Eurostar awards on-board Wi-Fi connectivity and infotainment contract to Nomad Digital

Eurostar, the high speed rail service between UK and mainland Europe, has awarded NOMAD Digital Ltd ('NOMAD'), the specialist provider of connectivity solutions to the rail industry, the contracts to supply on-board Wi-Fi connectivity and state-of-the-art infotainment for its existing fleet of high speed trains. This follows a rigorous, competitive procurement process in which NOMAD was the clear winner.

Over the next three years, Eurostar is making a £700 million investment in its fleet. This includes the complete overhaul and refurbishment of the existing fleet as well as the purchase of 10 new e320 train sets from Siemens. This programme of investment will ensure Eurostar will be able to expand its operations and provide its passengers with the best possible travel experience and service in a competitive environment across its entire fleet.

When the Eurostar refurbished trains and the new e320 trains come into operation in 2013 and 2014 respectively, customers will have access to high speed broadband internet on board. Passengers will also be able to view and/or download pre-loaded entertainment/infotainment to their own devices via a Secure Wireless LAN. The quality of the NOMAD technology is such that passengers will enjoy a high speed connection to the internet at all times throughout their journey, a seamless switchover at international borders and connectivity wherever the customer is seated and whenever it is required.

In addition to providing connectivity solutions and infotainment the contracts will also cover the provision of spares and maintenance (for 5 years) as well as monitoring and multilingual service support to customers.

Nick Mercer, Commercial Director at Eurostar, said: "We are very pleased to be working with NOMAD and are confident that their Wi-Fi and infotainment solutions will significantly enhance the on-board travel experience and deliver our customers a high quality broadband service. Access to a high speed internet and quality infotainment is increasingly important to passengers and will ensure that whether they are travelling for business or leisure, they get the most out of their journey. In a world of on-rail competition providing the optimal digital experience will be key to our success."

Alexander Eriksen, CEO at NOMAD points out: "We are delighted to have been selected for provision of the wifi and infotainment solution for the Eurostar fleet. This contract is very strategic to NOMAD representing its entry into both the high speed rail and French markets. We look forward to working with such a prestigious company as Eurostar and delivering a high quality broadband experience to its customers."

SEO Specialist Launches Unique SEO Review Tool

Most businesses want to be found in Bing, Google and Yahoo, but many don't know if their website is targeting the desired keywords, properly.

The free SEO review tool from SEO Specialist is here to reveal if a website deserve to be found in top of search engine result pages.

In under 10 seconds, an automated review will be done where SEO Specialist's tool analyse the webpage in depth. It covers the most important factors to consider for website owners with regards to web page SEO.

What is measured by the free SEO review tool?
This SEO tool has been created to quickly yet with accuracy, review webpage titles, amount of indexed pages, text volume, web content relevancy, headings, meta descriptions and ALT text. The tool also gives unique comments about if the IP address used is shared with other websites or not, if relevant keywords are being used in the URL path and if the age of the website or top level domain could affect search engine ranking.

How is the score calculated?
The maximum score in the automated webpage SEO analysis is 100 points. Negative points are given for factors considered to give a negative search engine ranking effect in major search engines.

Major SEO problems such as missing to use the given keyword in the web page title give 15 points reduction. Minor ranking elements such as sharing IP address with multiple other websites only give a small reduction. At the end, the negative points is subtracted from the optimal score (100 points) and comments how will be given how the webpage can improve search engine visibility.

FACTFILE:
SEO Specialist is a SEO company based in London, UK. SEO services by a team of SEO specialists include result based search engine optimisation, pay per click, link building, SEO copywriting and other online marketing solutions.

Greening Government ICT Strategy will deliver significant opportunities for ICT industry

Cloud computing, shared services and green technologies will be key public sector ICT investments up until 2015, according to Advanced Business Solutions

27 September 2011 – The Greening Government ICT Strategy will provide the UK ICT industry with significant opportunities, according to Advanced Business Solutions. The draft ICT Strategy, which will be published in October 2011, highlights that cloud computing, shared services and 'green' technologies will be key Government initiatives over the next few years, providing suppliers of these technologies and services with considerable opportunities.

“Once the Greening Government ICT Strategy has been published, public sector organisations will increasingly demand services and technologies that reduce green house gas emissions and waste”, says Dean Dickinson, Managing Director (Public Sector and Enterprise) of Advanced Business Solutions.

The Greening Government ICT strategy is intended to minimise the impact of the UK Government on the environment and reduce both green house gas emissions and waste in support of the Government’s commitment to achieve a 25% reduction in green house gas emissions by 2015. Covering the full life cycle impact of Government ICT, the strategy introduces key and far-reaching initiatives and commitments from procurement of ICT through to the disposal of it.

A key initiative outlined in the Strategy is the increased Government adoption of cloud computing due to the cloud’s green credentials. The move to shared applications and services is also recommended, giving ICT providers with shared services’ experience the upper hand. In addition, the Strategy highlights the importance of introducing green technologies into government departments including those that can enable mobile working, paperless operations and improved collaboration.

Dickinson says, “The majority of targets set out in the Strategy document will need to be delivered between April 2012 and April 2015. This will lead to increased demand for a range of green technologies and services over the next three and a half years.”

Dickinson adds, “We have seen a number of Government departments adopt green technologies and services over the past few years including cloud computing, shared services and green software solutions. The introduction of the Greening Government ICT Strategy will push those Government departments that have not yet invested in green ICT to adopt sustainable technologies and IT services, providing the ICT industry with significant public sector opportunities despite the looming cuts.”

FACTFILE:

Advanced Business Solutions (ABS) provides leading integrated business applications and services that enable public, private and third sector organisations to retain control, improve visibility and gain efficiencies whilst continually improving corporate performance. ABS prides itself on getting close to its customers by understanding their businesses and responding to their evolving needs.
www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/abs

Mayflex, the distributor of IP converged solutions, has been awarded Partner of the Year 2010/2011 by MOBOTIX

Mayflex was announced as the winners of this prestigious award at the International Partner Conference held in Kaiserslatern in Germany, just 25 minutes from the MOBOTIX corporate headquarters, in September. The award ceremony brought together over 100 companies from 45 countries and Mayflex prevailed as the winners for their work in the UK and the Middle East.

Mayflex’s work with MOBOTIX in the Middle East has been particularly strong in 2011, with more than 500% growth. In the past 6 months Mayflex ME has taken the largest project in the region, Barwa Commercial Avenue, which consists of more than 800 cameras in phase one in a single site. They have also introduced more than 20 new partners and were one of the first companies to begin training with the new certification and partner programme.

Mayflex was nominated for a second award as well, the Biggest Growth Award, and plan to keep building on this success moving forward. Gary Harmer, Security Sales Director at Mayflex, says, “We are so incredibly proud to receive this award. We have worked closely with MOBOTIX for several years and have always seen the strength of the product range and feel it fits perfectly into Mayflex’s portfolio. We have seen great success, especially in the Middle East, in the past year, and there are certainly plans to take this success and expand upon it.”

Dr. Magnus Ekerot, Chief Sales Officer of MOBOTIX AG, says, "Mayflex has proven its ability to deliver MOBOTIX solutions with growth of over 100% in the UK and several flagship engagements in the Middle East that demonstrate their competence in winning major projects and expand our reach across the region. It is our pleasure to award Mayflex UK and Middle East with Partner of the Year status as a clear statement of the value we place on our long standing and successful relationship."

Mayflex is dedicated to offering the best product range and service to its customers. With free technical support, the ability to order until 8pm online and a dedicated security sales team, Mayflex places service excellence with the highest priority.

To learn more about Mayflex and MOBOTIX call the Security Sales team on FREEPHONE 0800 881 5199 or go to www.mayflex.com.

Luminosity Lightshow brings fast, affordable software simulations to all browsers and devices

Luminosity Lightshow is the new HTML5 tool for creating interactive simulations, for training users to perform particular tasks and activities within software applications. It is aimed at all organisations and software companies which need to teach users or customers how to use a software application and who want to enable users to try your application in a completely safe, controlled environment.

Screen-capture-based simulations are a proven technique for reducing the amount of time that users take to become productive with a new software package or application. The interactive features of Lightshow make it a powerful, yet easy-to-use authoring environment for all software training requirements.

Unlike most software simulation solution tools, Lightshow doesn’t use Flash and as a result requires no browser plug-ins. Instead, it uses HTML5 (the rapidly evolving new Internet standard) that can be viewed in any modern Web browser, and most significantly on multiple device types, including desktops, mobile phones, and tablets – including Apple iPads!

If you want, you can try Lightshow for as long as you want, absolutely free, and with no obligation. To find out more visit here.

Telecom infrastructure investment strategies assessed in Hong Kong as operators chase next generation growth

Telecom operators, financiers and advisers from across Asia will be meeting in Hong Kong on November 1 to assess new infrastructure investment strategies as industry leaders look to deliver growth and higher margins.

With profits on voice services falling across the region, telecom operators are investing billions of dollars on the transition to growing data businesses. The latest strategies for investment and restructuring will be debated at the annual TMT Finance & Investment Asia conference, which uniquely gathers telecom leaders, investment bankers, investors and advisers from across the region.

Investment into 4G, LTE and 3.5G network technology is a critical area for debate this year, along with the sale of existing mobile tower assets to raise capital for investment into next generation networks and services. New financing and business models will be highlighted in a series of panel debates and keynote speeches.

"Government and private sector financing is combining to develop fixed broadband networks in a manner not seen before, “ said Michael Reede, Partner, Corporate, Allen & Overy, a speaker at the conference. “In the mobile sector there are increasing distinctions between passive and commoditised active elements on the one hand and advanced functionality on the other. Different ownership structures are emerging for each."

Reede, who will be making a keynote speech titled: “Next generation fixed and wireless networks - how they will change financing and M&A models over the next 10 years" will be joined by speakers from over 30 companies at the conference. Participating companies include Telstra, Etisalat, Huawei, City Telecom, Tower Bersama, Asia Broadcast Satellite, Protelindo, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, SBI Macquarie, Mobicom, Standard Chartered, Bakrie Telecom, American Tower, ANZ, ING, PwC, Reuters, DBS, SBI Macquarie, Herbert Smith and the World Bank.

Session themes include the Telecom Leadership Round Table; The M&A Panel; Infrastructure Investment and Towers; Raising Finance for Telecoms; The Telecom CFO Round Table and Cloud Services.

“Telecom operators need to meet the challenges of going ex growth in most markets in Asia so monetising next generation infrastructure and services is a critical theme for this year’s conference,” said Dominic Lowndes, Managing Director of BroadGroup TMT Ventures, the event producer. “Investment into backhaul networks, the sale and leaseback of towers, and vendor financing methods will feature heavily in public and private debates.”

The TMT Finance & Investment Asia conference takes place at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford, Hong Kong on November 1. For more programme information go to www.tmtfinance.com/asia

To register vvisit http://www.tmtfinance.com/asia/register/

hybris supports international e-commerce expansion at Lebara

hybris has announced that Lebara, one of Europe’s top telecoms operators for migrant communities has based its growing eCommerce platform on the hybris B2C Commerce solution. The platform underpins Lebara’s strategy to create a central e-commerce function to encourage direct engagement with its customers.

Lebara Ltd was founded ten years ago in 2001 with Lebara UK launching in 2007. Lebara now has over 3 million customers spanning the UK, Europe and Australia. It provides very low rates and instant connections for international mobile calls that run over high quality networks and its multilingual customer service supports its key target market of international communities and migrant workers. Lebara places great emphasis on communicating with customers on their terms and giving them online assistance, and this has extended into their implementation of e-commerce.

Lebara reviewed a range of platforms before selecting hybris B2C Commerce, which has been implemented by hybris partner, Sapient. The system is now live in the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Denmark.

hybris B2C Commerce is supporting Lebara’s web channel, delivering web content management, ratings and reviews, internationalization, content and digital asset management plus product and price information. In addition, it integrates with third party services, such as store locator, a payment gateway, analytics, call data records and text and email service providers.

Commenting, Bryn Morgan, Head of Online at Lebara, said: “We wanted to ensure that our strategy for maintaining and supporting close links with our customers was emulated in our e-commerce site, and this meant finding a world-class commerce solution. With the help of Sapient, we selected and implemented hybris B2C Commerce which will help us to manage our growing international requirements and provide scalability to support our future needs.”

Within the hybris Multichannel Suite, hybris B2C Commerce enables businesses to optimise every interaction with their customers on a global scale and integrates order processes from different channels.

Ariel Lüdi, CEO of hybris, said: “Lebara is a highly respected, growing brand in the telecommunications market and we are delighted to deliver a platform from which it can expand to meet the needs of its international customer base.”

FACTFILE:

Hybris (www.hybris.com) is a leading vendor of next generation agile multichannel commerce software. Its clear vision about the need for consistency, coordination and personalization of information across all channels and throughout all phases of the customer lifecycle has resulted in the development of an integrated, agile solution which supports the industrialization and automation of operational marketing and sales processes. It is spearheading innovation in this field, enabling businesses to communicate and sell across all channels in a consistent and effective way. It has over 300 customers worldwide running more than 2,500 websites "powered by hybris". Customers are global brands from retail and manufacturing industries, including: Adidas, Levi´s, Lufthansa, Nespresso, Toys´R´Us, Coca Cola Beverages, Ericsson, Rexel, Bobcat, Kaiser+Kraft, Hornbach, Nikon, Migros, Conrad, and Grundfos.

About Lebara

Lebara is one of Europe’s leading telecoms operators, enhancing the lives of migrant communities by providing high quality and low cost international mobile products and services. Lebara provides Pay As you Go and Pay Monthly mobile SIM cards and related services customised to serve the migrant communities in seven European countries as well as Australia.

In FY2010, Lebara turned in revenues of €565m (- more than a 50% increase on FY09), and profits before tax of €21m (- a 139% rise on FY09). The company currently employs some 1,400 employees across its operations and markets.

In March 2011 the company maintained its position as the UK’s leading MVNO, when it received awards for best Mobile Virtual Network Operator and Best Customer Service at this year’s Mobile News Awards and more recently, the company picked up two new Customer Service Awards: best UK Customer Experience in Telecom Sector and best UK Customer Experience Team at the UK Customer Experience Awards. Lebara’s CEO Yoganathan Ratheesan won the Asian Business Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010. Lebara has most recently been awarded the 2011 Ruban D’Honneur, which recognises 100 European companies that demonstrate excellence, innovation and best practice in their industry.

CDG joins forces with Browsium to remedy the browser compatibility issues stalling Windows 7 migrations

CDG joins forces with Browsium to remedy the browser compatibility issues stalling Windows 7 migrations

UK IT solutions provider and browser management specialist enable organisations to solve IE6-dependency issue without app rewrites or need for virtualisation

Reading, Berkshire – 22nd September 2011: CDG, a leading provider of IT solutions for enterprise IT environments, today announced a partnership with Browsium, providing UK organisations with an enterprise browser management solution that enables IE6-dependent line-of-business applications to run natively on new OS and browser platforms—without changing a single line of code.

CDG is Browsium’s go-to-market partner in the UK for its UniBrows solution, which provides Web Application Continuity to organisations as they move to Windows 7 and provides centralised control over browsers and web applications. UniBrows is a lightweight browser add-on that is easy and inexpensive to deploy and requires no new infrastructure investment to support it.

By simply installing UniBrows on PCs running Windows 7 or Windows XP, enterprises can continue to use all their IE6-dependent applications within an IE8 and IE9 tab, without the need for app redevelopment or use of complex and expensive virtualisation solutions.

“Browser compatibility is blocking Windows 7 migration plans for many private and public sector organisations. If application continuity can not be guaranteed projects become derailed,” commented Oren Taylor, director at CDG. “Browsium addresses the issue of IE6-dependency head-on providing a very simple way to keep web services available throughout IT transformation and beyond as well as giving customers the ability to centrally manage their web app environments.”

“We have seen demand from organisations around the world that are trapped on Windows XP and IE6 because of prior web application investments,” said Gary Schare, president of Browsium. “Through our Web Application Continuity approach, these organisations have the freedom to upgrade and reap the benefits of new platforms while extending the ROI of their business-critical applications.”

In addition to supporting IE6-dependencies, UniBrows provides control over all IE settings, freeing customers from the painful trade–off of security versus compatibility. With UniBrows, enterprise organisations can manage IE settings at the web application or even web page level.

Sold as a software subscription with pricing tiered by the number of PCs in the organisation and available immediately, CDG is providing Browsium UniBrows in the UK as part of its portfolio of enterprise IT services and solutions. Organisations interested in further information or a free web demonstration can contact CDG on +44 (0) 118 963 7977 or email Browsium@cdguk.com.

CDG is also running an event on 11th October 2011 – 9.30-12pm, at St Anne’s Manor, Bracknell, UK, with Matt Heller, CEO and Founder of Browsium to help organisations planning a migration from XP to develop their web application continuity plans. The seminar is free to attend and includes a light breakfast. Organisations can contact CDG to register for the event or for further information.

FACTFILE:

Founded in 2010, Browsium Inc. creates enterprise-ready software solutions, enabling organisations to extend the life of existing line of business web applications as they deploy new operating systems and browser platforms to their client PCs. Browsium’s first product, UniBrows, promises to revolutionise browser compatibility be allowing legacy IE6-dependent web applications to run on Windows 7 and IE8 on Windows XP without modifying a single line of code.

www.browsium.com

ReadSoft signs order worth 555,000 EUR to improve Accounts Payable within a leading UK food manufacturer’s Oracle E-business Suite

ReadSoft, a provider of software for document process automation, has signed an agreement worth 555,000 EUR to improve efficiency in the Accounts Payable (AP) function, running on Oracle E-Business Suite, within one of the UK’s leading food manufacturers. The agreement was signed during the third quarter of 2011.

Headquartered in the UK, with sites across Europe, this food company has chosen ReadSoft to deliver improved efficiencies within AP functions. To achieve this, the organisation will immediately implement a wide selection of software tools from ReadSoft to automate invoice processing within their Oracle E-Business Suite environment, including ReadSoft INVOICES.

ReadSoft INVOICES is the world’s number one choice for automated data capture from invoices. Regardless of source, incoming invoices are all directed into the same flow, automatically extracting information from any incoming invoice, validating it and transferring it to an ERP system where it can be coded and authorized for approval by the accounts payable staff.

This food company will be able to attain full control of all the supplier invoices by automatically matching and processing within its Oracle E-Business Suite, ensuring supplier invoices are automatically posted, accounted for and made ready for payment, improving visibility and management of the Accounts Payable function and crucially enhancing supplier relationship.

“Strong competition within the food grocery market demands ‘best in class’ solutions if an organisation is to maintain market leadership,” says Jan Andersson, President and CEO at ReadSoft. “Retaining an efficient, economic and highly flexible finance function is a key business tool, and one which ReadSoft has enormous experience in delivering through the application of its document driven finance process automation.”

ReadSoft Professional Services and partner Dinero will complete the install of ReadSoft software. ReadSoft Professional Services will support the system installation with service and maintenance contracts through until 2016.

That's Entertainment News: The magic of digital TV brought back to you by One...

That's Entertainment News: The magic of digital TV brought back to you by One...: They promise us a great deal. Vinyl records would be unbreakable, you could treat a CD as badly as you wanted, but it would still play perfe...

Central theme is Analytics

To meet growing customer and market demand for analytics, TIBCO Software Inc. (NASDAQ: TIBX) will feature an exceptional array of analytics-focused keynotes, customer case studies and conference sessions at TUCON®, the company’s annual customer and business partner conference. Taking place September 26-29, 2011 at the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV, the event will explore the possibilities to be realized when information reaches where it is needed, when it is needed most – and within the right context.

As part of this year’s focus, analytics will take center stage at TUCON with customer keynotes, “big ideas” industry thought-leadership sessions, real-world usage tracks, case studies and commentary from industry luminaries.

Conference Highlights Include:
• Keynote addresses and sessions featuring top executives from AstraZeneca and Severstal North America will showcase the value of analytics to all enterprises. AstraZeneca’s vice president, strategy portfolio and performance, Stephen P. Thomas; and Cameron Williams, director of information technology at Severstal North America, will lead the presentations.

• The “Big Ideas” analytics track sponsored by Ernst & Young will feature a session by Michael Flynn, principal of the financial services office of Ernst & Young LLP, and Simon Remordina, head of reporting for market and credit risk technology at The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). The session will focus on minimizing risk through analytics in “Analytics to Improve Business Operations and Risk Management.” Additional sessions presented by Chevron Energy Technology Company, Cisco Systems, GE Aviation and NetApp will dive deep into the world of analytics, exploring how companies are quickly gaining insight to improve decision making, minimize risk, and unearth valuable insights. The track is also highlighted by a look at the innovations and future direction of the analytics industry as well as a moderated customer panel featuring Gartner Research Director Rita Sallam.


• Industry expert-led technology sessions, including “A Look at the Value Provided by Visualization-Based Data Discovery Tools,” led by Sallam, will examine the adoption of lighter footprint data discovery tools; and “What Can Mobile, Collaborative, and Cloud-Based Analytics Do For You?” led by Shawn Rogers, vice president of research, business intelligence for Enterprise Management Associates, will examine the creation and publishing of powerful dashboards through cloud-based or on-premise analytics deployments.

• The analytics technology track will feature customer sessions led by Ingram Micro, L&T Info Tech, Shell Canada Energy, SL Corporation, and TriQuint Semiconductor. These sessions will teach attendees how to sort through the deluge of data at their organizations to find actionable insights that seize opportunities and avert threats. The track is also highlighted by a future look at TIBCO Spotfire® and an engineering roundtable that will give attendees unprecedented access to the TIBCO Spotfire engineering team.

For more information about the conference, please visit: http://tucon.tibco.com/.

Security Lessons Learned From Californian Power Outage

By Professor John Walker FBCS CITP CISM CRISC ITPC

That's Technology received the following letter from Professor Walker and decided to reproduce it in its entirety as matter of public concer:-

The 9th of September 2011 saw a power outage in the US affecting 5 million people in the area of Southern California - the root cause analysis of which is said to have been one single employee switching out a piece of problematic equipment. The upshot of this single act is nevertheless extremely worrying, as it manifested in traffic chaos, cancellation of flights, the shutting down of two nuclear reactors, a widespread impact on business, and on residents.

This event does, however, raise a number of questions and points back to the long debate about the security of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, which are considered, in some cases, to host a soft underbelly for Cyber Attack. There is also the question of timing - whilst I do understand the public notice, let us be honest here - if this were anything other than a mistake by an employee, would the public really expect to be told?

Additionally, if a single employee's mistake, with just one piece equipment can have such a devastating consequence on what is National Critical Infrastructure, then what does this tell us about Security, Change Management, and of course, Business Continuity?

The timing of this event may not, in my opinion, be a complete coincidence, coinciding as it did with the 9/11 memorial - an event which cost the lives of many innocent, ordinary people - and an event which changed the world for ever. While it is not being suggested for one moment that this is the consequence of a cyber attack, in my mind the jury is still out and it is a concern I am not able to satisfactorily resolve. It may also be worth noting that in the UK, the time/date format is 9/9/11.

I believe this event again places focus in the frailties of an infrastructure which is subject to targeting by extremists who are seeking to cause disruption, to create chaos, and to possibly follow through with loss of life. It must also be accepted that to place a cyber warfare attack capability alongside a conventional theatre of war would seem to make a great deal of battle field sense - causing wide spread disruption, outage of power, followed by what I would expect to be opportunist public disorder.

One last point of interest here is, only last week I was sent an image by one of my many distant contacts - and as I recall the message said, "You may find this interesting" - it was a picture of New York in a blackout condition.

To conclude: no matter mistake or cyber attack, the time has arrived to reassess just what security is surrounding the various Critical National Infrastructures (CNI) around the world, and to place them, where possible, in an enhanced profile of security hardening. It may also be beneficial to revisit the standard operational practices around such areas as change management, and of course business continuity.

Last but not least, I am sure this has been considered, but if Al Qaeda can get one of their radicalised operatives into a prime position of flying an aircraft, gaining employment with a power company in some capacity should prove to be a much less onerous objective. As I have said before in many articles, it is time for the security professionals to take a more proactive stance and look at what needs to be done.

The first task must be to get serious about the landscape of security which surrounds these systems which we rely on to service the CNI. And here I don't just mean applying a few policies, and then following them with the religious contempt that we so very often see practiced in some sectors of IT Governance, in the form of tick box security and lip serviced compliance. I am talking about serious programmes that are commensurate to the potential risk and impact posed against, and by these Key Point Infrastructures and Assets.

I am asserting that the induction processes for selecting employees into these Key Point areas are both robust, and consistent throughout all organisations who supply such critical services. If not, then now would be a good time to rethink the recruitment processes.

In closing, I see a need for more Security Professionals with a willingness to go to the next level and embrace this specialist area of SCADA Systems, Applications, and Infrastructures Security. And more importantly, for these professionals to immerse themselves in learning, and specialising in these environments, in particular, relative to their foibles and challenges.  Possibly here, there may even be a future for focused Training Certification to be created specific to SCADA environments.

One thing is for sure, these systems, applications, and infrastructures are not just run of the mill. They are the very lifeblood of the global economy, business, and our communities, and they demand special treatment to secure, and govern their profiles. Nothing less will suffice.

Professor John Walker, CISM, CRISC, FBCS, CITP, ITPC

CTO of Secure-Bastion www.secure-bastion.co.uk

Is YOUR mobile phone a security risk?

New research from The Carphone Warehouse has revealed the risks many mobile phone users are taking by not securing their handsets. Over half (54%) of UK adults think their phone and the data on it would be secure, should it be stolen or lost. However, 86% of these people don’t have security software installed on their phones, making them vulnerable to thieves and prying eyes. Interestingly, 89% of us have installed security software onto laptops and computers, however the interest in security does not seem to run through to mobile phones.

As phones become more sophisticated and sales of smartphones rise, thieves are on high alert for opportunities to bag new handsets, meaning mobile security becomes increasingly important for users. Today’s research, questioning over 2,000 people, highlighted the lack of awareness on the importance of protecting personal data. The Carphone Warehouse is launching Mobile Phone Security Week to educate consumers on the simple steps that can be made to secure mobile devices. All week, the Carphone Warehouse is providing in-store advice from their security trained staff. As well as in store, you can access tips and information at www.carphonewarehouse..com/security.

Mobile phones are obvious targets for thieves and - given how much we now rely on them - a lost handset can cost you more than just money. Half of people (49%) admitted to using their mobile phone to buy music, clothes and even insurance online, meaning their account details are logged on their phones and accessible should their phone be lost or stolen.

It’s not just our account details at risk, as almost a third (74%) of people cite using their phones to take personal photos - and keep them stored on the handset. David Rogers, Mobile Phone Security Expert says there are easy steps we can be taking to protect our privacy; “While technology is evolving, there are easy ways you can keep your data safe and secure when using a mobile phone.

For example, remembering PINs and passwords can be time consuming, but they are a simple and necessary way to deter any prying ears from accessing your handset or hearing your voicemail.”

Smartphones provide easy access to emails, making it more common than ever to be working outside the traditional office space. You can be on the train, in a coffee-shop or in a hotel, but flexibility in the devices and wireless networks we use means important confidential information is easily accessible. There has never been a more important time to protect yourself against being a victim of ID fraud via your mobile technology.

It seems that the thought of setting up security software may be daunting as 65% of the UK adults surveyed claimed they don’t have a password on their voicemail, even though one third (32%) of people worry that their phones are not very secure.

Matt Stringer, UK MD from The Carphone Warehouse said, “We’ve seen a real increase in smartphone users over the past year with roughly 85% of handsets sold last year with a postpay connection being smartphones. The more sophisticated the handsets become, the more attractive they are to thieves. The Carphone Warehouse can provide easy and inexpensive solutions that can save a lot of worry in the long term.

What’s more, Geek Squad’s Protect & Detect service has been specially designed to provide security for smartphones, including a free online hub to all Geek Squad customers, where they have access to unlimited online backup so their important data stays safe at all times. In addition Geek Squad agents can also help install mobile security packages such as Bull Guard* in store, which not only protects data, but provides the ability to track a phone should it be stolen via an Antitheft GPS Tracker. At The Carphone Warehouse we’ve worked with mobile security expert, David Rogers to pull together a list of top tips which we hope people will find useful to stay safe and secure in future.”

Available from The Carphone Warehouse www.carphonewarehouse.com or 0800 925 925

*Bull Guard Mobile Security is compatible with Android and BlackBerry devices.

FACTFILE:
For more information about Best Buy in the UK, go to www.bestbuy.co.uk.

Geek Squad, part of Best Buy Europe and a Best Buy Inc. owned company, is a 24/7 technology support service, available in all new Best Buy stores across the UK. Geek Squad provide technology support in store, over the phone, remotely through your computer, or via visits to your home. Geek Squad currently has a UK-wide network of Agents able to solve your tech problems, and can draw on knowledge from 20,000 other Agents across the world.

For more information about Geek Squad in the UK, go to www.geeksquad.co.uk

The Carphone Warehouse’s top tips to protecting personal data

1. Record your phone’s identity number in case it is stolen
The International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) is what identifies your phone to the network and is located on the back of your phone underneath the battery. You can register your phone’s details and IMEI number on the UK National Property Register at: http://www.immobilise.com/. This helps the Police to return lost or stolen property to its correct owner.
2. Secure access to your device and voicemail
PINs and passwords can be a pain as they put a barrier in the way of things you do repeatedly. Firstly, voicemail. It is extremely important to have a PIN on your voicemail to prevent people listening into your private messages. Don’t choose obvious PINs e.g. 1111, 1234, dates of birth etc. Make use of the handset locks to protect your data and messages.
3. Learn how to remotely lock and wipe your phone if you lose it
Losing your phone or having it stolen does happen and when it does, what do you do to prevent someone getting access to your work or personal data? This is where lock and wipe services come in. Many handsets are now capable of running applications which allow you to stop someone getting access to your data and if you’re sure you can’t recover it, to delete your data. Some services can even help you locate your lost phone by using the GPS function of the device to work out where it is.
4. Be very wary of WiFi hotspots
However tempting it may be to connect to free WiFi when you’re out and about, take a moment to consider who is providing that service and why. If they’re charging, who are you giving your credit card details to? By connecting to an untrusted network, you could potentially allow an attacker to get into your accounts for social networking sites, your email and banking details.
5. Know what you are giving applications permission to do
Always think about what an application is supposed to be doing, where it came from and who made it. Simple internet searches can often verify the validity of an application if you suspect all is not well. Inspect the permissions that an application requests. While Apple and Android have monitoring in process, a common practice amongst hackers is to create a fake copy of a genuine application and host it on an alternative, unmonitored app store. This might be free on a separate site, to entice people to download it. Sadly, the free version is a “Trojan horse” and will do nasty things.
6. Be careful when clicking on web links and scanning 2D barcodes
Don’t be lured into clicking on an unknown link to a web page. A phone’s screen is much smaller and it is often more difficult to see a full link to a website and verify that it is what it says it is. New technology allows barcode scanner applications to read 2D or Quick Response (QR) codes (kind of like square barcodes). These are often put in newspapers and on advertising boards. Be very careful – do you know and trust the source. Could the poster have been tampered with or be fake?
7. Always backup your data
This is something that is always on the to-do list but never quite gets done. Take a little time to think about what would happen if you lost your phone, phone numbers and photographs and how it would affect you. Then think about what you can do to mitigate that.
8. Be careful when charging your phone on someone else’s computer or at a charge point
Be extra careful if you desperately need to charge your phone while out and about. A lot of phones combine a data connection with the charger so you could end up having your data stolen without realising it. Who is providing the service? Do you have to handover your phone to have it charged?
9. Protect your children whilst surfing
Kids often know more than their parents when it comes to new technology. Whilst a phone can give you peace of mind that your child is safe when out and about, it also has access to lots of functionality and content that you might not want to allow your child access to at home. There are some applications available that can be installed on mobiles to help you manage what your child can access or download. You can get a shop to set these up for you and set a password so that your settings can only be changed by you. Some great information on protecting your children online can also be found in The Carphone Warehouse’s Guide to Mobile Web Safety http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/mobilewebsafety

Meru Expands Security Capabilities with Acquisition of Identity Networks

Identity-based solution delivers secure, scalable wireless LAN for guests, employees and their mobile devices

Meru Networks, Inc., a pioneer in 802.11n wireless LAN, today announced that it has acquired Identity Networks, provider of the industry’s most complete secure guest and device access management solution. Through the acquisition, Meru customers can easily provide secure, policy based, wired and wireless network access for guests and employees that bring their own devices (BYOD) into the enterprise.

The Identity Networks product has been used across the Meru installed base as an integrated, third party security solution, and is proven to work in a variety of environments. It provides simple provisioning capabilities and automatic notification services that give guests their access credentials by email or SMS. It also includes powerful reporting, auditing and customisation capabilities. The Identity Networks system is highly scalable, flexible and decreases the IT burden of guest provisioning and management as guests can be given access by non-IT personnel such as reception and administrative staff members.

“Enterprises must provide secure, auditable access to hundreds, or even thousands of devices that enter the enterprise daily,” said Kamal Anand, senior vice president of Product Management. “Provisioning, managing and securing network access for guest and employee owned Wifi devices can be a tedious and inefficient process—especially as the number and variety of devices multiplies within the environment. The addition of Identity Networks to the Meru family of security products builds upon our already strong security offerings, and provides another important component of overall network security. These advancements are critical as we look forward to the all wireless enterprise of the future.”

FACTFILE:

Founded in 2002, Meru Networks provides a virtualised wireless LAN architecture that cost-effectively delivers the performance, reliability, predictability and operational simplicity of a wired network, with the advantages of mobility. Meru's solution represents an innovative, yet standards-based approach to wireless networking that utilises virtualisation technology to create an intelligent and self-monitoring wireless network, enabling enterprises to migrate their business-critical applications from wired networks to wireless networks, to become all-wireless enterprises. Meru's solutions have been adopted in all major industry vertical markets, including Fortune 500 enterprises, healthcare, education, retail, manufacturing, hospitality and government. Meru is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and has operations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.

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British Journal of Photography - Over 150 years of photographic excellence now available on the iPad

The world's longest-running photography magazine is now available free as a quarterly app, created bespoke for the iPad.

Tailor-made for the iPad’s unique digital environment, making full use of its tactile navigational tools and spectacular, backlit display, the app transforms BJP's acclaimed mix of arresting imagery, elegant design and thought-provoking articles, truly bringing the magazine to life on a digital screen for the first time.

Created by their in-house designers using the Mag+ platform, the BJP app gives readers the highlight features of their print editions together with extra features, photos and a raft of new multimedia and video content, including a moving image cover created by New York-based artists Reed+Rader.

Along with its high-impact imagery, the BJP app provides in-depth analysis of the latest visual trends, compelling interviews with the world’s leading photographers, spotlights on new talent and reviews of the latest gear. Maximising the iPad’s video capabilities, it incorporates unrivalled coverage of the emerging HD-DSLR video market, bringing together the best from stills photography and motion technology. Up-to-the-minute live news from BJP-Online is also accessible at just the click of a button, and users can share articles via email and social media.

The app is the culmination of nine months' research and development by a team led by BJP’s art editor, Mick Moore, working to a brief set by editor Simon Bainbridge, who states: “We’ve been undergoing something of a renaissance over the past 18 months, transforming our 157-year-old weekly printed journal into a heavyweight monthly magazine that makes no compromise for quality, and then overhauling our website, focusing it on daily news and observations. In many ways, the iPad brings us full circle, allowing us to truly bring our features to life on a digital screen for the first time, and of course we are no longer restricted by the confines of paper and print, so we have packed it full of content.

“And what great timing, the tablet revolution, because it coincides with another – the convergence of still and motion images, which gets special focus in our first issue. Traditionally, magazines about filmmaking have one obvious flaw – you can’t show moving images. Here, our only restriction is bandwidth.”

Issue 1, available free from today, includes:

• Exclusive interviews with celebrated portrait photographer Anton Corbijn and acclaimed German film director Wim Wenders on the relationship between still and motion images

• Five photographers, including Tim Walker and Zed Nelson, discuss their first adventures in filmmaking
• A special report on the role of photojournalism since 9/11

• Q&A with legendary South African photographer David Goldblatt

• A trend report on the new fashion for “character culture”

• Reviews of the latest photography gear, including tests of cameras, software, lighting and accessories


They have expressed delight to have the support of advertisers including Hasselblad, Nikon, Samsung, Absolut, LensPimp and AJ’s, who have shown their faith in us as one of the world’s first magazines to create a truly bespoke app for the iPad, and their recognition that tablets represent a new frontier in publishing.

Group publishing director Marc Hartog comments: “This is the first tablet edition Incisive Media has produced and represents a significant investment and commitment to the evolving technology. We have selected Mag+ as our publishing platform of choice, and have created what we believe will set a new benchmark for a content rich and interactive experience on the iPad with the first BJP app.”

Available quarterly, exclusively through iTunes, the first issue is available free to download from today.

For download details, video previews and more, visit www.bjpapp.com

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Win a 3D TV with Broadband Choices

Broadbandchoices.co.uk, an Ofcom-accredited price comparison site for broadband services, is running a competition throughout September offering visitors the chance to win one of two top of the range 3D TV with a year's Sky World service subscription completely free. The highly coveted subscription includes movies, sports, all entertainment channels and Sky's newly launched 3D channel.

The free to enter competition can be won by completing a puzzle found on the Broadbandchoices.co.uk website (www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/win-a-3d-tv.html) and is running throughout September.

Michael Phillips, product director at Broadbandchoices.co.uk commented: "3DTV is the next generation of television viewing so we are delighted to be teaming up with Sky to offer this competition throughout September.

"Anyone hoping to win the prizes can enter by completing a simple puzzle on our website – go to (www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/win-a-3d-tv.html) for more details and the chance to benefit from the newest digital TV innovation on the block!”

Winners will be chosen at random at the start of October.

UK phone home? But which is the best phone service?

www.Homephonechoices.co.uk, the UK's biggest Ofcom-accredited home phone comparison site, has launched the first online calculator enabling consumers to compare the cost of installing a new phone line - vital to those moving house, needing a second phone line or simply looking to switch to a better deal.

There were some 1.75 million household moves alone in England between 2009 and 2010 and the new phone line comparison service means that consumers now have a dedicated service not only to help ensure they get the best deal, but also to ease the burden of moving home.

Michael Phillips, product director at Homephonechoices.co.uk commented: "The cost of having a new phone line installed can be anything up to £86 with customers unaware they are subject to such fees until they move in or try to switch. It is important to make sure you are signing up to the best deal as many providers will waive the charge if you take both your broadband and home phone; and if you are willing to take your TV too, there can be huge savings of up to £295 a year to be had.

"We are committed to finding the best deals for consumers and our new phone line comparison service presents a detailed view of charges for single, dual and triple-play packages. Consumers will be able to select a service that suits their individual needs and know exactly what they will have to pay including the phone installation line charge, the first year cost for their new home phone package and even the line rental cost."

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Google's New Sitelinks Are A Welcomed Improvement Says UK SEO Agency QueryClick

During August Google introduced their new and improved sitelinks that appear within the Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). It was found being tested within the SERPs weeks before the changes were made official so many already knew the changes that were to come.

As explained by Google the overall aim is to “improve the organisation and quality of our search results”. Which is always an on-going process with tweaks and changes being seen on a frequent basis.

The new and improved sitelinks within the SERPs have been drastically changed and updated. Each sitelink is much clearer than before and includes a link, URL and a line of snippet text. Google have also stated that with the new improved sitelinks comes greater visibility, flexibility, clarity and quality.

A spokesman from a top SEO company in the UK, Edinburgh-based QueryClick, commented: “The recent changes have made a big impact on how the first page within the SERP's are displayed for brand and navigational searches. These changes make having a well structured site even more important to ensure that the most relevant results are displayed for navigational searches for your brand combined with a search term.”

Google also confirmed that sitelinks from a ranking perspective have no separation between regular results and sitelinks any more. This has created greater clarity within the SERPs because all other results will be different to the top ranking result domain. Therefore the sitelinks will be a compilation of the previous top ranking webpages that would have appeared within the SERPs as an individual listing.

The spokesman from QueryClick was encouraged with the changes made and commented further: “The SERPs are much more relevant for brand searches where the user intent is clear as the sitelinks are larger and will move many results below the fold there will definitely be increased competition within markets who try to optimise for competitor brands like the price comparison market.”

Because sitelinks will now vary over time and by query there may be a certain links that will be shown or could be shown which can be considered inappropriate or irrelevant, so it is now possible within the Webmaster Tools to suggest a demotion to your sitelinks. Allowing a maximum of 100 demotions per site.

The new and improved sitelinks are only available to all modern browsers such as Chrome, IE and Firefox.

FACTFILE:
QueryClick is one of the UK's leading providers of Search Engine Marketing (SEM) solutions for companies ranging from FTSE 100 listed brands to ambitious small businesses looking to grow.

QueryClick specialise in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC) and Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) to deliver the best return on investment in the industry with proven results for businesses of any size.

It's this level of success that has seen QueryClick experience recession-defying growth as a company but also manage to create record return on investment for their clients, the list of which includes a variety of companies from globally renowned FTSE 100 firms to local start-up businesses.

Pioneers in innovation with their finger firmly on the industry pulse, QueryClick continue to put Scotland, and the UK, on the world map in terms of those leading the charge in innovative, results-led search marketing solutions.

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Herefordshire NHS and Council Share to Save with Trustmarque

Herefordshire NHS and Council has embarked on a shared services agreement and saved in the region of £1 million with the help of Trustmarque.

Value Added Reseller (VAR) Trustmarque Solutions announced today that its work with Herefordshire NHS and Council has enabled the public sector organisation to realise a combined cost avoidance of its Microsoft licensing model in the region of £1 million over six years.

In 2009 Herefordshire Council and NHS embarked on a project to share services across a collection of public sector organisations, bringing together a number of different facilities to collaborate on HR, Finance and IT. The organisations included: Herefordshire Council, Herefordshire Primary Care Trust, the new Wye Valley NHS trust, local and community hospitals, adult social care services, Herefordshire schools, GP practices, and Herefordshire mental health provision from partner Trust 2GETHER.

A key driver behind partnering was cost cutting and part of this strategy was to reduce property overheads by introducing flexible ways of working, such as hot-desking and allowing staff in the partnership to work from any location. This, however, created a licensing issue as traditionally Microsoft licensing is assigned per legal entity - but the partners wanted to share licences across multiple legal entities to allow use of each other’s assets at the various sites to enable this new way of working.

Herefordshire worked with Trustmarque to establish the legalities surrounding creating a new legal entity for its licensing and successfully found a solution to this issue. When the time came to review the partnership’s licensing situation and renewing its agreements therefore Trustmarque was the obvious choice to guide the organisation through the change.

The organisation embarked on a benchmarking project with Trustmarque which involved asset and licence discovery, and the creation of three and – six year business plans including cost modelling of what the organisation needed now against its future plans. Alicia Bolger, ICT Operations Manager for the Council and NHS ICT shared services, comments:

“It would have been ambitious to deliver this type of programme in six months, and we only had six weeks. It was critical that we kept to these timescales as we would have fallen out of our software assurances on some of our agreements if we hadn’t acted fast. Also, if we’d gone beyond April 1st we would not have been able to backdate the NHS licences, as at the time Microsoft would only agree to the back-dating of the NHS licence agreement if we did it by the end of the tax year. It really was a phenomenal effort that Trustmarque was able to keep within the timeframe specified.”

As a result, the partnership has avoided large reinvestment and upgrade costs across the board, and it now has a license model that will support flexible working for its partners. The new license model will also support the future of desktop delivery to the partner organisations. Alicia Bolger explains:

“I’d estimate that we would have spent a million pounds or more over the life of licences across the organisation if we hadn’t had advice from Trustmarque. We now have a mature understanding of the future impact of the work we have planned, and how our Microsoft requirements fit in with our Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which integrates with our internal management information across the organisations in the partnership.”

The Herefordshire Council and NHS partnership has been extremely pleased with the work carried out by Trustmarque and intends to maintain the relationship. Alicia Bolger concludes:

“We will definitely continue to use Trustmarque and would certainly recommend Trustmarque to other organisations that are in a similar position. We had an extremely complex situation and Trustmarque really guided us through the whole process. They were brilliant!”

FACTFILE:
Trustmarque has been providing value added services to customers since it was founded in 1987 and is now one of the UK’s largest Value Added Resellers. Trustmarque brings together years of knowledge plus a strong track record of delivering successful IT enabled projects for customers that realise positive business outcomes. Trustmarque delivers solutions across six key areas: Business Performance Management, Information Security, Core Infrastructure Services, Microsoft Integrated Solutions, Managed Licence Services and Software Procurement Consultancy.

Trustmarque is also a Microsoft Large Account Reseller (LAR) with Microsoft Gold Certified Partner status, as well as partnering with many other major vendors in the IT market, such as: Adobe, Business Objects, CA, Citrix, McAfee, Novell, Nuance, Sophos, Symantec, Trend, VMware and Websense to name but a few.

Trustmarque Solutions has worked with The CarbonNeutral Company (formerly Future Forests) leaders in the field of carbon management and climate change solutions to become a CarbonNeutral® company.

For more information about Trustmarque visit www.trustmarque.com, you can call 0845 2101 500 or email info@trustmarque.com.

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In need of a break? Indulge with Phones 4u!

To celebrate the launch of the HTC Wildfire S in Pink which is available exclusively from Phones 4u, the mobile retailer is giving people the opportunity to win the handset itself and a personalised spa break at any Champney’s resort.

To win the getaway people must share their most embarrassing story with Phones 4u, the one that the judging panel deems to be most horrifying will win the indulgence spa break, tailored specifically to the winner and/or their friends along with a brand new HTC Wildfire S Pink.

The HTC Wildfire S Pink offers a comprehensive smartphone experience in a compact, svelte case. The baby pink paintjob and impressive specification – 5 megapixel camera with LED Flash, Android 2.3 operating system, HTC Sense user interface and 3.2-inch touchscreen – makes it the perfect addition to any handbag.

Visit Phones 4u and share your story now:
http://community.phones4u.co.uk/blush-up-win-a-htc-wildfire-...