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MIMI'S MINUTE

Stop the Presses: The News Media is Online

UPCOMING ROUND TABLES & EVENTS

IOS' "Light Saber" Intrigues Homeland Security
Intelligent Optical Systems, where John Farina is CEO and Reuben Sandler is Chairman, is developing a non-lethal weapon - the LED Incapacitator - that emits a dazzling strobe that temporarily blinds and disorients a person. When aimed at someone's eyes, a series of light pulses and colors can be triggered and the subject's eyes can't adjust quickly enough to see. The Homeland Security Department has invested $1 million for testing of the device, whose light could be used "to make a bad guy turn away or shut his eyes, giving authorities enough time to tackle the suspect and apply the cuffs, all while sparing the lives of passersby, hostages or airline passengers." It will be tested on volunteers this fall and, if all goes well, Homeland Security says it could be in the hands of thousands of policemen, border agents and National Guardsmen by 2010, as well as used by air marshals, border patrol agents, and other officers within the Transportation Security Administration and customs. The LED Incapacitor received much recent press coverage and was dubbed the "puke-ray" and "light saber." (USA Today, 8/8/07)

MyCarPage Teams with Precision Tune
MyCarPage, where Michael Moskowitz is CEO, has launched its Online Vehicle Garage service with Precision Tune Auto Care’s network of 400 professional service facilities servicing over 2.5 million vehicles annually. In addition to providing access to their vehicle service history and maintenance schedules, Precision Tune consumers will receive a free personalized web page, which includes vehicle resale values, local traffic reports, gas prices and special discounts on Precision Tune services.

Microsemi Announces New Power Modules & Agreement
Microsemi Corporation, where Jim Peterson is CEO, has introduced a new line of standard power modules for solar inverters utilizing its space-saving compact SP3 package.  Meanwhile, Microsemi and SemiSouth Laboratories have entered into an agreement which provides for cooperation between the two companies in the area of silicon carbide epitaxy wafer supply, as well as certain technical exchanges.

Memeo Provides Complete Network Protection
Memeo Inc., where Hong Bui is CEO, has announced Memeo AutoBackup Pro, which combines the same powerful and innovative features of AutoBackup 2.0 with even more flexibility, security, and user-friendly capabilities. With AutoBackup Pro, small business users and "prosumers" can extend digital content protection throughout their entire network instead of just an individual system.

Decision Toolbox: Virtual Workers Feel at Home
Decision Toolbox, where Kim Shepherd is CEO, was featured recently in the Orange County Register for its successful reliance on virtual workers. Kim has hired experienced self-starters with years of recruiting experience – the average is 17 - who value flexibility, working from home and the ability to do just recruiting and not sales or writing ads. Research firm Gartner Group estimates that 41 million corporate employees worldwide will work virtually at least one day a week by 2008. (OC Register, 8/13/07)

"Cornerstone for Healthcare" Debuts
Cornerstone OnDemand, where Adam Miller is CEO, has launched Cornerstone for Healthcare, a specialized people management solution designed to address healthcare provider challenges, including greater economic pressures, stringent industry regulations and a nationwide shortage of qualified professionals. Meanwhile, Oakwood Worldwide, a global temporary housing provider with 3,000 employees, has selected Cornerstone's Talent Management Suite to support its organizational needs.

MIMI'S MINUTE

Stop the Presses:  The News Media is Online
At last month's Wednesday Orange County Technology Round Table, during our discussion of "Key Success Factors in Understanding Your Marketplace," for several minutes the group sidelined about using the Internet and electronic press releases as a critical - and cost effective - mechanism for spreading the word about your company. While some CEOs might expect their "press agents" to handle their media relations, several of the Members were every bit as knowledgeable as veteran PR pros - in fact, more so, since they understood "the new media" and how to make it work to their advantage. For example: some of these Presidents issue a press release every week using low-cost resources like PR Web. Then they post it on their own website and send copies to their vendors (and clients) to keep them in the loop.  Other CEOs are tracking which links in their releases are being opened, so they have a better sense of what their customers are most interested in. Increasingly, sites like You Tube and Facebook are being used to "store" corporate videos, and to find contacts - that are at least one degree of separation closer to their target - to help them close on major deals. Other Members are slanting their marcomm and press releases to use as recruitment bait. And others, in their online advertising, are paying for "phrases" that tend to be both less expensive, and much more targeted, rather than using "single" key words.

As further confirmation that the media is moving online, Jan Norman, the Small Business columnist at The Orange County Register, shared with a group of executives how the journalists' world is changing. Business Monday, a weekly "tabloid" special section in the Register, which has been steadily shrinking, will be exclusively online by the end of the year. Yet, while the newspaper may be shedding pages, the press coverage is expanding - online. Articles now limited to a specific word count, can be much longer on the paper's website - and encourage interactivity. Not only will comments be printed, but the author's name, company, and frequently website (which helps to optimize search engine rankings). Additionally, OCRegister.com, for example, aims to make their e-business section "exciting" by adding jpg photos, art, charts, podcasts, videos, slide shows and links to related stories - all of which are frequently submitted by tech-press savvy CEOs. They're also going to be running more standard (and lasting) features, such as Directories, "Specialty Lists," and Events (that are open to the public). And how will writers and editors be "measured" (for promotion or even retention) in this "e-news" era: hits, page views, unique visitors, time on line.  According to Jan, this brave new journalistic world doesn't just apply to The Register, it's the media wave of the present.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

Bay Area #1, L.A. #2 in U.S. IT Employment
The San Francisco Bay Area leads the nation in terms of IT employment, followed by Los Angeles at second, Washington, DC at third, Boston at fourth, and Seattle at fifth, according to a recent analysis issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which used numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the second place ranking, the analysis found that the share of IT employment in L.A. has been dropping, from 8% to slightly under 6% of the nation's IT jobs. (socaltech.com TechNews, 8/9/07)

Wireless USB Coming to Laptops
Dell and Lenovo plan to soon launch the first mainstream laptops equipped with Wireless USB - technology that allows electronics, such as a PC and a printer, to communicate without cables. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, WiMax and several other wireless technologies all do essentially the same thing: use radio waves to send bits of data through the air. The difference is that Wireless USB can transmit bigger chunks of information at a time. It's fast enough to easily stream a movie from a PC to a TV, or send a huge document from a PC to a printer in seconds. However, wireless USB works well only at distances of up to about 30 feet. (KenRadio's Daily Tech News Clicks, 8/8/07)

IPO Pipeline Brims with New Registrations
A new Ernst & Young U.S. IPO Pipeline Report found that 108 companies had registered for initial public offerings worth $22.7 billion as of July 31. The report listed 20 technology companies seeking to raise a total of $3 billion; four biotechnology companies, $2.4 billion; 19 pharmaceutical companies, $2.7 billion; and three telecommunications companies, $325 million. Of the filers, 15 of the technology companies and 12 of the pharmaceutical companies were backed by venture capital. Within the U.S., 13 IPO registrants came from California, more than anywhere else. In the second quarter, 59 U.S. IPOs raised $15.7 billion. But analysts say that turmoil in the credit markets could squeeze the flow of new deals. A credit crunch reduces marginal spending by consumers and businesses as credit card companies, banks and other lenders tighten terms. (redherring.com, 8/10; prnewswire, 8/9/07)

Cost of Cybercrime Reaches $7 Billion
U.S. consumers have lost $7 billion during the last two years to viruses, spyware and phishing schemes, according to a new Consumer Reports' study, which finds that consumers face a 1-in-4 chance of becoming a cyber-victim, a number that has slightly decreased since last year. The survey found the rate of virus infections remained steady compared to last year, which Consumer Reports calls a mark of progress for consumers and software vendors because threats have grown more complex. In the latest survey, 38% of respondents reported a computer virus infection in the last two years, and 17% did not have anti-virus software installed. During the past six months, 34% of respondents' computers were exposed to a spyware infection. (KenRadio's Daily Tech News Clicks, 8/7/07)

UPCOMING ROUND TABLES & EVENTS

9/6 - Thursday Orange County Round Table
9/7 - 210 Corridor Round Table
9/12 - Wednesday Orange County Round Table
9/14 - West Los Angeles Round Table