Sunday, August 5, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Synopsys to Acquire SpringSoft
News release:
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 3, 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, through its Taiwan subsidiary, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SpringSoft (TAIEX:2473), a global supplier of specialized IC design software headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The SpringSoft acquisition supports Synopsys' strategy to quickly and effectively deliver the advanced capabilities that will help semiconductor customers solve their toughest design challenges, including verification and custom implementation.
Under the terms of the agreement, Synopsys Taiwan will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of SpringSoft for NT$57.00 (approximately US$1.90) per SpringSoft share in cash and acquire any remaining shares pursuant to a follow-on merger. The gross transaction value will be approximately US$406 million (NT$12.2 billion), or approximately US$305 million (NT$9.2 billion) net of cash acquired. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, is subject to the minimum tender of 51 percent of the current outstanding SpringSoft shares, the approval of the follow-on merger by SpringSoft shareholders, regulatory approvals in Taiwan, and other customary closing conditions.
After the closing, SpringSoft will become part of Synopsys and SpringSoft stock will cease trading. When completed, Synopsys anticipates the transaction to be slightly accretive to fiscal 2013 non-GAAP earnings per share.
Verification requirements have exploded as designs have become increasingly complex, and debugging is the most time-consuming part of verification, taking up nearly half of the design cycle. At the same time, custom implementation tools have not kept up with the dramatic improvements seen in digital design. The combination of SpringSoft's and Synopsys' industry-leading verification technology portfolios will help accelerate delivery of a unified, powerful system-on-chip (SoC) debug environment so customers can continue to meet the demands of today's complex electronic designs. In addition, by integrating the physical design technology and teams from SpringSoft, Ciranova and Magma, Synopsys can accelerate innovation and offer a higher level of automation in custom implementation tools.
"This acquisition will increase Synopsys' investment in Taiwan by growing our local engineering expertise, technology development capabilities and customer support," said Chi-Foon Chan, president and co-CEO at Synopsys. "Combining SpringSoft's team and platform with Synopsys' complementary technology will help Synopsys lead further innovations in debug to more rapidly address the growing verification challenge. Simultaneously, SpringSoft's innovative custom implementation solution and its strong presence in leading Asian, European and U.S. semiconductor companies will help accelerate Synopsys' delivery of automation and innovation to an area of IC design that has been stagnant in the past."
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 www.synopsys.com.
Synopsys to Acquire SpringSoft
Acquisition Will Complement Synopsys' Technology Portfolio and Help Accelerate Delivery of SoC Debug and Custom Implementation Tools to Customers
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Aug. 3, 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, through its Taiwan subsidiary, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SpringSoft (TAIEX:2473), a global supplier of specialized IC design software headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The SpringSoft acquisition supports Synopsys' strategy to quickly and effectively deliver the advanced capabilities that will help semiconductor customers solve their toughest design challenges, including verification and custom implementation.
Under the terms of the agreement, Synopsys Taiwan will commence a tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of SpringSoft for NT$57.00 (approximately US$1.90) per SpringSoft share in cash and acquire any remaining shares pursuant to a follow-on merger. The gross transaction value will be approximately US$406 million (NT$12.2 billion), or approximately US$305 million (NT$9.2 billion) net of cash acquired. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2013, is subject to the minimum tender of 51 percent of the current outstanding SpringSoft shares, the approval of the follow-on merger by SpringSoft shareholders, regulatory approvals in Taiwan, and other customary closing conditions.
After the closing, SpringSoft will become part of Synopsys and SpringSoft stock will cease trading. When completed, Synopsys anticipates the transaction to be slightly accretive to fiscal 2013 non-GAAP earnings per share.
Verification requirements have exploded as designs have become increasingly complex, and debugging is the most time-consuming part of verification, taking up nearly half of the design cycle. At the same time, custom implementation tools have not kept up with the dramatic improvements seen in digital design. The combination of SpringSoft's and Synopsys' industry-leading verification technology portfolios will help accelerate delivery of a unified, powerful system-on-chip (SoC) debug environment so customers can continue to meet the demands of today's complex electronic designs. In addition, by integrating the physical design technology and teams from SpringSoft, Ciranova and Magma, Synopsys can accelerate innovation and offer a higher level of automation in custom implementation tools.
"This acquisition will increase Synopsys' investment in Taiwan by growing our local engineering expertise, technology development capabilities and customer support," said Chi-Foon Chan, president and co-CEO at Synopsys. "Combining SpringSoft's team and platform with Synopsys' complementary technology will help Synopsys lead further innovations in debug to more rapidly address the growing verification challenge. Simultaneously, SpringSoft's innovative custom implementation solution and its strong presence in leading Asian, European and U.S. semiconductor companies will help accelerate Synopsys' delivery of automation and innovation to an area of IC design that has been stagnant in the past."
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 www.synopsys.com.
IBM Plan Seeks To Map Growth and Optimize Revenue Collection In Accra, Ghana
Press release:
IBM Plan Seeks To Map Growth and Optimize Revenue Collection In Accra, Ghana
Accra set to transform its financial strategy to gear up for continued growth
Accra, Ghana - 03 Aug 2012: A team of IBM (NYSE: IBM) specialists today announced a comprehensive set of recommendations to help the city of Accra boost its income from city services.
Earlier this year, Accra applied for, and won, a Smarter Cities Challenge grant from IBM, which sent some of its top employees to work and live in Accra for three weeks. At the end of their engagement, the team delivered a workable blueprint to city authorities that will enable more efficient revenue management.
The IBM team’s recommendations aim to supplement the city’s existing revenue collection initiatives through the innovative use of technology, which will streamline processes and harmonize operations across city departments.
Accra’s influence has grown exponentially in recent years as it moves to cement its position as a leading urban hub on the west coast of Africa. The city’s population growth is among the highest in Africa, and is expected to double within the next 20 years.
“Accra’s rapid growth presents a unique set of challenges. In particular, as a city authority we struggle to capture and retain all income from the services we provide. IBM’s work will allow us to deploy an integrated revenue collection system will allow us to deliver services to our growing population more effectively,” said Alfred Vanderpujie, Mayor of Accra.
The IBM team highlighted a number of actions that the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, which manages Accra’s city services, can introduce in the next three years to accommodate the city’s continued growth.
The IBM team advised that Accra implement a multi channel, automated direct payment system that would leverage new relationships with mobile service providers and banks to allow citizens a wider variety of payment touch-points that would guarantee direct payments to city authorities.
Through their mobile phones, Accra residents could pay for services from the city ranging from garbage collection to parking fees. The payment system would also create opportunities to use analytics to identify underpayment and fraud, which currently see the city lose up to 50% of its potential income.
The IBM team also recommended that the city leverage Geographical Information System (GIS) technologies to effectively map and monitor Accra's rapid urban growth in real time.
A GIS system would enable authorities to register the growing number of properties and businesses in the city, and provide the basis for an integrated finance management and analysis system that would enhance revenue generation and service delivery.
“Accra is in a unique position to create a new normal for cities in Africa through the innovative use of technology,” said Joe Mensah, Country General Manager, IBM Ghana. “Through initiatives such as our Smarter Cities Challenge, IBM is starting conversations with governments across Africa and internationally, to create efficient city systems,” he said.
Over the past last ten years, Accra has invested in systems that will allow it to enjoy sustainable growth. The city was recently declared a Millennium City by the Earth Institute of Columbia University, New York.
The Millennium Cities initiative is a project aimed at helping selected cities in sub-Saharan Africa to design effective and viable strategies towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Accra was one of 32 cities worldwide who each received grants worth an estimated $400,000 in the second round of IBM’s annual Smarter Cities Challenge initiative, joining just three other African cities – Nairobi, Kenya; Rabat, Morrocco and Tshwane, South Africa selected for the program in 2012.
Launched in 2011, the Smarter Cities Challenge is a three-year,100-city, US $50 million program, IBM's single-largest philanthropic initiative, funds in-person engagements staffed by teams of top IBM experts, who study and then make detailed recommendations addressing locally important urban issues.
Over the last four years, IBM has sent seven teams to Ghana to work with various public and private sector bodies as part of its citizenship program the Corporate Service Corps (CSC). Through interactive leadership consultancy programs, IBM has delivered high quality problem solving for communities and organizations in Ghana in a number of sectors including health and education.
Later this year, IBM will release a first of its kind white paper report on Accra that will highlight the opportunities and challenges the city faces as it moves to become one of Africa’s leading urban success stories.
To learn more about IBM's corporate citizenship initiatives, visit: http://www.citizenibm.com andhttp://www.youtube.com/user/citizenIBM. Follow us on Twitter @citizenIBM
To find out more about IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grants, please visithttp://smartercitieschallenge.org/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sJ_3H0K3zo
GE Takes on Industrial Big Data Challenges
Press release:
03 August 2012
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
03 August 2012
GE Takes on Industrial Big Data Challenges
- New webinar discusses how to leverage big data for a competitive advantage
- Advanced software technology optimizes decision support to maximize process data to drive real-time improvements
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — AUGUST 3, 2012—GE Intelligent Platforms (NYSE: GE) today announced the availability of “The Rise of Industrial Big Data,” the company’s latest webinar. GE shares insights into how industrial businesses can maximize the full potential value of their process data and use that insight to drive real-time improvements. The participants discuss advanced software technology that offers an effective, simple, and easy way for companies to efficiently leverage Industrial Big Data for optimized decision support.
“Massive amounts of operational data are coming online with the increasing set of advanced devices and equipment, a movement often referred to as the Industrial Internet,” said Brian Courtney, General Manager Operations Data Management, GE Intelligent Platforms and a webinar featured speaker. “We discuss how industrial businesses can leverage Big Data to create a competitive advantage.”
Discussion topics include:
- The challenges of harnessing industrial big data.
- What critical information can be obtained by managing big data.
- How advanced historians provide critical insights for faster operational decisions and continuous innovation.
Additional speakers include Justin Eggart, GE Energy Executive Engineering; and Kareem Aggour, GE Global Research Senior Computer Scientist.
To view the webinar click here: “The Rise of Industrial Big Data”
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
AVG REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2012 FINANCIAL RESULTS
Press release:
PRESS RELEASES
AVG REPORTS SECOND QUARTER 2012 FINANCIAL RESULTS
REVENUE GROWS 25 PERCENT IN Q2 YEAR OVER YEAR; REPORTS Q2 GAAP EPS OF $0.20 AND NON-GAAP EPS OF $0.32; RAISES FISCAL YEAR 2012 OUTLOOK
AMSTERDAM, August 1, 2012 / PRNewswire / -- AVG Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG) today reported results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2012.
"We executed well across the business in the second quarter, driving higher financial metrics and exceeding our financial expectations," stated J.R. Smith, chief executive officer of AVG. "Our active user count totaled 128 million customers at June 30 2012, a 31 percent increase compared to this time last year, which continues to strengthen our position in the market. Given our performance in the first half of 2012 and growth in key areas of our customer base, we are again raising our annual outlook."
Revenue for the second quarter of 2012 was $82.5 million, compared with $66.1 million for the second quarter of 2011, an increase of 25 percent.
Net income for the second quarter of 2012 was $11.0 million, or $0.20 per diluted ordinary share, based on 54.8 million weighted-average diluted shares outstanding. Second quarter 2012 net income reflects increased share-based stock compensation expense as well as investments made in the business compared to the second quarter of 2011. Net income in the second quarter of 2011 included a tax credit of $56.3 million following an agreement with the Dutch fiscal authorities relating to our innovative development activities; resulting in net income for the second quarter of 2011 of $75.0 million.
Non-GAAP adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2012 was $17.3 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, based on 54.8 million weighted-average diluted shares outstanding. This compares to non-GAAP adjusted net income of $15.9 million, or $0.31 per diluted share, and 50.9 million weighted-average diluted shares outstanding for the same period of the prior year1. Non-GAAP results for the second quarter of 2012 exclude $3.7 million in share-based compensation expense and $2.0 million in acquisition amortization and reflect a $0.5 million adjustment to normalize to a tax rate of 14 percent.
Deferred revenue as of June 30, 2012 was $156.8 million. Cash and cash equivalents totaled $123.7 million and net debt was $73.7 million as of June 30, 2012.
AVG generated $32.2 million in cash from operating activities in the second quarter of 2012, and $29.3 million in non-GAAP unlevered free cash flow. This represents a 36 percent revenue to non-GAAP unlevered free cash flow conversion rate.
Financial Outlook
Based on information available as of August 1, 2012, AVG is providing the following financial outlook for the third quarter of 2012:
Based on information available as of August 1, 2012, AVG is providing the following financial outlook for the third quarter of 2012:
- Revenue is expected to be in the range of $84.0 million to $86.0 million.
- Net income is expected to be in the range of $9.5 million to $10.5 million; diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $0.17 to $0.19.
- Non-GAAP adjusted net income is expected to be in the range of $14.0 million to $15.0 million; non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $0.25 to $0.27.
AVG's expectation of non-GAAP adjusted net income for the third quarter of 2012 excludes share-based compensation expense and acquisition amortization and assumes a tax rate of 14 percent. For the purpose of calculating diluted EPS and non-GAAP diluted EPS in the third quarter, the company assumes approximately 55.5 million weighted-average shares outstanding.
Based on information available as of August 1, 2012, AVG is increasing its financial outlook for fiscal year 2012 as follows:
- Revenue is expected to be in the range of $336.0 million to $344.0 million, up from the previous outlook of $327.0 million to $335.0 million.
- Net income is expected to be in the range of $40.0 million to $43.0 million, up from the previous outlook of $38.0 million to $41.0 million; diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $0.73 to $0.78, up from the previous outlook of $0.68 to $0.74.
- Non-GAAP adjusted net income is expected to be in the range of $63.0 million to $66.0 million, up from the previous outlook of $60.0 million to $63.0 million; non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in the range of $1.15 to $1.20, up from the previous outlook of $1.08 to $1.14.
- Operating cash flow is expected to be in the range of $106.0 million to $110.0 million, up from the previous outlook of $102.0 million to $106.0 million; non-GAAP unlevered free cash flow is expected to be in the range of $107.0 million to $111.0 million, up from the previous outlook of $103.0 million to $107.0 million.
AVG's expectation of non-GAAP adjusted net income for the fiscal year 2012 excludes share-based compensation expense and acquisition amortization and assumes a tax rate of 14 percent. For the purpose of calculating diluted EPS and non-GAAP diluted EPS for 2012, the company assumes approximately 55 million weighted-average shares outstanding.
Conference Call Information
AVG will hold its quarterly conference call today at 23:00 CET/5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT to discuss its second quarter financial results, business highlights and outlook. The conference call may be accessed via webcast athttp://investors.avg.com or by calling +1 (888) 846-5003 (United States and Canada) or +1 (480) 629-9856 (International).
A replay of the webcast can be accessed via http://investors.avg.com. Additionally, an audio replay of the conference call will be available through August 8, 2012 by calling +1 (800) 406-7325 (United States and Canada) or +1 (303) 590-3030 (International), (conference passcode required: 4551877#).
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information
This press release contains supplemental non-GAAP financial measures including the following: non-GAAP adjusted net income, non-GAAP adjusted net income per diluted share and non-GAAP unlevered free cash flow. The presentation of this supplemental non-GAAP financial information, which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. In particular, adjusted net income, adjusted net income per diluted share and unlevered free cash flow should not be considered as measurements of the company's financial performance or liquidity under U.S. GAAP, as alternatives to income, operating income, cash flow from operation or any other performance measures derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP or as alternatives to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of the company's liquidity. Adjusted net income, adjusted net income per diluted share and unlevered free cash flow have limitations as analytical tools and should not be considered in isolation from, or as substitutes for, analysis of AVG's results of operations, including its cash flows, as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of the limitations of adjusted net income, adjusted net income per diluted share and unlevered free cash flow as financial measures are:
- they do not reflect the company's future requirements for capital expenditure or contractual commitments, nor, in the case of the income measures, do they reflect the actual cash contributions received from customers;
- except in the case of free cash flow, they do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, the company's working capital needs;
- they do not reflect the interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on the company's debt;
- although amortization and share-based compensation are non-cash charges, the assets being amortized will often have to be replaced in the future and such measures do not reflect any cash requirements for such replacements; and
- other companies in AVG's industry may calculate these measures differently than AVG does, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures.
Because of these limitations, investors should rely on AVG's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and treat the company's non-GAAP financial measures as supplemental information only.
AVG is providing these non-GAAP financial measures because it believes that such measures provide important supplemental information to management and investors about the company's core operating results, primarily because the non-GAAP financial measures exclude certain expenses and other amounts that management does not consider to be indicative of the company's core operating results or business outlook. AVG management uses these non-GAAP financial measures, in addition to the corresponding U.S. GAAP financial measures, in evaluating the company's operating performance, in planning and forecasting future periods, in making decisions regarding business operations and allocation of resources, and in comparing the company's performance against its historical performance.
For a reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, please see "Reconciliation of U.S. GAAP to non-GAAP Financial Measures." All non-GAAP financial measures should be read in conjunction with the comparable information presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
SAP CRM Rapid-Deployment Solution for Citizen Contact Center Helps Cities Run Better Than Ever
Press release:
SAP CRM Rapid-Deployment Solution for Citizen Contact Center Helps Cities Run Better Than Ever
SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) today announced the release of the SAP CRM rapid-deployment solution for citizen contact center as part of the SAP Urban Matters program. The solution, now generally available, helps simplify and accelerate the implementation of a government multi-channel contact center, enabling governments to provide services and information to citizens in a consistent manner while providing the highest levels of customer service. The solution also allows governments to more efficiently manage and monitor their organizations and operations.
The SAP CRM rapid-deployment solution for citizen contact center is a combination of software, pre-configured content and pre-defined services specifically tailored for government multi-channel contact centers. The solution supports phone, email, online and chat channels, and is delivered with low upfront cost thanks to fixed-price and timeframe implementation services that mitigate financial risk and uncertainty. As a result of pre-configuration and the rapid-deployment methodology, governments can deploy in less than 12 weeks.
"Governments everywhere are looking for ways to increase efficiency, improve services and get citizens more engaged," said Jens Romaus, senior vice president and global head, Public Services Industry Solutions, SAP. "The rapid deployment of citizen contact center with CRM enables our customers to quickly benefit from superior functionality combined with industry best practices. The solution can be deployed quickly for a fixed cost, helping them achieve quick results while minimizing the risks typically associated with a new software project."
The SAP Urban Matters program focuses on helping urban governments improve the lives of citizens. The SAP CRM rapid-deployment solution for citizen contact center enables governments to increase engagement with citizens, improve efficiency, deliver better services, address social inclusion and become more open. The solution is built using a shared service model concept that enables the core customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities to be reused for future projects, helping further increase return on investment (ROI). SAP has additional public sector solutions for social services, public security, tax and revenue management, citizen services and grantor management that can leverage this framework. Customers can also support social channels and mobile deployments as an extension of the solution as their needs evolve.
"At a time when governments worldwide are grappling with shrinking budgets, there is still a need to improve the level of service to constituents," said Steven Birdsall, senior vice president and general manager, SAP Rapid Deployment solutions. "The SAP CRM rapid-deployment solution for citizen contact center helps to unlock hidden efficiencies and resources through a proven and predictable solution that will deliver benefits in weeks. This modular approach opens a path to ongoing improvements, extending the functionality into new service channels, such as social or mobile, or new business needs, such as analytics."
SAP Rapid Deployment solutions combine pre-configured content, best practices and pre-defined services to quickly deploy a wide gamut of enterprise technology with rapid cost-savings. Enterprises achieve full visibility over their deployments thanks to a defined scope with predictable costs. The average timeframe for a typical deployment is less than 90 days, which helps customers lower the cost of implementation, speed time to value and extend the solution when needed. In addition to this solution, SAP Rapid Deployment solutions are available to public sector customers across the full SAP portfolio, including all environments – on premise, cloud and mobile – to quickly and incrementally adopt new business functionality and innovative solutions for in-memory computing, analytics, mobility and more.
Appcelerator Enables Scalable Mobile Back-ends with Red Hat OpenShift PaaS
Press release:
Appcelerator Enables Scalable Mobile Back-ends with Red Hat OpenShift PaaS
August 2, 2012
Cloud Computing Team
With the combination of Appcelerator's Titanium Studio and the OpenShift Platform-as-Service (PaaS) developers can create and deploy scalable iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Mobile Web applications using open standards. By developing in standard JavaScript, Titanium Studio creates native applications that can be deployed to the Apple App Store and Google Play. On the back-end, developers can use open source languages and frameworks such as Java EE, Node.js, Ruby and MongoDB and deploy them to the OpenShift PaaS to be scaled and managed in the cloud.
Announcing an integrated front-end and back-end development environment
Today the Red Hat OpenShift Module for Titanium Studio is available for download [1] in the Appcelerator Marketplace. Developed by Appcelerator in collaboration with Red Hat, the free module allows developers using Appcelerator Titanium Studio to deploy back-end mobile application code to the cloud in Red Hat’s OpenShift PaaS.
This means mobile application developers can now create front-end and back-end code in the same development environment and deploy the front-end code to mobile app stores and the back-end code to the OpenShift platform. Developers who want to get started can read our Deploying Mobile back-end Services from Titanium Studio to OpenShift [2] write-up. We see a terrific validation of OpenShift PaaS in Appcelerator’s choice to integrate the OpenShift platform into the Appcelerator Titanium Studio experience.
Mobile developers want scalable cloud services
The May 2012 Appcelerator / IDC Q2 Mobile Developer Report found that 83% of mobile developers plan to use cloud services. [5] Many of these services are being sought out because of the difficulty in developing back-end server-side capabilities, particularly for developers focused on client-side activities. These mobile services need scalable application infrastructure that can keep up with changing workloads as mobile users come and go. If an application is “hot” or a corporate event causes a lot of activity, the back-end needs to scale while remaining secure.
While mobile developers want to create the best experience in their applications, they don’t want to spend their time bogged down in setting up back-end stacks, handling scaling and security, patching stack versions or any of the other administration tasks that are required in running a scalable service. OpenShift addresses these issues for them by leaving developers free to focus on what really matters: code and customers.
Developers can use Appcelerator Titanium Studio and OpenShift for free. Appcelerator’s App Explore tier is free and includes access to Titanium Studio, analytics and more. The OpenShift PaaS free tier enables developers to run mobile back-ends for languages including Ruby, Node.js, Java EE, Python and PHP along with databases such as MySQL and MongoDB utilizing up to 1.5 GB memory and 3 GB storage. Developers will be able to purchase increased capacity as their applications scale.
Announcing the Appcelerator Mobile Developer Challenge
Appcelerator has announced that registration is now open for the Appcelerator Mobile Developer Challenge – a mobile application contest which offers up to $15,000 in cash prizes. Participants can host their apps on the OpenShift platform - to let us know that you are enjoying the benefits of the OpenShift PaaS free tier for your contest entries, use CODESTRONG when signing up at openshift.com.
Don’t forget that Red Hat’s OpenShift PaaS is also a platinum sponsor of this year’s CODESTRONG conference in San Francisco, which brings together hundreds of mobile developers to learn and interact with the latest technologies. Winners of the Mobile DevChallenge will be announced at CODESTRING. Early bird registrations are still available, sign up here [7].
[1] https://marketplace.appcelerator.com/apps/2939?556492733
[2] https://openshift.redhat.com/community/blogs/developing-mobile-apps-for-the-cloud-with-titanium-studio-and-the-openshift-paas
[3] http://openshift.redhat.com/app/account/newweb_user[promo_code]=CODESTRONG
[4] http://codestrong.com/
[5] http://bit.ly/N08wrH “Developers’ responses were remarkably consistent with last quarter’s survey results in the level of interest in integrating cloud services into their mobile applications, with fully 83% of those developers (84% in last quarter’s survey) saying that they were planning to connect their mobile applications to cloud-based services like Appcelerator Cloud Services (ACS) within the next year.”
[6] Developers’ responses were remarkably consistent with last quarter’s survey results in the level of interest in integrating cloud services into their mobile applications, with fully 83% of those developers (84% in last quarter’s survey) saying that they were planning to connect their mobile applications to cloud-based services like Appcelerator Cloud Services (ACS) within the next year.
Announcing an integrated front-end and back-end development environment
Today the Red Hat OpenShift Module for Titanium Studio is available for download [1] in the Appcelerator Marketplace. Developed by Appcelerator in collaboration with Red Hat, the free module allows developers using Appcelerator Titanium Studio to deploy back-end mobile application code to the cloud in Red Hat’s OpenShift PaaS.
This means mobile application developers can now create front-end and back-end code in the same development environment and deploy the front-end code to mobile app stores and the back-end code to the OpenShift platform. Developers who want to get started can read our Deploying Mobile back-end Services from Titanium Studio to OpenShift [2] write-up. We see a terrific validation of OpenShift PaaS in Appcelerator’s choice to integrate the OpenShift platform into the Appcelerator Titanium Studio experience.
Mobile developers want scalable cloud services
The May 2012 Appcelerator / IDC Q2 Mobile Developer Report found that 83% of mobile developers plan to use cloud services. [5] Many of these services are being sought out because of the difficulty in developing back-end server-side capabilities, particularly for developers focused on client-side activities. These mobile services need scalable application infrastructure that can keep up with changing workloads as mobile users come and go. If an application is “hot” or a corporate event causes a lot of activity, the back-end needs to scale while remaining secure.
While mobile developers want to create the best experience in their applications, they don’t want to spend their time bogged down in setting up back-end stacks, handling scaling and security, patching stack versions or any of the other administration tasks that are required in running a scalable service. OpenShift addresses these issues for them by leaving developers free to focus on what really matters: code and customers.
Developers can use Appcelerator Titanium Studio and OpenShift for free. Appcelerator’s App Explore tier is free and includes access to Titanium Studio, analytics and more. The OpenShift PaaS free tier enables developers to run mobile back-ends for languages including Ruby, Node.js, Java EE, Python and PHP along with databases such as MySQL and MongoDB utilizing up to 1.5 GB memory and 3 GB storage. Developers will be able to purchase increased capacity as their applications scale.
Announcing the Appcelerator Mobile Developer Challenge
Appcelerator has announced that registration is now open for the Appcelerator Mobile Developer Challenge – a mobile application contest which offers up to $15,000 in cash prizes. Participants can host their apps on the OpenShift platform - to let us know that you are enjoying the benefits of the OpenShift PaaS free tier for your contest entries, use CODESTRONG when signing up at openshift.com.
Don’t forget that Red Hat’s OpenShift PaaS is also a platinum sponsor of this year’s CODESTRONG conference in San Francisco, which brings together hundreds of mobile developers to learn and interact with the latest technologies. Winners of the Mobile DevChallenge will be announced at CODESTRING. Early bird registrations are still available, sign up here [7].
[1] https://marketplace.appcelerator.com/apps/2939?556492733
[2] https://openshift.redhat.com/community/blogs/developing-mobile-apps-for-the-cloud-with-titanium-studio-and-the-openshift-paas
[3] http://openshift.redhat.com/app/account/newweb_user[promo_code]=CODESTRONG
[4] http://codestrong.com/
[5] http://bit.ly/N08wrH “Developers’ responses were remarkably consistent with last quarter’s survey results in the level of interest in integrating cloud services into their mobile applications, with fully 83% of those developers (84% in last quarter’s survey) saying that they were planning to connect their mobile applications to cloud-based services like Appcelerator Cloud Services (ACS) within the next year.”
[6] Developers’ responses were remarkably consistent with last quarter’s survey results in the level of interest in integrating cloud services into their mobile applications, with fully 83% of those developers (84% in last quarter’s survey) saying that they were planning to connect their mobile applications to cloud-based services like Appcelerator Cloud Services (ACS) within the next year.
CA Technologies Declares Quarterly Dividend
Press Releases
CA Technologies Declares Quarterly Dividend
ISLANDIA, N.Y., August 2, 2012 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a regular, quarterly cash dividend of $0.25 per share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on September 11, 2012 to stockholders of record at the close of business on August 14, 2012.
About CA Technologies
CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) provides IT management solutions that help customers manage and secure complex IT environments to support agile business services. Organizations leverage CA Technologies software and SaaS solutions to accelerate innovation, transform infrastructure and secure data and identities, from the data center to the cloud. Learn more about CA Technologies at www.ca.com.
ScaleMatrix Safeguards 100 Terabytes of Data and Continuity of Cloud Services with CA Technologies
Press Releases
ScaleMatrix Safeguards 100 Terabytes of Data and Continuity of Cloud Services with CA Technologies
CA ARCserve Forms the Basis of Managed Data Security Services That Uses Cloud Storage to Minimize Cost
ISLANDIA, N.Y., August 2, 2012 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) today announced that ScaleMatrix, a colocation, private cloud hosting and managed services provider, is using CA ARCserve® to support its managed data security service that protects more than 100 terabytes of customer data for disaster recovery, business continuity and highly available business services.
ScaleMatrix offers cutting-edge IT solutions that enable organizations to reduce costs, increase agility and safeguard compliance. The company’s customers – many from heavily regulated sectors such as finance, biomedical and government – demand exceptional data availability and service continuity. The company needed a recovery management solution that would work across physical and virtual environments and a robust platform for simple cloud management.
“Our customers are under pressure to reduce IT spend while complying with regulations that impact the storage and management of data,” said James Heller, marketing director, ScaleMatrix. “To help our customers meet these goals, we need to ensure that our services combine data and system high availability with efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”
“Our customers are under pressure to reduce IT spend while complying with regulations that impact the storage and management of data,” said James Heller, marketing director, ScaleMatrix. “To help our customers meet these goals, we need to ensure that our services combine data and system high availability with efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”
The need for effective disaster recovery was highlighted last year when south Texas suffered a series of prolonged power outages. “The incident acted as a wake-up call for many businesses, as it impacted their ability to continue operating,” said Heller. “Four to six hours of downtime is manageable, but beyond this, organizations’ operations are significantly impacted.”
To ensure ScaleMatrix’s services would provide the business continuity demanded by its clients, the company needed to extend its disaster recovery capabilities while simplifying the provisioning and management of its private cloud services.
CA ARCserve forms the basis of a ScaleMatrix managed data security service that uses cloud storage to minimize costs. The company also uses the CA AppLogic® cloud platform to support its private cloud services.
“We selected the CA Technologies solutions as they are scalable, easy to configure and integrate, and require minimal support,” adds Heller. “They enable us to help organizations bring new services to market faster, comply with regulations and get more from their IT budgets.”
ScaleMatrix’s data security managed service integrates CA ARCserve with cloud storage offerings and an appliance-based solution to provide robust data availability at an affordable cost. The level of availability can be varied according to individual customer or system needs, from simple backup to high availability and various options in between.
In addition to its customer offerings, ScaleMatrix uses CA ARCserve to replicate its own systems and data between its San Diego and Texas datacenters – mitigating the impact of local events such as power outages or natural disasters.
In total, more than 100 terabytes of ScaleMatrix and customer data is protected across a wide range of systems. Recovery time varies from up to a day for those customers using basic backup services, to microseconds for those with real-time replication and failover.
The CA AppLogic cloud platform allows ScaleMatrix to establish and scale services very quickly, maximizing profitability while meeting customer demand for scalable and highly available services. ScaleMatrix has ‘wrapped’ a number of applications, including CA ARCserve, to create pre-defined services that can be provisioned with CA AppLogic’s drag and drop interface.
“The success of ScaleMatrix underscores the value that service providers get from partnering with CA Technologies to quickly bring new, scalable offerings to market,” said Steve Fairbanks, vice president, Data Management, CA Technologies. “CA Technologies enables them to do exactly that with ARCserve and AppLogic, which deliver reliable data protection and simplify the provisioning and management of cloud services.”
About ScaleMatrix
ScaleMatrix takes an infrastructure-based approach to providing best-in-class hosting solutions to clients at every stage of their IT Lifecycle development. By investing heavily in both facilities and personnel, and developing strategic relationships with critical hardware, software, and support service vendors – we are able to offer our clients industry leading solutions which include design, deployment, and ongoing management as part of our standard offering. For additional information, visit ScaleMatrix at http://www.scalematrix.com.
About CA Technologies
CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) provides IT management solutions that help customers manage and secure complex IT environments to support agile business services. Organizations leverage CA Technologies software and SaaS solutions to accelerate innovation, transform infrastructure and secure data and identities, from the data center to the cloud. Learn more about CA Technologies at www.ca.com.
CA Technologies to Present at Investor Conference
Press Releases
CA Technologies to Present at Investor Conference
ISLANDIA, N.Y., August 2, 2012 – CA Technologies (NASDAQ:CA) today announced that Shridhar Mittal, general manager, ITKO, will present at the following investor conference.
Conference: Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. 15th Annual Technology, Internet & Communications Conference
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 14, 9:05 am ET
Location: Boston, MA
Live and archived audio webcasts of the presentation, as well as any supporting materials, will be available on the Company's website at http://investor.ca.com/.
About CA Technologies
CA Technologies (NASDAQ: CA) provides IT management solutions that help customers manage and secure complex IT environments to support agile business services. Organizations leverage CA Technologies software and SaaS solutions to accelerate innovation, transform infrastructure and secure data and identities, from the data center to the cloud. Learn more about CA Technologies at www.ca.com.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Bang & Olufsen Hears the Sound of Savings With Office 365
Press release:
Bang & Olufsen Hears the Sound of Savings With Office 365
Aug. 02, 2012
Luxury audio systems maker expects to save 82 percent in IT operations with Microsoft solution.
REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 2, 2012 — Luxury audio and video systems maker Bang & Olufsen has adopted Microsoft Office 365 to unify its email, calendaring, collaboration and communication. The company wanted to upgrade its email system from the limitations of Lotus Notes to a less-expensive, easier-to-scale cloud solution: Office 365. The company now has all 2,000 employees using Office 365.
“We investigated whether we should continue relying on internal servers or go with a cloud solution. And we realized that we could save money by going to the cloud with Office 365,” said Ole Damsgaard, senior director of IT & Shared Service Centre at Bang & Olufsen. “It was easy to integrate Office 365 into our existing work environment and for our employees to start using it right away because they already know tools like Outlook and other Microsoft products.”
Founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, Bang & Olufsen is world-renowned for its high-end TVs, loudspeakers, MP3 player docks and audio systems that are often built into luxury vehicles, including those made by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Aston Martin.
Internal competition for limited IT resources kept pushing an email upgrade to the back burner. However, Damsgaard knew the company needed an up-to-date, top-of-the line email, conferencing and file-sharing solution.
“We’re always in competition with other projects for funding,” Damsgaard said. “We have a limited amount of resources and money. Often, upgrading our software is secondary to meeting other business objectives.”
About 75 percent of Bang & Olufsen’s employees work remotely. However, the email solution they were using, Lotus Notes, was only accessible to the 150 employees who had company-provided smartphones. The other 1,350 mobile workers were left without access.
Recommended by Proactive, Bang & Olufsen’s IT provider, Office 365 was determined to be a cost-effective solution at a time when Bang & Olufsen had to decide between building its own IT environment — complete with on-premises servers — or moving to the cloud.
With Office 365, Bang & Olufsen will reduce travel and IT costs, improve access and ease of use, and enjoy email, calendars and conferencing that work better together:
• Less spending on travel and IT. Compared with an internally hosted solution, Bang & Olufsen is saving 82 percent on IT operations by using Office 365.
• Improved remote accessibility. With Office 365, employees can access email from virtually any smartphone, a remote PC or other mobile devices.
• Familiar, easy-to-use interface. Learning how to use Lotus Notes presented a challenge to most new Bang & Olufsen employees. Today, new staff members are typically already familiar with their Outlook email and require little to no training to use Office 365.
• Seamless integration among services. With Office 365, an employee can quickly check a colleague’s calendar for availability, email an invitation and then click the URL in the invite to start the meeting.
“Our employees are used to using Outlook and other Microsoft products. It was easy to integrate Office 365 into our existing work environment and for our workers to start using it right away because they already know the tools,” Damsgaard said. “And now, everybody who has a smartphone can very easily access their emails and calendars.”
More Microsoft customer success stories are available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/presskits/customerspotlight.
More information on Microsoft Office 365 is available athttp://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/office.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
The Nation’s Top Educators Awarded at Microsoft Partners in Learning U.S. Forum
Press release:
The Nation’s Top Educators Awarded at Microsoft Partners in Learning U.S. Forum
Aug. 02, 2012
Sixteen U.S. teachers honored for inspiring student learning and impacting positive change through technology in the classroom.
REDMOND, Wash. — Aug. 2, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced 16 educators from California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Texas and Washington have been selected as winners of the Partners in Learning U.S. Forum. The annual event recognizes innovative teachers and school leaders who creatively and effectively use technology in their curriculum to help improve the way kids learn and increase student success. Out of thousands that applied, 100 educators from 25 states attended the event to compete for the opportunity to represent the United States at the Partners in Learning Global Forum this November.
Meet the Winners
| 17 |
Gregg Witkin
August 02, 2012
Gregg Witkin won in the Educator as Innovator and Change Agent category for his project "Finding Youth Voice," which challenges students to create media presentations that serve as vehicles for social change. Boynton Continuation High School, San Jose, Calif.
“These winning educators are catalysts for change and are the best in the nation at embracing technology to inspire and engage students and help transform education in their local communities,” said Andrew Ko, general manager, U.S. Partners in Learning, Microsoft. “They all are incredibly passionate and driven to make an impact on each and every student they teach. Their creative project-based-learning classroom activities show real impact on student learning and success and should be scaled out as best practices in their own school districts and across the country.”
Winning Educators
Winning projects immerse students in active, hands-on learning, guiding them to employ collaboration and creative problem-solving skills. The 11 outstanding projects focus on encouraging entrepreneurial thinking in students, virtual learning for students with learning differences, creative uses of gaming to enhance critical thinking and service learning projects in which students engage with their community. The projects exhibit the educators’ abilities to exceed strict academic standards while making learning fun and effective for their students.
The following are Partners in Learning 2012 U.S. Forum winners:
Collaboration
- First Place: Jamie Ewing; Mount View Elementary, Seattle, Wash.
- Runner-up: Julie Hembree; AG Bell Elementary, Kirkland, Wash.
Knowledge Building & Critical Thinking
- First Place: Jennifer Bevill; LSU Laboratory School, Baton Rouge, La.
- Runner-up: Cheryl Arnett and Melany Neton; Sunset Elementary School, Craig, Colo.
Extended Learning Beyond the Classroom
- First Place: Pauline Roberts and Rick Joseph; Birmingham Covington School, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
- TIE Runner-up: Sarah Collins and Jo Spark; Moody Elementary, Moody, Texas
- TIE Runner-up: Jolie Barker; Slaughter Elementary, McKinney, Texas
Cutting-Edge Use of Technology for Learning
- First Place: Robin Lowell and Sherry Hahn; Washington State School for the Blind, Vancouver, Wash.
- Runner-up: June Teisan and Alexandra Beels; Harper Woods Secondary School, Harper Woods, Mich.
Educator as Innovator and Change Agent
- First Place: Gregg Witkin; Boynton Continuation High School, San Jose, Calif.
Educator’s Choice
- First Place: Todd LaVogue; Roosevelt Community Middle School, West Palm Beach, Fla.
The winning projects were scored based on a comprehensive judging rubric that incorporatedresearch-based criteria for 21st century teaching and learning. Full descriptions of the winning projects can be found on the Microsoft TeachTec blog. A distinguished panel of judges — including representatives from the Arizona House of Representatives, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education from Washington, D.C, Chicago Public Schools and International Society for Technology in Education, as well as other U.S. superintendents and university and education leaders — evaluated the educator projects.
The winning educators will advance to the Partners in Learning Global Forum, which will take place in Prague Nov. 28 through Dec. 1. This ninth annual Partners in Learning Global Forum is the culmination of local and regional events that reach nearly 200,000 participants from more than 115 countries.
Hosted by Microsoft Partners in Learning, the Partners in Learning U.S. Forum is one of a series of regional forums taking place around the world. This annual event is designed to promote the sharing and scaling of exceptional practices of learning that incorporate technology in the classroom, to recognize and celebrate leading educators and innovative schools in the United States, and to offer educators opportunities for professional development and collaborate with and learn from peers across the country.
Current news on Microsoft educator events, competitions and news in the U.S. is available onFacebook, Twitter (@TeachTec and #PiLUS) and the TeachTec blog.
About Microsoft Partners in Learning
Microsoft Partners in Learning is a 10-year, nearly $500 million commitment by Microsoft to help education systems around the world. Since its inception in 2003, the Partners in Learning program has reached more than 210 million teachers and students in 119 countries. Partners in Learning helps educators and school leaders connect, collaborate, create and share so students can realize their greatest potential. The online Partners in Learning Network is one of the world’s largest global professional networks for educators, connecting millions of teachers and school leaders around the world in a community of professional development.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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