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Press release:

ACI Worldwide Issues Call for Entries for 4th Annual ACI Excellence Awards

Monday, September 17, 2012

NAPLES, FLA—September 17, 2012— ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading international provider of payment systems has issued a call for entries for the company’s 4th annual excellence awards. The ACI Excellence Awards™, which recognize ACI customers for new, innovative, or transformative implementations of ACI products, are open to all current ACI customers, regardless of size, location, business type or product deployed. There is no entry fee.

An ACI customer will be recognized for showing innovation in the use of ACI solutions to fill a need specific to a particular market or market segment.  The categories are:
• Meeting market needs
• Operational Excellence: Global Bank
• Operational Excellence: Regional Bank
• Mobile Banking and Payments
• Community Banking
• Customer Experience
• Payments Transformation
• Fraud
• Other
Interested parties can find more information, including submission guidelines, at www.aciworldwide.com/awards.  Submissions can be completed online and are due by October 26, 2012.  Winners will be announced in December 2012.

MICROS TO PRESENT AT THE RAYMOND JAMES 8TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN INVESTORS NORTH AMERICAN EQUITIES CONFERENCE

Press release:

MICROS TO PRESENT AT THE RAYMOND JAMES 8TH ANNUAL EUROPEAN INVESTORS NORTH AMERICAN EQUITIES CONFERENCE

Columbia, Maryland... MICROS Systems, Inc.  (Nasdaq:MCRS), a leading supplier of information systems to the hospitality and retail industries, today announced that its Executive Vice President of Investor Relations, Peter J. Rogers, Jr., will present at the Raymond James 8th Annual European  Investors North American Equities Conference being held in London on September 11, 2012.

Mr. Rogers will present at the conference from 10:15 GMT to 10:50 GMT, 5:15 AM to 5:50 AM U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, on Tuesday, September 11, 2012.  MICROS’s investors and other interested parties who are not attending the respective conferences are invited to listen to the presentation via the webcast at the following webcast link:http://wsw.com/webcast/rj78/mcrs/.

The presentation will be archived for a period of 30 days after the presentation.
 
About MICROS Systems, Inc.
MICROS Systems, Inc. provides enterprise applications for the hospitality and retail industries worldwide. Over 330,000 MICROS systems are currently installed in table and quick service restaurants, hotels, motels, casinos, leisure and entertainment, and retail operations in more than 180 countries, and on all seven continents. In addition, MICROS provides property management systems, central reservation and customer information solutions under the brand MICROS-Fidelio for more than 29,000 hotels worldwide, as well as point-of-sale, loss prevention, and cross-channel functionality through its MICROS-Retail division for more than 100,000 retail stores worldwide.

MICROS stock is traded through NASDAQ under the symbol MCRS.

PRESS RELEASE

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

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

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

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

Highlights:

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

Supporting Quotes:

Dragica Pilipovic Chaffey, CEO, Serbia Broadband, commented:

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

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

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

Supporting Resources:

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

Tags/Keywords:

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

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

About SBB-Telemach Group

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

About Cisco

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

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Latest Release of Synopsys IC Validator Delivers Faster Manufacturing Compliance For 20nm and Below

Press release:

Latest Release of Synopsys IC Validator Delivers Faster Manufacturing Compliance For 20nm and Below

Advances Include Faster Runtime, ECO Flows and New Process Modeling Technology

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Highlights:

• Qualified by leading foundries for 20 nanometers (nm)
• Successful in numerous tapeouts targeted for 20nm
• Introduces new double patterning (DPT) decomposition checking and pattern matching technologies for optimal compliance with foundry manufacturing requirements 
• Enables reduced verification turnaround time with demonstrated scalability to 64 cores and beyond
• Expands In-Design technology for automatic DRC/DPT repair and 2X faster ECOs

Synopsys, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNPS), a world leader in software and IP used in the design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, today announced the release of IC Validator 2012.06, Synopsys' physical verification platform for advanced process nodes. With immediate availability of qualified rule decks by leading foundries, IC Validator 2012.06 offers new technologies that enable physical signoff verification at advanced process nodes. IC Validator 2012.06 continues to build on Synopsys' approach of speeding design closure through In-Design physical verification with Synopsys' IC Compiler^™ place and route solution, enabling place-and-route engineers to eliminate late stage surprises and manual repairs. New additions to the In-Design flow, targeted for 20nm and below, include DPT and pattern matching technology. This latest release of IC Validator also offers a significant performance boost for verifying large and complex 20-nm designs. By maximizing the utilization of mainstream computing hardware through innovative techniques, IC Validator can enable engineers to parallelize design rule checks (DRCs) on 64 processing cores and beyond, thereby significantly reducing verification turnaround time for these advanced process nodes.
"To address the complexities of 20nm process, we are actively expanding the use of In-Design Physical verification with IC Compiler and IC Validator for our new designs," said Kyu-Myung Choi, senior vice president of Infrastructure Design Center, Samsung Electronics.
Enabling Physical Verification at 20nm and BelowTo address the stringent manufacturing requirements of 20-nm design, IC Validator 2012.06 introduces several new advances in process modeling technology:

• Double Patterning: The limitations of current lithographic technology require layout to be split into two masks of alternating structures. IC Validator features a fast and accurate, native decomposition ("coloring") engine. IC Validator can perform decomposition checks during design and can also drive automatic fixing of violations with IC Compiler via the In-Design technology. IC Validator can also perform the final signoff quality check alongside the final design rule check.
• Pattern Matching: Occasionally layout patterns can generate lithography hotspots, leading to accidental open or short connections. IC Validator's patented pattern-matching technology augments DRC with intuitive 2D multi-shape pattern analysis for ultra-fast detection of manufacturing hotspots. It can also drive automatic fixing of these hotspots with IC Compiler. Leading manufacturers will thus be able to achieve better process margins and higher yields for the 20-nm process node.

Improving Design Turnaround TimeIC Validator is being broadly used by design teams for In-Design physical verification with IC Compiler. This release complements IC Compiler 2012.06, allowing users to benefit from 2X faster ECO and automatic design repair (ADR) flows. New additions to In-Design technology also make it possible for designers to perform layout enhancement for yield natively within IC Compiler, streamlining the design flow and eliminating wasteful iterations.
In addition to being used for In-Design verification, IC Validator is also fully qualified for physical signoff at leading foundries across a broad range of process technologies. IC Validator 2012.06 deploys a range of distributed multiprocessing techniques to achieve optimal utilization of available hardware. These technologies, including multi-threading, on-demand load balancing and memory-aware scheduling, have demonstrated scalability to 64 cores and beyond. With this release, customers designing at advanced process nodes can now benefit from a significant productivity boost and faster turnaround times.
"IC Validator 2012.06 is the most noteworthy release for our physical verification product line to date," said Antun Domic, senior vice president and general manager of Synopsys' implementation group. "Beyond enabling verification of the highly complex 20-nanometer process technology node at Samsung and other leading foundries with a multitude of new technologies, we have added significant improvements in runtime, scalability and In-Design productivity that will benefit our entire customer base."
About SynopsysSynopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP) and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys' comprehensive, integrated portfolio of implementation, verification, IP, manufacturing and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) solutions helps address the key challenges designers and manufacturers face today, such as power and yield management, system-to-silicon verification and time-to-results. These technology-leading solutions help give Synopsys customers a competitive edge in bringing the best products to market quickly while reducing costs and schedule risk. Synopsys is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys online at http://www.synopsys.com.

Northrop Grumman Highlights International Capabilities in Unmanned Aircraft Systems at ILA Berlin Air Show 2012

Press release:

News Releases

Northrop Grumman Highlights International Capabilities in Unmanned Aircraft Systems at ILA Berlin Air Show 2012

BERLIN – Sept. 5, 2012 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is participating in the ILA Berlin Air Show, where it will highlight its industry-leading intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities with the EURO HAWK® and NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) platforms, both of which are international derivatives of the RQ-4 Global Hawk high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The company's aircraft navigation and stabilisation sensor technology will also be featured. The air show will take place Sept. 11-16 at the Berlin ExpoCentre Airport directly adjacent to BER Berlin Brandenburg International, the capital's future airport. More than 1,100 exhibitors from 40 countries are expected to attend. The Northrop Grumman pavilion No. 645 and exhibit area are at the west end of the exhibition site. A full-scale model, configured in EURO HAWK® and NATO AGS livery on alternate days, will be on display in front of the company's pavilion. "Northrop Grumman's unrivalled experience in advanced UAS, delivering more than 100,000 unmanned systems to military customers in the U.S. and around the world for nearly 70 years, gives us a strong foundation to produce some of the most capable and reliable unmanned surveillance systems anywhere," said Janis Pamiljans, sector vice president and general manager for Northrop Grumman's unmanned systems business. "The German Air Force's EURO HAWK® and NATO's AGS systems mark important milestones for us – they are the first international versions of the RQ-4 Global Hawk and the first HALE UASs to be used in Europe. We look forward to building on the success of this trans-Atlantic industrial cooperation and the strong partnerships that we have developed through both of these programmes." EURO HAWK® is the first HALE signals intelligence (SIGINT) UAS based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk produced by Northrop Grumman for the German Bundeswehr. It made its first flight to Germany, touching down in Manching in July 2011, and is ready for SIGINT payload flight testing. The EURO HAWK® carries a new SIGINT mission system developed by EADS Deutschland GmbH, operating through Cassidian, the defence and security division of EADS, and integrated in Manching. With a wingspan larger than most commercial airliners, endurance of 30 hours and a maximum altitude of more than 60,000 feet, EURO HAWK® is an interoperable, modular and cost-effective replacement for the fleet of manned Breguet Atlantic aircraft, which had been in service since 1972 and was retired in 2010. Northrop Grumman is also the prime contractor for the NATO AGS system and will provide and initially maintain five Block 40 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft equipped with an advanced ground surveillance radar sensor – the Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Programme (MP-RTIP), which is capable of detecting and tracking moving objects as well as providing radar imagery of target locations and stationary objects. Demonstrating its commitment to trans-Atlantic cooperation, Northrop Grumman leads an industry team of European defence companies representing all 13 participating NATO nations to develop and produce an airborne ground surveillance core capability, which is missionized to NATO requirements and leverages national investments already made for the benefit of the entire alliance. The ground element of the programme will be wholly produced by European industry, offering the potential for national reuse in other programmes. The NATO-owned and -operated AGS system is intended to support a broad range of missions, including protecting ground forces, border and maritime security, counter- and anti-terrorism, crisis management, peacekeeping and enforcement, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Northrop Grumman signed the $1.7 billion (€1.2 billion) contract for the NATO AGS system at the NATO summit in Chicago in May this year. The company's German subsidiary, Northrop Grumman LITEF, will also be represented at the air show. On display in the Northrop Grumman pavilion will be sensors for weapon stabilisation, inertial guidance systems for missiles and Attitude Heading Reference System navigation systems for commercial fixed and rotary wing aircraft based on fibre optic and micro electro mechanical systems technology. Northrop Grumman LITEF systems are in service on aircraft platforms in the U.S., Europe and Asia and are fitted to the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Tornado as well as the Meteor, Taurus and IRIS-T missiles. For more information regarding Northrop Grumman products and scheduled press briefings at the ILA Berlin Air Show, visit www.northropgrumman.com/ila_berlin. Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.

Press release:

IBM Opens Smarter Data Center in Mexico to Support Clients' Growth and Transformation

- Unique security and monitoring systems, 3D real-time tools and predictive analytics to provide consistent and accurate data to assure clients' business continuity
- New facility will benefit from tools and processes of more than 400 IBM data centers worldwide

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GUADALAJARA, Mexico - 05 Sep 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today the opening of its Smarter Data Center, located at the IBM Technology Campus in Guadalajara city, Mexico. This first-of-its-kind site in the country will support the business transformation of enterprise and government clients and help them improve operations in today's global economic environment.

The IBM Smarter Data Center will provide clients with unique 3D tools for IT infrastructure planning and modeling accuracy as well as real-time virtual access to tools that enable them to monitor their system performance for more informed and timely decision making. In addition, predictive analytics capabilities will help clients prevent and anticipate critical events from impacting systems performance. By using intelligent data analytics, clients will be able to maximize operational performance and decision making as well reduce costs with system energy efficiencies. The Smarter Data Center will be connected to IBM's IT Outsourcing Services Command Center in Mexico City, opened in June 2012, enhancing overall capabilities in Mexico.

The approximately $30 million investment strengthens IBM's commitment to Mexico's development and growth. IBM has been operating in Mexico for 85 years. The new facility is part of the $70 million that IBM is investing in Mexico in 2012 toward high value technology initiatives such as new infrastructure for service delivery, manufacturing projects and the expansion of its operation and footprint in new cities to support clients' business growth requirements.

The IBM Smarter Data Center will become part of IBM's global network of more than 400 data centers providing clients with access to IT tools and resources, knowledge transfer, best practices and global standards.  It will also provide a broad IT services portfolio, including the ability to outsource part or all of the IT environment in an "on demand" approach; information hosting and business application virtualization services; scalable Cloud Computing projects; business continuity and disaster recovery services; and full IT outsourcing. These services will fill existing needs for greater flexibility to respond to future changes in business requirements and operational performance, regardless of the client's volume levels.

"Supported by long term experience in data centers, we are proud to be able to offer to Mexican companies new opportunities to innovate and achieve greater competitive advantage. We aim to support Mexico's and our clients' development and capabilities, seeking to provide high transformational value and contribute to our Smarter Planet agenda," said Hugo Santana, President and General Manager of IBM Mexico.

The new center will occupy ​​600 square meters of initial space with the ability to grow to four times its current size. In addition, the IBM Smarter Data Center will employ electromechanical capabilities to better manage client assets and facilities and make full use of the availability and security of redundant components that minimize all potential critical failure points. In that way, IBM can help protect client data and IT infrastructure.

About IBM
For more information, please visit: www.ibm.com.mx

GA-ASI Introduces System-wide Enhancements for Predator B/MQ-9

Press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sep 05, 2012

GA-ASI Introduces System-wide Enhancements for Predator B/MQ-9

New MQ-9 Block 1-plus Aircraft Completes Successful First Flight

SAN DIEGO – 5 September 2012 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), tactical reconnaissance radars, and electro-optic surveillance systems, today announced the successful first flight of the Block 1-plus Predator® B/MQ-9 Reaper, an upgrade to the original Block 1 Predator B that has been in production since 2003. The MQ-9 Block 1-plus test flight occurred on May 24 at the company’s Gray Butte Flight Operations Facility in Palmdale, Calif., with no discrepancies.

“We continue to enhance the capabilities of our aircraft, improving their performance to meet emerging customer requirements,” said Frank Pace, president, Aircraft Systems Group, GA-ASI. “The first flight of the MQ-9 Block 1-plus follows in the footsteps of the aircraft’s combat-proven Block 1 configuration and is an important technological achievement that will provide increased effectiveness, increased multi-mission flexibility, and even greater reliability.” 

The MQ-9 Block 1-plus is a capability enhancement over the Block 1 configuration, which has amassed more than 420,000 flight hours across all customers. Block 1-plus was designed for increased electrical power, secure communications, auto land, increased Gross Takeoff Weight (GTOW), weapons growth, and streamlined payload integration capabilities.

With the completion of development, testing, and expected Milestone C decision this fall, follow-on aircraft to the MQ-9 Block 1-plus configuration will be designated “MQ-9 Block 5.”

Featuring a new high-capacity starter generator, the aircraft offers an increase in electrical power capacity over the current Block 1 design. This increased power provides the aircraft with significant capacity for growth. In addition, the upgraded electrical system includes a backup generator which is sufficient to support all flight critical functions. This vastly improves the reliability of the electrical power system by providing three independent power sources.

Numerous new communications capabilities also will be available in the Block 5, including dual ARC-210 VHF/UHF radios with wingtip antennas, allowing for simultaneous communications between multiple air-to-air and air-to-ground parties; secure data links; and an increased data transmission capacity. 

Additionally, the new trailing arm main landing gear will be included in Block 5, enabling the aircraft to carry heavier payloads or additional fuel.

Predator B is currently operational with the U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force as MQ-9 Reaper and the Italian Air Force as MQ-9, with NASA as Ikhana, and with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as Predator B/Guardian. The aircraft is designed to perform multi-mission ISR and “Hunter-Killer” missions over land or sea, with more than 130 vehicles delivered to date.

High-resolution photos of the first flight of the MQ-9 Block 1-plus are available upon request to qualified media outlets from the GA-ASI media contact listed above.

About GA-ASI

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc., an affiliate of General Atomics, delivers situational awareness by providing remotely piloted aircraft, radar, and electro-optic solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide. The company’s Aircraft Systems Group is a leading designer and manufacturer of proven, reliable remotely piloted aircraft systems, including Predator A, Predator B, Gray Eagle®, and the new Predator C Avenger®. It also manufactures a variety of solid-state digital Ground Control Stations (GCS), including the next-generation Advanced Cockpit GCS, and provides pilot training and support services for RPA field operations. The Reconnaissance Systems Group designs, manufactures, and integrates the Lynx® Multi-mode Radar and sophisticated Claw® sensor control and image analysis software into both manned and unmanned aircraft. It also develops and integrates other sensor and communication equipment into manned ISR aircraft and develops emerging technologies in solid-state lasers, electro-optic sensors, and ultra-wideband data links for government applications. For more information, please visitwww.ga-asi.com.

Predator, Gray Eagle, Avenger, Lynx, and Claw are registered trademarks of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

SAP Ranked Revenue Leader in Warehouse Management Systems Software by ARC Advisory Group

Press release:

SAP Ranked Revenue Leader in Warehouse Management Systems Software by ARC Advisory Group

SAP NEWSBYTE - September 04, 2012 | SAP -

Consolidating a solid leadership role in the supply chain execution software market, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) has been named the largest provider in the software segment of ARC Advisory Group's "Warehouse Management Systems: Worldwide Outlook 2011-2016."

This report includes warehouse management systems (WMS) market share estimates and projections for 2011 to 2016 for the overall, software, services, maintenance and software-as-a-service (SaaS) categories broken by geography, industry and customer segment. The SAP® Extended Warehouse Management (SAP EWM) application was launched in 2006. Since then, its market share has experienced tremendous growth, showing an 810 percent increase from 2009 to 2011.

Additionally, SAP achieved leadership in overall market share in Latin America and Asia, the regions ARC has predicted will grow the fastest in the next five years.

"SAP's breadth of language support along with global sales, support and implementation resources allows EWM to successfully serve markets where competitors are weaker," according to the report. "SAP EWM has gained strong traction in the marketplace due to robust functionality, interoperability with the suite of SAP solutions and the large existing SAP installed base of potential customers."

A comprehensive warehouse management solution, SAP EWM enables companies to improve the efficiency of their warehousing, optimize their workflows and ultimately strengthen their position in the market. SAP EWM gives managers maximum transparency of their stock and processes. The company's leadership in both the transportation management systems and warehouse management systems markets is the result of a customer-focused strategy to provide a modern, flexible supply chain execution platform. Supply chain execution solutions from SAP — including SAP EWM as well as the SAP Transportation Management, SAP Event Management and SAP Global Trade Services applications — are designed to enable efficient end-to-end logistic and fulfillment processes that provide lower logistics costs and improved customer satisfaction levels.

Press release:

AXTEL Turns to IBM for Smarter Computing Overhaul

Communications provider builds new IT infrastructure with IBM Power Systems, XIV storage systems, for greater virtualization, efficiency, and scalability

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Armonk, N.Y. - 27 Aug 2012:

IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced that AXTEL, a leading telecommunications service provider in Mexico, has turned to IBM for a complete overhaul of its IT infrastructure to support the company’s vigorous expansion into new markets and an ever-growing customer base.

AXTEL, which provides communications services to more than one million customers in 39 cities across the country, has been growing rapidly since it was founded in 1994. As the company has grown so too has its business challenges. In addition to having to support more customers in more markets with additional services, AXTEL needed to improve its customer relationship capabilities to enable cross- and up-selling more effectively.

To solve this multidimensional problem, AXTEL selected IBM to re-architect its infrastructure of servers and storage devices with IBM Power Systems and IBM advanced storage systems. In addition to improving overall system performance and efficiency, and lowering costs, AXTEL was looking for seamless integration with the company’s SAP installation.

“We have had SAP successfully in place for several years now,” said Gaspar Rivera del Valle, IT Evolution Director at AXTEL. “The move to an all-IBM infrastructure created a synergy with our SAP platform that allowed us to achieve our business goals.”

Working with IBM and IBM Business Partner, Genesys, AXTEL deployed IBM Power Systems built with IBM BladeCenter servers. For the storage overhaul, the company deployed IBM System Storage DS8300 and IBM XIV Storage Systems, virtualized using IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller.

Moving to the combined IBM server and storage infrastructure has already improved AXTEL’s application performance by 60 percent, enhanced its system availability, and significantly improved the overall level of service to the business, Rivera del Valle said. Backed by a reliable, high-performance platform for business applications, AXTEL can serve the company's growing customer base more effectively and at a lower cost.

“AXTEL understands that the right technologies, applied strategically, can help organizations achieve real business goals,” said Natalia de Greiff, IBM Mexico & LCR STG Executive. “This philosophy is the basis of our Smarter Computing approach to IT.”

About AXTEL

AXTEL is a leading Mexican telecommunications company and one of the largest operators of virtual private networks in the country. AXTEL provides integrated telecommunications services to all sectors, from residential and small and medium businesses to large enterprises and government entities. AXTEL’s telecommunications infrastructure consists of a world class network that integrates different access technologies such as point-to-point, point-to-multipoint and fiber optic, to deliver a broad portfolio of services tailored to the needs of its customers, their size and line of business. AXTEL has been recognized as a Socially Responsible Company by the CEMEFI for the past five consecutive years and has adhered to the United Nations World Pact since 2011. For more information about AXTEL, please visithttp://www.axtel.com.mx.

About IBMFor more information on IBM, please visit www.ibm.com/storage and www.ibm.com/power and follow us on twitter @ibmstorage and @ibmpowersystems.

Press release:

ACI Worldwide Achieves SWIFTReady Accreditation for Fifteenth Consecutive Year

ACI Money Transfer System™ Recognized For Commitment to SWIFT Standards and Practices

Monday, August 20, 2012

NAPLES, FLA –August 20, 2012—ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW), a leading international provider of payments systems, announced today that ACI Money Transfer System™ has received the SWIFTReady accreditation for payments for the fifteenth consecutive year. In addition, ACI Global Trade Manager™, formerly known as Open Account Manager™ achieved the SWIFTReady Supply Chain Finance accreditation for the fifth year in a row demonstrating ACI’s commitment to SWIFT’s standards and solutions.

The receipt of the SWIFTReady accreditation for payments recognizes that ACI’s Money Transfer System satisfies SWIFT’s highest requirements for the initiation, generation, processing and settlement of payments. The SWIFTReady Supply Chain Finance label, received by ACI Global Trade Manager, is granted to trade finance applications which support the Trade Services Utility (TSU) messages and workflows.  Global Trade Manager is designed and built according to TSU standards and is fully compliant with TSU Release and the Bank Payment Obligation or BPO.

“The SWIFT certification demonstrates that an organization meets a level of expertise and excellence,” said Anyal Hozee, Product / Market Manager SWIFT. “We strive to offer a potential customer an impartial evaluation which helps to assure them an independent arbiter has certified the solution meets our standards of quality.  I congratulate ACI for maintaining a high level of quality and excellence for the past 15 years.”

ACI’s Money Transfer System is a multibank and multicurrency global payments and financial messaging engine, which provides continuous processing capabilities directly to SWIFTNet services, as well as multiple real time gross settlement (RTGS) and support for low value networks across the globe.  The system is a single, integrated solution for domestic and international payments processing, which also fully supports processing for transactions under the SEPA Credit Transfer and Direct Debit schemes.

ACI Global Trade Manager is a comprehensive trade finance solution that offers open account transaction processing and supply chain financing services, including online purchase order (PO) issuance, automatic generation of invoices and document matching. It enables financial institutions to align with both their customers and the strategic partners of their customers, to integrate services across the trade value chain. This integration creates closer relationships and increases business opportunities with all aspects of the open account trade process.

“ACI has risen to the top of the wholesale banking field by offering innovative products which meet the needs of our customers and also adhere to the highest industry standards,” said Jonathan Eber, Director & Product Line Manager, Wholesale Payment Engines.  “By achieving the SWIFTReady accreditation for the fifteenth consecutive year with Money Transfer System, ACI continues to demonstrate its commitment to be the premiere payments and financial messaging solution on the market.”

Press release:

IBM Plans to Acquire Texas Memory Systems

Company’s high-speed memory solutions to boost IBM’s Smarter Computing approach to IT

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Armonk, N.Y. - 16 Aug 2012: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Texas Memory Systems (TMS), a leading developer of high-performance flash memory solutions. TMS is a privately held company based in Houston, Texas. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 1978, TMS designs and sells high-performance solid state storage solutions. Unlike hard disk drives that rely on spinning disks and robotic arms, solid state systems are high-speed data storage solutions based on Flash or RAM memory that can provide significantly faster throughput and data access while consuming less power.

TMS offers its solid state solutions as the RamSan family of shared rackmount systems and Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) cards. The products are designed to help companies improve performance and reduce server sprawl, power consumption, cooling, and floor space requirements, all of which in turn can help clients save money, improve performance and invest more in innovation.

“The TMS strategy and solution set align well with our Smarter Computing approach to information technology by helping clients realize increased performance and efficiencies at lower costs,” said Brian Truskowski, general manager, Systems Storage and Networking, IBM. “Solid state technology, in particular, is a critical component of our new Smarter Storage approach to the design and deployment of storage infrastructures, and part of a holistic approach that exploits flash in conjunction with disk and tape technologies to solve complex problems.”

IDC estimates the amount of solid state storage solutions being shipped into the enterprise will grow significantly, reaching nearly 3 exabytes by 2016. (1)

Following acquisition close, IBM plans to invest in and support the TMS product portfolio, and will look to integrate over time TMS technologies into a variety of solutions including storage, servers, software, and PureSystems offerings.

“IBM understands the positive and dramatic impact that solid state technology can have on storage and server infrastructures, and once the acquisition is complete we look forward to advancing the technology even further. With the global reach of IBM, we expect to grow the engineering staff and product lines much faster than we could before,” said Holly Frost, founder and CEO of TMS.

TMS employs approximately 100 people. The deal is expected to close later in 2012.  

About TMS

TMS, headquartered in Houston, designs and sells solid state storage systems that accelerate demanding enterprise applications. Its award-winning RamSan product line has continually delivered fast, reliable, and economical solutions to a broad range of enterprise and government clients around the world.

For more information on TMS, please visit www.ramsan.com and follow us on twitter @TexasMemory. 

About IBM

For more information on IBM Storage, please visit www.ibm.com/storage and follow us on twitter @IBMStorage.  

IBM and the IBM logo are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. For a current list of IBM trademarks, please seewww.ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. Other company, product or service names may be trademarks, or service marks of others.

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements contained in this release may constitute ‘forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, as discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

1.      According to IDC, Taking Enterprise Storage to Another Level: A Look at Flash Adoption in the Enterprise, Aug. 2012

Seventh Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia to be Hosted by Synopsys in Cooperation with IEEE TTTC

Press release:

Seventh Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia to be Hosted by Synopsys in Cooperation with IEEE TTTC

Participation by the world's largest professional engineering association highlights the Olympiad's growing international reputation

YEREVAN, Armenia, Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Synopsys, Inc., a world leader in software and IP used in the design, verification and manufacture of electronic components and systems, today announced that the Seventh Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia will be held on October 4, 2012 in Yerevan, Armenia. For the first time, the event will be held in cooperation with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Test Technology Technical Council (TTTC). IEEE's participation highlights the contest's growing international reputation.
Initiated in 2006, the Olympiad is held under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Armenia. Synopsys Armenia CJSC is the general organizer and a sponsor of the Olympiad. The general sponsor is Vivacell-MTS, Armenia's leading mobile operator. The Olympiad is also sponsored by Unicomp CJSC, Enterprise Incubator Foundation, Microsoft RA, Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, Union of Information Technology Enterprises, Arminco CJSC, Viasphere Technopark and INGO ARMENIA ICJSC.
In keeping with the theme of "Meeting the Challenges of Design and Test," the contestants in the Olympiad will compete in the areas of digital IC design and test, analog and mixed-signal IC design and test, semiconductor devices and technology, and mathematic and algorithmic issues of electronic design automation (EDA).
Guided by the motto "Recognize the best, inspire the next," the Olympiad aims to highlight the brightest, most talented engineers under the age of 30. The Olympiad goals are to stimulate further development of microelectronics in Armenia and in the participating countries by: recognizing and inspiring talented engineers; increasing interest in microelectronics among young specialists; discerning the level of knowledge of participants in the field of microelectronics in order to make necessary adjustments to regional educational programs; and creating a community of young specialists involved in microelectronics.
"The first Armenian Microelectronics Olympiad in 2006 attracted 82 participants. The event has since grown to an international contest including numerous award categories and 349 participants from 12 countries," said Rich Goldman, the president of the Olympiad Organizing Committee, CEO of Synopsys Armenia and vice president for Corporate Marketing and Strategic Alliances at Synopsys. "Working with IEEE will enable further growth. As one of the world's most respected and recognized professional engineering societies, the IEEE sponsors more than 1000 annual conferences and meetings in 81 countries and is highly involved in the technical program development of numerous events including trade shows, training workshops, and job fairs. IEEE's recognition of the Olympiad also benefits Armenia by highlighting it as a Center of Excellence for Microelectronics Education."
"This collaboration is a win-win-win situation for IEEE, for the Olympiad, and for Armenia as a country," said Dr. Yervant Zorian, president of the IEEE TTTC and chief architect at Synopsys. "The involvement of IEEE, the largest organization of electrical and electronic engineers, helps the Olympiad gain more international recognition. The Olympiad contributes to IEEE's efforts to encourage and support an interest in technology in young adults; holding the contest in Armenia highlights the country's technical leadership."
"The IEEE TTTC's decision to endorse the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad is a key acknowledgement of its success in promoting technology development in this region over the past six years," said Vazgen Melikyan, president of the Olympiad Program Committee, director of Synopsys Armenia Educational Department (SAED), honorable scientist of Armenia and Sc.D. professor. "I am confident the cooperation of IEEE TTTC will result in a significantly greater number of highly knowledgeable participants from around the globe."
About IEEE TTTCIEEE is the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. Sponsored by IEEE's Computer Society, TTTC is a dedicated council to serve the global test technology professional community through a series of annual conferences, standards, publications, educational and professional activities. For more information, please visit http://tab.computer.org/tttc
About Synopsys Armenia CJSC and Synopsys, Inc. Synopsys, Inc. is a world leader in electronic design automation (EDA), supplying the global electronics market with the software, intellectual property (IP), prototyping and services used in semiconductor design, verification and manufacturing. Synopsys established a presence in Armenia in 2004 as Synopsys Armenia closed joint stock company (CJSC). Synopsys Armenia CJSC provides R&D and product support in EDA, design for manufacturing (DFM) and the development of semiconductor intellectual property (IP). Employing several hundred qualified Armenian engineers, Synopsys is one of largest IT employers in Armenia. To encourage the highest levels of accomplishment for students in IT, the company sponsors awards and competitions such as theAnnual Educational Awards of the Republic of Armenia (RA) President, and the Annual International Microelectronics Olympiad of Armenia. Synopsys Armenia's investment in the community reaches well beyond IT. In 2010, Synopsys in Armenia was recognized as one of 12 finalists for the U.S. Secretary of State's annual Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE), citing the company's technology and financial leadership as well as its charity work and volunteer activities. Synopsys Armenia CJSC is located in Yerevan. Synopsys, Inc. is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and has approximately 70 offices located throughout North America, Europe, Japan, Asia and India. Visit Synopsys, Inc. and Synopsys Armenia online at http://www.synopsys.com andhttp://www.synopsys.am.

Press release:

ACI Worldwide Strengthens Product Leadership with Executive Appointment

Daniel Frate to join as Executive Vice President, Global Markets and Product Management

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

NAPLES, FL.—August 7, 2012— ACI Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACIW), a leading international provider of payment systems, announced today the appointment of Daniel Frate as EVP, Global Markets and Product Management.

Mr. Frate brings more than twenty five years of payments experience to this new role, having most recently served as Executive Vice President and Head of Products and Pricing at PNC Bank. Building on ACI’s product leadership position, Mr. Frate will be charged with delivering customer satisfaction through tight alignment of product roadmaps with market needs.  Mr. Frate will be based out of the company’s Naples, Florida headquarters.

“Dan has a keen appreciation of the customer’s perspective and is an excellent addition to the executive team,” said Philip Heasley, President and CEO, ACI Worldwide.  “With oversight of the sales and services functions as well as product management, Dan will ensure that we continue to meet our customers’ needs by delivering market-leading solutions.” 

David Morem, currently EVP, Global Products and a senior ACI executive since 2006, will transition to the role of EVP, Global Maintenance. He will lead the product maintenance and customer support operations for the company, and will be responsible for delivering world class support for all ACI products, a key aspect of the company’s priority on customer satisfaction. 

“Dave’s team of payments experts are dedicated to ensuring the long-term success of customer deployments,” said Mr. Heasley. “Unique in the payments marketplace, ACI supports customers for the lifetime of their applications, which includes investments in ongoing maintenance and mandates updates for all ACI products.”

The company also announced today that Ralph Dangelmaier, Executive Vice President, Global Markets, will be leaving ACI to head a privately-held company.  Mr. Dangelmaier joined ACI through its 2006 acquisition of P&H Solutions.
 
“I would like to thank Ralph for his dedication and tireless commitment to ACI,” said Mr. Heasley. “He has built a robust team that will continue to lead the payments marketplace.”

Checkpoint Systems wins prestigious industry award with Nano Gate™

Monday, March 19, 2012

Checkpoint Systems wins prestigious industry award with Nano Gate™

Checkpoint Systems, a global leader in high-theft solutions has been honoured with a prestigious industry award by readers of the German publication, Handelsjournal.

Checkpoint scooped the “Best Retail Product” award in the economic efficiency category for its Alpha Nano Gate antenna, a small gate that offers big protection against theft. The award celebrates the industry’s most inventive products and services designed to help retailers increase sales, improve profitability and enhance operations.

Nano Gate is an innovative, small security antenna, which can be easily installed in retail stores, in “unprotected zones” where thieves tend to hide or attempt to remove security devices. Nano Gate works together with Checkpoint’s Alpha^® 3 Alarm™ technology products, extending their reach and enhancing their value, while serving as a comprehensive security solution.

Wolfgang Meltzner, store manager of A.T.U in Cologne-Mülheim, who has used Nano Gate in his outlets, commented: “When high-priced motor oils and tools began to disappear from our shelves, we decided to do something about it. We began using Nano Gate in our stores together with matching Alpha components. From the first day, we not only noticed the deterrent aspect, we also saw a decrease in shoplifting, which is what we hoped for.”

Commenting on the award win, Kai Beilenhoff, Vice President for Alpha Europe at Checkpoint Systems, added: “Nano Gate offers an innovative and easy-to-implement solution for securing high-theft products. It has already paid dividends for many retailers around the globe and we’re delighted to have won this award. Our nomination reaffirms that Checkpoint is meeting the retail industry’s requirements for robust anti-theft solutions.”

Available since early 2011, Nano Gate has an aesthically pleasing design and is simple to install. Nano Gate triggers Alpha’s 3 Alarm technology, preventing thieves from taking retailers’ high-risk merchandise into restrooms, emergency exits, elevators, fitting rooms, or similar unprotected areas within their stores. Merchandise protected with 3 Alarm technology alerts retail staff when products are being tampered with in-store. It activates an Electronic Article Surveillance (EAS) alarm when unpaid merchandise leaves a store and starts a continuous alarming for five minutes when stolen merchandise has left the store. Most thieves end up dropping the stolen merchandise and running away.

Nano Gate is particularly suitable for small retailers who do not have a traditional EAS system installed but still want to protect their high-theft items. It enables store operators to maintain an attractive, consumer-oriented shopping environment while ensuring that merchandise is kept secure. For large retail stores using EAS, Nano Gate provides additional security to prevent goods from being readily moved from proposed sale areas into other sections of the store.

Press Release : March 21, 2012

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HP Announces Organizational Realignment

Topics:Financial

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- HP today announced an organizational realignment to improve performance and drive profitable growth across the entire HP portfolio.

As part of this realignment, HP’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and its Personal Systems Group (PSG) are joining forces to create the Printing and Personal Systems Group. The combined entity will be led by Todd Bradley, who has served as the executive vice president of PSG since 2005.

Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of IPG, is retiring after a highly accomplished 31-year career at HP. Under Joshi’s leadership, IPG has grown revenue from $19 billion to $26 billion, and doubled its operating profit to approximately $4 billion.

“VJ embodies the spirit of HP and his impact on the company has been tremendous,” said Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer, HP. “Under his leadership, IPG accelerated innovation and pioneered solutions that transformed the printing market. We wish him the very best as he embarks on a new chapter in his life.”

Combining these two entities will rationalize HP’s go-to-market strategy, branding, supply chain and customer support worldwide. This will lead to a better customer experience and drive innovation across personal computing and printing. This realignment is expected to provide opportunities for cost savings and accelerate HP’s ability to pursue profitable growth and reinvest in the business.

“This combination will bring together two businesses where HP has established global leadership,” said Whitman. “By providing the best in customer-focused innovation and operational efficiency, we believe we will create a winning scenario for customers, partners and shareholders.”

In addition to combining PSG and IPG, HP also is taking steps to unify and streamline certain key business functions. 

The Global Accounts Sales organization will join the newly named HP Enterprise Group. This group will be led by David Donatelli and includes Enterprise Servers, Storage, Networking and Technology Services.

The new structure is expected to speed decision making, increase productivity and improve efficiency, while providing a simplified customer experience. A new role for Jan Zadak, executive vice president for Global Sales, will be announced at a later date. Zadak will work with Donatelli to ensure an orderly transition.

HP also announced that it will unify its Marketing functions across business units under Marty Homlish, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, HP. This will allow for even more effective brand-building and marketing activities, and will create efficiencies across the business units.

HP’s Communications employees worldwide also will be similarly unified under Henry Gomez, executive vice president and chief communications officer, HP. Together these two moves will create a more powerful voice to demonstrate the power of “One HP.”

Finally, HP is moving the Global Real Estate function from Finance into Global Technology and Business Processes to address real estate consolidation and improve the workplace experience for HP employees.

“Ensuring we have the right organizational structure in place is a critical first step in driving improved execution, and increasing effectiveness and efficiency,” added Whitman. “The result will be a faster, more streamlined, performance-driven HP that is customer focused and poised to capitalize on rapidly shifting industry trends.”