Evolving technologies creating new privacy risks for youth: annual report

Evolving technologies creating new privacy risks for youth: annual report

Graphic novel helps youth navigate online privacy risks. (CNW Group/Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)

The Privacy Commissioner's 2011 annual report on private-sector privacy issues, tabled in Parliament today, examines some of the concerns facing what some have called the "Internet generation." At the same time, the Commissioner is launching a new graphic novel to help youth better understand and navigate the privacy risks of the online world.

OTTAWA, June 5, 2012 /CNW/ - Young Canadians are facing a host of privacy risks that previous generations never had to worry about - from "nanny cams" to cell phone monitoring to a permanent trail of their online communications, says the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Youth privacy issues have emerged as a significant concern and are highlighted in the Commissioner's 2011 Annual Report to Parliament on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada's federal private-sector privacy law. The report was tabled in Parliament today.

"While the young show agility in using any new kind of digital communication, and recognize the importance of protecting their privacy, they are also often unsuspecting about the potential privacy intrusions that can accompany novel technologies," says Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart.

"All of that online communication creates a permanent record - and that could carry risks to their privacy and to their reputations.  Not just today, but perhaps even more in the future."

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) has made youth issues a major focus of its outreach and public education initiatives.  The OPC has developed a number of education materials, including presentation packages for school and community use, a teen-oriented video and a tip sheet for parents.

Graphic Novel

Today, the Privacy Commissioner is also launching another important tool - a graphic novel called Social Smarts: Privacy, the Internet and You, which will help younger Canadians to understand and navigate privacy issues in the online world.

"This graphic novel - a first for our Office - was developed with feedback from youth.  We hope it will help young people to understand the risks to privacy when it comes to social networking, gaming and texting," says Commissioner Stoddart.

The new graphic novel can be downloaded from the OPC's youth website.

Investigations

The annual report also describes an OPC investigation into a complaint about a daycare's use of webcam monitoring. A parent objected to the fact that the webcam feed was being recorded and felt that appropriate privacy safeguards were not in place.

During the investigation, the daycare centre agreed to take steps to add privacy safeguards.  The centre also deleted its saved video files and modified its systems to no longer record the video stream.  It implemented a privacy policy requiring all parents to sign a form consenting to the webcam monitoring and required parents using the webcam service to sign a contract agreeing to not record the webcam feed and to keep confidential their password allowing access to the video.  As such, the OPC concluded that the complaint was resolved.

The annual report also details findings related to investigations of three complaints against Facebook, as well as a wide-ranging complaint against a youth-oriented social networking site, Nexopia. The investigation results were announced earlier this year.

The OPC accepted 281 formal complaints under PIPEDA in 2011, a 35 percent increase from the previous year.

About the OPC

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


Image with caption: "Graphic novel helps youth navigate online privacy risks. (CNW Group/Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada)". Image available at:

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For further information:

(media only), please contact:

Valerie Lawton
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
E-mail: Valerie.Lawton@priv.gc.ca

Microsoft and GE Healthcare Complete Joint Venture Agreement

Microsoft and GE Healthcare Complete Joint Venture Agreement
June 06, 2012
Companies receive regulatory approvals to form new company Caradigm.

REDMOND, Wash., and BARRINGTON, Ill. — June 6, 2012 — General Electric Co. (NYSE “GE”), through its healthcare IT business, and Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced they have completed the formation of Caradigm™, a 50-50 joint venture aimed at enabling health systems and professionals to use real-time, organization-wide intelligence to improve healthcare quality and the patient experience.

Caradigm will develop and market an open healthcare intelligence platform and collaborative clinical applications focused on enabling better population health management to improve outcomes and the economics of health and wellness. Plans for the joint venture were first announced on Dec. 7, 2011, and the final agreement was completed on June 1, 2012.

The Caradigm board of directors and leadership team, announced in February, is composed of executives from both parent companies. Caradigm will be led by CEO Michael Simpson, who joins the company from GE Healthcare. In addition, the companies today announced the appointment of Lauren Salata as chief financial officer and Michael Willingham as quality assurance and regulatory affairs executive for Caradigm. Salata previously served as the chief financial officer (CFO) and compliance officer of Care Innovations, an Intel and GE company based in Roseville, Calif. Willingham joins Caradigm from Philips Healthcare in Bothell, Wash., where he served as senior director of quality and regulatory affairs.

“The combination of people and technology from GE Healthcare and Microsoft will allow us to drive the dramatic change that is needed in healthcare,” Simpson said. “By forming Caradigm, we can offer innovative healthcare solutions, including an open platform and tools that enable software developers around the world to address the complexities of population health today.”

Caradigm will be located at City Center Bellevue in Bellevue, Wash., with significant presence in Salt Lake City, Utah; Andover, Mass.; Chevy Chase, Md.; and other cities around the world.

Additional information and news about Caradigm can be found at http://www.caradigm.com.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

About Microsoft in Health

Microsoft is committed to improving health around the world through software innovation. For over 16 years, Microsoft has been providing a broad portfolio of technologies and collaborating with partners worldwide to deliver solutions that address the challenges of healthcare providers, public health and social services, payers, life sciences organizations, and consumers. Today, Microsoft invests in technology innovation and works with health organizations, communities and over 20,000 partners around the world to make a real impact on the quality of healthcare.

About Microsoft

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

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Kaspersky Lab Standardizes Global IT Infrastructure With Microsoft

Kaspersky Lab Standardizes Global IT Infrastructure With Microsoft
June 05, 2012
Stacked Microsoft solutions increase efficiency for Russia-based global security company.

REDMOND, Wash. — June 5, 2012 — Multinational computer security company Kaspersky Lab, which is headquartered in Russia, announced it will increase efficiency by standardizing IT operations by migrating to Microsoft Corp. products. Deployed to more than 2,100 computers and 400 servers in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and North and South America for Kaspersky Lab, the Microsoft products in this agreement signify one of the largest international contracts for Microsoft Russia.

“We have been using Microsoft technologies for many years and are very pleased with the results,” said Andrey Tikhonov, IT director, Kaspersky Lab. “The signed agreement is the next step for our company on the way to increasing efficiency using the newest technologies. It will allow us to unify our software and IT infrastructure worldwide, applying effective and suitable solutions.”

With Microsoft, Kaspersky Lab has been able to achieve the following:

Shift to the cloud. Kaspersky Lab deployed a private cloud solution based on Windows Server 2008 R2 with Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center management solutions. With the help of Microsoft System Center, the environment became strengthened by a long-awaited leap to self-service and extended control abilities.

Increase in demand for business management solutions. Kaspersky Lab successfully implemented a customer relationship management system based on Microsoft Dynamics CRM. The project management system based on Microsoft Project 2010 was also developed. With the combination of these two products, Kaspersky Lab successfully covered the demand gap between sales and internal project activities.

Increase in interest in unified communications. Kaspersky Lab chose Microsoft Exchange 2010 and Microsoft Lync 2010 to build effective collaboration and to organize corporate audio- and videoconferences. They cover all major offices worldwide, which allows the company to maintain online decision-making processes and decrease travel expenses.

Increase in demand for business intelligence solutions. Business intelligence systems based on SQL Server 2008 were rolled out in Kaspersky Lab to provide operations with raw data and to use embedded analytics. The company uses online analytical processing for strategic and tactical purposes.

Improved datacenter management. Kaspersky Lab uses System Center to manage infrastructure. The use of Microsoft System Center allowed Kaspersky not only to automate routine operations, but also to bring them to a higher level, making them easier to control. The rich selection of management packs available for System Center added great value.

Standardized workplaces to streamline operations. Migrating to Enterprise Desktop extended licenses, including Windows 7 and Microsoft Office 2010, has standardized workflow. As a result, Kaspersky Lab was able to increase the performance of desktops and office applications and achieve greater stability with reduced support costs and compatibility with a broad range of peripheral devices. Visual Studio 2010 and Team Foundation Server 2010 are planned to be used for software development, and the company’s TechNet Subscription Professional will be extended. IntelliTrace, a feature of Visual Studio 2010, significantly simplified development and testing processes under the pressure of fast-changing requirements. Kaspersky Lab can now respond to a change in business needs without extra time and effort.

“The agreement includes the full stack of Microsoft solutions, which will help Kaspersky Lab meet business requirements and standardize IT infrastructure. We are sure this agreement is a pledge of successful cooperation between our companies today and in the future,” said Nikolay Pryanishnikov, president, Microsoft Russia.

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available on the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

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

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.

Avaya announces the closing of its acquisition of RADVISION

 

Avaya Completes Radvision Acquisition

 

Combined companies will revolutionize video collaboration via enterprise-secure mobility, featuring:

·         Interoperable and affordable video applications for desktop, mobile and beyond

·         Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) capabilities

·         Complete investment protection across current systems

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, June 5, 2012

 

Basking Ridge, N.J. -- Avaya Inc. today announced that it has finalized the acquisition of Radvision, a leading provider of video conferencing technologies over IP and wireless networks. Pursuant to the terms of the merger agreement, each outstanding ordinary share of Radvision that was outstanding immediately prior to the effective time of the merger has been automatically converted into the right to receive US$11.85 in cash, without interest and less any applicable withholding taxes, for a total transaction amount of approximately US$230 million. Radvision will operate as an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Avaya under the Radvision brand.

 

With the close of the acquisition, Avaya is poised to deliver open, affordable, and easy-to-use video collaboration solutions suitable for businesses of any size. The combined portfolios tackle the expensive, complex, disconnected experiences that often limit broader adoption of video as a business collaboration tool today. Together, Avaya and Radvision will build on the interoperability that exists between the two portfolios today to extend video collaboration inside and outside of the enterprise – regardless of an end-user’s system, location or device. 


 

Video for Everyone

With the combined portfolio, Avaya offers ad-hoc desktop and mobile video capabilities and connects the separate islands of video for improved B2B and B2C communications.

·         The combined Avaya-Radvision solutions enable customers to embrace standards-based (H.323) video conferencing products or easily enhance video deployments that support existing H.323 environments. This approach helps enable companies to extract long-term value as they evolve toward more integrated SIP-based collaboration and unified communications (UC).

·         For small-to-midsize businesses (SMB), the portfolio offers affordable video and helps enable B2B and B2C communications using the same technologies that were previously only within reach of the large enterprise.

 

Commitment to Interoperability

Radvision’s 20-year heritage in the video conferencing industry, combined with the commitment of both companies to open architectures and industry standards, positions Avaya to deliver pervasive video that is distinguished by simplicity, practicality and interoperability. Today, Avaya and Radvision already have established interoperability between Radvision’s  SCOPIA® endpoints and infrastructure with Avaya Aura®, Avaya Flare® Experience on the Avaya Desktop Video Device, and Avaya UC 1000 series video endpoints. 

 

The companies will be demonstrating their suite of video collaboration solutions next week at InfoComm 2012 in Las Vegas.

  

Quotes

"The acquisition of Radvision is an important milestone in Avaya's transformation to what we believe is the industry's first open, interoperable collaboration platform for business.  As a result of the transaction, Avaya customers can reap the benefits of richer, simplified video collaboration regardless of what system they’re currently using.”  

Kevin J. Kennedy, president and CEO, Avaya

 

“The combination of our two companies is an important industry milestone. By incorporating Radvision’s expansive, standards-based video portfolio into Avaya’s open, marketing-leading UC offering, we are transforming not only the way people use video conferencing, but also increasing video’s accessibility, affordability and ease of use. Through this merger, Radvision benefits from the Avaya name and marketing resources and Avaya augments its UC offering with an open, robust end-to-end video solution, including a highly intuitive, feature-rich and flexible mobile video application that we believe surpasses anything offered by the competition.”

Boaz Raviv, Vice President & Global Head, Avaya Video Portfolio, Radvision, an Avaya company

 

"The enterprise video conferencing market is experiencing robust growth, and with this growth, vendors need to address mobility as well as the isolated islands of users that characterize the current state of most video deployments. The combination of Avaya and Radvision is poised to address these enterprise demands—now and in the future—with UC&C solutions that put customers in control of how they implement advanced capabilities across their environments.”

Rob Arnold, Program Manager, Frost & Sullivan

 

Additional Resources

Executive Video: The Value of Avaya + Radvision

 

Tags: Avaya, Radvision, video conferencing, unified communications, business collaboration, mobile video, desktop videoconferencing, integration, interoperability

 

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.

 

About Radvision

Radvision, now an Avaya company, is a leading provider of video conferencing and telepresence technologies over IP and wireless networks. Radvision teams with its channel and service provider partners to offer end-to-end visual communications that help businesses collaborate more efficiently. Radvision propels the unified communications evolution forward with unique technologies that harness the power of video, voice, and data over any network. Visit www.radvision.com, our blog, and follow us on Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube

 

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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Avanade:: 88% of Canadian Respondents Are Now Starting to Use Big Data to Make Better Business Decisions

 

 Big Data Is Producing Big Returns According to Global Avanade Survey; 88 Per Cent of Canadian Respondents Are Now Starting to Use Big Data to Make Better Business Decisions

Growing Skills Shortage and a Trio of Trends -- Employee Mobility, Cloud Computing, Social Networking -- Creates Big Data Management and Analysis Challenges

TORONTO--(Marketwire - Jun 5, 2012) - Avanade, a business technology solutions and managed services provider, today announced the results of a global survey of more than 550 business executives and IT leaders, which reveals the investments companies are making to manage big data are paying off. In Canada, 88 per cent of respondents (84 per cent globally) report big data helps them make better business decisions. And, nearly 70 per cent of Canadian companies (73 per cent globally) have already used data to increase revenue by growing existing revenue streams or creating entirely new sources of revenue.

"Companies are seeing actual potential in big data and realizing the business value derived from unlocking the insights it has to offer," said Benoit Bertrand, CTO and vice president at Avanade Canada. "This is in sharp contrast to our 2010 study that showed nearly half of all respondents reported they had made an inaccurate business decision as a result of bad or outdated data. In just two years, with greater access to data than ever before, we are reaching a tipping point with companies that leverage big data finding both financial gains and a competitive advantage."

Beyond tangible business value, evidence shows big data has become pervasive -- more types of employees have more access to more technology options to manage and analyze data. Sixty-three per cent of Canadian companies surveyed (57 per cent globally) said in just the last 12 months, more technology options became available to analyze and manage data. Further, the survey found companies are investing in that technology. Almost every company surveyed (89 per cent in Canada and 91 per cent globally) are using tools to manage and analyze data today.

Big Data Moves Beyond the Walls of IT

Today, the majority of businesses do not consider data analysts a part of their IT staff. Instead, companies are now distributing that expertise to line-of-business groups throughout the company. As evidence to this, 69 per cent of Canadian respondents (58 globally) report data management is now embedded throughout their business.

Further, over half of companies surveyed (63 per cent in Canada and 59 per cent globally) say more employees than ever before are involved in making decisions as a result of more widely available company data.

Challenges Remain

Despite these developments, 77 per cent of Canadian respondents (85 per cent globally) still report obstacles in managing and analyzing data and 69 per cent (63 per cent globally) feel their company needs to develop new skills to turn data into business insights.

Further, the shifts in how employees work -- from the consumerization of IT and the growing use of consumer devices such as smartphones and tablets in the workplace, to the flood of data created and shared on social networks -- is only making the rapid growth of data more challenging to manage. The majority of respondents reported that employee mobility (60 per cent Canada / 73 per cent globally), cloud computing (51 per cent Canada / 65 per cent globally) and social networking (61 per cent in Canada and globally) are all causing their company to rethink its data management strategy.

"The challenges of big data remain, but the opportunities are even greater. Business leaders are really moving from defense to offense in their data management strategies," said Tyson Hartman, global CTO and vice president at Avanade. Forward-looking companies are empowering more people across the enterprise with the tools and skills needed to make better business decisions and ultimately, harness the power that big data promises."

The "Is Big Data Producing Big Returns?" survey was conducted by Wakefield Research, an independent research firm, in April 2012, and surveyed 569 C-level executives, IT decision makers and business unit leaders at top companies located in 18 countries across North America, South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South Africa.

For additional information or to download a copy of the executive summary, please visit http://www.avanade.com/bigdata.

About Avanade
Avanade provides business technology solutions and managed services that connect insight, innovation and expertise in Microsoft® technologies to help customers realize results. Our people have helped thousands of organizations in all industries improve business agility, employee productivity, and customer loyalty. Avanade combines the collective business, technical and industry expertise of its worldwide network of experts with the rigor of an industrialized delivery model to provide high quality solutions using proven and emerging technologies with flexible deployment models-on premises, cloud-based or outsourced. Avanade, which is majority owned by Accenture, was founded in 2000 by Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation and has 15,000 professionals in more than 20 countries. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com

Avanade and the Avanade logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Avanade Inc. Other product, service, or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

© 2012 Avanade Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Small Cells and WiFi Solutions to Take Nearly 60% of Mobile Traffic Over Next 5 Years, Juniper Finds

  Small Cells and WiFi Solutions to Take Nearly 60% of Mobile Traffic Over Next 5 Years, Juniper Finds

Integrated Solutions Offer New Revenue Potential for Operators

Hampshire, UK – 6th June 2012:  A new report from Juniper Research has found that while the level of data delivered to mobile devices is expected to continue to expand dramatically over the next five years, service providers will offload nearly 60% of traffic in that period. According to the report, service providers are increasingly seeking to reduce the strain on their network caused by the proliferation of connected smart devices by deploying their own WiFi hotspot networks and offering small cell solutions to end-users.

The report, Mobile Data Offload & Onload: WiFi & Small Cell Strategies 2012-2016, notes that while small cells were developed primarily to enhance network coverage, service providers are increasingly offering them as an offload solution and integrating them with WiFi technology within a single unit.

Operator revenue opportunity

Furthermore, as report author Nitin Bhas observed, the deployment of integrated cells offers further potential benefits to network operators beyond coverage improvement and congestion relief. “With WiFi integrated small cells, seamless data services can be extended to non-cellular devices as well, such as cameras and WiFi-only tablets, offering operators the opportunity to develop new revenue streams”, he said.

Managing Traffic Spikes

Additionally, the report observed that major public events would result in significant “spikes” in mobile data usage in those areas, requiring service providers to provide substantial extra capacity on an ad hoc basis. In this regard, Bhas cited the high-density WiFi networks being deployed at sporting venues and tube stations for the London 2012 Olympics as a critical pre-emptive measure to alleviate potential problems.

Other key findings include:

  • Small cells will account for a steadily increasing proportion of offloaded data over the forecast period, reaching over 12% by 2016
  • North America and Western Europe to account for over 75% of global mobile data offloaded throughout the five years

The ‘Mobile Data Offload ~ Avoiding the Jam’ whitepaper is available to download from the Juniper website together with further details of the full report.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

For further details please contact Mosh Rahman, Press Relations
T: +44(0)1256 830001     
E: mosh.rahman@juniperresearch.com

 

Email Marketing by iContact - Try It Free!

 

Ottawa's Fuelled Networks launched Mobile Device Management Services to secure Corporate Networks.

Ottawa's Fuelled Networks launched Mobile Device Management Services to secure Corporate Networks. 

Mobile devices are in use everywhere.  But how does the average Ottawa business ensure the security of corporate data, confidentiality of business information and access to network resources?


Ottawa, ON June 6th, 2012 - When it comes to mobile technologies, Fuelled Networks has consistently been a leader.  From humble beginnings, President and CEO Ernie Sherman has maintained a strategic vision that professionals will always require access to information in the palm of their hands.

 

As the mobile explosion continues to occur in the business world, securing corporate information and resources must be addressed.  IPads and mobile telephones can access corporate data with little or no effort; however, with this ease of access comes many security vulnerabilities. Fortunately, corporations can control access to their networks and prevent rogue devices from accessing resources.

 

Fuelled Networks' mobile device management services provides businesses with the peace of mind that comes with knowing that all mobile devices are secured and accounted for, that corporate policies are enforced, and users' rights are consistent across all platforms.

 

In addition, mobile-ready business applications can be deployed across all mobile devices with ease.  All registered devices can receive application updates when required , including security updates and patches.

 

"Balancing the ease of access through mobile devices while maintaining corporate security is crucial," said Sherman.  "Our mobile device management service will work with all devices, including tablets and all leading mobile phone platforms."

 

Ottawa businesses can take advantage of the Fuelled Networks Mobile Device Management service starting on Jun. 6, 2012.

 

###

 

About Fuelled Networks/Harris Computer Services: For over 35 years Harris Computer Services (HCS) and Fuelled Networks has helped Ottawa business. In that time, our team has honed its breadth of business experience, broad-based IT knowledge and capacity to handle anything. They are fluent and knowledgeable in the latest set of industry-leading hardware, software, and network tools. Together, our team of experts provides managed services, proactive support, and exceptional, immediate customer service. In 2011, Harris Computer Services was honored with the Microsoft Canada and Tech Data Canada TechSelect Partner of the Year award.

 

Contact Fuelled Networks today for all your Ottawa IT support and business consulting needs. (613) 828-9482 info@hcs.ca.

Socialcast by VMware Now Offers Free, Full-Featured Enterprise Social Networks

 

Socialcast by VMware Now Offers Free, Full-Featured Enterprise Social Networks

 

New enterprise social offering brings all the capabilities of the enterprise version to small businesses and departments with up to 50 users

 

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 6, 2012  — Socialcast® by VMware® today announced full-featured Socialcast enterprise social networks will be free of charge for up to 50 users. This is the first enterprise social network to offer a free option for small businesses and departments that includes an award-winning user experience backed by enterprise-level security, compliance capabilities, administration tools, mobile access and the ability to integrate with existing applications. With full access to features, organizations can completely implement an enterprise social network and experience how social connects people, information and applications to drive business results.

 

“Limited products don’t deliver on the potential of enterprise social,” said Tim Young, Vice President of Social, VMware. “We don’t want people to have anything but the best experience with their communities. Now we're able to offer companies of all sizes enterprise social networks that employees will love to use, and with the confidence their data is secure.”

 

Enterprise social networks are driving greater efficiencies, improved employee engagement and satisfaction for organizations of all sizes. The value of social networks surfaces as employees increase engagement and more work moves into a social space. Time limitations, feature metering or compromised security prohibit the full enterprise social experience. By offering a free solution, VMware is investing in social so organizations can be confident they are deploying enterprise social networks that drive business results now and as their communities grow.

 

The new Socialcast free communities include:

 

  • Access for up to 50 members that can connect and collaborate in a secure, private social network
  • Create a secure, shared online workspace for internal and external team members to work smarter and more efficiently
  • Quickly create groups to organize communications and activities around a project, team, topic, or interest
  • Integrate social capabilities to intranets, wikis, CRM solutions and other business applications across the company to create a more streamlined workflow
  • Manage employee usage and access, and monitor compliance with company policies and industry regulations with enterprise-class administrative capabilities
  • Access your Socialcast community anytime, anywhere with Socialcast Mobile applications for Apple® iPad™, iPhone™, Blackberry®, and Android® mobile devices

 

Organizations can sign up today for a free Socialcast community at www.socialcast.com/free50.  

 

* Terms of service are available at http://socialcast.com/terms.

 

About Socialcast:

Socialcast by VMware (NYSE: VMW) is a social network for business uniting people, information, and applications with its real-time enterprise activity stream engine. Behind the firewall or in the cloud, Socialcast enables instant collaboration in a secure environment. Socialcast is headquartered in San Francisco, California. For more information visit www.socialcast.com or call 1-888-779-3220.

 

-30-

 

VMware and Socialcast by VMware are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. The use of the word “partner” or “partnership” does not imply a legal partnership relationship between VMware and any other company.

 

For more information please contact:

Cindy Watson/Claire McCorquodale

StrategicAmpersand Inc.

cindy@stratamp.com  / claire@stratamp.com  

(416) 961-5595

Minister Paradis Challenges Telecom Industry to Innovate, Create and Thrive

Minister Paradis Challenges Telecom Industry to Innovate, Create and Thrive

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - June 5, 2012) - The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry, spoke at the Canadian Telecom Summit today about the Harper Government's measures to enhance competition, increase adoption of digital technology and strengthen Canada's digital economy.

"Canadian companies are world class, and our government is providing the tools they need to succeed," said Minister Paradis. "Together we can capture the potential of the global digital economy. We can create its technology, make the best possible use of its potential and reap its benefits."

In the past year, the Harper Government has taken a number of concrete steps to strengthen Canada's digital economy. These include providing more details on the 700 MHz and 2500 MHz band wireless spectrum auctions, improving access to foreign and venture capital, and building a modern legal framework to protect consumers and businesses.

"Adoption is key to success in today's economy," said Minister Paradis. "All of the steps we have taken are aimed at encouraging companies, both large and small, to adopt technologies that will lower their costs, improve their productivity and help them provide better service to their customers."

Minister Paradis urged the private sector to act on priority issues, such as bridging the urban-rural broadband gap and making greater use of information and communications technologies, to ensure that Canada is well positioned to reap the benefits of the growing digital economy for years to come.

Contact Information

Margaux Stastny
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Christian Paradis
Minister of Industry
613-995-9001

Media Relations
Industry Canada
613-943-2502

Toronto's Monocle Solutions Inc. Aims to Increase Office Productivity with New Business Software

Monocle Solutions Inc. Aims to Increase Office Productivity with New Business Software


Instead of blocking websites, this plug-and-play product puts web management in employee hands


Monocle Solutions Inc., a Toronto-based software manufacturer, announced today the launch of Web Monocle, new software designed to improve productivity in the workplace. Web Monocle allows employees to manage their own online behavior without compromising privacy. At the same time, it gives business owners the ability to review workers’ web activities and potentially alter their management approach based on the information they receive.

“Our goal is to make this software very simple to use, it’s a two minute installation that does not require any additional IT hardware or support. Rather than spying on employees or blocking websites, Web Monocle tackles the problem of productivity by empowering employees to make their own decisions online, and it allows them to self-review through weekly reports," says John Madden, Web Monocle CEO.


Monocle Solutions Inc. believes this system will encourage employees to re-evaluate their Internet usage and reinforce the understanding that they are browsing on company time. Employees are given a simple choice when they visit a website for the first time: ‘Work’ or ‘Personal', which allows them to classify work-related and personal interest websites accordingly.

With Web Monocle, employees and managers receive weekly reports outlining most visited websites and viewing trends broken down by category. These simple reports also flag any potential issues as they relate to specific departments. For example, while Facebook may be a great tool for marketing, it is probably a personal interest site for a company engineer.

The software accurately tracks an individual’s web usage, disregarding any idle time spent on websites. It also works in combination with an Internet Usage Policy, which Web Monocle provides free of charge on their website.

Monocle Solutions Inc. beta tested the product for over 6 months and has recently partnered with Royal LePage Your Community Realty.

“We became the number one real-estate office in Canada by having employees focused and motivated. Web Monocle allows my staff to self-manage and remain productive in a busy environment, and the emailed reports help me review activities while I’m on the road.” Daryl King, Royal LePage Your Community Realty

Monocle Solutions Inc. is currently developing the mobile application of Web Monocle as well as the home edition of the product.

About Monocle Solutions Inc.
Monocle Solutions Inc. stemmed from a unique approach to web safety. Over the past four years, through its non-profit extension Kiwi Seminars, Monocle Solutions Inc. has established itself as a leader in educating and providing solutions for ongoing Internet use issues. Their current mission is to develop products that improve productivity by deploying innovative and non-complex software, primarily catering to SMEs, educational institutions and home users.