In today's gut-wrenching financial markets, amid the debris from collapsed dotcoms, talk of massive government tax cuts, and interest-rate cuts from a fidgety Fed, long-term investors more than ever want the hands- on advice and the trustworthy feeling they get from financial managers. And the Internet, which only recently seemed to threaten more traditional asset management by converting everyone into a self-sufficient day trader, could become the channel through which managers deliver the vital and increasingly complex financial services being demanded by high net worth clients.
Those are the conclusions of two separate reports-one by Paul Mulligan, senior analyst for eMarketer, a New York-based online market research firm, and the other by Chicago-based Arthur Andersen.
Each report concludes that, despite the proliferation of Internet brokerages such as E*Trade, headquartered in Menlo Park, CA, and Omaha, NE- based Ameritrade Inc., the delivery of hands-on service by asset managers is viewed by most long-term investors as indispensable.
"The Internet shall never make a commodity out of genuine advice and financial planning," Mulligan flatly states. "It can and most certainly will help advisors and planners deliver this guidance. It cannot, however, replace the critical intelligence and emotional sensitivity of the well- prepared investment professional."
Most people, the reports say, want to delegate to competent managers day-to-day responsibility for their finances, even while they maintain overall control, often by means of information garnered from the Internet.
Mulligan's report estimates that by 2004, nine million investors will use online financial advice services, but those services will serve primarily as a complement to human advisors. While 66% of Americans use computers for researching investment opportunities and 63% employ them to track their finances, only 31% actually make investments online, according to "The U.S. Trust Survey of Affluent Americans," a report cited by Mulligan.
Mulligan also cites the survey's figure that 94% of wealthy investors claim "trustworthiness" as their most important determinant when choosing a financial advisor as proof that, despite the proliferation of online financial services, it is neither technological savvy nor a complex smorgasbord of services that is the primary lure to clients.
Also, after a decade of unprecedented economic growth, it is not surprising that the world's best financially endowed investor's club is getting bigger-at least for the time being. In 1999, 10 million people worldwide, each with assets of at least $1 million, controlled an asset pool of more than $25.5 trillion. Of that group the highest numbers, some 22%, inherited the majority of their wealth.
A developing area of financial advice is providing for the wealthy who may seek to control assets dispersed in different financial areas through such means as aggregation services.
In 1999 Jim Clark, founder of Netscape Communications, Silicon Graphics Inc. and Healtheon, opened myCFO Inc. as a boutique financial service offering the newly rich the online account aggregation and personal financial advice. Headquartered in Mountain View, CA, myCFO controls about $42 billion and handles tax and insurance issues, investment advice, estate and trust planning, philanthropy, and financial reporting for only 275 clients who can communicate with their "client service director" via the Web or in person.
But as more and more wealth from middle- and lower-income people flows into the stock market, spurred in large part by mutual fund investments through 401(k) contributions, there has also developed a growing need for financial advice for those investors with assets of less than $1 million. In the past, almost the only asset management available to such relatively small investors was through companies managing mutual funds. That is now changing.
Companies offering individually managed accounts (IMAs) target those wishing to invest as little as $50,000 to $100,000. IMAs contrast with mutual funds by, among other things, allowing investors to select specific stocks for their portfolios.
One company offering IMAs is MyMoneyPro.com Inc., a Sunnyvale, CA, firm offering online service for those with $50,000 or more to invest. RunMoney of San Diego and Bridgewater, NJ-based WrapManager Inc., offer personalized portfolio management for a minimum $100,000 investment, with the latter charging an annual fee of 1.25% of assets under management. PrivateAccounts.com, purchased in 2000 by E*Trade, is another online portfolio management service.
"Internet-based portfolios are essentially personalized mutual funds, combining the best benefits of mutual fund and stock ownership," according to Mulligan's report, which adds that the IMA may not have existed if not for cost efficiencies provided by the Internet.
Aiming for the almost rich
Robert Jorgensen, founder and CEO of RunMoney, says IMAs are gaining in popularity because of several benefits they have compared to mutual funds, including capital gains advantages and the ease with which investors can view their securities. And while the activities of other, anonymous investors affect a mutual fund performance, IMAs remain unaffected by other investors' decisions. Jorgensen compares mutual funds to a public swimming pool with everyone being affected in some way when others enter or leave.
"A high net worth investor does not swim in a community pool," he says.
Providing banks, which sometimes have not responded quickly to technological advances, with cutting-edge online financial services is an area where some see potential, Jorgenson says.
For example, RunMoney offers its technology platform for banks to brand with their own corporate identity. RunMoney charges an annual fee and receives a percentage of the banks' revenue. Such arrangements, Jorgenson says, can save banks as much as $10 million in costs on the back end.
"Our platform is designed as a plug and play," he says.
Ed Bambauer, Arthur Andersen's regional managing partner of financial services consulting, says financial institutions, such as banks, are also offering an increasing array of products to the more modest investor.
"If you look at the financial services market today, everybody is diversifying," Bambauer says. "What banks are doing is expanding what they're offering ... in the hopes of owning or controlling a customer."
Mulligan predicts the complexity of products and proliferation of information available to investors online will only increase the value of the professional financial advice, including that available from banks which have often been a client's trusted financial advisor for many years. "The main advantage of banks is they are the linchpin of financial services for people," says Art Bender, an ecommerce analyst for New York-based Credit Suisse First Boston.
The Arthur Andersen report also predicts that "bulge bracket banks" delivering low cost products and services will continue "powering into high margin private-client businesses" and that large banks with economies of scale in asset management; brokerage and capital market businesses, can create "branded wealth management services" on a global scale.
Retail banks are joining the fray, the Andersen study says, with the trend toward outsourcing helping them face challenges in adequately developing asset management services.
But with clients seeking consolidated financial reporting and online access to account information, information technology and the Internet are integral parts in the development of the online services industry.
Zurich-based Credit Suisse Group is among those offering its private banking clients a variety of Internet services. Among those is "The Fund Lab," allowing customers to analyze and compare hundreds of large funds, and "The Investment Manager," which helps users figure out their investment style. There is also a portfolio tracker and an insurance lab, which analyzes life insurance policies.
Charlotte-based Bank of America (BofA) allows clients' access to their accounts online but does not yet aggregate outside accounts.
"Today BofA private bank clients can access any of their accounts from an informational perspective," says Lidiette Ratiani, senior vice president. "We are in the process of rolling out enhancements so that they can look at their investment and trust accounts in an integrated fashion. We're looking at aggregating even more accounts in 2001."
Among the services private banking clients primarily want, she says, is access to information via the Internet, an ability to email their financial advisors, and receiving statements and advice online. But, Ratiani adds, the online services do not diminish the need for "the face-to-face" contact between financial advisors and clients.
In December, The Citibank Private Bank, with $154 billion in client assets, announced improvements to online services for private banking clients. Developed in conjunction with Conshohocken, PA-based Destiny Web Solutions Inc., the services will furnish Citibank's private clients with customizable sites, multi-lingual options, and performance reporting and account aggregation.
Account aggregation, where the potential must be weighed against an array of privacy, regulatory and ethical concerns, is one area where Mulligan's report sees problems. Despite being of value to account managers, account aggregation has relied, so far, on clunky technology to access information financial institutions and account holders might not want shared. The lack of a means to "gracefully" aggregate "multiple financial accounts," Mulligan's report states, "will further suppress the growth of online advice."
Most financial services institutions do not volunteer to cross-supply information and have not adopted an open technology standard for the compiling of all of a client's financial data in one site. So, to date, aggregators have relied mostly on a piecemeal method called "screen scraping."
"Screen scraping is a developing bridge between today's world and where it needs to be to do this (account aggregation) effectively," Bambauer says. "If you know where the money is, you can 'attack a vendor.'"
Mulligan projects relatively slow growth for this technology, based on clients' reluctance to hand over all of their financial data to one entity, as well as the reluctance of financial institutions to share information with competitors. While eMarketeer's figures estimate some 600,000 people used account aggregation services by the end of 2000, that growth is estimated to double yearly until it reaches a projected 9.6 million by 2004.
"Despite issues of confidentiality and security, performance-driven clients are demanding that asset managers deliver aggregated reports across accounts and asset classes, yet most do not possess this capability," the Arthur Andersen report states. "Those asset manager that leverage technology to improve administration and information delivery will have an edge on the competition."
Melanie Flanigan, director of marketing communications at Redwood City, CA-based Yodlee, an account aggregation technology provider, says her company recognizes the glitches and weaknesses of the technology. But Yodlee, which recently purchased Atlanta-based VerticalOne, its major competitor, is beginning to unveil a new generation of platform that she believes will help overcome the problems.
The easier, the better
"What's been missing is that people have had to do a lot of manual input," Flanigan says, referring to cumbersome entry of data into the financial calculators and tools available on the Web. Those tools are now integrated into the new account aggregation services Yodlee provides to financial service providers like MyCiti.com, Charlotte-based First Union Corp., the Internet and wireless services of New York-based Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, NetWorth and others.
"We'll offer the capability, next year, of giving read-only access of your aggregated financial information to your trusted financial consultant," Flanigan says.
Other changes are coming for those "trusted financial advisors." For example, the Andersen report found that high net worth clients lean toward a performance-based fee to compensate their asset managers.
"Even though performance-based fees increase the risk profile of client portfolios, the overwhelming desire among clients to move away from fixed fee structures reflects both a rising risk tolerance and-more importantly for private-client wealth advisors-their dissatisfaction with the value proposition currently offered by these advisors," the report states.
Wealthy clients, Andersen found, are unsatisfied with asset managers who simply preserve their wealth instead of making them wealthier. Managing, or even quelling, monstrous and unreasonable expectations of profits may be one of the biggest challenges facing asset managers.
That impatience for new wealth may result, in part, from investors who entered the market in the midst of what Mulligan's report calls "the greatest bull market run in the history of the United States."
Citing American Century, Mulligan points out that half of all households in the United States owning mutual funds made their first investment after 1990 and may harbor historically unrealistic expectations of how their investments will continue to perform. One survey has shown that the average investor expects stocks will gain 19% annually over the next decade, while investors with five or fewer years in the market expect a 22 % increase in the same period. Another study says U.S. investors consider a 19.8% annual return for their investments "reasonable."
Copyright c 2001 Thomson Financial. All Rights Reserved.
If you're considering using an online pharmacy but want to sure you're dealing with real pharmacists, a Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites (VIPPS) seal may help you decide. The seal, issued by the National Association of Pharmacy Boards, indicates that the Web pharmacies agree to an inspection by the association and can show that its pharmacists maintain the appropriate state licenses.
To date, five sites have earned the seal: http://www.cvs.com, http://www.drugstore.com, http://www.familymeds.com, http://www.merck-medco.com and http://www.planetRx.com.
Still, Jan Engle, a clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Illinois-Chicago and part of the team that designed the VIPPS program, advises caution about buying drugs online. "Avoid any site that doesn't provide a phone number or address," she says.
She also advises filling the first prescription for a drug at a local pharmacy, so that you can be monitored for side effects, drug interactions or other complications.
Lasik researcher is guest
at online chat session
If you're curious about Lasik surgery to correct vision problems, you can join an online discussion with one of the doctors who developed the procedure. Dr. Michael Sher, a Twin Cities ophthalmic surgeon and researcher, will answer questions during a free chat session from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday.
Sher, a partner at Eye Care Associates in Minneapolis, participated in clinical trials for using excimer lasers to correct distorted corneas. He is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the University of Minnesota.
To join the discussion, go to http://www.medformation.com and click on "LASIK Vision Correction Surgery Chat." Medformation is a service provided by Allina Hospitals and Clinics.
- From staff reports.
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- AdvertisingConcepts.com announced a strategic investment by internet.com Venture Fund II LLC, part of the affiliated venture arm of internet.com Corporation (Nasdaq: INTM).
Advertising Concepts, Inc. (ACI) was founded in 1994 as a Pennsylvania advertising and marketing firm dedicated toward Internet related leads-based advertising development, target market distribution, and Internet marketing strategies. The three most widely recognized Internet properties owned by ACI are: DirectCoupons(TM) Weekly (www.directcoupons.com) -- a weekly coupon and discount newsletter that circulates to over 250,000 confirmed subscribers; MyCoupons.com(TM) (www.mycoupons.com) -- an online `savings central' Web site where users interact in real time sharing and using some of the best online and offline bargains, which generates over 10,000,000 page views monthly; and DirectLeads(TM) (www.directleads.com) -- an established and successful advertising network with over 4,000 Web publishers delivering in excess of 1,000,000 paid advertising clicks to 75 brand named advertisers per month.
In September 1999, PCData Online ranked Advertising Concepts, Inc. properties #261 of all Web properties. Jason Wolfe, ACI founder, stated, "As ACI continues to grow and develop, we are confident that internet.com's expertise in online publishing and marketing will enable us to expand into a premier Internet advertising and marketing firm."
"We are impressed with the clear vision and the unique business model that ACI has successfully established," said internet.com chairman and CEO Alan M. Meckler. "ACI has identified a market opportunity with tremendous potential and we look forward to providing ACI with the strategic, financial, and Internet industry expertise necessary to establish category leadership."
internet.com Corporation (Nasdaq: INTM), based in Westport, Connecticut, is a leading provider of global real-time news and information resources for Internet industry and Internet technology professionals, Web developers and experienced Internet users. internet.com operates a network of 78 Web sites, 70 e-mail newsletters, 101 online discussion forums and 73 moderated e-mail discussion lists with over 1.8 million unique visitors that generate more than 80 million page views monthly. Total "views," which include Web site page views, e-mail newsletter views and e-mail discussion list views, are now over 140 million per month. internet.com's global presence includes editions in Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Arabia, Australia, Asia, France, Germany, Japan, Israel and South Africa.
Advertising Concepts, Inc. press releases can be found on the Web at http://www.advertisingconcepts.com/press.html .
New York, Geneva (AirGuide - Destination News - Hotel, Resort & Spa Europe) Jun 19, 2011
Best Western Hotels The first Best Western PLUS hotel opened in Moldova's capital city, offering guests well appointed rooms with modern amenities that are designed to suit the needs of both business and leisure travelers. The iconic hotel chain has opened approximately 765 Best Western PLUS hotels around the world since launching its three-descriptor strategy in early 2011, 16 of which are in Europe. Located in the heart of Chisinau only 12km from Chisinau International Airport, the Best Western PLUS Flowers Hotel has 40 rooms including four suites, with available kitchenettes. It is located close to the financial and historical districts of the city, and to all major cultural attractions. In addition to a full-service restaurant and complimentary full breakfast, it offers a cocktail lounge, mobile phone rental, live entertainment, steam room and pool, a business center, free parking and a host of other services and amenities as listed on www.bestwestern.com/md/PlusFlowersHotel. Jun 16, 2011
Romantik Hotels Romantik Hotels & Restaurants received above-average guest satisfaction reports during recent external audits. The latest survey results were released at a recent Romantik Hotels & Restaurants International Shareholders' meeting in Mallorca, Spain. New guests tend to be younger (50 percent are under 46 years old) than the existing loyal guests (65 percent are over 47 years old), but the overall average age of guests remained steady. Many of these new guests tend to be female, which can be a direct result of the outstanding wellness offered at many hotels. In keeping with the romantic theme, 75 percent of guests are married or in a relationship. Referrals account for 40 percent of bookings. Not surprisingly, there has been continued growth in Internet bookings, and 30 percent now book via Internet. Some 90 percent of the quality checks showed above-average grades from existing guests. For more information, visit www.romantikhotels.com. Jun 14, 2011
Sofitel Hotels On June 21, 2011, every Sofitel location will temporarily become an ambassador of the Fte de la Musique. First held in France on June 21, 1982, the first day of summer in the northern hemisphere, the Fte de la Musique (Music Festival) was soon exported; today, it is an annual, international, unifying event. It is only natural for Sofitel, the international French hotel brand, to help celebrate this major cultural event around the world. From Paris to Washington, Melbourne, Buenos Aires and Marrakech, Sofitel locations on five continents will join the party with a natural blend of French elegance and the best of local culture. A piano soloist in the lobby, an intimate concert at the bar, a jazz band by the poolEeach hotel will offer its own themed event as a tribute to Music. In Greater China, Sofitel Macau Ponte 16 joins hands with Alliance Franaise for an evening French jazz and cuisine. The Greslebin trio will bring the audience a chic musical evening accompanied by a divine buffet dining experience at Mistral Restaurant, featuring live French Oysters, Foie Gras, Escargot, French cheese, desserts and free flowing French sparkling wine for guestsO enjoyment. In Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa, Latin inspired music and Fijian melodies will be performed live at Breeze Bar and Salt Restaurant. Guests will be treated to a Kava Ceremony, an opportunity to taste the traditional Fijian beverage and enjoy complimentary nibbles at Salt Restaurant while a limited Latin inspired menu will be available at Breeze Bar. Jun 17, 2011
Voyages Jules Verne Voyages Jules Verne Launches Enhanced Service for Autumn 2011. Voyages Jules Verne has announced the introduction of scheduled flights to its popular program of escorted tours in Jordan. Replacing the charter arrangement from Gatwick to Aqaba, clients will now fly from Heathrow to Amman with British Midland International (bmi), enjoying a number of additional benefits that include Saturday departures, an extended season (which means a wider choice of departures over a longer peiord), free connecting bmi flights from Manchester (supplement for other regional airports) and an upgraded flight option where customers can fly in even greater comfort in Business Class (additional cost). Travelling on scheduled flights will also extend the duration of each itinerary, enabling Voyages Jules Verne clients to spend an extra night in Jordan, staying at an additional location. For example, VJV's 15-night Grand Tour of Jordan itinerary now includes a stay at the luxurious Evason Ma'in Hot Springs & Six Senses Spa as well as an upgrade to its standard accommodation in Tala Bay, which is now the five-star Radisson Blu Resort. The eight-night Discover Jordan tour now features a night at the Dead Sea - staying either at the four-star Holiday Inn Resort or the new five-star Mvenpick Resort & Spa (additional cost). Whilst it would be understandable to expect all these extra benefits to incur an additional cost, Voyages Jules Verne has managed to maintain prices across its Jordan programme - reinforcing the company's reputation for offering the best possible value to its clients. And there's even better news on the budgeting front in the form of an Early Booking Offer as customers can now reserve their place on a Jordan tour by 30 June 2011 and enjoy a [pounds sterling]50 pp reduction on advertised prices. 2012 promises to be a big year for Jordan, as it celebrates the 200th anniversary of the re-discovery of Petra by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt as well as the 50th anniversary of the filming of Lawrence of Arabia. And, with the country currently experiencing a temporary drop in tourism, there really is no better time to see Jordan 'while the tourist crowds are away'. Voyages Jules Verne's 2011/12 Jordan holidays programme offers a choice of four itinerates including Petra to the Pyramids, Jordan's Red Sea & Petra, Discover Jordon and Grand Tour of Jordon. Jun 15, 2011
ZZ AirGuide 110620
Editorial eMail: edit@AirGuideOnline.com For Advertising and Marketing: advert@AirGuideOnline.com For Custom Content and Content Solutions: content@AirGuideOnline.com For Air Transport & Travel Business Analysis contact our Director of Content Aram Gesar eMail: bizintel@AirGuideOnline.com ISSN 1544-3760 - Copyright [c] 2011 AirGuide / Pyramid Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Calix Inc. announced that broadband stimulus award winners Nunn Telephone Company (Nunn) and Wiggins Telephone Association (WTA) have each selected Ethernet Extensible Architecture (EXA) Powered Calix Unified Access platforms and the 700GE family of optical network terminals (ONTs) to address their respective fiber initiatives in northern Colorado. Both companies plan to use these awards to bring advanced broadband services to "unserved" and "underserved" communities throughout the region.
These projects, which were awarded through the Broadband Initiatives Program (BIP), in aggregate amount to over $9.5 million in overall funds and consist of $6 million in grants and $3.5 million in loans, which include plant engineering, materials, labor, and other costs, including access equipment.
"By bringing fiber-to-the-premises to our communities, we are enabling the network capacity to not only meet the service requirements of our subscribers today, but also be prepared for more advanced services in the years to come," said Greg Grablander, general manager at Nunn.
"We see this initiative as laying the foundation for future economic development and improved quality of life in our communities, and positioning our north central Colorado serving area as an alternative to big city living with superior broadband resources. This project is critically important to our region, and Calix's deep experience in fiber access and rural broadband gives us the peace of mind that we have chosen the right partner to make this ambitious plan a reality."
"Two years ago, subscribers in the communities targeted by our Stimulus project were begging us for advanced broadband services, but we didn't have the resources to connect them," said Terry Hendrickson, CEO of WTA. "Our Stimulus award will allow us to bring vital broadband connectivity to these communities, enabling access to a range of new services and fostering economic development. Calix has been a long-time partner to WTA, and we are looking forward to working with them to bring twenty-first century services to these rural communities."
Subscribers in the regions served by Nunn and WTA will have access to powerful fiber access infrastructure enabled by the EXA Powered C7 Multiservice Access Platform (MSAP) and E7 Ethernet Service Access Platform (ESAP), along with the 700GE family of optical network terminals (ONTs). All residential and business services will leverage Gigabit passive optical network (GPON) technology for service delivery, and 10 Gigabits per second Ethernet (10GE) for services transport. Enabled by powerful Calix systems, these networks will be capable of delivering a full Gigabit per second of bandwidth to each home and business if required, and possess the scalability to meet the expected broadband demands of subscribers in these communities for the next decade or more.
Nunn will use its BIP "last-mile" award, which consists of $3.9 million in grants and $1.3 million loans, to build an advanced GPON infrastructure to the communities of Nunn and Carr, Colorado.
The network, engineered around the Calix C7 MSAP, is expected to benefit 200 local businesses and 1,000 individuals.
WTA will use its $2.1 million grant and $2.2 million loan to provide high-speed Internet access to hundreds of homes in the Weldon Valley, which includes the towns of Weldona, Goodrich, and Orchard in northeastern Colorado. The company plans to leverage GPON and 10GE transport technologies over the E7 ESAP to offer an advanced bundle of services including high-speed data services, video, and reliable voice services.
With this announcement, aggregate Calix vendor selections by broadband stimulus winners for "last-mile" and "middle-mile" awards have now reached 50 different projects, representing approximately $932 million in stimulus-related grants, loans, and private investment for plant engineering, materials, labor, and other costs, including access equipment.
M2 PRESSWIRE-June 1, 2011-: Kaspersky Lab signs five year deal with BASF(C)1994-2011 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:01062011
Abingdon, UK, -- Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of secure content and threat management solutions, announces that it is providing security solutions to BASF, the largest global chemical company operating in more than 80 countries. Kaspersky Lab security software will provide global protection for endpoints connected to the company's business network.
The deal resulted from a long-term global evaluation, conducted by BASF, of various IT security vendors and their products. In the evaluation, Kaspersky Lab demonstrated the most efficient software for protecting corporate IT infrastructure and was therefore chosen as BASF's preferred supplier. A total of 100,000 BASF endpoints will be protected by Kaspersky Work Space Security.
"We are very proud to have BASF as our new global client", says Eugene Kaspersky, CEO and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab. "As with any other major international corporation, BASF require constant and reliable protection for their corporate IT infrastructure and we're very glad that they have chosen Kaspersky Lab as their global partner in this business-critical area".
Kaspersky Work Space Security will provide comprehensive protection against all types of threats for BASF's endpoints. In addition to protecting against malware, phishing and hacking attacks, the security software provides a firewall, secure email forwarding and control over the usage of peripherals, such as USB flash drives and external storage and I/O devices. Individual Maintenance Service Agreements (MSAs) have also been drawn up between BASF and Kaspersky Lab to ensure that BASF employees receive the very best global support.
"Ensuring worldwide standardised and scalable asset protection and reporting is one of the IT security fundamentals in our organisation. We rely on Kaspersky Lab to assist us with this and are delighted with the scanning performance and flexible, central management capabilities provided by the Kaspersky Administration Kit", said Oliver Jaeckel-Bender, senior specialist for IT Security within Information Services BASF Group.
Kaspersky Lab Newsroom
Kaspersky Lab has launched a new online newsroom, Kaspersky Lab Newsroom Europe (http://newsroom.kaspersky.eu/en), for journalists throughout Europe. The newsroom is specifically designed to serve many of the media's most common requests, making it easier for journalists to find product and corporate information, facts and figures, editorial copy, images, videos and audio files, as well as details about the appropriate PR contacts.
About Kaspersky Lab
Kaspersky Lab is the largest antivirus company in Europe. It delivers some of the world's most immediate protection against IT security threats, including viruses, spyware, crimeware, hackers, phishing, and spam. The company is ranked among the world's top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users. Kaspersky Lab products provide superior detection rates and one of the industry's fastest outbreak response times for home users, SMBs, large enterprises and the mobile computing environment. Kaspersky(r) technology is also used worldwide inside the products and services of the industry's leading IT security solution providers. Learn more at www.kaspersky.co.uk. For the latest on antivirus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and other IT security issues and trends, visit http://www.securelist.com.
Editorial contact:
Berkeley PR
John Paul Charles
kasperskylab@berkeleypr.co.uk
Telephone: 0118 988 2992
Fax: 0118 988 6911
Three Mile Cross
RG7 1BA, Reading
Kaspersky Lab UK
Ruth Knowles
Ruth.Knowles@kasperskylab.co.uk
Telephone: 0871 789 1633
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Milton Business Park
OX14 4RY, Oxford
(c) 2010 Kaspersky Lab. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for Kaspersky Lab products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. Kaspersky Lab shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.
About BASF
BASF is the world's leading chemical company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and agricultural products to oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of about EUR63.9 billion in 2010 and had approximately 109,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com or in its Social Media Newsroom at newsroom.basf.com.
((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).
Byline: From Daniel Bates in New York
FACEBOOK has admitted hiring a 'dirty tricks' PR firm to smear Google and stoke fears that it compromised users' privacy.
The social network website asked Burson-Marsteller to start a secret whispering campaign by planting negative stories in newspapers.
The PR firm, which represented the Argentinian junta during the Falklands War and Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaucescu, touted scaremongering stories for an unnamed client, attacking Google's new Social Circle service.
Although Facebook was not identified, it owned up to being behind the campaign when confronted with leaked emails.
Social Circle is the most direct challenge yet to Facebook. It will reportedly allow users to share photos, videos and status updates. But Facebook claims the service collects data from it and other services without authorisation.
The plan was uncovered when Burson-Marsteller approached U.S. privacy blogger Christopher Soghoian, asking him to write about Social Circle.
It promised to help him get it published in high-profile newspapers including the Washington Post, and included a damning assessment of Google, saying it had 'a well-known history of infringing privacy rights'.
It said Social Circle was 'designed to scrape private data and build deeply personal dossiers on millions of users'.
But Mr Soghoian demanded to know who was behind the story. When Burson-Marsteller refused to divulge the name, he published its emails online.
Matthew Ingram, of the technology analyst GigaOm, said Facebook's actions smacked of 'desperation', adding: 'Large corporations hiring PR companies to plant negative articles in the press about their competitors isn't exactly a new phenomenon. But this is the first sign that Facebook has taken to using these sleazy tactics against Google.'
A Facebook spokesman said: 'We wanted third parties to verify that people did not approve of the collection and use of information from their accounts on Facebook and other services for inclusion in Social Circle, just as Facebook did not approve of use or collection for this purpose.
'We engaged Burson-Marsteller to focus attention on this issue, using publicly available information. The issues are serious and we should have presented them in a serious and transparent way.'
Google and Facebook are increasingly bitter rivals over the future of social networking and internet communications.
Facebook has 600million users and is by far the largest social network, but sees Google as its biggest threat.
But both have been criticised for their privacy policies. While Facebook provoked users' fury when it tried to make more content public, Google was savaged for secretly collecting users' data from wi-fi networks when filming its Streetview service.
Stamford, CT (PRWEB) April 27, 2011
FocusVision Worldwide, the leading global provider of live video transmission, analysis and archive solutions for the marketing research industry, today announced the launch of Mobile Streaming -- live video streaming of qualitative market research to mobile devices.
"We saw it as the next phase in the evolution of qualitative research observation," said Ariel Kunar, COO FocusVision. "First we enabled remote observation from anywhere users could plug into the internet. Now we want to enable observation wherever users are. The proliferation of mobile devices (phones, and tablet PCs) with 3G & 4G networks has made that possible."
Without question, the iPad and other tablet and smart phone devices have rapidly changed the consumer and business landscape. With Mobile Streaming, FocusVision clients can now receive the same high quality video of their research projects to their mobile devices -- giving them greater flexibility and accessibility than ever.
Mobile Streaming on the iPad has all the same functionality as FocusVision VideoStreaming including VideoMarker[TM] software, notes and live chat. Phone users will receive video only because the screen size is too small to accommodate the full interface.
"Mobile device streaming is a nice complement to our core offering," said Eric Grosgogeat CEO FocusVision Worldwide. "Our clients are thrilled by the new development and are even willing to pay a small up charge for this added flexibility. Being able to offer this service to our clients further demonstrates our commitment to providing the best service possible."
About FocusVision: FocusVision is the leading global provider of live video transmission, analysis and archive solutions for the qualitative market research industry. With transmission solutions for all venues, including focus group facilities, in-homes and shop a-longs, and video-enabled online focus groups using web cams, FocusVision delivers the highest audio and video quality, reliability and security for the most advanced research organizations in the world. With a virtual backroom experience, FocusVision solutions increase key stakeholder participation, avoid the hassles and costs of travel and accelerate the review, analysis and reporting process. For more information about FocusVision visit http://www.focusvision.com.
For additional information contact:
Jill Ransome, Marketing Director, 203-428-2430, jransome(at)focusvision(dot)com
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Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/video/streaming/prweb8348196.htm
WARREN, Ohio, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Stoneridge, Inc. (NYSE: SRI) will broadcast its third-quarter 2010 earnings conference call live over the Internet on Friday, October 22, 2010, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time with President and Chief Executive Officer John Corey and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer George Strickler.
This webcast can be accessed through the Company's Web site, www.stoneridge.com. The webcast is also being distributed over CCBN's Investor Distribution Network. Individual investors can listen to the webcast at www.fulldisclosure.com. Institutional investors can access the webcast via CCBN's password-protected event management site, StreetEvents (www.streetevents.com).
Stoneridge, Inc., headquartered in Warren, Ohio, is an independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the medium- and heavy-duty truck, automotive, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets. Net sales in 2009 were approximately $475.2 million. Additional information about Stoneridge can be found at www.stoneridge.com.
| For more information, contact: |
| Kenneth A. Kure, Corporate Treasurer and Director of Finance |
| 330/856-2443 |
SOURCE Stoneridge, Inc.
Unleashes IPNETFORCE Designed to Make Partner Collaboration With IPNETZONE Simple and Profitable for Companies throughout the U.S. and Canada
NEW YORK, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- IPNETZONE COMMUNICATIONS INC. today announced the launch of their new channel partner program, IPNETFORCE. The program offers premier channel members additional marketing and sales support benefits as well as offering all channel partners flexible packages, nationwide coverage, generous compensation plans, wholesale discounts, assisted sales, online access and strong technology partners to support the growth of IPNETZONE's channel partner program. For those interested in the program, prospective channel partners need only fill out a simple online form to start the discussions between the two firms.
"IPNETFORCE is such an important piece of IPNETZONE's business model, as it enables our channel partners to deliver reliable, unparalleled Internet and network management services to small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) throughout the U.S. and Canada," says Joon Shin, President and CEO of IPNETZONE. "Our channel partners can feel confident representing the IPNETZONE brand, as customer and channel partner satisfaction is paramount and our company goes the extra mile to ensure that we're here and ready to respond when needed."
IPNETZONE's Channel Partner members currently include systems integrators; IT consulting firms with specialties in cloud computing, virtualization, disaster recovery and business continuity; and telecommunication vendors.
"IPNETZONE 's circuits and managed services have allowed us to focus on our core competencies as a Hosted VoIP Provider," says Peter Schwartz, CEO of AMP Networks. "Knowing that our transit provider's network is resilient, robust and scalable is paramount in our business. We feel that IPNETZONE is not only a trusted partner but a part of our team and a key driver of the success for AMP's business."
Adam Cohen, CEO of KJ Technology Consulting concurs. "We have a true strategic partner in IPNETZONE," he says. "Working closely with IPNETZONE since their inception has enabled us, as an outsourced IT provider to deliver best-in-class Internet services and next generation solutions that our clients can count on. Their depth of knowledge combined with their high availability and responsiveness is unparalleled in the industry."
"IPNETZONE 's network and circuit specialization has provided the foundation for our service offerings," says Kimberly Brumfield, President and CEO of ColoMetro. "Leveraging IPNETZONE at the network layer allows ColoMetro to provide end-to-end managed solutions with enterprise class quality of service."
Just as Software as a Service (SaaS) has evolved over the past decade with goals to reduce investment in equipment and capital expenditures, the managed services industry possesses the same goals to provide technology as a service as an operating expense. "Beyond giving SMBs peace of mind on technology solutions through our network of service providers, they can also revel in the fact that they are shifting their money from capital expenditures to operating expenditures for added tax savings, which is a much needed relief especially in our current economic climate," says Shin.
About IPNETZONE COMMUNICATIONS INC.
IPNETZONE is an independent Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides nationwide data and Internet services, managed network services, network consulting, collocation services, and monitoring solutions to SMBs and enterprise clients. Founded in 2007, IPNETZONE has provided Internet circuits ranging from business class cable to gigabit metro Ethernet circuits nationwide as well as a full suite of converged IP communications products and network management solutions. Companies have looked to IPNETZONE for complete solutions to manage their communications infrastructure and shift the burden of maintaining complex networks to a seasoned technology partner. As a leader in enhanced communications technology, IPNETZONE strives to develop and deploy reliable, next generation solutions to ensure our clients competitive advantage in their industry.
About AMP Networks d/b/a PressONE
New York City based AMP Networks d/b/a PressONE, founded in 1978, is a leading provider of Hosted Telecommunication Services. In a marketplace where voice and data services are sold as a commodity, where rock bottom prices are paramount to a company's success, PressONE functions as a true business communications solution provider. PressONE strives to drive down communications costs for their clients, but also focuses on providing clients with a holistic approach to their entire telecommunications infrastructure. PressONE takes into account clients' current telecom expenses and business processes as they relate to voice and data, and align the two, providing comprehensive solutions meeting productivity and budgetary mandates.
About KJ Technology Consulting
KJ Technology Consulting is the premiere NYC-based IT outsourcing firm. Since 1998, KJ has delivered world class service as a trusted advisor to the small-to-medium sized business (SMB) and high-end residential marketplace. KJ leverages a customer-centric team-oriented approach to managing the technology lifecycle from analysis, planning, project management and implementation through on-going monitoring, maintenance and support. KJ specializes in scaling down enterprise class systems to provide affordable, dependable and reliable solutions. By bridging the gap between technology and the people who use it, KJ enables its clients to maximize their IT budget, minimize their downtime and focus on their core competencies.
About ColoMetro
Central Texas based ColoMetro Inc., provides managed technology solutions to central Texas small- and medium-sized businesses. ColoMetro helps businesses overcome the struggle between enterprise level technology needs and small business budgets. By engineering end-to-end solutions that balance in-house resources and skill set with managed services and outsourced skill set, ColoMetro can increase the effectiveness of business' technology budget. Solutions and services include datacenter collocation, multi-site network design, server management, disaster recovery, data replication, virtualization, Enterprise Active Directory design, hosted or managed Microsoft Exchange and business application hosting. ColoMetro also offers new and refurbished Cisco network equipment as well as Dell Servers and PC hardware.
IPNETZONE Communications Inc. 1270 Broadway, Suite 708 New York, NY 10001 +1 (646) 254-6800 info@ipnetzone.com http://www.ipnetzone.com/
CONTACT: Cindi Cook of cccreative for IPNETZONE, +1-646-326-9215, pr@ipnetzone.com
Web Site: http://www.ipnetzone.com/
ANTIGO, Wis. -- Since launch of a Load n Go card in August, CoVantage Credit Union here reports it has signed up more than 100 members, with approximately 10-15 members being added each week.
The reloadable card can be used like any plastic card for purchases at a cost of $2 per month, cheaper than a Wal-mart prepaid card that charges $5.50 per month, the credit union noted. Each month, members also receive a statement detailing purchases made with the card.
Anybody is eligible for the card as long as they are in good standing with the credit union, have no history of fraudulent activity and do not have a child support lien. They could have a credit score of 400 and still get a card, the Wisconsin League quoted CoVantage SVP Paul Grinde as saying. The program is being offered through the Wisconsin leagues REAL Solutions program.
According to CoVantage, the new service is attracting a wide variety of members from college students to Internet shoppers to those who dont qualify for or are uncomfortable using a checking account, he said.
One family plans to deposit money into a Load nGo account and then send the card to family members in Mexico, Grinde said.
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