Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview

News release:

Microsoft Announces Availability of Windows 8 Release Preview

May 31, 2012

Windows Upgrade Offer introduced, which gives consumers a path to Windows 8 upon general availability.

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REDMOND, Wash. — May 31, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of the Windows 8 Release Preview, the next milestone of the highly anticipated Windows 8 operating system. Available for download today in 14 languages at http://preview.windows.com, the Windows 8 Release Preview delivers a fast and fluid experience, along with a new user interface that responds equally well to touch as it does to keyboard and mouse. Since the February release of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, which was downloaded more than 1 million times in the first 24 hours, Windows 8 has become the most tested Microsoft operating system of all time, and with today’s release, it enters its final phase of development before it releases to manufacturing.

“We’re thrilled to be at this milestone with the Windows 8 Release Preview,” said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft.

New Apps Provide an Even Richer Experience

Windows 8 Release Preview delivers new apps from Microsoft and partners. Highlights include Bing Travel, News and Sports apps, as well as Gaming and Music Xbox apps that integrate with your Zune pass. The Windows 8 Release Preview also features notable improvements to the Mail, Photos and People apps that initially debuted with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. In addition, Microsoft has worked closely with its partners to deliver apps from around the world through the Windows Store.

Beyond the new apps from Microsoft and partners, customers testing the Windows 8 Release Preview will also experience tens of thousands of refinements across the product, such as increased personalization options for the Start screen, improved multimonitor support, refinements to the way people find and download apps through the Windows Store, and new Family Safety features. The new Internet Explorer 10 redefines browsing, particularly for touch-enabled devices. The Web is as fast and fluid as any app, and with new capabilities in the Windows 8 Release Preview such as “flip ahead,” it is just as intuitive. A touch-friendly and power-optimized Adobe Flash Player is now integrated into Internet Explorer 10, and it is also the first browser to feature Do Not Track “on” by default, giving customers more choice and control over their privacy.

The Path to Windows 8

Beginning June 2, 2012, Microsoft will roll out the Windows Upgrade Offer in 131 markets, including the U.S. and Canada. Consumers who buy eligible Windows 7-based PCs through Jan. 31, 2013, can purchase an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for an estimated retail price of $14.99 (U.S.) during the time of the promotion. More information about the Windows Upgrade Offer will be available June 1. In addition to the Windows Upgrade Offer designed for consumers buying new Windows 7-based PCs, Microsoft will also announce other offers in the coming months that will help consumers with existing Windows 7-based PCs upgrade to Windows 8 when it is generally available.

In the next month, Microsoft will further detail the value Windows 8 brings to businesses at TechEd North America. More information about Windows 8 and how to download the Windows 8 Release Preview is available at http://preview.windows.com.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Some information relates to a prerelease product, which may be substantially modified before it is commercially released. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the information provided here.

Press release.

IBM Serves a Private Cloud for the 2012 French Open

IBM SmartCloud and SlamTracker technologies deliver real-time data, statistics and videos to global tennis fans

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Paris - 31 May 2012: IBM (NYSE:IBM) today announced it is delivering a global private cloud computing system and services for the 2012 Roland-Garros (French Open) tennis tournament as part of its technology partnership with the international event. The IBM cloud technology is enabling the French Open to satisfy increasing tennis fan demand for real-time data, scores, statistics and videos accessible through the Web, smartphones and tablets such as the iPad.

During the French Open, which runs through June 10, fan interest is expected to drive a 100x surge in visitors to the tournament Web site: www.rolandgarros.com. Throughout the tournament, IBM's SmartCloud infrastructure will help the site scale to meet the spike in demand from its global fan base, while delivering in-depth pre-match analysis and real-time updates of action on the court. Following the tournament, IBM will help the French Open site scale down to support regular operations.

           IBM is also applying advanced analytics and insight to transform the way fans watch and experience the French Open via IBM SlamTracker technology, which provides fans a better understanding of how an individual player needs to perform to do well in a match. SlamTracker brings scores, statistics and analysis to life for tennis fans by capturing, analyzing and visually rendering a range of important match data in real time. By clicking on a point on the SlamTracker match timeline, fans see the details behind that point so that they can better understand match highlights, turning points and player momentum. IBM SlamTracker is an extremely powerful data analysis tool that tennis fans can use during and after a match.

           The versatile, fan-friendly environment is made possible by IBM’s advanced cloud computing capabilities and services, which enable rapid creation and dynamic allocation of resources the tournament requires, while delivering transparent and real-time access to Internet, mobile, smartphones, tablets and television.

           The IBM SmartCloud that supports the French Open site is comprised of a fleet of geographically dispersed servers in three locations virtualized as one, which enables the tournament to scale up and down to meet the changing demands from fans.

           “The excitement of the tennis fan experience is important to us, whether the fans are in the stands or watching from home, and we want to give a dynamic live experience for Roland-Garros,” said Alex Loth, Event CIO at the Fédération Française de Tennis. “The private cloud provides and analyzes the spikes of data during Roland-Garros to anyone in the world at any time without any excess demand affecting its quality or availability. This means fans can expect real-time access to more dynamic, content-rich matches even during the busiest periods of the competition.”

           The IBM cloud allows increased flexibility and scalability of the Roland-Garros IT infrastructure via dynamic provisioning of resources based on the tournament’s needs. This delivers numerous benefits, including reduced operation costs and reliable operations.

           In addition, the IBM Enterprise Cloud for Roland-Garros Development & Testing solution is used throughout the development and preparation phase of the tournament's Web site.

           With more than 330 million page views in 2011, 37 million visits (vs. 31 million in 2010), and more than 11.2 million unique visitors (+21% compared to 2010), Roland-Garros Web site traffic is growing consistently year-to-year.

           IBM offers private clouds which are secure and personalized to enterprises and support their transformation. Recently, Cegid, the first French software publisher, announced the signing of an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) contract allowing the company to operate its SaaS solutions in a dedicated IBM private cloud in France. 

About IBM Cloud Computing

IBM has helped thousands of clients adopt cloud models and manages millions of cloud based transactions every day. IBM assists clients in areas as diverse as banking, communications, healthcare and government to build their own clouds or securely tap into IBM cloud-based business and infrastructure services. IBM is unique in bringing together key cloud technologies, deep process knowledge, a broad portfolio of cloud solutions, and a network of global delivery centers. For more information about IBM cloud solutions, visitwww.ibm.com/smartcloud.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

F5 Networks Announces Resignation of Mark Anderson

Dave Feringa Appointed Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales

SEATTLE, May 30, 2012

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) today announced the resignation of Mark Anderson, the company’s Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales. Mr. Anderson joined the company in October 2004 as Vice President, Americas Sales. The company also announced that Dave Feringa, currently Senior Vice President, Americas Sales, has been appointed to take over for Mr. Anderson as the company’s Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales.

“Mark was a key contributor to our growth and success here at F5. We are very appreciative of Mark’s efforts on behalf of F5 and wish him well in his future endeavors,” said John McAdam, president and chief executive officer at F5. “We are also very pleased that Dave Feringa has accepted this position. Dave is an outstanding sales executive and has done a terrific job managing our largest sales territory which accounts for nearly 60% of our worldwide revenue. Dave is very well respected and has strong support throughout the company.”

Dave Feringa joined F5 in December 2004. He was appointed Regional Vice President of North America for F5 in October 2007 and was promoted to Senior Vice President, Americas Sales in January 2012. Prior to joining F5, Feringa had nearly 20 years of experience as a senior sales and business development executive at technology companies, including serving as a regional sales manager and sales director at Cisco Systems, Inc. and as a vice president at Lucent Technologies. Feringa holds a B.A. from Wake Forest University.

About F5 Networks

F5 Networks, Inc., the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), helps the world’s largest enterprises and service providers realize the full value of virtualization, cloud computing, and on-demand IT. F5^® solutions help integrate disparate technologies to provide greater control of the infrastructure, improve application delivery and data management, and give users seamless, secure, and accelerated access to applications from their corporate desktops and smart devices. An open architectural framework enables F5 customers to apply business policies at “strategic points of control” across the IT infrastructure and into the public cloud. F5 products give customers the agility they need to align IT with changing business conditions, deploy scalable solutions on demand, and manage mobile access to data and services. Enterprises, service and cloud providers, and leading online companies worldwide rely on F5 to optimize their IT investments and drive business forward. For more information, go to www.f5.com.

You can also follow @f5networks on Twitter or visit us on Facebook for more information about F5, its partners, and technology. For a complete listing of F5 community sites, please visit www.f5.com/news-press-events/web-media/community.html.

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Optimism, Opportunity Unite Women Owned Businesses at Dell India 2012 Event

News release from Dell:

http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/secure/2012-05-31-dell-women-entrepreneur-network-india.aspx

Dell Enables Businesses To Do More Than Ever Before With State-Of-The-Art Manageability and Data Security In Updated Computing Line

News release from Dell:

http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/secure/2012-05-31-dell-business-optiplex-latitude.aspx

PRESS RELEASE

Frontier Communications Deploys Cisco ASR 9000 for High-Speed 4G Mobile Internet Services

Next-Generation Ethernet Network Optimized for Future Mobile Services and Applications

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 30, 2012 – Cisco announced today that Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR), the largest provider of communications services focused on rural America, has deployed the Cisco Aggregation Services Router 9000 Series (ASR 9000) as part of Frontier's next-generation network to deliver enhanced high-speed mobile backhaul services to wireless carriers in up to 20 markets in the United States.  The Cisco ASR 9000 will provide cell-site backhaul services and better enable mobile operators to support data-intensive services required by consumers and businesses.

Cisco's technology, services and experience in helping network operators scale services to meet the demands of mobile customers were significant reasons Frontier chose it for this deployment.  According to the Cisco® Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast for 2011 to 2016, global mobile Internet data traffic will increase 18-fold over the next five years.  The Cisco ASR 9000 will help Frontier address that growth through a converged infrastructure that optimizes service delivery with flexibility, robust IPv6 support, and Carrier Ethernet capabilities. 

The platform's use of Cisco IOS XR modular software operating system will simplify the company's network operations and enable seamless system redundancy and network resiliency.

Highlights/Key Facts

• The Cisco ASR 9000 Series is specifically designed to give network operators flexibility to offer new services by providing a strong foundation for 4G mobile Internet, business-class Ethernet, and residential video and broadband services and applications.
• Mobile backhaul is among Frontier's fastest-growing services; the company will roll out the Cisco ASR 9000 in up to 20 markets across country and plans to expand into new markets.  
• In addition to 4G mobile backhaul, the new Carrier Ethernet network will provide additional broadband capacity, allowing Frontier to deliver faster broadband speeds in new markets.

Quotes

• Michael Golob, senior vice president of engineering and technology, Frontier Communications

"The ASR 9000 will help our network deliver the capacity needed for projected bandwidth growth and scalable, reliable bandwidth options for Metro Ethernet and cell site backhaul services."

• Sri Hosakote, vice president and general manager of Cisco's edge routing business unit.

"We are very pleased that Frontier Communications has selected the ASR 9000 to serve as the foundation for its next-generation network, which will be capable of ushering in an entirely new wave of exciting services and applications.   In addition to 4G mobile backhaul, Frontier's new Carrier Ethernet network will enable faster broadband speeds and fully supports IPv6 services."

Supporting Resources

• Frontier Communications
• Cisco
• Cisco Service Provider Solutions
• Cisco ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Services Routers
• Cisco Carrier Routing System
• Cisco Carrier Ethernet Solutions
• Cisco Visual Networking Index home page: http://www.cisco.com/go/vni
• Read the complete Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Forecast, 2009-2014
• Read: Cisco SP360 Blog

Keywords

Cisco, ASR 9000 Series Aggregation Service Routers, ASR 9000, ASR, Carrier Ethernet, Edge, Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network, IP NGN, Visual Networking Index Forecast, VNI, Frontier Communications

RSS Feed for Cisco

http://newsroom.cisco.com/rss-feeds

About Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: FTR), is an S&P 500 company and is included in the FORTUNE 500 list of America's largest corporations. Frontier offers broadband, voice, satellite video, wireless Internet data access, data security solutions, bundled offerings and specialized bundles for residential customers, small businesses and home offices and advanced business communications for medium and large businesses in 27 states.  Frontier's approximately 15,500 employees are based entirely in the United States.  More information is available at www.frontier.com.

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ: CSCO), the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com.

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PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Inaugurates Global Support Center in Krakow

Latest Communication and Collaboration Technologies, Including Cisco TelePresence, Connect the Krakow-Based Team with the Cisco Community, Partners and Customers

KRAKOW, Poland – May 31st, 2012 – Cisco today announced the official opening of the Cisco Global Support Center in Krakow. The center complements existing locations to provide technical and business services to internal and external stakeholders, including channel partners and customers, across multiple functional groups such as Cisco Services, Finance, Operations and others.

The Cisco Global Support Center in Krakow is part of a network of operations located around the globe and has a special focus on Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia (EMEAR).

The first group of employees is already on-site, and Cisco expects that the number of employees will increase to approximately 80 people by August 1, 2012.

The center is located in Krakow's Podgorze district and features the latest communication and collaboration technologies, including a Cisco TelePresence® room. Cisco TelePresence connects the local team with the global Cisco community and enables virtual face-to-face meetings across a network of more than 1,000 Cisco TelePresence Suites® in 270 major cities and 70 countries. Additionally, with intercompany Cisco TelePresence, meetings can be extended to partners and customers.

Supporting Quotes:

• Olivier Kohler, senior vice president, Global Business Services, Cisco

"The Cisco Global Support Center in Krakow is an essential part of our strategy to enhance the way we serve our customers, partners and internal stakeholders while taking advantage of a shared infrastructure across various businesses and functions.  We are truly impressed by the availability of the highly educated talent and excellent communications infrastructure in Poland, and here in Krakow. By establishing a shared services center in Central Europe, our aim is to get closer to our customers, in terms of geography and time zones, while offering the convenience of support in multiple languages.

• Ana Pinczuk, vice president, Technical Support, Cisco

"We are excited to grow our services team in Krakow as we continue to expand our presence in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia. The talent pipeline is exceptional, both in terms of technical skills and services capabilities, and will certainly allow us to further differentiate the experience we provide to EMEAR and global customers."

Tags, Keywords: Cisco, Poland, Cisco Global Support Center in Krakow

RSS Feed for Cisco: http://newsroom.cisco.com/rss-feeds

Supporting resources:

• Cisco website

About Cisco 
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate.  Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Poland is provided by Cisco International Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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DEMO: Networking 101: Domain Name System Security Extensions

Video from Cisco:


05/31/2012

Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is a system designed to guarantee the authenticity of data obtained from the domain name system (DNS). Let's dig into the basics and see how it works and take a look at why DNSSEC deployment not growing as fast as we would like.

DEMO: Networking 101: Domain Name System Security Extensions

Tags: Demo Thursdays, Routing, Network Security, Core Networks

One Day at Cisco: Engineers Showcase Their Talents

Video from Cisco:


05/31/2012

Check out innovation in action as engineers from around Cisco come together to share ideas. It’s like watching a brainstorm in real time!

One Day at Cisco: Engineers Showcase Their Talents

Tags: Innovators, Technology Innovation

Accenture Supporting the District of Columbia in Healthcare Reform and Modernization Planning

News release:

May 31, 2012

Accenture Supporting the District of Columbia in Healthcare

Reform and Modernization Planning

 

WASHINGTON, DC; May  31, 2012 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been selected by the District of Columbia to support compliance with federal health insurance exchange deadlines and enable integrated health and human service eligibility processes. 

 

The plan and system requirements fall under the authority of the District’s Healthcare Reform Implementation Committee, responsible for improving resident access to quality healthcare while ensuring compliance with federal mandates. The necessary steps include: changing Medicaid eligibility processes, the creation of new self-service tools and capabilities and the creation of a Health Benefits Exchange to open access to affordable health insurance. Federal funding associated with healthcare reform also will allow the District to procure a new integrated eligibility system, which will be deployed in later releases. 

 

Accenture was selected as the District’s IT Requirements vendor following a competitive bid process. Following the delivery of the blueprint and system requirements by Accenture to the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), the District will ultimately select an integration vendor to support design, build, test and deploy the system. 

 

The District’s approach is focused on complete service integration across health and human services.  Federal matching funds (at a match of 90 percent federal/10 percent state) are temporarily available for development of new eligibility systems, which will enable the District to replace its aging mainframe-based system with an integrated solution. The new system will serve multiple health and human service agencies and programs, supporting the District’s goal to improve city-wide integration of services.

 

“This plan will guide the District’s ultimate replacement of a legacy system with a modern solution that enables district-wide case management and real-time functionality,” said Julie Booth, Accenture’s human services North American managing director for State, Provincial and Local government.  “The District is wisely moving to an IT approach that allows for more data-sharing, uses innovative technology and is more easily updated and scaled for growth through configuration rather than coding.” 

 

Learn more about Accenture’s Insight Driven Health, the firm’s human services solutions and focus, Empowering Services, Improving Lives, and Accenture Software for Public Service.

 

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 246,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.  Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments.  The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011.  Its home page is www.accenture.com.

 

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Lawmakers introduce measure to fight UN regulation of the Net - The Hill's Hillicon Valley

A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced a resolution on Wednesday urging the Obama administration to oppose efforts to give the United Nations more control over the Internet.

Proposals to give the UN's International Telecommunication Union (ITU) more control over the governance of the Internet could come up at a conference in Dubai in December. The move is backed by China, Russia, Brazil, India and other UN members, but is opposed by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, as well as the Obama administration.

For more, click the link below:

Lawmakers introduce measure to fight UN regulation of the Net - The Hill's Hillicon Valley

VMware vSphere 5.0 Earns Common Criteria EAL4+ Certification

VMware News Releases

VMware vSphere 5.0 Earns Common Criteria EAL4+ Certification

Industry’s Most Trusted and Widely Deployed Virtualization Platform Achieves Highest-Level Security Certification

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 30, 2012 – VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, today announced that VMware vSphere™ 5.0 has achieved Common Criteria certification at Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4+) under the Common CriteriaEvaluation and Certification Scheme (CCS). Common Criteria is an international set of guidelines (ISO 15408) that provides a common framework for evaluating security features and capabilities of Information Technology (IT) security products, and EAL4+ is the highest assurance level that is recognized globally by all signatories under the Common Criteria Recognition Agreement (CCRA).

"Cloud computing is a top priority for CIOs of government IT organizations,” said Aileen Black, vice president, public sector, VMware. “With VMware vSphere 5.0, government organizations can trust that they have a solid and reliable platform to achieve the benefits of cloud computing while maintaining the security, control and efficiency they require."

With VMware vSphere 5.0 achieving EAL4+ certification, this marks the completion of an intensive effort during which VMware vSphere 5.0 was examined, tested and certified at EAL4+, validating that VMware vSphere is one of the most proven platforms for modern IT infrastructure.

To facilitate the successful achievement of the Common Criteria certification, VMware worked with Corsec Security, Inc., and CGI’s accredited Common Criteria lab to complete the evaluation.

"VMware vSphere continues to lead virtualization and cloud computing solutions in its class and surpass security expectations by achieving Common Criteria at an EAL4+, " said Matthew Appler, CEO of Corsec Security. "VMware’s consistent certification strategy clearly demonstrates their commitment to security."

“CGI is pleased to support VMware’s continuing commitment to providing Common Criteria certified products for use worldwide” said Jason Lawlor, lab director at CGI’s IT Security Evaluation and Test Facility. “The growth of virtualized environments adds to the requirement for providing customers with certified solutions that have been tested to recognize industry standards like Common Criteria. VMware continues to be a leader in this regard.”

VMware has led the industry with the completion of the first Common Criteria certification for a virtualization product on x86 hardware with the certification of VMware ESX® Server 2.5 and VMware VirtualCenter™ in 2006.  Since then, VMware has maintained industry leadership with certifications of each subsequent release. The achievement of Common Criteria certification for vSphere 5.0 at EAL4+ continues to demonstrate VMware’s commitment to providing industry leading certified solutions.

Additional Resources

• Visit VMware’s Certifications webpage
• Read “VMware vSphere v5.0 Earns Common Criteria EAL4+ Certification” blog post by VMware Certifications Manager, Eric Betts
• Learn moreabout VMware vSphere 5

About Corsec Security, Inc.
Corsec Security, Inc. specializes in helping companies navigate through the complex process of achieving FIPS 140-2, Common Criteria (CC), and UC APL certifications. Corsec delivers unmatched expertise in the areas of security consulting, document creation, and project management, which can be leveraged to streamline the validation process. Corsec partners with companies around the world to achieve U.S. and international certification on a wide range of products. Corsec minimizes the time, effort and money a vendor needs to invest in validation, and performs its services at a firm, fixed price, ultimately maximizing the return on that investment. For further information, please visitwww.corsec.com.

About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI Group Inc. is one of the largest independent information technology and business process services firms in the world. CGI and its affiliated companies employ approximately 31,000 professionals. CGI provides end-to-end IT and business process services to clients worldwide from offices and centres of excellence in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. As at December 31, 2011, CGI's annualized revenue was approximately $4.1 billion and its order backlog was approximately $13.6 billion. CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB) and are included in both the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the FTSE4Good Index. Website: www.cgi.com.

About VMware
VMware is the leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. With 2011 revenues of $3.77 billion, VMware has more than 350,000 customers and 50,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com.
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Princess Sumaya University for Technology Receives Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys

News release:

Princess Sumaya University for Technology Receives Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys

First in MENA Region to Establish New Full- and Semi-custom IC Design Laboratories

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP used in the design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, today announced that Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) in Amman, Jordan is the first university in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to receive the Charles Babbage Grant from Synopsys. Through the grant, PSUT receives licenses for Synopsys' comprehensive, industry-leading electronic design automation (EDA) software, along with curriculum support and professor training. The grant also provides new computer hardware, printers and educational equipment, enabling PSUT to create two new laboratories for full- and semi-custom integrated circuit (IC) design for 20 students.
Lack of access to commercial-grade design tools for advanced research and microelectronic design is a common issue facing universities today. Synopsys helps solve this challenge through initiatives like the Charles Babbage Grant and its Worldwide University Program, which provide select universities with design software for modern electronic design flows and leading commercial IC fabrication processes. Previous grant recipients outside of United States include the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Southampton, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology (MIET), Yerevan State University and the State Engineering University of Armenia.
"PSUT is very grateful for this grant," said Professor Issa Batarseh, PSUT president. "It will provide our engineering students with access to world-leading software and tools and allow us to enhance our curricula."
"We always welcome industry collaboration and support," Dr. Wejdan Abu Elhaija, the Dean of King Abdullah II School for Electrical Engineering, added. "We're pleased to strengthen our relationship with Synopsys."
"Supporting programs that enable semiconductor design through academia continues to be an important priority for Synopsys," said Anwar Awad, vice president of engineering of the IP/Solutions group at Synopsys. "Working with PSUT, we have been able to create an educational program that will cultivate advanced IC design skills in Jordan and prepare graduates to establish local industry." Awad formally opened the lab in a ceremony attended by PSUT students and faculty on May 28.
Synopsys and the Department of Electronics Engineering at the King Abdullah II School of Electrical Engineering at PSUT began collaborating in 2010 by establishing a microelectronics education program through a VLSI course integrated into the Electronics Engineering curriculum in IC design. In addition to EDA software and computer resources, Synopsys provides PSUT with support, advisors, faculty training and facilitates student and faculty exchanges. In 2011, Jordanian students participated in internships and joined Student Working Groups at the Synopsys Armenia Educational Department and R&D center. The students also successfully competed in the International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia, an annual competition that recognizes and inspires young talented engineers involved in microelectronics. PSUT and Synopsys are continuing to strengthen their cooperation in research and education. Again this year, PSUT students will intern at Synopsys Armenia and participate in theSeventh International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia.
About the Charles Babbage GrantThe Charles Babbage Grant provides select universities worldwide with state-of-the-art EDA tools, training, support and technology. It enables institutions of higher education to enhance their expertise in microelectronics circuits and system design. Use of the Synopsys tools on modern, powerful computers from the grant helps universities to better prepare their graduates for the future by providing hands-on experience with current industry practices, modern design techniques and actual design tools and computer hardware. This enhances the students' understanding of how learning applies to the real world of IC design. The grant is named after British mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, who designed and built mechanical computing machines on principles that anticipated the modern electronic computers of today over 150 years ago. For more information about the Synopsys Worldwide University Program, visit us at http://www.synopsys.com/Community/UniversityProgram/Pages/default.aspx.
About Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT)Founded in 1991, Princess Sumaya University for Technology is a not-for-profit, top-ranked private university offering bachelors and masters degrees in business, IT and engineering. Its location within the El-Hassan Science City and the Royal Scientific Society has granted the university a special status within the scientific matrix of Al-Jubeiha, Amman, which includes the Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research, the Higher Council for Science and Technology and the Royal Geographic Center. For more information, please visit the PSUT website at http://www.psut.jo/main.
About Synopsys
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Selects Synopsys' Yield Explorer for Faster Yield Ramp

News release:

GLOBALFOUNDRIES Selects Synopsys' Yield Explorer for Faster Yield Ramp

Unique Fabless-Foundry Sharing Model Allows Automated Volume Diagnostics to Identify and Prioritize Systematic Failure Mechanisms

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP used in the design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, today announced that GLOBALFOUNDRIES has selected Synopsys' Yield Explorer® solution as part of their next-phase Yield Management System (YMS) for faster yield ramp based on volume diagnostics.  Rapid identification and correction of systematic failure mechanisms is critical to bringing a new technology node to production and driving the yield ramp on new integrated circuit (IC) designs. Yield Explorer Automated Volume Diagnostics allows GLOBALFOUNDRIES to quickly identify the dominant systematic failure mechanisms on early test chips as well as customers' chips, thereby reducing the time to achieve desirable yield levels. In addition, Yield Explorer's unique ability to combine and analyze data from design, fab and test domains enables collaboration between GLOBALFOUNDRIES and its customers to rapidly identify failure mechanisms and activate process or design corrective actions with high clarity and ease.
"Understanding and preventing the yield loss caused by design-process interactions is critical to ramp-up of designs manufactured on a new node," said Robert Madge, director of design enabled manufacturing at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. "Yield Explorer is a valuable new addition to our advanced Yield Management capabilities. Yield Explorer's unique data-sharing model very effectively addresses the sensitivity of design data, allowing strong collaboration with our customers during the yield ramp phase."
Yield Explorer delivers unparalleled flexibility and depth of capabilities in correlating yield loss to various design, fab and test attributes, as well as fast, robust automation for production analysis and reporting. Expert users benefit from the flexibility to perform analysis with an exploratory approach. Production teams rely on automated analysis routines to create various reports and provide a quick first view of yield issues on new production batches with minimal impact on cycle time. Additionally, any inputs to design teams for adjusting test plans or incremental layout changes are provided with specific and actionable details about the yield- limiting attribute of test or layout. The automated volume diagnostics in Yield Explorer are simple to deploy and work smoothly across a variety of design, fab and test outputs and data formats.
"Meeting yield targets for complex designs implemented on 28-nm and below technology requires understanding the complex interactions of design, lithography and process," said Howard Ko, senior vice president and general manager, Synopsys Silicon Engineering Group. "We are excited that GLOBALFOUNDRIES has chosen Yield Explorer to help them more quickly ramp-up new nodes and new designs."
About SynopsysSynopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com/.

Press release:

Red Hat to Present Cloud Technology Update via Live Webcast on June 6

Raleigh

NC, Global, May 30, 2012

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that members of the Red Hat executive team will host a press conference that will be broadcast live via webcast at 11am ET on Wednesday, June 6.

To view the live webcast, or to watch the replay, please visit https://vts.inxpo.com/Launch/QReg.htm?ShowKey=9574.

For more information about Red Hat, visit www.redhat.com. For more news, more often, visitwww.press.redhat.com.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat, the world's leading provider of open source solutions and an S&P 500 company, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with more than 70 offices spanning the globe. Red Hat provides high-quality, affordable technology with its operating system platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, together with cloud, virtualization, management, storage and service-oriented architecture (SOA) solutions, including Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and JBoss Enterprise Middleware. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide. Learn more: http://www.redhat.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements contained in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements provide current expectations of future events based on certain assumptions and include any statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: risks related to delays or reductions in information technology spending; the effects of industry consolidation; the ability of the Company to compete effectively; uncertainty and adverse results in litigation and related settlements; the integration of acquisitions and the ability to market successfully acquired technologies and products; the inability to adequately protect Company intellectual property and the potential for infringement or breach of license claims of or relating to third party intellectual property; the ability to deliver and stimulate demand for new products and technological innovations on a timely basis; risks related to data and information security vulnerabilities; ineffective management of, and control over, the Company's growth and international operations; fluctuations in exchange rates; and changes in and a dependence on key personnel, as well as other factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (copies of which may be accessed through the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov), including those found therein under the captions "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations". In addition to these factors, actual future performance, outcomes, and results may differ materially because of more general factors including (without limitation) general industry and market conditions and growth rates, economic and political conditions, governmental and public policy changes and the impact of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views as of the date of this press release and these views could change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

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Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 Tablet Makes Debut

News release:

Lenovo IdeaTab S2109 Tablet Makes Debut

Fast, Slim and Light Tablet Hits the Market with Android 4.0 Operating System, Up to 10 Hours of Battery Power and Enhanced Entertainment Features

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – May 30, 2012: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the  IdeaTab S2109 – a strikingly slim tablet built for entertainment with features like four SRS surround sound speakers, Micro HDMI output, extra bright 9.7-inch IPS HD display and running the new Google Android 4.0 operating system (Ice Cream Sandwich).

 

The IdeaTab S2109 kicks multitasking up a notch with its brisk new Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 dual core CPU and 1GB of system memory, which offers users a powerful multimedia experience.  The beautiful extra-bright IPS display makes viewing images, videos, photos and websites a pleasure in 720p HD playback, or full 1080p HD via Micro HDMI output to an external HDTV or monitor.  For those who are serious about sound, the IdeaTab S2109’s outstanding quad speakers with powerful dual bass means gaming, music and videos have never sounded better on a tablet.

 

Injecting a healthy dose of swagger into Lenovo’s tablet line, the IdeaTab S2109’s thin, curved, unibody design measures just 1/3 of an inch thin. It’s also easy to tote around in a bag or jacket at a feather-light 1.27 lbs, making it one of the lightest 9.7-inch tablets in the market.  

 

“The IdeaTab S2109 tablet is an entertainment maven’s dream device, boasting powerful processing and graphics for multimedia use,” said Yao Li, director of Innovation Product Operations, Lenovo. “The tablet’s Ice Cream Sandwich OS and amped-up features give consumers something that will keep them conveniently entertained anywhere, anytime in an incredibly slim package – whether they’re consuming or sharing their favorite websites, books, videos or music. It’s as nimble and convenient as toting a magazine, but it offers much more than the contents of one.”

 

Running Lenovo’s user-friendly interface, the IdeaTab S2109 displays customized content and includes easy access to the Lenovo App Shop and the Android Market for thousands of popular and useful apps. For uninterrupted multimedia enjoyment, the device can deliver up to 10 hours of battery life for web browsing and video playback (or 700 hours on standby). The IdeaTab S2109 also includes all the connection ports users expect on a tablet like a micro-USB for charging and connecting to other digital devices, a micro HDMI connector and a micro-SD card for swapping videos and photos directly with a camera, or for storing movies.

 

Pricing and Availability

The IdeaTab S2109 starts at an affordable $349 and will be available for purchase in early June at select Office Depotretail locationsand Lenovo.com.

 

About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US21 billion personal technology company – and the second largest PC company in the world, serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, seewww.lenovo.com.

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Zeal Softech Enhances Service Offering with Nimsoft Unified Manager

Press Releases

Zeal Softech Enhances Service Offering with Nimsoft Unified Manager

India-based MSP Leverages Unified Monitoring and Service Desk Capabilities to More Efficiently Safeguard Customers’ Environments

Campbell, Calif.–May 30, 2012—Nimsoft announced that Zeal Softech, a managed service provider in India, has selected Nimsoft Unified Manager to provide unified monitoring and ticketing services across its customers’ server, network, application, cloud and storage assets.

The new capabilities will be delivered as part of the Zeal Softech’s Desktop Care Plus (ZDC+) offering, which provides its customers efficient, effective desktop management by automating up to 40% of routine, manual tasks, freeing IT staff to focus on higher-value work.

Nimsoft Unified Manager is a multi-tenant IT Management-as-a-Service solution that combines industry-leading infrastructure monitoring and ready- to-use ITIL®-based service management. This unified solution enables Zeal Softech to provide proactive troubleshooting and incident resolution across customer infrastructures, helping keep mission-critical systems and applications up and running.

“Precise, continuous monitoring of both hardware and software is essential for preventative incident management and for pinpointing the root causes of chronic service issues,” said Anand Chandel, CEO of Zeal Softech. “By cost-effectively providing this monitoring and automating the capture of relevant infrastructure insight into our trouble-tickets, Nimsoft Unified Manager helps streamline our support service processes and enables us to ensure the health of our customers’ environments.”

Prior to deploying Nimsoft Unified Manager, Zeal Softech used point solutions from other vendors, but found the lack of integration to be inefficient and time-consuming to manage. With Nimsoft, Zeal Softech can monitor and manage all systems and applications with a single integrated, web-based dashboard.

“Managed service providers like Zeal Softech have to maintain granular insight into all of their customers’ complex, business critical environments—while also rigorously controlling their operational costs,” said Mark Frost, general manager, Nimsoft Solutions Group.  “Nimsoft Unified Manger addresses this twin challenge by providing Zeal Softech the comprehensive management insight it needs to efficiently and effectively resolve infrastructure issues.”

About Zeal Softech

Zeal Softech is a leading end-to-end service provider of IT Services and Solutions encompassing Integration, Data Centre, IT Infrastructure Management and Networking through its robust world class delivery processes to varied corporations of high repute. It offers benefits of the next generation facilities and services to help customers achieve the safest and secured architecture for the hosted infrastructure. The top-of-the-notch services being served at this multi-faceted data center along with the high degree of consideration regarding the precious data of our customers. The data center is empowered with robust infrastructure and most advanced technology to make it secured and cost-effective solution for customer’s data center needs.

About Nimsoft

Nimsoft provides integrated, IT management as a service solutions for businesses and service provider customers globally, including 1&1, CDW, SoftLayer, SunGard Availability Services, Sur La Table, TriNet, and Virgin America. The company’s Nimsoft Unified Manager is an industry-leading solution that helps organizations easily monitor and manage IT services in increasingly complex business environments. Nimsoft solutions integrate with existing resources from the data center to the cloud, and are available on a pay-as-you-go basis. For more information, visit www.nimsoft.com.