consumer infoline

2 | Consumer Infoline | November 2010


ContentsVolume 1 | Issue 3 | Rs. 50 | November 2010 | www.consumerinfoline.com

Channel World | 6-8-16

In the news | 30-31

Product Launch | 28-29-33

Mobility Zone | 34-35

Product of the Month | 38

Product Watch | 35 / 38

Business Focus | 14-18

Networking Buzz | 22

Face to Face | 32

Security Buzz | 24

Publisher: Sunil Kumar SinghEditor: Sunil Kumar SinghBrand Manager: Ashutosh SinghAssociate Editor: Suman SinghSr. Correspondent: Pallavi SrivastavaCorrespondent: Amit SinhaVisualizer: Manish Ghosh Design: Ratan Gupta

Staff: Bangalore: Nikhil Thakur Mumbai: Ranjan NaikKolkata: Madulika Banerji

Marketing: Sr. Marketing Manager: Agni ChoudhuryAsst. Marketing Manager: Nikhil Sharma

For advertisement, feedback and other queries, write to [email protected]

For subscription contact at: 01165575723

Printed, Published and owned by Sunil Kumar Singh

Phone: 01165575723

Place of Publication: F-33, 2nd Floor, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016

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All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation in any language in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. All disputes are subject to exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi or New Delhi.

27


Dear Friends

India Information And Communication Technology (ICT) spend is forecast to reach $71. 9 Billion in 2011, a 10.3 percent increase from 2010 spending of $65.23 billion, according to Gartner.

Hardware is the fastest growing segment with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) growth of 20.4 percent through 2014. IT services is showing the strongest annual revenue growth at 22 percent in 2010 while the telecom segment, that is forecast to account for 73 percent of the Indian ICT market in 2010, is witnessing a slow down and is set to grow at 13.2 percent growth (see Table 1). Double-digit growth across all sub segments of the ICT space will drive the growth this year.

In hardware, much of the growth will be driven by spending within the client computing space. Increasing rural prosperity, aided by growth in the small office and the small business segment, are the key growth drivers in the PC segment.

The software segment in India is expected to grow with strong traction being recorded in business intelligence, middleware, database management systems (DBMS) and application development (AD) tools. The India market is in a growth stage and is the fourth largest software market in Asia-Pacific after China, Australia and South Korea. There are sizeable opportunities within manufacturing, retail, transport and hospitality, as well as the already established opportunities in government, telco, financial sectors and IT services.

Sunil Kumar SinghEditor

November / 2010 Editor’S Letter

HCL Infosystems partners with Oracle HCL Infosystems has entered into partnership with Oracle

to showcase their Business Intelligence (BI) offerings. The partnership reinforces HCL Infosystems strength and expertise in the BI domain.

HCL’s Centre of Excellence Business Intelligence Unit (BIU) focuses on both industry specific and technology specific solutions that include customers, c o m p e t i t o r s , business partners, economic environment and internal operations. The HCL Infosystems range of BI solutions leverages Oracle technology to get extreme data warehousing performance, advanced analytics out-of-the-box solutions that give better and deeper industry-specific insights enabling business to make the right decisions based on data trends.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Rajeev Asija, Executive Vice President, System Integration & International Business, HCL Infosystems Ltd, said, “We are elated to be associated with Oracle. HCL Infosystems has been committed to deliver Business Intelligence and Data-warehouse technology-centric business solutions to the clients driven by thought leadership and outstanding software development services. This partnership is a step to further to fortify HCL Infosystems’ expertise in providing cutting-edge solutions in the BI space”.

Oracle, with its world’s fastest machine for data warehousing applications – Exadata, will enhance HCL Infosystems expertise into the BI-DW space and will offer HCL’s existing and potential clientele with a unique DW/BI experience.

Samsung enriches its Smartphone portfolioSamsung has enhanced its Smartphone portfolio in India

with the launch of 3 new ‘Wave’ series of handsets based on its proprietary platform, ‘bada’ , as well as the Windows based , Omnia 652. The launch of Wave 525, Wave 533 and Wave 723 follows the launch of the first Wave phone in June this year along with the Android based Galaxy S .

The Samsung W a v e 5 2 5 , Samsung Wave533 and Samsung Wave723 include 3.2” WQVGA TFT displays and a 100MB internal memory with a free 2GB microSD card (expandable up to16GB). The simple, intuitive UI of the phones which is a key characteristic feature of the bada platform offers users effortless customization, interactivity and an unmatched support for social networking, device synchronization, content management and A-GPS feature which provides location based services in Google Maps. ‘bada’ is also open and configurable thus letting developers create boundless new applications for the phones which can be downloaded from the Samsung Apps Store.

The entire Samsung Smartphone portfolio consists of 8 phones in Android, bada and Windows platform at a price range of Rs.8,800 – Rs. 31,500.


GIGABYTE Launches Partner Program for Channel

With the twin objective of providing business growth opportunities and performance-based rewards to its channel partners, GIGABYTE Technology India, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, has launched a new and exciting version of its quarterly Value Partner Program.

Effective from November 1 - December 31, 2010, this scheme is open to all registered Value resellers who buy GIGABYTE motherboards from authorized GIGABYTE distributors in India i.e. Avnet (India), Ingram Micro, Redington (India) , Neoteric Infomatique Ltd. & GIGABYTE PREMIUM PARTNERS. This scheme is applicable only to registered channel partners. The partners have to register the purchased motherboards’ serial and check number at http://event.gigabyte.com/india_reseller, to earn reward points. Purchase of higher end motherboards will ensure more points. Partners will win gifts worth the same amount as the number of points earned by them. Hence, more purchases will ensure more prizes!!

Announcing the new program, Rajan Sharma, General Manager – Sales & Marketing,GIGABYTE Technology India, said, “Being a channel-focused company, GIGABYTE has always been running attractive incentives and schemes for its channel partners. As 2010 comes to an end, we have included special focus on new platforms like H55/X58P55/890/880 so that partners can improve ROI on new & latest motherboards. We have also increased our PREMIUM PARTNER base to 150+ in Q4 so as to pass on maximum benefit to TIER II channel.”

Brocade Empowers the Channel Partners Brocade has announced that

it has optimized the Brocade Alliance Partner Network (APN) to prepare and reward partners who invest in developing knowledge-rich practices to address new technology trends such as virtualization, network convergence and cloud computing. Along with these new updates, Brocade has also introduced a full set of intelligent, customizable tools that enhance the “quality in partnership” to enable the channel to fully maximize its potential as a Brocade business partner.

Earlier this year Brocade introduced Brocade One, the unifying network architecture and strategy that simplifies the complexity of virtualizing applications and enables the migration to a world where information and services are available anywhere in the cloud. To align with this strategy, Brocade has updated the APN program to better support the needs of partners as they help their customers make the transition towards network convergence. Recognizing that this will be a gradual process, Brocade has created program initiatives to reward partners who invest in acquiring the knowledge and skill sets that will help them become trusted advisors to their customers.

Introductions from Rashi completes its journey

Rashi successfully completes 20 cities event ‘Introductions from Rashi’.

Introductions from Rashi served as a ‘launch pad’ for all the participating brands starting from Rajkot and ending at Mangalore. It provided the vendors with a platform for introducing new products and technologies and also facilitating interaction with the partners in major B & C class cities.

The major highlight of the event was the support from partners at all locations and good number of participation at each location.

The event also saw some participating vendors and bigger partners announcing spot offers adding to the excitement of the partners. As per the general feedback received from partners, they were very enthused with the presence of vendors at all event locations.

Alvarion Strengthens Its Presence in India with a New Training Center

Alvarion has announced that it has opened a new training center in India. The Alvarion Training Center (ATC) will enable Alvarion’s customers to be trained through theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience for deploying and operating Alvarion’s wireless solutions used for various market needs such as municipal, public safety, smart grid, residential and business broadband applications.

Trainees are qualified in a range of procedures that ensure efficient network utilization, effective troubleshooting and end-user satisfaction. Alvarion’s distributor in India, Presto, will run the ATC. Alvarion and Presto are targeting to have 100 certified engineers by March 2011.

Canon forays in retail domain with ‘Canon Image Square’

Canon has foray into the retail space with the launch of its exclusive brand retail store called “Canon Image Square”. The first store in the country, located in The Great India Place Mall, Noida, NCR region of New Delhi was inaugurated by ace cricketer and Canon Brand Ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar. The retail store covers an area of approximately 1450 sq. ft. and is based on the franchise model. It is a one stop destination for people with imaging needs, enabling increased visibility and reach across the country with an objective to boost sales.

CHANNEL World

Canon, in India, plans to inaugurate five such stores by December 2010, followed by 95 retail stores in 2011, 100 in the year 2012 and another 100 stores in 2013 taking the count to 300 stores in the next 3 years. The first year would see the launch of three stores in Delhi-NCR followed by one store in Nasik and one store in Bangalore. The company plans to establish about 100 stores across 6 metro cities and 200 stores in 150 Tier II and III cities, eventually. With this plan, Canon India would deepen foothold in 150 cities in the coming three years. The stores enforces Canon’s increased focus on penetration across the country including major metros and tier II & tier III markets to enhance the brand awareness and increase sales. The area covered by each outlet would vary from a minimum of 800 sq. ft to a maximum of 1300 sq. ft.


CHANNEL World

Cyberstar to distribute Cyberoam Endpoint Cyberstar has joined hand with Cyberoam to distribute its

Endpoint Data Protection exclusively pan India. Cyberoam offers enhanced Endpoint Data Protection with

policy-driven data and asset management over the endpoint, thereby helping organizations secure the weakest link in their network – the end user. The easy-to-manage enhanced Endpoint Data Protection provides seamless control with logging, reporting, encryption and policy-driven controls. It prevents data loss, enhances security, employee productivity and efficient management of IT assets while retaining business flexibility. In addition, it also helps organizations meet their regulatory and security compliance requirements.

Consisting of 3 components- Server for database storage and agent management, Console to audit, control and monitor the computers and an Agent to collect and forward the data to the server; the Cyberoam Endpoint Data Protection enables remote data control through encryption and helps organizations reduce their total cost of ownership of IT and security.

Speaking about this tie-up, Mr. Raj Rathi, Managing Director of Cyberstar Infocom said, “With increasing risk of data loss and system attack by bugs and worms, endpoint data protection has emerged as the singular critical security concern which needs to be addressed by organizations. Cyberoam’s end point data protection is an ideal solution for organizations to protect data and assets in endpoint devices. We are confident of this product and its acceptance by the enterprises, and will leverage our unique positioning in the security market to its advantage.”

WatchGuard Promotes ANZ Regional Director to Asia Pacific VP

Based in Sydney, Robertson will retain his role as ANZ Regional Director but is now also tasked with negotiating new channel and vendor alliances across the Asia Pacific region with the goals of enhancing WatchGuard’s regional presence and building new sales pipeline, channel partnerships, and other marketing opportunities.

Robertson has over the past three-and-a-half years he has been responsible for ANZ business including customer acquisition, channels, marketing and pre-sales of WatchGuard’s range of network security appliances and management software.

Prior to joining WatchGuard Technologies Robertson was

General Manager Asia Pacific for CRYPTOCard, a leader in the network authentication Industry, where he held overall responsibility for the organisation’s establishment and business growth in the region, including customer acquisition, marketing and partner development. Previously, Robertson worked in various sales and marketing management capacities with leading vendors such as Red Hat Asia Pacific, Microsoft and Visio.

“Over the past few years, WatchGuard has reached many successful milestones. I’m looking forward to working with channel and strategic alliance partners throughout the region to ensure that we give customers a new and better option to protect their networks and critical assets from the risks of cyber attacks,” said Scott Robertson.

NVIDIA Appoints Vishal Dhupar as MD, Sales and Marketing

NVIDIA has appointed Vishal Dhupar as Managing Director, Sales and Marketing for South Asia, responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of its business in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan, effective immediately.

Dhupar previously served for five years as managing director for India and South Asia at Symantec, following a similar position at Autodesk. He has also held a variety of sales leadership positions at Sun Microsystems, Silicon Graphics and Digital Equipment Corp.

“India is among NVIDIA’s most important markets and Vishal Dhupar has an exceptional background to lead our activities there,” said Bernhard Gleissner, NVIDIA’s Vice President for Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

Following Dhupar’s appointment, Daniel Saison, who was previously Sales Director, Middle East, India and Africa, will focus entirely on the Middle East and Africa.

Trend Micro Appoints Neoteric as its National Distributor

Trend Micro has appointed Neoteric as its national distributor for its range of consumer products and solutions for Small Businesses (SB). Trend Micro will expand its existing reach for consumer products through Neoteric’s extensive network of 46 branch offices spread across India reaching out to 1,0000 plus partners in 500 cities.

Expanding the channel partner base and further strengthening the network is one of Trend Micro’s key agendas this year and the pan-India footprint of Neoteric will further boost Trend Micro’s consumer and SB businesses in India.

Honeywell Aruba Networks Joins Hands Honeywell and Aruba Networks have collaborated to

offer complete wireless networking and mobile computing solutions and support services targeted at retail, healthcare, and logistics applications. As part of a global alliance, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility and Aruba will provide an end-to-end wireless solution for added data collection productivity.

“Our enterprise customers have made it clear that they want a secure, easy-to-deploy, end-to-end system solution that provides both wireless networking and data collection capabilities,” said Darius Adamczyk, president, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility.

Pairing Aruba’s industry-leading wireless local area network (LAN) infrastructure with Honeywell’s Dolphin 6000, 7000 and 9000 series of mobile computing devices for data collection, digital image capture, and intelligent signature capture is expected to boost data collection productivity and lower operating costs. This integrated wireless data capture solution is designed to be easy to deploy, highly secure, and features best-in-class reliability.


By sunil singh

[email protected]

Currently, it is difficult to put a number to the storage market, though it is growing at a record

pace year on year. Business has been good as the market registered a record growth of approximately 30 – 35 per cent. The growing amount of digital content and the increased need for mobility has definitely been a plus point for the business. The demand for storage is obviously being driven by the fact that external storage, flash drives, media players, and even desktop drives are now essentially commodities. The number of individuals & enterprises to whom high capacity storage is indispensable is rising by the day. Even stronger is the need for affordable & reliable devices. For these reasons, manufacturers have drastically brought down prices of personal storage devices over the past couple of years. All these factors have resulted in an ideal market for Indian buyers, thereby driving demand & consumption.

Western Digital (WD), which has established itself as the leader in the Indian storage peripherals market, has continue to command a sizeable share of the Indian market with its portable drive segment which has being doing extremely well for the company. Speaking on this front Mr. Sushil Bandi, Country Manager, Indian sub-continent, Western Digital, says “Our new media player WDTV Live was quite a hit amongst consumers. We plan to further innovate in this segment. With innovative marketing initiatives and channel friendly policies, WD will try to maintain its leadership status. I’m confident that these policies and practices will make WD a stronger brand in future.”

Today, the Indian consumers are evolving and want to be in total control

of the devices they use. They want their devices to be connected with each other for a complete digital environment. They just do not want to store data; they want to access it on the go. Speaking about the growing trends in Indian market in storage peripherals space, Mr. Sushil says, “I believe the biggest challenge in this market is to correctly anticipate the consumption pattern of storage technology in the Indian context, and to be on the pulse of the consumers’ needs and preferences. This market is very dynamic and intriguing. The digital revolution has triggered a steady consumption for digital content in Indian homes and businesses. If we are able to accurately identify our consumers’ behaviour, tap the huge demand and play a role in defining the evolution of storage devices, I’d say we have successfully overcome this challenge.”

Ranges Of Product And Solution

Western Digital provides products & solutions across the personal and enterprise storage spectrum. To begin with, the Company has a very vast portfolio of External storage solutions that are categorized into Desktop, Desktop for Mac, Portable, Portable for Mac, and Network storage solutions. The Internal storage range offers Desktop, Mobile, AV and Enterprise storage products that also include the recently launched VelociRaptor 600GB. These are followed by the Home Entertainment range comprising of media players, portable media players and DVR Expanders. This range also features our popular WD HDTV Live. Finally, it has the Solid State Storage range that offers desktop and mobile SSDs and embedded systems. Further, the company also offers bundled software and web-applications

like WD SmartWare and WD Photos that enable users to do more with their digital content and keep it secure.

WD has a proven track record of introducing products with innovative features in terms of technology and its applications. Its product timeline is dotted with launches that have created new product categories altogether. The WD TV Live media player and the WD VelociRaptor 600GB are the most prominent examples. Speaking on this front, Mr. Sushil says, “Further, we understand the way consumers use certain storage device and incorporate this learning into our products, thereby giving them more control over their storage devices. Our learning has helped us develop great bundled software and interfaces for our products that in turn offer newer applications & capabilities. Evidently, our competitors follow suit.”

Go-To-Market strategy

WD has a focused channel structure which is aimed at different customer segments and a strong regional approach. Western Digital’s go-to-market strategy consists of a comprehensive distributor network supported by a series of channel programs aimed at imparting quality training. The company believes in competitively pricing its products. Speaking about the pricing policies of WD, Mr. Sushil says, “Of course, being manufacturers of premium products we never have the cheapest offerings. It goes without saying that the quality & features justify the premium pricing. Interestingly, as per independent sources, WD drives have the lowest RMA rate and the widest range. That said we always believe in localization. We are firm followers of the

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philosophy that ‘one size doesn’t fit all.’ Hence, our pricing model in India is very dynamic and well-suited to the consumers’ expectations.”

Western Digital endeavors to focus equivocally on all verticals that it is present in and the company gives the whole credits to its current distribution set-up. Speaking on this front, Mr. Sushil says, “Normally, it is the portable range that generates high sales volumes. However, we have also specialist distributors that have an expertise in pushing products in the internal and enterprise ranges.”

The company engages with the resellers through its national distributors. To supplement the efforts of its channel partners, WD actually reduced the overall partner base during the previous fiscal and brought it down to 7 distributors. This consolidation has been brought with a view to allow partners to focus on the entire branded or external product basket, rather than simply push the best-selling products. WD partners have also responded positively to this change as it gives them a chance to grow in terms of revenues as well as margins.

WD’s utmost priority is to take care of the profitability of the channel partners.

In return, the channel partners always remain loyal to the brand and therefore support brand aggressively. Speaking on channel engagement front, Mr. Sushil says, “We constantly strive to offer more value and services to our partners to sell WD products. The result is that WD has now established itself as one of the leading HDD brands in India. We believe that the partners associated with us should share this success and grow with WD equally.”

As WD leverage the channel partners’ network to reach to its customers, in the same way its helps them to enhance their skills in understanding and implementing WD’s strategy. In this regard, WD has invested resources in sales as well as on channels to enhance support for its channel partners across the country. The company is supporting channel partners with ‘Select WD’ program and other Reseller scheme programs in every quarter.

WD unique initiative www.wduniversity.com functions as a two-way nexus with the partners, where they can obtain training for all product lines, utilize free marketing tools, register for and avail of promotion schemes, and win prizes every month. As of now, WD has 200 active users from India on wduniversity.com

Sushil BandiCountry Manager,

Indian Sub-Continent

Western Digital

Internal Resources

Today, Western Digital has a full-fledged team in India that offers a unique customer support service – WD Express – a door to door warranty service anywhere in India for end users, system integrators and resellers. It is very simple to use, and consumers can access this service online for warranty checks, product replacements and RMA status from anywhere in India in the comfort of their homes or offices.

The company is also planning to expand its presence in the organized retail sector over the next few quarters. The strengthening presence of LFRs in India is working to the advantage of IT vendors, as maturing customers prefer to buy in an ambient environment, supported by in-house demonstrations that help them make an informed decision.

FinallyHaving created a strong distributor

network and forging a retail presence, and in the same time focused on enhancing reward channel partners through structured program, innovative schemes and incentive programs, it is evident that Western Digital is surely going to establish a benchmark for its competitors in India. l


Werner Vogels

CTO, Amazon

CLOUD Computing

There has been a lot of buzz about cloud computing. Almost every IT vendor claims to

have some kind of product or service for the cloud. Some have even created terms like “private cloud” and “hybrid cloud” to add to the complexity. So, what is cloud computing and what does it mean for businesses, governments and organizations of all sizes?

A simple way to explain cloud computing is that instead of buying, owning, and maintaining your own data centers or servers, you buy the compute power and storage services from third party infrastructure providers as you need the capacity and leave the management and maintenance of that infrastructure to them. You interact with those resources via the Internet, and you can grow and shrink capacity instantly without spending capital on them, so it feels like all the computing resources are in a cloud.

5 characteristics of cloud computing

For an offering to truly be “cloud computing”, it needs to have the following five characteristics:

1. No capital expenditure. You do not have to spend capital expenses on servers or data centers. You get to turn capital expense to variable expense,

which is a huge advantage for companies that either do not have a lot of capital or those who simply do not want to tie capital to infrastructure.

2. Pay for what you use. There is no upfront fee, no contract or commitment. You only pay for what you actually consume and have the flexibilities to choose the pricing model that best meets your business requirement.

3. True elastic capacity. You can scale both up and down, and not sit on unneeded, excess capacity. Also, a cloud allows your applications and your business to seamlessly grow as quickly as you need. When you no longer need that capacity you can shed it just as quickly.

4. Fast time to market. You can move much more quickly with whatever projects you have. You can spin up large amounts of server capacity in minutes instead of waiting for days or weeks for capacity to be assigned to you.

5. Focus on your core competence. You can take scarce engineering resources and instead of applying them to running infrastructure which is undifferentiated for most companies, you can spend time on projects that add value to your customer offerings or areas that differentiate your business.

If one or more of the above benefits do not exist, then it is not really cloud computing.

Busting common myths

Now, there has been so much noise and skepticism about the cloud. Let’s cut through this noise and demystify a few of the common myths:

Myth #1 - Cloud isn’t secure. For any cloud provider, security is always the top priority. Most companies don’t have the luxury of dedicating resources on security. Cloud uses all the same security tactics and strategies that enterprise data centers have used for the last 30 years, and in fact invest a lot more. Companies found that when they put their infrastructure on cloud platform, their security actually improves.

Myth #2 - Cost is the only cloud advantage. The reality is cost is just one of them, the more important advantage is the ability to move more quickly and accelerate time-to-market. If you ask software development engineers at enterprises, how long does it take to get a server if they want to do an experiment or just expand a project? The answers range from four weeks to three months just for a server. That is frustrating for engineers and it stifles innovation. With a cloud you are able to spin up large amounts of server capacity in minutes to expedite development work.

Myth #3 - You should move all infrastructure to the cloud in one fell swoop. If you are a start-up, that is what


CLOUD Computing

“You interact with those resources via

the Internet, and you can grow and shrink

capacity instantly without spending

capital on them, so it feels like all the

computing resources are in a cloud.”

Werner Vogels, CTO, Amazon

you should do. It makes no sense to build on top of the old world model of buying infrastructure that you may or may not need.

For enterprises that have new development, it is easy to build it on top of the cloud and quickly take advantage of those benefits. For enterprises with many legacy applications and systems, it is not advisable to move everything at once.

Most enterprises move more methodically by picking a diverse set of initial applications to try as proofs of concepts in the cloud. They run them from a few weeks to a few months to see how the cloud is different and understand how to operate in the cloud before moving more of their applications. This will be followed by a 12-to-24-month migration plan.

Myth #4 - I can get all the benefits of the cloud with my own private

cloud. The reality is when you really dig into the details of these private or internal clouds, they are usually very expensive fixed cost, private installation of infrastructure which lacks all the key benefits of the cloud. Companies that build these types of internal clouds still own all the capital expense at the data centers and incur ongoing high maintenance costs. Companies should consider the notion of what really is private cloud because it is a term with ‘cloud’ in it but lacks all the key benefits of the cloud.

Cloud computing enables IT to be truly the business enabler. It allows companies to focus their capital and resources on innovations to accelerate their time to market, rather than running and maintaining the undifferentiating heavy lifting of infrastructure.

Think about what had happened over 100 years ago when most companies

generated their own electricity. They had to install and operate generator in their premise to generate electricity to run the factory. Over time the electricity grid evolved, the economies of the grid were just too good for companies to continue running their own electricity generator and it eventually became obsolete.

This same analogy could happen to computing. In fullness of time, very few companies will own their data centers and those that do own it will have tiny footprints. That is because the economies of the cloud are too great for any forward-looking companies to ignore. l

Werner Vogels is vice president and CTO at Amazon. He is responsible for driving the company’s technology vision, which is to continuously enhance the innovation on behalf of Amazon’s customers at a global scale.


Business Focus

Securing The Cloud With NevalesThe term cloud computing has become

ubiquitous in the tech world and even SMB companies are leading the pack to opt for cloud services. Of course they are concerned about the security implications of making the transition to cloud computing.

In fact the perception of threats for cloud computing is diverse. Some CIOs worry that the data is not safe on a cloud as it can be hacked into. Others feel that the cloud service can act as a wormhole for hackers to attack their own networks.

But here’s a newsflash for them. The cloud can’t be secured. And if you stop to think about it, is there a need to secure it? Ravi Shankar, CEO of Nevales Networks states that for a SMB business owner cloud computing is attractive from a cost point of view. But he cautions that its security is yet to be proven convincingly.

“SMB owners should focus on how to secure their assets and resources which connect with the cloud and are within their control, as a first step. This ensures they have a more efficient network to securely leverage benefits of the Cloud. There is still some distance to go before Cloud is recognized for safety, till then SMB owners should focus on taking the first step of securing the access points at their end to the cloud,” Ravi Shankar added.

One of the compelling reasons that vendors have been using to get their customers to shift their processes to a cloud is the freedom from managing the security of their data assets. When a customer subscribes to a cloud service, the onus of ensuring the security of this data gets transferred automatically to the service provider.

At a time when IT budgets are dissolving, this will come as music to the ears of IT managers and CIOs. But before they pop the champagne they need to bear in mind one fact – just because the service provider is taking the charge for the security of the data on the cloud, it does not mean that they will also take the responsibility that the data complies to various international regulations.

How secure is a cloud?There is no denying that cloud computing

security is considered to be an issue and vendors of all hues are trying their best to come up with ways to make it completely secure. For instance, Nevales provides SMB owners a security services platform which is on demand to connect securely and access the benefits of the cloud. By doing so, the SMB company can protect its own assets

and better leverage cloud services.One of the reasons why cloud computing

is throwing up challenges for security is because the data resides on a single service provider’s cloud and can be accessed through various shared computing sources.

The Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) was commissioned by HP to conduct a research to detail the potential threats surrounding the use of cloud services. This resulted in the research paper, ‘Top Threats to Cloud Computing Report,” where information security experts across 29 enterprises, solution providers, and consulting firms shared their feedback about cloud environments.

This survey highlighted the following as the leading threats for cloud computing:

• Abuse and nefarious use of cloud computing

• Insecure application programming interfaces

• Malicious insiders• Shared technology vulnerabilities• Data loss/leakage• Account, service and traffic hijacking• Unknown risk profile In the end, to be able to fully leverage

on the benefits of cloud computing it is essential that organizations invest the right resources to appropriately secure their data assets. The cloud service providers will definitely do their bit to ensure that the right levels of security is built into their service models. But customers too need to realize the security implications associated to cloud services before they shift the processes to it. After all, it is always better to be safe than sorry, especially where data security is concerned. l

When a customer moves to a cloud computing service, on who does the onus of providing security for the data assets fall?

The onus of securing the data will always rest on the customer. While cloud service providers do take reasonable precautions to make sure their services are secure, they can’t give a fool-proof security blanket to the companies who avail of their services. But since ultimately it is the customer’s data, they should take the initiative of ensuring that the transmission of data to and fro the cloud service provider is in their control and secure.Can a cloud be made completely secure? If yes, how?

I don’t think any service can ever be completely secure, including cloud. Today, people use Google Mail for their communication needs and while it is reasonably safe, one can’t vouch for the fact that it is infallible. By extension all other applications, existing and evolving, will have some backdoors for hackers to destabilize the service. No service provider can ever claim that they have plugged all these loops. What according to you are compelling reasons for customers, especially SMB organizations, to move to cloud services? What are the value propositions of a cloud to a SMB organization?

It is just a matter of time before SMB customers move to the cloud. And the reason behind this is simple economics. Soon, all the applications from the cloud will be available at very economical prices, which will compel SMB customers to opt for them.

Add to this, SMBs will also be alleviated of the management of these applications, as the service providers will oversee this. These are the two compelling reasons for SMBs to opt for cloud.How is Nevales trying to offer security to their customers who might be considering moving to the cloud?

Nevales offers security to SMB customers with its solutions where it acts as the gatekeeper for their data flow. This means that while we do not offer any cloud-based security services, we ensure that malevolent data is not transmitted into our customer’s network.


CHANNEL World

Rashi announces 6th Edition of CBF

Rashi Peripherals has announced the commencement of the sixth edition of Channel Business Forum (CBF) to be held across the country starting with Nashik and Amravati simultaneously from 12 November 2010 onwards.

CBF VI is based on the theme “Voice of Partners” which aims at empowering

partners to voice their opinion through unique format of audience polling on the lines of Amitabh famed KBC. As a national distributor, Rashi Peripherals has always looked upon the feedback from partners as stepping stones in its journey towards new horizons.

CBF – VI will travel across 50 cities spanning all categories aiming to cover more than 5000 partners within three months’ duration. The phase 1 of CBF – VI will begin from Nasik and Amravati simultaneously from 12 November onwards and end at Kota in January 2011.

CBF VI 2010 partners are ADATA, APC, ASUS, Lenovo, Logitech and Toshiba.

Announcing the CBF – VI open, Suresh Pansari, Director; Rashi Peripherals, said, “This year, we have seen the market picking up a momentum which looks strong enough to continue in future. To keep our partners abreast of all developments, we have maintained consistency in keeping them trained and updated collecting valuable feedback from them. These feedbacks have helped us enormously in formulating future growth strategies. Through CBF – VI, we will be reaching out to partners, in the top 50 cities excluding metros, to empower them to voice their concerns and opinions.”

Rashi initiated CBF event series to inform, educate and train channel partners on the upcoming technologies and products. In its launch year 2005, CBF – I debated on the Assembled V/s Branded concept, whereas CBF – II in 2006 spoke of Rashi’s digital vision and beyond. CBF – III took a trip through TRENDZ 2007 and CBF – IV in 2008 showcased how Rashi is refueling IT through the 4 Ps – Profit, Power, Product and Partnership. CBF – V propagated the need to change the way IT business is done.

SafeNet to Offer Partners New Opportunities for GrowthSafeNet Inc. a global leader in information security, today announced the launch of

a new ‘Channel Partner Recruitment Program’ in India for partners offering “SafeWord” an out-of-the-box One-Time Password (OTP) two-factor authentication solution to help customers enable secure remote access to their organizations’ most sensitive and confidential resources and applications. The program, focused on helping partners

maximize sales opportunities and accelerate profitability, is now being rolled out PAN India.

“The vision behind SafeNet’s channel program is to offer opportunities for predictable, profitable growth for our partners and enable them to deliver solutions and services that protect

customers’ most critical information via SafeWord (OTP) authentication solution,” said Mr.Rana Gupta, Business Head – India & SAARC, SafeNet. Through this program we are planning to add approximately 30 new channel partners in our network and strengthening our reach and offering added Mr.Rana Gupta.

Partners who already have an experience with any kind of network perimeter security appliances or remote connectivity appliances and owning dedicated relationships will be ideally suited for offering the SafeWord to their customer base and adding another revenue stream to their business.

The Channel Program rewards partner investment in SafeNet solutions and services. It includes innovative sales incentives for partners, full training on SafeNet SafeWord products. The new program will enable partners to be more profitable with SafeNet solutions, drive growth opportunities leveraging SafeNet’s comprehensive product and solution offerings. SafeNet has worked out a gift voucher scheme to incentivize its partners selling its SafeWord range of products.

SafeWord offers both hardware and software authenticators, as well as management software and maintenance, in an all-in-one OTP authentication solution that is easy to install, use and manage. The SafeNet’s SafeWord two-factor authentication mechanism ensures that only properly authenticated users can access critical applications and data. And for organizations seeking more flexible, on-the-go authentication options, SafeWord’s MobilePASS software authentication solution provides OTP functionality on mobile and desktop devices.

Gigabyte Triples Number Of Resellers GIGABYTE has announced that it has tripled its number of Value Partners through

the Q3 GIGABYTE Value Partner Program (GVPP), over the figures achieved in the Q2 program. Receiving an overwhelming response from the channel community across the country, over 850 resellers took advantage of the Q3 program, compared to 300 in the Q2 program.

An amazing number of over 2,000 resellers registered for the Q3 program, named the ‘5 Million Salebrations Program’ (to highlight GIGABYTE India reaching 5 million

installed base of its motherboards in India), which was run from July 1 to September 30, 2010. Of these, over 850 have become eligible for attractive prizes, such as gold coins, laptop bags, trendy jackets, and movie tickets (depending on the points redeemed), and also qualified for the lucky draw that can win them bikes, LCD televisions, iPods, etc. The points collected by partners for the Q3 GVPP totaled 4 million, wherein they were eligible for winning gifts worth the same amount as the number of points earned by them.

The 2-tier scheme not only ensured wider geographical penetration for GIGABYTE motherboards, but also ensured the graduation of a large number of resellers from Value Partners to Premium Partners. The Q3 scheme was extended to include Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions across states, such as Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Kerala, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.


PrODUCt Launch


How big is virtualization market in India?

Although the overall market for virtualization in India is nascent, the technology around desktop-virtualization is emerging as one of the major technology trends in enterprise, government and education. The huge economic advantage in both cost of acquisition and on-going maintenance of desktop virtualization is propelling the technology towards mainstream. Moreover, organizations are increasingly aware of their environmental footprint and are deploying virtualization as a tool to reduce power utilization and computing waste Some of the world’s largest virtualization deployments are in India, such as EISC. In fact, India is leading the world in large scale desktop virtualization deployments. How NComputing has posi-tioned itself in Indian mar-ket?

NComputing breaks the affordability and complexity barriers that have limited the PCs from being deployed everywhere. With the combination of its access devices and virtualization software, a single PC can be shared by up to 30 users at one time by tapping its unused capacity. Each person run their own applications and has their own files, settings and preferences without the bulk, expense and on-going overhead of a dedicated PC. These devices

are low-cost, use very little electricity and are very easy to set up and maintain. Furthermore, the solution is compatible with standard PC applications so IT staff and end-users do not require special training. India is a huge market for NComputing; our technology is already widely adopted. We have 2, 50,000 seats in India and are growing rapidly. Our customer base varies from educational institutions, governments, enterprises as well as smaller businesses. NComputing has been ranked #1 in enterprise client device shipments in Asia. IDC’s Q2 2010 Worldwide Enterprise Client Devices Tracker ranked the company #1 in Asia Pacific shipments at 25.2% share and fastest quarter on quarter growth at 50.2% (when combining the thin client and terminal client categories).

Recently NComputing has collabo-rated with its national distributor Redington? Can you put some light on that?

NComputing along with its national distributor, Redington, announced the appointment of Redington Reverse Logistic Center (RRLC). The two companies are collaborating to expand

and enhance customer satisfaction and experience with the launch of the new call-in number to provide a smooth RMA (Return Material Authorization) process for NComputing customers across India. The toll line number is 044-39184313.The process is simple and easy to use. As soon as customer RRLC, an executive tries to address and solve the query. If any fault exists in the products, RRLC trained representatives ensure fact product replacementHow Many channel partners do you have? Can you put some light on the kind of engagement with your tier 1 and tier 2 partners

NComputing’s channel partner program offers three levels of participation, Premier, Select and

Authorized. The program has been designed to provide IT resellers, VARs and System Integrators with strong customer and revenue opportunities from the fast growing desktop virtualization market.

Depending on the level, NComputing channel partners have access to the company’s award-winning desktop access devices, sales, marketing and technical support, and lead generation. The company’s solutions support both Microsoft Windows and Linux, and augment the value of an enterprise’s VDI investment by easily integrating with vendors including VMware, Citrix

By Amit Sinha

[email protected]

Business Focus


and Microsoft. A partnership with NComputing provides the channel with a proven product range and technology environment to build their desktop virtualization practices. Desktop virtualization presents many layers of business opportunity to the channel. NComputing’s family of products delivers low cost of entry to customers with a quality margin for channel partners. Moreover, the ongoing cost savings of NComputing desktop access solutions, including 75% less maintenance and 90% less energy costs, can be redirected into complementary products and services such as storage, security, and networking to strengthen a customer’s IT environment and, at the same time, strengthen the customer/

Manish SharmaVice-PresidentNComputing, APAC region

channel partnershipWhat new is NComputing is bringing to the table for the Indian market?

We recently launched our L300, which is an enterprise ready solution that provides powerful thin and zero client access and performance including full-motion multi-media playback, fast and simple deployment, and powerful management tools. . We expect the L300 to expand adoption of VDI in the enterprise. We also recently expanded our channel program to bring the best possible product, solution and service experience to our customers. As far as future products and services, we will continue to bring ground breaking innovation to the India market and to transform the economics of desktop

computing. What Kind of service RRLC is pro-viding to the customers?

NComputing and RRLC are collaborating to expand on the customer satisfaction and customer experience with the launch of the new call-in number to provide a smooth RMA (Return Material Authorization) process for NComputing customers across India. The toll line number of NComputing is 044-39184313.NComputing continues to invest in providing a world class support system through a well established RMA provider. Customers can call Redington Reverse Logistic Center (RRLC) to get fast assistance on issues pertaining to NComputing products across India. This initiative also strengthens the after-sales-services of NComputing products and facilitates quick replacement of any products across any location in India.Is India a key market for NComput-ing?

Yes, India is a key market for NComputing. With youth and education a priority focus in a developing country like India NComputing is already the de-facto standard for education in the majority of Indian states like Andhra Pradesh where 50, 000 NComputing virtual desktops are deployed in 5000 schools to benefit 1.8 million children. The company recently announced success with Indian state education ministries of Punjab, Rajasthan and Bihar. NComputing technology has also been implemented by The Ministry of Education, Government of Punjab, Pakistan which recently deployed over 64,000 of the company’s virtual desktop devices in 4286 schools, benefitting 3.4 million students. What are NComputing’s future plans for India market?

We will continue to lead in education and to play an increasingly important role as a key technology partner to business throughout India. We will continue to strengthen our channel, channel training and customer service and experience. NComputing’s virtual desktop solutions are so well placed for countries such as India. We often find infrastructure is nascent or in early stages, energy and power resources are precious commodities, and economic power is limited. Our products and technology overcome these limitations and become part of the solution and the future. Just as India is focused on growth and transformation so is NComputing. It is a powerful partnership. l

Business Focus


NEtWOrKING buzz

What ranges of products and solution do you have?

Fortinet the leading provider of network security provider and worldwide leader of UTM (Unified threat Management) solutions holds a comprehensive portfolio of security gateways and complementary products that offers a powerful blend of ASIC-accelerated performance, integrated multi-threat protection, and constantly-updated, in-depth threat intelligence. This unique combination delivers the highest level of network, content, and application security for enterprises of all sizes, managed service providers, and telecommunications carriers, while reducing total cost of ownership and providing a flexible, scalable path for expansion. Fortinet product portfolio includes FortiGate (the flagship product of Fortinet), FortiAnalyzer, FortiClient, FortiDB, FortiMail, FortiManager, FortiScan, and FortiWeb.What is the strategy of Fortinet to com-pete against new innovative technolo-gies and products?

Almost a decade ago, Fortinet pioneered the concept of UTMs to offer all key enterprise security needs including firewall, IPSec VPN, SSL-VPN, intrusion prevention, antivirus, web filtering and antispam within one single high performance appliance, with its very own operating system and robust ASIC based hardware application environment. In terms of innovative strategies, Fortinet UTM solutions are designed to provide secure working multi-tenancy environments, for both data centre and cloud based enterprise applications, cyber security and

mobile treats with innovative technologies. Fortinet constantly listens to our customers in order to bring forth the most innovative and relevant technology to the market. In addition, we keep a close eye on the malware evolution with our in-house global FortiGuard research centres and owe our own technology. This keeps us competitive and gives us market advantage.What is the go to market strategy of Fortinet in India?

Fortinet’s go-to-market approach will generally be dealt with on two fronts, the channel and partner segments. On the channel front, we are constantly looking out for ways to improve, streamline and better our go-to-market approach from recruiting partners to the point and getting the best solution possible to our resellers and end users. On the customer/end user fronts, we are constantly communicating our technology value proposition. We offer performance and value to end users across the portfolio.What are the key features of Fortinet products that distinguish it from com-petition?

A pioneer of UTM solutions, Fortinet has always been step ahead over all other security vendors who followed it with their own versions of UTM solutions. Fortinet products leverage breakthroughs in chip design, networking, security and content pattern recognition analysis. Fortinet’s high-performance security ASIC (FortiASIC™) and patent pending Content Pattern Recognition Language (CPRL) are specifically designed to speed up the computationally intensive routines commonly associated with complete

content protection and complete security solution. Fortinet’s age old policy to offer per-box licensing eliminates costly per user licensing fees and maintenance charged by our numerous competitors, sometimes these can add 4-5 times the capital purchase price to the annual operation budget. Our technology is also fully owned by the company with in house research capabilities, this gives us the flexibility to drive our strategy and stay ahead of the curve.How Fortinet is focused on it Chan-nel partners? What is the distribution model of Fortinet in India?

We have deployed a multi-layered channel policy in India. Ingram Micro, the world’s leading largest distributor of IT peripherals and products, is our sole distributor. Ingram distributes our award winning products to a select set of highly qualified system integrators and VARs, who in turn cater to security solution needs of end customers across all key industry verticals, geographies and application sub segments. Which vertical will you be focusing on primarily?

Fortinet has seen demands across a number of sectors, including Banking and Finance sectors. Other major sectors include, Telecom, Automobile industry, Educational institutions, Manufacturing and government sectors. Our UTM offerings are designed for deployment across customer types. Having led ground up in developing the UTM market in India, we continue to reach out and educate customers on benefits of this exciting concept.

Securing Virtual Fortinet:

Architectures


NEtWOrKING buzz

What are your future plans and pro-grams in India?

Fortinet has achieved revenue milestones over these 10 years with innovative technology and products. We are confident that our strong performance in providing robust security on consolidated platforms will continue to push on in India, as we market ourselves to the key vertical markets and further optimize our outward evangelism in the marketplace while providing value and constant innovation. In addition, the rise in the security market is fuelled by the increasingly sophisticated threats and management overheads facing each organization. The security and vulnerability management (SVM) market is predicted to post the largest growth this year among the segments of the IT security industry, according to the IDC. This market will expand 19 per cent to US$115.44 million in 2010.What new is Fortinet bringing to the table for the Indian market?

Most recently, we have just announced four new virtual appliances that extend the company’s ability to deliver security across virtualized and cloud environments. Fortinet has been securing virtual architectures since the introduction of Virtual Domain (VDOM) technology in 2004. Fortinet strengthened its virtualization capabilities in 2006 after it acquired the intellectual property and technology of CoSine Communications, one of the early leaders in the virtual appliance industry. The technology enables service providers to differentiate their on-demand platforms with a full range of value-add virtualized network security services. Large enterprises rely as well on Fortinet technology to protect the data within their private and hybrid clouds. This new launch will help us extend our footprint in the Indian market by offering customers additional selection beyond the current portfolio.What are some of the trends that the industry is going to see in the year ahead?

The network security market is one avenue for rapid trends and is cited to be one of the most dynamic areas in the technology sector. UTM is a key trend with service providers and enterprise of all sizes realizing the benefits consolidation brings over point solution in terms of cost and effectiveness against the blended threatscape. The trends that the industry is going to see in the following years are;o The emphasis of protecting information

should not just the systems. As consumers and businesses like move to

store more and more of their important information online, the requirements for security will go beyond simply managing systems to protecting the data these systems house. Rather than focusing on developing processes for protecting the systems that house information, more granular control will be demanded - by users and by companies - to protect the data stored therein.

o Tackling myths about security and the cloud: One of the reasons consistently given for not moving to the cloud is fears about security. As cloud computing continues its adoption, both vendors and customers will have to better understand the questions to ask and the services to provide in order to maintain security.

o New platforms and new devices will create new opportunities for cyber criminals. Security threats have long been associated with personal computers running Windows. But the proliferation of new platforms and new devices - the iPhone, the iPad, Android, for example - will likely create new threats. The Android phone saw its first Trojan this

summer, and reports continue with malicious apps and spyware, and not just on Android.

o Malware will appear on “reputable” sites. No longer is it simply “sketchy” website that is poised to infect users’ computers. As computer users have become more savvy about email scams, some scammers are starting to purchase advertising on reputable sites instead.

o “Old” threats still pose a risk. Although SQL-injections, cross-site-scripting, and vulnerabilities in various applications are not new, they continue to be one of the main entry points for attackers gaining access to networks and data.The pressure will be on the

companies to move quickly to respond to these vulnerabilities. Although new techniques are constantly being developed but still has much to do in order to secure themselves from older threats to their networks. And as always, the human element - the people who click on strange links, via Direct Message, via email, or via web advertising - will be the biggest hurdle for organizations to overcome. l

Vishak RamanRegional DirectorIndia & SAARC,

Fortinet


By Amit Sinha

[email protected]

SECUrItY buzz

IP Based Surveillance Is the Next Big Thing in

physical security market

organized electronic sector is around 50, the unorganized sector accounts for about 800 units. Many Indian companies have collaborated with foreign manufacturers and are marketing foreign products in India. Security equipment is imported mainly from USA, UK, Germany, Singapore, Italy, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan.

The surveillance market in India has matured over the last few years. The concept of “You Are Not Alone” has become more popular. The adoption of wireless surveillance has also gained momentum significantly. In India, where video surveillance is limited to closed environments, is poised to jump the curve—analog technology to digital—from closed spaces to public places.

It is projected that $10 billion (Rs. 47,500 crore) cumulative will be spend on homeland security in India by 2017, according to the market research firm Frost and Sullivan (F&S). Another report by ASSOCHAM shows that corporate are likely to increase their security budgets by 35-40%. Demand for security equipment

The Indian market of security and surveillance still has a got legacy of analog based closed circuit television (CCTV) systems which hold an immense potential for conversion to IP based systems. The market is witnessing a major growth coming from various sectors such as Government, public places, hospitality sector, airport security, BFSI, education, manufacturing, etc. Today, the Government still remains the biggest spender on physical security or surveillance solutions. With the advancement of technologies network security and physical security are converging. Surveillance cameras are popping up everywhere - shopping malls, city streets, parking lots, city parks just to name a few.

As customers are converging their physical security infrastructure and operations, and have begun to use the IP network as the platform, they have begun to gain significant value through rapid access to relevant information and interoperability between other IP-centric systems. IP-Surveillance solutions have emerged as an attractive alternative to the DVR as it provides a bridge to enter the digital world with the ultimate solution of a high-performance, low-cost digital video surveillance and monitoring. This creates a higher level of situational awareness and allows intelligent decisions to be made more quickly.

India surveillance and Security MarketThe Indian market for electronic

security equipment is categorised into the electronic sector and non-electronic sectors and organized and informal sectors. While the total number of players in the

has increased by 10-15% and the private security industry in India is expected to touch Rs. 50,000 crore by 2012 (125% growth as opposed to the 25% that’s been the norm for the past five years).

Another growing trend in the physical security and video surveillance industry is a rapid movement away from the traditional analog-based CCTV video technologies towards video-over-IP formats for networked video surveillance and digital recording. The Indian surveillance market, which is about 30% of the security industry, predominantly consists of analog installations. There is, however, a shift taking place from analog to IP-based surveillance. The IP-based surveillance market in India is valued at about $50-60 million today and it is expected to grow at 45% YoY for the next four to five years. The adoption of better compression techniques, multi platform integration and HDTV for improved image quality has helped surveillance video to be used for alternative applications beyond security.

The major factor that is stimulating the growth of IP based cameras over CCTVs camera is because of the ability of IP camera to expose the data to outside world. IP cameras can transmit live video images across the Internet, which makes it possible to monitor a location from anywhere in the world. IP cameras allow the user to monitor and record live video over the LAN or through the Internet. Other prominent feature of IP cameras is that it allows two-way communication and full audio-visual capabilities. It also provides remote focusing and can be moved using a Web interface. With these advantages over CCTV, IP cameras have gained importance


SECUrItY buzz

and popularity.Realising the existence of a high-tech

terror industry, governments are increasing investments in the digital surveillance and digital security technologies. Fuelled by increased security concerns among private and public enterprises the demand for video surveillance systems is soaring among them. The majority of investments are channelised towards rapid development of cameras and other surveillance technologies. The use of IP servers and cameras popularly known as “streamers” is becoming one of the most noteworthy trends in the video surveillance market today.

Benefit of going DigitalFor the past 20 years, monitoring

and surveillance applications have been served by analog technology. CCTV has traditionally been recorded to VCRs (video cassette recorders), and because of its perceived ease of use and manageable price point, analog was probably the right choice at the time of purchase. However, the rise of digital has laid bare analog’s many shortcomings. Analog CCTV systems are generally maintenance intensive, offer no remote accessibility, and are notoriously difficult to integrate with other systems. Despite these obvious deficiencies, the end user who has invested in cameras, cables, and more, and is satisfied with the current quality is right to ask, “Why buy new equipment?”

Implementing a digital system does not require throwing away those trusted

(and already paid-for) cameras. With IP-Surveillance, any one can still use all the cameras, lenses, and cables in place through step-by-step migration to digital technology. And if this is not enough reason to seriously consider an upgrade, examine the TLV (time-lapse video) recording component. These systems are highly labor intensive because of the need to change tapes and perform system maintenance. Tape wear and tear is an ever-present problem. Furthermore, the actual quality of the images recorded is often unsatisfactory, particularly if used for official investigations. With the introduction of digital video recorder (DVR) technology, the storage media are no longer dependent on operator

intervention or tape quality. And with IP-Surveillance technology, the video server and network server represent the next level of improvement by connecting existing cameras to the network with a video server and then storing the images on the network server.

Factors To Consider While Moving To Digital

The transition from an existing analog system to a high-functioning digital IP-Surveillance system can be done step by step and in a cost-effective manner,

but there are still a number of factors to consider. What about network bandwidth, bandwidth connections (network, xDSL, ISDN, cellular phone etc.), hard disk storage requirements and software?

Network BandwidthIf you are using a local network, cameras

can be patched through a special dedicated router for the camera, thus eliminating most concerns about bandwidth. However, if images are sent by PSTN, bandwidth considerations do come into play. To get a performance of 30 frames per second, you need a minimum bandwidth of 120 kB/s.

Hard disk spaceHard disk storage requirements are

dependent on the frame rate of the video

you want to store. If you want to store all video at 30 frames per second (30 fps) as opposed to 1 fps, then that requires 30 times the amount of storage. Each application has different recording and storage needs in terms video fps, and hard disk storage requirements will differ accordingly.

Software applicationA wide variety of software applications

can be used. What software to use is governed by the end-user application and their specific needs. An example of video management software is Milestone’s

The surveillance market in India is pegged at 1,800 crore, of which IPs cameras contribute 200 crore.


Xprotect Business product, advanced and highly scalable video surveillance software with built motion detection, intelligent PTZ patrolling features, high capacity recording and remote access via the Web. Another is management software from SeeTec, software for remote camera configuration and management, direct or automatic control of cameras and accessory equipment, image representation, display and message forwarding. A third is the Softsite32 from JDS Digital Security Systems. Softsite32 is a stand-alone application that enables viewing, recording and management of video streams and snapshots.

Benefits Of Network Video Surveillance Over CCTV

The digital, network video surveillance system provides a host of benefits and advanced functionalities that cannot be provided by an analog video surveillance system. The advantages include remote accessibility, high image quality, event management and intelligent video capabilities, easy integration possibilities and better scalability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

Remote accessibilityNetwork cameras and video encoders

can be configured and accessed remotely, enabling multiple, authorized users to view live and recorded video at any time and from virtually any networked location in the world. This is advantageous if users would like a third-party company, such as a security firm, to also gain access to the video. In a traditional analog CCTV system, users would need to be at a specific, on-site monitoring location to view and manage video, and off-site video access would not be possible without such equipment as a video encoder or a network digital video recorder (DVR). A DVR is the digital replacement for the video cassette recorder.

High image qualityIn a video surveillance application,

high image quality is essential to be able to clearly capture an incident in progress and identify persons or objects involved. With progressive scan and megapixel technologies, a network camera can deliver better image quality and higher resolution than an analog CCTV camera.

Image quality can also be more easily retained in a network video system than in an analog surveillance system. With analog systems today that use a DVR as the recording medium, many analog-to-digital conversions take place: first, analog signals are converted in the camera to digital and then back to analog for transportation;

then the analog signals are digitized for recording. Captured images are degraded with every conversion between analog and digital formats and with the cabling distance. The further the analog video signals have to travel, the weaker they become.

In a fully digital IP-Surveillance system, images from a network camera are digitized once and they stay digital with no unnecessary conversions and no image degradation due to distance traveled over a network. In addition, digital images can be more easily stored and retrieved than in cases where analog video tapes are used.

Event management and intelligent video

There is often too much video recorded and lack of time to properly analyze them. Advanced network cameras and video encoders with built-in intelligence or analytics take care of this problem by reducing the amount of uninteresting recordings and enabling programmed

responses. Such functionalities are not available in an analog system.

Event management functionalities can be configured using the network video product’s user interface or a video management software program. Users can define the alarms or events by setting the type of triggers to be used and when. Responses can also be configured.

Easy, future-proof integrationNetwork video products based on open

standards can be easily integrated with computer and Ethernet-based information systems, audio or security systems and other digital devices, in addition to video management and application software. For instance, video from a network camera can be integrated into a Point of Sales system or a building management system.

Scalability and flexibilityA network video system can grow with

a user’s needs. IP-based systems provide a means for many network cameras and video encoders, as well as other types of applications, to share the same wired or wireless network for communicating data; so any number of network video products can be added to the system without

significant or costly changes to the network infrastructure. This is not the case with an analog system. In an analog video system, a dedicated coaxial cable must run directly from each camera to a viewing/recording station. Separate audio cables must also be used if audio is required. Network video products can also be placed and networked from virtually any location, and the system can be as open or as closed as desired.

Cost-effectivenessAn IP-Surveillance system typically

has a lower total cost of ownership than a traditional analog CCTV system. An IP network infrastructure is often already in place and used for other applications within an organization, so a network video application can piggyback off the existing infrastructure. IP-based networks and wireless options are also much less expensive alternatives than traditional coaxial and fiber cabling for an analog CCTV system. In addition, digital video streams can be routed around the world using a variety of interoperable infrastructure. Management and equipment costs are also lower since back-end applications and storage run on industry standard, open systems-based servers, not on proprietary hardware such as a DVR in the case of an analog CCTV system. Furthermore, Power over Ethernet technology, which cannot be applied in an analog video system, can be used in a network video system. PoE enables networked devices to receive power from a PoE-enabled switch or midspan through the same Ethernet cable that transports data (video). PoE provides substantial savings in installation costs and can increase the reliability of the system.

In The endThe digital solution is easier and

cheaper than you think. Even with the enormous growth of CCTV and the recent acceleration in migration to digital video technology, significant hurdles remain for a majority of users in making the switch from analog to digital video recording. Many end users are still not aware that there is a step-by-step path available to transform existing analog security systems to digital technology. In terms of education, most end users still need a deeper understanding of the benefits and possibilities of digital and network-based surveillance systems. It is also important to know that in the transition from analog to digital surveillance systems, no system is too small or too tightly tied to analog technology, to benefit from digital. Even a single analog camera connected to a video server will provide the user with the full range of advantages that come from digital, networked surveillance. l

SECUrItY buzz


How big is Security market in India?This year the security market should grow to 140 million as

India is showing tremendous growth as far as security market is concerned How WatchGuard is positioned in Indian market?

WatchGuard has a very strong position in India security market as we have been here for almost close to a decade and our products have also been making consistent improvement in terms of features and enhancements What’s your strategy against the competition?

Our engineering team has been working very hard to develop new features and enhancements which would give an edge over our competition. we have recently launched our new series of appliance XTM 2 and XTM 5 which is doing very well in the market .What is the go to market strategy of WatchGuard in In-dia?

Our go to market strategy is very clear, initially we started aligning with Tier two channel partners but now we have started partnering with tier 1 as well. We have also had a clear focus on the end customer which gives is better control in the market Which vertical will you be focusing on primarily?

As we continue to focus on corporate but our main focus would be on government and education institute How many channel partners do you have? What are doing to empower your channel partners?

We have around 80 Channel partners across in India who have been consistently doing our business and we have regular training so that we can empower on the latest technologies and innovations about the product What is the core strength of the company? What are the additional benefits which we are planning to give it to the Channel Partners compared to competition?

The core strength of our organization is our technology which gives us an edge over our competition. We are running an incentive scheme which incentivizes the channel not on closures but on leads which has helped our business to grow.What are the key features of WatchGuard products that distinguish these from competition?

Lies in Innovation

WatchGuardStrength

Our products have superior engines in terms of our gateway anti-virus , anti-spam ,url filtering and intrusion prevention system .These are all commercial tools which given us edge over our competition . We also have unique feature which is upgradability within the family which is not with any other UTM across the globe where we can upgrade the model of the UTM without the change of hardware. This can be done with the help of license.What trend the industry is going to witness in the year ahead?

I am sure that there is going to a growth of 20 to 30 percent in the coming year as the demand for security continues to grow. Organization are getting more security conscious so that demand has to grow from here l

Mohit Puri

Country Manager, WatchGuard (India/SAARC)

SECUrItY buzz


PrODUCt Launch

XFX introduces HD 6850 and HD 6850 graphics cardsXFX has added a new dimension to gaming with its XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 graphics cards. This latest series of

AMD Radeon graphics cards is AMD’s first introduction of a 3-D gaming and multi-media solution for desktop computers, plus one of the first HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 solutions for Stereoscopic 3-D on the market.

This advance into Stereoscopic 3-D ushers in a new era of gaming that takes it to the next level. With up to 120 Hz active shutter technology, the quality of 3-D achievable with the AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 is unprecedented in comparison to previous 3-D solutions created by other manufacturers. The AMD 3-D experience is truly immersive and seamless.

As part of the AMD Open Stereo 3-D initiative, AMD has teamed up with other Open 3-D ecosystem partners to provide consumers with “more choice, more innovation and lower cost.”

These standards help make AMD Radeon solutions more readily compatible with a broader range of choices for building a computer with a stereo 3-D solution including hardware, software, middleware, glasses as well as displays.

XFX AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 graphics cards kick down the doors into a new realm of gaming as the second generation of DirectX 11-capable graphics cards. 1 GB DDR5 ram is filling enough for even the most hungry gamer and the core speed (775 MHz in the HD 6850, 900 MHz in the HD 6870) can keep up even in the most intense of gaming scenarios.

Shaders at speeds of up to 800 in the HD 6850 and 960 in the HD 6870, ensure that graphics are consistent, crisp and life-like. The chipset is based on the previous dual engine architecture, but it’s been revamped for improved gaming action.

AMD EyeSpeed Visual Acceleration Technology improves video image quality and application performance for crisp, incredible video, 3-D photos and Blu-ray 3-D. This cutting edge technology also accelerates video formats like DiVX and DivX Plus HD and features improved performance with applications like Microsoft Office 2010, Internet Explorer 9 and Mozilla Firefox 4.

Enrich your online video and Blu-ray 3-D viewing experience with unrivaled, smooth performance and stunning visuals. The AMD Radeon HD 6870 and HD 6850 graphics cards are 3-D ready and offer no-compromise performance with a flawless

image quality for even the most demanding games. AMD’s HD3D technology fully supports Stereoscopic 3-D gaming, so users aren’t just playing the game – they’re in it.

HP unveils ePrint-enabled OfficeJet portfolio

HP has announced the launch of its ePrint enabled OfficeJet printers. Designed for offices and users working out of home, HP’s unique ePrint technology, incorporated in the new all-in-one printings solutions, provides users with the freedom and convenience to print from any mobile device, wherever business happens.

Elaborating on the launch, Rajkumar Rishi, Director – Inkjet & Web Solutions, Imaging & Printing Group, HP India said, “As the global imaging and printing solutions provider, HP understands the need of 24x7 available technologies. With the massive growth of the internet and smartphones, and even touch technology, the new HP web-empowered printers will make access to web content and printing easier for offices easily from anytime and anywhere in the world. Thus, making life simpler for an executive on a tour to send a business document using a Palm Pre or BlackBerry® smartphone instead of being physically present in the vicinity of the printer. HP promises to make printing that convenient!”

With the new line of printers – HP Officejet Pro 8500A e-All-in-One, HP Officejet Pro 8500A Plus e-All-in-One HP Officejet 6500A, HP OfficeJet 6500A Plus and Officejet 7500A Wide Format e-All-in-one, users can print web content such as templates and stored documents without a PC by using HP print apps, and they can also print from any mobile device anywhere in the world. Admin teams can set up a ‘white list’ so that only specific users can send in mobile print commands; essentially, HP is enabling users to take the PC out of the printing equation. Also, for the first time, HP business users can print web content such as templates and stored documents without a PC by using HP print apps.

These innovations are designed to empower professionals and businesses to multitask anytime, anywhere. According to a recent research by Frost & Sullivan, titled ‘Smartphone Market Outlook: India’, with users increasingly seek a single gadget that has the power to support multiple tasks on the go, the spotlight will invariably fall on smartphones. The apps development community and mobile operating systems participants are the key enablers of smartphone ecosystem, wherein users prefer a single point of access and management of content. With personalized applications on the new HP ePrint enabled portfolio, businesses can leverage the convenience of printing through such internet enabled hand held devices.

HP also offers its users the Best Choice Portfolio, which ensures that they choose the ideal ink for their printing needs in terms of size, capacity, print volume et all. These customized cartridges are designed for the company’s inkjet portfolio, and ensure that hidden costs, including those related to ink and paper wastage are avoided, while the output quality and consistency remain unmatched, when compared to refills.

Ideal for businesses that want wired or wireless all-in-one—plus impressive colour results at less cost per page compared with lasers, the new OfficeJet series are here to ensure a simple way printing from anywhere, Office, home or on the go!


PrODUCt Launch

Juniper Networks Introduces the Next-Generation Core Router for the New Network

Juniper Networks has introduced its next-generation and the industry’s fastest core routing platform that delivers breakthrough levels of performance with the new network economics necessary to support service provider business models into the next decade. Juniper Networks T4000 Core Router, powered by the Junos operating system, provides the scalability and flexibility required to meet rapidly expanding bandwidth requirements, while extending the unprecedented investment protection of the T Series platform, the most widely deployed core routing platform in the world.

At 240 Gbps/slot, the T4000 is the industry’s fastest and densest IP/MPLS router, built and optimized for transport networks, the service provider backbone and major peering points around the world. With four terabits of line rate throughput in a half rack chassis, the T4000 is purpose-built to facilitate the continued rapid increase in multimedia applications, including enterprise collaboration and mobile video conferencing as well as new and emerging cloud and research applications.

Availability and Flexible InterfacesThe T4000 will support a diversity of interfaces, optimized to

deliver the benefits of 10/40/100GE.

Buffalo launches New Net-work Storage

Buffalo Technology has announced LinkStation Pro LS-VL series network storage. It offers instant storage expansion and file access on your home network and over the Internet.

Significantly faster than a USB hard drive, LinkStation Pro features a fast 1.6 GHz processor for maximum transfer speeds up to 76 MBps. LinkStation Pro makes central storage and backup easy. “Simply plug it into any network Ethernet port or into the back of your wireless router and instantly access it on any networked computer in your house.” said Mr. Susumu Kobayashi, Country Head, Buffalo Technology.

While on the go, use Buffalo’s free WebAccess service for remote access to your files over the Internet from any standard Web browser and download the free WebAccess i Apps from the iTunes store to access and share files from your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. LinkStation Pro also Includes NovaBACKUP Professional software for Windows and Time Machine support provide a whole home backup solution for every PC and Mac on your network.

Price& Warranty: Available in 2 capacities 1.0 TB (LS-V1.0TL) priced at Rs.12500 (SRP) & 2.0 TB (LS-V2.0TL) priced at Rs.16500 (SRP) with a warranty of 3 years.

Transcend launches 64 GB memory cards

Transcend has announced the company’s first 64GB Class 10 SDXC memory cards. Featuring an unprecedented amount of storage capacity and ultra fast transfer rates up to 25 MB/s, Transcend’s new Ultimate SDXC cards are perfect for consumers in need of extended Full HD video recording time and improved camera performance for high-resolution digital photography.

Fully Class 10 compliant, Transcend Ultimate SDXC cards boast read speeds up to 25 MB/s. This exceptional data transfer performance not only prevents lag when recording 1920x1080 Full HD videos, but also enables high-speed consecutive shooting at sporting or other fast-motion events. As more and more consumer electronic products such as HDTVs, Blu-ray players and mobile phones are expected to support SDXC in the near future, widespread adoption of SDXC is just around the corner.

Transcend’s new SDXC cards are comprehensively tested for compatibility and reliability.

Price: Rs.11220Warranty: Lifetime

Canon launches imageRUN-NER ADVANCE C2000 Se-ries

Canon to build on the asset of imageRUNNER ADVANCE print architecture platform introduces the C2000 series including imageRUNNER ADVANCE C2020 and C2020H. Building upon the Company’s number one position in the A3 MFD category this new series round out Canon’s portfolio to help meet the growing needs of a vast array of small and medium enterprises.

The C2000 series will assist SMB organizations to enjoy full

functionality, will help them scale their business in the future and will support them collaborate their imaging needs. The intelligent communications and advanced printing functionality of these new models, coupled with its compact design and uncompromising performance, will help improve digital workflow and enhance productivity for organizations. The series cements Canon’s commitment in bringing advanced functionalities to its customers, even in the low volume segment, making the advanced technology simple for everyone to use in the office scenario.

Announcing the launch of C2000 series of iR ADVANCE Mr. Puneet Datta, Assistant Director (Marketing) - BIS division, Canon India said, “With the colour market growing exponentially the new series will give an extra edge to small and medium enterprises at an affordable cost. The new imageRUNNER ADVANCE range is a true multi-role device that recognizes the importance of coloured documents in business and at the same time helps control costs associated with them. The new series delivers the benefits of digital copy, network print, color scanning, and optional fax features, along with flexible paper handling and finishing options that help save time, space, and most of all, document production costs.”


HP Delivers the Instant-On Enterprise for Business and Government

HP has unveiled its vision for the “Instant-On Enterprise” – organizations that embed technology into everything they do in order to better address the rapidly changing needs of customers and citizens.

HP also announced new integrated solutions that help businesses and governments create their own Instant-On Enterprise.

With the adoption of mobile and cloud computing, everything is becoming connected and immediate. As a result, customers and citizens expect responses in seconds and “instants,” instead of weeks and days.

New research conducted on behalf of HP reveals the role of IT in India is shifting from chiefly being the administrator of the enterprise, to becoming one and the same with the enterprise.— 80 percent of senior business and government executives believe that to better serve

customers and citizens they must rapidly adapt the enterprise to meet changes in consumer expectations.

— 73 percent believe that technology is the key to business and government innovation. — 76 percent indicated that in order to be successful, technology needs to be embedded in

the business or government service. With its new integrated solutions, HP is helping organizations reinvent their use of

technology to deliver innovation at every point in the value chain within the enterprise. This includes the services that are delivered, the mobile devices that provide the access, and the global data centers required to power the Instant-On Enterprise.

Intel, Other Top Companies Unveil New Cloud Mission

Intel outlined three key elements to its “Cloud 2015” vision: a world of interoperable “federated” clouds; “automated” movement of software applications and resources; and PC and device-savvy “client-aware” clouds that know what processing should take place in the cloud or on your laptop, smartphone or other device.

Intel helped create the Open Data Center Alliance of more than 70 top global businesses unified by Intel that will create a roadmap to drive interoperability, flexibility and industry standards for the cloud and next generation data centers. The Open Data Center Alliance represents more than $50 billion in annual IT investment.

Intel unveiled Intel Cloud Builders, featuring 20 of the world’s leading hardware and software makers who will commit resources to spur innovation and make clouds easier to deploy, use and share.

WatchGuard Sets New Standards for Firewalls with Application Control

WatchGuard has raised the bar of what constitutes a firewall by unveiling WatchGuard Application Control. With WatchGuard Application Control, businesses now gain in-depth, granular control over Web 2.0 applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and hundreds more. Not only does WatchGuard Application Control protect against the next generation of threats that leverage these popular applications, now businesses can rein in how individual employees use such applications, directly from the corporate firewall.

By leveraging more than 2,300 unique application signatures, WatchGuard Application Control enables the firewall to identify and control more than 1,500 applications. This level of control gives businesses new found freedom to align business needs with IT and security policies. By doing so, businesses gain greater efficiencies and improved productivity, and administrators gain unprecedented visibility and control over applications traversing their networks.

IN the news

Gartner Says Mobility will be a Trillion Dollar Business by 2014

Worldwide mobile voice and data revenue will exceed one trillion dollars a year by 2014, according to Gartner, Inc. Mobile will generate revenue from a wide range of additional services such as context, advertising, application and service sales, and so on. Each of these will be a significant business worth several tens of billions of dollars per year.

Gartner analysts outlined the future of the mobile industry at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, being held here through today.

“We see three major eras of mobility,” said Nick Jones, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “The device era was characterized by iconic devices such as the Motorola RAZR and was dominated by device manufacturers. This was followed by the application era which arrived with the iPhone, popularizing application and media stores. Going forward, the service and social era will build on the application era, but it will be characterized by cloud services and streaming media. Applications will survive, but often as a component of a more complex end-to-end experience involving the cloud.”

In mature markets, smartphones will dominate device sales for the foreseeable future. However, the dominant mobile device type shipped globally will be feature phones without an identifiable OS because emerging markets dominate handset demand. Organizations operating in emerging markets should assume smartphones will be a niche device beyond 2014.

Many new device types such as tablets and e-book readers will emerge through 2012 and some will find a role in corporations. However, none will achieve a market share comparable to smartphones or laptops, which will remain the dominant corporate mobile devices. Mobile knowledge workers will require both a PC and a smartphone through 2014.

The smartphone platform space is very competitive, and the leaders will change through 2014 with Symbian is losing share to Android and iPhone OS (iOS). Android is gaining ground fast and will appear on consumer electronics and non-handset devices such as tablets.


IN the newsWindows 7 completes one year with

record breaking numbersMicrosoft has outlined the strong momentum for Windows 7

since the launch of the operating system a year back. Globally, over 240 mn licenses have been sold making it the fastest selling operating system in history. In India too, over 7000 businesses are running Windows 7. Further, a study conducted by the CIO

Association of India reveals that over 80% are planning to deploy Windows 7 in less than 12 months time, highlighting the popularity of the operating system designed to make everyday life faster and easier. Windows 7 sales are already six times the sales of earlier Windows versions across retail stores. Leading businesses that have adopted Windows 7 include Cognizant Technologies, Dentsu Communications, GMR, Greenply, Infosys, L&T ECC, Manipal University, Microland, NTPC, Wipro and Tata Teleservicesto name a few.

Commenting on this milestone Mr. Sumeet Khanna, Director - Windows Client Business Group, Microsoft India said, “It has been a momentous year for us and we are excited and humbled by the huge uptake of the operating system in the country. The numbers itself are a demonstration of the fact that consumers and businesses alike are seeing value in the unique experiences delivered by the operating system. Our customers and partners are core to everything we do and we remain steadfast in our commitment to bring to market, solutions that add value to their lives”.

ZyXEL Introduces New Service-on-Demand Solutions

ZyXEL announces the presentation of its OSGi Multi-Service DSL Gateway Solution and End-to-End FTTx Solutions.

By focusing on providing d i f f e r e n t i a t e d solutions that enable the theme of ‘multi-service transformation’, ZyXEL introduces the OSGi Multi-service DSL Gateway Solution to help service providers and carriers with the capabilities to develop a variety of new services to satisfy the increasing demands from end users. It allows them to extend more future-proof, multi-service offerings for business exploration and growth. Hence, service providers are able to stay ahead of the competition with leading differentiations by providing end-users with value-added and personalized services.

To underline the role as an enabler for multi-service applications, ZyXEL introduces more All-in-One Integrated Multi-service Gateways that support emerging OSGi Service-on-Demand applications, including home automation, smart grid and MLBS (Mobile Location-Based Services). A smart grid allows customers to save energy and reduce costs. ZyXEL’s OSGi Gateway with ZigBee/Z-Wave control gateway function supports many ZigBee/Z-Wave smart metres that help consumers easily build an energy-efficient “home grid”. The MLBS facilitates the tracking services of people and personal assets. ZyXEL’s device supports MLBS to send GPS/GSM tracking information via SMS or e-mail to the receiver. Both of these emerging applications boost and strengthen new business opportunities for service providers.

Brocade Provides First Integrated Converged Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter

Brocade has announced that it will be offering the first fully converged embedded 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switch module and Converged Network Adapter (CNA) designed specifically for IBM BladeCenter server environments. The new converged switch module and CNA provide IBM BladeCenter customers with increased bandwidth through higher-density 8 Gbps Fibre Channel and 10 GbE port count, investment protection of their existing servers, and reduced hardware costs, along with unmatched flexibility and the scalability to grow.

The Brocade 8470 Switch Module for IBM BladeCenter and Brocade 1007 CNA for IBM BladeCenter expand Brocade’s embedded switch and adapter product line for the Data Center Bridging (DCB), Fibre Channel and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocols used in IBM BladeCenter environments. The Brocade 8470 switch module is the industry’s only truly converged embedded switch with both DCB and Fibre Channel ports, providing IBM BladeCenter customers with multiprotocol support that consolidates their IP and Fibre Channel I/O needs into a single switch.

Emerson Network Power Unveils DCIM Strategy

Emerson has introduced Trellis, the first integrated, single- information-source data center infrastructure management (DCIM) platform to bridge the critical gap between a data center’s IT equipment and facilities infrastructure.

The Trellis dynamic infrastructure optimization platform is a family of hardware, software and services designed to manage the dynamic nature and requirements of the infrastructure holistically from a central “source of truth,” enabling data center managers to make smarter decisions on the interplay between efficiency, availability and capacity utilization.

“Virtualization has brought greater flexibility and efficiency to data center management, but has introduced new complexities and pressures to the static physical infrastructure,” said Steve Hassell, president of the Avocent business of Emerson Network Power. Hassell was CIO at Emerson when the company built its new 35,000 square-foot, LEED Gold data center, an initiative that gave him first-hand experience with the challenges facing even a state-of-the-art data center. “Organizations today lack visibility into the impact of virtualization and the deployment of high-density servers on the physical infrastructure, and that keeps them from utilizing the full capacity of their equipment. We intend to provide that visibility along with the tools to manage and optimize changes to the physical infrastructure.”


You launched your Cloud Computing service some time back. What is the strategy behind getting in this space?

We have launched InstaCompute and InstaOffice in the cloud computing space. Tata Communications’ InstaCompute and InstaApps will help our customers to quickly leverage advanced IT and networking services, without the cost and complexity associated with them. Our offering will include compute services, data transfer services, and storage services. These services are an attempt to further our promise of bringing productivity enhancing services to Indian businesses. The launch marks the company’s expansion in the cloud computing space to deliver self-service, pay-as-you-use IT application and data center infrastructure services, accessed through the Internet.

Instant data centre infrastructure, InstaCompute, provides secure and elastic, on-demand computing and storage resources to businesses over the network, as and when they need them. Self-provisioned and completely automated, pay-per-use, InstaCompute allows organizations to manage their business in line with growing and fluctuating market demands and rapidly evolving technology. Computing and storage is based in India, can be paid for in Rupees or global currencies and provides the user with governance and cost controls. InstaCompute runs on compute and storage infrastructure from Dell.

To complement InstaCompute, InstaOffice (powered by Google Apps) brings global internet-based collaboration and office tools to Indian companies, with on-demand ease of use and pricing. InstaOffice tools include email and calendar, instant messaging, voice and video chat, as well as office document applications which are accessible to businesses when and where they need them. InstaOffice joins the other InstaApps that Tata Communications already offers in India: InstaCC (contact center), InstaCRM (customer relationship management) and InstaECM (content storage and management).Apart from the cost benefit, what are the other benefits that Indian businesses can get through cloud computing?

FACE-to-face

TATA Communication Goes

The Cloud Computing Way

Tata Communications Cloud Offering Brings Instant Performance to Indian BusinessesCloud-computing offers much more than just cost reduction. It

enables innovation and new business models where customers can focus on their core business and partner with Tata Communications to obtain instant IT and network services to support it. It is even more beneficial for the emerging market companies. They can leapfrog to world-class technology capabilities by adopting cloud-computing modelsCan you explain how Indian businesses will leverage from these services?

Driven by a rapidly evolving economy, Indian businesses desire flexibility and scalability of infrastructure as they pursue growth within India and overseas. Simultaneously, the competitive environment requires them to achieve their goals with low upfront investments.

We have a very strong network infrastructure. Our global IP (Internet protocol) network spans six continents with 150 nodes, and covers both developed and emerging markets. This can help Indian businesses harness the power of IT infrastructure and applications without them needing to invest capital, manpower and management resources. Large, medium and small businesses will immediately benefit from Tata Communications’ custom-made Indian delivery model, secure and reliable networks as well as India pricing and support. The India-specific model provides businesses with a clear understanding of how this new infrastructure can be leveraged and simplifies payment options on a pay-as-you-grow basis. Have you partnered with any other companies to offer these services?

Yes, we have. We have tied up with Google for its Google Apps. Google Apps powers our InstaOffice services, which offers Internet-based online office collaboration tools like e-mail and chat, and office document applications.How are you planning to market these services?

Our major thrust is on online sales through our dedicated website. We are also working very closely with our channel partners to push these services. Apart from that, we also engage in some direct sales activities. l


Xerox Announces New Digital Color 550/560 PrinterXerox has launched a new entry-level light production color printer- Xerox Color 550/560, which is adaptable for any print

environment. The new equipment gives users more flexibility and freedom to produce a wide range of applications – quickly meeting customer demands in high quality color and black & white.

The new Xerox Color 550/560 Printer, with an easy-to-use color touch screen, is an efficient choice for quick print shops, small commercial printers, in-plant operations, advertising agencies, creative shops and offices.

Applications ranging from marketing materials and photo specialty items to office documents and PowerPoint presentations can be produced on the Xerox Color 550. While this model is capable of printing 50 color pages per minute (ppm) or 55 ppm in black & white; the Xerox Color 560 can do the same at 60 color ppm or 65 ppm in black & white.

“We’ve taken the most sought-after elements of digital printing and built a solution that can integrate into any print

environment,” said Kuldeep Malhotra, Associate Director Product Marketing, Xerox India “The Xerox Color 550/560 is perfect for the print service provider community that will help them in responding quickly to high-value application demands or the office professionals who require security and workflow features to manage documents more efficiently.”

PrODUCt Launch

WD Now Shipping The World’s Largest Capacity Sata Hard Drives

WD has announced that the company is shipping the world’s largest capacity SATA hard drive. As the latest addition to its WD Caviar Green family of SATA hard drives, the new hard drives deliver up to a massive 3 terabytes (TB) of storage capacity on a single drive. WD is leading the industry in capacity for SATA hard drives by utilizing 750 GB-per-platter areal density and Advanced Format (AF) technology.

WD Caviar Green drives are an eco-friendly storage solution with WD GreenPower Technology™, which reduces power consumption by enabling lower operating temperatures for increased reliability and decreases acoustical noise for quiet operation. The WD Caviar Green 2.5 TB and 3 TB hard drives are designed for use as secondary external storage and next-generation PC storage in 64 bit-based systems.

Drives with capacities in excess of 2.19 TB currently present barriers for PC hardware, firmware and software. To satisfy the new set of requirements of which users must be aware to successfully integrate larger capacity drives, WD is bundling its WD Caviar Green 2.5 and 3 TB hard drives with an Advanced Host Controller Interface (AHCI)-compliant Host Bus Adapter (HBA), which will enable the operating system to use a known driver with correct support for large capacity drives. For more information on solving the 2.19 TB drive barrier, please see the WD information sheet at http://products.wdc.com/largecapacitydrives.

Acer Reinvents Its New Line Of Commercial Notebooks Acer has launched a new range of commercial ‘TravelMate’ notebooks

specially crafted for business customers on move. The new TravelMate 8000 series is an ultra-thin mobile workhorse notebooks designed for on-the-go professionals who need prolonged productivity. All-day computing has become a reality through the Acer TravelMate series with its long lasting six-cell battery which provides more than 8 hours of battery life when Acer PowerSmart Manager is enabled.

TravelMate series particularly concentrates on the SMB sector as it delivers excellent performance on the move. The SMB fraternity is fast adapting to the ever increasing demand for cost effective and competitive technological solutions to leverage the overall business growth scenario. Acer is looking to renew its focus with concentrated effort in the SMB space and its latest offering has developed solution to accommodate to its need.

Acer forayed into the SMB segment in 2010 with four laptops predominantly focusing on the SMB customer to meet their requirements. There has been a significant growth opportunity in the Indian SMB segment for PCs with SMB’s spending in India expected to grow in 2010. 20% of Acer’s revenue estimates are generated from the SMB, BFSI segment and expected to grow further.


Micromax partners with

Micromax has announced an exclusive partnership with Israeli based company Modu Limited (“modu”), to launch the co-branded and

customized modu T phone in India. modu T, a 3.5G touch phone was awarded a Guinness World

Records™ for being the lightest touch mobile phone in the world. The phone has a 2.2” touch screen and memory card slot for external memory card (capability up to 32GB). The phone has functionalities and applications which include web access, Instant Messaging, direct links to different social networks, a built in FM radio, GPS, music player. modu T includes a wide variety of applications such as: YouTube™, Google™ Search, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, TuneWiki, eBuddy, Snaptu & operates on Qualcomm’s Brew operating system.

modu T is unique in its modularity, enabling connectivity with the different “fy” devices, which allows the phone to acquire additional features and functionalities which extend the user experience to higher levels.

Says Vikas Jain, Business Director, Micromax, “We are excited to work with modu, and bring this unique phone to the Indian audience with the Micromax touch. The modu T phone, co-branded and customized with Micromax gives consumer this modular mobile experience. Innovation has been a driver for Micromax success in India and we believe that by bringing the modu T phone to India, we are targeting “the aspirational” segment of Indian consumers, who are the early adopters of technology and passionate about electronic gadgets. The modu T phone is a new device that capitalizes strongly on the innovation and style statement and we are happy to introduce it to our set of customers. ”

modu to launch modu T phone


Samsung Powers 4G Mobile WiMAX in New York

Samsung has announced its latest 4G base stations power the commercial 4G mobile broadband network launched today in New York City by Clearwire Communications, LLC.

With Clearwire’s 4G mobile broadband network, both

consumers and businesses can enjoy super fast and richer mobile internet service at home, in the office and even on the move at a reasonable price. The Clearwire 4G network serves a large ecosystem of 4G devices, including the first two 4G handsets in the U.S. and dozens of 4G embedded netbooks and notebooks, with a robust spectrum portfolio capable of meeting expected future capacity demands.

As a leading vendor for Clearwire’s 4G Mobile WiMAX project since its inception, Samsung provided its latest 4G base stations, which adopted a common platform capable of supporting Mobile WiMAX (802.16e), WiMAX 2 (802.16m), as well as both FDD-LTE and TD-LTE. Considering New York City’s unique and vast urban architecture, Samsung also supplied macro base stations and pico base stations to provide quality of service and seamless mobile broadband coverage.

MTS Aggressively Expands Its Presence Across Maharashtra

MTS has rolled out 13 branded retail outlets across Maharashtra & Goa. Celebrating the eve of Dhanteras, the company launched 13 branded retail outlets in cities like Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad,

Solapur, Pune, Kolhapur and Mapusa (in Goa). This is in line with the aggressive expansion strategy planned by MTS for the Maharashtra and Goa circle. The company first launched its services in May 2010 in Maharashtra & Goa and in just 5 months, serves more than 2.25 lakh customers including 2 lakh voice and over 28,000 data customers.

In just 5 months of its launch in Maharashtra and Goa, MTS is credited for establishing a strong network of 15000 retail outlets across 900 towns and over 25000 villages in the circle. Additionally, the company also has the widest network of High Speed Mobile Broadband service covering cities like Nagpur, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur, Aurangabad, Nasik, Ahmednagar, Amravati, Jalgaon, Sangli and Goa.

Tata DOCOMO brings ‘3G Life’to the Indian Consumer

Tata DOCOMO has become the first private operator to launch its 3G services in India. Powered with cutting-edge technology support from its partner NTT DOCOMO, INC. of Japan, the undisputed global leader in 3G services, Tata DOCOMO’s 3G services will change the way consumers use their mobile phones, riding on the back of game-changing products, applications and services.

Tata Teleservices Limited shall simultaneously launch its 3G services this Diwali in all the nine Circles where it has the 3G license—Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP (West), Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra.

“Tata DOCOMO’s 3G services will provide customers a dual advantage—trusted service from the House of Tata, riding on the technological excellence of NTT DOCOMO,” Mr Anil Sardana, MD, Tata Teleservices Limited, said. “We have been able to complete the ramp-up of our network to support 3G services due to the superb 3G-ready network we created at the time of our 2G launch itself, last year.” he added.

Tata Docomo’s HSPA+ 3G Network, set up with the assistance of NTT Docomo, supports high-speed Internet access with speeds of up to 21.1 Mbps. Technical literature often refers to this as ‘3.5 G+’. The network also supports high-definition voice (HD Voice) for a superior voice experience on calls.

MOBILItY Zone

Tata Indicom launches First BlackBerry Bold Smartphone for CDMA Subscribers

Tata Indicom and Research in Motion (RIM) have announced the launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9650, the first combined CDMA-GSM 3G-ready Smartphone in the BlackBerry Bold series. The

BlackBerry Bold 9650, introduced exclusively by Tata Teleservices Limited is a powerful new Smartphone for CDMA subscribers, offering seamless global roaming, 512 MB of Flash Memory, an Optical Trackpad, and enhanced Wi-Fi and GPS capabilities.

The BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone delivers premium phone and multimedia features, together with global roaming support and the industry’s leading mobile solution for e-mail, messaging and social networking,” said Frenny Bawa, Managing Director-India, Research In Motion. “We’re pleased to work with Tata Indicom to bring this powerful new smartphone to their customers in India.”

Customers purchasing the BlackBerry Bold 9650 Smartphone in the month of October will also be given a special data usage offer. For the first two months, these customers will receive a free data pack worth Rs.900 per month, as well as 500 MB of tethered modem data usage per month. Customers using the BlackBerry Bold 9650 smartphone will also have exclusive access to Tata’s Photon TV, powered by Photon +, on the go.


PrODUCt Watch

DIGISOL Fast Ethernet Unmanaged

Switch - DG-FS1016D

The DG-FS1016D is a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet Desktop unmanaged switch designed

to enhance network performance in a compact form factor. It is also rack-mountable using the kit provided along with the switch. The switch comes with 16 x 10/100 Mbps ports, offering solutions for accelerating bandwidth needs of small Ethernet workgroups. The switch uses store and forward packet-switching technology which offers reliable data transfer. This switch is ideal for network connectivity for the SOHO environment.

16 x 10/100 Mbps RJ-45 Nway ports

The DG-FS1016D switch offers 16 x 10/100 Mbps Ethernet ports which gives small workgroups a flexibility to integrate Ethernet and Fast Ethernet in a single network. This Switch also allows

for auto-sensing and autonegotiation of highest available speed (10/100 Mbps) and duplex mode, providing an automatic and flexible solution for the network. These intelligent ports detect the network speed and auto-negotiate between 100BASE-TX and 10BASE-T, as well as between full and half-duplex.

Plug and play installationThe DG-FS1016D switch operates

without any configuration. It has an in-built auto-negotiation feature

which allows 10/100 Mbps auto-sensing ports to adjust the speed to the workstations or servers. Each port supports automatic MDI/MDI-X detection & auto crossover for uplink ports which eliminates the need for cross over cables or dedicated uplink ports. This feature gives true plug-n-play operation by reducing most common cabling errors during

installations. Any port can simply plug to a server or a switch, using the usual straight-through twisted-pair cable.

High-performanceWith its backplane capacity of 3.2

Gbps, data transfer is at an average of 200 Mbps per port at full-duplex mode allowing every node to perform at their maximum performance.

Energy efficientThe DG-FS1016D is designed

with a truly intelligent power-saving functionality. The switch checks the length of the cables and adapts the power saving mode accordingly. As soon as the device on the other end is shut down or disconnected from the network, the port is switched to standby mode. This can save power consumption while maintaining performance and functionality. l


PrODUCt Watch

HP Launches Notebooks with snazzy ‘Snap On’ coversSnap On covers, Hewlett-Packard’s latest offering for the Indian market

are set to be a rage with the youth of India! These snazzy covers come in unique shades & finishes and are just what the youth need to flaunt their identity. With colours to go with every mood, HP Snap On does justice to the attitude of the youth of today. With Notebooks being an integral part of their lives, HP Snap On is bound to add colour to their life and make it more vibrant and exciting.

This wonder product slides easily on to the notebook and turns it into new one in just a second. Available in exciting and eye-catching colours, HP Snap On covers are perfect for those who like to make a bold style statement. The variety on offer is sure to catch the fancy of both men and women. HP Snap On covers are available in exciting and eye-catching colours and are the perfect representation of the consumer’s inner self.

HP Snap Ons are available in Glossy and Metallic Finishes that will set a trend in the way today’s youth express their individual style. Moreover they offer the freedom to change their look to suit their mood, dress code or any situation. So one can switch from a Smart Look to a Rocking Look in a snap, with the cool HP Snap Ons. The consumers can choose from Peacock Blue, Cherry and Black in Glossy Finish and Lavender, Pink, Red and Blue in Metallic Finish. HP Snap Ons are available with Pavilion, Compaq and G-Series Notebooks.

Techcom presents the new SSD-3200 FM, 2.1 Multime-dia Speaker System

Techcom has introduced the latest in its offerings of 2.1 channel speaker systems, the stylishly designed SSD 3200 FM. This handsome product has features that are even more exquisite. It comes with built in digital FM radio and crystal clear digital quality sound.

Hi-Fi Sound and powerful bass speakers provide you an enriching musical experience. It also comes with USB, SD and MMC Reader functions for ease of connectivity to audio sources. Means you can play music from sources ranging from memory cards to USB Pen drives. It also comes with a fully functional remote for easier control.

The 3200 FM produces powerful music through its 4 inches Sub-Woofer and Satellite Speakers measuring 3 inches each. The 3200 FM comes with a 3.5 audio cable and a user manual. It is available in the market at an amazing price of INR 1475 only.

ViewSonic Launches Full HD VX2250wm- LED ViewSonic’s latest step towards “GO LED, GO GREEN” New Delhi, 22nd October 2010 – ViewSonic® Corp., a leading global

provider of computing, consumer electronics and communications solutions, today launched its Full HD VX2250wm-LED Monitor. The company recently launched their “Go Green” initiative where they announced the shift towards Green LED, launch of VX2250wm is the first step towards that commitment.

The 22” (21.5” Vis.) VX2250wm-LED is an ideal monitor for the green conscious customer unwilling to compromise on picture quality and advanced features. With a slim, sleek design and powerful 1920x1080 resolution for crystal clear quality, the VX2250wm-LED provides a stylish and sophisticated display while simultaneously providing up to 40% energy savings over a typical 22” monitor. Ideal for those looking to lower their energy usage without lowering quality, the VX2250wm-LED allows any consumer to follow the simple message ‘Go LED. Go Green!’

“In today’s scenario the conscious entrepreneurs are concentrating on the greener part of the technology for reducing energy consumption and carbon emission. VX2250 wm is serves the best of their targets without negotiating on their entertainment experience” said Gautam Ghosh, Country manager ViewSonic India. Also added “The ViewSonic VX2250wm-LED allows users to make a significant energy saving while providing unrivalled picture quality and a rich feature set, and we are proud to be leading the way in the green LED movement.”


The PIXMA MP497 makes everyday printing, copying and scanning tasks easier than ever

before. It offers you everything you need for a home or small office and beyond. Replace the need for multiple individual devices with one compact unit that can print, copy, scan and fax amazing photos and documents – saving both space and cost. PIXMA MP497 is the ultimate photo printer with the ChromaLife 100+ technology – photos from the said printer can last up to 300 years. Its ISO Standard print speed (ESAT): approx. 8.8ipm mono / approx. 5.0ipm colour and has 2pl (min.) ink droplets and 4800 x 1200dpi (max.) resolution. It can print 4 x 6” (4R) borderless photo in approx. 41secs. It is also capable of printing borderless photos up to A4 size.

The pigment black ink of MP497’s Hybrid system ensures sharp black text and lines even when printed over an image. It can do direct photo printing through the iPhone and PS III. Its convenient Self-opening paper output tray opens automatically at the start of each print job and prevents paper jams.

The quick start facility allows you to begin key-operation a few seconds after powering on. The Auto Scan Mode via MP Navigator EX simplifies complicated scanning steps, and automates all document detection, cropping, scanning and saving procedures. The Hi-Speed

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PIXMA

MP497USB 2.0 and Wireless LAN enabled in the photo printer allows print / scan from anywhere in your house.

Full HD Movie PrintIncrease your creative options by

printing your favourite moment using the Full HD Movie Print. Now you can capture individual frames from full HD movies you shoot with your Canon digital camera. And you can perfect your prints with Canon’s advanced image correction technologies.

Easy-WebPrint EXThe new Gray-to-Black legibility

feature enhances the legibility of gray text on web pages. The Single Click Fit-to-page application makes printing from the web a breeze. With one click, you can adjust the size of clipped web content so that it fits onto a single sheet of paper. The booklet print feature transforms your printouts to a booklet.

Wireless LANGet the most out of the PIXMA printer

by creating a convenient Wi-Fi network for multiple users. It complies with popular wireless authentication methods such as Wi-Fi protected setup (WPS) and Windows Connect Now (WCN), so setting it up for Wi-Fi printing is intuitive and fuss-free.

Convenient

• Self-opening paper output tray opens automatically at the start of each print job and prevents paper jams

• Quick Start allows you to begin key-operation a few seconds after powering on

• Auto Scan Mode via MP Navigator EX simplifies complicated scanning steps, and automates all document detection, cropping, scanning and saving procedures.

MRP: 6,999

consumer infoline

Documents

percent growth

growth stage

doubledigit growth

key growth drivers

small business segment

software segment

new delhi

sunil kumar singhbrand