COMMON
Financial moves
Forecasts
IBM
Industry news
Intermec
MACs
New versions
Printers
RFID
Solutions

COMMON

Unique community launched by most loyal group of users in server industry
COMMON, the world's largest group of users involved with IBM's premier business computers, announced a new online System i community in collaboration with users, students and partners. The goal is to equip this ferociously loyal and innovative group of users with the tools they need to better communicate with their peers and introduce more people to the "all-in-one" System i. iSociety aims to become the central meeting place for those who use, sell or want to learn more about the AS/400, iSeries or System i5, all of which make up the System i family of products. Users of this platform have long had a strong relationship with IBM and its partners, helping to influence the direction of the system's technology and marketing through such forums as the COMMON educational conference -- where attendees speak directly to IBM executives and product managers -- as well as the COMMON Americas Advisory Group and the Large Users Group (LUG), both of which provide feedback and product requirements directly to IBM.
Visit www.isociety.common.org.
^Back To Top

Financial moves

BOS files draft prospectus for an offering in Israel
B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd. (BOS ) announced that it has filed a draft prospectus with the Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) in connection with an underwritten offering to the public in Israel of Ordinary Shares and Warrants. The securities offered pursuant to the prospectus would be offered in Israel only, by BOS and not by any selling shareholder, have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the U.S. absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration require-ments. If the offering is completed, BOS expects to raise up to a maximum amount of approximately $5.5 million (as may be adjusted so as to be equivalent to NIS 24 million, according to the exchange rate of the US$/NIS, as published by the Bank of Israel), depending on market conditions. No final decision on the offering has been made, including with respect to the offering structure and any offering shall be subject to the approval of BOS ' Board of Directors and of BOS ' shareholders, to the publishing of a final prospectus with the permit of the ISA and the approval of the TASE for the listing of the Ordinary Shares, the Warrants and the Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, for trading.
Visit www.boscorporate.com.
^Back To Top

Forecasts

Small and medium-sized businesses looking for greater flexibility, mobility in communications systems
Communications solutions that free employees from the tethers of their desks and offices top the technology spending priorities for small and medium-sized businesses, according to a new survey commissioned by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA). The survey of more than 350 small and medium-sized businesses across North America found that upgrades to laptop computers are the top spending priority over the next 12 months. Investment in wireless local area networks (LANs) is the number two spending priority for these businesses. Replacement or upgrade of existing phone systems ranked third on their list of technology investments for the next year. Among companies with less than 100 employees, phone system upgrades are the number two buying priority, ahead of wireless LANs and behind laptop upgrades. When asked what factors are driving their investment in new communica-tions solutions, 46% of the organizations surveyed said savings generated through streamlining business processes. Another 30% said cost-cutting within their information technology and communica-tions spending, while 23% said initiatives to launch new services or capabilities are the driving factor.
Visit www.comptia.org.
^Back To Top

IBM

IBM launches program to migrate Mercury Interactive customers to IBM software
IBM announced a new program to help customers make the switch from Mercury Interactive software to IBM Rational and Tivoli software tools to improve the quality and management of their complex IT environments. Backed by a global team of more than 150 consultants and technologists, the goal of the program is to help make it easy for clients to move from Mercury Interactive's testing tools over to IBM. IBM is rolling out new sales incentives, workshops, training and services to help customers and business partners simplify their development processes, improve efficiency, manage risk and compliance, and cut costs associated with building and managing new products and applications. Under the new program, effective worldwide, IBM will help eligible clients save up to 25% on license fees when migrating from Mercury, Borland and other competitive testing products to IBM Rational and Tivoli software tools. In addition, customers can receive at no cost IBM Rational Performance Tester along with 100 virtual tester licenses when they purchase an IBM Rational ClearQuest and IBM Rational Functional Testing quality management solution. This promotion, which can save clients more than $21,000 in software license charges, runs through December 22, 2006.
Visit www.ibm.com.
^Back To Top

Industry news

SoftTech Solutions' On-Line! Detective helps Fujitsu deliver wall-to-wall customer service
SoftTech Solutions announced that On-Line! Detective, an extensive knowledge base of information related to Sun Microsystems computing environments, helps hundreds of Fujitsu Computer Systems Corp. system administrators, field technicians and help desk personnel quickly resolve the problems their customers encounter. The Detective helps Fujitsu deliver on its commitment to the highest-quality “wall-to-wall” customer care in the industry while providing Fujitsu with new multi-vendor enterprise service (MVES) capabilities. The On-Line! Detective is also effective for use with Fujitsu PRIMEPOWER servers that utilize SPARC64 processor technology, designed and manufactured by Fujitsu. The servers provide high performance and reliability for Solaris applications. Fujitsu PRIMEPOWER service personnel now have access to the Detective's vast knowledge base in seconds with only a few clicks of the mouse. The On-Line! Detective is an extensive knowledge base with detailed information on all hardware, OS, technology and connectivity issues relevant to the SPARC server environment. Detective is clearly organized, easy to use and portable, making it perfect for field technicians.
Visit www.sundetective.com. ^Back To Top

Intermec

Intermec receives award for Asia Pacific RFID market strategy leadership
Intermec Inc. has received an award from Frost & Sullivan for RFID market strategy leadership in the Asia Pacific market for the years 2005-2006. The Frost & Sullivan Award for Market Strategy Leadership is presented each year to a company whose market strategy has yielded significant gains in market presence during the research period. The award is based on Frost & Sullivan's thorough understanding of the innovation and diligence required to execute a successful business strategy and achieve distinction in an increasingly competitive global market arena. Award nominees were evaluated on a number of critical criteria including annual market share growth, end-user acceptance of its products, product differentiation, ratio of marketing investment to market share increase and website effectiveness.
Visit www.intermec.com.
^Back To Top

Moves, adds & changes

CDW to acquire Berbee Information Networks Corporation
CDW Corporation, a leading provider of technology products and services to business, government and education, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Berbee Information Networks Corporation, one of the nation's largest independent IT solution providers, for approximately $175 million in cash. This acquisition will enhance CDW's offerings of advanced technology products and services to address customers' more complex business requirements. In addition, the acquisition is consistent with CDW's strategies to expand its customer base, capture a greater share of its customers' IT spending and increase its addressable market. CDW expects the transaction to be accretive to 2007 earnings by approximately $0.05 per diluted share. The acquisition is expected to close by the end of October, subject to certain customary closing conditions including Hart-Scott-Rodino regulatory clearance.
Visit www.cdw.com.^Back To Top

New versions

Fast-Track to modernization for System i/iSeries applications
US Technology Resources Inc. (USTRI) and Relativity Technologies, Inc. announced the release of the jointly developed System i Modernization solution. The System i platform, formerly known as AS/400 and iSeries, is recognized for its stability and power. Yet as applications built on the platform age, they tend to become more complex and less adaptable to emerging business needs. USTRI's proven methodologies and expertise combined with Relativity Technologies' automated understanding and modernization of RPG and System i Cobol applications addresses these challenges -- increasing the efficiency and flexibility of clients' System i-based applications. The System i Modernization solution begins with an assessment of the existing application portfolio that results in a detailed modernization roadmap complete with priorities and options. Building on this roadmap, the second phase generates detailed plans for the selected modernization option, for instance code revitalization or application re-engineering. The third phase then implements the selected modernization option, yielding more flexible and efficient System i applications.
Visit www.ustri.com/iSeriestech.aspx or www.relativity.com/systemi.

^Back To Top

Printers

Lanier launches two color multifunction products for mid-volume workgroups
Lanier Worldwide, Inc. introduced the Lanier LD435c and LD445c, two versatile digital multifunction products (MFPs) that deliver 35 and 40 pages per minute in full color and 35 and 45 pages per minute (ppm) for black-and-white documents. Both MFPs are ideal for demanding mid-volume workgroups. These systems will be available immediately. The LD435c and LD445c feature color and monochrome copying, network printing and scanning, plus optional analog and network faxing and three optional document finishers. Both systems provide 600 dpi resolution, and the color engine can print color images with resolution up to an equivalent of 2,400 x 600 dpi. Specially formulated PxP toner helps ensure vivid color quality.
Visit www.lanier.com.
^Back To Top

RFID

Active RFID market will grow extensively by 2016
Active RFID has been growing quietly – already several applications have been over $100 million and it is currently responsible for over 20% of all spend on RFID. New IDTechEx research indicates that this is just the beginning and the value of sales of active systems, including tags, will rocket from $0.55 billion in 2006 to $6.78 billion in 2016. Active RFID is part of a global revolution which embraces technologies such as WiFi, ZigBee, Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS), Ultra Wide Band (UWB) and much more. The Active RFID Summit USA 2006 is the premier forum for users and developers of Active Radio Frequency Identification and short range wireless communications devices to meet and discuss moving the industry forward into valuable, commercial territory. Presentations discussing the proven business and operational benefits will give the delegates an opportunity to learn how to take advantage of the capabilities of Active RFID for their own benefit, including the new second generation RFID enabled cellphones. The Summit is expected to attract 200 thought leaders and decision makers in the Active RFID area, ready to act to meet the needs of both the market and society.
Visit www.activerfidsummit.com.
^Back To Top

Solutions

Q4bis names ICS as business partner to resell its business intelligence software
Q4bis has named Jacksonville, Florida-based ICS, Inc. as an authorized business partner serving the Southeast sector of the US. This new relationship extends the offerings of ICS for ERP and data collection by adding an integrated business intelligence solution that is easy to use and can be rapidly deployed within any enterprise. A specific skill set built around data warehousing and analytics knowledge is required of an effective BI solution. A fundamental aspect of the Q4bis Business Intelligence Suite is a unique user interface that dramatically simplifies this process and enables any manager to directly survey, access, massage and leverage information quickly and easily. The BI solution is also designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft SQL Server and Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) architectures as well as leading ERP packages to enable data extraction from a wide range of sources. Q4bis runs on any hardware platform, including Wintel PC and IBM iSeries midrange platforms.
Visit www.q4bis.com.
^Back To Top