Check Point Heads to the Cloud with Advanced Security Solution on Amazon Web Services

Check Point Heads to the Cloud with Advanced Security Solution on Amazon Web Services

Customers Can Now Use Check Point Software Blades with a Virtual Appliance in the Cloud

Redwood City, CA — Wed, 04 Jan 2012

Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, today announced its security gateways are now available to customers through Amazon Web Services, enabling organizations to extend their security to the cloud with a full range of protections, or Check Point software blades, such as Firewall, Intrusion Prevention, Application Control, URL Filtering and many more. With a few simple steps, customers can easily deploy a Check Point virtual appliance – a security gateway for virtual environments – in the Amazon Cloud to activate protections that prevent network attacks and data breaches, while enabling secure connectivity in dynamic cloud computing environments.

As the adoption of cloud computing brings enterprises many benefits, including business continuity, flexible computing power and cost savings, businesses are increasingly leveraging the cloud to spend less time managing IT resources, and more time focusing on core business objectives. To keep an organization’s infrastructure and business secure, organizations must enforce the appropriate levels of protection both on premise and in the cloud.

“Infrastructure in the cloud is a reality. As many businesses plan to manage their IT infrastructure in the cloud, it’s important to protect both cloud and on-premise infrastructure to ensure that all corporate assets remain secure,” said Oded Gonda, vice president of network security products at Check Point Software Technologies. “One of the best ways to achieve this is to enforce a consistent security policy across the organization.”

With Check Point’s virtual appliances, customers can embrace the benefits of cloud computing with confidence. Whether an organization runs their entire business operations on AWS or utilizes AWS for flexible scaling needs, customers can enable advanced security with a few simple steps, implementing a unified policy that protects all corporate assets residing in either on-premise infrastructure or in the cloud. For example, businesses, such as online retailers or educational institutions, can leverage the Amazon Cloud to run production workloads and manage seasonal peaks in web traffic and customer orders, while the Check Point virtual appliance further reinforces protection in the cloud infrastructure – ensuring all data and channels of business communication remain secure.

“Security gateways in cloud environments are equally as important as they are in on premise locations, therefore unifying their policies and reporting capabilities in a centralized way are critical to ensuring both the security and compliance mandates of enterprises worldwide,” said Lawrence Pingree, research director at Gartner.

To mitigate sophisticated threats and prevent sensitive information from being exposed in the cloud, Check Point customers can now benefit from the same flexible and comprehensive security solutions available for on-premise networks with over 30 software blade protections, including Firewall, IPS, Virtual Private Network (VPN), Application Control, URL Filtering, Mobile Access and Data Loss Prevention (DLP), without additional hardware or management complexity.

“We offer a shared-responsibility security model that enables customers to choose a security solution that best meets their application’s needs, while AWS remains focused on providing a safe and secure infrastructure,” said Stephen Schmidt, chief information security officer at Amazon Web Services. “We are excited that Check Point has embraced this model and is providing an innovative solution for customers.”

Key Features and Benefits:

  • Security for the cloud – Select Check Point Software Blades to enable a solution that meets an organization’s exact cloud security needs. Businesses can protect assets in the cloud with Firewall, IPS, Application Control and URL Filtering; enable secure connectivity and mobility with VPN and Mobile Access; and prevent all data and corporate resources from loss with Check Point DLP.
  • Fast Deployment – Through Amazon Web Services, customers can simply click on the Check Point virtual appliance to begin enabling software blades in the cloud.
  • Unified Management and Reporting – Manage a virtual appliance in Amazon Cloud using industry leading security management. Customers can simplify compliance and audits with unified logs and reporting, while enforcing consistent security across the organization.

To learn more about the new Check Point virtual appliance, visit: http://www.checkpoint.com/products/virtual-appliance-for-amazon-web-services/.

“From start-ups to large enterprises, the cloud creates a lot of new opportunities for companies to grow their businesses in a cost-effective way. We are pleased to be working with Amazon Web Services to help our customers safeguard corporate assets and enforce consistent security policies throughout their organization,” concluded Gonda.

Pricing and Availability
Pricing for the Check Point virtual appliance is based on the existing software blade licensing and can be purchased through the Check Point worldwide network of value-added resellers. To find a Check Point partner, visit: http://partners.us.checkpoint.com/partnerlocator/.

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, provides customers with uncompromised protection against all types of threats, reduces security complexity and lowers total cost of ownership. Check Point first pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful inspection technology. Today, Check Point continues to develop new innovations based on the Software Blade Architecture, providing customers with flexible and simple solutions that can be fully customized to meet the exact security needs of any organization. Check Point is the only vendor to go beyond technology and define security as a business process. Check Point 3D Security uniquely combines policy, people and enforcement for greater protection of information assets and helps organizations implement a blueprint for security that aligns with business needs. Customers include tens of thousands of organizations of all sizes, including all Fortune and Global 100 companies. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumers from hackers, spyware and identity theft.

Xerox Acquires LaserNetworks of Canada

Xerox Acquires LaserNetworks of Canada

Acquisition Expands Print Services Capabilities Across Canada

TORONTO, Jan. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Xerox Corporation NYSE: XRX today announced it has acquired LaserNetworks, a leading managed print services (MPS)  provider in Canada that helps businesses cut costs and reduce the time employees spend on print-related activities.

Based in Oakville, Ontario, LaserNetworks provides MPS solutions that include print device tracking, centralized service and supply management and document routing.

"Our acquisition of LaserNetworks expands our services footprint in Canada, enhancing our capabilities and distancing us from our competitors.  It is further evidence of Xerox's transformation into a services-led, technology-driven company," said Mandy Shapansky, president and CEO, Xerox Canada.

LaserNetworks currently provides support services for more than 40,000 print-related devices in offices across Canada.  It will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Xerox Canada with LaserNetworks founder and CEO Chris Stoate continuing to lead the company, reporting to Shapansky. The company employs 189 people in sales, services and business operations.

"By becoming part of such an esteemed company with well respected industry leadership, we exponentially increase our ability to deliver more customer value," said Stoate. "We're combining our collective industry expertise and innovative technologies to help our clients take full advantage of the benefits managed print services bring to their workplaces."

About Xerox

Xerox Corporation is a $22.5 billion leading global enterprise for business process and document management. Through its broad portfolio of technology and services, Xerox provides the essential back-office support that clears the way for clients to focus on what they do best: their real business. Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Xerox provides leading-edge document technology, services, software and genuine Xerox supplies for graphic communication and office printing environments of any size. Through ACS, A Xerox Company, which Xerox acquired in February 2010, Xerox also offers extensive business process outsourcing and IT outsourcing services, including data processing, healthcare solutions, HR benefits management, finance support, and customer relationship management services for commercial and government organizations worldwide. The 134,000 people of Xerox serve clients in more than 160 countries.

For more information on Xerox Corporation visit www.xerox.com, www.news.xerox.com, www.realbusiness.com or www.acs-inc.com. For investor information, visit www.xerox.com/investor.

For information about Xerox Canada visit www.xerox.ca.

Xerox®, the Xerox wordmark and the spherical connection symbol are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.


For further information:

Media Contact: 

John Quinn, Xerox Canada - 416-733-6828john.quinn@xerox.com
Briana D'Archi, Environics - 416-969-2671bdarchi@environicspr.com

Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited Implements Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing to Enhance Billing Processes

Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited Implements Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing to Enhance Billing Processes

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Jan. 3, 2012

News Facts

Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (Toronto Hydro) – one of the largest municipal electric distribution utilities in Canada delivering power to approximately 705,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers across the city of Toronto – implemented Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing to enhance its billing processes.
Toronto Hydro replaced a legacy customer information system (CIS) with Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing to meet new requirements resulting from modernizing the distribution and meter-to-cash infrastructure.
In Ontario, many retailers sell power to customers directly, but use the utility to deliver all power and manage all billing services. Using the Oracle solution, Toronto Hydro can more effectively manage transactions between retailers and utilities.
With Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing's pre-billing edit functionality, Toronto Hydro can improve bill accuracy by identifying and resolving many issues before sending bills to its customers – ultimately improving the overall customer experience.
Using Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing, the utility can more easily integrate customer self-service options, such as basic account information, online bill payments and move-in/move-out service adjustments.

Supporting Quote

"Distribution utilities today face the formidable challenge of maintaining customer care quality and sustaining timely billing and collecting activities in the midst of extensive industry change. Oracle Utilities Customer Care and Billing provides a foundation to comply with Ontario regulations and improve billing functionality. The solution harnesses a complete view of customer data, streamlines billing processes and enables more responsive customer service,” said Rodger Smith, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Utilities.

Supporting Resources

About Oracle Utilities

Oracle Utilities delivers proven software applications that help utilities of all types and sizes achieve competitive advantage, business performance excellence and a lower total cost of technology ownership. Oracle Utilities integrates industry-specific customer care and billing, network management, work and asset management, mobile workforce management and meter data management applications with the capabilities of Oracle's industry-leading enterprise applications, business intelligence tools, middleware, database technologies, as well as servers and storage. The software enables customers to adapt more nimbly to market deregulation, meet ever-evolving customer demands and deliver on environmental conservation commitments. Additionally, Oracle Utilities helps utilities prepare for smart metering and smart grid initiatives that enhance efficiency and provide critical intelligence metrics that can help drive more-informed energy and water usage decisions for consumers and businesses. For more information, visit www.oracle.com/goto/utilities.

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center. For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com.

Trademark

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Info

Caroline Vespi
Oracle
+1.650.506.8920
caroline.yu@oracle.com

Janice Hazen
O’Keeffe and Company
+1.404.254.5881
jhazen@okco.com

Sandvine's Real-Time Entertainment Dashboard leads the way

Sandvine's Real-Time Entertainment Dashboard leads the way

Xplornet Communications to use Network Analytics to drive subscriber quality of experience

WATERLOO, ON, Jan. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Sandvine, (TSX:SVC; AIM:SAND) a leading provider of intelligent broadband network solutions, today announced its Network Analytics product, featuring the Real-Time Entertainment Dashboard, has been selected by Xplornet Communications Inc., Canada's leading rural broadband provider. Xplornet Communications Inc. became a Sandvine customer in 2008 and purchased the Network Analytics product in fiscal 2011.

Xplornet has been deploying Canada's first national 4G network, consisting of a fixed-wireless network on the ground and two 4G satellites in space.  With Xplornet's deployment of 4G technology, and the speed and bandwidth that it allows, the company needs an intelligence layer to measure quality of experience for their customers; especially for those using applications such as streaming video.

"With Sandvine's Network Analytics product, we will have intelligent, real-time visibility into how our network is performing with respect to the activities that are increasingly critical for our customers.  We will then be empowered to allocate network resources appropriately to optimize customer experience" said David Miles, Chief Network Officer at Xplornet Communications Inc.

As subscriber usage trends evolve, service providers like Xplornet are proactively keeping pace.  Sandvine's Global Internet Phenomena report presented the "Post-PC Era", outlining that the majority of Real-Time Entertainment traffic is destined for game consoles, set-top boxes, smart TVs and mobile devices being used in the home. Sandvine's report highlights that more video traffic is going to devices other than a PC and counting bytes is no longer sufficient for network planning.

"When you watch a video online, you know whether or not the quality is acceptable - but your service provider has little or no insight into your quality of experience," said Tom Donnelly, COO, Sales and Global Services, Sandvine.  "Forward-thinking service providers like Xplornet are using Sandvine's Real-Time Entertainment Dashboard to quantify the online quality and implement measures to help ensure a positive subscriber experience."

Sandvine's Network Analytics product helps get data out of the network and into the boardroom by offering unique insight into broadband network usage and trends.  This data, presented in a series of organized dashboards, help service providers make informed operations, executive and marketing decisions.

ABOUT SANDVINE

Sandvine's network policy control solutions focus on protecting and improving the quality of experience on the Internet. Our award-winning network policy control equipment and software helps fixed and mobile operators better understand network traffic, manage network congestion, create new services and revenues, mitigate traffic that is malicious or undesirable to subscribers, deliver QoS-prioritized multimedia services and increase subscriber satisfaction. With over 200 service provider customers in over 85 countries, serving hundreds of millions of broadband and mobile data subscribers, Sandvine is enhancing the Internet experience worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.sandvine.com.

ABOUT XPLORNET COMMUNICATIONS INC.

Headquartered in Woodstock, New Brunswick, Xplornet Communications Inc. (formerly Barrett Xplore Inc.) is Canada's leading rural broadband provider.  We believe everyone should have access to the transformative benefits of broadband, so we make our service available everywhere in Canada, including the hard to reach places.  We overcome the challenges of Canada's vast geography through our deployment of Canada's first national 4G network, which leverages both fixed-wireless towers on the ground and next-generation satellites in space.  Our customers live in the farthest reaches of the country and just outside of major urban centres, and through our coast-to-coast network of local dealers we connect them to all that the Internet offers.  Xplornet is high-speed Internet - for all of Canada.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws and are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of such laws. Statements related to potential benefits of, and demand for, Sandvine's products or services including statements with respect to the features and benefits that may be achieved through the use of Sandvine's products or services and the relative position of these products vis-à-vis competitive offerings in the industry are forward-looking statements which are subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties.  These risks and uncertainties include such factors as rapid technological changes, changes in customer architecture and equipment deployment requirements, the introduction of competing technologies, the risks and uncertainties of new product introductions, dependence on key supplies and other similar factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Sandvine to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements.  Sandvine assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For further information:
MEDIA CONTACT
Sacha DeGroot
Sandvine
+1 519 880 2232
sdegroot@sandvine.com 
INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT
Rick Wadsworth
Sandvine
+1 519 880 2400 ext. 3503
rwadsworth@sandvine.com
AIM NOMAD
Andrew Chubb/Simon Bridges
Canaccord Genuity Limited
+44 0207 050 6500
http://twitter.com/sandvine
http://www.facebook.com/sandvine
http://www.linkedin.com/company/12016
 
Xplornet Media Contact:
Jeff Hecker
Director, Marketing Communications and Public Relations
+1 905 944 7969

IBM to Acquire Green Hat

IBM to Acquire Green Hat

Software Testing in the Cloud Helps Customers Reduce Cost, Improve Quality


ARMONK, N.Y., Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Green Hat, a leader in software quality and testing solutions for the cloud and other environments. Financial terms were not disclosed.  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO)

Founded in 1996, Green Hat is jointly headquartered in London, England and Wilmington, Delaware. Green Hat helps customers improve the quality of software applications by enabling developers to leverage cloud computing technologies to conduct testing on a software application prior to its delivery.  Historically, to run simulation testing on a software program, a development team must construct an actual testing lab made up of both hardware and software. This time consuming and labor intensive process has become even more compounded with the short development cycle needed to compete in rapidly expanding markets such as those for smart phones and tablets. By using Green Hat's solutions, a virtual test environment can be set up in a matter of minutes versus weeks, and for a fraction of the cost.   

According to recent industry reports, software testing represents more than 50 percent of overall development costs, and testing teams often spend upwards of 30 percent of their time managing the complexity of the test environment.(1) Green Hat creates a virtual environment that simulates a wide range of IT infrastructure elements, without the constraints of hardware or software services. This continuous test environment enables developers and quality professionals to test software earlier and more frequently throughout the software development lifecycle.

Upon the acquisition close, Green Hat will join IBM's Rational Software business. When combined with the IBM Rational Solution for Collaborative Lifecycle Management, developers and testers can achieve unprecedented levels of efficiency, effectiveness, and collaboration while delivering quality software to their business. IBM and Green Hat will help customers maximize continuous integration of an application, including creating virtual protocols, message formats, services, customization and engagement with third-party software. Development teams can avoid scrap and rework and dramatically reduce costly delays while achieving greater business agility and accelerating the delivery of software applications.  

"This acquisition extends IBM's leadership in driving business agility and software quality by changing the way enterprises can manage software development cost, test cycle time and risk," said Kristof Kloeckner, General Manager, IBM Rational. "Together, we offer the most complete solution available today for agile software development and testing, with flexible options such as the cloud. Green Hat's application virtualization capabilities will help our customers accelerate their delivery of business critical software."

"We've been focused on transforming our customers' software development processes through innovative testing and quality improvements," said Peter Cole, CEO, Green Hat. "We are looking forward to bringing Green Hat's innovative application virtualization and continuous integration testing expertise to IBM customers who have a growing business need to better manage their complex testing environments."

The Green Hat software testing solutions also will be offered through IBM Global Business Services' Application Management Services (AMS). IBM AMS provides strategy, design, implementation, testing and managed services for application virtualization to accelerate customer results.

Green Hat is an automated testing technology leader, operating worldwide with a Global 2000 customer base. Green Hat makes automated testing simple for complex systems relying on Cloud, Web Services, messaging, SOA (Service Oriented Architecture), ESB (Enterprise Service Bus), BPM (Business Process Management), CEP (Complex Event Processing), SAP and other distributed technologies. Their diverse range of customers includes prestigious representation in financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, transportation and the energy industry.

For more information on Green Hat: http://www.greenhat.com

For more information on IBM Software: http://www-01.ibm.com/software/rational

(1) National Institute of Standards and Technology, http://www.nist.gov/director/planning/upload/report02-3.pdf

Contact:
Mary Rose Greenough
IBM Communications
mary_rose_greenough@us.ibm.com
617-784-7227

Gartner Says Master Data Management Software Revenue to Grow 21 Percent in 2012

Gartner Says Master Data Management Software Revenue to Grow 21 Percent in 2012

Analysts to Discuss Master Data Management Future Trends and Big Data at the Gartner Master Data Management Summit 2012, February 8-9, in London and April 4-5 in Los Angeles

Egham, UK, January 3, 2012—


                  Worldwide master data management (MDM) software revenue will reach $1.9 billion in 2012, a 21 percent increase from 2011, according to Gartner, Inc. The market is forecast to reach $3.2 billion by 2015. 

“This is the biggest annual growth we’ve seen for this market since 2008,” said Colleen Graham, research director at Gartner. “Pressures to optimize costs and efficiencies in a heterogeneous IT environment are driving organizations to turn to MDM as a more efficient way to manage and maintain data across multiple sources. In addition, the increasing governance, risk and compliance regulations are forcing organizations to focus on MDM to support these initiatives.” 

 “MDM has become a critical discipline required for dealing with the challenges of social data, ‘big data’ and data in the cloud,” Ms. Graham said. 

From a regional perspective, North America and Europe will drive the demand for MDM, and both regions will grow at a steady pace to reach the billion-dollar mark, in 2013 for North America and in 2015 for Europe. In 2013, MDM software revenue will see faster growth in Asia/Pacific, where revenue will increase by 30 percent from 2012 to reach $209 million. 

Within the overall MDM market, more than half the revenue is driven by products from small and best-of-breed vendors, as the market continues to favor specialized solutions over "generic" offerings. However, the overall MDM market is dominated by three major players — IBM, Oracle and SAP. 

“In the next four years we expect larger vendors will continue to acquire for this specialization while smaller vendors will acquire each other to build market share and increase the functionality within their portfolios,” said Chad Eschinger, research director at Gartner. 

However, the variety of technologies that can be applied to an MDM initiative leaves the door open for the entrance of data integration and data quality providers, in particular. As more midsize organizations adopt MDM in the course of the next four years, they are demanding lower prices and more flexibility from vendors. As a result, many new MDM vendors and offerings capturing this market will be focused on areas such as open source, as well as cloud computing/software as a service. 

The largest domains of the MDM software market are MDM of customer data and MDM of product data, each of which is predicted to more than double in size over the next four years. MDM of customer data helps an organization cross-sell and cross-market, as well as retain customers and provide a consistent high-quality customer experience. The market for MDM of customer data is expected to reach $644 million in 2012 and to exceed $1 billion in 2015. The market for MDM of product data, which helps an organization store product-related master data, metadata, or both, is projected to reach $688 million in 2012 and to surpass $1.1 billion in 2015.

“The increased demand for more effective decision-making and a focus on improving the timeliness and accuracy of business decisions makes MDM paramount for organizations,” said Ms. Graham. “MDM supports these goals by ensuring the high quality of key data needed at the point of decision, removing uncertainty and increasing confidence.”

Additional information is available in the Gartner report “Forecast: Master Data Management, Worldwide, 2010-2015." The report is available on Gartner’s website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1788718

About the Gartner Master Data Management Summit 2012
The Gartner Master Data Management (MDM) Summit is specifically designed to drive organizations at all MDM maturity levels toward realizing benefits — from those just getting started with MDM, to those looking to move up the maturity curve, to those seeking advanced insight into the future of master data. Gartner analysts will help organizations to identify where MDM creates growth opportunities, shortens time to market, improves the accuracy of decision-making and addresses regulatory compliance. 

The Gartner Master Data Management Summit 2012 in London will take place on February 8-9 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel. For further information about the Summit, please visit www.gartner.com/eu/mdm. Members of the media can register for the event by contacting Laurence Goasduff at laurence.goasduff@gartner.com

The Gartner Master Data Management Summit in Los Angeles is being held April 4-5 at the JW Marriott at LA Live. Additional information is available at www.gartner.com/us/mdm. Members of the media can register for the event by contacting Christy Pettey at christy.pettey@gartner.com

Additional information from the event will be shared on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc and using #GartnerMDM.

 

Contacts:

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

Holly Stevens
Gartner
+44 0 1784 267412
holly.stevens@gartner.com

McAfee Labs 2012 Threat Predictions Include High-Profile Industrial Attacks, Cyberwarfare Demonstrations and New Hacktivist Targets

 

McAfee Labs 2012 Threat Predictions Include High-Profile Industrial Attacks, Cyberwarfare Demonstrations and New Hacktivist Targets

Rise in "legitimate" spam and threats to mobile banking, virtual currency and embedded hardware expected in the coming year

SANTA CLARA, Calif. - December 28, 2012 - McAfee today unveiled its 2012 Threat Predictions report, outlining the top threats that McAfee foresees for the coming year. The list indicates that emerging threats from 2011 are on track to become the major players for cyberactivity in 2012, including mobile banking, legal spam and virtual currency.  McAfee Labs also predicts that attacks involving political motivation or notoriety will also make headlines, including high-profile industrial attacks, cyberwarfare demonstrations and hacktivist attacks targeting public figures.

"Many of the threats that will become prominent in 2012, have already been looming under the radar in 2011," said Vincent Weafer, senior vice president of McAfee Labs. "Over the past year, the general public has become more aware of some of these risks, such as threats to critical infrastructure or the impact of hacktivism as they gain international media attention. In the meantime we continue to see cybercriminals improving their toolkits and malware and are ready to make a significant impact in 2012."  

McAfee Labs Threat Predictions for 2012:

Industrial Attacks: Cybercriminals Target Utilities
Water, electricity, oil and gas are essential to people
's everyday lives, yet many industrial systems are not prepared for cyberattacks.  Many of the environments where SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) systems are deployed don't have stringent security practices. As with recent incidents directed at water utilities in the United States, attackers will continue to leverage this lack of preparedness with greater frequency, if only for blackmail or extortion in 2012.

Advertisers Will "Legalize" Spam
McAfee Labs has seen a drop in global spam volumes in the past two years. However, legitimate advertisers are picking up where the spammers left off using the same spamming techniques, such as purchasing email lists of users who have consented to receive advertising or purchasing customer databases from companies going out of business. McAfee Labs expects to see this
"legal" spam and the technique known as "snowshoe spamming" to continue to grow at a faster rate than illegal phishing and confidence scams.

Mobile Threats: Attackers will bypass PCs
2011 has seen the largest levels in mobile malware history. In 2012, McAfee Labs expects for mobile attackers to improve on their skill set and move toward mobile banking attacks. Techniques previously dedicated for online banking, such as stealing from victims while they are still logged on while making it appear that transactions are coming from the legitimate user, will now target mobile banking users. McAfee Labs expects attackers will bypass PCs and go straight after mobile banking apps, as more and more users handle their finances on mobile devices.

Embedded Hardware: The Promised Land for sophisticated hackers
Embedded systems are designed for a specific control function within a larger system, and are commonly used in automotive, medical devices, GPS devices, routers, digital cameras and printers. McAfee Labs expects to see proofs-of-concept codes exploiting embedded systems to become more effective in 2012 and beyond. This will require malware that attacks at the hardware layer, and will enable attacks to gain greater control and maintain long-term access to the system and its data. Sophisticated hackers will then have complete control over hardware.

Hacktivism: Joining forces online and on the front lines
McAfee Labs predicts that in 2012, either the true Anonymous group will reinvent itself, or die out. Additionally, those leading the digital disruptions will join forces with physical demonstrators, and will target public figures such as politicians, industry leaders, judges and law-enforcement, more than ever before. 

Virtual Currency: A cybercriminal payment plan
Virtual currency, sometimes called cybercurrency, has become a popular way for people to exchange money online. These online wallets are not encrypted and the transactions are public, making them an attractive target for cybercriminals. McAfee Labs expects to see this threat evolve into spam, data theft, tools, support networks and other associated services dedicated to solely exploiting virtual currencies, in order to steal money from unsuspecting victims or to spread malware.

Cyberwar: Flexing its muscles
Countries are vulnerable due to massive dependence on computer systems and a cyberdefense that primarily defends only government and military networks.  Many countries realize the crippling potential of cyberattacks against critical infrastructure, such as water, gas and power, and how difficult it is to defend against them. McAfee Labs expects to see countries demonstrate their cyberwar capabilities in 2012, in order to send a message.

Rogue Certificates: Untrustworthy and undetectable
Organizations and individuals tend to trust digitally signed certificates, however, recent threats such as Stuxnet and Duqu used rogue certificates to evade detection. McAfee Labs expects to see the production and circulation of fake rogue certificates increase in 2012. Wide-scale targeting of certificate authorities and the broader use of fraudulent digital certificates will affect key infrastructure, secure browsing and transactions as well as host-based technologies such as whitelisting and application control.

Tomorrow's internet looks more like yesterday's internet
DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) are meant to protect a client computer from inadvertently communicating with a host as a result of a man-in-the-middle attack. Such an attack redirects the traffic from the intended server (Web page, email, etc.) to another server.  Governing bodies around the globe are taking greater interest in establishing
"rules of the road" for Internet traffic, and McAfee Labs expects to see more and more instances in which future solutions are hampered by legislative issues.

Advances in Operating Systems Moves Hackers "Down and Out"
New security features baked into the core of the operating system will cause hackers to find alternate entryways: down into the hardware and out of the operating system. Attacking hardware and firmware is not easy, but success allows attackers to create persistent malware in network cards, hard drives and even system BIOS (Basic Input Output System). McAfee Labs expects to see more effort put into hardware and firmware exploits and their related real-world attacks through 2012.

For a full copy of the 2012 Threat Predictions report from McAfee Labs, please visit: http://www.mcafee.com/us/resources/reports/rp-threat-predictions-2012.pdf

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.

- 30 -

Note: McAfee is a registered trademark 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

PANASONIC, SAMSUNG, SANDISK, SONY AND TOSHIBA JOIN FORCES TO COLLABORATE ON NEXT GENERATION SECURE MEMORY SOLUTION

PANASONIC, SAMSUNG, SANDISK, SONY AND TOSHIBA JOIN FORCES TO COLLABORATE ON NEXT GENERATION SECURE MEMORY SOLUTION
 
Five Companies plan to jointly form 'Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative'
 
December 19th, 2011-Panasonic Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., SanDisk Corporation, Sony Corporation and Toshiba Corporation today announced that they have reached an agreement in principle to collaborate on a new content protection technology for flash memory cards such as SD Cards and various storage devices. Under the "Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative"*1
 
The five companies will start preparing for licensing and promotion of HD (high-definition)-capable security for SD Cards and embedded memory for use in advanced consumer applications such as tablets and smartphones.
 
This content protection solution will be robust enough to protect HD content. A high level of content security will be realized through the use of the initiative's technologies, including unique ID (identification) technology for flash memory and robust copy protection based on public key infrastructure.
 
The five companies believe this technology will enable various HD content applications such as HD network download, broadcast content to go and HD Digital Copy/Managed Copy from Blu-ray Disc™*2 media.With these applications, users can enjoy HD content on a wide range of devices, including Android™*3-based smartphones and tablets, TVs and Blu-ray™*4 products.
 
The five companies believe that they each can make substantial contributions that, when combined, will enable them to start licensing the new secure memory technology early next year. The five companies expect to see adoption of flash memory products and various embedded flash memory solutions using this technology in the market in 2012.
 
"Panasonic has always been an innovator in providing the best possible content viewing experience in the living room through development of Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D™ technologies and products" said Yoshiyuki Miyabe, Corporate CTO, Panasonic Corporation. "With our new secure memory solution, we are excited to create a strong link between the living room experience and the mobile experience. Now consumers can enjoy watching premier content, such as movies, on the go with their smartphones and tablets".
 
"Samsung believes that the time is ripe for an advanced security solution and welcomes the opportunity to deliver a highly viable solution using flash memory chips. Samsung's ongoing commitment to technology excellence will now further extend to early market availability of high-performance NAND technologies implementing the new advanced security solution," said Young-Hyun Jun, Executive Vice President, Memory Business, Samsung Electronics. Co., Ltd.
 
"Consumers are ready for a solution that enables the effortless consumption of online and offline content across multiple device platforms," said Sumit Sadana, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for SanDisk. "SanDisk looks forward to building on its history of innovation in the Flash industry by delivering optimized memory solutions to enable this new usage model with robust security technologies that can protect premium content."
 
"We believe the secure solution created by this initiative will enable customers to enjoy high quality experiences anytime, anywhere. Sony has always been focused on bringing amazing experiences to people through highly-advanced technologies in content creation, content distribution and picture display," said Hiroshi Yoshioka, Corporate Executive Officer and Executive Deputy President, Sony Corporation.
 
"This technology will open a new door to flash memory applications. As a flash memory manufacturer, we are pleased that our flash memory technology will contribute to bringing people more convenient and exciting experiences of HD content. We will continue our development efforts to create surprising innovation," said Yasuo Naruke, Corporate Vice President, Vice President, Memory Division, Semiconductor & Storage Products Company, Toshiba Corporation.
 
About 'Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative'
 
'Next Generation Secure Memory Initiative' (a tentative name) is a collaboration of Panasonic, Samsung, SanDisk, Sony and Toshiba to license and promote HD (high-definition)-capable security for SD Cards and embedded memory for use in advanced consumer applications such as tablets and smartphones. For the details, please visit http://nextgenerationsecurememory.com/

Lenovo and Intel(R) Extend Digital Learning with New Lenovo Classmate+ PC

Lenovo and Intel® Extend Digital Learning with New Lenovo Classmate+ PC

Brings schools effective, affordable PC technology as part of Intel Learning Series
First PC deployment of 158,000 to improve learning for students in Argentina
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and SANTA CLARA, CALIF. – March 10, 2011: Today, Lenovoand Intel Corporation announced the Lenovo Classmate+ PC, a purpose-built laptop designed to improve learning for students in grades K-8. The Lenovo Classmate+ provides schools an affordable, child-friendly complete hardware and software solution. Based on the Intel Learning Series reference design, the PC will come pre-loaded with the Intel Learning Series software suite, specialized educational software and a variety of teaching resources. This spring, the Organization of Ibero-American States will deploy the first wave of 158,000 Lenovo Classmate+ laptops as part of its Conectar Igualdad 1:1 computing program, which will equip students throughout the country with PC technology. 
 
“As the fastest-growing PC company in education, we are committed to creating education solutions that improve schools' efficiency, as well as leading initiatives to evaluate how technology can measurably improve learning outcomes,” said Michael Schmedlen, director of Worldwide Education, Lenovo. “Our work with Intel to offer products like the Lenovo Classmate+ PC will create more opportunities for K-8 administrators, teachers and students to realize the benefits of technology-enriched 1:1 learning experiences.” “Lenovo is the first multi-national company to offer the Intel Learning Series classmate PC for the global education market,” said Kapil Wadhera, General Manager, Education Markets Platform Group, Intel. “We are thrilled to welcome Lenovo to the Intel Learning Series Alliance and to work with them to extend the platforms to benefit more students and teachers around the world.”
  
Intel Learning Series Momentum Continues
Since its introduction, more than 3 million Intel-powered classmate PCs have shipped globally. The Lenovo Classmate+ laptop is designed for how children learn, based upon years of Intel’s ethnographic research in education and Lenovo’s heritage in this segment. The PC combines a modern design with ruggedness, full PC functionality and enhanced performance. The configurations pass rigorous testing with their drop-resistant exteriors and spill-resistant keyboards.

The Lenovo Classmate+ PC offers a full computing experience, equipped with an Intel® Atom™ processor, Ethernet and WiFi Internet connectivity, Windows 7 operating system and high-capacity storage up to 250 GB or solid state drive options. It also comes with a 10.1 inch LED backlit screen, a 1.3 megapixel camera, multiple USB ports and a 4-in-1 card reader to support viewing multimedia. 

 
Lenovo Launches Learning Environment to Rewrite Technology-Led Curriculums
The new Classmate+ PC is a part of Lenovo’s new Learning Environment, a model for how technology in education works in a classroom and 1:1 environment. The Lenovo Learning Environment, which is located in the company’s Customer Innovation Center at its U.S. headquarters in Morrisville, N.C., provides a place to evaluate educational technology, offers professional development resources for teachers and serves as a feedback lab for students testing Lenovo PCs.
 
Pricing and Availability1 
The Lenovo Classmate+ PC is available immediately worldwide to qualified education and government customers through Lenovo sales representatives and channel partners. The price of the Classmate+ PC will vary in each market based on regional taxes, tariffs and configuration options.  
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter and Facebook.
About the Intel Learning Series
The Intel Learning Series brings together a strong ecosystem of PC manufacturers, operating system vendors, education service providers, content and software providers to deliver a complete, end-to-end education solution. It offers marketing tools, training, online exposure and a forum for its members to share resources and find common opportunities. More than 300 members in 60 countries are developing applications, peripherals and services optimized for the Learning Series. For more information about the Intel Learning Series, visit http://www.intellearningseries.com.
 
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.
 
Intel and the Intel logo are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.
* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.
 
1Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice and is tied to specific terms and conditions. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all promoted features. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

Lyrix, Inc. Selected for Membership in Avaya DevConnect Program

Lyrix, Inc.  Selected for Membership in Avaya DevConnect Program

Network of companies creates innovative, IP-enabled unified communications applications that extend the value of multi-vendor networks

For Immediate Release:20 Dec 2011

NASHUA, NH – Lyrix, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise focused Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) communications solutions to small and medium businesses (SMB) and Fortune 1,000 companies worldwide, today announced it has been selected by Avaya, a global provider of business collaboration systems, software and services, for membership as a Technology Partner in the Avaya DevConnect program.
 
Lyrix, Inc. is the developer of Mobiso, a speech recognition based set of communication tools that lets users reach employees quickly and effortlessly from their corporate directory and personal contacts. By simply using voice commands, users can initiate phone calls, conference calls, and send email messages. As a Technology Partner, Lyrix Inc. expects to deliver proven interoperability of their solutions with Avaya's unified communications portfolio while making speech recognition affordable and simple to deploy from the cloud.
 
The Avaya DevConnect program promotes the development, compliance-testing and co-marketing of innovative third-party products that are compatible with standards-based Avaya solutions. Member organizations have expertise in a broad range of capabilities – spanning collaboration, management, analytics, reporting and communications-enabled business process applications – helping joint customers extend the value of their collaboration and contact center investments and accelerate the speed at which their organization delivers true value to the bottom line. 
 
"Membership in Avaya's developer community will help us build our business by serving customers more efficiently and effectively," said Jeff Gardella, VP of Engineering & Support, Lyrix. "Building on Avaya resources and working more closely with the company to deliver compliance-tested solutions to the market, we are able to reduce network complexity, improve security and reliability, and speed time to deployment so businesses can quickly realize the benefits of the cloud-based Mobiso Speech Assistant."  
 
The Avaya DevConnect program currently includes thousands of software and hardware developer companies, integrators, service providers and customers.  Members have created a broad array of innovative solutions tested for Avaya compliance, including natural language speech recognition applications, mobile and emergency notification services, specialized computer telephony integration and reporting capabilities, and applications tailored for specific vertical industries.
 
Through the DevConnect program, Avaya provides companies with a wide range of technical education, access and support for many Avaya platforms and interfaces, often at no cost to Registered members.  Technology Partners receive additional benefits in terms of in-depth, joint compliance testing activities and co-marketing support, based on their alignment with Avaya’s strategy and value offered to Avaya customers.  DevConnect Technology Partners like Lyrix, Inc. must meet rigorous criteria for customer satisfaction, product support, business operations, marketing and sales.
 
"Technology partners like Lyrix, Inc. are helping Avaya expand the choices available for Avaya customers," said Eric Rossman, vice president, developer relations, Avaya. "Lyrix's speech recognition capabilities will help Avaya customers improve their users' communications experience and productivity while reducing operational complexity and costs."
 
Membership information and a listing of solutions developed and tested under the DevConnect program are available at www.avaya.com/devconnect.
 
About Avaya
Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, networking and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.  For more information on the Avaya DevConnect program, visit www.avaya.com/devconnect.
 
About Lyrix, Inc.
Lyrix, established in 1995, is an enterprise focused communications-as-a-service (CaaS) company based in the Boston, MA metro area. Lyrix provides enterprise communications solutions including cloud-based wireless expense management, unified communications, and speech recognition assistants to SMBs and Fortune 1000 companies worldwide. Mobiso is the creation of Lyrix, Inc. We are partners with major players and our client base includes prestigious names such as Ernst & Young and Citigroup UK. For more information please visit www.lyrix.com.