JDA & IBM Collaborate for Advanced Omni-Channel Fulfillment Capabilities

JDA Software Group, Inc., and IBM announced an initiative to provide solutions that help organizations deliver engaging customer experiences by intelligently processing and fulfilling product orders in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. Together IBM and JDA will provide an integrated omni-channel supply chain that enables businesses to make smarter sourcing decisions in real time and give their customers the best buying experience possible.

Retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers today are challenged to meet the demands of empowered consumers who demand the right product when they want it at the best price through their channel of choice. As more and more consumers demand advanced delivery methods such as ‘buy online and pick-up in store,’ businesses are under increasing pressure to offer these flexible options across more channels in order to meet their customer’s expectations. Without a dynamic view into their complete supply chain picture, businesses are forced to make snap decisions based on static information resulting in inefficient fulfillment processes, shipping methods and inventory positions.

This new initiative between JDA and IBM will provide a holistic approach to solving this problem by synchronizing comprehensive order capture and order management with precision retail planning, efficient labor productivity and intelligent fulfillment. JDA Intelligent Fulfillment and Labor Productivity solutions combined with IBM Commerce and Order Management solutions will reveal the true cost of fulfilling an order – including inventory and labor costs – so that businesses can more responsively adjust inventory and resource allocations and execute decisions that meet and exceed customer expectations while also serving their bottom line. Delivered either on premise or in the cloud via SoftLayer, an IBM company, the solution will be part of IBM’s existing portfolio of over 110 SaaS applications and is expected to be available by late spring 2015.

For example, when a customer purchases an outfit online from a clothing retailer, there are several dynamic factors at play that can affect the profitability of the transaction, such as:  if the customer wants the outfit delivered to a home or will pick it up in store; if the item is in stock at that store or needs to be fulfilled from an alternate location; or if warehouse or store labor is available to fulfill the order in a timely manner. With the combined solutions from IBM and JDA, these issues will be resolved in the background in real-time by applying knowledge of the retailer’s inventory planning and allocation during the order processing. This allows the retailer to intelligently initiate the best possible omni-channel fulfillment decision at the moment of the sale in the most profitable manner.      

“The JDA and IBM initiative fills a massive void in the marketplace,” said Wayne Usie, senior vice president of retail at JDA Software. “Retailers need to become much more sophisticated and intelligent about how they source product for omni-channel fulfillment.  Today there is far too much guess work, too many static policies, and no intelligence applied to the process.  This landmark initiative cracks the code on intelligent sourcing, simultaneously allowing our customers to factor in supply chain planning and execution status, planned events like promotions and markdowns, and labor availability at the point of sale to maximize profits and customer satisfaction.”

“Whether they shop online, in store or on a device, consumers expect to have their product orders fulfilled exactly how they want it and at the lowest price without exceptions,” said Charles Chu, Vice President of B2B & Commerce at IBM. “Any business that ignores these changing expectations does so at the expense of customer loyalty and revenue growth. Now with this collaboration between JDA Software and IBM, businesses will be able to seamlessly orchestrate a superior order fulfillment process that provides real value to the customer while eliminating costs and inefficiencies.”

“By partnering to deliver this joint offering, JDA and IBM are enabling Lowe’s to deliver exceptional omni-channel fulfillment services, which gives our customers more flexible options to shop with us,” said Robin Bornkamp, Lowe’s VP of Inventory & Demand Planning. 

Karnataka $45 Billion IT Industry Grows from 33% to 38% in 2014

Karnataka's contribution to Information Technology has witnessed an increase from 33% in 2012-13 to 38% in 2013-14, that shows that this state still holds a clear distiction over the rest of the states in India, said Srivastsa Krishna, IT Secretary, Government of Karnataka.

At the inaugural session of Bangalore ITE.Biz 2014, being held in association with Cebit India held at the Bengaluru International Exhibition Center, Krishna said the state accounts to about $45 billion in 2013-14 of the country's $118 billion IT business. In comparison, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu account for just $15 billion. Likewise Karnataka created jobs of 70,000 compared to 37,600 in Tamil Nadu and 10,000 in Andhra Pradesh.

The events was inaugurated by Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister of Karnataka in the presence of Minster S.R.Patil, IT Minister, Government Of Karnataka, R Chandrashekhar, President, NASSCOM , Kris Gopalkrishanan, Chairman, Karnataka State Vision Group on IT, Andreas Gruchow, Member of the Board, Deutsche Messe AG and Mehul Lanvers Shah, Managing Director, Hannover Milano Fairs India Pvt Ltd.

With a focus on New Perspectives in IT Business and Ideas for Digital India, the mega IT Expo will bring together IT majors, innovators, and technologists together on the same platform. The event will showcase innovations from leading IT and ITeS companies like IBM, Vodafone, Daimler, Mercedes, Rittal India and NxtGen.

The CeBIT Global Conference programme at CeBIT India will see a riveting symposium of visionaries discussing and debating on leading topics including social media marketing, connected cars, cloud computing for MSMEs, and IT as a key lever for success.

CeBIT India 2014 features an exclusive video keynote speech by Dr. Vishal Sikka, CEO, Infosys on Reshaping the World with Software.The show will also host keynote addresses and panels discussions by eminent Indian and Global CEOs and thought leaders including Mark P McDonald, MD and digital business strategy lead in Accenture; Helmut Schutt, CIO of Daimler trucks, buses and vans; Martin Pieters, MD & CEO, Vodafone; Kumud Srinivasan, president Intel India;Norbert Schroeder, technical development head at Volkswagen India; and Manu Saale, Managing Director and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India Pvt. Ltd. (MBRDI).

The joint event will be an amalgamation of the best of both the brands and this partnership will cover all the components of the event such as the prestigious STPI IT Export Awards Function, CEO Conclave, IT Secretaries meet, Digital India Summit etc. Bangalore ITE.biz has always focused on Start-Ups and this year, it will collaborate with CeBIT INDIA to strengthen CeBIT India’s ‘+91 Initiative’, which will showcase promising Start-Ups from IT, ITeS & Electronics. Under the joint partnership of Bangalore ITE.biz and CeBIT India, STPI took the major initiatives of showcasing Start-Ups and MSMEs from across India. This year too, STPI will showcase 125 Member Companies from across India and Karnataka in the Exhibition. Government of Karnataka also held a Rural IT Quiz on 11th of November as well as Student Internet World across various regions of Karnataka.

Andreas Gruchow, Member of the Board, Deutsche Messe AG said, “India is a force to reckon with, in the IT & ITES industry. India is forecast to be the third largest IT market within the Asia/Pacific region by the end of 2016 and will further progress to become the second largest market for IT by the end of 2018. As CeBIT commences in India today, we aim to synergize the Indian and German business landscapes, further strengthening the trade relations between the two countries.

“As India’s maiden CeBIT starts today, we are excited to showcase India’s IT and ICT business to the global audience. We want to take the Indian IT dream run to the next level by encouraging young minds, igniting inspiration, educating the IT community about latest innovations, and creating newer business opportunities for the industry. Over the course of three days, CeBIT India will provideexhibitors a unique opportunity to highlight their talent, ideate, and meet with prospective buyers from across the world.” said, Mehul Lanvers Shah, Managing Director, Hannover Milano Fairs India Pvt Ltd.

To bolster the Indian startup ecosystem, the +91 startup challenge is being organized alongside CeBIT India to connect Indian entrepreneurs, global media, consultants, support programs, angel investors, and venture capitalists to help start-ups showcase Indian talent to an international audience. Participants at the +91 challenge will be judged by a distinguished panel consisting of leading CXOs, VIPs, and IT stalwarts. Members of the CeBIT India Executive Club, the panel will critically evaluate the business potential of each entrant to finalize the winning startups.

Mercedes-Benz India Enhances IT-Enginnering for its new Models

Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. (MBIL) and Mercedes-Benz Research & Development India (MBRDI) jointly showcased at the CeBIT Bangalore the latest products within the Mercedes-Benz passenger car range available in India and presented examples of their captive research, development and IT-engineering activities in India.

With the growing importance of IT in product development, infotainment- and connectivity applications, CeBIT offers a unique forum to exhibit how much IT has become the backbone of automobile engineering today – and its ever growing importance in the future.

‘IT is everywhere’ has been a philosophy within the company for quite some time, acknowledging that without the support of state-of-the-art IT solutions, important activities such as product development, order processing, production, simulation, testing, aftersales-service, billing and payment cannot be done successfully.

“Our customers expect not only appealing design, outstanding quality and superb performance from a Mercedes-Benz vehicle, they also like to stay connected,  entertained and informed when using their vehicles”, explained Eberhard Kern, CEO of Mercedes-Benz India. “We offer our customers an ideal in-car infotainment system and the new C-Class sets benchmark in terms of integrating next generation telematics and IT systems. We are constantly implementing the the latest technologies available, up to the stage where we are a front-runner in the development of semi-autonomous and autonomous driving.”

Manu Saale, MD and CEO of MBRDI emphasised: “We are very proud to be an important contributor within the global RD and IT network at Mercedes-Benz. MBRDI has grown from strength to strength and with over 2,000 associates, we contribute to our global vehicle development with our vast experience. This includes working on Design, Simulations, E&E, Testing, IT applications development and IT services and as such we play an important part to assure top customer satisfaction globally - and as well here in India.”

Digital Life has entered all fields of daily social life. This mega-trend has impact to Mercedes-Benz and its business model, products and competitiveness. Communication with customers and target groups can be done more diversely and effectively than ever before. New business fields with new services can be created in the transportation sector. There are opportunities in all fields of corporate life – and behind all processes operates a clever IT system.

“In line with our global IT-strategy, we further develop our IT-department into a worldwide organization with strong international teams, representing a striking variety of skills, know-how and foreign cultures, “ explains Helmut Schütt, CIO Daimler Trucks, Buses and Vans, “for example here in Bangalore we already have a significant footprint in various IT-domains, such as a ‘Shared Service Center‘ for SAP applications, as well as developments for mobility services, computer simulations and augmented reality – and we are further expanding our presence”.

Four entities of Daimler are currently operating in India: Mercedes-Benz India Ltd. (MBIL) in Pune, is responsible for production and sales and marketing of Mercedes-Benz passenger cars; Daimler India Commercial Vehicles operates under the brand name Bharat Benz in Chennai, covering all activities for commercial vehicles; Daimler Financial Services operates under the brand Mercedes-Benz Financial Services for passenger cars and Bharat Benz Financial Services for commercial vehicles; Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India Private Limited (MBRDI) in Bangalore is the largest Daimler Research and Development Center of Daimler outside Germany and contributes to various RD domains and IT engineering.

MAIT's Unveils I AM GREEN National Engagement Programme

MAIT is undertaking a major drive to educate enterprises, small business, media and general public on the perils of e-waste through an initiative called “IAM GREEN”.

MAIT will also set up an ‘I AM GREEN’ Stall at premier consumer electronics and technology event  PLUGGED-IN between 14^th and 16^th November 2014 at BIEC Bangalore, and invites both organizations and individuals to collect e-waste and dispose it at the stall.  

“E-Waste is not just an environment issue, but through proper e-waste disposal and e-waste recycling, we can control depletion of several natural resources including precious metals such as Gold and Platinum,” said Anwar Shirpurwala, Executive Director, MAIT.  He further added, “The Indian Electronic Waste (management and handling) Rules, 2011, is an important step towards e-waste management, and is applicable to all producers, dealers and collectors.”

Majority of e-waste is getting disposed along with waste collected by civic authorities such as municipalities which results in health hazards for civic workers employed. 

India produces an estimated 1.5 million tonnes of e-waste every year with an expected CAGR of 25% (compound annual growth rate). Out of 1.5 million tonnes of e-wasteless than 10% per cent is being disposed in a scientific manner.

Through the ‘I AM GREEN’ programme MAIT wants to build awareness among citizens. MAIT in partnership with Plugged In is conducting over 15 roadshows in Bangalore as a part of the education drive, where it would connect with students.

According to a report by UNEP titled, "Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources," the amount of e-waste being produced - including mobile phones and computers - could rise by as much as 500 percent over the next decade in some countries, such as India.

MAIT is hopeful that  the “I AM GREEN” Programme can make a significant contribution to address the environmental challenges in re-manufacturing, repair, maintenance, re-cycling and eco-design having  a great potential  to promote green entrepreneurship and job creation in future, preventing environmental damage and moving towards a low carbon economy  and later transit into a green economy.

Accenture Expands Mobile Government Services for Arunachal Pradesh

Accenture is developing a mobile government system for the Arunachal Pradesh Department of Information Technology, the system is designed to enhance citizen access to more than 21 government services across 12 categories in eight state departments using mobile platforms and an online portal. 

Following completion of the mobile government system -- called Arunachal m-Seva -- citizen access to government services ranging from safety and health alerts to employment services and pension benefits will be enabled using these mobile tools. Digital government services help reduce costs-to-serve and improve constituent satisfaction and engagement.

“The government of Arunachal Pradesh is committed to serving our citizens,” said Er. Gaken Ete, secretary, Government of Arunachal Pradesh Department of Information Technology. “The new mobile government system will provide increased opportunities to help us meet the needs of our citizens in new ways.”

The $70,000 contract for the development of the mobile government system has two major components -- first, Accenture has developed the system requirements, which is complete; and now, Accenture will design, test and launch the mobile government system. Arunachal m-Seva will be accessible across multiple technology platforms, including Android, Windows, Nokia and iPhone, as well as marketplaces such as Google Play, Windows Phone Store, iPhone App Store and Nokia Store. Short message service (SMS) technology will be enabled for alerts on safety, health and emergency information.

Accenture also has designed and will launch a web-based portal for the eight state departments of Health, Police, Tourism, Disaster Management, Agriculture, Land Management, Social Welfare and Employment. Government officials and citizens will be able to track citizen requests, initiate actions for solutions and view transaction details.

“By providing important information to citizens in an easily accessible manner, the state of Arunachal Pradesh is addressing citizen demands for digital government services at a time and place convenient to them,” said G. Sethuraman, managing director of Accenture’s Health & Public Service business in India. “Arunachal m-Seva is an exciting move toward a more citizen-centered government for the state.”

A recent 10-country study by Accenture ranked India eighth in its use of digital government services to engage with citizens. According to the survey, a majority (81 percent) of citizens want their government to provide more services through digital channels, including portals, digital channels and social media.

“Mobile government extends the ability of citizens to interact with government and access important services and information to mobile platforms, including smartphones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and wireless internet infrastructure. By making these services available on mobile platforms, mobile government helps make public information and government services available anytime, anywhere,” continued Sethuraman.   

Accenture also is working with the Arunachal Department of IT on the e-District project and with the Arunachal Pradesh Police to implement the state’s Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and System (CCTNS), an integrated system to share information on crimes across India.

Novell & GWAVA Enter Strategic Tech Partnership

Novell, a global software leader for enterprises worldwide has announced a strategic technical partnership agreement with GWAVA, a leading provider of compliance, security, archiving and eDiscovery for electronic communication.Within the terms of the agreement, the two companies will collaborate to provide compliance, security, management and disaster recovery across Novell technologies. In addition to Novell GroupWise, GWAVA will also expand its integrated security, compliance and eDiscovery solution to support Novell’s file-sharing, collaboration and mobile management products.

“Novell is proud to partner with GWAVA which is equally committed to providing leading solutions that address today’s enterprise needs,” said Kathleen Owens, President and General Manager of Novell. “GWAVA is a key strategic partner that provides security, unified archiving and disaster recovery for our Novell GroupWise customers and we look forward to working with them to extend their solutions across other products within our portfolio.”

Regulatory compliance requirements to secure and archive electronic communication extends beyond just email.  GWAVA and Retain Unified Archiving are the only solutions in the market that provide Novell customers multi-platform email, mobile and social messaging security and archiving with complete information governance and eDiscovery. With this expanded agreement GWAVA’s solutions will be integrated with Novell GroupWise, Novell GroupWise WebAccess, Novell GroupWise Mobility Server, Novell Vibe, Novell Messenger, Novell FILR and ZENworks Mobile Management. 

“Novell customers trust GWAVA to provide security, management, disaster recovery and archiving for their GroupWise environment”, said Ken Muir CEO of GWAVA. “By expanding our support to other Novell technologies customers will have a single powerful and tightly integrated solution driving lower cost of ownership and greater return on investment across the Novell technologies they trust every day to solve their complex IT problems”. 

Juniper Unveils First Carrier-Grade Virtual Router

Juniper Networks, the industry leader in network innovation, today introduced a virtualized version of its flagship MX Series 3D Universal Edge Routing platform to deliver the industry's first full-featured, carrier-grade virtualized router. The Juniper Networks vMX 3D Universal Edge Router, which operates as software on x86 servers, gives service providers and enterprises the ability to seamlessly leverage the benefits of both virtual and physical networking so they can rapidly deliver services and cost-effectively keep ahead of customer demand. Juniper also today unveiled a new set of capabilities designed to help customers build High-IQ networks that leverage the benefits of virtualization and automation. 

It is estimated that there will be 50 billion networked devices worldwide by 2020(1). Service providers are pushing connectivity beyond simple access to fuel economies and deliver more personalized and life-enhancing services. As the appetite and reliance on customized services grow, service providers are looking for ways to address this need while staying profitable and capitalizing on revenue growth opportunities. This requires service providers to adopt a more agile business approach, one that allows them to develop, scale up as well as scale down new services at the pace of business, while also maintaining a high-performance infrastructure to keep up with increasing traffic volumes. 

Likewise, enterprises are also looking for ways to increase business agility, as seen by the adoption and deployment of cloud services and private clouds. As enterprises look to the cloud to drive agility and efficiency, having a network that is as flexible and dynamic as the cloud is critical. As a fully functional virtual router, the vMX brings cloud-like agility to the network, allowing businesses to quickly roll out new applications, resources and initiatives to support internal and external clients. 

By virtualizing the company's flagship routing platform -- first introduced in 2006 and today powers most of the world's top 100 service providers -- Juniper brings the feature-set and proven history of performance and reliability of the MX to the cloud. The software-driven technology delivers the agility to scale up and scale out as quickly as customer business needs dictate. Customers can combine the vMX with Juniper's complete physical router portfolio delivering the tools service providers and enterprises need to maintain a common operations environment for both virtual and physical routers, while matching network investment with revenue growth. 

With the vMX, carrier-grade routing can be deployed in the time it takes to spin up a virtual machine, scaled elastically with virtual capacity, and if the need arises, migrated to the high-performance physical MX Series platforms for high-volume workloads. This provides customers with greater freedom to start small, experiment with new services, grow rapidly and stay profitable throughout the entire service lifecycle.