Latest news with #UDS
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
After smartphones, Indians now purchasing large home appliances online: Amazon's Zeba Khan calls it shift in consumer behaviour
A decade ago, shopping for a large home appliance like a refrigerator or air conditioner meant setting aside time on the weekend and hopping from one showroom to another—often spending days shortlisting options before finally making a purchase. It was a time when e-commerce didn't exist, and the only options for consumers were visiting a nearby local dealer of a renowned appliance brand or a large electronics chain in the city. Today, however, purchasing a home appliance is just a click away. Amazon wants India to shop online for large home appliances. The prize is billions of potential customers and a category that remains heavily offline—but one where the world's biggest e-commerce player believes there is scope to shift online, as options of home appliances become widely available. 'Customers are becoming more comfortable with purchasing these [home appliances] products online because they now have access to reliable delivery, affordability options like EMIs, and instant cashbacks,' Zeba Khan, Director, Consumer Electronics, Amazon India told in an interview last week in Delhi. Zeba said the Covid-19 pandemic played an important role in bringing Indians online for large home appliance purchases, at a time when people were stuck at home and couldn't step out to shop—especially for products that had traditionally been part of an offline-heavy market in India. 'You have to recognise that Covid did accelerate the process. At that point, many people bought dishwashers, which gave an impetus to the idea that large appliances can be bought online—and that it can be a good experience,' she said. For Amazon, Zeba said large home appliances are one category in which the company has heavily invested, making necessary changes to improve not only the product selection but also installation services—bringing them in line with industry standards. Amazon, she said, identified a gap in the market and focused on installation services as a key factor in winning consumers through its Unified Delivery Service (UDS). 'Even in offline retail, it's challenging to get both the product and the technician to arrive at the same time.' Amazon's UDS is now available in over 65 cities, while its installation services are offered in more than 300 cities. In recent months, she added, Amazon has been expanding its service portfolio. Last year, the company launched seasonal AC servicing and also introduced phone setup services. 'Services play a huge role in building consumer confidence in home appliance shopping,' Zeba explained. Because of this, and how Amazon has added value-added services and simplified home appliance shopping, consumers' perception has changed towards purchasing refrigerators and air conditioners online. 'In large appliances, we now offer the widest selection. In fact, every year we are adding even more offline models to our portfolio. Brands are becoming increasingly aware of the potential. Smartphone brands had already embraced e-commerce, but now even large appliance brands are more particular, saying, 'This is what I want to sell online.' A trend, Zeba said, has become more visible is how many large home appliance brands are bringing their offline models online, especially premium products priced at Rs 1,00,000 and above. This shift has been driven by the increased uptake of premium products not only among urban households but also in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Cashing in on this trend affordability solutions are clearly encouraging more consumers to opt for premium products. 'That's the hook for brands,' she added. 'Just last month, for instance, a TV brand launched exclusively on Amazon; their go-to-market strategy was entirely online-first,' she said, without naming the brand. 'We are increasingly seeing consumer electronics brands opting to launch online-first.' India is becoming a key market for Amazon and other major players in the battle for the country's online shoppers. Competition is getting stiffer as quick commerce brands—mostly domestic—also enter the appliance market, putting additional pressure on large e-commerce players. Zeba admits that while smartphones continue to be a 'highly penetrated category' online and remain the top-performing category in terms of online penetration, the share of other categories—especially large home appliances—continues to increase. Televisions and large appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners are also seeing robust double-digit growth, indicating that consumers are increasingly shopping for appliances online as well. However, one common factor across purchases, whether for a smartphone or a large appliance, is the high number of first-time buyers. 'These categories naturally have a lot of synergy among them, so yes, we do observe cross-purchasing. That said, whether it's laptops, large appliances, or smartphones, we continue to see a steady influx of new customers in each category,' she said. Anuj Bhatia is a personal technology writer at who has been covering smartphones, personal computers, gaming, apps, and lifestyle tech actively since 2011. He specialises in writing longer-form feature articles and explainers on trending tech topics. His unique interests encompass delving into vintage tech, retro gaming and composing in-depth narratives on the intersection of history, technology, and popular culture. He covers major international tech conferences and product launches from the world's biggest and most valuable tech brands including Apple, Google and others. At the same time, he also extensively covers indie, home-grown tech startups. Prior to joining The Indian Express in late 2016, he served as a senior tech writer at My Mobile magazine and previously held roles as a reviewer and tech writer at Gizbot. Anuj holds a postgraduate degree from Banaras Hindu University. You can find Anuj on Linkedin. Email: ... Read More
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Defense Unicorns Crushes CMMC Level 2 Certification with Zero Findings
Defense Unicorns Crushes CMMC Level 2 Certification with Zero POA&MsOperating The Way They Preserve Speed, Delivery, and Mission Impact COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Defense Unicorns, a veteran-owned defense tech startup focused on making software a strategic deterrent, announced it has earned final CMMC Level 2 certification, with zero Plans of Action and Milestones (POA&Ms). This milestone authorizes the company to manage Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) under 32 CFR and prepares it for forthcoming 48 CFR enforcement. More significantly, it demonstrates Defense Unicorns' commitment to protecting the nation by securing mission-critical data and ensuring secure operations across all mission environments. "Achieving our certification with modern tools and a good unicorn experience is massive and puts us at the forefront of defense companies," said Jeff McCoy, CTO of Defense Unicorns. "There have only been about 130 CMMC assessments across the DIB this year, and they have a 50 percent pass rate. The DoD estimates there are 76,000 companies that need to attain CMMC, and many 3PAOs are booked for a year. Getting certified today isn't just practical, it's essential for mission success." CMMC Level 2 is poised to become the baseline for thousands of defense contractors handling sensitive data. With certification capacity constrained and enforcement deadlines fast approaching, Defense Unicorns' early achievement underscores a mission-first ethos—embedding robust cybersecurity now so critical software can deploy without delay when warfighters need it most. Security by Design, Not as an Afterthought Defense Unicorns treated CMMC as a strategic investment in mission assurance rather than a compliance hurdle. From day one, the company built a security framework tailored to real-world DoD environments by integrating continuous monitoring, strict access controls, and human-factor safeguards. This ensures that secure software delivery happens seamlessly, without sacrificing speed or operational impact. "At Defense Unicorns, security isn't something we bolt on at the end," said Alexis Gerst, Lead of Security Vanguard at Defense Unicorns. "It's woven into everything we do. We don't just meet cybersecurity standards; we operationalize them in a way that preserves speed, delivery, and mission impact." Built for Partnership and Compliance Flow-Down As CMMC requirements begin to cascade through the supply chain, Defense Unicorns' certified posture and secure-by-design UDS platform make it a reliable partner for any program handling CUI. Early certification demonstrates both operational maturity and alignment with evolving DoD cybersecurity expectations, ensuring mission-critical collaboration moves forward without compromise. To learn how Defense Unicorns and UDS can safeguard your mission data, contact us at hello@ About Defense UnicornsDefense Unicorns is a veteran-owned defense tech startup founded in 2021 to make software a strategic deterrent for the U.S. Department of Defense. We build innovative technical solutions to securely develop and deploy mission software across cloud, on-premises, and tactical edge environments. Defense Unicorns is trusted by the most critical systems in the world, including the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and Space Force. For more information, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Defense Unicorns Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Arab Times
28-04-2025
- Business
- Arab Times
‘Fast-track Metro Project to realize Kuwait Vision 35'
KUWAIT CITY, April 28: The Municipal Council, headed by Abdullah Al-Mahri, held its 17 regular session for the third legislative round on Monday. During the session, the council approved the following: Request of the Ministry of Public Works to allocate a reservoir and a track, add the use of Unitized Distribution System (UDS) transformer and cancel the previous allocation of reservoirs in South Sabahiya; Request of the Ministry of Electricity to allocate overhead lines to connect Wafra Z2 main transformer station to the overhead lines Request of the Ministry of Interior to create additional parking spaces next to Qurain Health Center in Qurain, Block Two; Amendments to Table No. Six stating the requirements and specifications for agricultural and livestock areas in the new building regulations; Building requirements for areas affiliated with the Public Authority for Agriculture Affairs and Fish Resources (PAAAFR), Public Authority for Sports (PAS), Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) or any other government agency. These areas are used for the cultivation of agricultural products, fish farming, poultry, livestock, cattle, horse and camel breeding; beekeeping, honey production and services; breeding and training of racehorses and camels by hunting and equestrian clubs and camel clubs; in addition to certain plots in Abdally and Wafra. The important amendments include specifying the building percentages in the agricultural areas in Wafra, Abdally and Sulaibiya. The permitted building percentage is 10 percent of the plot size with a maximum of 10,000 square meters. Dairy farms are permitted to have varying building percentages distributed as follows: five percent for feed stores, one percent for repair shops, three percent for milking facilities and 10 percent for residential buildings, not exceeding 1,000 square meters. Horse breeding plots should not exceed 10,000 square meters, with building percentages not exceeding 15 percent of the plot size. Five percent of broiler and layer chicken plots should be allocated for workers' housing and five percent for feed and machinery storage. Areas designated for light pens for poultry production and breeding should also be included. Areas for raising horses and racing camels should not exceed 50 percent of the plot size. Plots located in Block 10 in Wafra Agricultural Area should measure at least 500 square meters and not exceed 5,000 square meters, which will be distributed to unions, associations,and companies. Moreover, the council presented three recommendations as per the reply of the Kuwait Municipality to the question of Deputy Chairman Khaled Al-Mutairi about the Kuwait Metro Project as follows: 1. Identify the government entity responsible for designing and implementing the Metro Project. 2. Re-evaluate the metro lines and stations stated in the previous decision of the Municipal Council. 3. Expedite the implementation of the Metro Project to realize the New Kuwait Vision and the development plan of the country.
Associated Press
12-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
SAIC and Defense Unicorns Partner to Transform Software Delivery for the Department of Defense
RESTON, Va., March 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC) and Defense Unicorns announced a strategic partnership to increase the delivery of secure, scalable and mission-critical software capabilities for the Department of Defense (DoD). Through this collaboration, SAIC will integrate Defense Unicorns' Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS) into its existing, robust software delivery ecosystem, streamlining how SAIC deploys and maintains applications across cloud, on-premises and tactical edge environments – ultimately improving operational readiness for today's warfighters. The DoD relies on software to support mission-critical operations across all domains, and traditional software delivery methods often result in fragmented, slow and complex processes. Defense customers need industry partners to bring solutions to the table that address challenges such as bespoke infrastructure, prolonged integration timelines and inconsistent security standards, which can delay the deployment of vital capabilities. By adopting UDS as the standard software delivery platform, SAIC and Defense Unicorns will provide a secure, repeatable and portable solution to seamlessly deploy applications across a diverse range of environments. This allows software teams to field mission-ready applications more efficiently and reduce software delivery timelines from months down to weeks or days. 'SAIC is committed to providing our customers an innovative, integrated ecosystem of proven next-generation offerings and strategic partnerships that meet their unique mission needs and accelerate mission outcomes,' said Bob Ritchie, SAIC Chief Technology Officer. 'By leveraging UDS, we are reducing complexity and ensuring the government can rapidly and consistently deploy secure, scalable software applications across diverse and challenging operational environments.' With a shared focus to advancing defense technology, SAIC and Defense Unicorns are fundamentally changing how the DoD fields mission-critical software. UDS automates deployment, accelerates compliance and removes integration barriers – ensuring that software updates and new capabilities are delivered without unnecessary delays. 'This partnership is a game-changer for the DoD. By integrating SAIC's mission expertise with the automation and security of UDS, we are revolutionizing how software is delivered at scale,' said Rob Slaughter, Defense Unicorns Chief Executive Officer. 'Together, we are enabling warfighters to access the latest capabilities when and where they need them.' SAIC brings more than 50 years of experience in technology integration for government customers, extensive defense industry relationships and the operational expertise to scale UDS across complex programs. By bridging the gap between innovative technology and real-world mission requirements, SAIC and Defense Unicorns are enabling a faster, more secure and scalable approach to software delivery that meets the evolving needs of national defense. As this partnership expands, its impact will extend across multiple defense programs, creating a repeatable and high-velocity software delivery model that enhances DoD modernization efforts. About SAIC SAIC is a premier Fortune 500® technology integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence markets includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives. We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.4 billion. For more information, visit For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom. About Defense Unicorns Defense Unicorns is a Defense Product Company founded in 2021 to transform how the U.S. Department of Defense buys, builds, delivers, and sustains software capabilities. We build innovative technical solutions to securely develop and deploy mission software across cloud, on-premises, and tactical edge environments. Defense Unicorns is trusted by the most critical systems in the world, including the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and Space Force. For more information, visit Media Contact: Caralyn Duke
