PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Videoscape Enables German Broadcasters to Expand HDTV Services

ARD Installs Cisco State-of-the-Art HD Content Playout Systems at Two Premier Locations in Germany

AMSTERDAM, IBC, September 7, 2012 – The Association of Public Broadcasting Corporations of the Federal Republic of Germany (ARD), a non-profit, joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters, and one of the world's largest public broadcasters, is working with Cisco to extend its HD programming via satellite for HDTV viewers throughout Germany. Using the Cisco Videoscape^™ TV services delivery platform, including advanced Cisco^® video encoding and content processing technology, ARD has improved the overall video picture quality of  its German HD "direct-to-home" playout systems for satellite digital video broadcasting (DVB-S/S2).

Highlights

• Cisco is providing ARD with the necessary components to uplink video programming in HD format, helping it replace and upgrade technology and streamline operations by lowering costs at the ARD-Starpoint site in Frankfurt, Germany (being the central ARD Operator), and the WDR (West German Broadcasting) site in Langenberg near Cologne, Germany.
• Cisco hardware deployed for this project includes the D9036 multichannel/multiformat encoder, which encodes up to four HDTV programs at the same time, and the Digital Content Manager (DCM), which controls the bitrates and combines the TV services with service related auxiliary data.
• Part of the Cisco Videoscape Origination Suite, the D9036 Modular Encoding Platform is characterized by its scalability and superior video quality. Encoded video signals can be exported in premium quality via ASI streaming data format, or IP. Its wide range of IP functionality enables a smooth migration from ASI- into IP-based platforms and networks.
• The DCM can support full-quality delivery of multiple video signals. It is a key component of the Cisco Videoscape Acquisition Suite, due to its high video quality, flexibility, redundancy and network efficiency.
• Full system integration services and overall project responsibility was provided by Dimetis GmbH, a Cisco Authorized SP Video Partner, as well as the BOSS Broadcast Manager^®  control and monitoring system, which provides reliable and fully protected transmission of audio and video.
• The ARD-Starpoint facility processes the ARD Service, Das Erste, distributes the ARD-Bouquets via satellite, cable and IPTV, carries out the national and international TV and radio service exchange, and manages the common ARD core network platforms.
• The WDR is a constituent member of the ARD and the largest federal ARD broadcaster. In addition to contributing to the output of German national television channel Das Erste, WDR produces the regional television service WDR Fernsehen (formerly known as WDF and West3) and six regional radio networks. WDR also hosts the ARD-radio satellite transponder which delivers eight WDR radio services in addition to an event channel.

Supporting Quotes:

• Stephen Wagner, head of ARD-Starpoint

 "As we strive to provide HDTV viewers in Germany with superior video picture quality and greater reliability, we trust Cisco hardware to help us meet and exceed our goals. With Cisco's expertise, we were able to re-architect our network to more efficiently encode, decode and transmit HD signals to viewers' homes. With this technology in place, we can also execute on our plans to expand HD services throughout our markets, faster."

• Edwin Paalvast, senior vice president, Service Provider Group, Cisco EMEAR

"The Cisco Videoscape encoding and content management technology helps operators add and compact more channels of all types and formats into their network. Our work with ARD to enhance and expand their HD capabilities gives their viewers better quality HD video - with more HDTV choices soon to come."

Supporting Resources:

• About ARD
• About WDR
• About Cisco Videoscape http://www.cisco.com/go/videoscape
• Cisco Service Provider blog: SP360: http://blogs.cisco.com/sp
• Follow Cisco IBC news and activities on Twitter: #CiscoIBC and #Videoscape

Tags/Keywords

Cisco, ARD, ARD-Starpoints, Edwin Paalvast, DCM, Digital Content Manager, Digital Content Manager Origination Suite, HD, HDTV, Stephen Wagner, Videoscape, WRD

RSS Feed for Cisco: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is supplied by Cisco Systems International BV, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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PRESS RELEASE

Cisco's ‘Videoscape Distribution Suite' Revolutionizes Video Content Delivery to Multiple Screens

Cisco to Showcase Industry's Most Comprehensive Next-Generation Content Delivery Network Portfolio at IBC 2012

AMSTERDAM, IBC, September 7, 2012 – Cisco revealed today its expanded and enhanced content delivery network portfolio , branded as the Cisco Videoscape^™ Distribution Suite (VDS). Cisco^® VDS is an open platform that delivers video content across multiple screens, multiple protocols, multiple applications and multiple networks. VDS serves as the network distribution engine behind the Videoscape^™ architecture. It is a complete, interoperable and holistic solution that bridges cloud and network functionality.

Several major global service provider customers, including Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia, SBB-Telemach, BT and others, are relying on Cisco's Videoscape Distribution Suite to empower video experiences delivered across PCs, TVs and mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets. The Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite builds on the current Cisco content delivery network (CDN) service footprint serving more than 50 global customers, with over 3 million cloud-based time-shifted and live video streams delivered.

Highlights:

• With the introduction of VDS, Cisco is the only company in the industry providing a complete product suite with all the capabilities needed for third-generation content delivery.
• Cisco's Videoscape Distribution Suite will be showcased at IBC 2012 at the Cisco stand in the Connected World Hall 14, 14.115.
• Cisco VDS complements the Cisco Videoscape Conductor platform for cost-efficient experience management across unmanaged networks.
• Cisco VDS facilitates creation of new revenue streams through consistent, highest quality live and time-shifted video experiences across any device as well as through advanced advertising across devices. 
• Cisco VDS simplifies CDN management while reducing operating costs through consolidated live origin services and recording, edge caching particularly for OTT content, Radio Access Network (RAN) optimization, real-time CDN analytics and remote provisioning capabilities.
• Cisco VDS components, powered by third-generation VDS hardware, scale independently with no need to upgrade the entire CDN for additional capacity or streaming support. 

New Benefits for Consumers & Service Providers Include:

• Centralized live and time-shifted content delivered across any device (managed or unmanaged)
• Cloud-based recording, consolidated video origin capabilities
• Transparent caching for economical over-the-top (OTT) content delivery
• Expanded options for CDN wholesale or CDN Federation
• Sophisticated analytics/provisioning and more  

New Videoscape Distribution Suite Products:

• Cisco VDS Video Recording (VDS-VR) for cloud-driven recording of live and time-shifted content. 
• Cisco VDS Origin Server (VDS-OS), which consolidates origin server functions and converts all incoming content into a common file that simplifies HTTP Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) and MPEG formatted distribution.
• Cisco VDS Optimization Engine (VDS-OE), which offloads RAN/packet core traffic while reducing transport costs.
• Cisco VDS Service Broker (VDS-SB) consisting of service selector per caching node and CDN interconnect capabilities required for CDN Federation.
• Cisco VDS Transparent Caching (VDS-TC), which offloads OTT and other unmanaged content from the network core to the edge.

In addition, Cisco has integrated significant enhancements to the current Videoscape Distribution Suite Portfolio:

• Cisco VDS hardware with the latest third-generation features such as tighter integration with Cisco UCS data center solution, Cisco routers and switches.
• Cisco VDS Service Manager (VDS-SM), a software platform for real-time analytics, service provisioning and diagnostics.
• Cisco VDS Television (VDS-TV), which delivers live and time-shifted content to managed devices such as set-top boxes or multiscreen gateways.
• Cisco VDS Internet Streamer (VDS-IS) for managing and streaming Internet-originated content to the end device for retail CDN and wholesale CDN markets. 

Supporting Quotes:

• Klaus J. Haber, head of Platform Integration Media, Deutsche Telekom AG Products & Innovation

"Deutsche Telekom has been working to ensure our CDN infrastructure can support the increasing demands for video on multiple screens while driving efficiencies for our operations. Cisco's Videoscape Distribution Suite provides us with a complete content delivery network that can manage the complex workflow and ecosystem challenges associated with video, including new applications to help solve those challenges."

• Dragica Pilipovic Chaffey, CEO, Serbia Broadband SBB-Telemach

"It is essential that we have a future-proof, world-class content delivery network in place to provide our customers with a platform to access video content on demand, from multiple devices. Cisco has been an innovative business and technology partner, and has helped us to bridge together legacy and future CDN technologies to simplify our network infrastructure, allowing us to drive new revenue opportunities."

• Edwin Paalvast, senior vice president, Service Provider Group, Cisco EMEAR

​"Previously the only options for our customers looking to enhance their Content Delivery Networks were isolated, disparate products that each addressed a specific problem. I believe Cisco is the only company who can offer a complete, comprehensive CDN solution today. With Cisco's Videoscape Distribution Suite, our customers can optimize their current network infrastructure to deliver a wide range of video services. By integrating cloud and network components, we can offer our customers a solution that helps them improve both their top line and bottom line, by creating new revenue streams and minimizing operational expenditure."

Supporting Resources:

• About Cisco Videoscape: http://www.cisco.com/go/videoscape
• Cisco Service Provider blog: SP360: http://blogs.cisco.com/sp
• Follow Cisco IBC news and activities on Twitter: #CiscoIBC and #Videoscape

Tags/Keywords

Cisco, cloud, cloud-DVR, Content Delivery Network, CDN, Dragica Pilipovic Chaffey, Edwin Paalvast, IPTV, Klaus J. Haber, service provider, Internet video, IP, IP video, network, network DVR, online video, OTT, Serbia Broadband SBB-Telemach, streaming video, video, Videoscape, Videoscape Distribution Suite, VDS, Deutsche Telekom

RSS Feed for Cisco: http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/rss.html

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go tohttp://newsroom.cisco.com.

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Viacom International Media Networks Accelerates Distribution of Multimedia Content with EMC Isilon

EMC Press Release

Viacom International Media Networks Accelerates Distribution of Multimedia Content with EMC Isilon

European TV Channel Operator Leverages EMC Isilon to Increase Performance and Reliability of Content Delivery for MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central

IBC 2012, AMSTERDAM - September 6, 2012

EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) today announced that Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has standardized on EMC® Isilon® scale-out storage for all of its media content in Europe.

VIMN is comprised of many of the world's most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount Channel, VH1, VIVA, COLORS, Game One and Tr3's MTV, Música y Más, which are seen globally in more than 600 million households in 170 territories and 37 languages via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels. With more than two petabytes of Isilon storage, VIMN has improved the speed and delivery of its multimedia content across Europe.

Customer Benefits:

• Streamlined Content Publishing—With Isilon, VIMN accelerated content publishing 150 percent by streamlining end-to-end content development, access, distribution and transmission.
• Improved Efficiency—VIMN's integration between Isilon, media asset management and playout systems automates flow of content to program schedules, reducing the number of operators per 25 channels from five to just one.
• Increased Performance—Isilon delivers 8,000 gigabytes of content per day to 100 playout servers in each media center simultaneously, ensuring that content is consistently available for daily program schedules.
• Enhanced Agility—Isilon enables VIMN to supply its creative teams with new storage resources in hours instead of weeks.

Customer Challenges and Solution:

VIMN's prior distributed storage environment was difficult to scale and limited in performance, affecting its ability to reliably deliver media content to the broadcast channels. With media content growing by 600 terabytes annually, VIMN needed a centrally managed storage infrastructure integrated with its media asset management system to streamline and simplify content access, publishing and transmission.

After evaluating solutions from multiple storage vendors, VIMN chose EMC Isilon scale-out storage for its excellent scalability, performance and reliability. VIMN deployed Isilon NL-Series systems to consolidate media content from multiple sites across Europe to two primary media centers in London and Amsterdam, providing nearline storage for a global, file-based content delivery system. An additional Isilon system is deployed in VIMN's London content production environment, which also enables content delivery to locations outside of Europe, including Australia.

Isilon InsightIQ™ analytics enables VIMN to optimize performance and workflows, and forecast future storage needs. With Isilon's OneFS file system, VIMN maintains one global source of content for use with multiple reference language tracks across all multimedia channels. For disaster recovery and content sharing, VIMN is implementing Isilon SyncIQ® software to automatically replicate content between its two media centers.

VIMN's Evertz Mediator media asset management, Grass Valley® K2 Edge™ integrated automated playout system and MediaGenex channel management systems are integrated with the Isilon infrastructure.

Customer Quotes:

Tim Bertioli, Senior Director, Media & Technology Infrastructure, Viacom International Media Networks

"Our international content workflow is now almost completely file-based — access to content is streamlined for editing, compliance and desktop viewing. As a result, we've accelerated time-to-publication of new international content by 150 percent. By giving the channel teams more control over media content, Isilon has enabled us to execute on a completely new content publishing model in the broadcast industry."

"It's absolutely critical to our business to deliver complied, quality checked content to the networks in as short a time as possible. With Isilon, we no longer worry about being able to access the content for transmission in time. Isilon has given us real peace of mind."

"Our annual EMA event, as an example, is distributed to a potential global audience of over 600 million homes. It's vital that we are able to create and distribute multiple versions of the show for linear, mobile and on-demand viewing quickly — centralizing our storage for the different stages of our file-based workflow makes this possible."

"For our content production system in London, we can handle administration with one less full-time engineer because of Isilon's streamlined manageability and reliability. Overall, one engineer spends about an hour per week managing Isilon and we're saving a substantial sum per year in support costs. We pretty much just leave Isilon alone."

Roderick Aal, VP Technology, North and UK, Viacom International Media Networks

"Adopting the Isilon OneFS storage solution enables VIMN to store more content in more formats and make it instantly accessible simultaneously to more people at a lower cost than done before on linear tape-open digital file based tape storage."

"The Isilon OneFS storage solution has not just reduced costs, but has allowed us to make video content, such as video on demand, instantly accessible to more people at a lower cost. We've also been able to allow disparate applications and clients to share a single pool of storage that all users can access instantly and accelerate ROI on storage. Ultimately, VIMN has adopted a storage solution optimized specifically for the unique requirements of digital content, enabling us to store more content in more formats."

"In general, Isilon OneFS has enabled our businesses to use a common storage solution across multiple applications in the digital content lifecycle including production, archiving and delivery."

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about EMC Isilon
• Connect with EMC via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and ECN

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset — information — in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

Google Plans to Buy Frommer's Travel Guides

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Google Plans to Buy Frommer's Travel Guides

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

SAN FRANCISCO - Google made another foray into producing original content Monday when it announced its plans to buy the Frommer's brand of travel guides from John Wiley & Sons to augment its local and travel search results.

Google will pay about $23 million for the brand, according to a person close to the deal who was not authorized to speak publicly about the terms. The companies declined to comment on the purchase price. It is a small acquisition for Google, but important for several of Google's up-and-coming businesses.

The deal shows how crucial a business local search and reviews are for Google. It is also the latest evidence that Google is trying to transform itself into a media company - making its mission not just to show the most relevant links from around the Web, but to produce that information as well.

"In certain key areas now, they've seen the value of having content and how important it is to consumers," said Greg Sterling, founder of Sterling Market Intelligence, who studies local online media. "Frommer's is even more content-rich" than previous acquisitions by Google, he said.

Google has long insisted that it would not create content but simply be a conduit for it. In a 2010 interview, Eric E. Schmidt, who was Google's chief executive then but is now chairman, said the company was "careful to define a line where we don't cross into content" and wanted to remain a "neutral platform for content and applications."

But Google started chipping away at that line as early as 2008, when it started Knol, a Wikipedia competitor it has since closed. Google's YouTube division has acquired and financed producers of original video content, and last year Google bought Zagat, which publishes restaurant reviews.

Google is not the only technology company trying to expand its reach in this way. Yahoo, AOL, Amazon.com, Apple and Netflix have all shown signs of wanting to become media companies to varying degrees.

But Google is walking a tricky line, which antitrust regulators are watching closely. When it produces its own content, it competes with other Web sites instead of being just a neutral organizer of information. Search for what to do in Hawaii, for instance, and Google could show results from Frommer's ahead of TripAdvisor links.

"Google is perceived as this competitor that has the potential to favor its own search results," Mr. Sterling said. "That remains very much to be seen, but that's the narrative they continue to play into."

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

Oracle Press Release

Oracle OpenWorld 2012 and JavaOne 2012 Offer Attendees Unparalleled Access to Educational Content and Sessions on Latest Industry Topics and Trends

Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne Registration Now Open

Redwood Shores, Calif. – August 13, 2012

News Facts

Oracle OpenWorld 2012 and JavaOne 2012 will provide attendees with an unparalleled opportunity to participate in more than 2,000 educational sessions - led by Oracle experts, customers and partners - on the hottest industry topics that drive business growth and success, including analytics, big data, cloud, customer experience, and human capital management.

Oracle OpenWorld will be held September 30 - October 4, 2012 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. JavaOne will be held September 30 - October 4, 2012 at the Zone (Hilton Union Square, Hotel Nikko, and Parc 55 Wyndham) in San Francisco.

Thousands of attendees come to the conferences from around the world, including Oracle customers and partners, executives, business line management and developers, hoping to learn from their peers.

More than 400 partners will exhibit at this year’s show, providing a content-rich networking and learning environment.

Additional events will extend until October 7, 2012, including Oracle OpenWorld @ the America’s Cup World Series, Oracle OpenWorld @ Fleet Week, and the Oracle OpenWorld Music Festival.

Register now for these industry-leading conferences: Oracle OpenWorld 2012 and JavaOne 2012.

Supporting Quote

“Oracle OpenWorld and JavaOne are conferences for customers and partners, executives, business line managers and developers to share their ideas and experiences, and to learn from one another,” said Tania Weidick, vice president, Oracle Corporate Event Marketing. “This year’s event features more than 2,000 educational sessions, offering attendees the unique opportunity to learn from case studies and best practices direct from Oracle experts, customers, and partners. Over the course of the week, attendees will be able to leverage the expertise of the diverse Oracle community and leave with strategies and information to benefit and increase success within their own business and industry.”

Supporting Resources

Oracle OpenWorld 2012

Register Now for Oracle OpenWorld or JavaOne

Oracle OpenWorld Blog

Oracle OpenWorld on Oracle Mix

Oracle OpenWorld on Twitter

Oracle OpenWorld on Facebook

Oracle OpenWorld on LinkedIn

JavaOne 2012

Java Source Blog

JavaOne on Twitter

Java on Twitter

I love Java on Facebook

JavaOne on Facebook

JavaOne on LinkedIn

About Oracle

Oracle engineers hardware and software to work together in the cloud and in your data center. For more information about Oracle (NASDAQ:ORCL), visit http://www.oracle.com.

Press release:

Global Management of Information Drives Need for Cloud-Ready Content Repositories

New NetApp StorageGRID 9.0 with E-Series Enables Partners to Build Big Data Storage Solutions with Secure, Predictable Lifetime Access to Data

SUNNYVALE, Calif., August 9, 2012 — From consumer data to patient records, organizations are generating petabytes of data on a daily basis. Creating, managing, storing, and accessing this information from any location results in significant business challenges, including delayed response time for decisions, reduced competitiveness, and increased capital expenditures. Across industries including healthcare, financial services, and media, organizations need secure and easy access to data throughout its lifetime.

To address these challenges, NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) today announced the release of StorageGRID® 9.0 software, enabling organizations to adapt to data growth, manage big content, cut costs, and better share information. NetApp® StorageGRID software combined with the NetApp E-Series storage platform is designed to manage petabyte-scale distributed repositories of images, video, and records for enterprises and service providers. With the release of StorageGRID 9.0, NetApp is the first major storage company to include support for the Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI) open standard that specifies a protocol for self-provisioning, administering, and accessing cloud storage. Building on its history of industry partnerships and standards support, NetApp provides native multiprotocol functionality to support a wide range of protocols, including Network File System (NFS), Common Internet File System (CIFS), RESTful HTTP, and, now, CDMI.

"As the amount and types of data grow in this new big data world, technologies like CDMI help our customers manage not only raw growth but also the increasing pressure to leverage data to gain insight across ever more distributed environments,"said Rich Clifton, senior vice president, Solutions and Integrations Group, NetApp.

NetApp StorageGRID combined with E-Series is the foundation for the NetApp Distributed Content Repository solution that scales to hundreds of petabytes with billions of records across hundreds of sites in a single name space. NetApp E-Series offers flexible, high-performance, and very dense storage ideal for big data applications. The NetApp Distributed Content Repository solution based on StorageGRID and E-Series supports a single, unified repository for data with enforceable metadata-driven granular retention policies across multiple locations. Enterprises benefit from secure, large-scale, and long-term distributed repositories with predictable and timely access to data.

NetApp and Iron Mountain Enable Healthcare Organizations to Reduce IT Costs and Gain Access to Critical Patient Data
In today’s era of big data, having access to the right clinical data at the necessary time is one of the challenges facing the healthcare industry. Medical organizations are looking at how to best address the rapid growth of medical images and other digital content, while adhering to privacy rules, providing access to data at remote sites, and maintaining regulatory compliance. Many of these providers turn to Iron Mountain, a NetApp Service Provider Partner that uses NetApp technology, to provide their clinicians with long-term and predictable access to data and to consolidate diverse data sources into a unified cloud environment.

"Our healthcare customers ask us to help them deal with their rising storage volumes, as well as manage the retention and access for their medical imaging data,"said Ken Rubin, senior vice president and general manager, Healthcare, Iron Mountain Incorporated. "In response to this, we offer a managed service that provides the dual benefit of controlling their storage costs while improving their ability to recover from a disaster. Our service, powered by StorageGRID coupled with the E-Series platform, enables us to deliver our customers cost-effective, long-term storage without compromising security or access."

Key Highlights
Today’s release of StorageGRID 9.0 enables the NetApp Distributed Content Repository solution to provide:

• Scalable multivendor repository strategies with support for the SNIA CDMI standard that enables the creation, retrieval, management, and deletion of data in the cloud
• Simplified enterprise data retrieval by storing hundreds of petabytes and billions of datasets in a single logical container
• Reduced data center space requirements with industry-leading storage density
• Lower costs through secure large-scale distributed repositories for unstructured data
• Improved business agility through scalable multisite content repositories

Supporting Quote

• Terri McClure, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group
  "Big data creation can result in a big content retention reality check. To efficiently deal with data growth at ever increasing levels of scale, companies are employing distributed content repositories. The successful deployment of these large multisite repositories requires solutions with policy-based data management; secure long-term content retention, archival, and disposition capabilities; metadata-enabled object storage; and interoperability with key industry standards, such as CDMI, to enable fast and efficient ISV integration. This announcement is an example of how NetApp continues to work with IT leaders to make big content management simpler with more efficient and self-managing systems."

Additional Resources

• Learn more about StorageGRID: www.netapp.com/us/products/storage-software/storagegrid
• Learn more about NetApp E-Series: www.netapp.com/us/products/storage-systems/e2600
• Learn more about NetApp big data solutions: www.netapp.com/us/company/leadership/big-data
• Read the NetApp Big Data Bingo Blog: communities.netapp.com/community/netapp-blogs/bigdatabingo
• Follow NetApp on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NetApp
• Get the latest on NetApp culture: www.facebook.com/NetAppCulture
• Join NetApp on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NetApp
• View NetApp videos on YouTube: www.youtube.com/NetAppTV
• Connect with NetApp on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=111681

About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and accelerate business breakthroughs. Our commitment to living our core values and consistently being recognized as a great place to work around the world are fundamental to our long-term growth and success, as well as the success of our pathway partners and customers. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.

The #1 Rule of a Content Strategy

At the most basic level, a content strategy establishes your brand’s “permissive topics,” i.e., subject matters relevant to your brand that you share with your community.  These conversation pieces most obviously include news and updates about your product/service and industry. You can also choose to discuss topics related to your main audience or areas in which to establish thought leadership.

The screenshots throughout this post are examples of brands and how they execute their content strategy on Facebook. We chose these brands because they following the #1 rule of a content strategy: these brands stay on topic. We’ve included RingCentral as an example because adhering to our brand topics is one of our top social strategies. Please forgive the shameless plug. Other brands featured include: Barnes & Noble, OPI, and Jack in the Box.


For more, click the link below:


http://blog.ringcentral.com/2012/03/the-1-rule-of-a-content-strategy.html

Avnet, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Ascendant Technology

March 26, 2012 - Avnet, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Ascendant Technology

Significantly Expands Professional Services Capabilities and Resources

PHOENIX -- Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT) announced today that it has agreed to acquire Ascendant Technology LLC, a leading international IT consulting firm with operating units in North America, Europe, Brazil and India. 

Ascendant Technology specializes in developing end-to-end IBM solutions that help organizations optimize their information technology investment and achieve business results. As a trusted advisor in the definition and design of strategic software applications, Ascendant has helped businesses large and small develop and deploy e-Commerce, enterprise portal and collaboration, web content management, infrastructure automation and cloud computing solutions. The company generated revenue of approximately US$90 million in the 2011 calendar year.

"Avnet's acquisition of Ascendant Technology is expected to accelerate our global solutions distribution model," said Phil Gallagher, global president, Avnet Technology Solutions. "It supports our strategic focus on enhancing our services and software capabilities to drive growth for our suppliers and value-added resellers. Because of Ascendant's international footprint, Avnet's ability to identify new services and solution business opportunities for our partners will greatly expand."

Founded in 2003, Ascendant Technology has more than 500 business and technical professionals that help partners and clients design and deliver IT solutions that achieve business results in less time, with reduced risk and expense. By utilizing Ascendant's proprietary IDEA™ (Insight Driven Engineering Approach) Solutions Framework, organizations can bridge the gap between business objectives and technical execution to deliver improved performance and exceptional web experiences.

Jeff Bawol, president, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, adds, "Ascendant Technology's expertise in services delivery, complemented by their software offerings, aligns with Avnet's strategy to provide our business partners with the support they need to succeed in high growth vertical markets. Avnet partners primarily focused on providing infrastructure solutions will now be able to leverage their distributor relationship to expand the overall business value they can offer to their customers. Our unique SolutionsPath® value proposition, which prepares and enables our business partners to deliver complete hardware, software and service solutions to their customers using a vertical market focus, will be further supported by Ascendant's expertise in software application integration and services support."

This acquisition, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the next 45 days and will be integrated into the operations of Avnet Technology Solutions.

Multimedios Television Chooses Cisco PowerVu Solution & Videoscape TV

PRESS RELEASE

Multimedios Televisión Chooses Cisco PowerVu Solution and Videoscape TV Technology to Expand Channel Distribution

The television division of Grupo Multimedios is at the forefront of video distribution, improving efficiency, security and the quality of transmitted signals

Monterrey, Mexico, 21 March, 2012 — Multimedios Televisión has started satellite transmissions to national and international customers using the IP-centric Cisco® PowerVu® video processing and distribution technology, along with the Cisco Digital Content Manager (DCM), a key component of the Cisco Videoscape^™ TV service delivery platform.

The signal of Multimedios Televisión, Milenio Televisión, Teleritmo, Multimedios USA and Multimedios HD, transmitted to different paid television operators in Mexico and the United States, is based on MPEG4 DVB-S2 capabilities, which will allow a more efficient use of the satellite broadband. As a result, more channels can be distributed to customers.  In addition, services can be controlled for each paid television system and new services, like digital advertising, among others, can be offered.

The Cisco PowerVu architecture is based on the Internet Protocol (IP), which provides more efficiency in signal processing when converting and encapsulating IP Communications, and enables Multimedios Televisión to take advantage of proven redundancy and high-availability schemes. The distribution component is designed with a focus on security requirements and the administration of satellite ground terminals.

The PowerVu system has a codification system based on the next-generation Cisco Modular Encoding Platform D9036.

About PowerVu

• The multiplexing architecture system is based on the Cisco DCM Series D9900 Digital Content Manager, an integral piece of the Cisco Videoscape TV services delivery platform, which applies redundancy and processing schemes to the signals generated by the Cisco D9036 Modular Encoding Platform. The high capacity of the DCM will enable new functionalities in the audio and video systems. Furthermore, PowerVu has monitoring and control systems based on the ROSA EM and ROSA NMS platforms, which allow the implementation of redundant automatic schemes monitoring each of the elements of the platform and the service.

• The PowerVu control and conditional access system is designed so that only authorized customers can decrypt the signal and distribute it via their television system. The customer database and integrated receiver/decoders allow Multimedios to manage each one of them properly. 

• The satellite receptors, or integrated receiver/decoders, contemplated as part of the solution cover the needs of all the multiservice operators. The PowerVu Model D9858 Advanced Receiver Transcoder allows the transcoding of signals from MPEG4 to MPEG2 to facilitate the current cable systems, which are based on MPEG2. The flexibility of the D9858 allows the signals to be converted from HD into SD and from MPEG4 to MPEG2.

Supporting Quotes

"The solution supplied by Cisco allows us to use the maximum broadband in the satellite and to have eight signals, two of them in HD, where we had only four SD signals before," said Guillermo Franco, general director, Multimedios Televisión.

"Multimedios subscribers will have multiple benefits, such as three levels of sophisticated internal security based on a series of hierarchical encryption designed to withstand failure or a security breach. The PowerVu conditional access system is a proven platform for more than 20 years, and is implemented currently in more than 175 countries," said Rogelio Velasco, general director, Cisco Mexico.

Adobe Simplifies Social Marketing

Adobe Simplifies Social Marketing

For immediate release

Adobe Social Delivers a Single Product for Ad Buying, In-depth Analytics, Content and Application Publishing, and Social Media Monitoring

SALT LAKE CITY, Adobe Digital Marketing Summit — March 21, 2012 — Adobe Systems Incorporated(Nasdaq:ADBE) today introduced Adobe® Social, a new product within the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite. Adobe Social combines social publishing and engagement with monitoring, social ad buying and analytics that can attribute social activity to business results. Adobe is giving those with social marketing responsibilities – digital marketers, community managers, customer service, public relations, ad buyers, analysts and others – a single platform to align and collaborate around the management, measurement and optimization of their social media strategies, and does so in the context of all other digital marketing efforts.

Adobe Social builds on the social media management technology Adobe acquired earlier this year as part of the Context Optional/Efficient Frontier acquisition, as well as the social media monitoring and analytics of Adobe SocialAnalytics. Adobe Social will expand this year with additional social marketing features as well as integrations with other products within the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite.

With Adobe Social, digital marketers can now accomplish the following with a single product:

·         Streamline and centralize publishing across social platforms

·         Automate targeting and personalization of content and experiences in social applications and across social platforms

·         Seamlessly integrate Sponsored Story ad creation within the publishing workflow to maximize the reach of important content and campaigns

·         Monitor and moderate conversations both within your communities and anywhere it happens on the social Web

·         Import analytics data from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, blogs and other social platforms into Adobe Social and tie social activities to business results

·         Identify and engage key influencers to drive positive conversations about your brand

·         Monitor the sentiment of conversations and receive alerts on relevant trends

·         Easily create and deploy social apps, such as contests or forms, without the need for design or development resources

·         Directly measure across the customer journey how social media interactions and engagement drive purchase behavior

Social Ad Campaign Optimization
The capabilities of Adobe Social are complemented by technology acquired from Efficient Frontier, which brings social ad buying and social campaign optimization to the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite. This technology provides multi-channel campaign management and optimization across the leading digital ad marketplaces. In addition to search, display and Facebook support, the former Efficient Frontier technology now supports campaign management and optimization capabilities for LinkedIn Ads.

Quotes
Brad Rencher, senior vice president and general manager, Digital Marketing Business, Adobe

·         “The sheer scale of word-of-mouth that can be accomplished on social media can become a powerful boost or tragic descent for any company and is best managed if a company’s social marketers are in lock-step. Adobe Social brings to social marketing the control and accountability expected across other digital channels. The ultimate aim is to help social media as a marketing channel mature and prove its worth alongside other digital marketing investments.”

Gretchen Fox, vice president, Social Media, LiveNation

·         "In our industry, fans have tremendous passion about the artists they love to see and theshows they attend. Our goal with social media is to engage with our fans and give them ways to connect with each other around their concert experiences. The ability of Adobe Social to reveal deeper connections across thesocial activities of our fans and manage key business results and hundreds of Facebook pages and Twitter profiles across a single platform is incredibly valuable."

Mary Wardley, program vice president, CRM Applications, IDC

·         “With social marketing, companies are building awareness and relationships, driving engagement and transactions and creating loyalty.Unfortunately, this is often a siloed and disjointed effort, in no small part because companies are using point products for different pieces of social marketing. The ability to manage all aspects of social marketing in a manner that allows for the ability to measure performance alongside other digital marketing initiatives should be a goal for every digital marketer serious about social.”

Availability
Adobe Social, a new offering within the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite, will be available in the latter half of 2012.

About the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite
The Adobe Digital Marketing Suite offers an integrated and open platform for online business optimization, a strategy for using customer insight to drive innovation throughout the business and enhance marketing efficiency. The Suite consists of integrated applications to collect and unleash the power of customer insight to optimize customer acquisition, conversion and retention efforts as well as the creation and distribution of content. For example, using the Suite, marketers can identify the most effective marketing strategies and ad placements as well as create relevant, personalized and consistent customer experiences across digital marketing channels, such as onsite, display, email, social, video and mobile. The Suite enables marketers to make quick adjustments, automate certain customer interactions and better maximize marketing ROI, which, ultimately, can positively impact the bottom line.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.