Posts Tagged ‘Alternative’

Alternative for Windows Media Center using Vista?

Hi,

I recently upgraded from Windows XP to Vista. Unfortunately the Windows Media Center on my Vaio (VGC-RA828G) is not recognizing the factory installed Tuner card (Giga Pocket® MPEG2 Realtime Encoder/Decoder board with TV Tuner). I called Microsoft and they tell me I have to go to Sony. I called Sony and they tell me to uninstall Vista.

So my questions is… Is there some other (preferably free) DVR software that I can now use on my newly Vista installed Vaio machine that will also work with my Tuner card (Giga Pocket® MPEG2 Realtime Encoder/Decoder board with TV Tuner)?

Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated!

thanks,
Matt
Yes, I did visit the Sony site and downloaded the Vaio TV Tuner Library Update (at http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VGCRA828G&upd_id=2444&os_id=28) but that made no difference. It still did not recognize my tuner card

New program fosters alternative learning

New program fosters alternative learning
PHILMONT — The diminutive white building at 159 Main Street in Philmont is going through a transformation, and with any luck, the people who gather there will be able to successfully transform themselves too.

Read more on Register-Star

Microsoft the Alternative in Hostile VMware Territory

Microsoft the Alternative in Hostile VMware Territory
Small delegation from Seattle knocks VMware’s view of the cloud world, talks up Azure as the better way to go.

Read more on eWeek

Alternative Call Center Arrangements

Most call centers are based in a centralized location, with many call center agents working side-by-side in cubicles answering telephones or making outbound calls. However, with the advancement of technology, alternative call center arrangements have emerged. Now call centers can make use of remote agents, temporary agents, virtual call centers and interactive centers. We will elaborate on all of these options below.

Remote Agents: Remote agents are able to work at home with the use of their computer and telephone. They are able to access their companies’ network and remotely take incoming calls or perform outbound calls. Remote agents provide several advantages for their company and also enjoy a few of their own. Remote agents require less expense for the hiring company. Depending solely on remote agents eliminates overhead costs associated with a office building, office equipment, daily supplies, and insurance. For the agent, the main perk for most individuals is the ability to stay at home while they work. This means no commute or travel time, and no associated costs.

Virtual Call Centers: Virtual call centers are smaller groups of agents who are connected to other call center agents but at a different location. These groups work closely with one another and provide support, interaction and back up when needed.

Interactive Centers: Interactive centers go beyond just answering phones or making outbound calls. Instead, interactive center agents handle email, online live chat and other web based communication.

Temporary Agents: Temporary agents act like an interchangeable workforce. They are only called in during periods of time when the call center volume is expected to be extremely busy. It allows the company to only hire extra staff when they are needed, for example around holidays or tax time.

With the continued growth of technology, call center options, which would have been unavailable just a decade ago, are in fact capable of re-shaping an industry. With the new communication avenues of the web, call centers can reach existing customers and prospects in new and effective ways. The only limitation is a companies’ imagination.

Still some sales-focused call centers choose to stay centralized for several reasons.

Remote and virtual call center agents lack the ability to participate in the team atmosphere, which can at times, be motivating and rewarding for most call center agents. While having freedom and flexibility of working from home, call center agents in remote or virtual locations have less structure and more distractions than most highly structured professional call centers.

Businesses that want to improve their sales move toward call centers that are operated in the United States and focus solely on sales. There is a competitive advantage to having a call center that handles all calls in-house, has ongoing sales training, strict quality control measures in place and always has your company values in place when handling your call.

IT’s new recipe for success: Modernize applications and infrastructure while taking advantage of alternative sourcing

IT’s new recipe for success: Modernize applications and infrastructure while taking advantage of alternative sourcing
A panel of experts examines how to gain new capacity from existing data centers through both modernization and savvy exploitation of all sourcing options. By outsourcing smartly, migrating applications strategically, and modernizing effectively, IT leaders can improve productivity while still under tightly managed costs. read more

Read more on SYS-CON Media

Galileo Hires Alternative Financial Services Veteran Philip Cormier as Strategic Partnerships Executive

Galileo Hires Alternative Financial Services Veteran Philip Cormier as Strategic Partnerships Executive
Galileo Processing, Inc., the leading processor and program manager of a comprehensive suite of next-generation prepaid, debit and hybrid credit financial solutions, today announced that it has hired Philip Cormier as Strategic Partnerships Executive.

Read more on PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance

Nearshore Dedicated Development Center – a Viable Long-term Outsourcing Alternative for European Companies

According to Gartner research, growing number of European businesses seeks possibilities to benefit from global sourcing of software development services. In the recent years, more and more companies are getting involved in nearshore outsourcing partnerships – contracting vendors from lower-wage countries, which are relatively close in distance and time zone. They prefer nearshoring over offshoring mainly for benefits associated with cultural, geographic, time and linguistic dimensions of proximity.

Companies that are interested in long-term outsourcing for satisfying their growing software development needs may consider the following three alternative models: project-based, dedicated center and captive operations.

Some businesses that find typical project-based outsourcing to be unsuitable to their needs may decide to establish captive facilities in attractive nearshore locations (namely Eastern European countries) and conduct work there as a part of their own operations. However, this model has tangible disadvantages in terms of risk, investment, operational efficiency and organizational issues. Thus, it can be applied mostly by large companies and multinational corporations that are ready to invest heavily, take calculated risks and allocate necessary management resources. In this respect, nearshore dedicated development center (DDC) engagement appears to be a viable alternative for businesses with expected long-term need for software outsourcing.

Project-based model is regarded as the most appropriate for development of rather big and well-defined applications or their modules. Alternatively, dedicated center caters for software with changing requirements, maintenance and support of large systems, research and development, testing as well as other types of complex tasks. DDC is about having full-time cost-effective developer resources allocated to work exclusively on client’s projects for a prolonged period of time. It serves as an extension of customer’s organization in the nearshore country.

In DDC type of engagement, vendor is responsible for providing necessary facilities and setting up a software development team that correspond to client’s methodologies, practices, management style and even business culture. Nearshore partner also undertakes administrative functions, support of technical and office infrastructure, staffing, human resources management and ensures service delivery standards.

Advantages of nearshore dedicated center model

* Cultural and geographical proximity

* No or insignificant time zone difference

* No long-term initial investments

* Full operational control

* Mitigation of business risks

* Quick return on investment

* Consistent and flexible team

* Competitive rates and flexible pricing

* Readily available technical and office infrastructure

* Accumulation of customer-specific business process knowledge

* Joint venture and Build-Operate-Transfer options

* Strong service delivery and methodology practices

There are several types of DDC engagement options catering for different needs of the customers.

Staff-based dedicated team model is probably the most common for clients that possess outsourcing experience and utilize solid offshore/nearshore delivery practices. In this case vendor only provides necessary facilities and allocates a team that works only on account’s projects (client has full operational control).

Certain types of dedicated centers address more specific needs associated with technology and vertical expertise as well as the purpose of the project. They are tailored to custom business models. Term “tailored DDC” covers the following: product development center, product competence center, project center, research and development center, software maintenance and support center, application reengineering center, quality assurance center etc.

Joint venture DDC may be considered as a transitional stage to establishing captive operations in the nearshore location. Since it is funded by both vendor and customer, this contributes to risk sharing and improved performance tracking/reporting.

“Build-Operate-Transfer” option basically means that vendor sets up necessary infrastructure, hires people, establishes and operates dedicated center for a predefined period of time. Afterwards this facility is fully transferred to the client. At the initial stage vendor assigns technical experts and managers who become the core of the future organization, adopt and implement customer-specific processes and practices, conduct staffing and training of the personnel. At the transfer stage client becomes the owner of a stable captive software development facility staffed with appropriate specialists and operating with minimal supervision by parent company. Benefits of this type of engagement are lower overall infrastructure costs and having turnkey captive operations staffed with well-established team of developers.

Methodology of establishing a nearshore dedicated development center

Outlined below are steps that most of software development vendors generally follow to set up nearshore dedicated center and ensure its optimal performance in accordance with customer’s existing practices and project objectives.

* Definition of cooperation model

* Negotiating formal Service Level Agreement (SLA)

* Building a dedicated team

* Setting up technological and office infrastructure

* Definition of communication mechanisms

* Knowledge transfer (onsite to nearshore/offshore)

* Alignment with customer’s objectives/requirements

* Training of the dedicated team

* Project execution

* Review of DDC performance and SLA

* Implementation of the feedback