about it rss http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com Most recent posts at about it rss posterous.com Fri, 29 Mar 2013 19:50:21 -0700 Oracle Enables Partners to Drive Growth and Customer Success with Oracle’s SPARC Servers http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/oracle-enables-partners-to-drive-growth-and-c http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/oracle-enables-partners-to-drive-growth-and-c

Oracle Enables Partners to Drive Growth and Customer Success with Oracle’s SPARC Servers

Oracle PartnerNetwork Announces New SPARC T5 and M5 Enablement Resources, Helping Partners to Speed Time to Value for Customers

Redwood Shores, Calif. – March 27, 2013

News Facts

Helping partners quickly leverage the latest innovations in Oracle’s new SPARC systems, Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) today announced new enablement and Specialization resources for SPARC T5 and M5 servers.
Oracle’s SPARC T5 and M5 servers join its entry-level SPARC T4 servers to complete Oracle’s new SPARC family, spanning entry-level, midrange and high-end.
Oracle’s SPARC servers with Oracle Solaris are the world’s best platforms for enterprise computing at any scale and deliver significant cost advantages over comparable systems.
The new servers expand Oracle’s SPARC portfolio and enable near-linear scalability from 1 to 32 sockets, with one common core, one operating system, one management and one virtualization tool to easily address multiple application requirements and quickly meet demanding service-level agreements.
For partners, the new SPARC servers deliver to customers the reliability, availability and serviceability they need to manage the dynamic workloads of a broad range of new and existing enterprise applications.
Providing partners the tools and resources they need to extend business opportunities with SPARC servers, OPN unveiled:
SPARC T5 Demo Equipment Program: Working with their authorized Value-Added Distributor (VAD), qualifying Value-Added Resellers (VARs) can gain a significant discount on select SPARC T5 servers to use in demos and customer use-cases.
Specializations for SPARC T5 and M5 Servers: New enablement resources provide partners the tools and training they need to achieve SPARC T5 and M5 server Specializations, differentiating their offerings in the market and showcasing their expertise to customers.
Immediate Resell Opportunities: Existing SPARC T4 authorized resellers can begin selling Oracle’s SPARC T5 systems immediately; allowing them to grow their revenue stream through new and existing customers. Resell opportunities for SPARC M5 servers will also be available.
Incentive Rebate Opportunities: Beginning immediately, authorized Oracle resellers who are transacting through participating authorized Oracle VADs are eligible for select rebates on Oracle’s SPARC T5 and M5 server lines as part of the OPN Incentive Program.
SPARC T5 and M5 Server Demand Generation Resources: With a wide variety of supporting resources, partners can quickly design and support SPARC T5 and M5 server sales and marketing campaigns. A Fast Start, 1:1 demand generation kit, including a reference guide, templates and SPARC T5 video assets, will enable partners to easily position the value proposition of SPARC T5 for individual customers. A Sales Velocity kit also provides a bevy of resources to partners to extend demand generation activities across their wider customer and prospect base. Partners will also have access to Oracle-sponsored materials and events, from benchmarks, to eBooks, to roadshows and Tech Days, to help drive awareness of the value of Oracle’s SPARC T5 and M5 offerings.

Supporting Quotes

“Dewpoint has been a Sun/Oracle partner since our inception in 1996,” said Paul Zajdel, vice president, Sales, Dewpoint. “Dewpoint experts help implement and optimize Oracle database workloads within mission-critical environments. SPARC T4 and Oracle Solaris have long provided a reliable, high-performance infrastructure for our customers with lower total cost of ownership. We are looking forward to setting new milestones with SPARC T5 in terms of performance, scalability and cost savings.”
“Leveraging the success of its predecessor, Oracle’s new SPARC servers offer new levels of performance and scalability that allow partners to drive further value to customers managing critical application workloads -- from Cloud deployments to large database and business analytics projects,” said Joel Borellis, group vice president, Partner Enablement, Oracle. “With SPARC T5 and M5, and the vast array of OPN resources, partners have a great opportunity to transform customer environments with higher performance and a lower total cost of ownership.”

Supporting Resources

Connect with the Oracle Partner community at OPN on TwitterOPN on FacebookOPN on LinkedIn, andOPN on YouTube.

 

About Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized is the latest version of Oracle's partner program that provides partners with tools to better develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN Specialized offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle's growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to differentiate through Specializations. Specializations are achieved through competency development, business results, expertise and proven success. To find out more visithttp://www.oracle.com/partners.

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.

Trademarks

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

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Wed, 27 Mar 2013 20:00:20 -0700 Port Authority of Allegheny County Selects Trapeze Group, a Subsidiary of Constellation Software's Volaris Group http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/port-authority-of-allegheny-county-selects-tr http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/port-authority-of-allegheny-county-selects-tr

Port Authority of Allegheny County Selects Trapeze Group, a Subsidiary of Constellation Software's Volaris Group, for Comprehensive Enterprise Asset Management Solution

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 27, 2013) - Constellation Software Inc. ("Constellation") (TSX:CSU) today announced that Trapeze Group ("Trapeze"), a subsidiary of its wholly owned division Volaris Group Inc. ("Volaris"), has signed a significant contract with the Port Authority of Allegheny County ("Authority") in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to provide a comprehensive enterprise asset management solution to effectively schedule, manage and track maintenance work for its fleet, fixed facility, and linear assets.

The Trapeze solution for the Authority helps to manage the processes required for keeping assets in a state of good repair; the solution handles all of the functions related to vehicle maintenance (including repair and preventative maintenance work orders), operating expenses (including fuel, oil and parts) and vehicle availability.

The Authority operates, maintains and supports bus, light rail, incline and paratransit services for nearly 220,000 daily riders in the city of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, and its suburbs through multiple modes of transit, including buses, light rail vehicles and inclined plane cars. Its fleet includes approximately 700 buses and 83 light rail vehicles.

About Trapeze Group

Trapeze delivers solutions that consider the full 360 degrees of passenger transport. Whether addressing the needs of a single department, an entire organization, or the community, Trapeze provides some of the most advanced software, intelligent transportation systems and mobile technologies in the industry. Hundreds of government and commercial organizations across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific have turned to Trapeze to realize efficiencies, enhance the quality and scope of their services, and safely transport more people with less cost. Please visit www.trapezegroup.com or call 905.629.5297.

About Volaris Group

Volaris acquires, strengthens and grows vertical market technology companies enabling them to be clear leaders within their focused industry. Volaris companies provide specialized, mission-critical solutions to vertical markets around the world including Agri-Food, Asset Management and Logistics, Benefits Administration, Cultural Collections Management, Insurance, Justice, Marine, People Transportation and Rental Management. Volaris is an operating group of Constellation Software Inc. Learn more at www.volarisgroup.com or call 905.629.5297.

About Constellation Software Inc.

Constellation's common shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "CSU". Constellation Software acquires, manages and builds vertical market software businesses that provide mission-critical software solutions.

Contact Information

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Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:44:45 -0700 TELUS Selects Fujitsu for 100G Inter-City Regional Network Deployments http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/telus-selects-fujitsu-for-100g-inter-city-reg http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/telus-selects-fujitsu-for-100g-inter-city-reg

TELUS Selects Fujitsu for 100G Inter-City Regional Network Deployments

Mar. 26, 2013  

Fujitsu, a leading provider of business, information technology, and communications solutions, announced today that TELUS has selected Fujitsu to help bring 100G performance to the service provider’s network. By utilizing the Fujitsu 100G solution on the Fujitsu FLASHWAVE® 9500 Packet Optical Networking Platform (Packet ONP), TELUS will be able to meet the bandwidth requirements for high-speed data services, Internet video services, and smart phones, while ensuring a better cost per unit and a lasting technology foundation for their evolving packet-centric regional and national network.

“Our partnership with Fujitsu enables us to continue providing the reach, bandwidth and reliability that our customers require,” said Zouheir Mansourati, Vice President, TELUS Fixed Network Planning & Engineering. “Additionally, by utilizing the FLASHWAVE 9500 Packet ONP for 100G connectivity, TELUS can deliver a high level of service while achieving more efficient regional network utilization, better cost per gigabit of IP traffic, and lower operating cost. Our customers know that TELUS will always support their communications needs with the most advanced and reliable technologies available.”

The Fujitsu 100G solution is designed to meet the demand for bandwidth growth in core networks driven by high speed data services, internet video services, and the wide adoption of bandwidth intensive smart phones. The Fujitsu 100G solution can be cost-effectively deployed to expand network capacity by a factor of 10, eliminating the need for expensive, overlay networks.

“Carrier networks are facing tremendous increases in bandwidth transported,” said Rod Naphan, Senior Vice President of Product and Strategic Planning for Fujitsu Network Communications. “At the same time, these networks are under immense pressure to lower their cost per bit transported. Fujitsu’s 100G technology can help TELUS achieve better network utilization, higher spectral efficiencies and lower overall operating costs.”

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Over 170,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.5 trillion yen (US$54 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu Network Communications Inc.

Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., headquartered in Richardson, Texas, is an innovator in Connection-Oriented Ethernet and optical transport technologies. A market leader in packet optical networking solutions, WDM and SONET, Fujitsu offers a broad portfolio of multivendor network services as well as end-to-end solutions for design, implementation, migration, support and management of optical networks. For seven consecutive years Fujitsu has been named the U.S. photonics patent leader, and is the only major optical networking vendor to manufacture its own equipment in North America. Fujitsu has over 500,000 network elements deployed by major North American carriers across the US, Canada, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please see: http://us.fujitsu.com/telecom.

About TELUS

TELUS (TSX: T, NYSE: TU) is a leading national telecommunications company in Canada, with $10.9 billion of annual revenue and more than 13.1 million customer connections, including 7.7 million wireless subscribers, 3.4 million wireline network access lines, 1.4 million Internet subscribers and 678,000 TELUS TV customers. Led since 2000 by President and CEO, Darren Entwistle, TELUS provides a wide range of communications products and services, including wireless, data, Internet protocol (IP), voice, television, entertainment and video.

In support of our philosophy to give where we live, TELUS, our team members and retirees have contributed more than $300 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 4.8 million hours of service to local communities since 2000. Fourteen TELUS Community Boards lead TELUS’ local philanthropic initiatives. TELUS was honoured to be named the most outstanding philanthropic corporation globally for 2010 by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, becoming the first Canadian company to receive this prestigious international recognition.

For more information about TELUS, please visit telus.com.










































































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Tue, 26 Mar 2013 21:01:31 -0700 TWO HALIFAX BASED TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES MERGE http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/two-halifax-based-technology-companies-merge http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/two-halifax-based-technology-companies-merge TWO HALIFAX BASED TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES MERGE
GBS Mobility and PC Medic Merge Together to Become Premier Small Business
Service Provider

Halifax, NS,
March 25, 2013

GBS Mobility, one of Canada’s largest TELUS dealers, announced today that the company has merged with PC Medic, a local leader in the information technology industry. Their growth will focus on solutions for small to medium-sized businesses at 29 locations throughout Atlantic Canada and Ontario.

“This merger will give us a competitive advantage in both home and business solutions,” said Eli Hage, President of GBS Mobility. “We will be able to take our level of customer experience to the next level by fulfilling all wireless and information technology needs.” The wireless industry is becoming more competitive as new carriers emerge into the marketplace. By merging with PC Medic, GBS Mobility will have the opportunity to accelerate business-to-business growth and become a trusted small to medium-sized business advisor. The ability to offer new products and service excellence will allow the company to become a one-stop shop for wire less and information technology solutions.

“This is a great opportunity for PC Medic and GBS Mobility to become a leader in wireless and information technology,” noted Tino Klironomos, Managing Director of PC Medic.“By combining forces, we expect to see both businesses grow and break new ground.”

GBS Mobility and PC Medic will continue to operate under their respective brands. The merger will be ongoing over the coming months across all locations. The companies will have access to a large product inventory and offer customers TELUS wireless products, hardware, software, servicing and more. PC Medic carries well-respected brand names such as Apple, Lenovo, Xerox, Toshiba, Microsoft and many others.

GBS Mobility is one of Canada’s largest and fastest growing TELUS dealers. With 26 locations covering both Atlantic Canada and Ontario, the company is headquartered out of Halifax, Nova Scotia. For more information about products and services, please visit:
gbsmobility.ca

PC Medic offers home and business solutions for computer technology, network solutions as well as PC and MAC products to meet your technology needs. The company is based in Atlantic Canada with three locations: Halifax, Moncton and St. John’s. For more information, please visit:
pcmedic.com

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Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:49:13 -0700 Ontario Ranks as Top Province for Company Momentum and Industry Growth in Canada's Fast-Rising Video Gaming Industry http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/ontario-ranks-as-top-province-for-company-mom http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/ontario-ranks-as-top-province-for-company-mom

Ontario Ranks as Top Province for Company Momentum and Industry Growth in Canada's Fast-Rising Video Gaming Industry

Ontario Technology Corridor Executives Attend Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2013 in San Francisco to Attract New Investments and Trade Partnerships

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - Mar 25, 2013) - -- Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2013 -- While it was a revelation when Canada shot past the UK to become one of the world's top three hotspots for video game development in 2010, in 2013 the Ontario Technology Corridor remains among the leaders and has a new revelation for global game development studios considering Canada. The hard-charging province of Ontario is the country's number one jurisdiction in terms of concentration of companies and overall industry momentum within Canada's $1.7 billion, 16,000-employee video game sector.

According to the latest "Essential Facts" report published by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, Ontario has an above-average expected growth rate of 21% for its video gaming companies, which currently employ 2,600 people. In addition, Ontario has the highest concentration of micro and small companies of any province and, at 30%, has Canada's highest percentage of game development companies.

Earlier this month, Ontario's dynamic industry attracted Toca Boca of Sweden, the world's leading digital toy app developer, to acquire the 10-person development team of Toronto-based zinc Roe and create the newly named Sago Sago studio with a global mandate. The acquisition marks Toca Boca parent company Bonnier AB's first entrance into the Canadian market via the Ontario Technology Corridor. The Corridor includes the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa Region, Waterloo Region, City of London, and is home to expanding operations by Google Inc., Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), Gameloft Inc. and Arkadium Inc., among others.

Darius Basarab, Senior Business Development Specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment -- and Ontario Technology Corridor provincial partner -- says, "While our region's strengths in digital entertainment have attracted large studio wins like Ubisoft, Ontario's world class talent and targeted financial incentives have created a powerful concentration of highly innovative companies and a vibrant digital media and video gaming ecosystem. Our message at GDC 2013 is this: If your company is growing quickly and expanding, join us in Ontario."

It was this same confluence of Ontario talent, tax and momentum factors that helped push Canada past the UK as the third largest development community in the world in 2010. Canada, a leader in total video game development head count, now trails only behind Japan and the United States.

The Ontario Technology Corridor is North America's gateway to innovation. The province of Ontario's Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment offers many financial assistance and government tax incentive programs to assist businesses, as does Ontario's Ministry of Research and Innovation and the federal government's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), including:

  • Ontario Computer Animation and Special Effects Tax Credit (OCASE): Refundable tax credit of 20% to eligible companies for qualifying Ontario labour expenses for the production of computer animation and special effect activities in film or TV
  • Ontario Interactive Digital Media Tax Credit (OIDMTC): Refundable tax credit of 35% or 40% for eligible labour, marketing and distribution expenditures for the creation of interactive digital media products
  • Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) Interactive Digital Media Fund: Eligible applicants receive a non-refundable contribution of up to $150,000, to a maximum of 50% of the project budget, to create a market-ready interactive digital media product
  • Ontario Production Services Tax Credit (OPSTC): Refundable tax credit of 25% based upon eligible Ontario labour and other production expenditures
  • Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Tax incentives: Incentives aimed at innovative companies to reduce R&D costs
  • Ontario Media Development Corporation (OMDC) Tax Incentives: See full lists of tax incentives programs for Books, Magazines, Music, Interactive and Film & TV

About the Ontario Technology Corridor

Employing over 270,000 people among 18,000 companies within the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, the Ontario Technology Corridor encompasses the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa Region, Waterloo Region and City of London. The Corridor also welcomes the partnership of the Province of Ontario's Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment as well as the federal government's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. The Ontario Technology Corridor is supported by the Greater Toronto Marketing Alliance (GTMA), Invest Ottawa, Canada's Technology Triangle, and London Economic Development Corporation. For more information: www.ontariotechcorridor.ca

Contact Information

  • Ontario Technology Corridor contacts:

    Darius Basarab
    Senior Business Development Specialist
    Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment
    Cell phone: +1 416-418-3868
    Email: Email Contact

    Jill McCubbin 
    Conversation Architect 
    market2world communications inc. 
    Phone: +1 613-256-3939 
    Email: Email Contact

































































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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:43:32 -0700 First SAP Integrated Report Demonstrates Commitment to Sustainable Value Creation http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/first-sap-integrated-report-demonstrates-comm http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/first-sap-integrated-report-demonstrates-comm

First SAP Integrated Report Demonstrates Commitment to Sustainable Value Creation

SAP_Integrated_ReportWALLDORF — SAP today announced its first integrated report, which brings together the information usually shared in an annual report with the information normally contained in a sustainability report. Combining these reports into a single online document allows SAP to highlight the connections between the company’s financial and non-financial performance. The integrated report is a milestone in the company’s journey from having a “sustainability strategy” to making its corporate strategy more sustainable.

The world is experiencing dramatic shifts in economy, technology, society and the environment. Organizations are struggling to fully understand the short and long-term business impact of those changes. To help its customers effectively do this, SAP has made a commitment to develop innovative technology solutions that help the world run better and improve people’s lives. In doing so, SAP helps companies take a more holistic approach to performance and customer success. SAP is working to reframe how it — and its customers — approach problems and create solutions that move beyond improving efficiency, and support transformational change.

As such, an integrated report both facilitates and reflects this new way of thinking about value creation. SAP assesses its performance through four company-wide objectives that balance financial and non-financial measures: revenue growth, margin expansion, customer satisfaction and employee engagement. Many of SAP’s non-financial performance indicators impact those objectives. The integrated approach to reporting allows the company to highlight the dependencies between financial and non-financial performance more easily.

One example of a holistic approach to value is the impact of a ride-sharing application that SAP developed to be used internally by employees. Within just one year, SAP employees in Germany generated more than 22,500 carpools, avoided more than 500,000 kilometers of driving, created an additional 1,400 days of networking and saved 47 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. SAP has estimated the value through cost savings in company fleet and travel, networking and emission reduction generated by the solution during the first year at EUR2.3 million.

“Our integrated approach shows that the business landscape has changed, and the information needed to evaluate performance must change with it,” said Werner Brandt, chief financial officer and member of the Executive Board of SAP AG. “Considering our past financial results and our financial outlook alone does not adequately capture our ability to respond to today’s challenges or demonstrate how we create value. Our future success depends on a holistic approach which helps us — and our customers — navigate the social, environmental and economic contexts in which we operate.”

“The lack of stability demonstrated by the financial crisis, allied to the need for more sustainable practices, has led to a crisis of confidence by investors of business,” said Paul Druckman, chief executive officer, International Integrated Reporting Council. “These events show we need a wider, more complete picture of corporate performance, rather than only the financials, focused on an organizations strategy, prospects, governance and value creation. SAP is one of the leading members of our Pilot Programme that has made substantial progress in their journey to drive truly integrated thinking in their decision-making process at the highest levels.”

For more information, visit www.SAPIntegratedReport.com and the SAP Newsroom. Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews and @sustainableSAP, and join the conversation with the hashtag #sapintegrated.

For more information, press only:
Robin Meyerhoff, +1 (650) 440-2572robin.meyerhoff@sap.com, PDT
Daniel Reinhardt, +49 (6227) 7-40201daniel.reinhardt@sap.com, CET
Jim Dever, +1 (610) 661-2161james.dever@sap.com, EDT
SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EDT; press@sap.com













































































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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:42:44 -0700 Dell Special Committee Receives Two Alternative Acquisition Proposals in “Go-Shop” Process http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/dell-special-committee-receives-two-alternati http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/dell-special-committee-receives-two-alternati

Dell Special Committee Receives Two Alternative Acquisition Proposals in “Go-Shop” Process

Date : 3/25/2013
Round Rock, Texas
The Special Committee of the Board of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) today announced that the “go-shop” period provided for in the merger agreement between the company and entities owned by Michael Dell, Dell’s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and investment funds affiliated with Silver Lake Partners, has elicited two alternative acquisition proposals. One proposal was submitted by a group affiliated with a private equity fund managed by Blackstone and the other by entities affiliated with Carl Icahn. Both proposals are attached. 
“We are gratified by the success of our go-shop process that has yielded two alternative proposals with the potential to create additional value for Dell shareholders. We intend to work diligently with all three potential acquirers to ensure the best possible outcome for Dell shareholders, whichever transaction that may be.”

The Special Committee, consisting of four independent and disinterested directors, has determined, after consultation with its independent financial and legal advisors, that both proposals could reasonably be expected to result in superior proposals, as defined under the terms of the existing merger agreement. Therefore, each of the Blackstone and Icahn groups is an “excluded party” and the Special Committee intends to continue negotiations with both. 

The Special Committee also noted that Michael Dell has confirmed to the Committee his willingness to explore in good faith the possibility of working with third parties regarding alternative acquisition proposals. 

Alex Mandl, Chairman of the Special Committee, said, “We are gratified by the success of our go-shop process that has yielded two alternative proposals with the potential to create additional value for Dell shareholders. We intend to work diligently with all three potential acquirers to ensure the best possible outcome for Dell shareholders, whichever transaction that may be.” 

Pursuant to the existing merger agreement, subject to certain requirements, the Special Committee has the right to terminate the agreement in order to accept a superior proposal. The Special Committee has not determined that either the Blackstone proposal or the Icahn proposal in fact constitutes a superior proposal under the existing merger agreement and neither is at this stage sufficiently detailed or definitive for such a determination to be appropriate. There can be no assurance that either proposal will ultimately lead to a superior proposal. While negotiations continue, the Special Committee has not changed its recommendation with respect to, and continues to support, the company's pending sale to entities controlled by Michael Dell and Silver Lake Partners. 

Prior to entering into the existing merger agreement, the Special Committee undertook a rigorous process, over a period of more than five months, to evaluate Dell’s risks, opportunities, and strategic alternatives. These alternatives included continuing with or modifying the company’s existing business plan, implementing a leveraged recapitalization, changing the dividend policy, and potentially selling all or parts of the business. 

As a result of that process, the Special Committee unanimously determined that the sale of the company at a premium would be the best alternative for stockholders, and negotiated aggressively to ensure that stockholders receive the highest possible value, including securing provisions for a robust “go-shop” process. The result was that a number of strategic and financial parties entered into confidentiality agreements with the company and Blackstone and Icahn submitted proposals. 

The price of $13.65 per share in cash to be paid pursuant to the existing merger agreement provides value certainty at a 37% premium to the average price for the 90 days before rumors of the transaction surfaced. The Committee noted that the Silver Lake Partners raised its bid six times by a total of approximately $4 billion, or over 20%, during the course of negotiations. 

Subject to applicable laws and regulations, the Special Committee undertakes no obligation, to provide updates or make further statements regarding the proposals received from Blackstone or Icahn, any revised proposals that may be received from either of them or the status of discussions with either of them, unless and until a definitive agreement is reached or such discussions are terminated. 

The alternative acquisition proposals received from Blackstone and Icahn follow here: 

Blackstone Proposal

Icahn Proposal

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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:15:32 -0700 Checkpoint Systems, Inc. Announces Definitive Agreement to Sell U.S. and Canadian CheckView Business http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/checkpoint-systems-inc-announces-definitive-a http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/checkpoint-systems-inc-announces-definitive-a

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. Announces Definitive Agreement to Sell U.S. and Canadian CheckView Business

THOROFARE, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Checkpoint Systems, Inc. (NYSE: CKP) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its U.S. and Canadian CheckView business to an affiliate of Platinum Equity, a California-based private equity firm. The sale includes all continuing business operations and assets associated with the U.S. and Canadian CheckView business. The transaction is expected to close by the end of April 2013.

“Platinum has an extensive track record of acquiring corporate divestitures and maximizing their potential as standalone businesses. CheckView will act as a platform acquisition and allow us to focus on the core business while pursuing organic growth initiatives and strategic add-ons in a highly fragmented space.”

The divestiture follows an extensive review of Checkpoint’s businesses in 2012 at which time the Company’s Board of Directors determined that the U.S. and Canadian CheckView business will better serve its customers as an independent, entrepreneurial and more focused organization.

Checkpoint Systems’ President and Chief Executive Officer, George Babich, said, “We are pleased to have reached an agreement. Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with a unique focus on business operations and a strong track record helping companies reach their full potential. The firm’s financial resources and operational expertise will present the CheckView business with tremendous new opportunities. We are committed to support CheckView throughout the sale process to ensure an orderly transition with full continuity of service to customers.”

“We are excited about the prospects for CheckView under our ownership,” said Platinum Equity Principal Jason Leach. “Platinum has an extensive track record of acquiring corporate divestitures and maximizing their potential as standalone businesses. CheckView will act as a platform acquisition and allow us to focus on the core business while pursuing organic growth initiatives and strategic add-ons in a highly fragmented space.”

Checkpoint will continue to pursue its redefined strategy to provide solutions that improve merchandise availability in retail stores. The Company’s portfolio includes electronic article surveillance systems and services to combat theft, radio frequency identification products to improve inventory accuracy, and tickets, tags and labels for merchandising apparel.

The U.S. and Canadian CheckView business was reported as discontinued operations in Checkpoint’s fourth quarter and full-year 2012 earnings report released on March 5, 2013 and in the Company’s 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Checkpoint Systems, Inc.

Checkpoint Systems is a global leader in shrink management, merchandise visibility and apparel labeling solutions. Checkpoint enables retailers and their suppliers to reduce shrink, improve shelf availability and leverage real-time data to achieve operational excellence. Checkpoint solutions are built upon more than 40 years of RF technology expertise, diverse shrink management offerings, a broad portfolio of apparel labeling solutions, market-leading RFID applications, innovative high-theft solutions and its Web-based Check-Net® data management platform. As a result, Checkpoint customers enjoy increased sales and profits by improving supply-chain efficiencies, by facilitating on-demand label printing and by providing a secure open-merchandising environment enhancing the consumer's shopping experience. For more information, visit www.checkpointsystems.com.

Platinum Equity

Platinum Equity (www.platinumequity.com) is a global M&A&O® firm specializing in the merger, acquisition and operation of companies that provide services and solutions to customers in a broad range of business markets, including information technology, telecommunications, logistics, metals services, manufacturing and distribution. Since its founding in 1995 by Tom Gores, Platinum Equity has completed more than 145 acquisitions.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” or “will.” By their nature, forward-looking statements address matters that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Any such forward-looking statements may involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results encompassed within the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include: the impact upon operations of legal compliance matters or internal controls review, improvement and remediation, including the detection of wrongdoing, improper activities, or circumvention of internal controls; our ability to integrate acquisitions and to achieve our financial and operational goals for our acquisitions; changes in international business conditions; foreign currency exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations; lower than anticipated demand by retailers and other customers for our products; slower commitments of retail customers to chain-wide installations and/or source tagging adoption or expansion; possible increases in per unit product manufacturing costs due to less than full utilization of manufacturing capacity as a result of slowing economic conditions or other factors; our ability to provide and market innovative and cost-effective products; the development of new competitive technologies; our ability to maintain our intellectual property; competitive pricing pressures causing profit erosion; the availability and pricing of component parts and raw materials; possible increases in the payment time for receivables as a result of economic conditions or other market factors; changes in regulations or standards applicable to our products; the ability to successfully implement global cost reductions in operating expenses including, field service, sales, and general and administrative expense, and our manufacturing and supply chain operations without significantly impacting revenue and profits; our ability to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting; and additional matters disclosed in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities laws.

Contacts

Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
Annette Geraghty, 856-251-2174






































































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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:04:51 -0700 Sandvine receives $3 million expansion order from cable operator http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/sandvine-receives-3-million-expansion-order-f http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/sandvine-receives-3-million-expansion-order-f

Sandvine receives $3 million expansion order from cable operator

WATERLOO, ON, March 25, 2013 /CNW/ - Sandvine, (TSX:SVC) a leading provider of intelligent broadband network solutions for fixed and mobile operators, today announced that it has received over $3 million in follow-on orders from a leading North American cable operator that has been a Sandvine customer since 2005. The orders were received in March and represent ongoing expansion of the operator's deployment of Business Intelligence and Traffic Optimization solutions.

Network Analytics, one of Sandvine's Business Intelligence products, forecasts long-term trends in consumer experience and resource utilization so that operators can proactively decide where to allocate resources and spending.  Sandvine's Fairshare Traffic Management product uses network data to apply business rules that protect subscribers' quality of experience under all network conditions. Together, the products help improve subscribers' Internet experience for the long-term.

"The strength and longevity of the relationships with our cable customers is attributable to ongoing product innovation that reflects more than a decade of experience working with top MSOs. As the cable market and Internet usage have evolved, we have continued to deepen the insight we offer into network traffic and enhance the flexibility of policies for improving the subscriber experience," said Tom Donnelly, Sandvine's COO, Sales and Global Services.

ABOUT SANDVINE
Sandvine's network policy control solutions add intelligence to fixed, mobile and converged communications service provider networks to enable services that can increase revenue and reduce network costs. Powered by Sandvine's Policy Engine and SandScript policy language, Sandvine's networking equipment performs end-to-end policy control functions including traffic classification, and policy decision and enforcement across the data, control and business planes.  Sandvine's products provide actionable business insight, the ability to deploy new subscriber services and tools to optimize traffic while enhancing subscriber Internet quality of experience.

Sandvine's network policy control solutions are deployed in more than 200 networks in over 85 countries, serving hundreds of millions of data subscribers worldwide, www.sandvine.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements in this release which are not historical facts constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements") and are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of such laws. Statements related to the scope of deployment of Sandvine's products by a specific customer and the potential revenue opportunity with any particular customer or in any market segment are forward looking statements.  In addition this release may also reference certain orders that have not yet resulted in revenues for Sandvine and there is no assurance that such orders will result in revenue or the timing upon which such may occur.  There may be conditions or other circumstances that may impact if and when such orders actually translate to revenue. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve both known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Sandvine to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.  These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, changes in internal deployment strategies or plans by specific customers; the growth of broadband internet usage and levels of capital spending on broadband network management systems; the timing of orders and manufacturing lead times; changes in customer order patterns or customer mix; insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; increased competition in the broadband network equipment industry; dependence on the timely development and market acceptance of new product offerings and standards; rapid technological and market change; manufacturing and sourcing risks including dependence on key suppliers and key technologies; dependence upon indirect channel sales and resellers;  factors such as business and economic conditions and growth trends in the broadband network equipment industry and in various geographic regions; global economic conditions and uncertainties in the geopolitical environment including the impact of regulation related to the internet and the delivery of internet services. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions, and Sandvine does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements should assumptions related to these plans, estimates, projections, beliefs and opinions change.

SOURCE: Sandvine Incorporated

For further information:

INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT
Rick Wadsworth
Sandvine
+1 519 880 2400 ext. 3503
rwadsworth@sandvine.com 

MEDIA CONTACT
Sacha DeGroot
Sandvine
+1 519 880 2400 x 2232
sdegroot@sandvine.com



































































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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:56:43 -0700 Oracle Buys Tekelec http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/oracle-buys-tekelec http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/oracle-buys-tekelec

Oracle Buys Tekelec

Adds Leading Network Signaling, Policy Control and Subscriber Data Management Solutions to Oracle Communications Portfolio

Redwood Shores, Calif. – March 25, 2013

News Facts

Oracle today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Tekelec, a leading provider of network signaling, policy control, and subscriber data management solutions for communications networks.
The proliferation of smart devices, mobile applications, and connected services has led to an exponential increase in network signaling and data traffic. Service providers require intelligent network control technologies to address these increased network workloads as well as to deploy and monetize cloud and over-the-top services.
Tekelec’s technology enables service providers to deliver, control and monetize innovative and personalized communications services and is utilized by more than 300 service providers in over 100 countries.
Tekelec’s network signaling (Diameter and SS7), policy control and subscriber data management solutions complement Oracle Communications’ mission-critical operational support systems, service delivery platforms, and business support systems, and are expected to help service providers efficiently allocate and monetize network resources.
By combining Tekelec with leading capabilities from Oracle Communications and Acme Packet*, Oracle expects to provide the most complete communications offering that will enable service providers to engage with customers, improve operations, control network resources and deploy innovative communications services.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. More information on this announcement can be found athttp://www.oracle.com/tekelec.

*Pending Acme Packet transaction close.

Supporting Quotes

“As connected devices and applications become ubiquitous, intelligent network and service control technologies are required to enable service providers to efficiently deploy all-IP networks, and deliver and monetize innovative communication services,” said Bhaskar Gorti, senior vice president and general manager, Oracle Communications. “The combination of Oracle and Tekelec will provide service providers with the most complete solution to manage their businesses across customer engagement, business and network operations, service delivery and end user applications.”
“In an increasingly mobile and social world, customer experience is about optimizing network performance and personalizing services based on what engages, moves, and inspires people,” said Ron de Lange, president and CEO, Tekelec. “Together with Oracle, we expect to accelerate the pace of service innovation by helping service providers transform the way they manage and monetize the explosive growth in signaling and data traffic on their networks.”

Supporting Resources

• About Oracle and Tekelec

• General Presentation

• Customer and Partner Letter

• FAQ

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.

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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 16:52:15 -0700 The Computer Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM) updates its signature, launches its new Web site and establishes its presence on social media platforms. http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/the-computer-research-institute-of-montreal-c http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/the-computer-research-institute-of-montreal-c The Computer Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM) updates its signature, launches its new Web site and establishes its presence on social media platforms.


MONTREAL, March 25, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - CRIM is pleased to announce the release of its new Web site and the launching of its Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr platforms in order to serve you even better.

CRIM's new Web site is an all-encompassing tool incorporating advanced searching capabilities allowing you to gain quick access to informational content, our services and our personnel.  Its integrated approach provides you with easy access to our expertise, our achievements and highlights the industrial sectors where we operate.  « This new site, fully interconnected with social media, will not only serve to enhance CRIM's influence within the IT ecosystem of Quebec, but will also showcase our partners, as well as the some 170 enterprises and organizations that are already part of CRIM's community, » declares Daniel Blanche, CEO of CRIM.

« Our newly deployed platforms will work together in synergy to embody a unique platform of collaboration and commitment. The social platforms, in addition to allowing CRIM to embrace a strong and committed community of enthusiasts, will give us the opportunity to raise the general public's awareness to our mission of liaison and transfer. With these new platforms, CRIM now possesses the means to engage in a genuine dialogue with its community members, aimed at fulfilling their needs and expectations, » declares Maxime-R. Clerk, Director of Communications and Marketing at CRIM.

The inauguration of these platforms is also an opportunity for CRIM to assert its positioning and to reveal its new corporate signature that resoundingly reflects its promise of providing you with « Your leading edge » in regards to cutting edge knowledge and innovative technologies.

CRIM is an IT applied research centre that develops innovative technologies and know-how in collaboration with its clients and partners. CRIM transfers these technologies to Quebec's leading businesses and organizations, helping to increase their productivity and competitiveness, both locally and abroad. CRIM is comprised of four world class research teams in IT, a testing and interoperability centre that has established itself as a leading reference in Quebec, and a cutting edge IT training centre. CRIM operates primarily in the areas of interaction and human-system interfaces, advanced analytic and advanced architectures and technologies for software development and testing.

SOURCE: Computer Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM)

For further information:

Media contact :
Maxime-R. Clerk
maxime.clerk@crim.ca
Tel. : 514 840-1296
www.crim.ca













































































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Sun, 24 Mar 2013 16:17:26 -0700 Growing Barrie Web Development Company Unveils New Name and Branding http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/growing-barrie-web-development-company-unveil http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/growing-barrie-web-development-company-unveil
Growing Barrie Web Development Company Unveils New Name and Branding

NetGain re-brands to better reflect their customers.

Barrie, Canada, March 24, 2013 --(PR.com)-- NetGain, formerly NetGain SEO, is proud to announce the launch of the company’s new corporate branding. The subtle shift in the company name was made in order to present a clear message to current, potential and future clients that NetGain is a digital marketing agency offering a wide range of services beyond search engine optimization (SEO).

NetGain still specializes in search engine optimization, but is also an industry leader in the latest web development and marketing technologies. As such, the company is putting forth a focus on providing complete digital marketing plans for clients that include web development, e-commerce, search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing campaigns and other online and print based marketing initiatives.

Drew Dekker, Executive Vice-President and Owner of NetGain states, “Over the last five years we’ve grown and so has our line of services, SEO is still an extremely important part of our business but it’s now just one part of presenting clients with a complete digital marketing strategy. That’s why we came to a collective decision to remove the SEO from our name.”

The development of the company’s new brand identity has taken place over the last six months. Research, planning, design and development of the new brand have resulted in a new logo with a modern take on the infinity loop, which relates to NetGain’s design mantra of ‘infinite creativity.’ In addition to the new logo, the company will be utilizing a new slogan, “Own the Web,” which serves to remind clients that a strong web presence is essential to any successful marketing campaign.

The company rebrand was phased in over the last month with a complete launch taking place on March 21st, 2013. The new brand identity includes a new website, print marketing materials, business cards, and an interactive tradeshow booth featuring augmented reality.

The new branding was created collaboratively as a team by all of NetGain’s employees. Drew Dekker recounted, “We wanted to build a brand identity that reflected who we are as a company and that meant getting input from everyone involved. We are always working as a team and our clients are a part of that team; so that’s what we wanted to reflect in our new branding.”

NetGain will be unveiling its new augmented reality tradeshow booth at the NAID Conference in Nashville, Tennessee taking place from March 22nd to March 24th, 2013. For more information regarding the company’s line of services please visit www.netgainseo.com.

Founded in 2008, NetGain has quickly grown into one of the largest web development and digital agencies in Simcoe County and Central Ontario. The company’s success is built upon providing quality services and delivering high-quality proven results from every department within the company. NetGain strives to help clients establish a complete presence on the web through websites, social media and other marketing initiatives. NetGain has clients across Canada and the United States.

For More Information Contact:
Nathan Allen, Business Development & Marketing Coordinator
NetGain
Nathan@netgainseo.com
705-797-2455

Contact Information
NetGain
Nathan Allen
705-797-2455
Contact
http://www.netgainseo.com/index.php


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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:32:22 -0700 HP Accelerates Enterprises’ Path to Big Data Value http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/hp-accelerates-enterprises-path-to-big-data-v http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/hp-accelerates-enterprises-path-to-big-data-v
03/18/2013

HP Accelerates Enterprises’ Path to Big Data Value

PALO ALTO, Calif. — HP Enterprise Services today announced a new information management and analytics (IM&A) service designed to help clients rapidly gain increased value from Big Data assets to support their efforts to drive new revenue opportunities, improve efficiency, reduce risk and lower costs.

While executives understand the importance of taking command over the variety, velocity and volume of information, many regard their organizations as unable to address the associated challenges. According to global research commissioned by HP,(1) more than one out of two business executives reported that their organizations are not equipped with the right solutions to gain insight from Big Data. In addition, they lack the expertise as well as a cohesive strategy to bring all of the components together to incorporate new and old data sets. With greater insights, enterprises can take action to improve and transform their enterprise. 

The new HP Big Data Discovery Experience simplifies and accelerates the entry path for clients to unlock the value of their information. The service provides a scalable discovery environment where clients can explore different technologies to experience insights gleaned from their own data. This enables them to move from high-level concepts of Big Data to the reality of harnessing and acting on the information.

For example, these insights can help an enterprise optimize real-time, cross-channel marketing, customer service and demand prediction. Other use cases include supporting client efforts in detecting and preventing fraud, ensuring compliance in real time, and using social media for risk management and brand reputation.

The HP Big Data Discovery Experience supports a low-risk, rapid path to leveraging Big Data technologies for innovation and better business outcomes. Offered as a service with Big Data consultants and data scientists, facilitated processes and advanced technologies, the HP Big Data Discovery Experience doesn’t require clients to make an initial investment for skilled resources, software and hardware.

“A Big Data solution is a significant investment of time and money for any organization, regardless of industry,” said Markus Ruff, vice president, Information Management and Analytics, HP Enterprise Services. “HP’s approach brings business and IT together from the beginning to help clients shorten the time to start a Big Data initiative and discover new business insight to make better and quicker decisions.”

Evaluate and experience the value of Big Data

The HP Big Data Discovery Experience helps clients align business and IT strategies related to Big Data, enabling them to understand their data and the value that can be gained from it. This insight helps clients accelerate the development of an information strategy.

As part of the HP Big Data Discovery Experience, HP consultants work with a client’s staff to advise on and identify the core parameters of success, conducting a series of planning sessions to assess current and future state requirements. Additionally, HP drives diagnostic assessments across the critical dimensions of people, processes and data readiness. 

The HP Big Data Discovery Experience enables the discovery of key insights based on client data to create a functional proof of concept, roadmap and business justification.

The service provides clients with an information ecosystem through which to explore different types of data with industry-specific use cases and analytical models. HP also can deploy the insights-based applications in production processes.

The HP Big Data Discovery Experience provides consulting-led advisory services combined with rich solution functionality in a standard configuration that combines best-in-class structured and unstructured data capabilities, application design and deployment tools, as well as leading security, privacy and confidentiality capabilities. The platform-as-a-service delivery approach leverages a variety of HP technologies, including software from HP Autonomy and HP Vertica, along with infrastructure and cloud offerings from HP. It also leverages open source frameworks such as Hadoop and partners such as TIBCO Spotfire Analytics. 

Pricing and availability

The HP Big Data Discovery Experience is available now in the Americas region and in select countries in Europe, priced as a service according to customer engagement. Worldwide availability is expected by the end of the year. 

Additional information is available at www.hp.com/go/bi.

HP’s premier Americas client event, HP Discover, takes place June 11-13 in Las Vegas.


(1) “HP Cloud and Information Optimization,” Coleman Parkes Research, Ltd., October 2012.


This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning expected development, performance, market share or competitive performance relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the protection of HP's intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the hiring and retention of key employees; assumptions related to pension and other post-retirement costs and retirement programs; the execution, timing and results of restructuring plans, including estimates and assumptions related to the cost and the anticipated benefits of implementing those plans; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2012.  HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2013 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
































































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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:21:11 -0700 IBM Introduces Predictive Analytics Software and Services that Forecast Asset Failure http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/ibm-introduces-predictive-analytics-software http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/ibm-introduces-predictive-analytics-software

IBM Introduces Predictive Analytics Software and Services that Forecast Asset Failure

New Solution Helps Organizations Leverage Big Data to Uncover Manufacturing and Distribution Risks, and Intervene Before Costly Asset Disruptions Occur

ARMONK, N.Y. - 21 Mar 2013: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced new business consulting services and software that, together, help C-Suite decision makers predict and prevent damaging supply chain disruptions.

Through IBM's predictive analytics software and business consulting services, the new solution harnesses big data from instrumented assets and identifies irregularities in the manufacturing process, spots product irregularities, and forecasts a range of asset performance risks before a problem ever arises. 

Operating, maintaining, and managing assets throughout their lifecycle is a massive built-in expense, made even more critical by the frequency of unpredicted, catastrophic machine failures. Asset downtime, especially, if unplanned, is a multi-million dollar issue for organizations; and the related unscheduled maintenance costs can range from three to 10 times the cost of scheduled maintenance.  

"The world is entering a new era of smart - where decisions will be based on facts, data, and increasingly on the ability to apply analytics to massive data sets and extract very precise business insights," said Fred Balboni, senior partner, Big Data Analytics, IBM Global Business Services. "Companies realize they have a new opportunity to capitalize on big data to address some of the intractable issues of the past, drive new levels of business efficiency, and create new levels of value for their customers. Our data shows us that businesses that are applying analytics to structured and unstructured data are outperforming their competitors in every industry." 

Envision the myriad of components that combine to form the complex automobile manufacturing line. How can a decision maker know when it’s time to replace any one of the thousands of machine parts, robots or sensors; and beyond that, how the line - or an oil rig, or a piece of heavy equipment - can be taken off line for maintenance with minimal economic impact? IBM's new solution will uncover these data-driven insights, examining both static and streaming information, combined with analysis of asset sensors correlated with domains such as environmental and facilities monitoring systems.  

This new integrated solution analyzes big data from multiple static and streaming sources to make informed decisions by generating predictive statistical models to predict equipment failure conditions and create alerts. The alerts are then displayed on an employee or manager’s tablet, smart phone or browser with recommended corrective actions that should be taken through interactive tools that perform root cause analytics and process improvements. 

This new offering is intended to help clients in the Automotive, Electronics, Aerospace, Defense, Manufacturing, Mining, Transportation, Telecommunications and Energy and Utilities industries. For example:

·    In the City of Cambridge, Ontario, the transportation and public works department found itself less able to complete inspections and preventive maintenance because its resources were increasingly being used to respond to emergency repair calls. The city established a division devoted to asset management and with the help of IBM analytics they are evolving from a break-fix mode of operation moving toward more proactive, industry based practices to boost the quality of city services and address infrastructure sustainability.

·    A global auto manufacturer was looking to improve its production quality. With IBM analytics the company was able to use real-time data to monitor the production quality and more quickly identify and resolve issues. This resulted in a reduced the defect rate by 50 percent in 16 weeks in the production of their cylinder heads and increased customer satisfaction.

·    Another global manufacturing company was looking to more quickly detect part defects. Through IBM analytics the company implemented an early detection model and is now saving $130M on warranty costs per year.

·    A regional utility company needed to maintain an aging infrastructure. By implementing IBM predictive analytics technology into their supply chain processes they can now detect potential problems before they occur, and have seen 20 percent productivity gains for service trucks and up to 20 percent reduction of fuel costs due to fewer truck rolls. 

Armed with facts on equipment performance, organizations across a range of industries will anticipate potential failures in their manufacturing systems, supply chains and distribution networks before something goes wrong -- and improve operational efficiency as well as customer satisfaction with proactive responses that prevent or minimize potential issues. 

"Analytics technology gives us valuable insight into trends and what we can expect in the future," said Michael Hausser, Director of Asset Management and Supporting Services, Transportation and Public Works Department, City of Cambridge. "We were heading toward a point where reliability of service would be reduced and we’d be beyond our resource capacity to re-actively resolve issues in a timely manner. We are in transition to be more proactive and gain efficiencies in day to day maintenance management activities."  

IBM Signature Solution - Predictive Asset Optimization

According to engineering estimates, the U.S. will need to spend $2.2 trillion over the next five years just to bring national infrastructures up to date. This includes improvements to roads, bridges, water supplysewerselectrical gridstelecommunications and more. Understanding the data about those systems, and generated by those systems, has never been more urgent.    

IBM is introducing new capabilities through its Predictive Asset Optimization solution, that provides deeper insights into the health of an organization's assets by proactively maintaining and reducing operation and maintenance costs This broadens IBM’s capabilities and portfolio of IBM Signature Solutions, that take the power of predictive analytics to new levels of impact for the highest-priority issues of C-suite decision makers.  

The Predictive Asset Optimization solution is implemented by IBM business consultants, supported by industry-leading applications management services capabilities, and cloud offerings. These capabilities are supported by IBM’s Big Data technology platform that includes Hadoop, stream computing, data warehouse, and information integration and governance capabilities, along with visualization and discovery, application development, systems management and industry accelerators. To date, the IBM Big Data platform has been adopted by more than 100 business partners, bringing a new class of analytics solutions to market and extending the reach of IBM analytics offerings for clients.

The new solution will be one of the first capabilities offered to clients at the new Advanced Analytics Center in Columbus, Ohio. Credit qualified clients can take advantage of financing for services solutions and zero percent loans for IBM software with IBM Global Financing.  

IBM Signature Solutions

IBM Signature Solutions are a portfolio of outcome-based analytic offerings that include fraud detection, financial optimization and customer next best action solutions. They are built with IBM’s global team of researchers, software developers and business consultants.  

These new capabilities are part of IBM’s larger focus on big data and analytics that spans hardware, software, services and research. IBM has completed more than 30,000 analytics client engagements and projects $20 billion in business analytics and big data revenue by 2015.  

IBM has established the world’s deepest portfolio of analytics solutions; deploys 9,000 business analytics consultants and 400 researchers, and has acquired more than 30 companies since 2005 to build targeted expertise in this area.  

IBM secures hundreds of patents a year in big data and analytics, and converts this deep intellectual capital into breakthrough capabilities, including Watson-like cognitive systems. The company has established a global network of nine IBM Client Centers for Smarter Analytics and goes to market with more than 27,000 IBM business partners  

For more information about IBM and Analytics, please visit: http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/27163.wss

IBM YouTube Analytics Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ibmbusinessanalytics

For more information about how City of Cambridge, Ontario is using IBM analytics, please visit:http://ibm.co/ZWf26I




























































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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:57:29 -0700 Rent-A-Center Saves Millions through Cloud Procurement Innovation with Coupa and IBM Smarter Commerce http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/rent-a-center-saves-millions-through-cloud-pr http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/rent-a-center-saves-millions-through-cloud-pr

Rent-A-Center Saves Millions through Cloud Procurement Innovation with Coupa and IBM Smarter Commerce

Leader in Rent-to-Own Industry Realizes Significant Results Across 4,000 Retail Locations

SOMERS, N.Y. and SAN MATEO, Calif. - 22 Mar 2013: IBM (NYSE: IBM) and Coupa Softwaretoday announced that Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCII), the nation’s largest rent-to-own operator, has achieved millions in savings by optimizing and centralizing its purchasing process in the cloud.

Rent-A-Center photo

Rent-A-Center, Inc., the nation’s largest rent-to-own operator, has achieved millions in savings by optimizing and centralizing its purchasing process in the cloud. (Photo Courtesy of Rent-A-Center)

With approximately 4,000 locations and 20,000 employees, Rent-A-Center was challenged with a highly de-centralized and manual purchasing process with low employee adoption. In addition, the onboarding of suppliers was extremely time-consuming and complicated. As a result, the company was not efficient at consolidating purchasing to influence pricing or optimizing its contract, invoicing and supplier management processes.

Tasked with revamping the entire procurement process for greater efficiency and savings, Rent-A-Center relied on the combined power of procurement solutions offered by IBM Smarter Commerce and Coupa to streamline its spending. 

As a result, between 2010 and 2012, the $3 billion rent-to-own retailer increased visibility into spending by automating how it sources – or finds and secures materials – for 90 categories of indirect spend, such as store office supplies. From 2011 to 2012, the company consolidated its supply base, reducing it by 10 percent, and decreased the number of invoices by 5 percent. Rent-A-Center is currently saving, on average, 10 percent on the categories it has automated. 

Mike Wilding, senior vice president of accounting, global controller and CPO for Rent-A-Center, commented on the company’s success in transforming its procurement processes, “The IBM and Coupa integration has been fundamental in driving our positive results as we revamped our procurement efforts. A major part of our transformation focused on increasing productivity by automating manual processes like invoicing and contracts. We are very pleased with our savings to date, and we are on track to achieve our savings targets over the next few years.”  

Using IBM Emptoris capabilities delivered via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, Rent-A-Center has quickly reduced sourcing costs and cycle times and increased accounts payable productivity. By subscribing to a SaaS model, the company has been able to accelerate its cost savings and return on investment, and easily increase capacity for large sourcing events and peaks in activity.

The IBM Emptoris procurement suite is part of IBM’s Smarter Commerce initiative, which is designed to help companies manage their supply and demand processes through intelligent automation. The solutions, which can be deployed either on premise or via SaaS or cloud delivery, are components of IBM’s growing SmartCloud portfolio of more than 70 SaaS and Business Process-as-a-Service (BPaaS) solutions. 

Through Coupa’s intuitive application, Rent-A-Center immediately captures spending without having to install software at each of its thousands of locations. The consumer-like online experience helps ensure broad adoption by letting employees easily enter spending into the system. This provides management with clearer visibility and control over spending across all its locations.

“IBM and Coupa have helped Rent-A-Center streamline and control supplier management and reporting in one central solution,” said Pat Quirk, vice president, IBM procurement solutions. “Rent-A-Center is an example of how SaaS can speed delivery of services and eliminate technical complexity found with other solutions.”

“Our No. 1 focus is customer success,” said Rob Bernshteyn, CEO of Coupa. “The results that Rent-A-Center achieved are concrete examples of what can be done when there is a common vision between our customers, our partners and ourselves. Rent-A-Center reached all the goals we collectively hoped for – better visibility into indirect spend, substantial cost savings and increased business efficiencies. We look forward to seeing more customers unlock the value of spend optimization with IBM and Coupa.” 

Rent-A-Center is expanding into other countries and has opened 90 new stores in Mexico between 2010 and 2012. The company uses Coupa and IBM’s procurement software for local supplier sourcing and procurement in Mexico as well, which helps minimize costs. 

About Rent-A-Center, Inc. 

Rent-A-Center, Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the largest rent-to-own operator in North America, focused on improving the quality of life for its customers by providing them the opportunity to obtain ownership of high-quality, durable goods such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, furniture and accessories, under flexible rental purchase agreements with no long-term obligation. The Company owns and operates approximately 3,098 stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and approximately 966 RAC Acceptance kiosk locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. ColorTyme, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national franchiser of approximately 224 rent-to-own stores operating under the trade name of “ColorTyme.” For additional information about the Company, please visit www.rentacenter.com. 

About IBM  

More information on IBM can be found at: IBM Smarter Commercewww.ibm.com/smartercommerce

IBM SmartCloud Solutions www.ibm.com/SaaS

IBM Procurement solutions http://www-142.ibm.com/software/products/us/en/category/SW111 

About Coupa Software

Founded in 2006, Coupa Software is the leading provider of cloud-based spend optimization software. More than

300 customers in 40 countries use the Coupa suite of cloud applications to amplify their spend power and reduce spending costs up to 11 percent. Only Coupa provides a true suite of cloud applications that enables customers to launch the solution immediately and quickly realize significant savings. Learn more at: http://www.coupa.com or call (650) 931-3200. Read more at our company blog, Making Cents, or follow @Coupa on Twitter.
































































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Fri, 22 Mar 2013 13:54:45 -0700 Cisco Commends Government of Canada's Commitment to Drive Productivity Through Increased Use of Telepresence Technology http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/cisco-commends-government-of-canadas-commitme http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/cisco-commends-government-of-canadas-commitme

Cisco Commends Government of Canada's Commitment to Drive Productivity Through Increased Use of Telepresence Technology

Toronto, ON  – March 22, 2013 – As a company focused on positively impacting innovation and productivity, Cisco Canada applauds the Government of Canada for continuing to lead by example in using technology to increase productivity and reduce travel costs. 

"The 2013 budget demonstrates that the Government of Canada is keenly focused on embracing technologies such as telepresence to drive down travel costs and improve productivity and work-life balance for public servants,” said Nitin Kawale, president, Cisco Canada. “I commend Minister Flaherty, the Department of Finance, the Treasury Board, and Shared Services Canada for continuing to show leadership in transforming federal service provisioning and impacting public service delivery.” 

In the budget document, the Government states “Federal departments will increasingly replace travel by using remote meeting alternatives such as telepresence, which is similar to videoconferencing but enables participants to see life-size, full-motion video with high-quality sound. These alternatives are more cost-effective than travel and will increase productivity, as public servants will spend less time in transit."

“The nature of work and Canada’s next-generation workforce needs are changing. Technologies like telepresence allow teams from across the country and round the world to meet and collaborate as if they are in the same room – saving time and resources, and improving communication and productivity,” Mr. Kawale added.

Cisco TelePresence not only reduces travel costs and carbon emissions associated with travel, but also facilitates faster decision making. “With this budget initiative, Minister Flaherty again demonstrates Canada’s forward-thinking leadership,” said Mr. Kawale.

About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, visithttp://newsroom.cisco.com/canada/.

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Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:54:57 -0700 BlackBerry 10 Now Offers More Than 100,000 Applications to Customers http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/blackberry-10-now-offers-more-than-100000-app http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/blackberry-10-now-offers-more-than-100000-app

BlackBerry 10 Now Offers More Than 100,000 Applications to Customers

Application catalog grows by more than 30,000 apps in seven weeks

More top brands building for BlackBerry 10 as platform launches in the U.S.

WATERLOO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 21, 2013) - Developers continue to support BlackBerry® 10, bringing more than 30,000 new applications to the platform over the past seven weeks. BlackBerry® (NASDAQ:BBRY)(TSX:BB) today announced that BlackBerry 10 customers now have access to more than 100,000 applications for the BlackBerry® Z10 smartphone on the BlackBerry® World™ storefront.

Today, Amazon Kindle, OpenTable and The Wall Street Journal are available to BlackBerry 10 customers and in the coming weeks CNN, The Daily Show Headlines, eBay, eMusic, Maxim, MLB at Bat, MTV News, Pageonce, PGA, Rdio, Skype, Soundhound and Viber will be available for download or purchase.

BlackBerry 10 customers already have access to leading apps and games, including 8tracks, Angry Birds Star Wars, ATP World Tour Live, BBC Top Gear News, Bloomberg Anywhere, CBS Sports, Delta Air Lines, F1 2013 Timing App CP, Facebook, Foursquare, Jetpack Joyride, Keek, LinkedIn, Navita Translator, Need for Speed, NHL GameCenter, N.O.V.A. 3, The New York Times, PressReader, Slacker, Songza, Twitter, UFC, USA TODAY, Waze, WhatsApp, and Zara.

"The response to the BlackBerry 10 platform and applications has been outstanding. Customers are thrilled with the applications already available, and the catalog just keeps growing, now with more than 100,000 apps," said Martyn Mallick, Vice President, Global Alliances at BlackBerry. "Top brands and application providers are joining us every day and are seeing the benefits of being early supporters of the new platform. We constantly hear from developers that the BlackBerry 10 tools are easy to build with and that we provide opportunities for app differentiation that they do not see on other platforms."

"It now appears that the already impressive levels of developer support for the BlackBerry 10 platform are accelerating into the launch window for the BlackBerry Z10. The prospect of a very robust app catalog can only bolster momentum for the product and the platform itself," said John Jackson, Research Vice President, Mobile & Connected Platforms at IDC. "The ability to attract and sustain developer support is like lifeblood for any mobile platform, and it's not something that simply happens. This progress is a testament to BlackBerry's early and innovative engagement with developers worldwide and the innovative architecture of the platform itself."

BlackBerry 10 applications take connecting to the next level with the ability to leverage social, gamification, and integration frameworks that other platforms are not able to offer. Customers can easily share applications with those in their social networks including BBM™ (BlackBerry® Messenger), Facebook, and Twitter. Applications can incorporate gaming features such as leader boards, badges, rewards and more using the Scoreloop tools, and BlackBerry 10 applications can tie to core OS integration points to allow developers to create compelling experiences to keep people moving and flow with BlackBerry 10 experience features.

In addition to apps and games, BlackBerry World for BlackBerry 10 offers access to one of the most robust catalogs of music and video content for mobile users*, with partnerships across all major movie studios, all major music labels and television networks.

The BlackBerry Z10 (all touch) is the first smartphone powered by BlackBerry 10, the re-designed, re-engineered, and re-invented BlackBerry platform. The BlackBerry Z10 will be available in the U.S. from March 22.

About BlackBerry

A global leader in wireless innovation, BlackBerry® revolutionized the mobile industry when it was introduced in 1999. Today, BlackBerry aims to inspire the success of our millions of customers around the world by continuously pushing the boundaries of mobile experiences. Founded in 1984 and based in Waterloo, Ontario, BlackBerry operates offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America. BlackBerry is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (NASDAQ:BBRY) and the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:BB). For more information, visit www.blackberry.com.

*The music catalog is currently available in 18 countries: USA, UK, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Australia, India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. The video catalog is currently available in the USA, UK, and Canada.

Forward-looking statements in this news release are made pursuant to the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When used herein, words such as "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "believe", and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by Research In Motion Limited (BlackBerry) in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that BlackBerry believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Many factors could cause BlackBerry's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including those described in the "Risk Factors" section of BlackBerry's Annual Information Form, which is included in its Annual Report on Form 40-F (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BlackBerry's forward-looking statements. BlackBerry has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

BlackBerry and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries around the world. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.

Contact Information

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Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:36:23 -0700 Vancouver-based Tasktop Technologies' Growth In Integrating The Software Lifecycle Leads To Second Listing As 'Ready to Rocket' Company http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/vancouver-based-tasktop-technologies-growth-i http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/vancouver-based-tasktop-technologies-growth-i

Tasktop Technologies' Growth In Integrating The Software Lifecycle Leads To Second Listing As 'Ready to Rocket' Company

Ready to Rocket recognizes top, private British Columbia companies poised for revenue growth


VANCOUVERMarch 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tasktop Technologies (www.tasktop.com), creator of the Eclipse Mylyn open source tools and a leader in Agile ALM integration and productivity, today announced it has been named to Ready to Rocket's Information and Communications Technology (ICT) list for the second year in a row (www.readytorocket.com). The list is comprised of fast growing, private companies in the British Columbia technology sector.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130315/LA78208LOGO)

"Tasktop is committed to growing an industry-changing tech company in British Columbia," said Mik Kersten , creator or Eclipse Mylyn and CEO of Tasktop. "Last year was great one for the company, and it's fantastic to see our employees recognized by Ready to Rocket for their hard work as we plan for an even bigger 2013."

Tasktop plays a vital role in the information technology industry. It solves a major challenge for enterprises who increasingly have to deliver software as a core activity of what they do through its tools and platforms that integrate the data flow between disparate people, processes and technologies. One of the hottest companies in the software development sector, it is self-funded and continues to grow organically. It currently has more than 50 employees working in offices in VancouverAustin, Texas and throughout Europe. Tasktop has received a variety of awards recognizing its success and innovation, including a spot on Ready to Rocket's 2012 ICT list and a Technology Impact Award for Emerging Company of the Year in 2012 (www.bctia.org).

The Ready to Rocket lists require several months of detailed analysis. These unique, predictive compilations analyze trends and select companies positioned to exceed industry growth rates. Businesses on the 2012 ICT list saw a median growth rate of 50 percent, proving the research integrity. Aside from the ICT list, Ready to Rocket also compiles a Cleantech list and a Life Sciences list.

"Each year when we choose the Ready to Rocket companies, we are looking for those companies that have best matched technical innovation with market opportunity," said Reg Nordman , Managing Partner at Rocket Builders. "Tasktop is an excellent example of the right technology for the right customers at the right time."

The ICT list was revealed to more than 100 investors, government officials, lawyers and accountants at an event at the Library Square Conference Centre in Vancouver, BC on March 12, 2013.

Share This Story: #Tasktop named to #ReadyToRocket ICT List for #revenue #growth potential www.readytorocket.com  

About Ready to Rocket
Ready to Rocket is a unique business recognition list that profiles technology companies with the greatest potential for revenue growth. Each year, based on analysis of trends that will drive growth in the information technology sector, Rocket Builders identifies the top private companies that are best positioned to capitalize on the trends for growth. This selection methodology has been an accurate predictor of growth with "Ready to Rocket" companies exceeding the industry growth rate. Also, many of these companies raise investment capital and each year many of the profiled "Ready to Rocket' companies are acquired. (http://www.readytorocket.com).

About Tasktop Technologies 
Tasktop Technologies aims to transform the productivity of software delivery by unifying Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) and empowering developers with task-focused tools. Tasktop invented the task-focused interface and created the popular Eclipse Mylyn project, which transformed the developer's IDE experience to center around ALM tool-based collaboration. Building on top of Mylyn, Tasktop has been unifying the ALM landscape with its broad ecosystem of ALM partnerships that connect disparate tools from leading Agile, enterprise ALM and open source offerings. Tasktop's Task Federation™ technology builds on this ecosystem to unify heterogeneous ALM stacks by allowing developers, testers and managers to work within their best-of-breed tools of choice, while automatically maintaining traceability and visibility across ALM artifacts. The company's Tasktop Sync provides the only real-time bidirectional and fully automated synchronization between ALM servers. Tasktop Dev is the developer-centric ALM interface for the Eclipse and Visual Studio IDEs, making it dramatically easier for developers to work and collaborate, while keeping ALM tools up-to-date with development activity. For more information visit http://tasktop.com

 

Media Contact:
Christie Denniston , APR
Catapult PR-IR
cdenniston@catapultpr-ir.com
Office: 303-581-7760, ext. 13
Mobile: 303-827-5164
Twitter: @prhightech

SOURCE Tasktop Technologies

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Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:44:12 -0700 The Association québécoise des technologies: the Big Bang Information and Communications Technology Forum http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/the-association-quebecoise-des-technologies-t http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/the-association-quebecoise-des-technologies-t

Discover What's New at the Big Bang Information and Communications Technology Forum


Mitch Joel, Ethan Song (Frank & Oak), Vincent Guyaux and Failwatching among the guest speakers at the 11th edition

MONTREAL, March 21, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - The Association québécoise des technologies (AQT) is pleased to announce the 11th edition of the Big Bang, its annual ICT marketing forum, which will welcome sales and marketing executives of innovative SMEs, on May 15 and 16, 2013. In addition to a series of distinguished speakers, this edition's completely revamped and brand new formula will focus on practical exercises and cleverly orchestrated meetings between participants. To foster networking quality, executives and sales and marketing managers are invited to a private retreat at Château Bromont.

A BRANDING FORUM
The new Big Bang formula, whose theme is "Dare, Experience, Shine!", proposes a practical, action-based approach to equip participants so that, upon their return, they can take concrete action to promote their products and services.

"The new program enables executives to master a new set of beneficial and avant-garde practices for the commercialization of innovation, and fosters business development and commitment," commented Nicole Martel, Chief Executive Officer of AQT.

DARE: MAJOR LECTURES AND TESTIMONIALS
Self-reflections and corporate reflections—Some of the major lectures:

  • Mitch Joel previews his new book CTRL ALT DEL: REBOOT. 5 movements that will change business forever.
  • The Best Product and Brand Failures in the WorldFailwatching. Expert analysts identify losing strategies, useless risks and positioning errors.
  • Business Synergy - Knowing Yourself Better Means Better Sales. In an interactive context using scientifically tested tools, Richard Durand helps participants assess their type of functioning.

Entrepreneurs reveal their winning practices:

  • Secrets behind online branding, winning sales practices witnessed within Apple and internationally, as well as behind-the-scenes rebranding of a company, along with repositioning opportunities that are not to be missed.

EXPERIENCE: EXPERT WORKSHOPS AND CASE STUDIES
A marketing case study directed by Professor Roy Toffoli, Director of the IT Executive MBA Program, will be offered to all participants interested in the implementation of marketing strategies.

Also, following a call for content, six workshops were selected for the development and mastery of tools and processes:

  • Telemarketing: 90 minutes to update your approach
  • SaaS Pricing Strategies: 90 minutes to help you model your offer
  • Sales Process: 90 minutes to optimize your sales management
  • Multi-Platform Marketing: 90 minutes to integrate different channels of communication
  • Google Analytic: 90 minutes on opportunities offered by Web analyses
  • Sales Reps, Talk to Your Buyers: 90 minutes to identify your sales champions

SHINE: EXTRME NETWORKING
Revise your elevator pitch! AQT ambassadors will introduce you to potential partners you identified using the very detailed participant's guide or the dedicated LinkedIn group.

LIMITED ATTENDANCE FOR THE 2013 EDITION!
The new formula was a success… Word spread quickly and only 50 places are available, with priority given to AQT members. Register today at www.lebigbang.net.

Event organizers would like to thank the Big Bang partners. Leadership Partner: Allstream. Platinum Partner : IBM. Gold partners: Essor, Fond de Solidarité des Travailleurs du Québec, K3, Legault Joly Thiffault, Miller Thomson, VSM. Silver partner: iweb. Audiovisual partner: SONAV. Media partner: LesAffaires. Thank you to the Ministère des Finances et de l'Économie du Québec.

ABOUT THE ICT INDUSTRY
The ICT (Information and Communications Technology) industry is driven by nearly 2,000 SMEs that generate a collective $8 billion in revenue and create more than 50 % of the 130,000 jobs in this field. As industry pioneers, these companies dedicate one third of their resources to research and innovation. With 70% of firms recognized for overseas marketing, ICT SMEs contribute to Quebec's outreach and wealth.

About the Quebec Technology Association (AQT) www.aqt.ca
The Quebec Technology Association promotes innovative SMEs in the ICT industry by helping their CEOs and management teams reach business development objectives. Now the largest ICT business network in Quebec, the AQT, a non-profit, self-funded organization, provides its 500 member and affiliate companies with local and international networking opportunities, as well as business comparison and improvement tools - true building blocks of success!

To register : www.lebigbang.net
To join: LinkedIn Big Bang

SOURCE: Quebec Technology Association (AQT)

For further information:

AQT - Valérie Danger, Director of Communications and Projects, 514 874-2667, ext. 118, vdanger@aqt.ca










































































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Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:48:51 -0700 Responsive Mailing Services Installs Pitney Bowes FlowMaster(R) RS Flex Inserting System to increase growth and enhance offerings http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/responsive-mailing-services-installs-pitney-b http://readaboutitrss.posterous.com/responsive-mailing-services-installs-pitney-b Responsive Mailing Services Installs Pitney Bowes FlowMaster® RS Flex Inserting System to increase growth and enhance offerings

 

MISSISSAUGA, ON., March 20, 2013 – Pitney Bowes Inc. (NYSE: PBI) today announced that Responsive Mailing Services (RMS) has purchased the FlowMaster® RS Flex inserting system to help deliver efficient and seamless solutions for its growing client base. Through this installation, RMS will be able to broaden revenue streams by taking on higher volume jobs that require intelligent matching.  The FlowMaster RS Flex inserter can accurately process a variety of materials and sizes at speeds up to 16,000 mail-pieces per hour.

 

Barrie-based RMS is family-run business that was established in 2002. RMS specializes in secure transaction based mail, direct mail and bulk mail services mainly for the banking and insurance industries. The new FlowMaster RS Flex inserter will help the company ensure quality control and will provide a platform for RMS to respond to requests from larger companies.

 

“Our customers are consistently asking us to deliver projects on tighter timelines,” said Terry Waide, president, sales, owner, RMS. “It’s essential to provide top quality work regardless of deadlines in order to retain customers and grow our business. With our investment in Pitney Bowes’ technology, we can ensure a perfect order every time.”

 

The Pitney Bowes FlowMaster RS Flex inserting system delivers high speed, flexibility and increased productivity with proven servo motor technology. This system helps mailers meet SLAs faster by providing unmatched flexibility and automating manual tasks in a one-operator integrated work-cell. The system can also be configured to process letters and flats on the same platform to meet even the most challenging application needs.

 

“Our clients are looking for solutions to enhance their existing offerings,” said Christoph Stehmann, president, Pitney Bowes Document Messaging Technologies. “As organizations strive to increase productivity and speed, the FlowMaster RS Flex inserting system has become an essential tool for our clients to boost overall efficiency.”

 

With the FlowMaster RS Flex inserting system, productivity increases as operators are able to turn jobs faster resulting in more completed projects for a lower cost per mail piece. The system provides users a reliable and versatile way to produce valuable and engaging communications materials for clients.

 

More information is available at: Responsive Mailing Solutions or FlowMaster® RS Flex inserter

 

About Pitney Bowes

Pitney Bowes provides technology solutions for small, mid-size and large firms that help them connect with customers to build loyalty and grow revenue.  The company’s solutions for financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, legal, public sector and retail organizations are delivered on open platforms to best organize, analyze and apply both public and proprietary data to two-way customer communications.  Pitney Bowes is the only firm that includes direct mail, transactional mail, call centers and in-store technologies in its solution mix along with digital channels such as the Web, email, live chat and mobile applications.  Pitney Bowes has approximately USD$5 billion in annual revenues and 27,000 employees worldwide.  Pitney Bowes: Every connection is a new opportunity™.

 

Pitney Bowes of Canada Ltd., the Canadian subsidiary has a direct sales and service force of approximately 1,300 professionals located in offices throughout the country. The head office for its operations in Canada is located in Mississauga, Ontario. For additional information on the company, its products and solutions, visit www.pitneybowes.ca



 

 

 

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