photos and videos.

The front camera has also been upgraded to an 18MP Center Stage camera. It is designed to keep people in frame during photos and video calls and supports additional features for video recording.

Performance is another major focus of the new models. The iPhone 18 Pro series is powered by Apple’s A20 Pro chip, which is built using a 2-nanometre process. The chip includes a six-core CPU, seven-core GPU and a new dual 16-core Neural Engine designed to handle demanding applications and on-device AI workloads.

Apple has also introduced a larger vapour chamber for improved heat management. The company says the new cooling system can deliver up to 40 per cent better sustained performance compared with the previous generation, which could be useful during high-intensity gaming and other demanding tasks.

Battery life is another key feature. Apple says the iPhone 18 Pro Max can deliver up to 43 hours of video playback, while faster wired charging can take the phone to 50 per cent in around 15 minutes with a compatible adapter.

The new models also bring a stronger focus on artificial intelligence. iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max run iOS 27 and include Apple Intelligence features along with the new Siri AI. Siri AI is designed to understand more personal context and help users work across apps, messages, emails and other information on the device.

The Dynamic Island has also been redesigned to display more information at once. Apple says it can now show up to three Live Activities, allowing users to keep track of information such as sports scores, navigation and music without opening another app.

The iPhone 18 Pro models are available in four finishes, including the new burgundy option. The iPhone 18 Pro starts at Rs 1,64,900 in India, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,79,900.

For customers, the latest launch brings improvements across the areas most commonly associated with premium smartphones — photography, performance, battery life and AI. The strong turnout at Apple stores on the first day also reflects continued consumer interest in the company’s flagship iPhone range in India.

PM Modi Calls on Young Engineers to Drive India’s Next Semiconductor Push

India’s semiconductor ambitions are entering a new phase, with the country increasingly focusing not only on setting up chip manufacturing facilities but also on building the talent, research capabilities and supporting industries needed to sustain a complete technology ecosystem.

Addressing the SEMICON India 2026 event in New Delhi on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called on young engineers, researchers and technology professionals to take a more active role in developing advanced technologies in India. He highlighted the country’s large engineering workforce as an important strength at a time when semiconductor companies are looking to expand manufacturing and diversify global supply chains.

The Prime Minister said the government is working towards training one lakh engineering students in semiconductor-related skills, with more than 70,000 already trained. He also encouraged Indian researchers and technology professionals working both within the country and abroad to contribute to the development of advanced technologies.

The emphasis on skilled manpower comes at a time when semiconductor manufacturing is becoming increasingly important for sectors ranging from smartphones and automobiles to telecommunications, artificial intelligence, electronics and defence technologies. For India, developing a strong talent base is therefore closely linked with the ability to attract investment and build higher-value capabilities.

From Policy Plans to Commercial Production

India’s semiconductor programme has gradually moved beyond policy announcements and project proposals towards actual manufacturing activity. During SEMICON India 2026, commercial production at two semiconductor facilities in Mohali and Surat was highlighted as part of this transition.

The development signals a broader shift in the country’s approach to electronics manufacturing. Instead of concentrating only on chip fabrication, India is seeking to develop capabilities across design, manufacturing, assembly, testing, equipment, materials and other specialised areas.

A stronger domestic ecosystem could also help companies reduce their dependence on long and concentrated global supply chains while creating opportunities for Indian businesses to participate in different stages of semiconductor production.

Building More Than Chip Factories

The semiconductor industry requires a wide network of supporting businesses. Chip manufacturing depends on specialised equipment, chemicals, gases, materials, testing systems and advanced packaging technologies.

Recognising this, the Prime Minister urged companies operating in these areas to explore the opportunities emerging from India’s semiconductor programme. Growth in supporting industries could create additional investment opportunities and allow domestic suppliers to become part of the wider global chip value chain.

The government has also been pushing for greater participation by startups and design companies. The focus on fabless semiconductor companies is particularly significant because chip design and intellectual property can generate high-value technology businesses without requiring companies to own fabrication plants.

Talent and Research Become Critical

India’s large pool of engineers is emerging as an important component of its semiconductor strategy. However, the industry requires specialised expertise in areas such as chip architecture, semiconductor design, fabrication, advanced packaging, testing, artificial intelligence hardware and related technologies.

The call for greater industry participation in research and development reflects the need to connect academic institutions, startups and established technology companies more closely.

Such collaboration can help turn research into commercial products while giving young engineers practical exposure to advanced technologies. It can also create opportunities for Indian companies to develop intellectual property that can compete in international markets.

New Technologies Could Expand the Opportunity

The next stage of semiconductor development is expected to extend beyond conventional chips. Technologies such as silicon photonics and compound semiconductors are gaining importance as demand grows for faster computing, artificial intelligence infrastructure and high-performance data systems.

Silicon photonics, in particular, can support high-speed data movement and has potential applications in AI-focused infrastructure and advanced computing systems.

Building expertise in these emerging areas could help India participate in newer segments of the semiconductor industry rather than limiting its role to conventional manufacturing and assembly.

Global Supply Chains Create a Larger Opportunity

The global semiconductor industry has been undergoing significant changes as companies and governments seek more resilient and diversified supply chains. India is attempting to position itself as one of the locations capable of supporting this transition.

At SEMICON India 2026, the government highlighted the importance of building a reliable ecosystem that connects international companies with Indian manufacturers, startups, researchers and suppliers.

For global companies, the availability of engineering talent, a large domestic electronics market and growing policy support could make India an increasingly relevant location for technology investment. For Indian businesses, the expansion of the semiconductor ecosystem could open opportunities in manufacturing, design, logistics, materials, equipment and specialised services.

Semiconductor Growth Could Support Wider Industry

The impact of semiconductor investment is likely to extend beyond chip factories themselves. A stronger electronics ecosystem can support demand for suppliers, technical services, industrial infrastructure, logistics and skilled manpower.

It could also encourage more companies to invest in research and product development in India. Over time, this may help strengthen links between semiconductor manufacturing and industries such as automobiles, consumer electronics, telecommunications, renewable energy and artificial intelligence.

For young engineers, the expansion of the sector could create opportunities across chip design, research, manufacturing, testing and other specialised technology functions.

India’s Semiconductor Story Moves Forward

SEMICON India 2026 reflects the changing nature of India’s semiconductor ambitions. The focus is gradually moving from attracting individual projects to developing a connected ecosystem in which talent, research, manufacturing, design and supporting industries grow together.

The Prime Minister’s message placed young technical talent at the heart of that effort, while also calling on industry to invest more deeply in research and development.

As semiconductor demand continues to grow globally, India’s ability to build specialised skills, develop intellectual property and establish reliable manufacturing and supply networks will be central to determining how deeply Indian companies can participate in the global chip economy.