Seagate to encrypt data on hard drives

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Seagate Technology LLC hopes its new security system for the hard drive will become the most formidable barrier between computer data and thieves.

The world's largest hard drive maker says its DriveTrust Technology, to be announced Monday, automatically encrypts every bit of data stored on the hard drive and requires users to have a key, or password, before being able to access the disk drive.

Technology that protects the hard drive -- the computer's storehouse of data -- differs from most security products launched in the past several years. Such products typically put firewalls around computer networks, encrypt data files or defend the operating system from invasions.

Protecting the hard drive itself offers another layer of protection and might stop thieves from purloining confidential information from lost or stolen laptops. Errant notebook computers have cost government agencies and corporations millions of dollars and put sensitive data -- including customer credit cards or social security numbers -- on the street, possibly in criminal hands.

''I believe other companies will be following suit and it will become an industry standard,'' said John Monroe, a research vice president at Gartner Inc.

Laptop computers with DriveTrust-based hard drives would prompt users to type in a password before booting up the machine. Without the password, the hard drive would be useless, Seagate officials said.

Even data-recovery specialists would not be able to help if the assigned password somehow gets lost, said Scott Shimomura, a senior product marketing manager at Seagate.

''That's the trade-off: Anytime you introduce backdoors or holes to circumvent the security, then you've created vulnerability,'' Shimomura said.

Seagate said it has already implemented the technology into one of its drives for laptops and another for digital video recorders.

Though DriveTrust is proprietary, Seagate may eventually allow other storage companies to integrate it into their own products. Seagate will offer development tool sets for other companies to create additional security layers to work with DriveTrust.

''We believe the entire industry will benefit from it,'' Shimomura said.

source: Technology Review

Google says it wants Microsoft's Vista to offer a choice of Internet search

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Google Inc. said Monday that it wants Microsoft Corp. to make sure users can easily choose Internet search engines in future products -- but Google refused to say if changes Microsoft has already made to its upcoming operating system, Vista, have gone far enough.

David C. Drummond, Google's senior vice president of corporate development, spoke to reporters after meeting with European Union antitrust regulators but refused to give details on those talks, beyond saying there had been no particular agenda.

''It's been our view that any new version of Microsoft products that include search, that that be done in a way that preserves user choice for search and other applications,'' Drummond said. He said that Google would monitor the situation but that it was ''too early to tell'' if there were would be any antitrust allegations arising from Vista.

Vista is Microsoft's first major update to the company's flagship operating system since Windows XP was released in late 2001.

Microsoft said this month it had changed Vista in several key sectors -- including its search service -- in an attempt to soothe European antitrust worries. Regulators had said they were concerned that computer manufacturers or consumers might be prevented from having a proper choice between different software packages.

EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes wrote to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in March, pointing out possible issues with Vista's integrated Internet search, digital rights management tools used to protect copyrights and software that would create fixed-document formats comparable to Adobe Systems Inc.'s Portable Document Format, or PDF.

Security vendors Symantec Corp. and McAfee Inc. also complained that Microsoft had been slow to hand over technical details needed for their antivirus software to work smoothly with Vista.

There is no formal investigation into Vista, but Microsoft is still embroiled in a long-running legal challenge to the EU's 2004 antitrust order that found the company broke competition law. Microsoft was fined $613 million.


source: technology review

Nanotech Triple Threat to Cancer, New technology finds, flags, and kills tumor cells

A new nanotechnology-based treatment developed by researchers at the University of Texas's Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas could double the effectiveness of cancer drugs without increasing side effects, while allowing doctors to see immediately whether the treatment is working.




Nanotechnology-based drug treatments are already starting to be approved for use, but so far they are neither very precise nor very potent. Current cancer-fighting nanotechnologies, which involve little more than nanoscopic containers packed with chemotherapy drugs, reach tumors by leaking through holes in tumor blood vessels and gradually releasing a drug. To kill appreciable amounts of the tumor this way, doctors must flood the body with these drug-bearing nanocarriers, says Jinming Gao, professor of pharmacy at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. These can get soaked up by the body's natural filters, such as the liver and spleen, in which they can cause side effects, he says.



What's more, doctors can't get a good view of what's happening once nanocarriers are administered. They don't know whether the nanocarriers are reaching targets or delivering drugs until they remove tissue from the patient, the tumor starts to shrink, or the first side effects appear. It's like fighting cancer in a "black box," Gao says.


Now a growing cadre of researchers are developing next-generation nanotechnology that can both deliver drugs only to cancer cells and allow doctors to monitor the progress of the treatment. The University of Texas system delivers both an anti-cancer drug and a highly effective magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent to allow doctors to see that the drug is being delivered to a tumor. The nanocarriers are made of polymers with an inner core that traps doxorubicin, a common chemotherapy drug, and iron-oxide particles that show up clearly with MRI. Polymer strands on the outside of the nanocarrier bear targeting molecules that are recognized only by tumor blood-vessel cells. The nanocarriers latch on to the vessel cells, and the cells engulf the carriers. The polymer releases the drug once inside the cell, where it is most effective.


Tests on cells grown in the lab showed promising results, says Gao. Nanocarriers equipped with the targeting molecule delivered twice the amount of drug and killed twice the number of cells (94 percent) as those without it, he reported online in the journal Nano Letters. Because of the nanoparticles, the tumor blood-vessel cells were visible at a resolution unattainable with current MRI contrasts. "We could detect as few as 50,000 cells," Gao says. Studies in mice are now in progress.

At this point, the nanocarriers only target tumors' blood vessels, so they can't image or attack tumors without vasculature. This includes most tumors smaller than about two cubic millimeters. But Gao says tumors in the dangerous process of spreading, or metastasizing, are large, have well-established vessels, and can be directly attacked.


And unlike other targeted cancer therapies, he adds, the nanocarriers are easy to modify. As researchers discover more targets unique to cancer cells, the nanocarriers can be equipped to find, image, and destroy other types of cells within tumors and also different types of cancer, he says. He is now working on a system that directly targets lung-cancer cells.


The clearer images created by nanoparticles delivered directly into cancer cells could ultimately allow many new possibilities, says Michael Bonder, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware's Cancer Translational Research Center. Doctors could detect smaller tumors and possibly watch them metastasize, or spread cell by cell to new parts of the body.


But toxicity remains a risk, even with the targeted nanocarriers, cautions Glen Kwon, associate professor of pharmacology at the University of Wisconsin. He says Gao's team should run tests to ensure that none of the drug leaks out as the nanocarriers travel through the bloodstream. "This is often a major challenge for nanocarrier systems in drug delivery," Kwon says.


Although the nanocarriers deliver drugs and imaging particles directly to tumors, when tumor cells die, they'll likely release free drug and imaging particles into the bloodstream, adds Patrick Winter, professor of medicine at Washington University. "These particles naturally accumulate in clearance organs like the liver and spleen" and "could lead to severe side effects," he says.


But the new nanocarriers are promising as "a triple threat to a cancer cell," says Robert Sikes, director of the Laboratory for Cancer Ontogeny and Therapeutics at the University of Delaware. "They seek out, display the location, and deliver the lethal blow to dividing cancer cells," he says.


Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17679&ch=biotech

IT capital spending could take a hit: Report

Despite recent improvements in the economy, the outlook for IT spending in 2007 calls for slower growth, particularly as it relates to investments in hardware.

A recently released report by Forrester Research finds that overall tech spending will grow only 2% next year, compared with an estimated 6% this year and 7% in 2005. Capital spending, which Forrester is forecasting to be up 3% totaling $354 billion this year, will decline by 1% in 2007.

Channel partners see services as the key avenue for growth. According to the soon-to-be released 2007 VARBusiness State of The Market report, solution providers and integrators are budgeting for 25% growth, though services now accounts for 60% of their sales.

Several factors will contribute to the decline in capital IT spending, including lower costs for commodities and volatile energy costs, according to Forrester analyst Andrew Bartels.

"What we have been expecting is a slowing U.S. economy late this year or early next year, translating into not necessarily cutbacks, but a big slowdown in purchasing and spending next year," Bartels says.

While software sales will grow, computing hardware sales will essentially be flat, according to Forrester. Meanwhile, sales of communication gear, up 12% this year, is projected to decline in 2007, largely due to consolidation in the telecommunications market, which will leave fewer buyers, Bartels says.

That forecast is in stark contrast to what market leader Cisco Systems is telling Wall Street: that it expects growth for the 2007 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, to be in the range of 15 to 20%.

The most recent Goldman Sachs CIO panel survey, released last month, shows that 67 % of Cisco customers expect to increase their spending with the vendor.

"That's an all-time survey high," says Keith Goodwin, senior vice president of worldwide channels at Cisco. "That's just a proof point in the game is still coming to us."

However, the Goldman Sachs survey also raises a red flag that networking spending overall could be flat. While 65% said they will increase their network spending, that's a drop from 76% two months earlier.

Other factors will pressure capital spending, as well. Spending growth on security, while a key priority among all customers, may start to slow in 2007, Forrester's Bartels says.

"As a focus and priority, it's still strong, but as an investment it may slow down," he says, pointing out that Microsoft's presence will push licensing fees down. "You are seeing some price erosion."

On the software side, Forrester's Bartels says many customers will be preparing for the release of next-generation ERP suites from the likes of SAP and Oracle. Both companies are readying major updates, now presumed for the 2008 time frame, that will be based on a pure services-architecture.

While those release updates might suggest customers will be on the sidelines, Bartels points out that in order to be able to go to take those next steps, they will have to be up-to-date.

"If you want to migrate to those new releases, you have to have the latest versions so we expect to see people updating," Bartels says.

In terms of new application rollouts, those will be more spotty, with demand up for contract and project management and invoice presentment, while procurement will be more flat. "There are definitely pockets of demand but it will be fairly niche," he says.

One area in software that most expect to be reasonably strong is infrastructure management, including virtualization platforms from EMC's VMware, Microsoft and others. Also many are expecting a strong uptick for Microsoft's new server software, notably SQL Server and SharePoint 2007.


Source: CRN

IBM to set up development centres in India, China

IBM, the world's largest computer services company, said that it would set up two new IT solutions centres in India and China, underscoring the Asian countries' growing importance as a hub for outsourcing.

The new centres, in Beijing and Pune, will each employ 500 people, Jeby Cherian, director of IBM's global business solutions centre, told Reuters in a phone interview from Bangalore.



Earlier in October, IBM relocated its global procurement headquarters to Shenzhen in southern China. The company has also made India a global delivery hub for software needs and client services.



"The centres position us strongly to take advantage of what we see as a $160 billion market in service oriented architecture.

The other underlying story is it demonstrates IBM's commitment to the emerging markets of China and India," Cherian said.



IBM is focusing on services-oriented architecture (SOA), which makes it easier for businesses to quickly find information stored in different formats.



The company sees SOA as a key driver of future growth, and hopes the technology will help sell other products, such as server computers and consulting services.



The new centre at Pune will focus on developing solutions for the insurance and healthcare industries, while the Beijing facility will tap the growing technology services demand from banks and government departments.



International Business Machines Corp. of Armonk, New York, employs 43,000 staff in India -- up from 9,000 three years ago -- and 7,200 professionals in China, IBM's eighth-largest market.



IBM, which derives about half its revenue from IT consulting and outsourcing, announced in June plans to invest nearly $6 billion in India over three years.



"As we launch these solution centres, we believe there exists a pool of very capable resources to rapidly accelerate what we are trying to do," Ray Harishankar, IBM's global SOA strategic asset development leader, said.



IBM, which started operations in India in 1992, has operations in 14 Indian cities and its network of 2,500 business partners covers 40 cities.


Source: CRN

Oracle launches SMB solution 'Oracle Accelerate'

Oracle has unveiled an expanded small and medium business solution "Oracle Accelerate", which is comprised of industry-specific, pre-packed application bundles, rapid implementation tools and a growing network of certified Oracle applications resellers.

Oracle President Charles Phillips said, "Oracle has long been a trusted partner for small and medium businesses, and we have developed a wealth of knowledge to help facilitate the unique needs of that market. The introduction of Oracle Accelerate expands on our experience in this market, and makes it faster and easier for customers and partners to leverage Oracle's leading enterprise applications."

Working with the partner community, Oracle has identified 80 product and industry-specific bundles that can help companies quickly take advantage of Oracle's enterprise applications, without sacrificing flexibility and functionality. The product bundles deliver comprehensive business flows, across front office, back office and industry-specific processes. The bundles can be extended by partners to meet specific industry requirements.

New guided learning path and assessment tests, available through the Oracle Partner Network portal, offer self-paced education courses for partners to become trained on a wide range of Oracle products. Partners can easily become proficient in how to execute an Oracle Business Accelerators implementation using Oracle's guided learning paths, allowing them to provide extended services to their customers.

Additionally, Oracle provides extensive pre-sales support for partners and has recently doubled its joint demand generation and marketing program budget. To facilitate partner involvement in Oracle Accelerate, Oracle has expanded the SMB content available on the Oracle Partner Network portal.

Oracle is also establishing regional SMB Solution Centers throughout the world to showcase the Oracle Accelerate offerings and to bring partners into the sales cycle.

Source: CRN

Virtual Netcomm to tie up with US company

Virtual Netcomm, an IT network security solutions company and the only value added distributor of Blue Coat Systems in India, is soon going to tie up with another US company to provide complete data protection solution in India. "We are waiting for the government to come out with its data leakage regulations and then we will announce the tie-up," Rajendra Shah, CEO, Virtual Netcomm told CRN.

"With this tie-up, our company will be the first to provide a complete and best solution to prevent data leakage along with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) & VPN (Virtual Private Network) solutions," he added. However, he refrained from telling the name of the company with whom it is tying up.

Being the only company dealing in SSL, it gives them a monopoly in the market. "Security have become prime concern for all organizations and SSL is the fastest growing market. In the coming times, we see a 50% year on year acceleration in this market," he stated.

According to Shah the reason for such acceleration in this segment is the recent data theft incidents occurring in India. "Big organizations like the BPOs and call centers have become more conscious and has started installing applications running on SSL & VPN so that the bandwidth is not chocked along with secured transmission," he remarked.

Having four national and ten regional partners, the company is always on the look out for new partners. "We are constantly looking out for partners but the criteria is that they should have strong customer base and contacts then we will give them training and certification," said Shah. Another initiative taken by the company for the partners is holding specialized meetings with channel partners and 2-3 end customers who are chosen by the partners themselves. "The reason why the partners choose the customers is the end users feel important which in turn will help the partners getting more business," he said.

To tackle the problem of warranty and service, Blue Coat had opened a depot in Mumbai last month and also a test center in Delhi, where all the spares are shipped and stocked. "This has been done to give full fledged support to our partners in case of replacement or service so that they do not have to face any problem or delay," explained Shah. This depot is open 24x7 and is easily accessible to the partners.

Among the verticals that they plan to target are BPOs, finance, call centers, software development companies and government sector like defence. As far as C & D class cities are concerned, Shah is not that enthusiastic. "Security has more to do with big network infrastructure which is not there in the C & D class cities and unless that is made, there is no point going there, may be 2-3 years down the line we may consider it," he said.

source: CRN

AMD appoints Alok Ohrie as MD, India Operations

AMD has appointed Alok Ohrie as the managing director of AMD's India operations. Ohrie succeeds Ajay Marathe, who will return to AMD's headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, USA.

Ohrie brings with him more than 18 years of experience in the technology industry. He will report to Gustavo Arenas, corporate vice president and head of AMD's High Growth Market Initiative.

Announcing the appointment, Gustavo Arenas said, "Ajay has built a strong foundation and successfully grown AMD's presence in India. Alok is well positioned to draw on his extensive experience in the Indian technology industry to drive AMD's further growth in the region."

Prior to joining AMD, Ohrie served as the director, Systems and Technology Group for IBM's India and South Asia operations. Ohrie's illustrious career includes 13 years managing critical sales and marketing assignments for IBM in India, South Asia and Australia. Prior to IBM, Ohrie also worked with Wipro and ESPL.

Ohrie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electronics and Communication from National Institute of Technology (formerly REC) Suratkal.

Accepting the welcome, Ohrie said, "I feel fortunate to be a part of AMD at such an exciting time. AMD's innovative product lineup is incredibly strong and it has the right customer-focused strategy for growth. I intend to build on the strong foundation which Ajay leaves behind, and will endeavor to steer AMD India during this next, very exciting phase of expansion."


Source: CRN

Browser extensions? Apple-Google integration takes things a bit further

Browser extensions for searching the web are old news to most of us; in fact, using them almost comes as second nature. For example, Mozilla's Firefox browser, the net's fastest growing application, has allowed countless users to search a multitude of different engines straight from the browser.



However, Apple, seen by many as the innovators of the OS scene, has gone one step further. As part of a collaboration with Google, the company's own Mac-only web browser - Safari - is rumoured to be able to communicate directly with Google's AntiTrust database as a user is browsing. Not only will the AntiTrust database allow Safari to block potentially unsafe websites from the user in a bid to protect their computer, it will also block known "phishing" sites to protect their personal details.


And more Google integration is on its way: in Apple's next OSX update, the company's hard drive search application, Spotlight, may pull web results from Google. PC Google Desktop users have been able to search hard drive and web results in tandem for some time now; but Apple is taking a big step by bringing Google straight into their OS as standard.


In other Google-Apple news, tech savvy iPhoto users have discovered a hidden function in the latest release of the software - one that seems to grab latitude and longitude values from - you guessed it - Google Maps. This looks to be a function which is being prepped to compete with similar features in Yahoo!'s online photo-sharing service, Flikr, which allows people to see the geographical location where the photograph was taken. Not much is known about the new features in iPhoto as of yet, but with over 70 references to GPS attributes that link through to Google Maps, it looks like the two companies have something very big planned.


So what will Mozilla and Microsoft do to try and counter the Apple-Google collaboration? As Mozilla's Firefox browser reaches version two, Microsoft have stepped up the pace on Internet Explorer 7 and have been forced into changing the way a default search engine is selected. Microsoft originally stated that they would import search settings from Internet Explorer 6, but have now implemented a system where the user picks the search engine they wish to use from a list. This stemmed from pressure heaped on Microsoft by Google, with the latter saying that the original system would give an unfair advantage to Microsoft. The EU upheld the complaint, and Microsoft have given in; but giving users the chance to pick a search engine may drive searches away from Google, as user's might pick a new engine rather than going straight through to Internet Explorer 7 - something Google may regret if it sees it's search share fall. Mozilla has plans to show suggested searches as users type into the Firefox 2 search box, and will also give anti-phishing alerts through downloaded "safe lists." However, perhaps the biggest change in the search area of the browser will be seen in the OpenSearch description format - something which is compatible with both Firefox and Internet Explorer, and allows the same extensions to be used in both applications.


We have yet to see who will gain or lose ground in the integrated search wars, but Apple's forward thinking holds them in good stead to gain some ground on the market leaders.


source: http://techzone.izine.in/articles/Browser-extensions-Apple-Google-integration-takes-things-a-bit-further.asp

Google goes mobile

If you love your mobile more than your computer, your time has finally come!

Google has significantly enhanced its Mobile Search facility, adding tutorials and emulators for every service currently available. Google Mobile offerings include access to Google Maps, Google News, SMS, your personalised homepage, and web search. You can now enter queries in Google from your mobile or PDA in three different ways: through web search, image search and now Mobile Web search.


Earlier this year, Mr Dipchand Nishar, head of Google Mobile, announced Google's intentions to improve its product for mobile devices. According to Mr Nishar:

“There are many emerging markets where people do not have a PC and will never have one.”

There are many reasons why search engines like Google are increasingly interested in mobile technologies. On average a person in the developed world is between 20 to 30 minutes away from a PC; however almost everyone now has immediate access to a mobile phone or device. The price difference is also a significant factor, since buying a PC requites a solid investment whereas mobile devices are generally more affordable.

Using Google Mobile Search, users can access over eight billion Web pages and two billion images, and the service is available in over 100 languages. Furthermore, Google Mobile is available from any mobile phone or mobile device that supports a web browser.


You can use Google WebSearch to perform a regular web search; when you type in a certain query it will give you the same results on a mobile device as it would on a computer. This option will give you all the results that match the keyword or keyphrase you have introduced, including those websites that are not specifically designed for mobile phones.


Google Image Search will show any image that matches your search query, by searching through into a database that includes over two billion images; the results are shown in a set of three per page. Once you have made your selection, Google will automatically reformat the chosen webpage in order to fit your mobile screen device.


Finally, you can restrict your search only to those websites that have been specifically designed for mobile phones and devices, using Google Mobile Web Search option. In this case, you will only get those websites which have been previously formatted in XHTML, WML or iMode.


Additionally, text messages can be sent to Google SMS and you can get a reply sent to your mobile phone. This feature is currently available in the USA, Japan, Canada, Germany and Spain. Another service you can access from a mobile device is Google Maps, which shows you the location of a specific street. This service is available only in the USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. But Google Maps does not use GSP technology, so the location of the mobile user will not be shown in the map.


Further to all these innovations, it is very likely that Google's mobile services will be extended further in the near future. Its Mobile Search facility will go from strength to strength as it becomes more widely available in different countries and diversifies the services it offers.

One great example would be, for example, instant access to Gmail via your mobile phone or through syndication.


Source: http://techzone.izine.in/articles/Google-goes-mobile.asp

Point of View announces Tirupati as their new partner in India

Point of View, a European manufacturer of graphics cards, announced Tirupati Enterprises as their new partner in India.


Point of View is an official authorized board partner for nVidia and carries the whole range of nVidia based graphics cards. This complete range will also be delivered by Tirupati in India.


For Complete News Click: http://techzone.izine.in/articles/Point-of-View-announces-Tirupati-as-their-new-partner-in-India.asp

BenQ launches limited edition mobile phones for Diwali

BenQ has launched its Limited Edition E61 and A38 phones as part of the special festive season offer. In addition to the launch, BenQ also announced complimentary accessories like hands free and SD cards on the purchase of the mobile phones.

Available only during the festive season, sleek accessories such as 128 Mini SD card, data cable & hands free sets are being offered on the purchase of the all-new 'musical' E61 MP3 phone. Complementing the E61 MP3 phone, the 128 Mini SD card will allow the customers to download and hear as many songs as they like. The phone now, could be bought at about at Rs 6299, comes equipped with other features like 1.8 TFT, camera with 4x zoom.

For Full News Click:
http://techzone.izine.in/articles/BenQ-launches-limited-edition-mobile-phones-for-Diwali.asp

Lexmark intros C500n colour laser printer for SMBs

Lexmark International (India) Pvt. Ltd. has introduced the Lexmark C500n colour laser printer for small and medium business (SMB) customers, which is with fast speeds of up to 31 pages per minute (ppm) in monochrome and 8 ppm in colour.

At an estimated street price of Rs.17999, the C500n can easily serve as the primary printing device for customers who require colour but also print large volumes of black and white documents. It also comes standard with networking so that printer can easily be shared by several users in a small workgroup to further reduce costs.



It also gives users the ability to precisely manage and adapt the colour output to meet their personal preferences with independent colour density control for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. It also features 1,200 x 600 dots per inch enhanced quality for printing vivid colour photos and graphics. It also features a fast, host based driver to quickly deliver output and is backed by Lexmark's onsite repair warranty.



P G Kamath, general manager at Lexmark International (India), said, "When it comes to value, the Lexmark C500n is a clear standout. SMB customers are asking for ways to print professional, high quality colour documents in house, and the Lexmark C500n delivers at an exceptional price."


Source: CRN

Linksys unveils wireless Internet video camera for small businesses

Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, Inc., a provider of voice, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) and small business customer, has launched Linksys Wireless-G Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) Internet Camera with Audio (WVC200).

The new PTZ Internet Camera, part of the Linksys Business Series of products, can send live video and audio through the Internet to be seen and heard through a web browser anywhere in the world making for simple access for mobile workers or remote users.

Unlike standard "web cams" requiring an attached PC, the PTZ Internet Camera contains its own IP address, so businesses can easily connect it to an existing Ethernet or Wireless network. The WVC200 comes equipped with a LCD screen on the front of the camera that displays the IP address so multiple cameras can be easily managed.

Sanjeev Gupta, Linksys regional sales director for Asia, said, "We've designed a camera that provides small businesses the tool they need to monitor their office during business hours or while they are away. The camera can be accessed over the Internet, enabling the office to be remotely monitored. Users can be alerted by email or phone when unexpected movement has occurred after hours, eliminating the need to actively monitor the camera. It's an ideal solution for providing peace of mind at the price small business budgets can afford."

The WVC200 images can be password protected or can be left open for the world to see. Support for Dynamic DNS enables access to the camera by using an easy-to-remember URL "name", even if the business is using a dynamic IP address.

The Pan/Tilt and 2X digital zoom function allows for remote control of the camera's movement and focus remotely. Software is included for multiple camera monitoring, and recording to a hard drive with advanced search by time and date. The advanced MPEG-4 video compression produces a high-quality, high-frame rate, 640x480 video stream. MPEG-4 encoding facilitates good video quality in varying bandwidth environments.

Advanced features of the PTZ Internet Camera include a security mode. When the camera detects motion, it begins to record the video and audio feed and simultaneously sends an e-mail alert to the office, a pager or a cell phone. Up to three e-mail alerts can be sent, including a short video clip in an email attachment.

The Linksys Wireless-G PTZ Internet Camera with Audio (WVC200) is now available and priced at Rs. 19,900.

Source: CFN

Sun Microsystems leads in Non-x86/Unix server market: IDC

Sun Microsystems India announced that as per IDC?s Asia/Pacific Quarterly Enterprise Server Tracker,Q2 2006, August 2006, it has occupied a leadership position in the Non-x86/Unix server market in Q2 2006 in India, with 56.6% market share by units and 38.1% market share by revenue. In the non-x86/Unix segment in India, Sun was the only vendor whose revenue share increased on a year-on-year basis in Q2 2006.

It is noteworthy to highlight that Sun was the fastest growing vendor in the High-end Enterprise and Midrange Enterprise segments of the non-x86 Unix server market in India in Q2 2006 on a year-on-year basis. Sun was also the #1 ranked vendor in the non-x86 Unix Midrange Enterprise server segment in India in Q2 2006.

Additionally, Sun continued to maintain its number three position in the India overall server market in Q2 2006 in terms of revenues. According to IDC, Sun ended Q2 2006 with a revenue share of 19% in terms of overall server market in India, up from 15.87% in Q2 2005.

Bhaskar Pramanik, president, India GEM, Sun Microsystems India, said, "We have maintained our position as the leading vendor in India Non-x86/Unix server market for 6 years* now since 1999. Our systems continue to be favored by mission critical sectors such as Telecommunications, BFSI, and Service providers - enterprises that need to manage unpredictable user loads, in fast-changing networked environments."

"Our leadership position is the result of Sun's constant pursuit of technological excellence and innovations. Many of our customers are taking up the new Solaris servers we've introduced, and are using them as engines to run Solaris and Java-based applications. Though our top customers segments continue to be Telecom, BFSI and IT/ITES markets, we have also seen wide adoption of our technologies in other growing segments like Retail, Government, Education & Research, Healthcare and Manufacturing," he added

Source: CRN

3i Infotech launches Orion@Apparel

3i Infotech, a provider of IT solutions, has launched Orion@Apparel, a suite of software products to address the technology and automation needs of India's booming apparel industry. Launched at Tirupur, Asia's largest apparel hub, Orion@Apparel will help garment manufacturers, exporters, and buying houses to automate, measure and enhance the entire supply chain in real time.



The suite comprises of Orion Operator Efficiency Monitoring System, Operator efficiency control, skill matrix, effective production planning, Orion Product Tracking System, Orion Quality Audit and warehouse audits.By implementing this end to end system, an apparel manufacturer will be able to integrate his entire operation while providing management with online, real-time access to all processes at the click of a mouse. Additionally, they will be able to identify lapses in the supply chain, determine their causes and fix these through the system. The software is also capable of facilitating pictorial representations of the functional pipeline thus making for an interactive user interface.

Anirudh Prabhakaran, Chief Operating Officer, South Asia, 3i Infotech Ltd., said, "Tirupur is Asia 's largest apparel hub and almost 80% of the country's manufacturing is headquartered out of this region. Additionally, given the huge export market that it addresses, it has become essential for manufacturers and agents to match international standards and processes. Orion@Apparel is launched keeping these factors in mind. It will provide the market with the tools that will help it reach high levels of production and process optimization while making individual players competitive in both the local and global marketplace."

Source: CRN

Apple store comes up at Malad's Inorbit Mall

RSG Retails India Pvt. Ltd., an Apple Premium Reseller, has opened their second retail outlet showcasing Apple's products at imagine, Inorbit Mall, Mumbai. The store will showcase Apple's products and technologies, including the recently launched iPod and iPod nano. In addition, the store will also exhibit a host of complementary products and peripherals to Apple's products providing consumers with a complete digital lifestyle experience.

"There is a significant increase in demand for digital devices and this has brought about a need to manage, organize and share media content in a better manner. The Mac as a digital hub is able to integrate all photo, video and music files with the iLife applications, and most importantly these applications work seamlessly with one another. 'imagine' is a great place to come and experience the entire range of the recently launched Apple iPod and various accessories that complement the iPod," said Rupesh Pandey, managing director, RSG Retails India Pvt. Ltd.

Pandey expressed his pleasure on the setting up of 'imagine' at Inorbit mall, the second Apple Premium Reseller store for Apple's products in Mumbai. Expressing his delight, he said, "With imagine now at Atria and Inorbit, we've pretty much covered the biggest shopping destinations in the city. Both malls have excellent walk-ins and are sure to be on anyone's agenda during the shopping season."

The Inorbit Mall has recently been voted as the mall of the year 2006 and hosts a mix of stores catering to all the segments ranging from fashion, lifestyle to eat-outs. It is buzzing with people from BPOs, the IT companies and the TV industry in Mumbai and has become a favorite hangout place for the suburban Mumbaikar. Inorbit Mall caters to entire North Mumbai crowd.

Source: CRN

CCS recognised as Star Partner by Microsoft

CCS Infotech Limited, a Chennai-based IT solution provider, has received best assurance circle partner award from Microsoft and is also recognized as a star partner by the world leader.

CCS Infotech Limited has been awarded the best assurance circle partner award for their outstanding performance in OEM Microsoft product sales along with their personal computers. After getting this award CCS Infotech Limited has been listed on the Microsoft website and is receiving technical briefings and developments through the web page dedicated for the System Builders channel.



The company has also been recognized as a Star Partner, one of the most significant recognition of performance and excellence by a world leader. This highest endorsement is awarded to those who pass the highest level of requirements from Microsoft and means that CCS is now among Microsoft's most elite business partners.



M.A. Hasan Abdul Kader, managing director of CCS Infotech Limited, said, "By acquiring this award we have proven to posses the knowledge, skills, and commitment required to meet the extended needs of IT industry. We have demonstrated the ability to deliver an extensive range of products and services successfully, and possess the experience to meet a vast expanse of global business needs. CCS Infotech Limited considers this award an encouragement to take forward its drive to achieve higher standards and emerge as a true market leader."



H.Ratna Kumar, directorof CCS Infotech Limited, stated, "We are delighted with. Microsoft continues to be an outstanding principle to work with, this re-organization is the culmination of many years of work by CCS and our partnership with Microsoft is growing consistently. Microsoft star Partners should have a broad range of experience and reasonable business volume. Our work is encouraged by way of direct support from Microsoft which gives us a leading edge over competition."



CCS Infotech Limited Limited surpassed a turnover of Rs.60 crore for the financial year ending March 2006 up 73% compared to the last financial year and first quarter 2006-07 revenue increased to Rs.13.41 crore, up more than 9% from Rs. 12.23 crore in the first quarter of 2005-06. The net profit increased to Rs 1.18 crore up 74% from Rs 0.67 crore in the first quarter 2005-06.

Four Soft launches next version of webcentric solution

Four Soft Limited (4S), a software solutions provider of transportation and logistics management, has launched version 2.1 of 4S e-Trans to caters to the need of transportation and freight companies.

4S eTrans is independent of platform & supports multiple databases. The application can be accessed from anywhere anytime through Internet, which helps in providing better customer service and lowering the maintenance cost. Also the centralized database architecture eliminates the need for multiple data entry improving efficiency and reduced data error.

Rakesh Kumar, VP, Product Management, Four Soft Limited said, "We at 4S continue to invest in the R&D which helps in augmenting our products and keeps us miles ahead of our competitors. With this new version we are shifting from cutting edge technology to bleeding edge technology and are committed to exploit technology for simplifying the complexities of supply chain management."

Developed on spring & Hibernate framework, 4S eTrans 2.1 has an improved GUI (Graphical User Interface), multiple search functionality, configurable menu system and enhanced reporting mechanism. Superior design of current release would help in better navigability resulting in increased productivity of end users.


Source: CRN

Canon announces new festive offers

Canon India Pvt. Limited has announced new festive offers with the purchase of a Canon Digital Camera or Camcorder.



The special offer has been branded as 'Festival of Delights'. The promotion entitles the buyer to a lucky scratch card to win some fabulous prizes like a Chevrolet Optra, Canon Compact Photo Printer (SELPHY CP 510), MP3 Player, USB Combo, return air tickets to Singapore and many other assured gifts. The consumer promotion is on till end of October or till stock lasts.



Dhiren Singh, assistant director of Marketing (Consumer Imaging), said, "Year by year, Canon focuses on newer opportunities to reach out to its customers in a way that would leave them delighted with the experience. It is our constant endeavor to work on promotions that are more innovative and attractive for both the consumer and the channel partner. We are confident that our schemes will bring added cheer this festive season as well."



For all cricket fans, Canon adds to the adrenaline rush by bringing to them an association with the ICC Champions Trophy 2007. With the kick off of the ICC Champions tournament, Canon promises to be seen everywhere on Cricket through television commercials and with a special capsule on Extra Innings with Mandira Bedi.



On this announcement, Singh further added, "Cricket is a passion and a religion in India and ICC provides us a platform for associating with the sport and reaching out to the masses. The response to this event has been phenomenal. As partners to this event, we would enjoy sharing the joy of Indians who would love to capture a perfect shot with a Powershot from Canon range of cameras."

Source: CRN

Channel moving closer to open source platform, claims Red Hat

A new trend is emerging wherein channel partners and independent software vendors (ISVs) are largely turning toward subscription-based platform as against the proprietary model and thus opening ample opportunities for enhanced Linux-based operation, Tirthankar Mitra, head - Channels and SI, Red Hat India said.

"It is heartening to witness a trend wherein more and more channel partners and even independent software vendors are realizing the benefits of choosing an open platform like ours over a proprietary model," Mitra told CRN in an interview.

He said one deciding factor for this could be that in contrast to open source vendor partners, channel players with proprietary vendors are largely finding their role as service providers being reduced as these companies have created immense database with the help of resellers and now are targeting the customers on their own.

"Ours is a subscription-based service mechanism and therefore those risks are not here. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers through top-tier partnerships. Red Hat's open source strategy offers customers a long term plan for building infrastructures that are based on and leverage open source technologies with focus on security and ease of management," he said.

He said Linux adoption in India and across the enterprise is by and large growing, and Red Hat India channel partner network is also expanding to address this market and customer needs. These partners not only cater to customers brought to them by Red Hat, but also independently pursue new projects on Linux.

"We see tremendous opportunities opening up as the industry is fast turning away from proprietary platforms toward open, standards-based building blocks for hardware and software platform. This approach offers cost-effective, timely delivery of new architectures, new services, and increased bandwidth," he claimed.

Red Hat partners play a crucial role as they reach out to end customers and guide them in arriving at an ideal solution for their needs. "My partners also take customers through the entire process of Linux adoption and implementation, and provide the needed support services."

Red Hat India has a distribution network of more than 70 channel partners, spanning 27 cities across India. It has OEM partners like IBM, Dell, HP, HCL, Wipro Infotech and Acer among others, while SI partners include Wipro Infotech and HCL Infosystems


Source: CRN
Article By: Nirendra Dev, Mumbai, October 13, 2006

SMB spending on PDAs alone estimated to jump 11%, says AMI Partners

Small and medium businesses (1-999 employees) in India are on track to spend US$70 million on PDAs by this year-end, up some 16% over last year, following the need for portability and the remote access. Accordingly, spending on portable computers such as notebooks and tablet PCs is also expected to jump over the next couple of years.

This comes from a recent study by New York-based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners Inc. "The main advantage of having an intelligent office is that it adds connectivity, without sacrificing the portability," says Avimanyu Datta, Kolkata-based analyst at AMI-Partners.

Intelligent office is a concept that encompasses miniaturization and portability. It is like carrying a portable office with moving employees. Examples could be PDAs, Intelligent Phones, and other multifunctional devices which free the employees from being physically present in an office in order to complete their daily tasks. "Robust economic development in Tier-II cities in India brings greater market opportunities that need to be explored to maximize profits. Since setting up an office from scratch would mean excessive capital and infrastructure investments, intelligent office devices offer a lower cost solution. Using this technology gives a sense of a moving office. The employees can carry their office with them by wireless connected devices," Datta says.

Approximately seven out of 10 medium businesses (100-999 employees) and 14% of small businesses (1-99 employees) have multiple branches. "Pervasive devices with wireless connectivity provide a cost-effective communication link between firms, which frees them from setting up their own telecom infrastructure," Datta says. "In the future, given an increase in business volume, the number of branches will rise and firms which currently don't have multiple sites will expand operations. This will further boost the demand for building intelligent office infrastructures."

The other factor is the rise of a mobile workforce among SMBs. About 50% of all medium businesses and 20% of small businesses have a mobile workforce. These numbers across both segments are set to increase and will boost demand for intelligent office devices.

"The most important reason for intelligent office adoption is reduced decision cycle time," he says. "India's economic development and the increased business opportunities have resulted in intense competition where fast decision-making is often the key to success. Clients cannot wait for suppliers to respond via email; they want an immediate response. A decision on product purchase or on business partnerships often requires that people interact across various locations. Intelligent devices with wireless connectivity allow this to happen seamlessly."

Fortinet, a provider of multi-threat security solutions has launched FortiGate-3600A appliance, which offers increased deployment flexibility by inclu

Kolkata-based PC and server manufacturing company Waves Infotech has now expanded its presence in UP.

The company, which was started in 1997 as a PC assembling and servicing unit, is on the verge to make a strong foothold across India with the establishment of regional offices and authorized dealers.

S K Loharuka, CEO of the company says, "Beginning small, but thinking big - is the underlying motto of the company. Efforts to venture into Northern and Western region are the roadmap under current consideration."

Loharuka says that the company views channel as a very important means to approach the market. Hence, they are sincerely looking forward to provide technical and other support to the dealers with sustainable business models, which in turn can give strong support to the customers.

The company is also structuring several plans to give maximum benefit to the dealers, distributors and customers. Waves is basically focusing on dealers of small city or town to give them ample space to grow, he adds.

The company's product includes Glider - the office expert PCs, Homer - the multimedia range, Commander - the server range. Moreover, the notebook PC called Gypsy will be shortly added in the product range.

Fortinet launches FortiGate-3600A multi security appliance

Fortinet, a provider of multi-threat security solutions has launched FortiGate-3600A appliance, which offers increased deployment flexibility by including additional ports and slots that can be leveraged for wide area network interfaces.



The adoption of multi threat security appliances among enterprises, mobile carriers and MSSPs is rapidly growing, with performance, ease of administration, deployment flexibility and cost efficiencies as major drivers. The company says that the integration of Fortinet's next generation FortiASIC Content Processor and new system components boost performance up to 50%. Competitive multi threat security appliances typically offer 30 to 50% less firewall throughput than what can now be offered by the FortiGate-3600A.



In addition to higher performance, customers are demanding integrated WAN connectivity with their security devices. The FortiGate-3600A includes expansion slots that provide deployment flexibility via standard based AMC network adaptor modules enabling customers to adapt to a variety of WAN technologies and future internal network technologies such as 10-GigE.



Freddy Mangum, vice president of product marketing for Fortinet, said, "Defending against the evolving threat landscape requires multiple integrated security technologies that can ensure mitigation of all threat vectors without compromising network performance. The FortiGate-3600A builds on Fortinet's legacy of leveraging custom built ASICs and industry standard designs to deliver customers unmatched multi threat security performance and deployment flexibility."

SCO intros HipCheck mobile service

SCO Group (SCO), a provider of UNIX software technology and mobile services, has announced the availability of HipCheck, the latest offering from the company's Me Inc. mobile services division that proactively monitors and manages UNIX and Windows systems through Windows Mobile phones.



The company sats that HipCheck is the only mobile administration solution in the market that combines system monitoring and alerts with secure mobile intervention. As a result, technicians are able to detect, diagnose and correct many common system problems much more quickly than before. It also allows business solution providers and IT system administrators to continually monitor the health of Windows and UNIX systems, setting alert thresholds for a wide range of parameters.



Chris Woolfenden, technical director at Yanex, a U.K. information technology services firm, commented, "We believe HipCheck will satisfy the mobile access and support needs of many IT managers with ease. Through its reliable and robust interface, IT staff will be able to access critical and desktop systems anywhere, anytime. The product's features ideally lend themselves to situations where IT staff are limited or distributed and where 24 hours a day, 365 days a year coverage is required. The cost savings using HipCheck can be considerable."



Proactive mobile administration represents a major advantage for any organization that provides system administration support services. The productivity and cost savings benefits are particularly strong for organizations supporting systems in multiple locations.

Sandy Gupta, CTO and general manager, SCO Platforms Division, stated, "By allowing highly mobile system administrators to take the offensive, HipCheck customers will see higher overall uptime, more productive users and lower maintenance costs. This level of flexibility and anywhere/anytime responsiveness lets technicians multi task far more effectively. They are now the first to find out about a situation, they spend less time diagnosing the root cause and, best of all, they can rectify the problem no matter where they happen to be."



HipCheck is made up of three components - HipCheck agent, client and mobility server. HipCheck agent is software installed on each system that needs to be monitored. The Agent software monitors each systems hardware and system status, and then communicates with the Mobility Server. The HipCheck Client is a graphical user interface that enables an authorized user to efficiently monitor systems and perform administrative actions such as responding to alerts and correcting any problems that may arise.

Asus launches 20-inch monitor with built-in webcam

AsusTek Computer Inc. (Asus) has launched 20-inch, widescreen Asus PW201, which comes with a built in 1.3M pixel webcam to deliver high resolution video conferencing.


According to the company, its innovative pivot neck design further enables both vertical and horizontal viewing angles for optimized viewing comfort during different visual applications. The other features includes 1.3M pixel webcam built in and the LifeFrame software bundle, rich video input and USB 2.0 support turn the all new monitor into the ideal visual solution for business and entertainment. It has color shine glare type panel and wide view angle.


Leena Ajmera, product manager, LCD Business, Asus India, said, "The Asus PW201 LCD Monitor comes packed in with many features, so as to facilitate the usage requirements of Business users as well as gamers and movie enthusiasts. This LCD monitor is aesthetically designed and is a prestigious iF Design award winner."

Nortel unfolds new product portfolio, to focus on SMBs

After creating a strong foothold in the Indian carrier and enterprise market, Nortel is extending its product offering to the SMB segment. The new product range includes switches, routers and access points and will feature the SMB specific Business Communications Manager (BCM50), and a digital hybrid PBX supplied by Nortel's Korean JV, LG-Nortel.

Nortel has established a long term strategy to cater to specific needs and challenges of SMB customers. SMB customers will benefit from both voice and data enabled solutions backed by Nortel's carrier grade industry standards. The specially designed offering will provide customers simple, scalable and easy to use products at a very affordable price. India is the first country in Asia where the SMB initiative is being rolled out, and is backed up by dedicated marketing, support infrastructure and people.

Ravi Chauhan, managing director of Nortel India, said, "The SMB segment is going through a pocess of evolution and businesses are looking at technology to enable them to grow bigger. Nortel is gearing up to become a dominant player in this segment. Nortel has streamlined its training processes and established a robust ecosystem for its SMB solutions that will help channel partners deliver the value of Nortel's voice and data solutions across India at a really affordable cost. Our solutions will cater to businesses even as small as three to five staff."

E. R. Ashok Kumar, director-SMB, Nortel India, stated, "We will follow the 'four E' approach: Engage, Enable, Excite and of course Execute. Emphasizing Nortel's long-term commitment to its partners. As part of enabling our channel partners, Nortel will invest the manpower and resources to educate them, provide complete technical support and develop a unique rewards program. There is an increasing number of data networking dealers who aspire to get into voice networking, and vice versa. We will work with them and train them to broaden their knowledge."

Nortel will also set up a national customer support center. This support center will be accessible through a toll free number, which will provide customers a single interface for all post deployment support and services. The new solution will combine the traditionally distinct voice networking products and data networking products to provide a complete end to end solution.