News in briefs

Vegesna unveils IT products



HYDERABAD: Vegesna Software Solutions Ltd. of Hyderabad has unveiled a range of
IT products that include emate, a law suite, and range of branded PCs. Its law

suite is a comprehensive, user-friendly compendium that serves as a ready to use

solutions for issues relating to law. "It is a digital library aimed at the

legal community and other users who wish to have details of issues relating to

law and which will help them to navigate through the deluge of legal

information," explained Vegesna’s vice-president of business development

Mustaq A Mohajir. The product consists of five modules with an extensive

database on cases relating to direct taxes, central excise, sales tax and

central excise, secretarial practice, company law, labor law and consumer

reports. The company is planning to set up its own portal and update all the

buyers on legal issues. The software suite is priced at Rs 9,700. — CNS

Gestetner launches copy-printer series



NEW DELHI: Gestetner India Ltd. (GIL), a subsidiary of the UK-based
Gestetner Holdings Plc., has launched a series of Digital Printers - 5308, 5450,

5490 and CS206 at 'Printpack India 2001' Exhibition held at Pragati Maidan.

While the first three are copy printers, 5490 is a color printer. These

interfaced printers are in the range of Rs 4 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. GIL's 5308/5308b

are available in A4 or B4 machine configurations and have a speed of 130 pages

per minute with a 300pi print resolution. GIL is targeting these products at

printing and offset industry, low-end digital and printing equipment

manufacturers. GIL is entering this sector for the first time and expects to

sell around 100 machines. As part of the plans, the firm has appointed channel

partners from the printing industry to tap the offset market. — CNS

Satyam to open center in Dubai



HYDERABAD: Satyam Computer Services has decided to open its
marketing-cum-software development center at Dubai. According to sources, the

center will be inaugurated by Satyam’s chairman Ramlinga Raju in the first

week of April and will have at least 100 software professionals who will be

working for various projects that will be undertaken by the company. Mercator, a

subsidiary of the UAE-based Emirates group, will be one of Satyam’s major

clients. The firm is already having a dedicated center for Mercator in Hyderabad.

Mercator specializes in consultancy and business solutions for airliners and the

travel agencies. The Dubai center will be an addition to its existing seven

offsite software development centers. The company has also proposed to open its

software development center in Melbourne in Australia and Mauritius to cater to

the software needs of that region. - CNS

UN to set up IT task force



HYDERABAD: United Nations will soon be setting up an information and
communications technology task force. "The purpose of creating this task

force is to harness the power of IT for the benefit of common people and bridge

the digital divide," said Kofi Annan, Secretary General United Nations. The

UN is particularly concerned about the increasing gap between the have and

have-nots and countries that lacked trained manpower and legal and regulatory

frameworks to attract the MNC investments for the use of bandwidth. Speaking at

a session of the Confederation of Indian Industry on "Closing the digital

divide", Annan said there was a great potential for a country like India

and Africa to work in close cooperation in the field of IT. Some African

countries are taking impressive steps to lay the groundwork for a digital

revolution and with active cooperation between these two countries, they can do

wonders, he said - CNS