August 31, 2017
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5min

Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 13, 2017 – Fortinet, a global leader in high-performance cyber security solutions, today advised IT leaders in Sri Lanka to hone their situational awareness skills in order to better defend their organizations against cyber threats.

Human beings are continually looking for knowledge or information to improve the situations they are in. If we live in a crowded city, for example, we want to know which routes are best to avoid getting stuck in traffic. When we enter a restaurant or cinema, we look for the exits. And when a suspicious looking person enters the room, part of our mind automatically keeps track of him. This behavior is known as situational awareness, and it is second nature to most of us.

“When people use IT, however, this behaviour surprisingly doesn’t carry over. They click on dubious links without a second thought, open files they don’t recognize, and connect to wireless networks they are unfamiliar with,” said Rajesh Maurya, Regional Vice President, India & SAARC, Fortinet. “If people could become more situationally aware in their handling of computing devices, they − and the organizations they work for − would be victimized by cyber threats much less often.”

Situation awareness in enterprise IT environments start with understanding the organization’s business priorities, risks and threats. IT leaders must be able to frame the issues they are dealing with within short and long-term business objectives, have clear line-of-sight across the organization and technologies, and be able to establish policy and governance for everyone who touches the firm’s data.

To achieve cyber situational awareness, Fortinet advises IT leaders in Sri Lanka to focus on four key thrusts:

  1. Business Mission and Goals. Understand the organization’s business mission, and then align it to those processes and resources that exist to enable that mission. Companies must understand the type of data it uses and generates, and how much the processes that use this data overlap with those of other teams as they learn about and document these processes. Organizations should also prioritize data and systems, determine which have regulations tied to them, and compare their priorities with those teams that share these resources.
  2. Cyber Assets. Understand and catalog all the assets on the organization’s network, along with any vulnerability they may have. Get to know their profiles, such as what OS and version is installed, what applications reside on those devices, and what data they hold. Once firms gain full knowledge on the devices they own, they need to ensure these devices are securely configured and patched as the vast majority of exploits target publicly known vulnerabilities that are five or more years old. Always prioritize the critical vulnerabilities.
  3. Network Infrastructure. All devices are connected, which means we need to understand how they are connected, and to what. A single vulnerable device may not matter much, but if it is connected to something critical, the risk level can become very different. Organizations must strive to thoroughly understand their topology because cybercriminals are spending much time and resources to learn it to exploit the vulnerabilities in the system. Understanding how and where devices are connected and the data that flows through them will determine where the risks are, and let organizations implement appropriate policies and countermeasures, including technology solutions that are most suited to protecting their unique environment. These solutions must allow devices to interact, share intelligence, and respond to threats in a coordinated fashion anywhere across the extended network.
  4. Cyber Threats. Understand the capabilities and tactics of threat actors targeting your organization. Threat actors can include government sponsored cyber espionage, organized crime, hacktivists, insider threats, opportunistic hackers and internal user errors. Organizations need to know which of these threat actors are most likely to be focused on stealing the data that resides in the network.

August 31, 2017
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2min

From L to R: Arthur Galindo, Operations Analyst, IFC; Dinesh Warusavitharana, Investment Officer, IFC; Rukshila Gooneratne, Associate Investment Officer, IFC; Victor Antonypillai, Country Officer, IFC Sri Lanka and Maldives; Renuka Fernando, Director/ CEO, NTB; Indrajith Boyagoda, DGM Treasury, NTB; Ajith Akmeemana, Chief Financial Officer, NTB; Chamila Sumathiratne, Acting Chief Risk officer, NTB; Kushlani Allis, Chief Manager - Management Reporting & Planning, NTB; Yamuna Silva - Chief Manager Legal, NTB


August 31, 2017
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5min

Colombo, August 31, 2017: The highly skilled and experienced team at SriLankan Catering (SLC) bagged no less than 29 medals (7 Golds, 10 Silvers and 12 Bronzes) at Culinary Art Expo 2017, the premier international exhibition and competition organized by the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka that was held for the 17th time in Colombo recently.

Rakhita Jayawardene, Executive Director of SriLankan Catering, said: “Once again, our highly skilled team has demonstrated its extraordinary talent, with 24 of our team members winning medals while competing in a wide range of categories versus some of the finest chefs in the country’s hotel and restaurant industry. This cements SLC’s position as an airline caterer and restaurant operator of choice, with the highest standards and levels of talent and innovation in the culinary industry. Within the past month, SLC Flight Kitchen at BIA Katunayake have experienced a multitude of achievements including the completion of 25,000 meals per day to be catered to the National Career Srilankan Airlines and all other global prestigious airlines touch down at the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake.”

Chathura Karunasena won two Golds and two Silvers and Upul Marasinghe bagged two Golds, in the Scan Sunquick Mocktail Competition. Chathura was recognized for his outstanding performance by winning two Gold and two Silver medals and also the title for Most Outstanding Mixologist in Sri Lanka. Both are members of the staff of SLC’s Semondu Restaurant in Colombo, situated in the heart of Colombo, in the Old Dutch Hospital building. Meanwhile, S.A. Nilanka of the Production Division won a Gold in the New Sri Lanka Cuisine category; Shashi Prabha Medhavinee of the Restaurant Division won a Gold in the IDL Cocktail Competition; and Jagath Samarasinghe of the Production Division won a Gold in the Flambe Deserts category.

Silver medals were won by Sampath Danangala, Dinesh Paranamana, Palitha Perera, Prasanna Nawarathne, Wasantha Kumara Alponso, Sameera Samarakoon, Ishara Jayawardena and Indika Wickramasekera.

Bronze medals were won by Sampath Danangala, Dinesh Paranamana, Ranga Wickramarachchi, Ruwan Silva, Chaminda Wickremasinghe, Harsha Gayashan, Harsha Dilushan, Yoshan Chathuranga and Rajitha Gunawardene.

Executive Director Rakhita Jayawardena and General Manager Lalith Withana of SriLankan Catering honoured the winners with their presence at a felicitation ceremony held on 9th of August 2017 which was organized by the Human Resources & Administration Division of Srilankan Catering.

A fully owned subsidiary of SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering (www.srilankancatering.com) is the exclusive inflight caterer for all airlines that operate to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA). It also provides an array of services for BIA’s lounges and restaurants, including catering, laundry and restaurant management. SLC’s diversified operations include the Serenediva BIA Transit Hotel; Semondu Restaurant in Colombo city centre; Aeroclean industrial laundry; and Vanilla Pod boulangerie and patisserie.

SLC holds no less than four global certifications – ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management System; ISO 22000:2005 for Food Safety Management Systems; HACCP-Codex Alimentarius for Food Safety Assurance; and ISO 14001:2004 for Best Environmental Practices. Among its many accolades are Mercury Awards presented by the International Travel Catering Association (ITCA), Presidential Export Awards and National Energy Efficiency Awards.

More than 1,700 professionals in the catering industry from 165 hotels and restaurants competed in 34 categories in this competition, which is one of the largest food industry events in Asia, with winners being chosen by a panel of judges from World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS). Organized every two years by the Chefs’ Guild of Sri Lanka which is affiliated to WACS, Culinary Art serves as a platform for identifying the country’s culinary talent and for selection of teams for global competitions such as the Food Olympics, Global Chefs’ Challenge and Culinary World Cup.


August 31, 2017
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5min

Thursday, 31 August 2017, Colombo: Sri Lanka has spoken! Citizens across the country, surveyed for the Kantar Worldpanel’s ‘Global Brand Footprint Report’, have yet again named Munchee as ‘Sri Lanka’s Number One FMCG Brand’ for 2017 as they did in the previous year! In 2016 too, this survey was conducted in Sri Lanka by the UK based International research company and Munchee was able to secure its position as Sri Lanka’s No. 1 brand for the year. The flagship brand of CBL (Ceylon Biscuits Limited), Munchee, has been consistently rated the leader in the FMCG market in Sri Lanka.

Every year, Kantar Worldpanel conducts an exhaustive study of FMCG brands across the globe and selects the strongest FMCG brands from each country. Rankings of Kantar Brand Foot Print 2017, reveals the strength of brands in 43 countries around the world, across the Food, Beverage, Health & Beauty and Home Care categories. The report is the largest of its type, covering 15,300 brands, 200 categories, 43 countries and 5 continents, representing 73% of the global population. The Brand Footprint Report further states that household consumption drives the majority of sales in the FMCG segment due in large part to long-term trends such as a growing urban middle class with rising disposable incomes and changing consumer preferences for traditionally Western products. Reflecting this trend, Munchee remains a household name in Sri Lanka, supported strongly by a strong distribution network, high quality and innovative products suited to the local palate.

On receiving this accolade, the Marketing Team at Munchee commented saying “We are grateful to the people of Sri Lanka for having given us their seal of approval! Universal approval from the nation is the ultimate endorsement of our brand quality and this gives us immense pride. We as Sri Lankans should be very proud of this achievement as the report reveals that in many countries the number one brand is a multinational brand whereas in Sri Lanka the number one brand is Munchee, which is of local origin. Being named Sri Lanka’s No. 1 FMCG brand is a testimonial to Munchee’s market leading position as the powerful local and home-grown brand that fulfills the taste, quality and innovation expectations of loyal consumers. We are proud to see that Munchee remains a household name in Sri Lanka, and we reiterate our commitment to empower consumers with a quality local products they can be proud of. This is quite possible with Munchee as the market leader in biscuits sub categories like Cracker, Marie, Nice, Chocolate Cream, Other Cream, Puff, Ginger, Milk Short Cake, Coconut related biscuits, and many others. Geographically Munchee is the market leader in all Provinces in the country.”

 

 

In the global survey, to select a country’s number one brand, key consideration was the consumer reach points, which is based on the number of households in the country (population); percentage of households buying the brand (penetration); and number of interactions with the brand across categories in a year (occasions).

Munchee’s secret to success has been its scientific and well informed brand decision-making; agility in evolving to suit the macro environment; leveraging on advanced technology; and resonating with an increasingly divergent buyer base, not just in terms of positioning but also format, pricing and promotions.

CBL (Ceylon Biscuits Limited) is one of the fastest growing and largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka that manufactures and markets many leading brands in biscuits, chocolates, cakes, cereal, organic fruit, soy and coconut based products, and many other categories globally. Recognized as a technology and innovation-led producer, CBL caters to a large overseas market and has a global presence across all continents with Munchee being present in over 55 countries. Today, CBL is led by a vision to become leader in confectionary in South Asia with global presence and recognition. Under visionary leadership, the company has aggressively expanded its operation, invested heavily in new plants, factories and technologies, and established a strong sales and distribution network.


August 31, 2017
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2min

Colombo, Friday 14th July 2017: It was a celebration of 130 years of educating boy’s for Ananda College Colombo and Sri Lanka’s 100% local dairy manufacturer Pelwatte Dairy was there to support the walk and fun fair that was held at Green Path, Colombo.

The walk started from Ananda College and finished at Hawkers’ Street (Green Path) and was followed by a Mini Carnival and a Fun Fair. The funds raised at the event are to be utilized towards improving educational and infrastructural facilities of Ananda College. Principal of Ananda College, S.M Keerthiratne, Vice Principal, teachers, Old Boys, Parents and students participated in the Walk. Popular artists Bathiya & Santhush, Umariya, Shanuka and Lahiru performed at the Musical Show during the Carnival with the popular band Wayo.

Pelwatte Dairy was the main sponsors for the event which saw more than 5,000 participants. The dairy company showcased their extensive range of dairy products including exotic flavours of ice-cream and all-natural yoghurt. Delicious Iced-Coffee with Pelwatte Ice-Cream, Chocolate Swirl Sundaes, Caramel Vanilla Sundaes and Fruit Cocktail Sundaes kept the crowd rehydrated throughout the hot day.  Their team was also on hand to educate visitors on the importance of purchasing locally produced milk products which are high in quality and positively contribute to the local dairy industry.

Speaking on the decision to sponsor an event of this nature, Managing Director of Pelwatte Dairy Akmal Wickramanayake noted, “This is a great opportunity for Pelwatte Dairy to reach out to the masses and promote a 100% locally produced dairy product range. Ananda College is a prestigious education institution with a rich history and we are happy to be a part of it”.

 


August 31, 2017
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7min

Colombo, Sri Lanka, 28 2017: Micromax Informatics Ltd., the leading smartphone player, today introduced Canvas 2 (2017) further strengthening its product portfolio in the region. The smartphone that changed the dynamics of Indian smartphone market, post its launch in 2012 is making a grand comeback in its 2017 edition, targeted to disrupt the mid-range smartphone segment. A perfect amalgamation of performance and style, the new Canvas 2 is the first smartphone in its price segment to come equipped with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5. This strategic collaboration with Corning Incorporated is a unique proposition to the users across the country, to accelerate smartphone adoption.

With the Canvas 2, 2017 edition, Micromax aims to give consumers a device with an incredible user experience, great specs and other desirable features. The new Canvas2 is the first smartphone in its price segment with a Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5 protection and the strategic collaboration with Corning is a unique proposition to the users across, to experience durability and toughness.

Micromax expects Canvas 2 to be well received by its consumers all across the key markets it operates in including India, Russia, Sri Lanka, Middle East, Bangladesh and Nepal. The product has already been launched in India and Middle Eastand has received a tremenduous response.  Micromax on the back of this launch expects to further consolidate its stronghold in the smartphone market.

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Sameer Kakar, Vice President and Head International Business Micromax said, Sri Lanka is one the key markets for Micromax and we enjoy a great brand Equity in this market. Our presence here, since 2013,has helped us to establish a strongconnect with consumer here and this has enabled us to bring differentiated products to this market which have been well accepted. We now aim to deepen our relationship with the consumers here by launching newer smartphone models and Canvas 2 is our first very compelling proposition on this journey. Canvas2 was the first smartphone that we launched in our Canvas range of smartphones back in 2012, which reinvented the way consumers looked at their Smartphones. We are really excited to bring our iconic Canvas 2, 2017 edition for this market and the user experience this product will deliver to our beloved consumers.

Sanjeev Ariaratnam, Director of Metropolitan Telecom Services added, “The Sri Lankan smart phone market is maturing fast and customers are demanding more value for their money. Time and again, Micromax has proven that it can deliver a superior smart phone experience on par with some of the big names in the market. We are very excited to bring the Micromax Canvas 2 to the Sri Lanka market. We are confident that together with our extensive dealer and service network, we will be able to take the Micromax Canvas 2 to discerning smartphone customers across the country and make it a preferred choice within the segment. 

 

ABOUT CANVAS2

Let’s Redefine Tough

Sporting a 2.5D Cover Glass with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5, the Canvas 2 gives up to 4 times better performance in drop failure height than other glasses. Equipped with improved drop performance and better retained strength, the device also offers a high standard of optical sharpness and protects against screen damage.

Wait What? Nougat!

Enjoy an experience like never as Canvas 2 comes with the latest Android Nougat. Because the new age consumers deserve the best of multi window support, reply in notification panel and quick settings.

Fingerprint Sensor

Forget the crazy pins and passwords. Unlock the new Canvas 2 with just a touch, thanks to its advanced 360-degree identification Fingerprint Sensor

Nothing’s Stopping You

Powered by a Quad-core 1.3GHz Processor, the new Canvas 2 promises better quality graphics, multi-tasking and improved application performance. With an expandable memory of 64 GB, the phone boats 3GB DDR3 RAM with large Capacity Rapid Access and has High density for compact storage and with 16 GB ROM.

Battery as strong as your Grit

Now users will never have to cut calls in the middle or stop playing their favourite songs on repeat, as Canvas 2 comes with a strong 3050 mAh battery which will last upto 11 hours. Because stopping is not an option, neither for you for your Canvas 2

Unbeatable 13 MP Camera

Capture every extraordinary sight as Canvas 2 has a 13 MP rear camera. Moments are waiting to be seized forever. The smartphone sports a 13MP Rear Camera with flash and works on different modes such as Bokeh, Panorama, HDR to enhance the superiority of the memorable moments. With a 5 MP selfie camera with wide angle lens that consists of F.20 Aperture, auto focus, 5P Lens, the smartphone will facilitate dynamic pictures with good amount of details.

Also, available at the official website of Micromax www.micromaxinfo.com

Key features of Unbreakable Canvas 2

·         2.5D Cover Glass with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 5

·         Android Nougat

·         Ultra-Fast Front Fingerprint Recognition

·         Quad-core 1.3GHz Processor

·         13MP Rear Camera; 5MPfront camera

·         3050 mAh battery

·         Talk time up to 11 hour

·         3GB DDR3 RAM and 16GB ROM

·         64 GB expandable memory

·         Pre-loaded Mobitel  SIM | 4G Volte

·         Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n | Bluetooth I GPS



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Lanka Business News is amongst the leading online Business News portals in Sri Lanka, unique for its focus on contemporary business news relevant across multiple industries operating in the country. We present not only the news, but a perspective based on observations and possible implications of a prevailing news item. LBN also provides an insight to the impact of a global economic or industrial development, thus helping stakeholders make informed and calculated decisions.




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