Big Data in Pharma: A Canadian High Tech opens its doors

Big Data in Pharma: A Canadian High Tech opens its doors

/CNW/ - TH!NK Business Insights is a new data solutions provider to manufacturers and distributors in the Canadian pharmaceutical industry.

Employing a state-of-the-art, Oracle-based data warehouse, TH!NK will launch its first offering, TH!NK Sales, in January of 2013. This product will track shipment data from manufacturers and wholesalers to pharmacy outlets and hospitals. It will offer valuable insights into sales trends and market share with improved speed, reliability and value.

"We have responded to a resounding call from the industry for an alternative provider of pharmaceutical data here in Canada," says Andy Burgess, CEO.  "TH!NK not only provides an alternative, but our initial product offering will offer speed, accuracy and value unrivalled in the marketplace".

Planned future solutions will include prescribing trends, drug utilization insights and related analysis imperative to stakeholders wishing to forecast, monitor resources and plan drug development.

"The health care sector in Canada will be the primary focus for TH!NK", said TH!NK Business Insights President, Tom Zelenka.  "Providing information that will assist stakeholders in making better and faster decisions is critical in today's competitive pharmaceutical landscape".

TH!NK's leading edge technology includes several features that deliver significant benefits for customers:

  • Intelligent rule-based, daily ETL process automatically verifies data integrity and hygiene at time of data intake and enables the delivery of data to customers within 10 days of month end
  • Separate data staging area and built-in integrity monitoring tools to detect data anomalies ensure reliable and high quality data for customers
  • An advanced OLAP data model provides real-time data slicing and dicing so customers can receive customized dashboards and ad hoc reports
  • Sophisticated BI analytics algorithms generate timely trend detection and product forecasting
  • Embedded trend alerts highlight unusual sales patterns automatically and make analysis faster for users
  • Data architecture provides pricing by province that will generate true integrated provincial level pricing for compensation planning and administration, allowance payments and other critical decisions
  • Multi-zone cloud-based hosting and redundant database architecture with instant roll-over technology eliminates delays caused by a system failure

TH!NK's Chief Technology Officer, John Ching, is excited about the potential to combine "modern BI technology with Big Data" and is keen to point out this important differentiator.  "New technology allows TH!NK to embed trend insights, quality checks and most important, efficient and flexible access.  The bar has just been raised for the users of pharmaceutical data".

TH!NK Business Insights has offices in Toronto and Montreal.  The company secured private venture funding in June 2012. The executive team includes:  Andy Burgess (previously the CEO of Somerset Entertainment, a TSX-listed company) is the Chief Executive Officer; Tom Zelenka is President; Mark Maciw is Chief Operating Officer; Terri Power is Chief Commercial Officer; and John Ching is Chief Technology Officer.  Combined, the executive team has over 70 years of industry-related experience.

SOURCE TH!NK Business Insights


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/28/5015670/big-data-in-pharma-a-canadian.html#storylink=cpy

IBM Completes Acquisition of Kenexa

IBM Completes Acquisition of Kenexa

Accelerates Social Business for Workforce Transformation

ARMONK, N.Y. - 04 Dec 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the closing of its acquisition of Kenexa. Kenexa bolsters IBM's leadership in helping clients embrace social business capabilities while gaining actionable insights from the enormous streams of information generated from social networks every day. The net purchase price is approximately $1.3 billion.

Kenexa, a leading provider of recruiting and talent management solutions, brings a unique combination of Cloud-based technology and consulting services that integrates both people and processes, providing solutions to engage a smarter, more effective workforce across their most critical business functions.

Kenexa complements IBM's strategy of bringing relevant data and expertise into the hands of business leaders within every functional department, from sales and marketing to product development and human resources.

The adoption of social business technology is further accelerating the growth of big data and the need for analytics in the enterprise. A recent global IBM study revealed that 57 percent of surveyed CEOs identified becoming a social business as a top priority and more than 73 percent are making significant investments to capture and draw insights from available data.

The survey also reveals that 70 percent of CEOs cite human capital as the single biggest contributor to sustained economic value. The combined strengths of IBM and Kenexa provide organizations with unique capabilities that allow them to increase workforce efficiencies and gain insight from their business information.

"By creating a smarter workforce, employees can drive innovation to bring products and services to market faster, resolve problems before they arise to improve customer service, and increase sales by building new skills -- linking the right experts to the right clients," said Alistair Rennie, general manager, social business, IBM. "The combination of Kenexa's world-class human capital management solutions and IBM's social business and analytics leadership uniquely positions IBM to help clients generate real returns from their social business investments, while helping them to be more competitive in their markets."

Today, Kenexa is an industry leader in cloud-based software and recruiting process outsourcing (RPO.) Kenexa supports more than 8,900 customers across a variety of industries, including financial services, pharmaceuticals, retail and consumer, including more than half of the Fortune 500.

Since IBM announced its intent to acquire Kenexa in August, Kenexa has seen continued momentum with customers around the globe. Kenexa has signed sizeable, multiyear contracts with several major companies, and recently announced that Cargill, an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services, has signed a three-year agreement to use Kenexa to implement, develop and oversee an employee engagement survey to its entire workforce of 140,000 employees around the world.

The Kenexa acquisition complements IBM's social business and HR business services leadership. For three consecutive years, IDC ranked IBM number one in enterprise social software. Today, more than 60 percent of Fortune 100 companies have licensed IBM's solutions for social business.

Through its combination of social software, analytics, content management, IBM’s maturity and strength in business process services and deep industry expertise, IBM is uniquely positioned to help organizations capture information, create insights and generate interactions that translate into real business value.

At IBM's Connect conference, the premier social business client event in January 2013, IBM will detail how it will help clients use social technology, analytics, talent management, and human insights to attract and retain the right talent, to enable employee skills for the greatest impact, and to align activities to improve company performance – leading to real, positive business outcomes and competitive advantage. Register to attend Connect 2013 at www.ibm.com/connect.

With the closing of this acquisition approximately 2,800 Kenexa employees in 21 countries join IBM. Consistent with its strategy, IBM will continue to support Kenexa clients and enhance Kenexa technologies while allowing these organizations to take advantage of the broader IBM portfolio.

About IBM

For more information visit www.ibm.com/social-business.

Contact(s) information

Karen Lilla
IBM Media Relations
1-617-693-8115
karen_lilla@us.ibm.com




























































































Schaan Healthcare Products Inc. Collaborates with Customers through GHX to Drive Greater Efficiency and Cost Savings in the Healthcare Supply Chain

Schaan Healthcare Products Inc. Collaborates with Customers through GHX to Drive Greater Efficiency and Cost Savings in the Healthcare Supply Chain

Marks major milestone in supply chain automation within the province of Saskatchewan

TORONTO and SASKATOON, Saskatchewan, Dec. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - Schaan Healthcare Products Inc., a leading distributor of medical supplies to healthcare facilities in Saskatchewan, has joined the GHX electronic healthcare trading exchange to automate its business transactions with customers so that all parties can benefit from greater supply chain efficiency and accuracy.

As a member of the GHX collaborative community, Schaan Healthcare Products has published its product catalogue to the GHX AllSource® repository, the only supplier-verified data synchronization platform in the healthcare industry, enabling its customers to use updated and accurate product information within their business transactions. Through the GHX Exchange, Schaan Healthcare Products can now transact purchase orders, purchase order acknowledgements, advanced shipment notifications and invoices electronically with its trading partners to help boost mutual productivity, minimize manual rework and enhance operational performance.

"We've joined GHX to help our customers achieve their strategic goals of minimizing waste and reducing costs within the supply chain as well as improve our own internal business processes so that we can operate with greater efficiency and accuracy," said Collin Schaan, President and CEO, Schaan Healthcare Products. "By automating previously manual processes, we can focus our efforts on excellent product delivery and service and our customers can allocate more of their time to providing exceptional patient care."

"With the majority of Saskatchewan's health regions already transacting business through the GHX Exchange, Schaan Healthcare Products' participation marks a major milestone in healthcare supply chain automation within the province," said Nils Clausen, general manager, GHX Canada. "Significant and sustainable change within the healthcare supply chain requires a critical mass of participation and the continued rapid growth of the GHX community in Canada is surely a positive step in the right direction."

About GHX

Global Healthcare Exchange, LLC (GHX), a healthcare technology and services company, helps reduce the cost of doing business in healthcare by enabling better supply chain management. GHX makes it easier for hospitals, other healthcare providers and the suppliers that do business with them to drive cost and inefficiency out of their processes. Working with GHX, the healthcare organizations that make up the GHX Global Network are on track to save $5 billion by 2014—savings that can be invested in such things as hiring more nurses, providing care to uninsured children or developing new medical products. GHX is owned by organizations on both the buy and sell side of the healthcare supply chain, including some of the largest companies in the world. Find GHX on the Web, on Twitter @GHX_LLC and on Facebook @GHX.

About Schaan Healthcare Products Inc.

Schaan Healthcare Products Inc. is a privately owned Saskatoon based company. Since 1980 Schaan Healthcare has served Saskatchewan as a leading distributor of medical supplies to health care facilities including hospitals, nursing homes and personal care homes. Schaan Healthcare Products holds the designation of preferred distributor for 3sHealth and its member facilities in Saskatchewan. Further information about Schaan Healthcare Products may be found on its website at www.schaanhealthcareproducts.ca.

SOURCE: GHX

For further information:

Martine Aubin, Marketing Specialist, GHX, +1-647-426-2304, maubin@ghx.com; Collin K. Schaan, President & CEO, Schaan Healthcare Products Inc., +1-306-664-1188, cschaan@schaanhealthcareproducts.ca

http://www.ghx.com

http://www.schaanhealthcareproducts.ca




























































































Microsoft Dynamics December Product Releases Deliver New Capabilities and Value to Customers

Microsoft Dynamics December Product Releases Deliver New Capabilities and Value to Customers
Dec. 04, 2012
Customers cite value of quick-to-implement, simple-to-use, integrated business solutions.

REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 4, 2012 — As part of the company’s unprecedented period of product launches, Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) today announced that significant updates to three core Microsoft Dynamics business solutions are available in December, delivering new capabilities and value to help customers transform their businesses.

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 is available to customers now and additional product refreshes will be available later this month, including Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 (planned for Dec. 19) and Microsoft Dynamics December 2012 CRM Service update for Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online (beginning mid-December).

These product updates underscore Microsoft’s continued commitment to enable companies around the world to transform into Dynamic Businesses. In a rapidly changing world, companies need a new generation of business solutions that are quick to implement, easy to use and seamlessly interoperate with Microsoft platform technologies for maximum synergies.

“Our December product releases deliver significant value to customers through simple-to-use and easy-to-implement business solutions,,” said Kirill Tatarinov, president, Microsoft Business Solutions. “This wave of new Microsoft Dynamics’ capabilities, together with Microsoft’s innovative social, mobile, collaboration, productivity and analytics resources, inspires people to do their best work and transform their businesses.”

The market appears to have taken notice as the Microsoft Business Solutions organization, which develops and delivers Microsoft Dynamics products, continues to grow. The Microsoft Dynamics CRM business has experienced double digits for the past 33 quarters with its revenue growing 30 percent last quarter (year over year). Similarly, in the most recent fiscal year, Microsoft Dynamics AX saw an increase of more than 50 percent in license revenue in North America.*

Speed in Enterprise Implementation Marks Availability of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2

As the pace of doing business increases and more opportunities open up in emerging markets, organizations are asking for solutions that can be deployed quickly, empower their people to make more informed business decisions and help their businesses grow globally. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 is globally available and allows for multiple languages and legislations to be run from within a single instance. With significant advances across all core industry areas, the flexibility and agility is unprecedented — even for companies looking to use Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 in combination with legacy solutions and get the benefits of a modern, next-generation business solution here and now.

Harmonizing global operations is being done with great speed in enterprises such as Sematic Group, a global manufacturer of elevator components that is currently running operations in Italy, the U.K. and China on a single instance of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2. This provides centralized insights into the operations and a platform to find synergies between the locations. With the country localizations in one solution and centralized deployment, planned rollout to additional locations will be easier with an astounding average of one country per month for the next year.

“Having a common repository for customer, supplier and product data has driven initial efforts at standardizing common business processes across our international organization,” said Luca Caremoli, chief information officer at Sematic. “Now, with a single, common ERP, we are becoming one. Our people across the world are becoming a real part of the one Sematic.”

Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 also introduces breakthrough business intelligence capabilities based on Microsoft SQL Server. Important information to all parts of a business is provided quickly, intuitively and in context of what the individual user is doing. This ease of use and speed is critically important for better decision-making in a business such as Lotus F1 Team, which recently implemented the new version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2. The team chose Microsoft Dynamics AX to collect live, accurate information, make informed decisions, compete for funding, and — ultimately — build a fast car. This implementation will help improve manufacturing productivity, avoid wasted resources, deliver information quickly to remote employees and interoperate with its HR environment to manage the skill sets it needs for new processes.

“Microsoft Dynamics is key to our business transformation. On the one hand, it will enable us to ensure everyone on the team is focused on doing their job and not wasting time moving information from one system to another,” said Patrick Louis, CEO, Lotus F1 Team. “Second, it will help us more rapidly make changes to the car and how we make the car so we can bring performance-enhancing improvements to the track faster.”

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013: Quick-to-Implement, Easy-to-Use Business Solution for SMBs

Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013, expected to be available Dec. 19, introduces significant new features and capabilities designed to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) grow their businesses with powerful business solutions that are quick to implement and simple to use. This release introduces an innovative new Web client, more than 125 feature enhancements, streamlined management and rich interoperability with other Microsoft technologies such as Microsoft Office 365.

Key enhancement areas for the new release include the following:

• Choice in how the product is deployed, as well as how people access and use it. Customers can access Microsoft Dynamics GP through a rich client and an innovative new Web client so they can get to the information they need when they need it and on the device of their choice. Improved “hostability” features include a new hosting management console for cloud deployments to streamline deploying and managing Microsoft Dynamics GP in the cloud.

• Faster, lower-risk deployment with new RapidStart tools that can significantly reduce the time and effort required to configure Microsoft Dynamics GP for each customer’s specific needs.

• Improved productivity through enhanced ease of use throughout the product, as well as deeper interoperability with Microsoft Office, Office 365 and other Microsoft technologies.

One of the early adopters of Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is Western Precooling, a provider of cooling services to produce growers and shippers, enabling them to get fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables from the field to their customers. The company has been in business for 70 years and has more than 100 sites throughout the Western United States growing regions.

“With the advancement of the consumerization of IT in the workplace, users want to gain access to data much quicker to make timely, strategic changes in the business and keep an edge on their competitors,” said Brian Paine, director of IT at Western Precooling. “Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 is helping us improve customer invoicing, thus leading to better service and faster turnaround with our valued customer base while ensuring the highest level of customer service. In addition, the advances in business intelligence, reporting and user experience made in Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 equip our people to do the best job possible, which helps put Western Precooling on a course to be more competitive and accomplish its business goals.”

Great User Experience in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Update

Delivering on the Microsoft Dynamics commitment to rapidly innovate, the CRM December 2012 service update will be available beginning mid-December with a global rollout that will last into January. The new service update re-imagines the way sales, customer service and marketing professionals work with CRM. Moving away from the traditional data-centric approach, this service update adds new experiences that simply and visually guide users through their business processes. In addition, the new service update brings customers deeper connection to Yammer and Skype, embedded Bing Maps, compatibility with the new Microsoft Office, and cross-browser support** enabling new levels of communications and collaboration for customers.

Customers such as Colliers International see the value of the usability features of the new service update and the simplicity of use, particularly the speed and ease of getting their people up and running on the new system.

“We are excited to take advantage of the Microsoft Dynamics CRM service update because it is so simple to use that all of our people will be able to embrace it,” said Veresh Sita, chief information officer, Colliers. “This new user experience is no longer a barrier but an enabler, allowing us to reap immediate benefits.”

A new Dynamic Business video demonstrates the plans for the revolutionary user design that is part of Microsoft Dynamics’ future vision for a new world of work.

Further Information

More information on the new capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/erp-ax-2012-r2.aspx. Details on Microsoft Dynamics GP 2013 are available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/dynamics. More definitive information on the new capabilities in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM December 2012 service update is provided in the release preview guide, which can be downloaded at http://crm.dynamics.com/en-us/polaris.

About Microsoft Dynamics

At the heart of every successful business are the people who make things happen. Microsoft Dynamics designs modern business solutions that empower individuals with intuitive tools that allow them to do their best work. Our proactive, easy-to-use business applications adapt to the way people and systems work, enabling businesses to rapidly deploy and be forward-looking in an ever-changing world.

About Microsoft

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

* License revenue year over year as reported during Microsoft quarterly earnings.

* Cross-browser support including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome running on Windows-based PCs, and Apple Safari running on Macintosh desktop computers. In addition, there will be a Safari-based user experience on Apple iPad for sales users.

Groupe Conseil Osi acquires 6i Solution

Groupe Conseil Osi acquires 6i Solution

MONTREAL, Dec. 4, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Groupe Conseil OSI is pleased to announce the acquisition of 6i Solution, an application development centre for new technologies located in Trois-Rivières. Among the five largest IT consulting firms in Quebec, Groupe Conseil OSI has now increased its workforce to over 750 professionals in the province.

6i Solution has developed renowned expertise that will allow Groupe Conseil OSI to break into the U.S. market while increasing its remote delivery capability (nearshoring). The company therefore plans to extend its application development and support practices, which will be based on three delivery sites: Montreal, Trois-Rivières and Quebec City.

"With the expansion of mobile technologies and cloud computing, solution development has become a must," said Mr. Louis Pratt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Conseil OSI. "This acquisition will allow us to keep growing and develop new markets with the intent to strengthen our position and become one of the largest IT firms in Quebec, providing solutions and consulting services," he added.

"This transaction offers an excellent growth opportunity to 6i Solution," said Francis Rondeau, Founder of 6i Solution. "We will be able to deploy our specific expertise and range of services to a larger spectrum of clients in Quebec, Canada and the United States," he added.

About Groupe Conseil OSI
Established in 1991, Groupe Conseil OSI is one of Quebec's largest IT consulting firms. With more than 750 professionals at its Montreal, Quebec City and Trois-Rivières offices, the company has forged an enviable reputation for integrity and know-how through the successful completion of numerous projects.

About 6i Solution
Established in 2008, 6i Solution is an application development centre for new technologies located in Trois-Rivières. It operates in two specifics areas: application management and consulting services. With its expertise, 6i Solution meets the needs of private companies of all sizes in Canada and the United States.

SOURCE: Groupe Conseil OSI Inc.

For further information:

Myriam Crevier
514-282-4802
myriam.crevier@citoyenoptimum.com

























































































Gartner Says Capitalism Going Social Will Require Organizations to Build Two-Way Relationships with the "99 Percent"

Gartner Says Capitalism Going Social Will Require Organizations to Build Two-Way Relationships with the "99 Percent"

Gartner's Maverick Research Special Report Sparks New, Unconventional Insights

STAMFORD, Conn., December 3, 2012—          CIOs and business leaders must understand how a new breed of social capitalists will exploit technology to disrupt their industry segments, according to Gartner, Inc. As the gap between the rich and the poor in developed economies grows, money, wealth and power are becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of a small number of individuals — the "one percent" — while the other "99 percent" is increasingly using social media to collaborate, campaign and agitate against perceived inequities, leaving many management teams feeling under threat. 

These research findings are produced as part of Gartner's Maverick research. Maverick research is designed to spark new, unconventional insights. Maverick research is unconstrained by Gartner's typical broad consensus-formation process to deliver breakthrough, innovative and disruptive ideas from the company's research incubator. 

"While capitalism won't collapse, there are fundamental changes under way as it morphs to a new form that is more in tune with the technology and attitudes of the 21st century," said Nigel Rayner, research vice president at Gartner. "The coming capitalist era is that of the Facebook generation, in which the values and behaviors that pervade the Internet and social media will also be adopted by innovative and disruptive businesses. With half the world's population under the age of 25, this may happen sooner than many think." 

Gartner has identified a number of major shifts that will occur as capitalism goes social: 

  • Businesses will move away from the hierarchical command-and-control model to a more democratic and meritocratic model. Employees will be judged (and granted decision rights) on the basis of their impact on and value to the community, rather than on job title, age or social background. 
  • Businesses will adopt a more open approach to decision making, allowing anyone in the organization, and also people outside the organization, to have input into the decision-making process. Goals and objectives will be set by socializing strategic aims with employees, shareholders and communities of interest. 
  • Social and mobile technologies will be used to build and manage two-way relationships between businesses and all their communities of interest. This use of technology will go way beyond the one-way, outward-looking, limited use of social media today. It really will bring the 99 percent inside the walls of the enterprise to become part of the organization. 

"These changes won't impact all industries and businesses in the same way. Some will use them to create incremental business opportunities, but others may find their business model directly threatened, because they are seen by the 99 percent as the worst cases of exploitative business practices," said Mr. Rayner. "However, some innovative organizations will use capitalism going social to create new business models and disrupt their industries." 

Gartner calls these businesses "social capitalists." Not every enterprise can follow a social capitalist model, but those that can will be the most admired companies in the next 10 years. Business and IT leaders must understand the impact of these changes on their industries and organizations, and ensure that their business and IT plans have the appropriate focus on social media technologies. They should also identify whether management practices need to change to make the best use of these investments. 

A key aspect of capitalism going social will be the use of social and mobile technologies by business to change the way it interacts with the 99 percent, bringing them inside the four walls of the enterprise to become part of the organization's processes, rather than keeping it at arm's length. 

Social technologies are also central to improving employee engagement and rebuilding employee trust, but only if they are deployed with the intention of enhancing open communication and employee participation in decision making. This approach is based on the premise that engaged, motivated and empowered employees will deliver better customer service and value. 

"Capitalism going social is a reflection of the wider societal changes that are happening in the 21st century. These changes cannot be ignored, although their impact will vary by industry and organization. IT and business leaders must identify how soon their industries and companies will be affected by these changes," said Mr. Rayner. "Ideally they should seek out a senior executive in the organization that faces the greatest threat from capitalism going social who will be a strong ally. Once this person is on board, they should use the IT department to trial social technologies, and use the results of these experiments to advocate wider adoption across the organization." 

Additional information is available in the special report "Maverick* Research: Capitalism Goes Social, or How Technology Will Enable the 99% to Change Your Business Forever." The report is available on Gartner's website at http://www.gartner.com/resId=2173518. The report is part of the Gartner Special Report "Drive Disruptive Innovation with Maverick* Research." This Special Report explores high-impact future scenarios that help companies think differently to uncover opportunity and enable innovation. This collection of research is intentionally disruptive and edgy to help IT leaders get ahead of the mainstream and take advantage of trends and insights that could impact their IT strategy and their organization. The Special Report is available at http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/maverick/.

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.

Ingram Micro Teams With Qualcomm Life to Bring Scale and Efficiency to Mobile Health Industry

Ingram Micro Teams With Qualcomm Life to Bring Scale and Efficiency to Mobile Health Industry

Global Technology Distributor and Logistics Services Provider Drives Adoption of Qualcomm Life's 2net Hub and Complementary Mobile Health Technologies; Expands Wireless Activation Services to Simplify Remote Patient Challenges

Dec 04, 2012 (Marketwire via COMTEX) --Demonstrating its growing leadership as a distributor of mobile health technologies, Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) today announced it has signed and executed a strategic agreement with Qualcomm Life, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, to distribute its 2net™ Hub worldwide.

Under the terms of the new U.S. agreement, Ingram Micro is providing advanced logistics support for Qualcomm Life's 2net Hub, a compact "plug-and-play" gateway that gives medical device users and their physicians easy wireless access to biometric data. By delivering device aggregation and activation services that pair various wireless medical devices with a single 2net Hub, Ingram Micro is simplifying the deployment and use of mobile health technologies.

Additionally, Ingram Micro will be providing distribution and activation services for a select number of wireless medical device manufacturers already in the 2net Ecosystem. The initial set of mHealth devices that will be aggregated with the 2net Hub include weight scales, heart monitors, blood glucose meters and pulse oximeters.

Qualcomm Life's 2net Hub will be available from Ingram Micro as a standalone product or bundled wireless solution that can be activated and then drop-shipped to customers around the globe.

"Mobile, logistics services and healthcare represent three key strategic initiatives for Ingram Micro and provide high-growth and profit opportunities for the overall technology industry and specifically for the IT channel," says Paul Bay, acting president, Ingram Micro North America.

"This new relationship with Qualcomm Life provides Ingram Micro with a clear business advantage in the rapidly growing mobile health space and emerging opportunity around machine-to-machine connectivity," added Bay. "By leveraging Ingram Micro's global scale, our recent acquisition of BrightPoint, our growing logistics offerings and the continued investments we've made to optimize and specialize our business, Qualcomm Life will be well positioned to build greater business efficiencies that can help accelerate demand for its 2net Platform and Hub and help drive down go-to-market costs."

"This strategic collaboration with Ingram Micro marks an important milestone in our goal to position wireless health to scale as it becomes mainstream in healthcare systems worldwide," says Rick Valencia, vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Life. "Ingram Micro brings valuable logistics expertise and global distribution power to our 2net Hub initiatives, enabling us -- along with our customers -- to ramp up and reach out to more patients to optimize treatment plans and improve quality of life as they battle chronic conditions."

More information about Ingram Micro is available at www.ingrammicro.com and http://ingrammicroinc.wordpress.com.

To learn, see and hear more about Ingram Micro online, follow the distributor's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/IngramMicro; Twitter at www.twitter.com/IngramMicroInc; and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/ingrammicroinc.

About Ingram Micro Inc.
Ingram Micro is the world's largest wholesale technology distributor and a global leader in IT supply-chain, mobile device lifecycle services and logistics solutions. As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics and mobile solutions, technical support, financial services and product aggregation and distribution. The company is the only global broad-based IT distributor, serving 145 countries on six continents with the world's most comprehensive portfolio of IT products and services. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.

Press Contact: Marie Rourke WhiteFox Marketing (for Ingram Micro) (714) 292-2199 marie@whitefoxpr.com


2013 Avaya Virtual Forum Helps Global Channel Partners Position for Growth

For Immediate Release:04 Dec 2012

  • Interactive website showcases strategies, tactics and tools to drive increased sales
  • Kickoff session is scheduled for today in EMEA and on December 7 in the Americas
Basking Ridge, N.J. –  Avaya, a global provider of business communications and collaboration systems and services, today announced the launch of its fifth-annual Virtual Partner Forum to help Avaya Connect channel partners accelerate growth. 
 
Available online beginning today, the forum is hosted on a highly interactive website that showcases the latest strategies, tactics and tools that partner companies can use to represent Avaya solutions successfully.  Partners can access streaming video on demand and even store  presentations and documents in a personalized virtual briefcase for future use. The forum will remain active throughout the coming year. 
 
Two special interactive kickoff events will introduce the site to Avaya Connect partners. One event is scheduled today for those in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while a second is scheduled for December 7 for the Americas.  Participants will hear a strategic update from senior executives and have the opportunity to text chat with them in real time.    
 
Participation in the Virtual Partner Forum is free to all Avaya Connect channel partners worldwide.  Registration is available online.
 
Thousands of channel partners have participated in Avaya Virtual Partner Forums since the launch of the program in 2008, with Avaya surveys showing that 99% of attendees feel it is an "excellent use of their time."
 
Quote
"Avaya's Virtual Partner Forum is one of the many tools we use to keep Avaya Connect channel partners well-informed, especially those who are unable to attend an annual conference in person.  They can readily access a wide range of channel-specific information on their own schedule – including proven strategies for delivering greater value to their customers and achieving a competitive advantage in the marketplace."   
Patti Moran, senior director, GTM Marketing and Communications, Avaya
 
Additional Resources Tags
Avaya Connect, channel partner program, business communications, unified communications, collaboration VARs, resellers, solution providers
 
About Avaya
Avaya is a global provider of business collaboration and communications solutions, providing unified communications, contact centers, data solutions and related services to companies of all sizes around the world. For more information please visit www.avaya.com.

Oracle Unveils Cloud and Consolidation Capabilities for Oracle SPARC SuperCluster

Oracle Unveils Cloud and Consolidation Capabilities for Oracle SPARC SuperCluster

Latest SPARC SuperCluster Update Offers Layered, Zero-Overhead Virtualization for Mission-Critical Applications

REDWOOD SHORES, CA--(Marketwire - Dec 4, 2012) - Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL)

News Facts

  • Oracle today announced new software enhancements to the Oracle SPARC SuperCluster engineered system which enable customers to consolidate any combination of mission-critical enterprise databases, middleware and applications on a single system and rapidly deploy secure, self-service cloud services.
  • SPARC SuperCluster can deliver 10x application consolidation ratios using the new layered, zero-overhead virtualization combined with the database offload functions of Oracle Exadata Storage Servers and extremely efficient networking.
  • SPARC SuperCluster customers can now:
    • Deploy mission-critical, multi-tenant applications faster, without virtualization overhead, using Oracle Solaris Zone workload isolation capabilities.
    • Virtualize Oracle Databases running on Oracle Exadata X3 Storage Servers within Oracle Solaris Zones to enable secure, isolated database services in a cloud.
    • Deploy multiple Oracle Database and enterprise application domains on each SPARC SuperCluster compute node to maximize consolidation and cloud deployment flexibility.
    • Reallocate CPU and memory resources across existing SPARC SuperCluster domains and zones to meet changing workload requirements.

Deploy Secure, Self-Service Cloud Services Faster with SPARC SuperCluster

  • SPARC SuperCluster with Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c enables up to 10x faster provisioning of multi-tenant application cloud services versus manual provisioning and using multiple tools, and up to 32x faster deployment of an Oracle Database instance versus manual installation. 
  • SPARC SuperCluster also provides a complete cloud lifecycle management solution through Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.

Engineered for Extreme Efficiency, Cost Savings and Performance

  • Compared to customer integrated systems, the SPARC SuperCluster delivers:
    • 5x faster time-to-value, cutting time from installation to production from months with customer integrated systems to weeks with the SPARC SuperCluster system.
    • 10x better performance for data warehousing through integrating the latest Oracle Exadata X3 Storage Servers built in to every SPARC SuperCluster.
    • Virtualized applications that run as quickly and efficiently as bare metal deployments, using the SPARC T4 processor's built-in hypervisor.
  • Customers save operational costs by consolidating Oracle Solaris 10 and earlier environments onto the high performance, extremely efficient SPARC SuperCluster without modifying day to day operations of those environments.
  • SPARC SuperCluster customers also have access to Oracle Premier Support, including Oracle Platinum Services, which provides engineered systems customers running a supported configuration with 24/7 Oracle remote fault monitoring, industry-leading response and restore times, and quarterly patch updates deployed directly to their systems, enabling high availability in mission critical IT environments. 

Supporting Quote

  • "Only Oracle SPARC SuperCluster combines layered, zero-overhead virtualization for efficient consolidation with a self-service cloud platform for database, middleware and applications," said Ganesh Ramamurthy, vice president of engineering, Oracle. "SPARC SuperCluster customers are already reporting 10x or higher consolidation ratios and dramatic reductions in the time and effort required to deploy new applications. The SPARC SuperCluster's new ability to quickly and securely deploy new cloud services provides our customers a safe, cost-effective transition to a cloud based infrastructure."

Supporting Resources

About Oracle SPARC SuperCluster T4-4
Oracle SPARC SuperCluster T4-4 is the world's most efficient multi-purpose engineered system, delivering extreme efficiency, cost savings, and performance for consolidating mission critical applications and rapidly deploying cloud services. The SPARC SuperCluster T4-4 combines Oracle's SPARC T4-4 servers running Oracle Solaris 11 with the database optimization of Oracle Exadata, the accelerated processing of Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud Software, the high throughput and availability of Oracle's Sun ZFS Storage Appliance, and unified systems management of Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center 12c. Part of Oracle's engineered systems family, the SPARC SuperCluster T4-4 demonstrates Oracle's unique ability to innovate and optimize at every layer of technology to simplify data center operations, drive down costs, and accelerate business innovation. 

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 http://www.oracle.com/.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Contact Information

Contact Info

Michelle Jenkins
Oracle
+1.425.945.8306
Email Contact

Drew Smith
Blanc & Otus
+1.415.856.5127
Email Contact

Innovative health IT solutions gain momentum

 

Innovative health IT solutions gain momentum


Recipients of Canada Health Infoway's ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge Momentum Awards announced

TORONTO, Dec. 4, 2012 /CNW/ - From clinicians in British Columbia who use digital tools to manage the medications of patients with kidney disease to physiotherapy patients in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia who schedule appointments electronically, a growing number of Canadians are benefitting from innovative health IT solutions thanks to the efforts of teams participating in the ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge.  Participating teams saw a 65% growth in users in just 10 months, from January to October 2012.

"From safer care to a better patient experience, digital innovations are having an impact," said Richard Alvarez, President and CEO of Canada Health Infoway.  "I congratulate the recipients of the Momentum Award for not only leading the way in making innovative solutions available to Canadians, but also working to increase their use."

The three teams in each category of the ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge who had the greatest increase in users between January and October 2012 received Momentum Awards:

e-Scheduling (allows patients to book appointments online or with a mobile device)

1st place: Centre Médical Westmount Square (Montreal, QC)
2nd place: Click4Time (Vancouver, BC)
3rd place: Canopy Integrated Health (North Vancouver, BC)

Patient Access to Health Information (gives patients and their families access to their personal health information)

1st place: Wise Elephant Family Health Team (Brampton, ON)
2nd place: Cancer Care Ontario (Toronto, ON)
3rd place: West Carleton Family Health Team (Carp, ON)

Medication Reconciliation (helps health care providers work with patients, families and other clinicians to ensure accurate and comprehensive medication information is communicated consistently across transitions of care)

1st place: Toronto East General Hospital (Toronto, ON)
2nd place: Central Community Care Access Centre (Newmarket, ON)
3rd place: Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto, ON)

Clinical Synoptic Reporting (improves communication among clinicians using structured summaries of a patient's health and health care)

1st place: Rouge Valley Health System (Toronto/Ajax, ON)
2nd place: North York General Hospital (North York, ON)
3rd place: Sunnybrook Health Science Centre (Toronto, ON)

"The Outcomes Challenge was the impetus for us to start a patient portal, and we're glad we did," said Dr. Sanjeev Goel of Wise Elephant Family Health Team. "Thanks to the portal, our patients can now access information like medications, vaccination history and lab results online. Not only are they happy, but it's making our life simpler at the clinic and our workflow is much improved."

"I have diabetes and high blood pressure, and also had heart surgery seven years ago so I work hard to stay healthy," said Gregor Ramsay, a patient who uses West Carleton Family Health Team's patient portal.  "The patient portal has made it much easier keep track of all my test results over time, which means I have the information I need to better manage my health."

About the ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge

The primary objective of the ImagineNation Outcomes Challenge is to accelerate the use and spread of innovative information and communication technology solutions, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the improvement of health care quality and the patient experience in Canada.

To qualify for the Challenge, teams are required to have a working solution in one of four categories: e-Scheduling, Patient Access to Health Information, Medication Reconciliation and Clinical Synoptic Reporting.  Additional information about the Challenge including how to join, Challenge team profiles and videos, and educational resources is available at www.imagineNationchallenge.ca.

The following Canadian health care organizations are working with Infoway to help shape the Challenge by providing expert advice, encouraging participation, promoting the Challenge and participating in the judging panel:

About Canada Health Infoway

Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. Infoway jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of information and communications technology projects in Canada. Fully respecting patient confidentiality, these secure systems will provide clinicians and patients with the information they need to better support safe care decisions and manage their own health. Accessing this vital information quickly will help foster a more modern and sustainable health care system for all Canadians.


SOURCE: Canada Health Infoway

For further information:

Dan Strasbourg      
Director, Media Relations
Canada Health Infoway
Tel.: (416) 595-3424
dstrasbourg@infoway-inforoute.ca

Rackspace Enhances Service Offerings for Open Cloud Platform

Rackspace Enhances Service Offerings for Open Cloud Platform

Businesses Navigating the Journey to the Cloud Say They Need Guidance, a Trusted Partner, Expertise and Exceptional Service

SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 2012-- Rackspace® Hosting (NYSE: RAX), the open cloud company, today announced new features and enhanced service offerings for open cloud platform customers.

For more than ten years, Rackspace has served customers who are looking for a partner to help them reduce the complexities of building, deploying, optimizing, maintaining and troubleshooting complex web applications to serve their business needs. Rackspace is now offering that same Fanatical Support® to customers across its entire portfolio, including the company’s new open cloud platform, through Managed and Critical Application Services.

“Providing the highest level of service in the industry is central to our values as a company,” said Rackspace President Lew Moorman. “Cloud computing customers tell us they want good pricing and exceptional service, and offering one without the other simply won’t cut it in today’s environment.”

Critical Application Services allows companies to focus on their core business while Rackspace keeps their vital applications running smoothly. To provide this service level, Rackspace uses a unique combination of web-scale engineers, on-going consultation, and performance monitoring. Every environment is tailored to the customer’s specific business needs. Critical Application Services (Advanced) is backed by Fanatical Support, and by Rackspace’s 100 percent Production Platform Uptime Guarantee.

“Rackspace’s reliability gives Acquity Group the freedom to focus on creating great apps and onboarding customers without worrying about infrastructure,” said Kevin Ellenwood, Vice President of Shared Services at Acquity Group, a leading e-commerce and digital marketing company. “It’s unacceptable for us to have any type of outage, and quite frankly, our support team at Rackspace has the same attitude. That’s why we’re here."

Rackspace’s Managed Cloud Services are now available for seven new products launched over the past several weeks as part of the open cloud platform. It offers customers access to a team that can help them plan, deploy, and run websites or applications on the Rackspace open cloud.

These services include help for tasks such as capacity planning, scaling architecture, configuration, patching, monitoring, security guidance, database tuning and optimization, troubleshooting for infrastructure and certain operating systems, database engines and application platforms.

Managed Cloud Services support the entire Rackspace Open Cloud including:

  • Cloud Servers and Cloud Databases, powered by OpenStack;
  • Cloud Files and Cloud Block Storage, powered by OpenStack;
  • Cloud Monitoring and Cloud Backup
  • Cloud Load Balancers, Cloud DNS and Cloud Networks.

“Managed Cloud really allows us to focus specifically on our app, and not all the IT stuff around it. Not that we can’t do it, but I have code to write,” said Chris Le, Lead Developer, Seer Interactive, an industry leader in SEO, SEM, and analytics.

Rackspace’s open cloud platform is designed to offer a better, faster and more valuable cloud experience, built on an open platform. In addition, there can be a cost benefit for customers, who might take months to find the right IT personnel and make a large investment in salaries to get access to the skills that Rackspace offers at a fraction of the cost.

Rackspace open cloud gives customers true choice and control without the fear of being locked-in to the closed, proprietary technologies of any one vendor. “We believe customers ought to be able to move anytime they see another provider offering better features, service or value,” said Moorman.

For more information on Managed Cloud Services visit: http://www.rackspace.com/cloud/managed_cloud

For more information on Critical Application Services visit: http://www.rackspace.com/enterprise_hosting/critical_applications/

About Rackspace

Rackspace® Hosting (NYSE: RAX) is the open cloud company, delivering open technologies and powering more than 197,000 customers worldwide. Rackspace provides its renowned Fanatical Support® across a broad portfolio of IT products, including Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Hybrid Hosting and Dedicated Hosting. The company offers choice, flexibility and freedom from vendor lock in. Rackspace has been recognized by Bloomberg BusinessWeek as a Top 100 Performing Technology Company and is featured on Fortune’s list of 100 Best Companies to Work For. Rackspace was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant by Gartner Inc. in the “2011 Magic Quadrant for Managed Hosting.” Rackspace is headquartered in San Antonio with offices and data centers around the world. For more information, visit www.rackspace.com.