Big crime meets big data

radar.oreilly.com/2011/12/marc-goodman-data-crime.html

Data and social media are being used against us in creative new ways.

by @deciara  | +Ciara Byrne  | Comment19 December 2011

Marc Goodman (@futurecrimes) is a former Los Angeles police officer who started that department's first Internet crime unit in the mid-1990s. After two decades spent working with Interpol, the United Nations, and NATO, Goodman founded the Future Crimes Institute to track how criminals use technology.

Malicious types of software, like viruses, worms, and trojans, are the main tools used to harvest personal data. Cyber criminals also use social engineering techniques, such as phishing emails populated with data gleaned from social networks, to trick people into providing further details. In the interview below, Goodman outlines some of the other ways organized criminals and terrorists are harnessing data for nefarious ends.

What motivates data criminals?

Marc GoodmanMarc Goodman: Anything that would motivate someone to join a startup would motivate a criminal. They want money, shares in the business, a challenge. They don't want a 9-to-5 environment. They also want the respect of their peers. They have an us-against-them attitude; they're highly innovative and adaptive, and they never take the head-on approach. They always find clever and imaginative ways to go about something that a good person would never have considered.

What type of personal data is most valuable to criminals?

Marc Goodman: The best value is a bank account takeover. A standard credit card might cost a criminal only $10, but for $700 they could buy details of a bank account with $50,000 in it, money that could be stolen in just one transaction.

European credit cards tend to cost more than American credit cards since Europeans are much better at guarding their data. There's also a universal identifier for Americans — the social security number — but the same thing doesn't exist from a pan-European perspective.

How is data crime more scalable than traditional crime?

Marc Goodman: Data crime can be scripted and automated. If you were to take a gun or a knife and stand on a street corner, there are only so many people you can rob. You have to do the crime, run away from the scene, worry about the police, etc. You can't walk into Wembley Stadium with a gun and say, "Everybody, put your hands up," but you can do the equivalent from a cyber-crime perspective.

One of the reasons why cyber crime thrives is that it's totally international whereas law enforcement is totally national. Now, the person attacking you can be sitting in New York or Tokyo or Botswana. The ability to conduct business without getting on a plane is an awesome advantage for international organized crime.

How has cyber crime evolved?

Marc Goodman: In the 1970s, you had to be a clever hacker and create your own scripts. Now all of that stuff can be bought off the shelf. You can buy a package of crimeware and put in the email addresses or the domain that you want to attack via a nice user interface. It's really plug-and-play criminality.

You claim that the 2008 Mumbai attackers used real-time data gathering from social networks and other media. How do terrorists use data?

Marc Goodman: Since the Internet arrived, terrorists have been advertising, doing PR, recruiting, and fundraising, all online. But this was the first time that we had seen terrorists use technology to the full extent that this group did during the incident. They had mobile phones and satellite phones. The terrorist war room they set up to monitor the media and feed back information in real time to the attackers was a really significant innovation.

They re-engineered the attack mid-incident to kill more people. They were constantly looking for new hostages. Organizations like the BBC and CNN were tweeting to ask people on the ground in Mumbai to contact a producer. People trapped in hotels called the TV stations. All of that information was being tracked by the terrorist war room. There was an Indian minister who was doing a live interview on the Indian Broadcast Network (IBN) while hiding in the kitchen of the ballroom of the Taj Mahal hotel. The war room picked this up and directed the attackers to that part of the hotel where they could find the minister.

What can be done to combat cyber crime?

Marc Goodman: The terrorism problem is very different from the cyber crime problem. Most terrorism tends to have a basis in the real world whereas cyber crime tends to be purely online. Governments are pretty good at tracking the terrorists in their own countries, and there is decent international cooperation on terrorism.

What is making things more difficult for governments is that, in the old days, if you tapped somebody's home phone, you had a good picture of what was going on. Now you don't know where to look. Are they communicating on Facebook, on Twitter, or having a meeting in World of Warcraft?

Law enforcement needs to develop better systems to deal with the madness of social media in terrorist attacks. The public is getting involved in ways that are, frankly, unhealthy. There was a hostage situation in the U.S. a couple of months ago where a man took a hostage and was sexually assaulting her. He was trapped in a hotel room with guns and was posting live on Facebook and Twitter. Then the public started to interact with the hostage-taker, tweeting things like, "You wouldn't kill her. You are not brave enough to do it." In the past, police could close off several blocks, put up yellow crime scene tape, close the airspace over the scene, and bring in a trained negotiator. How does law enforcement intervene when there can be a completely disintermediated conversation between the criminal or terrorist and the general public?

Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue Grew 1 Percent to Reach $302 Billion in 2011

Gartner Says Worldwide Semiconductor Revenue Grew 1 Percent to Reach $302 Billion in 2011

Semiconductor Industry's Strong Start Runs Out of Steam as Year Progresses

STAMFORD, Conn., December 19, 2011—

Worldwide semiconductor revenue grew 0.9 percent from 2010, reaching $302 billion in 2011, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. After a strong start to the year, worries about the strength of the macroeconomy slowed equipment and semiconductor orders in 2011.

"The industry did well in the early part of the year, in many cases entering the year with backlog from an exuberant 2010," said Stephan Ohr, semiconductor research director at Gartner. "But uncertainty about the state of the macroeconomy set in at the midpoint of the year. Consumers held off purchases, and infrastructure expansion plans languished as governments resisted assuming more debt. Equipment inventories began to build as the year progressed, with resulting ripples throughout the semiconductor industry."

Intel held the No. 1 position for the 20th consecutive year, and 2011 marks Intel's highest-ever market share at 16.9 percent. Its previous high was in 1998 when it commanded 16.3 percent of the market. Intel saw strong growth in the first half of the year as the PC market stocked up inventory in anticipation of a strong second half of the year. Intel had a strong year for its server products Westmere and Nahelem. Intel's revenue for 2011 includes the wireless business unit (BU) purchased from Infineon in the first quarter of the year, a transaction worth about $1.4 billion to Intel's revenue in 2011.

Table 1
Top 10 Semiconductor Vendors by Revenue, Worldwide, 2011 (Millions of U.S. Dollars)

Rank 2010

Rank 2011

Vendor

2010 Revenue

2011 Estimated Revenue

Growth 2010-2011 (%)

2011 Market Share (%)

1

1

Intel

41,988

51,052

21.6

16.9

2

2

Samsung Electronics

28,097

29,150

3.7

9.7

4

3

Texas Instruments

11,878

12,082

1.7

4.0

3

4

Toshiba

12,360

11,695

-5.4

3.9

6

5

Renesas Electronics

10,204

10,714

5.0

3.5

9

6

Qualcomm

7,204

9,819

36.3

3.3

5

7

STMicroelectronics

10,346

9,780

-5.5

3.2

7

8

Hynix Semiconductor

9,884

9,090

-8.0

3.0

8

9

Micron Technology

8,224

7,618

-7.4

2.5

10

10

Broadcom

6,604

7,091

7.4

2.3

 

 

Others

152,575

143,960

-5.6

47.7

 

 

Total Market

299,364

302,051

0.9

100.0

Source: Gartner (December 2011)

At No. 2, Samsung Electronics saw its revenue grow slightly above the industry average despite its exposure to the declining DRAM market. Samsung's NAND business saw healthy revenue growth, but this was broadly in line with the overall NAND market growth. Samsung's non-memory business was by far the strongest growth area for the company, with application-specific devices, particularly wireless applications processors. The strongest growth came from Samsung's relationship with Apple, where it is supplying the A5 processor used in the iPhone 4s and iPad2 media tablet.

Texas Instruments, in the No. 3 position, has arguably the strongest manufacturing capability in the analog semiconductor industry — a consequence of acquisitions made in 2010. However, uncertainties in the macroeconomic environment affected revenue for all analog suppliers as orders slowed in the third quarter of 2011 and again in the fourth. The slowdown for power management devices — important in the construction of new data centers, and in the deployment of personal computers — was not as severe as the slowdown in amplifiers and data converters.

As a group, the processor makers — Intel, Qualcomm, Advanced Micro Devices and Nvidia — outperformed the rest of the industry. Intel's server business grew despite slowdowns in PC production. Qualcomm was carried by ongoing shifts to 4G and LTE mobile services. Nvidia's Tegra platform supported tablet makers hoping to capture some of the enthusiasm associated with tablet PCs.

Memory makers among the top 25 semiconductor suppliers — Hynix, Micron and Elpida — showed revenue declines as a consequence of DRAM price declines and loss of market share in the DRAM space. Samsung's growth of 3.7 percent growth was carried as much by mobile phone application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) as by memory. SanDisk grew 33.5 percent on demand for flash memory.

Additional information is provided in the Gartner report "Market Share Analysis: Preliminary Total Semiconductor Revenue, Worldwide, 2011." The report provides the worldwide market share rankings for the top 25 vendors in 2011. The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1871819.

Contacts:

Tom McCall
Gartner
+1 408 468 8312
tom.mccall@gartner.com

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

HP Partners with Hearst Magazines for Personalized Advertising Campaign

HP Partners with Hearst Magazines for Personalized Advertising Campaign

HP digital printing technology helps transform direct marketing, increase response rates for Popular Mechanics magazine

PALO ALTO, Calif., Dec. 19, 2011

HP and Hearst Magazines today announced the publishing company’s first venture in fully personalized advertising content in a magazine, representing a new approach to creating more effective and measurable marketing campaigns.

Developed exclusively for Hearst, the high-volume marketing campaign used HP digital printing technology and was managed by Strategic Content Imaging Inc. Launched as part of the November issue of Popular Mechanics, the campaign included:

  • Personalized “onserts” produced on HP digital presses advertising HP consumer inkjet printers. The onserts featured full-color name and address variable-data imaging with photography of regional landmarks, such as San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and a New York brownstone. Brown Printing bundled the onserts, which were delivered to 300,000 subscribers in the nation’s 12 largest metropolitan areas.
  • Sixteen-page regionally customized inserts featured information about HP technology and product innovation, and provided subscribers with details on where to buy HP products locally.
  • Text links and QR codes throughout the two advertising pieces to drive readers to an online sweepstakes and additional web content.

The customized content was produced on HP Inkjet Web Presses, which made it possible to combine one-to-one personalization with localized content and online information.

“HP’s technology allows us to offer another level of personal engagement, and we’re thrilled with the results we’ve seen from this first phase of the partnership,” said Michael Clinton, president, Marketing, and director, Publishing, Hearst Magazines. “It places a new premium on the value of print advertising.”

By delivering relevant content to specific users, the campaign drew strong reader interest, generating more than 15,000 sweepstakes site visits and more than 10,000 unique sweepstakes entries within the first 28 days of the campaign. That level of response to magazine advertising – 3 percent of the total recipient base – exceeded than the typical 1- or 2-percent rate for direct mail.

The program also had exceptional conversion rates for sweepstakes entries, with 86 percent of visitors entering additional information and completing an entry.

“Unlike more generic campaigns, this type of personalized advertising delivers specific metrics, so companies know what return they’re receiving on their campaign spend,” said Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president, Imaging and Printing Group, HP. “HP has invested in digital printing assets such as the Inkjet Web Press to transform direct marketing, effectively bridge online and offline media, and help companies engage with their customers in a more meaningful way.”

The campaign in Popular Mechanics is HP’s first significant application for Inkjet Web Press magazine publishing. The HP Inkjet Web Press serves as a popular digital printing solution for the book publishing industry. Companies in the insurance, finance and other industries also use the technology for transactional statements, personalized direct mail and commercial printing applications.

HP digital printing systems – including HP Inkjet Web Presses, HP Indigo digital presses and HP Print Module inkjet imprinting solutions – enable magazine publishers to create high-response, data-driven marketing, including:

  • Customer- and channel-specific coupon promotions.
  • Integration of mobile offers with geo-coded content.
  • Integration of social strategies based on past ad responsiveness.
  • Inclusion of broader drive-to-web content extension programs.

These techniques can increase the value of print advertising and offer magazine publishers new ways to capitalize on their content and subscriber relationships.

More information about HP graphic arts technologies is available at www.hp.com/go/gsb, through the HP Graphic Arts YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/hpgraphicarts and through the HP Graphic Arts Twitter Feed at www.twitter.com/hpgraphicarts.

About Popular Mechanics

Popular Mechanics empowers readers to navigate the increasingly complex, technological world around us. The magazine, published monthly by Hearst Magazines, inspires, instructs and influences 9 million curious readers. Their mindset – the hunger to know, the desire to investigate and learn – drives them to explore, experiment and experience a wide range of interests. Issues engage readers with breakthroughs in the latest innovations in science and technology; educates with informative “how-to” stories on automotive, the home and digital technology; and motivates action with product reviews and comparison tests of the newest equipment and products. Popular Mechanics is also the No. 1-ranked men’s monthly magazine when it comes to reaching an environmentally conscious audience. The brand is a 21st-century must-read, with a robust website (popularmechanics.com) and an award-winning tablet edition.

About Hearst Magazines

Hearst Magazines is a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com), one of the nation’s largest diversified communications companies. Hearst Magazines is the largest publisher of monthly magazines in the United States (ABC 2011), reaching 87 million adults (Spring 2011 MRI) with its 20 titles. In addition, the company publishes more than 300 editions around the world. Hearst Magazines Digital Media, dedicated to creating and implementing Hearst Magazines’ digital strategy, has more than 28 websites and 14 mobile sites for brands such as Cosmopolitan, ELLE, ELLE DECOR, Esquire, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire and Seventeen, as well as digital-only sites such as Delish.com, a food site in partnership with MSN; MisQuinceMag.com; and RealBeauty.com. Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 applications and digital editions for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the Droid platform. In addition, the company includes iCrossing, a global digital marketing agency.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

EMC Announces New Imaging Cloud Toolkit for Developers

EMC Announces New Imaging Cloud Toolkit for Developers

EMC is pleased to announce the release of the Captiva Cloud Toolkit, a cloud scanning and imaging software developer kit (SDK) that enables developers to build scanning into the next generation of cloud-based business application. You can download the new toolkit today for free and begin developing your scanning application.

Captiva Cloud Toolkit is the future of scan-enabling web-based business applications and is the imaging developer toolkit to support scanning within Web-based cloud applications without requiring an ActiveX or Java plug-in.

Captiva Cloud Toolkit is ideal for document capture vendors, commercial software developers, and enterprises that want to scan-enable their web-based applications to complement their business solution offerings.

Next technology wave – cloud capture

It should come as no surprise the way applications are being delivered to both consumers and businesses is transforming rapidly. No longer are software developers building applications that require software to be downloaded and installed onto a desktop or server. Integrated software vendors (ISV), partners, and even enterprise businesses are developing or already have built Web-based applications that can be quickly deployed or delivered. These business applications can be deployed and managed on-premise, or delivered as cloud services.

The Captiva Cloud Toolkit combines a web service with a scanner-level toolkit to enable full access to document scanner features using the power of Captiva ISIS. It also provides connectivity to TWAIN-based devices.

With Captiva Cloud Toolkit, developers can quickly create a working, scan-enabled, web-based business application—shortening time to market and greatly reducing development, testing, and support costs. This results in a quick return on investment and accelerates the ability to compete in an increasingly competitive distributed document-capture market.

Cloud toolkit delivers a rich set of development capabilities

Captiva Cloud Toolkit delivers a strong set of capabilities, most notably the ability to incorporate scanning into Web-based business applications without requiring a plug-in of any kind, including ActiveX. This is a big step forward in what has sometimes been a roadblock to deploying document scanning across a large enterprise organization given the IT security and support issue concerns around the use of plug-ins. With the new Captiva Cloud Toolkit, Web-enabled scan applications can be developed and delivered without requiring a plug-in.

Developers can also be rest assured the new cloud toolkit works with widely popular web browser platforms, including Windows Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and Google Chrome. Similarly, it works with web development platforms such as Microsoft Silverlight, JavaScript, HTML5 and Adobe Flash. This allows for quick integration with existing corporate web browser technologies and development environments used by the enterprise.

By eliminating technology limitations of the past and leveraging established web standards, the Captiva Cloud Toolkit delivers better solutions with fewer restrictions to the user experience.

Getting started

Now is the time to check out the new toolkit. There is a free evaluation version available that can be downloaded here. Visit the ISIS Document Imaging Community on the EMC Community Network (ECN) to get more information, follow discussions, and share information.

We’re excited about the future of building scanning into the next generation of cloud-based business application. We look forward to seeing the many applications that leverage this new technology.

VMware Expands its View™, Brings Windows Virtual Desktops to Kindle Fire, Mac and Linux

VMware Expands its View™, Brings Windows Virtual Desktops to Kindle Fire, Mac and Linux
 
New VMware View™ Clients Empower More Agile, Productive and Connected Employees and Students with Access to Their Windows Virtual Desktops
 

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Dec. 19, 2011 — VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced new VMware View™ Clients for Kindle Fire, Mac and Linux, along with updates to its popular VMware View Clients for Android and iPad. Offered as technology previews, the new VMware View Clients for Mac and Linux enable IT organizations to empower more agile, productive and connected workforce or school communities by providing an easy-to-access, high-fidelity desktop virtualization experience optimized for the device of their choice.

“More and more people want the freedom to choose the device that best fits their computing needs in school and into the workplace,” said Pat Lee, director, end user clients, VMware. “With the new VMware View™ Clients, both IT and end users win with a complete, secure and easily accessible virtual desktop on the devices that best meet their needs.”

Supporting Device Diversity
Although the proliferation of new devices is prevalent across all industries today, the education sector is at the forefront of this trend with labs supporting both Mac and Windows desktops as well as students bringing in their own tablets, laptops and PCs that are based on OS X, Windows and other platforms.  The introduction of the new VMware View Clients for Mac and Linux will enable campus IT organizations to better support these end users and help ensure that students have readily available access to their applications and a consistent learning experience across devices.

“Fifty-one per cent of our faculty computers are Macs and just over 29 per cent of our student population uses Macs,” said Steve Swartz, chief information officer and AVP of Technology at Fitchburg State University. “Having a Mac client running VMware View™ with PCoIP® is critical to our ability to extend VDI to these users.”

 

“We're very excited about this release,” added Dale A. Starr, junior associate director, Technology Support & Service, Isenberg School of Management at University of Massachusetts – Amherst.We've recently started deploying Mac computers in a managed configuration. One of the sticking points that users are commonly running into is software that only runs on Windows. It will be a great benefit to have the PCoIP client for Mac.”

 

VMware View – Simplifying Today’s Desktop
VMware View is a complete, virtual desktop solution that enables enterprises to improve security and lower operating costs, while simplifying desktop administration and management by establishing a modern, end-user computing architecture. The result is a more flexible, centrally hosted computing model that provides IT with greater control and end users with freedom to access to their desktop across the broadest set of devices.

The new VMware View Clients deliver:

  • Rich Desktop Experience with PCoIP – The new VMware View clients for Mac and Linux bring users the rich desktop VMware View experience to Mac and Linux users. VMware View Clients with PCoIP provide end users with top performance regardless of network conditions.
  • Optimized for Mac OS X Lion – Designed from the ground up for the Mac and with support for Lion Full Screen mode, Mac users can seamless switch between their Mac apps and their VMware View virtual desktop with a swipe on the trackpad.
  • Simple Connectivity – The VMware View clients for Mac and Linux are tightly integrated with VMware View 4.6 and 5 for simple setup and connectivity. Quickly reconnect to your desktop in a few simple steps.
  • Available in Ubuntu Software Center – VMware View client for Linux will be available in the Ubuntu Software Center in the coming weeks, making it easy for desktop Linux users to install the VMware View Client and access their virtual desktops.  
  • Available soon in Amazon Appstore for Android for the Amazon Kindle Fire – VMware View Client for Android will soon be available in the Amazon Appstore for Android, making it easy for Amazon Kindle Fire users to install the VMware View client and access their virtual desktops.  

For additional details on VMware View Client for Mac Tech Preview, go to www.vmware.com/go/macviewclient or for additional details on VMware View Client for Linux Tech Preview, go to www.vmware.com/go/linuxviewclient.

Additional Resources

About VMware

VMware delivers virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. With 2010 revenues of US$2.9 billion, VMware has more than 300,000 customers and 25,000 partners, The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com. VMware Canada is headquartered in Burlington, Ontario, and can be found online at www.vmware.ca.

 

-30-

 

VMware and VMware View are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

 

 

For more information please contact:

Cindy Watson / Claire McCorquodale

StrategicAmpersand Inc.

 

CIOs Reveal First-Quarter Hiring Plans


CIOs Reveal First-Quarter Hiring Plans


Robert Half Technology Survey Confidence High for Business Prospects & IT Investments

TORONTO, Dec. 19, 2011 /CNW/ - A net 8 per cent of CIOs plan to add IT staff in the first quarter of 2012, according to the just-released Robert Half Technology IT Hiring Index and Skills Report. In the latest survey, 10 per cent of chief information officers (CIOs) said they plan to expand their IT departments, and 2 per cent expect cutbacks. Eighty-seven per cent of CIOs say they anticipate no change in staff levels.

The IT Hiring Index and Skills Report is based on telephone interviews with more than 270 CIOs from companies across Canada with 100 or more employees. Executives are asked whether their companies plan to increase or decrease the number of full-time IT personnel on their staff during the coming quarter. The survey is conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Robert Half Technology, a leading provider of IT professionals on a project and full-time basis. Robert Half has been tracking IT hiring activity in Canada since 2000.

Key Findings ------------ - A net 8 per cent of executives plan to add professional-level staff, down 14 points from the last quarter's projections. - Network administration and desktop support professionals are in greatest demand, according to survey respondents. - Eight-eight per cent of CIOs are confident in their companies' growth prospects in the next three months, up two points from the last quarter. - More than three in five CIOs (64 per cent) said it's challenging to find skilled professionals today, up 15 points from the previous quarter. - Eighty-seven per cent of technology executives expressed confidence in their firms' first-quarter investment in IT projects, rating the possibility of IT investment a "3" or higher on a five-point scale, with "5" being most confident.

"As companies continue to implement new technologies, customer and end-user facing roles remain critical, as well as those that help firms maximize their efficiency," said Lara Dodo, a regional vice-president of Robert Half Technology in Canada. "There continues to be demand for help desk and desktop support professionals, as well as network administrators."

Confidence in Business Growth and IT Investments ------------------------------------------------

Eighty-eight per cent of CIOs reported being at least somewhat confident in their companies' prospects for growth in the first quarter of 2012; 71 per cent rated the probability of investing in IT projects a "4" or higher on a five-point scale, with "5" being the most confident.

Skills in Demand ----------------

The functional areas in which executives say they are experiencing the greatest challenge in finding skilled IT professionals are security (21 per cent) and applications development (17 per cent). Web development/web design, software development and networking followed, cited by 10 per cent, 9 per cent and 8 per cent of survey respondents, respectively.

Network administration remains the skill set in greatest demand, cited by 75 per cent of CIOs. Desktop support and Windows administration were next, with 71 per cent and 70 per cent of the response, respectively.

Industries Hiring -----------------

Executives in the construction industry expect the most IT hiring in the first quarter. A net 26 per cent of CIOs in this sector plan to expand their IT departments. This was followed by the retail industry, with a net 15 per cent of technology leaders anticipating hiring increases. The transportation sector was next, with a net 13 per cent of executives in these industries planning to add staff.

About the Survey ----------------

The quarterly IT Hiring Index and Skills Report was developed by Robert Half Technology and conducted by an independent research firm. First published in 2000, the study is based on more than 270 telephone interviews with CIOs from a random sample of Canadian companies with 100 or more employees. In order for the study to be statistically representative and ensure that companies from all segments were represented, the sample was stratified by industry and number of employees. The results were then weighted to reflect the proper number of employees within each region. The margin of error for this study is +/-5.0 per cent at the 90 per cent level of confidence.

Information from the study is featured in The Robert Half Professional Employment Report, which was launched last year and is the first study of its kind to monitor the hiring environment for professional-level positions exclusively. Based on more than 1,000 telephone interviews with executives throughout Canada, it provides insight on employment trends to help businesses and job seekers prepare for the upcoming quarter. To see how hiring within the technology profession has changed since last quarter and how it compares to other sectors, please visit www.roberthalf.ca/per.

About Robert Half Technology ----------------------------

With more than 100 locations worldwide, Robert Half Technology is a leading provider of technology professionals for initiatives ranging from web development and multiplatform systems integration to network security and technical support. Robert Half Technology offers online job search services at www.rht.com.

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

Research In Motion Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results

Research In Motion Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2012 Results

 

WATERLOO, ONTARIO, Dec 15, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- Research In Motion Limited (RIM) RIMM -11.17% CA:RIM -11.58% , a world leader in the mobile communications market, today reported third quarter results for the three months ended November 26, 2011 (all figures in U.S. dollars and U.S. GAAP, except where otherwise indicated).

Highlights:

-- Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 24% from last quarter -- BlackBerry smartphone shipments of 14.1 million, up 33% from Q2 -- GAAP net income of $265 million or $0.51 per share diluted; adjusted net income of $667 million or $1.27 per share diluted -- Subscribers up 35% year-over-year to almost 75 million -- Cash flow from operations of approximately $895 million -- Total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments of $1.5 billion

Q3 Results:

Revenue for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 was $5.2 billion, up 24% from $4.2 billion in the previous quarter and down 6% from $5.5 billion in the same quarter of last year. The revenue breakdown for the quarter was approximately 79% for hardware, 19% for service and 2% for software and other revenue. During the quarter, RIM shipped approximately 14.1 million BlackBerry smartphones and approximately 150,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets.

"Despite the challenges faced in the third quarter, the BlackBerry subscriber base grew to almost 75 million customers around the world. In addition, RIM launched a range of new BlackBerry 7 based smartphones globally and introduced holiday promotions that helped drive growth in the installed base of BlackBerry PlayBook users," said Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, Co-CEOs at Research In Motion. "RIM continues to have strong technology, unique service capabilities and a large installed base of customers, and we are more determined than ever to capitalize on our strengths to overcome the recent execution challenges surrounding product launches and the resulting financial performance. As part of our commitment to improving our performance to better meet the expectations of shareholders and customers, we continue to evaluate ways to improve in several areas of the Company's operations. It may take some time to realize the benefits of these efforts and the platform transition that we are undertaking, but we continue to believe that RIM has the right set of strengths and capabilities to maintain a leading role in the mobile communications industry."

The Company's GAAP net income for the quarter was $265 million, or $0.51 per share diluted, compared with GAAP net income of $329 million, or $0.63 per share diluted, in the prior quarter and GAAP net income of $911 million, or $1.74 per share diluted, in the same quarter last year. Adjusted net income for the third quarter was $667 million, or $1.27 per share diluted. Adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share exclude the impact of pre-tax charges of $54 million ($40 million after tax) to revenue related to the service interruption experienced in the third quarter, $485 million ($356 million after tax) for the PlayBook inventory provision taken in the third quarter and $7 million ($6 million after tax) for the Company's cost optimization program that was implemented in the second quarter of fiscal 2012. These charges and their related impacts on GAAP net income and diluted earnings per share are summarized in the table below.

Reconciliation of GAAP revenue and net income to adjusted revenue and net income (United States dollars, in millions except per share data) For the quarter ended November 26, 2011 ---------------------------------------- Revenue Net Income Diluted EPS (before (net of (net of taxes) income tax) income tax) ---------------------------------------- As reported $ 5,169 $ 265 $ 0.51 Adjustments: PlayBook Inventory Provision(1) - 356 0.68 Cost Optimization Program(2) - 6 0.01 Q3 Service Interruption(3) 54 40 0.07 ---------------------------------------- Adjusted $ 5,223 $ 667 $ 1.27 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------

Note: Adjusted revenue, adjusted net income and adjusted diluted earnings per share do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP and thus are not comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other issuers. The Company believes that the presentation of adjusted revenue, adjusted net income, and adjusted diluted earnings per share enables the Company and its shareholders to better assess RIM's operating results relative to its operating results in prior periods and improves the comparability of the information presented. Investors should consider these non-GAAP financial measures in the context of RIM's GAAP results.

(1) During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company recorded a pre-tax provision of approximately $485 million, $356 million after tax, related to its inventory valuation of BlackBerry PlayBook tablets. The charge was predominantly non-cash.

(2) Cost of sales, research and development, and selling, marketing and administration expenses included approximately $7 million in total pre-tax charges, $6 million after tax, during the third quarter of fiscal 2012 related to the cost optimization program to streamline operations across the Company. Included in the cost of sales, research and development, and selling, marketing and administration expenses for the third quarter of fiscal 2012 were approximately $1 million, $3 million, and $3 million, respectively, of pre-tax charges related to the cost optimization program.

(3) During the third quarter of fiscal 2012, the Company experienced a service interruption which resulted in the loss of service revenue and the payment of service credits in the quarter totalling approximately $54 million, $40 million after tax, related to the interruption in the availability of the Company's network.

The total of cash, cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments was $1.5 billion as at November 26, 2011, compared to $1.4 billion at the end of the previous quarter, an increase of $87 million from the prior quarter. Cash flow from operations was approximately $895 million and uses of cash included strategic purchases of intellectual property assets of approximately $375 million, and property, plant and equipment expenditures of approximately $205 million.

Q4 Outlook

Revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 ending March 3, 2012 is expected to be in the range of $4.6-$4.9 billion. Gross margin percentage for the fourth quarter is expected to be approximately 38%. BlackBerry smartphone shipments are expected to be between 11 million and 12 million units. Earnings per share for the fourth quarter is expected to be in the range of $0.80-$0.95.

Conference Call and Webcast

A conference call and live webcast will be held beginning at 5 pm ET, December 15, 2011, which can be accessed by dialing 1-800-814-4859 (North America), (+1)416-644-3415 (outside North America) or through your personal computer or BlackBerry(R) PlayBook(TM) tablet at www.rim.com/investors/events/index.shtml . A replay of the conference call will also be available at approximately 7 pm ET by dialing (+1)416-640-1917 and entering passcode 4466493#. A replay of the webcast will be available on your personal computer or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet by clicking the link above. This replay will be available until midnight ET, December 29, 2011.

About Research In Motion

Research In Motion (RIM), a global leader in wireless innovation, revolutionized the mobile industry with the introduction of the BlackBerry(R) solution in 1999. Today, BlackBerry products and services are used by millions of customers around the world to stay connected to the people and content that matter most throughout their day. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, RIM operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. RIM is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market RIMM -11.17% and the Toronto Stock Exchange CA:RIM -11.58% . For more information, visit www.rim.com or www.blackberry.com .

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws, including: statements relating to RIM's revenue, gross margin, shipments and earnings expectations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012; its plans and expectations relating to the Company's performance and its expectations regarding its ability to deliver on its commitments and successfully execute the Company's platform transition in a timely manner; RIM's evaluation of ways to improve the Company's performance; and the anticipated benefits of the Company's efforts. The terms and phrases "continues", "capitalize", "overcome", "commitment", "improving", "meet", "may", "realize", "transition", "undertaking", "believe", "maintain", "expected" and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by RIM in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that RIM believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to general economic conditions, product pricing levels and competitive intensity, supply constraints, new product introductions, RIM's expectations regarding its business, strategy and prospects, and RIM's confidence in the cash flow generation of its business.

Many factors could cause RIM's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks relating to RIM's intellectual property rights; RIM's ability to enhance current products and develop new products and services; risks related to delays in new product introductions, including the Company's next generation of QNX-based smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 software; risks related to intense competition, including RIM's ability to compete in the tablet market; RIM's ability to manage inventory and asset risk, including its ability to manage BlackBerry PlayBook tablet sell-through programs; RIM's ability to realize the anticipated benefits of its previously-announced cost optimization program; risks relating to network disruptions and other business interruptions, including costs, potential liabilities, lost revenue and reputational damage associated with service disruptions; RIM's reliance on carrier partners, third-party manufacturers, third-party network developers and suppliers; security risks and risks related to the collection, storage, transmission, use and disclosure of user and personal information; RIM's ability to maintain and enhance its brand; RIM's reliance on key personnel; risks related to third party manufacturers and RIM's ability to manage its production processes; risks related to RIM's international operations; risks related to encryption technology; potential defects in RIM's products; RIM's ability to manage growth; potential charges relating to the impairment of goodwill or other intangible assets recorded on RIM's balance sheet; and difficulties in forecasting RIM's financial results, particularly over longer periods given the rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, intense competition and short product life cycles that characterize the wireless communications industry. These risk factors and others relating to RIM are discussed in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of RIM's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F and the "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" section of RIM's MD&A (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov ). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on RIM's forward-looking statements. RIM has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

The BlackBerry and RIM families of related marks, images and symbols are the exclusive properties and trademarks of Research In Motion Limited. RIM, Research In Motion and BlackBerry are registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and may be pending or registered in other countries. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Research In Motion Limited Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario (United States dollars, in millions except share and per share amounts) (unaudited) Consolidated Statements of Operations Three months ended Nine months ended -------------------------------------- -------------------------- November 26, August 27, November 27, November 26, November 27, 2011 2011 2010 2011 2010 ------------------------------------------------- -------------------------- Revenue $ 5,169 $ 4,168 $ 5,495 $ 14,245 $ 14,351 Cost of sales (includes BlackBerry PlayBook inventory adjustment of $485 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2012) 3,759 2,556 3,101 9,067 7,979 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Gross margin 1,410 1,612 2,394 5,178 6,372 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Gross margin % 27.3% 38.7% 43.6% 36.3% 44.4% Operating expenses Research and developme nt 369 381 357 1,173 968 Selling, marketing and administr ation 567 683 666 1,954 1,695 Amortizati on 146 141 115 419 313 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- 1,082 1,205 1,138 3,546 2,976 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Income from operations 328 407 1,256 1,632 3,396 Investment income (loss), net 2 7 (11) 16 5 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Income before income taxes 330 414 1,245 1,648 3,401 Provision for income taxes 65 85 334 359 924 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Net income $ 265 $ 329 $ 911 $ 1,289 $ 2,477 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Earnings per share Basic $ 0.51 $ 0.63 $ 1.74 $ 2.46 $ 4.58 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Diluted $ 0.51 $ 0.63 $ 1.74 $ 2.46 $ 4.56 -------------------------------------- -------------------------- -------------------------------------- -------------------------- Weighted- average number of common shares outstandin g (000's) Basic 524,139 524,116 522,436 524,079 540,394 Diluted 524,139 524,166 524,406 524,279 543,024 Total common shares outstandin g (000's) 524,160 524,120 521,776 524,160 521,776 Research In Motion Limited Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario (United States dollars, in millions except per share data) (unaudited) Consolidated Balance Sheets November 26, February 26, As at 2011 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assets Current Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,123 $ 1,791 Short-term investments 184 330 Accounts receivable, net 3,929 3,955 Other receivables 339 324 Inventories 868 618 Other current assets 574 241 Deferred income tax asset 185 229 -------------------------- 7,202 7,488 Long-term investments 195 577 Property, plant and equipment, net 2,730 2,504 Goodwill 659 508 Intangible assets, net 2,472 1,798 Other assets 779 - -------------------------- $ 14,037 $ 12,875 -------------------------- -------------------------- Liabilities Current Accounts payable $ 975 $ 832 Accrued liabilities 2,394 2,511 Income taxes payable - 179 Deferred revenue 195 108 -------------------------- 3,564 3,630 Deferred income tax liability 262 276 Income taxes payable 14 31 -------------------------- 3,840 3,937 -------------------------- Shareholders' Equity Capital stock and additional paid-in capital 2,416 2,359 Treasury stock (297) (160) Retained earnings 8,038 6,749 Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 40 (10) -------------------------- 10,197 8,938 -------------------------- $ 14,037 $ 12,875 -------------------------- -------------------------- Research In Motion Limited Incorporated under the Laws of Ontario (United States dollars, in millions except per share data) (unaudited) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows Nine months ended ---------------------------------------- November 26, 2011 November 27, 2010 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash flows from operating activities Net income $ 1,289 $ 2,477 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: Amortization 1,134 616 Deferred income taxes 5 24 Income taxes payable (17) 1 Stock-based compensation 63 52 Other 17 23 Net changes in working capital items (629) (189) ---------------------------------------- Net cash provided by operating activities 1,862 3,004 ---------------------------------------- Cash flows from investing activities Acquisition of long-term investments (166) (699) Proceeds on sale or maturity of long-term investments 366 698 Acquisition of property, plant and equipment (713) (735) Acquisition of intangible assets (1,178) (192) Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired (226) (333) Acquisition of other assets (779) - Acquisition of short-term investments (137) (410) Proceeds on sale or maturity of short-term investments 462 677 ---------------------------------------- Net cash used in investing activities (2,371) (994) ---------------------------------------- Cash flows from financing activities Issuance of common shares 9 17 Tax deficiencies related to stock- based compensation (2) - Purchase of treasury stock (150) (60) Common shares repurchased - (2,077) ---------------------------------------- Net cash used in financing activities (143) (2,120) ---------------------------------------- Effect of foreign exchange loss on cash and cash equivalents (16) (6) ---------------------------------------- Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents for the period (668) (116) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 1,791 1,551 ---------------------------------------- Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 1,123 $ 1,435 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- As at November 26, 2011 August 27, 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,123 $ 851 Short-term investments 184 298 Long-term investments 195 266 ---------------------------------------- $ 1,502 $ 1,415 ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Contacts: Media Contact: Marisa Conway Brodeur (PR Agency for RIM) (646) 746-5606 mconway@brodeur.com Investor Contact: RIM Investor Relations (519) 888-7465 investor_relations@rim.com

SOURCE: Research In Motion

mailto:mconway@brodeur.com mailto:investor_relations@rim.com

Cirrus Tech Enhances Its Virtual Private Server Hosting Offering

Cirrus Tech Enhances Its Virtual Private Server Hosting Offering

Canadian Web Hosting Company Makes Improvements to its VPS Hosting Services.

Toronto, Canada, December 17, 2011 --(PR.com)-- Cirrus Tech Ltd., a Toronto web hosting company specializing in virtual private server and virtual machine hosting, announces the improvement of its VPS hosting services. The enhancements include a private cloud environment for all VPS hosting packages, increased SaaS options and an expansion of support options for businesses needing assistance with specific technology solutions. This is in addition to Cirrus’ VPS hosting already offering customers instant provisioning, hardware independence, better management options, and pay for what you use scalability.

With VPS hosting based on a private cloud, Cirrus customers now enjoy a wider range of OS options and Virtual Private Servers that offer the reliability that businesses need, paired with the flexibility that allows them to keep up with the fast paced nature of technology developments. SaaS and mobile application providers know that Cirrus can keep up with their robust and often changing needs. Cirrus cloud storage is based on RAID 6 and 10, and is synced onto failover storage units, providing HA cloud storage to hypervisors as well as Vituozzo cores.

“At Cirrus, we’re always on a mission to bring the best of technology to Canadian web hosting,” shares Cirrus CEO Ehsan Mirdamadi. “We knew that our customers wanted and needed a redundant, scalable, high performance cloud storage environment. So that’s exactly what we designed.”

In addition to the Virtual Private Server hosting cloud environment, Cirrus has also supplemented its SaaS offerings, adding debian 6, UbuThisntu 11.04 and centos6 along with the latest version of Parallels Plesk (10.4) to their wealth of applications, including Wordpress, Joomla and osCommerce among others. Cirrus has also added support for Red Hat Linux Enterprise 6 and Vituozzo 4.7 with vSwap feature, in addition to their already robust 24/7/365 technical support for any of their VPS and web hosting offerings.

To find out more about Cirrus’ VPS, VM and other web hosting services, visit them at www.cirrushosting.com or call 1.877.624.7787 Opt. 3

About Cirrus Hosting

Cirrus Tech Ltd. has been a leader in providing affordable, dependable VHS and VPS hosting services in Canada since 1999. They have hosted and supported hundreds of thousands of websites and applications for Canadian businesses and clients around the world. As a BBB member with an A+ rating, Cirrus Hosting is a top-notch Canadian web hosting company with professional support, rigorous reliability and easily upgradable VPS solutions that grow right alongside your business.

RIM’s burning platform moment

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/12/16/rims-burning-platform-moment/

via Financial Post | Business » FP Tech Desk by Matt Hartley on 12/16/11

As he surveyed the chaos swirling around him, the Canadian smartphone executive could see his company was in dire straits, and that nothing short of a radical shift in strategy could save the once formidable global technology giant.

He could see that his company was suffering from crippling product delays, that its software had become staid and outdated, while its marketing and branding efforts were falling on the deaf ears of an indifferent public. Despite a strong presence in international markets, his company was becoming an afterthought in North America.

After much consideration, he concluded that his company’s only hope was to abandon its long-held strategy, to acknowledge its shortcomings and embark on a radical new strategy. He ditched the company’s sputtering software business. He put teams to work developing new devices and he cut a billion-dollar software deal with one of the most powerful technology companies on the planet.

Unfortunately for the shareholders of Research In Motion Ltd., the Canadian smartphone executive’s name was not Jim Balsillie or Mike Lazaridis. It was Stephen Elop, the Hamilton-born chief executive of Finnish mobile giant Nokia Corp.

It was back in Feburary, just five months after arriving from Microsoft Corp., that Mr. Elop penned his now famous “burning platform” memo, outlining the troubles that were plaguing Nokia and explaining why the company needed to drastically rethink its strategy if it wanted to survive.

Today, RIM is facing its own burning platform moment, and its co-chief executives are facing a similar decision of whether to stay the course and fight the flames or abandon their plan and take the plunge into the unknown.

On Thursday, RIM revealed that the company’s long awaited transition to a new version of its operating system would be delayed and that the next generation of its BlackBerry smartphones won’t be available until late next year, at best.

RIM had initially promised that the first BlackBerry devices to be powered by BB 10 — a new operating system built on the QNX software that powers the company’s PlayBook tablet — would be available in early 2012.
“We see a high risk that this is too late to turn around RIM’s position and believe the risk of further delays is meaningful,” Nomura analyst Stuart Jeffrey said in a research note.

“Even in the best case, however, it seems unlikely RIM will have large volumes of its BB 10 devices on sale within 15 months.”

It was a devastating admission for a company which has found itself stuck in a tailspin throughout most of 2011, a year which saw repeated delays of new hardware and software updates, the disastrous launch of the PlayBook tablet, declining U.S. market share and the largest round of layoffs in the company’s history.

“This could be game over for the BlackBerry franchise,” analysts at National Bank Financial wrote in a note to clients on Friday, as investors sent shares of RIM down more than 11%.

As RIM’s fortunes fell and its strategy stalled over the past two years, RIM’s co-chief executive tandem was criticized first for refusing to acknowledge the company was in trouble, then for assuring investors that brighter days were just around the corner.

On Thursday, Mr. Balsillie offered similar sentiments: “We continue to believe that our transition will better position us to deliver enhanced value to shareholders and enhance our leading position in the mobile communications space.”

Unfortunately for Mr. Balsillie and Mr. Lazaridis, it appears most of the company’s longtime shareholders have grown tired of the company’s “just stay tuned” mantra and simply lost the faith. Some of them are angling to push RIM’s leadership power couple off a platform themselves.

Ever since RIM acquired the QNX platform in April of 2010, the company has been pushing forward on its long-awaited transition. It isn’t working out quite as well as RIM had hoped.

The first RIM device to run on QNX, the PlayBook, launched with missing features and buggy software. A massive update to the software — dubbed PlayBook 2.0 — was supposed to launch this year, but has been pushed back to February. RIM still hasn’t launched a PlayBook tablet that can access cellular networks, despite promises to debut several before the end of 2011.

Now RIM has revealed that it will take longer than expected to transition the BlackBerry fleet to the QNX-based BB 10, raising the possibility that RIM’s “leapfrog” of other software platforms is already out of date.

Ten months after Mr. Elop took the plunge at Nokia, it’s still too early to tell if he has saved his company. It might have been too late to reverse the phone giant’s long term fortunes even before he arrived.  But if nothing else, he recognized that simply staying the course wouldn’t be enough to ensure survival.

As his famous memo goes, instead of condemning his company to certain death atop a burning platform, he chose to push the firm over the edge, into the icy, unknown waters below, where it could swim for its life.

Nokia realized that its own software was out of date and would never catch up. It abandoned its Symbian platform — which the company had spent years developing — in favour of Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 software.

Perhaps RIM needs to consider abandoning its hopes of developing its own software. It’s tough to argue that the company should continue to spend hundreds of millions of dollars developing BB 10 when it could transition to a wildly popular, free platform like Android.

Nokia was able to transition to Windows Phone 7 and launch a handset within 10 months. How long would it take RIM, working alongside Google, to customize Android with its own e-mail, BlackBerry Messenger, security and encryption technology?

Android might not be the answer. But it’s looking increasingly likely that BB 10 won’t prove to be RIM’s saviour either.

It should be noted that drastic change only arrived at Nokia following the ouster of its chief executive Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo and the arrival of Mr. Elop from Microsoft. While it’s still too early to know if Mr. Elop’s bold moves will salvage Nokia, even naysayers now acknowledge sticking with Symbian would have been an unmitigated disaster.

For the outsider, it was an easy call, but often founders and entrepreneurs fall in love with their entrenched strategy. When such bunker mentalities take root, sometimes only a change in leadership can pave the way for a change in strategy.

RIM is still a profitable company with tremendous potential. On Thursday, the company reported nearly US$5.2-billion in revenue, with a profit of US$265-million and finishing the quarter with about $1.5-billion of cash on the books.

RIM sold 14.1 million BlackBerrys in three months, growing its global user base to 75 million around the world. Such numbers do not paint a portrait of a hopeless firm, twisting listlessly in the wind.

But its profit is evaporating and its stock has fallen so far that the company that was once the most valuable in Canada, now isn’t even in the top fifty. Time is running out for Mr. Balsillie and Mr. Lazaridis. If RIM’s leadership isn’t willing to make a change, activist investors may force the board to bring in someone who will.

RIM, your platform is burning.


Data Centers Canada Expands Toronto North Facility

Server Colocation Provider - Data Centers Canada Expands Toronto North Facility - 20,000 SqFt

Vaughan, Ontario Canada - December 12, 2011 - Data Centers Canada a data center provider which operates, develops and manages Canadian real estate for the purpose of providing turn-key data center solutions including colocation and disaster recovery solutions for enterprises, today announced that is has begun construction on expanding its Toronto North Data Center Facility.

The Toronto North Facility which is located in the Greater Toronto Area in the City of Vaughan, will be expanded to approximately 20,000 square feet with its Phase 4 POD expansion.

'We continue to invest in the expansion of our facilities.', commented Tony Di Benedetto, Managing Partner at Data Centers Canada. 'Our Toronto North Facility has grown substantially over the past year and we continue our focus on building quality wholesale colocation space in the Canadian geography'.

The Phase 4 POD environment includes a mixture of private cabinet and cage environments and can accommodate up to 300 watts per square foot power density. All major Canadian network providers are available on-premise at the Facility. Three Managed-Meet-Me-Rooms within the Facility provide access to Canadian and global fiber networks. Tenants also have access to Data Centers Canada multi-homed BGP platform which encompasses a mixture of global networks and peers.

The Facility expansion will utilize a combination of high efficiency and green data center power and cooling technologies. Data Centers Canada is focused on its green data center program in collaboration with PowerStream the second largest municipally-owned electricity distribution company in Ontario. Green technologies such as; free air cooling and air containment / air distribution systems will be built into the data center environment.

It is anticipated that the Phase 4 POD construction will be completed by March 2012.

For additional information, reserve space or schedule a tour, please;

visit: http://www.datacenterscanada.com
e-mail: sales@datacenterscanada.com
call: 1-888-591-4778

About Data Centers Canada (DCC)
Data Centers Canada Inc, operates, develops and manages Canadian real estate for the purpose of providing turn-key data center solutions including colocation and disaster recovery solutions for enterprises who seek to cost effectively expand their data center capacity or outsource existing data center operations.

Data Centers Canada currently operates two facilities in the Greater Toronto Area including its recently expanded Toronto North Facility located in the City of Vaughan, Ontario Canada.
For more information please visit; http://www.datacenterscanada.com