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Cyan Security Group: Keeping the Digital World Safe

Meet Frank von Seth, the CEO of cyan AG, a Europe-based, internationally active provider of seamless cybersecurity solutions (cyan Security) and lightweight BSS/OSS platform services (i-new). Born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, Frank started his professional career as an Insurance and Risk Consultant with several companies on three continents and five different countries. Before joining cyan, Frank served Aon in Switzerland for over ten years. He started his current position as the CEO of cyan AG and is now leading the company into its future while working on a safer tomorrow for everyone by safeguarding users on their daily digital and connected journey.

cyan Security started its journey as a B2B provider of network security solutions like secure web gateways. Later in the 2010s, the company underwent a business model change as it realized that to protect a large number of users, a B2B2C model, leveraging the far reach of the telcos was necessary. So, the organization expanded its threat intelligence platform, built products specifically for this sector, and quickly signed its first contract with T-Mobile in Austria. Later, in 2018, the company went public in Frankfurt and inked a major contract with Orange Group, a leading telco. Soon many customers followed suit, and cyan Security partnered with T-Mobile in Poland and dtac in Thailand. Last year, with Frank taking the helm at the company, cyan started to focus more on driving customer success. It does this by partnering with its direct customers to provide security and relevant features to the end customer and guides these customers to fully leverage the potential of its solutions in the market.

Safeguarding Lives of Millions

In its cybersecurity segment, cyan Security is currently offering four primary solutions named OnNet Security, OnDevice Security, Child Protection, and CleanPipe DNS. The organization brings all of its products under a B2B2C white label approach to the market, providing clients the opportunity to enhance their product portfolio, protect their subscriber base, and boost their brand while generating additional revenues with its value-added products.

Frank states, “All our solutions have in common that they are built utilizing the DNS, an integral part of the modern internet, and on our threat intelligence platform which screens the internet 24/4 leveraging 200 virtual datacenters worldwide. This results in over 1 trillion data requests processed every month.”

cyan Security uses AI and ML in its 25 proven analysis methods, thereby minimizing the time that users are vulnerable. Its database of more than 300 million entries gets updated continuously, and because cyan Security doesn’t need to push updates to millions of end users, those updates become available almost instantly on the network independent of the device a customer is using – a genuinely unified experience.

Frank believes, from the clients’ perspective, cyan Security’s network-based approach has even more advantages. He says, “The customer does not need to install or update anything – the safety is provided directly by their telecom company. This is a huge advantage as many customers struggle to select and install an appropriate cybersecurity solution. Our solution, hence, has a very efficient and smooth customer journey compared to other solutions where you need to find an app, download, install, pay with a credit card, receive and enter a license key, configure the app on every device, and so on.”

The Catalyst

The pandemic acted as a catalyst for the increased focus on cybersecurity. With the sudden shift to a work-from-home model, companies and individuals realized that vulnerabilities could drastically affect professional and personal lives. Although available, the cybersecurity infrastructure was already on limits before the sudden shift to daily digital life, leaving many doors open to malicious actors. The fact that security needs to be the number one priority in our digital world has become more apparent during the pandemic. There are numerous instances of people operating and managing everything, starting from professional to personal matters in their life, without having the necessary protection in place.

Picture of the Future

For leaders in the connected world, cybersecurity has become a strategic priority. cyan Security provides a cybersecurity platform that is capable to cater to the billions of unprotected internet users worldwide. The solutions built upon this platform are highly scalable and delivered by a team of professionals who carefully analyze the needs of individual markets and customers to best facilitate their needs.

Along with high technological standards, cyan Security’s research and development center helps the firm to constantly be aware of the latest trends. A significant advantage for cyan Security’s partners is that they get a B2B2C white label solution. With this innovative approach, cyan enabled its clients to support and differentiate their brand with highly relevant value-added services by using one of its products under their name.

As an organization, cyan Security aspires to become a guiding star in the world of cybersecurity. Frank says, “We want to be the “seatbelt” of the digital journey of all users and devices. Of course, this is an ambitious goal, but as previously stated, I took on a challenge and am fully committed to this challenge. How do we plan to achieve this? One aspect for example is that we work on expanding our global footprint in the B2B2C business; we already work with multiple partners over different continents and protect hundreds of thousands of end users.”

Also, expanding in untapped markets will be one of the next steps for the organization. Furthermore, it also wants to get closer to end users, having a direct connection. In order to do that, cyan Security is planning to expand its cybersafety offerings into the B2C segment and directly provide its service to individuals.

Top 10 Distinctive Applications of Drone Technology

Drone technology is one of the advanced innovations in the realm of technology right now. Drones are robotic aircraft that have novel uses in several fields thanks to their excellent surveillance ability. Initially, drones were operated by remote controllers, but now, after the introduction of advanced technology, drones can fly autonomously with the help of sensors and LiDAR detectors. These specially designed robotic objects are also called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), capable of taking autonomous flight in the air without a pilot. Advancement in drone tech makes it a commercial tool. 

In the Early edge of drone technology, its usability was limited to some sectors, but now it supports most vital sectors like agriculture, photography, weather forecasting, and disaster management, which has increased its worth and notoriety in the tech world. So, let’s take a deep dive into the benefits and applications of drone technology, so if you’re curious about drone technology, then keep reading.

  • Surveillance 

The highlighting and profound quality of drone technology are its surveillance capabilities. This quality drives the capability of drones to capture still pictures of target places and develop keen observation. Thanks to the advancement of modern technologies, drones are now equipped with many advanced features like powerful cameras, GPS for location tracking, and interpreting cell phone calls, which help them to work efficiently. The most vital part of a drone is its tilt sensors, which act as the nervous system of a drone. These sensors help drones to gather information and analyze the situation on the target site. Another advantage of the monitoring ability of drones is that they can capture high-resolution images of distant and high-altitude objects. Drone surveillance is also observed in the military for attacking missiles and collecting secret information about enemies. 

  • Aerial photography

Currently, drone technology back the aerial photography concept efficiently and amazingly. Remote control and autonomous drones are used in the process of aerial video shooting. Aerial drone photography gives a wonderful experience of watching out the city or any other place through a bird’s eye view. Drone photography can capture images and videos where humans can’t go easily. Aerial wandering through drone cameras has applications in sports, real estate, and filmmaking, leading to the increasing use of drones in the corporate world. 

  • Shipping and Delivery

A drone is typically an autonomous object that can transport goods and services by air up to customers’ doors. Drones can deliver food and packages more efficiently at long distances in less time than conventional transportation methods. So, this shipping process is cheaper than buses, trucks, and other transportation options because it does not require fuel to fly and also demands low maintenance charges. E-com giant companies like Amazon and Walmart are testing drone technology for future shipping and delivery of goods to customers. So to enhance the transport service of any company it is necessary to use these aerological technologies for the betterment of customer’s experience. 

  • Geographic mapping 

Geographic mapping deals with gathering data on topographical features of the earth’s surface. A drone can provide high-resolution data on seashores, Islands, and other land topographical features in the mapping process. So, professionals can use this high-resolution data and also be able to design 3D maps using this data. GPS and Wi-Fi connections are also available in the drone, enabling it to find the exact location.

  • Agricultural crop monitoring 

Drones have already proven their worth in the agricultural industry They act like intelligent aerial robots for the farming industry, which detect crop health and also give an indication of the use of pesticides. Drones consist of sensors and run on Artificial Intelligence technology which helps in crop monitoring and assists farmers and botanists in determining humidity, temperature, water, and soil fertility. These automated techniques reduce the workload of farmers and allow them to focus on commercial advancement crops in the market. Not only in monetizing crops but also in planting saplings to spraying can be carried out with the help of drones which help farmers take more crop production within minimum time. 

  • Rescue operations and disaster management

This is also one of the captivating uses of drone technology for humans because sometimes humans can not send to the disaster place due to high risk where drones can play an important role. In countries like China and Australia, drones are already used to rescue people from fires. Drones are autonomous and aerial objects made up of thermoplastics so that they can be sent to any place for rescue operations. Sometimes larger aerial objects like helicopters and rescue planes cannot go to the disaster point; drones can easily go there and get a close view of the situation. 

  • Military secret operations 

As to history, the first use of drones was carried out in the military for secret missions. Drones assist militaries in gathering sensitive information from their neighbors, which enables the capture of opponents. Today’s modern drone technology is used in the military to perform airstrikes to control enemy attacks and also to alert the army of any sudden attack. So these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’ surveillance and intelligence are used for attacking missiles and bombs on enemies by an army of the respective country.

  • Weather forecasting

Special types of weather drones are designed to collect weather data and information from the lowest layer of the earth’s atmosphere, called the troposphere. They are furnished with specialized sensors which gather information about humidity, temperature, and wind in the atmosphere. Weather drone technology assists the meteorological sector and weather forecasters in interpreting weather reports more precisely. The warnings of rain and hurricanes can get through these weather drones at an early stage. Before any natural calamity, these weather drones warn the government and weather forecasting teams so they can be ready.

  • Wildlife Monetization 

A drone is the most suitable and efficient alternative for wildlife surveying and monetization. Tracking the faunal population in the forest is nearly impossible for humans, but drones can keep an eye from the sky on different animal species without disturbing their ecosystem and life activities. Drone technology can also be applicable in reducing the poaching of animals like elephants and deer in Asian and African countries. These quadcopters efficiently capture all life processes of animals on land, in water, and in the air by great surveillance. That’s why we can know how the ecosystem of animals works. 

  • Space Drones

Drones have already conquered the earth’s surface and are now heading into space. Space research organizations like NASA have carried out secret missions of drones traveling toward space. In the future, these drones can be used as information collectors from the land on the moon and mars. These space drones are also used for mapping space and capturing high-quality images of the solar system.

Elon Musk finally wraps up the Twitter deal for $44B

Elon Musk took possession of Twitter with an exceptional tweet and the dismissal of top management of the board, which provides a clear insight into how he will achieve his planned ambition for social media platforms. After months of legal battle and proceedings, Elon Musk finally closed the deal with Twitter for $44bn by taking all charges of the company; he fired the former CEO Parag Agarwal on 28th Oct. 

After completing a successful deal of ownership of Twitter, Elon Musk was tapped for his first tweet after owning a company. His tweet roughly reflects the idea about the future modifications of Twitter. He claimed that the “bird is freed” in a tweet after the deal and gave an idea about the freedom of speech and introduction of advertising on Twitter. Elon confirms that he will make certain changes regarding spam bots and fake accounts on Twitter. He also gave confirmation that people can now freely comment on their opinions and speeches on Twitter without any excessive restrictions and bans but in accordance with the rules and regulations of the respective country. After having free speaking rights, he also revealed that Twitter would come up with multiple options like gaming, advertising, business, shopping, and payments. This integration and modification in Twitter can be the next big thing in all social media platforms. 

In his popular tweet after the deal, Elon clarified that his taking over Twitter is a genuine effort towards a healthy society and the future of civilization. He also revealed that he did not buy Twitter for more money but for humanity and society. The next important thing he underlined in his tweet was that Twitter is welcoming to all people in the world but considers all laws and rules of every country. Musk also ascribed to handling consequences on Twitter. According to some sources and news reports, Twitter is now charging for acquiring blue ticks for Twitter accounts on the app, which significantly impacts the verification process. Twitter is currently planning to charge $19.99 per month to the user for a verification tick. 

Another message from Musk’s tweet is also important for businesses, advertisers, and marketers, “Twitter aspires to become the best advertising platform in the world that strengthens the brand and your enterprise.” These words show that advertising media modifications and updates can assist businesses to grow and brands to know.

How Smartphones revolutionize the society

According to some statistical data, global smartphone users increased by 49.89% during 2017-22. There are about 91% of people use smartphones in the world today. These data reflect how smartphones revolutionize society in less than one decade. Smartphones are now becoming irreplaceable things in the lives of people. With better means of communication and convenience, people are embracing smartphones and their new groundbreaking features. After introducing smartphones, smartphone applications and cutting age features are rapidly evolved and made people’s lives easy and unexpectedly fast. From car games to Netflix and iTunes, the concept and the way of consuming entertainment media have changed remarkably.

The most revolutionized sector in the world because of smartphones is Business. Extraordinary and unbelievable growth in E-Commerce business is only possible due to smartphones. All E-Commerce businesses are able to directly contact and target their customers via smartphones to sell their products. Along with Business and entertainment, sectors like finance, healthcare, travel, and tourism also changed drastically.

Smartphones also transform social interaction into virtual meetings. People can contact their near ones at anytime and anywhere in the world, which greatly impacts people’s social life. Let’s seek into more detail to understand how smartphones revolutionize society and the world.

Enhance social interaction

If we go ten years back, it is hard to interpret that we will talk to people in different towns or even in different countries via video call. With the power of the internet and the arrival of groundbreaking, new technologies smartphones can bring video calls and online meetings. Social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram on mobile phones increase the quality of communication and interaction between people and their families. Applications like Zoom and Google Meet show their incredible use and features of video conferencing and meeting in the last two years. Overall, smartphones and their next-level features are always amazing and help people to connect and interact with everyone.

Impact on Business

A smartphone is an irreplaceable tool in the world today because almost all businesses in the world use E-Commerce websites to acquire customers and launch their products or service to their target audience. Having smartphones in each hand becomes the opportunity and marketing strategy for many E-Commerce businesses in the world. Online shopping is the key service delivered by all Ecom businesses up to people via smartphones. So, online smartphone purchasing and selling greatly impact trades and services.

Marked transformation in education

Education is one of the vital pillars in the society of any nation. Quality of education and educated people define the overall growth of the country. The foremost purpose of education is to equip young people for tomorrow. In the past, many decades have only changed the process of the education system. Today worldwide internet service and handled smartphones revolutionize the educational system drastically. Gone are the days when students relied on their parents, teachers, and school to liberate themselves. Currently, there are uncountable sources from which students can add and gain knowledge on their own with the help of mobile phones and internet services. Smart content allows students to learn with joy and applications that reflect the world’s bright future.

Shift concept of entertainment

Advancements in smartphones have been followed by a plethora of amazing applications. Thanks to google and the apple play store for providing millions of smartphone apps. Ten years back, the concept of entertainment was totally different; people generally went outdoors to enjoy themselves in cinema theaters, traveling only. But today, smartphones and apps like Netflix deliver theater to one’s smartphone. Reportedly, films released on OTT platforms are becoming more successful and popular than in cinema theaters. So, the choices of people are changing regarding content consumption and entertainment.

Considerable change in media and journalism

Smartphones and the internet have incredibly changed journalism and mass media. At times of newspaper, reporters had to wait for 24 hours to publish their breaking news. This sounds like a fairy tale in today’s fast and updated generation because today breaking news from any corner can reach around the world in a few minutes. In the past years, television was selected over newspapers by people. Today television is replaced by all smartphones because TVs cannot broadcast all news at once. Today’s audiences want faster news updates on channels and social media platforms, so the speed of news publishing is the priority for journalists now.

Optimize Financial processes

Smartphones bring banks and all financial processes into one place. Payment apps like Google pay and Amazon pay convert lengthy bank transactions into seconds. In large population countries, it isn’t easy to handle customers for banking institutions for daily transactions, but mobile phones revolutionize all transaction processes by making them easier for people. The use of smartphones replaced physical wallets with digital wallets. Smartphones not only help to pay bills but help to optimize and manage money and assets of people by having online apps. We analyze our spending, investing portfolios, and bank accounts on a single device.

Travel and navigation

Planning for any trip and travel becomes easy when you have a smartphone. With advanced apps on the smartphone, you can book your tickets and residential facility out of your town or country with a single click. From buying tickets for your flights to searching must-watch destinations and famous food of any place is possible due to the use of smartphones. After visiting any new place, the vital requirement is for a navigator, which is also provided by Google maps, to find out the route that you want. Advanced navigation features in smartphones can help you to live and accommodate in unfamiliar destinations easily.

Academy to Industry – A Journey in Ushering a Safer Philippines

The Philippines, being an archipelago with over 7,600 islands, is very familiar with many natural disasters. Two of the most common are typhoons and earthquakes.

Driven by his passion to help his countrymen address the issue with structural health and how it can help building administrators prepare for strong earthquakes and save more lives, Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, a Filipino engineer, academic, and technopreneur decided it’s time to take the first step to a more resilient Philippines.

With his knowledge and expertise in his specialized field of Civil Systems, Francis has dedicated his life to combining scientific innovations and creative solutions to address the demand for structural health monitoring systems. Leading a team of equally passionate, creative, and diverse individuals, he believes in the power of collaboration, team work, and nonstop research for continuous development and progress in engineering solutions.

Pushing against limits and boundaries

Early on when the project was still in its initial phases, there were few interests gathered from investors and venture capitalists. So much support for the ideas that lead to discussions of partnership and funding down the line.

Not everything goes according to plan, however, so for a time, the ideas remained just that. But Francis is not the type to give in to stress and pressure. Armed with proof of concepts and documentation, he turned to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its technology commercialization program with the help of his alma mater where he also serves as the Dean for the School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering (CEGE), the Mapua University. Mapua is a premier engineering and technological school in the Philippines. Acquiring funding support from the DOST with the help of the school, USHER (Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) Technologies Inc. was born.

Becoming building “doctors”

A structural health monitoring device responds to dangerous structural changes. It also helps improve reliability of the structure and in managing its overall life cycle. Over time, it has added features, one of which is to gauge the effect of ground movement on the structure and predict the seismic performance of infrastructures. This way, the building can be evacuated and retrofitted before any untoward incident happens.

When vibrations and other factors affect a building because of changes in ground movement, the structural health monitoring system can detect them and provide analytics to structural engineers and other decision makers on building safety and management. These vibrations are coined with the term “heartbeats” and its engineers are called the structural health doctors. They will then decide whether to reinforce some parts of the structure or, in dire circumstances, evacuate the occupants.

Surprisingly, despite the fact that the country is along the Pacific Ring of Fire and that earthquakes are next to normal, there aren’t any local suppliers for structural health instruments. Even if the local government requires each building owner and developer to have the instrument in their properties before they can have permits, there is no local manufacturer but all foreign made with limited capability and features.

It’s time that someone manufactures a local instrument for structural health. After all, nobody knows Philippine buildings, conditions and laws well but a local.

Once funding was secured, it was a matter of taking the product to the market and encouraging developers and building owners to support local. It was very hard to compete with international, tried, and tested brands.

But Francis always loves challenges.

The journey towards sustainability amidst the pandemic

In recent years, more and more government agencies and departments offered support and have agreed on partnerships with USHER. In September of 2019, the brand finally had a grand launch in one of the country’s most prestigious venues, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila.

The grand event was attended by business partners, investors, government agencies, and important decision makers in several industries and fields. Many project collaborations were planned, support that were pledged, and interested parties have set up meetings with the team. Indeed, it was a great way to cap the event.

A few months later, the world was put to a standstill because of a global pandemic. Covid19 spread like wildfire on a hot, dry, summer day in the desert at a very accelerated rate. Before we know it, all countries are on lockdown, all borders are closed, and lives are being taken by the millions.

Francis and the USHER team decided to help create solutions to rise up to the demands of the new normal.

The Go Clean Chamber was created. Since the Covid19 virus spreads through contact of individuals with contaminated surfaces like garments, footwear, and even human body parts, the Go Clean Chamber disinfects both in-bound and out-bound personnel trac in building structures. It is a low-cost mobile disinfection and anti-coronavirus chamber.

Another one on the pipeline is a UV ray scanner called Go Clean GIZMO for documents, money bills, and other paperworks. Working like an x-ray machine, the Go Clean GIZMO disinfects the documents by scanning them with UV rays, effectively killing any virus or bacteria that attach themselves in the papers.

There is also the HOCLOMAC system, a stand-alone, onsite generator of hypochlorous acid used for disinfecting. It can be integrated to any misting chambers and other misting systems in public and private spaces. It can produce 1.5 gallons of hydrochloric solution in less than 5 minutes.

Now, as the world slowly comes back from its forced hiatus in 2020 and people are adjusting to the new normal, with it comes new challenges to face and new goals to achieve.

Through his guidance and tutelage, the USHER team continuously researches on effective ways to provide technological solutions to the new situations we encounter everyday. Francis redefined progress and innovation and made it synonymous to helping people, brands, and the government adjust to the new normal.

From its humble beginnings as an academic project to its current position as one of the country’s leading brands, Francis and USHER has continued the journey to progress and conquering new heights in creative and innovative solutions.

“It’s always been about making it more convenient and easier for our people and professionals to work together and help the government create a more sustainable and a more resilient Philippines.”. Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy, CVO and Founder of USHER Technologies, Inc. 

Author

“Dr. Francis Uy is an engineer, academic, and creative civil systems solutions advocate from the Philippines who leads USHER Technologies Inc., an technology solutions company that brings focus to the importance of structural health monitoring and other DRRM techs as a means to save more lives in cases of unfortunate natural events.”

Nicholas McQuire: Shaping the Future of Cloud and Technology

Meet Nicholas McQuire, a globally recognized thought leader and a former 20+ year technology analyst with a knack for artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and enterprise innovation. Nick presently serves as a Director in Microsoft’s Strategic Missions and Technology Organization, a scale-up innovation hub for Microsoft.

“SMT is the nexus between Microsoft’s research organisation and our solution portfolio with the goal to imagine, develop and scale the next generation of transformative technologies that will fuel the advancement of Microsoft, the future cloud as well as industries, governments, and society.”– says Nick.

Nick is also a startup advisor and a board member with a demonstrated history of advising various C-level executives and enterprise IT professionals on technology innovation. Additionally, he is the judge of the CIO 100 and Next CIO of the year awards, which recognize the most transformational CIOs and the next generation of IT leaders in the U.K each year.

The Primary Motivation

Nick’s primary motivation was the opportunity to work with such a talented and diverse group of people and customers in advanced technology and innovation. Working within Microsoft’s SMT division has made Nick feel like a kid in a candy store, as there are many vital areas that are shaping the future of technology and the cloud, whether in areas like 5G and in empowering telecommunication providers; or in research into scalable and accessible quantum computing, or connecting cloud to the satellites in space.

Nick and his team at Microsoft are incubating businesses that will eventually determine the future of the industry and our beautiful planet.

He says, “I have always loved researching, learning, and advising companies about how businesses apply the technology shifts of the future to help them innovate, change how they work, and succeed in their respective markets, so joining Microsoft to continue this effort is really rewarding.”

Nick started his career as a Senior Analyst in Pyramid Research, Economist Group, then he joined Yankee Group in 2005 as a Program Manager. Later he joined BT Global Services as a Senior Marketing Manager, Insight, Strategy, and Planning. In 2010 Nick started working for IDC as a Vice President, leading the organization’s Enterprise Mobility Strategies and research practice.

In 2013, he joined Gema International AG as the CEO, where he managed the overall strategy and operations of the organization, including overseeing its financial performance, member and partner recruitment, product development, marketing, and geographic extension. In September 2014, Nick joined CCS Insight as a Senior Vice President and rose to the ranks of Chief of Research, Enterprise, where he led the firm’s Enterprise and Artificial intelligence research.

Mission and Vision

Microsoft enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an edge. The organization’s mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. It believes that technology can and should be a force for good and meaningful innovation and will contribute to a brighter world differently. Microsoft thrives on diverse voices and engages its employees’ and customers’ experiences, strengths, and other points of view to inform, challenge, and stretch its thinking.

Nick says, “We feel that technology is a powerful force for good and are working to foster a sustainable future where everyone has access to the benefits and opportunities created by technology.”

He believes that just as every company today is a software company, every business will soon become an AI business. Microsoft aims to help organizations make this transition, foster innovation, and ultimately succeed in their future cloud technologies.

In addition to that, Microsoft is entirely focused on democratizing access to emerging technologies of the future, empowering developers to innovate, industries to transform, and helping every person in the society for the better.

Preparing for the Future

Nick says, “At Microsoft, we’re deeply invested in the future of the cloud and being at the forefront of the disruptive technologies of tomorrow that will enable broad economic growth with major business and societal advances that ultimately will help create a more prosperous and resilient world.”

The organization believes that innovation is the primary force of any enterprise, but innovation requires prioritization and investment, so it continually invests in helping businesses plan for what’s next. At the same time, the organization understands that gaining a foothold in emerging technologies is difficult for enterprises. So, the organization is entirely committed to bringing the latest technologies to a platform level, helping companies to spend less time worrying about the foundation and more time innovating. Microsoft is now seeking to create a culture of co-innovation which helps customers break through barriers in order to access the needed groundbreaking ideas.

Fai Chan: A Ground-breaking Leader stimulating growth in the Luxury Skincare Segment

A charismatic personality and resourceful leader, Fai Chan is the Founder of Deli Aroma. Founded in 2014, the company brings forth luxury skincare of the highest quality at the most competitive price. Presenting forth Fai’s professional and personal journey.

Early Days

After graduating with a Marketing Degree in Hong Kong, Fai’s career jumpstarted in the US with the American Dream for immigrants to pursue. She started as a homemaker but got involved in community charitable work.

At that time, she worked in a Chinese Christian Community Organization in Dallas as a cashier in the bookstore. She wrote articles for their monthly newspaper. After six months, her boss asked her if she wanted to get promoted to the Manager position.

She was also a member of the International Women’s Club of Dallas Chapter and they offered her a board position. If she took it, she would be the first Chinese to be on board.

Additionally, she was also the secretary of the Ikebana club in Dallas, the Japanese Floral Arrangement Club. Unlike other homemakers, she actively participated in promoting the art and cultural activities of Dallas when she was there.

Then she moved to Jackson MS with her husband’s job relocation. She stayed there for six years and then moved to Austin TX.

Fai successfully finished her aromatherapy or aroma medicine courses and has been actively helping people with aromatherapy. She had more than ten publications while she was a student.

She then went ahead to set up her clinic offering therapeutic work. Somehow, she got invited to speak at research conferences and wrote a few articles on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Alzheimer’s Disease, and High blood pressure.

In terms of career, her medical research work gains popularity and got accepted by the mainstream. This motivated her to set up a laboratory for carrying out her original invention both in products and treatment protocols.

Instead of applying for research grants, she independently published her work through marketing and promoted the work that can be monetized through treatments, product innovations, and collaboration with other labs in promoting their innovative products.

In this way, she could do things her way and need not be twisted by her original purpose in satisfying the preconditions set by her sponsors.

About the Clinic – Deli Aroma

Fai has a clinic to provide treatment work through her award-winning treatment protocols through her peer-reviewed conference speech and publications.

She sells her innovative formulations but in safe and effective dosages and usages. To be specific, she chooses her subjects for treatment to participate in a small clinical trial with the hope to provide insights for more research to follow.

Her positioning is more ideas/insights related to other participating research to do the detailing.

Motivation: A Constant Drive

When Fai started her company, she did not aim for heights. In the beginning, she just wanted to make some extra money, however, with time, as she started successfully growing, her vision for the company got clearer.

She further decided to expand her horizons to boost women’s careers, especially those who strike between ends and means.

She also shifted to support Artists who need money to develop their careers. “As I like to say, the light of a match is dim, but a bunch of matches makes the light bright. Something a person starts small and trivial, but with more people joining, the results are different. Without governmental support, what we can do is very limited. I think our government should research more good causes that really can boost our economy in meaningful ways too”, adds Fai.

Thoughts about the Asian Business Environment

The Asian business environment is super promising. One can find 100 reasons why they should invest in a place or not or where to have their headquarters.

Fai measures this by recognizing how eager a place’s/country’s people are willing to spend money. The EU people are not too eager to purchase consumer goods, and that’s why their economic conditions are very stagnant. They talk about environmental friendly which is to minimize wastage. However, without wastage, can an economy grow?

However, in Asia, this is different. People in Asia are more willing to spend, upgrade, or seek pleasure through purchasing. As the economic conditions are improving, their behaviour is more hedonistic, which makes prediction simpler and easier.

A Take on Gender Pay Gap

Fai openly expresses her pragmatic opinion regarding the gender pay gap. People always complain about the gender pay gap but Fai doesn’t think it is created by employers.

She believes the interview performance determines the pay one will get. The interview and work performance determines how much the employers will reward, even with bonuses.

When Fai was working in Hong Kong, she didn’t experience a gender pay gap. While everyone likes to express how passionate he or she has about a job, she thinks showing thoughtfulness, skills, and EQ can give you a better edge in achieving what you want to achieve.

Fai suggests an excellent way of handling the gender pay gap, “There are cases that one asks for the reward system but only finds that he or she is underpaid after they take the job. I think people’s talents and abilities are different. It would be good if you have a middleman to bargain the package for you in a more satisfying way like through a recruitment agency or talent acquisition or headhunter. They have more market information accessible and know what the market wants and is willing to pay. With the middlemen, both sides may feel more accepting and have fewer complaints.”

The Vision

Fai and her company will focus on medical research advancement and bring advanced healing to the community. It includes self-care protocols to be inclusive, apart from treatment protocols done by professionals.

Accelerating an Innovative

Future Currently, Deli Aroma is operating based on the existing theoretical frameworks. The company will be bringing in more inventive frameworks which are more laser-focused to make the treatment prediction more precise.

Recently, it is also targeting more on genetic healing and brought in a new formula to rebuild on Einstein’s relativity formula that is widely used in functional medicine.

Fai thinks their invention is more accurate and can improve conventional medicine treatment results.

From 2023, Deli Aroma will have more to disclose on new treatment frameworks. As Fai envisions, what seems impossible today, technological advancements can bring miraculous treatment results tomorrow. “So, if you are not happy with what the present medical system can provide, a little patience and good communication can bring good results. We compete with time, and many researchers work hard and burn the midnight oil to make this happens”, concludes Fai.

Fai pens Words of Wisdom

Every person has a life value if turned to the monetary value which is the money that he or she can generate in one’s whole life. I like to capitalize on one’s lifelong value in formulating my strategy. That it is not the present value, but makes use of the past, present, and (discounted) future value.

Future-Proofing Your Mobile Content Strategy with Vertical Storytelling

Have you heard about the dangerous syndrome called VVS? Back in June of 2012, a funny PSA video went viral. Vertical Video Syndrome (VVS) was a fictitious disease that claimed that those afflicted could only shoot videos vertically, as opposed to the more “viewer-friendly” horizontal format.

Today, VVS has spread globally. While shooting Vertical Videos used to be frowned upon, it’s becoming the new normal. And for those brands out there still seemingly immune to the syndrome, the truth is that if you aren’t ready for this change, you will be left behind.

Video consumption through mobile devices has risen by 100% every year. You might still be hanging on to the belief that the classic 16:9 horizontal ratio works well, but statistics prove that vertical videos are a more effective way to engage with today’s audiences.

Since we hold our phones vertically 94% of the time, why would we even bother to flip it around to watch videos horizontally? Aren’t most of us lazy? So, doesn’t it make sense that we should make our content easier for customers to consume?

To engage your customers today, you’ve got to be creative in your approach. Try not to think outside the box – instead, start thinking within the 9:16 box. By utilizing the vertical format, you’ll soon realize how to create content which maximizes the full potential of the mobile screen and increases your brand’s online presence.

By 2022, 82% of internet traffic will be consumed by online video. If your mobile content is not presented in the right format, it will not effectively reach your target market.

Vertical vs Horizontal

  • Vertical has a 90% completion rate compared to horizontal.
  • Vertical is watched all the way through nine times more than horizontal
  • Vertical sees a 33% percent lift in brand awareness and a 12% lift in consideration over their horizontal counterparts.

Social Media channels are Vertical.

Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, support vertical videos. Even YouTube, which stuck to its horizontal format until recently, realized that more than half of its views come from mobile devices, so they quickly adapted their app too, as they put it: “Dynamically adapt to whatever size you choose to watch it.”

Tik Tok, which uses vertical exclusively, is fast becoming the home of this format. The use of Tik Tok shot up in 2018, and more advertisers are jumping on board looking to reach a younger audience. An independent test by Annenberg Media found that vertical video reached 25,000 more people on Facebook, beating both square and horizontal formats.

300 feet of content every day.

We scroll through 300 feet of content every single day. We live in an online world of massive information, and these days, we’re exposed to more information than ever. From social media posts to news and entertainment promotions, people are continuously fed attention-seeking content, and it has become easy to brush aside information deemed irrelevant.

So, how can brands effectively grab people’s attention with online content, be it our social circle, business network, or customers? Do you have what it takes to create “Thumb-Stopping Vertical Content?” If your content is terrible, the thumb will scroll, swipe or delete it immediately. If your content is good, the only action you want it to do is to give a thumbs up to get the “Likes.”

To help brands and agencies get their vertical storytelling right, I’ve put together some tips that will set you on your way to creating more thumb-stopping content.

Reveal your story

Linear horizontal stories tend to go from left to right. Using your fingers to scroll up and down is a natural way for vertical stories to do the same. Reveal your story piece by piece, either from the top or bottom, to create suspense or surprise. Ultize the full height of the vertical space.

Some recent work I did for CIMB Singapore shows a man holding a % sign jumping up from a trampoline to the top of the screen. He doesn’t come down as we reveal that he is hanging on to higher interest percentage charges.

Create multiple stories

Optimize your horizontal shoot by creating mobile-first vertical content. Design a second storyboard. Not from left to right but from top to bottom. Plan to shoot the subject at the centre. For Kit Kat, we adapted the same scene from the television commercial. During the “video conferencing segment,” we shot extra footage of the talents looking up and down. So when we finally created 8-second stories, we created new content for the talent looking down at the product shots. Clients were very impressed that we included 5-6 shots in each Vertical video. Something that would be impossible to do in a horizontal format.

Frame your story

Crop your content to maximize the full mobile 9:16 screen size for a more immersive experience. Landscape visuals work best on a big movie screen where you sit back and relax; however, on a vertical format is up close and personal; it’s essential to frame your shots that’ll hold your viewer’s attention and keep them engaged at arm’s length.

Try and tell stories from a different perspective.

This CIMB content used the red area to physically squeeze the long queue all the way to the left of the mobile’s screen frame, giving way to more personalized service from a dedicated relationship manager.

Visualize your story

We live in a visual world. Content with visuals gets 94% more total views. Visual content is now 40X more likely to be shared on social networks. Create stories without the benefit of sound. Your audience must listen to your story with their eyes. Don’t just add subtitles. Mix beautiful typography with impactful visuals.

For this Kit Kat example, we visualized a simple problem to tell a relevant story.Who doesn’t have buffering issues on their mobile? We see a typical loading icon consisting of bars forming a circle. After waiting a while, we revealed that it was made of Kit Kat bars instead. Have a Break. Have a Kit Kat.

Split-Screen your story

Experiment by dividing up the vertical screen to tell your story by splitting your screen into halves, thirds, or quarters. Hijack static formats, and templates give the illusion of objects flying off the screen, creating a 3D effect. You can even include multi-product shots at the same time.

Create a relationship between multiple different screens so characters can interact with each other seamlessly. For Kit Kat’s example, we created two separate scenarios at first, but the two worlds collided when the woman at the top stretched her arms to steal Kit Kat from a girl at the bottom screen.

To wrap up, I encourage you to look back at your existing content and repurpose it to suit the mobile behaviour of your customers using the five creative principles I have outlined. It’s the wave of the future, and that future is now.

If your brand adopts vertical stories, I’m confident it will increase visibility and future-proof your mobile content strategy.

Dong Jin Son: Helping Brands Grow, Innovate, and Transform

Based in Seoul, Korea, Krema Worldwide has created various award-winning ideas to help brands grow, innovate, and transform. With its wide range of strategic and creative talent, Krema derives optimal strategies and crafts globally competitive campaigns.

Having worked with global behemoths like LG Electronics, Samsung Mobiles, Lotte, and Disney Korea, the founder, and CEO, of Krema Worldwide, Son Dong Jin, brings more than two decades of experience with him. Majored in foreign literature, Son joined Korea’s number one advertising agency Cheil Worldwide, where he was assigned to the department of global marketing business. Soon, Son went on numerous business trips across the world and accumulated local marketing insights, and realized that advertising is not just a creative video that appears on the viewer’s screen but it is a solution that solves various concerns of the marketers. At this point of time, Son understood that his role was limited only to large organizations, so he voluntarily left Cheil Worldwide and moved to a three-person startup. Meanwhile, he completed his MBA from a University in Finland and received his doctorate in digital content, which helped him understand clients’ concerns in their broad business activities. Later in May 2009, he founded his own company Krema Worldwide, focusing on providing specialized services for overseas marketing and clients who can utilize the organization’s capabilities while conducting global marketing.

Path Breaking Services

Since its foundation, Krema Worldwide has successfully established itself and proliferated in sales and size in a yearly manner. As a result, Krema received 17 awards in the last five years in various leading international festivals like Cannes, New York, and One Show. The organization was also ranked among the top 10 across multiple ad journals, including Ad Age and Campaign. “This is proof that our company has been recognized worldwide for creativity, which is the core of advertising. Since January 2019, we have also expanded the area of ad agencies to an e-commerce business that encompasses all participants in the marketing ecosystem.”– says Son. He explains the primary goal of his business is to provide A to Z solutions starting from overseas marketing to sales agents for various small and medium-sized companies that have competitive products but lack an international presence. Krema also has a roadmap to build a very competitive e-commerce platform by connecting clients, individual sellers, digital media owners, and financial & trade businesses.

Working as the backbone of the company, Krema’s planning professionals make the most timely, trendy, and accurate marketing results by learning fast trends. They are the strategists, communicators, and do-it-all creatives who deliver flawless project execution from concept to creation. Additionally, the firm uses current technologies like AI, data, and metaverse to internalize all the internal and external resources in the shortest time possible; depending on that; immediate service can be operated. With its agility and mobility, Krema’s business model is much ahead of other professional agencies.

The Asian Business Environment

Son feels growth in Asia will be much more noticeable in the future, especially in Indonesia, which has witnessed a rapid recovery of the advertising market since late 2020. The proportion of digital advertising costs in countries like India and Indonesia stands around the 20% range. However, with the rapid growth rate of 10%, they will soon become the pillars of the global advertising market. As a result, the traditional North American and Western European markets will start decreasing in the future.

He explains that Asian consumers are highly interested in social networks. They know the process of learning information quickly and communicate actively, even in non-face-to-face situations. Additionally, their huge interest in the latest technologies meant they were the first to embrace Metaverse and NFT to grow their businesses. So, marketers need to study diligently and move quickly because of these unique characteristics of Asian consumers. Ad-agency’s flagship products have also changed along with those trends. Even a decade ago, an advertising agency’s primary job was to plan and produce commercial advertisements for a market mainly focused on TVC and print. Now cut to 2022, most of the organization’s products are YouTube-based video advertising or a website for consumer awareness of corporate brands and content to communicate with consumers over various communities. At present, organizations are paying much more attention to AI, metaverse, and OTT platforms.

Future Roadmap

As the founder of his company, Son’s short-term goal is to successfully pivot from the world of digital content to the new area of media. He says, “Global advertising trend is shifting to non-face-to-face, virtual reality after endemic, enabling agencies to propose the most practical and efficient ad packages the clients need. To this end, the company’s professional staff are working hard on R&D every day and night and, at the same time, continue to challenge through constant internal collaboration. In the mid-long term, it is to properly demonstrate the synergy caused by M&A. It is to successfully combine marketing assets based on IPs of ads, movies, and dramas to develop service products for clients that have never existed before.”

Led by Son, Krema recently ran M&A with Asia’s one of the best new media content production companies Dexter Studio. He feels the synergy of M&A is of utmost importance in realizing Krema’s dreams. It’s also much easier to raise investment funds than it used to be. “I strongly believe skilled tech resources combined with our planning resources would greatly increase the chances of achieving business objectives. We’re not going to stop here, but we’re going to expand our reach further as a group specializing in global digital media and content.”– he says.

Few Thoughts

As an industry, advertising is well known for its cutthroat competition. Recently multiple cases of business failure have emerged due to the pandemic. Son says, “But in the meantime, someone is making money out of this red ocean, leading the market, generating demand. I try to keep Dexter Krema (changed company name after M&A last year) listed in that mainstream. Only diligent research and development, maintaining a young and fast organization, and constantly finding newness and collaborating with outside powers make this possible.” This year, Dexter Krema plans to lead the industry by introducing the latest marketing by combining various partners and technologies related to the 4th industrial revolution. “In addition, we will share the fruits of the fast-growing company with all our stakeholders, helping to create a successful future for each employee, not the fundamental goal of sales as mentioned earlier.”– he added.

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