BeCrypt Further Demonstrates Commitment To North American Market With FIPS Certification For Its Flagship Product DISK Protect™

Leading data encryption solution attains Federal Information Processing Standard and suitability for compliance with Massachusetts data security regulations

BeCrypt, a leading supplier of enterprise data security solutions has gained the Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 for DISK Protect, the company’s full disk data encryption product. DISK Protect includes support for removable media encryption and a secure wipe facility that simplifies the decommissioning and repurposing of machines. The latest certification comes a few months after the BeCrypt Cryptographic library gained the FIPS standard and further endorses BeCrypt’s commitment to the North American market.

FIPS 140-1 became a mandatory standard for the protection of sensitive data for the US Government in 1994 and was superseded by FIPS 140-2 in 2001. Private sector organisations wanting to do business with the U.S. Federal Government must use Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) validated network infrastructures and systems to enable more secure use for communications by mobile devices and all computers, including wireless networks. FIPS certification is jointly managed by NIST (US) and CSE (Canada).

BeCrypt DISK Protect is suitable to comply with the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation data security regulations. The regulations, which become effective on May 1, 2009, establish minimum standards for protecting and storing personal information about Massachusetts residents contained in paper or electronic format. The regulations apply to any businesses or individuals that own, license, store or maintain personal information about a Massachusetts resident. Therefore, they may even cover businesses or individuals having no presence in Massachusetts, as long as these entities possess the personal information of any Massachusetts resident.

Steven Bessellieu, CEO of BeCrypt Inc commented, “The FIPS certification of DISK Protect is over and above our recent FIPS certification for the BeCrypt Cryptographic Libraries which supports all of BeCrypt’s data security solutions. Now the full range of innovative BeCrypt solutions is available to companies that need to use FIPS compliant solutions.”

Mr. Bessellieu continued, “North America is an extremely important market for BeCrypt and our continued investment in certifications further demonstrates our commitment. With respect to Massachusetts, BeCrypt’s DISK Protect full-disk encryption solution meets all of the encryption requirements for organizations that need to comply with the pending Massachusetts data security regulations.”

FACT FILE:
DISK Protect is a full-disk encryption solution for laptop and desktop computers. It provides three layers of security.

Full Disk Encryption On installation DISK Protect encrypts the hard disk using a unique encryption key, and then automatically decrypts and re-encrypts data on the fly, transparently to the end-user.
Pre-Boot Authentication DISK Protect can authenticate by password, by password and USB token, or by smart card and PIN. Authenticating the user pre-boot allows DISK Protect to encrypt the entire hard drive, including the operating system preventing access to data using low level tools.
Removable Media Encryption Optional removable media encryption secures data on USB connected storage devices and floppy disks. Devices may be password protected to permit secure access by non-DISK Protect users.

DISK Protect provides a built-in secure wipe mechanism to assist with decommissioning and repurposing machines, it supports multiple languages and multiple users per machine. Single sign on simplifies start up by synchronizing the user’s DISK Protect and Windows passwords, and secure hibernation allows the computer to start up rapidly by encrypting the hibernation file as it is written to disk and decrypting it on start up.

Device recovery If a user fails to authenticate within the set policy (which is configurable), DISK Protect denies access. Using a secure procedure the user can be given access without divulging the original password.

Token support DISK Protect supports the majority of the most widely used tokens and smart cards, including the US Department of Defense Common Access Card (CAC) which allows an organization to use a single smart card for both physical access control and authentication

System Management DISK Protect has an easy to use management interface enabling administrators to perform all the usual tasks including, setting up and removal of users, configuring password policy and enabling or disabling removable media encryption.

BeCrypt DISK Protect is listed on the NIST website at: http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/STM/cmvp/documents/140-1/1401val2008.htm under ID certificate number 1062.

About BeCrypt
BeCrypt Limited was formed in 2001 to meet the growing demand for high-level computer encryption products in the international government and corporate marketplace. BeCrypt products protect customers in key government areas including: federal, state and local government, the defense sector, law enforcement and transportation.

The company now also provides a range of flexible security products tailored to meet the requirements of the commercial sector. BeCrypt has customers in financial services, pharmaceutical, insurance and banking sectors.

Through technology and OEM partnerships BeCrypt enables third-party solutions with encryption and other data security capabilities.

BeCrypt is based in Annapolis, Maryland, USA and London, UK.

For more information please visit: www.becrypt.com

Two Thirds Of Techies Would Not Trade A Good Working Culture For Better Salary

IT Job Board poll assesses impact of culture on the workplace

More than 60 percent of IT professionals would not leave a company with a good working culture for a higher salary, according to the latest piece of research undertaken by The IT Job Board, www.theitjobboard.co.uk.

When surveyed, 76 percent of respondents highlighted that working culture was either important or very important to them, when looking for a new IT job.

32 percent stated that the culture of an organisation was more important than the salary offered, and 38 percent also considered it more significant to them than flexible working.

When it came to assessing the factors that made for a better working environment, 65 percent cited a less hierarchical structure and 38 percent voted for a common room, or relaxing areas in the office.

84 percent believed that a good working culture would create a positive environment, and 76 percent stated that productivity would be increased as a result.

Alex Farrell, managing director of The IT Job Board, commented: “Clearly working culture is a key consideration for today’s employers, particularly when staff highlight its importance over salary.

“At a time when productivity is key, IT department heads should review their working environment and gauge how conducive it is to increasing output”.

010 International CES iLounge Pavilion Sells Out In Record Time; Space Quadrupled To Accommodate Customer Demand

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® today announced that the iLounge® Pavilion, a unified iPod®, Phone® and Mac® exhibition area at the 2010 International CES®, has quadrupled in size since its official launch last week. The iLounge Pavilion, co-sponsored by CEA and www.iLounge.com, will feature manufacturers and retailers of iPod and iPhone accessories, related products and services, and based on requests from vendors, will now grow to include leading Mac developers and retailers as well. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2010 International CES, the world's largest trade show for consumer technology, is scheduled for January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"We have received an incredible response from companies interested in exhibiting in the iLounge Pavilion at the 2010 International CES," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences, CEA. "In fact, the original space allocated for the pavilion sold out in less than one week - a CES show record - and we've quadrupled the space to accommodate the overwhelming demand. This exciting new CES Pavilion brings momentum to the consumer technology industry and reinforces the International CES as the global hub for the latest innovative technologies."

"Leading Apple developers and retailers are excited to have such an outstanding stage at the 2010 International CES," said Jeremy Horwitz, editor-in-chief, iLounge. "Whether they're showing off iPod accessories, iPhone applications, or the latest and coolest new Mac products, they know that they'll find the world's largest audience at this great new pavilion."

The iLounge Pavilion, originally floored with 4,000 net square feet of exhibit space which sold out in the first week following the launch, has increased to 18,000 net square feet. Exhibiting companies in the 2010 CES iLounge Pavilion, which will be housed in the Las Vegas Convention Center, South Hall 2, include Griffin Technology, Mobis Technology, Pro Clip USA, Scosche, Incase Designs, Incipio Technologies, iSkin and GelaSkins.

Companies interested in exhibiting in the iLounge Pavilion at the 2010 International CES should contact Tira Gordon, National Account Manager for CES, at tgordon@CE.org.

FACT FILE:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $172 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,200 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES - Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA's industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.

UPCOMING EVENTS
" Digital Music Forum East
February 25-26, 2009, New York, NY
" Greener Gadgets Conference
February 27, 2009, New York, NY
" EHX Spring 2009
March 10-14, 2009, Orlando, FL
" Digital Patriots Dinner
April 22, 2009, Washington, DC
" CEA Washington Forum
April 22-23, 2009, Washington, DC
" LA Games Conference
April 28-29, 2009, Hollywood, CA
" CONNECTIONS™: The Digital Living Conference and Showcase
June 2-4, 2009, Santa Clara, CA
" Digital Downtown
June 10-12, 2009, New York, NY
" 13th Annual CEO Summit
June 17-20, 2009, Dana Point, CA
" 2009 SINOCES
July 9-12, 2009, Qindao, China
" 2009 CEA Industry Forum
October 18-21, 2009, Phoenix, AZ
" CES New York Press Preview featuring CES Unveiled @ NY
November 10, 2009, New York, NY

CLA Demands Broadband Answers From Government

Although the CLA welcomes the Government’s change of heart in finally acknowledging the need for a universal service obligation for broadband, today’s Digital Britain Report fails to say how rural areas are going to get connected.

CLA President Henry Aubrey-Fletcher said: “The CLA has been the only national organisation to vigorously campaign for affordable broadband connectivity to all rural areas in Britain. The fact that we have got so far is testament to our belief that without broadband, rural business remains uncompetitive and the digital divide between urban and rural areas is actually increasing as the pressure to communicate electronically comes from all directions.

“Today I have written to Lord Carter, requesting an urgent meeting to get the answers to three questions:

• Why is the UK Government, unlike those in France, Germany and now Ireland, refusing to provide significant public sector investment for a viable universal broadband network?
• What happens between now and 2012 when ‘broadband for all’ is rolled out?
• Is the Government prepared to accept that until investment is made, some rural businesses will be unable to perform to their full potential, and that some families will remain educationally and socially disadvantaged?”

The CLA President added: “Irrespective of the political colour of the present or future Government, there still remains a failure in Whitehall to understand the contribution rural areas make to the overall economy as well as missing the opportunity to bring the UK up to speed with the rest of the world through the creation of a fibre-optic broadband network.

“The CLA will continue to push vigorously all those who are part of the broadband debate so that all those who live in rural areas can finally receive the broadband they deserve.”

http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/5631.aspx

For more information about the CLA, visit: www.cla.org.uk

ROBERTS Supports Digital Britain Announcement

ROBERTS Radio, brand leader in DAB radio, joins the DRDB (Digital Radio Development Bureau) and INTELLECT in supporting today’s Digital Britain announcement.

In relation to the future of digital radio, the announcement declares that the Government has committed to a bold digital migration plan, the criteria of which should be met by 2015. The announcement also confirms that the UK is the global leader in DAB, which has been identified as the dedicated digital platform and primary distribution method of digital radio moving forward.

Says Leslie Burrage, Chief Executive at ROBERTS; “Today’s announcement simply confirms our sentiments from the outset. From the beginning we have identified the need to drive radio to digital, via a closer working relationship between the Government, broadcasters, Ofcom and manufacturers alike. The Government’s commitment to DAB, as outlined in its digital migration plan, now gives all parties a common goal to work towards and at ROBERTS we are keen to get going! We have a host of new products lined up for 2009 that will continue to encourage the migration of our consumers and reinforce the DAB proposition.”

Computeach, one of the UK’s leading IT Training specialists, has helped hundreds of people change their careers and their lives by delivering flexible, affordable courses that give students recognised qualifications. Stefan Burt is one of those people and has told his story about how Computeach gave him a new start and a career change that has helped him break the cycle of unstable freelance contracts.

Before enrolling with Computeach Stefan had a career in IT, but was facing the same setbacks time and again. He didn’t have the experience of computer programming that he needed to move forward with his career.

Previously he had been working as a freelance web designer but with big gaps in between contracts leading to long periods of unemployment, it was starting to affect not only his quality of life but his development as an IT professional as well. Constantly repeating this cycle of work/no work and not being able to make a solid break into the IT industry, Stefan knew that something had to change. He decided that the flexibility of being able to choose when he studied and to fit that study in around his current career was important, and enrolled on a Computeach course as a Java Certified Programmer.

The Computeach courses allowed Stefan to study at his own pace and to have time to explore aspects of IT and programming without the pressure of a commercial deadline. He knew that entering the IT industry can be difficult if you don’t have the right level of experience and on the job training can be hard due to client expectations and deadlines.

As Stefan says; “being able to train in your own time allows you to take away some of the learning curve before taking on a big project.”

From the outset a team of experienced professionals guided Stefan though every step of the course. The structure of the course enabled him to build a good working relationship with his tutor and to be able to practice the concepts laid out in the coursebooks until he not only had an understanding of them, but was able to relate that understanding to practical applications and come up with solutions. The workbooks supplied with the course are designed to help the student understand the complex aspects of computer architecture and the best ways to tackle programming problems.

As Stefan began to look for work he contacted the careers department for help with that all-important CV. With their help he managed to turn it from an average resume into a professional document that stood out from the crowd. The expert team also gave him advice on how to handle interviews and encouraged him to carry on his search for the job that suited his newly acquired skills-set. Combined with his previous IT experience, this stood him in good stead and he has now managed to find a full time job in his home town that he enjoys immensely.

Stefan is just one of Computeach’s many success stories. With his own personal commitment to changing his life and career and Computeach’s flexible and professional approach to teaching new skills, Stefan and many others like him have been able to open up career doors that may have remained closed forever.

“I feel that I’ve finally made real advances which have helped me not just in my career, but in my personal life as well,” concludes Stefan.

SmartPhones: a hackers’ paradise - Mobile Phone Hacking and Password Theft

With over 1,200 videos on YouTube as to how to hack a mobile phone password educating the masses, free hacking software available online, and high profile cases of phone fraud such as the Paris Hilton case growing, there is growing evidence that SmartPhones could be the next hackers’ paradise.

As the level of access and synchronisation grows with each emerging model, smartPhones are carrying as much information appealing to hackers and fraudsters as many laptops but are much easier to access. Full copies of email accounts and often banking or corporate network access systems stored on most Smartphones carried across the nation makes this a virtual seventh heaven of opportunity for crooks and criminals.

“{{Most phones are only equipped with simple 4 digit codes that are simply not up for the job}}” says Colin Allison, CEO PINoptic, “with the amount of information stored on most of our mobile devices it is only a matter of time before someone has a serious security breach.”

Identity fraud cases went up by two-thirds in 2008 according to Experian. “With the amount of personal information we store on our phones, and the weak systems currently protecting this data this is a disaster waiting to happened” say Allison, “there are solutions but the manufactures aren’t taking this seriously yet. But unless security is improved on the handsets we will see an increasing amount of unhappy owners.”

PINoptic is an innovative authentication security product that allows the user to ‘login' using a picture-based alternative that is over 37 times more secure than most current products. This cost-effective and easily implemented security solution could cut fraud created by mobile hackers to nearly zero.

“With a PINoptic solution it statistically would take someone watching you and a good view of the picture code 10 times to figure out what your PIN maybe.“ says Allison. Misuse of passwords or PIN-access codes indicates that a simple login number is not enough protection.

PINoptic allows the user to have a memorable picture password, which can be re-used and easily remembered. When the user wants to ‘login’ they are presented with an on-screen display where pictures, images are randomly associated with numbers and or letters. By entering the relevant letters or numbers connected to the picture in the correct order they generate a one-time password. The system is easy for everyone to use, simple protecting the consumer against observation.

About PINoptic

PINoptic applies its Visual Probabilistic One Time Password (VPOTP) next- generation software to high security authentication applications. PINoptic maintains user simplicity through the use of pictures and symbols which appeals to a global market with differing literacy levels. Applications range from financial through to internet, mobile telecoms, corporate IT and access control. PINoptic’s vision is to become a defacto security standard and replace 99% of existing pin and password systems by 2012.

Info@pinoptic.com
PINoptic Ltd
http://www.pinoptic.com

Government outlines plans for UK's digital transition

The Government has today published a plan to secure Britain's place at the forefront of the global digital economy. The interim report contains more than 20 recommendations, including specific proposals on:

- next generation networks
- universal access to broadband
- the creation of a second public service provider of scale
- the modernisation of wireless radio spectrum holdings
- a digital future for radio
- a new deal for digital content rights
- enhancing the digital delivery of public services

The Digital Britain Report underlines the importance of the communications sector, its crucial contribution to the economy and its role in building Britain's industrial future.

Business Secretary, Peter Mandelson said: "This report sets out a strategy for building a knowledge economy where our most valuable assets are the skills and innovation that underpin our digital industries. This is absolutely vital if Britain is to benefit fully from some of the greatest economic opportunities on offer this century."

Culture Secretary Andy Burnham said: "Britain has always led the world in content creation - with the best music, films and TV - and it is vital that we carry forward this strength into the digital age. This is a significant Report for the creative industries, taking steps to establish workable systems of copyright in an online age and to preserve choice of public service content. But it is only the beginning of the process and we need to work hard in the coming months to secure workable solutions."

The 22-point action plan outlines a programme of work with commitments to:
* upgrade and modernise wired, wireless and broadcast infrastructure;
* secure a dynamic investment climate for UK digital content and services;
* provide a range of high quality UK made public service content;
* ensure fairness and access, with universal availability and promotion of skills and media literacy; and
* develop the infrastructure, skills and take-up to enable widespread online delivery of public services.

In addition to specific commitments, the Interim Report outlines Britain's progress in building a digital market-place, while also setting priorities for industry engagement ahead of the publication of the final Digital Britain Report, due before the summer.

Stephen Carter the Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting said: "The innovation, creativity and vitality of our communications industries rightly demand clarity from Government on its role and a framework for the future."

He added: "Delivering Digital Britain will depend upon a smart industry, working with a committed Government to produce lasting solutions."

The Interim Digital Britain Report is available at http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/broadcasting/5631.aspx

Further details on The Digital Britain Report are available at http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/media_releases/5548.aspx

Get an audit!

Independent IT audit and Software Asset Management consulting group Liken www.liken.com has launched the Software Efficiency Audit (S.E.A) to help CFOs tighten software budgets and to raise overall system efficiency within existing license arrangements.

Liken claim that as traditional Software Asset Management (SAM) focuses on licensing, it has been primarily a compliance tool for good governance with a significant cost attached. Seldom has it been effectively used as a basis for saving money or tightening budgets. The new Software Efficiency Audit, however, has been specifically designed to realign the management of software assets around cost savings and driving increased efficiency from existing software.

By combining Liken’s acclaimed software recognition service with sophisticated software usage monitoring, the Software Efficiency Audit is able to provide accurate information on what is underutilised or over licensed on the network. From this specialised analysis, savings can be made rapidly through reduced maintenance costs, reduced license renewals, tuning software to existing needs or introducing lower cost alternatives such as Open Source.

Liken, who are keen to prove the point, will deploy data gathering tools for clients free of charge. The data gathered feeds into an initial report of potential costs savings and practical guidelines on how these can be attained; without compromising the client’s compliance goals. Following this initial overview assessment, Liken will then offer to provide detailed reports that the client needs to take full advantage of the savings opportunities. As the information is so detailed, it provides the CFO with a useful structure for strategic discussions with the organisation’s CIO or board members.

Liken believe that their independence ensures objective reporting on the maximum possible savings for each client. However, Liken does also offer a full traditional SAM service that includes license management for those who require it. Liken believe though, that the Software Efficiency Audit is the simplest way to ensure that, without compromising compliance, software costs are as kept low as possible and that exposure to over licensing is minimised.

Says James Rowlands CEO of Liken, “CFOs and therefore CIOs, are now under extreme budgetary pressure. Yet nearly every organisation we talk to has some over licensing or under utilisation of software. In most cases, they are using full blown packages where cheaper alternatives or Open Source solutions would be just as good but a fraction of the cost. All this adds up to far greater maintenance and support costs even before you get to the issue of licence fees.

“With the Global recession raging at full force, the requirement to get more from an existing investment, or more likely to reduce that investment, has become acute. We set out to alleviate this problem and believe that with S.E.A in place organisations can now focus on usage and costs far more easily.”

Organisations that are interested in a free overview assessment, the first stage of the audit process, should visit: http://www.liken.co.uk/community.php

Savvy new website set to save IT buyers a packet during credit crunch

A money saving expert has launched an invaluable website to help blow the lid off IT sellers’ trade secrets and save corporate buyers a small fortune during the credit crunch.

www.negotiationpower.co.uk, which goes live at the end of January 2009, is designed to slash businesses’ IT costs by providing market intelligence about suppliers, their products and pricing policies through an exclusive, vendor-free forum where buyers can swap procurement tactics and share real experiences.

In addition, by subscribing to Negotiation Power, anyone who buys IT or is involved in the selection or procurement of software, hardware, maintenance or support contracts will receive membership benefits such as free supplier profiles, useful documents and templates, as well as news and advice through the monthly Negotiation Newsletter.

The first of its kind online community is the brainchild of entrepreneur and negotiation adviser Mark Bartrick, who has helped save the likes of betting giant William Hill Plc hundreds of thousands of pounds in recent years.

The self styled watchdog said saving money during the credit crunch had become a priority for many businesses and organisations. “As IT soaks up an ever increasing share of budgets for both public organisations and private sector businesses, Negotiation Power is designed to help IT buyers become more effective and efficient at eking out cost savings and finding negotiable cost reductions by sharing information that sellers don’t want you to know,” he said.

“By providing a platform for members to share experiences and knowledge, the website also provides an insight into how other organisations got the best deals, what terms they achieved, how they negotiated them and how much they saved, invaluable information during these difficult times.”

He added that, for far too long, IT buyers had laboured under the age-old saying ‘caveat emptor’ or ‘buyer beware’. “Negotiation Power aims to change all that,” he said. “By showing how to get the best deals and the biggest discounts, we can shift the balance of power into the hands of buyers and, in doing so, create a new saying; ‘caveat mango’ or ‘seller beware’. After all, it’s always better to work smarter, not harder.”

Anyone responsible for buying IT products and services, negotiating with IT suppliers or managing IT contracts can join the Negotiation Power online community. Applications will be vetted to guarantee a 100 percent vendor-free environment.

Annual subscription is £249, but, as a special introductory offer, IT buyers can join for just £199 if they sign up before 31st March 2009. To learn more about the benefits of joining Negotiation Power, visit www.negotiationpower.co.uk

ShippingPodcasts.com to take the maritime world by storm

Specialist maritime eLearning provider Coracle, www.CoracleOnline.com, has launched a new website, www.ShippingPodcasts.com, providing free audio content as podcasts.

Bringing a new level of transparency to the shipping industry, ShippingPodcasts.com offers podcasts on a range of topics including the Tanker markets, the Gas sector, the Dry Cargo market, Shipping Law, Marine Insurance, Ports and Terminals, and the P&I sector.

To create these innovative podcasts, Coracle has partnered some of the most influential market commentators in the industry, including The Baltic Exchange, Braemar-Seascope, Ince & Co, Reed Smith, The London Club and Willis Marine.

Coracle provides the audio files for free via ShippingPodcasts.com as well as via iTunes and is supported by an innovative advertising scheme where advertising revenues are divided between covering costs and supporting disadvantaged students via the Coracle Education Fund.

Says Coracle and ShippingPodcasts.com Founder and Managing Director, James Tweed: “ShippingPodcasts.com fills a gap in the industry for topical and accessible online maritime information. Every shipping professional can now access these lively podcasts read by Sony Award winning journalist Katie Breathwick. In this fast moving business, we believe that these easy-to-digest audio updates on the different maritime sectors can only help to keep the industry on its toes.”

Kevin Shakesheff, Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers Chairman and avid ShippingPodcasts.com listener, adds: “As a fifty something and a late comer to technology, after getting an iPod as a Christmas gift from my kids, I have suddenly entered the world of Podcasts and in particular Coracle podcasts. Listening to the broadcasts is just so simple. It is just brilliant to switch on when I am on the train, or messing about at home in the evening.”

Mr Shakesheff continues: “The podcats help me keep myself up-to-date with lots of interesting shipping topics. In this traditional shipping industry, how refreshing it is to see modern technology working to my advantage.”

Together with its professional networking website, Argonaut (argo0.com), which includes the largest glossary of shipping terms available online, Coracle sets a new standard in the depth and reach of online maritime information.

LendingTree Selects Alterian for Content Management Platform

Alterian Content Management Platform is Decreasing Costs and Improving Ease of Use for Popular Online Lending Exchange

LendingTree, LLC, the nation’s leading online lending exchange, re-launched its flagship site of LendingTree.com in Q408 driven by the Enterprise Edition of Alterian Content Management platform, Alterian’s (LSE:ALN) leading web content management solution. The organisation is utilising the solution to manage, adapt and grow its online Web site.

LendingTree conducts business online through its Web site, LendingTree.com. Since the implementation of Alterian Web Content Management, LendingTree has been able to increase the speed of content updates to the site due to fewer process points and individuals involved, providing the ability to respond immediately to daily market turns, and post interest rate drop notices within minutes of announcement. Additionally, LendingTree has decreased development overhead for site changes and its business users have more control over content.

Alterian’s Web Content Management solution, formerly known as Morello, is a scalable solution that empowers all companies regardless of size. The platform’s user-friendly interface provides a flexible, collaborative solution. Ultimately, Alterian Web Content Management allows an organisation’s digital marketing channel to be managed by business professionals, enabling quicker response times to meet customer needs and create engagement with site visitors.

“Alterian Content Management has already changed the way we at LendingTree do business,” said Alyssa Vassil, manager, quality assurance and process innovation, LendingTree. “The ability to upload valuable information for our customers in short order is helping us to build stronger relationships with our customers and allowing us to adapt the consumer experience to the current market. Due to the value we’ve already seen, we plan to extend our use of Alterian Content Management to manage other Tree.com brands and businesses.”

“We are delighted to see the Alterian Content Management Platform at work with companies like LendingTree as it pushes forward as a thought leader in the financial services industry,” said David Eldridge, CEO of Alterian. “In an industry with increased volatility, consumers need a place that they trust for the most up to date, reliable information. LendingTree, with its implementation of Alterian Content Management, is able to provide that information in real-time, allowing them to make informed decisions. LendingTree joins the rapidly growing group of North American customers who are gaining the benefit of the web content management capability in our Integrated Marketing Platform.”

www.alterian.com.

www.lendingtree.com

Experts Warn Cloud Computing May Be Safe Harbour For Malware

Global Secure Systems, the IT security consultancy, has warned that Cloud Computing may turn into a malware-fest after researchers have found a method of using the Amazon EC2 service as a BitTorrent host/downloading mechanism.

"Using P2P programs like BitTorrent has always been a risky procedure for PC users owing to the issue of infections arriving along with the pirated software and other executables. Reports have just come in, in fact, that BitTorrent is hosting a malware-loaded version of the Apple iWork software," said David Hobson, GSS' managing director.

"What is even more worrying, however, is the fact that researchers have developed a method of using the Amazon EC2 Cloud Computing service as a remote harvester and hosting system for BitTorrent files," he added.

This means, says Hobson, that hackers and other interested parties can simply use a prepaid (and anonymous) debit card to pay the $75 a month fee to Amazon and harvest BitTorrent applications at high speed with little or no chance of detection.

This, he explained, raises P2P filesharing to a whole new level, and is almost certain to dramatically increase the usage of BitTorrent - with all the risk the facility entails - amongst experienced Internet users.

"The danger here is that companies may find their staff FTP-ing files from Amazon EC2 - a completely legitimate domain - to the firm's computers, resulting in an internal computer infection. The consequences of this do not bear thinking about," he said.

According to Hobson, companies thinking of using Cloud Computing services need to think very carefully about extending their IT security envelope to counter this and other issues that arise from the use of the Cloud.

No-one could have envisaged the security risk of using a Cloud Computing resource as a BitTorrent harvester, but it has happened and companies need to be ware of the potential risk the technology now poses, he said.

For more on the use of Amazon EC2 as a BitTorrent harvester: http://tinyurl.com/77rogn

For more on GSS: http://www.gss.co.uk

Symantec Uncovers Trojan Concealed In Pirate Copies Of Apple’s iWork ‘09

The dangers of pirated software have once again been graphically exposed by Symantec today with the report of a new Trojan currently being shared on BitTorrent. Disguised as a copy of the trial version of iWork ‘09, from Apple, the phony iWork ’09 installer has the filename iWork09.zip – so users can easily be duped into thinking this is the legitimate version from Apple.

In contrast, the legitimate trial version of iWork ’09, available from Apple is named iWork09Trial.dmg. The Trojanised package contains parts of the iWork ’09 trial version, but also includes a malicious installer named iWorkServices.pkg.

The OSX.iWork threat can unleash malicious code onto the users Mac which then connects them to a remote system hosted elsewhere. This means the pirates can then send commands to the infected machine to scan for sensitive or valuable information, track where the user goes on the internet and record what the user types - leaving the unwitting recipient vulnerable to identity theft and at risk of financial loss.

Symantec explains how the threat has occured on its Security Response blog: 'When software developers create an installer for the Mac, it's often several mini-installers, or packages, that are run in a particular sequence. Each package (.pkg file) contains specific code and a script makes sure that the code is placed in the right part of the hard drive so your computer can use the software. In this case, the main installation script was changed so not only did it run the ‘right’ software packages, but it also installs another package, sensibly named "iWorkServices.pkg," which unloads the malicious code that connects the users to a remote system- leaving them open to attack.’

Symantec Security Response rates OSX.iWork as a low-level threat, but states that it is still significant because with the current economic crisis, increasing numbers of people might be tempted to use pirate software instead of paying for it.

According to Symantec what's particularly vexing is that unless users have some kind of security software, they would never know their Mac was compromised because the iWork components themselves would work normally. Symantec recommends that users:

• Be careful where they download software (and do not use pirate software)
• If they want to try out the software type in the following URL (http://www.apple.com/iwork/) which will direct them to Apple’s homepage, so they know it’s legit
• Scan drives regularly for threats using quality security software. Users might also want to think about installing a firewall to check for unauthorised connections into and out of their Mac
• Ensure security software is kept up to date and stay informed about current threats

Symantec has created a definition for this vulnerability in the Norton AntiVirus for Mac, Norton Internet Security for Mac and Symantec AntiVirus for Mac definitions files, so run LiveUpdate to access.

CAYIN Technology Releases New Zone-type Digital Signage Player At ISE 2009

At Integrated Systems Europe 2009, CAYIN will release SMP-PROPLUS, a new model of CAYIN SMP-PRO series players. This new product employs all the time-proven functions from the SMP-PRO series family, and, furthermore, supports HD video playback and portrait displays thanks to a more powerful display engine with a better performance.

SMP-PROPLUS, equipped with CAYIN’s media player, supports most popular image file formats, audio/video codec, such as MPEG 1/2/4, AVI, WMV 7/8/9, WMA, MP3, RAW DV, JPG, GIF, etc. It further supports HD (High Definition) video playback advanced in the SMP-PRO series family.

To provide users with a wide variety of display choices for diversified applications, SMP-PROPLUS supports 15 popular screen resolutions for both landscape and portrait displays. Simply by a single click on the Web Manager, the web-based user interface of SMP series player, you can easily rotate your multimedia content clockwise or counter clockwise.

SMP-PROPLUS is an advanced zone-type digital signage player. It supports more multimedia presentations to satisfy a broader spectrum of applications’ needs. Users can present up to seven areas for two stored/live videos, two image slide shows, a ticker, a clock, and a theme background.

SMP-PROPLUS can also perform as an in-store music player simultaneously. For users who only need to playback one video zone, they can utilize the second video zone as a music channel, and schedule the music files. Combining the background music and the dynamic, rich contents on the screen, SMP-PROPLUS can be used to make a complete in-store multimedia system.

To assist users with instant deployment, CAYIN especially provides multiple well-designed skins and stylish clocks for users to create attractive presentations easily.

Not being limited to given templates, users can create a new skin that matches the brand image or the theme of the event in five minutes with CAYIN’s Skin Editor, an intuitive, simple drag-and-drop tool.

Apart from the above popular functions, SMP-PROPLUS also provides a useful new function, scheduling multimedia playback. Users can edit and schedule playlists for each media source on SMP-PROPLUS player directly. They can also choose to schedule playlists of multiple players centrally by CAYIN CMS server. Via this function, users can work more efficiently by sending information to the right customers at the right time automatically.

SMP- PROPLUS also features its remote management functions. It can be deployed either as a networked standalone solution or under a server-client structure (incorporated with CAYIN’s CMS server). It supports updated multimedia contents by FTP, Network Neighborhood, or by CAYIN CMS server with automatic centralized content updated according to the pre-set schedule through the Internet.

FACT FILE
CAYIN Technology offers a complete portfolio of appliance-based digital signage solutions, including media players, servers, and software, for various commercial applications, such as education, transportation, retail, hospitality, corporate use, and financial and public institutions. CAYIN is committed to being a reliable partner to its clients worldwide, and has successfully set up various application references internationally. In order to best facilitate the deployment of CAYIN products, the company also provides tailored services to satisfy the ascending market demand for almost limitless applications.

www.cayintech.com

Acer Presents The New Aspire One With A 10-Inch Form Factor

Ultimate mobile freedom, now even bigger

Acer, the third largest vendor in the global PC market (source: Gartner data, 1H 2008), today presented an all-new 10” Aspire One netbook, complete with a 10-inch screen, Windows XP and integrated Bluetooth, and designed for a fast, simple and utterly cool online life.

Only one year after first appearing on the market, netbooks have totally revolutionized the PC market, helping to form an entirely new market segment that users themselves created through a real need to be online all the time and to socialize around the clock.

Acer, thanks to its unique ability to read market trends and anticipate user needs, rapidly introduced the Aspire One, the world’s most popular netbook.

“Despite the recent problems of the financial markets and general economic uncertainty, the netbook and notebook markets will continue to grow in 2009” said Gianfranco Lanci, President & CEO, Acer Inc. “With companies focused on containing the crisis, consumers and products designed for them become more important as users simply cannot do without their personal communication instruments.”

At a little more than one kilo (1.18 kg), the new 10” Aspire One combines style, great features and a new form factor to provide the best combination of ultra-portability and maximum screen size for navigation and data input.

Designed for an optimal web browsing experience and Internet productivity, the 10” Aspire One includes a 10.1” WSVGA LED backlit display with a resolution of 1024x600 pixels that offers a broader vision for more convenient navigation. Integrated on top of the screen is the unique Acer Crystal Eye webcam optimized for poorly lit environments, a tiny window, tastefully encircled by a mirror rim, that keeps you connected to the world though live video streaming, video chats and conferences.

The 10” Aspire One comes with 802.11b/g WiFi and Acer Signal Up technology built-in as standard for easy access to available wireless networks. In addition is equipped with Bluetooth and can also be specified with a choice of embedded WiMAX or 3G wireless technologies for unlimited connectivity.

The 10” Aspire One meets Energy Star 4.0 requirements and can be equipped with a 6-cell Li-ion battery pack. With incredibly low idle power consumption, the 10” Aspire One guarantees up to 7 hours battery life for maximum fun. The battery indicator, placed on the front side is immediately recognizable even when the netbook is folded.

But the 10” Aspire One not only keeps you always connected - it keeps you connected with style. Available in four high-gloss color options including white, blue, red and black, the unmistakable design immediately catches the eye. The slim and streamlined Aspire One evokes speed and mobility, making it clear that it was designed for a life on the go. Stylish details such as the aerodynamic shaped metallic hinge with a colored accent and the fancy bright color rim that encircles the mirror plate power button immediately draw attention. The brushed-metal palm rest offers a refined look while avoiding unaesthetic fingerprints.

The 10” Aspire One is equipped with an Intel® Atom™ processor, Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express Chipset or Mobile Intel® 82801GBM Chipset and can be equipped with up to 2 GB of DDR memory for an enhanced user experience. Notwithstanding the small size, the 10” Aspire One features a large 160 GB internal hard drive. In addition the 10” Aspire One features a multi-in-one card reader for absolute data freedom.

The Aspire One comes with Windows XP® Home operating system; additional preinstalled software includes Acer eRecovery Management, Acer Launch Manager, Adobe® Reader®, McAfee® Internet Security Suite, Microsoft® Office Trial 2007.

The Aspire one comes with a 1-year carry in warranty which can be extended to 2 years with Acer Advantage.

For further information, visit www.acer.co.uk

KUKA robot group makes Visual Components simulation software key to its programming development and marketing

KUKA, one of the world’s leading suppliers of industrial robots and systems, wanted to shorten the time from concept to production for its products and systems, in particular the generation of robot programs. When dealing with highly sophisticated production lines and multi-robot work cell installations one of the best ways to test and verify decisions is to simulate in a 3D environment and see these operations as realistically as possible in real-time.

KUKA chose the Visual Components (VC) simulation and visualisation software suite mainly because it provides a readily available and highly developed solution. The software also offers comprehensive functionality at a price far below that demanded by larger suppliers.

In addition, KUKA exploited other important features of the software: the combination of material flow and robot simulation on a single platform, and reusable ‘plug-and-play’ equipment libraries to support the sales processes of business partners. These features provide partners with a powerful layout configuration tool to help them produce highly realistic, animated presentations and real-time production planning demonstrations for marketing and sales purposes. Further, end-users of the robot based production systems also benefit from the production model by conducting material flow studies for improved throughput.

In general, no other solution but VC offered KUKA this overall flexibility, comparable value for money, or completeness. Applications such as discrete event simulation only addressed a small part of what the robot manufacturer wanted. Computer-aided design (CAD) systems could not provide process simulation. Some simulation and visualisation capabilities were offered by large solution providers, but were too costly or lacked fundamental features. Above all, there was no need for KUKA to develop its own modeling software, which would otherwise have diverted much time and money into development. The company could ‘hit the ground running’ with a ready-made solution.

For KUKA the versatility and openness of VC means it can be used to achieve an important next step. For many years the automotive industry has represented the main market for KUKA sales. Now the company wants to diversify into new, more general industrial market sectors. VC will help the company quickly adapt to these contrasting scenarios.

“This is an interesting challenge for us: the whole logic of the business is totally different when you compare these two industry categories. In general industry the biggest dilemma lies in the heterogenic demands of all sorts of different manufacturing processes,” said KUKA’s Project Leader Andreas Keibel. “VC´s flexibility and excellent cooperation in R&D gives us the freedom and capability to develop our robots to fit extremely versatile industries. We also appreciate the software’s open component-based architecture.”

FACT FILE:

KUKA Roboter GmbH, Augsburg is a KUKA AG company and ranks among the world’s leading supp¬liers of industrial robots. Core com¬petencies are the development, production and sale of industrial robots, controllers, software and linear units. The company is the market leader in Germany and Europe, and the number three in the world. The KUKA Robot Group employs about 2,000 people worldwide. Of these, 1,200 are employed in Germany, either at the KUKA Robot Group headquarters in Augsburg, or at various subsidi¬aries. In 2007, sales totaled 413 million euro. Twenty-five subsidiaries pro¬vide a presence in the major mar¬kets of Europe, America and Asia. http://www.kuka-robotics.com

VISUAL COMPONENTS

Visual Components Oy is a world leading 3D simulation and visuali¬sation software specialist. With a new generation of simulation products Visual Components offers machine builders, system integra¬tors and companies using complex turnkey manufacturing solutions a simple, quick and highly cost effec¬tive way to build and simulate their complete production lines. Now with the help of 3D simulation, it is possible for industrial firms to implement new production lines faster and more cost effectively with improved profitability. Visual Components Oy was established in 1999 and operates from Helsinki, Finland with the support of a glo¬bal reseller network. http://www.visualcomponents.com

Benchmark Study: Charity Homepages Get Top Marks For Design & Content But Miss Opportunity To Engage With Donors and Prospects

Cancer Research UK and Save the Children top benchmark study

The homepages of UK charity websites are following digital marketing best practice in relation to design and content, but are failing to capitalise on opportunities to build a loyal online visitor base, reveals a new benchmark study, Hitting the Heart ( http://www.dotmailer.com/hittingtheheart ). The report, released today by dotMailer, finds that charities are failing to put their website at the centre of a wider digital marketing strategy and neglecting donor contact and up sell opportunities.

Leading digital marketing agency dotMailer evaluated the websites of 15 high ranking UK charities and scored each against 26 best practice criteria, awarding each a total score out of 100*.

Cancer Research UK leads the index with a score of 81% followed by Save the Children, Action for Blind People and British Heart Foundation with 80%, 79.5% and 79.5% respectively. Homepages generally scored good marks overall for design, layout and clarity of message with high average scores in particular for putting key messages above the fold (78%), fresh content (78%) and easy-to-use search (100%).

However, only one in three of the charities assessed managed to score over 70%, with Crime Concern languishing at the bottom of the table with just (47.5%).

Crucial areas such as collecting permission based email signups and contact data, trading donors up in the donation path and following donations up with relationship building emails, saw charities score surprisingly low in many cases. In the case of sending follow-up email campaigns to donors within 30 days of the transaction, not one single charity surveyed scored a point.

Dave Ivy, Creative Director, dotMailer said:
“In the current economic climate, charities risk losing revenue as donors tighten their belts. By using online channels more effectively it is possible to achieve outstanding ROI for significantly less budget than traditional fundraising channels and generate a more long-term and productive relationship with supporters. Our study identified several key areas in which charities should focus on making changes, such as providing up-to-date content that engages visitors, working harder to capture permission-based email signups, and using more intelligent web content and email follow-up to engage and upgrade prospects to donors and turn existing donors into repeat givers.”

The whitepaper based on this benchmark study contains best practice advice for all website owners and includes top tips and practical examples from dotMailer’s team of specialists. dotMailer has a long and successful track-record within the third sector, having worked with a numerous charities including the Fairtrade Foundation, CRUK and WaterAid. The full report and whitepaper is available from http://www.dotmailer.com/hittingtheheart

Prime Minister Gordon Brown praises winners of the e-Government National Awards

“We also want to offer individuals the opportunity to dispose of their PCs at one of our secure processing facilities in Porth, South Wales; Preston, Lancashire; Barking, Essex and Radcliffe in Manchester. Therefore from February 2009, we are offering people the opportunity, at a very small cost, to drop off their laptops or base units for safe data removal at one of our centres on a specific day each month for the next six months. For full details including site address and dates please visit our website www.remployecycle.co.uk and go to the ‘PC recycling for individuals’ button under the ‘Solutions’ tab.

“Should an individual also wish to assure themselves their PC or laptop is data cleansed before sale through e-bay, or another channel, we can, again for a nominal fee, use Blancco software for this purpose. We are also exploring a national initiative to make our secure IT processing services widely available to consumers in the longer term.”

SOS Bucks The Trend With Recruitment Drive

Redundant workers from software rivals targeted

Bath-based Solicitors Own Software (SOS) has announced a recruitment drive to supplement its professional team following increased demand for SOS ConnectTM integrated, practice and case management software.

The legal software and services company is looking for experienced legal accounts trainers with excellent training skills as well as experienced case management/workflow consultants. The recruits will work closely with new and existing clients to extract the best possible value from their SOS Connect implementations.

As the impact of the Legal Services Act on broadening competition begins to bite, law firms are increasingly seeking the efficiency gains and rapid return on investment that SOS Connect can deliver.

“Firms that implement our solution now will emerge from the recession better equipped to compete in the open market and first able to respond when the upturn comes,” said David McNamara, managing director of SOS.

“Despite the economic downturn, demand for our solutions remains consistent and SOS is bucking the trend of some legal software firms who have unfortunately laid off people,“ he continued. “We are keen to talk to anyone with several years’ experience of the industry who may have suffered redundancy recently."

For details visit www.soslegal.co.uk

CLA Asks For Help Pinpointing Broadband Blackspots

The CLA wants to identify the last remaining pockets of ADSL broadband unavailability in an attempt to quantify demand and help find affordable, short-term solutions.

According to BT, ADSL broadband services now reach 99 percent of all homes and businesses in the UK, yet the CLA still regularly receives enquiries from members frustrated they cannot take advantage of these services because they live in remote rural areas.

Douglas Chalmers, Director CLA North said: “Unavailability of affordable broadband in rural areas is a real issue, affecting many businesses and homes, and is actually preventing the rural economy from being competitive. As long as providers and policy makers can quote “almost universal” provision, they will not believe there is a problem to fix, so we need to establish just how big an issue this is and where the problems lie.

"Only then can we seek a way forward. As well as being in discussion with BT, we are also talking to politicians at Ministerial level on a regular basis to stress the importance of affordable, effective broadband to the rural economy, and to redress the economic and social divide that exists.

"We need evidence of demand and are therefore asking anyone who would like broadband but believe they cannot obtain the standard ADSL service to contact the CLA North Regional Office on info.north@cla.org.uk or call 015395 67597

“We will need to know your address, the telephone number on which you wish to connect and, if possible, the main reason you want broadband. Once armed with this information, the CLA’s arguments for a solution for everyone affected become even stronger.”

IT Salaries in London fall by 2.3% report CV Screen

CV Screen's latest IT salary survey shows that IT Salaries in London have fallen by 2.3% over the last 12 months.

The survey by the specialist IT Recruitment Agency monitored over 35 job roles in London, from over 2000 advertised IT positions in Q4 2008 and found that the average IT Salary in the Capital now stands at £37,707.

The specialist recruiter also saw a 24% increase in the number of London based candidates registering on their database in comparison with the same period in 2007.

CV Screen’s Account Manager for London, Alex Lawson, who compiled the survey, “The fall in IT Salaries in London was to be expected given the challenging economic climate and the increase in candidate availability will continue to put downward pressure on IT Salaries in London over the next 12 months.”

Despite this, there are still companies looking for talented IT professionals in the Capital as Lawson explained further “We continue to see a high demand for candidates with PHP, .Net and C# development skills.”

Lawson concluded “The demand for IT staff is slowing at a much slower rate than other sectors, which is as a result of the critical nature that technology plays within every organisation. There is still demand and competition for quality candidates and we would expect the IT Jobs market in London to continue to be more resilient than other sectors in 2009.

Top people search results named

The world’s biggest people search engine has unveiled its list of top celebrities that Brits were searching for in 2008 and Gordon Brown came out on top.

Millions of searches from the world’s biggest people search engine have been compiled to find the UK’s most sought after person, based on the amount of searches, and Politicians come out on Top with Gordon Brown and Barack Obama gaining the Top Two spots.

yasni has released the Top British searches of 2008 and not only is Gordon Brown the most searched for Politician, but he is the Number One overall search, beating Daniel Craig, Lewis Hamilton, Barack Obama and George Clooney.

Rounding up the overall Top 5 searches on yasni.co.uk are:

1) Gordon Brown
2) Barack Obama
3) Lewis Hamilton
4) Daniel Craig
5) George Clooney

When broken down into categories, Daniel Craig, renowned for his topless walks along the beach and his shaken-not-stirred fame, was ranked the public’s favourite celebrity with George Clooney following closely behind.

A breakdown of the most searched for Celebrity is as follows:

1) Daniel Craig
2) George Clooney
3) Cheryl Cole
4) Keeley Hazell
5) Steve Coogan

Gordon Brown seems to have won the British vote in the category of Politicians, but surprisingly Brits are just as interested in the American Presidential election with both Barack Obama and Sarah Palin reaching the Top 5:

1) Gordon Brown
2) Barack Obama
3) Nicola Sturgeon
4) David Cameron
5) Sarah Palin

Lewis Hamilton races into pole position for the Sports category, beating Olympic winners Chris Hoy and Rebecca Adlington. Frank Lampard brought out the UK’s compassionate side in 2008 after the death of his mother; becoming the third most popular Sports person.

The Top 5 most searched for Sports people:

1) Lewis Hamilton
2) Chris Hoy
3) Frank Lampard
4) Cristiano Ronaldo
5) Rebecca Adlington

Steffen Ruehl, CEO and Co-founder of yasni said; “This information shows what people are interested in and surprisingly it seems that Gordon Brown is at the fore-front of the British public’s thoughts.

“We should question the motive of these searches; fans are probably searching for pictures of George Clooney and Daniel Craig but perhaps Brits are trying to dig-for-dirt on Gordon Brown rather than find pictures of him in his swimwear!”

Other results from www.yasni.co.uk found that the most popular business person is Steve Ballmer, with John Varley following closely behind.

Warning! 58% singles seeking love affected by online dating dishonesty

If you have ever gone on a date with someone you met online, only to find that your partner doesn’t look like they claim, you are not alone. 58% of us have been the victims of online dating dishonesty, according to a report released today by Logitech, making it essential that you plan early to avoid first date disappointment this St. Valentine’s Day.

Logitech’s report revealed that 58% of the millions of Europeans who have dated online have been lied to when seeking a potential match. Italians lead the way, with 72% of respondents experiencing dating dishonesty. In turn, 58% of German, 56% of French and 55% of British respondents admitted to suffering the same fate. The Dutch demonstrated the most honesty, with only 48% of their dates misrepresenting themselves. The research found that the top dating distortions across Europe were a date’s attractiveness, followed closely by their weight. Good news for balding men: lack of hair is least likely to be a cause for complaint.

For someone looking for love online, physical appearance is a key factor in their decision to commit to a date or not. However, photographs are often digitally enhanced, unrepresentative of the person or simply taken from a by-gone era, so it is no wonder people end up disappointed.

As the world’s leading manufacturer of webcams, Logitech commissioned the study to establish how much difference a video call with a prospective date would make. The majority of Europeans (54%) agreed that seeing the person first would give them a chance to say no and save everyone the bother of a wasted date. 45% of British and Germans said it would make them overcome their laziness and agree to a date. One in three French and Italians agreed. 42% of Germans and one in three Dutch and Italians said it would help them make a quick judgement on looks and go on a date in spite of someone’s personality. Personality mattered more to the French and British. Nearly one in four Dutch said they would even be prepared to have sex with their date, on the basis of seeing them first.

Frederic Boutin, European product manager for Internet Communications at Logitech said: “The little deceptions people make online can turn into big disappointments when we finally meet our dates face to face. By being able to meet up online with a video call we can pick and choose our potential date without wasting the valuable time and money that goes into organising a first meeting. Get online and chat over video to avoid potential disappointment this St. Valentine’s Day!”

The Logitech® QuickCam® Pro 9000, the Logitech® QuickCam® Pro for Notebooks and the Logitech® QuickCam® Vision Pro webcam for Mac are available throughout Europe and have a suggested retail price of £69.99. All three webcams feature a high quality Carl Zeiss® lens and autofocus technology: perfect to view your potential date and find out what they really look like.

“Research reveals that 60% of all online shopping happens at work”. BBC News Online.

With the internet available in most offices around the UK, is any work actually getting done?

The internet is now an indispensable tool for most businesses, enabling organisations to communicate easily, gain a more thorough knowledge of their field and operate more efficiently. However, as with most life-changing innovations, with positives come negatives as, increasingly, employees use the internet for non-work related browsing.

According to the BBC News Online: Recent surveys have shown that “75% of IT managers and corporate internet users think that monitoring and filtering procedures are an absolute necessity”. With the internet accessible in the majority of workplaces and with the credit crunch affecting many businesses it is understandable for the need to maximise efficiency by removing distractions, like the internet, from an office.

Avanquest Solutions offers the answer: internet filtering software solutions, ContentProtect Professional and ContentProtect Professional Suite from ContentWatch.

As the leading internet filtering solution, ContentProtect Professional has been specifically designed with businesses and organisations in mind. It is highly customisable; from general settings for an office as a whole to specific settings for the needs of each employee. Administrators are able to monitor where their employees are spending their time online and block applications which they deem inappropriate during working hours.

ContentWatch have come up with a solution to a problem that almost all other internet filtering applications have struggled with. Content Protect has a simple to use override feature which allows you to unblock a website which has become a target of over blocking.

Content Protect Professional can save businesses time and money by:

• Eliminating employees non work-related web surfing.
• Increasing an employee’s time to concentrate on their work.
• Protecting offices from the dangers of the internet.
• Protecting businesses from potential legal liability issues.

ContentProtect can ensure that bosses are getting the utmost out of their employees, with peace of mind that their employees aren’t surfing the web but rather doing what they are paid to do.

For further information on ContentProtect / Avanquest Solutions contact Catherine Hodges on 01752 241488 or chodges@avanquest-solutions.co.uk.

Jaguar Land Rover to Drive Global Websites with Alterian Content Management

Alterian platform provides communications team with world-class editorial control over online presence

Alterian , an integrated marketing platform provider, today announced Jaguar Land Rover will use Alterian Content Management to manage its global websites. Jaguar Land Rover will use the platform to support its global markets, giving communications professionals editorial control over local website copy to engage customers and generate increased sales.

Jaguar Land Rover required a single, consolidated platform upon which to power its global websites. It selected Alterian Content Management in December 2008 for its easy to use technology, user friendly interface, multilingual capabilities and flexible working processes. Ultimately, Alterian Content Management will allow Jaguar Land Rover’s digital communications channels to be managed by business people, not the IT department.

By consolidating website delivery to a resilient, enterprise class platform, Jaguar Land Rover will increase the efficiency of maintaining multiple disparate solutions. This will also enable close control of global brand assets and campaigns with appropriate local control for regional variations. Tight integration between the Alterian Content Management platform and Jaguar Land Rover’s current CRM systems will support a far more personalised online experience for customers.

“In today’s economic climate, driving sales and converting prospects into paying customers have become increasingly important. The website is quickly becoming a company’s most powerful marketing tool, and so it is vital that the communications team have direct control over the website and the ability to change content as required,” said David Eldridge, CEO of Alterian. “To succeed in these uncertain times, companies need to maximise their online presence and ensure that prospective customers receive a personal and relevant experience when they visit a company's website.”

Alterian Content Management offers a powerful and flexible web content management solution for large enterprises, helping them build and run sophisticated intranets, extranets, websites and other digital channels. The platform’s multilingual capabilities also match perfectly with Jaguar Land Rover’s need to simultaneously upload content in many different languages across their network of sites. The platform will help Jaguar Land Rover communications professionals to build, manage and publish dynamic content directly to www.jaguar.com and www.landrover.com , improving the speed, responsiveness, ease-of-use and quality of content for customers.

About Alterian
Alterian (LSE: ALN) empowers marketers with an integrated marketing software platform combining database, online and operational marketing applications on a shared data infrastructure. The Alterian Integrated Marketing Platform makes it practical and cost effective for marketers to use actionable insight to execute an integrated marketing strategy across online and offline channels.

It is the unique integration of analytics, content and execution through Alterian’s industry leading tools, such as the Alterian Messenger email platform, and the award winning Alterian Content Management web solutions, which enables marketers to drive a seamless, multi-channel customer experience.

Alterian’s analytically-led software is delivered to approximately 1,000 marketing departments, across 26 countries, and an international network of more than 100 business partners, including marketing services providers, agencies and systems integrators. Its partners, such as Accenture, Acxiom, Allant Group, Cap Gemini, Carlson Marketing, Experian, Epsilon, InfoUSA, LogicaCMG, Merkle, Ogilvy One and Euro RSCG Worldwide, deliver Alterian software alongside their own domain and services expertise to help market leaders such as Princess Cruises, General Motors, Zurich, Astra Zeneca, HSBC, Limited Too, AEGON, Avis, Worldwide Wrestling Entertainment, Dell, Amnesty International and Vodafone integrate marketing processes and drive competitive advantage. For more information about Alterian, products within the Alterian Integrated Marketing Platform or our Partner Network, please visit www.alterian.com.

Be a perfect Valentine by getting straight to the point with Twenga from your desk or even while out and about on your iphone

Impress your partner with your knowledge of Valentines, find a perfect gift and outshine their ex by miles. Twenga – the most comprehensive international shopping search engine - has done all the work for you and come up with a list of suitable gifts for you to just click, buy and give. Job done.

Twenga has a dedicated Valentines page to help you make 09 the most successful Valentines yet: http://www.twenga.co.uk/buying-guide/250.html

To make it even easier, you can access a great list of gift ideas from your desk or while out shopping for on the spot price comparisons from your iphone! The Twenga iPhone is a FREE application available for download now.

Get Twenga on your iphone right now and you'll always have the best prices at your fingertips by clicking here

There are over 5,000 heart shaped products listed on Twenga, more in the UK than in any other European country, so there is no excuse to miss out on romance this year. A card is a small token that could really make someone’s day, but If you're looking for a bit more (and STILL save money) get some ideas from Twenga that'll make him/her smile and score you brownie points...

Here are some great ideas that’ll get your Valentine in the mood for luurve:

Karma Sutra for the Kitchen - Get a recipe, get a cookie cutter, get hot in the kitchen! These naughty little cookie cutters will turn your wholesome cookie jar into a seductive and suggestive, dare we say raunchy, eating experience. Also great for cutting out shapes in toast in the morning (or whenever you fancy a late night snack!). http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/57955/1328234482729721116.html

Or for the milder, more romantic (but just as effective!) version you might like to opt for a simple heart shaped cutter instead.
http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/6480/1117164094326672404.html

Enjoy a bottle of fizz and savour it over the evening with this weighty and quality bottle stopper http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/6606/1976001077707352557.html

And if food is the way to his/her heart, you are spoiled for choice with these kitchen accessories:
Casserole http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/29988/8786950744246113138.html
Egg ring http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/26320/4539780275641960796.html
Kitchen scales http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/29988/4509514215793929510.html

For the pet loving boy/ girlfriend, show her/him you love their four-legged friend as much as they do! http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/28155/5536034504133753353.html

Light my fire! Whizz Bang light her fire kinda presents... and you get to look so rugged and manly she simply wont be able to resist when you light the blue touch paper on this tremendous firework! To get this utterly blow her mind kind of reaction, order soon. It takes three weeks. http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/63923/6691088639961788441.html

OR, for an indoor delight, organise for hundreds of rose petals shower down on the two of you over dinner, a bath or even in bed. She'll LOVE it! And you still get to light a firework – Perfect! http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/20900/6738816179918295043.html

For a permanent statement of your love distract her (you'll think of something) and get a stylish water feature installed in the garden that she will discover on Valentine's morning. More stylish than corny, it's a tribute that'll look good all year round. It's a beautiful, hand carved piece from Indonesia and no two are the same due the the slightly varying stone and of course, the human factor.
http://www.twenga.co.uk/offer/26223/5537431083227597494.html

And for some techno Valentine's ideas try these:
Heart laptop sleeve http://www.twenga.co.uk/search.php?q=heart&c=83748
Heart Wii-skin http://www.twenga.co.uk/search.php?q=wii+heart+skin
Heart mousemat http://www.twenga.co.uk/search.php?q=heart&c=1046
Heart-shaped USB memory keys
http://www.twenga.co.uk/search.php?q=heart&c=1037&cm=1&s=5&k...
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Epson® Europe To Exhibit Newly Launched Projector Technology At ISE 2009

Celebrate 20 years of 3LCD technology with Epson at ISE Amsterdam (3 to 5 February, 2009) and experience outstanding projector innovation at booth 4N30.

8th January 2009 – Leading projector manufacturer[1] Epson will be showcasing its outstanding projector technology, including a number of new additions, at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2009, the number one event for the professional AV and electronic systems industry in Europe. Visitors to the Epson booth will be able to enjoy a number of interactive displays and demonstrations highlighting the Epson customer experience, from education and installation, to home entertainment.

Valérie Riffaud-Cangelosi, Video Projectors Business Manager EMEA, at Epson Europe, said: “This is the fourth consecutive year we have exhibited at ISE and we are relishing the opportunity to showcase the Epson customer experience to all attending the event. As the leading projector manufacturer, Epson will have a fantastic range of its innovative products on display, some of which are being revealed for the very first time. The fact that we will also be celebrating the 20th anniversary of the revolutionary 3LCD technology adds to the excitement ahead of the show.”

Epson’s 220m2 booth will be a dynamic, fully interactive and solutions oriented exhibition area that will bring the Epson customer experience for business, education and the home, to life. An educational area featuring an ultra short throw projector will recreate a life-like classroom setting, highlighting the benefits of the new products. In the home entertainment section there will be an opportunity to experience the HD ready 1080p EH-TW5000, which will be integrated with a high end home cinema system. Business solutions on display include the exhibition of wireless and PC Free technology, with the EB-G5000 series showcased in a multi screen area.

Valérie Riffaud-Cangelosi, added: “Given our fantastic range of products, and the exciting introduction of new technologies including five new professional projectors and a brand new projector solution, we are very much looking forward to a successful ISE.”

ISE runs from February 3 to 5, 2009, at the Amsterdam RAI, the Netherlands. The Epson booth will be situated at booth 4N30, exhibition hall 4.

FACT FILE:
ISE 2009 will take place at the Amsterdam RAI on the 3rd – 5th February, 2009. The 2008 show drew more than 22,000 attendees and 484 exhibiting companies, showcasing the very latest technologies for commercial and residential systems integration.

Visit www.epson.co.uk

Skype Launches On Android Platform And More Than 100 Java-Enabled Mobile Phones

Updated Beta version of Skype offered for millions worldwide to load onto their mobile phones

Skype has announced the release of a lite version of Skype™, a ‘thin’ client for Skype that can be downloaded on Android-powered devices, as well as more than 100 other Java-enabled mobile phones.

This launch builds on successful public testing last year and the incorporation of user feedback to an earlier beta version which was only available on a limited number of mobile devices. The updated beta now makes Skype software broadly available to millions of mobile users worldwide, including for the first time, mobile users in the U.S. The lite version delivers core Skype capabilities including:

• Make Skype-to-Skype calls to other Skype users anywhere in the world
• Send/receive instant messages to/from individuals or groups
• Make Skype calls at low rates to people on landline or mobile phones
• Receive calls to your online personal phone number on Skype
• See when your Skype contacts are online/available to chat

By bringing the world’s leading Internet communications software to mobile phones, Skype users can save money on calls to landlines and mobiles abroad, and stay connected with friends and family over Skype while on the go. The lite version of Skype works wherever your mobile phone works, without requiring a WiFi connection. The lite version of Skype uses local air time and a mobile internet connection in order to sign in to Skype, update your contact list, update presence and send/receive calls or messages, so you must have both a calling plan and a data plan on your mobile phone to use it.

"Making the Skype experience available for download to Android-powered devices, as well as hundreds of other mobile phones from the world’s leading handset manufacturers is a major step forward for Skype,” said Scott Durchslag, COO of Skype. “Nearly half the world’s population are mobile phone users today and we know that many people who already use Skype want the option to use Skype on their mobile phones. We are committed to working towards our goal of getting Skype into the pockets of the mobile masses.”

The lite version of Skype is currently available for Android devices, which today include the T-Mobile G1™, the first Android-powered mobile phone currently available in the United States and the United Kingdom. It is expected to also work on other future Android devices. Android device users can download this beta version of Skype by visiting Android Market.

It also works on more than 100 of the most popular Java-enabled phones from the world’s top five handset manufacturers – LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. For instructions on downloading the lite version of Skype to LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson phones, users can visit www.skype.com/m using the mobile browser on their phone or www.skype.com/go/mobiledownload from a computer. The web page includes a directory of the mobile phones currently supported.

The lite version of Skype is available globally, with the ability to make Skype-to-Skype calls and low cost calls to landlines and mobiles abroad currently available in ten countries: the United States, United Kingdom, Poland, Brazil (Rio and Sao Paolo), Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Australia and New Zealand.

FACT FILE:

Costs for using the lite version of Skype:
You will be charged by your mobile operator for local air time and data usage based on the type of calling service and data plan you have purchased. Since the lite version of Skype uses a mobile data connection to sign in to Skype, update your contact list, update presence and send/receive messages, you will be charged by your mobile operator for data usage. You will not incur charges from Skype when you make Skype-to-Skype calls or send instant messages to friends on Skype; however national calling rates may apply from your mobile operator due to the use of local air time. Skype will charge its regular very low Skype rates when you call landlines and mobiles using Skype or when you receive calls on your mobile handset from other Skype users or people calling your personal online number. We highly recommend getting an unlimited data plan for use with the lite version of Skype. The longer you remain signed in, the more Skype contacts you have, or the more you send and receive instant messages, the more data you will use.

PartnerTech adds new SMT line and AOI equipment to Cambridge NPI facility

New equipment to improve throughput and yields of fast turnaround prototype
and low-medium volume system assembly service

PartnerTech, one of Europe’s leading contract manufacturing companies, has added a new Mydata pick and place surface mount (SMT) line and automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment to its state-of-the-art Cambridge-based new product introduction (NPI) facility.

The new equipment will enable the company to meet increased demand and to further improve throughput and yields for UK-based product designers looking for a local, flexible, fast turnaround printed circuit board (PCB) prototyping and small to medium volume system assembly service.

PartnerTech’s 1,400 square metre Cambridge site, one of the largest and best equipped NPI facilities in the region, has been providing services from the Coldham’s Lane location for over a decade. Its customers include leading design consultancies and OEMs in point of sale (POS) applications, medical technology and instrumentation, industry, defence/aerospace and maritime, Information Technology, and cleantech. These include, among others, Plextek, Ricardo, Solarflare Communications, TTP and Ultra Electronics.

With the addition of the new Mydata SMT line, the facility now boasts three high speed and high accuracy placement machines, all of which can accommodate the most up-to-date package styles such as 01005, 0201, 0402, QFP, QFN, ball grid array (BGA), microBGA, and chip scale packages. The in-line AOI system will complement the existing X-ray inspection to further improve throughput and quality.

Gary Howse, managing director of PartnerTech’s UK operation, said: “Our experienced engineering team in Cambridge provides customers with a fast, friendly and flexible PCB prototyping and system build service with yields consistently better than 99%. This is probably why our top ten customers have been using us collectively now for well over 100 years.

“The new SMT equipment gives us the capacity to meet an upsurge in demand while maintaining our reputation as a high quality, fast turnaround NPI centre. And, importantly, as part of a larger group, we also have the ability to provide customers with a gateway to our UK manufacturing site in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, or for those that want an offshore option, to transfer production to one of our low cost manufacturing facilities in either Poland or China.”

PartnerTech is one of Europe’s largest business-to-business contract manufacturing companies with manufacturing and customer centres in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, the UK, the United States and China.

The company offers the full range of product life cycle services from product design, development, prototyping, new product introductions and test services through to printed circuit board manufacture, system assembly and distribution. As a systems supplier, PartnerTech leverages its core expertise in combining electronics and mechanics, to enhance the profitability and competitiveness of its customers.

For more information about PartnerTech’s NPI capabilities, please contact: PartnerTech, College Business Park, Coldham’s Lane, Cambridge CB1 3HD. Telephone +44 1223 247477, fax +44 1223 244177 or email gary.howse@partnertech.co.uk. Alternatively, visit www.partnertech.com.

Teliris InterACT TouchTable

Teliris, the market leader in Telepresence, recently launched its incredible InterACT touch surface technology. This technology is unique to the world of telepresence systems and features a number of innovative additions that allow users to digitise, manipulate, edit and share documents in real time. Telepresence systems are allowing professionals in a number of fields to collaborate effectively without the need for travel and this new addition brings the virtual meeting experience as close to the real thing as it has ever been. To get this message across to people who have never seen these systems in action, Teliris has recently released the following video demonstration of the Teliris InterACT TouchTable by CEO Marc Trachtenberg

Certified twice over

Managed Hosting and Data Centre Services company gains both ISO9001:2008 & ISO27001:2005 certification

iomart hosting, the managed hosting and data services specialist , is pleased to announce that it has received International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification for ISO9001:2008 Quality Management Systems (QMS) and ISO 27001:2005 Information Security Management Systems (ISMS)

ISO9001 is now firmly established as the globally implemented standard for providing assurance about an organisation’s ability to satisfy both quality requirements and the enhancement of its customer relationships. Iomart is one of the first companies in the world to achieve the 2008 version of the standard, which was only formally published in November 2008.

ISO27001 is the recognised international standard developed specifically for Information Security Management Systems, requiring that a company demonstrates that it undertakes a systematic approach to managing sensitive corporate information and ensuring data security.

Angus MacSween, CEO iomart, stated: “iomart’s achievement of these two accreditations represents an important milestone in our ongoing quality and information assurance initiatives. It provides assurance to the market, and particularly our customers, that iomart is ensuring that best practise is being implemented consistently throughout its operations.”

“These accreditations clearly demonstrate that we can ensure confidentiality, integrity and availability of both our own systems and those that we manage on behalf of our customers, within our data centres.”

Richard Murray, Information Security Specialist, Hillside Software stated: “iomart’s combined ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certifications should give customers reassurance that the organisation is committed to customer satisfaction and information security, and has the processes in place to help deliver them.”

Angus MacSween added: “The attainment of both standards is a clear differentiator within the managed hosting and data centre industry, as very few companies hold both standards. As data security and business uptime are so fundamentally important to an organisation’s operation, we are already seeing more and more procurement departments insist that their suppliers adhere to best practice and, demonstrate compliance with relevant available standards, including ISO27001 & ISO9001, and we are delighted that we fulfil these requirements.”

“We will certainly not be resting on our laurels, and are now focused on working towards the requirements specified in the ISO14001 Environmental Management Standard. We have already started the implementation of several programs designed to reduce our energy consumption across our data centre estate, and see the attainment of this standard as the natural progression for us.”

CCHA goes for Carval

Cardiff Community Housing Association (CCHA) has chosen the HR Unity range from Carval Computing www.carval.co.uk to manage its HR, and training processes and to introduce browser based, self service data access for all staff. An in-depth casestudy of the CCHA installation is available at: http://www.carval.co.uk/downloads.html

The Association has been widely acclaimed, recently, for its high service standards, managing a housing stock of over 2500 properties and employing over 100 staff across 3 locations. CCHA prides itself on maintaining an excellent relationship with its staff and its innovative “Better Balance” flexible working policy allows employees to have a measure of control over when, where and how they work. Managing this relationship falls to the Association’s forward thinking HR team and the systems they use.

After an extensive review of the market, Carval was chosen as their SQL based HR Unity range provides the closest match to the Association’s business requirements and core values. Carval could, for example, provide bespoke versions of their self service HR and Time & Attendance systems to record the appraisal process and to manage CCHA’s flexi-time. By deploying self service throughout the system, CCHA staff can also access essential data remotely, using browser technology, wherever they are and whenever they need it.

Staff can use the self service feature to book leave, or search competencies and objectives. Users can also assess the risks of particular tasks including site hazards or lone worker concerns. In addition, the system enables the HR team to manage home working, compressed working and start and finish time variants more effectively. HR reporting is also greatly enhanced.

Jim Sweeney, ICT Manager of CCHA, believes the system will have a huge impact over time noting, “We needed to build in specific functionality that met our specific needs. To do this effectively, the chosen supplier had to understand the needs of the HR team in supporting our core values. Carval has demonstrated a very clear understanding of CCHA needs and we have worked well together putting bespoke solutions in place.”

For his part, John Ovington, Sales and Support Director of Carval noted, “CCHA is widely recognised as a guiding light in the housing association sector. Their HR team too seek to mirror the latest developments in best practise. They needed an integrated solution that delivered a single point of management control whilst allowing far broader staff access. Naturally, therefore, we are delighted that CCHA has chosen Carval to support the work they do to such a high standard.”

Confirmit Partners With Magnetic North to Deliver Software-as-a-Service Telephony

Confirmit has partnered with Magnetic North to deliver a hosted telephony platform that enables Global 5000 Enterprises and Market Research organizations to reduce the cost of telephone research projects and feedback programs and avoid the need for dialer hardware installation.

This advanced telephony service will be integrated with Confirmit’s new software platform, scheduled for launch in Q1 2009. The resulting combined solution will become the world’s first complete multi-channel, on-demand platform, suitable for any size and complexity of feedback program or market research survey.

Using Magnetic North’s Hosted OnDemand outbound dialing and call recording technology, Confirmit will provide users with preview, progressive and predictive dialing, autodialing, call recording, and real-time audio-visual monitoring of telephone agents. These functions enable faster telephone research, higher interviewer productivity, and better cost control, as well as centralized management of each of these components.

Pat Molloy, Chief Strategy Officer at Confirmit, explains the core benefit for customers: “For the first time, users will be able to run a fully-distributed call center platform without the need to buy and maintain any in-house infrastructure. This dramatically reduces set up costs and, in most cases, removes the need for involvement from IT departments to install the software. This is therefore an ideal solution for any organization looking to minimize costs and speed up their time to market.”

Confirmit and Magnetic North’s telephony solution is particularly well-suited to geographically diverse operations such as distributed call centers and those employing home workers, since it enables work to be outsourced easily via the Internet. To conduct research projects, interviewers simply need an Internet connection and telephone line or VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) connection. This process reduces complexity, minimizes survey costs, and enables faster turn-around of interviews.

In addition, the solution provides easy ‘burstability’ for call center operators and other telephone operations: new interviewers can be added instantly to the system without the need to purchase and install new hardware.

Dominic Gray, Managing Director at Magnetic North, comments: “We have worked closely with Confirmit to develop a tailored telephony system that answers the specific needs of the Market Research and Enterprise Feedback Management markets they serve. The result is a highly-scalable and cost-effective solution.”

Molloy concludes: “Magnetic North’s focus on Software-as-a-Service delivery aligns perfectly with our own business model. Together, we have developed a best-of-breed, on-demand telephony solution that can bring measurable cost and time savings to call centers and other telephone operations worldwide.”

Further information about Confirmit’s full multi-channel platform will be available at launch in Q1 2009.

Please visit www.confirmit.com for more information.

Staff&Line UK Publishes Haymarket Result

Staff&Line UK Ltd, a European leader in IT management solutions, today announced that it has won a major new contract with global media company, Haymarket Media Group Ltd. Haymarket Media has selected Staff&Line’s EasyVista 2008 IT management solution to support its IT Service Improvement Programme. Haymarket Media is using EasyVista 2008 to underpin ITIL processes, introducing IT service level management into the business for the first time.

EasyVista is being implemented across Haymarket Media’s UK sites with main offices situated in Hammersmith and Teddington in South West London. The new service management system will support over 1,800 staff running a mix of Windows PCs and Apple Macs. With a wide range of media products and a complex IT infrastructure, the demands on Haymarket Media’s IT department are high. Haymarket publishes over 100 magazine titles both in print and online and includes household names such as What Car?, Stuff Magazine and its B2B publishing arm also boasts market-leading titles such as Campaign and PR Week. Haymarket also has a sizeable exhibitions business running events such as Good Food Live, Clothes Show Live and Autosport Live. This means that employees are often working remotely and require timely, expert support.

EasyVista was selected over and above a number of other service desk solutions which included leading vendors such as Axios, Hornbill and Touchpaper in an extremely rigorous and highly competitive selection process. Simon Turner, IT Director for Haymarket explains:

“Implementing EasyVista was part of a wider strategic service management improvement plan. At the beginning of 2008 we set out an ambitious Action Plan that included an overhaul of IT’s relationship with the business, one of the things that we identified very early on was that we lacked a tool to underpin improvements in services. We were looking to generate a new service catalogue and using the ITIL v2 process template, introduce service level management, problem management, and improve existing configuration management, incident, change and release processes, but we didn’t have a tool to help us achieve this.

“We therefore started to research and evaluate appropriate products. After looking at a number of service management solutions we very quickly short-listed two products which really stood out - Staff&Line’s EasyVista and Axios Systems’ Assyst.”

The two remaining competing products were evaluated head-to-head against a key requirements document. In particular Haymarket was looking for an easy way to create incidents, offering a robust solution, as the incumbent Help Desk tool was proving very unreliable and a more efficient way to manage and close over 2,000 monthly incidents was required.

The selection process included the publishing of a formal requirements document, reviewed by all parties, visits to reference sites to see both solutions working to understand how the products might develop when integrated with business process over a period of years, and a review by external consultants.

“From a functionality perspective the two products were comparable but we chose EasyVista because Staff&Line’s project planning, implementation and support services were second to none. Staff&Line is a great organisation with experienced professionals who have a track record not only with ITIL and IT service management but the organisation also understands how to successfully project manage what for Haymarket was a major implementation. This is what closed the deal for us.”

Haymarket is one month into ‘go-live’ of phase 1 with phase 2 starting in early 2009. The implementation went extremely well with Staff&Line’s support. Additionally as Staff&Line was able to provide remote support, response times were exceptionally fast when dealing with any small snagging issues.

Andrew Highland, Managing Director for Staff&Line UK comments: “EasyVista is probably one of the best kept secrets in the market, but it won’t be for long. Organisations are looking to realise value from their service management solutions and be in control of their service environment. Given the economic downturn, CIOs everywhere are going to be asked, “Okay, what can you do to help us get through this recession and from a vendor perspective it is simply not enough to just deliver a product. Companies everywhere will be looking for value-add services and Staff&Line works that bit harder to deliver this.”

Simon Turner concludes: “Phase 2 will include the implementation of Self Service, which with over 1,800 employees will prove very beneficial. This will be a challenge with 600 Mac users wanting to close incidents though the Web Interface, as we have a dual operating system environment. However I am confident that with EasyVista this won’t be an issue.”

Criminal intelligence IT specialist ABM announces computer software to help identify children and vulnerable adults at risk of domestic violence

Following harrowing reports of abuse and violent domestic incidents – such as the tragic death of Baby P – criminal intelligence IT specialist ABM, has today announced enhanced computer software to help identify children and vulnerable adults who may be at risk.

Called PROtect, the software enables enforcement agencies to record and manage incidents of domestic violence, children at risk, vulnerable adult and hate crime. Full case management facilities aid instant identification of potential victims and perpetrators so causes for concern can be acted on rapidly. Those at risk can be identified according to their name, known associates, or address.

Importantly, in view of concerns about the breakdown of communications and recording of actions taken, a single PROtect screen overview shows at a glance the current status of individual cases. This is augmented by online recording of risk assessments and warnings issued. A complete case history is also maintained, showing all events associated with a case, such as workflow, antecedences, visits and telephone calls.

Full details of custodial and community based sentences, as well as court orders served, together with action plan, supervision and reparation orders can also be held on the system.

Furthermore, by integrating PROtect with ABM’s mapping system – the Prophecy module – incident locations can be displayed graphically on an Ordnance Survey map to allow time of day, day of week and trend analysis.

Anton Roe, Director of Operations at ABM, commented “A key element is being able to bring together pertinent information, which might be held traditionally in many different locations and by different agencies – such as police forces, local authority social services and welfare departments – helping transform raw information and links between items and incidences into intelligence. This helps increase the likelihood that action can be taken before, rather than after, an event.

“Cumulative experience over the years that has lead to statutory guidelines and development of best practice is incorporated into PROtect, allowing application of standardised processes and workflows to enforce adherence to approved procedures. PROtect will play a valuable role in helping to ensure that people at risk are identified before they become victims – and to bring to justice those who are not prevented from committing such offences.”

Top Storage Investment Priorities For 2009

By Hu Yoshida, VP and CTO of Hitachi Data Systems

Although we’re facing a continued economic downturn in 2009, the growth rate of storage and storage requirements is not abated. IT professionals are facing tightened budgets with very little capital, making it difficult for them to acquire new technologies. Yet, whatever capital investments are made must be maximized to the fullest extent – which means they’ll choose the storage solution that will best meet their needs while looking for a quick return on investment and a return on assets, or ROA. In this economy, it will be important for IT professionals to stick to the fundamentals and focus on ROA and the ability to break even quickly.

Below are storage investment priorities for IT professionals in 2009:

Virtualised Storage Services: One route IT professionals should look to in 2009 is the virtualisation of external storage. By applying Virtualised storage and combining it with lower-cost tiers of storage and thin provisioning, IT professionals will contain data growth while maximising current investments for a quick return. Many installations are sitting on a goldmine of capacity, and on average, there is only 20-30% utilization of existing storage. Virtualisation of existing assets will help increase storage utilization.

Archiving for unstructured data growth: Ever-increasing data growth and dealing with the expansion of unstructured data remains a complex task in 2009. IT professionals will begin to see archiving as an imperative that maps back to the bottom line – as information is scattered and access is critical, tiering the information and moving it based on policies to purpose specific archive storage is critical to cost reduction. Active archiving solutions will become more integral to an organisation’s information management initiatives and many organizations will move their tier two storage to this archival tier. Customers will want a solution that simplifies the management, reduces TCO and mitigates risk.

Data de-duplication: Given the current market conditions, companies will be keen to do more with less and any measure that helps the enterprise save costs and improve productivity will be in demand. For example, backup to disk and data de-duplication are key areas where customers can save money by pushing off and compressing the data and reducing the amount of times data is backed up – all of which adds up to cost savings around OPEX.

Risk Mitigation: There will always be a focus on mitigating risk when it comes to data centers and storage. Increasingly, however, companies are turning their heads to the bottom line and require solutions that help them to save on power and cooling costs, as well as solutions that provide an exceptional overall return on existing assets and on investment. As we move forward into 2009, companies will seek storage solutions and services that help them maintain existing data – be it via archiving and locating that data.

Power and cooling -
While we’re no longer at the peak of energy costs, this pain point seems to be diminishing and the focus on power and cooling costs are no longer top of mind. It is important for IT professionals to keep in mind that things can change quickly, especially in the current economic environment. Having a green—and clean—data centre is still a very real requirement. While the perceived pressure for this in 2009 may be easing, it is critical stay on course and get ahead of energy issues versus reacting to them. Given upcoming regulations in EMEA and the increasing purchasing requirements in the U.S., everything we do, from improving efficiencies in the data centre, improving power and cooling requirements, and building clean and green IT infrastructure will make the data centre more energy efficient and improve the bottom line for years to come.

Race Into The New Year With Logitech's New Gaming Wheel

Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel, the official wheel of Gran Turismo launched in India

Logitech, a leading developer of force feedback gaming wheels, has just announced the launch of Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel, the official wheel of Gran Turismo. Featuring powerful force feedback and an innovative 24-position realtime adjustment dial for on-the-fly control of brake bias, traction and damper settings, the Logitech Driving Force GT gives gamers the most accurate and authentic PLAYSTATION3 (PS3) racing experience.

"It's great to work with Polyphony Digital again to deliver a wheel that will satisfy the needs of car enthusiasts, around the world," said Mr. Subrotah Biswas, Country Manager, India & SAARC, Logitech. "People who love the striking realism of the Gran Turismo racing series will discover that Logitech's latest wheel will allow them to experience the cars the way they were meant to be driven. With the Logitech Driving Force GT, you're not playing games anymore - you're racing!"

Logitech's latest racing wheel was meticulously designed by Logitech and Polyphony Digital, Inc., the developer of the Gran Turismo series. The companies worked together to add the unique realtime adjustment dial, a first for force feedback wheels, allowing people to fine tune the car's balance by adjusting the brake bias, traction control and damper settings. Now Gran Turismo drivers can have precise control over the car's setup to achieve maximum performance.

"We have always designed the Gran Turismo series for driving enthusiasts. Realistic graphics, a technologically advanced physics engine and authentic sounds for every car in the game make Gran Turismo 5 Prologue a true driving simulator," said Kazunori Yamauchi of Polyphony Digital. "Now, with the Logitech Driving Force GT wheel, drivers can have unparalleled control of their car, extending the realistic racing experience."

Logitech's newest force feedback wheel simulates understeer, oversteer, and traction loss with frightening accuracy. While the full-size gas and brake pedals deliver precise throttle and brake response, racers can use either the sequential stick shift or the wheel-mounted paddles to race through gears. The wheel also features a large 11-inch wheel with rubber-overmold rim, providing exceptional comfort and control.

The Logitech Driving Force GT turns 900 degrees lock-to-lock allowing drivers to navigate hairpin turns with greater accuracy. And with anti-backlash gearing, there is no slack in the steering response, making any race a smooth, realistic experience. In the centre of the 11-inch wheel, the Driving Force GT features an illuminated horn button with the official Gran Turismo logo. Using the authentic sounds of the car being driven, racers can quickly alert other cars when they are approaching fast. Or when playing online, people can simply use the horn to taunt other players as they speed by.

The Logitech Driving Force GT wheel is engineered for use with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue on PS3, which will be available on Blu-ray Disc (BD) and as a download on the PLAYSTATION Network in North America on April 17 and in Europe on March 28. The Logitech Driving Force GT wheel is also compatible with Gran Turismo 3 and Gran Turismo 4 on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system.

FACT FILE:



Pricing and Availability
Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel is priced at INR 10,295 and is available at all leading electronic stores in India.

Warranty
Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel enjoys a replacement warranty of 1 year.

Distributor
Logitech Driving Force GT racing wheel is distributed by Origin Marketing Pvt. Ltd.

About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices. Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (LOGI).

Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company's Web site at www.logitech.com.

"PlayStation", "PS one", "PSP" and" PLAYSTATION" are registered trademarks and "PS3" is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc

Gran Turismo™ 2008 Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Manufacturers, cars, names, brands and associated imagery featured in this game in some cases include trademarks and/or copyrighted materials of their respective owners.