Cisco WebEx Social Brings Social Collaboration to Mobile Devices, Email and Business Productivity Applications

Cisco WebEx Social Brings Social Collaboration to Mobile Devices, Email and Business Productivity Applications

Cisco Extends WebEx Beyond Web Conferencing to Now Include Social and Telepresence, Giving Customers Ways to Use Social and Video to Increase Employee Innovation and Engagement

BOSTON June 19, 2012 Today at Enterprise 2.0, Cisco unveiled a variety of innovations that will make it possible for people to participate in social collaboration, regardless of where they are working, by bringing social capabilities to the devices and applications that workers use most often. The innovations pertain to what's now called Cisco WebEx® Social (formerly known as Cisco Quad™) and build upon existing offerings that help employees share knowledge, find experts and information and form effective virtual work teams. With this release of WebEx Social, Cisco is introducing the following capabilities:

* Microsoft Office Integration: Cisco is announcing integration with WebEx Social and Microsoft Office that will empower workers using Word, PowerPoint or Excel to jointly edit and post updated documents, presentations and spreadsheets back to WebEx Social.

* Email: Email no longer has to be a siloed application. With enhanced e-mail integration, workers can stay in e-mail clients such as Microsoft Outlook while also creating and posting updates to WebEx Social.

* Mobility: Cisco is introducing enhancements to the WebEx Social iPhone and iPad client that will give workers the ability to transition from social networking to real-time IM, Web conferencing and voice calls directly from their mobile application.

* Video: With new browser-based video calling, people can seamlessly escalate to a high-definition (HD) video conferencing session, without going to a separate application. These sessions are compatible with a wide variety of video endpoints, including Cisco TelePresence®, IP video phones, mobile and soft clients.

* Flexible deployment models: With this release, customers will have a choice of deployment models. WebEx Social is available as an on-premise (WebEx Social Server) offering, partner-hosted (through Logicalis, ACS and Alphawest) and a Cisco-hosted cloud-based solution.

With today's news, Cisco is extending WebEx cloud services to not only encompass what was formerly known as Quad, but also Cisco Callway, Cisco's hosted TelePresence solutions. Cisco is aligning its Quad and Callway brands with WebEx where they join a market leading portfolio of web conferencing and instant messaging solutions. By bringing a comprehensive solution to the cloud, Cisco provides users and IT with easy access to their social collaboration tools of choice from any device. The expanded WebEx family of cloud collaboration services will utilize the global data center footprint and operational excellence of the WebEx cloud to deliver highly available, real-time cloud services that meets the needs of the most demanding organizations. The WebEx cloud is the world's second-largest public cloud for business collaboration applications.

Additional Announcement Details

* Extending social to where people work WebEx Social helps broaden participation by enabling employees working on mobile devices, email and personal productivity applications to easily engage in social collaboration with their colleagues. In addition, the new WebEx Social software developer kit (SDK) allows developers to extend core WebEx Social capabilities, such as Activity Streams, Watch List and Open Search, to critical business applications.

* Integrated real-time communications and video WebEx Social also unifies social and real-time collaboration solutions like video, voice, instant messaging (IM), presence and web conferencing -- into a single, integrated user experience. This not only gives users immediate access to the right tools at the right time, but can drive higher and faster adoption of new collaborative ways of working. WebEx Social offers new compelling real-time video experiences and deeper integration with WebEx conferencing.

- HD Video Calling: While accessing WebEx Social via a Web browser, people can initiate voice and HD video calls without going to a separate application.

- WebEx Integrated Calendar: WebEx Social includes an update for unified calendaring and an integrated WebEx experience. Users can view, join and start meetings directly from the WebEx Social personal calendar.

* Familiar, Personalized User Experience

- New Web and Mobile Interfaces: Both the Cisco WebEx Social Web interface and the mobile client feature new, highly intuitive user experiences that make it simple for anyone to get started. On the Web interface, employees can easily personalize their experience by adding approved applications and choosing layouts. Organizations can also custom brand the WebEx Social Web and mobile interfaces to align with their corporate branding. This simple and intuitive user experience can also help promote greater end user adoption.

* Simple and Powerful Expert Q&A In addition to helping employees locate experts and information, WebEx Social now helps problem-solving by finding answers to specific questions. New Expert Q&A crowdsources answers by intelligently routing questions to identified experts within an organization.

* Availability: WebEx Social Server is targeted for availability worldwide in July while the cloud-based solution is targeted for availability in North America in July. 

Advanced hosted Telepresence offerings

* Cisco is also announcing new capabilities with Cisco WebEx Telepresence, one of the Cisco WebEx cloud services. Cisco WebEx Telepresence, formerly known as Cisco Callway, is managed by Cisco and sold through Cisco Authorized Partners. Customers can purchase or lease, select multipurpose and personal endpoints and connect those endpoints to a hosted service. This service reduces the complexity and costs with Telepresence benefits that are appealing to small businesses. New features include:

- The ability to host a video call with up to nine users on the WebEx Telepresence network. Supports high-quality audio and video (up to 1080p HD video resolution), so employees can meet in-person with their colleagues, suppliers/partners and customers.

- Company-designated administrators can now centrally manage user subscriptions and contact lists anytime on a new online customer portal.

- Support for Cisco TelePresence MX300 and Cisco TelePresence SX20.

- Streamlined subscription tiers and a new annual pre-pay option making ordering and bill pay easier for Cisco partners and customers.

Visit Cisco at booth 101 on Tuesday, June 19 and Wednesday, June 20 between 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. ET in the exhibit hall for demonstrations of exciting new developments in social, video and mobile collaboration technologies.

Supporting Quotes:

Murali Sitaram, vice president and general manager, Cloud Collaboration Technology Group, Cisco: "More than ever, companies are rethinking the way they have traditionally done business to take a more social approach. With today's announcements, Cisco is marrying the best of consumer social network features with a complete set of integrated collaboration cloud services for a seamless and integrated user experience. This new experience gives customers the option to securely participate in social business from the device and application of their choice."

Peter Westerveld, CIO, Minter Ellison: "Designed for the enterprise, Cisco WebEx Social has enabled us to introduce social technologies in a highly secure, managed way not possible with consumer collaboration services. The collaborative communities in Cisco WebEx Social let us warehouse our intellectual capital and encourage lawyers to share their know-how with colleagues. Doing things more efficiently provides better value for our clients."

Simon Daykin, CTO at Logicalis: "WebEx Social enables us to further expand our business model and the breadth of advanced services we offer clients looking for social business solutions. Improved customization capabilities benefit our clients and enable us as a partner to better integrate WebEx Social within our ImmersiV Collaboration Portfolio offering."

Ajay Deshpande, chief architect, Persistent Systems: "Cisco WebEx Social aligns very well with Persistent System's corporate culture. It provides a platform for people to express themselves and strengthen their sense of connection to the company. At the same time, it helps management seek out the wisdom of the crowds. For example we have integrated microblogging into our daily jobs. Having salespeople microblog about the week's activities in advance of weekly sales meetings reduced meeting time from 90 minutes to 15-20 minutes, an 80% savings. Multiply that time saving by 25 people on the call, and we've freed up 30 hours weekly for more interaction."

Andy Dignan, Senior Manager, Unified Communications, CDW:  "As a Cisco channel partner, we are always looking for ways to accelerate customer adoption of collaboration technologies by working closely with users and showing the value that collaboration delivers as part of the way they conduct work.  We believe Cisco WebEx Social is a leap forward that delivers a rich collaboration offering to our enterprise customers, and not only changes the way users collaborate, but helps drive adoption by making it easier for users to participate in social collaboration."

Doug Dooley, Vice President of Product Management, Coraid: "Coraid continues to increase the speed and quality of our business in all functional areas across our fast growing company. Cisco WebEx Telepresence helps us create a higher-caliber communication and collaboration culture with a distinct advantage in our daily operations and execution. Being able to connect over telepresence enables us to move faster and make better decisions with more inputs across our company.  With WebEx Telepresence and WebEx Meetings, Coraid is able to bring our highly mobile and globally dispersed workforce together for better alignment, superior sales and customer management, and higher quality product development."

# # #

Supporting Resources

* For more product details and information, visit the Cisco WebEx Social http://www.cisco.com/web/products/quad/index.html, Cisco WebEx, http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps10352/index.html , Cisco WebEx TelePresence http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps12433/index.html, and Cisco WebEx Cloud http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/ns1007/collaboration_cloud.html pages for more detail.

* For more information about Cisco Collaboration announcements, activities and solutions, engage with us through social media: Cisco Collaboration Community https://communities.cisco.com/community/technology/collaboration , @CiscoCollab on Twitter, and Cisco Collaboration on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CiscoCollab . And, hear from our Cisco Collaboration business and product leaders through our Cisco Collaboration Blog. http://blogs.cisco.com/category/collaboration

Technorati Tags

Cisco, video, TelePresence, WebEx Social, social, cloud, email, e2.0, social business, high quality video, collaboration, HD video, endpoints, post PC era, Jabber, Cisco collaboration cloud, Enterprise 2.0, unified communications, mobile, WebEx, web conferencing, WebEx Telepresence.

About Cisco Collaboration

From award-winning IP communications to mobility, customer care, Web conferencing, messaging, enterprise social software, and interoperable telepresence experiences, Cisco brings together network-based, integrated collaboration solutions based on open standards. These solutions offered across on-premise, cloud-based or virtualized platforms, as well as services from Cisco and our partners, are designed to help promote business growth, innovation and productivity. They are also designed to help accelerate team performance, protect investments, and simplify the process of finding the right people and information.

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Cisco Canada Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco, has offices across Canada dedicated to customer support, sales and service. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com/canada/.

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Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco Systems are registered trademarks or trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company. This document is Cisco Public Information.

Availability Disclaimer: Many of the products and features described herein remain in varying stages of development and will be offered on a when-and-if-available basis. This products and features are subject to change at the sole discretion of Cisco, and Cisco will have no liability for delay in the delivery or failure to deliver any of the products or features set forth in this document.

Contact Information

Andrea Berry
StrategicAmpersand Inc. (for Cisco)
416-961-5595, Ext. 428
andrea@stratamp.com

Karin Scott
Cisco
416-306-7164
kariscot@cisco.com

 
 
 

"Man in the Browser" Attack Automates Bank Fraud

"Man in the Browser" Attack Automates Bank Fraud

CUPERTINO, Calif., June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704;TSE: 4704), the global cloud security leader, today released a threat report that identifies an Automatic Transfer System (ATS) which allows cybercriminals to breach new bank security measures and clean out a victims' bank accounts without leaving signs of criminal activity.

The report, written by Trend Micro's Senior Threat Researcher, Loucif Kharouni, discusses how the ATS tool is used in conjunction with SpyEye and ZeuS malware variants to create a "Man in the Browser (MitB)" attack. The attack does not require the criminal to be online during the victim's session and will automatically conduct a wire transfer using the victims' credentials, without alerting them.  

Entitled "Automatic Transfer System, a New Cybercrime Tool" the report documents attacks that have been directed towards banks which are using enhanced security measures, such as those that impose daily account transfer limits and use two-factor authentication through SMS notifications. Banks in Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy have been targeted the most for these attacks.

"The attacks are of particular concern because they circumvent traditional and even enhanced online banking security measures," said Tom Kellermann, VP Cybersecurity, of Trend Micro. "Due to the seemingly imperceptible way that this ATS tool modifies records, endpoint solutions must be used to prevent infections from starting or to detect the threat after it has already affected a machine. Users should also update their endpoints security systems frequently to ensure they afford themselves the best chance to prevent these attacks."   

The ATS tool currently only affects bank accounts where a PC running Windows is used to access bank records. Unlike previous cybercrime tools that interact with SpyEye and ZeuS, the ATS tool also does not prompt pop-up displays and will automatically perform several tasks such as checking account balances, conducting wire transfers and modifying account transactions to hide traces of the tool's presence. No banks in the United States have reported to be affected yet, but previous threats that have been linked with SpyEye and ZeuS create the possibility that the tool can be repurposed to attack banks in the United States.

 About Trend Micro
Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704;TSE: 4704), the global cloud security leader, creates a world safe for exchanging digital information with its Internet content security and threat management solutions for businesses and consumers.  A pioneer in server security with over 20 years' experience, we deliver top-ranked client, server and cloud-based security that fits our customers' and partners' needs, stops new threats faster, and protects data in physical, virtualized and cloud environments. Powered by the industry-leading Trend Micro Smart Protection Network cloud computing security infrastructure, our products and services stop threats where they emerge – from the Internet. They are supported by 1,000+ threat intelligence experts around the globe. 

Additional information about Trend Micro Incorporated and the products and services are available at Trend Micro.com. This Trend Micro news release and other announcements are available at http://newsroom.trendmicro.com/  and as part of an RSS feed at www.trendmicro.com/rss.   Or follow our news on Twitter at @TrendMicro.

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated

Mediative Releases Research Findings of How Online Retail Display Advertising Impacts Consumer Purchasing Behaviour (featuring Walmart.ca)

Mediative Releases Research Findings of How Online Retail Display Advertising Impacts Consumer Purchasing Behaviour (featuring Walmart.ca)

    

MONTREAL, QUEBEC -- (Marketwire) -- 06/18/12 -- Mediative, a digital marketing company, compiled research that highlights how retail display advertising has the potential to drive significant online business to a particular brand or product, as well as have a positive influence on offline consumer purchase behaviour. Using Walmart.ca as a test environment, the study collected quantitative data that helps brands and digital advertisers enhance their exposure and better target consumers.

"While click through rate is important, it should not be the only measure of success, especially for retail sites," stated Mediative's President, Patrick Lauzon. "Display advertising can build positive associations, attitudes and preferences for brands, and influence a purchase without necessarily generating a click on the ad."

With Walmart.ca as a test environment, Mediative measured how online display advertising influences buying and brand decisions made by shoppers at the point of purchase. Brands that advertise at-retail are able to control their exposure throughout the purchase funnel and target consumers shopping with intent to buy products in targeted retail categories.

Nine hundred thirty three (933) respondents participated in a rigorous research methodology generating data for potential clicks that can be captured by display advertising at-retail, in addition to potential brand lift resulting from display advertising at-retail.

Some key metrics included:

-- Percentage of Total Clicks by Placement -- Traffic Changes at the Product Level -- Lab Study Eye Tracking Results -- Brand Affinity -- Brand Impression -- Purchase Intent

Some key findings included:

-- Display advertising that is related to the intent of the visitor can drive up to 48.1% of traffic on product specific pages. -- When advertising is related to visitor intent it can capture up to double the clicks when compared to unrelated display advertising. Even display ads that are unrelated to visitor intent capture a significant number of clicks (up to 20%) and attention, and can therefore influence purchase behaviour for brands that are not necessarily sold by the retailer. -- An IAB skyscraper that is matched to the intent of the visitor can drive 7x more clicks than one that is unrelated to intent. -- When a display ad is relevant to the visitor's intent, up to 87% of visitors to the page viewed it. -- Banner display advertising that is related to the intent of the visitor has the potential to be the first area of interest that is viewed on a page. -- When the skyscraper ad is matched to the intent of the visitor, the percentage of people who look at it can be up to 10 times more than the number who actually click on it. Display ads, therefore, are viewed and noticed even if that does not translate to a click. -- Brands that are shown in display ads on retailers' specific category pages could receive up to a 60% increase in brand affinity, while brand affinity of competing brands could decrease by up to 33% .

As part of the study Mediative also captured some information about online, and offline buying behaviours of potential Walmart customers, the results of which strengthen the argument that digital advertising plays a pivotal role in driving purchase intent online and at store level.

-- 95% of respondents research a product online before going to the store to make a purchase. -- Over 43% of respondents had made an online purchase three or more times in the three months prior to the survey. -- 73% of respondents say one of the reasons they visit a retailer's website is to research prices. -- If a retail website does not feature the products that the visitors are looking for they will go to another website.

The research includes a case study that illustrates how a successful at-retail campaign can positively impact retail sales. To download a full copy of the study, click here.

A webinar featuring the research findings will be presented by Ben Rodier and Ian Everdell tomorrow, Tuesday June 19th, 2012. To register, click here.

In partnership with Mediative, Walmart.ca provides advertisers with a unique reach to 3 million unique Canadian shoppers per month.

About Walmart.ca

Walmart Canada operates a growing chain of discount stores and supercentres with more than 330 locations nationwide serving more than one million customers each day. With nearly 90,000 associates, Walmart Canada is one of Canada's largest employers and is recognized by Waterstone Human Capital as having one of Canada's top 10 corporate cultures. In 2011, Walmart Canada extended their everyday low price offerings online in a continued effort to simplify shopping for the Canadian customer.

About Mediative

Mediative is a digital marketing company providing performance services and access to media platforms. Organizations who want to significantly enhance their digital presence and influence buyers turn to Mediative to help generate revenue by quickly moving their targets from awareness to purchase. Location and research-based data fuels Mediative's insight, which is leveraged across consultative performance services, online properties, and location-based marketing platforms in the dynamic digital world. With precise and unmatched knowledge of how "shoppers and clients buy", Mediative takes a consultative and holistic approach, based on their people's passion for insight and results, to provide the outcomes marketers and businesses need now, and for the future. Mediative has over 150 employees across four Canadian offices: Montreal, Toronto, Kelowna and Vancouver. For more information, visit www.mediative.ca.

Contacts:
Mediative
Aline Badr
Senior Corporate Communications Manager
416.263.6782
aline.badr@mediative.ca

Mediative
Mohamed Kahlain
VP, Marketing and Product Innovation
514.751.3903
Mohamed.Kahlain@mediative.ca
www.mediative.ca

SAP Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of SAP HANA(R) With Major Milestones

SAP Celebrates One-Year Anniversary of SAP HANA® With Major Milestones

SAP Launches New Program to Promote Expertise on SAP HANA® in the Market

PALO ALTO, Calif. - June 18, 2012 - This week marks the one-year anniversary of the SAP HANA® platform becoming generally available. To celebrate this occasion, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the launch of the SAP HANA Distinguished Engineer program. The SAP HANA Distinguished Engineer program is a new group of community-driven, hands-on technical professionals focused on promoting SAP HANA expertise in the market. SAP is also honoring major milestones achieved with SAP HANA in the last year at an event being held this morning at SAP Labs in Palo Alto.

"In January, SAP HANA became the fastest-growing technology in SAP history, and this week we are celebrating its first anniversary," said Dr. Vishal Sikka, member of the SAP Executive Board, Technology & Innovation. "Not only is SAP HANA revolutionizing our industry, it has also shown the power of technology to transform lives. In less than a year, SAP HANA has gained tremendous momentum with more than 350 customers, more than 150 implementations and more than 64,000 end-users. SAP HANA's delivery of amazing business and technical value would not have been possible without the vision and support from innovative customers, startups and partners who have put their confidence in SAP HANA, but most importantly from an incredible team of warriors, who have done what once seemed impossible, in such a short period of time. SAP HANA is truly the embodiment of our intellectual renewal."

Over the last year, SAP HANA has achieved major customer achievements and performance milestones1. Here are a few of the highlights:

Customer Achievements
  • 354 customers
  • 150+ implemented projects
  • 16 customers with more than 10,000-times performance improvement over disk-based databases
  • More than 64,000 end-users
  • 2,000 Amazon Web Services (AWS) instances
  • 1,791 trained consultants
Product Performance
  • One platform for OLTP and OLAP, structured and unstructured data, fresh data and "big data"
  • No tuning, no indices, no materialized views, no caching
  • 33 SAP solutions powered by SAP HANA
  • 100 TB benchmark on 16 node IBM X5
  • 20-times compression
  • Business warehouse (BW) query: 300-500 milliseconds
  • Ad-hoc query: 800 miliseconds-2 seconds
  • Insert rate: 770,000 records per second
  • Bulk: 1 GB per minute
  • Data services: 2.5 TB per hour
  • Scale out to 500 TB in main memory for real-time processing of "big data"

SAP HANA Distinguished Engineer Program to Foster Innovation, Promote Technical Skills
The SAP HANA Distinguished Engineer program was founded by SAP in collaboration with some of the foremost SAP HANA technologists and Mentors from Bluefin Solutions, Deloitte Consulting, IBM Global Business Solutions and independent consultants. It is open to all developers, database administrators and other SAP HANA technologists who have an interest in pursuing and promoting technical skills in support of SAP HANA-based customer solutions.

"We want to congratulate Vishal and the SAP team on the first anniversary of SAP HANA," said Vijay Vijayasankar, head of SAP Forward Engineering, IBM Global Business Services. "The traction of SAP HANA in the market this past year is beyond anything else I have seen from SAP in my career. I also want to commend SAP specifically for supporting the fast-growing SAP HANA community - especially with the innovative idea of working closely with a community of SAP HANA experts to keep the skills in the ecosystem on the bleeding edge. This is key to ensure that customers and partners get the maximum benefit of SAP HANA. I am looking forward to even more collaboration and co-innovation with SAP in future."

With broad industry and partner support, SAP is committed to fostering innovation not only in software and hardware technology, but also in the growth and development of people and skills. SAP will work closely with program members to ensure skilled technologists stay up to date with the rapid pace of development of SAP HANA. The program will also help members gain access to resources from within SAP and cross-promote their efforts to drive new solutions and best practices based on SAP HANA. More details can be found at www.experienceSAPHANA.com.

To view the live stream of the event in Palo Alto on June 18, 2012, at 10:00 a.m. PDT, visit www.sapvirtualevents.com/HANA1. To learn more, see a video on SAP HANA, "As We May Work."

For more information on SAP HANA and in-memory computing technology, visit the Experience SAP HANA website and the SAP Newsroom.

1These tests were conducted on 625B records of 10 years of SAP sales and distribution data found typically in SAP NetWeaver® Business Warehouse application systems. Performance results range from 600 milliseconds - 1.1 seconds per ad hoc queries such as "Top 100 customers." The system configuration for this was 51 nodes IBM x5 servers, each with 512 GB main memory.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device - SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 190,000 customers (includes customers from the acquisition of SuccessFactors) to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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

© 2012 by SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP and the SAP logo are registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Business Objects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects Software Ltd. Business Objects is an SAP company. Sybase and the Sybase logo are registered trademarks of Sybase Inc. Sybase is an SAP company. Crossgate is a registered trademark of Crossgate AG in Germany and other countries. Crossgate is an SAP company.

Note to editors:
To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit www.sap.com/photos. On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit www.sap-tv.com. From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from SAP TV.

Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:
Samantha Finnegan, +1 (650) 276-9350, samantha.finnegan@sap.com, PDT
SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EDT; press@sap.com
Anthony Suarez, Burson-Marsteller, +1 (212) 614-4331, anthony.suarez@bm.com, EDT

Symantec Survey Reveals Online File Sharing Poses Great Security Risks to SMBs

Symantec Survey Reveals Online File Sharing Poses Great Security Risks to SMBs

As Online File Sharing Solutions Gain Popularity in Business, SMBs Risk Security Breaches and Data Loss

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. – June 19, 2012 – Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today announced that as online file sharing becomes increasingly common as a business practice, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are more at risk than ever before, according to the findings of its 2011 SMB File Sharing Survey. The survey revealed that SMB employees are increasingly adopting unmanaged, personal-use online file sharing solutions without permission from IT, part of the broader trend of the consumerization of IT in which the adoption of online services for use on personal mobile devices blurs the lines between work and play. These early-adopter behaviors – like those driving the use of file sharing technology – are making organizations vulnerable to security threats and potential data loss.


“A staggering 71 percent of small businesses that suffer from a cyber attack never recover – it’s fatal,” said Rowan Trollope, group president, SMB and .cloud, Symantec. “As the fastest adopters of cloud technologies, such as file sharing, SMBs need to use safe practices, especially when using a solution that might not be built for businesses. As employees increasingly adopt consumer cloud services at work, the risk to SMBs only grows.”


Click to Tweet: Symantec Survey Finds File Sharing Poses Risks to SMBs: http://bit.ly/M8HGMI


Survey Highlights

  • Employees influence adoption of file sharing solutions internally: SMB stakeholders recognize that file sharing helps drive productivity among employees. Seventy-four percent of respondents said they adopted online file sharing to bolster their own productivity. Also, 61 percent of respondents reported employees to be somewhat-to-extremely influential when it comes to adopting file sharing solutions internally, on par with mobile device usage (63 percent), PC/laptop/tablet usage (64 percent) and social media usage (53 percent).
  • Security and data loss are potential file sharing risks: Many respondents recognized the potential risks that poorly managed file sharing practices can bring into their organizations. Among respondents, risks cited as potential concerns included sharing confidential information using unapproved solutions (44 percent), malware (44 percent), loss of confidential or proprietary information (43 percent), breach of confidential information (41 percent), embarrassment or damage to brand/reputation (37 percent), and violating regulatory rules (34 percent). Moreover, the lack of policy enforcement also enhances risks for many respondents as more than one-fifth (22 percent) of respondents have not implemented policies restricting how employees can access and share files.
  • File sharing behaviors could expose SMBs to risk: Employee behaviors around file sharing indicate further potential for security risk. When asked what employees might do when they need to share a large file, respondents indicated they would either ask IT for help (51 percent), use a solution suggested by a customer, contractor or partner (42 percent), utilize the IT system in place (33 percent), or search online and download a free solution (27 percent). Furthermore, 41 percent indicated damaged brand reputation was a concern when it comes to file sharing.
  • Files are getting bigger: Many of the files shared internally and externally are significantly increasing in size. One in seven (14 percent) respondents reported the average size of files currently shared by their organization to be more than 1 GB while three years ago, only 6 percent reported the average file size to be more than 1 GB.
  • SMBs are more distributed: Respondents indicated the number of employees working remotely and/or from home has gradually increased over the past three years, and the number is projected to increase. Respondents predicted that one year from now 37 percent of SMB organizations will have employees working remotely (up 22 percent from three years ago and 32 percent today), and 32 percent will have employees who work from home (up 20 percent from three years ago, and 28 percent today).

Recommendations

Symantec recommends that SMBs implement some simple best practices to help ensure employees share files securely:

  • Centralize file storage and management with a secure web-based system that is accessible regardless of device or location so that companies protect data outside the office walls.
  • Implement access controls and permissions to keep private files safe and separate from work content.
  • Maintain oversight into how and when business files are shared.
  • Implement a scalable system that can grow with the business.

Symantec’s 2011 SMB File Sharing Survey

Applied Research fielded this survey in November 2011. They spoke with decision-makers at 1,325 worldwide SMB organizations with 5 to 500 employees.


About Symantec

Symantec is a global leader in providing security, storage and systems management solutions to help consumers and organizations secure and manage their information-driven world. Our software and services protect against more risks at more points, more completely and efficiently, enabling confidence wherever information is used or stored. More information is available at www.symantec.com.


Note to Editors: If you would like additional information on Symantec Corporation and its products, please visit the Symantec News Room at http://www.symantec.com/news. All prices noted are in U.S. dollars and are valid only in the United States.


Symantec and the Symantec Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Symantec Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.


Forward-looking Statements: Any forward-looking indication of plans for products is preliminary and all future release dates are tentative and are subject to change. Any future release of the product or planned modifications to product capability, functionality, or feature are subject to ongoing evaluation by Symantec, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by Symantec and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions.


TECHNORATI TAGS: Symantec, small business, SMBs, virtualization, private cloud, public cloud, mobility, security, backup

Avigilon Named "Company of the Year" by BCTIA

Avigilon Named "Company of the Year" by BCTIA

Innovator of high-definition video surveillance solutions recognized as leader in the technology industry for superior business development and profitable growth

VANCOUVER, June 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Avigilon (TSX: AVO), a leader in high-definition (HD) and megapixel video surveillance solutions, has earned the "Company of the Year" award from the British Columbia Technology Industry Association (BCTIA). Awarded on June 14, 2012, the Technology Impact Awards (TIAs) received a record number of applications from technology companies of all sizes from various sectors. The TIAs celebrate the achievements and success of companies, people and innovation that continue to put British Columbia's technology on the map.

"Congratulations to Avigilon on their tremendous success over the past year.  Avigilon is already one of the fastest growing technology companies in Canada and a key part of our vibrant tech community in BC," said Bill Tam, president and CEO at BCTIA.

In 2011, Avigilon was ranked the fastest growing software company in North America on the Deloitte Fast500™. In addition to record revenues, innovative product launches and hiring around the world, the year also marked Avigilon becoming a publicly-traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange under ticker symbol 'AVO.'

"We are honored to be recognized as the Company of the Year among such high caliber finalists. Receiving this award validates the dedication and outstanding work of our team and partner network," said Alexander Fernandes, president and chief executive officer at Avigilon. "As a technology leader we are committed to continue growing and delivering innovative solutions for our customers worldwide."

About the Technology Impact Awards
Founded in 1994 by the BCTIA, the Technology Impact Awards celebrate the successes of our industry and the companies, people and innovation that continue to put British Columbia on the map. Every year, submissions are received from companies of all sizes and sectors from across the province. 

About the BCTIA
The BC Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) is an industry-funded organization committed to growing British Columbia's technology industry. As the Voice for Technology, the BCTIA has members across the province and includes technology and professional services companies of all sizes and from every sector. 

The BCTIA offers programs and services that connect people, generate new ideas, and help companies grow. These include the Technology Impact Awards (TIAs), where excellence in innovation is celebrated, Peer2Peer groups, where members connect to learn, and Centre4Growth, where tech entrepreneurs connect with seasoned coaches to help guide them to the next level. www.bctia.org

About Avigilon
Avigilon (TSX: AVO) is defining the future of protection through innovative high-definition surveillance solutions. Delivering the world's best image quality, our industry-leading HD network video management software and megapixel cameras are reinventing surveillance. Information about Avigilon can be found at www.avigilon.com.


For further information:

Angela St-Amour
Communications Manager
(604) 630-3410
angela.stamour@avigilon.com

New Erasure Solutions Launch Preemptive Strike Against Data Breaches

New Erasure Solutions Launch Preemptive Strike Against Data Breaches

ABBOTSFORD, BC, June 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Blancco's latest proactive solutions for enterprise data erasure combine smoother process automation with powerful multi-tasking capabilities.

In the war against data breaches, enterprises often focus on malware or hackers, overlooking the very real threat from improperly disposed electronic equipment. According to Privacy Rights Clearinghouse data, 25% of data breaches in 2011 were the result of lost, discarded or stolen stationary or portable devices, representing 40% of all exposed records. With its new Blancco 5 data erasure software and centralized Management Console, Blancco, the global leader in data erasure and computer reuse solutions, helps enterprises proactively fight against costly data breach fines and related risks. These secure erasure solutions support fast, simple and complete data removal from electronic devices ranging from laptops and PCs to storage arrays in high-end servers for data center environments.

To view the Multimedia News Release, please click:

http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/blancco-erasure-data-solutions/56555/

"As the digital universe is doubling every 18 months and the spectrum of device platforms is rapidly becoming more and more fragmented, efficiency, extensive platform coverage and automation are an absolute must for present and future data erasure needs," said Christopher Eeg, Country Manager for Blancco Canada. "Blancco 5, combined with our new Blancco Management Console, takes process automation, execution and security of data erasure to an advanced level. It also offers an extremely fast and user-friendly experience with upgraded interfaces, dashboards, and other efficiency-oriented features.

"As workplace data and electronic devices proliferate, increasing the threat of data exposure, companies and public organizations need a solution that is flexible enough to erase multiple hardware platforms while providing user friendly, centralized administration and robust reporting."

Blancco 5's intuitive interface allows users to easily customize complex erasure processes. Its high speed, simultaneous erasure of multiple drives keeps valuable IT resources productive, and enhanced hardware detection contributes to detailed erasure reports that can streamline audit procedures in regulated industries like healthcare, banking and retail that require data removal for retired, disposed and reused hardware.

Used with Blancco 5, the Management Console further streamlines data security and erasure processes by providing complete online management and automation from a central console supported by user-friendly dashboards and widgets. Erasure policy management and data erasure reporting are two of the many processes automated through Blancco Management Console. This solution also integrates with other Blancco products for erasure of LUNs, flash drives, and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Blancco Management Console centrally stores erasure reports to support asset and chain of custody tracking and provide transparency for software and hardware audits to prove erasure compliance and avoid regulatory fines. It also integrates with asset management and ERP systems and supports export and email of erasure reports, depending on administrator-defined user rights.

Please contact your local Blancco sales representative for further product information and delivery details. For more information about Blancco products, visit http://www.blancco.com.

About Blancco

Blancco is the proven data erasure solution for millions of users around the globe. As the global leader in data erasure and computer reuse solutions, Blancco offers the most certified data erasure solutions within the industry. The company serves users across a wide range of industries, including banking, finance, government and defense. The company's products are highly valued by IT asset disposal professionals around the world. Blancco operates from an extensive network of international offices and partners across Europe, North America, Middle East, Russia, Asia and Australasia. More information is available at http://www.blancco.com.

Video: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/blancco-erasure-data-solutions/56555/

For further information:

Media Contact:
Monica Shaw
+1-770-367-9534
mshaw@carabinerpr.com 


Blancco Canada
Christopher Eeg, Country Manager, Blancco Canada
+1(604)800-0277
christopher.eeg@blancco.com

Celestica to wind down manufacturing services for Research in Motion

Celestica to wind down manufacturing services for Research in Motion

(All amounts in U.S. dollars.
Per share information based on diluted
shares outstanding unless noted otherwise).

TORONTO, June 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Celestica Inc. (NYSE, TSX: CLS), a global leader in the delivery of end-to-end product lifecycle solutions, today announced that over the course of the next three to six months, it will wind down its manufacturing services for Research in Motion (RIM).

Celestica has been a high-performing manufacturing supplier for RIM and will work closely with RIM throughout the transition. As discussed on the company's first quarter results conference call on April 24, Celestica has been working with RIM as it assesses its supply chain strategy. Celestica estimates that prior to any recoveries, its restructuring charges will not exceed $35 million.

More details about this announcement will be provided as part of the company's second-quarter results press release and conference call, which are scheduled for Friday, July 27.

In addition, Celestica is reaffirming its second quarter financial guidance that was provided on April 24. The company anticipates revenue to be in the range of $1.65 billion to $1.75 billion, and adjusted net earnings per share to be in the range of $0.20 to $0.26.

About Celestica
Celestica is dedicated to delivering end-to-end product lifecycle solutions to drive our customers' success. Through our simplified global operations network and information technology platform, we are solid partners who deliver informed, flexible solutions that enable our customers to succeed in the markets they serve. Committed to providing a truly differentiated customer experience, our agile and adaptive employees share a proud history of demonstrated expertise and creativity that provides our customers with the ability to overcome any challenge.

For further information on Celestica, visit its website at http://www.celestica.com.
The company's security filings can also be accessed at http://www.sedar.com and http://www.sec.gov.

Celestica Safe Harbor and Fair Disclosure Statement

This news release contains forward-looking statements related to our future growth, our financial or operational results including our quarterly earnings and revenue guidance, and the impact of winding down of our manufacturing services for RIM on our financial results and working capital requirements, and anticipated expenses and restructuring charges related to the RIM wind down. Such forward-looking statements are predictive in nature and may be based on current expectations, forecasts or assumptions involving risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements themselves.  Such forward-looking statements may, without limitation, be preceded by, followed by, or include words such as "believes", "expects", "anticipates", "estimates", "intends", "plans", "continues", or similar expressions, or may employ such future or conditional verbs as "may", "will", "should" or "would", or may otherwise be indicated as forward-looking statements by grammatical construction, phrasing or context.  For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and in applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Readers should understand that the following important factors could affect our future results and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements: the challenges of effectively managing the winding down of manufacturing services for RIM and the duration of such wind down,  the extent of the restructuring charges associated with the RIM wind down, our dependence on a limited number of customers and on our customers' ability to compete and succeed in their marketplace for the products we manufacture; the effects of price competition and other business and competitive factors generally affecting the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry; the challenges of effectively managing our operations and our working capital performance during uncertain economic conditions, including responding to significant changes in demand from our customers, including RIM; the challenges of managing changing commodity costs as well as labor costs and conditions; disruptions to our operations, or those of our customers, component suppliers, or our logistics partners, resulting from local events including natural disasters, political instability, local labor conditions and social unrest, criminal activity and other risks present in the jurisdictions in which we operate; our inability to retain or expand our business due to execution problems relating to the ramping of new programs; the delays in the delivery and/or general availability of various components and materials used in our manufacturing process; the challenge of managing our financial exposure to foreign currency volatility; our dependence on industries affected by rapid technological change; variability of operating results among periods; our ability to successfully manage our international operations; increasing income taxes and our ability to successfully defend tax audits or meet the conditions of tax incentives; the completion of our restructuring activities or integration of any  acquisitions; and the risk of potential non-performance by counterparties, including but not limited to financial institutions, customers and suppliers. These and other risks and uncertainties, as well as other information related to the company, are discussed in the company's various public filings at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F and subsequent reports on Form 6-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and our Annual Information Form filed with the Canadian securities regulators. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future.  Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Except as required by applicable law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Our revenue and earnings guidance and estimated restructuring charges, as contained in this press release, are based on various assumptions which management believes are reasonable under the current circumstances, but may prove to be inaccurate, and many of which involve factors that are beyond the control of the company. The material assumptions may include the following: our ability to effectively manage the RIM wind down and the duration of such wind down, forecasts from all of our customers, including RIM, which range from 30 to 90 days and can fluctuate significantly in terms of volume and mix of products or services; the timing and execution of, and investments associated with ramping new business; the success in the marketplace of our customers' products, general economic and market conditions; currency exchange rates; pricing and competition; anticipated customer demand; supplier performance and pricing; commodity, labor, energy and transportation costs; operational and financial matters; and technological developments. These assumptions and estimates are based on management's current views with respect to current plans and events, and are and will be subject to the risks and uncertainties referred to above.  It is Celestica's policy that revenue and earnings guidance is effective on the date given, and will only be updated through a public announcement. 

For further information:

Contacts:

Celestica Global Communications
(416) 448-2200
media@celestica.com        

Celestica Investor Relations
(416) 448-2211
clsir@celestica.com

Toronto Hospital is First to Recognize Symptoms from Wireless Radiation

Toronto Hospital is First to Recognize Symptoms from Wireless Radiation

TORONTO, June 18, 2012 /CNW/ - Women's College Hospital says family doctors must learn to detect the symptoms of exposure to wireless radiation.

The hospital released a statement saying the symptoms include disrupted sleep, headaches, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations, memory problems, and skin rashes. These symptoms are now labelled Electro-magnetic Hyper-sensitivity, or "EMS".

"Health-care practitioners need to better understand EMS so they can help their patients," said Dr. Riina Bray, medical director of the hospital's Environmental Health Clinic.

Dr. Bray says the world is becoming dominated by wireless internet, cell phones and cell towers, and there can be a broad range of health impacts.

The hospital's Environmental Health Clinic has begun holding educational workshops on the subject for doctors.

Last year the World Health Organization placed microwave radiation from wireless internet and cell phones on an official Cancer watch-list. Since then several schools have removed their wifi systems and the Catholic teacher's union in Ontario has called for a moratorium on wifi installations in classrooms.

For further information:

Background:    www.womenscollegehospital.ca

New SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions Bring Banks Accelerated Efficiency and Innovations

New SAP Rapid Deployment Solutions Bring Banks Accelerated Efficiency and Innovations

LONDON — SAP today announced new rapid-deployment solutions for banks that simplify and accelerate the implementation of technology and banking practices. SAP Rapid Deployment solutions address a need for banks to be flexible in competitive markets following the financial crisis. They guide the roll-out of new financial services within a fixed scope of time at a low fixed cost, mitigating financial risk and uncertainty. Banks previously trapped by their legacy systems can now create a new foundation of business processes. The announcement was made at the International SAP Conference for Banking 2012, being held in London from June 18-20.

“Rapid-deployment solutions represent a new pinnacle for revitalizing banking systems,” said Falk Rieker, global head, Banking Industry Business Unit, SAP. “They combine our business process knowledge with best practices we have honed in the banking industry. Customers can better navigate the transformation process and implement our solutions in a highly efficient manner.”

SAP Rapid Deployment solutions are ready-to-use combinations of best-in-class software, pre-configured content and predefined services that have been specifically tailored to industries, all at a fixed price with fixed implementation time. They offer a quick, cost-effective method for standardizing processes and adopting the latest innovations in mobility and in-memory analytics with fewer migration risks. The average timeframe for a typical deployment is less than 90 days, eliminating 40 percent of implementation expenses on average. The solutions also provide an accessible gateway for businesses needing to fast-track high-end innovations such as the SAP HANA platform and mobile solutions.

SAP currently offers the following banking-specific rapid-deployment solutions:

In addition to these banking-specific services, the full range of SAP Rapid Deployment solutions for enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and analytics are available to banks for expanding core capabilities.

For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom and the SAP blog Banking View. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews and @SAPforBanking.

Media Contacts:
Birgit Krauter, SAP, +49 (6227) 7-61664, birgit.krauter@sap.com, CET
Atle Erlingsson, SAP, +1 (415) 858-8149, atle.erlingsson@sap.com, PDT
Anthony Suarez, Burson-Marsteller, +1 (212) 614-4331, anthony.suarez@bm.com, EDT