Ferguson store owner: Fooled into thinking we were safe

Video (3:30)

Ferguson store owner Sonny Dayan of STL Cordless details what happened when his store was looted Monday night.

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10 Things You Need To Do After Forming An LLC

If you recently formed a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or incorporated, you have taken an important step toward setting the legal foundation for your business and protecting your personal assets. While you may have had several questions leading up to the decision to form an LLC, you probably have even more on what to do after.



10 Things You Need To Do After Forming An LLC

Press release:

IBM Continues Business Expansion in Poland with New Branches in Krakow and Poznan

Increases support for regional customers in the small and medium-sized enterprise sector

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Warsaw, Poland - 12 Sep 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the opening of two new branch offices in the cities of Krakow and Poznan as it extends its presence in the country’s fast-growing regional cities. The new offices will help increase support for IBM’s customers and partners in the two locations especially those in the small and medium-sized business sector which plays a key role in the Polish economy.

The move follows the opening of new IBM branches in the cities of Wroclaw and Katowice earlier this year - extending IBM’s reach far beyond the country’s capital Warsaw.  

"In recognition of the continued importance of Poland to IBM and to ensure the highest levels of support for our clients and partners, we are strengthening our branch network in a number of strategic locations across the country," said Anna Sienko, Country General Manager, IBM Poland & Baltics. “Krakow and Poznan are dynamically developing cities where we are working with local entrepreneurs to strengthen their competitive positions.” 

Anna Sienko, Country General Manager IBM Poland & Baltics and Aleksander Skorupa, Lower Silesian Governor at launch of Katowice branch in March 2012

Through its geographic expansion initiative, IBM is targeting the opportunity in white space territories in emerging markets - high-growth cities and regions where there is significant opportunity for growth and where businesses and government organizations are turning to IT to transform their operations and increase competitiveness. 

The two new offices in Poland supplement the growing network of locations that IBM has across Central and Eastern Europe. Today, IBM also announced the opening of new offices in the cities of Adana and Bursa in Turkey.

“Poland’s resilience in the face of global and Euro-zone troubles, coupled with its large domestic market, has made it a stand-out country for business in Europe,” said Aidan Manktelow, Europe Director, Economist Corporate Network. “Despite some slowing of the economy at present, Poland looks well placed for sustained robust growth. We see the IT market expanding from US$9.8bn in 2012 to almost US$13bn by 2016.” 

Cultivating Business in Krakow

Part of the Malopolska region in the South of Poland, Krakow is one of Poland’s main economic and cultural centers. In recent years, Krakow has been the focus of hi-tech investments with a dynamic IT industry and a growing number of small and medium sized businesses alongside foreign investors. IBM already has two global facilities in Krakow – a  software laboratory and a business process services center. 

IBM is already working in the public and private sectors in Krakow. As part of IBM’s Smarter Cities initiative, IBM is working with the City Hall, the University of Science and Technology (AGH) and the Management of Municipal Infrastructure and Transport to help develop an intelligent solution to support waste management on Krakow’s streets. Thanks to smarter technologies and business analytics, city dwellers may now use the internet to report incidents of road surface waste and debris. The system also helps to schedule work for municipal employees and contractors in order to keep the city’s streets clear of waste. 

“IBM’s analytical tools allow us to better manage and maintain our road systems giving us the insights we need in order to make optimum decisions,” said Michał Pyclik from the Management of Municipal Infrastructure and Transport, Krakow.  

IBM is also working with the University of Science and Technology (AGH) on joint research in the area of cloud computing technology development. 

Positioning for Growth in Poznan

The city of Poznan, in the Wielkopolska region in west-central Poland, is important center of trade with active automotive, transportation, logistics and manufacturing industries.  

IBM is already working with a number of clients in Poznan such Volkswagen for whom IBM has provided a new computing infrastructure and information management system. The system provides efficient access to important information about the company’s operations and customers in the country. The new system has 50 percent more storage capacity and is 8 times faster than the previous system. 

“IBM is one of our strategic partners in Poland. It has helped us to transform the way we work as a company – enabling our employees to perform more effectively and provide the highest possible level of service to our customers,” said Edward Lachowicz, CIO of Volkswagen Poznan. 

IBM is also collaborating with the Faculty of Mathematics and IT Science at Poznan University to help students gain technical and business skills in cloud computing.  

IBM first established its operations in Poland in 1991 with its headquarters in the country's capital Warsaw. Today IBM also has a number of key facilities across Poland serving clients around the world such as the IBM Delivery Center in Wroclaw, the IBM Business Transformation Outsourcing Center in Krakow, the IBM Software Laboratory in Krakow and the IBM Competence Implementation Center in Gdansk. 

ABOUT IBM

For more information on IBM, please visit: http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/index.wss

For more information on IBM Growth Markets please visit: https://twitter.com/#IBMGrowthMkts

Obama & Romney Must Concentrate on SMEs

Clay Carter, Head of International Equities, Perennial Investment Partners believes the next president will have to focus on building up confidence amid SMEs in order to spur job creation.

Video from CNBC (4:26).

Obama & Romney Must Concentrate on SMEs

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.

Lenovo Expands ThinkServer Line with Low-Cost Rack Servers for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

Press release from Lenovo:

Lenovo Expands ThinkServer Line with Low-Cost Rack Servers for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

New Collaboration with Hitachi Data Systems for Lenovo EasyManage Server Monitoring Software Complements Growing Server Portfolio

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., August 28, 2012 - Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) today announced the expansion of its server portfolio with the new ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 rack servers. Designed to deliver workhorse performance for growing small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs), the new rack servers are supported by a comprehensive services portfoliodesigned for ThinkServer products, including warranty support upgradeable to four hour onsite 24x7 response¹ and the ability to deploy custom Windows imaging and BIOS settings at the Lenovo factory. Lenovo also announced that it has entered into an OEM agreement with Hitachi Data Systems to deliver ThinkServer EasyManage, a branded monitoring solution built from Hitachi IT Operations Analyzer monitoring software. Designed to simplify the most frequent management issues for IT administrators, EasyManage is now bundled with all ThinkServer rack and tower server models, including the new RD430 and RD330.

ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 – Value Priced Scalability and Efficiency

Lenovo’s ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 servers deliver high performance, improved power and cooling efficiency technologies, and easy serviceability with rapid response professional services. Based on the Intel^® Xeon^® E5-2400 processor family, which deliver up to a three times performance increase versus the Intel^® Xeon^® processor E3-1200 v2 product family², the new Lenovo two-socket servers are available in either 2U (RD430) or 1U (RD330) chassis configurations with tool-less rail kits for easy installation. Both servers feature up to 192GB of RAM deployable in 12 DIMM slots, and either 24TB or 8TB of hard disk storage capacity for the RD430 and RD330, respectively. Industry standard protocols and IPMI 2.0 compliant interfaces make it easy for customers to easily integrate the new servers within existing IT infrastructures.

Adding to their outstanding value, the RD430 and RD330 are energy efficient systems that achieve a 160 percent performance improvement in performance per watt compared to previous generation Lenovo servers. Lenovo’s Smart Grid technology provides power planning intelligence and scales Intel^® Node Manager to the rack level. With Smart Grid, IT administrators can set power cap policies so the servers can dynamically respond to changing workloads, which helps increase utilization while lowering energy consumption and operating costs. Further enhancing the power efficiency of the ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 is a new chassis design that improves cooling efficiency by up to 20 percent and reduces fan power as much as 20 percent.³

Synonymous with the Think brand, the ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 also deliver exceptional reliability and durability with features including a new anti-vibration alloy design in the hard drive tray to improve fault tolerance, resulting in a 40 percent lower risk of failure due to vibration and shock issues. In addition, built-in redundancy reduces 90 percent of server downtime due to single point system failure.

“These new ThinkServer rack servers are designed for growing small and mid-sized businesses who need a low priced yet highly scalable and efficient rack server to build their IT infrastructure,” said Lu Yan, senior vice president, Think Product Group, Lenovo. “In addition to the substantial increases in computing performance and energy efficiency, businesses with only one or two IT staff members will also appreciate the manageability features that simplify server deployment and operation. The mix of built-in capabilities with high performance, efficiency and reliability yields a package that pays dividends in return.”

Lenovo ThinkServer EasyManage – Best-in-Class Capability for Lenovo Server Administration

To maintain peak performance, the ThinkServer EasyManage server monitoring and management tool now comes standard with all new ThinkServer products—including the RD430 and RD330. Working with Hitachi Data Systems, an information technology and IT operations software leader, ThinkServer EasyManage leverages the proven capabilities of Hitachi IT Operations Analyzer to provide a holistic view into the status of up to 1000 Lenovo server nodes. Priority features of ThinkServer EasyManage include:

• Simplified Web-based interface that monitors the health of Lenovo ThinkServers and installed applications from a centralized dashboard, keeping administrators abreast of key performance indicators for server components including temperature, voltage, fan speed, CPU and memory utilization, and free disk space.
• Agentless architecture with easy, wizard-based installation, discovery and configuration eliminates performance impacts while helping IT administrators proactively manage critical system issues and respond to critical events in real-time.
• Change monitoring that uses server and device-level intelligence to monitor and record changes of the end-to-end infrastructure, helping to avoid service degradation or help prevent unscheduled downtime.
• Scheduled monitoring with user-defined alerting allows IT administrators to define two different threshold levels based on their specific needs, helping to prevent unnecessary alerts while ensuring notification before a problem actually happens.

“Both IT administrators and end users expect their server infrastructure to provide maximum efficiency, availability and performance, regardless of the constraints commonly found on IT resources,” said Frank Amato, director, Global Software, Hitachi Data Systems. “By utilizing the flexible functionality of the award-winning Hitachi IT Operations Analyzer as the foundation for ThinkServer EasyManage, Lenovo provides a proven monitoring solution that helps simplify IT operations, improve service levels, and boost efficiencies tied to IT management time, cost and effort.”

Pricing and Availability⁴

The ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 are available now at www.lenovo.com or through Lenovo business partners. Prices for models of the ThinkServer RD430 and RD330 start at $1,499 and $1,099, respectively. For additional information regarding Lenovo Services, please visitwww.lenovo.com/services.

For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter andFacebook.

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (PINK SHEETS: LNVGY) is a $US21 billion personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries, and the world’s second-largest PC vendor. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.

¹ Subject to availability. Warranty eligibility lookup available athttp://www.lenovo.com/services_warranty/ca/en/4-hour-activation.html

²According to Intel internal measurements on SPECjbb*2005 benchmark as of March 2012.

³ When compared to a normal thermal design.

⁴ Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice and is tied to specific terms and conditions. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

VMware Introduces Enhanced Offerings for Small and Midsize Businesses

VMware News Releases

VMware Introduces Enhanced Offerings for Small and Midsize Businesses

VMware vSphere® 5.1 Helps SMBs Simplify and Protect Their IT Environments with New Business Continuity and Management Capabilities

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 27, 2012 – At VMworld® 2012 today, VMware, Inc., (NYSE: VMW), the global leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure, unveiled new VMware vSphere® 5.1 solutions to help small and midsize businesses (SMBs) simplify and protect IT with industry-leading virtualization, business continuity and automated management.

Virtualization is now mainstream amongst SMBs, with companies increasingly focused on extending the benefits of virtualization to improve IT availability and backup / recovery. Recent studies by Spiceworks ¹  found that 77 percent of SMBs are either using or planning to use virtualization software by the second half of 2012, and that of those who have already virtualized, more than 75 percent have chosen VMware vSphere as their virtualization solution.

“The core demands on modern IT – keeping business up and running, balancing IT supply with IT demand, and being able to respond quickly to business needs – are the same regardless of the size of your business,” said Russ Stockdale, vice president and general manager, SMB Solutions, VMware. “The challenge SMBs face is to do it all with a small team of IT pros. VMware’s SMB solutions make enterprise-class business continuity and management accessible to smaller IT teams and single practitioners by reducing the complexity of deploying, operating and securing these systems.”  

VMware vSphere is the most trusted, most widely deployed virtualization platform in the world. Built on the industry’s most proven and reliable hypervisor architecture, VMware vSphere delivers application performance and availability for the most demanding business-critical applications. Announced today, VMware vSphere 5.1 will include more than 100 enhancements and new features that can increase efficiency, reduce IT operations costs by as much as 30 percent and guarantee application service levels. [Read the Press Release: VMware unveils industry’s most comprehensive Cloud Infrastructure & Management Solution].

“Our business demands 24/7 uptime – there is no room for compromise,” said Mark Haden, vice president, Engineering and IT, MLB Network. “VMware provides us with the software infrastructure we need to make it happen for both the broadcast and the back office sides of our business. When we were looking for a technology that is flexible, resilient and could provide the ability to work effectively even with a small team of IT pros, VMware was the best choice for us.”

VMware vSphere 5.1 Essentials Plus – Advanced virtualization in a simple package
With the release of VMware vSphere 5.1, VMware will significantly extend the capabilities of VMware vSphere Essentials Plus to include:

• VMware vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1 – Delivering High Availability at low cost.VMware vSphere 5.1 will include an updated VMware vSphere Storage Appliance for Essentials Plus, which transforms servers’ internal storage into a shared storage resource, enabling customers to use advanced VMware vSphere business continuity features such as VMware vMotion® and High Availabilitywithout shared storage hardware. Enhancements will make it easy for customers to extend these benefits to existing VMware vSphere and Remote Office/Branch Office (ROBO) environments and reduce infrastructure costs by running VMware vCenter™ Server in a VM within a VMware vSphere Storage Appliance cluster.  VMware vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1 will support RAID 5, 6, and 10 and also makes it easy for customers to add storage capacity online to keep pace with data growth.
• VMware vSphere Data Protection™ – Providing reliable virtual machine backup and recovery.  VMware vSphere 5.1 will include new backup and recovery capabilities which enable users to quickly set backup policies within VMware vSphere.  VMware vSphere Data Protection will leverage proven production expertise to reduce cost and management overhead by enabling agentless backups with built-in de-duplication.
• VMware vSphere Replication – Simplifying disaster recovery for all applications. Replication is a key component of any disaster recovery plan, and VMware vSphere 5.1 will include array-agnostic replication capabilities.  VMware vSphere Replicationwill allow customers to replicate virtual machine data over the LAN or WAN for efficient, simple disaster protection. For those customers that want to simplify and automate disaster recovery, VMware is introducing a new version of VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager™ that will include support for VMware vSphere 5.1 Essentials Plus.  VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5.1 will be supported by an expanding ecosystem of service providers offering “disaster recovery to the cloud” services that allow customers to failover to a service provider’s datacenter, eliminating the need for a dedicated disaster recovery site.
• VMware vShield Endpoint™ – Securing virtual machines. VMware vSphere 5.1 will include vShield Endpoint, which delivers proven endpoint security to any workload with an approach that is simplified, efficient and cloud-aware.  VMware vShield Endpointwill eliminate the need for antivirus agents inside virtual machines by enabling the offloading of antivirus and anti-malware functions to hardened, tamper-proof virtual machines delivered by VMware’s partners. 

Introducing VMware vSphere 5.1 Standard with Operations Management
To help simplify and automate IT management, VMware is introducing a new VMware vSphere edition which combines the industry’s leading virtualization platform with the capabilities organizations need to simplify IT management and lower operational costs. VMware vSphere Standard with Operations Management will include:

• VMware vCenter Operations Management Suite™ – automates performance and capacity management to help customers proactively ensure the performance of their business critical applications while optimizing efficiency.
• VMware vCenter Protect™ – provides centralized patch management and asset inventory management to protect virtual and legacy physical systems. 

New release of VMware Go™ Pro further simplifies deployment and management
VMware Go Pro is a cloud-based virtualization and IT management solution built specifically for SMBs.  VMware Go Pro will help customers virtualize from any Web browser with wizard-based installation guides. Customers can manage and monitor their virtual infrastructure from anywhere using a web based interface. Customers can also use VMware Go Pro to simplify and automate patch management for hundreds of third-party applications including those from Microsoft.

For a limited time, VMware will include VMware Go Pro free with VMware vSphere 5.1 Essentials and Essentials Plus purchases.

Expanding Virtualization Partner Community
With more than 55,000 technology partners, solution providers, distributors, service providers, systems integrators, and every major global hardware manufacturer, VMware features the broadest and most robust virtualization partner ecosystem in the industry. This growing network offers SMBs and ROBO customers a broad range of applications, networking, servers and storage devices that work with VMware solutions and are fully supported by each vendor. In addition, VMware vCloud partners are delivering SMB business continuity and disaster recovery solutions that directly leverage public cloud computing services.
Read what partners are saying about VMware vSphere 5.1 and the VMware vCloud Suite.

Pricing and Availability
VMware vSphere 5.1 and VMware vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1 are expected to be generally available on September 11, 2012. VMware vSphere pricing starts around $83 per processor with no core, vRAM or number of VM limits.  VMware vSphere Essentials is $495, and VMware vSphere Essentials Plus is $4,495.  All VMware vSphere Essentials Kits includes licensing for 6 CPUs on up to 3 hosts. 

VMware Go Pro is expected to be available directly to customers and through VMware’s network of channel partners in Q3 2012 with prices starting at $12 per managed system. For a limited time, VMware will include VMware Go Pro free with VMware vSphere 5.1 Essentials and Essentials Plus purchases.

VMware also offers several Acceleration Kits that provide midsize businesses with a scalable, full-featured virtualization platform that utilizes policy-based automation to help ensure application service levels and the option to add advanced management capabilities. Acceleration Kits start at $6,995, include licensing for 6 CPUs of VMware vSphere and one instance of VMware vCenter Server Standard, and one instance of VMware vSphere Storage Appliance. Go to VMware vCloud Suite Editions/Buy page.

VMware and Dell Journey to Your Cloud Makeover Contest
At VMworld 2012, VMware and Dell launched the “SMB Journey to Your Cloud Makeover Contest.” The contest provides an opportunity for SMBs who have virtualized a chance to win a $100,000 IT makeover from VMware and Dell. To be eligible, entrants submit a two-minute video, using an online video capture on the landing page, sharing how expanding their company’s use of virtualization will help them realize their cloud potential, and take their IT environment to the next level.

Those attending VMworld 2012 can film their entries at a booth in the VMworld Hang Space (Moscone North Hall). Additional details on how to enter the SMB Journey to Your Cloud Makeover Contest can be found atwww.VMwareCloudContest.com. Entries are being accepted online through October 31.

Additional Resources

• Go to VMware NOW
• Go to VMworld 2012 Press Kit
• Learn more about VMworld 2012
• Read more about how VMware vSphere 5.1 delivers new features for SMBs
• Read more about the new VMware vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1 for SMBs
• Read more about the new VMware Go Pro for SMBs
• Learn more about VMware vCloud Suite 5.1
• Learn more about the people, demographics and IT characteristics of today’s SMBs in this VMware SMB Infographic
• See how MLB Networkwas able to virtualize custom applications, creating more dynamic on air-experience for its viewers
• Learn moreabout VMware solutions for SMBs
• Read the VMware SMB Blog for more on solutions for small and mid-size businesses
• Follow the VMware SMB team on Twitter, Facebook and Spiceworks.

¹Data from Spiceworks MarketView, April 2012 and the Spiceworks “State of SMB IT” 1H 2012 survey.

About VMware
VMware is the leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. With 2011 revenues of $3.77 billion, VMware has more than 400,000 customers and 55,000 partners. The company is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the world and can be found online at www.vmware.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements including, among other things, statements regarding the potential benefits, planned features and expected availability of VMware vSphere 5.1, VMware vSphere Storage Appliance 5.1, VMware vSphere 5.1 Standard with Operations Management and VMware Go Pro and the expected benefits to customers. These forward-looking statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in consumer or information technology spending; (iii) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures, industry consolidation, entry of new competitors into the virtualization market, and new product and marketing initiatives by our competitors; (iv) our customers' ability to develop, and to transition to, new products and computing strategies such as cloud computing and desktop virtualization; (v) the uncertainty of customer acceptance of emerging technology; (vi) rapid technological and market changes in virtualization software and platforms for cloud and desktop computing; (vii) changes to product development timelines; (viii) VMware's ability to protect its proprietary technology; and (ix) VMware's ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees. These forward looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to uncertainties and changes in condition, significance, value and effect as well as other risks detailed in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that we may file from time to time, which could cause actual results to vary from expectations. VMware assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

# # #

German Small Businesses Reflect Country's Strength

The following is an excerpt from an article in 

The New York Times
Tuesday, August 14, 2012

German Small Businesses Reflect Country's Strength

By JACK EWING

FRANKFURT — A growing number of Germans may want to see the euro zone dissolve, but Dagmar Bollin-Flade, owner of a small machinery company here, is not among them. Like many German businesspeople, she is keenly aware of the economic benefits of a common currency — and willing to pay a price to keep the euro intact.

“All those who say, ‘We want to get out of the euro’ — they don’t remember how it was,” Ms. Bollin-Flade said.

Her company, Christian Bollin Armaturenfabrik, belongs to the country’s vast swath of small and medium-size companies that are known as the Mittelstand and account for 60 percent of German jobs. Most feel no nostalgia for the days when they and their customers had to keep an eye on the value of a dozen European currencies, a time when the German mark sometimes became so strong that it threatened to price them out of foreign markets.

Amid loose talk about letting Greece leave the euro, or even reintroducing the mark, German business leaders are often the ones reminding the public what the economic consequences might be. Markus Kerber, president of the Federation of German Industry, last week called for more European integration and criticized what he said was “persistent political indecisiveness and disunity” that has undermined trust in the euro.

More than most, the Mittelstand has benefited from the euro, which has made it easier for small companies to behave like multinationals. Bollin, with about 30 employees in a small factory, sells its specialty shut-off valves to customers in China and around Europe.

So far, companies like Bollin have endured the euro zone debt crisis remarkably well. Ms. Bollin-Flade said she has not seen any effect on sales. But she and her peers are concerned about the future. In a poll commissioned this year by the industry federation, the number of Mittelstand companies that expected business to improve in the next 12 months slumped, while the number expecting a turn for the worse soared.

Ms. Bollin-Flade, who was one of about 10 businesspeople invited to discuss Mittelstand issues with Chancellor Angela Merkel in her office last year, said she supported the German leader’s strategy of insisting that financial aid be granted to troubled euro zone countries only if they show more fiscal discipline and economic reforms.

“We should get something in return,” Ms. Bollin-Flade said.

For more, visit www.nytimes.com.

Best of Outright Weekly Round-Up: Personal Information Edition

March 30, 2012 by Jennifer Escalona Dunn

Should employers have access to their employees’ Facebook profiles? Plus, when’s the last time you went outside? Why it’s time to plan a little outdoor adventure plus much more in this week’s Round-Up!

Click the link below to view the Outright Weekly Round-Up:

http://outright.com/blog/best-of-outright-weekly-round-up-personal-information-edition/

Intuit Unveils Innovation on Main Street

Note to Visitors: We have moved!  For more current news and information, please visit our successor blogs: http://JBK-BizTech.blogspot.com and http://JBK-Current-Events.blogspot.com.  Thank you. 

Intuit Unveils Innovation on Main Street

Company Showcases Newly Announced Mobile and Cloud-based Services That Simplify the Business of Life

NEW YORK – Mar. 30, 2012 – Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU) brought innovation to life, spotlighting several newly announced products that reflect its commitment to make the business of life easier, and more efficient, while creating better financial outcomes for consumers and small businesses.

The products starred in a series of lifelike vignettes that included dozens of mobile and cloud-based offerings at the company’s Innovation Gallery Walk. The scenarios demonstrated the simplicity of paying taxes on a smartphone, helping small businesses get funded and creating health benefit plans for employees, among other tasks.

“Technology is fulfilling its promise to make life easier, and we have a real opportunity to make a difference,” said Brad Smith, Intuit’s president and chief executive officer. “Our innovation pipeline is flowing faster than ever as our employees continue to deliver on that promise and on Intuit’s mission to profoundly improve people’s financial lives.”

Intuit started small in 1983 with Quicken personal finance software, which sought to simplify a common household dilemma – balancing the family checkbook. Today, the company’s products touch more than 50 million financial lives with a robust product lineup of complexity-conquering solutions for small businesses, consumers, healthcare providers, financial institutions and overseas markets. 

Real Products, Real Surroundings

The vignettes included slice-of-life scenarios that displayed products in the settings where customers use them, including an apartment loft for consumer offerings; a park for on-the-go-businesses; a florist shop for established businesses; and an outdoor café for on-the-go consumers. In addition, vignettes spanned continents to show Intuit offerings in the United Kingdom and India.

Building Blocks for Budding Businesses

The small business vignettes featured products that take entrepreneurs creating new-to-the-world businesses from idea to up-and-running and on-the-go, including:

• Intuit Loan Finder, guiding entrepreneurs on a path to “yes” when seeking short-term cash or long-term financing. It carries an approval rate of 70 percent, twice the national average.
• Intuit Health Debit Card, an affordable way for small businesses to give employees health coverage without complicated health plans and deductibles. It lets employers set aside pretax dollars in a Health Reimbursement Account debit card that employees can use to cover costs such as doctor’s visits and prescriptions.
• Intuit Tax Online Mobile, the first commercial mobile app from Intuit’s Accounting Professionals Division, gives accounting professionals anytime, anywhere access to client’s tax information. This shortens the process of answering clients’ questions and checking an e-file status from one day to 30 seconds.
• Intuit PaymentNetwork, which helps small businesses receive payments simply and affordably online. This can shorten the time small businesses wait to get paid, currently estimated at 48 days.
• Intuit Partner Platform, which expands the power of QuickBooks through third-party applications. The platform unveiled Intuit Anywhere, a way for developers to reach millions of small business customers and build QuickBooks data integration directly into their Web and mobile apps.
  
  
  
   

Smart Financial Choices Within Arm?s Reach

The consumer lineup showcased products that help people manage finances everywhere, from the comfort of home to the local park or café, including:

• Mobile Banking with Purchase Rewards, which helps consumers bank, shop and save while on the go. Online and mobile banking customers save money through discounts offered by merchants they already know, without having to deal with the hassle of coupons.
• MicroMint on WIMM, a concept product that allows people to check their account balances on a wristwatch-sized micro-Android device.
  
  
   

Managing and Organizing Health and Wealth

In addition, other featured products help people to simply manage the day-to-day necessities of life, including:

• Intuit Health Patient Portal, which ensures the doctor is always “in” by improving doctor-patient interactions through an online, and now mobile, service. Patients can do everything at their convenience, from making appointments to refilling prescriptions with just a few clicks, eliminating phone tag and making doctor’s offices more efficient.
• Weave, a mobile app that organizes everything from daily activities to expenses and income on a mobile phone.

By harnessing the power of big data for the little guy, Intuit has developed new analytical products and services geared toward consumers and small businesses alike. This information helps answer critical questions of how their spending patterns, expenses and revenue compares to others like them, and includes:

• Mint Consumer Spending Insights, which aggregates anonymous data from Mint users on consumers’ spending patterns and will be the foundation for a formal consumer spending index in the future.
• Intuit Small Business Revenue Index, which provides an early look at one of the first indicators of aggregated and anonymous information on current monthly small business revenue overall and by industry. It will complement the monthly Intuit Small Business Employment Index by providing a more complete picture of the health of U.S. small businesses.
   

Exporting Innovation, Strengthening Business

As part of Intuit’s strategy to expand its geographic footprint and tap into new markets, vignettes also displayed products available in the United Kingdom and India, including:

• MyBizTracker, a mobile app that makes it easier for U.K. small businesses to keep their finances in check while on-the-go. Among other features, it helps businesses keep track of and see a running total of income, expenses and balances, capture and store photo records of invoices, bills and receipts, and helps to avoid penalties with tax deadline reminders.
• Fasal, which uses text messaging to create an information marketplace and help farmers get the best prices for their produce. On average, farmers receive up to 20 percent more money at market.

Further information about all Intuit products is available at www.intuit.com.

About Intuit Inc.

Intuit Inc. is a leading provider of business and financial management solutions for small and mid-sized businesses; financial institutions, including banks and credit unions; consumers and accounting professionals. Its flagship products and services, including QuickBooks®, Quicken® and TurboTax®, simplify small business management and payroll processing, personal finance, and tax preparation and filing. ProSeries® and Lacerte® are Intuit's leading tax preparation offerings for professional accountants. Intuit Financial Services helps banks and credit unions grow by providing on-demand solutions and services that make it easier for consumers and businesses to manage their money.

Founded in 1983, Intuit had annual revenue of $3.9 billion in its fiscal year 2011. The company has approximately 8,000 employees with major offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, India and other locations. More information can be found at www.intuit.com.

Knock-off or Real? Counterfeit Software Alert

The Anti-Piracy team at Microsoft launched a global campaign this week to inform small businesses about the risk of counterfeit software creeping into their business when acquiring or downloading software from the Internet. Most business buyers know to avoid questionable street-corner vendors when purchasing software for their business, yet they may not think twice about ordering software from an unfamiliar but professional looking website that offers steep discounts.

For more, click the link below:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_blog/archive/2012/03/28/knock-off-or-real-counterfeit-software-alert.aspx

Signs of Life

On CNBC, Larry Mocha, Air Power Systems Co. and Marc Schuper, Schuper & Sons, offer perspectives on the pulse of small business right now.  In particular, Mr. Mocha states that the economy is getting better, especially in Oklahoma.  "Oklahoma needs workers!" he says.  Oklahoma needs people who can work with their hands.  Oklahoma needs people who can do things.

To see the video, click the link below:

http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000081094

"Welcome In" to American Express' Newest Brand Campaign Entitled, "The Membership Effect"

Note to visitors: We have moved!  For current news and information, please visit our successor blogs: http://JBK-BizTech.blogspot.com and http://JBK-Current-Events.blogspot.com.  Thank you."Welcome In" to American Express' Newest Brand Campaign Entitled, "The Membership Effect"Television Spots Featuring Actor/Comedian Aziz Ansari, Restaurateur Thomas Keller and Small Business Saturday Highlight Unique Benefits and Value American Express Provides Consumers and Merchants

Broadcast and Cable Presence for Ads Across Two Dozen Networks

NEW YORK,  March 28, 2012 -- 

American Express announced the launch of its latest television and digital brand campaign entitled, "The Membership Effect," which chronicles the power of the unique benefits and innovations available to the millions of American Express Cardmembers and merchant partners connecting globally every day.

The campaign is the centerpiece of a broader effort that American Express is taking to educate its customers about the potential that American Express offers to connect people to possibilities through the power of its network, or "The Membership Effect." The American Express network connects millions of consumers, merchants and businesses around the globe in a payments and commerce ecosystem that creates value for all its participants. American Express is built on relationships, insights gleaned from data, and the ability to use these assets to enhance lives and build business success for its customers.

The campaign aims to showcase how American Express delivers benefits, rewards, savings and experiences for customers and services and relationships that help its merchant partners succeed through television spots featuring actor/comedian Aziz Ansari, chef/restaurateur Thomas Keller and the Company's Small Business Saturday initiative.

The campaign also introduces a new tagline for American Express, "Welcome In," to highlight that membership in a networked world is inclusive, ambitious and emphasizes the advantages that come from belonging to the American Express community, called out as "the power of all of us."

The campaign kicked off on March 15 and has aired during primetime lineups on CBS, NBC and Fox and will include such network hits as American Idol, Glee, CSI, Big Bang Theory, Saturday Night Live, Touch, Smash and The Voice. Thirty-second and sixty-second versions of the Keller and Small Business Saturday executions will air across more than two dozen broadcast and cable networks including AMC, ESPN, TBS and Comedy Central throughout the spring. The digital campaign includes a heavy presence across Facebook, Twitter and Apple's iAd mobile platform.

Two new executions featuring Ansari begin airing today.

"Through the unique American Express ecosystem of buyers and sellers, we have the ability to offer our Cardmembers and merchant partners additional value and service. Nowhere is that more evident than with our collaborations with Facebook, foursquare and, most recently, Twitter -- which allow us to connect and facilitate both experiences and commerce between Cardmembers and merchants," said John Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer, American Express. "The Membership Effect captures that idea, of how American Express is creating powerful connections and shared value between the members of the American Express community of consumers, merchants and small business owners."

Several American Express programs that capitalize on the power and potential of "The Membership Effect" are highlighted in the advertising campaign, including:

Creating Rich Experiences for Cardmembers
American Express partnered with Aziz Ansari to develop three humorous spots showing how he is able to take advantage of exclusive offers for American Express Cardmembers by "syncing" his Card to Facebook, Twitter and foursquare. A :60 spot takes Ansari on a journey with the help of his American Express Card following his quest to win the heart of a young woman, and two :30 versions show Ansari feeding his love of kayaking and the tuba. The ads illustrate how American Express uses social media platforms to add value to Cardmembers by allowing seamless redemption of merchant offers without the need for coupons or special codes.

Delivering Value to Businesses
The spots featuring Thomas Keller share how "The Membership Effect" benefits him as a small business owner and American Express merchant partner. Throughout the spot, Keller shares how American Express harnesses the power of its network of buyers and sellers to grow his business and provides insights and tools that help him expand his customer base and support the local economy in Yountville, California, home to his first restaurant The French Laundry, and beyond.

Consumers and Communities Connecting to Support Small Business
American Express' successful Small Business Saturday initiative – which drives millions of consumers to small businesses around the country – is profiled in multiple television spots to highlight the role that American Express, consumers and merchants play to support an important economic engine: small business.

For more information on "The Membership Effect," visit americanexpress.com/me. All of the spots can be viewed online at youtube.com/americanexpress.

About American Express
American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at americanexpress.com and connect with us on facebook.com/americanexpress,twitter.com/americanexpress and youtube.com/americanexpress.