While the extent of Iran's isolation was unclear, many blogs alleged that the cable cuts and outages in West Asia were a ploy by an intelligence agency to disrupt Iranian commerce, targeting an emerging petroleum exchange that the country was shortly hoping to roll out.
Anti-virus and anti-spyware technologies, which are packaged as 'blacklist' solutions, are gradually giving way to what security experts claim is a far more effective IT security technology based on 'whitelist' solutions.
In less than a week's time, a fourth submarine cable was severed in West Asia, disrupting voice and telecommunication traffic between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Indian firms across sectors, especially small- and medium ones will see their annual wage bills increase from this financial year since the government has raised the eligibility limit for statutory bonus payments to those who earn Rs 10,000 a month (basic salary and dearness allowance).
The voice operations (call centres) of IT-BPO firms -- which comprise around 20-30 per cent of most firms in India -- will be the most affected since the International Private Leased Circuits are down.
Despite wage hikes, an appreciating rupee, and fewer working days nibbling at their profit margins during the quarter ended December 31, 2007, the five IT majors Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys Technologies, Wipro, Satyam Computer Services and HCL Technologies posted revenue and net profit figures that were in line with market expectations.
Companies are developing new engine technologies to deliver the ultimate in fuel efficiency.
In fact, both the Classmate PC projects (from Intel) and OLPC pilots (with Reliance Communications) besides low-cost initiatives from players like Novatium, Encore, Xenitis and Allied Computers are gathering momentum independent of each other in the country.
Re rise against pound eats into their profits.
India scored 1.9 points, which makes it an "extensive surveillance society". The US scored 1.5 points while the UK managed 1.3. Both countries are labelled 'Endemic surveillance societies'.
From wider adoption of software-as-a-service to a greater focus on biometric security measures, the year promises a lot.
Rolta India is planning to set up a sensor manufacturing plant even as it aims to touch the Rs 1,000 crore (Rs 10 billion) turnover mark by the end of financial year 2007-08.
Today, however, the major six IT MNCs alone -- IBM, Accenture, Capgemini, EDS, HP and ACS -- account for over 9 per cent of the Indian IT-BPO workforce. Overall, MNCs in India account for an estimated 14-15 per cent of the Indian IT workforce.
Farmers are now using video conferencing to procure good-quality seeds, fertiliser and other inputs. They are also using the technology to access market-related information, and market their products in some cases.
The Essar group firm is in talks with 7-10 companies for a "strategic fit", as it races to become a $500 million company by 2010. In some of these cases the due diligence process is in progress. Aegis is looking at firms in the US, South America and the Philippines.
Industry estimates peg the turnovers of MNCs like Dell, Intel, Microsoft and IBM at well over the half-billion dollar mark. Firms, like Cisco, are said to have crossed the billion-dollar mark in domestic sales in 2006-07, and for a player like HP India, it is estimated in excess of $2.5 billion.
IBM plans to increase its investments in its two software laboratories in Pune and Bangalore as part of its $1.5 billion security initiative in 2008, announced on November 1.
In a bid to focus on testing, software and documentation, Dell India is integrating its hardware research and development (R&D) activities with its R&D units in Austin and Taiwan.
The highest-ranking female executive in Motorola's nearly 80-year history, Indian-born IITian Padmasree Warrior, has now joined Cisco as its chief technology officer (CTO) after spending over two decades at Motorola.
They reason that hiring locals abroad -- where they have 'near-shore' (with proximity to the client) development centres -- would help them tap local markets and serve global clients better, win more deals and goodwill in those countries, besides scoring brownie points with the US in an election year (over H1-B visas).
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