IT cos offer hardware-as-service

Had enough of software-as-a-service? How about some hardware or entire infrastructure-as-a-service, too? If you are an SME or if you do not want to make heavy capital investments in IT infrastructure, then hardware-as-a-service offers a cost-saving alternative. With IT and IT-related companies targeting SMEs, or small and medium enterprises, this is the newest offering.

While IT-hardware makers like Dell and HP launched specific products for the SME segment early this year, companies like Airtel, Cisco, Microsoft, Wipro, Global Outlook, etc, have now started offering their products on the infrastructure-as-a-service model for SMEs. Airtel along with Cisco has launched ‘VPN in A Box’, a ready- to- deploy bundle of a managed private leased line port, bandwidth, last mile connectivity and customer premise equipment. Meanwhile, Microsoft, along with Airtel, Wipro and Global Outlook is running a pilot of a pay-per-use model for knitwear companies, usually SMEs, in Tirupur in Tamil Nadu. The over $2 billion knitwear industry in Tirupur has invited and received bids from top tech firms including IBM, Wipro, to develop an ERP software on a pay-per-use model.

Sam Elangalloor, CEO, Airtel Telemedia Services, said, “All large companies have a lot of IT infrastructure and their vendors, who are all SMEs, also need to have a compatible IT infrastructure. However, shortage of funds to make capital investment and the unscalability of the infrastructure restricts IT and connectivity adoption by SMEs. IT infrastructure needs heavy configuration and integration to be done at the customer’s end, which is difficult unless the SME has an internal knowledgeable resource. We are strong in connectivity for large enterprises, but we could not have sold the same products and services to SMEs. So came up with the hardware(plus connectivity)-as-a-service model along with Cisco.”

Adding to his point, Ravi Venkatesan, chairman, Microsoft India, maintains that IT should be around when companies want to use it and should be priced according to usage. “Indian SMEs have potential for immense growthbut the challenges before them are equally a fact of life. Relevant technology, at an affordable price, can reduce the threat these challenges pose,” he maintained. In Airtel’s ‘VPN in A Box’ , the customer need not even understand technology, Mr Elangalloor said.

“The customer has to tell us his needs, we will figure out how and what equipment he will need, configure everything at our end and give him the complete bundle for plug-and-play use, configured for use with whatever equipment he already has. In return, the customer pays only for the operating expenditure, and not for the capital expenditure,” Mr Elangalloor said. Along with its VPN in a box, Airtel is also providing tools like a website builder, which allows anyone to build and manage a website using pick-and-choose options, along with all Microsoft software on a hosted model. For SMEs in Tirupur, Microsoft is offering MS Office and Windows operating system on an online desktop from Airtel with anti-virus software and 10 GB storage space.

Wipro has offered unified communications, while Global Outlook has hosted Microsoft’s tools, Exchange and SharePoint on its servers, to offer email solutions, all of which comes at a significantly reduced cost. For instance Microsoft Exchange for 100 users, comes for about Rs 20 lakh and a monthly expenses of about Rs 60,000. However, on the pay-per-use model, the cost is only Rs 25000 a month.

Dell Favors AMD over Intel Chips

Dell has announced that it will begin using processors from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in place of those from Intel, as part of a broader plan to regain its lost market share.

Dell said that the AMD-based Dell high-end servers with four Opteron processors will be introduced by end 2006.

The move has major implications for the computer industry because the Dell-Intel association has been one of the mightiest in the world of technology, and is considered a key contributor to Dell's success in the past. However, since last year, AMD has been trying to take on market dominance.

Kevin B Rollins, chief executive, Dell, said that it is a fairly small category that has been given to AMD. He also said that Intel would continue to remain supplier of the vast majority of processors used by Dell. Several pipeline projects will also utilize Intel chips.

Rollins explained that the market had intensified, and that some of the competitors had proved to be a tad stronger than what was originally perceived by the company. Rollins said that Dell is hence making investments in technology and customer experience, to resume its past pattern of growth. As such, the company has planned to speed up efforts so as to reduce costs by around $3 billion. The savings would come from improved quality to lower warranty costs, and from changes in materials and components.

Dell said it intends to spend over $100 million towards improving its customer service that the company acknowledged had deteriorated and affected its image and sales. The company said that it has hired 2,000 new sales and support staff and retrained 5,000 others for this purpose.

According to industry analysts, Dell's switch from Intel to AMD in a small portion of its server line will not go too far in solving problems. However, it is a sign of the company's willingness to change.

Comparing the market situation between Dell and Hewlett Packard (HP), HP has been giving its customers more choice over price and performance. In the earning season, Dell's desktop PC sales grew 3 percent in the quarter while HP sales grew by 1 percent. But in the laptop category, Dell grew only by 12 percent as compared to HP which grew by 27 percent.

Buying a laptop? Look beyond specs

Planning to buy a laptop? However, don't know how to start hunting for the ideal notebook. One that meets your requirements and fits in best into your work regimen.

Remember, while specs are what manufacturers tout -- dual core processor, large screen, size, and lightweight -- there's more you need to consider while zeroing on the laptop of your choice.

These features though may not look obvious, will go a long way in making your purchase enduring.

Display: Gloss or matte?
When you buy a notebook computer, pay special attention to whether the LCD display is "glossy" or "matte". Increasingly, manufacturers are offering glossy screens. While these are great for watching movies on your laptop, they're not optimal for doing traditional office work.

The reason is that the glossy screens are highly reflective. In typical office environments, glossy screens can be hard on both your eyes and your concentration, as you'll have to work harder to ignore the ambient lighting and background objects that are reflected in your screen.

Bottom line is that if you're buying a notebook primarily to get work done and not to watch movies or play games, avoid glossy screens. Also, glossy screens are more susceptible to scratches than matte screens. So if your laptop is likely to go through some rough and tumble daily, this is another reason to go for a matte

Built-in wireless
Most notebooks in the market today come with built-in wireless network connectivity. The trouble is that many still include yesterday's technology.

The wireless transmission standard is about to get a big boost in speed with the official unveiling of the 802.11n standard, which provides Internet and networking connectivity speeds that are about 10 times faster than the wireless standards currently in use.

That's a significant speed boost, and it's one you want in your notebook computer, especially because changing the type of wireless connectivity that you have in a notebook is difficult or impossible once you buy the machine.

Avoid notebooks that offer only the built-in 802.11b or 802.11g wireless cards. Even if the version of 802.11n offered in a notebook sold today is dubbed "draft" or "pre-release", it'll likely still be far faster than the 802.11g standard -- and you'll probably be able to upgrade it later, once the standard is finally ratified.

Rugged exterior
How well a notebook computer is built will likely determine whether you still own it three years from now or whether it gets sold off for parts.

The unfortunate fact is that as competition has forced manufacturers to offer notebooks at rock-bottom prices, quality of exterior construction has suffered.

If you'll be doing a lot of travelling or will be buying a notebook for a youngster, think about buying notebooks that were made to take some abuse. The Dell Latitude series, the Acer TravelMate, or the Lenovo ThinkPad are all highly regarded in terms of durability.

Too hot to hold?
Combine a powerful processor, fast hard drive, and hefty battery, and what do you get? Heat -- and lots of it. There's a good reason why the moniker "laptop" has all but disappeared: Some notebook computers are really not suitable for resting on your lap because they get too hot on the underside to hold comfortably.

But some notebook computers are still designed for those who wish to work from their lap. That's why it's important to find out just how hot a laptop gets on the underside. Either contact the manufacturer and ask specifically about this or visit a store in which the notebook is running, and feel the underside.

Hate noise? Go for SSD
Noise is less of a problem with notebooks than it once was, but it can still be a factor -- especially if you're easily bothered by noise while working.

Noise in notebooks generally comes from two sources: the hard drive and the cooling fan. If you want to eliminate the source of hard drive altogether, consider a new notebook with a solid-state drive.








In-built UPS power
Batteries act like your laptops in-built UPS. They are the lifeline of your machine. So, it is important that you check up how many hours your battery will run. Some batteries last long, but some don’t. There are three main types of batteries:

Li+: Most people get Lithium-ion (Li+) batteries. These are generally good, safe and secure.

NiMH: If you want something cheap, a nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) battery will do.

NiCad: This probably won't be an option, but if a dealer does try to sell you a nickel cadmium (NiCad) battery, run away. They require constant recharging.

Upgradeability
In these days of technology obsolence it is very important to find out the upgrade options available. Also, one should keep in mind that laptops can be upgraded up to some extent only. While it is possible to upgrade main memory, and removable drives, the upgrades can cost twice as much as a desktop.

It is even cheaper and environment-friendly to upgrade your laptop rather than to discard it. So, before buying try and explore upgrade options available.

Add-ons
Though this may not be that important, still there is no harm in checking the best deal available. Do a recee of the various combo plans being offered by various vendors.

Like presently Compaq is offering WiFi music player free with its notebooks.

Also, check which dealer is offering accessories like free bag, headsets, wireless mouse or some discount coupons.