Six big trends to watch in 2011

Contrasting cross-currents are going to make 2011 a fascinating and turbulent year, in which SaaS enters the tornado and mobile enters the bowling alley at the very same time as cloud trips over the chasm.

I’ve long been a fan of Geoffrey Moore’s classic business books about the evolutionary path taken by emerging technologies and the companies that champion them. Especially now that several of the key emerging technologies I follow are at such different stages of their evolutions. These contrasting cross-currents are going to make 2011 a fascinating and turbulent year, one in which SaaS enters the tornado and mobile enters the bowling alley at the very same time as cloud trips over the chasm. I’ve decided to highlight six trends in enterprise computing for the coming year, but here’s a seventh prediction: middle-of-the-road analysts and pundits will find it even harder than ever to make any sense of everything that’s going on right now.

1. Mainstream means mobile

For many years, mobile has been a peripheral afterthought when developing enterprise applications. Even when running in a browser, the laptop or desktop PC has been the primary user platform, and a mobile client was always an option at best. In 2011, there’s going to be seismic shift. Significant numbers of enterprise software vendors will upend their development priorities and develop for mobile first, desktop second.

2. Fake cloud #fails the crowd

It should be no surprise to find me predicting that so-called ‘private cloud’ will disappoint. Cloud computing has ridden to the peak of the Gartner hype cycle, and fake cloud is now leading the way into the trough of disillusionment. Vendors and enterprises seeking to capture the benefits of cloud computing without understanding the core principles will come a cropper, and cloud’s reputation will suffer accordingly, even if undeservedly.

3. IT management gets wired to the cloud

The days when cloud computing came in an unaccountable black box are drawing to an end. Enterprise buyers rightly demand oversight and governance of their computing, even if hosted by a provider. Instead of take-it-or-leave it service levels, there’s a new trend towards visibility and accountability. Examples include RightNow’s Cloud Services Portal or the detailed reporting and governance built into managed cloud offerings from the likes of OpSource and Rackspace. 2011 will see instrumentation bringing new depth and detail to cloud and SaaS offerings.

4. Data just wants to be mined

The volume of data being accumulated every day is exploding, and it’s yielding huge new value for those who know how to mine and refine it. This emerging new value equation is changing the relationship between data and security, as Wikileaks has shown. Governments and corporations today (not to mention consumers) are sitting on rich seams of data whose value they have barely realized. Others are mining that wealth, whether openly or surreptitiously. I can’t put it better than I wrote back in 2006: “Value comes from the views that you create to filter, join and represent data — whether it’s your data or someone else’s (more often the latter).”

5. Social technologies remake enterprise apps

The ability to collaborate in real time, to instantly initiate conversations or to develop a thread across follow-the-sun timezones — all these capabilities are bringing people together in new ways that cut across the old business processes of industrial-era enterprise applications. The old way was to put the organization and its process automation first. Now applications are being remade to put people at the center of process and have automation serve their needs. The outcome will break down the old silos of resource-centric process management, to replace them with new, people-centric automation stacks.

6. Business transformation becomes the big story

The tech industry is obsessed with its pursuit of the new, new thing. In 2011 the new, new thing is not a technology at all, but a new way of doing business that’s enabled by all of the above. The new year’s most telling innovations will not be in mobile, cloud or social technologies but in how smart, entrepreneurial business people adapt to the potential that blossoms from those technologies.

Pulled from/Sourced: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/saas/six-big-trends-to-watch-in-2011/1232 By Phil Wainewright | December 28, 2010

Tags: cloud computing advancements, fake cloud, gartner, It Management, mobile, saas news, social technologies, wikileaks

Innotas Appointed Leader in IDC MarketScape Report

Leading Cloud Solutions Provider Named a Leader in IT PPM SaaS

San Francisco, CA (SaaS Newswire) December 16, 2010 — Innotas, the leading provider of Cloud solutions for IT Management, has announced today that the IDC MarketScape Report released in November scored Innotas as a Leader in the IT PPM SaaS segment for the second year in a row.

The IDC MarketScape Report indicated that Innotas executed well with its IT-focused approach and commitment to targeted, consistent client relationships. Innotas’ product updates have evolved product functionality in appropriate directions and deepened the company’s IT PPM focus. Innotas’ recent Product Release included a new task workbench with an interactive interface to help simplify definition of project plans, enhancements to reporting tools and more robust API support.

According to the IDC MarketScape Report, many Innotas clients specifically chose the company as a result of its Cloud approach, and SaaS delivery model. A major credit union customer of Innotas went from more than 75% projects being late and over budget in 2007 to 2009/10, by which time they brought that down to averaged where more than 60% of projects finished on time and under budget. Business critical projects have shown that the investment has paid off resulting in better visibility on a majority of high priority projects that were almost universally a failure in 2008.

“We are delighted to continue to be recognized as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape Report,” said Kevin Kern, Innotas CEO. “We focused our resources in 2010 to developing more sophisticated IT management reporting tools, and the ability to track time, people and money against all the requests through delivery by IT. Innotas is pleased to be validated by IDC and our valuable customers.”

About IDC MarketScape

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of ICT (information and communications technology) suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. IDC MarketScape provides a clear framework in which the product and service offerings, capabilities and strategies, and current and future market success factors of IT and telecommunications vendors can be meaningfully compared. The framework also provides technology buyers with a 360-degree assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and prospective vendors.

About Innotas

Innotas Cloud solutions for IT Management is a seamless way to manage Resources, Applications and Projects across all IT. With a strong foundation in Project Portfolio Management and Application Portfolio Management, Innotas provides CIOs and IT Management with Cloud-based 360° visibility across both strategic initiatives and sustaining operations for improved decision making across the entire IT portfolio. Innotas customers include Forbes, Tiffany & Co., Crocs, State of Montana, Crayola, Hamilton Beach, Burlington Coat Factory, The Northwest Company and World Vision. For more information please visit www.innotas.com or contact us at 866-692-7362.

SOURCE Innotas.com

Tags: cloud solutions, idc marketscapereport, innotas, It Management, it ppm saas, saas news

Citrix Systems To Acquire Web Conferencing Services Provider Netviewer AG

(SaaS Newswire) Citrix Systems (NASDAQ: CTXS), a software-as-service provider based in Florida, announced on Friday that it has agreed to acquire its privately-held European counterpart Netviewer AG. The financial terms of the transaction were undisclosed.

Netviewer, based in Germany, is a provider of online web conferencing services in Europe. The firm has about 18,000 customers, including businesses of varying sizes.

The deal will accelerate the growth of Citrix Online, Citrix System’s online services division, in Europe the company said. Citrix Online provides online web conferencing tools and remote computer access services.

“SaaS-based collaboration and IT Services have been key to our growth story. We believe there is even more opportunity ahead as the global market matures and customers look for a strong, experienced partner,” said Brett Caine, Senior Vice President of Online Services Division at Citrix Systems.

After the deal closes, Netviewer will be integrated into Citrix Online. Robert Gratzl, Netviewer’s Chief Financial Officer, will become the division’s Vice President and General Manager in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

The deal, subject to certain closing conditions, is expected to close in early 2011.

Citrix Systems’ shares have edged up 1.2% to trade at $69.98 as of 11:39 am EST.

Citrix Systems, Inc. (Citrix) designs, develops and markets technology solutions that enable information technology (IT) services to be delivered through its virtual computing infrastructure on demand, independent of location, device or network.

Pulled from/Sourced: http://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/10966/citrix-systems-to-acquire-web-conferencing-services-provider-netviewer-ag–10966.html

Tags: Citrix, citrix systems, netviewer ag, saas news, software as a service, web conferencing services

Avectra Adds New Integrations and Features to Industry’s Fastest Growing REALTOR® Association Management Software

Additional NRDS integrations, MLS and Lockbox Support and Education Credit Tracking make it easier for REALTOR® Association staff to manage data and service members

MCLEAN, VA (SaaS Newswire) December 13, 2010 – Avectra, the industry’s leading web-based association management software (AMS) provider, announced today a suite of new integrations and enhancements for netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations – the company’s, proven solution designed for the unique needs of REALTOR® associations and boards.

With more than 50 organizations using Avectra’s game-changing association management software, netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations is the fastest growing AMS in the industry. Now, with these new features and integrations available free of charge to all current and future customers, REALTOR® associations can focus on customer service rather than tracking credits and other data in third party databases.

The new features improve data integration and staff efficiency and include:

• Individual Lookup & Transfer – Giving staff members an efficient tool to verify a REALTOR’s status and NAR ID before adding them to the AMS
• MLS and Lockbox Data Extraction Tools – MLS and Lockbox data fields can be extracted from netFORUM using new options for easy transfer to MLS and Lockbox vendors. This enables staff to manage MLS and Lockbox access from one database – ensuring not only accurate data but also delivering greater staff efficiency.
• Education Credits and Realtor Designation Transfers – netFORUM now supports Education Credit and REALTOR® designation transfers with NRDS. Data can be pulled in from NRDS or pushed out from netFORUM for individual REALTORS®. In addition, designations will be pulled in from NRDS to netFORUM.

“Avectra’s innovation and understanding of the unique needs of REALTOR® associations is the key to our continued growth and success among REALTOR® associations and boards,” said Patrick Dorsey, vice president of marketing for Avectra. “With this update, we now have even more integrations and connections with third-party REALTOR® applications and vendors as well as NRDS – ensuring that REALTOR® board staff can focus on the business of running their organization instead of managing data and operating multiple databases. The result is a strong ROI driven by a established system already hard at work for a number of successful organizations.”

“Since we switched to Avectra’s AMS for REALTOR associations, our member satisfaction has skyrocketed thanks to online payments and member self-service,” said Michael Barr, CAE, e-PRO, chief executive officer for the Greensboro Regional REALTORS® Association.

Introduced just over a year ago, netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations – Avectra’s 100% web-based REALTOR® association software – has become a dominant industry force. Avectra’s impressive customer roster includes state and local REALTOR® associations and boards who recognize Avectra’s ability to successfully deliver a proven, web-based association management system that allows them to meets the distinct needs of REALTOR® associations as well as tap into aspects of traditional association management — e-Marketing, meeting management and registrations, online individual profiles, e-Commerce and more — all within one solution.

“netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations has streamlined our reporting and management,” said Dana Holben RCE, chief executive officer for the Dearborn Area Board of REALTORS®. “We have also been very successful with the events module which has made registration data readily available to our staff and vendors – saving time and enabling better service at events.”

netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations is powerful web-based association software designed for the unique needs of REALTOR® associations. It features not only NRDS integration for data transfer but also the ability to use the National Association of REALTORS® e-Commerce site as the payment processor, REALTOR® specific data fields, dues collection and automatic distribution among several real estate associations and bank accounts, and REALTOR® association specific reports.

Avectra is participating in the 2010 ASAE Technology Conference and Exposition on December 14 and 15 in Washington, D.C. Visit booth #215 for information regarding netFORUM Pro for Real Estate Associations and all Avectra solutions.

For more information about Avectra’s membership management software designed for the unique needs of REALTOR® associations or to sign up for a free online demonstration, visit www.avectra.com/livedemo.

Media Contact:

Patrick Dorsey
Avectra
703-506-7037

Tags: netforum realtor pro, nrds integration, real estate database management, realtor association management, saas news

HDFC Bank Wins top CSI honor for IT Excellence

Sanovi partnered with HDFC Bank to ensure recover readiness of the bank’s critical IT applications

December 15, 2010 (SaaS Newswire) – At the 45^th Annual IT Convention, Computer Society of India (CSI) presented the CSI 2010 awards for Excellence in IT to HDFC Bank in the BFSI category. The CSI Awards for Excellence are given to technological projects and innovation in various sectors like BFSI, Product Manufacturing, Service Sector, Non-profit organizations and Quality Assurance.

Out of the 143 nominations received, 43 were in BFSI segment and top honor was accorded to HDFC Bank in the BFSI segment for adoption of an effective DR plan.

The six CSI criteria for selecting the winners of IT Excellence Awards were criticality of IT usage, improvement of customer service, innovation, return on investment, quality of management, and impact of the project (on organization/society/industry). The evaluation process included two rounds of scrutiny and elimination, followed by presentations by 10 finalists before the jury.

HDFC bank has been an early adopter of disaster recovery (DR) management planning in India. HDFC Bank is among the country’s largest financial institutions, with a network of 1412 branches and 2890 ATMs in 528 Indian cities. HDFC Bank may cause systemic risks in the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system if there is a business continuity failure as almost 40 % of RTGS transactions are routed through it. Hence DR management is of extreme importance for HDFC Bank.

Out of its 350 applications, HDFC Bank selected eight core applications critical for the bank’s customer service continuity in the first phase of DR implementation.

As part of the DR management project, HDFC Bank partnered with Sanovi Technologies to implement a DR management solution which tracks and monitors RTOs as well as RPOs. Thus HDFC Bank gradually evolved to the Gartner model, which details how to organize DR management structurally in a bank (called the Chief Risk Officer model).

“Sanovi has partnered with HDFC Bank in to ensure that HDFC bank’s IT has a disaster recovery plan that works and meets business needs. The goal was to ensure recovery within set time objectives and provide seamless transition of application services to 25,000 of the banks end users”, says Lakshman Narayanaswamy, Co-founder and VP Products, Sanovi Technologies Limited.

Deployment of Sanovi DRM Suits ensured that the Productivity increased as:

1. Over 85% reduction in application fail over time

2. 100% increase in frequency of DR drills

3. Over 75% reduction in the time required for DR drill preparation & validation

The Operational efficiency also increased at HDFC Bank:

1. Real-time alerts on RPO, RTO deviations of critical applications

2. Five time increase in number of DR solution deployed with no increase in staff

Sanovi helps organizations across the globe proactively manage disaster recovery (DR) environments and ensure business managers that applications can be recovered in compliance with service level agreements. Sanovi DR Management™ Suite, is a comprehensive family of enterprise-class DR management software solutions for validating, monitoring, testing and automating recovery. For more information visit www.sanovi.com.

Sunil Kumar Singh
Sr.Consultant
finese PR – the communication & people consultancy
181, Anand Vihar, Pitampura
Delhi 110034, INDIA
Tele: +91 11 43056200 (30 Lines) Fax: +91 11 43056202
Direct :+91 11 43056211
Handphone: +91 9818363518
email: sunil@finesepr.com
url: www.finesepr.com

Tags: hdfc bank, saas news india, sanovi drm, top csi honor

SkillSoft Expands Books24×7 with Addition of Thomas Nelson Titles

Adds Dozens of Best-Selling Books to SkillSoft’s BusinessPro Collection; Spanish titles also included

NASHUA, N.H. & NASHVILLE, Tenn.–(SaaS Newswire)–SkillSoft, a leading SaaS provider of e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses, today announced the addition of over 90 new business titles from Thomas Nelson, a leading trade business book publisher, to its Books24×7® digital books library. Available within SkillSoft’s BusinessPro™ collection, a key business resource for on-demand training, the Thomas Nelson titles provide SkillSoft clients with a wide range of leadership, personal and professional development resources to enhance their employees’ skills and careers. Featured Thomas Nelson business authors include John C. Maxwell, Tim Irwin, Zig Ziglar, and many more.

“We want our products—books and conferences—to affect people and provide the sought-after practical guidance that inspire real change,” said Daisy Hutton, vice president of licensing, Thomas Nelson. “SkillSoft’s Books24×7 library offers one of the largest on-demand e-reference services for professional learning and is a great vehicle for Thomas Nelson to reach new audiences with its inspirational business content.”

SkillSoft’s Books24×7 helps bridge the gap between what employees know and need to know in hundreds of leading organizations. The expansive online collection of books within the business disciplines accelerates the acquisition of business knowledge, sharpens management acumen and inspires professional development. Thomas Nelson joins a long list of well-known publishers that contribute their latest and best selling titles, as well as their classics to Books24×7. With new books added almost every day, SkillSoft ensures the currency and comprehensiveness of its online business skills reference materials.

“From senior executives to individual contributors, employees across the enterprise rely on the Books24×7 collections for reliable, authoritative information to stay current and informed,” said John Ambrose, SkillSoft’s senior vice president of strategy, corporate development and emerging business. “We are pleased to expand our collection of best-selling business books with the addition of Thomas Nelson titles in BusinessPro.”

Through the Books24×7 On Demand platform, BusinessPro offers access to thousands of business titles from the most reputable publishers and authors in the industry. The scope of the collection is both broad and deep, addressing a range of issues critical to today’s business professionals — from fostering employee engagement to the latest trends on leadership, from Lean Six Sigma to project management, and from innovation to social networking. Books24×7 users can expect to see the following Thomas Nelson titles added:

• “Derailed: Five Lessons Learned from Catastrophic Failures of Leadership,” Tim Irwin
• “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect: What the Most Effective People Do Differently,” John C. Maxwell
• “Talent Is Never Enough: Discover the Choices That Will Take You Beyond Your Talent,” John C. Maxwell
• “Find your strongest life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently,” Marcus Buckingham
• “Ziglar On Selling,” Zig Ziglar
• And many more

Covering titles in both English and Spanish languages, the partnership with Thomas Nelson also significantly expands the Books24×7 en Español collection, a specialty offering of books published in the Spanish language covering desktop skills, management, IT and other technical disciplines.

About Thomas Nelson

Thomas Nelson is a leading provider of Bibles, products, and live events emphasizing Christian, inspirational and family value themes. For more information, visit our website www.thomasnelson.com.

About SkillSoft

SkillSoft is a leading SaaS provider of on-demand e-learning and performance support solutions for global enterprises, government, education and small to medium-sized businesses. SkillSoft enables business organizations to maximize business performance through a combination of comprehensive e- learning content, online information resources, flexible learning technologies and support services. SkillSoft is on the web at www.skillsoft.com.

Content offerings include business, IT, desktop, compliance and consumer/SMB courseware collections, as well as complementary content assets such as Leadership Development Channel video products, KnowledgeCenter(TM) portals, virtual instructor-led training services and online mentoring services. SkillSoft’s Books24×7(R) product offering includes access to more than 25,000 digitized IT and business books, as well as book summaries and executive reports. Technology offerings include the SkillPort(R) learning management system, Search-and-Learn(R), SkillSoft(R) Dialogue(TM), inGenius® and virtual classroom.

SkillSoft courseware content described herein is for information purposes only and is subject to change without notice. SkillSoft has no obligation or commitment to develop or deliver any future release, upgrade, feature, enhancement or function described in this press release except as specifically set forth in a written agreement.

SkillSoft, the SkillSoft logo, SkillPort, Search-and-Learn, SkillChoice, Books24×7, ITPro, BusinessPro, OfficeEssentials, GovEssentials, EngineeringPro, FinancePro, AnalystPerspectives, ExecSummaries, ExecBlueprints, Express Guide, Dialogue and inGenius are trademarks or registered trademarks of SkillSoft Ireland Limited in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners, countries.

Contacts

SkillSoft
Donna Ayer, 603-821-3211
Donna_Ayer@SkillSoft.com
or
Lois Paul & Partners
Lauren Whittenberg, 512-638-5322
lauren_whittenberg@lpp.com

Pulled from/Sourced: Skillsoft.com

Tags: businesspro collection, digital books, e-learning, on-demand training, skillsoft

Edit this entry.

Avectra’s Recent Release Exemplifies Customer-Driven Innovation and Makes Association Management Software Even Easier to Use

More than 1,400 Associations Receive Automatic Update to Their Critical Business Software

McLean, VA (SaaS Newswire) December 9, 2010

Avectra, the industry innovator for association management software (AMS), has announced the fourth significant release of netFORUM Team and netFORUM Pro for 2010. The upgraded software delivers more than 100 new features and product enhancements that improve data collection capabilities and make it easier for association staff to leverage the software to meet them operational and membership goals.

“Imagine an AMS so useable, you’ll actually use it. This simple premise drives our product development strategy. Our releases are truly customer-driven innovation—over 1,400 customers sharing daily best practices to help drive an improved member experience and staff efficiency,” said Patrick Dorsey, vice president of marketing for Avectra. “Unlike others, we encourage our customers to share their feedback and user experience. Avectra’s commitment to product development and customer success continues to raise the bar in the membership management software market.”

The release has been made available automatically and at no cost to Avectra’s more than 1,400 Team and Pro customers. Enhancements to the company’s 100% web-based membership management software include:

• Integrated Support – An integrated announcement tool keeps users informed about product developments and issues without checking email or leaving the system. Users also have direct access to Avectra’s Online User Group from within the netFORUM software.
• Configurable User Settings – Administrators can configure access to critical functionality including the ability to show or hide features such as email templates and access to mailing lists, thus making netFORUM more flexible for all users.
• Improved Data Collection – Additional demographic fields and improved processes for registering association website visitors help associations capture targeted data about association members and customers.
• Accounting Enhancements – New cancellation fee and payment profile updates make it easier to reconcile bank transactions–reducing manual processes and saving time and money.

Avectra has also enhanced the speed and processing power of the netFORUM on demand association software with additional upgraded, industry leading 64-bit servers. netFORUM Team and Pro run on Microsoft’s .NET Framework 4.0, 64-bit SQL 2008 databases, 2008 SQL Reporting Services with Dundas software for enhanced graphical reporting and back-end servers running on Windows Server 2008 Enterprise edition.

“Avectra’s industry leading investments continue to deliver high performance for our clients who rely on us to provide their most critical tools,” said Dorsey. “It is part of our commitment to help our customers solve their problems by offering peace of mind about their systems. This means that they can focus on their members and revenue generating programs instead of the headaches of back-end technology.”

Avectra is participating in the 2010 ASAE Technology Conference on December 14 and 15 in Washington, D.C. Visit booth #215 for information regarding netFORUM and Avectra.

For more information about Avectra’s membership management software or to sign up for a free online demonstration, visit http://www.avectra.com/livedemo.

About netFORUM Team & Pro

netFORUM Team & Pro are Avectra’s 100% Web-based association management software solutions. With complete association management functionality, both products are designed and configured to meet association needs without the cost or complexity of customization. Avectra Social Community provides netFORUM Team and Pro customers with social networking tools designed to improve the organization’s business, recruitment efforts, member communications, and results by inspiring conversations with and between members, building long-term loyalty, and forging deeper relationships with their members.

About netFORUM Enterprise

netFORUM Enterprise is Avectra’s hosted, enterprise level association management that delivers advanced association management tools and the ability to be customized to meet the most complex business needs – all while remaining on the upgrade path.

With more than 30 modules designed for complete association management and Avectra’s on demand SaaS (software-as-a-service) model, netFORUM Enterprise is accessible at any time, from anywhere. And customers can rest assured knowing that their data is safe, as all Avectra solutions run in a secure, world-class hosting facility with complete system redundancy, fail-safe power systems and full database backup.

In addition to Avectra’s internal development and implementation resources, the company also boasts a network of implementation and industry solution partners who work with the company’s customers to implement netFORUM Enterprise or extend the system’s functionality.

About Avectra

For the last 16 years, Avectra has been translating our customers’ needs into market-leading association management software – whether our customers serve members by the hundreds or hundreds of thousands. Our 100% Web-based technology integrates data with business processes and then automates it, so our customers can engage members, provide access to all of their resources and get more done. Each of our solutions is continually refined by the user community, ensuring that we have the features our customers need to run their businesses and lead their industries. With ongoing, automatic upgrades that won’t disrupt service or incur additional costs, we keep our customers current with the latest technology. Avectra is headquartered in McLean, Va., with a regional office in Chicago.

To explore the netFORUM family of products, please visit http://www.avectra.com, or call 800-858-8272.

Media Contact:
Patrick Dorsey
(703) 506-7037
pdorsey(at)avectra(dot)com

###

Tags: association management software, avectra, netFORUM, netforum team & pro, web-based membership management software

Numbers Crunch Themselves with Wave Accounting Saving Time for Small Businesses

New Free and Easy Way to Manage Business and Personal Finances

TORONTO (SaaS Newswire) – Wave Accounting today launched an online

accounting application that frees small business owners from the time-consuming steps of bookkeeping and accounting. Wave Accounting is the first integrated online application to track users’ business and personal finances, an essential feature for the many small businesses that manage business and personal finances out of the same bank account and credit card. And it’s free, unlike traditional accounting software.

Other free applications offer limited options, restrict access to features or put a cap on usage. Wave Accounting is the only full-featured online accounting program that is 100 percent free for small businesses.

Many small business owners do not possess a clear picture of what’s happening with their money. Or they spend hours logging payments into spreadsheets and hand-writing invoices. Wave Accounting does the work for them.

Wave Accounting connects with users’ banking and credit card institutions, automatically importing and categorizing transactions to provide a real-time view of the business’ financial health.

“The reality is that two-thirds of small business owners still stuff their receipts in shoeboxes, log expenses in spreadsheets and hand-write invoices,” said Kirk Simpson, chief executive officer, Wave Accounting. “It’s hard to find a market as large as this – and growing with the recession – with a pain point that still needs to be addressed. We took stock of the process that any small business owner goes through to stay on top of finances. Anywhere we could cut time, we did.”

With Wave, paper receipts become digital records. Even the application’s language is simplified, stripped of accounting terminology and replaced with plain English. Instead of “debits and credits,” users see “money owed to me and money I owe.”

Unlike traditional accounting software, Wave Accounting resides online. As a result, users can access their financial information from any device with a browser. Data is stored securely and backed up hourly to allow users to stay in business in the event of a system crash or hardware theft. No software downloads are required.

Product Feature Highlights

• Automatically imports transactions from your business and personal bank and credit card accounts
• Automatically categorizes transactions
• Drag and drop income and expenses into appropriate categories
• View a real-time dashboard featuring graphs of your income against expenses, due dates and bookkeeping actions
• Log, generate and send invoices from within the application or download a PDF copy
• Collaborate with business partners and accountants by extending edit or view only access to balance sheets, income statements and other reports

Availability

For more information or to sign up for a free account now visit http://waveaccounting.com/.

Supporting Resources

• View video overview
• View 5 Things to Love About Wave Accounting for Small Business
• Read: The New Wave for Small Businesses
• Read: Business vs. Personal: No more fighting
• View photo gallery
• Check out the market and application fact sheet

About Wave Accounting

Wave Accounting liberates small business owners from the time consuming parts of bookkeeping and accounting. And it’s free. By using smarter tools, Wave Accounting gives small business owners control over their financial information. The result: No more sleepless nights worrying about the accounting you’ve avoided. For more information on how your small business can benefit from Wave Accounting, visit us on the Web at http://waveaccounting.com/.

Follow us on Twitter at @WaveAccounting.

Press Contact:

Juliet Niczewicz

The Hoffman Agency

(408) 975-3091

jniczewicz@hoffman.com

Source:

Rob Maurin
Director of Product & CommunityWave Accounting
rob@waveaccounting.com
http://www.WaveAccounting.com

Tags: accounting software, free small biz accounting software, saas accounting software, wave accounting software, wave accounting\

Ben Martin joins the NFi Studios team as Product & Community Manager

Orlando, FL (December 3, 2010) – NFi Studios is pleased to announce that Ben Martin, CAE, association industry thought leader and blogger, has joined the NFi Studios team as the Product & Community Manager.

Ben has spent the past ten years working in the association industry gaining experience working through many different positions, all the way up to the VP level. His most recent position was the VP of Marketing & Communications at the Virginia Association of REALTORS® (VAR), an NFi Studios customer using the MemberFuse community platform. Ben has been recognized by ASAE & The Center as the “Five to Watch” in 2007, by Inman News as one of the “50 Most Influential Online”, and has received the National Association of REALTORS® Technology Innovator Award in November 2010.

“I was a big fan of NFi Studios even before VAR officially became a client. Now, after a year as a customer, I’m more than a fan, I’m a true believer. Joining the team at NFi Studios is exciting for me because I’ll get to work full time on something I’m so passionate about: Helping associations deliver on their missions by bringing the full power of the web to their member engagement strategies, just as VAR and NFi’s other clients have.” – Ben Martin, CAE, Product & Community Manager of NFi Studios.

“It’s an honor to have Ben Martin join the leadership team at NFi Studios. His passion for association strategy and focus on innovation will help accelerate the value of our product and customer success. We look forward to our continued partnership with the Virginia Association of REALTORS®, and to seeing Ben serve the association industry in his new role on our team.” – Sterling Raphael, President/CEO of NFi Studios.

About NFi Studios: NFi Studios is the leading provider of engaging web technologies connecting member and industry communities. By delivering social technologies to associations to marketplace matching solutions for tradeshows, NFi Studios takes a creative approach to delivering powerful interactive solutions for our clients.
Contact:

Elizabeth Baranik, VP, Marketing & Public Relations

elizabeth@nfistudios.com

NFiStudios.com

1-877-NFi-Studios (877-425-7883)
###

Tags: association technology, avectra, ben martin, nfi studios, product and community manager, saas news, social community technology, sterling raphael

Assembla Releases Real-Time Team Room with multi-way video chat

(SaaS Newswire) December 3, 2010 – Assembla (www.assembla.com), a leading provider of project management and team collaboration software, announced the availability of its Real-Time Team Room, featuring an innovative new multi-way group video chat tool, that is specifically d esigned for distributed teams that want to communicate and collaborate in real-time.

For the first time, distributed teams can communicate and collaborate as instantaneously as teams working in the same location or even in the same room. Unlike other video chat tools that support only one-to-one video conversations, Assembla’s multi-way video chat capability lets everyone on a team communicate and collaborate simultaneously.

“Assembla lets you have face-to-face conversations with everyone on your team, making it a perfect way to focus on a specific task, deadline or project”, said Andy Singleton, CEO of Assembla. “We designed the Real-Time Team Room for teams that need to keep track of project activity in real-time, which is especially important for distributed teams.”

“Assembla has taken the activity stream to the next level by incorporating it directly into real-time video chat,” said Andy. “Real-ime project activity is displayed directly in the chat stream, so you see what’s happening as you chat with your teammates. This type of activity stream is very important for keeping members of a team working together.”

Assembla’s multi-way video chat capability is powered by OpenTok, a group video communication platform provided by TokBox, a leading web video communications provider, that enables websites to weave live, group video communication into their online experience. “We are excit ed to work with Assembla as our first partner in workplace collaboration,” said Ian Small, CEO of TokBox. “By using the OpenTok video chat platform to enable face-to-face interactions, Assembla is bringing rich human interaction to distributed teams and fundamentally changing how teams can collaborate.”

Assembla’s Real-Time Team Room is available immediately. Pricing is based on team size and free options are available for open source and public projects.

About Assembla

Assembla is a leading provider of Project Management and collaboration workspaces for distributed teams. Assembla workspaces feature a complete set of collaboration and project management tools, including bug and issue tracking, agile planning and management, project wiki and team messaging, and hosted Git and Subversion repositories.

For more information, visit www.assembla.com

Source: Assembla

nadia@assembla.cc

Tags: assembla, multi way video chat, project management software, real-time team room

LogiXML Announces Major New Release of Ad Hoc Reporting Solution

LogiXML Announces Major New Release of Ad Hoc Reporting Solution

McLean, VA (SaaS Newswire) July 15, 2010 – LogiXML, the web-based business intelligence (BI) pioneer, announced today a new release of the company’s web-based ad hoc reporting solution, Logi Ad Hoc Version 10. Logi Ad Hoc is a self-service business intelligence application that empowers business users to create sophisticated dashboards and reports without IT involvement.

Logi Ad Hoc is designed for organizations with limited IT resources and a growing demand for reporting from business users. The application is designed to be highly intuitive without sacrificing sophisticated reporting features.

Logi Ad Hoc Version 10 includes a completely redesigned user interface that makes dashboard and report creation easier and more intuitive. Additionally, new rapid deployment wizards and a simpler administration console reduce deployment time and effort. For example, it can discover and automatically build metadata in a matter of minutes so there is no need to design and build complex data cubes or data marts. Logi Ad Hoc offers broad platform support including 32-bit and 64-bit versions for Java and .NET and is “cloud ready.”
“Based on feedback from customers, Logi Ad Hoc is arguably the most functionally rich ad hoc reporting solution on the market. It is the gold standard,” commented Matt Hoffman, LogiXML Product Marketing Manager. “With Version 10, we made it even easier to use for the typical business user.”

“Logi Ad Hoc Version 10 brings a whole new level of ease of use and manageability to our clients. We can now deliver a true self-service business intelligence reporting application, integrated into our existing systems,” according to Bruce Prentice, Sr. Software Engineer, Green Mountain Consulting.
For more information about Logi Ad Hoc, including a free test drive, visit www.logixml.com

About LogiXML, Inc. (www.logixml.com)

LogiXML is the smart choice for Business Intelligence, giving customers more power with less effort and cost. It’s simple to start creating web-based dashboards in hours, reports in minutes and analysis on demand, without complex pricing schemes or user fees. Easy to connect, quick to build and intuitive to use, LogiXML empowers everyone to get the most value from their data, no matter where it resides. Founded in 2000, LogiXML is privately held and based in McLean, Virginia. For more information, please visit www.logixml.com.

For more information about LogiXML, please contact:

Heather Bell
Director of Marketing
703.752.9700 X134
heather.bell@logixml.com

Source: LogiXML.com

Tags: ad hoc reporting, ad hoc reporting solution, BI software, logixml, web based intelligence

Naviance Acquires College Recommendation Engine MyFit

Washington, DC (SaaS Newswire) October 5, 2010 — Educational software leader Naviance has announced its recent acquisition of MyFit, an innovative web-based college recommendation engine that uses advanced data modeling to help students identify colleges that match them academically and socially.

Capabilities from MyFit will be integrated into Naviance Succeed, the premier college and career-readiness platform for schools and districts, which today reaches 6 million high school students, their families, counselors, teachers, and administrators. With the technology provided by MyFit, Naviance Succeed will be able to offer even richer insights into the factors that most impact students’ academic and career success and that affect which colleges are likely to be each student’s best fit. MyFit was founded in 2009 and backed by leading venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates (NEA).

“We are thrilled to bring on board one of Silicon Valley’s gems: MyFit is one of most innovative teams in education analysis and college admissions,” said Shaun Fanning, Executive Vice-President and co-founder of Naviance, “The technology and product vision that MyFit has built will keep Naviance the leader in our space as we continue to evolve and sharpen our offerings.”

MyFit co-founder Jason Mueller will report to Fanning and continue to manage the MyFit product team.

“Our greatest aspiration for this product was to put it in the hands of millions of high school students across the country and the world,” said Mueller. ”Naviance is the clear market leader in the college admissions and analytics space, and we are incredibly excited to enhance the incredible platform and brand they have built. We want to give millions of students the right tools to better plan and improve their academic and professional futures.”

Naviance was founded in 2001 and became the K-12 division of Hobsons and a unit of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc (LSE:DMGT) in 2007. Naviance Succeed is a SaaS offering currently used in more than 4,300 middle and high schools located in 72 countries worldwide. For more information please visit www.naviance.com or call 866.337.0080.

SOURCE Naviance

866.337.0080

1850 K Street NW
Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20006

Tags: educational software, myfit, naviance, naviance succeed, new enterprise associates

Google on verge of buying Groupon for billions

Google Inc. (GOOG-Q555.71-26.40-4.54%) appears poised to make the biggest acquisition in its history, a proposed $6-billion (U.S.) purchase of what is, by some measures, the fastest-growing Web firm ever.

Citing unnamed sources, a number of news outlets reported this week that Google is in talks to purchase Groupon, an online discount coupon site that matches groups of subscribers with local deals. The purchase price, originally reported to be around $2.5-billion, now stands at between $5-billion and $6-billion, according to reports in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Representatives for both Google and Groupon refused to comment on Tuesday.

The Groupon purchase would give Google strong footing in the rapidly expanding local Internet advertising market, which tailors deals and discounts to users based on their current location. While Google still leads the world in traditional Web advertising, rivals such as Facebook have made significant gains in new and lucrative areas such as social and location-based marketing – two areas where Groupon operates.

“[Group discounts are] a new form of advertising that leverages social media,” said Chris Nguyen, founder of Toronto-based group discount site TeamSave. “And the best part about it is that it’s completely measurable marketing.”

The group-discount business model is fairly simple. In Groupon’s case, local businesses in more than 160 North American cities use the site to offer steep discounts and special offers, usually for 50 to 90 per cent off regular prices. However, the offers don’t materialize unless a certain minimum number of customers sign up, and users can only sign up for a limited period of time – deals typically expire after 24 hours. Basically, the site offers Web-based coupons to consumers, and exposure and economies of scale to businesses. In turn, Groupon takes a roughly 50-per-cent cut from all revenues.

At just under two years old, Groupon is growing at a quick clip. A funding round last April pegged the company’s worth at more than $1.3-billion. Unlike many other Internet services, which rack up millions of users but are unable to translate that following into profit, Groupon is already making money. In a recent cover story, Forbes magazine described Groupon as “the fastest-growing company … ever.”

A number of companies have launched similar services – this year, Canadian site Red Flag Deals launched its “Deal of the Day” service, which is similar to Groupon’s business. Facebook also recently launched a deals service in the U.S., tied to its Places feature, which lets users “check in” from various physical locations, such as coffee shops or university campuses.

Indeed, some analysts have cited the technical ease of creating a group discount site as a potential downside to Groupon’s business model. However the company continues to lead the burgeoning market, with more than 300 employees, many of them salespeople and copy writers, rather than technical staff.

Google’s own experiences with online coupons have been mixed at best. The company previously tried to use its maps service to let local businesses advertise special deals to users. However, the service required users to print and cut out actual paper coupons, and it never gained much traction. An attempt to buy local recommendations site Yelp last year also fell through.

For Google, the potential advantages of such a purchase are clear. Despite having the biggest presence of any company on the Web, Google falls behind competitors such as Facebook when it comes to social experiences – mostly, visitors to Google’s website simply find what they’re searching for and move on, whereas Facebook users spend a lot more time interacting with one another on the site. Groupon, through its knowledge of users’ shopping habits, gives Google a better look into consumers’ lives.

But Groupon’s most important asset is its presence in the local shopping market. Because the site essentially exists to cater to users in specific locations – by offering them discounts on nearby products and services – it has built close ties with local merchants. Those relationships are of great use to Google, which has largely refocused its strategy to the mobile Web, delivering services to users based on proximity – something that GPS-enabled smart phones have made much simpler in recent years.

But any $6-billion deal is bound to produce at least some regulatory headaches for Google. This week, the European Commission announced it would launch an antitrust investigation of the site. In the past, many of Google’s acquisitions have attracted attention from federal regulators, and a Groupon purchase may well do the same.

Sourced: http://bit.ly/g4ZLUk

Tags: deal of the day, facebook, google, groupon, places, red flag deals

Avectra Introduces Moneris Integration and Tax Computation for Canadian netFORUM Association Software Users

Integrated payment processing and tax accounting further strengthens leading association management software service for Canadian associations

Mclean, VA (SaaS Newswire via Vocus Distribution Partnership) November 29, 2010

Avectra, the industry’s association management software innovator, now offers new services for the company’s Canada-based customers. Introduced in the most recent release of netFORUM Team and netFORUM Pro, Canadian customers can now perform computations for value added tax (VAT), goods and services tax (GST) and/or harmonized sales tax (HST) as well as process credit card transactions through Moneris Solutions, the leading payment processor in Canada.

In addition to these product developments, Avectra also operates data hosting services in a “Class A” data center in Toronto that helps Canadian associations comply with PIPEDA laws.

“We have been received enthusiastically by our Canadian customers and prospects looking for a top-of-the-line membership management system that not only adheres to the unique requirements of the Canadian market, but also successfully manages their association and members with a rich combination of integrated membership, e-Marketing, e-Commerce and social community features,” said Patrick Dorsey, vice president of marketing for Avectra. “In addition to Avectra’s premier-level, Canada based data hosting operations, our integration with Moneris and VAT/GST/HST computations deliver the essential capabilities Canadian associations need to manage their organizations and serve their members.”

Avectra customers with Moneris accounts can now set up their netFORUM association management software to process credit card transactions directly within the system. This integration enables associations to offer one-stop e-Commerce for dues payment as well as the ability to sell products online through the association website. In addition to Moneris, netFORUM Team and Pro also integrates with PayPal and Authorize.net for payment processing.

With the recent software update to netFORUM, Canadian associations can also specify and track sales tax for memberships, certifications, donations, merchandise and events. netFORUM’s tax tracking takes into consideration the Harmonized Sales Tax rules that enable applicable taxes based on the member’s province.

“Our investment in state-of-the-art data facilities and functionality specifically for this market means Avectra provides more than just a PIPEDA compliant, reliable service for our Canadian member-based customers. It means there is a more efficient and successful way for Canadian associations to manage their business and their members,” said Dorsey.

Avectra’s hosting facility in Toronto, Ontario, is operated by leading communications provider Primus Business Services. In addition to providing the most reliable and redundant network available, the data center provides world-class access and environmental controls for Canada-based associations using Avectra’s netFORUM association management software.

For more information about Avectra’s membership management software or to sign up for a free online demonstration, visit http://www.avectra.com/livedemo

About netFORUM Team & Pro
netFORUM Team & Pro are Avectra’s 100% web-based association management software solutions. With complete association management functionality, both products are designed and configured to meet association needs without the cost or complexity of customization. Avectra Social Community provides netFORUM Team and Pro customers with social networking tools designed to improve the organization’s business, recruitment efforts, member communications, and results by inspiring conversations with and between members, building long-term loyalty, and forging deeper relationships with their members.

About netFORUM Enterprise
netFORUM Enterprise is Avectra’s hosted, enterprise level association management that delivers advanced association management tools and the ability to be customized to meet the most complex business needs – all while remaining on the upgrade path.

With more than 30 modules designed for complete association management and Avectra’s on demand SaaS (software-as-a-service) model, netFORUM Enterprise is accessible at any time, from anywhere. And customers can rest assured knowing that their data is safe, as all Avectra solutions run in a secure, world-class hosting facility with complete system redundancy, fail-safe power systems and full database backup.

In addition to Avectra’s internal development and implementation resources, the company also boasts a network of implementation and industry solution partners who work with the company’s customers to implement netFORUM Enterprise or extend the system’s functionality.

About Avectra
Since 1993, Avectra has been translating our customers’ needs into market-leading association management software – whether our customers serve members by the hundreds or hundreds of thousands. Our 100% web-based technology integrates data with business processes and then automates it, so our customers can engage members, provide access to all of their resources and get more done. Each of our solutions is continually refined by the user community, ensuring that we have the features our customers need to run their businesses and lead their industries. With ongoing, automatic upgrades that won’t disrupt service or incur additional costs, we keep our customers current with the latest technology. Avectra is headquartered in McLean, VA, with a regional office in Chicago, IL.

To explore the netFORUM family of products, please visit http://www.avectra.com, or call 800-858-8272.

Media Contact:
Patrick Dorsey
(703) 506-7037
pdorsey(at)avectra(dot)com

###

Tags: AMS, association management software, canadian associations, moneris integration and tax computation, netforum canada clients, netforumpro, netforumteam

PROLIN Announces Business Data Analyzer for Real-Time Business Metrics Displayed on Striking Dashboards

PROLIN’s Business Data Analyzer adds easy-to-use, real-time business intelligence reporting and modeling for HP Service Desk installations, with no change or disruption to their current environment.

San Mateo, CA (SaaS Newswire via PRWEB Distribution Partner) November 29, 2010

PROLIN, an innovator in SaaS-based IT Service Management (ITSM), today announced PROLIN Business Data Analyzer, a best-of-breed, Web-based, visualization tool that helps PROLIN customers create custom dashboards of their most vital business information. PROLIN Business Data Analyzer adds key functionality for HP Service Desk 4.5, HP Service Manager 7, and HP Service Center customers, helping them protect and enhance their investments through non-disruptive, effortless, product extensions.

PROLIN Business Data Analyzer provides easy-to-use tools that enable users to drag-and-drop data to quickly create meaningful displays, “dashlettes,” of striking visuals in consolidated business-oriented views. Within minutes PROLIN customers can load data, perform analysis, and share results, making vital information quickly accessible to decision makers throughout the organization.

• Quick creation of business dashboards
• Unified views
• Easy way to combine a multitude of data elements, from various sources, to create a unified view of the business environment
• Striking and meaningful visuals in consolidated, business-oriented views
• Dynamic data – Web-based dashboards are updated automatically with no need to resynchronize or repopulate
• Drill-down charts and tables provide access to detailed data

“PROLIN Business Data Analyzer adds easy-to-use, real-time business intelligence reporting and modeling for HP Service Desk installations, with no change or disruption to their current environment,” said Jerome H. Mol, founder and CEO of PROLIN. “Business Data Analyzer is the first in a group of value-added products PROLIN will be introducing over the next few weeks. We are gratified by the tremendous response we are receiving from HP Service Desk customers to PROLIN’s ITSM as a Service Smart Suite and add on product roadmap.”

About PROLIN
PROLIN, the renowned pioneer in ITIL-based ITSM in the ‘80s and ‘90s, has reunited to revitalize IT Service Management with ITSM as a Service. PROLIN’s team of experienced engineering and business professionals are focused on bringing leading-edge technology, and fun, back to IT service management. PROLIN is privately held and has headquarters in San Mateo, CA, USA; development teams in Roseville, CA, USA, and Amsterdam, the Netherlands; and Sales & Support Centers in San Mateo, CA, USA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Melbourne, Australia. For more information, please visit: http://www.prolin.com.

Editorial Contact:

Frances Mann-Craik
Chief Marketing Officer
PROLIN
frances(at)prolin(dot)com
US: +1 408-868-9577

# # #

Tags: business data analyzer, business intelligence, itsm, prolin, real-time, saas news

Intel Capital Invests $77 million in Innovative Companies Around the World

Posted by Ben on November 19th, 2010

Intel Capital, Intel Corporation’s global investment organization, reaffirmed its dedication to foster worldwide innovation with the announcement of 18 new investments. The new deals total approximately $77 million and were announced today at the 11th annual Intel Capital CEO Summit, Intel Capital’s gathering of portfolio company CEOs, corporate technology decision makers from Global 1000 companies and thought leaders from around the world. The new Intel Capital investments span 11 countries including Brazil, China, Germany, India, Israel, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and the United States.

The new investments align with Intel’s strategic focus on fostering innovation in core PC and server market segments including cloud computing, mobility solutions and access to broadband wireless in geographies around the world. Additionally, these investments will help enable advancements in adjacent computing areas including smart TV, tablets and smartphones.

“Innovation continues to thrive all over the world,” said Arvind Sodhani, president of Intel Capital and Intel executive vice president. “Despite the economic environment, these 18 investments help advance next generation computing technologies aligning with Intel’s vision that more and more devices will compute and connect to the Internet, called the ‘compute continuum.’ The innovative technology developed by these companies supports the compute continuum from advancements in PCs and server trends, such as cloud computing, to building out the ecosystem around smart TVs and smartphones.”

2010 has also been an excellent year for Intel Capital portfolio companies. To date, 28 Intel Capital portfolio companies have exited in 2010 either through an IPO or acquisition. These exits clearly demonstrate Intel Capital’s dedication to support portfolio company business development efforts through events such as Intel Capital Technology Days (ITDs) and the Intel Capital CEO Summit, and are a key indication of the critical role technology innovation has played in driving the global economic recovery.

“The successful exits of our portfolio companies demonstrate Intel Capital’s company building and business development capabilities,” Sodhani said.

The new investments include Adaptivity, Althea Systems, Anobit, boo-box, De Novo, IPTEGO, Layar, Lilliputian Systems, Inc, Ortiva Wireless, Rock Flow Dynamics, Select-TV, SilkRoad, Taifatech, Videon Central, Verismo Networks, Winchannel, YuMe and Yummly.com.

In addition to the new investments, Intel Capital also highlighted recent follow-on investments in GainSpan, JackBe, Fonality, TecTotal and Wortal.

Details on the new investments follow:

Adaptivity (Charlotte, N.C.) helps companies address the complexities associated with IT design and implementation. Adaptivity’s Blueprint 4IT Lifecycle Suite™ enables intelligent IT design decisions to be incorporated into repeatable actions across the technology build and deployment lifecycle. Whether seeking to rationalize IT portfolios or design enterprise cloud programs, companies use Adaptivity’s tailored blueprints to optimize legacy infrastructure operations and accelerate the delivery of new IT services. The funding will be used to accelerate product development and build out sales and marketing infrastructure.

Althea Systems’ (Bangalore, India) cloud-based video discovery platform makes it easier to find and share online videos across various devices. Althea launched a PC version of Shufflr, a social video browser, with a rich, immersive video experience in July. Shufflr’s video discovery platform on the cloud aggregates video from several sources and combines machine aided and social discovery engines to help users find video they like. Shufflr will soon be available on smartphones, tablets and TVs, providing continuity of video experience from one device to another. The investment from Intel Capital will help the company expand its development team and marketing efforts.

Anobit (Herzeliya Pituach, Israel) is a provider of solutions to the growing NAND flash memory market segment. Its patented MSP (Memory Signal Processing) technology significantly improves the endurance and thus the cost structure of NAND-based products and systems. Anobit’s products, ranging from flash controllers to enterprise-class solid state drives, are designed for leading NAND flash manufacturers, consumer electronics vendors and storage solution providers. The company will use the funding to expand its core business operations to meet surging demand for its technology and products.

boo-box (São Paulo, Brazil) is one of the first technology-based ad systems in Brazil to address advertising on social media. Its innovative platform allows creative freedom for agencies, intelligent targeting for advertisers and increased control for publishers. boo-box services range from ad serving to affiliate marketing, addressing all types of advertising needs in social media. The investment from Intel Capital will be used to accelerate development of targeting and optimization tools, and to strengthen business operations.

De Novo (Kiev, Ukraine) is the first enterprise-class data center provider offering high quality IT services to leading enterprises in the Ukraine. De Novo experts have significant experience in project realization focused on IT systems research, design, implementation and maintenance at the corporate level. Intel Capital’s investment will be used to expand outsourcing services, such as Software as a Service, Infrastructure as a Service, based in the De Novo Data Center.

IPTEGO (Berlin, Germany) is a provider of Next Generation Network optimization software. IPTEGO’s PALLADION software suite analyzes Next Generation Networks from any vendor to provide real-time network intelligence, troubleshooting, customer experience monitoring and seamless integration of third-party products. Utilizing PALLADION allows operators to securely and quickly migrate to IP-based networks such as IMS, reduce operational costs, generate additional revenue and minimize churn. Intel Capital’s investment will allow the company to speed up penetration of global markets and ensure rapid growth.

Layar (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is the largest augmented reality platform in mobile used to bring impactful experiences into people’s everyday lives. Layar works with thousands of developers creating nearly 1,500 layers for users to see the world with new information and meaningful digital content. The Layar platform is available on Android, iPhone and Bada* devices and also comes globally pre-installed on tens of millions of phones promoted by leading handset manufacturers and carriers. Layar will use the funding to further develop its platform and drive the development of meaningful augmented reality content.

Lilliputian Systems, Inc. (Wilmington, Mass.) is developing a Personal Power solution for consumer electronics devices that targets the portable power market segment. The company delivers a small form-factor battery charging solution that provides extended run-time for today’s CE devices. Lilliputian’s patented Silicon Power Cell technology is based on highly efficient solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) wafer fabrication methods, and is fueled by recyclable high-energy butane cartridges. Intel Capital’s equity stake provides resources for volume manufacturing.

Ortiva Wireless (La Jolla, Calif.) offers advanced commercial solutions for proactive management of mobile video, allowing service providers to dramatically improve control, quality and efficiency of rich media content delivery. Ortiva’s iVOG (internet Video Optimization Gateway) for open internet media and mVOG (mobile Video Optimization Gateway) for portal services extend service reach, increase network efficiency, and improve video coverage density for mobile operators while dynamically shaping the content to give subscribers the smoothest video and clearest audio experience possible – regardless of fluctuating and hostile wireless network conditions. The new funding will be used to expand sales, marketing and engineering resources.

Rock Flow Dynamics (Moscow, Russia) offers high performance modeling software to simulate fluid and gas filtration dynamics of hydrocarbon underground reservoirs. The company’s fully integrated dynamics modeling solution, tNavigator, was designed from the ground up for the latest generation of multicore processors and can be seamlessly used for reservoir simulations on laptops, multiprocessor servers and clusters. The Intel Capital investment will be used to establish a Houston office and expand sales and marketing globally.

Select-TV (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is a provider of end-to-end systems and content solutions for IPTV deployment. Widely deployed in luxury hotels and resorts in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Select TV’s set-top box utilizes the power of the Intel Atom processor to provide easy navigation to Web content and highly interactive entertainment and online education applications. The company has also recently embarked on trials in Southeast Asia with telecom operators who are deploying IPTV to consumer homes. Intel Capital’s investment will be used to accelerate the development of IPTV solutions and to expand the company’s presence in Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Europe.

SilkRoad technology, Inc. (Chicago) provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) integrated talent management solution. Through SilkRoad’s Life Suite, companies are able to hire better employees, identify high and low performers, drive a pay-for-performance culture and improve employee tenure. The SilkRoad Life Suite solution set includes: OpenHire, for recruiting management; RedCarpet for employee onboarding and life events; WingSpan for flexible employee performance management; GreenLight for learning management; Eprise for employee intranets and content management; and HeartBeat for core HR. Plans for Intel Capital’s investment include a significant expansion of SilkRoad’s worldwide direct sales and marketing efforts, strategic acquisitions and continued product development.

Taifatech (Jhubei City, Taiwan) is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in system-on-a chip (SoCs) and system design solutions that provide management and connectivity through LAN or WLAN. To address the growing digital video delivery market segment, Taifatech has developed solutions that provide wireless connectivity for such systems. Taifatech’s Taiwan-based team utilizes its strong networking and video ASIC design expertise, coupled with a team of software developers and local Taiwan-based OEMs, to provide the cost effective solutions. Intel Capital’s investment will be used to expand Taifatech’s development efforts of Intel architecture-based wireless connectivity solutions.

Videon Central, Inc. (State College, Penn.) is an independent software vendor (ISV) that specializes in applying core IP and integration services for the growing consumer electronics market segment of internet connected digital video products. Videon is the leading ISV of Blu-ray disc middleware and video streaming technology for embedded devices and a charter member of the Intel Consumer Electronics Network (Intel CEN). Videon offers OEM and content development companies a unique set of capabilities to facilitate their digital media product applications. Intel Capital’s investment will be used to build Videon’s market position by expanding our IP portfolio to take advantage of the growing smart TV segment.

Verismo Networks’ (Mountain View, Calif. and Bangalore) open Internet TV platform brings seamless convergence of IPTV linear channels, Internet video, social networking and personal media playback directly to the TV. The Verismo end-to-end solution enables OEMs in service providers and IP MSO segments to expand their reach globally and cost effectively while giving subscribers an un-paralleled viewing experience. Verismo will use the investment to accelerate its growth and expand its sales and marketing operations.

WinChannel (Beijing, China) is a developer of information and sales management software for the consumer industry. Winchannel’s software platform manages and analyzes channel information such as replenishment orders, sales transactions, inventory and promotional activities in near real time, helping brand owning companies to monitor and understand market mechanisms and market responses to promotion, making sales operations more efficient. The investment from Intel Capital will be used in R&D and as working capital.

YuMe (Redwood City, Calif.) is a video advertising technology company that delivers video ads across all connected device channels — online, mobile, and CE/TV. Its ACE technology platform powers both its premium ad network and its enterprise solutions: ACE for Publishers and ACE for Advertisers. ACE for Publishers, a complete set of cloud-based ad operations tools, enables publishers to simplify video ad management functions to drive higher revenue, streamlined processes, and lower operating costs. ACE for Advertisers, an end-to-end, buy-side video campaign management system provides an enterprise-class solution and professional services package that mitigates the complexity of video ad campaign management. Meanwhile, YuMe’s premium video ad network helps advertisers reach their target audience at scale whenever and wherever they’re watching video. The investment will be used to further video advertising technology monetization solutions.

Yummly.com (Palo Alto, Calif.) is pioneering semantic search and recommendations for food. Its robust platform empowers people to search for and discover recipes based on their personal tastes and preferences, and offers a comprehensive database of more than 500,000 recipes aggregated from leading cooking sites and cookbooks. Yummly plans to apply funding from Intel Capital’s investment to expand its engineering team and further develop its platform’s functionality and features.

Intel Capital CEO Summit 2010 is sponsored by Aon Corporation, Capgemini, Credit Suisse, Evercore Partners, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, KPMG, Morrison & Foerster, Needham & Company, NYSE Euronext and Silicon Valley Bank. The summit is the pre-eminent technology networking event, with over 700 attendees from Intel Capital portfolio companies and Intel’s global customers and partners. Industry technology executives attend the summit to identify innovative solutions and business development opportunities.

Pulled from/Sourced: http://bit.ly/9kud1V

Props: Tweaktown

Tags: $77 million, intel, intel capital, invest, saas news, saas tech news

Oracle should get $40.6 million at most, says SAP expert

Posted by Ben on November 17th, 2010

Nov 16 SaaS Newswire via (Reuters Legal) – SAP AG should have to pay Oracle Corp no more than $40.6 million to resolve their years-long lawsuit over software theft, an SAP damages expert said on Tuesday.

Stephen Clarke, SAP’s expert, said in court on Tuesday that damages must be the product of a reasonable business calculation, not an emotional reaction to the theft.

“There’s no anger allowed. There’s no punishment allowed,” Clarke said.

SAP and Oracle, which dominate the global market for software that helps businesses run more efficiently, are battling in court to determine the amount of damages for software theft by SAP.

SAP has accepted liability for its TomorrowNow subsidiary having wrongfully downloaded millions of Oracle files.

Last week, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said his company would have charged SAP $4 billion to license the programs that were wrongfully downloaded. Oracle’s own expert later pegged damages at $1.6 billion.

Oracle’s claims include copyright infringement, violations of California and federal computer fraud acts, breach of contract and intentional interference with the company’s business interests.

Out of 853 customers SAP was able to woo from Oracle, 561 of them never did any business with TomorrowNow, Clarke said.

Clarke also acknowledged that SAP has paid his own firm about $14 million in fees. Oracle’s damages expert testified last week that he had earned fees of about $4 million.

SAP is expected to rest its case after Clarke is finished testifying this week, at which point Oracle may attempt to put on a rebuttal case.

The case is Oracle USA Inc et al v. SAP AG et al, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No. 4:07-CV-1658. Oracle is represented by the San Francisco office of Bingham McCutchen and the Armonk, New York, and Oakland, California, offices of Boies, Schiller & Flexner. SAP is represented by the San Francisco, New York, Palo Alto and Houston offices of Jones Day.

(Reporting by Dan Levine of Reuters; Additional reporting by Terry Baynes of Reuters Legal)
Pulled from/Sourced: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AG0CO20101117

Tags: oracle, SaaS, SAP, software theft

NACDS encourages members to use RollStream’s CEN to assure CPSIA compliance

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (SaaS Newswire) A group representing the nation’s chain pharmacies alerted retailers and manufacturers Thursday about a new rule, part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, that requires tracking labels on certain products.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores said that under the new CPSIA rule, which goes into effect March 1, 2011, packaged items –– including certain DVDs, video games, art materials, sporting goods and other products geared for children ages 12 years or younger –– may require tracking labels to be in compliance with CPSIA.

The legislation imposes new document-sharing requirements regarding product-safety-testing certificates on certain consumer products. The new rule follows the first round of implementations this past February.

In an effort to assist retailers and manufacturers to comply with the law, NACDS is encouraging its members to participate in the certificate exchange network developed by RollStream. The CEN provides retailers, manufacturers and distributors a single, online platform to exchange certificates of conformity. It enables manufacturers to directly post certificates to the online platform or provide a link to existing certificates of conformity that a manufacturer may store electronically elsewhere.

“The certificate exchange network has helped retailers and suppliers prepare for the implementation of the requirements of the CPSIA,” said NACDS president and CEO Steve Anderson. “NACDS urges retailers and manufacturers to utilize the CEN for the next round to help reduce the risks and minimize the costs associated with compliance.”

Added RollStream CEO Kristin Muhlner, “While complying with CPSIA regulations can be challenging for many retailers and manufacturers, noncompliance can be financially devastating. We are excited to provide NACDS members with a solution that enables the industry to reduce the risks and minimize the costs associated with CPSIA compliance.”

By Allison Cerra
Pulled from/Sourced: http://bit.ly/aMe8Yv

Tags: CEN, certificate exchange network, compliance, CPSIA, nacds, rollstream

Edit this entry.