Round Up

Protocol Telecom Solutions in strategic alliance with OpenTide
In a significant development, Protocol Telecom Solutions (India) has announced that it has entered into a strategic alliance with OpenTide (a Samsung SDS Company) to launch its operations in India. The latter will be setting up a Concept Centre jointly with Protocol Telecom Solutions in Bangalore. The company is bringing in its world class suite of Enterprise Relationship Management Solutions (ERM).

Some of the OpenTide customers for its range of solutions include American Express, Daimler Chrysler Japan, Volvo Japan, Peace Bank, Petro Vietnam, Stock Exchange of Thailand etc.

Ittiam announces multimedia and communication product suite
Ittiam Systems has announced a comprehensive suite of digital signal processing solutions for the multimedia and communications markets. Coming within a year of their launch, these products include video-imaging and audio-speech products in multimedia in addition to wireless and wireline products in communication. These products are expected to hit the market by the end of the year.

Cisco Systems launches voice solutions for Indian telecom market
Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, has announced the availability of comprehensive voice solutions that will enable service providers to take advantage of the deregulation in the Indian telecom sector. Deregulation of the national long distance (NLD) and international long distance (ILD) services in India in April 2002 provides the perfect opportunity for service providers to enter the high-growth long distance market using Voice-over-IP.

NIIT acquires US-based Osprey Systems
NIIT, a leading global IT solutions provider, has announced the acquisition of Osprey Systems, a privately-held full-life-cycle SAP solutions provider and SAP Services and Channel Partner headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. With this acquisition, NIIT will jumpstart its entry into the attractive and demanding SAP solutions-based segment in the US. The acquisition, structured as an asset purchase through NIIT (USA), was a cash transaction. The acquisition is expected to generate $35 million in revenues over the next three years.

Osprey has been an SAP Services and Channel Partner since 1995 and has implemented many full-life-cycle SAP solutions in addition to being a qualified vertical solutions provider of SAP. It specialises in SAP implementation, enterprise application integration, technology architecture and management; and customer support solutions.

Nasscom signs MoU with City of Aachen, Germany
National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM); City of Aachen, Germany; and Association of Innovative and, Technology (AGIT), Aachen, have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for strengthening ties in the field of Information Technology (IT). Kiran Karnik, president, Nasscom, signed the MoU with mayor of Aachen, Dr Jürgen Linden and president of AGIT Bernd Thomas as part of Nasscom’s strategy to improve ties with the European markets and pave a path for Indian companies in markets other than the US.

Dr Linden and Thomas offered Nasscom suitable free of charge premises to open up their German arm. They also assured full support to Nasscom measures for co-operation and business development.

ESS forays into networking, communications industry
Eastern Software Systems (ESS) has forayed into the networking and communication industry by bagging the ERP contract of Mumbai-based Hathway Cable and Datacom. ESS will be implementing its Web-enabled ERP product ‘ebizframe’ to connect Hathway’s Head Office in Mumbai to its 35 affiliates located in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Nasik. Besides the key ERP functionality, ebizframe will provide a Primary Point System, which will track new cable connections, cancellation of old connections and payment collections every month.

TCS partners with InternetSpeech
Tata Consulting Services (TCS), Asia’s largest global software and services company, has inked a deal with InternetSpeech, a premier voice Internet technology provider. As per the agreement, TCS can provide InternetSpeech’s voice Internet technology, netECHO to customers in over 50 countries.

InternetSpeech’s netECHO is the only software to date that allows consumers and business executives to surf the entire Internet using any telephone in the world. TCS is integrating and deploying netECHO into its diverse business and technology areas, ranging from end-to-end solutions for industries, including telecommunications, insurance and banking, to service practices, such as e-business, application development and maintenance and engineering.