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Swyx supports partner
sales
with new 'Channel Marketing Guide'
Reading, UK, 12th
December 2006 - Swyx a market-leading vendor of IP
telephony
solutions has today launched its new 'Marketing ToolKit' to
assist
resellers to take full advantage of the Swyx branding as
part of a range of
lead generation programmes.
The guide
is designed to act as a valuable reference guide for the sales
and
support teams of its VAR partners, who may not have the
skills, or time to
research the various marketing options
available to them. As well giving
information on how to
leverage the power of the Swyx brand effectively, the
guide also
provides a valuable insight into the principles of marketing
and
how a reseller can devise their own strategies, even if they
do not have a
dedicated in-house marketing resource.
The
author of guide, Director of Corporate Marketing at Swyx, Stuart
Noad,
explains why they have published the Guide, "The richness
of pure IP
telephony solutions provides unlimited sales
possibilities for the channel,
however for busy resellers,
finding the time to maximise these opportunities
by correctly
positioning the product and raising the profile of their
business
in conjunction with the Swyx brand, can be very difficult.
This
guide provides ready-made vehicles and templates that
partners can easily
tailor for their own marketing
efforts".
Partners of Swyx have welcomed the initiative,
Marketing Director at IT and
Telephony Outsourcer, LuxTech Matt
Casey, comments, "Swyx are always very
proactive in anticipating
the needs of its partners, and understand that
companies such as
ourselves do not want to spend unnecessary time on
marketing when
we can use the expertise of Swyx's own team.
This
initiative is welcomed because it makes our job easier,
freeing up more time
to focus on sales and support."
Ryan
Osborne, Managing Director of Sproutt, a Swyx reseller based in
Wales
agrees, "We are a small company and our in-house marketing
resources are
limited, any help that we can get from our
suppliers is greatly appreciated.
The guide gives us all the
information we need at our fingertips, to promote
the key
attributes of the Swyx brand, making lead generation
very
straightforward."
Sections included in the marketing
toolkit include:
* A general overview of the marketing mix
*
Raising awareness
* Working with the brand
* Generating
Leads
* Press Relations
* Direct Mail
* Seminars &
Events.
The Marketing toolkit booklet is free of charge and
can be downloaded as a
PDF from the Swyx Partner Net https://partnernet.swyx.com/.
Hand
Held Products(tm) Launches New Industrial
Cordless 2D
Imager
~ 4820i imager is purpose-built for
high-performance and reliability in
industrial data
collection applications ~
Hand Held Products, the
global leader in image scanner solutions, today
announced the
immediate availability of the 4820i Industrial Cordless
2D
Imager. Designed specifically for use in warehousing,
manufacturing,
transportation and logistics applications, the
4820i is built to ensure
high-performance and reliability in the
harshest environments.
Class-leading features of the
4820i include:
* Powered by Adaptus(tm) Imaging Technology
5.0, the 4820i aggressively
reads all linear and 2D bar codes at
any angle, including those that are
damaged and poorly printed,
plus has the ability to capture digital images.
* A unique
thumbwheel end-cap gives operators the ability to swap
batteries
on-the-fly instead of docking the scanner for charging -
essential
for operations that run multiple shifts and require
constant scanner
availability.
* Innovative battery
management and robust Lithium-Ion technology which
powers up to
50,000 scans before requiring a recharge.
* Engineered to
be one of the lightest and most comfortable devices in its
class
without sacrificing industrial-grade durability, survives 50 drops
to
concrete from 2 m
* IP54 rating - protected against
blown dust and water intrusion
The 4820i also
integrates a shock absorbent housing with impact
resistant
over-mold that gives the 4820i the ability to endure 50
drops to concrete
from 2 m while its IP54 sealing prevents the
intrusion of dust and liquid,
making it suitable for use indoors
or out. 4820i's Bluetooth(r) wireless
technology enables
users to move freely around the work area unimpeded
by
cables.
"To achieve the highest ROI possible,
industrial enterprises require
scanning solutions that are built
specifically to fit their work
environments," said Melissa
Fiutak, Cordless Imager Product Manager for Hand
Held Products.
"We've combined advanced data collection technology,
a
class-leading combination of ergonomics and durability, and
innovative
battery management to make a product that's
specifically designed for
improving productivity in the harshest
environments."
About Hand Held Products: Hand
Held Products is the world's leading
provider of image-based data
collection solutions - such as barcode
scanners, mobile computers
and transaction terminals.
The company has a worldwide
network of partners, and an extensive client
base across many
different markets. Based in the US, its European
headquarters are
in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Further information:
Eleanor Wilson at Hand Held Products, +44 (0) 1925
240 055,
eusales@handheld.com, www.handheld.com/4820i .
December 11, 2006
Accuracy tops UK barcode benefits
league
~
two-dimensional barcodes will become widespread in 2007, says Zebra
~
96 per cent of European companies rely on barcodes to
increase efficiency, according to research carried out by Zebra
Technologies. 39 per cent of UK companies surveyed reported
increased accuracy of information is the most important benefit of
barcodes.
The European Labelling Study 2006 was carried out
among 127 companies in the UK, Germany and France by Vanson Bourne
on behalf of Zebra Technologies, the global provider of on-demand
printing solutions, to explore European businesses’ attitudes to
barcodes, RFID and other labelling technology.
Despite a
high percentage across Europe in general, efficiency was not top of
the list for French companies, with only 18 per cent saying it was
the most important reason for barcoding. French companies are under
pressure to meet compliance mandates from global customers and as a
result, 31 per cent of respondents in France put this as the main
reason for using barcodes.
Other reasons that European
companies gave for using barcodes were: increasing the
accuracy of ordering and invoicing (32 per cent), cost reduction (26
per cent), and the fact that newer technology isn’t ready yet (16
per cent).
“The results of our survey show that the barcode
is here to stay,” said Rod Rodericks, managing director, Zebra EMEA.
“Companies have been using this technology for over 30 years and new
innovations are improving the effectiveness of the barcode all the
time. The latest printing and scanning technology has seen the
development of two-dimensional barcodes which can contain many times
the information of standard linear codes in use everywhere
today.”
“These barcodes are making it possible for Zebra
customers, which rely on the efficient movement of goods through the
supply chain, to use a single label instead of many. This increases
the accuracy in reading the information on the package, improving
handling times and ensuring goods reach their destinations quickly
and safely. These two-dimensional labels will become common place
within the next two years, working alongside other
auto-identification technologies, like RFID which continues to
evolve,” continued Rodericks.
Barcodes are being used for
everything from tracking cans of beans onto shelves and through
checkouts, to identifying patients during their stay in hospital.
For line of sight applications the barcode is quick, efficient and
very cost effective.
For more information about Zebra
Technologies visit www.zebra.com
Inter-Tel pushes
network training standards
~
Inter-Tel training Academy enhances channel partner training with
CCNA qualification ~
The Academy,
Inter-Tel’s EMEA training centre, has added to its portfolio of IP
communications training with the launch of a new qualification
course for resellers.
In addition to its existing
Convergent Technologies professional (CTP) course the Academy now
offers the ability to become Cisco Certified Network Associate
(CCNA) certified. Both the ‘Cisco Introduction’ and ‘ICND’ courses
(which together deliver CCNA certification) will enable telecoms
professionals to acquire the most appropriate skill-sets required to
install the next generation of IP communications solutions, and
perfectly position themselves to address the pure-IP
marketplace.
“Pure-IP platforms are becoming
increasingly common in the telecoms market and there has been a gap
in people’s knowledge when it came to preparing for new systems,
such as the Inter-Tel NC-7000. Telecoms resellers readily recognise
the need to up-skill and cater for constantly changing business
communications trends,” said Stuart Clark, general manager, The
Academy. “That’s why we decided to add CCNA qualifications to its
existing CTP qualification portfolio. It’s by far the best way for
resellers to get up to speed on the technology, and stay ahead of
competitors. The course has been pre-booked and is full to capacity
showing resellers are moving with the new demands for networking
expertise.”
The training courses are held at The
Academy’s new headquarters in Northampton. The premises offer an
environment for attendees to test IP technologies in a variety of
communications infrastructures that recreate real business
environments. The availability of live IP platforms gives resellers
the experience needed to cater for changing business customer
demands.
“The addition of the CCNA qualification has
bridged a vital gap in my knowledge which means I can now work with
any pure-IP platform,” said Ben Cowling, Armstrong Communications,
an early student of CCNA at The Academy. “Sometimes, training
providers don’t seem to appreciate what’s required in the ‘real
world’ of telecoms, but the Inter-Tel course is comprehensive and
very hands-on.”
To arrange training at The Academy,
contact Inter-Tel on 0845 271 9114
Mentor and Zybert Sign Distribution
Agreement
Mentor
Computer Systems Plc. and ZYBERT Computing Ltd, announce that they
have signed a franchise agreement for Mentor to sell Zybert’s range
of GEM servers designed for small and medium enterprises. The GEM
family provides simple configuration and requires minimal support,
making it ideal for companies without in-house IT
departments.
The
Zybert GEM family are based upon open-source software, providing
companies with a complete appliance solution for messaging, storage,
backup and network protection. The GEM servers feature a unique
automatic archival and instantaneous disaster recovery system,
allowing archiving of email and revisions of files as well as
providing an offsite backup capability. In addition to file and
print serving, the GEM servers offer an easily configured email
system, fully functional anti-SPAM and anti-VIRUS filters and
configurable firewall protection.
Richard
Zybert, Managing Director of Zybert Computing explained,
“Mentor
offers a committed and dedicated channel to support the rapid sales
growth of the GEM servers. Their track record of providing
high-quality distribution support for servers and other complex
equipment makes them an ideal partner for Zybert in our growing
distribution network.”
“Small
businesses often have limited in-house IT expertise. The GEM servers
from Zybert offer a complete server solution for small companies
that combines the highest levels of data protection, with simple
configuration and minimal management overhead,” added Stephen Tyler
MD of Mentor Computer Systems Plc. “This approach will solve IT
headaches for many small and medium-sized enterprises.”
For
more information visit the Zybert website at www.Zybert.co.uk.
Motorola’s OFDM Point-to-Point IP Solutions Can
Resolve Challenging Connectivity, Application
Issues
By Tom Gruba
Senior Director of Marketing Wireless
Broadband Products Motorola Networks and Enterprise
SAP Leads the Western
European ERP Applications Market, Says IDC
SAP leads
all 11 vertical segments covered in a recently released IDC
competitive study focusing on the $7.1 billion Western
European enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications
market.
The study analyzes the top ERP vendors in
Western European vertical industries. Manufacturing is
approximately 40% of the total market with discrete
manufacturing being almost twice as large as
process manufacturing. Retail/wholesale is the third
largest industry.
Compared to the overall software
spending by vertical, discrete
and process manufacturing, transport,
communications, utilities, retail/wholesale, and business
services recorded relatively high levels of ERP spending,
while financial services, government, education and
healthcare, and other industries recorded relatively low
levels of spending.
SAP dominated
the Western European ERP applications market with a 41% market share
in 2004, up two percentage points compared to 2003. Oracle ranked
second. While SAP was more than five times larger than
Oracle during 2003, this was reduced to less then four
times the size of Oracle in 2004 when measured by ERP
application revenues, due to Oracle's acquisition of
PeopleSoft. Sage ranked third, Microsoft Business Solution held
fourth place, and SSA Global ranked fifth.
Of
greater interest are the industries in which other ERP vendors
have significant presence, competing with SAP. After the
acquisition of PeopleSoft, Oracle emerged as the significant
SAP contender in industries such as communications,
government, healthcare and education, and financial
services.
On a country level, Oracle lead certain segments, such as
government, communications, and financial services in the
U.K., and communications, financial services, and
government in France. In Germany, SAP
maintained an overwhelming lead in all
segments covered in this study.
"The ERP battle is shifting to which vendor can establish the
richest and most diverse ecosystem on top of its ERP platform.
SAP and Microsoft Business Solutions are off to an early
start, but more will follow. Customers in non-traditional ERP
industries such as financial services, communications,
and the public sector can benefit significantly
as industry specialists make their
applications available on top of ERP suites.
SOA architectures and pre-integration greatly reduces the
complexity barrier, which has inhibited ERP adoption in
these verticals so far," said Bo Lykkegaard, program
manager, European Enterprise Applications, IDC. This
study, Western European ERP Applications Vertical
Competitive Analysis 2005 (Doc #SV04M,
December 2005), represents a detailed competitive
view of the Western European ERP applications
market by vertical market. The study segments the 2004
license and maintenance revenues of the Western
European ERP applications market by 11 vertical segments
overall in five European countries. To purchase this
document, please contact your local IDC office or visit www.idc.com. Telstra
Europe Launches Cambridge’s First Data Centre
London,
19th January 2006, Telstra Europe, one of the
UK’s largest
alternative telephony and internet suppliers is today officially
opening Cambridge’s first internet
data centre at St John’s
Innovation Park, Cambridge. To mark the occasion, an
event is being held to welcome existing customers and local business
representatives. They will be invited to tour the state-of-the-art
facility and learn first hand about the site’s range of hosting and
security services - from co-location to business continuity and
disaster recovery solutions. The opening address will be delivered
by the Australian High Commissioner, Richard Alston.
The high-tech centre is Telstra Europe’s
fifth purpose built site in the UK and builds on the success of its
existing facilities in London Docklands, Birmingham, Manchester and Sunderland. The facilities at Cambridge
include a telecommunications room, a test lab and managed hosting
and collocation facilities. Positioned away from mainline rail
stations and airports, the site is ideally situated to provide fully
managed services, as well as fail-safe disaster recovery
solutions.
The new site will be connected to the Telstra
Network with diversely routed fibre optic cable feeds, which will
extend the reach of the current infrastructure for existing
customers, who will be migrated to the site under a planned
maintenance programme in January and February 2006. New
customers are being connected directly to the network
now
RackView Pro/SUN from Rose Electronics
adds convenient stowable access to any computer devices in just 1U
of rack space.
Winter 2005/6 - Rose Electronics, the world’s
foremost supplier of KVM (Keyboard-Video-Mouse) switching
technology, has launched new versions of its RackView server room
management station, including SUN specific models. RackView Pro is a compact
19” rack-mounted KVM console that requires approximately 87% less
space than a standard keyboard, monitor and
mouse.
Paul Naish, European Sales and Marketing
Director for Rose Electronics, commented: “Rose is dedicated to
providing well-thought out and reliable products that make the lives
of system operators and administrators easier. RackView Pro frees up space
in racks by getting rid of the desk-bound management station of
keyboard, monitor and mouse, and putting it into the rack with the
computers and the KVM switches - right where it’s usually
needed. That’s the
reason we sell as many RackViews as we can make, so I’m sure the new
versions are going to be even more
successful.”
RackView Pro can be specified with an
optional integrated Rose Electronics KVM or KVMA switch, and/or a
catX or fibre extender making even more economical use of rack
space.
RackView is available with a 15”, 17” or 19”
LCD panel and the heavy-duty RackView keyboards are available in PC or Sun
formats for most main European language
layouts.
As well as being a complete plug-and-play
system for device control, RackView offers environmental advantages:
RackView generates approximately 80% less heat than a conventional
keyboard, monitor and mouse, reducing ventilation requirements and
overall computer room cooling
overheads.
The original ‘all-in-one’ 15” unit (1U)
RackView has been a big success for Rose Electronics, and the
product family has now been augmented by the addition of units with
bigger screens (17” or 19”), by Sun compatible keyboard units and by
‘screen only’ units which allow the screen to be viewed through the
closed glass rack door, while still only taking up 1U of valuable
Rack space.
The increasing use of non-Intel computing
platforms such as Sun, means that Rose’s introduction of a Sun
keyboard version of RackView is a timely and welcome addition to the
product range.
####
About Rose
Electronics
Headquartered
in Houston, Texas, Rose Electronics is a privately owned company and
one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of Keyboard -Video-Mouse
switches. Rose has more
than 100 employees world-wide.
The company owns its own facilities and is a full-service
research and development, design and manufacturing operation. In addition to the USA and
the UK, there are also Rose Electronics sales offices in Spain,
Germany, Singapore and Australia.
Rose has an impressive and diverse
list of customers and applications. Rose customers include
Fortune 500 corporations, medium and small businesses, schools and
universities, factory and industrial operations, military and
government installations, and many OEMs. Through its OEM programme,
Rose supports private labelling and development of customised
products. The company
also has many customers who use its products in their home offices
or for personal use.
Contact:
Paul Naish, Rose Electronics
Ltd.
Tel. +44 1264 850574
www.rosel.co.uk
STUTTGART, September 19,
2005 – Eastman Kodak Company today announced an industry-first
feeder attachment for the KODAK i40 Scanner that is designed to scan
and capture information on documents, thick cards, identification
cards, insurance cards, credit cards, driver’s licenses and other
documents of this type.
“The straight paper path and the new special
document feeder on the i40 Scanner allows the operator to hand feed
documents and cards by accepting and returning them at the front of
the scanner providing greater ease of use, productivity and space
savings.”, said Hauke Fast, product manager “It’s a method of scanning
special documents that is unique at the desktop
level.”
The special document feeder increases the
number of ways that companies, insurances, banks and government
agencies can image-enable their business
processes.
For instance, an auto dealer might scan
driver’s licenses and ID cards for a test drive or sales
documentation. A
receptionist in a doctor’s office could capture an image of a health
insurance plan card. A government agency or bank might use it to
document a client’s state-issued identification
card.
The KODAK i40 Scanner delivers clear images
in bitonal, greyscale and colour. KODAK PerfectPage and
iThresholding technology automatically enhances the contrast and
readability of documents, deskew and auto-crop images. PerfectPage
and iThresholding virtually eliminates the need to change settings
or rescan documents. The KODAK i40 Scanner supports simplex and
duplex scanning with an optical resolution of 600dpi, and features a
plug and play USB2.0 interface.
Additionally, Kodak also announced firmware
upgrades for the i30 and i40 desktop scanners the company launched a
year ago to help small and medium businesses and government offices
better capture, manage, archive, and deliver business
information.
Further maximizing the capabilities of both
the KODAK i30 and i40 scanners are three additional firmware and
driver features, which are available via download to current owners
and will be included in all newly shipped scanners. The new features
include:
·
Kodak
Button Manager
– This feature allows the configuration of up to nine different
applications, any of which can be launched using the scanner’s
“Start” button. For
example, users who want to scan documents into PDF files can do so
using ReadIRIS Corporate Edition 9 (included with the scanner) and
this one-button feature.
·
Increased
maximum document length –
The maximum document length is up to 863mm.
·
Image
edge fill –
Reduces jagged edges for a crisper image
edge.
The firmware upgrades are available
immediately on the i30 and i40 Scanners and the special document
feeder is available only on newly shipped i40
Scanners.
Current scanner owners may download the
firmware for free by clicking on “Drivers” at www.kodak.com/go/DIsupport. Newly shipped i30 and i40
Scanners will include these functions and the special document
feeder on the i40 scanner with no change in the suggested retail
price of 799€ and 1145€ plus VAT.
The scanners come with a 1-year European
Warranty with advanced unit replacement and 4-day response time as
standard. Customers have the option to upgrade to a 3-year Warranty
with next-business day response. Kodak Service & Support gives
the customer the peace of mind he needs in his daily business. At
Kodak it takes only one call to get the support you
need.
Spanish PC Market Maintains Strong Momentum
in 2Q05 as Prices Continue to Decline, Says IDC
LONDON,
August 18, 2005 - The Spanish PC market continued its rapid
progression in the second quarter of 2005, with 36.6% year-over-year
growth across all form
factors. The buoyant performance in the Spanish PC market was set in a context of
robust results across most of Western Europe, as consumers and
businesses took advantage of steep ASP declines and the proliferation of entry-level
PC offerings. With the Spanish PC market already enjoying healthy
underlying trends, aggressive promotions on low-entry products and
stronger than expected price declines generated an added boost in the market.
Spain continued to enjoy fast-growing demand
for notebooks - at 55.5% year on
year - while desktop unit sales also continued
to post strong results for
the fifth quarter running.
The commercial desktop market
grew by almost 17% year on year, significantly above the Western
European average of 5% this quarter. Corporate desktop shipments
increased by nearly 15% year on year, fuelled by ongoing renewals,
while SMB demand clearly picked up from softer trends observed last
year and contributed to the boost in commercial desktop volumes. The
consumer desktop market was even more buoyant, accelerating to 41.5% year on year following
an increase of 31.1% already in Q2 2004.
"Aggressive vendor promotions
on entertainment and multimedia PCs strongly stimulated demand from the
home market while attractive deals on low-entry
systems also stimulated a
rebound in SMB renewals, following slight declines last year" said
Elsa Opitz, Research Manager, IDC EMEA Quarterly PC Research.
Notebook shipment sales
continued to record substantial increases in the
second quarter, particularly
in the consumer segment where shipments
jumped by almost 79% year
on year. However, commercial laptop unit sales were
also robust
with low prices giving an extra boost to portable adoption in
both
the SMB and
corporate space. Although volumes remain much larger in the
mid
market,
increasing shipments to the corporate market highlight the
continuous transition from desktops towards portable form factors
across all market segments.
'We continue to expect robust
notebook activity in the second half of the year and competition in
the top tier will remain fierce, helping stimulate unit sales," added
Opitz.
Additional information can be found at www.idc.com
2nd Quarter 2005 Notebook Market Soars
in CEE as Desktop Market Dips in Some New EU Member States, Says
IDC
PRAGUE,
August 22, 2005 - The market for PCs in Central and Eastern Europe
continued to expand in 2Q05. Compared to the same period in the
previous year, shipments were up 26.1% to 2.6 million units and
revenue up 26.8% to $2.3 billion. According to
IDC's second-quarter PC Quarterly Tracker, notebook shipments surged an
impressive 94.3% in volume while desktop shipments rose a more modest
15.5% and x86 servers 19.6%. Desktops still led in overall numbers,
outselling portables by 3.75 to 1 but accounting for only 1.9 times as much
revenue.
"Notebooks just keep getting
hotter," said Tomas Oupicky, senior analyst, IDC CEMA's Systems Group. "In new
EU member states they represent well over a quarter of sales. In
Slovakia they're up to a third and in the Czech Republic it's even more. Over
the next couple of years I think we'll see this trend move east as the
economies continue to grow in countries like Romania, Russia, and
Ukraine."
Russia
was again the largest PC country market in Central and Eastern in
2Q05, largely due to
its size. Poland remained second-largest and Ukraine third. Together, these three
countries accounted for about 70% of shipment volume. In terms of PC sales
per capita, Slovenia led the pack with 19 PCs for every 1,000 people. The
Czech Republic ranked second and Croatia third.
"The lack of large corporate
or government purchases resulted in some markets actually seeing a
decline in desktop sales," said Oupicky”
Desktop
shipments dipped in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and
Slovenia.
The
portables boom is partly to blame for this. A lot of first-time
buyers and replacement
buyers are investing in notebooks even though new desktops often come with a full
package of accessories."
Additional information can be found
at www.idc.com
Spanish PC market vender comparisons
2Q05 as prices continue to decline.
Vendor Highlights
HP retained leadership on the
Spanish PC market with a strong performance and growth just below 40%.
The vendor significantly grew market share in the consumer segment,
thanks to an attractive product line up for desktops and notebooks. HP also saw
substantial growth in its commercial notebook business with almost 58%
growth in shipments, fencing off fierce competition from other
A-brand vendors.
Acer kept the second place in
the overall ranking, with growth of 65.9%.
Whilst retaining the top spot
for notebooks, the vendor made an aggressive push on the desktop market
this quarter, resulting in almost 382% growth in its overall desktop business
in Spain and consequently entering the desktop top ten ranking straight to
third place.
Dell also held onto third
position overall following strong results, particularly in consumer
desktops as well as in the commercial notebook market. The vendor's
continued focus on execution is helping it clinch some key deals, while it is also
actively targeting the mid-market to further increase its share. Dell is
also enjoying growing success with the government and education
sector in Spain, leveraging its existing strategy in the UK public
sector.
Fujitsu-Siemens posted
excellent results in Q2 2005 in Spain, thus leaping from 7th place
last year to 4th place this year in the overall Spanish ranking. Very strong
progression on the desktop market, combined with outstanding growth in
notebook shipments boosted total growth to 112.4% for the vendor.
Local vendor Airis Computers
enjoyed a healthy quarter, with 31.5% growth overall and strong
performance on desktops. However, the vendor conceded market share in the mobile
PC market, where it had to battle against strong competition from
international vendors.
Additional information can be found at
www.idc.com
Alert:
Exploits for Plug and Play Vulnerability
Released
eEye Digital Security is alerting administrators to the
existence of exploit code for the recently added Plug and Play
Service vulnerability, which Microsoft patched this week as part of
the August Security Update (security bulletin MS05-039). Specific
information on this particular vulnerability can be found towards
the end of this announcement. As a service to the network security
community eEye has released a scanning utility, free of charge,
which will identify vulnerable systems and provide remediation
instructions. This tool can be downloaded immediately at:
http://www.eeye.com/html/resources/downloads/audits/index.html
About the Exploit
Today, several instances of
exploit code targeting the vulnerability discussed in MS05-039 were
released to the world. The eEye Research Team, upon discovering two
instances of exploit code online, conducted thorough testing to
confirm that both present a legitimate threat to Windows 2000
systems (completely patched SP 4 with all hotfixes). One exploit,
released by an anonymous author, will bind a command prompt to TCP
port 8721.
eEye reiterates our original position that users
should consider this patch highly critical, and that it should be
installed as soon as possible. For networks with multiple versions
of Windows operating systems, eEye recommends allocating resources
to remediate systems in this order:
·
Windows
2000 (All Service Packs)
·
Windows
NT
·
Windows
XP
·
Windows
2003
As
a refresher, the vulnerability is an unchecked buffer in the Plug
and Play service that can be exploited as a privilege escalation or
to run remote code as SYSTEM. Users running Windows 2000 are
vulnerable to a potential worm attack that would take advantage of
this flaw. The Microsoft patch updates the Plug and Play service
code to validate the length of a message before it passes it to the
allocated buffer.
MS05-039
Vulnerability in Plug
and Play Could Allow Remote code Execution and Elevation of
Privilege (899588)
Microsoft Severity Rating: Critical
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS05-039.mspx
Retina® UMPNP Scanner
The Retina UMPNP Scanner is
a single audit scanning tool offered free of charge by eEye Digital
Security. This tool will scan network devices to determine if any
are vulnerable to the Microsoft Plug and Play Service vulnerability
(MS05-039).
http://www.eeye.com/html/resources/downloads/audits/index.html
Kerstin
Reiners
Marketing
Director
eEye
Digital Security
T. +44 (0)1784 224 269
F. +44 (0)1784 224
445
M.
+44 (0)794 680 0078
kreiners@eeye.com
Handheld Europe AB, based in Sweden, is now
launching the next generation of Ranger - a new ultra rugged
handheld computer for the European market. The Ranger is an
extremely rugged product that meets or exceeds the IP67 and 810F
military standards for drops, vibration, altitude, dust, corrosion
and water immersion.
The
next generation Ranger™ adds versatility and more features to the
pioneering original and its already outstanding performance and is
now available in two models.
The Ranger 300X comes with a 312 MHz Intel XScale processor, 64 MB
of SDRAM and 256 MB of embedded Flash. The Ranger 500X comes with a
520 MHz processor, 128 MB of SDRAM and 512 MB of embedded Flash.
Integrated Bluetooth short-range wireless is standard on the Ranger
500X and optional on the Ranger 300X. Integrated
802.11b wireless is optional for both models.
The
Ranger provides a display that is bright and clear in all lightning
conditions, even direct sunlight. The waterproof unit combines
military-grade durability with a Windows Mobile™ software for Pocket
PC and has
a rechargeable battery that operates 30-hours. The
Ranger can quickly process even the most graphic-intensive
applications and delivers that performance in the most challenging
work environments. The Ranger is
designed for all-day operation in extreme outdoor and industrial
environments
and handles extreme heat, up to +60° and extreme cold, down to -30°.
The rugged
construction makes it ideal for public safety, field service,
utilities, military and other outdoor or service-related
applications.
-
We are very excited about the next generation Ranger and believe
that the unsurpassed ruggedness and versatility of the
product will appeal to a broad customer base, says Thomas Löfblad,
Director of Handheld Europe AB.
About Handheld Europe
AB:
Handheld Europe AB was founded in 1997 and are today one of
Europe's leading suppliers of rugged computers for forestry,
utility, military, transportation, logistics and other applications.
Handheld Europe works with its partners to deliver complete mobile
computing systems that meet the specific needs of the European
market. Handheld Europe AB is a fully owned subsidiary of Handheld
Computer Specialists AB a company specializing in rugged field
computing solutions. For more information, see www.handheldeurope.com.
Email:
t.lofblad@handheldeurope.com
www.handheldeurope.com
U.S. Robotics Becomes ‘Xerox Alliance Partner’
in Europe
Industry
Leaders Partner to Offer Wireless Networking
Solution
Maidenhead, UK
(25 July 2005)
– U.S. Robotics announced today that it has been accepted into the
Xerox Alliance Partner programme in Europe. Long recognised as a
leader in network access delivering the highest quality and most
innovative products available, U.S. Robotics now provides users of
Xerox products in Europe with solutions designed to provide an
entire workforce with wireless access to networked
devices.
“We
have worked to support Xerox and ensure their products’ seamless
integration with ours,” says Peter Blampied, U.S. Robotics’
director, EMEA sales and operations. “This designation as an
Alliance Partner further cements our commitment to providing
solutions for users worldwide.”
Initially
developed in Italy by U.S. Robotics’ Country Manager, Maurizio
Negri, the solution allows an entire workforce to connect to
printers, faxes and scanners through a wireless network designed
around the USR5450 802.11g Wireless Turbo Multi-Function Access
Point. The access point, connected directly to the router providing
Internet access, can transmit its signal throughout large offices,
providing wireless users with access to all networked devices. The
solution was first implemented at MC Informatica*, a company that
specializes in the design, creation and development of advanced
integrated systems for medium and large
companies.
Individual
workstations are connected to the wireless network through PC Cards,
PCI Adapters and other wireless adapters, such as the USR5410
802.11g Wireless Turbo PC Card and the USR5416 802.11g Wireless
Turbo PCI Adapter. Network intrusion by outsiders is minimized
through WEP encryption with 256-byte keys, while a cable-free
solution improves the office’s efficiency and aesthetic appearance
without affecting productivity.
The
partnership is part of Xerox’s commitment to meeting and exceeding
customers’ document-related challenges in the office and ensuring
Xerox products integrate easily and securely into their networks.
The European-based Xerox Alliance Partner programme combines
advanced applications from a wide variety of providers to create
customized solutions that extend the functionality of Xerox products
and services. Working together, the programme allows Xerox and
manufacturers to meet virtually any customers’ requirements.
- Headway to Open New Market
Opportunities With Distribution of the LeftHand
SAN
- Headway to Open
New Market Opportunities With Distribution of the LeftHand SAN -LeftHand
Networks(R), a leading provider of complete iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions,
built using patented storage clustering technology, today announced a
partnership with Headway Technology Group Ltd., a business division of Europe's premier
specialist distributor for document management and storage products, ACAL
IT. Headway will introduce the LeftHand SAN as the company's first iSCSI
solution to its network of resellers and systems integrators across
Europe.
An
exponential growth in storage requirements is pushing companies throughout Europe to move
from direct-attached storage environments to network storage solutions.
With the availability of LeftHand iSCSI storage solutions through Headway,
mid-tier enterprises can combine LeftHand's highly available and scalable
clustered architecture with the economics and ease of > use of
iSCSI.
"The
addition of the LeftHand SAN to our portfolio addresses a
growing demand for
iSCSI SANs," said Jon Reeves-Serby, director of business development for Headway
Technology Group. "We looked at a variety of solutions but chose to work
with LeftHand Networks based on the company's industry expertise, market
position and innovative storage solutions that not only satisfy our
customers' immediate needs, but also provide the data availability and scalability
required for growing businesses."
David
Bangs, vice president of sales for Left Hand Networks,
stated,
"This partnership reinforces Left Hand’s focus on driving
growth and moving into new
markets. Our
decision to enter Europe through Headway was based on their
vast distribution
channel, knowledgeable reseller base and domain expertise in providing solutions, not
just products geared towards the needs of mid-tier enterprises."
LeftHand
is the technology leader in the iSCSI SAN market, with over 2,000 systems installed in
multiple industries, including Fortune 1000 and mid-size companies in
manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, as well as government organizations and
universities. LeftHand's clustered storage architecture is
revolutionizing the storage market by delivering easy-to-manage networked
storage that offers simple scalability and failsafe data availability.
About
LeftHand Networks
LeftHand Networks pioneered
IP-based storage area networks (SAN) in 2001.
LeftHand's iSCSI SAN is
unique in its ability to distribute and protect data across a cluster of
industry-standard storage servers. The company's patented architecture increases data
availability, allows users to start small and grow the SAN seamlessly, and
simplifies management. The LeftHand SAN is ideal for primary storage and
server consolidation, centralized backup, and the disaster recovery needs of
today's mid-tier enterprises.
About Headway Technology
Group
Headway
Technology Group is an Acal Plc company focused on the imaging
market with particular emphasis in recent years on Electronic
document management technologies. Established in 1985, Headway
became one of the first
European companies to enter this field and now has an
enviable reputation
across the main territories of Europe. In 1995, Headway
became part of Acal
Plc. The Acal Group has over 1000 employees and is a leading
value added distributor providing specialist design in sales and
marketing services for
international suppliers in the fields of Electronic
Components, Industrial
Controls, I.T. Products and I.T. parts and services.
Source: LeftHand
Networks www.Headway.com
www.acalsn.com www.lefthandnetworks.com
Kodak Continues Digital Innovation With
Launch Of i55 and i65 Scanners
Perfect
Page Scanning, Faster Speeds Among New Features On Simplex, Duplex
Models
As
part of its strategy to become the worldwide leader in the distributed document scanning
market, Eastman Kodak Company today launched two new
“next-generation”A4 desktop scanners – the KODAK i55 and i65
Scanners.
The
new i55 and i65 offer outstanding 600dpi bitonal and colour
performance, high scanning speed, productivity, and added
flexibility for companies, organisations, and governmental agencies with
daily scanning volume requirements of up to 1,000 pages per day.
“Kodak image processing,
reliability, versatility, easy installation, and affordability –
these are all things Kodak’s customers have requested at the
workgroup level,” said
Hauke
Fast, Product Marketing Manager
of Kodak’s Document Imaging business. “Kodak responded with the
i55 and i65, part of our ongoing efforts to enhance innovative
products that help enterprises of all sizes to better capture,
manage, archive, and deliver valuable business
information.”
Both
scanners offer affordability, Kodak’s renowned “PerfectPage” image
quality, and reliability – all in a compact desktop design that is
ready to use right out of the box.
The
scanners are ideal choice to scan business documents with mixed
contrast and size. They are equipped with “PerfectPage” a set of
easy-to-use automatic image processing functions for bitonal,
greyscale and colour documents. This additional value makes both
scanners user-friendly and eliminates the need to change settings
and scan a document twice.
The
i55 is a simplex model with speeds up to 30 pages per minute
(ppm). The i65 is a
duplex model capable of processing 60 images per minute (ipm) by
capturing both sides of a document simultaneously at A4 at 200dpi,
or colour at 150dpi.
Some
of the Innovative features of the new KODAK i55 and i65 Scanners:
·
A
built in “Plug and Play” dual USB
2.0 and SCSI-2 interface – including a USB 2.0 PCI-card and cable
for easy integration.
·
Perfect
Page Scanning with iThresholding including colour, grayscale and
bitonal deskew, autocrop and intelligent
Thresholding.
·
Scan-to-Searchable
PDF function with OCR
·
Longer
document length capability (up to 34 inches)
·
Industry-standard
ISIS and exclusive, Kodak-developed TWAIN
drivers
·
Bundled
KODAK Capture Software, Lite
“We have introduced
increasingly innovative digital products for the past 15 years, and
set benchmarks in the industry.” Hauke
Fast
said. “These new products represent the next step in Kodak’s digital
innovation strategy by empowering the workgroup and departmental
segment with build-in capabilities previously available only in
volume scanners. Enabling Kodak to aim for the leadership in the
workgroup space.”
The
i55 has a list price of € 1.599 and the i65 of € 1.999 plus
VAT. A one-year mail-in
warranty from KODAK Service & Support is included with both
models.
Trouble-free
scanning with PerformancePlus
Kodak’s
all-inclusive PerformancePlus Service & Support Package for
Kodak document scanners
With
the launch of the i55 and i65 Scanners, Kodak Service & Support
is now offering the PerformancePlus service package for a
wide range of Kodak low- and mid-volume document scanners. This
all-inclusive service package is now available for KODAK i50, i55, i60, i65, i80,
i100 Series, i200 Series and i600 Series
Scanners.
No
unexpected service costs for three years
‘All-inclusive’
means exactly what it says: no service or spare parts costs for the
first three years, refunding on all customer-replaceable scanner
consumables and the immediate supply of a brand-new scanner
free-of-charge in the event that a technical problem cannot be
solved on-site. If the customer does not call for a service visit
within the first three years, he will receive an additional year of
standard service coverage at no charge. The package includes a
priority response time to service enquiries, arriving on-site within
eight working hours.
Maximum
equipment uptime
The
all-inclusive PerformancePlus service package was designed to meet the
precise needs of customers and to ensure total peace of mind they
need for their daily business. It provides the day in, day out
protection to keep the equipment up and running at optimum levels.
The excellent price-performance ratio means that there are no hidden
extra charges for travel and labour costs or scanner consumables.
For more information, please contact your local Kodak Service &
Support organisation, email: eamer-cig-service@kodak.com or visit
www.kodak.com/go/CIGservice
SPEED MATTERS: Waitec
presents ACTION 164
Waitec
continues to improve the specifications of its DVD
Burners ACTION series. Waitec is proud to present the evolution
of Action 16:
from a double layer speed of 2.4x Waitec jumps to
4x with Action 164.
Action 164 is a very fast Eide/Atapi DVD
Burner able to burn at the
amazing speed of 16x in DVD+R and
DVD-R and most importantly able to
burn in Double Layer at the
incredible speed of 4x!
With
Action 164 you can double the capacity of all your media and is
the perfect solution for the movie lovers and fantastic for the
PC
freaks, who are always in need and in search for the best
products in
the market. Action 164 is the ultimate DVD Burner as
well as CD
Recorder able to burn all your CD Media at the speed
of 48x24x48x.
Action 164 like all Waitec DVD Burners is
implemented with Safe Link
Technology which prevents all buffer
under-runs and comes with a very
useful Nero Software: ideal for
back-up, editing, authoring and of
course burning all the files
you require.
Action
164 suggested end-user price is £ 49 VAT included (approx.€72.00
Euros)Email: samantha.brizzi@waitec.com
www.waitec.com
You May Not Take the
Phish Bait, but are You Giving Away the Pharm?
As
the way we communicate and transact continues to become more
sophisticated, so it seems that those who prey upon the weak and
vulnerable in society take scamming to a new level. Internet users
now have a very real and troubling new threat to educate themselves
about—Pharming.
Most users are now aware of email Phishing
scams, where users receive emails from “Big Bank USA” warning that
there is a security alert which will result in the closing of their
account if they don't respond immediately. This email directs the
user to a login screen containing all the personal and account
information to the user's bank account. The disturbing fact remains
that those who are victimized by such scams are told by their bank
that their security is their own business and that the bank bears no
liability.
Pharming has the potential to rock the financial
world like an earthquake. It brings theft to a broader scale of
damage only equaled by the losses suffered by shareholders of Enron.
Pharmers target the DNS (Domain Name Server) in a process called
cache poisoning where web addresses are copied then counterfeited.
Once the DNS is poisoned, it allows scammers to control the server
to redirect traffic toward their target copy ripoff. A user
routinely and comfortably types a domain such as bigusabank.com
which has actually been redirected to another location collocated on
a third world server. This counterfeit location may even include a
secure looking site such as:
bigusabank.com/34234/0982314/465adbjkasdasd.axpx. The clone site
extracts user names, logins and other personal information. Unique
to pharming, the criminals can now quickly gather large amounts of
login identities and turn their criminal efforts into stolen money
transferred to their third world bank accounts. What's worse,
according to bak sources, many third world banks not only don't
condone the activity but may actively support and actually help to
sponsor such scams and provide profit sharing with the
scammers.
Several companies including
LogiGuard LLC provide server protection certification. LogiGuard
presents Hacker Guard as a server solution to those desiring
advanced security. Hacker Guard alerts System Administrators in real
time of changes to their home pages and server exploits which
protects websites from DNS manipulations and individual users from
malicious pharming scandals. Hacker Guard is constantly updated for
vulnerabilities that such scammers exploit to change DNS
information. LogiGuard ensures that your web host's server is
protected to the known exploits as listed by SANS (SysAdmin Audit
Network Security) Institute which is an independent network of IT
specialists that categorize and identify new and emerging internet
and network vulnerabilities. Now more than ever, your web host needs
to offer third party verification to certify that their server is
protected.
Perhaps the most disturbing
aspect of this new threat, Pharming, is that internet customers bear
the burden of liability to maintain their own security, according to
banking analysts. However, if your web host is not secured, this is
one strike you may not be able to detect until it is too late. We
encourage internet users to contact their web host and ask them to
provide evidence of privacy security on their server which protects
individual identities.
www.logiguard.com
Star Wars Cell Phones Were Just
Released in April - Now, a Month Later, Owners Can Sell them for
Cash
CellForCash.com
announced today it will pay cash for used Sony Ericsson S710a and
Z500a Star Wars cell phones, released by Cingular Wireless just last
month to commemorate the new movie, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge
of the Sith.
A spokesman for www.CellForCash.com said the web
site will pay $250.00 for the S710a model, and $200.00 for the Z500a
phone.
“We are delighted to be able to offer such attractive
prices for these two phone models, which were offered with a whole
range of special Star Wars-related features,” said James Moseur,
chief executive officer of RMS Communications Group Inc., the parent
company of www.CellForCash.com. “Star Wars fans who bought these
phones but now may have other needs will be able to recoup a
significant amount of their investment and put that toward another
cell phone model.”
Both of the limited edition handsets were
offered with a broad range of Star Wars-related features, including
special ring tones, a C-P3O voice ring tone, Star Wars character
graphics, a movie video clip and a demo of the Star Wars: Episode
III Revenge of the Sith video game, along with a game purchase
option. In addition, purchasers of the Z500a received a rebate offer
for one of four Star Wars face plates, and some purchasers also
received two tickets to see the new Star Wars movie.
While it
is somewhat unusual for cell phone owners to change phone models so
quickly, American consumers tend to upgrade their phones more often
than people of other nations. The result: about 130 million new
wireless cell phone purchased in the U.S. each year.
RMS buys
used cell phones for cash through a number of web sites, including
www.CellForCash, www.WirelessFundraiser.com, and
www.RecycleForUS.com. It then recycles them, re-marketing them
around the world. Phones that cannot be re-sold are either donated
to shelters and 911 programs or are recycled and disposed of in an
environmentally responsible fashion.
About RMS Communications
Group Inc.
Since 1985 RMS Communications Group, Inc. has been a
leading wireless wholesaler with customers all over the world. It
supports the wireless industry with innovative services designed to
help service providers, wireless agents and corporate customers get
the most out of their wireless devices. More information can be
found at www.RMSComm.com or at www.CellForCash.com
Breakthrough Software to Remove
Physical Distances Between You and Your Computer
Remote
Desktop for Mobiles is a fully-fledged communication tool that works
with a wide range of GSM phones and RIM BlackBerry devices. Not only
does it transmit the desktop view of your computer to your phone
display, it gives you the ability to interact with it in real-time
as if you were right in front of it. You will be able to execute
mouse and keyboard commands lightning fast and with a remarkable
ease. Its intuitive user interface, simple navigation and a list of
frequently used options fully compensate for the inconveniences of
mobiles, i.e. the small size of their display and buttons. Added to
this is the highest level of data transfer protection which is
guaranteed from any intrusion by the strong encryption
algorithm.
The program will provide the best value for home
users as well as professionals who crave for the mobility freedom,
yet want to have all computer resources right at their
fingertips.
- Remote Assistant. Have you ever wished you had
your computer with you at home when you needed a copy of an
important report or any other document? With the help of the
program, you can make this wish come true. You can remotely reach a
document on your office PC in seconds and there will be no need to
leave home and rush back to work.
- Remote Helpdesk. Have
your friends or relatives ever asked you to help them with their
computer? Now, instead of wordy and ineffective explanations of what
to do over a phone, you can access their computer directly through
your mobile and help them troubleshoot problems or customize their
computer settings without leaving your home or work.
-
Parents Watch. Have you ever been concerned about what your children
are doing online in your absence? You can use the program to keep
your children away from online dangers and explicit website content
right from your office. You can see what they are doing and
interfere if something wrong or risky is happening.
- Remote
24/7 Network Watch. Are you a system administrator? With our
program, you can remotely monitor and manage your network, servers
and users from a mobile phone. In case of emergency, you can
instantly respond to the problem before it affects the productivity
of your clients. By taking 24-hour control of your network, you can
help your company reduce costs of maintaining a high level network
uptime.
Remote Desktop for Mobiles Key Features:
-
Real-time remote PC access at any time;
- Support for a wide
range of GSM phones and RIM Black Berry devices;
- Simple phone
menu to facilitate quick remote access and control;
- Secure data
transfer protected by the strong encryption.
Availability and
Pricing:
Remote Desktop for Mobiles is compatible with Windows
98/ME/NT4.0/2000/XP and costs $29.99 (USD) for a single-user
license. Discounts are available for volume buyers. Registered
customers are entitled to free upgrades and technical support. The
evaluation version of the program is available for free at:
http://www.desktopmobiles.com/files/rdm.exe.
www.desktopmobiles.com www.zzzsoftware.com
Nebo Wireless Announces
International Wireless Link for Dialup Internet
Access
Nebo
Wireless, LLC, a leading manufacturer of wireless modem extenders
exclusively for dial-up Internet users, announces the release of an
International version of its Wireless Link for selected markets
beyond North America. International shipments of this product
include such markets as Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and
Philippines in the Pacific Rim, as well as Latin
America.
According to Nebo Wireless CEO & President Dr.
Ernie Lin, markets beyond North America present a great opportunity
to extend low cost wireless access for dialup. “With the successful
launch of our Wireless Link for dialup Internet users last year for
North America, we had many requests from customers around the world
for our product," Lin said. "We decided to modify our product
specifically for customers outside North America. Initially, we
selected a few markets in Asia and Latin America to release our
international product where the demand is currently the strongest.
We will continue to introduce our product to new markets as the
demand for low cost wireless access continues to grow."
With
this newest product release, Lin continues, “International dialup
Internet subscribers can now have the advantage and convenience of
wireless access in their homes and businesses at a very affordable
price with nothing else to buy: no additional equipment (cards) or
software downloads required and no additional service fees."
www.nebowireless.com
SecurenceMail - New
Anti Spam and Anti Virus Solutions in a Box from
Securence
Securence,
http://www.securence.com, a leading provider of email filtering
(anti-spam, anti-virus software) and Web filtering services that
include email protection and security services for small businesses,
enterprises and educational and government institutions worldwide,
today made available its SecurenceMail email filtering solution in
an onsite appliance to organizations that need to manage their
message filtering environment in-house based on strict company
guidelines.
“Demand has been so strong for SecurenceMail,”
said Joe Caldwell, Securence Vice President of Sales, “that we
created another deployment option in the form of an appliance that
can be deployed in-house. In today’s corporate America, some
organizations have strict guidelines that don’t allow for a third
party to manage their anti spam and anti virus environment as an
outsourced provider. Now they can with SecurenceMail onsite
appliance and still adhere to their corporate guidelines. It’s a
win-win for everyone, and we’re pleased to bring all the flexibility
a company might need in combating the rapid proliferation of
spam.”
Travis Carter, Securence Vice President of Technology,
said, “Just like our remote gateway service in SecurenceMail, the
onsite appliance provides real-time protection from the latest email
threats through the use of cutting-edge filtering technology and
24/7 monitoring all backed by world-class customer service. What
sets us apart from other vendors in our space is our signature
profile matching technology. In other words, Securence deploys a DNA
matching of sorts that is extremely adaptive to the ever-changing
spam message environment, capturing all non-text image files and
other obfuscation techniques. Our sophisticated network of spam
traps, along with other ID layers, typically blocks 98% of all
inbound spam producing zero false positives.”
SecurenceMail
also comes with a powerful, yet simple to use Web-based
administration tool, real-time reporting of message flow with full
statistics and averages, and stealth deployment options for
risk-free and easy evaluations. To learn more about the technology
and process behind how SecurenceMail filters spam, please visit our
website and click on our White Paper entitled “The New Spam
Onslaught: How One Spam Sniper Target’s the Bulls-eye.”
http://www.securence.com/resources/White_Paper_The_New_Spam_Onslaught.htm
World’s
First Service Based Computing Model is Launched - SBC Revolutionizes
Service Delivery, End-user Device Management, and Offers Simplicity
for Everyone
H2M
is reinventing the delivery of computing for both the end-user and
the service provider - with Service Based Computing
(SBC).
H2M provides consulting, outsourcing and strategy
services. This release announces H2M’s completed design of the
world’s first SBC model. SBC offers the simplicity of a telephone
with full PC capability – it is compatible with many operating
systems and is completely secure. This announcement begins the
education of the market for SBC to replace the PC, laptop and
thin-client.
Service Based Computing is a relatively new
concept. “SBC delivers applications and data from a …computing
platform… to simple end device… SBC puts the onus of managing the
computing environment on the xSP”, quoted from Chris Shipley. SBC
removes today’s end-device from the network to take ownership as the
end-node in the IP world – true voice and data
convergence.
The M.D. of H2M, Scott E. MacKenzie, commented,
“Everyday people complain about the complexity and TCO of PCs. To
correct the root cause of the problem we must eliminate the
elaborate end-devices used today – the PC’s time has come to an
end”. SBC is the revolution in end-user interface that offers both
simplicity and functionality beyond the PC - with a positive
ROI.
www.h2m-group.com
How Can You
Protect Yourself from Identity Theft?
Identity
theft has reached epidemic proportions in the U.S. today. The
Federal Trade Commission estimates that one in twenty people has
been victimized, and this is a crime on the rise. With modern
technology, it’s easier than ever to steal private information using
a variety of high tech appliances as well as some that aren’t
technical at all.
Anyone who has a driver’s license, credit
card, Social Security number, medical insurance, or any identifiers
is vulnerable. Those with a good credit rating are even more at
risk. “Sensitive personal information is floating around
everywhere”, noted Paige Turner, who has prepared a free report
advising people how to protect themselves against this threat. “It’s
important to become aware of how people get your information and
what steps you can take to secure your privacy.”
Her report,
“Safeguarding Your Identity,” describes ways to keep your credit
cards, wallet, home, and computer more secure. She provides
information about some simple things to do that could make a major
difference in how secure your information is and how it is handled.
With the recent changes in federal legislation, everyone is
now entitled to a free annual credit report. Details for getting one
are provided, along with complete contact information for the major
national credit bureaus. Information for opting out of receiving
junk mail from members of the Direct Marketing Association and
related groups is also listed.
Knowing what to do is critical
and may make the difference between having peace of mind or enduring
months --perhaps years of trying to get your credit repaired and
your good name back. That can be an expensive and emotionally trying
process that no one wants to experience.
Protect yourself and
those you love before it’s too late. To get your copy of this free
report, “Safeguarding Your Identity”, go to www.safeguardyourinfo.com
IDC Predicts Single-Digit CRM Growth in
Western Europe
The
Western European CRM applications market will grow less than 5%
annually, according to a new study by IDC. "The CRM market is
maturing rapidly and IDC does not expect double-digit growth to
occur in the coming years. However, you can still find pockets of
high growth in Western Europe, such as hosted CRM, customer
analytics, customer self-service, and vertical CRM applications.
Certain industries, in particular financial services,
telecommunications, and public sector, have enormous potential for
replacing custom-developed CRM applications with
packaged
software," said Bo Lykkegaard, program manager, European Enterprise
applications.
Two IDC end-user surveys this year demonstrated
that CRM is a top priority for 2005 for many Western European
companies. After several years of cost cutting and bottom-line
focus, most European companies are currently transitioning to a top-line
and growth focus. However, investments are held back by slow
economic growth in key Western European markets, such as Germany,
Italy, and France. Furthermore, price pressures from new entrants
and high-end vendors going downmarket will inhibit growth at the
market level.
The new study, Western European CRM
Applications Forecast, 2005-2009 (Doc #LC02M, May 2005), provides a
five-year forecast for Western Europe by CRM functional market and
country. The study also analyzes drivers and inhibitors of the CRM
applications market and offers advice on how vendors can address
market opportunities.
To purchase the study, please contact
your local IDC office or visit www.idc.com
DEHNpatch –
Surge Protection in Patch
Cables
Data networks
are the backbone systems of companies and institutions. Today,
in time of superlatives, the availability of important information
and the safe functioning of the data networks are decisive for
surviving on the market. Therefore, a safe data network performance
is more important than ever.
Protection
of connected installations and systems against destruction by
high-energy transient surges, requires the use of surge protective
devices (SPDs).
The
design of the new surge arrester DEHNpatch as a patch cable is
revolutionary. It allows not only to equip new installations very
easily, but also retrofittings at existing installations without
great installation work and at any time.
DEHNpatch
is simply plugged in between the patch panel and the terminal
equipment (e. g. switch) instead of the conventional patch cable.
The DIN rail mountable supporting foot with snap-in device provides
safe earthing. For single applications, a piece of DIN rail with
fixing device is included in delivery. For multiple applications in
19“ distribution boards the DEHNpatch mounting set available as
accessory provides all protection required.
DEHNpatch
fulfils the requirements of Cat. 6 and can be used universally for
all data services with nominal voltages of up to 48 V. Both existing
services in offices or industry like Gigabit Ethernet, ATM or ISDN
can be protected as well as future systems like Voice of IP and
Power over Ethernet with only one SPD - DEHNpatch.
Thanks
to its fully shielded design, DEHNpatch can be used in shielded and
unshielded networks. The width corresponds approximately to RJ45
socket outlets. Thus up to 24 devices can be installed in one series
and be integrated into one 19“ rack.
The
total standard cable length of DEHNpatch delivered is 3 m (other
lengths available on request).
DEHNpatch is
the first patch cable to provide surge protection in Cat. 6
performance for universal use in accordance with EN 50173 up to 48 V
dc.
Internet:
http://www.dehn.de
eMail:
info@dehn.de
Kodak Celebrates 15 Years In Digital
Document Imaging
ROCHESTER,
N.Y., February 28, 2005 – Seventy-seven, fifteen, and one: Three numbers that describe
the industry leadership and digital innovation of KODAK Document
Imaging Products & Services. 
Seventy-seven years ago, Eastman Kodak Company launched into
the document imaging business when George Eastman helped a New York
banker with a business problem – handling the increasing volume of
checks. Eastman in 1928
developed a commercial camera and special film – called microfilm –
to help the banker capture images of the paper checks. Thus was born document
imaging at Kodak.
Fifteen years ago, Kodak became one of the first document
imaging companies to launch a digital document scanner – the KODAK
IMAGELINK Scanner 900.
Designed as a high-volume production scanner for use by
companies with large, centralized scanning operations, the Scanner
900 also represented one of the first digital products by any Kodak
product group.
No. 1 is Kodak’s current market share position in the mid-
and high-volume production scanner segments worldwide, according to
market analysts, who further noted that Kodak grew its market share
in these segments during the past year.
“Our
rich 77-year heritage – 15 of them in digital – serves as the
platform for our strategy of offering the industry’s broadest
portfolio of document imaging products and services,” said Erwin
Schwarzl, general manager, KODAK Document Imaging. “In fact, during the past
five years alone, we have launched 56 distinct hardware and software
products or product enhancements to help businesses better capture,
manage, archive, and deliver their critical business
information.”
Digital
Document Scanners
Corporations,
including those in the healthcare, financial, transportation and
insurance industries, as well as government and regulatory agencies,
rely on document scanners to convert paper documents into digital
images that can be shared and stored electronically via information
technology networks.
But as business has changed, so have document scanners. Initially, the scanners
developed and manufactured by Kodak were high-volume models capable
of scanning tens of thousands of pages a day in large, centralized
operations. But as
information technology has permeated the workplace, more and more
companies are turning to distributed scanning environments, using
desktop models to scan documents as they are created or
received.
Recognizing
this trend, Kodak is integrating the robust features of its
production scanners into lower volume models such as the KODAK i100
Series Scanners, which the company rolled out in January, and the
KODAK i55 and i65 Scanners, launched on May, 30st. The goal, Schwarzl said, is
to provide customers with the best document scanners – from
high-volume production models to workgroup models – with the
qualities Kodak has become known for: outstanding paper handling,
image quality, simultaneous output capabilities, and, more recently,
Perfect Page Scanning with iThresholding.
West
Canadian, a KODAK Authorized Imaging Reseller and commercial printer
in Calgary, Canada, was one of Kodak’s early
customers.
“We bought one of the
original KODAK IMAGELINK Scanner 923s back in the early 1990s, and
it’s still running today, right next to newer scanners from Kodak,”
said Irene Price, executive vice president, West Canadian. “In fact, our 923 has
captured 300 million images to date.”
Reference
Archive
Meanwhile,
Kodak has applied digital technologies to its original document
imaging product – microfilm, which still is considered the medium of
choice for the long-term preservation of documents and critical
business information.
Because electronically stored data can begin to degrade after
about seven years, companies and other organizations rely on
microfilm to preserve documents for much longer periods of
time. To meet this need
in a digital world, Kodak rolled out the KODAK DIGITAL SCIENCE
Document Archive Writer, Model 4800, in 1996. This innovation, which has
evolved to today’s KODAK i9600 Series Writers, writes digital images
to a special archival microfilm developed by Kodak. The KODAK i7300 Scanner can
then convert microfilm images back to digital files so they can be
shared electronically within an enterprise when
needed.
“Our
ability to apply digital technologies to what was once thought to be
a purely analog process again illustrates our industry leadership
and digital innovation,” Schwarzl said. “And our customers have
responded to these innovations as we are recording double-digital
sales growth in the archival media used in our digital-to-film
writers.”
KODAK
Service & Support
A
key component in helping Kodak provide the broadest portfolio of
products and services to its customers is KODAK Service &
Support, a 1,200-employee team across 120 countries that helps
customers maximize productivity. In addition to providing
hardware and software support for Kodak’s products, KODAK Service
& Support also provides support for more than 1,000 products
from more than 100 other manufacturers.
But
hardware and software support are just a part of the picture. KODAK Service & Support
also has been expanding into storage services as part of a strategy
to grow its multi-vendor IT services, which also include digital and
film conversion services.
Kodak’s
Graphic Communications Group
The next stage of evolution for KODAK Document Imaging
Products & Services and KODAK Service & Support has been
their integration into the Graphic Communications Group. Effective in January, the
integration is intended to provide customers with a single entry
point to all of the products and services Kodak offers to help
companies and organizations move from capture to customized
communications.
About
Eastman Kodak Company
Kodak
is the leader in helping people take, share, print, and view images
– for memories, for information, for entertainment. With sales of $13.5 billion
in 2004, the company is committed to a digitally oriented growth
strategy focused on the following businesses: Health
-- supplying the medical and dental industries with traditional and
digital imaging-information products and services, as well
healthcare IT solutions and services;
Graphic Communications -- offering
on-demand color and black and white printing, wide-format inkjet
printing, high-speed, high-volume continuous inkjet printing, as
well as document scanning, archiving, and multi-vendor IT
services; Digital & Film Imaging Systems -- providing
consumers, professionals and cinematographers with digital and
traditional products and services; and Display & Components --
which designs and manufactures state-of-the-art organic
light-emitting diode displays, as well as other specialty materials,
and delivers imaging sensors to original equipment
manufacturers. More
information about Kodak (NYSE: EK) is available at www.kodak.com
For
more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/docimaging
Intelligent Output Solutions expand
operations and seek new partners in Greece and Cyprus
Intelligent Output Solutions announced today that they have
extended their distribution agreement with DataWatch Corporation
(NASDAQ: DWCH), under which Intelligent Output Solutions will serve
as the master distributor for sales of DataWatch’s management, data
transformation and service management solutions in Cyprus and now in
Greece. Alongside this territory expansion, Intelligent Output
Solutions seek new alliances with solutions partners and systems
integrators in Greece and Cyprus.
Both Greece and Cyprus are well
established and highly respected centre for the conduct of
commercial, professional, financial and maritime activities within
the Mediterranean region and around the
world.
Intelligent Output Solutions will be expanding their efforts
on providing Monarch, Monarch DataPump and Datawatch|ES to the Greek
and Cypriot SME and Corporate
marketplaces.
"Expanding into Greece has been part of
our plan for some time, and our partnership with Datawatch has made
this key move achievable faster than we could have imagined," said
Stewart Rogers, Director at Intelligent Output Solutions. "An
important part of our new strategic direction includes working with
other local software providers and system integrators, and we’re now
opening our doors to any Greek or Cypriot VAR for further
discussions and partnerships. We aim to build a channel that is
second to none", Rogers
concludes.
Rob Graham, Product Manager for Datawatch Europe stated, “We
have not appointed IOS as important Distributors by accident. They
have taken the time to understand our product portfolio and they
know how our ‘Business as Usual’ range fits in front of a client’s
existing system. They don’t sell a product but provide a solution.
They fit exactly within the Datawatch
family”.
Monarch is the world's #1 report mining software solution,
with around 500,000 users worldwide. With Monarch software, there's
no need to flip through thick printed reports, re-key data into
spreadsheets, or struggle with complex data analysis tools. Instead,
Monarch transforms your report files into data, without programming.
Monarch DataPump further automates Monarch’s use within any
enterprise, performing automated reporting and data mining
tasks.
Datawatch|ES offers a totally unique approach to reporting,
report management, business intelligence, and forms management, all
in a single, Web-based system. Datawatch|ES transforms existing
reports into a Web-enabled archive, for electronic storage and
distribution. It then automatically transforms that report-based
information, without programming, into live online data for easy
analysis and decision support, in formats including html, PDF,
Excel, and multidimensional data cubes. In addition, text-based
output can be transformed into live XML
forms.
As part of the agreement, Intelligent Output Solutions are
empowered to find and sign up local resellers for DataWatch’s
products, and they are actively looking for interested parties in
Greece and
Cyprus.
Companies interested in partnership with Intelligent Output
Solutions should visit http://www.ioutput.com/partnership.htm and complete the online form.
Intelligent Output Solutions Limited sets itself apart from
other document management vendors by creating a relaxed environment
with resources that help customers make the right decision, such as
information on how to save time, save money and reduce wastage
through their solutions. Intelligent Output Solutions excel in
providing high ‘return on investment’ solutions, such
as:
-
Eradicating
costly pre-printed forms
-
Enabling
delivery of output via the internet, without changing
applications
-
Delivering
accounting, CRM and ERP output via email, fax and
Internet
-
Distributing
then printing in order to save money, rather than ‘print and
distribute’
-
Automatic
fax delivery from the desktop, instead of the 10-minute walk to the
fax machine
-
Unified
messaging systems (email, fax, voicemail all in your email
client)
As companies are measured more and more by their ability to
communicate effectively, and as businesses look for ways to cut
costs and gain high returns on their IT investments, Intelligent
Output Solutions are well placed to provide the products and
services these organisations need.
www.ioutput..com
One Stop Solution for
Compliance with New Legislation
Irelands leading data capture specialist
Waveform Solutions and Hand Held Products, a major global supplier
of image-based data collection systems, have developed a solution
that ensures compliance with new EU Track and Traceability
Legislation. The two
companies have developed a three stage solution for
customers:
1. Understanding the
legislation - The
new EU Food Law (Regulation EU 178/2002) applies to all companies
involved in the production, processing or distribution of food,
drink or animal feed.
It aims to ensure the complete traceability of food, drink
and animal feed, and their ingredients.
2. Understanding the
implications - Companies
throughout the supply chain must be able to track the origins and
destination of each consignment of food, drink or feed, using
barcode labels. If an
item is found to be unsafe, these details can then be easily
traced.
3. Implementing a solution -
Waveform
and Hand Held Products have been working with Zebra Technologies (a
leading manufacturer of
thermal label printers) to develop a complete, ‘one-stop’ system
that ensures compliance with the new
law.
They
have developed a range of mobile and RF (Radio Frequency) solutions
that provide full traceability of goods - from arrival through to
processing and despatch.
These solutions also improve stock accuracy, increase pick
rates and reduce errors, and can be fully integrated with an
ERP/back office system.
The
system has already been successfully implemented by a number of
leading food manufacturers and distributors throughout the Republic
of Ireland. Further
details are available from Waveform Solutions. To learn more about
Waveform visit www.waveform.ie
www.handheld.com
Theft of
Outsourced Customer Data Growing Challenge for
Corporations
CyberGuard's Paul Henry Provides
Corporations Tips for Ensuring Protection
Against Emerging
Problem of Outsourced Data Theft
In the wake of today's
reports about outsourced customer data being sold in India, it is
clear that enterprises need a strategy for ensuring that the same
security standards they place on
their corporate data are being
placed on the companies they partner with
across the globe to
process their customers' financial and
personal
information.
Paul Henry, an IT security industry
expert with CyberGuard Corporation
(NADSAQ: CGFW), has created a
list of recommendations for enterprises to
ensure that their
customer data is not compromised and they can continue to
enjoy
the benefits of outsourcing critical data to the right
partners.
Mr. Henry serves as an expert commentator for a
variety of media outlets,
including NBC Nightly News, CNBC-Asia,
Power Magazine, Secure Computing
Magazine, ISA Publication
Industrial Computing, the Miami Herald, San
Francisco Chronicle
and many others.
"I am appalled at the apparent disregard for
network security we are seeing
in offshore outsourcing firms,"
said Mr. Henry. "One can only assume that
part of the cost
savings that European firms who choose to outsource
are
benefiting from is due to the reduced expenses the
outsourcing partners have
in not having to meet the same security
standards as European
organizations."
Added Henry, "In
view of the lower wages and hence lower cost in outsourcing
one
must also consider that the cost to potentially compromise
an
individual's integrity is also proportionally lower with that
same
outsourcing partner. In light of this consideration clearly
the security
controls set in place for an outsourcing firm must
be more stringent than
those that would have been in place had
the organization kept the task in
house."
Henry concluded,
"First, as we recommend to companies across the globe, a
strong
security policy must be put in place and followed vigorously.
Then
you must be extremely careful to ensure that the companies
you outsource
data to fully support the policies, procedures and
technical safeguards you
have put in place to protect your
client's personal information. A chain is
only as strong as
its weakest link - don't let your outsourcing partner
become your
weak link. This goes beyond perimeter security to
include
physical security as well as both access and application
controls. We are
starting to see this problem in India, and
unless enterprises are diligent
protecting their data it will
explode out of control like identity theft."
Paul's
recommended tips:
o Firms that outsource their data to call
centers should ensure that the
security policy, procedures and
technical safeguards utilized by the
outsourcing partner are
equal to or better then their own;
o Both regular and random risk
assessments should be carried out on the call
or outsource
center, especially if it is located in a high commercial
risk
area geographically where bribery and corruption are
endemic. Risk
assessments should cover all 10 domains of network
security and should not
be limited to gateway
security.
At the
call center the following should be done:
* Encrypt all data
in storage and in transit;
* Physical security controls should be
in place to mitigate the risk of data
leaving the facility via
magnetic or optical media, recording devices,
cameras and hard
copy;
* Ensure that all data sent in and out is monitored or even
prevented, by
email, web mail, FTP, data and file transfer
websites (by controlling
website access); only essential internet
communication should be allowed;
* At the desktop prevent any
unauthorized data entering or leaving the
network via USB (USB
sticks), and fire wire devices (i.e. iPods), CD, DVD,
floppy
drive, SCSI, Parallel or any of the other ports;
* All employees
should be vetted for criminal records and credit history to
see
if they are a high security risk. Simply put, if you can not manage
your
own finances you should not be entrusted to manage the
financial records of
others.
www.cyberguard.com
AMCC Multilane Connectors Named Connectivity Product
of the Year by Storage
Magazine
Applied
Micro Circuits Corporation (AMCC) [NASDAQ: AMCC], was awarded the
Connectivity Product of the Year award for its innovative Multilane
SATA RAID connection system at the 2005 Storage Awards (“The
Storries”) gala dinner in London, England. The awards are organized by
Storage Magazine – the
UK’s number one IT storage magazine – with the winners determined by
votes from the readership of the magazine.
“Storage
continues to be a huge challenge in today’s business climate,” said
Stuart Leigh, editor of Storage Magazine. “The Multilane connection
system has made high-capacity SATA RAID storage devices more
reliable and easier to manufacture.”
The
Multilane connection system is designed for high capacity industrial
environments, where space and airflow are at a premium. This groundbreaking design
increases reliability and simplifies installation and routing via an
innovative cabling solution for large-scale configurations. Available on 8- and 12-port
3ware 9000 series SATA RAID controllers, Multilane provides a highly
reliable, locking cable/connector system that combines 4 SATA ports
into one on the controller side. Multilane is widely
supported with compatible backplanes offered by several chassis
vendors.
“The
Storries are particularly important awards as the winners are
determined by votes from people actually working in the industry,”
said Michael Joyce, director of marketing for AMCC Storage. “We are proud that the
benefits of the Multilane connection system have been so widely
recognized and implemented by VARs and integrators. Multilane is truly an
enabling technology that is expanding SATA RAID installations into
high capacity, high performance, cost sensitive storage environments
at the enterprise level.”
AMCC 3ware 9000
Series
The 3ware 9000
Series SATA RAID controllers are built on StorSwitch™, the company’s
innovative switched RAID architecture for scalable performance. The current 9000 series
provides scaleable capacity of up to 4.8 TB per controller, using
400 GB drives, and total system capacity limited only to available
PCI slots. Advanced RAID features such as online-capacity-expansion,
RAID level migration and multi-LUN support provide high levels of
data protection, availability and reliability. AMCC’s advanced hardware
RAID architecture enhances overall system performance and features
both an on-board processor and an integrated RAID ASIC that offloads
RAID controller functions from the host CPU, which allows the server
to focus on its core applications.
AMCC
Product Support
The
3ware 9000 Series SATA RAID controllers are available worldwide in
12, 8, and 4-port configurations for VARs, OEMs and system builders
through the company’s network of distribution partners. The controllers ship with a
3-year warranty and are compatible with Microsoft® Windows®
2003/XP/2000, Red Hat® Linux, SuSE® Linux, and FreeBSD operating
systems. For additional
information, please visit www.3ware.com.
About
AMCC
AMCC
provides the essential building blocks for the processing, moving
and storing of information worldwide. The company blends systems and
software expertise with high-performance, high-bandwidth silicon
integration to deliver silicon, hardware and software solutions for
global wide area networks (WAN), embedded applications, storage area
networks (SAN), and high-growth storage markets such as Serial ATA
(SATA) RAID. AMCC's corporate headquarters are located in San Diego,
California. Sales and engineering offices are located throughout the
world. www.amcc.com
PAV Launches new 2E1 and 4E1 FSO Systems for GSM/CDMA
Network Infrastructure
Free Space Optics
provides a rapidly installed connectivity solution for base stations
(BTS) in GSM and CDMA networks where installing fixed line
infrastructure presents a major challenge
PAV
Data Systems, the leading supplier of Free Space Optics systems
(FSO) worldwide, announces the fully digital PAVLight 2E1 FSO
system. The PAVLight
2E1 transmits two independently clocked E1 circuits (2.048Mbps) over
a single FSO link at distances of up to 4kms, and provides an ideal
solution for connecting base stations (BTS) in GSM and CDMA cellular
networks where the cost and feasibility of fixed line infrastructure
present a major challenge.
A single PAVLight 2E1 link
can support both and GSM and CDMA traffic, making the system
a cost effective and attractive option for
operators.
The
time and cost to deploy the link is further reduced because no
indoor unit (IDU) or multiplexer is required, with the two E1
circuits multiplexed at the link head. The PAVLight 2E1 uses a
single 120 Ohm RJ45 interface to transmit and receive both E1
streams along a single low cost Cat 5e UTP cable. A 75 Ohm input option is
also available to support installations that require the use of coax
cables.
PAV
has also announced the PAVLight 4E1, offering double the link
capacity. A simple
module swap upgrade is available to allow the PAVLight 2E1 to be
upgraded in the field to support four E1 channels, without the need
for re-alignment. The
PAVLight 4E1 offers two 120 Ohm interfaces and only requires two Cat
5e cables to transmit and receive the 4E1
channels.
The
PAVLight 2E1 and PAVLight 4E1 are both available in single
transmitter (for up to 2km) and three-transmitter (for up to 4km)
versions. All systems
provide an Alarm Indication Signal (AIS) on the E1 channels to allow
detection of LOS (Loss of Signal) on the FSO and E1 channels. As with the current PAVLight
system, dry contact alarms can also be connected into the existing
alarm system of the GSM/CDMA infrastructure.
About
PAV
PAV
offers an extensive range of FSO systems, enabling communications up
to 4kms and data rates in excess of 1Gbps. With over 8000 PAV FSO
links installed worldwide, from cellular telephony infrastructure to
enterprise networks, PAV is the world’s leading supplier of Free
Space Optics technology.
For
further information regarding PAV Data Systems, please visit our
website at - http://www.pavdata.co.uk
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