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HDS solutions help organizations deploy low risk cloud

In order to help customers tap storage resources in the cloud, Hitachi Data Systems has announced the Hitachi Cloud Service for Private File Tiering. The first in the cloud Services suite, the offering will enable enterprise customers to move legacy or lower value file data into a cloud storage environment and pay only for what they consume.

In partnership with Digi-Data Corporation, Hitachi is also offering a public online cloud storage solution that provides a complete services menu for telecommunications, service providers and system integrators to deliver public cloud storage-as-as-service offerings to consumers and SMBs.

The Hitachi Cloud Service for Private File Tiering will integrate HDS' hardware, software and services and will help organisations reduce costs, simplify management and improve the efficiency and utilization of their primary NAS environments by moving legacy or lower file data to a private cloud located within the customer’s firewall. This in turn would also help them to lower TCO of their NAS environment by at least 25 percent.

HCL Infosystems forays into the Gamers Zone

Aiming to reach out to the children of the age group of 4 to 15 years with special gaming content, HCL Infosystems has announced its entry into the gaming market, rich with unique brain-train features. This interactive gaming experience has been designed to enable affordable mass gaming, backed with interactive content to sharpen the analytical skills and intelligence quotient. George Paul, Executive Vice-President, HCL Infosystems, said, "Today with the rapidly transforming competitive environment, it is important that newer interactive ways through technology innovation is devised to reach out to the next generation early. We are committed to introduce innovative models for interactive content delivery and we believe gaming is one such way to bring the days of Crosswords & Sudoku back on a gadget that is appealing to especially children in the period of education foundation. With gaming gaining popularity amongst the children and teenagers, we think affordable gaming devices backed by rich educative content can be the answer to engage them with games that tests and challenges their analytical abilities." HCL ME Gaming will offer "an absolute value-for-money" gaming devices, even converged with multimedia options like imaging, recording along with various education and entertainment features. The gaming consoles will be available at various game retailers and HCL ME Exclusive stores. The Gaming devices will be built on green technology and the products will 100% recyclable, compliant to globally recognized ROHS and CE standard. With the best-assorted skill development games, the HCL ME gaming devices will be available at a highly affordable price in the contemporary Indian market.

Trend Micro reports Internet to be the most used infection vector in India

Data collected by TrendLabs from April to June shows the Internet is the number one channel in India through which malware arrived. This is followed by removable/physical devices and email. Similar to the past quarter, cybercriminals take advantage of software vulnerabilities, current events and the popularity of social media sites to proliferate their malicious deeds. FAKEAV and blackhat SEO has also made headlines this Q2.

The report also mentions that the much-awaited sports event, FIFA World Cup, was also a hot topic abused by cybercriminals. Spammed messages that promise a prize or informing users that they won a certain lottery were seen. FIFA and the Gaza attack were also employed in Twitter-related attacks that lead to the download of malware.

Old technique like phishing is still being used to steal personal information. As usual, cybercriminals also leveraged on software vulnerabilities: Adobe Reader (TIFF file), Skype component - EasyBits Extras Manager, Microsoft Windows Help Centre, and Adobe Flash Player to lead users to a series of malware infection.

"Since most of the cyber attacks come from the Net, a team working 24/7 for critical data is essential," explained Amit Nath, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Trend Micro. "Phishing is still active in the marketplace, which means old methods never die, they are just get updated."

ABACUS unveils New Graphics Cards

To provide the best performance and economical enthusiast level graphic card, Abacus Peripherals has launched SPARKLE GeForce GTX 460 Series Graphics Cards. It brings a new level of DirectX 11 performance to mainstream PC enthusiasts and gamers around the world.

With this new Graphics Card, Abacus Peripherals wants to give consumers the keys to the new GF104 architecture. The GeForce GTX460 Series - SXX460768D5NM - would be priced at Rs.13,500/-. This card is available at all IT stores across India.

The Graphics Card comes with three free applications bundled. It adopts the Fermi architecture, which implements all DirectX 11 hardware features, including tessellation and Direct Compute. Fermi brings forward a vastly improved compute architecture designed specifically to support next-generation gaming effects such as ray tracing, order-independent transparency, and fluid simulations.

The GF104 supports recursion in hardware, enabling efficient ray tracing and a host of other graphics algorithms. GF104 excels not just at standard ray tracing, but also at advanced global illumination algorithms such as path tracing, which uses a much larger number of rays to collect ambient lighting information from the scene. It also supports gaming across three non-3D displays with resolutions up to 2560x1600,it's the best in Class 2D Surround Gaming.

Pitney Bowes showcases at Office Asia 2010

Pitney Bowes India will be demonstrating its innovative products and technological solutions at Office Asia 2010. The exhibition will showcase new and advanced products that supplement the office automation space and help companies get an increase RoI on investment. H. Sivaramakrishnan Director - Marketing, Pitney Bowes India, said, "We are delighted to participate in Office Asia 2010 and are focussing to tap the southern market. We believe Office Asia 2010 is one of the best trade venues for showcasing our office mailing products to SMEs and corporate and also interact with business realtors under one roof. The event provides us a great platform to reach out to our target audience and to educate them about Pitney Bowes products and solutions." Pitney Bowes will also be demonstrating a truly integrated end-to-end print and mail offering at the Office Asia. Its portfolio will cover every aspect of the office automation from maintaining data-quality and integrity, to printing, inserting, sorting, tax evidencing and providing security solutions.

Brother International unveils Colour LED Printers and MFDs

Brother International (India) has unveiled a new range of Colour LED Printers and Multi Function Devices in India. Brother extends the colour printers and MFCs range, with the launch of four new compact and high-speed LED products, comprising of two all-in-ones (DCP-9010CN, MFC-9120CN) and two printers (HL-3040CN, HL-3070CW). For the first time, Brother provides small to medium businesses with a range of specially developed LED colour printers and MFCs.

"The key features of our new compact colour range are made possible by LED technology. The launch of this series positions Brother as the first manufacturer to have developed in-house printers and Multi-Function Centres across all major printing technologies - Thermal, Laser, Inkjet and LED," said Toshiyuki Takamure, Managing Director, Brother International India.

The new colour compact LED series also offers 250-sheet paper tray for less frequent paper refilling, wireless network and LAN network capabilities for multiple user's usage as well as a range of connectivity options for enhanced time management.

The MFCs additionally offer print, fax, copy and scan functions in one machine with the unique scan to FTP and network features to reduce the amount of paper filing and easier document management for today’s offices. Alternatively, users can also scan to and even print directly from USB thumb drive.

ASUS unveils Its Latest Graphics Cards

As the newest addition to NVIDIA's GeForce 400 Series, ASUS has unveiled ASUS ENGTX460 graphics cards. It also delivers technology that goes further than base reference requirements such as DirectCU thermal design, Voltage Tweak overvolting and endurance features GPU Guard, EMI Shield and Fuse Protection.

On top of cool overclocking capabilities, ASUS ENGTX460 graphics cards are optimized for native performance in Windows 7, delivering graphics to showcase DirectX11 done right, plus full 3D Vision Surround, PhysX and CUDA support.

Vinay Shetty, Country Head - Component Business, ASUS (India), said, "The ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP lineup goes further than reference solutions with a focus on quality, reliability and performance. These facets are driven through performance-enhancing features like DirectCU thermal design, Voltage Tweak overvolting and reliability features like GPU Guard, EMI Shield and Fuse Protection. These innovative features ensure enhanced performance and superb overclocking ability."

With the ASUS-designed ENGTX460 DirectCU cards, users make the most of DirectCU copper cooling. The graphics cards enable extreme overclocking. This offers opportunities for enthusiasts and anyone intent on more hardcore applications to tap their full, powerful potential. ASUS ENGTX460 cards arrive bundled with overclocking and overvolting utility Voltage Tweak, allowing adjustment of voltages to the GPU, video memory and board circuitry.

The all-new ASUS ENGTX460 DirectCU TOP/2DI/768MD5 delivers spectrum of features, better performance and true Windows 7 optimization. The graphics cards are available at a price of Rs.18,450/- (excluding taxes) and warranty period up to 3 years Limited Local Warranty.

Seagate announces Momentus XT SSDs in India

Seagate is shipping its technology-leading Momentus XT, which is said to be the world's fastest 2.5-inch laptop PC hard drive to distribution channels, VARs and system builders in India. Combining SSD-like performance with the massive capacity and much lower cost of HDDs, the Momentus XT drive features Adaptive Memory. The Momentus XT solid state hybrid drive boots up to 100 per cent faster than traditional 5,400RPM drives, the mainstream spin speed for laptop PCs and sets new benchmarks for real-world system performance for laptops and gaming systems.

Rajesh Khurana, Seagate Country Manager for India and SAARC, said, "We see the Momentus XT drive as a game changer, a product heralding a new generation of hard drives that combine SSD and HDD capabilities so that laptop users don’t have to make trade-offs on speed, cost or capacity. The feedback we have received from customers, industry experts and early reviews worldwide have been overwhelmingly positive, and Seagate will continue to drive innovation that provides more value and a better computing experience to consumers."

The Momentus XT drive is a best-of-both-worlds solution that combines a 7,200RPM spin speed, 4GB of solid-state memory and Seagate's Adaptive Memory technology to deliver unprecedented hard drive performance. The drive installs as easily as a traditional 9.5mm-high notebook drive for new systems or laptop upgrades and, unlike early hybrid drives, operates independently of the operating system and the motherboard chipset.

EIITF: Simply A Runway Success in the City of Joy

The first Eastern India Information technology Fair (EIITF) - 2010 was organized on 23rd July, 2010 at Hotel The Park , Kolkata. It was graced by eminent personalities likeDr. Debesh Das, Minister In-charge, DIT & Environment, Government of West Bengal; Mr Siddharth, IAS, Principal Secretary, IT & Biotechnology, Government of West Bengal; Dr. G. D. Gautama, IAS, Principal Secretary, Department of Power & Non-Conventional Energy Sources, Government of West Bengal; Dr. N. Vijayaditya, CCA, Ministry of Information Technology, DIT, Government of India; Mr Manjit Nayak, Joint Director, STPI, Kolkata; Mr Ashwani Jain, Executive Director, PGCIL, Ministry of Power, Government of India; Mr J. P. Singh, Executive Director, RailTel, Ministry of Railways, Government of India; Mr Arindam Dutta, Member, Standing Advisory Committee, (NIRJAFT) ICAR, Calcutta; Mr Alok Garodia, President, COMPASS; Mr Shri Pawan Jajodia, Vice-President, Confederation of West Bengal Trade Associations; and Mr Asoke K. Laha, President & Managing Director, Interra IT; as well as IT heads of various departments of the Government of West Bengal, PSUs, senior officials of DIT, Government of India and industry associations.

West Bengal turned out to be the perfect venue for EIITF - 2010, where an attempt was made to understand the IT corporates and vendors to enable their mechanism to create custom-built solutions in a cost-effective manner.

The theme of EIITF - 2010 was: "Innovations in IT for a Shining Bengal". The event started with the lightning of the ceremonial lamp. In his welcome address, Mr Deepak Kumar Sahu, Publisher, VARIndia, spoke about VARIndia and the potential of Asia. Asia has emerged as a global economic powerhouse from the recent worldwide financial crisis and no one can doubt that Asia's economic performance will continue to grow in importance in the years to come. India offers vast scope for WiMAX/BWA and penetration of broadband.

Dr. Debesh Das appreciated the efforts of VARIndia for organizing this IT Fair and providing a unique platform for IT companies to interact with each other and initiate a dialogue to improve the prospects of IT in the State. Speaking about the opportunities in West Bengal in IT and telecommunication sector, he said, "A lot of new companies are setting up facilities in West Bengal and the existing ones are on an expansion mode. We expect that about 2,50,000 jobs will be added this year." He added, "West Bengal has received considerably high capital investment compared to other states, and highest ever in the state."

Addressing the audience, Dr. G. D. Gautama said, "West Bengal has come along way in becoming one of the most attractive destinations as far as investment is concerned. Today, West Bengal can boast of having many of the major IT companies of the countries having their facilities in the state."

Shri Siddharth stressed on the latest happenings under his leadership. Speaking about the strides made by West Bengal, Shri Siddharth said, "The IT sector in the state of West Bengal is expanding in a big way with the addition of new companies in the state. Many SMEs are coming very aggressively by complementing for the large sector organizations into ERP, video conferencing solutions, BPO, KPO, Software development and open-source development techniques."

In his address to the audience, Shri Arindam Dutta stressed about the role of start-ups in creating a dynamic eco-system. Addressing the audience, Mr N. Vijayaditya, said, "Information technology is a befitting answer to most of the issues that the country is faced with at present. The growth of India can be achieved if we are able to offer employment to the youth."

Presenting an overview of the projects being implemented by PGCIL in the telecom segment, Mr M. M. Baidya, General Manager, PGCIL, said, "PGCIL has been actively introducing IT and telecommunication through their OPW Networks in existing power networks throughout the country and has implemented projects for many states."

Mr Alok Garodia, President, COMPASS, said, "The Computer Association of Eastern India, popularly known as COMPASS, has been a facilitator and catalyst working closely with government on policy issues, enhancing efficiency, competitiveness and expanding business opportunities through assorted services and how they are helping vendors and corporates for the growth and mutual benefits."

The purpose of attracting IT vendors community to address the audience on their focus on the West Bengal market was successfully achieved as the major IT giants like Cisco, HP, Iomega, and Trend Micro spoke about how their companies are geared to face the challenges in the technology and innovations.

The initiative of VARIndia for holding EIITF was well received by the big corporates, PSUs like PGCIL, RailTel, STPI, WEBEL and BSNL, and it was hoped that it will become an annual feature. The event instilled a lot of confidence in the business community for promoting business in West Bengal. Last but not the least, EIITF provided an opportunity to entrepreneurs, VARs, SIs, corporates, resellers and government officials to interact with each other.

While concluding, Mr Deepak Kumar Sahu, Publisher & CMD, Kalinga Digital Media Pvt. Ltd., proposed a hearty vote of thanks to the assemblage.

VARIndia IT Forum Ends Optimistically

he much awaited VARIndia IT Forum ended on an optimistic note in New Delhi with much fanfare, attracting a gathering of leading figures from Government, PSUs and representatives from IT industry. VARIndia IT Forum provided an excellent opportunity for the fraternity in India to witness some of the thought-provoking deliberations by various stakeholders.

Though the topic was this year's event is “Building a collaborative platform for Government, institutions and Pan India SME business opportunities”, the guests listened to the core issue - Broadband Connectivity to Rural India - discussed by the panellists and the resource persons.

VARIndia IT Forum - 2010, a unique platform to understand and evaluate government and private Partnerships towards making e-Governance projects successful across the country, was opened by the lighting of the auspicious lamp by Chief Guest Shri Subodh Kumar, IAS, Additional Secretary, Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.

In his inaugural speech, Shri Subodh Kumar said, "Wireless Broadband is paving the country to the next level of development. The enormous scope and horizon that it is opening for a country like India is indeed commendable. Rural India connectivity, which is a burning issue, is soon getting addressed. Looking into the huge opportunities that it is throwing up to the different sectors of the country, it is going to spread really fast."

The forum which happened to be the eighth in a row and spanned a whole day was kick-started with Mr. Deepak Sahu, Managing Director and Publisher, Kalinga Digital Media Pvt. Ltd, delivering the welcome address to the guests and delegates.

In his keynote address, Mr. Savitur Prasad, IAS, Secretary IT - Government of Delhi, presented a strong case for the IT initiatives taken by the Delhi Government. "Delhi Government has established India's first Government Radio Network (GNR), providing state of the art Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) communication system to the government agencies, participating in hosting of Common Wealth Games in Delhi."

In the first session of VARIndia IT Forum, the audience proved to be engrossing listeners as stakeholders from government, PSUs and IT Corportaes shared their ideas, experiences, strategies, cutting edge research acquired in their respective areas.

Laying stress on PGCIL's telecom business, Mr. Atanu Dasgupta, General Manager, PGCIL, said," The telecom revolution that had taken the country by storm a fews years back, still continues today. The new thrust on spreading broadband to the rural areas is also going to change the landscape of the country. The 3G auctioning that the Govt. is facilitating in the country will also open new avenues to the telecom service providers and also encourage new players to enter the market."

In his presentation that enthralled the audience, Mr. Ashish Sanyal - Sr. Director - Department of IT, Ministry of Information Technology, said, " The important role that ICT is playing in executing the crucial e-governance projects in the country has proven to improve the reach, enhance the base and minimize the processing costs. The ICT is being increasingly used by the governments to deliver its services at the locations convenient to the citizens."

The panel discussion, the most-awaited and exciting of the IT Forum , witnessed some of the best minds of the industry and the Government together in one stage. The esteemed panel comprised of Mr. Asoke K. Laha, MD, Interra Information technology, MR, Mr. Savitur Prasad, IAS, Secretary IT - Government of Delhi, Mr. Atanu Dasgupta, General manager, PGCIL, Mr. Vipin tyagi, Director, C-Dot, N K Goyal, President, CMAI, Mr. J. P. Garg, Principal Advisor, Nokia Siemens Networks, Mr. R. K. Bahuguna, Director, network Planning marketing – RAIL TEL Corporation of India, S.S. Mathur, GM-IT, CRIS,

The VARIndia IT Forum witnessed the presence of delegates from Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Government of India. RailTel, TCIL, BSNL, C-DOT, CRIS and other PSUs who spoke about their IT roadmap & policy framework, resources, on going projects and bottlenecks.

The forum also attracted representatives from IT companies who gave presentations on their competencies and advantages as to how they could be the preferred partners in various Government Projects.

The VARIndia IT Forum also witnessed some award-giving ceremony. The awards which were given away were in two categories: The Brand of Excellence and the Most Trusted Company. In the category of Most Trusted Company, vendors including Canon, Smartlink,, LG, SAP, Intel, Cisco and HP won the awards, whereas in the Brand of Excellence category vendors Iomega, NetApp, Microsoft, IBM, Check point, Dell and Blue Coat systems received the awards.