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Nikkei Computer

May 02, 2005 Issue <<Contents>>

FEATURE The Overflowing IT Power of China and India An elite group of 1.05 million IT professionals in those two countries is overwhelming Japan - As offshore development expands rapidly, IT vendors in China and India cannot seem to erase their image of being “cheap and nasty.” However, if Japanese vendors continue to regard their Chinese and Indian counterparts as mere “low-cost subcontractors,” their businesses may well become threatened. This article reports on the abilities of IT engineers in the two countries (400,000 in China, and 650,000 in India) based on on-site investigations. Up-Close Look: Elite professionals gather to pursue higher salaries Abilities: The “cheap and nasty” image is out of date Special Training: Astonishing methods for nurturing elite IT professionals Offensive: Some 13,000 vendors in China and India have set their sights on the Japanese market

PEOPLE

Interview
- Our company has no restrictions in selecting platforms and intends to make innovations in the fields of software and hardware
Akinobu Kanasugi: President, NEC Corporation


Real Feelings Expressed by Top Executives
- We cannot beat our competitors by just manufacturing products similar to those already on the market. We are therefore determined to pursue our own ideals without compromise.
Shinjiro Yamada: President and CEO, INCS, Inc.

NEWS

Breaking News
Computer Problems Caused by a Bug-Infected File Distributed by Trend Micro
Why wasn’t the antivirus software program update tested before it was released?


Reports

- Microsoft Co. Ltd., the Japanese unit of Microsoft Corp., begins the countdown to its entrance into the business application software market

- According to the results of a survey by the Japan Users Association of Information Systems (JUAS), the average development cost per man-month is ¥900,000

- An increasing number of companies that have adopted ITIL are now introducing SLA (Service Level Agreement)

- Why can the Social Insurance Agency use hardware worth more than ¥10 billion free of charge?

- JTB reforms its system for selling overseas trips by introducing a new system

- Credit Saison launches an ¥8 billion project to renovate its customer service system

- Nomura Research Institute (NRI) has received an order from Japan Post for a system for selling investment trusts

- The Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) enhances the content of its SLA guidelines

- Personal information on Toyota Motor’s customers has been leaked from a notebook PC stolen from an employee who works for one of the cooperating companies of NEC

- Google of the United States makes every possible effort to search for talented human resources

- Venture companies in the United States are once again drawing a great deal of attention in the open-source software market

News Flash for Each Industry

- [Finance] OMC Card renovates its system for detecting the unauthorized use of credit cards

- [Manufacturing] Novo Nordisk has introduced 700 IP phones in 13 business locations

- [Service] East Japan Railway Company and JTB Business Travel Solutions work together to enhance their services for supporting business trips

- [Distribution] Maruha Logistics Network Corporation establishes a new distribution system with an investment of ¥1 billion

- [e-Japan] Ibaraki University and University of Tsukuba promote IT education

CASE STUDIES

The Project
Central Japan International Airport Co., Ltd.
- The company thoroughly implemented Toyota-like quality management and tests. Although the development of information systems took more than seven years to finish, the project was completed successfully without any problems.

A Computer That Does Not Work / The Examination of Misjudgment
Hankyu Express International Co., Ltd.
- Initial specifications for the company’s renovated mission-critical system aroused opposition from employees. The renovation ran into trouble as the project became preoccupied with efforts to build a consensus among opposing opinions.

Close-Up
Close Studies of Strong IT Divisions
Zojirushi Corporation
- The company has kept its data management simple and easy by creating and utilizing a data dictionary

TECHNOLOGIES & PRODUCTS

Close-Up
While the number of corporate blogs is increasing, their downside is growing more apparent

Close-Up
Technological competition intensifies in the blade server market

The A to Z of IT Pitfalls
Desktop Search

New Products
Groupware with portal functions, etc.

IT MANAGEMENT

Shiro Baba’s “Essays in Idleness” for SEs
- I want to tell competent and experienced SEs, “Don’t break your neck”

Conditions for Becoming a Successful SE
- Earn the trust of others by making yourself appealing to them in a skillful manner