Shveta Sharma

IP Multimedia Subsystem is a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) which integrates the services provided by the long-existing IP network with the mobility of portable digital devices such as 3G cellular phones. It enables the convergence of voice, video, data and mobile network technology over an IP-based infrastructure.
Hence, the users will be able to execute all their services when roaming as well as from their home networks. So, a multimedia session between two IMS users, between an IMS user and a user on the Internet, and between two users on the Internet is established using exactly the same protocol. Moreover, the interfaces for service developers are also based on IP protocols.
Advantages of Employing IP Multimedia Subsystems
• Creating a new service is a very time consuming and money consuming process. It is one of the biggest challenges in today’s communication network. The IMS infrastructure solves this problem by providing the standardized platform and reusable components.
• Although, the internet access is lot faster and reliable than it was earlier, it still does not guarantee Quality of Service. IMS ensures improvement in the transmission quality and guarantee that the Quality will remain consistent.
• IMS allows operators to charge multimedia session appropriately. Generally, operators charge by the number of bytes transferred. But with IMS, operators can choose to charge user by the number of bytes transferred, by the session duration (time-based), or perform any new type of charging.
• One problem that a user generally faces with a cellular technology is that some of the services will not be available when the user is roaming in another country. IMS uses Internet technologies and protocols in order to allow users to move across the countries and still be able to execute all the services as if they were from their home networks.

http://www.telecomspace.com/latesttrends-ims.html

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 have made the Americans sit up and take a closer look at the security system in the country; the main challenge being to provide protection without sacrificing basic freedom of the people. On May 11, 2005, Congress passed the Real ID Act as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief Act.(http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0609REALID.pdf)
This act creates national standards, procedures and requirements for the issuance of state driver’s licenses (DLs) and identification cards (IDs). These standards must be met by May 11, 2008 if the state issued DL/IDs are to be accepted as valid identification by the federal government. These standards are likely to change long-standing state laws, regulations and practices governing the qualifications for and the production and issuance of DL/IDs in every state.
This REAL ID Act sets up a huge, centrally-coordinated database of highly personal information about American citizens which should contain their names, date of birth, place of residence, Social Security number, and physical characteristic. This ID represents a transfer of information and thus power from individuals to the identity providers. This transfer threatens liberty, enables identity fraud, and subjects people to unwanted observation. This law makes it compulsory for every American to have a national ID card by May of 2008. Without it, one will not be able to drive, board an airplane, train or even bus, enter any federal building, or open a bank account. It is also extremely likely that one will not be able to get a job without it.
Furthermore, an ID card with biometric identifiers may seem impenetrable, but there are several ways that terrorists will be able to get around such a system. And government will not be able to do anything then as the internet and computer industry is not regulated by the government.
The terrorists can bribe the employees who issue the cards or the employees who check the cards. They could recruit people who possess valid cards, U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, to support and carry out the attacks. They can also forge the cards.
The Policy makers should keep in mind that the goal is not to transform the free society into a surveillance state but to stop individuals, responsible for terrorism, before they act.

1. http://www.ncsl.org/realid/

2. http://www.unrealid.com/index.html

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, the authors of the book, focus on the ability to get things done and deliver the results. They state that it is the leader's most important job.
According to the authors, execution is built on three basic blocks. The first block is composed of seven essential leadership behaviors; knowing your people and your business, insist on realism, set clear goals and priorities, follow through, reward the doers, expand people's capabilities and know yourself.
The next building block of execution involves laying down what sort of behavior is acceptable and what is unacceptable in the company. Successful implementation of the plans should be rewarded to initiate transformation.
The third building block, selecting and appraising people, is the leader’s most important job and should never be delegated. To have the right people in the right jobs is very important.
Once these three blocks are in place, a solid foundation has been built. People then work together to create a strategy that is in agreement with the marketplace, the economy, and the competition. A strategic plan should define what steps the business is going to follow and in what direction should it be heading. Once the right people and strategy are in place, they are then linked together with the operating process that results in the execution of plans and actions and that allocates accountability. It provides the path on which people can take the business where it wants to go.

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ted C. Fishman, the author of the book, focuses on how China came to be the economic power it is today. The book tells us how a huge country that was once very poor with Communist beliefs became the center of global capitalism. It describes ways in which China's financial growth impacts our every day lives, from price pressures on small family businesses to lower prices that benefit consumers. It further implies how the financial health of the industrialized world has become more and more reliant on China.
The book starts with giving the details of how, in the beginning, the productivity of China's vast low-cost factories grew and the how the appetite of its 1.3 billion consumers increased, both of which were being driven by the technological expertise and the foreign help in terms of capital. This, in turn, helped in laying a very strong foundation for the country’s economy.
The author suggests how China will force all the countries to make big changes in the way they think almost about everything. Be it as consumers, workers, citizens, and even as parents. Fisherman observes that China will soon dominate the world in manufacturing, with U.S. and European companies moving their plants to China and that China will soon become the next superpower.

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

According to John Battelle, the author, a company that answers what the world wants, can solve most of the problems of both business and culture. That’s exactly what Google has been doing all these years. The book also gives us the details about the past, present, and future of search technology, and the huge impact it has started to have on every other area of human interest.
Battelle starts by recounting the brief history of Internet search and then goes on to tell Google’s story. The book tells us how much Google and other search companies know about our searching habits, likes, dislikes, and personal preferences. Hundreds of millions of people, in order to satisfy their wants, needs, fears, and obsessions, use Google and other search engines like Yahoo, Lycos, etc., hence creating a huge data base of information that Battelle calls "the Database of Intentions." It is because of this incredible data base of information about our intentions that allows search services to be so effective.
On the other hand, the book also surveys the astounding power of targeted advertising. With content based advertising, a business only pays for ads when an interested customer is pulled in from one of their website ads. These search companies make sure, that every penny that a business spends on online advertising is accounted for. This has huge and positive effect on business, marketing and advertising as we know them.

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Michel Robert, the author of the book, suggests that to win in the competitive world, one has to do something different from the competitors. Rather than trying to imitate them, try to do something that you can do better than them.

The first step is to identify the driving force of the company which is based on the company’s major strength. It can be technology that no one else uses or a particular type of customer whose needs can be fulfilled by the company.

The second step should be to write a short business concept that explains in more detail what strategy the company will follow and how is it going to use its driving force to beat the competition.

The third step is to identify and nurture the skills or areas of excellence that the company requires to support the strategy and give them more resources than other areas of the business, so that the company keeps doing them better than the competitors. Also, in order to put the strategy in action, important issues like structure of the organization and the compensation system must be identified. Once the strategy is decided, the company must confirm that its strategy puts it in a position to control, or at least influence its market. If not, change it.

Once decided what the strategy is going to be, identify the competitors and their strategies. This puts the company in a position to anticipate their actions and their behavior. The author strongly recommends the organizations to “Choose your competitors; don't let them choose you.” Don’t be drawn into a competition where you can’t win.

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

European Renaissance was a cultural movement that took place in the late middle ages. Beginning in Italy and later spreading through the rest of the Europe, it encompassed the rebirth of the European society in multiple domains. However, one area which was revolutionized completely after the renaissance was the arts. Artists, in this phase tried to extricate themselves from the medieval heritage and distinguish themselves from the mere craftsmen. They started using oil based paints.
The renaissance was divided into 3 major phases:
• Early Renaissance: This phase encompasses the 15th century art. Lead by sculptor Donatello, architect Filippo Brunelleschi, and painter Masaccio, the artists in this phase tried to derive inspiration from ancient arts. They tried to create realistic figures that portrayed personality and behavior. The focus was more on the laws of proportion for architecture, the human body, and space.
• High Renaissance: The period from 1495 to 1520 saw rise of artists like Leonardo Da Vinci, Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titian. The artists in this phase worked towards creating a generalized style of art that focused on drama, physical presence, and balance.
• Late Renaissance: This phase came into effect with the sack of Rome in 1527. This forced the artists to move to other cities in Italy, France and Spain. This phase saw the rise of mannerist movement. In general, Mannerist artists and architects took the classical or idealized forms developed by Italian Renaissance artists of the early 16th century, but exaggerated or used these forms in unconventional ways in order to heighten tension, power, emotion, or elegance. (http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761551767/Mannerism.html)

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/renaissance.html

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today, Internet can be accessed using Broadband, WiFi or Dial-up connection. However, the problem with broadband or dial-up access is that they are very costly and do not reach all areas. Whereas, with WiFi, the coverage is very less as the hot spots are very small. WiMAX is the latest technology which can solve these problems

WiMAX is short for World Interoperability for Microwave Access. It also goes by the IEEE name 802.16. It is a wireless Internet service designed to cover wide geographical areas serving large numbers of users at low cost.

WiMAX, in order to connect computer to internet, unlike DSL that uses wired connections, uses microwave radio, . Its working is quite similar to the cell phone technology. To establish a data link to the internet, it needs to be reasonably near to a base station. Users, who are within 3 to 5 miles of the base station, will be able to establish a link with data rates as high as 75Mbps and the users who are up to 30 miles away from the base station will be able to connect at data rates of about 280 Mbps. http://www.ihets.org/about/pubs/tech_briefs/wimax_tech_brief.pdf

Using WiMAX hundreds of users can be catered by a single station and the end points can be installed faster than the wired connections. Also, it can provide access in regions where internet access so far has not been possible.
It is the technology for tomorrow.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/wimax.htm

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 05:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Badaracco, the author, states that quiet leaders are those whose patience, restraint and modesty are the some of the reasons responsible for their and their company’s remarkable accomplishments.
The author suggests that, effective quiet leaders are those who try to view the situations realistically. They don’t try to fool themselves. They are honest with themselves about how well do they really understand a situation and how much control they really have over it.
Furthermore, Badaracco states that effective leaders learn to trust their mixed motives. They accept their motives to be confused and mixed, and they use this uncertainty to solve problem. Successful leaders often take deliberate actions to create stall tactics to gain enough time to think over difficult situations and think things through. They understand the value of buying a little time when necessary.
Moreover, wise leaders should know how to invest effectively. When they are unsure about a particular situation, wise leaders use the capital very carefully. Author further states that the quiet leaders gather the details of complex problems. They, in order to get a good solution, take time to “drill down” through the bureaucratic, legal or technical details.
Further, effective quiet leaders always try to follow the rules. But if they think that the rules are not effective and are only hampering the progress, they don’t hesitate to bend them, without breaking them. The quiet leader also seeks creative compromises as a responsible and practical objective of the responsible leader.

Posted by Shveta Sharma at 02:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)