Posts Tagged ‘business’

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Cloud Computing with iPad: the Cetrom Example Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

A press release from Cetrom Information Technology shows how the company has met customer expectations quickly. The company is an Application Services Provider providing many applications including Microsoft Office and QuickBooks under the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. SaaS falls under the category of cloud computing that also covers providing IT infrastructure, computing platforms and data storage space on an “as needed” basis from the Internet cloud.

Many of Cetrom’s customers are among the group of avid fans that Apple manages to create for all their new releases. And these fans were delighted to find that they could continue to use many of the cloud computing applications from the new Apple iPad. Cetrom’s business owner customers could thus evaluate business applications immediately on the iPad.

Apple iPad sales are expected to be in the range of five to ten million units by the end of 2010 and this large user base will need a wide range of applications that will work on the device. Developers have already started working on applications that will work on iPad. It is in this context that Cetrom’s service becomes significant.

By making cloud computing applications accessible “anyhow” (through the iPad in this case), in addition to anywhere and anytime, Cetrom has shown how companies can respond to customers quickly. The iPad was released only last month. Read their news release at EarthTimes

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Posted in business, cloud computing, information technology | 2 Comments »

LG Electronics Focuses on Rural Areas Saturday, May 8th, 2010

LG of South Korea is the market leader in consumer durables in both the urban and rural markets of India. The Wall Street Journal’s Jyoti Malhotra interviewed LG’s Managing Director Moon B Shin. The following observations on rural markets were made during the interview reported in the Business Section of WSJ .

LG focuses on rural markets not only in India but elsewhere also. Rural is the future. In India, 73% of the population are rural residents, with 35% of them owning a television, 5% refrigerators and 1% washing machines. Diposable incomes in rural India have grown considerably owing to a healthy domestic market.

Though the average rural household income is still about half the average urban income, there are pockets of prosperity as in Punjab and Kerala. In Punjab, farmers get income from three crops every year, while Kerala, the rural is practically indistinguishable from the urban. Other pockets of prosperity include the irriated agricultural belts.

Rural spending is expected to grow further in the years to come with the Indian government spending heavily on education and literacy. An educated populace will have more disposable incomes.

Rural people like bright and beautiful colors and the products for rural areas are designed to cater to this preference. Urban consumers prefer colors like gray or white with a metallic finish. Rural designs also incorporate the capability to handle erratic power supply and the corrosive water of coastal areas.

Read the interview at WSJ.

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Posted in business, emerging markets, marketing | No Comments »

Keeping Communication Channels Open in Disaster-affected and poor Infrastructure Areas Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Catapult Technology, Ltd., an Information Technology contractor based in Bethesda, MD, has won a $58.7 million task order with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) within the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The order involves keeping communications channels open in disaster-affected areas around the world to enable OFDA to provide its disaster relief effectively.

As the Chairman of Catapult remarked, functioning communications services can mean the difference between life and death when unexpected disaster strikes. The Chairman added that the company is well-equipped to keep the communications channels open in such cases.

Under the contract, Catapult will:

  • Support the IT/Communications capacity for a number of Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART).
  • Support OFDA’s IT and communications services for the delivery of humanitarian assistance in response to international disasters, potentially several sites concurrently and often in remote, developing areas with little or no infrastructure.
  • Provide support both at USAID Washington, DC headquarters, as well as in the field.

The work will involve program management; system operations and maintenance; systems development; communications and field operations support; IT equipment procurement, maintenance, storage and distribution; and providing network connectivity among several sites in the U.S., Latin America, and field locations.

Catapult Technology, Ltd.is a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVO) contractor. Read the full news release at PRWeb.

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Posted in business, communications, information technology | No Comments »

Who Benefits from Online Courses? Friday, March 5th, 2010

Some universities offering online courses have shut down as the venture proved unprofitable. On the other hand, online courses can prove ideal for adults in employment as they can study at their own convenience. At a time when the demand for traditional skills are declining, retraining options through online courses can be a boon.

At the same time, online courses might not be the answer for acquiring certain types of skills. You won’t want to entrust your life to a surgeon who has learnt surgery online, if such a course was available.

Online courses, however, can keep trained professionals up to date in their fields, provided the courses are designed with that objective in mind.

Enrollment at online courses are growing fast, with one in four students reportedly taking at least one online course in 2008. Online courses can help educational institutions to keep down costs and increase their revenues, despite the shutdowns mentioned at the beginning.

Read the discussion about online courses at NY Times Blog.

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Posted in business, education | No Comments »

Business Accelerator and New Entrepreneurs Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

A public-private partnership has been formed in Orange County to help new ventures reach their full potential. Under the program, entrepreneurs will have access to experienced business people, financiers, lawyers, marketing experts, tax advisers and other mentors.

The mentors will help new entrepreneurs with guidance and even funding. Without such mentoring, new entrepreneurs often take years to learn many of the essentials needed for running a business successfully.

The program aims at providing new entrepreneurs with state-of-the-art Internet access, videoconferencing and access to advice and funding during their first years of operation. These essentials will help businesspersons with new ideas and products, but with little practical business know-how.

These entrepreneurs will be accommodated at the Accelerator’s 10,000-square-foot facility at New York International Plaza at Stewart International Airport. After the initial difficult years, the entrepreneurs will have to move out of the facility, and succeed on their own.

Entrepreneurs wishing to join the Accelerator must have initial financing and a viable business plan that is reviewed and approved by the Accelerator’s Management Council. ompanies from all industry sectors can consider joining the Accelerator, but the program is looking particularly for companies in three clusters: renewable and alternative energy, life sciences and biopharmaceuticals and information technology, especially companies developing applications for the Internet and other software.

Read more at recordonline

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Posted in business, mentoring | No Comments »

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