Upcoming Meeting Notice

The Association of Service and Computer Dealers International (ASCDI) is a 30 year old, worldwide non-profit organization made up of companies who provide technology solutions, technical support or value added services to the business community.

Members and non-members are invited to learn how to grow your business, find new business opportunities, hear from industry representatives and enjoy some fabulous networking events at our conferences:

REGIONAL MEETING: January 15, 2009
Gaylord Texan Hotel - DALLAS, TEXAS

Click here for more information on ALL ASCDI MEETINGS, to view the agendas, lodging details, attendee lists and to REGISTER AT THE EARLY BIRD RATE.

Upfront
Book review
Cisco
Forecast
HP
IBM
Intermec
Leasing
Printers
Sun

Upfront

IBM unveils resources to help entrepreneurs innovate and go global

To help entrepreneurs tap the global marketplace, grow and harness new, intelligent technologies to their competitive advantage, IBM announced a variety of resources for entrepreneurs. The announcement is timed with IBM's sponsorship of Global Entrepreneurship Week -- an initiative taking place in 75 countries from November 17th through the 23rd -- designed to inspire, connect, inform, mentor and engage entrepreneurs.

In collaboration with the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, IBM launched new resources and a Spanish language version of a web-based Small Business Toolkit tailored to women and Black, Hispanic, Native American and Asian owned businesses in the United States. Already available in 30 different sites and 16 languages, the toolkit provides entrepreneurs with the kind of professional human resource, legal, marketing, and finance-related information templates normally available to much larger companies.
IBM is also putting entrepreneurs with the best business plans in touch with venture capitalists. As part of its Global Entrepreneurship Week "Digital Challenge," IBM is challenging participants to submit ideas for dynamic business models that will link venues on the 3D Internet to their real-world counterparts. Five finalists will be selected to present their business plan to a panel of venture capitalists chaired by IBM's Venture Capital Group during the Spring of 2009.

Visit www.unleashingideas.org or www.ibm.com.^Back To Top

Book review

Fax, Modem, and Text for IP Telephony
Since just about every IP telephony installation includes at least one fax machine and larger enterprise applications often include many fax machines, as well as modems and text telephony devices, it is important to understand that they cannot be treated like voice applications. In fact, they have different transport requirements and usually require unique transport protocols if communications are to be reliable. If you operate in a Cisco environment, this thorough and well-written book is a technical resource that should be on your bookshelf…when not in your hands.

Fax, Modem and Text for IP Telephony
Authors: David Hanes and Gonzalo Salguiero
Publisher: Cisco Press
ISBN-10: 1587052695
ISBN-13: 978-1587052699
Price: $55.00 ^Back To Top

Cisco

Cisco battles meltdown with mobile and video
Cisco CEO John Chambers claims to have a ‘playbook’ for coping with recessions, and two of its principles of survival are to prepare for the upturn in order to benefit more than rivals, and to use customers’ own pressures during the bad times to deepen relationships with them. Both of these principles will be tested in the company’s strengthening push into the wireless and converged carrier market, for which its new ASR 9000 edge router – designed for the ‘zettabyte era’ – is a flagship product. Cisco argues that carriers, in order to survive themselves, will have to progress towards all-IP networks, despite the investment required during lean times, as these networks will allow them to deliver attractive services such as video cost effectively. They will also cut their operating costs and will position them strongly for the recovery. The move to all-IP has always represented a natural opportunity for the internet router giant to make a stronger mark in the telecoms world, as the closed technologies dominated by Ericsson and others start to wane. So Cisco aims to exploit this opportunity at the earliest point, saying it will create long term strategic relationships with carriers by giving them an IP route through recession. In line with its playbook, it will invest particularly heavily in the US, which it believes will emerge first from recession, and in China and India, which should be the most resilient.
Visit www.cisco.com.
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Forecast

Worldwide IT spending growth to slow significantly in 2009
Worldwide spending on information technology will slow significantly in 2009 as a direct result of the global financial crisis. According to a newly revised forecast from IDC, worldwide IT spending will grow 2.6% year over year in 2009, down from IDC's pre-crisis forecast of 5.9% growth. In the United States, IT spending growth is expected to be 0.9% in 2009, much lower than the 4.2% growth forecast in August. According to the report, titled "Economic Crisis Response: Worldwide IT Spending 2008-2012 Forecast Update," on a regional basis, spending growth in Japan, Western Europe and the United States will hover around 1% in 2009. By contrast, the emerging economies of Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America will continue to experience healthy growth, but at levels notably lower than the double-digit gains previously forecast. On a sector basis, software and services will enjoy solid growth while hardware spending, with the exception of storage, is expected to decline in 2009.
Visit www.idc.com.
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HP

Hewlett-Packard settles ink suit
Hewlett-Packard Co. settled a lawsuit it filed against LexJet Corp. over inks used in printer cartridges. The Palo Alto-based computer and printer maker, which employs about 5,000 people in Greater Sacramento, sued LexJet and LexJet Southern California LLC in May over inks used in remanufactured HP large-format ink cartridges. LexJet’s ink maker will pay HP an undisclosed sum and the company will change the way it makes the cartridges. LexJet is based in Sarasota, Fla. Its products are mainly aimed at commercial printers and digital photographers.
Visit www.hp.com.
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IBM

IBM opens Massachusetts software lab
IBM has opened a software laboratory in Littleton, Massachusetts that will focus on the development of IBM software for industries including biotech, finance, healthcare, retail, transportation and energy. The company said approximately 1,200 IBM employees will move to the new laboratory this week. IBM said the center will employ 3,400 employees after its completion in 2010. It will include a briefing center for demonstrating IBM software and hardware to organizations. It will also have a production lab for the testing of software. IBM has acquired 12 companies in Massachusetts since 2003. The new laboratory will bring all these together in a single location. Departments that support the software lab such as marketing and accounting will be located at existing IBM offices in Westford. The Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council has approved $5m in state and local tax breaks for IBM for the center.
Visit www.ibm.com.
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Intermec

Intermec introduces PB2 and PB3 wearable mobile receipt printers
Intermec, Inc. announced the PB2 and PB3 commercial mobile receipt printers providing low cost, wearable receipt printing solutions for DSD/route accounting, retail queue busting and field service applications. The lightweight two-inch and three-inch printers seamlessly complement the Intermec CN3 series, and new CK3 mobile computers. The Intermec PB2 and PB3 printers are available with an optional magnetic stripe reader, giving workers the flexibility to accept payments via their mobile computer or printer. Payments can be processed on the go and receipts can be generated immediately, improving customer satisfaction, increasing productivity and creating new opportunities for sales. Designed to support mobility, the printers can be comfortably worn all day using the belt loop system that comes standard with every printer, or the optional shoulder strap. Hands-free options also include a weather-resistant, IP54-rated environmental case that adds protection for outdoor applications such as electronic citations, postal delivery, and car rental return processing without impairing mobility.
Visit www.intermec.com.
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Leasing

Jack Henry launches leasing program for check scanners
Jack Henry & Associates, Inc., a provider of integrated technology solutions and data processing services for financial institutions, announced the availability of a cost-effective equipment leasing program that enables banks and credit unions to capitalize on RDC opportunities independent of the initial capital investments historically required to purchase check scanners and the ongoing hardware management and support.  This new leasing option, which is believed to be the first scanner fulfillment program in the industry, enables financial institutions to provide merchants with check scanners for as little as $15 a month. The leasing program includes a variety of scanner makes and models that are compatible with diverse check volumes and scanners are shipped directly to merchants on behalf of participating financial institutions.
Visit www.jackhenry.com
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Printers

Lexmark expands color laser line with XL printers
Lexmark added two new additions to its 782 color laser line. The C782n XL and X782e XL printers share similar features to the C782n and X782e, but the new XL printers will feature high-yield ink cartridges that print up to 16,500 pages. The C782n XL is network ready and can print on a variety of media. It features print speeds up to 35 pages per minute in color and 40 pages per minute in black as well as expandable paper-handling capabilities such as stackable input drawers and the StapleSmart Finisher. The X782e XL multifunction printer has scanning, copying and faxing capabilities. It offers the same print speeds as the C782n XL and features Lexmark’s e-Task touch screen.
Visit www.lexmark.com
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Sun

Sun to cut up to 6,000 workers, 18 pct of staff
Sun Microsystems Inc. says it will cut up to 6,000 of its workers, or 18 percent of its global staff. Sun also says its software chief, Rich Green, has resigned. The company has fallen into a deep slump as sales of its high-end servers have collapsed. The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said the job cuts will include between 5,000 and 6,000 employees over the next year. It says the cuts will save $700 million to $800 million annually.
Visit www.sun.com.
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