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Information Communications Technology Many Sri Lankan
banks seek Tata IT services TCS plans to
set up corporate offices in many countries, including Sri Lanka,
as it expands its network to almost every corner of the world, TCS
Senior Consultant V. Narendra said. At present,
Bank of Ceylon's Chennai branch obtains IT services from TCS, which
provides 80 percent of the bank's operations software solutions.
Other Sri Lankan
banks too have inquired about obtaining IT consultancy services
and solutions from TCS, Narendra said. Sri Lanka has
the potential to be a major IT centre in the region, Narendra said. "We provide
IT consultancy services and solutions to most of the leading US
companies through our 20 corporate offices in the United States,"
Narendra told a group of visiting Sri Lankan journalists last week. The media were
flown by SriLankan Airlines to Bangalore, the carrier's latest destination,
as part of a familiarisation tour. TCS is located
at India's biggest IT park at Whitefield, a few miles out of Bangalore,
which is known as the garden city of India. TCS has more
than 15,000 software professionals operating in 50 countries, providing
clients with e-business solutions and system integration services,
to help them design and build their e-business operations. TCS is working
with leading companies in sectors such as banking, financial services
and insurance, and telecommunications, Narendra said. It also has strategic alliances with technology companies like IBM, Microsoft, Sun Solaris, HP, Compaq/Tandem/Digital and Oracle. Lanka's
"Simlin" tower or IT city Through the
years, these computer stores have developed to an extent that today
it literally is a one-stop shop for all your computer requirements.
A printer cartridge, a mouse or even a computer with all accessories
can be found here. The all-important reason for the popularity of
this location is the price. Prices of these computer products range
from as low Rs. 100. However, one
of the specialities of this little mall that ensures that every
visitor does not return home empty handed is its CD collection.
The collection of software CD's that was priced at around Rs. 400
a few years ago is now available here at Rs. 100. In addition the
range which initially comprised of pirated software has now extended
to music CDs, video CDs and even DVDs at unimaginable low prices.
Though it suits
the common man who cannot afford to buy original Microsoft Windows
or Office software the suppliers of original software are apprehensive.
They say there is no guarantee or manuals for these products. "Even
if it does not work I still lose only Rs. 100. If I want help I
can buy a tutorial CD or a low-priced Indian book on the software,"
one shopper said. International software vendors are making every
effort to combat piracy. Piracy is largely in the Asian market due
to the affordability factor. The number of CD's bought by foreigners
at this mall on some days is surprisingly high. The only problem
that remains is the quality of service. Some shoppers have had bad
experiences after purchasing unbranded PCs with a one-year warranty.
They have returned subsequently only to discover that the shop no
longer exists or the required spare part is not manufactured anymore.
This is due to the fact that PC's are assembled using bulk stock
lots imported by vendors from countries such as Taiwan, Korea, Bangkok,
China and Singapore. As they usually go for cheaper prices, the
same brand is not imported again if the price does not suit the
importer and therefore even the guarantee of the product cannot
be assured by the vendor. Yet, one would say for a developing country such as ours this is a divine gift as the average budget does not permit costly equipment! Software
exporters to form national body The association,
which started in 1999 as a grouping of dedicated software exporting
companies, now has a membership of over 35 firms. The apex body
recently sought membership with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and
has moved its secretariat to the chamber from July 1, 2002. The association,
which has been functioning as an organised work group to carry out
its various functions, held its first Annual General Meeting on
July 15. The newly elected executive committee of the SEA, led by
H. D. Gunawardene, will now take over the responsibility of transforming
the association into a national body and to work towards making
the country a preferred software destination. The main objective of the SEA is to promote software and IT-enabled services from Sri Lanka to new overseas markets. Its main areas of activities are marketing, training and human resources, infrastructure and finance. The Sri Lanka Export Development Board and the Board of Investment are the patrons of the association. The EDB and the Information and Communications Technology Cluster have been providing the association secretarial support. Cisco
launches the Little Dragon Also called
the 'Little Dragon', the IP phone is based on Cisco's Architecture
for Voice, Video and Integrated Data (AVVID) technology. The launch
comes in the wake of the latest developments in the telecom arena
with the introduction of IP Telephony in the Indian market. The
product according to the company is aimed primarily at addressing
the needs of enterprise and mass users. The unit delivers
essential business communications, by providing the most frequently
used business features - such as instant updates on stocks, quote
of the day, weather or any other Web-based information; Lightweight
Directory Access Protocol (LDAP3) standard directory which provides
user mobility within the office - while retaining use of direct
dial number. Other key services
provided are video conferencing and collaboration and other value-added
options such as prioritizing calls received, calling party name
and number, calls received, missed calls and dialed calls etc. -
in an easy-to-program and easy-to-use platform, at a touch. Cisco AVVID
voice and video solutions prepare organizations to compete in the
Internet Economy. By converging data, voice and video onto a single
IP network, companies are able to take advantage of IP-based business
applications for enhanced employee productivity; customer flexibility
and control; standards-based, distributed, open architecture; and
exceptional customer service. India which has been allowing Closed User Group (CUG) telephony for a few years and from April this year allowed private players to tap into the International Long Distance and National Long Distance calls market to voice over Internet (VOIP). In Sri Lanka some of the local conglomerates like John Keells Holdings have introduced VOIP to connect their group companies. News in
Brief IIT collaborated
with Holmesglen Institute in 2000 to provide shorter-term courses
to equip students with skills in software development. The diploma
programme is an 18-month practical course that covers a range of
programming languages focusing on Web and Software Development. Holmesglen
Institute is an Australian government sponsored technical and further
education institute that offers over 400 courses in three different
campuses. IIT is a member of the Informatics Group of Companies set up in 1990. The institute was the first to offer international computer degree courses in collaboration with Manchester Metropolitan University of the United Kingdom. IIT recently extended its course offerings to include a Masters degree in IT through Keele University of the UK. PC
House launches Power Tree UPS PC House, as
the sole authorised distributor in Sri Lanka, says that it has gained
a considerable market share in a short period of time making it
the fastest selling UPS. Since the launch of a new campaign in December
2001, the distributor has sold 6,760 units and experienced a failure
rate of 0.1 percent. Power Tree
also hopes to cater to the medium scale and high-end sector with
its line interactive rack mounted range and the online range. The
online range provides solutions ranging from 1kVA to 30kVA to suit
a single end-user environment as well as major industrial environments.
The units are bundled with power management software that ensures
maximum protection round the clock. PC House has an after sales support division and trained technical personnel in Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala and Ratnapura to provide sales support to its Power Tree customers. 3M
Lanka offers VIP certification The 3M Volition
Network Solutions offers a complete range of structured cabling
systems that are cost-effective for every commercial application. These range
from Category 5, Category 5e and Category 6 copper cabling, right
up to the latest fibre-to-the-desk (FTTD) networks. The 3M Volition
FTTD cabling systems offer the high gigabit speeds of fibre optics
at the price and simplicity of copper while eliminating the need
to upgrade copper cabling with fibre in the near future. Multimedia
applications and the latest networking technologies demand increased
bandwidths that copper cannot provide. FTTD cabling also eliminates
interference problems and provides clean and secure data transmission
over long distances. The certification
enables the resellers to deliver 3M Volition Network Solutions to
suit the end-to-end needs of small and large enterprises. They deliver
structured cabling solutions with the best possible combination
of copper and fibre to suit individual requirements. These Enterprise
Networks could be copper, fibre, or a hybrid, and link the PCs in
different departments in a seamless manner. They provide the communications
infrastructure with a broadband migration path to transfer increasingly
complex data, voice and video traffic, without downloading delays
and without the cost and disruption of re-cabling. The Volition Network Solutions carry a 20-year warranty backed by 3M and is distributed here by Software and Management Services. Kingslake
supplies I-DEAS to NERD The NERD Centre
has set up a Centre for Manufacturing Excellence (CME) with the
specific objective of assisting the die and mould making industry
in Sri Lanka. The I-DEAS software will be an important aspect of
this initiative. "A recent
survey conducted by the Centre shows that nearly 90 percent of the
demand in Sri Lanka is for high precision, high quality dies and
moulds. However, only 30 percent of the market needs can be met
by local industry and the rest has to be imported. We intend to
fill this void as it is essential to have local supply of dies and
moulds as this will speed up the whole product development process.
I-DEAS software will provide us with the tools to do the full range
of three dimensional design, analysis, manufacturing and simulation,"
said Kumar Perera, Head of Techno-Marketing of the NERD Centre I-DEAS is an
advanced engineering tool for full three dimensional modelling,
drafting, tolerance analysis, assembly, surfacing, mould design,
manufacturing, die and moulds inspection, simulation and testing.
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