BizTech

Virtusa to deliver SharePoint solutions with Microsoft

Virtusa Corporation (NASDAQ: VRTU), is entering into a partnership with Microsoft to provide consultation towards Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 services in Sri Lanka.

Enterprises are turning their attention to the next wave of productivity gains through collaboration.

Whether it is collaboration in document creation, workflow approval, people-driven processes or vertical applications, huge productivity gains can be had when work is shared.

This is particularly true where your workforce is geographically dispersed or where multiple departments share a common project - such as when sales, manufacturing, contracts, legal and project management groups pursue a large work order.

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS) is the cornerstone for corporate collaboration applications, and is typically imbedded in Microsoft enterprise licensing agreements. MOSS has recently evolved with new tools and templates, and can transform critical business functions in ways that formerly required many man hours in custom development.

Virtusa’s SharePoint service offerings include architecture, design, development, testing and migration of SharePoint powered collaboration applications in areas of Internal portals, enabling multiple locations to share ideas and materials, Document workflow and archival - such as for work orders, marketing collateral, contracts, project collaboration - such as managing deals through the sales, contract, delivery and support stages, Document - centric applications that tie people-driven processes to document rights and rules and Business intelligence.

Chamma goes East to develop ICT

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) granted investment approval to Chamma Technology (Pvt) Limited for a project to provide IT related services.

Chairman/Director General Dhammika Perera signed the agreement on behalf of the BOI and presented the BOI Certificate of Registration to Sanath Ruberu and Asoka Hemachandra, Directors of the company who signed the agreement on behalf of the company. Dhammika Senanayake was also present.

The company, set up in Ampara with an investment of Rs. 45 million will generate employment for a workforce of 100. The venture carried out under the BOI 300 Enterprise Program will commence commercial operations within this year.

Chamma Technology Limited signed the agreement to set up a venture to assemble computers, provide network solutions and develop software solutions.

Senanayake said that the company offers strategic solutions designed to meet client requirements across a wide range of sectors. The company provides Banking Software Solutions, eCommerce Solutions, Audio Visual Solutions and IT Help Desk Services.

The BOI is encouraging more investment from foreign and local investors to the Sri Lankan IT sector with the government declaring the year 2009 as the Year of English and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Education.

Investing in Lanka, a success for IFS

Investing in Sri Lanka has been a real success for IFS, said Senior VP IFS Thomas Petersson at a media conference, held in Norway recently.

Setting up an international organization that spans the entire globe can be fraught with difficulties. Many companies that have tested offshoring have found that it costs more than its worth. But for IFS, an ERP supplier headquartered in Link”ping, Sweden, investing in Sri Lanka has been a real success, he said.

At the end of 2008, the company opened a new branch in Kandy. “We realized that many of our employees are from that area and wanted to move back. As soon as it became known that we were opening a new office, we received more than 40 applications,” said Petersson.

Sri Lanka isn’t a country most people would consider when it comes to outsourcing. It’s big, and most media references are to the civil war in the North.

But when IFS was experiencing rapid growth in the late 1990s, the company looked around for new technology resources, especially for research and development. Sri Lanka had a number of advantages, one of which was closeness to IFS’ expanding operations in Asia. Unlike India, it was possible to set up a strong recruitment process, he said.

In Sri Lanka, IFS attracts highly educated graduates from State and private universities, in particular programmers with the same level of competence as Western applicants. “We’ve learnt along the way, and the model for collaboration is one that we developed ourselves. The opening of a new office in the country is a sign that we’ve been very successful,” said Petersson.

“We don’t call what we’re doing ‘offshoring’. We don’t outsource part of our work and expect a result a week later. What we’re doing is developing a model for distributed development, which means that the different countries involved are equally important,” he said.

The IFS model means that employees in Sri Lanka and Norway are part of the same team.

Dialog felicitates sub-dealers, retailers

Dialog Telekom felicitated 142 sub-dealers and retailers from across the country in recognition of their efforts in promoting Dialog Pre-paid connections during a promotional campaign held last year.

The company presented a gift voucher worth Rs. 150,000 to these top performers who achieved a sales target of 1,500 Pre-paid connections during the promotional period.

The Priyangika Card Centre in Ja Ela; was awarded the first place for achieving a sales target of over 1,500 pre-paid connections. CDE mobile of Eheliyagoda and Sisina Cellular and Antenna Mobile of Deraniyagala were placed second and third.

All 142 sub-dealers and retailers received a gift voucher worth Rs. 150,000 in appreciation of their contribution to the Dialog SIM Pre-paid promotion. Further V225 cellular phones, electric irons, T-shirts and caps were also handed over as consolation prizes to those who finished with a sales target of below 1,500 connections.

JKCS launches IT scholarships

John Keells Computer Services (JKCS), a global provider of airline software solutions, awarded scholarships to undergraduates of the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC).

The company had previously launched the successful “Sri Lanka IT Forces” scholarship program and is keen on developing the IT skills of the country’s youth in a bid to make Sri Lanka a leading-edge IT hub in Asia.

Biz Tech Quiz

What is known in computers as a ‘Cookie’?

Answer: A computer ‘Cookie’ is a small text file which contains a unique ID tag, placed on your computer by a website. The website saves a complementary file with a matching ID tag. In this file various information can be stored, from pages visited on the site, to information voluntarily given to the site. When you revisit the site days or weeks later, the site can recognize you by matching the cookie on your computer with the counterpart in its database.

There are two types of cookies: temporary and permanent. Temporary cookies, also called session cookies, are stored temporarily in your browser’s memory and are deleted as soon as you end the session by closing the browser. Permanent cookies are also called persistent cookies.

The winner: Shanika Vithanage, 96/2B, Gama Ima Road, Hokandara South, Hokandara.