News Briefs for the Week Ending02/11/2011
Docid:00020009Publication Date: 1102Publication Type: NEWS
Agilent Acquires Assets of A2 Technologies Agilent Technologies completed the acquisition of specific assets of A2 Technologies – to extend its spectroscopy business – as first announced January 19th. A2 Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 AOL Acquires Huffington Post for $315 Million AOL has signed a definitive agreement to acquire online news site The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post was founded in 2005, and receives approximately 25 million Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Cable & Wireless Formalizes Agreement to Take Majority Stake in BTC Cable & Wireless Communications (CWC) has signed formal agreement with the government of the Bahamas to complete CWC’s acquisition of a 51 percent stake in The Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC). Under the deal, first announced in December, CWC will acquire 51 percent of BTC shares, giving it management control of the business, for $210 million USD. The agreement is expected to close in April. Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Cisco to Acquire Inlet Technologies to Boost Videoscape Cisco Systems announced it will acquire Inlet Technologies, a privately held provider of Adaptive Bit Rate digital media processing platforms. The move will strengthen its Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Dell Purchases Info Security Services Provider SecureWorks Dell closed its acquisition of SecureWorks, a firm that provides information security services, processing more than 13 billion security events – and 30,000 malware specimens – Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 L-1 Identity Solutions’ Stockholders Approve Safran Merger The stockholders at L-1 Identity Solutions have given their approval to the previously announced merger with Safran. The L-1 shareholder approval of the transaction was one of the Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 PAETEC Acquires XETA Technologies New York-based competitive local exchange carrier PAETEC announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire XETA Technologies for $5.50 per share in cash, for a total Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Trend Micro Closes Mobile Armor Acquisition Trend Micro completed the acquisition of Mobile Armor, a transaction that was first announced in November. Financial terms were not released. Source: Vendor, 2/2/2011 Google and Facebook Reportly in Early Acquisition Talks with Twitter Twitter is in early talks with potential buyers including Google and Facebook, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Journal’s sources claim valuations anywhere between $8 billion and $10 billion have been heard at the negotiation Source: WSJ, 2/10/2011 ALLIANCES & JOINT VENTURES
CA and Capgemini Form a Carbon and Sustainability BPO Service CA and Capgemini jointly announced the formation of a Carbon and Sustainability Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service. The companies are marketing the new combined service as Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Huawei, China Telecom Establish iODN Site in China Huawei Technologies and China Telecom established an intelligent optical distribution network (iODN) first office application site, in Xuancheng, China. iODN uses Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 IBM and Samsung Sign Patent Cross-License Agreement IBM and Samsung signed a patent cross-license agreement, whereby each company will be given full access to the patent catalogue of the other. Although specific terms of the Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Keane and NTT Data Corporation Team Up for SAP Global One Initiative Keane and NTT Data Corporation jointly Launched the SAP Global One Team Initiative. The goal of the project is to “provide a uniform level of high quality SAP solutions and services Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Nokia, Microsoft Announce Alliance for Developing New Mobile Ecosystem Nokia has outlined a new strategic direction, including changes in leadership and operational structure to accelerate the company’s speed of execution in what Nokia President and CEO Stephien Elop described as “a Source: Vendor, 2/11/2011 NTT DOCOMO, KT to Develop Mobile Payment Apps Using NFC NTT DOCOMO announced an agreement with South Korea’s largest telecom operator, KT, to use near field communication (NFC) technologies to develop cross-border services for mobile Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Oracle Expands Relationship with Fujitsu in New Distribution Agreement Oracle and Fujitsu expanded their SPARC development relationship with a new product distribution agreement, and a commitment to future joint product development. The results of the alliance will include Fujitsu Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 BIOMETRICS
DHS, State Department Announce Annotated B-1 Visa for Foreign Workers The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Department of State (DOS) announced the creation of an annotated version of the B-1 visa, issued to foreign citizens visiting the United Source: DHS, 2/9/2011 Morpho Rolls Out New Biometric Device for Law Enforcement Morpho, part of the Safran Group, has launched MorphoIDent, a handheld mobile device designed for public safety agents and officers, that enables real-time identification Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 BUSINESS CONTINUITY
FEMA Turns to Social Media to Get the (Disaster) Word Out US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate said the agency is now set up to use Twitter as a form of disaster management. FEMA can send out information Source: NextGov, 2/8/2011 CARRIER SERVICES
AT&T Now Offering Unlimited Mobile-to-Any-Mobile Calling AT&T said that, effective Feb. 10, a Mobile to Any Mobile plan will be available to new and existing AT&T customers with a qualifying voice plan who subscribe to unlimited messaging plans. Existing customers with an Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Belgacom Teams with BASE and Mobistar for Mobile Payment System Belgacom formed an alliance with BASE (KPN Group Belgium) and Mobistar to create a unified mobile payment system. The new service will rely on SMS and Near Field Communication Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Comcast Rolling Out 100 Mbps Internet Service to Colorado Businesses Comcast announced that it is beginning to roll out its 100 Mbps high-speed Internet service to businesses throughout Colorado. The 100 Mbps service tier, called “Deluxe 100,” is available to Comcast Business Class Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Swisscom Launches 100Mbps Rapido Service for Vivo Casa Packages Swisscom announced a new Rapido option for subscribers of its Vivo Casa package. The new option offers the company’s fastest download speeds at 100Mbps, and is only available in combination with the Vivo Casa 5* Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 T-Mobile USA Kicks Off Free Phone Promotion T-Mobile USA announced a two-day promotion that will offer all its mobile phones for free. The carrier said that on Friday, February 11 and Saturday, February 12, all T-Mobile phones – including 4G smartphones – Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Telus to Begin Offering Unlocking Service on February 15, 2011 Telus set February 15, 2011 as the date it will begin offering unlocking services for most of SIM-based devices. The unlocked devices will be able to accept non-Telus SIM cards, making them potentially usable on other Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Verizon Signs Three-Year Deal with Nexidia Nexidia announced that Verizon Communications‘ landline business unit is extending the carrier’s use of Nexidia’s OnDemand solution into a three-year agreement. Nexidia OnDemand Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 CLOUD COMPUTING
AWS Opens New Edge Location in Paris Amazon Web Services (AWS) opened a new edge location in Paris, France to enhance performance for customers using its Amazon CloudFront and Amazon Route 53 in the area. This is the 5th edge location in Europe and Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 CSC Launches CloudCompute-Based BizCloud Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) launched its new CSC BizCloud offering. The company is describing the new product as “the only on-premise Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 IDC Predicts 21.6% 5-Year Revenue Growth for Public IT Cloud Services IDC is forecasting that public IT cloud services revenue in the US will experience growth of 21.6% between 2009 and 2014, raising its Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Open-Xchange Launches Revamped Connector for Microsoft Outlook Open-Xchange launched a revamped OXtender 2 connector for running its email and groupware services from within Microsoft Outlook. The connector allows customers to perform Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Oracle Launches Cloud File System for Elastic Cloud Storage Oracle introduced its Cloud File System. The new product is designed to help businesses set up their own storage within a network Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 SAP Launches Feature Pack 2.6 for SAP Business ByDesign SAP launched Feature pack 2.6 for its SAP Business ByDesign solution. The company says this latest release is designed to Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS & EQUIPMENT
Alcatel Demonstrates 100G Optical Connections in Kazakhstan Alcatel-Lucent successfully demonstrated a 100G optical network connection between the cities of Almaty and Taldykurgan, Kazakhstan. The trial demonstrated optical connectivity across an existing, active Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Alcatel to Lay Next-Gen IP Edge Network for Korea’s KT Alcatel-Lucent was selected by KT, a South Korean service provider, to provide an IP Edge network for future business Internet, VPN, and security services in Seoul and other metro areas of the country. The Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 OpenNet Completes 2nd Phase Using Alcatel BSS/OSS The OpenNet Consortium – the network company of Singapore’s next generation National Broadband Network, with a goal of deploying fiber in every home and office in the country – achieved its goal of 60 percent Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Alcatel Previews lightRadio Mobile Network Architecture Alcatel-Lucent announced a breakthrough system – lightRadio – for managing the mobile network. Developed by Bell Labs, lightRadio represents a new architecture where the base station is distributed into the Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Alcatel-Lucent Debuts the ISAM IP Access Platform Alcatel-Lucent introduced a new version of its Intelligent Services Access Manager (ISAM), an IP access platform supporting higher speeds of 10G-bps downstream and 2.5G-bps upstream. It is available over an Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Alpheus Buys Dark Fiber from FiberLight Alpheus Communications, a Texas-based competitive fiber and data center service provider, announced that it has purchased dark fiber from fellow fiber provider FiberLight. The addition of the new fiber strands, which are located in East Dallas County and Downtown Forth Worth, are Alpheus’ fifth major fiber acquisition in the last five years, and part of its ongoing effort to Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Ciena Unveils New Carrier Ethernet Solutions Networking technology company Ciena announced the expansion of its Carrier Ethernet Service Delivery (CESD) portfolio with the addition of new switching products designed to address LTE backhaul networking Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Ericsson Unveils IP Networking Products, AIR Technology Ericsson introduced its new IP networking portfolio, products for handling point-to-multipoint to connect users and devices to peers, networks, and the cloud. New products include Smart Services Routers and the IP Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Global Crossing Expands Media Services Across Latin American Network IP network services provider Global Crossing announced that the broadcast and media services offered by its Genesis Solutions unit are now available across Global Crossing’s IP network in Argentina, Brazil, Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Harris Corp Introduces Selenio Hybrid Broadcasting Solution Harris Corp introduced Selenio, a new hybrid product it is calling “the broadcast industry’s first integrated media convergence platform.” Selenio combines baseband audio and video processing with audio and video Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 NEC Announces New iPASOLINK 1000 Platform NEC Japan announced the iPASOLINK 1000, a converged product that supports time-division multiplexing and native Ethernet transport on the same platform for migrating to an all IP backhaul needed for 4G longterm Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Nokia Siemens Trials LTE-Advanced Carrier Aggregation Nokia Siemens Networks announced it conducted the world’s first successful demonstration of longterm evolution – Advanced carrier aggregation (LTE-Advanced), on commercial equipment. The demonstration Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Nokia Siemens to Help Upgrade SK Telecom Network Nokia Siemens Networks was selected by SK Telecom, a Korean mobile operator looking to triple its broadband capacity using longterm evolution (LTE) infrastructure. It will provide Flexi Multiradio base Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 CONFERENCING
Avaya Unveils On-Demand Options for Web Alive Collaboration Avaya launched its new, cloud based, on demand purchasing options and features for the web alive Web collaboration platform. The secure platform uses spatial audio and visuals, as well as content sharing capabilities, Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Global Crossing Adds Cisco Telepresence Solutions to Portfolio Global Crossing announced it is adding Cisco’s complete line of virtual telepresence meeting solutions to its existing telepresence offering, which is called Collaboration Solutions. Telepresence uses Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 CONSULTING & MANAGED SERVICES
Capgemini Signs 4-Year Contract with Novozymes Capgemini received a four-year global contract from Novozymes A/S, a firm specializing in industrial enzymes and microorganisms. The agreement will see the Capgemini Business Process Outsourcing unit providing Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Cox Business Adds Managed IP PBX Solution for Small Business Customers Cox Business announced that its voice services now include a managed IP PBX solution based on Cisco’s Small Business Communications System. Cox recently became the first cable operator to achieve the Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Huawei Introduces iCare Professional Network Services Huawei Technologies showcased iCare, a professional services portfolio for supporting operators to improve transmissions on the backbone network. iCare’s network planning evaluation, live network optimization, and Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Nokia Siemens Unveils New Managed Energy Services Nokia Siemens Networks introduced new Managed Energy Services for telecommunications operators. The services – for cutting down on energy costs – include network design, energy procurement, and power Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Unisys Launches Application Modernization Platform as a Service Unisys launched its Application Modernization Platform as a Service (AMPS), a new subscription-based offering designed to aid federal government agencies with the task of modernizing legacy application software. AMPS Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 CRM
Alcatel Rolls Out Software to Monitor Social Media Activity Alcatel-Lucent released the Genesys Social Engagement solution, which it says can automatically monitor communications from consumers through social media channels such as Facebook and Twitter. It analyzes Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Nokia Siemens Launches CRM Platform for Operators Nokia Siemens Networks launched a platform – Compact Unified Charging and Billing (UCB) – that combines elements of charging, billing, customer relationship management, and order management systems. Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 CYBERCRIME
Joint US-Russian Report Discusses Cyber Conflict The EastWest Institute released a joint Russian-American report dealing with cyber conflict. The publication, Working Towards Rules for Governing Cyber Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 DATA BREACHES
Hackers Target Nasdaq; Federal Agencies Investigating Nasdaq‘s computer systems have been repeatedly targeted by hackers and the US federal government has gotten involved to determine who is behind the attacks, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal. The company that runs Nasdaq’s computer system has been hit with attacks over the past year, but claims the stock exchange’s platform, which handles trades, has never been compromised. So far, it Source: WSJ, 2/5/2011 DATA CENTERS
PAETEC Opens New Data Center in Phoenix, Arizona PAETEC opened its newest data center in Phoenix, Arizona. The new facility will provide businesses in the Southwest US with colocation services, 24×7 technical support, and data transmission speeds up to 1Gbps. The Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 DESKTOPS
Acer Introduces 1-TB All-In-One AZ5750 Desktop Acer International introduced its AZ5750, an all-in-one, Intel based PC with 23-inch high definition display and 1-TB hard drive. It will first be available in Japan. Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 DEVELOPMENT SOFTWARE
Juniper Releases Junos Space Software Development Kit Juniper Networks released the Junos Space Software Development Kit, a platform that unlocks network resources for developers, to help build, test, and deploy network applications. It also provides an open, secure Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Opera Launches a Pair of Open Source Projects for Testing Web Sites Opera released a pair of new open source projects: OperaWatir and OperaDriver. The new software offerings are designed to allow Web developers to create automated tests for their Web pages that attempt to replicate Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Telefonica Launches BlueVia Developer’s Community Telefonica launched a new developer community entitled BlueVia. The company says the new community will build upon its existing developer programs to create an integrated Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 ENTERPRISE APPLICATION SOFTWARE
CA Launches ERwin Data Modeler r8 Computer Associates (CA) launched CA ERwin Data Modeler r8, its solution for collaborative data visualization and modeling. Features of the updated Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 TIBCO ActiveMatrix Business Works Receives EAL2 CC Certification TIBCO‘s ActiveMatrix BusinessWorks software has received Evaluation Assurance Level 2 (EAL2) Common Criteria (CC) certification. This certificate denotes the software’s adherence to the International Standards Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING
Teradata Launches Life Sciences Logical Data Model Teradata announced the general availability of its Life Sciences Logical Data Model (LS-LDM). Like the previous LDMs released by the company, the Life Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 FINANCIAL
Amerisource Bergen Declared $0.10 Quarterly Dividend Amerisource Bergen declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share of its common stock. The amount will be payable on March 7, 2011 to all shareholders of record by the close of business on February 18, Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 Amerisource Bergen Posts Record Q1 2011 Revenue Amerisource Bergen released the financial results for the first quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, ending December 31, 2011. The company took in a total revenue of $19.89 billion, up about 2.9% from the same Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 Bell Canada Posts Rising Income, Mobile Subscriber Growth in Q4, 2010 Bell Canada posted its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2010. The company’s fourth quarter revenue was $4.6 billion, flat with the same quarter in 2009. Q4 net income saw an impressive 25% Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 BMC Software Posts Revenue Gains, Declining Earnings, Record Bookings BMC Software posted the financial results for the third quarter of its 2011 fiscal year, ending December 31, 2011. The company’s revenue totaled $234.6 million, up 8.6% from the $216.1 million reported for the same Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 Booz Allen Hamilton Releases Q3 2010 Preliminary Results Booz Allen Hamilton announced its preliminary financial results for the third quarter of its fiscal year 2011. Quarterly revenue was up more than 10 percent, reaching $1.39 billion after coming in at $1.26 billion in Q3 Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Cardinal Health Reports Revenue Up, Earnings Down in Q2 2011 Cardinal Health reported its financial results for the second quarter of its 2011 fiscal year. Quarterly revenue saw a modest 2% gain, going from $24.9 billion in the second quarter of 2010, to $25.4 billion this Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 Check Point’s Board Ups Share Repurchase Program The board of directors at Check Point Software authorized a 50% increase in its ongoing stock repurchase program. Under the expanded plan, Check Point is authorized to repurchase $300 million USD of its Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Cisco Earnings Fall Six Percent with Market Struggles Cisco Systems‘ profits fell six percent in the 2011 fiscal second quarter, ended January 29th, falling in line with the network equipment vendor’s prediction its second quarter results would be hurt by softness in key Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 CSC Posts Modest Q3 Gains, Warns of Sluggish Business Growth for 2011 Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) posted its financial results for the third quarter of its 2011 fiscal year. The company’s revenue totaled $4 billion, up slightly from the $3.95 billion posted for the same quarter Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Earthlink Reports Diving Profits for Q4 and 2010 Earthlink posted its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2010. For the quarter, the company’s revenue totaled $166.7 million, a slight uptick from the $164.5 million it Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 FLIR’s Board Approves Quarterly Dividend FLIR‘s board of directors approved a new quarterly dividend policy of $0.06 USD per share. The first dividend will be paid to shareholders at the close of business on February 22. Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 McAfee Sees Small Jump in Revenues McAfee announced net revenues of $549.6 million USD for the fourth quarter of 2010 which ended on December 31. Earnings per diluted share for the fourth quarter were $0.67 and included an additional negative $0.02 Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 NCR Q4 Revenue Up 5 Percent NCR reported financial results for the three months ended December 31, 2010. Revenue of $1.4 billion represented an increase of 5 percent from the fourth quarter of 2009 on both an actual and constant currency basis. Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 Northrop Grumman Posts Mixed Q4 and 2010 Results Northrop Grumman posted its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2011. For the quarter, sales totaled $8.6 billion, down slightly from the $8.9 billion reported during the Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 QinetiQ Refinances Credit Facility QinetiQ has completed the re-financing of its existing credit facility, which matures in August 2012, with a new five-year revolving credit facility provided by the Group’s six global, relationship banks. The new Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 QinetiQ Releases Interim Financial Statement QinetiQ released a financial statement for the interim period that began on November 18, 2010. Net debt on December 31 was œ294 million ($472 million USD) as a result of the completion of the S&IS disposal for $60 Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 Telstra Reports Sliding Revenue, Profits for Second Half of 2010 Telstra released its financial results for the six months ending December 31, 2010. The company’s sales revenue dropped $60 million compared to the first half of the year, down to $12.2 billion. Net income dropped Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Teradata Posts Mixed Results for Q4 and 2010 Financials Teradata announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending December 31, 2010. For the quarter, the company’s revenue totaled $548 million, up from the $496 million reported for the last Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 tw telecom Revenue Up More than 5 Percent in Fourth Quarter Colorado-based telecom services provider tw telecom reported $324.8 million in revenue for the fourth quarter of 2010, up $16.9 million, or 5.5 percent, from the same period in 2009. For the full year, tw telecom Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Verizon Commences Tender Offer for Terremark Shares Verizon Communications announced the commencement of its tender offer for all outstanding shares of Terremark, for $19.00 per share in cash. The tender offer is being made by Verizon Holdings, a wholly-owned Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Verizon Board Authorizes Buyback of Up to 100 Million Shares Verizon Communications‘ Board of Directors last week authorized the corporation to repurchase up to 100 million shares of the carrier’s common stock. Approximately 2.8 billion shares of Verizon common stock are Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
ADT Lands New 4-Year Contract to Provide Security Services to NJ The state of New Jersey joined a four-year cooperative procurement agreement with the National Joint Powers Alliance, serviced by ADT, which will allow state and municipal agencies, and educational institutions to Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 tw telecom Wins Fort Bliss Contract tw telecom announced it has secured a contract to provide Fort Bliss – the US Army’s base in western Texas and southern New Mexico – with data, Internet, and voice services. Terms of the multi-year contract were Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
Telus Signs with 3 EMR Providers for Health Space Interoperability Telus signed agreements with three of the largest electronic medical record (EMR) providers in Canada to connect its TELUS health space platform to their solutions. The company says this service will allow subscribing Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 INDUSTRY GROUPS
Mandriva Joins Open Invention Network as Licensee Mandriva joined the Open Invention Network as a licensee. This means that patents provided by the company will be available, royalty-free, to any company, Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Nokia Siemens Joins the EC’s GALACTICO Project Nokia Siemens Networks announced it joined the European Commission’s GALACTICO Terabit Optical Ethernet Project, a three-year research program for developing Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 INTERNET
AP: Fiber Cable Linking Cuba to Outside World Arrives The Associated Press reported that an undersea fiber-optic cable linking Cuba with the outside world arrived on the island February 9th. When finished, the cable is expected to increase Internet speeds 3,000-fold and be Source: AP, 2/10/2011 comScore Releases its 2010 US Digital Year in Review comScore released its 2010 US Digital Year in Review. Highlights of the report include signs of the Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Google Releases Chrome 9 with WebGL, Chrome Instant, and Web Store Google released the stable version of Chrome 9 to the public. This latest iteration of the browser includes improvements such as WebGL hardware accelerated 3d graphics; Chrome instant, which brings the “as-you-type” Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 ICANN Assigns Last Pools of IPv4 Addresses The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which oversees Internet domain names, announced that it has distributed the Source: ICANN, 2/7/2011 ICANN Approves String Evaluation for Georgia’s IDN ccTLD The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) approved the string evaluation of the proposed Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 MapQuest Adds Walking and Rail Routing to it Directions MapQuest, a subsidiary of (AOL), launched walking and rail routes for its directions. The new walking direction now route a traveler while considering factors such as one-way Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Microsoft Unveils Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate Microsoft unveiled a release candidate of its Internet Explorer 9 Web browser. The feature complete edition marks the end of any major changes during the beta phase of the browser’s development. Updates to this Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Mozilla Announces New Firefox 4 Beta with Do Not Track Option Mozilla released the latest Firefox 4 beta version with one significant change: the introduction of a “do not track option.” The new option is designed to prevent online advertisers from tracking a users behavior Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Ongo Launches, A Paid, Curated News Aggregator A new paid and curated news service launched this week, called Ongo. The service aggregates news items from more than a dozen well known national and local periodicals. The Web-based news reader allows users to customize Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Wayback Machine Web Archives Live in Beta Form The first beta release offering a new version of the Wayback Machine, provided by the Internet Archive, has gone live on the web. It offers web researchers several new features and a new user interface. Wayback Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Wikimedia Chooses WatchMouse Monitoring Services The Wikimedia foundation, owners of Wikipedia, selected WatchMouse as its primary monitoring service. The company’s WatchMouse Public Status Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 LAPTOPS & TABLETS
Amazon Adds Note Sharing, Real Page Numbers in Latest Kindle Update Amazon is poised to release the latest free software update for its Kindle e-reader. Among the new features included in the update are Public Notes, sharable book notes that users can post for anyone to view; actual Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Dell Debuts 24 New Systems Dell announced it is rolling out 24 new computing systems – Latitude laptops, XT3 tablets, OptiPlex desktops, and Precision mobile workstations. The new systems are designed for business environments. Dell also Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 HP Palm Introduces First Tablet HP’s Palm unit announced its upcoming first tablet computer: the TouchPad, which is being touted as a legitimate competitor to Apple’s iPad. TouchPad has a 9.7-inch multi-touch display, virtual keyboard, and camera for Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Oracle Settles Sun Microsystems Case with US Government Oracle has agreed to pay $46 million to settle a case against Sun Microsystems (purchased by Oracle in 2010) alleging that it had submitted false claims to the US General Services Administration (GSA) and other Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 LEGAL
LG Fights Back, Files Pair of Complaints Against Sony with ITC LG retaliated against Sony‘s patent infringement case by filing a pair of complaints asking the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to block the sale of Sony Bravia televisions, and Source: Bloomberg, 2/7/2011 MALWARE WATCH
Pilot Study Reports Spam Is Attacking Every Network The GSMA, a coalition of operators in the mobile communications industry, announced the findings from its pilot of the GSMA Spam Reporting Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Kaspersky Article Gives the Lowdown on Exploit Kit Attacks Kaspersky Lab published a whitepaper, entitled Exploit Kits – A Different View, which discusses the vulnerabilities Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 McAfee Reports on Biggest Threats in Q4 McAfee released its Threats Report: Fourth Quarter 2010, detailing that the number of pieces of new mobile malware in 2010 increased by 46% compared with 2009. The report also uncovered 20 million new pieces of malware in 2010, equating to nearly 55,000 new malware threats every Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 McAfee: Night Dragon Attacks on Energy Companies Originated in China McAfee has identified cyber attacks, nicknamed Night Dragon, that have targeted highly sensitive proprietary operations and project-financing information on oil and gas field bids and operations. The attacks, which Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 New SpyEye Worm Has Zeus Likeness, Warns RSA RSA has observed a new hybrid Trojan in the wild which is considered a SpyEye v1.3 variant. RSA determined that the new variant contains a piece of code that been part of the Zeus Trojan’s HTML injection Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 New Koobface Worm Making its Rounds, Says SonicWALL A new worm, known as Koobface.HJV, is spreading in the wild, according to SonicWALL. The worm presents itself in the form of Windows security alerts and the AVG antivirus security Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 MOBILE APPS
Alcatel, DeviceAnywhere to Promote App Testing Alcatel-Lucent is integrating its Developer Platform with the external linkTest Center of DeviceAnywhere, a vendor that focuses on mobile application testing. The Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Amazon Announces Kindle App for Upcoming HP Touchpad Amazon revealed that it will launch a new Kindle application for the upcoming HP Touchpad tablet device. The application will run on the tablet’s webOS operating system, and will include all the same features as its Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Amazon Launches New Shopping App for Windows Phone 7 Amazon launched a new mobile shopping app for the Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. Users can view items sold by Amazon.com and thousands of its merchants, including product descriptions, related items, Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Google Launches New Translation App for iPhone Google launched a new Google Translate for iPhone App. The application features all of the same functionality as its Web app Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 OPERATING SYSTEMS
Debian 6.0 “Squeeze” Released The Debian project released Debian 6.0 “Squeeze.” The latest stable release of the free operating system includes new features such as a pair of new ports; a free linux kernel; and a dependency-based boot system, Source: Vendor, 2/6/2011 Red Hat Teams with Fujitsu for Cloud-Based Red Hat Enterprise Linux Red Hat signed a new agreement with Fujitsu that will see its product available as a guest operating system on Fujitsu’s “On-Demand Virtual System Service” public cloud. The cloud-based version of Red Hat Enterprise Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION
Accenture Appoints Kay Kapoor as Head of US Federal Practice Accenture announced that Kay Kapoor will take over as the head of its US federal government practice, a portion of its Health & Public Service (H&PS) operating group. Kapoor has 25 years of experience in the Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 Booz Allen Hamilton Appoints Mark Gaumond to Board of Directors Booz Allen Hamilton appointed Mark Gaumond to its Board of Directors. He will also be joining the Board’s Audit Committee. Prior to this hiring, Gaumond lead four service lines at Ernst & Young. Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Cox Promotes Two Field Ops VPs to Company Officers Cox Communications announced the promotion of two senior personnel, Tim McKinley and Steve Rowley. McKinley and Rowley serve as vice presidents of field operations for Cox’s commercial services organization in east and Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Global Crossing UK Names Three New Senior Execs Global Crossing announced the addition of three new senior executives to its Global Crossing UK Telecommunications Limited (GCUK) management team. Named were Ian Pearson, a former minister and Labour MP, who Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Global Crossing Establishes Point of Presence in Istanbul Global Crossing established a new Point of Presence (PoP) in Istanbul. The new facility will provide multi-national businesses in the area with global networking services, including the company’s Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Microsoft Promotes Satya Nadella to President of Server and Tools Microsoft promoted former senior vice president Satya Nadella to president of its Server and Tools Business. He will be called on to oversee the strategy, engineering, marketing, and product development of the Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 PwC Hires Douglas W. Roeder as New Financial Services Adviser PricewaterhouseCoopers hired Douglas W. Roeder as a new adviser for its Financial Services Regulatory practice. He will be tasked with advising the firm’s clients on regulatory matters. Prior to this hiring, Roeder Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 Salesforce.com Appoints Jeff Lautenbach VP of Enterprise Sales Salesforce.com appointed Jeff Lautenbach as senior vice president of enterprise commercial sales, Americas. He will report to Hilarie Koplow-McAdams, executive vice president of sales, Salesforce.com, and his Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 PUBLIC SAFETY
ADT Pushes for Food Supply Safety with New Initiatives ADT is providing security tools and applications to food suppliers and manufacturers in an effort to help those companies meet new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations to Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 DHS Secretary Warns of Home-Based Terror Attacks, Threats Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano gave testimony before the US Congress saying that, while the US has made progress in securing the nation from terrorism since 9/11, the threat facing the country Source: DHS, 2/9/2011 March Meeting Set for FCC Advisory Committtee on Public Safety The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has scheduled a meeting for March 15 for its Emergency Response Interoperability Center Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC). This federal advisory committee will provide Source: FCC, 2/7/2011 Risk-Based Air Travel Screening Gaining Support The New York Times reported that support is growing for airport security scrutiny to be established based on the risk profile of each individual traveler. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 230 airlines, proposes that information government agencies and airlines already have compiled on travelers should be made available at airport checkpoints, resulting in the possible creation of a Source: NY Times, 2/7/2011 REGULATORY & GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
FCC Proposes Streamlining, Updating USF, Intercarrier Compensation The US Federal Communications Commission has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would modernize and streamline its universal service fund and intercarrier compensation policies to bring affordable wired and Source: FCC, 2/9/2011 NIST Defines, Offers Security Recommendations for the Cloud The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued two new draft documents on cloud computing. Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing (SP 800-144) provides an overview of the security challenges for public cloud computing and presents recommendations. NIST also published Definition of Cloud Source: NIST, 2/2/2011 NIST Seeks Comments on Framework Publication The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released for comment an interagency report entitled, CAESARS Framework Extension: Source: NIST, 2/3/2011 OMB Toughens Stand on Agency Smart Card Adoption The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo to all federal agencies that they have until March 31 to Source: White House, 2/3/2011 SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS
Gilat Signs Contract for SkyEdgeTM II Military Satellite Network Gilat Satellite Networks signed a contract to provide SkyEdgeTM II broadband network for military communications to an unnamed defense agency. The project will create a multi-band communications network Source: Vendor, 2/2/2011 SEARCH
Hitwise Shows Bing Gaining Ground, Google Continuing Low Success Rates Hitwise released its US search engine rankings for the month of January 2011. First place was held by Google with 67.95% of all searches being performed on its engine; second place was held by Microsoft Bing-powered searches, which accounted for 27.44% of queries, a 6% month-over-month gain when compared to December 2010. Yahoo stood in Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Microsoft Claims Google Forged Results of Bing Sting, Used Click Fraud Microsoft is firing back at Google, accusing it of using a form of link fraud to produce the results of its so-called “Bing Sting”, USA Today reports. Microsoft is saying that Google forged the evidence proving that it was Source: USA Today, 2/3/2011 Yahoo Reveals More Info on Revamped BOSS Service Yahoo is going forward with plans to launch a revamped Yahoo Search BOSS service to replace the existing one by the summer. Although the company says it will release documentation on the details of the new BOSS on Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 SECURITY FLAWS & FIXES
Adobe Issues Advisories, Updates to Fix Vulnerabilities Adobe Reader and Acrobat contain various high risk vulnerabilities, which have been reported in versions 8.2.5 and prior, 9.4.1 and prior, and 10.0 and prior. Several flaws also have been found in Flash Player. The Source: Secunia, 2/9/2011 Update Chrome to Mitigate Highly Critical Risks Several critical flaws have been found in Google Chrome in versions prior to 9.0.597.94. Google’s advisory directs users to Source: Secunia, 2/8/2011 IBM Issues Advisory for Lotus Notes, Lotus Domino Vulnerabilities found in IBM Lotus Domino and Lotus Notes are detailed in a vendor-issued advisory. These flaws will be addressed in version 8.5.3 Source: Secunia, 2/8/2011 Patch Tuesday Updates Zap 22 Bugs in Microsoft Products Microsoft stamped out 22 bugs with 12 security updates in its monthly Patch Tuesday Bulletin release this week. The updates fixed Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Oracle Issues Alert, Patches for Java Runtime Environment Oracle released a security alert for Java Runtime Environment providing information about a vulnerability that could Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Updates Available for RealPlayer Vulnerability RealPlayer has a vulnerability that is caused by temporary files that store references to media files having predictable names. This can be exploited in combination with the “OpenURLInPlayerBrowser()” method Source: Secunia, 2/9/2011 SECURITY PRODUCTS & COMPANIES
Alcatel Announces IP Border Controller Offering Alcatel-Lucent announced its 5060 IP Border Controller-4 (IBC-4), for protecting against network breaches such as identity theft, information leaks, and downtime due to cyber attacks. According to Alcatel, it Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 New Vision for Check Point Software: 3D Security 3D Security, a new strategy from Check Point Software, uses a three-pronged approach to security by integrating people, policy, and enforcement. Check Point’s new three-dimensional business process combines Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Check Point Introduces Release R75 Check Point Software announced the immediate availability of R75, the latest version of its network security suite based on the software blade architecture. R75 introduces four new software blades for Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 F-Secure Introduces New Mobile Security Application F-Secure will unveil Protection Service for Mobile (PSM 7) next week at Mobile World Congress. PSM enables operators to offer an end user service that identifies harmful Web sites, and restricts children from Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 Google Expands Advanced Sign-In Security to All Users Google has expanded its Advanced Sign-In security option to all of its users. The more secure sign-in method, which has been available to Google Apps users for some time, requires an extra layer of identity Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 HP Secures New Notebooks with AuthenTec ID Software HP has selected AuthenTec‘s identity management software for use in new HP consumer notebooks. This software, called HP SimplePass 2011, provides access to an online store which Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 HP ArcSight to Provide Risk Mitigation for Law Firm Reed Smith Cybersecurity and compliance products provider HP ArcSight announced it was selected by Reed Smith, an international law firm, to provide risk mitigation services for its global infrastructure. Reed Smith will deploy Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 IBM Boosts Mobile Security with New Technology, R&D, and Partnerships IBM unveiled new research projects, software, and services partnerships to help organizations better manage the security of infrastructures. Highlights of this initiative include: new endpoint management software to Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 New IBM Initiative to Expand Security Solutions for Mixed Environments IBM launched a new initiative to develop security solutions for business with mixed desktop and mobile technology infrastructures. The effort will include research projects, software, and service partnerships all Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 New NIST Guide Offers Insight into Security for Virtualization The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has issued its Guide to Security for Full Virtualization Technologies (NIST Source: NIST, 2/2/2011 DoCoMo, Symantec Team Up to Secure Laptops with New Service NTT DoCoMo will offer its customers a new 3G-mobile managed service featuring Symantec‘s PGP Whole Disk Encryption with Remote Disable & Destroy, using Intel Anti-Theft Technology. The service, expected to be available to customers in Japan beginning this April, is designed to protect DoCoMo customers’ sensitive data that resides on their laptops, deter thefts, and protect Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Sophos Protects VMware Environments with New Security Appliance Sophos released its Virtual Email Security Appliance, which protects VMware virtual environments. Virtual Email Security Appliance offers provisioning and threat protection with Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Mobile Control from Sophos Secures Smartphones, Handhelds Sophos introduced Mobile Control, a product that safeguards smartphones and other handheld devices. Mobile Control utilizes centrally configuring security settings, enabling lockdown of unwanted features and remote Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 SunGard Offers Enterprise Services for the Cloud SunGard Availability Services announced its Enterprise Cloud Services for the North American market. Enterprise Cloud Services offers managed computing, network, storage, and security services that Source: Vendor, 2/2/2011 Symantec Announces New Steps in Norton Everywhere Strategy Symantecupdated its Norton Everywhere initiative with the announcement of partnerships with Best Buy Canada, Dixons Retail, Kingston Digital, and UOL, and several product updates. Product updates include remote Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Symantec Adds Encryption Specialization to Partner Services Symantec unveiled the Encryption Solutions Specialization for its partners. The new specialization offers training and accreditation of Symantec’s encryption products and services. Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Symantec Authentication Technology Secures Intel Chips Symantec‘s VeriSign Identity Protection (VIP) credential has been integrated into the Intel Identity Protection Technology (IPT) found in 2nd Generation Intel Core processor Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Symantec Rolls Out Control Compliance Suite 10.5 Symantec introduced Control Compliance Suite 10.5, offering built-in support for the new Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP). Additionally, the new version provides workflow integration with Symantec’s Data Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 SMARTPHONES
AT&T to Launch HTC Freestyle Smartphone AT&T announced that it will begin selling the HTC Freestyle “quick messaging” phone on February 13. The smartphone is based on the Brew mobile platform. AT&T said the smartphone will be Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 AT&T to Take Preorders for ATRIX 4G Smartphone Beginning Feb 13 AT&T announced that it will begin pre-sales for the new Motorola ATRIX 4G smartphone on February 13th. The Android 2.2-powered smartphone will be available exclusively through AT&T for $199.99 with a two-year agreement. Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 HP Previews webOS Based Veer, Pre3 Smartphones HP announced new webOS based Veer and Pre3 smartphones. The touchscreen smartphones have touchscreen displays of 2.5 and 3.5 inches, respectively. HP is touting the Veer as the world’s smallest webOS smartphone. It Source: Vendor, 2/9/2011 Sprint Debuts Dual-Screen Kyocera Echo Smartphone At a press event in New York, Sprint and Kyocera Communications unveiled the first dual-touchscreen Android smartphone, the Kyocera Echo, available this Spring, Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Swisscom to Launch Nexus S in Late February Swisscom announced that it will be carrying the Google Nexus S GT-I9023 at the end of February. The smartphone’s features include front and rear cameras; a curved, 4″ glass Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Verizon Wireless Sells Out Preorder Stock for iPhone 4 Verizon Wireless stopping taking online orders Feb. 3 from existing customers for the Apple iPhone 4, ending “the most successful first-day sales in the history of the company,” said? Dan Mead, Verizon’s Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 Yahoo Mail Named the Culprit for Windows Phone 7 “Phantom Data” Usage Yahoo Mail was the source of the recent “phantom data” usage on Microsoft Windows Phone 7 devices, the BBC reported. Source: BBC, 2/8/2011 SOCIAL MEDIA
Broadvision Launches Free Version of Clearvale BroadVision launched its new BroadVision Clearvale Express product, a free social networking solution for businesses. The software, a slimmed-down version of the company’s existing Clearvale offering, allows Source: Vendor, 2/8/2011 Settlement Reached in Case of Woman Fired Over Facebook Comments A settlement was reached in the case of a woman who said she was fired over complaints about her employer that she posted on Facebook. According to an AP report, Dawnmarie Souza was terminated from American Source: AP, 2/8/2011 Google Teams with Twitter to Allow Voice Tweets from Egypt Google and Twitter allied to provide a method of communicating with the world for individuals affected by Egypt’s Internet blackout, the BBC reports. The service allowed users to call into a special phone system that would collect a voicemail message and post it as a tweet with the hashtag #egypt. Anyone could then listen to the Source: BBC, 2/8/2011 STREAMING MEDIA
Adobe Releases Flash 10.2 with Stage Video Adobe released its Flash 10.2 plug-in for Windows, OS X, and Linux. The updated software includes the company’s Stage Video technology, which Source: Vendor, 2/10/2011 WEB COMMERCE
comScore Reveals Record-Breaking E-Commerce Sales for Q4 2010 comScore reported a record-breaking fourth quarter e-commerce total of $43.4 billion for 2011, an 11% gain over 2010. The largest drivers of this success were categories such as computer software, consumer Source: Vendor, 2/4/2011 Yahoo Launches AdLabs to Further Digital Ad Technology Yahoo launched AdLabs, a new research group with the goal of furthering the science behind digital advertising. Part of the Yahoo Labs group, AdLabs will attempt to innovate areas Source: Vendor, 2/3/2011 WIRELESS
Verizon Wireless May Throttle Download Speeds of Heaviest Data Users In a memo posted at its Web site, Verizon Wireless has laid out a new policy that describes how it Source: Vendor, 2/7/2011 ©2011 Faulkner Information Services |
