India to take steps to protect cyber infrastructure
According to sources, the National Security Council(NSC) headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singhwould soon approve the comprehensive plan and designate the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and National Technical Research Organization (NTRO) as agencies for carrying out offensive cyber operations, if necessary. All other intelligence agencies would be authorized to carry out intelligence gathering abroad, but not offensive operations, sources said.
The detailed policy for national cyber infrastructure protection is presently before the NSC awaiting its approval. The policy would identify all government agencies that would have a role in the protection of Indian cyber infrastructure and define their roles.
The move to not just define defensive mechanism but also designate agencies for offensive operations comes as New Delhi tackles repeated waves of cyber intrusions, though all of them are aimed at gathering information from critical networks. But the next stage, of an adversary carrying out offensive cyber attack, of bringing down a power grid, stalling air traffic control systems, or manipulating controls of a dam are now believed to be a real possibility.
Stuxnet, the cyber worm created by US's National Security Agency and Israeli military and specifically targeted at Iran's nuclear enrichment center at Natanz, was found to have infected Indian systems. "It was probably unintentional, but an intentional attack on India's critical infrastructure cannot be ruled out," says a senior official. "We haven't yet seen a cyber attack, but only intelligence gathering. An attack that can debilitate our infrastructure is what we must be prepared for," he said.
CERT-IN (Computer Emergency Response Team India) would be responsible for protection of most of the cyber space, while NTRO would be tasked to protect the critical infrastructure such as important government networks. NTRO would be tasked to create the National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIPC), which would be a command-and-control centre for monitoring the critical infrastructure. It would be a round-the-clock centre, providing real time response to cyber security breaches.
The proposal before NSC also envisages creation of sectoral CERTs in order to respond quickly to protect power distribution networks, Air Traffic Controls, traffic networks and other areas that heavily dependent on networked systems, and thus are susceptible to attacks.
The policy suggests that the defence forces would be responsible for their own networks' protection.
NTRO and Intelligence Bureau (IB) would primarily be responsible for security of various government networks. While NTRO would operate through NCIPC, IB would be mainly looking at the physical security of networks. State polices, CBI, NIA etc would be tasked to do follow up action, if any intrusions are detected.
Mahindra Satyam, Tech Mahindra to merge in 2012
Mahindra Satyam's merger with parent firm Tech Mahindra will take place next year, its chairman Vineet Nayyar said. "It is a process. We are looking at it when to commence it and we are hoping that by the next year, some time in later half of the year, this amalgamation will in fact take place," he told reporters while declaring Q2 results of Mahindra Satyam.
Nayyar recalled that after winning the bid for the company in April 2009, Tech Mahindra had indicated its intention to merge. "That intention remains," he said.
In May this year, he hinted that the merger may be delayed as it is a legal process which has to go to two high courts.
Tech Mahindra had acquired Satyam Computer Services Limited in April 2009, a few months after Satyam was rattled by India's biggest corporate fraud. Satyam was subsequently re-named Mahindra Satyam.
To another query, Nayyar said the firm had resolved almost all cases in the US, which arose because of the fraud committed by the earlier management.
The company has already paid $10 million to settle the US Securities and Exchange Commission's suit over the fraud. It paid $125 million to settle class action suits and another $70 million to settle the Upaid case.
On the Income Tax department's notice to pay Rs.616 crore tax, Mahindra Satyam CEO C.P. Gurnani said the demand on fictitious income was unreasonable. "That is the reason we have choosen to go to court and are seeking justice," he said.
The Mahindra Group company had earlier said that on the one hand, the government agencies were prosecuting former Satyam chief B. Ramalinga Raju for showing fictitious income, but on the other, making the same fictitious income a basis for demanding taxes.
Now, Android-Powered Shoes For Visually Impaired!
In a path-breaking innovation, an IT engineer from Rajasthan Technical University, Anirudh Sharma, has designed a unique footwear for the visually impaired. The shoes will be connected to an Android device that will help navigate them using Google Maps and the phone's in-built GPS. Called Le Chal ('Take me there' in Hindi), the new pair of Android-powered shoes offers non-obtrusive navigation for the visually impaired. The brainchild of Anirudh Sharma was showcased at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Media Lab Design and Innovation Workshop 2011.  According to a report by MediaNama, Le Chal comes equipped with vibrators, proximity sensors and a Bluetooth pad which is connected to an Android device. The Android phone then calculates directions and real-time location using Google Maps and the phone’s in-built GPS and compass module. According to Sharma, voice instructions can be distracting and wearable gear is obtrusive and attracts unnecessary attention. He says that the system has been designed to make it non-obtrusive for the users. The shoes have been tested at a Bengaluru-based blind school. It works simply like this. For using the shoes, one needs to speak the end location before the start of the journey. The Android app then works on defining the route map, calculating turn by turn directions, which are sent to the shoe wirelessly via Bluetooth, mentions the report. Then there are different vibrators within the shoes placed at different positions which get activated to offer feedback to the user depending on the turn she/he needs to take. In short, the technology works by turning navigation data into haptic feedback. It certainly is going to be a major breakthrough in technology, and a boon for the visually impaired around the world. |
Google Makes Search More Secure For Signed-In Users
In a blog post earlier today, Google announced that SSL-encrypted search will be the default when you're signed-in to your account. The secured channel provides for a more secure and private search experience by protecting search terms and search results from being intercepted by a third party. This is especially important if you're accessing the Internet through a Wi-Fi hotspot at a cafe. This change will roll out over the next few weeks. If you don't have a Google Account, go directly to https://www.google.com.
Google first launched encrypted Web search in May 2010, later moving its encrypted search from https://www.google.com to https://encrypted.google.com. Google also launched SSL False Start to decrease the load time of SSL connections. Gmail adopted the default SSL setting in January 2010.
Why Google is world's most preferred employer
Google is still the most popular employer in the world among business students, according to Universum's latest global ranking. Drawn to the company's culture of innovation, laid-back vibe, smart employees, and out-of-the-ordinary perks, undergraduates have seen Google as the world's most attractive employer since 2009.
In 2011, business students gave an edge not only to Google but also to other technology companies, while banks and traditional business employers continued to descend in popularity. Although the top five companies on the global list for business remained pretty much the same as in 2010-Google, followed by the Big Four accounting firms KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and Deloitte-the rest of the top 10 experienced a shakeup in the ranking compiled by Universum, a research firm in Stockholm.
For starters, Apple leaped from No. 18 in 2010 to No. 9 in 2011, while Coca-Cola dropped from 8 to 12. Rounding out the top 10 were Microsoft at No. 6, Procter & Gamble at No. 7, JP Morganat No. 8, and Goldman Sachs at No. 10. The list is based on the preferences of more than 160,000 career seekers with a business or engineering background from the world's 12 largest economies as measured by nominal GDP.
The global ranking is separated into two lists-one based on the responses of business career seekers and the other on those pursuing engineering. Those respondents interested in business careers accounted for 82,830 of the survey takers.
Appealing culture
Every generation has its own character, which is evident to some extent in the responses given in this survey. The latest crop of college graduates, says Kyle Ewing, manager of talent and outreach programs for Google in Mountain View, California, are seeking employers who help them feel connected to their work and give them opportunities to make a difference in the world.
This might be why technology companies, with innovative products, are becoming more popular among business students, say experts. 'Students are interested in making an impact and tackling big problems, and they want an environment that empowers them to do that,' says Ewing.
Google's appeal lies in its culture-one of innovation and opportunity, which has grown since it has begun producing more products in the past couple of years, she adds. Even though banks and financial firms have lost some of their lustre in the wake of the US financial crisis and continuing economic problems, accounting is still popular among students.
Accounting firms have continued to hire throughout the Great Recession, providing some job security during a time when many young people are facing unemployment, and have begun to offer global opportunities as well, say recruiters at the accounting firms.
Ernst & Young, for instance, did not rescind a single job offer in 2008 or 2009 at the height of the economic crisis, says Dan Black, Americas director of campus recruiting for Ernst & Young in New York.
While he admits the company hired fewer people than usual, it still hired new talent for the pipeline in various departments, including accounting, insurance, taxes, and transaction and advisory services, which handles mergers and acquisitions. 'In five to 10 years, these new hires will be our leadership,' Black adds. 'If we don't hire them now, we will pay down the road. When we make a commitment, we stick to it.'
Govt of India targets 600 mn broadband connections by 2020; revises download speed
The Government of India, through the Draft National Telecom Policy 2011, has set a target of 600 million high-speed internet connections in India by 2020. The draft NTP-2011 aims to achieve 175 million broadband connections by 2017.
The draft also aims To revise the existing broadband download speed of 256 Kbps to 512 Kbps by 2011 and subsequently to 2 Mbps by 2015 and and higher speeds of atleast 100 Mbps thereafter.
The policy, unveiled by Minister of Communications and IT Kapil Sibal, went to the extent of likening the broadband connectivity to basic necessities like health and education and proposes to work towards a 'Right to Broadband' for every citizen.
Social gaming co Zynga to step up hiring in India
"We are hiring aggressively for our Bangalore office," Cadir Lee, CTO of social gaming company Zynga told The Economic Times shortly after the Zynga Unleashed event on Wednesday, where it unveiled many new products, including its first game, Mafia Wars 2 - on Google+ social network.
"There are certain pockets in the world where you get people that build world-class companies. Those people bring in diversity of experience, which is why we chose Bangalore. It is one of the world's top talent markets and we want to leverage that," Lee told ET.
Zynga is the maker of several social games, the most popular being its Facebook games FarmVille and CityVille. It has approximately over 60 million daily active users who interact and play with each other about 416 million times a day. Having filed with theUS Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise $1 billion in an initial public offering (IPO) in July this year, Zynga is currently in its "quiet period".
So, though it didn't share specific numbers, Lee said that Zynga is heavily recruiting engineers to work on distributed systems and real-time social, senior staff and creative people who can design gaming features.
"While we are looking at all sorts of emerging markets, India is a strategic R&D centre for us."
"We had earlier moved some of our game maintenance and underlying system architecture work to India. There are plans to start game development there as well," a Zynga employee confirmed. "Though an emerging gaming market, India right now is relatively more strategic as an R&D centre," said Michael Inouye, senior analyst with technology-focused market research firm ABI Research. "India offices are also key entry points for Western players into the local region."
Experts feel emerging Asian markets pose their own adaptation challenges including stricter regulations, a preference for homegrown games, playing in Internet cafes, language and local differences.
Compared to Korea or even Japan - where XBox once had a tough time competing with local players - India is relatively easier. A majority of Indian gamers tend to belong to the privileged SEC A class; they prefer English and tend to welcome US players. They are also increasingly gaming more from home, like in the West, than from cybercafes. In 2010, the percentage of gamers gaming from cyber cafes plummeted from a high of 53% to below 35%.
"The Indian market is huge for us and for social gaming in general. Whenever we release a new game or new content, India lights up on our graphs. It has always been among the first countries to adapt games quickly," said the Zynga employee.
But limited Internet connectivity continues to be an issue. "India is going to be much more of a mobile gaming place. Rather than catch up on regular gaming, it will leapfrog ahead (of the West) into mobile gaming as more smartphones and cheap tablets become more prevalant there," said Lee.
But analysts like Shalini Verma of Gartner say localization is important: "TV games on DTH platforms have seen some traction for local providers. This shows that there is a demand for games in India, but at the right price. While game developers and publishers don't need to customize their games for India from a language standpoint, they do need to still localize their business model for India."
Android Apps To Run On Windows
| This goes out to all those who cannot imagine a relationship between Android and Windows. Yes, believe it or not, Android apps can now run on Windows PCs via BlueStacks. The BlueStacks App Player has just hit the alpha stage. Users can download a test version of it and try. The BlueStacks player at this basic stage lets the users run several preloaded apps, install up to 26 others, and sync apps from an Android phone to your PC. With BlueStacks, Android apps themselves launch in a full-screen virtualized version of the Android operating system and run pretty smoothly. The developers look successful in the integration of Android apps with Windows via a simple desktop gadget proved to be clean and seamless. |
Incase the user wants to send apps from phone or tablet to the PC, they will need to download the BlueStacks Cloud Connect App on from Google's Android Market and install it on their mobile device. They, then, require to enter a unique pin number in the app. This sets up the connection with users’ PC, allowing them to push over apps from your device.
The present version of BlueStacks App Player supports only Windows PCs. The company is working on a Mac version.
Microsoft To Launch Windows Phone 7.5 Today
It's a big day for Microsoft in India. It is the launch of Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango update) in India today. Microsoft is looking up to the event for the simple reason that it is the first major update from the company in two years.
Windows Phone 7.5 has been received very well so far. With attractive price schemes from hardware partners like HTC, Samsung, Acer and Nokia, the company can expect to make a big mark in the smartphone space as well. The Metro User Interface first seen in Windows Phone 7 is now upgraded in the Mango update.
Windows Phone Mango update offers some really cool features like:
1. Multitasking was one of the major drawbacks of Windows Phone 7 and is one of the major advantages of Windows Phone 7.5. According to a BGR report, pressing the back key (for a longer duration) allows the users to see the thumbnails of the recently opened applications that are already running in the background. Third-party app developers are allowed to add suspend mode to their applications, which ensures that users can resume the app from the place it was left last.
2. Unified Messaging and Groups is one of the finest features of this Mango update. The messaging hub jointly presents all the communications with a person whether on SMS, Live Messenger or Facebook chat. The entire conversation is presented as unified at one place, no matter which source it originates from. Third-party apps like G-talk chats are not considered in this case.
3.Social network integration in Contact Hub: Windows Phone 7.5 offers a great integration of contacts hub with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The users are allowed to create their groups of contacts. A BGR report says that this feature allows the users to pin individual group tiles to the home page. Every group has a tile for individual members showing their latest updates and photos. One can send a common text message or e-mail to everyone in the group.
4. A single universe e-mail is one of its major USPs. It also offers threaded e-mails so that users can easily relate to the conversations over the e-mail.
5. Mobile Office was one of the biggest selling features of Windows Mobile. But over a period of time, Mobile Office lost its sheen and third-party apps like QuickOffice and Docs2Go dominated the picture. Microsoft has once again brought Mobile Office to the limelight with Windows Phone 7.5. This time, it comes with cloud integration.
6. Windows phone 7.5 will make available the Marketplace to the Indian users. The number, however, is not as big as Android or iOS but it is considered to be a good start.
7. Windows phone 7.5 also allows to upload pictures on Facebook directly from the phones and tag them as well.
Some more features included are mobile hotspot, the ability to connect to the hidden Wi-Fi networks, video calling and much more. So watch out for Microsoft’s most-awaited launch!
Aakash tablet production cost below $35, govt buying at $49
A dream project of the government, the 'world's cheapest tablet PC', Aakash, is being produced at less than $35 (approximately Rs 1,750) per unit, but the replacement warranty attached to it has led to an increase in its price by about $14 to $49.98 per piece.
"The government has asked for a special replacement warranty. Government has asked us not to to repair it (Aakash Tablet)... You will have to replace it... which is a big cost," Suneet Singh Tuli, the CEO of Datawind, the company manufacturing the tablet, told PTI.
Tuli further explained that the ratio of defects in any device sold in India is higher when compared to America because of the harsh climatic conditions here.
"Those kind of costs add to it. This (Aakash) is Rs 2,200... it can be Rs 1,700. Actual manufacturing cost still is less than Rs 1,750. But there are all these other conditions which take it above Rs 1,750," he said.
On July 22, 2010, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had unveiled a prototype of the device and announced that it would be developed for use at around $35 per unit.
To ensure complete transparency and a level playing-field, the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) decided to task IIT Rajasthan, Jodhpur, with the job of procuring and testing these devices, based on the design and specifications that the mission's team had finalised.
IIT Jodhpur had floated tenders and the lowest bidder quoted an ex-factory price of $37.98, which was close to the cost mentioned by the minister.
This cost comprised components and material, as well as manufacturing expenses. The final landed price of $49.98 (Rs 2,276) per unit included taxes, levies, and charges like freight and insurance, servicing and documentation, etc.
Tuli said people have been challenging the development of such a low cost device, but by selling this device to the government, Datawind is making enough profits, which even allows him to donate 10 per cent of the total profit to charity.
Tuli said that over-and-above the production cost, Datawind pays almost 20 per cent as taxes, which add to the cost of the device.
"If we bring it after making in China, then there would have been no issues, because it's exempted from duties. I would have not been required to pay 4 per cent VAT (value added tax). Getting it from China and selling in India would have not make it exciting. Therefore, we made it at Hyderabad," Tuli said.
He said that company will sell the commercial version of Aakash in the market for Rs 2,999, which -- unlike the government's Aakash tablet with a 1-year replacement warranty -- will carry only a 30-day replacement warranty.
Tuli has said that he will sell the government Aakash tablets for Rs 1,750 if the government orders 10 lakh units. At present, Datawind has an order for supplying 1 lakh units to the government.
The government is buying the tablets for Rs 2,276 per unit and giving them to education institutes at a 50 per cent subsidy.
Android To Become Enterprise Friendly
A unit of Motorola Mobility called 3LM is all set to release a set of enterprise-grade security and management tools for the Android phone manufacturers. According to a CNET report, these new tools from 3LM will allow corporate IT departments to integrate Android devices into their system. That’s not all! It will also allow the users to use their personal Android phones and tablets for work.
3LM broadly works for what is known as the consumerisation of IT. In this trend, people bring in their own devices for work instead of having a separate company-assigned device.
The report quoted Tom Moss, chief executive, 3LM, as saying, “I think we've managed to offer a win-win for IT and consumers.” The company is likely to make announcement about the same at the CTIA Enterprise & Applications conference, which kicks off tomorrow in San Diego.
This software of 3LM can encrypt the phone's memory and SD card. It can also add further encryption on the enterprise portions of the phone selectively. 3LM’s software allows the users to track work and non-work applications, and enjoy enhanced security to protect critical programs. Users can also remote wipe the memory of the phone in case the device is stolen or lost.
The IT departments of the enterprises can also remotely install or delete programs as per their needs, apart from tracking the location of a device, control the operating system and programs. With this software, the phone can create a secure connection back to the office, known as a virtual private network. This new offering from 3LM will work on phones using Android 2.2, Froyo, or higher.
It is noteworthy that Motorola purchased 3LM earlier this year to help augment the security in its own products. The company opted to distribute 3LM to others as well, allowing IT departments to get a consistent level of security and management tools. 3LM has agreements to distribute its software to a dozen Android manufacturers, including HTC and Sony Ericsson. It's still in discussions with Samsung Electronics, the world's largest Android player.
India has 33,587,640 Facebook accounts; ranked 3rd after US and Indonesia
Windows Phone 7.5 has been received very well so far. With attractive price schemes from hardware partners like HTC, Samsung, Acer and Nokia, the company can expect to make a big mark in the smartphone space as well. The Metro User Interface first seen in Windows Phone 7 is now upgraded in the Mango update.
| Android To Become Enterprise Friendly |
3LM broadly works for what is known as the consumerisation of IT. In this trend, people bring in their own devices for work instead of having a separate company-assigned device.
According to International Telecommunication Union’s report 'Measuring the Information Society', the United States of America (USA) has been ranked first among the countries having the highest number of Facebook accounts. US has for 154,040,460 accounts followed by 39,568,620 Indonesians and 33,587,640 accounts in India.
The report further says that India has bagged 116th rank in the ICT development index with 2.01 points. The country has climbed up one rank this year, last year India was ranked at 117 position with 1.72 points. The Republic of Korea has topped the list with 8.40 points, while India is ranked 20th among Asia-Pacific countries.
Indian-American develops next-generation computer chip
Indian-American Raj Dutt, an IIT-Kharagpur alumnus, has developed a next-generation energy-efficient computer chip that has caught the attention of the Pentagon, which is testing its application in the ambitious F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
The breakthrough technology by Dutt, Chairman and CEO of privately-held APIC Corp and Photonic Corp, helps computer processors consume up to 90 per cent less energy and run up to 60 per cent faster.
"The significance of the technology is that information transfer on the semiconductor chip as well as between components, will now be done using light - photons - instead of just electrons (electronics)," California-based Dutt told PTI.
Public services to go mobile, government targets IT industry to $300 bn by 2020
India plans to provide all public serviceson mobile devices, make one person IT literate in every household and increase the size of India's IT industry to $300 billion by 2020 from $89 billion this fiscal, as per the draft of government's first policy on information technology, released on Friday.
The government wants the IT industry to flourish in tier II and III towns. It plans to increase software exports from $59 billion at present to $200 billion by 2020.
The plan include diversifying exports to other countries apart from US and Europe to mitigate the impact of recession on India's IT companies. Communications and IT minister Kapil Sibal said the government may also offer tax incentives to local tech companies after the Direct Tax Code comes into place.
The country's small and mid sized IT companies have been impacted with the 10-year tax holiday from theSoftware Technology Parks of India scheme coming to end in 2010. "We'll certainly try and do something," Sibal said on a possibility of sops for the small IT firms.
He added that he was hopeful of 'formalizing' the policy by end 2011. The IT policy is the second of the three policies that the ministry intends to deliver by December. Earlier this week, Sibal unveiled the draftnational electronics policy which aims to bring $100 billion worth of investment into the sector and create 28 million jobs over the next nine years.
Sibal, who also handles the portfolio of telecoms, will introduce draft of the much-awaited national telecoms policy on Monday.
The National IT policy aims at increasing its of skilled IT professionals four times to 10 million by 2020 while envisaging the extensive use of mobile phones and the recently launched world's cheapest tablet Aakash, at $35, as a platform for delivering public services to all Indians.
"Aakash will be the delivery system for all public services. Going forward, we will improve the product," Sibal said. Besides making use of social media to reach out to the masses, the government also plans to integrate Aadhar to offer public services to the masses and simplify their delivery.
It plans to increase affordability of accessibility through IT. The government also plans to promote innovation and R&D in cutting edge technologies and development of applications and solutions in areas like localization, location based services, mobile value added services, cloud computing, social media and utility models.
Sibal added that the government was keen on introducing the electronic delivery of services bill in the winter session of Parliament. The bill mandates states to provide all services electronically within five years.
The minister also emphasised on changing copyright laws in a bill pending in Parliament, at the same time not compromising nation's IT security.
"The significance of the technology is that information transfer on the semiconductor chip as well as between components, will now be done using light - photons - instead of just electrons (electronics)," California-based Dutt told PTI.
