India to set up automatic monitoring of communications

India plans to set up a centralized system to monitor communications on mobile phones, landlines and the Internet in the country, a minister told the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament, on Thursday. A pilot of the new Centralized Monitoring System (CMS) is to be started by June next year, subject to clearances by other government agencies, Gurudas Kamat, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology told the Rajya Sabha, according to an announcement by the government's Press Information Bureau. Indian laws allow the interception and monitoring of communications under certain conditions, including to counter terrorism. The CMS will have central and regional databases to help central and state-level enforcement agencies intercept and monitor communications, the government said.

It will also feature analysis of call data records and data mining of these records to identify call details, location details, and other information of the target numbers. It will also have direct electronic provisioning of target numbers by government agencies without any intervention from telecom service providers, it added. The current system used by the government for call monitoring can be easily compromised because of the requirement of manual intervention at many stages, the minister said. The statement by Kamat comes on the anniversary of a terrorist attack on a number of sites in Mumbai, including two premium hotels, a railway station, and a Jewish community center. Interception using the new system will also be instant, he added.

The terrorists are believed to have used mobile communications and the Internet extensively to plan and execute their attacks. Some experts have argued that the government should set up an organization like an ombudsman to ensure that information collected during surveillance is not misused. The government brought into force earlier this year the Information Technology (Amendment) Act 2008, an amendment to an earlier law, which broadened the government's powers to intercept and monitor communications.

Do you know where your employees are working?

It's time for ad hoc telework programs to be brought up to snuff. In some cases, disaster recovery plans have spawned well-structured and documented telework programs. Technology has enabled telework programs to evolve beyond images of people dialing up in pajamas to remote workers tapping advanced collaboration tools that increase productivity and ensure business continuity. But at the majority of companies, there are no formal telework policies in place, even as more and more workers go mobile.

Almost everyone today teleworks in one way or another," says Chuck Wilsker, president and CEO of The Telework Coalition. "Half of the workers know they do it, close to another half don't realize they do it when they check e-mail from a hotel room or a BlackBerry, for instance, and a small percentage of certain types of employees might not do it at all. How to deck out your home office "Telework is not just working from home; it is working from a location that is not the corporate office. But easily 75% of companies don't have official telework policies, despite employees working remotely often, which could be a problem." Here are 10 simple steps that can help organizations advance their telework programs from ad hoc to admirable. 1. Survey employeesThe best place to start when establishing policies for remote work is with employees. Also consider the environment to determine if the type of positions could be supported remotely. "It is critical for an organization to ask employees if they are interested in telework and what they would like to see in such a program," says Cindy Auten, general manager for Telework Exchange. "Such surveys also help to lay a foundation for what degree of telework a company can support. Companies should survey staff to understand who would want to work remotely and why. The responses will help organizations establish a program suited to their employees and work environment." 2. Perform cost analysisThe benefits of telework can range from lessened real estate and power costs for employers to fewer dollars spent commuting for employees.

That's why companies should invest some time upfront understanding how they can save money and increase productivity, experts say. "The main driver for a successful, policy-based telework program is often the cost savings a company can realize," says Lawrence Imeish, principal consultant for Dimension Data. "But companies need to understand how they can save costs, for instance in real estate, and implement the needed steps to achieve those savings." For example, if 10% of the workforce will be working remotely, companies could invest up to 10% less in corporate real estate or cut back on LAN expenditures, and instead invest that capital in technology to support remote work. "Telework can become valuable and strategic if companies follow through with a program from start to finish," Imeish says. "Understanding there could be savings but not changing investment plans could lessen the cost-savings benefit of telework." 3. Get management supportOne would think that positive employee feedback and potential cost-savings would guarantee management support for a remote work program, but telework advocates must secure executive buy-in before moving the policies to the next level. (See related story, "Five signs your telework program is a bust.")  "There are some in management that simply don't buy into telework and can't easily be swayed," Wilsker says. "I have seen successful telework programs come to a screeching halt when new management takes over. But depending on the business, the benefits of implementing a telework program might not immediately outweigh the costs. Take, for instance, AT&T." Program advocates must also provide ongoing updates showing the success or challenges of the telework program, helping to maintain management support. "Businesses change, conditions change. Either can work, but documented policies will help organizations avoid confusion or problems when something goes awry. "Telework is a program, and like all programs, the better it is developed and documented, the better it will work," says Ben Rothke, a New York-city based senior security consultant with BT Professional Services. "Successful teleworking programs don't just happen. Ongoing assessments will help management understand how telework continues to support current business operations," Wilsker adds. 4. Document policiesFor many, telework programs can be as simple as working from home during a snowstorm or as involved as sharing shifts with others and rotating remote work days based on multiple schedules.

They are the results of significant planning, testing and training." Documentation also can help avoid upset when employees and cultures clash over remote workers. Companies must pick and choose which workers are eligible, communicate it clearly and keep it documented to avoid future upset over restrictions," Dimension Data's Imeish says. 5. Acquire technologyGranting permission to work remotely isn't going to guarantee a successful telework program. Not all jobs are suited for remote access, and companies need to establish clear guidelines regarding which positions can support telework and how often. "A prison guard obviously cannot be a teleworker. Remote workers will also need the tools and technology to enable them to work productively in other environments and collaborate with co-workers as though they were sitting in the next cube. (See related story, "Secure telework without a VPN.")  Instant messaging, e-mail, Web cameras, video conferencing and Web conferences are a few collaboration tools that could enable remote workers to operate as though they were in the office. For instance, instead of having employees use whatever they find, companies should select a few options for home workers and mobile workers.

And technologies such as routers that enable home workers to segregate corporate and personal traffic can help reduce security risks and speed helpdesk calls. "Home users with their kids on the same link could actually become quite the nightmare for support," Imeish says. "You can't just send people home to work without providing them the right tools to be productive and to mitigate risk to the company." It can also help to standardize on technology. Employees can choose from the options, which will enable the company to better secure its environment and helps support teams to more easily address remote worker issues. "You don't want users tapping any technology they have. Also be sure to establish early who pays for the home office equipment or the local broadband connection, Wilsker adds. To make telework successful, companies should standardize on VPNs and encrypted tunnels, for instance." Imeish says. Companies could offset costs with telework, but employees should not be incurring additional costs because they agree to work remotely. "It's not a case in which the employee pays to work from home. In the same vein as segregating traffic and determining eligible positions, companies must understand what information employees have access to and ensure if working remotely the data is always secure. "Are the files secure in the remote location or are they lying around someone's house?

Organizations need to establish the rules for who pays for what and how much is in the budget for telework technology," he says. 6. Secure dataCorporate intellectual property and client data, for instance, also need to be considered when moving work outside of the office. Is the employee logging out of secure systems or leaving applications open?" Telework Exchange's Auten asks. "There are too many stories of laptops gone missing with critical data already. Learning remote access technologies and understanding security policies are just two reasons organizations should require employees who wish to work remotely to complete telework training programs. "Employee screening and training – including managers that may not know how to manage remote workers – should be mandatory for those involved in the telework program" Wilsker says. "Understanding how to communicate and keep the lines open is essential for telework to succeed. Companies must set strong security policies and ensure they can be enforced." 7. Require trainingJust as employees often must be trained on a new phone system or e-mail application, experts advise companies to mandate telework training. Training on collaboration tools and the policies around staying in touch with the office is critical." Companies can even offer a resource guide of sorts for those employees who telework.

Some kinks might need to be worked out and employees re-trained over time," she says. 8. Measure employee performanceTo ensure employees remain productive when they're remote, companies can baseline worker output prior to telework and measure performance following the transition. Create a checklist for employees to follow daily, weekly and monthly to keep the program on track, Auten adds. "When organizations are supporting telework, they should review the program on a regular recurring basis. While some managers might measure work by attendance, experts say there are better metrics to understanding how much gets done outside of the office. "If a company is focused on output rather than process, they are going to care about presence," Imeish says. "But it can be a difficult premise to overcome." For instance, instant messaging programs can be configured to show when users are idle, but if that feels too Big Brother for some organizations, policies can be used to prove presence – remotely. "Managers can require workers check in at certain times, provide work progress updates and show results," Imeish says. "It's best to define success criteria upfront and measure results as you go. While many in management might worry about under-achieving workers, experts says often the opposite happens. Companies should get a little bit more productivity out of telework." The productivity responsibility doesn't just fall to employees either.

Auten says managers must be in tune with employee performance and try to help them sustain a work-life balance, despite being able to work 24-7. "Managers have to be very accountable for their employees' work output. Because many remote workers also take advantage of flexible schedules, support might not be readily available at all hours. "IT needs to know what people are working remotely and where. Telework requires a work-life balance, and a program can go south if employees aren't stepping away from their desk to take lunch or logging off at a reasonable hour," she says. "Telework can quickly lead to employee burnout if a balance is not established." 9. Provide supportNot only does the remote work require technology to succeed, but helpdesk teams need to understand who works off-site and how to best support their needs. There will be different time zones and different work habits they will need to deal with, which could be seen as more work for support, but shouldn't," Wilsker says. "Insufficient tech support could hamper telework. Telework programs can leave employees feeling left out of the team, which is why program advocates must be sure to incorporate cultural needs into their plans. "Technology can bridge the intimacy gap employees experience with telework to a certain degree. Be transparent with IT so they can understand how to meet the needs of remote workers." 10. Cultivate work cultureRemotes workers want to feel connected to their companies, despite being located elsewhere.

It won't feel like they are in the office, but use video conferencing or inexpensive Web cameras to keep employees from feeling isolated," Imeish says. "If you can't help employees feel like part of a team, telework could result in turnover." Do you Tweet? Follow Denise Dubie on Twitter

Microsoft greasing Windows 7 skids with early release of desktop tools

With the hope of sparking Windows 7 upgrades, Microsoft is planning an early release of its suite of desktop deployment tools.  The tools were originally slated to ship in early 2010, but Microsoft hopes to give customers the software in late October for use in rollouts of Windows 7 across corporate desktops. The news of the early release was announced by Ran Oelgiesser, senior product manager for MED-V, on the MDOP blog. The catch is that the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) R2 2009 is only available to volume licensing customers with Software Assurance contracts.

Slideshow: Snow Leopard vs. All the tools in MDOP R2 2009 will include support for Windows 7 except MED-V. Support for the new OS in MED-V 1.0 SP1 will come early in 2010, wrote Oelgiesser. Windows 7 Windows 7 is slated to ship to commercial customers on Oct. 22, but corporate users with volume licensing contracts have had access to Windows 7 since last month. MED-V runs multiple versions of Windows or applications concurrently without having to open multiple virtual machine sessions. The suite is a major part of Microsoft 's Optimized Desktop strategy, which addresses centralized management and deployment of physical and virtual resources.

The software complements another MDOP tool called App-V, which is used for managing and deploying virtual PCs. The MDOP lineup also includes Asset Inventory Service; System Center Desktop Error Monitoring; Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) for change management via group policy objects; and the Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, which helps in recovering a crashed PC. MDOP is composed of software from Microsoft's purchases of Softricity, Kidaro, AssetMetrix, Winternals Software and DesktopStandard. According to Oelgiesser, App-V 4.5 SP1 will have various integration points with 32-bit versions of Windows 7, including with the AppLocker, Branch Cache and BitLocker ToGo features. The 64-bit version, App-V 4.6 will be available in the first half of 2010. Advanced Group Policy Management 4.0 features two new capabilities targeted at Windows 7. One allows users to manage group policies across different domains, and the other provides new search and filtering to ease tracking of group policy objects. In addition, the software will support 32-bit version of XP, Vista and Windows Server. Follow John Fontana on Twitter 

Dell-Perot Deal Spells Trouble for Tier-Two Outsourcers

The consolidating IT services market contracted a bit further on Monday with Dell's announcement that it will acquire Perot Systems for $3.9 billion. The fact that Dell paid nearly a 70 percent premium on Perot's stock price to seal the deal confirms "the value of integrating hardware and services for infrastructure management is clearly gaining momentum," says Peter Bendor-Samuel, CEO of outsourcing consultancy Everest Group, which counts both Perot and Dell among its clients. The Texas twosome can hardly match the scale of HP or IBM on the outsourcing front-Perot brings just $2.7 billion in services revenue to the table-but the matchup is clearly made in their image.

It also suggests, he adds, that the size of outsourcing/hardware companies will continue to increase in importance. But Dell, struggling as a hardware manufacturer at a time when infrastructure sales are slow, wants in on the outsourcing business, even if it takes several acquisitions to do it. "Perot's capabilities are focused on a few geographies and industries, which Dell will need to grow or complement with other acquisitions to attain greater scale to compete head-on with the likes of HP and IBM," says Bendor-Samuel. [ Related: Dell Perot Deal: Big Price Tag, Small Industry Impact and FAQ: What the Dell-Perot Merger Means for the IT Industry. ] Neither company is likely to be too worried about the competition at this point. While Perot operates in some high-interest industries-most notably healthcare and government services-its footprint remains relatively small. It's more likely that Dell-Perot will make inroads on smaller deals. "Dell and Perot Systems can exert pressure in this sector, and if played right, could see their market share increase in the midmarket in both products and services," says Stan Lepeak, managing director at outsourcing consultancy EquaTerra. India-based providers who've been attempting to ramp up their infrastructure offerings "must continue to find ways to grow and reach meaningful scale," says Bendor-Samuel. As such, it's the tier-two players that will be watching the Dell-Perot deal closely.

Meanwhile, traditional IT services players who've yet to walk down the aisle with a hardware vendor-such as ACS, CSC and Unisys-may be wondering how wise it was to stay single. "They will be asking themselves how they can grow in the infrastructure space to meet the increased threat posed by the integrated hardware and services offerings of IBM, HP, and now Dell," Bendor-Samuel says. While Dell may be eager to keep Perot clients-and their relatively healthy profit margins-existing customers should proceed with caution (See Five Steps to Take if Your Outsourcer is Sold.) Specifically, clients should assess any impact the deal has on non-Dell hardware options, Lepeak advises. As for integration issues, Dell and Perot may have an easier go of it than most. "Good cultural alignment, close physical proximity for key leaders, and the absence of an entrenched services business at Dell-together with the obvious convergence around the value of Perot as a hardware channel for Dell and Dell as a lead generator for Perot-should make integration much faster and less painful than is the norm for deals of this scale," says Mark Robinson, EquaTerra's chief operating officer. Those most worried about the Perot deal are Dell customers working with other outsourcers. "While growing the legacy Perot Systems' client base, Dell must use caution not to alienate hardware clients who are using other service providers for outsourcing services," says Lepeak.

Apple to launch tablet in February 2010, asserts new report

Apple will launch a tablet-style device sporting a 9.6-inch display in February 2010, according to sources cited by a Taiwanese Web publication today. The tablet will feature the 9.6-inch screen, the multi-touch user interface made famous by the iPhone and iPod Touch, and a processor created by P.A. Semi, the Santa Clara, Calif. microprocessor design company that Apple purchased over a year ago . Apple's device will also reportedly include a HSPDA (High Speed Download Packet Access) module. The Taiwan Economic News said industry sources have claimed several component suppliers are building parts for an upcoming Apple tablet computer, which will launch in about five months. HSPDA is the 3G cellular data protocol used by AT&T in the U.S.; AT&T is currently Apple's exclusive carrier partner in the United States.

Verizon uses the EVDO Rev. T-Mobile, which is an Apple partner in Germany and Austria, also uses HSPDA in the U.S. If true, it would put the brakes on rumors that Verizon , which has supposedly been in talks with Apple, will replace AT&T on the computer maker's A-list. A (Evolution-Data Optimized) data protocol instead. Talk of such a device, which some analysts have dubbed an "iPod Touch on steroids," has been both brisk and long-running. The selling price for Apple's tablet, said the Taiwan Economic News 's sources, will be between $800 and $1,000. This is far from the first time that tales of an Apple tablet have been told.

In May, for example, Wall Street analyst Gene Munster, of Piper Jaffray, used circumstantial evidence and checks with Asian component suppliers to bet that Apple would release a $500-$700 tablet next year. By now, although the continuing chatter makes some sense, it's getting harder to swallow the gossip, said Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with Technology Business Research who covers Apple. "It makes sense, it hangs together, sure," said Gottheil today. "But I'm starting to think that this is just a bunch of people believing each other, or maybe even an Apple disinformation campaign." What struck Gottheil today was the specificity of the report out of Taiwan. "The sources named the companies and they named the components," he said. "That's not how Apple does business." Rather, Apple goes to great lengths to make sure its suppliers keep mum about the work they're doing for the company, Gottheil maintained. "The signs are there that it makes sense for Apple to be doing something in the 'bigger than an iPod Touch' space, but I'm not sure this report adds any evidence to those signs," Gottheil said. "It's almost starting to look like people [are] just playing with the idea or even having fun with it." Tablet rumors picked up significantly just prior to Apple's annual developers conference in early June, but analysts then predicted - correctly, as it turned out - that the company would not unveil such a device at the time.

ITU Telecom World expo shifts in response to economic crisis

The ITU Telecom World exhibition has returned to Geneva after a visit to Hong Kong in 2006 - and has brought many Asian exhibitors back with it. The booths of China Mobile, ZTE and Datang Telecom Group loom over the entrance to the main hall, alongside those of NTT DoCoMo and Fujitsu, while upstairs Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics booths dwarf that of Cisco Systems, which has more meeting rooms than products on display. "Ten months ago, people were urging us to cancel the event," said Hamadoun Touré, secretary-general of the International Telecommunication Union, which organizes the exhibition and the policy forum that runs alongside it. There are also signs that the way some companies are using the show is shifting. The pessimists feared that the show would attract neither exhibitors nor visitors, as companies slashed marketing budgets and cut back on business travel in the midst of the economic downturn.

The ITU still expects 40,000 visitors at this year's show; 82,000 turned up at the last Geneva event, in 2003. This year, around half the show is occupied by national pavilions: Saudi Arabia has the biggest, followed by those of Spain and Russia. While the show is noticeably smaller than previous editions - it only occupies Halls 2, 4 and 5 of the sprawling seven-hall Palexpo exhibition center, with some yawning gaps between stands, Touré is satisfied. "It's a good show, despite the crisis," he said. Other European nations, including Belgium, France and the U.K., also have pavilions, but by far the most numerous are those of the African nations: Burundi, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The biggest company stands are those of the Asian network operators and equipment manufacturers, with the U.S. and Western European countries keeping a low profile. Microsoft and IBM have booths, but you'd barely notice.

This domination of the show floor is not down to size alone: It's also about tactics. There were actually only three of them, but their effect was magnified by loud music and the multiple video walls on the booth. Russia deployed what looked like an army of violinists dressed mostly in sequins on its stand on Monday. China Mobile has taken a similar route, with the logo of its 3G mobile brand, Wo, swirling and pulsing hypnotically across the walls and even the ceiling of its booth. Similar exhibits fill the stands at NTT DoCoMo and Samsung.

ZTE has taken a more traditional route, with glass cases full of mobile phones, modems and cellular base stations. On the Cisco booth, there are almost no products to be seen - unless you count the looming bulk of one of its TelePresence systems, linking the booth in high resolution to similar systems around the world. This shows images of the products that can be rotated on screen to examine them from different angles - and even measured or dismantled so that prospective buyers can figure out whether they would fit in their data center. Other elements of the Cisco product range are present virtually thanks to another screen, supplied by Massachusetts-based Kaon Interactive. Like Secretary-General Touré, Cisco faced a crucial decision last year about whether to maintain a show presence in Geneva. "One year ago, it wasn't clear how many customers were going to make this trip," said Suraj Shetty, the company's vice president of worldwide service provider marketing.

That's why the rest of the stand is given over to meeting rooms. "Our focus is on customer intimacy," Shetty said. However, the company realized that "this could be used as an opportunity to shift how we get contact with customers," he said. Carrier Ethernet specialist Ciena has taken a similar approach. Like Cisco, it prefers to show products virtually, rather than physically. "Computer graphics and touch screens are more effective in these cases. Its stand, close to Cisco's and even more discreet, consists entirely of meeting rooms. That's the trend," said Ciena CTO Stephen Alexander.

If you're buying bulky network or data center infrastructure, then don't expect to kick the tires at a trade show next year - although you might be able to click on them, on the booth's screen or your own.