BIZ-TECH

IFS develops social media for business use

IFS Labs, the research and development unit dedicated to developing future functionalities for business applications, is taking inspiration from social applications such as Facebook, Twitter and Skype to make IFS Applications more user friendly and efficient.

As global business gets more complex, IFS recognizes that the IT applications that support it need to do the exact opposite-help simplify the process of capturing and sharing information within a business. With IFS WikiHelp, IFS Board and IFS Communicator-the latest 'proof of concept' features from IFS Labs-users can comment, participate in discussions and search databases as you do Google, all within a secure environment.

Unlike existing social media tools, which are accessible to all, IFS Labs' social media tools have been developed to bring social media functionality to the business environment with built-in security.

Users do not need to leave the core system to find relevant information, meaning all information is contained and only available to IFS Applications users. IFS Labs Director David Andersson said users expect the same functionalities from their ERP system as they use in their personal lives.

It makes sense to embrace the look and feel of the applications people are most familiar with in order to improve the usability of our own business solutions.

"Enterprise applications are only as powerful as the information that resides within them, therefore making them familiar and easy to engage with is critical," he said.

The latest features currently under development at IFS Labs are aimed at improving team collaboration and communication as well as information and knowledge capture in a user-friendly way.

SLASSCOM joins EDEX as strategic partner

SLASSCOM Capacity Forum Head Nalina Wijesundara, SLASSCOM Director and General Secretary Madu Ratnayake, EDEX Chairman Kamal Abeysinghe, Royal College Union Secretary Manju Ariyaratne and EDEX Career Services Director Prabath Fernando

SLASSCOM (Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies) entered into a strategic partnership with EDEX for the first time for the forthcoming EDEX-2011 Expo.

SLASSCOM acts as the catalyst of growth for the Sri Lankan IT and BPO industry by facilitating trade and business, propagating education and employment, encouraging research and innovation, and by supporting the creation of a progressive national policy framework. Sri Lankan IT and BPO industry is fast emerging as a key industry sector in Sri Lanka contributing $ 275 million in export revenue and creating large number of professional jobs.

EDEX is instrumental in helping youth, connect the dots and show them the options of how education and skills development lead to gainful employment. SLASSCOM Director and General Secretary Madu Ratnayake said.

The exposure SLASSCOM is aiming for at EDEX 2011 is to primarily focus on creating awareness among youth in terms of the benefits of selecting IT as a lucrative career path. We also want to attract the youth by stressing that the BPO industry is one of the fastest growing and profitable industries in Sri Lanka generating highly paid professional jobs, and that there is potential to create a quality IT - BPO pool from the local market, Ratnayake said.

To facilitate the growth in the IT-BPO sector, SLASSCOM has also formed key forums namely; Capacity, HR, Global Trade, Domestic Trade, Quality and the Policy Forum.

ESOFT Platinum Sponsor for EDEX 2011

ESOFT as a strategic partner of EDEX is endorsing the EDEX 2011 Expo for the second consecutive year as its Platinum sponsor.

ESOFT established in 2000, currently has 25 locations island-wide catering to both the urban and suburban youth, and has emerged as a leading professional ICT Education provider in Sri Lanka. ESOFT specialises in conducting classes for the BCS and BIT programers in Sri Lanka.

The courses on offer cater to the demands of discerning students in the field of IT and are designed, keeping current trends in mind.

WSO2 sponsors Gartner Summit

As a globally recognized innovator in middleware technology, WSO2 showcases Sri Lanka's technology prowess as the Silver Sponsors of the 2010 Gartner Application Architecture, Development and Integration (AADI) Summit held in Los Angeles, USA.

Organized by Gartner Inc., one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory companies, the Gartner AADI Summit is definitely one of this year's must-attend events for US enterprises.

Focusing on key technological areas that play a crucial role in most organizations, Gartner analysts and industry experts will share big-picture perspectives and practical how-to recommendations on key challenges, as well as relevant application strategy decisions such as: "The Gartner AADI Summit recognizes the importance of the top concerns of most enterprises today - the same concerns that are driving the expanding interest in WSO2 technologies and services," WSO2. CEO and co-founder Sanjiva Weerawarana said. "WSO2 offers a platform specifically targeted at the key issues faced by enterprises worldwide - application modernization, SOA and cloud, and realizing IT agility."