Griffintown Multimedia City Welcomes AQT, the Largest ICT Business Network in Quebec

 

 

Griffintown Multimedia City Welcomes AQT, the Largest ICT Business Network in Quebec


MONTREAL, Dec. 3, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - On the first of December, the Quebec Technology Association (AQT) relocated to 32 Soeurs-Grises Street in Montréal Quebec (H3C 2P8).

New offices have been optimized to foster closer ties between our members and provide a business centre, training facility, and consulting space for stakeholders in the ICT industry. AQT's 10 staffers will share a semi-open office area conducive to brain-storming and creative thinking.

"Since our lease was coming due, we decided to find an equivalent-sized office space that would better reflect the growth and image of AQT members, as well as our stature as a network that represents the most dynamic SMEs and sets a benchmark for the Quebec ICT industry, stated Nicole Martel, Chief Executive Officer of AQT. In addition, being in the heart of Multimedia City and visible to passersby and visitors, this new location is more readily accessible and enhances the visibility of the AQT and its members."

A venue to implement the AQT Board of Directors' new triennial plan:

  • Growing the industry's reach and representation on the strength of our network, in our capacity as industry spokesperson to various bodies, and through the publication of industry data.
  • Helping companies enhance performance through the implementation of best business practices by providing members with activities and services in conjunction with willing partners and sponsors.
  • Promoting networking and business partnerships amongst members through local and international networking opportunities, guides, and access to a technological platform.

Specific Interest Groups. Specific Interest Groups provide a prime example of the impact of this move. Unlike AQT Peer-to-Peer groups that connect members based on their functions, Specific Interest Groups are designed to empower ICT CEOs and executives by providing relevant information based on their specific areas of interests, markets, and business practices. Beginning this coming January, groups comprised of no more than 15 people will be able to take part in "round table" events from 11:30 a.m to 2 p.m. to discuss strategies and best practices.

Business Centre for members passing through Montréal. An office has been specially equipped for members who are just passing through! In addition to the usual services (office furniture, audio-visual equipment, and reception desk), users will have robust technological infrastructures at their fingertips. They will also have access to training facilities and a conference room for business meetings.

Cloud Computing will enhance AQT operations. Thanks to help from its members, AQT has acquired robust technological infrastructures which are essential to the overall effectiveness of the team. Local infrastructures will be migrated through cloud computing by Oriso while favouring the streamlining of information technologies. In addition, thanks to a new and fully Web-accessible database implemented this past fall, an enhanced system has been put into place to allow members to update their own data.

Technological platform designed to promote business partnerships. A new Web site will be rolled out as early as January; designed by K3 Media, the new site is more in tune with the image of AQT members. In addition, it will be possible by this spring to search our extensive database for partnership opportunities thanks to a brand new technological platform.

AQT takes the opportunity to thank its members who provide technologic services and solutions. And on behalf of its members AQT would like to thank all sponsors and partners who supports its projects and activities to pursue its mission. List of sponsors and partners available on aqt website : http://www.aqt.ca/en/partners.htm.

About the Quebec Technology Association (AQT) www.aqt.ca

The Quebec Technology Association promotes innovative SMEs in the ICT industry by helping their CEOs and management teams reach business development objectives.

Now the largest ICT business network in Quebec, the AQT, a non-profit, self-funded organization, provides its 500 member and affiliate companies with local and international networking opportunities, as well as business comparison and improvement tools - true building blocks of success!

SOURCE: Quebec Technology Association (AQT)

For further information:

AQT - Valérie Danger, Director of Communications and Projects, 514 874-2667, ext. 118, vdanger@aqt.ca


Brazil-Canada 3.0 Conference to Address Brazil's Digital Economy and Enhance Digital Media Collaboration Between Canada and Brazil

 

Brazil-Canada 3.0 Conference to Address Brazil's Digital Economy and Enhance Digital Media Collaboration Between Canada and Brazil


WATERLOO REGION, ON, Dec. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - When the first Brazil-Canada 3.0 Conference opens today in the Brazilian northeastern city of João Pessoa, it will be the culmination of a dream shared by two world leaders from two continents. In August 2011, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, pledged their commitment to increased collaboration and enhanced business opportunities between their two countries. Now, inspired by the format of the CDMN Canada 3.0 digital media forum which Brazilian representatives attended last spring, Brazil-Canada 3.0 is under way today and tomorrow in João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil to move that commitment forward.

"Deepening our trade, investment and educational ties with Brazil is a key part of Canada's Economic Action Plan to create jobs, growth and prosperity in every region of our country," said Ed Fast, Canada's Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway. "That is why we are delighted to see that following the Brazilian delegation to the CDMN Canada 3.0 digital media forum in Stratford, Ontario last spring, Canadian thought leaders are now invited to participate in an equivalent forum in South America. We look forward to continuing to work with our Brazilian partners to build a mutually beneficial relationship that generates benefits for people in both countries."

The Brazil-Canada 3.0 Conference will bring together representatives of government, academia and the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the digital economy in Brazil. Collaboration between the two countries was undertaken as part of joint initiatives under the bilateral Science, Technology and Innovation Agreement adopted in 2011.

"It is the ultimate compliment that the Brazil conference was inspired by the CDMN Canada 3.0 event to advance digital media in Brazil," said Kevin Tuer, Managing Director of the CDMN. "Going forward, we would like to explore how the Canada 3.0 conference model could be used in a similar fashion around the world to enhance the global digital media economy."

Numerous presenters from across Canada are included in the Brazil-Canada 3.0 program. Tom Jenkins, Chair of the CDMN Advisory Board, who played a vital role in launching the Canadian forum, will address cooperation between the two countries in digital media.

"This is a phenomenal opportunity for the leaders of government, the ICT industry, and representatives of culture and the arts in Brazil to consider opportunities for digital media expansion in Brazil, and for Canada and Brazil to further collaborate on joint initiatives," said Jenkins. "It is indeed exciting to see the forum take root in another part of the world, and we wish Brazil much success as a result of this conference."

The event includes conference streams on connectivity/internet governance; digital content; development of talent; and digital entrepreneurship. It also includes a startup company pitchoff competition, and the reward for the top startup will be a week of coaching at CDMN's headquarters location at The Communitech Hub in Waterloo Region.

"Events like these are of great importance, as they offer opportunities to address, in a bilateral fashion, the vision, fully endorsed by Brazil, that ICTs can be a powerful tool for development. Likewise, being held in the northeastern region of our vast country, it may help balance the country's digital inclusion scenery, traditionally more notable in the southeastern states," notes Franklin Silva Netto, General-Coordinator of the Conference.

Organizers of the Brazilian Conference (Federal Government, State Government, Academia, Private Sector) have identified gaps in Brazil's digital economy, with disparities in access to the Internet, with some areas of the country having higher access rates, and rural populations having less access to the Internet than urban dwellers. Canadians have addressed similar issues at previous Canada 3.0 forums and are striving - through the CDMN Canada 3.0 digital media conference -- to enable all Canadians to do anything on-line by the target timing of 2017, Canada's 150th birthday. The 5th Canadian forum, slated for May 14 & 15, 2013 will be held for the first time in downtown Toronto.  Registration is now open and further details are available at: www.cdmn.ca/canada30.

About The Canadian Digital Media Network
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) www.cdmn.ca is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media by enabling connections and collaboration of people across the country - entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes and government - and bringing more digital solutions to market. The CDMN comprises Canada's largest concentration of business-driven digital media research, technology development, and digital commercialization expertise; it connects digital media expertise and capability from coast-to-coast, creating a digital convergence corridor. Digital media covers a broad spectrum of technology and services, and includes any information created and shared virtually. Follow @CDMN on Twitter, join the Canadian Digital Media Network Group on LinkedIn and like the CanadianDigitalMediaNetwork Page on Facebook.

SOURCE: The Canadian Digital Media Network

For further information:

Media Contact
Shelley Grandy, Sr. PR Advisor, CDMN, shelley@cdmn.ca













































































Vancouver-based Destiny Media Announces Commercial Prototype for Disruptive Streaming Video Technology


Destiny Media Announces Commercial Prototype for Disruptive Streaming Video Technology


Secure Streaming Video Format Plays on Computers, Smart Phones, Tablets, Internet TV's and E-book Readers Without Player Plug-ins, Transcoding or Content Delivery Networks

VANCOUVER, Dec. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - Destiny Media Technologies (TSXV: DSY) (OTCQX: DSNY) is pleased to announce that it has successfully expanded the prototype announced August 22nd to include functionality and features required for full commercialization.  Demo videos at http://www.clipstream.com showcase support for full screen HD on broadband, feature length movies, instant access to any point chosen from thumbnail scenes displayed above the seek bar and automatic adjustment of quality to support a wide variety of environments.

The solution is much simpler than alternatives which require proprietary streaming servers and plug-ins.  Once run through Destiny's encoder software, the video is just dropped into any web page server and it will play back natively on 100% of HTML 5 compliant browsers.

The industry is searching for a new video standard, but none are widely adopted.  Adobe Flash is   being phased out on smart phones and none of the new HTML 5 video tag formats (which include H.264, WebM and Ogg Theora among others) have more than 56% support, according to Statcounter Globalstats October 2012 data.

The industry is spending $3 billion annually on content delivery networks for hosting video and video usage is growing 48% per year and currently represents more than 50% of all data transferred on the internet.  Clipstream® allows publishers to host their content directly on their own web servers rather than outsourcing, because streams are recycled through HTTP caching which can reduce loads by 99% for popular content.

It is estimated that by 2014, the industry will spend $1.6 billion on transcoding.  Because Clipstream® plays on all modern browsers, users can create a single video format rather than three or more, reaching their entire audience without any transcoding at all.

HTML 5 video tag formats are unprotected and videos can easily be copied and shared.  Clipstream® encoded videos can be watermarked and locked to only play from authorized source websites or to authorized viewer computers.

Because there are no plug-ins for users to maintain or upgrade, content owners will be able to reach their entire audience.  It is estimated that 10-15% of users are unable to see player based video because of misconfigured or missing plug-in software.

With other solutions, videos become obsolete over time, as new formats replace old ones. The H.265 format, due out in January 2013, won't be compatible with any existing web browser and is intended to phase out old videos encoded in H.264.  By contrast, Clipstream® encoded videos will have extreme longevity as all future web browsers will be required to be backwards compatible with the technologies behind it.

Clipstream® is protected by seven pending US patents claiming priority to August 2011 and international PCT filings.

About Destiny Media Technologies, Inc.
The recording industry uses Destiny's Play MPE® secure distribution service to deliver their pre-release music to radio, online retail, DJ's, sports stadiums, journalists and VIP's. Destiny's Clipstream® instant play streaming includes internet radio, internet TV, online surveys and new cloud and mobile offerings. Patents include watermarking, peer to peer locking and pending cross platform playerless streaming video.

SOURCE: Destiny Media Technologies, Inc.

For further information:

Media Contact:
Steve Vestergaard
CEO Destiny Media Technologies, Inc.
604 609 7736 x222
steve@dsny.com

Microsoft Renews Commitment to Education With US$250 Million Investment in Partners in Learning

Microsoft Renews Commitment to Education With US$250 Million Investment in Partners in Learning

Nov. 29, 2012

Renewal commitment brings total program investment to US$750 million for improving teacher skills, resources to improve student readiness for the global workforce.

PRAGUE Nov. 29, 2012 Microsoft Corp. today kicked off its annual Partners in Learning Global Forum and reaffirmed its commitment to education with a US$250 million, five-year renewal of Microsoft Partners in Learning, bringing Microsoft’s total investment in the program to US$750 million over 15 years. Microsoft aims to grow the Partners in Learning community to 20 million of the 75 million teachers worldwide by 2018 with the renewal and to continue preparing students for the changing global workforce.

Microsoft plans to expand Partners in Learning beyond the 119 countries that currently participate with a continued emphasis on driving community, developing networks, and allowing educators to share innovations and learn from each other.

So many of us have a great teacher to thank for our achievements. That’s why I am so proud that Microsoft Partners in Learning continues to support innovative teachers.
Bill Gates , Chairman of Microsoft

“So many of us have a great teacher to thank for our achievements,” said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft. “That’s why I am so proud that Microsoft Partners in Learning continues to support innovative teachers. We started this program nearly 10 years ago based on the belief that education is a fundamental human right and the single most important investment in our collective future. This has never been more true, and I’m really pleased to see the continuing commitment to innovations that can help all students and teachers reach their full potential.”

“We see a significant opportunity to invest in the economy of tomorrow by working with educators today to teach 21st century skills,” said Laura Ipsen, corporate vice president, Microsoft Worldwide Public Sector. “Studies have shown the measurable impact that a great teacher has on a student’s potential, future earnings and contribution to a global economy. Our focus on PiL is the cornerstone of Microsoft’s commitment to empower youth, spark innovation in the classroom and improve learning outcomes globally.”

Microsoft’s commitment to education centers on providing training resources and building community to support the teaching of 21st century skills that prepare today’s youth for the competitive global workforce. Research shows a strong connection between education and economic growth, and Partners in Learning is Microsoft’s global initiative to partner with educators and governments to advance student success through digital inclusion and innovative teaching practices. Partners in Learning is a key program within Microsoft YouthSpark, a companywide initiative to create opportunities for 300 million youth around the world by connecting them with greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship. Through the Partners in Learning program, Microsoft has trained more than 11 million teachers and reached more than 200 million students since 2003.

“Transformation in educational practice is one of the most difficult things for schools and educators to achieve,” said Jeff Davis, executive principal, Varsity College, Queensland, Australia. “Everyone talks of 21st century learning, but few have bridged the gap from theory into true innovative practice where students are actually using the technologies available on a daily basis and pedagogy shifts to a new domain. Microsoft’s Partners in Learning program stands apart. Not only does this program support schools and educators in making great leaps in bridging both the technical and pedagogical gaps, but the Partners in Learning program brings together those who have made this transformation leap and builds in them further capacity to become world leaders. Without the support of Partners in Learning, the innovation, collaboration and achievement levels at this school would not have been realized as they are now. We thank Microsoft for its support and belief in our school.”

“A strong education rooted in the skills and technology tools needed to enter the rapidly changing global workforce can lay a foundation for improving global economic outcomes,” said Godelieve van den Brande, European Commission, DG of Education and Culture.

More News From Partners in Learning Global Forum 2012

Microsoft’s annual Partners in Learning Global Forum, hosted in Prague in 2012, is the culmination of national and regional forums that recognize innovative educators and school leaders. The 2012 Global Forum brings together more than 500 of the most innovative teachers, education leaders and government officials from 80 countries. Teachers who attend the forum are global finalists who have made it through a progressively selective competition that started with more than 250,000 participants at national events. They will compete for one of 18 Partners in Learning Global Forum Educator Awards.

Acer is the platinum sponsor of this year’s event and will showcase many of its newest computers running Windows 8 during the Technology Showcase. Participants are encouraged to try the devices, and the judges will use them throughout the week as they record information on the teacher projects. Acer’s full line of complementary education products supports a one-on-one learning approach in all subjects, enabling the pedagogy process in an easy and efficient way. More information is available at http://www.acer.com.

About Microsoft Partners in Learning

Microsoft Partners in Learning is a 15-year, $750 million commitment by Microsoft to help education systems around the world. Since its inception in 2003, the Partners in Learning program has reached more than 210 million teachers and students in 119 countries. Partners in Learning helps educators and school leaders connect, collaborate, create and share so students can realize their greatest potential. The online Partners in Learning Network is one of the world’s largest global professional networks for educators, connecting millions of teachers and school leaders around the world in a community of professional development.

About Microsoft

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

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire Cariden

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire Cariden

Acquisition Further Strengthens Cisco's Ability to Lead the Evolution in Service Provider Networking

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Nov. 29, 2012 – Cisco today announced its intent to acquire privately held Cariden Technologies, Inc., a Sunnyvale, Calif.-based supplier of network planning, design and traffic management solutions for telecommunications service providers. With global service providers converging their Internet Protocol (IP) and optical networks to address exploding Internet and mobile traffic growth and complex traffic patterns, Cisco's acquisition of Cariden will allow providers to enhance the visibility, programmability and efficiency of their converged networks, while improving service velocity.

Cariden's industry-leading capacity planning and management tools for IP/MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) networks, which have been deployed by many of the world's leading fixed and mobile network operators, will be integrated into Cisco's Service Provider Networking Group to enable multilayer modeling and optimization of optical transport and IP/MPLS networks. Cariden's products and technology will advance Cisco's nLight technology for IP and optical convergence.  The acquisition also supports the company's Open Network Environment (ONE) strategy by providing sophisticated wide area networking (WAN) orchestration capabilities. These capabilities will allow service providers to improve both the programmability of their networks and the utilization of existing network assets across the IP and optical transport layers.

"The Cariden acquisition reinforces Cisco's commitment to offering service providers the technologies they need to optimize and monetize their networks, and ultimately grow their businesses," said Surya Panditi, senior vice president and general manager, Cisco's Service Provider Networking Group. "Given the widespread convergence of IP and optical networks, Cariden's technology will help carriers more efficiently manage bandwidth, network traffic and intelligence.  This acquisition signals the next phase in Cisco's packet and optical convergence strategy and further strengthens our ability to lead this market transition in networking."

The acquisition of Cariden exemplifies Cisco's build, buy, and partner innovation framework and is aligned to Cisco's strategic goals to develop and deliver innovative networking technologies and provide best-in-class solutions for customers, all while attracting and cultivating top talent.

Upon the close of the acquisition, Cariden employees will be integrated into Cisco's Service Provider Networking Group, reporting to Shailesh Shukla, vice president and general manager of the company's Software and Applications Group. Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately $141 million in cash and retention-based incentives in exchange for all shares of Cariden. The acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to be completed in the second quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2013. 

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

###

Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may be deemed to contain forward-looking statements, which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the expected completion of the acquisition and the time frame in which this will occur, the expected benefits to Cisco and its customers from completing the acquisition, and plans regarding Cariden personnel.  Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results due to a variety of factors, including, among other things, the potential impact on the business of Cariden due to the uncertainty about the acquisition, the retention of employees of Cariden and the ability of Cisco to successfully integrate Cariden and to achieve expected benefits, business and economic conditions and growth trends in the networking industry, customer markets and various geographic regions, global economic conditions and uncertainties in the geopolitical environment and other risk factors set forth in Cisco's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q.  Any forward-looking statements in this release are based on limited information currently available to Cisco, which is subject to change, and Cisco will not necessarily update the information. 

 

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Gartner Says the Worldwide Server Shipments Grew 3.6 Percent; Revenue Declined 2.8 Percent in the Third Quarter of 2012

Gartner Says the Worldwide Server Shipments Grew 3.6 Percent; Revenue Declined 2.8 Percent in the Third Quarter of 2012

Key Issues Facing the Server Market to Be Examined at Gartner Data Center Conference, December 3-6 in Las Vegas

STAMFORD, Conn., November 28, 2012—  

In the third quarter of 2012 worldwide server shipments grew 3.6 percent year-on-year, while revenue decreased 2.8 from the third quarter of 2011, according to Gartner, Inc.  

“The third quarter of 2012 again produced shipment growth on a worldwide level, but server revenue was weak due to ongoing economic weakness and market segment differences,” said Jeffrey Hewitt, research vice president at Gartner. “Only the North America and Asia/Pacific regions managed any revenue growth, and even those were essentially flat year to year, with North America showing a 1.1 percent increase and Asia/Pacific a 0.7 percent increase. The picture in terms of shipments was slightly more positive with North America, Latin America and Asia/Pacific all growing, but both EMEA and Japan continue to struggle and both saw shipments contract, compared to the same period last year.”

“x86 server shipments grew 4.3 percent in the third quarter of 2012, and revenue increased 4 percent from the third quarter of 2011. RISC/Itanium Unix servers continued to fall globally for the period – a 31.1 percent decline in shipments and a decrease of 16.4 percent in revenue compared to the same quarter last year. The ‘other’ CPU category, which is primarily mainframes, showed a decline of 17 percent in terms of revenue,” Mr. Hewitt said.

From the regional standpoint, North America grew the most in shipments with a 7.4percent increase. The region also posted the highest vendor revenue growth at 1.1 percent for the period. 

Four of the top five global vendors had revenue decreases for the third quarter of 2012. Dell was the only vendor among the top five to have its revenue increase in the third quarter. IBM had the lead for the quarter in the worldwide server market based on revenue (see Table 1)--the company posted $3.5 billion in server vendor revenue for a total share of 27.6 percent. IBM’s revenue was down 9.5 percent year-on-year. Most of IBM’s revenue contribution came from its Power Systems brand with some contribution by System x as well.

Table 1
Worldwide: Server Vendor Revenue Estimates, 3Q12 (U.S. Dollars)

Company

3Q12

Revenue

3Q12 Market Share (%)

3Q11

Revenue

3Q11 Market Share (%)

3Q12-3Q11 Growth (%)

IBM

3,479,454,267

27.6

3,846,807,802

29.6

-9.5

HP

3,330,804,391

26.4

3,802,440,046

29.3

-12.4

Dell

2,099,469,317

16.7

1,903,221,687

14.7

10.3

Oracle

592,040,000

4.7

763,610,285

5.9

-22.5

Fujitsu

494,121,545

3.9

605,009,267

4.7

-18.3

Other Vendors

2,610,962,610

20.7

2,053,375,210

15.8

27.2

Total

12,606,852,131

100.0

12,974,464,297

100.0

-2.8

Source: Gartner (November 2012)

In server shipments, HP remained the worldwide leader in the third quarter of 2012 (see Table 2) in spite of an 8.4 percent decrease in shipments for the quarter. This decline was driven primarily by declining revenue in HP’s ProLiant and Integrity brands. HP’s worldwide server shipment share was 25.8 percent.

Of the top 5 vendors in server shipments worldwide, Dell and Cisco were the only vendors to experience an increase in shipments.

In terms of server form factors, x86 blade servers declined 7.1 percent in shipments but increased 2.3 percent in revenue for the quarter. The x86 rack-optimized form factor declined 0.2 percent in shipments and decreased 0.3 percent in revenue for the third quarter of 2012.

 Table 2
Worldwide: Server Vendor Shipment Estimates, 3Q12 (Units)

Company

3Q12

Shipment

3Q12 Market Share (%)

3Q11

Shipment

3Q11 Market Share (%)

3Q12-3Q11 Growth (%)

HP

634,793

25.8

693,265

29.2

-8.4

Dell

564,475

23.0

517,867

21.8

9.0

IBM

280,424

11.4

287,507

12.1

-2.5

Fujitsu

76,128

3.1

79,072

3.3

-3.7

Cisco

55,973

2.3

39,864

1.7

40.4

Other Vendors

846,734

34.4

756,022

31.9

12.0

Total

2,458,527

100.0

2,373,596

100.0

3.6

Source: Gartner (November 2012)

 In Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), server shipments totaled almost 590,000 units in the third quarter of 2012, down 2.8 percent from the same period of 2011 (see Table 3). Server revenue totaled $3 billion, a decline of 9 percent year on year (see Table 4).

“Against a backdrop of continued economic and business challenges, EMEA remains the weak spot for global server sales,” said Adrian O’Connell, research director at Gartner. “Each of the three EMEA sub regions saw revenue contract: Western Europe by 7.6 percent, Eastern Europe by 11.8 percent, and the Middle East and Africa by 14.0 percent. We’re not seeing signs of demand weakening significantly, but EMEA continues to present a very challenging environment for server vendors to operate in.”

Each of the technology segments declined, with x86 server revenue dropping by 4.5 percent, RISC/Itanium Unix revenue by 18.5 percent, and the Other CPU segment by 29.3 percent.

Four of the top five vendors suffered revenue declines. The exception was Dell, which achieved 9.7 percent growth. The continued improvement of Dell's enterprise capabilities and the expansion of its channel coverage have enabled it to buck current trends, but it remained in third place for overall EMEA server revenue. HP, despite suffering a 16.7 percent fall, kept the revenue lead in EMEA. It was followed by IBM, which saw a 7.7 percent decline.

“The outlook for the fourth quarter in EMEA looks similar to what we have witnessed in the year so far, with constraints on demand limiting the market opportunity,” said Mr. O’Connell. “Vendors are under constant pressure to deliver the most effective execution. With limited overall demand, they will have to consider competitive migrations as their best opportunities for growth and market share gains. This year's fourth quarter might not be an especially festive period for every server vendor.”

Table 3
EMEA: Server Vendor Revenue Estimates, 3Q12 (Millions of U.S. Dollars)

Company

3Q12

Revenue

3Q12 Market Share (%)

3Q11

Revenue

3Q11 Market Share (%)

3Q12-3Q11 Growth (%)

HP

1,083,893,433

36.6

1,301,580,579

40.0

-16.7

IBM

697,969,730

23.6

756,439,235

23.3

-7.7

Dell

454,751,400

15.4

414,500,382

12.7

9.7

Fujitsu

192,858,138

6.5

204,955,661

6.3

-5.9

Oracle

171,691,600

5.8

242,828,070

7.5

-29.3

Other Vendors

359,313,506

12.1

331,419,006

10.2

8.4

Total

2,960,477,807

100.0

3,251,722,932

100.0

-9.0

Source: Gartner (November 2012)

Table 4
EMEA: Server Vendor Shipment Estimates, 3Q12 (Units)

Company

3Q12

Shipment

3Q12 Market Share (%)

3Q11

Shipment

3Q11 Market Share (%)

3Q12-3Q11 Growth (%)

HP

233,538

39.6

254,457

42.0

-8.2

Dell

119,443

20.3

120,145

19.8

-0.6

IBM

70,712

12.0

67,102

11.1

5.4

Fujitsu

31,738

5.4

39,173

6.5

-19.0

Cisco

11,756

2.0

7,901

1.3

48.8

Other Vendors

122,613

20.8

117,743

19.4

4.1

Total

589,800

100.0

606,521

100.0

-2.8

Source: Gartner (November 2012)

Additional information is available to subscribers of Gartner Dataquest’s Servers Quarterly Statistics Worldwide program. This program provides worldwide market size and share data by vendor revenue and unit shipments. Segments include: region, vendor, vendor brand, sub brand, CPU type, CPU group, Max CPU, platform, price band, operating systems and distribution channels.

Additional analysis on the server market will be discussed at the Gartner Data Center Conference, December 3-6 in Las Vegas. These events deliver a wealth of strategic guidance and tactical recommendations on the hottest issues, including servers, next-stage virtualization, and the impact of cloud computing, mobility, storage, facilities, business continuity and disaster recovery. For more information, please visit www.gartner.com/us/datacenter.

Members of the media can register to attend the event by contact christy.pettey@gartner.com. Information from the event will be shared on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc and using #GartnerDC.

Contacts:

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

Rob van der Meulen
Gartner
+44 0 1784 267892
rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com


About Gartner:
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to clients in 12,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 5,000 associates, including 1,280 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, www.gartner.com.

Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces Cloud Computing Offerings Powered by Amazon Web Services

 Avnet Technology Solutions Introduces Cloud Computing Offerings Powered by Amazon Web Services

11/27/2012| 03:05pm US/Eastern

Avnet provides U.S. and Canadian partners with integrated, packaged solutions combining Amazon Web Services and industry-leading technologies from Microsoft, Oracle, Riverbed and Symantec


AWS re: Invent - Booth #708 - Avnet Technology Solutions, a global IT solutions distribution leader and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), today unveiled four off-premise cloud computing solutions powered by Amazon Web Services® (AWS). These initial offerings provide managed service provider (MSP), value-added reseller (VAR), and independent software vendor (ISV) partners with integrated, packaged solutions that span the AWS portfolio.

The integrated, packaged solutions were developed by the Avnet Cloud Solutions team, which focuses on off-premise cloud computing. Leveraging Avnet's technical expertise and intellectual property, the solutions by Avnet incorporate AWS with technologies from industry-leading suppliers in Avnet's portfolio, such as Microsoft®, Oracle®, Riverbed Technology, and Symantec®, to provide cloud-based offerings for high-demand workload areas, including backup and disaster recovery, and application hosting and management. These off-premise cloud computing solutions are available exclusively through Avnet's partners in the U.S. and Canada.

"Amazon Web Services has quickly become a valuable addition to the growing Avnet Cloud Solutions portfolio because its cloud services are flexible and can be incorporated into enterprise-class IT solutions," said Tim FitzGerald, vice president of Avnet Cloud Solutions, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "Avnet's new solutions built on AWS complement our partners' portfolios. We specifically designed these solutions to align with how end customers want to purchase cloud computing offerings, which will ensure that our partners can quickly, easily and cost effectively take these solutions to market."

Avnet developed these integrated, packaged solutions using AWS to help its partners minimize costs, foster repeatability and speed their time to market. The solutions include:

  • Cloud Backup for Enterprises: Combines Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) and Riverbed® Whitewater® cloud storage gateway appliance, which integrates seamlessly into the existing infrastructure of Symantec Backup Exec customers. Avnet's partners can provide this packaged offering to their customers through a monthly subscription fee.
  • Cloud Backup for Oracle Databases: This monthly, subscription-based solution leverages Amazon S3 with Recovery Manager (RMAN) to provide backup and recovery services for partners' customers using Oracle databases (version 9iR2 and later).
  • Microsoft® SharePoint® 2010 Enterprise Server Farm: Provides a pre-configured, production-grade SharePoint cloud infrastructure based on Amazon Elastic Cloud Compute (Amazon EC2). This includes application, presentation and database servers that are ready to be integrated into the existing Active Directory infrastructures of partners' customers.
  • Enterprise Web Hosting: Delivering production web hosting on Amazon EC2, each package includes a fully scalable, high-availability cloud infrastructure capable of hosting from 10,000 - 100,000 concurrent users and millions of page views per month. Additionally, partners' customers can quickly deploy a full-load balanced, multiple data center web farm based on Linux that supports the DMZ, presentation, application and database tiers.

"Avnet's solution-driven strategy coupled with Amazon Web Services' highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud gives Avnet's channel partners enterprise-class packaged solutions that they can easily consume and deliver faster and at a lower cost to their customers," said Terry Wise, head of Worldwide Partner Ecosystem, AWS. "Avnet's deep channel knowledge combined with its solutions development expertise enables us to provide continued AWS adoption in the channel."

"We've been impressed with the up-front investments Avnet made to create complete cloud solutions using Amazon Web Services," said Jennifer Connolly, president, The Metropolitan Technology Services Group, an IT solutions-focused company and Avnet partner. "Avnet developed its new off-premise cloud computing offerings with the channel top of mind, which will significantly reduce our solutions development time and costs. Most importantly, Avnet's solutions built on AWS have given us a very specific set of offerings that we can start discussing with our customers today, which will help us quickly profit from the growth opportunities in off-premise cloud computing."

Avnet is a Silver Sponsor of AWS re: Invent, being held November 27-29, 2012, in Las Vegas, and will be exhibiting at booth #708. For more information about AWS re: Invent, visit https://reinvent.awsevents.com.

Click here to tweet: Avnet Cloud Solutions unveils four off-premise #cloudcomputing integrated & packaged solutions powered by AWS #AWSreinvent Avnet Booth 708.

For more information about Avnet Cloud Solutions visit www.avnetcloudready.com.

Join the Avnet Cloud Solutions LinkedIn group at: Avnet TS CloudReady.

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Follow Avnet Technology Solutions, North America, on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AvnetAdvantage.

All brands and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks, and are the properties of their respective owners. Avnet disclaims any proprietary interest in marks other than its own.

About Avnet Technology Solutions

As a global IT solutions distributor, Avnet Technology Solutions collaborates with its customers and suppliers to create and deliver services, software and hardware solutions that address the business needs of their end-user customers locally and around the world. The group serves customers and suppliers in the Americas, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East and Africa. It generated US $10.8 billion in annual revenue for fiscal year 2012. Avnet Technology Solutions is an operating group of Avnet, Inc. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

About Avnet

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers globally. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, Avnet generated revenue of $25.7 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

Brodeur Partners, for Avnet Technology Solutions
Marcia Chapman, 480-308-0284
mchapman@brodeur.com

HP Issues Statement Regarding Open Letter from Mike Lynch

HP Issues Statement Regarding Open Letter from Mike Lynch

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 27, 2012

HP today issued the following statement in response to Mike Lynch’s open letter to the HP board:

HP has initiated an intense internal investigation into a series of accounting improprieties, disclosure failures and outright misrepresentations that occurred prior to HP’s acquisition of Autonomy. We believe we have uncovered extensive evidence of a willful effort on behalf of certain former Autonomy employees to inflate the underlying financial metrics of the company in order to mislead investors and potential buyers.

The matter is in the hands of the authorities, including the UK Serious Fraud Office, the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division and the US Department of Justice, and we will defer to them as to how they wish to engage with Dr. Lynch. In addition, HP will take legal action against the parties involved at the appropriate time.

While Dr. Lynch is eager for a debate, we believe the legal process is the correct method in which to bring out the facts and take action on behalf of our shareholders. In that setting, we look forward to hearing Dr. Lynch and other former Autonomy employees answer questions under penalty of perjury.

About HP

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

US Cyber Monday Online Shopping Reaches All Time High Increasing 30 Percent over 2011, Reports IBM

Cyber Monday Online Shopping Reaches All Time High Increasing 30 Percent over 2011, Reports IBM

Mobile Shopping Rises 70 Percent Over Previous Year

Armonk, N.Y. - 27 Nov 2012: Holiday shoppers turned Cyber Monday into the biggest spending day ever with online sales growing 30.3 percent over the same period last year, according to cloud-based analytics findings by IBM (NYSE: IBM).

IBM Holiday Benchmark Cyber Monday Infographic

With an increase in online sales across multiple channels, the digital consumer took center stage. Retailers, marketing departments and chief marketing officers (CMO) delivered a consistent customer experience across multiple channels from mobile devices, to online and to the show floor leading to the record shopping day.

As part of IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative, the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark revealed the following trends as of 12:00 am PST: 

Cyber Monday 2012 Compared to Cyber Monday 2011:

·        Consumer Spending Increases: Online sales increased 30.3 percent over 2011.

·        Shopping Peaks at 11:25am EST: Consumers flocked online, with shopping momentum hitting its highest peak at 11:25am EST. As in 2011, consumer shopping also maintained strong momentum after commuting hours on both the east and west coast.

·        Mobile Shopping and Mobile Traffic Increase: On Cyber Monday more than 18 percent of consumers used a mobile device to visit a retailer's site, an increase of more than 70 percent over 2011. Mobile sales reached close to 13 percent, an increase of more than 96 percent over 2011.  

·        The iPad Factor: The iPad continued to generate more traffic than any other tablet or smartphone, driving more than 7 percent of online shopping. This was followed by iPhone at 6.9 percent and Android 4.5 percent. The iPad also continued to dominate tablet traffic reaching a holiday high of 90.5 percent. Amazon Kindle leapt into second at 2.6 percent followed by the Samsung Galaxy at 2 percent and the Barnes and Noble Nook at 0.6 percent.

·        Multiscreen Shopping: Consumers shopped in store, online and on mobile devices simultaneously to get the best bargains. Overall 58.1 percent of consumers used smartphones compared to 41.9 percent who used tablets to surf for bargains on Cyber Monday.

·        The Savvy Shopper: While consumers continued to spend more, they once again shopped with greater frequency to take advantage of retailer deals as well as free shipping.This led to a drop in average order value by 6.6 percent to $185.12.  However, the average number of items per order increased 14.1 percent to 8.34 compared to Black Friday.

·        Social Sales: Shoppers referred from Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube generated 0.41 percent of all online sales on Cyber Monday, a decrease of more than 26 percent from 2011.  

Cyber Monday 2012 Compared to Black Friday 2012

·        Consumer Spending Increases: Online sales were up more than 36 percent over Black Friday.

·        Mobile Sales and Traffic: As expected mobile sales decreased as consumers went back to work and conducted more of their shopping from their PC. On Cyber Monday both mobile traffic and sales were down more than 20 percent from Black Friday.

·        Social Sales: Shoppers referred from Social Networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube grew by more than 20 percent over Black Friday to reach .41 percent.

·        Social Media Sentiment Index: Shoppers’ positive consumer sentiment on promotions, product availability and convenience all grew over Black Friday. Positive sentiment around retailers themselves also maintained its overall three to one ratio. 

“Cyber Monday was not only the pinnacle of the Thanksgiving shopping weekend but when the cash register closed it officially became the biggest online shopping day ever,” said Jay Henderson, Strategy Director, IBM Smarter Commerce. “Retailers that adopted a smarter marketing approach to commerce were able to adjust to the shifting shopping habits of their customers, whether in-store, online or via their mobile device of choice, and fully benefit from this day and the entire holiday weekend.” 

Cyber Monday sales growth was led by several industries which include:

·        Department stores continued to offer compelling deals and promotions that drove sales to grow by 43.1 percent over Cyber Monday 2011.

·        Health and Beauty sales increased 25.1 percent year over year with consumers once again choosing to pamper themselves this holiday.

·        Home goods maintained its momentum this year, reporting a 26.8 percent increase in sales from Cyber Monday 2011.

·        Apparel sales were also strong this holiday with Cyber Monday numbers showing an increase of 25.3 percent over 2011. 

Today's news is based on findings from the IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark, the industry’s only cloud-based Web analytics platform that tracks more than a million e-commerce transactions a day, analyzing terabytes of raw data from 500 retailers nationwide.  

Analysis of public social media content came from the IBM Social Sentiment Index, an advanced analytics and natural language processing tool that analyzes large volumes of social media data to assess public opinions. With this data IBM helps chief marketing officers (CMOs) better understand and respond to the needs of each individual customer, improving sourcing, inventory management, marketing, sales and services programs.  

More information on Smarter Commerce can be found at

www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/smarter_commerce/overview/

IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark Video:

 

IBM Cyber Monday InfoGraphic:

http://www.smartercommerceblog.com/smartermarketing/2012/11/24/2012-ibm-black-friday-cyber-monday-benchmark-results/ 

To join the conversation, follow hashtags #smartershopping, #smartercommerce and #ibmretail on Twitter

Attachments

1. Complete IBM 2012 Cyber Monday Benchmark Report (pdf)

2. Press FAQ

Contact(s) information

Doug Fraim
IBM Media Relations
1 (617) 501-6376
dfraim@us.ibm.com

Toronto-based Gentek to Distribute Digium's Asterisk Telephony and Switchvox Unified Communications Solutions to Canadian Customers

Gentek to Distribute Digium's Asterisk Telephony and Switchvox Unified Communications Solutions to Canadian Customers

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. and TORONTO, Nov. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Digium®, Inc., the Asterisk® Company, and Gentek, a leading distributor of Broadband, Network and VoIP products and solutions, today announced that Gentek will distribute Digium's Asterisk telephony, Switchvox Unified Communications (UC) solutions and Digium IP phones to its resellers. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Gentek has a 30-year track record of success in providing leading products to the small and medium-sized business/small and medium-sized enterprise (SMB/SME) markets, unsurpassed customer service and superior technical support.

Gentek will distribute Digium's full range of Switchvox UC and Asterisk VoIP products, including IP phones and gateways, redundancy appliances and telephony cards certified for Asterisk installations. Digium, the creator, primary developer and sponsor of the Asterisk project, has designed these products to ensure greater reliability and interoperability for Asterisk custom communications. Digium products enable partners to implement turnkey, UC solutions or to design their own end-to-end VoIP solutions. Resellers, telecom professionals and software developers choose Digium's products because only Digium delivers the technical superiority, security, flexibility and value associated with Asterisk-based solutions.

Gentek will distribute Digium's award-winning Switchvox solution, the UC phone system for SMBs. Switchvox solutions, based on the power of open source Asterisk, provide an all-in-one solution by combining many products into one. Switchvox integrates phone, fax, chat, web mashups and mobile communications, offering a better business phone system with more features than proprietary systems, all at an affordable price.

Asterisk is an open source software framework for building communications applications. It transforms an ordinary computer into a powerful communications server and enables developers and integrators to quickly and easily build communications applications including PBXs, call centers, voicemail systems and conferencing servers.

"We are continuously searching for innovative products that match the needs of resellers who are servicing the growing SMB market," said Jeffrey Freedman, vice president of sales for Gentek. "The Switchvox UC solution is an excellent fit for customers who require a feature-rich phone system that provides outstanding value. Gentek has formed very strong relationships with our manufacturing partners and we expect our partnership with Digium to be extremely successful. We believe that Digium's forward-thinking product lines and our expertise within the SMB market are a perfect combination. Together, we will be able to provide an excellent solution to enable our resellers to capitalize on the growth in the UC and VoIP markets."

"We are continuing to expand our coverage in the SMB market and Gentek's focus on this customer segment, along with its attention to delivering outstanding customer service, will form an excellent partnership," said Gayle Magee, director of worldwide distribution sales for Digium. "They have great technical expertise in networking products and VoIP so they understand the needs of their customers. We believe the combination of our Asterisk and Switchvox product lines and Gentek's expertise will help us attract many new resellers to join our partner program and better serve our customers."

Reseller partners interested in learning more about Digium's partner program and opportunities for growth are encouraged to visit www.digium.com/gentek.

About Gentek

Gentek is a global source of Broadband, Network and VoIP products and solutions headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Gentek distributes UC/VoIP telephony systems, desk & conference VoIP phones, VoIP cameras, headsets, paging devices, ADSL & cable modems, PoE switches, VPN routers and security appliances. Gentek provides leading hi-tech products for the SMB/SME markets, unsurpassed technical support and superior service for leading companies around the globe. Gentek is proud to be celebrating over 30 years of successful growth in North America and abroad. More information can be found at www.gentek.com.

About Digium

Digium®, Inc. provides Asterisk® software, telephony hardware and Switchvox business phone systems that deliver enterprise-class unified communications at an affordable price. Digium is the creator, primary developer and sponsor of the Asterisk project, the world's most widely used open source communications software. Asterisk turns an ordinary computer into a feature-rich communications server. A community of more than 80,000 developers and users worldwide uses Asterisk to create VoIP communication solutions in more than 170 countries. Since 1999, Digium has empowered developers to create innovative communications solutions based on open standards and open source software, providing an alternative to proprietary phone systems. Digium's business communications products are sold through a worldwide network of reseller partners. More information is available at http://www.digium.com and http://www.asterisk.org.

The Digium logo, Digium, Asterisk, Asterisk SCF, Switchvox, AsteriskNOW, Asterisk Appliance and the Asterisk logo are trademarks of Digium, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:






Julie Webb

Jeffrey Freedman

Laura Kempke

Digium

Gentek

Schwartz MSL Boston

+1 (256) 428-6203

+1 (905) 738-9300, ext. 240

+1 781 684 0770

jwebb@digium.com

jfreedman@gentek.com

digium@schwartzmsl.com

SOURCE: Digium, Inc.

For further information:

http://www.digium.com