DEC 2009-JAN 2010 / RS.

150
VOLUME 01 / ISSUE 01

Taxation: Is your IT
infrastructure ready
30
for GST roll out?
Virtualisation: Has34
the fizz settled or is
Tech for Logistics:
How IT can help save every
38 THE BIG Q
How to track IP theft
it another passing fad? paisa you earn? and prevent it? Pg.53

ARE
YOU
THE NEXT

CIO?
7
S Ilango,
Senior Manager
Sushil Aggarwal,

STEPS
Aditya Birla Group
Leader-IT
Marathon Electric India

Rakesh Mohan
Project Manager
TO THE
Dhiraj Sinha,
Tech Lead
Dell Perot Systems
Flytxt
TOP SEAT
PAGE 16

15 MINUTE
Jojo Jose
GM (Systems)
GTN Group

MANAGER
Easy if you are willing
to change your mindset
A 9.9 Media Publication PAGE 47
 EDITORIAL

It’s time for

the Maybach
The $825 Model T launched in 1908 by
Henry Ford was not just the first ‘affordable’
car. It also introduced the concept of “IT Next is more like a
assembly line in the automobile sector. This opened custom-built Maybach
a floodgate for others to follow. The concept of “one size fits that has been designed
all” became universal, spreading quickly across all sectors, including to suit your needs and
mainline media, which adopted it for reaching the masses. More recently,
requirements”
niche magazines have also gone the assembly line way, becoming all things S H U B H E N D U PA R T H
to all people.
So, when we decided to launch a new publication targeted to IT
Managers, one thing was clear—ours would be no assembly line. We
decided to take a tailor-made approach like the top-of-the-line custom-
built German car, the Maybach. The result is a thoughtfully crafted IT Next
that is customised to your needs.
We began with a survey of the IT Managers in India to confirm our
hypothesis that this is a community that wields considerable influence and
is far more extensive than the CXO fraternity, which several magazines
and portals focus on.
Indeed, the survey revealed that there is a yawning gap in the way
existing magazines, including majority of B2B IT publications, cater to
the specific needs of the IT Manager.
Not surprising then, that you overwhelmed us with your views, ideas
and concerns through your responses to our survey.
In fact, several stories in this launch issue are based on the suggestions
you gave us. We hope to further build on your inputs in launching our
online version, www.itnext.in, in the coming days.
Blogs To Watch!
I sincerely hope that you like IT Next not only in terms of the content and
http://www.timferriss.com
P HOTOG RA P H Y: DR LOH I A

design but also for its theme and philosophy. Believe me, we have toiled http://andrewmcafee.org/blog
over every aspect of this eclectic product. Unlike Ford’s Model T, IT Next
Your views and opinion matter
is more like a custom-built Maybach that has been designed to suit your to us. Send your feedback
particular needs and requirements. on stories and the magazine
at shubhendu.parth@9dot9.
So, do let us know your reactions and join us in the journey to facilitate in or SMS us at 567678 (type
and celebrate your growth as a technocrat. ITNEXT<space>your feedback)

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 1
CONTENT
Fa c e b o o k:
ht t p : // w w w. f a c e b o o k .
c o m / ho m e . p hp # / g r o u p .
p hp ? g i d = 1 9 5 67 5 0 3 05 8 2

Tw i t t e r :
ht t p : // t w i t t e r. c o m / i t n e x t

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g r o u p s ? g i d = 2 2 6 17 7 0& t r k = m y g _

7
FOR THE L ATEST TECHNOLOGY UPDATES GO TO ITNEXT.IN DEC ’09-JAN ’10 V O L U M E 0 1 | I S S U E 0 1 u g r p _ ov r

09
SURVEY

STEPS
TO THE TOP

Page
SEAT
BASED ON AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY OF IT
MANAGERS, IT Next presents a handy guide for
technology managers who have their hearts set on
16 becoming a CIO

INSIGHTS BOSS TALK INTERVIEW

23 Clicking it big
Communication as a Service (CaaS) is set to change the way an enter-
prise communicates and collaborates today C OV E R P H OTO G RA P H Y: DR LOH I A , M EX Y X AV IE R & SA N TOS H BH AS K A R

26 No mishaps for this mail

e-Mail security needs to guarantee perimeter safety, confidentiality
and non-repudiation

28 Top 5 mobile applications

C OV E R DES I G N : JAYA N K N A RAYA N A N

Technologies that can help enterprises go mobile

30 Ready steady GST

The forthcoming GST regime will compel IT managers to execute a 05 Innovate to add value |
complete realignment of the IT infrastructure. Are you prepared? Birlasoft CEO, Arup Gupta on
importance of innovation and
34 Has the fizz settled? how it can help IT managers
Is it time to assess the benefits of server virtualisation? succeed professionally
44 “There was no recession
in India” | SAP’s Asia-Pacific
Senior V-P, Simon Dale, discusses
the global slowdown and the
company’s changing strategy

2 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

Page
LONG WAY TO GO | How ICT intervention in
38 the logistics sector can make a huge difference
OPINION
12 Tech Talk: On cloud nine!
| by Dr Manoj Saxena, CEO, Net-
Edge Computing Solutions
14 Money wise: The Penny
route to Pounds by Ratnakar
Nemani, CIO & Head—IT Projects
Wing, VST
15-MINUTE
MANAGER
47 Predicting IT right |
Strategic IT forecasting is a
challenging task, but can make a
difference to your business
48 Office Yoga | Asanas for a
busy manager
50 Get back to the class-
room! | Choosing the right skills
to upgrade is key to beating the
recession blues
Page
54
ITNEXT.IN
MANAGEMENT
Managing Director: Dr Pramath Raj Sinha
Printer & Publisher: Vikas Gupta
EDITORIAL
Group Editor: R Giridhar
Editor: Shubhendu Parth
Consulting Editor: Pravin Prashant
Associate Editor: Shashwat DC
Sr Correspondent: Jatinder Singh
DESIGN
Sr Creative Director: Jayan K Narayanan
52 Manage IT | 5 simple steps Art Director: Binesh Sreedharan
to greening your enterprises Associate Art Director: Anil VK
Manager Design: Chander Shekhar
OFF THE SHELF Sr Visualisers: Anoop PC, Santosh Kushwaha
60 HP shrinks your world | A Sr Designers: Prasanth TR & Anil T
sneak preview of enterprise prod-
SALES & MARKETING
ucts, solutions and services VP Sales & Marketing: Naveen Chand Singh
(09971794688)
Brand Manager: Siddhant Raizada (09990388390)
National Manager-Events & Special Projects:
Mahantesh Godi (09880436623)
National Manager Online: Nitin Walia
(09811772466)
GM South: Vinodh Kaliappan(09740714817)
THE BIG Q GM North: Pranav Saran(09312685289)
GM West: Sachin N Mhashilkar(09920348755)
53 Who stole my washing
Assistant Brand Manager: Arpita Ganguli
machine? | How to track IP
Co-ordinator Ad Sales, MIS, Scheduling:
theft and prevent it Deepak Sharma
CUBE CHAT PRODUCTION & LOGISTICS
58 Pining to be a TV star | Yes, Sr. GM Operations: Shivshankar M Hiremath
professional achievers too can Production Executive: Vilas Mhatre
nurture off-beat aspirations and Logistics: MP Singh, Mohamed Ansari,
Rajesh Aggarwal, IT Manager, Shashi Shekhar Singh
D P Jindal Group is one of them
OFFICE ADDRESS
Nine Dot Nine Mediaworx Pvt Ltd
K-40, Connaught Place, Outer Circle,
REGULARS New Delhi–110 001, India
Editorial _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 01 Printed and published by Vikas Gupta for
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K-40, Connaught Place, Outer Circle,
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Open debate _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _63
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D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 3
 BOSS TALK | ARUP GUPTA
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Innovate to
add value
oday, IT managers, I think, have
T become very inward-focused
in terms of adhering to process,
cost and scope. These are all good
things from the Capability Matu-
rity Model (CMM) perspective, but are they
really meeting the expectations of the customer?
Though we may follow all CMM processes faith-
fully, the customer is really looking for value-
add beyond their specifications. Real successful
IT managers are able to add value, enabling
customers to become more competitive in their
business spheres.
IT managers, in addition to knowing the
software delivery process, need to be aware
of technologies and domains so that they can
deliver the best possible solution to a particular
problem. This is what we call an innovative
solution. That is the transformation that I would
like to see in the mind set of all IT managers.
IT managers abroad would possibly be less
stringent about processes, giving more attention
to adding value in terms of domain, new
technology and architecture. So how does one
change the mind set of an Indian IT manager?
One needs to start thinking out of the box and
bringing together various stakeholders in the
problem like domain expertise, technology
expertise and possibly the architecture group for
a brainstorming session. That is exactly what the
people abroad do.
If the problem is too complex, outside
consultants and talent can be involved, rather
than opting for the solution that exists in house
and somehow make it fit the particular problem.
P HOTOG RA P H Y: D R LO H IA
I am not laying undue emphasis on routine
things like operational efficiency and delivery.
The need of the hour is to find the best solution
for a particular problem, rather than treat it just
as a routine affair.
IT managers are often in a dilemma about
“The need of the hour is to find the best
solution for a particular problem, rather
than treat it just as a routine affair”
choosing the more fruitful career path—
managerial or purely technological. Some
Indian companies offer a clear growth path in
pure technology and pure domain, but still
most professionals opt for the faster managerial
route. Most Indian companies try to hire project
managers or senior practice managers with some
SUGGESTION BOX knowledge of the latest domain technologies,
but as I said earlier, some of the deficiencies in
managers in regard to technology and domain
can be compensated by bringing all stakeholders
together. I have seen some of the best-of-the-
breed IT companies in India do so.
Yes, a pure technocrat too can become
a CEO. I myself hold a master’s degree in
computer science and have grown through the
ranks. However, more boards and promoters
The book talks are inclined to hire CEOs who can showcase
about how to add diversity in terms of technology and domain,
value and make cli- and now, also an MBA degree. This ensures that
ents more competi- with overall grooming, the individual can solve
tive. It also has tips the complex sets of problems being faced by
on how to build the companies today.
winning team.
The author is CEO of Birlasoft. He has more than 30 years
WRITER: JIM COLLINS
experience in the IT industry and has previously worked
P UBL I S H E R : H A R P E R BUS I N ES S
PRICE: INR 626.00 with Polaris and TCS
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 5
 UPDATE
I N D U S T R Y
TRENDS

UPDATE DEALS
PRODUCTS
SERVICES
PEOPLE

promises to provide an online

platform for software developers
to create their own programs,
and space for customers to store
data.
The service had been in
testing phase for about a year
and will go fully live at the
beginning of next year, according
to Microsoft’s chief software
architect Ray Ozzie.
Big Blue (IBM) also raised
the stakes by launching a
new cloud computing service,
similar to that from Amazon
and Salesforce.com. Dubbed as
the ‘Smart Analytics Cloud’, it is
IBM’s biggest cloud computing
service yet and will be at first

The cloud gets MS and IBM

enhanced
their cloud
adopted internally by the
company.
Meanwhile, on the domestic
more pervasive commit-
ments, by
front, companies like Reliance
and Airtel have already
TECH TRENDS | There was much reason to cheer for the cloud comput- launching launched cloud service. Also,
ing front as bigger players made cloud announcements. While, it is services Zenith Infotech has entered the
still early days for the cloud industry, which Gartner Research esti- based on the space through its private cloud
mates will ring up sales of about $3.4 billion this year, the momentum model computing platform PROUD,
has started building up with two biggest software giants, Microsoft which it is positioning as a single
and IBM, announcing their plans. centralised computing system
Microsoft, which seemed to have missed the cloud bus, announced that can replace the need for
that it will roll out the long-awaited Azure system on January 1, 2010. customers to buy computing
Azure is Microsoft’s foray into the cloud computing system and it and network hardware as
separate and difficult-to-manage
components.
More recently, NIIT and
TELEC
OM Global end user spending on telecom is all set for a positive Hitachi have announced their
SPEND growth in 2010, after 12 months of negative growth cloud offering for the enterprise
(NUMBERS IN US$ BILLIONS) space. To begin with, Hitachi
Spending on 2000 Information Systems will
WAN optimisa-
leverage NIIT Technologies’ data
tion and SSL 1950
centre in Bangkok and create its
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM

virtual private -4
.0
network 6 % 1958 % % first hub outside Japan. This will
1900 5. 3.2 1940
is less likely to be networked to their existing
be influenced
1850 1879 infrastructure. The services,
2007

2009
2008

2010

1854 according to the road map,

1800 should be available from the first
quarter of the next fiscal.
SO U R CE: GART NER , S E PTE M B E R 2 0 0 9

6 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
YOUR PRIMARY DEFENCE LAYER EXPRESS YOUR CREATIVITY COOL YOUR DATA UPDATE
Norton’s NIS 2010 claims to enhance user Genius has introduced new range of Extreme Networks has introduced a 10
experience with new fea- Graphic Tablets—the EasyPen i405 and Gigabit Ethernet switch, that promises
tures like Quorum and safe the MousePen i608. It features 30% power sav-
web protection. The product two buttons and 1024 ings, for the next
is Windows 7 compatible level pressure sen- generation data
and available at Rs 1,450 sitivity for control over centre, cloud com-
for a single PC license. drawing or writing. puting and hosted environments.

LinkedIn opens up APIs were evaluated on a case-

TECH TIDINGS | Popular net-
working and professional site
LinkedIn seems to be opening up
to the developer community. It
has launched a platform for the
developer community. With this
move, third party developers will
be able use LinkedIn’s profile
content in their business appli-
cations and Websites. The move
follows the company’s decision
to join hands with technology
companies—IBM, Microsoft,
Research In Motion (Blackberry),
and Twitter—for integrations
with their respective products
and solutions. While these
partnerships created additional
channels for LinkedIn’s plat-
form, the latest move would
make LinkedIn ubiquitous
Announces across different networks.
platform for Developers can now register at
third party developer.linkedin.com to receive
developers a unique key that allows access to
discussion boards, sample code,
provisioning code and more. In
the past, requests to use LinkedIn
by-case basis, where priority was
given to “integrations that provide
the most value to the greatest
number of LinkedIn users,”
according to its former policy. The
LinkedIn Platform now allows
that access to everyone.
However, there is some
doubt on whether the move
is too little and a tad late, as
other networking giants like
Facebook and MySpace have
successfully engaged the
developer community in the last
couple of years. There is a lot
of speculation on the pending
interface redesign, but no official
word on it.
Nevertheless, by opening
up its API the company has
insured that developers can add
to LinkedIn’s value by building
a whole new set of standalone
products.

AROUND THE WORLD QUICK BYTE

Unified communication:
to touch $4.2 Bn by 2014
While the world rued the economic slowdown, there
was a silver lining for the Unified Communications
(UC) industry. Enterprises took to UC solutions to cut
GOOGLE CO-FOUNDER SERGEY BRIN
down on costs. According an ABI Research report, ON CHROME OS VS MS WINDOWS...
the segment is set to jump from $302 million in 2008 “CALL US DUMB
to $4.2 billion by 2014. The growth confirms the BUSINESSMEN, BUT
WE REALLY FOCUS ON
perception of UC as a productive and cost-cutting USER NEEDS RATHER
technology rather than a fancy collaborative tool, THAN ON STRATEGIES
particularly for MNCs with offices across multiple RELATED TO OTHER
BUSINESSES”
geographies.

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 7
 UPDATE
Salesforce unveils
office networking tool
WEB 2.0 | Understanding the
significance of social network-
ing and the opportunity it can
bring for corporates, Salesforce.
com, has introduced an in-house
social networking model called
Salesforce Chatter.
The service is intended to
provide a platform where all
employees can collaborate and
connect with their co-workers
using the intranet.
The service, an in-house social
networking and collaboration
tool aims at improving interaction
within the organisation. It enables
employees to create their profile,
update their status, and inform
peers about “what they are doing,”
right away.
The move comes on the
expected line of the changing
working environmemt, with
enterprises swiftly evaluating
how cloud and social networking
can help them reach business
goals in a smoother way.
The service also integrates
Enterprise software market
to grow 10% in 2009
TECH TRENDS | The enterprise software
market in India continues to post a
healthy growth and is expected to regis-
ter an overall 10.1% growth this year.
The recent Gartner report
predicts that the market will
continue to improve and
touch 11.8% growth in 2010.
India is the fourth-largest
market in the Asia-Pacific
(APAC) region, and while
ENTERPRISE S/W
GLOBAL
GROWTH IN
the impact of the slowdown
Source: Gartner
cannot be discounted it has
8 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
The new itself with Twitter and
tool will be Facebook that users are
included in all already comfortable with.
paid editions While employees at
of Salesforce Salesforce have already
CRM and started using the
Force.com chatterbox, the company
is looking at making it
available to the corporate
in early 2010.
The new chatter edition
will be sold for $50 per
user per month and will
include salesforce chatter,
salesforce content and
Force.com, the company
informed.
been mitigated by the large untapped
market that is adopting IT on a
continuous scale, the report states.
The main driving force behind the
enterprise software market
still continues to ERP,
.3
%
driven by SAP and Oracle.
India, China and Vietnam
are the biggest drivers for
the enterprise market in the
$20 billion APAC market,
2009 which will grow by 10.2%
in 2009.
INTERVIEW
PAUL KAELEY
Director—Global Storage (Data Man-
agement) Consulting Practice, Dell
IT NEXT: What is your outlook of the
IT consulting business in India?
PAUL: There is a great opportunity
within the India market in the IT consult-
ing space. Our consulting approach is
designed to help customers of all sizes
to rapidly identify ways to drive more
efficiency within their data centres. Using
our Measurable Rapid Insight (MRI)
approach we can quickly identify what
customers are spending on storage and
then show a path to how they can reduce
cost and complexity.
How are you addressing the needs of
IT managers?
Our whole strategy is focused on quickly
addressing key pain points of IT manag-
ers. Our storage services directly map
to key issues faced by our customers
today—from data growth to data protec-
tion and optimising storage.
How is Dell applying its consulting
services for improved storage ef-
ficiency?
The need to address enterprise data
management issues continues to be high
on the agenda of CIOs and IT Managers.
P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N
Most companies are spending a large
percentage of their budget on storage and
Dell’s consulting services capabilities can
help quickly identify how organisations
can maximise their spend and ensure that
storage is matched to business needs.
By Jatinder Singh
 UPDATE

SOCIAL NETWORKING

Fujitsu, NetApp join NSE starts

hands for storage
The two
companies
will jointly
develop inte-
grated data
management
and storage
products and
solutions
TECH ALLIANCE | In what can be termed as a single console management
major realignment in the data management space, of the entire infrastructure,
Fujitsu, a player in software management joined and increases productivity
hands with storage system vendor NetApp to pro- and operational efficiency
vide tightly integrated and automated storage and through ease of use. With
data management solutions. the combination of products
According to the announcement made by the and solutions from both
two companies, they will jointly develop integrated companies, customers can
products and services in the areas of virtualisation, reduce their capex and
storage and data management, and storage services leverage IT infrastructure.
and solutions. The two companies further
The two companies will also work towards plan to implement a global
integrating NetApp’s storage management joint go-to-market strategy
software into Fujitsu’s resource management for all complementary
framework, that dynamically orchestrates servers, products. The tie-up also
networks, storage and software to run applications envisages full integration of
on demand. NetApp V-series products
The framework also enables easier with Fujitsu’s Eternus
administration of data centre environments, allows storage systems.
to Tweet
The Twitter club got a major
boost as the National Stock
Exchange (NSE) begun sending
out live quotes of its benchmark
index Nifty on the micro-blogging
website. The Indian bourse cur-
rently sends out an update of the
Nifty index as well as the highs
and lows every 10 minutes during
the trading hours. With this move,
NSE has become the first Indian
bourse to join
the Twitter club,
beating its rival
Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE).
Internationally,
major bourses
like NASDAQ
from the US and
FTSE from the
UK have already
established their
presence on Twit-
ter. Meanwhile,
NSE plans to provide more infor-
mation over Twitter in the coming
days. The NSE Tweets have been
well received by the users. Within
a week of its launch, the NSE has
already registered about 1,600
followers.The exchange aims to
add some more indices and tools
on the social networking site in
the coming days, besides enabling
investors to reach NSE through

NEWS @ WHAT IS COOKING AT MICROSOFT?

BLOG PERHAPS THE WHOLE, “end-of-the-world” thing in 2012 really has something to do with Microsoft, which is
likely to release Windows 8 in that year | Nicholas Kolakowski <uxevangelist@gmail.com> in Microsoft Kitchen

The blog posted two slides suggesting that the next Windows Server and
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM

Windows 8 would be released in 2012. Earlier in October, the LinkedIn page

for Robert Morgan, a senior member of Microsoft’s Research & Development
team, stated his current projects included 128 bit architecture compatibility
with the Windows 8 kernel and Windows 9 project plan.

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 9
SMS itnext samsung

OPINION
On cloud nine!
Yes, that is where cloud computing is set to
take enterprises--both big and small
loud computing, as a ser-
C vice offering, has been
gaining momentum in
India in the last couple of
years. While big players
such as Sun Microsystems, Google,
IBM, Amazon and Microsoft are in the
lead, many small private companies are
beginning to grab market share.
The evolution of cloud computing
will create not only a dynamic IT
environment, but will also bolster user-
empowerment through the concept of
IT as a Service. A wide range of cloud
computing platforms and applications
are emerging in the market, offering
businesses an entirely new way to
deploy technology.
The architecture
Before delving deeper into the criteria
for adoption of the cloud computing
model by enterprises, it is important
to understand its architectural frame-
work. While the majority of contempo-
rary Internet applications use three-tier
model as generic architecture, the use
of virtualisation in clouds has created a
new set of abstraction at higher levels—
applications, platforms and infrastruc-
ture. These layers not only encapsulate
on-demand resources but also define a
new application development model.
Within each layer of abstraction, there
are myriad business opportunities for
defining services that can be offered on
a pay-per-use basis.
Software as a Service or SaaS
occupies the highest layer and features
a complete application offered as a
service on-demand. Single instance
12 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
TECH TALK
DR. MANOJ SAXENA
CEO, NetEdge Computing Solutions
“Cloud computing
brings in a new level of
efficiency and economy
to delivering IT
resources on demand”
of the software runs on a provider’s
infrastructure and serves multiple
clients. The middle layer, Platform as a
Service or PaaS, offerings can provide
for every phase of software development
and testing, or they can be specialised
around a particular area such as
content management. Infrastructure as
a Service or IaaS lies at the lowest rung.
This layer can deliver basic storage and
computing capabilities as standardised
services over the network.
Key attraction
Cloud computing has a tremendous
enterprise pull because it conceals the
complexity of the infrastructure from
end-users. They do not know, or need
to know, what is there in the cloud.
This has become possible due to one
of the key architectural attributes and
underlying technologies of the cloud
computing model—virtualisation.
This refers to the abstraction of physi-
cal IT resources from the people and
applications using them.
Virtualisation allows servers,
storage devices and other hardware to
be treated as a pool of resources rather
than discrete systems so that these
resources can be allocated on-demand.
Cloud computing brings a new level
of efficiency and economy to delivering
IT resources on demand, and in the
process, it opens up new business
models and market opportunities.
Cost efficiency
As organisations cope with a dynami-
cally changing business environment,
IT managers can look to cloud comput-
ing as a way to maintain a flexible and
scalable IT infrastructure that enables
business agility. The IT managers are
showing keen interest in investing time
and understanding how the cloud will
impact access control, network security
and other core network components.
IT managers of many organisations are
also eyeing the cloud computing ser-
vices model to save money.
The principal findings of a research
conducted recently among IT managers
of SMEs to study the acceptance of cloud
computing by businesses has revealed
that IT managers are aggressively
deploying cloud computing initiatives
to accomplish business objectives.
As budgets for cloud computing
P HOTOG RA P H Y: AJAY C H AW L A
increase, IT managers are examining
critical technologies for building the
infrastructure behind the cloud.
So how does an individual, a business
or an IT manager take advantage of
the cloud computing trend? Cloud
computing is not just about proliferation

Companies have realised that by clinging to the
cloud they can access profitable business
applications and can drastically boost their
infrastructure resources, all at a negligible cost.
of IT stacks on a restricted handful
of infrastructure providers. It is
also about an emerging ecosystem
of complementary services that
provide computing resources such as
applications on demand, distributed
databases and virtual private data
centres for the entire range of IT
consumers. These services span the
range of customer requirements
from individual developers and
small startups to large enterprises.
Not only the larger firms but
also small and medium enterprises
can leverage cloud computing to
save costs.
Boon for SMEs
Cloud computing provides an alter-
native to investing in one’s own
infrastructure and software. There-
fore, the ability to cloud-source an
application instead of buying self-
hosted applications has seen a sig-
nificant rise amongst SMEs. Cloud
computing presents a powerful
opportunity to SMEs to use latest
technologies and services from
the cloud which also helps them
save costs, as it is a pay-per-license
model. It helps them to avoid buy-
ing the entire hardware or the soft-
ware library.
Companies have realised that by
OPINION
clinging to the cloud they can access
profitable business applications
and can drastically boost their
infrastructure resources, all at a
negligible cost. This is forcing IT
managers and CEOs of companies to
deploy the cloud computing model in
their organisations.
Keeping in view the array of
advantages that cloud computing
has to offer, the number and quality
of public and commercially available
cloud-based service offerings has
been growing fast. Using the cloud
is often the best option for start-
ups, research projects, Web 2.0
developers, or niche players who
want a simple and low-cost way to
load and go.
A recent finding by global financial
services firm Merrill Lynch suggests
that cloud computing will expand
into a global market of $95 billion
over the next four years. Gartner has
also named cloud computing, green
IT and social-computing platforms
among technologies that are poised
to achieve broad enterprise adoption
in the next two to five years.
This cloud is not one to be blown
away in a hurry.
Besides heading NetEdge, the author is also
a registered Computer Consultant with ADB
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT

OPINION
The Penny route
to Pounds
n times like these, when the
I world economy is struggling to
recover from a long economic
downturn and top line growth is
either marginal or just not pos-
sible, cost reduction becomes a favoured
means for a company to stay afloat. It
is in these times that every function
within the company needs to be an
active participant in financial matters,
and the CIO needs to also look at things
from the perspective of a ‘Cheap Innova-
tion Officer’.
One might wonder how the IT
function, which seldom accounts for
more than single digit of the overall
expenditure, really helps reduce costs.
But in these times, a penny saved is
indeed a penny earned. In fact, the
IT function can play the catalyst in
enterprise-wide productivity measures.
Let me share with you how I have
done this at VST, one of the leading
companies in the tobacco space.
Be clear on ROI, TCO
One of the primary functions of the IT
team is to work out the planned invest-
ment for upcoming projects and keep
Total Cost of Operation (TCO) within
reasonable limits. To accomplish this,
you need to align your IT needs with
the company plan, as lack of business
can spell failure for projects.
Initiatives causing time inefficiency
and impacting strategic business should
be identified and scrapped, even if they
are already part of the projects portfolio.
The first thing that I did after taking
over as IT function head at VST was to
identify the kind of investments that
were being made in IT and the precise
14 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
MONEY WISE
RATNAKAR NEMANI
CIO & Head—IT Projects Wing, VST
“The CIO needs to
look at things from
a Cheap Innovation
Officer perspective”
return on investment (ROI) that they
fetched. Such evaluation always helps
a firm plug any leakage in the process.
For instance, on detailed examination
we found out that Total Outsourcing
of Services (TOS) well suited to VST
needs since it offered twin benefits—
contemporary technology and better
technical expertise. In fact, VST was
among the pioneers in the country to go in
for long-term outsourcing in April 2004.
This pulled down our costs significantly.
Re-examine current systems
One of the important things that an IT
manager can do in these trying times
is to re-valuate the existing infra-
structure and try to pinch a penny
here and a penny there. A simple first
step would be to avoid use of multiple
packages with similar functionality.
Besides, as an IT manager you can also
explore options like e-learning to cut
travel and accommodation costs for
the HR department. Web conferences
also benefit geographically distributed
functional departments.
Pennies can also be saved by delaying
investment in new IT infrastructure,
like new PCs, by a year or more. The
IT manager can think of alternatives
instead of going in for basic technology
upgrades. A simple example can be
virtualisation of desktops or adoption
of thin clients. This will not only offer
benefits in capital expenses (Capex)but
also reduce the operational expensees
(Opex) by ensuring less power
consumption and lower manpower
requirement. Not to talk about enhanced
security levels and the satisfaction of
creating a greener IT environment.
Benchmark yourself
Finally, all this exercise will be in vain,
if you do not really benchmark your-
self. What is the percentage of IT spend
vis-à-vis net turnover? Ensure that you
check this ratio every year, benchmarking
with the best companies. I would advise
IT managers to look at ways and means
to turn the IT function into a profit cen-
tre from a conventional cost centre. For
instance, in case you have excess man-
power, think of utilising their skills for
outside projects instead of rendering
them redundant. This will not only gener-
ate revenue but also enhance employees’
trust in the company. Externally too, the
firm can gain prestige and credibility.
The list can be endless. But
earning better profits through cost
reduction should remain the eternal
mantra for IT professionals within
P HOTOG RA P H Y: S U RES H VA NGA PAL LY
the organisation as they can lead the
charge towards raising productivity
levels even as costs are cut. After all,
pennies make pounds!
The author is a cost accountant by qualification
and an IT professional by choice. He is, cur-
rently, focussed on turning VST’s IT division into
a profit centre
 COVER STORY | XXXXXXXXXXX
09 SURVEY

P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N

16 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 09

7
SURVEY | COVER STORY
XXXXXXXXXXXXX

STEPS
TO THE TOP
SEAT
BASED ON AN EXTENSIVE SURVEY OF
IT MANAGERS, IT Next presents a handy
guide for technology managers who have
their hearts set on becoming a CIO
BY SHASHWAT DC / IMAGING ANIL T
P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N

Peep into an anthill and you will realise what seamless order and perfection mean.
Our tiny insect cousins have engineered a complex organisational structure which,
though hierarchal, is highly efficient. At the very apex, sits the queen, the head of all
the domicile ants, and does little than preen and procreate. Below the empress, there
are scores and scores of worker ants which toil endlessly to ensure that her majesty
remains unperturbed and at ease.

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 17
 COVER STORY | 09 SURVEY

Were we to project this organisational
structure on to a standard enterprise,
more so on to the IT function of a typical
enterprise, it will be fairly evident that
the CIO is the queen of the IT-hill,
waited upon by the rest of the managers
and professionals. The IT head often has
little to do with IT these days; he frets
and fumes over things like RoI, people
management, business issues, et al.
For the sake of illustration, take the
case of Mr O who is the CIO of a large
pharmaceutical company and whose
lifestyle is the envy of many. More often
than not, he is touring the country, or the
globe, for work and conferences. He is
courted by vendors, analysts, journalists
and others who are all ears for every word
that escapes his mouth. Even the CEO of
the company pays attention whenever
Mr O comes up with a new proposal or
strategy. Mr O operates out of a spacious
cabin, and moves in hallowed circles
receiving awards and recognition with
amazing regularity.
So when does Mr O work? Well
honestly, he does not; he merely gets
the work done. Over the years, he has
outsourced much of the infrastructure
management to external vendors. Now
all he has is a small and well-knit team
of managers and IT professionals who
handle the day-to-day functioning of the
IT infrastructure and the data centre.
The anthill is not much different from
the IT-hill, is it?

“IT managers IT Next survey

While one cannot be sure if the worker
need to take ant within the anthill aspires to be the
up bigger queen, but IT managers certainly desire
challenges and “For an IT to become CIOs. This was evident when
we conducted a survey to ascertain
get out of their manager to what it takes to be a CIO. Our survey
comfort zone to succeed, it drew responses from nearly 250 IT
succeed” is essential managers around the country—repre-
senting a wide array of verticals, cities
—Dhiraj Sinha that he looks and profiles. To say that the response
Leader (Tech),
at bridging was overwhelming will be an under-
Dell Perot Systems
business statement. Nearly 200 IT managers
had completed the survey within two
versus IT gap” days, with more responses trickling in
—Jojo Jose
over the next few days. The dozen odd
GM (Systems),
questions in the survey were designed
GTN Group
to capture the ‘essentials’ of what it

P HOTO G RA P H Y: ( RI G H T ) SA N TO S H B H AS K A R
takes to be a CIO. Once, the verdict was
received from the IT managers’ end, the
same questions were posed to CIOs and
external consultants, and they were
asked to share their views.
Based on the findings from the two
surveys, we present the 7-step guide
to becoming a CIO. Though much
of this may seem fairly obvious and
commonsensical, do remember that it is

BE BUSINESS ‘DE-TECHNI- BE THE

SAVVY CALISE’ GAUNTLET GUY

7
You are already a tech Non-IT issues Be the first to

1 2 3
whiz kid, but so are need to be stake a claim to
the other IT manag- befriended. Get challenging as-
ers eyeing the CIO’s out of the techie signments. Even
slot. Better bone up mould and you if the project fails,

THE on the company’s business;

understand its nuances. Get
will discover a new world.
Learn more about HR, mar-
you will end up learning.
And, of course, the powers

STEPS
familiar with business con-
cepts like RoI, EBITDA and
PAT to gain an edge over the
competition.
keting, sales, production that be will learn about you
and issues that interest if the project succeeds. You
other people. will be that much closer to
the coveted cabin.

18 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 COVER STORY

the small things that go to make a CIO.

And it is these traits and specialities
that need to be imbibed and displayed
to earn the CIO cap. While the steps
may seem fairly easy they demand a
complete change of mind set.
Be business
1ST savvy
STEP Over the past few years,
track of its financial standing, market
share, market scenario, competitors
09
SURVEY
and their strategies. Considering that
IT plays a very critical role, the CIO is
expected to don a business hat at all
junctures. And the IT manager, who
desires to take on the CIO role, needs to
be at home wearing the business hat as
well. So, start practicing it right away.
“The CIO is an interface between

the role of the CIO has
undergone a 180 degree change. While,
the CIO continues to remain the king
(or the queen) of all things technical,
his role has expanded to encompass all
functions in an organisation. Thus, a
CIO is no more chained to the data cen-
tre or the IT department but is expected
to take on a bigger and more strategic
role within the organisation. This is also
because with rapid digitisation, IT and
technology are not just backend, but
75%
business and technology. He is expected
to have knowledge of both the worlds.
It is very obvious that he can map the
technology to business processes and
requirements easily because of his
understanding of both,” says Ketan
Shah, Associate Director, Angel Broking. say Jack of All IT
According to him, if a manager is Manager is most suited
aiming to become a CIO, then he has to become a CIO
to bring about a major change in his
thought process. “An IT manager looks
at the business from the technology

front-end tools.
What this implies is that while a
CIO at a retail organisation may be
concerned about implementing the best
inventory and warehousing system in
his organisation, he also needs to look
at the Web and mobile as additional
fronts to reach the customer. Here, IT
can provide the organisation with a
completely new revenue stream that did
not exist before. The CIO, in this case,
needs to be the change agent who ushers
in such a transformation—in a proactive
and not reactive manner.
42%
perspective, while a CIO takes a
business view of technologies. This
change is possible only when an IT
manager starts understanding the
business. Once an IT manager develops
a better understanding of the business
he can start mapping technology to want CEOs to mentor
business, since technology is any way potential CIOs
his forte,” Shah adds.
‘De-technicalise’
2ND Read a Dilbert comic
STEP strip and you will
realise what the IT guys

47%
S OU RC E: IT N EX T S UR VE Y 2 0 0 9

The IT manager too needs to
inculcate this kind of business-
conscious approach. The first step is
to familiarise oneself with all business
concepts like RoI, EBITDA and PAT. It
is not enough to know just what your
company does, you also need to keep
think about the world, and in return,
what the world thinks about them.
Even today, despite the ubiquity of
computing lingo, it is hard for a layman
to have a conversation with a technical feel 13+ years of ex-
expert. It is not surprising, considering perience is neces-
that techies are often considered geeks sary to become a CIO

BECOME BE A PEOPLE GET TURN INTO A

INNOVATIVE PERSON NETWORKED BE-ALL PERSON
Focus on the Managing people Increase your The CIO needs

4 5 6 7
needs and ways is infinitely more circle. Join to be a jack-of-all
of doing busi- difficult than man- online sites like trades. He has to
ness. Think out aging computers. LinkedIn, Face- manage different
of the box. Add Learn to inspire book, Orkut and tasks, different
value. Delight the cus- peers. Let them come to special community groups. people and different situ-
tomer and the boss. The you with their problems. Share experiences and ations, all the time. So, if
CIO’s seat will not seem Empathise and resolve their knowledge. The network your eyes are set on the
so distant. problems. They will love to will sustain you as you plum CIO assignment, get
follow you. work towards your goal. ready for all this and more.

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 19
 COVER STORY | 09 SURVEY
who will be more at home talking SSL
than IPL.
Meanwhile, the CIO, who now
plays a much broader executive role, is
expected to work in close tandem with
other non-IT functions of the company,
whether accounts or HR. He might
not lead those functions but plays a
crucial role in deciding whether they
are a success or a failure. He needs to
be at home talking about impact of the
slowdown, and discussing ways to
curtailing attrition.
Hence, the IT manager, wishing
to make the transition to the classy
glass cabin, needs to ‘de-technicalise’
himself. He needs to come to grips with
other functions in the company and be
able to discuss them without resorting
to technical jargon. In fact, CIOs
emphatically highlight this in the IT
Next survey, making it the second most
important trait or behaviour that is
“An IT manager
should be able
to interact
with different
team members
easily and
ask right
questions”
—Rajesh Agarwal
IT Manager,
DP Jindal Group
20 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
essential to make the shift. So, next time
you step out for a break ensure that you
do so with a non-techie. While, it may be
a bit tough to discuss IPL when there is
the more interesting SSL or VBL, you
will soon get the hang of it.
“The mantra for success is to be a
very good team player, understand team
emotions and be a listener. This makes
you very effective in collaborating
with peers. And most importantly,
translate technical jargon into business
language,” observes Sanjeev Kumar,
CIO, Polygenta Technologies.
Be the gauntlet
3RD guy
STEP Some years back, there
was a relatively small
BPO firm that acquired a major trans-
national operator in a big M&A deal.
Suddenly, the player that operated out
of a few offices in India had a footprint
“Proper
resource
planning and
monitoring
capabilities are
key qualities
required to
become a CIO”
—Rakesh Mohan
Project Manager,
Flytxt
that stretched across continents. The
huge addition of manpower, infrastruc-
ture, and business was truly mind-bog-
gling. The management of the company
decided to form a core transition team
for the amalgamation to be effectively
executed. The proactive CIO of the com-
pany indicated his eagerness to lead the
team. Needless to say, he was assigned
the task. Within a year, when the two
companies were successfully inte-
grated, kudos (and bigger management
roles) came his way.
The moral of the story is simple. If
you do not have the stomach to take on
challenges, you cannot be trusted to
be a leader. If you want to impress the
management that you are the apt person
for the CIO post, you need to proactively
take on more. In fact, if some challenging
project, like a new implementation
or productivity measures, is likely to
be undertaken, then do not forget to
propose your name. The setbacks in
the project will teach you a lot, and
the success of the project will teach
the organisation to take you seriously.
Picking up the gauntlet always pays,
even when it may not seem apparent.
Become
4TH innovative
STEP One CEO shared an
interesting insight. A
few years back when his company
was looking to fill the CIO position, he
was caught in a quandary. There were
two senior managers with the requi-
site experience. Both had spent years
in the company and were almost simi-
larly placed in terms of education and
personal profile. But the CEO did not
want to elevate somebody just because
of the person’s experience or seniority;
he desired someone with an innovative
streak. He noticed that the company’s
HR head had played a rather proac-
tive role in the ERP rollout and other
P HOTOG RA P H Y: ( LEF T ) D R LO HI A
similar initiatives. It was no surprise,
the CEO opted to bet on the HR guy’s
innovation rather than the senior IT
manager’s experience.
This incident does not imply that
experience plays second fiddle when
it comes to bagging the CIO cap. In

fact, a vast majority of respondents,
in our survey, felt that around 15 years
of experience was required to make
the transition. But innovation can be
a big distinguishing factor. So, as an
IT manager, look for ways to bring
innovation in the business processes
of the company.
Innovation can relate to anything:
can you automate the temporary staff
muster, or can you devise a tool to
compare IT equipment buys. Even
Green IT could be a major drive. To be
innovative, you need to be attentive to
the needs and ways of doing business.
Make a point to peruse case studies,
interact with peers and imbibe the habit
of being innovative.
“In my opinion, the transformation
from being an IT manager to a CIO starts
TO GRADUATE FROM BEING AN IT
MANAGER TO A CIO, ONE NEEDS TO START
LOOKING AT THE BUSINESS VALUE OF
TECHNOLOGY AND MATCHING IT TO THE
OVERALL GOAL OF THE ORGANISATION
with change in mindset, attitude and
approach. A typical IT manager is one
who spends most of his time in managing
IT work like incident management,
support management, building IT,
running IT systems and infrastructure,”
says Prasad Dhumal, Senior Director IT
(South Asia), DHL Express.
To graduate from IT manager to
a CIO, you need to start looking at
the business value of technology
and matching it to the overall goal
of the organisation. One also needs
to be proactive in understanding
technology needs of upcoming
products and services, and have the
ability to closely work with business
to develop, innovate and implement IT
solutions. Don’t be a re-active partner
and execute the standard IT solutions
available in market.
“The IT manager needs to broaden
his horizon by getting more involved
COVER STORY
with all the business functions like HR
or marketing or sales to understand
09
SURVEY
the underlying organisation processes
and improve his own business
understanding,” Dhumal adds.
Be a people
5TH person
STEP The trouble in interact-
ing with people is that
they seldom behave in a rational man-
ner. Unlike computers and data centres
that can be easily managed, human
management is infinitely more com-
plex. And this is the key requirement
from any leadership role, including
that of a CIO.
A CIO needs to get his work done
from a team of trusted professionals.
He needs to inspire confidence amongst
74%
respondents think
CIO aspirants should
have financial account-
ing skills
team mates. You need to be looked upon
as a mentor, a leader who is trusted and
86%
respected by the team.
IT managers have to analyse how well
(or badly) placed they are as a co-worker.
Are you a source of inspiration for
juniors in the team? Do they come to you
for solutions to their problems? Are you
able to get work done with minimum think an innovative
resistance from other members of the
streak is necessary
team? Have you been able to ensure that
for IT managers to
the best members in the team are able to
grow, and do not leave the organisation?
make the transition
Answer these questions honestly,
53%
and then either pat yourself on the
back or change your working style.
S O UR C E : I T N EX T S U R V EY 2 00 9
Remember, while as an IT manager you
need to get your work done from servers
and desktops, as a CIO you will need
to work with IT managers and other
professionals. So, start being a people believe that a man-
person if you are not one already. agement degree is not
critical
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 21
 COVER STORY | 09 SURVEY
Get networked
6TH Have you noticed how
STEP many seminars and
events CIOs attend? Or
how many memberships clubs and
associations they boast of? In fact,
Indian CIOs are amongst the most net-
worked CXOs in the world. They have
formed different clubs, both in real and
virtual worlds, where they meet, dis-
cuss and deliberate on various things.
Think of any renowned CIO and search
for him on Linkedin.com. You will find
that he is well connected to his peers,
and is a member of several groups.
Networking, according to CIOs, is an
important way of learning about new
technology and solutions.
IT managers should take some
time to connect with peers and others.
Online, there are social networking
sites like Facebook, Orkut, MySpace
and Twitter. But, from a professional
perspective, LinkedIn seems to be the
“It is imperative
for an IT
manager to
understandlong
term business
goals rather
than short term
gains”
—Sushil Aggarwal
Leader-IT, Mara-
thon Electric India
22 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
best bet when it comes to networking.
Create a profile that fully captures
your achievements and strengths,
and start connecting with friends and
seniors. In the real world, find a club of
like-minded professionals and join it. In
fact, very soon, IT Next will be starting a
club for IT managers, where knowledge-
sharing in the community will be
promoted. Watch out for more details,
or drop us a line. We will give you a buzz
when the club comes to your city.
“It is fairly important to network,
as it helps in getting inputs. Sharing
experiences is an integral path to
growth. The network will sustain you
even when you reach your goal,” advises
Rajiv Gerela, VP, Deutsche Bank.
Turn into a
7TH be-all person
STEP Our survey highlighted
an interesting fact that
a CIO is not master of just one skill
“One needs
to think of
quick wins to
accelerate self
growth and
start building
a long term IT
strategy”
—S Ilango
Senior Manager,
Aditya Birla Group
or talent, but is more of a jack-of-all.
Remember, as a CIO you are expected
to do things that go beyond the tradi-
tional technology role, right from busi-
ness alignment of technology to dealing
with vendors. So, if your eyes are set on
the plum CIO assignment, then prepare
yourself for all this and more.
As Arun Gupta, Group CIO at K
Raheja Group, says, “You need to put
some questions to yourself. Can you
make presentations confidently in
a management group meeting? Do
people within your team and your
users trust you? Can you negotiate
well with a vendor or a user? Are you
able to resolve conflict? Are you able
to hold your head high and have a
disagreement with your boss without
getting beaten? If the answer to any
one of these is in the negative, then
start working on them before you can
think of being a CIO.”
Another important factor that can
ease the transition is a guru or a mentor.
But, finding one can be a real tough
task. Like Alok Kumar, IT Consultant at
Sears Holding, puts it, “It is extremely
important for every emerging leader to
have a mentor who will guide and shape
their career. Anyone with the dream to
become a leader, will find it very difficult
to translate it into reality without a
mentor.”
Interestingly in our survey, a
majority of respondents, both IT
managers and CIOs, stated that a CEO
is the best mentor for an IT manager
looking to make it to the top seat. After
all, it is the CEO who takes the call on
whom to appoint CIO.
It should be fairly clear by now that
though the life of a CIO may seem akin
P HOTOG RA P H Y: ( LEF T ) D R LO HI A ( R IG HT ) M EX Y X AV IE R
to that of the queen in the anthill, it is
anything but the same. To be a CIO,
you need to be multi-talented, multi-
skilled and multi-faceted. The job
requirements are challenging. So, if you
have the stomach for it and your heart
is set on becoming one, it is time you got
going. Good luck.
How did you like this story?
Send your feedback at
editor@itnext.in
 APPLICATION | INSIGHT

CLICKING
IT BIG
By integrating traditional network with modern day
communication systems, CaaS is set to change the way an
enterprise communicates and collaborates today
BY JAT I N D E R S I N G H / I M AGI N G SAN TO SH KU SH WA H A

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 23
 INSIGHT | APPLICATION
Innovation is no longer just thinking out
of box. Now, it is more to do with producing
vernal themes, within the box. It is with that
understanding, companies across the globe,
are focusing on innovation in a more doable
fashion, without unduly compromising their
core business interests.
Communication as a Service (CaaS) is
“IT BRINGS one such concept that enables businesses
ALL BENEFITS to focus on their core capabilities. With
THAT ARE BE- CaaS, the communication capacities of an
organisation are placed on the web and the
ING LEVERAGED applications can be used by the agent and
BY LARGER members as per need.
ENTERPRISES While many enterprises are setting out to
realise the business gains of CaaS, others are
TODAY, WITHIN perplexed by conflicting stands. For some, it
THE REACH OF is just another Unified Communications (UC)
SMALLER model that uses SaaS platform, while others
mix it up with Computing as a Service.
COMPANIES” To start off, CaaS is hosted on demand
—Johnson Varkey, Busi- model where the communication needs of
ness Development Manager, an enterprise are managed by a third party.
Cisco India and SAARC CaaS allows your business to undertake
incremental technology improvements
without placing undue stress on managing a
premises-based solution.
The CaaS vendor is responsible for all
kinds of hardware and software maintenance
with major emphasis on quality of service. It
enables the organisation to outsource various
communication channels—VoIP, IM, video
conferencing and much more.
Considering that resource and
infrastructure are always a big constraints,
experts feel there is ample scope of growth
“WITH SOFT- for CaaS as well as its broader counterpart,
WARE SERVICES UC, in India. What’s more, they argue that
messaging applications would continue to
BECOMING CON- grow on the cloud as it eliminates the need
VENIENT AND to run applications locally, and hence helps
AFFORDABLE, organisations save software maintenance,
management, deployment and support cost.
ONLINE COL-
LABORATION Why CaaS?
APPLICATIONS As an IT manager, have you ever been con-
cerned about the rising overhead for a system
ARE BOUND TO whose capacity may often increase or fall short
BECOME HOT IN of expectations? Do you often get scared that
FUTURE” your system might become obsolete, forcing
you to spend heavily on an upgrade? And
—Vikas Arora, Group Di-
moreover, does managing communication
rector, Enterprise Services
infrastructure give you more panic than com-
Division, Microsoft India
fort? Well, if that is the case, then CaaS could
just be the right solution for you.
24 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
Says Zoeb Adenwala, CIO, Essel Propack,
“Every organisation wants to focus on its core
competencies. Maintaining and running such
boxes is obviously not the focus area. We are
using complete mailing as a pay-per-service
model. CaaS can definitely provide the luxury
of exploring new growth areas rather than
laying too much stress on non-core areas.”
In today’s value-driven market, no one can
underestimate the importance of seamless
interaction between employees, stakeholders
and vendors as delay in decision-making
can cause hefty losses. To ensure seamless
connectivity, trends like social networking,
cloud computing, usage of intelligent devices
and collaborative approach are in vogue. And
with CaaS, all these come in a single basket.
Adds Vikas Arora, Group Director,
Enterprise Services Division, Microsoft
India, “Communication is one of the key
resource application in organisations across
verticals. With software services becoming an
increasingly convenient and affordable means
of business, collaboration applications such as
e-mail, web conferencing, document sharing,
online collaboration are bound to become hot
candidates in future.”
Show me the power
Imagine yourself scanning news on your
laptop on a power-packed Monday morning
when, all of a sudden, a message from your
CEO pops out asking you to join him for
an urgent meeting on some pressing issue.
And, you get connected with your boss just
by clicking the ‘connect now’ option on your
company’s internal blog on web without mak-
ing any complex arrangements. That is the
advantage of CaaS.
Johnson Varkey, Business Development
Manager, Cisco India and SAARC, says,
“CaaS and its benefits can be applicable to
organisation of any size. In fact, CaaS can
ADVANTAGE CAAS
„ Users can communicate effectively without
P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N
having to switch between networks, services,
systems or applications
„ Improves inter organisation and intra
organisation collaboration
„ Helps integrate traditional network and
communication systems of an organisation
„ Huge savings on real estate rental cost—between
$3,000 to $10,000 per employee per year

bring all benefits that are being leveraged by
larger organisations today, within the reach of
smaller organisations.”
Let us take up healthcare. Considering the
size of our country, it is virtually impossible for
doctors to reach far-flung areas. But thanks to
CaaS, it is possible to bring patients virtually
into the specialist’s consulting room along
with details of his condition and case history
for immediate consultative diagnosis and
discussion with a local doctor. Innumerable
lives can be saved.
“CaaS integrates traditional network and
communication systems, enabling users to
communicate effectively without having to
switch between networks, services, systems
or applications,” says Ganesh Swaminathan,
Director, Office of Innovation at CSC India.
Picking up steam?
The CaaS market is in a nascent stage in
India, and there are very few service pro-
viders who are offering solutions bundled
COMPANIES CAN
ACTUALLY SAVE
BETWEEN $3,000 AND
10,000 PER EMPLOYEE
PER YEAR IN REAL
ESTATE RENTAL COSTS
S OURCE:T EL EWO R K COAL I T I O N STU DY
along with bandwidth to enterprise end cus-
tomers. Only recently, telecom service pro-
vider Bharti has tied up with Cisco to form a
strategic business alliance to facilitate man-
aged data services, hosted UC and connected
branch service for Indian enterprises.
According to industry experts, many more
players are expected to join the bandwagon
soon. “UC as a service model concept is still
in the early days of its development. It is
expected to gain traction by the beginning of
P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N
2011. However, with right value proposition
and customised offering the Indian market
has the potential to grow significantly,” says K
B Saneesh, Senior Research Analyst, Gartner.
According to George Varghese, President
and Head, Enterprise Business, Reliance
Communications, “Hosted IT offerings are a
cost-effective model for provisioning processes,
APPLICATION | INSIGHT
applications and services while making IT
management easier and more responsive to
business needs. We believe businesses have
matured in their IT strategies and are now
ready to explore hosted infrastructure as
an option not only for short-term scalability
needs but also for longer-term requirements.”
The key issues for growth of CaaS in the
Indian market are regulatory challenges, “CAAS CAN
pricing and functionality bundles. Experts feel DEFINITELY
that the decision to go in for CaaS would finally
evolve around TCO and ROI. For instance,
PROVIDE THE
Telework Coalition, in a 2006 study, found LUXURY OF
that companies can actually save between EXPLORING NEW
$3,000 and 10,000 per employee per year in
real estate rental costs.
GROWTH AREAS
CaaS can transform the way employees RATHER THAN
work today. For instance, a manager can reach LAYING TOO
out to employees through personal text and
video blogs, and every employee can post his
MUCH STRESS
comment on the executive’s blog. This can be ON NON-CORE
done on the internal blog site. This frees time AREAS”
for genuine interaction, audience participation, —Zoeb Adenwala, CIO,
Q&A and feedback when the manager meets Essel Propack
the teams face-to-face.
However, to meet these changing needs,
collaborative effort is required from
vendors, enterprises and service providers.
“Corporations need to have predictable phone
bills for budgeting purposes. The US model
of pay-per-call is very enticing for service
providers as they can bill surprisingly large
amounts, but bad for enterprise planning,” says
Thomas Boltze, CTO, China Cascade Interactive.
But to leverage the benefits associated with
CaaS, IT managers would need to upgrade their “CAAS
skills. “Over the years, there has been a big shift
in the role of an IT manager… Infrastructure
INTEGRATES
is not in his control. The key challenge lies TRADITIONAL
in identifying which CaaS service to go for? NETWORK AND
Can he map what is required?” asks Saurabh
Sanghoee, Head, Consulting and Solutions
COMMUNICATION
Integration, Orange Business Services, India. SYSTEMS,
Creating a substantial platform and making ENABLING
appropriate strategy form the core area an IT
manager should look into. Nevertheless, the
USERS TO
core competency of any service lies in the COMMUNICATE
value, convenience, efficiency and proper WITHOUT
utilisation of resources, and here CaaS has a
definite role to play.
SWITCHING
BETWEEN
NETWORKS”
ITNEXT<space><your feedback> —Ganesh Swaminathan,
567678
and send it to
Director, Office of
*Special rates apply
Innovation, CSC India
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 25
 INSIGHT | SECURITY

NO MISHAPS E-mail security

needs to

FOR THIS guarantee

perimeter

MAIL
safety,
confidentiality
and non-
repudiation
BY MO H I T C H H A B R A

he most efficient and effective business communication tool today, is capability to manage e-mail security,” says

T electronic mail. According to the Radicati group, there are over 400
million corporate mailboxes worldwide, and more than 45 billion
e-mail messages are transmitted each day. And while businesses are
becoming increasingly dependent on e-mails today, it has also turned
out to be a vault of technical disasters.
Viruses, trojans, spyware and spam sneak into corporate inboxes everyday and
can seriously undermine the performance of corporate IT system. Another cause
Ruchin Kumar, Senior Solution Specialist
at SafeNet.
The IT manager’s top two expectations
from an e-mail security system are
automatic updating and scalability. Since
new viruses emerge all the time, the
security solution must have automatic
of concern for the IT manager is the unwarranted leakage of sensitive company update capabilities so that the e-mail
information and data via the e-mail route. So we have IT managers and CIOs systems are fully protected all the time.
spending more and more on security across the globe. Gartner estimates that US The selected solution must also have the
$13.5 billion will be spent on security software next year, up from US $ 8.3 billion capability to accommodate the expanding
in 2006, a CAGR of over 10%. needs of the company.
Any good e-mail security system must accomplish the following three tasks—
perimeter security, confidentiality and non-repudiation. Confidentiality
The time card and time sheet were invented
Perimeter security to do one simple job—monitor employees
This piece of the e-mail security system guards corporate e-mail infrastructure during work hours. However, employee
against the entry of spam, trojans and worms. However, the world of anti-spam tracking has now gone digital with more
and anti-virus has become so crowded that it is difficult to zero in on the best detailed insight.
approach and solution. This evolution has been driven in part
Some analysts have declared that stand-alone anti-virus software is dead. But it by today’s widespread use of the Internet
is too early to write it off. Multi-functionality in the technology world has become and e-mail in the workplace. However,
the rule rather than the exception. This trend is converging on perimeter security as these pose a serious risk to the information
well. The functionality of the plain vanilla anti-virus software is expanding rapidly that resides inside a company, particularly
to effectively combat the changing threat scenario. It is not too long away when an since a staggering 70% of corporate data
anti-virus software solution will also be routinely expected to prevent data loss. resides in e-mails.
Early signals emerged last year when Sophos acquired Utimaco, a data security A 2008 survey conducted by
firm. Forrester about issues around outbound
“It’s important to look at perimeter security as a solution rather than a simple e-mail security found that two-thirds
anti-virus or intrusion protection. Appliances bring in the additional benefit of of the companies are concerned about
leaving application servers undisturbed because of their dedicated processing ensuring that e-mail should not be used

26 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

$ 13
will be spent on se-
curity software next
year—up from $8.3 bn
bn
in 2006
67
companies are con-
cerned about ensuring
%
that e-mail should not be
used to disseminate trade
secrets or IP, but only
36 % companies
regular audits of out-
perform
bound e-mail
SO U R CE: GART NER
to disseminate trade secrets or IP but
only 36% are currently performing
regular audits of outbound e-mail.
Kumar adds, “It’s not just the tools,
but also the policies that will ensure
that confidentiality is maintained.
Today effective freeware is also
available to track e-mail activity on
the network.” Implementation of
digital signatures using the Public
Key Infrastructure (PKI) is an effective
way to kill two birds, confidentiality
and non-repudiation, with one stone,
he observes.
Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation is the concept of
ensuring that a party cannot repudi-
ate or refute the validity of a statement
or contract.
The IT Act of 2000 took the first
SECURITY | INSIGHT
ENSURING THE
E-MAIL CHUGS
ON MERRILY
So you are up-
dating or creat-
ing policies for
e-mail use? It
will be worth-
while for IT managers to tackle
the following posers honestly.
z Why does secure e-mail impact your
business? (What is driving your organi-
sation forward and how security issues
can be a roadblock?)
z What is your intellectual property?
z What do you sell?
z What personal or private information
do your systems contain and how
sensitive is it?
z Are you exchanging information with
partners and distributors?
z Who are your customers?
z Who has access to company IP?
z Where and when is information ac-
cessed?
z How is it accessed? Do not overlook
the risk of sensitive information being
sent via mobile devices like Blackberry
and smart phones
step in granting legal sanctity to digital
signatures. Also, digitally signed
e-mails are admissible as evidence in
a court of law. Nearly all e-mail clients
now come with the functionality of
integrating digital signatures.
But no less important than
the tools is the e-mail use policy
framework which companies
need to put in practice. The right
questions need to be raised and
candidly answered to formulate
effective guidelines. (See box:
Ensuring the e-mail chugs on
merrily). Only the amalgamation
of state-of-the-art technology and
well-defined company policies can
ensure that e-mail continues to
serve business and industry in a
secure and sound manner. Critical
data needs crucial handling.
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT
 INSIGHT | MOBILITY
UNWIRING THE
ENTERPRISE
OUR TOP
Mobile applications
The growing use of mobile devices
is bringing about several changes
in consumer behaviour, forcing
businesses to rework their marketing
and customer-relationship strategies.
Today businesses are increasingly being
conducted outside office at unconventional
locations as mobile devices and applications
let executives carry ‘office’ in their pocket.
Moreover, the advent of ‘cloud’, which could
significantly increase the computing power
of mobile devices, is poised to bring drastic
changes in the way mobile applications are being
developed, acquired and used.
IT NEXT identifies five mobile application segments
that could have a significant impact not only on
the way your company operates but also on its
productivity, efficiency and overall profitability. These
application categories should top your shopping list if
you are looking at investing in making enterprise-wide
ICT infrastructure more mobile.
BY RAVI S P
28 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
ONE
Mobile collaboration
and conferencing
FROM HOT-DESKING TO HOT-
CONFERENCING
Meetings and conferencing are
important business enablers. It is
easy to connect with a business exec-
utive on the move and include him in
an important meeting at office by just
dialing his mobile phone. However,
many times, the mobile participant
may need to have access to presenta-
tions being delivered at the meeting;
he must refer to a document or share
one with other participants.
Also, as more and more business
is conducted on the move, mobile
collaboration and meetings are
becoming important. Even now,
it is not uncommon for business
 MOBILITY | INSIGHT

executives to attend meetings in unplanned location with no access to

a PC or laptop but only through a mobile phone.
FOUR
We believe that mobile applications, which enable meetings and Enterprise location-
collaboration, will top the list of priorities for business organisations based services
across industries. Mobile meetings and collaboration are already a
reality with new technologies and applications, high speed wireless WHERE, WHAT AND HOW?
networks and feature-rich powerful smart phones. For instance, Location-Based Services (LBS) applications
mobile executives can deliver presentations to a remote meeting or have generally been considered more suit-
access presentations being delivered at the remote meeting or share able in consumer applications. However, they
documents using Cisco WebEx meeting center on their smart phones. are beginning to find their way to enterprise
applications. For instance, there are already
several applications that leverage inexpen-
TWO Mobile customer relationship
management (CRM) is increas-
sive mobile handsets, embedded A-GPS tech-
nology and wireless data network to deliver
Mobile CRM ingly becoming critical in such a much more efficient and effective fleet man-
GETTING MORE PERSONAL business environment. agement and asset tracking system.
WITH CUSTOMERS In such a scenario, the ability With the help of LBS, enterprises can
Every service or product now to service customers’ demands become more productive and efficient in the
offers hundreds of choices to while outside of the office is realms of transportation, logistics, healthcare,
customers. For business organi- becoming a necessity for an emergency services, security, disaster
sations, this means not just increasingly mobile workforce. management and much more. Many countries
more competition but also more Making the CRM application have taken the lead in LBS.
demanding customers. Custom- mobile will not only help
ers now expect faster response companies build a more loyal
to their enquiries and real time
resolution of their complaints.
and happy customer base but also
generate more business.
FIVE
Governance, risk and
compliance applications
THREE one on which people spend the
most time compared to televi- ADDRESSING REGULATORY AND IN-
Mobile marketing sion, newspapers or even Inter- FORMATION SECURITY CONCERNS
applications net. Mobile marketing can help As more and more workers go mobile, busi-
companies get more personal in ness organisations face a new challenge—how
UP, CLOSE AND PERSONAL their sales and marketing cam- to ensure compliance with regulations when
Mobile applications that paigns as they can reach out to critical information is accessed outside their
address marketing needs will different target segments with networks. Moreover, how do they ensure their
be extremely critical. Not only customised marketing commu- mobile workers have any-time-any-where
have mobile phones become nications. This will be especially secure access to information? This is partic-
the number one mass media effective for companies with a ularly critical in industries like healthcare,
tool but have also emerged as diverse customer base. financial and banking services and in stock
exchange listed companies that must comply
with hundreds of regulations.
However, one of the key challenges that
CLOUD COMPUTING WILL mobile enterprises will face is effective
management of risks and compliance-related
DRASTICALLYCHANGETHEWAY issues that growing mobility will entail. It is

MOBILE APPLICATIONS ARE in this context that they will need an effective
mobile application or an array of applications
DEVELOPED, ACQUIRED AND that lets them manage all mobile applications
with ease and addresses all their compliance
USED ACROSS ENTERPRISES and security-related concerns.

While these, we believe, will be the top five mobile application segments that will attract enterprise attention and investment, it is noteworthy
that the definition of mobility will continue to evolve dramatically over the next few years.

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 29
 INSIGHT | TAXATION

READY IL LU ST RAT IO N: P HOTOS . C O M

STEADY
GST
The forthcoming GST regime will
compel IT managers to execute
a complete realignment of the IT
infrastructure. Are you prepared?
BY JAT I N D E R S I N G H

30 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

f there is one memory that Sudhir
I Desai readily wants to forget, it is
about the arduous days in 2005
when Value Added Tax (VAT)
was introduced in India. As an
IT manager with a large white goods com-
pany Desai was caught completely unaware
because the IT infrastructure was not ready
for the changes proposed by the govern-
ment. Complicating the problem was the
fact that different state governments were
implementing the same scheme in differ-
ent time frames and prescribing different
rates. Almost overnight, the entire system
at Desai’s firm came close to a standstill.
There was little option for Desai and his
team but to manually realign all the systems
right from ERP to HR management. Over
a period of two months, they worked day
in and day out to get the system up and
running. Since the operations of the company
were spread over a large geography, the
challenge and the subsequent work was far
more daunting. For these two months, Desai
barely slept, ate or even went home. Those
are the days he wishes he could forget.
Today, he has a new worry—General
Sales Tax (GST), which is all set to replace
multiple state and central levies and
consolidate them into a single central and
state GST levy from April 2010. No wonder
then, Desai and IT managers like him have
already started to lay the preliminary
ground work for the transition. Being an all
pervasive tax, GST will substantially impact
all stakeholders including the staff engaged
in marketing, finance, sales, tax and IT.
Being at the helm of managing the
infrastructure required for GST roll out, IT
managers also need to understand every
possible effect of past tax structure and retain
the accuracy of post-GST implementation.
“It is important for companies to start
at a broader level and conduct an impact
analysis of how introduction of GST will
impact the business,” suggests Nimish Goel,
Manager-tax and regulatory services, PwC.
He further adds that an organisation
needs to ascertain the vendors’ capability
of making changes in the ERP systems as
it gets ready to migrate to the GST regime.
Readiness quotient
It is necessary for an IT head to analyse
if the existing ERP accounting system is
TAXATION | INSIGHT
ready to deal with the forthcoming change.
Also, some of the key strategic areas,
including system of invoicing, managing
supply chain, input credits, maintain-
ing records, and providing sufficient and
accurate information for filing GST returns
should be planned in advance.
Preparing a multiple plan of action will
add value to the future action plan. Also,
meetings between technical and domain
experts on the working of an emergency
notification system will help in taking
precautionary measures in advance.
“For any IT manager, it does make sense “THE STRUCTURE
to map the ERP system. Though GST is not a OF GST IS STILL
very complex deal, wrong interpretations may
lead to sleepless nights for any IT manager,”
NOT KNOWN...
says Arun Gupta, Group CTO, K Raheja Corp. THE GENERAL
More importantly, an IT manager needs THINKING IS THAT
to interact with his vendors to understand
their role and to make them ready to provide
PROCESSES WILL
documents and invoices within GST purview BE SIMPLIFIED TO
at the earliest. GET ADVANTAGE
Caught in ambiguity
OF THE TAX
“The structure of GST is still not known… SYSTEM…”
The general thinking is that processes will —Thomas Abraham, MD,
be simplified to get the true advantage of a Sage India
unified tax system. It is still being discussed
and debated by the government. Success of
ERP implementations will lie in the ability
to quickly adapt to the new GST regime as
and when it is announced,” says Thomas
Abraham, MD, Sage India.
In fact, the industry still seems to be
groping in dark on the exact nature of
the policy as the guidelines are yet to be
announced. Says Yogesh Kumar Sharma,
Head, ERP, Jindal Group, “There is
absolutely no clarity on the way forward.
Every second day there is a different version
from states and industry experts and we are
just assuming how things will shape up post
“THOUGH GST
GST. Its definitely a big concern for every IS NOT A VERY
IT manager. Though we have not started the COMPLEX DEAL,
preparations yet, we would be setting up a
GST team by the end of December to meet
WRONG INTERP-
the switch over deadline.” RETATIONS
Agrees, Robin Banerjee, CFO, Suzlon MAY LEAD TO
Energy, “The industry has not started the
preparations yet. As rules and regulations
SLEEPLESS
have yet to be drafted by the government, NIGHTS FOR ANY
there are lot of uncertainties.” However, he IT MANAGER”
asserts that one has to be prepared for any —Arun Gupta, Group CTO,
kind of changes. K Raheja Corp
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 31
 INSIGHT | TAXATION
“ASCERTAINING THE PREPAREDNESS OF ERP VENDORS FOR MAKING
CHANGES IN THE ERP SYSTEMS IS CRITICAL FOR ANY ORGANISATION AS
IT GETS READY TO MIGRATE TO THE GST REGIME”
— Nimish Goel, Manager-tax and regulatory services, PwC
Notably, out of 120 countries where
the GST has been implemented, only
two countries—Brazil and Canada—have
dual level GST model, similar to what
has been proposed in India. Explains
Siddharth Mehta, Senior Manager,
Indirect Tax, Tax and Regulatory
Services, KPMG India, “Existing tax
regime in India is very complicated.
There are indications that GST in India
may be implemented at dual level like
in Brazil and Canada. The dual model
will essentially combine both state and
central taxes into a single system and,
considering the quasi-federal structure
of India, it seems to be justifiable.”
Ironing out the creases
At the moment, there are many black-
holes in the proposed GST that will be
clarified only after the release of final
draft guidelines by the government.
“GST will simplify the life of software
(particularly the ERP) developers as
they have to handle only one kind of tax.
However, it is important to analyse the
compliance preparation and short-term
impact analysis within an organisation,”
comments Dr Manoj Saxena, CEO,
NetEdge Computing.
During the initial stages, there may
be several transactions pertaining to tax
with old rates. Therefore, an IT manager
will need to keep an eagle’s eye on all these
developments.
Also, to achieve successful transition,
incorporation of the new Tax Code—
central GST (CGST) and state GST
(SGST) is required. According to experts,
this could be a big structural change, and
would hence need to be accommodated
in the ERP. It is crucial for an IT manager
to amend all open point of sale (POS) to
incorporate the new GST rather than
VAT or any other criteria. In the absence
of auto update, the ERP may stop you
from getting goods in.
Since all service providers,
manufacturers, traders and retailers will
32 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
have different identification numbers
for sales tax (state wise) and service tax
(excise registration number, PAN, TAN,
TIN) they may need to change all that data
during the course of GST implementation.
Market analysts assert that none of the
existing ERP or accounting systems is
ready to deal with such massive changes.
As CST will no longer continue and
proposed GST credits may take place
during inter-state transactions, it needs
to be examined whether or not the stock
transfer-and-sell model will continue to
be efficient under the new framework.
“While uniform GST system will
throw up many deployment challenges,
it will help completely do away with small
warehousing agents and substantially
reduce in-transit pilferages thanks to the
IT MANAGER’S modern handling systems,” says Sanjay
TO-DO LIST Goel, Chairman, GTC Group.
“On the SCM front, there will a heavy
Prepare multiple plans of ac- reduction in the funds blocked with
tion benefits government and firms will have to invest
less. Globally over $25 Billion every
Perform systematic verification
year gets stuck with tax issues which
under different probabilities to
an optimised Supply Chain can save or
derive exact tax benefits
reduce,” he adds.
Work closely with a tax consultant Finally, as there are still a lot of ‘ifs’ and
to understand post-GST effect ‘buts’ to GST, it is really hard for anyone
to prescribe a foolproof solution for the IT
Form a GST team within the
manager to follow. However, to start with,
organisation
it would be prudent to have an in-house
Ensure GST roll out in a way GST team comprising people from both
that there is minimum disrup- tax and IT departments. Furthermore,
tion to current business sufficient training will need to be
provided to all users to ensure smooth
Stop issuing invoices with sales
functioning of operations.
tax, excise, service tax or entry
Meanwhile, our IT manager Desai,
tax after GST implementation
once bitten, twice shy, is working hard
Ensure proper authentication with different functional departments to
to prevent loss of credit while ensure a smooth transition. Hopefully,
handling invoices with old dates all those who faced the music during the
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM
Re-organise any automatic
VAT days will have it easier during the
process that may exist in the
transition to GST.
organisation for calculating
present taxes with April 2010 Find similar stories online
as the bill and invoice date on the website
www.itnext.in/Insight
 INSIGHT | SERVER

THE
HAS

FIZZ
SETTLED?
Server virtualisation made its
way into legacy-dominated
enterprises astride big hype.
Now that the dust has settled,
FROM SOA TO WEB 2.0, from cloud
computing to virtualisation, history
repeats itself on binary screens. A tech-
nology surfaces from nowhere, bur-
geons unnoticed, bubbles up thanks to
hype and then bursts as soon as new
technology hype steals the thunder. So

it is time to assess the benefits of before the buzz around server virtuali-
sation becomes history, why not try a

the technology quick download?

Server virtualisation has emerged
as a technology for hiding the physical
BY SI YA SA H A NI
characteristics of IT resources from
the other side of the curtain in which
different systems, applications or end-
users interact with those servers. And
servers, we know, form a thick slice of
the pie called budget.

34 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 SERVER | INSIGHT

WE CAN DO IT recovery from failures, improved audit,

and faster provisioning, as Andi Mann,
REALITY CHECK: Do a candid analysis. Compute whether the V-P of Research, Enterprise Management
benefits outweigh the costs in your situation. If the manage- Associates (EMA) suggests. However,
ment of IT hardware and software resources is a current or business continuity and disaster recovery
anticipated headache, you should take a look at VMware, Xen outshine everything else.
and Microsoft Virtual Server. Carefully consider the benefits and disadvan- “Apart from consolidation, ease
tages for your particular situation. to manage, cost-saving and disaster-
recovery are clearly big reasons
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS: The most critical factor for a
prompting customers to adopt
virtualised infrastructure is how well you design it and how it is
virtualisation as it helps them to migrate
planned for provisioning and future requirements. This includes
critical application to another server or
proper selection of servers, storage sub-systems and network-
location in very short time,” Mann says.
ing, based on the performance and availability requirements. A properly
As P V Aslekar, Manager IT at Badve
planned environment with features like check pointing and automatic failover
Engineering, points out too, recovery
can ensure 99.99% uptime.
of data is the most critical part of IT
DASHBOARDS HELPS: Visibility into what is being deployed, operations, and managing data security
where, how, and by whom, help enterprises track system deploy- and anything else related to data is
ments and correct variations from their standard operating envi- crucial for IT managers.
ronment (SOE). Replace or augment operational performance and According to Nair, a properly planned
event monitoring solution with something that will handle the virtual systems virtualisation environment can also
better. Automate the processes that are in place for managing the full life cycle reduce manpower requirements to a great
of virtual systems, including VM provisioning, migration, and decommissioning. extent. “For example, where one had to
install complete OS and applications on
a new hardware, which could take hours
or days, a new virtual server can be easily
Interestingly, with a freeze on IT the IT industry. But now virtualisation started in minutes using a pre-configured
investments, server virtualisation is a hot topic. virtual server image file,” he asserts.
has become all the more critical. For Says Deepak Tawri, Engineering Improved server utilisation and
instance, server shipments on a global Manager at Qlogic Software, “In humble spatial-cum-software and
scale have tanked over the last few recent years, it has moved towards hardware costs affect budget decisions
quarters (in the second quarter of mainstream in production servers. and ROI math on the balance sheets
2009, worldwide server shipments And the faith is that there is still room as well. “For example, you can put one
dropped 28% year-on-year, according to grow. I understand that about 75% 10 Gbps card in the physical machine
to Gartner). Yet, the dependence on IT of large enterprises use virtualisation which could be shared by 10 virtual
has only increased thanks to all the to some extent, but most of those have servers, each being allocated 1 Gbps of
automation or productivity measures. virtualised only about 10% of their bandwidth,” says Tawri.
Little wonder, for the IT manager servers.” So, when one virtualises Clearly, the over-provisioning
who has to eke out more processing servers, there are definitely some model used by earlier data centres is
power from lesser or same equipment, benefits that focus the spotlight on the becoming unsustainable and offers
virtualisation is the only key. IT manager. poor ROI. Shajy Thomas, Head of
The hype part is not entirely untrue, Technology at Crest Animation
asserts Indivar Nair, Consultant at Headaches are history Studios from Mumbai, elucidates:
Independent Information Technology Smoother software migration, reduced “Server virtualisation is addressing
Consultants and an expert on downtime, less physical system main- the problems of over- and under
virtualisation based out of Mumbai. tenance, fewer headaches, business provisioning of servers… As a result,
“Though there are the obvious and agility getting real, increase in service we can optimise server utilisation, gain
highly talked about features like savings capabilities and flexibility of business operational efficiencies, control power
in costly floor space, cooling, power and processes, reduced hardware con- and cooling costs, and control capital
infrastructure management, it does not straints leading to faster deployment investments better.” Centralised and
make them any less important,” he says. cycles and server consolidation are just secure management, configuration,
For many, it started as an underdog a few upside areas to start with. change detection, performance
technology since VMware had been On an average, enterprises report that analysis etc are other positives that add
around for a few years before the buzz they get around four to five different up to a lot of Green Computing. What
about server virtualisation started in functional benefits—better SLAs, faster more could you ask for?

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 35
 INSIGHT | SERVER
Virtualisation might have few issues that need
to be addressed, but it certainly helps an enterprise
improve the way business is done.
BRIGHT
SPOTS
GREY
AREAS
Not all is great
Security always makes the alarms go off
when it comes to virtualisation. With
more touch points and loss of control
to the low-level hyper-visor, attacks
and accentuated vulnerabilities are big
security concerns for many.
Without doubt, the biggest problem
for IT managers with virtualisation
is the demand for new approaches to
managing virtual systems, observes
EMA’s Mann. “This is mainly because
the environment is so much more
complex. The average enterprise
uses around 11 different platforms,
“SERVER VIRTUALISATION HAS MOVED TOWARDS MAINSTREAM… ABOUT
75% OF LARGE ENTERPRISES USE IT TO SOME EXTENT, BUT MOST OF
THOSE HAVE VIRTUALISED ONLY ABOUT 10% OF THEIR SERVERS”
—Deepak Tawri, Engineering Manager, Qlogic Software
36 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
Data management and DR
Shrunk downtime
Maintenance headaches off
Agility
Better server utilisation,
quick implementation and
provisioning
Better SLAs and audit
H/W related benefits
Reduced HR and other costs
Cooling, power-space savings
and other Green IT frills
Security gaps
Licensing maze
Low expertise
Inadequate vendor support
Inter-operability issues
technologies and vendors in its
virtualisation environment alone. It
is difficult to gain and preserve all the
needed skills.”
Then there are wrinkles in the
balance sheet. The confusing algebra
of licensing costs still haunts IT
cubicles; it becomes even more complex
for virtual setups. Also sporadic and
dynamic resource usage need to be
calculated, which is much tougher to
tote up than just initial costs.
Many other areas are still unanswered
or unaddressed adequately. Human
issues top that list, especially if an
enterprise is running short of skills,
abilities, acceptance, adaptability and
willingness to share resources. No doubt,
HR problems like politics, skills and
resource are three of the top five barriers
to virtualisation success, if you ask Mann.
But, then again, as with anything
else, virtualisation, if not implemented
properly, can be counter-productive,
warns Nair. Indian IT managers
have long known the benefits of
virtualisation, but adoption levels are
still low. The main reason, asserts Nair,
is lack of expertise.
Implementation ills
Virtualisation comes with its set of chal-
lenges, Thomas states adding that it will
lead to over-burdening of IT management
and skill set requirements. “The decision
for virtualisation integration should
be based purely on the actual business
requirement and ROI,” he recommends.
Even though most virtualisation
software can be easily be implemented,
there is very little expertise available
in sizing, planning and designing
virtualisation environments. It is no
surprise that trial runs by organisation
do not yield the required results.
“We are habituated to installing and
running software out of the box. That
does not work in case of virtualisation
as lot of planning and proper sizing
of resource requirements is very
essential,” Nair reasons.
Inadequate vendor support, snags in
compatibility, concomitant hardware
and software requirements and
concentration risk darken the clouds a
little. Talking about the concentration
risk, Tawri says, “The biggest advantage
of virtualisation is the ability to
consolidate several physical servers
onto one machine. But putting most of
your application’s eggs in one basket is
risky. If the host machine breaks down
or needs to be taken offline, then several
 SERVER | INSIGHT

“THOUGH MOST VIRTUALISATION

SOFTWARE CAN BE EASILY
IMPLEMENTED, THERE IS VERY
LITTLE EXPERTISE AVAILABLE IN
SIZING, PLANNING AND DESIGNING
THE ENVIRONMENT”
—Indivar Nair, Consultant, Independent IT
Consultants

“… COST-SAVING AND
DISASTER-RECOVERY ARE
CLEARLY BIG REASONS “SERVER VIRTUALISATION ADDRESSES
PROMPTING CUSTOMERS THE PROBLEMS OF OVER AND UNDER
TO ADOPT VIRTUALISATION PROVISIONING OF SERVERS…”
—Shajy Thomas, Head of Technology, Crest Animation Studios
AS IT HELPS THEM MIGRATE
CRITICAL APPS TO OTHER
SERVER OR LOCATION IN A these fears seem highly unfounded and to test out the solutions. Organisations
exist mainly because of lack of expertise. that have been able to break this vicious
SHORT TIME” “Most organisations invest in new circle have successfully adopted
—Andi Mann, VP (Research), Enterprise hardware every year and since these virtualisation and reaped rich benefits.
Management Associates servers were not sized for multiple Virtual servers may still not be seen as
virtual servers, they cannot be reused robust and capable enough to run large
for virtualisation. After investing enterprise applications but they have
virtual servers will go down. However, in hundreds of servers over time, definitely made IT administrators’ life
this problem can be solved by having a IT managers find it difficult to sell much easier in terms of allocating and
standby or cluster server.” virtualisation to management as it managing servers which run moderate
would initially require more hardware or small size applications. There is still
IT manager’s dilemma and software purchases. Here again, hope that server virtualisation will not
Yes, virtualisation does look like a dou- lack of expertise ensures very low or be just another passing fad.
ble-edged sword to most IT managers. negligible adoption of open source
Nair is right when he says that while IT virtualisation solutions,” Nair observes.
managers would like to adopt virtuali- Also, IT managers are under ITNEXT<space><your feedback>
sation and reap its benefits, they are still pressure to upgrade or add new services 567678
and send it to

wary of performance issues. However, constantly which gives them little time *Special rates apply

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 37
 TECH FOR LOGISTICS

38 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 TECH FOR LOGISTICS

Technology adoption within the logistics

segment is still fairly low, resulting in a digital
divide that separates the good from the not-so-
good organisations. But things are changing
BY SHASHWAT DC

13%
he queer thing about logistics is that though, as a

T sector, it accounts for hundreds of crores in the GDP,

the players in the segment are obsessed with saving
every paisa that they earn.
Consider this. Logistics major Gati has offices at
over 400 locations in India and connects close to 600 districts in
the country through its humungous fleet of vehicles. Every time,
it is able to cut down travel between its disparate offices through of the Indian GDP
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM

operational efficiency, precious money and time are saved. Little

wonder, GS Ravi Kumar, CIO, Gati, while taking decision for IT
is spent on logistics,
implementation on multi-crore projects, is always conscious about unlike 10% in US and
saving every rupee. “For us at Gati, IT investment is not a cost but
an instrument for controlling costs,” he clarifies.
Japan, and 11% in
Indeed, IT can play a major role in increasing the operational Europe

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 39
 TECH FOR LOGISTICS
efficiency of the players, especially
when it comes to the express cargo
segment. Yet, investment on IT by
logistics players in India is, at best,
paltry, with most of the players
seemingly satisfied with lower
hanging fruits like computerisation of
offices or implementation of primitive
warehousing solutions.
According to a recent study
1,000
by Kale Consultants, while 48%
of the logistic companies in the
country considered IT critical for
their operations, only 24% of the
CRORE
companies were found to be above
average in terms of technology
adoption. And 86% of the companies
were found to spend less than 1%
of their revenues on technology
adoption!
Haves and have-nots
Fragmentation of the market is the
main reason, according to Ajay Cho-
pra, CEO, Drive India Enterprises.
“The Indian market comprises a
huge chunk of unorganised play-
ers who dot the landscape. While
in the organised sector, the use of
IT has been fairly high, the same
cannot be said of the unorganised
sector. According to a recently pub-
lished study, IT investments by the
India spends Rs 150,000 crore in operating
Indian logistics industry accounted
costs annually; can improve supply chain ef-
for some Rs 400 crore in 2007 and
ficiencies through effective IT interventions.
were set to rise to Rs 1,000 crore by
2013. It goes without saying as to
who will be spending this money,”
he adds.
With the opening of the markets
and entry of large players like
DHL, Fedex and others into the
domestic scene, there is a clear line
that divides the big and the small
players. While companies like DHL
and AFL have brought with them
processes and practices that are
followed at an international scale, the
small-time Indian players have been
found wanting on both vision and
inclination to spend on technology.
This has resulted in a clear
contrast in the way the big players
use technology to deliver customer
services like real-time tracking of
40 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
Indian logistics shipments, while the older ones
still harp on the power of proof of
industry to spend delivery (POD). In fact, the push for
technology adoption usually comes
Rupees from the customer side.
“It is the customer who more
often than not drives the need to
implement latest technology. For
instance, customers, who have in the
course of travel or work interacted
on IT over five years
with DHL internationally, are
accustomed to very high levels
of service standards. We have to
replicate that in India. Hence, for us,
customer satisfaction is the ultimate
Spending Growth guide when it comes to making any
22% CAGR decision, be it a strategic one or one
related to IT investment,” affirms
Prasad Dhumal, Senior Director IT,
South Asia at DHL Express.
The economic slowdown is
LOGISTIC IT SPEND
the reason why technology is
being increasingly used to boost
productivity in the logistics sector.
In the past few years, players across
the board, even the small and
46% medium ones, have suddenly become
54% conscious of the need to automate
their systems and be more efficient.
One domestic company that has been
designing software solutions for the
logistics vertical, Four Soft, talks
about the trend.
“Technology is no more a mere
differentiator or competitive edge
any more. It is a necessity for
the logistics industry to improve
MUCH LIKE customer service, ensure customer
retention and win new customers.
THE BANKING It’s the only way that can help the
INDUSTRY, industry to face the stiff pressure
to reduce costs and increase
THE LOGISTIC productivity. The conviction to
adopt latest technology has crept
SECTOR IS ALSO in deep and the increasing flow
REQUIRED of RFIs and RFPs in spite of the
economic downturn is a proof of this
TO KEEP realisation,” states Umashankar S,
VP (marketing) at Four Soft.
HISTORICAL Overall, the most commonly used
DATA, WHICH IT solutions in the industry are
Warehouse Management System
OFTEN POSES A (WMS) for managing inventory,
Transport Management System
BIG CHALLENGE or Location-Based Services (LBS)
 TECH FOR LOGISTICS

for tracking fleet movement, Freight

Forwarding System (FFS) for handling
custom clearance for international
movement, Web-enabled services for
collaborating with agents and vendors
online and Track and Trace Solutions
(TTS) for tracking shipment over the
web and mobile tools.
Another crucial requirement of
the sector is the need for data storage
and back-up. For instance, Unni Nair,
Manager IT, Aramex, had to deal with
huge amounts of transaction and
customer data. “It was a big challenge
for us. Much like the banking sector,
we are also required to keep historical
data. That often poses a big challenge
“While challenges “With applications
as there is no off-the-shelf solution of each player like Google Map,
to meet the requirements,” he states.
Currently, Aramex has deployed a mix might be unique, customers will
of storage solutions ranging from NAS
to tape storage. there still is the now play a more
Build versus buy common thread... pro-active role in
One of the most common refrains that
emanates from almost all CIOs in the
admin, finance, terms of deciding
industry is the lack of need-specific
solutions for the players. While ERP
payroll, HR and where and how
has become a basic requirement that enterprise asset the shipment
interconnects different functions
within the company, most companies management ...” should move”
in the cargo sector still use custom- —Rod Strata, Industry Principal, Prasad Dhumal, Senior Director
built software. The reason, according Transportation & Logistics, SAP Asia IT, South Asia at DHL Express
to many, is that unlike other sectors like
manufacturing or banking, logistics is
a very heterogeneous sector where one
company’s way of functioning is often of Gati. Dubbed as Gati Enterprise Transportation & Logistics, SAP Asia,
at odds with that of another. This was Management System (GEMS), the who has worked with scores of logistics
quite the reason why Gati decided to solution is Web-enabled and links all companies across the world, advocates
build its own solution. the offices on the same platform. package solutions offered by the likes
Back in the year 2000 when “The design and development work of his company.
Gati was contemplating large-scale started in January 2001, and it took “While the challenges of each player
computerisation and digitisation two years and a half to complete GEMS might be unique there still is a common
within the company, it evaluated which covers the entire end-to-end thread amongst all like HR, payroll,
the various options that were requirement of Gati. We also connected enterprise asset management, finance
available. But after intense scrutiny, our major locations through fibre and administration. This is where
it realised that the customisation and the rest through a mix of cable, fully integrated solutions like the ones
of these solutions would be as big dial-up and broadband connections. from SAP score. We know what the
an effort as building one and also Developing the software internally common pain points are for all clients
they would be much costlier than a has given us complete control on the in this vertical and have, therefore,
home-grown solution. Keeping these way we scale or tweak it to match our designed a solution that takes care of
two things in mind, Ravi Kumar got requirements. This would not have the same. So, in a way, you don’t have to
cracking with the internal team and been necessarily possible with an reinvent the wheel. Also, we have been
created a solution that completely external solution,” asserts Ravi Kumar. working with players in this segment
mapped the need and requirements Yet, Rod Strata, Industry Principal, for a long time and thus have fine-

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 41
 TECH FOR LOGISTICS
tuned our solutions to the needs and
requirements of the logistics function,”
he states.
So, here you had a look at both the
sides of the coin.
Infrastructure blues
Infrastructure is a bottleneck for any seg-
ment in India, especially for the logistics
industry. And it is not only the physical
infrastructure that poses a problem but
also the multiplicity of rules and regula-
tions that often makes operations a head-
ache. Chopra from Drive India points out
that taxes are levied by the Centre, state
and even city municipal bodies.
“The amount of paperwork that
we need to undertake to take a
consignment say from Delhi to Mumbai
crossing multiple state borders is just
huge. That causes a lot of delay and
additional expenses,” he states. He,
however, is optimistic that the proposed
implementation of GST might just be
able ease life, “if only implemented
completely and in the right spirit.”
Meanwhile, the little said about
the physical infrastructure the
better. Everything right from ports to
highways to intra-city roads is in bad
shape. Ironically, logistics, including
transportation, accounts for around 11%
of the GDP. Yet, it is unable to dictate
terms when it comes to ensuring that
large-scale infrastructure projects are
undertaken.
On the IT front, the players face lot
of issues on two counts—erratic power
supply that necessitates constant
power backup, and the connectivity
challenge. CIOs of large companies,
that have offices in tier 2 and 3 cities,
need to ensure that there are not
many power hungry devices in these
offices. Also, the need to maintain
redundancy is a major headache. CIOs
need to keep multiple vendors simply
because they are not able to trust the
service standards of current players.
“For instance, when I use the mobility
services from one vendor, I need to sign
up for another, simply because there is
no single operator that provides nation-
wide coverage,” states Dhumal.
Nair from Aramex, on the other
42 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
“For us at Gati,
IT investment is
not a cost but
an instrument
for controlling
costs”
GS Ravi Kumar, CIO, Gati
hand, risked going for a single vendor.
“We were facing huge problems in
terms of multiple-vendor solutions for
our communication needs, different
service levels and different costs. That
is when we decided to go for a single-
vendor solution and implemented the
same from Reliance,” he informs.
The road ahead
As the logistics segment needs to stay
ahead in the technology race, it goes
beyond saying that it is constantly
on the lookout for new software and
solutions to streamline its operations.
Already, the segment is using GPS and
GIS solutions for fleet management.
Though quite a few players have already
started a few projects that involve use of
RFID, all of them are waiting for costs of
the tags to come down.
So what else could be in the offing?
Dhumal attempts a little bit of crystal-
gazing. “The logistics sector per se is
a big user of the latest in technology,
and I envisage the trend to continue. In
the coming days, with the emergence
of 3G and video hand-held devices,
I believe there will be integration of
the same into the service bouquets.
Also, in the future, the customer will
tend to play a more pro-active role
in the terms of deciding where and
how the shipments move from one
of his warehouses to dealer or to the
market, thanks to online applications
like Google Maps,” he states.
Also going ahead, sustainability is
going to be one of the biggest discussion
points for the industry. Considering
the climate-change consciousness
that is sweeping across the country
and the globe, it is just a matter of
time before the logistics players are
forced to go green. In fact, one of
the terms that is doing the rounds
nowadays is ‘green logistics’ wherein
ICT is used to cut down on the carbon
footprint of the company. Globally, the
transportation sector is responsible for
high emissions of carbon dioxide, and
since the sector uses vehicles, planes
and ships extensively, any cut down
on that front can help the company in
reducing its carbon footprint.
“Sustainability is going to be a big
thing and IT will play a crucial role
in this. For instance, one customer
with the effective use of BI was able to
reduce close to 10% of the containers
that were shipped. That is a big saving
on time, money and emissions. In fact,
we have a specific team within SAP
that is working on the sustainability
aspect,” states Strata.
Whatever be the state of affairs,
green or not so green, one thing is for
sure: the Indian logistics industry has
a long way to go in terms of technology
adoption. The difference between the
tech-savvy and the old-world players is
stark. Hopefully, with the turnaround
in the offing and the economy picking
up, investments will pour in especially
P HOTOG RA P H Y: S U RES H VA NGA PAL LY
from smaller players who will like to
take on the big ones. And for them
tech spend is not an option, it is life-
sustaining oxygen.
Find similar stories online
on the website
www.itnext.in/vertical
 INTERVIEW | SIMON DALE

44 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

“THERE WAS NO
RECESSION
IN INDIA”
SAP Asia-Pacific’s Senior V-P (sales) Simon Dale, in a freewheeling
interview with Shashwat DC, discusses the global slowdown, the
company’s mid-term strategy change and why it is extending itself
beyond ERP into business intelligence
There has been a
lot of talk about the
transformation of SAP. When
did this process start and
what were the objectives?
Simon Dale: The initiative usu-
ally referred to as SAP mid-term
strategy was put in motion a few
years back. At that point, we looked
inwards. The need for it was fairly
obvious, as the core business five
years ago was ERP and it was
growing only by a small percent-
age. In order to maintain our lead-
ership and gain greater market
share, we needed to grow our busi-
ness a lot more swiftly.
That is when we decided to move
into adjacent spaces, especially in
the business user space as we call
P HOTOG RA P H Y: MEX Y X AV I ER
it. These are businesses that do not
normally think of using an ERP.
Most of them are managers and
analysts who, while intricately
involved in the decision-making
process, are not direct users of
ERP. In the business user space,
SIMON DALE | INTERVIEW
we saw business intelligence,
performance management, and
risk management as the markets
of the future. We also realised
that it would take too long to build
everything we needed. So we
bought Business Objects. That got
us into the space and that is also
how we transformed.
Customers today are looking
for a single vendor who can
meet all their requirements
right from hardware to
software to consultancy. What
does SAP bring to the table?
We still see ourselves as a soft-
ware vendor which works closely
with an ecosystem of partners to
meet the requirements of our cus-
tomers. Our business has grown
and (we have) been successful by
building active partnerships with
companies of all shapes and sizes.
So we remain independent in our
work, and continue to work on our
USP, that is, building solutions in
and around ERP. Meanwhile, the
implementation and maintenance
is taken care of by our partners
who are masters in this domain.
And I firmly believe that
this strategy (of aligning with
partners) has worked perfectly
for us because in a value chain,
where different organisations
are involved, all are going to add
to value, and the combined value
will always be larger than the
individual (one). I think that if
we were going to do everything
ourselves, it would either distract
us from our core business, or may
not allow us to scale in areas in
which we would like to grow.
Traditionally, SAP has been
an ERP vendor. Is there a
strategic shift in the focus?
I won’t really term it as a strategic
shift. We continue to focus on ERP
even as we add to our capabilities
in the business user space. We are
just expanding our business. In
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 45
 INTERVIEW | SIMON DALE
fact, before the slowdown, one of
our stated goals was to double our
market cap in the near future. We
are still committed to it.
In fact, the business intelligence
space was growing three times
more quickly than the ERP space
and two-third of the total growth of
SAP came from Business Objects. I
think that moving into the business
user space is merely an extension,
and not really a major shift of focus.
Many organisations in India
and elsewhere have either
scaled down or frozen their IT
investment plans. Do you see
the trend changing soon?
It is inevitable... the economy will
bounce back. We already are read-
ing reports on the signs of a bounce-
back. When we specifically talk of
India, there was never any reces-
sion here… the economy was grow-
ing even in the face of the global
downturn. Thus it is not that bad
here as everyone tends to make it
sound. But even so, at the end of the
day, if things slow down a little, it is
an opportunity for organisations
to take stock of what they have
got, what are the things that they
are doing badly, and what are the
things they should be doing. And
for all these queries, IT and busi-
ness intelligence serve as enablers.
Hence, I believe that the time is ripe
for organisations to start investing
in IT infrastructure so that they are
well prepared for the subsequent
bounce. Also, once they have done
this introspection, they will be
ready to scale up quickly and fast.
SAP has been talking a lot
about ‘Clear Strategy’. What
exactly is it?
Clear Strategy is trying to give
people a clear vision on how they
may deal with the current crisis.
Right now, if you were to ask most
business leaders about what may
happen in the next 12 months
in their business, then based on
their intelligence and by merging
46 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
it with other real factors, we can
turn information into true insight.
With this, organisations can get a
quick overview of the prospects
for the company and can set a
course for the future. This is what
we mean by Clear Strategy.
Why is there not much noise
from SAP on the cloud front?
We are a software and service
player. So we do provide BI on
demand, sourcing on demand and
CRM on demand. We also provide
our software to other OEM
providers. Thus, in a way, we
enable their clouds as well. That
is where our current participation
stands. As far as the future is
concerned, we are carrying out
research projects in conjunction
with our customers. We are
working on various offerings and
the value they can provide. We
are still working on various value
propositions of services to be
delivered in the future.
What is the Value Academy
programme that you run for
IT professionals?
Basically, we have a lot of con-
sultants working with us; they
WHEN WE TALK OF
INDIA THERE WAS
NEVER A RECESSION
HERE… THE ECONOMY
WAS GROWING EVEN
DURING THE GLOBAL
DOWNTURN”
are called value engineers. To be
more specific, they are business
consultants who understand the
nitty-gritty of technology. There
is a methodology that these con-
sultants follow. We share the
same with our customers and
give them access to our tools so
that they can make a business
case out of technology decisions.
We run it on a regular basis in
different countries, and it has
been found to be pretty useful
in imparting business knowl-
edge to IT professionals. In fact,
we have a dedicated person who
handles the Value Academy
programme here in India. And
yes, a lot of senior IT managers
do join us for the academy and
How did you like
this interview? hopefully benefit from it. It is a
Send your great value proposition for the
feedback at
editor@itnext.in community at large.
 15MINUTE
TRAINING
EDUCATION
WORKPLACE
OFFICE
YOGA
TIPS
Key factors in IT forecasting PAG E 49
Training Get Back to the Classroom! PAG E 5 0
MANAGER

COMPENSATION PAG E 48

WORKFORCE TRENDS Manage IT 5 simple steps to greening your

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT enterprise PAG E 5 2
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

BY S U M A E P

hen GMR began

W work on the
Hyderabad
International
Airport, it was
estimated that the airport would cater
to five million passengers per annum.
The infrastructure, including the back-
end IT, was accordingly put in place.
Halfway through the project, this esti-
mate was raised to seven million pas-
sengers per annum, which required
GMR to re-configure networks and
ports for additional capacity and make
other changes in the infrastructure.
With six months left to begin opera-
tions, the estimate was changed to 12
million passengers per annum.
“Fortunately, we had configured the
servers for additional capacity, for up
to 20 million passengers. The change in IT STRAT
estimate, therefore, required us to work

PREDICTING
only on re-configuring networks and
ports, and adjust the space, power points,
etc, for additional check-in counters and

IT RIGHT
so on,” says Sivaram Tadepalli, CIO,
Delhi Airport who was also associated
with the company’s hyderabad project.
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM

Change in market conditions is just

one of the challenges that IT forecasting
faces. There are several others such Strategic IT forecasting is a
as rapid changes in technology
changes or sudden competitor moves.
challenging task. However, it can
Sometimes, it appears that it would be make a difference to your business

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 47
 15-MINUTE MANAGER

impossible to accurately forecast an

enterprise’s IT needs in such a rapidly
changing scenario.

Why forecasting
is important?
“IT forecasting should be able to guide
the business on how to use IT better,”
says Tadepalli. “It balances the growth
of business with the cost of IT involved.
IT should be able to ensure that as
the volume of business transactions
increases, the cost of each transaction
does not increase; rather, it should go
down. Only then can it add to bottom OFFICE YOGA By Dr Naveen Arya | aryansclinic@gmail.com

line growth,” he adds.

“Most businesses today are enabled
by IT, and some even have IT as the
backbone for their product, solution or
service delivery. Today, having adequate
IT infrastructure is a given and does not
give you any special strategic advantage.
But not having it definitely puts you at a
huge disadvantage against competition.
Therefore, it is impractical to think of a
business plan without an adequate and
well thought out IT infrastructure plan,”
ASANAS FOR A BUSY MANAGER
More people report body It’s a fallacy to believe that Yoga postures
aches after office hours than require a special setting and specific time.
in the morning
Like much else in life, Yoga can be adapted
to meet the needs and requirements of your
BODY ACHES
hectic lifestyles, even during office hours.
N EC K
All that you need is a comfortable chair and
LOW E R BAC K
a straight sitting posture. Do them at your
S H O UL D E R
own pace and your convenience and feel the
H E A DAC H E
difference.
U P P E R BAC K

says Mohan Verma, Executive Director,
PriceWaterhouse Coopers (PwC).
Constructing forecast
“Business requirements and priorities
set the guidelines for IT forecasting,” says
Tadepalli.
“It’s demand-based forecasting,” says
Diptarup Chakraborti, Principal Research
Analyst, Gartner. “Organisations should
align their IT needs based on the short-
term, medium-term and long-term
business plans and goals.”
“Most companies in India follow
a bottom-up approach to IT,” says
Krishnamurthy Hegde, Enterprise
Solutions Architect and the Founder of
Interactive Media Worldwide, a hugely
popular community on LinkedIn. He
explains that when a company begins
UP P E R A R M z Sit on the edge of the chair and spread
CALF your feet a little apart. Place your palms flat
FEET on your thighs facing downwards, your spine
KNEE should be erect, looking straight ahead. In-
PA L M hale and exhale evenly for five counts each.
FO R E A R M Repeat minimum 10 times.
E Y E D RY N ES S
z Next, put both hands on your shoulders,
Morning Evening with your elbows apart and then rotate your
S O UR C E : I I T BO M BAY- I D C arms both clockwise and the anti-clockwise.
Repeat 15 times each.
z Place both hands on your chest, so that
the arms overlap with each other. Now
inhale and move your both arms outwards
and while exhaling, bring them to the
starting position. Repeat the exercise for a
minimum 20 times.
z Hold out your hands in front of you, with
the both arms parallel to the ground. Now
P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N

inhale and move both your arms outwards.

operations, it starts acquiring hardware
Exhale and come to the previous position.
and applications as and when the need
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM

arises. That, according to him, is a good
way to start, because at that point, it is
difficult to forecast a growth roadmap
for the business.
“However, as complexity increases,
the company will face a bottleneck
Good health requires a com-
mitted approach that can be
met by quick office yoga
z Lock fingers of both your hands with each
other and stretch your hands over your back.
Next, move both your hands in such a way
that both elbows come in contact with each
other, while you exhale. Repeat the move-
ment 15 to 18 times.

48 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

“Having adequate IT
infrastructure is a given...
not having it definitely
puts you at a huge
disadvantage against
your competition”
—Mohan Verma, Executive Director, PwC
“Study the market...
and projected
business plans... and
work with various
teams—HR, finance
and sales”
—Diptarup Chakraborti, Principal
Research Analyst, Gartner
IT SHOULD BE ABLE TO ENSURE THAT
AS THE VOLUME OF BUSINESS
TRANSACTIONS INCREASES, THE COST
OF EACH TRANSACTION DOES NOT
INCREASE... RATHER IT SHOULD GO DOWN
in making these diverse pieces of model, which comprises application
IT work together. That is the time reference, technology reference and
to introduce a top-down approach data reference models.”
for IT forecasting and build an “In the data reference model, based
enterprise-wide architecture for your on transactions and number of users,
applications,” he explains. you determine data volume which
He advises that based on the business will define storage capacity and
model and the business development bandwidth requirements. Depending
roadmap, enterprises should create an on how distributed the enterprise is
“enterprise-wide application reference you can determine LAN, WAN and
15-MINUTE MANAGER
KEY FACTORS
I N I T F O R ECA ST I N G
IT forecasting should be based
on the business plan and business
development roadmap. It should be
flexible enough to realign to dynamic
business requirements
IT forecasting can go wrong due
to unexpected changes in the
economy, market, business or com-
petitive scenarios
Create short-term, medium-term,
and long-term forecasts, depending
on business needs and goals. Make
forecasts for best case, worst case
and most likely scenarios
Take as many inputs as possible,
related to the economy, market and
your business. Consider all internal
and external factors that could af-
fect the business. Also, keep track of
technology changes and trends
Developing an enterprise-wide
application reference model, in
tandem with the business vision
and the business development
roadmap, is a sound strategy
Hiring a consultant may add signifi-
cant value to IT forecasting
storage requirements. The technology
reference model determines what
technologies you need, while the
application reference model defines
your application stack,” Hegde explains.
What can go wrong?
Chakraborti of Gartner cites several
reasons why IT forecasts can go wrong.
First is the situation where growth or
decline is faster than expected. “Nobody
could have forecasted the recent reces-
sion wherein India’s GDP plummeted
from 9% in January 2008 to 5.8% in the
fourth quarter of 2008. This sharp drop
amounted to a $ 30-billion loss in GDP.
In such extreme situations, IT forecast-
ing will go wrong,” he says.
“Technology changes very fast
and new innovations kill old-
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 49
 15-MINUTE MANAGER

generation devices,” says Tadepalli, TRAINING

citing how virtualisation and cloud

GET BACK
computing are doing away with the
need to have separate servers for each

TO THE
application. “Therefore, you have
to look around, study trends and
standards in technology management

CLASSROOM!
and then augment IT to meet business
requirements,” he adds.

Towards better
forecasting
“Depending upon the industry, the scale
of growth of an enterprise and its exist-
ing IT maturity, IT infrastructure fore-
casting can range from being a simple
process to an extremely intricate and
challenging one. For a fast growing
company with relatively inadequate
IT infrastructure, a formal exercise,
aligning the business vision, objectives
and projected growth with the IT infra-
structure requirement, would have to be
undertaken,” says Verma of PwC.
Chakraborti of Gartner advises
taking as many inputs as possible and
creating IT forecasts for best case, worst
case and most likely scenarios. “Study
the market, market growth, growth of
various departments in your company,
the company’s hiring plans, projected
business turnover and economic
growth. Work with various teams, such
as HR, finance and sales,” he adds.
Hiring a consultant to enhance this
critical function is also a sound strategy.
“The consultant gives an outsider’s view
and brings in experience from different
companies… However, the enterprise
has to provide proper information and
visibility to the consultant,” says Hegde.
Finally, K V Ranganathan, Senior
GM—IT, Brandhouse Retails, points
outs, “While the IT manager would be
constrained by the budgetary support
he may get from his management,
he would be in a dilemma as to what
initiative he has to drop or has to
carry forward. In such a situation, the
IT manager has to be clear about his
priorities. The wish list or the forecast
of the IT manger has to keep in mind the
business requirement and realities. He
must realise that IT exists for business
and not as an individual entity.”
Choosing the right skills to upgrade
is key to beating the recession blues
BY MO H I T C H H A B R A
hen the ‘R’ word started to do the rounds of office corridors
W and meeting rooms, Shashank Rana would break into a cold
sweat. Apart from the uncertainty, he was wary of taking
responsibilities of a different kind because of his morbid fear
of working with numbers of the currency kind.
Shashank is the IT Manager of CMA Inc, a large publisher of comic and other
recreational books for children and young adults. He is a whiz-kid of sorts in the
company. He can troubleshoot networks with the same ease as a chef chops onions.
He is respected in the organisation for making systems and platforms of all kinds
work together like a symphony.
But things started to change for Shashank when cost reduction and cost
optimisation became necessary as the fear of a major slowdown turned into a reality.
Shashank’s task-list had a lot of unchecked items and most of them related to issues
that had nothing to do with computers and machines. His understanding of finance
was limited to what he read in the morning dailies. And now as a middle-level
manager in CMA he was being confronted with a tsunami of numbers. “Something
has to be done about this,” the techno whiz-kid decided.
TRAINING Some interesting forthcoming
CALENDER programmes
PROGRAMME TITLE AND DATES INSTITUTE
DESCRIPTION
Managerial leadership and
Jan 11 - 16, 2010 IIM Calcutta
conflict resolution
Strategic IT management Jan 18 - 21, 2010 IIM Ahmedabad
Forecasting for effective
Jan 18 - 20, 2010 IIM Calcutta
business decisions
Managing people in software
Jan 18 - 20, 2010 IIM Bangalore
projects
Leading teams for high
Jan 20 - 23, 2010 ISB, Hyderabad
performance

50 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

“It is critical to ensure
the right fit before
an employee is
nominated for any
executive education
programme”
—Anita Tuteja
HR consultant
As if in a trance, he picked up the
phone and dialed Amit Mehta’s number.
Amit, a friend from school days, was
a banker and pursued his interest in
technology rather passionately. He
was a maven to most of his friends who
looked at him for advice and direction.
After the greetings, Shashank got
straight to the topic.
“Amit, I need your help. Teach me
how to read these numbers and tutor
me about cost-cutting…” he hurriedly
spoke. “Cost management,” Amit cut
P HOTOG RA P H Y: S H A MI K BA N ER J EE
him short. “Promise me a couple of
beers in return,” he said to overcome
the awkward interruption. “So I will see
you at six this evening at our watering
hole,” said Shashank before hanging up
with a new sense of relief.
In the evening, Shashank reached
their rendezvous early. He occupied
“... transformation of
techno-commercial
professionals is the
only way for them
to overcome the
growth plateau”
—Jitender Dhaka
CEO, Jobline Consultants
a corner spot that was relatively less
noisy. Shashank wasted no time when
Amit arrived and reiterated his request.
“Hey, you need more than just a tutoring
session. I feel you should join a course.
A course that gives you a well rounded
perspective of finance, and also prepares
you for bigger responsibilities within
your organisation,” Amit responded
professorially.
“Specialised courses are available
for virtually every subject today. It’s
time you looked at this as a career-
building exercise than just a training to
read numbers,” he added. “This makes
sense,” replied Shashank.
Making the right choice
“It is very important for technical profes-
sionals to realise that transformation into
techno-commercial professionals is the
15-MINUTE MANAGER
“The straight off
benefit of such
certifications to the
employee is that they
immediately add
value to their profile”
—Vishwajeet Singh
CIO, FCM Travel
only way to overcome the growth plateau
in any organisation,” says Jitender Dhaka,
CEO, Jobline Consultants. And this comes
with the added advantage of being aligned
with strategic issues and also the capacity
to multi task.
Both employees and organisations
need to realise that a slowdown is the best
time to enroll in courses that not only
up-skill employees for larger strategic
roles but also lead to higher degree of
employee-employer engagement. “The
straight off benefit of such certifications
to the employee is that they immediately
add value to their profile,” feels
Vishwajeet Singh, CIO of FCM Travel.
But the bigger question is: what
kind of certifications should one enroll
for? “The first step is to ascertain
one’s larger goals—both personal and
professional,” feels Dhaka. And he is
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 51
 15-MINUTE MANAGER

MANAGE IT right. Not only are certifications for

5 SIMPLE STEPS middle management expensive, they

also entail an opportunity cost of

TO GREENING YOUR ENTERPRISE letting the employee go for the period

Saving power in these
carbon conscious
days is more than
merely saving money.
Here is a simple and
easy guide on how
you can save power
and money
of the course.
“It is critical to ensure that the right fit is
achieved before an employee is nominated
for any kind of executive education
programme,” feels Anita Tuteja, an
independent HR consultant. “The one-
size-fits-all approach is very dangerous,
especially when one of the objectives of
this nomination is the conservation and
optimal utilisation of resources—both
monetary and human,” she adds.

Broadbasing is the mantra

“The fundamentals of technology
remain the same. So when we recruit
technical workforce, we want to be sure
that the candidate has the right skills
if not the right certifications,” feels
Singh. However, the lens changes when
a senior level recruitment is being
done. “Candidates with a broader base
Measure and record. Organisations should start measuring the of skills often come across as far more
1 power consumption across the company. Dig out the power bill for confident,” he points out. “This is also
the company for the past three months, and compare it with those of earlier an outcome of their ability to converge
quarters. Dig deeper to find out who the biggest guzzlers are. Make an en- a number of seemingly unrelated con-
ergy map based on this research. cepts and trends because of their train-
ing,” feels Tuteja. And in this rapidly
Powering off. Standby mode is the one of biggest tragedies that
2 could have happened to computing. It is estimated that close to 40%
transforming world, this is an asset for
any organisation.
of employees keep their PCs on standby mode when leaving for home. The
A sampler of recent management
solution is to tweak the system to go into a shut off mode after a fixed time
development programmes (MDPs)
span. Usually this can be done at the network level itself and poses no tech-
conducted by various top business
nical challenge.
schools points towards this trend. For
Virtual is real. Data centres use massive amounts of electricity; large instance, IIM Ahmedabad would have
3 ones can use megawatts of power. The interesting thing about these concluded a five-day programme on
data centres is that a bulk of the power, around 60% of it, goes not in the strategic planning of information systems
processing of information but in the cooling of the equipment. The key words by the time this magazine reaches you.
here are: consolidate and virtualise to reduce power consumption. The programme covers various
managerial issues in IT such as creating
Take the soft(ware) road. While it might not be popular yet, but there
4 are lots of software application that aid and abet green. Ideally, once
business models, planning for hardware
and software, vendor selection and
the energy consumption pattern has been mapped, and virtualisation done,
risk evaluation of IT projects. “These
the next step is to go in for software solutions that help better manage the
programmes are often a reflection of the
existing infrastructure. One of the most common approaches is to host appli-
demands and expectations of a company
cations on the cloud. This is not only cost effective but also carbon effective.
from its employees,” adds Tuteja.
P HOTOG RA P H Y: P HOTOS .C OM

Purchase green. Buy green should be the new mantra. So, whenever So, it is a good time to magnify your
5 any RFP is floated make sure it has some green parameters in it as spectrum of skills and be ready to face
well. Also, whenever you are asked to evaluate a product or a technology the future. As Tom Hanks’ character in
solution dig deeper into the carbon footprint of the product, the disposal, and the film Castaway famously remarked,
other things. Make it a point to make green an important and integral part of “You never know what the next tide
your evaluation. might bring.”

52 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 SECURITY
WHO
STOLE MY
THE WASHING
MACHINE?
BIG EXPERT PANEL
M UR A L I TA L AS I L A
D I R EC TO R , FO R E N -
S I C S E R V I C ES ,
KPMG INDIA
THE SITUATION...
Shankar Saxena was shocked to see the
full page ad of Whites Appliances announc-
ing the launch of their new fully automatic
washing machine. Not only was the look and
feel of the product similar to the product that
Shankar’s company Makton India was about to
launch, its technical specifications matched too.
Ignoring his cup of tea, Shankar immediately
logged on to the Whites website and what he
saw hit him in the gut, like a hammer. Even the
website had the same elements that his team
had put together in their plan.
Soon, he was sitting with his key team mem-
bers and legal experts trying to figure out the
source of the information leak and also to under-
stand whether there was any legal action that
Makton could initiate against Whites.
The only person missing was Ravi Narayan
who had been driving the project till recently,
but had decided to quit a month ago for higher
F RO M HE RE
Your responses count. Log on
to www.itnext.in/bigQ to submit
CUT IT
your replies. The best entry will be
published in the next print edition.
A LO K G UPTA SAT I S H P E N D S E
M D, PY R A M I D C I O, H C C
CY B E R
pursuits in life. Was he the man to be blamed?
Shankar quickly checked with the IT team on
any anomaly in the usage of Ravi’s laptop or
e-mail and was told that there was none. In
fact, the technology team was quite sure that
their security policies and tools restricted one
from copying any classified data on laptops or
any external storage device or printing the same.
“So how did the data fly out?” Shankar
asked. “Could he have mailed the design de-
tails?” he wondered. “Not from the official
e-mail,” his CIO informed, adding that the Mak-
ton office network did not allow users to log on
to any personal e-mail accounts either.
Meanwhile, the legal team informed that
since the tech specifications of Whites’ new
product closely matched that of Makton’s, the
company could explore the possibility of filing a
copyright theft case and seek damages.
“The key to the case is the evidence of theft
without which it would be difficult to prove that
Makton was the company that had originally
designed the product,” the legal team said.
NEXT
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 53
 THE BIG Q

THE BIG QUESTIONS...

?WHAT SHOULD THE TECHNOLOGY TEAM OF MAKTON INDIA DO TO FIND OUT THE
SOURCE OF LEAKAGE AND COLLECT THE VITAL ‘EVIDENCE OF THEFT’ IN A FORMAT
THAT IT IS ADMISSIBLE IN A COURT OF LAW

?  WHAT ARE THE PRECAUTIONS IN TERMS OF POLICY CHANGES AND SECURITY

TOOLS THAT MAKTON NEEDS TO PUT IN PLACE TO PREVENT RECURRENCE OF
SIMILAR MISHAPS

HERE ARE THE ANSWERS...

‘PROBE TECH TEAM FIRST’

FIRST ANSWER
Information is the key to any organisation and since there are people
willing to pay good money for it, companies are putting in controls to
restrict data access and transfer. However, there is still a weak link—the
technology team itself. Hence Makton needs to explore the possibility
of involvement of someone from the technology team for this leakage.
Suspects have often gained access to the network of a company
through VPN and separate network, courtesy the technology team.
This is the most difficult to prove and prevent. The network should
be analysed immediately to check any compromise. Also, back-up of
the server, firewall and routers should be analysed to check if any
configuration changes were done.
There are four ways in which data could have leaked out, including
MURALI the possibility of the fraudster physically handing over the details
TALASILA to the other company. However, the company policy does not allow
taking prints of the same.
Director, Forensic Copying to external physical storage may also be ruled out because of the policies
Services, KPMG India
and tools at Makton restrict one from copying any classified data to their laptops or any
About me: Security personal device. However, the imaged hard disk could provide details of external hard
and audit professional drives and storage devices plugged into the PC and laptop. Also, the data could have
expert, been associated
with firms like Pentafour, been shared on to the network and stored on to the PC on which administrative rights
KPN, Deloitte, prior to are available, and data could have been either transferred over internet or copied in the
KPMG
external storage. This needs to be probed.
E-mail is another common method used for ‘siphoning’ information. But then Makton
network does not allow users to log on to any personal e-mail accounts. However, a
thorough forensic analysis of sent and deleted e-mails can help in uncovering the truth.
On the policy front, Makton may have restricted use of external e-mails in the company
network but in practical terms it is very difficult to restrict such access as new e-mail sites crop
up very frequently, and also there is a large number of sites which provide for data storage.
Analysis of web cache of the key suspect’s machine can indicate any recent access to
sites which provide these facilities. Sometimes, the analysis of cache may indicate access
to certain Internet sites which provide for storage capability. This will entail review of
the Internet’s ISA server logs and proxy logs. It is also important to forensically preserve
hard disk image of machines used by key people against whom there is a suspicion.

SECOND ANSWER
Makton should ensure that its IT policy incorporates change management process with
involvement of senior management. Technology coupled with processes and awareness
in people play a major role in organisational security. However, most organisations lack
appropriate tooling and disciplinary measures against policy violations.

54 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 THE BIG Q

‘SEEK EXTERNAL EXPERTISE’

FIRST ANSWER
On the face of it, this case looks like one of intellectual property theft
blended with cyber crime. The Makton IT team seems to have done
a good job with strict and tight policies to ensure that such mishaps
do not happen. But often, gaps are left and can be exploited. In this
case, however, there seem to be two possible scenarios. One, some
weakness in the network has been exploited but from the outside
and using a machine that did not belong to Ravi. Either Ravi accessed
the network from a public machine or from a machine at home. Two,
someone on the inside apart from Ravi is also involved, and he could
have opened the network temporarily for access from the outside.
A forensic analysis of not just Ravi’s machine but also of the
network is crucial. This is because courts of law accept only that
evidence where a proper chain of custody has been maintained along ALOK GUPTA
with the use of scientific process and tools. Usually, internal IT teams
are not equipped to handle such strict chain of custody. So the IT team MD, Pyramid Cyber

must immediately engage with a company or consultant that has a proven expertise of
About me:
cyber crime and cyber forensics to conduct a forensic acquisition and analysis of the Technopreneur for over
two decades, associated
source and suspect destination devices and applications including e-mails.
with Samtech InfoNet,
But before that Makton CIO must ensure that Ravi’s laptop is not used for anything eKutir Tech and now
Pyramid Cyber Security
at all. It must be shut down and sealed in a box. Like in any other crime a cyber criminal
also leaves many electronic traces which can only be detected by experts.

SECOND ANSWER
Despite Makton’s efforts to implement robust security policies, some gaps in implemen-
tation seem to have left room for certain vulnerabilities that can be exploited. To prevent
recurrence of such incidents, companies should get their security policy reviewed by a
team of experts. This should always be followed by a comprehensive third party audit
to detect gaps and vulnerabilities. Cost of prevention is far lower than that of detection
and resolution.
Organisations like Makton, where intellectual property theft is always a threat, can
deploy online forensic tools. These tools can be used to set appropriate alerts in case
confidential or restricted data is tampered with, or leaked in future.
The other dimension of prevention is awareness since most users of IT in any
organisation are functional professionals with very limited understanding and
knowledge of cyber and digital ethics. So it is imperative to create a company-wide
culture of ethical use of cyber assets. NEXT

Data loss is the biggest information security risk amongst Indian

NOTES enterprises. Difficulty in data classification, low enterprise and user awareness, key reasons
(NUMBERS IN %)
80
79 50% data residing in
60
64 Indian enterprises is
Unauthorised access

considered sensitive
Denial of services

40 50
44 43
Virus Attacks

39
Compliance
Data loss

20
SPAM

S O UR C E : SY M A N T EC -
I D C R E P O RT, N OV 2 0 0 9
0

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 55
 THE BIG Q

‘FOOLPROOF SECURITY IS IMPOSSIBLE’

FIRST ANSWER
It will be worth auditing the claims made by the IT team regarding
the information security through competent third party. Several pos-
sibilities exist in this case. The culprit might have used a digital cam-
era or even his mobile’s camera to click screen photos. He may have
taken printouts and spirited them away. He may have written down
the key facts in his diary. Chinks in security always remain. Constant
vigilance is called for.

SECOND ANSWER
Some of these possibilities can be eliminated using the suggestions
listed below though their organisation-wide application is imprac-
tical. Use them only in departments critical from the information
SATISH security perspective.
PENDSE „ Ban use of digital camera / mobiles with camera
„ Physically partition the critical departments from others
CIO, HCC „ Bar entry to these departments by others. People from these departments should go
out if they want to meet others
About me: IT leader
with multi sectoral „ Devise and implement thorough policy changes to ensure physical and digital security
experience, ranging from of the critical departments
Godrej, Jet Airways,
Marico, Kuoni, to HCC „ Make use of Information Risk Management (IRM) software. It can control printing,
copying, forwarding of files and can even make files invalid after a certain date
However, do remember that one can still never claim to have a foolproof security.

NOTES

Preventing IP threat: http://www.setecinvestigations.com/resources/whitepapers/whitepaper5.php

MORE RESOURCES Preventing data loss: http://www.sans.org/reading_room/whitepapers/dlp/data_loss_prevention_32883

56 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 CUBE CHAT | RAJESH AGGARWAL
PINING
TO BE A
TV STAR
Yes, professional achievers too can
nurture off-beat aspirations, and
Rajesh Aggarwal, IT Manager,
D P Jindal Group is one of them
BY JATI N D E R S IN GH
MY SUCCESS
MANTRA
Dig deep into details and
execute your plan to the
best of your capability
58 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
ith over 15 years of expe-
W rience in the IT space,
Rajesh Aggarwal, IT
Manager at D P Jindal
Group, is a fun-loving
and down-to-earth person. And while he is pro-
fessionally armed with degrees in computer sci-
ence and management, he has intense interest in
dramatics and movies. “I look forward to becom-
ing a TV star one day,” he says .
A Delhi University alumnus, Aggarwal
started his career in 1991 as a programmer with
Paramarsh Informatics before moving on to
Jagsonpal Pharma in 1992, where he worked
until 2005 as Deputy Manager, IT.
In his current role as IT Manager with the
DP Jindal Group, he is responsible for ERP
implementation and maintenance, as well as
network designing and implementation.
Rajesh also shares responsibilities for
IT budgeting, vendor management, SLA
management, facilities management and
implementation of the security policy.
Let’s share Rajesh’s mantra of success: dig
deep into details and execute your plan to the
best of your capability. He ardently believes that
active discussion and team involvement are key
ingredients for the success of any project. He is
also a 3G fanatic and is evaluating the different
functionalities it can offer to enterprises.
Amongst the various projects he has been
involved in his career, developing an in-house
ERP system in Jagsonpal Pharma was the
most challenging assignment, he says. “There
was no emphasis on proper training and
development. I fought for internal training
and got approval from the management to get
the essentials. IT, then, was just developing.
 CUBE CHAT

FAC T F I L E

NAME
RAJESH AGGARWAL 

CURRENT DESIGNATI O N
MANAGER IT, DP JINDA L
GROUP

CURRENT ROLE
ERP IMPLEMENTATIO N ,
MAINTENANCE,
NET WORK DESIGNIN G
AND IMPLEMENTATIO N ,
HANDLING BUDGETI N G,
V ENDOR MANAGEME N T,
SL A MANAGEMENT,
IT PROCUREMENT
& FACILITIES
MANAGEMENT AND
IMPLEMENTATION O F
SECURIT Y POLICY

EXPERTISE
ERP IMPLEMENTATIO N

WORK EXPERIENCE

“MENTAL PREPAREDNESS FOR A NEW ROLE AND THE 2005 -PRESENT

DP JINDAL GROUP,

CHALLENGE THAT AN ASSIGNMENT OFFERS IS MORE MANAGER IT

IMPORTANT THAN THE DESIGNATION” 1 992-2005

JAGSONPAL
PHARMACEUTICAL,
DEPUT Y MANAGER IT
Due to high cost and customised needs, auditioned for some laughter shows, but
we had to develop an internal ERP,” he it seems there is no IT involved in acting,” 1 990 - 91
recalls. he exclaims. PARAMARSH
INFORMATICS,
When not at work, Rajesh prefers to Speaking about the level of satisfaction
PROGRAMMER
spend time with his family. Ask him about with his career, Rajesh comments, “It has
his interests, and he will respond in a been an exciting journey so far. There EDUCATION
flash, “I enjoy watching movies. I often go were many hiccups initially however 1 997- 99
out with the family and play with my kids. I have enjoyed both—my passion and MBA FROM IGNOU

Besides this, I am really fond of reading challenges.” 1 993 - 94

about IT innovations.” A proud father When asked if he is eying the PG IN MATHEMATICS
of two adorable girls, Rajesh is a strong opportunity to become a CIO, he smilingly FROM MEERUT
advocate of girls’ education. states, “CIOs need to shoulder very big UNIV ERSIT Y

Though he hasn’t yet got an opportunity responsibilities. While I have been made 1 989 - 90
P HOTOG RA P H Y: D R LO H IA

to fulfill his TV dreams, Rajesh draws
inspiration from his younger daughter who
has already appeared on Doordarshan’s
reality dance show Dhanak Din Dha.
“I am indeed proud of her achievement
but it’s high time I proved my talent. I
offers from decent companies, you need PG DIPLOMA IN
to understand that one cannot go just for COMPUTER SCIENCE
a designation. Mental preparedness and
1 985 - 88
the challenge an assignment offers plays B Sc, COMPUTER
a substantial role in such decisions, more SCIENCE, UNIV ERSI T Y
than the designation,” he reasons. OF DELHI

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 59
 UPDATE

OFF THE SHELF A sneak preview of enterprise products,

solutions and services

HP shrinks your world

Taking the video conferencing battle
head-on, Hewlett Packard recently unveiled
SkyRoom—a PC desktop program that
combines aspects of video conferencing, ASUS introduces
Skype and IM. heavy-duty
motherboard
Designed to meet heavy computing
demands, ASUS has introduced a new
motherboard in its ‘The Ultimate Force’
series (TUF). Featuring an Intel P55
chipset, the Sabertooth 55i boasts of
features like the CeraM!X microfin coating
and military level tested capacitors. It
claims to provide increased operational
stability for the high-end rigs.

The advanced ceramics-based composi-

tion—commonly used in the aerospace
industry for heat insulation—dissipates
heat rapidly to achieve rapid cooling. As
a result, more heat is rapidly conducted
away from the active system—allowing
users to enjoy previously unattainable
levels of stability.
The product is designed with the KEY FEATURES
“The Sabertooth 55i is the first of our TUF
enterprise audience in mind, and it * Does not require a dedicated
series motherboards and the ultimate for
focuses on better quality communication network infrastructure
high performance needs,” claims Vinay
and collaboration rather than just video * Allows up to four team members
Shetty, Country head, Component Busi-
compatibility. It has some hefty system to meet virtually
ness, ASUS India.
requirements: a Core 2 Duo processor * Face-to-face meeting experience
above 2.33 GHz, with 2GB RAM and a * Handles presenters with multiple
2Mbps internet connection. displays
Current video conferencing solutions PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
CPU: LGA1156 socket for Intel Core i7/Core i5
are designed more for boardroom meetings with multiple people talking.
Processors
For people who need to use such solutions for collaboration on projects,
Chipset: 16GB, DDR3 non-ECC, unbuffered
simple video conferencing is not adequate. HP SkyRoom extends the video
P HOTOG RA P H Y: JAYA N K N A RAYA NA N

memory, dual channel memory architecture

conferencing solution by adding support for desktop sharing parallel to the
Storage: Upto 6 x SATA 3.0 Gb/s ports, 1 x Ultra
conference. While neither video conferencing nor screen sharing are new, the
DMA 133/100/66 for up to 2 PATA devices, 1 x
combination does introduce some interesting possibilities.
External SATA 3Gb/s port (SATA On-the-Go)
Unlike most screen sharing software out there, HP SkyRoom allows you to
Power Design: 12-phase CPU, 2-phase memory
select an area of the screen, while keeping the rest private. The software also
power, 2-phase VTT CPU power
allows for sharing the control between the participants of the conference.
USB: 14 x USB 2.0 ports (6 at mid, 8 at back panel)
The software encrypts the video, audio and screen share information using a
256bit AES cypher, and can thus work securely on an organisation’s existing network. PRICE: RS 17,700

60 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
 UPDATE

MSI launches Netbook Enkay launches

HD-VC solution
for young executives Enkay Technologies has launched
a high-definition (HD) video confer-
encing solution for desktops and
Price laptops in India.
Rs 23,500 The software-based solution
can prove a boon for enterprises
that have a large telecommuting
workforce, as also for those using
video conferencing in a big way.
The HD VC solution also enables
users on the move to connect
through high speed data cards.
The VC solution that operates
on bandwidth ranging 128 kbps to
4 MB provides interactive multicast
facility on a multicast support-
ing network. It has features like
Micro Star International (MSI) has announced KEY ADVANTAGES session recording, playback and
the availability of the Wind U210 netbook * AMD Athlon Neo Processor streaming support, and enables
in India. Targeted at young managers, this * Windows 7 Home Premium data sharing through pen drive.
portable device with a wide-screen 16:9 aspect * Display 12.1” 16:9 LED Backlit The company claims its solution
ratio, and 12.1-inch display claims to provide * 2GB RAM plus 250GB HDD is fully compatible with ISDN,
14% greater display area when compared to * 1366 x 768 HD Ready Display ADSL, Broadband MPLS/VPN, IP
other netbooks in its size class. * HDMI port networks and windows Vista SP1.
The company claims that the netbook has It also boasts of multiple window
Ergonomic De-stress (EDS) keyboards that has 51% larger key space. Besides, the new layouts to support PTZ camera
product has an inbuilt 1.3 megapixel webcam that comes with MSI’s enhanced face and provides various layout op-
recognition software, Easy Face. The Wind U210 weighs around 1.3 kg is available tions for MS Outlook and LDAP
through all MSI dealers with price starting from INR 23,500. integration.

Brocade introduces KEY ADVANTAGES

* Doubles routing capacity
advanced MPLS router * Fastest route to advanced busi-
ness and MPLS services
* Offers vertical consolidation
with 33% space compression
* Improves operational efficiency
with 66% power consumption
savings

To support the deployment of high-
reliable virtual private network
(VPN) and IP voice, video, and data
services in a cost effective manner,
Brocade has announced the Brocade
NetIron CER 2000 Series compact
multi-protocol label switching
(MPLS) routers. Brocade claims
the product meets industry-leading
hardware-based routing capacity.
It also has advanced resiliency at
multiple layers through use of MPLS
Fast Reroute, hot-standby LSPs, and
fault detection and recovery.
The NetIron CER 2000 will
be available by Q1 2010 in six
models, including fiber and copper
configurations.

D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 61
 UPDATE

INDULGE The hottest, the coolest and the funkiest next

generation gadgets and devices for you

Get yourself close and unwired with the

best of business and personal objects this
season. While Motorola’s Droid is fresh in KINDLE
(GLOBAL WIRELESS)
flavour, you’ll find it really hard to ignore 6 inch diagonal display,
storage capacity for over
the XPS from Dell. Check these out
1500 books, 3G wireless
access, long battery life,
text to speech feature
HOT MOTOROLA
PRICE:
DROID US $ 2 5 9

Location tagging, Wi-fi,

Android Platform, 5MP
camera and a DVD-quality
recorder. Thinnest Qwerty
slider at 13.7mm
PR I C E :
$2 0 0 - A N D A B OV E

NEW

DELL ADAMO XPS

Ultra thin, 9.99mm thick,
weighs around 3 pounds, 13.4-
inch screen, 2 megapixel webcam
and mono digital microphone, 4GB
dual channel DDR3 SDRAM
RAM and 128GB SSD
PRICE:
US $ 1 , 7 9 9

TESLA
ROADSTER ‘S’
300 mile range, 45
minute quick charge,
0-60 mph in 5.6 sec,
seats 7 people, 17 inch
infotainment touchscreen
PRICE:
US $ 49 , 9 0 0

Like something? Want to share your

objects of desire? Send us your wish-list or
feedback at editor@itnext.in

62 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0

OPEN DEBATE
Is it a good idea to make
the switch to Windows 7?
ASHOK RV
GM(IS), SUNDARAM
CLAYTON
One thing is for sure, that
Microsoft will repeat the
Vista experience. Migrat-
ing from Windows XP
to Windows 7 is tough,
because XP is well proven
and established. Third
party utilities and software
working around XP are also
proven and time tested.
However migrating from
Vista is relatively easier.
Also, the migration to
Windows 7 requires user
buy-in and budgets for such
migration would be another
challenge. Our latest desk-
top and laptop shipments
are with Windows 7 only.
In about a month, we can
gauge and monitor the
performance, and then take
a call for enterprise roll out.
Your views and opinion matter to us. Send us your feedback on stories and the
magazine to the Editor at editor@itnext.in
A platform to air your views on the latest
developments and issues that impact you
NN RANGANATHAN
MANAGER - BITS,
M&M FINANCIAL
SERVICES
There could be lot of chal-
lenges—from getting user
acceptance to an organisa-
tion’s ability to manage and
automate the processes.
Besides, one needs to look
at the licensing cost. The
existing licenses, software
agreements and upgrade
path should be among the
considerations. The propri-
etary application com-
patibility with the latest
versions is still a question
mark until the confirma-
tions from respective ven-
dors on their support on the
latest version is received.
Nonetheless, it definitely is
a good idea to migrate to
Windows 7 as it has some
great features to offer.
UPDATE
BOOK FOR YOU
Hugs that work
A 5-step plan for inspiring and
creating a winning team...
PUBLISHER : BANTAM BOOKS
PRICE : $8.99
It looks like a recipe straight out of
our desi Munnabhai flick… But Jack
Mitchell’s book Hug Your People goes
much beyond. In a hyper connected
world, when social networking is the
MANISH JAIN hottest buzz and ‘relationships’ are
MANAGER IT, JUXT things that can happen virtually, the
CONSULT top CEO and inspirational speaker
While there has been highlights the need for bringing back
a lot of debate on the the human connection in our busi-
drawbacks of Windows 7, nesses and our lives.
I would like to highlight
The book focuses on a simple fact of life
the positives. There are
that everyone wants to be appreciated.
quite a few interesting
It goes on to describe in five simple
features in the new OS,
steps what one should do to inspire oth-
like Windows recovery
ers to do better in life—professionally.
environment, Bit Locker,
Home group policy, WSAF, And while the examples and situations
AppLocker and others. that Mitchell uses are from corporate
The new OS also has bet- world, and real work places, its impact
ter security features and is not limited to office life alone.
enhanced driver library. Rather, as Howard Behar, author and
Also, the fact that Win- director of Starbucks says, the book
dows 7 is not a memory will help the reader become a better
hogger like Windows leader and a better person as well.
Vista, means that we will The book also has a Hugging Study
get better power and Guide, a real utility tool, to give the
processor management. readers a better understanding of
All these make Windows 7 what he means.
the best release from the
Microsoft stable.
IT NEXT VERDICT
A quick tip book with real life office example.
Must read for IT managers. And yes, do not
forget to take the HAT, or Hugging Achieve-
ment Test (HAT). It does help!.
STAR VALUE:
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 63
 PRAVIN PRASHANT
MY LOG Founder Editor, iGovernment.in &
Consulting Editor, IT Next
The new
‘I’ in IT
ITMs need to swiftly adapt to
the changing technology trends
Today’s IT Managers (ITMs) are being
constantly challenged by shifting tech-
nology trends, requiring them to be more
innovative than ever before. The pressures
to innovate continue to mount. A recent
study conducted by IBM found that CIOs
around the world spend most (55%) of their
time on driving innovation and growth, as
opposed to the more traditional IT tasks
of infrastructure and operations manage-
ment. And if the pressure from their bosses
is not enough, the slew of new technologies
being hurled their way has ITMs on their
toes when it comes to innovation.
Take, for example, the rise of Internet
technologies and cloud computing. I believe
that these will play an increasingly bigger
role in the enterprise IT environment,
given their significant productivity
benefits. Furthermore, the use of open
standards and technologies significantly
reduces dependence on a provider and
lowers switching costs. Thus, instead
of being stuck with a non-performing,
over-charging service provider, one can
switch to a better alternative as and when
required. Also, given the ease of use of
these technologies, ITMs don’t have to
invest too much time in learning how to
leverage them. All this means they can put
more focus on driving innovation in usage
and application of these technologies to
deliver greater business impact.
64 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
The list of exciting new technologies for
enterprise IT applications will continue
to grow as long as cost and efficiency
improvements remains a key priority for
ITMs. For example, mobile technologies
will significantly challenge the innovation
capabilities of ITMs. There is a growing
need to develop applications for the mobile
environment to aid decision-making on
the move, enabling enterprises to be more
nimble and flexible. Cloud computing is also
driving the use of inexpensive and compact
mobile devices like smart phones, net books,
and tablet PCs by simply using browser
technologies. I also see mobile-based query
systems gaining popularity soon.
The variety of form and capability
of mobile devices poses the first big
innovation challenge for ITMs. How and
what to make available on what device and
to whom will require perpetual problem-
solving and testing. Add to that constant
pressure to port PC-centric applications
to the mobile and you have the perfect
platform for our ITMs to innovate.
New technologies like cloud computing
and mobile will change ITMs life like never
before. The faster they raise their sights to
focus on innovating with these technologies,
the better it is for their growth and that of
their organisations. In fact, it is about
time that we start calling them Innovation
Technology Managers.
P PC
N OO
:A
ON
TI
RA
ST
U
L
IL
3 ESSENTIAL
READS
INSIGHT | SECURITY SECURITY | INSIGHT
NO MISHAPS E-mail security
needs to $ 13 bn
ENSURING THE
E-MAIL CHUGS
ON MERRILY
So you are up-
FOR THIS
dating or creat-
guarantee will be spent on se- ing policies for
curity software next e-mail use? It
perimeter
MAIL
year—up from $8.3 bn will be worth-
in 2006
safety, while for IT managers to tackle
the following posers honestly.
confidentiality z Why does secure e-mail impact your
and non- business? (What is driving your organi-
repudiation
BY MOHIT CHHABRA
67
companies are con-
cerned about ensuring
%
sation forward and how security issues
can be a roadblock?)
z What is your intellectual property?
z What do you sell?
z What personal or private information
do your systems contain and how
sensitive is it?
that e-mail should not be z Are you exchanging information with
he most efficient and effective business communication tool today, is capability to manage e-mail security,” says used to disseminate trade partners and distributors?
T electronic mail. According to the Radicati group, there are over 400
million corporate mailboxes worldwide, and more than 45 billion
e-mail messages are transmitted each day. And while businesses are
becoming increasingly dependent on e-mails today, it has also turned
out to be a vault of technical disasters.
Viruses, trojans, spyware and spam sneak into corporate inboxes everyday and
can seriously undermine the performance of corporate IT system. Another cause
Ruchin Kumar, Senior Solution Specialist
at SafeNet.
The IT manager’s top two expectations
from an e-mail security system are
automatic updating and scalability. Since
new viruses emerge all the time, the
security solution must have automatic
secrets or IP, but only
36 % companies
perform
regular audits of out-
bound e-mail
z Who are your customers?
z Who has access to company IP?
z Where and when is information ac-
cessed?
z How is it accessed? Do not overlook
the risk of sensitive information being
sent via mobile devices like Blackberry
of concern for the IT manager is the unwarranted leakage of sensitive company update capabilities so that the e-mail and smart phones
SOURCE: GA RTNER
information and data via the e-mail route. So we have IT managers and CIOs systems are fully protected all the time.
spending more and more on security across the globe. Gartner estimates that US The selected solution must also have the
$13.5 billion will be spent on security software next year, up from US $ 8.3 billion capability to accommodate the expanding to disseminate trade secrets or IP but step in granting legal sanctity to digital
in 2006, a CAGR of over 10%. needs of the company. only 36% are currently performing signatures. Also, digitally signed
Any good e-mail security system must accomplish the following three tasks— regular audits of outbound e-mail. e-mails are admissible as evidence in
perimeter security, confidentiality and non-repudiation. Confidentiality Kumar adds, “It’s not just the tools, a court of law. Nearly all e-mail clients
The time card and time sheet were invented but also the policies that will ensure now come with the functionality of
Perimeter security to do one simple job—monitor employees that confidentiality is maintained. integrating digital signatures.
This piece of the e-mail security system guards corporate e-mail infrastructure during work hours. However, employee Today effective freeware is also But no less important than
against the entry of spam, trojans and worms. However, the world of anti-spam tracking has now gone digital with more available to track e-mail activity on the tools is the e-mail use policy
and anti-virus has become so crowded that it is difficult to zero in on the best detailed insight. the network.” Implementation of framework which companies
approach and solution. This evolution has been driven in part digital signatures using the Public need to put in practice. The right
Some analysts have declared that stand-alone anti-virus software is dead. But it by today’s widespread use of the Internet Key Infrastructure (PKI) is an effective questions need to be raised and
is too early to write it off. Multi-functionality in the technology world has become and e-mail in the workplace. However, way to kill two birds, confidentiality candidly answered to formulate
the rule rather than the exception. This trend is converging on perimeter security as these pose a serious risk to the information and non-repudiation, with one stone, effective guidelines. (See box:
well. The functionality of the plain vanilla anti-virus software is expanding rapidly that resides inside a company, particularly he observes. Ensuring the e-mail chugs on
to effectively combat the changing threat scenario. It is not too long away when an since a staggering 70% of corporate data merrily). Only the amalgamation
anti-virus software solution will also be routinely expected to prevent data loss. resides in e-mails. Non-repudiation of state-of-the-art technology and
Early signals emerged last year when Sophos acquired Utimaco, a data security A 2008 survey conducted by Non-repudiation is the concept of well-defined company policies can
firm. Forrester about issues around outbound ensuring that a party cannot repudi- ensure that e-mail continues to
“It’s important to look at perimeter security as a solution rather than a simple e-mail security found that two-thirds ate or refute the validity of a statement serve business and industry in a
26
anti-virus or intrusion protection. Appliances bring in the additional benefit of
leaving application servers undisturbed because of their dedicated processing
IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0
of the companies are concerned about
ensuring that e-mail should not be used
or contract.
The IT Act of 2000 took the first
secure and sound manner. Critical
data needs crucial handling.
D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT
No mishaps for this mail. How to
ensure that your e-mail security is
not breached. Pg 26
INSIGHT | MOBILITY
executives to attend meetings in unplanned location with no access to
a PC or laptop but only through a mobile phone.
FOUR
MOBILITY | INSIGHT
We believe that mobile applications, which enable meetings and Enterprise location-
collaboration, will top the list of priorities for business organisations based services
across industries. Mobile meetings and collaboration are already a
reality with new technologies and applications, high speed wireless WHERE, WHAT AND HOW?
networks and feature-rich powerful smart phones. For instance, Location-Based Services (LBS) applications
UNWIRING THE mobile executives can deliver presentations to a remote meeting or
access presentations being delivered at the remote meeting or share
have generally been considered more suit-
able in consumer applications. However, they
ENTERPRISE documents using Cisco WebEx meeting center on their smart phones. are beginning to find their way to enterprise
applications. For instance, there are already
several applications that leverage inexpen-
OUR TOP TWO
Mobile CRM
Mobile customer relationship
management (CRM) is increas-
ingly becoming critical in such a
sive mobile handsets, embedded A-GPS tech-
nology and wireless data network to deliver
much more efficient and effective fleet man-
GETTING MORE PERSONAL business environment. agement and asset tracking system.
WITH CUSTOMERS In such a scenario, the ability With the help of LBS, enterprises can
Mobile applications Every service or product now
offers hundreds of choices to
customers. For business organi-
to service customers’ demands
while outside of the office is
becoming a necessity for an
become more productive and efficient in the
realms of transportation, logistics, healthcare,
emergency services, security, disaster
sations, this means not just increasingly mobile workforce. management and much more. Many countries
more competition but also more Making the CRM application have taken the lead in LBS.
The growing use of mobile devices demanding customers. Custom- mobile will not only help
ers now expect faster response companies build a more loyal
is bringing about several changes
in consumer behaviour, forcing
to their enquiries and real time and happy customer base but also
generate more business.
FIVE
resolution of their complaints.
businesses to rework their marketing
and customer-relationship strategies.
Today businesses are increasingly being
conducted outside office at unconventional
locations as mobile devices and applications
ONE
THREE
Mobile marketing
applications
UP, CLOSE AND PERSONAL
one on which people spend the
most time compared to televi-
sion, newspapers or even Inter-
net. Mobile marketing can help
companies get more personal in
their sales and marketing cam-
Governance, risk and
compliance applications
ADDRESSING REGULATORY AND IN-
FORMATION SECURITY CONCERNS
As more and more workers go mobile, busi-
ness organisations face a new challenge—how
to ensure compliance with regulations when
Mobile collaboration Mobile applications that paigns as they can reach out to critical information is accessed outside their
let executives carry ‘office’ in their pocket. and conferencing address marketing needs will different target segments with networks. Moreover, how do they ensure their
be extremely critical. Not only customised marketing commu- mobile workers have any-time-any-where
Moreover, the advent of ‘cloud’, which could FROM HOT-DESKING TO HOT- have mobile phones become nications. This will be especially secure access to information? This is partic-
significantly increase the computing power CONFERENCING the number one mass media effective for companies with a ularly critical in industries like healthcare,
Meetings and conferencing are tool but have also emerged as diverse customer base. financial and banking services and in stock
of mobile devices, is poised to bring drastic important business enablers. It is exchange listed companies that must comply
changes in the way mobile applications are being easy to connect with a business exec- with hundreds of regulations.
utive on the move and include him in However, one of the key challenges that
developed, acquired and used.
IT NEXT identifies five mobile application segments
an important meeting at office by just
dialing his mobile phone. However,
CLOUD COMPUTING WILL mobile enterprises will face is effective
management of risks and compliance-related
that could have a significant impact not only on many times, the mobile participant DRASTICALLYCHANGETHEWAY issues that growing mobility will entail. It is
may need to have access to presenta-
MOBILE APPLICATIONS ARE in this context that they will need an effective
the way your company operates but also on its tions being delivered at the meeting; mobile application or an array of applications
productivity, efficiency and overall profitability. These he must refer to a document or share
one with other participants.
DEVELOPED, ACQUIRED AND that lets them manage all mobile applications
with ease and addresses all their compliance
application categories should top your shopping list if
you are looking at investing in making enterprise-wide
Also, as more and more business USED ACROSS ENTERPRISES and security-related concerns.
is conducted on the move, mobile
ICT infrastructure more mobile. collaboration and meetings are
While these, we believe, will be the top five mobile application segments that will attract enterprise attention and investment, it is noteworthy
becoming important. Even now,
that the definition of mobility will continue to evolve dramatically over the next few years.
BY RAVI S P it is not uncommon for business
28 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 29
Top 5 mobile applications.
Applications that should top an
organisation’s shopping list. Pg 28
INTERVIEW | SIMON DALE SIMON DALE | INTERVIEW
“THERE WAS NO
RECESSION
IN INDIA”
SAP Asia-Pacific’s Senior V-P (sales) Simon Dale, in a freewheeling
interview with Shashwat DC, discusses the global slowdown, the
company’s mid-term strategy change and why it is extending itself
beyond ERP into business intelligence
There has been a we saw business intelligence, and around ERP. Meanwhile, the
lot of talk about the performance management, and implementation and maintenance
transformation of SAP. When risk management as the markets is taken care of by our partners
did this process start and of the future. We also realised who are masters in this domain.
what were the objectives? that it would take too long to build And I firmly believe that
Simon Dale: The initiative usu- everything we needed. So we this strategy (of aligning with
ally referred to as SAP mid-term bought Business Objects. That got partners) has worked perfectly
strategy was put in motion a few us into the space and that is also for us because in a value chain,
years back. At that point, we looked how we transformed. where different organisations
inwards. The need for it was fairly are involved, all are going to add
obvious, as the core business five Customers today are looking to value, and the combined value
years ago was ERP and it was for a single vendor who can will always be larger than the
growing only by a small percent- meet all their requirements individual (one). I think that if
age. In order to maintain our lead- right from hardware to we were going to do everything
ership and gain greater market
share, we needed to grow our busi-
ness a lot more swiftly.
That is when we decided to move
into adjacent spaces, especially in
the business user space as we call
software to consultancy. What
does SAP bring to the table?
We still see ourselves as a soft-
ware vendor which works closely
with an ecosystem of partners to
meet the requirements of our cus-
ourselves, it would either distract
us from our core business, or may
not allow us to scale in areas in
which we would like to grow.
Traditionally, SAP has been
an ERP vendor. Is there a
PHOTOGRAPHY: M EXY XAVI ER
it. These are businesses that do not tomers. Our business has grown
normally think of using an ERP. and (we have) been successful by strategic shift in the focus?
Most of them are managers and building active partnerships with I won’t really term it as a strategic
analysts who, while intricately companies of all shapes and sizes. shift. We continue to focus on ERP
involved in the decision-making So we remain independent in our even as we add to our capabilities
process, are not direct users of work, and continue to work on our in the business user space. We are
ERP. In the business user space, USP, that is, building solutions in just expanding our business. In
44 IT NEXT | D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 D E C 2 0 0 9 – J A N 2 0 1 0 | IT NEXT 45
No recession in India. SAP’s Simon
Dale on the slowdown and the com-
pany’s changing strategies. Pg 44
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