Tuesday, 29 April 2014

BI and Software Market Grew 8 % in 2013

Worldwide business intelligence (BI) and software, consisting of BI platforms, corporate performance management (CPM) suites, analytic applications and advanced , totaled $14.4 billion in 2013, an 8 percent increase from 2012 revenue of $13.3 billion, according to Gartner, Inc.

"Overall, just like last year, the market is shifting gears, which is keeping growth in the single digits. At the same time, paradoxically, we’re at the cusp of a series of tipping points which will facilitate unprecedented interest and adoption of ,” said Dan Sommer, research director at Gartner.

There were a number of factors slowing the market in 2013. First, challenging macro had an effect. No region in the world grew faster than 12 percent, which breaks the strategic assumption that many of the large vendors have held for years - that emerging markets are growing at a much faster rate. Secondly, confusion still reigns around how to best leverage on big data. Much big data investment happened outside traditional BI in experimental silos, infrastructure and services. Thirdly, growth in IT-budgets is flat and IT-led traditional BI tools are over-bought. Therefore, some market share leaders targeting those constituents showed sub-market growth.

Capillary Technologies bags ‘Best CRM Technology Provider’

Capillary Technologies has been felicitated as the ‘Best CRM Technology Provider’ at the Indian Retail and e-Retail Awards 2014 by Franchise India. The award ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency in Gurgaon witnessed participation from over 300 industry leaders representing all major retail organizations of the country.

“We are honored to receive recognition and distinction for our technology and market leadership. We believe we are providing the best-in-class business solutions and know-how for any size company to grow and thrive. Being honored yet again as a leader in our domain stands testament to our efforts in helping our clients grow rapidly and reap continued success over the years,” said Aneesh Reddy, Chief Executive Officer, Capillary Technologies. “Our success is defined by the ROI our customers have been enjoying by leveraging our Intelligent Customer Engagement solutions for targeted customer engagement across multiple channels such as in-store, mobile, online and social media.”

MobiKwik has Hiring Plans

MobiKwik, a fastest growing mobile wallet company with more than 5 million users has announced its hiring plans of increasing its workforce by 54%, from the current strength of 65 to 100 employees, in the near term. MobiKwik is seeking qualified engineers with experience in Java, Python, or Javascript development for its core payments platform and engineers with background in Android, iOS or Windows development for its mobile applications. MobiKwik is also hiring for positions in User Experience Design, Digital Marketing, Product Management, Merchant Sales, Merchant Operations, Consumer Operations, Finance, HR and Administration to both sustain and grow the business.

Started in 2009, MobiKwik has earned a reputation of an exceptional Indian product start-up that provides a distinctive engineering environment. Being a young company, MobiKwik is building a team that approaches work with vigor and passion that is critical to the company’s ability to operate effectively through the changing business scenario.

Monday, 28 April 2014

Nokia appoints Rajeev Suri as President and CEO

Nokia Board of Directors has appointed Rajeev Suri as President and CEO of Nokia Corporation, effective May 1, 2014. Suri joined Nokia in 1995 and has held a wide range of leadership positions in the company. Since October of 2009, he has served as CEO of NSN, the former joint venture between Nokia and Siemens that is now fully owned by Nokia. During his tenure as CEO, that business went through a radical transformation to become one of the leaders in the telecommunications infrastructure industry.
"As Nokia opens this new chapter, the Nokia Board and I are confident that Rajeev is the right person to lead the company forward," said Risto Siilasmaa, Chairman of the Nokia Board of Directors. "He has a proven ability to create strategic clarity, drive innovation and growth, ensure disciplined execution, and deliver results. We believe that his passion for technology will help ensure that Nokia continues to deliver innovations that have a positive impact on people's lives."

Sunday, 27 April 2014

Reliance Comm Offers Non-Stop 3G Roaming Across India

Reliance Communications announced Inter-Circle roaming partnerships with other leading telecom companies to offer non-stop and best-in-class pan-India 3G services to its GSM customers while roaming. With this innovative alliance, all existing and new 3G customers of Reliance Communications will be able to access high-speed pan-India 3G services while roaming outside the Company’s own 3G circles.

“We  are  delighted  to  be  the  first  operator  to  offer  3G  national  roaming  to  our  customers  in partnership with other telecom firms having state-of-the-art 3G networks. These alliances will further consolidate RCOM’s position as the leading data operator in the country and will help the Company improve its post-paid and Corporate customer marketshare,” Mr Gurdeep Singh, Chief Executive Officer, Consumer Business, Reliance Communications Limited, said. “We have always delivered innovative products and services to our customers with incredible affordability and, at RCOM, we strongly believe in connecting every Indian and bringing about a discernible change not just in their lifestyles, but in their lives as well,” he added.

Heartbleed vulnerability: most secure approach to passwords?

The discovery and fallout of the Heartbleed vulnerability has everyone scrambling to change the passwords to a myriad of online services. While this rush to change passwords has many wondering whether users will be able to remember all of their new passwords, others are concerned that changing passwords too fast will cause more problems.  If a user changes a password before the web server at the online service has been updated to remove the flaw, then they have potentially giving hackers a different password than the old one.

It won’t be a hyperbole to state that the Internet, and every company that uses it, is currently facing one of the most serious security flaws in its history. The Heartbleed bug allows anyone on the Internet to read the memory of the systems protected by the vulnerable versions of the OpenSSL software, which compromises the secret keys used to identify the service providers and to encrypt the traffic, names and passwords of the users and the actual content. The ramification of this is that it enables cybercriminals to eavesdrop communications, steal data directly from the services and users, and to impersonate services and users.

Friday, 25 April 2014

Milagrow claims India’s most powerful TabTop PC with QuadCore Processor

A consumer robot company has also raised the bar in the tablet with the launch of India’s most powerful TabTop PC - the new M8 Pro 3G with Quadcore at a maximum retail price of Rs. 25,990/- 
The 9.4” M8 features a Rockhip 3188 A9 quadcore SOC that clocks speeds up to 1.6Ghz. It delivers a speed upto 3 times & 1.8 times faster than other quadcore processors based on A5 cortex & A7quadcore architecture, respectively. The device offers productivity and serious performance akin to the latest Laptops. Other features include

YouTube Top 10 political videos for March 2014

As the Indian General Election 2014 is inching closer to its end and the campaigns have already hit high fever, netizens are taking to YouTube to catch up on the latest political news stories, election speeches, political spoofs and more. The popularity of these videos on YouTube ascertains that people in India are not just taking keen interest in the current elections but also have a great appetite for politics related humor.
Arvind Kejriwal from Aam Aadmi Party tops the chart with 6 out of 10 videos featuring him in videos ranging from news reports, spoofs and speeches. Times Now’s Arnab Goswami’s show ‘Frankly Speaking’ also got a number of eyeballs on YouTube for his interview with Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Prasad Yadav.  The list also features Pawan Kalyan’s  speech in Telugu and a speech by Navjot Singh Sidhu at the Parliament.

DocTree Launches Mobile App - “Virtual hospital platform”

DocTree announces the launch of its Android App designed to help the doctors and hospitals provide an instant quote for the medical needs of patients. Doctree, the very first virtual hospital portal in India provides important information and options on pricing, expertise and quality medical solutions to people in a systematic manner. A patient only needs to provide important details like the solution they seek, medical history, and upload documents if any, location etc and Doctree would provide a fine choice of experts suitable for that particular need along with the best prices within 24 hours of the request.

The concept for this web-based service would enable a consumer to search and select healthcare providers via a two way dynamic online process. Doctors will review the patients’ treatment needs and hospitals will offer discounted prices.

LogMeIn Debuts Enterprise Version of join.me

LogMeIn announced a new enterprise version of its popular online meeting app, join.me, to meet the rapidly growing demand for broader business adoption of the ultra-fast, intuitive, collaboration tool.  The new enterprise version, which introduces easy ways to manage, customize and deploy join.me, is designed to help companies quickly adopt a collaboration tool already beloved and relied upon by millions of professionals worldwide - and in many cases already in wide-ranging use by their own employees.  As a result, IT pros and team leaders can help boost collaboration and productivity by formally embracing an online meeting tool that in many cases already has their employees’ vote of confidence. 

While IT has long been the key provider of workplace collaboration tools, the rise of low-cost and freemium cloud apps has led to an era where employees are increasingly taking matters into their own hands and bringing their own preferred apps into the workplace. Few apps have come to personify this bring-your-own-app (BYOA) trend more than join.me. 

Mindtree and IGD launch inaugural e-commerce award

Mindtree, an information technology services company, and IGD, a membership organization for retail and consumer goods industries with 800 members worldwide, today announced a new award category to recognize excellence in e-commerce among CPG and Retail enterprises.

Companies in the CPG and Retail domain that have demonstrated true leadership, innovation and excellence in e-commerce or m-commerce are invited to submit their nomination. The nominations will be considered by an esteemed panel of jury from ASDA, Unilever, IGD and Mindtree. The winning entry must showcase enhancements that have significantly improved the shopping experience of consumers through any online or mobile sales platforms. Specific parameters include:
·        Understanding and influencing consumer behavior
·        Impact on sales and market share
·        Collaborative implementation with trading partners

“With consumers being loaded with choices, the need to differentiate from the competition is as great as it has ever been in this industry,” said Radha R, Senior Vice President and Head of Retail, Consumer Products and Manufacturing at Mindtree.  “Mindtree is at the forefront of e-commerce and m-commerce innovation for retailers and CPGs and we have seen the level of profitable growth these initiatives can drive. Hence, we believe, it was important to support an award program that recognizes exemplary work in this area. We are not just rewarding innovation in e-commerce, but also fostering it by instilling a little friendly competition in the industry,” she added.

Startup Village Enters Third Year With New Business Mentoring Programme

 Startup Village, which completes two successful years this month, is bolstering its incubation support system with an industry-startup connect leadership programme that will provide business mentoring for entrepreneurs.

Some of the world’s leading technology companies are expected to come on board the mentoring programme which will be guided by Infosys Executive Vice Chairman and Startup Village’s Chief Mentor Kris Gopalakrishnan.

The roadmap for the new project will be announced at the technology business incubator’s second anniversary celebrations to be inaugurated by Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri Oommen Chandy at 4 pm on Saturday, April 26.

Brazilian Company Launches Tracking Device for Lost Luggage

Recominte announced that Telit Wireless Solutions is the M2M module supplier for the Tracer Tag, a high-tech portable tracking device. Recominte’s revolutionary solution is capable of tracking luggage both on the ground and in transit.

The Tracer Tag addresses a growing issue for airlines and their passengers. Last year, according to a report by SITA, the number of mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers was 6.96 -- or 21.8 million mishandled bags worldwide in 2013. Delayed and lost luggage cost the industry more than US$2 billion last year alone. Despite several improvements, passengers with at least one connection are the most likely to arrive without their bag. Almost half of all delayed or lost bags come from transfer flights.

Until now, the use of tracking devices to tackle this problem has been tricky due to strict airplane legislation and regulation for electronic and wireless communication devices. Recominte’s solution was designed to address these concerns by automatically shutting itself off when flying and turning itself back on when on the ground. Tracer Tag incorporates the Telit’s GL865-QUAD and JN3 modules to provide its best-in-class tracking solution.

IMImobile builds Windows “Up at The O2” app in partnership with O2

IMImobile announced their involvement in O2’s newly launched Windows app “Up at The O2”. O2 chose long-time partner IMImobile to develop and build the Windows app, which is used to enrich the “Up at The O2” experience. “Up at The O2” gives visitors the chance to climb a 52 meter high walkway to gain a spectacular 360˚ view of the capital and its many landmarks, including the Olympic Park, Thames Barrier, The Shard, Historic Royal Greenwich and Canary Wharf, before descending back to base.

The Windows app offers value to both climbers and those just wanting to gain more information about “Up at The O2” such as who is eligible to participate in the climb, how to book tickets, opening times, advice on preparation and landmarks to look out for when standing at the top of The O2. In addition, IMImobile developed an augmented reality feature for the app, which provides an interactive layer to the app experience.

The augmented reality feature enables customers to use their Windows mobile camera to gain information about iconic landmarks while standing at the very top of The O2 walkway. Users simply download and access the app, hold up the device, point the camera at various landmarks and the app provides an augmented reality view with information about the landmarks appearing on the screen.

69 Percent of Targeted Attacks in India Focus on Large Enterprises

Symantec Corp.’s Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), Volume 19, shows a significant shift in cybercriminal behavior, revealing the bad guys are plotting for months before pulling off huge heists - instead of executing quick hits with smaller rewards. It underlines that attackers are unrelenting in their focus on large enterprises with over 69 percent or more than 2/3rds of the targeted attacks in India carried out on them.

New Era of ‘Mega Breaches’
“One mega breach can be worth 50 smaller attacks,” said Tarun Kaura, Director, Technology Sales at Symantec India. “While the level of sophistication continues to grow among attackers, what was surprising last year was their willingness to be a lot more patient - waiting to strike until the reward is bigger and better.”

Globally, there was a 62 percent increase in the number of data breaches from the previous year, resulting in more than 552 million identities exposed - proving cybercrime remains a real and damaging threat to consumers and businesses alike. The size and scope of breaches is exploding, putting the trust and reputation of businesses at risk, and increasingly compromising consumers’ personal information - from credit card numbers and medical records to passwords and bank account details. Each of the eight top data breaches in 2013 resulted in the loss of tens of millions of data records. By comparison, 2012 only had a single data breach reach that threshold.

Nokia Asha touch phones receive new software update

 Nokia has rolled out a new software update, platform 1.4, for its Asha touchscreen phones, bringing new functionality and improvements to its Asha range of devices. The new firmware offers several improved features such as MixRadio (an enhanced music application), a better camera, OneDrive access and a more social and updated Fastlane. The update is available for Asha 230, Asha 500, Asha 501, Asha 502 and Asha 503.

The latest Asha software update brings Nokia's MixRadio, the free and personalized music streaming service. For those without access to data connection on the move, Nokia MixRadio will even allow users to listen to music offline. Nokia MixRadio is available on Asha 500, Asha 502 and Asha 503 devices. Nokia is also offering 7GB of free storage on Microsoft’s OneDrive and it is possible to automatically or manually transfer digital content to the cloud directly from the phone.

APO announces partnership with IMImobile

APO (African Press Organization) (http://www.apo-opa.com) and the global leader in media relations relating to Africa, today announced a multi-year strategic partnership with IMImobile (http://www.imimobile.com), a leading global provider of end-to-end mobile engagement software and solutions to telecom operators, enterprises and media companies, to provide mobile content to MTN Group, Airtel, Orange, Vodafone Group and Tigo in over 30 countries, with a total reach of 250 million users in Africa.

The partnership with IMImobile and their connection to mobile network operators across the continent, will allow APO to deliver an exclusive feed of Africa-related news releases issued by governments, institutions, NGOs, companies, and United Nations agencies to over 250 million mobile subscribers, free of charge.

Thanks to IMImobile, APO content, which includes text, images, video, audio and documents, will be integrated into IMImobile’s award-winning DaVinci Evolved Service Platform (ESP) to guarantee multi-channel delivery and superior customer experience to mobile devices in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

"According to the latest GSMA Intelligence data from the World Bank and UN, total mobile connections in the Sub Sahara region alone passed the 500 million mark in Q1 2013, increasing by about 20% year-on-year. Connections are expected to grow by a further 50% (250 million connections) over the next five years. The continent's smartphone market is expected to double in the next four years. In Africa the most effective marketing tool is now the mobile as it reaches the broadest market. IMImobile excels in distributing mobile content in Africa, and we could not have found a better partner to deliver APO content to mobiles", comments APO founder and CEO, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard.

Thursday, 24 April 2014

IBM Social Business Helps Polaris FT Transform Workforce, Boost Business Efficiency

IBM announced that India-based company Polaris Financial Technology Ltd, a global leader in financial technology for Banking, Insurance and other Financial Services, has selected its social software to provide employees with a superior digital experience, improve workforce productivity and accelerate business growth.

By adopting IBM’s leading enterprise social collaboration platform, Polaris FT is transforming how its 12,500 employees connect, communicate and collaborate to drive greater workforce productivity.  Instead of relying solely on email to drive essential business tasks and project coordination, the new platform allows Polaris FT to leverage the collective knowledge of every employee to fuel new innovation, ideation and future business growth.  This includes a significant reduction in the time it takes to on-board employees new to the company.

Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Array Networks and Inspira bag order from Government Sector

Array Networks partnered with Inspira, Array's largest Value Added Distributor in India, bags the largest remote hardware WAN optimization order from government sector. This is the second consecutive time that Array Networks has bagged a huge order from the government sector. This win demonstrates the high level of performance offered by Array's aCeleraTM WAN series of products. Array Networks' WAN optimization products will be deployed across 580 locations in various parts of South India.

Inspira has played an instrumental role in delivering Array's WAN Optimization and ADC products in the government sector. Inspira provides technology solutions to global clients in select verticals that demand high performance, high availability, scalability and security. Their low-risk Global Delivery model meets the quality parameters and their rigorous methodologies ensure high quality and delivery predictability for customers. With the help of Inspira's technical resource pool, Array could successfully articulate the benefits of Array's aCelera solution fitment to the end customer.

Infosys DigitizeEdge Creates Immersive Experience for Orange IPTV Viewers

Infosys announced a strategic partnership with Orange to offer customers a new immersive experience on Orange’s IPTV offering. Infosys will deliver a broad portfolio of interactive TV apps on the Orange Livebox Play.

The TV apps will be powered by Infosys DigitizeEdge, an integrated digital asset and experience platform for TV operators, media companies, advertisers and content publishers. Infosys will leverage this cloud-based platform to onboard top content providers and brands across the globe.  DigitizeEdge will enable Orange to deliver a wide range of lifestyle centric, video rich and contextual over-the-top (OTT) services via TV apps, to enhance viewer experience and interaction with their TV. The platform will customize content for Orange’s viewers in France.

OMRON opens its first Automation Centre (ATC) in

After the successful launch of its four Automation Centres (ATCs) across the world, OMRON Automation, part of OMRON Corporation Japan- a global leader in automation technology- opened its fifth ATC in India at Mumbai. The centre was inaugurated by the company’s key leaders from the industrial automation team from Japan, Singapore and India. 

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Yutaka Miyanaga, Senior Managing Officer, Company President of Industrial Automation Company, OMRON Corporation, Japan, said, “Believing in bringing innovation to manufacturing by automation to enrich lives of people around the world, today OMRON is  well-known for its quality products and application strength in the industrial automation segment globally. This initiative is a part of our ‘Asia Hotspots’ strategy -one of its important tasks is to consolidate our foothold in India which is indeed a highly promising market for OMRON Automation.”

Based on the philosophy of “you create the concept, we will help you to make it work”, the centre aims to showcase OMRON’s expertise in the ‘sensing & control’ technology so that the customers are able to test their new ideas, experience and understand how they can bring more improvements to their current manufacturing set up and can become more competitive in their respective fields in the industrial automation domain.

Tuesday, 22 April 2014

Intuit QuickBooks Partners with Delhi Daredevils for IPL 2014

Intuit Inc announced its partnership with the Delhi Daredevils cricket team for the IPL season 2014. This is Intuit’s first major sports endorsement in the country and the company will soon be rolling out a nation wide campaign for small business and accountant cricket fans.

Intuit is the No.1 cloud business and financial management software for small businesses and accountants, with more than 1.5 million users worldwide as of February 2014. Intuit QuickBooks, the company’s flagship product was launched in India in 2012, providing users with easy access to their finances through an internet-connected computer or data plan-enabled smartphone.

Speaking on the partnership Nikhil Arora, Vice President and Managing Director, Intuit India said, “ Intuit is thrilled to be partnering with Delhi Daredevils one of the leading teams in IPL. At Intuit the culture of entrepreneurship is core to what we do, small teams are tasked to solve for key customer pain points while delighting them every step of the way. Through this association we celebrate awesome teams at Intuit and Delhi Daredevils.”

Tata Elxi Revenues up 25% at Rs. 775 cr

Tata Elxsi Ltd. announced its results for the fourth quarter and year ended March 31, 2014, as approved by its Board of Directors.

It reported consolidated total income of Rs. 774.8 crore for the year ended 31st March 2014, an increase of 25% from Rs. 621.7 crore in the previous fiscal year.

The Profit before Tax (PBT) for FY14 rose to 112.2 crore from Rs. 33.4 crore in FY13, an increase of 236% on a year-on-year basis.

Asus Fonepad 7-dual SIM tablet available on Snapdeal.com

Snapdeal.com has launched Asus Fonepad 7 on its site. This Dual SIM Tablet comes with a 7 inch display with multi-touch feature. It runs on Android OS, 4.2 Jellybean and can be upgraded to v4.3. Asus Fonepad 7 is powered by a 1.6 GHz Dual- core Processor.

The new tablet from Asus has an expandable memory of upto 32 GB. It is supported by a 5MP Primary camera with geo-tagging feature along with a secondary camera. It has a battery capacity of 3950 mAh that is said to provide a lasting battery life.

Zensar registers 41.3% year on year PAT growth in 4th Quarter

Zensar Technologies announced its fourth quarter results, reporting revenues of Rs 602.54 crores, a growth of 18.6% over the previous year revenues of Rs 508.14 crores. The PAT is at Rs 55.25 crores, a 41.3% increase over the same quarter previous year PAT at Rs 39.10 crores.

For the year ended March 31, 2014, Zensar Technologies reported revenues of Rs 2,315.60 crores, a growth of 9.5% over the previous year revenues of Rs 2,114.52 crores. The PAT is Rs 237.53 crores, a 36.1% increase over the previous year PAT at Rs 174.53 crores.

Announcing the results Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Vice Chairman and CEO, Zensar Technologies said, “We are delighted with the smart uptick in our applications business in Western markets, with sequential growth of 10.3% this quarter in constant currency. We are seeing increasing customer demand for all our services, which now cover the full span, from digital transformation through IM, ERP, Applications Management to Business Process Management.”

Big Data "Mega Bundle" boasts Easy Access to Pivotal’s Hadoop Data Platform

Pivotal announced the availability of the Pivotal Big Data Suite, an annual subscription based software, support, and maintenance package that bundles Pivotal Greenplum Database, Pivotal GemFire, Pivotal SQLFire, Pivotal GemFire XD, Pivotal HAWQ, and Pivotal HD into a flexible pool of big and fast data products for customers. Pivotal Big Data Suite is available today and is available through an aggressively priced subscription model based on the number of cores on two and three year terms.

The merging of traditional and next-generation data infrastructure technologies is defined as a “Business Data Lake” - a business priority for CIOs in 2014 and beyond and something that can be uniquely delivered by a company like Pivotal with broad data and expertise. The Pivotal Big Data Suite fills a much-needed gap in the market, helping enterprise companies to capitalize on explosive data growth by offering a multi-faceted data portfolio with a “use it as you need it” pricing model. This enables organizations to flexibly move their investment from one technology to another within the suite, at any time. Per core pricing ensures that data that is simply being stored is not taxed, which will be important as enterprises seek to consolidate more and more information into a Business Data Lake. With the Pivotal Big Data Suite, data driven companies now have the ability to store everything, analyze anything and build the right thing without fear or penalty when making data technology investment decisions.

SITA Named Best Airport IT Service Provider

Air transport IT specialist, SITA, was named the 'Best Airport IT Service Provider' in the Emerging Markets Airports Awards (EMAA) in Abu Dhabi. The award recognizes SITA for its 'Intelligent Airport' concept, which involves tracking, managing and sharing real-time information among all stakeholders in the airport ecosystem. This in turn optimizes airport processes and decision-making and helps airports become more proactive and predictive in enhancing the passenger journey.

The EMAA also applauded SITA’s tailored solutions for regional airports and for using integrated IT solutions, which play a crucial role in optimizing airport processes.

Hani El-Assaad, SITA President, Middle East, India and Africa, said: “SITA has operated at the forefront of the air transport industry for more than 60 years, and we are honored to be named the Best Airport IT Service Provider. SITA works with almost every airline and airport in the world, innovating with our partners to provide community value for the entire air transport industry.” 

Anupam Bhatnagar joins Tech Mahindra

 Tech Mahindra announced appointment of Anupam Bhatnagar to lead Advisory and PE Relations for North America.

Anupam will be based out of California and will strengthen the relationship with Sourcing Advisory and PE players to help reinforce Tech Mahindra’s brand recall and credibility in the North American market. This will help accelerate Tech Mahindra’s expansion plans, as it increases its service suite for customers in the region.

“With Anupam on board, I am confident that we will deliver increased value to our stakeholders and help position Tech Mahindra as a differentiated brand in the Business and Technology service space, said Arvind Malhotra, Head - Strategic Accounts, Tech Mahindra commenting on the appointment. “Innovation and agility are going to be the driving forces for Tech Mahindra in the days to come.” he added.

Smart Automation launches Schneider Electric Experience Centre in Mohali

Imagine a situation, where with just the touch of a button on your smart phone from anywhere in the world you can control any device in your home from TV to lights, door locks or other items. This amazing smart facility can now be experienced at Smart Automation Experience centre which has been launched by Shri. Anil Chaudhry, Country President & Managing Director Schneider Electric, India who was the Chief Guest at the Smart Automation, Experience Centre, Mohali.

Inaugurating the Experience Centre at Mohali, Shri. Anil Chaudhry said, “We are really proud to be able to announce launch of first fully featured home automation experience centre in North India. This is the first time that Lighting, Audio-video, AC, Security automation has been demonstrated as a complete solution.  Smart Automation has come up with unique facility which helps people what they can do in their home to make life simple.” Mr. Chaudhry emphasized on the need of bringing in new technology to the developing and prospering lives in India. Adding onto the facts Mr Chaudhry said, “Schneider Electric, in the last one year has done a significant amount of business in automation space. And with lot of attractions in the North Indian markets we expect to improve business prospects year on year.

Start your online store within just 24 hours

Ecommerce24.in announced the launch of its services on PAAS model to help small and large businesses set up e-Stores within 24 hours.Ecommerce24 brings 'convergence' for all the needs of a start-up to go e-commerce way. The new platform, which has been in private beta since 2012, is now available to the businesses and public.

Ecommerce24 allows business owners - individuals, start-ups or large business houses - the flexibility of picking the modules that work for their business needs, and utilize the expertise to tie-up an online store within 24 hours. Larger businesses can also avail of the consulting from Ecommerce24 experts.

Dell Selects Aeroflex’s TeraVM to Showcase Virtual

Aeroflex Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aeroflex Holding Corp., announced that Dell has chosen TeraVM™, a virtualized IP test solution, to demonstrate the readiness of the Dell ecosystem for Virtual Network Functions (VNF). The demonstration will take place at the Red Hat Summit in San Francisco on April 14 - 17, 2014.

“TeraVM is an excellent solution available today which enables us prove that virtual network functions on cloud platforms are of an acceptable quality and highly performing”, commented Franklin Flint, Global Telecommunications Strategist and Marketing Director, Dell OEM Solutions, “TeraVM has enabled us to show without doubt, that the software-based VNFs on the COTS* cloud platform are not only operational but in most cases exceed the performance of an equivalent network product on proprietary hardware”.

Compliance to ‘Clean IT’ is key to the Indian Automobile Industry: CII

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held a seminar today in Gurgaon, New Delhi to address the need for local automobile & ancillary manufacturers to be IT compliant through use of ‘Clean IT’. 

The seminar witnessed participation from various manufacturers and businesses in and around Delhi NCR. The Indian automobile and auto-component market has been scaling up its operation at a rapid pace over the last one decade. India is attracting global interest as an emerging export hub for automotive components, generating a growing demand for local manufacturing exporters that constitute the global supply chain. Further there is a need to demonstrate ethical business conduct requiring compliance at all levels by the local players if they intend to capture their share in the global market. 

The extensive use of IT has brought in huge changes in the business through effective integration of upstream and downstream linkages in the value chain.

Micromax launches Canvas Doodle 3 @ Rs 8500

Expanding its Canvas series of smartphones, Micromax unveiled its new smartphone - the Canvas Doodle 3, offering a larger canvas to communicate with your friends, family and colleagues. The Canvas Doodle 3 is packed with entertainment on the go with applications like BigFlix offering unlimited movies to users for 6 months.

Now you can break away from only communicating through words, the new smartphone provides users a creative platform on a 6-inch screen. The M!Doodle application on Canvas Doodle3 makes messaging even more fun by allowing users to doodle chats, animate, scribble smileys and write text over clicked pictures. The smartphone also comes equipped with active sensor magnetic flip cover to protect the screen from dust and scratches.

Thursday, 17 April 2014

SecurEnvoy solutions not compromised by OpenSSL vulnerability

The existence of Heartbleed, a vulnerability in the OpenSSL open source software, was recently announced. The OpenSSL encryption tool is used worldwide on countless websites, which means the loophole can be used by hackers to access data stored on computers, such as passwords, certificates, etc., even if the websites utilise encryption with the https protocol. But unauthorised access via stolen user identities is prevented by the tokenless two-factor authentication procedure from the developer SecurEnvoy. None of the solutions from this manufacturer have such security vulnerabilities, as they do not make use of OpenSSL.

In other words, users of the tokenless two-factor authentication method are not compromised. Quite the contrary in fact - "the SecurEnvoy solutions can also provide protection when used together with products from other manufacturers that are affected by Heartbleed," comments Andy Kemshall, Technical Director at SecurEnvoy. "This is because, at best, cyber criminals would only be able to capture single use passcodes from computer memories. But these are valid only once and would have already expired, i.e. ceased to be functional."

Geometric enters into engineering contract with Aerolia

 Geometric, a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Global Engineering Services, and Offshore Software Product Development (OSPD) solutions and technologies provider, has entered into a multi-year engineering services engagement with Aerolia, one of the largest tier 1 aerospace suppliers. Under the agreement, Geometric has set up a dedicated center for mechanical systems installations in Bengaluru, India.

Aerolia, a part of the AIRBUS group, selected Geometric for its expertise in setting up offshore engineering centers and to leverage Geometric’s engineering capabilities along with its IP and software development strengths for intelligent engineering. Geometric’s deep understanding of the product development cycle and technology will help Aerolia’s global operations to enhance their competitive advantage.

Announcing the engagement, Raphaël Duflos, Chief Procurement Officer, “Aerolia is pleased to sign this important contract with Geometric. Today is a key step in a strategic path that should enhance intimacy between Aerolia and the Indian Supply Chain, leading to competitive partnerships. Aerolia will continue to enlarge its Indian Supply Chain content to serve its total cost of acquisition targets and deliver local value for its end customer."

Adaptxt 3.0 for Android Keyboards rolled out

KeyPoint Technologies announced that the Adaptxt 3.0 smart keyboard app is now out of beta and is available for download in the Google Play store. With this, Adaptxt becomes the first keyboard in the market that not only understands what users are typing, but also identifies the location of the user and what application they are using, to provide more accurate and contextual word predictions.

With the Adaptxt 3.0 update, the most pioneering innovation to be made live is the Location-Based Suggestions feature which detects users’ location and suggests words based on their current location. With this feature users’ can now define up to 3 preferred locations on the Adaptxt Settings, or let the automatic location detection technology detect their current position. By using the ground-breaking localization feature, the ongoing frustration with autocorrect is significantly reduced, as it predicts, saves and suggests names and words associated with the user’s most accessed locations.

Mitashi is Electronics Partner of Rajasthan Royals

Mitashi announced that it is the Official Electronics Partner of the Rajasthan Royals IPL Team for the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Mitashi logo will be showcased on the non-leading arm of the jersey of the Rajasthan Royals team.

Mitashi has taken a leap ahead in its growth from being a regular electronics partner to sponsoring the logo on the jersey for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2014. Its philosophy of continuous innovation in developing the product quality has made Mitashi, one of the most trusted brands in the country.

Mitashi is looking to launch the new range in television segment from 15 inch to 50 inch, and the company expects to see higher sales number during IPL.

Amdocs Research: 98 Percent of Mobile Network Sessions Now Data

Amdocs released new research into mobile traffic, showing an almost complete shift from voice to data. The research highlights the urgency for service providers to build and optimize mobile networks to assure network performance and quality, increasing customer satisfaction and creating new revenue opportunities.

The annual State of the Radio Access Network (RAN)1 white paper includes analysis of more than 4 million voice and data connections from more than 100,000 mobile devices at some of the busiest network locations around the world in the past twelve months. The radio access network provides wireless mobile connection for phones and tablets, using a combination of technologies, including small cells and macro cells, utilizing 3G, 4G (LTE) and Wi-Fi (for data).

·        The share of network traffic from data has grown to 98 percent - up from 90 percent in the previous 12-month period.  The growth demonstrates subscribers’ overwhelming use of smartphones and tablets to consume and share content. 

National Instruments Introduces USRP RIO Wireless Prototyping Platform

National Instruments announced an integrated software defined radio solution for rapidly prototyping high-performance, multichannel wireless communication systems. The NI USRP RIO platform is built on the NI LabVIEW RIO architecture and combines a high-performance 2 x 2 multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) RF transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving signals from 50 MHz to 6 GHz with an open LabVIEW programmable FPGA architecture.

Wireless engineers can use this technology to rapidly prototype real-time wireless communications systems and test them under real-world conditions. They can also prototype more capable wireless algorithms and systems faster and reduce time to results using the only complete platform to take full advantage of a graphical system design approach. The USRP RIO family delivers high-performance, real-time processing capability with the Xilinx Kintex-7 Series FPGA, low latency with the PCI Express connection to a host computer and small size (1U half wide, 19 in. rack mountable).

Compliance to ‘Clean IT’ is key to healthy growth of the Indian Automobile Industry: CII

 The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) held a seminar today in Gurgaon, New Delhi to address the need for local automobile & ancillary manufacturers to be IT compliant through use of ‘Clean IT’. 

The seminar witnessed participation from various manufacturers and businesses in and around Delhi NCR. The Indian automobile and auto-component market has been scaling up its operation at a rapid pace over the last one decade. India is attracting global interest as an emerging export hub for automotive components, generating a growing demand for local manufacturing exporters that constitute the global supply chain. Further there is a need to demonstrate ethical business conduct requiring compliance at all levels by the local players if they intend to capture their share in the global market. 

The extensive use of IT has brought in huge changes in the business through effective integration of upstream and downstream linkages in the value chain.

Ubuntu 14.04 Desktop: Trusted OS for Consumers and Business

Canonical announces the latest Ubuntu release, 14.04 LTS desktop will be available for download from the 17th April 2014. The Long Term Support (LTS) release is supported and maintained by Canonical for five years, making it the most stable, reliable, secure and cost-effective desktop for long-term, large scale deployments within enterprise and public sector organisations today.

“The 14.04 LTS release offers a solid, intuitive experience which is easy to manage,” Jane Silber, CEO at Canonical comments. “It is a viable and affordable alternative for those organisations considering a switch from Microsoft, and specifically those replacing XP or Windows 7 as they come to the end of life.”
 
Ubuntu desktop is being used extensively in enterprise, government, education and other organisations such as French Gendarmerie, Penn Manor School District, Uttar Pradesh Government, University of Delhi, and the Government of India. Many of these organisations have replaced Windows and are realising significant benefits and cost savings. For example, the French Gendarmerie has reduced costs by a ratio of 40%, while Penn Manor School District in the US saved over $360,000 in the first year*.

Wednesday, 16 April 2014

Lava launches Iris 504Q+ at Rs 13,990

LAVA International Limited revealed Lava Iris 504Q+ in the Indian market. Lava Iris 504Q+ is the successor to the highly successful Iris 504Q which was launched in June last year and comes packed with latest software features and hardware components that offer a great  user experience.

Iris 504Q+ takes the gesture motion functionality, the USP of its predecessor Iris 504Q, to the next level. It offers enhanced functionality based on gesture motion and voice control. A user can now capture images just by saying “Cheese” or “Capture” from both front and rear camera using the voice command feature. The intuitive gesture motion functionality allows the users to interact with the phone with just a swipe of the hand in the air. It can be used for clicking photos, changing tracks on the music player and video player, switching between screens, tuning FM channels and browsing entertainment gallery on the smart phone.

Its 10 MP rear autofocus camera is powered by Sony Exmor RS Sensor having sensor size of 1/3.2 inch allowing enhanced lowlight performance. Sony Exmor RS Sensor has bigger pixel size of 1.4 µm ensuring enhanced image quality.  The camera comes with features like High Dynamic Range (HDR), Geo-tagging, touch focus, vertical and horizontal panorama capture and face detection. Iris 504Q+ also sports a 2MP front camera for video calling facility. 

VMware projects investing up to $500 million in India Operations Over the Next Three Years

VMware announced that it projects investment of up to $500 million in India over the next three years to help fund its growing operations in this market.

The company’s R&D and support operations in India are second in size and scale only to those at VMware’s headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif., U.S. In 2013, company headcount in India grew 17 percent to 2,300, while the recent acquisition of AirWatch has added additional employees in Bangalore.

During a visit to Bangalore, CEO Pat Gelsinger said, “India continues to play a crucial role in our global product roadmap and growth strategy. The country’s outstanding engineering talent continues to impress us, and we stay committed to investing and growing our team here over the long term.”

Gelsinger added, “The investments earmarked will also enable VMware to further strengthen its leadership position in India’s fast maturing virtualization and cloud computing market.”

Swipe raises Rs 30 crore funding from Kalaari Capital

Mobile technology start-up Swipe Telecom today announced that it has raised Rs 30 crore in venture capital funding from Kalaari Capital. Swipe is a leading mobile technology company that develops and markets innovative Tablets and Fablets (large smart phones) in India. Swipe has the widest range of Tablets and Fablets (total 23 devices launched till date), of which Swipe has the distinction of being the first to launch 16 new products with no pre-existing equivalents, including the first 3D Tablet and the first Tablet customized for kids in India.

Swipe, in a short time frame, has emerged as the leading Tablet brand by units sold in Rajasthan, Punjab, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and J&K and among the top two sellers in Mumbai and Gujarat. Swipe has been one of the fastest-growing Tablet brands in India, having grown at over 300% in the last year. In a rapidly growing and competitive market, Swipe’s strategy is to capture market share through innovative early-to-market products and distinct product differentiation.

Commenting on the development, Shripal Gandhi, Founder & CEO, Swipe said: “Funding from Kalaari Capital is another milestone in our journey to become the leading Tablet brand in India. Swipe will continue to lead in making available cutting-edge technology that is highly customized for the Indian consumers, at attractive pricepoints. We are honored to be associated with Kalaari Capital, as they have a legacy of funding strong market-leading technology companies. We look forward to a meaningful and mutually beneficial association with Kalaari.”

Pacnet Enables Hybrid IT Environment Deployment with AWS Direct Connect

Pacnet announced support for Amazon Web Services (AWS) Direct Connect, giving customers the opportunity to leverage its network and data center infrastructure to establish dedicated private network connections to build and manage hybrid cloud computing deployments

The AWS Direct Connect service with Pacnet will allow customers the ability to dynamically manage application workloads across the AWS cloud and their private IT environments. Customers hosted at Pacnet’s Tier III data center facilities in Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo, as well as through any network Point-of-Presence (PoPs) across the Asia-Pacific region utilizing Global Ethernet International Private Leased Line (EIPL) and MPLS-based Global IP VPN service will be able to get high-performance, secure, and cost-efficient access to AWS.

Mphasis and Mindcrest Partner

Mphasis announced the launch of its next generation Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) service along with Mindcrest, a pioneer in legal services outsourcing (LPO), to its clients in the North America region.

Mphasis’ next generation GRC services embed Mindcrest’s legal support service capabilities into their existing GRC framework. This enhanced offering provides comprehensive solutions that encompass domain and process expertise and technology enablement.

Mphasis’ next generation GRC services cover a gamut of solutions under the GRC umbrella including remediation, document review, consent order fulfillment, and corporate compliance research, amongst others. The remediation engine comprised of people, process and technology cuts across legal, KYC (know your customer) & mis-sell remediation and is one of the key solutions in this portfolio of services. These services fulfill the need of the financial services industry for a GRC framework to implement controls and comply with changing regulations.

Snapdeal.com acquires Doozton.com

Snapdeal.com has acquired the assets of Doozton.com, an online product discovery technology platform in fashion & lifestyle categories that helps people to discover trending products and awesome designs from the best of online stores of India.

Speaking about this acquisition, Rohit Bansal, Co-Founder and COO, Snapdeal.com said, “In a short span of time since its inception, Doozton.com has earned popularity amongst its users, making shopping fun, easy and social with the best of fashion & lifestyle product suggestions including clothes, shoes and accessories for men and women. The technology built by Doozton will enable an artful and personalized way of listing and suggesting fashion merchandise on Snapdeal, making the acquisition fruitful for buyers and sellers on the platform. At Snapdeal, we have seen a 10x growth in our fashion categories in the last 12 months, and we foresee the benefits of this acquisition will further boost this growth.”

The Heartburn Over Heartbleed: OpenSSL Memory Leak Burns Slowly

Article shared By: ARBOR NETWORKS 
Marc Eisenbarth, Alison Goodrich, Roland Dobbins, Curt Wilson



Background
A very serious vulnerability present in OpenSSL 1.0.1 for two years has been disclosed (CVE-2014-0160). This “Heartbleed” vulnerability allows an attacker to reveal up to 64kb of memory to a connected client or server. This buffer-over-read vulnerability can be used in rapid succession to exfiltration larger sections of memory, potentially exposing private keys, usernames and passwords, cookies, session tokens, email, or any other data that resides in the affected memory region. This flaw does not affect versions of OpenSSL prior to 1.0.1.  This is an extremely serious situation, which highlights the manual nature of the tasks required to secure critical Internet services such as basic encryption and privacy protection.

As the vulnerability has been present for over two years, many modern operating systems and applications have deployed vulnerable versions of OpenSSL. OpenSSL is the default cryptographic library for Apache and nginx Web server applications, which together account for an estimated two-thirds of all Web servers. OpenSSL is also used in a variety of operating systems, including BSD variants such as FreeBSD, and Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CENTOS, Fedora and more. Other networking gear such as load-balancers, reverse proxies, VPN concentrators, and various types of embedded devices are also potentially vulnerable if they rely on OpenSSL, which many do. Additionally, since the vulnerability’s disclosure, several high-profile sites such as Yahoo Mail, Lastpass, and the main FBI site have reportedly leaked information. Others have discussed the impact on underground economy crime forums, which were reportedly vulnerable to the matter and were attacked.

A key lesson is that OpenSSL, which is a vital component of the confidentiality and integrity of uncounted systems, applications and sites across the Internet, is an underfunded, volunteer-run project, which is desperately in need of major sponsorship and attendant allocation of resources.

Mitigation
Anyone running OpenSSL on a server should upgrade to version 1.0.1g. For earlier versions, re-compiling with the OPENSSL_NO_HEARTBEATS flag enabled will mitigate this vulnerability. For OpenSSL 1.0.2, the vulnerability will be fixed in 1.0.2-beta2. In terms of remediation, there’s a huge amount of work that must be done, not only for servers, but also for load-balancers, reverse proxies, VPN concentrators, various types of embedded devices, etc.  Applications which were statically compiled against vulnerable versions of the underlying OpenSSL libraries must be re-complied; private keys must be invalidated, re-generated, and re-issued; certificates must be invalidated, re-generated, and re-issued - and there are a whole host of problems and operational challenges associated with these vital procedures. Some systems may be difficult to patch, so network access control restrictions or the deployment of non-vulnerable proxies may be considered where possible to reduce the attack surface.

Exploitation
In most cases, exploitation of this vulnerability leaves no sign in server logs, making it difficult for organizations to know if they have been compromised. In addition, even after applying the OpenSSL patch, private keys, passwords, authentication credentials or any other data that was stored in heap memory used by OpenSSL may have already been compromised by attackers, potentially going as far back as two years. Of significant concern is the compromise of private key material, and one security organization reported that they were able to obtain this material during testing. Others reported difficulty in obtaining certificate material but were able to discover significant amounts of other sensitive data. Considering how easy it is for attackers to hammer this vulnerability over and over again in a very quick sequence, the amount of memory being disclosed can be quite substantial. Memory contents will vary depending on program state and controlling what is returned and what position in memory the contents are read from is much like a game of roulette.

Risk to Private Key Material
Security researchers in a Twitter exchange starting on April 8 2014 indicate that private keys have been extracted in testing scenarios, and other researchers suggest that attacking the servers during or just after log rotation and restart scripts run could expose private key material. This allegation has not been tested by ASERT.

Tuesday, 15 April 2014

Reflections from a Year inside the OpenDaylight Project

By: David Meyer
(CTO and Chief Scientist at Brocade Communications)
---------

Over the past year, I have had the great honor of serving as the chair of the Technical Steering Committee (TSC) of the OpenDaylight Project (ODP), an open-source project which is comprised of a community of incredibly talented people who are singularity focused on building an industry-standard, open-source infrastructure for software-defined networking (SDN). This infrastructure is intended to enable an SDN application ecosystem that produces new and valuable applications for both service providers and users. As I look forward to all the things we need to tackle in a second year of existence, this brief blog summarizes my key learnings from our first year.

While there was a bit of a “trial by fire” flavor to my introduction to the OpenDaylight community, the heat was quickly replaced by light, and three central ideas became clear to me.

NEC brings Smart Enterprises solutions to India

NEC India announced its smart enterprise solution strategy and officially launching the latest generation of its Unified Communications and Collaboration (UC&C) software, UNIVERGE 3C. Following the press conference NEC India will host meetings in Delhi and Mumbai where they will communicate the details of the smart enterprise strategy and showcase the new technologies and solutions. Joining the launch events to speak about the strategy and technologies will be Mr. Makoto Omi, General Manager, Global Business Unit of NEC Corporation, the company’s global leader of IT business, and Todd Landry, NEC’s global smart enterprise chief evangelist and expert on empowering IT infrastructures and UC&C.

NEC’s empowered IT framework brings together several IT infrastructure components, addressing the trends for more converged enterprise infrastructure and empowering customers with solutions to build a smart enterprise. An essential part of this IT framework is UNIVERGE 3C, which delivers UC&C tools to business users for virtually any device while maintaining a consistent user experience. The software services adapt to a wide variety of business roles, from sales and support, to internal workgroups providing increased efficiencies and greater workforce productivity.

ASUS launches Fonepad 7 Dual Sim Tablet at Rs. 12,999/-


ASUS announced the improved Fonepad 7 Dual Sim tablet. It is a 7" HD tablet with 3G phone and HD display with built-in full phone and cellular 3G data function. It supports dual SIM in one device and comes with Intel Atom  Z2520 1.2GHz Dual Core Processor for lightning-fast web and application loading.

“Our Fonepad Series available in the country received assenting response and was jubilant in making a noticeable mark in the Phablet market. Taking up the functionality level further, we have introduced the new variant - Fonepad 7 Dual Sim. Dual sim devices have gained substantial consumer attention in the country. Our new dual sim device combines the widely accepted innovation and all the necessary functionality. Its availability at much lesser price point, which makes it even more desirable.” said Peter Chang, Regional Head - South Asia & Country Manager - System Business Group - ASUS India.

nexGTv bags Pepsi IPL’s live streaming mobile rights

nexGTv has bagged the official mobile live streaming rights of Pepsi IPL 2014 season. Now the users of the mobile TV app will be able to enjoy all the Pepsi IPL action on their handsets. DigiVive has partnered for content with Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group. Apart from all the matches, the users will also be able to watch match repeats and highlights as all this will be available in the Video-on-Demand section. Pepsi IPL channel will be clubbed into existing subscription packs of nexGTv and hence users can simply subscribe to these packs.

nexGTv mobile TV service is very popular among the users with 17 million  downloads. On an average there are 30000 downloads each day. At present, nexGTv users have access to range of over 150 channels with plethora of features like - replay TV, EPG guide, on screen controls, option of deleting and listing the channels as per their choice and much more. The service was a hit among the people even during the previous Pepsi IPL season as it attracted huge traction during that time.

Xerox to participate in Print Expo 2014

Xerox India will showcase a wide range of high-powered color and black-and-white digital printing equipments at the Print Expo 2014 from 18-20 April 2014 in Chennai. Xerox will be showcasing its new Production Colour and Wide Format Aqueous Inkjet launches at the Print Expo with its industry leading portfolio of Digital presses and solutions including the Xerox® Color J75 Press, Xerox® Color C75 Press and Xerox 6705™ Wide Format System.

With just three days to the Print Expo, Vipin Tuteja, Executive Director, Technology, Channels and International Business, Xerox India said, “At Print Expo this year, Xerox is demonstrating an array of digital printing systems that increase print speed, deliver vibrant color, streamline production and improve print image quality -light production to high volume  and drive efficient production of direct-mail pieces, books and manuals, customized marketing collaterals,  professional digital books and photo books.”

Networkplay partners with Tradedoubler

Leading digital media company, Networkplay, has announced an exclusive partnership in India with Europe’s leading performance marketing network, Tradedoubler, to offer performance marketing and targeting solutions to advertisers and publishers.

The partnership will provide advertisers and publishers in India with a market-leading tracking solution that spans a range of products and devices, including mobile. This opens up new opportunities within the rapidly developing mobile performance marketing eco-system.

Customers will also be able to track the online redemption of offline promotions with an enhanced coupon tracking system. And for publishers, the automated feed delivery system will ease the process of integrating products matching their user’s interests.

Oracle rolls out Oracle Database Backup and Oracle Storage Cloud Services

Oracle announced the availability of Oracle Database Backup Service and Oracle Storage Cloud Service. Part of Oracle's commitment to providing the industry’s broadest and most advanced cloud portfolio, the new services empower customers with choice and deliver the flexibility to easily move critical applications and data from on-premises to the cloud and vice-versa.

Extending the industry’s most comprehensive portfolio of enterprise-grade cloud solutions, Oracle announced the availability of two new Oracle Cloud services, Oracle Database Backup and Oracle Storage Cloud. Part of the Oracle Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS) portfolio, Oracle Database Backup Service provides a simple, scalable, and low-cost Oracle Database cloud backup solution, and can be an integral part of multi-tier database backup and recovery strategies.

Trend Micro Deep Discovery Earns Top Breach Detection Score

With a number of security companies talking a big game about detecting targeted attacks and advanced threats, Trend Micro is going beyond the hype.  And, we can back it up—big time.  In the NSSLabs Breach Detection Appliance Report released today, Trend Micro Deep Discovery 3.5 achieved the highest performance rating in overall breach detection among a field of six providers. Trend Micro was also found to have the second lowest cost of ownership. Most importantly, based on these findings, Deep Discovery has been cited as “Recommended” by NSS Labs for companies seeking a breach detection appliance.

Interestingly, Trend Micro’s single Deep Discovery applianceoutperformed competitors that combined two products for the evaluation, further reinforcing superior innovation and performance. Deep Discovery also registered zero false positives and received a 100 percent performance rating for detecting email-based malware and exploits.With the added benefit of low cost of ownership, we believe Trend Micro is the go-to provider for breach detection.

Huawei digitalizes Calicut University with Campus Wi-Fi Solution

Huawei has collaborated with Calicut University, in an effort for the latter to go digital. Calicut University has deployed Huawei Campus Wi-Fi solution in order to provide free high speed Wi-Fi connectivity and to make the university accessible to the internet, anytime, anywhere.

The Huawei Campus Wi-Fi solution supports the integration of both wired and wireless networks. The Batch configuration consists of upto 200 access points and centralized Access Controller supporting about 10,000 users on a single Policy Center Server having capacity to support upto 1 Lakh users. The network consists of features like Real time location topology, Wireless Network Security Detection, Built-in reporting tools and also customized reports.

With the deployment of this solution, which is set to be inaugurated at the University by Minister P.K. Kunjalikutty, the Calicut University will acquire the status of complete Wi-Fi enabled University, making it the first e-enabled University in Kerala. 

Monday, 14 April 2014

Backpack as your Charger - the Technology is Here

The thought of your mobile phone’s battery dying can be stressful. Add to that, you are in an area where the chances of finding a charging port negligible. Even routine work or meeting deadlines does not give such anxiety like about-to-die- phone gives. And this certainly can be a thing of the past. How?

Lumos Design has introduced in India, the unPlug line of Solar Backpack that charges mobile devices. The Backpack comes fitted with Special solar Fabric that enables the user to charge Mobile phones; MP3 Players and Blue Tooth devices. The ultra thin, flexible 3 watt solar fabric ensures that 1 hour of sunlight gives 2 hours of phone usage and the Backpack comes fitted with a wide range of mobile phone connectors. The backpacks are made of water-resistant material and for those who travel frequently, Lumos unPlug Solar Backpack is check-in friendly. Its compact and light design makes it ideal for daily use.

Canon Business Services portfolio to comprise of Digitization & Archival; and Print Room services

Canon India launched Canon Business Services (CBS). With the launch of this new service, Canon’s Office Imaging Solution Division (OIS) expands its offering, becoming a provider of digital document management services and print room services.

Organizations around the world face the same challenge daily of adopting technologies that can help improve operational performance, gain a competitive advantage and meet growing service demands without compromising on the existing infrastructure. Canon Business Services addresses current needs of India-based organizations by enabling them to outsource information intensive processes, communications and administrative functions. CBS will help companies streamline their printing infrastructure and enhance their processes.

Lava to use IBM Cloud to ensure Uninterrupted Business Operations

Lava International has selected IBM SmartCloud Virtualized Server Recovery (VSR) services, a cloud-based disaster recovery solution, to ensure continuous business operations, manage costs and improve overall resiliency.

Founded in 2009, Lava quickly has emerged as a dominant player in the mobile handset market in India, growing its revenue by 15 percent a month to become one of the top three Indian brands over a period of just three years. Today, Lava offers a wide product portfolio that encompasses tablets, feature phones and smart phones having various models in bar and touch form factor at multiple price points to suit all categories of consumers

IBM’s SmartCloud VSR services provide world-class automation and cloud tools to help businesses facilitate quicker recovery time and increase reliability of their server recovery. Lava now has a back up option to support its more than 2000 internal and external users, including top retailers and distributors in India. Lava has signed a ten-year deal to avail cloud services out of IBM's Bangalore data center. IBM will also perform 24/7 monitoring and management through automation of the hosted infrastructure.

Friday, 11 April 2014

McAfee makes strategy for securing the Internet of Things

McAfee outlined its strategy for enabling the secure Internet of Things. Utilizing McAfee’s history of securing the most demanding digital environments, McAfee is building and delivering future-focused security solutions that are essential to unleashing the transformative power of a world in which every device is connected.
 
Companies of all sizes are linking objects as diverse as smartphones, cars and household appliances to industrial sensors. The installed base of the Internet of Things will be approximately 212 billion "things" globally by the end of 2020, according to IDC[1]. This equates to approximately 27 things for every person on Earth that will need to be secured and managed.  McAfee’s objective is to maintain the trust of these devices while allowing them to perform as intended but with a richer experience.
 
While this connectivity brings convenience and opens a world of opportunities it also creates unprecedented security challenges in data privacy, safety, governance and trust.  McAfee is addressing these challenges by providing long-term assured functionality and other core security capabilities for the vast array of current and future IoT use cases. To effectively secure these IP connected devices requires that security be designed in and not an afterthought. 

Cloud Comes of Age for Business

The adoption of cloud seems to have gained critical mass, with the concept gaining widespread traction in businesses and homes around the world. While this growth is driven by the benefits of a cloud-based approach to business, concerns still remain with regard to the practical challenges of adopting these highly disruptive technologies. Despite the proven cost saving and business advantages offered by cloud computing, some CXOs are still wary about making the shift and addressing the potential challenges that come with such a migration.

Senior Vice President and Head - Infrastructure Services, ITC Infotech, Prasad Natu says, “There is no doubt that there are several complexities related to cloud migration, but delaying a move or poorly executing the migration process could impact the competitiveness of organisations. CIOs that follow a disciplined approach to cloud migration end up harnessing unprecedented levels of business efficiency and growth. Organisations that do so in a precipitous manner may run into risks from which it would become difficult to recover. A strategy that smoothly manages cloud transition costs and risks can lead to exponential business benefits.”

Polycom elevates Scott McCool as new Chief Information Officer

Brings 25 years of IT leadership experience to help continue company's focus on improving operating performance Polycom announced that Scott McCool was promoted to the role of Group Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. He is now responsible for Polycom’s global Information Technology (IT) organisation and prioritising the company’s IT spend to investments that deliver the greatest value. McCool reports to Chief Accounting Officer and interim Chief Financial Officer, Laura Durr, who is responsible for managing all financial, accounting and IT functions at Polycom, and is focused on driving efficiency as Polycom looks to accelerate its momentum in the market.

McCool has more than 25 years of experience in building and managing IT organisations. McCool joined Polycom in July 2013 as the company’s Vice President of Information Technology and Chief Information Security Officer.

PC Shipments in the First Quarter of 2014 Declined 1.7 Percent: Gartner

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 76.6 million units in the first quarter of 2014, a 1.7 percent decline from the first quarter of 2013, according to preliminary results by Gartner. The severity of the decline eased compared with the past seven quarters.

“The end of XP support by Microsoft on April 8 has played a role in the easing decline of PC shipments,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “All regions indicated a positive effect since the end of XP support stimulated the PC refresh of XP systems. Professional desktops, in particular, showed strength in the quarter. Among key countries, Japan was greatly affected by the end of XP support, registering a 35 percent year-over-year increase in PC shipments. The growth was also boosted by sales tax change. We expect the impact of XP migration worldwide to continue throughout 2014.”

“While the PC market remains weak, it is showing signs of improvement compared to last year. The PC professional market generally improved in regions such as EMEA. The U.S. saw the gradual recovery of PC spending as the impact of tablets faded.” Ms. Kitagawa said.

The PC market continued to be tough for many vendors. Economies of scale matter tremendously in this high-volume, low-profit market, which is forcing some vendors, such as Sony, out of the market. In contrast,  all of the top five vendors, except Acer, registered year-over-year shipment growth. The top thee vendors — Lenovo, HP and Dell — have all confirmed the importance of the PC business as part of their overall business strategies.

Mytrah hosts Inspiring Solution Business Plan Competition

Saluting the entrepreneurial spirit, Mytrah, one of the largest Independent Power Producers will host Inspiring Solution Business Plan Competition. The competition calls for the best minds across the globe to present their entrepreneurial idea. The best idea will be provided with a seed fund of USD 100,000/- to set up their dream enterprise.

Participants can enter one of three categories - individual, start up and team. The competition is open to people above the age of 18 from any vocation or nationality. All one needs to do is harness their lateral thinking, creativity and channelize energies into drafting a business plan around their idea. In line with Mytrah’s philosophy, entries to Inspiring Solution should exude the following qualities visionary, change catalysts, perceptive to the needs of others, open, innovative and giving.

“We’re looking for thinkers, people who have courage, drive, passion, creativity and belief in themselves,” said Vikram Kailas, Managing Director, Mytrah. He further added, “Inspiring Solution competition provides an opportunity to make an elusive dream a concrete reality, which will create a ripple effect of positive change.”

PNB MetLife achieves ISO 9001:2008 certification

 PNB MetLife has been accorded ISO 9001:2008 for excellence in quality systems management by the British Standards Institute (BSI). ISO 9001:2008 is an internationally recognised standard of quality systems management, and is demonstrative of the company’s commitment to meeting globally recognised management system requirements. This certification drives home the success of the company’s efforts to maximise value to all stakeholders, especially customers who benefit directly from the company’s increasingly streamlined operations and processes.

Gaurav Sharma, COO, PNB MetLife said, “To qualify for ISO 9001:2008 certification, PNB MetLife was assessed against rigorous standards in its investment practices, investment documentation review, pre-audit, initial assessment and clearance of all non-conformities. PNB MetLife’s processes are aimed at better integration and alignment of internal processes, enhanced business performance and better cost management. This leads to increased productivity and results, and provides confidence to all stakeholders of the consistency and effectiveness of the company’s operations, resulting in increased credibility and competitiveness in the market. This further re-iterates our agenda of Customer Centricity.”

LAVA launches Iris 406Q smartphone @ Rs 7499

LAVA International Limited  unveiled LAVA Iris 406Q, a power packed quad core smartphone with 1 GB RAM running on Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 Processor with Adreno 302 @400MHz Graphics Unit, offering users a lag free experience.With the launch of its first smartphone based on Snapdragon 200 processor, Lava has further expanded its portfolio of mid-range smartphones.

LAVA Iris 406Q runs on Android Jelly Bean 4.3 out-of-the-box that can be upgraded to Android 4.4 Kitkat. It is equipped with a 4.0 inch WVGA (480x800 pixels) display. Its 5MP rear camera and 0.3MP front camera provides Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL), high performance HDR and noise reduction to images. Its unique and special IML(in-mold labeling) back cover makes the handset highly scratch-resistant. Having quad-core processor with 1GB RAM lets users enjoy graphic intensive games like Asphalt 8, Modern Combat 4 and Dead Trigger 2 seamlessly.

Iris 406Q comes equipped with Audio Plus software which offers high-end surround sound, 3D audio and wider bass on headphones, providing a crisp and crystal clear sound quality to users.

Verizon expands Cloud Solutions, With Secure Cloud Interconnect

Verizon is addressing the growing need for organizations to connect more than one cloud seamlessly and securely, with the launch of its Secure Cloud Interconnect service (SCI). Enterprise organizations will be able to use Verizon’s Private IP service to connect to multiple cloud services including the Verizon cloud and Microsoft Azure, with an additional half-dozen other major cloud services expected to come online later this year.

In addition, enterprises that have located their private cloud infrastructure in Equinix data centers can directly access Verizon’s Private IP service in 15 Equinix data centers in the U.S., Europe and Asia-Pacific; (Northern Virginia., Newark, N.J., Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Silicon Valley; London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris; Sydney, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Singapore).

“With Secure Cloud Interconnect, Verizon is removing the barriers for enterprise cloud adoption,” said Michael Palmer, vice president of product development for Verizon. “The reality is that many organizations today use multiple clouds to meet their business and technical objectives, but there was no easy way to manage this environment until now.

Windows XP Put to Rest; The Beginning of "Forever Days"?

Microsoft will no longer provide software updates and technical support for Windows XP as of April 8, 2014. The end of Windows XP support should not come as a surprise to most users. Microsoft has a long history of ending support for variations of its operating systems. Although the company published a lifecycle chart showing the anticipated end-of-support 
dates for their OS, and despite the somewhat feverish rush to upgrade systems in many industries, Websense Security Labs telemetry indicates that XP is still widely deployed. Research suggests that Windows XP remains the second most popular operating system globally.

What does this mean for the threat landscape?

Any complex piece of software will contain vulnerabilities for cybercriminals to exploit. Operating systems and their associated applications are particularly prone to vulnerabilities because:

1.   It is incredibly challenging to conduct testing on all code routes due to the sheer complexity and vastness of the code.

2.   After a vulnerability is identified, a fix needs to be created and patched.

Malware authors often look to discover vulnerabilities, known as zero-day exploits, before software vendors or the security community are aware. Microsoft has been enhancing, updating and supporting Windows XP for close to 13 years. Over time, the industry identified hundreds of Windows XP common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), including a new zero-day last week. Affecting Windows XP, it allowed remote code execution through a rich text format (RTF).

I am sure we will continue to see new Windows XP vulnerabilities. The only way to previously address Windows XP vulnerabilities was through the updating and patch process. Now that important line of defence is gone. With Microsoft ending support for Windows XP those patches will not be available.
Opportunistic cybercriminals have shown a penchant for pwning the low hanging fruit. If XP is the fruit, after April 8 this plum is effectively sitting on the ground. End-of-support means no new software updates. The term "forever-day" reflects the fact that zero-day vulnerabilities will remain unpatched forever more.

Websense Security Labs Recommendation


We have always recommended that organisations not rely on software patches alone to protect themselves. We highly recommend upgrading your operating system at your earliest convenience.

Malware authors know that businesses and consumers are still running Windows XP. These systems are especially vulnerable after April 8. We don't expect malware authors to unleash exploit code targeting these zero-days in the first few days after April 8. Instead, we believe they will wait to release exploit code selectively (think targeted attacks) and gradually (over a period of years).

Lenovo signs on Ranbir Kapoor as Brand Ambassador for Smartphones in India

 Lenovo announced its association with Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor as the brand ambassador for smartphones in India. As part of this association, Ranbir will endorse Lenovo’s range of smartphones and will feature in various television and online commercials for the brand in India. In Lenovo’s earlier association with Ranbir, he was endorsing both PCs and Tablets and will continue endorsing Tablets in this partnership too.
 
Sudhin Mathur, Director-Smartphones, Lenovo India said, "Ranbir Kapoor is a multi-talented and popular actor, who is admired across the nation. We are delighted to be associated with him, as he is an extremely versatile, endearing and stylish performer just like our range of Lenovo smartphones. We believe that this partnership will expand our reach into the consumer space and enhance the preference for Lenovo smartphones in India.”

The stylish range of smartphones comprise, industry-leading devices suiting every need of the user right from the best camera experience to extra long battery life. Bundled with powerful multi-core processors, access to the latest apps through Android™, and peerless display technology, Lenovo smartphones are poised to enhance a user’s experience.                            

SafetiPin reaches Latin America

The spanish version of SafetiPin was launched today in Bogota by the Secretary, Ministry of Women.  The city plans to use Safetipin to capture safety.  This follows the successful ‘safety walk’ using SafetiPin, organised by UN Habitat in New York.

Martha Sanchez, district secretary of Women, Bogota, said that through the application, users can "record in real time the sites they perceive as unsafe, or disclose situations of harassment, abuse and threats against them."

Pegasystems Recognized as a Leader in Dynamic Case Management

Pegasystems announced it has been positioned by Forrester as a “Leader” in both the 2014 Dynamic Case Management Wave and the 2014 Customer Service Solutions for Enterprise Organizations Wave reports.

The Dynamic Case Management Wave noted that “Today’s DCM products give businesses more control over cost and goal management, implementers a new information-first design approach, and end users the process flexibility they desperately need.”1  With regards to Pegasystems, the report noted that “Pegasystems is particularly strong for the service request area, especially with the addition of predictive .”

Tuesday, 8 April 2014

Support for Windows XP Ends today: Know best practices

Microsoft’s support for Windows XP ends today, April 8, 2014. However, Gartner estimates that one-third of enterprises currently have more than 10 percent of their systems remaining on XP.

In today’s blog post, Neil MacDonald, vice president and Gartner Fellow, says the issue is not whether the continued use of XP entails risk. It does. The issue is whether the continued use of XP represents manageable and tolerable risk to the enterprise.

Mr. MacDonald said: "Any system, supported or not, carries risk. For the majority of use cases, XP can continue to be used with the risk managed to a tolerable level, without requiring the enterprise to pay Microsoft for expensive custom support while migrations are completed. While doing nothing is an option, we do not believe that most organizations (or their auditors) will find this level of risk acceptable."

Google launches ‘Know your candidates tool’ for Lok Sabha Elections 2014

 Google has launched an interesting initiative in India in the wake of Lok Sabha Elections 2014. Google launched a new tool as part of its elections portal offering ‘google.co.in/elections’, called ‘Know Your Candidates’. The new tool will allow citizens to get easy access to relevant information about political candidates contesting from their constituency and their incumbent Member of Parliament. This tool integrates publicly available information sourced from Indian organizations such as the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), PRS Legislative Research and Liberty Institute India.

The tool will provide valuable information for each sitting Lok Sabha MP and contesting candidates such as their disclosed educational background, financial details and social media presence (wherever available) including video bios of the candidates provided by Ping networks. Mapped onto Google Maps interface, citizens will be able to find the information by using pin codes of their area or by zooming on their locality on the map. The tool will be updated regularly to provide information about all candidates as they get finalised and will be made available at least a week before the voting day in each constituency.