SAP Co-Chief Executive Leo Apotheker said the next few months may bring "glimmers of hope" for the global economy.
Apotheker also said he believes the business software maker should stay independent, following fresh speculation in European markets that Microsoft Corp could bid for the German company. The talk was sparked by Microsoft's plans to sell a multibillion-dollar debt issue.
"We're probably starting to see a stabilization of the situation," Apotheker said at a news conference in New York. "We'll probably start to see some glimmers of hope in the second half of the year for the global economy." Global markets will likely see a fuller recovery in 2010, he added.
The S&P 500 and Dow industrials pared losses after his comments. Apotheker, who will become the sole CEO of SAP when Henning Kagermann's retires later in May, declined to comment on the Microsoft speculation, but said he believed it is in SAP's interest to remain independent.
"Our customers believe an independent SAP is the best value they can get," he said. Rumors periodically surface that either IBM or Microsoft might acquire SAP, which sells business management applications to large businesses that neither of those technology giants have in their portfolios.
Apotheker criticized rival Oracle Corp's decision to purchase hardware maker Sun Microsystems Inc, saying that businesses do not want to buy from vertically integrated technology companies that sell software alongside the computers that run it.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said in response to a question on how Oracle's $7.4 billion purchase of Sun might reshape the industry. "It won't affect the industry much."
But Apotheker said SAP will do a few acquisitions "as we go along." SAP announced on Monday that it bought privately held Clear Standards, a small maker of software that helps businesses manage greenhouse gas emissions. Apotheker did not discuss financial terms of the acquisition.
Sterling, Virginia-based Clear Standards sells software that helps companies measure and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to global climate change and are increasingly coming under regulatory scrutiny.
Apotheker also said that previously announced job cuts are progressing as planned at SAP. The company is not planning any more job cuts, he added.
Agencies
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Will Capgemini layoff 100 in Chennai?
Consulting and outsourcing firm Capgemini has laid off nearly 100 employees at its Chennai centre.
The pink slips were issued for employees mostly in the middle management positions. This comes on the back of reports that said Capgemini sacked 600 employees in Hyderabad and Pune. The company has nearly 20,000 people working in India.
An employee said the layoff across centers was because of the overall economic slowdown, which was impacting the company’s project flow and clients.
“While some clients have ramped down on the size of contracts, other projects, like the Lehman Brothers account closed after the company’s collapse. Apart from the middle management, some employees on probation were also asked to leave,” said the employee at one of the company’s locations, who did not wish to be named.
When contacted, Capgemini India’s chief people officer Cyprian D’Souza said through an email, “India is central to our global delivery model and we are in the process of mapping our existing skills with the business in hand and the business outlook. The economic condition is tough and no company is immune to its effects.”
D’Souza added that the industry was seeing an overhaul within all the affected verticals. “The process though tough, has to be undertaken to align our business with global economic realities, optimise operational efficiency, ensure financial health and enable future growth.”
For the first quarter of 2009, Capgemini group posted consolidated revenues of Euro 2,205 million, up 0.9 per cent compared with the year-ago period.
Agencies
The pink slips were issued for employees mostly in the middle management positions. This comes on the back of reports that said Capgemini sacked 600 employees in Hyderabad and Pune. The company has nearly 20,000 people working in India.
An employee said the layoff across centers was because of the overall economic slowdown, which was impacting the company’s project flow and clients.
“While some clients have ramped down on the size of contracts, other projects, like the Lehman Brothers account closed after the company’s collapse. Apart from the middle management, some employees on probation were also asked to leave,” said the employee at one of the company’s locations, who did not wish to be named.
When contacted, Capgemini India’s chief people officer Cyprian D’Souza said through an email, “India is central to our global delivery model and we are in the process of mapping our existing skills with the business in hand and the business outlook. The economic condition is tough and no company is immune to its effects.”
D’Souza added that the industry was seeing an overhaul within all the affected verticals. “The process though tough, has to be undertaken to align our business with global economic realities, optimise operational efficiency, ensure financial health and enable future growth.”
For the first quarter of 2009, Capgemini group posted consolidated revenues of Euro 2,205 million, up 0.9 per cent compared with the year-ago period.
Agencies
Cars that sense danger to pedestrians to roll out soon
BMW is refining a car-to-car communication system that offers more pedestrian protection by "sensing" situations and persons that cannot normally be seen by motorists, according to the car maker.
In a typical situation a child could suddenly jump onto the road from between two parked vehicles. In such a case the moving vehicle would communicate with an electronic transponder carried by the child or cyclist for protection.
The project is part of the AMULETT research project aimed at preventing accidents with sensoring and tracking technology. On board car systems are networked with those of other vehicles or transponders carried by persons. These can be installed in school bags, mobile phones or in a walking stick.
Should the system determine an impending collision or danger situation, the driver is warned with a signal on the head-up display. If he or she does not respond the system automatically triggers a braking procedure.
According to German government accident statistics 48 percent of child accident victims between the age of six and 14 ran onto the road without observing the traffic. Other research has shown that in 40 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents, the driver could not react in time.
Agencies
In a typical situation a child could suddenly jump onto the road from between two parked vehicles. In such a case the moving vehicle would communicate with an electronic transponder carried by the child or cyclist for protection.
The project is part of the AMULETT research project aimed at preventing accidents with sensoring and tracking technology. On board car systems are networked with those of other vehicles or transponders carried by persons. These can be installed in school bags, mobile phones or in a walking stick.
Should the system determine an impending collision or danger situation, the driver is warned with a signal on the head-up display. If he or she does not respond the system automatically triggers a braking procedure.
According to German government accident statistics 48 percent of child accident victims between the age of six and 14 ran onto the road without observing the traffic. Other research has shown that in 40 percent of fatal pedestrian accidents, the driver could not react in time.
Agencies
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Nortel opens new center in Bangalore
Nortel has opened a new Global Network Operations Center (GNOC) in Bangalore, India, to help remotely manage and support communications networks for enterprise and carrier customers across Asia, Europe and the Americas.
The Bangalore GNOC provides round-the-clock network surveillance and performance monitoring for voice and data networks. This enables Nortel enterprise and carrier customers to focus their resources on their core business, instead of dedicating costly IT resources to maintain and manage their communications networks. This, in turn, helps these companies lower operational costs, maximize network efficiency and performance, and keep abreast with new, evolving technologies.
The GNOC monitors customer network to identify network problems before they can impact business functions or productivity, and seeks to resolve issues either remotely from the GNOC or by dispatching technicians to the customer's site. This is Nortel's fifth Network Operations Center.
Nortel's other NOCs are located in North America, Europe, China and India (Gurgaon). The latter supports the managed services requirements of Bharti Airtel and other local customers.
Agencies
The Bangalore GNOC provides round-the-clock network surveillance and performance monitoring for voice and data networks. This enables Nortel enterprise and carrier customers to focus their resources on their core business, instead of dedicating costly IT resources to maintain and manage their communications networks. This, in turn, helps these companies lower operational costs, maximize network efficiency and performance, and keep abreast with new, evolving technologies.
The GNOC monitors customer network to identify network problems before they can impact business functions or productivity, and seeks to resolve issues either remotely from the GNOC or by dispatching technicians to the customer's site. This is Nortel's fifth Network Operations Center.
Nortel's other NOCs are located in North America, Europe, China and India (Gurgaon). The latter supports the managed services requirements of Bharti Airtel and other local customers.
Agencies
Has software piracy in India gone up to $2.7 billion?
Global software makers lost an estimated $2.76 billion to illegal software trade in India, a study.
According to a BSA-IDC Global Software Piracy Study, even as piracy in the country has seen a one point drop to 68 per cent in 2008, it has resulted in loss of billions of dollars for software majors like Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft globally.
"With the various initiatives taken by the government and the firms, piracy has gone down to 68 per cent and in the coming year also, we expect this to continue as people become more informed about licenced software," BSA Vice-President and Regional Director (Asia-Pacific) Jeffrey J Hardee told reporters afetr releasing the study.
The dollar-rupee fluctuation resulted in the increase in value terms.
Hardee also said the rapidly growing user base for assembled PC units and easy availability of pirated software on the Internet, is a major concern.
However "with software firms offering services to the SMBs and more portable PCs being shipped, piracy should come down," he added.
The study noted a rise in piracy levels globally. While it has gone up to 41 per cent globally from 38 per cent last year, piracy also remains high in the Central and Eastern Europe (66 per cent), Latin America (65 per cent) and Asia-Pacific (61 per cent).
Agencies
US companies, cut, jobs, layoffs, US, tightens, H-1B visa, rules, Indians,professionals, aspiring, Washington, stricter screening,misuse,IT companies, India,technology, TCS, Infosys, Wipro,
Agencies
According to a BSA-IDC Global Software Piracy Study, even as piracy in the country has seen a one point drop to 68 per cent in 2008, it has resulted in loss of billions of dollars for software majors like Adobe, Autodesk and Microsoft globally.
"With the various initiatives taken by the government and the firms, piracy has gone down to 68 per cent and in the coming year also, we expect this to continue as people become more informed about licenced software," BSA Vice-President and Regional Director (Asia-Pacific) Jeffrey J Hardee told reporters afetr releasing the study.
The dollar-rupee fluctuation resulted in the increase in value terms.
Hardee also said the rapidly growing user base for assembled PC units and easy availability of pirated software on the Internet, is a major concern.
However "with software firms offering services to the SMBs and more portable PCs being shipped, piracy should come down," he added.
The study noted a rise in piracy levels globally. While it has gone up to 41 per cent globally from 38 per cent last year, piracy also remains high in the Central and Eastern Europe (66 per cent), Latin America (65 per cent) and Asia-Pacific (61 per cent).
Agencies
US companies, cut, jobs, layoffs, US, tightens, H-1B visa, rules, Indians,professionals, aspiring, Washington, stricter screening,misuse,IT companies, India,technology, TCS, Infosys, Wipro,
Agencies
IBM acquires data discovery software Exeros Technologies
Software giant IBM has acquired Piyush Gupta co-founded Exeros Technologies, a provider of data discovery software, intending to capture the Business Analytics Optimization Consulting market.
The acquisition is seen as the return of IBM's strategy of capturing the small scale software companies. However, the internal team of Exeros including the top management and the Research and Development wing will be retained. Exeros was founded in 2002.
Technology and Business Research (TBR) considers this acquisition as a big strategic move by the company in the field of the Business Analytics, especially as the market has seen a recent acquisition of SUN Microsystems by Oracle, in which IBM had failed.
TBR states the valuation of the Exeros Technologies to be around $50 Million, while the firm has not officially disclosed the amount of the sale of the assets. The deal is said to be a significant one as Exeros technology is helpful in making the IBM's Information on Demand more enhanced.
The deal might give IBM an added advantage to take on the rivals like Oracle, which has already succeeded in acquiring Sun, which will increase the competition in the market.
"All organizations today are faced with the daunting challenge of turning massive amounts of information into insights to guide their businesses, but many are held back by the complexity of corporate data sources," said Ambuj Goyal, general manager, IBM Information Management. "The combination of IBM and Exeros will enable companies to more intelligently manage their data across all formats and computing platforms, creating a smarter enterprise," Goyal added.
With this acquisition, IBM will look to develop smarter business systems. It will also help to adapt to the changing market and to deliver much efficiently. By this acquisition, the customers will be able to find and access the desired information stored in multiple databases. The companies' clients will be preserved and will enjoy broader set of capabilities without replacing the systems. Exeros was named in si100 listing of siliconindia magazine in 2007.
Agencies
The acquisition is seen as the return of IBM's strategy of capturing the small scale software companies. However, the internal team of Exeros including the top management and the Research and Development wing will be retained. Exeros was founded in 2002.
Technology and Business Research (TBR) considers this acquisition as a big strategic move by the company in the field of the Business Analytics, especially as the market has seen a recent acquisition of SUN Microsystems by Oracle, in which IBM had failed.
TBR states the valuation of the Exeros Technologies to be around $50 Million, while the firm has not officially disclosed the amount of the sale of the assets. The deal is said to be a significant one as Exeros technology is helpful in making the IBM's Information on Demand more enhanced.
The deal might give IBM an added advantage to take on the rivals like Oracle, which has already succeeded in acquiring Sun, which will increase the competition in the market.
"All organizations today are faced with the daunting challenge of turning massive amounts of information into insights to guide their businesses, but many are held back by the complexity of corporate data sources," said Ambuj Goyal, general manager, IBM Information Management. "The combination of IBM and Exeros will enable companies to more intelligently manage their data across all formats and computing platforms, creating a smarter enterprise," Goyal added.
With this acquisition, IBM will look to develop smarter business systems. It will also help to adapt to the changing market and to deliver much efficiently. By this acquisition, the customers will be able to find and access the desired information stored in multiple databases. The companies' clients will be preserved and will enjoy broader set of capabilities without replacing the systems. Exeros was named in si100 listing of siliconindia magazine in 2007.
Agencies
US firm sets up welding consumables facility in Chennai
The US-based welding consumables product company Lincoln Electric inaugurated its $20-million plant near Chennai Monday.
The 100,000 square feet plant in Mahindra World City, a special economic zone (SEZ), has an initial production capacity of 15,000 tonnes per annum.
"The Chennai plant is an important investment for Lincoln in the expanding market for welding products in India," Lincoln chairman and chief executive John M. Stropki told reporters while inaugurating the facility.
The new plant will manufacture solid welding wire used in industry segments like such as heavy equipment, metal buildings, pipeline and windmills.
Agencies
The 100,000 square feet plant in Mahindra World City, a special economic zone (SEZ), has an initial production capacity of 15,000 tonnes per annum.
"The Chennai plant is an important investment for Lincoln in the expanding market for welding products in India," Lincoln chairman and chief executive John M. Stropki told reporters while inaugurating the facility.
The new plant will manufacture solid welding wire used in industry segments like such as heavy equipment, metal buildings, pipeline and windmills.
Agencies
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