Focus Areas

Some of the technology areas that Atul Chitnis focuses on.

Handheld and Mobile Computing

Handhelds (also known as Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs) are pocket-sized computing devices that are rapidly gaining papularity as the access to information in every walk of life becomes more and more mission critical. Along with mobile computing decides such as laptops and smartphones, PDAs represent the new frontier of computing as desktop computers find less and less favour among every day users.

Data Communication and Networks

Non-connected computers have little relevance these days. In the words of a well known computing vendor - "The Network is the Computer". Whether connected by a Local Area Network (LAN) or by point-to-point links, the ability to share data is a vital factor int today's world of computing, and often is an end in itself.

Internet and Intranets

Yet another computing giant says "The Internet Changes Everything" - which about sums up the impact that the Internet (and the applications of its technologies on LANs, known as the "Intranet") has had on the world in general. Not only has it made it easier for the common man to access information - it has literally shrunk the planet down to a point where everyone can communicate with everyone else.

Linux and Open Source

Initially developed and used mostly by individual enthusiasts, Linux has since gained the support of large companies like IBM and Hewlett-Packard, overtaking many proprietary versions of Unix and even challenging the dominance of Microsoft Windows in some areas. Analysts attribute this success to its vendor-independence, its low hardware cost and high speed compared to proprietary Unix and its security and reliability compared to Windows. These traits also serve as evidence of the utility of the open source development model.

Online Publishing Technologies

As the Internet and the World Wide Web begin to gather importance as information sources, more and more publishers of magazines and newspapers found the need to also make available their content online. This created many issues for them as it was very difficult to quickly and conveniently publish the content, as well as manage it - a field addressed by online publishing technologies.

Wireless Networking

A wireless LAN or WLAN is a wireless local area network that uses radio waves as its carrier: the last link with the users is wireless, to give a network connection to all users in a building or campus.

Voice over IP

IP Telephony also called Internet telephony, is the technology that makes it possible to have a telephone conversation where the signal is carried over the Internet or a dedicated network in Internet Protocol (IP) packets, instead of over dedicated voice transmission lines. This allows the elimination of circuit switching and the associated waste of bandwidth. Instead, packet switching is used, where IP packets with voice data are sent over the network only when data needs to be sent, i.e. when a caller is talking.

Cluster and Grid Computing

A computer cluster is a group of connected computers that work together as a parallel computer. Grid computing offers a model for solving massive computational problems using large numbers of computers arranged as clusters embedded in a distributed telecommunications infrastructure.

Virtual and Online Communities

A virtual community is a group whose members are connected by means of information technologies, typically the Internet. Similar terms include online community and mediated community.

Note: Some of the descriptions used here have been sourced from Wikipedia, the free content encyclopedia being written collaboratively by contributors from around the world. You are encouraged to visit Wikipedia to learn more about the terms introduced here.