SECURE DIGITAL INDIA - Powering connections with secure digitization

Digital India refers to the creation and delivery of digital infrastructure through electronic manufacturing to empower the Indian citizen by providing all public and private sector services electronically with ease. The key word in the modern digital world is “Account” which is not only confined to one’s banking and financials but acts as a gateway to access all the electronic platforms. Reverting to older, time-consuming practices like paper transactions, money order transfers, queuing up in banks or writing cheques is outdated; digitalization has made our life easier with one click on our smartphones.

Reliance Jio’s user base ran into millions within weeks, thanks to Aadhaar ID verification. Passports are now issued in two weeks with Aadhaar from six months earlier. Tax returns are filed in real time, thanks to e-filing. Digital India will continue to expand — less than 10% of transactions are digital at present. Yet digital India needs to build trust and greater security. The problem with government databases is that these are live, accessed by multiple users within the government and outside, that multiplies the security challenge. The government is the biggest player in digital India and there are multiple user agencies accessing the data to complete their tasks. These include Banks, Telco’s, Insurance companies, Credit Card issuers, Mobile Wallets, E-Commerce companies, Hospitals, Security and Gas agencies etc. Linking Aadhaar with everything is a risk if done without adequate checks and balances. There are good uses and bad uses of data. In a digital world, it’s a never-ending cat-and-mouse game, with hackers trying to breach networks. The greatest threat to digital India could arise from hackers residing anywhere in the world.

About 20 years back, 40-bit encryption was considered high-tech. Today it can be breached in minutes and companies have moved to 128-bit and 256-bit encryption. Databases like Aadhaar are secured with 2048-bit encryption. There aren’t enough geeks to protect digital assets. Digital India needs top professionals who can build hack-proof systems, block chain and quantum-computing era ready and ensure 24x7 protections against threats. The trouble is we don’t know the bad users, anything can be hacked, trust us we secure your journey with QUICK HEAL (Anti-Virus).

Today, our inventions are the foundation of so many of the devices and applications that are enhancing our everyday lives. Creation & remembering passwords for all the electronic accounts becomes a hassle & can be a threat to secure Digital India Campaign.

Do's & Don'ts To Protect Your Data:

• Activate SMS alerts for all financial transactions
• Avoid common passwords across platforms (like same password for bank account & facebook)
• Use strong passwords & avoid writing down passwords
• Be careful about what personal information you share over the phone
• When downloading free apps (or even paid ones) be aware that they access address books & other information on smartphones, check if you really need them
• Avoid doing sensitive transactions like mobile banking using public Wi-Fi
• Be careful what you print/copy on public printers (even office printers/copiers)
• Avoid accessing bank account transactions, social media in cyber cafes or other people's devices

Biometrics-based Aadhaar has helped remove fake beneficiaries and ghost accounts. However, despite an unbreakable 2048 bit encryption of most government databases, 100% security may never be possible. The ratio of the risk of financial fraud in India is 8:1. Fraud in India has been under check due to Reserve Bank of India’s insistence on the tighter, two-factor authentication and because the number of people using digital services frequently is still low. More than 50% e-shoppers still insist on cash on delivery option.

Often users store personal information on their smartphones. They download free apps like WhatsApp or Truecaller. These apps want to make your life easier, but at the cost of sharing your address book, an app could seek permission in its long list of terms & conditions which nobody cares to read — to copy every word you key in, compromising security. Here’s where the hacking & data theft takes place. Facebook and Instagram have user’s name and birth dates, besides frequent updates. Amazon, Flipkart and other E-commerce companies know addresses, mobile numbers, debit card numbers & credit card numbers. Over the next few years, if users are able to do banking via links, say, on Facebook, it will multiply risks of security. The biggest challenge is that your data is not just with your bank there’s an entire ecosystem of players and not all of them run their shops with the same level of rigor and controls that banks do. Users need to be aware of what they do with hotspots as well as before connecting to public Wi-Fi. Also, using the corner photocopy shop to get Aadhaar or passport copies is not without risks. These machines come with hard disks that store copy or print.

WOMEN AT WORKPLACE

“We are becoming the men we wanted to marry” - Gloria Steinem

Women constitute nearly half of the population of the world. They, standing shoulder to shoulder with men, have to play a significant role in the socio-economic & cultural growth of the world by contributing their might.

The history, in a way, had been resistant to accept women as equal to men, though some countries like India even during the ancient period had recognized the important place of women in the society. However, in the advent of civilization women where impact relegated to a place of less importance & subordinate to men. Things have gradually parted changing & after centuries have come to understand that women have to be lifted & put on par with men for this women empowerment, making them more & more equipped with powers, possibilities & opportunities.

There are many examples of successful women leaders leading the economic & democratic societies. Women can also be defined as follows:

W-Work

O-Organization

M-Modern

E- Equality

N- Nation

The reality today is that over half the world’s population of women is in a position with the least rights and no power. More women are subjugated by men. We live in a world that is dominated by the patriarchal values and where men are in power. We’d be ignorant if we were to say that there is sexual equality in the world.There just isn’t but this doesn’t make men wrong. This makes the system wrong and it’s time for a change. Women will thrive when there is fairness and greater balance across the board.

Feminism has been vastly misconstrued, but ultimately it is about equality for all. Feminism is the belief in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes. Women are waking up and realizing that they can change the world. We need to look at the amazing feminist role models in the world today, like, Irom Chanu Sharmila, Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Kiran Bedi, Shivani Verma, Indu Jain, Richa Kar, Kirron Kher and many others. The world needs feminine power, not masculine women trying to fit into a patriarchal world. We need to bring feminine qualities to the corporate world, the educational system, health and communities worldwide. In today’s world, a significant change is witnessed and the attitudinal shift is observed in women's and society's thoughts about women's equality and emancipation. Some of the most persistent forces working against women’s rise to the top, whether it’s the household chores that drag them out of the race for top jobs, the employer who sidelines them for taking time off, or the spiralling pensions deficit that leaves many near penniless in old age.

Women are still paid less, female bosses are still in the minority and motherhood still carries the risk of total career derailment and all this despite record numbers of women joining the workforce over the past decade. Women in the workplace might do even more than boosting the bottom line. Having more women in the workplace actually makes an organization a better place to work. It’s a disturbing prospect for many women, who require more money for healthcare and can reasonably expect to outlive men by a number of years.

The burden of housework and family care even if they work as many hours as their partner. The constant round of wiping and worrying can have a corrosive effect, leaving them too weary to take on high-profile projects or compete for the top jobs. Employers really do discriminate against women who take time out of work to look after children. Recent research has found that stay-at-home mothers are half as likely to be asked in for an interview as a woman who was employed but made redundant.

Women have become more ambitious than ever: 82% are confident they'll reach their career goals and 77% think they make a good leader. There's more it turns out that when women negotiate for pay raises and promotions, they often succeed. It is also observed that women are not leaving their companies at higher rates than men and a very few plan to leave the workforce to focus on family.

Having a higher percentage of female talent in an organization predicted:

• More job satisfaction
• More organizational dedication
• More meaningful work
• Less burnout
• Opportunities to make a difference
• Enjoyable work culture

Gender Differences Between Men & Women in the Workplace:

Men’s brains gravitate toward facts and logic. (Share ideas)	Women’s brains are geared toward intuition and emotion. (Share emotions)
Men are more direct. More aggressive, more prone to interrupt.	Women are more soften. Allow them to be interrupted more.
Men are quiet & focus. Attempt to dominate the conversation.	Women are more affirmative. Concerned with equalized input.
Men gather information.	Women maintain harmony.
Tend to relate to other men on a one-up, one-down basis. Status and dominance are important to men.	More relationship oriented & look for commonalities & ways to connect with others.
Men think the woman is agreeing with them. He is surprised when she later disagrees since she nodded her head.	At meetings, women nod their head to show they are listening.
Men can have a disagreement, move on to another subject and go get a drink together.	If women have a disagreement with each other it affects all aspects of their relationship.
Don’t see the point in sharing personal issues.	Talk to other women when they have a problem or need to make a decision.
Tell & give information rather than ask questions. Share experiences if needed.	Focus on building rapport. Sharing experiences & asking questions.
Less likely to listen.	Listen carefully /attentively.

So to make a difference, think globally and act locally! We need to do our bit to ensure that the future for girls is bright, equal, safe and rewarding.