U.S. and Chinese IT companies show interest in Armenian market

Review of April 26-May 3 telecommunications and IT events.

When in China, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan met with executive director of Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd and President of Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Company Limited (ZTE) to discuss prospects of cooperation in production of equipment, e-governance and development of telecommunication systems. A memorandum of cooperation was signed with Huawei.

May 6, 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan met Monday with Mr. Kayvan Baroumand, the Chief Operating Officer of U.S.-based Plug and Play incubator to discuss possibility of implementation of joint programs and other issues of mutual concern.

Opening and commissioning of Plug and Play’s Armenia office and establishment of Armenia’s trade mission to the Silicon Valley to boost U.S.-Armenia cooperation were said to be a priority. The two men also stressed the need for promoting closer contacts between experts and companies, the government’s information center reported.

Google, the most-used search engine on the Web, integrated virtual keyboards into Google search in 35 languages, including Armenian.

“Our user research has shown that many people are more comfortable formulating search queries in their own language but have difficulty typing these queries into Google. To overcome the difficulty they face in typing in their local language scripts, some people have resorted to copying and pasting from other sites and from online translation tools. But there’s an easier way - a virtual, or “on-screen” keyboard, lets you type directly in your local language script in an easy and consistent manner, no matter where you are or what computer you’re using,” Google said on its website.

According to the National Statistical Service, 364 computers were assembled in Armenia during January-March 2010, the number decreasing by 11.7% against the same period of last year.

On April 27, Yerevan hosted a seminar on information security and ISO 27000 certification. According to Apaga Technologies CEO Michel Davoudian, the 2009 governmental decision to accept ISO/IEC 27000 Information Security standards will open a new page in Armenia’s information security record.

Armenian law enforcers will take a course in the center of computer training for combating organized crime at the General Prosecutor’s office school which opened in April 30. The center was established in the framework of UNDP Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) program.

VivaCell-MTS General Manager and rectors of seven Armenian higher education institutions signed a memorandum of cooperation envisaging specialized lectures and practices in the Company. The students will be given an opportunity to master in jurisprudence, accounting, marketing and information technologies.

Gayane Mirzoyan