Gartner Says Platform as a Service Is On the Cusp of Several Years of Strategic Growth

Gartner Says Platform as a Service Is On the Cusp of Several Years of Strategic Growth

Special Report Examines Current and Emerging Trends for the PaaS Industry

STAMFORD, Conn., February 1, 2012—  

           Platform as a service (PaaS) is a core layer of the cloud computing architecture, and its evolution will affect the future of most users and vendors in enterprise software markets, according to Gartner, Inc. 

"With large and growing vendor investment in PaaS, the market is on the cusp of several years of strategic growth, leading to innovation and likely breakthroughs in technology and business use of all of cloud computing," said Yefim Natis, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. "Users and vendors of enterprise IT software solutions that are not yet engaged with PaaS must begin building expertise in PaaS or face tough challenges from competitors in the coming years."

PaaS is a common reference to the layer of cloud technology architecture that contains all application infrastructure services, which are also known as "middleware" in other contexts. PaaS is the middle layer of the end-to-end software stack in the cloud. It is the technology that intermediates between the underlying system infrastructure (operating systems, networks, virtualization, storage, etc.) and overlaying application software. The technology services that are part of a full-scope comprehensive PaaS include functionality of application containers (servers), application development tools, database management systems, integration middleware, portal products, business process management suites and others — all offered as a service.

In the Gartner Special Report, "PaaS 2012: Tactical Risks and Strategic Rewards" (http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/cloud-computing/report/paas-cloud.jsp), Gartner analysts said 2011 was a pivotal year for the PaaS market. As Gartner predicted last year in the report "PaaS Road Map: A Continent Emerging" (http://www.gartner.com/resId=1521622), the broad vendor adoption in 2011 amounted to a sound industry endorsement of PaaS as an alternative to the traditional middleware deployment models.

In 2012, the PaaS market is at its early stage of growth and does not yet have well-established leaders, best use or business practices or dedicated standards. The adoption of PaaS offerings is still associated with some degree of uncertainty and risk.

"However, PaaS products are likely to evolve into a major component of the overall cloud computing market, just as the middleware products — including application servers, database management systems (DBMSs), integration middleware and portal platforms — are the core foundation of the traditional software industry," Mr. Natis said. "The tension between the short-term risk and the long-term strategic imperative of PaaS will define the key developments in the PaaS market during the next two to three years."

Some of the newly announced PaaS offerings will reach general availability late in 2012, and by the end of 2013, all major software vendors will have competitive production offerings in the PaaS market. By 2016, competition among the PaaS vendors will produce new programming models, new standards and new software market leaders. However, until then, users will continue to experience architectural changes to technologies, business models and vendor alignments in the PaaS market.

As vendors continue to invest in PaaS services, and the major software vendors look to deliver comprehensive PaaS service portfolios, activity in all segments of PaaS will accelerate and the fast pace of growth and change in the PaaS market will create confusion, making user adoption decisions more difficult.

"While there are clear risks associated with the use of services in the new and largely immature PaaS market, the risk of avoiding the PaaS market is equally high," said Mr. Natis. "The right strategy for most mainstream IT organizations and software vendors is to begin building familiarity with the new cloud computing opportunities by adopting some PaaS services now, albeit with the understanding of their limitations and with the expectation of ongoing change in the market offerings and use patterns."

Additional information is available in the Gartner Special Report "PaaS 2012 — Tactical Risks and Strategic Rewards." The special report includes video commentary from Mr. Natis, as well as links to more than 30 related reports about the PaaS market.

Contacts:

Christy Pettey
Gartner
+1 408 468 8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com

Laurence Goasduff
Gartner
+ 44 1784 267 195
laurence.goasduff@gartner.com


About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 11,500 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,500 associates, including 1,250 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

Canadian IT firm develops new environmental monitoring technology

Canadian IT firm develops new environmental monitoring technology

Leading Canadian Environmental monitoring company releases first cloud-based monitoring service with easy-to-use text messaging and email alerting systems. Online access to sensor data from any web browser or mobile device. Visit our website @ http://www.enviromon.net to learn more. (CNW Group/Netmon Inc.)

WINDSOR, ON, Jan. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Enviromon.net, a division of Netmon Inc., has launched CloudHawk - a new cloud-based environmental monitoring service.

Eric Lamoureux, Netmon's President and CEO, describes the service as the first of its kind.  "CloudHawk allows businesses and consumers to monitor environmental conditions from anywhere in the world through a secure web browser.  All of Enviromon's sensors are supported including temperature/humidity, water leakage, airflow and many more.  If a condition changes, CloudHawk sends an alert via text message or email."

CloudHawk sensor bundles are available at www.enviromon.net, which start at $22.92 per month and include all of the necessary sensor hardware. CloudHawk offers discounts to government agencies.

"Imagine being able to check the airflow in your server room, the temperature of your storage coolers, or the humidity of your rental property from any location.  At a glance you can see measurements sorted by location and get instant notification if a condition changes," said Lamoureux.  "CloudHawk helps to prevent disastrous situations for business, and minimize costly downtime."

CloudHawk works with sensors installed on-site.  It's applicable to a wide variety of industries including telecommunications, cold storage, and manufacturing.  CloudHawk is also available to consumers who may own multiple properties and need to monitor them remotely.

CloudHawk is beneficial in controlled environments like laboratories, restaurants, and cold-storage.  "We can put sensors in all types of environments, and monitor them from any location with an internet connection including mobile devices and iPads," said Lamoureux.

For additional information please contact Eric Lamoureux at 519-945-8632, extension 250.

Founded in 2002, Windsor, Ontario based Enviromon.net is a division of Netmon Inc., a software and application development company that specializes in network and environmental monitoring products and services.  In addition, Netmon is a developer of cutting-edge mobile applications and cloud technology.

The company counts Time Warner, National Institute of Health and Colorado State University among its global clients, and also services a large number of small and medium-sized businesses.

Image with caption: "Leading Canadian Environmental monitoring company releases first cloud-based monitoring service with easy-to-use text messaging and email alerting systems. Online access to sensor data from any web browser or mobile device. Visit our website @ http://www.enviromon.net to learn more. (CNW Group/Netmon Inc.)". Image available at:

Media_httpphotosnewsw_ykvhx

For further information:

Eric Lamoureux
CEO, Netmon Inc.
633 Ouellette Ave., Suite 309
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
1-800-944-4511 ext. 250
www.enviromon.net

QNX Software Systems and Arrow Electronics Ink Distribution Agreement

QNX Software Systems and Arrow Electronics Ink Distribution Agreement

Relationship expands market opportunities for the software platform driving next-generation embedded and M2M products

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Jan 31, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- QNX Software Systems Limited, a leader in software platforms for connected embedded systems, has entered into a distribution agreement with Arrow Electronics, Inc., a global provider of products, services, and solutions to industrial and commercial customers. Under the agreement, the companies will focus initially on the distribution of QNX(R) operating system software, development tools, and engineering services to the medical, industrial automation, and general embedded markets in North America.

QNX Software Systems' flagship product, the QNX(R) Neutrino(R) Realtime Operating System (RTOS), powers a vast array of embedded and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) systems worldwide, including medical devices, Internet routers, wind turbines, nuclear plants, traffic control applications, broadcast automation systems, and railway safety systems. People encounter QNX-controlled systems every day, when they travel, shop, watch TV, use the Internet, or even turn on a light.

"QNX is recognized globally for its highly reliable and flexible software," said David West, vice president of supplier marketing, Arrow Electronics. "Offering best-in-class products and services, QNX Software Systems is a strategic addition to our distribution portfolio, giving our customers access to software driving innovation in a broad range of industries."

"We're pleased to work with Arrow Electronics, whose world-class distribution network and proven track record will help us expand our market opportunities and better align with our joint customers," stated Andrea Blaylock, director, channel strategies, QNX Software Systems. "The new relationship allows our company to focus more closely on new opportunities for strategic business development."

QNX Software Systems is working with Arrow in a variety of joint marketing activities, including webinars, seminars, and training sessions. These activities include Arrow's Machine-to-Machine (M2M) seminar series, which is designed to help companies understand how to incorporate M2M technology into their business strategies.

About QNX Software Systems

QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of Research In Motion Limited (RIM) RIMM -0.42% CA:RIM -2.05% , is a leading vendor of operating systems, development tools, and professional services for connected embedded systems. Global leaders such as Audi, Cisco, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens depend on QNX(R) technology for vehicle infotainment systems, network routers, medical devices, industrial controllers, security and defense systems, and other mission-critical applications. Founded in 1980, QNX Software Systems Limited is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada; its products are distributed in over 100 countries worldwide. Visit www.qnx.com .

Copyright2012 QNX Software Systems Limited. QNX, QNX CAR, Momentics, Neutrino, Aviage are trademarks of QNX Software Systems Limited, which are registered trademarks and/or used in certain jurisdictions. All other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

QNX Software Systems Limited (QSS) is a subsidiary of Research In Motion Limited (RIM). Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend," "believe", and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by QSS in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that QSS believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause QSS's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of RIM's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov ). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on QSS's forward-looking statements. RIM and QSS have no intention and undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. QSS assumes no obligations or liability and makes no representation, warranty, endorsement, or guarantee in relation to any aspect of any third-party products or services.

Contacts: Reader Information www.qnx.com info@qnx.com Editorial Contacts Devan Gillick Breakaway Communications 1 415-358-2487 dgillick@breakawaycom.com Paul Leroux QNX Software Systems 1 613 591-0931 paull@qnx.com

SOURCE: QNX Software Systems Limited

WHAT WORKERS WANT - OfficeTeam Survey: Work/Life Balance, Learning Opportunities Have Greatest Impact on Job Satisfaction


WHAT WORKERS WANT - OfficeTeam Survey: Work/Life Balance, Learning Opportunities Have Greatest Impact on Job Satisfaction


TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Want to know the way to an employee's heart? Thirty-eight per cent of professionals interviewed by OfficeTeam identified work/life balance as the top contributor to their job satisfaction. Opportunities to learn and grow came in second, with 20 per cent of the response.

The survey of professionals was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and and is based on telephone interviews with 210 Canadian workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments.

Workers were asked, "Aside from salary, which one of the following aspects of your job is most tied to your satisfaction?" Their responses:

Work/life balance 38% Opportunities to learn and grow 20% Camaraderie with coworkers 16% A good working relationship with the boss 10% Ability to accomplish goals 9% Don't know 6% ------- 99%(*)

(*) Responses do not total 100 per cent due to rounding.

"Professional priorities change over time," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Because there's no one-size-fits-all formula for encouraging job satisfaction, supervisors should get to know their team members individually to better understand what motivates and inspires each of them."

Everyone appreciates the ability to successfully juggle business and personal obligations, Hosking noted. OfficeTeam offers five tips managers can use to help their teams achieve work/life balance:

1. Be flexible. If it's practical for your business, offer alternative work arrangements such as modified schedules or job sharing.

2. Reduce their commute. Give personnel whose jobs can be done remotely the option of working from home one or more days a week.

3. Watch the clock. Avoid contacting staff outside of office hours unless the matter is urgent and cannot wait until the next business day.

4. Take a breather. Remind workers to take breaks and vacations. Set a good example by doing so yourself.

5. Bring in reinforcements. Encourage employees to seek help when they are overwhelmed with projects. Use temporary professionals, when necessary, to alleviate workloads.

About OfficeTeam

OfficeTeam is a leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled office and administrative support professionals. The company has 315 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.officeteam.com.

For further information: Nadia Santoli, (416) 350-2330, nadia.santoli@rhi.com

Extreme Startups Launches Canada's Premier Startup Accelerator Program

Extreme Startups Launches Canada's Premier Startup Accelerator Program

Up to $200,000 Per Company, Deep Industry Collaborations Built In

TORONTO, Jan. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Extreme Startups, Canada's premier startup accelerator program, is launching today with $7 million in committed funding for the world's most promising new technology companies and ideas.

Some of Canada's leading venture capital investors have teamed up to provide funds and resources for Extreme Startups, a rebranded and expanded version of the Extreme University accelerator program founded by early-stage venture capital investor Extreme Venture Partners. The program's structure was carefully crafted to foster technology companies with the best chance of surviving and thriving in both current and future markets. Leading-edge resources will help cohort companies capitalize on strong market conditions and opportunities.

"Extreme University has been Toronto's longest-running startup accelerator program and has been a successful breeding ground for the new generation of technology startups," said Amar Varma, co-founder of Extreme Venture Partners. "Building on this success, we are expanding into a year-round program and providing promising entrepreneurs with even deeper access to funding, industry connections, and mentorship."

The core elements of Extreme Startups reflect the changing market conditions and the massive opportunities that exist for tomorrow's most innovative companies:

Funding - Top Canadian investors Extreme Venture Partners, OMERS Ventures, Rho Canada Ventures, BlackBerry Partners Fund and BDC, have come together to commit $7 million to grow the program allowing participating companies to receive up to $200,000 of investment: an initial investment of $50,000, with up to $150,000 in a convertible note provided by BDC.

"As venture investors, we collectively benefit from a deeper bench of talented entrepreneurs excited about building world-class companies. This program is designed to accomplish just that. It's a new channel to early capital coupled with the right physical environment to optimize for success. In time, it will transform the Canadian tech ecosystem, which is in everyone's best interest," said Peter Carrescia, Managing Director – OMERS Ventures.

Industry Partner/Collaborators: Participating companies in the program gain access to developer-level resources from leading technology companies and industry pillars. Extreme Startups is in the process of finalizing those negotiations and will be announcing the participating companies soon.

Focus: The program will admit 2 cohorts of 5 companies per year. The participating companies will receive attention and deep access to mentor resources.

A tight knit group of handpicked mentors comprised of seasoned entrepreneurs will give weekly "startup school" sessions to the companies. Session topics will address real problems that startups face on a daily basis, from product development to sales and marketing, user acquisition, product-market fit, and beyond.

To augment the mentorship effort, Extreme Startups is proud to announce that serial entrepreneur Dan Debow will join the inaugural cohort as the "Entrepreneur Link." Debow recently sold his company Rypple to Salesforce.com and was also previously a Co-Founder of Workbrain, which sold to Infor for $230 million. The Entrepreneur Link is a role specifically created to give participants a real life person "who has been there, done that" and who can act as a link between the cohort teams and the entrepreneur community.

"If you are an ambitious entrepreneur or developer looking for a startup accelerator for your company -- with some of the best industry and peer collaborations in the world – then we want to hear from you," said Debow.

Applications open today and close March 1, 2012 for the spring 2012 cohort commencing on March 19, 2012. Teams may apply at http://extremestartups.com.

ABOUT EXTREME STARTUPS
For more information or to apply, visit http://extremestartups.com, or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

CONTACT:



Andy Yang

Sunil Sharma

Merredith Branscombe

416-456-4616

416-726-6976

720-235-7363

andy@extremestartups.com

sunil@extremestartups.com

Merredith@LeapPR.com

SOURCE Extreme Startups

Mindprint and ethica Clinical Research Inc. Announce Implementation of Highly Effective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System


Mindprint and ethica Clinical Research Inc. Announce Implementation of Highly Effective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System

 

Implementation of customized Axpert ERP system at ethica was complete in less than four months

 

Toronto, ON - January 31, 2012 - Mindprint Inc. and ethica Clinical Research Inc. announced the successful implementation of a highly effective Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for managing all pre-sales, operations, and finance related processes for ethica Clinical Research Inc..

 

ethica Clinical Research Inc. is a full-service Contract Research Organization (CRO) operating in Canada, Mexico and India that conducts and manages ethical clinical research on drugs, biologics, medical devices and natural health products.  ethica had evaluated multiple ERP systems and found that none fully met their requirements.  All of the standard ERP systems either did not have the functionality needed to meet ethica’s requirements or were so rigid that ethica would have had to change their internal processes to suit the software.

 

ethica originally engaged Mindprint for a two-week requirement gathering session that began with an assessment and exploration of ethica’s internal work processes and resulted in the generation of the ideal processes for an ERP system that would fit ethica’s size and culture. Mindprint then provided a fixed price quote for mapping all of ethica’s work processes including customer relationship management, human resources, operations, timesheets, and invoicing into an Axpert based ERP system.

 

The entire ERP system implementation within ethica’s organization (including design, development, installation, and data migration) was done in less than four months.  Mindprint’s iterative approach ensured that the key users at ethica were highly engaged during the entire implementation process and this resulted in a system that fit ethica like a glove. Mindprint’s fixed price approach also significantly mitigated the financial risk of the project for ethica’s senior management.

 

”Mindprint worked very efficiently and intuitively.  It was very adept at understanding the complexities of our business processes and simplifying them in the context of developing an ERP system that suited our needs,” said Dr. Janice Parente, President of ethica Clinical Research Inc.  “Axpert has been successful at consolidating and centralizing ethica’s key processes in a way that allows us to manage the business more effectively and efficiently.”

 

 “Midsize professional services organizations are underserved in the market by ERP vendors. This provided an opportunity for Mindprint and our Axpert platform to work together and develop a perfectly fitted ERP for ethica Clinical Research Inc., a midsize organization that operates in Canada, India and Mexico,” said Prasad Sristi, Founder and President, Mindprint Inc. “As a clinical research organization managing clinical studies for drugs and natural health products, ethica’s internal processes are complex. Instead of imposing a set of so called ‘best practices’,  our belief in honing our clients’ internal processes to a new level of efficiency resulted in a system that fit ethica like a glove and has been operating at 100% usage from day one. Axpert’s no-coding approach ensured that the implementation was complete in less than four months as compared to the years that other ERP systems often require.”

 

About Mindprint

Mindprint Inc. develops and implements cloud based business process software for mid-size service oriented organizations. Mindprint was founded by Prasad Sristi in 2009 and headquartered in Toronto, Canada. In 2010, Mindprint partnered with Agile Labs in India to provide cost effective software development. Agile Labs’ patent pending Axpert platform enables development of custom database and workflow management systems with no coding. Mindprint’s Agile Labs partnership involves its technology (Axpert), use of its project management techniques and access to over 100 Axpert developers. This partnership gives real benefits to customers – cost, implementation time, and ease of integration. www.mindprintsolutions.com

 

About ethica Clinical Research Inc.

ethica Clinical Research Inc. is a leading provider of contract research and ethics review services, and a staunch proponent of initiatives related to the protection and enhancement of  the rights and welfare of research participants.  In 2006, ethica became the first Canadian company to be accredited by AAHRPP (Association for the Accreditation of Research Participant Programs).  Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, ethica’s wholly-owned subsidiaries – ethica CRO Inc., Veritas IRB Inc. and Merita CQA Inc. – offer a full complement of clinical study management, ethics review and quality assurance services respectively.  With offices in Canada, Mexico and India, ethica’s subsidiaries support the biopharmaceutical industry’s clinical research activities on drugs, biologics, medical devices, cosmeceuticals, and natural health products.  www.ethicaclinical.com

 Media contacts

Mindprint -- Susan Kirk, susankirk@kirkmarketingcommunications.com, 778-294-0064

ethica Clinical Research Inc.  – Ron Kolanitch, Corporate Director of Business Development, rkolanitch@ethicaclinical.com, 514-337-0442 

McAfee Application Control Provides Complete Endpoint Security Through Whitelisting

McAfee Application Control Provides Complete Endpoint Security Through
Whitelisting

Now Protects Desktops in Addition to Servers and Fixed Function
Devices

Markham, Ontario - January 25, 2012 - The latest release of McAfee
Application Control
(http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/application-control.aspx) is
integrated with McAfee Global Threat Intelligence to show the file
reputation of every file in the enterprise. This feature, coupled with
whitelisting and memory protection, makes it an ideal solution for
blocking advanced persistent threats and zero-day attacks. The solution
is centrally managed by McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator software
(http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/epolicy-orchestrator.aspx) and
uses a dynamic trust model which reduces costs by eliminating expensive
manual support requirements.

McAfee Application Control is now a powerful solution for corporate
desktops with the introduction of a set of desktop-specific features
including friendly end-user notifications and approval requests.
Protecting the desktop and the endpoint is essential as they are often
vulnerable points subject to human error.  Employees and online users
can unintentionally introduce software that installs malware, creates
support issues, and violates software licenses - compromising systems
and the overall business.  McAfee Application Control allows only
trusted applications to run on the company’s endpoints and servers.

McAfee Application Control Key Features:

McAfee Global Threat Intelligence - a cloud-based knowledge of
reputation of files, which is used by McAfee Application Control to
classify applications as good or bad. This feature indicates whether any
malware is being whitelisted inadvertently and also highlights files
without a reputation, which need to be investigated internally.

Dynamic Whitelisting - can configure it such that the whitelist will
grow dynamically when systems are patched and updated, alleviating the
hassle of manual updates to the whitelist.

Memory Protection - helps ensure that the whitelisted programs which
might contain some inherent vulnerabilities cannot be exploited through
a buffer overflow or other means. This feature helps prevent complex
threats from circumventing whitelisting.

McAfee Ecosystem - well integrated within the McAfee product ecosystem
to create a multi-faceted whitelisting solution.  Integration with the
ePolicy Orchestrator platform gives organizations a single security
console to manage all their security solutions thus improving
operational efficiency. Additionally, integration with McAfee Risk
Advisor helps prioritize which systems to patch first and offers
visibility on whether McAfee Application Control gives them coverage
from the most recent threats. Building upon the whitelisting
capabilities, McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention can be used to firewall
files with unknown reputations.

“As enterprises face an avalanche of unknown software from the web,
McAfee Application Control provides the essential layer of defense for
protecting enterprises from advanced unknown threats,” said Martin
Ward, senior director of endpoint solutions at McAfee.  “McAfee is now
extending this protection, which has been available on servers and fixed
function devices, to corporate desktops in a solution scalable to the
largest enterprises.”

For more information on McAfee Application Control, visit the product
page (http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/application-control.aspx) or
watch the video ().

About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC),
is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee
delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure
systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users
to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more
securely. Backed by
 its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee
creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the
public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance
with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify
vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security.
McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep
our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com.

###

McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional
offices across Canada. The company's Consumer Software Research and
Development facility in based in Waterloo, Ontario.

NOTE: McAfee, McAfee Global Threat Intelligence, and ePolicy
Orchestrator are registered trademarks of McAfee, Inc. in the United
States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the
property of others.

For more information please contact:
Rejane Wilson / Jennifer Rideout
StrategicAmpersand Inc. (for McAfee Canada)
rejane@stratamp.com
Jennifer@stratamp.com
(416) 961-5595
 


EMC Isilon is Industry’s First Scale-Out NAS System with Native Hadoop Support

EMC Isilon is Industry’s First Scale-Out NAS System with Native
Hadoop Support

Now Integrated with EMC Greenplum for One-Stop Enterprise Hadoop
Solution

News Summary:

* EMC Isilon’s OneFS 6.5 operating system natively integrates the
Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) protocol and delivers the
industry’s first and only enterprise-proven Hadoop solution on a
scale-out NAS architecture.
* By natively integrating Hadoop into an enterprise-class scale-out
storage solution ( http://www.emc.com/bigdata ), EMC Isilon enables
customers to leverage end-to-end data protection including Snapshots,
Replication and Backup for their Hadoop Big Data.
* By combining EMC Isilon scale-out NAS with EMC Greenplum HD, EMC
reduces the complexities associated with Hadoop deployments and allows
enterprises to easily extract business value from unstructured data.
* EMC satisfies the requirements of business-critical enterprise
environments with the first end-to-end Hadoop solution combined with
services, training and certification, and customer support.

Full Story:

SEATTLE, WA – January 31, 2012 – EMC® Corporation
(http://www.emc.com/) (NYSE: EMC) today announced that EMC Isilon
scale-out NAS (http://www.isilon.com/) with HDFS, combined with EMC
Greenplum HD (http://www.greenplum.com/products/greenplum-hd), delivers
powerful data analytics on a flexible, highly-scalable and efficient
storage platform. This new enterprise-ready solution combines scale-out
NAS data storage and Hadoop analytics capabilities with services,
training and certification, and customer support from a single vendor,
ensuring a more seamless user experience. With this solution, EMC
eliminates CIOs’ need to spend valuable time investigating and
integrating products from multiple vendors.

For the multimedia version of this press release and related content,
please go to: http://www.emc.com/about/news/press/2012/20120131-01.htm

As the amount of unstructured data in the enterprise grows, companies
require an efficient and scalable storage system to help them manage
growth, and a powerful analytics tool to derive valuable information
from this data. EMC Isilon scale-out NAS with native HDFS provides
Hadoop users with built-in access to a shared storage infrastructure
thereby bridging the gap between the innovative powers of Big Data
Hadoop and mission critical enterprise IT analytics.

EMC Isilon scale-out NAS, now integrated with the Hadoop Distributed
File System (HDFS) protocol (http://www.isilon.com/hadoop), provides
customers with a solution for accelerating enterprise-wide deployment of
Apache-based Hadoop. Up to now, early adopters of Hadoop have relied on
makeshift storage infrastructures not optimized for Big Data
exploration, inhibiting the shared data access critical to robust
analysis, and preventing wide adoption of Hadoop in the enterprise. EMC
Isilon, with native HDFS, removes the integration complexities of
disparate open source components and hardware, and offers a
comprehensive, enterprise-ready storage solution to protect, manage, and
share data in a Hadoop environment.

EMC Isilon is the first and only scale-out NAS storage platform that
integrates native HDFS as a protocol, providing all Hadoop users with
built-in access to enterprise data protection, industry leading storage
efficiency and accelerated data movement over a wide array of industry
standard protocols (NFS, CIFS, FTP, HTTP).Isilon’s integration of HDFS
also eliminates the single point of failure inherent with traditional
open-source Apache Hadoop. This integration lets customers use the
Apache-based Hadoop distribution of their choice and allows them to
expand and increase their adoption of Hadoop in enterprise-wide
deployments.

EMC builds on its innovation in data storage and analytics to deliver
the only end-to-end Hadoop solution, offering enterprises planning,
deployment, training and certificatio
n, and customer support services to
assist customers moving to Hadoop environments. EMC Global Services Big
Data Advisory Service helps customers identify business opportunity and
build a comprehensive roadmap to apply Big Data to their enterprises.
EMC services professionals can configure and integrate EMC Greenplum and
EMC Isilon platforms into users’ environments, accelerating time to
value and reducing risk. EMC Data Science and Big Data Analytics
“open” training and certification builds customers’ IT staff
data analytics knowledge and skills with a particular focus on
opportunities and challenges presented by Big Data.

By combining the scalability and simplicity of Isilon scale-out NAS
storage with the leading-edge analytics tools of Greenplum HD, EMC
delivers the first and only end-to-end Hadoop solution in the industry
that is ready for deployment in business critical enterprise IT
environments.

Supporting Quotes

Alex Younts, engineer, Purdue University

“We tested EMC Isilon with our statistics department, which must
often analyze huge data sets. EMC Isilon's multi-protocol capabilities
provided fast and reliable delivery of data to our statisticians,
demonstrating the potential to increase the time spent on actually doing
the science, while reducing management costs.”

Sam Grocott, vice president of marketing, EMC Isilon

“Hadoop will be a game-changer in unstructured data analytics once
enterprise customers are convinced that adoption can simplify their
infrastructure and architecture without compromising data security or
management capabilities. We’ve taken the guesswork out of Hadoop
deployment by bringing together the strengths of Isilon’s enterprise
scale-out NAS storage systems with the Hadoop ecosystem. With EMC
Isilon, enterprises now have the type of archiving, replication and
management capabilities their businesses rely on combined with the
innovative analytics of EMC Greenplum and the training, services and
support of EMC to make the most of their Hadoop deployments. ”

Luke Lonergan, chief technology officer, Greenplum, a division of EMC

“Companies are recognizing the need to co-process both structured and
unstructured data. As a part of the EMC Greenplum Unified Analytics
Platform (UAP), the integrated Isilon solution enables customers to plug
Hadoop-derived insight directly into a structured data analytics
workflow without moving the data. This improves collaboration and speeds
data analytics for our customers, enabling them to uncover new insights
quickly and efficiently to maintain their competitive edge.”

Availability

EMC Greenplum HD on Isilon is available immediately through EMC and EMC
channel partners.

About Isilon, a division of EMC

Isilon, a division of EMC, is the global leader in scale-out NAS. We
deliver powerful yet simple solutions for enterprises that want to
manage their data, not their storage. Isilon’s products are simple to
install, manage and scale, at any size. And, unlike traditional
enterprise storage, Isilon stays simple no matter how much storage is
added, how much performance is required or how business needs change in
the future. We're challenging enterprises to think differently about
their storage, because when they do, they'll recognize there’s a
better, simpler way. Learn what we mean at http://www.isilon.com.

About Greenplum, a division of EMC

Greenplum, a
division of EMC, is driving the future of Big Data
analytics with breakthrough products that harness the skills of data
science teams to help global organizations realize the full promise of
business agility and become data-driven, predictive enterprises. The
division's products include Greenplum Unified Analytics Platform,
Greenplum Data Computing Appliance, Greenplum Database, Greenplum
Analytics Lab, Greenplum HD and Greenplum Chorus. They embody the power
of open systems, cloud computing, virtualization and social
collaboration, enabling global organizations to gain greater insight and
value from their data than ever before possible. Learn more at
www.greenplum.com.

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service
providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service.
Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through
innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud
computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze
their most valuable asset – information – in a more agile, trusted
and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at
www.EMC.com.

EMC Canada (www.EMC2.ca), headquartered in Toronto with nine offices
from coast to coast, is a wholly owned subsidiary of EMC Corporation.

- 30 -

For more information contact:
Mike Martin/Michelle Chang
StrategicAmpersand
416-961-5595
mike@stratamp.com
michelle@stratamp.com


EMC, Isilon, and Greenplum are registered trademarks of EMC Corporation
in the United States and other countries. Other products and/or services
are trademarks of their respective owners.

This release contains “forward-looking statements” as defined under
the Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from
those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain
risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in
general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in
information technology spending; (iii) the relative and varying rates of
product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of
product and services revenues; (iv) competitive factors, including but
not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (v)
component and product quality and availability; (vi) fluctuations in
VMware, Inc.’s operating results and risks associated with trading of
VMware stock; (vii) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of
customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and
market change; (viii) risks associated with managing the growth of our
business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments
and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving
anticipated synergies; (ix) the ability to attract and retain highly
qualified employees; (x) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory;
(xi) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xii) threats and other
disruptions to our secure data centres or networks; (xiii) our ability
to protect our proprietary technology; (xiv) war or acts of terrorism;
and (xv) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed
previously and from time to time in EMC’s filings with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC disclaims any obligation to
update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this
release.

Webinar - XBRL Canada progress update/


Webinar - XBRL Canada progress update/


February 7, 2012 at Noon Eastern Time

TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2012 /CNW/ - XBRL Canada is holding a webinar on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at Noon Eastern Time to discuss key milestones involving XBRL in Canada, including highlights from the most recent XBRL International Conference in Montreal.

Don't miss this important update, register here today.

These issues are of particular importance to Canadians in the coming year, and include:

  1. Proposals by XBRL Canada and the CICA for a widespread adoption of XBRL by the Canadian Government (referred to as Standard Business Reporting. XBRL Canada and the CICA have put forward a roadmap for adoption of SBR in key steps as outlined in the image above
  2. Status of the IFRS Taxonomy with the SEC. Canadian inter-listed companies, now using IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) are required to file in XBRL with the SEC. But the SEC has not yet approved the IFRS Taxonomy. What are the companies to do?
  3. Some key Canadian companies/organizations have adopted XBRL or are considering it. What have they done and how?
  4. There is a wave of XBRL adoption around the world. What are the implications of this remarkable trend for Canada?

XBRL Canada is supported and administered by the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Image with caption: "Roadmap for widespread adoption of XBRL to implement Standard Business Reporting within Canada. (CNW Group/XBRL Canada)". Image available at:

Media_httpphotosnewsw_fuvae

For further information:

XBRL Canada, Gerald Trites, Project Director, (416) 602-3931, Email: gtrites@xbrl.ca

TechStars and Microsoft BizSpark Team Up to Offer Startups $60,000 in Cloud Services on Windows Azure

TechStars and Microsoft BizSpark Team Up to Offer Startups $60,000 in Cloud Services on Windows Azure
TechStars taps Microsoft BizSpark Plus to give startups a head start.

BOULDER, Colo. — Jan. 30, 2012 — TechStars, recently recognized as the No. 1 startup accelerator in the world, and Microsoft Corp. are working together to help startups fast-track their businesses. TechStars today announced an enhanced relationship with Microsoft through the new BizSpark Plus program for accelerators and incubators. The enhanced program allows TechStars accelerators in Boulder, Colo.; Boston; New York; Seattle; and Texas to offer each of their startups up to $60,000 (U.S.) of Windows Azure compute and storage over a 24-month period, at no cost.

BizSpark Plus is an extension of the Microsoft BizSpark program, designed to accelerate the success of startups around the world. BizSpark Plus works through select incubators and accelerators such as TechStars to provide value-added products and services to high-potential startups. In addition to offering this to TechStars, Microsoft is making this offer available to all founders whose accelerator is part of the Global Accelerator Network, a network of nearly 40 high-quality accelerators from around the world that follow a model similar to TechStars.

“Our passion is helping startups succeed around the world by providing funding and mentorship from the best and brightest Internet entrepreneurs and investors on the planet. The enhanced relationship with Microsoft will allow us to provide our founders with even more valuable support and services,” said David Cohen, founder and CEO of TechStars. “Access to technologies such as Windows Azure and other software and services from Microsoft through the BizSpark Plus program gives our companies a leg up in the all-encompassing race to scale and succeed.”

TechStars has a wealth of experience working with tech startups around the world that are building products and services in the cloud. Cloud applications and smart devices are driving the new startup ecosystem, affording startups the ability to drive user adoption, scale their companies and generate financial returns with far less capital and much more quickly than ever before. Windows Azure offers a simple, comprehensive and powerful platform for the creation of Web applications and services.

“TechStars is a great partner with a proven track record of attracting world-class startups. We are excited at the opportunity to work together to help startups when they need it most, with the products, resources and connections they need the most,” said Dan’l Lewin, corporate vice president, Strategic and Emerging Business Development, Microsoft. “Working with entrepreneurs on the forefront of the cloud revolution is especially rewarding. Windows Azure is a powerful, integrated platform, making it easy for startups to get their services up and running quickly with minimal overhead. This is the first offer from our new BizSpark Plus program, and we look forward to supporting TechStars members across a number of markets and technology offerings.”

About TechStars

TechStars (www.techstars.com) is an elite mentorship-driven start-up accelerator, recently recognized as the No. 1 accelerator program. Founded in 2006, the TechStars philosophy focuses on deep mentorship, and surrounding a small number of companies with highly engaged members of the entrepreneurial ecosystem to coach and support them to success. The TechStars community currently includes more than 300 mentors, more than 1,500 investors and over 120 alumni TechStars companies. TechStars currently operates five programs each year in Boulder, Boston, Seattle, Texas, and New York. TechStars is funded by more than 50 venture capital firms and 25 angel investors. Information on applying to TechStars can be found at www.techstars.com/apply.

About Global Accelerator Network

The Global Accelerator Network (www.joingan.com) consists of almost 40 high quality independently owned and operated organizations from around the world that utilize a mentorship-based startup accelerator model. It provides networking opportunities, training, special perks, and ongoing support for members of the network. TechStars led the effort to form the Global Accelerator Network in 2010 as part of the White House’s Startup America Initiative. In the spirit of supporting more entrepreneurs around the world, the Network’s mission is to ensure that 5,000 successful and experienced entrepreneurs and investors will mentor and support 6,000 promising young entrepreneurs. The goal is to increase their success rate tenfold and create 25,000 new jobs by 2015 as well as a sustained engine for growing these figures over time.

About Microsoft BizSpark

Microsoft BizSpark is a global program that helps software startups succeed. With more than 45,000 startups from 100 countries in the program and a global network of 2,300 BizSpark partners, Microsoft provides great business value to young technology companies around the world. The program provides a wide range of Microsoft technology, technical and business expertise, and enhanced market visibility. BizSpark Plus is an extension of the foundational BizSpark program, providing higher-value offerings through a network of leading regional incubators and accelerators around the world. More information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.