Top 5 Women in the Data Center Industry 03-13-12

                                                                                                       

           
               

           

           

              

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we have created a list of 5 of the most influential women in the data center and technology industry. This list is to celebrate the accomplishments of the women listed below. Further, it is meant to inspire women around the world to partake in IT related jobs. Congratulations to the women around the world for making a difference in data center and technology related companies and to the women who will come after.  Feel free to comment if you think we missed someone                   Top 5 Most Influential Women in the Technology Industry   Ginni Rometty (@GinniRometty), President and Chief Executive Officer for IBM (@IBM) As of January 1st 2012, Rometty became President and Chief Executive Officer for IBM after being with the company for over 30 years. Rometty has a list of accomplishments with IBM by establishing 170 global markets, responsible for $99 billion revenue in 2010, and is projected to contribute to 30% of IBM revenues by 2015 by establishing IBM’s Growth Markets organization. Rometty also led the successful integration of PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting which was the largest in professional services history. In 2006, Rometty was honored with the Carl Sloane Award and named to Fortune Magazine’s “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” for past seven consecutive years. Her recent post will give her ample amount of power to make huge strides for the technology industry. Padmasree Warrior (@Padmasree), Senior Vice President Engineering / Chief Technology Officer for Cisco (@CiscoSystems) Warrior helps define Cisco’s technology strategy and works to drive innovation across the company. She pushes Cisco to strategic partnerships and new business models. She helps lead the team of 22,000 engineers to execute strategic priorities such as core switching, collaboration, data center/virtualization and cloud computing. Prior to joining Cisco in 2007, Warrior was the Chief Technology Officer at Motorola. Recently, Fast Company Magazine named her among the “100 Most Creative People in Business.” She is also one of six women nationwide to receive the “Women Elevating Science and Technology” award from Working Woman magazine and in 2007 she was inducted into the Women in Information Technology International Hall of Fame. Warrior, is as her last name suggests, a force to be reckoned with in the technology world.   Diane M. Bryant, Vice President and General Manager of the Datacenter and Connected Systems Group (DCSG) for Intel Corporation (@intel) #intelIT Bryant leads the worldwide organization that generated over $10 billion revenue in 2011 with a focus on creating products and solutions for all data center infrastructure. This position includes strategy, product development for enterprise and cloud server infrastructure, and high performance computing, to name a few. Her specific product responsibilities consist of Intel Xeon and Itanium processors, Intel Atom processor-based system-on-chip products, server chipsets, Ethernet and Intel Thunderbolt products, server motherboards, and software solutions. Prior to being Vice President, Bryant was responsible for the corporate-wide Information Technology solutions and services and was the general manager of the Server platforms Group. Bryant has been behind innovative server technology since graduating college.   Ellen Rubin (@ellen_rubin), Founder and Vice President of Products for CloudSwitch Inc (@cloudswitchcom) Rubin was the co-founder of CloudSwitch, a leading cloud enablement software company acquired by Verizon in August 2011. Rubin has been responsible for the conception and development of a software appliance that enables enterprises to run their applications in a cloud computing environment. Prior to CloudSwitch, Rubin was vice president of Marketing at Netezza. As a member of the early management team at Netezza, she helped grow the company to over $125 million in revenues. Rubin defined and created broad market acceptance of a new category, “data warehouse appliances,” and led market strategy, product marketing, complementary technology relationships and marketing communications. Rubin is the ‘IT’ girl on cloud computing, the new trend of the data center industry.   Amy E. Alving, Ph.D, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President for Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) (@SAICinc) Alving leads SAIC’s Office of Technology, which is responsible for the creation, communication and implementation of SAIC’s technical and scientific vision and strategy. Alving joined SAIC in 2005 as the chief technology officer for the Engineering, Training and Logistics Group, and later served as the corporate chief scientist. Prior to her position at SAIC, Alving was a White House Fellow (1997-98) serving at the Department of Commerce. Dr. Alving serves on the Board of Directors for Pall Corporation (NYSE: PLL). She has been a member or advisor to the Naval Research Advisory Committee, Army Science Board, Defense Science Board, and National Academies’ studies. Her diverse background in government and academia has led to over 15 years of accomplishments in the areas of technology and national security, making her an authority on security measures.

About Kasamore New opportunities and experiences may take you far away from your family, your friends, your community, and your country. But living in the United States does not mean that you cannot stay as close as you always have been – and as close as you always want to be. Kasamore Pin-less International Calling Service is a truly revolutionary service that provides an easy and secure way to stay close to your loved ones. It is a combination of everything you need when making international calls – great rates, crystal-clear voice quality, easy connectivity, uninterrupted calling and value-added conveniences. Founded in 2007, we share the culture of strict adherence to ethics and strong commitment to social responsibility and community. Built upon this philosophy, Kasamore enables members of the African community living in the United States to feel confident about their international calling experience and know that they can connect with their home countries and pay only for the minutes they use at economical rates. Kasamore is pleased to support the rapidly growing US African community with a service that lives up to the quality standards they expect and deserve, and that helps make it easier for them to stay close to their loved ones across the world.

International liberalisation troubles Sierratel

The planned liberalisation of the international gateway in Sierra Leone could lead to serious financial difficulties for the state-owned telecoms operator Sierratel, its chairman has said. Tom Kargbo has told the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Information that opening up of the international gateway would see it losing around USD150,000 in revenue each month, a report from PC Advisor suggests. Sierratel currently holds a monopoly on international services and charges mobile operators Airtel, Africell and Comium, as well as the country’s internet service providers, for access. However, the World Bank is insisting that the international gateway be opened up to competition in order for Sierra Leone to be eligible to participate in a consortium to construct a 17,000km undersea cable, the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) system. The ACE cable, which will link France to South Africa and connect with around 20 West African countries, is expected to be commercial before the end of this year.

Source: Telegeography.

Digital switchover to be completed in 2014

Under a timeline approved by the Ghanaian cabinet, the country is targeting a migration from analogue to digital TV by the end of 2014. The National Communications Authority (NCA) is preparing to start the process of switching to Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT), reports The Daily Guide. The migration should provide frequencies to be re-utilised in the cellular mobile sector for 4G broadband services.

Source: Telegeography

MTN Liberia fined USD500,00 for network outage

MTN Liberia, formerly Lonestar Communications Corporation, has been fined USD500,000 by the watchdog, the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA), for alleged ‘negligence’ concerning the cellco’s failure to prevent a four-hour network outage on 7 November 2011. The LTA says the operator must pay the fine within seven days, and further, it has ordered MTN to give all its customers four hours worth of free airtime by way of compensation.

Kasamore Receives 2011 Best of Philadelphia Award

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kasamore Receives 2011 Best of Philadelphia Award

U.S. Commerce Association’s Award Plaque Honors the Achievement

NEW YORK, NY, December 9, 2011 — Kasamore has been selected for the 2011 Best of Philadelphia Award in the Cellular & Mobile Telephone Services category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2011 USCA Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

About Kasamore

New opportunities and experiences may take you far away from your family, your friends, your community, and your country. But living in the United States does not mean that you cannot stay as close as you always have been – and as close as you always want to be.

Kasamore Pin-less International Calling Service is a truly revolutionary service that provides an easy and secure way to stay close to your loved ones. It is a combination of everything you need when making international calls – great rates, crystal-clear voice quality, easy connectivity, uninterrupted calling and value-added conveniences.

Founded in 2007, we share the culture of strict adherence to ethics and strong commitment to social responsibility and community. Built upon this philosophy, Kasamore enables members of the African community living in the United States to feel confident about their international calling experience and know that they can connect with their home countries and pay only for the minutes they use at economical rates. Kasamore is pleased to support the rapidly growing US African community with a service that lives up to the quality standards they expect and deserve, and that helps make it easier for them to stay close to their loved ones across the world.

www.kasamore.com

Contact: 301-366-5063

About U.S. Commerce Association (USCA)

U.S. Commerce Association (USCA) is a New York City based organization funded by local businesses operating in towns, large and small, across America. The purpose of USCA is to promote local business through public relations, marketing and advertising.

The USCA was established to recognize the best of local businesses in their community. Our organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations, chambers of commerce and other business advertising and marketing groups. Our mission is to be an advocate for small and medium size businesses and business entrepreneurs across America.

SOURCE: U.S. Commerce Association

Telcos face lower revenues, higher cost

Put on your television. Your radio or open a newspaper. Chances are you will be inundated with adverts from at least a couple of the six mobile telephone network operators in Ghana before you are finished.

 Actually this is to be expected. Like, say, Coca Cola products virtually everyone uses mobile telephony. But unlike Cocoa Cola, no company has clear market dominance and all six mobile network operators – including Glo which is only now about to start up – are in the thick of intense competition for customers.

By the end of July this year, there were more than 19.53m mobile phone lines in Ghana, and even as the market moves from growth towards maturity, more lines are still being subscribed to. As at the end of July, MTN had a leading 48.75% market share followed by Tigo with 20.94%, Vodafone with 18.06%, Airtel with 9.75% and Expresso, the only CDMA network, with 1.15%.

The intense competition among the five companies already operating networks, and the specter of the very price competitive Glo launching its Ghana network imminently have seen an unbridled price war which is benefiting mobile telephony subscribers but which is curbing industry profitability. The struggle for market share has persuaded all the networks to progressive lower their tariffs and this has meant that revenues are being driven by market expansion rather than rising revenues per subscriber. Indeed average revenue per user (ARPU) has declined dramatically in Ghana from U5D9.7 in 2008 to U5D6.0 in 2010. However mobile telephony penetration in Ghana is still increasing from 50% in 2008 to 61’1’0 in 2009 and 67% in 2010. By mid-2011 it has risen to 79.1 %.

But while the mobile telephony networks step up their advertising and promotions budgets, to remain in the faces of subscribers, profit margins are being squeezed in part by the frenzied competition. Even Ghana’s Vice President, John Mahama, who was Communications Minister during part of the 1990’s admits that six mobile telephone networks may be too many for the size of Ghana’s market. That competition is unlikely to go away. All the mobile telephone networks in Ghana are now owned by foreign multinationals and so any merger or acquisition would have to originate from the parent firms abroad.

But from the efforts of the recently formed Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications so far, it is sharply rising costs rather than sharply falling revenues per user that are worrying the network operators the most or more specifically, rapidly escalating taxes, duties and other charges imposed by the central government, various local governments, and the industry regulator, the National Communications authority, NCA, as well.
To be sure, the mobile telephony sector is one of the biggest and most important industries in Ghana, with regards to cash flows, consumer spending, capital expenditure, taxes and levels accruing to the public treasury and contribution to gross domestic product, GOP, Over the three years up to 2010, the industry has generated revenues of roughly GHcl.8bn a year. In 2010, the six telecom companies together made capital expenditure of GHc700m out of the country’s gross capital formation of GH¢l0bn.

The taxes and levies paid by those companies, at GH¢600m added up to 10% of government’s income of GHc6bn for 2009, AU together, the industry contributed GHc900m out of Ghana’s COP of GHc44.8bn. The mobile telephony industry now employs about 1.5 million people in Ghana either directly or indirectly. All together the industry has some USD5.6bn in investments in Ghana today.
The large cash flows and the sheer visibility of the mobile telephone companies have encouraged the public sector to see it as a major source of revenues and have therefore piled up various forms of taxes. Currently the companies pay corporate income tax, withholding taxes on dividends, 15% Value Added Tax (VAT) and National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), additional VAT on management fees and royalties, a six per cent Communications Levy tax on customer charges and interconnectivity, incoming international call tax of USD0,06 cents per minute and a NFSL/CIT tax. Add to this; annual regulatory fees paid to the NCA, Indeed government captures 37% of operators’ revenue.
The various local governments in Ghana are getting in on the act too as they also increasingly see the mobile telephone firms as the panacea to their own fiscal problems, laments Kwaku Sakyi¬ Addo, chief executive of the telecoms chamber.

“One of the longest running problems that is hurting telecom companies are the costs and hurdles in deploying infrastructure and the complete absence of predictability’ in how government ministries, departments, and local authorities determine the cost of business operating permits, (BOP) when it comes to mobile phone operators.” He gives examples: in one district the annual BOP for insurance companies is GHc200; commercial banks GHc700; Electricity Company of Ghana, ECG, GHc1, 000; but for mobile phone companies, it is GH¢9, 000.

Another example: in one district, the BOP levy for a large industry and for mobile operators was GHc2 000 in 2009. The following year, whilst the others remained the same, that of mobile operators was increased to a total of GH¢22, 500.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, one operator paid nearly USD400,000 to the Ghana Highways Authority, GHA, for a permit to lay a fibre optic cable” Sakyi-Addo reveals.
“The cable runs for about 400km. Each district assembly is levying an additional charge for the cable running through their towns. One district has now ordered the operator to pay an extra GH¢420,000 and has stopped the operator from carrying out the job.”

The NCA has got in on the act too with support from the Ministry of Communications itself. The authority is now about to start building a GH¢30m 12-storey head office. Instructively the NCA is funded largely from fees derived from mobile operators. Also GIFEC which is funded by mobile operators, who each contribute one percent of their revenues, is helping to finance the GHc36m National data Centre.

Now the NCA has commenced enforcement of its mandatory “first world quality of service standards” which the mobile operators are expected to meet. The chamber argues that the penalties imposed for failing to meet those standards are not proportionate to the infractions.
Government is not impressed by those complaints. Indeed the Minister of Communications, Haruna lddrissu only last week

Source: Ghanaweb 

Web Product Manager

The Web Product Manager will work closely with the web development team as well as the marketing team, to ensure that our website provides great user experience while keeping conversion high and complying to requirements from core / application teams and Head of Product.

Responsibilities:
Definition, specification and planning of new features and improvements
Create wireframes, flow charts, mockups and other interaction documentation
Oversee development, working with developers, visual designers, copywriters and testers to ensure quality, consistency and that timelines are met
Product ownership for the website and its content
Report to Head of Product

Requirements:
Bachelor´s degree in Interaction Design, Computer Science or related
Genuine interest in creating a great user experience that brings business value
Ability to find direct solutions with multiple stakeholders
Experience in product ownership for large online services
Consumer product perspective with deep understanding of UX
Understanding of web development
Knowledge of web-related technologies and languages
Experience of working with SCRUM
Excellent communication skills in English

ABOUT KASAMORE

New opportunities and experiences may take you far away from your family, your friends, your community, and your country. But living in the United States does not mean that you cannot stay as close as you always have been – and as close as you always want to be.

Kasamore Pin-less International Calling Service is a truly revolutionary service that provides an easy and secure way to stay close to your loved ones. It is a combination of everything you need when making international calls – great rates, crystal-clear voice quality, easy connectivity, uninterrupted calling and value-added conveniences.

Founded in 2007, Kasamore is 100% owned by Africans, we share the culture of strict adherence to ethics and strong commitment to social responsibility and community. Built upon this philosophy, Kasamore enables members of the African community living in the United States to feel confident about their international calling experience and know that they can connect with their home countries and pay only for the minutes they use at economical rates. Kasamore is pleased to support the rapidly growing US African community with a service that lives up to the quality standards they expect and deserve, and that helps make it easier for them to stay close to their loved ones across the world.

Jamii spreads FTTH to Nairobi suburb

Kenyan broadband provider Jamii Telecom Ltd (JTL) has confirmed that it has launched its first fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services in Karen, a high-end suburb of Nairobi; the telco plans to target more than 6,000 households and SMEs in the area. Going forward, Joshua Chepkwony, chairman of JTL, has said that the firm intends to focus its FTTH deployments on Nairobi’s more affluent neighbourhoods, such as Karen, Lavington and Kileleshwa, due to the high purchasing power and growing appetite for broadband use. Chepkwony commented: ‘Despite the various inland metro fibre connections we have in the city, most home users are yet to fully take advantage of them, and this is the experience we want to change’. A 10Mbps fibre-optic connection is priced at KES10,000 (USD106.1) per month, with download speeds of 15Mbps (KES15,000) and 20Mbps (KES20,000) also available. Under the brand name ‘Faiba’, JTL will also offer IPTV and voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) services to Karen residents.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in March 2011 Telkom Kenya inaugurated the country’s first FTTH broadband services in Muthaiga and Parklands, two of Nairobi’s most affluent suburbs, whilst cableco Wananchi Group launched its own long-awaited triple-play service in December 2010, under the Zuku brand. Zuku’s bundled offering went live in the Nairobi districts of Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Lavington and Hurligham. Last week, Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, announced plans to roll out its own independent fibre-optic network, in a bid to secure a larger share of the data sector, and reduce its reliance on the voice market.

Jamii spreads FTTH to Nairobi suburb

Kenyan broadband provider Jamii Telecom Ltd (JTL) has confirmed that it has launched its first fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) services in Karen, a high-end suburb of Nairobi; the telco plans to target more than 6,000 households and SMEs in the area. Going forward, Joshua Chepkwony, chairman of JTL, has said that the firm intends to focus its FTTH deployments on Nairobi’s more affluent neighbourhoods, such as Karen, Lavington and Kileleshwa, due to the high purchasing power and growing appetite for broadband use. Chepkwony commented: ‘Despite the various inland metro fibre connections we have in the city, most home users are yet to fully take advantage of them, and this is the experience we want to change’. A 10Mbps fibre-optic connection is priced at KES10,000 (USD106.1) per month, with download speeds of 15Mbps (KES15,000) and 20Mbps (KES20,000) also available. Under the brand name ‘Faiba’, JTL will also offer IPTV and voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) services to Karen residents.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in March 2011 Telkom Kenya inaugurated the country’s first FTTH broadband services in Muthaiga and Parklands, two of Nairobi’s most affluent suburbs, whilst cableco Wananchi Group launched its own long-awaited triple-play service in December 2010, under the Zuku brand. Zuku’s bundled offering went live in the Nairobi districts of Kileleshwa, Kilimani, Lavington and Hurligham. Last week, Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile operator in terms of subscribers, announced plans to roll out its own independent fibre-optic network, in a bid to secure a larger share of the data sector, and reduce its reliance on the voice market.

 

Telkom Kenya hopes to make a profit in 2012; pinpoints 2015 for IPO

Telkom Kenya has stated that it hopes to generate its first net profit in 2012, paving the way for an initial public offering (IPO) three years later. Chief executive Mickael Ghossein disclosed the information to Reuters earlier this week, admitting: ‘Right now we are not making positive results; I hope 2012 will be the first time we make positive results. In this case we could [launch an] IPO in 2015’. Kenyan regulations require companies to make a profit for three consecutive years before they are permitted to float on the market.

According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Database, in November 2007 France Telecom (FT — as part of an 85%/15% consortium with logistics group Alcazar), acquired a 51% stake in Telkom from the Kenyan government, with an offer of USD390 million, eclipsing the USD300 million reserve price. As part of the takeover agreement the consortium had to commit to selling an 11% stake via an IPO, while the government said it would offload 19% of its own interest. Following the long-delayed IPO the ownership structure will be: France Telecom/Alcazar (40%), public (30%) and state (30%).

Source: Telegeography.