New Cloud Adoption Program for SMBs in India

Microsoft has rolled out a new cloud adoption program for small and medium businesses (SMBs) in India.  SMBs can now adopt value-added solutions and offerings supporting their specific requirements on the cloud through Microsoft ‘Cloud Solution Providers (CSP)’.  Cloud Solution Providers are partners who build solutions leveraging Microsoft cloud for SMBs across the country on a pay-as-you-go model.

This program enables SMBs to work with a CSP of their choice for various IT requirements. The CSP will own the complete customer life cycle, provide direct billing, offer combined and customized solutions, directly provision, as well as manage and support Microsoft cloud offerings for their customers.

The program will enhance value to SMBs and expand business opportunities for them and the CSPs.  It will allow CSPs to own the complete customer relationship – starting with understanding customer requirements, designing customized solutions and offers with Office 365, easy billing and support. SMBs will benefit from the subscription-based payment model that will ease their OpEx pressures. 

Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, Microsoft India, said, “Cloud adoption in India is growing in triple digit percentage year-on-year.  The new Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers will make SMBs more competitive with enterprise-grade technology and value-added services from Microsoft cloud.”

“Our partners in India work closely with SMBs and understand their specific requirements and challenges. Microsoft Cloud Solution Providers will make it easier for SMBs to adopt the cloud in a manner relevant, financially viable and most beneficial for their business”, said Meetul Patel, General Manager, SMS&P, Microsoft India.

Microsoft has launched the program with seven CSPs in India - GlobalOutlook, ZNetLive, Trimax IT Infrastructure and Services Limited, Sify Technologies, Emkor, Opto Telelinks Limited and XcellHost Cloud Services. Details of the service offerings currently available from these CSPs is appended.  This number is expected to grow over time with more partners becoming Cloud Solution Providers.

Satish Prasad Rath Named Chief for Xerox Healthcare Research Centre

 

Xerox has announced the appointment of Satish Prasad Rath, M.D., as Chief Innovation Manager for Healthcare Research, Xerox Innovation Group. He is based at the Xerox Research Centre India (XRCI), in Bangalore.   

Rath joins Xerox from Wipro Technologies where he was distinguished member of technical staff at the CTO office, overseeing healthcare research activities for the company’s point of care solutions and mobile health.

“Healthcare has been an important area of research for Xerox,” said Monica Beltrametti, chief services research officer at Xerox. “Dr. Rath’s background in healthcare consumer-facing technology will help strengthen our research and develop innovative solutions that improve people’s lives through better, more accessible and more affordable healthcare.”

At Wipro Technologies, Rath was responsible for research and development on solutions-based platforms mobile health, wearables, and other innovations in healthcare with a consumer centric approach. Prior to that, Rath was heading Intel’s Health Systems Research Group and a Sr. Research Scientist for Philips Research.

“This indeed is a great opportunity,” said Rath. “As we move towards better patient engagement and experience, my primary responsibility will be to help the Xerox Innovation Group expand research in consumer-centric healthcare and develop solutions that will simplify healthcare processes worldwide.”

Recently, Xerox invested in HealthSpot, Inc., a pioneer in patient- and provider-driven healthcare technology. The investment enables groundbreaking telehealth to be delivered to patients in convenient locations such as pharmacies or offices – offering patients convenient, timely access to doctors, specialists and prescriptions, nationwide.

Additionally, Xerox Research Centre India hired 10 aspiring scientists from the Indian Institutes of Technology for their “Budding Scientist” program – a two-year term position aimed at exposing a new generation of scientists to some of today’s challenging research problems and encouraging them to pursue a career in research.

New Patient Philips Monitors Now at Affordable Costs

Philips India has announced the launch of Efficia CM Series patient monitors in Bangalore, India, designed to provide clinicians with access to high-quality of care, despite budget limitations.  The monitors join Philips Efficia ECG100, an electrocardiogram (ECG) acquisition device, and Efficia DFM100, a defibrillator/monitor, both part of the Efficia portfolio, providing cost effective products for resource-limited - facilities. The solutions highlight the Philips commitment to enhance access and enable quality care across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment, recovery and home care, including in remote areas.

“Philips has pioneered the area of Critical Care solutions spanning decades.The quality and ruggedness has undoubtedly been the best in the industry”, said Sameer Garde- President, Philips Healthcare South Asia.

“The new platform is a high class, performance driven quality patient monitor and most importantly affordable. Customers will love the ease of use, simple user interface and low cost of maintenance” added Srikanth Muthya- Director, Patient Care and Monitoring Solutions, Philips Healthcare.

Making quality care affordable
Effective patient monitoring can help improve diagnosis and provide earlier intervention, which is not only critical for improving patient outcomes, but can also help hospitals improve operational efficiencies. The Efficia CM Series patient monitors provides the same physiological measurements and algorithms that are present in the Philips patient monitors that you know, but designed to be more cost-effective and scalable to the needs of budget-constrained health care facilities. The series, including Efficia CM10, Efficia CM12, Efficia CM100, Efficia CM120, Efficia CM150, can be customized for a variety of patient types, acuity level sand clinical settings, and comes with an intuitive user-interface to ease the burden on busy clinician workflow.

Providing remote yet timely intervention
Diagnosis in the early stages of cardiac-related illness can help slow the progression of disease, improve patient care and reduce healthcare costs. The Efficia ECG100acquisition device is a cost-effective cardiograph that measures and displays12-channel ECGs in both inpatient and outpatient settings.The portable product seamlessly functions with application-enabled Android smart phones and tablets, even without WiFi, allowing ECG technicians to quickly and remotely consult with off-site cardiologists and general practitioners.It also allows clinicians to access past ECGs, and email ECG reports to specialists. The device comes with the ability to store high-resolution PDFs, which can be printed on regular A4 paper, instead of the more costly thermal paper. The ability to share and analyze up-to-the-minute medical information with a specialist allows for earlier intervention, and expands access to care for patients in resource-constrained healthcare settings.

Providing critical care where it is needed most
To deliver quality care, clinicians need to make quick, informed decisions when responding to an emergency and caring for a patient across the entire course of treatment. The Efficia DFM100 defibrillator/monitor is designed to be easy to use for both basic and advanced life support care providers to meet the demands of patient care in pre-hospital and hospital environments effectively and consistently. Efficia DFM100 provides functionalities needed to enhance patient care, regardless of where they are located. It is also scalable to ensure affordability across all care settings.

Entries Open for Microsoft's YouthSpark Challenge for Change 2015

Microsoft India announced call for entries for its annual YouthSpark Challenge for Change, a global competition that encourages young people to consider how they can use Microsoft technology and YouthSpark resources to create positive social change in their communities.

Lowering the age limit for the first time to below 18, this  online contest is inviting entries from Indian youth aged 13-25 years to share their ideas for sparking change in their communities, schools, college campuses, or the world. In its third year now, Challenge for Change is a part of Microsoft YouthSpark, which is Microsoft's commitment to empower young people through technology and provide opportunities in education, employment, and entrepreneurship.

Submissions to Microsoft YouthSpark Challenge for Change will be accepted online, until March 25, 2015. There are two age divisions: 13-17 years, and 18-25 years. Thirty global finalists - 15 in each division, will receive a Surface Pro 3 with Office 365. Finalists will submit videos detailing their ideas, which will be shared for public voting. Ten grand prize winners, five in each division and selected by a public vote, will win $2,500 to help make their ideas a reality, a Windows Phone and the opportunity to go on an amazing service trip to Nicaragua to learn about creating change. Public voting will take place from May 7-14, and winners will be announced on May 27, 2015.

Last year, five YouthSpark Challenge for Change Grand Prize Winners sparked change in their communities and beyond and went on to the Amazon jungles for a volunteer trip. Among the 5 winners was 23 year old, Sathya Subramanian from Mangalore who’s project Digital Literacy Program earned him a spot among the top 5 winner globally.

Speaking on this win, Sathya Subramanian, Winner, Microsoft YouthSpark Challenge for Change Contest 2014, said, “I basically want to create an impact within the community of underprivileged or people who are beyond the reach of technology, and teach them to use computers, and give them access to the Internet and make sure they make the best use of it. In India, an average of somewhere around 70 percent of the people do have a cell phone, they do have a smart phone, they use it, but the thing is, they don't know how to use it for their betterment like education or self-improvement, or to get something out of it just apart from a phone call or listening to music. So that's the thing which we are trying to impart.”

VMware'a Evorail Enables Faster Software-Defined Data Centre for Indian Market

VMware, Inc. a global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced the availability of VMware EVO:RAIL for the Indian market through its Qualified EVO:RAIL Partners. VMware EVO:RAIL is a hyper-converged infrastructure appliance that helps IT organizations streamline the deployment and scale-out of software-defined IT infrastructure at the speed of business.

Dell, EMC and HP today also announced the availability of their VMware EVO:RAIL based offerings for India. Fujitsu, Hitachi Data Systems and NetApp have also partnered with VMware for EVO:RAIL and will make their respective appliances available over time. VMware EVO:RAIL will be offered by these partners’ channel as a single SKU covering hardware, software, and support and services costs, with single point-of-contact support being offered by the Qualified EVO:RAIL Partners.

IT organizations today are being challenged to provide services faster than ever while reducing the complexity and costs of their environments. VMware EVO:RAIL will dramatically simplify the delivery of software-defined infrastructure services while lowering operating expenses. Featuring a pre-integrated and pre-tested 100 percent VMware software stack, VMware EVO:RAIL will enable IT to produce virtual machines within minutes of powering on the appliance, thereby responding faster to business demands, simplifying infrastructure administration and reducing operating costs.

As organizations migrate from inefficient legacy systems, the complexities associated with building virtual infrastructure is fueling a 33 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the integrated systems market, which IDC estimates will grow from $5.4 billion in 2013 to $14.3 billion by 2017. Hyper-converged systems are the next phase of the converged infrastructure evolution, aimed to help midsize businesses that require flexible, open architecture to simplify IT operations and transform the speed and efficiency of application service delivery.

“VMware and its Qualified EVO:RAIL Partners are bringing the simplicity of consumer appliances to the world of enterprise infrastructure. VMware EVO:RAIL is a new building block for software-defined data center environments that takes the guesswork out of building, deploying, scaling and managing software-defined infrastructure services,” said Arun Parameswaran, managing director, VMware India. “Our customers and partners in India have been very excited about the immediate value VMware EVO:RAIL offers them,” he added.

PM Narendra Modi Honours Nasscom's Founding Members

In a significant endorsement to the Indian IT-BPM industry’s glorious journey over the past two decades, Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi today joined the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in its ceremony marking the silver jubilee celebrations of the industry. Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of State for Finance Jayant Sinha, also joined the occasion along with IT-BPM industry stalwarts to envision the future of the industry and maximize its contribution to the growth of the Indian economy.

NASSCOM SPECIAL AWARDS • Awards to NASSCOM founding members – Harish Mehta, Ashank Desai, KV Ramani, Saurabh Srivastava • Game Changers – N Vittal, Former Secretary- IT, Chief Vigilance Commissioner, Late Sh. Dewang Mehta • Leading IT Company for 25 years – Tata Consultancy Services • Entrepreneur who shaped the industry – N R Narayana Murthy • Corporate Citizen – Azim Premji • NextGen Entrepreneurs - Naveen Tiwari (InMobi), Kunal Bahl (Snapdeal), Ambiga Dhiraj & Vijay Shekhar Sharma (One97 Communications) On the occasion, Prime Minister also facilitated NASSCOM’s founding members and select individuals for their outstanding contribution in shaping NASSCOM and the industry over the past 25 years. The event was marked by in-depth insights of industry leaders with Ravishankar Prasad and Jayant Sinha on the Union Budget 2015 highlighting the growth opportunities for the industry while discussing suggestions for implementation of policy matters, concerns on proposed provisions and issues to be addressed.

To mark the completion of 25 years and engage the citizens of the country to build solutions for India’s challenges, NASSCOM launched the “The Innovate for India Challenge”. The initiative aims to enable India to become a country with the highest number of innovative ideas for the common people. The challenge will catalyze innovation, inspire the youth and help communicate the right solutions that will be channelized for adoption by government and corporate.

Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “The IT industry in India has come a long way and NASSCOM has been at the core of this journey. According to me NASSCOM isn’t just an organisation but a revolution, and I congratulate NASSCOM and the industry in playing a vital role in making India a technology powerhouse. However, times are constantly changing, and as we look ahead at the next 25 years, we all recognize that the future will be very different. Far reaching impacts of technology, the digital native workforce, the changing customer expectations, the burgeoning start-up revolution, will all ensure that the next technological revolutionary product will emerge from India. I am sure NASSCOM and the IT Industry will continue to spearhead this movement.”

Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “It is truly a momentous occasion for NASSCOM and I am honoured to join the Prime Minister to celebrate its successful journey over the last 25 years of NASSCOM. The IT-BPM sector and NASSCOM have played a vital role in creating a phenomenal impact on the Indian economy by evangelizing the aspiration of the youth in the country, demonstrating India’s intellectual ability and entrepreneurship capability globally. I am positive that with NASSCOM’s continued guidance and Industry’s contribution towards government initiatives like Digital India, Make in India and Skill India, we will successfully build a renewed ‘Brand India’ and take the industry to greater heights.”

This initiative by NASSCOM and the government will leverage innovation on a large scale and enable technology innovations to address India’s untapped potential. The expansive vision that the government has chalked out, be it Make in India, Digital India, 100 Smart Cities, Skilling India, Digital literacy, Jan Dhan Yojna and the likes, all have IT at the core. The advancement in technology will continue to bind India’s future and achieve audacious goals to change the world for the better. This is an opportune moment for the industry to work collaboratively with the government and assist in nation-building towards realizing the digital India dream.

Demand Growing Rapidly for Kronos Management Solutions in India

 Illustrating increasing demand for its workforce management solutions in India, Kronos Incorporated today announced strong growth in India across its targeted vertical markets such as retail, manufacturing, and services and distribution.

 James Thomas, country manager, India, Kronos says, "Kronos experienced exceptional growth in India over the past 12 months. Kronos is firmly committed to continuing expansion of our operations in India. We have a strong local team backed by a global network of Kronos resources; a growing customer base; and a proven workforce management solution that helps organizations control labour costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity. Our opportunity for growth in India has never been greater, particularly in the Kronos Cloud.”

News Facts

* Kronos experienced a 50 percent year-over-year revenue growth in India as more organizations turn to Kronos to control labour costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity.

*  Leading India-based organizations such as Firstsource Solutions, a leading provider of business process outsourcing headquartered in Mumbai; leading automobile manufacturer Mahindra; and SAB Miller India recently selected Kronos workforce management solutions, some of which are deployed in the Kronos Cloud.

* In addition to customer momentum, Kronos is also expanding its partner network by establishing relationships with organizations such as Bluetree and Tech Mahindra, adding to existing relationships with other leading systems integrators in India.

* Kronos currently has more than 500 employees in India located in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Noida (a suburb of Delhi). In March, Kronos will relocate its Noida operation to a new 93,000 square-foot space in the Okaya BlueSilicon Business Park to support its growing software development, Kronos Cloud, professional services, finance, and information technology functions.