Subir Roy / New Delhi December 25, 2008, 0:31 IST

Software industry thought leaders are unanimous on the need for a long-term strategy to retain India’s pre-eminent position.

Very few in the Indian software and services industry are ready to hazard a guess about how the current slowdown will pan out and fewer still on when recovery will come. But one industry veteran, Sridhar Mitta, is willing to stick his neck out.

He sees growth in the current year slowing down to between 20 per cent and 5 per cent, depending on which section of the industry you are in. More interestingly, he sees recovery slowly following and expects the growth rate to be back to “a little less than the previous peak in 2010-11.”

Mitta, managing director of e4e Labs, is also very clear as to who will be hit. “Only the smart will survive,” he says. While few will argue with this, opinion in industry differs on whether it will the big or the small and medium who will have to bear the brunt of the adjustment. MindTree Consulting chairman and MD Ashok Soota, heading one of the most promising mid-seized software services firms, goes against conventional wisdom to assert that mid-sized firms won’t be hit harder.

On the other hand Raman Roy, arguably the father of the BPO industry and currently chairman and MD of Quatrro, takes a more nuanced position. The smaller firms are both “important and robust” but when it comes to getting payments on time so as to have the cash to pay bills, those with deeper pockets (read large firms) naturally survive better.

There is also a divergence in views on what the downturn will do to jobs. Soota sees most honouring their campus commitments, with a cloud hanging over only what will be committed next year. But Mitta is quite forthright, “unwanted expenses and people have to go as a lot of muck has been collected, as inevitably happens during a period of fast growth.”

While perceptions differ on the immediate future, industry thought leaders are remarkably unanimous on the need for a long-term strategy to retain India’s pre-eminent position and underline the need to think new thoughts. While doing so they do not hesitate to be self-critical.

Sanjay Kalra, president of Tech Mahindra, one of the growth leaders of the industry, is categorical that “We can’t keep being pure play offshore entities, we are still very India-centric. An engagement and relationship model has to be built with the client as only then can we deliver value for him and ourselves.” There is a need to appreciate local practices and getting the “local flavor is critical.”

Roy is another critic who says we don’t have a strategic plan for the next 3-5 years. Such a plan must ensure that our industry faces a level playing field vis-à-vis global competition. The firms in the Philippines do not have to worry about power supply or the tax regime, whereas we have to provide for one and lobby for the other.

Karla adopts a long-term perspective by arguing that while cost cutting is inevitable for the industry, it must not stop investing. All firms have a “current” and “aspirational” state. Pointing to how Japanese firms typically invest in new technology during a slowdown, he says that while optimising current capabilities firms must ready themselves to reach out to their aspirations.

Roy indicates that concern over the present must not become obsessive. “We must realise that we will be part of the solution when things get back to normal. When it is business as usual again client focus will shift to areas like integration and acquisition. Then offshoring and outsourcing will become a central theme.” Now is the time to worry over the knowledge gaps that our kids have – be it over the US GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) or actuarial practices.

Mitta says “You have to be agile, invent new business models. You cannot plan for the future by simply extrapolating the past.” The domestic market has to be targeted to build capacity. MindTree has appointed a new India head.

Indian IT services has to get into new areas like strategy – understand customer problems and offer solutions. “IT and BPO must be seamlessly integrated to offer the customer cheaper processes. Software as a service, which integrates product and services offerings, is more amenable to delivery out of India.” The future will belong to branded firms like Wipro and Infosys and not so much to brands per se.

subir.roy@bsmail.in  

Source: Business Standard

Mon, Dec 22 12:00 PM

London, Dec 22 (ANI): Shoppers will no longer have to run from one shop to another to find the best bargains, for a new satnav device will help them shop faster.

The new Wi-Fi device, developed by Javier Bajo at the University of Salamanca in Spain, maps out the fastest route to get all the shopping done, that too with best bargains.

The shoppers can feed in information about what they want to buy, the amount of money they have to spend, and the amount of time they have available.

The device uses radio frequency identification (RFID) to identify their location, and gives them information about related shops and offers.

It has been successfully tested in Tormes shopping mall in Salamanca.

"Most shop managers believe that the device has helped their businesses attract more customers and sell more," New Scientist magazine quoted Bajo as saying.

For people, who want to just spend the afternoon at the mall, new device may give them suggestions like as films on at the cinema or coffee shops.

"You can ask the system for suggestions based on your specific interests, and it will suggest a route for you, including different activities," he added.

The findings appear in Applied Soft Computing. (ANI)

Source: Yahoo NEWS

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Submitted Under: Software NEWS

By Kevin McLaughlin, ChannelWeb, Dec. 9 2008, 1600 hrs  

As Microsoft moves toward a possible mid-January public release of the first Windows 7 beta, many channel partners like what they're seeing from Microsoft and the way it's communicating about the next version of Windows.

Microsoft, which distributed a pre-beta version of Windows 7 to Professional Developer Conference (PDC) and Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) attendees, is reportedly aiming for a Jan. 13 release of Windows 7 beta 1, although some Microsoft pundits expect Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to unveil the Windows 7 beta during his Jan. 7 keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Andy Kretzer, director of sales and marketing at Bold Data Technology, a Fremont, Calif.-based system builder, considers Windows 7 to be more of an evolutionary change to Vista, and much less of a shift than that which occurred from Windows XP to Vista.

Compatibility issues that plagued early Vista users and the abiding impression that Vista is slower than XP are two common anti-Vista memes that Microsoft should be able to dispel once and for all with Windows 7, according to Kretzer.

"They should be in a much better position with Windows 7 than they were with Vista, because Windows 7 will use the same driver model as Vista -- so if it works under Vista, it should work under Windows 7," Kretzer said.

Vista seemed to be plagued by a lack of focus group testing and feedback that could have helped mitigate the device driver, boot time and user experience pitfalls that many early Vista adopters encountered, said Daniel Duffy, CEO of Valley Network Solutions, a Microsoft Gold partner in Fresno, Calif.

However, from what he's seen thus far from Microsoft with Windows 7, Duffy says the company is on the right track toward restoring users' faith in Windows.

"I'm pretty confident that they're aware of the issues now because of the bashing that Vista has taken, and I look forward to a leaner, meaner version of Windows -- and hopefully a leaner, meaner Microsoft," Duffy said.

Andrew Brust, chief of new technology at twentysix New York, a New York-based IT consultancy, also feels Microsoft is on the right path with Windows 7, and chalks that up to better management.

Specifically, Microsoft appears to be more organized under Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president for the Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group, than it was under Jim Allchin, former co-president of the Platforms & Services Division, who left the company in January 2007, Brust noted.

"Microsoft needs to continue along the current path: work hard, make your deadlines, deliver stable code and don't yap about it, just do it," Brust said. "Basically, I hope [the Windows 7 beta] refines the product and adds much to it, other than stability and the few incremental features they showed at PDC."

Source: Microsoft On Right Track With Windows 7

Microsoft said it will release an out-of-band patch for a flaw in Internet Explorer that allows remote hackers to take over a user's computer

 By Stefanie Hoffman, ChannelWeb, Dec. 19 2008, 1600 hrs

Microsoft said that the company intends to release an out-of-band patch for a monster error affecting all versions of the Internet Explorer Web browser, which has caused hackers to launch malicious attacks to steal information and take over computers without any user intervention.

Microsoft posted an advanced notification for the patch on its Web site Tuesday.

The company initially warned users about the flaw last week in a security advisory following its monthly Patch Tuesday security bulletin release Dec. 9, which it updated in another advisory Monday.

Since then, hackers have released exploit code, which is estimated to have spread to millions of computers around the globe, experts say.

"It's a remote exploit that gives the attacker compete control," said Michael Argast, security analyst for Sophos. "It's the most critical type of flaws that can exist. It's one of those drop-dead scenario's where you've got to fix it."

Microsoft said that it is aware of active attacks exploiting the vulnerability, but noted in its warning that it's only aware of attacks against Windows Internet Explorer 7.

The IE security problem stems from a fundamental flaw in the browser's data binding function—a vulnerability that ultimately leaves a hole in the memory space which can be accessed by remote hackers. Internet Explorer can then quit unexpectedly in an exploitable state.

Experts say that this bug is particularly malicious due to the fact that it requires almost no user intervention. Instead of clicking on an infected link or downloading software, users only have to visit a Web site already laden with malware in order for the exploit to be successful. Once a user's computer is exploited, malicious code could then be used to steal financial information, passwords, and other credentials, or be incorporated into a network of controlled computers designed to distribute spam and malware, known as a botnet.

Until a patch is released, Microsoft has suggested some workarounds, posted on its Web site, which the company said will provide protection for IE users against attack. "Our investigation of these attacks so far has verified that they are not successful against customers who have applied the workarounds listed in this advisory," Microsoft said.

Microsoft said that the company would continue to investigate the problem, while continuing to work with partners to "monitor the threat landscape and take action against malicious sites that attempt to exploit this vulnerability," the advisory said.

While the scheduled patch will likely protect IE users, security experts maintain that attacks will likely get worse as malware authors plan to issue malicious code around Microsoft's patch cycle in order to get the maximum amount of "attack time."

Meanwhile, until Microsoft releases a patch fixing the error, experts strongly encourage users to apply proactive protective security measures, such as keeping antivirus and antimalware software current. Numerous antivirus products incorporate behavioral protection, which are often easier to keep up to date than deploying a companywide patch, Argast said.

Customers can also implement the workarounds. However, Argast said that the process would be time consuming and complicated for most users.

"Realistically, most users aren't going to go through that. It's quite convoluted," he said. "Your best bet for the next couple of days would be to run Firefox."

Source:- Microsoft To Patch Giant IE Bug

Wipro Ltd, India's third-ranked outsourcer, said on Tuesday it had agreed to buy Citi Technology Services Ltd for $127 million in cash and would sign a six-year service agreement worth at least $500 million.

The deal done through Wipro Technologies, the information technology arm of the New York-listed Wipro, is expected to close in March 2009, Wipro said in a statement. Citi Technology Services is the India-based captive technology services unit of Citigroup.

This is the second time that Citi, will sell off its Indian back-office operations. In early October, it had sold its captive BPO Citigroup Global Services (CGSL) to Tata Consultancy Services for $505 million.

In addition to the sale, Citi also signed a $2.5-billion deal through which TCS will provide process oursourcing services to Citi and its affiliates over nine-and-a-half years. This will be provided through CGSL.

The acquisition broadens TCS's portfolio of end-to-end IT and BPO services in the global banking and financial services sector.

CGSL is one of the largest providers of BPO services within the banking and financial services sector, providing end-to-end process management across this spectrum and a broad array of services to Citi's consumers, corporate and global wealth management businesses globally.

Sources: Agencie

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Posted By: Dhatak Infotech - BPO Services India

December 16th, 2008 | by Dennis Hays |
Visited 50 times total, 50 so far today

All FireWire and USB cameras, manufactured by The Imaging Source - an international manufacturer of industrial cameras - now ship with software for Windows Vista 64 bit.

Bremen, Germany (December 12, 2008) - All FireWire and USB cameras, manufactured by The Imaging Source - an international manufacturer of industrial cameras - now ship with software for Windows Vista 64 bit.

The Imaging Source was one of the pioneers in the field of machine vision to deploy DirectX for industrial image processing. Thus, this step was an easy one to make.
DirectX is a requirement when programmers wish to develop software, which is independent of the underlying hardware. There are two methods in which software can access the camera:

Programmers who choose the classical method access the hardware directly. This leads to unstable and unmaintainable software, which Microsoft will refuse to certify. Hence, it cannot be installed on Windows Vista 64 bit.
Programmers who choose the operating system method access DirectX. They do not have to know anything about the underlying hardware. Similarly, the manufacturer of the hardware does not have to think about the applications software. They simply ship a WDM Stream Class driver. This makes their hardware immediately compatible to DirectX. This is a requirement to be certified by Microsoft. Hence, the software can be installed on Windows Vista 64 bit. The Imaging Source authors an SDK called IC Imaging Control, the goal of which is to simplify development with DirectX. All FireWire and USB cameras, which are manufactured by The Imaging Source ship with WDM Stream Class drivers and IC Imaging Control.

About The Imaging Source
The Imaging Source is a multi-national enterprise with branches in the US, Taiwan and Germany. They have been manufacturing imaging products for scientific, industrial and medical applications for more than twenty years. The industrial cameras, converters and frame grabbers manufactured by The Imaging Source are highly robust and are designed to run for years with no maintenance. The Imaging Source products are typically deployed in factory automation, quality inspection, medical systems, microscopy systems, life science projects and as of 2007 amateur astronomy. All imaging products manufactured by The Imaging Source ship with Microsoft Windows drivers, an SDK and powerful software for device control, display and saving of images.

Source

Lawyers in Australia have served a default judgment on borrowers by sending it via Facebook. The Supreme Court of Australian Capital Territory gave leave for service to be effected in this way because the borrowers had left their last-known address. There was enough information on the Facebook accounts to satisfy the court that the addressees were the right people.

This is a good example of pragmatic thinking by a court and one might somehow expect that Australia would score a first. The rules relating to service of documents are off my patch so I do not claim to know what the English courts would do. Rule 6.15(1) CPR, under the heading Service of the claim form by an alternative method or at an alternative place says:

Where it appears to the court that there is a good reason to authorise service by a method or at a place not otherwise permitted by this Part, the court may make an order permitting service by an alternative method or at an alternative place.

If that is the rule for an originating process, the service of subsequent documents is unlikely to involve a more restrictive test. The real point is the likelihood that the intended recipient will get the document. The court would perhaps want some evidence that the Facebook account was currently used.

I point to the overriding objective in the UK Civil Procedure Rules and to Part 3.1(2)(m) of the court’s general powers of management - the power to take any other step or make any other order for the purpose of managing the case and furthering the overriding objective. The corollary to the court’s power to make any order is that parties may seek any order - furthering the overriding objective is a duty as well as powers, and the duty is shared between judges and practitioners.

This is the second context in which Facebook has appeared on this site recently. My article Birmingham Law Society e-disclosure seminar includes a report of barrister Edward Pepperall’s use of Facebook to collect information which contradicted evidence being given by his clients’ opponents in litigation. That is a good example of a lawyer lifting his head from conventional sources of documents and thinking laterally round the problem.

I doubt that these are the only litigation-related functions for which Facebook could be used. Professor Richard Susskind long ago predicted that Wikis, social networks and various other applications would find business uses miles away from their founders’ intentions. It seemed a fanciful notion at the time, but then so many of Susskind’s ideas seem fanciful - right down to the moment when they become everyday fact.

There is an article about this novel use of Facebook here. My thanks to Seamus Byrne and to Jo Sherman of e-Discovery Tools in Australia for pointing me to this today

Source:- Australian judgment served via Facebook

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