Honouring Dr. John Evans: Evans family donates $10 million to MaRS Discovery District

Honouring Dr. John Evans: Evans family donates $10 million to MaRS Discovery District

Fund will support the MaRS Solutions Lab - and help prepare young Canadians for global leadership

TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - MaRS is delighted to announce that it has received a generous gift of $10 million from the Evans family, honouring the remarkable contributions of Dr. John Evans, Chair Emeritus of MaRS and one of its founders.

The Evans family has generously supported MaRS since its inception. This gift will fund the development of the MaRS Solutions Lab - a new initiative that will help exceptional, young Canadian leaders approach complex, 21st-century challenges from an integrated, multi-disciplinary perspective.

"Today's world needs MaRS more than ever," said Dr. John Evans. "Much as this project mattered in 2000, it is even more important today. We face extraordinary challenges and opportunities, and there is no recipe book for this future. We hope the Lab will equip young people to develop inspired recipes and go out and change the world."

A renowned healthcare, academic and business leader, as well as entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dr. Evans has passionately advanced the frontiers of innovation in Canada and abroad, driving change in health research, education, business, civic engagement and public policy.

"What has happened over the last 10 years at MaRS far exceeds our expectations of what could be possible. It is exciting to imagine the difference MaRS can make in the next decade, and we are delighted to invest in this future," said Derek Evans, on behalf of the Evans family.

In 2000, together with several other visionaries, Dr. Evans developed the concept behind MaRS: a bold idea for a Toronto convergence hub that would help innovation flourish, bring important research discoveries to patients and the marketplace, and foster the growth and success of promising new companies in an intensely competitive world. These companies, in turn, would build a thriving knowledge economy, providing high-value jobs for talented young Canadians right here at home, while their products and services would improve the quality of life in Canada and beyond.

The MaRS Centre opened in the fall of 2005, and will double in size in 2013 with the completion of its Phase 2 development. Today, MaRS anchors a vibrant innovation community, supporting thousands of young entrepreneurs through education, skills development, market research, and access to customer, talent and capital networks. In the past two years alone, MaRS has advised more than 2,000 startups—the leading cohort of which has raised more than $300 million in capital—and directly created over 1,500 new Canadian jobs.

The Evans family gift will support the new MaRS Solutions Lab, a fitting tribute given that the Lab's mission is tied firmly to Dr. Evans' overarching personal and professional aspiration: improving the lives of individuals and communities both in Canada and internationally. And, consistent with John Evans' approach, the Lab's mission will be fulfilled by encouraging others to stand up and lead on national and international stages.

In particular, the Lab will focus on expanding the problem-solving capabilities of young leaders who will work in the Lab as MaRS Fellows. Selected through an open competitive process, the MaRS Fellows will benefit from the unique advantages of the MaRS environment: distinguished mentors; a systems view of the innovation process; a hands-on approach to collaboration; a focus on execution; access to leading entrepreneurs and expertise covering a wide range of disciplines; connections to finance; engagement of policy makers; and a global network of sister institutions and thought leaders.

Much like a traditional science lab, the MaRS Solutions Lab will be dedicated to problem-solving in a highly experimental environment, through repeatable, rigorous protocol. MaRS Fellows will learn and grow by tackling the tough problems confronting humanity on our hot and crowded planet.

Their leadership and positive problem-solving skills will be portable across businesses, academe, social enterprises and governments. As such, the MaRS Fellows will reflect the inspiration that John Evans provided to so many during his remarkable career, across varying sectors in Canada and abroad.

"On behalf of MaRS, I would like to extend our gratitude and thanks to the Evans family for this incredibly generous gift. Dr. Evans' impact on MaRS, our community and country is profound, and we are committed to make the MaRS Solutions Lab a worthy tribute to this truly remarkable Canadian," said Dr. Ilse Treurnicht, CEO, MaRS Discovery District.

As part of a ceremony and tribute held yesterday at MaRS Discovery District, and completely unrelated to the Evans family gift, the MaRS Board formalized its longstanding decision to designate the Heritage Building of the MaRS Centre as the Evans Wing, recognizing Dr. Evans' key role as the inspiration behind MaRS and embodiment of its values and mission.

The Heritage Building, like John Evans, is the heart of the MaRS Centre, and has a rich history of innovation. It housed the first clinical trials of insulin 90 years ago and, by a fitting coincidence, was also the site where John Evans spent countless hours as a post-graduate medical trainee over 50 years ago. This designation not only honours Dr. Evans as a founder and remarkable leader at MaRS, but also highlights MaRS' mission of taking the best ideas and most important discoveries and putting them to work to make the world better, and doing so in a way that brings the best of all of us to the process - reflecting the unique leadership style of this great Canadian.

"John Evans is a remarkable individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to so many areas in Canada and globally," said Gord Nixon, President and CEO, RBC, and Chair, MaRS Discovery District. "He is the founder and driving force behind MaRS, and the designation of the Evans Wing is a wonderful way for us to demonstrate our gratitude and admiration."

About Dr. John Evans

Dr. Evans is a Companion of the Order of Canada, member of the Order of Ontario, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London), Master of the American College of Physicians and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He has received countless other honours during his career. He has been inducted into both the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. As the founding Dean of McMaster University's School of Medicine, Dr. Evans was a pioneer of the much-acclaimed "problem-based" model of medical education. Among his many other achievements, Dr. Evans served as President of the University of Toronto, and was also founding Director of the Population, Health and Nutrition Department of the World Bank in Washington, DC. As Chair of Allelix Inc., Dr. Evans was associated with the birth of biotechnology in Canada. He has served as Chairman of Torstar Corporation, Chairman of Alcan Inc., Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Rockefeller Foundation, and many other business and community boards. Dr. Evans played a catalytic role in many of Canada's most important innovation pillars, including the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the establishment of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. He was a Founder of MaRS Discovery District and served as the first Chair of the Board of Directors for 10 years.

About MaRS

MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) (Twitter: @MaRSDD) is a mission-driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada's next generation of growth companies.

For further information:

Chris Stevenson
Director, Communications
(416) 673-8104
cstevenson@marsdd.com

Dell Acquires AppAssure

Dell Acquires AppAssure

  • AppAssure’s award-winning technology delivers reliable application recovery from customers’ servers to their datacenter and their cloud.
  • AppAssure’s technology enhances Dell’s storage and software portfolios, enabling it to offer backup and recovery software that protects a company’s entire application infrastructure.
  • AppAssure is the first software acquisition by Dell since the formation of its software group.
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) today announced it has acquired AppAssure, a global leader in complete application protection for virtual, physical and cloud infrastructures. The acquisition of AppAssure, the nation’s fastest-growing1 backup software technology company, further extends Dell’s comprehensive storage and software strategy.

Dell has taken significant steps over the past three years to expand its storage portfolio to offer customers a complete range of world-class storage products and solutions. AppAssure’s leading backup solutions enhance Dell’s existing storage capabilities by providing customers confidence that their applications and data are fully protected.

Dell provides customers with solutions that help manage the growing complexity in IT and the rapid explosion in data. Today, Dell offers a full portfolio of Storage Area Network and Network Attached Storage solutions, based on its Fluid Data architecture, and is complementing these offerings with security, data compression and backup and restore capabilities. Dell simplifies technology to make storage products more accessible to businesses of all sizes.

AppAssure Leadership
AppAssure recently reported 194 percent revenue growth year-over-year in 20112 and 19 consecutive quarters of growth and Inc. Magazine3 has ranked AppAssure as the nation’s fastest-growing backup and replication software company.

AppAssure’s award-winning4 technology delivers reliable application recovery from customers’ servers to their datacenter and their cloud. AppAssure goes beyond simply protecting data, to protecting entire applications enabling service providers and enterprises to adopt a cloud model to deliver fast, reliable and secure data protection. AppAssure delivers the industry’s fastest backup and recovery5 of virtual servers, including VMware, Hyper-V and XenServer, as well as physical servers.

AppAssure was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Reston, Va. Bain Capital Ventures is the lead institutional investor in AppAssure and the remainder of the company is employee-owned. Dell plans to keep AppAssure’s approximately 230 employees and will continue to invest in additional engineering and sales capability to grow this business. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Quotes
“AppAssure’s unique architecture delivers innovative cloud-enabled backup and replication solutions that meet the challenges of protecting the explosive growth of data in both virtual and physical environments,” said Brad Anderson, president, Enterprise Solutions Group, Dell. “At a practical level, AppAssure enables Dell customers to seamlessly move and replicate data across our existing platforms -- from an EqualLogic array in a remote office to a Compellent array at a data recovery site.”

“Dell’s acquisition of AppAssure is a strategic industry move given its relentless focus on providing innovative solutions to protect customers’ applications and data in cloud, virtual and physical environments,” said Najaf Husain, president and CEO, AppAssure. “Combining Dell’s global brand, scale, reach and existing storage portfolio with our innovative technology provides customers with world-class data protection and recovery capabilities in their virtual, physical and cloud environments.”

"AppAssure's speed and ease of use are great, and the continuous backup makes recovery go really smoothly," said Dave Buzzell, CIO of Sedona Group. "Our IT environment is constantly changing, and only AppAssure has been able to keep up with it. We estimate that we can keep three years of continuous backups just due to AppAssure's true global deduplication and compression technology. That's amazing."

About AppAssure
AppAssure, the No. 1 backup for VM, physical and cloud environments, is a global leader in complete server, application and data protection. The company provides a unified and integrated backup and replication software that is engineered on innovative and groundbreaking technologies which offer near-zero recovery time, 100% recoverability assurance, and cross-platform virtual and physical server recovery (P2V, V2V, V2P or P2P). Building on a history of innovation and multiple industry firsts, AppAssure continues to set the standard in virtual and physical server data protection.

About Dell
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) listens to customers and delivers worldwide innovative technology, business solutions and services they trust and value. For more information, visit www.dell.com.

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire Lightwire

 

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire Lightwire

Acquisition of Innovative Optical Interconnect Technology Advances Cisco's Commitment to Enable Global Service Providers to Build Next-Generation Internet

SAN JOSE, Calif. – February 24, 2012 – Cisco today announced its intent to acquire privately held Lightwire, Inc. Headquartered in Allentown, Penn., with offices in Santa Clara, Calif., Lightwire develops advanced optical interconnect technology for high-speed networking applications.  The acquisition will allow Cisco to deliver cost-effective, high-speed networks with the next generation of optical connectivity, allowing service provider and data center customers to meet the growing demands of video, data, voice, mobility and cloud services.

Silicon (CMOS) photonics technology is expected to play a significant role in the enablement of high-speed networks. With expertise in CMOS photonics and packaging design, Lightwire has made innovations in optical interconnects by integrating multiple high speed active and passive optical functions onto a small silicon chip. The smaller size, lower power consumption and scalability of Lightwire's CMOS-based technology enable switches, routers and optical transport systems to have higher-density optical connectivity at a lower cost, allowing carriers to further reduce their operational and capital costs and offer new revenue-generating services.

"The acquisition of Lightwire will support our data center and service provider customers as they manage the continuing deluge of network traffic alongside tight capital and operating budgets," said Surya Panditi, senior vice president, Cisco Service Provider Networking Group. "With the combined know-how from Cisco in silicon design and Lightwire in CMOS photonics, we will transform Cisco's optical connectivity business to an integrated technology platform that supports our customers' burgeoning need for cost-effective high-speed networks."

"Acquiring Lightwire's advanced technology exemplifies Cisco's build, buy, and partner innovation model and supports our focus on driving market leadership in core networking, one of Cisco's five strategic priorities," said Ned Hooper, Cisco's chief strategy officer. "The Lightwire acquisition builds on Cisco's existing optical networking expertise and complements Cisco's 2010 acquisition of CoreOptics, a designer of coherent digital signal-processing solutions and application-specific integrated circuits for high-speed optical networking applications."

Upon the close of the acquisition, Lightwire employees will be integrated into Cisco's Transceiver Modules Group Business Unit and Supply Chain Operations Group.  Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately $271 million in cash and retention-based incentives in exchange for all shares of Lightwire. The acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to be complete in the third quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2012. 

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Resilient BC Tech Sector Forecasts 3,000 New Jobs

Resilient BC Tech Sector Forecasts 3,000 New Jobs

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - Feb. 22, 2012) - The British Columbia technology sector has weathered the global downturn and will create thousands of new jobs in the coming year, according to the latest survey of B.C. tech companies.

Technology companies in B.C. expect to generate at least 3,000 new jobs this year, up more than 5 per cent from the year before. The biggest demand will be for software and hardware engineers, customer support staff, sales and marketing staff, and technical managers.

"This robust job growth shows the resilience of B.C.'s technology sector," said BC Technology Industry Association President & CEO Bill Tam. "Our industry has added back all of the jobs lost in the downturn and has returned to peak employment levels. We're now ready to set the course for the next decade, driving new records for industry employment and revenues."

The 2012 BCTIA TechTalentBC survey, a bi-annual study of B.C. technology companies, shows that respondents grew their number of employees by more than 12 per cent between September 2010 and September 2011. Those same companies predict a need for at least 3,000 and potentially as many as 4,000 new employees between now and September 2012.

There are more than 8,000 companies in the B.C. technology sector, and more than 16,000 sole entrepreneurs. Over 80,000 people work in the sector, which has created more than 20,000 jobs during the past decade.

"The tech sector now employs more British Columbians than the forestry, mining, and oil and gas sectors combined," said Tam. "These are clean, knowledge-based jobs offering high salaries that attract skilled workers from across B.C and from around the world."

The jobs in highest demand in the next year reflect the improved outlook for the industry since the economic downturn in late 2008. After a strong focus on sales during the recession, companies are now reporting that they are increasing their staffing in research and development and in customer support. As the industry again nears full employment, there is growing concern about an emerging talent shortage. While new graduates and a net migration of skilled workers from other parts of Canada and the world have increased the supply of labour to this market, the continued growth will create a new talent crunch as predicted in the prior 2010 TechTalentBC study.

"B.C. Tech companies have been increasingly creative in their recruitment and retention practices, and will need to remain diligent in their human resources practices to stay globally competitive," said Tam.

"This survey echoes our own short-term outlook as we hire more people and prepare to take our new technology to market," said Ron Klopfer, CEO of Etalim Inc. "This is an exciting time to be part of B.C.'s burgeoning technology sector. British Columbia is now known as a great place to work, learn, and live. You can't beat it as a launch pad for success."

Click here to download the 2012 TechTalentBC report (http://www.bctia.org/Resources/eLibrary/TechTalentBC/2012-TechTalentBC-Labour-Study) or go to www.bctia.org.

About the BCTIA

The BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) is an industry-funded organization promoting the growth of British Columbia's knowledge economy. Our membership of 2,700+ member companies employs over 60,000 workers and represents companies of all sizes, spanning every sector and region of the province.

Backgrounder

TOP 10 FACTS ABOUT THE B.C. TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY

  1. More than 80,000 people work in the British Columbia technology sector.
  2. There are more than 8,000 companies and more than 16,000 sole proprietors working in technology in B.C.
  3. The tech sector created more than 20,000 jobs in B.C. the past 10 years.
  4. Technology companies surveyed expect to create 3,000 and as many as 4,000 new jobs between now and September 2012.
  5. The technology sector now employs more people than the forestry, mining, and oil and gas sectors combined.
  6. The Technology sector has outperformed the BC economy as a whole for the past decade.
  7. Revenue growth in B.C.'s tech sector is outpacing the rest of Canada.
  8. Technology jobs grew 50 per cent faster than overall job growth in the province.
  9. Technology wages are 50 per cent higher than the average industrial wage in B.C.
  10. 82 per cent of tech companies are small businesses with ten or fewer employees.

Contact Information

Fluke Networks' New LinkRunner AT Sets New Speed and Simplicity Benchmark for Ethernet Connectivity Testing

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Fluke Networks’ New LinkRunner AT Sets New Speed and Simplicity Benchmark for Ethernet Connectivity Testing

 

One-button AutoTest feature completes six essential connectivity tests in less than 10 seconds and pays for itself in about one month

 

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario – Feb. 23, 2012Fluke Networks today announced the LinkRunner™ AT Network Auto-Tester for frontline technicians and IT managers looking to quickly troubleshoot or verify Ethernet connectivity. With one touch of a button, the LinkRunner AT performs six essential connectivity tests and returns the results to the user in less than 10 seconds, paying for itself in about a month.*

 

This speed and simplicity, combined with the ability to customize additional tests, helps IT managers ensure that technicians at every skill level can automatically perform a standardized set of tests and reduce errors, speed problem resolution, and improve productivity by reducing errors and call backs.

 

“This device just ‘gets me.’ It understands what my workflow truly is and what type of information I need to do my job,” said Charles Morris, senior consultant at ACS, A Xerox Company. “Its functionality, including the AutoTest feature and ability to create custom testing sets, is like having an engineer in the palm of your hand. I love this device.”

 

Fluke Networks identified six key Ethernet connectivity tests for the AutoTest feature based on decades of leadership in the network test and measurement space. The tests, which ensure Ethernet connectivity, include continuity, link/speed/duplex, DHCP and DNS server availability and performance, key resource connectivity through TCP port open or ping, nearest switch and port identification and Power over Ethernet (PoE) performance (with TruePower™ line loading technology).

 

“Increased productivity is at the top of the list for the majority of our enterprise network customers as the economy continues to be uncertain and resources remain constrained,” said Gary Ger, vice president and general manager at Fluke Networks. “The LinkRunner AT is aimed directly at meeting that challenge for our network professionals by changing the game for Ethernet connectivity testing and productivity of IT organizations.”

 

Ger also noted that in developing LinkRunner AT, support for new technologies including PoE and IPv6 testing capabilities was critical. “With trends like VoIP phones and security cameras relying on PoE, and new government mandates about the use of IPv6 driving industry adoption of the standard, this tool ensures we’re ahead of our customer’s testing needs in the market,” Ger said.  

 

The LinkRunner AT features a full-color ¼ VGA display and can store up to 50 test results for documentation of results and escalation of issues to other teams. In addition, it offers a unique profile function that allows any organizations to create a custom testing methodology with a variety of tests, and standardizes those tests as one or more profiles on a single tester (or fleet of testers) for more consistent results.

 

For more information on the LinkRunner AT visit www.flukecanada.ca, call 800-363-5853 or e-mail canada@fluke.com

 

About Fluke Networks

Fluke Networks is the world-leading provider of network test and monitoring solutions to speed the deployment and improve the performance of networks and applications. Leading enterprises and service providers trust Fluke Networks’ products and expertise to help solve today’s toughest issues and emerging challenges in WLAN security, mobility, unified communications and data centers. Based in Everett, Wash., the company distributes products in more than 50 countries.


*Based on Fluke Networks internal research of LinkRunner AT and current competitive solutions.


Canada Ranks 12th among 24 Countries on Laws and Regulations Affecting the Growth of Cloud Computing

Canada Ranks 12th among 24 Countries on Laws and Regulations Affecting the Growth of Cloud Computing

 

International patchwork of conflicting laws and regulations threatens fast-growing cloud computing market, BSA study finds

 

Washington, DC — February 22 —Canada ranks 12th out of 24 countries in a new ranking of government policies that influence the growth of cloud computing, the Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported today. But despite Canada’s strong ranking, the current country-by-country patchwork of conflicting laws and regulations nevertheless threatens to undercut the full promise of the global cloud computing market, a new BSA study finds. To capture the full economic potential of the cloud, BSA urges governments to better harmonize their policies to smooth the flow of data across borders.

The BSA Global Cloud Scorecard establishes a first-of-its-kind ranking of countries’ readiness to drive the growth of a globally integrated cloud marketplace.

 

The ranking evaluates laws and regulations in countries that together account for 80 percent of the world’s information and communications technology, and it assesses those countries’ policies in seven areas: data privacy, cybersecurity, cybercrime, intellectual property, technology interoperability and legal harmonization, free trade, and IT infrastructure.The top five rankings for markets with the most robust cloud policies went to Japan, Australia, Germany, the United States, and France. “The true benefits of cloud computing come with scale,” said BSA President and CEO Robert Holleyman. “In a global economy, you should be able to get the technology you need for personal or business use from servers located anywhere in the world. But that requires laws and regulations that let data flow easily across borders. Right now, too many countries have too many different rules standing in the way of the kind of trade in digital services we really need.”

 

Among the study’s key findings:

  1. Canada’s cybercrime laws are not up-to-date, but it does have strong intellectual property protections. Canada is a member of the TRIPS agreement and IP laws have been enacted to implement TRIPS.  
  2. Canada has two major gaps in its suite of ICT laws and regulations. It does not have modern cybercrime laws in place, and it has not updated its copyright laws to provide appropriate protection for online material.
  3. There is a sharp divide in cloud readiness between advanced economies and the developing world. Japan, the United States, and EU all have established solid legal and regulatory bases to support the growth of cloud computing, while developing countries, such as China, India, and Brazil, have the most work to do to integrate themselves into the global cloud market.
  4. The study’s most surprising finding is that some of the countries that are doing well are also walling themselves in with laws and regulations that conflict with other countries. For example, the European Union’s proposed Data Protection Regulation could undermine the potential scale and economic impact of the cloud.

“In recent years, Canada has made great progress in developing a solid policy environment to promote the full potential of cloud computing said Rodger Correa, Compliance Marketing Director, BSA. “However, a healthy national market for cloud computing does not necessarily translate into a market that is atuned to the laws of other countries in a way that lets data flow smoothly across borders. We must do more to ensure the development of a healthy global cloud computing system.

BSA proposes a seven-point policy blueprint for governments around the world to expand economic opportunity in the cloud:

 

  • Protect users’ privacy while enabling the free flow of data and commerce.
  • Promote cutting-edge cybersecurity practices without requiring the use of specific technologies.
  • Battle cybercrime with meaningful deterrence and clear causes of action against criminals.
  • Provide robust protection and vigorous enforcement against misappropriation and infringement of cloud technologies.
  • Encourage openness and interoperability between cloud providers and solutions.
  • Promote free trade by lowering barriers and eliminating preferences for particular products or companies.
  • Provide incentives for the private sector to invest in broadband infrastructure, and promote universal access to it among citizens.

The full, 24-country rankings, including detailed findings for Canada and BSA’s policy blueprint are available at www.bsa.org/cloudscorecard.


About BSA

The Business Software Alliance ( www.bsa.org ) is the leading global advocate for the software industry. It is an association of nearly 100 world-class companies that invest billions of dollars annually to create software solutions that spark the economy and improve modern life. Through international government relations, intellectual property enforcement and educational activities, BSA expands the horizons of the digital world and builds trust and confidence in the new technologies driving it forward.

 

 

Toronto's eDev Technologies, Inc. Announces inteGREAT 'Sunrise' Release 7.0

eDev Technologies, Inc. Announces inteGREAT 'Sunrise' Release 7.0

A Requirements Lifecycle Management Platform That is SIMPLE and COMPREHENSIVE

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 23, 2012) - eDev Technologies (www.edevtech.com) today announced that it has just released inteGREAT 7.0, a new enterprise class version of its award winning requirements definition and management platform.

"The capabilities provided in this release have enabled us to add 4 Fortune 500 companies to our client list over the past two months, as well as one of the most prestigious universities in the United Kingdom" says Bob Savelson eDev's SVP Sales and Marketing. "Companies can now clearly appreciate how creating an automated, repeatable requirements process, supported by inteGREAT, adds value to their software development lifecycle".

inteGREAT extends the capabilities of many Microsoft platforms including: SharePoint, Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, Office, Project and Expression Blend SketchFlow.

inteGREAT leverages the capabilities of Team Foundation Server (TFS) as its application server for enterprise deployments, providing clients with proven scalability to support thousands of users. The solution also features extensive team collaboration using its web client, Team Access.

"The Microsoft and inteGREAT solution will provide end to end value for teams of any size throughout the software development lifecycle." said Tom Lindeman, Director of the Visual Studio Industry Program, Microsoft Corporation.

"We have again listened carefully to our clients and have developed this new version of inteGREAT to be one of the most intuitive yet powerful products of its kind available" says Asif Sharif Chief Technologist at eDev.

inteGREAT's new Office Edit capabilities allow users to author requirements in the Office tools that they are most comfortable using. With bi-directional Word and Excel integration, inteGREAT continues to provide innovative, yet intuitive functionality for its clients.

"We understand how Business / Systems analysts, Product Managers and Project Managers do their work today and we continue to develop automation to make their jobs easier, and more efficient; while helping to establish repeatable processes that are aligned with industry standards" say Bob Savelson.

inteGREAT's Enterprise 2012 is now available in 3 versions: Professional, Premium and Ultimate starting at $649. inteGREAT delivers the following key benefits:

  • Overall better decision making process - clear and complete requirements
  • Reduced project cost - document automation and requirement reuse
  • Developing the right product/service the first time - less rework
  • Ability for different stakeholders to view the requirements from their perspective - improved project stakeholder morale
  • Retention of enterprise knowledge
  • Achieving agility without compromising on standards & robust processes.

About eDEV Technologies, Inc. (www.edevtech.com)

eDev Technologies Inc., with its head office in Toronto Canada, is an established global technology company, recognized worldwide for its unique brand inteGREAT.

inteGREAT is a Requirements Lifecycle Management platform that is being used in both the Public and Private Sectors, in organizations of all sizes, worldwide.

inteGREAT's success has earned eDev Tier One partnerships including Premier Microsoft Visual Studio Industry Partner, and Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. inteGREAT has also been cited by Forrester Research, Gartner, Seilevel & BaseX Research, as they too have recognized the depth of eDev's services and the measureable value inteGREAT brings to its clients

Contact Information

eDev Technologies Inc.
Bob Savelson
416-469-3131 x 226
bob.savelson@edevtech.com
www.edevtech.com

Waterloo's Client Outlook Announces Landmark eUnity™ v2.0 Release

Client Outlook Announces Landmark eUnity™ v2.0 Release

New UI Features, Optimization for Mobile and iOS Platform Support Allows Clinicians to Access Clinical Information Right Where Healthcare Happens

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 23, 2012) - Client Outlook Inc., an emerging leader in the growing mHealth market, announced today the availability of the latest version of the company's breakthrough clinical viewer software: eUnity™ v2.0. Delivering new advanced imaging functionality within the same, feature-rich application clinicians have come to rely upon in the patient care setting, eUnity™ v2.0 also provides industry-critical mobile support. By optimizing the application for mobile device use, eUnity™ v2.0, now available for download from the iTunes App Store, allows healthcare professionals to securely access, manipulate and collaborate over medical images - right where healthcare happens.

In today's fast-paced hospital setting, medical professionals need quick, reliable and secure access to high quality medical images in order to provide the best possible care for their patients. In the past, availability of such medical images has been hampered by restricted access to costly and specialized PACS workstations. By supporting both browser and mobile app technologies across multiple computing platforms and devices, eUnity™ v2.0 easily breaks down the traditional, technical information-sharing boundaries commonly found in the healthcare enterprise today. By providing untethered access to clinical data, eUnity™ v2.0 gets the technology out of the way and allows clinicians to get back to basics - back to the practice of patient care.

"Our goal for eUnity is to be where healthcare happens," says Brenda Rankin, executive vice president and co-founder of Client Outlook. Our technology breaks down the traditional departmental boundaries that limit a healthcare provider's timely access to medical images, allowing physicians to gain easy, secure access to images while on the go. And now, with eUnity™ v2.0 optimized for mobile devices, this patient reach extends directly into the palm of the clinician's hand."

eUnity™ is now available for iOS on the Apple App Store. In the next few weeks, look for eUnity™ for the Playbook on Blackberry App World. Coming soon, our eUnity™ release for Google Android devices.

* eUnity™ for the iOS platform is for reference and referral only.

About Client Outlook Inc.

Client Outlook is a healthcare company, first, a technology company second. Driven by our own personal healthcare experiences, we challenge ourselves everyday to develop and deliver the most practical, useful and secure clinical mobility solutions for physicians and frontline healthcare professionals - right where healthcare happens.

For more information about our company and our product, eUnity™, visit us on the web at www.clientoutlook.com.

Contact Information

Client Outlook Inc.
Brenda Rankin
Executive Vice President
1-866-781-6387
brenda@clientoutlook.com
www.clientoutlook.com

Cisco First to Deliver 100G at 3,000 km Distances Without Need for Regeneration

Cisco First to Deliver 100G at 3,000 km Distances Without Need for Regeneration

Successful Demonstration of Cisco's Ultra Long-Haul Coherent 100G DWDM Technology Validated by EANTC

Related Information

The 100G Cisco ONS 15454 MSTP Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) can support 42 100G wavelengths in a single bay, nearly three times the density of competing solutions

SAN JOSE, February 22, 2012 – Cisco announced the successful demonstration and validation of its coherent 100 Gigabit (100G) dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) solution exceeding 3,000 km in reach, without the need for complex Raman optical amplification technology or signal regeneration signals.  This distance is 50 percent further than any non-Raman alternative solution on the market today.

By eliminating the need for Raman amplification, regeneration and dispersion compensation, carriers can add 100G services on top of existing infrastructures originally designed for 10G technology, providing better investment protection and simplifying network upgrades. The Cisco solution has been tested at a number of service providers and research networks, including US Signal. The performance was also validated by EANTC, the European Advanced Network Test Center.

The Cisco optical solution also demonstrates the ability to reach transmission rates up to 400 Gbps and ultimately up to one Tbps. Networks engineered to meet 100Gbps requirements will be able to be upgraded in service without affecting existing traffic.

Highlights/Key Facts

  • The Cisco coherent DWDM solution is capable of reaching distances up to 3,000 km without the need for expensive Raman optical amplifiers or regeneration. The performance was independently validated by EANTC.
  • The technology demonstration provides a roadmap up to 400 Gbps and up to one Tbps rates using the same advanced signal processing technology acquired in 2010 from Cisco’s acquisition of CoreOptics. Networks engineered to meet 100Gbps requirements will be able to be upgraded to higher data rates without affecting existing traffic.
  • The 100G Cisco ONS 15454 MSTP Multiservice Transport Platform (MSTP) can support 42 100G wavelengths in a single bay, nearly three times the density of competing solutions.
  • The Cisco ONS 15454 MSTP is a key component in the industry’s most comprehensive 100 gigabit solution, including the Cisco CRS-3 for the network core, the Cisco ASR 9000 Series for the network edge, and the Nexus 7000 for the data center.
  • The Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast, 2010-2015 projects that global Internet traffic will increase more than fourfold to 767 exabytes, or more than 3/4th a Zettabyte, by 2015. This amount is 100 exabytes higher than the projected level in 2013, or an increase the equivalent of 10 times all the traffic traversing IP NGNs in 2008.
  • Light Reading, the leading online publication for the global telecom industry, recently completed the world’s first publicly available test of an end-to-end cloud services infrastructure for performance, security and management. The test, conducted by EANTC, covered all aspects of Cisco’s CloudVerse solution, from the data center through the access and core network, including the ability to offer high security and priority for different customers’ traffic and the ability to handle and scale both business and consumer applications.
  • Bill Gartner, VP/GM Optical Transport Business Unit, Cisco

“Service providers around the globe see the need to prepare for the next-generation Internet and facilitate an increasing demand for video, collaboration, and distributed computing.  These successful demonstrations are a testament to Cisco’s commitment to leading the industry in optical technology, both at 100G and beyond.”

Supporting Resources

Tags:

Cisco, CRS, Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network, IP NGN, Visual Networking Index Forecast, VNI,DWDM, 100G, CoreOptics, ASR 9000, Nexus 7000

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About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

Tech Data Canada Expands Reach into Digital Signage Market

Tech Data Canada Expands Reach into Digital Signage Market

BusinessWire · Feb. 22, 2012

Tech Data Canada, a leading distributor of IT products, logistics management and other value added services, announced today the expansion of its already impressive line card to include five additional digital signage vendors with even more planned signings for early 2012.

The five new members of the Tech Data family of vendors include:

ComQi

A global leader providing a powerful multi-channel message management platform that controls a network’s content and infrastructure, closing the loop between digital signage, mobile, web and social media within a venue.

Premier Mounts

An industry leader and innovator for projector mounts, flat-panel display mounts, and carts and stands.

Peerless Industries Inc.

A leader in the audiovisual mounting industry for over 40 years, Peerless provides innovative solutions that focus on quality, ease of installation and functionality.

Draper Inc.

Draper is the largest manufacturer of specialized lifts for video projectors and flat panel displays as well as the second largest manufacturer of projection screens in the world.

Da-Lite Screen Company

Founded in 1909, Da-Lite is the leading producer of high quality commercial and residential projection screens worldwide.

"We are extremely excited at the rate of which our digital signage vendor community is growing," said Greg Myers, vice president, marketing at Tech Data Canada. "Tech Data is providing VARs with unparalleled choice in every component of digital signage from projectors and displays to cables, mounts, switches and software, so that in the end, they in-turn can provide the ultimate total solution to their customers."

Tech Data Canada’s digital signage line card already includes dozens of world-class vendors including BenQ, Cables To Go, Ergotron, HP, IOGEAR, LG, NEC, Samsung, Intel, SIIG, Inc. and ViewSonic. With its continued investment in internal resources and strategic vendor partnerships, Tech Data Canada is committed to taking a leadership role is this burgeoning market.

About Tech Data

Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ GS: TECD) is one of the world’s largest distributors of technology products from leading IT hardware and software producers. Tech Data serves more than 125,000 IT solution providers in over 100 countries. Every day, these resellers depend on Tech Data to cost-effectively support the technology needs of end users, including small and medium businesses (SMB), large enterprises and government agencies. Ranked 109th on the FORTUNE 500®, Tech Data generated over $24.4 billion in net sales for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2011. To learn more, visit www.techdata.ca.

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Contacts

Tech Data Canada
Ryan McMenamie Manager, Communications
905-286-6743
ryan.mcmenamie@techdata.ca