Posts

Showing posts from March, 2013

Cisco reduces its workforce by 500

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   As a part of its global restructuring plan, the networking company Cisco has reportedly reduced its workforce by about 500 people. According to a spokesperson from Cisco, “We routinely review our business to determine where we need to align investments based on growth opportunities. Cisco performed a limited restructuring that will impact less than 1 percent of our population globally. These actions are subject to local legal requirements, including consultation, where required." As a significant effect of the layoff, Cisco's alliance with EMC and other data center business development initiatives are expected to be affected, sources informed. Presently, Cisco's workforce stands at about 73,000 people worldwide.Karen Tillman, a spokeswoman for the company said that the employees have already been notified..... See More

Worldwide IT spending to touch $3.8 trillion benchmark by 2013

VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE As per latest information, global IT spending is expected to reach to a total of $3.8 trillion by 2013 end, a 4.1% increase from 2012 spending of $3.6 trillion. The report further revealed the information that the global devices spending is also expected to rise. According to an estimate, it is forecasted to reach $718 billion in 2013, up 7.9% from 2012. It’s worth noticing here that the devices spending includes the money spend on PCs, tablets, mobile phones and printers. Richard Gordon, Managing Vice President at Gartner said, “Although the US did avoid the fiscal cliff, the subsequent sequestration, compounded by the rise of Cyprus' debt burden, seems to have netted out any benefit, and the fragile business and consumer sentiment throughout much of the world continues. However, the new shocks are expected to be short-lived, and while they may cause some pauses in discretionary spending along the way, strategic IT initiativ...

Datamatics join hands with Dutch Adminfactory

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Datamatics Global Services Ltd (DGSL)  has announced its strategic partnership with Netherland-based  Dutch Adminfactory .  The partnership would aim to capitalize on the strengths of both companies in the F&A space with promising and large corporate based in the European region. The partnership will provide a win-win proposition to the existing as well as prospective clients of Datamatics and Dutch Adminfactory to consolidate their admin processes within one umbrella, thereby eliminating the complexities associated with document and intensive manual processes. Rahul Kanodia, CEO & Vice-Chairman, DGSL , said, “In a highly competitive world, we, at Datamatics, believe in the power of collaborative partnerships. In Dutch Adminfactory, we have found a company that shares our passion for excellence and innovation. The goal of our partnership is to offer credible solutions towards empowering senior managers in...

Canon India celebrates Earth Hour 2013

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Canon(NYSE:CAJ)  continues its journey in the eco-friendly revolution by extending its support to the WWF for Earth Hour which was observed worldwide from 08.30–09.30 PM on 23rd March, 2013. Committed to the cause of energy accumulation in the country, Canon India sent a strong message by signifying the need for clean, efficient and affordable energy. As a part of this support and commitment, all employees at Canon India pledged to observe the Earth Hour. All lights at Canon’s offices and Canon Neon signage at international airports were switched off during this time. Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India , said, “As a responsible business, Canon India takes pride in being socially inclined and focusses on sustained and effective CSR projects. It is an honour for us to support the global Earth Hour campaign as a part of our CSR initiative towards creating a healthy environment by saving electricity.” ...

Aircel and Nimbuzz team up to make App-Operator Ecosystem in J&K

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Nimbuzz  has announced its association with  Aircel  for making communications affordable on data in  Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) . Aircel has launched a plan to promote the app ecosystem, with an offer to provide free data for all the subscribers in J&K which can be used anywhere in India over a period of 30 days. The objective is aimed at exploring the data-based communication behavioural pattern of J&K consumers.  Aircel has exclusively introduced the plan for prepaid subscribers of J&K where Aircel would send SMS to its subscriber base for downloading Nimbuzz from a fixed URL and 40MB data would be transferred to the users who would download the app and sign in within 24 hours of activation. Vikas Saxena, CEO, Nimbuzz , said, “We have always been committed to the cause of taking mobile communication to every citizen in the country. We are thankful to Aircel for making an effort towards...

Cisco buys Cloud-Based Services Management Company

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   It seems the networking company,  Cisco Systems(NASDAQ:CSCO) , is planning yet another acquisition. As per the latest update, Cisco has announced its intention to purchase SolveDirect , which is a Vienna-based privately-held company that focusses on cloud-delivered services management software and services. It is reportedly said that the SolveDirect team will join the Cisco Services team, under the leadership of  Mala Anand, Senior Vice-President, Cisco Services Platforms Group. Mike Flannagan, Senior Director & General Manager, Integration Brokerage Technology Group, Cisco , said, "For the time being, the vast majority of interactions with external parties are manual. They are either making phone calls back and forth, or sending emails, or using each other's web presence to provide updates on support issues. An automated electronic exchange of information is a lot more efficient. And that is effectively what Solv...

Sandvine deploys Video Optimization Solutions

VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE Sandvine has announced installation of more than 40 plug-and-play video optimization, parental control and content caching solutions with the leading vendors Mobixell, Netsweeper and PeerApp.  Sandvine has announced these partnerships over the past few years and has been engaged in deploying joint solutions in both fixed and mobile networks worldwide since that time.  Sandvine’s ecosystem offers a broad range of optimization solutions that enable communications service providers to scale cost-efficiently, realizing incremental value from their infrastructure investment.   Sandvine’s Policy Traffic Switch contains patented traffic classification and redirection technology that creates efficiencies by redirecting only relevant traffic, such as video or HTTP traffic to third-party optimizers. By reducing latency and improving the scalability of third-party solutions, Sandvine’s traffic redirection capabilities help operators e...

CanvasM and Bharti Airtel launch Job Portal

VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE CanvasM Technologies, in association with Bharti Airtel, has launched a job portal service –Saral Rozgar for the blue-collar workers. This service will enable skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled manual labourers in the country to register and apply themselves on the job portal through a voice call by dialling 54141 on their Airtel mobile number. Employers and job providers can access this data of registered workers by logging on to Saral Rozgar’s site or through voice call by dialling 54141 and easily connect with a worker who matches their requirements. Jagdish Mitra, CEO, CanvasM Technologies, said, “As part of CanvasM’s focus on minimizing the digital divide, we have developed India’s first platform combining the features of Internet and voice call to create the first-ever job marketplace for blue-collar workers. We are proud to partner with Bharti Airtel for the service and are confident that Airtel mobile customers will bene...

Cisco buys Cloud-Based Services Management Company

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   It seems the networking company, Cisco Systems, is planning yet another acquisition. As per the latest update, Cisco has announced its intention to purchase SolveDirect, which is a Vienna-based privately-held company that focusses on cloud-delivered services management software and services. It is reportedly said that the SolveDirect team will join the Cisco Services team, under the leadership of Mala Anand, Senior Vice-President, Cisco Services Platforms Group. Mike Flannagan, Senior Director & General Manager, Integration Brokerage Technology Group, Cisco, said, "For the time being, the vast majority of interactions with external parties are manual. They are either making phone calls back and forth, or sending emails, or using each other's web presence to provide updates on support issues. An automated electronic exchange of information is a lot more efficient. And that is effectively what SolveDirect does. It is...

Analog designs Smallest MEMS Microphone

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Analog Devices has introduced a MEMS microphone – ADMP801 which is developed, especially for hearing aid applications. ADMP801 measures 7.3 cubic millimetres, produces low equivalent input noise (EIN) at 27 dBA SPL (sound pressure level) and consumes 17 µA at 1Vsupply. Pat O’Doherty, Vice-President, Healthcare Group, Analog Devices, said, “Hearing aids represent an application ideally suited for the advantages MEMS microphones offer including small size, stability and very low-power consumption. However, MEMS microphones have not offered the EIN performance levels that meet stringent hearing aid standards until now. The ADMP801 MEMS microphone offers noise performance, package size, and phase and gain stability that is very desirable for advanced hearing aids that incorporate beam forming to facilitate sound or voice localization.” The ADMP801 is a low-power, analog output, bottom-ported, omnidirectional MEMS microphone.  ...

Autodesk unveils New Brand Logo

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Autodesk(NASDAQ:ADSK)  has launched its new brand identity globally. The new range of Autodesk design tools is accessible to teams of all sizes and budgets. Pradeep Nair, Managing Director, Autodesk India & SAARC , said, “Our user base is expanding – we have the opportunity to reach many more users while staying relevant to our existing users. Our new brand signals this transformation to the tens of millions of designers, engineers, architects, creative artists, students and hobbyists that use Autodesk software, cloud services and mobile apps to unlock their creativity, build better products and solve global challenges related to infrastructure, urbanization and sustainability. Our new visual identity, in fact, reflects the ‘new Autodesk’ that makes products which enable the design and creation of nearly everything around us.” Chris Bradshaw, CMO, Autodesk , stated, “The new Autodesk is not just a surface change, but a...

Uninor bags HR Practices Award by AIMA

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   AIMA has honoured Uninor with the Breakthrough Innovation in HR Practices Award. Uninor has received this award for its efforts to innovate and and substantiate the value add towards the success of HR in organizational structures. The award was presented during a convention that focussed on “Breakthrough Innovations”. Uninor  was presented this award by Vijay K. Thadani, Chief Executive Officer, NIIT Ltd, at the 4th Global Innovation Conference hosted by AIMA.   Sumit Sharma, Chief HR Officer, Uninor, said, “We started with an ambition to make Uninor stand out among peers in its work environment and people policies. We aimed at being more open, more transparent, more engaging and much flatter than others. We were tested in 2012 and I can attribute every success Uninor has seen in its response to a difficult business environment to the passion and committment from its people...... See More

Toshiba's Canvio Slim HDD bags Red Dot Award 2013

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Toshiba’s Canvio Slim external hard drive has been awarded with Red Dot Design Award stated as “Red Dot Award: Product Design 2013”.   The Canvio Slim offers users high-capacity storage of 500GB, with data protection to back up irreplaceable data. The Canvio Slim is designed with brushed aluminium, available in black or silver. The device is 107mm long, 75mm wide and only 9mm thick, ideal for storage on the go. This HDD constitutes 500GB of capacity. The Canvio Slim can store up to 142,000 digital photos or 131,000 digital music files or 410 downloaded digital movies. Peter Zec, Initiator & CEO, Red Dot, said, “The winners of the ‘Red Dot Award: Product Design 2013’ are the protagonists of a highly developed design culture and design industry. These days, it is becoming more and more difficult to distinguish between well-designed products. It is often only in the details that the special qualities become apparent.” ...

ASUS debuts HD 7790 DirectCU II OC Graphics Card

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   ASUS  has announced  HD7790-DCU2OC  graphics card , which uses an overclocked AMD Radeon HD 7790 GPU and dual-fan cooling for high-performance operation. The HD7790-DCU2OC graphics card offers DirectX 11.1 gaming and multimedia performance with power-efficient 28nm GPU technology, which supports the newest PC games in mid to high detail settings at full HD. Vinay Shetty, Country Head, Component Business, ASUS (India) , said, “The ASUS HD7790-DCU2 OC Graphics Card has dual-fan direct CUII thermal design that ensures 20% cooler and quieter performance. This upper mid-range graphics card also delivers good gaming and multimedia performance. ASUS once again presents a superb graphics card for all tech enthusiasts.” The ASUSHD7790-DCU2 OC delivers good gaming and multimedia performance with its 1075MHz AMD Radeon HD7790-DCU2 OC and 1GB GDDR5 video memory. GPU Tweak makes it easy to increase core and memory speeds, ...

BlackBerry 10 offers over 100,000 Apps to Users

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   According to a latest announcement made by  BlackBerry , BB 10 customers now have access to more than 100,000 applications for the  BlackBerry Z10 smartphone  on the BlackBerry World storefront. BlackBerry 10 customers have access to leading apps and games, including 8tracks, Angry Birds Star Wars, ATP World Tour Live, BBC Top Gear News, Bloomberg Anywhere, CBS Sports, Delta Air Lines, F1 2013 Timing App CP, Facebook, Foursquare, Jetpack Joyride, Keek, LinkedIn, Navita Translator, Need for Speed, NHL GameCenter, N.O.V.A. 3, The New York Times, PressReader, Slacker, Songza, Twitter, UFC, USA TODAY, Waze, WhatsApp, and Zara. “The response to the BlackBerry 10 platform and applications has been outstanding. Customers are thrilled with the applications already available, and the catalogue just keeps growing, now with more than 100,000 apps,” said Martyn Mallick, Vice-President, Global Alliances, BlackBerry.  ...

Fortinet mulling to acquire Coyote Point

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Fortinet(NASDAQ:FTNT)  has announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire  Coyote Point Systems Inc.  Founded in 1999, Coyote Point markets the Equalizer ADC product line. "This acquisition complements Fortinet’s Network Security strategy and allows the company and our channel partners to accelerate and further deliver on our vision of providing complete and comprehensive security into the enterprise," said  Ken Xie, Founder, President & Chief Executive Officer, Fortinet.  It is expected that the latest acquisition will generate synergy among existing Fortinet products, including ourFortiGate ,  FortiBalancer ,  FortiDDoS  and  FortiWeb platforms . Bill Kish, CEO & Founder of Coyote Point , said, “While Coyote Point has built a top-class ADC product portfolio and loyal customer base, there has always been a tradeoff around resources. We look f...

Mahindra and Kyrgyz sign Mobile Banking Deal

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Mahindra Comviva  has announced that it has signed a mobile banking deal with  Kyrgyz Investment Credit Bank (KICB) .  With this, KICB becomes the first bank in the country to take an initiative in the mobile banking and payments space. The Bank is looking to partner with multiple remittance service providers to enable both inward and outward remittances in the region. As per the deal, Mahindra Comviva’s mobiquity mobile banking solution will empower KICB customers to conduct a range of financial and non-financial transactions such as domestic and international remittance, cash in-cash out at agent locations, airtime recharge (top-up), balance enquiry, bill and merchant payments, amongst others, thus allowing the Mobile Banking application to be leveraged as a complete self-service channel for various banking and payments related requirements. Srinivas Nidugondi, Head of Mobile Financial Solutions, Mahindra C...

Microsoft kicks off Windows AppFest in Pune

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Microsoft(NASDAQ:MSFT) , in collaboration with the  Government of Maharashtra , has started  Windows AppFest  to build apps for social good. The initiative will encourage app developers to  create solutions that address social and civic issues . These apps will help civil authorities, seeking alternative methods of interactions with citizens. The top three apps will be selected for presentation at a conference hosted by the  Asian Development Bank . “App marketplaces are now proving to be viable platforms to host e-governance and socially relevant apps. Such apps can provide citizen-centric services in a secure manner, while ensuring increased transparency, reliability and efficiency in services. Cloud computing also enables e-governance solutions to be much more scalable and accessible. Microsoft, with its various initiatives including the Windows AppFest for social good in Pune, provides a good platform f...

Indian MVAS Market to reach $9.5 Billion by 2015

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Wipro Technologies(NYSE:WIT)  and the  Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) , in a joint research report titled “Future Thought of Business (FTOB): MVAS”, has predicted that the Indian MVAS market will grow at a CAGR of 25% between 2012 and 2015 to reach US$9.5 billion in 2015, from an estimated US$4.9 billion in 2012. Wipro and IAMAI conducted an evaluation of over 450 consumers and providers of MVAS in India to identify the major drivers and barriers of the Indian MVAS market and provide insights that will help to grow this market. The research focussed on the mEducation, mEntertainment, mFinance and mHealth application areas and found that there is pent-up market demand from consumers for sophisticated mobile services in India that have the potential to improve the overall quality of living. “Basic informational mobile services are set to decline in India. We have found that India’s consumers will incre...

Kaspersky to support IGCI

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Kaspersky Lab  has agreed to work closely with the  INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) . This was announced after a meeting between Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and Co-Founder of Kaspersky Lab, Ronald Noble, INTERPOL Secretary General, and Noboru Nakatani, IGCI Executive Director.  Kaspersky Lab has also agreed to help with the IGCI's capacity building efforts to increase the ability of law-enforcement agencies worldwide to deal with cyberthreats in general. Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman & CEO, Kaspersky Lab , said, “I am most pleased with the outcome of this meeting. I have been pushing for the creation of what I used to call an ‘Internet-INTERPOL’ for over a decade now, and at last it has finally come to pass. It should come as no surprise that we wholeheartedly support this initiative, testified by our plans to second some of our top analysts over to the IGCI in Singapore. Soon cybercriminals will have no...

Adobe India reveals "State of Creativity in Education Study"

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   As part of its Asia-Pacific-wide study titled “State of Creativity in Education”,  Adobe Systems(NASDAQ:ADBE)  has unveiled the key findings for India. 460 educators from across India participated in the study, between 20th February and 10th March, 2013. The educators represented organizations offering primary, secondary, senior secondary and higher education as well as vocational courses. 58% respondents from India were teachers or faculty, while another 14% were variously administrators, heads of institutions and consultants.  The key findings of the study were announced at the 5th Annual Adobe Education Leadership Forum which took place in Phuket, Thailand from 20th-22nd March, 2013. The Adobe State of Creativity in Education study found that in India, 71% of educators strongly felt that they should be creative regardless of the subjects they teach. On the other hand, 46% strongly felt fostering creativit...

Canon strengthens its PIXMA Portfolio

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Canon India(NYSE:CAJ)  has announced the availability of new PIXMA range of printers:  PIXMA MG6370  and  PIXMA MG3170 . The Company believes that these printers will strengthen its home segment with fun, creative, affordable and eco-friendly features. The canon PIXMA MG6370 is available with lab-quality photo printing and wireless connectivity. It includes all the features of print, copy and scan. It offers a print speed of 10.0 ipm colour and 15.0ipm B/W. There are double front paper cassette trays embedded in the printer which allow users to load two different sizes of paper at the same time. The other printer Canon PIXMA MG3170 available in wine red, pristine white and piano black colours has a print speed of 9.2ipm mono / 5.0ipm colour for A4 printers. The Air Print technology in the PIXMA MG3170 allows users to print remotely from anywhere in the world...... See More

Cisco to improve Learning Experience at BITS–Pilani

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Cisco(NASDAQ:CSCO)  has announced that  Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) , Pilani , along with BITSAA International, has successfully deployed the immersive, high-definition  Cisco TelePresence  videoconferencing  and  Cisco WebEx technologies as part of a cross-campus technology initiative named BITSConnect 2.0. This initiative is set to transform the learning experience through campus-connectivity by connecting classrooms through a MPLS-based data network. It will benefit over 11,000 students and 700 teachers and provide them with access to business leaders and guest lecturers located around the globe, enabling collaborative research and interactive learning a routine part of their lives.  Bijendra Nath Jain , Vice-Chancellor, BITS–Pilani, said, “BITSConnect 2.0, which is built on Cisco technology, comes at a time when the Institute is on its way to become a top research-led univ...

ViewSonic launches Windows 8 Certified Display

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   23" Windows 8 certified touch display - the  TD2340  has been introduced in the Indian market by  ViewSonic . The TD2340 features an ergonomic design with a dual hinge stand to adjust the height of the monitor. The key features of  TD2340 include its 10-point projected capacitive touch display technology , grade IPS panel with 1920x1080 full HD resolution. It has a dynamic Contrast Ratio of 20,000,000:1 for providing exquisite picture and colour performance. Other inputs such as display Port, HDMI and VGA, along with USB HID compliance and VESA mount compatibility are also included in this touch display. ViewSonic believes that the 7H surface hardness of the touchscreen monitor makes it long- lasting with touch accuracy. The touch display includes integrated SRS Premium Sound speakers and Energy Star and EPEAT Silver certifications. Erik Willey, LCD Monitor and PC Product-Marketing Director, ViewSo...

Wipro named a Leader by Verdantix

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   Wipro Technologies has been named a "Leader" by Verdantix, a leading analyst firm in providing advice to clients in the fields of energy, environment and sustainability challenges, in its report "Green Quadrant Sustainable Technology Services (Global), March 2013". Verdantix evaluated 16 of the leading sustainable technology service providers globally, based on interviews with 15 buyers representing firms with revenues of $183 billion, supplier responses to a 53-point questionnaire and detailed supplier interviews. The report says that Wipro’s entry into the Leaders Quadrant for the first time shows that its investments have paid off.  “We recognize that sustainability and EH&S (Environment Health and Safety) are the key focus areas for enterprises in the Energy and Mining industries and we have significant capabilities to address them. Our HSSE (Health, Safety, Sustainability and Environment) frameworks...

Tushar Sighat bags APELA Award 2013

Image
VARINDIA- INDIA'S FRONTLINE IT MAGAZINE   At the recently concluded  Asia-Pacific Enterprise Leadership Awards (APELA) 2013 held in Marina Bay Sands - Singapore,  Tushar Sighat, CEO-D-Link (India) Limited was recognized for demonstrating exemplary leadership skills & unparalleled vision for company’s growth. Mr. Sighat was awarded with an honorary mention under ‘Build to Last’ category at APELA 2013. Elated on receiving this honor, Tushar Sighat, CEO –  D-Link (India) Limited  said, “This is indeed a proud moment for me & everyone at D-Link, as this is the outcome of a prodigious team effort. Being recognized on a global platform like this and to be evaluated by panelists that consist of distinguished global academicians is truly motivating. For the past year & a half we have worked rigorously towards enhancing D-Link’s business in India & SAARC region, and such accomplishments inspire one to continue with the good work” Over 155 ...