Gartner Says Worldwide Cloud Services Market to Surpass $109 Billion in 2012

Gartner Says Worldwide Cloud Services Market to Surpass $109 Billion in 2012

BPaaS represents largest market segment, while IaaS is the fastest-growing area

STAMFORD, Conn., September 18, 2012—

The public cloud services market is forecast to grow 19.6 percent in 2012 to total $109 billion worldwide, according to Gartner, Inc. Business process services (also known as business process as a service, or BPaaS) represent the largest segment, accounting for about 77 percent of the total market, while infrastructure as a service (IaaS) is the fastest-growing segment of the public cloud services market and is expected to grow 45.4 percent in 2012.

"The cloud services market is clearly a high-growth sector within the overall IT marketplace," said Ed Anderson, research director at Gartner. "The key to taking advantage of this growth will be understanding the nuances of the opportunity within service segments and geographic regions, and then prioritizing investments in line with the opportunities."

BPaaS is the largest segment primarily because of the inclusion of cloud advertising as a subsegment. BPaaS is forecast to grow to $84.2 billion in 2012, up from $72 billion in 2011. In 2011, cloud advertising represented about 47 percent of the total public cloud services market, making it the biggest identifiable subsegment in the forecast. Through 2016, cloud advertising will continue to account for about 47 percent of total public cloud services spending.

Software as a service (SaaS) is the next-largest segment and is forecast to grow to $14.4 billion in 2012, while IaaS is forecast to grow from $4.3 billion in 2011 to $6.2 billion in 2012. In 2010, the IaaS market was less than one-third the size of the SaaS market. By 2016, the IaaS market will grow to almost equal the size of the SaaS market.

Growth in application infrastructure services (also known as platform as a service, or PaaS) will also be high, although it is a smaller market relative to the other segments. PaaS is strategic and considered to be a critical growth driver for other segments, including BPaaS and SaaS. The PaaS segment is forecast to grow to $1.2 billion in 2012. Cloud management and security services constitute a new forecast segment comprising cloud security services, IT operations management (ITOM) and storage management (including backup and recovery services). The cloud management and security services segment is forecast to grow to $3.3 billion in 2012.

Although North America is the largest region and is expected to produce the largest absolute increase in market size, Gartner expects the highest regional growth rates in emerging Asia/Pacific (including India and Indonesia), greater China, Eurasia (including Russia) and Latin America (including Argentina, Mexico and Brazil).

Western Europe is forecast to grow the slowest during the forecast period, largely due to ongoing eurozone economic issues, while growth will also be lower in mature Asia/Pacific markets due to ongoing economic challenges in the Japanese market.

North America will account for the greatest percentage of absolute growth in the cloud services market, with 61 percent of all growth from 2010 through 2016. Western Europe will follow, with 17 percent of absolute cloud services growth over the same period. This highlights the dominance of North America and Western Europe in the development, availability and adoption of cloud services.

High growth rates will occur in emerging markets, including the top three growth countries of India, Indonesia and China. However, 79 percent of spending increases will come from North America and Western Europe. For cloud services providers, this will require a strategic approach when considering both high-volume and high-growth markets. Both will be important in the development of sustained, global strategies.

"The total public cloud services market size in 2011 was $91.4 billion, and it will grow to $206.6 billion in 2016. As the market grows, IaaS will become a larger part of the overall market, while the market share of cloud management and security services will grow as well," said Mr. Anderson. "When targeting specific markets within the cloud services marketplace, we recommend evaluating both potential market size and growth rates. These will vary by segment, subsegment, region and country."

Additional information is available in the report "Forecast Overview: Public Cloud Services, Worldwide, 2011-2016, 2Q12 Update" at http://www.gartner.com/resId=2126916.

Gartner analysts will examine key issues around cloud computing at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo.

About Gartner Symposium/ITxpo

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

Additional information for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, October 21-25, is available at www.gartner.com/symposium/us. Follow news, photos and video coming from Gartner Symposium/ITxpo on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/GartnerSymposium, and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Gartner_inc and using #GartnerSym.

Members of the media can register for the event by contacting Christy Pettey at christy.pettey@gartner.com.

Upcoming dates and locations for Gartner Symposium/ITxpo include:

August 28-30, Cape Town, South Africa: www.gartner.co.za

October 3-5, Tokyo, Japan: www.gartner.com/jp/symposium

October 10-12, Goa, India: www.gartner.com/in/symposium

October 21-25, Orlando, Florida: www.gartner.com/us/symposium

October 29-31, Sao Paulo, Brazil: www.gartner.com/br/symposium

November 5-8, Barcelona, Spain: www.gartner.com/eu/symposium

November 12-15, Gold Coast, Australia: www.gartner.com/au/symposium

March 5-7, 2013, Dubai, UAE: www.gartner.com/technology/symposium/dubai/

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.

Avaya Drives Real-time Collaboration for Crisis Management with Integrated Notification and Conferencing Solutions

Avaya Drives Real-time Collaboration for Crisis Management with Integrated Notification and Conferencing Solutions

·         Avaya Notification Solution (ANS) 2.0 provides fast, multi-channel notification to any endpoint -- office, BYOD, home, signage, broadcast, web or social media

·         Messages can be simultaneously sent via SMS, email, IM and audio formats

·         Integration with Avaya Aura® Conferencing 7.0,  Radvision Scopia for video and open Web Services APIs enables instant crisis management communications and collaboration

 

Basking Ridge, N.J. – September 18, 2012 – Avaya today announced a new real-time collaboration solution for crisis management that helps organizations and businesses reduce negative impacts from unplanned events by enabling fast, coordinated communication and collaboration across any endpoint. Avaya’s crisis management solution is ideal for BYOD environments, mobile and remote teams inside and outside of an organization, broadly dispersed geographies or isolated units within a single location.

 

At the heart of the solution is the latest version of the Avaya Notification Solution (ANS), which provides integrated, automated real-time notification, response and collaboration to transmit critical information and instructions in multiple formats. By combining ANS with Avaya’s conferencing solutions -- Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0, Radvision Scopia videoconferencing or Avaya Meeting Exchange -- organizations and businesses can quickly bring widely dispersed teams together to preserve business continuity, security and public safety.

 

Highly scalable and flexible, Avaya Notification Solution supports small, targeted teams or massive groups, and can meet the requirements of nearly any size business or communications environment. Using ANS, organizations can:

·         Prepare for multiple scenarios in advance, including appropriate messages, lists, instructions and chain of escalations

·         Send messages to virtually any endpoint, anywhere:  Alerts can be audio to any phone or integrated broadcast system; or text through SMS, email, instant messaging or digital signage

·         Trigger automated messages through a web portal, phone call or email, or third party system

·         Update social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, Internet and intranet web sites

·         Commandeer Avaya IP Phones to behave as broadcast speakers and configure messages to “barge in” to active conversations if necessary

·         Poll or prompt recipients for response, such as condition or availability

·         Target special messages to sub-segments of larger groups and enable instant collaboration capabilities

 

Instant collaboration can be facilitated through the “on board,” integrated Meet-me conferencing and collaboration capabilities, or by integrating with Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0, Avaya Meeting Exchange and/or Radvision Scopia. Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0 enables secure, session-based unified audio and web collaboration using desktop Macs or PCs, tablets and smartphones. Avaya Meeting Exchange bridges legacy to SIP communications environments for audio and web collaboration for mid-to-large enterprises and Service Providers.  Radvision Scopia provides standards-based video conferencing and desktop sharing from participants using a broad range of video-enabled devices, including mobile, tablets, PCs/MACs, dedicated and telepresence systems.

 

Open web services APIs enable easy integration with third party applications that can trigger notifications and to provide more information within the notification. For example, GeoComm, an Avaya DevConnect member, provides geographic information that can be built into ANS notifications to targeted groups or to alert one or more end users when a geographically sensitive boundary has been traversed. Enterprises can integrate ANS with supply-chain management, inventory control or security systems to help mitigate risk from business-impacting events.

 

Quotes

“As a world-wide relief organization, we need to minister to those who have been affected, as well as ensure the safety or our staff and keep them available to respond.  Weather-related emergencies could require coordination and mobilization of disaster response teams into a wide geographic area some distance away.  The Avaya Notification Solution is a great tool for efficient crisis management communications and collaboration that we can use to reach and notify several hundred staff and volunteers as well as a handful of key personnel.” 

Jeff Chandler, senior telephony manager, Samaritan’s Purse

 

“During the Colorado wildfires earlier this year, we were very concerned about how our area employees were personally being affected and also needed to keep them informed about access to our local facilities. We used Avaya Notification Solution to reach more than 1200 employees, poll them to see if they needed aid and assistance, and provide them with information and instructions. This entire process took about 90 minutes – a significant reduction in time from just a year earlier when a similar event took nearly three days.”

Bill Parkin, director, Security and Business Continuity, Avaya

 

Additional Resources

Avaya Notification Solution 2.0

Avaya Notification Solution Fact Sheet

Avaya Aura Conferencing 7.0 Fact Sheet

 

TAGS: Avaya, crisis management, disaster preparedness, business continuity, notification, conferencing, collaboration, emergency alert, emergency communications

 

About Avaya

Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, networking and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Certain statements contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "might," "plan," "potential," "predict," "should" or "will" or other similar terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections. While we believe these expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections are reasonable, such forward looking statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. These and other important factors may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, please refer to Avaya's filings with the SEC that are available at www.sec.gov/. Avaya disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Winnipeg MSP Company Adds Apple Support For Winnipeg Business

Winnipeg MSP Company Adds Apple Support For Winnipeg Business


Business leaders in Winnipeg continue to look at innovative technologies to help them to serve the needs of their customers more efficiently, provide them with a competitive advantage and allow them to keep in constant communication through the work day. More and more businesses in Winnipeg are turning to Apple products and Evident IT is ready to service and support their Apple networks.

 

 

Winnipeg, MB Sep. 17, 2012 - Apple recently launched its new iPhone 5, ushering in another new wave of technology from Apple. Today's Winnipeg business professionals use more and more Apple products throughout their business days, and Apple products even infiltrate these business professionals' personal lives.

 

Evident IT, Winnipeg's premiere IT support firm, is pleased to announce that its new Apple Support and Service solutions are now available for Winnipeg businesses. Evident IT will support the iPhone, iPad and many other Apple products used in Winnipeg companies. Included in the Evident IT Winnipeg Apple support solutions are support for Macbooks and Macbook Airs, iMac and other Macintosh products.

 

"Apple is becoming more and more acceptable for Winnipeg businesses," said Evident IT president, Roger Miranda. "Evident IT's fully managed IT support solution for Winnipeg businesses includes monitoring and support for all of Apple's products."

 

Evident IT was recently recognized for its work with a Winnipeg textile company. Read the story here.

 

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About Evident IT: Evident IT is Winnipeg's best choice for IT support and services, focused on helping businesses from around Manitoba use Information Technology to help their businesses communicate efficiently, meet the needs of their clients and run profitable business. Evident IT is the best choice for IT support and service in Winnipeg and around Manitoba.

Learn more about Evident IT business support for Windows and Apple at http://www.evidentit.ca.

Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services to Open Its Second Canadian Fulfillment Centre in British Columbia

Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services to Open Its Second Canadian Fulfillment Centre in British Columbia

DELTA, BC, Sept. 17, 2012 /CNW/ - Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services (ACFS), today announced plans to locate a new fulfillment centre in Delta, British Columbia, creating more than 100 new full-time jobs. This 200,000 square foot facility is the company's first on the West Coast.

"We're pleased that ACFS will grow its presence in Canada with its new fulfillment centre here in Delta, British Columbia," said Christy Clark, Premier of British Columbia. "Our community welcomes the jobs it will bring to the region and the increased service it will provide to Amazon.ca shoppers in the area to be able to receive their packages from a facility on the west coast." 

The Delta facility will be ACFS second fulfillment centre in Canada, bringing its total Canadian footprint to more than 700,000 square feet. ACFS currently has a fulfillment centre located in Mississauga, Ontario.

"We are excited to expand our fulfillment network to British Columbia, bringing new jobs and continued investment to the country while improving the experience of shopping on Amazon.ca for customers," said Brennan Weber, site leader for ACFS. 

ACFS expects to open the centre this fall. It is currently hiring for open positions. Interested applicants can apply by visiting www.amazon.ca/jobs or by calling 866-682-5627 and referencing job code: 908S.

About Amazon.ca

Amazon.ca (www.amazon.ca) is part of the global family of Amazon Web sites that have become known for great prices, selection, and convenience. Amazon.ca customers can find and discover millions of English and French books, CDs, videos, sports and outdoors products, DVDs and electronics, watches, tools, baby, home and garden products, as well as a vast array of software, video games, and consoles--all at everyday low prices. Amazon.ca also offers FREE Super Saver Shipping, available on orders of $25 CAD or more delivered to a single Canadian address. Amazon.ca sources products directly from Canadian publishers and distributors, ensuring a rich offering of Canadian titles and content. Features such as original editorial reviews in English and French and product recommendations help Amazon.ca customers find the right products for them among the site's broad selection.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

SOURCE: Amazon.ca

For further information:

Noor Marzook

nmarzook@national.ca

416.848.1404








































































































Vaccines411.ca: A Free Online Resource to Help Canadians Stay Healthy

Vaccines411.ca: A Free Online Resource to Help Canadians Stay Healthy

MONTREAL, Sept. 17, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Flu season is approaching and many Canadians may be wondering where to go to get their flu shot. Some might be looking for more information on influenza and their province's vaccination recommendations. The Vaccines 411™ portal is Canada's online resource when it comes to locating vaccination clinics and accessing reliable immunization information. The portal provides a postal code search that makes it easy to find the vaccinating clinic closest to you.

How do I find a vaccinating clinic near me?
Log on to www.vaccines411.ca:

  1. Type in your postal code.
  2. Select your vaccine category and desired vaccine.
  3. Choose one of 10 vaccinating clinics listed.

Use the contact information provided to call for an appointment or find out more.

Vaccines411.ca was created to make it easy for people to find out where to go to get vaccinated. The portal's mission is to help Canadians stay healthy by providing them with relevant immunization information by province. Currently celebrating its first year online, Vaccines411.ca has already been visited by over 86,000 Canadians: the listings currently include more than 2,600 vaccinating clinics located in Public Health Units, private medical clinics, pharmacies and doctor's offices.

A Valuable Tool
"People may want to get a needed vaccine before going on a trip, for HPV or Shingles prevention, or simply to be up-to-date with their vaccines. From personal experience, I know first hand how tedious this exercise can be. So we did what we do best: created a website to help Canadians in their search to stay healthy", says Francisca Roel, founder and architect of Vaccines 411™. This online service is free for everyone to use and free for any vaccinating clinics that wish to be found on Vaccines411.ca.

New clinics are joining Vaccines411.ca weekly. Anyone looking for more information can visit Vaccines411.ca or contact the Vaccines 411™ team through Facebook, Twitter or by fax at 1-514-696-8881. You can also view our videos on our YouTube channel and download our banners and logo on our Media section.

About FR@SNM
FR@SNM is a Canadian web agency dedicated to the healthcare industry that specializes in web communications and develops web-based applications. Since 1998, FR@SNM has implemented numerous successful initiatives, sharing knowledge and expertise with many business partners, big and small. FR@SNM is committed to making every project a success while keeping solutions simple - we achieve this through our focus on the end user experience, innovative use of proven web-based technologies, and development of solid partnerships with and for our clients (www.frsnm.com).

SOURCE: Vaccines411

For further information:

Primary Contact: Jessica Bartolacci, Communications Coordinator for Vaccines411.ca
Tel: 514-696-9991 / Jessica@vaccines411.ca

Secondary Contact: Francisca Roel, CEO of FR@SNM and founder of Vaccines411.ca
Tel: 514-696-9991 / Francisca@vaccines411.ca























































































iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Top Two Million in First 24 Hours

iPhone 5 Pre-Orders Top Two Million in First 24 Hours

CUPERTINO, California—September 17, 2012—Apple® today announced pre-orders of its iPhone® 5 topped two million in just 24 hours, more than double the previous record of one million held by iPhone 4S. Demand for iPhone 5 exceeds the initial supply and while the majority of pre-orders will be delivered to customers on September 21, many are scheduled to be delivered in October. iPhone 5 is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever, completely redesigned to feature a stunning new 4-inch Retina™ display; an Apple-designed A6 chip for blazing fast performance; and ultrafast wireless technology*—all while delivering even better battery life.**

“iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.”

iPhone 5 comes with iOS 6, the world’s most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new user features including: an all new Maps app with Apple-designed cartography, turn-by-turn navigation and an amazing new Flyover™ view; Facebook integration for Contacts and Calendar, with the ability to post directly from Notification Center; Passbook®, the simplest way to get all your passes in one place; new Siri® features, including support for more languages, easy access to sports scores, restaurant recommendations and movie listings;*** Siri and Facebook-enabled apps like Photos, Safari® and Maps; and Shared Photo Streams via iCloud®.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 5 will be available at 356 Apple retail stores in the US beginning at 8 a.m. local time on Friday, September 21. Every customer who buys an iPhone 5 at an Apple retail store will be offered free Personal Setup service, helping them customize their iPhone 5 by setting up email, showing them new apps from the App Store and more, so they’ll be up and running with their new iPhone before they leave the store.

iPhone 5 comes in either white & silver or black & slate, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model. iPhone 5 will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless, select Best Buy, RadioShack, Target and Walmart stores and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 4S will also be available for just $99 (US) and iPhone 4 will be available for free with a two-year contract.****

iPhone 5 will roll out worldwide to 22 more countries on September 28, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

* LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
** Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
*** Not all features are supported in all countries.
**** Availability varies by carrier.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

Press Contacts:
Nat Harrison
Apple
harri@apple.com
(408) 862-0565

Natalie Kerris
Apple
nat@apple.com
(408) 974-6877

Quebec-based Coveo for Salesforce Launch Brings Contextually Relevant Insight From Anywhere Directly Within Salesforce User Interface

Coveo for Salesforce Launch Brings Contextually Relevant Insight From Anywhere Directly Within Salesforce User Interface

Breakthrough application acts as an all-knowing mentor, recommending the right insight to the end user, consolidating information regardless of where it resides—in social media, the cloud or enterprise systems—helping to solve cases faster and win more sales

QUEBEC – September 10, 2012

  • Coveo today introduced Coveo for Salesforce, for the first time placing the power of a highly advanced, enterprise unified indexing engine in the hands of end users, through a limited, advance free trial offer activated by end users, in the cloud. With just a couple of clicks, end users and Salesforce administrators can start gaining the most relevant insight from diverse systems including Microsoft SharePoint, Twitter, Gmail, Websites, Microsoft Exchange, Lithium and more, directly within Salesforce. Additionally, Coveo for Salesforce brings together information from across the Salesforce infrastructure, including Service Cloud and Sales Cloud, and Salesforce Knowledge.
     
  • Acting as a trusted, all-knowing mentor, Coveo for Salesforce recommends information about similar customers/prospects, similar cases and their resolutions, content such as email conversations, related community and social media discussions, the right sales and marketing tools for a particular account, and both internal and external experts who can help sell, and solve customer issues.
     
  • Deeply embedded in Salesforce and available across Sales Cloud and Service Cloud, Coveo for Salesforce solves the pain of users leaving Salesforce to access information from multiple other systems, as well as seeking data from throughout the Salesforce infrastructure. Users define the 360-degree view they need to win deals and solve cases, as Coveo for Salesforce instantly assembles and presents the most relevant information based on the case or account in which the user is working.
     
  • Top features of Coveo for Salesforce include:
    • Real-time information from anywhere—consolidated and correlated using advanced indexing and text analytics technologies on cloud, enterprise and social data securely and in real time, regardless of format or source.
    • Instantly assembled 360-degree views built directly into the Salesforce UI and views.
    • Virtual Timelines—chronologies of all consolidated customer and prospect interactions, regarding opportunities, cases, transactions, emails, events, cases, calls, tweets and more.
    • The fast-draw Unified Index—instantly indexes data from Salesforce, Twitter, SharePoint, Exchange, Lithium, Gmail and more. Additional enterprise systems may also be added via the Coveo Unified Indexing Platform, reaching farther into engineering systems, supply chain, databases, web and more.
    • Dynamic expertise finding, through their work and communication, from internal colleagues to external experts.
    • End-user provisioning for instant use and inviting others—automatically creates the index and interface, and allows users to invite others for viral adoption.

Additional significant features include an intuitive admin interface enabling multiple workgroup configurations, the correlation of any objects and combinations of information, including custom fields; the automatic presentation of similar accounts, opportunities and cases by linking objects based on attributes and dimensions, from across the unified index; advanced user interface for power users to dive deeply into any dimension of the business, including real-time pipeline and trend data; and automatic correlation of cases and solutions using advanced data enrichment, pulling solutions from multiple sources, across enterprise, community and social content.

Quotes

  • Louis Tetu, CEO, Coveo:“Our vision is to bring highly relevant information from anywhere, to any system, to help employees work smarter and faster, through better and more relevant insight. We are starting with Coveo for Salesforce and our early indications are that this undoubtedly is a game changer, keeping users within Salesforce and making the platform even more valuable for them. For years, CRM has promised the 360-degree view of a customer or case—and yet systems continue to proliferate and fragments of that information exist in many of them, as well as in social media and online communities. Our advanced indexing technology makes bringing this data together instantly and securely a welcome reality for Salesforce users.”
     
  • Bruce Rogers, Chief Insights Officer, Forbes Media:“Coveo’s technology has the potential to fuel the next quantum advance in business productivity achieved by increasing the value that companies generate from their existing knowledge as well as related crowd-sourced knowledge.”
     
  • Michael Maoz, VP Distinguished Analyst, Gartner:"There has been a disappointing lack of tools to deliver contextually relevant insights in a meaningful way to customer-facing employees in sales and customer service. CRM vendors talk about the 360-degree customer view, but the reality is that bits and pieces of that view are scattered across many systems, and more recently in social media and online communities. The opportunity and need is out there for an approach that delivers highly relevant, intelligent knowledge in real time, regardless of its location. Knowledge has to be delivered to the right person, using any device or channel, to enable companies to excel as never before in engaging the customer.”
     
  • Paul Greenberg, Author, CRM at the Speed of Light: “Coveo for Salesforce is a smart move. I think that Coveo's ability to provide industrial strength information in a consumable way, the kind that leads to insights, meshes well with salesforce.com’s social enterprise framework. The combination is a natural. Knowing Coveo, I have to assume that this is the first of several of this kind of intelligent integrations."
     

About Coveo:

Coveo transforms users’ and companies’ ability to gain the right insight every time from overwhelming amounts of diverse, unstructured and structured data across all systems—on-premise, in the cloud and in social channels. This enables more efficient customer service, increased sales, shorter sales cycles, faster innovation for better product development and increased profitability. Coveo’s advanced, unified indexing technology securely connects with and crawls all systems to create a virtual integration layer, by federating and normalizing structured and unstructured information.

The Company’s three lines of business bring relevant insight to CRM and Contact Centers for sales & service, WCMs for one-to-one marketing, and Enterprise Content for engineering and operations. Coveo role-based Insight Consoles™ provide advanced navigation into consolidated, correlated information mashups, within any application, including Coveo for Salesforce. Among Coveo’s more than 400 customers are CA Technologies, YUM!Brands, GEICO and Boston Children’s Hospital. For more information, visit www.coveo.com, follow us on Twitter @coveo or like us on Facebook.

Editorial Contacts

Jessica Hohn-Cabana
Coveo
418-263-1111 x233 Office
508-353-3454
jcabana@coveo.com

IBM Redefines Social Business with the Power of Analytics

IBM Redefines Social Business with the Power of Analytics

Fortune 100 Clients Tout Returns on Social Investments

ARMONK, NEW YORK, September 12, 2012 -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today unveiled new software and services that bring the power of big data analytics into the hands of today's social savvy workforce anytime, anywhere. Now, organizations can apply analytics to their social business initiatives, allowing them to gain actionable insight on information generated on networks and put it to work in real-time.

As part of today's news, IBM is announcing the availability of its industry-leading social software platform, IBM Connections. IBM Connections incorporates sophisticated analytics capabilities, real-time data monitoring, and faster collaborative networks both inside and outside the organization, whether on premise, in the IBM SmartCloud or using the broadest range of mobile devices.

In support of today's news, IBM also announced leading companies around the globe, including Bayer MaterialScience, Colgate-Palmolive Company, LeasePlan, Primerica and Teach for America, are using its social software to achieve real returns on their social business investments.

Today's news aims to accelerate IBM's leadership social software and analytics. For three consecutive years, IDC ranked IBM number one in enterprise social software. Today, more than 60 percent of the Fortune 100 have licensed IBM social software to activate their workforce to improve productivity, and gain insight on data to anticipate individual customers needs. IBM's leadership role in analytics has been established through a thoughtful strategy that required the expansion of R&D, acquisition and business initiatives across its hardware software and services portfolio.

The rise of social media is prompting business leaders', from the CMO to the chief HR officer to the CIO, to evaluate how to create opportunities that drive business transformation through the use of social technology, creating real business value. According to Forrester Research, the market opportunity for social enterprise apps is expected to grow at a rate of 61 per cent through 2016*.

At the same time, business leaders lack the tools to gain insight into the enormous stream of information and use it in a meaningful way. According to IBM's CEO Study, today only 16 per cent of CEOs are using social business platforms to connect with customers, but that number is poised to spike to 57 percent within the next three to five years. A recent IBM study of more than 1,700 chief marketing officers reveals 82 percent plan to increase their use of social media over the next three to five years.

"To truly realize the full potential of a social business, leaders need to empower a company's most vital asset - the information being generated from its people," said Alistair Rennie, general manager, social business, IBM. "Now is the time for business leaders to embed social into their key business processes to shift their business from the era of "liking" to "leading."

Global Ecosystem Touting Returns on Social Investments

Today, more than 60 per cent of the Fortune 100 is using IBM social software. There is strong demand for IBM's social business platform in regulated industries, with 41 per cent of Connections 4 beta participants in banking, finance and healthcare institutions.

For example, Primerica, a leading distributor of financial products in North America, will utilize Connections and WebSphere Portal, to transform how its agents engage with its 2.3 million policy holders on the fly, to provide increased value for its customers. The company plans to use social business software to improve the overall client experience, drive competitive edge and stay on the forefront of innovation in the financial services industry.

LeasePlan, one of the leading vehicle leasing and fleet management companies in the world, is using IBM's social software platform across the organization's 40 subsidiaries, in 30 countries and over 6,000 employees. With nearly 800 communities formed, 400 blogs, and over 800 forums, the platform has become an integral component to business operations for the organization, increasing efficiency, enhancing knowledge retention, increasing innovation, and helping to improve customer care and insight. By socially enabling its business processes with IBM's social platform, the organization is seeing significant improvements in workforce effectiveness.

"By collaborating with IBM we've been able to transform our business processes. Our internal social network allows employees to find experts faster, leading to better customer service, superior workforce effectiveness, and enhanced product and service innovation," said Wim de Gier, Senior Global Project Manager Corporate Strategy and Development, LeasePlan. "It's allowing us to transform our organization into a social business."

To support the burgeoning demand for social business solutions in growth markets, in the fourth quarter of 2012 IBM will open two social business customer support centers to serve IBM's Asia-Pacific and Latin American clients. Located in Manilla, the Philippines, and Sao Paolo, Brazil, these centers will support the rapid adoption of social business tools in these growth markets. The Philippines and Brazil centers join a roster of IBM social business centers in North America, Dublin, Japan, China and India.

IBM's growing business partner network of more than 39,000 business partners are bringing new, cutting-edge capabilities to IBM's social platform every day in areas including gamification, video, compliance, project management and mobility. For example, Actiance provides leading compliance capabilities to thousands of organizations globally, SugarCRM helps sellers use social networking and analytics to for effective selling, and Bunchball provides gamification capabilities to IBM Connections.

IBM Connections, a cornerstone of IBM's social platform

Available on premise, in the cloud, and on the broadest range of mobile devices, IBM Connections integrates activity streams, calendaring, wikis, blogs, a new email capability, and more, and flags relevant data for action. It allows for instant collaboration with one simple click and the ability to build social, secure communities both inside and outside the organization to increase customer loyalty and speed business results. The new Connections mail capability provides simplified access to email with the context of the social networking environment.

Now, organizations can integrate and analyze massive amounts of data generated from people, devices and sensors and more easily align these insights to business processes to make faster, more accurate business decisions. By gaining deeper insights in customer and market trends and employees' sentiment, businesses can uncover critical patterns to not only react swiftly to market shifts, but predict the effect of future actions.

"I am thoroughly enjoying the ability to engage with a variety of employees through micro-blogging," said Patrick Thomas, CEO, Bayer MaterialScience. "I can get information out quickly, but even more importantly I can encourage two way communication and stimulate an open communication culture by breaking through barriers."

The new capabilities empower employees from every line of business, such as marketing, human resource and development to gain actionable insight into the information being generated in their social networks.

For example, the Connections landing page features a single location that allows users to view and interact with content from any third party solution through a social interface, right alongside their company's content, including email and calendar. The embedded experience of the news feed, also known as an activity stream, allows employees from any department inside an organization to explore structured and unstructured data such as Twitter feeds, Facebook posts, weather data, videos, log files, SAP applications, electronically sign documents, and quickly act on the data as part of their everyday work experience.

To learn more about IBM's social business initiative, sign-up to attend IBM's Connect conference in January 2013 at www.ibm.com/software/collaboration/events/connect/.

For more information, please visit www.ibm.com/press/socialbusiness.

*Source: Social Enterprise Apps Redefine Collaboration," Forrester Research, Inc., November 30, 2011.

About IBM


Contact information:

Carrie Bendzsa
IBM Communications
613-356-5917
Carrie.bendzsa@ca.ibm.com

China is Ahead of the U.S. and Germany in Use of Technology in Learning, According to Dell-Commissioned Opinion Poll

China is Ahead of the U.S. and Germany in Use of Technology in Learning, According to Dell-Commissioned Opinion Poll











 

  • Chinese students in major cities say they spend more time using technology in school than American and German students
  • Global poll respondents believe that technology gives students a more personalized experience that they value, but technology needs are not being met in schools today
  • Teachers feel less comfortable using new technologies and social media than their students and want more professional development
  • New Dell Education Challenge will find and implement transformative ideas to solve for technology access, training and collaboration gaps in K-12 education

Students, teachers and parents say that technology needs are not being met in school today, according to an opinion poll commissioned by Dell. Supporting respondents believe technology makes learning easier, makes teachers more accessible and can give students a personalized learning experience. Dell today issued the Dell Education Challenge to university students worldwide, asking for their inspiration, imagination and innovation to re-engineer today’s learning environments, both in and outside of the classroom.

“We heard from secondary school and university students, parents and teachers that they are familiar and comfortable with technology, but don’t think it’s playing as large a role in the classroom as it should,” said Steve Felice, Dell’s president and chief commercial officer. “Adults would like to see technology more integrated into learning. And, perhaps most importantly, many teachers do not feel as comfortable as their students do in using technology.”

In nearly 1,600 interviews with students, teachers and parents in China, Germany and the U.S., 71 percent of students said they have access to more advanced technology at home than they do at school. Parents said they would be willing to provide the technology their kids use at school, but believe they should have a stipend for the purchase. Despite this, a majority of students surveyed (51 percent) feel technology can serve as more of a distraction rather than an enabler. But they also said the benefits of technology to learning outweigh the potential distractions. This stands in contrast to parents and teachers who believe there should be more technology in the classroom, even though a majority of teachers, including 63 percent in the U.S., say their students know how to use technology better than they do.

Respondents view a personalized approach to learning as the most effective approach to education. Eighty-three percent said technology allows them to create a more personalized learning experience. However, most students in the U.S. and Germany indicate they spend two hours per day or less using technology at school, highlighting an opportunity to integrate technology into more curriculum areas and provide professional learning for teachers to achieve truly differentiated instruction.

“What we are seeing is that people around the world are increasingly understanding that digital learning will be critical to boosting every child's achievement,” said Michael Horn, Innosight Institute’s executive director. “To unleash the power of technology, the important thing is to build new educational models or leverage existing proof points that allow us to rethink how school works and put the individual student at the center.

Dell Education Challenge to Support and Fund Innovative Learning Approaches
Dell is asking university students, the most recent participants in today’s education system, to help develop solutions to today’s biggest issues in education, including those identified in the poll. Continuing its commitment to inspiring innovation, the Dell Education Challenge is a spotlight challenge extending the partnership with the Dell Social Innovation Challenge (DSIC), managed by The University of Texas at Austin.

The Dell Education Challenge will identify and invest $30,000 in promising projects by university students working to transform and innovate learning in today’s primary/K-12 schools. Solutions can address in-school or out-of-school learning, the learning environment for both students or educators, or systemic issues with infrastructure, policy or administration.

Dell will provide students who submit ideas with access to a global community that provides valuable feedback and encouragement on their projects to help make their ideas a reality.

Twenty semi-finalists will receive one-on-one mentoring from a DSIC-certified mentor to perfect their pitches. Finalists will be invited to Dell World this December to compete live in front of our judges for cash awards and support to advance their educational innovation.

Highlights from the Dell Education Poll

  • Who is using technology at school most and for what? Chinese students in major cities say they spend more time using technology in school than American and German students. In China cities, respondents say technology is integrated into more curriculum areas than in the U.S. or Germany where respondents say technology is most often used for research. Without this integration, technology in the classroom can be a distraction. According to Dell, this highlights an opportunity to more effectively and broadly integrate technology into learning in the U.S. and Germany.
  • Are teachers knowledgeable about technology? Many teachers in the U.S. and Germany said they don’t receive enough professional development opportunities focused on technology. Their students agree. Only 40 percent of students in the U.S. and 26 percent in Germany say their teachers know how to use technology better than they do. This suggests an opportunity for increasing and improving professional development opportunities for teachers to more effectively use technology in learning in and out of the classroom.
  • Is there a place for social media in the classroom? Social media is playing an increasing role in the classroom according to respondents. One in four students say they access social media in the classroom on a daily basis. However, most teachers in the U.S. and Germany say they never access social media in the classroom. Chinese respondents are the most positive about the prospect of using social media in the classroom. Approximately six in 10 U.S. respondents say they disapprove of students using social media in the classroom to share what they are learning, while most respondents in China say they would approve of social media for this purpose. This demonstrates a growing need to find a role for social media in learning.
  • How is technology bridging between home, school and life? Just half of students say they interact with their school online outside of school. Most students in Germany indicate they do not interact with their school online, while a majority of Chinese students say they do. However, students report that they use technology at home for school work more than any other activity, indicating an opportunity for more collaboration between home and school.
  • Are parents willing to pay more so their children can have access to technology? Most respondents said parents should receive stipends to ensure their children have up to date technology for educational purposes. Additionally, parents across Germany, China and the U.S. said they would be willing to pay for the technology their children use in the classroom.


Join Us for a Day of Innovation in Learning on Thursday, September 13, 2012

Students, teachers, parents and education and community leaders will come together to discuss technology’s influence in learning and how to cultivate new, innovative learning models at two events at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): an Innovation in Education Think Tank at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and a Technology in the Classroom Town Hall at the MIT Media Lab, co-produced by NBC News’ Education Nation and NBC Learn and sponsored by Dell. For details on how to join the conversations visit www.dell.com/innovateedu

  • Join the Innovation in Education Think Tank via livestream from 10:00 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. EST
  • Watch the live Town Hall webcast at 3:00 p.m. EST at www.educationnation.com and www.nbclearn.com
  • Join the conversation at #DoMoreEdu and #EdNatMIT, and follow @DellEDU for updates

About DELL
Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) is committed to helping students develop the knowledge and skills they need to learn and succeed in an increasingly digital world and a globally competitive workforce. As a top provider of technology and services to schools, Dell listens to and works with students, educators, administrators, parents and community members around the world to deliver innovative technology and services that give them the power to do more in and out of the classroom. Learn more about Dell in Education at www.dell.com. Follow us on Twitter @DellEDU.

Media Contacts


Sheridan College and Ubisoft Announce Global Partnership to Promote Performance Capture and Virtual Production


Sheridan College and Ubisoft Announce Global Partnership to Promote Performance Capture and Virtual Production


Two of the world's leading academic and industry leaders in digital storytelling to collaborate on next generation approaches to interactive production for game, film and television industries 

OAKVILLE, ON, Sept. 13, 2012 /CNW/ - Sheridan College, one of the world's leading post-secondary institutions focused on digital media storytelling, today announced a partnership with Ubisoft at the opening of Ubisoft Toronto's state of the art performance capture studio. Sheridan and Ubisoft have agreed to work together in defining joint research projects that will foster development of virtual production and performance capture techniques in Ontario and worldwide.

Virtual production involves a variety of tools and processes that are enabling major filmmakers such as James Cameron (Avatar) and Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings), and game professionals to interactively collaborate with actors, cinematographers and other production personnel at all stages of the production process.  Performance capture, virtual cinematography, and motion capture in general are central to virtual production.  These processes are merging technologies and practices employed in film, television, and gaming, allowing directors and others to immerse themselves in the storytelling process in order to create more compelling entertainment.

"Ubisoft is one of the global industry leaders in development and application of these processes," said Jeff Zabudsky, President of Sheridan College.  "Given our academic expertise in digital media storytelling, this was seen by both organizations as a unique opportunity to collaborate and establish a global centre of excellence for research, curriculum and training in interactive storytelling using virtual production practices."

Both Sheridan and Ubisoft are dedicated to global innovation in performance capture and virtual production, developing and applying new technologies, while ensuring that the current and next generation of industry professionals are at the forefront of interactive storytelling. Ubisoft Toronto will also work with Sheridan to maintain its leading edge curriculum in its Bachelor of Game Design and Graduate Certificate in Game Level Design programs, as well as across the board for programs in film, television, and animation that will benefit from performance capture and virtual production practices.

Sheridan's SIRT Centre, located at Pinewood Toronto Studios, supports development of the digital media industry in Ontario and Canada.  In a short period of time SIRT has garnered an international reputation for its technology development and training work in the virtual production area, including the world's first Previsualization and Virtual Production Conference at Pinewood in 2011.  Through funding from the Ontario Media Development Corporation and support from Ubisoft, SIRT is currently partnering with ACTRA - Toronto on the development and delivery of practical performance capture workshops that will enhance the skill set of Ontario's film, television and theatre acting professionals.  In addition, professionals from behind the camera including cinematographers, directors and producers are being engaged in performance capture and virtual production workshops.

Formation of this partnership coincides with Ubisoft announcing the launch of its world-class performance capture studio in Toronto, a facility that will support the creation of high-quality content for games. Uniting expertise from the film and game industries, the performance capture studio will help Ubisoft create deeper characters, more immersive storytelling and more filmic, actor-driven games.

This unique collaboration between two global academic and industry leaders in digital media, fostered and supported by government, will help position Ontario as a leading innovator in the development and adoption of new virtual production practices that are expected to become key to the future of interactive storytelling throughout the game, film, and television industries.

About Sheridan College: http://www.sheridancollege.ca/

Sheridan College is one of Canada's leading postsecondary institutions dedicated to the provision of outstanding academic programs and the support of student and graduate success. Sheridan was named number one in the world in 2012 for animation, gaming and design programs by Animation Career Review. We deliver an exceptional educational experience in an environment renowned for innovation and creativity. Program options range from one-year certificates to four-year degrees in the arts, business, community service and technology fields. Sheridan serves 18,000 full-time and 35,000 continuing education students at our campuses in Oakville, Brampton and Mississauga.

About SIRT: http://www.sirtcentre.com

The Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) is an applied research centre established by Sheridan College in 2010 at Pinewood Toronto Studios in the east end of Toronto. It's dedicated to fostering collaborative innovation in Ontario's film, gaming and television industries. SIRT works with industry, academic, and government partners to conduct collaborative research and provide Ontario's professionals the training needed to build the province's competitive advantage in the screen-based entertainment industries.

SOURCE: Sheridan College

For further information:

Media Contact:

Susan Atkinson
(905) 845-9430, ext. 2096
susan.atkinson@sheridanc.on.ca