Faster Corporate Investigation with New Age e-Discovery Solution

Investigation during a litigation program looks for features that can speed up the discovery phase and create an efficient system to accomplish the objectives. In today’s techno savvy world, most of the documents for review are in the digital form. Thus the legal proceedings also need to depend upon technologically sound systems and recovery tools for management and discovery of digital data. Easy and immediate access to the electronic documents can automatically speed up the litigation process.
 
The expanding business world while adhering to the demands of globalization is made up of   folders and files in digital format- from word documents, PDF files, spreadsheets, emails and image files bringing in a paperless office environment. Electronic discovery or e discovery is a collection of tools and methodologies used to convert digital data into user friendly formats with an ability to process, scrutinize, review and organize them while avoiding redundancy and duplication. These services provide enterprises with the electronic discovery litigation support by processing, digitizing, retrieving and organizing data.

The increasing growth of electronically stored information and frequency of litigation and internal investigations prevalent in today’s business environment, challenge the litigations professionals for faster results with reduced expenses. Electronic data discovery  has thus become a trend today for streamlining, analyzing and culling  electronically stored data for early case assessments and review in the corporate investigation process.

With traditional e-discovery process laden with delays, business risk, and increased cost, it becomes difficult for both IT and legal teams to collaborate during various stages of the litigation process. The new age electronic discovery litigation support tools help the professionals working on the process to take on a defensive approach to e-discovery that not only reduces business risk but also lowers costs, and improves outcomes.

The new age e-discovery solutions are purpose-built to handle complex and iterative workflows. In an attempt to meet the scalability requirements of corporate investigation, these e-discovery solutions focuses on every stage- from identification, to legal hold, to review of the e-discovery Lifecycle resulting in  production of cost-effective outcomes.   These solutions facilitate the corporate legal teams with -

·         Early understanding of the case facts leading to faster development of case strategy

·         Streamlining all digital data across critical data sources of the enterprise

·         Reduction of work volume with reduced processing costs

·         Transparent  and defensible e-discovery process

·         Quick and accurate review large volumes of data

Such advantageous features of e-discovery solutions enable the corporate investigation  professionals with easy development of case strategies based on intelligent culling of data, accelerated analysis and faster review of the electronic documents.

Read Also On: Legal Disclosure

Manage Your Data Better With E-Discovery Solutions

As per Wikipedia discovery is defined as “the pre-trial phase in a lawsuit in which each party through the law of civil procedure can request documents and other evidence from other parties or can compel the production of evidence by using a subpoena or through other discovery devices, such as requests for production and depositions.” Keeping this definition in e discovery is just an extension of this well-defined procedure to the electronic content that an enterprise might have, comprising word processing files, email messages, instant messages, presentations, spreadsheets, contracts, purchase orders, wiki, files stored in collaboration system, blog postings and any other type of electronic content.


Today businesses receive, generate and even store huge amount of data. Going by the analysis recently conducted by the University of Berkeley, 93 percent of all the data today is set up in an electronic format. Furthermore, the American Records Management Association has evaluated that more than 90 percent of the records today are electronic. In addition that 70 percent or more of this electronic data is never printed, Unified communications and unified messaging systems are going to make this concern even worse as it adds to the additional information to the already overcrowded mix of information that enterprises need to retain and manage.

 


In order to make the process of arranging this electronic data seamless, leading service providers have introduced innovative electronic data discovery software that offers benefits such as:-

 


·         Helps to resolve cases and investigations quickly making use of new and automated analysis techniques

·         Minimize the expense and investigation complexity by eradicating the requirement to shift data between multiple and disparate tools

·         Simplifies and clarify the investigation workflow using best practices and templates

·         Analyze  data and electronic files with quick processing and flexible workflows that adapt to the iterative nature of real-world investigations

·         Simplifies the network and on-site data collections

·         Helps in demonstrating the process integrity to outline the results of investigations by offering complete process transparency and Lifecycle reporting

 


E-discovery is becoming an essential aspect of civil litigation, for instance, approximately three out of four discovery orders today need email to be generated as a part of the discovery process. Furthermore, deploying apt electronic data discovery software is essential to the long-term viability of any enterprise, especially the large scale companies  having a greater chance of getting involved in civil litigation. The best practices of e-discovery comprise numerous key elements that start with management recognition for the requirement to be ready for e-discovery to developing a suite of corporate policies for deploying the apt technologies that will correctly manage corporate data.

Read Also On: Electronic Discovery Litigation Support, Legal Disclosure, Corporate Investigation

 

Tax Planning -Exemptions for Salaried Employees

Every citizen is morally and legally bound to pay tax be it sales tax, payroll tax, income tax, capital gains tax, property tax, wealth tax, inheritance tax, so on and so forth. This is because the taxes that people pay to the government are ultimately used to improve public infrastructure. Though every person who pays taxes is aware of this, still seeing the hard-earned money going to the government is something that most people find hard to digest. That is why government has exempted certain investments from taxes so that not only would it provide the taxpayers the satisfaction of putting their money to good use but also would provide the government with money to carry out various social welfare activities. Therefore, before filing an individual tax return or business tax return , it is necessary to do tax planning.

 

Tax planning is not about evading taxes but avoiding taxes. It is about making the utmost use of the provisions available in Tax Laws to minimize it. Let’s look at some of the significant tax exemptions for salaried employees available as per Indian Tax Laws.

 

Section 80C

 

Under this section, taxpayers can claim a maximum of Rs. 1 lakh provided it is invested in any or all of the following:

 

* Employee Provident Fund (EPF) and Public Provident Fund (PPF)

* Premiums paid towards Life insurance (term insurance as well as endowment plans)

* Pension plans

* Equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS) of mutual funds having a lock-in period of 3 years

* Specified government infrastructure bonds

By investing in specified long-term infrastructure bonds, taxpayers can claim a tax deduction up to Rs 20,000. This tax exemption for infrastructure bonds is in addition to Section 80C.

* Principal paid towards Housing Loan

Under section 80C, principal repayment attracts a deduction up to  Rs. 1 lakh while for interest payment tax deduction of Rs. 1.5 lakhs

* National Savings Certificates (NSC) and interest accruals on previous years' NSCs

 

Section 80D

 

Section 80D covers the tax deductions with regard to health insurance policies. As part of this, taxpayers can claim deduction of Rs. 15000 to Rs. 35,000.

 

Section 80DD

 

As per this law, any taxpayer or a member of HUF having a dependent relative suffering from any permanent physical disability or mental retardation can claim an amount of Rs 20,000 to Rs. 40,000. Section 80DD covers payments made to LIC’s ‘Jeevan Aadhar’ and UTI’s ‘Special Plan for the Handicapped’.


Other Deductions

 

Salaried employees can avail tax deductions for Leave Travel Allowance (LTA), House Rent Allowance (HRA), conveyance, education, telephone, petrol and vehicle maintenance if the employer allows.


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FBAR, A New Financial Disclosure for U.S. Taxpayers

Just like any other country, filing income tax returns both individual tax return and business tax return is something that is compulsory in the United States. However, for American taxpayers there is something that is more important than filing tax returns. Referred to as FBAR (Foreign Bank and Financial Account Report), it is filed every year in the month of June. The FBAR regulations became effective on March 28, 2011 and as part of it's ‘any United States person’ having a financial interest in or signature authority over a foreign financial account, including a bank account, brokerage account, mutual fund, trust, or other type of foreign financial account, is required to report that account yearly to the Internal Revenue Service.

 

The FBAR has its roots in the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, which was enacted in order to collect information on foreign bank accounts. However, today, the reins of FBAR are with the IRS who has linked it with the tax return in order to check tax evasion. FBAR filing is mandatory if the aggregate value of foreign bank account / accounts exceeds US $10,000 at any time during the calendar year.

 

FBAR is different from tax return on many counts and they are


* FBAR is not a tax return but an information return.

* Tax returns are filed in April while FBAR in June.

* FBAR, unlike a tax form, is not protected from disclosure.

* FBAR is filed not in the IRS form but in the Treasury Department form TDF 90-22.1


To understand FBAR clearly, it is necessary to be familiar with the following terms:


* United States Person

 

Any person who is a citizen or resident of the United States, or a person in and doing business in the United States is a United States person. It can also stand for a domestic partnership, a domestic corporation or a domestic estate or trust.


* Foreign Country

 

It includes all geographical areas outside the United States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the territories and possessions of the United States (including Guam, American Samoa, and the United States Virgin Islands).


* Financial Account

 

It includes any bank, securities, securities derivatives, or other financial instruments accounts including mutual funds. The term includes any savings, demand, checking, deposit, or any other account maintained with a financial institution or other person engaged in the business of a financial institution. Individual bonds, notes, or stock certificates are not a financial account but Retirement accounts and life insurance policies with cash value are considered financial accounts.

 

FBAR filing is very important as willful and non-willful failure to file FBAR is strictly dealt with. The taxpayer has to pay $10,000 as penalty and in some cases would have to pay 40% to 70% of the current value of their accounts, plus attorney's fees.

 

Read Also On: IRS Amnesty , OVDP , Entity Formation , Tax Planning

Protect Workers from Occupational Noise Induced Hearing Loss

Along with its multiple benefits, economic growth and globalization has generated quite a lot of environmental hazards. One such hazard is loud noise backgrounds that resulted in numerous auditory as well as non-auditory ailments. Occupational noise induced hearing loss is one such chronic ailment that has affected many workers in the recent past while working in heavy noise atmosphere. Such high noise background is prevalent in industry sectors like mining, manufacturing, construction, aviation and many more. This type of hearing loss affects the stable auditory health of an individual to the point that it can never be recovered until adequate measures are taken prior to the occurrence.

Importance of Hearing Loss Solutions


Hence, it is not surprising why companies today are aiming towards hearing loss measures for their workers. Furthermore, if a worker’s auditory health is affected owing to high noise surrounding then it reflects poorly on the company’s image and its security measures as well. Initiatives towards hearing protection are being actively worked upon more than before and companies have been joining hands with solution providers of hearing protection devices. These devices help in enhancing the speech quality in a loud noise area by offering greater clarity and suppressing the unnecessary background noise. Yet, the workers can hear the background sound in order to know which area they are in.

However, it is always better to compare products and prices and opt in for the best hearing protection devices that offer maximum safety along with ease and comfort. Leading brand names in hearing protection devices use in-built scientific technologies that offer benefits such as:-

* Offer complete solutions for high noise communications by ensuring the user with face-to-face communication in long and short distance, via a Bluetooth cell phone and two-way radio.


* These innovative devices are built in a new age approach aimed towards curbing down occupational noise induced hearing loss. The device is a harmonious blend of global standards and combines high-end technologies that makes sure that the end users can stay safe and secure in their workplace and hear the speech with clarity.


* Leading hearing protection devices have in-built technology that provides a 360 degree binaural situational alertness that enables individuals to stay completely attuned to their surrounding. They also are capable of detecting what is happening in and around them.


* Innovative technologies help in making these hearing protection devices pass through certain standard hearing protection criteria so that they are approved by the communication industry certification. Leading market players in noise cancelling hearing protection devices ensures highest output “in the ear” of approximately 82Db even amidst a loud noise background of 105Db.

Today numerous service providers have forayed into the market with their product variants from which you can select the ones that suite your requirement and budget capacities.

Know more on:

·         Hearing protection muffs

·         Bluetooth ear muffs

Objectives of Clinical Phase 1 Studies

The objective of medical science and technology has always been to come up with better and efficient modes of treatment to release human being from critical diseases. Over the past few years there have been tremendous changes and developments taking place in the medical landscape. Developments of new medical treatments and drug development methods have been on the rise keeping in mind the chronic ailments and other medical causes. In order to facilitate the process of clinical trials and researches, eminent clinical research organizations (CRO) conduct various medical studies and experiments in their clinical laboratories that are equipped with advanced medical equipments and apparatus. They help the medical technicians to arrive at results that are accurate within a short span of time.


One of the notable categories of medical studies include the Phase 1 Study that is aimed at studying certain medical conditions, the impact of drugs on the human blood samples and then arrives at justified conclusions. Eminent Indian CRO’s today, successfully conduct Phase 1 Studies and are supported by their huge experience in clinical trails. These CRO’s also offer healthy medical volunteers along with state-of-the art infrastructure. The core components of this kind of study include the following:


* First-in-human

* Single Ascending Dose studies

* Multiple Ascending Dose studies

* New Chemical Entities

* Dose Escalating studies


Renowned CRO’s in India provide specialized services for Phase 1 Studies for instance First in Man for the new chemical entities i.e. NCE’s and the new biologicalentities i.e. NBE’s. They also provide a host of clinical pharmacology studies that comprise the following:


* Proof of Mechanism and Proof of Concept

* Food Effect

* Drug interaction studies.

* Pharmacokinetic / Pharmacodynamic studies

* TQTc studies


Furthermore, they also specialize in  explanatory services for numerous biomarkers and multiple special population studies. Other than this they also offer services such as medical writing, quality assurance, biometrics , Bioanalytical studies and many more.


This apart, infrastructure too has a huge role to play in Phase 1 Studies. Esteemed CRO’s offer fully equipped bed units that are aptly managed by a group of expert medical professionals having the desired experience. There are also the state-of-the-art clinical devices handled by expert medical technicians and nursing staff. These nursing staff has got hands on experience in First in human and other medical pharmacology studies that helps in conducting Phase 1 studies and trials.


Read Also On: Bioequivalence , Phase I Study   

Protect Critical Network Assets with Comprehensive Vulnerability Management Solutions

Cyber-attacks are becoming more universal with almost every business and organization relying on an open and accessible internet to remain competitive. Businesses can suffer immeasurable losses if a hacker defaces a website, or critical customer information is lost or stolen.  The volatile network environment has made it necessary for organizations to remediate network vulnerabilities regularly. If an organization fails to ensure safety of sensitive data from potential security threats they may face severe penalty from the law enforcing authorities. It has become imperative for the organizations to take steps to improve their e-Governance and ensure data safety, making vulnerability management a requirement, The vulnerability management program ensures that current security issues within the environment are identified and assessed using IT risk management and dealt with in a cost-effective and efficient manner.

The fear of revenue loss should motivate smart businesses to begin taking proactive measures against vulnerabilities. Vulnerability management (VM) is a measurable and proactive process which enables organizations to understand the risk of certain vulnerabilities in its IT environment and to ensure its network is not compromised. Besides identifying and eliminating the vulnerabilities, an effective vulnerability management program must continually monitor weaknesses, looking for new gaps while ensuring known ones remain closed. Once you have identified the vulnerabilities, they should be assigned to the appropriate employees, and steps should be taken to test the fixes to ensure that they are truly resolved. VM can be implemented using cost-effective technology for networks of all sizes and automates much of what used to be a complex, manual process.

To build a truly robust program, an organization needs to incorporate IT Asset inventory management, configuration management and change management into the patching lifecycle. And for even more effective control and governance, penetration testing and patch and control validation should be added to the mix as well. Vulnerability management performed regularly helps organizations to identify the security threats at the initial stages and take suitable action to close the gaps in the security system.

Leading market players in compliance management solutions have introduced efficient vulnerability management tools that helps to manage the data, functions and tasks related to assets and other associated vulnerabilities. As effective vulnerability management has become a pre-requisite for every business, it is prudent to invest in a solution that can help tackle today’s ever increasing system threats and help you evaluate your infrastructure, networks and application environments.

Read more on - vendor management, IT compliance and security

Surviving the Global Competition with Timely Innovations

Often with variability in the economy, businesses go through good times and bad times. And while market responses rise and fall, the companies that survive are the ones that constantly innovate. Innovation is said to be a vital cornerstone of economic development. It is creative new ideas and new concepts that drive the frontiers of knowledge and produce positive results. In highly competitive markets, new products only succeed when they combine innovation with a deep understanding of the regionally varied expectations and requirements of customers. A global study by IBM revealed that today's CIO spends an average of 55% of his or her time on activities that spur innovation and that is that key component underpinning success in a business.

 

Forbes’s most innovative brand of 2011, Apple, has had timely innovations like the iPod in the early 2000s, iPhone in 2007. It launched the iPhone 5 and iPad level 2, that were a big hit with the customers.  Apple Products are the most innovative products that have been even accepted by customers. People have started buying more Macintosh than Window’s because the customer pays for innovation and new equips. Apple has secured its place in consumers’ minds as a “good brand” based on the positive aura of creating products with impressive design, revolutionary technology and matchless usability. That is why, Apple products are the most demanded products across the globe.

 

Companies see innovations in products, services and operations as the most potent tools to beat competition and also to meet the growing demand from emerging markets .Creativity and Innovations are the main ingredients that help businesses survive and overcome the global competition. Entrepreneurs and even the successors of family run businesses may have to exhibit their innovative abilities to survive in the business.


Companies that have successful innovation programs are likely to reap rewarding benefits. Periodic and timely innovations can make all the difference. Lakme for example, posted very strong double-digit growth with a number of innovations that were launched periodically. They include a Face Magic Souffle, and a very impactful re-launch of True Wear Nail Enamel. Lakme's sun care, moisturizing and winter protection products continued to enjoy high acceptance with their constant innovations.


Every organization looks for ideas to improve their product and services. To keep the brand name in immediate recall s brands use creative ideas, sometimes welcoming audience participation. Through the use of idea management and innovative ideas, business processes can be improved, efficiency can be increased, new products can be developed, and profitability can skyrocket.


Companies need to continually encourage an environment of innovation and make a success of it. With innovative idea management systems, organizations can create an ambiance, to develop solutions that are relevant, contextual and effective to the end users.

Know more on:

·         Managing innovation

·         Idea management solutions

·         Innovation Management

Expedite Innovation with Idea Management Software

Idea management is defined as “a structured process of generating, capturing, discussing and improving, organizing, evaluating and prioritizing valuable insight or alternative thinking that would otherwise not have emerged through normal processes.” Normally a typical ideation process involves a storyboarding session involving a few stakeholders. Though it results in products, it lacks innovation. This is because only a few minds are at work and hence only a few ideas emerge. Instead of a few minds, many minds need to be at work to bring in different ideas. Hence, more people need to be involved during the storyboarding session. But how to do that? Convene a meeting involving all and sundry to churn out ideas or meet each person individually for idea generation. None of the above, since it can only result in unnecessary waste of time and efforts. What is required is idea management software that


* inspires those people (both internal and external)who work closely with the products that end up in the market to contribute ideas

* involves more people during the storyboarding process - clients, product engineers, analysts - stakeholders from various product development phases

* sets up an efficient feedback system where end users' issues can be heard and addressed

* encourages healthy expression of suggestions by allowing all stakeholders to put forward and resolve their concerns and contribute towards solving problems

* provides an opportunity for all stakeholders to better understand the product development process so that there is no gap between expectation and delivery


Ideation software provides a platform for people with so many diverse experiences and backgrounds to come together for realizing a common goal. This results in many different cost, time and process improvement related ideas. Screening these ideas lead to not only innovative products but also innovative business processes, workflow management and market trends.


The following are the advantages of  idea management implementation.


* New competitive products and services

* Process improvements

* Improved collaboration and decision making across teams

* Competitive advantage

* Identify hidden talent and new areas of growth

* Enhanced Brand Value and Brand Loyalty

* Transform the organization to leadership position by expediting innovation

* Foster innovation culture

* Encourage participation and generate enthusiasm in employees towards driving the solution

* Operations optimization to reduce costs and hence increased bottom lines

* Gain competitive advantage over rivals


Idea management software is the need of the hour as it empowers the employees with a platform to think aloud and submit their ideas and suggestions.


Know more on:  managing innovation ,  Idea management solutions

Services Offered By Avionics Engineering Companies

It was in the early 1950’s in the USA that the term “Avionics” was first introduced in order to classify systems that utilized or depends on electric technology in the aviation vertical. Its function is becoming extremely essential in the modern aircraft industry. Furthermore, the cost of aviation systems too has undergone significant modifications and today is equal to approximately one-third or more of the total aircraft costs. The estimation for the aviation industry for the forthcoming decade has been predicted to be around £30 billion and is expected to increase gradually in the future.


What is Avionics Engineering?


The term “avionics engineering” has been used to describe all sorts of electronic systems and devices that are utilized for artificial satellites, spacecrafts and aircrafts. This domain includes communications, navigation and the display and management of numerous systems that are meant to be fitted to the aircraft for specific functions. This varies from being simple equipments for instance searchlights for a police helicopter or something as intricate as a tactical system for an airborne platform.


Leading companies specializing in avionics engineering services have introduced innovative solutions. These solution providers specialize in aero structure designing and testing and own their own aircraft interior designers. The services provided include mechanical avionics design and development, software and hardware engineering, engineering analysis, control systems and instrumentation engineering, manufacturing engineering, automated test equipments, technical publications, manufacturing and simulation software development. In addition to that, these companies provide their clients with a complete all-inclusive lifecycle assistance other than the black and white box testing.


Apart from this other crucial feature includes the expertise on various domains for instance, Flight Warning Systems, Flight Control Systems (FCS), Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) Systems, Flight Management Systems (FMS), Communication, Engine Control, Hydraulic Systems, Electrical Power Systems, Landing Gear Systems, Environmental Systems, Engine Test beds, Electronic Flight Instrumentation System (EFIS), Fire Protection System, Simulators, Ground Support Equipment and many more. Other noteworthy aerospace avionics service offerings include the following:-


Hardware engineering


* Modular architecture and design

* Analog/Digital circuit design

* PCB design and development

* PCB fabrication

* Prototyping

* Test design and development

* Support for certification


Software engineering


* Design and development

* Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V)

* Re-engineering and maintenance

* Tools development

* Test design and development

* Support-to-certification


System integration


* Automated testing equipment

* Test procedures

* Support-to-certification


Furthermore, renowned solution providers also have ample experience in aerospace manufacturing engineering. They successfully combine embedded software development and electronic hardware fabrication that enables them to provide a comprehensive product portfolio for avionics and embedded systems using the of “design-to-build” methodology. Incorporated aircraft avionics architecture is critical for any aircraft today. With technological developments the need to set up complete hardware and software design, testing, implementation and integration is imperative.


Related Links: engineering consulting service ,   aircraft interior design