Global Dispatches: Indian bank switches to Linux in branch offices

Computerworld -

Indian Bank Chooses Linux for Internal Apps
BANGALORE, India -- Canara Bank, a large bank that's mostly owned by the Indian government, has opted to shift the applications used at more than 1,000 of its 2,500 branch offices across India to Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
The bank is migrating internally developed branch-automation software from systems running on MS-DOS and NetWare to Red Hat Inc.'s version of Linux, said a source at Bangalore-based Canara who asked not to be identified because of internal rules that don't allow workers to talk to the news media.
"We decided to use Linux, as it was more cost-effective, its performance was good, and the software was open-source," the source said, adding that Canara is installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux on more than 1,000 servers and 10,000 desktop PCs.
More than 500 branches have already made the transition to the Linux software, according to Raleigh, N.C.-based Red Hat.
• John Ribeiro, IDG News Service
Tata Wins Outsourcing Pact With U.K. Insurer
MUMBAI, India -- Pearl Group Ltd., an insurance and pensions firm in Peterborough, England, has hired Indian outsourcing vendor Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. to manage its business operations and the systems that support them.
TCS, which is based in Mumbai, valued the 12-year contract at £486 million ($856 million U.S.) and said that the deal will create additional new revenue opportunities for the company in the U.K. beyond the IT services market.
The pact calls for TCS to run Pearl Group's operations through a new subsidiary in Peterborough. The subsidiary will employ about 950 of Pearl Group's 1,100 workers, with the balance staying on at the insurance company.
TCS said the new unit will also offer business process outsourcing services to other companies in the U.K.'s life insurance and pension industries.
• John Ribeiro, IDG News Service
Capital Firm Says Aussie Innovation Needs Funds
ADELAIDE, Australia -- Playford Capital, a technology investment firm based here, is warning that a national drought of start-up funding is threatening innovation within the Australian IT industry.
Playford Capital CEO Amanda Heyworth last week called for "business angels" -- individuals who invest personal funds in private companies -- to dig deep to ensure that Australia remains an attractive place to work in the high-tech sector.
"If you're not seeding new companies and innovation, you'll end up with a stagnant economy," which could lead to "a long-term problem for Australia," Heyworth said.
Playford Capital co-hosted the VC Connect venture capital conference in Adelaide to discuss such issues.
• Sandra Rossi, Computerworld Today (Australia)
Compiled by Mike Bucken.
Briefly Noted
NEC Corp. in Tokyo said it plans to install an undersea fiber-optic cable between India and Sri Lanka. NEC signed contracts with Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd. in Colombo and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. in New Delhi to construct the 320-kilometer cable.
• Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Philips Electronics NV in Amsterdam said its profit increased 23% in the third quarter, boosted by the sale of several noncore assets. The company said net income jumped to 1.44 billion euros ($1.73 billion), up from 1.17 billion euros ($1.4 billion) a year earlier. Sales rose 5% to 7.63 billion euros ($9.1 billion), up from 7.23 billion euros ($8.6 billion).
• John Blau, IDG News Service
Samsung Electronics Co. this week will begin selling its second cell phone to feature a disk drive. The SPH-V7900 measures 103 millimeters by 52mm by 27.6mm and weighs 165 grams. It will cost about 736,370 South Korean won ($700). Seoul-based Samsung also said it's building a disk-equipped phone for the European market.
• Martyn Williams, IDG News Service
Global Fact
23%
Projected growth of PC shipments in Latin America this year.
SOURCE: Gartner Inc., Stamford, Conn.

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