Cyber-Attacks: ISPs Need To Do More

Warnings about the impending cyber-attack have gone unheeded and more must be done to tackle the threat of an infection, according to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).Hugh Boyes, IET cyber security expert said: “Based on the latest statements from the National Crime Agency it would appear that their campaign to encourage computer users to scan for and remove GoZeus and CryptoLocker infections has been only partially successful.

“The IET believes that more could be done to tackle existing infections. Internet Service Providers (ISPs), for example, could restrict internet access to infected machines or Internet Protocol addresses by redirecting users to a page with information on infection removal. They could also provide telephone technical support to customers to help them to remove the malware.

“A joined-up approach of law enforcement working with the ISPs to reduce the number of infected computers would benefit everyone.”

Useful tips from the IET include:

* Install internet security software from companies listed on Get Safe Online

* Do not open emails unless you are 100 per cent certain that they are authentic, i.e. you know the sender and the email is from them

* Make sure your internet security software is up-to-date and switched on at all times

* Make sure your Windows operating system has the latest Microsoft updates applied. If running Microsoft XP, remember that this operating system is no longer being supported and all home and small business users should move onto an alternative operating immediately to reduce the risk of malware infection

* Make sure your software programs have the latest manufacturers' updates applied

* Make sure all of your files including documents, photos, music and bookmarks are backed up on a separate machine

* Never store passwords on your computer in case they are accessed by Gameover Zeus or another aggressive malware program.

Jugaad-a-thon, First Medical Technology Hack-a-thon In Bangalore On July 18-20

CAMTech INDIA—a new United States Agency for International Development (USAID/India) funded public-private partnership to accelerate medical technology innovation for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) in India—announced its first medical technology hack-a-thon in Bangalore on July 18-20, 2014. This inaugural hack-a-thon is being organized in partnership with Glocal Healthcare and hosted by GE Healthcare India.

“The Jugaad-a-thon is a new way of elevating the experience and know-how of local experts, and using strategies from not just engineering, but also public health and business, to develop new tools to improve health,” said Elizabeth Bailey, Director of the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Global Health. “We’re focused on finding impactful, marketable, and innovative ways to provide care to women and children in India.”

CAMTech INDIA’s inaugural Jugaad-a-thon (derived from the Hindi word jugaad meaning an innovative fix or work-around) will be a 48-hour event where 250 clinicians, engineers and entrepreneurs collaborate on disruptive, new solutions for unsolved clinical problems. Cross-disciplinary teams addressing specific clinical challenges will work late into the night to develop functional prototypes and explore new business models to commercialize their innovations. Teams present their innovations to a panel of judges at the end of the event, and will be awarded a variety of prizes to help take their innovations forward.

Applications for the July 18-20 Jugaad-a-thon are due by July 7, 2014.

To date, over 1,000 innovators have participated in CAMTech hack-a-thons across India, Uganda and the United States, and they have spawned a wide range of new technologies addressing intractable problems such as newborn asphyxia, postpartum hemorrhage and cervical cancer. You can read more about past hack-a-thons on Wired.com.

“As a healthcare provider to those most at risk for poor health and early death in India, hack-a-thons help us become a part of a unique community of innovators who share our vision of ensuring the best health care is available to all,” said Soura Bhattacharyya, Glocal’s Chief of Medtech. “We see this effort as central to improving the lives of the millions we serve.” As one of CAMTech INDIA’s lead partners, Glocal Healthcare will provide on the ground expertise and resources for the program’s hack-a-thons and clinical summits.

The event will be hosted at GE’s John F. Welch Technology Centre in Bangalore, the company’s largest innovation center. GE Healthcare is at work for a healthier India through disruptive innovations and has developed over 25 affordable and accessible technologies in India to address cancer, cardiac and maternal infant care.

“With rising rates of infant and maternal mortality in emerging and underserved healthcare markets, maternal and child health forms one of our core pillars,” said Vikram Damodaran, Director, Healthcare Innovation, India, GE Healthcare South Asia. “This collaboration with CAMTech INDIA is meant to draw upon GE’s strategic intent to create an open innovation platform to accelerate development of affordable care solutions for this critical need. The John F. Welch Technology Center provides the perfect setting with high-end infrastructure, domain experts and access to world-class intellectual talent to act as mentors during the event.”

The hack-a-thon will conclude with an awards ceremony where top innovations will receive a range of prizes, including monetary and in-kind prizes to help push prototypes through to a marketable product. Sponsors of such awards include AB InBev, Dayananda Sagar Institutions, FICCI, InnAccel and several other corporations and organizations committed to supporting affordable innovation for maternal and child health in India. Teams will be judged by a panel of experts from public health, engineering and business, reflecting CAMTech’s cross-sector approach to innovation.

The Jugaad-a-thon will be directly preceded by a Clinical Summit, which will convene clinicians, healthcare workers, government public health experts and patients from across India to identify the most pressing RMNCH needs and best practices in delivering care. The Summit will also include a Technology Showcase for early-stage and newly marketed medical technologies that aim to improve quality and access for RMNCH in India. Please visit www.jugaadathon.com for more information.

Sajith Krishnan & Dushyant Rathore Appointed Check Point India Channel Leads

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. today announced the appointments of Dushyant Singh Rathore as the Channel Lead North and East and Sajith Krishnan as the Channel Lead South in India. Dushyant and Sajith will lead channel sales and partner recruitment within their respective regions.

Dushyant Singh Rathore is a management graduate from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management. His past experience includes leading multiple geographies in India (East, North, West and few parts of South). Rathore comes to Check Point from Microsoft, where he has worked for over ten years, most recently managing the cloud business for small-to-medium business (SMB) West in Mumbai. With his strong partner experience, Rathore will be responsible for delivering strong business value for India’s channel program in the North and East. 

“I am excited to be part of one of the largest and most successful security brands in the world,” said Dushyant Singh Rathore, channel lead north and east for Check Point India. “As an organization, I believe Check Point has a strong vision to address the current and future security needs of its customers. Check Point is known for providing simpler and better security to its customers through world-class products and it is an honor to be joining such a dynamic team.”

Sajith Krishnan brings with him over 16 years of successful sales and marketing experience, with particular expertise in channel development and management. As part of leading organisations in cloud-based technology (SaaS), information and network security, application software products, Krishnan led several high-performing sales teams where he was responsible for alliance management, key account/client management, new client acquisition.

“It is a privilege to be joining Check Point India as the Channel Lead for the South. I am passionate about understanding the customer perspective and the industry market dynamics, strategizing the sales execution cycle and building key alliances to deliver business benefits,” said Sajith Krishnan, channel lead south for Check Point India. “I look forward to focusing on the organization’s channel endeavors and using my experience in new and exciting ways to create winning partnerships that benefit our customers.”

Srinivas Sitaram, country manager, at Check Point India said, “Our channel partnerships represent a core strength of Check Point’s business. I am delighted to welcome Dushyant and Sajith, both who have an excellent track record of creating and maintaining partner relationships. These appointments reinforce our commitment to our channel organization in India.”

All-In-One NI VirtualBench Device Eyes Academia & SMEs In India

National Instruments has announced VirtualBench, an all-in-one instrument that integrates a mixed-signal oscilloscope, function generator, digital multimeter, programmable DC power supply and digital I/O. Users interact with VirtualBench through software applications that run on PCs or iPads. The device provides the most common functionality affordably and opens up new possibilities for how engineers and academicians can use benchtop instruments.

Joel Shapiro, Leader of Emerging Markets Marketing at NI, said, “Many entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists don’t always have easy access to the instruments they need. Due to the excellent functionality, affordability and portability of VirtualBench, every engineer can immediately be equipped with the tools they require to bring their ideas to life and take it to market.”

“We are building on what NI does best, which is our software-based approach to test and measurement,” said Chad Chesney, Director of Data Acquisition Marketing at NI. “VirtualBench’s software user experience is more intuitive, creating efficiencies that go above and beyond simply having these five devices in a single device.”

Arunkumar Doraiswamy, Founder and Chief Executive of Yashika Industries, a recent startup in the area of electronics design and test, said “NI’s VirtualBench has been a game-changer for our productivity. It is an amalgamation of several latest technologies like multi core processors, data acquisition & control, wireless connectivity, and intuitive user friendly interfaces. This user-friendly device brings a large lab to the engineer’s desk and simplifies circuit debugging and validation.”

Key Benefits

* Takes up minimal space on a desktop or benchtop

* Simplifies instrument configuration through consistent, user-friendly interfaces

* Offers new capability and convenience with a consolidated view of multiple instruments, visualization on larger displays and quick functionality to save data and screenshots

*  Integrates seamlessly with LabVIEW system design software

To learn more about VirtualBench, visit www.ni.com/virtualbench.

Pricing and Availability: VirtualBench is now available worldwide for $1,999 or Rs 1,38,000 (*All prices are subject to change). The VirtualBench app for iPad will be available in the App Store later this summer.

SAP Named Leader in Gartner 2014 Magic Quadrant for Talent Management Suites

SAP AG has announced that it has been positioned for the second year in a row in the Leaders quadrant of Gartner, Inc.’s “Magic Quadrant for Talent Management Suites (TMS)." The report evaluated global cloud-based HR software solutions from SuccessFactors, an SAP company, and recognized the company as a leading provider of talent management technology based on its “ability to execute” and “completeness of vision.”

Gartner defines Leaders in the Magic Quadrant as those that demonstrate a market-changing vision of how talent management technology can help HR leaders achieve business objectives. SAP believes it exemplifies this vision by helping organizations increase employee engagement and improve their business performance with market-leading solutions, such as the recently released SuccessFactors Presentations, which offers a completely new and innovative approach to managing top talent. Coupled with the breadth of capabilities in the SuccessFactors HR portfolio that span the entire employee life cycle, businesses can now create deeper synergies between talent management functions and all of their HR processes and analytics.

“We are committed to building and strengthening companies’ capabilities to manage their entire workforce — both contingent and permanent staff — from initial recruiting and on-boarding to ongoing development, performance management, retention and retirement,” said Mike Ettling, global head of Cloud and On-Premise HR, SAP. “We feel our position in the Leaders quadrant is a direct result of our ability to offer global customers a choice of agile, scalable solutions that can drive employee engagement and fulfill organizations’ needs, while still building a comprehensive HR system blueprint.”

“One of the reasons we chose SAP is because we don’t want to own IT infrastructure since we’re not an IT company,” said David Bowes, chief people officer, WDS, a Xerox Company. “SAP gives us cloud-based HRIS and talent management solutions with a streamlined user experience — and no financial surprises."

No Bill Shock Combo Plans for Idea Postpaid Subscribers

Idea Cellular, country’s 3^rd largest and fastest growing mobile operator, has launched ‘No Bill Shock Combo Plan’ for its postpaid subscribers across major circles. The plan will help users to avoid any kind of data bill shock by capping monthly data usage limit.

The new Idea ‘No Bill Shock Plan’ comes with pre-defined data usage limit. Within this limit, Idea will offer data service at maximum speed as per plan. Beyond the set limit in order to keep a check on the data usage and billing, data billing will be stopped and data speed will be automatically reduced. If however, the subscriber wants to continue using high-speed data connectivity, then the customer can opt for a speed booster, which will instantly provide additional data at high speed, valid only till the current bill cycle.

No Bill Shock Plans are offered at Rs. 199 and Rs. 275 with 2G data and at Rs. 249, Rs. 399 and Rs. 549 with 3G data. All of these plans come with benefits of local & STD voice minutes and SMS along with the 2G or 3G data as per plan. In the initial phase, these plans have been introduced for Idea postpaid subscribers in the Maharashtra & Goa, Uttar Pradesh (East), Mumbai and Delhi. These plans will be gradually rolled out in other markets as well. 

Idea Cellular has always believed in providing customers with the freedom of choice, personalization and convenience. This plan has been introduced keeping in mind the growing subscriber additions to Idea’s postpaid portfolio, enabling subscribers to make an informed decision of choosing the data plan best suited for their pockets

Unlicensed Software Use at 43%, says BSA Report

Computer users cite the risk of security threats from malware as the top reason not to use unlicensed software. Among their specific concerns are intrusions by hackers and loss of data. Yet a striking 60 percent of the software installed on personal computers in India in 2013 was not properly licensed.

These and other findings released today in the BSA Global Software Survey underscore the need for effective software management practices, especially in business settings.

‘‘We have often seen cases where enterprises may not even be aware that they are using unlicensed software. With software licensing becoming increasingly complex, compounded by fast-paced cloud adoption and proliferation of devices through BYOD [bring your own device], organizations require a fresh approach in the way they manage licenses,’’ said Vipin Aggarwal, BSA India Committee chair. “As effective management of software assets becomes vital to organizations; tools such as BSA’s Verafirm can help mitigate risk while optimizing costs.”

The BSA Global Software Survey is conducted every other year for BSA by IDC, which this year polled computer users in 34 markets including nearly 22,000 consumer and business PC users and more than 2,000 IT managers. Among the findings:

* The rate at which PC software was installed without proper licensing in India was 60 percent in 2013, a 3 percentage point decrease from 2011. The commercial value of that unlicensed software totaled over INR 179 billion (US$2.9 billion).

* The chief reason computer users around the world cite for not using unlicensed software is avoiding security threats from malware. Among the risks associated with unlicensed software, 64 percent of users globally cited unauthorized access by hackers as a top concern and 59 percent cited loss of data.

* IT managers around the world express understandable concern that unlicensed software may cause harm, yet less than half say they are very confident that their company’s software is properly licensed.

* Only 33 percent of companies in India have written policies in place requiring use of properly licensed software.

BSA works closely with various industry associations in India to increase awareness among enterprises as well as small and medium businesses on the benefits of using licensed software. It works with law enforcement agencies to help build familiarity with intellectual property rights laws in the country. BSA also provides recommendations and research on a number of policy related issues covering IP laws, Privacy Bill and cloud computing.

“Unlicensed software use is an organizational governance issue — and this study shows there is a clear need for improvement,” said BSA President and CEO Victoria Espinel. “There are basic steps any company can take to ensure it is fully compliant, like establishing a formal policy on licensed software use and maintaining careful records. Companies also should consider implementing more robust software asset management (SAM) programs that follow internationally-accepted guidelines. These SAM programs can deliver substantial value by ensuring adequate controls are in place to provide a full view into what is installed on a network. That helps organizations avoid security and operational risks, and it ensures they have the right number of licenses for their users.”

Among the other findings in BSA’s Global Software Survey:

* The global rate at which PC software was installed without proper licensing rose from 42 percent in 2011 to 43 percent in 2013, as emerging economies where unlicensed software use is most prevalent continued to account for a growing majority of all PCs in service.

* The commercial value of unlicensed PC software installations totaled $62.7 billion globally in 2013.

* The region with the highest overall rate of unlicensed PC software installations in 2013 was Asia-Pacific, at 62 percent. This represented a 2 percentage-point increase from 2011, with the commercial value of unlicensed installations reaching $21 billion.

* Central and Eastern Europe had the next-highest rate of unlicensed software installations at 61 percent, followed by Latin America at 59 percent and the Middle East and Africa, also at 59 percent.

* North America continues to have the lowest regional rate of unlicensed software installations at 19 percent, although this constitutes a significant commercial value of nearly $10.9 billion.

* In Western Europe, the rate dropped three points to 29 percent in 2013 with a commercial value of $12.8 billion.

In the European Union, the rate dropped two points to 31 percent in 2013, with a commercial value of $13.5 billion.