Power electronics lighting innovator partners with Centennial College to bring product to market

 

Power electronics lighting innovator partners with Centennial College to bring product to market

TORONTO, May 18 /CNW/ - Blue Heron Systems Ltd. has partnered with Centennial College during development of its innovative, intelligent controller for small (<500W) renewable energy systems. Among many potential applications Blue Heron is seeing strong adoption by the street-lighting and security markets, which are ripe for transformation to off-grid clean energy.

Traditional street lighting relies on an electrical grid to supply energy through above- or below-ground distribution cables that connect the lighting standards. The electrical distribution system often represents a significant portion of the total system costs and is the major source of disruptions to existing infrastructure. Even in areas where grid power may be available within a few hundred metres, the cost and timelines for planning, zoning, building permits and construction present challenges.

The Blue Heron Systems solution offers its own local "point-of-use power" in the form of solar- and wind-generated power to overcome such hurdles. The advent of Light Emitting Diode (LED) street-lamp technology reduces power load and increases the life of these technologies. By providing self-healing mesh networking coupled with an intelligent cloud-based management platform, Blue Heron ensures optimum system performance with predictable outcomes at a lower cost.

With the help of Centennial College Energy Institute faculty researchers and a number of students from the Energy Systems Engineering Technician program, along with funding from the Colleges Ontario Network for Industry Innovation (CONII), test simulations permitted a better understanding of the relative impacts of system design changes without having to resort to costly physical prototypes and lengthy environmental testing. The simulations prove that grid-independent street lighting is physically and economically feasible in southern Ontario. Results are now being carried forward to a physical prototype and test phase, funded by a $50,000 FedDev grant. Testing will take place at Centennial's Progress Campus in Scarborough throughout 2011.

"Accurately modeling the solar and wind profiles of potential installation locations around the world has been critical in the development and delivery of our technology," says John Tuerk, founder and Vice-President of Blue Heron Systems. "Centennial's applied research program has assisted in all aspects of the business from engineering through to market research, and has allowed us to enter the market quicker and more effectively."

Blue Heron Systems comes out of stealth mode and will be launched at the Ontario Centres of Excellence Discovery '11 trade show in Toronto, May 18 and 19.

About Blue Heron Systems
Blue Heron Systems develops hybrid solar/wind hardware and software technologies for off-grid and grid-tie applications in the streetlight/residential lighting, security and telecom markets. By providing self-healing mesh networking coupled with an intelligent cloud-based management platform, Blue Heron ensures optimum system performance with predictable outcomes at a lower cost. For more information, please visit www.blueheronsystems.com.

About the Applied Research and Innovation Centre at Centennial College
Centennial College has a proven track record of successful industry partnerships by helping enterprises take their concepts to the next level. Centennial's Applied Research and Innovation Centre (ARIC) connects industry with college faculty, students and resources to find real-world solutions to pragmatic problems. The focus is on small to mid-sized industry partners, assisting in the development, testing and commercialization of their innovative ideas. Visit research@centennialcollege.ca.

For further information:

Media contact: Mark Toljagic, Communications Officer, Centennial College, 416-289-5000, ext. 7142mtoljagic@centennialcollege.ca

Media contact: Mark Windrim, VP Marketing, Mobile & Cloud Technologies, Blue Heron Systems, 416-847-7006mark@blueheronsystems.com

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CA Directory certified under Common Criteria from the Communications Security Establishment Canada

Image001

 

CA Technologies Increases List of Identity and Access Management Products Certified Under Common Criteria

CA Directory Validated Under Internationally Recognized Security Certification

 

ISLANDIA, N.Y., May 17, 2011 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) today announced that CA Directory r12 SP3 has met the requirements of Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 3+ from the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC).

 

Common Criteria is an independent security certification recognized by governments in more than 26 countries, including the United States. Certification is granted when a Common Criteria testing laboratory, such as EWA-Canada, determines that a product meets a defined measure of security. The certification addresses product functionality, development environment, documentation and product testing measures.

 

“CA continues to support Common Criteria evaluations as a measurement of security capabilities,” said Bill Clark, vice president, Public Sector Technical Sales, CA Technologies. “We understand the importance of third-party assurance, such as this certification, and are proud to have our identity and access management portfolio so well-represented on the certified products list.”

 

CA Directory is a large-scale user directory that delivers the availability, reliability, and scalability needed for today’s online applications. This includes providing the performance needed for efficient read and write operations, transparent distribution and replication.

 

The CA Directory r12 sp3 evaluation was performed on the Oracle Solaris 10 and Windows Server 2003 operating system SP2 platforms at EWA-Canada’s Common Criteria Evaluation Facility. EWA is one of only three labs approved by the CSEC that meet the Canadian Common Criteria Scheme lab requirements. These labs conduct IT security evaluations to determine conformance to the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, International Standard ISO/IEC 15408.

 

Recent CA Technologies Common Criteria evaluations include CA Federation Manager r12 SP1 deployed on CA SiteMinder* and CA Identity Manager r12.5. CA security products currently in evaluation for the mainframe platform include CA ACF2™ r14 and CA Top Secret® r14.

*Formerly named: CA SiteMinder Federation Security Services r12 SP1

 

About Common Criteria

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Security Agency (NSA) established the National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) to evaluate IT product conformance to the Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, an international standard. The program, officially known as the NIAP Common Criteria Evaluation and Validation Scheme (CCEVS) is a partnership between the public and private sectors to help organizations select commercial off-the-shelf information technology (IT) products that meet their security requirements and to help manufacturers of those products gain acceptance in the global marketplace. Twenty-six countries now recognize the Common Criteria as third-party evaluation criteria for IT security procedures.

 

About EWA Canada

EWA-Canada (www.ewa-canada.com) is Canada’s premier Information Assurance consulting firm specializing in IT Security Engineering, Managed Security Services and independent third-party evaluation and testing of products in its Common Criteria, FIPS 140 2 Cryptographic Module and Security Content Automation Protocol test labs. EWA-Canada is recognized for its comprehensive experience with Common Criteria evaluations, enabling companies to efficiently and cost-effectively manage the evaluation process thereby ensuring their products meet important certification requirements. For further information please visit us at www.ewa-canada.com/studies/it_security.php.

 

About CA Technologies

CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) is an IT management software and solutions company with expertise across all IT environments – from mainframe and distributed, to virtual and cloud. CA Technologies manages and secures IT environments and enables customers to deliver more flexible IT services. CA Technologies innovative products and services provide the insight and control essential for IT organizations to power business agility. The majority of the Global Fortune 500 relies on CA Technologies to manage evolving IT ecosystems. For additional information, visit CA Technologies at www.ca.com.

 

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Copyright © 2011 CA. All Rights Reserved. One CA Plaza, Islandia, N.Y. 11749. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Microsoft, MSN, and Windows Vista are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.

 

 

 


 

 

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VMware Launches Horizon App Manager


VMware Launches Horizon App Manager

VMware advances End-User Computing strategy with first release of its
user-centric management service for accessing cloud applications.

PALO ALTO, Calif. - May 17, 2011 -VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global
leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced
VMware Horizon App Manager™
(http://www.vmware.com/go/horizonappmanager), a user-centric
management service for accessing cloud applications.

VMware Horizon App Manager represents the first component of the
company’s “Project Horizon” vision first previewed at VMworld
2010. Future releases of VMware Horizon will broker user access to a
variety of application types, virtual Windows desktops and data
resources, while delivering the security and control required by
businesses. The result will be a simple, seamless user experience when
accessing work resources across the private and public cloud on whatever
device the user chooses.

“The mobile and cloud era dictates anywhere, any device access to
applications within and outside the firewall, and introduces fundamental
new challenges to the traditional enterprise security and management
model,” said Brian Byun, Vice President and General Manager, Cloud
Applications, VMware. “VMware Horizon App Manager addresses these
challenges by re-inventing end-user identity and application management
as a cloud service, and providing an easier way for IT and users to
embrace a new way to work.”

VMware Horizon App Manager™:
At its core, VMware Horizon App Manager™ includes an identity as a
service hub that securely extends a user’s existing identity in
systems such as Microsoft Active Directory or other directory options,
into third-party public cloud applications like Box.net
(http://box.net/), BroadVision (http://www.broadvision.com),
Google (http://www.google.com/), Salesforce.com
(http://www.salesforce.com/), WebEx (http://www.webex.com/), Workday
(http://www.workday.com/) and others. This dramatically simplifies the
management of multiple access credentials, a necessity brought about by
the growing number of cloud applications now found in a typical
enterprise. Simplification benefits both IT and users by collapsing
separate identity silos into a single enterprise identity that can
secure user access across private and public clouds. In addition, the
VMware Horizon App Manager provides an open, user-centric platform for
accessing cloud applications within a single application portal that is
accessible from a wide range of end-user devices.

As a result:
· Users gain the freedom of easy, single sign-on (SSO) access to their
cloud applications through a “storefront like” application portal.
The Horizon portal provides a consistent user interface from which users
can access their work and personal applications across a broad range of
devices. In addition, the user portal provides for the self-provisioning
of applications.

· VMware Horizon App Manager™ provides a simple way for IT
administrators to control entitlement and access to almost any cloud
application through a centralized application catalogue. User access is
controlled by IT via strong policy management that delivers real-time
application usage data for greater operational visibility and license
management.

· VMware Horizon App Manager™ extends and federates existing on-premise
identity infrastructure, and unlike other federation solutions does not
require an enterprise or public organization to make additional capital
investments in complex and expensive hardware.

Future releases of VMware Horizon™ will marry the management of
existing Windows applications via application virtualization and
publishing technologies from Citrix, Microsoft and VMware, alongside the
management of cloud-based applications.

Additional VMware Horizon App Manager™ features include:
· Multi-Platform/Multi-Device Support - VMware Horizon App
 Manager™
supports a wide range of mobile devices and computing platforms by
providing users access to their applications via almost all major
Internet browsers, including Internet Explorer 7 +, Firefox 3.5 + and
Safari 5.

· Enterprise Directory Federation/Cloud Identity Hub - VMware Horizon
App Manager™ Enterprise Connector is a lightweight, on-premise directory
synchronization and secure authentication tool that extends Microsoft AD
and other identity directories into the Horizon Cloud Identity Hub.
Included in VMware Horizon App Manager, the Cloud Identity Hub manages
access to an organization’s third-party cloud application services
without requiring additional federation software and network gateways.
In addition to reducing the total cost associated with managing separate
identity silos and eliminating the complexity of having password
credentials for each application, the Enterprise Connector allows
organizations to keep AD passwords secure behind corporate firewalls.

· Standards Based Secure Authentication - VMware Horizon App Manager™
employs standards based authentication via Security Assertion Markup
Language (SAML) and Open Authentication (Oauth), and offers multi-factor
authentication, including options from RSA.  For non-federated
authentication (for legacy web applications), Horizon App Manager
provides split-key identity storage in VMware Horizon’s secure
identity vault.

· Application Provisioning - VMware Horizon App Manager™ enables IT
administrators to entitle and automatically provision accounts for a
growing number of cloud-based applications that have provisioning-ready
APIs — including Box.net, Google, Salesforce.com, SlideRocket, VMware
Zimbra, WebEx and others.

· Roles-Based Access and Reporting - Administrators can quickly enable
access to applications by user, group, and/or role, and can identify
which entities within the enterprise have control of various
applications. VMware Horizon App Manager™ simplifies security associated
with application access-while strong policy management delivers robust
user activity reporting.

A New Way to Work in the Cloud:
More than ever, enterprises are dealing with two fundamental client
computing pain points — providing secure access to an increasingly
mobile workforce; and managing the burgeoning diversity of data,
applications and devices needed to run their business. These challenges
result from the transformative nature of cloud computing and the post-PC
era.

In this environment, a new way to work is required. The growing VMware
End-User Computing portfolio seeks to free end users and IT
organizations from more than two decades of complex, device-centric
computing and deliver a more user-centric, consumer cloud experience for
the enterprise. This approach to personal computing enables
organizations to leverage public cloud resources while extending
existing security models and providing access to applications and data
from any device, where and when a user needs it.

Establishing a new end-user computing model is a fundamental component
of the VMware vision for IT as a Service — the transformation of IT to
a more business-centric approach, focusing on outcomes such as
operational efficiency, self service, competitiveness and rapid
response. This means IT shifts from producing IT services to optimizing
production and consumption of those services in ways consistent with
business requirements. This changes the role of IT from a cost centre to
a centre of strategic value. (Please see:
http://www.vmware.com/solutions/cloud-computing/?src=WWW_VMware_HPHero2YourCloud_US#utm_source=WWW_VMware_HPHero2YourCloud_US&utm_medium=src&utm_campaign=src-tagged-url)

Pricing and Availability
Available today to select early access customers in North America and
Asia Pacific Region, and via trials in other regions, VMware Horizon App
Manager™ is US$30 per user/per year. For additional details on VMware
Horizon App Manager or to learn more about the VMware Horizon ISV
program
 go to www.vmware.com/go/horizonappmanager.

Additional Resources:
- Read customer and industry comments on the launch of VMware Horizon
App Manager: http://www.vmware.com/go/horizonquotes
- Read more from Noah Wasmer, Director, Advanced Development, VMware,
about VMware Horizon App Manager on the updated VMware End-User
Computing blog:
http://blogs.vmware.com/euc/2011/05/a-new-view-of-the-horizon.html
- Read more about Box.net’s perspective on VMware Horizon App
Manager:
http://blog.box.net/2011/05/17/vmware-horizon-app-manager-and-managing-cloud-applications-at-scale
- Read more about BroadVision’s perspective on VMware Horizon App
Manager: http://www.broadvision.com/blog/2011/05/vmware-2/
- Watch a video about VMware Horizon App Manager with Noah Wasmer,
Director, Advanced Development, VMware:

- Watch a video of Box.net CEO and Co-founder Aaron Levie and Noah
Wasmer, Director, Advanced Development, VMware discussing VMware Horizon
App Manager:
- See screen shots of VMware Horizon App Manager:
http://flickr.com/gp/vmwarepr/kg87ze/
- Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/VMware-Horizon/115185821894332
- Twitter: @VMwareHorizon (hashtag #vmwhorizon)

About VMware
VMware delivers solutions for business infrastructure virtualization
that enable IT organizations to energize businesses of all sizes. With
the industry leading virtualization platform — VMware vSphere™ —
customers rely on VMware to reduce capital and operating expenses,
improve agility, ensure business continuity, strengthen security and go
green. With 2009 revenues of US$2 billion, more than 170,000 customers
and 25,000 partners, VMware is the leader in virtualization which
consistently ranks as a top priority among CIOs. VMware is headquartered
in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found
online at www.vmware.com.  VMware Canada is headquartered in Burlington,
Ontario, and can be found online at www.vmware.ca.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among
other things, statements regarding the expected benefits of VMware
Horizon for users, features that are expected to be available in future
releases of VMware Horizon, expectations for the evolution of IT,
VMware’s vision for a modern end-user computing model and for IT as a
service, and their future value for users  These forward-looking
statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could
differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements
as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i)
adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or
reductions in consumer or information technology spending; (iii)
competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures,
industry consolidation, entry of new competitors into the virtualization
market, and new product and marketing initiatives by our competitors;
(iv) our customers’ ability to develop, and to transition to, new
products and computing strategies such as cloud computing and desktop
virtualization; (v) the uncertainty of customer acceptance of emerging
technology; (vi) rapid technological and market changes in
virtualization software and platforms for cloud and desktop computing;
(vii) changes to product development timelines; (viii) VMware’s
ability to protect its proprietary technology; and (ix) VMware’s
ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees.. These forward
looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to
uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect
as well as other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including our most recent reports on Form 10-K
and Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that we may file from time
to time, which co
uld cause actual results to vary from expectations.
VMware assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to,
update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this
release.

-30-

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

For more information please contact:
Cindy Watson
StrategicAmpersand Inc.
cindy@stratamp.com
(416) 961-5595 ext. 433

EMR best practices to be shared at sixth annual User Conference


EMR best practices to be shared at sixth annual User Conference

OTTAWA, May 17 /CNW/ - MD Physician Services is hosting its sixth annual User Conference at the Westin Prince in Toronto from June 2-4, 2011.

The purpose of the User Conference is to share best practices and learn new skills in a collaborative peer-to-peer environment.  "Physicians and their staff will learn how to optimize the use of PS Suite® EMR software ensuring success in their practice. We have found the conference to be an excellent opportunity for our clients to network with their peers and learn from their colleagues," says Paul Mason, president, MD Physician Services Software Inc.

The 2011 User Conference offers many different types of training, from traditional classroom-style learning to hands-on training sessions in a lab-like learning environment. Presentations will be hosted by both staff and client presenters, offering training from the experts based on their own clinical experiences. Private meetings and an open session with trainers are also available.

Some conference highlights include:

  • The Heart and Stroke Foundation will be leading the plenary session, on chronic disease management
  • A session focused on missed opportunities in billing and MOH bonuses hosted by Dr. Darren Larsen
  • A session dedicated to decision assistant tools hosted by Doug Kavanagh, and many more

A custom forms course on June 2, 2011 will also be offered as part of a package deal with the User Conference, at 55% off the regular price.

For more information, and to register, clients can go to www.practicesolutions.ca/userconference

About MD Physician Services
MD Physician Services Inc, a CMA company, is dedicated to serving the financial and practice needs of Canadian physicians across our offices nationally, through objective financial advice and wealth management, as well as software, consulting and practice management services.

For further information:

Siobhaun Williams, Manager
1-800-663-7336, ext.4562

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New research shows skilled immigrants help companies grow globally and locally

 

New research shows skilled immigrants help companies grow globally and locally

TORONTO, May 17 /CNW/ - New numbers back up the business case for hiring skilled immigrants. TRIEC engaged EKOS to survey employers about their hiring practices of newcomers. According to the results, one in five employers has hired a skilled immigrant to help them expand globally and locally, and feels that employees with international education and experience are effective in helping them meet their business goals.

Among the key research findings:

  • Almost 1 in 5 have hired a skilled immigrant:
  • To help diversify their company's client base globally; and of these, 93% feel the skilled immigrants hired have been effective on helping on this front
  • To target local cultural communities to find new business opportunities; and of these, 83% feel the skilled immigrants hired have been effective in helping on this front
  • 1 in 10 have hired a skilled immigrant because they discovered that competitors were benefiting from hiring skilled immigrants -
    • of those employers, 81% feel the skilled immigrants hired have been effective

    "This research confirms that hiring immigrants to expand into local and global markets can be an effective business strategy for employers," says Elizabeth McIsaac, TRIEC's executive director. "We know there is a strong business case for employing skilled immigrants and these findings prove it."

    Companies that are already reaping the benefits

    Phoenix Geophysics
    Phoenix Geophysics Limited, a geophysical manufacturing and contracting company, sells to over 80 countries in the world. Half of the company's business is in China and another 20 per cent is in Russia. Phoenix hires "market makers," skilled immigrants who can help the company open up new opportunities in their home countries. The company boasts 51 employees from 20 countries who speak 15 languages.

    George Kelk
    For George Kelk, a producer of sensors for steel rolling mills, 99 per cent of sales are international. More than 80 per cent of employees are immigrants, hired in engineering, technology and sales roles. Customers can call and expect to speak to someone who knows their language. With a retention rate of 98 per cent, it's obvious that immigrant employees feel their skills are put to good use.

    Thales Canada
    In Thales Canada's Toronto office, staff build "brains for trains" - technology that allows trains to run without operators. With 90 per cent of its business in the global marketplace, Thales systematically targets and cultivates internationally trained professionals to ensure its position as a leader in transportation systems worldwide. The company stands apart for its 95 per cent retention rate.

    Questrade
    Questrade has been ranked as Canada's fastest growing online brokerage. When half of the employees are immigrants, it's clear that the company's rapid success is tied to its skilled immigrant advantage. The majority of Questrade's work is in e-development and innovation, and the majority of the technology team is comprised of visible minorities or immigrants - or both. Staff collectively speak more than 35 languages and have grown most of their business within local immigrant communities.

    Samtack
    With over 90 per cent of its 100-plus workforce comprised of immigrants, this computer manufacturing and distribution company has leveraged skilled immigrant talent to respond to changing needs of mass merchant customers; to increase market share with smaller, local and diverse retailers; and to purchase parts from overseas suppliers, mainly from China.

    About the research
    EKOS surveyed 461 employers in the Greater Toronto Area. There was a fairly even split between large and small businesses. Close to 40 per cent of businesses polled had over 100 staff, with 30 per cent having between one and four; close to 30 per cent employed between five and 100 staff. All respondents were either employed full-time or self-employed (and employed at least another employee), and had either primary or shared responsibility for hiring.

    Of the employers polled, close to 60 per cent were private; close to 30 per cent were public; and just over 10 per cent were non-government organizations. The employers represented a broad range of sectors. The biggest portion of employers, at 15 per cent, was from the professional, scientific and technical services sector. Another 12 per cent were from the finance and insurance, real estate and renting and leasing sectors.

    About TRIEC
    TRIEC creates and champions solutions to better integrate skilled immigrants in the Greater
    Toronto Region labour market. For more information visit www.triec.ca.

    For further information:

    Claire DeVeale-Blane at cdeveale@triec.ca, 416.944.1946 x 271 (office) or 416-464-4042 (BB)

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    Avaya announces Avaya IP Office 7.0

    ---------- Forwarded message ----------
    From: Kent Carter <kent.carter@highroad.com>
    Date: Tue, May 17, 2011 at 11:11 AM
    Subject: Avaya announces Avaya IP Office 7.0
    To: "pr@itincanada.ca" <pr@itincanada.ca>


     

    Avaya Helps Small and Mid-Size Companies ‘Think Big’ with Enhanced Collaboration Products, New Innovations

     

    ·         New Avaya IP Office 7.0  completes Nortel Enterprise Solutions integration, delivers up to 60% savings

     

    ·         New SME customers—bakery owner and TV star Buddy Valastro and top music firm The Agency Group—share experiences in collaboration

     

    ·         Company shares forthcoming innovations for small and medium businesses: Avaya Flare Experience for mobile devices, hybrid cloud model

     

    BASKING RIDGE, NJ (May 17, 2011) – Avaya, a global leader in business collaboration systems, software and services, today unveiled new product releases, customers and innovations in the small and medium business market at a global press, analyst and partner event. These announcements include the new version of Avaya’s communications solution for this market—Avaya IP Office 7.0—which drives improved savings, user experiences, and collaboration for a new generation of entrepreneurs, early-stage companies, and mid-size firms.

     

    Today, the company also unveiled customer and partner support for Avaya IP Office 7.0 including two new 7.0 customers: Carlo’s Bakery, home to owner and television personality Buddy Valastro, and top music booking firm The Agency Group (for more details on customers, see quotes below). Additionally, Avaya announced that several service provider partners—including Bell Canada and Verizon—will offer Avaya IP Office 7.0 to their small and medium business customers.

     

    New Avaya IP Office 7.0 Capabilities

    Avaya IP Office 7.0 completes the integration of Nortel Enterprise Solutions (NES) IP and digital phones into the IP Office platform (NES was acquired by Avaya, Dec. 2009). This integration now enables approximately 14 million NES users[1] to gain Avaya IP Office’s collaboration capabilities, and can drive 40 to 60 percent in savings[2] for NES customers by enabling them to retain existing phones when upgrading to Avaya IP Office. This upgrade can be accelerated and simplified by a new Data Migration Tool that lets partners transfer a business’ existing data (i.e. voicemails, phone extensions) to their new systems, maintaining productivity without interruption.

     

    Avaya IP Office 7.0 also delivers an expanded portfolio of devices for multimedia collaboration, including sophisticated new color touchscreen desktop phones that let users scroll through contacts or manage visual voicemail at the touch of a finger. Additionally, new conference room phones offer patented wide-band audio, call recording via SD card, and fast USB connectivity to a laptop for temporary set-ups. These are part of a portfolio that offers a range of advanced communications, such as HD videoconferencing via desktop PC with no added equipment required.

     

    Forthcoming Capabilities, Demos for Small and Medium Businesses

    Nearly 60% of small and mid-size businesses state they use, are interested in, or are planning to use collaboration software.[3]  At an Avaya press, analyst and partner event today in New York, the company discussed forthcoming innovations in collaboration for this market, including the Avaya Flare Experience for small and medium businesses. Avaya also demonstrated advanced multi-party videoconferencing via several devices, desktop sharing capabilities, and an upgrade from a Nortel device to Avaya IP Office using the Data Migration Tool.

     

    Avaya also shared its vision for a hybrid cloud approach to small and medium communications, which places Avaya IP Office on premise, while enabling select applications to be hosted ‘in the cloud’ on a partner network. This capability will allow more flexible use and faster deployments of Avaya’s latest collaboration applications.

     

     

    Supporting Quotes

    Buddy Valastro, owner of Carlos Bakery and reality-television star (IP Office 7.0 customer): “Our business is growing. The lines at the bakery are getting longer, and customer call volumes are rising—which is fantastic. But I realized we needed a communications solution that’s powerful enough to handle our rising business and can enable us to serve every customer with as much quality as we put into our cakes. Avaya IP Office 7.0 gives my employees and I the collaboration tools necessary to drive top quality service and business, whether we’re on-the-go or at Carlo’s Bakery. I know the importance of delivering and getting the best, and that’s why I chose Avaya IP Office.” (Implementation by Avaya business partner American Office Equipment)

     

    Howie Gold, director of IT, The Agency Group (IP Office 7.0 customer): “Avaya has done a great job of bringing the features of our existing Nortel phones to the Avaya IP Office platform, which makes the transition easier.” For full story on The Agency Group’s experience, read the press release issued today here. (Implementation by Avaya business partner Telanet)

     

    Cary Parsons: vice president, Infrastructure Services, Bell Canada (Avaya service provider partner): “As the Canadian market leader in small and medium business communications, Bell is sensitive to the evolving needs of customers in this dynamic market.  We are pleased to add the new version of IP Office to our portfolio, delivering seamless migration to next-generation unified communications for our customers.  Avaya IP Office aligns with our goals of delivering innovation in communications, while protecting the user’s prior technology investments.”

     

    Isabelle Guis, general manager, Avaya Small and Medium Enterprise Division:

    “As the economy shifts into a higher gear, today’s small and medium businesses need the best tools available to collaborate and compete effectively. Avaya IP Office 7.0 represents the pinnacle of advanced communications in this market, providing vast unified communications capabilities with a focus on simplicity and savings.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Related Information

    Leadership: Avaya is now the leader in the small and medium business market with approximately 30 million telephony users on Avaya small and medium communications platforms.[4]

    Customers: Avaya recently passed 200,000 Avaya IP Office customers[5].

    New Contest: Avaya today launched a Small Business Innovators contest, asking entrants to describe their idea for innovating the way their business serves customers, and have a chance to win a grand prize: a new IP Office solution and related products.

     

    For more information, photos and case studies, visit the Avaya IP Office 7.0 virtual media kit online here.

     

    Tags: Avaya IP Office, unified communications, small business, SMB, SME, contact center, mid-size business, medium business, communications

     

    About Avaya:

    Avaya is a global leader in business communications and collaboration, 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: Description: Description: Twitter  Description: Description: Description: Description: Facebook  Description: Description: Description: Description: YouTube  Description: Description: Description: Description: LinkedIn  Description: Description: Description: Description: Flickr  Description: Description: Description: Description: Avaya Blog

     







    [1] Based on Avaya internal figures.

    [2] Based on Avaya calculations.

    [3] Forrsights Business Decision-Makers Survey, Q4 2010, Forrester Research Inc., February 2011. SME defined in this case as a business with 100-999 employees. On collaboration software: 57% are ‘interested in using’, ‘occasionally use’, ‘frequently use’ or ‘planning to use in next 12 mos.’

     

    [4] Avaya calculations based on Dell’Oro market share reports. Figure represents Nortel and Avaya users of Traditional Key, Hybrid PBX - Small and IP-PBX systems since 2003.

    [5] Based on internal Avaya sales figures.


    (download)

    Veeam Backup & Replication to Support Microsoft Hyper-V

     

    Veeam Backup & Replication to support Microsoft hyper-V
    Veeam to provide 2-in-1 backup and replication for multi-hypervisor
    environments

    Microsoft Tech.Ed, Atlanta, May 16, 2011 - Veeam Software, innovative
    provider of VMware data protection
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-backup.html> , disaster recovery
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-backup.html>  and VMware management
    <http://www.veeam.com/one-vmware-management.html>  solutions for virtual
    datacenter environments, today announced at Tech.Ed North America that it is
    adding support for Windows Server Hyper-V and Microsoft Hyper-V Server to
    Veeam Backup & Replication <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-backup.html> T,
    the leading data protection solution for virtual environments used with more
    than 1.5 million virtual machines (VMs) worldwide.

    Veeam Backup & Replication provides cost-effective, easy-to-use and
    comprehensive image-based data protection designed specifically for virtual
    environments. By extending support to Hyper-V, Veeam is providing:
    *       2-in-1 backup and replication for Hyper-V: Veeam's solution includes
    replication, which provides near-continuous data protection (near-CDP) and
    enables the best possible recovery time and recovery point objectives (RTOs
    and RPOs).

    *       Changed block tracking for Hyper-V: Veeam's new hypervisor support
    includes technology for changed block tracking to enable fast, frequent and
    efficient backup and replication of all VMs, including those running on
    Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV).

    *       Built-in deduplication and compression: Included at no extra charge,
    these capabilities minimize consumption of network bandwidth and backup
    storage.

    "Our customers and partners are increasingly asking about Hyper-V support,"
    said Ratmir Timashev, President and CEO of Veeam. "With 2-in-1 backup and
    replication, changed block tracking and built-in deduplication, Veeam will
    provide Hyper-V administrators with a complete solution for
    virtualization-based data protection and disaster recovery that is
    easy-to-use and cost-effective. Soon, organizations using Hyper-V will be
    able to achieve RPOs and RTOs with reduced cost, effort and risk."

    "A multi-hypervisor environment is a reality for many organizations," said
    David Greschler, Director of Virtualization and Cloud Strategy for
    Microsoft. "Veeam adds its backup and replication expertise to Microsoft
    Hyper-V, enhancing the ability of organizations to manage their
    multi-hypervisor environment in a consistent and cost-effective manner."

    "Recent ESG research found that more than 70% of virtualization survey
    respondents cite the use of more than one hypervisor," said Lauren
    Whitehouse, Senior Analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. "Having a single
    solution that's designed to back up, replicate and restore multiple virtual
    environments increases reliability, speed and management effectiveness."

    "Multi-hypervisor environments are quickly becoming the norm, not the
    exception, and that poses serious management challenges to IT
    organizations," said Ashish Nadkarni, Senior Analyst and Consultant at
    Taneja Group. "IT managers need to select virtualization management
    solutions, including backup and replication solutions, that can work with
    more than one hypervisor."

    Availability
    Veeam Backup & Replication for Microsoft Hyper-V is being demonstrated this
    week in booth #715 at Tech.Ed and will be available to customers in the
    fourth quarter of 2011.

    About Veeam Software
    Veeam Software, an Elite VMware Technology Alliance Partner
    <http://www.veeam.com/> , develops innovative software to manage VMware
    vSphere <http://www.veeam.com/> R. Veeam vPower
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-backup.html> T provides advanced
    Virtualization-Powered Data Protection
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-backup.html> T and is the underlying
    technology in Veeam Backup & ReplicationT, the #1 virtualization backup
    solution. Veeam ONE <http://www.veeam.com/one-vmware-management.html> T
    provides a single solution to optimize the performance, configuration and
    utilization of VMware environments and includes: Veeam ReporterT for VMware
    capacity planning <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-reporter.html> , change
    management, and reporting and chargeback; Veeam Business ViewT for VMware
    business service management <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-business-view.html>
    and categorization; and a choice of VMware monitoring options including the
    nworks Management PackT for  VMware management in Microsoft System Center
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-microsoft-esx-monitoring.html> , the nworks
    Smart Plug-inT for VMware management -in HP Operations Manager
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-monitoring-hp-operations.html>  and Veeam
    MonitorT for framework-independent VMware monitoring
    <http://www.veeam.com/vmware-esx-monitoring.html> . Learn more about Veeam
    Software by visiting www.veeam.com.
    # # #

    Social Media Links
    Podcast: http://www.veeam.com/podcast
    Blog: http://www.veeam.com/blog
    Twitter: http://www.veeam.com/twitter
    Facebook: http://www.veeam.com/facebook
    LinkedIn: http://www.veeam.com/linkedin
    YouTube: http://www.veeam.com/youtube


    : Information overload still dragging Canadian execs down

     

     

    Information overload still dragging Canadian execs down: national survey

    Customer satisfaction still #1 business issue: execs

     

    Toronto, ON (May 16, 2011) – Almost half of Canadian executives still say the amount of information they have overwhelms them, showing no statistical improvement from last year, though there has been some change at the provincial and industry level, with some showing improvement while others are facing an uphill challenge. These are just some of the findings from a SAS/Leger Marketing survey released today. Overall, 45 per cent of executives in 2011 said they are overwhelmed by information, compared with 47 per cent last year.

     

    This year, executives from Ontario and British Columbia are far less likely to say they suffer from information overload. In 2010, 52 per cent of B.C. and Ontario-based executives said they faced information overload, versus 38 and 44 per cent (respectively) this year.

     

    While most provinces and business sectors showed little change, there were a few that saw things deteriorate. Those in the academic and education sectors were far more likely to say things have gotten worse – 42 per cent in 2010 versus 61 per cent in 2011 saying they suffer from information overload.

     

    “Organizations often need to make significant procedural changes to effectively address information overload,” said Kathryn Brohman, Professor, Management Information Systems, School of Business, Queen’s University. “For organizations to be successful combating information overload they need both the right technology and the right procedures.”

     

    Canadian executives understand that in today’s information age it is not about having all information, rather having the right information. Eighty per cent said they’d make better informed business decisions if they had the right tools in place to analyze information more effectively, yet 1 in 4 (24 per cent) say they do not have the right information to make effective business decisions about their business performance.

     

    Customer satisfaction still the #1 business issue

    For the second year running, customer satisfaction and retention was by far the most important business issue for Canadian executives (34 per cent in 2011, 37 per cent in 2010). It was the top issue in all provinces; 39 per cent in Quebec, 35 per cent in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, 32 per cent in B.C., 25 per cent in Alberta and 24 per cent in the Prairie provinces. Tied for second (in both 2010 and 2011) at 13 per cent was controlling operational costs and profitability. Dealing with government regulations was fourth, though 2011 showed a slight rise to 12 per cent, up from nine per cent in 2010.

     

    The issue of customer satisfaction may be of concern for those in the food/beverage/retail industry. Twenty-eight per cent of the industry’s executives said they do not think they have the right data and information about their customers to make effective business decisions.

     

    “We have many terabytes of data, covering companies and job seekers in more than 56 countries,” said Jean-Paul Isson, VP Global BI and Predictive & Predictive Analytics, Monster Worldwide. “We use SAS analytics to describe, understand and predict customer and job seeker behaviour in order to better support our decision making processes. Having the right tools to analyze all our data really helps minimize information overload.”

     

    Other findings reveal that the vast majority (96 per cent) of executives across the country agree it is important to have access to information to make better business decisions. However 3 in 10 said their IT department is not able to support their information needs, which may contribute to the fact that the majority (51 per cent) said data is the most under-utilized asset in their organization.

     

    We are also, apparently, not very good at sharing information. When asked if their staff could share information more effectively, 82 per cent agreed. Atlantic Canada, Alberta and Ontario-based executives were more likely to agree (86, 86, 85 per cent) than their Quebec counterparts – 77 per cent.

     

    “Many business analytics initiatives are based on the concept of wanting and needing access to information while ignoring the elephant in the room – the fact we just aren’t that effective at sharing information,” said Elie Elia, Professor in the Department of Management and Technology, ESG at the Université du Québec à Montréal. “While access to accurate and up-to-date information is critical to business success, there is a substantial amount of untapped business value that can be gained by sharing information more effectively.”

     

    Continuing from 2010, more than three in four executives said the information about their department or business performance is not always accurate, timely, useful or easy to understand. The biggest concern in 2011 was with the timeliness of the information executives received, with 1 in 6 saying it is rarely or never timely.

     

    Business analytics – no longer an option

    While six in 10 executives nationally said their company uses business analytics software, the technology designed to help people gain value from massive amounts of information and better understand the market in which they operate, the number is lower in Alberta at 47 per cent (compared to 64 per cent in the Prairies, 61 per cent in Quebec and 60 per cent in Ontario).

     

    Regardless, there is a national trend toward understanding the value of business analytics software. In 2010, 21 per cent of respondents said their organization did not need business analytics tools. That number fell to 13 per cent in 2011. In at least one province the drop in those who did not see value in using business analytics software was quite large. Alberta fell from 22 per cent saying they didn’t need the technology in 2010 to just six per cent in 2011.

     

    “Organizations across the country understand that business analytics improves not only the accuracy of the data they use to make business decisions but also the speed at which they receive it,” said Cameron Dow, vice-president of marketing for SAS Canada.

     

    To download the full report click here.

     

    Additional statistics

    What is the most important business issue for your organization?

     

     

     

    About the Survey

    The online survey was conducted for SAS Canada by Leger Marketing, the largest independent Market Research Company in Canada, between January 6th and January 27, 2011 with a representative sample of 1,000 senior-level business decision makers. This method simulates a probability sample which would yield a maximum margin of error of +/-3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

     

    About SAS

    SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions delivered within an integrated framework, SAS helps customers at more than 45,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®.

     

    The Canadian subsidiary of SAS has been in operation for 23 years. Headquartered in Toronto, SAS employs 263 people across the country at its Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montréal and offices. www.sas.com

     

    SAS and all other SAS Institute Inc. product or service names are registered trademarks or trademarks of SAS Institute Inc. in the USA and other countries. ® indicates USA registration. Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.  Copyright © 2010 SAS Institute Inc. All rights reserved.

     


    (download)

    PRESS RELEASE: Symantec to Webcast 2011 Financial Analyst Day

     

    Symantec to Webcast 2011 Financial Analyst Day

     

     

    Toronto, ON. – May 16, 2011 – Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC) will host its 2011 Financial Analyst Day on Thursday, May 26, 2011, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET in New York. Executive presentations will provide an overview of the company’s vision, strategy, key business initiatives and financial goals.

    The event will be available to the public via a live Webcast at http://www.symantec.com/invest. To listen to the live event and view the corresponding presentations, please go to the Web site at least 15 minutes early to register, download and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the event will be available within 24 hours after the event.

    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.

     

    CA Technologies Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2011 Results

    Image001

     

     

    CA Technologies Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2011 Results

     

    ·         Reports Full Year Revenue , GAAP and Non-GAAP EPS and Cash Flow from Operations Growth; Meets Full Year Company Outlook

    ·         Issues Fiscal Year 2012 Outlook Including Revenue Growth of 6-8 Percent in Constant Currency, Translating to $4.8 Billion to $4.9 Billion as Reported

    ·         Board of Directors Approves New $500 Million Stock Repurchase Plan and Increases Dividend 25 Percent

    ·         Announces Five-Year, $500 Million Deal with Large IT Outsourcer

    ·         Announces Agreement to Sell Internet Security Business

    ·         CFO Nancy Cooper Announces Intention To Retire

     

    ISLANDIA, N.Y., May 12, 2011 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2011, ended March 31, 2011.

    FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

    Note:  All financial results have been adjusted to reflect the classification of the Company’s Internet Security Business as a discontinued operation.

    http://www.ca.com/us/news/Press-Releases/na/2011/~/media/images/press/earnings/q4fy11/chart1.gif

    * Non-GAAP income and earnings per share are non-GAAP financial measures, as noted in the discussion of non-GAAP results below. A reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables following this news release.
    **CC: Constant Currency

    EXECUTIVE COMMENTARY

    “We said at the beginning of fiscal year 2011, that it would be a year of growth and investment, and it was.” said CEO Bill McCracken.  “We grew our revenue, earnings per share and cash flow while building our technology portfolio, bringing new talent to the team, further focusing our business on areas of strategic importance and investing in new routes to market.

    “The guidance we issued today, and the announcement of a new stock repurchase plan and dividend increase, reflects our confidence in our strategic direction and our commitment to enhancing shareholder value,” McCracken concluded. 

    REVENUE AND BOOKINGS

    During the fourth quarter, the Company saw demand for its virtualization and service automation, service portfolio management, and Nimsoft solutions, as well as mainframe capacity.  This was offset by softness in new mainframe product demand.  About 2 percentage points of revenue growth in constant currency and 3 percentage points as reported were driven by organic products, with the remaining 2 percentage points in constant currency and as reported coming from products from the acquisitions of Nimsoft, Inc., Hyperformix, Inc. and Arcot Systems, Inc.  About 61 percent of the Company’s revenue came from North America, while 39 percent came from International operations.

    Fourth Quarter

    Total revenue year-over-year:

    ·         Total revenue was $1.128 billion, up 4 percent in constant currency and 5 percent as reported.

    ·         Total revenue backlog was $8.763 billion, up 6 percent in constant currency and 8 percent as reported.  The current portion of revenue backlog was $3.727 billion, up 5 percent in constant currency and 7 percent as reported.

    ·         North America revenue was $689 million, up 5 percent in constant currency and as reported.

    ·         International revenue was $439 million, up 2 percent in constant currency and 4 percent as reported.

    ·         Total bookings in the fourth quarter were $1.889 billion, up 31 percent in constant currency and 33 percent as reported.  Fourth quarter bookings were positively affected by a five-year contract renewal of approximately $500 million with a large IT outsourcer.

    ·         The Company renewed a total of 21 license agreements with incremental contract values in excess of $10 million each, for an aggregate contract value of $989 million, including the one renewal of approximately $500 million mentioned above.  During the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company renewed a total of 21 license agreements with incremental contract values in excess of $10 million each, for an aggregate contract value of $632 million.

    ·         The weighted average duration of subscription and maintenance bookings for the quarter was 3.82 years, compared with 3.45 years for the same period in fiscal year 2010.

    ·         North America bookings were $1.380 million, up 61 percent in constant currency and 60 percent as reported.  North America bookings in the fourth quarter were positively affected by the large contract renewal  mentioned above.

    ·         International bookings were $509 million, down 14 percent in constant currency and 9 percent as reported.  The Company continued to see softness in its EMEA operations.

     

    Full Year

    ·         Total revenue was $4.429 billion, up 5 percent in constant currency and as reported.

    ·         North America revenue was $2.694 billion, up 7 percent in constant currency and 8 percent as reported.

    ·         International revenue was $1.735 billion, up 1 percent in constant currency and as reported.

    ·         Total bookings were $4.888 billion, up 2 percent in constant currency and  1 percent as reported.

    ·         The Company renewed a total of 56 license agreements with incremental contract values in excess of $10 million each, for an aggregate contract value of $1.994 billion, including the one contract renewal of approximately $500 million mentioned above.  During fiscal year 2010, the Company renewed a total of 68 license agreements with incremental contract values in excess of $10 million each, for an aggregate contract value of $2.146 billion.

    ·         The weighted average duration of subscription and maintenance bookings for the full fiscal year was 3.46 years, compared to 3.54 years for the previous fiscal year.

    ·         North America bookings were $3.253 billion, up 12 percent in constant currency and as reported.  Fiscal year 2011 bookings comparisons were positively affected by the aforementioned large contract renewal.

    ·         International bookings were $1.635 billion, down 14 percent in constant currency and 16 percent as reported.  As mentioned above, International bookings were adversely affected by softness in the Company’s EMEA operations.

     

    EXPENSES AND MARGIN

    Fourth Quarter

    Year-over-year GAAP results:

    ·         Operating expenses, before interest and income taxes, were $829 million, down 3 percent in constant currency and 2 percent as reported.

    ·         Operating income, before interest and income taxes, was $299 million, up 29 percent in constant currency and as reported.

    ·         Operating margin was 27 percent, up 6 percentage points.

    Year-over-year non-GAAP results, which exclude purchased software and intangibles amortization, pre-fiscal year 2010 restructuring costs, and certain other gains and losses, which includes recoveries and certain costs associated with derivative litigation matters, share-based compensation expense, and includes gains and losses on hedges that mature within the quarter, but excludes gains and losses on hedges that do not mature within the quarter:

    ·         Operating expenses, before interest and income taxes, were $772 million, down 5 percent in constant currency and 3 percent as reported.

    ·         Operating income, before interest and income taxes, was $356 million, up 28 percent in constant currency and 26 percent as reported.

    ·         Operating margin was 32 percent, up 6 percentage points. 

    The fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 was adversely affected by a $50 million restructuring charge.

    For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, the Company’s effective GAAP tax rate was 35 percent, compared to 54 percent in the prior year.  The Company’s effective non-GAAP tax rate was 29 percent, up from 28 percent in the prior year. 

    Full Year

    Year-over-year GAAP results:

    ·         Operating expenses, before interest and income taxes, were $3.175 billion, up 5 percent in constant currency and 6 percent as reported.

    ·         Operating income, before interest and income taxes, was $1.254 billion, up 3 percent in constant currency and 2 percent as reported.

    ·         Operating margin was 28 percent, down 1 percentage point.

    Year-over year non-GAAP results:

    ·         Operating expenses, before interest and income taxes, were $2.940 billion, up 5 percent in constant currency and as reported.

    ·         Operating income, before interest and income taxes, was $1.489 billion, up 5 percent in constant currency and 4 percent as reported.

    ·         The Company recorded a non-GAAP operating margin of 34 percent, flat from fiscal year 2010. 

    For the full year, the Company’s effective GAAP and non-GAAP tax rates were 32 percent, compared to 34 percent in the prior year.

    CASH FLOW FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS

    Cash flow from continuing operations in the fourth quarter was $634 million, compared to $631 million in the prior year.  Cash flow was positively affected by a decrease of about $70 million in cash paid for income taxes.

    For the full year, cash flow from continuing operations was $1.377 billion, compared to $1.336 billion in the prior fiscal year.  Cash flow was positively affected by a decrease of about $107 million in cash paid for income taxes.

    CAPITAL STRUCTURE

    ·         Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities at March 31, 2011, were $3.228 billion.

    ·         With $1.551 billion in total debt outstanding, the Company’s net cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities position was $1.677 billion.

    ·         In the fourth quarter, the Company repurchased approximately 2 million shares of stock for a total of $48 million.  For the year, the Company purchased approximately 11 million shares for a total of $238 million, which includes approximately 0.8 million shares for a total of approximately $20 million that settled in April 2010, completing the $250 million stock repurchase program authorized by the Board of Directors on October 29, 2008. 

    ·         The Company’s outstanding share count at March 31, 2011 was 502 million.

     

    STOCK REPURCHASE PLAN AND DIVIDEND INCREASE

    The Company announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an additional $500 million for the repurchase of the Company’s shares.  This new authorization is in addition to the approximately $200 million remaining from the Board’s 2010 authorization of $500 million, and brings the total available for repurchase to approximately $700 million as of May 6, 2011.  

    In addition, the Board has authorized a dividend increase of 25 percent for fiscal year 2012 as and when declared by the Board.  For the first quarter, the Board has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.05 per common share, compared to the prior quarterly dividend of $0.04 per common share. 

    “CA Technologies software business produces consistent earnings growth, cash flow of more than $1 billion annually and a strong balance sheet.  We have a balanced capital allocation approach, and we are constantly assessing organic investments and acquisitions in existing and new markets, as well as returns to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases,” said Nancy Cooper, CA Technologies chief financial officer. 

    Any repurchases under the Company’s stock repurchase program will be made with cash on hand and may be made from time to time, subject to market conditions and other factors, in the open market or through solicited or unsolicited privately negotiated transactions or in such other manner that complies with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.  The program does not obligate the Company to acquire any particular amount of common stock, and it may be modified or suspended at any time at the Company’s discretion.

    NANCY COOPER TO RETIRE AS CFO; PETER GRIFFITHS NAMED HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT

    The Company announced that Cooper has indicated her intention to retire.  She will remain in her role until a new CFO is named and will assist through the transition.  In addition, the Company named  Peter Griffiths as its new head of research and development. (See separate news release).

     

    BUSINESS HIGHLIGHTS

    During the fourth quarter the Company:

    ·         Announced the general availability of three key products in the CA Automation Suite, launched in October 2010.  CA Configuration Automation r12, CA Process Automation r3 and CA Server Automation r12 are designed to help customers expedite their journey to a virtualized, dynamic cloud computing infrastructure and increase business agility, reduce cost and risk, and improve service delivery.

    ·         Announced the launch of the CA Partner Solution Center, a channel initiative for the CA Virtual portfolio.  The Center offers partners an extensive array of partner-specific sales, marketing and technical assets to support their efforts to resell and augment their virtualization practice with CA Virtual products.

    ·         Announced CA ERwin® Data Modeler r8, an industry-leading solution for collaboratively visualizing and managing data across the enterprise.  CA ERwin Data Modeler r8 features powerful visualization tools to help users represent data that is managed in multiple systems, applications, platforms and locations.  This solution enables users to more effectively manage the migration of data to the cloud and other new forms of IT infrastructure.

    ·         Announced an extended alliance with Unisys Corporation to offer joint solutions that accelerate customers’ path from virtualization to the cloud.  The solutions will combine CA Technologies virtualization management, service automation, and service management products with Unisys’ virtualization and cloud advisory, planning, design and implementation services.

     

    AGREEMENT TO SELL INTERNET SECURITY BUSINESS

    The Company announced that it has an agreement to sell its Internet Security business to Updata Partners of Edison, N.J.  Financial details were not disclosed.  The business includes anti-virus, anti-malware, gateway security and host-based intrusion prevention software.

    OUTLOOK FOR FISCAL YEAR 2012

    The Company provided its outlook for fiscal year 2012.  The following guidance represents "forward-looking statements" (as defined below).
    The Company expects the following:

    ·         Total revenue growth in a range of 6 percent to 8 percent in constant currency.  At March 31, 2011 exchange rates, this translates to reported revenue of $4.8 billion to $4.9 billion.

    ·         GAAP diluted earnings per share growth in constant currency in a range of 6 percent to 11 percent.  At March 31, 2011 exchange rates, this translates to reported diluted earnings per share of $1.79 to $1.86.

    ·         Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share growth in constant currency in a range of 6 percent to 10 percent.  At March 31, 2011 exchange rates, this translates to reported non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of $2.12 to $2.19.

    ·         Cash flow from operations growth in a range of 3 percent to 5 percent in constant currency.  At March 31, 2011 exchange rates, this translates to reported cash flow from operations of $1.470 billion to $1.500 billion.

    This outlook also assumes no material acquisitions and a partial currency hedge of operating income.  The Company also expects a full-year GAAP and non-GAAP tax rate in a range of 31 to 32 percent.  The Company anticipates approximately 492 million shares outstanding at fiscal year 2012 year-end and a weighted average diluted shares outstanding of approximately 499 million for the fiscal year.

    Webcast

    This news release and the accompanying tables should be read in conjunction with additional content that is available on the Company’s website, including a supplemental financial package, as well as a webcast that the Company will host at 5 p.m. ET today to discuss its unaudited fourth quarter results.  The webcast will be archived on the website. Individuals can access the webcast, as well as this press release and supplemental financial information, at http://ca.com/invest or listen to the call at 1-877-627-6581.  The international participant number is 1-719-325-4800.

     

    About CA Technologies

    CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) is an IT management software and solutions company with expertise across all IT environments – from mainframe and distributed, to virtual and cloud.  CA Technologies manages and secures IT environments and enables customers to deliver more flexible IT services.  CA Technologies innovative products and services provide the insight and control essential for IT organizations to power business agility.  The majority of the Global Fortune 500 relies on CA Technologies to manage evolving IT ecosystems. For additional information, visit CA Technologies at www.ca.com.

     

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    Non-GAAP Financial Measures 

    This news release, the accompanying tables and the additional content that is available on the Company's website, including a supplemental financial package, includes certain financial measures that exclude the impact of certain items and therefore have not been calculated in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).  Non-GAAP metrics for operating expenses, operating income, operating margin, income from operations and diluted earnings per share exclude the following items: non-cash amortization of purchased software and other intangibles, share-based compensation,  pre-fiscal year 2010 restructuring and certain other gains and losses, which includes recoveries and certain costs associated with derivative litigation matters and includes the gains and losses since inception of hedges that mature within the quarter, but exclude gains and losses of hedges that do not mature within the quarter.  Prior to fiscal year 2011, non-GAAP income also excludes the interest on convertible bonds.  The effective tax rate on GAAP and non-GAAP income from operations is the Company’s provision for income taxes expressed as a percentage of pre-tax GAAP and non-GAAP income from operations, respectively.  Such tax rates are determined based on an estimated effective full year tax rate, with the effective tax rate for GAAP generally including the impact of discrete items in the period such items arise and the effective tax rate for non-GAAP income generally allocating the impact of discrete items pro rata to the fiscal year’s remaining reporting periods.  Non-GAAP adjusted cash flow excludes pre-fiscal 2010 restructuring and other payments.  Free cash flow excludes capital expenditures. We present constant currency information to provide a framework for assessing how our underlying businesses performed excluding the effect of foreign currency rate fluctuations.  To present this information, current and comparative prior period results for entities reporting in currencies other than US dollars are converted into US dollars at the exchange rate in effect on March 31, 2010, which was the last day of our prior fiscal year.  Constant currency excludes the impacts from the Company's hedging program.  The constant currency calculation for annualized subscription and maintenance bookings is calculated by dividing the subscription and maintenance bookings in constant currency by the weighted average subscription and maintenance duration in years.  These non-GAAP financial measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.  Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as a substitute for, or superior to, measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.  By excluding these items, non-GAAP financial measures facilitate management's internal comparisons to the Company's historical operating results and cash flows, to competitors' operating results and cash flows, and to estimates made by securities analysts.  Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally to evaluate its performance and they are key variables in determining management incentive compensation.  The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures are useful to investors in allowing for greater transparency of supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making.  In addition, the Company has historically reported similar non-GAAP financial measures to its investors and believes that the inclusion of comparative numbers provides consistency in its financial reporting.   Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this news release to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, which are attached to this news release.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    Certain statements in this communication (such as statements containing the words "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" and similar expressions) constitute "forward-looking statements" that are based upon the beliefs of, and assumptions made by, the Company's management, as well as information currently available to management.  These forward-looking statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions.  A number of important factors could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: the ability to achieve success in the Company’s strategy by, among other things, increasing sales in new and emerging enterprises and markets, enabling the sales force to sell new products, improving the Company’s brand in the marketplace and ensuring the Company’s set of cloud computing, Software-as-a-Service  and other new offerings address the needs of a rapidly changing market, while not adversely affecting the demand for the Company’s traditional products or its profitability; global economic factors or political events beyond the Company's control; general economic conditions and credit constraints, or unfavorable economic conditions in a particular region, industry or business sector; failure to expand partner programs; the ability to adequately manage and evolve financial reporting and managerial systems and processes; the ability to integrate acquired companies and products into existing businesses; competition in product and service offerings and pricing; the ability to retain and attract qualified key personnel; the ability to adapt to rapid technological and market changes; the ability of the Company’s products to remain compatible with ever-changing operating environments; access to software licensed from third parties; use of software from open source code sources; discovery of errors in the Company's software and potential product liability claims; significant amounts of debt and possible future credit rating changes; the failure to protect the Company's intellectual property rights and source code; fluctuations in the number, terms and duration of our license agreements as well as the timing of orders from customers and channel partners; reliance upon large transactions with customers; risks associated with sales to government customers; breaches of the Company’s software products and the Company’s and customers’ data centers and IT environments; third-party claims of intellectual property infringement or royalty payments; fluctuations in foreign currencies; successful outsourcing of various functions to third parties; potential tax liabilities; and other factors described more fully in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this communication, except as otherwise required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof.

    Copyright © 2011 CA, Inc. All Rights Reserved. One CA Plaza, Islandia, N.Y. 11749.  All other trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.



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