HP Expands Retail Portfolio with New Point-of-Sale Solution

 

 

HP Expands Retail Portfolio with New Point-of Sale and Kiosk Solutions

 

 

 

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 2, 2011 – HP today announced new technology solutions to help retailers engage with their customers and enhance the shopping experience at every customer touch point.

  The powerful HP rp5800 Retail System is a high-performance point-of-sale (POS) solution that combines enhanced processing and functionality to meet the needs of even the most demanding retail environments.

  HP Self-Service Kiosks, featuring Virtual Sales Assistant software, provide customers with an easy-to-use, interactive platform that offers information and personal assistance via crisp, 23- or 42-inch diagonal high-definition (HD)(1) touchscreens.

Retailers know that consumers want the shopping environment to be as interesting as online experiences,” said Ray Carlin, vice president, Retail Solutions Global Business Unit, HP. “Savvy retailers are upgrading their in-store technology – especially at the point of sale – to seamlessly integrate with other channels and enable their customers to shop the way they want to, creating a better in-store experience.”

Deliver results with the HP rp5800 Retail System

The HP rp5800 Retail System boasts advanced POS performance, manageability and security features that enable retailers to standardize on one system throughout their stores. Second-generation Intel® Core™ processors(2) with Intel vPro technology(3) provide a stable and reliable IT infrastructure, while dual-integrated graphics ports that support both clerk- and customer-facing displays create a rich and engaging customer experience.

The HP rp5800 also enables enhanced manageability and control for retailers through compliance with industry-leading manageability standards, including Intel AMT (Intel vPro), DASH, WMI and DMTF, and support for Microsoft® Windows 7 Professional, Microsoft Windows POSReady 2009 and Microsoft Windows® XP operating systems.

With extra memory slots, multiple PCI Express slots and optional optical drives, the HP rp5800 can be customized for a variety of retail environments. It can easily be connected to a range of optional peripherals such as receipt printers, monitors, cash drawers and scanners. New optional peripherals include:

  HP L1506x 15-inch LED Monitor: Utilizing an LED-backlit industrial panel, the HP L1506x Monitor offers increased brightness and a high contrast ratio and supports operating temperatures up to 50 C (122 F), making it ideal for demanding retail environments. The L1506x has a detachable base and standard VESA mounts, allowing it to be mounted to a wall,(4) the rp5800 Integration Assembly or other custom mounting solutions.

  HP Integration Assembly: The HP Integration Assembly is a four-part, mix-and-match kit for retail locations. The Terminal Enclosure provides extra security and protection for cables and I/O ports and against dust, while the Integration Tray Assembly keeps peripherals neatly contained – either secured on top of the HP rp5800 Enclosure Assembly, the Heavy Duty Cash Drawer or directly on the counter. With room for a keyboard, printer and barcode scanner, the flexible design allows for various configurations depending on retailers’ needs. The Pole Mount Assembly and Optional Display Arm Assembly enable the mounting of multiple monitors for customer and employee use.

The flexibility and management features of the HP rp5800 enable it to be used as a manager’s workstation, placed within a kiosk or as a player for HP Digital Signage.

Designed with the environment in mind, the HP rp5800 Retail System is ENERGY STAR® 5.0 qualified, EPEAT® Gold registered and free of brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC).(5) The HP rp5800 Retail System provides retail-hardened reliability to minimize downtime and is backed by a standard three-year limited warranty, extended product life cycle, and parts and services availability.

Expand customer reach with the HP Self-Service Kiosks

HP Self-Service Kiosks are interactive self-service solutions that engage customers with a crisp, 23-inch diagonal, 16:9 LED-backlit BrightView display or an immersive 42-inch diagonal, 1,920 x 1,080 HD touchscreen housed within a secure lockable steel enclosure. Retailers can place the kiosks in any customer-facing environment to run in-store promotions, provide directions or share news and product information.

The HP Self-Service Kiosks use Microsoft Windows 7 Professional operating systems and integrated Virtual Sales Assistant software, which includes an easy-to-use setup wizard that enables retailers to personalize a variety of pre-developed user interfaces, upload custom assets, manage content remotely and assign locations and playlists. As seen in a recent Disney deployment, the technology can be tailored to provide an onscreen host, guiding customers through the interactive applications.

The HP Self-Service Kiosks are available in three configurations:

  Wall & Shelving Mount: Includes an HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite Business PC with a 23-inch diagonal screen for touchscreen interaction, which also can be used to display advertisements or messages when not in use.

  Pro: Includes the HP TouchSmart 9300 Elite Business PC with a 42-inch diagonal HP LD4210 Digital Signage Display mounted above shelf level that can provide messaging to consumers even when the software is in use on the interactive screen.

  Elite: Features the HP LD4200tm Interactive Digital Signage Display, a 42-inch diagonal, touch-enabled, vertical-mounted display delivering HD-quality messaging and content to the user, creating an ideal interactive self-service solution.

Each model can be customized with additional optional accessories such as HP Digital Signage Displays, Thermal Receipt Printer, HP Imaging Barcode Scanner and HP Mini Magnetic Stripe Reader.

Pricing and availability

The HP rp5800 Retail System is expected to be available worldwide early this summer from HP resellers. The HP L1506x 15-inch LED Monitor is now available in North America and Asia-Pacific Japan. The HP Integration Assembly is expected to be available later this summer from HP resellers.

The HP Self-Service Kiosks are expected to be available beginning May 23 in the United States, Canada and Latin America.

More information on HP’s retail solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/hpretail. Join the discussions on Twitter @HP_Retail and the HP Retail Technology and Solutions LinkedIn group.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

(1)    HD content required to view HD images.

(2)    64-bit computing on Intel architecture requires a computer system with a processor, chipset, BIOS, operating system, device drivers and applications enabled for Intel 64 architecture. Processors will not operate (including 32-bit operation) without an Intel 64 architecture-enabled BIOS. Performance will vary depending on hardware and software configurations. See www.intel.com/info/em64t. Dual/Quad/Triple Core is designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of this technology.

(3)    Some functionality of Intel vPro, such as Intel Active management technology and Intel Virtualization technology, requires additional third-party software in order to run. Availability of future “virtual appliances” applications for vPro technologies is dependent on third-party software providers. Compatibility with future “virtual appliances,” Microsoft Windows Vista® and Windows 7 operating systems is yet to be determined.

(4)    Mounting hardware sold separately.

(5)    The HP rp5800 Retail Systems is brominated flame retardant and polyvinyl chloride-free (BFR/PVC-free); meeting the evolving definition of “BFR/PVC-free” as set forth in the “iNEMI Position Statement on the ‘Definition of Low-Halogen Electronics (BFR/CFR/PVC-Free).’” Plastic parts contain <1,000 parts per million (ppm)(0.1 percent) of bromine (if the Br source is from BFRs) and <1,000 ppm (0.1 percent) of chlorine (if the Cl source is from CFRs or PVC or PVC copolymers). All printed circuit board (PCB) and substrate laminates contain bromine/chlorine total <1,500 ppm (0.15 percent) with a maximum chlorine of 900 ppm (0.09 percent) and maximum bromine being 900 ppm (0.09 percent). Service parts after purchase may not be BFR/PVC-free.

 

 

 

Intel and Core are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corp. in the United States and other countries. Microsoft, Windows and Vista are U.S. registered trademarks of Microsoft Corp. ENERGY STAR is a registered mark owned by the U.S. government.

 

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2011 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

 

© 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

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Natasha Beynon

 

Consultant

 

Hill & Knowlton Canada

 

 

Direct Line: 416.413.4611

 

 

Telephone: 416.413.1218

 

 

Mobile/Cell: 647.921.2989

 

 

Fax: 416.413.1550

 

 

natasha.beynon@hillandknowlton.ca

 

 

 

 

 

160 Bloor Street East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3P7  Canada

 

http://www.hillandknowlton.ca

 

 

 

 

 

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McAfee Leads in Enterprise Endpoint Protection and Performance; Unifies Customers approach to Emerging Security Threats

For Immediate Release

McAfee Leads in Enterprise Endpoint Protection and Performance; Unifies
Customers approach to Emerging Security Threats

Endpoint Security Solutions Excel in Protection Against Advanced
Threats - Outranking the Competition

Santa Clara, Calif. - May 2, 2011 - McAfee today announced several
market validations of its enterprise endpoint security technology, with
independent proof of superior threat detection and endpoint performance,
powered by a unique unified threat intelligence system and integrated
management platform.

McAfee® endpoint security provides continuous, updated and powerful
security against the entire spectrum of threats, from zero-day exploits
to hacker attacks. As a core component of the McAfee Security Connected
framework, McAfee endpoint security provides complete protection for all
endpoints, including virtualized environments and all platforms such as
Windows, Linux, Mac OS, Mobile and Embedded devices, ensuring secure,
seamless access to business applications and corporate data.

Unlike other security companies who offer a fragmented management
strategy with multiple infrastructures, overlapping functionality and in
some cases up to a dozen different management systems, McAfee ePolicy
Orchestrator® platform is the only enterprise-class security management
system to provide unified management of endpoint, data and network
security. The ePolicy Orchestrator platform provides an extensible
framework for security management and integrated workflow automation
with over 100 McAfee Security Innovation Alliance partners.

McAfee Enterprise Endpoint Security leads in industry tests:
●       McAfee rises to the top in enterprise-class endpoint security
testing: NSS Labs, a leader in enterprise class security solutions
testing, completed a series of group tests to evaluate the overall
effectiveness of corporate endpoint protection solutions.  McAfee
Endpoint Protection suites featuring the combination of McAfee®
VirusScan® Enterprise 8.8 software, McAfee® Host IPS 8.0 and McAfee®
Site Advisor® Enterprise 3.0 software met or beat all tested competitors
in all 14 threat categories tested. The testing addressed advanced
threat vectors and included in-depth analysis of the latest anti-evasion
techniques - the ability of cybercriminals to trick and circumvent
endpoint protection products.  View the report at
http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/system-protection/nss-labs.aspx.
●       McAfee Virus Scan Enterprise 8.8 software showed highest
performance in benchmark tests by AV-Test: The performance impact on
endpoints introduced by traditional antivirus products has resulted in
impacts to productivity and end user satisfaction.  VirusScan Enterprise
8.8 software has introduced a new smart caching and advanced memory
management technology which led to dramatically reduced malware scan
times, beating all major market competitors in the test. Along with scan
speed, VirusScan 8.8 software led all vendors tested in data throughput,
which is a key indicator of product performance.  View the report at
http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/system-protection/av-test.aspx.

       “Enterprises trust McAfee endpoint security to provide the
most comprehensive threat intelligence managed under a single
infrastructure,” said Candace Worley, senior vice president and
general manager, endpoint security at McAfee. “McAfee is committed to
leveraging its worldwide footprint to meet customers’ needs and this
latest release of VirusScan Enterprise software is a testament to that
as validated by multiple independent reviews. McAfee VirusScan
Enterprise software is the world’s most widely adopted anti-malware
product, deployed to over 60 million corporate endpoints.”

McAfee Differentiators:
●       McAfee Management for Optimized Virtualized Environments (MOVE):
a vendor-independent platform in which McAfee and partners can provide
technology specifically designed for virtualized en
vironments. Unlike
other approaches which lock users into one virtualization vendor, McAfee
MOVE can be used to optimize security in VMware, Microsoft HyperV and
Citrix environments. In addition, all virtualized security products are
managed by the ePolicy Orchestrator platform, providing a unified view
of all endpoints whether they are virtual or physical.
●       McAfee Global Threat Intelligence™: a cloud-based threat
intelligence system that uses more than 100 million sensors in 120
countries to continuously scan for emerging threats, then passes
protection information to McAfee endpoint and network products deployed
worldwide. The McAfee Global Threat Intelligence cloud matches incoming
data streams with known or suspected threats and returns to the
supported products unique intelligence on what is happening at each
touch point. Unlike other cloud based threat intelligence systems,
McAfee uses such intelligence techniques as File, Web, Message and
Network Connection Reputation and Web Category.

For more information about McAfee Endpoint Security visit
http://www.mcafee.com/us/products/system-protection/index.aspx. To
watch a video on malware detection visit
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid65694806001?bctid=45557614001&iframe=true&width=700&height=410.


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

McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional
offices across Canada. The company's Consumer Software Research and
Development facility in based in Waterloo, Ontario.

-30-

NOTE: McAfee, ePolicy Orchestrator, VirusScan, SiteAdvisor, and McAfee
Global Threat Intelligence are registered trademarks or trademarks of
McAfee or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.
Other marks may be claimed as the property of others.

For more information please contact:
Jennifer Rideout / Adam Pletsch
StrategicAmpersand Inc. (for McAfee Canada)
jennifer@stratamp.com
adam@stratamp.com
 (416) 961-5595

If you do not wish to receive news releases from McAfee Canada please
reply to this e-mail with "remove" in the subject header.


Websense Pre-Brief Request - Cyber Criminals Move Operations to Canada: 319 Percent Increase in Hosted Crimeware

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Cyber criminals are on the move again. And, this time, Canada is the prime target.  IP addresses in China and Eastern Europe are highly scrutinized and undergoing intense evaluation. So hackers are on a quest to move their networks to countries, like Canada, that have better cyber reputations. 

Websense recently conducted an analysis of Canada’s cyber security risk profile, and all trends pointed to Canada as the new breeding ground for cyber criminals. For example:

-          Jump in Hosted Phishing Sites - Canada saw a huge increase in the number of servers hosting phishing sites, jumping 319 percent in the last year.  This tremendous increase over the last 12 months is second only to Egypt in terms of the growth of sites hosting crime ware.                            

 

-          Increase in Bot Networks – Cyber criminals are moving their command and control centers to safer grounds. In the past eight months, Canada saw a 53 percent increase in bot networks. In fact, Canada scored the second highest for hosting bot networks, when compared to the U.S., France, Germany and China.   

 

-          Malicious Websites – We’re seeing a trend of malicious websites decline across the board. However, Canada’s decline is tremendously slower, when compared to the countries listed above.

 

-          Overall Increase in Cyber Crime – In Websense’s most recent Threat Report, Canada is #6 in the world for hosting cyber crime . And, this number continues to rise.

More malicious content is being hosted in Canada than ever before.   How will the public and private sector protect Canada? And, will the Canadian government be able to take down major Internet crime networks - similar to when the US brought down Rustock and Coreflood?

Please let me know your availability for a pre-brief with Websense LABS during the week of May 2 to discuss why Canada is the new hot bed for organized cyber crime, how this impacts Canadians citizens and how the public and private sector can defend against this new cyber assault.   Please note that the news is embargoed until Tuesday, May 10.

Best,

 

Hally

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALLY WAX
Public Relations

WEBSENSE, INC.
ph: 206.353.0888
www.websense.com

Websense Triton
For Essential Information Protection™
Web Security | Data Security | Email Security

 

Protected by Websense Hosted Email Security — www.websense.com

CHECK POINT SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES REPORTS RECORD 2011 FIRST QUARTER FINANCIAL RESULTS

Image001


 

 

NEWS RELEASE

 

CONTACTS:  David Eisenstadt                                                       

                        The Communications Group Inc.

                        416-696-9900 ext 36

                        deisenstadt@tcgpr.com

Check Point Software Technologies Reports Record 2011 First Quarter Financial Results

 

CALGARY, AB – APRIL 14, 2011

 

  • Total Revenue: $281.3 million, representing a 15 per cent increase year over year
  • Non-GAAP Operating Income: $160.6 million, representing 57 per cent of revenues
  • Non-GAAP EPS: $0.64, representing a 16 per cent increase year over year

 

Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, recently announced its financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2011.

 

“I am pleased to begin 2011 on such a high note.  Check Point delivered record first quarter results that exceeded our own projections with growth driven by our high-end network security appliance product lines and the great performance of our annuity software blades including IPS and the new Application Control Software Blade,” said Gil Shwed, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Check Point Software Technologies.

 

Financial Highlights:

  • Total Revenue: $281.3 million, an increase of 15 per cent, compared to $245.1 million in the first quarter of 2010.
  • GAAP Operating Income: $141.3 million, an increase of 22 per cent, compared to $115.9 million the first quarter of 2010. GAAP operating margin was 50 per cent, compared to 47 per cent in the first quarter of 2010.
  • Non-GAAP Operating Income: $160.6 million, an increase of 17 per cent, compared to $137.6 million in the first quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP operating margin was 57 per cent, compared to 56 per cent in the first quarter of 2010.
  • GAAP Net Income and Earnings per Diluted Share: GAAP net income was $122.1 million, an increase of 25 per cent, compared to $98.0 million in the first quarter of 2010. GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.57, an increase of 24 per cent, compared to $0.46 in the first quarter of 2010.
  • Non-GAAP Net Income and Earnings per Diluted Share: Non-GAAP net income was $137.1 million, an increase of 17 per cent, compared to $116.8 million in the first quarter of 2010. Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.64, an increase of 16 per cent, compared to $0.55 in the first quarter of 2010. 
  • Deferred Revenues: As of March 31, 2011, we had deferred revenues of $460.4 million, an increase of 10 per cent, compared to $419.8 million as of March 31, 2010. 
  • Cash Flow: Cash flow from operations was $211.6 million, a decrease of 3 per cent, compared to $217.8 million in the first quarter of 2010. 
  • Share Repurchase Program: During the first quarter of 2011, we repurchased 1.52 million shares at a total cost of $75 million.
  • Cash Balances, Marketable Securities and Short Term Deposits: $2,572.2 million as of March 31, 2011, an increase of $520.5 million, compared to $2,051.7 million as of March 31, 2010.

For information regarding the Non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this release, please see “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information” and “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Information.”

 

Business Highlights:

 

In the first quarter of 2011, Check Point introduced 3D Security – a new vision that redefines security as a three-dimensional business process – uniquely combining policies, people and enforcement for stronger protection of information assets in 21st century IT environments.

 

Check Point’s latest software release R75 is the first step in making 3D Security a reality. With five new or improved Software Blades – Application Control, Identity Awareness, Data Loss Prevention, Intrusion Prevention and Mobile Access – R75 enables businesses to gain greater visibility, user awareness and multi-dimensional security in a single solution.

 

Check Point continues to deliver advanced and award-winning solutions that customers trust:

 

  • Check Point Achieved 100% in Firewall, Identity Awareness and Application Control Enforcement in NSS Labs Next Generation Firewall Testing – Check Point is the first vendor to complete NSS Labs’ rigorous third-party testing and receive a certified stamp of recommendation.
  • Check Point Achieved 97.3% Security Effectiveness in NSS Labs Intrusion Prevention Group Test – The IPS Software Blade achieved 97.3% security effectiveness, setting a new standard for integrated IPS.
  • CRN Magazine Channel Champion, Network Security – Software Blade Architecture™, DLP Software Blade, IPS Software Blade and UTM-1 appliances
  • PC Market Best of IT Award, Hong Kong – Check Point Endpoint Security
  • CRN Magazine Channel Champion, India – Network Security
  • Network Computing Security and Hardware Product of the Year – Check Point UTM-1

 

In addition, Vice President of Global Field Operations, Amnon Bar-Lev, was also named a 2011 Channel Chief by CRN Magazine, recognizing his role in the strategic development and success of Check Point’s channel community.

 

Shwed concluded, “Check Point’s continued growth is a testament to the quality of our security products and the success of our strategy.  We have a single focus in mind – securing our customer’s IT environment.  Our 3D Security vision that just launched takes security to the next level by defining security as a business process combining policy, people and enforcement to create the best protection for every enterprise.”

 

Second Quarter Investor Conference Participation Schedule:

 

  • Jeffries 2011 Global Technology, Internet,  Media and Telecommunications Conference
    May 11,2011 – NY, NY
  • JP Morgan 39th Annual Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference
    May 15, 2011 – Boston, MA
  • Cowen & Company Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference
    June 1, 2011 – NY, NY
  • Bank of America 2011 Technology Conference
    June 2,2011 – NY, NY

 

Members of Check Point's management team will present at these conferences and discuss the latest company strategies and initiatives. Check Point’s conference presentations are expected to be available via webcast on the company's web site. To view these presentations and access the most updated information please visit the company's web site at www.checkpoint.com/ir. The schedule is subject to change.

-30-

 

About Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. 

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com), the worldwide leader in securing the Internet, is the only vendor to deliver Total Security for networks, data and endpoints, unified under a single management framework. Check Point provides customers with uncompromised protection against all types of threats, reduces security complexity and lowers total cost of ownership. Check Point first pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful inspection technology. Today, Check Point continues to innovate with the development of the Software Blade architecture. The dynamic Software Blade architecture delivers secure, flexible and simple solutions that can be fully customized to meet the exact security needs of any organization or environment. Check Point customers include tens of thousands of businesses and organizations of all sizes including all Fortune 100 companies. Check Point's award-winning ZoneAlarm solutions protect millions of consumers from hackers, spyware and identity theft.

 

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, Check Point uses non-GAAP measures of net income, operating income, operating margin and earnings per share, which are adjustments from results based on GAAP to exclude non-cash equity-based compensation charges, amortization of acquired intangible assets, other than temporary impairment of marketable securities, net, and the related tax affects. Check Point’s management believes the non-GAAP financial information provided in this release is useful to investors’ understanding and assessment of Check Point’s ongoing core operations and prospects for the future. Historically, Check Point has also publicly presented these supplemental non-GAAP financial measures in order to assist the investment community to see the Company “through the eyes of management,” and thereby enhance understanding of its operating performance. The presentation of this non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included with the financial statements contained in this press release. Management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP information in evaluating and operating business internally and as such has determined that it is important to provide this information to investors.

 

©2011 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.

 

Cdn VoIP Provider Iristel Brings the Latest VoIP Tech to Canadian Business

 

Today, Iristel, a Canadian provider of VoIP services and solutions, announced that it and snom technology AG, a leading developer of IP desktop phones and IP communications software, have completed rigorous interoperability tests to certify snom endpoints as preferred devices for operation within the Iristel network. What this means is that Iristel now offers Canadian customers a fully integrated IP telephony solution with high definition (HD) audio capabilities and VoIP functionality for small and large business environments.

 

As quick background, Iristel was the first to launch a HD VoIP service in Canada in 2007, and today the company is partnering with innovative companies like snom, to offer the highest quality of voice communications services and solutions to its Canadian customers. Iristel also recently announced that its SIP trunking service is compatible with software-based IP PBX phone systems for Windows™ from 3CX, an international developer of telecommunications software. By ensuring its network is compatible with key IP telephony solutions, Iristel offers a standards-based platform that enables customers to economically and efficiently migrate to new technologies without immediately abandoning investments made in their existing IP infrastructure. More details can be found in the news releases below.

 

Iristel CEO, Samer Bishay, is available to elaborate on what this news means to the company and Canadian customers. Samer can also discuss the evolution of VoIP - the stages that VoIP has gone through since it first became commercially viable, where it stands today, and how organizations are transitioning. As the person behind Iristel’s success, Samer can also provide commentary on a number of telecom issues affecting Canadian SMBs. I can connect you with an Iristel partner, too.

 

Please contact me for more information / to coordinate interviews.

 

Thanks!

Lizanne

 

Lizanne McReelis

Echo Communications

O: +1.647.438.5414

C: +1.416.846.5385

E: lizanne@echo-communications.com

W: http://www.echo-communications.com

 

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lizannemcreelis

Twitter: LizanneMcReelis

 

NEWS RELEASE: snom Teams With Iristel to Deliver Hosted VoIP solutions

 

snom  product portfolio achieves certification as tested and interoperable for deployment in Iristel VoIP network

 

TORONTO  and Woburn, Mass. (April 28, 2011) - Iristel Inc., a leading Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services provider,  and snom technology AG, a leading developer of IP desktop phones and IP communications software, announced today that the snom 3xx and snom 8xx series desktop phones, as well as the snom m9 DECT phone and MeetingPoint conference phone, have passed rigorous interoperability tests, qualifying snom endpoints as preferred devices for operation within the Iristel network.

The combination of snom endpoints, network services and infrastructure products and Iristel's Hosted PBX (private branch exchange) Solution offers Iristel customers a fully integrated IP telephony solution with high definition (HD) audio capabilities and VoIP functionality for both large and small business environments, and residential scenarios.  

 

"Iristel is a leader in HD VoIP. We were the first to launch a HD VoIP service in Canada, back in 2007, and today we remain committed to offering the highest quality of voice communications services for customers around the world," says Samer Bishay, Iristel CEO. "snom is an industry leader, and adding their high-quality and cost-effective phones and equipment to the growing list of Iristel network-compliant vendors opens up new opportunities for businesses and consumers to benefit from the latest in VoIP technology."

 

Iristel’s Hosted PBX Solution enables subscribers to customize their PBX according to their specific needs and offers enhanced features, like call forwarding and call transfer, that can be seamlessly managed through an intuitive user interface. By ensuring its network is compatible with key IP telephony solutions, Iristel delivers a standards-based platform that enables customers – especially SMBs – to economically and efficiently migrate to new technologies without immediately abandoning investments made in their existing IP infrastructure.

 

“We have built all of snom’s products with an eye towards interoperability with any SIP-based environment,” says Michael Storella, Chief Operating Officer for snom technology. “We are pleased and honored to have our products certified by Iristel, one the leading CLECs in Canada, and we hope to continue our work with them in an effort to bring their customers the best possible VoIP experience.”

 

snom’s suite of VoIP phones includes advanced IP phones such as the snom 3xx series, full-color touchscreen desktop phones such as the snom 870, wireless DECT phones such as the m9 and related endpoints, such as the MeetingPoint conference phone. All built with open SIP firmware allowing for simple installation, industry-wide interoperability and crystal-clear sound quality. As unified communications systems have proliferated, the advanced technology and open standards in every snom product has proven to be an ideal combination for providing enterprises with cost-effective and feature-rich IP telephony.

 

For more information about snom in the Americas, please visit us at www.snomchannel.com; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/snom; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/snom.VoIP.phones; or join our LinkedIn group at www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1773766.

 

About snom

snom technology AG develops and manufactures VoIP telephones and related equipment based on the IETF open standard, SIP (Session Initiation Protocol). Recognized for its high-quality, customizable, and cost-effective business solutions, snom is also differentiated by the company’s history in the VoIP industry, and its dedication to high security standards. All of snom’s products, from desktop phones to IP PBXs, are designed to be fully interoperable with leading communications equipment vendors, and in 2010 the snom 300 desktop phone was officially accepted into the Microsoft Lync device compatibility program, qualifying it as a recommended device for use with the Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 and Lync server. snom customers benefit from the interoperability and flexibility that the snom telephones offer, including plug and play integration and universal compatibility with any SIP-based telephony platform. Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany, snom technology AG also has offices in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and the US. The company distributes its fourth generation SIP phones through its network of more than 200 authorized reseller partners in 60 countries worldwide. For more information on snom, please visit www.snom.com.

 

About Iristel Inc.

Established in 1999, Iristel is a leading global provider of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services with its headquarters in Toronto, Canada. The company was granted a carrier license by the Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) in 2000 and today it is a national VoIP service provider with the CRTC’s Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) designation in Canada. In addition, Iristel offers the broadest portfolio of IP services in Canada, including hosted IP PBX (private branch exchange), virtual faxing, virtual roaming, and global IP trunking products and services. Its expertise includes PBX and VPN (virtual private network) installations for enterprises with multiple locations. Iristel has also deployed multiple, redundant switching facilities and Points of Presence (PoPs) nationally resulting in the delivery of stable telecom business solutions to its customers. More information about Iristel can be found at: http://www.Iristel.ca.

 

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NEWS RELEASE: Iristel SIP Trunking Service Now Compatible with Software-based IP PBX from 3CX

 

CLEC Adds to Portfolio of IP Telephony Solutions that Work Seamlessly with its SIP Trunking Service

 

TORONTO April 7, 2011 – Iristel Inc., a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) operator licensed by the Canadian Radio Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), today announced that its Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Trunking service is fully compatible with software-based IP (Internet Protocol) PBX (Private Branch Exchange) phone systems for Windows™ from 3CX, an international developer of telecommunications software.

 

Iristel's SIP Trunking service enables customers – including small to midsize businesses (SMBs) – to converge local, long distance and private voice traffic on a single IP backbone and reduce network costs.  Rigorous interoperability tests were completed by Iristel to ensure compatibility between its SIP Trunking service and 3CX's software-based PBX, thereby adding to the list of IP telephony solutions that work seamlessly with Iristel's SIP Trunking service.

 

"As a CRTC-licensed CLEC, Iristel is not only committed to providing customers with high quality coverage in Canada and around the world, we also want to help customers maximize their IP investments," says Samer Bishay, President and CEO, Iristel Inc. "To get the most out of your PBX, you need to start with a quality system; but you also need great SIP trunks that will enable you to innovate and add new technologies as business needs dictate. This interop broadens our portfolio to bring the best of both worlds to customers."

 

By ensuring its network is compatible with key IP telephony solutions, Iristel offers a standards-based platform that enables customers – especially SMBs – to economically and efficiently migrate to new technologies without immediately abandoning investments made in their existing IP infrastructure.

 

About 3CX

3CX is an international developer of telecommunications software. 3CX is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and is backed by an experienced management and development team. Its product, 3CX Phone System for Windows, developed specifically for the SMB market, has earned Windows Server 2003 Certification and has received numerous awards, including the TMC Labs 2007 Innovation Award, The Windowsnetworking.com Gold Award, as well as, the IT EXPO Best of Show award 2007 and the INTERNET Telephony Magazine Product of the Year Award all in recognition to the company’ commitment to innovation and quality. 3CX maintains a global presence with offices in 9 countries and localized information available in various languages.

 

About Iristel Inc.

Established in 1999, Iristel is a leading global provider of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services with its headquarters in Toronto, Canada.  The company was granted a carrier license by the Canadian Radio-Television Commission (CRTC) in 2000 and today it is a national VoIP service provider with the CRTC's Competitive Local Exchange Carrier (CLEC) designation in Canada. In addition, Iristel offers the broadest portfolio of IP services in Canada, including hosted IP PBX (private branch exchange), virtual faxing, virtual roaming, and global IP trunking products and services. Its expertise includes PBX and VPN (virtual private network) installations for enterprises with multiple locations. Iristel has also deployed multiple, redundant switching facilities and Points of Presence (PoPs) nationally resulting in the delivery of stable telecom business solutions to its customers.  More information about Iristel can be found at: http://www.iristel.ca.

 

# # #

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NEWS RELEASE: Iristel Broadfone - Now Offers High Definition (HD) VoIP Service

 

TORONTO, Feb. 1 , 2007 /CNW/ - Iristel Inc., in an effort to continue to offer the highest quality voice communication services to all Canadians, has recently launched High Definition (HD) VoIP Telephone service.

 

Opportunities are lost by companies that are not able to effectively come together to communicate or collaborate. Maintaining outstanding communication requires easy-to-use technology that effectively replicates the clarity and

efficiency of face-to-face meetings. Iristel, Canada's leader in VoIP technology is pleased to be the first in Canada to offer High Definition VoIP Telephone service.

 

"HD VoIP is like comparing CD quality voice to an old AM Radio," says Samer Bishay, President and CEO, Iristel Inc. "With more and more business persons working remotely from offsite locations voice quality is of paramount

concern, Iristel addresses this issue through its extensive network of industry partners by offering HD VoIP."

 

For further information and pricing details, please visit www.iristel.ca

 

About Iristel Inc :

Since the Company's conception in 1999 and having been granted a carrier license from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) in 2000, Iristel has become one of the leading Canadian companies

providing Voice over IP ("VoIP") services.     Iristel seamlessly bridges the gap between IP networks and the PSTN. Iristel's VoIP solution is ideal for Calling Card, VoIP carriers, CLEC's, Asterisk owners, virtual carriers and Residential or Business customers

requiring local telephone service within Canada.     Iristel operations include over 20 Global Points of Presence (POPS) and also maintains a local presence in 7 of Canada's Provinces.

 

The Communitech Hub is Expanding

Digital Media Sector Demand Drives Expansion of The Communitech Hub

Waterloo Region, ON (April 28, 2011) – The Communitech Hub, a digital media innovation centre that officially opened for business in October 2010, is already expanding to accommodate demand for commercialization support in the digital media sector. The Hub, which currently occupies 30,000 square feet at Kitchener’s downtown Tannery building, will be expanding to occupy another 12,000 square feet of space on the first floor of the Tannery by early 2012.

“The success of The Communitech Hub has exceeded our expectations and demonstrates the potential of the digital media sector in Ontario which holds great promise for job creation and opportunities going forward,” said Glen Murray, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation.

The expansion will accommodate more Peer2Peer program space, expanded strategic partner space, and more room for established companies.

“It’s rewarding for everyone involved to see how quickly The Hub has become a venue for nurturing digital media entrepreneurship,” said Kevin Tuer, VP Digital Media at Communitech, Waterloo Region’s technology organization. “We’ve learned a great deal about the support needs in the digital media ecosystem, and are filling more gaps and expanding our programs to meet those needs.”

The Hub currently houses a mix of tenants that include:

- 28 start-up companies – and growing

- 5 leading tech multi-nationals

- 14 innovation partners, including legal, advertising and accounting firms

    - 3 post-secondary institutions: Conestoga College, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo

    - provincial and federal government partners.

    The attraction for digital media entrepreneurs is a supportive venue where the infrastructure which companies need to succeed is already in place, Tuer said. That includes everything from the ‘bricks and mortar’ office space enabling entrepreneurs to move from their basements and garages to a suitable office location; to mentoring from executives who have ‘been there, done that’; to collaborating with established partner companies that include RIM, OpenText, Desire2Learn and Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc.

    Strategic partner platforms at the Hub enable research, commercialization, and job creation in mobile computing, digital asset management and healthcare IT. Federal and provincial contributions and the City of Kitchener also made the creation of The Hub possible, Tuer said.

    ”The appeal of The Hub is that companies can focus more on development of their projects, market development and revenue generation than on operational logistics,” said Tuer. “An integral part of our success has been dialogue with those companies; tailoring the space and our services to provide the greatest impact for them. With the new space will come new programs and services as we continue that dialogue.”

    The concept and venue for The Hub were announced in October, 2009; renovations to The Tannery, occupancy and the grand opening took place less than a year later; and the expansion comes less than five months after the official opening. The Hub recently celebrated its first ‘graduation’ of a resident startup company – ClevrU -- through the Accelerator Program in partnership with the Waterloo Accelerator Centre.

    For more information about The Communitech Hub, go to www.communitechhub.ca

    About Communitech

    Communitech www.communitech.ca is the hub for the commercialization of innovation in Waterloo Region, creating economic prosperity by removing barriers to the creation and growth of tech companies

                      Media Contact

                      Shelley Grandy, Sr. PR Advisor, Communitech, shelley@cdmn.ca


Huawei announces legal action against ZTE

 

 

 

 

Huawei Moves to Protect its Patent and Trademarks with Legal Action in Europe

Plano, TX. - April 28, 2011- Huawei today filed lawsuits in Germany, France, and Hungary against ZTE Corporation (ZTE) for patent and trade mark infringement. The lawsuits were filed on the basis that ZTE is infringing a series of Huawei’s patents relating to data card and LTE (Long Term Evolution) technologies and illegally used a Huawei-registered trademark on some of its data card products.

 

Huawei's Chief Legal Officer, Dr. Song Liuping said, "Huawei was compelled to initiate this action in order to protect our innovations and registered intellectual property in Europe. Our objective is to stop the illegal use of Huawei's intellectual property and resolve this dispute through negotiation so that our technology is used in a lawful manner."

 

These lawsuits were commenced after ZTE failed to respond to cease and desist letters requiring the company to stop carrying out the infringing acts that are the basis for these proceedings. Huawei had also actively invited ZTE on numerous occasions to enter into cross-patent licensing negotiations but was equally unsuccessful. As Huawei has neither received any substantive response nor a commitment from ZTE to stop its infringements, the company has had no alternative but to use legal means to protect its legal interests by requesting that the courts prohibit ZTE's continued infringements of Huawei's trade mark and patent rights.

 

Huawei has great respect for the rights of intellectual property holders and is equally committed to the protection of its own innovations and intellectual property. The company has signed a series of cross-license agreements with major telecoms vendors and other intellectual property rights holders. In 2010, Huawei paid US$222 million in patent licensing fees to obtain the legal right to use patents and technologies of other leading companies in the industry. Huawei also invests a considerable portion of its annual revenues in research and development. Its R&D expenditure in 2010 alone was RMB 16.556 billion (USD 2.5 billion).

 

“Intellectual property is among Huawei's most valuable assets. That is why we feel a responsibility to our customers and to our shareholders to do everything possible to protect these assets in any legal jurisdiction worldwide. Where violations are taking place, we will do whatever is required to ensure that the use of Huawei's intellectual property by any company is based on internationally accepted protocols and practices,” Dr. Song said.

 

About Huawei

Huawei is a leading telecoms solutions provider serving 45 of the world’s top 50 telecom operators. Huawei’s products and solutions have been deployed in over 100 countries and support the communications needs of one third of the world’s population. The company is committed to providing innovative and customized products, services and solutions to create long-term value and growth potential for its customers.

For more information, visit Huawei online: www.huawei.com.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/huaweipress

and YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/HuaweiPress.

 

Media Contact:

Mark Burnworth

Office: +1-214-919-6147

Mobile: +1-214-499-8036

mark.burnworth@huawei.com

 

 


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HP Becomes SAP-certified Global Provider of Cloud Services

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HP Becomes SAP-certified Global Provider of Cloud Services

 

 

 

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 27, 2011 – HP Enterprise Services today announced it is among the first partners to become an SAP-certified global provider of cloud services in support of SAP solutions.

HP provides standardized IT solutions and services based on shared resources via the internet enabling the delivery of SAP® applications to clients in a scalable manner via HP Hybrid Delivery Cloud Services.

The certification provides assurance to clients using SAP applications through HP’s cloud services that they can benefit from:

  increased flexibility, which enables business process alignment to meet immediate market demands;

  rapid provisioning, which speeds their ability to implement application and business process changes; and

  a highly reliable architecture and access to the latest cloud services with no infrastructure capital outlay required, which results in much lower costs and risks for companies to consume the full benefits of enterprise applications.

Technology providers seeking certification by SAP must undergo an extensive audit process that validates the operational integration of the provider’s cloud capabilities with SAP applications. The comprehensive audit includes reviews of a services provider’s technical, physical, management and logical security processes supporting SAP applications. After successful completion, the entire process undergoes recertification every two years.

The certification covers a range of HP solutions, including application hosting, cloud management, disaster recovery and networking.

“The race to the cloud is causing many cloud service providers to offer Infrastructure as a Service, but leave service levels and risk management to their resource-strapped clients,” said Kathy Garcia, senior vice president, Applications, HP Enterprise Services. “With this certification, HP can deliver SAP solutions via the cloud with increased flexibility and rapid provisioning, resulting in lower costs and less risk for companies to consume the full benefits of enterprise applications.”

“The certification confirms HP’s ability to deliver high-quality cloud services in support of SAP solutions,” said Michael Ressemann, global head, Outsourcing Services and Solution Delivery, SAP. “Through its cloud services and Hybrid Delivery Cloud platform, in support of SAP solutions, HP gives application service providers the ability to meet their business users’ needs quickly and cost-effectively without sacrificing reliability or quality.”

The cloud certification deepens the 20-year relationship between HP and SAP, a member of the HP Agility Alliance. The Agility Alliance is HP Enterprise Services’ premiere partner program that brings together industry-leading technology providers to build and deliver comprehensive IT solutions.

The certification announced today will help businesses and governments in their pursuit of an Instant-On Enterprise. In a world of continuous connectivity, the Instant-On Enterprise embeds technology in everything it does to serve customers, employees, partners and citizens with whatever they need, instantly.

HP’s premier client event, HP DISCOVER, takes place June 6 - 10 in Las Vegas and Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 in Vienna, Austria. The event showcases how organizations can get started on their Instant-On Enterprise journeys. 

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

 

 

Editorial Contacts

Annabelle Baxter, HP

+1 972 605 9293

annabelle.baxter@hp.com

HP Media Hotline

+1 866 266 7272

www.hp.com/go/newsroom

 

 

SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries.

 

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP’s future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including SAP’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

 

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the achievement of expected operational and financial results; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended January 31, 2011 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

 

© 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

 

 

 

Symantec Announces April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report

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Symantec Announces April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report

 

 

Targeted attacks increase in intensity rising to 85 per day while global spam continues to fall;

Shortened URLs move to online click-fraud

 

 

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – April 26, 2011– Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced the publication of its April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report. This month analysis reveals that targeted attacks intercepted by Symantec.cloud rose to 85 per day, the highest figure since March 2009 when the figure was 107 per day in the run-up to the G20 Summit held in London that year. Simultaneously, in the aftermath of the Rustock botnet takedown, global spam volumes continued to fall and decreased by 6.4 percentage points since March to 72.9 percent in April. MessageLabs Intelligence also revealed that shortened URLs have become increasingly popular recently, being used to lure people to click on advertising links; a practice known as click-fraud.

 

In April, 1 in 168.6 emails contained malware and targeted attacks accounted for approximately 0.02 percent of these. This represents an increase of 10.5 percent over a period of six months. The number of targeted attacks blocked each day was approximately 77 in October 2010.

 

“The trend in targeted attacks suggests there may be a seasonal pattern as the number of targeted attacks always seems to be higher at this time of year,” said Paul Wood, MessageLabs Intelligence Senior Analyst, Symantec.cloud. “As the financial year draws to a close in many countries, it is also possible that the timing is perfect for cybercriminals seeking information about the financial performance of a company, and a carefully crafted attack may be just the means by which they can achieve this.”

 

Also known as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), targeted attacks are frequently delivered by email and designed to breach a specific target for the purpose of industrial espionage.

 

During April, MessageLabs Intelligence identified 11 automated bots operating on a popular micro-blogging service, posting messages containing shortened URLs and using a variety of techniques to bring these messages to the attention of other users. People clicking on these links are redirected to web sites containing advertising links, which in turn will generate pay-per-click revenue for those sites hosting the banner ads.

 

“There are a number of motivations behind enticing users to follow shortened URLs, the primary one being financial gain,” Wood said. “Although online advertising providers have worked hard to prevent Web sites from being setup purely to profit from advertising revenues, the practice is still prevalent.”

 

 

 

Other report highlights:

 

Spam: In April 2011, the global ratio of spam in email traffic from new and previously unknown bad sources decreased by 6.4% percentage points since March 2011 to 72.9% (1 in 1.37 emails).

 

Viruses: The global ratio of email-borne viruses in email traffic from new and previously unknown bad sources was one in 168.6 emails (0.593 percent) in April, an increase of 0.114 percentage points since March.

 

Endpoint Threats: The most frequently blocked malware targeting endpoint devices for the last month was the W32.Sality.AE virus. This virus spreads by infecting executable files and attempts to download potentially malicious files from the Internet.

 

Phishing: In April, phishing activity was 1 in 242.2 emails (0.413 percent), an increase of 0.02 percentage points since March.

 

Web security: Analysis of web security activity shows that an average of 2,431 Web sites each day were harboring malware and other potentially unwanted programs including spyware and adware, a decrease of 18.2 percent since March 2011. Thirty three percent of malicious domains blocked were new in April, a decrease of 4.0 percentage points since March. Additionally, 22.5 percent of all web-based malware blocked was new in April, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points since last month.

 

 

Geographical Trends:

 

·       Oman became the most spammed in April with a spam rate of 81.9 percent.

 

·       In the US 72.8 percent of email was spam and 72.7 percent in Canada and the UK.

 

·       In The Netherlands, spam accounted for 74.1 percent of email traffic, in Germany 73 percent , 72.4 percent in Denmark and 73.6 percent in Australia.  

 

·       Spam levels in Hong Kong reached 72.4 percent and 70.3 percent in Singapore. Spam levels in Japan were 68.9 percent.

 

·       In South Africa, spam accounted for 72.4 percent of email traffic.

 

·       Luxembourg remained the most targeted by email-borne malware with 1 in 28.9 emails blocked as malicious in April.

 

·       In the UK, 1 in 86.2 emails contained malware. In the US virus levels were 1 in 311.6 and 1 in 201.8 for Canada. In Germany, virus levels reached 1 in 277.5, 1 in 647.9 in Denmark and 1 in 311.2 for The Netherlands.

 

·       In Australia, 1 in 271.3 emails were malicious and, 1 in 321.0 for Hong Kong, for Japan it was 1 in 902.9 compared with 1 in 640.0 for Singapore.

 

·       In South Africa 1 in 68.1 emails contained malicious content. 

 

 

Vertical Trends:

 

·      In April, the most spammed industry sector with a spam rate of 76.5 percent continued to be the Automotive sector.

 

·      Spam levels for the Education sector were 74 percent, 72.8 percent for the Chemical & Pharmaceutical sector, 72.5 percent for IT Services, 71.8 percent for Retail, 70.9 percent for Public Sector and 72.2 percent for Finance.

 

·      In April, the Public Sector remained the most targeted industry for malware with 1 in 26.4 emails being blocked as malicious. 

 

·       Virus levels for the Chemical & Pharmaceutical sector were 1 in 157.4, 1 in 260.4 for the IT Services sector, 1 in 287.6 for Retail, 1 in 87.1 for Education and 1 in 209.5 for Finance.

 

The April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report provides greater detail on all of the trends and figures noted above, as well as more detailed geographical and vertical trends. The full report is available at http://www.messagelabs.com/intelligence.aspx.

 

Symantec’s MessageLabs Intelligence is a respected source of data and analysis for messaging security issues, trends and statistics. MessageLabs Intelligence provides a range of information on global security threats based on live data feeds from our control towers around the world scanning billions of messages each week.

 

About Symantec

 

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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Natasha Parnanzone

 

Consultant

 

Hill & Knowlton Canada

 

 

Direct Line: +1 416 413 4740

 

 

Fax: +1 416 413 1550

 

 

natasha.parnanzone@hillandknowlton.ca

 

 

 

 

 

160 Bloor Street East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3P7 Canada

 

http://www.hillandknowlton.com

 

 

 



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Zeus Adds Investment Fraud to its Bag of Tricks


__________________
Marc Gendron
Marc Gendron PR
781-237-0341


Zeus Adds Investment Fraud to its Bag of Tricks

We recently discovered and investigated a very interesting new Zeus configuration sample that uses credible looking banner advertisements on major web sites to offer high rate of return investment opportunities. This attack is targeting some of the world’s leading and most trusted websites including: AOL, Amazon, Apple, CNN, Citibank, Forbes, ESPN, and many more. Adding investment fraud to its bag of tricks is a new twist for Zeus.

These attacks have only one purpose – to lure users into investing their money through a very convincing and professional looking website, https://ursinvestment.com, which is a fraud. We traced several examples of this configuration file to attacks on leading websites.

In one case, the Zeus mechanism embeds banners on the targeted websites which redirect to https://ursinvestment.com. We were surprised to see how well integrated the banner designs were with the attacked websites. Here are some examples of banners that appeared on Google and Bing pages.

In a very sophisticated attack against Forbes.com, the cybercriminals inject a very compelling overview of the fictitious URS Investment Fund. They offer wealthy individuals the opportunity to achieve extremely high rates of return through a "prestigious" investment program. The content developed for this attack establishes a new standard of credibility by fraudsters. Here is the text embedded by the Zeus injection code on the attacked pages at Forbes.com:

In a similar attack against the Yahoo Finance pages, the fraudsters actually claim that URS has established a partnership with Yahoo. In this scam, the criminals lowered the investment minimum to $1000. Here is the text added by the Zeus injection mechanism on "Banking & Budgeting" page of Yahoo.

Next we examined https://ursinvestment.com .

Like the injected code, the website is professionally designed and user friendly with a simple registration process. It asks the user to enter login and password details. However, it does not allow the user to recover his/her account credentials.

Upon registration, users are prompted to upload funds though a Bank Wire Transfer or using Western Union. Next, users are asked to choose an investment program. Three options are presented in significant detail for minimum investments of $1000, $5000, and $10,000. These include investment schedules, interest rate of return, and lump sum profits. Below is a screen we captured that promises 7%, 11.3%, 16% and even 32% rates of return.

Meanwhile, the "Our Partners" tab on the website lists companies that have been found in the Zeus configuration file including AOL, Amazon, Apple, CNN, Citibank, Forbes, ESPN, and others. We also found a Forbes logo on the Home page of the site. The links leading to the websites of the listed companies (dubbed "You can read more details on their websites") lead back to the pages attacked by this configuration of Zeus. The Zeus infected users that follow these links are presented with the same 'fake' information about their partnership with URS.

We also checked WHOIS for information on ursinvestment.com and found that records only start on 03/11/2011. However, according to the website, the URS company has existed since 1995 and is based in the US. We did not find any company behind this website. https://ursinvestment.com has a valid SSL certificate, which was issued on March 20, 2011. A Google cache of the website from March 26, 2010 points to the default Apache website, which is empty. The website is hosted on an IP address (178.18.243.227) that originates from Germany. Huan-jun-net, an unknown network, is responsible for hosting the website. Full details on the IP address can be found here.

This new attack is noteworthy for the level of sophistication and depth and breadth of content that the criminals have developed to make the scam appear legitimate and believable. Unlike many Zeus attacks, this is less about the attack code and all about selling the fraud scheme. With attack code already developed to the point where it can convincingly mimic real websites and trusted brands, it appears criminal groups are bulking up investments in marketing communications to make their scams harder to differentiate from legitimate business offers presented to web users. Without the ability for average web users to “spot” fraudulent offers, e-commerce may be threatened. As result, technology that secures web sessions and transactions must fill the void.

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