Gartner Predicts 30 Percent of Businesses Will Be Monetizing Their Information Assets Directly by 2016

Gartner Predicts 30 Percent of Businesses Will Be Monetizing Their Information Assets Directly by 2016

Analysts to Discuss Big Data at Gartner Business Intelligence and Analytics Summits 2013, February 5-7 in Barcelona, February 25-26 in Sydney and March 18-20 in Grapevine, Texas

STAMFORD, Conn., January 10, 2013—

The financial demands of storing and managing big data will lead 30 percent of businesses to directly or indirectly monetize their information assets by trading, bartering or outright selling them by 2016, according to Gartner, Inc. Many enterprises are starting to appreciate the real market value that their harvested information assets have within their own industries or beyond. However, the lack of expertise in handling big data and developing information products will create an opportunity for the growth of specialist intermediaries, acting as information brokers or resellers.

"The need to justify the expense of accumulating and managing huge volumes of data has led many organizations to consider monetizing or productizing their information assets," said Doug Laney, research vice president at Gartner. "For example, several retailers are already generating millions of dollars per year in incremental revenue by placing online their point-of-sale and other data for business partners to subscribe to. Other individuals have launched ventures packaging and reselling publicly available data, or using it to launch new information-based products — such as in the insurance and financial markets."

Since many businesses are ill-equipped to develop and introduce information-based products, "information resellers" will arise to help organizations develop and execute information asset monetization strategies. Gartner anticipates the appearance of "information product managers" to lead these efforts internally.

The new opportunities for significant information-borne income will lead makers of web-connected products to ensure their offerings collect as much usage, location and system data as possible. To assist in these efforts, Gartner, as part of its "infonomics" research, has developed valuation models that help organizations gauge the potential and realized economic value of their information assets.

"Consumers and businesses must recognize that their personal usage, location, profile and activity data has a tangible market value. They should guard it and ensure that when they do share it they receive ample services, products or cash for it," said Mr. Laney. "Businesses monetizing information assets need to be sensitive to the reputational risk of public backlash against such practices, that may in turn lead to a tighter regulatory environment." Recently, for example, the Federal Trade Commission issued subpoenas to major information brokers to disclose how they collect, use and protect personal information.

One issue arising from the trend toward monetizing information assets is that traditional database management system and business intelligence products and implementations are not well-suited to sharing data in a subscription-based manner. The implication is that new forms of the technology are emerging — focusing on cloud-based implementations that enable subscriber-based access and restricted access to segments of data. "A nascent crop of shared information hosting services already complements established syndicated data providers, and most vendors have taken steps to cloud-enable their technologies," concluded Mr. Laney.

Additional information and analysis, on how businesses can monetize their information assets while navigating the potential hurdles, will be discussed at the Gartner Business Information & Analytics Summit 2013 taking place February 5-7 in Barcelona, February 25-26 in Sydney and March 18-20 in Grapevine, Texas.  The Gartner Business Intelligence (BI) & Analytics Summit is specifically designed to drive organizations toward analytics excellence, by exploring the latest trends in BI and analytics and examining how the two disciplines relate to one another. Gartner analysts will discuss how the Nexus of Forces will impact BI and analytics, and share best practices for developing and managing successful mobile BI, analytics and master data management initiatives.

More information about the BI & Analytics Summit in Barcelona can be found athttp://www.gartner.com/technology/summits/emea/business-intelligence/?ref=g_homelink
Members of the press can register for this Summit by contacting Rob van der Meulen at rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com.

More information on the BI & Information Management Summit can be found athttp://www.gartner.com/technology/summits/apac/business-intelligence/.
Members of the press can register for this Summit by contacting Susan Moore atsusan.moore@gartner.com

More information on the BI & Analytics Summit can be found atwww.gartner.com/us/bi.Members of the press can register for this Summit by Christy Pettey at christy.pettey@gartner.com.

Information from the Gartner BI Summits 2013 will be shared on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/Gartner_inc using #GartnerBI.

Contacts: 
 

Christy Pettey 
Gartner
+1 408 468 8312
christy.pettey@gartner.com 

Rob van der Meulen 
Gartner
+44 0 1784 267892
rob.vandermeulen@gartner.com 


About Gartner: 
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to clients in 12,000 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 5,000 associates, including 1,280 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more information, www.gartner.com.

Deloitte CFO Signals™ Survey: Canadian Business Confidence Drops Dramatically, Affecting Plans for Investment, R&D and Domestic Hiring

Deloitte CFO Signals™ Survey: Canadian Business Confidence Drops Dramatically, Affecting Plans for Investment, R&D and Domestic Hiring

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 9, 2013) - Continuing uncertainty about the global economy and measures the United States might take to deal with its budget deficit has pushed net optimism among North American CFOs in the fourth quarter of 2012 to its lowest level of the year. The decline was particularly large in Canada, where net optimism (the difference between the percentage of CFOs expressing rising and falling optimism) fell from +47 in the third quarter of 2012 to -6 in the fourth, while U.S. CFOs reported their net optimism fell from -16 last quarter to -21 this quarter. As a result, companies in both countries have lowered their growth expectations for capital investment, R&D, and marketing and advertising spending, and don't expect much growth in domestic hiring.

Despite the drop in net optimism, the quarterly Deloitte CFO Signals™ Survey - which tracks the thinking and actions of chief financial officers representing North American companies averaging more than $5 billion in annual revenue - found that earnings growth expectations were improving in both Canada and the United States. But while U.S. CFOs also raised their sales growth expectations in the fourth quarter, Canadian CFOs lowered theirs to the lowest level in more than a year.

"Canadian companies appear to be increasingly concerned about a negative impact on their operations caused by ongoing economic problems in the United States and Europe," said Trevor Nakka, co-leader of Deloitte Canada's CFO program. "This is leading many of them to take steps to preserve cash and protect revenues from existing markets rather than investing and expanding."

Canadian CFOs have lowered their estimates for sales gains to 5.5% this quarter from 6.5% last quarter (and 7.4% in the first quarter of 2012), while U.S. CFOs raised their estimates slightly, from 4.3% to 4.8%. Nevertheless, CFOs in both countries expect earnings growth will outpace sales growth, a trend that has continued for several quarters. Domestic hiring expectations have fallen considerably among Canadian CFOs, dropping to just 0.2% in the fourth quarter, down from 1.1% in the third quarter and 3.7% in Q1. U.S. hiring expectations recovered slightly to 0.7% from 0.2% last quarter but are still below the 1.9% in Q2 and 1.8% in Q1. Expectations for growth in capital investment, R&D spending and marketing and advertising are at new survey lows.

"Unlike in previous quarters, when companies had relatively high expectations for hiring and capital expenditures, we now see them pulling back on investments as they await greater certainty about what is going to happen in the United States and Europe," said Dick Cooper, co-leader of Deloitte Canada's CFO program. "It's no surprise that a lack of clarity on fiscal policy is one of the top challenges facing North American businesses."

The survey also showed a continuing evolution of the CFO role to include more responsibility for information and related technologies, with about half of all CFOs expressing dissatisfaction with the either the quality of the information they receive or with the flexibility of their IT systems. CFOs expect the top business-changing IT trends in 2013 to be mobile and social business, followed closely by customer data.

The Deloitte CFO Signals™ survey also revealed the following results (estimates are adjusted averages to reduce the effect of outliers):

  • Potential detrimental impacts of the "fiscal cliff" in the United States became the most worrisome risk for CFOs this quarter, surpassing global economic stagnation and the European crisis. But only one in five CFOs expected the U.S. to go "over the cliff" by the end of 2012, even though there is strong concern about political gridlock in Washington.
  • Despite the focus on the fiscal cliff, the European crisis still ranks in the top three of CFO's most worrisome risks, but about 60 per cent of CFOs have no plans for addressing changes in the European situation, either because they have planned only for the status quo to continue or have no specific plans for any particular scenario.
  • Overall, CFOs say their companies' top four challenges include revenue growth from existing markets (60 per cent), framing and/or adapting strategy (37 per cent), talent (33 per cent) and prioritizing investments (29 per cent). For Canadian CFOs, talent was tied with revenue growth from existing markets as their top challenge.
  • Improving finance's ability to be a business partner is a constant struggle. To better serve their business units, CFOs said they most want to improve finance's capabilities around strategic planning (52 per cent), IT/information management (48 per cent), and budgeting and financial planning (47 per cent).
  • Major change initiatives, changing regulatory requirements and strategic ambiguity are the three biggest job stresses for CFOs, while board relationships and demands appear to be a growing source of stress.

To download a copy of the survey, please visit: http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Services/additional-services/chief-financial-officer/cfo-signals/751a4454c034b310VgnVCM2000003356f70aRCRD.htm.

The Deloitte CFO Signals survey was conducted for the fourth quarter of 2012. Seventy-seven per cent of the 86 CFO respondents were from companies with more than $1 billion in annual revenues, and three fourths were from publicly traded companies. There were 17 Canadian CFOs who took part, representing 20 per cent of the total surveyed.

Each quarterly CFO Signals report analyzes CFOs' opinions in five areas: CFO career, finance organization, company, industry, and economy. For more information about Deloitte's CFO Signals, or to participate in the survey, please contact canadiancfo@deloitte.ca.

About Deloitte's CFO Program

Deloitte's CFO Program harnesses the breadth of Deloitte's capabilities to deliver forward-thinking perspectives and fresh insights to help CFOs manage the complexities of their role, drive more value in their organization, and adapt to the changing strategic shifts in the market. For more information about Deloitte's CFO Program, please contact canadiancfo@deloitte.ca or visit www.deloitte.com/us/cfocenter.

As used in this document, "Deloitte" means Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.

About Deloitte

Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting and financial advisory services through more than 8,000 people in 56 offices. Deloitte operates in Québec as Samson Bélair/Deloitte & Touche s.e.n.c.r.l. Deloitte & Touche LLP, an Ontario Limited Liability Partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

Contact Information

Free Cloud Computing Resources from CANARIE Help Canadian Entrepreneurs Reduce Time and Cost of Product Development

Free Cloud Computing Resources from CANARIE Help Canadian Entrepreneurs Reduce Time and Cost of Product Development

DAIR program promotes the use of advanced technologies that give Canadian firms a competitive edge

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 8, 2013) - Businesses across Canada can now apply for free cloud-computing resources through a program that aims to improve Canada's competitive position in the technology sector.

The Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research (DAIR) program is offered by CANARIE, operator of Canada's Advanced Research and Innovation Network, in partnership with two other leading technology organizations, Compute Canada, and Cybera. It is designed to help entrepreneurs develop and test new products without prohibitive product development costs, so that Canadian companies can get a competitive foothold in emerging technology markets. The goal is to support hundreds of projects across Canada over the next three years.

"Building or even paying for computing infrastructure can be a huge cost and time impediment for high-tech innovators. The DAIR program effectively removes that hurdle," says Jim Roche, President and CEO of CANARIE. "All Canadian entrepreneurs should think about how this rapid access to low-cost cloud computing can help them improve their businesses."

Current users of DAIR have great things to say about the value of the program.

"A startup like ours is very sensitive to incurring costs, especially in high-risk R&D activities like moving to the cloud infrastructure," says Dr. Shahzad Khan, President of Gnowit Inc, a digital-media/social-networking developer. "DAIR enabled us to experiment with the cloud infrastructure for a fraction of the cost (and at a much lower risk-profile) than if we had used one of the commercial offerings -- indeed, we may never have had the incentive to consider this without the DAIR program -- which would have limited our growth significantly."

Dr. David Poellhuber, COO of ZEROSPAM Security Inc., points out that it's vitally important for tech entrepreneurs to keep pace with emerging technologies. "There is an important shift in our market to cloud-based solution as organizations realize the hidden costs of software and appliance-based solutions," he says. "I wish I had known this program existed before."

"This is exactly the kind of program that Canada needs in order to compete in today's digital economy," says John Reid, President and CEO of Canada's Advanced Technology Alliance. "It leverages existing infrastructure, builds skills, and gives a competitive edge to Canadian entrepreneurs."

Background

The Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research (DAIR) Program provides an R&D environment that supports Canada's tech innovators and entrepreneurs in designing, prototyping, validating, and demonstrating their new technology applications, products and services.

An initial DAIR pilot program, which supported 42 Canadian companies in 2011 and 2012, was considered highly successful by users. The current launch is based on positive feedback from pilot users.

Companies apply to the program through an online form. They need to outline the purpose and scope of the product they are developing, and the scale of resources being requested, such as data requirements and number of virtual machines.

Cost: Use of the DAIR program is limited to one year. Users may request up to four "cores" at no cost for that year. A core is an independent central processing unit that can read and execute program instructions. Additional cores are available at $100 each for the year.

Resources

The following companies are willing to answer questions about their participation in the DAIR program. They are all users who started on the pilot and who continue to use and benefit from DAIR.

Company Location Spokesperson
Gnowit Inc Ottawa Dr. Shahzad Khan, President
Digital media social networking 613-263-8009
shahzad@gnowit.com
ZEROSPAM Security Inc. Montreal Mr. David Poellhuber, COO
ICT research 514-527-3232
dp@zerospam.ca
Project Whitecard Inc. Winnipeg Mr. Khal Sharif, CEO
Education 204-269-0718
khal@projectwhitecard.com

Digital Accelerator for Innovation and Research video

Online application

About CANARIE

CANARIE designs, delivers, and drives the adoption of digital infrastructure for Canada's research and education communities. CANARIE keeps Canada at the forefront of digital research and innovation, fundamental to a vibrant digital economy.

CANARIE's roots are in advanced networking, and CANARIE continues to evolve the national ultra-high-speed backbone network that enables data-intensive, leading-edge research and big science across Canada and around the world. One million researchers, scientists and students at over 1,100 Canadian institutions, including universities, colleges, research institutes, hospitals, and government laboratories have access to the CANARIE Network.

CANARIE also leads the development of research software tools that enable researchers to more quickly and easily access research data, tools, and peers. In support of Canada's high-tech entrepreneurs, CANARIE offers cloud-computing services to help them accelerate product development and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.

CANARIE, together with twelve provincial and territorial network partners, forms Canada's advanced network alliance. This powerful digital infrastructure connects Canada's researchers and innovators provincially, nationally, and globally to the data, tools, colleagues, and classrooms that are at the heart of prosperity in the digital economy.

Established in 1993, CANARIE is a non-profit corporation, with the major investment in its programs and activities provided by the Government of Canada.

For more information, please visit: www.canarie.ca.

Find us on Facebook and LinkedIn by searching for CANARIE Inc. On Twitter, search for CANARIE_Inc.

About Cybera

Cybera is the architect and guardian of CyberaNet, the ultra-high-speed broadband network that connects Alberta universities to the international system of research networks. With offices in Edmonton and Calgary, this pan-Alberta agency leads the development of advanced networks and above-the-network pilot projects. It is the Alberta partner in the national alliance of advanced networks across Canada, connected by CANARIE.

Find us on FacebookLinkedIn and Twitter.

About Compute Canada

Compute Canada is responsible for the national high-performance computing platform for research in Canada. This national organization integrates computational resources at its partner consortia across the country. These resources represent close to a petaflop of computing capability and online and long-term storage with rapid access and retrieval over Canada's national, provincial and territorial high-performance networks.

Find us on Twitter.

Contact Information

Dropbox Continues to Grow Samsung Partnership with Several New Integrations

Dropbox Continues to Grow Samsung Partnership with Several New Integrations

Dropbox to be embedded on new Samsung GALAXY Grand and Samsung SMART CAMERAs

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dropbox, a free service that lets you bring your documents, photos and videos everywhere and share them easily, today announced a deep integration with several new Samsung devices, including the upcoming Samsung GALAXY Grand smartphone and SMART CAMERAs.

“Extending our successful relationship with Samsung from mobile phones to cameras gives users more opportunities to access and share photos, videos and documents, regardless of what device they are on.”

This marks the next step in the partnership between Dropbox and Samsung, which began in 2012 with Dropbox integrations on the Samsung devices, including Samsung GALAXY S III, Samsung GALAXY Note II, and Samsung GALAXY Camera.

“Dropbox and Samsung share a common goal when it comes to connectivity across devices. We believe that the things that matter most to people should be accessible at all times,” said Lars Fjeldsoe-Nielsen, Head of Mobile Business Development at Dropbox. “Extending our successful relationship with Samsung from mobile phones to cameras gives users more opportunities to access and share photos, videos and documents, regardless of what device they are on.”

Beginning in March 2013, Dropbox will also be integrated on Samsung PCs and a number of Samsung SMART CAMERAs being released throughout 2013. The GALAXY Note II was the first Samsung device to launch with Dropbox deeply integrated in the photo and video gallery. Every photo or video users take on their Samsung device will be automatically uploaded to their Dropbox folder. This eliminates the need to hook up cables or remove SD cards to transfer photos to a PC, making it even easier to access and share content across devices and furthering Dropbox’s mission of simplifying people’s lives.

About Dropbox

Dropbox simplifies millions of people's lives by letting them bring their docs, photos, and videos anywhere and share them easily. The service has more than 100 million users in over 200 countries. Dropbox was founded in San Francisco in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. For more information, please visit https://www.dropbox.com/press.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in consumer electronics and the core components that go into them. Through relentless innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras, home appliances, medical devices, semiconductors and LED solutions. We employ 227,000 people across 75 countries with annual sales exceeding US$143 billion. Our goal is opening new possibilities for people everywhere. To discover more, please visithttp://www.samsung.com.

Contacts

Allison+Partners for Dropbox
Laura Ciekot, 415-277-4934
press@dropbox.com


























































































































Amazon.ca Launches Prime Service Offering Canadians Unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping

Amazon.ca Launches Prime Service Offering Canadians Unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping

Get fast, free shipping on millions of items across electronics, baby, kitchen, books, tools and more with no minimum orders

SEATTLEJan. 8, 2013 /CNW/ - Amazon.ca today announced the launch of Amazon Prime, a membership program that provides "all-you-can-eat" Free Two-Day shipping to customers for an annual fee of CAD $79.  The Prime membership offers free and unlimited shipping on millions of eligible items on www.amazon.ca, with no minimum purchase.  Prime is available on items across electronics, baby, kitchen, books, movies, music, watches, sporting goods, tools and more.

Amazon Prime, used by millions of members worldwide, offers customers in most areas of Canada:

  • Unlimited Free Two-Day shipping
  • One-Day shipping for as low as CAD $3.99 per item
  • Free Standard shipping to rural areas

"We are proud to bring Amazon Prime to Canada," said Steve Oliver, country manager for Amazon.ca.  "Amazon Prime offers its members the convenience of fast, free shipping on millions of eligible items, whether the order is for a single DVD or a kitchen mixer. There is no minimum purchase amount and no need to consolidate orders, so Canadians from coast-to-coast can enjoy a simpler, faster shopping experience."

Customers in Canada can try Amazon Prime for one month free,* with no obligation, by visitingwww.amazon.ca/prime. To learn more about Amazon Prime or to sign-up to start enjoying free shipping benefits, customers can visit www.amazon.ca/prime.

*Some restrictions apply

About Amazon.ca

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

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.comwww.amazon.co.ukwww.amazon.de,www.amazon.co.jpwww.amazon.frwww.amazon.cawww.amazon.cnwww.amazon.itwww.amazon.es andwww.amazon.com.br. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

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

Please note, for the first time, video footage and images of a Canadian Fulfillment Centre are available.

SOURCE: Amazon.ca

For further information:

For video footage, images, or media requests please contact:

Noor Marzook
NATIONAL Public Relations
nmarzook@national.ca
416-848-1404































































































































IBM, STMicroelectronics and Shaspa Advance Smarter Home Initiative

IBM, STMicroelectronics and Shaspa Advance Smarter Home Initiative

Cloud computing enhances control of "Internet of Things" in the home to help manage heating, lighting, security and more via multiple user interfaces including gestures and voice recognition

Tab navigation

LAS VEGAS, CES - 08 Jan 2013: IBM (NYSE:IBM), STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) and Shaspa today announced a collaboration to tap cloud and mobile computing for manufacturers and service providers to provide innovative ways for consumers to manage and interact with their homes’ functions and entertainment systems using multiple user interfaces such as voice recognition and physical gestures for a smarter home.

A “smart home” brings networking functions together, creating a gateway that connects a television, computer or mobile device with smart meters, lights, appliances, plugs and sensors within the home as well as services from outside. Parks Associates forecasts that more than 8 billion devices will be connected on the home network by year-end 2015.[1]

In Las Vegas this week during the world’s largest consumer electronics exhibition, the three companies will demonstrate a TV linked to ST’s Home Gateway, running software from business partner Shaspa, and connected to the IBM cloud. Through sensors, the system can monitor home parameters such as temperature, carbon dioxide[2] level through a wireless or batteryless IPv6 network, or human motion within the home. The data can be communicated to a smartphone or tablet via a wireless router. In this way, the homeowner can offload much of the home management to the cloud and interact with the system using event and time-based preset scenarios.

The companies anticipate that this initiative could allow consumers to use any device capable of running apps to manage a variety of personal activities such as viewing their home's energy consumption; controlling security, heating and lighting systems; activating home appliances such as washing machines; monitoring health and assisted living conditions; or engaging in e-commerce. For example, a person with limited mobility could gesture to the TV to unlock the front door, turn up the heat or check vital signs. This project represents the future of electronics technology as sensing devices and equipment seamlessly respond to user needs and requests, emulating the way humans sense their environment.

“Thanks to emerging cloud services we are entering a new era in which the role of the personal cloud is expanding into daily life and the smart home to improve energy efficiency, health and wellness and home entertainment,” said Bruce Anderson, General Manager Global Electronics Industry, IBM. “This collaboration is a great example of how cloud computing can be used for business and industry innovation versus solely for IT efficiency purposes. In the future, cloud-enabled electronics will sense what people want, evolving from seeing-to-noticing-to-remembering personal needs and histories.”

In this project, ST’s Home Gateway and Shaspa’s embedded software acts as a bridge between the home and cloud services provided by the IBM SmartCloud Service Delivery Platform, which gives electronics manufacturers a cloud platform to manage smart devices and rapidly introduce new consumer services. The gateway, based on a STiH416, provides the physical connectivity, provisioning and management middleware, application protocols, and interfaces for connecting and controlling the “Internet of Things.” The connected-home System-on-Chip runs software including Linux and a service management system compliant with the OSGi industry standard. 

The infrastructure for the gateway-cloud service operation is provided by Shaspa’s GUI and application software. IBM Worklight in combination with the Mobile Interface of the Shaspa embedded software is the mobile application platform that enables end users to control and manage their homes from their personal devices. The mobile platform is used to build the application, connect the app to all the sensors within the home, and manage all events that take place. IBM software such as MQ Series and Worklight helps transmit the data to mobile devices. Data captured in the cloud supports the discovery of new insights through advanced analytics.

“Smarter buildings are an essential part of the journey towards a sustainable world, and this building-to-cloud system shows that connected living is becoming possible today,” said Oliver Goh, Founder & CEO of Shaspa. “This secure, scalable offering with be the enabler for ecosystems, enabling the fast creation and deployment of value-add services.”

The idea of an intelligent home that uses technology to enhance the lives of its occupants is far from new; in fact, it was a major theme in the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. We are now in a position to realize the intelligent-home dream with systems that feature scalability, interoperability and security built-in from the start. This requires collaborations among leading players across the ecosystem.

“The smart home is a key part of the smarter world we need to address important global challenges, including energy saving and more affordable and accessible healthcare, and many different technologies and skills must be brought together to accelerate its development,” said Alessandro Cremonesi, Group Vice President and General Manager of Advanced Systems Technology, STMicroelectronics. “This demonstration confirms that ST’s solutions, from sensors, low-power microcontrollers and communications devices to home gateways, combined with our unrivalled track record in successful partnering, can contribute significantly to making smart homes a reality.”

The demo will be shown at two venues near the Las Vegas Convention Center: A private, invitation-only suite at The Encore Hotel (ST) and The Venetian, exhibit meeting room 2405 (IBM). 

About IBM Cloud and Mobile Computing
Mobility is fundamentally transforming the way people live, work, play and make decisions. As the first new technology platform for business to emerge since the advent of the World Wide Web, mobile computing represents one of the greatest opportunities facing organizations. With an array of solutions that connect, secure, manage and develop the networks, infrastructure and applications that run the growing number of devices. IBM is enabling governments and industries to reinvent their business and reach customers, employees, partners and other constituents in completely new ways. IBM has helped thousands of clients adopt cloud models and manages millions of cloud based transactions every day. IBM assists clients in areas as diverse as banking, communications, healthcare and government to build their own clouds or securely tap into IBM cloud-based business and infrastructure services. IBM is unique in bringing together key cloud technologies, deep process knowledge, a broad portfolio of cloud solutions, and a network of global delivery centers. For more information about IBM cloud solutions, visit www.ibm.com/smartcloud. Follow us on Twitter @cloudchat and on our blog atwww.thoughtsoncloud.com.

About Shaspa
Shaspa, is a leading provider of a service delivery framework for smart building projects. An end-to-end framework allowing personalized automation and control solutions for residential, commercial and specialized properties. Founded in 2007 we have built an innovative platform and set of services that blends emerging services and technologies to manage environments. Using wireless sensors, it brings together multiple medias to integrate and manage physical and virtual environments from the palm of your hand in an intelligent way. 

Shaspa users can improve energy efficiency, manage their home when away from home and support independent living in an unobtrusive way. The Shaspa platform provides creative developers with a space develop applications which foster better energy management, greater understanding of physical processes and the creation of intelligent shared spaces.

Shaspa is using a rich ecosystem of technologies - web based, mobile, and 3D. 

Further Information can be found at www.shaspa.com

 About STMicroelectronics

ST is a global leader in the semiconductor market serving customers across the spectrum of sense and power and automotive products and embedded processing solutions. From energy management and savings to trust and data security, from healthcare and wellness to smart consumer devices, in the home, car and office, at work and at play, ST is found everywhere microelectronics make a positive and innovative contribution to people's life. By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for life.augmented. In 2011, the Company’s net revenues were $9.73 billion. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.

[1] Parks Associates studyService Providers and the Connected Home, 2011, http://www.parksassociates.com/whitepapers/parks-serviceproviders-wp2011

[2] While carbon dioxide isn’t generally dangerous, monitoring CO2 levels is useful so that environmental systems can adjust ventilation to suit the number of occupants in a room. Knowing how many people are in a room can save energy; fewer occupants produce lower levels of CO2 and therefore ventilations levels can be set lower.

 

Contact(s) information

Linda Hanson Hunt 

IBM Media Relations 
914-563-3920 
lindah@us.ibm.com

Anette Schmidt 
Shaspa – Media Relations 
+49 7031-7145680 
a.schmidt@shaspa.com

Michael Markowitz 
Director Technical Media Relations STMicroelectronics 
+1 781 591-0354 
michael.markowitz@st.com

































































































































Mobile Banking Users to Exceed 1 billion in 2017, Representing 15% of Global Mobile Subscribers

Mobile Banking Users to Exceed 1 billion in 2017, Representing 15% of Global Mobile Subscribers

Hampshire, UK – 9th January 2013: A new report from Juniper Research finds that over 1 billion mobile phone users will have made use of their mobile devices for banking purposes by the end of 2017, compared to just over 590 million this year.  Whilst the forecast of 1 billion users by 2017 represents over 15% of the mobile subscriber base, it should be acknowledged that around half of all mobile subscribers remain unbanked, with limited access to traditional financial services.

The report finds that many consumers are already seeing the benefits of accessing banking services on their mobile phones.  Mobile banking technology is proven and currently available in most regions of the world, reinforced by exceptional consumer demand, especially within the developed regions.

Smart & Secure Banking

The new Juniper report, Mobile Banking: Handset & Tablet Market Strategies 2013-2017, found that most banks have at least one mobile banking offering, either via messaging, mobile browser or an app-based service.  Yet a number of the larger banks are now confidently deploying two or more of these technologies together, particularly where there is significant smartphone and tablet penetration.

“From the banks’ perspective the triple play platform is advantageous as it avoids them having to switch suppliers for different approaches as well as maximising client reach.  While messaging remains highly popular and relevant in the financial sector, apps will be the dominant access mode in developed markets with banks reporting an increased number of visits per month on their mobile apps”, noted report author Nitin Bhas.

Other key findings include:

The report finds that the ability to access banking information and make transactions whilst on the move ‘whenever you want’ and ‘wherever you are’ is a compelling proposition to most banking customers.  The report provides the relative proportion of mobile banking users accessing information services (“push”) and transactional banking services (“pull”).

Transactional mBanking usage will reflect similar growth rates to mobile banking information service The developed markets of Far East & China, North America and Western Europe will have the highest penetration of users in 2017.

The ‘Mobile Banking ~ Smart & Secure’ 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 Rebecca Holman, Press Relations

T: +44(0)1256 830001

E: rebecca.holman@juniperresearch.com

Tablet PC Market Forecast to Surpass Notebooks in 2013, NPD DisplaySearch Reports

Tablet PC Market Forecast to Surpass Notebooks in 2013, NPD DisplaySearch Reports

SANTA CLARA, CALIF., January 7, 2013—Tablet PC shipments are expected to reach more than 240 million units worldwide in 2013, easily exceeding the 207 million notebook PCs that are projected to ship, according to NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. In a market that has been dominated by one major player, Apple, shifting market dynamics are creating the opportunity for a greater variety of choices, which will drive shipment growth in 2013 to 64% Y/Y.

The rapid development and adoption of new screen sizes is allowing both large and small brands to gain market traction in all regions and create new demand for tablet PCs. The tablet market has been led by Apple’s 9.7” iPad, but in 2013 a new class of small tablets will take over the market. Tablet PCs with 7-8” screen sizes are expected to account for 45%, or 108 million units of the market in 2013, overtaking the 9.7” size which will account for 17% share or about 41 million units.

As the variety and demand for new screen sizes increases, so will market growth in emerging markets. Having passed EMEA in 2012 to become the second-largest market for tablet PC shipments, China will have 27% of the global tablet market in 2013 with shipments of 65 million units, driven by small local brands. However, North America will remain the largest market with a 35% share (85 million units) in 2013. In both China and North America, tablet PC shipments surpassed notebook PC shipments in 2012.

Figure 1: Worldwide Tablet PC Shipment Share Forecast by Screen Size

Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report

Notebook PC shipments have been slowed by declining demand worldwide, reaching even emerging markets where low penetration rates could have stimulated demand. However, increasing tablet PC adoption is stymieing  notebook PC growth. The second half of 2013 may provide a respite as new processors aim to bring more tablet PC-like features, such as instant on, all-day battery life, and sleek form factors, to notebook PCs.

“The tablet PC market saw increasing investments in North America in the second half of 2012, from major brands that tested not only new screen sizes and price points, but also unconventional business models to support their efforts. The subsequent increase in shipments and demand underscored the benefits of segmentation in the market as it drove rapid market expansion,” saidRichard Shim, senior analyst with NPD DisplaySearch. “In 2013, further investments are expected worldwide, stoking demand to the point that tablet PC shipments will exceed those of notebook PCs.”

Figure 2: Worldwide Notebook PC and Tablet PC Shipment Share Forecast

Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report

The DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report covers the entire range of mobile PC products shipped worldwide and regionally. With analysis of global and regional brands, the Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report provides an objective, expert view of the market with insight into historical shipments, revenues, forecasts and more. For more information about the report, please contact Charles Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, e-mailcontact@displaysearch.com or contact your regional DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan or more information.

About NPD DisplaySearch
Since 1996, NPD DisplaySearch has been recognized as a leading global market research and consulting firm specializing in the display supply chain, as well as the emerging photovoltaic/solar cell industries. NPD DisplaySearch provides trend information, forecasts and analyses developed by a global team of experienced analysts with extensive industry knowledge. In collaboration with The NPD Group, its parent company, DisplaySearch uniquely offers a true end-to-end view of the display supply chain from materials and components to shipments of electronic devices with displays to sales of major consumer and commercial channels. For more information on DisplaySearch analysts, reports and industry events, visit us at http://www.displaysearch.com/. Read our blog at http://www.displaysearchblog.com/ and follow us on Twitter at @DisplaySearch.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions.  By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth.  Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, video games, and wireless.  For more information, visit npd.com, and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdtech and @npdgroup.

Note to Editors: Media interested in speaking with NPD DisplaySearch for additional market data and analyst commentary should contact Stacey Harmon at media@displaysearch.com or call 925.336.9592.

For more information on The NPD Group’s latest market research, including its recent press release on the company’s Consumer Electronics Holiday Sales Report, visit:https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/black-friday-and-cyber-monday-weeks-gain-share-of-2012-us-ce-holiday-sales-according-to-npd/.

Red Hat Announces General Availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9

Red Hat Announces General Availability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9

Raleigh

NC, Global, January 8, 2013

Minor Release of Leading Open Source Enterprise Platform Exemplifies Red Hat Commitment to 10-year Lifecycle, Introduces Several New Features and Updates

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced the next minor release of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9. This release marks the beginning of Production Phase 2 of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and demonstrates the company's continuing effort to promote stability and the preservation of customers' investments in the platform. It maintains Red Hat's commitment to a 10-year lifecycle through the introduction of several new features, including hardware enablement, security, standards and certifications, developer tools, virtualization, and more.

As with all minor releases, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 maintains backwards compatibility with hardware and software platforms across the lifecycle of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5. Therefore, the hardware and software compatibility included within previous releases of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 continues with this minor release. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 also showcases numerous improvements, including:

  • Support for Industry-Leading Hardware Vendors Through Enhanced Hardware Enablement. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 showcases the strong relationships Red Hat has with leading hardware vendors by including support for some of the latest CPU, chipset and device driver enhancements.
  • Continued Commitment to Security, Standards and Certifications. Red Hat Enterprise Linux has always been built with security in mind – a commitment that Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 helps solidify. This update features tighter security controls, the ability to verify and check the robustness of new passwords and support for the latest government password policy requirements. It also adds support for using Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) mode with dmraid root devices. FIPS mode now supports RAID device discovery, RAID set activation, and the creation, removal, rebuilding and displaying of properties.
  • New Developer Tools. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 includes several new developer-friendly features and tools, including the ability to develop and test with the latest version of open source Java available through OpenJDK 7. Many new SystemTap improvements have been added to Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9, including compile-server and client support for IPv6 networks, smaller SystemTap files, faster compiles, and compile server support for multiple concurrent connections.
  • Enhanced Application Support. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 includes a new rsyslog5 package, which upgrades rsyslog to major version 5 and is faster and more reliable than existing rsyslog packages available in previous RHEL releases. Samba has also been updated to version 3.6 with several new features, including SMB2 support, a reworked print server and security default improvements for all versions.
  • New Virtualization Capabilities and Flexibility in Multi-vendor Environments. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 enhances the operating system's usability in multi-vendor environments by introducing Microsoft Hyper-V drivers for improved performance. This enhances the usability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 for guests in heterogenous, multi-vendor virtualized environments and provides improved flexibility and interoperability for enterprises.
  • Better Subscription Management. Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 uses Red Hat Subscription Management as the default, allowing customers to effectively and more easily manage their Red Hat Enterprise Linux subscriptions locally or with tools such as Subscription Asset Manager which was enhanced to easily run reports on subscription distribution and utilization and an improved user interface. For more detail on how Red Hat customers can manage their subscriptions, please visit the Subscription Management section of the Red Hat Customer Portal.


“PayPros provides more than 55,000 businesses with advanced payment processing solutions, so we need a system that is reliable, stable and highly secure. Red Hat Enterprise Linux is that system,” said Joe Monteil, CIO, PayPros. “It has allowed us to continue to provide uninterrupted, dependable service to our customers while reducing our overall total cost of ownership. As a result, Red Hat is our platform of choice as we build our product portfolio and provide innovative solutions to our customers."

“Our goal with each version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is always to provide a highly flexible and extendable platform that continues to grow with the evolving needs of our customers, while allowing them to migrate to the next major release in their own timeframe,” said Jim Totton, vice president and general manager, Red Hat's Platform Business Unit. “Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 is the perfect example of our commitment to providing customers with an extensive product lifecycle, one that strives to provide continued, unwavering support for today's technologies and business needs.”

Additional Resources

  • To download Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.9 visit here
  • For more information about Red Hat Enterprise Linux visit here
  • For more information about the Red Hat Enterprise Linux lifecycle visit here


Connect with Red Hat


About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the world’s leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.
 
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company's growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

###

Red Hat and JBoss are trademarks of Red Hat, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries.
















































































































American Apparel Drives Performance with Oracle Commerce Solutions

American Apparel Drives Performance with Oracle Commerce Solutions

Fashion Retailer Uses Oracle to Personalize Shopping, Improve Site Speed and Increase Sales

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Jan. 8, 2013

News Facts

Since launching a new e-commerce platform, American Apparel has continued to deliver an increase in e-commerce sales, with a more than 38 percent increase over the same period last year.
December 2012 sales increased more than 59 percent over December 2011, and it was the highest sales month in the history of the company’s online business.
American Apparel, which manufactures and distributes merchandise as well as retailing direct to consumers, in October moved its multi-site e-commerce operations to Oracle’s ATG Web Commerce, a component of Oracle Commerce, to support and encourage ongoing growth by improving content management, promotions, search and transactions.
Object Edge, a Gold level member in Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) with a Specialization in ATG Web Commerce implemented the solution.

Additional Results

American Apparel implemented ATG Web Commerce and will be using the platform to operate multiple integrated e-commerce sites for different customer groups and geographic regions.
The ATG Web Commerce solution provides American Apparel’s business teams with an easy-to-use visual interface that simplifies the job of managing content, adapting page layouts and developing and implementing promotions.
American Apparel will be using Oracle to present customers with personalized content and customized search options, helping to accelerate selections by presenting items that the consumer prefers.
As American Apparel continues to drive growth and expand to new markets, the retailer expects to leverage Oracle’s scalable commerce platform to optimize operations and the customer experience.

Supporting Quotes

“We required an open, scalable platform with the features and functionality to support us now and in the future,” said Stacey Shulman, CIO, American Apparel. “As we continue to grow sales worldwide, the Oracle solution will enable us to personalize and enhance the customer experience online, streamline service and introduce more international sites.”
“By implementing Oracle’s ATG Web Commerce, American Apparel has established an e-commerce platform that will help them drive sales growth,” said Mike Webster, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Retail. “Oracle will continue to focus on helping retailers optimize core retail operations and improve the cross-channel customer experience.”
“American Apparel has been keen to unlock the power of Oracle’s ATG Web Commerce,” said Jags Krishnamurthy, chief operating officer, Object Edge. “The results are already showing how well the platform can support the company’s initiatives, and the future looks bright.”

Supporting Resources

About American Apparel

About Oracle Retail

Oracle provides retailers with a complete, open and integrated suite of business applications, server and storage solutions that are engineered to work together to optimize every aspect of their business. 20 of the top 20 retailers worldwide - including fashion, hardlines, grocery and specialty retailers - use Oracle solutions to drive performance, deliver critical insights and fuel growth across traditional, mobile and commerce channels. For more information, visit our Web site at http://www.oracle.com/goto/retail

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center.  For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit www.oracle.com.

 

About Oracle in Industries

Oracle industry solutions leverage the company's best-in-class portfolio of products to address complex business processes relevant to retail, helping speed time to market, reduce costs, and gain a competitive edge.

Trademark

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

# # #

Contacts:

Greg Lunsford
Oracle
+1.650.506.6523
greg.lunsford@oracle.com

Mary Ellen Amodeo
Amodeo Associates
+1.612.963.5797
mamodeo@amodeoassociates.com