10,000 Microsoft Partners Will Help Move To Cloud

SMBs in India will now be able to purchase Microsoft Azure cloud platform from their local IT partner.  Microsoft has made this possible by making Azure available in the open licensing catalogue for India.  SMBs in India rely on products available with their local IT partner in open licensing catalogue to fulfil their IT needs.  With the inclusion of Azure, SMBs will now be able to procure their entire IT portfolio from a single Microsoft partner of their choice. 

 Cloud is a great way for SMBs to enhance their business efficiency with minimal expenditure on IT.  Microsoft makes available the most comprehensive portfolio of enterprise-grade cloud services preparing them to compete with the best across the world.  Office 365 is already available in the open catalogue.  With the addition of Azure, SMBs will be able to quickly build and deploy applications at reduced costs with flexible monetary terms and achieve faster return on investment.   

 Earlier customers could purchase Azure either directly from www.azure.microsoft.com or as part of an Enterprise Agreement (EA) with Microsoft.  While these options would continue, SMBs are likely to leverage their existing partners to procure Azure.

“Over the years, our customers have been able to adopt and benefit from new technologies though the support of our 10,000 strong partner network. By making Azure available through local partners, we are further helping India’s SMBs secure the great benefits of cloud computing”, said Meetul Patel, General Manager, Small and Midmarket Solutions & Partners, India. 

“Availability of Microsoft Azure through the partner channel will bring cloud services to lakhs of SMBs in India.  It will also help partners scale to a higher engagement with these customers.” said Nagaraj, Executive Director, Quadra Systems, a Microsoft partner based out of Bangalore, Karnataka. 

“Azure will make our cloud portfolio comprehensive and help make our customers more efficient.  It will allow us to work closely with them to solve their business challenges.” said, Kothandaraman R., MD, Katpro Technologies, a Microsoft partner based out of Bangalore, Karnataka.   

Microsoft is continuing to enable SMB customers and partners to embrace cloud as the preferred mode for deployment of IT.  Azure further incentivizes partners to ‘do more’ for SMBs. It will help them deepen the engagement with customers in identifying and supporting IT usage through Azure.  Partners will also be able to strengthen their revenue stream while working closely with customers.  

Nike & Juniper To Build Data Centre Cloud Network

Juniper Networks. a leading player in network innovation, has announced that NIKE, Inc., the global leader in athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories, has agreed to work with Juniper to co-create a new highly scalable next-generation data centre cloud and retail network infrastructure.

As part of its ongoing work to meet the changing needs of its business and customers globally, NIKE intends to deploy key components of Juniper Networks MetaFabric architecture to support current and future business goals. Additionally, MetaFabric will serve as the basis for virtualizing multiple NIKE data centers around the world.

 Through the open standards-based architecture of MetaFabric, comprised of proven routing, switching, security, management and orchestration solutions, NIKE can expect to realize improved application performance across the company as well as advanced network orchestration via automation and data analytics. 

 Juniper Networks will work with NIKE to provide:

* A carrier-class, ultra-scalable, secure network architecture, providing a foundation upon which to virtualize multiple NIKE data centers globally.

* Advanced orchestration via automation, management and data analytics across all domains

* Co-creation on future developments for NIKE’s network

BJP Adopts SAP Tech to Listen, Understand and Engage with Indian Citizens

In order to deliver the government’s vision of transforming India into a superpower by empowering, connecting and binding Indian citizens, Dr Arvind Gupta - National Head - Information and Technology, Bharatiya Janata Party elaborated the need to focus on leveraging Information Technology to build Smarter Cities in India. Dr. Gupta emphasized his views during an address on Urban Matters at the SAP Forum for Public Services in New Delhi, August 13, 2014. 

 The recently concluded General Elections 2014 was a clear example of how India’s leading political party and the winner, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leveraged SAP Social Media Analytics to help uncover and extract emotions, behaviors and sentiments of Indian citizens to gain insights and engage with the citizens for their successful campaign.  

 “Today, citizens want effective delivery of services, improved governance and transparency in the functioning of big, complex and constantly changing cities,” said Dr Arvind Gupta - National Head - Information and Technology, Bharatiya Janata Party “To ensure better government-citizen connect and community collaboration BJP is working towards building a “Digital India” where innovation, research and technology will play a major role.”

BJP has started a social media campaign where volunteers and citizens can collaborate and contribute. This unique platform was also leveraged during the General Election 2014 for aggregating the top news and political content across the web every day. Dr. Gupta also believes that the power of real time analytics can bring the required transformation in handling a range of urban issues from Smart Utilities and Traffic Management. 

 “Challenged by rapid urbanization and rising population density, Indian cities need new models for sustainable growth, risk mitigation, resource management and financial restraint,” said Mathew Thomas, Vice President – Strategic Industries, SAP India. “Our government’s vision echoes SAP's interest in helping build a strong foundation for inclusive, effective and transparent government.” he added.    

Kotak Stock Trader Now On Windows For Mobile Phones

Kotak Securities announces the launch of its mobile stock trading application - Kotak Stock Trader (KST) on the Windows mobile platform. This is in an addition to the app already available on other operating systems like IOS, BB, Android and J2ME applications. KST enables Windows mobile phone users to place trades, check portfolio and account details, stream market updates on the go, amongst several other features. KST mobile app is free to download.

B Gopkumar, Executive Vice President & Head Broking, Kotak Securities said, “We are delighted to launch KST mobile trading app on the Windows platform. This is yet another endeavour to delight our customers with best in class products and services. KST for Windows is designed for a seamless anytime anywhere trading experience just as it is available on other mobile platforms.”

Non-customers too can get streaming data, access quotes, view charts and watchlists. Kotak Securities has over 1.5 lakh customers who use KST mobile trading app, of which 40% are guest users

Salient Features:

 * Only Kotak Securities offers a guest login for non-customers. Kotak App’s guest version allows non-Kotak Securities’ customers to register and use the app to gather real-time information on markets. However, to make a trade or place an order, one has to open an account with Kotak Securities

* The app provides real time Streaming Quotes.

* Trades placed through the Mobile App can be viewed, modified or cancelled through other trading platforms offered by Kotak Securities (KEATPro X, Website, Xtralite, Call-and-Trade) and vice-versa

* Double Security feature while executing transaction  

Bhopal’s Deployment of Project CityApp a Milestone for SAP

SAP SE today announced that India’s Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), with a vision to improve quality of life through better administration and citizen services, has implemented solutions from SAP to automate and centralize public service offerings. Available in Hindi, the solutions will help BMC manage and streamline day-to-day functions, including issuing marriage certificates, birth and death registrations, city infrastructure development and open space management, including roads, parking, traffic signals, community halls and schools. The solutions will also streamline permits, health services, water supply, lake conservation and tax collection, among other services. Bhopal’s project is a milestone for the SAP Urban Matters program, premised on the idea that improving livability, simplifying government and nurturing local economies are key foundations for a city’s long-term success. The announcement was made at the SAP Forum Delhi, being held on August 13 in Delhi, India.

 “Our vision is to make our services accessible to every citizen in the language they speak and understand,” said Tejaswi Naik, Commissioner, Bhopal Municipal Corporation. “With the adoption of this technology, we are quickly transforming into one of India’s first Municipal Corporations to formulate, promote and leverage technology at a grassroots level for the benefit of citizens in general and, specifically, the underprivileged.” 

 In a first for SAP in the wider Asia-Pacific region, BMC plans to deliver citizen services through project “CityApp.” Project “CityApp” aims to develop an SAP mobile app that will provide an easy access point for city services and will help citizens navigate through city services, stay informed and engage with their neighbors. Envisioned to be available on multiple leading mobile platforms, project “CityApp” is intended to simplify citizens’ day-to-day interaction with the corporation on the mobile platform of their choice.

 “This is an exciting time for India and the wider region,” said Vivek Puthucode, vice president, Public Services in Asia Pacific Japan, SAP. “From transportation to healthcare, innovations in technology and citizen engagement are poised to transform our cities and improve lives.”

 With many new challenges facing urban areas today, the SAP Urban Matters initiative helps governments at all levels improve the lives of people by delivering smarter, more effective services. The program addresses and supports the fundamentals of good government by empowering public officials to be more productive, increasing community engagement and openness, driving innovation around government service delivery and improving urban resilience to help public safety and security. 

 “Across India, local governments are turning to innovative technologies to help them address the challenges of urbanization as well as rising citizen expectations for smarter economies and sustainable growth,” said Mathew Thomas, vice president, Strategic Industries in India, SAP. “We aim to help local governing bodies like BMC to accelerate innovation and connect directly with people and communities to deliver efficient governance.” 

 Implemented in partnership with Deloitte, the solutions portfolio chosen by BMC includes the SAP ERP application, the SAP Enterprise Portal component, SAP for Public Sector solutions and SAP Mobile Platform. The software will provide BMC the right mix of technology solutions needed to automate and centralize end-to-end public service offerings in the city and achieve seamless integration of their citizen-facing services and back-office functions.