Indian IT Industry

CalvinH · Post by **CalvinH** » 24 Mar 2009 04:26

In my previous client I worked with few other consultants who were at Director and above level at some prestigious companies previously (before losing their jobs due to various reasons and not only economic downturn) and were doing consulting for lack of similar suitable full time post. There was a guy who was a former CFO of a SME but was working as a part time consultant.

My observation is higher you are in the corporate ladder, harder it’s to find a suitable job once you are laid off. Only good networking that can help you as open positions are limited and people are not very open to hire an unknown person for them. Consulting stream appears as an exception but in consulting you anyways establish a good networking by the time you reach a good position.

what are views of BRFites on this!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 24 Mar 2009 09:26

you are right.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 25 Mar 2009 01:12

Also more esoteric your field is the more difficult to get placed.

CalvinH · Post by **CalvinH** » 25 Mar 2009 03:15

Let me move the topic to Nukkad. Not really related to IT.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2009 12:41

a certain large networking co in ORR has just announced some moves:
- no more home bband reimbursed
- no coke/pepsi
- no biscuits/juices/fruit
- no premium coffees (assume that means the ccday machines will be removed)

meantime:-
Satyam defers joining dates of 9,000 freshers

Wed, Mar 25 02:04 AM

Citing global economic slowdown as one of the reasons, Satyam Computer has deferred the joining dates of 9,000 freshers to whom the company had issued offer letters.

"The joining dates of around 9,000 students of the 2007-2008 batch, who were given the offer letters during December 2007 to June 2008, have been deferred," a company spokesperson said.

Satyam HR head SV Krishnan said in an email to all the freshers has said this decision was made after careful and extensive deliberations and only after all other practical options were exhausted.

"The scenario (slowdown), combined with the continuing volatility in the business environment, necessitates that we optimise available resources internally and critically reexamine additional requirements (for new-hires) on an ongoing, quarterly basis."

"While unfortunate, it has also been unavoidable. Added to this was an unprecedented set of events in the organisation, over the past few weeks, which has been most unfortunate," Krishnan said in the mail.

sum · Post by **sum** » 25 Mar 2009 13:34

a certain large networking co in ORR has just announced some moves:

Wonder which co this is?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2009 13:42

would be interesting to know what kind of freebies google gives in india?

cutting back on food for the troops but costly printed inhouse flyers featuring photos of jarnails and their
friends which can easily be sent on email for autodelete are still being printed...a disconcerting trend ever
since the new campus came online is the sheer number of managers/directors who have descended from all
parts of the earth to stake their claim in the name of ferdinand and isabella.

Rome/Constantinople is there, the Senate is there but people like ceaser or germanicus to lead this unruly
cohort and bring order to the empire are missing yet

luckily I am as yet in gaul, away from the problems of rome.

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 25 Mar 2009 15:43

The main thing that delayed massive IPv6 transition was the rapid advent of NAT. With NAT being supported at even $10 type of routers and in all operating systems, the massive demand for addresses reduced somewhat. The other thing is that when IP first came out, a majority of the IP addresses were gobbled up by NA and Europe. You can take a look at the /8 allocations here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_as ... ess_blocks

How many Asian companies do you see on this list? The NA and Europe that constitutes the bulk of the IP users dont have that much need for IPv6 as a result. Its the Asians that require it the most, and hence the uptake in Japan.

I think there will be 2 major reasons why we will move to IPv6:

Router upgrades. Slowly but surely the old routers that are IPv4 only are getting replaced due to lack of manufacturer support. Their replacements support IPv6 by default, not because someone wants it, but because its there already. Soon , the #1 reason for not moving to IPv6 (cost) won't exist anymore. In fact I dont think you can buy a IPv4 only enterprise router any more.
The advent of smart phones and embedded IP everywhere will require more addresses, more than what NATs can provide.

JMT...

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2009 16:04

but NAT has the other function (in enterprise & residential use) of letting you use multiple pvt IP addrs
freely without "buying" it from service provider via dhcp/static and hence hiding your device IP from the outside
world. all they would see if the NAT boxs loopback addr as the src IP generally and that box will have security enabled.

is it a better idea to use pvt addrs inside a org so that any "leakers" get dropped outside the org directly
unlike using a real "external routable" addr the org happens to own?

Dileep · Post by **Dileep** » 25 Mar 2009 18:02

The IP Scarecity Scare happened because of the initial stoopidity of thinking that there will be one govt carrier per country, and the division into class A,B,C etc. If it was decided to allocate chunks of maximum 256 addresses from the beginning, there wouldn't have been any problem.

I know, I know, the routing systems were not TFTA those days etc, but there are lots of unused IPs "out there".

Whenever the government type bodies gets into technology, $hit happens. When e-mail service was being launched here, IIRC Sprint, came with ITU X.509 format addresses. No one could remember the addresses. It went like:

C=IN, ST=Kerala, L=Dera Mahab Ali, O=BirdHouse Technologies, OU=Engineering, CN=Mulla Al Kochini.

Then internet e-mail came (dartnet), and they gave an id birdhouse@dartmail.dartnet.com.

Within an year or so, internet proper came into being, and the id became alkochini@birdhouse.com

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2009 18:40

aye I have done my jail time reading and implementing stuff from a "Q.931" ISDN spec - another "incumbent" sponsored boondongle of a standard. took half a day
and lot of black coffee to understand a few page of it.

Tanaji · Post by **Tanaji** » 25 Mar 2009 21:47

Singha wrote:aye I have done my jail time reading and implementing stuff from a "Q.931" ISDN spec - another "incumbent" sponsored boondongle of a standard. took half a day
and lot of black coffee to understand a few page of it.

Sacrilege! You dare doubt the almighty Q.931? The stuff that all PRIs are built of? Burn in hell for for your heresy, may you be condemned to debug the arcane implementations of all EuroISDN, NI2 and other Q.931 flavors!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 25 Mar 2009 21:58

AoA been there, done that, have the red welt marks of those beatings still on my back. used a ancient and buggy simular from a defunct UK co to test the different switch types. later we heard the employees had pooled some cash and revived the co. for ETSI we just got a couple lines from Airtel and dialed from one to another.

actually if the T1/E1 is working, PRI is a fairly easy thing to understand, just a few D-channel messages and flag codes....gorilla's qos and ppp0x stuff I found a lot harder. took me a while to get from ppp to pppoeoa

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2009 14:31

Skynet Cloud - see everything, know everthing, host everything....

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123802623665542725.html

excerpt:

Marc Benioff, CEO of online business software company Salesforce.com Inc., cottoned on to the term in December 2007. That was when he read a magazine article that dubbed Google and Amazon cloud-computing leaders.

"We were a laggard in using that name," Mr. Benioff says. For years, Salesforce had described its offerings in terms of "enterprise applications as online services," "online customer relationship management" and "on-demand business services." For his next presentation, Mr. Benioff added two slides on "cloud computing" and berated his staff for not getting Salesforce mentioned in the magazine.

"I couldn't believe how worked up he was about the term," says Tien Tzou, Salesforce's chief strategist at the time. "We had tried all sorts of terms to get the marketplace to understand what we were doing. Cloud computing was going to be the one that would stick," says Mr. Tzou, who went on to found Zuora Inc., a cloud-computing company.

In November, Salesforce held a conference that one of its speakers dubbed the "Woodstock of cloud computing." It hired people to stand outside a convention center in San Francisco, wearing white puffy jackets and holding oversized cloud balloons. Inside, projectors painted a digital sky on the ceiling. The Rolling Stones'"Get Off of My Cloud" blared on the sound system.

In the full fiscal year since Salesforce started using the term cloud computing, its revenue grew 44%. "I think it's the most powerful term in the industry," Mr. Benioff says.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2009 14:33

in addition:(Amazon - elastic compute cloud, Vmware - vCloud)

Cloud-themed puns have since multiplied, generating even a few seemingly contradictory uses. Sun Microsystems Inc. recently unveiled a product called the "Sun Cloud." Microsoft Corp. sells a cloud service called "Azure," which the dictionary defines as a cloudless sky . Apple Inc., of course, is doing its own thing: Its new Mobile Me product is branded not with the word cloud, but with an image of one.

Dell Inc. applied to trademark the term cloud computing last year. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office initially approved the application. But it changed its mind in response to an outburst of criticism, including from bloggers incensed that the term could fall under one company's control.

vina · Post by **vina** » 26 Mar 2009 15:40

Ah Singhaji. Despite being in the thick of the battle and being hands on with IP V6 and ISDN PRI and PPPxxx and everything, it has to be a boor, clueless YumBeeYea, who has to yank you out of the muck and direct you to the "promised lands in the clouds" ..

. Classic YumBeeYea job no ?. Selling dreams

?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2009 17:52

well hey look I will take any lifeline I can to avoid real work and prepare ppts and "educate" my peers and overlords about the Cloud.

thanks for pulling me head out of the sand though! haw - I see a sunny future being a high priced "cloud consultant"

Bade · Post by **Bade** » 26 Mar 2009 19:52

Dell Inc. applied to trademark the term cloud computing last year. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office initially approved the application. But it changed its mind in response to an outburst of criticism, including from bloggers incensed that the term could fall under one company's control.

This cloud computing was talked about in the context of high energy physics aeons ago. Some unemployed Pee-Eh-Dee in HEP must have wandered into Dell and filed a patent....

One of many google output.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 131552.htm

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 26 Mar 2009 21:55

life is not fair. Phds and daktars of superb caliber wrote the book on "high availability" for defence contractors, AT&T, Nortel in the 60s and 70s long before any 2 legged chimp was even conceived. for all their pains they were given like 400 shares (yes it true some nortel "lifers" in ottawa had that much on retirement day!)

but the chimp had the chutzpah to implement high availability on the chimp-gear around 2000-03 in phases and make a huge deal out of it. smaller chimps also ran with the yelping pack on that.

vsudhir · Post by **vsudhir** » 27 Mar 2009 03:18

GOOGLE to cut 200 jobs from sales force

Any mujahid here in ze big googly? Is the g00g affected too?

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 27 Mar 2009 03:38

Looks like old news. The days of fancy-shmancy gourmet dinner and massage seem to have faded away from Google during last year.

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 27 Mar 2009 06:25

TIME: New Wave of Outsourcing to India

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 27 Mar 2009 11:49

BW

With Sun, IBM Aims for Cloud Computing Heights
A merger could give IBM a crucial edge in the rising tech business

By Steve Hamm

IBM (IBM) is in the midst of negotiating to acquire Sun Microsystems (JAVA) at a critical time for the tech industry. A major shift is at hand in the way businesses handle computing tasks, and giants such as IBM and Sun are under pressure to alter the way they operate. Neither company would comment on the potential $6.5 billion deal, but it's clear that if IBM adds Sun's Internet technologies to its arsenal, it will be better poised for what comes next.

The rise of what's known as cloud computing has the potential to turn the tech industry on its head. Rather than buying and managing their own machines, businesses can buy everything from salesforce-tracking software to supply chain management as a service, over the Internet. They pay monthly fees to companies that specialize in operating data centers. "Cloud computing is a different way of consuming and delivering computing," said Erich Clementi, general manager of enterprise initiatives at IBM, before news of the Sun negotiations leaked. "It has the potential to transform nearly everything we do."

Sun has a broad portfolio of Net-oriented technologies including the Java programming language and systems for running consumer Web sites, such as Last.fm, a popular music service. Those technologies give Sun a strong foothold in cloud computing and could help IBM in the business.

For large computer makers, including IBM, Sun, Hewlett-Packard (HPQ), and Dell (DELL), the shift to cloud computing brings challenges as well as opportunities. Computers in cloud data centers are shared by many companies, so more is done with less equipment—putting a potential drag on server-computer sales. Cloud pioneer Salesforce.com (CRM), for instance, handles 54,000 companies and their 1.5 million employees via just 1,000 servers.

The cloud phenomenon will put pressure on margins, too. In some cases, computer makers will sell gear to cloud-hosting outfits that in turn provide services to companies. Large hosting companies may have the scale to negotiate rock-bottom prices. "We'll have pricing leverage," says Bryan Doerr, chief technology officer at Savvis (SVVS), a large hosting company.

If computer companies offer their own cloud services, they'll be trading the instant gratification of lucrative computer sales for a stream of payments stretched over months. After Sun launched a precursor of cloud services four years ago, some salespeople balked at losing out on hardware commissions. Analyst Frank E. Gillett of Forrester Research (FORR) predicts that "the server guys are in for a long, difficult transition."

FALSE START

Sun's earlier foray shows how difficult it might be. In 2005, Sun began offering computing power delivered as a service at $1 per hour. But Sun's Network.com service never took off. Lew Tucker, chief technology officer for Sun's new cloud initiative, says the problem was the narrow target market, mainly Wall Street firms that already operated their own data centers. Tucker calls it a learning experience. The company's new Sun Cloud service, unveiled Mar. 17, is aimed at a broader audience: Web 2.0 startups and units of large corporations.

Web startups long favored Sun gear for running their sites, but the company has lost momentum. For several years, Web companies have been shifting away from Sun's powerful computers and opting for lower-cost, basic servers.

Purchasing Sun would be a risk for IBM, but the merger would enhance its chances of becoming a major player in cloud computing. With a $13 billion cash hoard, IBM can afford the gamble.

Hamm is a senior writer for BusinessWeek in New York and author of the Globespotting blog.

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 27 Mar 2009 12:16

goog has cut lot more then 200 jobs.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 27 Mar 2009 12:19

^^^ That is true...it is just done in trickles...a snip snip hiyar...a snip snip theyar...so on.
Google's moto may be "Dont be evil" but their HR practices are more evil than most!

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 27 Mar 2009 13:29

letting go of all contractors or employees too?

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 27 Mar 2009 19:23

Google started the paring down with their recruiting team.Makes sense if they know they are not going to be recruiting so much.IIRC they let go 100 people from the HR team focussed on "Talent Acquisition".

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Mar 2009 21:31

Just out of curiosity:
Are the salaries of Google really so super-duper and out of the world as is always hyped(esp for Enggs)?

What is the avg salary like for (say) a 5 yr exp guy?

Rajesh_MR · Post by **Rajesh_MR** » 27 Mar 2009 21:55

sum wrote:Just out of curiosity:
Are the salaries of Google really so super-duper and out of the world as is always hyped(esp for Enggs)?

What is the avg salary like for (say) a 5 yr exp guy?

Don't know about India salaries. But salaries in US are much above mkt. I am basing this on size of homes 2 of my friends bought after joining google. Both around 15yr of exp.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 27 Mar 2009 22:08

For newbies google salary was pretty much avg. mkt. As re. benefits they had some yuppie style benefits which appealed to younger fellas/fellettes but the traditional benefits such as healthcare or 401K were slightly below avg. mkt. They did have some extra bonus stuff which used to be pretty good but afaik they were largely for team leads and above.

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 27 Mar 2009 22:09

Where I live....you can tell who works for google. On weekdays, their parking slots are empty all the time and on weekends their curtains are drawn shut all the time!

amdavadi · Post by **amdavadi** » 27 Mar 2009 22:48

goog started letting go of contractors long time ago,and numbers are very high. They also have reduce on hi-fi cafeteria services.

I know what you mean raja bose.

sum · Post by **sum** » 27 Mar 2009 22:59

Raja Bose wrote:Where I live....you can tell who works for google. On weekdays, their parking slots are empty all the time and on weekends their curtains are drawn shut all the time!

This SDRE didnt understand the point the good doctor was trying to make *head scratching icon*

Does it mean 24X5 on weekdays and entire two days of weekend sleeping to get rid of fatigue?

Raja Bose · Post by **Raja Bose** » 28 Mar 2009 00:16

sum wrote:
Raja Bose wrote:Where I live....you can tell who works for google. On weekdays, their parking slots are empty all the time and on weekends their curtains are drawn shut all the time!
This SDRE didnt understand the point the good doctor was trying to make *head scratching icon*

Does it mean 24X5 on weekdays and entire two days of weekend sleeping to get rid of fatigue?

Said chankian SDRE understood perfectly onlee!

svinayak · Post by **svinayak** » 28 Mar 2009 00:38

Raja Bose wrote:For newbies google salary was pretty much avg. mkt. As re. benefits they had some yuppie style benefits which appealed to younger fellas/fellettes but the traditional benefits such as healthcare or 401K were slightly below avg. mkt. They did have some extra bonus stuff which used to be pretty good but afaik they were largely for team leads and above.

Google revalued the stock option recently to $350 for most employees

CalvinH · Post by **CalvinH** » 28 Mar 2009 01:55

[quote="Rajesh_MR]
Don't know about India salaries. But salaries in US are much above mkt. I am basing this on size of homes 2 of my friends bought after joining google. Both around 15yr of exp.[/quote]

Thats google stock options at work boss!

One of my friend joined apple 2 months before they released iphone and got loads of stock options. Shares jumped, house bought and living happily ever after onleeee..

I have seen success stories from stock options of Most valued company too.

shyam · Post by **shyam** » 31 Mar 2009 02:46

This is for our sdre mujahid sum, tell your fellow mujahids about following intern opportunity at Qualcomm:

Intern - QCT Systems Engineer - Summer 2009

shyam · Post by **shyam** » 01 Apr 2009 12:12

There is going on some effort to standardize cloud computing. Following link has the list of supporters for standardization.

http://www.opencloudmanifesto.org/supporters.htm

Unrtunately, I didn't see any Indian player in that list.

I have always felt that a scaled down (low power servers) cloud computing environment with datacenter is extremely suited for Indian users. All poor customers need is a dumb terminal ($10 PC with monitor/kbd) with internet connection. Rest of their application can run in the cloud. I am not sure how you can make money, may be it is better to bundle server access cost with internet connection.

Any takers?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 01 Apr 2009 12:24

makes sense for residential users only if you have ethernet to the home.

else it will be vt100 text terminals only. nobody will buy that service.

shyam · Post by **shyam** » 01 Apr 2009 12:45

Yes, broadband access is a must.

What about midlevel shops, schools, hospitals etc? You will have to provide applications on the server, similar to salesforce.com. This service will provide automatic back up service too.

Advantages to the customers are low upfront cost for setup (all you have is dumb displays), no need to upgrade when current system becomes obsolete, less IT infrstructure to maintain.