Avery Dennison Press Release:

Avery Dennison to Sponsor Emerging Fashion Brand Award at WGSN Global Fashion Awards 2013

Emerging Designer will Receive €12,000 in Funding to Build Collection Brand

Thursday, May 30, 2013 3:00 am PDT

Dateline:

LONDON

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Public Company Information:

NYSE:

AVY

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avery Dennison Retail Branding and Information Solutions (AD/RBIS) the world’s leading apparel branding solutions provider will sponsor the WGSN Global Fashion Awards, including offering a new award in support of emerging apparel designers and the successful development of their independent fashion brand. The Avery Dennison Emerging Fashion Brand Award will not only give these rising talents the opportunity to showcase their work in front of an international jury of 50 prominent fashion designers, opinion leaders and journalists, but will also fund €12,000 to help the winners further develop their brand.

A global leader in apparel branding solutions, Avery Dennison empowers designers with the latest innovative product branding solutions which enable design creativity, brand integrity, and ultimately the ability to tell a compelling brand story. With these solutions, Avery Dennison works with leading global apparel brands to enable designers to create high-impact brand graphics and distinctive finishing touches as part of a garment’s design.

Branding is essential to the appeal of a garment to the consumer and the success of any apparel company, and the more integral branding becomes to the apparel design process, the more effectively a company can communicate its brand values. This is why Avery Dennison has challenged the WGSN finalists to unleash their creativity and create an inspiring brand story for their collection by considering the conceptual application of the company’s full complement of branding solutions and tools – from woven and printed labels, to standout heat transfer embellishments, and sustainable hangtags and packaging solutions.

To qualify for the awards, brands or designers must have their own independent label, which should be no more than two years old as of 30 June 2013. Entries are welcome from around the world; however, the award is not open to currently enrolled students. The best submissions will also benefit from being posted on Arts Thread™, the only creative graduate website which aims to promote new talent on a global scale. Through their partnership with Arts Thread, Avery Dennison and WGSN will increase visibility of the award among the emerging designer community.

Judges will consider not only the independent designer’s collection branding but also his or her collective brand vision, from the website through to their marketing. The brand with the most coherent and creative vision will win the award.

“Converting hard-earned recognition on the catwalk into building a successful brand is the biggest challenge facing every designer,” says Tim Voegele-Downing, global creative director, Avery Dennison RBIS. “We are looking for a designer who is not only capable of creating an inspired fashion collection, but who also truly understands the importance of product branding and is capable of telling a compelling brand story.”
Lauretta Roberts, WGSN Global Fashion Awards director, says: “Avery Dennison is a leading expert in apparel branding, something that is key to success in modern retail. Together we’re looking for someone we believe has a long future in fashion demonstrated by the vision they have for their brand.”

“We work on a regular basis with design teams from some of the world’s largest apparel brands, and we are excited to partner with WGSN and Arts Thread to bring our insights to emerging designers and help them understand the importance of product branding in realizing their vision,” said Tracy Van Hoven, vice president, global marketing communications, Avery Dennison RBIS. “Branding is such a vital part of the fashion industry, and we are excited to see how these talented designers integrate our unique branding solutions into their collection and their marketing vision to effectively compete.”

The Awards take place on October 30, 2013 in London. Entries for the award are now open at www.globalfashionawards.com/categories with a closing of Wednesday, June 12th.
Judges for this year’s WGSN Global Fashion Awards include designers Giles Deacon, Bora Aksu, Stephen Jones and Rebecca Minkoff, model and writer Laura Bailey, Eco-Age founder Livia Firth, blogger Bip Ling, singers VV Brown and Kate Nash, Tim Voegele-Downing, and Mr Porter editor-in-chief Jeremy Langmead.

About Avery Dennison RBIS
Avery Dennison RBIS, a global leader in apparel and footwear industry solutions, is a $1.5 billion division of Avery Dennison (NYSE: AVY). Avery Dennison RBIS provides intelligent, creative and sustainable solutions to elevate brands and accelerate performance from design to retail store floor. The company’s industry leading, end‐to‐end solutions include innovative heat transfer technology, RFID and price management supply chain solutions and sustainable packaging services. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, Avery Dennison RBIS has 115 locations in 50 countries and across six continents. For more information, visit www.rbis.averydennison.com.

About Avery Dennison
Avery Dennison (NYSE:AVY) is a global leader in labelling and packaging materials and solutions. The company’s applications and technologies are an integral part of products used in every major market and industry. With operations in more than 50 countries and 30,000 employees worldwide, Avery Dennison serves customers with insights and innovations that help make brands more inspiring and the world more intelligent. Headquartered in Pasadena, California, the company reported sales from continuing operations of $6 billion in 2012. Learn more at www.averydennison.com.     

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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PRESS RELEASE

SBB-Telemach Group Selects Cisco Personal DVB Set-Top Box Series

International service provider selects Cisco technology to deliver next-generation television services

IBC, Amsterdam, Netherlands - 7 September 2012 – SBB-Telemach Group, the largest pay TV platform in southeast Europe providing television, Internet, and telephony services, has selected the Cisco Videoscape™-capable Personal DVB Set-Tops (PDS) Series and Cisco® Integration Services to deliver next-generation television services.

The comprehensive, flexible technology platform will enable SBB-Telemach Group to deliver high-definition (HD) and Internet Protocol (IP) television services – including browser-based, intuitive user interfaces, video on demand (VOD) and new services like catch-up and time-shift TV. These advance services leverage the service provider’s existing infrastructure based on the Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite (VDS).

Highlights:

• SBB-Telemach Group is one of the region’s leading providers of television, Internet and telephony services, with approximately 1.5 million subscribers across the markets of former Yugoslavia.
• The PDS Series is designed to deliver the next generation of consumer experiences with TV services such as VOD and time-shift TV, over-the-top video, social TV, advanced content search, recommendations, and second-screen adaptability when connected to the service-provider-managed IP network.
• The PDS Series, which consists of both the PDS2000 and PDS3000 models, can be adapted to support cable, terrestrial, wireline, satellite and hybrid IP video infrastructures worldwide. The open platform is capable of supporting various conditional access and middleware options, including Cisco PowerKEY® and NDS VideoGuard®.
• The PDS Series offers subscribers the latest enhancements in cable television and unicast/multicast IP network viewing. The series features MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video processing and provides digital broadcast, digital interactive and digital video recording (DVR) services
• The PDS Series is fully compliant with EU energy consumption standards, continuing Cisco's track-record of leadership in energy efficiency in networked products. 
• Cisco Services was selected as the systems integrator for the program, taking responsibility over all necessary third-party components and guaranteeing service launch velocity and quality of experience. Cisco Services built on the previous successful deployment of the head-end and complete VOD solution, including the video back office and a content delivery platform.
• Lab testing is currently under way with Serbia Broadband, with deployment expected to begin in autumn 2012. SBB-Telemach Group will be deploying the PDS2000 Series models with Cisco PowerKEY conditional access to deliver high-quality, next-generation television services.

Supporting Quotes:

Dragica Pilipovic Chaffey, CEO, Serbia Broadband, commented:

“Next-generation television services are a major focus as we look to build our growing subscriber base, both in Serbia and internationally. When we were looking for a technology partner, Cisco’s track record of working with partners to successfully launch video services in multiple markets, combined with the company’s commitment to an open-standards software architecture, made it the obvious choice. I am confident that this solution will allow SBB-Telemach Group to deliver world-class television services.”

Edwin Paalvast, senior vice president, Service Provider Group, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia, Cisco, commented:

“Consumers are increasingly expecting cable operators to deliver more than just traditional television services. The growth of online video and changing viewer behaviours mean that advanced services such as intelligent user interfaces, on-demand content and social media integration are becoming ever more important. The Cisco Videoscape platform will help SBB-Telemach Group bring innovation to television services faster and more cost-effectively, which will benefit consumers in Serbia and across South East Europe.”

Supporting Resources:

• Cisco Service Provider:http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns341/networking_solutions_service_provider_home.html
• The Connected Life at Home:http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns934/networking_solutions_market_segment_solution.html

Tags/Keywords:

Cisco, Service Provider, PDS, broadband, video, VOD,Catch-Up TV, StartOver TV, time shift TV, Systems Integration, set-top, PowerKEY, VDS, M-PEG 4, on-demand, television, social networking, app stores, advanced search, recommendations

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

About SBB-Telemach Group

SBB and Telemach form the leading regional Pay TV platforms in South East Europe, offering cable television, Internet, telephony and DTH services to approximately 1.5 million subscribers across the markets of former Yugoslavia.  With unmatched reach via cable and DTH in the region, the group companies have established the reputation for the most attractive content on their respective markets available across all devices and formats.  Good deals and bundles are supported with an innovative and reliable technology. The group companies also offer data and voice services for small, medium and large companies.

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 to http://newsroom.cisco.com. Cisco equipment in Europe is provided by Cisco Systems International B.V. and Cisco International Limited, wholly owned subsidiaries of Cisco Systems, Inc.

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Flextronics CFO and EVP Paul Read Elected to Ingram Micro Board of Directors

Press release from Ingram Micro:

Flextronics CFO and EVP Paul Read Elected to Ingram Micro Board of Directors

SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM), the world's largest technology distributor and supply-chain services provider, today announced that its board of directors elected Paul Read, chief financial officer and executive vice president for Flextronics, to serve as an independent director, and appointed him to serve as a member of the Audit and the Human Resources Committees, all effective Sept. 1, 2012. The election of Read increases the Ingram Micro board of directors from 10 to 11."We welcome Paul to the board," said Dale R. Laurance, chairman of the board, Ingram Micro Inc. "Ingram Micro will benefit from his many years of hands-on, executive level financial experience, as well as his valuable perspective on successfully operating a complex global organization. We look forward to Paul's contribution."Read, 46, has served as chief financial officer and executive vice president for Flextronics sinceJune 30, 2008. Previously he served as the company's executive vice president of Finance for Worldwide Operations. Flextronics is a $30 billion, industry-leading, Fortune Global 500 electronics manufacturing services provider with more than 200,000 employees and operations in 30 countries. Read's financial management and operations background includes increasingly important roles at Flextronics where he has led many critical initiatives that include serving as the lead executive responsible for the integration of the Solectron acquisition. Prior to joiningFlextronics in 1995, he held various senior financial positions in the United Kingdom with Allied Steel and Wire, STI Telecommunications and Associated British Foods.Read graduated from the University of Wales as a qualified Chartered Management Accountant. About Ingram Micro Inc. As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics, technical and financial support, managed and cloud-based services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company is the only global broad-based IT distributor, serving 145 countries on six continents with the world's most comprehensive portfolio of IT products and services. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.

Press release:

Proving Consistency for Applications Across a Hybrid Cloud

August 20, 2012

Cloud Computing Team

Write once, deploy anywhere. That's the goal of application writers everywhere. But how to bring such portability to hybrid clouds given that underlying infrastructure can differ markedly between on-premise platforms and public clouds or even between different public cloud providers?

Portability is closely related to other aspects of cloud openness, such as open source and open standards. Without freedom from being locked into business practices and technology roadmaps of a specific proprietary vendor, you certainly won't have portability. Without being able to deploy on the infrastructure of your choice, you don't have portability. Without open and extensible APIs, you can't have portability.

In a hybrid cloud environment, Red Hat augments portability by providing consistent runtime environments across private and public clouds. With access to products such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss Enterprise Middleware on public clouds, you can run the exact same certified Red Hat software on the platform you choose.

This means, for example, that your developers can write and test software in a public cloud environment and then deploy the application on-premise without needing to worry about differences between the development and the production runtime environment. Or you may decide that an application developed and deployed on-premise is a good candidate for moving to a public cloud; perhaps its resource requirements vary a lot over time and pay-as-you-go utility pricing is consequently a better fit than buying physical assets.

But Red Hat does more to enable the use of products such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux and JBoss Enterprise Middleware in public clouds than simply providing interoperability APIs, the ability to run a Red Hat Enterprise Linux image and other technical features. Business and operational models need to be in place as well. How do you get updates, for example? How do you manage entitlements? These are technical challenges. But they also have business and operational aspects. We've been working to address them as part of the Red Hat Certified Cloud Provider (CCP) program.

The program's goal is to offer trusted destinations for customers, ISVs and partners where they can access and consume Red Hat technologies in public clouds. CCPs meet technical and certification requirements that provide for safe, supported, scalable and consistent destinations for enterprise cloud deployments.

A key aspect of the program is offering consistency between Red Hat technologies that are provided directly from Red Hat and consumed on-premise, and those Red Hat product offerings that a cloud provider makes available. A runtime within a public cloud environment that is consistent with on-premise environments greatly aids application portability. Because the same runtime spans physical servers, multiple virtualization platforms and public clouds, applications need only be certified and tested once and then run on the infrastructure of choice.

The CCP program provides a variety of additional benefits to end users. Using a Red Hat-certified cloud provides access to a broad ecosystem of enterprise-quality proven Red Hat Cloud Providers, enabling customers to select from a wide spectrum of business terms, service levels and global locations. They gain the ability to purchase Red Hat products on a consumption (pay-as-you-go) basis that can be a good match for spiky or unpredictable workloads. They get timely access to the latest updates and versions of Red Hat products through a Red Hat Update Infrastructure at the provider. These providers offer enterprise support—backed by Red Hat. And with select Red Hat Premier-Certified Cloud Providers, they can transfer their software subscriptions back and forth from on-premise, a feature called Red Hat Cloud Access.

Of course, enterprise customers still should perform their own due diligence to ensure that the processes and protections offered by a public cloud provider meets their specific security, compliance and regulatory requirements. For example, they may need to ensure that a cloud provider isn’t storing customer data in a locale not meeting government mandates for that type of data. However, the CCP provides a significant level of confidence with respect to the maintenance of their Red Hat environment.

The certification program associated with CCPs is not unlike what Red Hat does with hardware certification. Can Red Hat Enterprise Linux run in that environment? Can you start it? Can you enable and disable SELinux just like you can on-premise? Does it have all the drivers that are needed to work?

It's also about maintaining the integrity of the Red Hat subscription in those situations. One key piece of technology is that all of the Red Hat Certified Cloud Providers are using an in-cloud update service. When you start images, they're automatically entitled to where they can access this update service immediately, and get the additional Red Hat Enterprise Linux packages they may need. Furthermore, they receive needed updates on the fly. It really becomes a seamless environment with Red Hat Enterprise Linux in the public cloud following the same operational model that it does on-premise.

Building hybrid clouds that span heterogeneous on- and off-premise resources requires an open approach. So that's the approach taken by Red Hat across its entire cloud portfolio. But providing consistency for applications across hybrid environments requires even more. It takes consistent environments on which applications can run. But even that's not enough. It takes business relationships and technology to make the experience of running applications in a hybrid environment consistent as well. And that's the challenge that the Red Hat Certified Cloud Provider Program takes on.

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.

GE CAPITAL SELECTED AS INVENTORY FINANCING PROVIDER FOR LOGICALIS, INC.

Press release:

13 August 2012

GE CAPITAL SELECTED AS INVENTORY FINANCING PROVIDER FOR LOGICALIS, INC.

 

$30 million facility for IT integrator enhances cash flow and credit capacity

CHICAGO, il, Aug. 13, 2012 – GE Capital’s Commercial Distribution Finance(CDF) business today announced a new $30 million inventory finance program with Logicalis, Inc. The new supplier facility enables Logicalis to finance inventory purchases from specific original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and provides extended interest-free repayment terms that will enhance the company’s cash flow and credit capacity.

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider based in Farmington Hills, MI.

The company will also gain access to COMS, CDF’s online inventory management tool, and to proprietary industry insights and analytics through a dedicated team of CDF IT industry experts who will work closely with the company.

“CDF’s understanding of our industry and flexible financing terms make it the ideal lender,” said Todd Yaekle, vice president of finance with Logicalis. “The expertise and the credit line provided by CDF will help us achieve our growth goals.”

“This program was customized to meet Logicalis’ specific needs and support its growth plans,” said David Laurence, vice president and sales director of CDF’s technology finance unit. “CDF has been supporting the IT industry for more than 30 years and is well positioned to help Logicalis succeed.”

About Logicalis, Inc.

Logicalis is an international IT solutions and managed services provider with a breadth of knowledge and expertise in communications and collaboration; data center and cloud services; and managed services. Logicalis employs almost 3,000 people worldwide, including highly trained service specialists who design, specify, deploy and manage complex Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructures to meet the needs of over 6,000 corporate and public sector customers.

The Logicalis Group is a division of Datatec Ltd., listed on the Johannesburg and London AIM Stock Exchanges, with revenues of over $5 billion.

For more information, visit http://www.us.logicalis.com/.

About GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance

GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance provided nearly $32 billion in financing for more than 30,000 manufacturers, dealers and distributors across North America in 2011. Programs include inventory and accounts receivable financing, asset-based lending, private label financing, collateral management and related financial products. Customers have access to exclusive online tools and analytics to manage their accounts and inventory. For more information, visit http://www.gecdf.com/home or follow company news via Twitter (@GEInventoryFin).

GE Capital offers consumers and businesses around the globe an array of financial products and services. For more information, visitwww.gecapital.com or follow company news via Twitter (@GECapital).

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire ClearAccess

Acquisition Enhances Cisco's Network Management Capabilities, Enabling Service Providers to Better Deliver, Manage and Monetize Their Services

SAN JOSE, Calif. – March 28, 2012 – Cisco today announced its intent to acquire privately held ClearAccess, a Vancouver, Wash. based company that provides TR-069-based software to service providers for the provisioning and management of residential and mobile devices. This acquisition includes ClearAccess' software business and talent. The hardware portion of ClearAccess' business, Smart RG Gateways, will continue forward as SmartRG, Inc. Cisco and ClearAccess' combined network management and software capabilities will enable service providers to better deliver, manage and monetize their services, while helping to improve operational efficiencies and customer experiences.

Service providers are faced with growing network complexity, exploding video and data traffic, and an increasing number of devices connected to their networks. With the proliferation of these devices, service providers are looking for ways to immediately lower operating expense while delivering and enabling new services. ClearAccess' management and software capabilities will augment Cisco Prime—Cisco's network management software portfolio—by offering service providers a set of powerful tools  for managing the connected home, including  monitoring and managing bandwidth usage, parental controls, diagnostics and analytics. 

"The ClearAccess acquisition reinforces Cisco's commitment to service providers by accelerating software architectural advancements in mobility, cloud and managed devices, and video," said Jamie Lerner, vice president and general manager, Cisco Network Management Technology Group, Service Provider Applications.  "ClearAccess provides a critical technology that will advance Cisco's mission to offer service providers a complete set of tools to manage their networks, within the home and across any connected device, amid the ongoing proliferation in network traffic."

This acquisition aligns with Cisco's strategic initiatives to build software platforms and drive business and technology architecture, and it complements Cisco's end-to-end portfolio and capabilities for service provider customers.

The ClearAccess team will bring strong software development and services skills to support the Cisco Prime platform. ClearAccess' proven track-record for the delivery of cloud-based services will provide Cisco with new capabilities that will make it easier for customers to trial and deploy. Upon the close of the acquisition, the ClearAccess team will be integrated into the Cisco Network Management Technology Group.

Specific financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed.  The acquisition of ClearAccess is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to be complete in the fourth quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2012. 

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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Quest Software Delivers End-to-End Business Management Platform to SMB Managed Service Providers

Quest Software Delivers End-to-End Business Management Platform to SMB Managed Service Providers

PacketTrap MSP 6.2 Features Integration with Standalone Professional Service Automation System; VoIP Monitoring Added

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., March 22, 2012 – Quest Software  (Nasdaq: QSFT) today announced the availability of PacketTrap^® MSP 6.2, the latest version of its remote monitoring and management (RMM) platform designed for SMB managed service providers (MSPs). Delivering comprehensive integration of RMM functionality with professional service automation (PSA) technology, PacketTrap MSP 6.2 is an industry leading end-to-end business management platform. MSPs can now access a single console to manage – and simplify – business processes including job scheduling, technician management, CRM, service requests and billing and invoicing.

For small- to mid-sized MSPs and IT solutions providers, PacketTrap MSP delivers affordable enterprise-class remote server, application and network management for MSPs to use across customer environments. The integration between PacketTrap MSP 6.2 and PacketTrap PSA, the company’sprofessional service automation solution, enables users to:

·         Better track tickets, improving customer service and reducing status calls;

·         More accurately account for technicians billable hours to increase revenue; and,

·         Decrease the billing cycle by more quickly and accurately invoicing for completed work.

“Among the many enhancements to PacketTrap MSP, integration with our standalone PSA solution was a strategic development investment as it meets MSPs demand for technology that can be used to more easily complete many common business tasks,” said Matt Bolton, vice president of product management, Network Management Division, Quest Software. “Often we find that our target customers are not in the business of running businesses. By utilizing an intuitive platform that is far less cumbersome then other solutions on the market, yet offers the same functionality, MSPs can focus on providing new services to their own customers and marketing to new prospects.”

Quest Software launched PacketTrap PSA earlier this month following the company’s acquisition of BlueFolder, Inc., a leading provider of field and professional service management solutions. Quest Software enhanced BlueFolder’s existing PSA technology, providing MSPs with a solution to dramatically increase time savings and profitability by simplifying many business management processes.

In addition to integrating with PacketTrap PSA, PacketTrap MSP 6.2 features other enhancements such as monitoring support for Cisco wireless controllers, which are increasingly used to manage all wireless access points, and new monitoring templates for pre-defined monitoring and alerting of common applications.

Unique among RMM solutions, PacketTrap MSP 6.2 now enables MSPs to monitor customers’ Avaya VoIP infrastructure, which includes Avaya Aura Communications Manager, Avaya DP Office, PBX systems, IP Phones, Gateways, switches, routers and end-to-end network, physical and virtual IT infrastructure. Using PacketTrap MSP 6.2, MSPs can monitor customers’ VoIP systems and network infrastructure using the same trusted, user-friendly platform in order to make customers’ VoIP implementations more successful.

Pricing and Availability

Both PacketTrap MSP and PacketTrap PSA are now available as standalone solutions. MSPs and IT solution providers that purchase both PacketTrap MSP and PacketTrap PSA will have full integration between the solutions. PacketTrap MSP also integrates with other PSA solutions through technology partnerships.

For more information and a free fully featured trial of PacketTrap MSP 6.2, visit http://www.packettrap.com/packettrap-psa-free-trial/.

Wipro Launches Cloud Based NextGen Care Mgt. Solution for Healthcare

Wipro Launches Cloud Based NextGen Care Management Solution for US Healthcare Market

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Wipro Technologies, the Global Information Technology, Consulting and Outsourcing business of Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT), announced the launch of its NextGen Care Management solution for the US healthcare market, specifically aimed at primary care physicians and healthcare providers. The objectives of the Wipro solution are aligned with the United States' Medical Home and Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program to enable personalized, affordable and quality care. Wipro's NextGen Care Management solution enables physicians to drive patient participation in devising a personalized care plan with defined care goals, treatment plan and health improvement activities.

Wipro's application is built on Force.com, salesforce.com's social enterprise platform for employee facing social apps and, is uniquely positioned as a cloud based care management services and adopts the core principles of patient centricity, coordinated healthcare, interoperability, mobility, and outcome to better manage chronic, post-acute and elderly patient population.

General physicians and specialists can now experience continuity of information through a longitudinal view of patient's medical history, assessment and clinical reports. Primary care physicians and specialists can also form Medical Care panels, online, to be deeply engaged with the patients to maintain long term relationships and facilitate care across the continuum.

The built-in collaboration platform in the solution uses tools such as sms, chat, alerts, reminders, activity workflows and helps in reducing cost by avoiding treatment overlaps, multiple clinical tests or hospitalization. The solution's compatibility with devices such as Smartphones, Tablet PCs and integration with remote patient monitoring devices ensure access to patient medical records at the point of care, for proactive and preventive care delivery. Wipro's solution provides performance analytics to help in developing an outcome driven and quality focused healthcare culture.

With the Obama Care act expanding healthcare coverage to an additional 32 million Americans, healthcare payers (insurance companies) and providers have to manage a huge influx of new members - an 81% growth, into the system. As a result, the payers and providers will need to go through a major IT transformation, through annual IT investments worth USD 3-5 billion, to handle this massive change and in order to provide high quality, affordable healthcare.

According to Vikash Jain, Partner, Everest Group, an independent advisory and research firm on global services, "An integrated solution for care management addresses a key need of the players who are trying to proactively and aggressively address the ‘cost of care' issue. In addition the cloud based proposition is very compelling given the advantages of rapid and low cost deployment, pay as you go models. This solution combines a key business need of the Payers and with the emerging next generation models that clients are looking for and should create significant interest."

Mohd Haque, Vice President, Healthcare Vertical, Wipro Technologies said "The burgeoning concept of patient centric care management is encouraging healthcare organizations to adapt innovations in managing chronic diseases, treating remotely, helping people to live longer. Wipro's solution is capable of transforming the current reactive, episodic, fragmented care delivery system into a foundation of partnership between payer, provider and patient to co-manage, monitor and measure delivery of care. Wipro is heavily investing in patient centric solutions, remote healthcare and ACO (Accountable Care Organizations) platforms that provide technology solutions for creating next generation care management."

Wipro has a comprehensive presence in the Healthcare Industry across payers, providers, healthcare distribution, healthcare services, e-health and government-funded programs.

PRESS RELEASE

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire NDS

Acquisition of NDS Will Expand Cisco's Ability to Transform How Service Providers and Media Companies Worldwide Deliver Next-Generation Video Experiences to Subscribers

Related Information

Cisco Headquarters - San Jose, CA

SAN JOSE, Calif., and LONDON, March 15, 2012 – Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced its intent to acquire NDS Group Ltd., a leading provider of video software and content security solutions that enable service providers and media companies to securely deliver and monetize new video entertainment experiences.

NDS uses the combination of a software platform and services to create differentiated video offerings for service providers that enable subscribers to intuitively view, search and navigate digital content anytime, anywhere and on any device.

The acquisition of NDS will complement and accelerate the delivery of Videoscape™, Cisco's comprehensive platform that enables service providers and media companies to deliver next-generation entertainment experiences. Acquiring NDS will broaden Cisco's opportunities in the service provider market, expanding its reach into emerging markets, such as China and India, where NDS has an established customer footprint.

Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately $5 billion, including the assumption of debt and retention-based incentives, to acquire all of the business and operations of NDS. The acquisition has been approved by the boards of directors of both companies.

The acquisition is expected to close during the second half of calendar year 2012, subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory review in the United States and elsewhere. The net impact to Cisco is expected to be accretive to EPS in the first full year on a non-GAAP basis.

Highlights/Key Facts

• Cisco's open, standards-based Videoscape platform, which spans the cloud, the network and end-user clients, is a key part of the company's overall video strategy to deliver TV experiences that make access to content more visual, mobile and social for consumers, while protecting and enhancing the value of content for service providers and media companies.
• The addition of NDS's leading software solutions, such as the end-user viewing client and content security solutions, combined with its systems integration expertise, will accelerate the delivery of the Cisco Videoscape platform.
• This acquisition reflects Cisco's increased strategic focus on video, one of its five foundational priorities, and its investment in software and services revenue streams and competencies.
• This acquisition underscores Cisco's commitment to its "build, buy, and partner" strategy to grow through a combination of organic innovation, targeted acquisitions and strategic partnering.
• In terms of valuation, on a forward-looking basis, the acquisition is generally in line with the earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) multiples paid when NDS was taken private in 2009, and is within the multiples ranges for comparable deals, including Cisco's acquisition of Tandberg.
• A significant portion of NDS's software, services and content protection business is recurring, with long-term contracts, typically with an average duration of approximately five years.
• Prior to the close, Cisco and NDS will continue to operate as separate companies. Upon completion of the transaction, NDS's global operations, including sites in the United Kingdom, Israel, France, India and China, and its approximately 5,000 employees will join the Cisco Service Provider Video Technology Group (SPVTG), led by Senior Vice President and General Manager Jesper Andersen.
• Dr. Abe Peled, NDS Executive Chairman, will be named Senior Vice President and Chief Strategist for Cisco's Video & Collaboration Group, of which SPVTG is a part. Dr. Peled will report directly to Marthin De Beer, Senior Vice President, Cisco Video and Collaboration Group.

Quotes

John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco

"Our strategy has always been driven by customer need and on capturing market transitions. Our acquisition of NDS fits squarely into this strategy, enabling content and service providers to deliver new video solutions that leverage the cloud and drive new monetization opportunities and service differentiation."

Dr. Abe Peled, Executive Chairman, NDS

"Cisco and NDS are helping drive the transition that will enable service providers and media companies to offer new revenue-generating video experiences. NDS's open software video platform and services are highly complementary to Cisco technology, and together we are uniquely positioned to enable service providers to deliver fresh and exciting multi-screen video services to their customers.  A key component of NDS's success has been our open software and services model, working with a wide range of set-top box manufacturers to enable greater choice for our customers; following this acquisition this strategy will continue and expand the choice of hardware solutions available to service providers worldwide."

Dave Habiger, CEO, NDS

"This is a transformational opportunity for not only NDS and Cisco, but also our service provider customers and their consumers. Together we make the connected vision a reality."

Investor and Media Events:

• John Chambers, Cisco's Chairman and CEO, Ned Hooper, Cisco's Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, and Abe Peled, Executive Chairman of NDS, will host a joint investor call on March 15 at 6:00 a.m.  PDT to discuss the proposed transaction.  The dial-in number is 517-308-9354 (international) and 800-619-2472 (United States).  Conference call replay will be available from 10:00 a.m. PDT, March 15, 2012, to 4:30 p.m. PDT, March 30, 2012 at 203-369-3287 (international) and 800-469-5424 (United States). The replay also will be available via webcast from Thursday, March 15, through April 13, 2012 on the Cisco Investor Relations website at http://investor.cisco.com. 

• John Chambers and Abe Peled will host a joint Web-based video press conference on March 15 at 9:30 a.m. PDT. Members of the media are invited to watch this live webcast by clicking here.  Please note that online registration is required.  A broadcast replay will be available within 24 hours.  For more information on this announcement, please visit newsroom.cisco.com.

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