Bubble Universe, A Unique Spin On Match-3 Genre, Goes Live For Android

Polish firm Tequila Mobile, developer and publisher of top mobile games including Outlaw Racing 2011 and Fantasy Kingdom Defense, is proud to announce the worldwide release of its free-to-play new take on the match-three puzzle genre for Android smartphones, Bubble Universe with an iOS version scheduled for November.

In Bubble Universe, the player's goal is to gather matching sets of three or more bubbles in the rotating gravity field. An explosion of points results when the spinning laser hits a set of matching bubbles. When things get a bit too hot to handle, it's time to call in the special bubbles or detonators to clear the way for more bubbles, and more points!

"Our game is an explosion of intelligent design and challenging action-puzzle gameplay that literally makes your head spin" says Aleksander Zemke, Games Producer at Tequila Mobile. "It tests your speed, logic and accuracy like no other product currently on the market."

"Bubble Universe is the newest star to shine upon Tequila Planet, our groundbreaking distribution and social interaction platform," adds Lukasz Deszczulka, Tequila Mobile's Executive VP. "While we call it a planet, it's really more of a galaxy, filled with excellent, completely free games and all the features gamers expect, including leaderboards, recommendations and frequent content updates".

Bubble Universe is available right now, worldwide, from the Android Marketplace. iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad versions are expected to follow in November.

Download Link: http://bit.ly/bubbleandroid

About Tequila Mobile: Tequila Mobile is a mobile games services provider, developer and publisher of award-winning games designed for mobile phones, smartphones and portable devices. In 2009 Tequila Mobile adopted a freemium and micro-transaction-based business model, delivered globally through its proprietary Tequila Planet platform. This cutting-edge platform supports over 2,000 mobile handsets, and enables 'one-click' in-app purchases in any J2ME, BlackBerry or Android app.

Tequila Planet provides instant monetization via in-house managed mobile billing with more than 380 operators in close to 100 countries. Leveraging its platform, Tequila Mobile distributes free games through a network of partners including independent app stores, social networks, mobile operators and top mobile and web portals.

Tequila Mobile Company Website:

http://www.tequilamobile.com

Tequila Planet:

http://www.facebook.com/tequilaplanet

Twitter:

http://www.twitter.com/tequilamobile

http://www.twitter.com/tequila_planet

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Are your staff killing your business? “Recreational traffic is adding to the 75% web traffic overload of networks during the working day” says Peter Job, CEO of Intergence

Analysis of client audits carried out over four years by Intergence Systems, a leading independent IT optimisation consultancy, has revealed that in 90% of cases, web traffic is one of the top three contributors to network traffic; and that out of that 90%, web traffic forms between 10% and 30% of the traffic overload during any given 24 hour period. During the working day, this percentage of traffic can rise to over 75%.

The research found that the only two applications which consistently contribute more traffic to company networks are backups (which typically take place out-of-hours) and Server Message Blocks/Common Internet File Systems (SMBs/CIFS) which provide shared access to files, printers, serial ports, and other miscellaneous communications between nodes on a network.

Intergence’s monitoring allows IT managers to see exactly what websites are being looked at, so that they can identify if it is legitimate browsing for work purposes or whether it is on recreational sites such as Facebook or You Tube. If, for example, there is a lot of web traffic (HTTP/HTTPS), going to a server which is known to be a webmail server, then that traffic will be re-filed under “email” and so doesn’t count towards the other web traffic which is going to external servers.

Peter Job, CEO of Intergence comments: “During a working day, unmanaged web-browsing (often on Facebook or You Tube) can introduce enough traffic into a network to have a major impact on business critical applications, especially those sensitive to network congestion. Companies might be paying for bigger pipes than are necessary to increase their bandwidth on the mistaken assumption that all the traffic they are carrying is essential. In fact, in our experience, most companies don’t know exactly what traffic they are carrying.”

Job suggests that businesses should ask themselves:

• If too much web browsing is occurring, how is it impacting on company productivity - both from slow applications frustrating other users, but also from employees wasting company time?
• Is it better to cut off all non-essential web traffic completely at specific times of the day, or just ensure that traffic flow management systems are in place?

Job continues:

“Rich content is a major problem as services like Facebook add more and more functions, but Intergence can install specialist software that can monitor and measure who is using what and when, giving IT managers full visibility of application traffic.”

This can enable them to:

• Install application performance SLAs
• Synchronise their WAN with business objectives
• Communicate high-level KPIs across the business
• Justify, control and reduce IT costs
• Improve critical application performance

For information on how Intergence can help, please download their Network Optimisation paper from this link:

http://www.intergence.com/resource-library/white-papers-pres...

iPhone 4S & iPhone 4 Deals & Prices Drop at Phones Limited

The new Apple iPhone 4S may be one of the most expensive smart phones released in 2011 but Phones Limited are helping their customers save hundreds of pounds by comparing iPhone 4S deals and prices as they are discounted by the network and retailers.

When the new iPhone 4S was first released consumers could not pick up a free phone for any less than a staggering £46 line rental per month but now the independent mobile phone suppliers are fighting it out to provide the cheapest iPhone 4S deals and Phones Limited are updating their deals twice per day to pick up these changes.

After the first 2 weeks of release consumers could pick up a free iPhone 4S deal for a £43 per month on 3 Mobile contract offers, as one of the best value for money network in the UK the take up of these newly discounted deals was substantial and this particular package still stands today.

Now consumers can pick up a free Apple iPhone 4S for just £40.85 per month thanks to a recently discounted deal from an independent UK retailer on the T-Mobile network, the offer is on the T-Mobile iPhone 40 tariff and includes 500MB of inclusive data, 900 minutes and unlimited text messages every month.

Although this is currently the cheapest iPhone 4S deal with a free phone it is not the cheapest overall deal when taking into account the total expenditure over the minimum term of the contract period.

The cheapest possible iPhone 4S deal over a 24 month contract currently stands with Orange on their iPhone 20 tariff, this demands an upfront price of £309.99 for the iPhone 4S and an ongoing monthly line rental charge of £20.

However, this may not be the best tariff for those that use their phone for any length of time as it only includes 50 minutes of calls, 50 text messages and 100MB of internet access each month.

Comparing the 2 tariffs, the total expenditure of the free iPhone 4S offer on T-Mobile equates to a large £980.40 whereas the cheaper Orange deal will cost £789.99, a staggering saving of £190.41!

Many consumers are still opting for the previous iPhone 4 deals as they have now been heavily discounted on the release of the iPhone 4S, the current cheapest deal is actually for a free iPhone 4 at £30 per month which equates to £720 on a 24 month contract.

With both phones looking very much the same and offering the new iOS5 the differences can only be seen once the phones are in operation with a better camera, faster processor and the new 'Siri' voice software available on the iPhone 4S.

There is also a new iPhone 4 8GB model which has been released alongside the 4S edition, this smaller memory capacity will eventually offer the cheapest iPhone 4 deals but for now the 16GB refurbished model is winning the day.

Phones Limited continue to update their deals twice everyday to pick up the very latest offers from over 25 of the leading mobile phones retailers and networks, now offering a price comparison database exceeding 2 million mobile phone deals it is one of the most comprehensive in the UK.

For all of the latest mobile phone deals please see: Phones Limited

Integralis AG expands to meet global demand for next-generation IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions

Integralis, a global provider of IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions, today announced  it has strengthened its worldwide solutions presence. Expansion in operations, marketing, partner management and Asia are all underway.

In addition, Integralis announced the appointments of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and President, Asia Pacific who will report into Simon Church, Chief Operating Officer (COO). With the backing of NTT, Integralis further deepens its global position as well as expanding its local presence in the fast growing Asia Pacific markets.

Commenting on the news, Integralis’ CEO Georg Magg said: “As the world’s leading pure-play provider of advanced IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions, we are providing our customers with comprehensive, value-added services and platforms that help companies analyze, identify and manage information security risk.”

“Given the significant market opportunity and with our strong focus on innovation, we are changing the way security solutions are delivered. Investing in operational functions and further investing in regional markets such as Asia Pacific helps address the global security challenge, and allows us to help both our local and multi-national customers achieve real business value. By partnering with a dedicated information security provider they will be able to reduce overall costs while balancing risk and compliance requirements,” he added.

Andrew Lev, who has been with Integralis since 2007 and most recently held the position of Group EVP – Channels and Business Development, will take the position of global Chief Marketing Officer. Additionally, Gavin Bradbury joins as VP Marketing. Gavin previously held senior marketing roles at VeriSign, 1E and Computer Associates.

William Yeack, who has been with Integralis since 2007 and most recently held the position of Executive Vice President, Corporate at Integralis, will head up operations in the explosive Asia-Pacific markets as the President, Asia Pacific. Building on his extensive experience with international development and operations in Asia, Mr. Yeack will be based in Singapore.

FACTFILE:
Integralis provides IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions on a global basis. We deliver a portfolio of managed security solutions, business infrastructure, consulting and technology integration services. As part of the NTT Communications Group, we help organizations lower IT costs and increase the depth of security protection, compliance and service availability. For more information, visit www.integralis.com.

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FA secures BT partnership for St. George's Park development

BT has become the Official Communications Services Partner of St. George's Park, the first of a select number of tiered blue-chip partners of The Football Association's new National Football Centre, under development in Burton upon Trent.

In an exclusive five year, multi-million pound agreement, coaches, players and business users of St. George's Park will all benefit from a state-of-the-art, bespoke, high-speed BT iNet voice and data network, plus BT Openzone Wi-Fi.

David Sheepshanks, Chairman of St. George's Park, said: "We are absolutely delighted to welcome BT as a partner for the St. George's Park development and their association with us is a ringing endorsement of its importance and its growing national identity.

"The buildings are taking shape at a rapid rate and you can now get a real sense of what an inspirational and special place it will be. St. George's Park will be at the very centre of coach education and young player development and for The FA to be delivering its philosophy and agenda it needs the very best technology infrastructure and facilities. We look forward to working closely with BT."

Graham Sutherland, managing director, BT Business, said: "We are very proud to support St. George's Park and to help The FA develop the next generation of sporting greats. With the best communications technology at the heart of this project, English football can build a competitive advantage on the field."

Rob Ray, Group Director of Digital & Information Technology at The Football Association, said: "St. George's Park is designed to be cutting edge in every way and technology is a key component, making this partnership with BT all the more exciting. There is little doubt that they are best placed to deliver this expertise and we are delighted to be able to partner with them to enhance St. George's Park’s status as a centre of sporting excellence."

Close to one million visitors will use the St. George's Park network over the term. Sponsorship rights have also been agreed.

BT is the Official Communications Services Partner to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, title sponsor of the BT Paralympic World Cup, and also sponsors the charity Football Aid. Three of Britain’s national stadia - Wembley Stadium, the Millennium Stadium and Hampden Park - have BT-installed technology, and BT Vision's entertainment service provides live matches from the Barclays Premier League and live action from The FA Cup with Budweiser and the Football League. BT has more than 60 years experience in sports content delivery, and its media and broadcast services support The FA Cup, Wimbledon and Rugby Union, among 3,500 headline events, each year.

BT joins a growing list of commercial partners, headed by Lead Partner Umbro, as well as Hilton Worldwide. Construction of St George's Park is already well underway and the centre is on-track to open in the summer of 2012.

Atlantis Computing & Axept AG Solve the VDI Storage Challenge for Swiss Bank

Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft cuts VDI Storage costs by 93 per cent from 2,000 CHF per desktop to just 132 CHF

Atlantis Computing™, the leader in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) storage and performance optimisation solutions, today announced that Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft, an international private bank with 7 Billion Swiss Francs under management, has implemented Atlantis ILIO as part of its Citrix XenDesktop desktop virtualisation project to reduce the cost of storage by 93 per cent and improve the user experience. Axept AG, a Swisscom IT services company, recommended and delivered the Atlantis ILIO solution to Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft, cutting the bank’s VDI storage costs and solving the performance challenges that were preventing the VDI project from being deployed company-wide.

“Atlantis ILIO is an enabler for VDI. If you don't solve the storage I/O problem, the cost per desktop is extremely high. For Frankfurter Bank, the cost per desktop was 2,000 CHF using our SAN,” said Zdravko Ruzicic, Head of Systems- & Networkengineering, Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft. “If you don't solve the cost and performance issues intelligently, management won’t accept the cost of VDI and it will lead to project cancellation. Atlantis ILIO enabled us to implement VDI for a lower cost than a physical PC by reusing our existing SAN more efficiently and reducing our storage costs by 93 per cent in the process.”

Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft wanted to implement a virtual desktop client environment to provide secure and reliable remote access for employees and contract developers that could easily be managed by their IT staff. IT management was committed to the virtualisation strategy, but the pilot VDI deployment suffered from severe I/O bottlenecks and users complained about poor performance.

The bank considered several options to improve storage performance, but costs were staggering, particularly given the scale of the bank’s deployment and limited resources available. Choosing Atlantis ILIO allowed the bank to dramatically reduce IOPS required from the storage system, cut the storage capacity consumed and improved application response time for a fraction of the cost of buying additional SAN or SSD storage. Using Atlantis ILIO, Frankfurter Bank was able to reduce the cost of storage per desktop from 2,000 CHF per desktop to just 132 CHF, or the equivalent of $2,223 USD down to $150 USD, with a much better user experience.

“Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft needed to find a solution to their VDI storage problem that could deliver performance equal to a PC, with a lower cost than a PC, or they would have to cancel the VDI project,” said Oliver Grossenbacher, Sales Manager at Axept AG. “Atlantis ILIO was a perfect software solution that integrated seamlessly into the bank’s existing Citrix XenDesktop infrastructure and allowed them to leverage the existing storage rather than buy additional expensive SAN or SSD storage. We have many other customers that find themselves in similar situations as they try to grow their VDI deployment, and we are very excited to be able to help them implement Atlantis ILIO in order to make their VDI deployment successful.”

To read the full Frankfurter Bankgesellschaft case study, visit www.atlantiscomputing.com/frankfurter

Atlantis Computing is exhibiting at Citrix Synergy, Barcelona, October 26th to 28th. Stand #521.

To arrange a meeting at Citrix Synergy with Atlantis Computing, please contact sales@atlantiscomputing.com

For more information on Swisscom workplace services, visit www.swisscom.ch/IT/content/workplace

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Fasthosts voted 'Best Web Host'

Fasthosts Internet Ltd has announced that it has won 'Best Web Host' in the Computer Shopper Magazine Awards 2011. Fasthosts was chosen from a fiercely competitive market as the best UK provider of web hosting. The Award was secured entirely on votes cast by the readers of Computer Shopper magazine and expertreviews.co.uk. Fasthosts shook-off aggressive efforts from a number of hosts and ISPs.

Fasthosts launched innovative products over the past year including Fasthosts Online Backup. The scope of Fasthosts’ products and services is a reflection of how vital the Web now is for businesses and individuals alike. Since 1999, Fasthosts has been at the forefront of developing powerful but intuitive and affordable hosted solutions for capitalising on the Web.

Stephen Holford, Marketing Director, Fasthosts Internet, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have been voted 'Best Web Host' in these popular awards. We are most pleased that it has been decided solely by the public. There are a number of strong providers in the UK web hosting market, which makes the award even more pleasing. Fasthosts is privileged to have shared in the online success of hundreds of thousands of its customers."

"Fasthosts was the clear favourite web hosting provider in the Computer Shopper and Expert Reviews Reader Awards Survey 2011. More readers were satisfied with Fasthosts' service than that of any other provider," commented Chris Finnamore, Reviews Editor of Computer Shopper Magazine.

As well as packages for creating a web presence, such as domain names, shared and dedicated hosting, Fasthosts now delivers hosted solutions for flexible online business including virtual servers, online storage and back-up, and tools for ecommerce, online marketing and collaboration.

(DCoD) service, was recognised for providing outstanding virtualised solutions and service. The award further recognises Fasthosts' ability to address end customers' business challenges and utilise technology innovation to address these. The company has also won the Microsoft Hyper-V Cloud Partner Award 2011.

Holford added: "In today's digital climate, providers like Fasthosts have an important part to play in bringing technologies enjoyed by large enterprises to within the grasp of every computer user. We will continue to invest heavily and leverage our technical experience to achieve this."

As a leading web hosting provider, and Technology Sponsor of The Great Exhibition 2012, Fasthosts offers a comprehensive range of web solutions including domain name registrations, web hosting, dedicated and virtual servers, email hosting, secure online storage and back-up, online payment services, reseller hosting and feature-rich broadband packages. Fasthosts is well placed to deliver a high quality service.

More information can be found at www.fasthosts.co.uk

FACTFILE:
Fasthosts is a leading web hosting provider. Based in the UK and operating 24x7 from their dedicated UK data centres, Fasthosts keeps over 1 million domains running smoothly and ensures over 42 million emails are delivered safely each day. Services include domain registrations, shared web hosting, business-class email, virtual servers, dedicated servers, software-as-a-service, online back-up, secure online storage and unlimited broadband. Fasthosts' maintains an industry-leading, highly successful reseller channel. The company has won the Microsoft Hyper-V Cloud Partner Award 2011 and Microsoft’s Hosting Partner of the Year Award.

www.fasthosts.co.uk

Integralis UK Promotes Ian Rigby to Sales Director

Integralis UK Promotes Ian Rigby to Sales Director

Theale, Reading, U.K., 21st October 2011. Integralis, the UK’s largest provider of IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions, today announced the promotion of Ian Rigby to Sales Director from Business Unit Director.

Ian, who first joined Integralis in 2007, will be responsible for continuing to grow the company’s market share of the managed security, consulting and technology integration services in the UK.

Commenting on this promotion, Neal Lillywhite, Integralis’ UK Managing Director, points out: “Integralis continues to expand its provision of IT security and information risk management solutions worldwide. After 4 years at Integralis, Ian has an exceptional knowledge of the market, the industry and of Integralis. He is highly regarded by everyone within the business, and is the right man to drive the sales operations forward.”

Ian Rigby, UK Sales Director said, “I am looking forward to strengthening our sales organisation and expanding our already extensive UK customer base, building on our strong reputation with UK companies and UK-based multi-nationals. As businesses focus on managing costs, they are faced with numerous security challenges, such as protecting the mobile workforce, managing evolving online threats and the need for compliance, to name but a few. I’ll be working with our experienced teams internally to present our trusted solutions to the organisations that are tackling these issues. This expertise is what makes us the leading pure-play provider of security and information risk management solutions.”

FACTFILE:
Integralis provides IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions on a global basis. They deliver a portfolio of managed security, business infrastructure, consulting and technology integration services. As part of the NTT Communications Group, they help organisations lower IT costs and increase the depth of security protection, compliance and service availability. For more information, visit www.integralis.com.

New report shows how governance can help information security align with overall corporate strategy and stakeholder value

A new report from the independent information security body, the Information Security Forum (ISF), provides organisations with a clear picture of how better governance can help the information security function raise its game within the business.

Entitled ‘Information Security Governance – raising the game’, the report outlines how adopting a governance-style approach can lift security out of its technical ‘comfort zone’ and into a wider business context.

The ISF argues that while corporate governance is well-known and common practice, even obligatory, within the corporate environment, governance itself is not always present in information security – a critical part of any business. However, when the security function does adopt governance, it leads to better engagement with senior executives and other corporate governance functions, helping to foster better understanding, minimise risk and limit reputational damage.

The report’s author and ISF Principal Analyst, Adrian Davis, comments: “Corporate information is becoming much more complex because the technologies and processes to manage it are becoming more complex. At the same time, information is much more susceptible to attack or abuse, as we’ve witnessed many times this year already. This new report shows how information security governance can become an integral part of corporate governance, demonstrating to a company’s stakeholders – customers, partners, shareholders and regulators – that corporate data is being protected according to industry best practice.”

As with each new ISF report, ‘Information Security Governance – raising the game’ offers practical step-by-step guidance for businesses via a comprehensive security governance framework, developed using ISF Member experience, analysis, research, tools and workshops. This framework enables Members to demonstrate how information security can:

· Deliver value to stakeholders: Improve effectiveness and efficiency; meet stakeholder requirements; enable business initiatives; and integrate with enterprise processes

· Achieve strategic goals: Execute strategic objectives; set and refine information risk appetite; sustain buy-in and commitment; and maintain security requirements

· Provide information risk assurance: Oversee assurance programme; implement risk assessment; ensure compliance; manage supply chain risk; and monitor and report on assurance.

“As information security governance is an emerging concept and yet to be fully realised and understood by many organisations, this report is unique in providing practical hands-on guidance,” adds Adrian Davis. “It outlines the key components you need to have in place for effective information security governance, pointers to additional ISF materials and information to help determine if your current governance framework measures up, and most important, tools to check its levels of maturity.”

An executive summary of the ‘Information Security Governance – raising the game’ report is available from the ISF website at: https://www.securityforum.org/?page=publicdownloadisg . The report also points to the new version of the ISF’s Standard of Good Practice (SoGP) launched in September 2011 and the ISO/IEC 27014 standard to help in the development of information security governance.

Jumeirah and bigmouthmedia win Digital Impact Award for Best Use of SEO for Corporate Communications

Global digital marketing company bigmouthmedia's effective partnership with luxury hotel and resort operator Jumeirah, has been named best use of SEO for corporate communications at the 2011 Digital Impact Awards.

Judged by a panel of the UK’s most esteemed digital consultants, academics and comms professionals, the Digital Impact Awards provide an opportunity for all staff, companies and agencies alike, to see their efforts recognised and to celebrate excellence in digital comms.

Bigmouthmedia/Jumeriah developed a strategy focused on 3 core areas: technical, internal SEO and ongoing link building. The campaign impressed judges by delivering an excellent ranking increase which resulted in a 26% increase in traffic and 50% increase in revenue respectively.

Terry Kane, Director of Digital Strategy, Jumeirah said: "Jumeirah are very proud to receive this award with our search partners bigmouthmedia. This award recognises the many colleagues globally that are empowered to ensure that best in class SEO practices are implemented across five languages, daily. It further recognises the impact and benefits that a sustainable and effective SEO strategy that encapsulates the shifting search and social landscapes, can bring to our guests, users and Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts."

Anneli Ritari, Group Account Director at bigmouthmedia added: "We are delighted to have been awarded Best SEO for Corporate communications at the Digital Impact Awards. Our strategy has been to synergise social media and SEO and the partnership with Jumeirah works so well because SEO it’s at the heart of their digital strategy."

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House of Lords Acknowledges Value of High-Technology Trail-Blazers

International manufacturing software specialist Applied Computing & Engineering Ltd (AC&E Ltd) has been warmly received at a Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus event hosted in the House of Lords by Lord Wade of Chorlton and leading members of the Science and Technology Select Committee of the House of Lords.

AC&E Ltd, the design, simulation and robot manufacturing software specialist that helps clients reduce time-to-market and dramatically improve product quality and performance, was praised at the Westminster reception for companies in the science and innovation community. The delegation was arranged by the Science and Technology Facilities Council, the Research Council which initiated the national science and innovation campus at Daresbury where AC&E Ltd has its HQ.

Proud of its prestigious client list which includes Boeing, Nissan, ABB, DaimlerChrysler and Lockheed Martin, AC&E Ltd heard Lord Wade refer to the Prime Minister David Cameron’s recent announcement of enterprise zone status for Daresbury, stating the Government would further support the growth of high-tech organisations such as AC&E Ltd.

In his speech, Lord Wade said it was companies like AC&E Ltd that were playing a key role in the resurgence of the UK knowledge economy. Director of AC&E Ltd, Yash Khandhia, said: “This was an excellent opportunity for Applied Computing and Engineering to showcase its innovation and to explore collaborative partnerships with major players in science and technology commercialisation. We are grateful to Lord Wade, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and to Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus for this powerful opportunity.”

Professor Colin Whitehouse, Deputy Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council and Board Member of Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus was also delighted with the success of the event and the very high level of key UK policy- and decision-makers who attended, adding: "The event really served to highlight the very rapid science and innovation progress which continues to be made at Daresbury and the UK-leading company growth rates and sustainability that the Campus is now generating."

Representatives of AC&E Ltd met with MPs, high-tech SMEs, blue chip organisations and delegates from the wider science and innovation support community.

AC&E Ltd provides a complete range of simulation services that includes world leading design and manufacturing simulation software, training and support, consultancy and computing optimisation, along with robot programming in areas such as non-destructive inspection and testing of manufacturing components.

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Real-Status announces partnership with Attova

Real-Status, a company focused on IT infrastructure modelling and data visualisation, has announced a partnership with Attova, a high performance business technology consultancy.

Specialists in the financial services industry, Attova provides event driven and operational services that give organisations high level market insight. The use of visualisation achieved by Real-Status’ unique 3D modelling software, HyperGlance will not only support Attova’s business users and provide significant improvements to analytics but will also give its customers significant competitive advantage.

Filip Greenwich, Director at Attova explains: “We are excited about our partnership with Real-Status and the impact that HyperGlance will have to business decision-makers in the financial services sector. Business, trading and operations expect immediate access and transparency to information that can be explored, manipulated and acted upon. Whether applied to collaboration, analytics or modelling real-time data and infrastructure, companies who harness visualisation will be in a position to profit from getting it right.”

Filip continued, “To be able to provide a real-time, at a glance, view of an infrastructure and applications from both a physical and logical perspective in 3D greatly improves the ability to enable customers to make rapid decisions based on business impact.”

He concludes, “Supporting our visualisation practice with Real-Status’ unique and world-first product, Attova is able to define, design and deliver a real-time infrastructure visualisation solution.”

Royce Murphy, CEO at Real-Status said: “We’re delighted to welcome Attova as a partner. The company will open up a multitude of opportunities for HyperGlance. HyperGlance’s modelling and visualisation enables IT decisions based on understanding their business impact. In that way it helps ensure scarce operational resources are allocated in the optimal way, and that improves the ROI on IT investments across the board.”

HyperGlance enables users to correlate and interpret data from existing IT management tools covering networks, servers, virtual machines, storage, applications, and security. They can see their entire IT infrastructure and their applications on a single pane of glass. When there are problems or anticipated changes in the infrastructure, HyperGlance enables users to see and understand what is affected. The benefits are faster, more accurate and informed operational decisions, help with security and compliance, and better capacity planning and utilisation.

Attova and Real-Status will discuss how a software visualisation product like HyperGlance can form part of a visualisation reference architecture in financial services at a webinar at 10 a.m. (West European time) on 9 November 2011. Filip Greenwich, Director at Attova, will highlight an approach and reference architecture in financial markets where visualisation enables enterprises to collaborate more effectively, analyse real time and historical data for faster trading and model/consolidate IT infrastructure for operational efficiencies.

This will be followed by a HyperGlance demo by Stace Hipperson, CTO, to support this reference architecture at the operational layer.

Click here to register.

A short video demonstrating HyperGlance’s capabilities is available on the Real-Status website: www.real-status.com.

Voucher Discount Code Site Uses QR Code as Consumer Tool; ZealDeal Expands Use of QR Code to Further Enhance Its Services

ZealDeal,a new deal promotion site that consolidates deals, discount codes, promotions, voucher codes and the Marketplace into a single all-in-one money saving shopping service expands use of Quick Response Code (QR Code) as a consumer tool rather than a marketeer tool.

ZealDeal - World's first deal promotion site that integrates deals, voucher codes and other money saving promotional offers directly into the marketplace, as well as further expanding the use of QR Codes to deliver an enhanced user experience. The expansion is part of the plan to make all services more user friendly, easier and quickly sharable amongst friends and family. ZealDeal is especially suited for people with a busy lifestyle who struggle to find the time to look for a deal or promotions and avoid paying more than they needed to for their shopping.

QR Code, also known as Quick Response code is fast becoming a popular tool but the focus has almost entirely been on its use as a marketing tool. It is already being used in ad campaigns, invoices, billboards and increasingly as a contact tool. ZealDeal is the first deal promotion site to implement QR Code into its core service as a consumer tool.

A significant percentage of the population, particularly in domestic environment, prefer to print out web pages, product pages or reference materials from the web. "In some cases, users are required to make a print out of certain materials. As for example, shoppers interested in visiting the merchant store to conduct the shopping has no option but to print out the page that contains the Voucher Code or Discount Code they intend to use. At ZealDeal we have implemented a special QR Code/Print option with all our deal promotions that will generate a small page snippet with a QR Code.

Users with a smartphone can just scan it and take the details with them, share it with friends or just email it" says co-founder A. Anwar Hossain. This saves printer consumables, minimises energy consumption and reduces carbon footprint. "We are not saying this will solve all the issues with our environment, but it adds to it. It also has an additional benefit of saving our users some money and time.

According to a recent survey by Toluna Quick published in Econsultency.com, an estimated 32% of 18 to 34 year olds had scanned a QR code and overall 36% of population already familiar with QR Codes and the number is growing fast. We hope many companies and organisations will embrace this direction and we'll see a wider use of QR Code as a consumer tool aimed to benefit ordinary shoppers and the population as a whole" adds its Head of Communications Arif H. Levandovsky.

ZealDeal is committed to continued development of smart and innovative technologies and services to help its users save more money, be more efficient and deliver a better user experience. ZealDeal services can be accessed at zealdeal.co.uk

FACTFILE:
ZealDeal is a new UK-based startup offering a different kind of deal promotion service. First to combine deal promotions and eMarketplace into a single consolidated technology platform, ZealDeal eliminates the need for shoppers spend time looking for great deals, discount codes, promotional offers and voucher codes. Its innovative deal consolidation technology automatically integrates all available deal promotions into the marketplace. ZealDeal - The money saving engine, aspires to become the ultimate destination for all money conscious shoppers.

Egnyte and Quickoffice® Offer iPad Users the Ability to Create, Collaborate and Edit, Anywhere Anytime

Seamless Integration Provides Secure and Scalable File Sharing to Small, Medium and Enterprise Organizations.

Egnyte, a top provider of HybridCloud file server solutions and Quickoffice the global leader in mobile office productivity solutions, today announced the integration of Quickoffice Pro HD and Egnyte HybridCloud File Sharing for iPad users, allowing them to create, collaborate and edit quickly and easily from anywhere, anytime.

With the integration, users can now instantly share folders, documents and files safely and securely, from within the Quickoffice Pro HD product. Egnyte’s unique HybridCloud approach delivers the speed and security of local storage with the flexible accessibility of the cloud.

“Using Egnyte’s HybridCloud File Sharing has allowed us to boost the effectiveness of our employees,” said Chuck Andrews, Owner of Andrews Solutions. “We’re very excited about this newest integration with Quickoffice. It means we can increase our efficiency by creating and editing presentations, documents and a host of other files on an iPad. Meanwhile, having access to Egnyte, we know we can safely collaborate with all team members, no matter whether they are in the office or out in the field, or in their home.”

Focused on the iPad tablet, this integration is aimed directly at dramatically increasing productivity. As a platform, we already know that the iPad plays a key role in the life of many business users. A July 2011 study from Gartner confirms this with their finding that, “a large sales force that deployed iPads discovered that people were spending 20% more computing time total per day when they used a tablet, a smartphone and a laptop than if they were using a smartphone and laptop alone. Laptops were relegated to less-frequent (but longer) sessions, and users were reaching for tablets frequently throughout the day”

“We’re excited to see our partnership with Egnyte move forward with deeper product integration,” said Alan Masarek, CEO of Quickoffice. “We believe there is significant overlap in our users, and more importantly, the joint solution represents significant productivity gains for users across the board.”

Vineet Jain, CEO of Egnyte noted, “Quickoffice is the leading editing and creation tool for Microsoft Office files used by iPad owners, and this partnership extends that reach. Users can literally work with anyone, on any device, using a solution that scales from small office up to the enterprise.”

FACTFILE:
Installed on over 300 million devices in over 180 countries, Quickoffice is the worldwide leader in mobile office solutions. Quickoffice delivers high quality, innovative mobile office software and solutions and is revolutionizing the way people use their mobile devices. Quickoffice's flagship, award-winning software allows mobile professionals to view, edit and create Microsoft® Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents on their mobile device. Through the software's seamless integration with the cloud, it enables simple, anytime, anywhere access to important content.

Available direct-to-consumer in leading App Stores or via handset OEMs, Quickoffice solutions support Android™, iPhone®, iPad®, HP webOS and Symbian® platforms. Privately held, Quickoffice is based in Dallas with offices in UK, Korea, Russia, Ukraine, and India. More information is available at http://www.quickoffice.com.

Over 1 Billion files have been shared by businesses using Egnyte HybridCloud File Server. Egnyte’s unique HybridCloud technology provides the speed and security of local storage with the flexible accessibility of the cloud. Users can easily store, share, access and backup files, while IT has the centralized administration and control to enforce business policies. Egnyte, founded 2007, is based in Mountain View, near San Francisco, California and is a privately held company backed by venture capital firms Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Floodgate Fund, and Polaris Venture Partners. For more information, please visit www.egnyte.com or call 1-877-7EGNYTE, which is a US 'phone number.

QNAP Announces UK Availability of Business Series Turbo NAS Products

QNAP® Systems, Inc. has announced the official UK availability of six additional models to its Turbo NAS range.

• Its first 12-drive 2U rackmount models (TS-EC1279U-RP and TS-1279U-RP)

• Two new 8-Drive rackmount models (TS-EC879U-RP and TS-879U-RP)

• Two new 8 & 10 drive desktop Units (TS-879 Pro and TS-1079 Pro)

The 12-drive TS-EC1279U-RP and TS-1279U-RP 2U rackmount Turbo NAS models provide up to 36TB storage capacity and are powered by a Quad-core Intel® Xeon® CPU and Dual-core Intel® Core™ i3 CPU respectively. Both models feature optional 10GbE networking and can achieve data throughput of over 1,000MB/sec and 100,000 IOPS using 10GbE. The 8-drive TS-EC879U-RP and TS-879U-RP 2U rackmount Turbo NAS models feature the same specifications but provide lower storage capacity of up to 24TB. This range of Turbo NAS products is capable of delivering ultra-high performance suitable for high-end SMB and data centre environments demanding efficient and large capacity storage solutions, and continuous up-time for mission critical applications.

“QNAP’s lineup designed for high-end SMBs delivers stunning performance with an optional 10 GbE card and comprehensive business features, all at competitive prices to fulfill the growing requirement for efficient, value for money, storage solutions for high-end SMBs,” said David Tsao, product manager of QNAP. “Redundant power supplies are provided on all new models to ensure continuous system up-time,” Tsao added. “The TS-EC879U-RP with ECC RAM further enhances system reliability.”

New Desktop Turbo NAS Products
QNAP also announces an expansion of its popular business series desktop Turbo NAS servers with an emphasis on maximum performance. The new TS-879 Pro (8 drive) and TS-1079 Pro (10 Drive), with up to 30TB of online storage, aim to fulfill the storage needs of high-end SMB environments. These models also feature an Intel® Core™ i3 CPU to deliver data throughput of over 1,000MB/sec via 10 GbE networking, ideal for network-wide backups, file sharing in mixed Windows®, Mac®, Linux, and UNIX environments, private cloud storage, server virtualization, and high-performance computing applications such as high definition video editing.

“Today's business environment requires network attached storage solutions that provide efficient data access,” said David Tuhy, General Manager, Intel Data Center Group Storage. “Intel technology powers a broad range of innovative solutions, including the Intel® Core™ i3 processor family for entry level data storage.”

“Network administrators of high-end SMBs can now rejoice,” said Richard Lee, president of QNAP Systems. “For now there is a viable alternative to the overpriced networked storage that has been previously marketed to the high-end SMBs. QNAP’s new TS-879 Pro and TS-1079 Pro deliver uncompromising performance and features at prices sure to make the accountant smile.”

Key Specifications
• TS-EC1279U-RP – 12-drive 2U rackmount unit, Quad-core Intel Xeon Processor E3-1225 (3.1 GHz), 4GB DDR3 ECC RAM, redundant power supply, 2X expansion slots for storage expansion and network expansion, 4X Gigabit LAN ports;

• TS-1279U-RP – 12-drive 2U rackmount unit, Dual-core Intel Core i3-2120 Processor (3.3 GHz), 2GB DDR3 RAM, redundant power supply, 2X expansion slots for storage expansion and network expansion, 2X Gigabit LAN ports;

• TS-EC879U-RP – 8-drive 2U rackmount unit, Quad-core Intel Xeon Processor E3-1225 (3.1 GHz), 4GB DDR3 ECC RAM, redundant power supply, 2X expansion slots for storage expansion and network expansion, 4X Gigabit LAN ports;

• TS-879U-RP – 8-drive 2U rackmount unit, Dual-core Intel Core i3-2120 Processor (3.3 GHz), 2GB DDR3 RAM, redundant power supply, 2X expansion slots for storage expansion and network expansion, 2X Gigabit LAN ports.

• TS-1079 Pro – 10-drive desktop unit, Dual-core Intel® Core™ i3-2120 Processor (3.3 GHz), 2GB DDR3 RAM, 1 expansion slot for storage expansion or network expansion, 2 Gigabit LAN ports;

• TS-879 Pro – 8-drive desktop unit, Dual-core Intel® Core™ i3-2120 Processor (3.3 GHz), 2GB DDR3 RAM, 1 expansion slot for storage expansion or network expansion, 2 Gigabit LAN ports.

UK Availability
Following official launch announcements earlier this year, these models are now available in the UK market from popular distributors, resellers, and e-tailers. Learn more about the new models and the rest of the QNAP Turbo NAS lineup at www.qnap.com. UK pricing is available on request via QNAP@powerit2.com.

FACTFILE:
QNAP Systems, Inc. is a privately held company founded in 2004 and is dedicated to bringing world class NAS storage, professional NVR video surveillance, and network video players to consumer, small/medium business, and entry level enterprise market segments. QNAP leverages not only hardware design but also a growing core competency in software engineering that is precisely focused on bringing to market products that offer the highest available performance coupled with outstanding reliability, scalability, and ease of installation and use. QNAP is a multi-national company with headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan, and subsidiary offices in China and the United States.

Biomni joins Amazon Web Services Solution Provider meto deliver Cloud Service Catalog solution

Biomni is pleased to announce it has entered into a relationship with Amazon Web Services
(AWS) to become a member of their Solution Providers Programme.

As a new member of the AWS Solution Providers Programme, Biomni will provide an integrated Cloud Service Catalog solution for the publication, request, and automated delivery of AWS residing applications and infrastructure.

AWS provides a highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud that powers hundreds of thousands of businesses in 190 countries around the world. With data center locations in the U.S., Europe, Singapore, and Japan. Companies of all sizes, from all around the globe use AWS to build applications, store data, manage business processes, and more. The AWS Solution Providers Programme provides marketing tools and training to Systems Integrators (SIs), Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), and other channel solution providers, to help broaden their suite of offerings and enter new market segments and verticals.

By developing a relationship with AWS, Biomni can now provide our ‘Front Office’ customers automated cloud application and infrastructure provisioning with significantly reduced delivery times from a single intuitive Cloud Service Catalogue.

“We are pleased to have established this relationship with AWS and look forward to delivering many integrated cloud provisioning solutions for our customers” said Kesh Dhillon, Business Development Director of Biomni.

“Our new membership in the AWS Solution Providers Programme extends the suite of automated service request fulfillment scenarios Biomni is able to provide our customers at no extra cost. Working with AWS enables us to deliver even more value to our customers. Now we can support the business demand for cloud IT services, provision those services immediately with AWS and then report back important consumption and financial information back to IT organization and the business it supports. A real ‘win-win’”.

FACTFILE:

Biomni is a leading provider of Service Cataloueg and Request Management solutions. Biomni’s Front Office solution suite becomes the ‘single pane of glass’ between an IT organization and the business it supports.

Biomni provide both the front office view into IT for the business, as well as the fulfillment and measurement capabilities that leverage existing IT systems, people and processes. Biomni supports an IT function’s growing necessity to evolve as a business service provider, and are strategically placed in the solution portfolios of leading global service providers and corporate enterprises. Front Office is offers customers a unified Service Catalog for all IT services, across Cloud, virtual and physical environments.

For more information and to understand how Biomni can help your business, visit www.biomni.com

QNAP, Experts in Network Attached Storage (NAS), will be at IP Expo

QNAP Systems, Inc. will demonstrate its latest line-up of network attached storage (NAS) at IP Expo, the UK’s largest Enterprise IT event. Close to 8,000 delegates are expected to attend this year’s IP Expo, a show that continues to grow year on year.

Attendees will get to see the full breadth of QNAP solutions ranging from budget friendly, but performance rich, 1,2 and 4-bay NAS drives for SOHO/home users, through to its SMB/Enterprise range of Intel-based iSCSI NAS desktop and rackmount products. Integral components of enterprise IT strategy for cloud computing, data storage and virtualisation.

Located at stand F60, QNAP representatives will be available to discuss the latest trends in enterprise storage, as well as presenting the following new products:

• A new suite of business series Turbo NAS products; TS-EC1279U-RP and TS-1279U-RP (12-drive 2U rackmount models);TS-EC879U-RP and TS-879U-RP (8-Drive rackmount models); TS-879 Pro and TS-1079 Pro (8 & 10 drive desktop units)

• Three new Turbo NAS models: the TS-419P II (4-drive); TS-219P II (2-drive); and the TS-119P II (single-drive). Budget-friendly network attached storage solutions for backup and file sharing, aimed at corporate workgroups, SOHO, and home users.

Brian Pan, QNAP Head of International Sales, comments: “Our industry leading investment in R&D continues to deliver excellent quality products at unrivalled price to feature ratios. IP Expo will give us a fantastic opportunity to showcase this to delegates and demonstrate how QNAP can help their organisations access, manage and protect the ever-expanding volume of data that they have to contend with.”

Visit QNAP at the VMware partner booth on stand F60 between Wednesday 19th and Thursday 20th October 2011 in Earls Court 2, London. For further information, visit http://www.ipexpo.co.uk/Exhibitors/QNAP-Systems-Inc

New partners in Europe for Atlantis

New Partners In UK, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, France And Norway Work With Atlantis ILIO To Accelerate Desktop Virtualisation Opportunities.

Atlantis Computing™, a leader in Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) storage and performance optimisation solutions, today announced it has appointed a range of new partners to its VDI Solution Partner Programme in Europe.

New partners include Kelway, Intercept IT, Centralis and Foundation IT in the UK, along with DataSolutions in Ireland, ActivLan in France and Commaxx in Norway. By joining the Atlantis Computing VDI Solution Partner Programme, resellers and distributors will benefit from a unique opportunity to complement their existing VDI offerings with a solution architected to help them grow their business around desktop virtualisation.

The Atlantis ILIO™ software virtual appliance allows customers to reduce the cost of their virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) implementations by cutting the amount of storage normally required as part of any project. Alongside this immediate opportunity to cut spending, Atlantis ILIO boosts performance to ensure user acceptance of virtual desktops and ensures security measures can be deployed without reducing the number of users per server.

The solution is easily deployed by channel partners into existing VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop or Quest vWorkspace deployments to either support more users on the same storage or address ongoing scalability and performance issues.

“We seem to have been at the tipping point for VDI going mainstream for some time, but there have been two major obstacles to overcome: the potentially high storage costs for a customer during an implementation, and issues around ongoing user acceptance,” commented David Cumberworth, Vice President Sales for Northern Europe at Atlantis Computing. “Atlantis ILIO has been designed to solve these problems in a manner that is both simple to implement for partners, and cost-effective for the customer. By taking this approach and complementing the existing VMware, Citrix, and Quest VDI solutions that are on the market, we are helping our channel partners to deliver a lower cost per desktop and drive wider adoption of these technologies.”

Andrew Sellers, Director at Foundation IT said, “We are one of VMware’s Leading Partners for delivering virtual desktop solutions to customers based on VMware View. Working with Atlantis Computing allows us to offer our customers a VDI solution that delivers significant CAPEX savings whilst providing ‘better than PC’ user experience. Bringing VMware View and Atlantis ILIO together means that we can deliver solutions that achieve the operational simplicity and scalability that desktop virtualisation always promised at the same cost of a traditional PC.”

“Centralis is a leading provider of virtualisation solutions, covering the desktop, server and storage platforms. We have chosen to work with Atlantis Computing to enhance our overall service offerings and the value that we are able to deliver to customers through centralising their desktop infrastructure deployments,” said Robert Greenslade, Sales and Marketing Director at Centralis. “The market for VDI is continuing to grow as organisations want to reduce their spending on IT and improve desktop management, and we see Atlantis as a key technology partner to deliver significant cost savings through optimising the customers chosen storage platform whilst delivering a rich user experience for VDI desktops.”

“Intercept IT is one of the UK’s leading cloud computing and virtualisation service providers,” Richard Gilder, CEO at Intercept IT commented. “The market for Virtual Desktops has grown exponentially as organisations reduce their spending on IT, and embrace new strategies such as consumerisation, BYOD and cloud based services. Working with Atlantis will help us to ensure that customers see the results from moving to virtual desktops that they demand, as well as complementing our existing virtualisation partners.”

Atlantis Computing is exhibiting at the following events in Europe:

• VMworld Europe, Copenhagen, October 18th to 20th. Stand 64
• Citrix Synergy, Barcelona, October 26th to 28th. Stand 521.

To arrange a meeting at either of these events with Atlantis Computing, please contact sales@atlantiscomputing.com

FACTFILE:
About the VDI Solution Partner Programme

The Atlantis VDI Solution Partner Programme supports its certified technology and solution partners with sales tools, training, and marketing materials to fuel their success. As a channel driven company, Atlantis Computing embraces partners that have built a virtualisation practice and works in partnership to enable their long-term growth and success. For more information on the Atlantis VDI Solution Partner Programme and a list of current partners, please visit: http://www.atlantiscomputing.com/partners/solutions/

About Atlantis Computing

Atlantis Computing is transforming enterprise desktop computing by solving the challenges of virtual desktop deployments: storage costs, performance and the impact of security on server density. The Atlantis ILIO software complements Citrix, VMware, and Quest VDI solutions to cut VDI costs and deliver a desktop that is faster than a PC. With Atlantis ILIO, IT organisations can deploy 4-7 times more desktops on the same storage footprint, making VDI more affordable by both cutting the amount of storage needed per desktop and enabling the use of less expensive storage. Atlantis Computing is privately held and funded by El Dorado Ventures, Partech International and Cisco Systems with headquarters in Mountain View, California, and offices in London, England and Bangalore, India.

Boots Treat Street launch new Trolley Dash App on Android and iPhone OS

Boots Treat Street shoppers can now download the new fun, free Trolley Dash app game, available to download from the Apple Store and the Android Market.

Dave Robinson, Head of Partnership Marketing at Boots UK, commented: "We're delighted to launch Boots first web app and provide Advantage Card holders with a fun way to find out more about the Boots Treat Street shopping portal. We know our customers enjoy shopping and we're sure they'll enjoying playing with our app too."

Users can take a stroll down the pretty pastel coloured street, passing favourite retailers like eBay, New Look and Play.com as they collect prizes and avoid hazards. Gamers try to get as high a score as possible before the time runs out and then share their scores with friends and family on Twitter or Facebook,

Once they've shopped till their heart's content, gamers can visit Boots Treat Street where they can really shop the high street online. With every £1 spent on purchases through Boots Treat Street at other retailers such as French Connection, lastminute.com and Office Shoes, customers collect at least 1 Boots Advantage Card point, and can quickly rack up more points to spend in Boots stores and treat themselves with.

The Treat Street Trolley Dash app can be downloaded from Apple iTunes and the Android Market.

At Boots Treat Street, customers collect at least one point for every £1 they spend, as well as getting exclusive offers vouchers, and discount codes from the high-street's biggest retailers including Comet, Currys and the Apple Store and also online retailers, such as eBay, Lovefilm and Play.com. Customers just log in to Boots Treat Street and click through to the retailers site via a special link which means that their purchase can be tracked and their Advantage Card points awarded.

Boots Treat Street also offers vouchers, discount codes and products from the high-street's biggest retailers including Comet, Currys and the Apple Store and also online retailers, such as eBay, Lovefilm and Play.com. Customers can also collect insurance discount codes such as Aviva car insurance discount codes, Sheilas Wheels offers, Legal & General home insurance codes and RAC discount codes.

Calling Telecom operators

Telecom operators are looking for new ways of financing infrastructure investment and acquisitions as they look to capture growth in increasingly competitive Asian markets, say industry and finance leaders.

The latest methods and wider strategic implications will be assessed at the TMT Finance & Investment Asia conference in Hong Kong at the Intercontinental Grand Stanford on November 1 (www.tmtfinance.com/asia).

“As operators continue to invest in their infrastructure they have a continued requirement for additional capital,” commented Ranesh Verma, Managing Director and Head of Structured Finance TMT Asia, ING who will be speaking on the financing panel.

“Against the background of continued market volatility, operators and vendors are increasingly exploring ways to expand and diversify their sources of funding; finance partners need to be increasingly innovative in the solutions they offer industry participants.”

The latest developments in risk management and acquisition strategy will also be highlighted on the M&A Panel at the conference which features heads of telecoms, media and technology from Credit Suisse, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Standard Chartered, Herbert Smith and the World Bank.

"A high cash-generating sector like telecoms is an attractive revenue stream for Governments - both through licensing agreements and taxation,” said Hal G. Bosher, Sr. Underwriter, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency at The World Bank Group. “In the current economic uncertainty this raises the likelihood of disputes as Governments seek to offset lower tax receipts in other areas of the economy. This risk has only been heightened as telecoms is increasingly seen as a utility that should be regulated and managed by the public sector.”

Telecom operators are also currently raising finance and increasing operational efficiency by outsourcing mobile towers infrastructure assets, and the latest business models, operators and deal structures will be assessed in the CFO Round Table and Infrastructure Investment Panels. Speakers include CEOs, CFOs and regional heads from Etisalat, Vimpelcom , Viom Networks, Quippo, American Tower, Citigroup, Apax, Bakrie Telecom and Telstra. For full details of programme timings and speakers visit www.tmtfinance.com/asia

The TMT Finance & Investment Asia conference, now in its third year, gathers telecom executives, investment bankers, specialist financiers and advisers from across Asia to assess new investment opportunities and strategies. Supporting partners and sponsors for 2011 include Booz & Company, Allen & Overy, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Herbert Smith, MSL Asia, Moody’s Investors Service, Actel, Invest Hong Kong, Thomson Reuters and the Hong Kong Wireless Technology Industry Association.

Register to attend at www.tmtfinance.com/asia/register

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Equifax Urges Consumers To Be Vigilant After Katie Price Becomes A Victim Of Fraud

As reports emerge that model Katie Price has become the victim of a £14,000 fraud, leading ID fraud expert Equifax, is reminding consumers of the importance of regularly checking their credit report.

There is no typical victim of ID fraud, as fraudsters use an array of tactics to obtain people’s personal information. It is therefore vital that consumers try to protect themselves the best they can from this crime.

“As fraudsters are continuing to get increasingly unscrupulous and determined, consumers must remain on their guard and review the measures they are taking to protect their personal details,” advises Neil Munroe, External Affairs Director at Equifax. “Regularly checking your bank statements and credit reports are just two methods used that will alert individuals to any unusual transactions that would indicate fraudulent activity.”

In addition to regularly checking statements and credit reports, Equifax is offering consumers the following tips for when they are at home and at work to limit the chances of becoming a fraud victim:

• Never leave personal financial documents lying around and be wary of those near you when doing online banking
• No matter how much you trust your friends and work colleagues, never disclose your PIN number to anyone
• Ensure your computer screen is password protected and locked when you leave it unattended
• Make sure you wipe the history on your computer after use
• If you are using a public computer make sure you log out of sites, rather than just closing the window
• If you think you have become a victim of fraud, alert your banks and credit reference agencies immediately.
• You can notify CIFAS, which runs a Protective Registration service and a notice will be placed on your credit file informing lenders that you may be at risk of identity fraud on 0870 010 2091
• You can also call Action fraud for advice and support on 0300 123 2040 or visit their website www.actionfraud.org.uk

Tackling the threat of identity theft and fraud, Equifax Identity Watch Pro gives consumers unlimited instant, easy online access to their latest credit file, with automatic alerts within 24 hours of key changes to their credit report. It costs £7.50 per month. Or for just £2.99 per month, Equifax Identity Watch Lite makes monitoring a credit report easy by automatically alerting the individual within seven days of key changes.

Apple launch Marshall Bergman 'bags that work' for women and men

The trend for replacing a designer handbag each season has become a thing of the past.

Recent times have seen a sea-change in the way men and women buy fashion. A bag 'that works' that will look stylish and have handy pockets for iPads, laptops and personal belongings is seen now as investment-dressing. Still contemporary and high-end but ultimately functional and will cater for all the needs of modern men and women

This exclusive range for Apple by Marshall Bergman is a collection of sleek minimalist designs with inspiration taken from strong architectural forms, to create clean, uncomplicated bags. This pioneering accessory range combines understated luxury with a thoroughly modern 'First lady of cool' look.

The two Marshall Bergman handbag designs in the range are both made from premium Italian leather.. the 'Tahlia' - an elegant shoulder bag (pictured) or the slightly larger 'Alyssa'. Both styles come with quilted internal pockets designed to protect and fit whatever laptop you are carrying.

For men, the 'Theo' and 'Corbin' messenger bag styles come with adjustable straps and a multitude of pockets in choices of black or brown leather or khaki canvas. The Marshall Bergman brand is a fascinating story of old meets new. Co-founder Suzi Bergman's great grandmother Sarak Bergman founded her workshop in Ludwigshafen Germany in 1890. A maker of utilitarian bags, Bergman foresaw a need for a functional bag that carried household grocery items and tools. This was continued by her son Isaac Bergman, a shoe maker in the early 1920's.

Two generations later, Melanie Marshall and Suzi Bergman founded Storksak, a brand that created a new standard in stylish, functional baby bags for parents. Following the global success of the Storksak concept, (with bags now being available in over 30 countries worldwide and seen on the arms of A-listers Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt) Suzi and Melanie spotted a gap in the market for an innovative new work bag brand, and launched Marshall Bergman

Marshall Bergman's premier collection combines handsome classic styling with beautifully designed functional interiors. Every Marshall Bergman bag is beautiful enough to use as your handbag and perfect for your work essentials. The bags are made from the finest materials and crafted to the highest standards.

Editors Notes;
Marshall Bergman bags retail from GBP65 to GBP250. Available exclusively at www.Apple.com/uk.

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/shop_mac/mac_accessori...

Sanyo Award for Mayflex

Mayflex Electronic Security division has received a second award in September, as the company is presented with the Best Non-Security Application Award from Sanyo.

The award ceremony, which took place at the company’s European Headquarters in Munich and brought together Distributors and Resellers from across the continent, was part of Sanyo’s Premier Partner Conference. Mayflex took the award for Best Non-Security Application using Sanyo HD products for a project at Bath Rugby club, working closely with installers U2Com. 

The club is now using Sanyo HD cameras to stream live video feeds of the team’s training sessions into specialist sports analytics software to help them analyse their game. Instant replay can be provided to coaching staff pitchside via handheld devices allowing immediate review of activity on the pitch.

This achievement comes just after Mayflex won MOBOTIX’s Partner of the Year award for their work across EMEA.

Gary Harmer, Security Sales Director at Mayflex, is delighted with these awards, saying, “The Mayflex security division has seen significant growth during 2011 and the recent award wins are testament to the hard work and commitment that the team has shown, both working with our customers and our suppliers. The Sanyo award is of great importance to us as it demonstrates how versatile HD cameras are and how they can be used for far more than just security applications.”

For more information on Sanyo’s range of HD cameras, contact the Mayflex Security Sales team on Freephone 0800 881 5199 or go to www.mayflex.com.

Rowanmoor Pensions cuts budgeting and forecasting time by two weeks per year with Advanced Business Solutions

Rowanmoor Pensions, a specialist pensions provider with over 30 years’ industry experience, has reduced the time taken to budget and forecast by two weeks per year since implementing a budgeting, forecasting and planning system from Advanced Business Solutions (ABS).

Rowanmoor Pensions researched the market and chose a budgeting and forecasting system that best fit its requirements in terms of price and level of functionality.

James Simpson, Financial Administrator from Rowanmoor Pensions, says, “We approached Advanced Business Solutions because we needed a more robust and functionally-rich alternative to our existing systems.”

The new ABS system is being used for budgeting and planning for the current financial year and the next two years. It is also being used for ‘what if?’ scenario planning, providing the company with greater confidence when planning for the future.

“We are now better equipped for forecasting the effect of potential company and market changes such as income fluctuations or altered tax rates”, explains Simpson.

Since moving to ABS’ system, Rowanmoor Pensions has cut the time it takes to budget and forecast, enabling the finance team to spend less time on administration and more time on other added value activities.

Simpson says, “Thanks to ABS’ system, budgeting and forecasting is now more automated and intuitive, saving the finance team two weeks’ of budgeting and forecasting time each year.”

Simpson adds, “Producing balance sheets is quick and easy, delivering a holistic view of the company’s finances at any one time whilst enabling accurate and timely reports.”

FACTFILE:

• Rowanmoor Pensions provides and administers member-directed pension schemes:

o Small Self-Administered Schemes (SSAS)
o Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPP)
o Family Pension Trusts (also known as Family SIPPs).
• Rowanmoor Pensions is the UKs largest independent SSAS and Family Pension Trust practitioner and administers around 4,000 schemes.

• Rowanmoor Pensions was awarded best SSAS provider in the 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Moneyfacts Investment, Life and Pensions Awards.

• Rowanmoor Pensions was awarded best SSAS provider in the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Pensions Management Technology Administration and Service Awards.

• The Rowanmoor Pensions website is www.rowanmoor.co.uk
• Rowanmoor Pensions currently employs over 200 people.
• Rowanmoor Pensions is a trading name of Rowanmoor Group plc (No. 5792242).

• Rowanmoor Personal Pensions Limited, a subsidiary of Rowanmoor Group plc is the scheme Administrator and scheme operator for schemes established under a Rowanmoor Pensions Family Pension Trust and the Rowanmoor Pensions SIPP and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (Register number 458260).

www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/abs
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.

ABS' software systems comprise core accounting/financial management, procurement, human resource and payroll systems, integrated with a range of collaborative, document management and business intelligence solutions to extend the value and effectiveness of the finance, human resource and payroll departments, which can also be delivered as a managed or bureau service option.

Customers come from both public and private sectors and include Companies House, Newcastle City Council, WH Smith, Royal Bank of Scotland, Aer Lingus, National Express Group, DFS, RSPB and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust.
Advanced Business Solutions is a division of Advanced Computer Software Group plc.