epages News [Software Companies]

Online major Google to accelerate city’s profile

Mar 08, 2005: Google Online India Pvt Ltd, the wholly-owned subsidiary, of world’s top ranked search technology major Google of USA is all agog with beefing up its head count numbers in the city. To provide a sheen of class to its work profile, it is taking in quality professionals to head its various departments in the city centre located in the prestigious Hi-tec city. Blessed with a spacious office with an easy and inviting ambience, it looks all set to stay in the city and already put on a par with its global centres.

It was revealed by Google Online India's head e of online sales and operations Roy Gilbert that that there was no upper; cap for hiring so long as quality manpower was available. He also revealed that Hyderabad centre is placed on par with the its global centres such as California in terms of quality of service and range of operations. With a strength of around 3,000 people across the world, it seems to be ready to rope in any number of people provided they match the skills demanded as it maintains a very quality standard.

If one possess the talent, he/she will be put on test and wade through many rounds of tests and interviews lasting a bit long time. Getting the best quality & talent is a trying process and as such takes a bit more time. For one to get into Google, one has to be agraduate with reasonably good language skills with apassion for service and interest in surfing the Internet.

Google, which is a known brand in the Internet market, has been attracting several job seekers & the main reason for this has been the way it takes care of its employees, apart from a lucrative career offer, they are given in-house training to add value to their CVs.

Basics of English grammar and usage, typing and business writing will be taught to them by world class experts. The company's team here is vital for their Ad World advertisers and Adsense Publishers for online sales and support.

Mr Gilbert also said that on the viability of online sales model in a country like India where broadband penetration is still low, e-commerce is catching up in India & the interest in online advertising is growing particularly among the small and medium entrepreneurs (SMEs).

Satyam Computers ADS issue receives shareholders nod

Jan 09, 2005: Noted Indian software giant Satyam Computer Services informed the Stock Exchange that the share holders of the company at the extraordinary general meeting on January 7,2005 approved the issue of AmericanDepository Shares (ADS) against the existing equity shares not exceeding 30 million equity shares

Last month, the board of directors had approved the proposal. The company had said that the issue would amount to about $ 300 million based on the closing price of ADS on the New York Stock Exchange.

Satyam’s sponsored ADS issue gets Board approval

Dec 10, 2004: The Board of Directors of Satyam Computer Services Ltd gave its nod for its sponsored American Depository Shares against the existing equity shares of the company.

Company’s statement says the size of the sponsored ADR issue will not exceed 30 million equity shares equivalent to 15 million ADS including grandiose options, if any.

The issue would amount to $300 million issued on the closing price of ADS on the New York Stock Exchange as on December 7. An extra ordinary meeting has been convened for this purpose on January 7,2005.

Information Technology scene looks bright

Dec 08, 2004: With plenty of openings well-aided by a quantum leap in information technology solutions, Nasscom chief Mr Kiran Karnikhas predicted a bright future for India. Earnings from the sector is all set to cross the $15 billion mark this year, with an estimated 30-32% jump each year.

Despite the positive outlook, there remains several problems faced by the sector, foremost being the infrastructure weakness followed by appreciating rupee value,skilled human resource backlog & security issue. Also, rising competition from nations such as Philippines, Russia, China, Ireland, Brazil, etc should keep India on its toes and better its performance.

The rupee appreciation is a critical factor & Mr Karnik disclosed that the issue has been talked over with the Government & urged for a slower appreciation since a greater one nullifies nation’s earnings from IT sector. About 30% export earnings from the USA forms the bedrock of our earnings & a rupee appreciation relating to dollar only complicates the issue.

Information Technology sector was getting more complex and challenging and there lies a critical need for a fresh thinking to meet the same, keeping pace with the latest knowledge inputs.

Relating infrastructure bottlenecks such as airports, transportation bottlenecks, power, etc he stressed that they have to tackled on an urgent basis lest the enormous gains gets lessened. Outsourcing issue is another theme that needs to be tackled at the Government level in an effective manner to counter the so-called negative trends that has flown from it.

3 information Technology Think Tanks to be set up

Aug 01, 2004: Chief Minister Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy has revealed that his Government would set up 3 think tanks to promote information technology sector, study its problems and suggest effective measures to plug the loopholes. The same was disclosed before an impressive gathering that had gathered at the inaugural function of the swanky ‘Satyam Cyber Space’, a development centre at Satyam Computer Services at Madhapur on Saturday, that is, 31/07/2004.

The think tanks would relate to IT,IT enabled services and Hardware sector, would comprise of around 20-25 eminent personalities from both the government and industry segments. He also assured that the IT sector would not be affected and instead every possible encouragement would be provided to it to help the state attain a pre-eminent position in the country.

He also urged the Union Minister Mr Dayanidhi Maran to quickly expedite the proposed incubator centre at the Software Technology Park of India (STPI) in Hyderabad, as the state was embarking upon a Rs 800 crore project to take broadband to villages.

Majority of IIIT-H’s 2004 class students picked by Infosys

Jul 08, 2004: Indian I T giant Infosys got into the ‘Pick the best and brightest’ mood and plucked the majority of IIIT, Hyderabad’s 2004 students, 68 in number out of 174 passed candidates. During the 2004 placement season, an amazing 221 offers were made to 174 passed students not just from Infosys, but also from known names as Satyam, Microsoft, Oracle, TCS, Quark India, Wipro, IBM, Adobe, etc. The job offers carried with it an alluring pay package that ranged from Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 5,2 lakhs, with the highest amount offered by Adobe.

It is also revealed that around 15% of 2004 batch have opted to pursue higher studies in technology and management in India and abroad and an estimated 45% of 2004 batch received multiple offers from both Indian and overseas companies

C M Dr.YSR plays down his opposition to role of Information Technology

Jul 04, 2004: The issue of the state’s C M Dr Y S Rajashekara Reddy’s views on the role of I T in the state was put forward in the correct perspective during his address at a inaugural function of the new block of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) at Kukatpally. He dismissed the stated view of his strident opposition to the prime role played by I T and said that he was neither against Technological advancement nor Information Technology.

Addressing the gathering during the function, he said that it was regrettable that rural infrastructure has not come up to modern standards and continue to lag behind. They contributed only 13% of the state’s GDP from 25% a decade back. The same despite the fact that 67% of the state’s population have their livelihood in agriculture.

He stressed that he was for improvement of rural infrastructure and not downsizing of Information Technology. He was pleased that the state exports software products worth Rs 5,000 crores each year. At the same time he urged them to look at neighbouring Karnataka which exports software products worth Rs 20,000 crores each year. The said glaring disparity can be set right if we provide a congenial and healthy industrial environment based on proper infrastructure and logistic base for entrepreneurs to invest their money.

Microsoft unveils new mobile, speech software

Mar 25, 2004: San Francisco: Chairman Bill Gates unveiled Microsoft Corp's latest foray into business computing with Speech Server 2004 and an updated version of its software for mobile phones. The world's largest software maker has been expanding its product offerings as it targets a wider base of business customers, but its efforts so far have been overshadowed by the wide reach of its Windows, Office and server software for networked computers. There's a huge range of scenarios that this new speech capability will be used for," Gates told an audience of developers at a conference in San Francisco. Gates made no reference to the decision by the European Commission to pay a record 497 million euro ($606 million) fine for violating EU antitrust law and to give competitors in audio-visual software and servers a fairer chance to compete "because the illegal behaviour is still going on."

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft's new Speech Server, based on natural language recognition technology developed over the past several years, is a software platform for networked computers that allows other software developers to create programs tailored to their needs. The No. 1 use of speech server technology is expected to be for companies setting up call centres with automated voice and touch-tone menus to provide customers service, Microsoft said. Information technology departments are also expected to use the speech server to provide internal support functions, such as password resetting and help for computer users. In addition, Microsoft unveiled an updated version of its cell phone software, called Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which adds features such as better screen management and resolution, as well as support for phones with built-in keyboards. Gates also unveiled new software releases of Microsoft's tools for other software developers to create programs that run on top of its Windows and server software products.

Software exports up 30%

Mar 08, 2004: New Delhi: With increase in the number of MNCs setting up base in India to cut labour costs, computer software and services export is estimated to have grown by 30% during April-September 2003 touching $8.66 billion, according to ESC. Computer software and services export is estimated to have grown by 29.76% in dollar terms during April-September 2003 as compared to the same period a year ago, touching $8.66 billion, adding the $12.49 billion target for 2003-04 could be achieved.

During the period in reference, over 69% of the target set for export of computer software and services for the entire 2003-04 has been achieved. One of the reasons for accelerated growth of software exports from the country is the increase in the number of MNCs setting up 100% subsidiaries in India to cut down the labour cost in US and Europe. This is not just in the case of call centres but also in segments like R&D, financial analysis and legal consultancy.

HCL starts insurance solutions centre in Chennai

Feb 23, 2004: HCL Technologies announced the opening of a new Insurance Solutions Delivery Centre (ISDC) in Chennai. The Company is a leading provider of solutions to the global Insurance Industry currently and with this Initiative, will be able to further strengthen its presence and offerings in this high potential domain.

The new centre has a capacity to house over 500 professionals and is fully equipped with all requisite amenities including a 100 seat Training Centre. HCL Tech's Global Insurance Practice offers business solutions to Global Insurers operating in the Life & Annuities, Property & Casualty, Health and Reinsurance segments. Currently the practice works over 25 clients worldwide.

Silicomp to site centre in Bangalore

Feb 21, 2004: Bangalore: Multi-billion dollar IT majors, such as Intel, SAP and Oracle, pioneered the move to India, but now it seems to be the turn of small and mid-size companies to make a beeline for the country. The latest to join this queue is Silicomp, a French IT services company that plans to have 300 employees at its Bangalore development centre by the end of 2006. The company will invest $5 million in this centre over the same period and plans to move work from its centres in France and Singapore to India. While Silicomp will hire 50 people by the end of this calendar, it will rapidly ramp up the headcount to 150 by end 2005. Silicomp will undertake a major portion of a project for MasterCard, to move from its magnetic to chip based cards. It will also undertake development of transport solutions from its Bangalore centre. Currently, Silicomp has over 500 engineers at its development centres in France and 100-plus in Singapore. Silicomp currently earns about 70% of its $120 million revenues from France alone. With strong growth potential seen in the Asian market, the company hopes to make it a key market. It is targeting large transport (rail, bus) utilities with its range of solutions.

Microsoft launches Office Hindi for Indian market

Feb 16, 2004: New Delhi: Microsoft Corporation India on Monday launched 'Office Hindi', its first offering developed specifically for the Indian market, which combines computing experience with familiarity of Hindi language. "The product includes a Hindi language interface and supports nine Indian languages, empowering Indian users to leverage the global, standards based Office applications suite in the language of their choice," a Microsoft release said here. The suite would allow users to create documents and communicate with others in native language and also facilitate easy navigation and use by providing menus and toolbars in Hindi.

The two editions of the product -- Office Hindi Professional and Office Hindi Standard -- will be available through Microsoft's regular sales channels. "Microsoft also announced the availability of online resources, training material and partner support to ensure that customers can smoothly adopt and integrate the offering into their infrastructure," the release said. Office Hindi combines a world-class computing experience with the comfort and familiarity of Hindi language, and are confident of the value it will offer users in India.

Microsoft cancels 'Mythica' PC video game

Feb 14, 2004: Los Angeles: Microsoft has cancelled the development of "Mythica," an online PC role-playing game centered in Norse mythology, and up to 40 developers may be laid off as a result, Microsoft Game Studios said. Microsoft was streamlining its efforts in the popular online role-playing genre. After a rigorous review of current and future projects, the decision was made that Mythica would not be one of the projects we would continue to invest in. Late last year, PC game developer Mythic Entertainment sued Microsoft over "Mythica," claiming the game unfairly traded on Mythic's trademarks and could confuse consumers.

ICICI Infotech expects revenues to grow to 40%

Jan 02, 2004: Chennai: The $54 million IT solutions provider, ICICI Infotech, is fast becoming a product company with revenue contribution from its product business growing aggressively. The company has 4 products, an ERP solution called Orion, an insurance product called Premia, a banking product suite called Vertical B and a retail finance solution, Triton. The aggressive growth plans of ICICI Infotech for its product business is driven by the success of its ERP product in the MENA market (Middle East North Africa). According to a recent IDC report, ICICI Infotech was rated amongst the top five ERP players in various parts of the MENA region.

Particularly in the UAE, the second largest market in the MENA region, it was ranked the third largest ERP player behind Oracle and JD Edwards. Now ICICI Infotech is looking to replicate its success in other markets. Towards this, the company has come out with an upgraded version of its ERP product. The Orion 10 upgrade includes functionally enriched capabilities for verticalised industries like pharma, chemical, auto, retail, distribution, cement and engineering. The enhanced functionalities will facilitate shorter transaction time, faster ROI and seamless interaction and collaboration with every constituent of the enterprise — customers, business partners, employees and vendors. For its banking solution, the company recently won a $1 million contract to license and implement banking software applications at Finansa, listed on the Bangkok Exchange and specialising in fund management and corporate finance. The insurance product Premia is being implemented at Oriental Insurance.

Nucleus ties-up with Sun Microsystems

Dec 24, 2003: New Delhi: Nucleus Software Exports announced a technological tie-up with Sun Microsystems. The move was aimed at capitalising on business opportunities by delivering better solutions and services to global financial service industry, a Nucleus release said.

Indian pros rated best in the world

Dec 24, 2003: Mumbai: India’s much acclaimed information technology (IT) skills, now have a ranking to back them. India’s IT skills are rated among the best and most competitive across major economies. In fact, India’s overall skilled labour is among the top ten countries in the world. This is a huge achievement for the country, considering that India has among the lowest spending on education and the lowest %age of its total workforce is employed in services, the biggest employer of skilled labour, in comparison to the other big countries. India’s index for IT skills availability stands at 8.72, second only to USA, which is a mere 0.05 point higher than India’s index, where availability implies not only the total number of IT personnel but also their accessibility, attractiveness and suitability. On the other hand, India’s index is at least one point higher than most of the other developed western countries as well as the South East Asian countries. It compares exceptionally favourably to China, whose index is less than half of India’s index and ranks 17 in IT skills’ availability.

Even India’s overall availability of skilled labour index at 7.57 is enviable, with the sixth rank in the world, behind Philippines, Singapore, USA, Australia and Japan. Although there is a difference of five positions between India and Philippines’, India’s actual index is only a 0.68 point lesser than Philippines, which stands at 8.25. Logically, higher the availability of skilled labour, greater the likelihood of international companies recruiting locally for their Indian operations. Also, there is greater probability of a multinational company choosing India to set up its business. This is also a considerable achievement since India has relatively low public expenditure on education. Given that the world is yet to fully recover from depression, cost cutting is still big on multinationals’ agenda, which further ensures that India will not only retain its position but also further enhance it.

After US, Zenith eyes Europe mkt for SAAZ

Dec 24, 2003: Hyderabad: Zenith Infotech, the software product development arm of the Zenith Group, plans to take competition head-on in the domestic market for its IT infrastructure management product SAAZ, besides sailing into the Far East and Europe markets in 2004-05. Zenith’s product — Systems and Applications Administration from Zenith (SAAZ) — competes in the IT infrastructure management space with IBM, HP and Computer Associates. The product has grown substantially in terms of installations in the US market and on the domestic turf as well. Since the product launch in the US in January this year, the company has bagged 31 customers there and 33 more in the Indian market. The global infrastructure management market is estimated at $126 billion.

While the Far Eastern foray is expected to happen during the first quarter, the entry into the European market may take atleast seven months. The company has adopted a partner and reseller network to push its product in the US, while it does direct selling with a 30-member team in India. “SAAZ is a shrink-wrap product with lean architecture offering 90% features provided by large players at one-fifth the cost. SAAZ offers a comprehensive solution for centrally monitoring, managing and maintaining servers and networks. Zenith’s product manages a network remotely over the Internet with a 130-member support team based out of India servicing the US customers. In February 2004, Zenith would be aggressively marketing remote management services in the US to service providers. Meanwhile, the company is working on enriching the product features across the board that enables the product to self-manage the IT infrastructure without the need for an IT administrator.

Oracle will do all it takes to get PeopleSoft

Dec 22, 2003: San Francisco: Oracle said it remained committed to acquiring rival software maker PeopleSoft in a $7.3bn hostile deal despite the withdrawal of half the shares tendered as of October. Oracle, the world’s second-biggest software maker, extended its tender offer for PeopleSoft, to February 13 from December 31 and said 12.4m shares — about 3% of the total PeopleSoft shares outstanding — had been tendered and not withdrawn by the December deadline. When Oracle last extended its offer, in October, 24.8m shares had been tendered. The number of shares tendered has fallen steadily since Oracle announced its plan to takeover PeopleSoft in June.

Antitrust regulators in the United States and Europe are reviewing Oracle’s bid, and are not expected to issue a decision until early next year. The deal is essentially on hold until regulators issue that decision. PeopleSoft’s board, which has unanimously rejected Oracle’s advance, has said the deal is likely to be blocked on antitrust grounds and that the offer undervalues the company. Oracle is offering $19.50 per share for PeopleSoft. The stock closed at $22.13 on the Nasdaq.

Oracle set on PeopleSoft bid

Dec 20, 2003: San Francisco: Oracle Corp. said it remained committed to acquiring rival software maker PeopleSoft Inc. in a $7.3-billion hostile deal despite the withdrawal of half the shares tendered as of October. Oracle, the world's second-biggest software maker, extended its tender offer for PeopleSoft, to February 13 from December 31 and said 12.4 million shares - about 3% of total PeopleSoft shares outstanding had been tendered and not withdrawn by the December deadline. When Oracle last extended its offer, in October, 24.8 million shares had been tendered. The number of shares tendered has fallen steadily since Oracle announced its plan to takeover PeopleSoft in June.

Antitrust regulators in the United States and Europe are reviewing Oracle's bid, and are not expected to issue a decision until early next year. The deal is essentially on hold until regulators issue that decision. PeopleSoft's board, which has unanimously rejected Oracle's advance, has said the deal is likely to be blocked on antitrust grounds and that the offer undervalues the company. Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison told Reuters in October that his company would hang in for as long as it takes to get control of PeopleSoft. Oracle to comment on the number of tendered shares, but said Oracle had turned over all of the information requested by US regulators. Oracle is offering $19.50 per share for PeopleSoft. The stock closed at $22.13 on the Nasdaq.

EU regulators may impose penalty on Microsoft

Dec 20, 2003: Brussels: Microsoft has little chance of persuading a European court to suspend any antitrust penalties EU regulators impose on the world's biggest software maker next year. The European Commission is within months of deciding whether the software giant used the muscle of its Windows operating system to illegally damage competitors. The Commission has said publicly it may order Microsoft to change its software and disclose more information to competitors to help their products mesh better with Windows. Microsoft is expected to ask the court to suspend any such order until the case is over, which can take years. Fast track cases usually take a year.

 
WebHydEpages.com
Hyderabad-Classifieds.comHyderabad-Jobs.com