Counter Gray Market Sales with Enterprise Risk Management Solutions

Today gray marketing and counterfeiting are two of the greatest headaches faced by legitimate manufacturers and distributors. Though many consider gray marketing and counterfeiting as one and the same, the fact of the matter is these two are entirely different in concept. Therefore let’s first understand the basic difference between the two before delving further into the topic.


Wikipedia defines a gray market as “the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer.”


While counterfeiting is, “the process of fraudulently manufacturing, altering, or distributing a product that is of lesser value than the genuine product.”


Simply put, gray marketing is the sale of legitimate and original goods or products that find their way into the gray market when a manufacturer’s authorized channel releases the products to unauthorized dealers who then sell them at high discounts. Hence, gray market goods are in no way counterfeits but they can be older products, which have been dumped because newer models are available.


Though gray market goods are legal goods, they are as damaging and costly as counterfeits to a manufacturer. Not only manufacturers, it affects customers as well as distributors. Let’s see how:


* Customers


The gray market goods have no factory warranty and the customers who buy it do not get any customer support from the legitimate importer. Moreover, the customer would not get any software and firmware updates. The customer  does not get any service, as the specialized parts are available only from the importer or the original manufacturer. Hence, the sales of these gray market products have a negative impact on customers who are expecting the original manufacturer’s warranty.


* Distributors


The entire gray market sales process takes sales away from new products and affects distributor loyalty.


* Manufacturers


Gray market products create disruptions with the distributors especially the ones who are keeping their agreements in the channel. If they believe that there is unfair competition from a growing gray market, they will drop the particular manufacturer from their list.


Instead of considering gray market activity as “the cost of doing business” as most of them do, enterprises need to invest in good enterprise risk management solutions to proactively recapture lost revenues, market share and brand reputation. This can be achieved by tightening value chains. The SaaS-based software has a proprietary search capability that can help the manufacturers find where and at what price their products are being sold globally. Not only that, it tracks the distributors who are responsible for unloading these products on the gray market. Thus, armed with this data, enterprises can take action against the violators and thereby stop the erosion caused by gray market products.


Read More About: Brand Management

Outsourced Aerospace Engineering Ensures a Systematic Approach & Enhance Profitability

Pressures to reduce costs will be the primary drivers of decisions by aerospace and defense companies to use external outsourcing engineering services in the coming years.  With the ongoing demand to reduce the cost and carbon release of air travel, aircraft manufacturing companies are increasingly compelled to reduce development costs and improve the operating efficiency of  aircrafts. The outsourcing of engineering services is therefore playing a significant role, enabling manufacturers to maintain margins and lower costs with no compromise on excellence.


Outsourcing in the aviation industry has come a long way from the low-end projects undertaken earlier. The aerospace industry , taking an example lead from the automotive sector, started to wake up to the fact that outsourcing projects held many advantages. Outsourced engineering services not have a large pool of highly-trained engineers but also have tremendous cost advantages coupled with a highly systematic approach. For the aerospace industry operating at low margins, such an advantage over competitors was highly welcome. Most organizations dealing in engineering consultancy services absorbs experienced engineers having a sound knowledge in the latest equipments and technologies and their respective applications.


Engineering outsourced companies help build and deliver products that are better and cheaper, minimize development costs, reduce lead times and maximize resources. By partnering with a reputed service provider, your business is bound to receive  unmatched support across the entire product life cycle the best offshore engineering services that can transform your company into a global force. Such service providers also have a unique Global Product Development framework that can help leverage local presence and global reach to not only support globalization initiatives, but also gain  from better and faster solutions that deliver more value.


They have the necessary expertise in outsourced engineering services ranges from concept design, detailing and analysis, to product realization solutions in aerospace, civil structures, power generation, industrial products, oil & gas and transportation. An efficient outsourced engineering service company offers a whole gamut of engineering services that provides its clients a one-stop opportunity to meet their end-to-end requirement of engineering services, including engineering analysis is an important part of engineering services that provides crucial insights to enable the sound execution of any project. Engineering services outsourcing will increase at a rapid speed is estimated to be 70 per cent more than what it is at present in the year 2015.


Outsourced engineering services help the aerospace engineering businesses to make their efforts concrete and offer them with excellent support to meet customer expectations.


Related links: global engineering services, oil and gas engineering services

Services Offered By Aerospace Engineering Outsourcing Services

The aviation industry is a well acclaimed one today and has undergone important changes over the years. Keeping in mind the present day diverse market needs and demand the manufacturing procedures concentrates more on a industrious blend of engineering services, technology and precision machining. In addition to that, there are extensive analysis and research work being carried out on aerospace technology and other associated up scaling work that is necessary to cater to overseas clients and end users better. As a result of which, outsourcing aerospace manufacturing services has become the order of the day.

 

Companies specializing in aerospace engineering outsourcing services gives emphasis on expanding their customer and support base to the entire aerospace vertical, by offering ready to fit aerospace precision machine parts. These services have the ability to cover more than 45000 hrs per year and are well equipped with the finest and advanced state-of-the-art machinery for precision machining aero engines and aero parts for complying with strict quality criteria in the aerospace industry. The machining technology comprises of the following:


* 3/4/5 axis machining centers

* 2/3 axis CNC turning and milling

* 3 axis vertical turret lathes

* Assembly and other bench work activities


Apart from this the inspection facility too includes the following elements:-


* Fully equipped inspection center

* Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM)

* Leica microscope and Millipore testing for Dirt and chip level content (Clean room)

* Other essential inspection instruments and gauges


Materials have an essential role to play in aerospace manufacturing services. The recent  researches indicate that aluminum, steel and titanium are some of the commonly used raw materials. Organizations engaged in manufacturing service have also expanded their manufacturing base to:


* Process planning

* Assembly process planning

* Tooling design and development

* Value engineering and value analysis

* Reverse engineering

* Assembly tooling design

* Development and CNC program coding


Today aerospace manufacturing enterprises are getting involved in new manufacturing procedures, sequences and are introducing advanced manufacturing systems to recognize the improvements that are necessary to attain greater success. This procedure is said to be a beneficial one as it reduces the production lead time that helps in maximizing the production flexibility and bring down its total cost. Furthermore, the number of processes and manufacturing operations that are needed to complete a vehicle build is lessened. End users can experience the manufacturing process reducing its complexity level and minimize the rework and scrap levels to reduce expense and non-value added works.


Related Links: Global engineering services, oil and gas engineering services

Reaping In the Benefits of Facebook Metrics

With every year passing by the time people are spending on Facebook is increasing. Back in 2009, the percentage was 700 percent more than 2008 according to a research by Nielsen. Therefore the way an average individual uses the web has changed. While web surfing and email are the primary activities for internet usage. Facebook demonstrated how passive and utilitarian these initiatives were actually. Hence, in the recent times rather than solely concentrating on a wide selection of online marketing and search engine strategies, marketers should also take into consideration what Facebook allows people and organizations to share, say and even do.

 

Facebook and Social Intelligence


This sure has been the topic of numerous media seminars and webinars. Through various activities in Facebook one can attain feedback that is known as social intelligence that can be put to use in business. Hence, business intelligence in social media analytics generally combines a wide range of methods, tools and advanced analytics. In Facebook the essential factor recognizing and applying the data gathered can help in making strategies and tactics especially for application development and implementation, advertising and fan engagement.


Similar to other social media strategies, it is essential to have a clear idea about these strategies prior to getting engaged with the intention of gathering data that might become actionable via the Facebook status updates. Hence, it is simplest to join a conversation than starting a new one. Therefore, you can learn about what people are talking about by:


* Observing content that generates high interactions.

* Employing third-party text analytics

* Considering the content outside of Facebook that can be repurposed

* Recognizing effective trends in Facebook content strategies


Service providers of social media analytic tools efficiently measures the success of Facebook campaigns  by using a mix of creative Facebook analytics and analytical smarts. These service providers also offer quick outcome for businesses in order to trace information,  attain instant distribution and engagement Facebook metrics and receive instant messages regarding the manner in which the content has been functioning, or on how the web content has been progressing.


Hence with service providers offer customer friendly visualization interface with  both the drill-down capacities and trending views. The web analytics allow individuals to arrive at suitable operating decisions. Furthermore, there is also access to the key impacts on the K-factor and viral campaigns that is helpful in arriving at useful and quicker decisions.

High-Quality Computer Magazines from IEEE Computer Society

The IEEE Computer Society publishes a variety of high-quality, peer-reviewed, computer magazines that represent the best in current research, developments, and timely information, edited to enhance readability and clarity. The IEEE Computer Society’s flagship publication, Computer, features technical content covering all aspects of computer science, computer engineering, technology, and applications.

Below is a list of Computer Magazines from IEEE CS:

  • Computer

Computer covers all aspects of computer science. For more than 40 years, developers, researchers, and managers have relied on Computer for timely, peer-reviewed information about research, trends, best practices, and changes in the profession.

  • Computing in Science & Engineering (CiSE ) :

The bimonthly magazine of computational tools and methods. Co-published with the American Institute of Physics, CiSE features the latest computational science and engineering research .

  • IEEE Annals of the History of Computing

This covers the breadth of computer history through scholarly articles by leading computer scientists and historians, as well as first-hand accounts by computing pioneers.

  • About CG&A

CC&A covers a variety of topics catering to both computer graphics practitioners and researchers. This bimonthly magazine bridges the theory and practice of computer graphics, from specific algorithms to full system implementations.

  • IEEE Intelligent Systems

IEEE IS’s peer-reviewed, cutting-edge articles cover the theory and application of systems that perceive reason, learn, and act intelligently. It serves many different professionals in a broad range of fields.

  • IEEE Internet Computing

Published bimonthly, the magazine covers all aspects of Internet computing, from programming and standards to security and networking.

  • IT Professional

IT Professional offers solid, peer-reviewed information about today's strategic technology issues. To meet the challenges of running reliable, flexible enterprises, IT managers and technical leads rely on IT Pro for state-of-the-art solutions.

  • IEEE Micro

Micro brings together top research from some of the leading micro architects and scholars from around the world , focuses on computers and peripherals; systems, components, and subassemblies; communications, etc.

  • IEEE Multi-Media

It covers multiple media types, used harmoniously together in creating new experiences in areas such as image processing, video processing, audio analysis, text retrieval and understanding, data mining and analysis, and data fusion.

  • IEEE Pervasive Computing

This explores the many facets of pervasive and ubiquitous computing with research articles, case studies, product reviews, conference reports, departments covering wearable and mobile technologies, and more.

  • IEEE Security & Privacy

The magazine is Co-published with the IEEE Reliability Society and provides articles with both a practical and research bent by the top thinkers in the.

  • IEEE Software

It offers pioneering ideas, expert analyses, and thoughtful insights for software engineers and professionals who need to keep up with rapid technology change. It's the authority on translating software theory into practice.

 

Other Links - computer magazines online

IEEE Computer Society Top Trends for 2013

IEEE Computer Society journals, computer magazines, and conferences are continually at the forefront of current technology trends. That's just one of the reasons that IEEE Computer Society is the community for technology leaders. As a technology professional, keeping on top of trends is crucial. Below are, a list of technology topics that Computer Society magazines, journals, and conferences will be focusing on next year:

 
1)   Internet of Things

In recognition of the importance of IoT, Computer, the IEEE Computer Society's flagship magazine, is planning a special issue in February 2013. 

 

2)   Cybersecurity

A special April 2013 issue of Computer, the IEEE Computer Society's flagship magazine, aims to disseminate the latest advances in cybersecurity that are critical in thwarting future threats, attacks, fraud, and damage. 

 

3)   Big Data Visualization

This 2013 theme issue of IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications aims to highlight the latest advancements in solving the big data problems via visual means

 

4)   Cloud Computing in Science and Engineering

The goal of this 2013 special issue of IEEE Computing in Science & Engineering is to explore how cloud platforms and abstractions, either by themselves or in combination with other platforms.

 

5)   Mobile Computing Meets the Cloud

This special issue of IEEE Pervasive aims to explore the intersections of these two trends. Mobile and embedded devices make it possible for users to access cloud-based services and data anywhere and anytime, extending their reach into everyday life.

 

6)   Internet Censorship and Control

This special issue of IEEE Internet Computing will explore the technical, social, and political mechanisms and impacts of Internet censorship and control.

 

7)   Interactive Public Displays 

This special issue of IEEE Computer Graphics & Applications will focus on research that addresses the opportunities and challenges around public indoor and outdoor urban display installations. 

 

8)   Next-Generation Mobile Computing 

IEEE Software seeks submission of articles that explore the next generation of mobile computing within the contexts of mission-critical scenarios, quality-of-service differentiation, and resource constraints. The deadline is 30 June.

 

9)   3D Imaging Techniques and Multimedia Applications

This special issue of IEEE Multimedia aims to provide an overview of recent rapid advances in 3D acquisition systems and the many multimedia applications that can benefit from 3D integration and understanding.

 

10) Safety-Critical Systems: The Next Generation

In May/June 2013, IEEE Computer Society publications will take an unprecedented look at safety-critical systems with coordinated publication of special issues in IEEE Software and IEEE Security & Privacy.

 

11) Reliability

To this end, IEEE Micro seeks original papers for its July/August issue on all topics related to reliability that span the spectrum of layers in the system stack, from device, circuit and architecture design to the role of software in enabling robust and reliable computing. The deadline is 8 January.

 

12) Haptics in Rehabilitation

A special 2013 issue of IEEE Transactions on Haptics is about understanding the role of touch in sensorimotor coordination, including rehabilitation of motor deficits and use of advanced prostheses and orthoses. 

 

13) Multicore Memory Coherence

This special October 2013 issue of Computer will focus on approaches to providing scalable, shared memory at the on-chip level, paramount in a future where individual nodes will have on the order of 1,000 cores each. Submissions are due by 1 March 2013.

 

Other Links - computer magazines online

 

Ensure excellent order fulfillment service

Simply put, order fulfillment means a comprehensive procedure from the sales enquiry stage to the product delivery stage. The procedure of order fulfillment involves attaining the order to their ultimate delivery to the consumers. There are times when the order fulfillment process is referred to a “narrow act” of logistics function or distribution. However, the middle part between the order and delivery is of paramount importance. It generally involves warehousing and storage.


Today’s environment is more about keeping your customers engaged with extraordinary performances. They are very smart and will not bat an eyelid to shift their loyalty to another business that offers them something better. You have to continuously reinvent your business strategies and adopt policies that give you the opportunity to enhance your standards and performances. Flexibility, reliability and a low risk disposition are admirable characteristics that can make your business stand out in the crowd.


A proactive order fulfillment solution ensures the following to provide an excellent service:

 

  • Are committed to offer the best in the industry solutions
  • Fulfilling the promises by delivering products or services on time.
  • Online open view tools that lead to immediate access to crucial , accurate and relevant information 24 x 7 help make important and potential business decisions without any delays or risks
  • Team that effectively focuses on client/customer support
  • Capable of managing one configuration to one customer, low-volume-high mix through high-volume-low-mix orders.
  • Effective systems integration for conducting tests and debugging the products.
  • Highly secured environment with real-time information accessibility
  • Provides you with customization and configuration facilities to suit the requirements of the customers
  • Equipped with high data center rack integration capabilities in order to leverage efficiency and avoid any time wasting procedures.
  • lesser overhead, inventory, greater responsive supply chain solution

 

You can gain the confidence of your customers by giving them an opportunity to test your products before making their purchasing decisions. However you need to also ensure that you do not suffer any losses due to damages loss of products. The evaluation system helps you to monitor the products that you have given for trials and ensures that the products are returned to the inventory on time in its original condition. Running a business with prudence will save you from financial losses. It is imperative to have solutions that help in running a safe and sound business operation.


Those who employ intelligent strategies are the ones to achieve success in this cut-throat competition.

 

Ensure Protection from Phishing with Anti-Phishing Software

Wikipedia defines social engineering as “the art of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.” Though it is similar in concept to a confidence trick or simple fraud, it is typically trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer system access where in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victims. Today social engineering is the nightmare of any enterprise because unlike hackers who look for vulnerabilities and weaknesses within a security software or a server, social engineers look for vulnerabilities within the human mind. Social engineers rely on the natural helpfulness of the people and appeal to their vanity, greed, and authority. Hence, success comes easily to social engineers when compared to hackers who have to spend tens of thousands of dollars to put their plans into action.

 

Social engineers make use of several tactics to persuade people to reveal confidential information. One of the most widely used tactics is that of phishing specifically spear phishing. Spear phishing is actually “an e-mail spoofing fraud attempt that targets a specific organization, seeking unauthorized access to confidential data”  such as trade secrets or military information. Unlike phishing emails that appear to come from a large and established company or organization, spear phishing emails are usually made to appear as coming from an individual of great authority. The spear phishing emails have high open rates because of three factors namely


* The source of the email appears to be a known and trusted individual

* The request that the individual makes seem logical

* The information in the email validates the request


Though several solutions are available to protect from technology attacks, the two most vulnerable areas remain the people and process. A strategic phishing attack specifically targets these two areas. Attackers are well aware that these are the most difficult zones to guard. In such a scenario, employee awareness programs and anti-phishing technologies offer only a limited protection against such attacks. What is required is a phishing diagnostic solution that goes beyond process and technology to address people risks.


The anti-phishing software assists organizations in evaluating the readiness of employees against social engineering and phishing attacks. Using this tool, enterprises can simulate either a simple phishing attack or a more targeted spear phishing attack. An instant behavioral analysis is provided that leverages a "teaching moment". A prioritized action plan is created to reduce possible threats due to such attacks in the future.


Thus with such anti-phishing tools, enterprises can ensure protection from phishing by arming their employees against such attacks and thereby creating a prioritized action plan to alleviate possible threats.


Read More About: Simulated phishing attack, anti phishing software, phishing protection

Anti-Phishing Solutions To Guard Your Business from Phishing Attacks

With IT security being of vital significance in every business, it has become a critical aspect to handle as it continues to be  vulnerable to various kinds of attacks. The key contributor to the increasing number of security breach incidents in recent times are Phishing attacks, consequently leading organizations to develop certain control measures to contain these attacks. Phishing represents one aspect of the increasingly complex and converging security threats facing businesses today. The methods used by spammers have become more sophisticated, and spam is now increasingly combined with malware and used as a tool for online fraud or theft, or to propagate malicious code. As businesses can be victims of Phishing scams companies need to take steps to protect their domains and their reputations from being exploited for Phishing attacks.

As cyber criminals are way ahead in designing complex Phishing attacks, there is a need to look beyond traditional technology controls, and adopt continuous education and awareness to fight these attacks. As Phishing is one of the most deceitful forms of identity theft, it is important to become familiar with various types of Phishing scams as well as to learn how to guard against them. Countermeasures like anti Phishing solutions need to be considered in order to deal with the increasing technical sophistication of criminals conducting Phishing scams, exploiting human vulnerabilities.

Effective anti-virus, anti-spyware, and Internet security software programs are essential. It isn’t a good idea to rely on free software to protect your business. It is best to utilize a program that actively scans and is frequently updated to keep up with new threats. Learn how to identify common Phishing scams and arm your employees against such attacks by investing in a solution that can aid the organization in combating potential Phishing risks. As your anti Phishing tool must deliver valuable services by protecting your business investments, secure your systems with automatic updates and a simplified management system so your office network won't be vulnerable to dangerous prowlers and Internet threats.

It is prudent to take a proactive approach and engage in external threat monitoring against your brand, assets, and intellectual property. This monitoring proactively seeks out threats against an organization that can be discovered across the public and hidden internet, such as targeted Phishing or malware attacks, so that they can be taken down and destroyed before they succeed. Protect yourself, know the rules, and stay up-to-date on what's happening in the areas of fraud invest in the best anti-Phishing software and solutions.

Read More About: phishing protection, Simulated phishing attack, protection from phishing

Managing Data Effectively With Unified Storage

Effective storage consolidation begins with the concept of centralizing and sharing unified storage resources among multiple application servers. Unified storage solutions help enterprises, large and small build an efficient information infrastructure that lets them store, protect, optimize, and leverage their information, from a single email to production databases. Consolidation provides a common platform to allocate and manage growing demands for data storage while improving storage utilization and reducing administrative effort.


Unified storage provides flexibility both at purchase time and after. A truly unified storage system provides a single user interface to manage both block and file system storage when the array is installed and later on in production. Storage that allows you to easily select between block and file access anytime within the life of the array provides a common pool of capacity that can be maximized for efficiency and reduced cost when the unexpected happens. The attractiveness of a unified storage product is that all of the underlying disks can be presented as multiple storage protocols, so scores and scores of disk resources for each storage realm would not be required.


The right unified storage solutions will offer an easy to use, scalable storage platform for mid-sized business that helps IT achieve greater operational efficiency while meeting their service-level agreements. Fully integrated value added features such as mirroring, replication and data migration provide the tools necessary to keep the business running. The unified storage solution you choose must be capable of managing more data, more efficiently, while also keeping information available and secure and being ready for growth. There are compelling features for unified storage products that can offer a lot of features beyond simple storage resources,which can include replication, snapshots, cloud integration, without a new console.


Most storage consolidation solutions use industry-leading technologies and are designed to maximize storage assets, improve efficiencies, and work with the  existing infrastructure to deliver flexibility so as to leverage future technologies. A flexible information infrastructure ensures that all your applications collaborate and integrate producing optimum results and provides you opportunities to earn more revenues. Organizations can put an end to perpetual data migrations or buying more or different storage for every project.


Invest in an efficient storage server solution that can help achieve your goals efficiently and cost effectively regardless of whether the need is to achieve instant data sharing; data protection or implementing a heterogeneous storage environment. Unified Storage is most certainly the right choice to be part of your data center’s storage infrastructure to ensure effective data management.


Read More About: custom computer systems, data centre solutions, high performance computing cluster