Bharti Tele signs outsourcing agreement with IBM
New Delhi: Bharti Televentures Ltd. has signed an agreement with IBM to outsource its hardware, software and IT services requirements. The contract valued at $700-750 million, will be spread over a period of 10 years.The long-term `on demand business transformation agreement' involves outsourcing of all IT requirements included all customer-facing IT applications like billing, customer relationship management and data warehousing. In addition, IBM will service Bharti's internal-facing applications like Internet, e-mail and online collaboration.

On the infrastructure front, IBM will consolidate Bharti's data centre, IT helpdesk and enhance its disaster recovery centre capabilities. IBM will also deploy a service provider delivery environment, allowing Bharti the flexibility to introduce the latest in voice, data and content-based services to its customers.Further, Bharti would also be the preferred supplier of telecom services to IBM India. In addition, Bharti would transfer about 200 employees to IBM as part of the agreement.
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The Simputer will come out in three versions
Bangalore: From April, three versions of the Simputer, including one costing under Rs.10, 000, will be available at showrooms in Bangalore and other cities. Simputer is the first computer to be designed and manufactured in India. BEL is one of the two companies that are manufacturing the Simputer under licence from PicoPeta.

The Amida, enables emailing, browsing the Net, games, organising budget; it allows handwriting in any language, doodling on every screen, mailing these scribbles with a single tap, gesture technologies that allow changing a page or zooming of an image by a hand gesture. BEL has a capacity of 10,000 units a month and plans to make 50,000 units in the first year. The basic Amida 1200 is priced Rs 9,950; Amida 1600 costs Rs 12,450 and the premium model, Amida 4200, Rs 19,950.It can also be booked online at www.amidasimputer.com.
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`BB' rating for IOC reaffirmed by S&P
Mumbai: International ratings agency S&P has reaffirmed the `BB' long-term foreign currency credit rating for the Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.S&P expects Indian Oil to continue to benefit at least in the near term from dismantling of the administered pricing mechanism. The ratings agency also believes that IOC's results will be strengthened by changes in the country's downstream petroleum industry, the release said.
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Pepsi all set to launch Gatorade to India
New Delhi: PepsiCo India is all set to launch its best-selling brand, Gatorade, an energy drink with global sales of over $1 billion, in the country soon.Globally, Gatorade competes with Coca-Cola's Powerade. Gatorade will be Pepsi's second major brand launch in two years. Last year the company had brought the Mountain Dew drink to India.Pepsi has also begun test-marketing iced tea and cold coffee through vending machines in a joint venture with Hindustan Lever Ltd.
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Parryware units get ISO 14001:1996 certification
Chennai: EID Parry (India) Ltd.'s sanitary ware manufacturing plants at Ranipet, Alwar and Dewas have been given the ISO 14001: 1996 Environment Management system certifications by the British Standards Institute.The company has reviewed and improved the pollution prevention and the process control equipment, systems, practices across its entire manufacturing system. According to a press release, the environmental management systems put in place will provide internal discipline in practices affecting environment, heightened awareness, improved public confidence and reduction of wastes and cost saving.
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Surya e-Light opens showroom for Swarovski chandeliers
Hyderabad: Surya e-Light has opened the country's biggest international lighting and decorative fixtures showroom here. Surya, a Hyderabad-based lighting technology solutions provider, is the sole distributor for Jaquar, the domestic bath fittings major. Jaquar has tied-up with the Austrian crystals giant Swarovski for the manufacture of a wide range of chandeliers and Swarovski fibre optic lighting technology.

Jaquar says that the lighting products would consist of the Rendezvous collection which will use the reputed STRASS components from Swarovski for crystal chandeliers, pendants, wall brackets, down lights and spots, cascades and the complete range of Swarovski fibre opting lighting solutions.The company says that the limited number of players in the market is now focussing their energies on developing the market and expects the market to grow sizably in the next five to six years. According to the company, Jaquar have so far recorded sales of over Rs. 2.25 crore of chandeliers made of Swarovski crystals.
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