Infosys Technologies, India's second largest software services exporter, has reported a 20.7 per cent increase in net profit to Rs 1302 crore for the first quarter of the current fiscal as against a net of Rs 1079 crore for the corresponding quarter of last fiscal.
Total income grew by 28.7 per cent to Rs 4854 crore for the first quarter of the current fiscal as compared to corresponding period of last fiscal.
On a sequential quarter basis, net profit has grown by 4.2 per cent while the topline grew by close to 7 per cent.
Infosys has said that the margins were impacted due to increases in salary and visa costs which to some extent was offset by rupee depreciation. The company's management believes that the currency market will be volatile in the short term.
The outlook for FY09 has been increased and Infosys hopes to grow its topline by almost 28 per cent as against an earlier projection of around 20 per cent. The rupee depreciating is one of the element for this revision.
EPS outlook for the fiscal has also been increased and this firm expects to grow this by around 23 per cent as against an earlier outlook of around 17 per cent.
Showing posts with label BIN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label BIN. Show all posts
Friday, July 11, 2008
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Yahoo! says Icahn does not have a 'credible plan'
Reiterating that the company is open to any transaction including a sale to Microsoft, Yahoo! has said that billionaire investor Carl Icahn does not have credible plan for operating the internet major.
The latest response comes in the awake of Icahn's letter on Friday, urging Yahoo! to sell itself to Microsoft and also do away with the employee retention plan, which he termed as a "poison pill."
"Leaving aside Mr Icahn's inaccurate interpretation of our retention plan, we again note that he has no credible plan to operate Yahoo!," the internet major said in a statement on Friday.
Yahoo! also pointed out that cancelling the employee retention plan would have a destabilising impact on the firm and would not be in the best interests of the shareholders.
Responding to Icahn's suggestion that Yahoo! should sell itself to the software giant, the internet major noted that the firm is open to any transaction which would be beneficial for the shareholders.
"As we have stated numerous times publicly and privately, we are open to any transaction, including a sale to Microsoft if it is in the best interests of shareholders," the statement said.
Earlier on Friday, Icahn asked the internet major to sell itself to Microsoft at a price of $34.375 per share.
"In my opinion, Microsoft does not believe you will ever sell the entire company on a friendly basis. So why don't you stop dancing around the subject and publicly offer to sell the company to Microsoft for $34.375 per share and promise to cooperate completely?," Icahn wrote to Yahoo! Chairman Roy Bostock.
The latest response comes in the awake of Icahn's letter on Friday, urging Yahoo! to sell itself to Microsoft and also do away with the employee retention plan, which he termed as a "poison pill."
"Leaving aside Mr Icahn's inaccurate interpretation of our retention plan, we again note that he has no credible plan to operate Yahoo!," the internet major said in a statement on Friday.
Yahoo! also pointed out that cancelling the employee retention plan would have a destabilising impact on the firm and would not be in the best interests of the shareholders.
Responding to Icahn's suggestion that Yahoo! should sell itself to the software giant, the internet major noted that the firm is open to any transaction which would be beneficial for the shareholders.
"As we have stated numerous times publicly and privately, we are open to any transaction, including a sale to Microsoft if it is in the best interests of shareholders," the statement said.
Earlier on Friday, Icahn asked the internet major to sell itself to Microsoft at a price of $34.375 per share.
"In my opinion, Microsoft does not believe you will ever sell the entire company on a friendly basis. So why don't you stop dancing around the subject and publicly offer to sell the company to Microsoft for $34.375 per share and promise to cooperate completely?," Icahn wrote to Yahoo! Chairman Roy Bostock.
Monday, March 31, 2008
TCS signs five-year deal with ArvinMeritor
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a five-year, multi-million dollar contract with ArvinMeritor -- a gobal supplier of integrated systems, modules and components to the automobile industry.
As part of the agreement, TCS will support the localisation and globalisation efforts of ArvinMeritor’s engineering capabilities including product development and support for specific product lines in the Asia Pacific region. TCS will set up a global engineering center in Pune that will provide a broad range of product engineering services to cater to the global needs of ArvinMeritor with a specific focus on the Asian market.
Regu Ayyaswamy, vice president, engineering and industrial services, TCS, said: "As ArvinMeritor extends its current competencies to new product categories through use of electronics and control technologies, TCS along with its group company INCAT will deliver end-to-end comprehensive solutions to support ArvinMeritor. Our global network delivery model will seamlessly ensure that ArvinMeritor experiences certainty in all aspects of our relationship in any part of the globe."
As part of the agreement, TCS will support the localisation and globalisation efforts of ArvinMeritor’s engineering capabilities including product development and support for specific product lines in the Asia Pacific region. TCS will set up a global engineering center in Pune that will provide a broad range of product engineering services to cater to the global needs of ArvinMeritor with a specific focus on the Asian market.
Regu Ayyaswamy, vice president, engineering and industrial services, TCS, said: "As ArvinMeritor extends its current competencies to new product categories through use of electronics and control technologies, TCS along with its group company INCAT will deliver end-to-end comprehensive solutions to support ArvinMeritor. Our global network delivery model will seamlessly ensure that ArvinMeritor experiences certainty in all aspects of our relationship in any part of the globe."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Microsoft ties up with 5 social networks
Global software giant Microsoft has collaborated with five leading social networks - Facebook, Bebo, Hi5, LinkedIn and Tagged - to enable its users to access their contacts from more web portals.
The collaboration includes an exchange of APIs (application programming interface) that will allow people to move their contacts and relationships between Windows Live services and social networks more safely and securely.
With this API, people can invite their Windows Live Contacts to join them on these social networking services without the need for screen-scraping, or providing private user credentials to outside networks.
“We have created Windows Live Contacts API to help users access and share their data and contacts across the web in a safer and more secure manner. With this, we are providing an alternative to “screen-scraping” that is equally open, but safer and more secure,” said Samir Saraiya - product head, Windows Live Services, Microsoft India.
As part of this effort, Microsoft is introducing a new website, invite2messenger.net, where people can invite their contacts from any of these five social networks to join them on Windows Live Messenger.
“We have paid special attention to the context of relationships. Because a user has a friend on a social networking site does not mean that that relationship should be automatically imported to Windows Live Messenger. Invite2Messenger does not automatically store your contact data, it simply gives you the tools to establish relationships with your contacts on Windows Live Messenger—with your contacts’ permission,” added Saraiya.
The collaboration includes an exchange of APIs (application programming interface) that will allow people to move their contacts and relationships between Windows Live services and social networks more safely and securely.
With this API, people can invite their Windows Live Contacts to join them on these social networking services without the need for screen-scraping, or providing private user credentials to outside networks.
“We have created Windows Live Contacts API to help users access and share their data and contacts across the web in a safer and more secure manner. With this, we are providing an alternative to “screen-scraping” that is equally open, but safer and more secure,” said Samir Saraiya - product head, Windows Live Services, Microsoft India.
As part of this effort, Microsoft is introducing a new website, invite2messenger.net, where people can invite their contacts from any of these five social networks to join them on Windows Live Messenger.
“We have paid special attention to the context of relationships. Because a user has a friend on a social networking site does not mean that that relationship should be automatically imported to Windows Live Messenger. Invite2Messenger does not automatically store your contact data, it simply gives you the tools to establish relationships with your contacts on Windows Live Messenger—with your contacts’ permission,” added Saraiya.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
IQMS Software US arm gets $1 mn order
IQMS Software has procured $1 million order for on-site consulting work in the US. The company secured the order through its subsidiary Trac Tel Solutions and the job will be implemented through its subsidiary over the next two quarters.
The nature of job involves solutions for converged prepaid and post paid which includes business control systems comprising of wire line billing & CRM, Multi-Play, IPTV, MVNO and central billing systems.
Trac Tel Solutions is a provider of business control, billing and CRM solutions for communications service providers. By analysing events from a business standpoint rather than just billing them.
J S Suryanarayana, Director for International Operations, IQMS said that the order procured showcases the company's capabilities in convergence solutions and the company hopes procure repeat orders with the successful execution of the current order.
The nature of job involves solutions for converged prepaid and post paid which includes business control systems comprising of wire line billing & CRM, Multi-Play, IPTV, MVNO and central billing systems.
Trac Tel Solutions is a provider of business control, billing and CRM solutions for communications service providers. By analysing events from a business standpoint rather than just billing them.
J S Suryanarayana, Director for International Operations, IQMS said that the order procured showcases the company's capabilities in convergence solutions and the company hopes procure repeat orders with the successful execution of the current order.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tech Mahindra signs $350mn deal with BT
Tech Mahindra has signed a five-year deal, valued in excess of $350 million, to provide BT with application maintenance and support services for their business critical BSS and OSS applications and platforms.
According to a release issued by Tech Mahindra to the BSE today, the services will be delivered from centres of excellence (CoE) in India and a new facility being set up in the UK to monitor BT's core business processes.
Sanjay Kalra, president, Tech Mahindra, said: "This deal showcases Tech Mahindra's strengths in delivering business critical services that have so far been hidden under "business-as-usual" application support. We are delighted at the confidence BT has shown in us, and this contract will further strengthen trust and partnership between our companies."
According to a release issued by Tech Mahindra to the BSE today, the services will be delivered from centres of excellence (CoE) in India and a new facility being set up in the UK to monitor BT's core business processes.
Sanjay Kalra, president, Tech Mahindra, said: "This deal showcases Tech Mahindra's strengths in delivering business critical services that have so far been hidden under "business-as-usual" application support. We are delighted at the confidence BT has shown in us, and this contract will further strengthen trust and partnership between our companies."
Sunday, March 16, 2008
High definition ‘anytime, anywhere’ TV is here
Indian engineers helped craft Monsoon Multimedia’s ‘Hava Titanium HD’
— Photo: By special arrangement
Place shifter: The Hava Titanium streams high definition video to a TV, laptop or mobile phone, anywhere, through a home wireless network — or over the Internet.
Bangalore: India-based engineers of the San Mateo (California)-based Monsoon Multimedia have contributed core technology that went into the latest version of their TV place-and-time-shifting tool, Hava.
In the process, they have virtually erased the difference between a personal computer and a television set and now offer the ability to view tomorrow’s high definition (HD) video content from TV or DVD player, on any number of screens in other rooms at home — or on a remote laptop, even a mobile phone on another continent, via Internet.
Hava Titanium HD, as it is called, arguably takes the technology of ‘any time, any where’ TV further than any competing offering currently available. It was launched in the U.S. a few months ago. The Hindu was enabled to put the Titanium HD through its paces ahead of its availability in India (in July) — and this is our ‘take.’
The key function of the latest Hava ‘avatar’ remains the same: it is a ‘set top box’ that when connected to the video ‘out’ of a TV or a VCD/DVD player, wirelessly streams it to multiple PCs or laptops in the home, using a home WiFi network.
This is made much easier in the new version by providing a WiFi ‘dongle’ or wireless network adaptor working to the 802.11g standard, and conveniently fitted with a USB-type connector.
In other words, anything you view on your main TV set can also be seen in other rooms of the house, without having to lay a lot of cables. But the really useful feature of such systems is the ability to shift your viewing in both time and place: You can choose from the TV content in your home cable system and stream it to a laptop any where in the world, via the Internet... provided of course the connection is fast enough, that is broadband speed. You can even view the content on a Windows Mobile-based smart mobile phone.
Titanium is the first such system that has been beefed up to be ‘HD ready’ — able to stream video to the quality demanded by high definition TV which will be standard in a few years. One nice bonus: The device can turn any PC or laptop linked to it into a video recorder — that means you can record a TV programme and store it on the hard disk for later viewing or archiving. You can then ‘burn’ it on to a DVD if you want.
It is priced at around $ 250 abroad, but is being aggressively discounted: we saw websites offering it for $ 200( http://www.monsoonmultimedia.com/)... the India price has not yet been announced. As technology constantly improves, the goalpost shifts, but in the global ‘TV anywhere’ product space, the Hava Titanium HD is as good as it gets today — with the creative ‘hava’ clearly blowing from India to the world.
— Photo: By special arrangement
Place shifter: The Hava Titanium streams high definition video to a TV, laptop or mobile phone, anywhere, through a home wireless network — or over the Internet.
Bangalore: India-based engineers of the San Mateo (California)-based Monsoon Multimedia have contributed core technology that went into the latest version of their TV place-and-time-shifting tool, Hava.
In the process, they have virtually erased the difference between a personal computer and a television set and now offer the ability to view tomorrow’s high definition (HD) video content from TV or DVD player, on any number of screens in other rooms at home — or on a remote laptop, even a mobile phone on another continent, via Internet.
Hava Titanium HD, as it is called, arguably takes the technology of ‘any time, any where’ TV further than any competing offering currently available. It was launched in the U.S. a few months ago. The Hindu was enabled to put the Titanium HD through its paces ahead of its availability in India (in July) — and this is our ‘take.’
The key function of the latest Hava ‘avatar’ remains the same: it is a ‘set top box’ that when connected to the video ‘out’ of a TV or a VCD/DVD player, wirelessly streams it to multiple PCs or laptops in the home, using a home WiFi network.
This is made much easier in the new version by providing a WiFi ‘dongle’ or wireless network adaptor working to the 802.11g standard, and conveniently fitted with a USB-type connector.
In other words, anything you view on your main TV set can also be seen in other rooms of the house, without having to lay a lot of cables. But the really useful feature of such systems is the ability to shift your viewing in both time and place: You can choose from the TV content in your home cable system and stream it to a laptop any where in the world, via the Internet... provided of course the connection is fast enough, that is broadband speed. You can even view the content on a Windows Mobile-based smart mobile phone.
Titanium is the first such system that has been beefed up to be ‘HD ready’ — able to stream video to the quality demanded by high definition TV which will be standard in a few years. One nice bonus: The device can turn any PC or laptop linked to it into a video recorder — that means you can record a TV programme and store it on the hard disk for later viewing or archiving. You can then ‘burn’ it on to a DVD if you want.
It is priced at around $ 250 abroad, but is being aggressively discounted: we saw websites offering it for $ 200( http://www.monsoonmultimedia.com/)... the India price has not yet been announced. As technology constantly improves, the goalpost shifts, but in the global ‘TV anywhere’ product space, the Hava Titanium HD is as good as it gets today — with the creative ‘hava’ clearly blowing from India to the world.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The ‘$100’ laptop tussle
A potential $20 million problem for the group behind the ‘$100 laptop’ is not going away easily.
Ade Oyegbola, an inventor who claims that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) non-profit stole his designs for a Nigerian keyboard, recently won a round in a Lagos court. This week he is pressing his case in a U.S. court.
The dispute began last year. One Laptop Per Child, spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Nicholas Negroponte, was sued by Mr. Oyegbola’s company, Lagos Analysis Corp., known as Lancor.
Nigerian dialects require punctuation marks not found on standard English keyboards, so Lancor developed a keyboard that uses four shift keys to produce the symbols. Mr. Oyegbola claims that OLPC bought two of Lancor’s keyboards in 2006, then copied the design for its own models intended for sale in Nigeria.
“It was obvious to anybody who looked at it.”
Lancor filed a patent lawsuit seeking $20 million in damages in Nigeria, and last month a court there rejected OLPC’s bid to dismiss the case.
Ade Oyegbola, an inventor who claims that the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) non-profit stole his designs for a Nigerian keyboard, recently won a round in a Lagos court. This week he is pressing his case in a U.S. court.
The dispute began last year. One Laptop Per Child, spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Nicholas Negroponte, was sued by Mr. Oyegbola’s company, Lagos Analysis Corp., known as Lancor.
Nigerian dialects require punctuation marks not found on standard English keyboards, so Lancor developed a keyboard that uses four shift keys to produce the symbols. Mr. Oyegbola claims that OLPC bought two of Lancor’s keyboards in 2006, then copied the design for its own models intended for sale in Nigeria.
“It was obvious to anybody who looked at it.”
Lancor filed a patent lawsuit seeking $20 million in damages in Nigeria, and last month a court there rejected OLPC’s bid to dismiss the case.
Govt rules out banning BlackBerry services
Communications minister A Raja today ruled out banning Blackberry services, but top officials in the department of telecommunications (DoT) made it clear that the government will now scrutinise all push-mail services, bringing in another 200,000 users under its ambit. Raja was speaking at a function in Delhi.
Almost all telecom players in the country offer push-mail services – including Reliance Communications, BPL Mobile and Vodafone-Essar – which are like the Blackberry services but with different brands. These devices work on Symbian and Microsoft operating systems, while Blackberry uses its patented platform.
Blackberry services, which have over 400,000 users in India, are provided by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Essar and Reliance Communications.
Confirming the move, a senior DoT official said, “Most push-mail services provided by telecom operators in the country host their servers outside the country and the department would revisit the norms under which these operators are providing their services.”
Meanwhile, representatives of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), who met the Department of Telecom (DoT) Secretary Siddhartha Behura today, were asked to reason with Research-in-Motion, the Canadian company that owns the Blackberry technology, to allow legal interception of data.
Said a senior COAI member: "They assured us that there was no question of banning Blackberry services from March-end, but we were asked to put pressure on RIM to comply with security rules. We have assured them that we will do so."
The controversy over Blackberry services arose after Tata Teleservices was denied permission by the home affairs ministry to launch services owing to security concerns even while other operators were offering the service.
DoT, however, pointed out that due to home ministry objections it had already informed all operators to stop Blackberry services by the end of December.
However, responding to requests, operators were given a three-month extension, which ends in March.
Almost all telecom players in the country offer push-mail services – including Reliance Communications, BPL Mobile and Vodafone-Essar – which are like the Blackberry services but with different brands. These devices work on Symbian and Microsoft operating systems, while Blackberry uses its patented platform.
Blackberry services, which have over 400,000 users in India, are provided by Bharti Airtel, Vodafone-Essar and Reliance Communications.
Confirming the move, a senior DoT official said, “Most push-mail services provided by telecom operators in the country host their servers outside the country and the department would revisit the norms under which these operators are providing their services.”
Meanwhile, representatives of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), who met the Department of Telecom (DoT) Secretary Siddhartha Behura today, were asked to reason with Research-in-Motion, the Canadian company that owns the Blackberry technology, to allow legal interception of data.
Said a senior COAI member: "They assured us that there was no question of banning Blackberry services from March-end, but we were asked to put pressure on RIM to comply with security rules. We have assured them that we will do so."
The controversy over Blackberry services arose after Tata Teleservices was denied permission by the home affairs ministry to launch services owing to security concerns even while other operators were offering the service.
DoT, however, pointed out that due to home ministry objections it had already informed all operators to stop Blackberry services by the end of December.
However, responding to requests, operators were given a three-month extension, which ends in March.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Microsoft and Yahoo met to discuss merger: report
Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Yahoo Inc (YHOO.O) met on Monday to discuss Microsoft's takeover offer for the Internet company, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.
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The meeting was said to be the first since Microsoft made its unsolicited offer for Yahoo, worth nearly $42 billion, on January 31. Yahoo rejected the offer as inadequate last month.
The Journal said the meeting wasn't a negotiation and that no bankers were present.
The session was intended to allow Microsoft to present its vision of a combined company, and Yahoo executives mostly listened, the Journal quoted one of the sources as saying.
Microsoft and Yahoo spokesmen declined to comment.
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The meeting was said to be the first since Microsoft made its unsolicited offer for Yahoo, worth nearly $42 billion, on January 31. Yahoo rejected the offer as inadequate last month.
The Journal said the meeting wasn't a negotiation and that no bankers were present.
The session was intended to allow Microsoft to present its vision of a combined company, and Yahoo executives mostly listened, the Journal quoted one of the sources as saying.
Microsoft and Yahoo spokesmen declined to comment.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
B'lore beats rest of India in realty price rise
Bangalore, the country’s information technology hub, has beaten all other cities in rise in property prices, according to data on Housing Price Inflation that has been included for the first time in Economic Survey.
Bangalore saw realty prices rise 28.8 per cent every year between 2001 and 2005, according to data from National Housing Bank (NHB).
The Housing Price Index (HPI) of Bangalore went up nearly 175 points in the period, the highest among the Indian cities. The index has been provided by the NHB’s technical advisory group on a pilot basis. The bank, however, is setting up an institutional mechanism to release an economy-wide housing price index on a regular basis.
Delhi saw an average price increase of 19.1 per cent, followed by the Greater Mumbai City Corporation (GMCC) areas, where the prices went up by 18.6 per cent, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation, where the prices went up by 17.7 per cent.
“Rapid urbanisation and high economic growth in urban centres in the last few years has resulted in an upsurge in property values. The importance of facilitating supply of affordable housing and the necessity of designing a right mix of policy initiatives to encourage house acquisition highlight the necessity of tracking the movement of residential house prices,” said the Economic Survey.
The HPI for Delhi City saw an increase of 101 points, followed by GMCC (98 points) and Kolkata (92 points).
“Moreover, the real estate assets are a significant component of the wealth of the private sector and financial freedom allowed for acquiring this wealth is one of the important financial obligations of this sector. For the financial intermediaries also, lending for residential houses has been a significant component of their credit portfolio”, the survey adds.
However, places such as Kolkata Municipal Area saw an average price increase of 12.1 per cent, just behind other municipalities in Mumbai, which saw an increase of 13 per cent and Kolkata Metropolitan Area, which saw an increase of 14.5 per cent.
Bangalore saw realty prices rise 28.8 per cent every year between 2001 and 2005, according to data from National Housing Bank (NHB).
The Housing Price Index (HPI) of Bangalore went up nearly 175 points in the period, the highest among the Indian cities. The index has been provided by the NHB’s technical advisory group on a pilot basis. The bank, however, is setting up an institutional mechanism to release an economy-wide housing price index on a regular basis.
Delhi saw an average price increase of 19.1 per cent, followed by the Greater Mumbai City Corporation (GMCC) areas, where the prices went up by 18.6 per cent, and Kolkata Municipal Corporation, where the prices went up by 17.7 per cent.
“Rapid urbanisation and high economic growth in urban centres in the last few years has resulted in an upsurge in property values. The importance of facilitating supply of affordable housing and the necessity of designing a right mix of policy initiatives to encourage house acquisition highlight the necessity of tracking the movement of residential house prices,” said the Economic Survey.
The HPI for Delhi City saw an increase of 101 points, followed by GMCC (98 points) and Kolkata (92 points).
“Moreover, the real estate assets are a significant component of the wealth of the private sector and financial freedom allowed for acquiring this wealth is one of the important financial obligations of this sector. For the financial intermediaries also, lending for residential houses has been a significant component of their credit portfolio”, the survey adds.
However, places such as Kolkata Municipal Area saw an average price increase of 12.1 per cent, just behind other municipalities in Mumbai, which saw an increase of 13 per cent and Kolkata Metropolitan Area, which saw an increase of 14.5 per cent.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Microsoft fined a record $1.35 billion
The European Commission regulators on Wednesday penalised the Microsoft Corporation with a fine of 899 million euros ($1.35 billion) for failing to comply with a 2004 antitrust order, a Europecrosoft was the first company in 50 years of EU competition policy that the commission has had to fine for failure to comply with an antitrust decision," European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes told reporters in Brussels. "I hope that today's decision closes a dark chapter in Microsoft's record of non-compliance."
According to Kroes, Wednesday's fine brings the total penalties against Microsoft to 1.68 billion euros. The company was previously fined 778 million euros for abusing its dominance in the software market and failing to abide by the antitrust decision.
Microsoft has tried to allay European antitrust concerns, announcing last week that it will help competitors' software work better with some products, such as MS Office.
It sought to limit potential EU fines by agreeing in October to make network data available to open-source software developers so their server software can connect to the Windows operating system.
Kroes imposed the fine because Microsoft failed to charge "reasonable" royalty fees for patent licenses on operating system software. A European court upheld the commission's ruling against Microsoft in September, meaning the company wasn't in compliance for three years.
In September, the EU's Court of First Instance rejected a Microsoft appeal against a 2004 ruling with which the bloc's executive imposed a 497-million-euro fine - and an additional 280.5-million-euro penalty in December 2005 - on the company for abusing its dominant position.
The EU argues that Microsoft has been able to reap unfair benefits and damage consumers by refusing to give so-called "interoperability" protocols - instructions needed by servers to work effectively with Windows - to its rivals.
US-based Microsoft said in a statement that it would review the decision.
"These fines are about the past issues that have been resolved," the company said. "As we demonstrated last week with our new interoperability principles and specific actions to increase the openness of our products, we are focusing on steps that will improve things for the future."
Last month, EU regulators opened fresh investigations into whether Microsoft is using its dominance in word processing and spreadsheets to thwart rivals and whether the company illegally tied an Internet browser to its Windows operating system. The fine isn't related to the new probes. - PTI
According to Kroes, Wednesday's fine brings the total penalties against Microsoft to 1.68 billion euros. The company was previously fined 778 million euros for abusing its dominance in the software market and failing to abide by the antitrust decision.
Microsoft has tried to allay European antitrust concerns, announcing last week that it will help competitors' software work better with some products, such as MS Office.
It sought to limit potential EU fines by agreeing in October to make network data available to open-source software developers so their server software can connect to the Windows operating system.
Kroes imposed the fine because Microsoft failed to charge "reasonable" royalty fees for patent licenses on operating system software. A European court upheld the commission's ruling against Microsoft in September, meaning the company wasn't in compliance for three years.
In September, the EU's Court of First Instance rejected a Microsoft appeal against a 2004 ruling with which the bloc's executive imposed a 497-million-euro fine - and an additional 280.5-million-euro penalty in December 2005 - on the company for abusing its dominant position.
The EU argues that Microsoft has been able to reap unfair benefits and damage consumers by refusing to give so-called "interoperability" protocols - instructions needed by servers to work effectively with Windows - to its rivals.
US-based Microsoft said in a statement that it would review the decision.
"These fines are about the past issues that have been resolved," the company said. "As we demonstrated last week with our new interoperability principles and specific actions to increase the openness of our products, we are focusing on steps that will improve things for the future."
Last month, EU regulators opened fresh investigations into whether Microsoft is using its dominance in word processing and spreadsheets to thwart rivals and whether the company illegally tied an Internet browser to its Windows operating system. The fine isn't related to the new probes. - PTI
Cummins names Infosys as preferred vendor
Cummins Inc has named Infosys Techonologies as one of the three global preferred vendors (GPVs) for IT application outsourcing and business consulting services.
The teams of Cummins and Infosys will deploy IT solutions that will help Cummins grow to more than $20 billion in revenue over the coming years.
The teams of Cummins and Infosys will deploy IT solutions that will help Cummins grow to more than $20 billion in revenue over the coming years.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Duration of IT deals shortening: Datamonitor
Enterprises, it appears, are showing an increased preference for shorter-duration deals with lower value.
SMALL DEALS ARE A BIGGER DEAL
Deal value in January 2008 declined 45% compared to January 2007
Asia-Pacific region seeing more volume and better value deals
Majority of the deals in January 2008 were small value, ranging between $10 million and $25 million
Country share for India is rising marginally every month
Data culled from a new report by consultancy and research firm Datamonitor reveal that of the 1,605 contracts signed globally between January 2007 and January 2008, 41 per cent were signed for three to five years and 36 per cent spanned five to 10 years.
The report also noted that only five 10-year contracts were signed in January 2008. Besides, of the 144 contracts signed in January 2008, 52 per cent were signed for an average duration of three to five years, followed by contracts spanning five to 10 years. IBM, EDS, AT&T and Atos Origin won the most deals in January 2008.
Cumulatively too, the total deal value recorded globally for January 2008 declined 45 per cent to stand at $10.41 billion compared to $19.21 billion recorded in January 2007. This was primarily on account of the drop in billion-dollar deals from seven to two in January 2008.
The data also reveal that for the past three to four years, enterprises and governments have displayed a marked preference for signing multi-vendor contracts. However, in the last few months, single-sourcing deals have re-surfaced as the preferred mode of outsourcing giving further credibility to the single-sourcing model.
Shorter durations and smaller-value transactions, analysts reason, allow businesses to spread operational risk and develop new relationships according to business demands.
Moreover, the consultancy firm believes that IT services vendors will seek to strike a few multi-year deals in the coming months as contracts worth more than $335 million (around Rs 1,340 crore) expire in these service areas in the near future.
Datamonitor has also observed a seasonal trend in the number of contracts signed during the year, which reaches its trough at the end of the year but then recovers in the first quarter of the following year.
For instance, IT services deals gained momentum in January 2008 and the number of deals grew 43 per cent compared to the trailing month. The highest value deal signed in January 2008 was the $1.5 billion sub-contract awarded to Proactive Communications.
The IT services deal volume in January 2008, the report indicates, was also significantly above the average deal volume for the last 12 months. The deal volume recorded in January 2008 was 13 per cent more than the deals signed in January 2007.
However, in terms of deal value, 62 per cent of the contracts signed in January 2008 were valued below $25 million (around Rs 100 crore), 24 per cent of the contracts were valued between $10-25m (Rs 40-100 crore) and 22 per cent of the contracts were worth less than $10 million.
“While there’s been a variance in the month-on-month performance and seasonality effect in the October-November-December data for the global IT services and BPO market deals, the country share for India remains steady and marginally rising on a month-on-month basis. This leads us to conclude the even if there’s a slowdown in the global IT services market in the light of possible ressesion — particularly in the US — Indian firms will escape the effects of it,” said a senior analyst from Datamonitor India.
Meanwhile, the number of contracts secured by IT services companies in Asia-Pacific region in January 2008 grew 67 per cent from January 2007.
While the absolute number of contracts signed in North America decreased from January 2007 to January 2008 due to limited activity in the IT services market, North America contributed a higher share of value in January 2008 than in January 2007, growing its share from 35 per cent to 41.5 per cent.
Incidentally, in January 2007, the majority of high-value IT services contracts was driven by governments and telecoms services providers — these two verticals accounted for nine out of the top 10 deals during the month.
SMALL DEALS ARE A BIGGER DEAL
Deal value in January 2008 declined 45% compared to January 2007
Asia-Pacific region seeing more volume and better value deals
Majority of the deals in January 2008 were small value, ranging between $10 million and $25 million
Country share for India is rising marginally every month
Data culled from a new report by consultancy and research firm Datamonitor reveal that of the 1,605 contracts signed globally between January 2007 and January 2008, 41 per cent were signed for three to five years and 36 per cent spanned five to 10 years.
The report also noted that only five 10-year contracts were signed in January 2008. Besides, of the 144 contracts signed in January 2008, 52 per cent were signed for an average duration of three to five years, followed by contracts spanning five to 10 years. IBM, EDS, AT&T and Atos Origin won the most deals in January 2008.
Cumulatively too, the total deal value recorded globally for January 2008 declined 45 per cent to stand at $10.41 billion compared to $19.21 billion recorded in January 2007. This was primarily on account of the drop in billion-dollar deals from seven to two in January 2008.
The data also reveal that for the past three to four years, enterprises and governments have displayed a marked preference for signing multi-vendor contracts. However, in the last few months, single-sourcing deals have re-surfaced as the preferred mode of outsourcing giving further credibility to the single-sourcing model.
Shorter durations and smaller-value transactions, analysts reason, allow businesses to spread operational risk and develop new relationships according to business demands.
Moreover, the consultancy firm believes that IT services vendors will seek to strike a few multi-year deals in the coming months as contracts worth more than $335 million (around Rs 1,340 crore) expire in these service areas in the near future.
Datamonitor has also observed a seasonal trend in the number of contracts signed during the year, which reaches its trough at the end of the year but then recovers in the first quarter of the following year.
For instance, IT services deals gained momentum in January 2008 and the number of deals grew 43 per cent compared to the trailing month. The highest value deal signed in January 2008 was the $1.5 billion sub-contract awarded to Proactive Communications.
The IT services deal volume in January 2008, the report indicates, was also significantly above the average deal volume for the last 12 months. The deal volume recorded in January 2008 was 13 per cent more than the deals signed in January 2007.
However, in terms of deal value, 62 per cent of the contracts signed in January 2008 were valued below $25 million (around Rs 100 crore), 24 per cent of the contracts were valued between $10-25m (Rs 40-100 crore) and 22 per cent of the contracts were worth less than $10 million.
“While there’s been a variance in the month-on-month performance and seasonality effect in the October-November-December data for the global IT services and BPO market deals, the country share for India remains steady and marginally rising on a month-on-month basis. This leads us to conclude the even if there’s a slowdown in the global IT services market in the light of possible ressesion — particularly in the US — Indian firms will escape the effects of it,” said a senior analyst from Datamonitor India.
Meanwhile, the number of contracts secured by IT services companies in Asia-Pacific region in January 2008 grew 67 per cent from January 2007.
While the absolute number of contracts signed in North America decreased from January 2007 to January 2008 due to limited activity in the IT services market, North America contributed a higher share of value in January 2008 than in January 2007, growing its share from 35 per cent to 41.5 per cent.
Incidentally, in January 2007, the majority of high-value IT services contracts was driven by governments and telecoms services providers — these two verticals accounted for nine out of the top 10 deals during the month.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Microsoft Pulls Plug on HD DVD Players
Microsoft Corp. said it will stop making HD DVD players for its Xbox 360 video game system after Toshiba Corp. ceded the high-definition video format battle to Sony Corp.'s Blu-ray.
Microsoft said Saturday it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players. Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida last week estimated about 300,000 people own the Microsoft video player, sold as a separate $130 add-on for the Xbox 360.
"HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own," Blair Westlake, a corporate vice president of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, said in a written statement.
Microsoft was one of HD DVD's main backers, along with Intel Corp. and Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp., and its support for the format was seen as a big win for Toshiba's format.
But support for the HD DVD waned as major movie studios - Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Co., News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. Entertainment - picked Blu-ray to distribute high-def DVDs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. struck what seemed to be the final blow just over a week ago when it said it would only sell Blu-ray players and discs.
Microsoft said it is looking at how the HD DVD technology it has developed, such as HDi, which adds interactive features to HD DVDs, and its VC-1 video encoding technology, can be applied to other platforms.
The Redmond-based software maker said the decision to stop selling HD DVD players won't have a material impact on its video game business.
Microsoft said Saturday it would continue to provide standard warranty support for its HD DVD players. Toshiba President Atsutoshi Nishida last week estimated about 300,000 people own the Microsoft video player, sold as a separate $130 add-on for the Xbox 360.
"HD DVD is one of the several ways we offer a high definition experience to consumers and we will continue to give consumers the choice to enjoy digital distribution of high definition movies and TV shows directly to their living room, along with playback of the DVD movies they already own," Blair Westlake, a corporate vice president of Microsoft's media and entertainment group, said in a written statement.
Microsoft was one of HD DVD's main backers, along with Intel Corp. and Japanese electronics maker NEC Corp., and its support for the format was seen as a big win for Toshiba's format.
But support for the HD DVD waned as major movie studios - Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Co., News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Bros. Entertainment - picked Blu-ray to distribute high-def DVDs. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. struck what seemed to be the final blow just over a week ago when it said it would only sell Blu-ray players and discs.
Microsoft said it is looking at how the HD DVD technology it has developed, such as HDi, which adds interactive features to HD DVDs, and its VC-1 video encoding technology, can be applied to other platforms.
The Redmond-based software maker said the decision to stop selling HD DVD players won't have a material impact on its video game business.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Infosys opens subsidiary in Mexico
Infosys Technologies, India's second-largest software and service exporter, has launchd its first Latin American subsidiary - Infosys Technologies S. De R.L De CV, in Mexico.
The subsidiary will provide the company's full range of business consulting and information technology services for clients in all industries, and will also provide offerings in business process outsourcing, infrastructure management and packaged solution implementation.
The subsidiary will provide the company's full range of business consulting and information technology services for clients in all industries, and will also provide offerings in business process outsourcing, infrastructure management and packaged solution implementation.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Toshiba quits HD DVD business
Toshiba said on Tuesday it would no longer develop, make or market HD DVD players and recorders, handing a victory to rival Blu-ray disc technology in a protracted format battle for next-generation video.
“We concluded that a swift decision would be best,” Toshiba president Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters here.
The move will make Blu-ray — backed by Sony, Matsushita which makes Panasonic brand products, and five major Hollywood movie studios — the winner in the battle over high-definition DVD formating .
Mr. Nishida said last month’s decision by Warner Brothers Entertainment to release movie disks only in the Blu-ray format made the move inevitable. But he said his company had confidence in HD DVD as a technology.
“That had tremendous impact,” he said. “If we had continued, that would have created problems for consumers, and we simply had no chance to win.”
Mr. Nishida tried to reassure the estimated million people in the world who have already bought HD DVD machines by promising that the company would provide continued product support for HD DVD.
He said it was still uncertain what would happen with the Hollywood studios that had signed to produce HD DVD movies.
Toshiba’s pulling the plug on the technology is expected to reduce the number of new high-definition movies that people will be able to watch on HD DVD machines.
“We concluded that a swift decision would be best,” Toshiba president Atsutoshi Nishida told reporters here.
The move will make Blu-ray — backed by Sony, Matsushita which makes Panasonic brand products, and five major Hollywood movie studios — the winner in the battle over high-definition DVD formating .
Mr. Nishida said last month’s decision by Warner Brothers Entertainment to release movie disks only in the Blu-ray format made the move inevitable. But he said his company had confidence in HD DVD as a technology.
“That had tremendous impact,” he said. “If we had continued, that would have created problems for consumers, and we simply had no chance to win.”
Mr. Nishida tried to reassure the estimated million people in the world who have already bought HD DVD machines by promising that the company would provide continued product support for HD DVD.
He said it was still uncertain what would happen with the Hollywood studios that had signed to produce HD DVD movies.
Toshiba’s pulling the plug on the technology is expected to reduce the number of new high-definition movies that people will be able to watch on HD DVD machines.
Satyam to expand relationship with Microsoft
Hyderabad-based information technology company Satyam Computer Services on Tuesday announced various strategic initiatives to expand the scope and scale of its multi-dimensional relationship with Microsoft Corporation, including the setting up of a 350-seater dedicated delivery center in Hyderabad to deliver futuristic solutions using Microsoft technologies. The centre was inuagurated by Moorthy Uppaluri, chief executive officer of Microsoft IT-Global, last week.
Satyam is a strategic service partner to Microsoft's global IT sourcing and product development outsourcing. Satyam's engagement involves building Microsoft IP and solutions in futuristic products and yet-to-be-released versions. Satyam also collaborates with Microsoft to address needs of common enterprise customers and provide enhanced business value.
"Microsoft is a strategic customer and partner for Satyam in terms of futuristic technological solutions for the global markets. Satyam appreciates the opportunity to create innovative and cutting edge technological solutions through Microsoft technologies involving MS Dynamics and Unified Communication Solutions. We aim at being a global leader in these technologies through dedicated multi-regional R&D investments for vertical industry specific solutions with direct partnership with Microsoft," Ram Mynampati, Satyam's board member and president of commercial & healthcare businesses, stated in a press release.
In September 2006, Satyam launched two business intelligence (BI) facilities on Microsoft platform, in Singapore and Shanghai. The two sites are centers of excellence where researchers use real-life scenarios and data to test, develop, and implement innovative solutions for the financial services sector.
Satyam also won the Partner of the Year Award for Citizenship at the 2007 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Program Awards.
Satyam is a strategic service partner to Microsoft's global IT sourcing and product development outsourcing. Satyam's engagement involves building Microsoft IP and solutions in futuristic products and yet-to-be-released versions. Satyam also collaborates with Microsoft to address needs of common enterprise customers and provide enhanced business value.
"Microsoft is a strategic customer and partner for Satyam in terms of futuristic technological solutions for the global markets. Satyam appreciates the opportunity to create innovative and cutting edge technological solutions through Microsoft technologies involving MS Dynamics and Unified Communication Solutions. We aim at being a global leader in these technologies through dedicated multi-regional R&D investments for vertical industry specific solutions with direct partnership with Microsoft," Ram Mynampati, Satyam's board member and president of commercial & healthcare businesses, stated in a press release.
In September 2006, Satyam launched two business intelligence (BI) facilities on Microsoft platform, in Singapore and Shanghai. The two sites are centers of excellence where researchers use real-life scenarios and data to test, develop, and implement innovative solutions for the financial services sector.
Satyam also won the Partner of the Year Award for Citizenship at the 2007 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Program Awards.
Infosys, Nihon Unisys sign MoU
Infosys Technologies and Nihon Unisys, Japan signed a memorandum of understanding for strategic business deployment and joint development for sales and service offerings.
The alliance is the maturing of the June 2007 partnership between Nihon Unisys and Infosys to execute large-scale system upgrades of Oracle e-business suite for Nihon Unisys' customers.
The alliance will also explore mutually beneficial areas where the global delivery model can be leveraged to jointly go to market. These include joint solution/product development and application development/ maintenance.
The alliance is the maturing of the June 2007 partnership between Nihon Unisys and Infosys to execute large-scale system upgrades of Oracle e-business suite for Nihon Unisys' customers.
The alliance will also explore mutually beneficial areas where the global delivery model can be leveraged to jointly go to market. These include joint solution/product development and application development/ maintenance.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Onsite IT staff feel the heat of sub-prime crisis
Faced with imminent recession in the US, Indian IT services companies with major exposure to the North American markets are likely to cut the onsite allowances of employees deployed at clients’ offices abroad by 25 to 30 per cent from April 1, 2008.
According to informed sources, leading Indian IT service providers like TCS, Infosys Technologies and Wipro have launched independent studies to arrive at the revised “per diem” (daily rate of payment) for onsite employees in a bid to cut costs. The move follows IT majors like IBM, TCS and Yahoo weeding out staff for “poor performance”.
Each IT company has a different method of paying the salaries of onsite employees. Some companies, for instance, deposit the basic salary into the employees’ account in India and pay a per diem rate towards their daily expenses.
Infosys pays a per diem of $45 (around Rs 1,780) currently to its onsite employees. Now, there is a proposal to reduce it to $35 per day (around Rs 1,380) — a Rs 400 cut per day — according to sources.
A spokesperson for Infosys said, “As of now, there is no such proposal. We will disclose the details of the changes, if any, once the compensation given to employees is reviewed at the end of the fiscal year.”
However, a few employees of Infosys admitted to having been informed that there could be a reduction in per diem for onsite employees in the US.
“Earlier, most of us could make a saving from the per diem allowance. If it is reduced to $35 per day, we will not be in a position to do so and onsite postings will not be attractive anymore,” an Infosys BPO employee said.
The move is likely to have a major impact on employee morale as their earnings from temporary stints abroad, rather than the Indian salary, provide the icing on the cake.
Wipro, on the other hand, is hiring more local talent at client locations to reduce deployment of staff from India for onsite assignments.
Recently Wipro Chairman Azim Premji had said: “If we hire people locally, it will displace people we send from here on H1B visas. So net-net, it will not mean an extra cost to us.” If this happens, there will be fewer plum jobs for the boys in India.
TCS pays ¤1,900 per month to each onsite employee in Europe. “We have been told that the per diem rate for the US is being revised. But the per diem for onsite employees in Europe will not change,” a TCS employee said on condition of anonymity.
European IT services companies operating in India too are planning to reduce the per diem rate. Logica CMG — which has deployed a large number of Indian employees on site for clients in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK — plans to cut the per diem rate by 30 per cent.
At present, it pays ¤49 for onsite employees in the Netherlands and £35 in the UK as per diem.
“We have been told that a study is on to bring down the per diem rate from the next fiscal,” a Logica CMG employee stated.
Infosys is also looking at other markets for growth in an effort to reduce its dependence on the US.
During the third quarter results announcement, Infosys CEO S Gopalakrishnan had said: “Over a period of time, we want to bring down the percentage of overall revenue from the US to close to 50 per cent and raise the percentage in the rest of the world — to 20 per cent in Europe and 20 per cent in Asia Pacific including Japan.”
Though nominally, onsite workers in Europe or Japan earn more (in terms of the rupee value of the daily allowance), the cost of living in these geographies is higher than in the US.
According to informed sources, leading Indian IT service providers like TCS, Infosys Technologies and Wipro have launched independent studies to arrive at the revised “per diem” (daily rate of payment) for onsite employees in a bid to cut costs. The move follows IT majors like IBM, TCS and Yahoo weeding out staff for “poor performance”.
Each IT company has a different method of paying the salaries of onsite employees. Some companies, for instance, deposit the basic salary into the employees’ account in India and pay a per diem rate towards their daily expenses.
Infosys pays a per diem of $45 (around Rs 1,780) currently to its onsite employees. Now, there is a proposal to reduce it to $35 per day (around Rs 1,380) — a Rs 400 cut per day — according to sources.
A spokesperson for Infosys said, “As of now, there is no such proposal. We will disclose the details of the changes, if any, once the compensation given to employees is reviewed at the end of the fiscal year.”
However, a few employees of Infosys admitted to having been informed that there could be a reduction in per diem for onsite employees in the US.
“Earlier, most of us could make a saving from the per diem allowance. If it is reduced to $35 per day, we will not be in a position to do so and onsite postings will not be attractive anymore,” an Infosys BPO employee said.
The move is likely to have a major impact on employee morale as their earnings from temporary stints abroad, rather than the Indian salary, provide the icing on the cake.
Wipro, on the other hand, is hiring more local talent at client locations to reduce deployment of staff from India for onsite assignments.
Recently Wipro Chairman Azim Premji had said: “If we hire people locally, it will displace people we send from here on H1B visas. So net-net, it will not mean an extra cost to us.” If this happens, there will be fewer plum jobs for the boys in India.
TCS pays ¤1,900 per month to each onsite employee in Europe. “We have been told that the per diem rate for the US is being revised. But the per diem for onsite employees in Europe will not change,” a TCS employee said on condition of anonymity.
European IT services companies operating in India too are planning to reduce the per diem rate. Logica CMG — which has deployed a large number of Indian employees on site for clients in the Netherlands, Belgium and the UK — plans to cut the per diem rate by 30 per cent.
At present, it pays ¤49 for onsite employees in the Netherlands and £35 in the UK as per diem.
“We have been told that a study is on to bring down the per diem rate from the next fiscal,” a Logica CMG employee stated.
Infosys is also looking at other markets for growth in an effort to reduce its dependence on the US.
During the third quarter results announcement, Infosys CEO S Gopalakrishnan had said: “Over a period of time, we want to bring down the percentage of overall revenue from the US to close to 50 per cent and raise the percentage in the rest of the world — to 20 per cent in Europe and 20 per cent in Asia Pacific including Japan.”
Though nominally, onsite workers in Europe or Japan earn more (in terms of the rupee value of the daily allowance), the cost of living in these geographies is higher than in the US.
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