News Briefs for the Week Ending09/24/2010
Docid:00020009Publication Date: 1009Publication Type: NEWS
Nine States Have Approved Qwest, CenturyLink Merger CenturyLink and Qwest Communications announced that they have now received approval of their pending merger from nine of the states requiring it. The Public Service Commission Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Cisco Acquires Arch Rock to Boost Smart Grid Unit Cisco Systems completed its acquisition of Arch Rock, a privately held firm that develops IP wireless network technology for smart grid applications. According to Cisco, the Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Cisco Purchases ExtendMedia for its CMS Library Cisco Systems acquired ExtendMedia, a provider of software based content management systems (CMS) for managing video content lifecycles. Cisco will use the ExtendMedia technology Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 HP Completes Purchase of Fortify Software Hewlett-Packard (HP) completed its acquisition of Fortify Software, which it will use to enhance its application lifecycle strategy. HP will use Fortify’s technology to add a Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 IBM Agrees to Acquire Netezza for $1.7 Billion IBM announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Netezza, which makes a data warehouse appliances that combines storage, processing, database, and analytics into a single system IBM is Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 L-3 Communications Acquires 3Di Technologies L-3 Communications announced that it has acquired 3Di Technologies. 3Di provides specialized end-to-end secure satellite communications utilized by forward-deployed United States special operations and in-theater Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Safran, BAE Acquire L-1 Identity Solutions’ Businesses Safran will acquire L-1 Identity Solutions for a total cash amount of USD $1.09 billion. Safran intends to operate L-1 as part of its existing security business, Morpho. BAE Systems will acquire L-1 Identity Solutions’ Intelligence Services Group, which is comprised of SpecTal, Advanced Concepts, and McClendon, for $295 million. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 TIBCO Closes Acquisition of Proginet Corporation TIBCO closed its acquisition of the Proginet Corporation. The deal greatly expands the company’s portfolio of file transfer software, as well as augmenting its overall software selection. Proginet has now been Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 ALLIANCES & JOINT VENTURES
NCR Reaffirms Blockbuster Partnership Following Bankruptcy Filing NCR released a statement reaffirming its partnership with Blockbuster, which includes its 7,000 Blockbuster-branded DVD movie rental kiosks. The reaffirmation is likely in response to the rental company’s recent Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Oracle and Capgemini Team to Offer Focused Testing Services Oracle and Capgemini expanded their relationship to include focused testing solutions. The joint effort, which will be called the Oracle Software Testing Center of Excellence, Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Verizon, TDC Parner for Nordic Operations Verizon Business and TDC – a Danish telecommunications company serving the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden – announced an agreement under which Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 BIOMETRICS
BIO-key Technology Chosen for Blood Center Donor Program The Institute for Transfusion Medicine (ITxM) is deploying BIO-key TruDonor biometric identification technology. ITxM, an independent blood center, plans to use TruDonor to automate and reduce to time for patient Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 L-1 Receives $24.5 Million Contract for India’s ID Program L-1 Identity Solutions received $24.5 million in purchase orders for finger and iris biometric capture devices for the initial phase of India’s Unique Identification Number program. The orders include both Agile TP Source: Vendor, 9/223/2010 BUSINESS CONTINUITY
European Union Strengthens Security on Gas Supply The European Parliament has adopted the Security of Gas Supply Regulation. The new regulation calls member states of the European Union and gas companies to be fully Source: EU, 9/21/2010 FEMA Document Offers Guidelines for Emergency Coordination The US Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a document that details the importance for emergency operations centers Source: FEMA, 9/21/2010 US Must Take Action to Preserve Water Supply, Says Coalition A coalition of businesses, farmers, government agencies, and environmental nonprofit groups issued a report regarding water quality and supply in the US. The Johnson Foundation presented the report, Charting New Waters: A Call to Action to Address US Freshwater Challenges, to the Obama Administration. It discusses the challenges to the quality and supply of fresh water due to various Source: Vendor, 9/15/2010 CARRIER SERVICES
AT&T Launches U-verse Services in Charleston AT&T has launched its U-verse TV, Internet, and voice services in Charleston, South Carolina. The launch covers parts of Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, including the cities of Charleston, North Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 AT&T, Verizon Lay Out 4G Expansion Plans Verizon Wireless and AT&T last week both laid out expansion plans for their LTE-based 4G networks over the coming year. CNet reported from Source: CNet, 9/20/2010 Bell Canada Adds Business News Network to Mobile TV Lineup Bell Canada announced the launch of the Business News Network (BNN) on mobile phones, smartphones, and tablet devices running on its network. The channel, provided via Bell Mobile TV, features business and financial Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Bell Canada Launches High-Def On-Demand Satellite Video Service Bell Canada announced the launch of Bell TV On Demand, an on-demand video service for Canadian satellite TV subscribers. The company claims that this is both the first service of its kind in Canada, and the first Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 BT Announces Free Fiber Upgrades for Bundle Customers BT announced that customers who subscribe to a bundled broadband and telephone package with its company will be upgraded to its BT Infinity fiber-based service when it is deployed in their area for no extra monthly cost. Source: Vendor, 9/17/2010 Clearwire, Sprint Launch 4G Internet Service in Orlando Area WiMAX 4G provider Clearwire announced the availability of its CLEAR 4G Internet service for businesses and consumers in Orlando, Florida. The service area covers nearly 1.4 million people, Clearwire said. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Clearwire Announces Roaming Agreement with Japan’s UQ Communications WiMAX-based 4G provider Clearwire announced that it has launched 4G roaming services with UQ Communications of Japan. As a result of the agreement, Clearwire and UQ customers using Intel WiMAX-embedded netbooks Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 MetroPCS Launches First LTE 4G Commercial Service in US MetroPCS introduced Long Term Evolution-based 4G service in Las Vegas, the first commercial LTE launch in the United States. MetroPCS said the prepaid service will cost either $55 or $60 per month, depending on the Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 GSA Gives Government-wide Okay to Qwest MTIPS The US General Services Administration has provided Qwest Government Services, a part of Qwest Communications, government-wide authority to operate for its Managed Trusted Internet Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Sprint Launches New Bundles Targeting Small Businesses Sprint introduced its new Customized Connections for small businesses, available in three different bundles. Customized Connections are available for activation on the carrier’s new small-business Web site Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Verizon Moves to Electronic Delivery of Delaware White Pages The Delaware Public Service Commission has granted Verizon Communications request to provide customers with an online, electronic version of Verizon White Pages directory listings as the primary means to access Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 CHIP TECHNOLOGY
Cray to Use Nvidia Graphics Processors in Supercomputers Cray will put Nvidia graphics processors in future large-scale supercomputers, the companies annnounced. At Nvidia’s 2010 GPU Technology Conference, supercomputer leader Cray Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 CLOUD COMPUTING
Amazon Announces Oracle Certified Applications for EC2 Service Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced that a wide selection of Oracle software has been certified to run on its Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2) service via Oracle Virtual Machine. Major products Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 AWS Adds 4 New Features to EC2 Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced the addition of four new features to its Elastic Cloud 2 (EC2) cloud computing service. The first is the addition of metadata tags for EC2 resources, which will allow users to create searchable items that persist between users. The second new feature further enhances Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 BMC Software Announces Chatter for Service Desk BMC Software announced that it has included Salesforce.com‘s Chatter 2 application in its BMC ServiceDesk on Force.com product. The new software is designed to help IT professionals by creating a social network Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Cisco, Portugal Telecom to Develop Cloud Services Cisco Systems extended an agreement with Portugal Telecom to develop and launch cloud computing services based on Cisco’s Unified Service Delivery data center and network Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 HP Introduces Private Cloud Solutions for Oracle Apps Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced new integrated, private cloud products optimized for Oracle applications such as PeopleSoft Enterprise, the E-Business Suite, and Fusion Middleware. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 HP Debuts Cloud Services Enablement for Device Management Hewlett-Packard (HP) introduced Cloud Services Enablement (CSE) for Device Management as a Service, a solution it says can help wireless and broadband companies provide cloud based mobile device management Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Oracle Launches Self-Contained Cloud System Oracle CEO Larry Ellison announced the launch of a completely self-contained cloud computing system called the Exalogic Elastic Cloud. Source: Vendor, 9/19/2010 Raytheon Launches Web-based Collaboration Tool for C&C Line Raytheon subsidiary Raytheon Solipsys announced that it has added a Web-based visualization and collaboration tool to its command and control (C&C) product line. The C&C software is designed to allow for the Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Zoho Announces Revamped Zoho Creator User Interface Zoho announced the launch of a revamped user interface for its Zoho Creator Web app. Improvements include the addition of tab-based multitasking, categorical icons, an increase in the number of forms that can be viewed Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS & EQUIPMENT
Alcatel Deploys CDMA PTT Service for China Telecom Alcatel-Lucent successfully deployed its code division multiple access (CDMA) high performance Push to Talk (PTT) service for China Telecom, for commercialization Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Alcatel to Deploy Converged Safety Network for Berlin Airport Alcatel-Lucent deployed a converged safety and security communications network for Flughafen Berlin-Schonefeld, the operating company of Germany’s new Berlin-Brandenburg International Airport. The network – Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Huawei Showcases Cutting Edge DSL Prototype Huawei Technologies showcased a 700M-bps DSL prototype in Hong Kong, which it claims is the first of its kind in the world. Presumably, it will allow operators build high bandwidth, future proof broadband access Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Huawei to Provide Telecom Technology for E African Network Huawei Technologies was contracted by Safaricom to provide telecommunications network technology for its East African network, presumably to help it better introduce new services. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Hurricane Electric Reports Certified IPv6 Users in 171 Countries Hurricane Electric, an IPv6-native Internet backbone and colocation provider, announced that the company’s IPv6 certification, Tunnel Broker, and Free DNS Service have more than 113,000 combined users in 171 countries. Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Juniper Deploys Network Data Center for France’s CFM Juniper Networks deployed a network data center – running the Junos operating system – for Capital Fund Management (CFM) in Paris, France, to help it upgrade its global trading infrastructure. CFM’s new network Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Motorola Deploys Passive Optical LAN for Getty Images Motorola‘s Mobility unit deployed a all fiber, passive optical LAN for Getty Images’ office in London. Corning and TCS Cabling provided implementation services. Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Motorola to Deploy Public Safety System in North Carolina Motorola‘s Solutions business is preparing to install a first responder digital radio system – valued at $7 million – for Dare County in North Carolina. The radio system will allow public safety agencies Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 NEC, Transmode to Upgrade StarNet’s Moldova Network NEC Eastern Europe is working with Transmode – a provider of optical networking products – to upgrade StarNet’s national optical network with Transmode dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology. StarNet Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 NEC Tests the iPASOLINK Platform in Poland NEC Poland announced it successfully tested the iPASOLINK backhaul platform in Warsaw. Tests included hitless Adaptive Modulation Radio at high channel capacities, Synchronous Ethernet, and a functional subset of the Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Nokia Siemens Demonstrates 200G bps over Optical Fiber Nokia Siemens Networks conducted a lab trial in which it succeeded in transmitting data at a speed of 200G bps over standard optical fiber. The development is expected to eventually make way for future, Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Nokia Siemens, MegaFon Complete 4G Data Call Nokia Siemens Networks and Russian network operator MegaFon conducted a 4G mobile broadband data call, during a demonstration at the IX International Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 ZTE Launches NetNumen U31 Element Management System ZTE announced the launch of its element management system (EMS) NetNumen U31. The company claims the new system is the first in the industry to offer the management of both fixed-line and mobile equipment in a Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 ZTE Signs with Indonesia’s Telekomsel to Test LTE Network ZTE announced that it has signed a LTE test agreement with PT Telekomunikasi Selular (Telkomsel), the largest mobile carrier in Indonesia. ZTE will use its Software Defined Radio (SDR) technology to upgrade the Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 CONSULTING & MANAGED SERVICES
Accenture Signs Contract Extension with National Australia Bank Accenture announced that it has signed a contract extension with National Australia Group Europe (NAGE), a subsidiary of National Australia Bank, to continue to provide application development and management Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Accenture Teams with Baltimore Gas and Electric to Launch Smart Grid Accenture announced it has teamed with Baltimore Gas and Electric to implement a smart meter network for 1.2 million customers in central Maryland. The goal of the program is to reduce peak energy usage, and Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 BT Signs 5-Year IT Networking Agreement with Debenhams BT announced the signing of a five-year contract with Debenhams, a UK-based retailer. The deal will see BT transforming the company’s IT network to run on its high-speed 21CN software-driven network infrastructure. The Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 comScore Teams with PMB in Canada to Offer Fused Web/Print Database comScore and PMB Print Measurement Bureau announced the launch of a joint product, in Canada, designed to link online media habits with print and other physical media consumption, as well as brand usage. The Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Dell Announces Oracle Application Strategy Services Dell Services announced a portfolio – Oracle Practice – for providing business strategy, design, implementation, maintenance, and outsourcing services to Oracle users. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Northrop Grumman to Build Air-Traffic Control System for Nigeria Northrop Grumman announced that it has signed a $1.6 million contract with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for the installation of an air-traffic control communication system. The company will be Source: Vendor, 9/17/2010 SAIC to Build New Brick Factory for Boral Composites Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) announced that it has signed a contract with Boral Composites to design and build a new manufacturing facility for the company. SAIC plans to build the brick Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Verizon Adds Juniper SRX Family to Managed Services Portfolio Verizon Business announced it has added a new managed network service based on the Juniper Networks‘ SRX services gateway product series. Verizon said the addition to its Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 CYBERCRIME
US, Hong Kong Top Spam Producers Hong Kong has moved into second place behind the US in the running for the top spam producers during the month of August, 2010 according to a new malware report from Kaspersky Lab. After holding the 17th spot in July, Hong Kong jumped to second place one month later, but the most noticeable difference in this ranking is that Facebook was Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Proofpoint: More Security Breaches from Employees Using Social Media A new survey from security firm Proofpoint finds more organizations are dealing with data loss and security breaches due to employee use of social media sites. Proofpoint polled 261 IT decision makers at Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 DBMS
Oracle Announces Launch of MySQL 5.5 Release Candidate Oracle announced the launch of a release candidate for MySQL version 5.5. Upgrades to the new version include improved performance and scalability, higher percentage of availability, and improved ease of use. More Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Vivisimo Announces Launch of Velocity 8.0 Vivisimo announced the launch of Velocity 8.0, the eighth iteration of its information optimization platform. New features include IO Pro, a new customization system which allows users to choose how information is Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 DESKTOPS
Dell Introduces New All-in-One, HD Entertainment PCs Dell unveiled the Inspiron One 23, an all-in-one desktop PC outfitted with Dell’s new Stage touch interface. It includes a special keyboard that can be tucked into a dedicated space underneath the screen. It also Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 HP Unveils New TouchSmart Systems and Software Hewlett-Packard (HP) introduced its TouchSmart310 desktop and TouchSmart 12 inch laptop, each pre-packaged with TouchSmart software, and its new Omni100 slim tower PC. The TouchSmart software is available via HP’s new Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE
Agilent Introducing Radio Frequency Design Software Agilent Technologies is unveiling its new Advanced Design System, radio frequency (RF) design software it says can address the multi-technology design needs of RF system-in-package components. It includes a use Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 IBM Launches Customers Experience Suite for Web Designers IBM announced the launch of its new Customer Experience Suite. The software is designed to help Web designers produce customer facing experiences that are easy to use, interactive, and personalized. Features of the Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 SAP Launches “Rapid Deployment” Software Line SAP is unleashing a set of “Rapid Deployment” software applications that can be rolled out in as little as 12 weeks, the company said. The products include a combination of software, services, and content at a Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 ENTERPRISE APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Adobe Releases Photoshop Element and Premiere Elements 9 Adobe announced the launch of Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements for Mac and PC. Available as a bundle, or as individual applications, these programs offer consumers a lower cost, less fully featured version of Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 CSC Licenses nbAccelerator to Major Insurance Company Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) announced that it has signed an agreement to license its New Business Accelerator (nbAccelerator) to a major multiline insurance carrier. CSC’s software will be used to handle such Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Oracle Announces Launch of Fusion Applications Line Oracle announced the launch of its new Oracle Fusion Applications line. The new range of modular applications is designed to be Source: Vendor, 9/19/2010 FINANCIAL
Tyco Extends Expiration for ADC Tender Offer Tyco Electronics extended its tender offer to purchase the outstanding common shares of ADC, for $12.75 per share, to Monday, October 18th. More than 89 million shares have Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Adobe Posts Record-Setting Revenue, Gains Across the Board Adobe released its financial results for the third quarter of its 2010 fiscal year. The company reported a record-setting revenue of $990.3 million, versus the $697.5 million reported for the same period in 2009, this Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Lockheed Martin Announces $0.75 Dividend for Q4 2010 Lockheed Martin announced that its Board of Directors has approved a quarterly dividend of $0.75. This represents a 19 percent increase over the previous quarter, and the eighth consecutive year of dividend Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Microsoft Declares Dividend of $0.16 Per Share Microsoft announced that its board of directors has approved a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share. This represents a 23% increase over its previous quarter. The amount will be payable on December 9, 2010 to all Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Oracle Posts Impressive Q1 2011 Financials Oracle released its financial results for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year. The company reported a total revenue of $7.5 billion, a 48 percent increase year-over-year. Operating income rose 10 percent to Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Red Hat Posts Increased Revenue, Declining Profit in Q2 2011 Financial Red Hat announced its financial results for the second quarter of its 2011 fiscal year. The company posted a total revenue of $220 million, a 20% increase over the same period in 2010 when it reported a revenue of Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Verizon Invests in Location-Based Mobile Platform Geodelic Mashable reported that Verizon Ventures participated in Geodelic’s recent $7 million Series B round. This follows a similar $400,000 investment in Source: Mashable, 9/23/2010 GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
FBI Awards $40 Million Security Contract to BAE BAE Systems was selected to provide critical information security safeguards, including certification and accreditation, for FBI computer networks. The $40 million USD contract Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Lockheed Martin Among Contractors Selected for Social Security Deal Lockheed Martin announced that it has been selected as one of the contractors for a new seven-year Social Security Administration (SSA) IT support contract worth more than $2.8 billion for all awardees. The Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Verizon Wins Contract from Health & Human Services Agency Verizon Business announced that the US Department of Health and Human Services has awarded it a new $169 million contract to manage and secure the agency’s Internet protocol Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
Oracle Announces Launch of New Oracle Health Management Platform Oracle announced the launch of its new Oracle Health Management Platform. The platform combines a suite of unified solutions with a framework on which customers can build secure applications and services. The Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 INDUSTRY GROUPS
Lockheed Martin Joins Telework Exchange Lockheed Martin announced that it has become a member of the Telework Exchange. The exchange is a partnership that promotes the use of technology to support the Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Mozilla Joins Open Innovation Network Mozilla announced that it has become a licensee within the Open Innovation Network (OIN), an organization dedicated to protecting the Linux ecosystem by creating a variety of defenses against patent attacks. The Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 INTERNET
Google Updates Transparency Report, Adds New Data, Government Blocks Google announced a major update to its Transparency Report page. In addition to adding data on governmental requests for information for the first six months of 2010, the new update also adds the ability to track whether traffic interruptions around the globe were the result of Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 ICANN Approves Update to Global Policy for Autonomous System Numbers The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced that its executive board has ratified the Proposed Global Policy for Autonomous System Numbers as submitted by the Address Supporting Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 ICANN Posts Proposal for Numbers and Hyphens in .NAME Domains The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) opened a public comment period on a proposition, put forward by VeriSign, to allow numeric-only and numbers & hyphens domain names under the .NAME agreement. ICANN has already determined that the proposal does not raise any significant competition, security, or stability issues. The Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 ICANN Posts RFI Form for High Security Zone Registration Program The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) posted a Request for Information (RFI) Form Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 ICANN Publishes CWG Report on Controversial Recommendation 6 The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Number (ICANN) released a report produced by its Cross Community Working Group (CWG) Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 LAPTOPS & TABLETS
All Major US Carriers to Offer Samsung Galaxy Tab AT&T plans to offer the new Samsung Galaxy Tab – a competitor to the Apple iPad – in time for the holiday season. Powered by Google’s Android 2.2 platform, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 AT&T Launches New Devices with Pay-As-You-Go Data Service AT&T announced the expansion of its netbook and notebook lineup and – for the first time – is offering its DataConnect Pass pay-as-you-go service with the devices. New devices include the Acer Aspire AS1830 Notebook, Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Lenovo Developing Hybrid Tablet/Netbook with Dock Lenovo is creating a hybrid tablet/netbook that can be used as a standalone 10 or 11.6 inch touchscreen tablet, or placed inside a special dock with full keyboard and additional ports. The Android based tablet will Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Motorola Introduces Rugged Handheld Computers Motorola‘s Solutions business announced the MC959B and MC65 rugged mobile handheld computers. The MC959B is a data-only device with dual 3G WAN modem for deploying it on multiple networks and switching between Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 NEC Preparing New 10-Inch LaVie Netbook Model NEC Japan is preparing its new LaVie Light BL550 netbook, an Intel based system with 10 inch display. It has a 320-GB hard drive and uses Windows 7 Home Premium. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 LEGAL
Google Taking Legal Action Against “Rogue Pharmacies” Google announced that it is taking legal action against “rogue pharmacies” that are using its advertising service to illegally market drugs on the Internet. The company is targeting the advertising agencies that it Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 HP and Oracle Settle Litigation Regarding Mark Hurd Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Oracle announced they resolved their ongoing litigation regarding Oracle’s hiring of deposed HP CEO Mark Hurd. While many of the settlement terms will be kept Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 MALWARE WATCH
BBC: Some Think Stuxnet Malware Targeted Iranian Infrastructure The BBC reported that some security experts believe one of the most sophisticated pieces of malware ever detected – the Stuxnet worm – “was probably targeting ‘high value’ infrastructure in Iran.” Others researchers Source: BBC, 9/23/2010 McAfee Warns of New Spam Campaign McAfee noticed a new spam email campaign circulating that uses the subject line “A very warm invitation to you.” The attachments contain an encoded JavaScript, which redirects to a web page on the numerouno-india.com Source: Vendor, 9/17/2010 US Recording and Movie Industries Hit with Coordinated Attacks PandaLabs said that users at 4chan, a popular image board responsible for many Internet memes such as the Rickroll, lolcats, and the “Anonymous” assault on the Church of Scientology, publicly announced a Source: Vendor, 9/17/2010 SonicWALL Spots New Email Spam Campaign SonicWALL observed a high volume of a FakeAV related email spam campaign last week. These emails arrived with a malicious HTML attachment and used different themes to lure users into opening the file. Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Symantec: Mobile Employees Exhibit Harmful Browsing Habits Symantec‘s latest MessageLabs Intelligence Report documented that remote and office-based employees who use the vendor’s Hosted Web Security Service are more likely to trigger a Web site block based on corporate Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 This Week’s Twitter Attack Launched by Hacker in Japan A massive attack on Twitter earlier this week appears to have originated in Japan by a computer hacker, according to an AP story. The attack, which hit the blogging site on Tuesday and Source: AP, 9/23/2010 MOBILE APPS
Amazon Announces Updated Kindle App for Android Amazon announced the release of an updated Kindle app for the Google‘s Android mobile operating system. New features includes full text searches by voice or text, integrated Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Bing Updates BlackBerry Mobile App Bing announced an update to its BlackBerry application. The newest version of the Bing for Mobile Blackberry app includes access to Bing maps, a new home screen, and a Bing services launcher with localized versions of Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Now Available Cisco Systems announced that its AnyConnect Secure Mobility Solutions is available through the Apple App Store. AnyConnect offers secure network connectivity from any iOS Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Global Crossing Debuts Connect Apps IP solutions provider Global Crossing introduced Connect Solutions, a family of applications built on a scalable, standard application programming interface, the vendor said. The new downloadable Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Google Releases New Android Gmail App in Android Marketplace Google announced the release of an updated Gmail application for its Android operating system. The primary change in this latest release is the fact that it is being made available as a download from the Android Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Study Finds Many US Adults Don’t Use Mobile Apps They Have Some 35% of US adults have software applications or “apps” on their phones, yet only 24% of adults use those apps. Many adults who have apps on their phones, particularly older adults, do not use them, and 11% of cell owners are not sure if their phone Source: Pew Internet, 9/14/2010 Verizon Wireless Adds Mobile Recovery App to Coverage Program Verizon Wireless and Asurion announced Mobile Recovery, a web- and phone-based application that can help customers recover lost or misplaced phones. Asurion’s Mobile Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 OPERATING SYSTEMS
Oracle Announces Launch of Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Linux Oracle announced the launch of its Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel, a new feature of Oracle Linux. The company is saying the kernel is more than 75% faster than its nearest competitor, supports large NUMA servers, and Source: Vendor, 9/19/2010 SAP and Novell Team for Customized SUSE Linux Distribution SAP and Novell jointly announced the launch of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server for SAP. This new solutions optimizes Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 PERIPHERALS
HP Announces New Printers, Print Application Products Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced several new printers, devices, and printer applications for helping manage and access digital content, convert information from paper to digital, and access content repositories. The Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION
Dell Designates New Chief Marketing Officer Dell appointed 10-year marketing executive Karen Quintos as SVP and CMO. She will report directly to Michael Dell. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 eBay Marketplace President Lorrie Norrington Leaves Company eBay announced that its current President of eBay Marketplaces, Lorrie Norrington, will be leaving the company for personal family reasons. The company is currently seeking a replacement. In the meantime, the eBay Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Global Crossing Taps Baxley to Head UC Product Line Global Crossing announced it has appointed Warren Baxley to head the company’s Global Collaboration and Unified Communications product line. Baxley most recently was a vice president of product development at Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Leap Wireless Announces Retirement of COO Independent pre-paid carrier Leap Wireless, which sells the Cricket brand, announced the retirement of Al Moschner, chief operating officer. The retirement is effective December 31, 2010 or earlier, if a Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Polycom Announces New Execs, Business Realignment Polycom announced the addition of six executives to its leadership team. The company also announced the combination of its video, telepresence, and voice development units into a single research and development Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Pricewaterhouse Coopers Redesigns Brand Logo PricewaterhouseCoopers announced the launch of a rebranding initiative. The company has redesigned and simplified its logo to include only its initials: PwC. The organization says Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 PwC Appoints Martyn Curragh as Head of US Transaction Services PricewaterhouseCoopers announced that Martyn Curragh has been appointed as the new leader of its US transaction services practice. He will be replacing John McCaffrey, who has taken another position overseas with PwC. Curragh’s responsibilities will Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Qualcomm Promotes Mollenkopf to Exec VP, Group President QUALCOMM announced the promotion of Steve Mollenkopf to executive vice president and group president. The company said his promotion recognizes the expansion of Mollenkopf’s executive oversight responsibilities Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 SAIC Announces Lawrence C. Nussdorf as New Board Member Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) announced that Lawrence C. Nussdorf has been elected to its board of directors. He will take the role of an independent director, and will serve on the Finance and Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Siemens to Carve Out IT Solutions, Services as LLC Siemens announced it will carve out its Siemens IT Solutions and Services subsidiary as a separate company on October 1st, resulting in the elimination of around 4,200 jobs Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Toshiba Opens Motor Production Plant in Vietnam Toshiba Industrial Products Asia opened its new industrial motor production facility in Bien Hoa City, Vietnam. The facility has 140 staff. Once in full operation, it will employ 500. Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Verizon Announces Succession Plans for Top Execs Verizon Wireless President and CEO Lowell C. McAdam has been named president and chief operating officer of Verizon Communications, reporting to Chairman and CEO Ivan G. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Yahoo Opens New Green Data Center in Lockport, New York Yahoo announced the opening of a new environmentally friendly data center in Lockport, New York. The new facility uses prevailing winds, hydropower, and a cool climate to significantly reduce the usage of electricity Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 PUBLIC SAFETY
INTERPOL Head: Number of Extremist Web Sites Skyrocketing source: Preventing Internet radicalization of youth requires global police network, INTERPOL Chief tells police summit Secretary General warns of threat posed by ‘skyrocketing’ number of extremist websites PARIS, France – An international gathering of senior police officials focusing on terrorism and the prevention of the radicalization of youth has heard the head of INTERPOL describe the era of the Internet as easing the path to radicalization, which he Speaking at the two-day International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) summit (21-22 September) in Paris – alongside IACP President Michael Carroll and the Director of the French National Police, Fr‚d‚ric P‚chenard – INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald “The advent of the Internet has made the process of radicalization easier to achieve and the process of combating it that much more difficult, because many of the behaviors associated with it are not in and of themselves criminal,” said Secretary General “The threat is global; it is virtual; and it is on our doorsteps,” said the head of INTERPOL, pointing to the `skyrocketing’ number of extremist websites, from 12 in 1998 to 4,500 just eight years later. Mr Noble said that preventing radicalization required police to use international police networks, and that in this respect INTERPOL was uniquely placed to support police worldwide as a network of law enforcement agencies from 188 member countries, linking With INTERPOL having created its database of stolen and lost travel documents (SLTD) in response to the threat posed by terrorists using fraudulent passports to plan or carry out attacks, the world police body’s chief said that with more than 22 million The police summit also heard that through INTERPOL’s global network of anti-terrorist specialists, that more than 120 member countries contribute data on active terrorist groups through INTERPOL’s Fusion Task Force, its primary counter-terrorism “It is only through INTERPOL’s network that this type of information can be disseminated quickly throughout the world in order for law enforcement to effectively counter the virtual base of operations which extremists exploit on the Internet,” said Mr The two-day IACP summit, which also brings under its umbrella FRANCOPOL, the association representing the international French-speaking police community, will review the issue of youth in terrorist and radical activities, recruitment methods by terrorist INTERPOL is the world’s largest international police organization, with 188 member countries. Created in 1923, it facilitates cross-border police co-operation, and supports and assists all organizations, authorities and services whose mission is to Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Avigilon Surveillance Keeps Citizens Safe in Selma, AL The city of Selma, Alabama has deployed the Avigilon High Definition Surveillance System in an effort to boost community safety and reduce criminal activity. The city manages the system using Avigilon Control Source: Vendor, 9/15/2010 DHS Gives $98M in ARRA Funding for Aviation Security Technology Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano announced approximately USD $98 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding for advanced technology (AT) X-ray units and inline Source: DHS, 9/17/2010 Senators Look to Improve Federal Protective Services with New Bill GovExec reported that a group of US senators have introduced a bill that would improve the Department of Homeland Security‘s Federal Protective Service (FPS), which provides Source: GovExec, 9/21/2010 Leased Space Requires Better Security: GAO In April 2010 the Interagency Security Committee (ISC), comprised of 47 federal agencies and departments and chaired by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued Physical Security Criteria for Federal Source: GAO, 9/22/2010 GAO: Public Transit Security Information Sharing Needs Improvement The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reviewed public transit information sharing for security purposes as per the 9/11 Commission Act. After surveying 96 US public Source: GAO, 9/22/2010 InterAct Public Safety Offering Free Review to Emergency Centers InterAct Public Safety Systems is offering a free GIS Data Review to public safety agencies nationwide. Interested parties may sign up for this free offering at the vendor’s Web site. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 REGULATORY
Purple Communications to Pay $22 Million Settlement for Overbilling The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that its Enforcement Bureau has released a consent decree with Purple Communications that requires the company to pay Source: FCC, 9/20/2010 FCC Opens Up “White Space” Spectrum for “Super Wi-Fi” The US Federal Communications Commission has voted to free up vacant airwaves between TV channels – called “white spaces” – to unleash a host of new technologies, such as “super Wi-Fi,” and other applications. This is Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 FCC Updates E-rate Program to Bring Faster Fiber to Schools, Libraries The Federal Communications Commission announced changes to its E-rate program – changes made with the goal of bringing fast, affordable Internet access to schools and libraries across the US. The agency said that, while Source: FCC, 9/23/2010 SEARCH
Bing Launches Bing Rewards Loyalty Program Bing announced the launch of a new Bing Rewards program. The new promotion Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 comScore Shows Google Continuing to Slip in August 2010 Search Ranks comScore released its search engine ranking for August 2010. August’s explicit core search, which excludes contextually driven searches, showed Google on top with a -0.4% change Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 SECURITY FLAWS & FIXES
Adobe Rushes Fix for Flash Player Out the Door Adobe released a fix earlier than expected for a flaw in Flash Player 10.1.82.76 and earlier versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Apple Fixes Vulnerability in Mac OS X, Mac OS X Server 9/20 A flaw in the AFP package of Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server has resulted in an update from Apple. Users should read the advisory and apply the update immediately. Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Cisco Advisories Issued for Two Products Six advisories from Cisco detail various flaws in the vendor’s IOS Software and Unified Communications Manager. Users should visit the Cisco Web site to view the advisories and apply all updates immediately to Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Fedora Updates Firefox, XULrunner Updates for Firefox and XULrunner have been issued by Fedora. Two advisories detail these updates and users can use the yum utility to apply them. Source: Secunia, 9/23/2010 Microsoft Advisory Released for ASP.NET Targeted Flaw Microsoft issued an advisory regarding an ASP.NET vulnerability that was under attack. The advisory provides information about Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 August Microsoft Security Bulletin Gets Updated Microsoft updated a security bulletin from August regarding a flaw in Windows Movie Maker. The original bulletin was rated important Source: Vendor, 9/15/2010 Novell Issues Fix for PlateSpin Orchestrate Flaw Novell PlateSpin Orchestrate has a highly critical vulnerability that could result in the execution of arbitrary code. An update is available to Source: Secunia, 9/20/2010 Oracle Releases Patches for Sun Solaris Oracle has acknowledged a vulnerability in Sun Solaris, resulting in the release of patches to fix the issue. Users are directed to a vendor advisory for more information. Source: Secunia, 9/20/2010 Red Hat Updates Flash-plugin An update for Flash-plugin and an advisory has been released by Red Hat. Updates are available from the Red Hat Network. Source: Secunia, 9/21/2010 Multiple Packages Get Update from SuSE SuSE released an update for multiple packages. An advisory provides further information. Source: Secunia, 9/21/2010 Update for Flash Player Available from SuSE SuSE has released an update for Flash Player. Information about this update is available from the vendor’s Web site. Source: Secunia, 9/23/2010 Twitter Explains Cause and Resolution of “onMouseOver” Breach Twitter released a postmortem explanation of the recent “onMouseOver” incident which affected the entire Twitter.com site. The security flaw surfaced in the early morning hours of September 21. The exploit used a fault Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 SECURITY PRODUCTS & COMPANIES
Dataguise Named to NetApp Partner Program Dataguise joined the NetApp Alliance Partner Program as an Advantage Alliance Partner. The collaboration between Dataguise and NetApp enables customers to generate production Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Google Boosts Security with Two-Factor Authentication Google launched a new two-factor authentication process for signing in to its site. The new security method requires a password and a mobile phone to access data. Administrators for Google Apps Premier, Education, Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Lockheed Martin Teams with ZyGEM Corp to Market RapI.D. DNA ID System Lockheed Martin, along with ZyGEM Corp, jointly announced the launch of a new human DNA identification solution. The so called RapI.D. system claims to reduce the time needed to complete the DNA Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 March Networks Joins Secure City Technology Alliance March Networks is one of the founding members in the Secure City Technology Alliance (SCTA), a newly formed coalition of technology and market leaders Source: Vendor, 9/15/2010 Microsoft Announces Free Security Essentials for Small Businesses Microsoft announced that, beginning in early October 2010, its Microsoft Security Essentials product will be available for free to businesses with 10 or fewer PCs. The solution, originally created for home use, is Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 OnSSI Ocularis Now Supports Brickcom Megapixel Cameras OnSSI has integrated its Ocularis physical security information system platform with Brickcom’s megapixel network cameras. The Brickcom FB-100A Fixed Box camera and the Brickcom FD-100A Fixed Dome camera have H.264 Source: Vendor, 9/16/2010 Oracle Announces Security Governor for Healthcare Software Oracle announced the launch of its new Security Governor for Healthcare product. The company is Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Trend Micro Partners with Iconix for Email Security Trend Micro will offer a branded version of the Iconix eMail ID product, worldwide through its service provider partners under the name eMail ID Truemark Service. The new Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Report: Most Apps Not Meeting Acceptable Security Levels Veracode reviewed more than 2,900 software applications and discovered that 57 percent of those tested were found to have unacceptable application security quality on first submission to the vendor’s testing Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 SERVERS
IBM Launches Line of Power7 Systems for Mid-Size Businesses IBM announced the launch of a new line of entry-level Power7 systems designed specifically for the needs of mid-sized businesses. The new models are the IBM Power 710, 720, 730 and 740 Express. These systems are all Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 SMART GRID TECHNOLOGY
Freescale Energy Intros Home Energy Gateway for Smart Grid Technology Freescale Semiconductor introduced a Home Energy Gateway (HEG) reference platform at the recent Metering Europe conference. The platform is designed to serve as a method of delivering value-added services to Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 SMARTPHONES
AT&T Launches Cellular/Satellite Smartphone, Service AT&T announced the launch of Satellite Augmented Mobile Service with the TerreStar GENUS dual-mode cellular/satellite smartphone. AT&T said the smartphone is intended to be used primarily as an everyday mobile device. Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Facebook Reported to be Working on Android Based Phones with INQ Facebook is working on producing a pair of mobile phones with handset manufacturer INQ Mobile, Bloomberg reported. Bloomberg’s sources say the phones will run a customized version of Google’s Android operating Source: Bloomberg, 9/22/2010 Sprint, Kyocera Launch Sanyo Vero Kyocera Communications, which makes Kyocera and Sanyo-branded wireless devices, announced the immediate availability of Sanyo Vero by Kyocera for the Sprint network. Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 SOCIAL MEDIA
Diaspora Open-Sources Code, Asks for Dev Community Support Diaspora open-sourced the code behind its developing social networking site. The new site, which is designed to be a privacy-centric alternative to Facebook, is now Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Examining Facebook’s Like Button Canada’s privacy commission says Facebook has met its privacy concerns over the social network’s highly-controversial updates earlier this year, but is Source: AFP, 9/22/2010 Facebook Site Down Twice This Week (So Far) Facebook acknowledged problems for the second time this week, saying on September 23rd, “We’re currently experiencing some site issues causing Facebook to be slow or unavailable for some users. We are working to Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 Salesforce.com Launches Updated Chatter 2 Client Salesforce.com announced the release of the second edition of its Chatter business social networking product. Chatter 2 introduces a new standalone desktop client running on Adobe‘s AIR platform. Both the standalone and Web-based versions of the update include new functionality, such as updated filtering options, searchable hashtags, user and group recommendations, and pop-up notifications. Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 STORAGE
Cortex Updates BackupAssist Backup software developer Cortex I.T. Labs announced the release of an update of its BackupAssist product that extends its backup facilities to cover the latest Windows 2010 Business Products including Exchange Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 Seagate Launches 1.5 TB, 2.5 Inch Portable Drive Seagate Technology has launched the first 1.5TB 2.5-inch portable external drive. With its newest FreeAgent GoFlex, Seagate figures users can store up to 60 high-definition movies, about 750 video games, thousands Source: Vendor, 9/21/2010 UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
Avaya Announces UC Solution for Government Agencies Avaya Government Solutions announced a new Unified Communications (UC) solution for government and civilian agencies. The updated Avaya Aura Application Server 5300 provides session initiation protocol based voice, Source: Vendor, 9/23/2010 HP to Provide Unified Communications for Underwriters Labs Hewlett-Packard (HP) will provide the networking technology to help Underwriters Laboratories upgrade its technology infrastructure and increase knowledge sharing. The deployment includes Unified Communications & Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 VOIP
Avaya Completes VoIP Call on Global Information Grid Avaya Government Solutions completed an end to end, VoIP call across the Global Information Grid, as part of the US Defense Information Systems Agency’s field evaluation of its Real Time Services Unified Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 WEB COMMERCE
comScore Incorporates Financial Segmentation Data from IXI comScore announced that it has signed an agreement with IXI, an Equifax company, to integrate IXI’s financial segmentation data into comScore products. comScore says this will allow customers to increase the Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 Hitwise Launches New Demographic Service Based on VantageScore Hitwise announced the launch of a new demographic service using VantageScore, a unified scoring system developed by the top three credit rating agencies. The new service is designed to provide customers with a Source: Vendor, 9/22/2010 WIRELESS
Motorola Providing Mesh WAN for Stratford, Canada Motorola‘s Solutions business provided the outdoor 802.11n mesh wide area network (MWAN) to Stratford, Ontario, Canada utility company Festival Hydro, to deliver enhanced municipal services. It claims that – by Source: Vendor, 9/20/2010 ©2010 Faulkner Information Services |
