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Embee launches VirtuaPlace for SMBs in India

by | Aug 11, 2020 | , , ,

Embee Software Pvt. Ltd. has announced the launch of VirtuaPlace business continuity solution aimed at small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India. The solution is aimed at facilitating SMBs in cloud adoption. VirtuaPlace for SMBs runs on Microsoft Azure and brings together offerings across Azure, Microsoft 365, Octane HRMS, SAP Business One, and Windows Virtual Desktop.

The launch comes amidst a growing assumption that remote work scenario is here to stay even beyond the pandemic situation, and seamless teamwork, collaboration, data security and more at controlled prices is going to be a need for the SMBs.

Embee has been a partner of Microsoft India for more than 30 years and has empowered 2500+ organizations of all sizes with customized digital solutions in the IT services market. It also has one of the largest cloud consumption and adoption of portfolios in India, with more than 2 million entitlements in Microsoft 365 and 70% growth in Microsoft 365 business in FY2019.

Sudhir Kothari

Sudhir Kothari, MD & CEO, Embee

“This COVID-19 adversity can inspire organizations to rethink their digital strategy and adopt the offerings to transform their businesses. VirtuaPlace is designed to empower small-medium businesses and enterprises with business continuity, robust security, and productivity while scaling their operations at reasonable costs. Businesses can choose from a variety of solutions and services, curated to their needs, at an attractive monthly subscription. Embee is eager to be the partner in growth for organizations in the digital age,” Sudhir Kothari, MD & CEO Embee Software Pvt. Ltd, noted.

With VirtuaPlace, Embee is focusing not just on smooth onboarding but also on ensuring customer adoption of the new technologies on a foundation of successful digital transformation. To its credit, Embee has onboarded more than 200 schools to utilize Microsoft Teams as a remote learning tool during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Krishna Sai

Krishna Sai, CTO, Embee

“With the solution, schools have found themselves equipped with a digital platform to ensure continuity in learning. The swift implementation, taking as little as 3-days per school, establishes Embee’s credentials to empower organizations digitally. We are looking to replicate this success with VirtuaPlace across the country,” Krishna Sai, CTO, Embee Software Pvt. Ltd, said.

Venkat Krishnan, Executive Director, Commercial Partners, Microsoft India said, “Small and medium businesses form the economic backbone of our country. Bringing together the power of the Microsoft cloud and other offerings in a secure and scalable environment, VirtuaPlace by Embee can helps SMBs transform digitally and be future-ready in a world of remote everything.”

Apart from creating a virtual place for business to overcome remote working challenges, Embee offers a secure environment and advanced threat protection to its partners so that they can adapt to remote work environments, more smoothly.

Wipro hardens its LIVE Workspace suite with Intel vPro

by | Aug 7, 2020 | , ,

Wipro Limited, a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company, today announced that it will join forces with Intel to enable Wipro’s LIVE Workspace, Wipro’s digital workspace solution with the Intel vPro platform. This joint collaboration will help customers drive business continuity by enabling remote IT support and solutions, as they seek to keep employees productive amid social distancing boundaries and other remote-work limitations that have become the new normal.

Wipro integrated the Intel vPro platform into LIVE Workspace, a suite of digital workplace services to provide remote manageability of devices. This extends to users at home or in the office and provides enhanced protection and security against firmware-level attacks. The combined solution provides practical business continuity services to enable enterprises to rapidly design, deploy, and manage a true remote work experience. Intel recently introduced its 10th generation Intel Core vPro processors that are built for business to power next generation business computing needs. Wipro will leverage the Intel vPro platform which features Intel Active Management Technology (Intel AMT) and Intel Endpoint Management Assistant (Intel EMA). This will enable remote work and drive seamless productivity and collaboration while giving employees the flexibility to work from anywhere in a safe, more secure and reliable manner.

Satish Yadavalli, Vice President, Cloud and Infrastructure Services, Wipro Limited said, “The collaboration is a testament of our strength and our joint resolve to enhance the value we can create for our customers. We intend to bring together our strong complementary capabilities on remote working tools & platforms, desktop & application integration and managed services, to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic. Wipro is a leader in workplace management services and Intel in client computing solutions. Together, we can equip enterprises to enhance employee experiences and connectivity to help achieve strategic business outcomes.”

“Our partnership with Wipro has been strong and we applaud Wipro’s laser focus on driving customer value. The Intel vPro platform is built for business, and Wipro’s digital workspace solution is perfect for customers adapting to the new normal of remote workplace management. Together we are delivering on a vision for seamless productivity and collaboration, so people can contribute at the highest level regardless of where they are,” said Stephanie Hallford, Intel Vice President of the Client Computing Group and General Manager of Business Client Platforms.

Tech M ties up with Hinduja CyQureX to up cybersecurity play

by | Jul 29, 2020 | ,

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business reengineering services and solutions, has announced a global strategic partnership with a leading cybersecurity specialist. The aim is to offer superior cybersecurity solutions to support global clients as Tech M ties up with Hinduja CyQureX, which is a leading provider of advanced cybersecurity solutions worldwide.

The strategic partnership will enable the organizations to become leaders in the emerging ‘zero trust’ environment, leveraging CyQureX’s core Software Defined Perimeter (SDP) technology and solutions, alongside Tech Mahindra’s strategic focus on cybersecurity and other next-generation technologies. The partnership will enable their global customers to have access to state-of-the-art cyber security protection for data assets across the entire life cycle, i.e., “data in motion”, “data in use” and “data at rest.”

Leveraging its consulting and digital transformation expertise, Tech Mahindra will provide consulting, planning, designing, integration, orchestration, and automation of services. CyQureX, which represents a new and critical business vertical the Hinduja Group, with research and development centers in India and the USA and offices spread across the USA, the UK, Middle East and India, will prioritize capabilities in the ‘cyber security domain – the new middleware of the future.’

CP Gurnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “Organisations have accelerated their digital transformation journey to emerge stronger and smarter from the current crisis. As a global leading provider of digital services, Tech Mahindra is committed towards leveraging new-age technologies to unleash new business opportunities and experiences for our customers and partner ecosystem through strategic partnerships and world class solutions. We see cybersecurity not only as an essential service but as a key business differentiator for our clients. The partnership with Hinduja Group’s CyQureX aligns with our core business proposition, and will further strengthen our position as the cybersecurity partner of choice for our customers globally

GP Hinduja, Co-Chairman, Hinduja Group noted, “This partnership is a game changer in the cyber security domain. It brings the leading security services company Tech Mahindra, and our newest technology company, CyQureX, together to create a highly secure, agile and resilient digital world. I am extremely delighted to see this strategic partnership formed, as it is in line with one of the core principles of our founder, Partnership for Growth. With rapid transformation of business to digital, we believe cybersecurity will be the cornerstone to protect all digital assets, particularly for digital transformation of India and other geographies. We are committed to develop many more indigenous state-of-the-art cyber security products and technologies in the coming years, with a vision to be a major global player in the emerging cyber security solutions market”.

“I am very excited about the alliance with Tech Mahindra,” added MK Narayanan, Executive Chairman of CyQureX, a Former National Security Advisor and Special Advisor on Intelligence and Security to the Prime Minister of India. “This is a critical alliance and I am hopeful that it will be the catalyst to leverage next generation technologies like Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and create Cyber Security platforms to protect businesses, critical infrastructure and government. It promises to take digitalisation to the next level, providing clients across the globe with fully integrated cyber security solutions.”

The strategic partnership between Tech Mahindra and Hinduja Group’s CyQureX will not only provide affordable protection to critical data, and defend nations against ‘stealth offences,’ but also provide cyber security solutions for agile deployment that are critically important for business continuity, competitiveness and flexibility. Together, given TechMNxt charter, which focuses on leveraging next-generation technologies, and Hinduja Group’s CyQureX as a leading provider of cyber security solutions, exciting new opportunities have become available in the world of cyber security. Simultaneously, Tech Mahindra and Hinduja Group’s CyQureX will work towards product development, consulting services and delivery in the cyber security space.

APTs using Covid-19 for cover, warns NTT threat report

by | Jul 22, 2020 | , ,

Global technology services provider NTT Ltd. has released its Global Threat Intelligence Center (GTIC) Monthly Threat Report for the month of July 2020. The GTIC protects, informs, and educates NTT Group clients through threat research, vulnerability research, intelligence fusion, and analytics. According to the NTT threat report, attacks from Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors continued to be on the rise, despite Covid-19 situation.

In fact, the virus has added fuel to the fire and has provided a cover for their operations. Organizations and industries that are considered as essential were increasingly targeted: power grids, oil and gas, postal and delivery services, first responders and law enforcement– assets which are even more valuable during a global crisis.

Key findings

APTs, particularly those suspected to be backed by nation-states, are focusing on intelligence-gathering efforts on Covid-19 research.

APT groups with links to Iran have attempted to breach the World Health Organization (WHO) via phishing campaigns, likely seeking information on testing, treatments, or vaccines.

Extortion, espionage, financial gain, and disinformation were the key objectives behind APTs conducting various operations, especially now, during a global crisis.

Companies researching the disease should expect to be targeted, whether for purposes of medical advantage to better treat or prevent Covid-19, for monetary gain or purely to inhibit the target from making progress.

Normal APT operations have also continued during this same timeframe; and operations related to or leveraging Covid-19 have served as a smokescreen as countries continue to focus their efforts in response to the pandemic, from both healthcare and cybersecurity perspectives

Considerations recommended

As enterprises continue to digitally transform and rapidly expand their footprint, they’ve been looking for a network that balances cost, user experience, agility and efficiency. The answer, and solution is a software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN), a virtualized network overlay and a lightweight replacement for traditional physical WAN infrastructure.

While WAN technologies have some native security features, unless reviewed holistically, it’s likely not enough to ensure your SD-WAN is inherently secure. It is a fundamental requirement to do a risk analysis and assessment that considers your organization’s risk profile at the outset of designing your SD-WAN and selecting appropriate security controls.

As the threat landscape evolves, even the organizations that may not be considered an essential service cannot let their guard down. Enterprises must continue to espouse best practices and build awareness in both their network environment and their global state of things.

Leveraging intelligence capabilities and resources from around the world, NTT Ltd.’s threat research is focused on gaining an understanding and providing insights into the various threat actors, exploit tools and malware.

To download the NTT Global Threat Intelligence Center Report for July 2020, click here.

Tech M intros PG diploma course in digital skills

by | Jul 17, 2020 | ,

Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business reengineering services and solutions, has designed a new digital transformation course approved by All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). The Indian multinational technology company has partnered with Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College (JNEC), under Mahatma Gandhi Mission (MGM) University, to roll out a two-year post graduate program in the academic year 2021.

According to an official statement released by Tech Mahindra, the custom curated curriculum is aimed at addressing the industry-academia skill gap in new-age technologies including digitalization, mobility, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, among others.

Tech Mahindra’s research and development arm, Makers Lab will be working closely with JNEC on reviewing the format of the course and helping them to create an environment of learning and innovation. As part of this course, students will be trained to work with dynamic, diverse, and agile teams to find solutions that will benefit people, society, and industry. This interdisciplinary course is aimed at providing holistic training to the students by imparting skills in competencies around digital transformation and technologies and cultivating an environment of entrepreneurship and design-led thinking.

“Digitalization is fundamentally changing the way organizations engage with both, their customers and their workforce. As part of our TechMNxt charter, we are investing heavily in reskilling our employees in next generation digital technologies. The inter-disciplinary course gives students an opportunity to look beyond existing expertise and discover how digital transformation is re-shaping the businesses of the future. Through this one-of-its-kind course, we aim to collaborate and co-create digital-warriors and nurture their talents and bridge the skill-gap,” said Nikhil Malhotra, Global Head of Makers Lab, Tech Mahindra, in a statement released to media and analysts.

The course is based on four main pillars: offering software engineering with relevant processes, methods, and tools to upskill students in new-age technologies; helping students hone their skills in designing and applying digital systems; involving people as co-producers by focusing on user-centered development processes; and equipping students in transversal skills with special emphasis on project work and hands-on training, which accredit students with relevant competencies for job market and a progressive attitude.

As part of its TechMNxt charter, Tech Mahindra is betting big on next-gen technologies to solve real business problems of the customers by delivering innovative solutions and services. Industry programs like these are a welcome move and are expected to play a crucial role in developing digital talent for the future.

See also: Tech M recognized as a best mega employer from India.

Tech M recognized as a best mega employer from India

by | Jun 20, 2020 | ,

Tech Mahindra Ltd., a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting and business reengineering services, has been recognized among India’s 50 best companies to work for in 2020 by the Great Place to Work Institute. Listed as a best mega employer (organizations with more than 50,000 employees), Tech Mahindra is also one of the five ‘Best Companies in Career Management.’ Tech Mahindra has achieved the 21st rank among India’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 2020 by the Great Place to Work Institute. This was one of the largest workplace studies in India, representing the voice of more than 2.1 million employees, across more than 21 industries.

Tech Mahindra has earned this best mega employer recognition for creating a great place to work for all the employees and has excelled on the five dimensions of building a high-trust, high-performance culture. These are credibility, respect, fairness, pride, and camaraderie. The awarding organization, Great Place to Work Institute, is the ‘Global Authority’ for creating, sustaining and identifying high-trust, high-performance culture. Great Place to Work is considered the ‘gold standard’ in workplace culture assessment and they identify best workplaces solely on the basis of employee feedback and quality of people practices in an organization. No jury or individual can influence the results of the assessment.

CP Gurnani, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “This is a collective win of 125,000+ people, who resolved to become and build a great institution by working in more than 125,000 different ways, towards a common goal. They were led by purpose, powered by technology and driven by a culture of Rise. We are humbled and honored to be counted among India’s 50 best companies.” Gurnani extended his special thanks to the human resources function.

Tech Mahindra remains rooted in the business and social ethos shared by the entire Mahindra Group through the Rise tenets – accepting no limits, alternative thinking, and driving positive change. The same has been demonstrated through initiatives like – ‘Don’t be plastic’, ‘3-4-3 for Good’ amongst others.

Harshvendra Soin, Global Chief People Officer and Marketing Head, Tech Mahindra, said, “We, at Tech Mahindra, believe the future of work is ‘Human-Centered’. Our focus has been on providing  ‘meaningful work’ and creating an enabling environment where our employees feel trusted, respected, recognized and empowered. As a mega employer, having a dispersed and large workforce, we leveraged technology to create hyper personalized experiences and Moments of Truth that embedded ‘People Engagement’ in our core business strategy, TechMHRNxt.”

Through a myriad of wellness programs, upskilling options, reward and recognition efforts, progressive policies for diversity and inclusion, Tech Mahindra is fostering an environment where learning, growth and innovation is promoted. Under its latest #lovetobeTechM initiative, the associates are encouraged to  share anecdotes, stories and testimonials on – celebrating good times, surviving the tough times and preparing for the future – together. These initiatives, among others, have helped the company mature as a best mega employer.

Tech Mahindra under its TechMHRNxt charter, focuses on reimagining people function for creating ‘Human Centered workplace’ and enhance employee experience by leveraging next-generation technologies along with human interactions. Associates at Tech Mahindra are digital change makers who are here to disrupt, blaze new trails, and create connected experiences for a connected world.

VIL joins Apple Watch Cellular club for select circles

by | Jun 12, 2020 | ,

Vodafone Idea Limited (VIL) has finally launched the Apple Watch Cellular (GPS + Cellular) service. According to a company release, this service is available for Vodafone Postpaid customers, including Enterprise Postpaid, in select circles of Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat beginning 12 June 2020. Services will continue to be expanded to additional circles in the coming weeks.

Before VIL, only Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio were providing the cellular service to Apple Watch users in India.

The announcement comes as a bonus for many postpaid enterprise subscribers of VIL who have been using Apple Watch for a variety of different enterprise implementations. Starting today, they have the freedom to leave their phones behind and stay connected with just their Apple Watch, helping them make calls, use wide range of productivity apps and stream Apple Music, even without having the iPhone nearby.

Speaking about the development, Avneesh Khosla, Director–Marketing, Vodafone Idea Ltd, said, “Consumers today are increasingly moving towards having connected products in their lives. With the launch of cellular support for Apple Watch we are enabling our customers to connect their Apple Watch to their iPhone using the same / existing mobile number and enjoy the freedom of using their Apple Watch independently to stay connected.”

How to set up the service:

  1. Update iPhone to latest iOS
  2. Open the Watch app on your iPhone
  3. Start the pairing process of Apple Watch and iPhone
  4. Sign in with your Apple ID and password to continue
  5. Tap “Setup Mobile Data” to share your Postpaid number and plan with Apple Watch
  6. Enter your Vodafone postpaid number and self-care password
  7. (Note: If not registered then tap on register to login to register your phone number)
  8. Tap confirm once login is successful
  9. On second confirmation the service will get activated within 30 minutes

It is important to note that enterprise postpaid customers will need prior confirmation from their authorized signatory to set up the service.

Tech M joins UNGC club on climate action

by | Jun 5, 2020 | ,

Digital transformation, consulting and business re-engineering services provider Tech Mahindra has signed a joint declaration with UN Global Compact (UNGC), urging governments to align their Covid-19 recovery efforts with latest climate science. Incidentally, Tech M joins UNGC club on climate action on World Environment Day.

The UN Global Compact provides a universal language for corporate responsibility and provides a framework to guide all businesses regardless of size, complexity or location.

Tech Mahindra has joined 155 global companies in calling for policies that will build resilience against future shocks by supporting efforts to hold global temperature rise to within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, in line with reaching net-zero emissions well before 2050. The statement comes as governments around the world are preparing trillions of dollars’ worth of stimulus packages to help economies recover from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, and as they prepare to submit enhanced national climate plans under the Paris Agreement.

Tech Mahindra said that this declaration was an effort to reinforce its commitment toward reducing carbon footprints, emission and will conserve energy using new-age technologies such as internet of things, artificial intelligence and blockchain. The company has also claimed to implement an internal Carbon Price of $10/ton CO2 to boost green investments and have also adopted a low emission technology path to increase the use of renewable energy from 1.7% in 2016 to 18% in 2020. Moreover, it has also taken targets to increase the renewable source of energy to 50% by 2025.

CP Gurnani, MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra, said, “Covid-19 has allowed all of us to reconfigure our priorities and understand the importance of building a sustainable world – by focusing on healthcare and leveraging technology to enable new ways of working. At Tech Mahindra, we are committed towards building a sustainable business with responsibility and by creating value for our stakeholders, while also keeping in mind the long-term impacts on the environment. It’s time to focus on and implement technology-led solutions that will help us reboot.”

The United Nations Global Compact has stated that the 155 signatories span across 34 sectors and have a combined market capitalization of more than $2.4 trillion, representing 5 million employees. The business voices are convened by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and its Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign partners, the UN Global Compact and the We Mean Business coalition.

Sandeep Chandna, Chief Sustainability Officer, Tech Mahindra, said, “Covid-19 has made businesses realize the importance of adopting strategies which will deliver innovative solutions without adversely affecting the environment. Our commitment towards going carbon neutral, conserving, and deploying resources efficiently will enable helps us to accelerate our transition to a low carbon economy while creating sustainable value for our stakeholders. As part of our TechMNxt charter, we have incorporated reduction of emissions as a key aspect to every function’s mandate and our overall business strategy.”

Tech Mahindra also works closely with partners and customers to help them increase energy savings, digitize and automate operations and create collaborative work environments addressing the need for sustainable practices. This includes solutions like micro grid as a service, smart city solutions, smart grid, smart data hubs, smart street light, smart bin, smart energy management, smart metering and analytics, intelligent electric vehicle charging system (IEVCS), and community action platform for energy (CAPE).

Abu Dhabi fund Mubadala invests in Jio for 1.85% stake

by | Jun 5, 2020 | ,

Reliance Industries Limited and Jio Platforms Limited have announced that Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor Mubadala Investment Company, will invest ₹ 9,093.60 crore in Jio Platforms. As Mubadala invests in Jio Platforms, the total investment in Jio goes up to ₹ 87,655.35 crore from leading global technology and growth investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, and Mubadala in less than six weeks (See: Telecom deals will transform mobile payments in India.)

Mubadala’s investment will translate into a 1.85% equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis. The deal comprises an equity value of ₹ 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of ₹ 5.16 lakh crore.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said, “I am delighted that Mubadala, one of the most astute and transformational global growth investors has decided to partner us in our journey to propel India’s digital growth towards becoming a leading DIGITAL NATION in the world. Through my longstanding ties with Abu Dhabi, I have personally seen the impact of Mubadala’s work in diversifying and globally connecting the UAE’s knowledge-based economy. We look forward to benefitting from Mubadala’s experience and insights from supporting growth journeys across the world.”

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO, Mubadala Investment Company, said: “We are committed to investing in, and actively working with, high growth companies which are pioneering technologies to address critical challenges and unlock new opportunities. We have seen how Jio has already transformed communications and connectivity in India, and as an investor and partner, we are committed to supporting India’s digital growth journey. With Jio’s network of investors and partners, we believe that the platform company will further the development of the digital economy.”

Mubadala invests and partners to advance Abu Dhabi’s diversified, globally integrated economy across sectors that are driving global growth and addressing critical challenges. A significant aspect of this mandate is transformative information and communications technology investments which include cognitive computing, ICT infrastructure, telecoms, and satellite operations.

The transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Industries and AZB & Partners, and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsel.

Jio Platforms Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, and is the parent company to Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited.

Huawei refreshes OceanStor Pacific mass storage

by | May 28, 2020 |

Shenzen, China-headquartered information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure major Huawei has announced the launch of its next-generation flash-based OceanStor Pacific mass storage series.

OceanStor Pacific mass storage

Shang Haifeng, President of Huawei Mass Storage Domain

The refreshed series delivers efficient, cost-effective, and reliable services for artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, videos, and other mass data scenarios. It claims to achieve new architectural, service, and performance boundaries, by leveraging multi-protocol interworking, next-generation elastic EC algorithm, and a series of dedicated hardware. The solution targets telecom carriers, among other industries including finance and manufacturing.

From telecom carriers’ point of view, the refresh for the OceanStor Pacific mass storage series could address their growing high-density storage needs in view of the surge in video and other data-intensive content on their networks.

OceanStor Pacific mass storage

Peter Zhou, President of Huawei Data Storage and Intelligent Vision Product Line,

The upgraded flash-based storage system has been designed in view of meeting the new-age mass data storage needs of enterprises. It enables them to collect, store, and process different types of structured as well as unstructured data. Key application examples are structured data from core services and mass unstructured data from 5G, IoT, and ultra-high density (UHD). Enterprises use AI technologies to analyze and process the massive amounts of data to convert data into knowledge and services, improving production efficiency.

Peter Zhou, President of Huawei Data Storage and Intelligent Vision Product Line, said, “Mass data will play an increasingly important role in enterprise digital transformation. Today, only 2% of global data is stored, and only 10% of the data is being mined for further value. Enterprises are facing insufficient capacity, data silos, and complex management when dealing with mass data. Our OceanStor Pacific Series is designed to answer these pain points, setting a new benchmark for efficient, economical, everlasting mass data storage, and helping us become the trusted choice for mass data.”

The Chinese technology multinational released its first generation of file storage in 2009 and has continuously invested in mass data storage ever since. Huawei says OceanStor storage has been deployed in more than 150 countries for more than 12,000 customers in a variety of sectors, including carriers, finance, government, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation.