Electric Cars power supplies

The United Kingdom power infrastructure has capacity for significant rise in use of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles According to the results of simulation studies announced today by a consortium including Ricardo, Jaguar-Land Rover, EON and Amberjac Projects, a substantial medium-term rise in the number of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would have a much lower impact on the UK national power grid than has previously been estimated

The research study has been carried out by the consortium as part of the Range Extended Hybrid Electric Vehicle (REHEV) project, which is led by Jaguar-Land Rover and part-funded by the Technology Strategy Board.

Climate Change

Climate change will be considered a major threat to business in the next ten years according to a survey out today on “emerging risks”

 Conducted by Business Continuity Expo  and sponsored by Marsh, the world’s leading insurance broker and risk adviser. 87% of businesses see climate change as the single biggest threat in terms of risk assessment and the effect it could have on their businesses future growth, with many at a loss as to what can be done in order to prepare or plan for this eventuality. This threat to the continuity and long-term success of their business is ahead of terrorism, pandemic flu, flooding, the credit crunch, government red-tape and outsourcing and offshoring.

The survey was conducted amongst 150 major European companies.

Top 10 Supply Chain Technology Trends

The Top 10 TechnologiesHere are the top 10 trends and technologies impacting supply chain operations spanning production, distribution, retail and remote service.

1. Comprehensive connectivity – from 802.11 wireless LAN technologies, cellular networks, Bluetooth2. Voice and GPS communication integrated into rugged computers3. Speech recognition4. Digital imaging5. Portable printing6. 2D & other bar coding advances7. RFID8. RTLS9. Remote management

10. Wireless and device security
It’s easy to name “mobility” and “wireless” as trends, but it’s less clear exactly what direction these developments are taking and how they can be used to improve business. One can hardly pick up a business or IT magazine without seeing multiple articles about the growth of mobile and wireless technologies. And it seems people can’t put down their PDAs, smart phones and other mobile computing and communications devices, at least when judging by the adoption rates and future growth projections.

But what’s missing in all this attention is context, particularly regarding how adoption of these technologies is creating improvements in enterprise and supply chain operations. For example, identifying mobile computing, printing and GPS as growth technologies doesn’t explain how one field service provider combined them to save at least 40 minutes per crew per day, and up to $2.1 million in overtime. This white paper does. It also provides many more examples of how to use technology for business advantage.
Intermec has been helping companies take advantage of the latest technologies for manufacturing, distribution, field service and other supply chain environments for more than 40 years. We pioneered many of the data capture, mobile computing and wireless communication technologies in use today, and continue to innovate through our close collaboration with leaders in wireless networking and data services, enterprise software and other advanced technology development. Drawing on our experience with thousands of customers worldwide, access to analysts and researchers, close relationships with IT leaders, and extensive network of solution providers, we have identified the top 10 technology trends in mobile, industrial and supply chain operations environments for 2007-2008. This white paper identifies these trends, explains how they apply to supply chain operations, and presents results from users who have adapted the technologies to improve their businesses.

You’re probably familiar with the technologies listed above, but perhaps not with the latest developments and trends. For example, did you know that practically any application can be easily modified to accept speech input because of the recent development of terminal emulation-based speech recognition technology? Did you know that Bluetooth, 802.11b/g, cellular and GPS communication are all available in a single handheld device? Did you know improved optics allow 2D bar codes on paper to be read at greater distances (over 50 feet) than 1D bar codes on retroreflective labels? Read on to learn more about how these and other developments are helping make production, distribution, service and other supply chain operations more efficient.

Connectivity

The various forms of wireless connectivity – Bluetooth for personal area networking, 802.11 wireless local area networking, and cellular wide area wireless networks for voice and data communication – are all highly visible and provide compelling business cases for many specific operations. Although innovation and adoption is continuing at a strong pace, these trends aren’t new. What is new and significant is how these technologies are being combined into single devices that provide multiple forms of wireless functionality, bringing convenience to both users and to IT staff responsible for managing mobile devices.

Smart phones have strong appeal because they provide convenient voice and data access. However they are extremely limited for delivery, field service and other mobile supply chain operations because the computer screens and interfaces aren’t optimized for enterprise applications, and the devices themselves aren’t rugged enough for everyday use in these environments. For operations with intensive data collection or transaction volume, companies have traditionally used ruggedized handheld computers to gain the reliability and performance they need, but these devices lacked cell phone capability.

Advanced Wireless: Voice & GPS

Now leading cellular carriers have certified rugged handheld computers for voice communication, enabling data collection, data communication and cell phone functionality to be converged into one device. Users don’t need to worry about keeping separate cell phones and computers charged and maintained, nor do they need to switch back and forth between devices to complete routine tasks. Converging data and voice onto an integrated piece of equipment can cut the number of devices system administrators need to support in half, which provides sustainable operating cost savings. Bluetooth is also frequently integrated with these devices to interface peripherals and further reduce total cost of ownership by eliminating the costs of repairing and replacing cables.

Connectivity convergence continues with the integration of GPS communication into mobile computers. For example, Intermec’s CN3 includes wide-area wireless voice and data, 802.11, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity in a handheld computer small enough to fit in a shirt pocket. Together with the falling costs of wide area wireless coverage (including GPRS, GSM, CDMA and other technologies) and more generous data plans, computing innovations like these make it affordable and practical for many companies to implement real-time data access systems for their delivery drivers, sales and service staff, inspectors and other personnel.

Speech Recognition

The “other” voice technology for supply chain operations – speech recognition for hands-free data entry – is also undergoing a new wave of innovation and adoption. Speech recognition helps productivity by reducing the need for users to look at a computer display. Following the larger IT trends of open systems and interoperability, speech synthesis/recognition capability can now be easily embedded into numerous legacy software packages, including warehouse management, picking and putaway, inventory, inspection, quality control and other applications. This simplified integration has been made possible by the recent development of terminal emulation (TE)-based speech recognition technology, which eliminates the need for a separate speech server and a proprietary interface between the speech system and the application software.

TE enables speech synthesis to reduce the need to look at the display, and speech recognition to function as a true input technology, not as a separate application that has to be managed and integrated. By using terminal emulation to format and process speech input/output, data flows from and into existing software applications as if it had been entered by bar code scanning, key entry, or whatever method was previously used. TE-based speech recognition systems can work with warehouse management systems in real-time, which is another important innovation from traditional speech recognition technology.

Traditional speech recognition was often implemented for high throughput operations where system planners valued speed and productivity over accuracy, especially for picking. Bar code data entry is considered more accurate, and speech input is generally acknowledged as enabling superior productivity because workers keep their hands and eyes on the picking operations and aren’t interrupted by using the computer screen and keyboard or scanner to initiate and complete operations. One analysis for a high volume distribution center concluded bar code data entry was four percent more accurate than traditional speech (99 percent compared to 95 percent), but bar coding would require 26 more full-time equivalent (FTE) workers to handle the same transaction volume. When a hybrid system featuring TE-based speech recognition was analyzed, it was found to match bar code data entry accuracy while requiring 22 fewer FTEs, making it the overall most efficient method when the consequences of correcting picking errors were considered.

Digital Imaging

Like cellular voice, digital imaging is another technology consumers are familiar with that has now found a place in enterprise mobile computing equipment and applications. Transportation and distribution companies are using digital cameras integrated into the mobile computers so their drivers can capture proof of delivery, store stamped invoices, and detail conditions that prevent delivery. Technicians use the technology for proof of service. Other applications include capturing shelf displays and monitoring trade promotion compliance, collecting competitive information, documentation by inspectors, collecting evidence for accident reports, and recording damage and usage conditions for warranty claims.

Portable Printing

Rugged portable printers are routinely used for output when documentation is required. Common applications include providing signed delivery receipts, purchase orders, work orders and inspection reports. Using mobile printers and computers together lets sales, service and delivery personnel give customers the documentation they desire, while creating an electronic record that frees the enterprise from having to process paperwork. Mobile printers remain one of the fastest-growing segments of the entire printing industry. Traditional applications are in field service and distribution, but adoption is growing quickly in warehouses and factories for forklift-based printing for picking, putaway, shipment labeling and other activities. Mobile printing provides proven labor savings in industrial environments by saving workers from having to make an unproductive trip to a central location to pick up labels, pick tickets, manifests and other output.
2D Bar Code

Two-dimensional bar codes have long been a proven and popular technology for operations where it is desirable to present a lot of information in a limited space. However, 2D has remained a niche technology, in large part because symbols can be difficult to read in many usage environments. As reading ability has improved, so has the adoption and value of 2D bar coding. The recent emergence of auto-focus imaging technology will help bring 2D bar codes into the mainstream for item management, traceability, MRO and other operations.
Most organizations have needs for multiple bar code applications with different symbologies, symbol sizes and encoded data. For example, large-format linear symbologies are ideal for warehouse shelf location labeling, four-inch labels with a bar code field are common for shipment labeling, and 2D bar codes are ideal for work-in-process tracking plus lifetime part identification and traceability.

A traditional reader couldn’t recognize both a linear shelf label from 50 feet away and a 2D symbol on a part. Carrying two separate readers is impractical, so organizations have often foregone the use of 2D symbols in favor of more common linear bar code applications.  Now users no longer have to make a tradeoff. For example, Intermec’s EX25 auto-focus scan engine is the first bar code reader that can read linear and 2D bar codes alike from 50 feet away and as close as six inches. Complementary developments in illumination technology enable bar codes to be successfully read in dark environments where they couldn’t be read before. These developments make bar coding available in environments previously thought to require RFID, or where automated data capture was considered impractical. The use of Data Matrix and other 2D symbologies is already growing strongly for permanent item identification, product genealogy and traceability. With a scanning infrastructure in place to process all types of codes at multiple distances, companies can start building advanced visibility and traceability features into their legacy production, inventory and distribution operations. RFID

RFID is also more practical than ever before, with clear business cases being demonstrated for asset management and supply chain operations alike. For example, the U.S. Navy used RFID data entry to reduce the time for one mission-critical inventory process by 98 percent. TNT Logistics reduced its truck load verification time 24 percent by using RFID to automatically record goods loaded onto its trailers. Hundreds of other companies around the world are also implementing RFID-based shipping, receiving and inventory visibility applications. See case studies on these systems and the other organizations referenced in this white paper at www.intermec.com.

A sub-trend behind RFID adoption for inventory, warehouse and distribution operations is the use of vehicle-mounted and other mobile RFID readers to enhance or replace stationary models. With a mobile infrastructure, companies don’t need to purchase, install and maintain a separate RFID reader for each dock door. Forklift-mounted and handheld readers can cover multiple docks, and be used in warehouse aisles and elsewhere throughout the facility, further reducing the required RFID investment. Plus, they put information directly in the user’s hands, so they can prevent errors, rather than just record them after they occur.

The flexibility of a mobile RFID infrastructure is helping many companies who implemented EPC Gen 2 systems to meet customer requirements to make internal use of the technology. Shipment verification and inventory update systems are most common, but advanced track-and-trace applications are emerging. For example, several pharmaceutical electronic pedigree (e-pedigree) systems have been developed to take advantage of EPC technology, and pending FDA regulations favor its use for supply chain traceability.

Compliance tagging and other RFID supply chain initiatives get considerable attention, but according to some research estimates implementation is growing even faster for asset management. These applications are fairly well established and provide a clear and strong business value, so the rapidly increasing adoption is not a surprise. Asset management applications also provide an opportunity to leverage an RFID foundation developed for compliance or other distribution activity for internal benefits.
RTLS

Real time location systems (RTLS) allow you to expand your wireless local area network into an asset tracking system. An important market driver is the Wireless Location Appliance from Cisco Systems, which enables asset tracking through a Cisco wireless LAN. Any device connected to the wireless LAN can be tracked and located. One application is to track forklifts via their vehicle-mounted computer’s radio. The Wireless Location Appliance and supporting software can track the radio’s location in real time to support efficient dynamic storage, routing, monitor dwell time, and gather data for productivity and asset utilization analysis. Many other expensive products and assets can be equipped with an RTLS device for real-time monitoring.

Remote Management

Using wireless LANs to track warehouse and factory assets is an example of how a mainstream IT resource has been adapted to benefit industrial environments. Another example, powerful remote management systems have been developed specifically to configure, monitor and troubleshoot bar code readers and printers, RFID equipment, ruggedized computers and other industrial data collection and communications equipment. Network administrators have typically had little visibility or control over these remote devices because enterprise IT asset and network management systems are made for common PCs, servers, and network equipment and don’t address the configurations and usage conditions specific to data collection and computing in industrial environments.

Here are a few examples of why general-purpose management systems have limited effectiveness for preserving uptime and managing equipment used in supply chain operations.

• Ruggedized computers are like their office cousins in that they periodically require software updates and security patches, and should be monitored to ensure consistency in configurations and software versions.

• Bar code and RFID smart label printers periodically need to be updated with new label templates and bar code formats, and use thermal print technology, which sometimes requires heat setting adjustments. Bar code printers have specialized command languages, so they are largely incompatible with print monitors and other applications made for office laser and inkjet printers.

• RFID readers can be optimized for their immediate environment by changing power output and making other tuning adjustments.  Device management software is available to meet all these needs plus provide real-time monitoring and notification if devices go offline, and if implemented with open systems standards, it can be accessed through your enterprise network management solution (e.g. Tivoli). Companies use such software to improve reliability and uptime in mission-critical production, distribution and service operations. Such software is also extremely valuable during rollouts and upgrades, because system administrators can use it to set configurations and install software remotely and across groups of devices, instead of having to handle each device individually. These features take a lot of the time and cost out of managing devices, making it much more cost efficient to keep systems up-to-date with new software and security enhancements. Security

Stronger security is another mainstream business trend and requirement that is supported in supply chain technology. Mobile computers can be locked down so customer information and other data can’t be accessed if the device is lost or stolen. Rugged wireless computers and data collection equipment also support many of the leading securities used to protect enterprise wireless networks, including 802.11i, 802.1x, WPA, WPA2, LEAP, FIPS-140, RADIUS servers, VPNs and more. Wireless data collection devices that support Cisco Compatible Extensions (CCX) can be fully included in a Cisco Unified Wireless Network and take advantage of all the associated management, reliability and security features, including hacker and rogue access point detection, authentication and encryption, integrated firewalls and more.  Conclusion

Business needs for security, real-time visibility, and up-to-date information don’t stop at the office door. These needs extend throughout supply chain operations, so reliable information systems must extend just as far. Developments in mobile computing, wireless communication, RFID, bar code and other data collection and communications technologies are helping businesses extend visibility and control over more areas of their operations. 

This white paper has provided a few examples of how organizations are taking advantage of supply chain technology trends. Intermec is helping many more companies and government agencies of all sizes improve their production, distribution service and other supply chain operations using these top 10 technologies. Contact Intermec today to learn how the latest services, technologies and trends can be adapted to help your business.  Intermec develops, manufactures and integrates technologies that identify, track and manage supply chain assets. Core technologies include RFID, mobile computing and data collection systems, bar code printers and label media. The company’s products and services are used by customers in many industries worldwide to improve the productivity, quality and responsiveness of business operations.

Biometric Travel USB

biometric Kanguru Bio AES

The most secure way to transport your data.
The Kanguru Bio AES uses a biometric sensor that will recognize up to 10 fingerprints or thumbprints and 256-bit AES encryption. Only after an authorized fingerprint is confirmed and the correct password is entered can a user access the confidential information.

Michael Miracle and Casey Murray appointed to key positions as SevOne

The Trans-Atlantic Archiving Debate

The Trans-Atlantic Archiving Debate

As the digital age dawns and businesses across the globe cope with ever increasing amounts of critical data,

As the frenetic tide of new technology surges forward, companies of all sizes - from huge multinationals to start-ups - do somersaults to keep up with technology, spending millions of  dollars and people hours ensuring they are ahead of  the game when it comes to software, hardware and internet security.

But while IT departments are busy fortifying the company 'castle' against hackers and viruses, a critical area of the business is being, at best, insufficiently dealt with or, at worst, woefully neglected. This critical area is that of the storage and management of crucial company data. The lack of thought given to this was highlighted in a recent survey,* which revealed that 28 per cent of UK companies and 23 per cent of US companies do not archive data in any way. It is statistics like these that suggest that a significant minority of companies need to revolutionise their approach to data archiving and management.

WHAT VALUE DATA?

Every company, whether it be a manufacturer or a cutting-edge digital creative agency, shares a common factor in that they both rely on the storage and transfer of key data to trade successfully. This takes the form of invoices, purchase orders, payroll records, financial statements and, increasingly, e-mails and web-based documents. Should this information be lost or destroyed, then the day-to-day running of any company would be severely affected. The knock-on affect would threaten the very financial viability of the business.

The need for businesses across the UK to re-evaluate their disaster recovery policy was a key point in a statement by Sir Dibgy Jones, Director of the CBI, who said: “In a year that has seen mainland terrorism, a major incident at the UK's fifth largest oil depot and natural disasters too numerous to mention across the globe, everyone needs to spend some time re-assessing their business risk. The preparations you make now could help your business survive a catastrophic event, be it natural or man-made; continuity is vital and your customers will expect no less.”
So given the magnitude of this potential situation, why are businesses so loathe to ensure adequate protection for their critical business data?

THE ARCHIVE MAZE

A common factor to businesses on both sides of the Atlantic seems to be embracing the correct solution to meet their needs. “Many companies seem to think of archiving and data storage as two separate entities. This view sees a need for a solution to archive past 'used ' data and 'current' or live data. This leads to a dislocated development of data storage and reduces the archive and storage facility to that of an 'electronic filing cabinet'. It also ensures that data archiving and its costs are seen as a necessary burden to be tolerated,

rather than a valuable tool to add efficiency to a business.

This view of the data archiving issue is represented in the *survey results. Respondents have different levels of faith in their archive procedures. In the UK, 15 of the respondents didn't know how long it would take them to retrieve a vital file lost three months ago, and in the USA the figure rises to 20 per cent.

ROUTES TO SUCCESS

The solution to the data archiving dilemma faced by businesses lies in the implementation of an Enterprise Wide Information Strategy, according to Vijay. During the last 15 years, the company has worked with organisations and businesses to solve their data management solutions. Convincing businesses of the importance of an integrated data management solution is not just one of simple economics, but a case of winning the hearts and minds of customers.

We have made an evolutionary step in fusing together the twin processes of archiving data which needs long-term storage, and the 'real time' capture of newly-conceived documents, in an integrated repository. In doing this, users are not only backing up their systems in retrospect, but ensuring that storage of critical data is a continuous organic process.

REAL SOLUTIONS, REAL LIFE

If clarification were needed that data archiving solutions are not just for organisations which may face terrorist attack, the explosion and subsequent fire at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead is a prime example of how businesses can be affected by extraordinary events.

A system installed by OITUK played a pivotal role in helping Cambridge-based Addenbrooke's Hospital to keep its IT systems running after its server provider suffered critical damage in the explosion at the Buncefield. The situation was quickly resolved by staff switching to the e-MR system installed by OITUK. “When we lost HISS (normal records management system), we were working blind,” said a hospital spokesman. “If the (paper) records were not in the library, we had no way of knowing where they were. Using e-MR, clinicians were able to see all the documents which, as you can imagine, proved useful, if not vital.”
 
COMPLIANCE AND CONFIDENCE

With the ongoing threat of global terror and increasing enforcement of corporate compliance in the form of the US Sarbanes Oxley Act, it would seem businesses on both sides of the Atlantic need to fully embrace and deal with the issue of data archiving management with the same gusto as other critical businesses - or ignore the issue at their peril!

*Survey results taken from a survey entitled The ILM Audit, conducted by BridgeHead Software during 2005.

European Reseller  & OITUK are exhibiting at Documation UK,  covering address all the latest issues in information management, including web content, email and fax management, document and records management, information capture and lifecycle management, scanning, imaging, business processes and compliance.

Seeing RED.

The Packard Bell brand has undergone an incredible makeover. (Sic)
It has changed colour from purple to RED and the company believe that this would leave anybody breathless, which means thay you can now utter PB.

We have recruited Resellers at these fairs

Toshiba introduced two new widescreen laptops

Toshiba has launched the new Satellite range of netbooks.

At the launch Alan Thompson said " Its about usage "he  continued  " The aim is to deliver an Eco-System with Usability, Interactive, Connectivity and Syncraization "

What does European Reseller Do

Our Website is a channel portal with up to 1,689 unique visits in a single day & 9,678 in a single week & over 30,000 unique visits in a month.

Greek remote control arrives in Abu Dhabi

Following the Akeydor and Orthology partnership earlier this year  bring Activeworx products  to  several  markets in the Balcan region. Akeydor and CUBES UAE have this month entered into a distribution agreement  for  UAE and several markets in the Middle East region.

Get Surfing with the Seashell

Cisco Integrates Linksys

Cisco Integrates Linksys Small-Business Channel Partner Program and Reinforces Commitment to the Small and Medium-Sized Business Market
 
Cisco have announced that it is incorporating the Linksys® Small-Business Channel Partner Program services and assets into the Cisco Channel Partner Program.

 This process includes bringing the Linksys Business Series products into the Cisco SMB portfolio and providing Cisco channel partners with access to a more diverse solution set to allow for more choice and increased revenue potential.

“We have been hoping that Cisco would merge the two channel partner programs into a unified SMB partner program that would span products, services and support,” said Dan Schwab, president of D&H Distributing, a Cisco distribution partner that specializes on the SMB market in the United States and Canada. “A single Cisco relationship will definitely mitigate challenges and simplify how we do business with our channel partner community. Quite simply, the whole is more than the sum of the parts for Cisco and Linksys.”

“The SMB market continues to present tremendous growth potential for Cisco and our channel partners, and we have been successfully serving the sector with solutions from both Cisco and Linksys,” said Andrew Sage, vice president of Small Business Sales, Worldwide Channels at Cisco.  “We believe that taking a coordinated approach across technology and go-to-market strategies is a natural evolution that brings greater synergies to our customers and channel partners alike. This includes an array of channel program benefits to meet the broad requirements presented by our partners’ customer base, all designed to increase revenue potential and enable us to focus collectively on serving the SMB customer.”

AIIM Document management

AIIM is the global ECM community that provides education, research, and best practices to help organizations find, control, and optimize information.

Partner Tech have appointed Varlink as a distributor

Varlink, the York based Specialist IT distributor, has announced that it has expanded its product range to facilitate entry into the retail IT market.

Partner Tech have appointed Varlink as a distributor of their full range of products which includes EPoS terminals, handheld terminals, touchscreen monitors, small footprint PC’s, customer displays, keyboards & magnetic stripe readers, cash drawers, mobile printers and receipt printers. Details of these can be found on the newly developed feature rich e-commerce site.

YouTube servers in latest attack

Spammers exploit YouTube servers in latest attack

Manufacturing Software

IPM CSP GmbH & Co. KG can manufacturing companies with the statutory requirements in respect of its product liability.
The application covers automated physical process and measurement data, and additionally provides a fast and convenient reporting for production and quality assurance. All evaluations can be on the intranet via a Web browser so that the user client software installation is not done.


Based on the real-time data, the process responsible for such errors appear early in the process. IPM automatically notify the responsible persons by e-mail or text message when certain thresholds are exceeded. Any item can be measured with the process data management solution monitored. So, the quality of products. At the same time, expensive, imageschädigende recall by the manufacturer avoided. Also components provided by suppliers, could reliably in the quality assurance process. IPM supports the user to play all final details, in which a batch of faulty components used. For each individual product can be a complete "curriculum vitae acts" with all used up individual components.

"On product liability, the user of IPM on the safe side. They have at all times the latest information on the quality of their production process and the process and measurement data at any proof. The complex interplay searching and compiling of data belongs to the past - all metrics are push-button available, "notes Alexander Cocev, product manager of data management process CSP.. 

Hitachi Ships More than 6,000 Intelligent Virtual Storage Controllers

Hitachi Ships More than 6,000 Intelligent Virtual Storage Controllers  Worldwide, Extending its Lead in Storage Virtualisation

Strong Hitachi Universal Storage Platform and Network Storage Controller Sales Enable Continued Marketshare Gains

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) and the only provider of Services Oriented Storage Solutions, today announced that Hitachi Ltd.has shipped more than 6,000 intelligent virtual storage controllers worldwide, fueling further market share gains in the storage virtualisation space.

“Hitachi continues to lead the industry in enterprise and modular-class storage controller-based virtualisation deployments," said Carl Greiner, senior vice president, Infrastructure & Software, OVUM. “With over 6,000 virtual controllers shipped to date and over half utilizing storage virtualisation services, Hitachi continues to deliver to users' desire for a unified, cost-effective, and heterogeneous storage infrastructure with common functionality and management.”

Building on the momentum established by the category-defining Hitachi Universal Storage Platform launched in September 2004, Hitachi continues to push the innovation envelop in storage virtualisation and expand its leadership position in the industry. The company’s latest flagship storage virtualization solution, the all-new Hitachi Universal Storage Platform V, delivers the benefits of proven large-scale external storage virtualisation with thin provisioning - a new service called Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning.

This enables customers to allocate virtual disk storage based on their anticipated future needs without needing to dedicate physical disk storage up front. If the need for additional physical disk arises, capacity can be purchased at a later time - at a lower cost - and implementation occurs transparently, without any disruption to mission-critical applications.

“Hitachi continues to provide customers the ultimate in enterprise storage innovation - taking customers beyond virtualisation - combining the virtualisation of volumes for non-disruptive data mobility with the virtualisation of capacity within those volumes to directly address the power, cooling and space costs of allocated but unused space,” said Hu Yoshida, CTO, Hitachi Data Systems. “The fact is that Hitachi has reached out beyond the confines of a single ‘box’ to do what nobody else can do - manage all Hitachi and non-Hitachi storage products and provide common management and common replication services - which is not a box, not a system, but a true storage services platform, the all-new Hitachi Universal Storage Platform V.”

“The virtualisation of storage assets is a high priority for enterprises that want to better manage all IT assets and respond rapidly to changing business requirements.  IDC expects spending on block-level storage virtualisation to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 53.9% between 2006 and 2010,” said Richard Villars, vice president, Storage Systems, at IDC.

"Hitachi with its intelligent virtual storage controllers,was an early leader in the delivery of storage virtualisation solutions; and with the recent announcement of its Hitachi Universal Platform V, is well positioned to help enterprises further accelerate data centre and application consolidation, while providing a clear path for future information growth.”

“Hitachi has reached a milestone in its storage products history. Clearly, their focused efforts on storage system innovation is resonating with users, and their successful execution is reflected in unit sales and numbers of third-party storage systems attached in a virtualized environment,” said Tom Trainer, senior storage analyst at Evaluator Group,Inc.

“We believe that external storage virtualisation will be requisite to storage networking,” said Tony Asaro, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group.  “External storage virtualisation creates a linkage between otherwise disparate storage systems providing valuable functionality including data migrations, heterogeneous remote mirroring, and intelligent tiered storage.  Hitachi truly understands this and is executing successfully on its vision. The quantifiable proof of this is 6,000 USP and NSC systems installed within production environments, which is a really big number especially in the enterprise-class storage market.”

Hitachi Data Systems also recently launched the industry’s first Services Oriented Storage Solutions. Based on the Hitachi Universal Storage Platform V and a multitude of new storage software innovations, this intelligent architecture will dramatically alter the current stranglehold that storage architectures have on business flexibility by unleashing a services-oriented approach and specific functionality that enables business units and IT to tailor storage services to business needs and ensure that Hitachi Data Systems Corporation provides Services Oriented Storage Solutions that enable heterogeneous storage to be dynamically provisioned according to business needs and centrally managed via industry-leading Hitachi storage virtualization software. As an integral part of the Hitachi Storage Solutions Group, Hitachi Data Systems delivers storage infrastructure platforms, storage management software, and storage consulting services through direct and indirect channels in over 170 countries and regions.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 384,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2006 (ended March 31, 2007) consolidated revenues totaled 10,247 billion yen ($86.8 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services.

Microsoft launch

Microsoft has unveiled a new search engine in a bid to lure Web surfers away from Google and other search sites. It is hoped that new site, 'Bing', will be more successful than the company's two most recent incarnations: Live Search and MSN Search.
 BING

WEBROOT SIGNIFICANTLY STRENGTHENS ITS FOOTPRINT ACROSS EMEA

Webroot®, an Internet security provider for the consumer, enterprise and SME markets, announces a strong increase in sales performance, signifying growing demand for Web and Email Security as a Service in EMEA.

PIKA announces European reseller partnership with Slacht

PIKA announces European reseller partnership with Slacht
Asterisk-based PBX incorporates PIKA boards to offer lower cost solution for SMEs

HansaWorld SmartApps for Nokia unleashes the power of smart phones

HansaWorld SmartApps for Nokia unleashes the power of smart phones

Enterprise software company HansaWorld has released SmartApps, a development environment for Nokia’s E-series smart phones. The move is expected to trigger an explosion of new application development, says HansaWorld founder and chief executive Karl Bohlin.

RAD unveils RICi-16 combo multiplexer

RAD unveils RICi-16 combo multiplexer with circuit bonding and flexible bandwidth allocation for wireless backhaul applications

Ethernet cover up to 16 x E1 or E3 with Integrated M13 capabilities dramatically reduces capex and opex RAD Data Communications has unveiled its new RICi-16, a combination Ethernet, E1/E3 multiplexer that utilises circuit bonding to provide a flexible allocation of bandwidth over either channelised E3 or up to 16 E1 lines.

The First E-Business Application to Use the European Citizen Card

At this year's CeBIT, Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) and Wirecard Bank AG were showcasing the first e-business application that utilizes the electronic ID card, which several European Union member states are planning to introduce.

No more luggages lost at Fiumicino airport

Thanks to a Datalogic Automation and Sita solution, the airport of Fiumicino – Rome – has greatly decreased the problem of the baggage lost and of the consequential costs.

The airport “Leonardo da Vinci” of Fiumicino – Rome, the largest italian port with four terminals and more than 33 Million passengers/year, in a phase of expansion and modernization and wanting to increase the level of passengers service, has developed a project on the traceability of baggage from the aircraft’s hold of to the owners.
Baggage handling is one of the major problem, both for the inconvenience caused to passengers, and for the economic and image impact on airlines and airports.

Globally, in 2009 about 25 Million baggage were diverted to wrong destinations and have been lost 0.4 baggage per 1.000 passengers, with a loss for the airline Industry of 2.5 Billion dollars.

The 2009 data shows an improvement on previous years’ statistics, demonstrating that a performing BHS (Baggage Handling System) and a efficient service management can drastically reduce economic losses and improve the passenger service.

Newest baby from Datalogic Mobile family tackles the retail market

The next generation Datalogic Memor™ pocket sized mobile computer from Datalogic Mobile, debuts new features becoming the industry leader for compact mobile solutions in Retail.

Datalogic Mobile announces new versions of its powerful pocket size mobile solution, the Datalogic Memor™, for Retail in Store. Datalogic Memor™ features maximize a compact form factor for ease of use and convenience without compromising durability.

Drugs counterfeiting: Zetes helps manufacturers comply with incoming regulations and help RFID European resellers

•          Turnkey solution for accurate Datamatrix marking, control  and serialisation on high speed production lines

•          Flexible approach, integration into existing lines or new installations

- Zetes, announces that is has extended its offering for the pharmaceutical sector with a Datamatrix marking, control and serialisation solution.

EFB Elektronik

EFB Elektronik GmbH, a Germany based leading producer and supplier of data networks cable assemblies, horizontal cables and components offer a 25 year warranty program with the new ECOLAN 4-connector link certified structured cabling system. 

Zetes enhances Visidot, its ImageID solution for automatic, multiple-asset tracking

•          Integration of IP cameras enables control of multiple Visidot gates by a single processing unit, through the LAN

•          100% accurate read rate even in harsh environments.

Wintek Nordic Group AS halverer prisen p

Wintek Nordic Group AS halverer prisen på rekonstruksjon til privatpersoner.

Wintek Nordic Group AS i samarbeid med laboratoriet innfører nå en standardpris på rekonstruksjon av data mot privatmarkedet.

CORSA

The proven technology of CORSA has resulted in many satisfied customers.