NetworkD:  "ESP of the Year" -- Again
Congratulations to NetworkD, where Ashley Leonard is CEO, on receiving two awards from LANDesk Software Ltd.: the 2005/06 Northern EMEA Expert Solutions Provider of the Year (for the fourth year in a row) and Engineer of the Year. NetworkD was chosen from a field of over 50 solutions partners who represent LANDesk software across Northern Europe. >>


ZyXEL:  New Products + a "Best" Award
ZyXEL Communications, where Howie Chu is President, recently won a “Best of RetailVision Awards"™ -- Best Product in the Accessory category, for its AG-225H, the first device of its kind to combine a wireless hotspot finder, client adapter and soft access point all in one.  Meanwhile, ZyXEL announced the latest additions to its next generation VDSL product line, as well as the ZyWALL family of firewall and VPN router products with Unified Threat Management, and its XtremeMIMO wireless networking product line. >>

Esker on Demand Adds Fax Reception
Esker Software, where Mitch Baxter is a senior executive, has announced the addition of fax reception to its rapidly growing pay-per-use, on demand service. Without leaving their desks, Esker on Demand users can now send and receive fax documents into their email inboxes, eliminating the need for fax servers, machines, supplies and maintenance contracts.  Meanwhile, Esker launched Esker on Demand for AppExchange, salesforce.com’s on-demand platform. >>

George Fischer:  New Electro-Magnetic Flow Sensor
George Fischer Signet, where Charlotte Hill is President, has introduced the 2551 Display Magmeter, an insertion style electro-magnetic flow sensor, that provides increased functionality with built-in display, empty pipe detection and bi-directional flow capabilities. These features, combined with its availability in PVDF/Hastelloy-C, PP, PVDF and stainless steel wetted parts, enable the unit to meet a wide range of application needs. >>

Greenlight Wireless:  Noted in Thailand
Skweezer from Greenlight Wireless, where Kevin Perkins is CEO, was recently featured in the Bangkok Post, in an article about the improving ability to access the Internet from cell phones. Skweezer was recommended for viewing web pages not designed for mobile use. >>

ProQuest Syncata:  Achieves CMM Level 3 Assessment
Syncata India (P) Ltd., the offshore development center for ProQuest Syncata Corporation, where Ujj Nath is Managing Director, has been assessed at a Level 3 maturity for software application maintenance and support under the Software Engineering Institute's Capability Maturity Model, a framework that describes the key elements of an effective software process. According to SEI, these key practices improve the ability of organizations to meet goals for cost, schedule, functionality and product quality. >>

Important Criteria for Choosing an Outsourcing Partner
According to Senior Executives at Multinational Corporations, 2004, this chart represents "Important Criteria for Choosing a Partner for Outsourcing Enterprise Data Network Services": >>  

"The Pending Problem with Patents"
Last year alone there were nearly 400,000 patent applications. The U.S. Patent Office simply cannot keep up. The Patent Reform Act of 2005, currently making its way through Congress, attempts to make it easier to challenge granted patents and more difficult to sue for patent infringement. Its most sweeping proposal would have the system favor the person who was "first to file" rather than the person who was "first to invent." This would benefit large companies with patent-filing bureaucracies over individual inventors. It would also vastly simplify the system by eliminating the need to identify the original inventor and therefore speed up the time it takes to process a patent. >> (Business 2.0, 9/2/05)

Telecom Industry Sees Positive Signs
The telecommunication industry's long-awaited turnaround may be under way. For the first time since the bust of 2000, companies are taking risks and making investments, broadband prices are beginning to stabilize, and demand for high-bandwidth data services is starting to rise. Some indicators: In July 2005, AT&T announced that its data-related sales had declined 10.2%, a significant improvement over the past few quarters, when declines of 30% were commonplace. >> (Business 2.0, 9/6/05)  Meanwhile, many "high-tech households" want to incorporate more services into one bill (e.g., wireless data, video-on-demand, Internet-based telephony/VoIP, satellite radio, broadband, DVR, etc.), according to a study by Telephia. >> (eMarketer Daily, 9/6/05)

eBay Turns Telco
eBay Inc. has agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA, the global Internet communications company, for approximately $2.6 billion in up-front cash and eBay stock, plus potential performance-based consideration. The acquisition will strengthen eBay’s global marketplace and payments platform, while opening several new lines of business and creating significant new monetization opportunities for the company. The deal also represents a major opportunity for Skype to advance its leadership in Internet voice communications and offer people worldwide new ways to communicate in a global online era. Skype, eBay and PayPal will create an unparalleled ecommerce and communications engine for buyers and sellers around the world. >> (skype.com, 9/12/05)

A State-of-the-Art Network PC -- for $100?
Now in development in India may be personal computing's next big thing -- a $100 PC, the Nova NetPC, made by Novatium. It's 8"x6", and can be plugged into a computer monitor or a television. A tap on its keyboard brings up an array of applications, including a Web browser, e-mail, MP3 player, and word-processing and spreadsheet programs. The software is open-source and free. The PC runs on a distant back-office server instead of the little box, which itself uses less electricity than a night-light, contains no hard drive, and is silent. (Business 2.0, August 2005)

Google Stung by its Own Effectiveness?
CNET and Google are in the midst of a tiny squabble. A News.com reporter used Google to dig up some personal information on Eric Schmidt, the CEO of Google, for an article highlighting privacy concerns surrounding the search engine. Google wasn't too happy about this, and according to News.com, instituted a policy of not talking with its reporters until July 2006 as a penalty. The story published Schmidt's salary, neighborhood and political donations -- information obtained through a Google search. Perhaps CNET went too far revealing Schmidt's address but it raises the question: Why is Google complaining when it only reflects how effective their search engine is? Source:The Wave Magazine (Inside 1to1: Privacy, 9/8/05)