Infofriend english january 2014 by Info Friend

01/JANUARY/ 2014

Asus & Rashi announces winners of ‘Asus Festival Dhamaal’ Publisher & Managing Editor Betson Mathai Chief Editor Shajan Ponnamattom Editor Anjana Rajendran Sub Editor Amritha S.M. Advertisement Shobana Ranjan: 9037077299, 9946662655 0495-4040906, 2366575 infofriendadvt@gmail.com E-mail Editorial infofriendenglish@gmail.com Layout & Design Jeeja N.K., Shadow Solutions Printing Geethanjali Offset Prints, Calicut. Head Office Infofriend, 2nd Floor, Jose Building, Wayanad Road, East Nadakkavu, Nadakkavu. P.O., Kozhikode - 673 011. Kerala, S. India. Tel : 0495 -2366575, 4040906 www.infofriend.com

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Asus and Rashi Peripherals launched a special luck draw ‘Asus Festival Dhamaal’ in the beginning of October, gaining a lot of popularity from the partner community. The results for this Lucky Draw were declared in the presence of Mr. Peter Chan, Country Manager, Asus & Mr. Arnold Su, Distribution Manager, Asus and Mr. Rajesh Goenka, VP- Sales & Marketing, Rashi Peripherals. The winners for this festive offer are Moieen Computers & Laptops, Vijaywada who have won the 1st prize Asus Notebook, 2nd prize goes to Matrix Technologies INC, Banglore who have won Asus Fone Pad, 3rd prize goes to Nice Computers, Nasik who have won Asus Tab. This scheme ensured great usage of the Social Networking Media & gives all the partners across India an equal opportunity to buy Asus Notebooks from Rashi and apply for the lucky draw to win gifts, which had become very popular in the past month. Mr. Peter Chan, Country Manager, Asus says “Rashi Peripherals and ASUS share the same direction to be closer to the channel. I’m glad that we can co-work with

Cadyce KVM Solutions are now available in India Cadyce has announced the availability of

their KVM Solutions in India. Cadyce is a purely solution based company and it has been a prime concern for Cadyce to introduce economical and reliable solutions that can reduce the project cost. By using Cadyce KVM Switches customers can get flexibility to work on multiple servers or PCs and also reduce their hardware cost by minimizing the number of Keyboard, Mouse and monitors. Cadyce KVM switches allow the sharing of one local keyboard, mouse, and monitor to access and control as many servers or PCs. With Cadyce KVM switches users can experience Superior video quality with

resolution up to 1080p, Multi-platform support for PCs and Macintosh, Channel selection and operation by using push buttons and keyboard hot keys. Cadyce USB KVM Extender offers uncompressed high definition 1920 x 1200 video along with 2 USB ports over a single CAT5/CAT5e/CAT6 cable, up to distances of 100 meters /328 ft.

Rashi Peripherals in this Festival season to run this exciting promotion. I would like to thank all the partners for huge number of participation and congratulate the lucky winners on this triumph.” Mr. Mihir Talekar, Business Manager, Rashi Peripherals Pvt. Ltd. says “This was a conscious effort put across by Asus as well as Rashi Peripherals to include as many partners as we can through our social media platform. I would like to congratulate all the 3 winners of the Asus Festival Dhamaal offer who belong to different regions of the country, which proves maximum participation from varied regions of the country.”

Fortinet appoints Bino George as Channel Manager

Fortinet has announced that it has appointed a dedicated channel manager to strengthen relationships and better capitalize on business opportunities with its national-level partners in the country. As Senior Manager − Channel Account Management, Bino George will be the single point of contact for Fortinet’s most important system integrator partners, and enable Fortinet to more strategically manage them at a country level. A channel business development professional with over 13 years of experience, Bino George has held key positions at Ingram Micro and Inflow Technologies.

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01/JANUARY/ 2014

NATIONAL UPDATES

Kaspersky Lab allies with new B2B partners to expand reach of its enterprise solutions

Kaspersky Lab takes its targeted enterprise solutions – Mobile Device Management, Systems Management, Encryption and Security for Virtualization to ISODA and ASIRT partners. In the last few weeks, Kaspersky Lab co-hosted both ISODA and ASIRT partners on two separate engagement sessions, showcasing the range of enterprise solutions. The ISODA event was co-hosted by Kaspersky Lab and its national distributor for Enterprise Solutions, Comguard. Key ISODA members, including large and medium System Integrators, participated in the event. Present on the occasion from Kaspersky Lab were Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Ajaykumar Joshi, Sr. Manager – Enterprise Channels, and Pranav Bhayani, Technical support head. Comguard was represented by Harish Rai, Country Manager. A range of issues were discussed, ranging from taxation to businesses management philosophy to offering better value to customers and taking a consultative approach to move up the value chain with customers. Kaspersky Lab introduced its key enterprise solutions and got a very positive response from the partners. The speaker from Kaspersky Lab was Pranav Bhayani, who spoke about Kaspersky Lab’s offerings and how exactly partners can leverage them to get into newer accounts or up-sell in existing accounts. He particularly highlighted the Systems Management module, Mobile Device Management and Kaspersky Security for Virtualization (KSV), which are available as targeted solutions. The ASIRT Tech Day was co-hosted by Kaspersky Lab along with Ecaps, national distributor for Kaspersky Lab enterprise solutions. Ajaykumar Joshi, Sr. Manager, Enterprise Channel spoke about the importance and contribution of channels for fast growth of Kaspersky Lab B2B business in India.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

AMX India signs up neoteric as National Distributor AMX India has appointed neoteric infomatique Limited as a national distributor for its range of pro-AV products and solutions. As part of the deal, neoteric will distribute AMX’s complete range of products and solutions. This appointment is in tandem with AMX’s growth strategy of expanding its foot-print across India through organized distribution. This will enable AMX to reach out to a larger segment of Tier 2 – Tier 3 partners and propel its business. Announcing the deal, Mayank Gupta,

Director and Country Manager, AMX India, said; “The next growth in IT & AV convergence, whether at home or at office, will happen in India’s tier 2 and 3 cities. In order to tap this new growth, neoteric is the most ideal partner for AMX. neoteric understands and has the necessary market reach, technical expertise and relevant IT/ AV experience. Also, it is well equipped to provide us with the technical support on both hardware and software sides."

Plextor sets its presence in the Indian gaming Industry with IESL & Xtreme Gaming

Plextor in partnership with Xtreme Gaming (www.xtremegaming.in) is sponsoring their associate IESL (www.iesl.in), a professional league for Dota 2 and Counter Strike. The gaming industry still at a very nascent stage in India, companies like Xtreme Gaming have been providing a truly world class platform to all the aspiring gamers and have been instrumental in launching high end gaming hardware concepts and technology since its inception in 2007.

Konica Minolta leaves a Mark in Pamex 2013 Konica Minolta Business Solutions India Pvt. Ltd., a leader in digital printing, recently participated in Pamex 2013- the 9th International Exhibition on Printing and Allied Machinery in Greater Noida’s India Expo Centre and Mart from 14th-17th November 2013. Driven by the desire to provide their customers with viable printing solutions, cutting edge technology, eco-friendly production techniques and systems, Konica Minolta Business Solutions showcased their products in a big way and defined their niche. Konica Minolta managed to earn some

extra mileage by interacting with focussed customers and creating extensive brand coverage.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

NATIONAL UPDATES

D-Link Positioned in the Challengers Quadrant in Gartner Magic Quadrant for the Wired and wireless LAN Access Infrastructure D-Link has announced that it has been positioned in the “Challengers” Quadrant by Gartner in its Magic Quadrant report published recently for the Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure category. With this D-Link has now successfully moved up the ladder from “Niche Player” to “Challenger”. Gartner recently published its Magic Quadrant for Wired and Wireless LAN Access Infrastructure, which was based on the evaluation of two forms of criteria: “ability to execute” and “completeness of vision”, following which D-Link has been positioned in the “Challengers” quadrant. “It is indeed an achievement for us, as findings such as these stand testimony to our commitment to offering reliable and innovative networking solution. With a legacy of over 27 years D-Link has made technology affordable, convenient, and provided an unequalled digital network experience for everyone. D-Link shall continue with its mission to allow customers to fully utilize networking as a platform for everything, everywhere,” said Mr. Tushar Sighat, CEO, D-Link (India) Limited. According to Gartner, “A vendor in the Challengers quadrant will have demonstrated sustained execution in the marketplace, and will have clear and long-term viability in the market, but may not have a complete access layer product portfolio for either products or network applications. Additionally, Challengers may not have shown the ability to shape and transform the market with differentiating functionality.” D-Link’s position in the market reflects the company’s commitment to providing end-to-end wired and wireless networking solutions.

neoteric bolsters channel-empowerment plans neoteric infomatique ltd. has set the ball rolling for its multi- pronged channelengagement program. neoteric Technology Solutions (NTS), a division of neoteric participated at Infocomm India, Broadcast India and Interop 2013, all in a row, to further engage with channel partners and inch closer to its larger objective of taking technology- distribution and consumption in India to the next level. NTS offers IP Telephony solutions,

Networking solutions, Audio-video solutions, Digital Signage solutions, Media & Entertainment solutions and services, and trains channel partners to incubate from a mere box-selling trader to a solutions provider. Meanwhile, neoteric has successfully conducted Xplore & Evolve events for Intel in Jammu, Guwahati, Ranchi and Raipur. Previously, neoteric had conducted similar events for Intel in Surat, Coimbatore and Patna.

K7 Computing hosts AVAR 2013 in Chennai K7 Computing Pvt. Ltd was the official organizer of AVAR 2013, one of the largest international Security Conferences be held, from 4 December to 7 December 2013, in Chennai (India) for the very first time. The 16th edition of AVAR’s (Association of Anti-Virus Asia Researchers) global conference witnessed some of world’s foremost thought leaders and technology game-changers from companies such as Microsoft, Symantec, Kaspersky and more in attendance to share their visions on the security industry. This prestigious conference was a great opportunity for anyone interested in safe and secure computing and the security of the internet; be it for the business or technical needs of corporate IT professionals, students, educators, law enforcement and legislators.

HP acknowledges Rashi contribution towards Attach Business. At the recently concluded HP Attach partner meet in Dubai, HP recognized Rashi for the contribution to Attach business. This meet helped HP, Rashi and partners to interact with each other and understand strategies and areas of improvements. This meet was the best example of a successful mix of business and enjoyment. This event provided the unique opportunity for personal interaction with the partners on a similar platform with vendors and distributors. Rashi Peripherals being National Distributor for Commercial & Consumer Acces-

sories caters to all types of customer’s viz. corporates, B2B & consumer requirements through various set of partners. Rashi would like the relationship of HP & partners to mutually grow in the future.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY

The Indian IT market just drifted along with no major surge in the market. The PC market continued to be hit by the growing market of tablets. The Indian market witnessed a strong run in the mobile segment. The PC has been invariably replaced by the smartphones over the advantage of mobile internet connectivity. The economic factors like inflation, rupee depreciation also contributed to the slow market. 2013 also witnessed the strong growth of online shopping in India.

Channel Market in 2013…

2013 has been a trying year for the channel market with most segments remaining flat or no major growth. The growth for the hardware industry was about 6% with tablets taking a big chunk of the pie from the PC market. The market was slow due to various factors like consumer buying strength decreasing, inflation, rupee devaluation and there were fewer buyers in the market.

Landmarks in 2013…

Some of the landmark moments for us in 2013 were the launch of the Transformer AIO in May which was a completely new and different product for the market as well as achieving significant market share

Increasingly urban customers are opting for online sites to purchase mobiles and tablets. India is still trailing far behind its other emerging market counterparts of eCommerce in terms of overall value. But this is one major trend that needs to be observed and the likely implications it will have on the IT reseller market and the channel market. The key players of the IT channel market reflect on the year gone by and forecasts for the new year.

in the graphics cards segment. We’ve also seen a healthy growth in our wireless networking products especially in the high end segment and AC routers. Also brand awareness for ASUS has increased by manifolds in the recent past and we’re seeing a clear shift in consumer perception of being a purely hardware brand to a full-fledged IT brand with a broad portfolio covering hardware as well as consumer products. We also saw a rise in demand and interest in gaming hardware with gaming events on the rise and it is a positive trend to see various trade associations supporting gaming in their trade exhibitions.

Expectations from 2014… India PC penetration is about 10% while

the average middle class constitutes

about 30% of the population. There

is a large untapped market for PCs and there will be various new technologies coming in 2014 for high end users and buyers. Even within the existing market, graphics cards penetration is only about 20% and has tremendous growth potential. Wireless devices will also see a growth with many homes having multi devices. HTPC and AIOs also have good potential with the PC moving to the living room. The markets will remain competitive but it is imperative for partners to carve out their niche in their local markets.

COVERSTORY

01/JANUARY/ 2014

Message to channel partners ...

While 2013 has been a difficult year for the IT industry in India and worldwide, there is still a lot of untapped potential for growth in our market. We would encourage our partners to move from being mere

VARs or System Integrators to solution providers. In the hardware market the margins are thin and the future is in moving towards better markets like the Managed Services, Infrastructure software implementation, maintaining the hardware as well as the software. This has already happened in the mature markets outside India. Partners also need to explore the SoHo segment and tap the market on for Wireless products, HTPCs, gaming PCs and AIOs. Mr. Vinay Shetty – Country Head – Component Business, ASUS (India).

Channel Market in 2013…

2013 has been a tough market for almost all the companies. Some of the key factors, which have led to this scenario, are the Market shifts, political issues, recessionary pressures, extreme exchange rate fluctuation and rupee depreciation resulting in a very tough situation for all.

Landmarks in 2013…

In spite of the rough market situation, iBall has grown by over 50% in overall terms and one of the landmark moment for the year has been our Tablet PCs which have been extremely popular especially our performance series. We have also kept technology lead in mouse category with the launch of Blue Eye Technology which is perhaps the best mouse technology presently available in the country. iBall has been consistently adding innovative products even in the existing tough market situation.

Expectations from 2014…

To face the facts, the uncertainty continues and things do not keep stabilizing till the general elections are done and a stable government comes in. Once that happens, the market should turn and we should have quite a bright demand post that.

Our line up for 2014…

iBall will keep taking lead in technology products and ensure innovative products which provide opportunity to the channel partners. We will be taking quite a lot of initiative in Bluetooth products and wireless products where the market seems to be moving and demand also increasing world-wide.

Message to channel partners... One needs to move with technology changes and newer customer requirements. Need to focus more on solutions and mobile products like Tablet PCs. Need to take proactive steps to market and not only reply on reference selling. It is a bit tougher time, but future is bright so be persistent and keep persevering.

Mr Sandeep Parasrampuria, Director of iBall

Channel Market in 2013…

From Array perspective we have got a very good response from the channel in 2013. We are a 100% channel focused company and channel is a very critical link in our operations. We have grown more than 100% in the market. We have received a very good support from our channel partners which constitutes a key attribute of this growth.

Landmarks in 2013…

In a voting by leading channel magazine, Array was voted the best ADC OEM by channel partners We have been rated #2 by IDC in ADN market space Top 2 ADC OEM’s by Frost & Sullivan Closed the largest WAN Optimization deal covering more than 400 locations Overall revenue grew upwards by 400%.

Expectations from 2014…

2014 is definitely going to see deceleration due to the general elections but overall we should be able to ride on the momentum.

Our line up for 2014…

Few of our platinum projects in India for 2013 are CFMS, MPIGRS, Airport Authority of India – all are more than $1Mn projects for us. We have launched aCelera WAN Optimization and are launching WAF solutions in the coming year.

Message to channel partners

The need of the hour is to move up the value chain and focus on high margin solutions. Application acceleration and WAN Optimization is the need of the hour and ADN solutions are one that can stitch well.

Mr Shibu Paul, Country Manager – IN, ME and ASEAN at Array Networks

COVERSTORY Channel Market in 2013…

The year 2013 has been a period in which Lenovo has enriched it’s connect with the channel community. We have taken steps to improvise on our association with national and regional distributors as well as value added resellers (VARs). Our efforts have been appreciated by our partners. In addition, our new line-up of innovative products demonstrated our ability to aggressively play in the PC+ space and opened up new opportunities for our partners to grow.

01/JANUARY/ 2014 our channel partners demonstrates their confidence in Lenovo as a challenger in the PC+ space. We have taken definite steps to take on the next year with renewed vigour, by making serious efforts to create more business opportunities for our channel partners. Also, the introduction of Lenovo’s partner focused ISRs (India Sales Representatives) will be instrumental in

Expectations from 2014…

The current quarter is challenging owing the de-growth in the overall market. However, the outlook for 2014 looks extremely positive for both Lenovo and the SMB category. The feedback we received from

Channel Market in 2013…

As in years past the channel played a substantial value-add role for end user customers and IT vendors. Channel partners are close to their end user customers. They play a critical advisory role in helping identify and solve their customers’ needs. We at Quantum appreciate our channel partners for the value they add to our end user customers and, by default, to Quantum.

Landmarks in 2013…

Quantum significantly enhanced our pres-

creating a well-rounded partner engagement.

Our line up for 2014…

2014 will see the introduction of products in the PC+ as well as the Storage and workstation space for our SMB partners. This will mainly include Lenovo’s Tablet range, i-omega storage products and ThinkStation range of workstations.

Message to channel partners • Partners are our primary route to market and we will

Landmarks in 2013…

There have been quite a few milestones this year. Our SMB business reached the Number 3 position with a market share of 9.3% (IDC JAS 2013 tracker), which is commendable given that the market is de growing. We also organised an SMB National Partner Meet and formed an SMB Partner Advisory Council, which helps in deciding the FY13-14 partner policy framework.

• • • •

make efforts in improving our engagement with our channel partners at all levels Lenovo is concerned about partner profitability. Our channel policy and programs are consistent and fair We invest into and support partners for hyper growth. Our new products line-up will create new opportunities for partners Our partner portal (www.partnerinfo.lenovo.com) contains all the required information in one place for communication and technical query support Initiatives such as ‘Feet on street people’, ‘Spartan program’ and other initiatives have started to empower our partners to identify and close more opportunities.

Ashok Nair, Director – SMB, Lenovo India

ence in India in 2013. Just as importantly, we refreshed many of our solutions and even launched new ones.

Expectations from 2014…

Many organisations are recognising that their data has a lot of unrealised value. In 2014 Quantum will work with our customers and channel partners on ways to better realise the value of their data. Many companies are choosing to keep all data forever. To maximise its potential they need the data to be easily available. To that end, in

Message to channel partners

Data continues to grow at 30-100% per annum. The value of this data has never been higher. The combination of the quantity and value of data represents a challenge for many IT organisations. By partnering with Quantum channel partners can help their customers unlock the value of their data. This represents tremendous value-add—not just selling a new product.

Jim Simon, Senior Director of Marketing Quantum Asia-Pacific.

2014 Quantum will be focusing on Active Archive solutions that provide accessibility and reliability at a fraction of the cost of traditional primary storage. Moreover, new solutions like Quantum Lattus negate the need to perform traditional backup on the archive which further reduces cost, time and complexity.

Our line up for 2014….

Quantum will be promoting a new initiative named reTHINK Backup and Archive. For video files and “big data” files, Quantum’s StorNext file system provides a high performance way to capture and store video content and store that content on different tiers of storage based on policy. It offers built in protection options so the files don’t need to be backed up using a traditional backup application and it can store on disk, tape, and now object storage. Speaking of object storage, Quantum offers next-gen, cloud-based object storage technology that is massively scalable up to 100’s of PB’, has a lower cost than primary storage.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY Channel Market in 2013…

The channels focused on SMB and Soho went through a tough time due to the dollar fluctuations but in the end emerged well. We are very optimistic about the growth of NETGEAR products in the Indian channel. Thanks to their support we are one of the fastest growing countries within NETGEAR worldwide. The great news is that channel is fast adapting to the changing scenario both in terms of products as well in terms of fast changing buying behaviour in form of online transaction.

Landmarks in 2013…

Landmark moments were many. Firstly NETGEAR was probably one of the few companies who stood by the channel in ensuring their rights were protected from unauthorised online trades. NETGEAR came down heavily on such instances and gave clarity in the market. We launched many new products and expanded our reach in ten new cities. Our storage and switching business saw rapid growth with new launches in 10G, Gigabit smart switches and also in storage where we increased our

Channel Market in 2013…

This year, the channel market faced many challenges and remained unstable for a variety of reasons. By far the major cause was the fluctuation in the value of Indian Rupee against foreign currencies and its eventual devaluation to the extent of about 20%. As we approach the close of the year, I would say the situation has still not stabilised. Apart from this issue, the paradigm shift in the market for computing devices and accessories as well as the increased reach of ICT into next tier towns also made the channel community look at innovating to reach out to a wider consumer market.

product offering to boxes of capacity up to 240TB. Consequently the business saw rapid growth and we hope we will continue to get the partner support.

Expectations from 2014…

2014 will mark a strong phase for NETGEAR as we are gearing up for many new launches new products and even in new category. We also want to establish NETGEAR as the pre-eminent player in providing SMB infrastructure products, namely switching, wireless and storage to SMBs. We also want to expand out foot print in

Our line up for 2014…

While it is too early to give out the details, the new launches will be in every category. We are refreshing many products in our retail/ home line. We are launching a slew of new switches, storage products and wireless controller. We will also be making our foray into new lines of business and expect more announcements in Q1 of 2014.

The message is clear and sincere. We are focused to deliver the best SMB/SME experience and we do not over distribute ourselves. We would like to partner with key channel partners to continue to grow our business. We will expand the opportunities by introducing new products and opening new geographies.

Mr. Subhodeep Bhattacharya, Regional Director, India & SAARC, NETGEAR

Landmarks in 2013…

This year, we have done a lot of work especially in speakers, tablets, headphones, tablet accessories, and Bluetooth wireless devices. These are new end consumer products, which are showing a lot of potential and growth. While our traditional business segment of peripherals has given us a strong foundation; these new product categories helped take Zebronics to the next level. We have also reached a landmark figure in reach and inaugurated our 100th service center recently, a unique achievement for a value brand. Apart from products, this year we also

The Channel community is very important for any brand to survive. We have a very big base of loyal channel partners, some of whom have been with us right from the beginning. I wish to assure the Partners that we will bring them the right channel strategies based on market realities from time to time, and ensure channels’ satisfaction and trust in Zebronics. Founder and Director-Marketing, Top Notch Infotronix Pvt Ltd

retail and telecom products. Overall 2014 will be a year of rapid growth and quality channel expansion.

Message to channel partners

Mr. Rajesh Doshi,

gained recognition from various quarters for being a valued and trusted brand. The ‘Best Indian Peripherals Brand’ from SME Channel Awards, the ‘Fastest Growing Brand in Computer Peripherals and Accessories’ and ‘Favorite Cabinet Brand by South India Channel" awarded by CellIT awards, Digital Terminal magazine’s award for our Cabinet and Speaker range and NCN Awards early this year for the Speakers and UPS stand out.

Expectations from 2014… I am confident that 2014 will continue to be a growth period for us as the market stabilises and we put the uncertainties of 2013 behind us. The next tier locations, I believe, will play a significant role in our business.

Our line up for 2014….

Coming to 2014, our primary focus is going to be on new models in our multimedia speakers and players. Our ‘Sound Monster’ range of speakers has been very popular among the channel and consumers. This line-up is going to see many enhancements. There will be models with more connectivity options like Bluetooth, additions are planned to the Tower, 2.1 and 5.1 categories. Our ‘Little Monster’ range will also see many new models added.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY Channel Market in 2013…

Partners from simply being box pushers are now wanting to provide value added security services to enterprise, specially for SMB which lack resources to manage their security. More and more partners are seriously venturing into security business not as a tactical step to enter an organisation to push other products, but to make a strong bottom line and take a share of the ever growing pie of security business.

Landmarks in 2013…

In 2013, we launched our DC series appliances for SOHO and SMB enterprises. With these devices, it is now possible to provide enterprise grade security like Data Leak Prevention and Cloud Security for SMB customers with Gigabit throughputs. 2013 was also a year which helped us to enter other regions like Middle East, South

Channel Market in 2013…

Fortinet is recognized as one of the few top network security players in India. The contribution from the channel in supporting our growth is paramount and Fortinet constantly ensures that our partner program is in line with their needs in terms of technical expertise, business support as well as sales and marketing benefits. In 2013 Fortinet launched a few channel initiatives which helped partners to grow their Fortinet business.

Landmarks in 2013…

Fortinet was honored with the 2013 Frost & Sullivan Network Security Vendor of the Year Award. The Award was a tribute to Fortinet’s proven leadership, dynamic market strategy, product innovation, and consistent efforts by the team in delivering exceptional business performance across domains, as well as in demonstrating best practices and excellence during the past 12 months in India. Fortinet is number 3 in India in the overall security appliance market with a 12% market share according to IDC. Fortinet entered into a definitive merger agreement to acquire Coyote Point Systems, Inc., a privately-held leading provider of enterprise-class application delivery, load balancing and acceleration solutions.

Expectations from 2014… This is an exciting time to be in security and network management, as the market is approaching a major inflection point.

East Asia in a big way and acquiring large customers too.

Our line up for 2014…

GajShield will be launching exciting cloud security products in 2014. We expect with We see cloud based security service technol- these products, enterprise would be able to monitor mobile devices and control data ogy adopted by SMB enterprises in developed countries. As the computing platform leaks. We would also be launching high end, enterprise class UTM device with shifts from desktop computers to mobile devices, allowing access to these devices to very high throughput for SMB enterprise. corporate data will be a big concern. Enter- These devices will be equipped with smart prises would be looking for solutions which manager which will help an enterprise to secure their data without having to get into protect data from being leaked from these the depth of security technology. devices in the coming year.

Expectations from 2014…

Message to channel partners

Our message to channel partners is that they should be looking for opportunities to climb the value chain by aligning with companies which has a vision to understand the computing space of tomorrow.

Mr Sonit Jain, Founder and CEO at GajShield

Factors such as BYOD, shadow IT and the consumerization of technology is forcing businesses to re-architect how they manage users, enforce policy and secure data. Because of these changes, coupled with the fact that hackers, cybercriminals and online threats are more pernicious than ever, we see unprecedented growth and opportunity for security solutions as these dynamics converge. The distributed enterprise is also a segment that is showing some interesting changes. Smaller branch locations are consolidating their internal IT stack in order to reduce costs, enable secure wireless and simplify management.

Our line up for 2014…

Changing Security Technology Landscape. Security buyers today seek a combination of firewall options, such as NGFW, unified threat management (UTM), virtual and

stateful firewalls, to meet a wide range of typical enterprise needs, such as data center, small offices or highly distributed enterprises, as cost-effectively as possible. For example, an enterprise may have highperformance firewalls for its datacenters, NGFWs for their campus perimeters and UTMs for their distributed offices. With its singular focus on innovating security and security-focused R&D, only Fortinet provides a true Network Security Platform with a wide array of robust security functionality for datacenters, campus perimeter and distributed offices. Fortinet’s virtual security ecosystem delivers VMware and Windows Server Hyper-V support for its FortiGate-VM, FortiAnalyzer-VM and FortiManager-VM virtual appliances and adds KVM support for its FortiGate-VM virtual appliance.

Message to channel partners

Fortinet continues to evolve with its partners by maintaining a structured, best in-class channel ecosystem, in which resellers get rewarded on their investment in our brand, technology and products. Channel partners should be looking for opportunities to climb up the value stream in the face of new opportunities in Wireless, NGFW, Web Application Security, DDoS prevention and Sandboxing. Partners need to come out of being box pushers or competing on price to start a value chain with technology spe-

Rajesh Maurya, Country Manager, SAARC, Fortinet.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY

Channel Market in 2013… “2013 has been a year of interesting contradictions for the channel community. While the dollar appreciation created uncertainty in pricing, market demand remained robust ensuring significant growth for the mobility segment. In keeping with this, at BlackBerry, we’ve ensured a couple of key things 1) channel profitability – this has been our top concern as it is what keeps our distributors motivated 2) pricing strategy – in addition to not passing on the dollar effects to the consumer, we’ve introduced festive offers across all our BlackBerry 10 devices making BlackBerry an attractive option for smartphone users. Additionally, we continue to maintain robust growth in sales and revenues where we have seen a year on year uptick. To our channel partners, my message is that BlackBerry remains committed to its growth in the Indian market and the recent success of the company’s BlackBerry 10 smartphones as well as enterprise offerings is a testament to this. ”

Mr. Hitesh Shah, Director, Channel Sales, BlackBerry India.

Channel Market in 2013….

We understand Channel is not upgrading with the new technology and is still stick to old conventional methods & Technology. The users have upgraded a lot and they are ready for better techno commercial channel. The people who are able to go with the pace will survive rest will have to suffer.

Landmarks in 2013….

2013 was a great year for us, we were able to increase our user base by 300%. We are now more famous in the channel community & in between the end uses as well. ESET is one of the most preferred brand.

Expectations from 2014...

We are optimistic. We hope to increase revenue & user base. I order to achieve the same we have increased our team size, and now our representatives are there in most of the major cities all over India.

Our line up for 2014…

We have just launched ESET Smart Security 5User pack, which we plan to be a game changer in 2014. This pack is majorly meant for the System Integrators. For Enterprise we'll be launching soonthe advanced version of our End Point Security, which will again play a crucial role to capture more market share in the segment.

Message to channel partners

We would strongly advice channel partners to keep up with the pace & upgrade themselves on the technology front. Further we would suggest them to sell more of ESET products & earn great profits.

Pankaj Jain Director, ESET India

2013 has been a very difficult year for the channel market. The markets are in consolidation phase with Indian IT markets down by 8%. Strong partners who would be able to sustain and overcome the difficult times to survive and flourish for the forthcoming future.

Landmarks in 2013…

Corsair diversified at the right moment which has resulted in our positive growth across 2013. Landmarket moment is our success in acceptance of our PSU product line gaining the maximum market share and the introduction of headset, keyboard, mice, case etc to make Corsair components based company from a memory one.

Expectations from 2014...

Yes we look forward towards a positive 2014 and hope it brings an end to the slow nature of the markets prevailing during 2013. Corsair with its new range of products looks to consolidate its position as a premium brand in India in all its product lines.

Our line up for 2014…

Corsair PSU is going through a transition phase which is exciting as now all the PSU are more efficient and more rated. Corsair launches with low priced cases, headsets etc in 2014 which addresses to the competitive markets like India.

Message to channel partners

Message to all partners is clear, be aggressive and overcome the difficult phase of consolidation and we should be having a good 2014 with fair profitability and growth. We expect the markets to shrink for the positive growth of the entire channel.

Mr M A Mannan, Country Manager, Corsair Memory India

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY Channel Market in 2013…

We had to undergo some transitional friction. The component business is getting tougher due to lack of demand for innovation and it’s rather becoming price driven. However, solutions like Nano PC has grown well in market share.

Landmarks in 2013…

More new projects obtained. In 2013 still we maintained to be the 4th largest IT companies in the world by revenue. We ranked 30 in 2013 Global Fortune 500 list, which is remarkable growth from rank 43 in 2012.

manufacturers, many Chinese vendors being closed down and many new factories being opened. The right strategy we suggest to all LOEM’s and regional brands is to focus on the vendor itself, rather than the cost benefit received on the product. The Tablet PC and supplement solutions are here to stay with good growth rate. So the strategy of the market players should be to associate with large vendors who can back them up

Our line up for 2014… • Tablet PC • Android and Windows • All-in-one PC. Android and Windows • Android Nano PC • Swivel Net book / Tablet based on Windows.

Watch out for the new product lines with a solid business model, which will enable you to position the product well. Hence the channel will be assured considerable margin at all levels.

Market is hugely potential for mobile solutions. That’s why we start our new product lines such as Tablet PC, All-inone, Nano PC etc. We are late, but this is the right time, as this is the beginning of market cleanse era for these products. The regional players are very confused to choose between hundreds of Tablet

2013 has been a memorable year for SanDisk. We celebrated our 25 Years anniversary in May, announced new additions to our existing range of product portfolio, and launched a festive campaign for our consumers across India. SanDisk’s new range of high performance products - SanDisk Extreme II SSD, SanDisk UltraUSB 3.0 flash drive and SanDisk Extreme microSDHC/microSDXC UHS-I memory cards offer better speeds and high capacities to complement consumers’ smart digital lifestyle. These latest high performance products offer state of the art

to play a healthy part in the growth trend. Dealing with low key players will end up in a record of high failure rates and tampered organizational image.

Message to channel partners

Expectations from 2014…

Landmarks in 2013…

Anish Rahman, Director Sales & Marketing, Foxconn

design and memory engineering, and are an ideal fit for power users who demand fast data transfer speeds.

Expectations from 2014…

We expect the secular demand trends of increased content, improved connectivity and more mobility (trends we believe are driving the Smart Digital Lifestyle) will continue into 2014 and beyond. For the enterprise market, this means increased penetration of flash-based solutions to speed access to critical data, lower power consumption and reduce overall Total Cost of Ownership. For the smartphone and tablet markets,

Message to channel partners

Channels play an important role in furthering the growth of flash memory in India and at SanDisk we really value our channel partners. SanDisk channel partners are integral to our go- to-market plans in India and play a key role in our storage solutions business. Educating channel partners and consumers is an important task for us. Through various initiatives our endeavor is to ensure that the channel partners are well informed on the benefits and features of SanDisk products and as a result the consumers make an informed decision to get the best user experience from our products.

Rajesh Gupta, Country Manager India, SanDisk Corporation

we believe that flash will continue to play a critical role in consumers being able to leverage smaller and lighter mobile devices with greater storage capacity. For the PC market, while overall unit numbers are decreasing, the percent of penetration of flash-based SSDs is rising, which we expect to continue. And, lastly, for the retail market, higher capacity solutions and forefront with storage solutions portend ongoing strength globally. India is an important market for flash memory storage solutions and has witnessed rapid adoption of consumer electronics such as smartphones, tablets, ultra books, digital cameras and personal computers. The explosion of digital content is driving the need for more memory, and SanDisk is well positioned to serve the large, fast-paced Indian market. Being ahead of the curve has always been a key component of SanDisk's strategy. For 2014, our goal is to continue offering Indian consumers high-capacity, highperformance products that help them do more with their digital devices. We will continue to develop products to lead the flash memory storage solutions market.

Our line up for 2014….

It will be too early to comment on this but we will surely announce some exciting range of products next year.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY Channel Market in 2013…

Year 2013 saw a tremendous revolution in enterprise virtualization and mobility. Enterprises tried to enable their workers with ByOD and CyOD wherein they focussed heavily on security and virtualisation. So virtualization became the centre of activities the entire year. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn played significant role in transforming the enterprises and individuals. Today you can sell or buy without referring to the social media.

Landmarks in 2013…

2013 has proven to be great for comguard as this year also we have proven our self not only as a top VAD in IT Security sector but also in the service sector, we have been proven as the top service provider in professional training. This year, we have also formed a strategic alliance with one of

Channel Market in 2013…

It can be seen that the channel market is a vital part of structured cabling. This is applicable for companies of all sizes, across sectors and industries. In India, a large amount of structured cabling goes into enterprise infrastructure. Demand in Tier 1 cities is still the highest with major enterprises functioning in these cities. However, the emerging Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities have also attracted demand, which exhibits significant potential for growth.

Landmarks in 2013…

With a strong focus on the channel market, R&M will bring its innovative portfolio of high-quality copper cabling solutions as well as fiber-optic cabling systems to the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. R&M has appointed 8 regional distributors for states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. Through their local presence and expertise, R&M's

the renowned vendor in the field of Voice & Data. With this strategic alliance we are certain that the future for comguard is bright in the field of IT security & network and as well as in data & voice segment.

Expectations from 2014… 2014 will be a year of Mobility. Big Data and Analytics will be the second, Virtualization will more prevalent. Cloud

computing will be other one. Enterprise Security, SDN, Social Media Application and integration, etc. are the technologies going to dominate the market

Our line up for 2014…

For the channels in 2014, they must adopt the new technologies and invest their resources on these technologies to stay healthy in the business for next five years.

Message to channel partners

As VAD we believe that in comguard we provide best in class training and service facilities to our customers as well as to our channel partners. We provide our partners with our extensive & unique training program, implementation, marketing, pre & after sales services and supports. Our employees work as a team to drive towards the company objectives & goals. As a result we have a strong channel network.

Mr. Harish Rai, Country Manager – Comguard

innovative structured cabling solutions are made available to newer geographic markets. Over the last one and a half years, R&M has ventured into over 16 cities and has actively engaged with new partners in these markets through training sessions and road shows. These cities have exhibited great potential for growth and several projects are being planned in these regions this year.

Expectations from 2014...

R&M has been successful across majority of the verticals this year and we will look to do the same in the coming year. R&M products and solutions have been used across a myriad of sectors like IT/ITES, Manufacturing, BFSI, Healthcare, Education, automotive, Telecom, etc. to name a few.

Our line up for 2014…

We have been able to successfully target the above mentioned sectors, and we look to continue this in the coming year as well.

Message to channel partners

We always look to bring new partners on board who will help us increase our presence across the country. We have done so in the past and we will continue to push this through in 2014. Partners enable any organization to increase their presence hence they are vital for a successful business.

Mr Shailendra Trivedi, Director Operations and Channel Development, R&M India

Kapil Wadhwa, Champion Founder Channel Market in 2013….

Our channel partners have been strategic to our growth in the country. Since the 25 years of our operations, Champion as a brand has enjoyed a strong brand salience among channel partners across the country through its strong nationwide distribution network. Now that we have partnered with BSNL, we will also be able to take strategic advantage of their outreach. We hope to distribute in the coming days via four main channels i.e. BSNL outlets, traditional dealers, large scale retail outlets and online. We have appointed 3,000 dealers across the country and have tied up with 400 service centres for after-sales service. These numbers are only likely to grow in the coming year.

Landmarks in 2013…

Partnering with BSNL was one of the most significant landmarks in 2013 for us. The company is the oldest and largest communications service provider in India to cater to the ever-growing needs of today’s techsavvy consumer. With them, we aim to offer an unparalleled telecommunications user experience. We have launched two excellent mobile phones and a tablet and are ready to launch more competitively priced

COVERSTORY products across the spectrum of consumer mobility devices.

Expectations from 2014…

We look forward to further bolstering our distribution network and adding more channel partners in the coming year. We are also very positive about the new products we aim to introduce in partnership with BSNL in 2014. Besides the products we have already

Channel Market in 2013…

2013 was a difficult year for Indian IT market. The growth rate in the industry was very slow. There were few consolidations in 2013. We are expecting better growth in 2014.

Landmarks in 2013…

Asia Powercom diversified its product range and added products catering to the mobile generation like Laptop adapter, Surge protector and Power banks. This year we also launched new range of SMPS. This has enabled us to capture a large segment of market.

Expectations from 2014… In 2014, we are expecting higher growth

Channel Market in 2013….

2013 indeed has been a challenging year for the channel community. Largely, cloud computing, enterprise mobility, Consumerization of IT, bring your own device (BYOD) trend and a shift toward the opex model—instead of outright purchase— have been affecting the business of IT distributors of all shapes and sizes. Some challenges include: • Rupee fluctuation • Channel inventory • Impact of the cloud • Shrinking PC market • Finance options • Closed distribution • Aggregation • Channel enablement

Landmarks in 2013…

Some of the major events in 2013 for Kaspersky Lab enterprise business include: • Launch of Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business (KESB) • We acquired a large order of 10,000+ users • Launch of Kaspersky Small Office

01/JANUARY/ 2014 brought into the market, we will be introducing a total of 9 smart phones with top-end features, phablets, tablets and data cards at very affordable rates. All these introductions are keeping us enthusiastic for the year ahead.

Our line up for 2014…

We will be introducing a 9 smart phones with top-end features, phablets, tablets and data cards at very affordable rates in 2014.

Message to channel partners

Our message is one of gratefulness for their constant support to our brand. We look forward to a longer and more fruitful relationship with all of them in the years to come. With the new products and exciting range of offerings that we are coming up with in 2014, it will surely be a mutually beneficial association for our partners.

Message to channel partners

We would like to thank channel partners for their continued support in supporting us with UPS range. We would need lot of their support in other range like SMPS, Surge Protector, and Laptop adapters, Automatic Voltage Regulator and Power banks. We ensure to bring out the product range on which they are able to get a decent margin.

Mr. Tejas Sheth, Director, AsiaPowercom

levels. After the general elections in 2014 and formation of new government, we foresee the markets to boom from third quarter of 2014. We also hope that there were will be more government investments and private spending which will result in

Security version 3

Expectations from 2014

There are multiple strategies we have planned for 2014 in all aspects including Partners, Products & Customers. Some of them include: Partner strategy:

growth of the market.

Our line up for 2014…

We have some exciting product range planned up for 2014 which we will be launching in first quarter of 2014.

As part of our ongoing expansion plans around channels and new markets, we propose to • Form a core group of B2B partners, called Dedicated & Focused partner group (D&F group). Selection to the group is based on the business these

Message to channel partners

I feel that 2014 should see partners getting more closely connected and possess more knowledge of the product they are selling. They need to evolve into being value-added consultants to their customers, rather than mere sellers. Customers today are no doubt well read, but they always seek advice & if partners are able to provide that, then customer acquisition is much more quicker and long-term. Partners will always have an upper hand while selling if they are more informed of the Industry domain they are servicing; eg: in our case it is Security. So partners need to be security experts and play a proactive role in suggesting to customers the future roadmap of security and protection of their IT infrastructure assets and corporate/consumer’s data. Thus going to the next level of selling is going to be crucial hereon and I wish that’s the practice they follow in this New Year.

Mr. Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab- South Asia

01/JANUARY/ 2014

COVERSTORY partners drove for us is 2013

• Work closely with the D&F group to

develop channel initiatives and go-tomarket strategies as well as channel vision for Kaspersky Lab B2B • Lead generation and sales enablement training in channels will be one of our key focus areas • Product strategy and roadmap: • Our flagship enterprise product – Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business 10 (KESB 10) will continue to drive the bulk of our sales. We will fo-

Channel Market in 2013….

While the overall printer market is still in the growth phase, the last year has been good for the company. In terms of its devises, Konica Minolta has three different segments of product line up. The production printers segment enjoying a 50% market share usually caters to service bearers, commercial printer service providers, printing presses and garment industry and is sold and serviced by 4 national providers to whom the company usually provides technical and material support. While in terms of the A3 category, Konica Minolta provides infrastructure and technical support to around 100 partners across the country amounting to a 26% market share in colour printing, the company has recently forayed into the A4 printing segment and aims at establishing a network of 30 direct partners and over 2000 reseller partners by the end of this year. We have attained No.3 position in In 2013, the handheld devices market consolidated further with Indians surfing the internet more on handheld devices than desktops. Industry observers put the number of mobile phone internet users at around 80 million with another 10 million users accessing the internet through handheld devices such as tablets and e-readers. According to the International Data Corp’s (IDC) AP Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, vendors in India shipped a total of 9.3 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2013, compared with 3.5 million units in the corresponding period of 2012. Active mobile internet users in India have grown to 85.6 million by March 2013, says an Avendus report. This translates into penetration levels of 12.2 per cent of the

cus on the targeted modules in KESB 10, such as Mobile Device Management, Systems Management and Encryption to upsell to existing accounts as well as break into newer accounts. None of the competing products are as tightly integrated as ours due to the fact that entire code based architecture is developed in-house, and designed to work seamlessly, providing better manageability and controls to our customers. • We have just launched Kaspersky

Small Office Security version 3 (KSOS v3)to address the market size of 0 – 25 users. We will develop specific marketing programs and channel offers to continue to drive aggressively in this segment. • In 2013, we signed up with Comguard as our National Distributor to work on accounts that are 1000+ users. We will continue to work closely with them to drive results in that direction. • BFSI and IT/ITES will be the verticals that we will focus on

A3 Monochrome MFP segment and look forward to strengthening our position by year end.

to ensure our customer’s satisfaction.

Landmarks in 2013…

Sustaining our leadership position in Production Printing and A3 Colour MFP segments has been satisfying. We want to thank all our customers and partners for reposing their faith in us and we will work

Expectations from 2014… With optimism. We expect the market to continue to grow and we want to participate in this growth.

Our line up for 2014…

We will strengthen our products across all segments and will share the details in due course.

Message to channel partners

We value our relationship and we thank you for choosing to work with us. We look forward to working closely with you and want you to grow with Konica Minolta Brand in India.

Mr V. Balakrishna Executive General Manager-Marketing, Sales and Marketing Division Konica Minolta Business Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.

active mobile voice subscribers or 6.9 per cent of the total population. Mobile TV is becoming an app-driven industry, with Mobile TV apps having seven times more exposure than mobile TC+V Websites. This trend is evident with all major channels launching apps for some of their popular programmes. The good news is, the broadcasters are warming up to the potential of mobile TV and are trying to get their act together. The imminent wave of 4G and LTE (longterm evolution or LTE is part of the GSM evolution strategy beyond 3G) appears too irresistible for them. The Big Boss app created by Colors for the last season. The last show, Big Boss Season

6 app was downloaded at least half-a-million-times. The channel is expecting that Big Boss Season 7 app to be downloaded by at least one million times in 30-45 days of the launch. As India looks towards incorporating mobiel technology, the market for mobile devices and broadcasting will spell a new trend in the Indian market. Though there has been some penetration of mobile products and applications in a big way. The market is still nascent and has a scope to grow invariably as there is a large sector of untouched market especially in the rural areas where the market for mobile devices and internet penetration is yet to take place. The market will mature further in the coming year.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

PRODUCT EXPLRER

WD Black dual drive WD has announced the release of the WD Black dual drive, a unique storage innovation that fuses a 2.5-inch 120 GB solid state drive (SSD) with a 1 TB hard disk drive (HDD) to offer a powerful dual drive solution. Perfect for consumers and service providers looking to upgrade notebooks, small form factor desktops, and single-slot and all-in-one (AIO) systems with both SSD level performance and HDD capacity, the WD Black dual drive connects through a single cable and fits into a conventional 9.5 mm slot. The WD Black2 dual drives offload data usage from the SSD to the HDD, which increases endurance and life of the SSD. Users maintain greater data control, which can eliminate the need and expense of

Strontium OTG USB Drives for Smartphones and Tablets

Strontium Technology has launched On-The-Go USB drives for smartphones and tablets. These small USB drives have a standard USB on one end and a micro-USB on the other end so they can be accessed directly from a computer or from any OTG supported smartphone or tablet. “With Strontium On-The-Go USB drives, consumers can transfer files easily between smartphones, tablets and computers. They can copy songs, pictures and movies from computer and play them on their smartphone or tablet when they are on the move. Or they can copy files from one smartphone/ tablet to another smartphone/tablet without needing WIFI or connecting to a computer. They are also storage option for smartphones without microSD card slot. Our On-The-Go USB drives are the smallest OTG drives in the market so you will not have a huge device coming out of your phone,” said Mr. Vivian Singh, President and CEO, Strontium Technology. Strontium On-The-Go USB drives will be available in 8GB to 64GB capacities and will come with 5-year warranty. The Strontium 8GB, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB OTG USB flash drive are priced at Rs. 575, Rs. 950, Rs. 1,825 and Rs. 3, 650 respectively.

cloud-based storage. WD Black is free of caching algorithms and benefits from SATA 6 Gb/second interface speed.

ROCCAT limited edition Kone Pure Color Phantom White

ROCCAT has announced the availability of the Phantom White variation of the limited edition Kone Pure Color. Like the original Kone Pure, the Color edition features a high-end 8,200 DPI Pro-Aim R3 laser sensor and high quality Omron switches. With features like Easy-Shift, Easy-Aim and ROCCAT Talk, the Kone Pure Color is a powerful weapon in the hands of gamers fighting for point-streaks, lanes and bases. It is one of a series of limited edition products that have been released over the course of 2013.

TAG unveils CPU Cooling Fan TAG 100 Technology and Gadgets has launched CPU cooling fan - TAG 100 that is compatible with most Central Processing Units (CPUs) available in the market. TAG CPU cooling fan is designed with high grade aluminum plate that provides low-noise heat transfer away from the CPU. CPU Cooling Fan TAG 100 has been designed to reduce the excess heat generated within the case of a computer by the CPU. It ventilates the heat generated from the CPU and actively cools the processor before the heat damages the computer components. TAG 100 has high grade aluminum riffle bearing. Moreover, the speed is approximately 2500RPM +/-10% with 12V DC rated voltage which keeps the system cool on the long run.

Technical Specifications • Rated Voltage: 12V DC • Rated Current: 0.16A • Fan Speed: 2500RPM+ - 10% • Maximum Air Flow: 55CFM • Bearing Type: Riffle Bearing • Heat Sink Weight: 250gm with High Grade Aluminium.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

PRODUCT EXPLORER

01/JANUARY/ 2014

Toshiba announces Slimmer 7mm Solid State Hybrid Drive

ViewSonic VX52 series Entertainment Display

ViewSonic has announced the launch of its brand new VX52 series, which includes the 24” (59.95cm (23.6” ) viewable) VX2452mh and 22” (54.61cm (23.6” ) viewable) VX2252mh. “The VX52 series is built on the featureset of our best selling VX50 series,” said Girish Mamtani, Country Head ViewSonic, India. The VX52 series features Full HD resolution and ClearMotiv II technology that delivers 2ms ultra-fast response times for blur-free, detailed images. Paired with an ultra-high 50M:1 MEGA Dynamic Contrast Ratio and dual built-in 2W stereo speakers, the VX52 series’ sharp, crisp color performance and immersive sound make it perfect for extreme gaming and multimedia entertainment. The VX52 series also features ViewSonic’s proprietary Game Mode technology. Game Mode technology enhances visibility and detail by brightening the dark scenes of video games for the ultimate gaming experience. For further flexibility, the VX52 series includes integrated D-sub, DVI and HDMI inputs, making it easy to connect to high-definition multimedia devices and gaming consoles like Xbox and PS3, Blu-ray and DVD players, as well as traditional PC systems. Add in a VESA-mountable design, and this line addresses an individual’s gaming and video entertainment preferences, whether they prefer a desktop display or wall mount. The VX52 series comes with a threeyear limited warranty and an industryleading pixel performance policy making it a great long-term investment. The 24” VX2452Mh will be available in the India in first week January 2014. For respective MRP of Rs.13,500.

Toshiba’s new 7mm solid state hybrid drive is ideally suited to increase response time and Performance in ultrathin and standardsized notebook Toshiba, a committed technology leader, announces the slim, 7mm MQ01ABF solid state hybrid drive (SSHD) series. Equipped with Toshiba’s NAND flash and available in 500GB1 and 320GB capacities, the MQ01ABFH series is the first Toshiba SSHD drive family in 7 mm. The series continues Toshiba’s legacy of providing world-class storage products, and offers customers a complete lineup of 2.5-inch solid state hybrid drives with the previously announced 1TB2 and 750GB

MQ01ABDH series 9.5mm SSHDs for ultrathin and thin and light notebook PCs, multimedia and gaming applications, and traditional laptop PCs.

Pansonic KX-MB1500 Series Printers

Panasonic’s has introduced the KX-MB1500 series of printers which will take care of all office requirements, including print, copy, scan and fax functions from one compact machine. The KX-MB1500 series covers two models, the KX-MB1520CX and KX-MB1500CX printers priced at Rs. 8,999 and Rs. 10,990 respectively. These allow you to save a large amount of office space which can be used for other requirements. Its handy slanted control panel lets the user conveniently operate the multifunctional printer whether sitting or standing. The KX-MB1500 series printers feature a slim back design so that consumables and paper can be replenished from the front. The Panasonic KX-MB1500 series printers will be the perfect office equipment for all your professional work.

LAPCARE unveils its First Series of Wireless Optical Mice LAPACRE has launched their first series of wireless optical mice -WL 200 and WL 100. WL 200 wireless mouse is premium in its category and supports 2.4 G wireless technology. Its novel sleek design gives this wireless mouse a classy look. WL 100 comes in rich color variance with the resolution of 1000DPI. Elegant look gives

this wireless mouse a better edge among its competitors. Its cushy design helps users to work with speed, Ease and comfort. WL-200 is priced at Rs. 750/- (MRP). WL-100 is priced at Rs. 600/- (MRP) . WL-200 comes with a warranty of 3 years & WL-100 comes with 2 years warranty and available with LAPCARE national distributor RX Infotech Pvt. Ltd.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

PRODUCT EXPLORER

iRevo Multimedia appoints Navinder Singh Chauhan as VP Marketing iRevo Multimedia has appointed Navinder Singh Chauhan as VP Marketing. With this appointment, Navinder Singh Chauhan would be responsible for driving iRevo Marketing across India. In his earlier assignments, Navinder has lead and driven Marketing teams at Smartlink Network (Diigsol), D-Link, Panduit, and Rashi Peripherals. iRevo is founded by an experienced team of Silicon Valley professionals with depth and breadth of knowledge in the area of Consumer, Internet and Device technologies. iRevo is one of a handful of compa-

nies that has embraced the Cloud based approach (Web Technologies) to support multiple devices running popular operat-

ing systems. iRevo markets and sells smart TV devices that are powered by its globally scalable cloud platform to deliver content on all four screens; TVs, tablets, smartphones and PCs. This platform as a service solution can deliver content and apps to Android, iOS, Windows, Linux and Google TV devices. Furthermore, it extends multiscreen interaction via iRevoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s TelePlay screen shifting technology, which is backward compatible with DLNA solutions. Further details can be found at - http:// in.irevomm.com

PNY Power CL51 PNY Technologies has launched the new Power-CL51 power bank. This trendy and colourful battery pack is a boon for someone who likes to use the smartphone to the fullest, without fearing that the battery may not last long. You can now watch movies on your large screen phones and tablets without worrying about your devices suddenly dropping dead when you are in the middle of an interesting movie. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have to be near any power outlet and get the complete freedom of charging your device anywhere. Shaped similar to a tiny external hard drive

and weighing just 122 grams, the CL51 can easily slip into your coat pocket with its small dimensions of 86 mm x 53 mm x 19 mm. It comes in multiple colours to suit your choice. The CL51 contains a powerful 5100mAh Lithium polymer battery

that can easily extend the battery life of a smartphone such as the iPhone by up to 3 times! An intelligent 3-digit LED display shows the remaining battery power of the CL51. There is a button to switch on/off the power, and the unit automatically shuts down when it senses that nothing is being charged. The smart power management and controller will ensure a high efficiency of power conversion. Power-CL51 has passed FCC/CE certifications and the unique UN38.3 compliance for air transportation safety. The CL51 comes with a 1-year warranty at the price of Rs. 4500.

FEATURE

01/JANUARY/ 2014

The Future is here with Wireless AC Wireless AC, the latest technology innovation, is currently displacing Wireless N. Consumer adoption is ramping up on all continents and significant business adoption is expected in 2014. As with the launch of previous new wireless technologies, end user’s have questions when it comes to performance, compatibility, and efficiency. The biggest advantage of Wireless AC is the incredible speeds it offers. The highest performing routers on the market today offer wireless speeds as high as an astounding 1,300 megabits per second (Mbps). Keep in mind the full Wireless AC specification can accommodate speeds as high as 6.9 Gigabits per second (Gbps), so even faster routers will launch to market down the road. Two other key Wireless AC technologies improve performance. Multi-User MIMO or MU-MIMO gives the router the ability to communicate with multiple users simultaneously—a big advantage in a busy wireless environment. Wireless N routers can only communicate with one user at a time. The second technology, Beam forming, directs

the strongest wireless signal to your particular location resulting in measure throughput increases. Conversely users need to be aware of two product disadvantages. The first is that Wireless AC is not compatible with Wireless N. This simple fact will create connectivity issues during the transition to Wireless AC. With the goal of reducing connectivity conflicts, all Wireless AC routers for the next few years will be dual band with both wireless AC and Wireless N networks. The second issue is that the wireless range for Wireless AC is slightly lower than that of Wireless N. This is due to the fact that the 5 GHz band (that of wireless AC) has a slightly harder time penetrating

Wireless AC is not compatible with Wireless N. This simple fact will create connectivity issues during the transition to Wireless AC. With the goal of reducing connectivity conflicts, all Wireless AC routers for the next few years will be dual band with both wireless AC and Wireless N networks. Mr. Atul Jain, Country Manager, TRENDnet

building materials. Let’s talk terminology. Simply understanding the speed rating of wireless AC products can be difficult. Since routers are dual band, it consists of adding both the AC and N speeds together. For example, anAC1750ratedproduct is comprised of a 1,300 Mbps AC network and a 450 Mbps N network (1300 +450 = AC1750. Similarly, AC1200 routers offer an 866 Mbps AC band (rounded up to 900 of simplicity) and a 300 Mbps N band. Partners often ask: Why would consumers or businesses adopt Wireless AC when internet connection speeds are low? Well, Wireless N is widely adopted and its speeds far exceed most internet connection speeds today. Similar to that of Wireless N, the tipping point for Wireless AC is not internet connection speeds. It’s when tablets, mobile devices, and other products ship with embedded Wireless AC. Over the next two years we will see an incredible volume of connected devices on the market with embedded Wireless AC, thereby driving the demand for Wireless AC networks.

01/JANUARY/ 2014

PRODUCT EXPLRER

Bitdefender lunches Free Safepay Standalone to Protect eBanking, Shopping

TP-LINK Archer C7 802.11ac Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router at COM IT Exhibition 2013

TP-LINK has announced its flagship 802.11ac Archer C7 Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router providing 1750Mbps wireless speeds, simultaneous dual band, Gigabit ports and dual USB sharing ports. With theoretical wireless speeds of up to 1750Mbps, surpassing those of traditional wired Ethernet connections, this latest networking device for homes and offices is set to revolutionize traditional notions of home and small office networking. TP-LINK’s Archer C7 brings the latest in Wi-Fi technology with gigabit wireless networking. The 802.11ac wireless standard provides wireless devices with ultrafast speeds, up to 3x faster than 802.11n and further wireless coverage. Archer C7 is compatible with next generation Wi-Fi devices and backward compatible with 802.11b/g/n devices. The Archer C7 supports simultaneous wireless speeds up to 1300Mbps at 5GHz and 450Mbps at 2.4GHz. That’s more than fast enough for day-to-day applications, such as e- mail and web browsing over the 2.4GHz band, while using the 5GHz channel for bandwidth intensive or latency sensitive applications ranging from multiple HD video streams to several simultaneous online gaming sessions. With Gigabit ports, 10x faster than standard Ethernet, Archer C7 is able to support robust, extremely fast wired networking. The C7’s two multi-functional USB 2.0 ports let you share printers, files and media throughout your network.

Bitdefender has launched Safepay, the acclaimed technology that shields online transactions from growing criminal threats, as a free desktop app to help bring back confidence to online surfing and shopping. Bitdefender Safepay , a hacker-proof hardened browser, protects sensitive data from the full array of threats posed to sensitive banking and financial data, including hackers, phishing, packet sniffing, man-in-thebrowser attacks, man-in-the-middle attack, Trojans, tampering and more. Safepay shields e-shopping and online banking transactions from any spying, de-

tects and blocks ID theft, prevents hostile screenshots of data, bars criminals from tracking keystrokes, detects fraudulent web sites and scans web traffic to foil stealth attacks before they even reach the browser.

MSI GTX 780Ti GAMING

MSI has announced the availability of the GTX 780Ti GAMING graphics card. Featuring the powerful new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780Ti GPU with 3GB of Blazing fast GDDR5. The MSI GTX 780Ti is equipped with the award winning Twin Frozr IV Advanced Thermal Design on top of a customized PCB that promises to maximize performance and efficiency for the highest FPS at the lowest temperatures and least noise. Equipped with MSI’s proprietary Airflow Control Technology, a two 10cm fan setup with patented Propeller Blade Technology, the GTX 780Ti GAMING is sure to impress with its thermal performance. MSI Military Class 4 components deliver higher stability at a longer lilfe time while efficiency is increased.

Cadyce CA-UK200 and Cadyce CA-UK 400 Cadyce CA-UK200 2 Port Desktop USB KVM Switch allows to manage 2 Computers or Servers with only one set of keyboard, mouse and monitor. Cadyce CA-UK200 comes with high VGA resolution 2048 x 1536, USB console support for USB keyboard and mouse and multi-platform support for PCs and Macintosh G3/G4 MAC, iMAC. Cadyce CA-UK400 4 Port Desktop USB

KVM Switch allows you to manage 4 Computers or Servers with only one set of keyboard, mouse and monitor Features• High VGA resolution 2048 x 1536 • USB console support for USB keyboard and mouse • Multi-platform support for PCs and Macintosh • G3/G4 MAC, iMAC

01/JANUARY/ 2014

PRODUCT EXPLORER

TAG unveils USB Bravo Mouse

Technology and Gadgets, with its own brand ‘TAG’, unveils USB Bravo Mouse. TAG USB Bravo mouse has an ergonomic design that makes it comfortable to use for prolonged sessions. TAG USB Bravo mouse acts as a natural hand rest and mirrors the natural contour of the hand. TAG USB Bravo Mouse comes at an MRP of Rs 499/- and available ex-stock with 1 year warranty.

Portronics A2600 mAh Power Bank with Mobile Stand Portronics has introduced the world’s first Power bank with Mobile Stand; Power Cradle. This product is a kind of portable charger with dual functions of power bank along with mobile stand. The power banks are launched plenty in numbers now but what will make a difference now is the design and ergonomics. If you are watching a

movie on your tablet or mobile, you can use this stand and enhance your experience. The experience of watching a movie on Phablets significantly improved. Folding nature of the stand allows you to still keep it more portable and pocket able. Portronics Power Cradle is available in black, blue, red and white colours at Rs 1,299 only.

TOPNOTCH BULLETIN

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Optical Mouse Monster Tower ZEB-BT7500RUCF • Monster Bass 100W RMS

• Supports USB, SD/ MMC FM

• Connect to TV, mo-

bile, PC, Tablets, MP3 players

Tabmate

Bluetooth Mini keyboard

PC/Mac Tablet Smartphone Portable console / media player

SONIC

3.5G USB Dongle

Sonic, your ticket to super fast internet. Enjoy your favorite songs, access your emails, favorite apps, websites anywhere and on the go with Sonic USB dongle.

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RASHI NEWSWIRE

HP ProBook 430 & 400 Series Asus X550CC-XX922D • X550CC-XX922D • CPU: Intel 3rd Gen i3-3217U

• HP Probook 430 & 400 series Battery now launched in India • H6L26AA / H6L27AA – HP 6/9 cell FP06P / FP09P Probook Cell 440 /

450 / 470 series Notebook battery

• H6L28AA – HP 4 cell RA04 Probook 430 Notebook battery

(1.80G, 3M)

• Graphic: Nvdia GT 720M 2G DDR3 VRAM VGA

Asus GTX 780 TI-3GD5

storage

• GTX 780 TI-3GD5 • 3 GB GDDR5 • Engine Clock – 928 MHZ

• Display: 15.6 HD Non-Glare • RAM: 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM • Storage: 500GB HDD 5400 RPM • ODD: DVD RW 8X SM DL ODD • Operating System: DOS • Warranty: 1 year global warranty

• PCI Express 3.0 x 16 • SLI Ready • DP/DVI/HDMI

on-site- warranty

• Colour: Red

APC BX600CI-IN

• Low Input Voltage window 145V – 290V • 3 Battery backed outlets with continuous • • • • • • Quadro K6000 • GPU Memory: 12 GB GDDR5 • Memory Interface: 384-bit • Memory Bandwidth: 288 GB/s • CUDA Cores: 2880 • System Interface: PCI Express 3.0x16 • Max Power Consumption: 225W • Thermal Solution: Ultra-quiet active fansink • Form Factor: 4.4”H x 10.5”L, Dual Slot, Full height • Display Connectors: DVI-DL + DVID DL + 2x DO1.2 +Stereo

surge protection Faster charging Cold start capability Beeper Delay Charging LED display Auto sensitivity setting 2 years warranty including battery

Netgear WNDAP350 • Prosafe Dual Band Wireless Access Point

• Performance – Wireless N with

concurrent dual band operation with quality of service • Mobility – Up to 15x the speed and 10x the coverage of legacy products • Security – Full enterprise security

with WAP, WPA2, 802.1x with Radius and built in rogue AP detection Toll Free Support No. 18001024327

For more information contact: Rashi Branch • Bangalore :42480202, • Mangalore : 2225208, • Hubli: 2213777

SCHEMES & PROMOTIONS

Gigabyte Rewards Partners with a Rejuvenating South African Holiday

Appreciating their contributions towards the growth of the Gigabyte brand in India, Gigabyte Technology (India) Pvt. Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, recently treated its top performing channel partners of the Financial Year 2012-13, to a South African pleasure trip. Named GigabyteLions – South Africa, Annual Meet 2013, the event also witnessed a gala dinner-cum-awards evening wherein Gigabyte felicitated its most result-oriented partners from across regions and product categories, with magnificent trophies. The star attractions of the fun excursion, organized between November 22 and 26, 2013, included visits to the Table Mountain (one of the world’s New Seven Wonders of Nature), which gives spectacular, panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Town, one of the world’s most attractive cities; Sun City, the South Africa’s premier holiday resort, offering a wide range of entertainment and relaxation opportunities; and a wild animal safari across the legendary Pilanesberg Game Reserve; among others. The program also offered partners luxurious stays at The Palace of the Lost City, styled in the ancient African architectural features and colors, in Sun City; and Southern Sun Cape Sun, situated at the heart of the Cape Town business district. At the Gigabyte gala event held at Southern Sun Cape Sun, Shiva Young, Deputy Manager at Gigabyte Technology Co. Ltd; and Sunil Grewal, Director – Sales, Gigabyte Technology (India), formally felicitated all the committed channel partners present on the occasion, and also gave away the Gigabyte Star Performer Awards - 2012-13, for the most successful partners.

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Quick Heal Kharido Fayade Mein Raho offer Quick Heal has introduced an exciting scheme, Quick Heal Kharido Fayade Mein Raho offer for its authorized Q Elite partner and Q Strategic partner. The scheme is valid from 15th November 2013 to 20th March 2014. The partners need to purchase Quick Heal products form Quick Heal Q-Premium partner to

win exciting prizes. The exciting prizes range from European tour, gold , Samsung LED TV, Honda Activa, Apple iphone 5C, Asus Fonepad Tablet, HP printer and other prizes. The Grand prize is Europe Tour with family for 7 days on net purchase of Rs.30,00,000/-.

Lenovo announces ‘Black Knights’ incentive scheme Lenovo has announced a unique rewards programme, “Black Knights” incentive scheme# for its channel partners in India. This initiative is aimed at rewarding channel partners for new business acquisitions, as a means of boosting sales for Lenovo’s enterprise business, as well as incentivizing partners to go the extra mile. The scheme is valid on sales of all Commercial products which consist of ThinkCentre Desktops, Workstations, ThinkPad Laptops and Ultrabooks, and will continue till March 2014.

Trend Micro announces Incentive Schemes for Channel Partners for Q4, 2013 Trend Micro has announced the incentive schemes for Partner Sales & Presales Representative for Trend Micro Deep Discovery and Deep Security Products. The schemes for the ‘simple to buy, simpler to deploy and simplest to manage’ solutions closes for this Quarter on 24th December, 2013. The order closure for Sales & Presales Representative is of Rs. 10,000 for Deep Security. The successful PoC is Rs. 5000 for Technical Representative and Order Closure for Sales Representative Rs. 10,000. The PoC is to be initiated after

approval by Trend Micro account manager. The customer sign-off document is required for claims on successful PoC’s. This scheme is not valid for renewals. Trend Micro reserves the right to change, modify or cancel this scheme or any of its components. In case of dispute, Trend Micro’s decision will be final & binding.

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RNI No.2003\14367 Publication Date: 01/01/2014

Registered No: KL/CT/155/2011-13 Postal Date: 01/01/2014

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