It will be possible to store hundreds of billions of bytes of digital data and retrieve them at a rate of billions of bits per second with a high degree of accuracy.
Holographic storage is a solution for high-speed parallel computing and for storing large databases, like the constant stream of photographs from LANDSAT (Land Remote Sensing Satellite System) satellites. Because retrieval time is so quick, a company could set up a holographic video archive and consumers could dial in to order movies on demand from a central source, via fiber-optic cables. Multimedia- and video-game inventors could pull up a rich variety of images in seconds.
This holographic system could store hundreds of billions of bytes of digital data, and retrieve them at a rate of a billion bits per second with a high degree of accuracy, ten to 100 times faster than today's data storage devices.
Recent advances in computer technology, video transmission and data-storage materials make holographic digital data storage a near-term possibility. While many of these components have been tested, no one had put together a fully automated system that accomplished all the steps, from translating video pixels into digital bits and bytes, to storing them as holograms, to reading back the stored data and playing it as images.
Hence, here comes our innovation for the new product!
1 TB is a new world standard for low-cost, high performance storage device.
Introduction to Holographic Data Storage
The demands of high definition digital video content, fixed content data, compliance and security applications will soon outstrip the capabilities of current storage technologies to keep up with the demand.
Clearly a new storage paradigm is needed to meet the growing storage demands.
Holographic data storage is that new paradigm. It is fundamentally different than any other recording technologies in two ways. First, holographic storage breaks through the density limits of conventional storage by going beyond surface recording, to recording in 3-D through the full depth of the medium.
Second, unlike other storage technologies that record one data bit at a time, holography records a million bits of in a single laser exposure. This enables transfer rates significantly higher than current transfer rates including the multi-layer blue laser based products.
The table below outlines the different elements that drive the improvements in existing vs. holographic storage.
Product Innovation
What is Holographic Storage?
Holography breaks through the density limits of conventional storage by going beyond recording only on the surface, to recording through the full depth of the medium.
Unlike other technologies that record one data bit at a time, holography allows a million bits of data to be written and read in parallel with a single flash of light. This enables transfer rates significantly higher than current optical storage devices.
Combining high storage densities, fast transfer rates, with durable, reliable, low cost media, make holography poised to become a compelling choice for next-generation storage and content distribution needs.
In addition, the flexibility of the technology allows for the development of a wide variety of holographic storage products that range from handheld devices for consumers to storage products for the enterprise. Imagine 2GB of data on a postage stamp, 20 GB oncredit card, or 200 GB on a disk.
How is data recorded?
Light from a single laser beam is split into two beams, the signal beam (which carries the data) and the reference beam. The hologram is formed where these two beams intersect in the recording medium.
The process for encoding data onto the signal beam is accomplished by a device called a spatial light modulator (SLM). The SLM translates the electronic data of 0’s and 1’s into an optical “checkerboard” pattern of light and dark pixels. The data is arranged in an array or page of around a million bits. The exact number of bits is determined by the pixel count of the SLM.
At the point of intersection of the reference beam and the data carrying signal beam, the hologram is recorded in the light sensitive storage medium. A chemical reaction occurs in the medium when the bright elements of the signal beam intersect the reference beam, causing the hologram stored. By varying the reference beam angle, wavelength, or media position many different holograms can be recorded in the same volume of material.
How is data read?
In order to read the data, the reference beam deflects off the hologram thus reconstructing the stored information. This hologram is then projected onto a detector that reads the data in parallel. This parallel read out of data provides holography with its fast transfer rates.
Feasibility analysis
Project idea is examined from the point of view of whether to go in for detailed proposal or not
If the project stands 80% viability it is further processes for funding pal otherwise it is dropped
Techno economic feasibility studies
- Estimation of project demand potential and choice of optimal technology is made
- It examines the possibility of manufacturing the end product in the predetermined quantity with desired quality and the sale of the same results into adequate return to payback the investment made within a reasonable period of time over the project life with the help of facilities installed and resources employed
Why would you even want a 1 TB CD?
In five years, demand for such a product will exist with the addition of wireless streaming from the device. For example, users could scroll through 200 movies along with 10,000 photos and 50,000 songs on the CD.
As for the feasibility of such a device, 1TB CD is possible within five years.
1.8-inch drive capacities should reach 500GB in that time, which would enable to create a 1TB CD with a two-platter drive, like it does now by combining two 30GB platters to produce a 60GB CD.
The gigabit-ethernet unit has two drive bays, each approved to accept a SATA hard drive up to 750GB, for a total of 1.5TB. The company is still evaluating the feasibility of using two 1TB drives in the chassis--for a total of 2TB--instead.
We have planned to simulate the Fast Ignition with self consistent fields in full parameters. Our final goal is 500 x 20 x 20 microns up to 100 times critical density plasma and our target is, of course, a 1 TB CD.
Traditional PIC code requires an unrealistic huge number of particles to simulate such parameters and it is impossible to run the PIC code even on such massive parallel computer. Treating only super hot electrons as particles and other background electrons as a fluid is one method to solve this problem.
As super hot currents are in the order of 100-1000 MA, return current electrons are too warm and the cold return current should not be treated as same temperature as background electrons. Thus we should employ two temperature electron fluids for return current and background. This hybrid approach, however, has uncertainty about a return current temperature and densities of both fluids.
To avoid these difficulties, and to reduce the number of particles and computations, we have done one dimensional feasibility study for the PIC code with the collective particles and found that the 1TB CD worked well... but it is still in the R & D stage.
Business Strategy
Our business strategy will include the determination of the most of one of the most beneficial product market in term of establishing itself in this new product segment.
The most important factor for the success of Inphase Technologies brand is the perception of the consumer and to what extent it can build a positive image in the consumer’s mind. The intensity of the environment, the sustainable competitive advantage of a quality product will give it a strong base to build the market. It is important for us to adopt a different strategy for the Indian market since the social environment of India differs from that of a western atmosphere. Thus, we shall introduce some new strategies so as to establish our self in the Indian market and develop a strong customer base.
For the brand recognition by the people and building a good image among its users, we will have a tie up with Moser Baer, a world leader in the development and manufacture of removable data storage media. Moser Baer was incorporated in 1983, the company is today one of the India’s leading Technology Companies and ranks among the top three optical storage media manufacturers in the world. It provides different range of products such as CD-Rs, CD-RWs, DVD+R/RW, Mini CDRs and Diskette due to which it has developed a good image in front of its users. The target group selected by us would be huge companies, businessmen and employees working in these huge companies.
The reason for selecting these people as the target groups would be because these days companies usually have a database of around 2 tera bytes. 1 such CD with a storage capacity of 1 tb would solve their problem of storage of information and handling different hard discs for the same and time is one of the most benefiting the general people without getting into the problem of purchasing another ROM since it works on DVD ROM also. CD would be the most convenient for them to handle and is also cost effective and speedy than the hard disc or any other medium of storage. The other target group would be the young generation today that likes to keep a huge collection of movies, music albums, videos, games and pics. They can even use it for storing their projects and other important data
Marketing Strategy
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Advertising – We will advertise the CD through Television media, hoardings and using the print media such as newspapers and magazines. Through these mediums of advertising, we will show the users all the possible benefits that can be available to them.
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Publicity – We will do publicity of our product with the help of stories in news media such as news channels, Economic Times and Business Times.
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Point – of – Purchase displays – We will display the product at different outlets and show it in display n even write the features along with it for the knowledge of people. This will encourage the users to purchase and gives the public an idea about the product.
- Cooperative advertising with the retailer
- We will promote the product and the retailer in one ad which will increase the sales of the product in that particular outlet and will encourage the retailer also to convince the user to buy the product with the help of personal selling since at the end of the day it is the retailer who comes in direct contact with the end users.
- Distribute press kits for reviews
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Include product information – We will give a press kit to the press including the product information which will help the press to have a better understand of what the product is and its utilization and its handling without facing any difficulty.
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Full version of the CD – In the kit given to the press for the review we also give a full version of the CD which will give them an even more better understanding of the product and thus give a better review about the product.
- We will advertise about the product on the internet which is very much in these days. We will also give a facility to the users to buy products online from Ebay and other e-commerce sites.
Technology Improvements:
1 TB holographic storage device will introduce several advantages over existing devices that make it a much stronger business consideration:
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Throughput: This medium is expected to deliver and retrieve data upwards of billios bits per second with high rate of accuracy and more than 100 times faster than those devices being used currently.
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Interoperability: Holograph CD ushers in a new era in how large datais stored and operated. Since components will be interoperable between vendors, the risks associated with deploying proprietary systems decrease significantly.
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Quality of Service (QoS): These storage devices have standardized QoS functionality and features built-in capability to store more data which enable carriers to offer business-class services to their customers.
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Cost of CD : The cost of the CD will drop significantly over time. Today, since all systems are proprietary, costs are unnecessarily high.
Market Timing:
According to most industry watchers, this device will initially be offered in non-US markets in mid 2007 and is expected to be available in the US in late 2007 to early 2008.
CONCEPTUAL INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS PLAN
The Holographic technology is yet in its infant stage, though the standard has been defined reducing proprietary high cost structure, the implementation in terms on hardware, software and development is yet to shape up.
India has leapfrogged in the IT field owing to some proactive steps taken up by the government and active participation from the private players. If this device is implemented and encouraged in the right manner perhaps it can change the storage capacity scenario completely and make it available at much more affordable. TRAI has taken the first step and allotted 3.5GHz band to Wi-Max but it is susceptible to change.
Inbound Technologies Ltd. is in the race and has been thinking of making forays into this world.
I would like to state that given the uncertainties about Holograpic CD standards, products, regulations the detailed business plan is only tentative and needs to be adapted on an ongoing basis.
BUSINESS PLAN
“HOLOGRAPHIC STORAGE DEVICE”
Features:
- More capacity
- Can retrieve data at a faster rate i.e. billions bit per second.
- Cost Effective
- Easily Portable
- Size of a credit card.
- Can be read by any a DVD-ROM
A business plan can only be profitable if a true estimate of market is captured successfully. Besides it needs to be backed by strong financial analysis to ensure that it would not incur loss. It is of utmost importance to derive the break-even-point, so that the owner is aware about the future profit/loss.
Keeping this in mind, let’s have a look at few important facets of business planning for both ideas.
BUSINESS PLANNING
A business plan can only be profitable if a true estimate of market is captured successfully. Besides it needs to be backed by strong financial analysis to ensure that it would not incur loss. It is of utmost importance to derive the break-even-point, so that the owner is aware about the future profit/loss.
Keeping this in mind, lets have a look at few important facets of business planning for both ideas.
Competitive landscape analysis
Indian public security systems are definitely not keeping pace with any technological advances. Rampant corruption, bureaucratic Police system, lack of effective and quick judicial system, lack of investigative arm in the Police Department, etc are the various causes for its dismal security system. Competition in this concept is almost non-existant. It is only the government which can take steps further in this direction and it has to compete against nobody. This should make it easier to implement it, since there are any conflicting interests of private players.
There would be tremendous competition in this arena from avenues and players offering similar services. The player offering the highest differential price would perhaps be the winner. Primary competitors would be other cellular companies which offer similar services. Sony can be a major threat if it rolls out this technology successfully and introduces it for lesser cost.
Market demographic and socio-economic analysis
Since the project is a revenue generation device, it does not target any particular strata of the population. The primary purpose of surveillance is to minimize crime by inducing fear and tighter measures, rescue victims in time, provide emergency ambulance services to people in need.
Basically it encompasses whole population and whosoever might be committing a crime or being victimized becomes a part and parcel of this project.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Research local market demand
[1] Study storage usage patterns
[2] Study corporate data usage patterns
[3] Study I pod usage patterns (though it won’t indicate local usage, it would help understand how audio/video downloads have been globally accepted.
Identify customer segments by product type
Class I (plain vanilla service) – upper middle class, 15-25 year range, adolescent streak, student or working professional, looking to impress peers, looks for value for money
Class II (full fledged service) – higher class, 25-35 year range, more mature and sensible, student of working professional, looking for rich entertainment, willing to pay, looks for status quo and prestige.
Develop a plan to penetrate the desired customer segments and identify potential points of distribution.
Branding is a key as people are brand conscious. Hence, the credit card shape CD with Moserbaer as a venture compay. Color represents variety, richness, more than mere audio, it is basically symbolic of pictures and wonderful colors that videos would provide.
Right advertisement is of prime importance to win the hearts and create place in the mind. Easy logo, brand and easy availability should ease the pressure and increase penetration.
Sales promotion through college fests, company parties, social parties, cyber etc…
Points of distribution are the most vital element here. Even if the product is superior and people love it, it won’t be a success unless it is readily available at convenient places.
Develop pricing and promotional tactical plan
Pricing should be such that end-user finds it affordable. From thereon, the product can be charged as Rs. 4499/-. This would sound affordable and once it picks up, it might earn better revenue in the longer run as market penetration increases. The key is to make it affordable or else it might fail like MMS which people find unnecessary.
Promotional tactics
College fests, company parties, coffee shops. It can be promoted by all content companies as well. For eg, NDTV could advertise on their TV channel that newsclips can be downloaded and saved for ever. Music and movie producers can do the same, propogate the idea during movie breaks in theatres with mini-ads, promote the idea by print campaigns across audio/video cassettes/DVDs.
Develop an effective pre-sell campaign
This is the most important aspect of this whole business. If it is not introduced properly in the market it might never catch up even if the idea is great and pricing good. So, creating the right impression at first go is of prime importance. It requires good deal of TV campaigns and print campaigns.
Measure the campaign result
Test market initially for 1 month. See the response, see what category of service is preferred, which content is preferred, study consumer behaviour pattern. Deduce results and implement strategic initiatives whilst launching the product in market fullscale.
Distribution Strategy
- Traditional distribution models
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Manufacturer > Dealer > Wholesaler > Retailer > Customer – The first channel of distribution under the traditional distribution model would be a normal chain going through the flow of the product from the manufacturer to the consumers with different intermediaries such as dealer, wholesaler and the retailer between them.
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Manufacturer > Dealer > Retailer > Customer – The other channel of distribution that we would opt for is that the dealer directly sells the product to the retailer which would decrease the number of intermediaries in between and thus reduce the end pricing and the rate at which the product is provided at to the users and the users can also avail with the discounts given by us.
- Every entity in the distribution chain will
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Add value to the product – Each and everyone in the chain add value to the product by encouraging the potential buyers to buy the product and giving them attractive offers so that the users buy the product.
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Be given a discount on the retail price – The retailers will be provided the product at much lower price than the MRP of the product. The customers should be availed of such discounts if the company makes it a point to give the products as such lower price to the retailer.
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Direct Mails – The product will be delivered to the customers through direct mails as per the order placed by them. This ensures that the product reached the customers without any chances of the product being lost on the way.
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Bundling – The product will also be distributed by bundling it along with computer, CD drive etc. This will save the company’s transportation cost on such a small product and the purpose of delivery is also served.
Market Research:
Different types of research can be conducted; we’d conduct surveys, demonstrations, focus groups, etc.
Both, B2B (business to business) as well as B2C (business to consumer), research would be conducted.
Different factors about the product will be taken into consideration & would be discussed accordingly.
The factors are:
- To find out if there is any drive that can read it back fast enough.
- Compatibility issues
- Speed of the disc
- Advantages & disadvantages of the disc
- Cost comparison
- Measures to be taken to safeguard the disc
- Usability issues
After undertaking tests in different conditions, it would be discussed & a healthy consensus would be developed.
- Warranty
- After – sales services
The Research would be conducted among different experts all across the globe.
The above is the collection of market research reports which provides insights into product and market trends, analysis, opportunities, projections, sales, and marketing strategies. Specifics on market share, segmentation, size, and its growth are also featured.
S.W.O.T Analysis
Strengths:
- Storage size –
The size of the storage is a huge advantage & it would revolutionize the way people store their data
- The high transfer speed of holographically recorded media will create a quantum leap in media storage technology
- User – friendly
- Convenience
- can increase drive reliability,
- reduce operating temperatures,
- reduce power consumption,
- reduce noise, and
- Reduce weight."
Weaknesses:
- Can be easily damaged through scratches, etc
- Costly
- Since even the CD- ROM is costly, again it’ll be a setback for customers.
Opportunities:
- Large buyers like studio, radio, software industry, etc can be the immediate target markets.
2) A large opportunity lying for this market, as currently, it has no competitor.
Threats:
- From future technology
- From other storage devices in parallel lines like; hard disk, U.S.B, etc
BUSINESS RISKS & STRATEGIC IMPERATIVES
Potential risks involved in this project are
[1] Regulatory measures such as tentative frequency band allotment
[3] Incorrect branding and targeting
[4] Availability of suitable wi-max enabled mobile products in India
[5] Inaccurate cost/revenue figures due to lot of assumptions owing to lack of real data
[6] Willingness of user to pay for security and luxury products
[7] Inadequate financing structure, debt equity ratio etc.
Possible Steps to minimize risk are
[1] Spread the risk amongst various players to ensure loss is distributed amongst players.
[2] Lobby with government to grant license for required frequency bands
[3] Work in collaboration with mobile device manufacturers to ensure these devices are available in India
[4] Exhaustive market research on sms/mms/gaming/add-on-services usage across mobile users
[5] Financial modeling to ensure a ideal equity-debt ratio and raising money through right methods.
Conclusion
- On all these factors, the product that is innovated by Inbound Technologies Ltd. will be quite less competitive.
- This will be of great use for corporate sector in more as compared to other sectors like educational institutional etc…
- The competition will arise on the introduction of such devices by other companies in near future since six other companies have declared about them launching the same product.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Information:
Other source of information:
DIGITS – magazine
Business World
Times of India
Economic Times
