When it comes to mining Big Data and using advanced analytics, there's no better example than the Telecom sector. Right since inception, telcos have been analyzing call detail records to understand usage patterns, services availed, and other factors -- and using that data to up-sell and cross sell products and services. For instance, MTS India has tapped analytics to offer an innovative rewards program called m-Bonus, which dynamically computes what the consumer needs and offers the best fit deal. This initiative helped MTS devise extremely targeted campaigns. And the fruitful result was that it increased its revenue by 2 percent ...

Last weekend, I was privileged to travel with almost 200 IT Executives from India to the exotic destination of Macau. We were there to attend the annual Dell India IT Executive Summit. The execution of this event was superb, and the sessions were thought provoking. Speakers such as the CIO of HongKong, the Ex-CIO of London, the founding editor of Wired magazine, and of course, the leadership from Dell India and Asia, made this event worthwhile. But what impressed me most was what Conference Catalyst Thom Singer was doing right through the event.

Now Thom is a prolific speaker who ...

In my last post ‘Can Windows 8 do a Windows 95?’ a day before the launch in Mumbai, I questioned user enthusiasm for the new Windows. Well, Microsoft spared no effort and cost to impress us at the launch ceremony. TV celebrities and models were hired to stage a skit to show how their lives have changed after using Windows 8, with a helping of apps from the Windows Store. And as we entered the Taj Ballroom there were a number of Windows 8 laptops and tablets for us to play with – reminding me of my experience at the ...

I am invited to the official launch of Windows 8 in India on Monday, 29th October. As if to remind me, this morning's paper had a gate-fold ad that cleverly altered the mast head to read 'Work & Play India'. And flipping it open skillfully with one hand, (balancing my morning cuppa in the other), the teaser line read, "You'll never forget your password again". Well, Microsoft has come up with a way for people to use their favorite pictures for authentication. This feature is called Picture Password. 

I am wondering what benefit Windows 8 will have for business users. How will ...

There are several books on leadership and if you were to go through some, you'll observe that they convey a common message: leadership is about the soft skills or the people skills -- not about mastering systems and core management processes. Good leaders take their teams with them. I just finished reading The CIO Edge -- 7 leadership skills you need to drive results, co-authored by Graham Waller, George Hallenbeck and Karen Rubenstrunk (Harvard Business Publishing). This book repeatedly reminds the reader that leadership is the primary task -- everything else is secondary.

CIOs are gifted. They are intelligent, ...

Ever since it began its operations in 1946, Sony Corporation (then known as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo), has been one of the world's most admired companies. The company has been at the forefront of innovation with products like the first transistorized radio, first transistorized  television, first transistorized tape recorder, and the first IC radio. I personally bought and experienced some of their products such as the Trinitron television and their first Walkman (in 1979). And I keenly followed the development of their Walkman products (buying several of those along the years), CD players, and television sets. I can see that Sony ...

That said, let me tell you specifically what our jury was looking for this year.

I observe that organizations have only recently employed social media for community collaboration -- for floating ideas among employees, partners, customers -- and to evoke responses. But this is being done rather sporadically, and without a deeper understanding about how mass collaboration ...