TECHNOLOGY
 

EPSI Computers targets Rs. 3 b turnover in 2008

by Surekha Galagoda

EPSI Computers (Pvt) Ltd., one of the top Information Technology (IT) companies in Sri Lanka with over 15 years of experience is targeting to achieve a turnover of Rs. 3 bln this year.

CEO of EPSI Computers (Pvt) Ltd. Niranjan Canagey said that they achieved a turnover exceeding Rs. two bln last year. "My personal passion is to bring feature-oriented value for money products into the local market so that our customers could experience the best."

He said that there are some setbacks in the IT industry when compared to the SAARC region. Now Sri Lanka is becoming more tech savvy by the day and this is mainly due to the reduction of tariffs on computers and penetration of high speed internet.

He said that EPSI's continued focus on "Innovation and Technology stems from its brand promise to its customers. It boasts of its commitment to providing Sri Lankans with state of the art innovations in technological products. EPSI has grown to become one of Sri Lanka's leading IT companies and has received several prestigious awards in the region.

Digital products

Canagey said, "we at EPSI Computers see that there is a potential for computer gadgets becoming more and more a necessity while the trend today has increased the demand for Pocket PCs and MP3 Players. Unfortunately most gadgets and digital products such as digital cameras, MP3 players and multimedia solutions carry a high tariff structure, making it difficult or near impossible for mass penetration.

Today gadgets are a significant component in making a person digital which directly results in improving his or her lifestyle and efficiency.

Therefore it is important to look at gadgets and other digital products as a part of the technology or digital revolution instead of looking at it as a mere luxury item. We also see that there is a trend of the average age of computer users becoming less and less.

Therefore we are trying to bring in products that will cater to this very young audience. He said that the IT industry in Sri Lanka has suffered a setback as there is a marginal growth compared to 20% growth enjoyed by the SAARC countries. This shows that a foundation needs to be laid to improve IT literacy. Overall in Sri Lanka the IT literacy rate is less than 5%. Therefore in my opinion there is potential for mass penetration.

He said that mass penetration is only possible through a complete waiver of tariffs on computers and related products.

Current trend

The current trend of the market and manufacturers is to develop and innovate products for a very young audience so that computer knowledge starts off at a very early age in their careers. There also is a challenge for manufacturers to bring in these products at a very reasonable cost.

To reach out our products for mass penetration we have strategically partnered with Singer Sri Lanka to promote our products islandwide. We are also offering easy payment plans too.

Speaking of staff strength, he said that we have over 200 knowledge employees and it is a continuous challenge to constantly train, empower and enlighten them throughout their tenures at EPSI.

Canagey said that there is already private sector participation towards the overall building of the ICT sector. However, in my view greater private sector participation is of utmost importance to drive the ICT industry forward. He said that the industry should get together with the public sector and the private sector should be empowered to take a more active and aggressive role to move the industry forward.

IT hub

He said that Sri Lanka had all the ingredients to become an IT hub but unfortunately the opportunity was not exploited at the right time. To become a truly IT hub several factors need to be considered including infrastructure development of low cost high speed data bandwidths and adequate office space in close proximity to the Colombo city limits, complete waiver of duty on IT products, more venture capitalist measures to increase overall IT literacy and increasing the scale of IT graduates and marketing Sri Lanka as an IT hub.

He said that it all started as a hobby for him at the age of 15 years. I was tech savvy from that age. To have state of the art equipment and get hands-on experience I needed to do trading. As a result my hobby turned into a business. Canagey is a CIMA qualified accountant by profession but his interest was in IT.

He said that Logitec was the first company they signed an agreement with to become an authorised distributor. EPSI Computers (Pvt) Ltd. is the authorised distributor for ASUS, Viewsonic, Creative Logitec and authorised reseller for Apple brand of computers and accessories.

JKCS - Microsoft's Gold Certified Partner

JKCS recently attained the coveted Gold Certified Partner Status in the Microsoft Partner Program. The company earned Microsoft Competencies in Business Process and Integration Solutions, Custom Development Solutions, Data Management Solutions and Mobility Solutions.

Commenting on the partnership Country Manager Microsoft Sri Lanka Sriyan de Silva Wijeyeratne said "As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, JKCS has passed the highest level of requirements from Microsoft and have demonstrated robust, efficient and scalable implementations of Microsoft technologies in demonstrated enterprise customer deployments.

Through the Gold Certified partner program they have indepth access to a variety of exclusive resources and early product information which in turn empower their team with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to help implement technology solutions that match customer's business needs.

We at Microsoft Sri Lanka are proud to have JKCS joining this elite group of partners, and are committed to supporting JKCS as our partner to further expand skills, increase opportunities, and enable them to grow their business with us." JKCS, a leading software provider to the global aviation industry had delivered turn-key solutions to full-service airlines, low cost carriers and airports in Europe, Middle East and Asia, including two of the world's Top 10 airlines, as per latest Skytrax rankings.

In addition the company has developed statistical process control tools for the manufacturing industry.

"Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and technology capabilities," said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp.

"They need to trust in a company that can act as an expert adviser for their long-term strategic technology plans.

Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, which have certified expertise and direct training and support from Microsoft, can build a positive customer experience with our technologies.

Today, Microsoft recognises JKCS as a new Gold Certified Partner for demonstrating its expertise in providing customer satisfaction using Microsoft products and technology."

"We are extremely pleased to have attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program. This gives us early access to Microsoft next-generation technologies, expertise and support thus increasing our competitive edge in the market place," said Rizvi Latiff, CTO of JKCS.

"The benefits provided through our Gold Certified Partner status will allow us to continue to enhance the offerings that we provide for aviation customers," he said.

As part of Microsoft's engagement with JKCS, Alanzo Doll - Partner Account Manager and Wellington Perera - Developer Evangelist of Microsoft, conducted a program for JKCS to introduce the benefits of the partner program and its value proposition to each staff member. A new product and technology update and an overview of the Microsoft software roadmap were also provided.

The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in October 2003 and represents Microsoft's ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide.

Mobile wireless solution from ASUS

EPSI Computers, authorised distributors in Sri Lanka for ASUS, a leading provider of high-performance notebook computers, announced the V2 notebook series from ASUS that answers the need for a true mobile wireless solution anywhere.

The notebook is ideal for business travellers on the go without adding extra pounds while keeping the sleek professional outlook. With a personalised security feature, docking station connectivity as well as the latest 3G module, users can enjoy a dynamic high-speed computing experience in style.

Group Product Manager, Sankha Jayaratne of EPSI Computers said that the V2 is incorporated with High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) wireless broadband capability, where users can enjoy a boost for download speeds by approximately 10 times faster via WCDMA networks without the need to connect the computer to a mobile phone.

Access emails, surf the internet, download attachments and access corporate networks through the convenience of a virtual private network.

Complementing on its 3.5G capability, the V2S also features a full suite of wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g) and Bluetooth 2.0 with enhanced data rate that provides three times faster data transfers with digital devices compared to standard Bluetooth.

To provide solid security and give the business travellers peace of mind, the V2 features safeguards that combine high-level security with ease of use with the fingerprint authentication facility where strict access will be available only to the designated owner.

For the most accurate reading, the electronic imaging mechanism scans fingerprint pattern from the live layer of the skin, bypassing any common skin surface conditions.

The exclusive ASUS Security Protect Management (ASPM) guards access to the device and network.

Users can choose to set up multi-factor authentication requirements for different security levels while enjoying the Single Sign On (SSO) one-time login convenience without compromising security integrity.

In addition, to accommodate modern metropolitans' busy lives, the V2 offers Wireless Video Communication with built-in microphone and high-resolution 240oswivel webcam for easy video conferencing without the hassle of external connections.

Lanka hosts South Asia Intel Teach Program Forum

Intel recently concluded the 'South Asia Intel Teach Program Forum' on pre-service teacher training in Colombo, organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The objective of this forum was to bring together practitioners and policymakers from the three South Asian countries of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to share best practices, exchange ideas and opinions provide insights into possible ICT integration models and set a vision for the future.

This was a regional cross country collaborative event related to Intel Teach Pre-service training in South Asia.

Chief Commissioner of Teacher Education, Ministry of Education Mohamed Thamby said, "We are very happy to have been involved at this forum; Intel is well ahead in promoting the use of ICT for the quality improvement of education in Sri Lanka.

We look forward to working in this direction in the interest of our 3.8m future masters in schools today".

Head, Department of Teacher Education from the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) Dr. Shironica Karunanayaka stressed the need for meaningful learning with technology.

She spoke about the need for ICT in teacher professional development, initiatives to support technology integration in education and teacher competencies for ICT learning.

Dr. Karunanayake discussed best practices in ICT enhanced teacher education and explained the scenario based training for education technologists without final examinations and competency based continuous assessments.

According to Regional Manager, Intel Sri Lanka, Indika De Zoysa involvement in this program is one facet of the company's long-term plan to support education in Sri Lanka "Intel is fast gaining a reputation for excellent work in the arena of education in Sri Lanka. Bringing ICT to all regions of Sri Lanka, especially the underserved areas, is a corporate mission for us. This Forum is a very important step in that direction and we are proud to have been a part of it.

I would like to thank those at the Ministry of Education - they were an integral part of this Forum and it has been a pleasure and privilege to work with them to further the vision of ICT in Sri Lanka."

The forum also served to meet various country-specific objectives.

Sri Lanka invited participants from the Ministry of Education, National Colleges of Education (NCoE), National Institute of Education and Universities to build awareness of Intel Teach pre-service training in other countries and discuss the value of integrating Intel Teach training into curriculum.

India sought to strengthen the relationship with the pre-service advisory body and Pakistan wanted to build stronger relationships with existing partners and look for ideas for synergy between in-service and pre-service professional development initiatives as well as share best practices.

The Forum provided an opportunity to interact with key educators, policy-makers, people and institutions and provide insights into ICT integration models in their respective countries.

It also brought together pre-service partners from South Asian countries together to build a community, leverage this platform for awareness building of program and introduce the Sri Lankan pre-service stakeholders to Intel Teach program.

The participants from Sri Lanka included Mohamed Thamby, Chief Commissioner, Teacher Education from the Ministry of Education, Wilfred Perera, Assistant Director General, Education Leadership Development and Teacher Education of the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nihal Herath, Education Specialist, Secondary Education Modernisation Project (SEMP) from the Ministry of Education, Dr. Shironica Karunanayaka, Head, Department of Teacher Education from the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), Dr. Ajith Pasqual, Senior Lecturer, Department of Electronic and Communication Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, H. Jayasinghe, Director, Department of IT from the National Institute of Education (NIE) and Ms. Kumari Senevirathne, Deputy Director ICT from the Ministry of Education.

BOI to develop IT Park in Malabe

"Technology can play an important part in changing the mindset of a nation. The Government and my Ministry in particular, is committed to modernising the national economy. We have earmarked the informational technology sector as one area for future growth. Currently we are working towards setting up dedicated IT techno-parks in the country", said Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion, Dr. Sarath Amunugama recently.

The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BOI) and the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) will develop an IT Park equipped with all modern facilities and services to promote Information Technology, IT Enabled Services, Business Process Outsourcing and other knowledge based industries in the country.

The BOI along with SLIIT plans to develop this endeavour as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) venture. PPP is currently widely adopted worldwide as a means to develop large-scale infrastructure projects.

The IT Park would be constructed in a 15-acre land within the SLIIT campus in Malabe. It will primarily cater to the growing demand in Sri Lanka for high quality dedicated Information Technology space.

The BOI has carried out much research on how to develop IT parks.

The proposed IT Park has been conceptualised with the latest know-how relating to such parks and special emphasis has been given to make the atmosphere appealing to those who will be working there.

The IT Park equipped with state-of-the-art technology would provide high-speed data communication services including lease line connectivity and fibre optic networks. The park will also provide infrastructure facilities such as uninterrupted quality power, water supply, air conditioning facilities and parking facilities.

Comforts and amenities for those working at the IT Park will include Banking and ATM facilities and a cafeteria within the IT Park. They would also provide a high quality 24-hour security and maintenance services.

The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) is a degree-awarding institute in the field of Information Technology, recognised by the University Grants Commission. SLIIT was set up in 1999 to educate and train IT professionals for the fast growing IT industry in Sri Lanka.

The IT park is developed to attract world-class IT companies, who will house their business operations in Sri Lanka.

This venture will be a steppingstone for the future of the Sri Lankan IT industry.