August 2014 Issue

1 www.varindia.com August 2014

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Supplementary Issue(36 pages) HP 's readiness for SDN opportunity in India

In a world of ever-changing cyber threats, organizations are facing the unprecedented growth from unknown malware. These attacks focus on stealing data, sabotaging business continuity, or damaging a company’s reputation. To protect against this threat, companies should choose a solution that provides the best catch rate against unknown malware.

In a comprehensive test against 300 Unknown Malware, the results were:

To read the full report write to us:

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2 August 2014 www.varindia.com


Microsoft to Open Data Centre in India

Microsoft is looking at establishing a data centre in India that

would allow it to offer its cloud solutions more seamlessly to Indian businesses, and especially to the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) sector.

BFSI is the biggest consumer of technology worldwide, but g o v e r n m e n t s ,

including the Indian government, mandate that banking data should not go out of the geographical boundary of the respective country.

Concerns around this have risen since US whistleblower Edward Snowden disclosed the extent of US spying on the rest of the world.

Sify inaugurates “ClouDCentre” in Mumbai

Sify has announced the launch of “ClouDCentre”, at Rabale (www.

rabaledatacentre.com) Mumbai, a next-generation cloud-enabled Data Centre.

T h i s f o l l o w s the recent l a u n c h of Sify’s

Tier-3 Green Data Centre at Noida, NCR, which was design-certified by the Uptime Institute. This facility was built to the same exacting specification, but adds additional resiliency through its unique dual-cooling system and on-premise EHV substation.

Additionally, all of Sify’s major Data Centres and Cloud infrastructure in India are connected through “Cloudcover”, a robust fiber network connecting a total of 36 Data Centres from the leading providers in India. This gives Sify the flexibility to host Data Centres, Near Data Centres, DR and Cloud Applications at different locations with different service providers.

SDN - the newest technology on the Horizon!

38pg

Logitech presents new Bluetooth Audio Adaptor AMD uncovers AMD FirePro S9150 GPU for HPC

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It is high time that every Indian should be connected through technology, has governance via mobile phones and every village should be equipped with a broadband platform. With a strong vision of the

Prime Minister of India of “less government and more governance”, Shri Narendra Modi has reached out to global investors, inviting them to India and manufacture goods and sell them to the world. This will help us in striking a balance between imports and exports, while calling for zero-defect products with zero effect on the environment.

The consumer market in India is very vast and growing, and the spend on India's electronics market is expected to reach about US$400 billion by 2020. According to a report by IESA, the industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.9 per cent to reach $94.2 billion (Rs.5.9 lakh crore) by 2015. The big question mark is on how manufacturing in India will start and the roadmap we need to take (keeping the Indian automobile industry in mind the way it has grown). To achieve the mission, we need to work more strategically and the interest in the OEMS/brands to manufacture in India should be revived. This can be done only by building a viable ecosystem across the electronics value chain, and creating an enforcing regulatory standard for the products and newly formed Mobile manufacturing Council is working on it.

Today, most organizations are leveraging the benefits of technology and providing immense flexibility to users. The downside is an augmented risk of confidential and sensitive information being compromised. Insider threats are more likely to have a negative impact on the business as compared to external ones. Since, the technology is growing fast with various options designed differently, and there is no necessity on using the same technology from the generations, new players are coming up with various value additions with added features. For example, in the space of SMAC, data center and virtualization markets are flooded with choices. You have to pick the right vendor and you also need to find the right offering and type of cloud best suited to the budget and to see which performs the best and provides the best value.

Software product development is gaining momentum in our country and the ecosystem is becoming more favourable for software product development. Indian SMBs’ strong growth in terms of innovation and customization is helping the Indian economy at the tipping point. With this strong capability and conducive environment of great talent pool and support of the government, we can definitely make India a manufacturing hub.

Zero defect, Zero effect …. ... Make in India brand

HELLO INDIA


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Barracuda looks for a long-term, profitable association with India

It has been some time now since Barracuda has set its foot in the Indian market, but the engagement has always been an on

& off kind. However, the past 3 years has been significant and steady for Barracuda in the fact that some large installations and big customers have come to the company.

“We want to grow our business in India and have been fairly successful in doing that. We have framed an overall strategy for India for the next 2-3 years – that is to identify the right kind of partners, the right kind of geographies and fit the right technology. We have a large development centre based out of Bangalore. Development of 3 of our core technologies – web app firewall, app load balancer and Link Balancer happen out of this centre,” explains Murali Urs, Country Manager, Barracuda Networks, India.

Barracuda has 3 different streams of business – Security, Network Optimization and Back-up. There are 4 technologies that come under Security, namely content filter, email security, web app firewall and network security. Under Network optimization, there is link balancer and Application load balancing. Under Back-up, there are 3 core technologies - message archiving, Copy and SignNow. Copy and SignNow are technologies that are new to India but are picking up fast. While SignNow helps in eliminating

paper work, Copy is designed for businesses of all sizes to provide the manageability, security, and storage needs without compromising the user experience.

“India market is very ideally positioned for what we want to do. We differ from the rest in 3 ways - we offer best of class products; different versions of the products whether it is hardware, cloud or virtual and thirdly we are very disruptive in our pricing model. Our portfolio helps the customer to grow with us,” asserts Murali.

Barracuda – A Channel-centric company…Being a vertical independent organization, Barracuda sells

infrastructure products which go to every kind of customers. However, finance/ IT-ITeS contribute the bigger chunk to its business. Barracuda in India is 100 % a Channel Company as it does not sell directly to any customer. From a market engagement standpoint, it has a hybrid model in which it engages with its customers, understand their problems, pitch its product and negotiate on the price front. But when it comes to completing the transaction, the channel comes into the picture. Even a system integrator has to go through a distributor and cannot complete the transaction on his own.

Barracuda has 2 types of partners – partners who engage with the company and partners who do business. While partners engaging with Barracuda are around 20, partners who bring business to the company are around 45 -50. “Our partners generally take 2-3 orders in a quarter, vanish and then probably come back. But we are trying to changing that. If they are doing business with one customer they can also think of doing business with other customers simultaneously. This way even they remain profitable and can be in business throughout the year.” Murali further adds, “If you look at the whole range of our products, every technology we sell has multiple models available, which implies that our partners can go and sell it to any kind of customers. From a market standpoint our partners do not find any challenge in addressing any kind of customers.”

The company works with big SIs like Wipro, Dimension Data, HCL and mid-tier SIs like Frontier, Ricoh. It has recently roped in Redington as the National Distributor. “We expect Redington to bring in a lot of value to us; the biggest asset it has got is reach, both in terms of geography and number of partners. By associating with them, we hope to expand our reach to all the cities. Ideally this helps us in getting across to a lot of smaller cities where we were not present earlier,” says Murali.

Looking forward…Barracuda has grown more than 200 % in manpower. The India

market contributes probably 10% of the total APJ business for Barracuda. India being a strategic market and also a large market for the company, it expects a huge investment coming in. “We have big plans in the pipeline. Our solutions are designed ideally to address the customers from B and class cities. We are poised to increase our standing in the APJ region as we go forward,” says a confident Murali. n

[email protected]

The growing importance of India as a market can be gauged from the fact of how seriously companies are starting to look at it, both in terms of opportunities and growth. Barracuda is one such company that is trying to understand this market at present. Murali Urs, Country Manager, Barracuda Networks, India speaks to VARINDIA of the many strategies that the company has readied to explore this market


CHANNEL CHIEF

Avaya has a clear focus on delivering new and innovative solutions that

cater to the specific needs of medium-sized businesses – delivered through a nationwide network of channel partners as it has a diverse data networking portfolio that provides innovative technology and energy-efficient solutions for a simpler and more effective infrastructure. Its proven solutions help ensure that the network is a communications asset and not a liability – with up to 50% lower costs, 7 times the resiliency, and 40% more energy efficiency. Avaya is also one of the leading organizations in the contact centre market that offers highly reliable, efficient and scalable solutions to deliver exceptional Customer Experience Management.

Recently, Avaya has launched new programmes specifically designed to enable more channel partners in the fast-evolving mid-market space – accelerating their time to revenue. Also, it has an active incentive programme in place, and has further programmes which are being launched in 2014 to ensure that it grows in partnership together. Hrishi Parthasarathy shares, “Together with thousands of certified partners in virtually every part of the world, Avaya delivers the full breadth of solutions and services that today’s mid-market businesses require.”

Avaya Connect channel partner programme

2014 is all about growth. Avaya has aligned its organization around a series of Global Growth Markets, including India and it is working with the channel partners to increase coverage across India, to deliver a full suite of solutions for the customers, and to drive more effective collaboration and a superior customer experience.

Avaya has created an overall Avaya Connect channel partner programme which helps partners work more closely with the company from the moment they are recruited and onboarded, through the accreditation process.

The company is focussed on making that as simple and rewarding as possible. Shedding more light on Avaya’s Connect channel partner programme Hrishi Parthasarathy explains, “We are currently evolving the programme to focus fully on the value created, rather than purely on volume –

and have had very positive feedback from partners to date.”

The investment in its specialized Avaya iConnect mid-market channel partner programme demonstrates how serious the company is about driving growth in this space. There is a huge opportunity in India for partners to address the rapidly-growing segment, and this tried and tested programme provides them with all the tools and support for success – accelerating their time to revenue. 6 years ago, Avaya’s channel sales accounted for less than 40% of the total revenue, while the channel sales model delivers more than 75% of the company’s revenue presently.

Unique initiatives for Channel PartnersAvaya’s go-to-market strategy in India

is mainly through channels. Avaya has an extensive network of platinum, gold, silver and authorized partners. Many of these are Tier-I partners which help drive the enterprise market. Apart from equipping them with well-developed sales, engineering and support skills, there is also a Tier-II structure particularly for expansion, geographical coverage and vertical coverage in the small or mid-market where, in collaboration with other distributor partners, Avaya works towards identifying, onboarding, recruiting and enabling a series of channel specialists for

greater market reach.Avaya’s iConnect

programme is aimed at channel partners; with Avaya iConnect, the company has adapted its go-to-market channel support model to help partners focus on delivering the specific capabilities the segment demands. The programme is designed to streamline partner’s entry into this segment and ensure that Avaya partners are equipped to deliver the broadest

possible solution sets to its customers who demand sophisticated technologies at a competitive price point. Avaya has invested significantly in developing the iConnect programme, and partners are also required to invest resources in the programme, as it dramatically reduces the time it takes to do the same training on an “a-la-carte” model.

Major partners in the countryAvaya has an extensive global network of

channel partners through the award-winning Avaya Connect channel programme with

network of 9,900-plus authorized channel partners worldwide who deliver the local expertise, fast response and high levels of capability that its customers demand and require.

Today, Avaya is maintaining a deep partnerships with Oracle, VMware, EMC, HP, Microsoft, Google, IBM, AT&T, Orange, BT, and many other major services and technology players. Besides these, Avaya has a longstanding relationship with AGC Networks and also works closely with Wipro Networks and Orange, as well as many of those global partners including IBM, HP and BT – and distributors Redington and Beetel. n

[email protected]

Message for the partners“At Avaya, we are fully focussed

on devising creative ways to help ensure our solutions remain at the cutting edge, in line with mid-market customers’ and larger enterprise customers’ needs. At the same time, as we are driving our iConnect mid-market programme, we are also making some significant enhancements to our overall Avaya Connect channel partner programme, with a significant shift from volume to value in the way we recognize our partners and the way they assure their status in the programme.”

Avaya believes that all types of partner relationships are important – from Value Added Resellers or VARs to System Integrators and Service Providers.

Hrishi Parthasarathy Director – Channels

Avaya

“All partner relationships are imperative – from VARs to SIs and SPs”

"From easy-to-use standalone systems to sophisticated and integrated multi-site

solutions, Avaya is helping partners to enable mid-

market businesses to increase the productivity

of their employees, deliver superior customer service and reduce costs."


Alibaba, E-bay, Amazon, Snapdeal and finally FlipkartIs Indian IT landscape in for a tectonic shift?

ROUND ABOUT

Asoke K. LahaPresident & MD, Interra IT

India’s ascendency among the comity of nations is, by and large, contributed by its supremacy in information

technology. The readers may attribute that this statement may be driven by my vested interests in the IT sector. The next stage of transformation is more exciting and I have a feeling that it is dictated by the concept of equal partnership, be it relating to research and innovation or e-commerce. Corporations from all over the world mainly from the US are coming as strategic investors. Let us look at the e-commerce landscape. Flipkart, Amazon India, Snapdeal, Quikr, etc are gearing up to tap the Indian market. Undoubtedly, an e-commerce revolution is taking place in India. According to the latest paper reports, these companies, particularly Flipkart is raking in investment in billions and the world’s best investors, be it pension funds, hedge funds, etc are heavily investing in these companies.

Amazon, which has entered India in the e-commerce landscape recently, has not lagged behind in unveiling its India plan. A day after the Flipkart’s announcement, the world’s e-commerce behemoth has said that it would be investing US$2 billion to beef up its presence in India. Many more e-commerce companies across the world are strategizing to enter India. Does it mean that that the IT space in India is in for a churning? I think so. In India, where millions of people are incrementally graduating to higher income brackets, people will be looking for convenience, and e-commerce readily comes to their rescue. They can order things and pay through credit or debit cards. Significantly, a sizeable number of young people are doing this and their number is increasing every day. A lot of them are from rural areas.

I know of a company in Delhi, sourcing fish from anywhere in India. One has to go to their website and order the fish of their choice. The next day, the fish will arrive at your doorstep ice packed and you have to make the payment in cash or if you wish

you can make the payment through the net also. The underlying fact is that there is a marked change in how people buy and sell things. They can study carefully the attributes of a product and place the order online. And it is getting delivered at home at the appointed time.

That is only the front-end transaction. There are a lot of back-end transactions taking place. Let us look at some of them. One, there is a well-heeled distribution system in place. The moment you place the order, the company sources the products from the available centres. Then, there is the packing which has to be done very carefully, knowing fully well that the goods to be transported are perishable commodities. It has to be packed air tight with ice topped to maintain the temperature and texture of the goods. Then, it has to be airlifted if the destination is far away. There has to be branch offices at cities and towns where these services have to be offered. Once received, the goods have to be delivered at home. Basic to this business model is the volume of business and scale of operations. If the business is limited, such models will not work since the end-products have to be priced very high.

It is also instructive to look at the advantages of e-commerce. Since it is operated in the virtual platform, the trader or the operator need not have an office to store things or display materials. Goods of different hues and prices are displayed in the net. Here, the trader saves considerably the rentals for the showrooms or retail shops that they have to set up. Secondly, it is a business that can lead to zero inventory since the goods can be sourced directly from the company or warehouse. You save quite a lot on wages also since less number of people has to be employed. In effect, you require only the people to operate the virtual medium, such as taking orders, executing orders, etc. Since there is a zero inventory, you save money on storing goods and the likely damage to goods to them during storage. But success of this model is dependent on the strength of the distribution network which you build.

Does it mean that retail business as we see now will come to a grinding halt? It is too premature to engage in that speculation. There may be some people who may still like to order things by visiting shops since they can feel, touch and get satisfied about its quality, which may not be possible at the time of ordering through net. But business has a habit of transforming itself. Those who can meet consumer demands and adhere to stringent quality norms and delivery schedules can only survive in the long run. They only will get the repeated orders, increased volumes and can derive economies of scale.

Now let us look at the scope of the e-commerce business in India. It is quite likely that, by 2020, close-to 40 per cent of the population will become computer and net savvy. By 2050, this figure would be somewhere around 70 per cent. By that time, I presume that most of the households in India will have at least one PC and a net connection, enabling over a billion people to use e-retailing. Presently, the number of people using the e-retail is only abysmally low. One can assume the potential market that awaits the e-commerce. That is why companies like Alibaba, eBay and Amazon want the government to open up e-commerce for FDI. Despite the initial reservation against opening up this sector, sooner or later the government will have to do that. Of course, that will bring a lot of FDI along with a tectonic shift in how we purchase, sell our products and, of course, the range of choice the consumer can have before buying the products.

That also will signify a reverse of what is happening now. We are focussing on other countries for selling our IT products and services. With e-commerce revolution, many foreign companies will stay put in India for reaping the enormous bounty of opportunities that India presents. That will be a role reversal. Let us be prepared for those eventualities. n


HOT BYTES

Aditya Infotech rolls out Star First Partner Programme

Salesforce.com signs strategic pact with BSA

Ministry of MSME and Samsung become partners

Gemalto to buy Safenet

Oracle makes Migration to Cloud Applications easy

D-Link introduces Surveillance Floor Planner

The Ministry of Micro, Small

& Medium Enterprises (MSME) and Samsung have announced a partnership to set up Technical Schools in MSME Technology Centres across India.

The MSME-Samsung Technical Schools will

Salesforce.com has joined BSA to engage in global policy initiatives that ensure software innovation continues to flourish and drive transformative change throughout the digital economy.

“As the world’s fastest-growing top-ten software company, salesforce.com is very pleased to join BSA. BSA has a long

Aditya Infotech (AIL), in

association with Aditya Star First Partners, has announced Star First Partner Programme.

"Our partners and Channel community have been the important link of our Surveillance product supply chain. They have executed many challenging key projects and delighted the customers. We acknowledge their contribution and it is high time we rewarded them. Aditya acknowledges its loyal and valued partners under the Aditya Star First Programme. This

is an opportunity to strengthen and value direct partners, and looking beyond to acknowledge the contribution of their business partners as well. This will not only strengthen the supply chain further, but lead to comprehend the needs increase user base," said Yogesh B. Dutta, COO, Aditya Infotech Ltd.

track record of effectively advocating on behalf of the global software industry, and we look forward to collaborating with other industry leaders to advance policies that promote innovation and growth and that expand markets worldwide,” said Burke Norton, Chief Legal Officer of salesforce.com, who will serve on the BSA’s Board of Directors.

run Samsung’s Advanced Repair and Industrial Skills Enhancement (A.R.I.S.E.2) program. Ten MSME-Samsung Technical Schools will be set up in Delhi, Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Mumbai and Varanasi.

Gemalto has signed an

agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of SafeNet from Vector Capital for US$890 million on a debt-free/ cash-free basis. With this acquisition, Gemalto and SafeNet combine the best technologies, expertise and services available for securing a complete infrastructure: network, users, data, software, at the core and at the edge.

“The opportunity to acquire SafeNet has come at exactly the right

time, as we have just entered into our new multi-year development plan and there is a perfect fit between Gemalto’s “security at the edge” and SafeNet’s “security at the core” capabilities. This will enable us to further accelerate the deployment of strong security solutions in the Enterprise sector, and expand our technologies and growth opportunities in protecting online access,” said Olivier Piou, CEO - Gemalto.

Oracle has a n n o u n c e d

its Customer 2 Cloud Program in India. Speed,

simplicity and flexibility are the key benefits that are attracting customers to this new initiative. The program addresses common financial and technical challenges organizations face in transitioning from on-premise software environments to the newer Software-as-a-Service model. The innovative program gives Oracle customers financial flexibility to determine

D-Link is p r o m o t i n g

IP-based Surveillance technology and has been working closely on various surveillance projects with its business associates/ partners/ system integrators present across the country. However, one of the key challenges in any surveillance project planning is designing of a perfect solution. In view of the same, D-Link has recently introduced “Surveillance Floor Planner”.

“Today, with the changing market dynamics and growing

their best path to the cloud by providing the ability to re-direct existing Oracle Applications investments

toward Oracle Cloud solutions in a way that strategically makes sense.

“ O r g a n i z a t i o n a l leaders know that cloud applications play an important role in lowering the cost of IT ownership and accelerating the pace of innovation. But the journey to cloud often comes with financial and IT integration hurdles,” said Niraj Kaushik, VP – Applications, Oracle India.

business needs, reaching out to customers in an innovative and effective manner is the key. Further empowering our business associates/ partners to meet new-age customer needs has always been a priority at D-Link.

Now with D-Link Surveillance Floor Planner, partners will be in a better position to provide a perfect end-to-end surveillance solution that shall diligently address the security concerns of our customer,” said Sanjay Sehgal, Vice-President – Sales, D-Link (India) Ltd.

Honeywell inaugurates manufacturing facility

Honeywell now has seven state-

of-the-art manufacturing facilities and five technology development and engineering centres in India with ~2 Mn sq. ft. of combined built-up area. As per the latest report, Honeywell has announced the launch of its seventh manufacturing facility in India.

“ H o n e y w e l l already has a significant presence in Maharashtra with its automation and turbocharger manufacturing facilities based in Pune, built with an investment of around INR500 crore. It provides full-time employment to nearly 3,000 people,” said Anant Maheshwari, President, Honeywell India.

Norton kicks off “Security on Wheels”

Norton by Symantec has

launched a new initiative “Security on Wheels” campaign, to promote online safety among Indian consumers. A customized Norton Van will visit educational institutions and public hotspots in 13 cities across North India over 41 days, to interact with consumers and educate them about staying safe online.

Ritesh Chopra, Country Manager, Norton by Symantec, said, “While Indian consumers are getting more internet and smartphone savvy, their online habits do not indicate an increase in their security awareness levels. According to the Norton Report 2013, 62 per cent of online adults have been victims of cybercrime and or negative online situation last year."


HOT BYTES

NVIDIA announces “Experience Zones” in 8 Indian Cities

Red Hat works with Cisco

BlackBerry successfully adopts EZ Pass Program

Huawei and Go IP team up

GoDaddy and Microsoft to offer Office 365 Solutions

Juniper ties up with Cloudwatt

NVIDIA has announced a new

initiative, under which top Gaming Cafes will be converted into NVIDIA “Experience Zones” across eight cities in India. These zones, designed to show just how immersive PC gaming is, will showcase the latest and most powerful GeForce GTX powered Gaming PCs for the ultimate gaming experience. NVIDIA is also supporting the communities by launching a series of competitions and free-to-play tournaments at these zones.

The first Experience Zone has been unveiled at the League of Extraordinary Gamers (LXG) in Bangalore. Covering over 5,000 square feet, LXG is one of the most popular gaming destinations in the city. NVIDIA has created the perfect ambience, with the use of intelligent lighting and comfortable seating for an uninterrupted gaming session.

Red Hat has a n n o u n c e d

extension of their cloud collaboration with Cisco in India. The combination of Red Hat's open-source solutions and Cisco technology has delivered innovative solutions to customers, enabling them to achieve greater IT efficiencies and bringing them toward next-generation enterprise computing.

Red Hat will be showcasing technology

Huawei has partnered with

Go IP in an endeavour to reiterate its commitment to being the most innovative and optimal ICT technology partner by forging strategic distribution partnership. This partnership will further establish Huawei’s expertise and technological capabilities and its leadership in the IP products and solutions domain. Go IP will come together

solutions on Cisco platforms, which include OpenShift by Red Hat, Red Hat Enterprise Linux OpenStack Platform, and Red Hat CloudForms. Dirk-Peter van Leeuwen, Senior Vice-President & General Manager, Red Hat Asia-Pacific, and Rajesh Rege, Director & Country Head (Datacenter & Cloud Business Entity), Cisco India / SAARC, officially opened the center on July 23, 2014.

Keeping in line with its commitment

to provide secure and innovative solutions to its enterprise customers

in India, BlackBerry has announced the success of the recently launched EZ Pass Program in India. The new EZ Pass program provides free migration for customers to move from BES 4, BES 5, BES Express, and other MDM platforms like Good, MobileIron

and AirWatch to Silver Perpetual BES 10 licences at no cost. Formally launched in India in June 2014, the first-of-its-kind

promotional program has found remarkable acceptance amongst existing and competitive base in India with over 1,000 organizations using BES 10 to manage BlackBerry, iOS and Android smartphones.

with Huawei Enterprise as a VAD to accelerate Huawei’s GPON and Wi-Fi solutions in the Indian market.

Suresh S. Reddy, Vice-President, Huawei Enterprise Business Group, India, said, “In the context of our renewed focus on reinforcing our channel partner ecosystem, partnering with Go IP gives us an edge in delivering versatile networking portfolio to the Indian ICT market."

GoDaddy and Microsoft have

announced a long-term strategic partnership to offer Microsoft Office 365 from GoDaddy as its exclusive core business-class email and productivity service for small businesses in India.

Microsoft Office 365 offered through GoDaddy will give millions of small businesses access to enterprise-grade productivity solutions at an affordable price, starting at Rs.149/month.

Microsoft Office 365 helps even the smallest of businesses look professional, collaborate with employees and

customers, and effectively run their business anywhere, on any mobile device.

“GoDaddy is focussed on providing a comprehensive range of affordable best-in-class solutions to help small business owners in India establish their online presence and run their businesses more effectively and efficiently. . We are excited to partner with Microsoft to bring this Office 365 offering to Indian,” said Rajiv Sodhi, Vice-President & Managing Director, GoDaddy India.

Juniper Networks has announced

that Cloudwatt, a new-generation European public cloud provider, has

deployed OpenContrail to improve network operation efficiency and ensure data sovereignty and security for its large-scale cloud deployment.

As part of a company-wide mission to build a sovereign and secure public cloud for its enterprise customers, Cloudwatt needed a production-ready SDN solution that could seamlessly

integrate with its existing network infrastructure, be transparent to achieve regulatory compliance, and meet the security

and privacy requirements of its customers.

C l o u d w a t t c o l l a b o r a t e d

closely with OpenContrail engineers at Juniper Networks over several months to complete the integration of OpenContrail and Cloudwatt's cloud orchestration system. The partnership resulted in the successful large-scale deployment of Cloudwatt's production public cloud environment.

neoteric and Alcatel-Lucent come together

neoteric has launched a focussed small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs) initiative in India to support the rapid adoption of technology by SMBs to enhance business. As part of the larger objective to expand its market reach, neoteric is working with Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise to showcase end-to-end Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise solutions that cater to diverse technology requirements of SMBs. neoteric will also leverage its relationship to share possibilities and educate its SMB reseller partners with planning meetings to facilitate sales options around new product and solution roadmaps.

SAP certifies BSNL’s Internet Data Centers

As per the latest report, Bharat

Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has announced that its six Internet Data Centers, built and operated by Dimension Data, have successfully passed the certification audit called "SAP Certified in Hosting Services for India". For organizations planning to outsource the hosting of their environments running SAP solutions, they now have the option of hosting services provided by BSNL IDCs.

BSNL had earlier entered into a strategic alliance with Dimension Data, the region's leading provider of IT services and solutions, to provide data center services in India. This resulted in building of six strategic data centers across the country which feature world-class facilities, connectivity and manageability and provide a comprehensive portfolio of highly secure, scalable and green data center solutions.


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ON THE RAMP

CyberoamOS revolutionizes network security experience for SMBs

Brother presents A3 InkBenefit MFP Range

Fortinet launches new FortiGate 5144C

For Cyberoam’s i n t e g r a t e d

security solutions – Cyberoam Next-Generation Firewalls and UTM appliances, the company has announced a major update to its CyberoamOS network security operating system. The new CyberoamOS 10.6.1 is a mega-release covering 60+ features and enhancements focussing on security, simplicity of use, enhanced network visibility, Cyberoam dynamic DNS service, API support for managed security and integration with third-party systems and business continuity.

The key highlights of CyberoamOS 10.6.1 include simplified and effective IPS configuration for SOHO / SMB with ready-to-use IPS policy templates that come with Firewall Rule style naming convention, solving the struggle of “which IPS Policy to apply” for SOHO/SMBs along with easy troubleshooting and providing building-blocks of interoperability for enterprise customers with Cyberoam API.

Br o t h e r I n t e r n a t i o n a l

has launched the new InkBenefit Multi-Function Range that can do almost everything – in A4 and A3. The latest offerings from Brother feature full A3 capability, allowing for printing, copying, scanning and faxing in A3 to deliver impact and quality.

The new models are perfect for high print volume users. This range of reliable, sturdy all-rounders boasts the fastest print speed in its class+ (up to 22 monochrome and 20 colour pages per

minute, based on ISO/IEC 24734). Furthermore, with affordable 2,400^ page-yield InkBenefit cartridges, users get to enjoy low running cost.

Yoshiji Matsui, Managing Director, Brother International, India said, “The new A3 InkBenefit Multi-Function Centre range is feature-packed and stylish, ideal for business usage.”

Fortinet has launched a firewall

– the new FortiGate 5144C – that exceeds 1 terabit per second (Tbps) throughput performance and offers 10GbE, 40GbE and 100GbE connectivity options. The new FortiGate 5000 Series is Fortinet’s flagship, chassis and blade firewall platform. The FortiGate 5000 series includes fully redundant, hot-swappable power supplies, fans and firewall blades for maximum uptime.

“Big data, cloud-based services and the explosion

of Software-as- a-Service translates to data centers needing exceptionally fast and secure security platforms to protect their applications and data. Others have claimed to have the fastest firewall, but no other vendor has actually delivered this level of performance and security, which enables customers to build out their data centers for the future, knowing that their firewalls will not be a choke point,” said Ken Xie, Founder & CEO, Fortinet.

Lenovo launches A8-50 Tablet

Lenovo has launched A8-50

tablet with high-res 8” wideview screen. The crystal clear, vivid display owing to in-plane switching (IPS) technology will further enhance viewing experience. But great visuals cannot be enjoyed without great sound. This is why the A8-50 comes equipped with dual Dolby front speakers for the best sound quality with minimum distortion.

Owing to its 1.3GHz quad-core processor, the tablet is ideal for multi-tasking, allowing user to run multiple applications at the same time. It also offers double the amount of storage with 16GB in-built memory (expandable up to 32GB), which means one can download and store more apps as well as an incredible amount of content.

The A8-50 has voice calling features. It is equipped with a 4,200mAh battery, Wi-Fi, 3G.

LG presents Chromebase Computer

LG has launched its first-ever

Chromebase (Model 22CV241) computer in India, an all-in-one computer powered by the Google Chrome OS. The highly efficient Chrome operating system offers a fast, simple, secure and affordable computing experience to users. Complete with a 21.5-inch Full HD IPS display and a raft of advanced features, this innovative new desktop computer comes packaged in a chic, space-saving design.

The LG Chromebase all-in-one computer is underpinned by a simple yet powerful architecture and comes with several outstanding Google applications.

AMD uncovers AMD FirePro S9150 GPU for HPC

AMD has announced the

AMD FirePro S9150 server card. Based on the AMD Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, the AMD FirePro S9150 server card is the first server card to support enhanced double precision and break the 2.0 TFLOPS double precision barrier1,2.

“AMD FirePro S9150 ushers in a new era of supercomputing. Its

memory configuration, compute capabilities and performance per watt are unmatched in its class, and can help take supercomputers to the next level of performance and energy efficiency,” said David Cummings, Senior Director & General Manager, Professional Graphics, AMD.

Logitech presents new Bluetooth Audio Adaptor

Cisco broadens its Storage Networking Portfolio

Logitech has unveiled its new

Bluetooth Audio Adaptor that lets user turn their wired speakers into a wireless sound system for smartphones and tablets. It features a multipoint Bluetooth connectivity that enables one touch pairing for up to two devices.

Ashok Jangra, Cluster Category Manager, India & South West Asia, Logitech, said, “As technology keeps getting more ubiquitous, compact and portable, there is

a need for solutions that enable anytime, anywhere connectivity. Understanding this shift, Logitech has created the new Bluetooth Adapter that gives you the flexibility to turn your favourite speakers into a wireless sound system with uncompromised quality.”

Cisco has a n n o u n c e d

next-generation storage area networking (SAN) additions for its Data Center portfolio. With this announcement of the Cisco MDS 9148S Multilayer Fabric Switch, Cisco MDS 9706 Director, and the Cisco MDS 9700 FCoE module, Cisco has a complete 16G portfolio from top-of-rack small SAN switches to the largest SAN products. Furthermore, Cisco provides a complete end-to-end unified data center fabric that is powered

by the same NX-OS operating system across its award-winning product line – Cisco Nexus for data center Ethernet networking, Cisco MDS for storage networking, and Cisco UCS for compute.

Cisco has made a strong investment in its SAN product portfolio to meet performance, reliability, scalability, and flexibility requirements.


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ON THE RAMP

Kingston extends its SSDNow series with V310

Rackspace announces Managed Cloud Services

Kingston has announced its

latest addition to the SSDNow V300 series – the V310. The Kingston SSDNow V310 solid-state drive dramatically boosts system responsiveness while also offering 960GB capacity to store all movies, music, games, files and applications.

“Since 2009, our V ‘Value’ series solid-state drives have delivered the best price to performance ratio as possible to enable consumers on a budget or entry-level users to

experience the benefits of SSD technology. Our new V310 continues that along with providing the biggest capacity ever in a Kingston SSD. SSDNow V310 with its large 960GB capacity is the perfect upgrade to an existing system as it improves boot speeds and application load times helping maximize one’s computer investment,” said Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston.

Rackspace has announced a new

managed service model for delivering public cloud services that gives businesses and developers the help they need to design, manage, scale and grow their cloud operations.

In addition, Rackspace has also announced “developer +”, a new programme for developers that offers essential services needed to build scalable applications. The programme enables developers to easily

sample Rackspace Managed Cloud services and Fanatical Support.

"The cloud market is evolving. More customers are looking for a trusted partner with specialized expertise to help manage their cloud. Rackspace is ideally positioned to lead this Managed Cloud segment of the market. Our new service levels will help businesses tap the power of the cloud,” said Graham Weston, Rackspace Co-Founder & CEO.

Barracuda Backup 290 launched with 1TB of Storage

Ba r r a c u d a Networks has

announced the release of Barracuda Backup 290, and a capacity upgrade to its current Barracuda Backup 390. These lineup additions provide further purchasing flexibility by better aligning Barracuda Backup with the data protection and recovery demands of small and medium-sized organizations.

Rod Mathews, GM – Storage, Barracuda, said, “Barracuda Backup 290 provides an option for branch offices looking to back up their local data at an affordable cost. Combine that with the buying flexibility of our integrated appliances and backup-as-a-Service plans, and Barracuda Backup is a flexible, cost-effective backup solution."

Kaspersky announces Anti-Virus 2015 and Internet Security 2015

Kaspersky Lab has announced the

release of its newly updated product line for home users Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2015 and Kaspersky Internet Security 2015. The solutions were developed to protect users of Windows from existing and new threats – making their online lives easier and safer. This newly updated product line for home users was unveiled by Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman & CEO, Kaspersky Lab, along with Brand Ambassador – Sachin Tendulkar – in

WD expands NAS Storage Portfolio

WD has a n n o u n c e d

expansion of its award-winning WD Red line of SATA hard drives for home and small office NAS (network-attached storage) systems with the release of a 5TB and first-to-market 6TB capacity for NAS-specific storage and the introduction of WD Red Pro hard drives that address the medium to large business NAS market. Compatibility-tested with top NAS system manufacturers and optimized for power and performance, WD Red 3.5-inch hard drives are

now shipping in 1TB to 6TB capacities; and the new WD Red Pro 3.5-inch hard drives are available in 2TB to 4TB capacities.

“With the expansion and evolution of the WD Red family, WD once again is providing its loyal customers with increased capacity up to 6TB; improved bay count support with up to 8 bays; increased product breadth with WD Red Pro; and more features with the latest generation of NASware technology,” said Matt Rutledge, Senior VP & GM, WD Storage Technology.

Citrix focusses on DaaS segment in India

Citrix has a n n o u n c e d

Desktops-as -a -Service (DaaS), a desktop virtualization solution that delivers desktops, applications and data as an on-demand service. Citrix-powered Desktops-as -a -Service provides secure access to desktops, apps and data; securely delivered over the web and hosted by a managed service provider. Additionally, Citrix DaaS provides an accessible pay-as-you-go model to scale up in busy seasons and reduce expenditures, when necessary.

Speaking about the focus on this segment, Atul Ahuja, Director, Desktop and Apps, Microsoft Alliances, India Subcontinent, Citrix said, “Adoption of DAAS is being witnessed across a wide gamut of industries – be it healthcare, insurance, legal, retail and many more, in organizations ranging from large enterprises to small and midsize organizations. We are well poised to partner with Indian organizations on their transformational initiatives and boosting."

QNAP’s Mobile NAS QGenie launched

QNAP Systems has announced

the release of QGenie, a pocket-sized 7-in-1 mobile NAS for file storage, power bank, Internet sharing, and more. With its compact design, QGenie fits perfectly in the pocket yet provides powerful functions to meet user’s day-to-day mobile needs.

“QGenie allows connections from up to 20 users, enables simultaneous file access by up to 8 users, and is perfect for sharing multimedia when travelling in a vehicle and large files in various occasions such as social gatherings, class seminars, and business meetings without the need of sending emails or exchanging USB drives,” said Hanz Sung, Product Manager, QNAP.

Check Point launches new security gateways for Data Center

Check Point S o f t w a r e

Technologies has announced the launch of two new security gateways that extend the company’s best-in-class data center network security portfolio. The new 13800 Appliance extends the 13000 line while the 21800 augments the 21000 Appliance family.

“At Check Point, we aim to offer both the best data center security protections while continuously raising

the performance bar. The 13800 and 21800 Appliances deliver the power, extensibility and performance needed by demanding data center environments, while providing the highest level of security through our industry-leading next-generation security solutions,” said Dorit Dor, Vice-President of Products, Check Point Software Technologies.

the presence of Maxim Mitrokhin, Director of Operations, Kaspersky Lab, Asia-Pacific; Nathan Wang, Technical Director, Kaspersky Lab, Asia-Pacific; and Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab, SA.


VOICE-N-DATA

Vodafone inaugurates another Customer Experience Centre

TE Connectivity buys Telecom Business of Raychem RPG

Hathway to deliver high-speed broadband services

Brocade ties up with Micromax

R&M makes entry into FTTH easier

Airtel expands 4G Network to Nashik

Vodafone India has reportedly

unveiled a new Customer Experience Centre (CEC) in Gurgaon. The CEC enables Enterprise customers to experience the world of latest and emerging business communication solutions that can help them to better Communicate, Collaborate and Connect.

Spread almost 2,000 sq. ft., the CEC has on display the complete suite of Total Communication Solutions comprising Wireline and Mobility offerings, Machine-to-Machine Solutions and

more, hosted in a high-tech and futuristic zone. Customers can undertake their experiential journey via an engaging combination of interactive presentations and innovative live demonstrations. The Vodafone Business Services’ teams of experts identify and discuss evolving customer needs and accordingly offer business solutions. The zone serves as both a showcase and interactive facilitator for this unique format of client partnering.

TE Connectivity (TE) has

completed the acquisition of the telecom business of Raychem RPG (RRPG). The acquired business will now become part of TE's Network Solutions segment. As part of the acquisition, TE recently inaugurated the new manufacturing facility in Vasai, Mumbai, which will be the hub for telecommunication engineering services supplying the fiber

Br o a d c o m C o r p o r a t i o n

has announced that its DOCSIS 3.0-based chipset is powering new high-speed broadband for Hathway Cable and Telecom, India’s largest cable broadband service provider. Broadcom's DOCSIS 3.0 chipsets enable cable operators such as Hathway to economically and reliably expand services to support high value interactive applications, such as on-demand programming, for both residential and commercial customers. For more news, visit

market in the SA region. With this acquisition, TE strengthens its local telecom engineering and manufacturing expertise in India.

“The acquisition will further strengthen the foundation of our company, which is admired for outstanding customer service, technology leadership and product innovation,” said KK Shetty, Director, India and SAARC, Network Solutions, TE India.

Broadcom's Newsroom.Optimized to meet

growing subscriber demand for high-speed broadband and streaming of HD content to multiple devices, Hathway is the first multi-system operator to launch a DOCSIS 3.0 network in India capable of transmitting high-speed data at speeds greater than 300 megabits per second (Mbps).

Mi c r o m a x I n f o r m a t i c s

has deployed innovative Brocade Ethernet fabric technology in a new virtualized data center designed to support the next several years of operational growth.

“Given the pace at which we have been growing, and the challenges of establishing a strong presence in new markets, building a data center that is both scalable and flexible is a crucial development. While data center virtualization was obviously the path to follow, our biggest issue was finding a network infrastructure that would

enable a high level of operational automation while having the flexibility to accommodate rapid data center evolution,” said Atul Nigam, CIO, Micromax Informatics Ltd.

The company ultimately selected low-latency Brocade VDX 6740 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switches as the network foundation of the new data center due to the strength of Brocade VCS Fabric technology, ease of configuration, operational automation, and cost-effective performance and scalability. Brocade delivery switches have also been deployed in the new Micromax data center.

By simplying entry into FTTH (Fiber

To The Home) projects, R&M thus satisfies the network operators' requirements. Network operators, municipal utilities and municipalities are currently planning fiber optic networks that extend all the way into homes. They have concluded that copper networks are hitting the limits of their capacity. Ever greater bandwidth and improved transmission technology are needed to accommodate growing data traffic, new value-

added services and multimedia products on the Internet.

Most countries and network operators are just now entering the fiber optic era. Fast-installation technique and modular design, clear labeling and simple handling are four prime characteristics of the connection and distribution system from R&M. The minimum bending radius of 40 mm so crucial for performance is guaranteed throughout.

The system can be flexibly adjusted and pre-terminated.

Nashik has become the third city

in Maharashtra after Pune and Nagpur and the fifteenth city in the country to get Airtel 4G. Bharti Airtel Limited has announced the launch of its 4G services in Nashik.

Customers in Nashik can now enjoy an electrifying experience of internet browsing, anytime on either dongles or on Wi-Fi with the home broadband solution of CPEs (Customer Premise Equipment/ routers).

Ashok Ganapathy,

Hub CEO – Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat, Bharti Airtel (India), said, “We are proud to announce the launch of Airtel 4G services in Nashik enabling customers to access the most advanced wireless broadband experience available across the globe. As a brand, we are committed to enriching the lives of our customers and invite all the data-savvy customers in the city to enjoy this world-class data experience which we are offering at unbeatable prices.”

Ericsson in agreement with MTV

As a result of a new five-year

agreement, Ericsson will provide media and broadcast services such as media management, playout and studio facilities management for the Finnish media company MTV. Ericsson will provide these services to both MTV and other local and international customers from a purpose-built media hub in Helsinki, Finland.

Joachim Bergman, Head of Playout and Media Management, Ericsson Broadcast and Media Services, said, “This agreement and the media hub in Helsinki will strengthen Ericsson’s broadcast and media services business, which began in 2007 with the signing of our first broadcast services deal with C More (formerly Canal+) in the Nordic region, and is expanding rapidly.”

QNAP’s Mobile NAS QGenie launched

QNAP Systems has announced the release of QGenie, a pocket-sized 7-in-1 mobile NAS for file storage, power bank, Internet sharing, and more. With its compact design, QGenie fits perfectly in the pocket yet provides powerful functions to meet user’s day-to-day mobile needs.

“QGenie allows connections from up to 20 users, enables simultaneous file access by up to 8 users, and is perfect for sharing multimedia when travelling in a vehicle and large files in various occasions such as social gatherings, class seminars, and business meetings without the need of sending emails or exchanging USB drives,” said Hanz Sung, Product Manager, QNAP.


EIITF – 2014 unfolds new business opportunities for SMEs

The emerging IT hub in the country, Kolkata, has recently witnessed the

Fifth Eastern India Information Technology Fair (EIITF) – 2014 amidst the presence of an august gathering of CEOs, CXOs from the corporate world, VARs and SMEs and government dignitaries from the ICT sector. Titled “Marketing Tools for VARS to empower SMBs”, the event was attended by a total of 200+ guests. Speakers from various verticals of government, PSUs, industry bodies and industrialists also participated in the function.

The Chief Guest for the evening was Col. A.K. Nath (Retd), Executive Director, C-DAC, Government of India. The event commenced

with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the Hon’ble Chief Guest and other distinguished guests – Col. HPS Bawa, CEO, WTL; Col. A. K. Nath (Retd), Executive Director, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing; Mr. Manjit Nayak, Additional Director, STPI, Government of India; Mr. B. Hari, President, CIITA; Mr. Ganesh Chakraborty, DGM, RailTel Corporation of India Ltd; Mr. V. K. Bhandari, Chairman, Supertron Electronics Ltd; Mr. K. L. Lalani, Chairman, Lalani Infotech Ltd; Mr. Sanjay Pradhan, Managing Director, Max Secure; and Mr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Chief Editor, VARINDIA.

While addressing the audience, Mr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Chief Editor, VARINDIA, stressed on how digitization is a continuous process and organizations are heavily dependent on cyber technology today. “With geographic boundaries being collapsed in this digital era, organizations are facing threats

from the virtual world. Crimes are perpetrated by cybercriminals who leverage on the evolved ecosystems like the Dark Net. Businesses are increasingly facing challenges not only on the financial front but also irreversible damage to their brands and market reputations. As a result of this growing threat, there is a significant need for corporates to recognize cyber-threats and craft cyber response plans.”

Thereafter, many eminent speakers took the floor to address the audience on the key

issues pertaining to the industry and the Channel community as a whole. The Chief Guest, Col. A. K. Nath (Retd), Executive Director, C-DAC, Government of India, spoke on the innovations by C-DAC that act as a potential for SMEs and pave the way for these small enterprises to further penetrate into the market in the country.

While Mr. B. Hari, President, CIITA, in his address, spoke on the role of CIITA in empowering the VARs in Eastern India, Col. HPS Bawa, CEO, WTL, gave a brief introduction to the audience about WEBEL and also WTL, the company that he manages, besides briefing about the potential that the state of West Bengal holds in the area of ICT.

Among the corporate presentations, Fortinet, Canon, SAP and NNR IT Solutions took turns to speak on their solutions and the current market situation. Mr. Navin Mehra, Regional Manager, West, Central and East India, Fortinet Inc., presented his views on the opportunities for Channel partners ahead with Fortinet. Mr. Sachin Chauhan, Marketing Manager, OIS, Canon India, gave the perspective of Canon on the contribution of Channel partners in bringing success to the emerging system integration business in Eastern India. Mr. Jagannath Pattnaik, CEO, NNR IT Solutions, global distributor for Max Secure, introduced his company. In his presentation, Mr. Pattnaik also emphasized on how essential

Inaugural Session: (L to R:) Mr. B. Hari, President, CIITA, Mr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Chief Editor, VARINDIA, Col. A. K. Nath (Retd), Executive Director, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, Mr. Sachin Chauhan, Marketing Manager, OIS, Canon India and Col. HPS Bawa, CEO, WTL

L to R: Mr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Chief Editor, VARINDIA (Moderator); Mr. Pradeep Sharma, Director - Comnet Resources; Mr. Kapil Mukherjee, Territory (East) Head SME, SAP India; Mr. Sachin Chauhan, Marketing Manager, Canon India Pvt. Ltd; Mr. Sanjay Pradhan, MD Max Secure; Mr. Manjit Nayak, Joint Director, Officer-in-charge, STPI (Kolkata); Col. HPS Bawa, CEO, WTL

EVENT


Mr. Navin Mehra, Regional Manager, West, central and east India- FORTINET Inc.

“When we talk of security, we feel that we put an anti-virus and our job is done. But it is not so. If you wish to be protected, you should be implementing the best of technologies available. We have been hearing about viruses, Trojans, malwares which are now things of past. Threats have become much more sophisticated. In other words, Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) like the recently discovered Stuxnet which came into light when Iran was posing a threat to some of the nations who expected them to become a nuclear armed state. This could not have been done by a hacker but requires big intelligence, governance and persistent approach to penetrate the organization. India is moving towards becoming a nuclear power resource and there are similar threats and challenges that pose for us also.”

“Security is very essential. But at the same time, there is nothing t feel worried about, because today’s generation is quite capable of understanding of how the things work. We as a Security vendor are in the end-point security area and we provide security both to home users and SMBs and also to large corporates. To keep it a simple affair, we have simplified our security offerings for the SMBs without making it too complex. It’s just that an SME has to keep themselves aware of what security products are there available in the market. Today, the best of breed end-point security products for PCs, laptop or mobile do not cost much. And with the advent of Social Media and the importance of end-point security increasing, it becomes all the more essential for a user to install it in his device.” Mr. Jagannath Pattnaik,

CEO, NNR IT Solutions

“At SAP, we roughly consider any company with a turnover of 2, 500 crores as an SME. SAP is divided into 2 avenues – very low-end products and solutions which are for customers with revenue from 5-10 crores to probably 100 crores and the high-end products. The intent

of SAP has also been to be friendlier with customers in terms of our products. In this context, I will try to bring in 3 things – one is the SAP HANA which is the fastest database that SAP

has today, second is the SAP applications that can be managed on mobile and the third is the Cloud. This is keeping in mind the SME segment which does not want spend much on

technology or for that matter many do not have the requisite resources to hire a CIO.” Mr. Kapil Mukherjee,Territory (East) Head SME, SAP India

“The country has somewhere around 4.8 crore SMEs and the figure is still growing. In fact, India is going to be the largest growing SME nations in the world. If we look from a printing

perspective, SME craves for a low cost of ownership and want their printing costs to be down. He wants to have maximum profit so that the same can be invested again for business expansion

and also look at compatibility and scalability factors of his systems and software once this expansion happens. The demand for multi-function printers has slightly gone up and stand-

along printers has lost its market share considerably. And this is true for the SME segment as well. While catering to the SME segment, Canon tries to be different from all its competition

on the technology front and makes its product features and interface quite friendly for the users. Our products are also backed by services that are one of the bests in the country.”

Mr. Sachin Chauhan, Marketing Manager, OIS- CANON India

Col. A. K. Nath (Retd), Executive Director, C-DAC, Government of India“This will be an apt opportunity to sensitize the disclosures of the

technology that CDAC Kolkata has developed. And we would like them to be penetrated in the society, in the masses through SMEs. We have lots of products which have gained lot of recognition; when CDAC was first established in 1988, the need of the country was to develop our own super computer as we were denied the super computer technology from

USA. We built the C-DAC PARAM Yuva – II which is the fastest super computer in India and also been rated as the 44th most Green computer in

the world. So from super computer, we moved on to language technology and many more and have our presence in 11 cities. Unfortunately we are known to people only as for education & training but our mainstream activities are research and development.”

Col. HPS Bawa, CEO- WTL“West Bengal is a state where

opportunity still exists. Seeing this potential, WEBEL has built IT parks in Siliguri,

Durgapur and these are some of the

upcoming markets after Kolkata where you will find adequate talent. WEBEL as a state nodal agency was started in 1975 for facilitating the implementation of IT projects of West Bengal govt. The state has also got an incentive policy available on the websites of WEBEL and Ministry of IT. There are various opportunities that SMEs can make use of. WTL, a subsidiary of WEBEL does a lot of business for WB Govt. and there are a number of projects that we are involved with. We also do business outside in states like Tripura, Meghalaya, Jharkhand and Bihar. We work with both large corporations and SMEs in these states with whom we partner to implement different projects. ”

Shri B. Hari, President, CIITA“We are in midst of a serious change in our market place with partners

facing tremendous pressure in terms of margins, delays in payment, huge costs of interests and to top it all we have the online marketplace which is creating a big havoc. It is an extremely challenging time for the Channel. But let us just look at it as an opportunity and not shy away from understanding that change is the only constant factor in life.

It is time to re-invent ourselves and there is a need to migrate. However, I perceive this to be a temporary phenomenon where as a VAR you will

see you are losing business and margins, but ultimately this will stabilise. We have seen this happening in many countries where online and brick& mortar stores still survive simultaneously.”


Solut

ions D

isplay

CANON

FORTINET

C-DAC MAx SECuRE

D-LINK

Award Winners at 5th EIITF – 2014

Best National Distributor, Eastern India - Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd

Best Network Integrator, Eastern India - Techniche Consulting Services

Best Reseller, Eastern India Lalani Infotech

Best Retailer, Eastern India Supreme Technologies

Best System Integrator, Eastern India - Suntronic Infotech Pvt. Ltd

Best VAD, Eastern India Savera Marketing Agency

security is for enterprises and government today. Mr. Kapil Mukherjee,Territory (East) Head SME, SAP India, spoke about the opportunities for SMEs in eastern India and how these opportunities can be leveraged to streamline their growth further.

The Panel discussions towards the end of the event was on the topic – “Marketing Tools for VARS to empower SMBs” and was moderated by Mr. Deepak Kumar Sahu. The panellists on the dais who represented cross-

sections of the industry included Mr. Manjit Nayak, Joint Director, Officer-in-charge, STPI (Kolkata); Col. HPS Bawa, CEO, WTL; Mr. Kapil Mukherjee, Territory (East) Head SME, SAP India; Mr. Sachin Chauhan, Marketing manager, Canon India Pvt. Ltd; and Mr. Sanjay Pradhan, Managing Director, Max Secure. The discussions concluded that the use of innovations in technology continue to have a massive effect on business and society. It is a fact that technology acts as an enabler that can

pave the way for being competitive. Small and medium businesses across all verticals can play a critical role in the resurgence of the Indian economy, though they continue to face tough challenges in the volatile business environment and global competition. Businesses and governments must think deeply about the opportunities and risks presented by evolving trends.

The event also took the opportunity to felicitate the Channel community from the East in different categories. The resellers, distributors and system integrators recognized were Supreme Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Lalani Infotech Ltd, Caltron Group, Savera Marketing Agency, Techniche Consulting Services, Suntronic Infotech Pvt. Ltd and Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd

There was also a lucky draw announced where six lucky winners walked away with 2 Canon scanners and 4 Max Security Antivirus software with lifetime validity. n

EVENT


PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Nokia MD12 Bluetooth speaker

The MD12 speaker connects with your phone via Bluetooth or NFC to act as a speakerphone, and it can also play music. You can pair

the speaker via NFC to any phone (not just a Lumia) by tapping on the side. There's also a 3.5mm port on the side, where you can plug in

a cable to connect your phone or MP3 player. Weighing in at just 180g (the size of an apple), the MD-12 is a funky portable Bluetooth mini

speaker that plays for up to 15 hours and uses almost any surface to create a big sounding bass. It is compatible with Lumia devices as well as

other smartphones. Inside, there's a microphone which you can use it for conference calls or hands-free calling. The speaker is round with a

grill on top, and has a single large power button on the front. You charge the MD12 via a micro-USB port and the battery lasts for up to 15

hours playing music continuously. With a built-in vibrating actuator on the base, the speakers let sound fanatics experiment with the speaker

on different surfaces. Low frequencies are created when placed on most surfaces, especially hard ones, delivering a surprising amount of bass for

such a compact speaker. In short, it creates different effects when placed on different objects. For the user's ease, the MD-12 wireless speaker

comes with battery level and power LED indicators.


CHANNEL BUZZ

Game-o-Thon successfully concludes Gigabyte conducts Power Parade 2014

Panasonic hosts Master Class Workshop for Partners in Chennai

Supertron sets target of Rs.2,000 Crore

MOBOTIX attracts over 300 partners in its Wake Up Seminar

GIGABYTE Technology (India) has invited select

Power Users and PC Enthusiasts, to discover and experience the extreme performance potential of GIGABYTE 9 Series motherboards, based on the Intel Z97/H97 chipsets.

At the event named GIGABYTE Power Parade 2014, the invitees were treated to the exclusive technology features and performance possibilities of GIGABYTE 9 Series motherboards, by Colin Brix, Marketing Director, GIGABYTE Motherboard Business Unit, Technical Marketing Department.

A major attraction of

Game-o-Thon II organized by Kolkata's

Lalani Infotech has not only crossed barriers but set new benchmarks for the country with 1200 and 48 hours of mad

gaming in the eastern part of the country.

It is already being compared with the ace gaming events in South Asia only for its size.

Game-o-Thon has introduced Game-o-Thon Pro from this year that saw champion professional gamer from India Santanu Basu take on Bangladesh champion Waheed Munir.

East Bengal Harman Jyot Khabra and his Mohun Bagan counterpart Shilton Paul were present to give away the award for the pro-FIFA 2014 game champion.

the event was an extreme overclocking session by the seasoned Indian overclocker, Shripad Kudtarkar, who used the GA-Z97X-SOC motherboard with an Intel Corei7 4770K processor, to display his overclocking skills. As the invitees cheered on, Shripad managed to achieve a SuperPI-1M benchmark score of 6.4 GHz.

GA-Z97X-SOC is one of the three Z97-based overclocking motherboards launched by GIGABYTE, the others being Z97X-SOC FORCE and GA-Z97X-SOC Force LN2.

Panasonic has recently organized a full-day

master class workshop in Chennai on 23rd July. A total number of 53 partners and 36 partner organizations attended this workshop. This event primarily served as a platform to showcase the new range of displays and projectors to the partner fraternity. It was an extensive information sharing session where the new professional and commercial display lineup was showcased underscoring the company’s efforts to create and drive preference around the usage of Panasonic display solutions among the partners community.

Vineet Mahajan, Head, Display Solutions, Panasonic India, who discussed that the launch of these products are beneficial for the Indian market and have enhanced the portfolio of the company by offering next-gen interactive training features in

the professional display category. He also talked about the fact that all products showcased in the workshop will play an essential role in the Indian market. He also threw light on the company’s global vision and continuing technological innovation to provide the best of technology and ease of operation to its valuable customers.

The workshop commenced with the briefing session on the new Interactive Multi Touch Professional Display LFB70 Series, Network Display LFC70 Series, 65-inch LFE7 Series and Commercial Displays. The major highlight was the announcement of the LFB70 series of professional Full HD displays incorporating features such as intuitive touchscreen technology, fully interactive whiteboard functionality (up to six touch points), superb image quality and wireless connectivity.

Supertron Electronics has organized National

Sales Meet in Bangkok early May’14 and worked out business plans for the year 2014-15. The company has set a target of Rs.2, 000 crore and each team member is determined and enthusiastic to achieve this goal.

Supertron has set the theme for the year “Towards a quantum leap”. V. K. Bhandari, Chairman & Managing Director, Supertron Electronics Pvt. Ltd, said, “We are adding new product lines in our basket, and to maintain current

market dynamics, Supertron is providing its partners a better support in terms of logistics, marketing & warranty, schemes & promotional support. We aim to add more retail partners, SI and dealers from smaller towns.”

The company foresees the future and promising market of SSD and has added the product line and nationally doing the business of Samsung and Transcend SSD, Dell AMD series laptop, Dell TAB for southern market along with central India market Nagpur and Indore.

MOBOTIX AG has organized an 8-city

drive across the country to promote and inform the partners about the latest innovations in the surveillance market. This 8-city tour called the “MOBOTIX-AG Wake Up Seminar” was attended by more than 300 partners and is already creating a buzz in

the surveillance market with the introduction of “Thermal Camera”, Advance Perimeter Detection “MxActivity Sensor” and “MxLeo: Camera with Low Light Performance”.

MOBOTIX-AG with Rashi Peripherals enters the Indian surveillance market with their state-of-the-art cameras and other reliable made in Germany

products. The MOBOTIX-AG wake up seminar covered some metros like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore, in addition to smaller but important cities like Pune, Ahmedabad, Secunderabad and Chennai. All the cities received a very positive response from the partner community and appreciation

towards the world leader in the global market for high-resolution video system.

Srikanth Kamath, Country Manager, MOBOTIX AG, said, “Perimeter Protection is market necessity and MOBOTIX AG Introduction of Thermal with Activity Sensor, provide the perfect solution for Defense and Commercial Establishments.”


New ICT Standards will benefit end consumers and help check counterfeit - MAIT

MAIT has in association with the Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY) and Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) organized a one-day programme titled “India Standards: A strong ICT Nation”. The event took place in the wake of the notification the govt. has given to the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement for compulsory Registration Order) in 2012. Though the intent of order is well appreciated by all stakeholders, there are increasing calls for harmonization of requirements under the order with globally accepted best practices.

The day long program was divided into four sessions namely, ‘Role of Standards in the ICT & Electronics Sector – Trends, Opportunities and Issues’; ‘Compulsory Registration Order - Experience and way forward”; “Market Surveillance, Quality Control and Inspection”; “Anti-Counterfeiting and Consumer Awareness.”

Speaking during the workshop,

Amar Babu, President, MAIT said, “Standards are important for matters relating to consumer safety and product quality. Implementation of standards framework and its compliance is extremely essential as it will eventually determine the success of the entire process. MAIT will take forward a proposal on behalf of the ICT industry, basis the feedback received from the programme and share it with the government. The proposal shall encourage the participation of industry players to come forward and share best practices relating to standards from across the globe".

The program succeeded in creating awareness about internationally accepted best practices for ICT standards. It acted as platform for both the Officials from DeitY and BIS and Industry honchos to deliberate and dwell upon the processes and mechanisms involved in the

development and implementation of ICT standards.

While addressing the Seminar, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Joint Secretary, DeitY said, “The Compulsory Registration Order, notified by DeitY has ensured registration of products by the manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, thereby curbing inflow of sub-standard goods. Special measures have been initiated to provide financial assistance to MSMEs and reducing compliance effort with simpler and effective labeling, reduced timelines and greater transparency.”

Welcoming the attendees, Anwar Shirpurwala, Executive Director, MAIT said, “MAIT, as an industry body understands the importance of having standards for electronic goods as it is essential to prevent inflow of sub-standard goods in the market. The Indian government too has been taking positive steps to safeguard the interests of

consumers through compulsory registration order which will go a long way in promoting quality and dependability across the ICT industry.”

Present during the seminar Keshav Desiraju, Secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs said, “Self registration, as implied by the CRO, is an enormous responsibility in itself. All inclusive growth of the ICT sector depends upon voluntary registration of products and how best we can take this forward. Consumers will be the end beneficiary of the process as standard of products will improve once the registration order is implemented fully.”

The programme was well attended by delegates from the domestic industry as well as several international organizations such as Information Technology Council, Digital Europe, Taipei Computer Association and SESEI. n

INDUSTRY EVENTS


Traditional IT distributors to come 'Online'

To support the issue, the key speakers who participated at the Conclave

included B. Hari, President, CIITA (East); Champak Gurjar, President, FITAM (West); Karthikeyan S., President, SIITA (South); and Prasanto K. Roy, Member, PCAIT. The principal vendor Dell and Schneider, Canon, D-Link, Unistal, Atlanta, RAH Infotech, Amtrack and Cyberoam who were also the supporting partners. VARINDIA played the key role as exclusieve media partner for this event.

Commenting on the relevance of the Conclave, Alok Gupta, President, PCAIT, stated, "Over the years, there has been a tremendous growth in the number of online retailers operating in India. However, there is an urgent need to pay attention to the practices deployed by such portals when it comes to procurement and selling of products at rates which are way below the market rates. Also, providing online service for the products is a key issue which has been lacking till now. The Conclave is an attempt to address this disparity and make the market a level-playing field for ICT channel partners by providing them a platform to operate their business, online in order to cater to the fast-growing segment."

Shedding more light on the objective of the Conclave, Saket Kapur, General Secretary, PCAIT, (North), offered his virewpoint, “The ICT Channel Conclave is a step towards identifying and addressing the issues being

faced by the channel retailers from the online platforms. Being true to the theme of our Conclave which was, ‘Growth with Unity’, we understand that online is an important mode of doing business. Hence, we encourage our members to take their business online and explore new growth avenues.”

According to B. Hari, President, CIITA (East), online channels will take almost Rs.15,000 crore of traditional ICT channel business in the next two years, of which Rs.5,000 crore will happen in FY 2014-15 and Rs.10,000 crore in the next financial year, i.e. FY 2015-16.

Special mention about a recent report generated by CRISIL Research, has revealed that online retail earned Rs.13,900 crore in FY 2012-13 and further estimated to reach Rs.50,400 crore by FY 2015-16. The data shows that there would be a tough time ahead for traditional ICT channels (both IT and mobile) across India.

Keeping this in mind, the All India ICT Channel Associations came out with plans for forming a national association and constituting a team each to discuss problems with the vendor community, government and to look into the go-to-market strategy.

The Associations have also planned to come up with an online portal. Traditional IT distributors’ own portal will be a first of its kind in India that will offer product-based services across the length and breadth of the country. Additionally, it will cater to the demands of online customers.

However, it is difficult to say anything for

now whether the channel community would be able to succeed by establishing their own e-market portal or not. It has been found that a part of the channel community is itself supplying goods to e-commerce companies as well as LFRs (large format retailers) to earn revenues.

Also, traditional IT distributors’ own portal is just an idea for the time being, which will take nearly a year to take shape. Promoting the portal and increasing traffic to the portal would be another big challenge, which the traditional channel partners have to tackle with. All these require a huge investment and expertise to make this happen. Besides these, initially the traditional channel’s portal will have to give handsome discounts as well as some bundled offers to attract customers. In addition, the portal will have to participate in exclusive launches of new products, not available through any other e-commerce portal. But for sure, if they would be able to execute the game plan and surpass the e-commerce portals; it would be a great victory for those channel partners who are presently facing the heat from mushrooming e-commerce portals.

Experts believe that the traditional ICT channels are left with only one option, i.e. to follow a basic principle “Stand United” as they can do much better business with their combined strength. For this, they have to embrace the e-commerce at the earliest and prepare themselves for the changing buying behaviour of young consumers who prefers online retail. n

With online retail gaining popularity fast with people, it is posing a big threat to traditional distributors who are facing cut-throat competition. To address issues relating to the resultant challenges and competition being faced by ICT Channels from online retailers, an All-

India ICT Channel Associations Conclave was organized which witnessed participation from all the state IT associations.

NNR IT Solutions appoints RDs for Max Secure NNR IT Solutions has successfully appointed 26 Regional Distributors within India. The regions include J&K, Chandigarh, NCR-

Delhi, Uttarakhand, UP, MP, HP, Gujrat, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Chattisgarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand and North East Guwahati.

Maharashtra being its home ground, the company has appointed RDs for Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Jalgaon, Aurangabad and Nagpur. NNR IT has also come out with an aggressive scheme of Bangkok trip to partners clocking one Lakh (100000.00) business for volume

partners, 8gms Gold for partners clocking Rs. 90000.00 Business, even smaller partners who do business of Rs. 5000 can take home 0.1G Gold/ goodies plus an attractive Max Secure Back Pack. Besides this for end users there is Rs. 150/- gift voucher in every box pack. This scheme is valid till August 31.

INDUSTRY EVENTS


Tata Teleservices IIT Bombay Centre of Excellence in Telecommunications(TICET, IIT Bombay)

MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM

Technical Description:• It is software which intelligently

exploits user information effectively for developing a myriad of personalized applications.

• “Mobile social networking is a social networking system/platform/medium where one or more individuals of similar interests or commonalities, conversing and connecting with one another, using the mobile phone."

• Mobile Social Platform Network offers service providers an effective framework to develop personalized applications and send targeted advertisements to a user in the network. These advertisements are based on user’s demographic profile, call detail records, buddy list and interests. Thus, instead of flooding the user advertisements, MSNP directs only relevant information to him.

Technology Architecture:• The algorithm mines the call detail

records available with the service provider to search for patterns in interaction between users.

• These patterns along with the information about set of applications that a

user is currently using, and what his friends like/dislike are then analyzed to finally narrow down on a specific set of users with similar interests.

• Anything that is popular in a user’s “cluster” has a high probability of being liked by the users of that cluster and can be recommended to them.

Technology Benefits: Simple Technology and ease of usage with simplest mobile sets and low cost

Technology Need: To introduce intelligence in the social networks formed on mobile network and also facilitate low end mobile uses in rural areas

Technology Advantages:• Patented Innovation: “Method for

facilitating and analyzing social interactions and context for targeted recommendations in a Telecom Service Provider’s Network.”

• Low investment/High potential: MSNP can host SMS based applications. It doesn’t require users to have a 3G phone.

• Platform across Service Providers: The applications on MSNP can be used by all subscribers of any service providers

• F o r w a r d compatible: Myriad of 2G and 3G applications can be deployed on this platform.

• Intelligent built: Intelligence of this platform can be exploited to give a better user experience.

I n t e l l e c t u a l

Property (IP) Filing Status: Indian and US Patent filed in name of “Method for Facilitating and Analyzing Social Interactions and Context for Targeted Recommendat ions in a Telecom Service Provider’s Network” by Abhay Karandikar, Prateek Kapadia, Animesh Kumar, Sanjay

Kumar, Somya Sharma, Dhanshree Deval – Parakh. US Patent issued in July 2014

Target Customers: 2G/3G Mobile Users

Competitors or Competing Technologies, including those that are being developed: gypsii, mobango, mig33, limbo etc

Unique Selling Point: "The unique selling point of our platform is the advanced clustering algorithm running at the back

end along to support innovative and socially popular front end applications."

Example: Technology is used for low and high end mobile users no software installation is required It uses user's call data record (CDR), user profile, user location and user buddy list to form clusters which in turn are used for targetted advertisements and recommendations

Intellectual property rights owner: TTSL- IITB Centre of Excellence in Telecommunication (TICET)

Business status of the organization developing this technology: Existing small to medium enterprise

Technology Applications:

The currently working applications on this platform are: Important features of Mobile Social Networking Platform (MSNP)

• MSNP can host SMS based applications. There is no need to download any additional software on mobile.

• It does not require users to have a 3G phone. This would ensure wider penetration into Indian market where 3G is still in its infancy.

• Intelligence of this platform can be exploited to give a better user experience.

• Platform can also support 3G applications.

MSNP was launched by Hon’ble Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology in New Delhi on 29th August, 2011. n

Contact:

Prof. Abhay Karandikar

Department of Electrical Engineering

IIT Bombay Powai Mumbai 400 076

for more detail please write as on:

Email: [email protected]

Technology Applications:

The currently working applications on this platform are:

Important features of Mobile Social Networking Platform (MSNP)

MSNP can host SMS based applications. There is no need to download any additional software

on mobile.

It does not require users to have a 3G phone. This would ensure wider penetration into Indian

market where 3G is still in its infancy.

Intelligence of this platform can be exploited to give a better user experience.

Platform can also support 3G applications.

MSNP was launched by Hon’ble Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology

in New Delhi on 29th August, 2011.

Contact:

Prof. Abhay Karandikar,

Department of Electrical Engineering

IIT Bombay Powai Mumbai 400 076

Email id: [email protected] and [email protected]

Tata Teleservices IIT Bombay Centre of Excellence in Telecommunications

(TICET, IIT Bombay)

MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING PLATFORM

Technical Description:

• It is software which intelligently exploits user information effectively for developing a myriad of

personalized applications.

• “Mobile social networking is a social networking system/platform/medium where one or more

individuals of similar interests or commonalities, conversing and connecting with one another,

using the mobile phone."

• Mobile Social Platform Network offers service providers an effective framework to develop

personalized applications and send targeted advertisements to a user in the network. These

advertisements are based on user’s demographic profile, call detail records, buddy list and

interests. Thus, instead of flooding the user advertisements, MSNP directs only relevant

information to him.

Technology Architecture:

• The algorithm mines the call detail records available with the service provider to search for

patterns in interaction between users.

• These patterns along with the information about set of applications that a user is currently using,

and what his friends like/dislike are then analyzed to finally narrow down on a specific set of

users with similar interests.

• Anything that is popular in a user’s “cluster” has a high probability of being liked by the users of

that cluster and can be recommended to them.

TECHNOMANIA


DCIM gaining momentum with growth of data centers

DCIM, as Shekhar Dasgupta, Founder – Greenfield Software

puts it is the ERP for the data center that helps to allocate and optimize resources like power, space, cooling, networks and IT resources. But most importantly, it helps preventing wastages.

“A key objective of a data center is to have it constantly uptime (99%), which means you need to have huge amounts of redundancy. When it comes to datacenters, redundancy denotes how much extra or spare power the data center can offer to its customers as a back up during a power outage. You will find the term n+1, where n stands for need. So likewise, on the basis of your requirement, you will be needing n+1, n+2, 2n, 2n+1 and so on. And this is how tier 1 & 2 data centers are defined, of how many additional redundancies it requires,” explains Shekhar Dasgupta, Founder – Greenfield Software.

Redundancy helps when there is a failure. But if there is no failure, then these assets will remain unutilized and will continue consuming unnecessary power and space. The more space these racks occupy, the more cooling it requires. “When the dot-com bubble took place in the late 90’s, people started building large server firms. There was this large power crisis in California and the region that has been power abundant has suddenly started seeing frequent power cuts. A whole host of technologies started coming in to tackle this issue, and one technology that has risen out of these many technologies is DCIM,” muses Shekhar.

Elements of DCIM…The most important role of DCIM

is that of Energy efficiency. It tries to identify the hot and cold spots in a data center and makes recommendations of where additional cooling is required. “For instance, when everyone is filing income tax returns in the month-end of July, there will be some servers which will be heavily utilized for filing the returns whereas there may be some email servers which will only be partially used. The email servers will not need too much of cooling as the heavily utilized ones. So this software will tell you which area needs maximum cooling,” explains Shekhar.

Another area in DCIM is Capacity Planning, which is the process of determining the production capacity

needed by an organization to meet changing demands. The average annual utilization of a server CPU is as low as 7 %, which is a global standard. By planning its capacity, these machines can be virtualized and the utilization can go up by 30-35% .

Asset Management is another important area when one considers DCIM. Most data centers manage their assets by use of spreadsheets. People in a data center may have different goals and they manage different assets and maintain separate spreadsheets. This creates big problems as there is no interdependency between the machines, and this leads to many data centers to fail. Asset Management helps to counter this problem and systematically deploys, operates, maintains, upgrades and disposes assets cost-effectively.

In the end…Greenfield Software, as one of the

leading players in DCIM has got enterprise as its most important customers. It is also able to get to the Government vertical by working with the System integrators. “We try to be different from the rest by doing some bits of customization. If DCIM requires to be integrated with building management tool or any systems management tool or power meters, we offer to do that for our customer,” Shekhar says. It works with SIs (global SIs) and tech providers to support its

Shekhar DasguptaFounder – Greenfield Software

customers.While many customers wanted from

a perspective of customer planning, most of them wanted to adopt DCIM as a best practice of reducing wastage since they were coming under cost pressures. Wastage is really high and people are realizing it fast. “Today at least 40% of a customer’s operating cost is power related and nobody would like wastage of so much of computing power,” asserts Shekhar.

2 years back, the awareness for DCIM was relatively low and though it was already been adopted in the US and European markets. But as data centers started proliferating and consolidating, the need for DCIM software is becoming significantly higher, with even mid-sized data centers starting to adopt it. So the more the data centers grow, the more important DCIM becomes. n

[email protected]

Main DCIM products by Greenfield Software -

• Capacity Planning

• Asset Management

• Business Continuity

• Power Management

• Sustainability Reporting

• Energy Billing

India may still be far from becoming a major data center hub globally but when it comes to adoption of latest technologies, the country has always remained as the front runner. Shekhar Dasgupta, Founder – Greenfield Software talks to VARINDIA more about the software and how its awareness among customers has slowly taken off -

FACE TO FACE


FACE TO FACE

Safety & Security Feature in the Hospitality Industry

The daring attacks by the terrorists on hotels Taj Mahal & Trident Oberoi in downtown Mumbai on 26/11/ 2008 shook the hospitality industry worldwide. Never before such iconic hotels were targeted. The two 5 star hotels were under siege for two days and the guests inside were held as hostages. Following that unexpected tragedy which saw many lives lost, hotels across India have beefed up their security apparatus to be in the combat readiness to meet any eventuality. Manoj Khadkikar, Head, Channel & Distribution- Products & Solutions Group, Zicom Electronic Security Systems traces the developments since November 2008 and spells out the progress the hospitality industry has made in the security domain. Below, excerpts from an interview -

What kind of trends did you witness in terms of safety and security technology adoption in the hospitality industry after the ill-fated Mumbai terror attack? Do you see the demand sustaining even now?

Although adequate security is in place in the 5 star hotels, the importance of comprehensive security has not pervaded the hospitality industry as a whole. You will come across even the 4 star hotel properties with more than 100 rooms not providing enough security or not having the required security products and solutions. Even if they have some products, they are not being utilized in a proper manner, which therefore, leads to the conclusion that for them security is not on their key agenda. So, from the industry perspective the safety and security adoption in hospitality is not uniform. It is sporadic and therefore, a big concern.

How different are the security installation/gadgets demand of hospitality industry from other industries? How open are hotel investors to deploying the latest technology gadgets to safeguard their customers and properties?

The security requirements for the hospitality sector are a bit different from other industry. In the hospitality arena security is on several layers like tier one, two, three, four, five and so forth depending upon the needs. Tier one may involve the perimeter, tier two the entrance check points, tier three the lobby etc. So, we should ensure that Admin & Commercial section is not open to guests and gymnasium and swimming pool are barred for visitors. So, every section in a hotel requires security that should appear non-intrusive to customers’ privacy and at the same time provide utmost security to protect them and their belongings during their stay.

What is the kind of awareness in the industry when it comes to choosing appropriate solutions for their assets?

While the ritzy 5 star hotels are well aware how to protect their properties, the

hotels down the order have no clue as to what kinds of security they need and who provide the security solutions. Except five star hotels, others have not laid up any concrete security layer to fully protect their own properties. But the situation is improving as all economy hotels feel the need to equip themselves with modern security systems.

What are the new innovations in access control/surveillance solutions? How you are equipping your brand to cater to emerging safety/security threats/demands in the industry?

Apart from the CCTV cameras and patrolling guards with sniffer dogs, nowadays especially post 26/11/ 2008, hotels are strengthening the security cover to all strategic places in and around the hotel premises. These include, Perimeter Fencing, Boom Barriers, Automatic Bollards, Selective Access Control System, Under Vehicle Surveillance System (UVSS), Baggage X Ray Clearance, Metal Detectors, Alarm System, Biometric and Facial Recognition Systems, People Counters, Intrusion Detectors, Bomb Detection Devices, etc. There is seamless flow of data from one system to another not only from the security point of view but also from the business perspective. Helpful intrusion is provided as an added service through technological capabilities.

Also, security solution providers are offering 5 star hotels security coupled with home automation. That is automatic solution for lighting, air conditioners, television, windows, curtains, etc which facilitate the customer to enjoy luxury and comfort with ease.

We at Zicom are providing many of these security solutions to hospitality industry and the non-occurrence of any major mishap there is a testimony to the efficacy of our security solutions.

What will be the prospects in the coming years?

The Security Solutions Providers will have a bright future as a result of the growing hospitality industry. India's hospitality industry which includes hotel, travel and tourism is expected to grow by about 7.3 per cent in 2014, according to World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The total market

size of tourism and hospitality industry in India stood at US$ 117.7 billion and is anticipated to touch US$ 418.9 billion by 2022.

The domestic hospitality sector expects 52,000 new hotel rooms to be added in five years (2013–17), according to a survey by real estate consultancy, Cushman & Wakefield. This will lead to a rise of over 65 per cent in total hotel inventory in India. The National Capital Region (NCR) is expected to contribute around one-third to the total expected hotel rooms supply during the period.

Further, the Working Group on Tourism for the 12th Five-Year Plan, set up by the Planning Commission, has estimated the generation of additional employment of 24.5 million (direct and indirect) in the sector during 2010–16.

In view of all these positive factors, the security for the hospitality segment will increase manifold in the coming years and Zicom will have a crucial role to play in meeting the security requirements of this industry. n

[email protected]

Manoj KhadkikarHead, Channel & Distribution- Products & Solutions GroupZicom Electronic Security Systems


Software-Defined Networking (SDN) used to be a relatively new term a

year back. The adoption rate is still not the highest but is believed to soon attract the attention of customers who are looking for scalable data centers and mobility. In terms of the market size in India, Gartner states that server, storage and networking market amounts to approximately INR5,300 crore, out of which at least 5–10 per cent must be SDN-centric decisions.

“Market adoption, including in India, is at a very early stage, so it’s difficult to estimate. Operators in India are particularly concerned with architecting their networks

for advanced mobile backhaul and I believe that SDN will help lay the foundation for more high-performance backhaul networks in India,” replies Ryan Perera, Country Head, Ciena.

Sajan Paul, Director – Systems Engineering, India & SAARC, Juniper Networks, observes that the Indian business today is now accepting SDN as a serious investment decision. "We have done a number of sessions for the CIOs and teams. The feedback we received showed that it is a great technology but people preferred to wait and watch. This approach has changed over time and we are seeing some real deployments happening now.”

Subhasish Gupta, Country Manager – India & SAARC, Allied Telesis, however, feels that, across the market as a whole, the uptake of SDN is quite low as it is a technology that is primarily relevant to the service provider and data center markets today. “The primary reason for this is that there are compelling reasons to deploy SDN in carrier and data center environments that don’t exist in the enterprise today. Technology managers in the enterprise are grappling with challenges around resourcing and network management that are unlikely to be overcome by SDN,” he says.

However, it is important here to note that SDN is not a product but rather an emerging architecture driven towards a dynamic, ultra-manageable, adaptable and, more importantly, an “open” networking

platform. “The industry realizes that there are two important technologies that go hand in hand, namely SDN and NFV (Network Function Virtualization). Customers today are ensuring that their newer infrastructure purchases are all SDN-ready,” explains Edgar Dias, Regional Director, India, Brocade.

Nevertheless, vendors are optimistic about the future and growth potentials of software-controlled infrastructure in India. “No segment is feeling the impact more than the telecommunications industry, which is one of the core markets for SDN solutions. Hence, we see great potential in this area. India is amongst the top ‘mobile’ population and there is large part untapped – rural telecom. The carriers and NEMS along with the government are looking to expand in this space and this is where we see the unique opportunity. Practically, India will be positioned amongst ‘early majority’ if not ‘early adopters’,” says Murali Ramalingam, Country Manager & Senior Director – Sales,

Abhijit PotnisDirector Technology Solutions

- India and SAARC at EMC

Tarun KauraDirector – Technology Sales,

India, Symantec

IDC predicts the SDN global market to be around $3.7 billion by 2016 from a $360 million at present. While globally it has created

quite a hype, it being in its maturity stage has not been able to create the wonders yet in India. Will its uptake rise with time?

TECHNOLOGY FEATURE


Ixia.“With changing business dynamics,

customers today are looking at data centers to be more agile to give the right resources to the right users, in the right way. This led to the phenomena of Software defined everything – of which Software-Defined Networking (SDN) enables an organization’s network to be more elastic, agile, and dynamic, allowing them to keep pace with rapidly-changing consumer demands,” explains Tarun Kaura, Director – Technology Sales, India, Symantec.

But SDN is here to stay...Notwithstanding this fact, Software-

Defined Networking is set to grab a humongous share of the networking budget. With IDC predicting a global market of $2 billion for SDN-ready products by 2016, it is a trend which enterprise channels cannot miss even in India. SDN has seen a growing adoption from enterprises and mid-market customers as they rapidly move to the cloud to better suit their business needs. Companies will successfully emerge and struggle to transition to this new shift. But like any major industry trend, the customer benefit is real in SDN and companies now have reached a tipping point where the technology shift is inevitable.

However, adoption of these technologies within the enterprise is being driven by differing use cases and application workloads as well as maturity in their journey to the cloud. Agrees Abhijit Potnis, Director Technology Solutions – India and SAARC, EMC, "Indian businesses are accepting SDN as a serious investment option. There has been an increased reception of and execution of several projects in SDN for enterprise and mid-market customers with branches or those focussing on BYOD. At the same time, Software-Defined Storage (SDS) and Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) are gaining traction with increasing inquiries coming in from customers focussing on scalable data centers and mobility. The Indian market is enthusiastic about the technology and we expect the businesses to grow manifold, especially after the foreign direct

investment (FDI) limit became 49 per cent, as per the Union Budget announcement.”

“SDN, today, is similar to ‘cloud’ a few years ago. It is a new technology that means different things to different people, and while there are a small number of unique applications for the technology – particularly in the service provider and data center markets – it is still lacking the driver that will compel organizations to deploy SDN. While it is still early days for SDN as a technology, over the next 12 to 24 months we expect to see some interesting applications for SDN in the enterprise that will deliver the compelling argument for deploying SDN that many enterprises are looking for,” says Subhasish.

According to Prakash Krishnamoorthy, Country Manager, HP Networking, HP India, SDN finds extensive applications across verticals like Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Healthcare, Education, Government and Energy, as it extends the power of networking programing to give the application the ultimate control

needed to meet the demands of business. "Besides, SDN can be deployed for video and collaboration applications, converged storage and mobile network service orchestration," he says.

“SDN is a game-changing technology which is here to stay. It is just a matter of time before we will witness more organizations deploying SDN. In India, numerous organizations are toying with SDN architectures while the interest in deployment of NFV technologies like Vyatta continues manifold,” adds Edgar.

Asserts Anuj Goel, Pre-Sales Consultant, IP Division, Alcatel-Lucent, India, "There is lot of hype about SDN but the Software-defined networking (SDN) must be magic. Why else would researchers, educators, vendors, customers -- practically everyone and anyone connected to the networking industry -- be so high on SDN? The answer, of course, lies in the promise of SDN. After all, isn't it supposed to completely transform networking? Isn't it the innovation that has finally rescued the networking industry

after a decade-long drought? And, most importantly, isn't the SDN market forecast to generate tens of billions of dollars -- an estimate being raised every month. The technology is definitely here to stay."

As per Alcatel-Lucent, SDN adoption will be seen happening in next few years in Datacenter Networks, Wide Area VPN Services using SD-VPNs.

The excitement around SDNs is being fuelled in large parts over the shortcomings of today’s legacy networks and pent-up demand for more innovation in the network. Today’s legacy networks are too complex to run cost-efficiently, too closed to foster innovation and too brittle to respond to the needs of the business. Equally important, legacy networks remain blind to the dynamic needs of the applications that run on top of them.

If IT managers are ready to jump aboard the SDN bandwagon, they might wonder where to begin. The answer is virtualization.

However, SDN is different from virtualization. While SDN is an emerging architecture that enables network operators to more effectively monetize and manage their networks through programmability, logically centralized control, and abstraction, Virtualization is a tool for logically partitioning physical resources to achieve multi-tenancy and optimized utilization.

In the context of SDN, there are two distinct concepts: Network Virtualization and Network Functions Virtualization. Network Virtualization is used to abstract the details of the underlying physical network from applications and users requesting network services. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is an initiative to virtualize and consolidate network software that is currently running in dedicated hardware to simplify deployment/management, and accelerate time to new services. Both are integral elements of Carrier SDN architectures. NFV is a key part of a service provider’s broader SDN strategy. Both NFV and SDN are often seen as highly complementary and it is in combination that they deliver the most

Prakash KrishnamoorthyCountry Manager, HP Networking, HP India

Ryan PereraCountry Head

Ciena

Murali RamalingamCountry Manager & Senior

Director of Sales, Ixia

TECHNOLOGY FEATURE


value. NFV allows for the deployment of network components as software via virtual machines. Virtualizing network functions is the first step towards building an agile network and truly leveraging SDN.

“In my opinion, SDN and NFV are here to stay. These technologies extend programmability further into the network, creating what we refer to as application-aware networks. In fact, Ciena recently introduced its Agility portfolio of open SDN and NFV software. The Agility software portfolio is built using the OpenDaylight framework which gives network operators the ability to leverage a mix of open-source, self-developed and vendor components from a broad ecosystem and helps them avoid being locked in to a single vendor,” says Ryan.

“As enterprises mature beyond basic virtualization and look towards private cloud deployments, SDN deployments will be a must-have as it simplifies operations by automating and centralizing network management tasks,” points out Abhijit.

"SDN is enabling opportunities that develop new applications which shape how the network functions are secured for end user or mission critical business applications. Along this are the opportunities for network integrators and system integrators to put together complex networks that are becoming platforms for next-gen enterprise applications," recommends Prakash.

SDN and the channel ecosystem…In the backdrop of changing IT landscape,

companies wish to equip their partners with the latest opportunities. In terms of an SDN-enabled world, the skill sets associated with operating in are fundamentally different than today. Having viewed this as a challenge, vendors adopt approaches that will enable its channel partners to use SDN to their advantage in taking products to customers that will work in an SDN world. Also, the channel needs to understand this technology and explain the benefits to their customers. Partners also need to make investments themselves in the way they do business on the software side of things.

Allied Telesis has designed a new Business

Partner Programme (BPP) to address the key technology trends driving the IT industry. The BPP provides business partners with options, support and resources to continue to succeed in the current marketplace while also adapting to and thriving in this next generation of IT.

Under the BPP programme, partners look for three key attributes, namely Choice and flexibility to match their engagement in the programme with their evolving go-to-market strategies; Solutions (not just products) and services opportunities embedded within the programme to make it easier to grow their businesses and Access to next-generation IT (Third Platform) through the EMC federation of businesses.

Juniper, on its part, has cultivated a comprehensive ecosystem of technology, system integrator and channel partnership programmes to help customers evolve to SDN pragmatically and confidently. These partners cover a wide range of spectrum spanning all SDN planes, including Automation tools, SDN Control plane,

Orchestration frameworks, Infrastructure analysis and business intelligence, Hypervisor, storage & computing management, Layer 4 through 7 services integration and Cloud management.

SDN is also transforming the partner business model to be a software business model. This is a transformative way to how networks are sold, and there is a lot of learning to do, but it is also a huge opportunity to grow their business.

“For the channel, the opportunity really exists in understanding the needs of your customers, aligning yourself with one or two vendors that are best suited to meet those needs and then developing a programme that sees vendor and partner working hand in hand to establish a leading presence within those key verticals or customer markets,” explains Subhasish.

“Generally, most of partners are system integrators, who roll services based on the equipment they sell. But they will raise a step ahead in the value chain with open software

Edgar DiasRegional Director, India

Brocade

Sajan PaulDirector Systems Engineering, India

& SAARC, Juniper Networks

Mr. Anuj GoelPre-Sales Consultant, IP Division,

Alcatel-Lucent, India

which will help them in providing custom applications as per customer needs. Also, they will be able to integrate solutions to the custom applications of the customers,” observes Edgar.

“SDN has the potential to disrupt traditional reseller models as more of the networking value shifts to software and services. We understand this and understand that our partners will need help in being educated on both SDN and NFV and its business impact. Our own partner programmes will evolve as well to better recognize and value those partners that successfully transition to more software and services capabilities,” remarks Ryan Perera.

Deployment models for SDN…Today, service providers and data centers

are the primary places where SDN is found to be deployed. The data center space is leading the adoption efforts by moving very quickly with network virtualization and the early stages of SDN implementation. Adoption is also occurring with carriers and smaller content service providers, and beginning in the enterprise.

Beyond the data center, Ryan Perera of Ciena believes service providers will initially apply SDN practices in the following scenarios and can provide a level-set regarding progress in these areas – • The cloud backbone – connecting

provider data centers together • Tier-2 service providers looking to

provide dynamic metro and regional networks, for NaaS and to connect enterprise data centers to partner cloud providers

• The wireless backhaul network Subhasish indicates that he expects to

see hybrid SDN where some ports within a switch can behave in a traditional switching fashion and other ports that can be configured for SDN to be the initial step to bridging the gap between traditional and SDN enabled networks. “We also expect that as enterprise organizations analyze their needs, we will see a rise of alternate technologies that meet those needs that organizations identify – and this may not be SDN,” he says.

TECHNOLOGY FEATURE


Opportunities & Challenges in SDNThe opportunities for vendors and the channel that flow from SDN are significant. As SDN as a technology, there is a significant

opportunity for those that are well versed in this technology. “The real opportunity comes from applications that can take advantage of SDN that don’t even exist yet. We expect that over the next couple of years we will see innovative applications that will change the way we work that could not have been deployed over traditional networking infrastructure. This is where the real opportunity for vendors and channel alike exists,” says Subhasish Gupta, Country Manager – India & SAARC at Allied Telesis.

Opportunities for Vendor• To work with the customer in re-architecting the network from traditional to modern (which is moving from hardware to

software)• By giving organizations the ability to control their networks programmatically, vendors can transform networks into platforms

for innovation, letting them tap into a massive ecosystem of applications and services

Challenges for Vendor• Moving the customer’s network from proprietary to open interfaces and therefore moving all proprietary based protocols and

software to open• Problem of interoperability between vendors due to adoption of open approach and working with higher level of applications

intelligence built by the ecosystem.• Another challenge for the vendor is that of demonstrating tangible benefits. Though SDN has gained a lot of traction there are still

concerns about its maturity and business case.

Opportunities for Customer• Will have a more agile, secured and flexible network which is very swift and easy to manage• With SDN a customer can build multiple networks onto a network using a controller• Delivers real business benefits that make it truly compelling. There are cost savings and a Return on Investment (ROI) that IT

organizations are realizing along the way

Challenges for Customer• Choosing the right deployment model for a software-defined network• Lack of awareness among CIO community in adoption and implementation. Market education on the benefits and applicability of

SDN is an ongoing challenge in the midst of an overload of information from various sources on SDN• Lack of trained professionals with right mix of skills to evaluate, select, deploy and manage SDN• In the new virtualized environment where there are SDN centric orchestrations protocols like python and other new protocols

which traditional hardware would not be able to cope with. Hence it becomes necessary to buy hardware which supports these new protocols otherwise migrating to a full-fledged SDN solution might result in problems in the future.

“SDN will be relevant to any place where we have built a network. There are too many use cases for data center such as Network Virtualization, Campus and Service Providers where SDN can be deployed,” says Edgar. According to him, there are three primary deployment models for SDN –

• Switch: A switch-based model will be applicable for greenfield deployments where the cost of physical infrastructure and multi-vendor options are paramount. But the limitation is it does not use existing L2/3 network equipment.

• Overlay: In cases where the server virtualization team is assigned the responsibility of SDN environment or when over an existing IP network rapid deployment is made, tunneling approach is used. This approach does not address the problems of managing the underlying infrastructure and thus repairing is a complex affair as it does not support bare metal hosts.

• Hybrid: It is a combination of both switch and overlay which allows migrating existing equipment to a new switch-based model.

While many enterprises have indicated that they are considering deploying SDN, many or most of these organizations are still looking at what benefits SDN will deliver. But the truth is that it is difficult to make a

compelling business case for the deployment of SDN in the enterprise today.

However Abhijit analyzes this in a different way. “SDN has a very compelling value proposition for service provider companies, who are in constant need to re-architect their offerings. As customers start

developing third platform applications in their environments, service providers will need to build innovative ways of helping them deploy such applications in Hybrid Cloud environments. And SDN (or SDDC)

makes such hybrid cloud deployments much faster than traditional application deployment models,” he opines.

The future looks bright…As many point out, SDN is going to be

the “Future”. SDN is being driven by the increasing use of cloud and virtualization technologies, which, along with other factors, have resulted in changing traffic patterns and other needs which traditional networking infrastructure is less suited to deal with. Vendors are optimistic about the future of SDN technology and continue to use cases across industries to aware customers. The CIOs and CTOs are beginning to have SDN on top of their agenda to make IT infrastructure more agile, amongst other things. The “hype”, according to many, is a definitive approach towards the next level of computing and there will be a paradigm shift in how networking is done and machines collaborate. “More businesses are moving on cloud than ever, and there is a pressure on data centers to hold and run applications. Some of these applications are accessed on demand, whereas some of them are custom applications catering to very specific or proprietary business needs. When you have so much of complexity in the networks the need for programmable networks arise, hence SDN,” Ramalingam puts it in a simple way. n

[email protected]

Subhasish GuptaCountry Manager – India &

SAARC at Allied Telesis


Online shopping in India is increasing day by day as more and more

consumers are deriving many benefits from the medium. Indian online buyers are buying everything from the latest gadget to the coolest shoe from the comfort of their homes, cyber cafes and mobile phones and to the surprise; a lot of them are from rural areas. E-commerce has become very popular and profitable because of a number of online shopping benefits buyers have discovered since the beginning of the electronic commerce era. According to Sachin Bansal, Chief Executive Officer, Flipkart, “E-commerce is still at a nascent stage in India with just 10 per cent of the people shopping online. But it is growing fast.”

Research firm Forrester expects India’s online retail spending to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 50 per cent over the next five years and reach $16

billion by 2018, an eight-fold increase from 2013. The extensive reach of e-commerce sites has encouraged different brands to use this platform to make their products available to a wide customer base. This is the reason that e-commerce companies including Flipkart, Amazon India, are raking investment in billions to beef-up their presence in Indian market. When Flipkart made an announcement to make $1-billion fundraising for the site, Amazon took only one day to respond and the very next day issued a statement to convey that it would invest an additional $2 billion in the country. Besides these, even many more other e-commerce companies across the world are also strategizing to enter into India. Universally, e-commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace and in India too e-commerce has witnessed a promising growth in the past few years. Improved IT infrastructure has a far and wide impact on the business environment. Consumers are finding online channel more fast and effective medium to do product research and convenient to close transactions.

On the other companies using analytics have better understanding about customer preference which helped them plan their product offerings and inventory. Pre-order booking on E-commerce platform has again attracted companies to adopt online channel to launch their products and plan their working capital. Emphasizing the online medium as a powerful tool to reach out to a wide customer base with minimal investment in setting up a retail channel or in marketing, Sanjay Sethi, CEO & Co-Founder, Shopclues.com says, “E-commerce is a fast emerging as the preferred mode for brand launches. Also, it’s very responsive medium that allows brands to capture analytics to help in creating customized content and merchandising. E-commerce sites

enjoy a steady flow of customers and brands can easily tap into this pool, especially for products like mobile phones and electronics.” On the other hand, Aman Jain, Co Founder, Gopaisa.com adds, “It’s a necessity caused due to high distribution costs and cut-throat competition. E-commerce portals allow device makers to reach out to National customers at relatively low cost, and quick manner, thereby allowing device makers to offer their products at affordable prices owing to low costs. Its beneficial for E-commerce portals too, as it allows them bragging rights as the one and only partner for specific products.”

IT companies are betting big on e-commerce

E-commerce portals help IT and telecom companies to reach out to a broader audience. It is the simplest method to find out whether the people in a particular region find the product useful and how it can be

IT accelerating India's

e-commerce boom

E-commerce is still at a nascent stage in India with just 10 per cent of the people shopping online. But it’s growing fast.

Sachin BansalChief Executive Officer, Flipkart

Brands and sellers see a lot of value in their association with an ecommerce player like us.

Samir KumarDirector Category Management,

Amazon India

COVER STORY


Key drivers in Indian E-commerce are:1. Evolution of the online marketplace model.

2. Increasing broadband Internet (growing at 20% MoM) and 3G penetration.

3. Rising standards of living and increase in disposable incomes of middle class.

4. Lower prices available on online shopping portals as compared to brick and mortar retail

stores.

5. Availability of much wider product range compared to brick and mortar retailers.

6. Busy lifestyles, urban traffic congestion and lack of time for offline shopping. Shopping

online allows users to buy things without hurting your schedule.

made more consumers friendly by customer recommendations. Also, from the business viewpoint, E-commerce is much more cost effective compared to traditional commerce method. E-commerce helps companies to cater to a national audience with limited inventory and cost. This is the ideal circumstance for new entrants and companies wanting to re-

introduce themselves in a market who need to venture with lesser risk. Kenny Shin, CEO STAR CJ opines, “STAR CJ has proved to be an effective platform for such companies. BlackBerry exclusively launched their one of the smartphone in India through STAR CJ’s home shopping platform, gaining a strong entry into the Indian market. Even a known brand such as iBall achieved astonishing sales for their tablet on STAR CJ. Overall, For STARCJ, 12-15% of the portal’s sales come from IT products.”

Started with an initial capital of about Rs. 4 lakh, out of which Rs. 2 lakh was invested to buy computers and furniture, Flipkart is now selling everything from apparels to consumer durables, and has its own logistics firm and is valued at nearly Rs.10,000 crore. Exclusive retail partner for Motorola and Xiaomi smartphones, Flipkart is presently investing massively in technology, supply chain.

Today several sellers and brands are keenly exploring possibilities of exclusive

association with E-commerce portals. For instance, Amazon India is the exclusive retail partner for Microsoft’s entire Interactive Entertainment Business portfolio which includes Xbox One, Xbox 360, Kinect, Xbox Live, Xbox Accessories and all Microsoft-published Xbox game titles. In electronics, it has exclusive launch deals with Samsung for the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom, Karbonn, Lava, XOLO, OPPO mobiles, Swipe for the Swipe Slice tablet etc. Elaborating more on the significance and convenience of online shopping online, Samir Kumar, Director Category Management, Amazon India explains, “With consumer electronics as one of the fastest growing categories on Amazon.in, we are a customer obsessed company and this aligns with our vision of offering customers in India the widest selection at great prices, fast & reliable delivery and the most trustworthy and reliable shopping platform. Brands and sellers see a lot of value in their association with an e-commerce player like us. ” Amazon claims that they not only play a significant role in driving sales but also in building consumer awareness about products and educating them about the benefits of these offerings so that they are able to make smart

purchase decisions.Brands like iberry have been launching

products exclusively for eBay India customers as part of their sales strategy on account of the multiple benefits offered by our platform such as wide reach across 4,306 cities, towns & villages in India and high traffic with 2.1 million active consumers. Besides iberry, ZTE and Swipe also have done exclusive pre-

launches and even pre-orders on eBay India. Vidmay Naini - Head Technology Category PaisaPay & PowerShip, eBay India exerts, “For consumers, pre-launches enable them to access the latest gadgets before they hit the market. Gadget savvy consumers are always awaiting the latest, most upgraded device. These special pre-launches help the technology companies target these gadget enthusiasts who constantly seek innovation.” According to the eBay India Census 2012, where they studied the buying and selling behaviour on eBay India, technology products amounted to 48% of the total products traded on eBay India.

For shopclues, Mobiles & tablets are one of their top-selling product categories, closely followed by laptops and IT accessories. Within these categories, the bulk of sales come from low-end brands targeted at the mass-market. As far as HomeShop18 is concerned, IT Products in general and mobile phones in particular have been one of the highest performing categories for them. Over 50% of their portal sales come from IT products. With high

BlackBerry exclusively launched their one of the smartphone in India through STAR CJ’s home shopping platform.

Kenny ShinCEO, STAR CJ

According to the eBay India Census 2012, technology products amounted to 48% of the total products traded on eBay India.

Vidmay Naini Head Technology Category

PaisaPay & PowerShip, eBay India

I want to give a message to the customers that we are not the sellers; we are just a market place where authorized partners are supposed to sell their products that too with warranty.

Tony Navin Senior VP – Electronics &

Home at Snapdeal.com


sales from markets like Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Pune, Jammu, Surat, Panchkula etc., other than the main metros of Delhi NCR, Mumbai and Bangalore, this category drives a substantial share in their revenues.Post Sales Services

Online commerce is a reflection of offline retail and a portal gets its credibility only if it can assure good customer support. Rather than leave consumers to their own devices after purchase, E-commerce portals has to keep them engaged on a regular basis. It could be achieved either through newsletters that offer tips, news and value-added content or it could be Webinars, case studies, whitepapers, videos, stellar customer service, or emails asking for their thoughts and advice. Whatever the marketing “weapons”, they need to be used consistently. This is basic blocking and tackling activity that applies to most brands.

Post-sales service majorly includes efficient reverse logistics and resolving customer queries. Both are treated with utmost care by E-commerce players as their market image and position depends on it. STAR CJ has a dedicated customer service and social media team to manage customer complaints and problems. The astonishing efficiency with which the queries are acted upon by our team has helped the company establish one of the strongest positions in the industry. Agreeing to this, Vishal Mehta -Founder CEO Infibeam .com comments, “Customer service is always high on agenda for us as customer retention and building loyalty is the main focus among established E-commerce players. With 30 day return policy and customer friendly post sales policies, in our opinion, online channel is more proactive by providing convenience to lodge complain irrespective of time and place.”

As far as Amazon.in is concerned, it offers a 100% purchase protection with A-to-Z Guarantee for all products bought on Amazon.in to all the customers. It guarantees the condition of the item (defective, damaged or does not match the item described) and its timely delivery when customers purchase from sellers on their website. All products sold on the ShopClues site are covered by the Buyer Protection Policy that gives the 4-pronged assurance of Genuine Products,

Customer service is always high on agenda for us as customer retention and building loyalty is the main focus among established E-commerce players.

Vishal MehtaFounder CEO Infibeam.com

E-commerce portals allow device makers to reach out to National customers at relatively low cost, and quick manner.

Aman JainCo Founder, Gopaisa.com

E-commerce sites enjoy a steady flow of customers and brands can easily tap into this pool, especially for products like mobile phones and electronics.

Sanjay SethiCEO & Co-Founder, Shopclues.com

Reliable Merchants, Secure Payments and Easy Returns. In concern with snapdeal, Tony Navin Senior Vice President – Electronics & Home at Snapdeal.com says, In my opinion, snapdeal customers do not have any issue related to post sales service. Here, I want to give a message to the customers that we are not the sellers; we are just a market place where authorized partners are supposed to sell their products that too with warranty.”

Customer Relationship Management is a critical part of HomeShop 18’s digital

commerce strategy. Giving more information to this, Sundeep Malhotra, Founder & CEO, HomeShop18 says, “From the purchase stage itself, we ensure that our customers receive genuine products that include 100% manufacturer’s warranty. Our call centre receives over 1.5 lakh+ sales calls every day and our customer relationship management team is consistently working with our operations wing to improve service by handling product placement calls, queries and redress complaints, if any, at the earliest.” So it is true to say that with focused investments in post-sales services, online channels can further improve quality standards and garner

customer faith in digital commerce.Expectations Ahead…

Economic stability is high on the priority list of the new government and the surge in IT and Information Technology-Enabled Services (ITES) has helped empower the economy. The Government has strong emphasis on developing robust digital infrastructure which is good sign for e-commerce players as more and more customers will adopt online channel. The Government is giving a positive nod to FDI in selective sectors to act in the interest of the country. This is an investor friendly gesture which will help India to get more foreign investors. Even the budget has shown a tremendous positivity which would further help the online retail to widen its horizon in India. There is enormous growth expected in the industry with more and more players coming-in. It is really heartening to see the Modi Government encouraging e-commerce in India; this sector is still in its nascent stages but is showing strong potential for growth. The Governments initiatives will aid in building and strengthening the e-commerce ecosystem, which in turn will help E-commerce portals. The decision of Uniform GST and tax measures will also play a crucial role to make E-commerce a success story in India. The move will certainly simplify the tax structure and make India one single common market by rationalizing the supply chain and thereby, offering better value. In addition, the importance given to rural infrastructure will ease pressure and allow faster movement of goods.

We hope to see a continued growth in both E-commerce and m-commerce with the Government looking at launching broadband connectivity across the country. We also intend to increase penetration into remoter markets and new geographies in India, evolving with greater broadband connectivity across India. Online shopping in India is increasing by the day as more and more consumers are realizing the many benefits of the medium. Going forward, we can only expect the industry to grow by multifold. As projected by a recent report by Forrester, the industry is estimated to exit 2014 at USD 3.2 billion with a growth rate of 60% YoY. n

[email protected]

Our call centre receives over 1.5 lakh+ sales calls every day and our customer relationship management team is consistently working with our operations wing.

Sundeep MalhotraFounder & CEO, HomeShop18


MOVERS & SHAkERS

Jitendra Gupta joins Avaya Avaya has announced expansion of its

India leadership team with the appointment of Jitendra Gupta as Sales Head – Networking, Avaya India and SAARC.

Reinforcing the growth agenda, the appointment of the new Data Networking head is a part of the company’s initiative to hire strategic talent and strengthen leadership at Avaya. Jitendra brings with him more than 21 years of professional experience in sales, product management, marketing and channel management with leading networking and security companies. He most recently served as the Director, Partner Sales at Juniper Networks for India & South Asia region with a responsibility of building and leading Juniper’s India partner sales organization.

Fiona Lam joins Brocade Fiona Lam has joined Brocade as senior

marketing director for Asia-Pacific (APAC), responsible for driving the company’s corporate and channel marketing strategies across the region. Lam will be based in Hong Kong and report directly to Brocade Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Christine Heckart.

In her new role, Lam will spearhead strategic marketing initiatives, including focussed channel programmes, to reinforce Brocade's leadership in Ethernet fabrics, Software-defined Networking (SDN), and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) across APAC.

Honeywell ropes in Vikas Chadha as India MDVikas Chadha has been appointed as MD for

Honeywell Automation India Limited (HAIL), and India country leader for Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS), a Honeywell business that supplies automation control, instrumentation and services to process manufacturers in industries such as oil & gas, refining, pulp & paper, petrochemicals, and metals, minerals & mining.

In this role, Vikas will be responsible for strategically leading the various divisions of HAIL for continued growth in the region, and strengthening the brand and its equity with customers and other key stakeholders. He will also provide strategic direction and operational leadership to the HPS India business.

Vikas joined Honeywell in August 2009 and his leadership enabled HBS to grow in the region and reinforced HBS’ position in the integrated building management solutions area in India.

SAP India names Dilipkumar Khandelwal as new MD

SAP has announced appointment of Dilipkumar Khandelwal as Managing Director for SAP Labs India. Effective immediately, Dilipkumar will be responsible for driving customer-led innovations and operations across SAP Labs India facilities in Bangalore, Gurgaon and Pune. Based in Bangalore, his role as Managing Director is in addition to his current Global role as Senior Vice-President and Head of Suite Engineering at SAP.

“SAP Labs India has showcased leadership that has driven the organization to excel in innovationand product development. The team in India has contributed significantly to SAP’s products and technologies and plays a key role in the SAP ecosystem,” said Clas Neumann, Senior VP & Global Head, SAP Labs Network.


FACE TO FACE

VivaConnect is an "Incubator of Ideas"

VivaConnect revolutionizing the Indian Mobile Marketing space…

VivaConnect always had a special knack for pushing possibilities of mobile marketing services in India. In 2013, it launched “LiveTalk” – a service for audio broadcasting live events over a phone call. It was developed in conjunction with the Bharatiya Janata Party, and it powered up live audio broadcast of 480 public rallies held by BJP during the pre-election campaigning. Over a lakh Indian callers spanning from length and breadth of the country enjoyed a real-time connect over their mobile. It has also launched DONE Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a platform crafted exclusively for food and beverage industry to manage orders over call, web and mobile and offer a “Happy Ordering” experience for both owners and customers alike. Currently, DONE is connecting customers of Natural Ice-Cream (Juhu), Wok In the Box, Sandwizza, Cheelizza, Box8, MD’s Pizza, Hangla’s and Juno’s Pizza in the Mumbai circuit, to name a few.

Then, with regard to another product – MORE –, VivaConnect launched an easy and instant gratification service that offers free mobile talk-time refills as an instant reward scheme in turn of engagement with brand over mobile. Hence, customers got instant redemptions without any waiting or hassle right over their mobile.

VivaConnect’s leading clientele in

India… VivaConnect’s clientele can be

distinguished broadly as campaign oriented clients and perennial clients. Most of the FMCG brands, Entertainment and Media houses fit in the former segment, while Enterprise clients fall in the latter one.

VivaConnect extend its services to the Central Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Kotak, Reliance, Sharekhan, Vijaya Bank among the BFSI sector. Among the television network, it has Doordarshan, Sony Television Network and Zee Entertainment Ltd. From consumer brands, VivaConnect is offering its services to LUX, Ponds and some brands under Hindustan Unilever

(HUL) Limited.

Competitors in India… Since VivaConnect covers the entire

spectrum of mobile services spanning missed calls, toll-free service, SMS, email, mobile apps and voice platform, they don’t have a single company as a direct competitor to them. Vikram Raichura shares, "Our individual services do face competition from other mobile marketing service providers.”

Plans ahead… Very soon, VivaConnect will launch a

unit that specializes in crafting engagement just for consumer brands under the name

Brandtastic. Currently, the company is at the final stage of deciding the nitty-gritty of the service. Towards the last quarter of 2014, VivaConnect has a plan to expand in the global markets with innovative mobile marketing initiatives.

Vikram Raichura exerts, “There are plenty of great ideas that come from our employees, other small start-ups and emerging companies, awaiting an opportunity and support in terms of capital and infrastructure. We plan to encourage such ideas and propel their growth. You’ll surely hear about it from us soon.” n

[email protected]

With millions of mobile phone users in India, numerous small and big brands are making use of mobile marketing as a powerful alternative to the existing modes of advertising and connecting with their consumers as it allows more targeted advertisement which, in turn, saves money and time of both the company and the consumer. VivaConnect is one such creative mobile marketing company which is having India's largest infrastructure for Voice and Missed Call Services. Its tailor-made solutions for Brands and Enterprises are offered over missed calls, SMSes, e-mails, mobile apps and voice platforms. VivaConnect’s solutions are an elegant blend of above said mobile services, which are fine-tuned to match client’s objective and the mobile using habit of their intended target group.

Elaborating more on VivaConnect’s offerings, clients and future plans for the Indian market, Vikram Raichura, Managing Director, VivaConnect has had an interaction with VARINDIA.

Vikram RaichuraManaging Director,

VivaConnect

"Very soon, VivaConnect will launch a unit that specializes in crafting engagement just for consumer

brands under the name Brandtastic. Currently, the company is at the final stage of deciding the nitty-

gritty of the service. Towards the last quarter of 2014, VivaConnect has a plan to expand in the global markets with innovative mobile marketing initiatives."


PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Jabra MOTION Office, Bluetooth Headset

The Jabra Motion Office is the only Bluetooth headset you'll ever need. The Motion Office has 8 hours of talk time in HD Voice, intelligent volume control, call assist, and a wireless range up to 300 feet away from the base. The Jabra MOTION Office wireless headset, which delivers triple connectivity for mobile, softphone, or deskphone through Bluetooth technology, is created specifically as a solution for knowledge workers, remote teams, and employees sharing an office workspace. In a world where working from different locations every day is the norm, the need for seamless and stable connectivity becomes crucial. The Jabra Motion Office is a wireless Bluetooth headset that connects to multiple phones so you can be freed from switching from headset to headset. With the Motion Office, you can transfer calls from your desk or soft phone to your mobile device and so you don't have to end the call as you try to leave a location. More companies are adopting the Hot Desking philosophy in which people share workspaces and laptop docking stations native to this type of office environment. The Jabra MOTION Office base can serve as a

community desktop docking station, pairing with any other Jabra MOTION headset, and creating an instant workspace for the visiting user. The Jabra MOTION Office concept is that technology that should adapt to the user – not the other way around – and the Jabra

MOTION Office delivers a full set of intuitive features that enable knowledge workers, remote teams, and mobile workers to focus on the job at hand. The Jabra MOTION has easy and intuitive call control with superior call quality and all-day talk time.


FACE TO FACE

D-Link committed to build robust customer support infrastructure

In today’s evolving market scenario, customers are constantly looking for ease of use and convenience. D-Link aims to nurture a truly customer-focused culture by providing services with a personal touch. It strives to serve customers with respect, knowledge and personal attention regardless of whether the customer is an individual or a large corporation. As a result, D-Link has invested in developing a robust support infrastructure that aims to meet customer demands in a hassle free manner. This approach has allowed D-Link to successfully provide consistent quality of service and care. In a face-to-face with VARINDIA, Balgond Chougula, VP – Customer Support Services, D-Link (India) Ltd. has discussed this at length.

Pan India Customer SupportIn major cities, the company has come up with D-Link Service

Centre (DSC), which is an initiative to readily support customers & ensuring total satisfaction. With equal focus on Tier 2 and 3 cities, the networking company has appointed D-Link Service Partners (DSP) and sets up D-Link Authorized Collection centers (DAC).

Set to address customers in 49 plus cities, D-Link Service Centre in its first phase will be present in 11 cities across India and will be functional in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Cohin, Chennai, Goa, Ahmedabad, Indore, Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata. It will be supported by additional 38 D-Link Service Partners. “With this, D-Link smart products will now be backed by D-Link’s own service centres, and thereby ensure complete customer peace of mind. Further customers can also interact with the technical experts present at the centres and have hands-on product experience with live demos,” assures Balgond Chougula, VP – Customer Support Services, D-Link (India) Ltd.

D-Link Authorized Collection Centers (DAC) is currently a support wing of D-link Service Centers (DSC). DAC will reach out to customers present in remote locations & ensure speedy customer service. At present all the DAC’s will be responsible for warranty support, product testing, firmware update, accessories/ product replacement etc. Going forward the company is looking to reach-out to 60 plus locations pan India with DACs and offer maximum customer reach.

All 11 D-Link service centres are well equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure. At present DSC’s are supported by 4 regional hubs located in Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai. These regional hubs are equipped with L3 Capability and a BGA (Ball Grid Array) Machine. Each of these hubs consists of a 10 member team that includes Regional Manager, Regional Logistics Team, Sr. Engineers and Customer Support Executives. Further at Goa D-Link has set-up a high Level L4 Repair Centre that also has a BGA Machine and is supported by a team of 20 staff members including factory trained technical experts for higher end products . At Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Indore, the company has L2 repair center that constitutes of a 6 member team each including an Engineer, a technician, coordinators and Logistics persons. “At Cochin we have set-up a repair hub with BGA Machine and a dedicated regional staff. With this, D-Link has made huge investments in designing a sophisticated & effective service network that will certainly reduce the Turn around Time (TAT) & offer a Hassel free solution to our users,” explains Chougula.

Being a channel centric company, there has always been an endeavor at D-Link to enable channel partners/ re-seller to address customer

concerns in a viable & effective manner. D-Link Service Partner (DSP) is one such engagement that equips partners to meet customer requirements and acts as an opportunity for business growth, as DSPs can generate revenue by offering warranty support, installation, onsite support, extra SLA services etc.

Customer satisfaction – A prime focus at D-Link

With customer satisfaction as its prime focus, D-Link intends to reach-out to the wide customer network present in every nook & corner of the country. With the enhanced support infrastructure, the company now aims to address customers in over 49 cities, and thereby also reach out to customers from Tier 2 & Tier 3 cities.

In order to ensure quick & prompt customer redressal, D-Link has already started a toll free service. Now with enhanced service centers that are backed by D-Link Direct Service (DDS) and supported by D-Link Service Partners (DSP) & D-Link Authorized Collection centers (DAC), the networking giant is confident of bringing down the Turn around Time (TAT) rapidly. Given the vast Indian geography with varied demographic, the company is confident of delivering unwavering support in record time. Moving forward

D-Link service support infrastructure is slated to get bigger and better. In phase two of the project, more D-Link Service Centres will be launched, with a reach of 100 plus cities. Also more D-Link Service Partner (DSP) tie-ups are likely to happen pan India and 500 plus courier points will be set up. n

[email protected]

Customers are believed to be God. True to this saying, they are the driving force of a company to growth. Various factors are responsible for the growth of a company, but the two most important factors that build the identity of the company are its products and services. With a mission to bring high-quality computer networking solutions to consumers and businesses of all sizes, one such customer focused company is D-Link.

Balgond ChougulaVP – Customer Support Services

D-Link (India) Ltd.


PICk OF THE MONTH

ZICOM’s new coaxial HDTVIZICOM’s new generation of coaxial HDTVI is a technology dedicated to enhance all aspects of coaxial HD performance, which makes

clearer HD devices and equipment with adaptive access, and more intelligent system. The emergence of the technology will effectively solve many existing problems of the present coaxial HD products.

HDTVI, (High Definition Transport Video Interface) is the HD Video transmission Interface. HDTVI technology can be implemented in existing situation. The core of HDTVI technology is based on HDTVI chip, which processes the signals at the front end cameras and back-end encoder respectively increase the sending and receiving capability. This improves data transmission distance, through the ZICOM’s advanced image processing technology. The back-end encoding technology further enhances the image quality and at the same time, avoids the inherent shortcomings of the CVBS system like crosstalk, the luminance and chrominance separation etc.

• High video quality on HD 720P and1080P

• Transmits Video Signal; Audio signaland bi-directional data communicationsignaloversinglecoaxialcable

• HD video transmission without videoqualityloss&delay

• HD Video transmission over longerdistance(300-500m)

• Connectionsremainthesameasoriginalanalogue system without any changes(Coax/UTP)

• Real Time preview without delay (NoLatency)

• Easy Installation – Same as AnalogueSystem

• 300m-500mTransmissionDistance overregular75-3(3C2V)coaxialcable

• Video/Audio/PTZcontrol-Allinsinglecoaxcable


Ashish P Dhakan shares, “Video surveillance market is in Nascent stage, we could be able to foresee potential growth in India market in sectors including Government, Educational, Hospitality, Healthcare, Industries etc.” Hikvision’s motto is to serve its customers 24x7. Hikvision recently launched Technical training program in more than 45 cities across India wherein company’s technical experts are trying to inculcate latest technologies to its valuable channel partners. n

[email protected]

The year 2014 seems to be a great year for video surveillance. Despite the

slowdown in Indian economic growth, spending on video surveillance equipment has remained resilient with the Indian market forecast to see a double-digit growth in 2014. With ever-expanding technological advancements, video surveillance has dramatically evolved. IP video has undeniably changed the direction of security camera technology by giving end users the freedom to view their live video feed from smartphones and other handheld devices. Analyzing the video surveillance market scenario in India, it is found that there is a set of industry players which are growing systematically and regularly. Hikvision is one of those leaders, which has developed a reputation as a visionary company with a commitment to developing technologies that enhance multiple aspects of people's lives. For the third consecutive year, Hikvision has been ranked as one of the leading CCTV and Video Surveillance Equipment providers in 2013 with a dominant 10.9% market share. Sharing his views regarding company’s achievements, Ashish P Dhakan, MD & CEO, Prama Hikvision India says, “This outstanding performance has proved Hikvision’s continuing dedication to innovation and excellence in all aspects of video surveillance products. It’s also evidence of the success of Hikvision’s marketing strategy and in-depth local customer services.”

Hikvision’s Core Competitiveness…

Hikvision's main competitiveness are product innovation and cost optimization, w h i c h support the

company in providing quality products plus a reasonable price. Both factors also make the company achieve good gross margin continuously since establishment.

Hikvision has been dedicated to security industry for over 12 years. Its thorough understanding of the industry and continuous R&D investment is helping the company to maintain product innovation and technology leadership in global security market.

Hikvision’s R&D Investment…Several major factors contributing to

Hikvision's success are its previous OEM experience with some well-known global companies, which pushed Hikvision to strengthen its product development capability, as well as strictly focus on its quality control and production process. The company's high penetration in its domestic market provides Hikvision with a clear direction of product innovation.

Over these years, Hikvision's R&D, and quality and process control have achieved international standards.

Quality Control…Hikvision has developed a comprehensive

and strict management system in process. In Hikvision, the quality control department is independent from R&D and production department. These three departments are positioned equally to complement and evaluate each other.

Quality control, a complete system from R&D design, manufacturing to service, is categorized into reliability verification,

test, process control, productivities, and after-sales service. Hikvision is able to provide further

assurance for customers -- Design

Quality Assurance (DQA) and Manufacturing Quality Assurance (MQA).

Hikvision’s plans for India market

Ashish P DhakanMD & CEO

Prama Hikvision India

“With the help of more than 18 branch offices in India wherein we have dedicated technical support and customer service team, we will help our customers queries on regular intervals. Apart from this, recently we have initiated Authorized Hikvision Customer

Care centers throughout India by authorizing our channel partners, which had received overwhelmed

response in our Industry.”

Hikvision commited to serve Customers 24x7


“Philips Mobiles has a robust roadmap for Indian Consumers”

to a laptop). This has been fuelled by the growing popularity of 3G services in India which allows users to access internet from any location. Additionally, the education sector is driving the use of tablets to eliminate the need for textbooks and provide a better quality of education

in general for students. Today, tablets are available with manufacturers. While the market is on the rise, the use of tablets still remains largely with the upper class and it will be a matter of time before the market reaches the tipping point.

Sangfei’s Distribution NetworkSangfei has recently started with

channel sales and is aiming to move to retail and e-commerce in the coming

months. Presently, the company’s distributor in India is

Redington. Sangfei is also working with Accel

Frontline which has about 165

s e r v i c e c e n t r e s a c r o s s I n d i a and will p r o v i d e

support.

Sangfei’s Strategy to connect Indian Masses

While India is a price-sensitive market, Sangfei believes that there is a

market for quality products. The company’s strategy in this light involves providing quality at an affordable price. Additionally, Sangfei’s phones are of broad categories catering to every kind of user.

S. S. Bassi adds to this, “We are confident of our ability to provide a unique product, backed by state-of-the art manufacturing,

In India, the smartphone market is growing at a significant pace and the

consumer buying patterns and preferences are continuously evolving. There is a huge opportunity as well as competition in the entry to mid-level smartphone segment, which is where the volumes are. Historically, there has been a trend pointing towards the shrinking size of devices which are able to assume multiple functions. For instance, devices such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, etc have gained popularity in the recent past. This being the trend, the phablet is certainly picking up amongst the Indian customers. But we have to wait for some more time to see the actual impact on the smartphone industry. Elaborating further on the Indian market trends, the company’s sales strategy and future plans for India, S. S. Bassi, Country M a n a g e r

SAARC

Sangfe i ( w h i c h r e c e n t l y launched Philips Mobiles in India) has had an interaction with VARINDIA recently. He said, “Judging by the current state of the phablet market, we do not see it substituting smartphones in the near future. Rather, we believe phablets will create a different category for itself.”

The popularity of tablets is growing in India due to its multiple uses and the convenience it provides in terms of portability and costs (when compared

S. S. BassiCountry Manager - SAARC

Sangfei

and differentiated features will give us a competitive edge from other players in the smartphone space. Our strong product portfolio caters to high-end smartphone users and technology enthusiasts, those seeking to make a style statement with their stylish fashion-driven phones, the victory professional for those who require long standby battery hours and the essential features which cater to those who need a basic mobile phone.”

Sangfei’s Future Plans for Indian Mobile Device Market

Sangfei is planning to be a sizeable player in the Indian market. That is why it is putting a robust roadmap for India suited for the Indian consumers. It is aiming to be among the six largest handset vendors in India in the first year. Further, in the coming year, it is planning to bring smartphones in the six-inch screen size bracket along with a few smartphones in the mid-end segment. n

[email protected]

The overall India tablet shipments for 2013 stood at

4.14 million units, A growth of 56% over 2012 (Source: IDC).


VAR MOBILITY

Xolo Q510s Smartphone With just 9mm thickness and a trendy

metallic finish on the back, Q510s is sure

to add that extra oomph to your looks.

Flaunt it and you'll be in the spotlight for

sure. The new Xolo Q510s smartphone

offers a 4-inch IPS display with 480x800

pixel resolution. The Q510s is powered by

a quad-core 1.3 Ghz MediaTek MTK6582M

mobile chipset coupled with Mali-400MP2

GPU for graphics. This mobile chipset is

paired with 1GB RAM to run the Android

4.4 KitKat smoothly.

Store more with 8GB internal memory

that you can expand up to 32GB. Q510s

lets you store all your favourite multimedia

content. The primary camera of the dual-SIM Xolo 510s has a 5MP sensor that can do 1080p video recording and comes with an LED flash for

improved low-light performance. There is also a VGA front-facer on board the pleasantly slim 9mm smartphone. It has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi

and GPS support. The only place where this smartphone might be looked down upon is the battery capacity as it has a 1500 mAh battery, while

most smartphones in its price range come with 1800 mAh battery.

Nokia Lumia 530The Nokia Lumia 530 powered by quad-core

(Qualcomm Snapdragon 200) processor, clocked at 1.2 GHz has 512 MB of RAM. Nokia Lumia 530 is the latest Dual SIM budget phone from the Nokia family that comes packed with the Windows Phone 8.1 OS. Lumia 530 come with the same 4.0-inch display 480 x 854 pixels resolution. Lumia 530 will offer a decent 8 GB of in-built storage with an expansion limit up to 128 GB. The dimensions make it flexible to carry the phone around with ease. Measuring 119.7 x 62.3 x 11.7 mm, the phone weighs around 129 grams. The rear panel of the device comes with a primary 5 Mega Pixel sensor that brings out that photographer in everyone and makes taking pictures an enticing experience. It clicks images in 2592 x 1936 pixels with a video recording capacity of 480p@30fps. This phone is equipped with Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11, Wi-Fi hotspot and microUSB support. With micro-sim support, Office, Vine, Facebook and Instagram Beta, the Nokia Lumia 530 has the apps you need. You can also add up to 128 GB of extra storage and move your apps to the SD card. It’s a great way to create space for more apps without compromising on performance. This phone comes in bright color like green, orange, white and grey.


VAR MOBILITY

Panasonic debuts “ELUGA” Smartphone Series in India

Panasonic has i n t r o d u c e d

its smartphone series

“ELUGA” in India. Equipped with superior hardware components, the ELUGA smartphone series is known for its design, superior build quality and unique user interface for single-hand operation.

ELUGA U is Panasonic’s first device of the series and has a 12.7cm (5) IPS HD (720x1280) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 integrated as an On-Glass solution. It comes with Android

4.4.2 (KitKat) running on the powerful and power-efficient Qualcomm

Snapdragon 400 processor featuring quad-core CPU, Qualcomm Adreno GPU and low-power display engine for beautiful visuals, and support for 2GB RAM and 16GB in-built storage. Qualcomm Snapdragon and Qualcomm Adreno are products of Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated.

OPPO presents N1 Mini

OPPO India has announced the

launch of OPPO N1 Mini in the Indian market. The successor to the OPPO's flagship device - OPPO N1, the OPPO N1 Mini - is priced at Rs.26,990/-. Unlike the original N1, this 3G-enabled smartphone, with a 5-inch IPS screen resolution of 1280×720 pixels and weighing at 151g with battery, is both lighter and smaller making it handy to use. The OPPO N1 Mini is expected to hit the market later this week.

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor which runs at 1.6GHz clock-speed, the N1 Mini comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM capacity. It has built-in 2,140mAh battery capacity and runs with Android 4.3 customized ColorOS 1.4 system interface. The meticulously crafted N1 Mini has a brushed steel frame that wraps the entire edge of the body creating unique aesthetics. This miniature version of the N1 comes in light blue, white and lemon yellow colours.

Tom Lu, CEO, OPPO India, said, "Customer orientation is deeply rooted in the culture at OPPO. We strive to give users what they really look for. OPPO N1 Mini stems from this philosophy of ours. It brings to users the unique design and technology for which the OPPO N1 won a lot of accolades, but in a sleeker and more compact body. For OPPO, a fusion of technology and affection has always been the essence of our product design and development. We believe that today’s youth will find OPPO N1 Mini as a device that is mini in size and max in fun."

Samsung rolls out 4G Smartphone Galaxy S5 in India

Samsung Electronics has introduced the

4G variant of its latest flagship, Galaxy S5 in India. Samsung’s successful flagship Galaxy S5 3G was launched in April 2014 in the country.

A s i m Warsi, Vice-

President – Marketing, Mobile & IT, Samsung India, said, “We are excited to introduce our first 4G variant of the

Galaxy S5 in India with a powerful processor, stunning display and faster connectivity for an unmatched user experience. We expect the 4G version to catch the imagination of technology enthusiasts and professionals, who demand superior smartphones for their heavy multimedia content consumption.”

The Galaxy S5 4G is powered by the Qualcomm 8974 Pro 2.5 Ghz processor and supports eight 4G LTE bands. Galaxy S5 will delight

customers with its unique features such as Advanced Camera (HDR mode, Selective Focus), IP67 protection (Dust and Water Resistant) and Ultra Power Saving Mode (24 hours standby time with 10% battery).

Aircel debuts “Canvas Beat”

Lenovo makes S850 Smartphone available in India

Aircel has launched industry’s first

3G music smartphone – Canvas Beat – offering unified music experience with technology powered by Micromax. Bundled with a bouquet of attractive offers and benefits, the smartphone will be exclusively retailed by Aircel only for its customers.

Anupam Vasudev, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel, said, “Aircel has always been at the forefront of data revolution by offering innovative products and services to its customers. The upsurge in 3G data requires smartphones and devices of a substantial screen size and relevant content and applications. We are delighted to launch Canvas Beat, industry’s first 3G music smartphone which is packaged with right content developed especially for music lovers and will offer unified music experience to

them.”The Canvas Beat

smartphone offers Enhanced 3D inbuilt surround speakers, free headset and earphone, free songs for a limited period and Large IPS screen for clear visual display. This will enhance the experience of listening to music on mobile handset by many folds. The 3G smartphone comes with a unique offer to attract music movers.

Lenovo has announced the

launch of the S850, a stylish addition to its popular S-series smartphones. The striking combination of an aesthetically designed all-glass exterior and an overall elegant design makes the Lenovo S850 a perfect choice for the trendy and socially connected people. Additionally, the phone is equipped with an illuminating logo at the back panel, which glows every time you receive a notification.

With a thickness of just 8.2mm and weighing 140g, the Lenovo S850 is backed by a remarkably slim and lightweight frame for ultra-portability. The device is also equipped with a large 5-inch HD screen with ultra-wide viewing (178º) angles

and a high-resolution 13MP rear camera for great photos anytime, anywhere, enhanced with the functionality and ease-of-use with Lenovo’s

proprietary

S N A P i t C a m e r a .

A 5-mega pixel front snapper further strengthens the life capture ability of the phone and is perfect for sharp and bright selfies and clearer voice chats.


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56 August 2014 www.varindia.com56 pages including cover - VARINDIA Supplementary Issue - 36 pages = Total - 92 pages

August 2014 Issue

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