Sunday 28 October 2012

Sirius and G-Cloud bring Open Source to Government

24/7 Support for Open Source now available through the CloudStore

Sirius, the UK's Flagship Open Source company, has confirmed that it has been awarded a place on the G-Cloud Framework and will be making the full range of Open Source products available through the CloudStore.

The UK Government has been working to make the purchasing of public sector ICT as simple and transparent as possible. All services listed on the CloudStore are part of the G-Cloud framework and so immediately available for the public sector to procure and use. For buyers this means:

* No need to go through the time and expense of issuing OJEUs
* Assurance that every product and service in the catalogue as been accredited to Government standards
* Suppliers approved by Government as agile, efficient and offering value for money
* Find low cost and high quality solutions simply

Sirius Chief Executive Mark Taylor said: "This really is a first! The myth 'you can't get support for Open Source' is dead and now it's time to lay to rest the ogre of procurement." He continued "{{Open Source is now available simply, safely and cheaply through the CloudStore and backed by world-class services from Sirius."

Estimates vary, but by most reckonings the UK Government spends between £17-20 billion each year on ICT. Uptake of Open Source and SME engagement are two central pillars of Government strategy to radically and permanently reduce this annual spend.

Sirius services available through the CloudStore include:

* Strategic Consultancy
* Deployment and Systems Integration
* Training
* Support
* Software as a Managed Service

Sirius support the entire range of Enterprise Open Source products with their main focus in the areas of

* Identity Management
* Database and Big Data
* Enterprise Search
* Online Presence
* Core Enterprise Infrastructure

All free from vendor lock-in, with lower acquisition and maintenance costs, performing to a higher standard and allowing full access to source code.

Sirius is the UK's flagship open source solutions provider with 15 years’ experience supporting mission critical enterprise applications and infrastructure. Our consultants, business analysts, IT architects and support engineers work with central and local government agencies, blue-chip multi-nationals, SMEs and start-ups to identify, deploy and manage feature-rich and stable open source solutions. For more information go to www.siriusopensource.com

Sunday 21 October 2012

Can banks get security right for mobile banking?

A new insight report from Goode Intelligence examines how banks are currently securing the mobile channel and offers recommendations to ensure that mobile banking becomes a trusted service.

Goode Intelligence (www.goodeintelligence.com) has reported that the mobile banking channel has the potential to be more secure than 'traditional' online banking.

“Mobile devices do create new risks but they can also help to make online banking considerably more secure”, said Ron Condon, report author and senior analyst at Goode Intelligence.

In its new report Mobile Banking Security, Goode Intelligence provides an insight into the current state of mobile banking security. This 50+ page report analyses the importance of security for mobile banking and investigates how banks, with the help of their technology partners, are deploying solutions to prevent fraud and identity theft.

The report shows that there is a great opportunity for banks to benefit from the immediacy that smart mobile devices (SMDs) offer. However, Goode Intelligence believes that there are still significant risks in adopting these exciting new communication channels and that they must be counteracted before consumers confidently accept them.

With the rise in mobile malware and cases of bank Trojans attacking mobile-based authentication solutions, banks must be vigilant and offer their customers a blend of security combined with excellent user experience.

Condon believes that the key to successful adoption for mobile banking services is a stellar user experience: “Heavy-handed security measures can often spoil the mobile user experience. Take authentication. If the bank customer has to use a hardware token to provide strong two-factor authentication (2FA) to access their banking service on a mobile device than this can completely destroy the user experience and lead to frustration. Security must blend in with the mobile banking experience.”

According to Goode Intelligence, banks should adopt a number of measures to ensure that adequate security controls are integrated into the heart of their mobile banking strategy; these include:
• Consider using the in-built features of a mobile device for stronger multi-factor authentication and verification (MFA/MFV), including biometrics, behavioural analysis and geolocation

• Monitor apps stores for any rogue apps that purport to represent your company – and kill them quickly

• Introduce a plan for updating mobile banking apps

• Ensure that mobile banking apps are security tested

• Integrate mobile apps with other banking channels, so that security lessons learned in one channel benefit the others

• Educate users about system hygiene when upgrading their handset, and disposing of an old one

Further information about the Mobile Banking Security Insight Report can be found at www.goodeintelligence.com

Goode Intelligence is the leading research, analysis and consultancy organisation for the mobile security industry; providing services to global technology and telecommunications organisations. For more information about Goode Intelligence please visit www.goodeintelligence.com

(EDITOR: There's something that users of smartphones can do to help themselves. Ensure they install antiviral software on their phone.)

Thursday 20 September 2012

Plusnet reveals eight out of ten people are proud to be British

Plusnet has revealed that, with the world's spotlight having shone on the UK this year, 81% of the nation feel proud to be a Brit, with nearly a third claiming they feel more proud than they have for a decade. Plusnet has commissioned a survey, supplemented with focus groups and insights from leading psychologist Dr. Cliff Arnall, which has found that:

- Nearly a third of the UK claim they feel the proudest they have for a decade
- 69% are proud of the British sense of humour
- 80% of Brits say family gives them sense of pride
- 50% feel proud of bagging a bargain when it comes to shopping

Jamie Ford, Plusnet CEO, added: "This year Plusnet changed its strapline to 'We'll do you proud' which, by coincidence, has been a rather fitting move given the events of 2012. We're certainly a proud nation when it comes to our culture, sense of humour and our heritage. However, it is matters closer to home and the everyday actions of family that generates the biggest sense of pride and here at Plusnet, we’re committed to making our customers proud of the products and services we provide every day."

FACTFILE:
Back in 1997 Plusnet was born. Its plan was simple; to think and act differently from other providers and save the customer money. That's not changed since the day it launched. More than a decade later Plusnet is still providing great value fibre optic broadband and phone packages from its HQ in Yorkshire. 

Plusnet's customers and industry professionals think it supports them so well that the company has been given a stack of awards to prove it.  Plusnet was especially proud to have won "Best Overall Customer Satisfaction" in the 2011 uSwitch Broadband Satisfaction Survey.

Plusnet always takes pride in having a great relationship with its customers, offering great broadband customer service.  It believes it's only fair to talk openly and honestly with them, help fix problems and talk about pretty much anything related to broadband over on its Community site, blogs and forums. Plusnet customers also get generous rewards for telling their friends about the company.
www.plus.net

Sunday 16 September 2012

Ready for Wireless?

“Wireless was once regarded as the ‘wart’ on the back of wired networks, but now the balance is shifting towards wireless, particularly as organisations want to build on the benefits of their existing, limited wireless deployments,” said Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of Wick Hill Group

“However,” he claimed, “most companies just aren’t ready for that shift. They have wireless hot spots which can’t reach everywhere; or worse still, have implemented wireless networks which can’t be easily upscaled and are destined to be ripped and replaced in a short period of time.”

Kilpatrick was speaking as the company became UK distributor for California-based vendor Xirrus, a leader in high performance wireless networks.

“Wireless is more cost-effective, more convenient, less disruptive, encourages productivity – and users want it,” continued Kilpatrick. ” The fast growth of BYOD is just one of the indicators that the world is moving steadily towards greater use of wireless. Users want to use their smartphones, tablets and laptops, wirelessly, wherever they happen to be.

“That’s great, but who is thinking about the fact that each device makes an incremental load on the network and that each user will typically look to increment their usage? And that companies are going to want to put, not just their web browsing and email onto wireless, but also their business critical applications and multi-media – and they’ll want it to work faultlessly.

“If users are to gain the benefits of BYOD and wireless,” stressed Kilpatrick, “they need to set up wireless networks with pervasive coverage that have the performance to cope with a high number of users and a wide range of applications, both now and as they expand usage. Wireless networks need to be extremely flexible, so that many more users can be added easily, without affecting performance and without requiring major infrastructure upheaval.

“The huge increase in BYOD and wireless in the last couple of years has
shown us that the IT landscape can change dramatically and unpredictably in a very short space of time. So anyone installing or upgrading wireless now has to be confident it can cope with any unpredictable rise in wireless use in the future. The only thing that can be reliably predicted is that usage and traffic volumes will increase.

“We selected Xirrus because it provides the solutions that can make this shift to wireless work reliably and cost-effectively, offering users the ability to easily expand wireless use and to increase the number of users, without major infrastructure upheaval.”

Sean Larner, Vice President International Sales at Xirrus, said: “Mobility is now the norm and people expect to connect without wires. With more than 800 million* wireless-enabled devices being produced every year, innovative organisations are using them to engage with their customers and transform their business models.”

“As the leader in high-performance wireless networks, we are strategically partnering with companies around the world to provide powerful, scalable, and trusted wireless solutions for our customers, giving them the confidence that their networks perform, even under the most demanding circumstances,” Larner continued. “We are delighted to welcome Wick Hill Group as our latest distributor and wish them every success in the future.”

*Figures provided from the Wi-Fi Alliance

Xirrus solutions

Benefits

• Designed for pervasive enterprise coverage, not just hotspots

• Designed for density of BYOD, not just 10 people in a conference room

• Designed for multi-media and critical applications, not just email and web
browsing

• Designed to be adaptive and upgraded as requirements grow, not replaced as
technology changes

• Designed to lower total cost of ownership by requiring less equipment and
infrastructure, not more

Xirrus XR Series Wireless Arrays
Xirrus XR Series Wireless Arrays are the first modular Wi-Fi products of their kind featuring upgradeability, high scalability, high performance and integrated security. The series ranges from the XR-1000 up to the XR-6000
XR-1000

The Xirrus XR-1000 Wireless Array provides superior price/performance value by integrating the unmatched combination of two multi-state (2.4GHz and 5GHz) radios with high gain directional antennas, an onboard multi-gigabit switch, controller, firewall, threat sensor and spectrum analyser all built on a modular chassis designed to meet the needs of network designs, including the demand for coverage in high RF attenuation environments (dense walls), designs supporting low user/device density coverage and designs that include isolated locations where reliable wireless coverage is desired.

XI Series Wireless APs
The Xirrus XI Series 802.11n Wireless Access Points are modular devices configured into Xirrus XR Series Arrays that provide best-in-class connectivity supporting the growing needs of smartphones, tablets and laptops.

The XI APs allow organisations to meet the performance needs of their users, and the RF management needs of the business. Available in 300 Mbps as well as 450 Mbps models, the Xirrus XI Series APs offer superior coverage, bandwidth and reliability.

FACTFILE:
 Established in 1976, value added distributor Wick Hill specialises in secure IP infrastructure solutions and convergence. The company sources and delivers best-of-breed, easy-to-use solutions through its channel partners, with a portfolio that covers security, performance, access, networking, convergence and hosted solutions.

Wick Hill is part of the Wick Hill Group, based in Woking, Surrey with sister offices in Hamburg. Wick Hill is particularly focused on providing a wide range of value added support for its channel partners. This includes a strong lead generation and conversion programme, technical and consultancy support for reseller partners in every stage of the sales process, and extensive training facilities.

Xirrus is the leading provider of high-performance wireless networks. Our array-based solutions perform under the most demanding circumstances—always. Wired-like reliability and superior security allow our customers to confidently take their business-critical applications and operations mobile. Our solutions are unique in the industry, transforming enterprises and organizations around the world. At a time when everyone expects to connect wirelessly everywhere and business is increasingly done in the cloud, Xirrus wireless solutions are providing a vital strategic business and IT infrastructure advantage in thousands of deployments worldwide. Headquartered in Thousand Oaks, CA, Xirrus is a privately held enterprise designing and manufacturing its products and solutions in the USA. For more information, visit www.xirrus.com.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

G3 Comms consolidates businesses to deliver end-to-end converged communications solutions. G3 Telecoms and G3 Network Services combine to lead the way

G3 Comms Logo
G3 Telecommunications and sister company G3 Network Services have formally integrated their business operations to become G3 Comms Group.

Over the past 10 years, both companies have built considerable expertise and market-leading capabilities in designing, implementing and maintaining sophisticated IP telecommunications and converged network solutions. During this time, G3 businesses have increasingly pooled resources to enable their clients to capitalise on the latest communications technology and the move to consolidate activities now opens up many more new opportunities.

G3 Comms Sales and Marketing Director, Niall Anderson, believes the new structure delivers significant advantages that will allow the business to better address the needs of enterprise clients: “We operate in a dynamic market where change happens fast,” he said. “Advances in technology are rapidly redefining the way businesses are able to operate and a new breed of virtual and cloud-based network-delivered services are creating the chance to realise step-changes in efficiency and productivity.

“To extract maximum value from next-generation communications investment, enterprises need to rely on service providers who can deliver end-to-end solutions – from global backbone networks to the devices at their fingertips. G3 Comms has specialist skills and unique experience on both sides of the firewall and the agility to intelligently combine these to deliver groundbreaking solutions. We have always innovated and we have always led the way – and as G3 Comms we’re ensuring we stay ahead so we’re able to put our clients first.”

G3 retains its long-standing Avaya accreditation and is now Huawei’s first Platinum Value Added Reseller and Four Star Certified Service Partner for the UK and Ireland. This means that as well as being able to design and engineer network solutions using Huawei products, G3 will also be able to provide clients with ongoing maintenance and support services for those solutions. In addition, G3 Comms is also the first Genius! Networks partner and part of an exclusive group of specialists with the capabilities to deliver the benefits of innovative, global connectivity solutions from Genius! Networks. Powered by a revolutionary core routing infrastructure, Genius! provides direct connection to affordable, end-to-end voice and data services with guaranteed Quality of Service from a single SLA.

“These are exciting times,” said G3 Comms Managing Director, Tony Parish. “Over the years I’ve seen G3’s telecoms and network services businesses grow and develop to meet the evolving communication challenges our clients face. From deploying the latest smart devices, applications and pro-active network monitoring tools to designing and implementing the most complex global converged network solutions for muti-national clients, we have always focused on pushing the boundaries. By fully integrating our businesses, developing our technology partner relationships and embracing next generation connectivity, G3 Comms is now better placed and better equipped to empower a new era of enterprise communications.”

Monday 10 September 2012

Incisive Media to launch Popular Science UK

Popular Science UK edition for the iPadNew edition of award-winning science and technology title exclusively on the iPad 21st September
Incisive Media will launch a new UK edition of the leading iPad publication Popular Science later this month, it was announced today. The first monthly issue of Popular Science UK will be published on September 21, exclusively on Apple’s iPad tablet, and with the first issue completely free.

Popular Science, which currently has an audience of over 6.5 million readers, brings the cutting edge of science and technology to a wide audience. From gadgets to global warming, it explains how the latest developments and devices will change our lives.

The iPad edition launched alongside the iPad on April 3, 2010, and was noted by Apple CEO Steve Jobs as “king of the hill” of magazine apps. The new UK edition brings the same award-winning interactive design and in-depth content to the UK App Store, but using UK currency and metric units throughout, and with new UK-only articles.

“Popular Science explains science and technology in an entertaining and inclusive way, but without ever glossing over details or dumbing down”, said Tom Royal, who will edit the new UK edition.

“We’re hugely excited to be bringing the same great journalism and multimedia to the UK, but with added UK articles and where the only pounds listed are in prices.”

Marc Hartog, Group Publishing Director at Incisive Media, said: “Popular Science is one of the most read brands on the planet and is perhaps the most successful magazine on the iPad in the USA.

“By taking this fantastic content and creating a localised UK edition we are creating a title that is more relevant and appealing to the UK market, and which will build on the thousands of existing UK subscribers.”

The first issue of Popular Science UK is being made available completely free of charge. Future monthly issues will cost £2.99, with subscriptions available from £19.99.

More information is available on the new Popular Science UK website: www.popsciuk.com

Editorial Contacts:
Product and gadget PR: whatsnew@popsciuk.com
Editor: Tom Royal editor@popsciuk.com, 0207 316 9804

Monday 3 September 2012

Excel Launches Excel Encyclopaedia

Excel Encyclopaedia Edition 2
3rd September 2012, Excel Networking Solutions, the copper and optical cabling infrastructure provider, has launched the 2nd edition of the Excel Encyclopaedia.

The first version was published back in September 2010 and received much acclaim for its educational and factual content. The Encyclopaedia has been designed to provide consultants, M&E contractors, end users and installation partners with a thorough understanding of structured cabling and more importantly a complete insight into the Excel Structured Cabling Solution.

Tracey Calcutt, marketing manager commented “We’re delighted with the new Excel Encyclopaedia, we’ve added even more technical content to this edition which includes more explanations, diagrams and quick reference charts that assist the reader to get a clearer understanding of structured cabling in general, as well as being the ultimate guide to the Excel structured cabling solution.”

Tracey continued “A large majority of the Encyclopaedia has been written by key members of our team including two RCDD qualified technicians, one of which, Paul Cave is the Chairman of the BISCI Standards Committee, so the reader can be assured that they’ve got one trusted source of information written by the people that know what they’re talking about.”

Tracey concluded “The Excel Encyclopaedia is available in electronic format from the Excel website or on CD to allow recipients to copy and paste the relevant information for their requirements, particularly in the Pre-Sales Support section which provides ready-made specification document templates to assist with complex bids.”

The Excel Encyclopaedia Edition 2 is available in English, French and Spanish. A copy can be downloaded from www.excel-networking.com and is coming soon in an iPad friendly version. Excel partners can also download word versions of the specification documents and tender responses by visiting the Excel Partner Area on the website.

To contact Excel email sales@excel-networking.com or call 0121 326 7557

New professional camera from Panasonic

Panasonic System Communications Company Europe, Professional Camera Solutions is pleased to announce a new range of micro camera equipment suitable for many applications including medical (hospitals, microscopy), industrial (quality control, inspection), live science (research facilities, laboratories) and broadcast (for example in nature documentaries). Panasonic has created a flexible range of micro (also called remote head) cameras including the GP-US932X, which can be purchased in full or as individual components in OEM state to suit custom needs.

The GP-US932X has HD quality in micro format for long distance with; one of the smallest remote 3-chip camera head, digitised video signal, the possibility to use different cable lengths with the camera and the ability to use many different video formats; HD/SD/digital/ analogue and outstanding performance thanks to improved sensors, as well as stunning 1000 TV Lines resolution and increased light sensitivity of 2000lx at F10. Other functions like image rotation and mirroring options, three pre-sets including the colour temperatures, the freeze picture, 2.5x electronic zoom, 12-axis colour matrix and frequency-depending detail enhancement makes this camera to a versatile product. With the new Binning Mode the sensitivity can be increased to 2000lx at F11 with almost no reduction in resolution.

To discuss the possible applications of the GP-US932X in your business please join Panasonic at the International Broadcasting Convention at the R.A.I in Amsterdam on September 7th on stand C45 in hall 9. Alternatively, more information can be found on our Business Solutions website.

Full Technical Specifications:

GP-US932X
The Panasonic 3MOS remote head camera with high definition up to 1080p Full HD
- High Definition in 1080p
- Smallest 3MOS Camera Head
- Multi Format
- Multi Outputs (Analogue and Digital)
- Brilliant Colour Reproduction
- More Functions: Mirror, Rotate, Still & ZOOM

Available as OEM components

The new GP-US932X micro camera now provides true 1080p Full HD quality. This camera provides a range of new functions and improved characteristics.

HD quality in micro format for long distance

Now with dimensions of just astonishing 27 x 30 x 39 mm, the separate camera head of the new GP-US932X makes mechanical system integration much easier. The video signal is digitised already in the camera head. The entire digital processing chain provides true, almost loss-free colour reproduction. Panasonic's new model supports 4 different optional cable lengths: 4, 6, 10 and even 20m cables allow the camera head to be moved even long distances away 'loss-free', which therefore considerably increases the number of potential applications for the equipment.

Many different formats – HD/SD / digital/analogue simultaneously

In order to provide the best possible connection to HD monitors, the Panasonic camera system has a digital HD-SDI and HDMI interface in one CCU model. Beside the HDTV formats 720p and 1080i the HDMI output now provides also Full HD with 1080p. If necessary, the camera can be switched between the supported HD format and the conventional 576i and 576p SD formats even during operation. Additional analogue Composite and Y/C outputs are also available as simultaneously outputs of an image in SD resolution.

Outstanding performance

Thanks to further improvements to the CMOS sensor technology, even smallest details can be carefully examined thanks to 1000TV lines resolution. We have succeeded in increasing the light sensitivity up to 2000lx at F11 (with Binning ON)..Even dark details are now much more perceptible. The pixel-based dynamic range increase enhances the simultaneous display of light and dark objects.

Additional functionality

The new GP-US932X HD camera system has a image flip and mirroring option. This can be activated and deactivated even during operation, and extends the range of applications even further. The 3 pre-sets for an easy switch between customer made adjustments also include the white balance values. The switch from artificial light to natural lighting can now take place without having to perform white balancing again. Of course, the functionality of the preceding models is still available: Freeze picture, 2.5x electronic Zoom, 12-axis colour matrix, and frequency-depending detail enhancement. The new Binning Mode for increased sensitivity extends the range of low light application.

HD technology available as OEM components

Panasonic also offers the HD micro camera system as OEM components. The camera head, the CCU control board and the raw signal cables are available. The OEM version of the digital camera head module is much smaller that its predecessor and the power consumption have been further reduced.

Thursday 30 August 2012

Crossbeam Certifies Check Point Virtual Systems on Its X-Series Security Platforms

Combined Solution Supports 2,000 Check Point Virtual Systems on a Single X-Series; Makes Security Easy to Manage and Scale in Public and Private Clouds

Crossbeam Systems, Inc., the leading provider of next-generation security platforms for high-performance networks, today announced that Check Point R75.40VS is certified to run on its X-Series security platforms.

Customers can now deploy Check Point Virtual Systems on the X-Series to create customised security by combining Check Point software blades – including firewall, intrusion prevention (IPS), virtual private network (VPN) and identity awareness, among others. By running Check Point on the X-Series, customers achieve the high levels of performance, scalability and management control required for security within both public and private clouds.

Key benefits of the Crossbeam-Check Point solution include:

• Simplified security management – Consolidating up to 2,000 Check Point Virtual Systems onto a single X-Series platform, greatly simplifying the management and cost of deploying security in large, dynamic environments.
• Modular scalability – Allowing customers to efficiently boost performance for Check Point software by combining Crossbeam Application Processing Modules (APMs) within the X-Series, eliminating the need for additional hardware.
• High availability – Providing self-healing capabilities that ensure Check Point Virtual Systems will always be available, even if there is an APM failure.
• Traffic segmentation – Enabling customers to separate traffic both physically and virtually within a single X-Series to ensure the right security policies are applied to different network segments and traffic flows.

“The Crossbeam best-of-breed security architecture relies on close, collaborative relationships with our ISV partners and keeping pace with their technological advancements,” said Jim Freeze, chief marketing officer at Crossbeam. “The quick certification of Check Point Virtual Systems on the X-Series is not only a testament to our successful partnership, it also underscores the importance that both companies place on meeting the need for virtualised security solutions that can be effectively deployed and managed in the most demanding networks.”

Check Point was certified through Crossbeam’s certification programme, which rigorously tests the compatibility, interoperability and performance of security applications running on the X-Series. During testing, the ISV (independent software vendor) security software is installed on X-Series hardware, and the combined solution is placed in a laboratory environment that mimics the complex, layered architectures of large enterprise and service provider networks. The solution is stressed with extreme traffic loads to simulate real-world conditions, including security threats. The certification assures customers that the Check Point solution on the X-Series provides carrier-class performance and reliability.

The X-Series allows organisations to consolidate multiple security appliances and related network devices onto a single high-performance chassis, slashing total cost of ownership by as much as 70 percent when compared to alternative solutions. Customers take advantage of the security protections and controls offered by Crossbeam’s leading ISV partners on a platform that can scale to meet network demand while reducing the cost and complexity of security management.

For more information on the Crossbeam-Check Point partnership, visit: http://www.crossbeam.com/partners/checkpoint/.

More information is available at www.crossbeam.com.

Panasonic to release the AG-HPX600EJ, new P2HD camera recorder

AG-HPX600EJ combines high cost-performance, easy operation, expandable functions, and a future proof design to meet needs in a wide range of uses, from image production to broadcasting. A 2/3-type shoulder-type model accommodates a variety of interchangeable lenses. Its compact body also provides superb mobility with the industry’s lowest weight*1 of approximately 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) for the main unit. Its newly developed MOS sensor attains high F12 sensitivity at 59.94Hz or F13 at 50Hz, and low noise with an S/N of 59 dB (standard). Multi HD/SD codecs, AVC-Intra100/50, DVCPRO HD, DVCPRO50, DVCPRO and DV, are included. In addition to these basic specifications, a wide range of functions are available as options, such as networking functions and a Variable Frame Rate (VFR). This enables low-cost system support for numerous and diverse applications. It also supports new P2HD technologies such as the AVC-ULTRA codec and microP2 card.*2

The AG-HPX600EJ will be available in September, 2012 at the suggested price of €13,800 RRP (excluding VAT).

The AG-HPX600EJ will be exhibited at the International Broadcasting Convention "IBC2012" to be held at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands from Friday 7th to Tuesday 11th September.

*1: As a 2/3-type shoulder-type HD camera recorder (as of August 2012) *2: Scheduled for future release as a paid upgrade.
Main Features of AG-HPX600EJ

The Lightest 2/3-type Shoulder-type Model
The AG-HPX600EJ is the lightest* in its class at approximately 2.8kg (6.2 lb) for the main unit. This compact body provides superb mobility. It is also designed with excellent forward visibility. The 2/3-type bayonet mount interchangeable lens system lets a camera crew choose from a variety of 2/3-type lenses for broadcasting and other professional uses from third-party manufacturers.

* As a 2/3-type shoulder-type HD camera recorder (as of August 2012)

New, High-Sensitivity F12 (at 59.94Hz) / F13 (at 50Hz) MOS sensor
A newly developed 2/3-type MOS sensor offers levels of F12 sensitivity at 59.94Hz and F13 sensitivity at 50Hz and low noise with an S/N of 59 dB (standard) that surpass many 2/3-type 3CCD cameras. High-speed scanning minimises skewing distortion. With high-quality image processor, the AG-HPX600EJ features the following versatile image settings.

- CAC (Chromatic Aberration Compensation): When using a CAC compatible lens, the small amount of circumjacent chromatic aberration (circumjacent blur) that is not corrected by the lens is compensated by this process.

- DRS (Dynamic Range Stretch): Suppresses blocked shadows and blown highlights to achieve a visually wide dynamic range.

*The DRS function does not operate in 1080/25p, 1080/24p or 1080/30p mode.

- Advanced Flash Band Compensation (FBC): High-precision flash band detection and compensation.

- Gamma: Select from 7-mode (HD NORM / LOW / SD NORM / HIGH / B. PRESS / CONE-LIKE D / CINE-LIKE V) gamma curves.

- Digital Image Settings: H Detail, V Detail, Detail Coring, Skin Tone Detail, Chroma Level, Chroma Phase, Color Temperature, Master Pedestal, Knee (LOW / MID / HIGH), Matrix (NORM1 / NORM2 / FLOU / CONE-LIKE).

HD / SD Multi-Format and Multi-Codec Recording

The AG-HPX600EJ supports multi HD / SD codec including 1920x1080 10-bit 4:2:2 AVC-Intra100 and 60Hz*/50Hz switchable for worldwide use. When installing an optional HD / SD SDI input board (AG-YA600G), it also can be used as a portable recorder.

AVC-Intra100/50 - 60Hz: 1080/60i, 24pN, 30pN, 720/60p, 24pN, 30pN*
50Hz: 1080/50i, 25p, 25pN, 720/50p, 25p, 25pN

DVCPRO HD - 60Hz: 1080/60i, 24p, 24pA, 30p, 720/60p, 24p, 30p*
50Hz: 1080/50i, 25p, 25pN, 720/50p, 25p, 25pN

DVCPRO50/ DVCPRO/DV - 60Hz: 480/60i, 30p, 24p, 24pA*
50Hz: 576/50i, 25p

*24p=23.98p, 30p=29.97p and 60i=59.94i

Expandability and Upgradability

The AG-HPX600EJ has a variety of options which a camera crew can select as they need. This enables low-cost system support for numerous and diverse applications.

-High-Resolution Proxy Video Supported (with the optional AG-YDX600G Video Encoder Board): With this option, the AG-HPX600EJ records proxy files onto SD/SDHC memory cards or onto P2 cards.* It supports high-quality video (Quick Time/H.264) and audio formats at a low bit rate. High-quality proxy files can be used for breaking news and other scenarios that would benefit from proxy workflows. Moreover, it streamlines the production workflow by allowing the editor to review the content details during offline editing. The AG-YDX600G will be available in September, 2012 at the suggested price of €1,550 (excluding VAT).

*Proxy data cannot be recorded when using the Loop Rec or Interval Rec function. Proxy data is low-resolution video and audio data with time code, metadata, and other management data in a file format. Use of DCF Technologies under license from Multi-Format, Inc.

-Streaming with a Wireless or Wired LAN (with the optional AG-SFU601G Upgrade Software Key and AJ-WM30E Wireless Module): These options enable use of a wireless or wired (Ethernet) LAN. Proxy files* can be streamed or viewed via a standard web browser on a PC/Mac, tablet, or smartphone. Whilst viewing the streamed files, metadata can be added to the P2 files. Using a PC/Mac also enables a cloud-based workflow by uploading and sharing video data via network. The AG-SFU601G will be available in September, 2012 at the suggested price of €1,400 RRP (excluding VAT).

* The optional AG-YDX600G Video Encoder Board is required to use proxy video.

-Variable Frame Rate Shooting and 24PsF Output (with the optional AG-SFU602G Production Package Upgrade Software Key): In 720p mode, the frame rate can be set in the range of 1 fps-60 fps, and in 1080p mode it can be set to 1 fps-30fps. This allows the use of undercranking and overcranking to create fast-motion and slow-motion effects. Either 24p/30p Native mode or over 60p mode can be selected for recording. In addition, the 24PsF format can be output from SDI OUT for uncompressed data recording. The AG-SFU602G will be available in September, 2012 at suggested price of €930 RRP (excluding VAT).

- AVC-ULTRA upgrade and microP2 Card Compatibility upgrade are also planned as the future upgrade options.

Other New Functions and Features

- SmartUI A New User Interface: This newly designed user interface consists of a LCD and variety of switches. A large number of functions, including Scene File settings, Audio Level settings, Audio IN/OUT selection, Time Code settings, and MON/HDMI Output Video settings, are easy to recognise and can be set with only a few steps each.

- New Color LCD Viewfinder: The newly designed, optional AG-CVF10G Color HD Viewfinder (cost-effective model) and AG-CVF15G Color HD viewfinder (upper grade model) are the 8.76 cm (3.45 inches) color LCD with approximately 920,000-dot resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. When opened, it serves as an LCD monitor. The AG-CVF10G (open LCD monitor one way) will be available in September, 2012 at the suggested list price of €2,450 RRP (excluding VAT) and the AG-CVF15 (open LCD monitor two ways) will be available within 2012.

- WFM: Simplified waveform and vectorscope can be displayed.

-10-pin Remote Terminal: Camera remote operation is enabled with the optional AG-EC4G Extension Remote Control Unit or AJ-RC10G Remote Control Unit.*

*Only functions that are supported by the AG-HPX600EJ can be controlled. Camera Studio System: The optional camera extension system (AG-CA300G Camera Adaptor and AG-BS300E Base Station) support low-cost studio integration.
AG-HPX600 SPECIFIC

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Indian telecom, finance leaders meet in Mumbai to assess strategies

India’s telecom leaders are meeting with investment bankers, investors and advisers in Mumbai to debate new growth strategies at the TMT Finance and Investment India Conference on October 18 (www.tmtfinance.com/india).

The conference, which is part of the acclaimed TMT Finance global series, takes place at a critical juncture for the Indian telecom industry as regulatory and economic uncertainty is driving major players to review strategy.

Amanda Hale, Partner,TMT Group, at global law firm Herbert Smith, who will be making a keynote speech at the conference said: “In addition to spiralling profits, major disputes, both between players and at government level, are on the rise.  In response, telcos are adopting a range of strategies including focussing on cost reduction, expanding into new business areas and new regions, asset disposals and consolidation.”

The conference features a series of leadership panel discussion, visionary keynote speeches and targeted networking sessions. Key industry speakers announced so far include: Gurdeep Singh, President and CEO Wireless, Reliance Communications; Devender Singh Rawat, CEO Bharti Infratel; Srinivasa Addepalli, CSO, Tata Communications; Amit Sharma, President Asia, American Tower ; and Arun Kapur, Group President and Managing Director, Quippo Telecom.

Other institutions represented on the speaker academy include Apax Partners, Analysys Mason, Booz & Company, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, GSMA, IFC, The World Bank, DBS Group, Standard Chartered, Hathway Cable & Datacom, ING, Nokia Siemens Networks, Viom Networks and Uninor. More speakers will be announced shortly.

“Major players in the Indian telco sector are increasingly present on the world stage and are at the forefront of many developments so it makes absolute sense for Herbert Smith to be speaking at and sponsoring the first TMT Finance & Investment India conference,” said Hale. “We're looking forward to a day of insights into strategies both for exploiting opportunities as well as facing challenges and plenty of good discussion."

Conference sessions include: The Telecom Leadership Roundtable; The M&A Panel; Spectrum and Policy; CFO Round Table; Raising Finance for Indian Telecoms and the Mobile Infrastructure Leaders Round Table.

TMT Finance & Investment India (www.tmtfinance.com/india) is organised by TMT Ventures, publishers of TMT Finance News (www.tmtfinance.com), with sponsorship and support from Herbert Smith, Analysys Mason, Hanmer MSL and EM Finance Consulting. More sponsors will be announced shortly.

For more information about the programme and registering go to www.tmtfinance.com/india

Monday 27 August 2012

Sirius Open Source Expertise Supports Cabinet Office Government Digital Service

- Helping Government deliver world-class digital products and services through Open Source

Sirius, the UK's Flagship Open Source company has confirmed it has been working with the Cabinet Office Government Digital Service (GDS) on their 'Digital by Default' strategy, the Government's response to Martha Lane Fox’s ‘Directgov 2010 and beyond: revolution not evolution’ report. The GDS team, tasked with delivering world-class government services, are doing this in an entirely new and unique way. Using iterative Agile methodology and a technology stack built around Open Source, Open Standards, and Open Data, GDS is also engaging with a new generation of suppliers and demonstrating by example to the rest of Government how to engage successfully with SMEs.

GDS online services leverage Drupal, the hugely successful Open Source Content Management System. Sirius provide Open Source strategy, training and support services around Drupal to the GDS Team.

Mark O'Neill, Head of Innovation and Delivery at GDS, said: "At GDS we are committed to delivering rapid, robust and cost effective solutions.  We were very happy with the ability of Sirius to respond to tight timescales to meet our business needs. This is an example of how government and SMEs can work together to achieve successful outcomes."

Mark Taylor, Sirius’ CEO and well-known Open Source in Government advocate commented: “Government Open Source usage along with genuine SME engagement has been a notable feature of policy for some time now. GDS are clearly leading on both, and we hope other Government departments will take notice and learn from the low-cost, high-performance results that this innovative Cabinet Office team are delivering through this approach."

Drupal itself is increasingly popular with Governments around the world, UK Government adoption adding further to its evident credibility.

Speaking from New York, Jacob Redding, Executive Director of the Drupal Association said:

"A growing number of governments around the world have migrated to Open Source not only for the cost savings but for the innovation and transparency that it provides. As an Open Source Software project Drupal is a great fit for governments not only because of the cost savings, but because it allows a government to get its data out on to the web quickly and efficiently." and continued with "In this modern age it's important for all governments to get information and data out to its constituents to provide an open and transparent process. Open Source software allows government to do exactly that.".

The Sirius solutions portfolio, in addition to Online Presence, includes Identity Management, Data Management and Enterprise Search - all free from vendor lock-in, with lower acquisition and maintenance costs, performing to a higher standard and allowing full access to source code.

About The Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office sits at the very centre of government, with an overarching purpose of making government work better. We support the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, helping to ensure effective development, coordination and implementation of policy and operations across all government departments. We also lead work to ensure the Civil Service provides the most effective and efficient support to Government to help it meet its objectives. For more information go to http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

About Sirius Corporation Sirius is the UK's flagship open source solutions provider with 15 years’ experience supporting mission critical enterprise applications and infrastructure. Our consultants, business analysts, IT architects and support engineers work with central and local government agencies, blue-chip multi-nationals, SMEs and start-ups to identify, deploy and manage feature-rich and stable open source solutions. For more information go to http://www.siriusopensource.com/

Nearly three-quarters of IT managers think their infrastructure complexity is “high” or “out of control””

Royce Murphy, CEO of Real Status
Royce Murphy, CEO of IT modelling and data visualisation software company Real Status, has warned that increasing infrastructure complexity is leading to more outages and potential lost business for firms struggling in the recession.

Royce comments: “We know from speaking to IT managers that they often feel they are fighting a losing battle trying to keep on top of all the operations they are responsible for. It often takes far too long to resolve business-impacting outages and slowdowns, and existing IT management tools simply do not support the mix of technologies used in their applications.

“Some applications run on six or more component technologies, and there are different management tools for each technology. As a result, managers are struggling to understand the inter-dependencies and cannot determine which problems are affecting critical systems and which problems are far less important. IT managers also complain that they first hear about performance problems when users call to complain; whereas if they had some method of seeing when problems affected their most important services, they could take proactive steps to address the problems before there was a noticeable effect on the business.

“It is extremely difficult to understand all of the relationships involved in delivering IT services to the business. Applications are broken down into components that are spread across multiple virtual machines and servers, and they rely upon distributed storage and network devices. When heads of different teams meet up to try and solve an application performance issue, it is generally the case that their individual component management dashboards do not understand which components are related to the application in question. Figuring out the inter-dependencies in ad hoc meetings wastes valuable time and costs money.

“The complexity genie is out of the bottle, and firms need to automate recurring tasks, such as understanding the inter-dependencies between all of the components in their infrastructure. The best option for dealing with complexity is to give people a simple and effective way to see the relevant relationships between components and visualise key performance metrics on that model. This approach leverages, rather than replaces, their existing monitoring tools, and it gives the contextual information needed to see which problems are the most important, so they can allocate their resources effectively.

“Hyperglance 2.0 is a modelling and visualisation tool that gives perspective to all the polarised views within existing IT management tools. It weaves all the information together from all your IT resources – asset management, relationship and performance data – into a single 3D model that provides real context on key dependencies”.

Real Status is running a webinar on Thursday, 6 September to demonstrate how Hyperglance 2.0 works and can benefit businesses struggling to keep their infrastructure running effectively.

Wednesday 22 August 2012

Selfridges showcases British Fashion Council project using FeONIC’s Whispering Window

Freehand implements video walls and FeONIC’s interactive audio in Selfridges iconic window displays -

Freehand, creators of audio visual content and supporting systems, has successfully launched interactive window displays in London’s Selfridges store, to showcase the British Fashion Council’s ‘Britain Creates 2012: Fashion & Art Collusion’ and Women’s Designer Galleries projects, which celebrate the longstanding relationships between fashion designers and visual artists.

Using FeONIC Technology’s Whispering Window ‘invisible audio technology’, Freehand has been able to convert the windows into speakers in order to attract the attention of passers-by. The current video walls preview exclusive work by some of the featured artists who have been involved in the Britain Creates 2012 project, including Giles Deacon with Jeremy Deller; Paul Smith with Charming Baker; and Hussein Chalayan with Gavin Turk. By integrating FeONIC’s Whispering Window, the entire window becomes a speaker meaning passers-by are able to hear the display, as well as enjoy watching the visual centrepiece.

Commenting on the current project, Mike Fabian from Freehand said, “We were commissioned to create two window displays in Selfridges to showcase the British Fashion Council’s ‘Britain Creates 2012’ project. With the store wanting to engage with passers-by, we were keen to design an interactive display that would attract as much attention as possible. Having used FeONIC’s Whispering Window audio devices in the past, we knew that this would work well in projecting sound externally, yet without impacting the visual element of the work on show. It’s going down a storm and is really a great way of adding an interactive dimension to any window feature.”

Selfridges’ Window Production Manager added, “Our legendary windows are currently previewing exclusive work by several artists involved in the ‘Britain Creates 2012: Fashion & Art Collusion’ project. The team at Freehand have managed the full audio visual technology requirements for the displays, including using the FeONIC Whispering Window audio to attract greater interest from people outside of the store, and it has been extremely well received. The displays are on Orchard Street and it is amazing to see the number of people that are attracted to the display by the sound first, and then by what they consume visually. It’s a great spectacle.”

Concluded Brian Smith, Managing Director of FeONIC Technology, “Independent research has shown that Whispering Window technology can help increase footfall and sales revenues by as much as 50% during the first week of a campaign, illustrating the impact this technology can have in creating an immediate wow-factor. We are pleased that Freehand has supported Selfridges in creating an interactive display for the British Fashion Council’s project and we are confident it will help turn many more heads, during the course of the campaign.”

For further details regarding the FeONIC range of invisible audio products, telephone +44 (0)1482 806688 or email info@feonic.com. More information on FeONIC Technology is available via www.feonic.com.

Monday 20 August 2012

Version One shows under 4 percent of UK organisations use document management in the Cloud

Document Management in the CloudA survey by document management software company, Version One, reveals that just under four per cent of 130 UK organisations polled are using electronic document management in the Cloud. Version One surveyed IT and finance professionals from a cross-section of public, private and third sector organisations.
Of the 125 respondents that do not use document management in the Cloud, 76 per cent stated that they would consider using it in the future. 19 per cent of respondents were not sure whether they would use it with just five per cent indicating that they would not consider using Cloud-based document management.

Greg Ford, Managing Director of Version One, says, “It is clear from the results that although few UK organisations are currently using document management in the Cloud, there is significant demand for this solution with nearly 80 per cent of respondents open to the idea of using it. Clearly, organisations are far less apprehensive than they used to be about using the Cloud and many are now keen to embrace this increasingly popular delivery model.”

The survey identified that a key benefit of using document management in the Cloud is that it’s cost-effective with 24 per cent of respondents highlighting this as a benefit. Other key benefits cited by 23 per cent and 18 per cent of respondents respectively is that it provides 24/7 access to documents and that it allows for flexible working.

Ford adds, “As document management in the Cloud is a cost-effective choice, is fast to deploy, scalable and provides anytime and anywhere access to electronic business documents, its increased adoption is inevitable.”

Thursday 16 August 2012

Lumata acquires ACT750

Lumata, a leader in mobile marketing software and services, today announced the acquisition of ACT750, a provider of real-time customer retention and revenue management products for telecom operators.

With ACT750’s best-in-class technology, Lumata is able to enhance its existing product portfolio across two key dimensions. First, Lumata will be able to bring new loyalty concepts to market by leveraging ACT750’s micro-segmentation and real-time marketing capabilities. Second, by integrating ACT750’s powerful predictive analytics existing clients will benefit from improved ROI across their usage stimulation and churn reduction campaigns.

The deal gives Lumata the broadest portfolio of customer retention and loyalty solutions for telecom operators worldwide which offer large-scale marketing programs and highly personalised, one-to-one marketing campaigns – all under one roof.

“As operators drive customers loyalty, they increasingly demand new products and innovative solutions from their partners”, said Thomas Enraght-Moony, CEO, Lumata. “Adding ACT750 to our portfolio supports this trend and underlines our commitment to the on-going investments required to extend our market leadership”, he added.

“We are very excited to be joining forces with Lumata a global player with an excellent reputation and a top draw client portfolio. We are now better placed to serve our existing customers and to take advantage of Lumata’s international reach to distribute our products to telecom operators worldwide,”said Alain Lefebvre, CEO, ACT750.

Wednesday 15 August 2012

Advanced Mobile Communications wins Vodafone Silver Partner of the Year

Advanced Mobile Communications (part of Advanced Computer Software Group plc) has scooped the prestigious ‘Vodafone Silver Partner of the Year’ Award 2012. Advanced was recently presented with the award at Mayfair Hotel in London.

This is Vodafone’s second Partner of the Year Awards, which recognise the achievements of Vodafone Platinum, Gold and Silver tier partners. Businesses are measured on level of performance (both connections and revenue), capability, skills and customer experience between 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012.

Advanced’s win is a remarkable achievement considering Advanced Computer Software has only been operating its mobile division since July 2011.

Advanced has seen a significant 200 per cent growth in mobile users in the last financial year and has also been promoted to Vodafone’s Gold tier. This rapid growth is expected to continue as Advanced plans to increase its mobile connections outside of the UK health and care sectors.

Chris Griffin, Sales Director, Advanced Mobile Communications, says, “Achieving the Vodafone Silver Partner of the Year Award is an excellent achievement, especially since we are a relatively new player in the mobile sector and were up against businesses that have been operating in the sector for over 20 years. One of the key reasons for our success is our ‘one stop shop’ offering. We uniquely provide organisations with mobile software applications, devices, voice and data airtime all under one roof.”

Tim Stone, Vodafone Director of Small Enterprise, says, “The Vodafone Partner of the Year Awards demonstrates our commitment to our channel partners, their achievements and future growth potential. The award ceremony rewarded the best in class partners with the recognition they deserve for their performance over the last financial year.”

Griffin adds, “Advanced has been unveiled as a major player in the mobile industry. Now that we have been promoted to Vodafone’s Gold tier, this has spurred us on to achieve Platinum next year.”

www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/amc

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Panasonic Announces Stylish AVCCAM Camera Recorder AG-AC90

Panasonic Corporation will release the AG-AC90 memory card camera recorder, a new "AVCCAM" series model, in October 2012.

The AG-AC90 new memory card recorder combines the high image quality, advanced functions and easy operation that professionals demand in a stylish, easy-to-handle design. Its zoom lens extends from 29.8 mm (35mm equivalent) wide angle to 12x optical zoom, with a high speed of F1.5 brightness. BSI (backside illumination) type 3MOS image sensors exhibit high sensitivity, Full-HD resolution and a high S/N ratio.

The AVCHD recorder section supports both PS mode, for Full-HD progressive image production, and pro-use PH mode. This gives a camera operator the field of view, image quality, and file/video formats he/she needs for news gathering and image production. Other professional operating features include Triple Manual Rings (focus, zoom and iris) that approach the versatility and feel of the interchangeable lenses, XLR Microphone/Audio inputs, and remote terminals to provide the system expandability that professional applications require.

The AG-AC90 AVCCAM memory card recorder will be available in October, 2012 at suggested price of €1800 RRP (excluding VAT).

The AG-AC90 will be exhibited at the Beijing International Radio, TV & Film Equipment Exhibition "BIRTV2012" to be held at the China International Exhibition Center (CIEC) from Wednesday 22nd to Saturday 25th August, and at the European International Broadcasting Convention "IBC2012" to be held at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands from Friday 7th to Tuesday 11th September.

Main Features of AG-AC90
29.8mm Wide-Angle / High powered Zoom Lens
The high-powered 12x zoom lens includes a 29.8 mm (35 mm equivalent) wide-angle setting. When using the Intelligent 25x digital zoom, it achieves up to 25x seamless zooming. In addition, it also features 2x, 5x and 10x digital zoom function. Panasonic’s unique Nano Surface Coating minimizes ghosts and flaring, and a high speed, F1.5 brightness enables extremely clear image rendering. The built-in 5-axis Hybrid OIS (Optical Image Stabilizer) ensures stable handheld shooting.

High-Sensitivity BSI Type 3MOS Sensors
Three (RGB) backside illumination corresponding 1/4.7 type MOS image sensors have an effective pixel count of 2,190,000 pixels. This makes it possible to capture excellent images with high definition and superb color reproduction even in dimly lit locations. The image processing circuit, which is tuned for professional use, produces highly natural gradation and sharp detail.

Easy Operation with Triple Manual Rings and a High-Definition LCD monitor
The lens barrel is equipped with manual rings for focus, zoom and iris operation to enable the kind of speedy, intuitive camera work that is generally associated with interchangeable lenses. The 8.89 cm (3.5 inches) LCD monitor (touch panel), which stores easily inside the top front part of the handle, has approximately 1,150,000 dot resolution to enhance focusing, and includes focus assist, zebra, and color bar display functions. The LCD monitor rotates 270 degrees for easy low-angle, high-angle, and self-interview shootings.

High-Quality Recording with AVCHD PS/PH Modes
• Professional AVCHD Modes: PS mode for Full-HD (1920 x 1080) and progressive (60p) image acquisition and high quality PH mode.
• HD/SD Multi-Formats: [60 Hz model]: 1080/60p, 60i, 30p, 24p, 480/60i.
[50 Hz model]: 1080/50p, 50i, 25p, 576/50i.
• Dual SD Card Slots (support SDXC/SDHC/SD Memory Cards). With two SD cards, a camera operator can select backup recording.
• Still shots with 3-megapixel resolution. (Still shots can also be captured during video recording.)

Specifications Supporting Professional Use
• 2 channel XLR audio inputs (MIC/LINE/+48V selectable).
• Audio CH1/CH2 with individual level controls and input selection.
• HDMI output, AV Multi output (D-connector, composite video and audio 2 channel), USB connector.
• Remote terminals enable remote operation of iris, focus, zoom and Rec Start/Stop functions.
• The upper part of the handle grip contains both the Rec Start/Stop button and a zoom speed control (three speed steps) for the lens.

For more information on the company and the Panasonic brand, visit the company's website at http://panasonic.net/

Thursday 9 August 2012

NETGEAR Powerline product crowned with HEXUS ‘Recommended’ award

Powerline Nano 500 Set impresses with strong performance

Global networking company NETGEAR has received HEXUS’ ‘recommended’ award after its Powerline Nano 500 Set (XAVB5101) was given a rating of four out of five stars. This four out of five rating is for products that are ‘very good in most regards’, offering a compelling mix of features, performance and price.

HEXUS’ ‘recommended’ stamp is only awarded to products that are deemed a safe buy following in-depth testing and analysis.

In the review, HEXUS stated: “Where hard-wiring just isn't an option, Powerline networking makes a lot of sense. Simple to install and seamless in use, these adapters fit well in many situations and deliver second-best performance that's well suited to common tasks such as multimedia streaming and online gaming.

The team at HEXUS concluded: “If you need the extra speed, NETGEAR's high-performance kit is the quickest Powerline solution we've tested and well capable of delivering strong, stable performance to those pesky areas that wireless just won't reach.”

NETGEAR’s wall plug-sized adapters include a one-touch secure set up and pass internet an connection through a home’s electrical wires at speeds of up to 500Mbps. Working straight out of the box, the NETGEAR Powerline Nano 500 Set also comes with three status-indicating LEDs and helps to lower running costs by automatically going into standby mode after ten minutes of inactivity.

Rob Wells, Director, Retail Business Unit, NETGEAR, said: “It is great to see yet another panel of experts recognising the strength of our Powerline products. Our Powerline Nano 500 Set will really improve the networking capabilities of homes that might otherwise struggle to maintain a strong connection.”

The full review can be read here. For product availability, click here.

Sunday 5 August 2012

Open source tools and expertise used to create bridge between data structures

Sirius, the acclaimed Open Source System Integrator announces completion of bridge construction to enable seamless data transfer from PostgreSQL to Microsoft SQL Server to provide timely reporting for POhWER.

POhWER’s repository of case notes, contacts and reviews are managed by a custom application developed by a third party in Django and supported by a PostgreSQL database. However, POhWER’s in-house team prefers to produce management reports using MSSQL reporting tools. Sirius was engaged to work with the third party and design a robust solution for regular updates for timely reporting. Sirius integration team designed a bridge to translate PostgresSQL to MSSQL on demand.

“Sirius proved to be extremely reliable and responsive in helping POhWER achieve the desired outcome, made all the more pleasant by their fantastic customer service”, said Eileen Flynn of POhWER. “They have been a pleasure to work with and went above and beyond what was asked of them. I would highly recommend Sirius to anyone looking for that expertise combined with great customer service”, she added.

Sirius’ expertise in data solutions is well established. “This is a typical scenario where the application is useful on a day-to-day basis but reporting flexibility did not keep up with demand” said Alberto Serra, Senior Technical Architect at Sirius. “We have been able to help POhWER extend the life of their application and history with a solution that is nimble yet robust".

The Sirius solutions portfolio includes Identity Management, Data Management, Online Presence and Enterprise Search - all free from vendor lock-in, have lower acquisition and maintenance costs, perform to a higher standard and allow access to source code.
About POhWER

POhWER is an independent advocacy agency providing Generic advocacy, including non-instructed advocacy in Hertfordshire, Independant Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) in the East of England, West Midlands and London regions and Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy (IMCA) services in 10 areas across London, East of England, West and East Midlands. For more information go to http://www.pohwer.net/
About Sirius Corporation

Sirius is a leading open source solutions provider with 15 years’ experience supporting mission critical enterprise applications and infrastructure. Our consultants, business analysts, IT architects and support engineers work with blue-chip multi-nationals, central and local government agencies, SMEs and start-ups to identify, deploy and manage feature-rich and stable open source solutions. For more information go to http://www.siriusopensource.com/

Tuesday 31 July 2012

Computop Named as a hybris Extend Partner

Pre-built integration between Computop Paygate and hybris Commerce enables hybris clients to implement a robust global payment platform quickly and easily

Computop, a leading payment service provider (PSP), today announced that it has joined the hybris Extend partner programme, which provides access to certified integrations to help hybris customers accelerate time-to-value. As a hybris Extend partner, Computop has built a ready-to-use extension to its Computop Paygate payment platform that enables hybris Commerce clients to rapidly benefit from country-specific and global payment preferences coupled with effective fraud prevention solutions to drive global sales.

The Computop Paygate hybris Extend integration is easy to implement, saving merchants time and money. It provides retailers with a sophisticated payment platform that includes:

- Global Card Processing
- eWallet Transaction Processing through Paypal, ClickandBuy and
Checkout by Amazon
- Country Specific Payment Methods (including Direct Debit, iDEAL,
EPS, Sofortüberweisung, giropay)
- Guaranteed Invoice and Payment by Installments (Klarna, BillSAFE)
- Mobile Payments (mpass)
- Payment Guarantees for various payment methods
(including Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode)
- Sophisticated Fraud Prevention
- Tokenization
- Address and Credit Checks with Risk Management Solution
(European credit agencies)
- Consolidated Merchandise Management System for all transactions
- Payment data is processed by Computop Paygate, which is PCI DSS 2.0 level 1 compliant

“By adding the Computop Paygate pre-built integration to our hybris Extend marketplace, our clients benefit from access to a robust, secure multichannel payment platform that consolidates all transactions and that can be rapidly implemented at a low cost,” said Patrick Ferdig, Director of Global ISV Partnerships for hybris. “In addition, Paygate enables our clients to offer their customers payment methods native to their respective countries, which helps to demonstrate commitment to their local markets and to drive conversions.”

“Computop and hybris have the same goal: to provide the strongest, most sophisticated platform to help retailers support multichannel sales worldwide,” said Ralf Gladis, CEO of Computop. “Our combined solutions provide merchants with a seamless way to support their global commerce strategies.”

The Computop Paygate extension is available immediately for hybris version 4.5 and up at http://hybris.com/product/hybris-extend/computop.

About the Computop Paygate platform
Computop Paygate 5.0 is a multichannel payment platform that provides online retailers with secure payment solutions and efficient fraud prevention for international markets. With just one interface needed, Computop Paygate allows online retailers to get access to dozens of international payment systems, and includes fraud prevention for North America, Europe and Asia. Leading e-commerce solutions from the likes of Demandware, hybris, Magento and Oxid all support Computop Paygate as a preferred payment service solution for global payment processing. In addition, Computop Paygate has been integrated into SAP's Business ByDesign business software to provide secure global payment processing.

About Computop

Computop is a payment service provider (PSP) that was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Bamberg, Germany. The company has global customers such as Fossil, C&A, Samsung and TUI and has offices located in North America, Europe and China. Computop’s Paygate PCI-compliant hosted payment solution supports all non customer present payments, including telephone, online and mobile.

For further information please visit: www.computop.com.

About hybris
www.hybris.com

hybris is a leading vendor of next generation end-to-end multichannel commerce software based on a single platform including managed and hosting services. 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 enabling businesses to communicate and sell across all channels – online and offline – in a consistent and effective way. hybris has 14 offices around the world located in the economic capitals of North/South America, Europe and Asia and supports over 380 global customers. Customers are brands from retail and manufacturing industries, including: Bobcat, Clarks, Coca Cola Beverages, Conrad, Grundfos, Hornbach, Iomega, Kaiser+Kraft, Levi´s, Lufthansa, Migros, Nespresso, Nikon, P&G, Rexel, Timberland and Toys´R´Us.

Interform Marine and Precision Navigation® sign exclusive arrangement

MarinePod® products now available through leading marine technology supplier

Interform Marine, a specialist in marine mounting solutions, is pleased to announce that it has signed a deal with Precision Navigation to be the exclusive third party distributor for the MarinePod product range in UK and Ireland.

Based in Essex, Precision Navigation is a leading supplier of marine electronics and on-board technical equipment and is known for its custom approach to supply and install to leisure sailors, off-shore cruising and blue water sailing.

Interform Marine’s MarinePod products provide simple, robust and quality solutions for protecting essential electronic equipment – wherever it is needed. For example, chart plotters and radar equipment are best used at the helm but in many cases, actually mounting them in the cockpit can be a challenge. However, MarinePod’s unique range of marine housings help to overcome this for both power and sail boat users, including those who prefer small to medium widescreen plotters.

Phil Turnham, Technical Director at Interform Marine says, “Both Precision Navigation and Interform Marine share a desire to provide only the best marine technology to guarantee excellent on-board experiences. This is why we are a perfect match together.

As a result, MarinePod customers in the UK and Ireland will now benefit from Precision Navigation’s market knowledge and extensive outreach. At the same time, this arrangement allows MarinePod to continue its rapid course of becoming a recognisable brand within the marine industry.”

FACTFILE:
Interform Marine provides an extensive range of electronic mountings for both power and sail boats.

Suitable for any type of installation, Interform Marine offers off-the-shelf products, which can be delivered the next working day, as well as a bespoke custom design service, which caters for those wishing for something truly unique.

Interform Marine is a division of Interform Manufacturing, a specialist in the design and manufacture of vacuum formed products with over 20 years’ experience in developing and manufacturing specialist plastics. Learn more at www.interform-marine.co.uk.

Sunday 29 July 2012

Sirius extends partnership with Flax

Sirius, the acclaimed Open Source System Integrator today announces extension to its partnership with Flax to include 24 x 7 support for the entire Flax solution range. At the joint Enterprise Search Open Day held at Sirius’ Rivermead campus, both companies presented the blueprint for this extended partnership.

“Enterprise search continues to be a key investment area for organisations trying to tap into the huge and growing pool of information scattered throughout their systems and across the internet”, said Mike Davis, Analyst at Ovum. “Open source search solutions should be the first option for organisations as they bring more projects online, but at an enterprise level support and expertise, such as that provided by Sirius is essential”, he continued.

Sirius and Flax intend to address customers’ need for robust and scalable search solutions. “Both Apache Solr and Xapian are performing well in numerous installations”, said Charlie Hull, Managing Director at Flax. “By adding our 24 x 7 monitoring and support solutions, we are well positioned to provide customers the reassurance that their search capabilities will be always-on: said Andrew Savory, CTO at Sirius.

Both companies are also targeting customers who are looking to migrate from unsupported search solutions. To this end, Flax and Sirius announce the launch of their Search competition - open to any customer with a closed source search engine.

FACTFILE:
 Flax are specialists in all aspects of search technology, and have experience of many of the search systems available today, including Lucene, Solr and Xapian. The Flax platform, based on open source technology, can be used to build cutting-edge search applications. For more information go to http://www.flax.co.uk/

Sirius is a leading open source solutions provider with 15 years’ experience supporting mission critical enterprise applications and infrastructure. Our consultants, business analysts, IT architects and support engineers work with blue-chip multi-nationals, central and local government agencies, SMEs and start-ups to identify, deploy and manage feature-rich and stable open source solutions. For more information go to http://www.siriusopensource.com/

Tuesday 24 July 2012

GFI Software Launches GFI LanGuard 2012

Sophisticated threat landscape escalates the need for comprehensive patch management

 As researchers continue to identify new, sophisticated malware threats, vulnerability and patch management are more critical than ever as a key component of a layered security approach. GFI Software today announced GFI LanGuard 2012, providing network and system administrators with the ability to manage 100 per cent of their patching needs through a single, intuitive and easy-to-use interface, without the need for other update tools.

The latest version of the company’s award-winning, comprehensive patch management, vulnerability assessment and network auditing software for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) also includes powerful scanning and remediation capabilities and vulnerability assessment for an increased number of network devices, including printers, routers and switches.

“The emergence of new malware and viruses such as Flame has the entire IT world – from SMBs to large enterprises – scrambling to secure corporate networks, and patch management is one of the most crucial aspects of this defence,” said Phil Bousfield, vice president, IT infrastructure, GFI Software. “GFI LanGuard 2012 is an active and fully comprehensive patch management solution that provides SMB IT administrators with a simple way to manage complex security vulnerabilities and malicious threats.”

Enhanced features of GFI LanGuard 2012 include:

• Comprehensive Patch Management – Administrators can now manage 100 per cent of their patching needs – both security and non-security updates – from a centralised console. No other update tools are necessary.
• Strong Vulnerability Assessment for Network Devices – Network devices such as printers, routers and switches from manufacturers such as HP and Cisco, can now be detected and scanned for vulnerabilities. GFI LanGuard 2012 performs over 50,000 checks against operating systems, installed applications and device firmware for security flaws and misconfigurations. It also runs network audits that now detect mobile devices running iOS and Android operating systems.
• Improved Scan and Remediation Performance – New Relay Agents receive patches and definition files directly from the GFI LanGuard server and distribute as appropriate – helping IT resources save time, manage network bandwidth and increase the number of devices that can be accommodated. This is particularly effective in multi-site and large networks.

GFI LanGuard 2012 combines vulnerability scanning, patch management, and network and software auditing into one solution that enables IT professionals to scan, detect, assess and correct potential security risks on their networks with minimal administrative effort. GFI LanGuard also enables administrators to inventory devices attached to their networks; receive change alerts, such as notification when a new application is installed; ensure antivirus applications are current and enabled; and strengthen compliance with industry regulations through automated patch management that defends against potential network vulnerabilities. With GFI LanGuard, IT administrators can manage more than 2,500 machines from a single console, it integrates with more than 1,500 security applications and includes keyword search functionality.

To learn more about GFI LanGuard 2012, call 0 870 770 5377, email sales@gfi.com or visit www.gfi.com to download a free trial.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Crossbeam Systems Receives Common Criteria EAL4+ Certification for Its X-Series Security Platform

The X-Series Meets Stringent Security Requirements Established by Leading International Standard for Use in the Most Critical Infrastructures.

Crossbeam Systems, Inc., the provider of next-generation security platforms for high-performance networks, announced today that its X-Series Operating System (XOS 9.9) and X-Series X60 and X80-S security platforms have earned Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation certification at Evaluation Assurance Level 4 (EAL4+).

Common Criteria is an internationally recognised set of guidelines (ISO/IEC 15408) that provides a framework for evaluating security features and capabilities of IT security products. {{EAL4+ is the highest assurance level for conventional products, providing maximum confidence that security features are reliably implemented}}. Common Criteria is recognised globally by all signatories under the Common Criteria Recognition Agreement (CCRA). In order to facilitate the rigorous Common Criteria certification process, Crossbeam partnered with Corsec Security, Inc., an independent consulting firm with more than fourteen years of security validation experience.

“Common Criteria certification provides important validation that the X-Series has been independently tested and assured to work in the most stringent security environments,” said Chet Gapinski, vice president of product development at Crossbeam. “Global organisations are challenged to protect their most sensitive assets in a world that increasingly calls for the sharing of information – whether it’s for business collaboration or national security. Crossbeam is committed to providing customers with the third-party validation and product transparency they need to be able to intelligently address these challenges as part of a scalable, highly available and manageable security architecture.”

Common Criteria evaluation is critical for global enterprises and is frequently mandated for commercial information security products purchased by governments worldwide for use in its national security systems.

Crossbeam’s X-Series allows organisations to take advantage of security virtualisation to consolidate multiple security appliances and related network devices onto a single high-performance chassis. Customers deploy best-in-class security software applications from Crossbeam’s industry-leading ISV (independent security vendors) partners on the X-Series platform to achieve high-performance, high-availability security that easily scales to meet changing network and security demands, while reducing the cost and complexity of security management.

• For information on the X60 platform, visit: http://www.crossbeam.com/products/x60/.
• For information on the X80-S platform, visit: http://www.crossbeam.com/products/x80-s/.
• The X-Series Common Criteria certificate is available on the Crossbeam website at: http://www.crossbeam.com/wp-content/uploads/crossbeam-XOS-Co....
• For information on Crossbeam’s commitment to real-world security testing methodologies, read: Crossbeam and Spirent Partner to Define Real-World Security Test Methodology for Mobile Network Operators.


Colortrac to exhibit NEW SmartLF SC 42 large format scanner for GIS and Mapping applications

SmartLF SC42 large format scannerColortrac will be exhibiting their range of large format scanning solutions for GIS and mapping applications at the ESRI International User Conference at the San Diego Convention Center July 23–27, 2012.
One of the stars of the ESRI show will be the NEW Colortrac SmartLF SC 42 wide format scanning solution featuring the unique and innovative SingleSensor digital imaging technology with the SuperSpeed USB3.0 high speed digital interface. By using the SmartLF SC 42 with the Scan Once digital workflow contained in the SmartWorks Pro software, these unique components provide a substantial increment in scanning productivity for those critical and time sensitive GIS and mapping applications requiring high definition images, superior image accuracy and superb color rendition.

Visit them at Booth #2109 and let them help you find the right solution for your wide format scanning needs.

www.esri.com/events/user-conference/index.html