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B2B

Maple Leaf Farms uses EXTOL platform to manage all business relationships
Maple Leaf Farms has deployed a suite of business integration software from EXTOL International as their platform for managing all business relationships. The functionality of the EXTOL solution enables Maple Leaf’s lean IT team to rapidly meet the demands of new business opportunities and changing customer requirements. The company is using EXTOL Integrator to handle the high-speed exchange of B2B trading documents and to seamlessly integrate these documents into their applications, systems and processes – without custom coded interfaces. They are also using EXTOL Secure to enable secure transaction exchange and protected communication via the Internet using AS2 protocol, and EXTOL Portal, an economical alternative to traditional VANs, when that communication method is required by a partner. With EXTOL, Maple Leaf Farms is able to automate many day-to-day processes, immediately on-board trading partners, and rapidly respond to customers’ demands for new business processes and transactions.
Visit www.EXTOL.com.
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Deals

Odem Technologies enters into agreement with Positronic Industries
B.O.S. Better Online Solutions Ltd. (BOS) announced that its subsidiary, Odem Technologies 1992 Ltd. (Odem), has signed an agreement with Positronic Industries, Inc. for the supply of electronic components to the aviation and telecom markets in Israel.  In addition, Odem’s appointment as a non-exclusive sales representative of Sensata Technologies Inc. (STI, previously Texas Instruments Sensors & Controls) has been expanded to include the territories of Turkey, Greece and Asia. Odem has been serving as STI’s non-exclusive sales representative to the aerospace and military industries in Israel for approximately 15 years. BOS’ management estimates that the new agreement entered into with Positronic Industries and the expansion of the scope of the agreement with STI will increase the Company’s sales in the next 12 months by an aggregate of approximately $1 million.
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End user news

IBM takes over IT operations as Circuit City cuts costs
Circuit City, the second largest distributor of electronics in the United States, has announced a cost-cutting plan that will see the company fire some 3,400 employees--about 8 percent of its workforce--and outsource its IT operations to IBM.  Circuit City announced a $775 million, seven-year deal that will see IBM manage the retailers data centers, store support systems, e-commerce systems on the Web, desktop support, network operations and IT security. IBM will provide help desk support for the more than 43,000 employees and 600-plus Circuit City stores in the United States. By letting IBM handle its IT operations, the retailer believes it can shave its IT expenses by about 16 percent over the seven-year term. So, on average, Circuit City must have been spending about $128 million a year on IT. That doesn't seem like a lot for a company that did $11.6 billion in sales in its fiscal 2006, but Circuit City has been pinched by dropping prices and wicked competition in the electronics market and, as a public company, it has to do something to get back to being profitable again. Under the deal, 50 of the 130 IT employees in the corporate IT department will be given jobs at Big Blue, with the others staying on during the transition.
Visit www.ibm.com.

GSF selects Atempo CDP technology for PC data protection
Atempo, Inc., a leading provider of cross-platform data protection and archiving solutions, announced that GSF, a leader in industrial and commercial cleaning solutions, chose Atempo LiveBackup for continuous data protection of the company’s laptops and desktops. GSF is a growing company, with over 21,000 employees in Europe and North America. With a rapidly growing population of laptops and desktops, GSF became increasingly concerned with protecting valuable business assets stored on laptop and desktop hard drives. Prior to deployment of LiveBackup, GSF identified problems with their backup solution, including bandwidth consumption and creating effective backup schedules. GSF adopted LiveBackup based on the following critical features: transparency, continuous data protection and disaster recovery.
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HP

HP appoints Nor Rae Spohn to lead LaserJet Printing Business
HP announced the appointment of Nor Rae Spohn to senior vice president of the company’s LaserJet Printing Business.  Spohn, 49, will be responsible for continuing HP’s worldwide leadership in laser printing through customer focus and innovation. A 26-year veteran of HP, Spohn will report to Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of HP’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG). Previously, Spohn was vice president and general manager of the HP Color LaserJet Business and before that led the HP Personal LaserJet Printing Business. Last October, she was inducted in the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame as one of the world’s “five most pioneering women.”  Based in Boise, Idaho, Spohn recently was appointed to the Governor of Idaho’s Science and Technology Advisory Council. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in computer science and a master’s degree from Stanford in electrical engineering.
Visit www.hp.com.
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Intermec

Intermec delivers first rugged EV-DO mobile computer
Intermec announces the availability of its CDMA/EV-DO capable CN3 mobile computer, the first rugged handheld computer to operate with Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) wireless broadband data transmission capabilities. The handheld computer will operate on release version 0 of the EV-DO specification for CDMA WWAN cellular networks. The CN3 has been certified for voice and data transmission on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network.  Equipped with integrated GPS and Bluetooth, the CN3 increases user efficiency and improves safety by allowing onscreen and hands-free turn-by-turn voice navigation. The CN3 also features 3G WAN and Cisco Compatible WiFi connectivity so users stay connected with voice and high-speed data anywhere they go, increasing flexibility and productivity.  The CN3 is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 software with the Messaging and Security Feature Pack, including Direct Push Technology for wireless e-mail, and comes with a QWERTY keyboard or an optional numeric keypad.
Visit www.intermec.com.
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iSeries

PowerTech releases 2007 Annual State of IBM System i (AS/400) Security study
The PowerTech Group, Inc. announced that it has released its fourth annual review of the state of security on IBM’s System i platform (also known as AS/400 or iSeries). The study is based on the results of nearly 200 system audits that were conducted by PowerTech over the last 12 months. The complete results and analysis are published in a whitepaper, which can be downloaded from the PowerTech website. The 2007 security study demonstrates that although the system is very reliable and has great security features, the overall security of machines in the field is often both poorly managed and poorly configured by the organizations that use it. System i security expert and PowerTech’s Chief Technology Officer John Earl said, “The computing and networking demands of today’s enterprises require more open connectivity and targeted sharing of data between departments and key business partners. But many OS/400 shops have yet to embrace the new security technologies that are available in IBM’s architecture and through third-party security applications, leaving their critical data exposed.“
Visit www.powertech.com.
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Leasing

CIT to acquire Citi's U.S. Business Technology Finance Unit
CIT Group announced that it has signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire the U.S. Business Technology Finance unit of Citigroup Inc.  The deal is expected to close in the second quarter. The total assets of the vendor finance business to be acquired are approximately $2 billion. CIT Vendor Finance provides financing to customers of manufacturers, resellers and distributors through sales financing programs and services. This is CIT's second vendor finance transaction with Citi. In 2004, CIT acquired CitiCapital's vendor finance business in Western Europe. CIT's European presence was further strengthened three months ago when it acquired the $2 billion UK and German vendor finance business of Barclays Bank PLC.  Banc of America Securities LLC advised CIT on this transaction.
Visit www.cit.com.
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Markets

Talent search heats up in high-end job market
The U.S. Department of Labor is expected to announce that 140,000 jobs were added to nonfarm payrolls in March 2007, signaling continued strength among American companies. What does this growth mean for the higher-end $100,000+ job market? According to data tabulated by TheLadders.com, the world’s leading online service for $100,000+ jobs, a high-end hiring surge is underway. The company’s Quarterly Executive Job Market Trends Report for Q107 found that the ratio of active job seekers to high-end job openings has decreased across much of the U.S., creating a job-seeker’s market. “While economic indicators have been sending mixed signals through much of the first quarter, one consistent source of strength has been the hiring activity in the $100,000+ job market,” said Marc Cenedella, president and CEO of TheLadders.com. “From New York to San Francisco, we’re seeing companies looking to build their upper ranks.” TheLadders.com’s Quarterly Executive Job Market Trends Report measured hiring activity across a variety of metrics and found the hottest $100,000+ job markets to be New York, San Francisco, Boston, San Diego, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Seattle.
Visit www.theladders.com.
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Memory

Intel sets its sights on NAND Flash Memory
Intel has been a leader in NOR Flash for over a decade and is now moving aggressively in the NAND Flash market, reports In-Stat. The company is making significant investments in NAND to support its goal of becoming one of the top players in this business, the high-tech market research firm says. "With NAND and NOR, Intel is participating in two businesses that are not closely aligned with its core strengths, and may spin these businesses out at a later date," says Jim McGregor, In-Stat analyst. "Although both the NAND and NOR businesses are expected to grow, In-Stat sees NAND as the higher-growth market, and believes that NOR's more moderate growth may not keep the interest of Intel's upper management." Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• Intel is investing to open one new 300mm NAND fab every year with its IMFT JV with Micron Technology.

• Intel is in a struggle for leadership in NOR Flash against Spansion. This struggle is forcing other makers out of the market.

• Intel and Spansion have been unprofitable for all of 2005 and 2006.

Visit www.instat.com.
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