3G would increase the workload on data centers

The proprietary technology network of WNS Global

Services called WNSNet is a plug-and-play network that offers 99.99% uptime and

full redundancy. The company has two points of presence in the US, two in the UK

and one in Singapore. All the POPs are connected over WNSNet on a high capacity,

multiple path and supplier cable system to provide self healing and complete

redundancy. WNS voice infrastructure is built with multiple service providers at

POPs, and runs on one of the latest Avaya infrastructure. Recently, WNS Avaya

infrastructure was recognized for its innovative way of implementation, reducing

operational cost and increasing efficiency. The company's technology and

telecommunication team has an extensive experience in applications, network

management and technology operations. Sanjay Jain, CIO and head delivery, global

transformation practice, WNS Global Services talks about technology upgradations.

Excerpts

The government recently gave a go-ahead to agents working from home. How

is it likely to evolve?



In the context of the Indian market, one of the key issues is in the area of
logical partitioning which restricts enterprises, wherein ITeS and customers are

unable to enjoy the full benefits of some key applications like mobility and

conferencing. This may affect the domestic/retail segment in a big way as many

business segments are currently doing proof of concept on this. Having said

this, the security of customer/corporate still needs to be addressed when it

comes to application and data access by the home agent.

How will the IT and telecom infrastructure be affected

by the adoption of technologies like 3G and WiMax?



The coming of 3G is expected to increase the workload on data center

infrastructure offering more multimedia based services. With the proliferation

of 3G, users might look at mobile device not just as a phone connection. As a

result, one can expect the demand for entertainment (video streaming) and other

hosted applications. Corporate creation and the usage of applications and data

on-the-go is also likely to increase substantially.

This increase in the usage from the retail and corporate

users will lead to the frequent access of a number of applications over wireless

devices, increasing the workload on data center infrastructure. This would

inevitably lead to the usage of high end servers (higher computing capacity),

higher storage, back up, access control and security.

What advantages do green technologies have?



Green is the 'color to be'. The recent economic downturn has emerged as an

unlikely driver for the adoption of green data centers. In an attempt to cut

costs, IT companies running data centers are also keen on implementing green

technologies that might not have been a high priority if not for the economic

slump.

In the last two years, WNS has been involved in

virtualization and has been awarded in the industry for the implementation.

Although a majority of companies claim that they are going green due to

environmental concerns, cost saving is the primary objective of adopting green

IT.

Green technologies offer many advantages. Reduced energy

consumption in data centers leads to both cost and environmental benefits. In

addition, the dissipation of less heat compared to the typical data center

hardware results in minimal cooling requirements. Virtualization also aids in

significantly reducing the number of servers required for IT operations, thereby

saving considerable space.

What kind of storage and security solutions do you use?

How often you upgrade it?



WNS uses best of the industry standard storage and security solutions. The data
storage security solutions we implement today to protect our clients' digital

assets will not be the same tomorrow as needs will change. As the ICT

environment evolves and with changes in the security practices to keep up with

the evolution of threat, any technology we implement today will have a finite

lifespan defined by how long it can be adapted or reconfigured to meet the

present threat. Technologies built on broad concepts such as encryption, access

control and transmission restrictions can adapt with these changes. Devices that

address specific or limited threat are upgraded or replaced on a need basis to

meet the business and compliance requirements.

What are the technological upgradations you are

considering?



WNS core IT group examines infrastructure from time to time, and develop
improvement plans in line with the long term goals. All such upgrades or

investments are potential technical improvements and help make decisions which

give the best return on investment and minimize risks. All such upgrades are

highly focused on minimizing the resource, increasing efficiency, reliable

production and reduce the energy consumption.

Please name the top five trends in the ICT space?



One of the key technologies which is getting acceptance in recent times is

rich media conferencing or collaboration solutions to enable virtual workspaces

catering to the demanding business needs. Mobility, unified messaging, cloud

computing and software-as-a-service are the other key trends.

What is your opinion about the role of unified

communications in enterprise communications?



Telecom is already making the most of the new technology by developing

solutions which can help to make business more competitive and give our business

the leading edge. Just to name one, at WNS we offer our customers a unique 'pay

for use' on the bandwidth usage. Telecom services is one of the most dynamic

industries in the world, fueled by a combination of deregulation and rapid

technology developments that has led to a complete overhaul of the competitive

landscape.

UC has a very promising future in the Indian market as

acceptance is getting better day by day, across all the verticals. The most

important aspect of unified communications is that businesses now have many more

options for how they connect with their employees, partners and customers.

Unified communications offer a host of collaboration tools that will help a

business to be more productive and efficient.

Wireless has grown rapidly in the past few years. What

kind of issues and challenges has it thrown up, especially in terms of network

security and management?



Proliferation of wireless has been phenomenal in the last few years,

creating new business opportunities, availability and increasing the business

and communication on mobility; but it has posed increased security risks as

well. Wireless networks need to be configured in a secure manner like a

corporate network. Non corporate wireless are insecure and they are prone to

attacks from outsiders. Bluetooth enabled devices are a threat to wireless

networks.

Are you satisfied with the QoS provided by the service

providers? What are the demands and concerns regarding this?Yes, we are very

much satisfied with the QoS provided by our communication services providers. At

WNS, we have built a completely fault tolerant MPLS network consisting of multi

service provider/path network. We have a regular service review with the service

providers to ensure that we are on the shortest available path, downtime is

minimal; and we take proactive approach to ensure that service quality is

maintained throughout. In the last two years, we have maintained 99.99% of the

total uptime with a prompt support from the communication service providers. The

only challenge is related to the timeline required in the installation and

commissioning of circuits.

Akhilesh Shukla



akhileshs@cybermedia.co.in