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Visioneer and BBH Enter Development Agreement
Visioneer, Inc., a provider of intelligent imaging solutions, and document management solutions provider BÖWE BELL + HOWELL announced that they have signed a strategic development agreement to create production scanning solutions. Under this development agreement, Visioneer will integrate its next-generation OneTouch technology into BÖWE BELL + HOWELL’s production-scanning hardware architecture. The first products will be launched in Q2 2008 under the Xerox DocuMate brand as part of Visioneer’s license agreement with Xerox. For additional information, visit www.visioneer.com, www.xeroxscanners.com, or www.bbhscanners.com.

Agfa HealthCare Awarded Premier Contract
Agfa HealthCare, a provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions, announced that it has been awarded a new three-year, multi-source contract by Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., the group purchasing unit of the large healthcare alliance Premier Inc., to provide enterprise image management solutions (EIMS) and services to the alliance’s more than 1,500 member hospitals and 49,000 other healthcare sites. Agfa HealthCare’s EIMS is a highly integrated enterprise infrastructure that allows each professional within the healthcare enterprise to work according to their own individual requirements, simultaneously sharing information and maintaining a seamless workflow between clinical departments. IMPAX RIS (Radiology Information System), PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System), and reporting solutions will also be available to members under this contract. For further details, visit www.agfa.com or www.premierinc.com.

Pfizer Relocates German Headquarters
bloodWorldwide pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. announced the relocation of its German unit, which includes its headquarters, management, administration, marketing, and sales division—approximately 500 jobs in all—to Berlin. The move from its current location in Karlsruhe is due to begin in early 2008. The announcement was made at a joint meeting with Berlin’s Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit; Harald Wolf, the senator for economics, technology, and women’s affairs; and René Gurka, managing director of Berlin Partner GmbH. The headquarters relocation to a major center of the German healthcare industry is a strategic decision on the future position of the company. Visit www.pfizer.com for additional information.

CMD Opens Northern Europe Sales Office
California Micro Devices (CMD) announced that it has opened a Northern Europe sales office in Espoo, Finland, and that Kalle Katevuo has been named Northern Europe sales manager. Katevuo brings more than 12 years of semiconductor design, applications, and sales experience to his new post. CMD is a supplier of application-specific analog and mixed-signal semiconductor products for the mobile handset, digital consumer electronics, and personal computer markets. The corporation’s global sales network also includes offices in Chicago, San Diego, the U.K., Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Additional details may be accessed at www.cmd.com.

 

Industry News Makers

Ness Technologies Appointment
Ness Technologies, Inc., a global provider of information technology services and solutions, announced the appointment of Holly Ripley-Boyd as executive vice president and chief marketing officer. Ripley-Boyd will be responsible for the company’s corporate marketing operations globally. She joins Ness Technologies from Symphony Services, a provider of product engineering outsourcing services, where she led the company’s marketing efforts. Prior to Symphony, she held leadership roles with global professional services and high-technology-focused companies such as former Novell, Inc. affiliate Celerant Consulting, Arthur D. Little, and Digital Equipment Corporation. For more information, visit www.ness.com.

DMetrix Hires COO
DMetrix, Inc., a provider of microscopic imaging instrumentation solutions and technology for telepathology and other applications, announced that Lloyd J. LaComb, Jr., Ph.D. has joined the company as a board member and chief operating officer. Dr. LaComb most recently served as senior vice president of technology for Veeco Instruments Inc., where he has worked since 1997. Prior to joining Veeco, he held technical and management positions of increasing responsibility at Tencor Instruments and Prometrix, Inc., both now part of KLA-Tencor. For more information, visit www.dmetrix.com.

EDS Elects Chairman
EDS announced that its board of directors has elected Ron Rittenmeyer chairman of the board, effective December 31, 2007. He will also retain the titles of president and chief executive officer. Rittenmeyer joined EDS in 2005 as executive vice president of service delivery and was later promoted to chief operating officer. In December 2006, he was appointed president and chief operating officer and served in the role until September 1, 2007, when he was named to his current position of president and chief executive officer. EDS is a global technology services company delivering IT and business outsourcing services and solutions to its clients. Learn more at www.eds.com.

 

Industry Awards & Achievements

O2 Wins Data Strategy Award
Chordiant Software, Inc., a provider of customer experience software and services, announced that its customer, O2, one of Britain’s mobile telecommunications providers, won Data Strategy magazine’s award for “Best Applied Data Mining/Modeling Product.” The award is presented to recognize the most effective use of data and modeling to achieve measurable business outcomes. O2 was chosen for the award by demonstrating actual revenue uplift and improved customer satisfaction as a result of using Chordiant’s decisioning application throughout its contact centers. More information can be found at www.o2.co.uk or www.chordiant.com.

Trintech Attains Microsoft Certification and Competency
Trintech Group Plc, a provider of integrated financial governance, transaction risk management, and compliance solutions for commercial, financial, and healthcare markets worldwide, announced that it has attained Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program with a competency in ISV/Software Solutions. As a Certified Partner, Trintech has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and the proven ability to meet customers’ needs. Microsoft Certified Partners receive a set of benefits, including access, training, and support. In addition to earning certified status, Trintech has declared a Microsoft ISV/Software Solutions Competency. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each has a unique set of requirements and benefits. Visit www.trintech.com for more information.

NTT Com Wins Managed Service Award
NTT Communications (NTT Com) was presented the top honor for Best Managed Service at the annual World Communication Awards in London, England, and is the first Asian carrier to earn this award. The World Communication Awards, presented by the business media company Terrapinn, recognize outstanding achievements in the telecommunications and IT industries. This year, approximately 50 major carriers and vendors were nominated for awards in 12 categories. For more information, visit www.ntt.com.

QlikTech Named a 2008 Technology Pioneer
Business intelligence software company QlikTech announced it has been selected by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer 2008. The final selection of 39 Technology Pioneer 2008 companies from 273 nominees was made by a panel of the world’s leading technology experts, including venture capitalists, technology companies, academics, and media appointed by the World Economic Forum. Technology Pioneers are nominated in three main categories: Energy/Environment, Biotechnology/Health, and Information Technology. The selection criteria include innovation, potential impact, growth and sustainability, proof of concept, leadership, and status. For further details, visit www.qlikview.com or www.weforum.org.

SugarCRM Customers Garner Awards
SugarCRM Inc., a global provider of commercial open-source customer relationship management (CRM) software, announced that two SugarCRM customers—WeberHaus and Kassel Initiative—won top honors for CRM deployments at the CRM-Expo in Nuremberg, Germany. WeberHaus, a builder of high-end, energy-efficient homes headquartered in Rheinau-Linx, Germany, secured the award for Best B2C Implementation. The Kassel Initiative, a non-profit focused on attracting tourists and industry to the Kassel region of central Germany, won the Most Innovative CRM Award. For more details, visit www.sugarcrm.com.

 

New Products & Services

MaintenanceNet Service Finder
MaintenanceNet, Inc., a provider of maintenance contract and warranty management services, introduced Service Finder, a comprehensive new software-as-a-service tool designed to help technology manufacturers, along with their channel partners and end customers, search online for applicable services for their products by product name or SKU number An auto-complete capability allows users to conduct a successful search without knowing all product details. The Service Finder instantly displays various service offerings at a glance, positioning the most recommended service at the top of each search. The tool was designed to allow customers to ensure that their IT assets are protected with the best possible choice in service offerings. As part of the Service Finder program, channel partners around the world can license and port a customized Service Finder applet to their own Web sites to help drive service annuity streams. For more information, visit www.maintenancenet.com.

Enhanced E-mail Encryption Solution
Global enterprise security company Voltage Security, Inc. announced its release of the latest version of Voltage SecureMail, with added business in-depth features to support the business needs of large global enterprises and their divisions, groups, and call centers. The new version was designed to enable organizations to manage hundreds of corporate brands, multiple tenants, and all major European languages seamlessly, without incremental cost using virtualized configurations. The new Voltage SecureMail also includes enriched multi-datacenter architecture, enhanced brand management, anti-phishing, enhanced central reporting, and additional enhancements such as HTML formatting to enable rich content for zero download messenger, increased flexibility in user-facing hostnames, and numerous refined usability enhancements. Additional information can be found at www.voltage.com.

Tesseract Adds Knowledge System Integration
Tesseract, a provider of software and solutions, training, and consultancy for services management, announced the available integration of its Service Centre service management system with knowledge management solutions developed by Knowledge Powered Solutions (KPS), a software developer that specializes in information management solutions for knowledge workers particularly in customer service, sales, marketing, HR, and R&D roles. The Service Centre system is designed to offer efficient call management, engineer management/scheduling, and parts/stock recording/management and to generate real-time views of the business. The integration capability was established in order to help achieve reductions in call escalations, call numbers, and call duration, as well as improved first-contact call resolution. By partnering with KPS, Service Centre’s functionality is enhanced with a knowledge-based software solution in an effort to make the service activity more effective and efficient via KPS’s search component, expertise location, knowledge share, and measurement software components. Further details are available at www.tesseract.co.uk.

Online Communications and Training Platform
Splash Media, a media and technology company that develops online, customized Internet television networks for corporate communications and training, announced the launch of a 24/7, online and on-demand video communications and training solution for corporations looking to harness the power of video on the Internet. Splash Stream Solutions is a proprietary, Web-based video platform designed to provide effective and efficient communications and training content across the Web in real time. The platform’s flexibility allows it to be customized to provide a turnkey private-label television network for businesses that is delivered over the Internet. Splash Stream Solutions was designed for national or international companies in a wide range of industries with a geographically dispersed sales force from 1,000 to one million that demand a broad communications solution. Visit www.splashmedia.com for more information.

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