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MicroStrategy faz ode à mobilidade





O bussiness intelligence na palma da mão é a nova fronteira transposta pela MicroStrategy. A mobilidade reinou no último MicroStrategy World 2010. Ao ritmo de Cannes, a empresa apresentou a nova plataforma MicroStrategy Mobile para iPhone e iPad, que utiliza e aumenta as funcionalidades nativas dos dispositivos da Apple, e que até aqui apenas estava disponível para BlackBerry.

A máxima da empresa que subsiste a este novo anúncio é promover uma maior interacção dos profissionais com a informação que lhes chega diariamente, optimizando os fluxos de trabalho e, consequentemente, aumentando a rentabilidade dos negócios. Online Marketing Services Provider.

Sanju Bansal, COO da MicroStrategy, classifica este lançamento como o maior dos últimos 10 anos e um marco na história da companhia. «Esta é uma nova fronteira para a indústria e estamos satisfeitos por liderá-la», afirmou o responsável durante o MicroStrategy World 2010.

No mesmo sentido, Michael Saylor, CEO e presidente da MicroStrategy, destacou a superioridade da plataforma e diz-se confiante de que o mobile será o produto de maior crescimento na empresa. «Atendendo à velocidade com que as novas gerações estão a evoluir, o elemento móvel passa a ser importante na equação tecnológica», defendeu este responsável.

Segundo ele, este novo elemento de mobilidade está a operar mudanças na visão que os CEO de todo mundo têm sobre a forma de aceder à informação e a levá-los para lá do desktop. «O BI móvel é 10 vezes melhor do que as anteriores formas de BI (web BI/papel), uma vez que não é só interactivo, ou só portátil; reúne o melhor destes dois mundos», argumentou Michael Saylor.

De acordo com este responsável, as empresas poderão reduzir os custos de licenciamento de software e hardware em cerca de 75% evoluindo os seus ambientes de trabalho do desktop para o iPAD, ao mesmo tempo que agilizam os processos de tomada de decisão. Direct Marketing Services Provider.

Quanto às expectativas de negócio, Michael Saylor, está confiante de que a revolução está para breve: «O mercado hoje é 10% do que será na próxima década.»

Entre as aplicações apresentadas por clientes da MicroStrategy destaca-se o leitor de código de barras via câmara de iPhone, bem como a integração do software MicroStrategy com o recurso de GPS do dispositivo, muito útil em ambientes de gestão de vendas ou outras operações comerciais. A MicroStrategy afirma que a plataforma mobile inclui a infra-estrutura necessária para suportar todas as aplicações desenvolvidas, permitindo que os especialistas se concentrem apenas no processo de criação.

Para contagiar o mercado com esta “Apple fever” aplicacional, a MicroStrategy anunciou a disponibilidade da plataforma nas app stores. Para a base de clientes, o “isco” vai em forma de pacote de 25 licenças gratuitas, disponíveis para download em www.microstrategy.com/freemobileBI.

Presentes no evento, vários representantes de empresas nacionais receberam a mensagem, no entanto, algumas condicionantes específicas do nosso país não lhes permitem ainda tecer grandes considerações sobre a aplicabilidade prática da nova plataforma.

Em resposta a todas as expectativas, Nuno Esculcas, country manager da MicroStrategy Portugal, revelou ao Semana que está em marcha um plano de divulgação da aplicação mobile e que esta é «verdadeiramente uma vantagem competitiva no mercado de business intelligence».

Questionado quanto ao facto de o iPad não estar ainda disponível em Portugal, o country manager revelou-se tranquilo e confirma o interesse de alguns clientes nacionais em querer avançar nesta área. A ALERT é uma das empresas nacionais que estão a dar os primeiros passos no desenvolvimento aplicacional para plataformas móveis. A empresa do Norte, especialista no desenvolvimento de aplicações para a área da saúde, está prestes a disponibilizar na app store uma aplicação para iPhone relacionada com alergias. Media Marketing Agency.

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Britain to allow export of civil nuclear technology to India





Britain is to follow the example of the US and allow the export of civil nuclear technology and expertise to India.

The move, which is the most dramatic illustration of a new special relationship David Cameron is hoping to forge with India, will prove controversial because New Delhi is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

Labour backed away from offering co-operation to India on civil nuclear power amid fears that there would be leakage to its military nuclear programme.

Cameron is on a three-day trade mission to India, which starts today. As part of the visit, British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce signed a £700m deal to supply 57 Hawk trainer jets to India.

But the nuclear issue is likely to prove more controversial. The US sanctioned the use of civil nuclear technology to India in 2008 and Britain's business department has lobbied for an equally open approach. The Ministry of Defence and the Foreign Office have been wary of exporting civil nuclear technology to India for fear of upsetting Pakistan and because of fears about links between New Delhi's civil and military nuclear programmes. Online Marketing Services Provider.

Vince Cable, the business secretary who has championed the move, announced the change in Britain's position this morning. "There is already a declaration under which a certain amount of modest research takes place," he said. "We want to take this to a higher level. There are British companies like Rolls-Royce, Serco and others which potentially could do a large amount of business in India.

"There are obvious security sensitivities. We are conscious of those, as are the Indians. But within those constraints we really want to push ahead with civil nuclear co-operation. That would be quite a big sector within which we could really make progress."

The prime minister agreed to the change in Britain's position, which will allow the granting of export licences for civil nuclear expertise and technology, after Cable wrote to the cabinet in June. The prime minister summoned the relevant ministers – Cable, William Hague and Liam Fox – after a recent cabinet meeting to agree the shift in policy.

Government sources said that Hague and Fox had not resisted the move. "The long-term institutional position of the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence has been cautious. That has been the institutional position of those departments. You should separate that from the ministerial positions," one source said. Direct Marketing Services Provider.

The sources stressed that export licences would be examined carefully. "We will manage the risks with care," one said.

Britain believes the agreement is compatible with the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, which bans the sale of nuclear technology to nuclear powers that are not signatories. The Nuclear Suppliers Group, of which Britain and the US are members, has granted India a waiver which allows the transfer of technology.

The British Aerospace deal is worth around £700m. Of that, £500m will go BAE Systems and up to £200m to Rolls-Royce. The deal will support more than 200 jobs in the UK. The jets will be built in Bangalore by the BAE subsidiary, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Cameron said: "This is an outstanding example of India-UK defence and industrial partnership, and this agreement will bring significant economic benefits to both our countries. It is evidence of our new, commercial foreign policy in action." Media Marketing Agency.

The deal follows an agreement in 2004 in which BAE supplied 66 Hawk aircraft to India.

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Naspers Unit to Buy 28.7% of Digital Sky Technologies




July 14 (Bloomberg) -- Naspers Ltd. plans to buy a 28.7 percent stake in Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies as Africa’s biggest media company bolsters its Internet business and expands outside its home market.

Naspers’s Myriad International Holdings subsidiary will pay $338 million to buy shares from existing DST investors and another $50 million for new stock in the Russian company, the Cape Town-based company said today in a statement. The unit, known as MIH, will give DST its 39.3 percent stake in Mail.ru, a Russian Internet and gaming company that the Moscow-based company controls.

The South African company has added Internet businesses domestically and in Brazil, Russia and Poland in the past year. Naspers said on June 29 that it will continue to expand by adding sales at existing businesses and through acquisitions, focused on the Internet, where the industry showed “bold growth” in emerging markets.

“From a strategy perspective it looks good,” Godwill Chahwahwa, an analyst with Coronation Fund Managers which holds shares in Naspers, said in an interview. “We are bullish on the Russian market, there is still opportunity for most of DST business to grow.”

The agreement simplifies shareholdings between Naspers and DST, and the Russian company will hold 99.9 percent of Mail.ru after the deal closes. Online Marketing Services Provider.

Social Networking

DST is one of the largest Internet companies in the Russian-speaking market, according to the statement. DST bought ICQ, the largest instant messaging service in Russian-speaking markets, in April for $188 million from AOL Inc. The Moscow- based company also owns a stake in social networking site Facebook Inc.

In April, Tencent Holdings Ltd., in which Naspers holds 35 percent, paid $300 million for a 10.3 percent stake in DST. Direct Marketing Services Provider.

Antonie Roux, the head of Naspers’ Internet division, said in a June 29 interview that “there is a land grab going on for e-commerce” and that “we have spent a lot of time and energy in the last two years” to acquire businesses in Eastern Europe and start services in “all the adjacent markets” to Russia.

DST also controls social network Forticom and has stakes in vKontakte, another Russian social network service. In December, a DST-led group invested $180 million in Zynga Game Network Inc., whose online games such as “Mafia Wars” and “FarmVille” are played by more than 120 million people. Media Marketing Agency.

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Accenture Acquires Acceria, Expanding Capabilities in Technology




NEW YORK & PARIS, Jul 14, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Accenture /quotes/comstock/13*!acn/quotes/nls/acn (ACN 40.20, -0.05, -0.12%) has acquired Acceria, a privately held company based in France that specializes in providing business processes and methodologies dedicated to the after-sales operations of industrial companies. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

The acquisition is designed to complement Accenture's strength in providing services to the automotive and industrial manufacturing marketplace globally and further enhances Accenture's capabilities in management consulting. The acquisition includes Acceria's staff and assets which provide innovative business solutions intended to help companies improve and sustain after-sales performance. Online Marketing Services Provider.

"For successful after-sales operations in a competitive market environment, optimizing a company's product and service portfolio and its pricing strategy is key," said Sergio Colella, managing director of Accenture's Industrial Equipment group. "Acceria's after-sales expertise, industrialized assets and innovative solutions can help automotive and industrial manufacturing companies improve after-sales revenues. This acquisition is designed to accelerate Accenture's expansion into the automotive and industrial marketplace."

"We are excited to be combining our business with Accenture's consulting expertise and global reach," said Laurent Boutboul, CEO of Acceria. "We are confident that together we will make a significant impact on the after-sales operations of companies in the automotive and industrial manufacturing sector, which should enable Accenture clients to set strategies that grow their businesses and allow for rapid return on investment." Direct Marketing Services Provider.

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 190,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world's most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.58 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2009. Media Marketing Agency.

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Global Chip Industry Has Room to Improve




Not many industries are as consistently volatile as semiconductors. Year -in and year-out, working and investing in the chip industry has been akin to regularly climbing aboard a furiously fast roller-coaster ride.

During the past decade, semiconductors have suffered wild ups and downs in supply and demand. In the months leading up to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, chip inventories were overflowing because of widespread anticipation that demand would be strong. After the attacks, many chipmakers dramatically scaled back production. It was a tough time to survive. Predicting demand has been one of the industry's thorniest problems for decades. Chipmakers consistently build too much inventory, or not enough—often at the worst times.
Online Marketing Services Provider.

As in 2001, inventory concerns in 2008 topped the industry's agenda as signs emerged of an impending global recession. This time the industry—in quite a desperate state—was so cautious about not getting burned by excess inventory that it cut production quicker and more deeply than usual. Some companies cut output by as much as 50 percent. Overall capacity utilization fell to just 50 percent, well below historic averages of 80 percent. With good reason, companies were cutting back swiftly in anticipation of a recession they suspected could last years. There were signs globally that this would be the case not only in semiconductors but in the overall economy.

Slamming on the brakes turned out to be one of this industry's finest moves ever. Learning from past mistakes, chipmakers were able to reduce production and inventory costs. By slowing manufacturing they not only saved money, but set themselves up for an unexpectedly swift, if unforeseen, market turnaround. Direct Marketing Services Provider.

The semiconductor industry's worst nightmare, in which the market crashed and stayed at ocean-floor depths for several years, didn't happen. The market rebounded sooner and more strongly than in perhaps any previous cycle in the industry's history. Better-than-expected consumer demand returned by the second quarter of 2009. The market is now expected to grow during the next few years. The industry has traveled a long way in a short period of time.

Why did the market come back so fast? There are several reasons.

Economic stimulus from the U.S. and Chinese governments played a role. More money in the economy spurred consumer purchases. With the investment by China to sustain internal growth, small luxury items (laptops, media devices, and smartphones) continued to attain unexpected growth there, with a ripple effect in North America. Thanks in part to this "small luxury item" trend, the semiconductor industry experienced sustained growth in the communications and consumer-electronics end markets. Media Marketing Agency.

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Microsoft Pays Mobile App Developers to Help It Catch Apple






July 14 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. is paying developers to build mobile applications for its Windows Phone 7 system to help it narrow a lead by rival products from Apple Inc. and Google Inc.

The company is providing financial incentives ranging from free tools and test handsets to funds for software development and marketing, said Todd Brix, a senior director at Microsoft who works with app developers. In some cases, Microsoft is providing revenue guarantees, and will make up the difference if apps don’t sell as well as expected, he said.

Microsoft revamped its flagship mobile operating system to recoup market share lost to Google and Apple. To win consumers, the world’s largest software maker needs an ample supply of games, music and navigation apps when handsets with Windows Phone 7 reach stores later this year. Some developers may be reluctant to sign up before they know Windows Phone will lure enough customers, said Kevin Burden, an analyst at ABI Research.

“In no way do they want to say, ‘Trust us, there will be apps at some point,’” said Burden, who is based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. “If that means paying developers, so be it. It’s a good strategy for them.” Online Marketing Services Provider.

While Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has used similar compensation programs for previous versions of its mobile operating system, it’s devoting a larger sum this time, Brix said. He declined to say how much Microsoft will spend.

“We are investing a lot to attract developers big and small to Windows Phone 7 to let them understand what the opportunity is and provide as many resources as we can to help them be successful on our platform,” Brix said. “We’re open for business and we want to work with them.”

Turnaround Needed

Microsoft needs a hit to turn around its mobile business, which Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said this week “missed a generation.” Direct Marketing Services Provider.

Windows accounted for 6.9 percent of the worldwide smartphone-software market in the first quarter, from 10.8 percent a year earlier, according ABI. Shipments of the iPhone rose to 15.8 percent, while Android handsets had 9.9 percent.

At least four app makers have been approached by Microsoft and offered financial incentives in cash, assistance with development costs or revenue guarantees in exchange for having apps ready at or near the release of Windows Phone 7, said five people with knowledge of the matter. The people declined to be named because the incentive terms are confidential.

Other mobile software makers use different approaches to entice programmers. Apple shares a portion of the revenue generated when consumers buy apps from its online store. The company, based in Cupertino, California, has sold more than 51 million iPhones since its 2007 debut. Media Marketing Agency.

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