Delhi-based IIS Infotech on Monday launched its training, accreditation and consultancy services in association with the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) to upgrade the competitiveness of Indian software industry. IIS is a member of Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) consortium. DSDM is a vendor-independent framework of controls for the development of business-centric IT systems to function under tight time schedules. The company plans to hold a series of seminars on DSDM from May 18 to help business deploy software solutions expeditiously, IIS Infotech chairman Saurabh Srivastava said in New Delhi. "The dynamic conditions in the IT industry have given rise to a highly competitive market and DSDM is a much-awaited method to deliver software solutions expeditiously. It is already becoming a widely accepted standard in the US and Europe,'' he added. A large number of projects undertaken by the UK-based FIGroup, which owns IIS Infotech, are being executed as per DSDM technology.

Rs 10.4cr for Y2K media awareness campaign

The government has sanctioned Rs 10.4 crore for the Y2K awareness campaign through print and electronic media for this year. The amount was formally sanctioned last week for the media campaign which was started in leading newspapers in the first week of March and will continue till the year-end, sources in the DoE told PTI.

India Tech'99 generates $31m business

Business worth $31 million was generated at the first-ever India Tech '99 expo held at Lagos in Nigeria. A total of 42 Indian engineering and electronic companies participated in the expo jointly organised by the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council and Engineering Export Promotion Council.

PCS Industries bags Rs 1.5cr order from Swastik

PCS Industries has bagged a Rs 1.5-crore contract for supplying remote access servers and other IT equipment to Gujarat-based internet serviceprovider Swastik Netvision Telecom (SNTPL). Under the contract, PCS would supply remote access and application servers and firewall apart from implementing total system integration in SNTPL, a company statement said. With this, PCS has entered the ISP market, providing backbone to internet service providers across the country, it added.

China launches two satellites

China successfully launched two civilian satellites on Monday on a Long March 4B rocket, its first satellite launch this year, Xinhua news agency reported. The rocket was launched at 9.33 am local time from the Taiyuan satellite launch centre in the Northern Shanxi province, Xinhua said. The payload included a Fengyun 1 meteorological satellite and an "Experiment-5" satellite intended for scientific experiments, it said.

Cyber farmers in Norway

Norwegian sheep farmers are turning to the internet in their long-running battle against predators killing their livestock. Two years ago, about 60 sheep farmers in the easternHedmark region established Rovnet, Norwegian for `predator-net', using e-mail and news groups to report on wolves, bears, lynxes and other predators, and to warn other farmers, the Oslo daily Dagens Naringsliv reports. On May 15, Rovnet is going nationwide. Eventually, the reindeer-herding lapps in the northernmost regions will be included in Rovnet.

Russian space agency forms JV with Indian co

Russian space agency's Okb Mei, a government of Russia enterprise, has formed a joint venture with Orbitel Communications to provide telecom networks and information highways in India. While Okb Mei will hold 49 per cent equity in the new venture, the Indian company will hold the remaining stake, a company release said. "Russian space agency's Okb Mei shall have 49 per cent equity participation in the share capital of the joint venture company Orbital," the company said in a statement. The JV company will set up telecommunication networks and information highways to provide basic telephone and value-addedservices including internet, e-mail, mobile satellite phones, television etc.