Microsoft Corp., the world’s largest software maker, on Friday said state governments should enforce laws governing Intellectual Property to curb software piracy. While the laws on IP are made by the Centre, their enforcement is the responsibility of state governments.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new block at the Microsoft India Development Centre (MSIDC) here, Mr Srini Koppulu, managing director of MSIDC, requested Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy to ensure that the IP laws were enforced to prevent piracy. Dr Reddy assured Microsoft of support.
Mr Koppulu said MSIDC, which was started in 1998, now had 1,200 employees. MSIDC is the largest software development centre of Microsoft outside its headquarters in Redmond in the United States. Mr Koppulu, a 17-year veteran of Microsoft, said the company planned to hire about 500 engineers every year for the centre. The development centre has been involved in designing Windows Vista, the operating systems which Microsoft expects to launch early next year.
He said that apart from the software product development, the Hyderabad campus was the headquarters for Microsoft’s Global Services Centre and the Global Delivery Centre. The GDC has over 600 employees, according to Mr Moorthy K. Uppaluri, general manager of the GDC. The GSC currently has over 200 employees, Mr Arumugam Saravanan, managing director, said. Mr Koppulu said the Microsoft campus here served as the headquarters of six of the company’s businesses. The company expects to increase its headcount in India from 4,000 now to 7,000 by the year 2009.
Microsoft asks Reddy for IP protection
August 31, 2006, 10:57 amVendors now fund clients to buy software
August 31, 2006, 10:56 am
Financing options are the newest front in the vendor war for a greater share of the IT budget, according to Forrester Research, Inc., an independent technolology and market research firm. "Research confirms that more and more enterprises of all sizes continue to evaluate software-as-a-service (SaaS) to defer capital outlays and infrastructure costs. In response,
many on-premise software companies are using financing to make the purchasing options appear more attractive," the research by R. "Ray" Wang, Merv Adrian and Emily Van Metre says. The report says these vendors are not only offering a variety of flexible payment programmes through direct and partner channels but are also offering to consolidate IT spending through programme extensions that include the bundling of professional services and training.
Forrester says that constrained growth in IT budgets is driving enterprises to defer capital outlays. "With service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects on the horizon, enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrades looming, and middleware ecosystem standardisation projects being planned, IT budgets for the next five years appear to be increasingly constrained," it says.
Despite continued growth in investments, recent Forrester research says overall software spending growth has slowed down from 10 per cent in 2005 to seven per cent in 2006. Hence, enterprises are seeking capital deferment as one approach to pay for future investments.
"Rising interest rates are compelling enterprises to ‘lock in’ on financing. With 17 consecutive interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve, recent Bank of Japan rate increases, and planned increases by other Central banks, the era of ‘cheap’ capital appears to be ending. Where possible, enterprises continue to lock in financing terms at historically low rates for all types of investments, including software. Vendors with the financial muscle to provide attractive financing terms see opportunity here," it says.
According to Forrester, SaaS options are driving familiarity of alternative payment, pricing, and licensing options. While actual adoption of SaaS remains much lower than on-premise deployment, interest continues to show growth.
many on-premise software companies are using financing to make the purchasing options appear more attractive," the research by R. "Ray" Wang, Merv Adrian and Emily Van Metre says. The report says these vendors are not only offering a variety of flexible payment programmes through direct and partner channels but are also offering to consolidate IT spending through programme extensions that include the bundling of professional services and training.
Forrester says that constrained growth in IT budgets is driving enterprises to defer capital outlays. "With service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects on the horizon, enterprise resource planning (ERP) upgrades looming, and middleware ecosystem standardisation projects being planned, IT budgets for the next five years appear to be increasingly constrained," it says.
Despite continued growth in investments, recent Forrester research says overall software spending growth has slowed down from 10 per cent in 2005 to seven per cent in 2006. Hence, enterprises are seeking capital deferment as one approach to pay for future investments.
"Rising interest rates are compelling enterprises to ‘lock in’ on financing. With 17 consecutive interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve, recent Bank of Japan rate increases, and planned increases by other Central banks, the era of ‘cheap’ capital appears to be ending. Where possible, enterprises continue to lock in financing terms at historically low rates for all types of investments, including software. Vendors with the financial muscle to provide attractive financing terms see opportunity here," it says.
According to Forrester, SaaS options are driving familiarity of alternative payment, pricing, and licensing options. While actual adoption of SaaS remains much lower than on-premise deployment, interest continues to show growth.
Long form video on mobile to grow by 08
August 29, 2006, 10:29 am
The market for long form mobile/portable video content (video content of greater than 30 minutes) is currently in an experimental phase, and will likely remain at this stage for at least two years. By 2008, however, the industry will begin to gain traction and demonstrate its long-term potential, according to In-Stat, a market research firm. The greatest potential for this market rests with its ability to complement the existing video industry.
"For example, there will be over 50 million portable media players in use worldwide by 2008," says In-Stat. "The portable/mobile long form video market will not likely cannibalise sales from the DVD and other traditional markets, but rather, supplement top-line growth."
Automotive telematics
Automotive telematics and navigation-including both hardware and services-will experience strong growth in several world regions, generating in total revenues of $38.3 billion in 2011. "Telematics and navigation systems are converging," says ABI Research. "While telematics systems can bring peace of mind to customers by providing security, safety, and other convenience features such as news, weather, and concierge services, current navigation systems can offer more than simple directions from point A to B by applying layers of traffic and weather information to routing schemes. Combining two technologies brings existing and new industry players greater flexibilities to offer new products and address niche markets," it says.
Increasingly, digital radio is being seen as viable "data pipe" for converged navigation/telematics services, particularly for real-time traffic information, which is a key selling-point for automotive navigation. Navigation and telematics both require current location data for their core functions and are mainly designed for in-vehicle use. At present, the Global Positioning System is the mechanism of choice for all server-based navigation systems. In 2008 and 2009, other satellite systems are expected to launch: Galileo in Europe and Quasi-Zenith in Japan. Both will be complementary to the GPS system.
USB Flash drive
Storage is in area where a whole bunch of companies keep coming up with new products for consumers, the latest being Kingston Technology Company, Inc., which has launched DataTraveler Mini Fun. The Mini Fun are new additions are part of DataTraveler USB Flash drives that boast the industry’s smallest footprint for ultimate transportability. Measuring just 1.5 by .75 inches, Kingston said.
"For example, there will be over 50 million portable media players in use worldwide by 2008," says In-Stat. "The portable/mobile long form video market will not likely cannibalise sales from the DVD and other traditional markets, but rather, supplement top-line growth."
Automotive telematics
Automotive telematics and navigation-including both hardware and services-will experience strong growth in several world regions, generating in total revenues of $38.3 billion in 2011. "Telematics and navigation systems are converging," says ABI Research. "While telematics systems can bring peace of mind to customers by providing security, safety, and other convenience features such as news, weather, and concierge services, current navigation systems can offer more than simple directions from point A to B by applying layers of traffic and weather information to routing schemes. Combining two technologies brings existing and new industry players greater flexibilities to offer new products and address niche markets," it says.
Increasingly, digital radio is being seen as viable "data pipe" for converged navigation/telematics services, particularly for real-time traffic information, which is a key selling-point for automotive navigation. Navigation and telematics both require current location data for their core functions and are mainly designed for in-vehicle use. At present, the Global Positioning System is the mechanism of choice for all server-based navigation systems. In 2008 and 2009, other satellite systems are expected to launch: Galileo in Europe and Quasi-Zenith in Japan. Both will be complementary to the GPS system.
USB Flash drive
Storage is in area where a whole bunch of companies keep coming up with new products for consumers, the latest being Kingston Technology Company, Inc., which has launched DataTraveler Mini Fun. The Mini Fun are new additions are part of DataTraveler USB Flash drives that boast the industry’s smallest footprint for ultimate transportability. Measuring just 1.5 by .75 inches, Kingston said.