Year: 2008

RequestFill.com — The Powerful Search Engine to Find the Right IT Service Provider

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RequestFill Inc., the multi-dimensional and web 2.0 based lead-generation platform for IT service and outsourcing providers announced the launching of real-time best-practice and knowledge publishing for IT service providers. This new feature allows registered service providers to publish best-practice articles and knowledge on RequestFill platform. Each article published can be searched and viewed by millions of IT readers in our strategic partnership media network. In the near future, each article can also be rated by the readers. Top-rated articles will further promote service providers' ranking in related service categories and help improve their visibility among other vendors.

San Jose, CA (PRWEB) January 24, 2008 — RequestFill Inc., the multi-dimensional and web 2.0 based lead-generation platform for IT service and outsourcing providers announced the launching of real-time best-practice and knowledge publishing for IT service providers. This new feature allows registered service providers to publish best-practice articles and knowledge on RequestFill platform. Each article published can be searched and viewed by millions of IT readers in our strategic partnership media network. In the near future, each article can also be rated by the readers. Top-rated articles will further promote service providers' ranking in related service categories and help improve their visibility among other vendors.

RequestFill believes that the best matching service provider to buyer should have high-quality service and knowledge offering, as well as top client ratings. Taking all these criteria into account, RequestFill's proprietary search engine gives IT requesters unbiased and highly qualified service providers according to requester's criteria. RequestFill is the industry's first unbiased search platform delivering superior value to both IT service providers and requesters.

Launched on Nov 6, 2007, RequestFill currently has more than 300 qualified enterprise-level service providers covering more than 60 IT service areas. It is recognized as one of the fastest growing lead generation companies in business service sectors.

"RequestFill connects IT requesters to service providers by quality, service and knowledge offering. Leveraging the power of RequestFill's proprietary search engine, service providers get qualified leads that go beyond traditional cold-calling", said Jessica Ma, CEO and founder of RequestFill Inc.

About RequestFill Inc.

RequestFill Inc. is an effective lead-generation platform that supplies service providers with detailed and highly qualified leads on motivated and budgeted buyers. Powered by a proprietary multi-dimensional match engine, RequestFill revolutionizes how IT professionals research and locate IT service providers specific to their needs.

For more information, visit www.RequestFill.com or
Phone: 408-551-2830

RequestFill, RequestFill logo and RequestFill.com are trademarks of RequestFill, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Corporate Spending Goes Negative — Signs of a Recession in ChangeWave’s Latest Software Survey

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ChangeWave's latest corporate software spending survey shows clear signs of a recession in business spending for the first quarter of 2008.

Rockville, MD (PRWEB) January 24, 2008 — For the first time in years, a ChangeWave corporate software spending survey is pointing to negative growth for the economy. The survey presents clear signs of a recession in business spending for the first quarter of 2008.

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Better than one-in-five respondents (22%) now say their company will spend less for software over the next 90 days compared to the previous 90 days — 8 percentage points worse than our previous survey in October 2007.

Just 16% of respondents say their company will spend more — 2 points worse than previously.

A total of 1,802 respondents involved with software purchasing in their company participated in the January 9-16 survey.

"These latest software results — combined with our recent consumer spending survey – should end the 'are we or aren't we' in economic recession debate once and for all," said Tobin Smith, founder of ChangeWave Research and editor of ChangeWave Investing. "Now both businesses and consumers are singing from the same 'cut-thy-spending' hymnal."

(To download the chart along with the ChangeWave Corporate Software survey results, go to ChangeWave Software Spending Report).

Forces Driving the Slowdown:

Nearly one-in-10 respondents (9%) cite "a general slowdown in business conditions and capital budgets" as the foremost factor driving their companies purchasing decisions — a number that is up 3 points since October 2007 and triple the percentage of a year ago.

In a follow-up question, respondents were asked if there had been any adjustments made to their first quarter capital budgets over the past 90 days.

Twice as many said their capital budgets were adjusted lower (22%) than said they were increased (11%) — a powerful indicator of a very tough corporate spending environment.

The survey also looked at specific software categories and found Security Software (16%; down 7-pts) to have experienced the biggest slowdown since October 2007. Business Intelligence (8%; down 2-pts) and Document/Content Management (5%; down 2-pts) software also look softer.

On a somewhat brighter note, Virtualization (9%) and Enterprise Resource Planning (7%) spending appear similar to that of the previous survey.

But overall, the survey results show clear signs of a recession in business spending for the first quarter of 2008, and are a striking confirmation that we're now sailing through a period of heavy economic turbulence.

The ChangeWave Alliance is a network of 14,000 highly qualified business, technology, and medical professionals in leading companies of select industries — credentialed experts who spend their everyday lives working on the frontline of technological change. ChangeWave surveys its Alliance members on a range of business and investment research and intelligence topics, collects feedback from them electronically, and converts the information into proprietary quantitative and qualitative reports.

For a copy of the entire ChangeWave Research corporate software spending survey, please contact Darlene March, March Media Relations, (714) 514-3736.

 

CompTIA Board of Directors Establishes $1 Million Match Grant Challenge for Creating Futures Program

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Cash, in-kind donations eligible for dollar-for-dollar match.

 

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 24, 2008 — The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Educational Foundation announced today a $1 million challenge grant has been awarded to its Creating Futures program by the CompTIA Board of Directors.

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The challenge grant will match on a dollar for dollar basis up to $1 million in cash and in-kind donations made to the Creating Futures program in 2008 by contributing matching funds to the program's endowment.

Creating Futures is an initiative of the CompTIA Education Foundation that is providing career opportunities to groups who have historically been under-represented in the IT workforce, including veterans transitioning out of the military; individuals with disabilities; at-risk youth; and dislocated workers. The program works with employers to identify their hiring needs, then tailors education and training programs to help individuals obtain the skills employers are looking for.

“The elected leadership of the Association is demonstrating its support and commitment to Creating Futures by funding this challenge,” said John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “Creating Futures has already brought into the IT industry workforce 130 individuals who may not have otherwise had the chance to embark on a career in technology. The $1 million challenge grant gives great impetus to our efforts to expand Creating Futures programs to reach 1,000 individuals in 2008.”

The announcement of the challenge grant was made at CompTIA Colloquium, an invitation-only symposium where industry, academic and government IT education executives and leaders come together to shape the future of global technology learning. The conference is being held this week at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz.

For more information on the CompTIA Educational Foundation and Creating Futures, visit http://www.creatingfutures.us/.

About the CompTIA Educational Foundation
Established in 1998, the CompTIA Educational Foundation’s mission is to develop qualified and productive entry level IT workers, with the hopes of eliminating the skill shortages within the industry. The Foundation receives support from individuals, industry leaders, companies and the government through contributions and grants. This support has helped more than 700 people to pursue careers in the IT industry. For more information, visit http://www.creatingfutures.us/.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the voice of the world's $3 trillion information technology industry. CompTIA membership extends into more than 100 countries and includes companies at the forefront of innovation; the channel partners and solution providers they rely on to bring their products to market; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their technology investments. For more information, visit www.comptia.org.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
Phone: 630-678-8468
Email: sostrowski @ comptia.org

 

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CompTIA Educational Foundation Expands IT Merit Award Program

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All CompTIA Learning Alliance member students now eligible.

 

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. (Vocus/PRWEB ) January 23, 2008 — The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Educational Foundation announced today it is expanding a program that provides financial assistance to students and adult learners preparing for careers in the information technology (IT) industry.

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Eligibility for the CompTIA IT Merit Award program has been extended to students enrolled in classes delivered by training providers that are members of CompTIA Learning Alliance (CLA).

Students enrolled in technology curriculum at academic institutions that are members of the CompTIA Education to Careers program continue to be eligible for CompTIA IT Merit Awards.

The announcement of the IT Merit Award program expansion was made at CompTIA Colloquium, an invitation-only symposium where industry, academic and government IT education executives and leaders come together to shape the future of global technology learning. The conference is being held this week at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Ariz.

“As the result of a generous gift by the CompTIA Board of Directors, the Educational Foundation is able to extend financial assistance to even more deserving students preparing for careers in our industry,” said John Venator, president and chief executive officer, CompTIA. “The CompTIA Learning Alliance recognizes training providers who have met our quality standards for delivering certification education and training. CLA members are actively engaged in fostering the spirit of continued learning. We’re pleased to support their efforts.”

CLA members can nominate a deserving student who has shown exceptional talent, determination or special effort in achieving a CompTIA certification. Each winning student will receive a $250 award from the CompTIA Educational Foundation to be used toward continuing education on their path to a career in technology.

The CompTIA Educational Foundation IT Student Merit Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments by students and adult learners who have trained for and received CompTIA certification. Funding for the awards comes from an industry endowment. For more information on the CompTIA Educational Foundation IT Student Merit Awards, visit http://www.creatingfutures.us/it_merit_awards.aspx.

About the CompTIA Educational Foundation
Established in 1998, the CompTIA Educational Foundation’s mission is to develop qualified and productive entry level IT workers, with the hopes of eliminating the skill shortages within the industry. The Foundation receives support from individuals, industry leaders, companies and the government through contributions and grants. This support has helped more than 700 people to pursue careers in the IT industry. For more information, visit http://www.creatingfutures.us/.

About CompTIA
The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) is the voice of the world's $3 trillion information technology industry. CompTIA membership extends into more than 100 countries and includes companies at the forefront of innovation; the channel partners and solution providers they rely on to bring their products to market; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their technology investments. For more information, visit www.comptia.org.

Contact:
Steven Ostrowski
CompTIA
Phone: 630-678-8468
Email: sostrowski @ comptia.org

 

 

ITIL V3 is Slowly Making its Mark, but It has a Long Way to Go Yet, Says Parity

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Recent research from the IT Services firm Parity reveals ITIL V3 is slowly gaining traction, but there is still confusion in the marketplace.

(PRWEB) January 19, 2008 — Recent research undertaken by Parity shows an emerging but positive attitude in adoption of ITIL V3 among IT Service Managers, but there are still many professionals who have not yet undertaken the training and are confused about what it can offer.

Research into attitude and adoption rates of ITIL V3 (http://www.parity.net/training/browsecatalogue/servicemgt/itilv3/ ) at the recent itSMF Conference shows 31% of respondents currently use V3 within their organisation and nearly 40% believe that it offers a more strategic approach, with only 4% deciding against it. "Clearly its still very early days in terms of adoption", said Rick Firth, Managing Director, Parity Training (http://www.parity.net/training/ ), "but the signs are looking positive".

On the more negative side 16% of respondents admitted to being confused about the difference between ITIL V2 and V3 while 26% said they had not yet been through the IT training (http://www.parity.net/training/ ). Responses as to why ITIL V3 had not been adopted were extremely robust ranging from; 'Books are not as good as they should be; certification/examination is dreadful' and 'unproven and unrealistic to all in market place', to 'just not sure'.

Firth commented, "The problem is many people are happy with what V2 has delivered. We're almost looking at a different market for V3, where understanding the life cycle is a key part of the approach, but when we asked respondents about this it hardly registered as a reason to use it. This is why we are saying that it still has a long way to go in getting widespread commitment from the IT Service community, but we believe it will come through better understanding and education."

Less than 10% of respondents said they liked the life cycle approach, yet 21% said they considered better alignment to the business as a key benefit.

"The problem is ITIL V3 books and training for certification tells you the 'what' but not necessarily the 'how'", said Firth, "To help organisations do this Parity are making huge changes to the way they sell their services. In addition to launching added value services such as Learning Plus and Parity e-Books they intend to completely overhaul their learning portfolio to include IT Governance, Management and Professional skills, including Business and IT Consulting".

In terms of the business benefits nearly half of the 50 strong sample agreed that Service Design had been improved which means that clearly V3 is delivering on some of its promises, but since some organisations have only just got started on V2, there is still some reluctance in the market to go full speed ahead into V3.

Parity Group are leaders in Project and Programme Management, IT Service Management training (http://www.parity.net/training/browsecatalogue/servicemgt/ ) and consulting and were one of the original founders of PRINCE2 (http://www.parity.net/training/qualificationsandframeworks/projectandprogrammemanagement/prince2/ )

ITIL is a Registered Trade Mark, and a Registered Community Trade Mark of the Office of Government Commerce, and is Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

About Parity Group plc
Parity is an IT and Business services organisation delivering technical, recruitment and training solutions to the UK and Irish markets.

Parity's expertise in Project and Programme Management minimises business risk associated with systems implementation, integration or business change for clients. As agents of change, Parity provide the skills, competencies and concepts necessary to improved business performance for IT enabled projects, programmes and change initiatives.

Having been established for over thirty years, Parity has developed deep industry and expertise in Finance, Utilities, Telecoms and the Public Sector delivering, people, skills and concepts for IT enabled projects and programmes throughout the UK.

Parity believes that better relationships deliver better results. Many current client relationships span more than ten years, and include; Barclays Bank, British American Tobacco, BT, Department for Constitutional Affairs, Department for Work and Pensions, HBOS, Ministry of Defence, Northern Ireland Electricity, Royal Bank of Scotland, Scottish Power, The Cabinet Office, The Charity Commission and the NHS.

AVG Releases Second Beta Edition of AVG 8.0

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GRISOFT, developer of the AVG family of security software products, today released the second beta edition of AVG 8.0 for Windows for public testing.

 

Claremont, NC (PRWEB) January 21, 2008 — AVG 8.0 offers a completely new multi-threaded scanning engine that combines anti-virus and anti-spyware while retaining the product's signature small footprint and scanning efficiency. Additional protection is provided in the form of safe searching and safe surfing protection acquired through the recent purchase of Exploit Prevention Labs, rootkit detection, basic security for MSN and ICQ instant messaging, and detection of malware-infected files on websites. Windows users interested in participating in this public beta can register and download the software at http://beta.avg.com.

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"We are encouraging our current AVG Customers to participate in the public beta process so that they can fully test AVG 8 in their environment and benefit from directly providing feedback on that testing before the product is actually released," said Luke Walling, Founder and President of Walling Data Systems, North America's first and highest-volume Independent Distributor of AVG Enterprise Products.

"This new version of AVG significantly extends the protection available to our users," said Karel Obluk, chief technology officer for AVG. "We believe that this additional online protection, in addition to the redesigned user interface, will provide simpler, more effective protection against today's Internet threats – real-time protection in a real-time world."

Adds chief research officer Roger Thompson, "We're looking forward to seeing early user feedback on this second public beta, and to providing users with the best possible protection against malware and cybercrime whenever they're online."

Through its public beta process, AVG is able to test new functionality in a wide range of real-world environments in addition to its development and research labs, thanks to the company's 60+ million users.

About GRISOFT
GRISOFT is a leading developer of antivirus, firewall protection and Internet security solutions for consumers and SMBs. It is one of the fastest growing companies in the industry with more than 60 million protected computers around the world. Established in 1991, GRISOFT employs some of the world's leading experts in Internet security, specifically in the areas of virus analysis and detection, software development, and threat research. AVG's award-winning products are distributed globally through an extensive network of resellers and the Internet as well as via Software Developer's Kits (SDKs) to interested third parties.

About Walling Data Systems — www.avg-antivirus.net
Founded in 1994, in North Carolina, Walling Data Systems is a value-added software distributor and IT Solution Provider offering innovative high-value solutions to everyday computer security problems for corporate, education, and home technology users. Walling Data was named an Authorized AVG Distributor in 2004.

For more detailed information please contact: Ashlie Lanning 919 Marketing 919-557-7890, Luke Walling (Walling Data Systems) 866-833-5727

Episode 13 – Tech Dispatch

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This week we talk with Jeremy Larson and learn how you can manage your calls and techs in the field by using the new web based work order system called TechDispatch.

TechPodcasts Promo Tag :10
Intro 1:24
Billboard :59

News and Comment segment 8:18
The Consumer Electronics Show was held in Las Vegas last week. The Force Field provided video coverage of CES to the public and members of The Force Field from January 7 through the 11. High Definition Video coverage provided by The TechPodcast Network, Geek News Central and Slashdot Review was featured on TheForceField.net throughout the event.The videos were hosted by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central and Andy McCaskey of Slashdot Review. They were accompanied by a camera crew to provide daily reports from the floor of CES.

Gizmodo, a web site dedicated to the news and reviews of tech gadgets, pulled a prank at CES last week that got a member of their video crew tossed from the show.

The CaffiNation PodCast, a show about Caffeine Culture & Technology News hosted by Paul Muller, will reach two milestones this month. It will be both the 2 year anniversary and the 200th episode of CaffiNation. To celebrate, Paul will conduct a contest for listeners of his podcast.

Bill Gates delivered what may be his last keynote at the opening of CES 2008 last week. During his keynote, Gates claimed that since the initial launch of Microsoft Windows Vista last year, over one hundred million Vista licenses were sold and one hundred million Vista users were surfing the web. On the surface that seems like a huge number and it is, but in a world with an estimated one billion PCs its relevance is not as impressive as he would have us believe. It may also not be accurate.

Ricks Tips 2:54
Using an eyeshadow applicator as a tool.

Commercial Break 1:01
Sponsored by PC Doctor Service Center 6. 1-866-BUY PCDR. Mention The Force Field podcast for $49 discount. Offer good until January 31, 2008.

Intro to Interview 1:37
Recently Jeremy Larson launched a web based application to manage work orders for one of the national contractors he services. Others became interested in using his system and on January 15, 2008 he expanded it to allow Providers everywhere to dispatch work to their techs in the field.

This week we are going to talk to Jeremy and learn about his system, find out how it works and how you can manage your calls and techs in the field by using the new web based work order system called TechDispatch.

Jeremy Larson Interview 11:33

Wrap up and Close :46

©2008 Savoia Computer. All rights reserved.

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Asia to Dominate Mobile WiMAX Market by 2013, According to Juniper Research

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Juniper Research forecasts that Asia will account for over 50% of Mobile WiMAX 802.16e subscribers by 2013, exceeding 40 million mobile subscribers.

(PRWEB) January 16, 2008 — A country by country analysis by Juniper Research found that countries such as India, Korea, Pakistan, Taiwan and Australia will drive the growth of Mobile WiMAX 802.16e. The study explored how WiMAX will be well suited to rapid deployment in the many underserved areas, whilst government programmes in countries such as Taiwan will support growth.

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The new report analysed over 30 countries and found that the Mobile WiMAX 802.16e market will grow to $23bn by 2013. The report confirmed that the market is currently very active in all regions of the world with trials and network contracts being announced on an almost daily basis. M-Taiwan for example is a national project to establish a networked information society and cultivate IT-related industries in the domestic market: it includes six WiMAX licences across Taiwan.

Report author Howard Wilcox says, "We anticipate that mobile usage will develop after initial demand for fixed and portable services – WiMAX 802.16e is a flexible platform that can operate in all three modes of usage.    Mobile WiMAX will represent a single digit proportion of the Asian mobile broadband base by 2013, which will be a tremendous achievement for this new technology platform."

However, the report warns that both the availability of suitable devices, and the award of licences will be important factors in determining the success of Mobile WiMAX 802.16e – both in Asia and globally.

Howard Wilcox continues: "Mobile WiMAX will be a device-based technology, whether on handsets, laptops, datacards, or other types of consumer device such as media players. Any lack of availability will clearly inhibit market take-up. Over the next year licences in countries such as India, Japan and Thailand, as well as in more countries in other regions, will be auctioned. Timely award of these licences will accelerate market development."

Highlights from the report include:

  • Global Mobile WiMAX subscribers are forecast to reach over 80m by 2013
  • The top Mobile WiMAX markets will be the USA, Japan and S. Korea
  • Over 10 countries will have Mobile WiMAX device markets in excess of $100m pa
  • There are several wildcard factors of which could significantly increase the size of the market including the emergence of very low cost laptops, and adding broadband capability to a range of devices including portable music/MP3 players, and games consoles

Juniper Research assesses the current and future status of the Mobile WiMAX market based on interviews with senior executives of some of the leading vendors and operators in the growing Mobile WiMAX industry.

White papers and further details of the study "Mobile WiMAX: Global Opportunities, Strategies & Forecasts (Second Edition) 2007 – 2013' can be freely downloaded from Juniper Research Alternatively please contact John Levett via e-mail, or telephone 44(0)1256 830002.

Juniper Research provides research and analytical services to the global hi-tech communications sector, providing consultancy, analyst reports and industry commentary.

 

 

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