Anything under the sun

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Technology is just enabler

In my view, technology is never an alternatvie. Technology helps Business to run more efficiently.

Internet for example. Internet has changed the face of many companies. Dell, Apple (iTunes), Browser companies, Advertising and what not! I feel a computer that is not connected to network is as dumb as a calculator. That is the kind of impact Internet has made. Internet has changed the way Business is done traditionally. It challenged the most sound distribution systems that ever existed. Companies that realized the potential of Internet made best use of it.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Epica Award Winning Ads for 2004

Monday, January 24, 2005

METRO Group Achieves 99% RFID Pallet Tag Read Rates

METRO Group, the world's third-largest retailer and an RFID pioneer announced the implementation of RFID readers and tags at METRO Group's largest and busiest distribution center in Germany. With more than 50,000 pallets read to date, METRO has 99% tag read-rates, as well as complete compliance with ETSI radio standards for operation in Europe.
The distribution center is equipped with Intermec IF5 Intelligent RFID readers and RFID tags powered by Intermec. RFID is a complement to the current bar code-based tracking systems. RFID automatic data collection typically does not require line of sight or manual scanning as do most bar code-based systems.

Oracle Details PeopleSoft Product Roadmap

Oracle unveiled the combined Oracle and PeopleSoft product roadmap and support plans in "Project Fusion.” Oracle stated it retained approximately 90 percent of PeopleSoft's development and support team to ensure continuity for PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World products. The "Project Fusion" architecture will leverage Oracle technology.
This estimated release timeline was provided:+ PeopleSoft Enterprise 8.9 will be completed in 2005+ Oracle E-Business Suite 12 (2006)+ PeopleSoft Enterprise 9 (2006)+ JD Edwards EnterpriseOne 8.12 (2006)+ Ongoing JD Edwards World enhancements+ Project Fusion data hubs and transaction bases in 2006+ Initial "Project Fusion" applications available in 2007+ "Project Fusion" applications suite delivery in 2008
Support milestones include:+ Oracle will provide support for the PeopleSoft Enterprise, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and JD Edwards World product lines through at least 2013+ Oracle is extending JD Edwards EnterpriseOne XE and 8.0 support to February 2007+ For PeopleSoft's other products and versions, including JD Edwards World, Oracle has adopted PeopleSoft's current retirement policies+ Oracle will also continue to maintain currently supported hardware platforms, databases and operating systems.
Sid Snitkin, VP, ARC Advisory Group, commented, "Telephone lines and web connections were jammed by over 17,000 people for the recent Oracle event where they announced these plans for the merged company. This is testament to the size of the customer base that could be up for grabs if Peoplesoft and JD Edwards customers lose confidence in the future viability of their investments. Product support and product roadmaps are central to maintaining confidence and Oracle has done an excellent job in laying out a solid plan to address both of these issues."
Mr. Snitkin continued, "Most customers seem to be satisfied for now to continue their journey with Oracle. But the clear challenge is to maintain this confidence boost by delivering on promises and continuing to reinforce the message that the merged company is the way to get to the best destinations. The Oracle train will pass through many stations and there are competitors waiting at each stop with enticing alternatives."

On Demand Business

Following is a briefing on 'On Demand Business Model'. In my view SAP is placed much ahead of this evolution. I feel with NetWeaver as a technology platform, On Demand Business Model can be enabled in a faster way for complex business solutions. And if required, it will not be difficult for SAP to operate some of the business in this model.

Briefing: The On Demand Business Model; Software Vendors Should Tread Carefully!
By Steve Banker, ARC Advisory Group
The On Demand business model has gotten a lot of publicity in the last year - IBM's commercials, SalesForce.com's successful IPO, and probably most significantly, Merrill Lynch's announcement that they would begin tracking software companies with an On Demand business model.
The On Demand business model, as we define it, involves selling a solution based on monthly service charges. One instance of software is hosted centrally by the software vendor, most customers use Internet browsers to access their application.
Merrill Lynch argued that the traditional way of measuring software companies, growth in software license, was becoming increasingly less relevant in this mature industry and that new methods of measuring software vendors were needed. It would, be easy to conclude that the On Demand business model can save best of breed software suppliers.
Be careful! One of the markets ARC is studying is Location-based Business Solutions. These are GPS based solutions that help companies track and manage fleets or people in real time. Where historically trucks would have a GPS enabled "black" box in the cab, now suppliers have created On Demand services based on hosted applications and users in the field with GPS-enabled Nextel cell phones. Two years ago, many companies paid about $50 per month per vehicle. Last year a number of companies were charging about $25 per month per vehicle (or user). And this year some vendors are selling stripped down tracking for as little as $15 per month per node.
In short, instead of the On Demand model providing a stable and predictable long term stream of cash, it is providing, in at least this market, brutal cost competition and customers as fickle as the mobile phone users who switch whenever a new plan offers better savings.
Where does the On Demand model offer some protection for vendors? For vendors who have services where content changes all the time. For example, Vastera’s service is constantly being updated with changing customs regulations; Management Dynamics services continuously changes as ocean freight assessorial charges change. These types of services offer the promise of strong customer retention. Services based on connectivity also offer strong lock-in. So for example, by using Lean Logistics as a TMS solution, you are automatically linked to hundreds of carriers and do not have to manage integrating to carriers on an ongoing basis.

Friday, January 21, 2005

Initial specs for ultimate gaming PC

Processor: AMD AthlonXP 2600+ 2.08 GHz >> The Athlon XP remains far and away one of the best-value solutions you can get.
Mobo: Biostar M7NCD Pro >> Has nForce2 400 chipset. With its dual-channel RAM interface, NVIDIA's nForce2 Ultra 400 is still the performance champion. But not everyone can afford to spring for a new processor, a motherboard and two DIMMs in one fell swoop. nForce2 400 chipset is the next best bet.
RAM: I prefer two 512 MB Kingston DDR 400MHz PC3200 SDRAM.
Cooler: The Coolermaster Aero7 looks very cool indeed and also includes a front or rear mountable dashpot that lets you alter the speed of the fan.
Graphics Card: The ATI Radeon 9600 XT 8X AGP card has 128 MB DDR memory to speed the graphics to the screen as well as a fan to keep it cool while it's doing its thing.
Monitor: I prefer an LCD or a 21" CRT Monitor.
OS: XP ... but depends on your choice.

Courtsey: THG.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

The Entrepreneurial Mind: Innovative Entrepreneurial Education Archives

Monday, January 17, 2005

Where to invest in 2005

An excellent article on how to think smart and invest in 2005.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/04_52/B39140452invest.htm

Building Sustainable Startups in the Developing World

If creating a startup is one hell of a job, then sustaining that business is also a herculian task. Look at this article on how to sustain a startup.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/index.cfm?fa=viewArticle&id=1084&specialId=24

Where the real internet money is made

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_52/b3914442.htm

Sunday, December 19, 2004

RFID Applications

At the moment, most of the RFID applications or solutions are built for major clients in their SCM (Supply Chain Management) needs. I am a great follower of this technology and look for alternate possibilities of adapting this technology to those areas that are far from retail business or supply chain. This article talks about few of those areas.

One of the ideas is, Smart Building. Ever wondered how much time an Administrative Department for large companies spend in designing the needs of a new office space as part of their expansion needs? It is quite cumbursome and needs lot of time and analysis. What if you have a system capable of displaying an accurate information of current usage patterns in an office space with few mouse clicks? A Smart Building offers this as one of its wide array of features. Having RFID readers in designated areas of your building to track rfid tag movement builds a good data capture system. Process this data to find out accurate details of usage patterns in a building.

Challenges at the moment include cost and the range of antennas. The range is limited currently and not sure about the future developments in this area.

I welcome comments on this idea.

Friday, November 19, 2004

Winning horses - Sensex in India

After so many years, finally Indian stock markets seem to act on fundamentals. Albeit I agree that sentiments till play a role when need arises, atleast the markets learn how to react when there are companies declaring sound results.

There are two recent instances that made me form the above opinion. One, the UPA govt announcing oil price hike that comes as a huge relief to oil companies. The relief is really really huge....its so huge that its expected to save around 10,000 crore rupees for oil companies in the current fiscal year. No wonder HPCL, BPCL, Reliance and Refineries surged ahead.

The second news, banks hiking interest rates. RBI allowing banks to revise their interest rates and ICICI taking the first step to hike housing loan rates. Bankex would have gained atleast 20% in a week. This is a clear sign how secondary market is reacting to the news or facts that really help companies. I am certain there were rumours before the hike in interest rates, but they could not change the picture much than an action from ICICI did.

All said and done, 'its elementary Watson !'. Keep the eyes and ears open for the news and be aware of the surroundings and I feel its easy to be a good investor.

Monday, November 08, 2004

Offshore startups

Most of the IT companies with a sound offshore model had started their operations in two fundamental ways. One, start with a business solution supported by IT for a manufacturing concern in west. Build it well, make it a success, partner with that company, make this solution a successfull one and adapt the solution for other companies with similar requirements. As the cash flows, extract generic knowledge of providing business solutions and expand your network. This process is not as easy as it sounds. The first step is always difficult. It requires huge effort from the IT solution provider to grab the project. Who will trust the IT company that never provided any solution before? Ofcourse, the easier way would be through contacts. If someone already worked at client's place whom the client knows and can trust, then there is a good amount of possibility for the IT company to get a footing. The second way I would say is identify a gap in the industry, try to bridge that gap with the help of a new product. Now, to get this product in right shape, partner with a company that needs this product most. Once the product is stable, start licensing it. License and maintenance revenues will feed the company.

Though the above two models are red ocean strategies (scroll down in my blog to find out about red and blue ocean strategies), it is quite difficult to find the right market to sell.

-- PS: I may be publishing an un-finished post.

Friday, November 05, 2004

Information Technology: Value Creator or Commodity? - Knowledge@Wharton

Thursday, November 04, 2004

Tug of War over Tech Stocks: Are They Heading Up, or Down? - Knowledge@Wharton

Tuesday, November 02, 2004

news @ nature.com�-�Little lady of Flores forces rethink of human evolutionbreaking science news headlines

news @ nature.com�-�Little lady of Flores forces rethink of human evolutionbreaking science news headlines

Hobbits Exist.