News Briefs for the Week Ending
06/03/2011
Copyright 2011, Faulkner Information Services. All Rights Reserved.
Docid:00020009
Publication Date: 1106
Publication Type: NEWS
ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES
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Lenovo to Acquire German PC Maker MEDION
Lenovo is acquiring MEDION, which manufactures PC, multimedia, mobile communications, and consumer electronics products. The agreement will allow Lenovo to extend its
consumer PC lineup, also taking a larger slice of Germany’s PC market and allowing it to focus more on the mobile Internet market. Lenovo will acquire MEDION’s outstanding public shares for 13 EUR per share. In a separate agreement majority shareholder
Gerd Brachmann will sell 40 percent of outstanding shares, also at 13 EUR per share.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Nielsen Acquires NeuroFocus
Nielsen acquired NeuroFocus, a firm specializing in neurological testing for consumer research. Nielsen has owned a minority stake in the testing firm since 2008. NeuroFocus’ technology is capable of measuring
brainwaves, eye movement, and skin conductance to discover methods of maximizing consumer attention. The acquired company will become part of Nielsen’s Product Innovation Practice, where it will continue to be led by Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr.
A.K. Pradeep. No financial terms were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
PAETEC Completes Acquisition of XETA Technologies
PAETEC completed its acquisition of XETA Technologies, a manufacturer and installer of advanced communication equipment. The acquired company has become part of PAETEC’s Managed Services division, which will now
specialize in comprehensive equipment solutions. PAETEC says it will also leverage the transaction to expand its partnership with Avaya – a former ally of XETA, prior to its own merger with Nortel. No financial terms for the transaction were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Polycom Announces Plans to Acquire HP’s Visual Collaboration Business
Polycom announced plans to acquire the Visual Collaboration business of HP, including the Halo Products and Managed Services business. As part of the same agreement, Polycom will become an exclusive partner to HP
for telepresence and select video UC (unified communications) solutions. These plans include exclusive use of Polycom telepresence software on HP’s upcoming WebOS TouchPad product line. No financial terms for the acquisition were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Sprint Files Formally Requests that FCC Block AT&T Buyout of T-Mobile
Sprint filed a formal request with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to block AT&T‘s takeover of T-Mobile USA. Sprint said the proposed merger constitutes the exact type of anti-competitive behavior the FCC is required to block. Furthermore, Sprint said its position on the matter “cannot be remedied through
divestitures or conditions”. The disgruntled carrier listed three reasons why it is against the transaction: first, it believes the reduction in competitors would hurt the broadband economy, competition, and consumers by raising prices; second, it would
hurt innovation and investment by positioning the so called “Twin Bell duopolists of AT&T and Verizon” as “gatekeepers of the digital ecosystem”. Finally, Sprint claims the transaction has no public interest benefit, suggesting that it would not
relieve AT&T’s spectrum congestion, nor would it aid in the carrier’s expansion of its LTE network. Sprint suggests that a better outcome for the public would be AT&T instead investing a portion of the $39 billion purchase price to expand its own network
and increase LTE proliferation.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
ALLIANCES & JOINT VENTURES
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IBM to Contribute to New OpenOffice.org Code Base
IBM announced plans to contribute to the new OpenOffice.org code base being submitted to The Apache Software Foundation Incubator. The company’s contribution will come in the form of staff, including new project members
and individual contributors from its Global Development team. IBM says it believes its contribution to the new OpenOffice.org code base will increase public adoption of alternative office suites.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
Kaspersky Announces Partnership with TeamF1
Kaspersky Lab has partnered with TeamF1, a provider of embedded networking and security software applications for wired and wireless applications. The technology agreement with
TeamF1 enables networking OEMs targeting secure devices for home and business networking to offer Kaspersky gateway anti-malware protection to their users.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Telecom New Zealand to Become Reseller for Sky TV
Telecom New Zealand signed a new agreement with Sky Television which gives the carrier the right to market all of Sky’s services to its own customers. The company say that pricing and further details will be
revealed closer to the launch of the new joint service. Existing customer will receive calls from representatives of Telecom New Zealand to discuss their options. The carrier says it will continue to offer its TiVo services, but will expand its lineup of
television products.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
Verizon Wireless Joins Blueforce Development for New M2M Solutions
Verizon Wireless teamed with Blueforce Development Corporation to develop and market new wireless solutions for public safety, emergency medical, national security, and infrastructure protection in the
government and commercial market segments. The new solutions, which will be marketed through Verizon Wireless’ Business Solutions Alliance program, will include human-to-human and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) interactions running on Verizon Wireless’ network.
Specific areas of development for the initiative include “Last Tactical Mile” Information Mobility, a solution for the rapid summoning and formation of public safety teams; Critical Infrastructure Protection, a wireless solution for detecting, preventing,
and mitigating major infrastructure disruptions; and Contingency Operations a solution for rapidly establishing emergency operations, communications and supply chain/logistics coordination in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
ZTE Forms Research Partnership with BT
ZTE formed a new research partnership with BT designed to explore the future of fixed line, wireless, and mobile telecommunications services. The companies say their overarching goal
is to “develop international telecoms standards which drive the interoperability and convergence of global communications systems.” This is the first collaboration of its kind between the two telecom corporations.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
BIOMETRICS
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Fujitsu Develops Joint Palm-Vein, Fingerprint Biometric Technology
Fujitsu Laboratories developed a biometric authentication technology that combines data on palm vein patterns and fingerprint data. It can identify users, processing the match within just two seconds.
The technology makes it possible to construct biometric authentication systems without requiring ID cards, and made to fit different sized groups.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
New Morpho Biometric System Deployed in Calgary, Edmonton
Morpho has deployed MorphoBIS, its next generation biometric identification system, in Canada to both the Calgary Police Service and the Edmonton Police Service. This automated fingerprint identification system is
used for investigation, identification and verification in law enforcement applications.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
BUSINESS CONTINUITY
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Cisco, SAP Delivering Joint High-Performance Analytics
Cisco Systems and SAP are working together to deliver optimized business intelligence products through the SAP High-Performance Analytic Appliance (HANA) on Cisco’s Unified Computing
Systems (UCS) server platform. The joint technology will provide insight into business operations. HANA is a multipurpose in-memory appliance that forms the technology foundation for innovative applications. It handles business applications such as
planning, forecasting, operational performance, and simulation. Using it with UCS can increase memory footprint and improve the capacity and performance for demanding virtualization and large data-set workloads.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Survey: eGRC Necessary for Meeting Risk Challenges
EMC, in collaboration with the Ponemon Institute, released a study of more than 6,000 professionals in the enterprise governance, risk, and
compliance (eGRC) sector that explores the most immediate issues global organizations face in meeting privacy and risk challenges. The study found that eGRC continues to emerge as a top priority, yet only 20% of organizations have a clearly defined
strategy that pertains to the entire enterprise, and 33% admit they have no eGRC strategy at all.
Source: Vendor, 5/25/2011
CARRIER SERVICES
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Comcast Launches Internet Essentials for NSLP Families in Chicago
Comcast launched Internet Essentials, a new broadband adoption program, in Chicago. The goal of the program is to provide low-cost Internet access, affordable computers, and digital literacy training to families
with children qualifying for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The program is expected to run for three school-years. However Comcast says any house that qualifies during that time period will be eligible for the discounted pricing for as long as
the qualifying child is part of the NSLP program. Internet Essentials’ specific offers include access to Xfinity Economy Internet Service for $9.95 per month (plus taxes), the opportunity to purchase a computer for $149.99, and online and print digital
literacy training materials. Interested users can sign up at Comcast’s Web site.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Level 3 Reveals Fox Sports MLB Coverage Runs on VenueNet+
Level 3 announced that Fox Sports is using its Vyvx VenueNet+ services to support the delivery of all Major League Baseball games during the 2011 season. VenueNet+ includes the company’s voice, video, and data
services into a single package that can be controlled from one panel. Level 3 is also supplying the sports broadcaster with high-speed Internet access and integrated Level 3 Enterprise voice services, a standard feature in all VenueNet+ installations.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Telus Launches Future Friendly Office Suite of Communication Tools
Telus launched its new TELUS Future Friendly Office,
a suite of communications products and services designed for small and medium sized businesses. The new offering is based on three of Cisco‘s products, Cisco Unified Communications 320W, Cisco Unified Communications
540, and Cisco Unified Communications 560. The suite covers voice, video conferencing, wireless access, and security tools. Support for the suite is handle through a three-year subscription plan, which includes hardware updates, software updates, online
chat support, access to the company’s small business support center, and peer support from the Telus Small Business Community.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
Verizon Business to Provide Integrated Network Solutions to Springer
Verizon Business announced its integrated networking solution has been selected by Springer, a global scientific publisher with 55 publishing houses in 20 countries. Verizon will provide Springer with services
including virtual private networking (VPN), professional services support, as well as options to eventually add Voice over IP (VoIP) and unified communications functionality. No financial terms for the services were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
CLOUD COMPUTING
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AWS to Price EC2 Spot Instances by Availability Zone
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced changes to its pricing on Amazon EC2 Spot instances. The instances will now be priced per Availability Zone, unlike the previous pricing scheme, which was set by Regions, each
of which contain several Availability Zones. Prices will now be set based on the supply and demand for instances within each Availability Zone. The company says it will automatically launch unspecified instance requests into the current lowest-priced
Availability Zone. AWS admits that this will change how bidding strategies, and the DescribePriceHistory API function. Taking this into consideration, the company has set up a transition guide for
customers, and is waiting to launch the changes until July 1, 2011.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
AWS Adds New Functionality to AWS CloudFormation
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced new functionality for AWS CloudFormation. The new abilities include validation for template parameters, resource deletion policies, and the ability to block stack creation. The
last of these is handled by a new WaitCondition resource which acts as a barrier to block the creation of additional resources until a completion signal is received from an external source, such as the user’s application. AWS has posted several example templates designed to demonstrate the capabilities of each new feature. AWS has also posted an article about the changes with information on getting started with the new
capabilities.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
CA to Offer IT Management Software Through Verizon’s CaaS Hosting
CA announced plans to offer its IT management software through Verizon‘s Computing as a Service (CaaS) cloud offering. The first product to use the new hosting will be the company’s
Clarity PPM, a project and portfolio management solution. CA says it chose Verizon’s CaaS solution due to the safety and reliability of its SAS 70 Type II-compliant environment. Under the terms of the new hosting, customers will retain their current
licensing agreement, will continue to receive support for CA personnel, and will have access to integrated delivery centers in the US and Netherlands.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
CSC Unveils Two New Dynamic Desktop Versions
CSC announced the next two releases for Dynamic Desktop, its virtual desktop environment solution. Version 2.0 will be the first to incorporate Cisco Unified Computing System servers, and will be available during the
Fall of 2011; Dynamic Desktop 2.1 will add Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V support as well as, Microsoft System Center management. No release date for version 2.1 has been set. More information about these upcoming releases is available from the
company’s Virtual Desktop Services page.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
NCR Launches New Hosting Services for Cloud Providers
NCR announced the launch of its new NCR Hosting Services, an IT infrastructure and service support offering for cloud providers. NCR is marketing the new services to telecom carriers, original equipment manufacturers,
and system integrators throughout the US. The service comes in two forms, a facility-plus-assets service solution or a leased rack space version, which requires the client to provide their own equipment. NCR says its tier 4 hosting center provides
customers with redundant hardware, dual Tier one Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and automatic failover. The new line of NCR Hosting Services is available now.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Salesforce.com Receives GSA Moderate Level Authority to Operate
Salesforce.com‘s services received US General Services Administration (GSA) moderate level Authority to Operate, under Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) requirements. This clears US
government customers to use Salesforce.com cloud computing services for a wider variety of operations. Services included in the Authority to Operate certificate are the Force.com platform, Salesforce CRM, Salesforce Chatter, and all of their supporting
infrastructures.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS & EQUIPMENT
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Alcatel to Provide Energy Mgmt for EFB Grid Network
Alcatel-Lucent is providing energy management technology for EFB, an electric power distributor and communications provider in Chattanooga, Tennessee, as it builds its advanced, automated grid network. EFB
operates a high-speed optical fiber network, powered by Alcatel GB passive optical network technology. It offers broadband Internet access and other services to over 170,000 homes and businesses in metropolitan and surrounding rural areas.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Cisco: Networked Device Use to Reach 15 Billion by 2015
Cisco Systems is projecting that the number of network-connected devices will hit more than 15 billion – 2X the world’s population – by 2015, according to research published its fifth annual Visual Networking Index forecast. Cisco also reported the that global Internet traffic will likely
quadruple by 2015, reaching 966 exabytes per year. Global IP traffic growth will be driven by four primary factors: an increase in the number of devices, Internet users, broadband speeds, and video streaming, according to the report.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Cisco Providing ASR Routing for China Telecom Triple-Play
Cisco Systems is deploying its Aggregation Services Router 9000 Series throughout China, to support new China Telecom triple-play services. The technology will first be deployed in China’s developed coastal regions,
including Shanghai, Fujian, and Guangdong. China Telecom is a fixed and mobile telecommunications provider that offers services throughout the country.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
Juniper Providing Routing Technology for SINET Upgrade
Juniper Networks reported that the Japan’s Science Information Network (SINET) – which connects more than 700 universities and research institutions throughout the island – will use Juniper Universal Edge Routers as
it migrates to a next-generation backbone to better accommodate larger amounts of bandwidth and services. The technology has been deployed at eight SINET points of presence throughout Japan, including supernodes in Tokyo and Osaka, and will allow it to
provide future dynamic network services.
Source: Vendor, 6/3/2011
Level 3 Signs Support Agreement with Information Television Network
Level 3 signed a new agreement with Information Television Network (ITV), a provider of health and wellness television programming. Under the terms of the contract, Level 3 will provide bandwidth support for the
company’s production needs. This support includes network service solutions that will improve information transfer speeds, 20Mbps fiber-based direct Internet access (DIA) service, and a T1 line to carry voice services. No financial terms for the
transaction were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Level 3 Expands Relationship with Etisalat
Level 3 expanded its relationship with Etisalat, a global telecommunications company. Under the terms of the new agreement, Level 3 will provide Etisalat with IP transit services and a high-speed IP (HSIP) network
designed to connect the company to several cities in the Middle east and Europe. Level 3 says this expansion will help Etisalat with its planned expansion of next-generation mobile (LTE) and fixed-line (FTTx) infrastructure services. No financial terms for
the expanded agreement were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Nokia Siemens Opens Brazilian Network Operations Center
Nokia Siemens Networks commenced operations at its global network operations center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. NII – which operates under the NEXTEL brand in Latin America – is the first operator to use the
facility to centralize its network operations. Nokia Siemens currently manages operations for NII multi-vendor networks in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Peru.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Nokia Siemens to Install Norwegian Rail Management System
Nokia Siemens Networks and Expandium were selected by Jernbaneverket – Norway’s National Rail Administration – to lay a quality management system for assessing its GSM-Railway (GSM-R) network to improve
communications and support safer rail operations. The QATS Railway system was developed by Expandium. It includes the latest technologies under the European Train Control System and GSM-R standards. Nokia Siemens will provide installation, integrate the
system into the Norwegian Rail Authority’s communications network, and provide project management.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
Ericsson to Launch LTE Network in Australia
Ericsson reported it will provide a LTE network for Australia’s regional National Broadband Network (NBN). The network will begin providing consumer broadband services in mid-2012, with the network to be completed
by 2015. It will accommodate download speeds of up to 12M bps and upload speeds reaching 1M bps. NBN was established by the Australian government in 2009, to design, build, and operate the network.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Telefonica Signs Multi-Million Pound Deal with G4S Secure Solutions
Telefonica signed a multi-million pound contract with G4S Secure Solutions, an international security solutions group. Under the terms of the contract, Telefonica will provide the security firm with a network and
telecommunications platform designed to lower its communications costs by no less than 25%. The carrier’s services will include mobile, fixed voice, business broadband, WAN services, telemarketing, PBX maintenance, and IP telephony.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Verizon Wireless Christens Two New Cell Towers in Florida
Verizon Wireless opened two new advanced digital cell sites in Florida. The first is located at the newly opened Panama City International Airport, and is designed to provide coverage to travelers within the
airport, as well as travelers along County Road 388 in northern Panama City. The second new site is located in Davie, Florida, in a dense residential area. Both locations support the carrier’s 3G (EV-DO Rev. A) network, and are upgradable to 4G LTE, when
Verizon’s expansion plans reach the sites.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
ZTE Wins China Telecom IMS Contract for Five Provinces
ZTE won the competitive IMS network development contract for five provinces in China: Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Sichuan. ZTE plans to use its IMS+xPON network transformation and ETCA (Enhanced Telecom
Computing Architecture) platform to complete the project. The initiative is part of China Telecom’s IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) expansion plans, which was initiated in 2009. No financial terms for the contract were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
CONSULTING & MANAGED SERVICES
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Alcatel Introduces AppGlide Video Analytics Service
Alcatel-Lucent introduced AppGlide Video Analytics, a managed cloud-based service to help broadband and service providers measure video streams from an end-user’s perspective. AppGlide can analyze streaming
quality, trends, and issues, delivering metrics for viewing trends and network performance for telecommunications firms, cable companies, and other service providers. The service is available for trial, with more information available by filling out a sales inquiry form. It was developed and commercialized by Ventures, an
organization within Alcatel-Lucent Bell Labs.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Dell Announces Oracle Business Accelerators Certification
Dell Services announced new Oracle Business Accelerators certification, which includes implementation tools to improve enterprise resource planning software rollouts. These
will allow Dell Services to provide future design and deployment services for speeding software implementation. Oracle Accelerate solutions encompass Oracle Applications, rapid implementation tools and templates, and Dell Services industry expertise
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
HP Introduces Desktop Management Subscription Service
HP Enterprise Services announced WorkPlace 360 Services, a subscription-based, packaged desktop management service to help procure, assemble, deploy, and support desktop and remote computing assets. It is fully
managed and includes services and technology deployment, automated upgrades and patches, and remote monitoring.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
ZTE Signs Three-Year Managed Services Deal with Ncell
ZTE signed a new three-year agreement with Nepal’s Ncell, part of the TeliaSonera Group. Under the terms of the so called Managed Service project, will provide services such
as active and passive infrastructure, site maintenance, management of equipment from multiple vendors, and OPEX optimization. No financial terms for the agreement were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 5/27/2011
CYBERCRIME
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FEMA Warns of Con Artists Targeting Disaster Victims
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has cautioned Missouri survivors of the recent severe storms, flooding, and tornadoes to be on the lookout for scam artists pretending to be employed by FEMA or other
government agencies, such as the Small Business Administration. One common fraudulent scheme involves con artists going door-to-door or phoning victims and soliciting personal information such as Social Security and bank account numbers.
Source: FEMA, 5/31/2011
DATA BREACHES
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Honda Warns Customers of Massive Data Breach
Honda Canada began informing customers in mid-May about a cyber attack that led to a data breach, resulting in the loss of sensitive data from 283,000 customers of
both Honda and Acura. The incident involved the unauthorized access of data that was part of a 2009 Honda mailing, and the information breached included names, vehicle identification numbers (VINs), and some Honda Financial Services account numbers.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
March RSA Breach Leads to Attack on L-3, Lockheed, Possibly Northrop
Three US government defense contractors appear to have been hit by a wave of cyber security attacks and two of them have one thing in common: the use of RSA SecurID tokens, which were compromised during a hack
back in March. Lockheed Martin first confirmed reports that it experienced a cyber attack on May 21, but stated that damage was minimized as the breach was detected
quickly and its systems remained secure. After the Lockheed breach became known, word leaked out that L-3 Communications also suffered a massive cyber attack back in April. An insider at Northrop Grumman reported that the company shut down remote access to its networks on May 26, leading to concerns that another attack was underway. Both Lockheed Martin and L-3 used RSA SecurID tokens, which were
breached in March by hackers who broke into RSA’s servers and stole information about the cryptography products, gaining knowledge about the systems that used the technology.
Source: Vendor, 5/28/2011
DBMS
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Autonomy Records Manager Receives DOD 5015.02 Certification
Autonomy‘s Autonomy Records Manager received the US Department of Defense’s (DoD) Standard for Records Management (DoD5015.02) certification. The certificate verifies the solution’s ability to control the creation,
declaration, classification, retention, legal holds, transfers, and disposition of electronic and non-electronic records. This also clears Autonomy Records Manager for use in a classified environment. The records managers also passed verification for
Chapter 2 of this certificate, verifying its ability to integrate with Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
ENTERPRISE APPLICATION SOFTWARE
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AT&T Announces Trio of New Fleet Management Solutions
AT&T announced plans to offer three new mobile transportation and dispatch management applications from Complete Innovations and Xata Corporation. According to the company, these new solutions designed to streamline
operations, optimize fleet and mobile workforce performance, and assure fleet operators’ adherence to the CSA 2010 (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) initiative. The new offerings are Courier Complete from AT&T, management software designed for the
courier, messenger, and distribution industries; Fleet Complete from AT&T, a GPS-based workforce, fleet, and asset management solution for small to mid-size businesses; and Xata Turnpike from AT&T, a solution designed to assure compliance with the new CSA
2010 standard. More information about all three solutions is available from AT&T’s Fleet Management page.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
CSC Launches New Version of RISKMASTER
CSC released a new version of RISKMASTER, its insurance claims and risk manager. Improvements to the Web-enabled software include broader capabilities in analytics and policy management, an enhanced user interface, and
improved integration with Microsoft Outlook and other applications. More information about the latest version of RISKMASTER is available at its product page.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
HP Introduces IT Performance Software Suite
Hewlett-Packard (HP) unveiled its IT Performance Suite, software for measuring and improving IT performance. It includes IT Executive Scorecard, for viewing performance indicators to better manage application
development, infrastructure and operations management, security, information management, and financial planning and administration. The suite also includes CIO Edition Standard, which adds Financial Planning and Analysis, Project and Portfolio Management,
and Asset Manager modules.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Oracle Announces Launch of New Hedge Management and IFRS Solution
Oracle announced the launch of its new Financial Services Hedge Management and IFRS Valuations solution. The new product is designed to help financial institutions with regulatory requirement compliance pertaining to
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The company says it is releasing the solution in response to new IFRS requirements for documentation and transparency which render manual and siloed hedge accounting impractical. Oracle Financial Service
Hedge Management and IFRS Valuations is available now as part of the company’s Financial Services Analytical Applications suite.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
FINANCIAL
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Cisco to Invest $10M in Egyptian Economic Development
Cisco Systems Egypt reported it will invest $10 million USD toward job creation and economic development in the country. It will be targeted at small businesses that provide innovative products and services.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
Polycom’s Board Approves Two-to-One Stock Split
Polycom‘s Board of Directors approved a two-for-one stock split. The split will be handled as a stock dividend, with each shareholder at the close of business on June 15, 2011 receiving one additional share for each
share he or she owns. The actual distribution of these share is expected to commence on July 1, 2011. This will raise the company’s total outstanding shares to 176,000,000.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Raytheon Board Approves $0.43 Quarterly Dividend
Raytheon‘s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share of its common stock. This amount will be payable on August 11, 2011 to all shareholders of record by the close of business on July 6,
2011.
Source: Vendor, 5/27/2011
GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS
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CSC Receives Renewal on National Flood Insurance Program Contract
CSC was the recipient of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Direct Servicing Agent (DSA) contract from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program is designed to offer property owners in
qualifying communities an insurance alternative to disaster assistance as a method of combating the rising costs of flood damage repairs. CSC has been managing the program since 2004. More information about the company’s flood insurance services is
available from its FloodConnect page. No financial terms for the contract were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
CSC Wins $42 Million USPS Logistics Contract
CSC signed a service logistics contract with the US Postal Service (USPS). Under the terms of the agreement, CSC will provide management, operational and logistical support for the service’s mail transport repair
facility located adjacent to Los Angeles, California. The contract has a three-year base period, two two-year options, and a total value of $41.74 if all options are exercised.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
CSC Receives Schedule 84 IDIQ GSA Contract
CSC received a Schedule 84 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract from the US General Service Administration (GSA). This gives CSC the ability to fulfill task orders in four areas: security systems
integration and design services; security management and related support services; security system lifecycle support; and professional security and facility management services. More information about the solutions available under the aforementioned
contract are available form CSC’s cybersecurity page.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
SAIC Receives $10 Million IT Support Contract from US GSA
Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) received a prime contract from the US General Services Administration (GSA) to provide IT support to US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Information &
Technology (OI&T). SAIC’s tasks will include identification and implementation of organizational and project performance metrics; strategic information resources management planning; development of support functions; business strategy analysis; IT
training; and communications planning. The agreement has a one-year base period, two one-year options, and a total value of $10 million if all options are exercised.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
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IBM Announces Expansion of Health Analytics Solution Center
IBM announced an expansion of its Health Analytics Solution Center in Dallas, Texas. The company says it has doubled its staff of healthcare solution architects and technology specialists working at the center. The new
employees are being tasked with helping physicians and facilities with the process of transitioning their electronic medical records (EMRs) on to smartphones, tablets, and other devices. IBM says it also plans to use the expanded staff at the center to
improve its work in remote patient monitoring, such as connecting devices from varied manufacturers to allow patients to be monitored at home.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
NCR Selects EPX as Official Payment Provider for NCR Healthcare
NCR selected Electronic Payment Exchange (EPX) as the official payment provider for NCR Healthcare. The company says EPX’s single-source payment processing functionality will be integrated with its own NCR MediKiosk and
NCR Patient Portal self-service solutions. It says this will help organizations lower transaction fees by reducing the number of payment providers. The joint systems will be installed on kiosks in healthcare facilities which will be handle to handle tasks
such as recording insurance information, collecting co-pays, and getting signatures on consent forms.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
Verizon Updates 2 Security Products for New Healtchare Standards
Verizon Business enhanced two of its security programs in an effort to address new federal requirements for health data security and privacy. Verizon Security Management Program-Healthcare (SMP-H), an online
dashboard designed to help customers examine and strengthen their security measures, now includes a new module to bring it into compliance with the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) Common Security Framework (CSF). Additionally, the Verizon
Partner Security Program (PSP) now allows healthcare businesses to compare their security measures against the new standards of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) interim rules, which expand data security and privacy
requirements to include business associates of the health care organization. Both updated solutions are available now from the Verizon Connected Healthcare Solutions.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
INDUSTRY GROUPS
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Polycom Announces Formation of Open Visual Communications Consortium
Polycom announced the formation of the Open Visual Communications Consortium (OVCC). This new industry group was founded to standardize video connectivity across various service provider networks. The OVCC’s
numerous participants include AT&T, BT Conferencing, Cable&Wireless, Global Crossing, Orange Business Services, PCCW, Telefonica, Telstra, and Verizon. Polycom says the goal of this alliance is to provide secure, standards-based B2B connectivity to
customers currently faced with hundreds of disconnected providers. The OVCC has already demonstrated its first solution capable of connecting 18 standards-based systems across 12 service provider networks. The group will be accepting new members beginning
in the second half of 2011, with the first actual OVCC-compatible products to launch by mid-2012.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
INTERNET
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AOL Launches New Travel Blog with Gadling
AOL launched a new travel blog in collaboration with Gadling. The new blog, titled Travelling the American Road, will feature pieces on “resurgent towns and cities
across the country”. Content will come in the form of real-time updates, including video, geo-tagged photos, and interviews. Travelling the American Road will launch on June 1, 2011.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
CA Launches New Service Assurance Partner Solution Center
CA announced the launch of CA Service Assurance Partner Solution Center, a new online resource designed to help customers better utilize CA’s Application
Performance Management, Infrastructure Management, and Service Operations Management solutions. The Center’s content includes solution briefs, demonstrations, and other material the company believes would be useful to users.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
comScore Launches MobiLens Mobile Measurement Service in Canada
comScore launched its syndicated mobile measurement service, comScore MobiLens, in Canada. The new service is capable of measuring consumers’ demographics, behaviors, as well as device attributes and capabilities
to provide customers with a representation of the mobile market. Specific statistics reported by the service include mobile subscriber market share, smartphone penetration, smartphone platform market share, and mobile industry leaders in voice support.
This is the eighth market covered by MobiLens with the service already available in the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Japan.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
ICANN Posts Report on Anti-Cybersquatting Policy
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) posted a document entitled “Preliminary Issue Report on the
Current State of the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy” for public comment. The UDRP was instated 1999 to give parties a less costly alternative to litigation in cases of cybersquatting. The policy has not been altered since its inception. This report
is designed to address how well the UDRP has handled cybersquatting, as well as whether ICANN’s definition of cybersquatting needs to be updated. The report will be available for public comment until July 15, 2011.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
ICANN Posts Latest Edition of Applicant Guidebook
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) posted the updated version of its Applicant Guidebook, the document designed to explain the details of the new Generic Top-Level Domain program’s
requirements. The latest iteration has been updated to reflect community feedback, changes suggested at the recent Brussels meeting, and changes suggested in the April 15 draft of the Guidebook. The Guidebook is available in full and as individual modules
from ICANN’s Web site.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
ICANN Increases Registrar Application Cost, Due Diligence Checks
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) announced several changes to its Registrar Accreditation Application process. The registrar application fee is being raised from $2,500 to $3,500 as of
July 1, 2011. The new fee will be used to cover the growing costs resulting from the second change, an increase in the required due diligence checks for new registrars. The checks will now search the applicant’s criminal records; credit records; financial
history and solvency; and corporate/company structure and ownership. ICANN says it will use reputable third part information providers to complete these background checks. The regulatory group says these changes are being instated as a result of continued
community requests for more stringent registrar accreditation requirements.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
Mozilla Announces Support for HTML5 3D Video in Firefox 4
Mozilla, YouTube, and Nvidia jointly announced the launch of 3D HTML5 video support exclusively in Firefox 4. The new video format will use Google’s WebM video codec, and is
compatible with the thousands of 3D videos already uploaded to YouTube. The streaming video site says it expects support for the 3D videos to be available in other browsers soon.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
Opera Releases Beta Version of Opera 11.5 Desktop Browser
Opera announced the release of the beta version of Opera 11.50. Codenamed Opera Swordfish, the new version includes Speed Dial extensions, a new type of add-on which the company says will transform the Speed Dial page
into a constantly updating source of information. Other features include synchronized passwords and bookmarks, stored custom search engine preferences, and the ability to take notes in the browser. Opera 11.50 beta is available for download from the
company’s Opera Next web page.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Opera to Install Browser Software on Next-Gen Comtrend STBs
Opera signed an agreement with the Comtrend Corporation which will see its browser technology integrated into the company’s next set-top box, the STB-7007. The goal of the integration is to give STB owners a full
desktop-like browser experience on their television, without having to miss any programming. The company suggests the integrated technology could perform tasks such as looking up an actor’s biography on Wikipedia, buying a song heard on MTV, or buying a
product currently being advertised. The new boxes will be using the Opera Devices SDK.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
LAPTOPS & TABLETS
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Asus Introduces New Padfone, Eee Pad MeMO
Asus International announced several new systems, including its new Padfone offering, a convergence device that combines smartphone functionality and a tablet PC for mobile computing, and Eee Pad MeMO 3D, an ultra-thin
Android tablet with seven-inch 3D touchscreen. Asus also unveiled new G and C series 3D gaming systems, UX series ultra-portable laptops, HD all-in-ones, and WAV Xtion, a gesture-based, motion-sensoring home entertainment device for streaming PC content on
a home TV.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Dell Rolls Out Rugged Laptops, Other Products for First Responders
Dell launched its Mobile Video Evidence Management products, including new rugged and semi-rugged laptops with high-definition touchscreen LCDs. The portfolio was created specifically to helping officials in public
safety, law enforcement, the military, and those operating in harsh conditions to better capture and transmit mobile video, storing and retrieving it as necessary.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Ericsson Providing HSPA Module for Panasonic ToughBooks
Ericsson reported that Panasonic‘s new Toughbook laptops and tablets – designed for rugged environments – will feature Ericsson’s mobile broadband module. The HSPA module
offers download speeds of up to 21M bps and upload speeds reaching 5.8M bps. Initial models such as the CF-53 and CF-31 mk2 are now available.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Verizon Wireless Announces Launch of for Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Verizon Wireless announced plans to carry the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the coming weeks. The 4G LTE compatible tablet will ship with Android 3.0
(Honeycomb), and is available in either Metallica Gray or Glossy White. Features include a 10.1-inch touchscreen display with 1280×800 resolution, a 1 GHz dual core application processor, 2MP front-facing camera, 3MP rear-facing camera, onboard video chat
software, and a pre-installed copy of Adobe Flash Player. Prices with a two-year contract will be $529.99 for the 16GB model and $629.99 for the 32GB model. Verizon Wireless will begin taking pre-orders for the device on June 8.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
LEGAL
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eBay Sues Google, Two Former Execs, Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft
eBay filed a lawsuit against Google, and two of its former employees alleging that its trade secrets originating from its planned PayPal mobile
payment system have been incorporated into the upcoming Google Wallet service. The employees named in the suit are Osama Bedier, eBay’s former s Vice President of Platform, Mobile, and New Ventures; and Stephanie Tilcnius, its former Senior Vice President
of North America and Global Products. Bedier was responsible for leading the team which was developing the mobile payment service, prior to this departure and subsequent hiring at Google; he is now leading the team responsible for Google Wallet. Tilcnius
is being named in the suit for “solicit[ing] and recruit[ing]” Bedier. eBay is also claiming that Google is using knowledge without authorization which was gained during lengthy negotiations with PayPal for the online payment service to become the official
payment system of the Android marketplace, a deal which never materialized. Google has not responded to the suit as of the time of writing.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Swisscom and Group E Decline to Challenge Swiss Commission Decision
Swisscom and Group E have chosen not to challenge the Swiss Federal Competition Commission’s decision on the Freiburg cooperation project in the Federal Administrative Court. The Commission decided at the end of
April that the planned joint project could not qualify for examination under the context of merger control. Swisscom says such a challenge would do nothing to improve the potential for the cooperation to be a successful one. The companies are currently in
the process of examining whether the fiber expansion project should go forward at all.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
MALWARE WATCH
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Google Pulls 26 Apps Laced with Malware from Android Market
Lookout Mobile Security found that 26 applications in the official Android Market contained malware that could steal personal information. In a blog post, Lookout said it believed the malicious apps were created by the same developers who launched the malware known as
DroidDream in March. Google has since removed the apps that contain the malware from the Android Market while it investigates the issue.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
New Microsoft Report Details Qakbot Malware
Microsoft released a report on the Win32/Qakbot (Qakbot) family of malware, whose
primary objective is to steal data from computers in corporate environments. The report examines the background and functionality of Qakbot, and provides telemetry data and analysis from January 2009 until April 2011.
Source: Vendor, 5/27/2011
SonicWALL Issues Alert on New Facebook Worm
SonicWALL is warning users of Facebook that a new scam is in circulation, targeting both Mac and Windows. This clickjacking worm uses a fake controversial video claiming to
be of IMF boss Dominique Strauss-Kahn to lure people in.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
MOBILE APPS
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Apple Extends iWorks Apps to iPad, iPhone, iPod touch
Apple announced its Keynote, Pages, and Numbers productivity apps are now available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices. The iWork apps allow the user to create presentations, formatted documents, and
spreadsheets, remotely. They were originally created for Mac, then redesigned for iOS and Apple’s Multi-Touch interface. They are available free as an update and cost $9.99 at the App Store, for new users.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
CSC Reveals Two New Mobile Insurance Apps
CSC unveiled its latest device-agnostic mobile insurance applications: 2Work for Adjusters, and 2Work for Brokers. 2Work for Adjusters will allow insurance employees to access Life and Annuity (L&A) and Property and
Casualty (P&C) systems via mobile device, from anywhere with an Internet connection. 2Work for Brokers gives brokers and agents mobile access to illustrations, proposals, quotes and electronic applications, as well as displaying agent compensation and
commission reports. Both products are sold as prepackaged, reusable mobile apps. More information about these new offerings is available from the company’s mobile insurance
solutions page.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
Motorola Rolls Out New PremiereOne Software
Motorola Solutions released PremierOne CSR 4.2, mobile customer service request software for Microsoft SQL 2008 Server and Oracle 11g platforms. It allows citizens to report issues – with image
attachments – to the appropriate city or county department, using a smartphone or other mobile device. It can automatically route service requests, weeding out duplicates and coordinating work among service teams.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Verizon Wireless Debuts VideoSurf Video Discovery App for Android
Verizon Wireless announced the launch of a new video discovery app from VideoSurf. The new application functions when users point their phones at the video they are watching. The application then captures
several seconds of the video, and uses this data identify the content. The VideoSurf app can recognize television episodes, movies, video clips, and music videos. Once the media is recognized the app will provide information about it, such as the cast,
episode content, and suggestions on similar shows or movies. The new app also gives users the option to post what they are watching to their Facebook or Twitter accounts to share
their viewing habits with friends. The VideoSurf app is available as a free download on any Verizon Wireless handset with access to V CAST Apps from the Verizon Channel in the Android Market. The app will be pre-loaded on upcoming devices later this
year.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
OPERATING SYSTEMS
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Apple Unveiling Lion Mobile OS on June 6th
Apple reported that CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will introduce Lion, an eighth major release of the Mac OS X iOS 5 mobile operating system that will power the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and iCloud
cloud services offering, at a presentation at the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Monday, June 6th.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Microsoft Gives First Look at Windows 8
Microsoft gave the public its first look at Windows 8 at this year’s Computex Conference. Important new features in the pre-alpha software include better support for touchsreen interfaces and tablet devices; the
ability to run on either x86 or ARM-based hardware; and new integrated application controls and programming languages, including support for HTML5 and JavaScript applications within Windows itself. Microsoft has already opened a new Web site devoted to helping developers begin planning their software for Windows 8. No release window was mentioned at the presentation.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
PERSONNEL AND ORGANIZATION
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Acer Eliminating Jobs, Compensation to Cut Costs
Acer International reported it will eliminate 300 employees from its EMEA operations, in the wake of a recent decision to write off $150 million, for which chairman and CEO JT Wang is taking
responsibility by relinquishing total remuneration from his position as director to the company board. The sum of compensation is estimated at 30 million USD, however operating expenses will be reduced annually by $30 million. In addition, all members of
Acer’s director board voluntarily committed to cut remuneration by 50 percent, with the board also proposing to cut employee bonus for 2010 to 40 percent. According to the company, “Wang deeply feels regretful of the current situation and will dedicate his
efforts fully to investigating the reasons behind the loss and to improving internal management.”
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Belgacom to Open New Green Data Center in Brussels
Belgacom announced plans to open a new “green” data center in Brussels. The new 2,250 square meter facility will use separated air flows, new cooling technologies, and energy saving solutions to reduce its
environmental impact. Construction is expected to begin in August 2011, with the data center’s opening scheduled for early 2013.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
CA Hires BJ Schaknowski as New VP of Global Solutions Provider Sales
CA announced BJ Schaknowski as its new vice president for Global Solution Provider Sales, effective June 6, 2011. In the new position, Schaknowski will report to David Bradley, senior vice president for Global Channel
Sales. His responsibilities will include global channel sales strategies, program design, and partner enablement. Prior to this hiring Schaknowksi worked as the head of Intuit’s Solution Provider Program.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Deloitte Appoints General Charles F. Wald as Head of DoD Practice
Deloitte announced that General Charles F. Wald, current director of Deloitte Consulting, will be heading up its Department of Defense (DoD) practice for federal government services. The company says this will
effectively make Wald the lead on all of its military services areas of business. Wald has been with Deloitte since 2009, prior to which he served as vice president, International Programs for L-3 Communications Corporation.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
France Telecom Outlines Two Phase Plan for Its Future Through 2015
France Telecom posted a document outlining its financial and strategic ambitions for its future during the remainder of 2011 and into 2015. The company says this time period will be handled in two phases, the
first will take place from 2011 to 2013 and will see the carrier investing in its own network and existing markets. The goal of this phase will be to strengthen its market position, and to monetize all identified growth opportunities. The second phase,
running from 2014 through 2015, is being called “the Conquest Phase”. This portion of the companies plan will see it leveraging the gains it hopes to have made during the first phase. This includes maintaining constant revenue growth of +2.7% or greater,
and potentially divesting itself of any assets wherein the company holds a minority interest, and no operational control.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Harris Corp Names Tom Eaton President of Harris CapRock Communications
Harris Corp announced Tom Eaton has been named president of the company’s global communications services business, Harris CapRock Communications. Eaton is a veteran of the industry, having served as Harris CapRock’s
global operations officer, prior to which he led its government division. Eaton’s goal in the new position will be to maintain and grow the company’s offerings designed for customers with extreme and remote communication requirements.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Harris Corp Opens New Cyber Integration Center
Harris Corp announced the opening of its Harris Cyber Integration Center (CIC), a new facility designed to provide trusted cloud computing for enterprise clients. The new location received certifications under S-CAP,
HIPAA, PCI, and Sarbanes- Oxley, as well as receiving LEED Silver certification for energy and environmental efficiency. The CIC will primarily service enterprise customers of Harris’ Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) offerings.
Source: Vendor, 5/27/2011
IBM Opens New Office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
IBM opened a new branch office in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The new facility is part of the company’s efforts to increase its presence in Africa and other growth markets. The Tanzania office will be used to increase the
number of services to customers in East Africa. IBM says its local customers include telecommunications, oil & gas, finance, and government entities.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
KPN Announces Departure of Libor Voncina, CEO of KPN Belgium
KPN announced the impending departure of Libor Voncina, Chief Executive Officer of KPN Group Belgium. Voncina said he is resigning from his post to pursue new opportunities. He will depart on June 15, 2011. KPN says a
successor for the position will be named shortly.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Northrop Grumman Appoints Timothy Harrington as VP of Tech Services
Northrop Grumman appointed Timothy Harrington vice president and controller of its Technical Services sector. His responsibilities will include sector financial operations, including the company’s financial
planning, rate estimation, pricing, regulatory compliance, accounting, and internal control practices. Harrington has been with Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems since 1981, most recently serving as director of business manager postal, international
trade, and treasury.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Swisscom Reorganizes IT Services Group
Swisscom announced a reorganization of the subsidiaries included in its IT Services Group. First, all of the subsidiaries will now operate under the Swisscom brand umbrella. The renamed businesses will be organized
into one of the new sub-divisions: IT Outsourcing, Workplace Services, SAP Services, and Finance Services divisions. Swisscom revealed that Comit and Sourcag will be combined to form the Finance Services division, while Resource will become the SAP
Services division. The remainder of the aforementioned sub-divisions will be populated by other former subsidiaries.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Unisys Elects Dr. Lee D. Roberts to Board of Directors
Unisys elected Dr. Lee D. Roberts to its board of directors, where he will serve on the Compensation Committee. Roberts is currently CEO and president of BlueWater Consulting, LLC, a high-tech management consulting
company. He also serves as a director at QAD Inc.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
SEARCH
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Google Expands +1 Recommendation Button to Third-Party Sites
Google is expanding its +1 button to third party Web sites around the Internet. The recommendation button, which previously only appeared on the company’s search results page, will now be featured on sites such as
Mashable, The Huffington Post, Rotten Tomatoes, and others. The recommendations will be available to friends, contacts, and anyone else allowed by the recommender’s account preferences. Users must be signed into their Google account to use the +1 button.
Google says it is still gradually rolling out the new feature to all users in the US. However, if a user would like to opt-in sooner, he or she can visit the Google Labs site and sign up.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Google, Yahoo, and Bing Join Together to Launch Schema.org
The unlikely trio of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft joined forces to create Schema.org a new initiative to
support the use of a standardized vocabulary for structured data markup on Web pages. The trio says the new destination will help site owners and developers by educating them on using common structured data to improve their site’s appearance in major
search engines. This project combines the various structured data products of the three companies, such as Google’s rich snippets, into a standardized format, allowing Web site creators to optimize their search ranking on all major engines simultaneously.
The companies say they expect other search engines to be added to the initiative in the future.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
SECURITY FLAWS & FIXES
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Apple Releases New Mac OS X Version to Fight Malware
To combat the recent MacDefender malware that has been circulating, Apple updated Mac OS X with version 2011-003. In addition, the vendor released an advisory providing
details about the update, which searches for the malware in the Mac system and deletes the variants if found.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Patches Available for Autonomy Keyview
Autonomy Keyview contains some critical vulnerabilities, resulting in the release of patches. Users should immediately apply patches for versions 10.12, 10.11, 10.10, 10.9, 10.8, 10.5, 10.4, 10.3, and 9.2.
Source: Secunia, 5/27/2011
Cisco Advisory, Updates Fix Issue in Internet Streamer App
The Cisco Internet Streamer application, part of the vendor’s Content Delivery System (Cisco CDS), contains a vulnerability that could cause the Web server engine to crash when processing specially crafted URLs. Cisco
released updates and an advisory to alleviate this problem.
Source: Vendor, 5/25/2011
Cisco Advises on VPN Client Holes
Critical vulnerabilities discovered in Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client could result in the bypass of certain security restrictions. To address these flaws, Cisco released an advisory and recommends updating to a fixed version.
Source: Secunia, 6/2/2011
Google Reports New Round of Gmail Hacking Originating in China
Google posted information about a new round of security breaches targeting Gmail users and originating in China. Specifically, the company believes the attacks were launched from Jinan and were designed to give
unauthorized access to the accounts of “senior U.S. government officials, Chinese political activists, officials in several Asian countries (predominantly South Korea), military personnel and journalists.” Google says it appears the hackers were trying to
monitor the affected users’ email activity by setting up unauthorized forwarding orders, and giving themselves third-party access to the hacked accounts. The search giant has since secured the accounts, and informed the affected users of the breech. It has
also notified relevant government authorities. Google says the attacks did not result from any security flaw in Gmail, but were instead the result of malware and phishing activity.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Internet Security Consortium Issues Patches for BIND
The Internet Systems Consortium (ISC) released updates for BIND to address security issues that could result in outages. Users are asked to upgrade to: 9.4-ESV-R4-P1,
9.6-ESV-R4-P1, 9.7.3-P1 or 9.8.0-P2 or the latest fixed version of the software.
Source: Vendor, 5/27/2011
Symantec Issues Advisory for Products
Symantec released an advisory for several of its
products. The advisory provides a list of affected products and this vulnerability is considered critical.
Source: Secunia, 6/1/2011
WordPress 3.1.3 Now Available
WordPress released WordPress 3.1.3 last week, fixing various errors in prior versions. More details are available from a vendor advisory and updates should
immediately be applied.
Source: Vendor, 5/26/2011
SECURITY PRODUCTS & COMPANIES
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Comcast Launches New Internet Safety Suite, ID Theft Protection
Comcast launched a new lineup of Internet safety solutions and resources. The new offering will be distributed to Xfinity Internet customers at no extra charge, and will be called the Constant Guard Protection
Suite. According to the company, the new software will protect against malicious software, securely store passwords, provide single-click logins to various sites, protect online credit card use, and conceal keystoke while entering text online. The
aforementioned protections are being provided by a combination of the Norton Security Suite, and the IDENTITY GUARD identity theft protection service. Comcast is also now offering several tiers of identity theft
protection services through IDENTITY GUARD. The free Essentials tier includes lost wallet protection, access to identity theft protection experts, and online financial tools. Customers can also choose the Preferred package at a rate of $7.99 per month
or the Premier package for $12.99 a month.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
McAfee Study Gives Sobering Details on Virtualization Adoption
A new study from McAfee has found that many IT professionals who are working to implement virtualization run into challenges that have resulted in new obstacles to contend with. Of the 100 individuals who were
surveyed, 29% reported that scaling server virtualization is a concern, and 32% found that bandwidth and traffic engineering are pressing issues. In terms of security, 77% rated threat protection (i.e., intrusion prevention) as critical or important while
26% viewed targeted attacks, and 24% named security breaches as their biggest concerns.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Spam Fell, but Malware Soared in Q1, According to McAfee Report
McAfee released its Threats Report: First Quarter 2011, which reveals that February 2011 had the most new malware samples of the quarter, at approximately 2.75 million. Another key detail from the report is that Android became the second most popular environment for mobile malware behind Symbian OS. Spam significantly dropped to less than half of what it was only
a year ago, at approximately 1.5 trillion messages per day, outnumbering legitimate email traffic by a 3:1 ratio.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Report: “Anonymous” Hackers as Much to Fear as Al-Qaida, North Korea
NATO Parliamentary Assembly General Rapporteur Lord Jopling has released a report that discusses the critical nature of cyber security and how Anonymous,
the hacker group that has targeted various countries and organizations could pose a security threat as significant as Al-Qaida or North Korea. The report also provides details about NATO’s role in cyber defense along with the changing notion of secrecy
in international relations.
Source: NATO, 6/1/2011
LAX Picks NICE Situator for New Response Coordination Center
NICE Systems announced that Los Angeles Airport (LAX) has implemented Situator, an open platform situation management offering in an effort to link various safety and security operations systems into one platform.
NICE Situator’s architecture will integrate more than a dozen third-party systems in the new Airport Response Coordination Center.
Source: Vendor, 5/25/2011
QinetiQ Technology to Protect Indian Pipeline
QinetiQ‘s OptaSense technology has been chosen as the security system for the 670 km Mangala Development Pipeline in India. Under the contract, QinetiQ’s OptaSense system will be installed along the entire length of
the pipeline and will be used to provide security.
Source: Vendor, 5/27/2011
Group Opposes Senate Security Bill, Issues Paper
A group of domain name system (DNS) researchers has raised concerns about proposed legislation to shut down Web sites that host content that is infringing on copyrights because the bill could impede upon security initiatives. DNS experts Steve Crocker,
David Dagon, Dan Kaminsky, Danny McPherson and Paul Vixie published a paper detailing the challenges that the filtering of DNS requests from ISPs
could create and sent it to Senate leaders. In May, the Senate passed the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act (PROTECT IP
Act, which would enable the Department of Justice (DOJ) to require ISPs to filter customer access to Web sites that hosted copyright-infringing content.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Symantec Updates Norton Everywhere, Adds Partners
Symantec announced new partnerships and product updates for its Norton Everywhere including a new mobile application for Norton Online Family users. New partners include OneWifi, Hi-Tech Sound, The WiFi Company, KDDI, and T-Mobile Austria, all of which are using Norton mobile applications to protect their customers.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
SMARTPHONES
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AT&T Announces Pantech Crossover Android-Based Smartphone
AT&T announced plans to begin offering the Pantech Crossover on June 5. The new Android-based smartphone features a 3.1-inch touchscreen, 600MHz processor, 3MP camera, and comes pre-loaded with the AllSport GPS app. The
device will ship with Andriod 2.2 (Froyo) installed. Pricing Begins at $69.99 with a new two-year contract and qualifying data plan.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
T-Mobile to Release HTC Sensation 4G on June 15
T-Mobile USA announced the HTC Sensation 4G will be available on June 15. The high-end Android smartphone features a 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 4.3-inch qHD touchscreen display, 8MP camera
with 1080p video recording, and a pre-installed 8GB microSD card, All running on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). Pricing will be $200 on new two-year contracts with a $50 mail-in rebate. T-Mobile has set up a product
page to provide potential buyers with updates on the Sensation as they become available.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
T-Mobile to Launch Two Samsung Budget Android Smartphones
T-Mobile USA announced the upcoming launch of two new Android smartphones: the Samsung Exhibit 4G and Samsung Gravity SMART. The Exhibit 4G features a 1GHz processor, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), and comes pre-loaded
with T-MobileTV. The Gravity SMART features a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a slide-out, QWERTY keyboard, 3MP camera with flash, and the Swype software keyboard, all running on Android 2.2 (Froyo). Both phones are expected to be available some time in June for a
retail price of less than $100 after a $50 mail-in rebate.
Source: Vendor, 6/2/2011
SOCIAL MEDIA
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Diaspora Still Under Development, Seeking to Expand its Team
Diaspora posted an update on the state of its development process. The pre-release social network said work is underway on improving its sharing model, creating an easy method of connecting with existing social
networks, and improving performance of the site. The site’s founders say their current primary goal is to add more personnel to the development staff, and to expedite the sites eventual launch. No word was given on a possible date for the site’s launch, or
a beta phase.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Twitter Launches Follow Button
Twitter announced the launch of its new Follow Button. Similar to Facebook’s Like Button, the Follow button allows users signed into their Twitter accounts to instantly add a person to follow by clicking it on various
Web sites around the Internet. The new feature is launching with the support of 50 partners, including sites such as AOL, CBS, IMDB, as well as various celebrities and sports personalities. Users interested in adding the follow button to their site or blog
can begin the process by visiting Twitter’s Web site.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
Twitter Releases Address Bar Search Add-On for Firefox
Twitter released its official Address Bar Search add-on for Mozilla Firefox. The
add-on allows users to complete Twitter search from within the Firefox address bar. Users can search for hastags and @usernames, both of which will produce a results page on Twitter.com. The Twitter Address Bar Search add-on is compatible with the latest
version of Firefox running on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Android.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
Twitter Revamps Search Function, Begins Rollout of Pic Uploads
Twitter announced new changes to its search and photo sharing features. First, the micro-blogging service is rolling out a completely revamped search feature. The company says the new search will deliver more relevant
content when a user enters a query or clicks on a trending topic, as well as allowing searchers to view pictures and videos while still on the results page. Second, Twitter says will be rolling out a new photo upload service over the next several weeks.
The service will make it possible for users to upload a photo with their tweet directly from the Twitter.com interface. The photos will be hosted by Twitter’s new partner, Photobucket. The company says it expects this new functionality to be coming to
official and third-party Twitter applications shortly.
Source: Vendor, 6/1/2011
STORAGE
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Fujitsu Rolls Out New Version of PrimeSoft Server Software
Fujitsu Japan released PrimeSoft Server v1.1, the newest version of its high-speed, in-memory data management software that combines high-availability and scalability for one-microsecond-level processing. The
software can rapidly access in-memory data, and provides automatic data redundancy. It was developed for systems such as those in financial and network transactions that involve processing large amounts of data. It will be available in Japan.
Source: Vendor, 6/3/2011
STREAMING MEDIA
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blinkX Adds Trio of Fashion Video Providers to Partners
blinkX announced a trio of new partnerships with FashionTV, CHIC.TV, and VIDCAT. The alliances will bring in new content, including fashion, beauty, and celebrity-style videos. blinkX plans to leverage its AdHoc
advertising platform against the new videos to provide contextually relevant advertising to viewers. The resulting revenue will be shared with the company’s partners. No financial terms for this agreement were disclosed.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS
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TELUS Unveils Future Friendly Office with Cisco UC Technology
Cisco Systems and TELUS announced an end-to-end communications suite – TELUS Future Friendly Office – that features Cisco Unified Communications (UC) technology. Future Friendly Office
includes TELUS-supported, Cisco office systems linked to TELUS wireline and wireless network services. It is purpose-built for companies with less than 100 staff.
Source: Vendor, 5/30/2011
VOIP
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Skype Users Angered By Unauthorized Software Included in Latest Update
Skype angered many users when a new unauthorized piece of software was installed as part of its latest update, Engadget reports. The software is called EasyBits GO, and is made
by the EasyBits company, the provide of Skype’s built-in gaming software. Unfortunately for users, they were not informed of the addition prior to its installation, and many are having difficulty removing EasyBits GO from their systems. Skype’s response
had a rather erratic start, with moderators on the company’s official forums saying the software did not originate from Skype, while EasyBits itself posting an executable file which is supposed to uninstall the offending program. When the company did post
an official response it was to say that EasyBits GO had been added to the installer “erroneously” and that it was being disable for the time being. Skype did not say whether or not the software would be reinstated, but it did say that it will “work with
[EasyBits] to correct the problems and user experience”.
Source: Engadget, 5/29/2011
WEB COMMERCE
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Google Begins Google Offers Beta in Portland, Oregon
Google announced the launch of its new Google Offers service in Portland, Oregon. The service will provide discounts and promotional offers on food, products, and experiences at local businesses. Interested consumers
can sign up at the Google Offers home page, while interested business owners can get started with the program at the Google Offers for Businesses site.
Source: Vendor, 5/31/2011
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