http://thinkingstreet.com/business Business Strategy for the Flat World Fri, 02 May 2008 11:27:16 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Financial Information Network & Operations Ltd (FINO) — a multi-bank promoted company providing smart-card based multi-application solutions to the unbanked — has within two years of its existence enrolled over 10 lakh customers to use its services. The Mumbai-based company is targeting to enrol at least 10 lakh customers every quarter ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/05/02/fino%e2%80%99s-smart-card-covers-over-10-lakh-customers-in-2-years/ Symphony Services is set to further expand its Indian operations with the addition of about 1,000 people during the year with thrust on embedded systems design business, reports The Hindu BusinessLine. The technology product development services provider is scouting for another possible location for a development centre which could potentially be ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/05/02/symphony-services-expanding-indian-operations/ US-based companies, Accenture and IBM, have seized the top two spots of the world's best outsourcing service providers. But Indian software majors dominate the list - there are five of them among the top 10. Infosys made it to the top three behind Accenture and IBM in the list. The Bangalore-based ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/05/02/five-indian-cos-in-top-10-global-service-providers-list/ The Economic Times reports that India's second-largest third party BPO firm, WNS Global Services, has decided to carve out a separate group from its existing services called the 'business technology group' and has moved its chief information officer, Atul Davda, to head the effort. The move will represent the first serious ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/05/02/now-wns-forays-into-platform-based-bpo/ Royal KPN (nyse: KPN - news - people ) NV posted first quarter sales and EBITDA in line with expectations, and said the integration of Getronics was progressing. Total income over the first quarter came in at 3.570 billion euros, up from 2.924 billion year-on-year. EBITDA rose to 1.231 billion euros from ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/30/kpn-q1-sales-ebitda-in-line-says-getronics-integration-on-track-update/ R Systems, a provider of outsourced product development and customer support services, on Monday reported a nearly four-fold rise in consolidated net profit for the quarter ended March 2008 to Rs 7.98 crore against Rs 2.10 crore in the year-ago period. Consolidated revenues from operations for the first quarter rose to ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/30/r-systems-posts-nearly-four-fold-rise-in-q1-profit/ India's IT exports to the Middle East are expected to cross $1.30 billion in 2008, an increase of 30% compared to $1 billion last year, Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council of India (ESC) said. According to ESC, an autonomous body under the Indian Ministry of Communications and IT, Indian ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/30/indian-it-exports-to-mideast-will-grow-30-esc/ City-based BPO firm Firstsource Solutions has recorded a 40 per cent dip in net profit for the fourth quarter ended March 2008 to Rs 21 crore against Rs 34.9 crore recorded in the quarter a year ago. Due to a loss on foreign currency loan and an exchange rate related 'mark-to-market' ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/30/firstsource-net-dips-40/ In a much-awaited relief for the IT industry, software companies can now enjoy benefits of the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) scheme for another year. The government has extended the tax concessions under Section 10A of the Income Tax Act to March 2010. The scheme was to expire in March ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/30/govt-extends-tax-concessions-on-stpi-by-a-year/ IT product and services company 3i Infotech has acquired the US-based Regulus Group for $80 million (about Rs 320 crore). An additional consideration of up to $20 million (Rs 80 crore) has been provided based on an earn-out linked to performance parameters. 3i Infotech has acquired close to 25 companies since ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/30/3i-infotech-buys-regulus-for-rs-320-cr/ IBM on Monday announced the completion of its approximately 845 USD million deal to acquire Telelogic AB, a leading provider of software to develop technical systems and enterprises and architecture. The tender offer, announced on June 11, 2007 was finalised after IBM obtained acceptance from 98.7 per cent of stock ownership ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/29/ibm-completes-acquisition-of-telelogic-ab/ Software exporter Wipro was hit by rumours on Monday of a mass exodus of its top executives, which contributed to a near 2% decline in its stock price. Other than the newly promoted joint CEOs, nearly every senior management officials’ names were bandied about. Eventually, it turned out to be a ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/29/rumours-of-top-level-exits-hit-wipro-stock/ The Steria Centre of Excellence for Java Agile Development opened on April 28, 2008 in the presence of M. le Ministre de la Justice, Ministre du Trésor et du Budget, Sir Luc Frieden and his Excellency the ambassador of France, Sir Charles-Henri d'Aragon. The purpose of this Java Agile Development Centre ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/29/steria-announces-the-opening-of-a-new-centre-of-excellence-for-java-agile-development-in-luxembourg/ Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has entered into an eight-year deal worth £60 million (about Rs 478 crore) to provide 'end-to-end' IT applications services to UK-based water utility firm, Scottish Water. The outsourcing engagement will enable Scottish Water to save a minimum of £8 m (about Rs 64 crore) in operating expenditure ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/29/tcs-in-deal-with-uk-based-scottish-water/ IT Services company Tech Mahindra has furthered its security consulting practice by partnering with Veracode, a US-based technology start-up that provides on-demand security testing platform on software as a service model. With the partnership, Tech Mahindra aims to offer security consulting services to customers in the enterprise market, apart from telecom ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/29/tech-mahindra-ties-up-with-us-company/ Mindtree Consulting and Satyam Computer Services have together won a three-year IT outsourcing deal from ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel making company. The contract is a part of the steel giant's efforts to consolidate its western European IT work. About 70 per cent of these sub-contracted activities will be carried out ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/29/mindtree-satyam-bag-arcelormittal-contract/ The Indian giant's TCS makes most of its money in the U.S., while Big Blue does the bulk of its business abroad Quick quiz: Which company is more "American"—Mumbai-based Tata Consultancy Services, or Armonk (N.Y.)-based IBM (IBM)? Evaluate the two based on where they make their sales, and the answer is ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/28/ibm-vs-tata-whos-more-american/ Satyam Computer Services Ltd, a leading global business and information technology (IT) services provider, is targeting big corporations via its global solutions centre (GSC) in Cyberjaya. The GSC would service local and international customers, according to director and vice president for Asia Pacific, Middle East, India and Africa, Virender Aggarwal. “Our Malaysian ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/28/satyam-targets-firms-and-banks/ Kerala plans to set up an SEZ exclusively for IT hardware manufacturing for which the preliminary work has already been completed, the State Industry Minister, Mr Elamaram Kareem, said. Inaugurating a one-day workshop organised jointly by the Electronics Industries Association of India (ELCINA) and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/28/kerala-plans-exclusive-sez-for-it-hardware-companies/ Hyderabad-based Satyam Computer Services Ltd is planning to set up its first offshore development centre (ODC) in Gujarat at Gandhinagar. The global IT consulting and services provider has sought 25 acres from the state government. Likely to be commissioned within two years, the ODC would generate employment for over 3,000 professionals ... http://thinkingstreet.com/business/2008/04/28/satyam-to-set-up-offshore-centre-at-gandhinagar/