HCL Technologies said it has bagged a long-term deal worth about $200 million from UK-based insurance firm Equitable Life Assurance Society.
“The contract is ‘evergreen,’ it is for a period of 30 years. The revenue from the deal will come (mostly) in the first five to six years and decline gradually as policies decline,” HCL Technologies’ senior vice-president Stuart Drew said.
The deal has been awarded to HCL Insurance Business Services, the IT firm’s UK-based life and pensions administration business.
Currently, about 340 people are servicing the account. “We expect about 100 people will be taken in by Equitable Life, rendering about 240 people surplus. They will be relieved under suitable schemes,” Equitable Life Chief Executive Chris Wiscarson said.
“HCL will take care of the work of these 240 employees, with about 50-70 jobs being taken care of from HCL’s Chennai centre,” he added.
As part of the deal, HCL will provide complete solutions, including policy administration, finance, actuarial services, IT operational support and call centre services.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
IT market, new openings
Juniper to invest $400 mn in India
IT and computer networking firm Juniper Networks today said it plans to invest 400 million dollar in India in the next five years.
"Juniper plans to invest 400 million dollar in India in total operations, including sales and research and development in the next five years," Sanjay Jotshi, Director of Enterprise and Channels, India and SAARC, Juniper Networks, told PTI.
"As we see revenue growth, we will thoughtfully begin investing more in areas that will continue to drive growth for the company," he said.
He said it was viewing India as a strategic market with focus on BFSI (banking, financial, services, insurance) governments and telecom sectors.
"India is a strategic market for us. BFSI, government and telecom sectors are our vital markets," he said.
Jotshi said the company has invested 200 million dollar to date in its Bangalore R and D facility. This includes infrastructure, equipment for labs and salaries, he said.
"The India engineering centre is a crucial part of Juniper success story. Any products shipped by Juniper has some contribution from R and D centre in Bangalore. Twenty five per cent of Juniper's engineers are based out of the Bangalore R and D facility," he said.
"Juniper plans to invest 400 million dollar in India in total operations, including sales and research and development in the next five years," Sanjay Jotshi, Director of Enterprise and Channels, India and SAARC, Juniper Networks, told PTI.
"As we see revenue growth, we will thoughtfully begin investing more in areas that will continue to drive growth for the company," he said.
He said it was viewing India as a strategic market with focus on BFSI (banking, financial, services, insurance) governments and telecom sectors.
"India is a strategic market for us. BFSI, government and telecom sectors are our vital markets," he said.
Jotshi said the company has invested 200 million dollar to date in its Bangalore R and D facility. This includes infrastructure, equipment for labs and salaries, he said.
"The India engineering centre is a crucial part of Juniper success story. Any products shipped by Juniper has some contribution from R and D centre in Bangalore. Twenty five per cent of Juniper's engineers are based out of the Bangalore R and D facility," he said.
Recession
Nokia to cut 220 R&D jobs
Nokia, the world's biggest mobile phone maker, said today it would cut around 220 jobs in Japan as part of its plans to streamline its vast research and development operations.
"As part of its global efforts to align its research and development (R&D) operations to be in line with its focused portfolio of future products, Nokia will be reducing its R&D activities in Japan," the Finnish company said in a statement.
Last week Nokia announced that about 330 employees at its research and development units in Denmark and Finland would be made redundant.
The company employs about 17,000 people in research and development worldwide.
It said that despite the planned reductions, it would continue to have "significant sourcing activities in Japan."
"Vertu, Nokia's exclusive line of handcrafted mobile phones for the luxury market, will also continue operations in Japan unaffected by today's announcement," it noted.
The mobile phone giant launched a cost-cutting programme last January, after its earnings fell as consumers cut back on buying handsets amid the global financial crisis.
The programme aims to generate more than USD 1.0 billion in annual savings.
Before today, Nokia had announced about 4,000 job reductions since January, including around 1,300 voluntary redundancy packages.
"As part of its global efforts to align its research and development (R&D) operations to be in line with its focused portfolio of future products, Nokia will be reducing its R&D activities in Japan," the Finnish company said in a statement.
Last week Nokia announced that about 330 employees at its research and development units in Denmark and Finland would be made redundant.
The company employs about 17,000 people in research and development worldwide.
It said that despite the planned reductions, it would continue to have "significant sourcing activities in Japan."
"Vertu, Nokia's exclusive line of handcrafted mobile phones for the luxury market, will also continue operations in Japan unaffected by today's announcement," it noted.
The mobile phone giant launched a cost-cutting programme last January, after its earnings fell as consumers cut back on buying handsets amid the global financial crisis.
The programme aims to generate more than USD 1.0 billion in annual savings.
Before today, Nokia had announced about 4,000 job reductions since January, including around 1,300 voluntary redundancy packages.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
IBM, IT market, new openings
IBM eyes tier II, III cities for expansion in India
IT solutions provider IBM is planning to expand its footprints in tier II and tier III cities with a bouquet of hardware, software and services offerings primarily targeted at mid-market clients.
IBM Growth markets vice president Harish Krishnamurthy told ET that the company is soon going to set up its hubs in potential cities like Raipur, Bhopal, Bhubhaneshwar, Vizag and Nagpur. “These cities have great untapped potential.
By starting our hub in these cities we would be able to cater to the requirements of surrounding tier III cities through our partners under hub and spoke model. The small and medium enterprises offer great business opportunities,” he said.
At present, IBM has a direct presence in 22 cities across the country. The company has also appointed IT players Sequel Infocom and Icon Integrated services as the channel partners to sell IBM’s infrastructure services to clients. “These two partners will focus primarily on Rajasthan market. They will help us in enhancing our reach in the state by offering infrastructure services to clients helping them in areas of Green IT, security, business continuity, improved collaboration and communication among others,” he said.
IBM has also launched first of its kind service offering named IBM Express Remote managed Infrastructure Services (ERMIS) exclusively to be sold by its channel partners. “IBM cannot sell it directly to the clients. It has to be sold through our channel partners. It is designed to enable IBM business partners in providing their clients with remote monitoring, management and service reporting of their IT infrastructure,” said Vivek Malhotra, IBM vice president – North & East, General Business.
Apart from that the company has also launched a cost-efficient Scalable Modular Server Rooms (SMSR), which has been successfully implemented in Shree Cements. “This is also first of its kind in the country. Unlike other conventional servers, which take 6-7 months for installation, this data server takes shipment time of 2-3 weeks and just 3 days of implementation time. Also, it consumes 15-30% less power than other servers. The entry level model comes at a competitive price point of $50,000 which is almost 10% of any conventional server,” Mr. Malhotra said.
Source: EconomicTimes
IBM Growth markets vice president Harish Krishnamurthy told ET that the company is soon going to set up its hubs in potential cities like Raipur, Bhopal, Bhubhaneshwar, Vizag and Nagpur. “These cities have great untapped potential.
By starting our hub in these cities we would be able to cater to the requirements of surrounding tier III cities through our partners under hub and spoke model. The small and medium enterprises offer great business opportunities,” he said.
At present, IBM has a direct presence in 22 cities across the country. The company has also appointed IT players Sequel Infocom and Icon Integrated services as the channel partners to sell IBM’s infrastructure services to clients. “These two partners will focus primarily on Rajasthan market. They will help us in enhancing our reach in the state by offering infrastructure services to clients helping them in areas of Green IT, security, business continuity, improved collaboration and communication among others,” he said.
IBM has also launched first of its kind service offering named IBM Express Remote managed Infrastructure Services (ERMIS) exclusively to be sold by its channel partners. “IBM cannot sell it directly to the clients. It has to be sold through our channel partners. It is designed to enable IBM business partners in providing their clients with remote monitoring, management and service reporting of their IT infrastructure,” said Vivek Malhotra, IBM vice president – North & East, General Business.
Apart from that the company has also launched a cost-efficient Scalable Modular Server Rooms (SMSR), which has been successfully implemented in Shree Cements. “This is also first of its kind in the country. Unlike other conventional servers, which take 6-7 months for installation, this data server takes shipment time of 2-3 weeks and just 3 days of implementation time. Also, it consumes 15-30% less power than other servers. The entry level model comes at a competitive price point of $50,000 which is almost 10% of any conventional server,” Mr. Malhotra said.
Source: EconomicTimes
IT market
Over 2,000 Indian firms adopt Windows 7
In less than a month since its launch on October 22, over 2,000 Indian companies are in the process of installing Microsoft’s latest operating system (OS), Windows 7.
The companies include major IT companies like Infosys, Wipro, NIIT, car companies like Maruti and even the Bangalore airport, and Manipal University, besides many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), according to Steven Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president, OEM.
“We also see a reasonable amount of Windows XP (which has been around for eight years) on machines. We expect the natural refresh cycle over the next 12-24 months,” says Guggenheimer. Microsoft has tied up with 17 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India. During the launch, the company had set a target of having Windows 7 installed on over 100 personal computer (PC) models.
All major PC manufacturers in the country, including HP, HCL, Acer and Dell, among others, have come forward to offer the new OS with their range of desktops and laptops. “We have reached around 80 PC models. The target is well within our reach,” he asserts.
Windows 7 has five versions priced between Rs 5,800 and Rs 11,000. The starter edition is cheaper but is not available on shelves (only through OEMs). And the Windows 7 versions are 25-35 per cent cheaper than comparable versions of Windows Vista.
The companies include major IT companies like Infosys, Wipro, NIIT, car companies like Maruti and even the Bangalore airport, and Manipal University, besides many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), according to Steven Guggenheimer, Microsoft’s corporate vice-president, OEM.
“We also see a reasonable amount of Windows XP (which has been around for eight years) on machines. We expect the natural refresh cycle over the next 12-24 months,” says Guggenheimer. Microsoft has tied up with 17 original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in India. During the launch, the company had set a target of having Windows 7 installed on over 100 personal computer (PC) models.
All major PC manufacturers in the country, including HP, HCL, Acer and Dell, among others, have come forward to offer the new OS with their range of desktops and laptops. “We have reached around 80 PC models. The target is well within our reach,” he asserts.
Windows 7 has five versions priced between Rs 5,800 and Rs 11,000. The starter edition is cheaper but is not available on shelves (only through OEMs). And the Windows 7 versions are 25-35 per cent cheaper than comparable versions of Windows Vista.
IT market, new openings
Ciber to double the headcount in India to 1300
System integration consultancy and outsourcing firm Ciber plans to double its employee strength in India from its current headcount of 650, within a year.
The Greenwood Village, Colorado based company operates two offices in India at Bangalore and Chennai. "We are going to hire aggressively in India and also we are planning to open another facility in Bangalore," says Raghurama Kote, President of Ciber India.
The New York Stock Exchange listed company has been operating in India from 2005 after it acquired Knowledge Systems in Bangalore. The Bangalore facility is one of several globally distributed delivery centers, which Ciber brands as 'Cibersites'. There are 12 Cibersites around the globe that support the various divisions of the company. These centers offer application development, application management and information technology (IT) operations services for firms seeking ways to outsource business functions, which are not part of their core business.
According to Tony Hadzi, Executive Vice President and President - Customs Solutions Division at Ciber, the Bangalore centre is a major part of the company because it supplements the global operations of the company. Currently, Ciber has 85 offices in 18 countries across Asia, Europe and North America with total employee strength of 8,500. For 2008, the company reported $1.1 billion revenue, which is a seven percent increase as compared to fiscal 2007.
After the advent of recession, like all companies even Ciber has adopted new strategies to stay ahead of its competitors. One of them is the collaboration of its smaller branches with its larger branches, to develop solutions for the former's customers by using the capabilities of the latter. "The Bangalore centre plays a crucial role in this collaborative effort, by providing the necessary offshore support," says Hadzi. Ciber's client list includes all kinds of companies, apart from the various governmental agencies that it serves in the U.S.
Though, Ciber still gets a majority of its revenue from U.S., the company is seeing a lot opportunities emerging in the Indian market. "Currently we have only eight customers in India, but we plan to add more especially in the retail and financial services segments," says Kote.
The company is also looking to grab the opportunity in the healthcare space, following the announcement of Barack Obama's multi- billion dollar healthcare reforms. "Currently, healthcare is a major area of focus for us, along with the mobility segment," adds Hadzi.
The Greenwood Village, Colorado based company operates two offices in India at Bangalore and Chennai. "We are going to hire aggressively in India and also we are planning to open another facility in Bangalore," says Raghurama Kote, President of Ciber India.
The New York Stock Exchange listed company has been operating in India from 2005 after it acquired Knowledge Systems in Bangalore. The Bangalore facility is one of several globally distributed delivery centers, which Ciber brands as 'Cibersites'. There are 12 Cibersites around the globe that support the various divisions of the company. These centers offer application development, application management and information technology (IT) operations services for firms seeking ways to outsource business functions, which are not part of their core business.
According to Tony Hadzi, Executive Vice President and President - Customs Solutions Division at Ciber, the Bangalore centre is a major part of the company because it supplements the global operations of the company. Currently, Ciber has 85 offices in 18 countries across Asia, Europe and North America with total employee strength of 8,500. For 2008, the company reported $1.1 billion revenue, which is a seven percent increase as compared to fiscal 2007.
After the advent of recession, like all companies even Ciber has adopted new strategies to stay ahead of its competitors. One of them is the collaboration of its smaller branches with its larger branches, to develop solutions for the former's customers by using the capabilities of the latter. "The Bangalore centre plays a crucial role in this collaborative effort, by providing the necessary offshore support," says Hadzi. Ciber's client list includes all kinds of companies, apart from the various governmental agencies that it serves in the U.S.
Though, Ciber still gets a majority of its revenue from U.S., the company is seeing a lot opportunities emerging in the Indian market. "Currently we have only eight customers in India, but we plan to add more especially in the retail and financial services segments," says Kote.
The company is also looking to grab the opportunity in the healthcare space, following the announcement of Barack Obama's multi- billion dollar healthcare reforms. "Currently, healthcare is a major area of focus for us, along with the mobility segment," adds Hadzi.
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