Make In India: Needs approval of Indians first !

Make in India is a new initiative started by the country's Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in September of this year. It is the hope of the Indian government that this program will bring in a new boom to the economy, lower the unemployment rate, and make India more attractive for its own investors. It is also the intention of the government to use this initiative to make the infrastructure of the country more secure and reliable. The Make in India movement is targeting the sectors that are most expected to see substantial growth, like Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology, as well as the Construction and Entertainment sectors.

The Indian government is targeting as many sectors of the economy as it can, much like when China began its push for domestic growth. The Indian government is taking some of the same steps, such as offering different tax incentives. To any company looking at relocation to save costs, India offers a strong workforce in need of training. However, any company looking to relocate to India will have to overcome some of the same problems that overseas companies had in China. India will also have a problem internally…creating brands that appeal to Indians.

Facing the Same Problems as China.

Because the Indian workforce has been under trained and under educated for so long, the population, including the officials in the Indian government, has no faith in Indian made goods and services. This is why the most successful Indian Brands market themselves as being foreign, This dishonest marketing only bolsters the illusion that there is no successful Indian Brands that investors can point to and use as an example of Indian innovation. This perception is a problem that will be very hard for entrepreneurs to break.

One of the ways to break the negative perception is a massive marketing campaign. This is a very costly move that can backfire, costing any company that tries any further opportunity to create a successful Indian brand. Another way to break this problem is through a long-term commitment to a brand, using specific and targeted demographics of the country's consumers. Since this is a long-term, focused campaign, the costs can be minimized and stretched out.

Another big problem that Indian manufactures have to overcome is government officials not allowing for these manufactures to compete and bid on government projects. Recently, Indian companies were not given the option to bid on some projects, showing that the Indian officials either have a bias for foreign corporations or that they are unaware that they are helping to perpetuate the myth that Indian made goods and services are not at the quality of their foreign competitors. This is something that can be easily fixed by only allowing projects to be completed by Indian companies for the Indian Government or of National Importance and regulating the private sector in such a way that any large projects with a certain estimated budget entertain bids from Indian contractors. 

We do not advocate any favoritism for locals here, competition drives innovation and excellence hence must be promoted, but a fair chance given to compete to a Made in India Products in an Indian Project will have long term benefits to the campaign, economy and country. this indeed will create conducive and encouraging environment for entrepreneurship and budding Indian manufacturers.We can pursue world to use Made in India only when we show them benefit of using ourselves.

The infrastructure of India is not very investor friendly. There are numerous dead spots in the nation’s cellular coverage and the power grid is not in the best of shape. The roads are in serious need of repair, and this, among other things, is holding the country back. India has to show a commitment on the national level by bringing the nation’s infrastructure up to the level that one would expect from a developed country. 

This is a big upfront investment from the government that will require many years of taxes to pay for the program. These taxes will have to come from somewhere other than the investors that the government is trying to court into outsourcing to India. So, how do you raise the taxes on a population with a high unemployment and a workforce that is in need of education and training? Very carefully, as the last thing the government wants is to upset the population while trying to please foreign investors.

Indian Government and Large Corporate's Involvement.

One way to do this is concentrate more on trying to get Indian investors to make their money work at home instead of going overseas. The Indian government has to spend as much time and energy fostering an internal growth by Indians as they do with international economic relations. The Indian government is quick to point out examples of nationalism, but yet try to avoid their responsibility to show off their nationalism on a scale that the average Indian consumer can see. 

This is a unique problem that, once handled, can cause a national wave of pride. And once a workforce takes pride in the product or service that they provide, they will want to use that product for themselves. This will lead to a psychological rise in the worker’s perceived value of the product, causing this confidence to spread to other consumers in a way that will make the most effective viral marketer’s jealous. When people take pride in their work, they have a tendency to shun foreign made products. 

One example of this is in the U.S. City of Detroit, the home of the American automotive sector. The pride that the workers have in their product makes it incredibly hard for a foreign car manufacturer to sell their cars to the consumers in Detroit.

There are many ways that the government of India can really improve the economy with the Make in India initiative. But until the government is willing to broadly endorse Indian brands, the initiative may fail before it ever really takes off. India can enter into all the trade agreements with other countries it wants, but it needs to have National Brands for an Indian economy to stand strong against other brands from foreign manufactures. One such brand that is showing promise at Security Automation space is Solus. This effective and modular security system company is primed for explosive growth in India. Solus, like other Indian companies, were deprived to bid on couple of public projects. due to only “Imported Approved Makes“ remind you choosing imported products can not Guarantee Project Success, Refer the HPCL Pan India Access Control Project is being considered to be re-tendered after struggle of 3 years having chosen only imported makes for the project. 

Hope Once the Make in India initiative really ramps up, it would be nice to see the Indian government level the playing field for all the players of the emerging Indian economy. To learn about Make in India pride projects and to have assistance for your projects contact us at http://www.solus.co.in/contact or Click here

Securing the Brand !

A Brand is an earned identity of a business, and how its custodians care for this brand, determines its future. Employees show pride in the brand by conspicuously displaying their ID cards. They are also the first responders to report any potential misuse of the brand. Earned assets need protection too; hence, security management is not only about being aware of threats and practicing prevention, but about being ahead in the battle of wits using technology, as well.  It’s about accessing control of the future, now.

Today, as we lead hybrid lives, our traditional boundaries become more and more blurred. We complement our “real” selves with “online” personas for our audiences on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and countless other social channels. The routine nine to five working day is becoming a distant memory, thanks to smartphones and tablets, which allow us to be in constant contact, no matter where we are. And just as with work and home, our online and offline lives, increasingly overlap. Organisations are realising that their security management practices must also upgrade in order to keep up with this change, and they should think no differently than marketers to remain efficient, always.

Let's see How.

In today’s online-offline world, employees or visitors may be today or tomorrow’s customers. This means that their experience of your security management practices can have long-lasting and often unforeseen consequences for your brand and business reputation.

We all have stories to tell about our own experiences – and human nature far prefers sharing nightmares as opposed to sharing fairy tales. We talk about the entire experience, from the first ID card or a visitor pass issued, like how quick or slow a process it was, to how this ID card can be loaned or stolen for misuse by someone, whose security breach may never be acknowledged. Our experience begins as a story shared in the canteen with close friends and can often turn into a trending buzz. So, security managers have an increasingly important role to play in managing corporate security practices, as well as communicating about them. And again, this is where thinking like a marketer can help.

So first, ask yourself this simple marketer’s question: How do my employees feel about our brand after going through our security management practices? Then, ask yourself these security management questions: What are my overall security management objectives? How will this benefit employees? How can they contribute to make it effective? Do I need to reduce our cost of surveillance? Are we risking our corporate reputation because our security breach response time is too slow? Do we need to cover a wider variety of systems and tools in order to have effective security management procedures in place? Do our security operation management teams need special training or very complex skillsets in order to manage their duties? Or, is it the Security Department’s responsibility, alone, to comply?

Whatever your security management goals and priority, harnessing marketing tools and techniques, particularly in the fast-evolving era of social media, will do both your security management and your brand a favour. Read on to find out why.

You Will Grow Your Potential Customer Base. 

Large organisations with a high volume of employee transition can pro-actively build a pool of engaged prospective employees on social media. Your effectiveness and modernized technology will get people talking, sharing, and appreciating your services faster than you can imagine.

For example, the Indian hospitality giant, Club Mahindra, is a trailblazer in managing security by utilizing  the social platform of the iSOLUS elite app. According to the social buzz, over 65% of employees talk and share their experience, at least once a day., With this Club Mahindra’s webpage traffic and sales' leads are bound to increase…without increasing the advertising budget. Since potential customers are confident to enter the holidays sales outlet knowing that their personal data is safe, secure and protected. And this is all made possible because of TMW, or The Mahindra Way, and its role in utilizing outside unbiased opinions to improve the perception of security in the minds of potential clients and customers. "TMW proves that it pays to think outside the box when it comes to security," says Subhash Kelkar, CIO at Club Mahindra.

The Mahindra Way (TMW) & Solus ID11 Securing Excellence. 

Give Your Brand Security Consciousness. 

Security threats continually invade nearly every aspect of our lives, and the area of security management is no exception. While there’s nothing new about Corporate security management, the novelty of mobile apps, which are now built into almost every employee’s mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, can give a push to corporate security practices and philosophies, as it has with Mahindra. With practically no cost and little time, security managers can now record and post security practice breaches, along with video clips or snapshots as evidence, giving them a powerful presence of security, even when they are off duty, thereby enhancing respect to the security management practices and, more importantly, the brand in the minds of employees, visitors and potential customers.

Identify and Engage Creative Contributors. 

Engaging employees in security management processes can be rewarding in many ways. And since there are no good or bad ways to manage or improve the process, we can allow the users to contribute ideas that may better the management procedures. Security management personnel can screen the ideas and suggestions with far more accuracy, thereby getting a strong insight into employees’ personalities and core skills, making it easier to find strong candidates who stand out from the crowd.

Treat Your Employees Like Your Customers. 

First, name one consumer business without a customer service department! Can you? Now, is your company in the 75 percentile ignoring unsuccessful security practices? Remember, whether you use tailgate tracking or a door –left-open-too-long system, your employees will eventually become aware of your weaknesses. The iSOLUS notification system, or even a simple Email or SMS, is an essential tool that allows employees easy access to check your security operations. A little respect earned, here, goes a long way.

If you’re still not inspired to market your security management practices, here’s a real and powerful example:

Asian Paints 

is known for practical and effective information security management. The image to the right shows a mirror for employees to check before accessing a door using their company's ID Cards to stop tailgating.“… been very unconventional security communication campaign towards brands respect for Information Security,” says Group CIO Mr. Manish Choksi, when asked about the addition of the mirrors at doors as their normal security practice, “Security starts with little steps like this before leaving lasting colors of a most innovative brand like Asian Paints.”

As we all know, Security in any organization begins and ends with people. It is important to include them in the process by keeping them informed, alert, and connected. After all, it’s about their protection, as well. To find out how we can assist you in an employee-inclusive enterprise security solution, contact us at http://www.solus.co.in/contact or 

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