SHANGHAI

Bleum recognized

Shanghai-based Bleum Inc has been named the No 1 company to watch in China as part of the first annual Offshore 100 ranking of top global suppliers by Managing Offshore and offshore outsourcing advisory expert neoIT.

Managing Offshore, owned by US-based media firm CMP Media, is a monthly newsletter for global-sourcing managers.

Bleum was also named one of the top four rookies in global outsourcing.

Respondents to the survey included firms from 13 countries representative of the most popular offshore outsourcing destinations - including India, The Philippines, China, Russia, Malaysia and Mexico.

"The rankings reflect the growing strength of the global outsourcing industry," said neoIT Vice-President Eugene Kublanov.

"The Offshore 100 firms are witnessing the tangible effects of the offshoring trend, which is worth more than US$90 billion in outsourcing revenues," Kublanov said.

BEIJING

HP continues alliances

Hewlett-Packard will continue to adopt an "open"policy in forming industry alliances in China, said Andy He, general manager of Industry Partner Alliance under HP's Customer Solutions Group China.

The Industry Partner Alliance is a division created by HP to oversee the formation of industry alliances to boost sales.

HP will consider forming alliances with all industry players to offer customers the solutions and services they need most, He said.

HP has been partnering with industry giants such as Intel, Oracle, SAP and Siebel. Last year, HP formed an alliance with China's leading software maker Neosoft.

E-gov centre launched

US-based software giant Oracle Corp last week established an e-Government Centre of Excellence with Peking University.

By tapping the expertise of both Oracle and Peking University, the lab is designed to offer e-government research, solutions, training, methodology and consultations to Chinese Government agencies and public service agencies.

The centre will also participate in China's standard-setting e-government initiative.

Kevin Walsh, senior vice-president responsible for Oracle's research and development in Asia-Pacific, said establishment of the centre is a new step by Oracle to intensify its investment strategy in China.

The centre will be a boost in the arm to China's e-government initiative, he said.

Oracle also established a financial service research centre at the South Western University of Finance and Economics, which is one of the country's top finance schools.

Nokia lands GSM deal

Nokia last week announced it signed a new contract with Chinese operator Jiangxi Mobile Communications Co Ltd (Jiangxi MCC) to continue expanding its GSM network.

Deliveries have begun and the network's expansion is expected to be completed within months.

With the expansion, Jiangxi MCC will be able to meet increased demand during the Spring Festival holiday season, Nokia said.

Financial details were not disclosed.

SafeNet expects sales to soar

The world's seventh-largest network security solutions provider, SafeNet, expects its global annual sales revenues to hit US$1 billion by the end of 2008.

Chen Hong, SafeNet's president responsible for Asia-Pacific, made the announcement last week during a news conference. SafeNet's sales revenues exceeded US$200 million last year.

The company will continue focusing on software protection technology, which contributes about 80 per cent to SafeNet's revenues.

The firm will also invest more in enterprise security solutions, Chen said.

China tops SafeNet's Asia-Pacific business. The region contributes 28-30 per cent to the firm's revenues, he said.

(Business Weekly 01/26/2005 page15)