Farmers Alliance Companies Signs Agreement With Toronto-based Symbility

Farmers Alliance Companies Signs Agreement With Symbility

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Sept. 26, 2012) - Symbility Solutions Inc.® (TSX VENTURE:SY), provider of cloud-based claims technology using the most comprehensive data for the property and casualty insurance industry, announced today the finalization of an agreement with Farmers Alliance Companies, who has specialized in providing personal, commercial and farm insurance for rural America for more than a century.

"At the Farmers Alliance Companies we combine the best of rural American culture with advanced technology to provide excellent products and services to our policyholders and independent agents. We are thrilled to be a business partner with Symbility as they exhibit a caring and "can do" attitude just like our own team," stated John Foster, Vice President of Claims, Farmers Alliance Companies. "We chose to move to Symbility from IntegriClaim because of Symbility's superior user interface, the ease of integration with our existing systems and processes, and the accuracy of the estimates the system generated."

"We appreciate the confidence that Farmers Alliance has in implementing our solution across their organization," commented James Swayze, CEO, Symbility Solutions. "We look forward to working with them to further enhance the quality of service for their customers as they transform their claims estimating process."

About Farmers Alliance Companies

The Farmers Alliance Companies provide property and casualty insurance through independent agents in an 8-state region. Additional information about the company can be found by contacting Farmers Alliance Companies, PO Box 1401, McPherson, KS 67460 or 800.362.1075, or on the website at www.fami.com.

About Symbility Solutions Inc.

Symbility Solutions (TSX VENTURE:SY) is a progressive software company dedicated to developing applications for the insurance industry. The organization currently has two product family brands: Symbility® and Adjudicare®.

The Symbility platform is a cutting-edge, easy-to-use, cloud-based claims processing and estimating technology that optimizes claims performance for Property & Casualty insurance industry. Relying on the most extensive and defendable property cost data developed by Marshall & Swift/Boeckh ("MSB"), our collaborative workflow management, mobile estimating, claims triage solutions and analytical services allow insurers to reduce costs while delivering a market-leading claims experience. Symbility Claims solutions, used in conjunction with MSB's Underwriting Solutions, means property insurers now have a dynamic, market-driven enterprise solution. Providing a virtual feedback loop between claims and underwriting systems, this enterprise solution allows insurers to manage property risks more proactively and effectively.

Adjudicare is an advanced, practical web-based software solution used by a network of Employee Benefits Brokers and Third-Party Administrator partners across Canada in the adjudication of health and dental claims. Adjudicare's rules-based engine and leading-edge features ensure that claims are precisely adjudicated and paid in real-time, giving our partners' customers optimum flexibility, along with transparent disclosure on the benefit plan's financial performance.

All trade names are the property of their respective owners.

TELUS Health unveils new online healthcare hub

TELUS Health unveils new online healthcare hub

TELUSHealth.com provides healthcare professionals with the resources, tools and technology to help improve health outcomes for Canadians

MONTREAL, Sept. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - TELUS Health unveiled the new TELUSHealth.com today, an online hub to help empower customers with smart healthcare solutions that turn information into better health outcomes - improving the health of Canadians and the effectiveness of the country's healthcare system as a whole.

A decade ago, TELUS decided to offer its world-class technology to healthcare. Today, TELUS Health works with professionals across the country: pharmacists, physicians, allied healthcare providers, health regions, hospitals and homecare, insurers, employers, workers' compensation boards and more.

To date TELUS Health has invested more than one billion dollars to bring healthcare information technology to market and is a leader in telehomecare, electronic medical and health records, consumer health, benefits management and pharmacy management.

With the new TELUSHealth.com:

  • Solutions and services information such as eClaims, personal health records and home care monitoring are easy to access and understand using the website's streamlined navigation
  • Information is tailored for each industry and Canadian province, so it's easy for users to find the most relevant products and services to meet their needs
  • Educational resources, news, events and publications are available to assist professionals in their practice
  • Access to technical and sales support for existing and new customers is simpler than ever
  • Content is optimized for searchability, helping visitors access resources and tools faster with improved results

"We believe that for Canada's healthcare industry to truly improve, it must harness the power of the very same technologies that are revolutionizing every other industry - from banking, airlines and insurance, to automotive and beyond," said Paul Lepage, senior vice-president, TELUS Health. "By combining the experience of a trusted telecommunications company with healthcare expertise and innovation, TELUS Health has created the new TELUSHealth.com to showcase solutions that link Canadian patients with their providers and turn information into better health outcomes."

Extensively user-tested to focus on customer needs, the new TELUSHealth.com features TELUS Health products and services that span across Canada's healthcare continuum. The site offers customers smart healthcare solutions and other resources that will help health professionals improve both health outcomes for patients and Canadian healthcare in general.

TELUS Health use innovative technologies and applications to better organize information, move it securely and connect all stakeholders. These solutions make a huge difference in five key areas: chronic disease management, medication management, access, prevention and self-care, and performance improvement.

TELUS Health solutions:

  • Empower doctors, nurses and extended health teams to share information and provide integrated care efficiently and cost-effectively
  • Offer doctors, patients and their families the ability to share information anytime and anywhere, further involving patients in managing their own health
  • Enable pharmacists to provide better medication management and healthcare services for clients
  • Improve benefits claims management to make it more efficient for employees, companies and insurance providers
  • Allow hospitals, governments and health system managers to analyze information and determine best practices, evidence-based treatments and improve quality of care
  • Encourage patients to care for themselves at home and wherever life takes them

"The new TELUSHealth.com is part of our revamped digital and external communications strategy - we're committed to providing valuable resources to customers in a clear and thoughtful manner," continued Lepage. "And this is just the beginning. As TELUS Health products and services continue to evolve to meet the demands of Canada's dynamic healthcare market, so too will the website. Our goal is to make TELUSHealth.com, as well as other TELUS Health resources, usable and useful for all Canadians."

For more information about TELUS Health, please visit the new TELUSHealth.com. To learn more about how TELUS Health is impacting the top five health issues facing Canadians, watch this video. For a full list of TELUS Health solutions, visit http://www.telushealth.com/health-solutions

About TELUS Health
TELUS Health is a leader in telehomecare, electronic medical and health records, consumer health, benefits management and pharmacy management. TELUS Health gives health authorities, providers, physicians, patients and consumers the power to turn information into better health outcomes. For more information about TELUS Health, please visit TELUSHealth.com .

About TELUS
TELUS (TSX: T, T.A; NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.6 billion of annual revenue and 12.8 million customer connections including 7.4 million wireless subscribers, 3.5 million wireline network access lines, 1.3 million Internet subscribers and 595,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $260 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.2 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS' local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.

SOURCE: TELUS Corporation

For further information:

For media inquiries please contact:
Elisabeth Napolano
TELUS Media Relations
416-906-9830
Elisabeth.Napolano@telus.com.





























































































































































Brocade Demonstrates Industry's First Service-Oriented Orchestration Combining OpenStack and Ethernet Fabric Technologies

Brocade Demonstrates Industry's First Service-Oriented Orchestration Combining OpenStack and Ethernet Fabric Technologies

Exhibits Critical Technology for the Cloud Management Layer Within Software-Defined Networks

SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 26, 2012) - Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) today announced that it has demonstrated the first service-oriented orchestration in the industry through a solutions approach using OpenStack software and Ethernet fabric technologies.

Specifically, Brocade is leveraging a customized plug-in for OpenStack Quantum to build a prototype that delivers cloud management capabilities for best-in-class Ethernet fabrics deployed in public and private cloud environments. According to the OpenStack Foundation, "Quantum is an OpenStack project to provide 'network connectivity as a service' between interface devices (e.g., vNICs) managed by other OpenStack services."

This prototype reflects an ongoing commitment by Brocade to offer industry-standard and flexible architectures as well as demonstrating how Brocade extensions enable OpenStack to orchestrate both physical and logical networking resources as part of a virtual machine (VM) deployment to support multitiered application topologies.

Support of OpenStack software helps users build scalable cloud infrastructures in the most efficient, simple and flexible way possible. Brocade is demonstrating OpenStack Quantum support for Brocade® VCS® Fabric technology using RESTful APIs. In the future, Brocade ADX® and Brocade MLX® solutions will also support OpenStack, helping enterprises and service providers orchestrate cloud management within a single data center or across multiple data centers.

Brocade, along with OpenStack, plans to enable the full range of benefits promised by open and interoperable cloud architectures. A member of the OpenStack alliance since 2011, Brocade has embraced this open source cloud platform as part of its cloud architecture strategy and is optimizing its networking portfolio for OpenStack.

"Our commitment to the OpenStack Foundation is testament to our company's support of open technologies for managing the entire lifecycle of the cloud. Brocade is committed to an open framework for management and orchestration, in order to promote multivendor and system-to-system interoperability for all cloud environments," said Ken Ross, director of product management, Brocade.

Transitioning to a cloud computing environment promises many benefits, including greater economies of scale and improved application deployment velocity. With these benefits come new challenges, including the need to control and reconfigure networking infrastructure to support the dynamic application environment as virtual workloads move throughout the networking infrastructure.

Many organizations are turning to cloud orchestration solutions to overcome these issues. Yet proprietary solutions can lead to vendor lock-in -- reducing flexibility, increasing cost and often inhibiting the network's ability to scale as business needs evolve. As a result, proprietary solutions can limit an organization's ability to achieve the very benefits the cloud offers. An open solution, in contrast, not only supports business objectives, but also creates a foundation for growth, ongoing operational flexibility and innovation.

OpenStack software, from the OpenStack Foundation, is an open solution and the enabling technology for the cloud management layer within software-defined networking (SDN). OpenStack software allows for cloud orchestration with a high level of abstraction, while focusing on service provisioning and multi-tenant policy management. Aligned with Brocade's vision for SDN, articulated at the company's Analyst and Technology Day, Brocade is a corporate sponsor of the OpenStack Foundation.

"With Brocade's rich heritage of networking innovation and involvement with OpenStack, we look forward to helping accelerate the evolution towards robust, cloud-based solutions by contributing to that open source community. Brocade now has a cloud lab where we are showcasing a prototype built with Brocade VCS Fabric technology that demonstrates fabric-level, service-oriented orchestration through OpenStack," said Ross.

Additional Assets:

Brocade OpenStack vision brief:
http://www.brocade.com/forms/getFile?p=documents/solution_briefs/brocade-openstack-sb.pdf

Brocade on OpenStack video:
http://brcd.it/on24TechDay

Tags: OpenStack, Brocade, VDX, VCS, SDN, MLX, ADX

About Brocade

Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) networking solutions help the world's leading organizations transition smoothly to a world where applications and information reside anywhere. (www.brocade.com)

ADX, Brocade, Brocade Assurance, Brocade One, the B-wing symbol, DCX, Fabric OS, ICX, MLX, MyBrocade, SAN Health, VCS, and VDX are registered trademarks, and AnyIO, HyperEdge, NET Health, OpenScript, and The Effortless Network are trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. Other brands, products, or service names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners.

© 2012 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Contact Information

CONTACTS
Brocade Media Relations
Katie Bromley
Tel: 408.333.0429
kbromley@brocade.com

Brocade Investor Relations
Robert Eggers
Tel: 408.333.8797
reggers@brocade.com

Dimension Data Expands Presence in Canada to Meet Increased Enterprise Demand For Managed IT Services

Dimension Data Expands Presence in Canada to Meet Increased Enterprise Demand For Managed IT Services


CALGARY, Alberta, Sept. 26, 2012 /CNW/ - Dimension Data, the $5.8 billion ICT services and solutions provider, today announced the expansion of its Canadian operations with the addition of an office in downtown Calgary and increased resources throughout the western region of the country. This development will allow Dimension Data to meet steadily-growing demand for managed IT services from new and existing clients in the area, spanning a range of industries, including oil and gas, financial services and service providers.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120402/NE80686LOGO )

Since launching its original headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario five years ago, Dimension Data's operations in Canada have grown dramatically, resulting in 30 percent year-over-year revenue growth. Enterprise requirements for business-critical managed IT services, such as cloud, data center, video and collaboration, network integration and mobility, are driving this momentum.

"With its deep expertise and dedication to delivering superior client service, our Canadian team has done an outstanding job of driving client satisfaction and demand throughout the country," said Wendy Lucas, area vice president, Dimension Data Canada. "As part of our new physical presence in Calgary, we look forward to continuing to deliver end-to-end, world-class IT services and solutions to our clients in the western region and beyond."

In 2012, Dimension Data Canada received numerous partner and industry accolades, including being named Cisco Professional Services Partner of the Year. CDN Canada rated Dimension Data number 31 – up from number 46 in 2011 – on its Top 100 IT Solution Providers list, which ranks companies based on total Canadian revenue. Additionally, based on her team's outstanding success delivering value to Canadian clients, CRN named Wendy Lucas to its exclusive Power 100 Women of the Channel list.

About Dimension Data
Founded in 1983, Dimension Data plc is an ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability, and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Group. www.dimensiondata.com

For further information please contact:


Jackie Funk

Mariah Torpey

Dimension Data

Americas Davies Murphy Group

T: 571-203-4006

T: 781-418-2404

E: jackie.funk@dimensiondata.com

E: ddna@daviesmurphy.com

SOURCE: Dimension Data


Ontario startups receive $5.4 million from Investment Accelerator Fund

Ontario startups receive $5.4 million from Investment Accelerator Fund

Brings total investment in new enterprises to $26.6 million

MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Twelve Ontario companies have received funding from the Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF), bringing the program's total investment in Ontario's emerging enterprises to $26.6 million in 57 companies since its inception.

As Ontario's most active seed-stage investor, the IAF helps startups develop their businesses and position them for further investment by angels and venture capitalists. It is funded by the Government of Ontario and delivered by MaRS.

"We are beyond pleased to have the IAF as significant investors in Axonify," said Carol Leaman, CEO of Axonify. "Their support, professionalism, suggestions and connections are helping shape our company into a world-leading, next-generation eLearning platform. We were grateful for their early belief in what we were doing and the capital invested is allowing us to execute on a plan to dominate our specific segment in the Human Capital Management space," Leaman said.

The fund invests up to $500,000 in companies with the potential to become global leaders in their fields and provide sustainable economic benefits to Ontario. To date, IAF portfolio companies employ more than 800 staff in high-value jobs, fuelling Ontario's innovation economy. Funding and support from the IAF will help these innovative companies introduce new technologies that will make businesses more efficient, benefit quality of life, improve our health and protect our environment.

"Ontario is proud to support these innovative companies that are turning new ideas into great jobs," said Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. "We are proud to support the development of new technology that improves the quality of life here in Ontario and around the world."

Barry Gekiere, Managing Director of the IAF, notes that the program has now invested in over 50 world class technology companies with truly exciting growth potential, which translates into job and wealth creation in the province. "As an active seed-stage investor we work to assist our investee companies in raising additional capital from the broader investment community," said Gekiere. "The IAF's success is determined by the ability of our companies to continue to grow and prosper, and we help them secure much needed growth capital. IAF investee companies have sourced over $119 million in follow-on financing — 4.7 times the IAF's investment — from top-tier venture firms and angel investors in Canada and the US to assist in their growth. The IAF has already started to see the benefit with over $4 million in return of capital from successful investments that the IAF can reinvest in new companies," Gekiere said.

Since December 2011, the IAF has invested up to $500,000 in each of the following companies:

Axonify (@Axonify) is a technology company using concepts of behavioural science combined with "gamification" to change the way companies train their employees. The system creates a real-time, personalized knowledge map, employee-by-employee, which identifies and closes information gaps. Participation and success rates are measured and correlated to specific corporate outcomes that drive revenue or reduce expenses. Customers include Pep Boys, Walmart and Toys "R" Us Canada.
Location: Waterloo
Date of Investment: March 2012

Better The World provides technology that powers innovative fundraising and social responsibility programs. FlipGive is the company's unique digital marketplace that connects merchants to consumers through peer-to-peer fundraising. The platform revolutionizes grassroots fundraising and corporate philanthropy, allowing companies to drive sales while creating positive social impact in their communities.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: September 2012

CreativeD is an entertainment software company that recently launched Decksi, a next-generation distribution solution that transforms content into a new form of social currency. By allowing fans to collect, trade, gift and share the official content they are passionate about, Decksi turns video, music and pictures into collectable digital merchandise, distributed across web, social and mobile platforms. Decksi gives content owners a powerful, cost-effective and scalable platform to engage fans, measure goals with data analytics, generate new revenue and achieve their digital marketing objectives.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: January 2012

CrowdCare is building a next-generation customer care platform that will enable automated diagnosis and resolution of technical problems on smartphones, tablets and smartTVs. Initially focused on the fragmented Android ecosystem, CrowdCare will reduce the time, frustration and cost of supporting customers using Android devices.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: September 2012

Horizon Studios launched CATALYSTA, a platform that empowers sales force activation. The social platform engages, motivates and rewards sales teams and provides a market-ready SaaS solution that enables businesses to increase sales and product recommendations and differentiate themselves from competitors in an innovative learning environment. It is fully integrated in social networks where sales reps are already spending time.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: July 2012

Maintenance Assistant is a leading provider of Computerized Maintenance Management Software, often referred to as CMMS. The preventive maintenance software helps companies track and manage work orders, preventive maintenance, scheduled maintenance and general Enterprise Asset Management (EAM). The cloud-based maintenance solution helps to drive down maintenance costs and machine downtime, and increases profitability and industry or company maintenance compliance.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: December 2011

MetaFLO is a provider of leading-edge proprietary methods, reagents and equipment for the solidification and stabilization of continuous-flow waste streams. The company's slurry solidification systems, in combination with reagents, are the only technologies on the market that can solidify and stabilize liquid waste streams into disposable, dumpable solids in minutes, eliminating the need for costly vacuum trucks and liquid disposal fees.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: June 2012

Shopcaster (@shopcaster) is a social marketplace for local retailers and shoppers. Shopcaster is a simple-to-use web and mobile platform that empowers retailers to manage their online presence and to display their products beautifully, easily and instantly on the Shopcaster website, as well as through Twitter and Facebook. Shoppers visiting Shopcaster are able to discover new shops and neighbourhoods in their city. They can view a live feed of the latest and most unique products and purchase them in-store or online.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: June 2012

Sweet Tooth (@sweettooth) enables merchants to offer unique and effective loyalty programs for their customers. Sweet Tooth is the world's easiest-to-use customer loyalty software. It allows for optimization of any loyalty program to perfectly engage a particular customer base or target market.
Location: Waterloo
Date of Investment: March 2012

Therapeutic Monitoring Systems
Therapeutic Monitoring Systems (TMS) is developing point-of-care clinical decision support software that will materially improve patient care in hospital ICU and emergency departments. Seamlessly integrating with existing monitors, the software analyzes patient vital sign variability in order to detect changes in patient health status not otherwise observable using current standard-of-care monitoring approaches.
Location: Ottawa
Date of Investment: December 2011

Top Hat Monocle (@TopHatMonocle) is a web-and mobile-based classroom response system currently used by more than 200,000 students at over 200 universities. It allows instructors to conduct polls, quizzes and interactive demonstrations in class. Students can participate in class using any device they own, such as their cellphone, smartphone, iPad or laptop; they can ask questions without interrupting the lecturer and receive instant feedback.
Location: Toronto
Date of Investment: December 2011

360pi (@360_pi) has developed a cloud-based platform that delivers an unprecedented level of price transparency to retailers, who require a complete understanding of competitive and marketplace prices at all times — a time-consuming, expensive and often overwhelming process. Using proprietary web crawling technology, their platform delivers continuous reporting on millions of product price points, allowing retailers to gain a competitive advantage.
Location: Ottawa
Date of Investment: April 2012

About the Investment Accelerator Fund
The Investment Accelerator Fund (IAF) (@MaRSIAF) provides up to $500,000 in seed funding to qualified emerging companies in Ontario. As a critical component of the Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE), the IAF supports the launch and development of innovative companies in Ontario's priority sectors of advanced materials and manufacturing, information technology, cleantech and life sciences.

About MaRS
MaRS Discovery District (www.marsdd.com) (@MaRSDD) is a mission-driven innovation centre located in Toronto. MaRS works with partners to catalyze, accelerate and amplify innovation. MaRS supports entrepreneurs building Canada's next generation of growth companies.

SOURCE: MaRS Discovery District

For further information:

Melissa Hughes 
Manager, Media & Community Relations
(416) 673-8100 ext. 2710
mhughes@marsdd.com









































































































































CA Technologies ERworld 2012 Online Conference to Provide Collaborative Learning Environment for Data Management Professional

CA Technologies ERworld 2012 Online Conference to Provide Collaborative Learning Environment for Data Management Professional

Participants to Discuss Latest Trends and Best Practices in Data Modeling, Business Intelligence, and Agile Development

ISLANDIA, N.Y., September 24, 2012 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) today announced its third annual ERworld online conference for data management professionals, Oct. 22-25, 2012.

ERworld provides a collaborative forum for participants to learn about the latest trends in data management through sessions with industry experts, live chats, an online networking lounge, social media discussions, and Q&A sessions on data modeling, enterprise architecture, business intelligence, master data management, cloud databases, application development and other data-intensive initiatives.

“Data management professionals can benefit greatly from each other and from subject-matter experts who are grappling with the new challenges of growing data complexity where it has become critical to deliver actionable insights to the business in near real-time,” Donna Burbank, vice president, Data Management Product Marketing, CA Technologies. “Our ERworld 2012 virtual event offers a unique opportunity for exactly this kind of exchange of knowledge and experiences.”

Conference Tracks:

• Hot Topics in Data Management including trends and key initiatives influencing data management, including Big Data and Agile development.
• Data Modeling theory and practice, as well as CA ERwin® tips and techniques.
• Data Warehousing and Business Intelligence implementation, theory and practice.
• Case Studies featuring real-world implementations in data management, particularly around data modeling.

Highlights of Session Topics and Speakers: 

Tuesday, October 23 – 12:00 PM ET
• “UML and Data Modeling: A Reconciliation” – Dave Hay, president of Essential Strategies, Inc.

Tuesday, October 23 – 1:00 PM ET
• “Model Driven Data Warehouse Automation” – Gertjan Vlug, CEO of BIReady

Tuesday, October 23 – 2:00 PM ET
•  “Database Design Throwdown: The Blunder Games” – Thomas LaRock, SQL Server MVP and board member of the Professional Association for SQL Server, and Karen Lopez, senior project manager and architect at InfoAdvisors

Wednesday, October 24 – 11:00 AM ET
• “Practical Applications for Data Warehousing, Analytics, and BI” – Dr. Peter Aiken, founder and president of Data Blueprint

Wednesday, October 24 – 2:00 PM ET
• “Data Modeling Made Simple with ERwin: Tips and Tricks to Make Your Job Easier” – Steve Hoberman and Donna Burbank, coauthors of Data Modeling Made Simple with CA ERwin Data Modeler r8

Thursday, October 25 – 11:00 AM ET
 “A unified data modeler in the world of Big Data” – William Luk, senior director of Software Development and Lead Engineer, CA ERwin, CA Technologies

Additional Resources

ERworld conference website: www.erwin.com/erworld
ERwin website: www.erwin.com
ERwin Twitter: www.twitter.com/erwinmodeling
ERworld Conference Twitter Hashtag: #ERworld
ERwin on Facebook: www.facebook.com/erwinmodeling
ERwin on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=2637898

About CA Technologies

CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) provides IT management solutions that help customers manage and secure complex IT environments to support agile business services. Organizations leverage CA Technologies software and SaaS solutions to accelerate innovation, transform infrastructure and secure data and identities, from the data center to the cloud. Learn more about CA Technologies at www.ca.com.

5 Canadian Cities win Google eTown Award

5 Canadian Cities win Google eTown Award

Moncton, Dorval, Parry Sound, Canmore and Duncan are among Canada's leading towns embracing the digital economy

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - 5 Canadian cities have won a Google eTown Award, Google Canada announced today. At a time when the Internet is spurring economic growth, this new Google award is designed to recognize those towns where small businesses are investing in online tools and resources to find new customers, grow their business, and improve their operations.

"We're delighted to recognize the accomplishments of the small businesses embracing the web in each of these cities," said Chris O'Neill, Managing Director of Google Canada, "We know that the Internet is going to contribute massively to Canada's economic growth, so these eTown awards are designed to showcase those communities leading the way forward."

To highlight this vital economic activity, Google looked at thousands of cities and towns across Canada to identify one town in each of five regions that demonstrated strong engagement and potential for growth in the digital economy. With its online advertising service, Google AdWords, the Canada Get Your Business Online initiative, and products such as Google Apps for Business, Google works with businesses across Canada to help them succeed online.

The 5 Google eTown Award winners in Canada are:

Region eTown
Atlantic Moncton, New Brunswick
Québec Dorval, Québec
Ontario Parry Sound, Ontario
Prairies Canmore, Alberta
BC & The North Duncan, British Columbia

Sunny Point Resort in Parry Sound is a family-owned resort that has been operating since 1966. Though well-established, the recent recession took its toll on the business. As a result, current owners Andy and Susan Vitch started using AdWords in 2009. According to Mr. Vitch:

"Tourism is one business where the Internet can be the most beneficial to a small guy like me. I can compete with the bigger resorts. Our site may not be as flashy, but it's out there. You just have to get people to your site, which is why AdWords is so useful to our business."

Earlier this year, the Internet Economy in the G-20 report published by the Boston Consulting Group predicted that Canada's Internet economy will grow 7.4% annually through 2016, meaning businesses with an online presence will benefit most and contribute more to future Canadian economic growth.

At the same time, the Canada Get Your Business Online campaign has estimated that more than half of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses still lack a website, raising concerns that many SMBs could lose out unless they take steps to make their businesses accessible online and from mobile devices.

Across each of the winning towns, business are discovering that the Internet has become a vital tool for reaching new customers and engaging with existing ones. In Moncton, there's 4 Paws Pet Resort; in Dorval, it's CrossFit de l'Ouest, in Canmore, there's pest control company Progressive Maintenance; and in Duncan, it's Eye Design Optometry.

In recognition of their eTown status, Google Canada will be presenting the awards to each city during events throughout October. Local businesses will be invited to attend and meet Google experts who will be on hand to provide advice on growing your business online.

About Google Inc.
Google is a global technology leader focused on improving the ways people connect with information. Google's innovations in web search and advertising have made its website a top internet property and its brand one of the most recognized in the world.

Google is a trademark of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.

 

SOURCE: Google Inc.

For further information:

Media contact: 
Andrew Swartz
Google Canada 
416-913-5940
aswartz@google.com






















































































































































Research by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada highlights privacy concerns related to “web leakage” ...

Popular websites in Canada disclosing personal information

Research by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada highlights privacy concerns related to “web leakage” – the online disclosure of personal information to third parties, apparently without knowledge or consent

OTTAWA, September 25, 2012 – Some leading websites in Canada are inappropriately “leaking” registered users’ personal information – including names, email addresses and postal codes – to third-party sites such as advertising companies, research by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has found.

“The research findings raise concerns for the privacy rights of Canadians. Web leakage can involve the disclosure of personal information without an individual’s consent– or even knowledge,” says Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.  “Our research also raises questions about compliance with Canadian privacy law in the online world.”

The research identified significant privacy concerns with approximately one in four of the sites tested.  Websites were disclosing information to third parties, apparently without the knowledge or consent of the people affected – and possibly in violation of federal privacy law.  For example, the research showed that when people registered to receive promotions from a shopping site, their email address, username and city were disclosed to a number of analytics and marketing firms.

The leakage identified in the testing occurred in a way that would be invisible to most people using these websites. In some cases, it did not appear to be in keeping with statements made in the organizations’ privacy policies.

Although the sample size was relatively small (25 websites), the sites examined are among the most popular sites targeted to Canadians and represented a range of sectors, including media, shopping and travel services.  All are sophisticated websites operated by large organizations which account for billions in combined annual revenues.

At the time tests were conducted this summer, researchers identified significant privacy concerns with six sites.  They also had questions about the practices of a further five sites.  The remaining 14 sites tested did not appear to be leaking personal information.

Commissioner Stoddart has written to eleven organizations to ask them to provide information about their practices, and, where appropriate, to explain how they will correct any problems to ensure compliance with privacy law. 

The Privacy Commissioner has not exercised her discretion to publicly name the specific tested organizations at this time. The research was designed to offer a snapshot of the Canadian context and it is likely that a significant number of other Canadian sites may also be leaking personal information. 

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is also contacting industry associations in order to discuss web leakage and to request their support in raising awareness about the issue.

“Our research serves as a wake-up call to all online services to ensure they are complying with Canadian law – and respecting the privacy rights of people who use their sites,” says Commissioner Stoddart.  “It is clearly possible for organizations to operate successfully in the online world without leaking people’s personal information – a majority of the websites we looked at were not doing it.”

The research was prompted by international studies that have found many websites were leaking users’ personal information to third-party sites.

For more detailed information about the research, please see:

About the OPC

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is mandated by Parliament to act as an ombudsman and guardian of privacy in Canada. The Commissioner enforces two federal laws for the protection of personal information: the Privacy Act, which applies to the federal public sector; and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), which applies to organizations engaged in commercial activities in the Atlantic provinces, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Territories. Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia each has its own law covering the private sector. Even in these provinces, PIPEDA continues to apply to the federally regulated private sector and to personal information in interprovincial and international transactions.

- 30 -

For more information (media only), please contact:

Valerie Lawton
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Email: Valerie.Lawton@priv.gc.ca

SAP Simplifies Billing and Revenue Management for Telcos

Innovative Billing and Revenue Management from SAP Accelerates Order-to-Cash Processes

http://www12.sap.com/corporate-en/press/newsroom/press.epx?PressID=19621

SAP NEWSBYTE - September 25, 2012 - SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the release of the SAP Billing and Revenue Innovation Management rapid-deployment solution. The solution simplifies and accelerates the implementation of a complete set of order-to-cash business processes. It will enable telcos and high tech service providers to automate key processes, as well as streamline and more effectively manage their relationships with customers and partners.

The rapid-deployment solution is a combination of software, pre-configured content and predefined services specifically tailored for communications service providers. The solution covers six end-to-end business processes: customer and contract creation, usage charging, billing and invoicing, and account termination for both pre- and post-paid services.

"Last year we released the SAP Billing for Telecommunications package to enable communications services providers to rapidly launch innovative 'Telco 2.0' services and multi-sided business models," said Jens Amail, vice president, SAP Services Industries. "Now, with this solution, we offer a best-practices approach that helps ensure implementation success and reduce the initial time to value for our customers by up to 40 percent."

Generally available today, the SAP Billing and Revenue Innovation Management rapid-deployment solution is delivered with low upfront cost thanks to fixed-price and time-frame implementation services that mitigate financial risk and uncertainty. With this solution, communications service providers are able to quickly create and launch new offers, enjoy a 360-degree view of the customer, automate control the order capture and billing chain, calculate and report revenue share items with partners.

For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPrds and @sapnews.

Media Contact:

Kate McNeel, +1 (484) 624-2256, k.mcneel@sap.com, CDT



















































































































































 


Ericsson acquires Canadian OSS/BSS company ConceptWave

Ericsson acquires Canadian OSS/BSS company ConceptWave

  • Ericsson acquires 100% of the shares of ConceptWave, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with a current staff of 170 persons

  • Strengthens Ericsson's OSS and BSS portfolio with world leading offerings in Order Management and Product Catalog

TORONTO, Sept. 25, 2012 /CNW/ - Today Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) announced the acquisition of the Canadian company ConceptWave in an all cash transaction. The company was founded in 2000 and has developed leading-edge software solutions primarily for telecom operators.

Acquiring ConceptWave complements and strengthens Ericsson's offering in the area of operations- and business support systems (OSS/BSS) with world leading Order Management and Product Catalog solutions, providing solutions to better support network operators with their handling of activities related to personalizing end-user offerings and revenue management solutions.

Elisabetta Romano, Head of OSS in Business Unit Support Solutions, Ericsson, says: "There is a trend towards more personalization of services where end-users want to purchase communications services meeting their individual needs. This puts high demand on telecom operators to be able to offer flexible product bundles with customized pricing packages. In this area ConceptWave's solutions and employees' expertise adds considerable value to Ericsson's portfolio."

Zarar Rana, President and CEO of ConceptWave, says: "Our products and solutions help maximize telecom operators' assets through the creation, implementation, and automation of service fulfillment processes for new and differentiated offerings. Joining Ericsson today adds great value to ConceptWave, as we become part of their global organization and leverage their industry-leading technology and services competence."

ConceptWave is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with a current staff of 170. The company's customers, primarily telecom operators, are located in Canada, USA, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The transaction closed at signing.

With the integration of previously acquired Telcordia, Ericsson today has the industry's most comprehensive OSS/BSS portfolio, a key element of any operator's network strategy. Ericsson today has a leading position in key areas such as charging and billing, where we serve 1.7 billion people with our solutions.

About Order Management
Order Management is the discipline of handling and optimizing complex fulfillment flow by scheduling and orchestrating tasks, materials and activities over time. For example, orchestration of a customer order that contains software activation, hardware orders and delivery as well as contractor work and installation, where the different parts of the order should be synchronized to one service date despite different lead-times.

About Product Catalogue
A Product Catalog is a system that defines all the detailed components that a product consists of, including e.g. price, eligibility rules as well as interdependency with other products. Surrounding systems will use the product specifications in the catalogue in order to perform activities such as product bundling, campaign packaging and related revenue management. The product catalogue is imperative to dynamically cater for more personalization of services for end-users.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Download high-resolution photos and broadcast-quality video at www.ericsson.com/press

Ericsson is the world's leading provider of communications technology and services. We are enabling the Networked Society with efficient real-time solutions that allow us all to study, work and live our lives more freely, in sustainable societies around the world.

Our offering comprises services, software and infrastructure within Information and Communications Technology for telecom operators and other industries. Today more than 40 percent of the world's mobile traffic goes through Ericsson networks and we support customers' networks servicing more than 2.5 billion subscribers. 

We operate in 180 countries and employ more than 100,000 people. Founded in 1876, Ericsson is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2011 the company's net sales were SEK 226.9 billion (USD 35.0 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX, Stockholm and NASDAQ, New York stock exchanges.

www.ericsson.com 
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www.youtube.com/ericssonpress

About ConceptWave

ConceptWave is a leading provider of customer, product, and order lifecycle management solutions that enable communications service providers to rapidly introduce new market offers and to empower superior customer experience. ConceptWave's unique offer is to provide an end-to-end catalog-driven suite of order fulfillment automation software with ConceptWave Order Care® and Rapid CRM™. ConceptWave's products and solutions enable service providers to address competitive requirements and simplify the management of customers, products, and orders, for any product, on any network, in any market, using any channel. ConceptWave® and ConceptWave Order Care® are registered trademarks of ConceptWave Software Inc.


SOURCE: Ericsson Canada

For further information:

Ericsson Corporate Public & Media Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 69 92
E-mail: media.relations@ericsson.com

Ericsson Investor Relations
Phone: +46 10 719 00 00
E-mail: investor.relations@ericsson.com

Ericsson Media Relations - Canada
Patricia MacLean
Phone: +1 905 206 7928
E-mail: patricia.maclean@ericsson.com