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Showing posts with label service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label service. Show all posts

Sunday, January 11, 2015

Simple Loose Leaf Creates Subscription Service for Tea

Tea bags have become the norm in today’s households and supermarkets, but loose leaf has been steadily gaining popularity in recent years with small tea shops, boutiques, and big players like Teavana and David’s Tea getting into the game. Simple Loose Leaf offers an alternative to these tea shops.
Simple Loose Leaf allows customers to have loose leaf tea delivered to their doorstep each month.


Simple Loose Leaf Creates Subscription Service for Tea

The Creator's Code: Thinking Your Way to a Million Dollar Biz

The Creator’s Code teaches readers how they can find and develop their million dollar business idea.



The Creator's Code: Thinking Your Way to a Million Dollar Biz

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Norfolk Southern to honor military veterans as they ‘Ride 2 Recovery’

Norfolk Southern News Release:

May 30, 2013

Norfolk Southern to honor military veterans as they ‘Ride 2 Recovery’

NORFOLK, VA. ��� Norfolk Southern will honor more than 200 wounded military veterans Saturday, June 1, when they stop in Norfolk, Va., as part of their week-long “Ride 2 Recovery” memorial challenge.
Ride 2 Recovery is a rehabilitation program of the Fitness Challenge Foundation that features cycling as its core activity. Bikes are specially designed to suit individual needs. The 325-mile bicycle journey conditions veterans while helping them overcome the physical and mental challenges they face after returning from service.
Participants began their ride on Memorial Day in Arlington, Va., and will finish June 1 in Virginia Beach, Va., with stops along the way in Manassas, Fredericksburg, Richmond, Williamsburg, and Norfolk.
Norfolk Southern employees will host a rally at Harbor Park near the Amtrak Station to support and welcome the veterans.
The NS Cycling Team will ride with the veterans for a portion of their trip. NS Thoroughbred Volunteers will break from their participation in Clean the Bay Day to join the veterans as well.
James A. Squires, NS executive vice president administration and an Army veteran himself, will address the attendees and introduce guests, including a number of mayors from the Hampton Roads area.
The NS Veterans Locomotive will be staged at the event for a photo op, after which its horn will announce the veterans’ departure on their home stretch from Norfolk to Virginia Beach.
Mark Courrier, East Coast SEAL and special warfare combatant-craft crewmen scout, said NS’ participation is a dream come true. “When the 200 cyclists arrive at the station to see an SD60E dressed in all its glory with the red, white, and blue colors, it will be a true testament that Norfolk Southern is making a difference in the lives of our wounded warriors,” he said.
The Veterans Locomotive was specially painted to honor the contributions of those who have served in the military and reserves. Over the past six years, Norfolk Southern has hired some 1,300 veterans, and today 14 percent of the total NS workforce-more than 4,200 employees-are veterans and members of the National Guard and Reserves.
Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC) is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway Company subsidiary operates approximately 20,000 route miles in 22 states and the District of Columbia, serves every major container port in the eastern United States, and provides efficient connections to other rail carriers. Norfolk Southern operates the most extensive intermodal network in the East and is a major transporter of coal, automotive, and industrial products.
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Monday, September 17, 2012

EMC Named 2012 Public Company of the Year by Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council

Press release:


EMC Named 2012 Public Company of the Year by Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council

15th Annual Awards Event Celebrates the Depth and Breadth of the State’s Vibrant Technology Ecosystem

HOPKINTON, MASS , SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 - 
EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) announced today that it has been named 2012 Publicly Traded Company of the Year by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC), the region’s leading technology association and the premier network for tech executives, entrepreneurs, investors and policy leaders. Now in its 15th year, the annual Technology Leadership Awards program recognizes outstanding achievement across the Massachusetts vibrant technology community. 
The Company of the Year award was presented to EMC® last week during the 2012 MassTLC Awards gala in Boston. Jeff Nick, EMC’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, accepted the award on the company’s behalf.
The EMC selection was made by an esteemed judging panel comprising executives, investors, analysts, media and thought leaders from across Massachusetts. The judging committee reviewed all of the top- performing public companies headquartered in the region, taking into account a number of financial factors including revenue growth, operating profits measured by EBITDA, and market capitalization.
See all the 2012 winners at www.masstlc.org

MassTLC QUOTE:

Tom Hopcroft, President and CEO of MassTLC
“We’re thrilled to award a company of EMC’s caliber with the 2012 Company of the Year for publicly-traded companies. EMC’s IT industry market leadership is widely recognized not only in Massachusetts but also around the world. EMC stands as a clear example of outstanding and sustained achievement by the individuals and organizations in Massachusetts that are defining the future of the technology sector.” 

EMC EXECUTIVE QUOTE:

Jeff Nick, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, EMC
“On behalf of EMC and the more than 55,000 EMC employees worldwide, I’m honored to accept this award and be recognized by MassTLC, our executive peers, investors, analysts and media across the Massachusetts IT community. The IT industry is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of transformation and growth, and EMC is fortunate to be a leader in this shift.  Nowhere does that play out more prominently than right here in Massachusetts, with its thriving culture and history of innovation and technology achievement.”

ABOUT THE MASS TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP COUNCIL, INC.

The Mass Technology Leadership Council (MassTLC) is the region’s leading technology association and the premier network for tech executives, entrepreneurs, investors and policy leaders.  MassTLC’s purpose is to accelerate innovation by connecting people from across the technology landscape, providing access to industry-leading content and ideas and offering a platform for visibility for member companies and their interests.
With a membership of 500 companies and growing, MassTLC is a vibrant tech community that serves its members in a myriad of ways including:
  • Organizing and running active cluster communities including Big Data, Cloud, Mobile, Software Development, Energy, Healthcare, Robotics and Digital Games
  • Hosting Boston’s most exciting annual tech event, the MassTLC Innovation unConference
  • Shining the spotlight on leaders in tech with an Annual Awards Program
  • Supporting workforce development where you need it most
  • Connecting companies with policy leaders
  • Celebrating the technologies and leaders of the region
For more information on MassTLC visit www.masstlc.org

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

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Accenture to Help Oi Transform Business Operations and Support Strategic Growth Objectives

Press release:


September 13, 2012
 Accenture to Help Oi Transform Business Operations
and Support Strategic Growth Objectives
 
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Sept. 13, 2012 – Oi SA (NYSE: OIBR/C), one of Brazil’s leading providers of communications services, and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) have signed a seven-year agreement for Accenture to help Oi transform its business by having Accenture manage Oi’s billing and collections, finance and accounting, human resources, supply chain, and select back office functions.
 
Under the agreement, Accenture will provide Oi services through a flexible model designed for today’s business challenges, ultimately supporting Oi and its goal to improve efficiency, quality and cost-effectiveness. Through its deep communications industry knowledge, and supported by its management consulting, technology and business process outsourcing expertise, Accenture will focus on improvements designed to help transform Oi’s operations and support future growth.  
 
“We are committed to Oi’s success as they execute their strategic business plans and undergo this transformation,” said Robert Sell, group chief executive of Accenture’s Communications, Media & Technology operating group. “By leveraging Accenture’s industry and functional expertise combined with analytical tools and technologies, we’ve moved beyond operational cost reduction to drive more meaningful business outcomes for Oi. This agreement expands our longstanding relationship, and the work we perform will help make Oi an even stronger market competitor.”
 
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 249,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$25.5 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2011. Its home page is www.accenture.com.
 
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Friday, September 7, 2012

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


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


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:
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
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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Thursday, September 6, 2012

IBM Helps Global Industry Leaders Connect with the Chief Executive Customer

Press release:


IBM Helps Global Industry Leaders Connect with the Chief Executive Customer

IBM Predicts Intelligent-Guided Future
ORLANDO - 06 Sep 2012: Today, from the Smarter Commerce Global Summit, IBM (NYSE:IBM)  is helping a range of global business leaders across major industries, such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, Bank of America, ConocoPhillips, Expedia.com, Office Depot, Radio Shack, and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Customers are looking for new ways to connect with their customers accelerating key business processes such as marketing, sales, supply chain and customer service, driving faster business results.
IBM is also forecasting key Smarter Commerce trends including the prevalence of intelligent-guided customer experiences, mobile-first business strategies and the growth of hybrid cloud computing as the primary means for entering new markets. 
From procurement and supply chain, marketing and sales, to customer service, companies are re-engineering key business processes to meet the preferences of their increasingly powerful and demanding clients, essentially their new chief executives. 
IBM is helping more than 2,000 global brands transform operations centered around their customers. A variety of chief marketing officers (CMOs), chief information officers (CIOs) and other business leaders from many companies such as Husqvarna, Lenovo, Norwegian Cruise Line, SHOP.CA, Staples, Urban Outfitters and Wacoal will join IBM at the summit and present the business results they have achieved after working with IBM and shifting to a Smarter Commerce approach. 
"The old adage 'the customer is always right' has evolved.  The customer is dictating the terms under which commerce is conducted," said Craig Hayman, general manager, IBM Industry Solutions. "The new 'chief executive customer' expect companies to respect their time, preferences, values and privacy. Meeting these expectations requires insight, innovation and a system of engagement that delivers an intelligent guided customer experience at every touchpoint." 
IBM Predicts Intelligent-Guided Future  
Smarter Commerce is a growing market opportunity in excess of $20 billion per year in software alone that centers on the customer experience.  In five years, intelligent-guided marketing and selling will routinely put the ultimate control in the hands of customers, allowing them to indicate what they are in the market for.  In this new normal, businesses will have the ability to scan who is looking for what and make offers to customers to meet their preferences. Consumers will expect at most to wait just minutes or seconds for offers to come in and select the one they like.    Bearing today's reality and this vision in mind, here are key trends IBM predicts will contribute to the evolution and expansion of Smarter Commerce: 
1)         Everything will be Data Driven
Stemming from buying behavior, social media interactions, and advanced analytics -- essentially the application of Big Data, customers will project what they are in the market for instead of settling for what's available on the shelf.  Companies will respond within seconds essentially bidding for each individual's business.  Sharpening analytics will help businesses across all industries anticipate and predict what customers want. The vision of marketing to a universe of one is realized.
 2)         Businesses Go Mobile First as Devices Proliferate and Channels Merge
Businesses will primarily design applications and processes for mobile deployment instead of PCs as individuals center their lives around smart phones and device use explodes exponentially.   Location-based services will expand individualized offers; drive acceleration of business processes and reduction of costs.  Frictionless payments will remove obstacles to impulse buying, leading to less predictable market shifts in consumer demand and requiring greater analytics to decipher. 
3)         Cloud Computing will Lead Businesses to New Markets
Established companies will deploy a hybrid cloud model for rapid expansion to new markets while newer players will use the cloud in a virtual inventory model to start up quickly and cost-effectively compete against larger competitors.  Businesses realize immediate returns with instant deployments, reducing capital budgets.  Cloud technology will serve as the primary means for people to quickly connect with social and collaborative business networks, bringing intellectual capital to bear for business more rapidly and in new ways.
The Future Starts Now 
Many companies are on the path toward Smarter Commerce today, meeting the expectations of the chief executive customer.  To help organizations realize the full potential of Smarter Commerce, IBM is teaming up with First Data in a consortium of industry leaders includingKohl's, Nordstrom, CardSpring, Citi and others that bring together retail, financial and technology institutions to share and establish best practices in retail commerce. 
RadioShack, a leading U.S. retailer of mobile and technology products, services and accessories, is working with IBM’s DemandTec cloud solutions designed to help CMOs and their teams improve price image and pricing operations throughout the entire pricing lifecycle.  
Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. engaged IBM Web analytics and strategic consulting services to better understand its customers’ online preferences and enable more precise marketing activities.  Virgin Atlantic has been able to cater more effectively to customers and successfully evaluate and monitor site performance. 
SHOP.CA is a case study in hybrid cloud technology deployment. Canada’s online marketplace retailer is using IBM Web analytics, a cloud solution, integrated with on-premise instances of WebSphere Commerce.  The online retailer selected IBM's technology as the e-commerce engine to power its consumer storefront, multi-merchant product catalog and Shop.ca Rewards program. IBM is also providing analytics on visitor preferences and interactions, as well as analyzing their searching and buying histories. This data will give Shop.ca insight on how, when and where to reach shoppers with content and offers personalized to their tastes and preferences via mobile or social vehicles.
 For more information on IBM Smarter Commerce, visit: http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/smarter_commerce/overview/

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

IBM Accelerates Smarter Commerce through Intelligent Guided Customer Experience

Press release:


IBM Accelerates Smarter Commerce through Intelligent Guided Customer Experience

ORLANDO - 05 Sep 2012: At the Smarter Commerce Global Summit, IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced new software and services designed to help Chief Marketing Officers (CMO), Chief Procurement Officers (CPO) and other key line-of-business executives realize quicker business results by delivering intelligence guided customer experiences, across all digital channels, aligned to the buying and shopping preferences of each individual
With today’s news, IBM expands its Smarter Commerce initiative with new cloud-based software and services that allow businesses to immediately put the customer at the center of their operations in order to drive revenue and ensure sustainable brand loyalty. This includes:
·        IBM Marketing Center, an IBM SmartCloud Solution that integrates digital analytics with real-time marketing execution capabilities into a single solution that allows CMOs to better meet customer needs by quickly analyzing customer shopping patterns and turning these insights into intelligent offers that are personalized to each person.
·        A new Smarter Commerce managed services offering that helps clients more rapidly and effectively deploy and manage their ecommerce environments.
·        A new offering for Strategic Supply Management, available on-premises and as a SmartCloud solution that speeds and improves supplier governance, risk and compliance.
With the new offerings introduced today, IBM provides customers with automation and intelligence while accelerating and improving marketing, sales, customer service, procurement and supply chain management. 
IBM currently analyzes more than $100 billion in commerce transactions per year in the cloud. Current IBM customers that have embraced cloud-based Smarter Commerce offerings include RadioShack, Bank of Montreal and Urban Outfitters.
New Marketing, eCommerce Capabilities for CMOs
According to IBM’s State of Marketing survey, 48 percent of marketers believe that improved technology infrastructure will enable them to better meet the needs of customers, who are increasingly interacting with brands via multiple channels. For example, over the recent back to school shopping season, 15.7 percent of online sales took place via a mobile device in July and 15.4 percent in August.
IBM’s new Marketing Center combines digital analytics and real-time marketing execution in a single integrated offering that can easily be deployed without taxing the resources of the chief information officer (CIO). Once live, marketers can turn data provided by customers into personalized offers via email or website personalization (including the mobile web), all with just a few clicks.
Through these capabilities CMOs consistently deliver exceptional experiences that are in line with the wants and needs of each individual. To ensure ongoing success, the application provides automated marketing tracking, digital and campaign analytics that measure the effectiveness of marketing efforts which can be adjusted in real time if necessary.
For example, while an individual frequently visits a retailer’s mobile website and identifies items of interest, they consistently fail to complete their purchase. Through its automated capabilities, CMOs and their team can quickly identify this trend and, with just a few clicks, re-engage the customer by sending a coupon for 10 percent off specific items and also presenting them with a personalized website that reflects their unique interests. 
"Given today's empowered customers that are digitally connected 24/7, we see it as a top priority to provide our customers with the best possible experience in every interaction," said Laura Symspon-Cornelius, director of Web Analytics from Office Depot. "The idea behind the new IBM Marketing Center, to combine digital analytics and real-time marketing execution in a single application, is very compelling for making that task easier."
In another instance, a CMO of a bank can analyze two campaigns simultaneously to determine the effectiveness of each overall and with specific groups and customer segments. With this information, the marketing team can determine in real-time which campaign best meets the needs of each customer in order to ensure the best experience possible.
“Customers today are connecting with brands on multiple fronts, including mobile devices, social media sites and in the store. Regardless of the channel, these individuals expect each experience to be flawless and relevant,” said Yuchun Lee, vice president, IBM Enterprise Marketing Management. “With the IBM Marketing Center, we expand our SaaS portfolio with an all-in-one solution that provides CMOs and their teams with the intelligence required to consistently meet the unique needs of each individual customer -- the ultimate goal of all marketers.”
To further enhance the entire shopping experience, IBM also today introduced Smarter Commerce Managed Services, a new set of services from its Global Process Services (GPS) group.  The service augments IBM’s software and global business services offerings with full-scale business, process, and IT managed services to help business executives deploy and manage cross-channel commerce processes, especially providing the human interaction components of eCommerce, such as needing agent chat support or live assistance. In this way, companies are able to more quickly and effectively interconnect their multiple commerce channels to speed business results.  
New Software for CPOs Rapidly Reduces Spend and Risk
In addition to the CMO, the demands of the empowered customer have put additional pressure on CPOs to further reduce spend with suppliers and improve risk management. In an environment where an average 50 percent of the value of a product comes from suppliers, managing supply costs and risks plays a critical role in meeting the needs of the empowered customer1.
With IBM's new Emptoris Strategic Supply Management, CPOs are given complete visibility and control over spending, contracts, service providers and supplier intelligence and processes. The new version also improves supplier governance, risk and compliance with enhanced information management and workflow capabilities. In addition, IBM has enhanced procurement analytics for contract compliance and improved program accountability for suppliers, categories and regions.
“Building a world-class procurement organization involves people, process and technology. BP Lubricants has built its procurement operations with high-quality people and processes,” said Mark Edwards, Chemicals procurement manager, at BP Lubricants. “The use of advanced sourcing technology from IBM has enabled our Lubricants procurement team to gain greater control over global spend and market data. The solution empowers us to realize the best value, not just the best price, from a supply base by factoring multiple performance drivers into decision-making.”
Streamlining the supply chain, from materials sourcing to product delivery, are as critical to meeting customer expectations as the outward-facing marketing and sales departments. For example, IBM is helping global brewer Anheuser-Busch (AB InBev) streamline supplier sourcing and contract management in the cloud with IBM Emptoris solutions. This will enable the company to achieve significant breakthroughs in supply chain visibility that reduces risk, lowers costs and accelerates business results.

Prepackaged Best Practices Speed Client Deployment
The IBM Smarter Commerce Workbench is an asset repository that helps IBM accelerate the adoption of solutions for Smarter Commerce. The workbench captures implementation best practices, assets and knowledge that can be shared globally with other project teams to help improve the speed and quality of solution building. This enables clients to get faster business results from their solutions.
For more information on IBM Smarter Commerce, visit:http://www.ibm.com/smarterplanet/us/en/smarter_commerce/overview/
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To join the conversation, follow hashtags #smartercommerce and #IBMSCGS
[1]“Cross Industry Report of Standard Benchmarks,” published by CAPS Research, July 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Leading Technology Vendors Announce New Specification Designed to Ease Management of Applications Across Public and Private Clouds


Oracle Press Release

Leading Technology Vendors Announce New Specification Designed to Ease Management of Applications Across Public and Private Clouds

First Platform-as-a-Service Management API Specification to be Submitted to OASIS to Develop Industry Standard

Redwood Shores, Calif. – August 30, 2012

News Facts

Leading technology vendors, including CloudBees, Cloudsoft Corporation, Huawei, Oracle, Rackspace, Red Hat, and Software AG, today announced Cloud Application Management for Platforms (CAMP), a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) management Application Programming Interface (API) specification.
Designed for managing both public and private cloud applications, including packaging and deployment of the applications, CAMP will be submitted to Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) for development of an industry standard, in an effort to help ensure interoperability for deploying and managing applications across cloud environments.
As the first effort to standardize a PaaS management interface, CAMP is intended to provide a common basis for developing multi-cloud management tools as well as offering cloud providers and consumers a REST-based approach to application management.
CAMP provides a common development vocabulary and API that can work across multiple clouds without excessive adaptation and is compatible with PaaS-aware and PaaS-unaware application development environments, both offline and in the cloud.
Common use cases for CAMP include moving an on-premise application to the cloud (private or public) as well as redeployment of such applications across cloud platforms from multiple vendors. CAMP reduces the effort to move applications between clouds and provides service assurance through interoperability.

Supporting Quotes

“Even though the PaaS marketplace is in its infancy, and vendors like CloudBees are driving innovation incredibly rapidly, customers are already concerned about lock-in and demanding interoperability. CAMP is an important first step toward that important goal,” said Steven Harris, senior vice president of products, CloudBees Inc.
“Hybrid and multi-cloud environments are emerging as the norm for the enterprise with PaaS trending rapidly as the natural entry point. CAMP will accelerate this trend as cloud-agnostic application management is key to cloud interoperability at this level,” said Duncan Johnston-Watt, CEO, Cloudsoft Corporation.
“Oracle’s commitment to driving industry standards that are crucial to our customers’ cloud environments, and to adopting these standards in Oracle products, is demonstrated by our CAMP collaboration. CAMP defines a simple API that enables customers to have an interoperable solution across multiple vendors’ offerings, manage application lifecycles easily, and move applications between clouds," said Don Deutsch, vice president, Chief Standards Officer, Oracle.
"Rackspace wants clouds to be open to give customers freedom and choice. CAMP offers a way to enable application portability between public and private clouds, and even between cloud service providers offering similar Platform-as-a-Service solutions," said Adrian Otto, senior technology strategist, Rackspace.
"Red Hat has long believed in collaboration with the industry and open source community to drive the delivery of compelling technology to meet the needs of developers and enterprises around the world, and our participation in CAMP is another proof point," said Mark Little, senior director of Engineering, Middleware at Red Hat. "Platform-as-a-Service offerings like Red Hat's OpenShift offer developers an easy on-ramp to developing applications. A specification like CAMP represents a considerable step towards lowering the barrier of entry new developers perceive when it comes to migrate their workloads to PaaS."
Software AG is at the forefront of leading industry standards, recognizing the need for interoperable and portable solutions for our customers. Thus far, cloud standards have been limited to the infrastructure (IaaS) space. As an interoperable standard for management of applications on hosted platforms (PaaS), the CAMP specification takes it to the next level in the cloud space. We are pleased to have collaborated in this work and look forward to the CAMP specification in an OASIS TC in the future," said Hans-Christoph Rohland, Senior Vice President - Research & Development, Software AG.

Supporting Resources

CAMP website

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 www.oracle.com

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Ingram Micro Enables U.S. Channel Partners' Growth Initiatives With Increases in Credit Limits

Press release from Ingram Micro:

Ingram Micro Enables U.S. Channel Partners' Growth Initiatives With Increases in Credit Limits
Aug 28, 2012 (Marketwire via COMTEX) --Leveraging the expertise of its credit analysts and propensity studies developed by its Business Intelligence Center (BIC), Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM) today announced it's helping its U.S.-based channel partners drive growth in the SMB and consumer electronics markets by increasing the credit lines of more than 680 pre-qualified U.S.-based solution providers and managed service providers (MSPs).

Collectively the increases account for more than $8 million in available credit and were awarded to a select group of more than 500 pre-qualified channel partners who primarily sell to small and mid-size businesses (SMBs), as well as 175 high-potential channel partners focused on the consumer electronics (CE) space. The chosen partners were identified through a collaborative and thorough vetting process conducted by Ingram Micro's credit analysts, BIC team and sales.

"Gaining access to working capital is a challenge for many channel partners -- especially those who are focused on meeting the business technology needs of today's growing SMBs," says Jamie Ferullo, director of sales, SMB, Ingram Micro U.S. "By identifying high-potential partners and extending them greater credit limits, we're helping to remove one of the biggest barriers to earning new and incremental business, and further enabling their success."

Within the first few weeks of receiving increases to their credit lines, hundreds of Ingram Micro channel partners have experienced increases in revenue growth and expansion in their sales pipelines.

"We had a very large project that needed to be financed and rolled out within a short period of time," says leading system integrator Brian Hogan, president of New England Systems and Software. "The willingness of Ingram Micro and its credit team to work with us helped immensely, and the increased credit line and short approval time allowed us to meet our schedule and come in on budget."

Craig Raubenheimer, owner of Boston-based MSP Roan Solutions Inc., also reports immediate gains from the recent Ingram Micro credit limits, and calls Ingram Micro a strategic business partner who understands the needs of his business, and knows what it takes to help his business grow. "By automatically increasing our credit lines, Ingram Micro has opened the door to new sales opportunities that are having a direct and positive impact on our business revenues, and certainly positions us to better meet the financial needs of our customers moving forward," says Raubenheimer.

In addition to increasing the credit lines for hundreds of SMB and CE-focused partners, Ingram Micro continues to invest in its team of credit analysts. All Ingram Micro channel partners in the U.S. have a dedicated Ingram Micro credit analyst to support their business. Ingram Micro Credit Analysts understand the industry landscape and have a proven track record for consulting with channel partners to identify the best financing options and secure additional credit as needed.

"Growing a business is no easy task," says David Maffucci, president and director of technology for Visionary Computer, an Apple Specialist and Premium Service Provider located in Connecticut who has nearly doubled its sales in the last 12 months. "We needed to identify flexible financing options and get a dramatic increase in our available credit, fast. Thanks to the ongoing support from Ingram Micro and the recent increase to our credit line, we now have the purchasing power and resources a small business like ours needs to prosper and succeed."
Channel partners who are interested in speaking to an Ingram Micro credit analyst and want to learn more about the financing options available to them should contact their Ingram Micro sales representative, dedicated credit analyst or the Ingram Micro credit department at (716) 616-4000.

More information about Ingram Micro is available at www.ingrammicro.com andhttp://ingrammicroinc.wordpress.com.
To learn, see and hear more about Ingram Micro online, follow the distributor on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/IngramMicro; Twitter at www.twitter.com/IngramMicroInc; and YouTube athttp://www.youtube.com/user/ingrammicroinc.

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 more than 145 countries on six continents with the world's most comprehensive portfolio of IT products and services. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.