HP Creates Services for Strategy, Roadmap and Design of Virtual Workplace

HP today expanded its Unified Communications & Collaboration (UC&C) services portfolio with offerings that help clients simplify and integrate business communications to lower costs and accelerate growth.

New HP UC&C consulting services take a comprehensive approach to transforming enterprise communications from strategy through implementation, and across people, process and technology. HP helps clients plan strategically, targeting a company’s long-term vision while implementing short-term steps to ensure end-user adoption and maximum program success.

Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (UL), a world leader in product safety testing and certification, is working with HP on a two-year project to standardize processes and technologies. This transformation will allow them to speed knowledge sharing and collaboration between workers and clients. With a UL Virtual Workplace console on every desktop, connected through the company’s new UC&C infrastructure, employees can collaborate with clients around the world without being constrained by medium, location or device.

“We want to become integral to the way manufacturers develop their products and collaborate with our customers as never before,” said Christian Anschuetz, senior vice president and chief information officer, Underwriters Laboratories Inc. “As our global systems integrator and strategic partner, HP is working with us in a highly collaborative fashion to plan, design and orchestrate the rollout of our UL Virtual Workplace solution.”

HP UC&C Business Value Services and HP UC&C Education Services help clients transform the workplace into a unified, connected and collaborative environment that lowers operating costs and drives business growth. The new services include:

— HP UC&C Transformation Workshop – Experiential workshop that helps client stakeholders look at all business, financial, technical and company-specific implications and opportunities around UC&C to gain consensus then build a strategy to support business objectives.

— HP UC&C Business Value Assessment – Takes clients through building a cost-analysis model for a UC&C solution investment to understand the business value and cost reductions that could be gained.

— HP UC&C Business Benefits Workshop – Helps clients build a business case for a UC&C solution to ensure it will deliver on expected benefits. Identifies the linkage to strategic initiatives, determines justification for technology investments and creates a defined roadmap for project implementation with cost estimates.
— HP UC&C Strategic Architecture Service – Speeds delivery while reducing risk and costly technology redundancies. Clients receive an architectural blueprint and detailed transformation plan that identifies their unique requirements to determine priority and value for each element of the design.

— HP Education Services for Microsoft® Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Live Meeting 2007 – Ensure employee adoption and productivity, and that technical staff can support the solution, improving return on investment of the technology.

HP also has signed global agreements with Polycom and Network Equipment Technologies to offer clients broad choice in UC&C technology options.

— HP Polycom Services – delivers voice and visual communication solutions from Polycom to simplify business communications while speeding collaboration with clients and partners. This includes Polycom’s integrated voice and video solutions for Avaya and Microsoft UC environments, and Polycom VoIP phones for Microsoft Communications Server “14.”

— HP Network Equipment Technologies (NET) Services – integrates the NET VX Series UC gateway into the HP and Microsoft UC&C solution to simplify management, further streamline communications across messaging, video and voice.

“A unified, connected and collaborative environment can speed up business processes, improve customer responsiveness and simplify operations to reduce costs,” said Biswanath Bhattacharya, Director, Technology Services, HP India Sales Pvt. Ltd. “HP helps clients assess their unique needs, optimize the solution to meet technology and business objectives, and maximize investment returns with end-to-end life cycle support.”

Intelenet collaborates with SigniaDocs

Intelenet Global Services Services Pvt Ltd (Intelenet), a leading India headquartered global third party BPO service provider, today announced that it has collaborated with Signia Docs, a US based national eMortgage solutions provider to offer a comprehensive, automated and scalable Modification solution targeted at mortgage companies. This outsourced solution will enable financial institutions and mortgage companies to pre-qualify distressed borrowers for the best possible loan workout program that fits within their current financial capability and substantially help mortgage institutions reduce the backlog of distress loans.

From the initial borrower contact, to devising and recommending a viable temporary modification, to complete online submission and authorization of documents and agreements, Intelenet Global Services works closely with distressed borrowers as a seamless extension of the lender’s or servicer’s staff. The online solution and real time approach provided by this solution will help financial institutions to compress the currently existing lengthy and arduous loan modification process (sometimes taking months with high levels of borrower frustration and stress) and make it a seamless and quick process.



On this occasion, Suresh Ramani, President & COO - Intelenet Global Services said, “We are pleased to partner with SigniaDocs as through our expertise, 'Intelenet will provide specialized outsourcing services to Mortgage companies in collaboration with SigniaDocs. Through this solution, Intelenet delivers meaningful business results to banks and financial institutions by making the entire loan workout process more effective and delivering improved financial performance. The solution will enhance customer experience, thereby reducing costs and increasing overall efficiency and effectiveness in the process.”



Tim Anderson, president of SigniaDocs said, “With a worldwide presence and best-of-breed BPO support capabilities, Intelenet has the resources to help servicers address the huge backlog of distressed loans. We’re pleased to be working with them in an effort to help more homeowners stay in their homes.”

With an incisive focus on the Banking and Financial Services segment, Intelenet is one of the fast growing BPO solutions provider powered by strong IT-enabled processes, consulting and niche technology tools.

Intelenet has taken rapid strides post the MBO backed by Blackstone in June 2007. The company’s global delivery expansion subsequent to the acquisition of Upstream and Travelport ISO in 2007, has also added new geographies such as Mauritius along with a multiple language capability portfolio with Spanish and French. Intelenet was recently selected in the Leaders category for The 2010 IAOP Global Outsourcing 100 service providers list for the second consecutive year.

Anoushka Shankar inaugurated new store Shoppers Stop at Mantri Mall

Shoppers Stop, India’s premier fashion and lifestyle destination today launched its Third store in Bengaluru at the Mantri Mall at Malleshwaram. The inauguration took place with a Diya lighting ceremony by renowned sitar player Anoushka Shankar, who is also now the brand ambassador of Shoppers Stop’s exclusive label- Haute Curry, along with Mr Govind Shrikhande- Customer Care Associate and Chief Executive Officer, Shopper’s Stop Ltd. This new store at Bengaluru also marks the thirtieth (30th) store of Shoppers Stop in the country.



Shoppers Stop at Mantri Mall, Malleshwaram sprawls over 42,000 square feet spanning across two levels (Ground and first floor). The ample space ensures an uncluttered, smooth and luxuriant shopping environment. Each floor has an entrance facing the mall atrium. At the ground level entry customers will find an array of crème de la crème brands in cosmetics, perfumes, jewellery, personal accessories, ladies footwear, bags, and western apparel. Categories such as, men’s formals, casuals, men’s ethnic wear, sportswear, kids apparel and toys, Mothercare & Early Learning Centre are located on the first floor.







Anoushka Shankar, Brand Ambassador of Haute Curry added, “I personally love the garden city of Bengaluru and the new store of Shoppers Stop is a wonderful addition to the already fashion conscious city. Malleshwaram is always buzzing with the youth population and its great news for them that their favourite brands are now just a stone throw away. I am delighted to see the Haute Curry section at the new Shoppers Stop store, stocked with the latest Spring-Summer collection created out of vibrant colours.”







Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Govind Shrikhande – Customer Care Associate & President & Chief Executive Officer, Shopper’s Stop Ltd. said, “The launch of our Third store in Bengaluru is testimony to Shoppers Stop’s popularity and acceptance with our esteemed customers in Bengaluru. With spacious interiors and a prolific variety of brands, we are certain that our customers will be delighted to have an additional fashion landmark in the Garden city of Bengaluru.”



He further added, “We enjoy a large base of our loyalty programme, First Citizen, members in Bengaluru. This new store at Malleswaram will cater as a convenient fashion destination for our loyalty programme members who reside in the catchment.”


Keeping with its Bridge to luxury positioning, the new store at Malleshwaram houses array of top notch brands like Austin Reed - a premium brand of corporate wear from UK , MUSTANG - Europe's renowned jeanswear and lifestyle brand French Connection, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Esprit, etc. Besides brands, Shoppers Stop also retails a range of merchandise under its exclusive labels namely Stop, Kashish, Life, Haute Curry, Elliza Donatein, Insense, i Jeanswear, Mario Zegnoti, Vettorio Fratini and Push & Shove, amongst others.



The new Store will also house Mothercare – world-renowned brand for maternity, baby and childcare products. Known for its uniformly high standard of quality worldwide, Mothercare stocks a variety of products for mothers-to-be, new borns, toddlers and children till eight years of age, the focus being on function, comfort and safety, without compromising on style.



There’s a pleasant surprise for little kiddies. The new Shoppers stop store will present Early Learning Centre (ELC) to its Bengaluru customers for the first time ever! UK’s number one educational toy brand, ELC, provides a host of educational stimulating toys for children between 0-6 years of age. ELC is committed to partnering with mothers in helping their children get the best possible start in life.




At Shoppers Stop emphasis is given to customer convenience with customer friendly signage, alteration desk, customer service desk with gift wrapping service, exclusive First Citizen Members’ lounge ,baby changing room, Physically challenged trial rooms to name a few.


The new store offers a complete and wholesome shopping experience for the family, and has the best available for those looking for a better lifestyle and fashion experience. All in all, the new store is breathtaking in all its grandeur and houses the trendiest and most fashionable labels in town.

Bharti Airtel launches iPhone 3GS in Bangalore

Bharti Airtel, one of Asia’s leading integrated telecom service providers, today announced the India launch of the most powerful mobile of the year - Airtel iPhone 3GS in Karnataka. Mr. Venkatesh V, CEO – Karnataka Circle, Bharti Airtel accompanied by leading sandalwood actress Ms.Aindrita Ray unveiled the much awaited Airtel iPhone 3GS mobile phone in Bangalore.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Venkatesh V, CEO – Karnataka Circle, Bharti Airtel said “Airtel has always been in the forefront to bring in the finest experience for its customers. The awareness and demand for the most advanced products is increasing rapidly in India. We are very much delighted to offer the strength of Airtel brand and network for the avid mobile users in the city, there by bringing in the eagerly-awaited Airtel iPhone 3GS that will take mobile communications to a whole new level.”

Airtel iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance - up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G - with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. The groundbreaking App Store provides access to more than 150,000 applications from games to social networking to financial planning and health management, generating more than 3 billion downloads to date. iPhone is now available in over 80 countries around the world.

Airtel iPhone 3GS will be available from Rs. 35,500* for the 16GB model and Rs 41,500* for the 32GB model. Airtel iPhone 3GS customers will enjoy 500 MB of free data every month for a year from the date of their iPhone 3GS activation. To take advantage of this offer, customers should call 121. Additionally, iPhone 3G continues to be available in the 8GB version for Rs 29,500.*

Customers can purchase Airtel iPhone 3GS from Airtel authorized retail stores across India including select Airtel Relationship Centres. Customers who wish to receive more information on Airtel iPhone 3GS can log on to http://www.airtel.in/iphone3gs

Bharti Airtel iPhone 3GS Pricing:

Details
Airtel iPhone 3GS Plan

Free Data per month (MB)
500 **

iPhone 3G 8GB (Rs)
29,500*

iPhone 3GS 16GB (Rs)
35,500*

iPhone 3GS 32GB (Rs)
41,500*

*The prices may vary in some States due to differential VAT.
** For a year from activation of Airtel iPhone 3GS connection.

ARUBA NETWORKS POSITIONED IN LEADERS QUADRANT

Aruba Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARUN), a global leader in 802.11n wireless LANs and secure mobility solutions, today announced that it has again been positioned in the “Leaders” quadrant in Gartner's 2009 “Magic Quadrant for Wireless LAN Infrastructure” report.

“Magic Quadrants evaluate vendors based on the completeness of their vision and their ability to execute, and we’re delighted to receive this recognition from Gartner," said Dominic Orr, Aruba ’s president and CEO. “2009 saw the release of such innovative products as our value leading AP-105 802.11n Access Point, AirWave OnDemand cloud-based multi-vendor network management, and the Best of Interop 2009 award-winning Virtual Branch Networking solution. We also grew our market share, widened the distance to our next closest competitor, and added roughly 600 new customers per quarter. These are major accomplishments, especially since they occurred in the midst of an economic downturn.”



The report notes that “A vendor in the Leaders quadrant will have demonstrated an ability to fulfill a broad variety of customer requirements, provide an end-to-end infrastructure-based solution and have financial viability to continue that support beyond a single installation. Leaders should have demonstrated an ability to shape the market, maintain strong relationships with their channels and customers, and have no obvious gaps within the product portfolio.”



Aruba’s centralized wireless LAN architecture delivers switch-like performance while also lowering IT operating expenses by simplifying network set-up, expansion, and updates. Whether managing a single campus or a multi-national enterprise, the centralized architecture delivers exceptional performance yet requires minimal IT staff overhead to manage.

To ensure a good user experience, even in the presence of other nearby or legacy Wi-Fi networks, Aruba ’s Adaptive Radio Management (ARM) technology uses infrastructure-based controls to optimize the real-time performance of Wi-Fi devices. By controlling how Wi-Fi devices interact, ARM ensures that data, voice, and video applications have sufficient network resources, including airtime, to operate properly. The benefits of using ARM are especially noticeable in high-density deployments like urban locations, sports arenas, trading floors, classrooms, and lecture halls.



While Aruba is best known as a supplier of adaptive 802.11n wireless LANs, other products include a wide range of branch office and teleworker solutions, security products, and both server and cloud-based multi-vendor network management platforms. Taken together these products yield operational benefits across the enterprise because they address so many costly pain points.



“We can significantly lower operating expenses using a tool set drawn from our deep line-up of seamlessly integrated Wi-Fi, security, branch office, and management solutions,” continued Orr. “Most of our competitors either lack comparable tools or the cost of integrating their tools is so high as to be non-competitive. We believe our positioning in the Magic Quadrant recognizes Aruba ’s competitive advantages and the cost-containment and productivity-enhancement benefits we bring to the table.”

Intel Capital Invests US$23 Million in India

Intel Capital, Intel Corporation's global investment organization, today reaffirmed its commitment to Indian entrepreneurship by detailing plans to invest US$23 million in three Indian technology companies:



· July Systems provides mobile Internet solutions which enable media brands to publish, distribute, monetize inventory and personalize services for consumers;

· KLG Systel provides smart grid and energy management and efficiency solutions to power utilities and end-users; and

· MCX, a leading commodity futures electronic exchange in India , has permanent recognition from the Government of India for facilitating online trading, clearing and settlement operations for futures market across the country.



Individual investment amounts were not disclosed. Funding will come from the US$250 million Intel Capital India Technology Fund established in December 2005. This fund invests in Indian technology companies to stimulate local technology innovation and the continued growth of India 's information technology industry.



“Intel Capital’s investment in July Systems, KLG Systel and MCX reinforces our commitment towards fostering Indian innovation,” said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. “We believe that India is poised for the next phase of growth. Intel Capital’s investment will help with global resources, knowledge and expertise to assist these companies with their growth and success.”



Investment in July Systems: July Systems developed the industry’s first Mobile 3.0 publishing platform. The company plans to use Intel Capital’s funds to grow its sales, business development and operations teams in North American and the Asia Pacific. In addition, it will deepen R&D investments in the company’s Mi™ platform, including its cross-platform publishing across mobile web and native applications, rich media advertising technologies, real-time interactive video and micro-payment management systems.



Rajesh Reddy, Founder and CEO, July Systems, commented: “We are delighted to receive investment from Intel Capital. This represents the next phase of our growth and will allow July Systems to strengthen its position by investing in technology, operations and expanding our team. Intel Capital’s strategic investment will help enhance the appeal of our offering.”



Investment in KLG Systel: KLG Systel developed Connectgaia.com and SG 61 technologies, which allow the monitoring and control of electrical devices remotely over the Internet. The company has also developed a software as a service solution, known as Vidushi, for CIS and utility billing and management. The company is developing a Smart Grid and energy efficiency device based around the Intel Atom processor, as well as creating a center of excellence to showcase technology and emerging models.


Kumud Goel, Managing Director, KLG Systel, added: “Investment by Intel Capital shall enable us to access the latest technologies to upgrade our Connectgaia.com and SG 61 technologies on the Intel Atom chipset. We shall be able to provide innovative solutions to address the issues of global warming and CO2 emissions by reducing and optimizing usage of energy across the electricity supply chain.”



Investment in MCX: MCX is a leading Indian electronic commodity futures exchange that trades more than 40 commodities from various market segments including bullion (globally #1 Silver, #2 Gold), energy, metals, fiber, and agro-commodities. Intel Capital has purchased an equity investment stake in MCX via a secondary transaction with an existing MCX investor. Intel and MCX plan to work together to advance technology adoption in hinterland India, where MCX and its sister companies have deep existing reach through an existing network of 4,000 bulk warehouses and extensive broker network.



Commenting on the investments, Sudheer Kuppam, managing director, Intel Capital Asia Pacific, stated: “Investing in electronic financial exchanges, smart grid technology solutions and mobile Internet-nabling technology platforms demonstrates Intel Capital’s strong commitment to India ’s on-going infrastructure build-out, as aligned with the national agenda. Investing in entrepreneurship within technology sectors vital to the growth of the country will continue to characterize Intel Capital’s activities in India over the medium term.”



Since 1998, Intel Capital has invested more than US$200 million in Indian technology companies across 10 cities, showing the importance that Intel places on fostering entrepreneurship and technology innovation in India .

Emami bets big in Karnataka on its edible oil

Emami Biotech Ltd part of the Rs. 2500-crore diversified Emami Group of companies today announced the launch of its first edible oil brand ‘Healthy and Tasty’ in Karnataka. This is the first such F&B foray in the Group’s 36 year old successful history.


Karnataka is a key market for Emami, having an estimated size of Rs 800-crore branded edible oil market. The second market to witness the launch after Kolkata in West Bengal, Emami is targeting nearly a 10,000 strong retail stores network in Karnataka, to begin with.

Commenting on the launch in Karnataka, Mr. Aditya V Agarwal, Director, Emami Group of Companies said “We intend to project Healthy & Tasty as health-smart oil and make it a Rs 1500-crore brand over the next five years. Karnataka has always been a key market for us and through the Healthy & Tasty launch we want to replicate the success that we tasted in case of our other brands in the region. Karnataka is expected to contribute about 10%-15% of our total sales target of Rs 300-crore during the first year of the launch”.

Emami Group unveiled its much awaited TVC of Healthy and Tasty with a special preview in Bangaluru, created by ace ad film director Mr. Prahlad Kakkar featuring cricketer, M S Dhoni and Bollywood star, Ms Preity Zinta. Emami has chalked out aggressive marketing plans for the launch of its Healthy & Tasty edible oil brand in Karnataka and earmarked an investment of Rs 10-crore for the purpose in the first year.


The product has been developed by adopting the 7 Stage European Refining Technology to create a unique combination of purity and taste through retention of natural ingredients. The 7 Stage European Refining Technology has been developed in-house. The technology helps control temperature and pressure in such a manner that oil does not lose its natural nutrients. The First Press Technology has been adopted for its Healthy & Tasty mustard oil brand.



Through the launch of Healthy and Tasty brand, Emami aims to break the myth that tasty food is not good for health and healthy food is tasteless. The three variants of the edible oil launched today included Refined Vegetable Oil, Refined Soyabean Oil and Refined Sunflower Oil, distinguishable by the presence of constituents like oryzanol, ALA Omega 3 and tocotrienols, besides having MUFA and PUFA. The constituents promote brain health, lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases and provide skin nourishment. Besides, the ingredients also help in lowering cholesterol levels and blood pressure. The Healthy and Tasty variants will be available in diverse packages like 5-litre jars, 1-litre bottles and 1 litre pouch packs to suit the convenience of the consumers. The other three variants – Blend of Soyabean and Rice Bran Oil, Refined Vegetable Oil Blend and Kachchi Ghani Mustard Oil – will be launched in the state in the near future.



According to Mr. Manish Goenka, Director, Emami Group of Companies: “Healthy & Tasty is another milestone in Emami’s journey to address the growing consumer focus on health and wellness. Initially, sunflower oil will be outsourced from units in Andhra Pradesh and the edible oil will be produced at our plant in Haldia, West Bengal. We are also in the process of setting up an experienced sales team of over 100 people from the region. Plans are afoot to set up two edible oil refineries in the west coast and south coast respectively”.


In a world populated with mixed messages on health, Emami pledged to convey the right message of good health through a well-conceived thought of conducting a live cookery show at the event today with the renowned Kannada actress Aindrita Ray

Present at the launch, chief guest Aindrita Ray said, “I am honoured to be a part of this initiative. In a developing Indian society marked by sedentary lifestyle and arbitrary eating and sleeping habits, importance of cooking in the right oil becomes crucial for maintaining health. Apart from making the food delectable in taste, Emami cooking oil is also the richest source of nutrients.”

AKK Entertainment launches its first Bollywood movie - Prem Kaa Game

AKK Entertainment Pvt Ltd, a movie and entertainment company of Bangalore based businessman, Mr Ashok Kheny, announced the launch of its debut Bollywood movie PREM KAA GAME at a press conference at the PVR Cinemas in Bangalore.

To be shown in at least 500 cinema theaters across the country from Friday, Mar 26, 2010, Prem Kaa Game, stars the handsome Arbaaz Khan, brother of Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the lead male role and introduces Bangalore girl, the sultry Madhuri Bhattacharya in the lead female role. The other cast of the movie includes Malaika Arora Khan, Tara Sharma, Johny Lever and Rubi Chakravarty.

Addressing the press conference, producer of the movie Mr Ashok Kheny said, “Prem Kaa Game is the second venture of AKK Entertainment, after the successful launch of Sonu Nigaam’s first Kannada solo album last year.”

"I have always believed in swift decisions & speedy delivery. And I intend to induce the expressway system of making movies at breakneck speed. I think the potential of Showbiz in India at the moment has just begun. We have activated our global offices to contribute all their strengths to work on international collaborations out here. We hope to be in the forefront to represent Indian entertainment worldwide,” said Mr Kheny.

“The Indian entertainment industry has a huge target audience both in India and the overseas markets. AKK Entertainment will make films keeping various target segments in mind. Going forward, we might make films in both Kannada and Hindi simultaneously,” he apprised.

Mr Kheny also said that he plans to develop an entertainment city with 20 studios with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore on a 300 acre land in Sompura, near Bangalore. “There are plans to set up eight studios dedicated for cinema, eight for producing television content, two blue-screens or special effects studio, and two for producing advertisements. The entertainment city will have modern processing labs, animation studio, sound studio, computerized lighting and special effects studio,” he said.

Megamart joins ‘i-mint’, India’s Largest Customer Rewards Program

i-mint, India’s first and the largest multi-brand consumer rewards program pioneered by Loyalty Solutions & Research Limited (LSRL), has announced a strategic tie up with Megamart, India’s largest value-retail store, that’s opening its doors to welcome i-mint’s members at its 140 outlets across India. This tie up shall increase the benefits for i-mint customers shopping at a Megamart store.

Through this tie up, i-mint members can not only earn rewards points but also redeem their accumulated points for purchases made at Megamart stores. Megamart will now reward 5 points per Rs.1000 to all i-mint’s members across India spanning 140 store locations in over 60 cities from March 2010 onwards. Megamart will also accept i-mint points as an additional payment mode, in case the customer wants to pay using i-mint points.

Sandalwood Actress Sharmila Mandre was present at the occasion.

Commenting on this association, Mr. Vijay Bobba, Founding CEO and Managing Director, LSRL i-mint added that “We are very excited to embark on this valuable partnership with such a pioneering retail value giant. Megamart brings in some of the leading international and national brands under one roof, giving our customers the opportunity to acquire the best deals and reap fabulous rewards, enabling us to bolster our commitment to serving our members better on an all India level. We are confident of taking this partnership to new heights.”

Mr. J. Suresh, CEO Arvind Brands Ltd said that “We look at this as an opportunity to show case our superior quality brand offerings to the ever increasing member base of i-mint. We believe that this association will enable us to increase our customer base and we look forward to rewarding our customers significantly.”

Mr. K E Venkatachalapathy, COO, Arvind Retail Ltd added that “Through this association we would be offering our customers rewards points for their purchases. Additionally, we are excited to present an additional payment mode. Apart from cash / card and vouchers, paying through accumulated i-mint points would truly endorse our consumer promise of “Mega Brands, Mega Savings - Guaranteed”. Megamart extends a warm welcome to all i-mint card holders to its stores.”

Logica launches competition to find innovative partners

Logica, a leading technology and business services company, is looking to partner with the world’s most innovative Small and Medium Enterprises. It today kicked off its 2010 Global Innovation Venture Partner (GIVP) Programme to search for the company with the most innovative products and solutions.

Now in its third year, the GIVP Programme invites nominations from across ten countries – India , UK , France , Netherlands , Belgium , Sweden , Finland , Denmark , Portugal and US. Nominated companies will be judged by a Logica panel and the winner will work with Logica to further develop its product or solution. It will get access to Logica’s global sales resources, go-to-market support and opportunities to engage with client organisations where appropriate.

Nominations close on April 4. To nominate a company please go to GIVP Programme 2010.

Speaking about the competition, GBS Bindra, Global Innovation Director, Logica said, “The GIVP Programme is a perfect example of collaborative value creation. For partners, it is an opportunity to make their products and services visible in a highly competitive industry. For Logica, our Innovation partners can support us along the way with new talent and interesting technological developments. Together we can achieve the highest levels of success and meet the needs of our clients. Overall, it’s a perfect example of how different companies can come together to build business value.”



GIVPP 2009 attracted more than 600 nominations from eight countries. Seven country winners and one global winner were identified as Logica’s innovation partners. The global winner for 2009 was a Swedish company - Appear Networks, which has impressive new technology in context-aware software services.



Commenting on the benefits of the partnership Xavier Aubry, CEO, Appear Networks, said, “"The GIVP Programme has been without a doubt a business accelerator for us. After winning the global award in 2009 in a very competitive selection process, we quickly developed a joint go-to-market plan with Logica in key countries. We were able to close our first million Euro deal and generated a substantial pipeline in our target industries within the same year. We had been developing our vision for innovative workforce mobile solutions in the travel & transport sector and with Logica's support, we have now been able to reach out to a wider range of industries such as public sector, healthcare and utilities. The joint value proposal is very strong and fits perfectly with today's requirements - providing innovation that can help clients reduce costs and increase client service."

CA Completes Nimsoft Acquisition

CA, Inc. (NASDAQ:CA) today announced it has completed its acquisition of privately-held Nimsoft, Inc.—a leading provider of IT performance and availability monitoring solutions for emerging enterprises and Managed Service Providers (MSPs)—for $350 million in an all-cash transaction.

The acquisition significantly extends CA’s ability to meet the unique IT management needs of emerging enterprises and MSPs, both of which are playing leading roles in the growth of cloud computing. Nimsoft’s technology and go-to-market approach also will leverage CA’s presence in growing international markets—where the Company expects cloud computing and hosted/managed services to play a central role in business development.

“We believe that the acquisition of Nimsoft by CA will result in enhanced monitoring solutions in the area of hosted/managed services,” said Kevin Crowe, Director of Managed Services of Long View Systems. “Nimsoft technology, combined with CA’s commitment to cloud computing, will provide us with a robust solution that will allow us to create more value for our clients and will enable us to continue to evolve and innovate as an MSP.”

The acquisition also will extend CA’s leadership position in the Service Assurance market segment, offering one of the most comprehensive suites of IT monitoring and management solutions in the industry.

Nimsoft will operate as a standalone business unit within CA's Cloud Products & Solutions Business Line.

Intel and BSNL launch 'Meri Manzil Mera Pehela Kadam'

Intel India and BSNL today announced the launch of an all new initiative called ‘Meri Manzil Mera Pehela Kadam’ where the two companies have come together with a common purpose of making personal computers and broadband easily accessible and available to the masses.

R. Sivakumar, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel South Asia, said, “Intel has always believed that the Internet is capable of transforming lives and the future of our country. We have been working steadily with our partners to provide a slew of affordable computing devices with the Intel Atom processors to enable easy access to the Internet. Intel believes that the WiMAX broadband technology can help bridge the digital divide in India and is certain that with this initiative we will make it easy for people to own their first PC and explore the internet thereby bringing about a positive change in their lives.”



Affordable low-cost devices to drive Internet access

The Intel Atom processor enables an emerging class of affordable Internet-centric devices called Netbooks and Nettops. Netbooks and Nettops offer both emerging and mature markets an easy-to-use device with simple interfaces and targeted performance for a good online experience. Netbooks are rugged and compact in design, and offer the freedom and flexibility of wireless connectivity, whereas Nettops offer an affordable at-home experience on a reliable computing device. They can be used by children and first-time computer users for basic computing applications, listening to music, e-mailing and surfing the Internet.

Darpan- Local language user internet simplifies PC usage

These devices will leverage existing displays and has an option of a local language interface called ‘Darpan’ which will enable new users to experience the internet and its endless opportunities. Darpan is an initiative by Intel and its software partners to simplify the PC usage especially for first time buyers. All relevant content and India centric Internet content is compiled to ensure minimal keyboard usage and make navigation easier by using local language menus and commands. This user interface is currently available in Hindi, Marathi and Tamil and will be extended to other languages going forward.

‘Meri Manzil Mera Pehela Kadam’ Go to market initiative

Talking about this initiative Mr. R.K. Aggarwal, Director (Consumer Mobility) from BSNL said “The Internet is fast emerging as a defining step in education, communication, business and entertainment. Through our host of connectivity solutions and partnership with Intel we aim to create awareness amongst citizens on the benefits of the Internet and what it can enable. We are working closely with Intel to accelerate WiMAX broadband connectivity across India with the aim of bridging digital divide and extend the benefits of technology to millions of Indians.”

Intel and BSNL go to market initiative will cover rural locations across the length and breadth of the nation over the next few months. This program will cover the entire spectrum of connectivity solutions from BSNL and range of devices based on Intel processors including the Intel Atom Processor based Netbooks and Nettops.

The demo kiosks including ‘Darpan’ will be on display at the Convergence India Show at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from 23rd to 25th of March 2010.

Sonata partners with TMMi Foundation

Sonata Software, a leading IT consulting and software services provider, today announced that it has joined the TMMi Foundation. The TMMi Foundation is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to improving testing processes and software quality on a global scale. As a part of this initiative, Sonata will contribute to the development and review of new levels of TMMi. Sonata will also participate in the overall awareness and growth initiatives of the foundation that are targeted towards improving global testing standards.
TMMi Foundation is committed to promoting the uptake of TMMi model as an international industry standard for assessing and rating organizations’ testing process capabilities. Over the years, the TMMi standards have gained acceptance with many organizations across the globe, for standardizing and streamlining testing processes as well as optimizing the overall cost of quality.

Sonata has established itself as a prominent player in software testing services, helping organizations achieve predictable and improved software quality levels to meet their business goals. With Sonata’s Test Consulting Services (SonnetQcheck), based on the Test Maturity Model (TMM), customers have experienced 30 to 40 percent improvement in efficiency, both in terms of costs and quality, in addition to faster testing cycles and better control on RoI. By joining hands with TMMi Foundation, Sonata will further enhance its capabilities of developing a common, robust model of test process assessment in the industry.



Mr. C.V. Narayanan, Head - Testing Practice, Sonata Software, said, “More companies across geographies are looking at streamlining their testing operations and are using software quality as a catalyst to optimize the overall cost of IT. The metric and KPI-based TMMi framework, combined with Sonata’s expertise in implementing a continuous improvement framework, will especially benefit enterprises that are looking at adding credibility to their testing processes.”



Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Klaus Olsen, Commercial Work Stream Chair, TMMi Foundation said, “The TMMi Foundation is pleased to welcome Sonata Software as one of its newest supporting organizations. The Foundation is dedicated to improving test processes and practice in the software industry. Our prime focus is the development of a common, reference model for test process assessment and improvement in IT organizations. Our association with Sonata will enable us to work actively and continuously towards our stated objectives and improve testing processes for everyone.”

The partnership with TMMi Foundation will help Sonata to reinforce its position as a leading provider of Consulting-Led Testing Services in the industry.

“We will be able to strengthen our offerings by aligning our approach completely with TMMi best practices. Sonata will leverage this enhanced capability to help its clients in adoption of latest TMMi methodologies to mitigate testing challenges, improve testing efficiencies and reduce the overall cost of operations,” Mr. Narayanan further added.

Sonata’s Testing Services also include ERP Testing, Tools Setup, Test Automation, Managed Testing as well as Performance and Security Testing.

Talisma Announces Record 2009 and Hiring Plans for 2010

Talisma Corporation Pvt. Ltd., a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to the Asia-Pacific and European markets, announced today that it plans to increase hiring in India in 2010. With the acquisition of Talisma by Campus Management in 2008, Talisma’s India headquarters achieved year-on-year growth of 40% in international markets.



Winning new customers was the leading contributor to Talisma’s 2009 achievements—with 120% growth in the second half of 2009, compared to the business’ first half performance. The success in the fourth quarter of 2009 was largely due in part to new client wins which included Maruti Udyog, National Stock Exchange, Manipal University , and TPI.



“The market is creating more urgency around customer service and responsiveness,” stated Raj Mruthyunjayappa, Managing Director of Talisma’s India headquarters. “More rapid and personalized communication and the need for lower cost marketing automation are driving up demand for CRM applications and our platform’s integrated capabilities across sales, marketing and service have carried us forward.”



Banking and financial services have proven to be the Bengaluru-based Talisma’s most durable verticals. However, Talisma earned increased attention in postsecondary education as well as the government sectors. The organization also is rolling out a pre-packaged CRM solution for small and medium businesses.


““We are extremely proud of Talisma’s foundation as a product created in India , now becoming a global brand name. India has proven to be a very dependable market for Talisma, and we foresee India ’s economy continuing to grow above and beyond the pace of many other markets.” said Mr. Timothy B. Loomer, President and Chief Executive Officer.



Talisma’s products offer customers a robust CRM application that is at once flexible to fit the needs of many departments within an organization, while also being interoperable with other enterprise systems and portals. Talisma CRM is widely deployed in higher education, banking and financial services, business process outsourcing, travel, online retailing, and other industries demanding a broad scope of functionality and power.

National Instruments expands "Planet NI" initiative in India

National Instruments, a technology pioneer and leader in Graphical System Design today announced the launch of “PlanetNI.in”, the official website of Planet NI foundation, a non-profit initiative instituted by National Instruments.

The website launched will address the needs of education institutes and SME Entrepreneurs by providing access to technology at an affordable cost for enabling current and future engineers to achieve economic prosperity.

This website is launched to serve as a platform for people to share ideas and knowledge which would help to grow the Planet NI Foundation. It’s a forum which will serve all three initiatives STEM, SME & Green Engineering. Organizations & like minded individuals who are interested in any of these initiatives can collaborate with Planet NI Foundation through the website.

Through Planet NI Foundation, students in Tier II & Tier III colleges will have an opportunity to learn and experience the technology that is being used today. Planet NI empowers individuals and organizations in empowering them with better technology.

Mr. Victor Meires, VP - Sales, Asia said, “In just one year, we are glad to see such overwhelming response from entrepreneurs across India . Keeping this in mind, we have launched the website for improving the quality of education, supporting small and medium entrepreneurship and supporting a greener planet for long term sustainability. Through the Planet NI Foundation, we have already empowered 110 SME’s in the last one year and plan to spread the message to many more.”

Planet NI comprises STEM Education, SME Entrepreneurship program and Green Engineering.

o STEM Education – This is an ongoing initiative adopted by the company to improve the quality of engineering education in the country. The Program strives to enhance learning in engineering colleges through experiential learning by collaborating with organizations working in this area. Some of the programs in this framework include Professor internships, Centers of Excellence, Student Training and Certification, Train the Trainer Program, etc

o NI SME Benefit Program –The framework of Planet NI addresses factors affecting the technology adoption among the SMEs by providing increased affordability and flexible pricing for NI Technology and easy access to NI Training and Support. The SME Benefit Program is unique approaches to help the SMEs in India achieve economic prosperity through access to technology. This initiative allows access to technology, increased affordability with and competency in them with training and support programs

o Green Engineering – In this program NI helps and educates companies to design and develop eco-friendly products

Hundreds of entrepreneurs across the world have started using National Instruments technology and have been very successful and continue to reach new milestones. Planet NI foundation addresses the needs of education institutes and SME Entrepreneurs by providing access to technology at an affordable cost. With a vision of making this world a better place, National Instruments has a group of individuals and organizations working together towards the goal.


Planet NI (Nurturing Innovation) Foundation:

Planet NI Foundation is a non-profit initiative instituted by National Instruments with a mission of enabling current and future engineers in developing nations to achieve economic prosperity through education and easy-access to technology. Planet NI foundation addresses the needs of education institutes and SME Entrepreneurs by providing access to technology at an affordable cost. With a vision of making this world a better place, National Instruments has a group of individuals and organizations working together towards the goal.

Tata Elxsi’s Visual Computing Labs (VCL) bags two coveted honors for animation in film and commercial

Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi Ltd and a leading animation and visual communications studio, has bagged two coveted honors in India and Overseas. One for Best Animated Ad film Award of FICCI BAF Award 2010 for the effective animation in Kellogg’s Honeyloops commercial, and another for Animation in Roadside Romeo at the recently held 20th Cairo International Film Festival for children.

Expressing delight and commenting on the awards, Mr. Pankaj Khandpur, Creative Director, VCL, Tata Elxsi Ltd said, “This is an inspiring moment for all of us at VCL. Our efforts with commercial of Kellogs HoneyLoops and the movie Roadside Romeo has created a bench mark for quality production in the area of 3D animation and VFX. With the work of 3D animation, displayed in both commercial and movie, our animators have been recognized globally and appreciated for the incredible work”.

Speaking about the creation of the commercial, Mr. Suhael Merchant, Animation Director Visual Computing Labs, Tata Elxsi Ltd said, “The use of animation in children’s advertising and films is not uncommon. However, with it comes the challenge of creating something unique and interesting in order to strike a chord, Our team did an outstanding job through animation, in order to establish the connect with the audience.”

Honey Loop TVC shows a cute little honeybee as the central animated character along with a little girl who takes the viewers through the process of manufacturing ‘Honey Loops’. Roadside Romeo is the story of a cute pet dog, Romeo, who was leading a happy life until the family decides to move. They abandon him on the mean streets of Mumbai. Romeo faces the hardship of a stray dog but with time, he adapts to the roadside life style, finds love and settles into a normal life.

Roadside Romeo is the first in a series of original and exclusive 3D animated features to be tailor made for Indian audiences as part of the alliance between Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney where VCL is the animation partner. Tata Elxsi has bagged 56th National Film Awards, 2008 for Roadside Romeo , India ’s first purely- animated theatrical motion picture.

FICCI Best Animated Frames (BAF) Awards is the first ever Animation Award in India instituted in 2004 by the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) to recognize excellence in the field of Animation. Now FICCI’s reach goes beyond the borders of the country and the contest invariably attracts a large number of entries from outside India . In fact, it is estimated that FICCI received 580 entries from across 21 countries. While Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF) enjoys the fine backdrop of 100 years of a distinguished film history. It is undoubtedly the oldest and most prestigious Festival of the whole Middles East. Every year at an average more then 17 countries participate and the competitions are judged by an assembly of 3 different International juries.

SAP Brings SaaS Business Intelligence to India

SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the SAP® BusinessObjects™ Business Intelligence (BI) OnDemand solution to meet a growing demand from companies of all sizes for software-as-a-service (SaaS) business intelligence (BI) tools. This easy-to-use offering makes SAP’s powerful analytics available to a community of business users outside the traditional IT department.


“SAP is best placed to deliver what customers need in this new reality,” said Peter Gartenberg, managing director, SAP India . “With SAP® BusinessObjects™ BI OnDemand solution, organizations can empower their users instantly and easily. The best way to experience the toolset is to try it today at www.biondemand.com. This is an important milestone in SAP’s on-demand vision, and further proof that we continue to innovate in the cloud.”


On-demand offerings from the SAP BusinessObjects portfolio currently have more than 260,000 subscribers who are empowered with the tools and information required to drive their businesses forward.


The solution will also include capabilities that make it easier than ever for business users to tap into their data online, get better insight into their organization and securely share illustrative reports and dashboards with colleagues inside and outside the firewall.

Significant features include:

· SAP BusinessObjects Explorer software, which is built for powerful data exploration and visualization capabilities.

· Guide to product usage for people with no prior BI experience through the processes of accessing, exploring, visualizing and sharing data – without needing to switch between applications.

· The ability to access all on-demand and on-premise data – including SAP data and data from the Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) application. Users can easily upload data to create dashboards, reports or interactive visualizations.

· An on-demand solution for creating ad-hoc reports, conducting what-if analyses and securely sharing this information inside or outside the company. Business users can provide customers, partners and employees across all lines of business with immediate, anytime access to the most current data.

· SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand also has a flexible pricing model, offering three editions of the product to address the different needs of each customer: Free Personal, Essential and Advanced editions.



“Current market trends show strong demand for SaaS BI tools that are easy to use and acquire, and IDC research[1] expects the SaaS BI market to grow three times faster than the overall BI and analytics market over the next five years,” said Dan Vesset, program vice president, Business Analytics, IDC. “As organizations look for intuitive, cloud-based solutions that can empower their end-users, applications that supplement traditional BI functionality of query, reporting and analysis with support for workflow, search and collaboration will become increasingly attractive to them – especially applications that offer rapid, alternative deployment options.”



SAP is currently planning to make SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand available through its SAP® PartnerEdge™ program in the channel partner ecosystem later in 2010.



Experience the SAP BusinessObjects BI OnDemand Personal Edition at www.biondemand.com. This allows users to try the comprehensive capabilities with limited storage facilities.



Follow SAP BusinessObjects on Twitter at @businessobjects, and be sure to check out the Needle In A Haystack blog.

INTEL AND KARNATAKA GOVERNMENT PRESENT THE 6TH TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION AWARD

Intel in association with DSERT (Department of State Education Research and Training) and SSA (Sarva Siksha Abhiyan), today, honored winners of the 6TH Technology in Education Awards, held annually, for effective integration of technology in teaching – learning processes. 3 schools, 15 teachers, 15 student groups and 5 primary teachers/Block Resource Persons (BRP), were awarded for the best use of technology in education and integration of innovative teaching methods to promote 21st century skills and enhance student learning. Sri Visveswara Hegde Kageri, Hon. Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka, and Dr. R G Nadadur, Principal Secretary for Primary and Secondary Education, Government of Karnataka were present at the ceremony as Chief Guest and Guest of Honor respectively and felicitated the award winners. As part of the function, contributors (Annexure 2) who are part of 10 years of Intel Education in Karnataka were also honored.

A total of 450 entries were received for the competition from government schools across the state with good number of teachers and students from rural parts participating in the contest. After the final evaluation, jointly conducted by DSERT and Intel Teach Program, winners (Annexure 1) were awarded cash prize along with a joint citation from Intel® Teach Program, DSERT and SSA, Karnataka. The cash prize included Rs 10000 each for schools, Rs 5000 each for teachers, Rs. 2500 for each students group and Rs 3000 each for Primary school teachers / BRP’s. (Block Resource Persons)

“The Karnataka Teach Awards showcases the impact of effective technology integration in Karnataka schools and exposes youth of Karnataka to technology equipping youth with the ICT skills to prosper in the 21st century. The association of Karnataka Government and Intel® Education (IE) has been very fruitful, keeping in mind the growth of use of technology in education today in rural areas. It helped enhance the use of technology through education and reaching out to backward classes and rural students who cannot otherwise easily access advanced technology.” said Sri Visveswara Hegde Kageri, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Karnataka.

According to Rahul Bedi, Director Corporate Affairs, Intel India “Intel® Teach program has supported Karnataka Government’s Department of State Education Research and Training (DSERT) for ICT integration and implementation in government schools of the state since 2001. In collaboration with DSERT, Intel® has successfully completed professional development training for 83,000 teachers all over Karnataka on effective use of technology in teaching learning-process.”

He further added, “This program attempts to recognize role models in this exciting journey of education transformation with the hope that they will inspire all the other teachers, students and schools in the state to effectively integrate ICT in their teaching & learning process.”

The Technology in Education Contest is promoted by State Department of Education (DSERT, SSA) by conducting various activities like principal sessions, sharing contest guidelines during trainings, refresher and enhancement workshops, through EDUSAT transmissions and published materials in government magazines and department’s websites. In recent years, success of this initiative has promoted this contest in Department of Education of other states like Gujarat, Tamil Nadu & Uttarakhand, Central bodies like Kendriya Vidyalaya Sanghatan (KVS), Navodaya Vidyalaya Sanghatan (NVS) and apex body like Andhra Pradesh State Council for Higher Education (APSCHE).

This year, Intel® Teach program is supporting six contests in the states of Karnataka, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh & Uttarakhand and a combined contest for KVS and NVS to felicitate schools, teachers and students from computerized schools and pre-service institutions, who have excelled in promoting technology supported project based learning. Intel® Teach plays a catalytic role in the implementation of computer based education and innovative teaching methods, such as inquiry based and project based learning methods in government school environment.

Lenovo Opens Its Largest Flagship Store in India

Lenovo India today announced the inauguration of its first Flagship Store in Bangalore and the largest in India, at Mantri Square, Malleswaram, Bangalore. The new Flagship Store is the first of its kind in India and will house the entire range of Lenovo Think and Lenovo IdeaPad and IdeaCentre range of products for Consumer and SMB. The store, located in India’s largest mall, has been designed to be a complete brand experience zone and a one-stop-shop for Lenovo customers. The flagship store combines brand display, product experience, information collection, consultation and sales and reflects the look and feel of Lenovo stores internationally. Customers visiting the store will be treated to an end-to-end, compelling shopping experience.
While inaugurating the store Mr. Amar Babu, Managing Director, Lenovo India, said, "The Flagship store embodies Lenovo's commitment to putting the customer first by providing the opportunity to experience our entire range of products and technology under one roof. The store is a significant step to get closer to our customers and reflects our changing focus towards retail as a key business tool and integrates with our overall business strategy for India.”
The new flagship store represents a key change in Lenovo’s retail strategy as it will have a significant focus on the retail SMB segment. Going forward, there will be a major focus on enhancing the retail penetration through exclusive stores by as much as 30% especially in tier 2 and 3 markets. This change of strategy comes from significant learnings from other key emerging markets like China and Lenovo is keen to capitalise on this trend and use retail as an effective strategic tool.

Lenovo will also look at expanding its portfolio of products further to better serve its customers and cater to specific needs and requirements. Some of the key products that the company launched this year include the Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3t, ThinkPad Edge, Thinkpad X100e and ThinkPad A70z. Lenovo also participated at CES earlier this year where it grabbed the spotlight by winning 5 industry awards, the most of any PC manufacturer.

HP Industry Standard Servers Lead 20 Years of x86 Innovation

For two decades, HP ProLiant servers have been at the heart of technical and business innovation as organisations have moved to a networked world.

In 1989, organisations were increasingly looking at the potential of the network to help business. Sharing information, applications and systems could have great potential to improve business decisions, reduce costs and create better ways to serve customers.

Seeing this need, the former Compaq Computer Corporation released the Systempro server. The SystemPro began a trend of innovation with multi- processor architecture, hardware RAID and space for expansion. Business had the performance, reliability and expandability they needed for client server computing.



Since 1989, HP’s server portfolio has met the needs of customers requiring high performance, rapid deployment, virtual management and continuous uptime.



Today, companies of all sizes and across multiple industries are looking for technology that can help them manage the challenges of data center power and cooling, space, as well as lower the associated costs. The HP ProLiant portfolio continues to meet organizations’ requirements with the world’s most energy efficient x86 server family, which includes rack, tower, blade and “skinless” scale-out servers.



HP has held the number one position in the Asia/Pacific (inc. Japan ) x86 Server market for 24 consecutive quarters from Q1 2004 to Q4 2009.1 Globally, HP ProLiant systems are the top-selling servers in the world – in fact every third server sold is an HP server.2



In India HP has held the number one position in the India x86 Server market for 13 consecutive quarters from Q4 2006 to Q4 2009 1. One in every three servers shipped during CY 2009 1 in India was an HP ProLiant x86 Server.



“Our customers demand innovative, reliable server technologies that can maximize the performance, space and energy efficiency of their data centers,” said Rajesh Dhar, Director, Industry Standard Servers, HP Enterprise Business India. “First to market with a whole host of server technologies from x86 on industry-standards to blades, no other vendor can match HP’s 20 years of innovation and experience. We continue to work closely with our customers and partners to deliver the technology innovations that define the next twenty years and beyond.”


India customers run with confidence on HP ProLiant

Organizations in India recognize that HP ProLiant servers are capable of helping them to drive innovation and create new business opportunities, while achieving maximum performance and value.



Established in 1984, Titan Industries is a manufacturing company that produces India 's largest and best-known range of personal accessories – watches, jewellery, sunglasses and prescription eye wear. The company diversified into new businesses and new retail formats in the last few years and IT has been a key enabler to support this growth and agility in the market place.


“Time to market is critical for us. At the same we were also looking to lower our operational expenditure to drive more value with innovation in our products,” Said C. S. Ramesh, Head of IT, Titan Industries. “With HP’s expertise we migrated more than thirty applications into six HP ProLiant Blade Servers. This has helped us increase utilization by 30% and reduce time to deploying a new application from months to weeks. “







Religare, a diversified financial services group based in India , relies on HP blade technology to support its business growth. With an expanding portfolio and a global reach, Religare needs its technology infrastructure to scale to meet the growing demands of the business. Religare runs its mission critical applications and database on HP ProLiant BL460c servers housed within HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosures. The servers have consolidated Religare’s infrastructure, improved efficiency and provided scalability to support the company’s business growth.



“With our expanding portfolio and customer base, it is a business imperative to be able to scale our technology infrastructure to meet growing demands,” said G. Nagaraj, Director & Chief Technology Officer, Religare Enterprises Limited. “All of Religare's mission critical applications and database now reside on HP Blade servers providing for our future growth. These servers are scalable, reliable and more manageable.”

1 IDC Asia/Pacific Enterprise Server Tracker, 4Q 2009, Feb 2010
2 IDC Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker 4Q 2009, Feb 2010

HCG sets up exclusive Centre for Women’s Health in Bangalore

HealthCare Global Enterprises Ltd. (HCG), South Asia’s largest cancer care network, today announced the setting up of HCG Centre for Women’s Health, India’s first exclusive centre for Women Health by women, for women, dedicated to the treatment of various cancer and cancer related diseases. This new centre was inaugurated by well-known Kannada actor Mrs. Priyanka Upendra and Mrs. Rani Satish, Ex-Minister Kannada and Culture on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

This initiative of HCG is part of its dedicated effort to reach out to women across all strata of society and create awareness on various cancer related diseases that women are likely to be affected & spread the message that early detection could go a long way in managing the disorder. Also for those identified with the disease and not amenable for complete cure, the oncology major is keen to make its mission of ‘living with cancer’ a reality with the support of HCG’s Centre for Women’s Health.

Talking to the media at the launch of the dedicated Centre for Women’s Health, Dr Ajaikumar, Chairman, HCG, said “Various studies confirm that the world over, for all cancers combined, prevalence in women is higher than in men and the trend is true in the case of India also”. Against this background, HCG is keen to strengthen healthcare service for women’s health, through prevention, early diagnosis and management.

According to him HCG’s Centre for Women’s Health would strive to collect, collate & monitor data better, do proactive research, endeavour itself to offer more systemic monitoring, disseminate information and try to break barriers that women face in protecting their health.

Different types of cancer that afflict women include breast cancer, cervix cancer, ovarian cancer, oral cavity cancer, oesophageal cancer, thyroid cancer, endometrial cancer and blood cancer. Importantly cancer as a life style disease has evolved more rapidly over the last 2 decades than ever before and keeping with this trend incidence of gynaecological and breast cancer are the highest amongst all types of cancer, he added.

CA to Acquire Nimsoft

CA Inc., (NASDAQ:CA) today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Nimsoft, Inc.—a leading provider of IT performance and availability monitoring solutions for emerging enterprises and Managed Service Providers (MSPs)—in an all-cash transaction valued at $350 million.

The acquisition significantly extends CA’s ability to meet the unique IT management needs of emerging enterprises and MSPs, both of which are playing leading roles in the growth of cloud computing. CA estimates that emerging enterprises, which it categorizes as organizations with annual revenues from $300 million to $2 billion, will account for approximately a quarter of the software spending in CA’s market space by 2013. By leveraging Nimsoft’s market expertise and technology, CA expects to add an entirely new set of customers to its base, which historically has been comprised of large enterprises.

Nimsoft’s technology and go-to-market approach also will leverage CA’s presence in growing international markets—where the Company expects cloud computing and hosted/managed services to play a central role in business development.

“With our planned acquisition of Nimsoft, CA will be equipped to capture several important growth market segments—including emerging enterprises, emerging national economies, and the MSPs who are providing these customers with IT management services via the cloud,” said Chris O’Malley, CA’s executive vice president, Cloud Products and Solutions Business Line. “Penetration of these markets will further expand our global leadership in IT management and complement our existing strength with large enterprise customers.”

Nimsoft Unified Monitoring Solution
The Nimsoft Unified Monitoring™ solution is designed to allow MSPs complete visibility into the performance and availability of their customers’ business applications across both internal and external IT infrastructures. Its broad capabilities and easy deployment and automated maintenance make it an optimal solution for MSPs. Its automated implementation can help accelerate time-to-value and its advanced features are specifically designed to streamline monitoring of a wide range of business applications for multiple customers—advantages that MSPs around the world are leveraging to improve service, expand offerings, and boost margins.

Nimsoft has developed monitoring and reporting solutions for public cloud and on-demand offerings like Google Apps™ for Business, The Rackspace Cloud™, Amazon Web Services™ and EC2, Salesforce.com, as well as internal applications, databases, and physical and virtual server environments.

Today’s announcement follows CA’s recent acquisitions of Cassatt, NetQoS and Oblicore and the planned acquisition of 3Tera.

“As the way organizations deploy business services continues to shift, the way they manage those services must also shift,” said Dennis Callaghan, senior analyst at The 451 Group. “CA’s acquisition of Nimsoft—following its other recent acquisitions in the cloud computing space—demonstrates that CA is expanding its capabilities to meet the needs of its existing enterprise customers while also stepping up to address those of the emerging enterprise and MSP sectors.”



The acquisition also will extend CA’s leadership position in the Service Assurance market segment, offering one of the most comprehensive suites of IT monitoring and management solutions in the industry. These solutions provide IT organizations with complete insight into application behaviors and infrastructure health, helping them to ensure the reliability of critical business services and optimally utilize available hardware capacity.

Nimsoft was originally established as Nimbus Software in 1998 and renamed Nimsoft in 2004. It has approximately 800 customers, including nearly 300 MSPs and operates primarily in the United States and Europe . CA intends to work closely with Nimsoft’s robust network of MSPs, hosting providers, outsourcing providers and partners to penetrate emerging markets.

“CA and Nimsoft are a perfect match,” said Gary Read, Nimsoft president and CEO, who will be joining CA. “We are joining a company that wrote the book on enterprise management. We’re bringing a very strong track record of success in the hosted and managed services segment and with mid-market enterprises. CA clearly shares our commitment to address customers’ evolving requirements for the management of their IT systems, including their move to virtualization and the cloud.”

Nimsoft’s operations will report under CA’s Cloud Products and Solutions Business Line. It is anticipated that the majority of Nimsoft’s approximately 120 employees will remain with CA after the completion of the transaction, which is expected to close by the end of CA’s fourth fiscal quarter, ending March 31, 2010.

The acquisition is expected to have minimal impact on fiscal year 2010 results and to be dilutive to earnings per share in fiscal year 2011.

Mahindra Satyam signs new four year offshore contract with KMD worth approximately $48 million

Mahindra Satyam, the brand identity of Satyam Computer Computer Services Ltd. (NYSE:SAY), a leading global consulting and IT services provider has signed a new four year offshore contract with KMD, one of Denmark’s leading IT companies. KMD, which specialises in the public sector, signed a renewed contract with Mahindra Satyam for the next four years worth approximately $48 million ending in December 2013. The new contract is an extension of a previous contract that was due to expire this year which involved the supply of application development, testing and application support services particularly in the area of SAP which is a growing business for the Danish IT company.

The new contract involves stronger partnership and multi-fold increase in business commitment with offshore work conducted in a development centre in Bangalore, India. The scope of application development work covered will primarily include SAP, as well as other technologies such as Mainframe applications, .Net, Java, BizTalk, WebLogic, PL/1, Sharepoint and MQ Series.

According to Lars Monrad-Gylling, CEO of KMD, “We have chosen SAP as a strategic technological platform for our development work and consider it a common cornerstone to enable coherence between systems, global market standards and to offer our customers greater openness and freedom of choice. Mahindra Satyam’s outstanding competencies in this area were a major factor in our decision to extend the contract.”

He added, “The offshoring project with Mahindra Satyam allows KMD to achieve even greater growth in the SAP development area and allows us to offer customers a reduced time to market. We consider Mahindra Satyam among the world leaders in their field and the two companies have already been engaged in a highly successful partnership.

C P Gurnani, CEO of Mahindra Satyam commented, “We view this significant contract award as a great endorsement of the quality of work we have already delivered and a real testament to the success of the partnership that has developed between the two companies. We look forward with anticipation to the next phase of this relationship.”

NorthgateArinso boosts global presence as it acquires Human Resources Management division of Convergys

NorthgateArinso, the world’s leading Human Resources (HR) software and services provider, is to strengthen its global position by intending to acquire the HR Management division from US provider Convergys.
The transaction is worth approximately $85 million in cash at closing and $15 million in cash over three years. It involves NorthgateArinso acquiring the assets, including the global HR service delivery network and entire customer portfolio, of Convergys’ HR Management division.
Convergys’ HR outsourcing customers will benefit from NorthgateArinso’s clear focus on HR software and services and from its world-class HR delivery capabilities. NorthgateArinso is known for its innovation in the sector, including the creation of platform-based HR Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
Speaking about the acquisition, Mike Ettling, CEO at NorthgateArinso, commented:
“We are delighted to be combining Convergys’ US market leader position with our world-class focus on software and service. We’ll be bringing together two great teams of people, with great HR solutions, and investing further around the world to innovate even more for our customers.
“We will be working very closely with Convergys’ customers over the next few weeks to ensure they continue to receive the same quality of service and truly understand the benefits of being a customer of the NorthgateArinso family.”
On completion of acquisition, NorthgateArinso will employ around 8,000 people globally, of which a third will be based in North America.
Chris Stone, CEO at Northgate Information Solutions, added:
“The US domestic market accounts for over a third of the global HR services market. As it is home to many multinational businesses, it is a critical marketplace for us as a specialist and we expect to strongly develop our position in the US over the coming years.”
NorthgateArinso’s American operations will continue to be led by Trey Campbell.

HP Helps Organizations Manage Risk, Protect Information and Assets with New Security Services Portfolio

HP today announced a comprehensive security services portfolio to empower organizations to more effectively manage risk, protect critical infrastructure, safeguard the continuity of operations and maintain regulatory compliance.

To address the comprehensive information security requirements of businesses and governments, HP is integrating a wide variety of security services from across the company into a unified HP Security, Compliance and Continuity Services portfolio. The portfolio consists of consulting, training and managed security services that leverage a common reference model to reduce complexity and cost for clients.

HP also introduced two new services in the portfolio: the Cloud Computing Security Assessment and Application Security Center of Excellence (CoE) Services. The portfolio and new services are part of HP Secure Advantage, HP’s portfolio of security products and services.

The addition of new services and solutions to the HP Secure Advantage portfolio helps customers establish a comprehensive security strategy encompassing key areas of the technology infrastructure – from the data center to desktops and printers – across the enterprise and via the cloud.

“Businesses and governments need to collaborate easily despite increased governance requirements and the sophistication of malicious attacks. Chief security officers continue to look for one vendor with the breadth to integrate security and make it seamless,” said Nina Lytton , president at the analyst firm Open Systems Advisors. “As a pioneer in information security for over 40 years, HP is well-equipped with its expanded portfolio to enable customers to safeguard their complete domain.”
“Chief security officers are looking to reduce the complexity of securing their entire enterprise as the industry evolves to include new computing models, like cloud, as well as more sophisticated, traditional technologies,” said Kallol Hazra, Director Application Services, HP Enterprise Services, HP India. “HP Secure Advantage simplifies the process, delivering a comprehensive set of product and service solutions while offering a single point of contact to meet an organization’s diverse security needs.”
HP Security, Compliance and Continuity Services portfolio

The HP Security, Compliance and Continuity Services portfolio addresses all aspects of security in cloud computing and traditional IT environments. These include applications, business continuity, content, data integrity, data center, end points, networks, identity and access management, risk management, and security operations. Each service category is supported by many individual services and capabilities for various types of information security needs.

To reduce complexity and manage costs holistically across these areas, the portfolio uses the HP Information Security Service Management (ISSM) reference model, an IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) based architecture. Through this approach, HP is able to align the technology environment to each business’s objectives.

To provide clients with flexibility to meet their security needs, HP offers a range of sourcing options. HP works with clients to design, implement and maintain their own security environment; manage certain security functions for them; or outsource their entire security environment. Based on their organization’s objectives, clients are able to choose their preferred form of service delivery tailored to their individual needs.

New services in the portfolio

The new Cloud Computing Security Assessment enables HP to help mitigate security risk as clients adopt cloud computing. This assessment joins HP’s existing Cloud Discovery Workshop and HP Cloud Assure. Together these services help companies decide what should be moved to the cloud, as well as assess and address security requirements of private and public clouds. They also provide the means to continue managing cloud security on an ongoing basis.

HP also has launched the new Application Security Center of Excellence (CoE) Services to prevent security attacks that target web applications. This service includes a workshop and assessment services that help organizations define their strategy and develop a roadmap for implementing an application security program across the application life cycle. Organizations are able to prioritize requirements based on business risk, effectively utilize limited resources, build processes based on best practices, and use the right technology to protect sensitive data from malicious hacker attacks. Additionally HP Software as a Service (SaaS) Pr oject Services for Application Security Center also helps customers rapidly and cost-effectively implement their application security initiatives with a complete solution maintained and managed by HP.

Security services for businesses and governments

HP’s robust security services portfolio enables industry and government organizations to measure and manage risk, protect information and assets, increase secure collaboration, analyze security threats, overcome vulnerabilities and enable business continuity. HP has implemented and managed some of the largest, most demanding security environments in the world, such as the U.S. Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI).

For governments, HP supports organizations in maintaining cyber security efforts needed for mission success and protecting essential critical infrastructures that support civil society and national defense. The security services portfolio is available under U.S. government contract vehicles, enabling public sector agencies to access the full range of HP cyber security services.

The new portfolio leverages and integrates HP’s experience from more than 40 years of managed security services delivery, more than 20 years of security consulting, and ongoing research.

Pricing and availability

The HP Security, Compliance and Continuity Services portfolio is now available worldwide. Pricing varies based on specific requirements. More information is available at www.hp.com/services/security.

BBC World News partners with APALYA to launch on Tata Photon TV Service

BBC World News the BBC's commercially funded international 24-hour news and information channel will now be available on Photon TV Service as a result of a partnership with Apalya technology.

PV Shyam, Director, Distribution and Development, South Asia, BBC Worldwide, India, says, “BBC World News currently reaches more than 21 million homes in India. As a result of our partnership with Apalya, we are delighted to broadcast on the mobile TV platform which would increase our audience reach even further. The BBC is always looking at newer platforms to showcase our first-rate news and information content, with Photon TV Service we are happy that new audiences will now be able to access the channel.

“Demand for Mobile TV is picking up pace in the country and the government has also recognized this recently and has been very supportive along with the major telecom and internet players. Our leadership and credibility in the space is therefore also naturally being recognized as this partnership with BBC World News suggests,” opined Mr. Vamshi Krishna Reddy, Co-founder, Apalya technology.

About Apalya Technologies

Apalya Technologies Pvt Ltd. is a company based in Hyderabad, India. Apalya Technologies provides aggregated entertainment and news content from subscription channels and optimizes the content for viewing on mobile screens with the requisite capacity.

Apalya’s unique technology works on delivering the best possible mobile entertainment experience Based on the type of the device and the kind of network being used.

Apalya’s roadmap includes producing Mobile exclusive programming and personalized entertainment into the hands of a Mobile User. Apalya’s mission is to bring Interactive, Collaborative, On Demand, and Informative Entertainment into the hands of mobile users in an optimized and cost effective way.

Indiawood 2010 inaugurated today, expects business through event to exceed US$ 500 million

Indiawood 2010 the most comprehensive trade fair for the woodworking industry was inaugurated today at the Bangalore International Exhibition Center on Tumkur road. PDA Trade Fairs and Eumabois(European Federation of Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers)jointly organise this biennial event. Indiawood 2010 being the 6th edition of Indiawood, was inaugurated by Mr. Franz-Josef Bütfering, President of EUMABOIS, Mr. Pradeep Devaiah, Chairman & CEO, PDA Trade Fairs, Mr. Ingo Bette, VDMA (German Engineering Federation) Germany, Mr. Rajesh Nath, Managing Director, VDMA, India and Mr. Michael Snow, Executive Director, American Hardwood Export Council. Indiawood aims to showcase the latest in wood processing technologies, sophisticated machines including CNC routers, accessories, tools, raw materials, products and Woodworking fittings & consumables from all over the world. This 5-day event will feature an exhibition and a seminar on wood in architecture. The event will offer a comprehensive sourcing ground for the entire woodworking community from India, South Asia, South-East Asia and the Gulf region.

Indiawood 2010has over 450 exhibitors from 24 countries, with country pavilions from Germany, Italy, Taiwan and USA to name a few, with the largest representation from Europe. Some of the global leaders in manufacturing of woodworking machinery, processing, hardware solutions & furniture fittings makers will be participating in Indiawood2010.

Mr. Pradeep Devaiah - Chairman and CEO, PDA Trade Fairs Pvt., Ltd.,said, “we are very pleased with the response from the Indian & overseas companies. The positive response from the industry goes to show the role that the woodworking sector plays in the country's economy. In fact, Indiawood will assume a greater significance as a catalyst that will also facilitate India’s new foreign trade policy that aims to provide a fillip to growth via increased exports. Also included in the plan is the development of the wood working industry in the country. In order to create a balance between export & import process, new policies have been introduced with which the government looks forward to achieve an annual export growth of 15% over 2010-2011 with a target of USD 200 billion by March 2011.”

“Indiawood, by showcasing technologies for conversion of wood, minimizing wastage & optimizing sustained production has spawned the growth of wood processing units to meet increasing domestic demand for wood based products.” he added.

“Indiawood, by showcasing modern technologies has played a vital role in opening up a sunrise industry sector in India, the increase in wood processing, saw mills, plywood units, etc., is a direct result of bringing technology closer home & making it accessible.” he said.

Mr. Pradeep adds, “According to the new foreign policy, Special Economic Zones are being mooted to produce more goods for export & part of the plan lays special emphasis on the wood industry, as wood based products offer tremendous scope for export. INDIAWOOD, therefore, so to say, is also perhaps significantly contributing to the process of attracting several hundred million dollars (US$) investments in wood-based industries.”

“INDIAWOOD has also played a significant role in conserving our natural forest resources by showcasing technologies for converting Plantation Timber & other environmentally friendly substitutes such as Bamboo. Indiawood as an industry platform is also committed to showcasing processes for minimizing wastage & usage of recycled wood. Converters & technology is brought face-to-face in Indiawood to encourage production of products like outdoor deck floors, park benches, etc, from wood waste. Indiawood has also showcased technologies to Engineer bamboo for use in construction and for deriving energy from bamboo waste.” he said.