North American Enterprise Survey

North American Enterprise Survey : Market research firm Infonetics Research today released excerpts from its Security Strategy for On-Premise, Hosted, and Hybrid Solutions: North American Enterprise Survey, which takes an in-depth look at how small, medium, and big organizations plan to protect themselves from electronic threats of all types.

ANALYST NOTE

"The clear and obvious takeaway from this survey is that now is the time for security vendors to address hybrid deployments, and to develop and deliver true hybrid security solutions that are cost effective and seamlessly blend on-premise security with hosted services and SaaS (security-as-a-service)," notes Jeff Wilson, principal analyst for security at Infonetics Research.

SECURITY STRATEGIES SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

· 61 per cent of the big, small, medium and companies surveyed believe that in the long term they will be operating hybrid environments that mix security products on their premise (CPE) with hosted solutions and SaaS (aka cloud-based security)

· Mobile device threats was named as a key driver for deploying security solutions by 65 per cent of the businesses surveyed

· Cost is the #1 barrier affecting customer deployment of new security solutions

· The combination of the high cost of multi-box solutio ns (or mixed network/hosted solutions) and the current economic environment has driven cost to the top of the list

· Cisco, McAfee, and Symantec were most frequently named a "top-3 vendor" by respondents for every criteria (pricing, security, technology, product roadmap, price-to-performance ratio, management, service and support, financial stability)

· Cisco stands out as the clear leader, with a strong combination of brand recognition, strong enterprise security offering (both products and hosted services), and strong market share position in enterprise security

SURVEY SYNOPSIS

Infonetics Research's 22-page Security Strategy for On Premise, Hybrid, and Hosted Solutions: North American Enterprise Survey provides analysis of organizations deploying content security over the next two years, including trends, drivers, barriers, and deployment plans - particularly with regard to planned product purchases versus SaaS and hosted solutions, and where companies plan to deploy hybrid solutions that blend on-premise security with hosted security. The survey features enterprise ratings of 11 security vendors: Barracuda, Blue Coat, Check Point, Cisco, Fortinet, Symantec, Juniper, McAfee, SonicWALL, WatchGuard, and Websense. Companies named in open-ended questions in addition to those that were rated include AppRiver, F5, Google, HP, IBM, Sourcefire, Trend Micro, zScaler, and others. For this report, Infonetics surveyed 107 small, big, and medium North American security purchase decision makers in last year.

apps developers

Last weekend was hectic for the 95-odd participants who gathered at the ‘Start-up Weekend’ here. Techie youngsters group, guided by various mentors, formed teams and developed mobile or web based applications to solve specific problems or create new experiences for Application users. The Application ranged from a flat finding app, an Application for video tagging to an intra-institution social network app. Three Application won prizes, which included free credits from Amazon WebServices, Zip-Dial, Interview Street and Oz onetel. The winning Application included ‘Park-e-mon Application’, a parking management solution, ‘Opti Rate Application’—a mobile value-added service Application and ‘Desi Karaoke Application’, a game Application for social networks. The Park-e-mon solution comprises two applications a webbased portal Application and a mobile Application suitable for any smart phone. The webbased application is used by office administrators and building managements and would have details about the offices, contact people and vehicles that would be granted parking space. The mobile Application is used by parking attendants to record the entry and the exit details of each vehicle in the Parking Space, and these are updated in the web based database in real time in the Application. The Application does away with two out of three people manning a web based parking system. The web based system can give a snapshot of the overall parking situation in a building at any given moment. It also enables the instant identification of cars parked in wrong slots by checking their registration number against the vehicle database.

Though the web based parking application system is not meant to replace mechanical barriers, it would introduce more efficiency by eliminating logbooks. SudeepDSouza, who led the four-member team that developed the app, says he plans to charge '25,000 a year as installation fee, along with a nominal monthly maintenance fee. A few companies in Hyderabad have expressed willingness to adopt the solution, says SudeepDSouza. The solution is being run on a pilot basis at an office complex in Hyderabad, which has parking capacity of 150 cars and 600 two-wheelers. OptiRate, which won the second prize, is an app for Android phones. The app is designed to recommend the best tariff plan, based on the user’s pattern of usage. It also, through a web interface, enables recharge with a single click on mobile and online system. Mr.RajagopalGrandhi, one of the developers of the application, says his team would introduce it in the market in three months after some fine-tuning. “The users’ first experience of our application should be good, so we would take some time,” RajagopalGrandhi says. The Parking application, when installed in a smartphone, would alert the user about credit expiry, and also suggest the best rate plan offered by the operator that suits the user’s needs by analyzing his call records with application. For recharges, apart from charging a fraction of the recharge value as fee, the developers expect to tap advertisements as well.

The third prize-winning application, Desi Karaoke application, was developed by a young team from the Indian School of Business. MR.AchintParekh, one of the app’s developers, says it was not meant for trouble-shooting, but to add a new experience to social networking sites such as Facebook. The app, currently available only for Android, is free and comes with a few Indian instrumental music tracks. It allows users to record their singing along with the background music, and this can later be shared with friends on social networks and can also be compared with the original. Says MR.AchintParekh, “Games like MR.AchintParekh are popular in India, but karaoke is available only for some English songs. On the other side, games on social networks are changing the whole game experience. Our idea combines these two trends to offer karaoke as a social game.” Desi Karaoke application developers are in talks with T-Series and other music companies for tracks. The Desi Karaoke app is expected to be functional in a few weeks. MR.AchintParekh said the apps developers would consider the project a success if it touches 500 downloads a month.

University of Southampton have developed a new way to generate music

Researchers Group at the University of Southampton have developed a new way to generate music and control computers. EnricoCostanza, Researcher of the university's electronics and computer science department, who launched Audio d-touch, said, “Grab a block and add a base beat, turn a block to speed up the high hat, and we have a new way to generate music through controlling the Our computer.” New way to generate Audio d-touch, based on EnricoCostanza research on tangible user interfaces (TUIs), offers physical control in the world of computers with new technology. dtouch uses a standard computer and a web cam also. Using simple computer vision techniques, physical blocks are tracked on a printed board with new technology. The position of the blocks then determines how the computer samples and reproduces sound in computer. “As more of our world moves into the electronic records to mp3s and books to eBooks---we loose the satisfying richness of touching physical objects like paper and drumsticks,” He added EnricoCostanza in an institute release, adding, “Our Audio d-touch system allows people to set up and use tangible interfaces in their own homesand also @ offices or music recording studios,” further He added, EnricoCostanza. “This is the first time such a free dtouch application has been developed,” he added. TUIs are an alternative to virtual worlds. Human computer interaction researchers Group are investigating ways to move away from the online, purely digital world and rediscover the richness of our sense of touch. All that is needed is a regular computer equipped with a webcam and a printer.

mobile service providers

India Mobile services private telecom player Bhartiairtel today hinted that mobile tariffs may increase further due to the rising operating costs. “The pressure on this industry will be acute since the operators have to serve the rural markets as well as low-end customers, who use only voice calls and text messages,” said Mr.SunilMr.Sunilmittal, chairman, Bhartiairtel at an industry event. He added the correction in tariffs was required to compensate for the rural operations and the cost of operations had gone up exponentially. Indian cellphone users have been enjoying the lowest tariffs plan in the world for the last two years. However, due to high competition and tariff war, which was unleashed by new Mobile services telecom players, the margins and the profits of the operators have taken a hit. The mobile service providers are also reeling under big pressure due to high debt taken for acquiring third generation (3G) and broadband wireless access spectrum in the auction last year.

Bhartiairtel, Vodafone Essar and Idea Cellular had recently increased their prepaid tariffs in almost all circles by 20 per cent. Bhartiairtel was the second private telecom operator to increase tariffs after Tata Docomo, which raised the prices in 1/2 circles two months back. Subsequently, Vodaphone Essar, Idea-Cellular and Reliance Communications service had also increased the prices in most of the circles. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had sought explanation from operators who had increased tariffs. Currently, operators have to notify Telecom Regulatory Authority of India of any change in the tariff plan, introduction of new plans as well the changes in the prices within 30 days. At the same event, minister for communications and information technology Mr.KapilSibal spoke for the need to consolidation in the telecom industry. The department of telecommunications (DoT) is working on a new telecom policy 2011, which will talk about mergers and acquisitions for the players apart from other things. "It's time for us to consolidate the industry. We can't afford 12 13 players in a circle. I think spectrum can be shared and I don't think there is a need for over-regulation for this," he added.

Windows Mobile application - Google Android -download applications from

Microsoft is turning off the lights, closing the doors and shutting down its Marketplace for Windows Mobile. The writing has been on the wall for the Windows Mobile app storefront since at least the launch of the Windows Phone operating system in 2010, which marked a move away from the physical keyboards, styluses and touch input of Windows Mobile and toward newer Apple iPhone- and google Android-rivaling handsets that are touch screen only. But although Microsoft has largely abandoned the Windows Mobile OS, which hasn't been updated since 2010, the software still does run on leftover smart phones purchased before the switch to Windows Phone. Microsoft announced the move in an email sent out to Windows Mobile users, which was first reported by Tech Crunch. "Beginning May 9, 2012, the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace service will no longer be available. Starting on this date, you will no longer be able to browse, buy or download applications directly on your Windows Mobile 6.x smartphone using the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace application and service," Microsoft's email said. "Applications and games acquired from the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace service installed on your Windows Mobile 6.x phone will continue to work after the service is discontinued on May 9, 2012. However, additional downloads of these applications and games from the Windows Mobile 6.x Marketplace service will no longer be available." The message is clear: Microsoft's efforts are solidly behind Windows Phone and making that platform work. So if you're the owner of a Windows Mobile phones, you'll no longer have a marketplace to download applications from -- so get what you can while you can, or maybe think about getting a new smart phone.

Facebook online strategist

Chris Hughes, one of the co-founders of Facebook and a former online strategist for Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, has purchased a majority stake in The New Republic, the magazine said on Friday. Hughes, 28, will become publisher and editor-in-chief of the nearly 100-year old magazine which covers American politics. He is also expected to apply his expertise in digital technology in his new role. The New Republic currently publishes a daily Web magazine. The New Republic did not disclose the financial terms of the transaction or the exact size of the stake. Hughes co-founded Facebook in 2004 at Harvard with his then- roommates Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz. Since working on the Obama campaign Hughes founded Jumo.com in 2010, a non-profit site that aimed to help people find ways to help each other. It was later combined with GOOD in 2011, an online content and social engagement platform. As well as his new role Hughes will continue to invest independently and work with non-profits like the Knight Foundation.