Organized retail requires precise inventory management which needs a robust network infrastructure. The highly distributed nature of retail businesses and supply chains calls for greater coordination with partners, increased coordination between stores, integrated in-store environments and shorter, tighter and thinner supply chains.

LifeKen’s challenge was to interconnect geographically spread pharmacies, across the country, securely to the ERP application hosted in a data centre. Network and application manageability was required across these locations. All of this had to be done without being held ransom to right-of-way issues for last mile access from a single ISP and with lowest possible bandwidth costs, while providing the same level of security as a captive network.

How did LifeKen overcome these challenges and run a hugely successful IT infrastructure and network?

New models of learning are radically changing our concept of class-room education. Education for human development for a society requires collaborative learning and involves focusing on building knowledge. Experience worldwide suggests that the Internet play a crucial role in the transformation of education and training. Collaborative networks can enhance educational reform by enabling teachers and learners to move away from traditional approaches to teaching and learning.

From pricing to supply chain to brand marketing, consumer retail is extremely competitive. It does not matter what you sell -- clothing, music, books, toys, automotive parts and supplies, home improvement products, or furniture. Whether the pressure is the immediacy of Point Of Sale (POS) transactions, distributed inventory management, customer satisfaction and retention, or employee scheduling and payroll, retailers are increasingly dependent on networked applications and their supporting infrastructure to control margins and maintain that competitive edge.

The extensive use of Information Technology (IT) in every walk of life has redefined the fundamental principles of delivery of services and operation of service sectors. This has resulted in faster and better services than ever before. Governments around the world have started realizing that the advancements in IT can as well be utilized to provide better services to citizens and businesses. Electronic Governance (popularly referred to as e-Governance) takes advantage of IT to reinvent the way the Government works.