Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Sunday, November 8, 2020
Friday, January 9, 2015
Better Technology Will Bring More Secure Mobile Payments | The Network
Apple and retailers battle over how to make phones become secure credit cards. The tug of war will go on for a while, but the ultimate result will be far safer transactions.
Better Technology Will Bring More Secure Mobile Payments | The Network
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Independent Insurance Agents not Immune to Digital Disruption, According to Accenture Report
From Accenture:
New York, Jan. 6, 2015 – Changing consumer behaviors, new technologies and the evolving competitive landscape may disrupt independent agents’ traditional strengths in customer service and risk management, according to a new report by Accenture.
The report is based on a survey of over 1,100 U.S. independent property and casualty (P&C) insurance agents, who were asked to rate the relative importance of a wide range of issues, from growth strategies and value drivers to operational competencies.
The agents who were surveyed saw the increase of insurance carriers’ direct sales via the online channel as a serious competitive threat, with 39 percent of respondents citing such direct solutions as their greatest source of competition. Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of the agents said that threat took the form of lower prices, while 48 percent saw better brand recognition and more effective marketing as key elements of the competitive threat.
When asked about the most important digital capabilities, “web-based service and claims” were rated the highest by agents, followed by “web-based quoting.” Survey respondents placed a relatively low priority on mobile and social media capabilities.
“Changing consumer behavior and the continued rise of the direct channel are threatening agents’ dominance of insurance distribution,” said Erik Sandquist, managing director for Accenture Distribution and Marketing Services in North America. “So are new insurance players - with new distribution models - that are making a determined effort to entice customers away from agents. Leading independent agents will take advantage of innovative digital technologies and big data analytics to develop greater customer knowledge and insights, improve their ability to reach their target markets, and deliver a superior customer experience.”
Independent agents torn between keeping customers and growing their business
The survey indicates that agents place a higher priority on keeping and servicing existing customers than on finding new business. When asked to rate the most critical operational competencies, agents put “retaining customers” at the top of the list, followed by “servicing customers;” “attracting new customers” was ranked only third.
In rating information available to independent agents, the agents placed the highest value on insights into existing customers, while qualified lead lists were ranked last on the list. However, when agents were asked what they would do with more staff, finding new business rated highest among priorities, followed closely by cross-selling and up-selling new business.
“Independent agents, as a group, carry enormous weight within the P&C insurance business, representing more than half of total premiums written in the industry,” said Michael Lyman, global senior managing director for Insurance within Accenture Strategy. “It is understandable that they are focused on keeping existing customers, especially in light of capital constraints that make it challenging for most agencies to add sales capabilities to grow their business. New technologies can make agency operations more efficient, but they can also be used to create new digitally driven market opportunities to boost reach to new customers. The question is how to make these technologies both affordable and easy for agencies to use.”
Independent agents downplay their ability to provide differentiated advice while consumers value them for such services
Despite their strong focus on customers, agents downplayed their ability to provide differentiated and superior advisory services as a competitive advantage. Access to competitive products, improved customer experience and better brand recognition were viewed as more important sources of competitive advantage than the superior advisory services they could offer to their customers.
“According to a recent personal lines consumer survey we conducted, independent agents have been surpassed by insurance company websites and web search engines as consumers’ preferred source of information about insurance products and prices,” said Erik Sandquist. “However, insurance consumers trust the advice provided by independent agents more than any other source. Independent agents are well positioned to understand customer needs, provide risk management advice, and recommend personalized and tailored solutions. Serving as an effective risk manager will increasingly require insights derived from the Internet of Things and big data.”
Mutualizing investments to access additional capabilities is an option that agents need to investigate
The report also indicates that many independent agents join others in an association, alliance or cluster, but while small businesses in other industries may do this to bolster their limited resources or to meet and network with peers, insurance agents’ goals are principally to enhance access to carriers and to increase their commission. Membership in these groups gives agents greater power to negotiate with carriers than they would have on their own, and the survey reveals that this is more important to them than support in operational areas such as marketing, agency management systems, technology and 24/7 call centers.
“Agents need additional capabilities to compete in the future as confirmed by our survey,” said Michael Lyman. “It is also clear that they are not seeking to develop these capabilities with the help of industry associations, nor to adopt them from carriers. By sharing investments, independent agents can benefit from economies of scale and cost-efficiently access a broad set of core operational capabilities such as agency management systems, customer management solutions and digital technologies, which could help them both improve efficiencies and take share from online competitors with more effective digital channels of their own.”
Methodology
Accenture surveyed 1,158 independent agents in the U.S. in mid-2014. The data was collected and analyzed using TrueChoice Solutions’ patented real-time preference analytics platform. The survey explored a wide range of issues, from growth strategies and value drivers to operational competencies and customer insights. It explored independent agents’ views on their business relationships, operations and preferences across 12 priority areas. These priority areas covered 85 individual elements that were ranked in order of preference.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com
January 06, 2015
Independent Insurance Agents not Immune to Digital Disruption, According to Accenture Report
New York, Jan. 6, 2015 – Changing consumer behaviors, new technologies and the evolving competitive landscape may disrupt independent agents’ traditional strengths in customer service and risk management, according to a new report by Accenture.
The report is based on a survey of over 1,100 U.S. independent property and casualty (P&C) insurance agents, who were asked to rate the relative importance of a wide range of issues, from growth strategies and value drivers to operational competencies.
The agents who were surveyed saw the increase of insurance carriers’ direct sales via the online channel as a serious competitive threat, with 39 percent of respondents citing such direct solutions as their greatest source of competition. Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of the agents said that threat took the form of lower prices, while 48 percent saw better brand recognition and more effective marketing as key elements of the competitive threat.
When asked about the most important digital capabilities, “web-based service and claims” were rated the highest by agents, followed by “web-based quoting.” Survey respondents placed a relatively low priority on mobile and social media capabilities.
“Changing consumer behavior and the continued rise of the direct channel are threatening agents’ dominance of insurance distribution,” said Erik Sandquist, managing director for Accenture Distribution and Marketing Services in North America. “So are new insurance players - with new distribution models - that are making a determined effort to entice customers away from agents. Leading independent agents will take advantage of innovative digital technologies and big data analytics to develop greater customer knowledge and insights, improve their ability to reach their target markets, and deliver a superior customer experience.”
Independent agents torn between keeping customers and growing their business
The survey indicates that agents place a higher priority on keeping and servicing existing customers than on finding new business. When asked to rate the most critical operational competencies, agents put “retaining customers” at the top of the list, followed by “servicing customers;” “attracting new customers” was ranked only third.
In rating information available to independent agents, the agents placed the highest value on insights into existing customers, while qualified lead lists were ranked last on the list. However, when agents were asked what they would do with more staff, finding new business rated highest among priorities, followed closely by cross-selling and up-selling new business.
“Independent agents, as a group, carry enormous weight within the P&C insurance business, representing more than half of total premiums written in the industry,” said Michael Lyman, global senior managing director for Insurance within Accenture Strategy. “It is understandable that they are focused on keeping existing customers, especially in light of capital constraints that make it challenging for most agencies to add sales capabilities to grow their business. New technologies can make agency operations more efficient, but they can also be used to create new digitally driven market opportunities to boost reach to new customers. The question is how to make these technologies both affordable and easy for agencies to use.”
Independent agents downplay their ability to provide differentiated advice while consumers value them for such services
Despite their strong focus on customers, agents downplayed their ability to provide differentiated and superior advisory services as a competitive advantage. Access to competitive products, improved customer experience and better brand recognition were viewed as more important sources of competitive advantage than the superior advisory services they could offer to their customers.
“According to a recent personal lines consumer survey we conducted, independent agents have been surpassed by insurance company websites and web search engines as consumers’ preferred source of information about insurance products and prices,” said Erik Sandquist. “However, insurance consumers trust the advice provided by independent agents more than any other source. Independent agents are well positioned to understand customer needs, provide risk management advice, and recommend personalized and tailored solutions. Serving as an effective risk manager will increasingly require insights derived from the Internet of Things and big data.”
Mutualizing investments to access additional capabilities is an option that agents need to investigate
The report also indicates that many independent agents join others in an association, alliance or cluster, but while small businesses in other industries may do this to bolster their limited resources or to meet and network with peers, insurance agents’ goals are principally to enhance access to carriers and to increase their commission. Membership in these groups gives agents greater power to negotiate with carriers than they would have on their own, and the survey reveals that this is more important to them than support in operational areas such as marketing, agency management systems, technology and 24/7 call centers.
“Agents need additional capabilities to compete in the future as confirmed by our survey,” said Michael Lyman. “It is also clear that they are not seeking to develop these capabilities with the help of industry associations, nor to adopt them from carriers. By sharing investments, independent agents can benefit from economies of scale and cost-efficiently access a broad set of core operational capabilities such as agency management systems, customer management solutions and digital technologies, which could help them both improve efficiencies and take share from online competitors with more effective digital channels of their own.”
Methodology
Accenture surveyed 1,158 independent agents in the U.S. in mid-2014. The data was collected and analyzed using TrueChoice Solutions’ patented real-time preference analytics platform. The survey explored a wide range of issues, from growth strategies and value drivers to operational competencies and customer insights. It explored independent agents’ views on their business relationships, operations and preferences across 12 priority areas. These priority areas covered 85 individual elements that were ranked in order of preference.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com
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Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Accenture Ports Center of Excellence Launched to Help Terminal Operators Improve Processes, Management, Operations In a Volatile Economic Environment
From Accenture:
HONG KONG; Jan. 6, 2015 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has launched a Ports Center of Excellence in Hong Kong which is focused on providing terminal operators with process excellence and technology implementation for performance management, operations management and enterprise management.
Industry specialists at the Accenture Ports Center of Excellence are implementing Accenture Port Solutions (APS), a portfolio of industry-specific technology solutions combined with business consulting and outsourcing services, to help clients create the business analytics capability, operations flexibility and resilience required to cope with the short and volatile economic cycles in the ports industry.
“Our Ports Center of Excellence supports our clients who are operating in a highly dynamic economic environment which requires improved operational efficiency and the ability to collaborate with a range of organizations across the global supply chain to meet the changing needs of customers,” said Eric Schaeffer, global managing director of Accenture’s Automotive, Industrial Equipment, Infrastructure and Transportation practice.
The Accenture Ports Center of Excellence was at the heart of teamwork and collaboration with Modern Terminals Limited (MTL) in the design, implementation and ongoing support of a new terminal operating system on the Navis N4 terminal operating system (TOS) platform. This leading container terminal operator handles approximately 5.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit) annually. MTL’s legacy TOS had approached its system capacity limit. By moving to N4, MTL’s operation is running on a sustainable technology infrastructure adhering to international standards, supporting MTL’s long-term growth strategy.
“This was a large and complex implementation that required hard work and dedication of the joint Modern Terminals, Accenture and Navis teams,” said Anders Dommestrup, COO, MTL. “We look forward to continuing to work with Accenture as MTL continues enhancing productivity and efficiency to benefit our customers and the wider port community in Hong Kong.”
Ports clients are also able to benefit from help desk, application development, maintenance and support, as well as infrastructure services, including systems management, storage management, disaster recovery and managed hosting at the Accenture Ports Center of Excellence. Clients can also benefit from a range of training capabilities that span process, functional and technology expertise.
“Accenture’s Ports Center of Excellence offers scalability to customers by drawing on a dedicated and functionally-trained team based at Accenture’s Delivery Center in Guangzhou, China,” said Fox Chu, managing director of Accenture’s Ports practice. “As we serve our ports clients, we will also use the Accenture Ports Center of Excellence to develop a range of new assets.”
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
January 05, 2015
Accenture Ports Center of Excellence Launched to Help Terminal Operators Improve Processes, Management, Operations In a Volatile Economic Environment
Center supports implementation and running of Navis N4 terminal operating system at Modern Terminals Limited
Center supports implementation and running of Navis N4 terminal operating system at Modern Terminals Limited
HONG KONG; Jan. 6, 2015 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has launched a Ports Center of Excellence in Hong Kong which is focused on providing terminal operators with process excellence and technology implementation for performance management, operations management and enterprise management.
Industry specialists at the Accenture Ports Center of Excellence are implementing Accenture Port Solutions (APS), a portfolio of industry-specific technology solutions combined with business consulting and outsourcing services, to help clients create the business analytics capability, operations flexibility and resilience required to cope with the short and volatile economic cycles in the ports industry.
“Our Ports Center of Excellence supports our clients who are operating in a highly dynamic economic environment which requires improved operational efficiency and the ability to collaborate with a range of organizations across the global supply chain to meet the changing needs of customers,” said Eric Schaeffer, global managing director of Accenture’s Automotive, Industrial Equipment, Infrastructure and Transportation practice.
The Accenture Ports Center of Excellence was at the heart of teamwork and collaboration with Modern Terminals Limited (MTL) in the design, implementation and ongoing support of a new terminal operating system on the Navis N4 terminal operating system (TOS) platform. This leading container terminal operator handles approximately 5.5 million TEUs (20-foot equivalent unit) annually. MTL’s legacy TOS had approached its system capacity limit. By moving to N4, MTL’s operation is running on a sustainable technology infrastructure adhering to international standards, supporting MTL’s long-term growth strategy.
“This was a large and complex implementation that required hard work and dedication of the joint Modern Terminals, Accenture and Navis teams,” said Anders Dommestrup, COO, MTL. “We look forward to continuing to work with Accenture as MTL continues enhancing productivity and efficiency to benefit our customers and the wider port community in Hong Kong.”
Ports clients are also able to benefit from help desk, application development, maintenance and support, as well as infrastructure services, including systems management, storage management, disaster recovery and managed hosting at the Accenture Ports Center of Excellence. Clients can also benefit from a range of training capabilities that span process, functional and technology expertise.
“Accenture’s Ports Center of Excellence offers scalability to customers by drawing on a dedicated and functionally-trained team based at Accenture’s Delivery Center in Guangzhou, China,” said Fox Chu, managing director of Accenture’s Ports practice. “As we serve our ports clients, we will also use the Accenture Ports Center of Excellence to develop a range of new assets.”
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
# # #
Most Consumers Encounter Challenges Using New Types of High Tech Devices, Accenture Survey Finds
From Accenture:
NEW YORK; Jan. 5, 2015 – Most consumers experience challenges using several new types of smart high tech devices, according to a new report from Accenture titled Engaging the Digital Consumer in the New Connected World.
Overall, 83 percent report various problems when they use new device types such as wearable fitness monitors, smart watches, smart home thermostats, in-vehicle entertainment systems, home connected surveillance cameras and security systems, and wearable health products.
The biggest challenges consumers face are that the smart devices are “too complicated to use” (21 percent), “set-up did not proceed properly” (19 percent), and “did not work as advertised” (19 percent).
“For these new connected device categories, high tech companies need to go back to the drawing board and rethink their product development approaches to focus on the entire customer experience,” said Sami Luukkonen, managing director for Accenture’s Electronics and High Tech group. “They should make fundamental strategic changes that no longer focus on product feature differentiation but rather holistic, digital experience differentiation.”
Across all age groups and geographic regions surveyed, 33 percent cited “ease of use” as the most important criteria when deciding which of these products to buy. Twenty-nine percent said “product features and functionalities” are important. And 22 percent said the same about buying “a trusted brand.”
Purchase intent for new categories in short and long term
While respondents revealed relatively modest purchase intentions over the next 12 months across the newer high tech device categories, their purchase plans are much more robust over a five-year period.
Over the next 12 months, for example, 12 percent of consumers plan to buy a wearable fitness monitor. However, within five years 40 percent plan to do so. Within one year, 12 percent intend to buy a smartwatch, whereas 41 percent plan to do so within five years.
Other categories with strong purchase interest over the next five years include home connected surveillance cameras and security systems at 41 percent, smart thermostats at 39 percent, connected car entertainment systems at 37 percent, and home 3D printers and wearable heads-up display glasses at 35 percent each.
Slowing pace of growth in traditional device categories
After several years of rapid growth, the survey revealed purchase intentions are trending downward in several major and more traditional high tech product categories. From 2014 to 2015, the percentage of respondents who plan to purchase dropped for nine of the 13 product categories surveyed, including smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, HDTVs and desktop computers.
For example, while 54 percent intend to buy a smartphone in the next year, this was a four-point drop from 58 percent last year. Another notable decline was in tablets, where 38 percent intend to buy one in the next year, versus 44 percent last year. Similarly, 36 percent intend to buy a high-definition TV, an eight-point drop from 44 percent last year.
“As consumers’ purchasing plans decline for mature device categories, high tech companies need to replace lost revenues with sales in new categories such as wearable health and fitness monitors,” added Luukkonen. “These categories are prime examples of the expanding Internet of Things market, which will be a critical high tech growth engine for many years to come.”
Accenture views the Internet of Things as the convergence of intelligent products and services that communicate with each other, and with people, over global networks.
Digital distrust
The survey found that trust is a big concern for consumers. More than half (54 percent) are not always confident about the security on the Internet of their personal data, such as email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and purchasing history. In addition, the percentage of people who are “not confident at all that the security of my personal data is protected on the Internet, so I never share information this way” rose from 7 percent last year to 10 percent this year.
Brand is key factor in smartphone purchasing
A positive feeling about a company’s brand is a key selection criterion when consumers purchase new devices—and the top criteria when they select a new smartphone. When asked to provide major reasons they are thinking of buying a particular smartphone, 49 percent said “I like this brand” and 32 percent indicated “I already own devices from the same brand” or “the design, look and feel of the device.” Other important factors included “it runs the operating system I like” at 27 percent, and “superior battery or screen” at 20 percent.
Methodology
The survey was conducted online in October and November 2014, with 24,000 consumers in 24 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The sample size in each country was representative of the online population, with respondents ranging in age from 14 to 55 and over. The survey polled respondents about their usage, attitudes and expectations related to digital device ownership, content consumption, broadband constraints, digital trust and the Internet of Things.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
January 05, 2015
Most Consumers Encounter Challenges Using
New Types of High Tech Devices, Accenture Survey Finds
New Types of High Tech Devices, Accenture Survey Finds
NEW YORK; Jan. 5, 2015 – Most consumers experience challenges using several new types of smart high tech devices, according to a new report from Accenture titled Engaging the Digital Consumer in the New Connected World.
Overall, 83 percent report various problems when they use new device types such as wearable fitness monitors, smart watches, smart home thermostats, in-vehicle entertainment systems, home connected surveillance cameras and security systems, and wearable health products.
The biggest challenges consumers face are that the smart devices are “too complicated to use” (21 percent), “set-up did not proceed properly” (19 percent), and “did not work as advertised” (19 percent).
“For these new connected device categories, high tech companies need to go back to the drawing board and rethink their product development approaches to focus on the entire customer experience,” said Sami Luukkonen, managing director for Accenture’s Electronics and High Tech group. “They should make fundamental strategic changes that no longer focus on product feature differentiation but rather holistic, digital experience differentiation.”
Across all age groups and geographic regions surveyed, 33 percent cited “ease of use” as the most important criteria when deciding which of these products to buy. Twenty-nine percent said “product features and functionalities” are important. And 22 percent said the same about buying “a trusted brand.”
Purchase intent for new categories in short and long term
While respondents revealed relatively modest purchase intentions over the next 12 months across the newer high tech device categories, their purchase plans are much more robust over a five-year period.
Over the next 12 months, for example, 12 percent of consumers plan to buy a wearable fitness monitor. However, within five years 40 percent plan to do so. Within one year, 12 percent intend to buy a smartwatch, whereas 41 percent plan to do so within five years.
Other categories with strong purchase interest over the next five years include home connected surveillance cameras and security systems at 41 percent, smart thermostats at 39 percent, connected car entertainment systems at 37 percent, and home 3D printers and wearable heads-up display glasses at 35 percent each.
Slowing pace of growth in traditional device categories
After several years of rapid growth, the survey revealed purchase intentions are trending downward in several major and more traditional high tech product categories. From 2014 to 2015, the percentage of respondents who plan to purchase dropped for nine of the 13 product categories surveyed, including smartphones, tablets, laptop computers, HDTVs and desktop computers.
For example, while 54 percent intend to buy a smartphone in the next year, this was a four-point drop from 58 percent last year. Another notable decline was in tablets, where 38 percent intend to buy one in the next year, versus 44 percent last year. Similarly, 36 percent intend to buy a high-definition TV, an eight-point drop from 44 percent last year.
“As consumers’ purchasing plans decline for mature device categories, high tech companies need to replace lost revenues with sales in new categories such as wearable health and fitness monitors,” added Luukkonen. “These categories are prime examples of the expanding Internet of Things market, which will be a critical high tech growth engine for many years to come.”
Accenture views the Internet of Things as the convergence of intelligent products and services that communicate with each other, and with people, over global networks.
Digital distrust
The survey found that trust is a big concern for consumers. More than half (54 percent) are not always confident about the security on the Internet of their personal data, such as email addresses, mobile phone numbers, and purchasing history. In addition, the percentage of people who are “not confident at all that the security of my personal data is protected on the Internet, so I never share information this way” rose from 7 percent last year to 10 percent this year.
Brand is key factor in smartphone purchasing
A positive feeling about a company’s brand is a key selection criterion when consumers purchase new devices—and the top criteria when they select a new smartphone. When asked to provide major reasons they are thinking of buying a particular smartphone, 49 percent said “I like this brand” and 32 percent indicated “I already own devices from the same brand” or “the design, look and feel of the device.” Other important factors included “it runs the operating system I like” at 27 percent, and “superior battery or screen” at 20 percent.
Methodology
The survey was conducted online in October and November 2014, with 24,000 consumers in 24 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States.
The sample size in each country was representative of the online population, with respondents ranging in age from 14 to 55 and over. The survey polled respondents about their usage, attitudes and expectations related to digital device ownership, content consumption, broadband constraints, digital trust and the Internet of Things.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 319,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$30.0 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2014. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
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Monday, December 22, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Cisco Helps Carriers Transform the Mobile Experience by Delivering High-Definition Voice and Data Services Over Wi-Fi | The Network
Cisco Universal Wi-Fi Solution Includes Industry's Longest-Range Access Points and Only End-to-End Offering for Service Providers Looking to Expand Their Revenue
Cisco Helps Carriers Transform the Mobile Experience by Delivering High-Definition Voice and Data Services Over Wi-Fi | The Network
The Network Week in Review & Look Ahead: November 10-14 | The Network
Happy Friday! It's time for your weekly roundup of news from The Network.
The Network Week in Review & Look Ahead: November 10-14 | The Network
Cisco to Host 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
PRESS RELEASE
Cisco to Host 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
SAN JOSE Calif., November 20– Cisco will webcast its 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Thursday, November 20, 2014, beginning at 9 a.m. PT. Participants will include Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers and Executive Vice President and CFO Frank Calderoni.
What: 2014 Annual Meeting of Shareholders
When: Thursday, November 20, 2014, 9 a.m. PT
Listen and Watch via the Internet:
A live audio and video webcast of the meeting with synchronized slides will be available online. Questions may be asked online. Please click here to register.
Online Annual Report:
To download an electronic version of the Cisco 2014 Annual Report, visit the 2014 Shareholder Meeting page and click on the 2014 Annual Report to Shareholders.
Replay:
Playback of the Annual Shareholder Meeting with synchronized slides also will be available on the Cisco website at investor.cisco.com.
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
# # #
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Watch Cisco Collaboration Summit Keynote Live, Featuring John Chambers, Rowan Trollope and Box CEO, Aaron Levie
PRESS RELEASE
Watch Cisco Collaboration Summit Keynote Live, Featuring John Chambers, Rowan Trollope and Box CEO, Aaron Levie
Industry Visionaries Discuss How Cisco is Changing the Game in Workplace Collaboration During Streamed Keynote on Nov. 17 at Cisco Collaboration Summit
HOW TO JOIN:
Cisco will be streaming the keynote from the Cisco Virtual Experience. Registration details are availablehere.
BACKGROUND:
Outdated technologies and the "business as usual" approach to collaboration are not meeting the demands of today's increasingly mobile and social workforce. Cisco, along with forward-thinking technology partners such as Box, are building transformative collaboration technologies that disrupt the enterprise collaboration market and embrace the new way people want to work.
In the "Reimagine Collaboration: Bringing Amazing to Everyone" keynote address at 1:30 p.m. PT on Nov. 17 at Collaboration Summit 2014, John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco; Rowan Trollope, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Collaboration Technology Group, Cisco; and Aaron Levie, Co-Founder and CEO, Box, will introduce new collaboration tools that will power this new way of working. This announcement is the next phase of Cisco's mission to deliver "no compromises" collaboration to everyone, changing the collaboration experience for every room, every desk, and every mobile device. Onstage at theJW Marriott in Los Angeles, Calif., Cisco will unveil and demo new products that help teams connect anywhere and at any time, to get work done faster.
WHO:
· John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco
· Rowan Trollope, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Collaboration Technology Group, Cisco
· Aaron Levie, Co-Founder and CEO, Box
Key Words: Cisco, Collaboration, John Chambers, Box, Aaron Levie
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
# # #
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Cisco Study: Digital Lifestyles Drive a Widening Gap Between Consumers' Expectations and Bank Delivery
PRESS RELEASE
Cisco Study: Digital Lifestyles Drive a Widening Gap Between Consumers' Expectations and Bank Delivery
Explosion in Customer Adoption of Technology Increasing Expectations of All Age Groups. 65 Percent Would Move Money for IoE-Enabled Banking. Evolving to Digital Bank Model Could Drive 5.6 Percent More Profitability for Banks
BAI Retail Delivery Conference and Expo, Booth 4029
CHICAGO – November 13, 2014 – At the BAI Retail Delivery conference, Cisco today announced the U.S. findings from its global study of more than 7,000 consumers in 12 countries revealing a gap between digital consumer behavior and bank delivery. U.S. consumers are living a digital lifestyle but see their primary bank as currently lagging in the ability to deliver convenient, personalized service. This divide goes beyond Generation Y, with 65 percent of all U.S. respondents suggesting that they would move money to a different financial institution for personalized Internet of Everything (IoE)-enabled services, in areas such as mobile payments, branch recognition, smartwatches, real-time videoconferencing, and automated financial advice derived from deep analytics.
CHICAGO – November 13, 2014 – At the BAI Retail Delivery conference, Cisco today announced the U.S. findings from its global study of more than 7,000 consumers in 12 countries revealing a gap between digital consumer behavior and bank delivery. U.S. consumers are living a digital lifestyle but see their primary bank as currently lagging in the ability to deliver convenient, personalized service. This divide goes beyond Generation Y, with 65 percent of all U.S. respondents suggesting that they would move money to a different financial institution for personalized Internet of Everything (IoE)-enabled services, in areas such as mobile payments, branch recognition, smartwatches, real-time videoconferencing, and automated financial advice derived from deep analytics.
Of the 603 U.S. consumers surveyed: 41 percent of Generation X and 36 percent of Boomers surveyed expressed that their bank does not understand their needs; 43 percent of all surveyed believe their bank does not know them and consequently cannot deliver personalized service; and nearly a third of customerswill look into alternative banking relationships because they do not believe their bank is helping them reach their biggest financial goals.
Upside for Banks: Focus on Digital Behaviors, Not Demographics
Financial services institutions have an enormous opportunity for growth when they become just as digitized as their customers, whether in the branch or far beyond. The research findings indicate that it isn't only Millennials and Generation Y that respond to technology offerings from financial institutions. Consumers from all age groups affirmed their desire for technology that opens the opportunity for personalized anytime, anywhere service in their banking relationships.
The study identifies important new customer segments in terms of digital behavior — and not just age. Moving forward, it will be important for banks to recognize these segments and their receptivity to interactive solutions. The study found, for example, that within Gen Y there are distinct segments looking for different kinds of engagement with their banks. And among older consumers, there are many who are more open to digital solutions than previously thought.
Economic analysis from Cisco Consulting Services projects that changing the customer-relationship model in the branch and other digital channels could result in a bottom-line increase of ~5.6 percent for a typical financial services firm. For a typical financial institution in the United States with $10B in revenue, this represents a $392M annual profit increase opportunity.
The study, which was also supported by interviews with industry thought leaders, shows there is a significant opportunity for retail financial services institutions to evolve to a digital business model. This will reduce attrition and increase customer wallet-share by utilizing the Internet of Everything to:
- Deliver more personalized and convenient services, with 53 percent of respondents looking for remote advice delivery outside of the branch
- Dynamically apply analytics to better understand consumer behavior, with 73 percent of respondents interested in one or more analytics-based banking tools and apps
- Provide integration of physical and virtual channels to deliver services on-demand, with 24 percent of respondents stating they would invest more of their assets and 26 percent stating they would buy additional products
- The study also shows that in this IoE era of high connectivity, security is a top of mind prerequisite for the digital consumer's bank.
Based on analysis for a financial institution with $10B in revenue, implementing the following technologies could increase profits in the millions of dollars:
- Video Mortgage – $134M
- Video Advisor – $131M
- Branch Recognition/Personalization Services – $112M
- Automated Advisor – $65M
- Mobile Payments – $26M
The Digital Consumer's Appetite for IoE-Enabled Services
Videoconferencing
- Regardless of the mode of delivery, customers want the ability to chat with a trusted adviser, but the experience and relationship must feel like an in-person interaction
- 54 percent of U.S. respondents seek remote-advice delivery outside the branch
- Top preferences for video advice, in order, include: financial planning, problem resolution, stock and funding picks, selecting bank products and insurance policy advice
- More than a quarter of those interested would move their money for video advice
Mobile Payments
- 72 percent of respondents would use a mobile payment system if it had the capabilities they most want
- 15 percent would definitely start an account to get it
- The top factors that would increase a consumer's willingness to use a mobile payment system include:
o More secure
o Easy to use
o Accepted at most merchants
Smartwatch Applications
- Nearly half of all respondents (47 percent), regardless of age, are interested in banking with a smartwatch application to:
o Check account balances (28 percent)
o Receive alerts to avoid overdraft fees, for example (24 percent)
o Transfer funds between accounts (23 percent)
o Pay for an item in a store or physical location (22 percent)
o Receive and redeem special offers or promotions (22 percent)
Augmented Reality
- 76 percent of consumers are interested in augmented reality experiences that, when viewed through a smartphone, superimpose discount offers over local retailers
- Other potential avenues for augmented reality development by financial institutions include:
o Reward redemption: Real-time display of merchants in an area where a user can redeem coupons
o Virtual locators: Location of bank, ATM, as seen through the camera of a mobile device
o Real estate: View property details, mortgage calculator and other tools by pointing a mobile device at a property
Automated Financial Advice
- A new type of investment service uses data analytics to help investors select a portfolio of investments that fits their financial goals and preferred level of risk without a human financial advisor managing the customer's portfolio. In essence, this service is a software program that intelligently manages a customer's investments. The fees charged for such services are generally lower than those charged by traditional financial advisors.
- 48 percent of U.S. respondents are interested in receiving automated financial advice, and the percentage is even higher in younger demographics
- Among those interested, 77 percent would move at least some assets to use an automated adviser.
- Among those willing to invest approximately 30 percent of their assets, Gen Y led the pack at 34 percent; with Gen X at 28 percent; Boomers at 22 percent; and Silvers at 18 percent.
- Another 73 percent of respondents were interested in analytics-based banking tools, with the highest interest in retirement calculator (22 percent); automatic savings tool (20 percent); and automated budgeting (20 percent).
Security Concerns Create Hesitation in the Digital Consumer
While new interaction models can help drive opportunity for financial institutions, they must deploy these models securely to engage the digital consumer. Although consumers are overwhelmingly pushing their adoption of new technologies, security remains their primary concern with new interaction models. When asked what would most contribute to their not wanting to meet with remote financial experts via video, respondents listed insecure personal data as their primary fear. In addition, 50 percent of respondents named a concern about security and privacy as the top factor preventing or limiting their use of a mobile payment system.
The Internet of Everything for Financial Services survey (conducted by Cisco Consulting Services) includes the U.S. results from a global survey of 7,200 consumers (ages 18 and up) in 12 countries (Australia, India, China, Japan, United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Russia).
The margin of error for all survey questions is +/- four percent.
For the purposes of identifying the generational demographics, the study refers to those aged 18-34 as Generation Y, or Millenials; those aged 35-54 as Generation X; those 55-64 as the Baby Boomers; and those 65 years and up as Silvers.
Supporting Quotes
Paul Jameson, managing director of global industries, Cisco:
"The Internet of Everything is rapidly changing the expectations of today's consumers, and banking is not immune to those shifting preferences. While the demands of Generation X have influenced banking practices in recent years, this study shows that every age group is clamoring for the personalized, convenient and secure services that IoE-enabled banking affords. Retail banks have a great opportunity to shift their business models and deploy solutions that deliver these services to increase customer satisfaction across all age demographics as well as increase their wallet-share."
"The Internet of Everything is rapidly changing the expectations of today's consumers, and banking is not immune to those shifting preferences. While the demands of Generation X have influenced banking practices in recent years, this study shows that every age group is clamoring for the personalized, convenient and secure services that IoE-enabled banking affords. Retail banks have a great opportunity to shift their business models and deploy solutions that deliver these services to increase customer satisfaction across all age demographics as well as increase their wallet-share."
Jerry Silva, Global Banking Research Director, IDC Financial Insights:
"We see the older generations picking up technologies like tablets and smart phones much more than we ever have as digital experiences become much more intuitive than before – think of apps like Skype and Netflix. And they can now leverage those experiences and that learning to use the same technologies within the branch as well. So as self-service channels like kiosks and ATMs get more advanced in terms of their functionality, older generations like Baby Boomers are picking up and adopting those technologies just as well as the Millennials."
Brett King, author, host of Breaking Banks Radio, @AmerBanker "Innovator of the Year", founder/CEO, Moven:
"What's really going to change this space is that the best advice is advice in real time. So think of it like Tony Stark or Iron Man, and the heads-up display. So don't go telling Tony Stark three weeks later that that missile's on its way. You have to have that information now. And that, I think, is a great illustration of the way advice, and the interface of advice, is going to change in the future. Sure there'll be times when we will still need a face-to-face interaction. But the most powerful advice is advice that can help you right now today to make a critical decision."
Supporting Resources:
· Cisco Financial Services Insights Website
Technorati Tags: Cisco, Financial Services, Retail Banking, banking, IoE, Internet of Everything, Wealth Management, Remote Expert, video, mobile, mobile payments, smartwatch, augmented reality, digital, customer experience
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
# # #
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Toshiba and Cisco Intend to Engage on Internet of Things (IoT) Strategy
PRESS RELEASE
Toshiba and Cisco Intend to Engage on Internet of Things (IoT) Strategy
The two companies intend to jointly drive digital solutions in manufacturing, transportation and smart cities with an Internet of Everything focused framework
TOKYO, Nov. 13, 2014 - Toshiba Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Hisao Tanaka, TOKYO:6502) and Cisco (head office: San Jose, CA; NASDAQ: CSCO) announced today that they are collaborating on new ways to utilize the Internet of Everything that can dramatically improve processes, productivity and experiences in manufacturing, transportation and city environments.
Representatives from Toshiba and Cisco signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this week with the intention to advance the progress of a new Smart Community.
Growth of the Internet of Things (IoT)*1 market has accelerated dramatically in the past year throughout a wide range of industries and public sector organizations. The Internet of Everything (IoE) connects people, processes, data and things through the Internet, turning data generated from connected devices into actionable intelligence that can improve processes, decision-making and scenario planning for businesses and people. The Internet of Everything also is creating a greater need for fog computing, which stores and processes data at physical locations closer to devices and operations – or the edge – instead of handling all processes in the cloud.
This global collaboration brings together the Cisco Fog Computing*2 network environment featuring Cisco’s network-wide security solution with the Toshiba Group’s endpoint management technology. The joint effort will help monitor and maintain multiple devices, stream computing technology for high-speed information processing collected from devices, and provide storage technology to accumulate information generated with M2M technology. Through this process, Cisco and Toshiba will explore the feasibility of technological verification, marketing activities, and the provision of solutions for promoting widespread use of fog computing.
Toshiba seeks to generate new value by connecting its energy, health care, storage products and services using cloud computing, big data and analytics technologies, to achieve its vision of creating a safe, secure and comfortable society, the “Human Smart Community”. Toshiba will apply the technologies with the IoT, M2M, and fog computing to a wider range of devices and spread it to manufacturing systems, traffic/transportation systems, and smart cities.
To allow customers to make maximum use of the opportunities for value generated by the IoT and IoE, Cisco believes that a new approach to infrastructure optimized for many distributed sensors and data processing is critical. Cisco is also encouraging fog computing architecture, in which new networking, computing, and storage for value generation in the IoT era are deployed from the cloud to the edge. To expand the market for this technology, Cisco will promote innovation with its strategic ecosystem partners.
Key Quotes
Toshiba Corporation
"The importance of fog computing is expected to increase for managing many devices in the cloud.” said Hironobu Nishikori, Corporate Senior Vice President and President and CEO of Cloud & Solutions Company, Toshiba Corporation.“We believe a synergistic convergence of Toshiba's advanced device management technologies and Cisco's rich expertise in networking will open up ways to provide outstanding excellence in the ever-growing field of the M2M/IoT."
Cisco
“Our relationship with Toshiba is expected to strengthen the technology foundation for the Internet of Everything, ensuring fast, reliable and valuable outcomes for our mutual customers in both the public and private sectors,” said Wim Elfrink, Cisco EVP of industry solutions and chief globalisation officer. “The powerful combination of Cisco’s and Toshiba’s information technology leadership will be one more key accelerator in the rapidly growing Internet of Everything market and its critical ecosystem.”
1. IoT: The mutual connection of devices such as sensors and industrial devices via the Internet.
2. Fog Computing: A paradigm for expanding cloud computing to network edges, enabling the creation of computing, storage, and network services between devices and cloud data centers in a highly virtualized manner.
About Toshiba
Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: Energy & Infrastructure, Community Solutions, Healthcare Systems & Services, Electronic Devices & Components, and Lifestyles Products & Services. Guided by the principles of The Basic Commitment of the Toshiba Group, “Committed to People, Committed to the Future”, Toshiba promotes global operations towards securing “Growth Through Creativity and Innovation”, and is contributing to the achievement of a world in which people everywhere live in safe, secure and comfortable society.
Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of more than 590 consolidated companies employing more than 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen (US$63 billion).
To find out more about Toshiba, visit www.toshiba.co.jp/index.htm
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Cisco Opens Internet of Everything Innovation Center in Tokyo
PRESS RELEASE
Cisco Opens Internet of Everything Innovation Center in Tokyo
The new center will be a major innovation catalyst for Japan's manufacturing industry, startups, services and developer community
Tokyo, 2014, November 13, 2014 – Cisco today announced the opening of a new Internet of Everything Innovation Center in Tokyo, where partners and developers can incubate new solutions for local and global markets. The Tokyo IoE innovation center is the seventh Cisco has opened in key innovation hubs around the world.
Part of the center will include an R&D lab for rapid prototyping of solutions for specific industries and customers. In addition to the testing and development lab, Cisco will demonstrate IoE in action by showcasing partner solutions.
Cisco has previously opened IoE Innovation Centers in London, England; Barcelona, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Songdo, South Korea; Berlin, Germany; and Toronto, Canada. Cisco aims to invest $20 million over the next 10 years into the Tokyo IoE innovation center.
Cisco selected Tokyo as the newest location for its IoE Innovation Center because of Japan's proud history of innovation and for being one of the technology leaders in the world. Cisco believes that Tokyo is an optimal location for promoting new business and services through IoE because of the established foundation for innovation across a broad range of industries that already exists in the city.
IoE, which is the intelligent connection of people, processes, data and things to the Internet, brings unprecedented economic opportunities to private and public sectors. Based on 61 real-world use cases, Cisco consultants calculate that IoE-based solutions can deliver US$19 trillion of economic value worldwide over the next decade. For Japan, that value translates to $870 billion, including $248 billion in manufacturing and $109 in the public sector. Developing a vibrant ecosystem and vertical solutions are essential building blocks to capturing the full value of IoE. The new IoE Innovation Center will help develop and test new vertical solutions that can improve business outcomes and quality of life as well as spark a new generation of startups and jobs in Japan.
Under the "Declaration to be the world's most advanced IT nation," Japanese leaders during the past year have been encouraging new innovation to improve businesses, services and quality of life in both industrial and social environments.
Initially, the innovation center will focus on solutions that leverage storage and computer processing capabilities closer to the edge, or physical location, of devices and operations in the public sector and manufacturing industries. Called fog computing, this capability to have intelligence at the edge of operations – in addition to cloud capabilities – is an essential element in realizing the potential of IoE.
The new center is designed to provide an open environment for Cisco, industry partners, start-ups and other innovators to develop applications and next-generation technology ideas. Smart-FOA Co., Ltd., a local startup focused on fog software and the first recipient in Japan of Cisco's global venture-capital investment fund, will participate in the innovation center efforts.
With the opening of the IoE Innovation Center in Tokyo, Cisco will strengthen relationships with nine existing partners, continuing to deploy innovative solutions with ecosystem partners. The new ecosystem partners Toshiba Corporation, Mitsui Knowledge Industry Co., Ltd., and Tokuda Lab, Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus commented on the launch of the Tokyo center.
Shigeyoshi Shimotsuji, Corporate Vice President, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Executive, Cloud & Solutions Company, Toshiba Corporation
"Toshiba is working to generate new values by connecting energy, healthcare, and storage products and services by using cloud computing and big data technologies, with the aim of realizing a safe, secure, and comfortable Human Smart Community. By combining cloud technology with IoT, M2M, and edge computing, we will apply Human Smart Community to a broader range of devices, expanding it to manufacturing systems, traffic/transport systems, and Smart Cities."
Prof. Hideyuki Tokuda, Keio University
"At Keio, we have many IoT, M2M, Cloud and Big Data related projects and are working on the ClouT project that realizes smart cities based on the fusion of IoT and Cloud computing. We strongly believe that the IoE Innovation Center Tokyo will have a key role to make connected communities smarter with open and innovative collaboration among various members."
Masaki Saito, President & CEO, MITSUI KNOWLEDGE INDUSTRY CO., LTD.
"MKI sincerely welcomes Cisco G.K.'s launch of the IoE Innovation Center Tokyo. While people, things, and processes are generating an ever-increasing amount of data, most of this data has never been utilized. At the same time, there is a growing need for real-time management and tracking, sometimes as a key factor for making decisions. MKI will work with Cisco G.K. to promote initiatives to realize intelligent edge computing utilizing this Innovation Center."
Wim Elfrink, Executive Vice President of Industry Solutions and Chief Globalisation Officer, Cisco
"The Internet of Everything can generate $19 trillion of economic value globally over the next ten years, including $870 billion in Japan alone. Innovation will play a key role in the digitization of industry and society, and Tokyo is an ideal location for our newest center (Center of Innovation) because of its long history of leadership in technology and manufacturing leadership. We are excited to have new ecosystem partners in this endeavor such as Toshiba, Keio University, Tokuda Lab and MKI."
Related resources:
Internet of Everything initiatives
http://www.internetofeverything.com
Tokyo IoE Innovation Center
About Cisco
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
# # #
Cisco and the Cisco logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco's trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks. Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word partner does not imply a partnership relationship between Cisco and any other company.
Friday, August 3, 2012
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.
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