IBM and Jalva Media alliance
IBM India and Jalva Media on Tuesday announced an alliance to provide a complete end-to-end content management solution for the rapidly growing Media and Entertainment Industry.
IBM with its software and hardware infrastructure technology and Jalva Media with its Digital Media expertise will now offer an end- to- end digital media asset management solution to the Media and Entertainment Industry.
By
Maharashtra Herald
(June 06, 2001)
Indiaengineering launches procurement solution for corporates
INDIAENGINEERING, one of India's leading procurement and asset disposal exchanges, recently launched its corporate procurement solution. This makes it India's first private marketplace player, creating value through its range of procurement, sales and asset management solutions.
Indiaengineering has enabled India's first procurement auction on Virtual Private Marketplace for Bharat Forge enabling them to achieve over 16 per cent cost reduction going up to 36 per cent on specific procurement exceeding customer expectations on all counts.
It has already signed over 40 crore of procurement solution implementation on virtual private marketplace with leading corporates like Thermax, TACO and Bharat Forge. Speaking to press persons recently, Manish Gupta, Vice President, IT business, Kalyani Group said, "corporates want to transact with prequalified supplier communities only in a secure environment for their procurement needs without owning the solutions themselves. Virtual private marketplace implementation backed by marketmaking services is the answer to corporate e-procurement initiatives. The solution is not just cost effective but can be scaled up to a private marketplace once the client sees value and wants to own the marketplace," he said.
Speaking on further plans, Manish Gupta said, "We would be adding a dozen high end clients like Phillips, HPCL, LPT to our portfolio very soon and would be focussing on creating sustainable long term value for them " he said.
He added that Indiaengineering deployed dedicated marketmaking, and sourcing of intelligence services, along with configurable buyer and supplier procurement auction desktop technology to make it happen. He said that by the year end, they would be licensing end to end procurement solution to corporates.
Indiaengineering is a focussed B2B commerce-trading platform built on Microsoft.net platform. The company with strong marketmaking capability has created significant value for buyers and sellers to direct and indirect material, used machinery and surplus assets.
The company has started another B2B marketplace and has metamorphosed in the last five months as a leading e-business solutions enabler on private marketplaces for large corporates.
By
Maharashtra Herald
(May 22, 2001)
India's First Synchronous 'Tio' Auction
City-based Indiaengineering.com, the Procurement and Asset Disposal Exchange, recently concluded a three-in-one Synchronous Telephone, Internet and On-Site (TIO) Auction for Daewoo Motors India Ltd., Delhi. The Auction worth Rs. two crore was conducted for 777 tonnes of CRCA and Zinc Sheets & Coils, imported from Korea.
This is for the first time in India that an e-marketplace has enabled synchronous bidding, by facilitating bidders to participate in an Online Dynamic Auction, Physical or On-Site Auction and Telephonic Auction all at the same time.
The Synchronous TIO Auction initiative of indiaengineering.com is a first step towards internationally accepted Webcast Auction Mechanism. Very soon indiaengineering will graduate to an Interactive Voice Response Solution, according to a company press release.
This endeavor has helped the company increase bidder mobilization, to combat the low computer and net proliferation in India, create market efficiency by linking interested buyers through the different modes available as well as respond to the synchronous bidding happening online countrywide and also make the bidders comfortable with their traditional methods of bidding.
Over 14 bidders from all over India (Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Hyderabad) participated in the Synchronous TIO Auction, while the Onsite Auction was held at the Indiaengineering office in Pune. As a result of TIO Auction, bidding was done for all the lots and more than 300 bids were exchanged during this combined auction. The participants of the TIO Auction were of the opinion that this marriage of traditional bidding and the new technology bidding that has been initiated by indiaengineering.com would definitely help buyers to do business in a more efficient & cost effective manner, while the sellers would benefit by improved realisation for their liquidated assets.
Coming up in the pipeline are auctions for Escorts Ltd, Delhi, Bajaj Auto Ltd, Pune, IPCL, Ahmedabad, Sundaram Fasteners, Chennai, Ashok Leyland, Hosur, Kirloskar Oil Engines, Pune etc. for materials as varied as machinery, paint shop, castings, ferrous & non-ferrous scrap, pipes, flanges, bearings, motors, electrical items and cutting tools.
The www.indiaengineering.com is a Procurement and Asset Disposal Exchange primarily focussed on Maintenance, Repairs & Operations and design engineered items. Operational since August 1999, it is part of the Rs. 3000 crore Kalyani Group, Asia's largest supplier of forgings, auto ancillaries and also has interests in IT enabled services. Indiaengineering has over 150 corporate customers with a buyer liquidity of Rs 560 crores and a qualified supplier base of 8400.
Last few months has seen Indiaengineering successfully complete Online Forward Dynamic Auctions worth Rs 100 million.
(March 30, 2001)
C-DAC to launch three new products on Foundation Day
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) will launch three products on its 14th Foundation Day on Gudi Padva, March 26.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, C-DAC Executive Director R K Arora announced that this new range of products and software, covered diverse areas including health, language learning and a Sanskrit authoring tool.
The products have been named Mercury: The integrated telemedicine solution, Web LILA (Learning Indian Languages through Artificial Intelligence) Beta version and C-DAC’s VYASA (detailed Hindu scriptures).
The Mercury has been developed to help physicians to consolidate the patient’s medical record (EMR) rapidly and provides sophisticated TeleConsultation tools with integrated video conferencing facilities.
Web LILA is a comprehensive software that facilitates learning the language on the net, more systematically and with ease. The usage involves contemporary technologies as audio, video streaming on broad band and interactive online tutoring simulating a virtual classroom.
VYASA is a Sanskrit Authoring tool that incorporates several features that will help scholars in creative pursuit. It has a large data base\content of all 14 ‘Vidyasthanas’ and provides online readers for the Bhagwad Gita, Vishnusahsara Nama and so on.
The proceedings of the launch will be webcast live on CDAC’s web site www.cdacindia.com on March 26.
(March 23, 2001)
Intel Capital for Indra Networks
Indra Networks Inc, announced that it received a total investment of US $ 1,000,000 from an independent investor, Vikram Modak and Intel Capital.
Monish Shah, Chief Technology Officer, Indra Networks says "Intels Investment will help boost the development of the product line. Beyond the investment, however, we stand to gain a great deal from Intel’s insight into technology trends and introductions to other companies in Intel’s capital investment portfolio".
Investor Vikram Modak and consultant of the Indra Networks Pvt Ltd said, "Intel Capital invests in companies that help drive the growth of the next generation of the internet infrastructure. With the internet becoming ubiquitous and relied upon in offices and homes, the speed at which websites can deliver content to an exponentially increasing audience is getting more critical".
Indra Networks was founded by Anupam Bhide and Monish Shah in September 2000. The two founders bring 25 years of leading edge hardware and software technology development experience to industry leaders in the United States such as IBM, HP and Oracle.
Indra Networks has its principal office in Santa Clara in the Silicon Valley and a wholly owned subsidiary, Indira Networks Pvt Ltd, in Pune. This is responsible for product development.
(March 17, 2001)
Zensar taps European, Japanese markets
Zensar Technologies, a leading Pune based software solutions company, is gearing itself to meet the challenges arising from the slow down in the US economy. It will soon open three offices in the USA.
Zensar Managing director Ganesh Natrajansays Zensar is focusing on Japan in a big way. Over the last five years, the company has successfully completed several projects in Japan. It has over 30 Japanese professionals in both technical and non-technical areas.
Zensar is expanding its network in Japan and increasing the number of its Japanese-speaking engineers. Plans to merge with the holding company, Fujitsu ICIM, are also on the anvil.
Zensar has several prestigious European corporates on its client list which include a leading utility company, a shipping major, industrial automation company and a prominent bank.
Zensar’s global network of offices span several countries including the USA, Europe, Japan, South Africa, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong. It has provided on shore and off shore software services to a number of global clients including Sprint, Fujitsu, and Cisco to name a few.
Zensar’s lines of business cover the areas of retail, telecom and financial services. Its service offerings include ERP solutions, embedded systems, E-business and quality consulting. It also brings to its customers technologies from Microsoft, Oracle and IBM.
Zensar Technologies, an RPG company, is the world’s first Enterprise-wide SEI CMM level 5 company. It has provided software business solutions to a number of Fortune 500 companies.
Natrajan stated that once the proposed merger between Zensar and ICIM formally takes place, RPG and ICL will each hold a 30 percent stake in the company. Electra partners, who invested in Zensar in 1997, will hold 22 percent while the public will 18 percent.
(March 17, 2001)
Mithi launches mailjol Unplugged 2.0
Email software for the PC in Marathi and ten other Indian languages
City-based Mithi software technologies Pvt. Ltd. on Tuesday launched mailjol unplugged 2.0, a software designed to overcome poor connectivity and high cost of Internet access in smaller cities and towns.
The mailjol Unplugged works both as a companion to popular email software on the PC and as a standalone email software enabling users to send and receive mail in English and 11 other Indian languages using any POP email account.
The software can send and receive email messages in Assamese, Bengali, English, Gujarati, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Oriya, Tamil and Telugu. The first of it's kind, this email software for the PC promises to lower the cost of e-mailing in Indian languages.
Even though there are some free email services (one run by Mithi itself at www.mailjol.com) frequent users of email find the cost of accessing even a free site prohibitive. mailjol Unplugged eliminates the need to stay connected to the web while working with email, much like the popular email software for English. This reduces the telephone charges and lowers the usage of Internet connect time.
The software aims to cut down the cost of sending email in Indian languages for frequent users of email in local languages. The company expects the products to become popular amongst news correspondents, journalists, marketing and customer support executives, individuals conversing with their family and friends across cities, governmental and non-governmental agencies (NGO's). To be priced around Rs1500 the software will be available throughout India through computer retail stores.
Despite the hectic activity in this sector, Internet connectivity and bandwidth has not kept pace with the growth in the number of Internet users in India. Users frequently complain of high telephone costs and frequent disruption due to broken links. This lack of bandwidth capacity (and reliability) poses a limitation on the richness of web applications. On the other hand by using the PC to do most of the work, mailjol Unplugged minimizes the need for transmitting information between the user's PC and the web server. Also by using the enormous capacity of the PC to store and process information, mailjol Unplugged provides a rich environment for users to communicate in local languages on the Internet.
The company believes that the growth of use of local languages in Information technology can only be fueled by the availability of high quality software working in local languages. For last eight years Mithi has been working to build world-class software applications for local languages.
It's pioneering work in development of multilingual software applications started with the development of LEAP in collaboration with C-DAC. This award winning software has an estimated user base of 3,50,000. Mithi is also a pioneer in developing interactive web applications for Indian languages. Its free web based email service for Indian languages (at www.mailjol.com) has registered over 110,000 users in just over 9 months since its launch in may last year.
- For any further information, please contact :
Kapil Dhatingan
Mithi Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
810, Sindh Co-op. Housing Society, Baner Road, Aundh, Pune 411 007.
Email - kapil@mailjol.com
Phone: 020-5885925, 5884727 Fax: 020-5884729
(February 21, 2001)
Cmde Anand Khandekar PACE Soft Silicon Chairman
Anand Khandekar is to join PACE Soft Silicon India the video and voice over wireless company, as Chairman.
Khandekar joins the board of PACE Soft Silicon after a career of distinguished appointments including GM of MELTRON, MD of Motorola India Electronics Ltd and MD of CirrusLogic India. He started his career in the Indian Navy in the Weapons and Electronics Branch where he had varied experience from R & D to being a Naval Attache. He is one of the pioneers of the Pune software industry and has accomplished a number of firsts including having led the first commercial unit with CMM level 5 accreditation at MIEL.
"After having spent considerable time of my life in understanding and helping large multi-nationals I am keen to become more involved with ventures that design, develop and deliver world-class products from Pune. PACE Soft Silicon has a terrific opportunity due to it's high quality Indian development centre which is the heart of the entire operation and it's connections to the wireless centres in Europe. I have been involved in PACE Soft Silicon from the start and it gives me great pleasure to now become involved in a more formal capacity" says Khandekar
According to Neil Salvi, MD of PACE Soft Silicon, "It is a terrific way for PACE to start the New Year with such a valuable appointment. Anand's decision to join the board is a vote of confidence in our technology platform and business vision. His experience will help to ensure our success in executing that vision."
Office Productivity Through MS Word
I am conducting a one-day course organised by Poona Management Association (IMA) on "Office Productivity Through MS Word". My research has showed that MS Word, commonly used software in most offices, is underutilized. The course is aimed to demonstrate the user how MS Word can be effectively and efficiently put into use in their day-to-day work.
The details of the course can be available either from me or PMA office. The programme is scheduled on Saturday, 20th January 2000.
Please click on following link satish@vsnl.com and I will send the brochure to you. Alternately, you can contact PMA office on telephone 553 3859 and ask them to fax or mail the brochure.
You can participate in this course and/or send some of your staff and understand how MS Word can boost your office productivity.
Satish Hulyalkar
DoctorAnywhere launches new version of software
City based Autosoft Pvt. Ltd. has successfully installed its touch screen technology software 'autotouch' for the first time in the co-operative banking sector. DoctorAnywhere.com, the country's Telemedicine service company connecting doctors to specialists nationwide, has launchd a new version of their software. The service has been extended to neurology, gastroentrology and nephrology, in addition to cardiology. These new specialisations have been developed through active interactions and enthused participation of medical specialists from across the country.
This version will be provided free of cost to existing subscribers. Co-incinding with the launch, Ruksun DoctorAnywhere.com (RDA) was awarded ISO 9001 by Det Norske Veritas ( DNV), becoming the country's first dotcom to get the certification. The company has received this certification within nine months of its launch. Col. R. M. Bedi, Lead auditor and Det Norske Veritas (DNV) approved registered Team Leader presented the certificate to the Chairman Mr. Govardhan Shetty.
The new version has been developed based on feedback from existing subscribers. Each of the specialisations have been customised to address their specific needs, following considerable research and by seeking the opinions of some of the best known specialists in the profession.
Pradeep Chordia is a young entrepreneur belonging to the family that runs a Rs. 38 crore business of prickles, ready-to-use spices and processed food such as farsan. As managing director of Chordia Technologies (I) Pvt. Ltd., Pradeep has branched out to Information Technology business. His mission is to devote his energies and resources to put to use IT for farmers in the countryside and do a decent business out of it.
Few entrepreneurs and venture capitalists have so far opted for this area as its profitability and future potential is still unclear to them, but food technologist Pradeep is convinced that this is the Sunrise area. His Agrifood Informatics is now developing www.agrifoodindia.com, a B2B portal for interaction between agri-food industry professionals, at a time when most dotcoms are jittery over their future. He outlines his vision and his strategies to Kiran Thakur of The Observer of Business & Politics:
How come you are into developing a portal on agriculture and food when most portals in India are crumbling?
My parents had ventured into prickle and ready-to-use masala (spices) production some four decades ago. My elder brother Rajkumar took the business to greater heights, netting a turnover of Rs. 38 crore last year. We in the family thought it fit to branch out to an area that will benefit farmers, entrepreneurs and traders as did our established business.
We wanted to share our experience in agri-food industry and explore how Information Technology can be harnessed for the benefit of farmers, agri-food industrialists and end users.
How did you begin your venture in IT?
About a year ago, we at the Chordia Technologies (India) began trying out application of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in natural resources inventory, planning and management and the commercial sector.
We realised that the data is already available and was being exported, but little was being done to use it for the sector in which we had a strong business presence. We decided to use the data in agriculture and applications in small-scale sector and medium industries in the countryside.
We realised that it would, for example, have tremendous potential for watershed management, mining, town planning, transportation and so on. And we were right.
How has been the response to this activity?
Good. Cooperative Sugar factories in Maharashtra have realised that the remote sensing can help them in advising the cane growers on farm practices to be adopted on the basis of analysis of images of farms and water resources etc.
But then how did you conceive a portal on agri-food?
As our staff and experts moved onto the field for surveys, marketing and to identify potential issues that need to be tackled in the future, we realised that there are areas that required a platform for everyone, farmer, entrepreneurs, traders or consumers.
Information Technology, and Internet in particular, was the obvious and effective choice to create such a platform.
We have seen how web sites, portals and dot com companies have been reporting failures during the last few months. How do you hope to be different from them if you are to succeed in this new business line?
See, we are not going in for a venture capital the way most of them did. We have invested our own funds, Rs 70 lakh, to develop the portal to build value.
We do not dream dreams that can not be brought into reality. We intend to depend on sponsorships, advertisements and registration of producers of products connected with agri food business.
Yet, there is no revenue model that has proved successful...
Let me explain what I mean by sponsorship. Few months ago, we produced a compact disc (CD) on Food India. The concept and design appealed to APEDA (Agricultural Produce Export Development Authority) so much that this government agency sponsored the final product.
Now, we are in the process of bringing out a Horticulture India CD with similar support.
I expect a similar sponsorship support from such agencies and from corporates. The portal will enable entrepreneurs and business houses to transact business online. This will be our portal's earnings.
How much do you expect to earn revenue, say in the first year?
At least Rs. one crore. Please understand that ours is not an exclusive dotcom-only activity. We are different from others because we understand the needs of the people related to agriculture and agri and food processing industry.
Apart from offering unique contents of the portal, we have been approaching agricultural graduates to set up service centres in rural areas to help farmers use internet and our portal.
The site database has already touched a figure of 7,000 and is expected to grow further. Although the listing is currently free, members will later have to pay subscriber costs.
Once the portal is in place, there are plans to introduce micro sites within the portal to ensure maximum information to the consumer.
The company has already begun evolving a plan to set up food laboratories in the next couple of years to test food products. Do you know any dotcom or portal thinking on these lines? The Observer of Business & Politics 4.11.00
AutoSoft's touch screens for cooperative banks
City based Autosoft Pvt. Ltd. has successfully installed its touch screen technology software 'autotouch' for the first time in the co-operative banking sector.
The company has recently installed this technology at the Shivajirao Bhosle Sahakari Bank in the city. Autosoft Director Nitin Dahale says it has customised options in hardware, backends and operating systems to banks according to various factors like volumes, locations, growth estimates of the bank.
The touch screen technology software is multilingual and the screen menu displays features like balance, cleared and non-cleared balances, statement of accounts, registering stop payment instructions, accepting cheque book requisitions, and funds transfer between mutually agreed accounts.
Other modules on the screen include list of products and services, deposit schemes and rates offered, maturity value calculations, loan schemes and other related details, DD scheme and charges.
By the next month end, the company would install The AutoTouch Software at more than 50 banks in Surat, Bhopal, Belgaum, Nagpur, and Aurangabad.
Over 250 banks across other states would be utilising this software and technology by the end of this year, he says.
The Touch Screen Technology module is a part of BANKER 2001 the flagship product of the company. The BANKER 2001 has more than 450 installations to its credit having diverse customer base in financial institutions segment ranging from co-operative credit societies, urban banks district banks to district central banks and state level apex banks in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Tripura and Tamil Nadu.
The company has earned revenues of Rs. 4.76 crore for the year ended 1999-2000 and expects to reach Rs. 10 crore for the current fiscal.
The Observer of Business & Politics 22.10.00
Compulink launch Project Management software
City-based Software developer, Compulink has launched Project Management software called 'ProjectByNet.com'.
'ProjectByNet.com' is a web-based 'Enterprise Project Management Software' that allows professional services organisations to manage all aspects of their business. These organisations include those dealing in legal practice, software companies, architectural consultants and the like that render services and bill for their time.
Various modules that make up this product suite are Project Management, Knowledge Management, Issue/Bugs Tracking and Resolution, Customer Relationship Management, Billing and Accounting, etc.
Compulink will launch 'ProjectByNet.com' globally in Washington D.C., USA later this month.
The Observer of Business & Politics 22.10.00
City-based Mithi Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd., developers of Indian language software applications for the Indian Internet marketplace, has launched Mailjol Exchange, a B2B exchange for translation professionals and companies. Mailjol Exchange is the latest addition to its e-mail service, Mailjol at www.mailjol.com
Mailjol Exchange is aimed at bringing together providers of the language services and those who need it. Bridging the demand and supply gap for localization and translation services in Indian languages. Mailjol, the web based e-mail service in Indian languages, provides the platform for exchange of information in multiple Indian languages. The online medium creates an inexpensive communication and delivery mechanism of translated content through the Internet.
According to a Nasscom-McKinsey study, Translation, Transcription & Localization will be a 1.2 Billion dollar Industry by 2008. Additionally, website development in India which is expected to be a one Billion dollar industry will see businesses asking for translation services for their websites and information display systems.
Mithi believes that this service will be of use to regional media, NGOs, Government, co-operatives and businesses for whom communicating in local languages form part of their business.
Mithi Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd. is pioneer in developing Indian language software applications. Mithi has developed Mailjol (www.mailjol.com), email service in Indian languages.