Connecting With Technology: Microsoft Survey Finds Technology Is Bringing Families Together

News Press Release
Connecting With Technology: Microsoft Survey Finds Technology Is Bringing Families Together
Alex Guarnaschelli, Food Network personality and executive chef of Butter and The Darby, shares her tips for using technology to enjoy holidays and connect with family and friends.

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 16, 2011 — American families have experienced a deluge of technology in the home over the past decade, and much has been made about how screen time is impacting family time. However, according to a new survey commissioned by Microsoft Corp., parents say that technology is playing a positive role in their family relationships. The survey, conducted by Impulse Research, found that 64 percent of U.S. parents aged 22 to 40 who were surveyed report that technology helps bring their family closer together. Relying on technology to stay connected is even more apparent among younger parents (aged 22 to 30), with 74 percent reporting the same.


Executive chef and mother Alex Guarnaschelli talks about the way Microsoft Office OneNote helps her stay organized everywhere she goes

PCs have gone from productivity machines, hidden in the home office, to entertainment centers that help create family moments, with most parents (43 percent) saying a PC or tablet is the main technology device they use at home with their family. More than half, or 51 percent, of parents say their children are helping them be technologically savvy in finding ways to stay connected as a family.

But just how do you take advantage of all technology has to offer and help ensure screens don’t become a barrier to connecting? Alex Guarnaschelli, chef, Food Network personality and busy mother, shares how she uses Microsoft technology to help her during the holidays and connect with her friends and family.

Windows Phone 7.5's intelligent multitasking makes it possible to run multiple apps at once, so customers can pause an application to check email and then go back to the application where they left it.
Windows Phone 7.5's intelligent multitasking makes it possible to run multiple apps at once, so customers can pause an application to check email and then go back to the application where they left it.
Click for larger version

Lean on your smartphone. Use a smartphone, such as the Windows Phone, to remember your appointments, tasks and holiday to-do items. “My phone is like an alarm clock — I set reminders to alert me if I need to make a phone call or run an errand,” Guarnaschelli said. “If an alarm isn’t going off, I feel relaxed and safe knowing I’m not forgetting something. When I’m home with my daughter, I want to be really present for her, and technology liberates me to focus on her.”

Leave shopping to the experts. Are you clueless as to what to wear to your holiday party or what gift to purchase for your picky niece? Utilize the Bing Shopping guides to shop handpicked gift ideas for everyone on your list, deck the halls with festive decorations and get fashion advice on what to wear for a holiday party.

Host holiday meals stress-free. Are you hosting a big holiday meal or party this season? Keep track of favorite holiday recipes through online notebooks such as Microsoft OneNote, a handy resource that comes with Office 2010 and can be used for organization, as well as meal planning and keeping track of ingredients. Guarnaschelli uses OneNote Web App on her smartphone to have shopping lists at her fingertips. “If I think of a recipe I want to add to that week’s menu while I’m on the subway, or I’m in the kitchen and notice we’re low on ingredients, I just grab my Windows Phone and update my list,” she said. You can even share your documents with family and friends, whether or not they have Microsoft Office, by saving them online using free Office Web Apps.

Get active as a family. Combat constant indulging and stay active during the season by adding active entertainment to family holiday traditions. With Kinect for Xbox 360, you can stay active without worrying about what the weather outside holds. Play football, ski and dance away holiday baked goods while finding new activities to connect with your family, friends or inevitable houseguests.

Stay active with your family by playing Kinect Sports Season Two, the sequel to last year's No. 1 Kinect hit.
Stay active with your family by playing Kinect Sports Season Two, the sequel to last year's No. 1 Kinect hit.
Click for larger version

“As a society, we’re in a moment of major gadget lust and overwhelming choice. We think we have an opportunity to help people understand how they can get the most out of their technology,” said David Webster, general manager, Brand & Marketing Strategy for the Corporate Marketing Group, Microsoft. “This holiday, we hope to show families that staying connected and spending time together is made easier with an array of Microsoft products including Windows-based PCs, Windows Phones, Xbox and Office.”

More information on how to maximize the holidays with your family with the help of technology can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/family.

Use Bing's Shopping guides to shop handpicked gift ideas for everyone on your list, deck the halls with festive decorations, and get fashion advice on what to wear for a holiday party.
Use Bing's Shopping guides to shop handpicked gift ideas for everyone on your list, deck the halls with festive decorations, and get fashion advice on what to wear for a holiday party.
Click for larger version

About the Survey

The survey was conducted online with a random sample of 1,008 parents aged 22 to 40, all members of the Impulse Research proprietary online panel. The panel closely matches U.S. population demographics, and the respondents are representative of American parents aged 22 to 40. Research was conducted in October 2011. The overall sampling error rate for this survey is +/-3 percent at the 95 percent rate of confidence.

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

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

CATA: Canadian Law Enforcement Data Exchange Forum


Canadian Law Enforcement Data Exchange Forum

Join this industry consultation on public safety data interoperability standards development


November 15, 2011
OTTAWA - In partnership with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and Public Safety Canada, CATAAlliance is pleased to host a Canadian Law Enforcement Data Exchange Forum on the implementation of the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) following CITIG's Fifth Canadian Public Safety Interoperability Forum.

Join NIEM's Canadian Team, including: Chief Superintendent Robert Morrison, Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Staff Sergeant Steven K. Young, Edmonton Police Service; Shawn Rehill, Enterprise Architect, Edmonton Police Service; Jay K. Shah, Technical Advisor Interoperability and Enterprise Architecture, Public Safety Canada; and Michel Savoie, Systems Integrations Manager NHQ - Biometrics Project Office, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, among others, to offer input and feedback into these early stages of standards development.

Canadian vendors, developers and implementers, as well as law enforcement stakeholders, are invited to participate in this interactive Forum on Canadian Law Enforcement Data Exchange at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier in Ottawa from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Friday, December 8th. Please register using the link below as soon as possible as seats are limited.
http://www.cata.ca/Media_and_Events/data-exchange-forum.html

Background

Within law enforcement, information is constantly used to make decisions in real time. Just as crime and suspects are not bound by jurisdictional lines, neither should the information required to deal with it. Analysts and investigators must work in collaboration and have access to information for analysis.

"The current approach for information sharing is single point to point integrations. It is time-consuming, inefficient and costly," says Steve Young, Staff Sergeant, Edmonton Police Service. "The process needs to evolve into a system with true interoperability and 'plug & play' data sharing."

NIEM is the foundational language for the evolution of information exchange in Canada. The Canadian government has adopted the NIEM standard to enable the evolution towards data interoperability. Law enforcement agencies within Canada are now taking the next step by developing a standard exchange to enable dispatch systems, records management systems, and national law enforcement information repositories to be interoperable both nationally and internationally.

Initiated and guided by Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) Informatics, the development and management of the Standard is now an RCMP-led partnership to develop and implement a Canadian data exchange standard.

The following principles are serving to guide the standard development:

  • Modeling the required exchanges based upon existing computer aided dispatch (CAD) & record management systems (RMS) within Canada, as well as the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) and the Police Information Portal (PIP).
  • Aligning with existing American interoperable exchanges by aligning with existing exchanges such as N-DEX (FBI) and Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR).
  • Aligning with other non-American interoperable exchanges (e.g. Europol) for a consistent and international solution.
  • Ensuring the evolution of our exchange with the NIEM standard, by aligning our efforts with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and participating in the NIEM governance body.

NIEM's Canadian Team and representatives from CPIC will also be participating in this important session.

Objectives of the forum are to provide updates on the strategy and progress, obtain feedback on the standard development approach and map timelines.

The forum will:

  • Review NIEM and other foundational pieces (e.g. LEXS)
  • Provide feedback on the proposed exchange messages
  • Review the proposed compliance to the Canadian Law Enforcement Information Exchange

++ Action item:

Please RSVP on-line at:
http://www.cata.ca/Media_and_Events/data-exchange-forum.html

*Please note that there is a small fee of $50 (plus HST) for CATA members and $75 (plus HST) for non-members to attend. This fee includes a networking lunch.


IT PROFESSIONALS PREDICT WATSON TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION INDUSTRY

IT PROFESSIONALS PREDICT WATSON TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSFORM EDUCATION INDUSTRY

Demand for Analytics, Mobile, Cloud and Open Source Skills to Increase

Armonk, NY - November 15, 2011:  massive amounts Developers around the world believe IBM (NYSE: IBM) Watson’s sophisticated analytics capabilities will transform industries that are managing massive amounts of data, according to the 2011 IBM Tech Trends Report released today. Survey respondents selected education and healthcare as the areas that could benefit the most, with financial services, life sciences and government also ranking near the top.

 

The 2011 Tech Trends Report surveyed more than 4,000 Information Technology (IT) professionals from 93 countries and 25 industries who provided their views on future IT trends. The results also show a growing need for technical skills in the areas of business analytics, social business, mobile computing, open source technologies and cloud computing.  Read the report at: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/techtrendsreport, share your opinions at #TechTrends and see what IBM experts are saying about the findings at:www.youtube.com/IBMEcosystem

 

According to the report, business analytics software is the most widely used technology of those surveyed. In fact, business analytics software is being incorporated in almost every business process within organizations. The majority of respondents believe that business analytics will continue to be in demand for software development. The report also outlines the growing importance of open source platforms such as Apache Hadoop and Linux for business analytics software developers.

Description: Business Analytics Skills

2011 Tech Trend survey respondents were asked which skills they needed to develop and/or deploy business analytics solutions.

The report provides IT and business professionals a roadmap of the technologies and skills that will be in greatest demand in the coming years. Key findings in the 2011 IBM Tech Trends Report include:

·         Eighty-seven percent of respondents believe open source and open standard technologies will play a key role in the future of application development.

·         During the next two years more than 75 percent of organizations will engage in cloud computing.

·         Fifty-one percent of respondents cited the adoption of cloud technologies as part of their mobile strategy.

·         Regional cultural differences impact social business adoption. India is strongly embracing social business with a 57 percent adoption rate, followed by the US with a 45 percent adoption rate and China with a 44 percent adoption rate. Russia shows the strongest resistance with a 19 percent adoption rate. 

“The results are clear. Mobile computing, cloud computing, social business and business analytics have gone beyond niche status and are now part of any modern organization's core IT focus,” said Jim Corgel, general manager ISV and Developer Relations, IBM. “IT professionals who can develop the skills needed to work across these technologies will be ready to meet growing business demand in the coming years.”

 

IBM developerWorks, the company’s online community for IT professionals is the industry's largest and most visited global site for them to gain technology skills. More than eight million IT professionals have visited the community to gain no-cost access to software tools and code, IT standards and best practices across various industries. Visitors also tap skills training in open technologies, business analytics, cloud computing and mobile computing, among others. In addition, IBM Business Partners and entrepreneurs can access advanced training and resources at IBM’s network of 40 Innovation Centers around the world to further build their skills.

 

The complete IBM 2011 Tech Trends Report and the data gathered as part of the survey are available at: www.ibm.com/developerworks/techtrendsreport.

 

 


StarTech.com Begins Major Expansion of Head Office in London, Ontario - News Item

 

StarTech.com Begins Major Expansion of Head Office in London, Ontario, More Than Doubling Office Size and Expanding Warehouse

Rapid Growth and Increased Workforce Creates Need for Expansion, London Head Office Expanding from 12,000 square feet to over 29,000 square feet

 

London, ON  StarTech.com, a London, Ontario based manufacturer of hard-to-find connectivity parts has begun work on a major expansion of its head office at the intersection of Veterans Memorial Parkway and Oxford Street. The expansion will more than double the size of the office from 12,000 square feet to over 29,000 square feet. In addition, its London warehouse facility will be expanding in size by over 40%, increasing to approximately 23,000 square feet.

 

StarTech.com currently has approximately 135 employees in London and has been growing rapidly over the last several years, adding 40 employees since the beginning of 2010.  StarTech.com currently has 175 employees worldwide, with additional offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Spain.

 

“Despite the poor economic climate, we’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed excellent growth over the past couple of years,” commented Paul Seed, StarTech.com’s President and CEO. “We’ve been continually adding members to our team over the past two years and we’ve simply run out of space for our employees at our head office. This expansion will give us more room to breathe and provides room for further growth in the coming years. We’re all very excited about the expansion and our growth which has necessitated it.”

 

StarTech.com’s current head office was constructed in 2003 and this is the first expansion since that time. The new facilities will allow room for up to 290 employees. StarTech.com continues to be in expansion mode, with plans to expand its London workforce by 25% over the next year and add additional employees at its international locations as well. Construction on the expanded London office is expected to be completed by mid 2012.

 

StarTech.com was founded in 1985 by Paul Seed and Ken Kalopsis and celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2010. StarTech.com was named Large Business of the Year by the London Chamber of Commerce in 2010 and was recently named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies and one of Canada’s 50 Best Small and Medium Employers.

 

More information about StarTech.com can be found www.startech.com.

 

About StarTech.com
StarTech.com is a London, Ontario based manufacturer of hard-to find connectivity parts including A/V products, computer parts, cables and server management solutions. Founded in 1985, StarTech.com has locations in the United States, Canada, Europe and Taiwan, servicing a worldwide market.

 

Andrea Lawn

SS|PR

103 Carnegie Ctr. Ste. 113

Princeton, NJ 08540

609-750-9111

alawn@sspr.com

 

Avaya launches virtual conference to help global partners

Image001

Avaya Launches Virtual Conference to Help Global Channel Partners Accelerate Growth

 

Key Takeaways:

·         Online program showcases strategies to drive increased sales.

·         Free, on demand access available globally beginning November 29.

·         Live sessions scheduled for December 15 provide ready access to Avaya experts and third-party developers.

 

For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 17, 2011

Basking Ridge, N.J. –  Avaya, a global provider of business communications and collaboration systems and services, today announced it is launching a new Virtual Partner Conference to help channel partners accelerate growth. 

 

Available beginning November 29, the online event showcases content delivered during annual, face-to-face channel meetings in each region.  Those unable to attend in person will be able to see presentations delivered by Avaya executives and take advantage of breakout sessions on a wide range of topics –  from selling more effectively to delivering greater customer value.

 

On December 15, live “Ask the Expert” sessions will be offered at 11:00 a.m. EST and 1:00 p.m. SST, providing virtual conference participants an opportunity to dialogue in real time about upcoming product launches and solution roadmaps.  A virtual  exhibit hall will open immediately afterwards, staffed by third-party developers in the Avaya DevConnect program.

 

Participation in the Virtual Partner Conference is free to all Avaya channel partners worldwide.  The conference website will remain up throughout the coming year to host quarterly updates, marketing forums, technical fairs and other special interest events.

 

Registration is available at the following Avaya Partner Portals:

 

·         Americas, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa: http://portal.avaya.com/ptlWeb/so/CS2009105102523600086

·         Asia Pacific: http://portal.avaya.com/ptlWeb/so/CS20101112144257933033

 

Quotes:

“Avaya is committed to sharing readily accessible information and proven strategies that channel partners can use to make a significant difference in their business.  We equip them with the resources they need to deliver greater value to customers, achieve a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace and accelerate growth in their bottom line.”

Jeremy Butt, vice president, Worldwide Channels, Avaya 

 

Additional Resources:

·         www.avaya.com/connect

 

Tags:

Avaya Connect, channel partner program, business communications, unified communications, collaboration VARs, resellers, solution providers

 

About Avaya:

Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, data solutions and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

 

 

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or other similar terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Avaya's filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov/. Avaya disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

 

###

Follow Avaya   Description: Description: Twitter  Description: Description: Facebook  Description: Description: YouTube  Description: Description: LinkedIn  Description: Description: Flickr  Description: Description: Avaya Blog

 

NORTHSTAR Trade Finance Takes “No Compromise” Approach with EMC VNXe Unified Storage

NORTHSTAR Trade Finance Takes “No Compromise” Approach with EMC
VNXe Unified Storage

VNXe Deployed in Just 30 Minutes; Customer “Blown Away” by 4X
Performance Boost of Virtualized Applications; Daily Storage Management
Dramatically Simplified

HOPKINTON, Mass. – November 16, 2011 – EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC)
today announced that NORTHSTAR Trade Finance, Inc., a leading provider
of financing to small and mid-size Canadian exporters, selected EMC®
VNXe™ unified storage (http://www.emc.com/storage/vnx/vnxe-series.htm)
over Dell, HP and IBM to run its 90 per cent virtualized server
infrastructure running on VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure
technologies. The VNXe has boosted both performance and availability for
the company’s critical transactional, financial and customer-facing
applications including SQL, while greatly simplifying IT administration
– with no compromise.

Customer Benefits:

* Increased Performance – EMC VNXe performs 4X faster than
NORTHSTAR’s previous HP storage solution, enabling more responsive
service to customers
* Improved Efficiency – Thin provisioning helps NORTHSTAR optimize
storage utilization without compromising performance or capacity;
Integration with VMware virtualization and cloud infrastructure
technologies enables NORTHSTAR to create virtual machines in minutes
versus hours to smoothly support growing business needs
* Simplified Management – Built-in wizards on the VNXe shave hours
off of daily system management, improving IT productivity and freeing
time for more strategic projects

Customer Challenges and Solution:

NORTHSTAR was moving along with an aggressive plan to virtualize its
core business applications. Its existing storage system struggled to
perform within the virtualized environment and could not keep pace with
ever-growing data requirements. NORTHSTAR’s IT infrastructure had also
run out of storage capacity and could no longer support the addition of
the lightest weight applications. As a result, NORTHSTAR’s sole IT
administrator faced a time-consuming and complex process to provision
applications and manage the virtual environment.

After closely evaluating other vendors, NORTHSTAR selected EMC VNXe
unified storage for its efficiency, simplicity and affordability to
support its critical business applications, including Microsoft Exchange
email, Microsoft SQL Server databases and Sage ERP Accpac business
management. NORTHSTAR also utilizes EMC Unisphere (
http://www.emc.com/products/detail/software/unisphere.htm )™ for
integrated management of both storage assets and the VMware virtual
environment.

Customer Quotes:

Pardave Lehry, Technical Analyst, NORTHSTAR Trade Finance Inc.

“We looked at Dell, HP, IBM and EMC. The VNXe was clearly the best
choice for our needs. It met our requirements for top simplicity and
efficiency. We also liked that the VNXe was affordable, more innovative
and offered a simpler management interface than the other solutions.”

“The VNXe was remarkably simple to set up. The wizards take all the
guesswork out of configuring the system. I just plugged in the VNXe,
hooked up a laptop and had it running in 30 minutes. It was that
simple.”

“The integration between VNXe and VMware technologies really
simplified creating and managing virtual machines. With HP or Dell,
creating a new virtual machine was confusing and would have taken four
hours of working with different tools to provision the storage. With EMC
Unisphere and VMware vCenter™ Server, I can create a new virtual machine
in less than 20 minutes.”

“I am blown away by how fast VNXe moves data. I had provisioned an
80-gigabyte virtual machine for a SQL Server application and expected
the data migration to take a few hours. But it was done in three
minutes. It was amazing. Generally, I’m seeing performance on the VNXe
that’s 4X faster than our old HP syste
m. With gains like these,
we’re able to execute transactions more quickly and deliver more
responsive service to our customers.”

“Our customer and financial data is critical to our operations. VNXe
makes my job easier because I don’t have to worry about downtime or
other disruptions to the business. The built-in redundancy and high
availability features eliminate single points of failure. And with thin
provisioning on the VNXe, I can maximize storage utilization and
performance without my prior concerns about running out of storage.”

“EMC’s VNXe is optimized for VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure).
As our business continues to expand, we plan to move additional VDI
applications into our smaller offices and they will all be supported by
VNXe.”

“I definitely recommend EMC and EMC VNXe to others. It’s simple,
efficient and affordable. The level of customer service I’ve received
from EMC has been phenomenal. The entire sales process was the smoothest
I’ve experienced. It’s true that people make the organization and my
account team is the prime reason why I will continue to recommend EMC
products in the future.”

About VNX

The award-winning VNX Family offers customers simple, efficient,
affordable and powerful unified storage optimized for virtualized
application environments. With the EMC FAST Suite, VNX customers can
cost-effectively leverage the benefits of Flash performance — with "no
compromise". VNXe offers an affordable unified storage platform for
smaller businesses with solution-focused software that’s easy to
manage, provision, and protect. The Family dramatically simplifies the
deployment and management of virtualized applications, including those
from Microsoft, Oracle, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)
solutions from VMware and Citrix.

Additional Resources:

* Learn more about EMC VNXe
(http://www.emc.com/storage/vnx/vnxe-series.htm)
* Learn more about EMC Unisphere
(http://www.emc.com/products/detail/software/unisphere.htm)
* Read the customer profile: NORTHSTAR
(http://www.emc.com/collateral/customer-profiles/h8952-northstar-trade-fin-cp.pdf)
* Connect with EMC via Twitter (http://emc.im/pv0ODN), Facebook
(http://emc.im/oV8wDa), YouTube (http://emc.im/njvQnq), LinkedIn
(http://emc.im/p7PAo4) and ECN (http://emc.im/bd2nk1)

About EMC

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

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

- 30 -

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


EMC and VNXe are registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation
in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. VMware and VMware
vCenter are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in
the United States and/or other jurisdictions. The use of the word
“partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership
relationship between VMware and any other company. Other trademarks are
the property of their respective owners. ( http://emc.im/oV8wDa )

Norton Online Family Report Identifies Issues of "Cyberbaiting" and Overspending

Norton Online Family Report Identifies Issues of  “Cyberbaiting” and Overspending

Kids Who Follow House Rules Have Less Negative Experiences Online

 

Toronto, ON – Nov. 17, 2011 – The latest edition of the Norton Online Family Report sheds new light on the realities and risks of growing up in the digital age. This year’s report identifies the new issue of “cyberbaiting,” a growing phenomenon where kids taunt their teachers, then capture the distressed reactions via cell phone videos. In addition, the report reveals a surprisingly high number of kids taking liberties with their parents’ credit cards for shopping online. However, it’s not all bad news: the report shows that following clearly stated house rules for proper Internet behavior can make a significant impact in averting negative online experiences.

 

Overall, almost 62 per cent of kids across the world said that they have had a negative experience while online. Nearly four in 10 (39 per cent), however, have had a serious negative experience online, such as receiving inappropriate pictures from strangers, being bullied or becoming the victim of cybercrime. The report also shows that kids who are active on social networks open up more doors for content or situations that can be tricky for them to handle: 74 per cent of kids on social networks find themselves in unpleasant situations online, compared to 38 per cent who stay away from social networking.

 

Parents are setting ground rules, however, for online use, which helps kids have a more positive experience. The Norton Online Family Report shows that 77 per cent of parents have rules for how their kids may use the Internet. For those households where rules exist, while the “good kids” who follow the rules stay relatively safe with 52 per cent having had a negative experience online, the percentage increases to 82 per cent among rule-breakers.

 

“Kids are developing their online identity at an earlier age than ever before,” said Vanessa Van Petten, youthologist and author of “Radical Parenting. “They need parents, teachers and other role models to help them figure out where to go, what to say, how to act and perhaps most importantly, how not to act. Negative situations online can have repercussions in the real world—from bullying to money lost in scams to giving strangers personal information.”


Teachers at Risk of Cyberbaiting

One of the more shocking examples of using social networks for bad behavior is cyberbaiting, where students first irritate or bait a teacher until he or she cracks, filming the incident on their mobile device so they can post the footage online, embarrassing the teacher and the school. One in five teachers has personally experienced or knows another teacher who has experienced this phenomenon.

 

Perhaps because of cyberbaiting, 67 per cent of teachers say being friends with students on social networks exposes them to risks. Still, 34 per cent continue to “friend” their students. Only 51 per cent, however, say their school has a code of conduct for how teachers and students communicate with each other through social media. Eighty per cent of teachers call for more online safety education in schools, a position supported by 70 per cent of parents.

 

Raiding Mom’s Digital Purse

Twenty-three per cent of parents who let their kids use their debit or credit card to shop online say their kids have overspent. Thirty per cent of parents, however, say that their child has used their debit or credit card to shop online without consent. And more than half of parents (53 per cent) who let their kids shop online using their online store account reported that their child has used it without permission.

 

But saving money isn’t the only reason to set clear guidelines about online shopping and safe Internet behaviors. Eighty-seven percent of parents whose children have been the victim of cybercrime have also been a victim themselves—a steep increase from the global average of 69 per cent among online adults across the world. (Norton Cybercrime Report, 2011)

 

In Canada: The Breakdown

·         69 per cent of Canadian adults surveyed have fallen victim to cybercrime and 37 per cent of children reported being victims as well.

·         68 per cent of children in Canada said that they have had a negative experience online

·         88 per cent of teachers reported that being friends with students on social networks exposes them to online risks

·         Only six per cent of Canadian teachers are friends with students on social networks, compared to 34 per cent globally

·         Eight per cent of teachers have personally experienced or know another teacher who has been cyberbaited

·         71 per cent of teachers call for more online safety education in schools, a position supported by 68 per cent of parents.

·         Only five per cent of parents in Canada say they have no idea what their children do online, but 17 per cent of children in Canada think their parents are clueless and have no idea about their online activities

·         32 per cent of parents suspect their child changes the way they act online when parents are watching them – and 41 per cent of children said they sometimes stop what they are doing online if they know their parents are watching


“Teachers spend almost a third of the day with our children, and play an integral role in helping parents understand children’s behaviours, so it was really important for us to  gauge their thoughts on cyber safety, and their perceptions of children’s online behaviours ,” said Lynn Hargrove, director of Consumer Solutions for Symantec Canada. “This report helps paint a picture of what’s really happening online, so that we can recognize and address the shortcomings to keep our children safe from potential online dangers. At Norton, we believe that education is a huge part of prevention. We’ll continue to do our part and make resources available to educate children, teachers and parents so that they can stay informed about the latest cyber dangers.”

 

For more tips on how to keep your kids and yourself safe online, please visit:  http://ca.norton.com/familyresources. For more findings from the Norton Online Family Report globally and by country, please visit: www.norton.com/cybercrimereport.

 

About Norton by Symantec

Symantec’s Norton products protect consumers from cybercrime with technologies like antivirus, anti-spyware and phishing protection -- while also being light on system resources.  The company also provides services such as online backup, PC tuneup, and family online safety.  Like Norton on Facebook at www.facebook.com/norton and follow @NortonOnline on Twitter.

 

About Symantec

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


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

 

About the Norton Online Family Report methodology

Between February 6, 2011 and March 14, 2011 StrategyOne conducted 19,636 online survey among 12,704 adults (including 2956 parents of children aged 8-7), 4553 children aged 8-17, and 2379 teachers of students aged 8-17.

 

The survey was conducted in 24 countries (14 tracking countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan,  New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States; 10 new countries: Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Hong Kong, Mexico, South Africa, Singapore, Poland, Switzerland and UAE). The global data has been weighted to ensure all countries have equal representation.  Adults to n500 (n100 parents), children to n200, teachers to n100.

 

The margin of error for the total sample of adults (n=12,704) is + 0.87% at the 95% level of confidence. The margin of error for the total sample of parents, defined as parents with children aged 8-17 who spend 1+ hour online  per month  (n=2,956) is + 1.8% at the 95% level of confidence. The margin of error for the total sample of children (n=4,553) is + 1.45% at the 95% level of confidence. The margin of error for the total sample of teachers (n=2,379) is + 2.0% at the 95% level of confidence.

 

D-Link Helps Make Home a Winter Wi-Fi Wonderland This Holiday Season

 

D-Link Helps Make Home a Winter Wi-Fi Wonderland This Holiday Season

D-Link Holiday Line-up Features Network Cameras for Peace of Mind, Whole Home Connectivity and Online Entertainment Brought Straight to Your TV

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Nov. 16, 2011 /CNW/ -- As digital sleigh bells ring and virtual snow is glistening, D-Link's holiday line-up ensures that everyone on your shopping list can be walking in their own Wi-Fi winter wonderland. This holiday season, D-Link is making it easier than ever to view, entertain, connect, and share throughout the home with the Day/Night Network Camera with mydlink(TM) (DCS-932L), Amplifi(TM) Whole Home Router 1000 (DIR-645) and Boxee Box by D-Link.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110706/SF30992LOGO)

"Chances are you've got quite a range of interests, hobbies and personalities to shop for this holiday season," said Lou Reda, vice president and general manager, Consumer Division, D-Link Canada. "D-Link's got you covered no matter what, from keeping an eye on things remotely with easy to set-up and operate network cameras, to building the ultimate home entertainment center with the latest in Web-to-TV experience, or simply creating the best wireless network at home."

Check out the following D-Link holiday shopping tips to help stay connected this holiday season:

-- Who's Kissing Under the Mistletoe? The Day/Night Network Camera with mydlink (DCS-932L) helps keep an eye on what matters most - mischievous children, sleeping babies, and pets. Equipped with a built-in CPU, web server, and infrared illumination technology, the compact and easy to set-up Wireless N Day/Night Network Camera DCS-932L offers a complete day and night monitoring system. And, easily view streaming video on-the-go from a PC, notebook, iPhone®, iPad®, or Android(TM) phone or tablet. -- Garlands, Lights and Wi-Fi. Hanging lights is only part of the holiday prep routine, now ensuring your home is geared up to support the online festivities is equally important. From streaming HD holiday flicks to uninterrupted gaming with family to supporting large media file downloads for all your holiday projects, the D-Link Whole Home Router 1000 (DIR-645) delivers the best in whole home coverage with SmartBeam(TM) technology. The Whole Home Router 1000 DIR-645 extends Wi-Fi coverage into the farthest corners of the home and features speeds up to 300Mbps(1), four Gigabit Ethernet ports, advanced QoS bandwidth prioritization and SharePort(TM) Plus for sharing USB devices such as hard drives or printers. -- Streaming Holiday. No matter what you're viewing - holiday photos, streaming movies or holiday jams - the Boxee Box by D-Link is the easiest way to bring TV shows, music and more from the Internet to your TV. Featuring support for a full web browser, full HD streaming, and popular media file formats, along with integrated social networking, available content for Boxee Box by D-Link is always expanding, with support for apps such as Spotify, MOG, Netflix, Vudu, MLB.tv, and more. In addition, the Boxee Box features an SD card slot, two USB ports, optical digital audio, HDMI output, 802.11n wireless, and an Ethernet port for flexible connectivity. Availability and Pricing

The mydlink-enabled Day/Night Network Camera (DCS-932L) is available for a suggested retail price of $99.99, the Boxee Box by D-Link is available for a suggested retail price of $199.99 and the Whole Home Router 1000 (DIR-645) is available for a suggested retail price of $119.99. All three products are available throughout D-Link's North American network of e-tail and retail outlets, and at the company's online store (www.dlinkshop.com).

About D-Link

Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2011, D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for home, small business, mid- to large-sized enterprise environments, and service providers. An award-winning designer, developer, and manufacturer, D-Link implements and supports unified network solutions that integrate capabilities in switching, wireless, broadband, storage, IP Surveillance, and cloud-based network management. For more information visit www.dlink.com, www.dlink.ca or connect with D-Link on Facebook (www.facebook.com/dlink) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/dlink).

(1) Maximum wireless signal rate derived from IEEE Standard 802.11 specifications. Actual data throughput will vary. Network conditions and environmental factors, including volume of network traffic, building materials and construction, and network overhead, lower actual data throughput rate. Environmental factors will adversely affect wireless signal range. Wireless range and speed rates are D-Link RELATIVE performance measurements based on the wireless range and speed rates of a standard Wireless G product from D-Link. Maximum throughput based on D-Link's 802.11n devices.

D-Link, the D-Link logo, SmartBeam, SharePort and mydlink are trademarks or registered trademarks of D-Link Corporation or its subsidiaries. All other third-party marks mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2011. D-Link. All Rights Reserved.

For further information: Denise Keddy, D-Link Systems, Inc., +1-714-885-6318, denise.keddy@dlink.com, or Natalie Pridham, Walt & Company, +1-408-369-7200, ext. 2976, npridham@walt.com Web Site: http://www.dlink.com


Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 Passes 1.75 Million Installations Worldwide

Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 Passes 1.75 Million Installations Worldwide

 

TORONTO, ON. – Nov. 15, 2011 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the recently-released version of its flagship endpoint security software, Symantec Endpoint Protection 12, is being adopted by customers faster than any previous version, and is already installed on more than 1.75 million endpoints globally just three months after it was released.

Click to Tweet: Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 already protecting more than 1.75 million endpoints globally: http://bit.ly/w4GHth

“Older security products are becoming less effective as cybercrime evolves. Installing or upgrading to Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 is critical to our customers’ efforts to protect their organizations against today’s more sophisticated and insidious targeted attacks,” said Chirantan “CJ” Desai, Senior Vice President, Endpoint & Mobility Group, Symantec. “Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 provides best in class endpoint security without slowing down performance, even in virtual environments.”

Lotus Renault Grand Prix

Information availability is one of the key business requirements for the Lotus Renault GP team, including trackside during Formula One races. Highly confidential information must be easily accessible, yet still secure from loss or theft. Lotus Renault GP, a long time Symantec Endpoint Protection user, recently upgraded to the new Symantec Endpoint Protection 12.

 

“We have staff traveling all of the time, and they require access wherever they are, and Symantec Endpoint Protection 12’s Insight and SONAR technologies protect information stored and accessed on all our endpoints without hurting performance, ” said Graeme Hackland, Director IS/IT, Lotus Renault GP.

 

Elliot Health System

Elliot Health System (EHS), the largest provider of comprehensive healthcare services in Southern New Hampshire, has been recognized as one of the nation’s “Most Wired” according to the results of the 2011 Most Wired Survey released today in the July issue of Hospitals & Health Networks magazine. EHS upgraded to Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 to secure its virtual environment without sacrificing performance of the virtual servers.

 

“We have spent the last decade developing a single electronic medical record (EMR) that is utilized throughout our health system, which means we have one electronic medical record system that can be viewed and read from all Elliot locations, and our virtualized systems play a critical role,” said Thomas Fairfield, manager of technology at Elliot Health System.  “We have implemented Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 across 3,700 clients including 300 virtual servers, and have not experienced any performance issues related to the client install. Symantec made the process of upgrading from SEP 11 to SEP 12 very easy.”

 

Main Event Caterers

Annually, some 800 parties and events in the Washington, D.C. area are handled by Main Event Caterers. Main Event’s 50 full-time employees and 600 contract bartenders, waiters, and other staff put on events in historic homes, Potomac-cruising yachts, and even the Smithsonian Institution. An operation this multifaceted leans heavily on IT. Main Event employees use computers to work on hundreds of events at any given time—preparing proposals, developing floor plans and menus, and communicating with clients and venues. Food, beverage, staffing, and equipment requirements are communicated electronically, as are invoices and payments. Like most small businesses, Main Event does not have the large dedicated IT staff enterprises do, but it does face the same threats. Main Event implemented Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition to protect its information and systems from today’s sophisticated attacks without having to devote time and manpower to managing its security posture.

 

“Having a computer down isn’t just an inconvenience, it prevents us from doing our jobs,” said Cheryl Bennett, general manager, Main Event Caterers. “This work is stressful, demanding, and very fast-paced. You lose time when a computer is down, and when it comes back up you’re behind, you’re stressed, you don’t know which way to jump. Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition has eliminated computer outages related to malware, and that lets our employees tackle the things they’re here to tackle.”

 

Optimized for Virtualization

Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 was designed for optimal performance in virtual environments, with a new architecture that leverages out-of-guest components to eliminate AV storms without compromising any of the protection capabilities needed in light of today’s advanced threats. Third party benchmarks prove that Symantec completes scans twice as fast in VMware environments against competitive offerings like Trend Micro Deep Security, using less than 40% of  the I/O, all while providing much stronger protection.

Unrivaled Security, Blazing Performance
Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 provides unmatched protection through Insight, Symantec’s award-winning community and cloud-based reputation technology, to detect and block new unknown threats earlier and more accurately than any other corporate security product. Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 also leverages Insight to reduce the overhead of virus scanning by as much as 70 percent by automatically identifying and whitelisting Symantec-trusted high-reputation files, eliminating significant scanning activity from each endpoint. In addition, SONAR, the world’s first hybrid behavioral-reputation engine, monitors running applications for suspicious behaviors to block zero-day and highly targeted threats in real-time.  Symantec’s intrusion prevention system (IPS) technology blocks attacks at the network layer, before they can do damage to a computer.  Together, these technologies make Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 the fastest, most effective, corporate endpoint security product on the market.

Switch to Symantec

Small and medium organizations currently using a competing endpoint security product may qualify for discounted pricing on Symantec Endpoint Protection 12. Symantec customers with a current maintenance contract are entitled to upgrade to Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 at no additional cost.  Symantec Endpoint Protection 12 and Symantec Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition are now available for purchase through Symantec’s worldwide network of value-added authorized resellers, distributors and systems integrators or directly. 

 

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About Business Solutions from Symantec

Symantec helps organizations secure and manage their information-driven world with endpoint security, messaging security, web security, data protection, identity authentication and security management solutions.

About Symantec

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


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

 

###

 

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.

 

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products or programs is preliminary and all future release or delivery dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future program plans, or release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making program participation or product purchasing decisions.

 

Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Tech Data Drives SMB Reseller Growth at Fall TechSelect Partner Conference

Tech Data Drives SMB Reseller Growth at Fall TechSelect Partner Conference

TechSelect Community Awards Member Achievement; Raises Funds for Host-City Charity

GlobeNewswirePress Release: Tech Data Corporation – 11 November 2011

CLEARWATER, Fla., Nov. 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TechSelect, Tech Data Corporation's (Nasdaq:TECD - News) community of IT resellers supporting the technology solutions needs of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), hosted its Fall TechSelect Partner Conference on November 3-6, 2011 at Disney's Yacht Club Resort in Orlando, Florida. More than 350 channel partners, including over 200 U.S. and Canadian IT resellers, were in attendance to share profitable growth strategies, discuss the latest technologies in the IT channel and capitalize on exclusive networking opportunities.

"Tech Data's TechSelect Partner Conferences are premier events for our SMB reseller members to utilize unique access to our world-class vendors and build relationships in the channel," said Pete Peterson, Senior Vice President of U.S. Sales at Tech Data. "Our TechSelect community continues to grow stronger, now representing over 17 percent of Tech Data's U.S. business."

The Fall TechSelect Partner Conference featured expert-led and peer-to-peer sessions, including one-on-one opportunities for TechSelect members to meet with vendors individually, training sessions with Tech Data's premier vendor partners, BIG Business Workshops designed to help resellers remain competitive and open dialogue with Tech Data senior executives on internal strategies and channel forecasting.

"Building and maintaining our relationship with the TechSelect community helps us provide the latest solutions and services to our SMB customers nationwide," said Andrew Cohen, Managing Director at All Covered, a division of Konica Minolta Business Solutions. "TechSelect Partner Conferences are both educational and rewarding, fostering collaboration among resellers and vendors to adapt to ever-changing market conditions and promote continued growth."

During the final general session of the conference, TechSelect recognized its outstanding and fastest-growing members, as voted on by Tech Data and its vendor partners, as well as the top vendor partners in the community, as voted by TechSelect members. Winners of the 2011 TechSelect Member and Vendor Achievement Award Winners are:

  • Fastest Growing Member -- Sovran
  • Outstanding Member -- NetConnect
  • Most Engaged New Member - Inception Technologies
  • Best Member Partner -- Michael Kanan, President, Inacomp
  • Most Engaged Vendor - Trend Micro
  • Most Creative Vendor -- Symantec
  • Best Vendor Partnership - Eaton

Keynote speakers at the event included Bill Rancic, Donald Trump's original "Apprentice," and Reggie Williams, a former NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals and Vice President of Disney Sports Attractions. To conclude the event, Tech Data closed down the Streets of America at Disney's Hollywood Studios for food, drinks, music, and dancing.

"TechSelect continued its host-city charitable program by donating over $10,000, its largest monetary donation to date, to The Russell Home for Atypical Children in Orlando," said Rory Sanchez, President of the TechSelect Advisory Council and chief executive officer of SLPowers. "Our donation, which will provide housing, food, clothing and medical care for children and adults living with severe intellectual and physical disabilities, further demonstrates the collective strength and commitment of the TechSelect community."

Next year's TechSelect Partner Conferences will be held in Palm Springs, California (May 2012) and San Juan, Puerto Rico (November 2012). To learn more about TechSelect, go to www.techselect.com or call (800) 237-8931, ext. 84529. Follow TechSelect on Twitter at @TechSelect.

About Tech Data

Tech Data Corporation is one of the world's largest wholesale distributors of technology products. Its advanced logistics capabilities and value added services enable 125,000 resellers in more than 100 countries to efficiently and cost effectively support the diverse technology needs of end users. Tech Data generated $24.4 billion in net sales for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2011, and is ranked 109th on the Fortune 500(R). To learn more, visit www.techdata.com.

The Tech Data Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10666

Contact:
MEDIA CONTACTBrian KosoyPublic Relations Manager(727) 299-8865brian.kosoy@techdata.com