New Wi-Fi Printing Technology Provides Enhancement for Wireless Hotspots

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Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 17, 2007 — FiveStar Wi-Fi introduced a major new capability for wireless network users today with the release of its Wireless Printout System, which lets users print files and documents directly over Wi-Fi from the website www.wirelessprintout.com.

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Until now, mobile workers faced various hurdles when printing files from their laptop computers. Unexpected and time-consuming efforts have been typical, such as moving files onto a USB thumb drive for printing from a separate, shared computer. Some locations have their users email documents from their computers to a staff member for printing. Other venues use Internet based printing systems that require a numeric code to be entered, sometimes requiring staff assistance, in order to enable printing to begin. Other solutions offer technically challenging hurdles such as when a venue shares a printer across its wireless network, requiring users to install printer drivers for the specific make and model printer on site, as well as configure their computer for network printing. In each of these common situations, Wi-Fi users typically rely on a staff member who has sufficient technical skills.

At hotspots offering the Wireless Printout System, delays and technical hurdles are virtually non-existent. To make a printout, users open a web browser to www.wirelessprintout.com, which redirects the user's computer to a Wireless Printout Server on site. Once connected, the user can quickly and easily send files for printing using the high speed wireless connectivity in the hotspot.

In beta tests, the system has proven extremely valuable not only to Wi-Fi users, but to wireless hotspot owners as well. "Customers love the ability to print from their laptops over our Wi-Fi network. I even have one customer who specifically comes to my cafe instead of others in the area because he can print from his laptop while he's doing work here", says Mostafa Moujahid, owner of Washington DC's Steam Cafe.

In addition to providing fast and easy printing for laptop users, installing the Wireless Printout System in a hotspot is simple as well. Technical skills are unnecessary beyond connecting the Wireless Printout Server to the printer, attaching power cords, and entering the network name, or SSID, into the server.

"Not only can most any hotspot staff member install the Wireless Printout System with little or no technical knowledge, the simplicity of printing with this system means staff are freed from having to assist customers in using it. The only information that a user needs to know is the website name, wirelessprintout.com. Once they're on the website, printing is extremely straightforward" said Steve Chafe, Co-Founder of FiveStar Wi-Fi.

For more details about the Wireless Printout System, visit www.fivestarwifi.com.

 

OpenOffice.org Releases New Version of Free Software Alternative to Microsoft Office

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The OpenOffice.org Community announce the release of OpenOffice.org 2.3, the latest version of the leading open-source office suite. With upgrades to its word processor, spreadsheet, presentations, and database software, the free software package provides a real alternative to Microsoft's Office 2007 product – and an easier upgrade path for existing Microsoft Office users.

Edinburgh, UK (PRWEB) September 17, 2007 — The OpenOffice.org (www.openoffice.org) community is pleased to announce the release of OpenOffice.org 2.3, the latest version of the leading open source office productivity suite. OpenOffice.org 2.3 incorporates an extensive array of new features and enhancements to all its core components, and protects users from newly discovered security vulnerabilities. The news will be warmly welcomed by delegates to the Community's annual conference, to be held this week 19th-21st September in Barcelona, Spain.

The Charting component has undergone a complete revamp, adding a range of new features as well as simplifying and streamlining chart formulation. This component is used throughout OpenOffice.org.

Writer, OpenOffice.org's word processor, has been boosted with the addition of intelligence to handle multi-lingual documents better. Wiki users will love the addition of a new MediaWiki (Wikipedia) export filter. Mail merge has some additional usability features.

A number of general productivity improvements have been made to Calc, OpenOffice.org's spreadsheet. These include changes to printing, functions, menus, dialogs and toolbars.

Performance improvements have been made to Impress, OpenOffice.org's application for creating presentations. The 'move along curve' animation feature has been re-introduced, giving 'cartoon-like' abilities to presentations.

OpenOffice.org's database application, Base, continues to evolve, with additional features for expert users such as keyboard shortcuts, and a Report Builder (available as an extension).

OpenOffice.org Draw, the drawing and diagramming module, has been enhanced to provide improved exporting to HTML/web by adding support for exporting the images to portable network graphics (PNG) format. Accessibility improvements have also been made by providing alternate text for image maps and layer titles and descriptions.

General improvements to the entire suite include a persistent stylist filter, re-ordering of the PDF export dialogues, new shortcut keys, easier keyboard customisation, previewing of web pages in a browser, a number of enhancements for extensions and a higher default macro security level. In addition support for numerous languages and locales have added.

The OpenOffice.org Community is an international team of volunteer and sponsored contributors who develop, support, and promote the leading open-source office productivity suite, OpenOffice.org®. OpenOffice.org's leading edge software technology (UNO) is also available for developers, systems integrators, etc to use in OpenOffice.org extensions or in their own applications.

OpenOffice.org supports the Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) OASIS Standard (ISO/IEC 26300) as well as legacy file formats such as Microsoft Office and is available on major computing platforms in over 70 languages. OpenOffice.org software is provided under the GNU Lesser General Public Licence (LGPL) and may be used free of charge for any purpose, private or commercial.

The OpenOffice.org Community acknowledges generous sponsorship from a number of companies, including Sun Microsystems, the founding sponsor and primary contributor.

Links

Further information about OpenOffice.org products:

Remove-it.org Relaunched

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Ottawa, ON (Bluehost/PRWEB ) September 16, 2007 — For the last year, one website has been fighting the deluge of poorly written programs that have cropped up on the Internet. Programs that, once installed, can't be removed by any means. The only option is to use a removal tool. That's where Remove-it.org comes in. Over the last year, this website has created various tools specifically for removing programs. And not only that, they're free.

Originally just a simple blog, the author of these programs took it upon himself to redesign his site and bring the quality up to standard. Over the last six months he has created something that he hopes will properly express an air of professionalism and confidence. With a new look and feel for the website (and soon to come, a new look for the tools themselves) the author hopes that his users will begin to take a more active role and bring with them suggestions, feedback and hopefully, their friends.

Small Business Can Use Self-Promotion to Gain Market Share

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October encourages entrepreneurs to use self-promotion to get the word out.

Albany, NY (PRWEB) September 16, 2007 — Many small business owners are trying to get noticed. According to one public relations professional, with a little time and hard work, many entrepreneurs and small business owners can use self-promotion and publicity to reach their target market.

"Self-Promotion month gives business owners a little push to inform others about their business in a different way," says Shannon Cherry, APR, a public relations expert. "Entrepreneurs can work in a wide variety of fields, but they all can use self-promotion to get more customers."

Since October is National Self-Promotion Month, Cherry thinks it's the perfect time to begin creating a publicity campaign for any business.

Cherry is the founder and president of Cherry Communications (www.cherrycommunications.com), and its subsidiary Be Heard Solutions (www.beheardsolutions.com). She uses her expertise to help small business owners become the recognized expert in their field through media relations. A former journalist and TV reporter, Cherry has designed numerous public relations strategies for large and small companies, as well as entrepreneurs.

She offers the following ideas to create buzz through self-promotion:

1)   Public Speaking – "Speaking in front of an audience gives you credibility as an entrepreneur. People will associate a name and face to your business," says Cherry.

2)   Develop Partnerships – "Introduce yourself to other small business owners who have the same target audience. Offer to promote them if they do the same for you," she says. This type of partnership helps create long-term alliances.

3)   Write Articles -"Make the articles informative, but keep them short," Cherry explains. They can be shared as information for potential customers, both online and offline.

Cherry offers additional publicity and self-promotion tactics in her free report, Be The Big Fish. Go to www.beheardsolutions.com/pop.htm to receive a copy.

For more information, contact Shannon Cherry at 518.248.6592 or email info @ cherrycommunications.com.

SCO files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

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The SCO Group, Inc. issued a press release today announcing it has filed a petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. SCO Operations, Inc., a subsidiary of SCO, also filed for protection. The decision comes after SCO lost a court battle in its suit against Novell last month.

According to the press release, SCO will continue normal operation during the reorganization. The company insists the cash will be available to do so.

SCO President and Chief Executive Officer Darl McBride was quoted in the press release asserting the company's resolve. "We want to assure our customers and partners that they can continue to rely on SCO products, support and services for their business critical operations," McBride said. "Chapter 11 reorganization provides the Company with an opportunity to protect its assets during this time while focusing on building our future plans."

SCO sued IBM in 2003 and Novell the next year, claiming that SCO allegedly owned Unix code that was used to develop Linux. SCO was dealt a serious blow in its case against Novell recently when the U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City ruled that Novell owned the Unix code that was in dispute. SCO is scheduled to go to court next week for a ruling as to how much to pay Novell for license fees SCO collected from other companies for the use of that code.

SBA Calls Federal ‘Exemptions’ Illegal – $640 Billion in Contracts Diverted from Small Businesses

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SBA Legal Opinion Inspires Small Business Crusader to File Petitions to Rescind Regulations He Calls on the Bush Administration to Prohibit Biased Rules and Practices

Saint Augustine, FL (PRWEB) September 14, 2007 — Small Business Advocate, Raul Espinosa, Founder of the Fairness in Procurement Alliance (FPA), representing the procurement interests of 10 million small businesses, announced a long overdue, but historic legal ruling by the Small Business Administration (SBA) benefiting thousands of small and minority businesses contracting with the federal government.

Espinosa's legal filing caused the SBA to rule that the General Services Administration (GSA) must adhere to the statutory set aside rules for contracts between $3,000 and $100,000. GSA had claimed, for years, that under the "exemptions," it could ignore the set aside rules in its schedule program, where more than $44 Billion of purchases are made. Specifically, the SBA confirmed that the Small Business Act protects small businesses from being forced to unfairly compete against large businesses under the GSA Federal Supply Schedules.

http://www.fitnet.net/FPA/Press/SBA%20Opinion.pdf

Following this September 4, 2007 SBA opinion, Espinosa initiated two important actions designed to force government regulators to make regulatory changes respecting the SBA opinion and the mandate of Congress.

Espinosa said, "FPA has petitioned Paul Denett, Administrator of the White House Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP), using a whistleblower statute, and The Office of Advocacy, through their new 'Regulatory Review and Reform Initiative' to rescind the exemptions." Espinosa concluded, "We will accept nothing short of their complete elimination from the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR)."

http://www.fitnet.net/FPA/Press/FPA%20PETITION%20TO%20ADVOCACY.PDF
http://www.fitnet.net/FPA/Press/FPA%20PETITION%20TO%20OFPP.pdf

Espinosa's Congressman, John Mica, in support of his actions, has written letters to Jim Nussle, Director of The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), "asking for OMB to investigate the specific problems sighted by FPA and Mr. Espinosa" and to Congressman Thomas Davis III, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, "requesting for the Committee to conduct a review of the OMB procurement policies."

According to Espinosa, "The 'exemptions' are directly responsible for having excluded, illegally, $640 Billion in Federal contracts – over the last decade – from small and minority businesses."

Espinosa added, "These illegal regulations have done more damage to public confidence in government contracting and to the economic viability of small business than 9/11 and Katrina combined and FPA is determined to stop their influence on the procurement community."

Espinosa's attacks against the illegal regulations resulted in this historic SBA Legal Opinion issued in response to his GAO Protest (B-309911) which challenged the 'exemption authority' and statutory standing of those regulations.

http://www.fitnet.net/FPA/Press/FitNet%20Protest%20B-309911.pdf

The SBA Legal Opinion states, "As it stands now, agencies believe that the Small Business Act's programs do not apply to either the GSA Schedule contracts or orders issued off the contracts. This is clearly contrary to statute and Congressional intend. Small business set asides are mandatory for acquisitions valued from $3,000 to $100,000 and take priority over GSA Schedule contracts."

In summary, SBA states "the (set-aside) statutory provision creates a mandatory small business reservation for acquisitions valued below $100,000" (and in some instances up to $250,000) and further confirmed that "there is nothing in statute or GAO ruling indicating that a GSA Schedule contract should or can take priority over this statutory mandated small business reservation requirement." SBA also affirmed that, "this (set-aside) statute does not exempt GSA Schedule awards or orders issued pursuant to the Schedule contract from the Small Business Act."

Small business community leaders and fair competition advocates have uniformly endorsed the SBA's views in their commentaries on this momentous legal opinion.

http://www.fitnet.net/FPA/Press/VIP%20QUOTES%20IN%20SUPPORT%20OF%20ELIMINATING%20EXEMPTIONS.pdf

Max Kidalov, former Republican Counsel of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, said, "This SBA decision is a huge win for the small business community and fair competition." He added, "SBA has confirmed what Congress has been saying all along: the so-called 'set-aside exemptions from the Small Business Act have no legal justification. Now, it is time for the GAO to hold bureaucrats accountable for ignoring Congressional policy on fair treatment of small businesses."

Since 2001, Congress has been strongly pressing Federal agencies to comply with the Small Business Act to all Federal contracts. For instance, the Senate Small Business Committee had targeted attempts to exempt from the Small Business Act, contracts by GSA, the Postal Service, the Department of Energy, the Transportation Security Administration and overseas contracts by State and Defense Department. In a letter dated January 15th, 2005, to Department of State Secretary Powell, Senator John Kerry and Sen. Olympia Snowe, Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship stated, "Executive Departments do not have the discretion to interpret the law in a matter inconsistent with its plain language. The unambiguous Congressional intent (is) that the Act governs all procurements."

Roger Campos, President and CEO of the Minority RoundTable (MBRT) and Member of the SBA National Advisory Board commented, "this Legal Opinion, freeing in excess of $60 Billion in annual contracts for small businesses, opens the way for the Senate to support the House Bill (H.R. 1783) calling for an increase in the set-aside ceiling from 23 to 30 percent."

Hank Wilfong, President of the National Association of Small and Disadvantaged Businesses (NASDB) said, "OFPP must now re-train the entire government procurement workforce with rules favorable to small businesses." He added, "SBA must now also instruct its field staff to begin assisting small businesses who challenge procurements under $100,000 which are either restricted to GSA Schedule Holders Only or are considered Foreign and exclude small and minority businesses."

Anthony Robinson, President of MBELDEF said, "This SBA Legal Opinion is extraordinary because it verifies that the 'set-aside exemptions' are and have always been illegal and discriminatory towards small and minority businesses."

Lloyd Chapman, President of the American Small Business League (ASBL) said, "This historic SBA legal opinion confirms that the exemptions are responsible for having diverted more than $600 billion in federal contracts away from small businesses over the last ten years."

Dr. Henry Thomas, Director of the FPA Think Tank at UNF concluded by saying, "FPA should now be given a say on any decision which would re-align the procurement landscape the way Congress intended."

Espinosa's success, as an advocate for small and minority businesses, is well known. In 2005 he initiated and carried through the court, a major size-protest test case (SIZ-2005-05-09-22) just to demonstrate that the current 'size protest system' did not deliver justice when a small business won the case and the system needed to be overhauled. "Overcoming adversity while growing up," Espinosa said, "made me determined and effective, as an advocate, with an affinity to fight injustices. I've been privileged to have had great public servants as mentors who taught me how to negotiate and deal with the government bureaucracy. I am now thankful for that experience and for the opportunity to make a difference."

The Fairness in Procurement Alliance (FPA) represents the procurement priorities of all the groups for whom Congress created the set-aside program, a constituency of 10 million businesses. The mission of FPA is to bring fairness to public procurements so that small and minority businesses can both compete and prosper at the federal, state and local levels.

http://www.fitnet.net/FPA/Press/WHAT%20IS%20FAIRNESS%20IN%20PROCUREMENT%20ALLIANCE.pdf

Chromac Launches Full Line of Colorful Aluminum Cases for Apple’s iMac

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Chromac (www.Chromac.com), the nation's leading manufacturer of luxury aluminum cases for Apple's line of iMac computers, proudly announces its full range of "iColors": colorful enclosures that powerfully transform the iMac into a sculpted piece of art. The cases with precious metal finishes continues to generate critical acclaim nationwide and retails for $499.

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) September 14, 2007 — Chromac (www.Chromac.com), the nation's leading manufacturer of luxury aluminum cases for Apple's line of iMac computers, proudly announces its full range of "iColors": colorful enclosures that powerfully transform the iMac into a sculpted piece of art. The cases with precious metal finishes continues to generate critical acclaim nationwide and retails for $499.

"Chromac enables Mac enthusiasts to finally customize their computers with high end finishes and materials commonly found in a Gulfstream jet or Rolls Royce. Our expert craftsmen are true artists in the field of precious metal plating, sculpting each case to ignite a person's artistic sense of style and passion for computing. Our goal has always been to free the consumer from the prison of gray metal or just the plain boring black or white plastic. Apple consumers are artists and they need a proper canvas." said Sebastian Apodaca, CEO and Founder of Chromac. "Our cases offer consumers unparalleled choice, something other companies reject or ignore. We simply strive to enhance Apple's reputation for excellence and superb design."

Chromac's competitive advantage also rests within the field of color. Consumers can select from a menu of 11 colors that energize their iMac: Stealth Black Chrome, Chrome ,Black Chrome, Liquid Charcoal, Black Coal, 24K Gold, Antique 24K Gold, Platinum, Gun Metal Gray, Cool Blue and Lime Green.

 

"We have applied finishes that can be found in fine jewelry and whether you like it or not your iMac will immediately generate attention and instantly become a conversational piece. Chromac is the singular choice for people who crave a designer upgrade for the elite brand of desktop computers," stated Mr. Apodaca.

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Chromac produces a colorful variety of customized aluminum cases for Apple's suite of iMac computers. The company's select group of trained artisans oversees the design and production of each case and sundry accessories. Chromac's products are available at authorized retailers and online at www.Chromac.com

Free ITIL V3 Design Guidelines for Service Operation and Service Transition Now Available

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Two leading proponents of the value of ITIL and IT Service Management (ITSM) have made available for free download the first two (of five) guides covering all of the new ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle books.

(Bluehost/PRWEB ) September 13, 2007 — Two leading proponents of the value of ITIL and IT Service Management (ITSM) have made available for free download the first two (of five) guides covering all of the new ITIL V3 Service Lifecycle books.

This first guide will cover design guidelines for ITIL V3 Service Operation. IT professionals interested in receiving this complementary download can click on the following link to access it: http://www.itilversion3.com

ITIL V3 Service Operation Design Guidelines was assembled by Randy Steinberg, and Robin Yearsley, principals in ITSM with over 25 years of practical ITSM consulting experience.

The ITIL V3 Service Operation guide is 55 pages and contains example guidelines taken from real world experiences. It should prove extremely valuable to any IT Service Manager or ITIL practitioner planning, implementing or enhancing their ITIL processes. (See a list FAQ's about the guide below).

Randy Steinberg has written three ITSM books, the most recent being Servicing ITIL, which was written with the benefit of the recently released ITIL V3.

Robin Yearsley has created a number of valuable ITIL websites, including the IT Service Blog and IT Service Podcasts. They now regularly collaborate with over 7,000 global ITSM professionals providing advice, guidance and new ideas for best practices.

Steinberg and Yearsley are dedicated to putting ITIL theory into practice in real world business scenarios. They will soon be launching a brand new membership portal that will be quite unique. This will provide actual tools, templates, 'how to guides' and even presentations that IT professionals around the world can use immediately to implement or enhance their ITIL best practices.

Everyone downloading the Service Operation guide will receive a special introductory offer to become a charter member of this exciting new IT Service initiative.

The remaining three guides, covering ITIL V3 Service Strategy, Service Design and Continual Service Improvement will also be made available in the coming weeks.

FAQ's about Service Operation – Design Guidelines:

When would an ITSM professional actually use these guidelines?

An early activity in any IT Service Management implementation effort involves identifying key guidelines for how ITSM solutions will operate. Guidelines are broad statements of design direction that will guide key design decisions. For example, should Event Management activities all be centralized or decentralized?

Without a set of guidelines, designers may implement ITIL solutions in varying ways. It will be unclear why a solution was designed one way versus another. They force ITSM professionals to consider the implications that their design decisions will have on their own IT and business organization. They also provide a rationale for key design decisions so there will be no questions later on in the implementation effort as to why a solution was built one way versus another.

ITIL V3 Design guidelines can also serve to answer questions an ITSM professional may have such as, "What needs to be considered when designing a Change Management solution?"

These guidelines are not meant to cover every possibility, but should give ITSM professionals a starting point for identifying the key factors they have to consider when building their ITIL Version 3 solutions.

How would ITSM professionals actually use the ITIL V3 Guidelines?

These would be used as a first step in designing their ITIL Version 3 solutions. They can add, change or 'not use' these guidelines as required. They also provide a starting point for considerations for their own designs.

What value and benefits should the guides help realise?

They provide a starting point for considerations for their own designs. They may also identify considerations that they may not have previously thought about. They provide early warning as to impact of decisions on the IT and business organization. They also prevent questions later on in the implementation effort as to why certain design directions were taken.

To get started with ITIL V3 Service Operation – download the free report: http://www.ITILVersion3.com

ISA Hardware and AMD Launch Campaign to Promote AMD Solutions

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IT distributor ISA Hardware and AMD have launched "Good – Better – Best" campaign aimed at providing channel partners in Central and Eastern Europe with complete platform solutions based on AMD products.

Limassol, Cyprus (PRWEB) September 13, 2007 — ISA Hardware, a dynamic international computer components distributor operating in the markets of Eastern Europe, Middle East, and North Africa, has announced the launch of "Good – Better – Best" campaign aimed at providing channel partners with complete platform solutions based on AMD products.

The campaign will focus on the markets of Central and Eastern Europe, Russia, and the CIS. ISA Hardware will offer dealers, resellers, small system integrators, as well as end-users buying via ISA's online shop at www.isahardware.com an optimal solution based on AMD products – AMD CPU, AMD Chipset and ATI Graphics.

Channel partners and individual online shoppers will now be able to choose the right platform for their various needs: Gaming, Multimedia, and Everyday performance. The offered platform bundles will be subdivided into three packages in line with the "Good – Better – Best" campaign motto.

Gaming:
Delivering the best gaming performance and ready for the next-generation of multi-threaded games

Multimedia:
The best solution for high-end multimedia and digital applications

Productivity:
High-end Windows Vista or XP Office solution for use with up to four displays. The highest office productivity with better multitasking and quick switching between applications

Channel partners will receive sales and marketing support over the whole course of the campaign. In addition, ISA Hardware and AMD will support the best partners with various incentives.

For a detailed description of the "Good – Better – Best" campaign please visit: http://www.isahardware.com/info/AMD_Platform_Solution.jsp

Holonyx Launches Partner Program for Linux and Open Source Software Support

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Holonyx Inc. has launched its Partner Program to provide Linux support and open source software support to Value Added Resellers and System Integrators.

Loveland, CO (PRWEB) September 13, 2007 — Holonyx Inc. announced its Partner Program to provide Linux support and open source software support to Value Added Resellers and System Integrators. This program will allow Holonyx Partners to expand the technology solutions they offer to their customers by implementing fully supported open source solutions in their customer accounts.

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Linux and open source is a booming technology trend that is here to stay, and this Partner Program allows VARs and system integrators to increase their business opportunities with fully supported technologies. Partners can now immediately differentiate from their competitors, expand their core competencies and address new customer needs with Linux and open source solutions.

Holonyx President Garret Acott said, "Linux and open source is a booming technology trend that is here to stay, and this Partner Program allows VARs and system integrators to increase their business opportunities with fully supported technologies. Partners can now immediately differentiate from their competitors, expand their core competencies and address new customer needs with Linux and open source solutions."

Holonyx is solving a major need for the VAR and system integrator community by providing a single point of contact for Linux support and open source technologies support. Holonyx will support all major Linux distributions as well as key open source technologies including MySQL, Apache web server, PHP, Perl and Ruby on Rails.

The Program will offer per incident support via phone or ticketing system to Partners, and system and networking consulting services are also available. Holonyx is also offering fully supported open source IT software solutions which Partners can resell to their customers. These applications include SME Server for small to medium business server functionality and pfSense for firewall protection.

Holonyx Ruffdogs technology division has long been a major player in the open source community and has contributed to numerous open source projects including SME Server, guilinux and MyPHPNuke.

The Holonyx Partner Program is open to all Value Added Resellers and System Integrators; there is no charge to join the Program.

For more information on the Holonyx Partner Program, visit www.holonyx.com/partner