VMware’s Hybrid Cloud Provides Partner Opportunities

With vCloud Hybrid Service, channel partners play a key role of integrating private and public clouds and delivering hybrid solutions to customers. The service was designed specifically with the channel community in mind. VMware distributors, solution providers and OEM partners can now sell vCloud Hybrid Service the same way as any other VMware product. 

In addition, VMware already has a network of close to 200 vCloud Service provider partners in Japan that operate clouds based on VMware’s software. vCloud Hybrid Service is the next evolution of this program, but is distinct from these 200 partners because it is fully owned, operated and supported by VMware 

By operating vCHS, VMware will be able to drive more rapid innovation and service delivery to market, which VMware will then make available in the form of technology and IP to VMware’s growing ecosystem of service providers. VMware expect partners to build services and application based on vCloud Hybrid Service.

Yasuo Miki, President of VMware Japan, said: “We are very pleased that Japan has become the third market in the world to announce a vCloud Hybrid Service. VMware is offering a highly-differentiated hybrid cloud service.  Working closely with SoftBank and other partners we see real opportunity to accelerate the use of our technology in the market The launch of vCloudHybrid Service provides additional opportunities for our network of over 200 vCloud Service Provider partners to further empower and strengthen their offerings in this market.”

Ken Miyauchi, representative director & COO of SoftBank Telecom Corp. and chairman of SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp. said: “We are very pleased that Japan is the first Asia-Pacific country to launch vCloud Hybrid Service and that we are developing the market together with VMware based on our strong partnership. The SoftBank Group will provide vCloud Hybrid Service to customers in Japan through its direct sales and reseller partners for VMware products.”

Zebronics Rolls Out Packed 2.1 Multimedia Speakers

Top Notch Infotronix, India’s leading supplier of computer peripherals and Consumer Electronics under the brand ‘ZEBRONICS' has launched its latest 2.1 multimedia speaker set, the MicroDrum+.  A star addition to the Company’s extensive line-up of speakers, one of the widest range in the industry, the new MicroDrum+ model features 3” driver for woofer and 2” drivers for satellites which gives good frequency response.

The Zebronics Micro Drum+ speaker set, despite its small size, delivers crisp, clear sound and good bass due to its powered subwoofer with 3” driver. The combo outputs 10W (RMS) with a signal-to-noise ratio ≥85.  The speaker system can take audio input from any sound source such as laptops, mobile phones or media players via a standard accessory cable connected into its 3.5mm aux jack. In addition, for the first time a multimedia speaker system in this category provides a memory card slot and USB port, enabling it to play audio directly from SD/MMC cards or USB flash devices. Capability to tune and play FM radio has also been added.

Available in a trendy design and housed in glossy black cabinets with an elegant red trim around the drivers that add to its aesthetic appeal, while easy access to the controls is provided by locating the volume controls (separate for sub-woofer and satellites) and power button on the top of the sub-woofer, along with the memory card and USB slots.

“Whether used as a standalone music system, or to accessories media player or to complement a laptop, the rich sound of the Zebronics Micro Drum+ will bring a new level of affordable performance to the speaker market,” said Pradeep Doshi, Director Sales at Top Notch.  “With its trendy design, the Micro Drum+ is a fitting accessory for the table-top of any music lover.”

Attractively priced, in keeping with the Company’s dedication to quality at value prices, the Micro Drum+ is now available at a price of Rs 999 including one year warranty from any of Zebronics partners in major markets, or from the Company’s e-commerce site – www.moneyvasool.com – and other leading consumer-IT stores and on-line vendors.

New Oriental Design Language & User Interface Phones From Panasonic

Panasonic India, working on its efforts to focus on creating product differentiation while developing innovative technological solutions, expanded its feature phones range by launching the new GD31 and GD21 phones. The new models aim to fuel rapid adoption among its consumers and reach out to a wider target audience primarily comprising of the youth along with the middle and lower-middle income groups.

Designed to deliver an affordable mobile experience to its consumers, the GD31 falls in the category of a smart feature phone offering great battery life and security features like mobile tracker, security Inbox & application privacy. With a full touch 2.8 inch display and features like pre-installed Facebook application lets the user connect, share & like from anywhere. In addition to this, Hindi support on touch keypad and pre-installed games promise to deliver the consumer with a smart user experience. The GD21 comes with a built in audio and video player allowing you to play your music and watch favorite videos with ease. Other features such as Dual SIM support, LED torch light, expandable storage up to 16GB, Bluetooth headset with A2DP define Panasonic’s efforts in providing solutions offering a differentiated value at an affordable price.

Manish Sharma, Managing Director, Panasonic India expressed, “The launch of these two models underscores Panasonic’s efforts in providing a remarkable mobile experience to the Indian consumers across cities. These models are priced perfectly matching with our consumers’ need for affordable solutions and thereby empowering the customers with a wide variety of products to choose from.”

Pankaj Rana, Business Head, Smart Phones and Tablets, Panasonic India, further expressed, “Our deliberate approach is to offer affordable entry-level devices like the GD31 and GD21 for our customers. Our feature phone portfolio is aimed at introducing the greatest innovation and will provide our consumer with an uncompromised usage experience.”

Pricing and Availability

The phones are available at the best price of Rs. 2190 (GD31) and Rs.1790 (GD21) in the Indian market.

Persistent Bags Prestigious India’s Coding Power House

Persistent Systems  has won the title of ‘India’s Coding Power House’ at the recently concluded Techgig Code Gladiators 2014 competition. Hosted by Times Jobs, the 2 month contest is India’s largest, involving approximately 35,000 professionals across 64 leading IT companies in the country. The contestants had to solve problems in either C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, VBNET, Ruby, Perl, Python or JavaScript. With our broad and deep technology expertise, 23 of the Persistent coders received full points.

“This isn’t a coincidence. Building software products is in our DNA and hundreds of leading organizations around the world attest to that. Our convincing victory in this competition, against so many other top companies, clearly demonstrates Persistent has the technology and engineering expertise that our customers require,” says Mritunjay Singh, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Persistent Systems.

News Facts about the Competition

* 64 companies

* 35,000 competitors

* 2 month duration

* 10 coding languages

News Facts about Persistent Systems

* 350 Customers

* 3,000+ Product releases in last 5 years

* 14 of Top 20 technology companies in the world are our customers

* 7,800+ Employees

* 274.06M FY14 revenue

Myntra Signs Kangana Ranaut As Face of DressBerry

Myntra.com, India’s largest fashion e-tailer, has brought on-board Bollywood’s latest “Queen”, Kangana Ranaut, as its brand ambassador and the face for its fast fashion in-house brand DressBerry. With her recent mega hits like Queen, Revolver Rani and her previously unforgettable role in Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Fashion’, Myntra saw Kangana as an ideal choice for endorsing its bold and stylish range of apparel and accessories.

As the brand ambassador, Kangana Ranaut will be featured in some of the promotional initiatives by Myntra.com, helping build a strong connect between the brand and its fans across the country. To begin with, the two-time Filmfare award winner will be the face of a young, confident and fashionable brand ‘DressBerry’, dedicated to young women. Myntra launched DressBerry in 2013, and within a span of 15 months, it has gained commendable popularity, making it one of the largest selling women's western wear brands on Myntra.com.

Expressing her excitement on the association with Myntra.com and Dressberry, the renowned actress, Kangana Ranaut said, “I am excited to be the brand ambassador for Myntra.com and happy to be the face of DressBerry, Myntra’s fast fashion women’s wear brand. When I came across DressBerry, I took an instant liking to it. Besides the apparel, it is the attitude of ‘Fun, Flirty and Feminine’ reflected by the brand that appeals to me." 

She further added, "Myntra provides shoppers the opportunity to access everything that a fashion fanatic can dream of, at affordable prices. Brands like Myntra.com are also providing access to youth in smaller towns to shop for their favourite brands as they are equally aspirational and want to look good just like their counterparts in larger cities.”

Speaking on the celebrity association, Vikas Ahuja, Chief Marketing Officer, Myntra said, “Myntra is a youth fashion brand, presenting the latest trends for men and women who are bold and stylish in the way they carry themselves. Just like Kangana Ranaut. I believe this partnership will strengthen Myntra’s position as India's preferred online fashion destination and will mark a new step in DressBerry's evolution."

DressBerry hosts a wide and diverse range of collection for young women across tops, dresses, jackets, bottoms, jumpsuits, nightwear and accessories, starting at just Rs. 249 up to Rs. 1999.

Myntra.com ventured into private brands in December 2012 and has since developed a strong portfolio of eight private brands including Roadster, HRX by Hrithik Roshan, Sher Singh, Anouk, Kook N Keech and Mast & Harbour among others.

Myntra.com also recently collaborated with the popular Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh for its in-house brand – ‘Roadster’ and Lisa Haydon as its brand ambassador while the ravishing Chitrangda Singh and the charming Abhay Deol, were voted as the Fashion Icon of the Month for May & June, 2014.

New Enhanced Cloud Backup Storage Capacities

Seagate Technology plc today announced the next evolution in the company’s wireless storage category.  Seagate Wireless Plus mobile device storage now consists of a family of capacities at 1TB and 2TB versions to suit every need along with integration with cloud services, such as Dropbox and Google Drive. The Seagate Wireless Plus storage is designed to expand beyond the limitations of mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. With capacities that are multiples beyond the highest storage available on these mobile devices, the Seagate Wireless Plus provides an ideal solution to stream your favorite HD video while freeing up precious space on your Android Tablet, iPad, iPhone, Android Smart Phone, Kindle Fire, Windows 8 computers and Windows RT tablets.

Seagate created the wireless storage category in 2011 to address consumers’ desire to enjoy more content than tablets and smartphones can hold with their limited storage options. A CES 2013 Best of Innovations Award Winner, the Seagate Wireless Plus now includes a new option to save content and files to the drive wirelessly through the updated Seagate Media app as well as the ability to migrate files to cloud services such as Dropbox and Google Drive.

“Wireless connectivity is a feature that has been added to external storage over the last couple of years, it provides the convenience of high capacity and easy sharing for mobile devices that are limited in their storage capabilities,” said Ross Rubin, principal analyst at Reticle Research.  “Now, with the integrating of popular cloud storage services to these products, there exists an invaluable bridge to even more content.”

The Seagate Media app’s new capability to sync your files on the Seagate Wireless Plus storage with an existing cloud storage provider means that your files are always accessible even when you don’t have network access. The Seagate Media app creates your own Dropbox or Google Drive folder, so files are available and at the ready. Then once you are back on the network, your files will automatically re-sync to ensure all changes are saved in both the cloud and the Wireless Plus drive.

“Having pioneered the category of wireless local storage for mobile devices, Seagate is now proud to advance the platform by adding more capacities and developing advanced features that will benefit how people are using these drives,” said BanSeng Teh, senior vice president and managing director of Seagate Asia Pacific and Japan. “Cloud storage services provide a convenient way for people to migrate files between devices and share with friends and colleagues. With the new Seagate Media app and Wireless Plus mobile storage, people will now be enabled to use these cloud services to access even more media from their Wireless Plus storage device.”

Seagate Wireless Plus mobile device storage is accessed through the mobile Seagate Media app for Apple iOS, Android, Kindle Fire HD, Windows 8 tablets. Seagate Wireless Plus mobile storage connects to devices over a Wi-Fi connection, which the battery-powered drive emits once powered on. Simply connect to the network by searching for Wireless Plus in your available Wi-Fi networks. The drive creates its own Wi-Fi network, eliminating the need to be within range of an existing network connection.

Additionally, you can use Wireless Plus to enjoy video, photos, music and even documents on the big screen via Apple Airplay, DLNA or an app designed specifically for Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players.

Pricing and Availability:

Seagate Wireless Plus mobile storage has a supported battery life of up to 10 hours and provides it’s own Wi-Fi signal to enable access to the drive. The drive is now available at 2TB for an MSRP of Rs 18,500 and 1TB for Rs 14,500 MSRP.

IBS Holds Convocation For PGPM Class Of 2014

IBS Business School Bangalore held the convocation for the class of 2014 of the Post Graduate Programme for Management (PGPM) on Saturday 12^th July at the school’s own campus at Kengeri on the Bangalore- Mysore road. Dignitaries that graced the sparkling event were Padma Shri Raghavendra Rao, Founder and Managing Director, Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals Ltd and Meena Ganesh Co-Founder & CEO – Portea Medical. 

The convocation began with the welcome address by the Campus Head Prof. Shailendra Dasari  who welcomed the gathering. This was followed by address by the dignitaries. The event provided a wonderful opportunity for the PGPM batch to celebrate the achievements as well as understand and reflect on the many opportunities and challenges moving forward in their career path. Medals: Bhawish Chowdhuary was awarded gold medal and the Kissan Joseph award for the best Marketing Student. Mandrita Biswas and Pradeepa Mohana Sundaram were joint recipients of the Silver medal for academic performance. Varun Varghese bagged the all-rounder award. 

The Campus Head’s Report outlined the various events and activities held over the year at IBS Business School such as Manthan and Tarkash. 

The talk also highlighted the initiatives

of Neev, the Entrepreneurship Cell of IBS Bangalore and the Industry Outreach programs. 

Padma Shri Raghavendra Rao in his high-decibel  address emphasised  the importance of chasing one’s dream even if it meant taking the road less travelled. Shri Raghavendra Rao also highlighted the need for students  to  be innovative and entrepreneurial in whatever they pursue.

Ms. Ganesh a serial entrepreneur herself reiterated the need for management graduates to consider entrepreneurship as a viable option. Her address lined up a number of entrepreneurial success stories in India and also emphasized on the aspect of India being a land of opportunities and identifying the right opportunities and offering effective solutions being the key to success .