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The Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair will be held from 11-15 September at the Challenger Hall exhibition center but the retailers can now meet the exhibitors also through online tools available at www.ospgemsjewelry.com.

The Bangkok fair’s B2B matching facility enables buyers to meet the right suppliers who can provide the products, services they need.

Buyers can find the companies they want to meet on the website, post which they can make an e-Appointment by registering at www.ospgemsjewelry.com to sit down face-to-face at the fair, look at physical samples, and visit their factories then talk about developing businesses together.

Buyers who used the business matching tools at the prior trade fair said they were interested in about 70% of the exhibitors that they met. After the fair they would contact these exhibitors further for placing orders, according to trade show officials.

BEIJING, eFuture Information Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: EFUT; "eFuture"), a leading provider of front-end supply chain management software and services in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2008.

Financial Results Highlights for the First Quarter of 2008 -- Total revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB14.0 million (US$2.0 million), an increase of 92.8% from the first quarter of 2007. -- Software revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB7.6 million (US$1.1 million), an increase of 33.5% from the first quarter of 2007. -- Service fee income for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB5.0 million (US$0.7 million), an increase of 241.6% from the first quarter of 2007. -- Gross profit for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB4.7 million (US$0.7 million), an increase of 31.8% from the first quarter of 2007. Excluding amortization of acquired technology, gross profit for the first quarter of 2008 would have been RMB8.6 million (US$1.2 million), an increase of 130.9% from the first quarter of 2007. -- Gross margin for the first quarter of 2008 decreased to 33.6% from 49.2% in the first quarter of 2007. Excluding amortization of acquired technology, gross margin for the first quarter of 2008 would have been 61.2%, compared to 51.1% in the first quarter of 2007. -- Net loss for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB9.2 million (US$1.3 million), an increase of 658.2% over the first quarter of 2007.

"We are pleased to report strong top-line growth in a traditionally weak first fiscal quarter that includes the long Chinese New Year holiday and this year was marked by severe snow storms across large parts of China. With a strong start to 2008, we are optimistic about our prospects and our earnings per share for the full year," said Mr. Adam Yan, eFuture's chairman and chief executive officer. "In addition, a larger base of installed clients contributed to strong organic growth. Service revenue was up 241.6%, the strongest growth of any quarter in ten years, with software revenue growth remaining solid. Moreover, we have strengthened our position and significantly broadened our opportunity in the fast-growing retail market in China with the successful integration of our Guangzhou Royalstone acquisition. Looking forward to the remainder of 2008, we expect that our B2B services, including http://www.bfuture.com.cn and http://www.jindian.com.cn, will begin to contribute to our revenue and drive value for retailers and their suppliers."

First Quarter of 2008 Operational Highlights -- Sales contracts in the first quarter of 2008 increased 102.5% to RMB18.0 million (US$2.6 million) from RMB8.8 in the first quarter of 2007. -- Service sales contracts in first quarter of 2008 increased 662.8% to RMB8.6 million (US$1.2 million) from RMB1.13 million in the first quarter of 2007. -- Total new orders increased 350% to 117 orders from 26 in the first quarter of 2007.

"During the first quarter, we placed particular emphasis on integrating our acquisitions completed in 2007 into a single platform," Mr. Yan continued. "We worked to smoothly incorporate culture, strengthen back-office resource integration and improve processes to streamline internal operations and reduce software deployment costs. This organic growth strategy has translated into a 12% increase in gross margins, excluding amortization of acquired technology."

As part of its effort to streamline its operations to promote organic growth, the company organized its software business according to six vertical strategy business areas: small and medium business, key accounts, department stores and shopping malls, grocery and supermarkets, specialty stores and fast-moving consumer goods.

Financial Results for the First Quarter of 2008

Revenue

eFuture reported total revenue of RMB14.0 million (US$2.0 million) for the first quarter of 2008, a 92.8% increase from RMB7.3 million in the first quarter of 2007.

Software sales in the first quarter of 2008 increased 33.5% to RMB7.6 million (US$1.1 million) from RMB5.7 million in the first quarter of 2007. Software sales contributed 54.0% to total revenue in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 78.0% in the first quarter of 2007.

Hardware sales in the first quarter of 2008 increased 1020% to RMB1.4 million (US$0.2 million) from RMB0.1 million in the first quarter of 2007. Hardware sales contributed 10.1% to total revenue in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 1.7% in the first quarter of 2007.

Service fee income in the first quarter of 2008 increased 241.6% to RMB5.0 million (US$0.7 million) from RMB1.5 million in the first quarter of 2007. Service fee income contributed 36.0% to total revenue in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 20.3% in the first quarter of 2007. The increase was largely due to eFuture's policy to provide free maintenance for its products in the first year of operation, after which the company begins to charge maintenance and support fees.

Gross Margins

Gross profit for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB4.7 million (US$0.7 million), a 31.8% increase from RMB3.6 million in the first quarter of 2007. Excluding amortization of acquired technology, gross profit for the first quarter of 2008 would have been RMB8.6 million (US$1.2 million), an increase of 130.8% from the first quarter of 2007.

Consolidated gross margin for the first quarter of 2008 was 33.6%, compared to 49.2% in the first quarter of 2007 and 43.5% in the fourth quarter of 2007. The decrease in gross margin was largely due to the amortization of acquired technology of RMB3.8 million (US$0.55 million), which represented 27.5% of total revenue in the first quarter of 2008, compared to 1.9% in the first quarter of 2007. Excluding amortization of acquired technology, gross margin for the first quarter of 2008 would have been 61.2%, compared to 51.1% in the first quarter of 2007.

Operating Expenses

Research and development expenses in the first quarter increased 37.2 percent year over year to RMB0.2 million (US$24 thousand). The increase in research and development was mainly due to the acquisition of Royalstone last year, which led to the integration of two research and development teams.

General and administrative expenses in the first quarter increased 169.7 percent year over year to RMB7.9 million (US$1.1 million). The increase in general and administrative expenses was mainly due to RMB2.3 million (US$0.3 million) of bad debt expenses caused by significantly increased accounts receivable. We had US$2 million of accounts receivable in the first quarter, an 84.9% increase from the same period of 2007.General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2008 were 56.2 percent of total revenues, compared to 40.1 percent in the first quarter of 2007 and 20.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Selling and distribution expenses in the first quarter increased 73.0 percent year over year to RMB3.8 million (US$536 thousand). The increase in selling and distribution expenses was partially due to a significant increase in our sales contracts. Selling and distribution expenses for the first quarter of 2008 were 26.8 percent of total revenues, compared to 29.9 percent in the first quarter of 2007 and 8.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Total share-based compensation expenses in the first quarter of 2008 were RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million).

Operating loss in the first quarter of 2008 was RMB7.1 million (US$1.0 million), a 332.5% increase from RMB1.6 million in the first quarter of 2007. Operating margin was -50.5% in the first quarter of 2008, compared to -22.5% in the first quarter 2007 and 14.1% in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Net Income

Net loss for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB9.2 million (US$1.3 million), compared to net losses of RMB1.2 million in the first quarter of 2007 and net loss RMB24.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. Net margins were -65.8% in the first quarter of 2008 compared to -16.74% in the first quarter of 2007 and -50.6% in the fourth quarter of 2007. The increase in net loss and decrease in net margin was due to a number of factors including amortization of acquired technology from the acquisitions completed in 2007 of RMB3.8 million (US$0.6 million), bad debt expenses of RMB2.4 million (US$0.3 million) as a result of a large increase in accounts receivable at the end of the quarter.

Basic and diluted losses per share for the first quarter of 2008 were RMB3.14 (US$0.45) and RMB3.14 (US$0.45), respectively.

EBITDA

EBITDA (non-GAAP) for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB-1.39 million (US$- 0.2 million), a decrease of 101.1% from the first quarter of 2007. First quarter of 2008 adjusted net loss (non-GAAP) was RMB3.2 million (US$0.5 million), an increase of 732% from the first quarter of 2007.

Adjusted non-GAAP diluted losses per share for the first quarter of 2008 was RMB1.09 (US$0.16).

Cash Flow and Capital Expenditures

As of March 31, 2008, the company had RMB59.3 million (US$8.5 million) in cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Net cash generated from operating activities and capital expenditures in the first quarter of 2008 were RMB-8.2 million (US$-1.2 million) and RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million), respectively.

As of March 31, 2008 the company had 627 employees compared to 588 employees as of December 31, 2007.

Business Outlook for 2008

The company has raised its full-year 2008 total revenue guidance to be in the range of approximately US$19 to US$20 million, representing annual growth of 65 to 74% over 2007. This forecast is a current and preliminary view and is subject to change.

Conference Call Information

eFuture's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:30 p.m. on June 23, 2008 U.S. Eastern Time (8:30 a.m. on June 24, 2008 Beijing/Hong Kong Time).

Dial-in details for the earnings conference call are as follows: U.S. and International: +1-888-710-9688 Mainland China: +86-10-5851-1260 Hong Kong: +852-8306-5032

Please dial in 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin and request to be connected to the "eFuture earnings call."

Additionally, an archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the company's website at http://www.e-future.com.cn .

About eFuture Information Technology Inc.

eFuture is a leading provider of front-end supply chain management software and services in China. eFuture provides integrated software and service solutions to manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, logistics companies and retailers in China's front-end supply chain market, especially in the retail and Fast Moving Consumer Goods industries. eFuture currently serves more than 1,000 clients, including Fortune 500 companies, over 770 retailers and over 200 distributors operating in China. eFuture is also one of IBM's premier business partners in Asia Pacific and is a strategic partner with Oracle, Microsoft, JDA, Motorola and Samsung Network China. The company has over 650 employees and 20 branch offices across China.

For more information about eFuture, please visit http://www.e- future.com.cn/.

Source: tradingmarkets

To focus on overseas holy-land tours; promote Far East on both B2B and B2C platforms

Riya Holidays Pvt. Ltd., a division set up in Mumbai by Riya Tours and Travels last year is planning to focus aggressively on Business to Consumer (B2C) segment from September this year. The company is also planning to add a channel for the B2C space on its portal. The emphasis on MICE and FIT segments by the company on the B2B front will also be brought to the B2C space. Apart from this, Riya Holidays will also focus strongly on the overseas holy-land tours. “Since we are a holiday division, most of the inquiries are from B2C space. Riya Tours and Travels is already strong in the B2B segment, so in next six months we will focus aggressively on the B2C segment. About 60 -70 per cent of our business of religious tours comes from the B2B space. We will continue to offer these services to our travel partners as these religious tours consists of about 30 per cent of our business,” informed Manoj Samuel, IT Director, Riya Holidays Pvt. Ltd. The company will also promote destinations in Far East on both B2B and B2C space this year.

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Travel technology company ANMsoft Technologies is set to market its OnTra solutions to the travel trade on a big scale. Speaking to Express TravelWorld, Himanshoo Patil, its senior VP (Marketing), said, "Every customer has a different work flow whether B2B or B2C, and one product doesn't suffice everyone. OnTra is a component-driven product that provides complete automation of the travel vertical."

Manu Agarwal, its CEO, elaborates, "The product is divided into booking engine, supplier engine, CRM, integration with the suppliers, mid- and back-office. It is rare that a single vendor sells them all. We add value by offering a comprehensive end-to-end solution to our clients."

The solution enables travel companies to move forward from conventional methods by eradicating a lot of work flow processes and integrating them. The company is presently working with an airline consolidator, an upcoming OTA which has a 5,200-member call centre, a B2B provider and an ASP provider who will offer white-label solutions to small travel agents. "Our solutions are on the higher-end and we are primarily focusing on large companies on a global scale to enhance their productivity by having information free-flowing within all departments. Travel players these days are paying out of their hats for such systems," informed Patil.

Furthermore, the technology is Web 2.0 & OTA 2007 compliant, and each component integrates with other modules using XML language. ANMsoft is in talks with travel agents for this solution and hopes to sign about six new customers by end-2008.

Source: expresstravelworld.com

Industrial Leaders Trademark

16.06.2008 15:30:30 The on-line industrial supply marketplace IndustrialLeaders.com, has published a special report on its Web site to promote U.S. manufacturers of industrial supplies, equipment and machinery in Mexico

(live-PR.com) - Mexico City, Mexico - Industrial Leaders, the B2B trade portal connecting industrial suppliers and buyers announced today the launch of a special report designed to promote U.S. industrial goods in Mexico. According to Maria Santos, spokeswoman for the company, the report is designed for manufacturers utilizing the Industrial Classifieds Marketplace at www.industrialsaver.com/classifieds which enables users to post and explore free ads to buy or sell a variety of industrial supplies, equipment and machinery.

Santos said U.S. manufacturers and exporters of industrial and construction products use the report to locate trade leads, trading partners and business opportunities in Mexico. "Companies serious about entering or expanding into Mexico are often surprised to learn the country offers numerous business opportunities," said Santos. She added, "The Mexican and U.S. Industrial Trade Report was published to encourage trade in effort to support industrial workers in both countries in a increasingly competitive global marketplace." The report is free to access at www.foreigntradeexchange.com/countries/mexico.ht ..

Industrial Leaders plans to launch a number of Web sites designed to connect U.S. manufacturers in different States with Mexican companies, primarily engineers and other industrial buyers in Mexico. The company said border States such as Texas, Arizona and California will be the first to have their Web site and product line promoted on the Industrial Leaders Group 'Buy American' network at www.IndustrialLeaders.com/reviews in effort to encourage trade in the region.

Conrad Bailey, Business Director of Industrial Leaders believes increasing trade between manufacturers in Mexico and the United States will help solve a lot of immigrant problems by creating quality jobs in both countries. "The majority of Mexicans are proud, hard working people and the country itself has a lot of potential to become a more interactive marketplace for U.S. importers and exporters of industrial goods, said Bailey. He explained, "U.S. political leaders need to work more closely with Mexican officials to encourage trade between the two countries in support of both economies."

About Industrial Leaders

IndustrialLeaders.com, the 'American Industrial Marketplace' connects buyers and suppliers of industrial supplies, equipment and machinery throughout North and South America with emphasis on Canada and the United States. The primary focus of Industrial Leaders is to promote American manufacturers overseas at www.IndustrialLeaders.com
Contact information:
Industrial Leaders

Industrial Leaders
290 Turnpike Road
Westboro, MA 01581



Contact Person:
Rich Milton
PR
Phone: 206-333-0355
eMail: eMail

Web: http://www.IndustrialLeaders.com

Author:
Richard Milton
e-mail
Web: http://www.industrialsaver.com
Phone: 206-333-0355

Information Arts is launching a 'best of breed' database which will incorporate eight of the UK's top data suppliers.

The B2B database, OMNI, will blend data from 4.2 million businesses and over 10 million individual decision makers. OMNI incorporates data from D&B, Harte Hanks, Acxiom, EuroDirect, Corpdata, Oscar Research, Market Monitor and Data HQ.

Following the withdrawal of D&B's data from PH Group's MegaFile, the OMNI database is the only database in the UK and Europe that contains D&B data.

Information Arts chief executive Simon Lawrence comments: "OMNI has not been built simply to be the largest file available, but to deliver real insight".

Source: precisionmarketing.co.uk

NGN carrier MASERGY has launched a new secure Video Extranet service to enable B2B videoconferencing across an end user’s partners, suppliers and customers, using high definition, telepresence or standard video conferencing equipment.

So what’s special about this offering, considering MASERGY’s relatively small customer base (a few hundred companies), sparse network footprint (though national, MASERGY partners with many providers for local access and international reach), and the fact that AT&T is set to introduce a similar, higher-end telepresence and/or videoconferencing service later this year?

Well, for starters, there’s MASERGY’s experience with next-gen services like MPLS and VPLS, having been an early adopter of both; the carrier designed its relatively newly built network to carry such leading-edge technologies for apps such as VoIP, IP VPNs and Video over IP. Though it lacks the clout and extensive service portfolio of Tier 1 carriers, MASERGY has been able to win over medium-to-large enterprise businesses on this basis.

Moreover, MASERGY is emphasizing its highly secure network for the new service. Within a managed QoS network environment, Video Extranet provides secure inter-company videoconferencing through a VPN bridging functionality that links customers on a route-specific basis that allows only video session traffic to pass between the two private networks. This allows customers to leave their VPNs up for non-video sessions, since neither company would have access to or visibility within the other partner’s VPN. Video traffic need not be separately encrypted.

In terms of bandwidth, the service can support tens of megabit levels (Cisco Telepresence conferences can run from 15 to 35 Mbps), as well as lower-end videoconferencing capacity increments (such as those used by ISDN and H.323-based videoconferencing systems). MASERGY’s network management system allows end users to instantly and temporarily adjust bandwidth as needed.

Though the service is available to MASERGY customers and non-customers, each site does require at least one connection to a suitably-equipped MASERGY POP. As an add-on service, MASERGY’s proprietary diagnostics tool, Insight, provides a “real-time” snapshot of all network components and allows network managers to monitor and manage the QoS parameters of the video traffic and simplify troubleshooting.

It should be noted that Video Extranet has been available on a customer-specific basis for some time; this latest launch certifies that service pricing is now standardized for all customer segments.

Comparing Video Extranet to other offerings, David Hold, a senior analyst with Current Analysis, opined “For MASERGY customers, the new offer matches what is available from AT&T, with the exception of installation of high-end Cisco Telepresence solutions. But a full-blown telepresence solution as offered by AT&T would be limited by cost to just the largest corporations, and even that capability can be provided by various VARs with whom MASERGY has reseller relationships to provide a full soup-to-nuts solution serving the vast majority of the market.”

“MASERGY should also put together a turnkey package with unified pricing, for a fully managed videoconferencing and/or telepresence solution combined with network access, transport and monitoring.”

Source: telecommagazine.com

F&E Aerospace, the company behind top Middle East aviation events such as the Dubai Airshow and Aircraft Interiors Middle East (AIME) - which kicks off 16 June - believes its five strong events portfolio will attract over 1,500 aviation companies and 60,000 trade professionals over the next 18 months.

And according to the company, which has been operating locally for over 30 years, the huge growth in the regional aerospace market has cemented the emirate's reputation as the region's primary aviation hub and spearheaded the shows' evolutions.

'The Middle East aerospace market and the development of our shows, starting with the Dubai Airshow in 1989, have always worked in synergy for the greater purpose of establishing the emirate as a leading, global aerospace centre.

The Middle East has continued to record massive growth across the aerospace industry's diverse sectors, and in many ways leads the pack in terms of innovation and expansion. One only has to look at the meteoric rise of Emirates airline or the new Dubai World Central project to see this,' said Virginia Kern, Chairman, F&E.

'As the regional industry continues to expand, so does the need to provide key business platforms for the world's industry to gather, discuss and drive forward its evolution. This is what we are trying to pursue with our latest initiatives.'

AIME 2008

The launch of AIME 2008, a dedicated event serving the aircraft interiors sector, running 16-17th June at the Dubai International Conventions & Exhibitions Centre (DICEC), is the latest in the company's catalogue of achievements as it continues to position Dubai, under the auspices of its government, as the Middle East's aviation events platform.

Taking off with 100 new companies from 15 countries, and an expected visitor turnout of 2,000, AIME 2008, will feature a dedicated two day conference programme, including a welcome address by His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Government of Dubai and President and CEO of the Emirates Group.

Chaired by a host of industry 'heavyweights', other sessions will include topics such as: 'The Passenger Demands of the VIP Market - Why the Gulf is Important', 'Going Green in Interiors', 'Future Technologies for In-flight Catering' and 'The Future for Aircraft Interiors'.

The organisers have also launched a dedicated hosted buyer programme for AIME. This initiative is being implemented to foster an increased B2B setting for the industry's key decision makers and suppliers.

To date, signed up carriers for the hosted buyer programme include Jet Aviation Airline, Air Maroc and Kuwait Airways, with further slots being allocated to Middle East airlines. In addition, many of the region's biggest names have already confirmed their attendance such as award winning Emirates airline; Etihad, the UAE's national carrier; Bahrain-based Gulf Air; Royal Jet, the international luxury flight services company headquartered in Abu Dhabi; and the UAE's Amiri Flight.

'The aircraft interiors market is coming along in leaps and bounds. Strong growth in both the commercial and business aviation fields is not only driving its development, but is forcing it to diversify as customers needs and expectations become more tailored,' said Alison Weller, Director, F&E Aerospace.

'The need to develop a dedicated Middle East event to tackle the sector's challenges was a must. Via this platform, the international industry has a direct channel to talk to the region's principal players.'

The company has set its sight on diversifying its portfolio, with the announcement of two new shows set to debut next year - MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) Middle East and Aerospace Defence & Training Show (ADTS).

MRO Middle East

MRO Middle East, which will take place 21-22 January 2009, is expected to attract over 100 exhibitors and will boast a two day conference programme. The event will bring together decision-makers and suppliers to discuss all issues relating to aircraft maintenance.

The show has a strong pedigree behind it as it is being organised by Aviation Week - which already runs the world's number one MRO event in the US, and additional exhibitions in Asia and Europe.

'The Middle East will sport the fastest MRO growth of 8.9% per year compared to an overall industry average of 3.6% - so now is the time to launch an event here in the Middle East as this industry is set for some interesting times,' said Weller.

In addition, ADTS, which runs from the 2-3rd March at Airport Expo Dubai, will look to attract a similar number of exhibitors as it pursues a currently unaddressed market niche.

'Many companies have already told us this event is well-timed. The region is crying out for an show of this type, which addresses the issues and discovers solutions for the industry's training and recruitment needs,' said Weller.

'On the civil side there is massive growth from regional carriers, predicted to need 8,000 additional pilots by 2025. And on the defence side, one example here in the UAE is the air force readying itself to select new platforms for its basic and lead-in fighter trainers.'

ADTS will look at all aspects of the aerospace industry that require training, and cover all angles, from the pilots and crew, both civil and military, air traffic control, engineering, aviation management and many other associated jobs.

Through the conference and the associated exhibition they will cover the simulation products offered, the recruitment initiatives and opportunities available and the universities, courses and colleges offering aerospace and defence training.

F&E Aerospace is also heavily focusing on developing its current shows, with the 2009 Dubai Airshow tipped to be its largest to date and 2008's MEBA event already more than double in size than the 2007 edition.

Dubai Airshow 2007 boasted 850 exhibitors and 11 national pavilions representing 50 countries - 130 of these being new to the region. 45,421 visitors attended over the five days - 10,000 more than in 2005 - and over 140 aircraft were displayed on the static park, firmly cementing its reputation as the third largest aerospace event in the world

The biennial show also saw over $150bn worth of orders placed during its five days and now holds the record for the largest amount of deals ever concluded at one event.

And F&E Aerospace believe that this figure is expected to grow considerably for the 2009 outing as it moves to its new venue, with the proposed site covering more than double the size of the current Airport Expo Dubai.

MEBA 2008

MEBA 2008 - the dedicated B2B conference and exhibition for the business aviation sector, which will take place at the Dubai Airport Expo from the 16-18th November - will also more than double in size from last year, with exhibitor numbers, represented countries and aircraft on display all significantly up.

Visitor numbers are also tipped to smash last year's record with more than 5,000 expected to attend the three day event - an increase of over 50%.

'Dubai Airshow and MEBA are our stalwart events and are core drivers in both F&E Aerospace's and Dubai's continuing establishment as one of the world's leading destinations to conduct business for the industry at large,' added Weller.

'Their growth serves as the sector's barometer. It is not just about size, although this says a lot. It is about the quality of exhibitor, visitor and VIP coming through the doors which speaks volumes. Dubai and these events continue to attract a wide range of the world's leading decision makers, which is a significant indication of how this market is valued by the industry.'

Masergy, a service provider specializing in simplifying business networks for enterprises, has introduced its Video Extranet service for interoperable business-to-business videoconferencing for enterprise customers, partners and suppliers.

Masergy said its Video Extranet provides video conferencing solutions to enterprises seeking to communicate privately across different network providers inside a managed quality-of-service (QoS) network environment.

Enterprises often run video conferencing equipment on closed, private networks, limiting their connectivity to others to protect their own network assets, performance and integrity, said Scott Brothers, director, product management at MASERGY. With the MASERGY Video Extranet service, these companies now can get flexible video connectivity with guaranteed QoS, reliable performance and consistent security to enterprises using high-definition, telepresence or standard video conferencing equipment.

The company noted that benefits for enterprises implementing Masergy's Video Extranet service include:

- B2B communication among enterprises on separate private networks - Video communications between corporations on different IP carriers - Interoperability of various application equipment in a secure network environment

The inherent security of the Video Extranet environment eliminates the need for encryption while connecting corporations on different carriers or private networks, Masergy said. The Video Extranet handles all network routing directly via Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) and tunneling.

Source: tradingmarkets.com

The International Industrial Supply Trade Portal ForeignTRADEX has launched a Web site focusing on helping American and Australian manufacturers, exporters and importers develop trading partnership

(live-PR.com) - Sydney, Australia - ForeignTRADEX, a division of the US-based Industrial Leaders Group, and co-publisher of the Free Industrial & Construction Marketplace at http://www.industrialsaver.com/classifieds, announced today the release of a special report designed to promote American products and manufacturers in Australia at http://www.foreigntradeexchange.com/countries/australia.html. According Ivana Vesina, spokeswoman for the company's European and Australian market, the report is designed to help U.S. manufacturers find international business contacts, trading opportunities and import export resources in Australia.

Mark Hamilton, Business Director of ForeignTRADEX said U.S. manufacturers of industrial supplies, equipment and machinery serious about entering or expanding into Australia will find the company's Industrial Supply Marketing Report to be very useful. "Whether you want to locate trading partners in Perth, Melbourne, Hobart, Darwin, Sydney, Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane or other cities in Australia, ForeignTRADEX can help you find the companies and resources you're looking for to help your business grow."

Previously ForeignTRADEX.com launched a new version of its World Trade Forum at http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com/forum which presents some of the most useful Web sites in the world focusing on international trade. According to Hamilton Nearly 1,000 global business Web sites have been reviewed by independent editors of ForeignTRADEX and all are accessible on the site's Import Export Directory at http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com/trade_directory.html

Ms. Vesina, from her office in Sydney said American and Australian manufacturers are able to promote their products on the Industrial Leaders Group network of industrial supply trade portals, forums, directories, B2B blogs and marketplaces free of charge at http://www.WorldwideIndustrialMarketplace.com/freelisting.html

About ForeignTRADEX

ForeignTRADEX.com is a US-European Industrial Trade Directory and Marketplace connecting manufacturers, distributors, exporters and importers of industrial products throughout Europe and the United States, as well as Canada, Australia and New Zealand at http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com

Contact information: ForeignTRADEX 290 Turnpike Road Westboro, MA 01581 USA Contact Person: Rich Milton PR Phone: 206-333-0355 eMail: eMail Web: http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com Author: Richard Milton e-mail Web: http://www.industrialsaver.com Phone: 206-333-0355

Reed Business Information, which itself is in the process of a messy sale, has made an acquisition through its UK arm RBI UK: it bought out UK-based B2B marketplace and lead gen site ApprovedIndex. The terms were not disclosed. AI is an online B2B marketplace matching business buyers and suppliers across the UK...it operates in about 100 sectors in categories such as website designers, management training, marketing companies and photocopiers. This buy is similar to RBI USA's acquisition of BuyersZone early last year, which was also in the B2B marketplace space. It will also compliment RBI's existing online directory Kellysearch. More details in the release.

IndustrialCOOP Trademark

12.06.2008 17:42:24 The search engine filtered for industrial buyers IndustrialCOOP.com, has launched a new directory and marketplace connecting manufacturers, distributors, importers and exporters of adhesives and sealants

Sydney - 12 June 2008 — Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) subsidiary, today launched the availability in Australia of its Sterling Collaboration Network, an on demand business-to-business (B2B) network which makes it easier for companies to securely integrate trading processes and enhance B2B process automation and orchestration among their trading communities.

Organisations signing onto the Sterling Collaboration Network in Australia now have immediate access to more than 280,000 unique trading entities around the globe.

At the same time, the Sterling Collaboration Network will enable local companies to automate the flow of information regarding their mission-critical business activities across organisational and geo-political boundaries. Traditionally, these processes have been manual, fraught with complexity due to multiple standards and data formats and provided for low visibility in tracking supply chain activity end-to-end.

In the past, many retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, and third-party logistics firms have automated portions of their core purchase-to-pay and order-to-cash processes with their B2B communities and supply chains. However, even for “best in class” organisations, the greatest opportunity for additional cost savings and efficiency lies in electronically integrating trading partners that still transact business via phone, fax, e-mail, and postal mail.

In existence for over 30 years, the Sterling Collaboration Network eliminates all paper-based transactions and has 19,000 customers, including Orica Australia, and more than 90 global network interconnects already in operation. While Orica Australia signed onto the network eight years ago via an international license agreement, worldwide cosmetics provider, L’Oreal Australia is the first customer locally to sign onto the Australian network extension this month. The on demand network will make it easier for L’Oreal to integrate its trading community. “The Sterling Collaboration Network will enable L’Oreal to operate as a business in a stable electronic data interchange (EDI) trading environment with seven key retailers and thousands of retail outlets throughout Australia.

“On an average day, we can process at least 1,500 orders and ship more than 4,000 SKUs. By signing on with Sterling Commerce, we know we are working with a technically adept organisation which has many years of experience in value-added network services,” said Aaron Khong, General Manager – IT, L’Oreal Australia.

The Sterling Collaboration Network uses Sterling Commerce B2B integration expertise and its global supply chain community to maximise the number of supply chain partners with whom retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and logistics firms conduct business. Companies can gain a complimentary assessment of their potential savings from greater B2B automation by using the Sterling Commerce B2B Automation Savings Calculator at: www.sterlingb2bautomation.com.

“The Sterling Collaboration Network has been an invaluable part of our business for several years. It acts as an electronic Australia Post providing a one-stop shop connection to our trading network. Not only does it provide immediate visibility into document status, it gives us simplicity, security and peace of mind in being able to track and manage hundreds of thousands of orders each year with all our valued customers and suppliers,” said Mark Zrna, Senior Systems Engineer – B2B, IT Shared Services, Orica Australia.

“We are excited that Australian and multi-national firms with offices in Australia can now contact us directly to join the Sterling Collaboration Network. Companies will now be able to achieve process improvements by managing issues in real-time as they occur and respond proactively to supply disruptions and improve market responsiveness. At the same time, they will have local access to Australian account management, technical staff, migration services and support,” said Michael Vulcan, Managing Director, Australia/New Zealand, Sterling Commerce.

About Sterling Commerce

Sterling Commerce, a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), helps customers thrive in a global economy by connecting their business communities, processes, people and technology. More than 30,000 customers worldwide – including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 – use Sterling Commerce solutions for business process integration, multi-channel selling, and supply chain fulfillment to improve profitability inside and outside their company walls. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sterling Commerce has offices in 19 countries with regional offices in Sydney and Melbourne. For more information visit: www.sterlingcommerce.com.au.

Modular platform to meet the needs of dynamic mid-market businesses.

LaGarde Inc., an eCommerce solutions provider, today announced the launch of their Phoenix eCommerce platform which is offered as a software as a service model and is aimed at mid- and large-market businesses. The company states that the Phoenix platform was built to allow unlimited modularity, while meeting every eCommerce security standard.

It explains that its Phoenix platform is designed to be flexible, configurable and scalable and will make it easier for mid-and large market businesses to enhance and grow their connections with customers, suppliers, employees and business partners. The flexibility inherent in the Phoenix platform enables businesses to integrate state-of-the-art functionality without disrupting their current business systems, minimizing the need to retrain or alter internal processes.

It adds that this platform is specifically designed for B2C, B2B, manufacturing, distribution, services and government, education, and not-for-profit industry segments. The underlying technology is designed to support customization and integration for the increased functionality dynamic businesses need for efficiency and profitability.

"eBusiness in general and eCommerce specifically have become increasingly more complicated while at the same time significantly more valuable and strategic to businesses and organizations of all types," said Bob LaGarde, founder and CEO of LaGarde. "The increasing burdens of regulatory compliance and complexity of eBusiness enablement demand that vendors provide scalable, extensible turnkey solutions. This concept of 'flexibility meets security' enables the Phoenix platform to surpass all other SaaS solutions on the market and we are excited to bring our 12 years of experience to bear on this new offering," said LaGarde.

"The new Phoenix platform has already won several accolades from the Micrsoft.NET community," said Michael Wiley, premier field engineer, Microsoft Services, U.S. East Region. "I also want to reiterate that the Phoenix application is one of the best we've seen."

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Software AG, a global leader in business infrastructure software, today announced that 3Com has gone into production with the second phase of the IT transformation being powered by the webMethods Suite from Software AG. 3Com is a leading global provider of secure, converged voice and data networking solutions for enterprises of all sizes. 3Com had previously implemented the webMethods ESB, beginning in October 2007, as the cornerstone of its corporate service-oriented architecture (SOA) initiative.

Using Software AG technology, the company has replaced its legacy Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) implementation with a standards-based, business-to-business infrastructure enabling real-time process execution and visibility throughout its global value chain. 3Com has also gone into production with webMethods BPMS, which is being used to orchestrate, automate and streamline core business processes throughout the enterprise. 3Com’s deployment of the webMethods Suite continues to proceed ahead of schedule and under budget with the company achieving full return-on-investment in less than a year.

“One of 3Com’s priorities is to deliver industry leading service and support for our customers and partners,” said Jerry Kelly, CIO and vice president, 3Com Corporation. “Using the webMethods Suite, we’re able to meet business requirements much faster and deliver greater value to our customers. For example, our recent implementation of a new B2B gateway is helping us to further improve customer service. Now, we can provide our service partners with total insight into our user’s challenges and we can track their progress in real-time. Orchestrating this type of support on a global basis is key to our ability to deliver a seamless, consistent ownership experience anywhere in the world.”

3Com had relied historically upon a legacy EDI system to communicate with its partners. However, the resulting dependencies on batch transfers and frequent point-to-point integrations produced unacceptable delays in responding to customer requirements. Furthermore, the complexity of this architecture made it impossible to fully capture all of the data traveling throughout 3Com’s trading network and limited operational visibility as well.

As a result, 3Com recently implemented webMethods for B2B to tie partners and suppliers directly into the company’s SAP ERP system. Working as an extension of the webMethods ESB, webMethods for B2B is an enterprise-class B2B gateway that provides a comprehensive, scalable solution for conducting B2B transactions and communications with customers, suppliers, distributors and other trading partners. This deployment made it possible to shave days off of the fulfillment process while giving customers better, real-time visibility into order status.

Due to the speed and ease in which complex process scenarios could be visually mapped, 3Com was able to complete the conversion to the webMethods platform using just a quarter of the resources originally specified. Furthermore, subsequent changes have been implemented in hours as opposed to the weeks previously required.

3Com has also launched a number of new process improvement initiatives following the recent implementation of webMethods BPMS, Software AG’s full-feature process design, execution, monitoring and management solution. For example, 3Com is consolidating and standardizing its human resources processes using webMethods BPMS. This project is designed to infuse additional efficiency, consistency and auditability into 3Com’s HR operations while delivering further cost-savings through the retirement of redundant applications.

All of these efforts capitalize on the SOA created by 3Com using the webMethods ESB. This shift to a ‘plug & play’, real-time global business infrastructure has enabled more efficient business processes, better operational visibility and reporting, and richer, more trustworthy data. In terms of IT operations, SOA is delivering significant improvements in productivity and responsiveness as business requirements are being met faster than previously possible using the webMethods ESB.

“As one of the pioneers of the Internet era, customers and partners expect 3Com to operate at Internet speed. As we continued to expand our global value chain, it became apparent that new approaches were needed to maintain this commitment,” said Kathleen O’Neill, Director of IT, 3Com Corporation. “By deploying the webMethods Suite, we’ve been able to extract greater value from our existing IT systems, connect with partners and customers more easily, and develop differentiating applications and processes faster. The end result is we’re seeing greater alignment between IT and the business, which is working to ensure that the entire company remains 100% customer-focused.”

About Software AG

Software AG is the world’s largest independent provider of Business Infrastructure Software. Our 4,000 global enterprise customers achieve business results faster by modernizing, integrating and automating their IT systems and processes. As a result, they rapidly build measurable business value and meet changing business demands. Based on our solutions, organizations are able to liberate and govern their data, systems, applications, processes and services – achieving new levels of business flexibility.

Our leading product portfolio includes solutions for high performance data management, developing and modernizing applications, enabling service-oriented architecture, and improving business processes. By combining our technology with industry expertise and best practices experience, our customers improve and differentiate their businesses – faster.

Software AG has almost 40 years of global IT experience and over 3,600 employees serving customers in 70 countries. The company is headquartered in Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (TecDAX, ISIN DE 0003304002 / SOW). Software AG posted total revenues of €621 million in 2007.

Vertical-Specific Content Provided to Professionals in Real-Time

CAMBRIDGE, England and SAN FRANCISCO, California, June 10/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU. or AU.L), aglobal leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announcedthat Vogel Business Media, a leading B2B information provider operating over60 websites, has selected Autonomy's core infrastructure product, theIntelligent Data Operating Layer (IDOL), to power 19 new Business EfficiencyPortals. These revolutionary portals enable professionals from a wide rangeof industries to keep abreast of new developments in their respectiveindustries by providing real-time access to valuable, sector-specificbusiness insight.

Prompted by the challenge of information overload faced by the businesscommunity, Vogel Business Media coined the concept 'Find Instead of Search'to stress the importance of minimizing time spent locating critical businessinformation and maximizing time adding high-value services. IDOL's uniqueability to form a conceptual understanding of information across all datatypes, languages and repositories will enable Vogel Business Media to providehighly-targeted, vertical-specific and timely content to their users,enhancing their online experience, boosting traffic acquisition and buildingcustomer loyalty. Business Efficiency Portal users will not only benefit fromthe ability to instantly access pertinent business articles, white papers,press releases, Webcasts and information on product launches, but will alsobe able to receive personalized, automatic alerts to new content in real-time.

Autonomy's unique technology was selected after a competitive procurementdue to its unmatched language independence, format agnosticism, advancedsearch and retrieval, automatic clustering and hyperlinking capabilities.

'The proliferation of digital information presents business communitiesaround the globe with a formidable challenge: how to locate first-rate,mission-critical content quickly enough to produce cutting-edge analysis andtake informed decisions while at the same time meeting deadlines,' said MarkC. Reinold, CTO Online, Vogel Future Group. 'Autonomy's unique technologyenables Vogel Business Media users to achieve just that.'

'Vogel Business Media is an example of a forward-thinking organizationemploying next-generation technology to keep its content-hungry audiencessatisfied in a world of information overload,' said Victor Cohen, GeneralManager Northern Europe, Autonomy. 'Autonomy is delighted to supplementVogel's unique offering with a first-class user experience for its globalcustomer base.'

About Autonomy

Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU. or AU.L) is a global leader ininfrastructure software for the enterprise and is spearheading themeaning-based computing movement. Autonomy's technology forms a conceptualand contextual understanding of any piece of electronic data includingunstructured information, be it text, email, voice or video. Autonomy'ssoftware powers the full spectrum of mission-critical enterprise applicationsincluding information access technology, BI, CRM, KM, call center solutions,rich media management, information risk management solutions and securityapplications, and is recognized by industry analysts as the clear leader inenterprise search.

Autonomy's customer base comprises of more than 17,000 global companiesand organizations including: 3, ABN AMRO, AOL, BAE Systems, BBC, Bloomberg,Boeing, Citigroup, Coca Cola, Daimler Chrysler, Deutsche Bank, Ericsson,Ford, GlaxoSmithKline, Lloyd TSB, NASA, Nestle, the New York Stock Exchange,Reuters, Shell, T-Mobile, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Departmentof Homeland Security and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Autonomy also has over 300 OEM partners and more than 400 VARs andIntegrators, numbering among them leading companies such as BEA, BusinessObjects, Citrix, EDS, IBM Global Services, Novell, Satyam, Sybase, Symantec,TIBCO, Vignette and Wipro. The company has offices worldwide.

The Autonomy Group includes: Autonomy ZANTAZ, the leader in thearchiving, e-Discovery and Proactive Information Risk Management (IRM)markets; Autonomy Cardiff, a leading provider of Intelligent Documentsolutions; Autonomy etalk, award-winning provider of enterprise-class contactcenter products, Autonomy Virage, a visionary in rich media management andsecurity and surveillance technology and Autonomy Meridio, a leading providerof records management software.

Autonomy and the Autonomy logo are registered trademarks or trademarks ofAutonomy Corporation plc. All other trademarks are the property of theirrespective owners.

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Web database system aims to reduce costs by enabling suppliers to upload their substance declarations to one location for access by all participating manufacturers.

Manufacturers of electronic equipment are facing a massive increase in the amount of data they need to gather from their suppliers on the substances used in their products The European Commission is expected to add at least 4 more substances to the RoHS Directive, and Article 33 of REACH Regulation will require all manufacturers to provide customers with information on whether their products contain more than 0.1% of any "substances of very high concern" on the REACH Candidate List of substances

The first Candidate List will contain up to 12 substances and the requirement to disclose information on these substances is likely to start in October 2008.

As the number of substances continues to increase, it will become increasingly difficult for manufacturers to maintain their own independent systems for gathering this data from each of their suppliers.

Many suppliers will simply not be able to cope with supplying such massive amounts of new data to each manufacturer on an individual basis.

Environ and COCIR believe the most cost-effective and efficient approach is for manufacturers to collaborate on a common process for gathering and sharing data from suppliers.

Now Environ and COCIR have launched the BOMcheck.net web database system, which aims to reduce business costs by enabling suppliers to upload their substances declarations to one location for access by all participating manufacturers.

"BOMcheck is the first system that allows electronics producers to reduce the industry burden of ensuring REACH and RoHS compliance by compiling a centralised master database of substance data from suppliers", says Freimut Schroder, of Siemens Healthcare and COCIR Environmental Policy Focus Group Chair.

COCIR Secretary General Nicole Denjoy adds: "This groundbreaking system will reduce costs for our members and other industries as instead of each supplier having to deal individually with each manufacturer, it will provide one central location where the supplier can share its data with multiple manufacturers".

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ignify, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and provider of ERP and e-commerce solutions for the mid-market and Enterprise business segment, today announced that the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons have selected the Ignify eCommerce platform to power its official Falcons 365 online pro-store. Key to the selection is the platform’s integration into the team’s existing Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP system, resulting in real-time information on merchandise availability and order fulfillment. In addition, Falcons fans will reap the benefits of advanced browsing and product imaging, simple checkout processes, and ‘My Account’ functionality to track purchasing history and view order status.

The Ignify eCommerce platform is an end-to-end online product catalog, storefront and business commerce platform providing fully automated e-commerce capabilities with seamless integration into the Sage and Microsoft Dynamics line of ERP solutions. By integrating into other back office systems, Atlanta Falcons marketing and promotion departments can effectively gauge merchandise sales trends by leveraging cross-bundled and targeted promotions, real-time inventory reports and key metrics such as site visits, visitor browse history, click-throughs and customer purchasing patterns.

What’s more, the Falcons 365 storefront will offer several unique features for inducing repeat site visits such as: multiple options for team apparel, direct to customer promotions, and newsletters alerting fans of new gear and in store player appearances.

“We are excited to have Ignify as a partner for our new online store. The features of this platform will make it easier for our fans to shop for Falcons merchandise,” said Rich McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons.

“Incorporating Ignify eCommerce into our storefront will also help us better serve the fans by giving up-to-the-minute details on the latest product lines and team promotions while delivering a much greater degree of shopping interactivity,” added Chris DiPierri, Atlanta Falcons director of retail.

Ignify eCommerce has been deployed in over 200 medium to large businesses ranging from retail, automotive, apparel, distribution and manufacturing businesses among many others.

“We are excited to have been chosen by the Atlanta Falcons as they ramp up their online merchandising operations,” stated Sandeep Walia, founder and president of Ignify. “Our platform easily integrates into existing solutions such as ERP and shipping processes and will help the Falcons boost their overall online efforts by giving real-time information on marketing effectiveness.”

About the Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are one of 32 teams in the National Football League. The team enters its 43^rd season in 2008 under the leadership of new head coach Mike Smith. Season tickets are currently available starting as low as $250. To purchase tickets, log on to atlantafalcons.com/tickets or call 404-223-8444.

About Ignify

Ignify, established in 1999, is a privately-held ISO-9001:2000 compliant company focused on the mid-market eCommerce and mid-market accounting segment. Targeting the mid-level market, Ignify offers a comprehensive set of Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) eCommerce solutions for increasing online sales while lowering overall operation costs. The company also provides consulting services for ERP and software development initiatives and is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and Sage Certified Partner. Ignify has offices in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Nashville, Seattle, Toronto and India. For more information, visit www.ignify.com or call 888-446-4395.

Prograde Poised for Growth Thanks to Efficiencies From End-to-End Platform

MINNEAPOLIS, MN--(Marketwire - June 11, 2008) - Prograde, a Cincinnati-based print distributor that provides integrated marketing and fulfillment services in 48 states and 14 countries, is the first company to go live on Four51's e-commerce and business management platform. For distributors interested in a no-cost, end-to-end business management system, Four51 has partnered with SAP to deliver a system that combines the Four51 commerce engine with the SAP Business One back-office software.

"This integration takes our workflow and order processing to the next level," said Dan Schroer, president of Prograde. "Our transactions, from the customer's order submission all the way through to fulfillment, are paperless -- all handled via a Four51 storefront that's plugged directly into SAP Business One accounting software. Prograde has used both e-Quantum and Webb/Mason's DemandBridge offering, and this level of integration simply can't be achieved with those systems."

Four51 is an open e-commerce platform that connects buyers, distributors and suppliers of indirect goods such as printed materials, promotional products and office supplies. The integration with SAP Business One will improve print distributor operations, inventory management, reporting, and vendor management. SAP Business One is implemented at more than 15,000 small and medium-sized businesses worldwide, and Four51 is used by more than 1,500 print distributors.

"Four51's technology has really changed the way we do business," Schroer said. "We've eliminated the need to re-key orders into multiple systems and the need to put a salesperson's hands on every order. Beyond these efficiencies, we now have a better handle on crucial business intelligence that helps us succeed and grow."

Prograde has used Four51's platform since 2001, when e-commerce solutions in the print industry were seen as little more than web-to-print applications for taking orders. Today, progressive companies like Prograde see web-to-print as a valuable feature in a broader supply chain management context, enabling trading partners to conduct commerce efficiently across an open, Internet-based platform.

"It's all about driving dead cost out of the entire supply chain by using technology to move orders efficiently," Schroer said. "Web-to-print and online catalogs are simply a component of a frictionless flow of commerce."

About Four51

Four51 (www.four51.com) is automating the B2B e-catalog market using an open e-commerce platform that connects buyers, distributors and suppliers of indirect goods such as printed materials, promotional products and office supplies. Using Four51's internet catalog technology, sellers can target simple and complex B2B products to a specific buyer desktop while maintaining compliance with all corporate purchasing rules and security requirements. Further, Four51 can integrate with other relevant B2B technologies such as payment services and back-office systems. For suppliers and manufacturers, Four51's unique approach removes inefficiencies from order processing, manufacturing and go-to-market activities. Suppliers on the Four51 network gain instant, seamless access to thousands of distributors and more than one million buyer users through a single online platform.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, is aiming at registering 100 Indian travel agents on their global B2B platform www.starwoodnet.com, by year end. With increasing number of properties in India and in the global market, the US based hotel group is looking to promote the B2B distribution channel aggressively in India. The portal, which was introduced last year has registered about 20-25 travel agents till date. This online booking engine, is a global rate programme for approved sellers with facilities like 24X7 availability of rooms, web booking and access to more than 850 hotels in 95 countries across seven-hotel brands.

“We are in talks with various trade associations in India for being a part of this website. Since we are not charging any membership fee and are offering online bookings with safe payment gateways, I think it is a win-win situation for both sides,” said Saugat Nandy, Manager, Global sales, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide during a presentation of the website at the TAAI Western Region meet in Dubai recently. “The programme is designed for sellers of packaged travel who do not have the ability to negotiate local contracts based on the requirement.

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Identity Management & GRC analysts Kuppinger Cole announce European Identity Conference (EIC) 2009

GRC 2008 Report published


Following the success of the 2nd European Identity Conference (EIC) in April 2008, analyst firm and event organiser Kuppinger Cole (KCP) is pleased to announce that EIC 2009 will take place on May 5 – 8, 2009 in Munich/Germany.

EIC 2008 saw a 25% increase in visitor numbers over EIC 2007, with virtually all of the well-known names in identity management participating as speakers, panellists and exhibitors. EIC 2008 hosted more than 130 speakers, 40 best practice sessions and an evening ceremony which toasted Identity Management Awards winners in six categories plus two special awards.

Among them, in the category "Best Innovation", the European Identity Award went to a group of companies that are driving forward the process to outsource authentication and authorisation, making it easier to control application security from outside the network. There are several providers with different approaches in this field, but during the past year they all contributed to promote this concept that is considered by KCP as indispensable to making progress with the technical support. The winners in this category were Bitkoo, CA, iSM, Microsoft and Oracle.

“With a truly European look and feel to EIC, attracting interest from participants from 24 different countries, EIC 2009 looks set to be even bigger and better,” said Martin Kuppinger, founder and senior partner at KCP. “As well as covering topics such as GRC (Governance, Risk Management, Compliance) and user-centric identity management, EIC also focuses on the integration and interaction of identity management with SOA (Service Oriented Architectures).”

KCP has also released its Market Report GRC 2008 which, for the first time, gives a clear and consistent definition of the market for products which deal with Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance. This new product category integrates several existing products which address the overall GRC threats partially, like attestation, auditing, and role management solutions.

“GRC is the next step, building upon the solutions we see today and integrating them to act as the infrastructure to efficiently address the GRC threats every company is facing today,” said Martin Kuppinger. “We observe a clear trend towards a more common functionality of products which started at different edges and now are working on a more and more complete support of GRC requirements.”

The report is available for 165 Euro (plus VAT if applicable).

Ends

Editors notes

Media Contacts:
Kuppinger Cole Ltd. Bettina Buthmann;
Tel: +49 (0)211 23 70 77-23;
Fax: +49 (0)211 23 70 77-11;
Email: bb@kuppingercole.de

Glen Goldsmith
2thefore Ltd
Tel: +44 (0) 1483 811234
Mob: +44 (0)7812 766338
Email: glen@2thefore.biz


About Kuppinger Cole

Kuppinger Cole (KCP) was founded in 2004 and has become the leading European analyst for all topics around digital identities and identity management as well as GRC. KCP stands for expertise, opinion leadership and an objective view on the enlarged identity management market. This includes topics like the classic Identity and Access Management (IaM), GRC (Governance, Risk Management, Compliance), Information Rights Management (IRM), Identity Risk Management, digital certification, cards and tokens, single sign-on, auditing, federation, user-centric identity management and Identity 2.0, as well as other fields. KCP currently is expanding its research scope into the fields of SOA, with special focus on SOA security, and BSM (Business Service Management).




About the EIC 2008 Awards

Kuppinger Cole & Partners’s EIC 2008 awards honoured outstanding Identity Management projects, innovation and further developments of standards, with six different award categories.

As well as best innovations in Identity Management and the best new or improved standards, prizes were given to the best projects in the following categories: internal projects, B2B, B2C and eGovernment.

KCP also awarded two special prizes this year, for ‘Best Innovation’ and ‘Best new/improved standard.’

In the category "Best Innovation", the European Identity Award went to a group of companies that are driving forward the process to outsource authentication and authorisation, making it easier to control application security from outside the network. There are several providers with different approaches in this field, but during the past year they all contributed to promote this concept that is considered by KCP as indispensable to making progress with the technical support. The winners in this category were Bitkoo, CA, iSM, Microsoft and Oracle.

Also among the finalists in the "Best Innovation" category were Aveksa and Sailpoint for their Identity Risk Management solutions. In addition, Microsoft was recognised for making a significant contribution to identity information protection in distributed environments by their takeover of Credentica and the planned integration of U-Prove technology into user-centric Identity Management.

In the "Best new/improved standard" category, the European Identity Award went to the OpenID Foundation and to Microsoft for their InfoCard initiative. These standards form the base for Identity 2.0, the so-called user-centric Identity Management.

Other outstanding solutions nominated as finalists were the eCard API Framework and the simpleSAMLphp project driven forward by Feide RnD. The eCard API Framework has been jointly developed by Secunet and the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik (abbreviated BSI - in English: Federal Office for Security in Information Technology) to simplify the interaction of applications with different card technologies. With simpleSAMLphp, federation functions can easily be integrated into existing and new applications.

The Award for "Best internal Identity Management project" went to BASF for their AccessIT project, which realises Identity Management within a complex corporate structure and excels in consistent approaches to centralised auditing. Another finalist in this category was the Royal Bank of Scotland, with its project to control a multitude of applications by an integrated role-based access control.

Winner in the category "Best B2B Identity Management project" was Orange/France Telecom. Also among the finalists in this category were Endress+Hauser for their business customer portal and education network SurfNET which is at present one of the most comprehensive federation implementations.

In the category "Best B2C Identity Management project", the award went to eBay and Paypal which support strong authentication mechanisms, thus making a significant contribution to the protection of online transactions and creating more awareness on this issue among the wider public. Other finalists were Karlsruhe-based company Fun Communications for their innovative approach to the use of info cards as virtual customer cards, and KAS bank for their consistent use of strong authentication and encryption technologies to protect transactions.

The Republic of Austria received the prize in the "Best eGovernment Identity Management project" category for their eGovernment initiatives which are leading with regard to the implementation of Identity Management. Other finalists were Crossroads Bank, Smals and BAMF (the Bundesamt für Migration and Flüchtlinge, English: Federal Office for Migration and Refugees), for their outstanding Identity Management projects in eGovernment.

In addition, special prizes were given to two initiatives considered as groundbreaking by KCP. The VRM project by Doc Searls is an innovative approach that applies user-centric Identity Management concepts to customer management. In the VRM Unconference 2008 at the EIC 2008, this issue was intensely discussed in Europe for the first time. The second special prize went to open source projects Higgins and Bandit, an important open source initiative in Identity Management.

Every year, Indiamart.com gets these internal ideas within the company to convert themselves into more than what they already do. Sometimes, it is to do with their online presence. Some forces declare that they should always have more online payment systems and henceforth convert themselves into an also B2C company. The highly successful B2B portal running on a highly data intensive Oracle database, has got two more feathers in its cap.

One, it has established itself as an unparalleled platform for B2B players and has as a result become a focused platform for advertisers to high income small and medium enterprises. Two, it has achieved to establish the number one gifts portal in the world's virtual space. Coming back to the other feather in Indiamart's cap; Indiamart's specialised focus on small and medium enterprises have borne fruit.

Microsoft Corporation India has chosen Indiamart's home page to advertise on the benefits of legal Microsoft Software. Microsoft Corporation India has gone through many phases regarding their presence in India and Asia. In the beginning they had even encouraged piracy by turning a blind eye so that Windows becomes all-compassing as far as the operating system industry goes. Now with a new CEO at the helm it has embarked on a campaign to weed out all pirated versions of Windows in India.

One such effort is to advertise on the home page of portals such as Indiamart to reach the maximum relevant target audience. Even the ad is telling of Microsoft's sense of communication and design. It says in very few words: "Use Original Microsoft Software" and then five options are given. They are: With a new PC, Buy Online, Dial-a-software , Locate a store and Volume License. Once you have chosen the route you want to take, the site takes you to the relevant area where you can pursue the purchase.

Started with an objective of managing online media for the benefit of businesses, Indiamart Intermesh Ltd. (IIL) has always seen Internet as a business facilitator rather than a technology phenomenon. In fact, the company, which considers itself to be a business promotion agency focussing on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), is one of the two dotcom companies in the B2B model that not only survived the dotcom bust but also is raking in the profits. The other company is other than trade-india .com, which is half the size of Indiamart.

"Our success mantra for surviving the dotcom bust is that we relied more on direct sales rather than doing million-dollar advertising campaigns. Nor did we have any investor putting in millions in our company," says Brijesh Agrawal, COO, Indiamart. In fact, what explains the company's notable presence in India is that when most of the dotcoms got carried away in the advertising frenzy Indiamart's relied more on direct marketing; its sales team went knocking on doors of traders convincing hem to put up catalogues on their portal.

"What a B2B portal needs is a strong buyer-seller base and word of mouth marketing. How we've managed to so is through direct sales, through word of mouth promotion and by participating in international trade shows," Agrawal says. Besides, the company plans to launch two trade publications by August this year. "For a B2B portal it's important to educate suppliers on the benefits of E-commerce . Hence our initiative to launch trade magazines so that we can educate sellers of the benefits of E-commerce as well as keep them abreast of the latest trends in the field," says Agrawal.

Source: economictimes

Precision Consultants has created an online B2B portal for SMBs, which will automatically inform the solution providers whenever new requirements are posted on the portal and are introduced to the clients matching their profiles..

PRECISION CONSULTANTS created a portal for Server Message Block (SMB), where they can post their requirements, find a right solution provider, and also post solutions they offer. The portal has 20,000 information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITES) solution providers registered and categorised based on their expertise. When a requirement is posted on the portal, partners with requisite expertise are informed and introduced to the clients.

One of the factors behind the success of the web has been online collaboration. A relatively small company, known as Precision Consultants with 25 employees and annual turnover of INR 70 lakhs, realised that there is a huge opportunity for collaboration among SMBs in India and thus created an online portal.

For non-IT SMBs, creating an in-house project and implementing it can be tedious as it is not a part of their core business, while SMBs offering IT solutions sometimes find it hard to reach the right SMBs looking for solutions.

The online portal known as Indianitsolutions.com is a business-to-business (B2B) platform, aiming at solving this problem of SMBs and is conceptualised for helping them reach out to the global industry.

The portal has been created on .NET and Microsoft Structured Query Language (MS SQL) server. It has two main target audiences: solution providers and solution seekers.

Solution providers are basically SMB companies providing solutions to other SMBs. According to Precision Consultants, the portal has approximately 20,000 IT and ITES solution provider companies registered and categorised based on their expertise.

They are automatically informed whenever new requirements are posted on the portal matching solution provider’s profile.

Solution providers can go for a free listing on the portal or become a consulting partner of Precision Consultants or even a lifetime member of the portal.

When opting for consulting partner or lifetime partner option, solution providers subscribe to portal services and their profile solutions, services, and products are displayed on the portal.

They are provided login information for the portal through which the solution providers can update their profiles’ information anytime on their own. They can send and receive messages directly on the portal and a history of all exchanges between them and their clients is also maintained.

As soon as a requirement is posted on the portal, it is immediately categorised. If any of the registered partners have the requisite expertise, they are immediately informed and introduced to the client or consultant directly, so that there is no loss of time in proceeding with the response. Precision Consultants acts as a point of escalation for both solution seekers and solution providers in case of any issues. In case no partner suiting the needs of the client is found, requirements of the project is activated on the portal and mails are sent to all solution providers (free listing) informing them about the requirement. A list of such solution providers with their contact details is provided to the client and consultant so that they can contact them directly.

The portal allows partners to check and track the number of hits their account is getting on the portal and thereby, decide whether to upgrade or not.

Source: merinews

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sterling Commerce, an AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) subsidiary, today announced the expansion of Sterling Collaboration Network (SCN), the company’s hosted service that provides secure connectivity and collaboration between businesses, into Japan, Australia and China. With this solution, more companies will be able to securely and reliably exchange business documents, making it simpler to automate the processes they share with customers, partners and suppliers and, therefore, increase their competitiveness and productivity.

“These are fast-growing markets driven by new trends in B2B infrastructure, modernization, community management/on boarding, multi-enterprise applications, Web services and service oriented architectures (SOA),” said Phil Smith, vice president, global products and marketing, Sterling Collaboration Network, Sterling Commerce. “Now, with the Sterling Collaboration Network in Japan, Australia and China, we’re providing these important markets with a better choice for a market-leading, proven on-demand B2B network solution that will meet their diverse B2B communications needs now and in the future.”

Sterling Commerce is expanding its global network presence in response to customer demand and market opportunities. Global multinational companies facing lengthening supply chains are looking for a complete solution – an integrated, global B2B capability combined with local support and local capabilities – and Sterling Commerce is uniquely positioned to securely and reliably deliver that complete solution. On the strength of its reputation, Sterling Commerce has expanded its network presence significantly in the past year, including a 700 percent increase in contracted spend from European customers.

Sterling Collaboration Network simplifies trading partner relationships by eliminating all paper-based transactions and providing end-to-end visibility and control over the business processes shared with outside companies. Today it manages as many as 4.5 million B2B documents per day with more than 99.9 percent reliability, allowing customers, vendors and suppliers to reliably integrate their electronic processing. Sterling Collaboration Network suite includes the following services: Sterling Information Broker^SM, Community Services, Translation Services, Visibility and Hosted Application Services.

As Sterling Commerce launches in new countries, it will focus support in regional centers that will ensure local language and time zone support as well as appropriate integration resources.

More information about the Sterling Collaboration Network suite can be found online at www.sterlingcommerce.com/Products/Network/.

About Sterling Commerce

Sterling Commerce, a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), helps customers thrive in a global economy by connecting their business communities, processes, people and technology. More than 30,000 customers worldwide – including 80 percent of the Fortune 500 – use Sterling Commerce solutions for business process integration, multi-channel selling, and supply chain fulfillment to improve profitability inside and outside their company walls. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Sterling Commerce has offices in 19 countries and most major cities around the world. More information on the company can be found at www.sterlingcommerce.com.

Milwaukee, WI, June 07, 2008 --(PR.com)-- The World Trade Forum, an international trade site published by ForeignTRADEX, a division of the Industrial Leaders Group, announced today its plan to launch a specialized B2B matching site at http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com/forum to promote Wisconsin manufacturers and exporters worldwide. According to Greg Davis, a spokesman for the company, the site is intended to help manufacturers in Wisconsin and other U.S. States promote their products to domestic and international markets.

Previously the World Trade Forum and Industrial Leaders Group released an Industrial Classifieds site at http://www.industrialsaver.com/classifieds which enables manufacturers to promote their products and interact with potential buyers in various countries and regions. Davis said the site is the only industrial-focused marketplace specializing in marketing US-based manufactures and exporters of industrial supplies, equipment and machinery. Users are able to post and explore offerings free of charge and negotiate with potential buyers and suppliers using the system.

"Manufacturers all over Wisconsin are invited to utilize the forum and marketplace to promote their products to an international audience of engineers, MRO professionals and other industrial buyers," says Davis. He added, "From Milwaukee, Madison, Racine and Kenosha to West Allis, Appleton, Oshkosh and Waukesha, all manufacturers of industrial products seeking to enter or expand into overseas markets are welcome to use the resources of the World Trade Forum and the Industrial Leaders Group to promote their goods across the globe."

The World Trade Forum recently re-launched its International Trade Leads Directory at http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com/trade_directory.html. According to Davis, the directory is one of the most comprehensive resources on the Web featuring and analyzing some of the most useful foreign trade resources on-line. Davis said all sites presented in the directory have been evaluated and approved by editors of the World Trade Forum and ForeignTRADEX.

About World Trade Forum

The World Trade Forum analyzes and rates the Web's leading international trade portals at http://www.ForeignTradeExchange.com/forum/. The site is designed to connect industrial importers and exporters worldwide seeking to enter or expand into overseas markets focusing primarily on promoting US-based manufacturers of industrial products.