Customers Embrace Windows Intune to Simplify PC Management and Security

Customers Embrace Windows Intune to Simplify PC Management and Security
Windows Intune helps businesses manage and secure PCs using Windows cloud services and Windows 7 Enterprise.

REDMOND, Wash. — Jan. 25, 2012 — To help manage and secure the desktops of their highly mobile workforces through the cloud without any on-premises investment, organizations of all sizes have turned to Windows Intune, Microsoft Corp. announced today. Global nonprofit Save the Children, professional services company goetzpartners and e-discovery firm eLitigation Solutions have all implemented Windows Intune to help solve some of their most pressing IT challenges.

While these three organizations vary in industry and size, they have one thing in common: Their employees expect to work anytime, anywhere, with access to their information and resources. As such, each organization needs to ensure its PCs are highly secure and well-managed to help protect data and assets, keep employees productive, and streamline the cost of delivering routine management and security.

Technology challenges have become more frequent and time-consuming as workforces grow and spread across the globe. Issues ranging from computers infected with malicious malware to missing or delayed software updates kept IT staff at all three organizations operating in a reactive mode instead of preventing these issues from the outset.

“It’s our job to ensure that consultants can work productively in the office and on the road, but we didn’t have the right tools,” said Hakan Kutlug, head of Information Technology at goetzpartners.

Windows Intune helps solve these challenges, especially for companies that have field and contract employees, off-network employees, or limited IT resources. Windows Intune brings together Windows cloud services and a Windows 7 Enterprise subscription to simplify PC management and security, delivering the benefits of a modern operating system. The solution also provides remote assistance, software updates, hardware and software tracking capabilities, and the ability to set security policies.

“By using Windows Intune, we can save $20,000 a year in malware costs and $50,000 in Windows 7 licenses for staff at headquarters,” said Ken Supersano, senior director of Technology, Save the Children U.S. “That’s money we can funnel back into field programs that benefit children in more than 120 countries around the world.”

Windows Intune also allows IT staff to get a simple snapshot of what is going on with their PC environments — including status of updates, software, endpoint protection, licensing and more. With this snapshot, IT staff can efficiently and proactively identify trouble spots or areas that need to be addressed.

“We’ve streamlined our PC environment and reduced costs by adopting Windows Intune, which helps us run a leaner, more competitive organization,” said David Hyre, vice president of Technologies, eLitigation Solutions.

Today, IT staffers at Save the Children, goetzpartners and e-Litigation Solutions rely on Windows Intune to help ensure the security and reliability of all desktops within their respective organizations. In turn, their workforces now have more reliable computing tools that allow them to realize their organizations’ missions and visions no matter where they are.

More information about Windows Intune is available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windowsintune/pc-management.aspx.

More information about Save the Children’s Windows Intune experience is available in its Microsoft case study at http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9797727.

More information about goetzpartners’ Windows Intune experience is available in its Microsoft case study at http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9797728.

More information about eLitigation Solutions’ Windows Intune experience is available in its Microsoft case study at http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9797726.

About Save the Children

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in need in the United States and around the world.

About goetzpartners

With 10 offices in eight countries, goetzpartners is an independent European advisory firm with a global reach. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, it provides corporate finance and management consulting services.

About eLitigation Solutions

eLitigation Solutions collects and processes data and delivers it to attorneys for review, serving many of the largest corporations and law firms in the United States.

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.

SunGard Availability Services Signs Agreement with NAV CANADA to Provide Workforce Continuity Services in Ontario, Canada

SunGard Availability Services Signs Agreement with NAV CANADA to Provide Workforce Continuity Services in Ontario, Canada
 

WAYNE, Pa., Jan. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SunGard Availability Services announced Tuesday that it has signed an agreement with NAV CANADA, Canada's private sector civil air navigation services provider, to offer SunGard Workforce Continuity Services at the NAV CENTRE conference facility, located in Cornwall, Ontario.  An industry leader in workforce recovery, SunGard provides organizations with temporary employee workspace, equipment, secure access, email, and telephone connectivity in the event of a business interruption or disaster.  

The strategic partnership will allow SunGard to expand its footprint in Canada and provide high- quality Workforce Continuity Services to Canadian businesses and government agencies. The NAV CENTRE facility will offer dedicated workstation seats, allowing organizations to customize the workgroup site to fit their specific needs, from room layout to technology requirements, and will be available to that organization exclusively.

The SunGard Workforce Continuity Service offers:

  • Fully outfitted recovery facility, custom equipped with technology, office resources, infrastructure, and the amenities needed to get back on task following a business interruption
  • Secure, 7x24 access to the workgroup facility and the entire NAV CENTRE campus
  • Access to over 500 hotel rooms and NAV CENTRE amenities including dining, recreation, transportation, conference planning and other guest services.

Click here to read about how a Leading Business Finance Firm used Workforce Continuity Services to keep operations going following a power outage.

"Decreased productivity is one of the biggest sources of revenue loss during a business interruption, and the demand for alternative workspaces is growing as organizations are increasingly aware of this," said Bruno Berti, senior product manager at SunGard Availability Services. "With the opening of an additional SunGard workgroup site at the NAV CENTRE, government agencies and other organizations in the area are well-situated to take advantage of the safety net SunGard Workforce Continuity Services provide."

The partnership

"SunGard's Workforce Continuity Services are a natural extension of what we provide for organizations at the NAV CENTRE," said Kim Coe-Turner, General Manager of the NAV CENTRE. "Organizations have come to rely on our world-class facility for conference and training events. Now, they can also benefit by using our facility to continue operations through unplanned outages and incidents, adding another layer of convenience for local organizations and agencies." 

For more information about SunGard's Workforce Continuity Services, or additional recovery and managed services, visit www.sungardas.com.

About the NAV CENTRE

Located on the scenic shores of the St. Lawrence River in Cornwall, the NAV CENTRE is a full service conference centre offering access to 560 guest rooms and 70 dedicated state-of-the-art meeting rooms. The Centre, which is owned and operated by NAV CANADA, can accommodate small groups of five to large groups of up 500. The NAV CENTRE is also an ideal location for organizations with longer-term training or workgroup requirements, with ample classroom space and affordable room and board plans to make your offsite initiatives a success. The NAV CENTRE is an accredited member of the International Association of Conference Centres (IACC), provided for adhering to globally-recognized standards in hospitality service. Learn more about the Centre at www.navcentre.ca.

About NAV CANADA

NAV CANADA, the country's civil air navigation services provider, is a private sector, non-share capital corporation financed through publicly-traded debt. With operations from coast to coast to coast, NAV CANADA provides air traffic control, flight information, weather briefings, aeronautical information services, airport advisory services and electronic aids to navigation.

About SunGard Availability Services

SunGard Availability Services provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software to over 9,000 customers globally.  With approximately five million square feet of datacenter and operations space, SunGard Availability Services helps customers improve the resilience of their mission critical systems by designing, implementing and managing cost-effective solutions using people, process and technology to address enterprise IT availability needs. Through direct sales and channel partners, we help organizations ensure their people and customers have uninterrupted access to the information systems they need in order to do business. To learn more, visit www.sungardas.com or call 1-800-468-7483.  Connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

About SunGard

SunGard is one of the world's leading software and technology services companies. SunGard has more than 20,000 employees and serves over 25,000 customers in more than 70 countries. SunGard provides software and processing solutions for financial services, education and the public sector. SunGard also provides disaster recovery services, managed IT services, information availability consulting services and business continuity management software. With annual revenue of about $5 billion, SunGard is ranked 434 on the Fortune 500 and is the largest privately held business software and IT services company.  Look for us wherever the mission is critical. For more information, visit www.sungard.com.

Trademark Information: SunGard and SunGard logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SunGard Data Systems Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries. All other trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

SOURCE SunGard Availability Services

Metro Toronto Convention Centre Selects Enterasys Wireless to Increase Profits from WLAN Service

Metro Toronto Convention Centre Selects Enterasys Wireless to Increase Profits from WLAN Service


Canada’s Largest Convention Centre Selects Enterasys Access Points for Flexibility and High-Performance Capabilities

Jason King
Enterasys Networks
+1 978 684 1847
jaking@enterasys.com
 
Andover, MA — Jan 24, 2012

Enterasys Networks, a Siemens Enterprise Communications Company, today announced that the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), Canada’s largest tradeshow and convention facility, has deployed an Enterasys OneFabric Edge solution to support the complex wireless demands of MTCC’s exhibitors and attendees. In a highly competitive bid, MTCC chose Enterasys Wireless to provide advanced management capabilities and differentiated service across its 600,000 square-foot facility.

MTCC’s IT team needed to support a diverse user environment including event managers, exhibitors and attendees. For example, when a vendor has a booth at a show they will want Internet access to demonstrate their capabilities. A show visitor has a completely different set of needs such as web surfing and email access.

“Every day presents new challenges as we strive to support the wireless demands for different conferences, meetings, exhibitors and attendees. Plus, these users aren’t going to be evenly distributed throughout the convention centre at any point in time,” said Bill McDonald, MTCC’s Director of Technology Services. “To support these fluctuating demands, we needed a wireless infrastructure that would allow us to manage various performance or service levels across the facility. After a thorough evaluation, we determined that Enterasys OneFabric Edge met our criteria for our growing management complexities and providing a superior user experience.”

The flexibility and granularity of Enterasys OneFabric Edge architecture delivers the applications that each unique user requires in a secure manner without impacting the other. For MTCC the wireless network is a key business service and with the number of users on the network they act as a mini service provider, with the need to provide the highest level SLA’s to their customers. Enterasys OneFabric Control Center provides visibility and control over every asset on the network and allows the IT team to easily provision, manage and segment wireless service across various audiences.

Enterasys partnered with Secure Links to ensure an optimized wireless system that delivers exceptional performance while remaining easy to manage.
“Customers such as Metro Toronto Convention Centre are demanding simple and yet mission critical solutions for enterprise mobility,” said Shawn Brown, regional sales manager, Secure Links.  “With Enterasys OneFabric Edge solutions we are able to offer best in class solutions and enable them to deliver a predictable end-user experience for their conferences."

Since deploying Enterasys Wireless, MTCC exhibitors and attendees have benefitted from the increased speed and functionalities of the facilities’ wireless services.

“Recently we successfully ran one of the most involved networking shows we’ve ever taken on. The IT team for the show was very impressed with our services, and our wireless system in particular, as it is a critical component to their show’s success,” said McDonald. We wouldn’t have been able to provide such a high level of wireless support for this show, had it not been for the Enterasys wireless infrastructure.”

Expanding its offering of innovative wireless solutions, Enterasys recently announced the OneFabric Edge solution, which allows enterprises to provision the network end-to-end with consistent performance and enhanced security for business-critical applications, all managed from a single pane of glass. OneFabric Edge, complemented by new wired and WLAN solutions, extends this architecture to the edge of the network, bringing customers the benefits of hardware independence, lower total cost of ownership, simplified installation and provisioning and high-availability to the wireless infrastructure for a superior user experience.

Resources

 

About Enterasys Networks and Siemens Enterprise Communications

Siemens Enterprise Communications is a premier provider of end-to-end enterprise communications, including voice, network infrastructure and security solutions that use open, standards-based unified communications and business applications for a seamless collaboration experience. This award-winning “Open Communications” approach enables organizations to improve productivity and reduce costs through easy-to-deploy solutions that work within existing IT environments, delivering operational efficiencies. It is the foundation for the company's OpenPath® commitment that enables customers to mitigate risk and cost-effectively adopt unified communications. Jointly owned by The Gores Group and Siemens AG, Siemens Enterprise Communications includes Cycos and Enterasys Networks. For more information about Siemens Enterprise Communications or Enterasys please visit www.siemens-enterprise.com or www.enterasys.com.

Seccuris and SaskTel Announce Plans to Develop Information Assurance Portal

Seccuris and SaskTel Announce Plans to Develop Information Assurance Portal

WINNIPEG, Jan. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Seccuris and SaskTel announced today a partnership to develop an Information Assurance Portal (IAP) which will provide a comprehensive set of information security services to small and mid-enterprise business customers in Saskatchewan, and across Canada.

Leveraging Seccuris' information security intellectual property and SaskTel's world-class infrastructure services, early releases of the IAP will include Threat Monitoring services, Vulnerability Management services, and Risk Based Asset Database and Reporting services, delivered through a self-service process. The IAP will provide customers greater visibility and control over their IT security environments and address security concerns in a more cost effective and scalable manner than is available in the market today. The IAP provides a unique risk-based performance management system that fulfills executive, management, and technical audience requirements.

"SaskTel and Seccuris have developed a strong relationship over the past three years. This partnership to develop the IAP is a natural evolution of our relationship and provides a good business opportunity for SaskTel. Integrating information security services with our own suite of network services provides excellent value for our customers", says Ron Styles, SaskTel President and CEO.

Development activities for the IAP have begun, using a joint development team led by Seccuris. The first release of the IAP, targeted for fall 2012, will provide threat monitoring and notification services. Subsequent releases will include new services such as on demand vulnerability management services, risk based information asset management, and business threat and risk assessment services.

"The strength of our partnership with SaskTel, and the combination of our intellectual property and their tier one facilities, provided us with an excellent opportunity to develop a unique way of delivering information security services to a broader market. The IAP will lead to business growth for both SaskTel and Seccuris, enabling both organizations to increase our markets and achieve our strategic objectives", says Geoff Besko, President and CEO of Seccuris.

About Seccuris Inc.

Seccuris, an international information assurance company headquartered in Canada, provides clients with security and risk management consulting services, managed security services, security solution integration, and education services. Seccuris also maintains an active research and development portfolio, working collaboratively with organizations across Canada and internationally. Through its commitment to quality, research, and knowledge transfer, Seccuris delivers innovative and comprehensive information assurance services and solutions that provide value to our clients. For more information, visit www.seccuris.com

Media contact:

Harold Hermann - Director Sales and Marketing
(204) 255-4136 (255)
hhermann@seccuris.com

About SaskTel

Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corporation (SaskTel) is the leading full service communications provider in Saskatchewan, with $1.1 billion in annual revenue and over 1.4 million customer connections including over 568,000 wireless accesses, 528,000 wireline network accesses, 230,000 internet accesses and 85,000 Max™ (TV) subscribers. SaskTel offers a wide range of communications products and services including competitive voice, data, internet, entertainment, national security, messaging, cellular, wireless data and directory services. In addition, SaskTel International offers software solutions and project consulting in countries around the world. SaskTel and its wholly-owned subsidiaries have a workforce of approximately 4,100 employees. Visit SaskTel at www.sasktel.com

For further information:

For more media inquiries only, please contact:

Andy Tate, SaskTel Media Relations
Phone: (306) 777-4548
Email: andy.tate@sasktel.com  

"Give me RealPrivacy NOT Privacy Theatre," says Commissioner Cavoukian: January 27 Symposium brings together thought leaders for International Privacy Day

"Give me RealPrivacy NOT Privacy Theatre," says Commissioner Cavoukian: January 27 Symposium brings together thought leaders for International Privacy Day

Canada NewsWire

TORONTO, Jan. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Dr. Ann Cavoukian, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, is holding a public Symposium, Beware of "Surveillance by Design:" Standing Up for Freedom and Privacy, to raise awareness of the serious privacy implications of online surveillance and proposed federal "lawful access" legislation.

If passed in their original form, this legislation would provide police with much greater ability to access and track information about identifiable individuals via the communications technologies that we use every day, such as the Internet, smart phones, and other mobile devices, at times, without a warrant or any judicial authorization.

"This represents a looming system of "Surveillance by Design," that should concern us all in a free and democratic society, which is why I have organized a public Symposium — to increase awareness, in an effort to improve the legislation before it is re-introduced," said Commissioner Cavoukian.

"By proactively embedding the principles of Privacy by Design (PbD) into the development of new technologies, PbD can accommodate legitimate business interests in a "positive sum," win-win manner. We must get rid of the mindset that privacy must be sacrificed for the sake of other interests — it does not."

"We can, and must, have both privacy and security. Give me RealPrivacy NOT privacy theatre."

SYMPOSIUM DETAILS

Date & Time:    Friday, January 27, from 9:00am to 11:00am ET
   
Location:   MaRS Discovery District, MaRS Centre South tower, Suite 100
(Auditorium - Lower Level), 101 College Street, Toronto, ON
   

Members of the public wishing to attend the event can register here.

"Bringing together this highly respected panel of thought leaders to share their perspectives on this legislation and "Surveillance by Design" is an ideal way to commemorate International Privacy Day, marking 31 years since the first binding international convention of privacy came into force," said Commissioner Cavoukian.

Symposium Presenters include:

MEDIA ATTENDING THE EVENT
All media planning to attend, please register with the contact below. On the day of the Symposium, check in at the media desk at the venue. At the end of the event, there will be an opportunity to interview the speakers.

LIVE WEBCAST OF THE SYMPOSIUM
For those wishing to attend virtually, this event will be webcast live and fully archived. Click here to register for the webcast.

www.RealPrivacy.ca
Visit our recently-launched website for more event details, as well as information regarding our concerns about "lawful access" legislation and positive solutions to address them. You will also find our Write My MP tool, where citizens can easily write their Member of Parliament and urge the government to reconsider the proposed laws.

Symantec Warns Spam is Back and Sneakier Than Ever

Symantec Report Finds Spammers are Taking Advantage of New Year Holidays and Major Events

 

TORONTO, ON. – January 26, 2012– Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the findings of its January Symantec Intelligence Report, which shows that spammers are using holidays and major events to make their mail more appealing.

 

Symantec Intelligence has seen more than 10,000 unique domain names compromised with a redirect script written in PHP that contains a reference to the New Year in the file name.  These redirect scripts were hosted on compromised Web sites and links to these were included in spam emails, which were subsequently blocked by Symantec.cloud.

 

Click-to-Tweet: Symantec report finds spammers are taking advantage of New Year, holidays and major events: http://bit.ly/xzxecU

 

To further entice recipients to open their messages, spammers used additional social engineering techniques by including parameters in the URL to suggest that the destination is a social networking site.

 

Symantec Intelligence expects to see spammers taking advantage of other upcoming “calendar events” with one of the most important traditional Chinese New Year celebrations starting this week and continuing for several days,  as well as the fast-approaching Valentine's Day.

 

“We also expect to see plenty of spam and malware taking advantage of some of the major upcoming sporting events this year. We are already seeing references to the Summer Olympics in London as part of 419 or advance fee fraud messages,” said Paul Wood, senior intelligence analyst, Symantec.

 

“By relating their mails to widely-celebrated holidays and current events with global interest, spammers and malware authors can (at first glance at least) make their messages more interesting, and increase the chance of recipients visiting spam Web sites or becoming infected,” Wood said.

 

During December, global spam levels dropped, but in January gradually returned to similar levels as in November 2011, which is still lower than the 2011 average.

 

Other Report Highlights:

 

Spam: In January 2012, the global ratio of spam in email traffic rose by 1.3 percentage points since December 2011, to 69.0 percent (1 in 1.45 emails). This follows a more noticeable drop in December when spam fell by 2.8 percentage points to 67.7 percent. The recent increase means that spam has almost returned to the same level as in November 2011.

 

Phishing: In January, the global phishing rate increased by 0.06 percentage points, taking the average to one in 370.0 emails (0.27 percent) that comprised some form of phishing attack.

 

E-mail-borne Threats: The global ratio of email-borne viruses in email traffic was one in 295.0 emails (0.33 percent) in January, a decrease of 0.02 percentage points since December 2011. In January, 29.0 percent of email-borne malware contained links to malicious Web sites, unchanged since December 2011.

 

Web-based Malware Threats: January saw an average of 2,102 Web sites each day harboring malware and other potentially unwanted programs including spyware and adware; a decrease of 77.4 percent since December 2011.

 

Endpoint Threats: The most frequently blocked malware for the last month was WS.Trojan.H. WS.Trojan.H is generic cloud-based heuristic detection for files that posses characteristics of an as yet unclassified threat. Files detected by this heuristic are deemed by Symantec to pose a risk to users and are therefore blocked from accessing the computer.

 

Geographical Trends:

 

Spam

  • Saudi Arabia became the most spammed geography in January; with a spam rate of 75.5 percent.
  • China was the second most-spammed with 75.0 percent of email traffic blocked as spam.
  • In the US, 69.0 percent of email was spam and 68.7 percent in Canada.
  • The spam level in the UK was 69.3 percent. 
  • In The Netherlands, spam accounted for 70.7 percent of email traffic, 68.2 percent in Germany, 69.1 percent in Denmark and 68.6 percent in Australia.
  • In Hong Kong, 67.5 percent of email was blocked as spam and 66.7 percent in Singapore, compared with 65.6 percent in Japan.
  • Spam accounted for 69.5 percent of email traffic in South Africa and 73.1 percent in Brazil.

 

Phishing

  • The Netherlands became the country most targeted for phishing attacks in January, with one in 62.6 emails identified as phishing.
  • The UK was the second most targeted country, with one in 179.4 emails identified as phishing attacks.
  • Phishing levels for the US were one in 1,145 and one in 379.9 for Canada. 
  • In Germany phishing levels were one in 797.6, one in 330.9 in Denmark. 
  • In Australia, phishing activity accounted for one in 542.2 emails and one in 942.9 in Hong Kong; for Japan it was one in 5,692 and one in 1,156 for Singapore.
  • In Brazil one in 1,007 emails was blocked as phishing.

 

 

E-mail-borne Threats

  • The Netherlands had the highest ratio of malicious emails in January, with one in 61.4 emails identified as malicious.
  • The UK had the second highest rate, with one in 169.1 emails identified as malicious.
  • In South Africa, one in 305.9 emails was blocked as malicious.
  • The virus rate for email-borne malware in the US was one in 592.5 and one in 285.4 in Canada.
  • In Germany virus activity reached one in 471.7 and one in 318.1 in Denmark.
  • In Australia, one in 327.9 emails was malicious.
  • For Japan the rate was one in 1,573, compared with one in 482.9 in Singapore.
  • In Brazil, one in 681.7 emails in contained malicious content.

 

Vertical Trends:

  • The Education sector became the most spammed industry sector in January, with a spam rate of 71.0 percent.
  • The spam rate for the Chemical & Pharmaceutical sector was 69.0 percent, compared with 68.7 percent for IT Services, 68.4 percent for Retail, 68.9 percent for Public Sector and 68.2 percent for Finance.
  • The Public Sector remained the most targeted by phishing activity in January, with one in 99.1 emails comprising a phishing attack. 
  • Phishing levels for the Chemical & Pharmaceutical sector reached one in 838.0 and one in 647.8 for the IT Services sector, one in 529.4 for Retail, one in 169.4 for Education and one in 253.7 for Finance.
  • With one in 90.2 emails being blocked as malicious, the Public Sector remained the most targeted industry in January. 
  • The virus rate for the Chemical & Pharmaceutical sector reached one in 381.3 and one in 399.4 for the IT Services sector; one in 407.1 for Retail, one in 138.3for Education and one in 236.7 for Finance.

 

Market Trends:

  • The spam rate for small to medium-sized businesses (1-250) was 68.9%, compared with 69.1% for large enterprises (2500+).
  • Phishing attacks targeting small to medium-sized businesses (1-250) accounted for one in 225.2 emails, compared with one in 410.9 for large enterprises (2500+).
  • Malicious email-borne attacks destined for small to medium-sized businesses (1-250) accounted for one in 277.3 emails, compared with one in 281.5 for large enterprises (2500+).

 

The January Symantec Intelligence Report provides greater detail on all of the trends and figures noted above, as well as more detailed geographical and vertical trends.

 

Related

·         SlideShare Presentation: January 2012 Symantec Intelligence Report

·         Symantec.cloud Global Threats

·         Symantec.cloud Intelligence Reports

·         Symantec.cloud In the News

·         Symantec.cloud Podcasts

 

Connect with Symantec

About Symantec Intelligence Report                                

 

The Symantec Intelligence report combines the best research and analysis from the Symantec.cloud MessageLabs Intelligence Report and the Symantec State of Spam & Phishing Report. The new integrated report, the Symantec Intelligence Report, provides the latest analysis of cyber security threats, trends and insights from the Symantec Intelligence team concerning malware, spam, and other potentially harmful business risks. The data used to compile the analysis for this combined report includes data from December 2011 and January 2012.

 

About Symantec

Symantec’s Canadian operations are headquartered in Toronto with offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver.  For more information on Symantec products or current promotions, access Symantec’s Canadian Web site at www.symantec.ca. Symantec is an active member of the Business Software Alliance (BSA).


Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world.  Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.

 

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Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces End-to-End SolutionsPath Engagement Service for the U.S. and Canada

January 24, 2012 - Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces End-to-End SolutionsPath Engagement Service for the U.S. and Canada

New strategic consulting service draws upon Avnet's expertise and resources to help solution providers develop and execute effective growth plans for vertical markets

Tempe, Ariz. -- Avnet Technology Solutions, the global IT solutions distribution leader and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), today announced a strategic consulting service for solution provider partners in the U.S. and Canada – Avnet's SolutionsPath® Engagement Service. Based on Avnet's proven SolutionsPath® methodology, this new service provides a comprehensive end-to-end business growth model for Avnet's partners. By engaging with Avnet for this service, partners will evolve from accessing Avnet's resources in an á la carte manner to creating a complete business plan with measurable goals and mutual accountability. Avnet and its partners will develop profitable growth plans for designing, selling and delivering data center solutions in high-growth vertical markets such as banking, energy, government, healthcare and retail. Participating partners will also increase the depth of their industry expertise and breadth of data center solutions competencies.

"Industry research clearly indicates that CIOs and IT executives strongly prefer to work with solution providers that understand their specific industries and business challenges," said Gavin Miller, vice president of Solutions Marketing and Development, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "Avnet's success with our SolutionsPath methodology has proven that by developing expertise in high-growth vertical markets, our partners can grow their businesses at a faster rate than the industry average. We have now created a complete engagement model that leverages Avnet's multi-million dollar annual investment in consultants, business intelligence tools, planning services and resources into a long-term growth process for our partners. The SolutionsPath Engagement Service aligns market-specific research, planning, training and enablement, and professional services with measurable goals and mutually agreed-upon outcomes to bring even greater success to our partners."

Avnet's SolutionsPath Engagement Service is powered by a team of industry and data center experts who use a proven multi-phased approach to accelerate growth planning and execution. This approach includes business analysis, strategic planning, training and enablement, demand creation, and professional services. At every phase of this approach, Avnet draws upon its investment in business analytics and data intelligence resources to create a holistic view of the partners' target customers and create effective strategies that partners can use to capture net new growth.

"Our collaboration with Avnet's HealthPath® and EnergyPath™ practices during the past four months has helped us align our capabilities around transformation, analytics and mobility—with the priorities focused predominantly in the health and energy industry verticals," said Christian Franklin, managing partner at TamGroup, a solutions provider and Avnet partner. "We've been impressed with the support and leverage the Avnet team has provided and we're seeing measurable results."

"Avnet's SolutionsPath® Engagement Service complements our service delivery and consulting team's capabilities–particularly when there are domain expertise or resource gaps," Franklin added. "This allows us to focus on providing superior execution around our core capabilities and filling out the edges with a trusted partner. In the end, the partnership affords us leverage in our demand generation and delivery efforts resulting in a greater volume of engagements across our solution portfolio."

Current Avnet partners can request a personalized briefing about the SolutionsPath Engagement Service by contacting their Avnet account manager.

Meet with Avnet's energy IT solutions experts and Avnet partners specializing in energy and utilities–including TamGroup–in booth #4221 at DistribuTECH 2012, the leading annual Smart Grid event, January 24-26, 2012 in San Antonio, Texas.

Follow Avnet Technology Solutions, North America, on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AvnetAdvantage.

About Avnet Technology Solutions
As a global IT solutions distributor, Avnet Technology Solutions collaborates with its customers and suppliers to create and deliver services, software and hardware solutions that address the business needs of their end-user customers locally and around the world. For fiscal year 2011, the group served customers in more than 70 countries and generated US $11.5 billion in annual revenue. Avnet Technology Solutions (www.ats.avnet.com) is an operating group of Avnet, Inc.

About Avnet
Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of more than 100,000 customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended July 2, 2011, Avnet generated revenue of $26.5 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

Media Contact
Marcia Chapman
Brodeur Partners, for Avnet Technology Solutions
Phone: 480-308-0284
Email: mchapman@brodeur.com

Gartner Says Nearly One Third of Organizations Use or Plan to Use Cloud Offerings to Augment Business Intelligence Capabilities

Gartner Says Nearly One Third of Organizations Use or Plan to Use Cloud Offerings to Augment Business Intelligence Capabilities

Analysts Explore Cloud Analytics at Gartner Business Intelligence Summit 2012 in London, Sydney and Los Angeles

Egham, UK, January 25, 2012—         Nearly one third of organizations either already use or plan to use cloud or software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings to augment their core business intelligence (BI) functions, according to Gartner, Inc.

According to a survey of 1,364 IT managers and business users of BI platforms in the fourth quarter of 2011, only 17 percent of organizations have replaced or plan to replace parts of their core BI functions with cloud/SaaS offerings. However, almost a third (27 percent) already use or plan to use cloud/SaaS options to augment their BI capabilities for specific lines of business or subject areas in the next 12 months.

“Business users are often frustrated by the deployment cycles, costs, complicated upgrade processes and IT infrastructures demanded by on-premises BI solutions,” said James Richardson, research director at Gartner. “SaaS- and cloud-based BI is perceived as offering a quicker, potentially lower-cost and easier-to-deploy alternative, though this has yet to be proven. It’s evident that, despite growing interest, the market is confused about what cloud/SaaS BI and analytics are and what they can deliver.”

Gartner has identified three major drivers for the adoption of cloud/SaaS offerings for BI, analytics and performance management:

Time to value: The use of SaaS BI may lead to faster deployment, insight and value, particularly where IT is constrained by existing work and/or limited budget so that it cannot respond to demands for information and analysis as quickly as the business requires.

Cost concerns: The cost dynamic differs between on-premises and SaaS models. Software purchased as a service can usually be expensed, rather than capitalized, on the balance sheet. Buyers often think that SaaS is cheaper, but the reality is that this is unproven. Gartner's cost models show SaaS can be cheaper over the first five years, but not thereafter. The long-term benefits lie elsewhere — in terms of cash flow, reduced IT support costs, etc.

Lack of available expertise: SaaS analytic applications offer prebuilt intellectual property that can help firms work around a lack of the skills needed to build their own analytic solutions.

Instead of disrupting the enterprise BI platform and corporate performance management suite market, a more likely scenario is that SaaS and cloud-based offerings will tap into new opportunities — e.g., with midmarket companies that have yet to invest in BI, or by offering domain-specific analytics.

“If their operational business applications are in the cloud, organizations should consider pursuing cloud BI/analytics for those domains,” said Mr. Richardson. “However, they must assess risks on an ongoing basis and ensure their chosen cloud provider has appropriate business skills to provide a viable outcome. They must also ensure their BI strategy outlines how to ensure that data flows to and from these solutions in order not to become yet more silos of analysis.”

For details of the Gartner Business Intelligence Summit 2011 taking place on February 6-7 in London, please visit www.gartner.com/eu/bi. Members of the media can register by contacting Laurence Goasduff at laurence.goasduff@gartner.com.

For details of the Gartner Business Intelligence & Information Management Summit 2012 taking place on February 21-22 in Sydney, Australia, please visit www.gartner.com/ap/bi. Members of the media can register by contacting Susan Moore at susan.moore@gartner.com.

The Gartner Business Intelligence Summit 2012 in Los Angeles takes place on April 2-4 at the JW Marriott hotel at L.A. Live. Additional information is available at www.gartner.com/us/bi. Members of the media can register by contacting Christy Pettey at christy.pettey@gartner.com.

About Gartner Business Intelligence Summit 2012
The Gartner Business Intelligence Summit will help organizations transform their decision-making by examining new developments in BI, how analytics and BI relate, improvements in data quality, analytics in the cloud, and the linking of BI to master data management. Additional information from the event will be shared on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc using #GartnerBI.

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.

March Networks and the Ottawa Senators Partner on State-of-the-Art Stadium Security System

March Networks and the Ottawa Senators Partner on State-of-the-Art Stadium Security System

OTTAWA, Jan. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - March Networks® (TSX: MN), a global provider of intelligent IP video solutions, announced today that it has partnered with the Ottawa Senators to provide its next-generation video surveillance platform to enhance security and operations at Scotiabank Place - a world-class sports and entertainment facility and home to the National Hockey League (NHL) team. This week, the Ottawa Senators and Scotiabank Place will play host to the NHL All-Star Game.

The property management company is deploying the March Networks Command video management software VMS and megapixel IP cameras to replace an older surveillance system throughout the facility, which encompasses a 19,153-capacity multi-purpose arena, a fitness complex, multiple restaurants and other businesses. The solution delivers remote access to high-definition video, enabling Scotiabank Place staff to monitor activity in real-time and review recorded video quickly when needed - all from a central operations center.

"The March Networks system is a significant improvement to our security operations," said Cyril Leeder, Ottawa Senators President. "The quality of the video and the intuitive software allows our staff to find specific video clips in minutes, rather than hours. Not only will it play a critical role in ensuring the safety of our players, performers and hundreds of thousands of fans each year, it will provide Scotiabank Place with additional capabilities that enhance its operations and contribute to its competitive success in the entertainment marketplace."

The partnership extends to future product enhancements and innovations from March Networks, with Scotiabank Place serving as a showcase for next-generation stadium security technologies.

"Stadium security is a multi-billion dollar business worldwide and represents one of the fastest growing segments for video surveillance," said Peter Strom, President and CEO, March Networks. "We are proud to feature our latest technologies in such a prominent commercial venue, and look forward to working with the Ottawa Senators to develop new ideas and exciting technologies to address this rapidly growing segment of the industry."

In addition to indoor surveillance, Scotiabank Place will use the solution for key outdoor applications. March Networks pan-tilt-zoom IP cameras mounted on the facility's roof will be used to monitor parking lots and surrounding walkways. They will also help City of Ottawa transportation staff monitor traffic flow and more accurately adjust traffic signals to ease congestion before and after events. The March Networks Command software, which incorporates a secure web-based browser, makes it easy for a variety of authorized users to leverage the system for security and operational purposes. The software scales seamlessly to support thousands of cameras, making it ideal for the Senators, who plan to extend the surveillance solution to a second recreational facility a few kilometers away later this year.

About March Networks
March Networks® (TSX:MN) is a leading provider of intelligent IP video solutions. For more than a decade, the company has helped some of the world's largest commercial and government organizations transition from traditional CCTV to advanced surveillance technologies used for security, loss prevention, risk mitigation and operational efficiency. Its highly scalable and easy to use Command video management platform incorporates a web-based client interface to enable rapid system deployment and complete system control. It is complemented by the company's portfolio of high-definition IP cameras, encoders, video analytics and hybrid recorders, as well as outstanding professional and managed services. March Networks systems are delivered through an extensive distribution and partner network in more than 50 countries. For more information, please visit www.marchnetworks.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking information, including expectations of future business. This information is based on the Company's current expectations and assumptions that are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and that may be beyond March Networks' control. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements due to factors such as customer demand and timing of purchasing decisions which may delay the recognition of revenue, changes in the budgets for, and timing of security and IT-related purchases, delays, reductions in the amount or cancellations of customer purchases, including delays caused by customer credit issues, the Company's ability to maintain existing relationships and to create new relationships with channel partners, increased levels of competition, including strategic initiatives by the Company's competitors, new products or services, product or service announcements and changes in pricing policy by the Company's competitors, technological changes and the successful development of new products, dependence on third-party manufacturers and the availability of products and components, risks relating to intellectual property infringement claims, and other risks and factors identified in March Networks' public filings with regulatory authorities in Canada. March Networks assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.

MARCH NETWORKS, March Networks Command and the MARCH NETWORKS logo are trademarks of March Networks Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

For further information:
MEDIA INQUIRIES: 
Erica Miskew
March Networks
+1 613.591.8228 x5760
emiskew@marchnetworks.com 

Brian Morris
Ottawa Senators
+1 613.599.0289
morrisb@ottawasenators.com

            INVESTOR INQUIRIES: 
Ken Taylor
March Networks
+1 613.591.8181
ktaylor@marchnetworks.com

Over half of Canadians surveyed do not think about how their online activities affect their online reputations

Over half of Canadians surveyed do not think about how their online activities affect their online reputations

What does YOUR ONLINE IMAGE project about YOU? (CNW Group/Microsoft Canada)

Microsoft encourages parents to help children manage their online profiles and offers helpful tips

TORONTO, Jan. 24, 2012 /CNW/ - As part of Data Privacy Day 2012, Microsoft is offering guidance and tips to help Canadians better manage their online profiles and maintain a positive reputation. Everything a person does online, from responding to emails and texts, uploading photos, making purchases or clicking the "like" and retweet buttons on favorite web pages contributes to their online reputation. However, new global research commissioned by Microsoft surveyed 5,000 respondents from Canada, U.S., Spain, Germany and Ireland suggests adults and children may want to be more mindful of how their digital activities impact their online reputations. In Canada, 57 percent of adults and 55 percent of children aged 8-17 years old surveyed do not think about the long-term impact of their online activities on their personal reputation, and only 37 percent of adults and 41 per cent of children think about the long-term impact of their online activities on the reputations of others.

"Protecting what you share online is very important. Online information can affect your friendships, promotions and job offers. It shapes how people see you," said John Weigelt, National Technology Officer, Microsoft Canada. "Without protection, your personal data can also be used against you in online fraud or by unwanted marketers. Canadians need to protect themselves and help children get into the right habits as well."

The results showed that children could use more help managing their online reputations from their parents. Only one-third (34%) of parents surveyed help their children manage their online reputations. Children 8-14 years old are more than twice as likely to receive parental help as children 15-17 years old (66% vs. 25%). Among children who posted information online at a social networking site, children 15-17 years old were more likely to experience a negative consequence to their online reputation compared to children 8-14 years old (62% vs. 50%).

The survey also showed that uploading photos in general is not viewed as a major contributor to online profiles. While only 6 percent of adults and 9 percent of children responded that it was a major contributor, photos are considered one of the biggest influences on online reputations.

To help Canadians put their best digital foot forward, Microsoft Canada offers the following tips to help cultivate and maintain a positive online reputation:

  • Think before you share.
  • Think about what you are posting (particularly photos and videos), who you are sharing the information with, and how it will impact your reputation. Talk with friends and family about what you do and do not want shared about you and ask them to remove anything you don't want disclosed.
  • 11 percent of Canadian adults have been negatively impacted by the online activities of friends or family. Of those, 13 percent believed it led to being fired from a job, 8 percent being refused health care, 6 percent believed it resulted in being turned down for a job they were applying for, and 11 percent being turned down for a mortgage.
  • Stay vigilant and conduct your own "reputation report" from time to time.
    • Search all variations of your name in Bing and other popular search engines, and evaluate if the results reflect the reputation you'd like to share with current or future employers, colleagues, friends and family members.
    • Research found that 39 percent of Canadian adults rarely or never do this.
  • Consider separating your professional and personal profiles.
    • When job hunting, applying to a school or looking for new insurance or a loan, remember that your overall online profile can be a determining factor for hiring managers and application reviewers. Be sure to use different email addresses, screen names, referring blogs and websites for each profile, and avoid cross-referencing personal sites.
    • 56 percent of Canadian adults think about taking steps to keep their work and personal profiles private; however, 15 percent of Canadian adults have shared information online that was intended to remain private. Most commonly shared are details about one's personal life (61%) and personal photos (35%).
  • Adjust your privacy settings.
    • In Internet Explorer 9 or other Web browsers, and on social networking sites, personal blogs and other places where you maintain personal data, use privacy settings to help you manage who can see your information, search for you on online networking sites, and how you can block unwanted access.
    • According to our research, 34 per cent of Canadian adults do not use privacy settings on social networking sites.
  • Be a good digital citizen.
    • The web has a long memory. Always conduct yourself in a civil manner, showing respect for those with whom you engage.
    • Microsoft offers guidance on how to be a better digital citizen in our Digital Citizenship in Action Toolkit.

    For further details on this survey, Microsoft's commitment to privacy and the company's involvement in Data Privacy Day, please visit: www.microsoft.com/privacy/dpd

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

    Image with caption: "What does YOUR ONLINE IMAGE project about YOU? (CNW Group/Microsoft Canada)". Image available at:

    For further information:

    Microsoft PR Contacts 
    Sarah Louise Gardiner, Fleishman-Hillard
    Phone: (647) 339 6445
    Email: sarah.gardiner@fleishman.ca