Skills Required To Excel In Cloud Computing

Large number of companies are deploying cloud-based services and promise to recruit relevant talent

Cloud computing is an important business tool in most IT services companies. A lot of organisations are either using their internal talent to deploy cloud-based activities or outsourcing the same to a third party – but either way these companies have started to realise the real need of implementing cloud-based services for different functions.

As a result of implementing cloud-based services, organisations are also going to face a sea change in the overall business performance. In fact, a large number of companies have been witnessing a change in their way of working over the past couple of years, after implement this tool.

Keeping this in mind, organisations are now concerned about hiring people with relevant skill sets to man their cloud computing services. They want specialists and not generalists to handle these services. While they are ready to hire people with a general know-how of cloud-based technologies, they expect these employees to come up to speed with advanced cloud-based technologies as soon as possible.

Besides the core technical skill sets required to service cloud computing, there are few other complementary skills that the companies are giving equal attention to – such as a thorough understanding of the business processes, ability to analyse business needs, project management skills, negotiation skills, application development skills, etc. According to industry experts organisations will continue to seek fresh talent with cloud computing skills over the next 5-10 years.

According to leading international tech website, the top 10 skills that companies are eyeing currently for cloud specialists are – Linux OS, SaaS Programming, Python, Perl, DevOps, and Ruby among others. These skills can be acquired in several ways. Existing set of employees can gain appropriate knowledge while working and also get cloud certifications from globally recognised institutes.

Having proper validation of cloud computing knowledge is critical for everyone who is involved in the cloud-based services. The reason why companies lay focus on cloud certification is because it allows them to measure an individual’s knowledge and skills against industry benchmarks.

Based on the validation, some of the roles which are most in demand are IT specialist, security specialist, process specialist, computer operators, etc. According to one of the experts featured in a Techgig.com webinar, since cloud adoption is still in a early phase, there are a lot of vacant positions in IT services companies and that it’s a good sign for all the job seekers. JobBuzz.com data indicates that Data Analyst is one of the highest paid profiles in the IT industry.

According to Techgig.com some of the current job openings across all experience levels are application developer, senior engineer– cloud services, cloud project manager, cloud and infrastructure architect, lead architect, cloud systems consultant, etc.

Studies done by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) suggest that the overall employment generation by the IT sector would increase from about 1.4 million in 2012 to about 4.1 million in 2022.

* Source: Techgig

Is Liquid Cooling The Best Solution For Computers?

Intel has a plan to take computers and completely submerge them in liquid to create the best cooling solution ever. 

Beyond a water-cooled heat sink, Intel and 3M (yes, the company that makes scotch tape) announced they've been working with SGI to create a completely liquid-based cooling system. The result is a system that completely immerses supercomputers in liquid to cool them more efficiently and cheaply. 

As a proof of concept, the companies have built and dropped a supercomputer powered by Intel Xenon chips into a tank of Novec, a dielectric, non-conductive liquid developed by 3M. While liquids and PCs don't usually mix, this solution didn't conduct electricity so the components continued to work as usual. The big advantage of such a liquid cooled system is fluids can pull heat away from processors and GPUs much more efficiently than air. Intel claims the technology has the potential to slash data center energy bills by 95%. 

Novec is already being used in fire suppressions systems but now Intel and SGI are experimenting with its capacity to cool computers. If everything works out Novec could be used to replace the system of fans and gallons of water currently used keep data centers chilled. 

Don't wet the server room

Of course, liquid cooling isn't without its drawbacks. 

One of the biggest challenges is designing new motherboards and servers to take the submersion. Companies also need to redesign rack-level interconnects since the Novec solution might affect the way light passes through optical connection cables. 

A liquid cooling solution also poses problems for regular maintenance as the system needs to completely drain out before an engineer can open it up and get to the components. 

It's hurdles like these that have prevented liquid submersion cooling from taking off outside of PC enthusiasts dunking their motherboards in mineral oil. It's unlikely completely liquid cooled PCs will show up at Best Buy anytime soon. 

But for IT solution companies, Novec could solve a big space problem for data centers, where there might not be enough room for efficient airflow in server rooms.

Source: Times of India

Now Watch Live Web TV News Channel From IndiaPost

IndiaPost Live, India's first live Web TV News Conversation channel has been launched today. This media initiative opens a new chapter of interactive video journalism through news conversations on a variety of topics. The focus and emphasis on comprehensive interactivity of the people sets a new landmark in the history of Indian media.

In the first phase, IndiaPost Live, livestreams four hours of original programming - 5 days a week - with highlights of past and popular shows during the period live streaming is off.

IndiaPost Live brings together diverse and multidimensional editorial resources ranging from professional editors and reporters to bloggers and social communities to individuals expressing their opinions through live video as well as through other modes of contribution and interaction such as recorded video, audio, pictures and text. Each of the topic being presented through live streaming will be open to participants across the globe who can join the conversations via webcams, smart phones and tablets using Skype, Google+ Hangouts and other means.

Thus news debate moves away from the conventional path and becomes conversation wherein everyone has a say in news and its commentary rather than a few dictating what is news and commentary. Through the platform of IndiaPost Live people would get an opportunity in the process of stating news in real time. Higher degree of interactivity within the show screen allows the viewer to click social sharing tools and dynamic links to the related content.

“IndiaPost Live will be integrating live, one-on-one and group dialogues and debates from the community. The news conversations are built around segments spotlighting happenings and ideas that generate maximum attention and involvement, especially from and in social media,”said B C Jojo, founder and CEO of IndiaPost Live.

IndiaPost Live operates out of state-of-art studios in NCR region of India's capital, New Delhi. This unique media initiative goes live at 11:30 hours on 31 March 2014 through www.indiapostlive.com. The IndiaPost Live team welcomes all of you to witness and participate in this path breaking initiative.

Cognizant & HTH Drive Innovation in Mobile Healthcare

Cognizant has announced that it is working with HTH Worldwide, a global technology-based health services and information company, to enable its members to maximize the use of mobile technology for managing healthcare needs more effectively while traveling abroad. As part of the engagement, Cognizant is helping HTH Worldwide transform its mobile footprint through an enterprise mobile platform to support the company’s rapidly growing business and further strengthen its leadership position in mobile medical assistance services.

Optimizing HTH Worldwide’s mobile applications such as mPassport and GeoBlue will enable members using these applications to more conveniently understand, access, and pay for the best available healthcare services in any corner of the world. HTH members use their smart phones today to consult destination-specific global health and safety information, locate doctors, emergency services, hospitals and pharmacies, schedule appointments, and translate medication names and medical terms and phrases. This enterprise solution will also allow HTH Worldwide to roll out new products quickly to meet their business and user demands all around the world with greater efficiency and agility.

“Innovation is the cornerstone of our mission to help travelers deal with medical questions quickly, efficiently, and safely,” said Angelo Masciantonio, Chief Executive Officer of HTH Worldwide. “As mobile devices become the gateway to understanding, finding, and accessing care, the convenience and reliability of an optimized mobile experience are what our members need to manage existing and unanticipated health conditions in faraway places where finding a doctor and explaining symptoms cannot be left to chance. In Cognizant, we have found a partner that understands our enterprise mobile strategy and has the capabilities to help us enable our members to make the most of their travel, no matter where they are.”

“We are pleased to be working with HTH Worldwide,” said Krish Venkat, President of Cognizant’s Healthcare and Life Sciences practice. “We look forward to leveraging our deep expertise in SMAC (social, mobile, analytics and cloud) technologies to help HTH Worldwide continue to transform how it delivers health services to its members across the globe and engages with them. With smartphones and tablets empowering users and fast transforming the delivery of care, assuring a cutting-edge mobile experience for world travelers will help HTH Worldwide unlock greater competitive advantage and raise the bar of customer engagement.”   

Entrepreneurs Can Now Dial Hotline For Tech Querries

Microsoft Ventures in India announced the launch of “JumpStart,” a hotline to provide startups and entrepreneurs with a resource to ask business and technical questions. Open during business hours Monday-Friday (9am to 5pm IST), a team of dedicated professionals will be available to answer questions at 1 (800) 200-2114, a toll free number across India.

“Microsoft Ventures supports startups at every stage of maturity by providing them with the tools, resources and expertise they need to succeed,” said Joseph Landes, General Manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism, Microsoft India. “Our experience has shown that a major pain point for startups across the ecosystem in India, irrespective of their stage of maturity, is the lack of real-time support for various critical queries they face. JumpStart fills a major gap and ensures that startups get professional advice that enables them to make smart business decisions,” said Landes.

JumpStart will be staffed by dedicated professionals who have been trained by Microsoft to answer business and technical queries. Microsoft will apply the learnings from these calls to fine tune the Microsoft Ventures program, including the India Accelerator, to make it more impactful for its recipients.

JumpStart is widely welcomed by the government and industry leaders throughout India.  Congratulating Microsoft, Srivatsa Krishna, IAS, Secretary, IT, Biotechnology, Science & Technology and Secretary, E-Governance, Government of Karnataka, who was present at the launch, said: “So many great ideas are born every day. While some are nurtured by the industry, many face a short lifespan because they go unnoticed and end up making wrong decisions due to lack of proper guidance or information. By availing this critical support through JumpStart, startups will have the opportunity to be heard and have access to informed decision-making support, a critical component in their journey. We are delighted that this service will also be available shortly through the Karnataka MobileOne Platform, our new mobile governance system.”

Explaining the importance of this service, Kattayil Rajinish Menon, Director, Microsoft Ventures in India, who is responsible for community and ecosystem engagement, said: “Sometimes answering even simple questions about how to get started or which service provider to contact can really help startups avoid delays and cost overruns. While JumpStart cannot promise the success of a startup’s business, it can definitely help by educating entrepreneurs how to get started quickly by providing information on the vast resources available today.”

Along with several startups, the event was attended by industry stalwarts, including Ravi Gururaj, Chair, Nasscom Product Council. Gururaj, who has been associated with Microsoft Ventures since its inception in India, said: “Product companies and startups are the next growth engines for the Indian industry and we at Nasscom are working on several initiatives to promote this sector. Microsoft Ventures has been a great supporter of our initiatives, and has partnered with us on several of them. I am very happy that Microsoft Ventures has identified this challenge that startups face, and taken concrete steps to address it, through JumpStart. It is an excellent initiative to get some support and start off quickly and efficiently. I urge everyone to take advantage of this facility.”

Now Buy Sony, Panasonic TVs From Flipkart

Flipkart Internet Pvt. Ltd, India’s leading e-commerce marketplace, today announced its entry into the large appliances segment with the launch of televisions. 

This category will initially be available to shoppers in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore – and will soon scale up to other cities. Some of the key brands available at launch are Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic, Philips, Toshiba and Videocon.

Customers can avail of options like Cash-on-Delivery, 30 day replacement policy and In-a-Day delivery guarantee. Also, specific to this category are a number of value-added services, to be made available over time:

·         Product exchange,

·         Scheduled Delivery

·         Exhaustive Buying Guide

Commenting on the development, Kalyan Krishnamurthy, SVP - Retail, Flipkart.com, said, "Large appliances is a huge market in the country. With this launch, we look forward to delighting customers with a large selection, competitive prices and an exceptional post-order service experience. We will be adding many more products & verticals in the coming months.”

MATLAB, Simulink Expo In Bangalore & Pune

MathWorks' premier annual conference will be hosted this year in Bangalore and Pune. The conference will bring together engineers, scientists and partners to exchange ideas and explore the latest product capabilities in MATLAB and Simulink. The EXPO features presentations by MathWorks technical experts and customers in India and an exclusive exhibition area showcasing cutting-edge demonstrations.

Jason Ghidella, Technical Marketing manager, MathWorks, will present the keynote address entitled ‘Directions in Technical Computing and Model-Based Design.' He will discuss how MATLAB and Simulink are equipping engineers and scientists to respond to challenges and opportunities arising out of mega technology trends such as big data, cloud and mobile computing, Internet of Things, low-cost programmable micro-processors, online education and more.

In addition, a MathWorks India customer will deliver a keynote address at the conference.