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Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Official Rackspace Blog - Bridging The Chasm Between IT And The Business

The Official Rackspace Blog - Bridging The Chasm Between IT And The Business

TI to demonstrate its innovative 3D time-of-flight image sensor chipset with SoftKinetic at CES 2013 - Dec 27, 2012

TI to demonstrate its innovative 3D time-of-flight image sensor chipset with SoftKinetic at CES 2013 - Dec 27, 2012

Virus Yearbook 2012 | Press Panda Security

Virus Yearbook 2012 | Press Panda Security

The Official Rackspace Blog - Rackspace Startup Program Spotlight On WiFiSLAM: Indoor Positioning On Your Smartphone

The Official Rackspace Blog - Rackspace Startup Program Spotlight On WiFiSLAM: Indoor Positioning On Your Smartphone

The Official Rackspace Blog - Best Practices For Cloud Block Storage

The Official Rackspace Blog - Best Practices For Cloud Block Storage

The Official Rackspace Blog - Hybrid Cloud For SaaS

The Official Rackspace Blog - Hybrid Cloud For SaaS

Friday, December 21, 2012

Aventa Technologies Receives Strategic Investment from Applied Ventures to Support High Temperature Superconductor Technology | Applied Materials

Aventa Technologies Receives Strategic Investment from Applied Ventures to Support High Temperature Superconductor Technology | Applied Materials

Weekend Reading: Dec. 21st Edition – Bing Puts the Spotlight on Images, Xbox Windows Phone Favorites on Sale and the Year in Review on MSN - The Official Microsoft Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Weekend Reading: Dec. 21st Edition – Bing Puts the Spotlight on Images, Xbox Windows Phone Favorites on Sale and the Year in Review on MSN - The Official Microsoft Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

The Official Rackspace Blog - Rackspace Weekly Digest For December 21

The Official Rackspace Blog - Rackspace Weekly Digest For December 21

Securing Your Holiday Tech Gifts, Part 2: Android Guide | ESET ThreatBlog

Securing Your Holiday Tech Gifts, Part 2: Android Guide | ESET ThreatBlog

Amazon Web Services Introduces New Amazon EC2 High Storage Instance Family

Amazon Media Room: RSS Content

Cognizant to Acquire Six Companies of the C1 Group, a Leading German Consulting and IT Services Group - Dec 21, 2012

Cognizant to Acquire Six Companies of the C1 Group, a Leading German Consulting and IT Services Group - Dec 21, 2012

Adobe Acquires Behance to Drive New Community Capabilities in Creative Cloud

Adobe Acquires Behance to Drive New Community Capabilities in Creative Cloud

Adobe Reports Record Quarterly and Annual Revenue

Adobe Reports Record Quarterly and Annual Revenue

Thursday, December 20, 2012

EMULEX OFFER FOR ENDACE SHARES DISPATCHED

Emulex Press Release:


EMULEX OFFER FOR ENDACE SHARES DISPATCHED

Endace Board Unanimously Recommends That All Shareholders and Optionholders Accept the Emulex Offer

COSTA MESA, Calif. and SUNNYVALE, Calif., December 20, 2012 – Emulex Corporation (NYSE:ELX), the leading provider of converged networking solutions, and Endace Limited (LSE:EDA), a leading supplier of network visibility infrastructure products, announced today that Emulex’s cash offer of 500 pence per share announced on December 5, 2012 has been officially dispatched to shareholders and optionholders, under the terms of the New Zealand Takeovers Code. Using the current exchange rate of 1.62 USD to the Pound Sterling, this represents a transaction value of approximately $131 million, a 65 percent premium to the mid-market closing price per Endace share on December 5, 2012 when the offer was announced.
In addition, with the finalization of the Grant Samuel report commissioned by the Independent Directors of Endace, as required by the New Zealand Takeovers Code, the Endace Board unanimously recommends that all shareholders and optionholders accept the Emulex Offer.
“We believe that the acquisition provides compelling value and we are committed to proceeding expeditiously to complete the transaction,” said Jim McCluney, chief executive officer (CEO), Emulex. “Acquiring Endace doubles our total addressable market and places Emulex in another high-margin, high-growth market, enhancing our ability to deliver industry-leading solutions to connect, monitor and manage high-performance networks.”
“By joining forces with Emulex, we will be able to create a new generation of network visibility solutions and take them to a global market,” said Mike Riley, CEO, Endace. “Endace and Emulex share a common vision and have a strong cultural affinity, making the combination a great fit for both companies.”
A copy of Emulex’s Offer, Endace’s response (including the Endace Board recommendation), and the Independent Adviser’s report prepared by Grant Samuel should be received by all Endace shareholders and optionholders within the next few days. The transaction is expected to be completed in the March 2013 quarter, subject to certain closing conditions, including the acceptance of the Offer by the holders of 90 percent of the outstanding shares of Endace. Excluding transaction related expenses, the acquisition is expected to be neutral to Emulex’s non-GAAP earnings per share for fiscal 2013 and accretive at the beginning of fiscal 2014.

About Emulex

Emulex, the leader in converged networking solutions, provides enterprise-class connectivity for servers, networks and storage devices within the data center. The Company's product portfolio of Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters, 10Gb Ethernet Network Interface Cards, Ethernet-based Converged Network Adapters, controllers, embedded bridges and switches, and connectivity management software are proven, tested and trusted by the world's largest and most demanding IT environments. Emulex solutions are used and offered by the industry's leading server and storage OEMs including, Cisco, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, Huawei, IBM, NEC, NetApp and Oracle. Emulex is headquartered in Costa Mesa, Calif. and has offices and research facilities in North America, Asia and Europe. More information about Emulex (NYSE:ELX) is available at www.Emulex.com.

About Endace

Endace provides world-leading network visibility infrastructure, which is trusted by some of the world’s largest organizations to accelerate their response to network and security problems.
Endace Intelligent Network Recorders guarantee to capture, index and record 100-percent of network traffic while scaling from 1 Gbps to 100 Gbps. EndaceVision is Endace's proprietary web-based application that enables engineers to visualize, search and retrieve network traffic from any Endace Recorder anywhere across the network.
Endace's marketing headquarters are in Sunnyvale, California. R&D is in Auckland, New Zealand. Sales offices across the US, in Reading, UK and Sydney, Australia provide support for customers.

SANDISK EXPANDS STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM

SanDisk Press Release:


SANDISK EXPANDS STOCK REPURCHASE PROGRAM

$1 Billion Available for Stock Repurchase

MILPITAS, Calif., Dec. 20, 2012 - SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized an additional $750 million for common stock repurchases. This increases the total amount authorized for stock repurchases under the current program to $1.25 billion. The current repurchase program was established on Oct. 27, 2011 and will expire on Oct. 26, 2016. To date under this program, the company has used approximately $234 million for stock repurchases and approximately $1.016 billion remains available.
Under the expanded program, stock repurchases may be made from time to time and the actual amount expended will depend on a variety of factors including market conditions, regulatory and legal requirements, corporate cash generation and other factors. The stock repurchases may be made in both open market and privately negotiated transactions, and may include the use of derivative contracts, structured share repurchase agreements and Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. The program does not obligate SanDisk to repurchase any particular amount of common stock during any period and the program may be modified or suspended at any time at the company's discretion.

About SanDisk

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) is a global leader in flash memory storage solutions, from research and development, product design and manufacturing to branding and distribution for OEM and retail channels. Since 1988, SanDisk's innovations in flash memory and storage system technologies have provided customers with new and transformational digital experiences. SanDisk's diverse product portfolio includes flash memory cards and embedded solutions used in smart phones, tablets, digital cameras, camcorders, digital media players and other consumer electronic devices, as well as USB flash drives and solid-state drives (SSD) for the computing market. SanDisk's products are used by consumers and enterprise customers around the world.
SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States. For more information, visit www.sandisk.com.

New Photoshop Features and Team Version Headline Major Update to Adobe Creative Cloud

New Photoshop Features and Team Version Headline Major Update to Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Names Kelly J. Barlow to its Board of Directors

Adobe Names Kelly J. Barlow to its Board of Directors

Media Alert: Adobe to Share Creative Cloud, Photoshop Updates Next Week in Online Event | EON: Enhanced Online News

Media Alert: Adobe to Share Creative Cloud, Photoshop Updates Next Week in Online Event | EON: Enhanced Online News

Red Hat Reports Third Quarter Results

Red Hat Press Release:


Red Hat Reports Third Quarter Results

Raleigh

December 20, 2012
  • Third quarter revenue of $344 million, up 18% year-over-year
  • Third quarter subscription revenue of $294 million, up 19% year-over-year
  • Third quarter total deferred revenue of $988 million, up 21% year-over-year
RALEIGH, N.C.-- Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world's leading provider of open source solutions, today announced financial results for its fiscal year 2013 third quarter ended November 30, 2012.

Total revenue for the quarter was $343.6 million, an increase of 18% in U.S. dollars from the year ago quarter, or 21% measured in constant currency, as detailed in the tables below. Subscription revenue for the quarter was $294.2 million, up 19% in U.S. dollars year-over-year, or 22% measured in constant currency, as detailed in the tables below.

"Strong execution, industry leading solutions and our ability to deliver a compelling ROI to our customers, all contributed to continued momentum and strong third quarter revenue growth in the face of a challenging global economic environment. Red Hat is benefiting from our position as a trusted vendor for IT," stated Jim Whitehurst, President and Chief Executive Officer of Red Hat. "Since October of last year we have completed three acquisitions, and are announcing a fourth today to expand our portfolio of open source solutions and enlarge our addressable market. As our enterprise customers move to open, hybrid cloud architectures, we are addressing their needs with a clear roadmap based on industry-leading open source technologies."

GAAP operating income for the third quarter was $49.9 million, down 7% year-over-year, due largely to acquisition-related costs, including stock compensation and amortization. GAAP operating margin was 14.5%. After adjusting for stock compensation and amortization expenses, as detailed in the tables below, non-GAAP operating income for the third quarter was $82.5 million, up 5% year-over-year. Non-GAAP operating margin was 24.0%.

Net income for the quarter was $34.8 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, compared with $38.2 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, in the year ago quarter. After adjusting for stock compensation and amortization expenses, as detailed in the tables below, non-GAAP net income for the quarter was $56.9 million, or $0.29 per diluted share, as compared to $55.7 million, or $0.28 per diluted share, in the year ago quarter.

Operating cash flow was $100.2 million for the third quarter, as compared to $96.6 million in the year ago quarter. At quarter end, the company's total deferred revenue balance was $987.7 million, an increase of 21% on a year-over-year basis. Total cash, cash equivalents and investments as of November 30, 2012 were $1.35 billion.

"While we continue to increase investments in new technologies and growth initiatives, our solid performance is driving steady profitability and strong operating cash flow. In Q3, we used our strong balance sheet and cash flow to repurchase approximately $52 million of common stock, in addition to closing the FuseSource acquisition which enhances our offering in the fast-growing Application Integration software space." stated Charlie Peters, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Red Hat. "We have continued this focused investment in key growth opportunities with the announcement of an agreement to acquire ManageIQ, Inc. ManageIQ positions us deeper in the cloud management market which analysts estimate will be a $3 billion market by 2016."

Additional information on Red Hat's reported results, including a reconciliation of the non-GAAP adjusted results, are included in the financial tables below. A live webcast of Red Hat's results will begin at 5:00 pm ET today and can be accessed by the general public at Red Hat's investor relations website athttp://investors.redhat.com. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the live event has ended.

About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the world's leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.

The Official Rackspace Blog - Running Jekyll On Rackspace Cloud Files

The Official Rackspace Blog - Running Jekyll On Rackspace Cloud Files

Samsung and Synopsys Collaborate to Achieve First 14-nanometer FinFET Tapeout

Synopsys News Release:


Samsung and Synopsys Collaborate to Achieve First 14-nanometer FinFET Tapeout
Collaboration Encompasses Synopsys IP, Design Implementation, Extraction and Signoff Tools

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Highlights:
  • Milestone helps accelerate adoption of FinFET technology for faster and more power efficient Systems on Chips (SoC)s
  • Collaboration delivers foundation for 3D device modeling and  physical design rule support
  • Test chip qualifies FinFET process and Synopsys® DesignWare® Embedded Memories
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS), a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, today announced that its multi-year collaboration with Samsung on FinFET technology has achieved a critical milestone: the successful tapeout of the first test chip on Samsung's 14LPE process. While the FinFET process offers significant power and performance benefits compared to the traditional planar process, the move from two-dimensional transistors to three-dimensional transistors introduces several new IP and EDA tool challenges such as modeling. The multi-year collaboration delivered the foundational modeling technologies for 3D parasitic extraction, circuit simulation and physical design-rule support of FinFET devices. Synopsys' comprehensive solution for embedded memory, physical design, parasitic extraction, timing analysis and signoff is built on this foundation.

"FinFET transistors can deliver lower power consumption and higher device performance, but they also bring tough challenges," said Dr. Kyu-Myung Choi, vice president of System LSI infrastructure design center, Device Solutions, Samsung Electronics. "We chose Synopsys as our FinFET collaboration partner to solve these challenges, because of our successful history together at 20 nanometer and other nodes. We continue to pool our expertise to deliver innovative FinFET solutions."


Synopsys' FinFET-ready IP

Synopsys worked closely with Samsung to develop a test chip that validates Samsung's advanced 14-nm FinFET process as well as Synopsys' DesignWare Embedded Memories using Synopsys' Self-Test and Repair (STAR) Memory System® solution. The test chip will enable the correlation of the simulation models to the FinFET process and contains test structures, standard cells, a PLL and embedded SRAMs. The memory instances include high-density SRAMs designed to operate at very low voltages and high-speed SRAMs to validate the process performance.

Synopsys FinFET-ready Design Tools

The shift from planar to FinFET-based 3D transistors is a significant change that requires close technical collaboration between tool developers, foundries and early adopters to deliver a strong solution. Synopsys' highly accurate modeling technology provides the foundation for the FinFET-ready Galaxy Implementation Platform. The platform includes IC Compiler physical design, IC Validator physical verification, StarRC parasitic extraction, SiliconSmart characterization, CustomSim and FineSim for FastSPICE simulation, and HSPICE® device modeling and circuit simulation.

"Samsung is a key partner in our effort and investment to develop a complete solution for FinFET technology," said Antun Domic, senior vice president and general manager of Synopsys' Implementation Group. "Synopsys' extensive collaboration with Samsung enables us to deliver best-in-class technologies and IP to help designers realize the full potential of FinFET transistor designs."

About Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) accelerates innovation in the global electronics market. As a leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP, its software, IP and services help engineers address their design, verification, system and manufacturing challenges. Since 1986, engineers around the world have been using Synopsys technology to design and create billions of chips and systems. Learn more at www.synopsys.com.

Editorial Contacts:

Sheryl Gulizia
Synopsys, Inc.
650-584-8635
sgulizia@synopsys.com


Lisa Gillette-Martin
MCA, Inc.
650-968-8900 ext. 115
lgmartin@mcapr.com

SOURCE Synopsys, Inc.

INTERNET GROWS TO MORE THAN 246 MILLION DOMAIN NAMES IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2012

Verisign Press Release:


INTERNET GROWS TO MORE THAN 246 MILLION DOMAIN NAMES IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2012

RESTON, VA--(Marketwire - Dec 20, 2012) -  More than five million domain names were added to the Internet in the third quarter of 2012, bringing the total number of registered domain names as of Sept. 30, 2012, to more than 246 million worldwide across all Top-Level Domains, according to the latest Domain Name Industry Brief, published by VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQVRSN), the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world.
The increase of 5.7 million domain names globally equates to a growth rate of 2.4 percent over the second quarter of 2012, and marks the seventh straight quarter with greater than 2 percent growth. Worldwide registrations have grown by 26.4 million, or 12 percent, since the third quarter of 2011.
The .com and .net Top-Level Domains (TLDs) experienced aggregate growth in the third quarter of 2012, reaching a combined total of approximately 119.9 million domain names in the adjusted zone for .com and .net. This represents a 1 percent increase in the base over the second quarter of 2012 and a 7.1 percent increase over the third quarter of 2011. As of Sept. 30, 2012, the base of registered names in .com equaled 105 million names, while .net equaled 14.9 million names.
New .com and .net registrations totaled 7.8 million during the third quarter of 2012. This is a 1.1 percent year-over-year decrease in new registrations. The .com/.net renewal rate for the third quarter of 2012 was 72.5 percent, slightly down from 72.9 percent for the second quarter of 2012.
Verisign's average daily Domain Name System (DNS) query load during the third quarter of 2012 was 67 billion with a peak of 102 billion. Compared to the previous quarter, the daily average decreased 1.3 percent and the peak increased 14.1 percent.
The latest issue of the Domain Name Industry Brief also offers advice for blocking distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks before they reach an enterprise's network or application. "Combating DDoS Attacks in the Cloud" highlights key strategies for companies to consider when creating an informed DDoS mitigation plan to help better protect their assets.
Verisign publishes the Domain Name Industry Brief to provide Internet users throughout the world with statistical and analytical research and data on the domain name industry. Copies of the 2012 third quarter Domain Name Industry Brief, as well as previous reports, can be obtained at www.VerisignInc.com/DNIB.
About Verisign VeriSign, Inc. (NASDAQVRSN) is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure services for the networked world. Billions of times each day, Verisign helps companies and consumers all over the world connect between the dots. Additional news and information about the company is available at www.VerisignInc.com.

Red Hat Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire ManageIQ

Red Hat Press Release:


Red Hat Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire ManageIQ

Raleigh

NC, Global, December 20, 2012

ManageIQ’s Enterprise Cloud Management and Automation Technologies Extend the Reach of Red Hat’s Open Hybrid Cloud Solutions

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ManageIQ, a leading provider of enterprise cloud management and automation solutions that enable organizations to deploy, manage and optimize private clouds, virtualized infrastructures and virtual desktops. With the addition of ManageIQ technologies to its portfolio, Red Hat will expand the reach of its hybrid cloud management solutions for enterprises.

Red Hat has agreed to acquire ManageIQ, a privately-held company, for approximately $104.0 million in cash. The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by the stockholders of ManageIQ.

As an existing member of the Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Certified Partner program, ManageIQ has worked closely with Red Hat to provide customers with unified monitoring, management and automation solutions that are quick-to-deploy and easy-to-use, which reduce the cost and complexity of enterprise clouds. ManageIQ’s Hybrid Cloud Operations Management technologies complement Red Hat’s existing cloud and virtualization management tools – Red Hat CloudForms and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization – by providing integrated lifecycle management of activities such as server and storage provisioning, workload optimization, policy-based compliance, chargeback, virtual machine lifecycle management, discovery and control, and analytics across heterogeneous private clouds and virtualized datacenters.

With the addition of ManageIQ, Red Hat’s open hybrid cloud management solutions will include:
  • Red Hat CloudForms: a hybrid cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) solution that enables the management, brokering, and aggregation of capacity across various virtualization and cloud providers as well as the management of applications across hybrid clouds.
  • Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization: a comprehensive virtualization management solution that is an ideal virtualization substrate for organizations to build cloud environments in terms of performance, security and value.
  • ManageIQ's Hybrid Cloud Operations Management Tools: a cloud operations management solution that provides enterprises operational management tools including monitoring, chargeback, governance, and orchestration across virtual and cloud infrastructure such as Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and VMware.

The acquisition is expected to have no material impact to Red Hat's revenue for its fiscal year ending Feb. 28, 2013. Management expects that operating expenses (excluding the impact of stock-based compensation and the amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets) will increase by approximately $2 million per quarter as a result of the transaction, and stock-based compensation and amortization expense will increase by approximately $2 million per quarter.

Supporting Quotes
Paul Cormier, president, Products and Technologies, Red Hat
"Industry and customer response to Red Hat's vision for the open hybrid cloud has been overwhelmingly positive because it offers the best of both worlds: the ability to tap into the public cloud when and where it makes sense, while leveraging existing investments for cloud infrastructure. For enterprise cloud initiatives, effective cloud management is critical. ManageIQ offers robust features, including orchestration, policy, workflow, monitoring and chargeback, that deepen Red Hat’s cloud management capabilities and bring the promise of open hybrid cloud a step closer for the industry.”

Joe Fitzgerald, Chief Product Officer and co-founder, ManageIQ
“We are very excited to be joining Red Hat. Our strong virtual and cloud management solutions, highly differentiated technology and experienced team are a perfect fit with Red Hat. We share a common vision of cost effective, open and automated deployment and management of enterprise IT cloud resources.”

About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the world's leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.

About ManageIQ
Headquartered in Mahwah, New Jersey, ManageIQ provides comprehensive and scalable enterprise cloud management solutions, with unified monitoring, management and automation capabilities that are quick-to-deploy and easy-to-use, reducing the cost and complexity of managing virtualization and cloud computing environments.

These solutions, built on our unique Adaptive Management Platform™ are designed specifically for management and automation of virtualized infrastructures, desktops and clouds---providing single-pane of glass visibility, policy-based control and closed-loop automation.

Nuance's Dragon Mobile Assistant App Expands Personal Assistant Capabilities and Availability for Android

Supporting Android 2.3 and Higher, Dragon Mobile Assistant Now Lets People Launch and Play Music, Set Alarms and Open Apps Just by Speaking - No Hands Required


Burlington, Mass. – December 20, 2012 – Nuance Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: NUAN) today announced that its Dragon Mobile Assistant for Android has expanded its personal assistant capabilities and extended its beta offering to the broader Android community. Now supporting devices running Android 2.3 and higher, Dragon enables nearly all Android users in the U.S. to get more out of their Android personal assistant experience with the ability to play music, set their alarm and open other applications just by speaking.
Dragon combines Nuance’s industry leading natural language understanding and unique directed search capabilities with an intelligent and intuitive personal assistant experience. Simply say “Hi Dragon,” and from there the technology of the mobile interface disappears as people can simply speak to send text messages, make calls, set appointments, and now set the alarm, play their favorite song, or get instant access to apps including games, navigation, and more. People can say “Set the alarm to wake me at 6:30 AM,” “I want to listen to Aerosmith!” or “Open Angry Birds.” And when set to its always-listening Driver Mode, Dragon’s personal assistant experience is completely hands-free.
Further, Dragon gives people direct, open access to the content and knowledge they want on the mobile web from more than 200 content providers – no blue links or paid search advertising – just a mobile assistant that works.
“Consumers asked for Dragon Mobile Assistant on a wide range of Android devices after our launch in late October,” said Michael Thompson, executive vice president and general manager, Nuance Mobile. “So we expanded availability and added some of the most popular personal assistant features.”
Availability

Dragon is available in beta for free in English on Google Play in the US, supporting Android 2.3 and above. To download Dragon, visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nuance.balerion. To learn more about Dragon Mobile Assistant, visitwww.dragonmobileapps.com, or join the conversation at www.facebook.com/dragonmobileapps or @DragonMobileApp on Twitter.
Dragon Mobile Assistant is a part of Nuance’s portfolio of voice, touch and natural language understanding innovations that are defining a new generation of intelligent systems and personal assistant technologies, which include Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Dragon Dictate for Mac, Dragon Assistant for Intel-inspired Ultrabooks, Dragon Dictation, Dragon Go!, Dragon Drive!, Dragon TV, Dragon ID, Dragon Voicemail to Text, and Swype. With Nuance technology, people experience more humanized interactions with the world’s best phones, tablets, computers, cars, TVs, apps and services from leading manufacturers and operators. To learn more visit www.nuancemobilelife.com.

Nuance Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of voice and language solutions for businesses and consumers around the world.  Its technologies, applications and services make the user experience more compelling by transforming the way people interact with devices and systems. Every day, millions of users and thousands of businesses experience Nuance’s proven applications.  For more information, please visit www.nuance.com.
###

Daily Update, Dec. 20th – On the First Day of Christmas, the Windows Store Gave to Me…Twelve Apps for the Holidays - The Official Microsoft Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Daily Update, Dec. 20th – On the First Day of Christmas, the Windows Store Gave to Me…Twelve Apps for the Holidays - The Official Microsoft Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

Fiserv Partners with TOPS Software to Improve Payment Processing for Property Managers (NASDAQ:FISV)

Fiserv Partners with TOPS Software to Improve Payment Processing for Property Managers (NASDAQ:FISV)

Malicious Apache Module: a clarification | ESET ThreatBlog

Malicious Apache Module: a clarification | ESET ThreatBlog

A Word from Best Buy



Click here for Best Buy In-Store Pickup

The Official Rackspace Blog - The Customer’s Role In Cloud Security

The Official Rackspace Blog - The Customer’s Role In Cloud Security

The Official Rackspace Blog - Keep Data Private: Encrypt At Rest, In Transit And In Use

The Official Rackspace Blog - Keep Data Private: Encrypt At Rest, In Transit And In Use

Channel Changes in 2013

Red Hat Press Release:


Channel Changes in 2013

December 20, 2012

Skating to Where the Puck is Going

Red Hat Channel Partner Team

Wayne Gretzsky, one of hockey’s greatest legends and goal-scorers, was once asked why he was so successful. Gretzky gave the advice to “Skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” As we head into a new year filled with challenge and change, this is great advice for channel partners: get your business to move to where the market and your customers are going; not where they are today.

In this spirit, we see four key items driving change and challenge for solution providers in 2013:

1. New Business models: Solution providers need to build business models that are designed to deliver services and solutions to their customers, not just sell products. Gone are the days when customers just want a channel partner to fulfill a product need. They truly want trusted advisers: someone who can guide them through the technology industry changes and help provide them with competitive differentiation in their market or industry. This will be increasingly important as we head into the new year and its economic uncertainty. Similarly, we anticipate continued consolidation among channel partners as they team up with other solution providers to meet these challenges.

2. Cloud: Closely related to new business models for solution providers is new business models for their customers, namely the adoption of Software-, Infrastructure-, and Platform-as-a-Service (SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS, respectively). Many enterprises are looking to build and deploy services via clouds. Cloud is no-longer a buzzword; it's a reality and solution providers have a huge opportunity to help their customers migrate to the cloud.

3. Big Data: Real-time analytics and decision making are making big data a big reality. The amount of data being produced by enterprises is staggering and providing ways to make better decisions using this data is all about providing your customers with differentiation and competitive advantage. They are looking to you to show them the way. Fast growing enterprise organizations looking to glean the most useful information from their growing data sets will seek out solution providers with big data capabilities.

4. Enterprise Mobility / Application Strategy: The sophistication of mobile applications is set to explode in the next few years. Solution providers and ISVs need to build applications that best align with their target marketing and deliver the style of application that is best suited for the task at hand. We expect cloud and big data to be two core elements of these applications and solution providers need to develop skill sets and practices around application modernization tools so they can help their customers migrate existing applications to where their markets and industries are headed.

For many solution providers, 2013 is going to be a year of challenge and change. Many have already embraced change, adopted new business models and are thriving despite the global economic conditions in which we operate. They have already created their competitive differentiation and have already moved to where their customers want to be in the future. As Gretzsky’s advice implies, move to where you want to go, and you’ll be well positioned for success.

The Official Rackspace Blog - Racker Startups Vol. 1: Emergent One, Taxi For Two & TrueAbility

The Official Rackspace Blog - Racker Startups Vol. 1: Emergent One, Taxi For Two & TrueAbility

New TI Bluetooth® low energy software stack delivers over-the-air downloads and support for multiple stacks on one SoC - Dec 20, 2012

New TI Bluetooth® low energy software stack delivers over-the-air downloads and support for multiple stacks on one SoC - Dec 20, 2012

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

CATALYST TELECOM EXPANDS AVAYA RELATIONSHIP WITH ADDITION OF RADVISION SCOPIA, ENHANCES VIDEO OFFERING

ScanSource, Inc. Press Release:


CATALYST TELECOM EXPANDS AVAYA RELATIONSHIP WITH ADDITION OF RADVISION SCOPIA, ENHANCES VIDEO OFFERING

Contact: Melissa Andrews, ScanSource, Inc. 
864.286.4425
melissa.andrews@scansource.com


GREENVILLE, SC - December 19, 2012 -
Catalyst Telecom®, a sales unit of ScanSource®, Inc. {NASDAQ: SCSC}, and value-added distributor of voice, video and data convergence solutions, has announced the expansion of its relationship with Avaya by incorporating Radvision’s Scopia video solutions into its product offering, as well as creating new services for its customers in support of these solutions.  Radvision, an Avaya company, is a leading provider of video conferencing and telepresence technologies over IP and wireless networks and offers end-to-end visual communication solutions that help businesses collaborate more efficiently.
Catalyst Telecom will be offering Avaya’s Scopia XT Telepresence, platform and Scopia Desktop and Mobile video conferencing solutions.  Catalyst has put great effort into building a successful video practice with significant investments in services and support, in addition to the high-quality products being added to the line card.  Catalyst will provide its partners with comprehensive services in support of this video offering, such as training and education, technical support, and design support.  In conjunction with ScanSource Services Group, the company’s business unit focused on the creation and implementation of value-added support programs and services for resellers, Catalyst will deliver robust implementation and installation services, including:
  • Video Network Assessment Services, where convergence engineers analyze and report on the real-time network environment
  • Onsite Hardware and Software Installation, which includes options for seamless Scopia system rollouts and integration into telephone systems
  • Monitor/Endpoint Installation, where a nationwide team of installation technicians can assist with monitors and microphone installation
  • Telephone System Integration, where the Scopia solution can be integrated into an existing PBX or new communication system
In addition, Catalyst Telecom offers resellers a variety of complementary products to complete a video solution, such as Avteq and Chief carts and mounts, Revolabs wireless microphones and Sony monitors.
“With the addition of Avaya’s Scopia solutions, our reseller partners now have a total solution selling opportunity with Avaya, including unified communications, networking and, now, video,” said Mike Ferney, vice president of merchandising, Catalyst Telecom.  “We believe the experience and services we offer in support of these solutions will enable our reseller partners to be successful in growing their total communications business and enhancing or launching their video practice.”
“Catalyst Telecom has always provided top-notch services around Avaya solutions, and we are pleased to see the Scopia video portfolio being handled with that same level of commitment and expertise,” said Karl Soderlund, vice president, Americas Channel Sales for Avaya.  “Avaya is looking forward to the future of video and our continued partnership with Catalyst.”
For additional information on Catalyst Telecom, please visit www.catalysttelecom.com.
About ScanSource, Inc.
ScanSource, Inc. (NASDAQ: SCSC) is the leading international distributor of specialty technology products, operating from dedicated business units in North America, Latin America and Europe. ScanSource POS & Barcoding delivers AIDC (automatic identification and data capture) and POS (point-of-sale) solutions; Catalyst Telecom and ScanSource Communications provide voice, video, data and converged communications equipment; ScanSource Security offers physical security solutions; and ScanSource Services Group delivers value-added support programs and services. Founded in 1992, the company ranks #760 on the Fortune 1000. For more information, call the toll-free sales telephone number at 800.944.2432 or visitwww.scansourceinc.com.

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CUSTOMER SUCCESS: PeoplesBank Invests in BMC Software to Improve IT Customer Service

BMC Software Press Release:


CUSTOMER SUCCESS: PeoplesBank Invests in BMC Software to Improve IT Customer Service

BMC Track-It! speeds problem resolution while improving operational efficiencies

BOSTON, Dec. 19, 2012 – PeoplesBank operates 16 locations in Western Massachusetts. Its 250 plus employees are tasked with carrying out the motto of the company, “A passion for what is possible.” To make that a reality, PeoplesBank puts a great deal of emphasis on customer service, Internet, telephone and mobile banking services.
“We have a good mix of Internet, mobile and brick and mortar capabilities,” said Joe Zazzaro, CIO and first vice president of information technology at PeoplesBank. “While the trend is to bank online or with mobile technology many of our customers still like to come into our branches.”
The bank’s IT team needed to provide quick, accurate responses to IT support requests in order to keep the bank running smoothly and ensure employees and customers received superior service. It implemented the BMC Track-It! solution from BMC Software (NASDAQ:BMC) to enable more efficient help desk operations and achieve its goals.
PeoplesBank selected BMC because it delivered faster problem resolution, comprehensive inventory tracking and the level of technical support required for optimal help desk performance.
Zazzaro added, “BMC Track-It! enables us to issue resolution much faster and saves the time of not only the support technician, but also the end-user. Nothing falls through the cracks and we are able to build a solutions database that gives us a reference for the future.”
The BMC Track-It! solution proved so positive that it was introduced to the call center and operations divisions of the bank, to help them with support requests. BMC’s solution provides extensive reporting on what the real issues are by trend so the bank can take a proactive approach to resolving any problems.  
The Challenge
PeoplesBank needed a help desk solution with enhanced functionality to increase IT support capabilities and achieve optimal efficiency.
The Solution
The company implemented the BMC Track-It! solution to improve help desk performance, leading to better and faster customer service.
Benefits
PeoplesBank was able to quickly and easily deploy BMC Track-It! with a three-phased approach that took less than six weeks to complete. The bank experienced a number of benefits, including:
  • Faster, more reliable responses to users through improved access to relevant information
  • Improved hardware and software inventory tracking for better management of IT spending
  • Increased end-user and executive management satisfaction
For more information on the PeoplesBank implementation and the BMC Track-It! solution, please:
Business runs on IT. IT runs on BMC Software.
Business runs better when IT runs at its best. Tens of thousands of IT organizations around the world -- from small and mid-market businesses to the Global 100 -- rely on BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC) to manage their business services and applications across distributed, mainframe, virtual and cloud environments. BMC helps customers cut costs, reduce risk and achieve business objectives with the broadest choice of IT management solutions, including industry-leading Business Service Management and Cloud Management offerings. For the four fiscal quarters ended September 30, 2012, BMC revenue was approximately $2.2 billion. www.bmc.com

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NEW SECURITY ACCREDITATION PROGRAM FOR CHANNEL PARTNERS

F5 Networks Press Release:


OFFERED THROUGH THE UNITY PARTNER PROGRAM, NEW SECURITY ACCREDITATION WILL INCREASE UNDERSTANDING OF F5’S SECURITY OFFERINGS TO DRIVE REVENUE


SEATTLE, DECEMBER 19, 2012

F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV), the global leader in Application Delivery Networking (ADN), today announced a new, security-specific accreditation program designed for F5’s channel partners around the world. Following the launch of F5’s application delivery-focused accreditation program earlier this year, the security accreditation program provides partners with an in-depth understanding of the entire F5® security solution portfolio, including F5’s data center firewall solution.

Offered through the UNITY channel partner program, the security accreditation program comes at no cost to the F5 channel, helping resellers and distribution partners navigate the evolving security threat landscape, identify additional security-related sales opportunities, and increase revenue.

“F5 has a comprehensive security solution portfolio that offers channel partners an open field to identify new opportunities, enhance their profitability and increase market penetration,” said Dean Darwin, SVP, Worldwide Partner Organization at F5. “Through this accreditation, partners will drive new business and increase their understanding of the ever-changing security environment.”

Launched worldwide, the web-based security accreditation program features separate curricula for both sales and technical channel professionals, each with an exam required to achieve accreditation.

The training illustrates how F5® solutions can protect data center and application services, enhance user access, reduce management complexity, and improve performance. 

To learn more about F5’s partner programs, including UNITY and VAULT, please visithttp://www.f5.com/partners/.

SUPPORTING QUOTES

“As a longstanding F5 partner, we appreciate the investment F5 has made in a security-specific accreditation program,” said Louise Cooke, Strategic Partner Executive for Accuvant. “Participating in programs such as this enables Accuvant to maintain intimate knowledge of the technologies we recommend and implement, resulting in more cost-effective, efficient solutions for our clients.”

“Today, enterprises must consider security as an integral and critical piece of their infrastructure,” said Tom Schmatz, VP of Channel Services Development at FishNet Security. “Security cannot be bolted on as an afterthought; it must be integrated to meet each customer’s unique environment. As an information security solutions provider, FishNet Security identifies solutions that match each organization’s evolving needs. F5’s channel certification program enables us to stay up to speed on the innovative F5 security solutions portfolio.”

“F5’s security accreditation is a well-designed modular learning tool that is above standards set by other vendors,” said Haydar Nergiz, Product Manager at COMPUTERLINKS in the United Kingdom. “Once partners have completed the modules and passed the exam, they should refer back to the training, as it becomes a valuable sales tool when looking for tips on how to best leverage F5 against the competition.”

AVAILABILITY

The security accreditation program is available to UNITY partner program members at no cost. To begin the training, visit F5 University (login required).


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 visitwww.f5.com/news-press-events/web-media/community.html.

F5, UNITY, and VAULT are trademarks or service marks of F5 Networks, Inc., in the U.S. and other countries. All other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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Win32/Spy.Ranbyus modifies Java code in Ukraine RBS systems | ESET ThreatBlog

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Online Jewelry Retailer Restructures IT Infrastructure with Red Hat Technologies

Red Hat Press Release:


Online Jewelry Retailer Restructures IT Infrastructure with Red Hat Technologies

Raleigh

December 19, 2012

Ice selects Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss Enterprise Application Platform to better meet business needs

Red Hat, Inc. (NYSE: RHT), the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, today announced that online jewelry retailer Ice has deployed Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss Enterprise Application Platform, on Amazon Web Services (AWS), as part of an initiative to restructure its IT infrastructure to overcome operations challenges that were limiting the company’s growth and profitability. The solution was designed to reduce IT costs and enable the company to respond to new market opportunities quickly and efficiently.
The combination of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, JBoss Enterprise Application Platform and AWS has helped Ice better serve existing customers while exploring new market opportunities. As an e-commerce retailer, scalability, support and mobile capabilities were top of mind for CIO and COO, Jason Ordway, who led the initiative.
“Our existing system simply didn’t support the needs of the business. Its limitations were felt throughout the company,” said Ordway. “We needed to set a new direction for the company that would allow us to do what we needed to do as a growing business while also reducing IT expenditures. Red Hat’s open source solutions offered us the flexibility and support we needed to achieve these goals.”
Support is a core function at Red Hat alongside product management and engineering. Red Hat’s Global Support Services team provides support for Red Hat customers, in all locations, across all product lines, and has been recognized by numerous industry associations for the quality of its work.
Modernizing its application infrastructure and laying an open, hybrid foundation will enable Ice to develop and deploy applications across on-premises, physical, virtual, or cloud environments in the future.
Since launching the system in 2011, Ice has empowered its merchandising teams to make changes in real time without involvement of the tech team. This has allowed the company to increase the amount of product it adds to its online store daily, freeing both teams for more strategic tasks. The company has also launched a new mobile application and mobile-optimized site, m.ice.com, as well as developed its own suite of web services for partners. Ordway estimates the company is saving nearly $250,000 annually because of its move to open source applications and the cloud.
To view the full Ice case study, visit http://red.ht/VNNOwQ 

Additional Resources:
Connect with Red Hat
About Red Hat, Inc.
Red Hat is the world's leading provider of open source software solutions, using a community-powered approach to reliable and high-performing cloud, Linux, middleware, storage and virtualization technologies. Red Hat also offers award-winning support, training, and consulting services. As the connective hub in a global network of enterprises, partners, and open source communities, Red Hat helps create relevant, innovative technologies that liberate resources for growth and prepare customers for the future of IT. Learn more at http://www.redhat.com.