In this era of global slowdown and recession, collaborative computing will play a big role

For more than seventy years, Samsung has been dedicated to making a better
world through diverse businesses. Through innovative and reliable products and
businesses, a responsible approach to business and global citizenship, and
collaboration with partners and customers, Samsung is taking the world in new
directions. From stylish phones to semiconductors, from DRAM to digital TVs,
Samsung encompasses a variety of businesses that harness speed, creativity and
efficiency to invent, develop and market products that are defining how we live
today. In an interview with Voice&Data, Rajesh Chopra, VP, information system,
Samsung India spoke about the company's initiatives for wireless and telecom,
Web and green practices. Excerpts

What role does wireless play within your enterprise? What kind of benefits
has it brought you?

In today's competitive environment, it is imperative that organizations have
the best technology in place to ensure good and profitable results. I think
wireless plays a very significant role within any enterprise and it is the
backbone for our business as well. Samsung uses wireless networks in designing
future generation products in our R&D centers. Speed and security concerns in
wireless networks have prevented enterprise wide deployment.

What are the technologies that you plan to deploy in the future and the
challenges that you foresee in managing the IT and telecom infrastructures in
your company?

We are looking at collaborative computing technologies like web-TV and
web-meeting to enhance organizational capabilities and reduce speed and cost of
communication. We also propose to leverage benefits that would come with 3G
deployment for enhancing the capabilities of our mobility applications. Cost and
availability of telecom infrastructure continue to be a big challenge in
managing the telecom infrastructure in the company.

Getting the best value from a communications service provider is often a
challenge. What should a CIO keep in mind while dealing with a service provider?

Reach and speed of deployment is important while dealing with a
communications service provider. Communications networks are the backbone of
information system deployment in the company. Lack of adequate support
infrastructure and quality manpower at up-country locations continue to be big
issues with most service providers.

With networks becoming cumbersome and difficult to manage, do you feel
outsourcing is the need of the hour?

Once core networks are designed and are operative, outsourcing can ensure
stability and availability of quality manpower to the organization.

Are you satisfied with the quality of services provided by the
communications service provider? What are your demands and concerns regarding
this?

Samsung works only with class A communications service providers. However,
as mentioned earlier, speed of deployment and availability in up-country remote
locations continue to be the concerns with service providers. Getting the right
technology at the right time and at the right price is also a major concern for
any enterprise.

Communications and networking technologies are changing very rapidly. What
is the best strategy an enterprise can deploy? What are the new technologies
that Samsung is presently testing?

Yes, technology obsolence is inevitable. Still organizations should ensure
that technology is able to meet at least the next three years' business goals
and the provider has adequate capabilities to upscale and upgrade technology if
the need arises.

What are the key trends in enterprise communications? Name top five
technologies that you think are going to make a mark in the future?

In the era of global slowdown and recession in some of the sectors,
collaborative computing will play a big role in overall cost optimization. From
instant messaging, videoconferencing, tele-presence, Web content delivery, IPv6
3G are expected to make a big impact this year.

How is telecom making businesses more competitive?

Thanks to improved telecom infrastructure and penetration of service
providers, we are able to get cost and service advantage from leading telecom
operators. Samsung is going to expand the sales network in B & C class cities
this year and presence of national players in upcountry and rural areas will
ensure availability of good quality telecom services. Launch of 3G services by
leading operators and video-on-demand for employees on the move will lead to
increase in overall productivity.

Wireless has grown rapidly. What kind of issues and challenges has it
thrown up, especially in terms of network security and network management?

While there has been considerable improvement in the speed offered by
wireless networks challenges have become two fold in the utilization: How do you
protect outsiders accessing your wireless network and how do you stop your
employees accessing unprotected wireless networks operating in the neighborhood?
Samsung, as a policy, has not adopted wireless networks.

Going green is the most talked about issue in the entire telecom industry,
and Samsung is very bullish about this. So what are your recent initiatives on
that front?

Samsung being a technology leader in the green movement has been an early
adapter of energy saving devices. Critical servers have been re-organized into
blade servers for energy saving purposes. Printers with higher CPP and power
consumptions are being replaced. Samsung has taken the lead in launching
environmentally friendly phones like W510.

W510 is Samsung's first mobile phone with 'bio-plastic' made from natural
material extracted from corns. Samsung has been making an effort to develop more
renewable and eco-friendly material compared with common plastic produced from
petroleum. Moreover, when producing the W510, Samsung did not use any heavy
metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating.
Similarly, Samsung F268, with all the accessories including charger and headset,
does not contain BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC.

What will be your technology roadmap for 2009?

Samsung will be collaborating with business associates like OEM
manufacturers, trade partners and suppliers through a common portal for exchange
of vital information on real-time basis. We will be expanding the
videoconferencing network upto branch level; and at critical locations we
propose to set up telepresence system for collaborative computing. Mobility
applications are being deployed for traveling sales and service employees for
messaging, workflow applications and exchange of information on a real-time
basis.

Arpita Prem

arpitap@cybermedia.co.in