Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Growth in Wireless Computing Increase Healthcare Concerns Over Data Loss

Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Growth in Wireless Computing Increase Healthcare Concerns Over Data Loss

Asigra delivers end-to-end encryption across all protected systems

May 10, 2012 | 12:21 PM |  0 Comments


TORONTO - May 7, 2012 - Asigra Inc., a leading cloud backup software provider since 1986, today cited new research that reveals significant growth in digital threats to patient health information (PHI). Recent findings now show that while approaches to patient data protection have evolved over the past several years, the aggressive transition to electronic health records (EHR) and the consumerization of IT have resulted in greater digital threats to patient privacy.

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According to a 2012 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Analytics report titled, Security of Patient Data , "Data breaches not only risk revealing patient health information, they also open up those whose information is compromised to identity theft, fraud and other violations. While hospitals are stepping up to regularly audit their monitoring and response procedures, reports of data breaches are on the rise."

Among the 207 data breaches that affected more than 500 healthcare organizations over the past 12 months, 27% reported a security breach compared with 19% in 2010 and 13% in 2008. 69% of the organizations that experienced a breach in the last year reported experiencing more than one breach. When asked about the factors contributing to healthcare industry data breaches, 31% cited the use of mobile devices to store health information and 28% cited the sharing of health information with third parties.

The financial impact of a PHI breach is now a significant issue for healthcare organizations as a result of the Red Flags Rule and The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009's Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act's (ARRA HITECH) Breach Reporting requirement. While the costs of responding to a data loss event can be exceedingly high, healthcare leaders are now confronted with laws in some states that require remuneration of one thousand dollars per patient, per breach. This has resulted in a significant number of class-action lawsuits where the possible liability may surpass U.S. $4 billion.

Addressing challenges related to secure and compliant end-to-end protection of patient health information, Asigra supports healthcare professionals with the industry's highest levels of backup data encryption in-flight and at-rest. As the first solution of its kind to receive FIPS 140-2 certification, Asigra Cloud BackupT has emerged as the premier option to protect laptop and mobile device data for those organizations integrating wireless computing endpoints into their IT environments.

With mounting pressure to comply with regulatory mandates and improve disaster recovery practices, Asigra Cloud Backup compares favorably against traditional solutions in the areas of security, compliance, reliability, efficiency, and ease-of-use. Developed for security conscious organizations, Asigra delivers end-to-end encryption across all protected systems, including servers, workstations, desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones. Security features include agentless installation and management, encryption key safeguarding, password management and rotation, digital signatures for every file and block of data as well as the destruction of data based on certificate of destruction policies.

Compliance features include: . AES 256 Encryption of backup data on PC, laptop and mobile devices . Encryption of backup data exported to removable media . Encryption of emails stored in backup sets . Encryption of file and database data stored in backup sets . Security of EHR stored in backup sets . Regular monitoring and reporting to support compliance requirements . Safe harbor support . Reduction in operational costs associated with compliance

Asigra Cloud Backup supports both Mac and PC laptops with DS-Notebook and DS-Mobile, mobile clients that are specifically designed for laptops, allowing users to backup and recover their own data through intuitive wizards, anytime and anywhere. As users today are also generating and storing information on their mobile devices (tablets and smartphones), Asigra protects these devices with DS-Tablet and DS-Smartphone. Asigra's comprehensive approach allows healthcare IT to respond and protect all backup data as mandated by HIPAA, HITECH and PIPEDA, ensuring all compliance requirements including Meaningful Use are met. Asigra mobile device protection includes support for Apple iOS devices such as the iPad, iPod, & iPhone as well as Google Android-based tablets and smartphones.

"End-to-end encryption and secure management of backup data, especially involving laptops and other wireless devices, should be a priority for organizations as threats to sensitive information continue to grow," said Jason Buffington, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. "Healthcare professionals in particular must ensure the confidentiality and integrity of patient information by incorporating a comprehensive approach to backup data security into their overall risk reduction strategies. FIPS 140-2 certification by NIST demonstrates Asigra's commitment to providing these organizations with high levels of protection against a breach."

"Healthcare IT is gradually embracing organizational mobility, and mobile data protection must be a foundational component of these deployments," said Doug Ko, Director of Product Marketing and Strategic Alliances, Asigra. "While the consumerization of IT is increasing organizational agility and accelerating the ROI of mobility, it also increases concerns related to unauthorized access to sensitive information. Our strength in secure laptop and mobile data protection validates Asigra's commitment and reinforces our leadership in this space."

Follow Asigra on Twitter at http://twitter.com/asigra

About Asigra Asigra is the leading Canadian cloud computing software vendor focused on backup, recovery and restoration with more than 550,000 customer sites deployed globally. Asigra Cloud BackupT transforms the way businesses manage and protect their data by delivering seamless end-to-end data protection that efficiently scales and easily adapts to any IT environment. Asigra Cloud Backup is built for progressive Managed Service Providers who focus on driving growth and increasing their total addressable market to better service their customers, IT constrained organizations, and industries with compliance mandates that are looking to improve their backup with a secure, proven and flexible cloud backup and recovery model. With more than 26 years of experience as backup/recovery pioneers, Asigra manages one of the largest business-class backup service provider ecosystems in the world who power their cloud backup services using Asigra technology. Asigra is recognized among top-tier industry analysts, including the Enterprise Strategy Group, Gartner, IDC, Forrester Research and the 451 Group. Recently, the company was recognized by Business Solutions Magazine as a Best Channel Vendor for 2012 and Storage Magazine named Asigra Cloud Backup its 2011 Product of the Year. Asigra is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with offices globally. For more information, visit www.asigra.com.

BC Online civil dispute tools to save time, money

May 7, 2012

Ministry of Justice

 

 

Online civil dispute tools to save time, money

 

VICTORIA – B.C. plans to create the first-ever tribunal in Canada that offers a full array of online tools to allow British Columbians to solve common strata and small civil claims outside of courts, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond announced today.

 

If passed, the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act will create an independent tribunal offering 24/7 online dispute resolution tools to families and small business owners as a speedy and cost-effective alternative to going to court. The tribunal would address disputes by providing parties with information that may prevent disputes from growing and resolve disputes by consent or, where necessary, by an independent tribunal hearing. Resolving a dispute through the tribunal is expected to take about 60 days, compared to 12 to 18 months for small claims court.

 

Giving families alternatives to seeking solutions in court is among the B.C. government’s justice reform initiatives to achieve efficiencies and deal with growing resource pressures. The February 2012 Green Paper, Modernizing British Columbia’s Justice System, identified tribunals as a simple and less expensive solution to easing delays in the court system.

 

 

Quote:

 

Minister of Justice and Attorney General Shirley Bond –

 

“Both individuals and business owners will find this a convenient and affordable way of reaching agreements. Few people want to go to court to solve a legal dispute, which can be costly, intimidating and time consuming. A tribunal offers an innovative alternative to settling a dispute in a faster, more amicable way.”

 

 

Quick Facts:

 

·         The new service is the first of its kind in Canada and is expected to be in place by 2013-14. It will use mainly online web technologies, with some assistance by phone or mail.

·         Tribunal fees would be less than small claims court and overall costs significantly less than court proceedings because the legal resources used would be proportionate to the dispute’s complexity.

·         Final decisions and tribunal orders could be enforced by filing them with the Provincial or Supreme Court.

·         Today’s legislation aligns with an international trend towards using tribunals, mediation and other dispute resolution models to reduce reliance on adversarial styles of litigation.

 

 

Learn More:

 

·         Information on the tribunal:

www.ag.gov.bc.ca/legislation/civil-resolution-tribunal-act/index.htm 

·         Information on strata property and the tribunal: www.housing.gov.bc.ca/strata 

·         Justice reform: www.justicebc.ca

 

A backgrounder follows.

 

 

Contact:

 

Dave Townsend

Government Communications and Public Engagement

Ministry of Justice

250 387-4962 or 250 889-5945

 

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect

 

 


 

BACKGROUNDER

For Immediate Release
2012JAG0068-000600

May 7, 2012

Ministry of Justice

 

 

 

Online dispute resolution explained

 

Resolving disputes in less adversarial ways benefits people who see each other regularly, such as neighbours in strata properties. For rural British Columbians, the online tribunal would reduce legal fees and travel costs. In addition, families who need child care, newcomers with limited English and business owners who want convenient and quick solutions would also benefit from the anytime, anywhere services.

 

Civil Resolution Tribunal:

 

·         The service would use proven online technologies and be voluntary, except for strata corporations, which could be compelled to participate for certain strata disputes. Once online dispute resolution is started, ongoing participation would be mandatory until a voluntary or binding settlement was reached.

·         The service would have four stages, with participants progressing to the next stage only if they were unable to reach agreement:

o   The first phase would be an interactive dispute resolution guide, with information, tips and templates to help the parties reach a settlement.

o   Stage two would be party-to-party negotiations, using online tools to make contact and exchange information. The tribunal would monitor and intervene in the discussions if necessary.

o   Stage three would involve a case manager, who would contact the parties by phone or online to discuss the issues and attempt a facilitated settlement.

o   If that failed, the final stage would be a tribunal hearing. A tribunal member would discuss the issues with the parties online, by phone, videoconference or occasionally in person and give a binding decision on the dispute.

·         Tribunal members would be subject experts in the disputes they hear and be selected based on merit. Members would be appointed by cabinet.

·         Several Australian states have mandatory civil administrative tribunals for small claims.

·         Alternatives to online resolution, such as telephone, mail and even in-person hearings, would be available to people unable to access the online tools. British Columbians would still have the alternative of going to court.

 

Strata dispute resolution:

 

·           Last year, the Province consulted extensively on an alternative strata dispute resolution model. The consultations wrapped up with a discussion paper and online survey.

·           The public consultation results demonstrated strong support for a tribunal, with 95 per cent of respondents to the online survey indicating they favoured a tribunal model.

·           The tribunal will make dispute resolution services available to strata owners and offer an accessible, efficient and lower-cost alternative to the current arbitration and court system.

·           There are more than one million strata property owners and residents in the province. Approximately 29,000 strata corporations make decisions under the Strata Property Act.

 

 

Contact:

 

Dave Townsend

Government Communications  and Public Engagement

Ministry of Justice

250 387-4962 or 250 889-5945

 

Connect with the Province of B.C. at: www.gov.bc.ca/connect

McAfee Increases Focus on Growing SMB Market

McAfee Increases Focus on Growing SMB Market

New SMB Security Solutions and Channel Programs Bring Cost-Effective
and Easy-to-Use Solutions to Small and Medium Sized Businesses

SANTA CLARA, CA - May 10, 2012 - McAfee today announced increased focus
and updated security solutions specifically designed to meet the needs
of today’s small to medium sized businesses (SMBs). According to AMI
Research, the worldwide market for security solutions in the SMB segment
is about $5.1B growing at a CAGR of about nine per cent annually*.
McAfee will offer SMBs the same level of protection as enterprises in an
easy to manage solution that is tailored for the needs of
cost-constrained SMB budgets. Because the channel is critical for growth
within this market, McAfee has designed a program that accelerates
growth, offers marketing support and includes great sales incentives -
all with increased profit for SMB partners.

SMBs are in a unique situation when it comes to defending themselves
against the rising tide of cyber threats that cover the business and
technology landscape. They can’t afford high-priced IT and security
talent on site; they can’t afford a breach that threatens their very
existence and they know that the space they occupy is going to attract
more, not less, attention from the hacker community. Additionally, the
proliferation of mobile devices driven by the need for any time, any
place access to company data and service is adding to the enormous
challenge of keeping these companies secure with limited IT resources.

“SMBs face the challenge of increased threats including spam,
phishing, viruses and Web attacks that can easily disrupt the network
and the livelihood of the business,” said Gavin Struthers, senior vice
president of worldwide channels at McAfee. “Without constant updates,
security software becomes obsolete. Keeping the business continuously up
to date requires total protection against known and unknown threats.
McAfee understands the unique needs of the SMB.”

SMB Channel Focus
Millions of SMBs are in search of a trusted security advisor
representing tremendous growth potential for McAfee and its partners.
Over the past year, McAfee has made several strategic investments to
provide channel partners the innovation, differentiation and simplicity
required to accelerate growth and drive mutual profitability in the SMB
market. McAfee provides partners a comprehensive SMB offering that
includes:

● McAfee Tailored SMB Solutions - From Security-as-a-Service (SaaS)
to on-premise suites covering email, Web and endpoint security, McAfee
provides custom designed solutions built specifically for the SMB.

● McAfee SMB Specialization - Allows partners to take advantage of a
full range of enablement tools, turnkey marketing programs and exclusive
profitability programs. Since the program launched nine months ago,
McAfee has recruited more than 2,000 SMB Specialized channel partners
worldwide.

● McAfee SMB Deal Registration - Offers partners up to 25 per cent in
enhanced margin and a four-hour approval commitment. Launched just nine
months ago, the SMB Deal Registration program experienced a nearly 50
per cent increase from the previous quarter in registered deals in Q1
2012.

● McAfee Rewards - Compensates partner sales representatives for
selling qualified McAfee SMB products. For Q2 2012, the SMB Extravaganza
Rewards program has tripled its payout for eligible SMB products.

● McAfee SmartMarketing™ - Available in June 2012, this new
e-commerce marketing platform will allow McAfee partners to quickly and
easily download and co-brand demand generation marketing assets,
including the assets for the McAfee SMB solutions launched today.

SMB Solutions
McAfee security suites for SMBs safeguard a business’ desktops, file
servers and email servers - with the convenience and ease of maintenance
of a single, integrated SaaS solution.
 With an eye towards the
importance of the SMB space, McAfee has added significant functionality
to the latest version of SaaS Endpoint, giving customers tremendous
scheduling flexibility in the downloading of crucial security updates.
This way, the updating process is not disruptive and takes place during
off-peak hours. McAfee has taken a good, better and best approach to
packaging the solutions for SMB customers and now provides the following
suites:

● McAfee SaaS Endpoint Protection Suite - Defends the devices on your
network on all attack routes - this all-in-one flexible security
protection gives SMB customers the freedom to deploy security on their
terms

● McAfee SaaS Endpoint and Email Protection Suite - Adds protection
from malicious email content before it enters the network, email
continuity to ensure uninterrupted access to email and client-side Web
category filtering

● McAfee SaaS Total Protection Suite - Adds email encryption and
pre-built compliance libraries to protect sensitive data and meet
compliance requirements and cloud-based Web filtering for antivirus,
anti-malware and category filtering to ensure unwanted content never
makes it into the network

McAfee offers SMBs the same level of desktop and network protection as
enterprises but with a solution tailored for SMBs, complexity and cost
is more simplified. McAfee understands SMB constraints and has developed
the most comprehensive security solutions in the industry. McAfee
business security software delivers complete antivirus, anti-malware,
email protection and other critical security designed for the SMB
customer.

For more information go to: www.mcafee.com/smb

About McAfee
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC),
is the world's largest dedicated security technology company. McAfee
delivers proactive and proven solutions and services that help secure
systems, networks, and mobile devices around the world, allowing users
to safely connect to the Internet, browse and shop the Web more
securely. Backed by its unrivaled Global Threat Intelligence, McAfee
creates innovative products that empower home users, businesses, the
public sector and service providers by enabling them to prove compliance
with regulations, protect data, prevent disruptions, identify
vulnerabilities, and continuously monitor and improve their security.
McAfee is relentlessly focused on constantly finding new ways to keep
our customers safe. http://www.mcafee.com

McAfee Canada is headquartered in Markham, Ontario, with regional
offices across Canada. The company's Consumer Software Research and
Development facility in based in Waterloo, Ontario.

-30-

Note: McAfee is a registered trademark of McAfee, Inc. in the United
States and other countries. Other names and brands may be claimed as the
property of others.

For more information, please contact:
Maxine Cheung/Andrew Gouveia
StrategicAmpersand Inc. (for McAfee Canada)
maxine@stratamp.com/andrew@stratamp.com
McAfeePR@stratamp.com
(416) 961-5595

theIRapp™ Launches in Canada

theIRapp™ Launches in Canada

theIRapp™ Launches Its Mobile Investor Relations Application For 

Toronto
 Stock Exchange Listed Companies

NEW YORK, May 9, 2012

 /CNW/ - theIRapp™, the only turnkey mobile investor relations app available to public companies via Apple's App Store and the Android Market, announced today that it has extended its investor relations mobile application to all companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Previously, theIRapp™ was only available to U.S. listed public companies.

theIRapp™, launched in February 2012, is a turnkey IR solution that optimizes a company's IR content so that it is easily viewable on mobile devices. By simply providing its ticker symbol and corporate logo, any public company can have its own highly-customized mobile app at considerably reduced time, cost and effort than developing an app themselves via their own IT or web development initiatives.

Most existing financial apps only provide shareholders with basic data. theIRapp™ gives investors access to extensive, valuable corporate information in a tailored configuration which companies themselves can directly control through a secure content management system (CMS). Importantly, it allows publicly traded companies to take advantage of the phenomenal growth in mobile data usage by institutional and individual investors, analysts, and brokers.

"Following the successful launch of theIRapp™ in the U.S., our Canadian launch is a natural expansion of this market-leading technology and makes it the leading tool for IR mobility in North America," said Jeffrey Corbin, co-founder of theIRapp™. "With millions of investment professionals connected via a mobile device, theIRapp™ is transforming the landscape of investor relations. The ability and ease of theIRapp™ to instantaneously relay vital corporate data to shareholders and potential investors drives engagement, increases brand awareness and fundamentally enhances companies' relationships with their investors."

Any company listed on the TSX or on a U.S. stock exchange, can have their own IR App available for download on iPhone™, iPad™ and Android™ devices within a matter of weeks. Companies including Unilife, MagneGas, BiolineRx, Pharming Group and Synthetic Biologics have already launched their own investor relations app with theIRapp™ – these can be found by searching the company names in Apple's App Store.

For more information on theIRapp™, including pricing, visit http://www.theIRapp.com/.

About theIRapp™

theIRapp™ (www.theIRapp.com) is a turnkey mobile application available to all publicly traded companies that enables their investor relations information to be downloaded via Apple's App Store on the iPhone and iPad as well as The Android Market for Android devices. theIRapp™ is a simple way for investors to keep abreast of critical company and stock information. Given the viral nature of apps and the ease of sharing them with colleagues and friends, theIRapp™ is the next generation IR solution for establishing transparency, building shareholder loyalty and expanding an investor following.

By simply providing its ticker symbol and company's logo, in less than three weeks, a public company can have its own customized app available for download by millions of investors. Through theIRapp™, retail and institutional investors have access to automated, real-time stock price information (via live data feeds), press releases, SEC filings, analyst coverage, corporate documents (fact sheets, presentations, etc.), videos, audiocast conference calls, upcoming events and company contact information.

Media Contact:
Joe McGurk
KCSA Strategic Communications
(212) 896-1231
jmcgurk@kcsa.com

SOURCE theIRapp

For further information:

http://www.theIRapp.com

Rogers Survey Reveals Many Canadians Would Give Up Alcohol, Chocolate and Coffee Before The Internet

Rogers Survey Reveals Many Canadians Would Give Up Alcohol, Chocolate and Coffee Before The Internet

Rogers explores the future of Internet experiences (CNW Group/Rogers Communications Inc.)

  • 79% of Connected Canadians say Internet makes their lives better
  • Most want to use the Internet to better manage their health
  • Men are more keen than women to use technology for bargain shopping and 'smart' appliances like a fridge that intuitively orders groceries

TORONTO

May 9, 2012 /CNW/ - The Rogers Innovation Report released today reveals that Canadian technology users are hungry for the next generation of Internet experiences. Over three quarters (79 per cent) say that the Internet allows them to connect in ways that make their lives better now and 72 per cent expect the Internet to play an increasingly important role in the next five years.

"The Internet is indispensable to us today and we have yet to see its full potential," said Robert Switzman, Senior Director Emerging Business, Rogers Communications. "From apps that monitor cholesterol to fridges that automatically order groceries, the Internet is becoming the backbone of all connections in the world around us, and will continue to evolve how we go about our daily lives."

The Rogers Innovation Report leverages joint research from Rogers and Vision Critical and regularly explores connected Canadians' habits and views on technology. This latest Report focuses on the future of Internet connections - how the Internet is being used today and how Canadians will want to use it in the future.

Connected Canadians say that the Internet is essential to them today and they are prepared to make sacrifices for this important connection.

Important to their everyday lives

Today, those surveyed say they are using the Internet to connect with family and friends (98 per cent), follow the news (97 per cent), do their personal banking and manage their finances (94 per cent), research health issues and symptoms (93 per cent) and watch movies and television (92 per cent).

And they would sacrifice a lot before they'd give up their Internet connections. Thirty-four per cent would give up alcohol, 31 per cent would go without chocolate and 27 per cent would skip coffee. What they wouldn't sacrifice? Only six per cent would give up regular sex, four per cent would go without daily bathing and four per cent would choose the Internet over personal contact with others.

Canadian technology users expect the Internet to be even more important in their daily lives in the future.

Expecting great things from the Internet

Healthier living: More than half (51%) say they would make better decisions about diet and exercise if technology would allow them to track their vitals, such as blood sugar level, heart rate and cholesterol level, while 57 per cent want a diagnosis by connecting with their doctor online.

Honey, the fridge says we're out of milk: Thirty-seven per cent (47 per cent of 18-24 year olds) say 'smart' appliances would help them manage their households better with 44 per cent of men believing this vs. 30 per cent of women.

Checking freshness and saving money: Fifty-six per cent want real-time access on their mobile devices to information on grocery store items, such as origin, ingredients and how long it's been on the shelf. Sixty per cent would prefer to shop at a store that enables them to use their mobile device for price comparisons, with 64 per cent of men interested in this option vs. 54 per cent of women.

Wanted: tech-savvy employers: Overall, those surveyed want to work for tech savvy companies. Sixty per cent of all surveyed would consider leaving a job to work for a company that allows them to work from anywhere.

Downloading information directly into the brain: Many of those surveyed have creative ways for how future Internet experiences may make their lives easier and better. Ideas included downloading information directly into the brain, automating road traffic to eliminate the need for human drivers and virtual reality phone calls that would assimilate personal contact.

"Canadians expect great things from the Internet. So we are investing in our networks while also introducing innovative, next generation products and services to help our customers realize world-leading Internet experiences that make their lives better," said Switzman.

About the survey
From April 13th to April 15th 2012, an online survey was conducted among 1,010 randomly selected adult Canadians who own a smartphone and are connected to the Internet. All were Angus Reid Forum panelists. The margin of error—which measures sampling variability—is +/- 3.1%, nineteen times out of twenty. The results have been statistically weighted according to region and gender. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

Join or follow the conversation about the new Rogers Innovation Report on Twitter by following and using the hashtag #RIRExplores.

About Rogers Communications
Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high speed Internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.

Image with caption: "Rogers explores the future of Internet experiences (CNW Group/Rogers Communications Inc.)". Image available at: 

Media_httpphotosnewsw_ojgik

For further information:

For details and to set up an interview with a Rogers Communications spokesperson:

Sara Holland
Rogers Communications
Tel: 604-505-8113
sara.holland@rci.rogers.com

Allison Fitton
Rogers Communications
Tel: 416-505-8113
Allison.fitton@rci.rogers.com

BDO Joins Forces with SaaSplaza to Deliver Dynamics Solutions via the Cloud

BDO Joins Forces with SaaSplaza to Deliver Dynamics Solutions via the Cloud

SAN DIEGO

May 8, 2012 /CNW/ - BDO, one of Canada's leading accounting and advisory firms and Microsoft's Canadian Partner of the Year (2010, 2011), has chosen SaaSplaza to provide the infrastructure, service, and support required to deliver Cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics ERP and CRM solutions to its customers.

This partnership will help BDO—serving customers in energy, financial services, advanced distribution, manufacturing, construction, and other sectors—extend its Dynamics and business solutions offerings by placing them on SaaSplaza's proven Cloud platform.

"We specialize in Microsoft solutions—namely, Dynamics ERP and CRM—so it was important our Cloud partner's platform was on the Microsoft stack," says Christopher Johnsen, Partner, BDO Solutions. "Additionally, we needed a partner that would give us complete control over our customers' Cloud environments while freeing us from infrastructure worries or costs: SaaSplaza easily addressed these requirements."

"We're already seeing some great opportunities in the pipeline," says SaaSplaza's US Managing Director, Olivier Meynier. "BDO's experience implementing business solutions across major markets, and their proactive Microsoft partnership, make them a great Partner for SaaSplaza. We look forward to helping them empower their customers with the flexibility, scalability, and lower TCO that come with working on SaaSplaza's Cloud platform."

BDO Solutions specializes in properly designed and planned ERP and CRM implementations for its customers, "which, along with their international footprint—a footprint shared by SaaSplaza—dovetails perfectly with our strengths. BDO can focus on implementation, we'll focus on the platform, and together we'll provide a solution that has more flexibility, that can be accessed from anywhere in the world, and that drives measurable increases in both productivity and profitability."

About BDO Solutions

Part of BDO, a company with more than 90 years of experience and more than 5,000 employees worldwide, BDO Solutions has extensive experience implementing manufacturing software, distribution software, accounting systems, CRM, business intelligence solutions and much more to help streamline business processes, and achieve a healthier bottom line. Learn more at www.bdosolutions.com.

About SaaSplaza

An SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402 certified company and Microsoft's 2011 US ERP Cloud Partner of the Year, SaaSplaza delivers cloud Dynamics solutions across all industries and markets, with Partners and Customers in nearly 60 countries and with offices and staff in AmsterdamSan Diego, Bejing, and across the globe. Visitwww.saasplaza.com.

CONTACT: Matthew Caspermatthew.casper@saasplaza.com

SOURCE SaaSplaza

For further information:

http://www.saasplaza.com

Gartner Says The Personal Cloud Is Poised To Eclipse The PC As The Hub Of Consumers' Digital Lives By 2014

Gartner Says The Personal Cloud Is Poised To Eclipse The PC As The Hub Of Consumers' Digital Lives By 2014

Key Issues Facing Cloud Computing To Be Examined At Gartners Infrastructure, Operations and Data Centre Summit, May 14-15, in Mumbai

Mumbai, India, May 8, 2012— The personal cloud is poised to eclipse the PC as the hub of consumers' digital lives by 2014 as rapid growth in the use of apps and services introduces a new paradigm for how people store, synchronize, share and stream content, according to Gartner, Inc.

“The personal cloud isn't a single offering, but a reflection of consumers' expectation that their content will flow seamlessly as the result of a combination of services that overlap the consumer, business and government domains. It encompasses content storage, synchronization, sharing and streaming, as well as context-based access,” said Michael Gartenberg, research director at Gartner.

A personal cloud encompasses business, consumer and government services. At present, there is no single company with all-encompassing dominance. The stakes are high as large vendors such as Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google try to claim multiple aspects of the personal cloud ecosystem, and as smaller vendors strive to capture parts of the consumer experience with more vertically oriented and dedicated offerings, such as digital storage and streaming services accessible across particular platforms and devices.

“Consumers are confused about the nature of the personal cloud. This will not be helped by many vendors continuing to equate personal cloud services simply with online storage and neglecting their additional features and potential,” said Mr. Gartenberg. ”Consumers will define their own sets of personal cloud services with regard to communication, collaboration and media consumption, despite vendors trying to control the digital ecosystem.”

Competition in the personal cloud market to grow in the following areas:

Mobility and Location: Contextual devices and platforms are evolving, giving consumers the ability to access relevant information from the location of their choosing on their favorite devices. In real time, consumers are now able to store, synchronize, share and stream in ways not previously imagined. These abilities, when combined with services that can remember and restore user states, will have a great impact on consumer personal cloud services, and that impact will affect how other connected screens fare in a given ecosystem.

Platform Independence: Personal cloud integration is about more than just changing where users store their content. Gartner analysts said personal cloud services will grow to augment and eventually displace the PC as the center of the consumer digital experience. The result will be that the core purchase driver for consumers will shift from the operating system to the nature and function of the personal cloud services available to a platform. Platforms will not be judged solely by number of apps, but also by the availability of core personal cloud services for business and personal needs, for both content creation and content consumption.

Seamless Synchronization: Since the personal cloud comprises different service offerings, seamless synchronization will be essential for success. At the simplest level, this means synchronization of content stored locally and mirrored to a given service. This content could be office documents and music and video collections, but could also extend to other types. To achieve synchronization, content need not necessarily be replicated — seamlessly matched content, if delivered appropriately, will be perceived as seamlessly synchronized. But seamless synchronization does require consideration of consumer identity, social graphs, persistent capture of usage states (and the ability for users to opt in or out of any or all of these) from service to service.

Additional information is available in the Gartner report " Competitive Landscape: Consumer Personal Cloud." The report is available on Gartner's website athttp://www.gartner.com/resId=1967316 

Gartner IT Infrastructure Operations and Data Center Summit 2012

Gartner analysts will explore the trends and technologies including virtualization, cloud computing, IT operations, Data Center Power & Cooling and Cost Optimization at the first Gartner IT Infrastructure Operations & Data Center Summit to be held in Mumbai on 14 - 15 May 2012 at the Grand Hyatt. For further information about the Gartner IODC summit, please visithttp://www.gartner.com/technology/summits/apac/data-center-india/index.jsp.

Journalists can register by contacting Sony Shetty, Gartner PR on +91 9820900036 or sony.shetty@gartner.com

 
Additional information from the event will be shared on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/Gartner_inc and using #GartnerDC

 

Contact: 
 

Sony Shetty 
Gartner
+91 22 67092031
sony.shetty@gartner.com 


About Gartner: 
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 11,500 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,500 associates, including 1,250 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.

Root Canal or Cloud Migration? Cisco Study Reveals Many IT Professionals Have Ways to Go in Getting Their Networks Ready for Cloud Migration

Root Canal or Cloud Migration? Cisco Study Reveals Many IT Professionals Have Ways to Go in Getting Their Networks Ready for Cloud Migration

Global Report Examines Expectations and Network Challenges of IT Professionals in Thirteen Countries as They Migrate Their Applications to the Cloud – Reinforces Need for Network Update

SAN JOSE, Calif. – May 8, 2012 – As the role of cloud computing is growing significantly in its ability to deliver business applications, many IT decision makers are facing challenges with their existing network infrastructure to support the migration of their business applications to the cloud. An international study announced today by Cisco revealed that without the proper cloud migration strategy, more than one third (38 percent) of IT decision makers would rather get a root canal, dig a ditch, or do their own taxes than address network challenges associated with public or private cloud deployments.

These research findings provide insight into the current state of cloud networking and the chasm between IT expectations and network realities. The survey also examines the experiences of IT professionals regarding the level of difficulty and time required to update their networks and migrate their applications to the cloud.

The 2012 Cisco® Global Cloud Networking Survey addresses the applications that are most critical for businesses to move to the cloud, as well as the network challenges and potential disruptions and road blocks they are facing during this process. The report also takes a closer look at the typical length of these cloud migrations, and how confident IT professionals are in the ability of their own network deployments to securely deliver an optimal cloud application experience.

Among its findings, the 2012 Cisco Global Cloud Networking Survey reveals that updating the network is one of the top focus areas for cloud migration. In order to successfully move more applications to the cloud, the majority of respondents cited a cloud-ready network (37 percent) as the biggest infrastructure element required for further cloud deployments, ahead of a virtualized data center (28 percent) or a service-level agreement from a cloud service provider (21 percent).

This data expands on the Cisco Global Cloud Index, which predicts that more than 50 percent of computing workloads in data centers will be cloud-based by 2014, and that global cloud traffic will grow over 12 times by 2015, to 1.6 zettabytes per year – the equivalent of over four days of business-class video for every person on Earth. 

Overview

  • The 2012 Cisco Global Cloud Networking Survey, which included participation from more than 1,300 IT decision makers in 13 countries, was commissioned to measure the adoption of cloud services by IT professionals globally, while examining potential challenges to their cloud migrations.
  • The survey was commissioned by Cisco and distributed by Insight Express with the goal of helping businesses better understand the challenges related to the network when moving to cloud services.
  • The countries that participated in the survey were: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.
  • The complete findings are available at http://www.cisco.com/go/cloudsurvey.

Key Findings

Cloud Deployments in Perspective

  • Almost two in five (39 percent) of those surveyed said they dread network challenges associated with private or public cloud deployments so much that they would rather get a root canal, dig a ditch, or do their own taxes.
  • At the same time, nearly three quarters (73 percent) feel they are confident with enough information to begin their private or public cloud deployments. However, the remainder (27 percent) feels they have more knowledge about how to play Angry Birds than the steps needed to migrate their company's network and applications to the cloud.
  • In a clear sign that many IT organizations are still considering and planning cloud migrations, nearly one quarter (24 percent) of IT decision makers said that over the next six months, they are more likely to see a UFO, a unicorn or a ghost before they see their company's cloud migration starting and finishing.
  • Without proper processes and planning, more than one quarter (31 percent) said they could train for a marathon in a shorter period of time than it would take to migrate their company's applications to the cloud.
  • A majority (76 percent) predict their cloud applications are likely to be breached, yet only one quarter (24 percent) are confident to the point in which they believe the odds are better for them to be struck by lightning than have their cloud applications breached by an unwanted third party.

Cloud Deployments Expected to Increase Significantly by the end of 2012

  • Presently, only 5 percent of IT decision makers have been able to migrate at least half of their total applications to the cloud. By the end of 2012, that number is expected to significantly rise, as one in five (20 percent) will have deployed over half of their total applications to the cloud.

Most Critical Infrastructure for Cloud Deployments

  • In order to successfully move more applications to the cloud, the majority of respondents cited a cloud-ready network (37 percent) as the biggest infrastructure element required for further cloud deployments, ahead of a virtualized data center (28 percent) or a service-level agreement from a cloud service provider (21 percent).

Top Infrastructure Roadblocks to Cloud Migration

  • During the cloud migration process, data protection security (72 percent) was cited as the top network challenge or roadblock responsible for preventing a successful implementation of cloud services, followed by availability/reliability of cloud applications (67 percent), device-based security (66 percent), visibility and control of applications across the WAN (60 percent) and overall application performance (60 percent).

Top Choice of Application for Cloud Migration

  • If given the choice of only being able to move one application to the cloud, most respondents would choose storage (25 percent), followed by enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications to manage HR, customer relationship management, supply chain management, and project management systems (20 percent). Email (16 percent) and collaboration solutions (15 percent) followed.

Reality Check: Status of Cloud Application Migration

  • When asked which applications have been moved, or are being planning to be moved to public or private clouds in the next year, the majority of IT decision makers cited email and Web services (77 percent), followed by storage (74 percent) and collaboration solutions such as Web conferencing and instant messaging (72 percent).

Expected Length of Typical Cloud Deployment

  • When asked to anticipate the length of time the transfer of applications such as Web conferencing, storage and email would take to either private or public clouds, most respondents anticipated a private cloud migration to take longer than a public one.  In addition, when asked to estimate the average length of time it would take to complete the cloud migration for their applications, most IT professionals indicated the deployment would take less than six months.

State of Virtual Desktop Deployments – and Barriers

  • When asked about their plans to deploy virtual desktops, 79 percent of IT decision makers cited it as part of their current or future plans. 25 percent are already using virtual desktops, with 35 percent planning to do so within the next year. 20 percent plan on deploying virtual desktops within one to three years.
  • Among the top barriers to keeping virtual desktop deployments from taking place, respondents cited cost (46 percent) as the primary obstacle, followed by bandwidth requirements (45 percent), virtual desktop (VDI) performance caused by WAN latency (37 percent), integration of native with virtual desktops (34 percent), and the overall complexity of the deployment (33 percent).
  • When asked the reason behind their move to the cloud, 52 percent of respondents claimed it was an imperative made by their business or CIO to in order to improve costs, productivity and agility; 41 percent said they're simply following the industry or their peers; and 30 percent are doing so because of customer requirements.

Source of Information When Making Cloud Decisions

  • Cloud service providers are the main source of intelligence or information about cloud services (25 percent), followed by industry analysts (16 percent), industry peers (15 percent) and infrastructure vendors (14 percent).

Personal Experience of IT Professionals Regarding Security and Network Performance

  • Nearly two in five participants (39 percent) said they would not trust their own personal information – such as medical records and Social Security numbers – with the cloud provider they are currently using.
  • More than half (52 percent) of IT decision makers said they have a better overall application experience at home with their personal networks than they do at work.

Supporting Quotes

  • Praveen Akkiraju, senior vice president and general manager, Cisco Services Routing Technology Group:"As cloud adoption is increasing at a rapid rate, businesses need to be fully aware of the necessary steps when planning for a cloud model that is right for their organization. The Cisco Global Cloud Networking Survey  offers valuable insight into what these organizations are experiencing in their cloud migrations, and provides a real-world analysis to help businesses better understand the challenges related getting their networks ready for cloud services.

Supporting Resources

Tags/keywords: Cisco, routing, WAN Optimization, switching, security, wireless, mobility, cloud, IT, survey, Borderless Networks. Cisco Global Cloud Networking Survey, Praveen Akkiraju, cloud computing, cloud services, cloud migrations, applications, VDI, WAN latency, virtual desktop, Interop, Interop Las Vegas 2012

RSS Feed for Cisco: http://newsroom.cisco.com/rss-feeds

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

#  #  #

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

Press Contacts

  • Ben Stricker
Cisco Systems, Inc.+1 408 527 3199

Investor Relations Contacts

Industry Analyst Relations

TITUS Facilitates Data Protection in Canadian Government Departments

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TITUS Facilitates Data Protection in Canadian Government Departments

Five more government departments leverage data classification as key element of national cyber security

 

Twittercue: @TITUS #classification solutions selected by Canadian Government departments for #dataprotection  http://bit.ly/KHOdvM

 

Toronto, CanadaSC Congress Canada 2012 (Booth 408) – May 8, 2012TITUS data security and governance solutions have recently been selected by a number of Canadian federal government departments. Treasury Board of Canada, Canadian Department of Finance, Public Safety Canada, Privy Council Office, and FINTRAC (Financial Transactions Reports Analysis Centre of Canada) have purchased and are in the process of deploying TITUS classification solutions to identify and protect sensitive information as part of the requirements of the Government Security Policy and Cyber Security Strategy.

 

TITUS solutions involve end users in the overall data loss protection strategy. Sensitive information is identified and protected and visual labels are used to raise security awareness throughout the government.

 

Most recently, the following Canadian government agencies have selected TITUS Classification to identify and protect data for improved national security:

 

·         Treasury Board of CanadaTITUS Message Classification and TITUS Classification for Microsoft Office

·         Canadian Department of FinanceTITUS Message Classification, TITUS Classification for Microsoft Office and TITUS Classification for Desktop

·         Public Safety CanadaTITUS Message Classification

·         Privy Council Office - TITUS Message Classification and TITUS Classification for Microsoft Office

·         FINTRACTITUS Message Classification

 

“In the past few years, we have seen several governments, including the Australian and UK governments, mandate classification and protective marking as part of their overall security strategy.  With these recent wins, we now see the Canadian government moving in the same direction to protect important information,” said Tim Upton, Founder, President and CEO of TITUS. “These deals are significant for us as they show the commitment our government has made to information protection and how they view TITUS solutions as a key component of their information protection plans.”

 

TITUS Message Classification is an easy-to-use email security solution that ensures every Microsoft Outlook email is classified and protectively marked before it is sent.

 

TITUS Classification for Microsoft Office enables organizations to ensure consistent and proper handling of their Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) documents.

 

TITUS Classification for Desktop enables the classification of any file type in a Microsoft Windows environment. TITUS Classification for Desktop provides a simple right-click classification menu that guides users when classifying single or multiple files in Windows Explorer.

 

About TITUS
TITUS is the leading provider of security and compliance software that helps organizations share information securely while meeting policy and compliance requirements. Our solutions enable military, government, and large enterprises to classify information and meet regulatory compliance by visually alerting end users to the sensitivity of information. Products include TITUS Classification, the leading message, document and file classification and labeling solutions that enhance data loss prevention by involving end users in identifying sensitive information; and the TITUS family of classification and security solutions for Microsoft SharePoint. TITUS solutions are deployed to over 2 million users within our over 300 military, government and enterprise customers worldwide, including Dow Corning, United States Air Force, NATO, G4S, Paternoster, Pratt and Whitney, Canadian Department of National Defence, Australian Department of Defence, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information, visit www.titus.com and the TITUS SharePoint Security blog.

 

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Media Contact:

Nicole Baker

PR Manager – TITUS

Phone: 613-820-5111 x155

Mobile: 613-862-4316

nicole.baker@titus.com

Twitter: @titus


 

Calgary SharePoint Specialists To Host Industry Webinar

 
MSP News

 

Assistus to Host Industry Leading SharePoint Webinar

 

Assistus Corporation is committed to the success of Calgary small businesses. To demonstrate this commitment, members of the Assistus team will conduct an industry leading SharePoint webinar focused on how Canadian businesses can leverage solutions catered to assisting in business growth. 

 

Calgary, AB - How do you manage your projects? Do you have emails and documents all over your organization and don't know their status?  Are all of your team members using the correct templates? How do you share revised documents without causing confusion?  Do you know if your projects are on time and on budget?  Are you considering investing in expensive project management software to help you get things in order?  Before taking the plunge into an expensive and complicated software implementation, consider using SharePoint instead.

Many companies and individuals simply use SharePoint as an extended file share.  SharePoint is much more than just a document storage solution; it is a powerful tool and many businesses in Canada do not realize SharePoint's true potential.

 

Cloud-hosted SharePoint solutions from Assistus offer Canadian businesses a simple way to navigate Web interface that many users are already accustomed to, integration with leading productivity software solutions found in Microsoft Office including Microsoft Outlook, workflow automation, document management and much more.

 

Join the Assistus Corporation 11 May 2012 at 10:00 am for a webinar that will help you uncover SharePoint's true potential. We will demonstrate the myriad ways that you can use SharePoint for project management for far less than what it would cost to buy and implement specialized software.

 

For more information or to register, visit http://www.assistus.com/crm-webinar-schedule