Technology Fast 50™ companies’ growth in 2011 shows that the Canadian tech sector is alive and well

Technology Fast 50™ companies’ growth in 2011 shows that the Canadian tech sector is alive and well

Deloitte Canada survey: Tech CEOs want to see a strengthened culture of risk and entrepreneurship


Toronto, October 19, 2011 – In spite of global economic uncertainty, the winners of the Deloitte Technology Fast 50TM have not only continued to grow their revenues in 2011, but done so with increased focus on an international customer base. Although the sector is still hindered by the lack of a robust community of domestic investors to support a stronger entrepreneurial culture at home, Canada’s tech sector continues to grow and to create jobs. "Almost half of last year’s winners are back on the list in 2011, which is remarkable, and there are 20 newcomers alongside a handful of multiyear winners,” said Richard Lee, National Leader, Technology, Media & Telecommunications Industry Group, Deloitte. “Fast 50 companies are active in enterprise or consumer software development, as well as digital media content and platforms.”  

“As in previous years, the bulk of winners are in Ontario (26), followed by Québec (11) and British-Columbia (10), with the balance of the winners coming from Newfoundland and Labrador (2) and Alberta (1),” said Duncan Stewart, Director of TMT Research with Deloitte. ”The average growth of a Fast 50 company was 5,020 per cent in 2011, down from over 5,600 per cent last year – but still the third-highest number ever. These companies aren’t just growing fast, they are investing too: the average research and development spending was a new record, at almost $22.5 million per company. The difficult global economic conditions might not be reflected in our winners’ growth rates, but weak capital markets meant that only a round dozen of the fifty are publicly traded: a new low, and down about 70 per cent from 2005.”

Saint-Laurent-based Accedian Networks, a telecom and wireless company specializing in performance monitoring solutions, and newcomer on the Fast 50 list, is at the top of this year’s ranking with a 50,136 per cent five-year revenue growth. Accedian Networks is also a winner in this year’s leadership category.

Second and third spots go to RTI Cryogenics Inc. (46,278 per cent) a Cambridge-based company operating in recycling technologies, and Avigilon (38,796 per cent) a Vancouver-based high-definition surveillance telecom company. Rounding out the top five are Toronto-based NexJ Systems Inc. (29,161 per cent), an enterprise CRM software company, and Real Matters (28,265 per cent), a Markham-based property information solutions firm.

Also noteworthy, 8D Technologies inc. of Montreal and Wi-LAN Inc. of Ottawa are back among the 50 fastest growing tech firms for the first time since 2002 and 2004 respectively; Toronto’s  ViXS Systems Inc. and Vancouver’s  Corinex Communications Corp are returning for a fifth consecutive year while RuggedCom Inc. from Concord, Ontario and Toronto’s Impact Mobile are back for the sixth consecutive year;  Kitchener-Waterloo-based Research In Motion, a consistent winner since the beginning of the program 14 years ago has qualified again in 2011; and Richmond-Hill-based Paymentus Corporation is a new Fast 50 winner after appearing on the Companies-to-Watch list in 2008.

Immigration system creating the right talent pool: Tech CEOs
Deloitte’s annual survey of Fast 50 Tech CEOs, also released today, provides insight into the current talent debate. A strong majority (85 per cent) of Tech CEOs said Canada’s graduates have the right skill set, and over two-thirds said that Canada’s immigration system is creating the proper pool of talent.  “Unlike studies that suggest our education and immigration systems are not working, most Tech CEOs believe we are doing well on both fronts, even though things are not perfect,” said Lee.

Recommended education improvements include a stronger focus on science, engineering and IT, and an emphasis on practical work exposure to business. On the immigration front, survey respondents would like to see a better use of immigrants’ skills as well as reduced barriers for talented individuals to enter Canada.

Lee pointed out that these results echo Deloitte’s recent report The future of productivity – An eight-step plan for Canada – which identified the re-tooling of Canada’s immigration system as one of the key steps in the country’s productivity action plan. “In the report, Deloitte recommended concrete short-term fixes to our immigration system that should have a long-term effect in this area.”

Entrepreneurship top of mind for winning CEOs
According to the new survey results, Tech CEOs are concerned about Canada’s entrepreneurial culture.  When asked whether Canadians are entrepreneurial and risk tolerant, only 56 per cent agreed and 44 per cent said no.  “There is a sense that we need to shift away from a mentality that punishes risk, and focus instead on building a community that supports entrepreneurship and that chalks up failures as part of learning,” Lee commented, “There are so many great entrepreneurs in this country who can help propel Canada forward, and we need to create an environment that supports them.”

Leadership awards
Leadership environment Awards single out companies that are the elite members of the Canadian technology industry, whose ability to create a distinct competitive advantage in a high-growth market allows them to dominate their sector and quickly join the ranks of other Canadian global leaders.  This year’s four Leadership Awards recipients are: EcoSynthetix Inc., a Burlington, Ontario-based emerging technology company; Kanata, Ontario-based Solace Systems, a hardware company; Desire2Learn Incorporated, a Kitchener, Ontario-based software  company; and Saint-Laurent, Quebec-based Accedian Networks.  

Companies-to-Watch awards
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ Companies-to-Watch (CTW) Awards honour early-stage Canadian technology companies who have been in business less than five years, and have the potential to be future Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ winners.

The ten companies recognized as CTW this year are: Beyond the Rack (Saint-Laurent, QC), Chango (Toronto, ON), Enflick, Inc. ( Waterloo, ON), Kobo Inc. (Toronto, ON), MoboVivo (Calgary, AB), Mobiroo (Toronto, ON), ScreenScape Networks (Charlottetown, PEI), Syncapse (Toronto, ON), WaveAccounting (Toronto, ON), and Well.ca (Guelph, ON).

Deloitte Technology Green 15™ awards
These awards recognize Canada’s leading GreenTech companies who promote a more efficient use and re-use of the earth's resources in industrial production and consumption. In doing so, they use new, innovative technologies to create products and services that compete with existing products and services on price and performance while reducing our impact on the environment.

The 15 winners are: 5N Plus (Saint-Laurent, QC), Bionest (Grand-Mère, QC), BIOX Corporation (Oakville, ON), FleetCarma (Waterloo, ON), ecobee (Toronto, ON), EcoSythentix Inc. (Burlington, ON), evandtec, Inc. (Toronto, ON), Fifth Light Technology Ltd. (Oakville, ON), H2O Innovation (Grand-Mère, QC), Log-One Ltd. (Loretto, ON), Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies Inc. (Vancouver, BC), Panacis Medical Inc. (Ottawa, ON), Real Tech Inc. (Whitby, ON), RTI Cryogenics (Cambridge, ON), Tantalus (Burnaby, BC).

About the Deloitte Technology Fast 50™
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50™, the country’s pre-eminent leading technology awards, ranks companies based on their past five-year revenue growth rates. Celebrating business growth, innovation and entrepreneurship, the program features four distinct categories: the Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ Ranking, Companies-to-Watch Awards (early-stage Canadian tech companies in business less than five years, with the potential to be a future Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ candidate,) Leadership Awards (companies that demonstrate technological leadership in four industry subcategories: hardware/semiconductor, software, telecommunications and emerging technologies) and the Deloitte Technology Green 15™ Awards (Canada’s leading GreenTech companies that promote a more efficient use and re-use of the earth's resources in industrial production and consumption.)

Program sponsors include Deloitte, Gowlings, Wellington Financial, TMX, HKMB Hub, CVCA, NACO, MaRS, IGLOO Software.
For further information, visit www.fast50.ca.

About Deloitte
Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through more than 7,700 people in 58 offices. Deloitte operates in Québec as Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche s.e.n.c.r.l. Deloitte & Touche LLP, an Ontario Limited Liability Partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

2011 Deloitte Technology Fast 50™

Rank Growth Company name City Prov Sector Product service

1

50,136%

Accedian Networks Saint-Laurent QC Telecom High performance service assurance

2

46,278%

RTI Cryogenics Inc. Cambridge ON Emerging Value-added tire recycling

3

38,796%

Avigilon Vancouver BC Hardware High-definition surveillance

4

29,161%

NexJ Systems Inc. Toronto ON Software Enterprise CRM  software

5

28,265%

Real Matters Markham ON Software Property information solutions

6

10,017%

ARISE Technologies Corporation Waterloo ON Software Solar technology

7

7,976%

Clevest Solutions Inc. Richmond BC Emerging Mobile workforce management

8

3,539%

Dominion Voting Systems Corporation Toronto ON Hardware Election solutions + services

9

2,622%

Acquisio Saint-Lambert QC Digital Media Campaign management platforms

10

2,322%

GuestLogix Inc. Toronto ON Software On-board retail platform

11

2,306%

Wi-LAN Inc. Ottawa ON Telecom Technology licensing

12

2,011%

Vital Insights Mississauga ON Software Software solutions provider

13

1,915%

Varicent Software Toronto ON Software Sales performance management

14

1,904%

Cyberplex Inc. Toronto ON Digital Media Web advertising solutions

15

1,710%

Layer 7 Technologies Vancouver BC Emerging Cloud and mobile security

16

1,332%

SherWeb Sherbrooke QC Software Software as-a service (SaaS)

17

1,131%

Marport St. John's NL Software Underwater acoustics technology

18

1,093%

Global Relay Communications Inc. Vancouver BC Software Compliance message archiving

19

1,069%

Paymentus Corporation Richmond Hill ON Software Real-time bill payment network

19

1,069%

Tantalus Systems Corp. Burnaby BC Emerging Smart grid technology

21

1,017%

CarProof London ON Software Vehicle history reports

22

973%

ProSep Montreal QC Emerging Oil and gas process equipment

23

971%

8D Technologies inc. Montreal QC Emerging Transportation management and payment

24

939%

ParetoLogic Inc. Victoria BC Software Security/optimization software

25

937%

Solace Systems Kanata ON Hardware Middleware appliances

26

904%

Route1 Inc. Toronto ON Software Secure remote access

27

840%

Verafin Inc. St. John's NF Software Financial crime detection

28

666%

H2O Innovation Quebec City QC Emerging Water treatment systems

29

634%

Research In Motion Waterloo ON Telecom Smartphones and tablets

30

547%

Yardstick Edmonton AB Software Testing and training Experts

31

524%

ViXS Systems Inc. Toronto ON Hardware Network multimedia processors

32

522%

PNI Digital Media Vancouver BC Software Transaction software platform

33

476%

iBwave Solutions Inc. Saint-Laurent QC Software Wireless software

34

464%

Corinex Communications Corp Vancouver BC Telecom Computer networking products

35

447%

Vantrix Montreal QC Telecom Mobile video optimization

36

445%

RuggedCom Inc. Concord ON Telecom Rugged communications  equipment

37

437%

Obzerv Technologies Inc. Quebec City QC Hardware Surveillance cameras

38

413%

5N Plus inc. Saint-Laurent QC Emerging Purification and metal recycling

39

397%

Moment Factory Montreal QC Digital Media Multimedia environments

39

397%

Impact Mobile Toronto ON Telecom Mobile marketing solutions

41

388%

Doxim Inc. Markham ON Software SaaS document processing

42

367%

BTI Systems Kanata ON Telecom Packet optical networking

43

365%

Vivonet Inc. Burnaby BC Software POS solutions

44

360%

Complete Innovations Inc. Markham ON Software Mobile workforce solutions

44

360%

QuickPlay Media Toronto ON Digital Media Mobile video platform

46

327%

The Code Project Inc. Toronto ON Software Developer community website

47

326%

BlueCat Networks Toronto ON Software IP address management

48

306%

Nulogx Mississauga ON   Transportation management Solutions

49

304%

QHR Technologies Inc Kelowna BC Software Healthcare efficiency software

50

294%

Nightingale Informatix Corporation Markham ON Software Electronic medical records
Last Updated:  October-19-11

SMEs are well connected but slow to take full advantage of the Internet and ICT - CEFRIO unveils the results of the 2011 NetPME survey (http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/861209/sm..

SMEs are well connected but slow to take full advantage of the Internet and ICT - CEFRIO unveils the results of the 2011 NetPME survey

Highlights

  • Most Canadian SMEs (92.8%) are now connected to the Internet. The Internet connection rate has grown by 8.1% in Quebec, from 86.5% in 2009 to nearly 94.6% in 2011.

  • Few companies use management software packages. One quarter of the companies surveyed have computerized their processes by using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package (24.9%) or a customer relationship management (CRM) system (23.9%). Only 12% of these companies have a supply chain management (SCM) software package. Quebec stands out for its more pronounced use of integrated management software packages (32.2%).

  • Two thirds (69.8%) of SMEs have websites, but only 8.2% have adapted them for use on mobile platforms. Selling online is not very popular with SMEs - only 17.9% of those with websites engage in it.

  • SMEs with websites have not yet been won over by social network applications, as only 15.2% incorporate them into their marketing strategies, 14.3% apply them internally with their employees, and 17.5% use them with partners and suppliers.

  • The size of the business and the activity sector influence the adoption of ICT. ICT is clearly better rooted in medium-sized SMEs, i.e. those with 100 to 499 employees, and in SMEs in the manufacturing sector.

MONTREAL, Oct. 19, 2011 /CNW Telbec/ - Canadian SMEs are now well connected to the Internet, but are not taking full advantage of the Web and information and communications technologies (ICT) to increase their productivity and their revenues. These are the main conclusions of the 2011 edition of the NetPME survey conducted by CEFRIO. The aim of the survey, which is now in its fourth edition, is to determine how much SMEs use ICT in their business practices. The survey, which was conducted exclusively in Quebec in the past, was expanded to cover the entire country in 2011, due to the financial support of Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC). The results were unveiled to the members of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, meeting during Small Business Week®.

"The impact of ICT on SME productivity, innovation and competitiveness is now recognized as very real," said Jacqueline Dubé, President and Chief Executive Officer of CEFRIO. "In a globalized economy, where competition is getting more intense all the time, we need to see whether our SMEs are capable of making the best use of ICT."

The survey shows that 92.8% of Canadian SMEs are now connected to the Internet. More than 59.3% have mobile devices such as smart phones or digital tablets, while 40.1% have none.

In the past twelve months most SMEs (88.3%) have made investments in ICT. Purchases of computer equipment (77.8%) and licenses (40.5%) are the most frequent investments.

Little use of management software packages
Few companies use management software packages. One quarter of the companies surveyed have computerized their processes by using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) software package (24.9%) or a customer relationship management (CRM) system (23.9%). Only 12% of these companies have a supply chain management (SCM) software package.

The CEFRIO survey showed that ICT is clearly better rooted in Canada in medium-sized companies (100 to 499 employees) and, to a large extent, in manufacturing companies. These companies have the highest Internet connection rate (97.6%) and make the most use of office suites (92.3%), ERP management software packages (34.4%) and websites as Internet tools (78.2%). SMEs in the manufacturing sector also use Open Source software the most (36.3%), as well as collaborative tools such as email (95.2%), project management tools (36.5%) or shared editing tools (40%).

"The SMEs that succeed best and conquer new markets are often on the cutting edge of technology. Some management software can be used as powerful tools for business growth, for example. That is why the Board of Trade is organizing Small Business Week® with BDC: to make small and medium enterprises familiar with the resources and tools available to them and to demonstrate the importance of innovation," added Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.

"The costs of these products have decreased, so it becomes very advantageous for SMEs to acquire them," said Michel Bergeron, BDC Vice President, Corporate Relations. "In a context where companies must always do more with less, more SMEs should consider adopting such tools."

SMEs slow to take advantage of selling online
In 2011, 70.9% of SMEs made online purchases. Selling online is a much less popular activity, because only 17.9% of SMEs engage in it. Despite the major development of Web 2.0, SMEs have not yet been won over by social network applications, as only 15.2% incorporate them into their marketing strategies, 14.3% apply them internally with their employees, and 17.5% use them with partners and suppliers. Those that engage in these activities use Facebook (60.9%) and the LinkedIn network (32.9%) more often.

"Since we know how much the Internet and Web 2.0 can contribute to increasing a company's revenue and profitability, it is clear that SME executives have every interest in further exploring the opportunities these platforms offer their companies. If they do not take action in this field, they risk losing out on a major potential for growth and innovation," Michel Bergeron concluded.

Download a copy of the 2011 NetPME report: http://www.cefrio.qc.ca/index.php?id=74&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=5202&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=45&cHash=a46458a204

Methodology
Slightly more than 2,000 leaders of Canadian SMEs, including 1,000 in Quebec, were questioned (company executives, owners or managers, or the people in charge of administration, ICT, communications or marketing, as applicable). The SOM research and survey firm conducted telephone interviews from April 11 to May 24 2011. The SMEs surveyed had between 5 and 499 employees and were randomly selected from the Dun & Bradstreet database. The survey response rate was 27.7% for all of Canada and 42.8% for Quebec. The margin of error for the overall sample was ±3.4%. This is the maximum margin of error for an evaluated proportion of the total sample.

About the 2011 NetPME survey
The 2011 NetPME survey is the fourth edition. It was made possible by the financial support of Business Development Bank of Canada, the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation, the Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor du Québec, Desjardins Card Services, Services Québec and TELUS.

About CEFRIO
CEFRIO is a centre to facilitate research and innovation in businesses through the use of information and communications technology (ICT). It has over 150 members from government, industry and the academic sector, as well as 60 guest and associate researchers working in social and organizational innovation. CEFRIO's own activities generate 64% of its funding, with the remaining 36% provided by its primary financial partner, the Ministère du Développement économique, de l'Innovation et de l'Exportation.

About BDC
The Business Development Bank of Canada, BDC, puts entrepreneurs first. With almost 1,900 employees and more than 100 business centres across the country, BDC offers financing, subordinate financing, venture capital and consulting services to 29,000 small and medium-sized companies. Their success is vital to Canada's economic prosperity.

Small Business Week® is a registered trademark of BDC.

For further information:

Claire Bourget, CEFRIO Marketing Research Director, 514 808-6149
claire.bourget@cefrio.qc.ca

Gartner Says Companies Will Generate 50 Percent of Web Sales Via Their Social Presence and Mobile Applications by 2015

Gartner Says Companies Will Generate 50 Percent of Web Sales Via Their Social Presence and Mobile Applications by 2015

Analysts Discuss the Future of E-Commerce at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, October 16-20, in Orlando

Orlando, Fla., October 19, 2011— 

By 2015, companies will generate 50 percent of Web sales via their social presence and mobile applications, according to Gartner, Inc. Vendors in the e-commerce market will begin to offer new context-aware, mobile-based application capabilities that can be accessed via a browser or installed as an application on a phone.

Gartner analysts discussed the future of e-commerce at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, taking place here through today. As the number of mobile phones overtakes PCs, customers will use mobile browsers and applications as the main points of interaction.

"E-commerce organizations will need to scale up their operations to handle the increased visitation loads resulting from customers not having to wait until they are in front of a PC to obtain answers to questions or place orders," said Gene Alvarez, research vice president at Gartner. "In time, e-commerce vendors will begin to offer context-aware mobile-shopping solutions as part of their overall Web sales offerings."

"Customers are clamoring for new and easy ways to interact with the organizations they deal with, and no company should think itself immune to this new business dynamic," Mr. Alvarez said. "As more people use smartphones, they will expect an extension of their customer experience to be supported by this kind of device while demanding that social aspects of the Web be intertwined with this experience. At the same time, organizations are looking toward new countries and regions for growth. As a result, it is time to take a fresh look at your organization's Web sales capabilities to ensure that social software, mobile technology and globalization are part of your organization's online future."

Industries such as entertainment, software development/publishing and media are being driven by fast-moving changes in their businesses, such as mobility, and the increasing number of mobile devices available to their buyers. Others are finding that sales of additional services and products can be added to their customer-service-focused websites. Due to consumerization, sites in all industries are being impacted by customer experience delivered in the retail space, as customers continue to use their online experiences as the benchmark by which to evaluate all others.

Gartner predicts that by 2013, 80 percent of North American and European online sellers will expand into Brazil, Russia, India, Africa, Japan or China. Organizations based in North America and Western Europe are already launching website-based sales operations in new countries, in the hope of expanding to new markets. These organizations believe that untapped countries can spur growth by enabling the enticing of potential customers who have never purchased from the organization, but who have a desire for its products.

"The increasing availability of access to the Internet via PCs, laptops and mobile devices is creating new sales channels in countries, because entry barriers are lowering, thereby increasing the number of online shoppers," said Mr. Alvarez. "By entering these countries via an Internet sales model, organizations can establish a presence in locations without having to create a physical sales location."

E-commerce managers in Type A (leading) organizations and industries, such as travel, hospitality, retail, consumer electronics, media and entertainment, will begin to take advantage of GPS location services enabled by phones to push personalized, location-based content to mobile devices for users who have subscribed to these services. This content will be created via the use of customer patterns and their link to driving sales. These organizations will also have connected (via Web browsers and mobile applications) to many social communities, enabling the organizations to tap into the social networks of customers and leverage the wisdom of the crowd.

Additional commentary from Mr. Alvarez is available on the Gartner YouTube channel at .

About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo
Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the world's most important gathering of CIOs and senior IT executives. This event delivers independent and objective content with the authority and weight of the world's leading IT research and advisory organization, and provides access to the latest solutions from key technology providers. Gartner's annual Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of attendees' annual planning efforts. IT executives rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use IT to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency. Additional information is available at www.gartner.com/symposium/us.

More exclusive content and expanding multimedia coverage, including Twitter feeds and comments from the Gartner Blog Network, will be available at Gartner's SymLive at www.gartner.com/us/symposium.

Follow Gartner Symposium/ITxpo
Follow news, photos and video coming from Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/GartnerSym, on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_incand using #GartnerSym, on flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/27772229@N07/.

Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo include:

October 25-27, Sao Paulo, Brazil: www.gartner.com/br/symposium
November 7-10, Barcelona, Spain: www.gartner.com/eu/symposium
November
14-17, Gold Coast, Australia: www.gartner.com/au/symposium
November 21-23, Mumbai, India: www.gartner.com/in/symposium

 

Contact:

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

New Stuxnet-Related Threat Discovered -- Info from Symantec

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http://www.symantec.com/connect/w32_duqu_precursor_next_stuxnet

October 18, 2011

W32.Duqu: The Precursor to the Next Stuxnet

By: Symantec Security Response

On October 14, 2011, a research lab with strong international connections alerted us to a sample that appeared to be very similar to Stuxnet. They named the threat "Duqu" [dyü-kyü] because it creates files with the file name prefix “~DQ”. The research lab provided us with samples recovered from computer systems located in Europe, as well as a detailed report with their initial findings, including analysis comparing the threat to Stuxnet, which we were able to confirm. Parts of Duqu are nearly identical to Stuxnet, but with a completely different purpose.

Duqu is essentially the precursor to a future Stuxnet-like attack. The threat was written by the same authors (or those that have access to the Stuxnet source code) and appears to have been created since the last Stuxnet file was recovered. Duqu's purpose is to gather intelligence data and assets from entities, such as industrial control system manufacturers, in order to more easily conduct a future attack against another third party. The attackers are looking for information such as design documents that could help them mount a future attack on an industrial control facility.

Duqu does not contain any code related to industrial control systems and is primarily a remote access Trojan (RAT). The threat does not self-replicate. Our telemetry shows the threat was highly targeted toward a limited number of organizations for their specific assets. However, it’s possible that other attacks are being conducted against other organizations in a similar manner with currently undetected variants.

The attackers used Duqu to install another infostealer that could record keystrokes and gain other system information. The attackers were searching for assets that could be used in a future attack. In one case, the attackers did not appear to successfully exfiltrate any sensitive data, but details are not available in all cases. Two variants were recovered, and in reviewing our archive of submissions, the first recording of one of the binaries was on September 1, 2011. However, based on file compile times, attacks using these variants may have been conducted as early as December 2010.

One of the variant’s driver files was signed with a valid digital certificate that expires August 2, 2012. The digital certificate belongs to a company headquartered in Taipai, Taiwan. The certificate was revoked on October 14, 2011.

Duqu uses HTTP and HTTPS to communicate with a command-and-control (C&C) server that at the time of writing is still operational. The attackers were able to download additional executables through the C&C server, including an infostealer that can perform actions such as enumerating the network, recording keystrokes, and gathering system information. The information is logged to a lightly encrypted and compressed local file, which then must be exfiltrated out.

The threat uses a custom C&C protocol, primarily downloading or uploading what appear to be JPG files. However, in addition to transferring dummy JPG files, additional data for exfiltration is encrypted and sent, and likewise received. Finally, the threat is configured to run for 36 days. After 36 days, the threat will automatically remove itself from the system.

Duqu shares a great deal of code with Stuxnet; however, the payload is completely different. Instead of a payload designed to sabotage an industrial control system, the payload has been replaced with general remote access capabilities. The creators of Duqu had access to the source code of Stuxnet, not just the Stuxnet binaries. The attackers intend to use this capability to gather intelligence from a private entity to aid future attacks on a third party. While suspected, no similar precursor files have been recovered that predate the Stuxnet attacks.

You can find additional details in our paper here. The research lab that originally found the sample has allowed us to share their initial report as an appendix. We expect to make further updates over the coming days.

Key points:

•    Executables using the Stuxnet source code have been discovered. They appear to have been developed since the last Stuxnet file was recovered.
•    The executables are designed to capture information such as keystrokes and system information.
•    Current analysis shows no code related to industrial control systems, exploits, or self-replication.
•    The executables have been found in a limited number of organizations, including those involved in the manufacturing of industrial control systems.
•    The exfiltrated data may be used to enable a future Stuxnet-like attack.

Note: At press time we have recovered additional variants from an additional organization in Europe with a compilation time of October 17, 2011. These variants have not yet been analyzed. More information will follow.

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Infosys BPO Leverages Technology to Create the "Realized Business Value" Advantage for Clients


Infosys BPO Leverages Technology to Create the "Realized Business Value" Advantage for Clients

Technology Value Accelerators portfolio to be 300+ across the enterprise value chain by 2012

BANGALORE, India, Oct. 19, 2011 /CNW/ - Infosys BPO Ltd, today stated on the eve of their annual client event "Colloquium" that they have made significant progress and built momentum on their strategic initiative of building highly functional Technology Value Accelerators (TVA). These TVAs enable clients realize significant business value across outsourced processes in the enterprise value chain. Each TVA creates a business value multiplier by bridging the white spaces in the outsourced business process technology cusp. Along with the traditional value levers of process re-engineering, harmonization, lean & six sigma, analytics and decision accelerators, Infosys BPO has built a portfolio of innovative TVAs, enabling a paradigm shift in the delivery of BPO services. The TVAs enable swifter roll outs of new engagement models like "business process on cloud" and help accelerate speed of implementation and realize business value swiftly.

"Our DNA and ability to innovate and leverage technology is helping us deliver comprehensive business value to our clients, and is contributing to the agility with which clients are now able to roll out their new products and services in new markets. This business value multiplication for clients is clearly moving the needle from transaction effectiveness to transformation multiplier in the outsourcing journey of our clients. In a relatively short period of time, these TVAs now contribute to approximately 16% of our portfolio of services. We continue to pioneer the use of technology for driving business value across the spectrum of enterprise services," said Swami Swaminathan, CEO and MD, Infosys BPO.

He further added, "This focus on technology-led business value acceleration has allowed clients, depending on their current state on the outsourcing value realization curve, to generate significantly higher business value gains than what they would otherwise have achieved had they used only the traditional outsourcing value levers. The technology accelerators enable automation, efficiency and user-experience enhancement, reduced turnaround time, enhanced self-service, reduced exception handling, straight through processing, end-to-end query resolution, along with a host of other process effectiveness improvements."

"Infosys currently has a portfolio of 150+ accelerators in the F&A area alone which have been used extensively by our clients. More than 50% of our client portfolio today benefits from leveraging TVAs for realizing accelerated business value. The technology accelerators built by Infosys BPO complement existing technology investments (ERP or Best of Breed) made by our clients, and help bridge the gaps and catalyse business value delivery. While a lot of our TVAs are built in-house, there is also good leverage wherever appropriate of our partner and alliance ecosystem," said Anantha Radhakrishnan, Vice President and Head, Business Transformation and Technology Services, Infosys BPO.

About Infosys BPO

Infosys BPO Ltd. (http://www.infosysbpo.com), the Business Process Outsourcing subsidiary of Infosys Limited, was set up in April 2002. Infosys BPO focuses on integrated end-to-end outsourcing and delivers transformational benefits to its clients through reduced costs, ongoing productivity improvements, and process reengineering. Infosys BPO operates in India, the Czech Republic, China, the Philippines, Poland, Mexico, USA and Brazil and as on September 30, 2011 employed approximately 20,617 people. It closed FY 2010-11 with revenues of $426.8 million.

About Infosys Ltd.

Many of the world's most successful organizations rely on the 142,000 people of Infosys to deliver measurable business value. Infosys provides business consulting, technology, engineering and outsourcing services to help clients in over 30 countries build tomorrow's enterprise.

For more information about Infosys (NASDAQ: INFY), visit http://www.infosys.com

Safe Harbor

Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2011 and on Form 6-K for the quarters ended June 30, 2010, September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2010.These filings are available at http://www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the company.

For further information:

Neha Iyer
Infosys BPO Ltd.
Phone: +91-8861257257
Neha_Iyer@infosys.com  

James Roger D'silva
Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick
Phone: +91-9880781969
james@corvoshandwick.co.in

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McAfee Announces Initiatives to Help Drive Partner Profitability


McAfee Announces Initiatives to Help Drive Partner Profitability

Channel Programs Focus on Invest, Grow and Optimize

FOCUS 11, LAS VEGAS - October 19, 2011 - At the McAfee SecurityAlliance
Partner Summit, McAfee announced several channel initiatives to drive
partner profitability. Nearly 700 worldwide partners attended the
two-day partner summit and learned how McAfee is evolving its channel
strategy to focus on investing in, growing with and optimizing for
partners.

“Together with our partners we are going to lead the transformation
of the computing experience to one that is more mobile, seamless and
secure,” said Alex Thurber, senior vice president of worldwide
channels at McAfee. “We are evolving our channel strategy to fuel this
transformation by helping our channel partners innovate and
differentiate themselves. There has never been a better time to partner
with McAfee.”

The three pillars that build the foundation and support for McAfee’s
channel strategy to drive mutual profitability include:

Investing in partners - Offering channel partners the programs, tools,
training and resources that drive mutual profitability. A prime example
of McAfee’s investing commitment is the McAfee Accredited Channel
Engineer (ACE) program. This is McAfee’s highest pre-sales
certification and is a key differentiator in the marketplace. The ACE
certification enables partners to take a greater leadership role with
sales opportunities by providing firms with the knowledge, tools and
skill-set to independently drive the technical pre-sales activities,
close more deals faster and better leverage cross-sell and services
opportunities.

Another new investment is the McAfee Authorized Support Provider (MASP)
program which has been in a limited pilot around the world and is now
generally available. The MASP program allows partners to increase margin
potential by supporting customers directly. The program offers
comprehensive training and access to proprietary tools and third-level
support engineers to enable partners to develop an expertise in
delivering McAfee first- and second-level support.

Growing together - Identifying new markets and opportunities for
partner growth. In response to the tremendous growth potential of
alternative delivery models, the McAfee SecurityAlliance partner program
is expanding beyond the reseller ecosystem to include a new McAfee
Managed Service Partner (MSP) Program. This program is designed to meet
the unique needs of managed service provider partners who will have the
ability to sell, deploy and support their own branded solution as well
as enjoy monthly recurring revenue via automatic monthly renewals.

The
 ability to offer monthly services will also continue to fuel
McAfee’s momentum in the SMB market. Less than six months ago, McAfee
announced several SMB-focused channel initiatives including the SMB
Specialization featuring the SMB Accelerated Deal Registration program
that offers deal protection, 25 per cent margin enhancement and an
accelerated approval process of four hours. This program already has
approximately 1,000 SMB Specialized partners.

Optimize for partners - Making it easier for partners to do business
with McAfee. A key part of this optimization is partner enablement.
McAfee is committed to providing partners with an exceptional enablement
program designed to help develop sales and technical resources to
further gain knowledge of McAfee products and to grow skills based on
the role within the organization.

To reward partners for their continued investment in training, McAfee
will employ a new continuing education approach. This approach gives
partners more choices and flexibility for how they want to maintain
their certification. Certified individuals will begin to receive credits
for approved learning activities and those credits can be applied
towards the following year’s certification requirements. In support of
continuing education, McAfee is deploying a new learning management
system. Both the new certification approach and the learning system will
be available in January 2012.

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

###

Note: McAfee is a registered trademark of McAfee, Inc. in the United
States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the
property of others.
For more information please contact:
Adam Pletsch/Dianna Lai
StrategicAmpersand Inc. (for McAfee Canada)
adam@stratamp.com
dianna@stratamp.com
(416) 961-5595
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Dianna Lai
Consultant, Public Relations

StrategicAmpersand Inc.
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Toronto, ON M4W 1E6
Phone: 416-961-5595 x440
Fax: 416-961-7955
dianna@stratamp.com
Twitter: Dee_Elle ( http://twitter.com/#!/Dee_Elle )

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IBM Introduces New Systems to Accelerate Smarter Computing

 

 

IBM Introduces New Systems to Accelerate Smarter Computing

 

Fifty-five New and Enhanced Servers and Storage Products Designed to Help Businesses Make Better Decisions and Operate More Efficiently

 

ARMONK, NY – 19 October 2011: In the largest update to its systems portfolio this year, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced 55 new and updated server and storage technologies that can help clients gain actionable insights from data, increase IT capacity and deliver new services faster to create profitable business opportunities.

 

The new and enhanced offerings include affordable business analytics systems, automated tools for implementing security and compliance standards, and starter kits for establishing private clouds.

 

As the world’s increasing demand for data and services puts a strain on IT resources, organizations become trapped in a vicious cycle in which a rigid IT infrastructure and lack of trusted data leads to reactive or risky decision making. Attempts to overcome these challenges through additional IT investments often result in a more sprawling and costly infrastructure.  

 

The new offerings, highlighted below, address these challenges with smarter computing technologies for business analytics, integrated storage, optimized systems and virtualized data centers.

 

Designed for Data

Companies that handle vast amounts of information need to be able to analyze that data to make better business decisions in real time. IBM is delivering new entry-level business analytics systems, accelerated database analytics and expanded data storage options. Highlights include:

 

  • IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator incorporates the Netezza data warehouse appliance into the IBM zEnterprise System for faster analytic responses. The blending of Netezza and System z technologies enables the merging of online transaction processing (OLTP) systems, which facilitate and manage transaction-oriented applications typically for data entry and retrieval transaction processing, with analytics into a single platform for operational business analytics. The appliance plugs into IBM DB2 for z/OS database on zEnterprise 196 (or z114) and is designed to speed response time for a wide variety of intensive analytics, which ultimately can provide faster business analysis. At a time when organizations are demanding access to customer purchase histories, customer behaviors and real time sales trends, IBM DB2 Analytics Accelerator helps clients sift through this massive amount of data and make the information relevant and actionable in a timelier manner.

 

  • IBM Smart Analytics System 9700 and IBM Smart Analytics System 9710 utilize innovative technologies to deliver an end-to-end data warehouse and business intelligence solution on IBM zEnterprise System. The new systems can support a data distribution hub, transactional analysis platforms and modernized reporting systems, or provide a framework for comprehensive predictive analytics. IBM clients can now build a mainframe-based operational business analytics solution at an entry-level price.

 

  • IBM POWER7 processor-based IBM Smart Analytics System 7710 and x86 processor-based IBM Smart Analytics System 5710 are single server, all-in-one systems that deliver business analytics and reporting services faster and at a lower cost than previous IBM integrated solutions. Engineered for the rapid deployment of business-ready solutions in days and not months, they offer a breadth of capabilities including business intelligence reporting, analysis, dashboards, data mining, cubing services and text analytics.

 

  • IBM Storwize V7000 Unified midrange disk system brings efficiency and simplicity to data storage with file and block storage located on the same system with a world-class graphical user interface. It provides automatic policy-driven movement of files to the desired drive type to help manage costs and simplify administration, the ability to either scale within a system or scale out by clustering two systems together, and enhanced remote mirroring options.

 

  • IBM System Storage DS8000 Release 6.2 enterprise disk systems introduce greater performance and improved capacity optimization capabilities that allow organizations to manage diverse workloads efficiently and automatically without administrator involvement. Easy Tier enhancements include automated data migration across three-tiers of storage, as well as automated data rebalancing within a single tier, which can help clients improve performance where and when it’s needed. Moreover, with only two parameters to set, Easy Tier is easy to set up and manage.

 

  • IBM XIV Storage System Gen3 enterprise disk system was introduced in July with an advanced hardware upgrade that can improve performance for the most demanding workloads. Now, IBM is adding support for 3TB disk drives that increase capacity by 50 percent in the same physical footprint and enable an increase in usable capacity of up to 243TB per rack (based on IBM internal measurements). IBM is offering several other innovations such as the IBM XIV Mobile Dashboard, an Apple iPad application available at no cost that enables XIV system status to be monitored from anywhere. Separately, IBM this week announced the first Storage Performance Council (SPC) result with the XIV Storage System as part of the SPC’s announcement of the new energy extensions for SPC-2 (SPC-2/E) and SPC-2C (SPC-2C/E). XIV Storage System produced an SPC-2/E result which demonstrated its ability to handle Big Data as well as providing associated energy use data. The SPC-2/E result shows the XIV Storage System provides outstanding enterprise price-performance, in addition to Large File Processing (LFP) performance that is faster than all SPC-2 submissions from competing vendors to date.(1)

 

Tuned to the Task

Systems that are optimized across the infrastructure and tuned for specific tasks enable businesses of all sizes to achieve superior economics. IBM is providing new technologies that automate security and compliance of virtualized environments and multi-system virtualization capabilities to reduce cumbersome IT sprawl. Highlights include:

 

  • IBM PowerSC technology provides automated tools for security and compliance of virtualized environments on Power Systems running PowerVM virtualization technology. Centrally managed reporting for compliance measurement and audit can reduce the cost of cloud computing security in virtualized data centers. Clients can automatically apply security profiles and generate reports about compliance, which can reduce administrative costs involved in configuring and auditing systems that require particular industry standards.

 

  • IBM z/VM 6.2 offers new multi-system virtualization capabilities within the software to help clients avoid virtual machine sprawl.  Up to four instances of z/VM can be clustered together as members in a Single System Image, where they can be managed as a single z/VM system and share system resources.

 

  • IBM Systems Director v6.3 includes improvements in performance, scalability and usability for simplified management of optimized systems. Enhancements in the new version include simplified usability functions and fewer installation steps, the ability to manage more endpoints from a single interface, and streamlined database management with an embedded DB2 database.

 

Managed in the Cloud

IBM cloud infrastructure solutions can accelerate deployment and maximize efficiency of businesses who want to achieve rapid, flexible delivery of high value services. IBM now offers solutions that help clients easily establish virtualized data center environments, scale cloud file systems more efficiently and improve system utilization. Highlights include:

 

  • IBM SmartCloud Entry solution, delivered by IBM Starter Kit for Cloud, offers the building blocks to create private clouds on virtualized IBM System x and Power Systems hardware. The solution provides simplified initialization and administration for cloud environments on Power and x86 systems, standardization of virtual machines and improved operations productivity with an easy-to-use, self-service interface. Organizations can also quickly and easily scale to more advanced cloud solutions as business demands and workloads increase. See related October 12, 2011 press release, “IBM Introduces New Portfolio of Private Cloud Offerings.”

 

  • zEnterprise Starter Edition for Cloud offers customers an entry-level Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) cloud delivery model for Linux on System z with Tivoli Provisioning Manager. This easy-to-deploy, highly secure, resilient turn-key “cloud in a box” extends the scope of the enterprise cloud with centralized management of the entire zEnterprise system.

 

  • IBM BladeCenter Foundation for Cloud is a comprehensive, converged cloud computing platform that combines server, storage, networking and management technology that allows clients to quickly create an x86-based virtualization environment that is simple to deploy, manage and scale. BladeCenter Foundation for Cloud comes in three sizes – small, medium and large – designed to fit the business needs of any size business, based on budget, storage size or performance, and is capable of helping smoothly manage a typical multi-rack datacenter as if powered by a single chassis.

 

  • IBM Active Cloud Engine scales cloud file systems efficiently by moving files where and when they are needed. It gives companies fast access to billions of files and dramatically improves the management and efficiency of cloud storage. Capabilities for global clouds are available on IBM Scale-Out Network Attached Storage R 1.3 (SONAS) and for mid-sized clouds on Storwize V7000 Unified systems.

 

  • IBM Systems Director VMControl 2.4 now offers extended virtual image management and system resource pool capabilities on System x for Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), the next generation open source hypervisor. The new cloud-ready virtualization capabilities help improve system utilization and reduce time to deploy new workloads.

 

  • IBM System Networking delivers smarter data center networking with faster, flexible and standards-based solutions designed to increase performance while helping to reduce costs, space, power and complexity for public and private clouds, as well as analyzing big data. New offerings include IBM 16Gbps Fibre Channel SAN backbones and switches that can ease migration to private clouds, the new 1.28Tb/sec 40GbE IBM RackSwitch G8316 that helps flatten networks for better performance and simplicity, the OpenFlow-enabled 10/40GbE IBM RackSwitch G8264 to increase client control, iFlow Director for high performance, low cost IBM BladeCenter-based appliances for mobile and Web 2.0 applications, and the new IBM Networking Operating System for today’s dynamic, virtualized data centers.

 

Financing provided by IBM Global Financing, the lending and leasing arm of IBM, helps credit-qualified clients make the transition to smarter computing with zero percent financing for servers, storage and software or deferred payments up to six months. Financing helps clients accelerates their cash flow break-even point by spreading upfront costs over time, enabling them to utilizing cash reserves for other strategic investments. For more information on IBM’s financing options, visit http://www.ibm.com/financing/us/lifecycle/acquire/hardware

 

About IBM

For more information on IBM Smarter Computing, visit www.ibm.com/smartercomputing 

 

(1) 8259.94 MBPS SPC-2 (LFP) Data Rate, $137.07 SPC-2 (LFP) Price-Performance
   Source: Storage Performance Council SPC-2 Benchmark Results, August 19, 2011, http://www.storageperformance.org/results/benchmark_results_spc2/#BE00001

 

###

 

IBM, BladeCenter, DB2, iFlow Director, POWER7, PowerSC, Power Systems, RackSwitch, Storwize, System Storage, System x, System z, Tivoli, VMControl and z/VM are registered trademarks of IBM Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other company/product names and service marks may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.




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SEO technology software provider gShift Labs first to deliver YouTube rankings

SEO technology software provider gShift Labs first to deliver YouTube rankings – enabling marketers to boost visibility of business videos in search engines
Along with analytics and competitive insights, rank checking of videos enables companies to optimize keyword phrases for Google and YouTube

Toronto, Ontario, October 19, 2011 gShift Labs, the creator of patent-pending Search Engine Optimization (SEO) software that is giving marketers control over their organic search campaigns, is the first SEO technology provider to offer customers YouTube rankings. In its product release today, gShift’s industry leading software, Web Presence Optimizer™ arms users with weekly YouTube rankings, and insights into competitors with video to help them dominate in organic search.

Second only to Google as the most used global search engine, YouTube is increasingly seen as an important channel for businesses to connect with consumers looking for videos about products and services. Many businesses are connecting with prospects and customers by uploading testimonials, product how-to and support videos, along with promotional material.
“Video is quickly becoming a vital part of a company’s ability to inform consumers, market services and increase web presence,” says Krista LaRiviere, Cofounder and CEO, gShift Labs. “Building YouTube ranking capabilities into our SEO software provides our customers with critical insights to ensure their business or service appears on the first page of YouTube and also Google.”

LaRiviere says the first step in this process is to use gShift’s web presence optimization software to find out how your videos currently rank and how strong the competition is for keywords you want to rank for. Additionally, gShift provides insight into YouTube traffic and whether a company’s website is acquiring valuable organic traffic from YouTube that converts into sales leads.

“If you haven’t thought of using YouTube, gShift makes it easier for you to start and understand how you are doing against competitors,” says Chris Adams, cofounder and CTO, gShift. “The interesting part of using YouTube is that your videos can also rank in Google for the exact same keyword phrases. And in some cases, your videos can rank on the first page of the Google search results, which also increases web presence.”

Armed with better analytics, Adams says companies can also ensure their business videos rank higher for a keyword phrase before posting videos to YouTube. Embedding the most effective keyword phrases in the video title, its description and the way it is tagged can play an important role in gaining first page rankings on search engines.

About gShift Labs
gShift Labs provides SEO software for non-SEO professionals by giving marketers control over their organic search campaigns. Companies across North America are getting top organic ranking in search engines using gShift’s Web Presence Optimizer™ (WPO), which simplifies, demystifies and standardizes the way a website gets found on the internet. Organizations of all sizes benefit by reducing the time and resources required to analyze and improve organic search optimization. Winner of numerous technology awards, gShift is considered one of the hottest software innovation companies in Canada. For more information visit: http://www.gshiftlabs.com

 
Samantha Kemp-Jackson
Principal
Triple M Communications
Communications Goals Delivered

 

Joint Integration of EMC VPLEX and VMware vSphere(R) Delivers Higher Levels of Availability and Workload Mobility

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Joint Integration of EMC VPLEX and VMware vSphere® Delivers Higher
Levels of Availability and Workload Mobility

EMC Achieves Certification for Implementing New VMware vSphere® Metro
Storage Cluster

COPENHAGEN – Oct. 19, 2011 – Today at VMworld® 2011 Europe, EMC
Corporation (NYSE:EMC), the number one choice of customers in VMware
virtual and cloud
(http://www.emc.com/solutions/business-need/virtualizing-information-infrastructure/index.htm)
environments according to a recent Wikibon survey
(http://wikibon.org/wiki/v/VMware_Storage_Integration_Journey_Checkpoint),
today announced that EMC VPLEX is now certified by VMware to implement
vSphere Metro Storage Cluster (vMSC). Now organizations can realize even
greater IT efficiency and flexibility with the ability to manage and
move data between stretched VMware vSphere® clusters in different
geographic locations.

EMC and VMware have worked together to produce the test harness for
vMSC to enable VMware ecosystem partners to certify clustered storage
products. This work is another example of how EMC has been leading the
industry by integrating closely with VMware technologies to increase
ease of use, performance, and availability of virtual and cloud
infrastructures. As customers virtualize mission critical applications
to accelerate their journey to the cloud, there is a greater need for
higher availability and data mobility.

EMC VPLEX is a unique virtual storage technology that federates data
located on multiple storage systems – EMC and non-EMC – allowing the
storage resources in multiple data centres to be pooled together and
accessed anywhere. Customers can achieve transparent workload mobility
and availability, both locally and over distance, through VPLEX’s
simultaneous access to storage systems at geographically separate sites.
The combination of VPLEX and VMware vSphere provides high availability
and transparent, non-disruptive data mobility to achieve the ultimate
cloud computing environment.

“EMC is excited to accelerate the benefits of cloud computing with
stretched VMware vSphere® clusters across active/active data centres,”
said EMC’s Chad Sakac, Vice President, VMware Technology
Alliance.“Combining industry-leading features in EMC VPLEX and
VMware vSphere customers can now achieve simple workload mobility across
their data centres while at the same time decreasing management
overhead.”

“With the introduction of the VMware vSphere® Metro Storage Cluster
program, we’re helping enhance mobility and agility within customer
data centres by enabling our storage partners to self-certify new
clustered storage products and architectures,” said Hatem Naguib, Vice
President, Alliances, VMware. “We are delighted that EMC is taking
advantage of this key new program as we continue working together to
further our customers’ journey to their cloud.”

Additional Resources

* Read more about EMC VPLEX (http://www.emc.com/vplex)
* Read about implementing vSphere Metro Storage Cluster using EMC VPLEX
(http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2007545).

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 VPLEX are registered trademarks o
r trademarks of EMC
Corporation in the United States and other countries.All other
trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.

VMware and VMware vSphere 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.


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Symantec Survey Finds IT Security Staffing Challenges Hinder Enterprises' Ability to Respond to New Threats


 

Symantec Survey Finds IT Security Staffing Challenges Hinder Enterprises’ Ability to Respond to New Threats

 

TORONTO, ON. – Oct. 19, 2011 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the findings of its 2011 Threat Management Survey which examined the concerns and challenges IT security organizations face as they confront the evolving threat landscape. The poll revealed that most enterprises are not confident in their security posture and that staffing is a major issue limiting IT security’s effectiveness.

 

Read more detailed blog post:

·         Symantec’s 2011 Threat Management Survey: Staffing Challenges Creating Security Challenges

 

“Although organizations are more concerned than ever about keeping up with the evolving threat environment, many still fall short of achieving high confidence in their security posture,” said David Dorosin, director of product marketing for the Threat and Risk Management group at Symantec.  “Effective threat management  requires advanced technology for enterprise visibility and the correlation and analysis of security data, but our research shows that the human element is often the limiting factor for enterprise threat management teams.”

 

Click to Tweet:  57% of enterprises lack confidence in their ability to respond to new threats, mostly due to staffing issues: http://bit.ly/pwuXqW

 

Symantec’s recent 2011 State of Security Survey found cyberattacks were the top concern of the organizations surveyed and the importance of these threats has increased for many respondents.  Probing deeper into an enterprise’s ability to manage these threats, 57 percent of respondents to the 2011 Threat Management Survey said they lack confidence in their IT security staffs’ ability to respond to new and emerging threats. 

 

The Threat Management Survey also found that 46 percent of those who lacked confidence indicated insufficient security staff was a top factor.  A similar number (45 percent) cited a lack of time to respond to new threats for their existing staff.  Overall, 43 percent of organizations worldwide reported they are somewhat or extremely understaffed.  In North America, respondents were much more likely to report understaffing, with 53 percent reporting staffing challenges.

 

Those who lack confidence in their ability to respond to threats also reported issues with staff effectiveness.  Sixty-six percent rate their staff as less than effective and only 4 percent rate their staff as completely effective.  The top three issues impacting staff effectiveness were recruiting (46 percent), retention (42 percent) and skill set gaps with existing staff (35 percent).  The findings suggest that effectiveness is linked to both staffing levels as well as staff experience and skill set. 

 

Beyond these staffing issues, the other top concerns noted by respondents were keeping up with changes in the threat landscape, maintaining adequate visibility of their own infrastructure and managing security log and alert data in a timely and effective manner.  Sixty-eight percent identified threat intelligence as one of their top two concerns.  Concerns about the potential for new avenues of attack in an evolving infrastructure are reflected in the 49 percent who ranked security visibility as a top concern.  Finally, a significant number (45 percent) reported they are concerned about their ability to properly correlate and analyze the security information and alerts that are being generated by their security solutions.

 

Symantec Recommendations

·         Build a Comprehensive Incident Management Program.  Plan for all aspects of your incident management program, including technology, people and processes. In particular, be sure to consider the staffing requirements to maintain an effective program.

·         Be Vigilant About the Changing Threat Landscape.  With the accelerating rate of change in the external threat environment, many enterprises need to increase their attention on the latest developments to keep pace.

·         Broaden the Visibility Across Your Infrastructure.  Enterprise infrastructure is constantly evolving and new infrastructure trends, such as mobility, virtualization and cloud-based solutions, can open up new avenues for attacks. Maintain ‘edge-to-endpoint’ visibility across your infrastructure to mitigate these new risks to protect information and identities.

·         Evaluate Systems for Managing Security Information and Alerts.  The rising volume of security information and alerts is straining some organizations. These organizations should evaluate the technology, processes and staffing that are in place for storing, analyzing and acting on this data.

 

Symantec’s Threat Management Survey

Symantec’s Threat Management Survey is the result of research conducted in June 2011 by Applied Research, which surveyed C-level and IT professionals at small, medium, and large enterprises (defined as 1,000-2,400, 2,500-4,999, and 5,000+ employees).  The report was designed to examine security concerns and challenges IT organizations are facing.  The survey included 1,025 respondents from countries in North America, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

 

Resources

 

Connect with Symantec

 

About Symantec

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


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

 

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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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