New York, April 22, 2009 – DataArt, a high-end software development company with R&D centers in Eastern Europe, was engaged by Collette Vacations, one of the oldest tour operators in the U.S., to help modernize a corporate information system and to extend existing functionality to better support business processes and user experience.
DataArt is involved in the development of tour package management and distribution software, helping Collette Vacations to improve all aspects of day-to-day activities. The system allows purchasing services from inventory suppliers, wrapping tour components into packages, distribution over the agent network, and in-field support for Collette Vacations’ tour managers. The new system is built on Microsoft .NET, providing integrity of the corporate IT infrastructure and cost optimization.
“DataArt assists Collette Vacations’ development efforts by extending to our in-house team their skilled resources, bringing technological expertise along with in-depth knowledge of the travel industry,” said Bill Dziura, executive vice president of information technology at Collette Vacations. “I was surprised by DataArt’s business acumen and thorough knowledge of industry specifics, especially their understating of allotments, something that new developers usually take a few weeks to get a grip of.”
DataArt engineers work on enhancing features and functionalities of the existing architecture, achieving a better match of business processes and reducing required labor. DataArt also helps with building customizable tour packages suited to the needs of travelers. Such flexibility is fully supported by the upgraded tour builder and is integrated into a sales Web site, allowing to efficiently target customers' needs.
About DataArt: DataArt (www.dataart.com) is a high-end software outsourcing company with industry-specific expertise in financial technology, online travel, telecom and media sectors. The company specializes in enterprise application development, system integration and business automation tools. In 2006-2009, DataArt has been named one of the world's top emerging outsourcing providers by BusinessWeek, Global Services 100 and by International Association of Outsourcing Professionals. Headquartered in New York City, DataArt runs four R&D centers in Russia and the Ukraine, and maintains offices in London, UK.
About Collette Vacations: Collette Vacations (www.collettevacations.com) is a family-owned business and the oldest tour operator in the United States – in business since 1918. With 140 programs to desired destinations on all 7 continents, travelers can choose from small group tours, educational travel, train journeys, river cruises and vacations that feature a Collette Foundation site visit. And, with knowledgeable, professional tour managers and an industry-leading cancellation waiver, Collette Vacations makes seeing the world simple and hassle-free.
Media Contact: Vica Vinogradovavica@dataart.com +1-212-378-4108 x. 4104
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DataArt was engaged by Collette Vacations, one of the oldest tour operators in the U.S., to help modernize a corporate information system and to extend existing functionality to better support business processes and user experience.
Alexei Miller, Executive VP at DataArt, and Mikhail Zavileysky, COO, contribute a by-lined article to FSO Knowledge Xchange, the leading resource on the latest news, market research and analytics for the worldwide banking, insurance, and capital markets industry. The article compares two largest countries in Eastern Europe, Russia and the Ukraine, as key destinations for outsourced R&D work in financial services, and discusses the differences in labor pool and costs, IP and cultural risks, and infrastructure challenges.
“Industry-specific knowledge, critical for financial firms, hasn’t been easy to find in Eastern Europe. That is changing fast,” writes Miller. “Russian banks, money managers and insurance firms are now among the most active buyers of Western financial technology, most notably in electronic trading, derivatives, portfolio analytics and risk management. Many top technology executives are "returnees" – Russian or Ukrainian nationals who emigrated to the U.S. or the U.K. in the 1990s, made a career in investment banking technology and moved back home to oversee massive technology upgrades. This will produce large pools of qualified technical staff.”
“The cost of IT labor in Russia is determined by the competition among local IT companies, off-shore service vendors and R&D centers of large western firms,” writes Zavileysky. “As a result, IT salaries are higher in cities with a large concentration of IT firms. Historically, the salary benchmarks are determined by local companies in Moscow, R&D centers in St. Petersburg and off-shore companies in the regions… In contrast with Russia, there are no large Western R&D centers in the Ukraine and IT salaries in the entire region are determined by the off-shore industry.”
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Mikhail Zavileysky, COO of DataArt, was approached by AmCham News, the official publication of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, to share his expert opinion on how to better manage a market crisis with the least consequences for a company.
DataArt has successfully managed two previous market crises, the dotcom burst of 2001 and a loss of a major client in 2004. Zavileysky observes that for DataArt, the current crisis is closer in its dynamics to that of 2004. “For all businesses, crises end either in fatality or recovery,” writes Zavileysky. “A company either dies or adapts. Therefore, the most constructive position is to focus on future turnaround and view current choices in their context.” He stresses the importance of clear internal communications and management’s loyalty to employees, and outlines pros and cons of several strategies for their implementation.
Outsourcing shop develops access control solution for Fujitsu’s biometrics device
New York, April 2, 2009 – DataArt, a high-end software development company with R&D centers in Eastern Europe, today announced its development engagement with Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. DataArt was contracted to develop an access control solution for Fujitsu’s leading-edge palm vein authentication device, PalmSecure™.
The Fujitsu PalmSecure™ captures the hand's vein pattern using near-infrared light and is used in various security systems and log-in controls in healthcare and financial services industries. DataArt was hired to develop a two-factor authentication system which uses the combination of physical authentication (palm vein data) and a PIN to perform a sign-on. The development involved due diligence of the existing device driver stack, creation of a sophisticated middleware that helped to store and manage users’ credentials securely encrypted in Active Directory, and integration with the PalmSecure™ device, resulting in a highly reliable biometric authentication system.
“To effectively prevent unauthorized information access and fraud, organizations must move beyond authentication methods that only rely upon password,” said Jim Preasmyer, director of New Products Group, sales and business development, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. "DataArt's knowledge of PalmSecure LOGONDIRECTOR and ability to integrate the software into a robust, multi-layered Single Sign On platform, enables Fujitsu to deliver a strong authentication solution for securing access to business-critical applications and sensitive data.”
PalmSecure™ technology is based on over 25 years of experience in the image recognition and processing technology. PalmSecure™ features industry-leading authentication accuracy with extremely low false rates, and the non-intrusive and contactless reader device provides ease of use with virtually no physiological restriction for all users.
About Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. conducts engineering and marketing activities in Sunnyvale, CA and sales operations throughout the United States. Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. currently offers products and services including hard disk drives, scanners and scanner maintenance, palm vein recognition technology and 10 GB Ethernet switches. Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. is located at 1255 East Arques Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA, 94085. For more information about Fujitsu products and services, call us at 800-626-4686 or 408-746-7000.
For more information, please see: http://us.fujitsu.com/fcpa.
