British Telecom to operate Siemens arm’s data link (Business Capsule-2)

BANGALORE - British Telecom (BT) has bagged a three-year deal to operate international data network for Siemens Enterprise Communications in 230 locations across 45 countries, the telecom major said Tuesday.

BT’s convergent network solution, based on its multi-protocol label switching technology, will enable the enterprise to handle its data communications on a single platform and reduce its networking costs by 30 per cent, the company said in a statement here.

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Kronos workforce solution for Bombardier

Chennai: Bombardier Transportation that has a rail manufacturing facility in Gujarat will implement the workforce management solution of Kronos India, based in Bangalore.

According to Kronos country manager James Thomas, the solution will enable Bombardier to have a 360 degree view of its workforce in an integrated manner in real time.

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BGR Energy gets trading house tag

Chennai: With exports exceeding Rs.750 crore over the past four years, the city-based BGR Energy Systems, an engineering, procurement and contracting company in the power sector, has been given the “trading house” status by the central government.

The tag offers BGR Energy advantages like priority custom clearance for exports and imports, exemption from compulsory negotiation of documents through banks, retention of 100 percent foreign exchange in Exchange Earner’s Foreign Currency (EEFC) account, and exemption from bank guarantee obligations.

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Cognizant acquires Pepperweed

Chennai: The Nasdaq listed software services company Cognizant Technology Solutions has acquired substantial assets of Pepperweed Advisors, the IT consulting services division of Pepperweed Consulting of the US for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition brings to Cognizant strategic consulting capability in two areas - IT Service Management and IT Asset Management.

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Directi unveils online contest

Bangalore: Internet products firm Directi Tuesday unveiled its online programming competition for students and software developers across the country.

The contest provides a platform for practice, competition and improvement for student and developers community on non-commercial terms, said Directi founder Bhavin Turakhia said in a statement here.

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Wipro appoints Germany country head

Bangalore: Global software major Wipro Technologies has appointed Ralf Reich as the country head of Germany, the IT bellwether announced here Tuesday.

Based out of Cologne, Ralf will focus on the “go-to-market” strategy to strengthen Wipro’s presence in Germany and Europe by driving revenue growth, the company said in a statement here.

Prior to joining Wipro, Ralf served at Unisys as head of strategic outsourcing for Continental Europe. He also worked with global IT majors IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

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Sistema Shyam Teleservices enters Jharkhand

Ranchi: Sistema Shyam Teleservices Tuesday launched its mobile service in Jharkhand, saying it plans to cover 60 percent of the state in the first phase of operations.

A joint venture between Sistema of Russia and Shyam Telecom of India, Jharkhand will be the sixth state where Sistema Shyam has launched its mobile services. According to a company statement, it has a subscriber base of 1.7 million in India.