PC Quest - November 2015 In

GB

8.5ayer DVD
Dual L

Free

Hands on: Essential Tools and
Apps for a Responsive Website

How to Monitor your Network
Bandwidth with NTOPNG

5 Tips and Tools to
Secure a WordPress Site

`150

www.pcquest.com

6 Best Smartphones
under `6,000

NOVEMBER 2015

UNDERSTAND • CHOOSE • IMPLEMENT IT

Big Data Tutorial:
Using YARN in
MapReduce

If your disks are missing, please ask your newsagent or email: [email protected]

MAXIMUM
MOBILITY!
Expert advice and handy tips for any
organization to quickly embrace mobility;
Hand-picked 50+ mobile apps to get
you started with CRM, private messaging,
data backup, security, productivity
and much more.

Hot Tech n Trends:
· Role of Java in Internet of Things
· Advances in Data Deduplication Tech
· UTM: A Pragmatic Security Solution for SMEs
· Why Social Media is a Must for Recruiters
Special Subscription offer on page 66

Mobility Corner:
· The Top 3 Mobile Apps for
Taking Notes on the Move
· 20+ Free Tools to secure, backup,
and empower Smartphones
· 12 Popular Mobile CRM Apps
84 pages including cover

Contents
34 COVER STORY

MAXIMUM MOBILITY!

Expert advice and handy tips for any organization to quickly
embrace mobility; Hand-picked 50+ mobile apps to get you started
with CRM, private messaging, data backup, security, productivity and
much more.
36 Build Mobile Apps Without Any Coding
40 20+ Free Tools to Secure, Backup, and Empower Smartphones
46 10 Must-Have Apps for Busy Executives
49 12 Popular Mobile CRM Apps
52 3 Popular Mobile Note Apps
54 How MADP is Changing The Mobile App Development Industry
TECh and TREndS
10 UTM: a Pragmatic Security
Solution for SMEs
12 The Business Case for
Using hPC in the Cloud
14 Emerging Trends in
Enterprise Storage
16 Role of Java in Internet
of Things
18 advances in data
deduplication Tech
20 Social Media Platforms:
The new Go-To Place
for Recruiters
4

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

22 Era of Connected devices
in the FMCG Industry
24 Increase Rack density to
Save on data Center Costs
26 4 Reasons Why Flexibility in
Choice is More Important than
a Public Cloud deployment

handS On
55 7 Cdn Services to Speed Up
Your Website’s access
56 10 Tips to Speed up Your
Website Load Time

28 dCIM: Key to Good
Customer Service
30 Pushing the Limits:
The app Ecosystem

SPECIaL FEaTURE
32 Using Yarn in the MapReduce
Programming Tool

58 Installing nTOPnG—a
Web-Based network Traffic
analysis Tool
60 Essential Tips and Tools to
Secure Wordpress Sites

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NOVEMBER 2015
dVd hIGhLIGhTS
REVIEWS

50+ Free and Essential
Business Tools for an SME

Enterprise mobility software, ERP
and CRM tools, productivity software,
document management tools, content
management systems, ecommerce
platforms, network monitoring tools
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69 asus BU401La
Ultrabook

70 6 Best

Smartphones
Under `6,000
Moto E 2nd
Generation (3G)

Redmi 2

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653 4G

13 Productivity Tools
8 Network Monitoring Tools
5 Mobility Management Solutions
5 Data Backup Tools
7 Encryption Tools
9 Firewalls

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InFocus
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YU Yunique

GadGETS CORnER
72 LG G4 Smartphone

Micromax
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74 hTC OnE ME Smartphone
75 Lenovo VIBE Shot Smartphone

VIRTUaLIzaTIOn TOOLS FOR LInUx USERS
• CoreOS • Xen Server

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76 Benq W1070+ Projector |
Sandisk Connect Wireless Stick
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77 dell Inspiron 15 3000 | TP-Link
TL-Wa860RE Wi-Fi Extender |
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78 LG 65UF9500 4K Super Uhd TV

73 Moto x Play Smartphone

79 Canon Pixma MG2570S Inkjet
MFP | Boat Rugged Bluetooth
Speaker | amkette S8 Ear-Phone
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Turn to page 66
NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

5

MESSAGEBOARD

reader mail & trOuBleshOOting adVice

OCTOBER 2015

light their products it to place them in a light tent and use
two or more 500-watt lamps to supply the lighting. The
tent evenly distributes a softened light to prevent glaring
reflections and fill the shadow areas of the jewelry. Of
course, you will need to mount your camera on a tripod
if the exposures are longer than about 1/250th second.
If your images are consistently under exposed, you need
to adjust the camera’s exposure compensation until you
get the proper exposure.
- Ashok Pandey, PCQuest Labs

the Best ultra wide lenses fOr phOtOgraphY

the Best free antiVirus sOftware
I do not use Windows Defender because it
missed many viruses that my old antivirus found.
Unfortunately my old antivirus’ 1-year subscription
is over and I don’t wanna pay money for an antivirus.
Which is the best free option?
- Akshay
Eset and eScan, both have a very good free version
and if you go for paid subscription, then there are plenty
of features and strong protection against threats.
- Ashok Pandey, PCQuest Labs

the camera with the Best zOOm qualitY
Looking for a camera with a really good and clear
zoom? I have a Nikon L830 now, which has a 34x
optical zoom. I need to be able to take really detailed
pictures of polishes. The macros that I take now are
pretty decent but if the glitter is too fine then my
camera just doesn’t cut it. My budget is around Rs
24,000j. So, pls tell the best option.
- Raj K
Your camera is certainly capable of photographing
things like jewelry which have “glitter”, but you will have
to refine your technique. The way jewelry photographers

Write to the Editor
Print: Editor PCQuest
B-35, Sector 32, Gurgaon
Haryana-122001
Email: [email protected]
Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity.

6

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

Which of these Ultra Wide Angle Lenses should I
get? Canon 10-18 Sigma or 8-16 Tokina 11-16? I have
a Canon t6s (APCs). Which of these is the best? I
want the best image quality and don’t really care
about the price of these lenses.
- Aditya
The sigma will give you the widest angle of view,
though, all three lenses will provide high-quality images
on a camera with an APS-C sensor. It is not until you
are using a full frame, high-resolution camera that any
difference in image quality will start to show up at the
edges of your images.
- Ashok Pandey, PCQuest Labs

the Best smartphOne under 20K
I want to buy a smartphone under 20k which must
have good camera plus long battery life.
- Ramesh S
Now a days when you opt for 20k sub-range category
you can have multiple choices. Like the Moto X Play
having 21 MP rear camera and 3630mAh battery. You
can also go for Lenovo P1 which has been recently
launched but has killer features like 13 MP camera, 4900
mAh battery and this phone can be used as power bank
for charging your other devices. So I think you can go for
either of these devices.
- Swaraj Sourav, PCQuest Labs

the Best smartphOne under 6K
What can I expect in sub 6k category now?
I mean what should be the hardware
configuration and screen size I can get in this
price range?

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Nowadays mobile companies break all the barriers
to make an affordable handset with the best possible
configuration. Micromax Canvas Xpress 2 is a phone
where you get an Octa-core processor, 13 MP camera,
1 GB RAM and 8 GB storage under 6k. We tested this
device in our lab and we found it to be a viable device.
Phones like YU Yunique, RED MI 2 are also good and
have similar features.
- Swaraj Sourav, PCQuest Labs

the Best high-end taBlet
I am looking for a high end tablet that should offer a
great multimedia experience. My budget allows me
to go around Rs 40K. The screen should be amazing,
have a good battery backup and good storage
capacity. Please suggest.
- Ritika S
We have tested some amazing devices in this
category and we recommend you to opt for Samsung
Galaxy Tab 8.4 inches. It has a brilliant screen and
amazing battery back up. Moreover as you need more
storage, you can expand the memory to 128 GB. This
product will best suit your requirements. Another option
is iPad Air with Wi-fi.
- Anuj Sharma, PCQuest Labs

the Best printer fOr a small Office

I run a small office and want to keep only one printer
to print all my documents. Which one would you
suggest?
- Ravi M
HP Deskjet Ink Advantage 2545 All-in-One Wireless
Printer is best suited for you. It is an MFP so apart from
printing you will have an advantage of scanning, and
copying your documents. The print quality is good and
the device offers good value for money right now. If you
can stretch your budget a little, then consider Canon
MG 3570 which also features double sided printing
which saves time in the long run. Being inkjet printers
these deliver good results even if you wish to print some
photographs.
- Anuj Sharma, PCQuest Labs

a gOOd headphOne fOr a traVeler
I spend a lot of time travelling and want to buy a
good headphone that’s built for mobile users. Please
suggest what to look for.
- Rashi K
Since you will be spending a lot of time travelling,
apart from good sound quality don’t forget to consider
the fact that the headphone will get through extensive
wear and tear during its lifetime. So you should look for
durability and build quality as quality headphones can
last months to years without being damaged. In some
headphones ear-cups, folding design, etc is fragile so
better check for robust hinges else they might fall apart

after some amount of usage. Aluminium body design
headband is one you should look for as it shall provide
both comfort and durability. Two quality headphones
for travellers are Bose QuietComfort 15 and Sony
MDRZX100.
- Anuj Sharma, PCQuest Labs

the Best uhd tV
I want to purchase a top-notch TV that should
provide a completely immersive experience. I’ve
heard a lot about UHD 4K TVs but are they worth
spending money on?
- Neeraj V
UHD TVs still have a long way to go before gaining
customer confidence as little UHD content is available
today. The UHD TVs definitely produce much sharper
and detailed images and will surely enhance your
viewing experience. The technology is likely to go
mainstream, so it would be good to buy one now to
future-proof your investment. Some preferable TV
models are: Samsung Curved UHD TV, Sony Bravia 4K
and LG UHD LED TV and LG Super UHD TV.
- Anuj Sharma, PCQuest Labs

weaK rOuter signals
My computer is in the living room, almost 40
feet away from the nearest router. I don’t want to
invest in a new router, and would rather optimise
the connection to the old router either through an
Ethernet cable or wirelessly.
- Vyom S
The 40 feet distance should be no problem to
connect to a router wirelessly, unless there’s some
major concrete or steel beams in the way. Simply check
the position of your router and clear the connection of
such obstructions.
- Ashok Pandey, PCQuest Labs

preVenting a pc frOm Opening randOm
WEBSITES

I have Google Chrome set as my default browser. Now
the problem is that when I don’t touch my computer
for about 10+ minutes, it will open Chrome and send
me to a page with a virus on it. Obviously I don’t touch
anything on the page so I don’t get any viruses, but it’s
incredibly annoying. I’ve downloaded a page-blocking
app so that I can block the pages it sends me to, but
it rarely sends me to the same page twice. I have
Norton 360 virus protection and it says there aren’t any
viruses on my computer. Please suggest.
— Ramieri K
There is a simple solution. Just go to the “Control
Panel” and then “Programs”. Every browser supports
extensions, your browser also has some extensions
which are affecting your PC. Delete the ones you are not
sure about, then download Malwarebytes and run it. It
should pick up most browser hijackers and successfully
remove them.
— Ashok Pandey, PCQuest Labs

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

7

leadingedge
The digital shift has happened and is
largely leaning towards mobility, so if your
organization hasn’t already embraced it,
then it’s time to do so fast!
Anil Chopra, Editor
[email protected],
@anilchop on twitter

3 Ways to Ride the Mobility
Wave in a Digital World

W

hether it’s ordering
groceries online or
finding a restaurant to
order dinner, consumers
have gotten into the habit of doing
everything online, and mostly from
their smartphones. The digital shift
has happened, and it’s largely leaning
towards mobility.
So if your company hasn’t already
gone mobile, then it’s time to do so,
and fast!
The opportunity is huge because
everyone is impacted from it, right
from your internal employees to your
customers outside. There are three
ways you can do this.
One is to empower your employees
with readily available apps to enhance
their personal productivity. There are
plenty of them available, right from
taking notes to personal messaging.
They’re available as free versions with
limited functionality and paid ones for
more enhanced features.
Two, since the line between
personal and business mobility has
blurred, the same device is used by
employees for both personal and
official use. Here’s where you need
control to block unproductive apps in
office at-least and ensure complete
security of all mobile devices. For this,
8

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

you’ll need MDM solutions at the
back-end to control device access, and
security software on each device to
provide safety from malware.
The first two methods can easily be
addressed with ready-made, off the
shelf software that’s easily available. It’s
just a matter of choosing the right one
and ensuring consistent use across the
organization.
Third and most important is to
build your own app eco-system. This is
where you need to put your thinking
caps on and observe the key business
pain points. They’ll differ for different
industry verticals, and would require
keen observation, discussions with
various BU heads, to provide a mobile
app roadmap with clear cut business
benefits outlined.
The trend in banking for instance, is
to replace mobile PoS terminals with
Android based apps for field agents.
It saves them the burden of having to
lug around a heavy terminal. Plus, the
transactions happen immediately for
collections, payments, etc. so they don’t
have to report back to office to punch in
all data by the EoD.
Likewise, one trend on the shop
floor of manufacturing companies and
logistics business is to enable shop
floor managers with a mobile app that

provides them regular updates on their
mobiles about inventory, production
output, product dispatch/receipt status,
etc. It saves them the burden of having
to run from pillar to post every time
they need to check even small things.
Our cover story this time, provides a
hands-on view of how mobility can truly
help an organization. We’ve hand-picked
apps across different categories that
could be used to enhance employee
productivity, improve security, and
provide better control of mobile devices
in the organization. It’s like a digital
tool-kit every organization should have.
Plus, of course, there’s expert advice on
how to truly leverage mobility.
We hope you find it useful. Here’s
wishing all our readers a great festive
season!

Scan this to write to the Editor
To download a barcode app, SMS <f2k> to 56677 from
a mobile phone with Internet access and camera.

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UNDERSTAND • CHOOSE • IMPLEMENT IT

editOrial
editOr: Anil Chopra
executiVe editOr: Adeesh Sharma
cOnsulting editOrs: Vinod Unny, Shekhar Govindarajan,
Sameer Mathur, Amaresh Patnaik
design manager: Vijay Chand & Amit Sethia

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

9

tech&trends

Security

UTM – A Pragmatic Security Solution for SMEs
SMEs in India are not able to adopt IT as the solutions are often
provisioned to large enterprises’ requirements. UTMs provide a
workaround by providing comprehensive security at affordable prices
– Sunil Sharma, VP Sales & Operations, India & SAARC, Cyberoam

L

ast year ICP (International Comparison Program
- World Bank is one of its participants) released
a ranking of nations based on the purchasing
power parity (PPP). In this report, India was
ranked third behind the US and China. It was also stated
that Indian and Chinese economies have more than
doubled relative to that of the US since it last reported
such figures in 2005.
India is growing faster than China and, in fact, faster
than any other major economy in the world. With
initiatives like Make in India and Digital India, there is
a lot of interest in India as an investment destination.
Though, it’s the services sector which drives India’s
growth story, Foxconn’s entry is a big story for those who
see India as the next electronic manufacturing hub after
Taiwan and China.
However, there is another significant aspect of this
growth – India’s booming SMB sector. With 51 million
SMBs (next only to China), India is one of the fastest
growing SMB nations, globally. A recent study by Zinnov
on ‘Digital SMBs’ says that while only 40% of SMBs in
India are tech-savvy, the number is expected to increase
to 90% of all SMBs by 2020. Incidentally, SMBs in India are
not able to adopt IT as the solutions are often provisioned
to large enterprises’ requirements. These IT solutions
are very generic and lack vertical centricity and also have
a high learning curve. Unfortunately, this is true for IT
security as well.
Nonetheless, security is one area where organizations
cannot afford any compromise. Presently, India

Sunil Sharma
VP Sales & Operations,
India & SAARC, Cyberoam
10

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

“According to a KPMG
report, the market for
information security
in India will grow by
50% in the next three
years. This is expected
to trigger demand for
advanced security
systems like UTMs.”

experiences a huge number of data breaches (one of
the highest number of average data breaches) and is a
popular target for cyber criminals. Increasing adoption
of technologies like wireless LAN, Wi-Fi hotspots, 3G
wireless etc. have created a demand for products that
provide holistic network security. The Government of
India is also renewing its focus on improving the security
and privacy regulations for the country as a whole and
also at the industry level. According to a KPMG report,
the market for information security in India will grow by
50% in the next three years. This is expected to trigger
demand for advanced security systems like UTMs (Unified
Threat Management Solutions).

what next gen utms provide
Next generation UTMs are designed specifically keeping
in mind the changing requirements of SMBs. UTMs act
as a comprehensive security solution that bring several
advanced capabilities like WAF (Web Application Firewall),
Logging and Reporting and IPS (Intrusion Prevention
System) in addition to the Firewall, on a single appliance,
removing the need for SMBs to invest heavily in any other
standalone security solution for such purposes. These
appliances are generally easy to deploy and manage with
built-in security policy templates which substantially
decreases the need for a highly-specialized technical staff
for maintaining the organization’s networks.
Moreover, UTMs which globally have a wellentrenched presence in small organization networks,
are now seeing an increasing adoption in enterprise
networks as well. Enterprises see a great deal of sense
in switching to these appliances as UTMs are keeping
step with complex network security challenges and offer
higher throughputs as well. After all, it’s hard to resist
the unique value proposition UTMs offer by consolidating
the functionalities VPN boxes, legacy firewalls (traditional
perimeter security), and IPS used to offer on standalone
basis in the past.
UTMs today form the core of security for modern
businesses and can help young SMBs in India to adopt
the latest in technology while ensuring that they maintain
the requisite balance in their security, connectivity and
productivity needs.

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Dashboards

tech&trends

SMB Corner

The Business
Case for Using
HPC in the Cloud
Using cloud based HPC
applications is a cost-effective
way to gain affordable access
to otherwise expensive HPC
resources for SMBs

– Sandeep Lodha, Co-Founder, Tyrone Systems
& Netweb Technologies

F

rom enabling us to model and manipulate
any product, process or service at will, HighPerformance Computing (HPC) solutions are
today considered an essential component for
business success. From protecting the common man from
marauding natural disasters or satisfying his taste buds
with a perfectly contoured potato wafer, HPC is playing
a pivotal role everywhere. By moving to the cloud and
being available on demand, HPC has moved from being an
expensive endeavor to a cost-effective technology within
reach of virtually business enterprise and budget.

High-Performance
Technical Computing
(hptc)

High-Performance
Business Computing
(hpBc)

Chemical engineering:
Process and molecular
design

Computer aided engineering
(CAE): Automotive design
and testing, transportation,
structural, mechanical design

Geosciences and geoengineering: Oil and gas
exploration and reservoir
modeling

Digital content creation (DCC)
and distribution: Computer
aided graphics in film and
media

Who needs HPC?

Defense and energy: Nuclear
stewardship, basic and
applied research

Electronic design and
automation (EDA): Electronic
component design and
verification

University/academic: Basic
and applied research

Mechanical design and
drafting: 2D and 3D design
and verification, mechanical
modelling

Government labs: Basic and
applied research

Economics/financial: Wall
Street risk analysis, portfolio
management, automated
trading

Weather forecasting: Near
term and climate/earth
modeling

Bio-sciences and the human
genome: Drug discovery,
disease detection/prevention

It’s true; High-Performance Computing solutions do deliver
the tremendous competitive edge in the marketplace. The
ability to quickly model, manipulate a product/process
and to see the impact of various design decisions even
before a physical prototype is built is of immense value
to any organization. Take for instance in the development
of a new car; designers can use HPC to explore various
new designs, optimize the product with numerous design/
prototyping iterations, and then validate changes through
on-demand simulation to achieve quick results. Use of
HPC in this case not only cuts down budgets required for
prototyping it also enhances the organization’s ability to
bring better quality innovations to market fast and cost
efficiently.

Typical HPC Applications

HPC in the Cloud

It was a common misconception that HPC is deployed only
for technical computing applications. The following table
clearly demonstrates that HPC can and also be for business
computing applications:

The advent of cloud has made many things
previously considered impractical suddenly practical.
Not only does the cloud guarantee rapid access
impervious to geographical boundaries it also

12

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

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promises to be make everything it hosts cheaper, flexible
and pervasive.
Cloud based HPC, the latest method of throwing
large computer cycles at a complex problem, employs
the Internet as a basis for a cycles-as-a-service model of
computing. The compute cycles in question live in the
cloud somewhere allowing a user to request remote access
to cycles on-demand. A cloud based HPC solution provides
dynamic and scalable HPC resources to the end-user as a
service. Although clouds can be cost effective and allow
HPC to be purchased as an expense and not a capital asset,
it does place some layers between the user and hardware
resulting in some pressures related to bandwidth and data
security while accessing or moving data from a public cloud
or even a remote HPC center.
Within the cloud, however, not everything is equal.
There is a marked difference between performance offered by traditional clouds and HPC specialized clouds.
With a traditional cloud, for instance, users are guaranteed a minimal level of performance while promising
them instant availability of resources, scalability and
software choice. Thread applications, single programs
that run multiple inputs points simultaneously, can run
well and cost effectively on such clouds.
HPC applications, however, need something more.
They require specifically designed storage, tuned
hardware that is closely coupled with processor speed,
interconnect and memory, ability to communicate
with remote user processes, optimized HPC libraries,
hardware support, and batch scheduling. Specifically,
applications that are interconnected and I/O sensitive,
require performance accelerators, parallel & superfast
computation, interconnect and storage, and need to
move large datasets in and out of the cloud without
impacting computation time, must choose specialized
HPC clouds for superior performance.

HPC in Cloud – Exciting Benefits
• Easily Scalable & Flexible – Cloud based HPC solutions

sandeep lodha
Co-Founder, Tyrone Systems &
Netweb Technologies

“Cloud based HPC
solutions are truly
scalable providing
customers with the
freedom to choose all the
components of the virtual
cluster including CPU
cores, memory nodes,
storage, operating system
and software needed for
each application.”

are truly scalable providing customers with the
freedom to choose all the components of the virtual
cluster including CPU cores, memory nodes, storage,
operating system and software needed for each
application. Additionally, users are also able to share
control over their own virtual cluster with other users
and share processing time, data and results
• Easy to start – Businesses that use cloud based HPC
applications do so because they are easy to launch.
Especially when coupled with cloud automation, cloud
based HPC applications are simple for even end users
that have lesser experiences in setting up hardware
and configuration. Automation allows these end
users to launch virtual HPC clusters with the click of a
button and the system dynamically handles resource
provisioning on-demand and as per usage
• OPEX instead of CAPEX – Using cloud based HPC
applications, especially if you are a small business,
is a cost-effective way to gain affordable access to
otherwise expensive HPC resources
• Outsourced Management – While users may stay
focussed on their respective projects, the cloud
based HPC environment is continuously monitored
by qualified professionals. This approach also allows
users to deploy HPC resources on call and only when
needed, saving tons of money
• Latest hardware, software, interconnect,
virtualization, workload management techniques –
Managed service providers are able to push upgrades
with ease and simultaneously. This reduces the
discrepancy between the different versions of each
application and compatibility issues that could be
troublesome among team members working together
on a project. It also provides access to current
software and because end users are charged only for
bandwidth and storage, it comes at no additional cost
• Managed by experts you don’t own – Experts
believe that only 7% of the total cost of acquiring
and operating an HPC system, over three years,
comes from hardware cost. The much bigger portion
of the pie comes from the high cost of expertise
(staffing), equipment, maintenance, middleware,
and training. By opting for cloud based HPC
environments end users benefit from availability
of highly qualified HPC manpower and on an ondemand basis
Cloud based HPC solutions represent a new
competitive advantage for many companies and
industry sectors. Many organizations, maybe even your
competitors, are using HPC in Cloud as a way to help
reduce cost, design new products and processes, solve
problems, and increase profitability.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

13

tech&trends

Storage

Emerging Trends in Enterprise Storage Tech
In this era of data boom, businesses need to revamp their storage
infrastructure to incorporate new technologies to improve efficiencies
and support new business needs. Sanghamitra from CIOL bureau
interacted with Mark Re - SVP, CTO, Seagate Technology to find out the
latest innovations in storage tech
– Mark Re - SVP, CTO, Seagate Technology

W

e live in the era of data explosion and the
time has come for organizations to plan
for a robust data storage infrastructure to
attain efficiencies. In these times, some
of the big trends are Big data, IoT (Internet of Things),
mobility and cloud. As a matter of fact, these trends are
driving the need for more advanced and sophisticated
storage solutions as well.

Innovations in storage tech
We know that technology trends like IoT, mobility, social
media are bringing changes in data consumption patterns
and creating new demands. What we are seeing today
is that these trends are not limited to enterprises. Even
consumers are adopting these trends rapidly as well. With
these trends, the amount of content that is being created,
stored and accessed on the go, is increasing. Hence there
is a need for a storage solution with a high capacity,
delivering efficient performance.
Shingled Magnetic Recording (SMR) and Heat-Assisted
Magnetic Recording (HAMR) technologies have improved
the areal density (the amount of data that can be
stored on a single disk) while maintaining a low cost per
gigabyte, in order to support global growth in cloud and
mobile usage.
In addition, the adoption of Hybrid technology as
the future of next- gen storage is a key trend. What
makes the hybrid drive special is that it combines

Mark Re
SVP, CTO, Seagate Technology
14

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

“Shingled Magnetic
Recording (SMR) and
Heat-Assisted Magnetic
Recording (HAMR)
technologies have
improved the areal
density (the amount of
data that can be stored
on a single disk) while
maintaining a low cost
per gigabyte”

the high-capacity of a HDD with SSD-like speed at a
fraction of the price. So users can get the speed they
want and the capacity they need in one drive, bridging
the gap between a HDD and SSD with the best value/
performance option for consumers.
Apart from this, in today’s era of BYOD where it has
become imperative for people to carry, retrieve and share
data on-the-go, consumers are facing storage constraint
issues on their mobile devices. Therefore, portable and
wireless storage drives appeal to anyone who uses a
smartphone, tablet or other mobile device and stores
digital content in it. Consumers have embraced the idea
of carrying and sharing their content on the go, and
require greater storage capacities to do so.

Meeting SMB storage needs
Data is the lifeblood of any businesses. How well a
company manages and protects the data can go a long
way towards determining its success or failure. However,
given SMEs’ limited budgets and manpower, setting up a
strong enough IT infrastructure that supports and protects
company’s entire data is often a big challenge.
Today, cloud computing has brought a revolution to
SMEs. Cloud storage provides notably easy access to data
from any place where there is an Internet connection.
However, a lot of businesses are also aware of potential
security and operational cost issues.
In view of this, smarter SMEs are adopting a mixed
approach to their storage needs. While leveraging on the
benefits of what the cloud services can offer, they also
integrate what we call a NAS (network-attached storage)
solution. The key advantage of this approach is that it
allows SMEs to establish their own cloud storage while
keeping control of their data.
For example, there are many organisations with
networks of up to 50 computers, and with little-to-none
IT support available in-house. Networked Attached
Storage (NAS) solutions are designed to be easily up and
running without dedicated IT support. This helps small
businesses stay organised and focused. The NAS device
management is effortless from a desktop, laptop, tablet,
or even a smartphone.

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The NAS HDDs highest-capacity storage for 1- to
8-bay NAS systems. NAS HDD has been specifically
designed to minimise rotational vibration (RV) effects
typically found in multi-drive solutions, improving system
performance and reliability. Extended error recovery
controls helps to ensure drives comply with NAS system
requirements for better data integrity that quickly and
reliably support home and business applications.

How Digital India helps enhance storage tech
Consumers in India are rapidly embracing and adopting
new technologies like cloud and portable storage, and
several visionary government campaigns have opened up
many new avenues.
Under the Digital India campaign, we expect to see
deeper mobile device penetration and increasing use
of video, big data analytics and the cloud. All of this
will continue to drive data growth and require larger
and more effective storage solutions. Also, the Indian
government’s Smart City vision will generate a greater
dependency on technology and hence an amplified need
for critical data storage, analysis and retrieval.

upcoming storage tech
Seagate is working with CERN openlab to collaborate
on the development of the Seagate Kinetic Open
Storage platform. CERN Openlab’s mission is
to accelerate the development of innovative
new solutions to be used by the worldwide LHC
community. CERN Openlab provides companies
with a framework to test and validate cutting-edge
information technologies and services in partnership
with CERN. The partnership aims to help CERN, the
European Organization for Nuclear Research, to better
manage and store the 100 petabytes of data the Large
Hadron Collider has generated to date, as well as the
additional 2-3 petabytes of information it produces
on a monthly basis in its quest to further humanity’s
understanding of the universe.
Seagate is also working on Heat-Assisted Magnetic
Recording (HAMR) and Shingled Magnetic Recording
(SMR) to increase the capacity of the drives. Apart from
this, they are working on Two Dimensional Magnetic
Recording (TDMR), which places one more data reader
onto a drive’s read/write head.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

15

tech&trends

IoT

Role of Java in Internet of Things
The ubiquity and pervasiveness of IoT devices,
along with the growing fragmentation of hardware
architecture, software, and infrastructure,
calls out for standards that can be adhered
to by programming languages to improve
ease of deployment and scalability. Java, with
interoperability at its heart, is a natural fit

I

– Sanket Atal, Group Vice President, Product Development, Oracle

magine a world of technology that thinks on its own;
where machines let owners know when it’s time for
maintenance or a quick fix. Imagine a world where
everyone and everything from people to inanimate
devices have a unique identity and are connected to each
other. This new reality in technology, called the Internet of
Things (IoT), is here.
What is IoT really? IoT is about collecting and
managing massive amounts of data from a rapidly
growing network of devices and sensors, processing that
data, and then sharing it with other connected units to
make real time decisions. You are already beginning to
see it around you - in the smart meter from your utility
company, in the environmental controls and security
systems in your home, and in your car’s self-monitoring
capabilities. In this connected world, the proliferation
of intelligent devices has created a market for entirely
new solutions based on IoT technology. With the everincreasing amount of data that is inherent in an IoT
world, the key to gaining real business value is effective
communication among all elements of the ecosystem.
IoT is being referred to as the next big IT revolution
after the mainframe era, the proliferation of personal

Sanket Atal
Group Vice President,
Product Development, Oracle
16

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

“We are already
beginning to see early
adoption in sectors
like healthcare, with
Java Embedded
showing up in lifestyle
health devices,
patient monitoring
technologies and
home healthcare or
telehealth tools.”

computing and the arrival of cloud computing models.
This phenomenon of interconnectivity and technology
embedment is making a drastic shift on the influence of
IT in our daily lives. At the same time, it offers significant
business opportunity for firms to grow, developers to
innovate and newer applications to be built. Gartner
estimates the total economic value-add from the Internet
of Things across industries will reach US$1.9 trillion
worldwide in 2020.
As thousands of devices and sensors get connected,
waves of new data are pouring in from a vast array of
sources that range from resource-constrained devices
to desktop-class systems to embedded silicon chips. The
ubiquity and pervasiveness of these devices, along with
the growing fragmentation of hardware architecture,
software, and infrastructure, calls out for standards that
can be adhered to by programming languages, software
platforms, tools and testing frameworks that will aid the
developer community and improve ease of deployment
and scalability. Java, with interoperability at its heart, is a
natural fit for developing of emerging IOT technologies.

Why Java for IoT?
One of the initial uses of Java was to help connect
home-entertainment devices, and this basic tenet of
interoperability is what makes the platform a good
fit for connected devices in IoT ecosystem. It offers
comprehensive functionality for resource constrained
devices, with the highest level of functionality, security,
connectivity and scalability in the industry. As an open
standards-based platform, Java provides code portability
in IoT environments, accelerating time to market as new
generations of sensor technology emerge. The secure,
in-market device software updates further extend product
lifecycles and allow new services to be provisioned
remotely. In addition, Java has a massive ecosystem
of more than nine million Java developers worldwide
who are developing innovative applications for the
connected world. Using java in devices makes it easier

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for product engineering as one can leverage teams with
java experience to work on programs that run on devices
and backend servers instead of managing teams with
specialized expertise in variety of development languages
and environments for various devices.
When one develops an embedded application one
has to think about the processor, the real-time operating
system, and the different protocols that will be connected.
Java ME abstracts all of that, so that when creating an
application, it can run across the many different devices
without having to change how those applications are written. The application is written once and can be prototyped
on different types of hardware platform, so when one
is ready to move into a production-type environment
or system, the developer can use the same software on
a different chip set or operating system. For e.g. when
you write your application and do your prototyping on
Raspberry Pi or Edison board, then you can do the same
on a small microcontroller device. The same application
that runs on the higher-end systems runs on the low-cost
devices. Security is a major concern in the wirelessly connected world. The Generic Connection Framework 8 (GCF
8) Access Point API in Java provides the latest security
standards and the highest levels of networked encryption
and authentication to ensure data privacy.

We are already beginning to see early adoption in
sectors like healthcare, with Java Embedded showing
up in lifestyle health devices, patient monitoring
technologies and home healthcare or telehealth tools.
In the auto industry, the Java Embedded-enabled IoT
sensors and devices are increasingly being deployed for
multiple use cases from fleet management and logistics
to pushing offers to rental car drivers.

Conclusion
The vision of IoT is to create an automated system of
computers, devices, and sensors that process their
own data instead of depending solely on people for
input. As a result, the system as a whole can have a
view of what’s taking place at any location, at any
point in time. This would lead to a world of connected
systems that could greatly reduce waste, lower costs,
and eliminate loss for just about any human-machine
activity. Java has an important role to play in this
ecosystem. Given its ability to run on a wide range of
devices— from mobile and embedded systems with
limited CPU and memory, to servers with immense
power and capacity — Java can power the world of
compute resources with ubiquitous connectivity in the
coming decades.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

17

tech&trends

Big Data

Advances in Data
Deduplication Tech
With growing data
volumes, organizations are
struggling to manage their
storage and resorting to
adding cheaper storage.
A more efficient method is
data de-duplication. Here
are a few techniques to
do that.
– Ganesh Kuppuswamy, Director, Arcserve India & SAARC

T

oo much data, not enough time, not enough
storage space, and not enough budget. Sound
familiar?
Since the first mainframes, efforts have been
made to optimize storage capacity requirements and data
protection processes. In the open systems world, the issues
mentioned above are the same as years ago when the
first data deduplication technology became mainstream.
Backups are failing, taking too much space, and costing way
too much.
Globally, data volumes are growing exponentially
and organizations of every size are struggling to manage
what has become a very expensive problem. Cheaper
storage helps, but is not an operationally efficient solution
for many workloads. Data needs to be shrunk to more
manageable levels. Too much data causes real problems
for companies overprovision their backup infrastructure to
anticipate rapid future growth.
Today, new technology advances are needed to
combat the unstoppable and exponential growth of

“With a unified data protection strategy,
backup administrators can optimize storage
requirements and bandwidth as well as
accelerate protection and recovery across
multiple sites.”
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PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

virtual machines and data. Here are few deduplication
technologies prevails in the industry.

Target Deduplication
In recent years, organizations realized that they could
not make their backup windows with traditional backup
architectures. Besides backup performance, they struggled
with the essential cost of storing large amounts of backup
data. Storage costs exploded as backup schemas imploded.
Deduplication appliances became the preferred solution to
address the issue. The process involved taking backup data,
optimizing it through deduplication processes and storing
it on disk.
Target deduplication has worked very well and is still
in use today in many environments. Target deduplication
is attractive because it does not require the user to
drastically change their backup software configurations
or policies, rather only to change the destination of the
backup streams.

Distributed deduplication
Certain vendors introduce additional costs by essentially
charging for each distributed deduplication agent on each
system that needs protecting. While there might be some
benefits or “boost” from a disaster recovery standpoint, the
multiplication of expensive systems, software licenses and
associated bandwidth requirements only add to the tab. In
addition, while tools may exist, this type of architecture can
be onerous from a management perspective.

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Source-side deduplication
Why deduplicate data after the fact if we can only backup
the new and unique data needed at the source? Why not
share all of the deduplicated intelligence across required
across platforms? That is global source-side duplication,
and it is where the industry needs to move forward.
Global source-side duplication is what many end-users
have recognized as the critical backup technology moving
forward. The challenge of global source-side duplication
is to ensure that the source (client) system is not bogged
down by the deduplication software.

adopt unified data protection strategy
With a unified data protection strategy, backup
administrators can optimize storage requirements and
bandwidth as well as accelerate protection and recovery
across multiple sites. In addition, the solution allows for
in-place re-hydration of data, for fast granular restore,
including from tape.
It is the true “Global” deduplication across all the
clients in the infrastructure is central to limiting the
unnecessary storage and transfer of duplicate backup
data. Data is deduplicated across nodes, jobs and
across sites.
The global deduplication in a unified data protection

strategy goes beyond the common limitations of
deduplication where it only applies to the WAN
replication cache, and not what is actually stored on
disk, thus reducing the overall potential benefits, in
terms of bandwidth and storage savings.
A right unified data protection strategy improve
resilience and availability. Because the deduplication data
is stored centrally in the Recovery Point Server, it is easy
to protect the backup infrastructure. For example, all the
information in the data store can be replicated to the
cloud, another server in the same data center or offsite.
Organizations must easily and efficiently keep
up with rapid data growth and manage a combined
physical and virtual infrastructure, but specialized
data protection ‘point’ solutions are often too limited
in scope, and large-enterprise solutions can be too
unwieldy for many smaller businesses.
The concept of unified data protection brings
significant value to enterprises that are struggling to
meet increasingly stringent RPOs and RTOs across
physical, virtual and cloud environments. Economics will
drive data protection consolidation as administrators
look to simplify how they handle backup, recovery,
and business continuity requirements in today’s
heterogeneous world.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

19

tech&trends

Social Media

Social Media Platforms:
The New Go-To Place for Recruiters
Employers are increasingly using the power of social media platforms
to verify candidates’ background and in turn rope in the best talent for
their organisations
– Cheran Chandrasekaran, CEO, Infoview

R

egardless of the growth stage that an
enterprise is in, the fact that employees are
the cornerstones on which the past, present
and future of any company rests upon is a
long-established truth. But if you’re an employer on the
look-out for potential talent to bolster your ranks, you’re
not alone. Every business, from start-ups to established
business ventures, seek the best and the brightest within
their ranks to fuel their success story. As if competing
against rival businesses was not a task in itself, you
now need to battle with hundreds and thousands of
competitors over every human resource that you want
for your organisation. The pressure is enough to make
you tap every resource you know and invest heavily in
head-hunting to find the best out of the existing talent
pool. The endeavour may look like discovering the
inconspicuous nail in a hay stack. What employers have
not yet realised is that an entire network of job seekers
is at their ready disposal if only they are to look in to the
right place i.e Social Media platforms.
Surprised much? Don’t be. Social Media platforms
such as Reddit, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace
and StumbleUpon have emerged as the major talent
database for employers looking for professionals to hire.
With 75 Million users on LinkedIn and 500 Million users
on Facebook, social media platforms offer employers an
ocean full of unearthed pearls to choose from. So popular
has the trend been with the recruiters that it has led to
the development of several web-based applications called
Social Recruitment Tools which can optimise applicant
engagement and hiring through Social Media channels.

How social media aids recruitment
But why has the trend changed, and that too so

“A recruiter can no longer be content with
just posting a job to think his or her task is
completed. Attracting talented individuals in this
day and age of information overload requires a
seamless blend of interaction and engagement to
hold user attention”
20

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

dramatically? Like everything else, blame it all on the
internet. With the recent explosive penetration of
digital devices and high consumer internet adoption
rates, it would be tough not to. You can inform
potential job employees about upcoming job openings
through your social media channels, who also allow
professionals to follow a particular job in your business.
There are even industry and location specific groups
which see many prospective applicants browsing
through various openings in their area of interests. With
young Indian professionals who are always seamlessly
connected to one another and everyone else, Social
Media has emerged as a veritable magic wand in the
hands of recruiters, matching their recruitment needs
adequately in terms of outreach and impact.
However, Social Media tools require careful handling
to optimise their functionality. A recruiter can no
longer be content with just posting a job to think his or
her task is completed. Attracting talented individuals
in this day and age of information overload requires
a seamless blend of interaction and engagement to
hold user attention. What’s more, create an attractive
enough campaign and you may find your job vacancy
shared by individuals amongst their own social circles
without any prompts. This increases the campaign’s
reach to a larger audience base at a fraction of the
cost of traditional mediums. And since sharing and
supporting ideas has become the new order among
Internet users, why not use it to power your own
recruitment drive?
Recruitment is no longer just about what the
applicant can offer the company, it is also increasingly
about what the company in turn offers the employee;
personalised interaction through Social Media is
the opening gambit in the game to attract potential
employees. Managers and recruiters no longer open
Facebook or Twitter to change their statuses; they
do so to scan the talent pool for the best fit for their
organisation. So forget the age-old practices of posting
a job vacancy in newspapers and scouring job fairs for
potential employees, Social Media recruitment has very
much arrived and is here to stay for a long, long time.

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tech&trends

IoT

Era of Connected Devices in the FMCG Industry
Most companies are experimenting with IoT technologies to manage
supply chain, inventory and warehouse, and to improve marketing
effectiveness and in-store experience for consumers. Here we discuss
how it’s going to gain in prominence in future
– Arjun Sinha Roy, VP – IoT, netCORE

O

ver the years, Internet of Things (IoT)
has evolved to become a crucial element
in people’s lives, across the globe.
Gartner substantiated these claims in its
recentreport that anticipated the adoption of IoT in
India to mature through 2020. The adoption of IoT in
the country is currently limited to sectors such as energy
and utilities, oil and gas, transportation, healthcare,
government and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG).
As with every technical offering, the role of IoT
always starts with the most crucial element - identifying
islands of physical assets in the operational value chain.
CXOs are always striving to achieve maximum efficiency
in the way in which all assets function in order to drive
value for the organization. Keeping this in mind, several
organizations have built models for defining the value
to be derived from various assets in order to maximize
returns from their IoT strategy.
The FMCG sector in particular has been stricken by
complexities over the years. The complexities relate to
multiplicity of compliance requirements, complexity
in taxation, inadequate storage and transportation
infrastructure and now it is on the brink of a major
revolution. Over the past decade or so, the space
has been witnessing advancement with the help of
technological advancements in the supply chain and
the logistics space. IoT is further set to transform
the FMCG sector by optimizing the production and
transformation.

Arjun Sinha Roy
VP – IoT, netCORE
22

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

“In the FMCG sector,
procurement and the
ecosystem of storage and
transportation has become
a crucial factor in ensuring that the production
operations keep running.
Many companies are making it mandatory for their
contracted transporters
to have GPS trackers to
ensure the tracking of raw
materials to the factory.”

how cxOs should pursue iot deployments
Recent reports have highlighted the complexity of Indian
quality standards across the food and dairy sector. IoT
enables real time data and analytics which is the key
to mitigating risks and boosting productivity across the
organizational value chain. IoT implementations in the
FMCG space should ideally follow a 4 step process:
1. CXOs should look at the entire organization and identify
key parameters across the entire value chain which
affect risk and boost productivity.
2. Once the parameters are defined, the next step is to
identify the parameters in terms of data benchmarking.
3. The parameters being tracked essentially need to
be measured against benchmarks which are defined
as ideal in conjunction with different business and
operation teams.
4. Organizations need to build basic data models in order
certify compliance or identify and generate actionable
points.
In the FMCG sector, procurement and the ecosystem
of storage and transportation has become a crucial factor
in ensuring that the production operations keep running.
Many companies are making it mandatory for their
contracted transporters to have GPS trackers to ensure the
tracking of raw materials to the factory. In the food and
dairy based companies, the quality of the raw material
throughout the procurement supply cycle is crucial from
the perspective of quality compliance. Increasingly we
are seeing companies invest in sensor based solutions.
These solutions measure parameters such as temperature,
humidity, carbon dioxide or any other relevant parameter
critical to the quality compliance of the raw materials. The
sensors are increasingly paired with controllers which have
SIMs to transfer the data to an IoT platform. Also, these
companies are heavily investing in building management
systems and advanced HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air
conditioning) systems for factory storage. The objective
would be once again to make sure that the optimal
environment parameters are in place to ensure quality
compliance.

use of existing automation systems to augment iot
Most factories have already implemented basic plant

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automation using PLC , a digital computer used for
automation of typically industrial electromechanical
processes and SCADA , a system operating with coded
signals over communication channels so as to provide
control of remote equipment. Organizations can integrate
environment data and energy consumption with the plant
automation platform. IoT enables organizations to combine
analytics with the input data to improve the efficiency in
plant automation.
The distribution and retail formats will also see a lot
of innovation from the IoT perspective. We are already
seeing organizations in the food and dairy sector actively
promoting the adoption of temperature and other sensorbased IoT solutions and are trying to co-relate all the data
in order to ensure that the storage facilities are seamless
across Carrying and Forwarding and the distributors.
Increasingly we are also witnessing marketing and sales
coming under the ambit of IoT. Sales staff are increasingly
moving with hand-held terminals which can enable the organization to track the movement of feet on street, get real
time data on secondary sales and drive efficiency in sales
forecasting. Mobile network or GPS is increasingly being
used to track the efficiency of feet on street. We are also
seeing the adoption of IoT in marketing with BTL activities
being tracked using mobile and GPS. Adoption of IoT in the

sales and distribution process will lead to greater adoption
of value added products for the FMCG industry with higher
margins. Data related to storage environments will help
organizations reduce loss due to wastage impacting the
organizations’ bottom-line. It will drive the next round of
innovation and disruption in the FMCG sector similar to the
way the sector witnessed with the adoption of Internet.
The adoption of these technologies will have a huge
impact in terms of product innovation. One is expected to
see the movement of fresh produce increasing as the supply chain becomes modern and will come under real-time
supervision and control.
IoT as mentioned is not a single technology which can
be implemented in a business function. It is a framework
which enables an organizational change with respect to
real-time data from across the organization and from different stakeholders. IoT follows the rule of 1% in efficiency.
The effort involved in implementing IoT, if done right pays
off really fast. A mere 1% improvement impacts the organization’s bottom-line straight away.
In the coming years, the impact of the IoT on FMCG
in the country will be significant because there are huge
amounts of data that need to be tracked and managed
and will affect how organizations design their business
processes.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

23

tech&trends

Data Centers

Increase Rack Density to Save on Data Center Costs
Vertically scaling up the data center will allow rapid expansion of power
density by extending power distribution all the way to the individual rack
and cabinets, without undertaking any major structural changes in the
data center. This helps save precious real estate while not burning a
hole in a data center admins pocket
– Sanjay Motwani, Regional Director, India, SEA, Taiwan & Hong Kong, Raritan International

I

magine a data center in New York or Shanghai or
Bangalore for that matter, looking at expansion. With
leases and rentals hitting the roof, what is the most
economical way for them to expand? A horizontal
growth will only incur additional expenses of cabling,
cooling and not to mention gigantic real estate. Adding to
the operating cost can only put pressure on bottom-line.
Data centers have a continuous need to look at ways to
be cost effective in order to get a competitive edge in the
crowded market space. With the realty rates reaching
the sky, data centers are challenged to maximize benefits
from existing space without impacting their expansion
plans. If this sounds like a complex problem, the solution
is simple – find ways that provide more computing power
for less cost per square foot. Now, the question is how do
we put this simple solution to work? The answer lies in
vertical expansion powered by the right choice of power
distribution units.

Vertical expansion – a new mantra for data
center efficiency
Vertically scaling up the data center will allow rapid expansion of power density by extending power distribution
all the way to the individual rack and cabinets, without
undertaking any major structural changes in the data center. Data center designers and managers are beginning to
understand the importance of efficiency in building up and
replacing the sprawl with higher density racks.
Most data centers with the legacy infrastructure cater
to 4-5 KW per rack while the requirement has shot multiple

“Most data centers with the legacy
infrastructure cater to 4-5 KW per rack while
the requirement has shot multiple times –
beyond 20 KW per rack in many cases. With the
high volume big data streams becoming a norm,
data centers need to be prepared to handle
more density per rack and therefore must look
at maximizing their capabilities.”
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PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

times – beyond 20 KW per rack in many cases. With the
high volume big data streams becoming a norm, data
centers need to be prepared to handle more density per
rack and therefore must look at maximizing their capabilities. Keeping this in mind, data centers are already moving
toward high-density computing environments with new
and dense servers being deployed. The primary reasons
cited for moving to higher densities include saving facility
space and reducing energy costs.

right pdus in addition to high density racks go
hand in hand
With changing market demands, data centers need to
plan ahead and be ready for future challenges. Though
high density racks are playing a pivotal role in increasing
ROI of various organisations, power distribution units are
equally important. It helps to be prepared and invest in
PDUs that are designed with the future requirements in
mind. The data centers of the future must have a longer
lifecycle and as such need a lot of careful strategizing.
One important part of the expansion plan is the choice
of PDUs. Balance tilts in favour of PDUs that are capable
of extending power distribution all the way to the
individual rack and cabinets, without undertaking any
major structural changes. Increasing power density by
packing more resources per rack is an obvious choice, but
then, care is to be taken to ensure this does not escalate
operating cost by putting pressure on cooling efficiency or
increase cabling cost manifold.

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3 phase rack pdus – the ideal approach towards
vertical spacing
Three phase systems enable the consolidation of power
circuits with 3-phase Power Distribution Units that have
a much greater distribution capacity. Intelligent solutions
like three phase PDUs which run a single three phase
power cable to rack, reducing bulk cabling at bottom.
This approach not only frees the space but also increases
airflow, bringing down the cost of cooling. Higher voltages
at lower currents means smaller cables, which use less
copper, weigh less, take up less space and cost less. By
eliminating voltage transformations, 400V power reduces
energy cost up to approx. 2% - 3% relative to 208V and
approx. 4% - 5% relative to 120V.
Smart is in and data centers must have smart ways to
monitor, report and operate. PDUs must also provide visibility to improve operational efficiency. Proper monitoring
of power usage, voltage levels, humidity and other environmental factors is essential. It is also crucial to maintain
pressure and airflow at inlet and outlet level for the health
of the data centres. Having a separate monitoring system
for each device is cumbersome and impractical, not to
mention cost intensive. PDUs that combine power distribution capabilities with smart monitoring and visualization
are the best bet.

Customizability is an important aspect for any infrastructure that data centers invest in. PDUs that come with a strict
integration framework become an impediment to easy adoptability. Most data centers look for PDUs that are not only
compact but are customizable to their requirements including
number of outlets, phase balancing, staggered outlets, cord
lengths, multiple inputs, remote outlet switching, individual
outlet metering, high-power for blade servers and highdensity applications, or even 400V power distribution. Three
phase PDUs with a capacity to serve 65KW per rack have also
made an appearance in the market, providing data centers an
unmatched opportunity to scale for huge data flow.

Conclusion
To sum up, undoubtedly data centers must reinvent
themselves in view of the rising challenges. The demands
are increasing and so is competition. Staying ahead of the
herd requires a whole new perspective that looks at every
inch of the available space with a critical eye and build
processes that not only sustain the operations today but are
capable of scaling in the future. Utilizing each rack optimally
and vertically expanding seems to be the path towards
viable and sustained growth. Data centres that can increase
rack density will definitely have higher cost efficiencies in
this highly competitive market.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

25

tech&trends

Cloud

4 Reasons Why Flexibility in Choice is More
Important than a Public Cloud Deployment
Businesses are demanding more than ever from IT. They want choice in
devices, rapid creation and deployment of new services, and flexibility
as to where applications live, how they are managed and by whom
– Anantharaman Balakrishnan, Country Head, EMC Global Services India

I

n many ways, public cloud penetration started with
Line of Business managers. Often it was this group of
first-adopters that originally noticed how agile, inexpensive cloud solutions could be taken as-a-service
and would deliver against their needs much more quickly
than their IT department could, at that time.
The finance director who needed a simple, userfriendly way of pulling together reports at year-end; or
the marketing manager in urgent need of some extra
hosting capacity for a campaign… Whatever the circumstance or your need, the public cloud often provided a
cheaper, faster and better service than IT departments
could muster.
This – the birth of a public cloud era – was an important stage in the overall cloud story, but one from which
we have moved on. A recent survey by EMC found that
organizations are increasingly moving to the cloud, with
76% now agreeing that combining public and private
cloud can improve security and agility. Businesses are
demanding more than ever from IT. They want choice in
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devices, rapid creation and deployment of new services,
and flexibility as to where applications live, how they are
managed and by whom. Against this backdrop, they want
to do more with less, lower their costs and have the ability to scale instantaneously. To meet these expectations
IT organizations must deliver IT as a Service (ITaaS) via a
well-run Hybrid Cloud that brings together the performance, security, and control of private cloud with the
flexibility and cost advantages of public cloud.
Both technology and the role of the IT department
have now evolved. Public cloud services still have a huge
amount to offer, but they are by no means automatically
the best option for business in every case. Yet some LoB
managers continue to think it is. The fact is that when
it comes to the cloud, LoB managers no longer need to
face an either/or choice between public or private cloud
alternatives. Today, managers can use both: the hybrid
cloud delivers true agility that means that the business can
access the right kind of service that delivers on specific
requirements each and every time.

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cloud Offers Varied choice
The beauty of cloud computing today is that we live in
an ‘and’ world. The days of or’, where you had to choose
one type of cloud over another, are shrinking into the
past, happily mitigating certain risks that had started to
become evident to those enterprises which had jumped
into public-cloud-only services with both feet. Those risks?
The following have emerged as key considerations for LoB
managers in recent times:
• Agility – The ability of public cloud to provision infrastructure and applications at pace cannot be doubted.
But fast provisioning does not always represent true
agility – particularly at the point where early-stage experimentation gives way to putting an application into
full production. Public cloud providers can provision
quickly because they use a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach
– and while this may be fine in some cases, in others
it can lead to delays further down the line as a service
proves to be inadequately suited to the in-production
requirement. True agility comes from understanding
the business requirement and then delivering the best
solution against it. As knowledgeable consultants to
your LoB, the in-house IT department should be the
natural first port of call in these discussions.
• Cost – The public cloud is cheap… right? In fact,
standalone public cloud services can prove to be more
expensive than running IT from hybrid or on-premises
infrastructure, especially when it comes to moving data
around or extracting it. And don’t just take our word
for it – marketing software company Moz is on record
as saying it switched from Amazon Web Services to its
own private cloud due to cost and saved $3.4m. Not
only is Moz saving money, but they have also reported
increased reliability and efficiency1.
• Performance, reliability and standards-based IT – Let’s
face it, regardless of what LoB you work in, these are
three of the most important long-term qualities that

Anantharaman Balakrishnan
Country Head, EMC Global
Services India

“In a recent survey done
by EMC, 76% of businesses
in India think that SMAC
has changed consumer
expectations, so it
becomes critical that they
systematically explore the
longer-term implications
of an age in which
information is at the center
of everything we do.”

you will need from an IT resource. The dedicated focus
of an in-house IT department will answer these needs
more effectively than any generic public cloud service
provider. This is because the IT department knows exactly what you need, right down to the workload level,
and can therefore help architect a solution – or broker
one from a public cloud provider – that exactly meets
the business requirement, using the most appropriate
technology (whether that is a public cloud or private).
That’s why we advocate a hybrid, best-of-both-worlds
approach. Every workload has its place and it is increasingly the job of the IT department to make the appropriate match.
• Simplicity – One of the public cloud’s primary strengths
is that it is so simple. Simple to have provisioned and
simple to consume. However, because of the need
for due diligence around security, privacy, regulatory
compliance, resilience and business continuity, at
times the public cloud can add complexity. Many LoB
managers do not have the time, resources or expertise
to undertake this due diligence effectively, potentially
leaving themselves open to issues further down the
line. The IT department is experienced in accounting
for these requirements, and can ensure these considerations are properly and quickly addressed before
rolling-out a new application or service. Opting out of
the checks and balances is not an option, though. The
consequences of a security breach or failed compliance
investigation will be extreme both for the organisation
and the individuals involved. By working with the IT
department with a clear governance approach in place,
these pitfalls can be avoided.
The new generation of businesses especially the ones
‘born of the cloud’ are driving this change in expectations,
thereby making it critical for businesses to redefine themselves in order to adapt and remain relevant. In a recent
survey done by EMC, 76% of businesses in India think that
SMAC has changed consumer expectations, so it becomes
critical that they systematically explore the longer-term
implications of an age in which information is at the center
of everything we do.
Public cloud has a strong role to play in the future of IT
but it is important that managers see it for what it is: not a
panacea, but a key part of an optimal, hybrid IT infrastructure which, crucially, must be managed by experienced
brokers in the in-house IT department. This hybrid approach fosters agility, the best TCO and the ability to manage important workloads on-premises as required based on
performance, cost, security and compliance considerations.
It is, in short, the best of both worlds, delivering agility
and flexibility but on a foundation of security, control and
bespoke tailoring to the business’ specific needs.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

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tech&trends

Information Systems

DCIM: A Key to Good Customer Service
Dealing with large volume of unstructured data that is received as
a result of the use of new digital channels and devices is a logistical
nightmare. A centralised and streamlined system along with digitisation
of information goes a long way in easing the pain

– Cassio Vaquero, Regional Director, Information Management Division-Asia Pacific and Latin America, Kodak Alaris

T

he financial services industry is faced with
unprecedented challenges on a day to day
basis due to changing regulations, economic
pressures, high customer expectation and
constant data deluge. With customers now expecting
accuracy and responsiveness across all channels 24/7, an
inability to meet their expectations can have a far-reaching
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impact. This can not only result in loyalty being lost but
also dissatisfaction spreading in social media. According
to the State of e-Marketing India 2015 report, the biggest
change in recent years has come in terms of customer
retention, which has increased steadily from 11 percent in
2011 to 20 percent in 2015 – making it a primary goal for
marketers. The pressure is on institutions to distinguish

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themselves through consistent, reliable delivery of
exceptional customer service, and maintain a competitive
edge whilst remaining within tight regulatory standards.

Strict compliance demands
One of the challenges, faced by the financial sector is that
of meeting stringent compliance demands. If one takes
an insurance company for example, there are numerous
claims that would need to be disbursed on a day to day
basis. If files and documents are not managed in an
organized and orderly manner, it could result in data
being lost and thereby an unhappy customer. Insurance
companies often encounter difficulties likeoperational
costs, service levels, achieving claims management,
efficienciesetc. that result in significant damage to an
organization’s budget sheet and irreparable damage to
its reputation. This calls for information management
solutions that can help streamline critical processes and
can assist in ensuring compliance.

“Globally nearly 15% of office floor
space is taken up by filing cabinets.
Paper documents impact efficiency
and results in loss of time and
would require it being stored in an
organized manner.”

Driving efficiency and cost reduction
Another key focus and challenge for the financial sector is
driving efficiency and cost reduction. Globally nearly 15%
of office floor space is taken up by filing cabinets. Paper
documents impact efficiency and results in loss of time
and would require it being stored in an organized manner.
When not managed correctly, paperslows down processes

and information is difficult to share. A solution wherein the
documents are scanned and stored will particularly benefit
organizations. The staff getsmore productive if they could
find information and documents as quickly and easily as
they find information on the web.

New technology, threats and opportunities
Embracing new technology, is another important aspect,
which plays a key role in an organization functioning
smoothly. It is imperative that every company constantly
upgrades to superior IT systems and infrastructure to
improve its operational efficacy and maximise its IT
investment. In addition, competition is fierce in the
financial sector. Firms are now focussing on digital
customers who are using the latest digital channels like
banking via smartphones and tablets for their work. A
newest addition to this listis the use of video advice and
live chat which are also being explored by organizations.

Managing data flow and customer expectations
Dealing with large volume of unstructured data that is
received as a result of the use of new digital channels
and devices also presents a logistical task in itself. This
is a challenge from both an individual customer’s view
and intelligent information management perspective.
Smartphones, Text Wireless Internet, email, web and
social media are part of any organization’s paper
capture as is telephone for customer interactions. So
it is important that there is real time access available
to such data as this kind of information is important to
gain both agility and speed to remain competitive. To
achieve this, a centralised and streamlined system along
with digitisation of information are essential to get a
complete overview.

Benefits and The Way Forward
Document capture and data management help in
reducing processing costs. These solutions can play a
huge role in not only improving customer service but
also enhancing an organization’s reputation in the eyes
of its shareholders. Ithelps organizations make informed
decisions faster and free up valuable time to seek
new business opportunities. Globally, such competent
platforms and solutions will see a steep demand in
the near future as enterprises and corporations will
be seeking to push the boundaries of technology and
find ways to manage the ever expanding volume of
data in a systematic fashion. In conclusion, to succeed,
organizations will have to adjust and be flexible in
accordance with the ever changing customer behaviours
and implement a solution that seamlessly manages all
inputs and documents.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

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tech&trends

Mobility

Pushing the limits: The App Ecosystem
The world is fast moving from e-commerce to m-commerce. We’re
already accessing social media, shopping, banking, bill payments,
entertainment and trading stocks on mobiles, and the market is only set
to expand and grow from here
– Keshav Bansal, Director, Intex Technologies

I

ndia is characterized by a high service dearth that ICT
industry can potentially upgrade. Access and inclusion
to basic services that include healthcare, education,
agricultural information and finance are vital to uplift
Indians out of deficiency and empower them into being
self-sufficient agents. Given that India’s tele-density is well
over 70% and that mobile telephony is the one technology
that has stretched nearly all income strata, there is prospective to use India’s mobile backbone to enable a host of
presently unmet demands.

Mobile penetration pushes mcommerce in India
Recent research reports show that India, the fastest
growing smartphone market globally, has over 250million
smartphone users and over 350 million Internet users. Of
the 350 million, over 60% users access Internet through
mobiles. This clearly indicates the next wave of growth
in Internet penetration will be driven by adoption of
Mobile Internet. Moreover, around 9 billion apps will be
downloaded in India in 2015, more than five times the
number of apps downloaded in 2012 (1.56 billion) at a
cumulative annual growth rate (CAGR) of 75 percent.
It is extensively approved that India is now at the verge
of entering the second phase of its telecommunications
revolution which is positioned on content. India’s connectivity should be subjugated to provide content that allays
informational irregularities, helps indenture creation and

Keshav Bansal
Director, Intex Technologies
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PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

“Over 250 million smartphone
users and over 350 million
Internet users. Of the 350
million, over 60% users
access Internet through
mobiles. Around 9 billion apps
will be downloaded in India in
2015, more than five times the
number of apps downloaded
in 2012 (1.56 billion) at a
cumulative annual growth rate
(CAGR) of 75 percent.”

implementation, and simplifies lives of its people as well as
comforts the processes of its administration agencies and
business enterprises.
App development, distribution and demand are the
three essential features for the success of the app economy
and their expansion depends on the system infrastructure,
policy framework, operational system, consumer strategies
and socio-economic conditions.

$143 bn global app economy
The world is fast moving from e-commerce to m-commerce. We’re already accessing social media, shopping,
banking, bill payments, entertainment and trading stocks
on mobiles, and the market is only set to expand and grow
from here. In India app growth is led by factors like mounting mobile Internet penetration, cheaper smartphones,
and mobile-ready regional content have led to the growth
of this ecosystem. According to Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), India is expected to have the largest number of software developers by 2017. It has around
300,000 app developers and is already the second largest
Android developer community in the world after the U.S.
Having said that, there still are a number of key building
blocks necessary for facilitating a robust mobile application
ecosystem. Many of these are now in place, and the stage
is set for mobile applications to become a primary engine
for driving up new mobile data usage.
Burgeoning smartphone and mobile internet usage,
a growing developer community and the potential for
regional / localised apps are surely to favour an app revolution in India in near future. As per IAMAI, increase in local
language content will lead to a growth of 39% in internet
user base, with rural India being the primary driver of this
growth (75%) and urban India to grow at 16%.
The global app economy was $53 billion in 2012 and is
expected to rise up to $143 billion by 2016 at a growth rate
of about 28 %( App economy forecasts 2013-2016 report).
To truly move forward, the Indian app ecosystem must
start acknowledging its essential role and emphasis not
only on gaining international keenness through enhanced
user interface design but also on catering to the 1.3 billion
citizens that reside within India.

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specialfeature
Using YARN in the MapReduce
Programming Tool
Part 3:

BIG DATA
TUTORIAL

O

Through this article, let’s
take a quick look on the
limitations of MapReduce
V1.0, a part of Hadoop
since 2007, and the
resultant improvisation
to overcome the same
- Narayana Murthy Pola, Sr. Project Manager, DST India

ver the last couple of months, we were
discussing Hadoop and its components. We
also discussed the need for Hadoop and its
Execution engine(Map Reduce programming

Paradigm).
In this article, let’s just take a quick look on the limitations of MapReduce V1.0 i.e. when Hadoop was introduced
to the world in 2007,what was the resultant improvisation
to overcome the same.
A Job run in a typical MapReduce v1.0 consists of four
components
• Client which submits the job
• Job tracker that runs the job
• Task tracker which runs the tasks that were split into
from the submitted jobs such as mappers and reducers
• HDFS(Distributed File system) used for sharing job files
Job tracker (as discussed last month) is responsible for
both, managing the cluster’s resources and also to drive
the execution of the MapReduce job.
With this approach, developers and practitioners
started to encounter the following limitations:
Scalability: Job Tracker runs on single machine performing several tasks. These include
o Resource management

Narayana Murthy Pola
Sr. Project Manager, DST-India
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“YARN splits the two
major functionalities
of the JobTracker i.e.
resource management and job scheduling & monitoring
into 2 separate
components.”

o Job and task scheduling
o Monitoring
With Very large clusters typically the size of 4000 nodes
and higher, developers experienced an inconsistency in the
MapReduce system. The most common kind of failure that
was observed is the cascading failure. This in turn could
cause the overall cluster to deteriorate while trying to overload the nodes or replicating the data via network flooding.
Availability: Job Tracker is the single point of availability.All jobs have to restart upon its failure.
Resource utilization: There is a concept of fixed Map
slots and reducer slots for each Task trackers.This leads to
in-effective resource utilization as the Reducer slots may be
left Un-utilized while Mappers slots are full.
Multi-Tenancy: Since the resource management and
Map Reducer execution engines are tightly integrated, it is
impossible to run non-Mapreduce applications and frameworks on Hadoop clusters.
Attempts to overcome the above said limitations
resulted in the development of YARN and MapReduce 2.0./
Hadoop 2.0
Yet Another Resource Negotiator (YARN) has taken
over the responsibility of cluster management from
MapReduce. Now MapReduce just takes care of the data
processing. In the new improvisation, MapReduce on YARN
has the following components
• Client that submits the MapReduce job
• YARN resource manager that coordinates the allocation
of computer resources on the cluster
• YARN node managers which launch and monitor the
compute containers on machines in the cluster
• MapReduce Application master which coordinates the
tasks running the MapReduce job.
• HDFS (Distributed File System) which is used for sharing
the job files between the entities
In effect, YARN splits the two major functionalities of

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the JobTracker i.e. resource management and job scheduling & monitoring into 2 separate components.
o Resource Manager
o Node Manager(node specific)

Application master and MapReduce tasks run in
containers that are scheduled by the resource manager
and are managed by the node managers that ensure
the application does not use more resources than it has
been allocated.
In contrast to Job tracker each instance of an
application (a MapReduce job) has a dedicated application
master which runs for the duration of the application.
YARN overcomes the above mentioned limitations
(i.e. Scalability, Availability)and does efficient utilization of
resources.Multiple applications both MapReduce and nonMapReduce applications can co-exist on YARN.
MapReduce 2.0 has overcome many limitations of
MapReduce 1.0 paving way for numerous applications and

tools developed on Hadoop, useful in varying domains
and walks of life. Next month let us see some of the tools
developed on Hadoop/MapReduce increasing Hadoop/
MapReduce’s effectiveness and usability.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

33

coverstory

MAXIMUM
MOBILITY!
Expert advice and handy
tips for any organization to
quickly embrace mobility;
Hand-picked 50+ mobile
apps to get you started with
CRM, private messaging, data
backup, security, productivity
and much more.

M

- Adeesh Sharma

obility as a concept and the associated
platforms and tools that help foster its
growth have been in the limelight since
the past few years, and for good reason.
The ever plummeting prices of smartphones have offered
affordability in the hands of the end user and also raised
the clamour to get the maximum productivity out of them.
We take our smart phones everywhere we go, and with
their powerful processors and 4G capability, they can be
used as personal assistants and for productivity aids.
One of the major reasons enterprise mobility has
the potential to be so powerful for employees or field
executives is because the mobile device allows itself to
be transformed into many different situations, in the
context of an employee’s normal activities. For example,
a wholesale or retail owner can access product catalogue
in real time to show to their customers, or a factory
worker can report a failure with machinery at the point of
discovery. Mobile solutions can deliver all these benefits
if the right applications, devices and business processes
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are implemented - enabling communication, information
access, and business transactions anywhere, anytime.
Through this story we look at the latest developments
in the Enterprise Mobility space: BYOD platforms,
mobile security tools, CRM and backup tools, enterprise
messaging apps, mobile app development platforms, and
more. Let’s take a look.

free BYOd tools to reduce risks and
enhance productivity
In the current age, most of the people are using a
smartphone for both personal and professional purposes.
A variety of OS available for these devices only complicates
matter for security admins. In the BYOD concept, several
breaches are possible and if you want to be ready to fight
them then there are a few key precautions to follow. For
instance, always use password protected access controls,
which may seem obvious, but setting a password/ PIN is a
critical first step in BYOD security that many users choose
to ignore. Most of the devices come with built-in access

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control features. Users should optimize the access control
and app permission settings so that each application can
access only what it needs to function and nothing more.

Backup apps to Keep Your data safe
Whether you are using your device for personal or
professional use, your data is always precious for you. It’s a
smart choice to have the backup of all your device’s data so
that you can get them in the case of theft or damage.
CM Backup is a tool that can be used to back up device
data such as contacts, messages, call logs, bookmarks,
calendar info, alarms, and user dictionaries. Using Helium,
you can backup and restore your apps to your computer or
your device depending on your preferences. You can also
sync apps between Android devices and backup to and
restore from cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, and
OneDrive).

Enterprise Messaging Apps
In the mobility era, almost every employee and
employer is looking for the best way to be in touch.
Nowadays, communication is not only calls over the
phone, it means a lot more and new age communication
apps are taking it to a new height. Jive Chime allows
employees and employers to start a conversation
anytime and anywhere. You can get the answers you
need, when you need them. Cisco Jabber is made for
quick conversations. This app provides presence, instant
messaging (IM), voice, voice messaging, and video
calling capabilities on Android devices.

Free Mobile CRM Apps
With businesses focusing towards mobility solutions and
mobile customer relationship management solutions in
focus, we decided to check the most popular ones available
and compared them on features. Sugar Professional is
made for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. It simplifies the access
and interaction with customer data while on the go and
allows users to log calls made on the mobile phone via the
Mobile app. SAP Business ByDesign provides intuitive and
comprehensive mobile CRM solution. From your mobile
phone, you can navigate the entire ERP and CRM system,
modify your views, check inventory availability at multiple
locations and create new sales orders. Zoho CRM Mobile
Edition gives you the option to access and work with your
online Zoho CRM data from your mobile devices. The
Zoho CRM native app is available for the iPhone, iPad, and
Android phones.

Best Platforms for Building Mobile Apps
Without Coding
If you have a small business or website or you want to

create, your own mobile app but don’t have the coding
knowledge then you could try these platforms, where you
can develop your own app and offer your customers a
dedicated mobile experience. Appery is one such platform
which is based on cloud and allows you to build your app
without coding. You can use it to create apps for Android,
iOS and Windows Phone. Mobile Roadie allows you to
create an app for iOS and Android platform. You can
easily launch iOS and Android apps on the cloud platform
that supports anytime content updates, geo-targeted
marketing campaigns, user analytics, push notifications
and more. Good Barber provides a platform to build
iPhone and Android apps. Along with native apps, you
have a free web mobile version, which users access from
their phones’ browsers.

Popular mobile productivity apps
The portability offered by mobile devices and the ability
to capture data in real time helps in boosting productivity
and process improvement. From note-taking apps and
mobile office suites, to calendars, timers and to-do lists,
the productivity apps can be installed on your iOS or
Android device. Microsoft’s Office suite of programs has
long been a defacto standard for desktop productivity,
and the mobile versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
continue that tradition. Cloud support for services such
as OneDrive, Drive and Dropbox make for easy sharing
and collaboration. Freedly mobile app merges the best
of multiple interfaces, with a text-only list view for quick
browsing through your news feed and uses different
layouts for a more visual treat. Feedly lets you organize
all your favorite publications, podcasts and YouTube
channels into collections and receive updates when
new stories and videos are published. Workflow is an
iOS task automation app that connects apps and actions
together to automate things you do on your device.
Google’s cloud storage service, Google Drive, serves as a
great productivity aid due to its tight integration with the
Google ecosystem. Users can easily upload and download
any file, plus the file sharing and collaboration features let
you easily work on shared projects effectively.

In conclusion
The mobility landscape will evolve rapidly and will not
limit itself to smart phone and tablets. Wearable tech
such as Google Glass, is all geared up to create even
more opportunities for employees to access the digital
workplace.
Given the fluidity of enterprise mobility, as well as the
many current associated benefits, enterprises need to stay
focused on identifying their needs and taking a step-bystep approach to realize full benefits.

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Build Mobile Apps
Without Any Coding
If you want to ride the mobility wave with your own mobile apps, but the fear of learning
to code first keeps you away, then you needn’t worry any more. Here are 10 platforms to
create mobile apps without any knowledge of coding
- Raj Maurya

1. Appery.io
Appery is a platform which is based on cloud and allows
you to build your app without coding. You can use it to
create apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone. It
includes Apache Cordova (Phone Gap) with access to its
built-in components. You can connect to any REST API and
create your own private plugins to use in your apps.

Price: Plans start at $149 per month (Core) and go up
to $799 per month (Pro).

3. TheAppBuilder
It features a simple HTML5-based user interface that
lets you create an app by choosing and populating some
widgets — like RSS feed, webpage, Twitter, Facebook,
news, photo gallery, Web page, List etc. With less than 30
minutes of training, you will be able to maintain an app
by updating its content and structure through the nontechnical content management system (CMS).

Price: Plans start for free and go up to $180 per month
for premium edition

2. Mobile Roadie
Mobile Roadie allows you to create an app for iOS and
Android platform. You can easily launch iOS and Android
apps on the cloud platform that supports anytime content
updates, geo-targeted marketing campaigns, user analytics,
push notifications and more. The API support multiple
languages and you can pull your data in a various format,
including XML, JSON, PHP, CSV, and HTML.

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Price: Price available upon request

4. good Barber
Good Barber provides a platform to build iPhone and

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Android apps. Along with native apps, you have a free web
mobile version, which users access from their phones’
browsers. You can also organize your app and add sections
ranging from videos, photos, sounds, live events and more.
Price: Plans start at $16 per month and go up to $32 per
month for the full plan

app in your own unique style and choose your navigation
paths, colors, fonts, and icons. AppMachine takes care of
everything you need to get your app into Apple’s App Store
and Google Play.
Price: Plans starts from $19 and go up to $69 (designer
version).

5. Appy Pie

7. gamesalad

Appy Pie allows users to create mobile apps in categories
including gaming, e-books, and more. Appy Pie allows
users to monetize their apps through iTunes & Google
Play, send push notifications, view app stats with Google
Analytics, take appointments with appointment scheduler
page, and embed custom HTML code with a code page.
Once your app has been developed, you receive an HTML5based hybrid app that works with all platforms, including
BlackBerry.

GameSalad Creator is an authoring tool primarily aimed
for composing games in a drag-and-drop fashion, using
visual editors and a behavior-based logic system. It is used
by consumers and creative professionals such as graphic
designers, animators, and game developers without the
knowledge of coding. The application runs on Mac OS X
for producing games for iPhone. It also runs on Windows
which is optimized for producing games on Android
devices although games developed on Windows have to
be converted to Mac OS files to be published to the App
Store, web browser-based content in HTML 5, and Android
applications.

Price: Plans start at free and go up to $33 per month
for platinum version

6. AppMachine
It lets you build and design professional native apps for
both iOS and Android. With a drag-and-drop interface,
you can combine different features, such as information,
photos, and videos. It also lest you link your app to
Facebook, Twitter, or online stores. You can design the

Price: Plans start at free and go up to $299 per year for
Pro edition.

8. BiznessApps
BiznessApps provides a platform to help create mobile
apps for businesses with features such as food ordering,

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shopping cart, loyalty programs, dynamic content, third
party integrations, push notifications, comprehensive
analytics and more. There are also real-time previews to
check your progress as you design and develop your app.
Price: Plans start at $29 per month for mobile website
and go up to $59 per month for mobile apps

apps by designing their icons, splash screens, headers,
and tab icons. If creators do not want to design graphics
themselves, the platform presents a database of icons to
choose from and culls images from related web searches.
Price: Plans start at free and go up to a $9 per month.

9. AppMakr

ShoutEm offers an app builder with maintenance, free
updates, and upgrades. The interface builder offers
integrations of Wordpress, Drupal, Ning, Facebook, and
Twitter. It provides multiple options that help you quickly
create a revenue stream from your app, providing an
e-commerce experience, in-app subscriptions, deals, and
coupons, with support for all major ad networks included.
Price: Plans start at $19 and go up to a $119 per
month.

AppMakr’s platform uses RSS and API integrations to
power the content in a creator’s app. This content may
include text, images, podcasts, audio, and video. Creators
can also add location-aware GeoRSS and Media RSS feeds.
Additionally, the platform allows in-app HTML5 and CSS3,
which serves locally from the mobile device and can access
its camera, accelerometer, and other built-in features.
Within the editor, creators can customize the look of their

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PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

10. ShoutEm

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24-25 NOVEMBER 2015

THE IMPERIAL - NEW DELHI

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IoT HUB

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coverstory
20+ Free Tools to secure, backup,
and empower Smartphones
We provide some tips to secure your smartphones along with our top selection of security,
backup, and enterprise messaging tools
- Ashok Pandey

I

n the current age, most people are using a
smartphone for both personal and professional
purposes. A large number of OS available for
these devices only complicates matter for security
admins. Each smartphone is at security risk though
there could be debates whether you require security
apps or need to add more policiesj. We suggest a mix
and match approach.
Since the introduction of BYOD concept, plenty of
employers and employees have benefited from it. But,
no one can deny the risk associated with it, as BYOD
can lead to data breaches and increased liability for the
organization.

6 Best Security Apps for Mobile Devices
As the risks are increasing day-by-day, developers are also
improving their apps to keep pace with the new threats.
Still new threats keep emerging. So, to protect against
them, there are plenty of security apps available, and you
might get confused choosing the best one for your needs.
So, here are 6 best apps to secure your smart-device.
360 Security (Platform: iOS/Android)
The latest 360 Security app has several new features to

6 tips to secure devices and reduce BYOd risks
In the BYOD concept, several breaches are possible and if
you want to be ready to fight them then these 6 tips should
serve as a best practices guide for end users and IT/security
teams alike.
• Always use password protected access controls, which
may seem obvious, but setting a password/ PIN is a
critical first step in BYOD security that many users
choose to ignore.
• You should keep your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off
when not in use. Use secure wireless network, and only
connect your device to trusted networks.
• Most of the devices come with built-in access control
features. Users should optimize the access control
and app permission settings so that each application
can access only what it needs to function and
nothing more.
• Ensure to keep your OS, firmware, software, and
applications updated in real-time, as software updates
often contain security patches to protect users from the
latest threats or exploits.
• You should periodically back up the device’s data, this
will greatly reduce the fallout should a device be lost
or stolen.
• You should enable anti-theft, find my device and
remote wipe services, this will enable you to track a
missing device, and wipe a device’s data remotely in
the event of a lost or stolen device.
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secure your device from threats. It has a good blend of
usability and protection. It offers smooth performance
and a host of extra features as well. It also optimizes
your background apps, memory space, junk (cache) files
and battery power, while keeping your device safe from
viruses and trojans. This also has an anti-theft solution that
includes, Erase, Locate, Alarm and Lock features that assist
you with retrieving a lost device and protecting personal
data. You can scan installed apps and local APK files in real
time and also monitor each installation process.

theft feature that lets you locate your lost device, control it
remotely, and much more.
ESET Mobile Security & Antivirus
With the strong detection rate, this security app has an
easy-to-use interface. The app comes with a suite of antitheft tools. This enables you to remotely locate and lock
your smartphone or tablet, and you can prevent anyone
from uninstalling apps using password protection.

Avast Mobile Security & Antivirus
Avast Security app is offering an impressive range of tools.
It has anti-virus protection, it scans your apps to provide
details on what they are doing, and it has a Web shield that
scans URLs for malware. If you have a rooted device then
there’s also a firewall that allows you to control network
traffic. You can block access to Wi-Fi or the network for
specific apps which is handy for security and potentially
saves battery juice as well. It also bundled with an anti-

eScan - Mobile Anti-virus
eScan Mobile Anti-virus and Security for Android protects
your device against evolving cyber threats, thus ensuring
you its uninterrupted usage. It restricts unauthorized
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coverstory
Bitdefender Mobile Security &
Antivirus
This is a powerful yet light and
fully featured security app.
Bitdefender Mobile Security
& Antivirus app offers flawless
malware protection and
robust privacy protection. It
incorporates Android Wear
watches into its anti-theft
features. It’s “Web Security”
detects malicious content and
keeps your browsing safe. It
also features Anti-Theft that
enables you to lock, geo-locate,
sound an alarm, and wipe your
Android from any Internetconnected device.

access of data, in case the device is lost or stolen. It allows
remote blocking, data wiping, SIM watching and even
helps to locate the phone through GPS finder. Also, the
app comes with parental control featuring enabling you to
block specific websites and applications.

McAfee Security & Anti-virus
McAfee has several impressive
features with an intuitive
interface. This easy to use app
offers anti-theft and privacyprotection features. This protects
and enhances your smartphone
or tablet’s performance with
anti-theft, find the device, app
privacy protection, anti-virus,
performance optimization, and
security features from Intel
Security.

pOpular mOBile securitY sOftware and their features
Mobile security On-demand On-access Firewall
software
scan
scan

AntiSpam

Web
Privacy AntiTheft Call/SMS Backup
protection Advisor
Filtering

Price

360 Security

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

3

Free

Avast Mobile
security &
Antivirus

3

3

3

7

3

3

3

3

3

Free

ESET Mobile
security &
Antivirus

3

3

7

3

3

3

3

3

7

Freemium

eScan - Mobile
Antivirus

3

3

7

7

3

3

3

3

3

Free

Bitdefender
Mobile Security
& antivirus

3

3

7

7

3

3

3

7

7

Free

McAfee Security
& antivirus”

3

3

7

7

3

3

3

3

3

Freemium

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4 Best Backup apps to Keep Your data safe
Whether you are using your device for personal or
professional use, your data is always precious for you. It’s a
smart choice to have the backup of all your device’s data so
that you can get them in the case of theft or damage. Here
are some of the four best backup apps to help keep your
data safe.
CM Backup
CM Backup can be used to back up device data such
as contacts, messages, call logs, bookmarks, calendar
info, alarms, and user dictionaries. It also offers a cloud
solution so you’ll be backing up to their cloud and restoring
from there. Using the web interface, you can manage
your backups. You can enable the ‘Scheduled backup’ to
automatically backup important items every day.

Helium
Using Helium, you can backup and restore your apps
to your computer or your device depending on your

preferences. You can also sync apps between Android
devices and backup to and restore from cloud storage
(Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive). It lets you backup
your apps and data to your SD card or cloud storage.
MyBackup
MyBackup enables you to back up your apps, photos,
music, videos, and the usual assortment of stuff like call
logs, SMS, and system settings. You can backup to your
device or external SD card. You can also schedule multiple
automatic backups with this app.

truBackup
The simple backup solution “truBackup” does the usual
stuff along with apps and music which sets it apart from
most of the others. The app enables a user to schedule the
backup as well as the option to upload the data to various
cloud storage sites along with the external SD card.

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Top 4 Enterprise Messaging Apps
In the mobility era, almost every employee and employer
is looking for the best way to be in touch. Nowadays,
communication is not only calls over the phone, it means
a lot more and new age communication apps are taking
it to a new height. Here we brings four best enterprise
communication apps for you...

Fleep
Fleep app can make your life easier by empowering you to
chat without boundaries, maintain your focus throughout
the day and to work smarter. It is an easy to use enterprise
communication app that simplifies your conversations
by bringing all your team chats and business emails in
one place. Fleep is perfect for teams or those working
independently across a variety of projects.

Jive Chime
Jive Chime allows employees and employers to start a
conversation anytime and anywhere. You can get the
answers you need, when you need them. With one-toone and group messaging, you won’t have to waste time
tracking people down, wait around for responses, or be
tied to your desk.

Cisco Jabber
Cisco Jabber is made for quick conversations. This app
provides presence, instant messaging (IM), voice, voice
messaging, and video calling capabilities on Android
devices. Escalate your Jabber calls into multi-party
conferencing with Cisco WebEx Meetings. This integrated
collaboration experience works with both on premise and
cloud-based collaboration architecture.

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Teamchat
The enterprise messaging app enables business to
messaging among teams of any size by structuring the
messages to reduce clutter. This is done through “smart”
messages that aggregate, organize and summarize the
responses, updating themselves without adding new
messages to the conversation stream. Examples include
polls, surveys, sales reports, registration forms, lookups
and more.

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which Gadget to buy?
Get your answers at

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Read Reviews about
the latest Smartphones,
Tablets, Printers &
MFPs and much more.

For ad sales queries, contact:
Harminder Singh
Email: [email protected]

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coverstory

10 Must Have Apps for
Busy Executives
The world of smartphones has several powerful apps to be productive even
while on the move. Here are our 10 picks that every busy executive should have on
their smartphone
- Anuj Sharma

G

one are the days when mobile was used just
for voice communication. Over the past few
years we have noticed a higher degree of
interest in the enterprise mobility sector be
it with individual employees or digital workplace. We
take our smart phones everywhere we go, and with their
powerful processors and 4G capability, they can be used
as personal assistants and for productivity aids. The same
logic applies to tablets and phablets that give users more
real estate for content creation and consumption.

Benefits of using a mobile device in office
One of the major reasons enterprise mobility has the potential to be so powerful for employees or field executives
is because the mobile device allows itself to be transformed into many different situations, in the context of an
employee’s normal activities. For example, a wholesale or
retail owner can access product catalogue in real time to
show to their customers, or a factory worker can report a
failure with machinery at the point of discovery.

Mobile solutions can deliver all these benefits if the
right applications, devices and business processes are
implemented - enabling communication, information
access, and business transactions anywhere, anytime.
From note-taking apps and mobile office suites, to
calendars, timers and to-do lists, here are our favorite
productivity apps that you can install on your iOS or
Android device.

1. word, excel & powerpoint (android, iOs)
Microsoft’s Office suite of programs has long been a
defacto standard for desktop productivity, and the
mobile versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint continue
that tradition. Designed to provide maximum file
compatibility and adopting to touch screen interface
devices, each of the three apps allows users to view
and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations
respectively. Cloud support for services such as
OneDrive, Drive and Dropbox make for easy sharing and
collaboration. To get the most out of the apps, use an

KeY Benefits
Feature

Where you can use

Benefits derived

Portability

Using the device on a manufacturing floor or while on the
move

Extending digital communication to all
employees, leading to more engagement and
involvement

Capture data in
real time

Recording inspection data in real time direct to systems
rather than having to enter the data later as a separate
process via the desktop

Improved accuracy of data; better
productivity; business intelligence in real time

System
independence

Delivering enterprise functionality quicker than a desktop
equivalent

Improved Process efficiency; reduced costs

Geolocation

Using interactive maps for logging location-specific data

Process improvement; better productivity

Personal ownership Introduction of BYOD policies so employees use their own
of devices
tablets or smartphones to access corporate systems

Reduced costs; higher adoption; better
engagement

In-built camera

Scanning data such as QR codes in order to upload data into
systems; recording of video and photos

Process improvement; better productivity

Sharing

Sharing a smartphone/tablet screen with a customer

Enhanced customer service; knowledge
transfer and learning

Availability

Using the device to view content while in move; receiving
updates instantly

Better productivity; access to critical
knowledge delivered and read in real time

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engine automatically pops up important email (across
multiple accounts) based on your communications, and
quick swipe controls allow you to easily archive or delete
your email. The free app works with Microsoft Exchange
accounts and also has in-built support for Office 365 and
Outlook.com, along with third-party services like Gmail,
Yahoo Mail, and iCloud. It has integrated Outlook calendar
support as well, including a nifty native scheduling feature.

4. workflow (android, iOs)
Office 365 subscription which now comes bundles with
many smart phones and tablets.

2. freedly (android, iOs)
The mobile app merges the best of multiple interfaces,
with a text-only list view for quick browsing through your
news feed and uses different layouts for a more visual
treat. Feedly lets you organize all your favorite publications,
podcasts and YouTube channels into collections and receive
updates when new stories and videos are published.
Users can sign up for topical updates from a variety of
websites and blogs, or add custom subscriptions from
sources like RSS. If you are
a social butterfly, the app
also integrates seamlessly
with Facebook, Twitter,
Evernote, Buffer, OneNote,
Pinterest and LinkedIn so
that you can easily share
the stories you read in your
Feedly account with your
friends and colleagues.

3. microsoft Outlook (android, iOs)
Want to get the familiar Outlook email interface on your
Android phone or tablet? Microsoft officially released
its Outlook app for Android earlier this year. The app is a
productivity powerhouse bringing your email, attachments,
contacts and calendars into easy reach. The built-in analytic

Workflow is an iOS task automation app that connects apps
and actions together to automate things you do on your
device. For instance, calling for Uber rides to your next
calendar event, uploading your most recent photos to your
favorite cloud storage provider, and more. Users can easily
create their own Workflow and open them within the app,
or turn them into iOS Action Extensions or even add them
to the home screen. The app supports more than 200
actions across a variety of apps, and users can share their
creations to Workflow’s Gallery feature.

5. google drive (android, iOs)
Google’s cloud storage service, Google
Drive, serves as a great productivity
aid due to its tight integration with the
Google ecosystem. Users can easily
upload and download any file, plus the
file sharing and collaboration features
let you easily work on shared projects
effectively. Easy configuration of
sharing settings, folder structure, quick
access to recent files and details, and
built-in viewing of documents, PDFs, photos and videos
make for a versatile cloud storage tool whatever mobile OS
you use. Drive starts you with 15 GB of free Google online
storage, so you can keep photos, stories, designs, drawings,
recordings, videos – anything.

6. quip (android, iOs)
Quip allows you to integrate messages and edit
collaboratively. Users can create, import and share
documents, to-do lists, notes and more. You can then
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app provides an easy-to-follow interface for tracking time,
miles, receipts, and invoices on the go, then generating
on-demand reports as needed. Expensify lets you scan
receipts as you get them, after which it automatically pulls
out the relevant info from the images and puts it into your
records. It can tap into your phone’s GPS to log miles as
you drive, and it offers offline functionality for the times
when you can’t get a signal.

collaboratively edit them as a group,
with a built-in messaging sidebar that
allows you to quickly get in touch with
your colleagues as well as view their
edits. Quip can import documents from a
variety of sources such as Dropbox, Drive
and Evernote, and export documents to
PDF and Office formats.

7. evernote (android, iOs)
Evernote is one of the popular cross-platform note-taking
services, allowing users to take and upload notes, pictures,
audio and video snippets and organize them into cloud
notebooks that can be synced across different devices.
Loaded with powerful organization, formatting and sharing
options, Evernote is still king even with competitors such
as OneNote and Google Keep. The free version lets users
upload 60MB of content monthly, with paid accounts
allowing more options.

10. google translate (android, iOs)

8. pocket (android, iOs)
This nifty app lets you preserve almost any web page or
content in an organised way and makes for a favorable
viewing experience. Previously known as Read It Later,
Pocket App is used for managing a reading list of articles
and web content from the Internet. It gets integrated with
your web browser so you can save content or a web page
by simply tapping the icon near the top of the screen. It is a
great offline reading tool that allows you to select and save
articles, pictures and videos for later viewing.

Going abroad?
Google Translate
is the companion
you need. Translate
makes it easy to
convert text from
one language to
another in ways
that actually
make sense. Sure,
you can type in
a phrase in your
native tongue and
have Translate move it into another language. But you
can also take a snapshot of a sign, menu, or document
with your phone and have Translate convert it to the text.
You can speak into your phone in one language and have
Translate speak back in another. And you can do it all
offline, provided you download the necessary language
packs in advance.

A look into the future

9. expensify (android, iOs)
Keeping track of expenses can be a pain while you are
more on the move. Expensify can ease the burden. The
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The mobility landscape will evolve rapidly and will not
limit itself to smart phone and tablets. Wearable tech
such as Google Glass, is all geared up to create even
more opportunities for employees to access the digital
workplace.
Given the fluidity of mobility, as well as the many current associated benefits, enterprises need to stay focused
on identifying their needs and taking a step-by-step approach to realize full benefits.

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12 Popular Mobile CRM Apps
You can’t manage your customers by just sitting in office. Here are some really great CRM
tools that will empower your sales force while they’re on the move
- Raj Maurya

1. Sugar Mobile

3. Box.net Mobile

This app is an extension of the Sugar Professional or
Enterprise Editions for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. It simplifies
the access and interaction with customer data while on the
go and allows users to log calls made on the mobile phone
via the Mobile app. Any address can be clicked on to bring
up the Google map location, and changes to system data
are updated in real-time.

Box allows every employee to securely work across
teams, with customers, and with partners - on any device,
anywhere. It lets you organize and view all of your content
online in a file/folder structure. Any of these folders can
be rapidly turned into a web page. Widgets can be created
to share files on a web page or blog. It supports Windows,
iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and Android.

4. Salesforce Chatter
2. SAP Business ByDesign
The SAP Business ByDesign provides intuitive and
comprehensive mobile CRM solution. From your mobile
phone, you can navigate the entire ERP and CRM system,
modify your views, check inventory availability at multiple
locations and create new sales orders. At this moment, the
access is limited to iPhone but in future SAP is planning to
support Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone.

It is a cloud-based social enterprise collaboration
application and platform. It leverages the social features
popularized by consumer social networking sites like
Facebook — such as profiles, status updates, and realtime feeds — with the goal of raising productivity. You can
monitor group discussions and developments, access files,
update records with the app. One can also use Salesforce
Mobile SDK to create highly customized, collaborative
mobile apps.

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5. Microsoft Dynamics CRM
It is a customer relationship management software package
developed by Microsoft. It provides social insights, business
intelligence, and productivity with One Microsoft solutions.
You can deploy it in the cloud, on-premise, or with a hybrid
combination. It is part of theMicrosoft Dynamics family
of business applications. Dynamics CRM is a server-client
application, which, like Microsoft SharePoint, is primarily
an IIS-based web application which also supports extensive
web services interfaces. Clients access Dynamics CRM
either by using a browser or by a thick client plug-in to
Microsoft Outlook. Besides Internet Explorer, the Chrome
and Firefox browsers are fully supported.

device and integrate with ondevice calendar and contact
applications.

8. CWR Mobile CRM
CWR Mobile CRM is a mobile
client for field sales and service
people using Microsoft Dynamics
CRM. It works on Windows
Phone, iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry
and Android platforms.

9 Sybase Mobile Sales
for SAP CRM
The Sybase Mobile Sales for SAP CRM application is
designed to give sales teams fast, reliable access to SAP
CRM data from any mobile device.

6. Resco MobileCRM
It is a mobile client for sales force and field service people
that allows field workers to access Microsoft Dynamics
CRM data from the iPhone. Instead of having to call the
office, field reps can access the data themselves. You don‘t
need to install any middleware or server components.

10. Zoho CRM Mobile Edition
It gives you the option to access and work with your
online Zoho CRM data from your mobile devices. The
Zoho CRM native app is available for the iPhone, iPad, and

7. Oracle mobile sales
assistant and Oracle mobile
Sales Forecast
Oracle Mobile Sales Assistant
and Oracle Mobile Sales Forecast
connects sales users with
their Oracle CRM on Demand
applications. You can manage your
key customer relationships data
in real time from your handheld
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Android phones. Additionally, you will be able to use
the web app in other mobile devices. You can access
data from CRM modules such as Leads, Accounts,
Contacts, Potentials, Cases, Tasks, Events, etc. wherever
you go. Also, you can work in the offline mode to add,
modify, or delete records which will be saved locally
and synchronized with your online account, when you
connect to the network.

managing leads and contact information, tracking
communication history, managing tasks, and follow-ups,
tracking email communication, creating estimates and
invoices and managing projects.

12. Base CRM
It is a customer relationship management (CRM) system
that is available for iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.

11. Elements CRM
A Mac Customer Relationship Management (Mac
CRM) solution built by Interactive for Apple business
using Apple devices. It is offered as a Cloud computing
subscription-based service. Elements CRM is part
desktop and part cloud. Its main functions include

Base was the first full native CRM Android app available.
Unlike legacy cloud CRM and Salesforce Automation
systems like Salesforce, Base leverages big data, mobility
and real-time computing to help sales teams close more
deals, while providing sales leaders with visibility into the
sales pipeline and forecast.

hOw theY cOmpare
System
Base CRM
SugarCRM Mobile
Elements CRM

Creator

Platform

Base CRM

Android,
iOS,Windows
Android, iOS
iOS

SugarCRM
Elements
CRM
Microsoft
Microsoft Android and iOS-4/
Dynamics CRM
Third Party,Windows
Oracle crm
Oracle
Android, iOS
Corporation
Salesforce
Marc
iOS
Benioff
SAP CRM
SAP
Android, iOS
Zoho CRM
ZOHO
Android, iOS
Corporation
Resco MobileCRM Resco s.r.o
Android,
iOS,Windows
CWR Mobile CRM cwrmobility
Android,
iOS,Windows
Sybase Mobile
Sybase
Android, iOS
Sales for SAP CRM
SAP Business
SAP
Android, iOS
ByDesign CRM

Tax
lead
Time
manage- Manage- trackment
ment
ing
4
4
4

Workflow
Management
4

Inventory Offline
Manage- Access
ment
4
4

Free
Trial
Period
14 Days

Price
$25 User/Month

4
4

4
4

4
4

4
4

4
4

4
N/A

7 Days $40 User/Month
30 Days $18.95 User/Month

4

4

4

4

4

4

30 Days

$30 User/Month

4

4

4

4

4

4

30 Days

$75 User/Month

4

4

4

4

4

8

30 Days

$65 User/Month

N/A
4

4
4

N/A
4

4
4

4
4

4
4

N/A
15 Days

$89 User/Month
$11 User/Month

N/A

4

4

4

4

4

30 Days

$20 User/Month

N/A

4

4

4

4

4

30 Days

$22 User/Month

N/A

4

4

4

4

4

30 Days

N/A

4

4

4

4

4

4

14 Days

$24 Usewr/Month

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3 Popular Mobile Note Apps
A good substitute on mobile devices, these apps aid people who need to frequently take
notes and relieves them from the task of pulling out their laptop each time they need to do so
- Swaraj Sourabh

Evernote

EVERNOTE PREMIUM Features:
• Offline access to user
• 10 GB of new uploads each month
• Add a passcode lock on mobile
• Unlimited business card scans - scan biz cards, save to
contacts, and connect on LinkedIn

Evernote is a
workspace that
syncs with all of your
mobile devices. One
can use it to write
notes or for checklists
and research. It can
also organize web
articles, docs, and
photos according
to user needs. A
business owner or
working teams can
discuss their work
with each other, and
can find solutions
easily without being
physically present.
Evernote is available
in paid as well as free
versions. It is free to
download and use.
Evernote Premium is
paid and unlocks even
more productivity.

Compatible with:
iOS, Chrome OS, Android, Microsoft Windows, Windows
Phone, BlackBerry

ColorNote

Key Features:
• Write in a
workspace
• Make to-dos and
checklists
• Keep Office docs,
PDFs, and photos
• Searchable text in
notes and photos
• Work chat helps to
discuss notes
• Work together and
share notebooks
for team projects
• Make connections by turning biz cards into contacts
• Manage expenses by organizing receipts, bills & invoices
• Travel hassle free by saving research and reservations
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Social & Mobile
Inc’s ColorNote is
a easy and simple
app for notepad
needs. It gives you
a quick notepad
editing experience
when you write
notes, memos,
e-mails, messages,
shopping lists and
to-do lists. When
you are done
using the notepad,
an automatic
save command
preserves your
individual note.
It features two
basic note taking
formats, a linedpaper styled text
option, and a checklist option. Add as many as you want to
your master list, which appears on the app’s home screen
each time the program opens. This list may be viewed in
traditional ascending order, in grid format, or by note color.
The text option lets you type as many characters as you
want. After saving, you can edit, share, set a reminder, or
check off or delete the note through your device’s menu
button. In the checklist mode, you can add as many items
as you’d like and arrange their order with drag buttons
activated in the edit mode.

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Key Features:
• Put your notes on your home screen
• Checklist notes for To do list & Shopping list
• Checklist notes to get things done
• Organize your schedule by note in calendar
• Write a diary and journal in calendar
• Protect your notes with passcode
• Secure backup notes to SD storage
• Supports online back up and sync; you can sync notes
between phone and tablet
• Reminder notes on status bar
• Search notes
• Notepad supports ColorDict Add-on
• Powerful task reminder : Time Alarm, All day, Repetition
• Quick memo / notes
• Share notes via SMS, e-mail or Twitter
• Internet Access for online backup & sync notes
• Modify/delete SD card contents
• Prevent phone from sleeping, control vibrator,
automatically start at boot: For reminder notes
Compatible with:
Android and Windows Phone

Onenote
In Microsoft OneNote,
users can enter typed
text via keyboard, create
tables, and insert pictures.
However, unlike a word
processor, users can write
anywhere on a virtually
unbounded document
window by just clicking
there. Also, users do not
need to explicitly save
their work – OneNote
saves data automatically
as the user works.

OneNote saves information in pages organized into
sections within notebooks. The interface provides an
electronic version of a tabbed ring-binder, into which the
user can directly make notes and gather material from
other applications. OneNote notebooks collect, organize,
and share possibly unpolished materials – as compared to
word processors and wikis, which usually target publishing
in some way.
OneNote is a notebook for to-do lists and meeting
notes, vacation plans, or anything you want to organize or
remember. You can type, record audio or snap a picture
and OneNote saves it. Your notes sync across your devices
so you can access them wherever you go. And you can
easily share your notes with others. OneNote has free apps
for PC, Mac, Windows Phone, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch,
Android and Android Wear devices. And you can browse to
onenote.com to get to your notes.
Key Features:
• Create and update notes and checklists
• Plethora of format notes like you do on a computer
• Organize your notes using notebooks, sections and tags
• Your notebooks sync across your computers and devices
• Search your notes and files
• Home screen widgets let you create picture, audio and
text notes without opening the app.
• Enter voice notes on your Android Wear watch.
• Easily access your recent notes on your watch.
• Access your work notes stored on SharePoint online
sites from your tablet or phone.
Requirements:
• Requires Android OS 4.1 or later.
• A free Microsoft account is required to use OneNote.
• OneNote opens existing notebooks created in Microsoft
OneNote 2010 format or later.
• To sync your notes to OneDrive for Business, sign in with
your organization’s Office 365 or SharePoint account.
Compatible with:
Windows, Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Android

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How MADP is Changing The Mobile App
Development Industry
The mobile app development platform (MADP) route for app development is fast gaining
popularity since only this approach allows an enterprise to fully leverage on the advantages
of better productivity while factoring in operating system and device nu
- S.Sundararajan, Director, i-exceed Technology Solutions

T

he introduction of the Apple App Store in 2008
triggered the rise in significance of mobile apps.
While consumer apps initially stole the limelight,
the interest around internal business apps
have recently been on a steady rise. A recent report from
Garner indicates that the application infrastructure and
middleware (AIM) market was worth $428.6 billion in 2014,
a growth of 5.7% from the previous year.
However, this growth has come with its own share
of challenges. Multiple operating systems and form
factors have contributed to delays in development and
deployment of apps. While Apple’s iOS seemed to have
had an initial edge over Google’s Android, the platform
wars seem to have reached a stalemate. The mobile app
development platform (MADP) route for app development
is fast gaining popularity since only this approach allows
an enterprise to fully leverage on the advantages of better
productivity while factoring in operating system and device
nuances of customers, partners, vendors, employees, and
other business stake holders.
When enterprises take on the challenge of appifying
themselves, the development of an app must not be
conceptualized and developed in isolation. Enterprises
must recognize that an app plays an important role in

S.Sundararajan
Director, i-exceed
Technology Solutions
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“Using an MADP,
enterprises can
follow and enforce
standardized
policies, designs,
and techniques,
rather than
implementing them
in fragments.”

implementing a unified business strategy. Leveraged right,
a mobile app can indeed work as a source of competitive
differentiation that would enable enterprises leapfrog
their competitors.
However, vesting the responsibility of developing
mobile apps with IT teams has led to the undesirable
effect of technology calling all the shots. Developers and
designers must factor in user engagement and consistency
in user experience across devices apart from just coding
and deployment of apps. Apps should also be developed
by taking the entire enterprise into account as a whole.

How MADP accelerates mobile app development
A well thought-out technology decision must aim to
reduce the number of tools and architectures to be
used. Enterprises disregarding this could get trapped in
a snarl of architectures and end up with high support
costs, security loopholes, and worst of all, sub-standard
apps. Getting past these hurdles brings us to just one
solution; the adoption of an MADP. The platform is not
just an environment that comprises software, tools, and
best practices for secure mobile app development; it
represents a new thinking in enterprise mobility.
Platform based app development mitigates
wastage in development effort and investment.
Using an MADP, enterprises can follow and enforce
standardized policies, designs, and techniques, rather
than implementing them in fragments. By aligning
enterprise mobile app strategy with corporate strategy,
branding, and positioning, an MADP paves the way for
the appification of the enterprise.
Using an MADP, enterprises can also take benefit
from internal sufficiency. IT teams can begin app development on the platform with very little training or reskilling,
thereby reducing dependence on external vendors. Then,
there’s the vital issue of security. A good MADP incorporates robust security mechanisms at every layer of the app
process to provide levels of data protection that meets the
highest standards. Last but not least, the platform reduces
the total time and cost of mobile app development.

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handson
7 CDN Services to Speed up Your Website’s Access
CDN is a mechanism where a network of multiple servers at different places
caches all your website static content like images, CSS,Javascript and stores
it on their own servers. When a user visits your site, then instead of loading
such content from your hosting servers it loads it from the CDN servers which
increase the performance and security of your website and also saves bandwidth
- Raj Kumar Maurya

CloudFlare
CloudFlare is the most popular
free CDN service which you can
use for your WordPress site to secure and speed up your
site with ease. As CloudFlare blocks suspicious threats and
limits access for potential abusers, it will also make your
website more secure. To use their services you just need
to create an account in their website and add your site.
Once your site is added, you will get a custom name server
for your site. Now just update your website’s original
nameservers with the provided ones. You can also use their
free plugin with ease.

Photon
Photon is a CDN
service for those who
have hosted their site
on WordPress.com.
However, if you have self-hosted WordPress sites then it is
just a part of Jetpack plugin. Text and images are the two
essential parts of any website, but images are the heavy
components of web sites that take the maximum time
to load. So, if you are using Photon then all your images
will be served through WordPress.com, which reduce the
loading time of your site to a huge extent. The good thing is
that Jetpack is a free plugin and so is Photon service.

jsDelivr
Every WordPress site uses
JavaScript some or the
other way and also the
theme and plugin used in Wordpress are used in JavaScript.
When you open your website, these JavaScripts have
to be run which might decrease the speed of your site.
So, jsDelivr free CDN service is a custom service to host
JavaScripts of your site to speed up the loading process of
your website. To activate this CDN service you just need to
install a free plugin of jsDelivr.

Swarm (Swarmify)
This service is relatively new
compared to the others

in the list, but it offers a free plan with 250 GB of free
transfer. SwarmCDN is a relatively new peer-to-peer based
content delivery network. They offer you pay as you go
service which is really good for growing websites, and you
get 30 days free trial for their paid package. Its features
include hive caching, lazy loading, predictive loading and
more. It is available in 196 countries worldwide.

Incapsula
Incapsula CDN service is
another well-known CDN service that offers both free and
paid plans. It routes your entire website’s traffic through
their globally distributed network of high-end servers to
give you spam protection service to protect your site from
spam bots, access control, login protection etc for free. Use
their WordPress plugin that will help you to get correct IP
Address information for comments posted to your site. In
a nutshell, it provides Global CDN, Website Security, DDoS
Protection, Load Balancing & Failover protection.

CorelCDN
CoralCDN is a project from
the MIT which is a peer-to-peer based content delivery
network and it is absolutely free of cost. P2P networks rely
on the billions of computers connected across the Internet
which is mainly why CoralCDN is free. The way Coral CDN
works is by serving the static content through their servers
by appending ‘nyud.net’ to the URL.’

CDN.net
CDN.net offers
you 1 TB free CDN
bandwidth which is
enough for a website
with moderate traffic and images. CDN.net is a pay-asyou-go content delivery network that offers services
worldwide. CDN.net makes your content secure and easy
to access by providing users with DNS infrastructure, edge
servers, DDoS protection, a mobile-ready control panel,
and more. It hosts content in 113 cities in 43 countries to
improve web performance for the regional, national, or
international audience.

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handson
10 Tips to Speed Up Your Wordpress
Website Load Time
When people visit your site for the first time, you have only a few seconds to
capture their attention, but if your site takes too long to load, they’ll move
onto some other site. are gone before reading your articles

Y

- Raj Kumar Maurya

ou can’t impress people with the great content
you have on your website if it takes ages to
load. Here are a few tips to ensure that people
don’t turn away from your site for this reason

at least!

Manager plugin, which will simply optimize your database
that contains spam, post, revisions, drafts, tables, etc to
reduce their overhead. You can also schedule dates for
database optimization in these plugins.

4. CDN (Content delivery network)

1. Framework/theme
The theme you have installed in WordPress affects the
speed of your site. Twenty Fifteen “framework” which is
the default WP theme is very lightweight and quite speedy.
However, bloated frameworks, which have tons of features
that you will never use, not only slow your site but also
produce a crawling error, so choose your theme with care.

2. Caching Plugins
Plugins provide most useful add-on features to your
WordPress. In the category of Wordpress plugins, there
is a category of cache plugins which drastically improve
page loading time and the best thing is they are free
and easy to use. I would recommend W3 Total Cache, as
it has all the features you’ll need and is easy to install
and use.

CDN is a group of multiple servers on different locations
that takes all your static files (CSS, Javascript and images
etc) and lets visitors visit your site by loading them in the
browser as fast as possible by serving the files on servers as
close to them as possible. You can use the CloudFlare type
of free CDN to increase the performance.

5. Optimize your homepage to load quickly
The first page of your site or your homepage is the load
quickly. Show excerpts instead of full posts; no. of posts on

3. Optimize your database
You can simply use the WP-Optimize plugin or WP-DB

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home page should be between 5-7. Remove unnecessary
widgets, inactive plugins and widgets that you don’t need.
Your homepage should be clean and focused.

6. Optimize images automatically

8. Check for viruses or exploits in your website.
Malicious scripts are known to slow down the site loading
speed. Theses scripts can be downloaded in your website
when you use any un-official source of plugins and themes.
Get rid of them with the Anti-Malware plugin in order to
eliminate threats to your server.

The images on your site are one the most time taking and
heavy to load. Especially, if you have some photo intensive
website. Try to use the images which are small in size.
Fortunately, there is a free plugin called WP-SmushIt which
will automatically reduce the size of your images without
reducing the quality of the images.

7. Install the Lazy Load plugin.
9. Remove post drafts and revisions.
Please delete unwanted old draft posts as soon as possible
using Bulk Delete, a plugin that enables you to delete post
batches by status or user.

10. Delete and stop spam comments.
The Lazy Load plugin offers a smart solution to image
rendering and management. In essence, it only loads
images when they are visible to the user to decrease
server bandwidth.

If you see your WordPress comment section, you would
notice spam comments. Please clear them because they
are slowing down your site’s loading capabilities. Delete
your comments manually in WordPress, and defend against
spam by using Anti-Spam plugin.

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handson
Installing NTOPNG — A Web-Based
Network Traffic Analysis Tool
If you are looking to monitor different network protocols on your servers then
you can go for the free tool that is both easy to install and use

- Raj Kumar Maurya

Y

ou can use this tool to monitor various protocols,
traffic variants, and bandwidth across multiple
time frames. It is based on libpcap and it has been
written in a portable way in order to virtually run
on every Unix platform, MacOSX and on Win32 as well.
Here is the step by step installation guide for Ntopng
for Ubuntu 14.04 server.
STEP 1. First of all add Ntopng repo in your Ubuntu repo
list. Create ntop.list file by running the command:
sudo nano/etc/apt/sources.list.d/ntop.list
Then add this line:
deb http://www.nmon.net/apt-stable/12.04/ x64/
deb http://www.nmon.net/apt-stable/12.04/ all/
STEP 2: Run the given command to add the key and then
run update:
wget -qO - http://www.nmon.net/apt-stable/ntop.key |
sudo apt-key add sudo apt-get update
STEP 3: Now install Ntopng and its dependencies.
sudo apt-get install libpcap-dev libglib2.0-dev libgeoipdev redis-server libxml2-dev libnl1
sudo apt-get install ntopng pfring nprobe ntopng-data
n2disk nbox
STEP 4: Ntopng is installed and now it’s time to create
ntopng configuration file.
sudo nano /etc/ntopng/ntopng.conf
After running the above command copy all these lines into
ntopng configuration file.
# /etc/ntopng/ntopng.conf
#
# The configuration file is similar to the command line,
with the exception that an equal
# sign ‘=’ must be used between key and value. Example:
-i=p1p2 or --interface=p1p2 For
# options with no value (e.g. -v) the equal is also
necessary. Example: “-v=” must be used.
#
#
# -G|--pid-path
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# Specifies the path where the PID (process ID) is saved.
#
-G=/var/tmp/ntopng.pid
#
# -e|--daemon
# This parameter causes ntop to become a daemon, i.e. a
task which runs in the background
# without connection to a specific terminal. To use ntop
other than as a casual monitoring
# tool, you probably will want to use this option.
#
-e=
#
# -i|--interface
# Specifies the network interface or collector endpoint to
be used by ntopng for network
# monitoring. On Unix you can specify both the interface
name (e.g. lo) or the numeric
# interface id as shown by ntopng -h. On Windows you
must use the interface number instead.
# Note that you can specify -i multiple times in order to
instruct ntopng to create multi# ple interfaces.
#
-i=1
#
# -w|--http-port
# Sets the HTTP port of the embedded web server.
#
-w=3000
#
# -m|--local-networks
# ntopng determines the ip addresses and netmasks for
each active interface. Any traffic on
# those networks is considered local. This parameter
allows the user to define additional
# networks and subnetworks whose traffic is also
considered local in ntopng reports. All
# other hosts are considered remote. If not specified the
default is set to 192.168.1.0/24.
#
# Commas separate multiple network values. Both
netmask and CIDR notation may be used,
# even mixed together, for instance “131.114.21.0/24,10
.0.0.0/255.0.0.0”.
#
-m=192.168.1.0/24
#
# -n|--dns-mode

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# Sets the DNS address resolution mode: 0 - Decode DNS
responses and resolve only local
# (-m) numeric IPs 1 - Decode DNS responses and resolve
all numeric IPs 2 - Decode DNS
# responses and don’t resolve numeric IPs 3 - Don’t
decode DNS responses and don’t resolve
#
-n=1
#
# -S|--sticky-hosts
# ntopng periodically purges idle hosts. With this option
you can modify this behaviour by
# telling ntopng not to purge the hosts specified by -S.
This parameter requires an argu# ment that can be “all” (Keep all hosts in memory),
“local” (Keep only local hosts),
# “remote” (Keep only remote hosts), “none” (Flush
hosts when idle).
#
-S=
#
# -d|--data-dir
# Specifies the data directory (it must be writable).
Default directory is ./data
#
-d=/var/tmp/ntopng
#
# -q|--disable-autologout
# Disable web interface logout for inactivity.
#
-q=

STEP 9. Now you can test your ntopng application by
typing http://yourserver.name:3000. You will see ntopng
login page.
STEP 10: For the first time, your deafult credentials are
user ‘admin’ and password ‘admin’. Once you login, you
will see the dashboard with a glance of real traffic on your
network.

STEP 11: Click on the Host option to see the traffic and
details of all the active hosts on your network.

STEP5: You can also download ntopng from their website
and install it manually by using the following command if
you don’t want to add its repo.
$ tar xzf ntopng-1.0.tar.gz -C ~
$ cd ~/ntopng-1.0/
$ ./configure
$ make geoip
$ make
STEP 6: We also need to create ntopng.start file by using
the command:
sudo nano /etc/ntopng/ntopng.start
Once you created ntopng.start file then add the following
lines
--local-networks “192.168.0.0/24”
## give your local IP Ranges here.
--interface 1

STEP 12: You also get the graphical representation of traffic
flow, hosts, ports, and applications and can monitor your
network bandwidth consumption in a graphical way.

STEP 7: To see all available interfaces and options, use the
ntopng -h option:
sudo ntopng-h
STEP 8. Start Ntopng and redis server daemon.
sudo service redis-server start
sudo service ntopng start
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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

59

handson
Essential Tips and Tools to Secure Wordpress Sites
The most popular blogging and content management platform is also a favorite
among hackers thanks to its popularity. Here’s some advice and useful plugins to keep your Wordpress site safe
- Raj Kumar Maurya

W

ordpress developers push regular updates
to patch all the known vulnerabilities. But
still it is not secure enough, and there are
many other ways of hacking the websites
based on Wordpress. Plugins add extra layer of security to
your WordPress site and here we discuss the best ways to
secure your site and the key plugins available.

1. Use a unique username and password
Choose a Unique username and password for your
WordPress wp-admin and avoid default admin username.
If you have already set your username to admin then there
are some plugins such as Username Changer to change
your username to something more secure.

2. Protect and secure login page
First of all change the default link to login to your
Wordpress i.e yourdomain.com/wp-admin, which is
known to everyone. You can change it manually, if you are
developer or have good WordPress knowledge, but there
are some plugins which can do the same with a few clicks,
such as All-in-one security plugin in which you can change
your login WordPress URL easily. To get a more secure login
you can use Two-factor authentication (known as 2FA, or
sometimes 2-step verification). This requires a user to login
with not just his username and password, but also a unique
code that’s generated for one-time-use and sent to a
device (typically a smartphone) via SMS or an iOS/Android
app. Clef type of plugins enable this authentication easily
on your Wordpress site.

3. Choose your theme and plugins wisely
When you choose theme or plugins to use in your in your
website, please choose the ones that are actively maintained and regularly updated. Some people use cracked
versions of paid themes and plugins but they don’t know
that these plugins and themes may have some malicious
code from the hackers who hacked the paid themes.

4. Protect your database and limit the use of plugins
Backup your WordPress database regularly after some
interval of time which helps you to keep your all posts with
you. In case someone hacked your website you still have
its copy. Your website might be at stake if you are using the
60

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

predictable wp_ prefixes in your database. If you are not an
IT person or developer and want to change your database’s
wp_prefixes, then don’t do it manually. Also limit the use
of plugins in your website. More plugins mean less security
as every plugin is not updated on a regular basis.

5. Limit Login attempts
There is a nifty little WordPress plugin called Limit Login
Attempts that enables you to limit the number of failed
login attempts and even ban an IP for a specified number
of hours. The hacker would need to have many different
proxies because the plugin would keep banning that IP
address after a certain number of failed login attempts.

6. Secure it from Brute Force and DDoS Attacks
A brute-force attack is performed to gain access to
someone else’s account on the site whereas DDoS attack
is usually launched to take a site down (typically by
consuming resources). There are many plugins available
to stop Brute Force. Out of those BruteProtect is a cloudpowered Brute-Force attack prevention plugin and aims
to provide the best protection against botnet attacks. It
automatically blocks an IP address if it finds some malicious
activity such as the number of failed login attempts.
CloudFlare is the way to protect your site from DDoS
attacks. It protects and accelerates any website online.
After submitting your website in CloudFlare, its web traffic
is routed through their intelligent global network. They
automatically optimize the delivery of your web pages
so your visitors get the fastest page load times and best
performance. CloudFlare offers both free and premium
plans. Free plan is enough to get a decent amount of brute
force protection.
Here’s a list of security plugins to secure your website:

1. WordFence

It scans all the files of your Wordpress core, theme and
plugin. It it finds any infection, it will notify you. For making
your website
faster, it uses
Falcom caching
engine. This
plugin is free, but
a few advanced

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features are available for premium users. This plugin blocks
brute force attack and can add two-factor authentication
via SMS. You can also block traffic from a specific country.
It also includes a firewall to block fake traffic, botnet and
scanners. It also scans your hosting for known backdoors
including C99, R57 and others. If it finds anything, you will
instantly get email notification.

2. BulletProof Security
BulletProof Security is another
popular WordPress security
plugin. It adds
firewall security,
database security, login security and more. It limits failed
login attempts and blocks security scanners, fake traffic, IP
blocking and code scanners. It keeps on checking the code
of WordPress core files, themes and plugins. It comes with
built-in file manager for htaccess. It protects WordPress
websites against various vulnerabilities including XSS, RFI,
CRLF, CSRF, Base64, Code Injection, SQL Injection and many
others.

3. Sucuri Security
This plugin offers various security features like security
activity auditing, file integrity monitoring, malware
scanning, blacklist monitoring, and website firewall. It
incorporates various blacklist engines including Google Safe
Browsing, Sucuri Labs, Norton, McAfee Site Advisor and
more to check your website. It protects your website from
DOS attack, Zero
Day Disclosure
Patches, brute
force attacks and
other scanner
attacks.

4. iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)
It tracks registered users’ activity and adds two-factor
authentication, import/export settings, password
expiration, malware scanning, and various other things.
It scans the entire website and tries to find if there is any
potential vulnerability in your website. It also prevents
brute force attacks and bans the IP addresses which try to

use brute force. It also integrates Google reCAPTCHA to
prevent comment spam on your website.

5. Acunetix WP SecurityScan
It offers a security scanning tool to find vulnerabilities in
web applications. It offers file permission security, version
hiding, admin protection, removing WP generator tag from
source, and database security. It also offers a database
backup tool to take a backup of your website and live traffic
monitor tool to check website traffic in real time.

6. All In One WP Security & Firewall
This is one of the popular security plugins. It protects
against brute force login attack and also allows you to
schedule automatic backup and receive email notification.
It also protects PHP code by disabling admin area editing. It
adds a web application firewall in your website and enables
5G Blacklist to prevent various attacks. It denies bad query
strings, prevent XSS, CSRF, SQL injection, malicious bots
and other security threats.

7. 6Scan Security
6Scan Security has a security scanner which scans
and protects your website against SQL injection, Cross
Site Scripting, CSRF, Directory traversal, Remote file
including, DOS attack and other OWASP top ten security
vulnerabilities. It also has an automatic malware fix for
malware related issues on your website.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

61

onthedvd
50+ Free and Essential Business Tools for an SME
Enterprise mobility software, ERP and CRM tools, productivity software, document
management tools, content management systems, ecommerce platforms, network
monitoring tools, and lots more…
- Sonam Yadav

1. apache OpenOffice: It is a
Free alternative for Office productivity
tools. It is an open-source office
productivity software suite containing
word processor, spreadsheet,
presentation, graphics, formula
editor, and database management
applications.

4.Talend Open Studio:
Talend Open Studio provides tools
to collaborate on and standardize
enterprise-wide data based on an
open and dynamic data model, and
built on a single platform along with
Talend’s leading integration and data
quality capabilities.

8. collabtive: Collabtive is
web based project management
software. It is an Open Source
alternative for proprietary tools like
Active Collab or Basecamp.

10. agilefant: The scalable
open source tool for lean and
agile project management. It is
the most versatile open source
solution of its kind today, with
a rapidly growing user base of
more than 10k users around
the world in thousands of
organizations.

62

PCQUEST NNOOVVEEMMBBEERR 22001155

2. s2 recovery: This software
provides buttons for recovering
and opening corrupt Microsoft Word
old format doc and the new format
docx documents

5.OpenKM
Document Management
- DMS: OpenKM is a powerful and
scalable multiplatform application for
document management, based on
open technology (Java, Tomcat, GWT,
Hibernate, Spring and JBPM). It is a
Web 2.0 application that works with
Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari
and Opera.

3. SAP
Business One development
environment: SAP Business One
provides several APIs for building
solutions. The SAP Business One
Development Environment (B1DE) is a
tool that makes it even easier to use
APIs and speeds up the development
and packaging of add-ons based on
these interfaces

6.CMIS Input plugin for Pentaho:
Imagine being able to extract from
your Enterprise Content Management
System, all the metadata of your
documents using simple queries with
a query language very close to the
traditional SQL.

13
prOductiVitY
tOOls

11. phplot: PHPlot is a PHP
graphics class for creating
charts and plots. It works with
PHP5 and the PHP GD extension
to produce PNG, GIF, or JPEG
images. TrueType fonts (TTF)
are optional, or built-in GD fonts
can be used.

12. Mallmold Ecommerce
system: Mallmold ecommerce
system is an open source php
mall system, powerful and
high performance, is the ideal
choice for SMEs shop system
and maximize savings for the
enterprise.

7.OnlY Office: ONLY OFFICE is
a business service that resolves
collaboration issues for both small
and medium-sized teams. The
platform allows for optimization of
your business processes from lead
generation to order fulfillment.

9.BIRT iHub
f-type: Open Source BIRT
is a visual-based development tool
used to create data visualizations and
reports that can be embedded into
rich client and web applications. BIRT
is a top-level designer tool within the
Eclipse Foundation, an independent
not-for-profit open source community
and consortium of software
vendors.

13.libreOffice:
A powerful open source
productivity suite: LibreOffice
boasts the same six applications
as Apache OpenOffice-Writer,
Calc, Impress, Draw, Base and
Math-but the two suites differ in
terms of applications features,
usability and community
support.

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8 Network Monitoring Tools
1. nagios: Nagios is a powerful, enterprise-class host,
service, application, and network monitoring program.
Nagios runs on NIX hosts and can monitor Windows,
Linux/Unix/BSD, Netware, and network devices.

5. networkminer packet analyzer: NetworkMiner is a
Network Forensic Analysis Tool (NFAT) for Windows that
can detect the OS, hostname and open ports of network
hosts through packet sniffing or by parsing a PCAP file.

2. groundwork monitor: A unified Monitoring for all
your devices and applications - virtual or physical.
Provides event handling, notifications, dashboards, and
much more.

6. pandora fms: flexible monitoring system: Pandora
FMS is a performance & availability monitoring system,
ready for big environments. It uses agents for local
monitoring and can do several kinds of remote network
monitoring (SNMP v3, TCP checks, remote WMI probes...)

3. ganglia: Ganglia is a scalable distributed monitoring
system for high-performance computing systems such
as clusters and Grids. It is based on a hierarchical design
targeted at federations of clusters.
4. angry ip scanner: Angry IP scanner is fast and
friendly network scanner for Windows, Linux, and Mac.
It is very extensible, allowing it to be used for very wide
range of purposes, with the primary goal of being useful
to network administrators.

7. nsclient++: NSClient++ is a windows service that
allows performance metrics to be gathered by Nagios .It is
an attempt to create a NSClient and NRPE compatible but
yet extendable performance service for windows.
8. jnetmap: jNetMap is a graphical network monitoring
and documentation tool. It will ping all registered devices
every x minutes, updating the status according to the
result of the ping.

5 Mobility Management Solutions
1. convertigo:
Convertigo is a fullfeatured enterprise
mobility tool for
developing, deploying
and managing apps.
In addition to the free
community edition
(which has been
installed more than 50,000 times), it comes in paid standard
and extended editions.
2. Ocs inventory ng: Many IT
departments use OCS Inventory NG to
track their on-site hardware, and now
the tool offers agents for Android and
Windows mobile devices as well. It
detects active devices on the network
and provides information about the
type of device and installed apps.
3. Openmobster: This tool includes
both a mobile backend
as a service that can
be deployed in private
clouds and a mobile
enterprise application
program (MEAP).
Features include an

enterprise sync platform, push notifications, mobile remote
procedure caller (RPC) and a management console.
4. wsO2
Enterprise
Mobility
manager: This
comprehensive
enterprise mobility
solution includes
MDM, mobile app
management,
enterprise app
store and mobile
data security features. Paid support and training are available.
5. masterpassword:
Instead of saving
your passwords
in a vault,
MasterPassword
generates secure
passwords on
demad using
an algorithm
based on your
name, the site
and your master
password.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

63

onthedvd
9 Firewalls
1. endian firewall community: Endian Firewall Community
is a “turn-key” linux security distribution that makes your
system a full featured security appliance with Unified Threat
Management functionalities. The software has been designed
for the best usability.
2. advanced Onion router: Some of the improvements
include UNICODE paths, support for HTTP and HTTPS proxy
protocols on the same Socks4/Socks5 port with HTTP header
filtering that generates fake identity-dependent headers every
time the identity is changed .
3. privoxy: Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced
filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, modifying web page
data and HTTP headers, controlling access, and removing ads
and other obnoxious Internet junk.
4. upnp portmapper: The UPnP PortMapper can be used to
easily manage the port mappings port forwarding of a UPnP
enabled internet gateway router in the local network.
5. Opnsense: OPNsense is an open source, easy to use and
easy to build FreeBSD based firewall and routing platform.

OPNsense includes most of the features available in expensive
commercial firewalls, and more in many cases.
6. 3proxy tiny free proxy server: Universal freeware proxy
server with HTTP, HTTPS, SOCKS v4, SOCKS v4a, SOCKS
v5, FTP, POP3, UDP and TCP portmapping, access control,
bandwith control, traffic limitation and accounting based on
username, client IP, target IP, day time, day of week, etc.
7. proxydnsfilters: ProxyDNSFilters are two tools that can be
useful for web filtering: a custom filtered DNS relay server and
a custom filtered Proxy server. Basic SOCKS v4 & v5 is also
supported.
8. Jateway: Jateway is a general purpose TCP/IP connection
proxy. Jateway accepts connections on arbitrary ports and
specific host combinations.
9. webcastellum: WebCastellum is a Java based web
application firewall which can protect application against cross
site scripting, SQL injections, command injections, parameter
manipulation, and it can be integrated easily to a java based
application.

7 Encryption Tools
4.Jackcess encrypt:
Implementation of the encryption
service from the Jackcess project

1.cryptsync: Synchronizes
multiple folders with each
other, keeping them up-todate. One folder of each pair
is kept encrypted. Very useful
when using cloud storage
tools like SkyDrive, GDrive or
Dropbox.
2. dar - disk archive: DAR is a command-line backup
and archiving tool that uses selective compression strong
encryption, may split an
archive in different files of
given size and provides on-fly
hashing. DAR knows how
to perform full, differential,
incremental and decremental
backups.
3. zipsnapng: ZipSnapNG
is a portable multi-platform
backup tool which, despite its
simplicity, provides advanced
features such as incremental
backup, data deduplication,
encryption and configurable
retention.
64

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

5. cipherbox: Cipherbox is a
free software to protect many
kinds of documents (Office/PDF/
ZIP) with passwords by using
native and standard encryption
algorithms. It can also compress
the selected documents into an
archive with a lock.
6. JcrYpt Java web service
client: The JCRYPT client make it
easy and convenience to consume
JCRYPT Web Service which
enables encryption/decryption of
your data with intuitive command
line tool or Java API both packed
as single very small jar file.
7. simpleencryptiontool:
This is a Application written
in QT on top op the QT Simple
Encryption module.It can Encrypt
Text, and Data.

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5 Data Backup Tools
1. 7-zip: 7-Zip is a file archiver with a high compression ratio.
You can use 7-Zip on any computer, including a computer in a
commercial organization.
2. peazip: PeaZip is a free archiver tool. The application
provides an unified, natively portable, cross-platform file
manager and archive manager GUI for many Open Source
technologies like 7-Zip, FreeArc, PAQ, UPX.
3. fOg - a free cloning solution: FOG is a free open-source
cloning/imaging solution/rescue suite. FOG can be used to be
image Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7 and Window 8 PCs using

PXE, PartClone, and a Web GUI to tie it together.
4.driverBackup!: Fast and user-friendly free tool for drivers’s
backup, restoration and removal with command line options,
automatic restoration from CD\DVD and path formatting.
DriverBackup! includes also an interactive command line
builder.
5.eVacopy: EVACopy is a backup program that has versioning
and easy restoration in mind. It’s light-weight, portable (no
setup required, no dependencies, no repository, no database),
easily deployed to multiple workstations, simple to use.

5 free full games

2. shadow Kings
In a fantasy kingdom, men, elves and
dwarves have lived peacefully together
for generations. But their carefree way
of life has long been a source of envy
among the creatures of darkness.

4. Barn Yarn
Hold sales of old things found around
the house and purchase everything you
might need to turn the ramshackle barn
into a cozy and warm winter home for
the farm animals.

5. The Time Machine
Travel in various times, in extraordinary
places, to find all the pieces of the Time
Machine and to restore the order in the
space-time! It has 20 screens to visit
With a Linear navigation.

linux corner

1. Open Karts
An excellent driving discipline and a true
racing simulation the driver has to drive
fast but also to correctly set his kart up
to buy new mechanical parts, to repair
them and to please his sponsors.

coreOs: a linux
distribution designed
for easy creation of
Os instances in virtual
containers.

3. Police Supercars Racing
Sun City is the city of the future, but
the rising crime rate makes this place
dangerous for living. Extremists block
roads, criminals crash cars and hackers
override the city’s automatic traffic control.

xen server: A server virtualization and
hypervisor management software that
lowers the total cost of ownership
for desktop, cloud and server
virtualization infrastructures.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

65

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ON THE DVD

13 prOductiVitY tOOls

5 free full games

1. apache OpenOffice: it is a free alternative for Office productivity tools. it is an open-source office
productivity software suite containing word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, graphics, formula
editor, and database management applications.
2. s2 recovery: This software provides buttons to easily invoke these as well as providing 5
independent methods for recovering and opening corrupt Microsoft Word old format doc and the
new format docx documents
3. sap Business One development environment: sap Business One provides several apis for
building solutions. the sap Business One development environment (B1de) is a tool that makes it
even easier to use these APIs and speeds up the development and packaging of add-ons based on
these interfaces
4.talend Open studio: talend Open studio provides tools to collaborate on and standardize
enterprise-wide databased on an open and dynamic data model, and built on a single platform along
with Talend’s leading integration and data quality capabilities.
5.OpenKm document management - dms: OpenKm is a powerful and
scalable multiplatform application for document management, based
on open technology (Java, tomcat, gwt, hibernate, spring and
JBpm). it is a web 2.0 application that works with internet
explorer, firefox, safari and Opera.
6.CMIS Input plugin for Pentaho: imagine being able to
extract from your Enterprise Content Management
System, all the metadata of your documents using
simple queries with a query language very close
to the traditional sql
7. OnlY Office: OnlY Office is a business
service that resolves collaboration issues
for both small medium-sized teams.The
platform allows for optimization of your
business processes from lead generation
to order fulfillment.
8. collabtive: Collabtive is web based
project management software. It is an
Open source alternative for proprietary
tools like Active Collab or Basecamp.
9. BIRT iHub F-Type: Open source Birt is
a visual-based development tool used to
create data visualizations and reports that
can be embedded into rich client and web
applications. BIRT is a top-level designer tool
within the Eclipse Foundation, an independent
not-for-profit open source community and
consortium of software vendors.
10. agilefant: The scalable open source tool for lean
and agile project management. It is the most versatile
open source solution of its kind today, with a rapidly
growing user base of more than 10k users around the world in
thousands of organizations.
11. phplot: PHPlot is a PHP graphics class for creating charts and plots. It
works with php5 and the php gd extension to produce png, gif, or Jpeg images.
truetype fonts (ttf) are optional, or built-in gd fonts can be used.
12.Mallmold Ecommerce System: mallmold ecommerce system is an open source php mall system,
powerful and high performance, is the ideal choice for SMEs shop system and maximize savings for
the enterprise.
13. libreOffice: a powerful open source productivity suite: libreOffice boasts the same six
applications as apache OpenOffice-writer, calc, impress, draw, Base and math-but the two suites
differ in terms of applications features, usability and community support. specifically, libreOffice is
often considered to be more actively developed than OpenOffice.

8 Network Monitoring Tools

1. nagios, 2. groundwork monitor, 3. ganglia, 4. angry ip scanner,
5. networkminer packet analyzer, 6. pandora fms: flexible
Monitoring System, 7. NSClient++ 8. jNetMap

5 Mobility Management Solutions

1. convertigo, 2. Ocs inventory ng, 3. Openmobster
4. wsO2 enterprise mobility manager, 5. master password

Linux Corner

1. Open Karts: an excellent driving discipline and a true
racing simulation the driver has to drive fast but also to
correctly set his kart up to buy new mechanical parts, to
repair them and to please his sponsors.
2. shadOw Kings: In a fantasy kingdom, men, elves and
dwarves have lived peacefully together for generations. But
their carefree way of life has long been a source of envy
among the creatures of darkness.
3. pOlice supercars racing: Sun City is the city of the
future, but the rising crime rate makes this place dangerous
for living. Extremists block roads, criminals crash cars and
hackers override the city’s automatic traffic control.
4. Barn Yarn: hold sales of old things found around
the house and purchase everything you might
need to turn the ramshackle barn into a
cozy and warm winter home for the
farm animals.
5. the time machine:
Travel in various times, in
extraordinary places, to
find all the pieces of the
Time Machine and to
restore the order in
the space-time! It
has 20 screens to
visit with a linear
navigation.

coreOs: a linux distribution
designed for easy creation of Os
instances in virtual containers.
xen server: A server virtualization
and hypervisor management
software that lowers the total
cost of ownership for desktop,
cloud and server virtualization
infrastructures.

9 Firewalls

1. Endian Firewall Community
2. advanced Onion router
3. privoxy, 4. upnp portmapper
5. Opnsense, 6. 3proxy tiny free
proxy server, 7. ProxyDNSFilters
8. Jateway, 9. WebCastellum

7 Encryption Tools

1. cryptsync, 2. DAR - Disk
archive, 3. zipsnapng
4.Jackcess Encrypt, 5. Cipherbox
6. JcrYpt Java web service
Client, 7. Simple Encryption Tool

5 Data Backup Tools

1. 7-Zip, 2. PeaZip
3. fOg - a free cloning solution
4. DriverBackup!
5. eVacopy

review

Scan this code for more info.
To download a barcode app, SMS <f2k> to 56677
from a mobile phone with Internet access and camera.

ULTRABOOK

ASUSPRO ADVANCED BU401LG
This ultra-slim and lightweight business ultrabook offers military-standard reliability and intelligent manageability to
meet your daily productivity norms even under extreme conditions
— Anuj Sharma

A

t just 1.64kg and a 20mm profile, the ASUS BU401LG
is slim and light enough to be carried around anywhere
and under any condition. It is encased in a carbon fiber
structure that gives the chassis extra strength
making it more durable for business
use. It is also MIL-STD 810G
(military standard) certified, which
offers additional tolerance to extreme
conditions over regular notebooks.
These include tolerance to double the
drop height of standard laptops, twice as
strong hinges, 20% higher endurance to
pressure, and spill resistant keyboard.
The ultrabook comes pre-loaded with
Intel’s SBA security solutions and utilities to
make your PC more manageable and secure.
This includes six applications to help organize
security and productivity: Software Monitor,
Data Backup and Restore, USB Blocker, PC
Health Center, Energy Saver, and Wireless Display. The
Anti-Theft technology helps disable access to the operating
system in the event that your notebook is ever lost or stolen.
It also has a fingerprint scanner on board offering better
control over the device and takes data access authorization
and protection to a higher level with a personal touch.
In terms of connectivity, the ASUS BU401LG features three
USB 3.0, VGA, HDMI, audio port, 2-in-1 card reader, and
Kingston lock.
performance: The ASUS BU401LG we reviewed came
with an Intel Core i5-4210U processor, 4GB of memory,
Intel HD Graphics 4400, and a 500GB SATA HDD. These
components combined to give the ultrabook very good
and power packed performance on most performance
benchmarks, including PCMark7 (day-to-day operations),
3DMark11 (3D rendering performance).
The 14” screen has a larger than usual 1600x900
resolution, while most ultrabooks pack a 1366x768 resolution
screen. This means that more columns and rows will show
up on the spreadsheets you view. The anti-glare screen has a
matte finish, which prevents reflections when viewed under
direct sunlight. Videos and graphics look fine on the system.
The finger print scanner worked fine and was less
affected by skin surface conditions, including dirty or oily
skin and easily recognizes the finger print. The spill resistant
chiclet keyboard with backlit keys provides better click
ratios and maintains high precision while offering a bigger
touch surface.
The ultrabook also impressed us with its battery life. It
delivered 9 hours 40 minutes on our battery drain test. This

SCORE
price: `89,499

PRICE: 8/10
PERFoRManCE: 9/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

9/10

Key SpecS: Intel Core i5-4210U Processor, 1.7 GHz
(3M Cache, up to 2.7 GHz), Preload Windows 7 64 bit Professional
(upgradable to Windows 8 64bit Professional), 4GB RAM, 500 GB
HDD, Intel HD 4400 Graphics, Weight : 1.64Kg, 1x 3.5mm jack,
1x VGA Port, 1x HDMI
proS: Ultra-light and ultra-slim with full I/O connectivity, anti-glare
wide-view panels, spill-resistant keyboard, greater tolerance to
drops, pressure, and wear and tear over regular notebooks.
conS: At such a high-price, higher RAM (around 8GB) would have
been appreciated
Write to: Asus India, Mumbai
Ph: 022-61598612, Email: [email protected]

means that you should be able to get most of a business day’s
work out of the system before you have to recharge again.
Bottomline: ASUS BU401LA ultrabook will appeal to
mainstream users who need excellent performance to meet
their day’s business productivity requirement. It’s got the power
to do real work, from shredding through large spreadsheets to
proofing webpages.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

69

review
SMARTPHONES

6 Best Smartphones Under `6,000

You get surprisingly good deals for this amount and there are actually many less popular brands with their offerings that do quite a
decent job

Swaraj Sourabh

I

ndian smartphone market changes everyday and lots of
smartphone manufacturers have come to India with their
offerings. The competition among them has led to plummeting
smartphone prices with the result you get some very decent
deals within this price range, which was unthinkable even a year
back. Previously the sweet spot for the consumer was 10k but
now smartphones under 6k are trending. Moreover, gone are
the days when affordable budget phones suffered due to poor
camera and performance. We have some good phones under 6k
which impress us on various factors. We first dwell on the key
features that form part of this package:
1. hd display: In the age of touch screen devices, the first and
foremost aspect to consider before buying a smartphone is
the display. There are various smartphone under 6000, which
features an HD screen but a thing to note is that the pixel per
inch, which actually translates into the crispness of the content
differs according to their size.
2. 1 gB ram: We would not have thought of a smartphone with
1 GB RAM in this budget a year back, however the competition
has now made it possible. So if you are a power user, you can
opt for a smartphone with 1 GB Ram.

3. Octa-core processors and gpu units for gaming: Gone are the
days when budget smartphones were backed by low end first
generation dual-core CPUs. Smartphones these days are equipped
with Quad-core and even octa-core processors that can execute
number of tasks without slowing down and moreover they have
powerful GPU units to deliver decent gaming experience
4. 3g and 4g connectivity: The chipsets empowering the
smartphones these days are equipped with 3G and 4G antennas,
which lets you consume Internet content at faster speeds.
5. decent cameras: Smartphones in budget category also don’t
compromise on camera technology. Manufacturers integrate their
products with sensors that can take some really good shots and
can even shoot in HD quality. You can easily get a smartphone
with 8 to 13 MP rear and 2 to 5 MP front camera sensors under
6k.
6. large Battery units: All sub-6K smartphones these days have
large battery units that can last a day or even longer with heavy
usage. You can expect a battery unit of 2500 to 3000 mAh in
smartphones for this price range.
7. latest android version: You can get updated version of Android
at this price point.

here are Brief reViews Of the 6 Best smartphOnes under rs. 6,000

Moto E 2nd Generation (3G)
Price: `5,999
Key SpecS:

• 4.5-inch quarter HD IPS 960 x 540 pixels resolution
• 5 MP primary camera and 0.3 MP front camera
• Android v5 Lollipop OS with 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad core processor
• 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal memory, expandable up to 32 GB and dual SIM
• 2390mAH lithium-ion battery

Good form factor, easy to hold and operate with one hand, good battery life
Main camera is not great, front camera is potato
The Moto E was a fantastic phone when it first came out. It has a 2390 mAh battery
and the screen also requires less power, so it goes 2 days on a single charge.

Redmi 2

Price: Rs. 5,999
Key SpecS:

• 4.7 “ IPS LCD capacitive HD display (312 ppi)
• 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU, 1 GB RAM
• 8 MP rear with LED flash & 2MP front camera, Android 4.4 with MIUI 6
• 8GB in-built storage, expandable up-to 32GB, 2200 mAh battery

One of the best camera at this price, sleek design, good battery back-up, smooth computing
performance, 4G enabled
MIUI 6 lags occasionally, plastic built
Xiaomi has the credit to change the budget smartphone landscape and its latest device Redmi 2
is one solid contender. The smartphone has an amazing camera, decent screen and delivers good
multitasking experience. Moreover, it offers 4Gconnectivity on both the SIM cards.
70

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

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Scan this code for more info.
To download a barcode app, SMS <f2k> to 56677
from a mobile phone with Internet access and camera.

Phicomm Energy 653 4G
Price: `4,490
Key SpecS:

• 5-inch HD IPS capacitive touchscreen with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution
• 8MP primary camera with auto focus and 2 MP front facing camera
• Android v5.1 Lollipop operating system with 1.1GHz Qualcomm MSM8909 quad core processor
• 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory expandable up to 64GB and dual SIM
• 300mAH lithium-ion battery

Good design, long battery life
Poor camera
The smartphone runs smoothly while operating and there was no lag in the performance
even while playing games like real racing. The smartphone is among the few devices,
which provides 4G support in both SIM card slots at this price.

YU Yunique
Price:- `4,999
KeyS SpecS:

• 4.7-inch 720p HD display
• 1.2 GHz Quad-Core, 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor
• 1 GB RAM, 8 GB internal storage (expandable to 32 GB)
• 8 MP rear camera 2 MP front camera
• Android 5.1 Lollipop, 2000 mAh battery.

Price, Design, Battery
Front camera, Internal memory
Yu Yunique at Rs 4,999 is a perfect device for a first time smart phone user as they can
enjoy the goodness of Android ecosystem and 4G in one device.

Micromax Canvas Xpress 2
Price: `5,999
Key SpecS:

• 5.0-inch LCD display 294 ppi
• Octa-core 1.4 GHz Mediatek MT6592 processor, 1GB RAM,
• 8 GB storage (expandable up to 32GB)
• 13 MP rear camera and 2 MP front camera,
• Android Kitkat OS, Li-Ion 2500 mAh battery

dynamic design, good hardware and software performance
Camera hangs sometime
Micromax canvas xpress 2 has everything- good features,decent
performance & a design of a premium phone,all this comes with a
affordable pricing. This phone can be the first choice for the person who
want to experience the feel of android device in affordable price.

InFocus M370
Price: `5,999
Key SpecS:

• 5-inch LCD (1280x720)
• Quad core 1.1 GHz & Qualcomm Snapdragon 210,1 GB RAM
• 8 GB internal storage, expandable upto 32 GB,Android lollipop 5.1.1
• Front camera 2 MP & Rear camera 8 MP, Dual SIM, 2230 mAh battery

Sleek design, Light weighted , 4G Ready
Slow processor, display could have been more brighter
InFocus M370 has amazed us with looks, design and build but performance
suffers on many front .In this price bracket Micromax xpress 2 and Xiaomi Red
me 2 prime have better performance capabilities.
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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

71

gadgets corner
SMARtphone

LG G4 stylus

- Swaraj Sourabh

A phone that has wide screen,featuring a
stylus and good battery backup

Pictures taken on its primary camera turn out
not very detailed, overly smoothed and with
dull colors. In low light the white balance gets
disturbed and noise is clearly visible. The only
good thing that saves this camera from total
downfall is its highly effective laser autofocus.
While zooming on an image, the shot
becomes very dull.

Price: `21,000
It resembles the G4, the big brother
in LG smartphone family. LG G4
Stylus is made from quality plastic back
panel with matte finish and metal ring
at the edges. It has volume controls
and power buttons on its backside.
The phone has a stylus pen that’s
drilled into the upper right corner of
the phone. The matte finish gives you
a good grip but it feels a bit bulky with
163g weight.

The 5 Mp front camera is decent with day
light. In general, if you’re looking for a camera
that can take casual shots, this will satisfy you.

One of the best features of this
phone is its great 5.7 inches IPS display,
which has 258 ppi pixel density but
it is sharp and shows true colours.
The smartphone display has a 720p
resolution, so you’ll notice small
pixelation with text, icons and images.

The included 4 inch stylus has a
soft rubbery tip, it’s just a regular
stylus that can select, swipe and drag.

Android Lollipop is the operating
system, to which LG added its own Optimus
UI software. The notifications and shortcuts
menu has been reworked to become more
customizable than in stock Android. There’s a
multitasking feature that lets you open apps
onscreen at once.

The phone has a loud voice output that’s even
clear in noisy areas. However, playing games
like Asphalt 8 was not a smooth experience
but Subway surfers, Candy Crush are easy
to play on this device. LG G4 Stylus scores
21679 on Antutu, and 14200 on Quadrant
benchmark.

Surprisingly LG G4 Stylus has an average
camera but it has very few modes,
like face beauty, HDR. Yes it has an
8-megapixel rear-facing camera and
5 megapixel front-facing camera
both can record 1080p video.
And has a laser-guided autofocus.

Battery life is the second best feature after
display which makes this phone a good option
to buy. Its 3000 mAh battery make it longlasting, with up to two days of standard use.
The G4 Stylus lasted 9 hours of continuous
video streaming battery test.

Key SpecS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

5.7-inches IPS LCD 720 x 1280 pixels (~258 ppi )
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Android OS, v5.0 (Lollipop)
Qualcomm MSM8916 Snapdragon 410 (LG H635)
Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 (LG H635)
8 GB internal storage, 1 GB RAM (LG H635)
microSD, up to 128 GB
8 MP rear camera, 5 MP front camera
Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery
Good display, has a pen, removable high capacity
battery with good battery life
Slow processor makes it sluggish at times

72

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

BottoM Line

LG G4 Stylus is a phone with good display and
long battery life. Yes buying a smartphone
having price more than 15k with average
camera does not make sense but this phone
can be a good choice for a person who needs
to buy a smartphone with bigger display and
long battery life.

ScoRe
Price: 7/10
Performance: 6/10
Features: 8/10

Overall:

7/10

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SMARtphone

Moto X Play

- Swaraj Sourabh

The latest version of X Play is rugged,
beautiful, responsive, and has great
battery life

It also showed that the Moto X Play, with
a 1.7 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615
octa-core cpU, Adreno 405 GpU and 2GB
of RAM, works well in multitasking or playing
heavy graphics intensive games like Asphalt
8 and dead trigger 2. Moto X Play offers pure
Android and is completely customizable. The
phone has no heating issues. On calling, the
voice is loud and the basic functionality like
messaging, search & select for a contact are
good. Moto X Play scores 36018 on Antutu
benchmark.

For connectivity, the phone has Wi-Fi
a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, nFc and
GpS+GLonASS (Russian designed
substitute for GPS).

The Moto X Play has a 21 Mp camera with
f/2.0 aperture and features like autofocus
and dual-tone LED flash. It can capture videos
in 1080p. Shots in daylight are perfect and
detailed. Its 5 MP front-shooter has f/2.0
aperture and clicks great selfies. Low light
performance isn’t excellent, but decent
nevertheless. Its a high res camera, but we
missed having some basic features like Face
Beauty mode, Face detection, and image
stabilizer, which are quite common these
days.

One of the best selling points of the Moto
X Play is its huge 3,630mAh battery, which
Motorola promises will last two days on a
single charge. We will go with that claim
because in our tests, it lasted a good 10 hours
45 minutes while playing a video over WiFi
with full volume and brightness.

Price: `18,499

Motorola has split its premium Moto X
brand of smartphones into two different
segments—play and Style. While the
former (reviewed here), has been positioned
as a mid-range smartphone in the 20K price
bracket, the latter continues to target highend smartphone users, and falls in the 30K
price range.

The Moto X Play has a plastic back cover, with
a rubbery finish that feels really good
and grippy. It feels like a premium flagship
phone. The company’s trademark at curvy
back design continues to act as the icing on
the cake. The thin bezels on the side of the
large screen means the Moto X Play doesn’t
feel too bulky in hand, and is actually quite
comfortable to hold.

The 5.5-inch screen is a full 1080p high
definition, which combined with 401
ppi pixel density provides a bright and
vibrant display, We were impressed with its
responsiveness even at the slightest touch. The
smartphone clocked 490 LUX at full brightness
level with a pure white background, implying
clear outdoor screen view.

Key SpecS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

5.5 inches IPS LCD 1080 x 1920 pixels
Resolution(~403 ppi), Gorilla Glass 3
CAMERA rear 21 MP, Front camera 5 MP
Android OS v5.1.1 OS
Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615 SoC
2 x Quad Core Cortex A53 CPUs (1.7 GHz and 1.0 GHz)
2 GB RAM, Internal 16/32 GB
microSD, up to 128 GB
3630mAh battery
Good camera, Bright screen, Stock Android,
front-facing speaker

BottoM Line
Moto X Play is a rugged phone having
latest Moto camera and superb display
with good design portfolio. The stock
Android is good for those who want to
customize their phones.

ScoRe
Price: 7/10
Performance: 8/10
Features: 8/10

A little bulky
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Overall:

8/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com
NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

73

gadgets corner
SMARtphone

HTC ONE ME

- Swaraj Sourabh

The phone provides smooth multitasking
experience, brilliant snaps, but average
battery life

The 20 Mp camera of HTC ONE Me is really good
and fast. It can capture great shots. The camera
is supported by dual tone LED flash. It has all
the camera settings that a flagship phone has
such as Geo-tagging, face/smile detection, HDR,
panorama, voice capture, continuous mode,
etc. We were more impressed by the quality of
the selfie shots. However, by default the phone
beautifies the front camera shots a bit and you will
need to switch that off to look more natural.

Price: `35,465
HTC One ME comes with metal and plastic
construction, the back cover is made of
quality plastic, but catches smudges and
fingerprints easily. On the edges, it has a
metallic frame that, coupled with the highquality polycarbonate back panel, gives the
smartphone a solid feel. The curved back
casing makes it easy to grip in the hand at
all times.

The device in highly sensitive even
to a soft touch on display.
The marriage between 3 GB RAM and Mt6795
chipset of HTC One ME is very reliable
and it is able to do multitasking smoothly.
Plus, it also ensures smooth game play even
with high-end games like Asphalt 8.

HTC One ME has a 5.2-inch ipS display
panel with screen resolution of 1440x2560p
i.e 2K or QHD. The contrast levels are pretty
balanced and colour reproduction is good
so that you get punchy colours that are not
over-saturated. HTC One ME’s display panel
also delivers under direct sunlight so you
have no trouble reading outside.

The fingerprint scanner used in HTC One ME
is highly sensitive. The fingerprint sensor
lights up the screen as soon as you touch
it with any finger, though it unlocks the
handset only if you place the registered
finger/thumb on the scanner.
HTC One ME has a good speakers with
Dolby Audio and the 5.2-inch QhD
screen make for a great pair as both the
video and sound are of excellent quality.

HTC has an octa-core Mediatek Mt6795
chipset with 64-bit archtitechture
running at 2.2 GHz. This smartphone is
paired with 3 GB RAM. The smartphone
comes with 32 GB of internal storage and
supports microSD cards of up to 2 TB
capacity which is one of the highest. One ME
runs on the company’s Sense7.0 UI, based on
Android 5.0.2 (Lollipop).

The battery capacity of the smartphone is
2,840mAh. Playing a continuous video over Wi-Fi
with full brightness and volume, the phone lasted
for about 3 hours 45 minutes, which is average.
Apart from standard connectivity features (like 2G,
3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and microUSB 2.0),
this smartphone also comes with Infrared.

Key SpecS
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

5.2 inches 1440 x 2560 pixels (~565 ppi)
Android v5.0.2 OS
Octa-core 2.2 GHz
3 GB RAM, Internal storage 32 GB
Expendable up to 2TB
Rear Camera 20 MP, Front camera 4 MP
Dual SIM
Non-removable Li-Po 2840 mAh battery

BottoM Line
HTC ONE ME is capable of smooth
multitasking, and excellent front camera
that takes cool selfies. You can also
expand the memory to 2TB. It’s battery
life could have been better and it’s price is
on the higher side.

Fast and smooth performance, good screen and
audio,good camera
Average battery life, frequent heating on gaming and
watching videos, a little expensive
74

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

ScoRe
Price: 7/10
Performance: 7/10
Features: 8/10

Overall:

8/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com

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SMARtphone

Lenovo VIBE Shot
A beautiful smartphone with excellent
multi-tasking capabilities, decent
battery life, and and a 16 MP camera
that’s equipped with features of a mini
DSLR camera

- Swaraj Sourabh
The main highlight of the VIBE Shot is its
16 Mp rear camera, which has 2997 x 5328
resolution and auto-focus. It has a six-piece
module lens camera with a tri-color flash and
Optical Image Stabilization. It’s loaded with
features including auto and Pro (fessional)
modes. In Pro mode, you can manually adjust
white balance, focal length, shutter speed, ISO
and aperture. The camera delivered excellent
outdoor daytime shots, and even switched
automatically to HDR mode. Night mode
however doesn’t come out very well in Auto
mode. You’ll have to play around with the Pro
settings to get the shots you want in the dark.
Its selfie camera is eqipped with beauty mode
that automatically improves your selfie shots.
It can record 1080p video. Plus, there’s a Quick
Snap feature to take photos even when the
screen is off by double pressing one of the
volume keys or the dedicated camera button.

Price: `25,499

Metal plus glass design portfolio: The
Lenovo Vibe Shot offers elegant and premium
design and good build quality. Anodized
aluminum frame around the edges and glass
is used for the back and front panel. The front
panel has Gorilla Glass 3.

The sides feature an anodized aluminum
frame – it looks stylish and clean, but the
frame feels uncomfortable in hand. On the
left edge it has dual SIM slot on the top and
microSD card slot at the bottom. Since it is
a camera centric phone you will find direct
camera access button on the right side.
There’s an adjacent button that is used
for toggling modes. There are also the
usual volume rocker and power buttons.
The bottom side of the phone has the
USB port and loudspeaker while the top
frame accommodates the 3.5 mm jack and
secondary microphone.

The Lenovo Vibe Shot has a 5.0-inch ipS LcD
display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution
and 441 PPI pixel density. The good thing
about the display is its wide viewing angle,
which is decent. The screen is responsive even
with a slight touch.

The smartphone has a 64-bit, 1.7 Ghz octacore Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.
The 4G-enabled Lenovo Vibe Shot comes with
3 GB RAM, which results in great multitasking
experience, with no lag whatsoever. It sports
the latest Android v5.0.2 (Lollipop) OS, which
coupled with Lenovos own VIBE UI runs very
smoothly. The smartphone scored 38604 in
Antutu and provides a brightness level of 430
LUX, which implies you’ll get clear visibility
even when outdoors.
Powered by a 3000mAh Li-polymer
battery, the phone gives more than a day’s
back up with regular use. While playing video
continuously over Wi-Fi with full brightness
and volume, it lasted for 8 hours 14 minutes,
which is really good.

Key SpecS
•
•
•
•
•

5.0 inches IPS LCD 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 ppi)
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Android OS, v5.0.2 (Lollipop)
Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615
Quad-core 1.7 GHz Cortex-A53 & quad-core 1.0 GHz
Cortex-A53
• 3 GB RAM, Internal storage 32 GB,microSD, up to 128 GB
• 16 MP Rear camera,8 MP Selfie camera
• Li-Po 3000 mAh battery, Dual SIM
Good build quality, good battery life, perfect display,
dedicated camera buttons, and manual mode for
DSLR functionality.
Low light camera performance in auto mode is not
very good.

BottoM Line

Lenovo VIBE Shot has elegant looks and
a faster CPU with 3 GB RAM and good
battery life. Its camera delivers excellent
shots, and with the added Pro mode,
amateur photographers can get the taste
of a DSLR camera.

ScoRe
Price: 7/10
Performance: 9/10
Features: 8/10

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Overall:

8/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com
NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

75

gadgets corner
Benq W1070+ Projector
Price: `1,10,000
Key SpecS

• Full HD single-chip DLP projector
• 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolution
• 3D ready, 2200 lumens light output
• 1 VGA and 2 HDMI
• 1 MHL (shared with HDMI2)
Value for money, good picture quality in both 2D and 3D, easy to setup,
compact design
Not impressive sound and runs loudly
Benq W1070+ is a small yet powerful projector to convert your living
room into a cinema hall. It delivers subtle and punchy picture quality with
satisfying deep black levels. The compact projector is perfect to convert your
home into cinema.

SCORE
PRICE: 8/10
PERFoRManCE: 9/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

9/10

SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick
Price: `2,790
Key SpecS

• 16 GB, Wi-Fi, USB 2.0
• supports iOS version 8.0 or higher
• Android version 4.2 or higher
• Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Mac OS 10.6 or higher
Compact design, faster wireless transfer, user-friendly app
None

SCORE
PRICE: 9/10
PERFoRManCE: 9/10
FEatUREs: 10/10

Overall:

9/10

As the name suggest, “SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick” is a small portable flash
drive that comes with wireless connectivity. It’s built to work with both PCs
and smartphones. Simply plug it into your PC’s USB port and you can connect
up to 3 devices to it simultaneously over wireless. The drive is available at an
affordable price and offers plenty of space to backup data from smartphones,
cameras, or other devices. Plus it gives you the freedom to share your drive’s
data with others with its simple yet useful and intuitive user interface.

Panasonic HC-V160
Price: `17,990
Key SpecS

• 1920x1080p Full-HD video recording
• 77X intelligent zoom, 38X optical zoom
• BSI sensor, Crystal engine
• 32.3mm wide-angle shooting, image stabilizer
• 2.7-inch rotatable LCD display
77X zoom, image stabilization, video quality

SCORE

Poor still image quality
Panasonic HC-V160 is a viable choice for consumers looking for an
affordable camcorder. You can record quality videos and click still images
as well. This enables you to capture life’s moment, whether it’s a small
party, any occasion or you are on holiday. Its 77X intelligent zoom gives
you the opportunity to even capture longer distance objects easily.
76

PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

PRICE: 9/10
PERFoRManCE: 9/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

9/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com

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Dell Inspiron 15 3000
Greendust.com Price: `25,500
Key SpecS

• Intel i5 CPU, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB HDD
• Optical Drive, 4 cell 40 WHr battery
• HD (720p) webcam, LAN port
• Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 15.0 inch HD display
• HDMI, USB 3.0, 2 USB 2.0
• Media Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
• Ubuntu 14.04 OS
Buildquality, display, responsive touchpad, affordable

SCORE

Poor battery life, only 3 hours 22 minutes on video test
Dell Inspiron 15 3000 carries the trail of Inspiron series with the same simplicity.
It has a solid combination of i5 processor and 4 GB RAM which makes it a
powerful laptop for daily productivity. The device is a viable choice for people
looking for an affordable device as it available at a really low price on Greendust.
com, without compromising on performance.

PRICE: 10/10
PERFoRManCE: 8/10
FEatUREs: 8/10

Overall:

9/10

TP-Link TL-WA860RE Wi-Fi Extender
Price: `2,399
Key SpecS

• Supports 802.11b/g/n
• 10/100Mbps Ethernet Port
• 2 external antennas
• supports Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) connection
Easy to setup, easy plug and play, portable
None

SCORE
PRICE: 8/10
PERFoRManCE: 9/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

9/10

TP-Link TL-WA860RE Wi-Fi extender plugs into your mains power supply and
boosts the signal strength of your existing Wi-Fi network. The miniature sized
extender has a wall-mounted design that makes it easy to deploy anywhere
flexibly. This is a good choice for both home and small offices to extend WiFi
signal strength up to 10 to 15 meters. Moreover, its integrated power socket
ensures that no power outlet goes to waste.

Toreto Energy Boost
Price: `2,999
Key SpecS

• 6500 mAh battery
• Four LEDs, 2.1 A output
• Auto-off and energy saving technology
• Multiple protection circuit for high safety and reliability
Build quality, fast charging, compact design
Higher self-charging time and a little expensive
Toreto Energy Boost power bank has the capacity to power
up smartphones and other devices quickly. Though, its self
charging time is quite high, yet it is powerful enough to charge
more than one smartphone easily. And weighing just 135 gms,
it is a perfect travel partner.
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SCORE
PRICE: 6/10
PERFoRManCE: 9/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

8/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com
NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

77

gadgets corner
tV

LG 65UF950T 4K Super UHD TV
- Anuj Sharma

Taking LG’s Home Entertainment streak
forward, the all new SUPER UHD series
comes with ColorPrime technology featuring
ULTRA Luminance, a 4K In-Plane Switching
(IPS) panel and a Prime Mastering Engine for
a truer cinematic experience

The LG’s ColorPrime technology delivers
outstanding color performance, increasing color
spectrum by upto 20% compared to conventional
UHD TVs. It is capable of producing more hues and
shades and Super UHD Display makes images more
realistic and vibrant. In terms of Black level also the
TV did not disappoint us and images came through
very well in black and near-dark areas in movies
like Gravity, Interstellar, Sin City and simply looked
better than the others. The Ultra Luminance engine
lets you experience darker scenes in brightness
with higher peaks and enhanced
contrast ratio for more vivid &
realistic images.

Price: `3,89,900
thin, flat and gorgeous, the LG’s
Super UHD TV certainly has killing
looks. Even with the TV turned off, the
EF9500 looks great. The 4K screen is
packed in the ultra slim narrow border
around the screen measuring just 0.33
inches.
Moving on the smarter pace, LG’s
Super UHD range is equipped with
advanced WeboS 2.0 interface which
includes updated features such as My
Channel, Input Picker, Quick Settings
and Smart Share. The new version
of WebOS is faster and allows easy
transition even in deep menu settings.
Users can access the Launcher at any
time, regardless of the type of content
they’re enjoying, and quickly switch to
another service, app or broadcast.

The TV is equipped with 4.2
channel Surround Sound
designed by harmon Kardon
that produces 60W sound output
from the down firing speakers.
According to LG, the Auditorium
Stand on which the TV rests uses
reflection to boost sound from the
down firing speakers for a deeper
audio experience.
The new Magic Motion Remote is
redesigned and with the adoption
of number keys is larger than before
and helps in easy switching along
with simpler connectivity options. The remote
provides a comfortable fit in hand and also perfectly
acts as a universal remote for easy control of the set
top box, Blu-ray player, sound bar & home theatre
without the hassle of handling multiple remotes

In movies like the epic, hugo, Mad
Max: Fury Road, the 3D rendered by
TV is flicker free, excellently pops up
on screen giving you a theatre like feel
and experience at home and is easy
on eyes.

Key SpecS
• 65” 4K IPS LED TV

BottoM Line

• 3840 x 2160 Resolution

The LG 65UF9500 Super UHD TV delivers high
level of image quality interpolating picture in
a way where every color comes alive. The LG
UF9500 Super UHD TV’s picture betters that of
any other TV we’ve seen, with perfect black levels
and exceedingly bright whites. It’s equally adept
in bright and dark rooms, showed accurate color,
excellent uniformity and solid video processing
coupled with powerful audio.

• webOS 2, 60W Audio Output
• 3D, 4 HDMI inputs
• 3 USB Ports
• Built-in Wi-Fi and full web browser capability
• Wi-Fi Direct
Excellent picture quality with excellent color
rendition, 3D capability, Harman Kardon audio
system, black levels, WebOS 2.0 for faster transition
between menus
Commands a premium price
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PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

ScoRe
Price: 8/10
Performance: 9/10
Features: 9/10

Overall:

9/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com
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gadgets corner
Canon Pixma MG2570S Inkjet MFP
Price: `3,650
Key SpecS

• Color Inkjet, Print, Copy, Scan
• Print Resolution : 4800*600 dpi
• Dimension: 426 x 306 x 145mm
• Input tray: 60 pages, USB connectivity
Lightweight, easy to use
Text quality not good in copying

The Canon PIXMA MG2570S is Compact and lightweight MFP which allows
it to easily fit into even the smaller spaces and shelves in a home. During our
tests we found that the text printed was sharp and crisp. Bright colors pop
out as they should, and the text is well-formed all the way down to smaller
font sizes. Overall, it is a good color inkjet MFP for small printing requirements
and is best suited for students and home segment users.

SCORE
PRICE: 8/10
PERFoRManCE: 8/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

8/10

Boat Rugged Bluetooth Speaker
Price: `3,990
Key SpecS

• Bluetooth 4.0
• Frequency Response: 100Hz - 20KHz
• Signal-To-Noise: >85dB
• Weight: 446grams
• Dimension: 164*50*73mm
Compact, Splash proof design
Slight distortion on bass heavy tracks

SCORE
PRICE: 8/10
PERFoRManCE: 8/10
FEatUREs: 9/10

Overall:

8/10

As the name suggests, RUGGED is a fashionable, stylish and trend setting
portable Bluetooth speaker which is splash proof, has silicon casing all around
for accidental drop protection and also packs an in-built powerbank to juice up
your devices. From a sound standpoint, the speaker plays pretty loud and is pretty
decent for its size.

Amkette S8 Ear-Phone
Price: `995
Key SpecS

• 10mm driver
• Sensitivity: 98dB, In-built Mic
• 3 Set of Ear Tips
• Frequency Response : 20-20 KHz
Lightweight, Secure fit, water resistant design
Bass not powerful

The Amkette Pulse S8 Pulse earphones are sweat and water resistant,and
features a convenient neckband that ensures secure fit making it a perfect
partner for running, jogging, and gyming. The design also allows you to listen
to music comfortably when you’re going the distance on a treadmill. The
Amkette Pulse S8 also comes with three sets of earbuds (S/M/L) to suit the
size of your ear hole and are available in three bright colours- Blue, Neon
green and black.
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SCORE
PRICE: 8/10
PERFoRManCE: 7/10
FEatUREs: 8/10

Overall:

8/10

For detailed reviews, visit www.pcquest.com
NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

79

newsmakers
ENTERPRISE IT
Amazon Web Services Announces
AWS IoT
AWS IoT is a new platform that makes it easy for devices
— cars, turbines, sensor grids, light bulbs, and more
– to connect to AWS services so that companies can
store, process, analyze, and act on the volumes of data
generated by connected devices on a global scale. Devices
connect to AWS IoT’s Device Gateway, and manufacturers
can set rules for how AWS IoT handles the data they send,
and the actions they take when various conditions are
met (such as sending an alert when a pressure sensor
reports an unusually high reading or a motion detector
is triggered). AWS IoT provides mutual authentication so
that data is never exchanged between devices and AWS
IoT without proven identity, and encrypts all data coming
into and out of connected devices.

Azure SiteRecovery Provides
Native Support for SQL AlwaysOn
Microsoft has announced the integration of its SQL
AlwaysOn service with Azure Site Recovery. With
Azure Site Recovery providing native support for
SQL AlwaysOn, SQL Availability Groups can be added
to ASR Recovery plans along with virtual machines.
As a result of this, all capabilities of ASR Recovery
plans like sequencing, scripting and manual actions
can be leveraged to orchestrate the failover of a
multi-tier application that uses a SQL database,
configured with AlwaysOn replication, as its backend.
SQL AlwaysOn is used for disaster recovery of SQL
Servers, and ASR can be used to replicate the virtual
machines forming application and web frontend tiers
to Azure.This solution is currently supported only for
System Center Virtual Machine Manager managed
environments.

Teradata Software Pushes the Analytic
Edge with Internet of Things Data
The new Teradata Listener and Teradata Aster Analytics on
Hadoop make it possible to intelligently listen in real-time and
then use analytics to see the distinctive patterns in massive
streams of IoT data. Teradata Listener is an intelligent, selfservice software for ingesting and distributing fast-moving
data streams–either individual or multiple streams–at one
time. It allows customers to push data to Hadoop, Teradata
Aster Analytics, Teradata Database, and other platforms. It
enables data scientists, business analysts, and developers
to quickly and easily analyze new data streams for faster
answers to business questions. Without needing to rely on
IT for help, users can analyze data from numerous sources
including sensors, telematics, mobile events, click streams,
social media feeds, and IT server logs.
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PCQUEST N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5

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mOBilitY
Facebook Launches Messenger on the Apple Watch
The watch version of the messaging app is designed keeping in mind Watch OS2,
the latest version of Apple’s software for the Apple Watch and delivers Messenger’s
functionality into it. Messenger app that allows users to send text messages, audio
messages, and share their location. You can’t type out full responses to messages but
you can choose from a list of canned answers, send your location, “like,” post stickers
or record a voice message with the watch’s built-in microphone. On the receiving
side, you can also check out photos, videos and voice messages. Though the app
supports Facebook’s stickers, animated stickers and animated GIFs will only appear
as static images on the watch app.

Comparemunafa.com: One-Stop Shop
to Compare & Buy Across eCommerce
Portals
The US $16 billion eCommerce market in India, with its multiple
eCommerce portals, also needs aggregating portals that offer
Comparison or prices, Deals, and bonus points at single place.
This new aggregator, Comparemunafa.com, does just that
and also provides additional features, which allows customer
to set price drop alert and analyze price history graphs.
CompareMunafa.com has affiliate partnership with leading
e-shopping sites like Snapdeal, Flipkart, Amazon, ebay, Jabong,
Paytm, Infibeam, Homeshop18, Croma, ask me bazar and so on.

hOt launches
Google Launches Nexus 5X And
6P Smartphones In India Running
Android Marshmallow 6.0
The Nexus 5X is manufactured by LG and comes
with a 5.2-inch Full HD screen and 2700 mAh
battery. At the back is a 12.3 MP camera with
laser-assisted autofocus while at the front is a 5
MP camera. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm
Snapdragon 808 SoC with 2 GB of RAM. The Nexus
6P is manufactured by Huawei and is a first full
metal-body phone that comes with a larger 5.7inch WQHD display and 3450 mAh battery. It is
powered by a Snapdragon 810 v2.1 SoC and 3GB
of RAM. The 6P also has the same 12.3MP rear
camera as the 5X but comes with an 8MP front
facing camera with HDR+ shooting mode. Nexus 5X
will be priced at Rs 31,900 (for 16GB variant) and
Rs 35,900 (32GB), while Nexus 6P will be available
at Rs 39,999 (32GB) and Rs 42,999 (64 GB) in
India. Available for pre-orders in India through our
e-tailing partner’s amazon and Flipkart.

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NOVEMBER 2015

PCQUEST

81

newsmakers
Gionee Launches ELIFE E8 with 24MP Camera at
Rs.34,999
ELIFE E8 comes packed with 24 MP rear camera, which will be able to produce
photographs up to 1200 Mpxl in resolution. E8 is the first Android smartphone
to offer Lossless zoom that maintains image quality even at 3X zoom along with
host of enhanced camera features for producing a professional level images on
the go. The camera also integrates a six-element lens with sapphire glass, optical
image stabilisation, 4K video recording. The Gionee E8 offers android 5.1 out of
the box, Mediatek MT6795 Helio X10 Chipset and Octa Core 2.0 GHz CPU. Along
with Biological (Fingerprint) recognition system it also offers Dual SIM 4G, 6.0inch
WQHD Super AMOLED Display, 64GB ROM+3GB RAM, NFC, Dual Speaker , HIFI
Sound, 3500 mAh Battery and fast charging.

Samsung Z3 – A Tizen-based Smartphone
Available in India at Rs 8,490
The dual-SIM Samsung Z3 runs on Tizen 2.4, and features a 5-inch HD Super
Amoled display. Running on a 1.3GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC7730S SoC
coupled with 1 GB of RAM, the smartphone features 8 GB of built-in storage
that’s expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). The Z3 bears an 8-megapixel
rear camera with a LED flash, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Connectivity options include 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro-USB, GPS with A-GPS,
and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. Powered by a 2600mAh battery, the Samsung Z3 also
features an Ultra Power Saving mode.

Panasonic Toughpad FZ-Y1:The World’s First 20” 4k
Tablet PC now available in India
Equipped with the latest 5th generation Intel Core vPro processor, 8 GB RAM, and
multiple input ports, the FZ-Y1 has been engineered to elevate business operations
into ultra high-definition. For professionals in fields where visual clarity and
collaboration are essential, it features a brilliant and immersive 230 pixel-per-inch IPS
alpha LCD touchscreen with a 15:10 aspect ratio and wide viewing angles. Packaged
in a 12.5 mm slim and 2.41 kg light body, the stylish, lightweight glass fiber chassis
can be easily converted into desktop mode with the cradle accessory. Panasonic’s
flagship rugged durability is ensured by the toughened, scratch resistant glass, which
can withstand drop resistance up to 76 cm. The Windows 8.1 Pro operating system
ensures high performance, security, and an intuitive touch experience, including
multiple window viewing. This new range of Toughpads is priced at Rs. 2.4 Lacs.

Canon EOS C300 MARK II, a 4K Camera for Movie
Makers Launched at Rs.12,99,000
The second generation Cinema EOS 4K camera system for cinema, documentary, event
and commercial videography packs in a wide range of new and improved features
including 4K/2K/Full HD internal and external recording (including 4K RAW output)
and a new 10-bit Canon Log 2 Gamma. This powerful new camera also features an
expanded dynamic range of 15 stops, improved Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus, innovative
focus assist engineering and CFast recording technology. The Camera integrates an
8.85 Megapixel Super 35mm 16:9 CMOS sensor that supports 4K (DCI) recording with
a maximum resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels. The camera fully utilizes the image data
delivered by this 4K CMOS sensor to also enable Over Sampling HD Processing for 2K
(DCI) and Full HD1080/60p recording.
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RNI No. 45949/87 DPR No. DL(S)17/3319/2014-16 (Published on 1st of every month)
Posting Date: 3&4 every month. Posted at Lodhi Road HPO