Gawkwire: Web Hosting and Internet News Resource

GlobalSign Offers Co-Branded Site Seal as Part of SSL Partner Program

2009-04-30T14:00:00-04:00

Portsmouth, NH (Gawkwire.com) GlobalSign Inc. (www.globalsign.com), one of the longest established Certification Authorities (CA) and specialists in SSL Partner Programs, has today announced a new Site Seal function which will enable GlobalSign’s SSL Partners to display their own co-branded Site Seal on their websites.

GlobalSign currently offers a free Secure Site Seal to all SSL Partners, which helps them to educate web visitors on the security technology they employ to protect against phishing attacks and eavesdropping. The Site Seal clearly shows that the transactions performed on the website are securely encrypted by GlobalSign’s strong SSL technology. When clicked, the Site Seal profile displays easy to understand website security information and allows organizations to display details such as trading address and telephone number, giving visitors visible, real-time assurance that the website is authentic and protected.

After consultation and feedback from its rapidly expanding SSL Partner base, the release of the new co-branded Site Seal will enable GlobalSign’s Partners to further raise their security profiles, whilst communicating to their website visitors that they see their customer’s protection as a key priority; opting to partner with a leading Certification Authority providing high quality SSL security solutions.

“With the need for organizations to visibly show a visitor that their website is secure growing at an unprecedented rate, there have been many requests from existing partners to have their own Site Seal” says Katsuo Chujo, Director of Marketing, GlobalSign, Inc. “The new co-branded Site Seal will help to increase the brand recognition of our partners and will also show their commitment to the importance of online security”.

GlobalSign is planning to launch a number of co-branded Site Seals with new and existing partners during 2009.

For more information on the new site seal service, please visit:
http://www.globalsign.com/ssl/ssl-certificates/ssl-options/ssl-site-seal.htm

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/globalsign_offers_co-branded_site_seal_as_part_of_ssl_partner_pr.html

Web Host Boot Camp Virtual Trade Show, Includes Ping! Zine Partnership

2009-04-30T09:38:00-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI (Gawkwire.com) In addition, CDGcommerce has been named as a Platinum Sponsor, the most exclusive and privileged sponsorship opportunity available.

Zachary McClung, president of Web Host Boot Camp remarked, ''We developed Web Host Boot Camp to offer easy access to the industry's leading decision-makers, experts, and vendors. CDGcommerce plays a key role in the web hosting industry and adds important value and recognition to our conference. Today's Platinum Sponsorship has enabled us keep admission free for attendees and attract a wider portfolio of hosting professionals.''

As Platinum Sponsor, CDGcommerce will benefit from extensive visibility during the unique conference, including sitewide advertising, a booth in the virtual exhibit hall, and the opportunity to address conference attendees in a special education session led by Chris West, CDGcommerce CEO. West's session is entitled ''Internet Payments 101: Implementing Online Payments, Anti-Fraud Strategies and PCI Compliance.''

Mr. West added, ''Our company is pleased to be the Platinum Sponsor for Web Host Boot Camp. We are strong supporters of Web Host Boot Camp's mission to educate the Web hosting community and to give new hosting entrepreneurs the vital training and insight they need to be successful in this rapidly evolving marketplace. Even in these challenging economic times, we believe the future has never been brighter for the hosting industry and we strongly encourage anyone who is interested in pursuing a business in this industry to attend this unique conference.''

Founded in 1998, CDGcommerce provides a full range of merchant payment processing services for internet and brick-and-mortar businesses. CDGcommerce is profitable, debt-free, and rapidly growing - all despite the global economic downturn.

Web Host Boot Camp offers a truly virtual experience. Attendees have access to vendors, sponsors, exhibit booths, and other web hosting enthusiasts through their web browsers, without spending time and money on travel. Virtual conferences are gaining appeal across a variety of industries as businesses look to reduce nonessential costs.

Web Host Boot Camp is the first-ever virtual conference exclusively for web hosting companies, hosting resellers, web designers, and anyone who wants to build a successful web hosting firm. Established by business consultant Zachary McClung, president of McClung Consulting, Web Host Boot Camp has everything a physical conference would have except the high expense of traveling, room, and board. Web Host Boot Camp is free to attend. Sponsorships and exhibit booths are available and are limited in number.

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities for Web Host Boot Camp, please visit: www.webhostbootcamp.net/Sponsors.php.

For more information about attending Web Host Boot Camp, please visit: www.webhostbootcamp.net/Attendees.php.

To learn more about Web Host Boot Camp, please visit: www.webhostbootcamp.net.

For more about CDGcommerce, please visit: www.cdgcommerce.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/web_host_boot_camp_virtual_trade_show_includes_ping_zine_partner.html

AIT Web Hosting Stimulus Plan - Goes Green

2009-04-30T09:34:00-04:00

Fayetteville, NC (Gawkwire.com) Who says powerful technology, low prices, online marketing applications and environmentally green and friendly don’t go together? Web hosting company AIT has launched its Enterprise Dedicated Server Hosting Plan at rock bottom prices to assist businesses in a troubled economy.

“It is the best deal in the industry boasting state-of-the-art features and service and coupled with thousands of dollars in savings, ”says Sean McCoy, SVP-Sales and Marketing for AIT.

The current recession requires creative marketing solutions and a reality check on the core costs incurred in operating a business. From now until May 15, 2009 AIT is cuttings its price by $1,400.00 annually for a 60% reduction over its monthly Enterprise I Hosting payment plan. Clients receive a Production Class Server that uses 50% less power than most dedicated servers and it comes with a 250GB Hard Drive, 2 GB of Ram, and a 2.4 GHz Processor. Customers must call 1-800-878-4084 to take advantage of this special offer located at AIT-Promotions. If used properly, clients may be eligible for tax credits under the current stimulus plan with respect to green initiatives and technology.

“No matter what kind of business you operate, it’s a good idea to take stock of your spending practices to see if there are some areas you can easily cut costs from your operating expenses,” says Mary White in her American Small Business Blog: 3 Cost Cutting Tips for Frugal Small Business Owners. After all, when you own your own business, saving money on expenses is just as important as continuing to identify and secure new sources of revenue. Even the most frugal entrepreneur may find some areas where he or she can trim a few dollars from the budget here and there when evaluating spending practices closely enough”.

The AIT Enterprise Hosting platform not only saves businesses money, it helps them make money with a free scalable web store called M-Cart that is included with the plan. The robust processing horsepower of the Enterprise plan also supports the email marketing tools that are needed most by traditional brick and mortar retailers in this tough economic climate.

A market research study conducted by Epsilon, found that the benefits of permission-based email marketing campaigns have a significant impact on purchasing behavior and consumer loyalty in the bricks and mortar world. The reports says that 57% of consumers feel they have a more positive impression of companies when they receive email from them, and 50% said they're more likely to buy products from companies who send them email, whether their purchases are online or at a place of business.

AIT is also bundling its Email Marketer PRO with web hosting. This powerful marketing platform is browser-based email marketing with built-in auto-responders, list management, receive and read receipts along with lots of other features that businesses can use every day to create, send and track profitable email campaigns - either for themselves or for their clients. Businesses that sign up for an annual plan save 40% on the monthly software subscription price.

“I’ve tried it and love it,” says Robert Timmons from Timmons Interactive Advertising. The GUI management interfaces is second to none and allows me to see what works and what does not. I know who, when and from where my prospects come with this application.”

Cross-channel marketing is essential, given the mobility of consumers and the variety of platforms they use to gather product information and connect with businesses; via voice, and internet advertising networks. The tyBit Unified search engine an AIT affiliated company, offers both web and mobile web based search engine advertising that delivers text, audio and video content to mobile web enabled devices. This click fraud free interactive advertising platform increases an advertiser’s ROI by eliminating artificial traffic and delivering real visitors interested in the business owners products and services regardless of their location. tyBit recently received a Tucows 5 star rating.

Automated telemarketing services were once the province of large corporations but now tyVoice auto-telemarketing delivers this powerful customer relationship management vehicle to any business. It is simple, inexpensive and efficient allowing businesses to upload phone numbers and deliver a pre-recorded message with options to “press #1” to connect to an operator or sales rep. When used in conjunction with online advertising and email marketing efforts this fully private labeled delivery system is yet another low cost, high return marketing option. tyVoice is perfect for businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, political campaigns, event planners, and of course direct marketers.

AIT offers; Web Hosting, Domain Name Registration, Web Design, Email Services, Technical Training, Enterprise Network Solutions, AIT has Managed Dedicated Servers, for both Windows and Linux Server Environments. AIT is customer-centric and committed to providing excellent, ongoing service to help your business grow, improve and profit. We exist to deliver value and performance to our customers - everything else is secondary. Advanced Internet Technologies, Inc., home to over 210,000 customers that include Fortune 500 companies as well as small businesses. Founded in 1996 AIT has grown into a multimillion-dollar web hosting and technology company, from its humble beginnings in a garage to its current 93,000 SF headquarters. Small businesses to larger clients like Time Warner, Microsoft, Newsweek, U.S. Federal Government, PC World, United Nations, Business Week, the State of North Carolina, Department of Defense, Wall Street Journal, ZDNet, Pizza Hut, GOODYEAR, Smart Money, Discover Radio, and many more have benefited from AIT's products and services.

AIT has achieved 13 straight years of sustained profitability and been named 2 times to The Inc. 500 list of fast growing firms, 3 times to the Deloitte & Touché Fast 500 list, and NC Entrepreneur Firm of the Year. AIT enables businesses and empowers entrepreneurs through powerful technical and marketing solutions, which are unique, user friendly, and unmatched in performance throughout the industry.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/ait_web_hosting_stimulus_plan_-_goes_green.html

WebMediaBrands Announces Acquisition of BrandsOfTheWorld.Com

2009-04-30T09:33:00-04:00

NEW YORK, Ny (Gawkwire.com) Brandsoftheworld.com is a user generated content site where readers view and download more than 160,000 vector format brands and logos. The site has over 2 million unique visitors and over 30 million page views per month. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“We believe that BrandsoftheWorld.com combined with our AdsoftheWorld.com, CreativeBits.com, AgencySpy.com and Unbeige.com Web sites makes Graphics.com the largest online community of advertising, branding, graphics and design professionals in the world,” stated Alan M. Meckler, Chairman and CEO of WebMediaBrands. “In coming months we will launch a range of services and offerings to our Graphics.com community including events, online courses, a freelance marketplace, job board and more.”

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/webmediabrands_announces_acquisition_of_brandsoftheworld_com.html

Monitoring Public Perception of Swine Flu Outbreaks Using Technology

2009-04-30T09:31:00-04:00

Iowa City, Iowa (Gawkwire.com) Researchers at the University of Iowa today announced a major study to track public perception of the swine flu outbreak and other infectious diseases, utilizing a unique, realtime index of the social web from OneRiot.

The project, Social Web Information Monitoring for Health, dubbed “SWIM for Health,” has the potential to enhance disease tracking and forecasting by harnessing the power of the social web. OneRiot’s technology organizes social information from across the web in realtime – including updates from Twitter and Facebook, recent blog posts, current popular search queries and other web usage activity – to provide a realtime index of information from the social web.

SWIM for Health is being conducted as part of the University of Iowa’s interdisciplinary Computational Epidemiology research group (CompEpi). The Iowa CompEpi group applies computational methods to help solve public health problems, including new disease surveillance methods and harnessing technology for disease prevention.

According to Iowa CompEpi faculty Philip Polgreen, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine, “Analyzing and aggregating realtime data from the social web is a unique enhancement to traditional disease surveillance systems.”

SWIM for Health is spearheaded by researcher Alessio Signorini, PhD candidate at the University of Iowa and Director of Search Technology at OneRiot. Signorini will use the large amount of realtime data provided by OneRiot, in conjunction with official public health surveillance data, to discern patterns in disease diffusion and public perception of health scare outbreaks. Previous studies have shown the benefit of analyzing data abstracted from internet searches in forecasting seasonal influenza. SWIM for Health supplements such search data with OneRiot’s realtime information from across the social web, reflecting the web content people are sharing with friends (e,g, relevant videos, news stories and blog posts) as well as what they are talking about on social networks.

“The increase of social activity online, coupled with the availability of health-related resources, offers new ways to detect early outbreaks of diseases and measure public perception in realtime” said Signorini. “I hope that my research will one day enable us to more quickly and effectively understand how the public's sentiment affects the behavior and spread of diseases.”

Signorini has also developed an interactive map to monitor swine-flu-related “tweets” from Twitter in realtime. For example, if an unusually large number of people in Los Angeles tweet ‘swine flu’ or ‘tamiflu,’ it may indicate a potential influenza outbreak in southern California, or, more likely, it may simply indicate an elevated perception of disease risk. Such information might help public health authorities better address public concerns.

“By analyzing content from the realtime web, we hope to tease apart disease information from undue alarm,” said Dr. Alberto Maria Segre, Iowa CompEpi faculty and Professor of Computer Science.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/monitoring_public_perception_of_swine_flu_outbreaks_using_techno.html

SoDA Survey Finds Marketing Industry Optimistic about Digital Growth in 2009

2009-04-29T09:18:00-04:00

San Francisco, CA (Gawkwire.com) The Society of Digital Agencies (SoDA) today released the results of the organization's inaugural Digital Marketing Outlook survey. Results point to acceleration in the growth of the digital marketing industry with over 81% of survey respondents planning to invest the same or more in digital marketing this year despite the economic downturn.

"Digital is a proven, measurable medium that allows brands to really engage with consumers," said Jason Bangerter, education chair for SoDA and CEO of Struck, a full-service, award-winning advertising agency. "With this economy, it's not surprising that businesses are choosing to spend their money on digital media programs that allow them to interact directly with potential customers and provide measurable results."

91% of agency respondents, including both traditional and digital agencies, believe that there will be the same or more digital marketing work in 2009 than in years past.

"Interviews with marketers revealed that while digital marketing budgets are staying intact, decision makers are cautious to pull the trigger on new projects. Many marketers are still waiting to make sure additional budget cuts are not required, but we expect projects to kick off as we head into second quarter," said Paul Lewis, Director of Operations, SoDA.

Marketers also revealed that while long-term projects are being delayed, spending that drives immediate results such as paid search placement is seeing only modest reduction. When asked what the focus for their digital spending would be in 2009 both brands and agencies cited digital infrastructure, such as websites, as one of their top digital priorities. This indicates the recognition of the influence that a brand's digital ecosystem will increasingly have on their customers and prospects.

Brands are not only being cautious about spending, many are also reducing their digital work forces. 40% of brands have recently decreased staff. Only 16% of brands are currently hiring digital personnel compared to 47% of agencies. This potentially indicates a move by brands to outsource more digital work.

"On balance the evidence suggests that despite the drastic effects of the crisis on marketing in general, the digital arena is suffering less," said Chad Ciesil, President of WhittmanHart Interactive and a SoDA member. "At SoDA we believe this is because of the growing importance, accountability, and effectiveness of digital marketing, and this survey reflects the advertising industry's confidence in its ability to weather the storm."

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/soda_survey_finds_marketing_industry_optimistic_about_digital_gr.html

One-Click Private Domain Registration from YoHOST.ORG

2009-04-29T09:16:00-04:00

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Gawkwire.com) YoHOST.ORG Private Web Hosting now offers one-click private domain name registration with some great extra benefits.

- An offshore Panamian or Malaysian address in WHOIS details for a domain - high level of privacy protection written into law.
- Private anonymous NameServers in WHOIS (e.g. ns1.godomains.com and ns2.godomains.com)
- Hassle-free domain management by IP - just point it to the web host's IP.
- Simple, one-click sign up procedure - no personal details asked.
- Easy private domain management interface provided.
- Competitive pricing.
And even more!

Private domain forwarding and custom NameServers are also supported.

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/one-click_private_domain_registration_from_yohost_org.html

SmarterTools Offers Discount to Microsoft Customers

2009-04-29T09:10:00-04:00

PHOENIX, AZ (Gawkwire.com) "SmarterTools is committed to the SmarterStats product and to adding features, enhancing value, and providing a secure and independent platform for reliable Web site statistics now and in the future," said Jeff Hardy, vice president of business operations for SmarterTools. "With SmarterStats, DeepMetrix and adCenter Analytics customers can find the solutions and value they need."

SmarterStats Web log analytics delivers accurate and detailed Web site statistics for a single site or tens of thousands of sites across distributed networks. With detailed reports, a distributed architecture, and no database requirements, SmarterStats provides a cost-efficient, enterprise-level application. Features include:
• Support for numerous log file types, including Internet Information Server (Windows) and Apache (Linux)
• Charts and graphs enhanced by Microsoft Silverlight
• The ability to separate spider and bot traffic from real visitor traffic
• The ability to propagate settings across Web sites, domains, and entire systems in one step
• 15 data mining reports with enhanced ability to drill down into report items
• 18 geographic report items that allow users to monitor Web site performance and identify demographic marketing opportunities at the country, state, province, and city levels
• Custom and email reports
• A fully skinnable Web interface with optimized AJAX controls

For a full list of features available in SmarterStats 4.x, see the SmarterStats Edition Comparison page on the SmarterTools Web site.

Microsoft adCenter Analytics and DeepMetrix customers can take advantage of this special offer through May 15, 2009, by contacting the SmarterTools sales department via Live Chat or by emailing sales@smartertools.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/smartertools_offers_discount_to_microsoft_customers.html

Strategies and Tactics for World Class SEO: "Ask iProspect"

2009-04-28T14:00:00-04:00

Redding, CT (Gawkwire.com) On Tuesday, May 12, at 1 PM Eastern Daylight Time, senior management from search engine marketing firm iProspect will answer audience questions about SEO, on the Search Marketing Now webcast, "Ask iProspect: Strategies and Tactics for World-Class SEO." This webcast is free and registration is open; questions can be submitted upon registration.

Speakers include: Bill Muller, CMO, iProspect; Brian Kaminski, EVP, Managing Director, iProspect San Francisco; Andrew Wheeler, Managing Director, iProspect Chicago; and Alan Osetek, Managing Director, iProspect Boston.

The content will be driven by audience questions, but with a focus on large, complicated SEO campaigns. As such, topics are likely to include: Simplifying Dynamic Website Optimization; Unique Challenges Posed by Huge Websites; Tracking the ROI of SEO; Integration of SEO and Paid Search; Integration of SEO and Offline Channels

This free webcast is sponsored by iProspect, the Original Search Engine Marketing Firm. Since 1996 the company has helped many of the world's most successful brands maximize their online marketing ROI through natural search engine optimization, pay per click advertising management, paid inclusion management, shopping feed management, search leveraged public relations, display advertising, and other related services. By dramatically increasing business results for clients, iProspect helps to create search marketing heroes every day. For more information, visit www.iprospect.com.

About Search Marketing Now and Third Door Media:
Search Marketing Now webcasts are produced by Third Door Media, Inc. Third Door Media's mission is to empower interactive and search marketing professionals by providing trusted content and community services they need to be successful.

Third Door Media produces the conference series Search Marketing Expo - SMX, which includes SMX West, SMX Search Analytics (Toronto, March 31 - April 1) SMX Advanced (Seattle, June 2-3) and other SMX conferences. Third Door Media also publishes the search marketing news and analysis site Search Engine Land and Sphinn.com, the place for web, online, search, interactive and internet marketers to share news stories, talk within subject-specific discussion forums, build a network and stay connected to hot topics in internet marketing.

http://www.gawkwire.com/seo_sem/strategies_and_tactics_for_world_class_seo_ask_iprospect.html

So Long Squiggly Letters: CAPTCHA THE DOG

2009-04-28T14:00:00-04:00

Grand Isle, Vermont (Gawkwire.com) Is that an N or an H? Does that say LODGE or 10aGE? Why do I feel like a squinting 110-year-old NSA cryptologist every time I want to subscribe to a blog, log on to a publishing site or inquire about a new product? Answer: robots (spambots). The Internet is teeming with Automated Computer Systems relentlessly attempting to dump gobs of unwanted spam, harvest email addresses, scrape site content for unauthorized reuse, upload viruses, and who knows what else. They are a nuisance, and they’re here to stay. So far the best means of thwarting them has been through use of a CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing to tell Computers and Humans Apart).

The problem is that most CAPTCHAs are the text-based, squiggly-letter-and-numbers kind. Many users find them annoying, hard to discern, and difficult to pass. Also there is the problem of handheld devices such iPhones, which don’t have keyboards. Then there is the question of whether text-based CAPTCHAs are any longer effective.[1]

CAPTCHA THE DOG was developed by Daniel McMullan, an Internet solutions expert based in Grand Isle, Vermont. According to McMullan, his CAPTCHA program is different in that it uses a random sequence of 9 images (not letters or numbers) to foil spambots. “Essentially,” McMullan says, “it’s a game of ‘which one of these things is not like the other?’” A visitor must correctly select the one dissimilar image correctly 5 times in a row. The process is easy for humans, takes a few seconds, and is highly effective in deterring would-be spammers. “The key is that the site owner uses his or her own personal images,” McMullan explains. He says the images could be dogs and cats, trees and flowers, cars and trucks, trucks and flowers, or whatever the site owner chooses. He says that even when a human trains a spambot that is based on the site owner’s 9 images, that spambot will only succeed once. “As soon as one spam gets through, a new image is integrated—that spambot now needs retraining.”

A free trial of McMullan’s CAPTCHA THE DOG application is currently available at: captchathedog.com. Users who want to deploy their own images, can set up a one-year customized CAPTCHA THE DOG account for $25.

On April 13, 2009, CNET ran an article highlighting CAPTCHA THE DOG[2]. The article was translated into several languages and has generated interest from Web techs and site managers around the world. The article states that “[CAPTCHA THE DOG] seems a simple yet effective alternative to the text-based Captcha that’s so popular and so frustrating to use.”

McMullan says he hopes that his program can offer another layer of protection for site owners and programmers. “My hope is that this will help remove some of the incentive for spammers and the like, and maybe help throttle back the CAPTCHA vs. spambot arms race.”

Visit captchathedog.com for a free trial and more information.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/so_long_squiggly_letters_captcha_the_dog.html

Social Media Marketing Can Play a Vital Role in Business Success

2009-04-28T09:33:00-04:00

Minnetonka, MN (Gawkwire.com) In today's high-tech world, "word of mouth" still plays a significant role when it comes to purchasing decisions. According to www.iBlogMarketing.com, the importance of "word of mouth" for businesses has morphed to "word of mouse" via social media marketing. For example, online social network users were three times more likely to trust their peers' opinions over advertising when making purchase decisions. ("Social Networking Sites: Defining Advertising Opportunities in a Competitive Landscape," JupiterResearch, March 2007).

Lou Del Monte, President of Minnesota Internet marketing agency TMA E-Marketing, stated, "Social Media Marketing is all about reaching and interacting with the masses." Del Monte continued, "Social media has a mass communication reach similar to television." To make his point, Del Monte offered these statistics: The top 25 social media networks, along with YouTube and Flickr, delivered 215 million unique viewers in February 2008. Unique TV viewers for the same month were approximately 200 million. (Compete.com's list of the top 25 social networks by traffic for February 2008).

When you look at the research Con/Opinion Research Corporation published in September 2008, it becomes clear that Social Media Marketing can play a vital Role in business success:
•93 percent of social media users believe a company should have a presence in social media
•85 percent believe a company should not only be present but also interact with its consumers via social media
•56 percent of users feel both a stronger connection with and better served by companies when they can interact with them in a social media environment

According to Del Monte, "Social Media Marketing is the perfect storm, namely the convergence of marketing, advertising, and public relations."

iBlogMarketing.com is publishing its three part blog post series on the following schedule.
Part 1: What is Social Media Marketing? (April 20, 2009)
Part 2: Why is Social Media Marketing critical to business success? (April 27, 2009)
Part 3: How can I harness the power of Social Media Marketing? (May 4, 2009)

iBlogMarketing.com is owned and operated by TMA E-Marketing (www.tmaemarketing.com), one of the leading providers of Internet marketing services in the US. TMA E-Marketing is recognized as a leader in developing and applying cutting-edge online technologies and offers clients "one stop shopping" for all their Internet marketing and advertising needs. TMA E-Marketing owns and operates some of the most important properties on the Internet, including the number one business blog directory (www.iBlogBusiness.com) and number one business podcast directory (www.iBizRadio.com) in the world.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/social_media_marketing_can_play_a_vital_role_in_business_success.html

Best Web Hosting Providers in Industry Found By WebHostingReport.com

2009-04-28T09:31:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Web Hosting Report, a premier independent group ranking the best web hosting providers, has ranked the best green companies in the industry to celebrate Earth Day with a new category called "Green Web Hosting".

WebHostingReport.com has become synonymous with ranking the best web hosting companies in a variety of different categories. In honor of Earth Day, their newest is "Best Green Web Hosting" that ranks the best green companies.

Web Hosting Report has reported that several web hosting companies are now buying carbon credits to offset their impact on the environment. That, along with several other factors, is how they came up with the best web hosting list. Categories include Best Cheap Hosting, Best Email Hosting and Best Blog Hosting amongst others.

The site also gives an overall Best Website Hosting list that considers several factors, including price, customer service, disk space, bandwidth and the number of domains allowed to be hosted with one account. The rankings are updated frequently based on changes in the marketplace.

What separates Web Hosting Report from other review organizations is the frequency that the information is updated. They consistently monitor the industry and modify their rankings based on criteria for each individual category. This ensures the consumer is getting the best, most up-to-date information on website and blog hosting providers.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/best_web_hosting_providers_in_industry_found_by_webhostingreport.html

SMX Advanced 'Early Bird' Registration Discount Expires May 2

2009-04-28T09:29:00-04:00

Redding, CT (Gawkwire.com) earch Marketing Expo - SMX Advanced's early bird registration rate expires at the close of business on May 1. Conference participants can save $100 by registering before the price increase.

Register online or by phone at (877) 242-5242. SMX Advanced will be held June 2-3 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle, WA.

Programmed by leading search authority Danny Sullivan and the editors SearchEngineLand.com, SMX Advanced features tracks on organic and paid search engine marketing, social media marketing and SEM business issues. See the complete agenda.

"SMX Advanced is for search engine marketing veterans - those fluent in search. It offers a chance for conversations and topics about search marketing to reach a much higher level, because you're not devoting time bringing beginners up to speed," said Sullivan. Read his extensive SMX Advanced conference preview on Search Engine Land.

SMX Advanced will feature several networking events, beginning with the SMX Meet & Greet on Monday, June 1. On June 2, SMX producer Third Door Media and SMX Advanced premier sponsor Microsoft will host networking gatherings.

A host of market-leading companies will be participating in SMX Advanced. In addition to Microsoft, others exhibiting or sponsoring include Omniture, Bruce Clay, Inc., Facebook and Google. See the complete list at http://searchmarketingexpo.com/advanced/2009/exhibitors .

About Search Marketing Expo and Third Door Media:
The Search Marketing Expo - SMX conference series is produced by Third Door Media, Inc. Third Door Media's mission is to empower internet and search marketing professionals by providing trusted content and community services they need to be successful. Search Marketing Expo conferences are held around the world and include: SMX West (Santa Clara, CA), SMX East (New York City) SMX Advanced (Seattle, WA), SMX London, SMX Munich, SMX Sydney, SMX Singapore, SMX Madrid, SMX Sao Paolo, and SMX China.

Third Door Media publishes Search Engine Land, the leading search marketing news and analysis site. The company also produces Search Marketing Now, a lead-generation marketing solution for suppliers of SEM-related products and services, and operates Sphinn.com, a social news site that allows search and internet marketers to share news stories, participate in subject-specific discussion forums, and build their professional networks.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/smx_advanced_early_bird_registration_discount_expires_may_2.html

PEER 1 Opens European Office, Brings Data Center Online

2009-04-28T09:22:00-04:00

VANCOUVER, BC (Gawkwire.com) PEER 1 Network Enterprises, Inc. (TSX: PIX), a global online IT hosting provider, has expanded its reach into Europe, with the opening of a European headquarters in Southampton, United Kingdom, and named Dominic Monkhouse, managing director.

“We have seen consistent demand from our customers for a hosting facility in Europe,” said Fabio Banducci, president and CEO of PEER 1. “Strong demand, favorable exchange rates, falling real estate prices and a UK market growth rate of 25 percent make this an opportune time for PEER 1 to expand its presence in Europe. The office will support more than 500 UK and European-based customers, who currently utilize PEER 1’s North American hosting services, and expand quickly to help additional businesses manage their online presence.”

In addition to establishing its headquarters, PEER 1 has launched its first data center in the UK, which strengthens the company’s presence in Europe alongside existing London and Amsterdam network Points-of-Presence (PoPs). The data center offers managed and dedicated hosting services to PEER 1 and ServerBeach customers through an initial provision of 100 secure racks.

“The UK market is responsible for approximately 15 percent of global managed hosting revenue. Over the past year, the UK market has seen growth rates above the 25 percent mark, and even higher for some providers, despite the economic condition,” said Antonio Piraino, senior analyst for Tier1 Research. “Companies offering datacenter services in the UK are fast becoming major hubs for customers as far afield as Eastern European and Middle East due to the region’s high level of expertise, language skills and connectivity.”

As with PEER 1’s existing global data centers, the UK location will operate on a Cisco core with Foundry load balancing and Juniper dedicated client firewalls. The data center will also deliver energy-efficient downflow, eco-friendly cold-aisle containment, upstream IP transit direct to the PoP in London, with redundant fibre connecting PEER 1’s global SuperNetworkTM to the data center, and UPS back-up and generator redundancy power.

PEER 1’s wholly-owned SuperNetwork offers highly scalable and available content delivery to customers through Fast-Ethernet and Gigabit-Ethernet access over 13,000 miles of fibre connectivity. This content delivery network (CDN) delivers faster connections and improved uptime to customers through its powerful network backbone, alongside efficient single-source fault resolution that eliminates reliance on third party carrier resolution.

“We rely on exceptional hosting and IT infrastructure service to deliver successful high profile, rich media campaigns to our clients,” said Matthew Don, technical director at Skive, the London-based creative digital agency. “With PEER 1 this is a given and having a PEER 1 office and data center at our door step makes it even easier to focus and grow our core business, instead of worrying about enterprise IT issues.”

Dominic Monkhouse has been named managing director of the new PEER 1 European headquarters. The industry veteran is responsible for sales, marketing and service, building upon PEER 1’s FirstCall commitment to customer support. Prior to joining PEER 1, Monkhouse served as managing director of IT Labs, where he transformed the company into a fast-growing IT service provider in the UK SMB market. Before his stint at IT Labs, Monkhouse was managing director of Rackspace in the UK.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/peer_1_opens_european_office_brings_data_center_online.html

WebhostGIANT Extends '50% OFF on Web Hosting' Offer

2009-04-27T09:22:00-04:00

Las Vegas, NV (Gawkwire.com) Web Hosting provider WebhostGIANT has Extended its "50% OFF on Web Hosting" Offer. Now host on Linux Servers at only $2.79/mo whereas Windows Hosting plans are available at $3.59/mo. While IT budgets continue to shrink, finding low-priced reliable budget web hosting solutions has become crucial to the survival of businesses. WebhostGIANT is coming to the rescue, helping businesses achieve more for less by extending its offer "50% OFF on Web Hosting".

Economic slowdown isn't good news for any company and certainly costs will have to be cut to maintain the capital. According to the survey, 42 percent of IT decisions makers consider cost management as their biggest priority for the year 2009. Taking the current situation into account, WebHostGIANT's Cheap Web Hosting is offering more in addition to 50% off, one can use the code "Recession" and get additional 10% off initial purchase with price-freeze guarantees on the original 50% off.

WebhostGIANT offers both Linux and Windows Hosting plans. Linux plans start at $2.79/mo whereas Windows plans begin at only $3.59/mo. Both come with loads of additional features to maximize your each dollar spending.

In spite of low priced hosting solutions, highest standards of quality service are maintained. WebhostGIANT provides all of its clients with industry-leading hardware, software and technology. All shared plans are hosted on RAID protected servers to ensure the best available uptime.

WebHostGIANT is committed to provide the best support to ensure quality. All support is rendered by employees of WebhostGIANT and is not sent to some third party call center. All of WebhostGIANT's hosting plans come with free 24/7 chat and online ticketing support and 30-day money-back and price-freeze guarantees.

WebhostGIANT provides the following advantages over other hosting providers:

Budget Hosting with Guarantees
100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed
Guaranteed Support Resolution Time
99.99% Network Uptime Guarantee
Space and Bandwidth Match Guarantees
Experience & Financial Stability
Scalable Hosting Solutions
Unmatched Server Reliability
Tons of other Free software and other features

For additional information or to risk-free try today please go to http://www.WebhostGIANT.com

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/webhostgiant_extends_50_off_on_web_hosting_offer.html

In-house Search Marketing Conference Launches at SMX Advanced

2009-04-27T09:20:00-04:00

San Francisco, CA and Redding, CT (Gawkwire.com) SEOinhouse.com and Search Marketing Expo organizer Third Door Media announced In-house SEM Exchange, the first search engine marketing conference dedicated to In-house SEOs. The In-house SEM Exchange has been created in response to the sharp increase of companies launching internal search engine marketing departments and will happen on June 4th, 2009 following Search Marketing Expo - SMX Advanced in Seattle, Washington, June 2-3.

The In-house SEM Exchange offers in-house search engine marketers the chance to learn from one another, get solutions that work, and receive candid feedback on what doesn't. More importantly, attendees will build relationships with SEOs who want to share their experiences.

The In-house SEM Exchange is an event created by in-house SEOs for in-house SEOs, at the request of in-house SEOs. Three leading search engine marketers who contributed insights into the perfect in-house search marketing event have this to say about this unique conference:

"In-house SEOs will benefit from the safe haven of this event so that we can share openly, get input from people who have been through their challenges and get several solutions from a room full of people who understand the unique challenges of in-house SEO."
- Duane Forrester, Senior Program Manager, SEO - Microsoft/MSN

"The needs of search marketers doing SEO in-house are broader than the topics covered at most conferences. It's not just about basic tactics: you also have to deal with organizational, political and process-related challenges. Insights into how to get past these hurdles often come from peers at other companies who either are or have been going through similar challenges. Having a day that is dedicated to enabling these conversations is priceless."
- Olivier Lemaignen, Group Manager, Global Search Marketing - Intuit

"What's particularly great about this add-on day to SMX Advanced is that we get the benefits of a search marketing conference combined with the opportunity to interact with in-house SEOs in a way that facilitates knowledge transfer, relationship building and ways to overcome obstacles specific to in-house SEOs."
- Brent D. Payne, Director of Search Engine Optimization, Tribune Company

The In-house SEM Exchange, sponsored by Microsoft Live Search, features the In-house SEO Vault, an intense, serious and productive SEO exchange on the most pressing issues faced by attendees who will actually define the topics discussed through a pre-event survey. The In-house SEO Vault has a "what is said here, stays here" mentality and is intended to bring down the walls, lay everything on the table and get real solutions that are actually being implemented successfully by companies doing SEO in-house, right now.

The In-house SEM Exchange will run in conjunction with the following Search Marketing Expo events in 2009 and 2010:

- Search Marketing Expo - SMX Advanced, Seattle Washington (2009 and 2010)
- Search Marketing Expo - SMX East, New York, New York (2009 and 2010)
- Search Marketing Expo - SMX West, Santa Clara, CA (2010)

The In-house SEM Exchange will be open only to those who want to share as much as they receive, and only to search marketers who are employed by a company that does not sell search engine marketing services.

To learn more about the In-house SEM Exchange, visit www.inhousesemexchange.com or contact Jessica Bowman at 310-464-1736 or jessica (at) seoinhouse (dot) com.

The inaugural In-house SEM Exchange will take place alongside SMX Advanced, the search marketing conference created for experienced search marketers. SMX Advanced sessions cover today's hot button search engine marketing issues, with tracks focused on paid search advertising (PPC), search engine optimization, social media marketing and search marketing company business issues. Combination registration packages are available for both In-house SEM Exchange and SMX Advanced - for more information and to register visit http://SMXAdvanced.com or call 877-242-5242.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/in-house_search_marketing_conference_launches_at_smx_advanced.html

Black Box Releases Optinet â€” Bandwidth Shaping/Content Filtering

2009-04-27T09:19:00-04:00

PITTSBURGH, PA (Gawkwire.com) Black Box Corporation (NASDAQ:BBOX), an industry-leading provider of voice communications, data infrastructure, and product solutions, introduces Optinet™, a deep packet, Layer 7 inspection gateway appliance that optimizes Internet use, enabling organizations to get the most from their available bandwidth. Optinet from Black Box (part #s FE408005AA, FE408020AA, FE408020XA, FE408045XA, FE408100XA, FE408200XA), scans, identifies, and controls Internet traffic, and provides advanced content filtering, reporting, application prioritization, bandwidth management, and threat protection.

“Because of the increase in graphics, video applications, and social networking on the Internet, bandwidth usage is exploding, including non-business-related traffic over corporate networks. IT managers are faced with the prospect of leasing more broadband capacity or completely forbidding non-business use,” said Franco Tavella, Black Box Product Manager. “Optinet enables IT managers to allocate slices of bandwidth based on data content for individual users or groups. With this device, managers can more efficiently use and manage their leased broadband capabilities.

“Additionally,” says Tavella, “Optinet effectively blocks malware and viruses with advanced database matching and spyware removal capabilities to keep organizations safe at the point where the majority of virulent programs are received.”

Optinet is a secure Web gateway appliance that sits between your corporate firewall and network switches. The convenient, powerful Web-based management console comes with everything you need to shape bandwidth, filter content, and reduce threats.

With multilayer content filtering, users are able to access the content they need with real-time dynamic URL categorization, URL database matching, URL keyword searches, and deep HTML inspection. Additionally, allotting more bandwidth to mission-critical sites and applications enables you to shape and prioritize Internet use and content. You can place precise limits on the amount of bandwidth available to specific applications, users, and groups.

Optinet also reveals exactly how your employees use the Internet. Application traffic monitoring enables you to set appropriate priorities and limits, and automatically enforce policies and restrictions. Detailed reports on use activity, application traffic, and Internet threats give you total visibility and enhance your ability to analyze and fix problems.

You also get protection from existing and continually evolving on-line threats with its hourly filter avoidance updates and dynamic content analysis that identifies and shuts out dangerous anonymous proxies.

Optinet devices range from 5-Mbps up to 200-Mbps WAN capabilities. Most of the appliances feature acceleration technology, which ensures 100 percent SSL encryption.

Optinet is just one of the 118,000+ products Black Box offers, including Black Box® brand VPNs, media converter switches, Ethernet switches, as well as products from other leading manufacturers, such as Cisco and HP®. All are backed by free, live, 24/7 Tech Support, which responds to a call or click in 20 seconds or less.

For more information call Black Box at 877-877-2269 or visit http://www.blackbox.com/go/optinet.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/black_box_releases_optinet_bandwidth_shaping_content_filtering.html

Instant Video Presenter Creates Professional Newsroom Videos in Minutes

2009-04-27T00:17:00-04:00

Overland Park, Kansas (Gawkwire.com) ej4, a company that has worked with Fortune 500s to produce thousands of promotional and training videos for hundreds of companies, has released Instant Video PresenterT - a software application that allows users to create professional newsroom-style videos in minutes. It is optimized to affordably produce persuasive and informative
newsroom-style videos in record time.

Instant Video Presenter was designed to give novice video users an affordable application to create and share professional quality video electronically. It is not an editing application, it is an unprecedented video capture application, so there is no post production process, compression, or editing needed. When the video is done being recorded, the file is immediately ready to be deployed through email, internet upload or burned to CD.

"Thousands of talented people worldwide are trying to create a unique space for themselves on YouTubeT and other social networking sites. They have great messages, but lack technical production knowledge and the means for expensive editing equipment," says Dan Cooper, ej4 Chief Operating Officer "Instant Video Presenter lets them produce a message that takes the focus off of their video quality and direct viewers back to the message at hand."Instant Video Presenter is specialized video recording software that captures any presenter and PC application simultaneously using "chroma-key" and "green-screen" technology. It lets users with no previous video experience do something that no other desktop software can - capture a presenter interacting with software applications, PowerPoint presentations, websites, or pictures in professional quality video on one PC. Developed to be user-friendly, Instant Video Presenter provides extensive automation and on-screen wizards to let novice and experienced users produce professional quality videos in record time. It can be learned in less than 20 minutes for immediate application.

Instant Video Presenter records and compresses videos in real time so videos can be produced and distributed immediately. There is no editing required. This lets novice and experienced users alike create professional newsroom-style videos - just like the weatherperson on TV - in minutes. "Instant Video Presenter took my videos from the basement to the penthouse," says Pete Nelson, YouTube user, "and it was incredibly affordable. I learned it in about 15 minutes and it looks like they were edited by a professional."

Instant Video Presenter includes a green screen and sells for $259.99.
For more information or to download a free trial version, go to: www.InstantVideoPresenter.com

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/instant_video_presenter_creates_professional_newsroom-style_vide.html

Horizon Data Center Solutions Acquires Dallas-based Mareechi

2009-04-24T09:36:00-04:00

Dallas, TX (Gawkwire.com) In what company executives and industry analysts agree is the "right move at the right time," Horizon Data Center Solutions of Dallas has announced the acquisition of Mareechi, a fast-growing application service provider (ASP) that has provided outsourced information technology services to more than 100 clients around the world for the past nine years. Exact terms of the deal were not disclosed; however the combined businesses have an estimated 2009 revenue in excess of $20 million.

The acquisition, which folds privately-owned, Dallas-based Mareechi into the Horizon family of companies creates a global managed services company. Management anticipates keeping both companies intact, retaining all employees, and continuing Horizon's record of facility expansion and revenue growth.

The acquisition by Horizon provides Mareechi clients, including major Dallas businesses like Hunt Capital Group and Pizza Hut Park, with immediate access to Horizon's mission critical data center and business continuity services. In addition, Horizon's data center clients, which include Fortune 100 and other organizations such as Dallas-based Children's Medical Center and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, now have the option to expand their services with Horizon into the hosting and application management areas, which may generate significant cost savings on IT overhead.

Lance A. Smith, CEO of Horizon and a long-time data center industry executive with experience working for the industry's top data center providers, says Horizon, which launched in mid-2008, had planned to build a managed services division as part of its operations, but rapid growth, expansion, and success within its core data center services, coupled with client demand, led the company to look for an acquisition candidate that would allow it to expand into the managed services area more rapidly to meet customer needs.

"Our plan has always been to build a company that was dynamic and flexible and that would meet the needs of our customer base. As our customers have begun to rely on our partnership and warm to our model of doing business, they began asking us for more services that would save them money. We had two options: build it or acquire it. We felt the most prudent strategy would be to find a company with a proven track record and existing customer base, acquire it, and provide benefits to both sides of the house. With Mareechi, we found our opportunity," Smith says.

Lance Black Lance Black, the founder and CEO of Mareechi, who will remain with the company as Executive Vice President of Operations says the joining of the two companies makes for a very good marriage.

"Our customer base is broad, and we have clients who trust us and who ask us what more we can do for them. With the strength of Horizon, we can continue to build a solid, profitable managed services company and keep our focus on being high touch. We share the same customer service philosophy as Horizon, which has allowed us to grow exponentially year-on-year. With this acquisition, we gain the strength of a parent company that can help us expand on our annual 25 percent growth rates. We anticipate doubling this new division in size and revenues within a year," says Black.

John Hendon, Vice President of Investment Bank Stifel Nicolaus and an expert on the data center and managed services sector, says the acquisition by Horizon of Mareechi is another indicator that the industry will continue to be an exciting area for investors.

"The leadership at Horizon has approached its business from a standpoint of adding value to its customers, and the managed services side offers multiple benefits. Horizon can offer more services to its customers to help solidify relationships and increase the already profitable revenue per square foot on its data centers," Hendon says.

According to Hendon, who has watched Horizon's growth over the last ten months, the business case for a new Horizon customer should be an easy sell.

"Businesses are looking for ways to cut costs and improve reliability and data security. Horizon can take costs out of a business and provide services more economically and better on a 24/7 scale," Hendon says.

Black, Smith, and Hendon all agree that from an internal business standpoint, there are definite revenue synergies for Horizon. Horizon brings to the table a top tier portfolio of audited data centers that have generated significant new business at a rate almost counter-intuitive to this economy. The acquisition of Mareechi gives Horizon a large managed services customer base that now has access to co-location and data security.

"This acquisition really makes all the sense in the world, and from a prospective customer's standpoint, it shows that these companies are on firm financial footing and are forward thinking," Hendon says.

Within the enhanced company, operations teams will be blended and staff expanded. Smith and Black say the transition should appear seamless to existing customers who will benefit from the expanded service offerings.

"Our clients expect friendly, timely response to their needs and great customer support. That won't change, and our employees now have new training opportunities and the ability to grow within the industry as they deal with the large profile clients that come from Horizon." Black says.

"We anticipate new employment opportunities within IT and facility management in the Dallas marketplace, and a continuation of our investment in direct employment on a monthly basis," Smith says.

Horizon, which already has more than 50,000 square feet of data center space within the North Dallas corridor, has plans to expand again within one of its facilities during the third quarter. Plans to add a Houston data center and one on each coast are underway, with estimated completion within the next 12 months.

Note to Editors and Reporters:
To speak with Lance A. Smith, CEO, or Lance Black, EVP of Operations, contact Connie Holubar at OutreachPR, at 903 880 8217 or email connie @ outreachpr.com. Visit www.horizondcs.com for more information about Horizon Data Center Solutions and to review other recent activity at the company.

John Hendon of Stifel Nicolaus is also available for additional information on the data center and managed services industry, investment in this sector, and trends. He also can be reached through OutreachPR, or via email at jhendon @ stifel.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/horizon_data_center_solutions_acquires_dallas-based_mareechi.html

Companies Invest Heavily in SEM as Marketers Continue to Reap Good Returns

2009-04-24T09:33:00-04:00

London (Gawkwire.com) Companies are continuing to invest in search marketing as both paid and natural search channels continue to deliver, according to a report published today by Guava and Econsultancy.

Search engine optimisation (SEO or natural search) is the digital channel where companies are most likely to be investing more money, with 55% of respondents expecting an increase in their budgets this year. Just under a third of respondents (31%) say that SEO spending will stay the same and only 6% say there will be decreased investment.

The research also found that 45% of responding organisations are increasing their budgets for paid search. Only 11% of respondents say they are decreasing their spend on pay-per-click marketing, for reasons which include click cost inflation and lower conversion rates caused by the credit crunch.

The SEM statistics are less positive for online display advertising, although there are still more organisations (24%) who are increasing budgets than there are companies cutting back (16%).

The third annual UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmark Report, based on a survey of more than 800 company and agency digital marketers, gives a comprehensive overview of the search marketing landscape, and also includes research about the use of social media.

Twitter, in particular, has shown phenomenal growth since last year. Last year only 3% of responding organisations said that they were using Twitter in their marketing strategy, compared to an overwhelming 49% this year. Facebook is now being used by 65% of companies as part of their marketing efforts.

The SEM report also found that just under half of company respondents (48%) report that SEO return on investment (ROI) has gone up in the last year, compared to only 6% who say that ROI from this channel has gone down. For paid search, 43% report that ROI has increased compared to 15% who say that it has decreased.

Linus Gregoriadis, Econsultancy's Research Director, said: "UK search marketers are still getting strong return on investment from paid search marketing despite the recession, increased competition and click cost inflation. This research provides more proof that companies are turning to digital channels such as paid search and search engine optimisation where there is a demonstrable return on investment.

He added: "Crucially, companies are also getting better at measuring their returns from this channel which, in turn, is leading to more investment."

The proportion of company respondents who say that they are tracking paid search return on investment effectively has increased from 33% last year to 45% in 2009. For SEO, there has been an even bigger increase (in those tracking ROI effectively), from 20% to 35%.

Lucy Cokes, Director at Guava, said: "We were delighted by the response to the surveys and feel we have gone some way to achieving our aim of providing the most comprehensive and useful piece of year on year Search Engine Marketing research in the UK. At Guava we predict that Social Media Marketing will move from an integrated part of our SEO campaigns to being delivered as a standalone service. This will change will occur over the coming year as larger companies want to take more control of this element of their marketing."

Other findings
It is clear that Google remains king, with 85% of responding companies utilising the search engine for paid search. 94% of agencies say their clients typically pay to advertise on Google.

Approximately half as many responding organisations (44%) use Yahoo, whilst a third (30%) are using Live (Microsoft's platform). Yahoo has taken the biggest hit since last year's survey, with 5% fewer company marketers now using Yahoo for paid search. Similarly, 7% fewer agencies say their clients pay to advertise on Yahoo's search results pages.

Only 5% of companies are paying to advertise on mobile search listings and, surprisingly, that percentage has not increased since last year although 23% are planning to do this. More than two thirds of respondents say this is either not on the radar yet (37%) or that they have no plans to use mobile search (32%).

Survey respondents were asked specifically about the factors which had negatively affected their return on investment from paid search in the last 12 months. The higher cost of clicks emerged as the most significant issue and CPC (cost-per-click) inflation is being driven both by increased competition and efforts by the search engines to extract as much profit as they can while still delivering return on investment.

Just over a third of respondents (37%) said that the credit crunch was explicitly an issue and a similar proportion (34%) said that lower conversion rates were negatively impacting ROI. These factors are very closely related.

Only 5% of respondents report that the end of best practice funding has negatively impacted their return on investment. The change in Google's trademark bidding policy has had more of an impact, with 15% of company respondents citing this as a negative factor affecting ROI.

The full Econsultancy / Guava UK Search Engine Marketing Benchmarking Report 2009 is available for download at: http://www.guava.co.uk/uksem2009

http://www.gawkwire.com/seo_sem/companies_invest_heavily_in_sem_as_marketers_continue_to_reap_go.html

Greatmail LLC Announces Wholesale Email Hosting for Resellers

2009-04-24T09:37:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Greatmail LLC announces wholesale email hosting services for resellers, ISPs and hosting companies. The wholesale services target four different tiers: less than 500 mailboxes, 500-10,000 mailboxes, 10,000-100,000 mailboxes, and more than 100,000 mailboxes.

Pricing for the POP3/IMAP email accounts is based on total storage, mailbox count, number of domains, features and service contract type. All wholesale accounts include virus and spam protection.

Depending on the client's requirements, Greatmail either leases space on existing server clusters or builds dedicated infrastructures. Third party applications like Gossamer Mail, Horde and Zimbra are often incorporated into the design of custom built configurations.

Hosting companies seeking to outsource their email systems can take full advantage of Greatmail's private label webmail and administration panel. "The default interface is generic and works straight out of the box, however, administrators can use our built in branding and customization tools to develop private label solutions without extensive development and integration costs," says company spokesperson Ryan Hess.

Greatmail's wholesale services include dedicated account management and 24/7 performance monitoring. Greatmail's servers are located in managed, geographically dispersed facilities.

More information about Greatmail's wholesale email hosting services can be found on the company's web site at http://www.greatmail.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/greatmail_llc_announces_wholesale_email_hosting_for_resellers.html

Open Source Bridge Conference Announces Speakers for Inaugural Gathering

2009-04-24T09:32:00-04:00

Portland, OR (Gawkwire.com) Open Source Bridge, a new conference designed to increase collaboration in the open source development community across a broad range of disciplines, announced today its confirmed list of speakers, featuring topics that range from the Linux kernel to Configuration Management to MySQL to the Android mobile platform and everything in between. In addition to insights surrounding open source technologies, Open Source Bridge attendees will engage in discussions about the culture and practice of open source and the many ways it is being applied in commercial and nonprofit organizations.

The final talks were selected from more than 260 submissions. Proposals were evaluated on a combination of factors that included the strength of the summary, the accessibility of the subject matter, and guidance from the open source community which submitted more than 400 comments on the proposals. Among the confirmed speakers are well-known open source advocates like Brian Aker on Drizzle, Brian Ford on Ruby and RubySpec, Sara Ford on CodePlex, the GitHub team on "bootstrapping your open source business," Bob Ippolito on ACID RDBMS, Emma McGrattan on asking for "forgiveness not permission," Chris Messina on "social network supermarkets and how to defeat them," Evan Prodromou on open source microblogging, and Allison Randal on Parrot. The complete list of confirmed speakers can be found at http://opensourcebridge.org/blog/open-source-bridge-conference-confirmed-speakers.

"It's great to have a conference in the Pacific Northwest that is both filled with interesting content and incredibly accessible to the open source community," said Aker. "I'm really looking forward to the conference, seeing Portland, and spending some time in the hallway track."

True to its open source roots, Open Source Bridge planners ensured that even those speakers that didn't make the cut--but that have a popular following--still have the potential to present to attendees. The last day of the conference will be an "unconference" format, a freeform event that allows conference participants to propose their own sessions, independent of the organizers.

Name-brand sponsors contribute support

A number of companies who recognize the value of the open source community and its potential have already stepped forward to support the event. Those companies include the Yahoo! Developer Network, Network Redux, Mozilla, Google, WebTrends, and Portland-based co-working space CubeSpace.

Given the volunteer-run nature of the event, all sponsorship money goes toward the actual expenses of the event, enabling the volunteer staff to support the conference and attract a wide range of participants from across the country.

Companies interested in sponsoring the event can access more information and a sponsor prospectus at http://opensourcebridge.org/sponsors/.

Participating in the conference

Attendees may register for the conference by visiting http://opensourcebridge.org/attend/. The three-day conference costs $250 per attendee. Student passes are available for $99. Hotel accommodations for the event are provided by the Portland Hilton & Towers starting at $139/night. Hotel residents also gain access to a dedicated "hacker lounge"--which sits atop the Hilton Portland & Executive Tower--that will be open 24-hours a day and stocked with refreshments throughout the conference.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/open_source_bridge_conference_announces_speakers_for_inaugural_g.html

Search Marketing for Small Business - Live Webcast

2009-04-23T15:34:00-04:00

Redding, CT (Gawkwire.com) On Thursday, May 14, at 1 PM EDT, Search Marketing industry veteran Disa Johnson will present a free webcast for small businesses that will cover the basics of search marketing -- from how to use search engine optimization (SEO) so that search engines find a site, to ways to measure the results of online marketing.

According to a recent survey from Nielsen Online and WebVisible, Inc. local businesses and consumers are too often failing to connect, despite billions of local consumer dollars up for grabs. A full 82% of consumers use search to find local businesses -- yet less than half of all small businesses have a website. And only 9% of small businesses are satisfied with their online marketing efforts.

The May 14 webcast, sponsored by WebVisible and hosted by Search Marketing Now, is targeted at small and local businesses. Disa Johnson will present an introductory look at the elements that go into a successful search marketing campaign at the small business level.

Johnson, who founded the I-Search Forum in the late 1990s, is widely acknowledged as a top search-marketing expert and industry leader. She's a well-known speaker at industry conferences, and is currently president of SearchReturn, a fully moderated free email newsletter and digest of subscriber posts.

Search Marketing Now webcasts are live, online presentations delivered in a PowerPoint presentation and streaming audio. The webcast will last approximately 50 minutes, including a live Question and Answer session with the speaker. (Attendees may submit questions during the webcast.)Registration is still open and there is no charge for the webcast.

For more information, visit http://searchmarketingnow.com.

This webcast is sponsored by WebVisible. WebVisible helps local businesses leverage the Internet to acquire new customers. An online marketing leader, WebVisible delivers innovative solutions that make it easy and cost-effective for businesses to be found online at any time, on any device.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/search_marketing_for_small_business_-_live_webcast.html

Partnership Brings Cloud Management Services to GoGrid's Cloud Infrastructure

2009-04-23T15:32:00-04:00

San Francisco, California (Gawkwire.com) GoGrid, the cloud computing division of ServePath, LLC, and Tap In Systems, developers of a new cloud-based systems management service, announce a partnership to implement Tap In's Cloud Management Service (CMS) into the GoGrid cloud infrastructure. Using Tap In Systems' technology within the GoGrid cloud allows customers to easily monitor their applications for critical alerts, system utilization and other important notifications.

Tap In Systems' Cloud Management Service (CMS) is a cloud-based, scalable monitoring service which manages both cloud and on-premises systems, providing status and performance data, alerts and reporting to keep applications running smoothly. CMS is able to provide monitoring in a single cloud, across different cloud architectures, as well as in hybrid (cloud and on-premise) environments - all visible and controlled from the same desktop interface. Tap In's service is deployed as an on-demand service and billed per instance hour or monthly, with the ability for customers to turn monitoring instances on/off as needed, as well as scale up/down as infrastructure grows.

"As a leading cloud infrastructure provider, GoGrid provides a range of cloud computing offerings that complement Tap In System's monitoring service," said Peter Loh, Founder and CEO, Tap In Systems. "GoGrid customers now have the ability to organize their IT infrastructure across multiple platforms without losing critical monitoring functionality."

"GoGrid's deep expertise in hosting, coupled with Tap In Systems' breadth of experience in enterprise-class monitoring, creates a powerful combination for companies wanting to take full advantage of the Cloud," said John Keagy, CEO, GoGrid. "As companies are deploying more hybrid IT environments, Tap In Systems is able to provide enterprise-class monitoring required to maintain optimal performance of systems and applications."

Availability
GoGrid will begin offering customers Tap In Systems' Cloud Management Service (CMS) starting Summer 2009. Tap In Systems' Cloud Management Service (CMS) currently provides support for Amazon Web Service (AWS). CMS is deployed as an on-demand service and billed per instance hour or monthly, with the ability for customers to turn monitoring instances on/off as needed, as well as scale up/down as infrastructure grows.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/partnership_brings_cloud_management_services_to_gogrid_s_cloud_i.html

E-Commerce Matters: Leveling the Playing field Webinar

2009-04-23T15:31:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Let’s face the facts: the playing field in the world of e-commerce is not level. If you’re an e-merchant who isn’t one of the well known major players, you might have trouble getting people to trust that you are a legitimate online business. In this Webinar we will show you some tools that will help you overcome this obstacle and increase your revenue through trust-building technologies.

During the journey from visitor to buyer, there are many fears that might deter a consumer from completing their purchase. As an e-merchant, as long as you accept that there’s a little extra leg work needed there is still hope for leveling the playing field

The webinar will be held Tuesday, April 28 from 3:00PM - 4:00PM EST. To register for the webinar, please visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/943078090. Space is limited, so secure your place in our webinar now.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/e-commerce_matters_leveling_the_playing_field_webinar.html

E-Commerce Widget Adds Dynamic One-Click Checkout and Online Commerce

2009-04-23T11:58:00-04:00

Lewiston, ME (Gawkwire.com) LC E-Commerce Solutions has released a new application named E-ComBanner as part of its Tacoma RIA E-Commerce suite of applications. E-ComBanners allow instant deployment and management of an online shop in a unique banner which can be embedded into or float and dissolve within any web page. One-click checkout within the banner is powered by PayPal and Google Checkout and customers' products and banners are managed by an easy-to-use desktop application. The application was built with Adobe® Flex® Builder and leverages Adobe® LiveCycle® Data Services ES and Adobe® AIR® for a unique combination of enterprise class data services capabilities, cross-platform reach, and an expressive user interface.

A SaaS (Software as a Service) application, E-ComBanners require no software or hosting. Additionally, data transferred to/from the BannerAdmin application is secured via SSL.

Some of the unique features include:

Instant importation of product from a .csv file
Multi-level navigation from within the banner
Additional product criteria search feature
Ability to change product attributes in real-time
Transaction notification and reporting
Analytics integration for tracking
3rd party API integration for fulfillment.

"E-ComBanner is designed to be a user-friendly and immediate solution for creating online shops," says Barclay Layman, LC E-Com partner. "It is easy to set up and use, provides customers and site visitors real-time update of products available to purchase, and can be deployed and managed from anywhere."

"LC E-Commerce Solutions harnessed powerful core capabilities in the Adobe Flash Platform leveraging Adobe Flex builder, Adobe Air and Adobe LiveCycle Data Services, to develop a suite of innovative e-commerce applications that run consistently across all major operating systems," said Dave Gruber, group product marketing manager, Platform Business Unit at Adobe. "Companies can gain competitive advantage by using the Adobe Flash Platform for their e-commerce solutions."

The E-ComBanner is the first of the Tacoma suite of products to be made available publicly. The E-ComBanner is intended to be the entry level product of the Tacoma suite of expandable and buildable e-commerce solutions. Users interested in growing their online presence can evolve from the E-ComBanner to the BoutiqueShop, which is a fully functional store that can be used as a stand-alone E-Commerce shop or fused into an existing static online store. Upcoming product releases of FlagShip and MallStore will provide complete turn-key enterprise level online stores capable of handling up to several hundred thousand products, built via Adobe Flex.

LC E-Commerce Solutions, LLC is a dynamic company that is continually engaged in the process of enhancing its current products and strategically develops new products to improve the on-line e-tailing experience. Headquartered in Lewiston, Maine, the company can be accessed by visiting www.LCe-com.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/e-commerce_widget_adds_dynamic_one-click_checkout_and_online_com.html

Education is Key in Keeping Kids Safe in a Mobile Environment

2009-04-23T11:56:00-04:00

WASHINGTON, DC (Gawkwire.com) Throughout the day, expert panelists discussed topics ranging from tools and strategies parents can use to talk to their kids to wireless privacy and legal issues. Keynote remarks were given by Federal Trade Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour, Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler and The Wireless Foundation President and CTIA-The Wireless Association President and CEO Steve Largent.

“The Federal Trade Commission is dedicated to protecting children online, on their home computers and on their wireless devices,” said Commissioner Harbour. “We thank FOSI and The Wireless Foundation for their leadership to put this conference together to talk about the risks our children are taking online.”

“FOSI believes in creating a culture of responsibility where kids understand the consequences of what they post and how they communicate on the web,” said FOSI CEO Stephen Balkam. “We are thrilled to have this opportunity with The Wireless Foundation to discuss the various challenges we are seeing and determine how we can best teach kids to make wise choices online.”

"Almost every day brings another technology that connects us to the Internet and to each other faster and easier than ever before," said Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler. "As a member of the law enforcement community, we are focused on public safety and making sure that kids and their parents have the tools they need to be safe on the Internet."

“Wireless technology is an invaluable tool for millions of Americans to stay connected to friends and family,” said Steve Largent, President of The Wireless Foundation and President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association. “As more and more of our nation’s youth are using wireless devices, it’s important to make the mobile environment as safe as possible. I’m pleased that the wireless industry has voluntarily provided parents with the tools and information needed to encourage responsible and safe use of cell phones.”

To download materials to help parents talk with their kids about online safety, please visit: www.wirelessfoundation.com/GetWise.

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/education_is_key_in_keeping_kids_safe_in_a_mobile_environment.html

HALF OF BRITONS BASE SOCIAL JUDGMENTS ON THE STYLE OF EMAILS

2009-04-23T11:54:00-04:00

London (Gawkwire.com) Over half of the British public (54 per cent) admit to basing social judgments on the style of emails they receive, forming opinions on aspects such as the sender’s intelligence, age and social status, according research released today by GMX, www.gmx.co.uk, the free email service for more than 11 million active users. The survey of 1900 UK consumers[1] found that email psychology is commonplace in Britain, with 1 in 3 adults admitting to purposefully adapting the language and style of their emails to create their own ‘email image’. Significantly, younger generations are far more inclined to both adapt their own image over email (66 per cent), and use email as a way to avoid stressful conversations with over 40 per cent of 16-24 and 25-34 yr olds using email for this purpose, and 1 in 4 sending emails to deliberately avoid social contact with certain individuals. The data suggests that email has made a real impact on how many younger Britons manage their personal lives.

The GMX ‘Email Britain’ study found that in 2009 the UK is an email savvy nation with many Britons valuing email as a tool to manage their work/life balance. For example, 1 in 3 (36 per cent) would approach romantic suitors via email, and 18 per cent of under 25s would end a relationship via email. It is perhaps unsurprising then that over half of the public (54 per cent) are now confident to base their social judgments on the style and tone of emails that they receive. Intelligence was the most common aspect to be judged (40 per cent) rising to 54 per cent in 25-34 year olds, followed by age (20 per cent) and social status (16 per cent). Interestingly, the extent to which we judge emails decreases with age, with only 46 per cent of over 55 year olds participating as compared to 62 per cent of 25-34s and 67 per cent of 16-24s.

A significant proportion of the public now admit to adapting their email style or tone in order to create a desired image. One third of adults (33 per cent) manage their emails to have an effect on how they are perceived, with ‘intelligence’, ‘authority’ and ‘calmness’ the most desirable aspects of email image. Influencing ones email persona via email is especially common amongst younger email users where two thirds of 16-24 year olds (66 per cent) regularly adapt their email style. Women are twice as likely to feign cheerfulness as men, with 1 in 4 women (26 per cent) admitting to using a false tone and symbols such as smiley-faces to mask their true feelings.

Interestingly, the data suggests that many Britons now use their Inbox as a shield against emotional or stressful dialogues. A large number of Britons now purposefully choose an email over face-to-face or telephone conversation for emotional or stressful communication. For example, 30 per cent regularly rely on email to converse with institutions and companies that make them nervous. Some 27 per cent of respondents would prefer to use an email to announce a major life decision to family. Once again, women appear more affected than men, and are twice as likely to use an email to say ‘no’ to friends or family then men.

Eva Heil, Managing Director, GMX, said, “Email is today a highly valued means of communication for most Britons. Most people now make social judgments based on the emails they receive and care about their own email identity, which means that an individual’s approach to their email has never been so important”.

Significantly, GMX’s research suggests that younger age groups nowadays rely on email to manage awkward or stressful conversations far more than older ones. Some 44 per cent of 16-24s and 42 per cent of 25-34 yr olds choose email to avoid verbal dialogue with companies or institutions as compared to only 20 per cent of over 55 year olds. Some 27 per cent of Generation Y, (25-34 year olds) admit to using email to avoid contact with individuals, and are most likely to use email to avoid face-to-face confrontation with family members (26 per cent).

Graham Jones, Internet Psychologist, said, “Young people have grown up with email and it's second nature to them. Often they can’t understand why older members of their family don’t have an email address or rarely log on to collect messages. It’s all to do with the way the brain gets “wired up” – younger people don’t even have to think about email, it’s obvious to them.”

Remarkably, 38 per cent of British 25 year olds would nowadays choose email to share a major life decision with family, compared to only 26 per cent of those 10 years older. Nearly half (46 per cent) of 25 year olds would ask a romantic suitor out on a date via email. Coupled with the statistic that young people are more inclined to contrive their own email image (66 per cent), GMX’s research lends weight to the idea that the role of email has made a cultural impact on how younger people choose to present themselves and communicate.

Heil added, “The research shows that, in particular, many younger users rely upon email as a way to manage challenging communication. Today’s free email services have a surprising range of features, such as GMX LiveEmoticons, to help make written communication more expressive”.

With over 11 million active users, GMX draws on over a decade of free email expertise and is well placed to offer a reliable, secure service. Besides great looks, great performance and state-of-the-art functionality, GMX.co.uk offers the widest selection of first-choice addresses such as myname@gmx.co.uk.

Free email has grown up, find it at GMX. The new free email service can be seen at www.gmx.co.uk http://www.gawkwire.com/business/half_of_britons_base_social_judgments_on_the_style_of_emails.html

iWeb is giving 10,000Gb in traffic and 10,000$ in prizes to celebrate its 10,000th server!

2009-04-23T11:52:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) For the occasion, iWeb has just launched a promotional campaign in which 10,000Gb of traffic will be allocated to every new server worth at least 99$ a month. Also, 10,000$ in hosting credits will be won, 10 draws of 1000$ each will take place, and prizes will be awarded to visitors of the iWeb site who simply complete a quote request for a dedicated server, during the promotional period.

iWeb clients are invited to complete a customer service survey, which, when completed, will give them a chance to win an upgrade to 10 000 Gb of monthly traffic for their server, permanently. There will be 10 daily draws, for a total of 200 upgrades.

"Sites and applications need more and more bandwidth, and our clients are consistently asking for more traffic. We think they will love the opportunity to get 10,000Gb, an amazing amount of monthly traffic for their dedicated server!" mentions Martin Leclair, iWeb co-founder. "This is possibly one of the most appealing server promotions ever."

Winners will be announced on the iWeb.com's site, and on the company's Twitter account.

The promotional period is scheduled to end May 15th.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/iweb_is_giving_10_000gb_in_traffic_and_10_000_in_prizes_to_celeb.html

Professional Hosting Debuts

2009-04-23T11:51:00-04:00

Manchester, UK (Gawkwire.com) While the main specifications of the account are among the highest in the industry - 5GB disk space, 20GB monthly transfer, 100 emails, 10 MySQL databases, included shell access, SMTP, and comprehensive weekly backups - the value proposition for 34SP.com customers has always been the company's commitment to service and support. When a recent 34SP.com client survey asked, ''How likely are you to recommend 34SP.com?'' a stunning 98 percent affirmed that they would refer the company. The company points to this data as confirming the positive effect that outstanding customer service has on referral rates.

Co-founder of 34SP.com, Stuart Melling, explained the reasoning behind the new Professional Hosting plan, 'At 34SP.com we are constantly asking our clients what we can do to enhance our services. This new Professional Hosting package reflects what our clients told us they needed to grow - more space, more resources and more features. Critically, our clients told us that weekly backups, SMTP, and spam filtering should be free as well, and we listened to that too. Of course customer service and technical support continue to be our core focus, and we strive for industry leading uptimes as well.''

The new Professional Hosting account from 34SP.com requires no minimum contract, and every plan is sold with a 30 day money back guarantee. The price of the plan is £3.95 per month.

To learn more about 34SP.com and its Professional Hosting services, please visit: http://www.34sp.com/professional-hosting.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/professional_hosting_debuts.html

ThreatSentry Wins Global Excellence in Web Server Protection Award

2009-04-22T14:00:00-04:00

Red Bank, NJ (Gawkwire.com) Privacyware (http://www.privacyware.com), an innovative provider of web application firewall, intrusion prevention and security data analytics software, is pleased to announce that Info Security Products Guide, the industry's preeminent publication on security-related products and technologies, has named ThreatSentry a winner of the 2009 Global Product Excellence in Customer Trust Award. ThreatSentry topped other leading web security solutions in the Best Web Server Protection category of the Excellence in Customer Trust competition.

ThreatSentry is a multi-layered Web Application Firewall that protects Microsoft Windows Web servers from a broad range of web application threats including Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF/XSRF), Structured Query Language (SQL) Injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and other attacks. ThreatSentry combines an advanced web application firewall, a proprietary NDIS driver, and an AI-based intrusion prevention engine to identify and take action against known and new threats as well as activity falling outside of trusted parameters. ThreatSentry also fulfills the web application layer firewall (WAF) requirement in PCI DSS 6.6 and aids in the web application code review process by revealing vulnerabilities embedded within software code.

"In an interconnected world threats have no boundaries and security has to remain a prime requirement," says Rake Narang, editor-in-chief of Info Security Products Guide. "We are pleased to honor ThreatSentry as winner for 2009."

ThreatSentry's pre-configured attack filters and optimized out-of-box application settings ensure immediate server and web application protection. Extensive customization options enable systems administrators and other IT and compliance staff to easily implement custom-tailored solutions relative to their specific business needs. Priced at $649 per server, no other Web Application Firewall offers greater defense capabilities and ease-of-use at a more affordable price.

"We are sincerely honored to receive this exceptional recognition from Info Security Products Guide," said Privacyware CEO, Greg Salvato. "We are dedicated to helping IT and compliance personnel deploy the strongest and most comprehensive defense against the increasingly frequent and severe risks to systems, web applications and private data. This award is a most gratifying testament to our commitment."

ThreatSentry is available for purchase or no-cost 30-day trial download via the Privacyware web site or through its business partners worldwide.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/threatsentry_wins_global_excellence_in_web_server_protection_awa.html

.PRO Announces The Best of .PRO Contest

2009-04-22T14:00:00-04:00

Chicago, Illinois (Gawkwire.com) RegistryPro, the exclusive operator of the .PRO top-level domain (TLD) on the Internet, announced today the upcoming launch of The Best of .PRO, a promotion designed to highlight the rich content that has been developed since the TLD expanded eligibility in September 2008.

"In the last seven months, we've seen a tremendous increase in the total number of registered .PRO names," said Catherine Sigmar, general manager of RegistryPro. "Not surprisingly, the business and service professionals who have chosen .PRO have developed unique and valuable content. It's clear to us that professionals internationally are seeing the value in publishing content using .PRO as their primary Internet address."

In September 2008, .PRO significantly expanded its eligibility requirements to include business and service professionals and professional entities.

"We've gone from serving four professions in four counties to serving all professions in all countries," Sigmar continued. "We've seen some truly great content emerge in recent months, and we intend to help promote that content. Starting May 1st, we invite registrants along with the public to nominate their choice for The Best of .PRO."

Nominations for The Best of .PRO will be accepted from May 1st through May 31st. Complete information, including contest rules and sign-up details for the contest are available on the contest home page.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/pro_announces_the_best_of_pro_contest.html

PRSA's Silver Anvil Award Series Featured on WebmasterRadio.FM

2009-04-22T13:00:00-04:00

Fort Lauderdale, FL (Gawkwire.com) WebmasterRadio.FM, the premier free, 24/7 Internet business radio network focused on the B2B marketplace announces a special series that focuses on case studies from Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Silver Anvil Award finalists.

Starting Wednesday, April 22 at 2 p.m. (EDT), "Cover Story" presents interviews with finalists for this prestigious prize. Each week, a different finalist will be profiled. The Silver Anvil Awards Ceremony takes place June 4 at the Equitable Tower in New York City.

The Silver Anvil Awards are presented annually to organizations that have successfully addressed contemporary issues with exemplary professional skill, creativity and resourcefulness. Entries are evaluated for their strategic nature of public relations programs using four key components -- research, planning, execution and evaluation. Click here to view the complete list of the 2009 Silver Anvil finalists. In the 60-plus year history of the Silver Anvil Awards, more than 1,000 organizations have been recognized with Silver Anvils for excellence in public relations.

"We are very proud to offer our exclusive Silver Anvil Series on WebmasterRadio.FM," says Brandy Shapiro-Babin, host, of "Cover Story" and CEO, WebmasterRadio.FM. "The ability to hear directly from the breakaway brands and brand makers on their finalist submissions is inspiring. It's a great opportunity for our listeners, including many public relations professionals, to learn how successful campaigns are researched, developed, executed and measured."

"Cover Story" can be heard on WebmasterRadio.FM Wednesdays, 2-3 p.m. (EDT). Each week, our hosts are joined with public relations powerhouses to share and discuss information that is vital and timely for you to maximize your public relations efforts.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/prsa_s_silver_anvil_award_series_featured_on_webmasterradio_fm.html

Google tries jump-starting 3D Web with O3D

2009-04-22T09:31:00-04:00

(cnet) O3D is a browser plug-in for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome that works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, but Google hopes that eventually, the technology will be built directly into browsers. It provides an interface that lets developers' Web-based JavaScript programs tap directly into a computer's graphics chip, which could mean better games and other applications.

Google touted the technology in a blog post. It includes a video demonstration, complete with a soothing voice-over and a spacey ambient-music soundtrack, for those who don't want to install the plug-in. ...Go to source

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/google_tries_jump-starting_3d_web_with_o3d.html

ITreviewed Gives PerfectDisk 10 Five Stars for Defrag and Storage Capabilities

2009-04-22T09:29:00-04:00

Gaithersburg, MD (Gawkwire.com) Raxco Software, the leader in disk defragmentation software, today announced that its new PerfectDisk® 10 disk defrag and optimization utility has received its latest 5-star award from ITreviewed. The recognition is the latest in series of high praise from the IT community.

ITreviewed states that PerfectDisk is faster, more effective, and offers a lot more features and flexibility than the Windows® built-in defragger, and is the best of third-party offerings. The review indicates that PerfectDisk helps users "maintain the best possible hard drive performance," whether they are novice users, power users, or "network gurus." ITreviewed says that "using PerfectDisk is a joy and it's always great fun to see how much space you can recover from your hard drive - PerfectDisk even shows the before and after performance of the drive, the type of files moved, and how frequently modified each file normally is. The software is easy to use, and there are plenty of settings and reporting for advanced users.

"Besides the effectiveness of PerfectDisk, those with older (slower) machines will appreciate the software's low footprint and the way it allows you to get on with your tasks without dragging your machine to a crawl - it doesn't overload the CPU and RAM like many utility programs sometimes do. This is an obvious advantage over the typical Windows 7/Vista/XP Defrag, which typically cuts performance horribly."

"We're delighted that ITreviewed is joining the long list of technology and business professionals who are giving their top marks to PerfectDisk 10," said Joe Abusamra, vice president of operations of Raxco Software. "In today's economic climate, users of all types demand the highest quality and best value for their purchases, and PerfectDisk delivers for all of these users."

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/itreviewed_gives_perfectdisk_10_five_stars_for_defrag_and_storag.html

Search Engine Strategies Brings SEM, PPC and SEO Workshops to Atlanta

2009-04-22T09:27:00-04:00

Atlanta, GA (Gawkwire.com) On May 5, 2009, Search Engine Strategies (SES) will hold four search engine marketing (SEM) training workshops at the Omni Hotel CNN Center in Atlanta, GA. These hands-on workshops are being led by SEM professionals who are specialists in each of the topics, including search engine optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) advertising.

Attendees can choose one workshop or participate in one workshop in the morning and one in the afternoon. The fee for two workshops is $1,345, and the fee for one workshop is $745. For complete workshop details and registration information, visit http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/training/atlanta/

"We've had a wonderful response to our in-depth training workshops and expect the same with this one in Atlanta," said Matt McGowan, Vice President and Publisher at Incisive Media. "Busy in-house professionals and agency people love the informal small-class settings and one-on-one attention. If I had to use one word to describe these workshops, I would say 'practical.' They really focus on improving skills that effect business results."

The two morning workshops, which are being held from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., include:

"Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Workshop" demonstrates, using the conditions outlined by the popular search engines, how to build a user-friendly, search-friendly and persuasive website that converts visitors into buyers. The instructor: Shari Thurow, founder and SEO director of Omni Marketing Interactive, is a pioneer in the area of search-engine friendly website design and has a 100% success rate for achieving top search engine rankings for her clients.

"Link Building Tactics, Tools & Techniques" demonstrates how to better understand and manage link building campaigns by providing information about proven, practical and creative link marketing campaigns. The instructor: Debra Mastaler, president of Alliance-Link, a speaker at industry events and a guest columnist for industry publications, offers a common sense approach to link building by combining traditional sales and promotional strategies with effective online search engine marketing tactics.

The two afternoon workshops, which are being held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., include:

"Advanced Keyword Research" explores, via theory and real world examples, the tools available for identifying, researching and zeroing in on the right keywords for an SEO or PPC campaign. The instructor: Ron Jones, an Internet marketing consultant, trainer and owner of Symetri Internet Marketing, provides strategic consulting and Internet marketing solutions to a variety of companies.

"How to Effectively Use Social Media for Search Marketing Campaigns" reviews the entire realm of social media environments and how to use them effectively as part of a holistic marketing campaign. The instructor: Liana "Li" Evans, the director of Internet marketing at KeyRelevance, is well-versed in all avenues of search marketing, with a particular focus on natural search optimization, vertical search, social media and word-of-mouth marketing.

For complete workshop details and registration information, visit http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/training/atlanta/

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/search_engine_strategies_brings_sem_ppc_and_seo_workshops_to_atl.html

mobiSiteGalore selected as Official Honoree for 13th Annual Webby Awards.

2009-04-22T00:25:00-04:00

San Jose, CA (Gawkwire.com) mobiSiteGalore (www.mobisitegalore.com), for the first time in the history of the Internet enables anyone to build a full-fledged mobile website using just their mobile phone, has been selected as an Official Honoree for the Mobile Applications category in The 13th Annual Webby Awards. The Webby Awards is the Internet's most respected symbol of success.

David-Michel Davies, Executive Director of The Webby Awards says “With nearly 10,000 entries received from all 50 states and over 60 countries, this is an outstanding accomplishment”

To build a mobile website using mobiSiteGalore, anyone who has a basic Internet connection (like GPRS) on their mobile phone can visit www.mobisitegalore.com, sign up for a free account and start building their mobile website right away. Of course, they can also build from a PC/Laptop as well.

The best part is mobiSiteGalore does not need an expensive, high-end phone to work. Any mobile phone with a basic Internet connection (like
GPRS) will do. Also there is no software or plug-in to be downloaded.
mobiSiteGalore also provides a free website address to publish and host the mobile website after it is built.

S. Prashanth, CEO of mobiSiteGalore says, “This recognition would help us achieve our vision of giving the 4 billion mobile phone users the power to create mobile websites using just their mobile phone. With this vision becoming a reality it is just a matter of time before the number of mobile websites far exceeds the number of PC websites. The mobile web revolution is now all set to unfold and touch the lives of millions of people around the world.”

mobiSiteGalore enables users to easily add powerful site building features like Feedback Form pages to receive inputs from website visitors, Hit Counters to count the number of visitors, easy image upload options, incorporate YouTube videos, sell products & services through Mobile Commerce, monetize their website content through mobile advertising and even the ability to Rollback the website to any earlier published version of the website that are all backed up and saved automatically. Most importantly websites that are built using mobiSiteGalore are guaranteed to work fine on any mobile phone because mobiSiteGalore is 100% compliant with the standards for the mobile web that are defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C.org).

As you would be aware, mobiSiteGalore already offers a free service for users to build mobile websites using a computer. To use this, you just need to visit the same address (www.mobisitegalore.com) from a PC/Laptop. mobiSiteGalore users can swap between Mobile and Computer to edit and manage their websites. The websites created using mobiSiteGalore, though ideally suited for viewing on the small screen of a mobile phone, can also be viewed using a PC or Laptop.

To try mobiSiteGalore and for more details, please visit www.mobiSiteGalore.com

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/mobisitegalore_selected_as_official_honoree_for_the_13th_annual.html

iWeb reaches the 10,000 Server Milestone

2009-04-22T09:23:00-04:00

Montreal, Quebec (Gawkwire.com) iWeb announced today that it has reached the mark of over 10,000 dedicated servers hosted for its customers. The rise of media-rich applications available online, combined with demand for increased IT capacity has grown the Internet hosting provider's footprint from 3000 servers in 2006 to over 10,000 dedicated servers today.

" The fact is that many companies today are using IP-based technologies to keep IT spending under control, or to reduce spending. IT budget restrictions mean that the companies we work with are outsourcing their infrastructure to iWeb instead of financing their servers, maintaining them and building their own data centers." says Eric Chouinard, iWeb's President and CEO. He adds that "because they have trusted iWeb with the management of their servers, iWeb's customers can focus on their core business."

iWeb, who provides hosted dedicated servers as a monthly service, has seen its revenues increase at least 60% every year since 2003.

" When iWeb started providing dedicated server hosting in 2002, it was as an experiment, 10,000 servers later it has become iWeb's core business" says iWeb's President of Products and Technology, Martin Leclair. "iWeb is now in a position to start creating a server product that has even more value for the customer" confirms the enthusiastic co-founder of iWeb.

The Montreal-based company, who recently announced a 92% increase in first quarter revenues, will be rolling out theme-based marketing campaigns, revolving around the number 10,000, to promote its dedicated server hosting services. Since becoming a public company in 2004, iWeb has been steadily growing to become one of Canada's largest IP hosting firms.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/iweb_reaches_the_10_000_server_milestone.html

TheCardBoard Launches Web 2.0 Business Networking Site

2009-04-21T09:25:00-04:00

Vienna, VA (Gawkwire.com) TheCardBoard officially launched its new Web site for business networking today, enabling small businesses, sales professionals and others to instantly share business cards in an easily searchable venue.

TheCardBoard, a next-generation business networking site for professionals, extends the concept of the business card, transforming it into a powerful Web 2.0 promotion. Through its simple online design, entrepreneurs, small business owners, sales professionals and others can upload their business cards, and add an extended description and contact information, which will be instantly visible and searchable.

Business networking today has evolved with sophisticated Web 2.0 tools like social networking, B2B marketplaces and even blogs, said Stephen Davis, President of TheCardBoard. But it all comes back to the business card. It's the start of every deal, it's the introduction that paves the way. TheCardBoard transforms the common business card into an easily shareable, searchable online product that can extend your reach to a global audience.

A free membership entitles new members to upload scanned images of their business cards with additional information. Unlike some other business networking sites though, it is not necessary to have an account to search the site. Visitors to TheCardBoard can search through the business card database easily and quickly, without having to join; making it easier for a potential client to find just the right provider.

Other business networking sites have not yet matched the simplicity and ease of contact of TheCardBoard. Initiating contact through other sites often requires multiple steps, including establishing a membership, logging into the site, and then sending a request for more information. Often, the request is not direct, but rather, posted on the site itself, and must wait for the other party to log in as well to make a response. TheCardBoard bypasses all that, allowing any visitor, whether they are a member or not, to view and search the database, and instantly send an email request for more information.

Additional features include a mapping function that shows the precise location of each business card holder, and the ability to forward a business card to a third party, even if they are not a member. TheCardBoard takes full advantage of the potential of Web 2.0, also including a review function that allows members to write short reviews of providers featured on the site and the services they offer, added Davis. It's the next generation of business cards.

For more information or to sign up for a free account, please visit http://www.TheCardBoard.net.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/thecardboard_launches_web_2_0_business_networking_site.html

Soderling & Orrin to Demonstrate New Cloud Security Breaches at RSA Conference

2009-04-21T00:24:00-04:00

San Francisco, CA (Gawkwire.com) Peter Soderling, CEO and founder of Stratus Security Technologies, and Steve Orrin, Intel's director of security solutions, will demonstrate new kinds of Internet attacks known as XML (Extensible Markup Language) bombs at the RSA conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at 5:40 p.m.

XML bombs are an emerging class of Internet cloud security attacks that threaten any company offering content and data via web services and application programming interfaces (APIs). The attacks also threaten the consumers who use the sites.

APIs let web developers make their sites' content and data easily available as web services to other developers, who use the services in their sites and software. In a recent survey of IT professionals, web services were cited as the most important trend that will impact their business. By 2013 web services are projected to become a $35 billion industry, according to McKinsey & Company.

While APIs enable sites to share content and create new services more easily, they also create new avenues for malevolent hackers. According to the Open Security Foundation, 14 percent of data theft occurs through web services. With an estimated $1.2 billion in losses in 2008, these data leaks are not only embarrassing, they're costly.

"As organizations adopt XML and Web 2.0 services and architectures, it is important they understand the grave risk these new technologies can pose," said Orrin.

Soderling and Orrin will provide the public debut of new attack methods in order to raise awareness within information security circles, among people who manage web services and APIs for their companies, and among people who use sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, that share their content and data with other sites via APIs.

In the session, titled "XML Attacks and Prevention in a Web 2.0 World", Soderling and Orrin will demonstrate XML bombs researched in association with research with the Center for Advanced Defense Studies. Examples include the following:

RSS attack: the attacker injects attack code into a site's RSS feed, which is delivered through the API to client machines requesting information from the site.
Entity expansion attack: the attacker creates an XML request process that refers back to itself, creating an endless loop that causes the targeted server to stop responding to other requests.
XPath injection: the attacker uses a language known as XPath to inject queries through an API in order to view other users' data (such as account numbers).

"What developers need to understand is that security is a whole new ballgame when it comes to deploying APIs. In addition to all the common application security concerns like SQL injection and broken authorization, they need take steps to protect the XML parser as well, otherwise a savvy hacker will exploit their weak API defenses and steal data or take the service offline," says Soderling.

Soderling and Orrin also will discuss other web service attacks, including a recent spate of Twitter attacks, and they will outline the best ways to prevent attacks and protect content and data in the cloud.

The RSA Conference, now in its eighteenth year, brings together the world's largest community of information security professionals. The event will be held April 20-24 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information about the event, please visit http://www.rsaconference.com.

For more information on "XML Attacks and Prevention in a Web 2.0 World" please contact Stratus Security
or follow Stratus Security via Twitter at StratusSecurity.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/soderling_orrin_to_demonstrate_new_cloud_security_breaches_at_rs.html

SoftLayer Completes Additional Network Upgrades

2009-04-21T09:23:00-04:00

DALLAS, TX (Gawkwire.com) SoftLayer Technologies, the on-demand IT services provider, announced it has upgraded its network with more robust bandwidth connections and new features. The upgrades include a new 10G peering connection with Telefónica in Dallas that improves performance for South American customers connecting to all three SoftLayer data centers.

SoftLayer also added enhanced network monitoring tools with bandwidth monitoring and free inbound bandwidth. New bandwidth graphs in the company’s Customer Portal and forums provide more detailed feedback. Free inbound bandwidth gives customers substantial cost savings—20% of SoftLayer’s typical customers’ total bandwidth traffic is inbound.

“Our public and private networks are key assets to customers,” said Ric Moseley, Vice President of Engineering for SoftLayer. “By continuously augmenting our network’s capabilities, we ensure customers have the fast, reliable connectivity they expect from us.”

The company’s Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC, data centers have recently received additional 10G peering and transit backbone connections. Recent upgrades also included the installation of Internap’s Flow Control Platform (FCP), a route optimization system, and the addition of a 10G Comcast connection for private peering at each data center that currently carries more than 5Gbps of network traffic.

SoftLayer currently features a total of 230Gbps of capacity across its network, with bandwidth carriers that include:

ï‚§ NTT America
ï‚§ Global Crossing
ï‚§ SAVVIS
ï‚§ Level 3
ï‚§ Internap
ï‚§ Qwest
ï‚§ Comcast (peering)
ï‚§ SIX (peering)
ï‚§ Equinix (peering)
ï‚§ Telefonica (peering)

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/softlayer_completes_additional_network_upgrades.html

Tate Grows Colocation Business with i/o Data Centers

2009-04-21T09:21:00-04:00

Jessup, Maryland (Gawkwire.com) Tate, a market leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of raised access flooring solutions for mission critical facilities and commercial office buildings, today announces a major project win with Arizona-based i/o Data Centers. Tate’s work with the colocation service provider’s Phoenix ONE project will represent approximately 460,000 sq. ft. of installed raised access flooring – Tate’s largest such installation ever for a single data center facility.

It has been reported[i] that during the last quarter of 2008, when nearly every business sector faced challenges, certain colocation data centers were seeing a six percent surge in business compared to the previous quarter and a 34 percent rise compared to the same time last year.

“We are fortunate to be profitable, well-capitalized and growing despite the economy,” said Anthony Wanger, president and founder of i/o Data Centers. “There was no question that we would incorporate raised flooring into our Phoenix ONE data center and we knew that industry-leader Tate was the right choice for a project of this magnitude.”

During the initial phase of construction for Phoenix ONE, which is slated for completion by June 1, 2009, Tate will install 180,000 sq. ft. of raised access floor. The area covered during the second phase will include an additional 180,000 sq. ft. The third and final phase is scheduled for completion by September 1, 2009, with another 100,000 sq. ft. of raised floors installed.

The use of raised access floors with underfloor service distribution provides data centers with the ability to handle high heat loads in the most energy efficient means possible. Cool air is supplied closer to the racks, along with various integration strategies for accommodating lower fan speeds and higher temperatures that take advantage of displacement ventilation. The result is reduced operating costs and lower facility and maintenance costs.

Tate’s raised access floors are designed to facilitate the service distribution challenges of ever-changing technologies, and the increasing cooling demands of today’s mission critical facilities. With a full range of panel load performance options, Tate can meet the rolling load requirements of any equipment upgrade. Its GrateAire® aluminum die-cast airflow panels feature 56 percent unobstructed open area and excellent performance characteristics. Understructure options for any seismic requirements are available with standard finished floor heights ranging from 12" to 48" as well as a wide variety of factory laminated conductive and static dissipative floor finishes. All Tate components are zinc whisker-free, eliminating the risk of short circuit.

“Over the last several years we’ve seen increased interest in the use of raised access floors with underfloor service distribution as a way to improve indoor air quality, help make buildings more energy efficient, promote sustainable building practices and achieve LEED certification,” said Bill Reynolds, director of marketing at Tate. “Now, with the slow down in construction due to the economy, it’s fascinating to see a return to a part of the business that gave us our earliest start – despite market challenges.”

For more information about Tate solutions for data centers and other mission critical facilities visit www.tateaccessfloors.com or call (410) 799-4200.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/tate_grows_colocation_business_with_i_o_data_centers.html

Hosted Data Center Transformation Summit, Sponsored by Interxion

2009-04-20T14:00:00-04:00

Scottsdale, AZ (Gawkwire.com) Anthony Foy, Managing Director of Interxion Group remarked, ''The Datacenter Transformation Summit brings together a range of professionals from data center architects and industry visionaries, to data center operators and managers, and it enables us to discuss the latest trends and technologies with our peers in the industry. Our participation in this event illustrates our dedication to working with industry experts to ensure efficient and reliable data center design and management. We look forward to continuing to support the work of Tier 1 Research in the data center field.''

The summit, held by analyst group Tier 1 Research, aims to provide unique insights into the datacenter decision-making process. Delegates come together to learn, network and map out strategies in conjunction with Tier1 Research's Datacenter Strategies team.

As part of the company's support for the event, Interxion Group MD Anthony Foy will be speaking on the topic of Cloud Computing, discussing how carrier neutral datacenters can be leveraged to optimise the delivery of Cloud computing services. Anthony will also take the opportunity to highlight the importance of a reliable network infrastructure for Cloud computing and how organisations can build highly resilient, scalable Cloud Computing environments data center.

Interxion is a leading European provider of carrier-neutral data centers. Headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk, The Netherlands, Interxion serves its customers from 24 carrier-neutral data centers located in 13 cities across 11 European countries. Interxion serves network and carrier-based, hosting and enterprise customers who require professionally managed and strictly controlled physical environments within which to operate mission-critical applications and computer systems. Interxion's data centers offer cost-effective and fast access to multiple local and global communication networks.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/hosted_data_center_transformation_summit_sponsored_by_interxion.html

Virtually a VMware Dynamo: Aberdeen Unveils Nehalem SSD Server at NAB 2009

2009-04-20T14:00:00-04:00

Santa Fe Springs, CA (Gawkwire.com) Aberdeen Servers and Storage proudly announces the innovative VMware certified 1U server. Featuring the Intel Xeon Nehalem processor, the Stirling 118m server emphasizes unprecedented processor performance, dynamic virtualization and improved SSD storage capabilities.

By optimizing Aberdeen's 1U server with the next generation of storage drives -- flash-based solid-state disk (SSD) drives -- the Stirling becomes ideal for deployments requiring high performance computing, virtual servers or video rendering farms. The Stirling 118m will be on display at the NAB Show and Conference at the Las Vegas Convention Center in booth #SL10225 from April 20-23, 2009. In addition to producing a complete line of Intel® based Xeon® Stirling servers, Aberdeen offers NAS and storage servers with the scalability beyond 400TB.

"The inventive Stirling 118m delivers high computing performance and ultra fast solid state drives which translate into higher stability and mind numbing seek-times," says Jack Tateel, Executive VP for Aberdeen.

Aberdeen utilizes the Intel® Xeon® Series 5500 processor to combine the best performance and highest reliability in a customizable 1U short depth server. Together with the superb designs from Supermicro Computer, Inc., Aberdeen offers its highly flexible 1U quad-core Stirling 118m rackmount server as a solution for the SSD and HDD markets. The Stirling 118m server not only provides eight Intel Extreme solid state drives (SSD), it also can be configured with up to 2.4TB of SATA or SAS storage.

Based on the Intel® X58 Express (Tylersburg) chipset, the new Xeon hyper-threading processors achieve new levels of performance with up to 2.25 times better performance than the previous generation. The Stirling 118m grants significant reduction in operating costs with lower power consumption and can achieve a rapid return on investment.

By furnishing a lower cost of ownership and delivering greater throughput capability, Aberdeen's Xeon server provides an entry point in the high performance 1U SSD server market. The ability to include VMware will help to manage servers in mission-critical environments by providing a seamless, flexible and dynamic environment of consolidation. The Stirling 118m will support up to a single Intel Xeon 6.4 GigaTransfer per second QuickPath Interconnect processor, 24GB of DDR3 memory, on board RAID, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, a 560W power supply and all housed in a short depth 20" chassis.

Availability and Support:
The Stirling 118m is currently shipping with worldwide availability and can be custom configured to meet even the most stringent requirement via the Aberdeen Web site (www.aberdeeninc.com) or by contacting a sales executive at (800)552-6868. Aberdeen has a media recognized, industry leading 5-year limited warranty as well as a free 10-day trial assessment program with all of its branded server solutions.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/virtually_a_vmware_dynamo_aberdeen_unveils_nehalem_ssd_server_at.html

3FN Launches VPS/VDS Hosting Services

2009-04-20T09:41:00-04:00

San Jose, CA (Gawkwire.com) 3FN Inc., a leading US based web hosting provider announces the launch of its VDS/VPS web hosting solutions, which match the power of dedicated servers at much more reasonable price points.

In terms of VPS/VDS services, 3FN is able to offer customized hosting services for individual and business customer, designing them with the ideal technologies. Meeting the ever rising day-to-day requirements 3FN's customers may continue to keep being satisfied with the effectiveness and reliability of VPS hosting solutions.

3FN VPS includes initial set-up, root access, full control, IP management, OS installation and maintenance, anti-virus and anti-spam installation, reboots, recovery, control panel updates, application Raid10 along with the best price.

"We launched VPS that is so powerful some customers may find it hard to believe that it is just VPS hosting and not a fully managed dedicated server. 3FN VDS hosting looks and feels as if you are running your own individual dedicated server. Even with attractive prices as low as $39 for VPS services by 3FN, customers receive the maximum uptime network and full security of their data and confidential information. We offer DirectAdmin and cPanel control panels at the customer's choice, unless indicated to be self-managed. 3FN provides premium VPS hosting services powered with high class equipment and servers located in the world's most respected data centers in San Jose, CA", states Dean McToner, the 3FN official representative. "We see a growing demand for high class customized web hosting solutions. And, our VPS hosting plans create beneficial options with full access and power potential. We are there to offer VDS hosting that is reliable, powerful and cost effective at the same time".

VDS services by 3FN offers the power and productivity of a dedicated server for the price of shared hosting. The opportunity to customize, add and choose additional options while ordering web hosting services allows the creation of a personal web hosting solution dedicated to specific requirements. 3FN offers VPS hosting services that meet modern trends of technology development for online projects. 3FN offers VPS hosting plans to satisfy even the most demanding customers which are equivalent to that of a real dedicated server. To learn more and order now please visit 3FN VPN page.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/3fn_launches_vps_vds_hosting_services.html

7 Simple Steps to Email Compliance for 2009 Webinar Playback Now Available

2009-04-20T09:37:00-04:00

Waltham, MA (Gawkwire.com) Metalogix Software, Inc., a leader in Microsoft Exchange, Files and SharePoint archiving software, announces today the availability of, "7 Simple Steps to Email Compliance for 2009," a free downloadable webinar. Leading IT legal expert, Randy Kahn, describes how to build your records program in a way that will protect your institution.

The free Metalogix webinar titled, "7 Simple Steps to Email Compliance for 2009" is currently available for download. Download Your Free Webinar Now

GET SOUND ADVICE ON EMAIL COMPLIANCE YOU CAN PUT INTO PRACTICE TODAY

With the current economic downturn, most organizations are trying to cut back. However in a world fueled by information, to ensure you remain faster, better, cheaper and legally compliant, it is more important than ever to have a comprehensive plan for information management and governance compliance.

"7 Simple Steps to Email Compliance for 2009" Webinar addresses:

1. What is legally compliant today?
2. Why information management in a bad economy is essential
3. Records management in the e-communications context
4. What does failure look like?
5. Faster Better Cheaper - How?
6. Making management painless and seamless
7. Building efficiency within the e-communication environment

Featured Speaker
Randy Kahn, ESQ. is an internationally acclaimed speaker, consultant, and award-winning author of dozens of published works. Mr. Kahn was the recipient of the Britt Literary Award in 2004 for an article entitled "Records Management & Compliance: Making the Connection." He is an internationally recognized authority on the legal, compliance, and policy issues of information technology, and trusted advisor and consultant to Fortune 500 companies and governmental agencies.

Download Your Free Webinar Now and Download a free trial of our Email Archiving Solution

http://www.gawkwire.com/video_tv/7_simple_steps_to_email_compliance_for_2009_webinar_playback_now.html

SEO Is Becoming And Recognized As A Requirement Says SEO'Clock

2009-04-20T09:35:00-04:00

Sheffield, South Yorkshire (Gawkwire.com) Many small to medium size businesses are finding the economic downturn a real eye opener. With almost every market place in the UK struggling for trade, and many small firms struggling to make ends meet, it is more important now than ever to know how profitable a business is. Making ends meet, managing cash flow and maintaining sales are all vital to survive the downturn.

One Sheffield SEO company, SEO Clock, has seen an increase in interest over the last 12 months: "A few years ago we were having to explain what SEO was. Search engine optimization is now recognised by more businesses, as the industry has gained more publicity in the media" said Neil Palmer, general manager of SEO Clock. He added: "In the last 12 months we have been approached by 10 times the number of firms over the previous year. Sheffield is a big city with many internet based small to medium sized businesses, and they are all buzzing about the potential of SEO incorporated to their marketing efforts".

SEO'Clock have just announced partnerships with three new local projects, two internet based and one local Sheffield Builder. Mr Palmer was happy to take on new clients after the success enjoyed with 'Internet Kitchen Appliances': "We have many enquiries but to take on three new challenges in these tough times is a step in the right direction for our partners and our business. The local Sheffield builders is a great challenge as it is a sector we have not targeted before, and we are looking forward to seeing how the site performs."

Mr Palmer went on to add: "The price comparison market is massive- and so is the competition. We are taking on Price King and Compare Base with four full time members of staff, so this is a serious project on all fronts. Getting to the top of the rankings for 100 categories, a million products and 250 manufacturers will be the impossible challenge, but one we are looking forward to. We will aim for the stars, and hopefully land somewhere around the moon".

SEOClock has been trading in Sheffield for 3 years as a dedicated search engine optimization provider. They specialise in Google and Yahoo organic rankings, and build CSS based websites to maximise rankings potential. They can be contacted via their website or by calling the number provided.

http://www.gawkwire.com/seo_sem/seo_is_becoming_and_recognized_as_a_requirement_says_seo_clock.html

Social Media Experts Featured Speakers at New Communications Forum '09

2009-04-20T09:32:00-04:00

Palo Alto, CA (Gawkwire.com) The 5th Annual New Communications Forum (http://www.newcommforum.com) will be held April 27-29, 2009 at the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco, Calif. NewComm Forum is the leading conference that brings together thought leaders and decision makers to discuss the impact of social media and new communications on PR, marketing, advertising, media, journalism, and business. NewComm Forum '09 will feature presentations by the Fellows of the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR - http://sncr.org) and Keynote Conversations from a wide variety of luminaries, including:

Opening Keynote with Charles Best, Founder, DonorsChoose.org, winner of the American Express Members Project, on "How One Nonprofit is Using Web 2.0 Technologies, and What it Means for Your Organization," with Q&A moderated by SNCR Fellow Geoff Livingston
Chris Brogan, President, CrossTech Media with "You Shall Know Us By Our Dialtone: Presence in Business Communications"
SNCR Fellows Laura (@Pistachio) Fitton, author of Twitter for Dummies, and Shel Israel, author of Twitterville, with industry analyst and co-author of Groundswell, Charlene Li "Twitter: Exploring the Impact of Micro-communications Tools"
SNCR Fellow Alan Kelly, president, The Playmaker's Standard addressing the question "What's in a Tweet"
SNCR Fellows Paul Gillin and JD Lasica discussing "A World Without Media: What Will Fill The Void?"
SNCR Fellows Joseph Thornley and J.D. Lasica with Forrester analyst Jeremiah Owyang and Amy Muller, GetSatisfaction discussing "Things That Go Bump In the Night - Challenges of Managing Social Media"
Closing Keynote with Andrew Haeg, Senior Producer & Analyst, American Public Media, & John S. Knight Fellow, Stanford University

In addition to a wide variety of keynote presentations, NewComm Forum 2009 will feature nearly 30 sessions, panel discussions, and roundtables focusing on blogger and influencer relations, online community management and development, collaboration and co-creation strategies, organizational transformation, social media program management, online reputation management, social media metrics and measurement, social interaction design, crowdsourcing, global trends in mobile media and new media & journalism models. Participants will discuss how social media, new communications and Web 2.0 is affecting business models and economic behavior, how social media can enhance innovation, and learn best practices for successfully implementing and managing social media.

For more information and to register, visit http://www.newcommforum.com or call 650-331-0083.

NewComm Forum '09 is sponsored by: Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), BlogHer, Business Wire, DNA13, Mashable, Online News Association, Silicon Valley Watcher, Visible Technologies, and Vocus.

About the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR)

The Society for New Communications Research is a global nonprofit 501(c)(3) research and education foundation and think tank focused on the advanced study of the latest developments in new media and communications, and their effect on traditional media and business models, communications, culture and society. For more information, visit http://sncr.org.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/social_media_experts_featured_speakers_at_new_communications_for.html

GlobalSign Partners with Inter.net to Expand Business in Brazil and Panama Markets

2009-04-18T06:00:00-04:00

Portsmouth, NH (Gawkwire.com) GlobalSign Inc. (www.globalsign.com), one of the longest established Certification Authorities (CA) and specialists in SSL Certificates and Digital Identities for securing PDF documents, has today announced a partnership with Inter.net to incorporate GlobalSign’s full range of security products into Inter.net’s existing solution portfolio.

With more than ten years experience as an Internet Service Provider, Inter.net has built a wide, truly global customer base, including a growing number of customers located in Brazil and Panama. Inter.net decided to seek a well established, leading international Certification Authority partner who could offer a comprehensive range of value-add security products to complement their existing product umbrella of Managed Hosting, Software Development and Media Agency services. GlobalSign’s highly trusted and future proof product range of Digital Certificates, including SSL Certificates, Code Signing Certificates, Personal Digital ID’s and Document Signing Services will provide a synergetic offering to Inter.net’s existing and new customers.

Brazil and Panama are the first regions where Inter.net will promote GlobalSign solutions. The SSL market in Brazil is the largest in South America, showing an annual growth rate of 14%. The two companies expect the strategic partnership to achieve a 15% SSL market share in these countries by 2010.

“We want to be able to offer safe and reliable security solutions to our customers in Brazil and Panama and we believe our partnership with GlobalSign will enable us to do this” said Mauricio Zanetti, CIO, Inter.net Brazil and Panama. “Our customers expect the highest quality security at the best value, and we must be able to easily integrate the new offering into any existing platform.”

“The Brazil and Panama markets have very high strategic importance to the growth of GlobalSign in South America, and our newly formed partnership with Inter.net will help us expand into these countries quickly, gaining a good foundation in one the largest and fastest growing SSL Certificate markets worldwide”, said Johan Sys, CEO, GlobalSign Inc. “Our partnership with Inter.net also initiates GlobalSign’s ninth and tenth localized regional expansions and further widens our support to encompass additional languages and time zones”, said John Murray, Vice President of Sales, GlobalSign Inc.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/globalsign_partners_with_inter_net_to_expand_business_in_brazil_.html

DedicatedNOW.com Donates Hundreds of Servers and Computers

2009-04-18T06:00:00-04:00

Clifton, NJ (Gawkwire.com) Given the current economic decline, there is no shortage of homeless or jobless citizens in America. In addition to housing and rehabilitation services, URC’s goal is to find the best way to get people back to work. “The common denominator seemed to be computers,” says Lane Jacobs, Founder and President of URC. “Every company, regardless of the industry, needs computers to operate. So, we felt that computer training would put our clients one step ahead in their job search, “says Jacobs.

URC’s Computer Training Program teaches the jobless to repair, maintain and operate computers. At the end of the program, students are given the computers for their own use. Any computers which are unable to be rehabilitated are sold to local recycling companies, thereby generating additional revenue for the organization. URC’s computer literacy program provides beginner to advanced classes as needed to compete in today’s job market. With vocational training programs that include computer salvage, repair and refurbishing, building maintenance and facilities management, URC is a savior to many during these tough times.

DedicatedNOW plans another similar contribution of dedicated servers later this year. To find out how you can help the homeless and unemployed in New Jersey, please contact Lane Jacobs at 973-632-9343 or via email at lane@urbanrenewal.org. For more information about DedicatedNOW’s managed dedicated hosting and collocation services in New Jersey, please contact Josh Ewin, Director of Sales & Marketing at 973-572-1078 or via email at jewin@fortressitx.com. http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/dedicatednow_com_donates_hundreds_of_servers_and_computers.html

Fraud Professionals Want New Regulations on Data Breaches

2009-04-17T10:39:00-04:00

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (Gawkwire.com) RSA® Conference (www.rsaconference.com) eFraud NetworkSM Forum, a one-day event facilitating cross-industry information sharing to enable better detection and prevention of fraud, today released the results of a recent survey of fraud professionals.

On the topic of data breaches, top-line findings include:

•67 percent of respondents feel they should be notified the same day if an organization falls victim to a data breach and their customers are compromised.
•57 percent felt that attacks had increased due to the global economic situation.
•50 percent would like revised legislation and 28 percent want more regulation.
•35 percent said their organization had experienced a data breach in the last 12 months, compared with 21 percent who didn’t know and 44 percent who said they had not had a single breach in the last 12 months. (see Chart 1)
“Data breaches are not a rarity anymore; they are part of business,” said Sandra Toms LaPedis, Area Vice President and General Manager of RSA Conference. “Furthermore, these findings show that current regulations to help organizations cope with data breaches and protect their customers are not enough. In fact, we found that spending to prevent fraud is actually up for half of the organizations surveyed.” (see Chart 2)

The survey also found that more cross-industry information sharing is needed.

•93 percent of people surveyed agreed information sharing does help prevent fraud and 78 percent of those surveyed would like to see more information sharing.
•81 percent of those polled work with local police – the most popular law enforcement agency in the survey. The FBI (60 percent) and Secret Service (48 percent) were the second and third most popular respectively.
•In addition to sharing information with law enforcement, 68 percent share information with competitors within their industry and 40 percent share information with organizations outside their industry. Nine percent of respondents said they “didn’t share information about attacks” outside their company.
•Those impacted by the Heartland Payment Systems breach had more frequent communication with law enforcement than those who had not been impacted.
Another trend uncovered by the survey showed that organizations are being attacked differently.

•Larger organizations with more than one million customer accounts are more likely to experience phishing attacks using their brand (90 percent), account takeover attacks (72 percent) and new account enrollment attacks (71 percent).
•Smaller organizations are primarily targeted with malware (73 percent), viruses (73 percent) and phishing attacks using their brand (68 percent).
Additionally, victims of the Heartland breach are experiencing higher percentages of malware, social engineering, Nigerian scams, new account enrollment, data breach leading to identity theft, skimming, SQL injections and attacks over the mobile phone.

The survey of 104 fraud professionals was conducted in March 2009. More than 60 percent of respondents represent the financial services industry and more than half are from organizations that manage more than one million customer accounts. The full report can be found at: https://365.rsaconference.com/community/efraudnetwork.

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/fraud_professionals_want_new_regulations_on_data_breaches.html

AskMrHosting.com Offers Genuine Reviews of Web Hosting Providers

2009-04-17T13:00:00-04:00

Los Angeles, CA (Gawkwire.com) A new website, http://AskMrHosting.com, featuring unbiased reviews of web hosting providers, launched today. The site scours the web for user comments about web hosts in order to provide the visitor with an accurate picture of the quality of the hosting providers.

Users are not allowed to post their own reviews to avoid tainting the ratings with shills.

The problem with web host review sites is that many of them have a monetary motivation to promote certain providers above others, or sort their lists with the hosts that pay the site the most commission at the top, calling them the "best reviewed." Some of them are even owned by web hosting companies themselves.

Suspicion thus reigns supreme with many web hosting review sites.

What AskMrHosting does is manually peruse the web for forum and blog comments about web hosts, and displays them in a simple green/yellow/red color scheme based on whether the user liked the host or not. A reference to the original context is supplied. In this way visitors can judge for themselves which provider to go with.

Features and coupons are also provided, when available.

In addition, the site boasts a web host learning center, providing help with HTML, web design, site building, uploading sites, transferring sites, domain names, and many other topics that will assist the user in performing basic website tasks.
utside of the Web Host industry.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/askmrhosting_com_offers_genuine_reviews_of_web_hosting_providers.html

Hosting Provider, Intermedia, Unveils New East Coast Data Center

2009-04-17T09:59:00-04:00

New York, NY (Gawkwire.com) Jonathan McCormick, COO of Intermedia remarked, ''The increase in awareness and acceptance of SaaS in our economy is driving SMB adoption of services like Intermedia's hosted Exchange. We are focused on providing a premium service and continue to invest heavily in building and operating top quality enterprise-grade infrastructures to our customers. These new data centers, along with our three existing North American datacenters are world-class facilities that we built with hardware from Dell, EMC, Cisco and others to provide the best possible service to our customers.''

The new data center enables Intermedia to meet the unprecedented demand to provide small-and medium-sized businesses with a hosted email solution that offers enterprise-grade performance and reliability. The additional data center capacity will also provide customers with the highest quality hosted messaging services and provide the infrastructure they need to work efficiently.

For its new data center, Intermedia has partnered with Switch and Data, a leading North American data center and Internet exchange service. The Switch and Data site has been built to the company's high-performance data center standard and can supply more than 200 watts per square foot of power and cooling capacity. The data center provides Intermedia with full N+1 redundancy for its UPS, generator and cooling infrastructure, critical components of a highly available and reliable infrastructure, and enable Intermedia to offer a 99.999% SLA on its hosted Exchange services. Switch and Data has interconnected its data center to its other sites in the metro region’s premier carrier hotels, providing access to more than 300 networks and making it one of the most densely interconnected data centers in North America.

Ernie Sampera, chief marketing officer for Switch and Data noted, ''Intermedia focuses on providing a high quality infrastructure to its customers, and we are pleased that they have selected one of our east cost data centers to host their newest environment. As a leading data center services provider, Switch and Data provides Intermedia with a world class facility with N+1 power, cooling, security, and some of the best network connectivity on the East Coast.''

Founded in 1995, Intermedia is the leading provider of business email including Microsoft Exchange to the small and medium business market. Intermedia specializes in providing enterprise-grade solutions through its world class infrastructure and service to small and medium businesses at a price they can afford.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/hosting_provider_intermedia_unveils_new_east_coast_data_center.html

HostMySite Web Hosting Services Listed on GSA Schedule

2009-04-17T09:55:00-04:00

Newark, DE (Gawkwire.com) LNH, Inc. (D/B/A HostMySite.com) announces their listing on the General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule as a result of being awarded GSA Contract GS-35F-0208V. HostMySite's discounted pricing structure for the GSA provides government agencies and authorized GSA buyers the ability to meet their budgeting requirements while still maintaining the high levels of service their constituents have come to expect.

"As a GSA Schedule Contractor, HostMySite enables the government buyer a great variety of hosting services to help them meet their mandates to reduce costs while still providing quality service and performance," states Timothy Kaufman, HostMySite Director of Compliance.

The GSA Schedule serves as a pre-approved list of contractors from which government agencies can purchase goods and services. As a schedule 70 contractor, HostMySite's services are listed on the GSA Advantage Website. Authorized buyers can purchase HostMySite's services through the GSA without the complexity of price and contract negotiations. Available services to GSA buyers are Web hosting plans, Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, managed dedicated servers and colocation services.

As part of the listing process, the GSA reviewed HostMySite's financial statements to ensure the government's confidence in the host's financial stability. Additionally, HostMySite must annually file various reports including a Past Performance Report from Open Ratings in order to maintain their schedule contract. This report evaluates the host's performance in areas of reliability, cost, order accuracy, delivery and or timeliness, quality, business relations, personnel, customer support and responsiveness as reported by current customers.

The GSA contract adds to HostMySite's current VISA PCI Compliance and SAS 70 Type II achievements.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/hostmysite_web_hosting_services_listed_on_gsa_schedule.html

Web Entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki to Appear on WebmasterRadio.FM to Defend Comments

2009-04-17T09:53:00-04:00

Fort Lauderdale FL (Gawkwire.com) Venture Capitalist and online entrepreneur Guy Kawasaki will appear on WebmasterRadio.FM's PPC Rockstars, hosted by David Szetela, on Monday April 20, to discuss and defend comments he made during his keynote speech to the 2009 Search Engine Strategies New York Conference three weeks ago. Kawasaki's controversial comments involved the use of the extremely popular social media application Twitter for commercial and personal promotional purposes.

Guy Kawasaki has an enormous number of followers on Twitter. With over 100,000 users receiving hundreds of Twitter comments he makes each day, Kawasaki has become a lightning rod attracting praise and criticism for his mass marketing efforts. Some have called him brilliant while others say his ideas could lead to the ruin of Twitter as an effective communications tool. There is a wide and vocal debate about his tactics within the digital marketing sector.

WebmasterRadio.FM will be presenting a special episode of PPC Rockstars to give Guy Kawasaki the opportunity to speak directly to the search and digital marketing community about his comments. During the broadcast, Kawasaki and Szetela will take questions posed by listeners via Twitter, sent directly to the Twitter addresses @GuyKawasaki, @Szetela and @WebmasterRadio. Twitter users can watch and participate in the online conversation by following the hash tag #ppcrockstars, and by including that hash tag in their Tweets.

"I'm very grateful to Guy for agreeing to this interview," said David Szetela. "We're looking forward to some lively discussion, insider Twitter tips and witty repartee. Just in case, Guy will be wearing his virtual hockey mask."

This will be one of the first massive interactive online radio broadcasts using Twitter and certainly one of the largest. Combining the resources and efforts of WebmasterRadio.FM, Guy Kawasaki, David Szetela and others in the digital marketing community, WebmasterRadio.FM expects to push promotion of the interview to over 750,000 Twitter users in a seven-day period. Promotion for the show has already begun with a Twitter re-tweet campaign which started on Monday April 13.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/web_entrepreneur_guy_kawasaki_to_appear_on_webmasterradio_fm_to_.html

Five Integration Tips to Cloud Computing Success

2009-04-16T09:43:00-04:00

Oakland, CA (Gawkwire.com) In the current economy, businesses are forced to find new ways to do more with less. More and more enterprises are moving to the cloud, lured by lower costs, scalability and autonomy from constrained IT and development resources. However, benefits may be short-lived without a plan that places cloud computing in the context of overall business strategy.

Large enterprises, in particular, need to integrate cloud computing into existing IT systems and applications. Given that most will not move all business processes to the cloud at once, Jitterbit, the leading provider of open source integration software, shares five recommendations for solving the integration puzzle.

1. Create a strategy and a set of (realistic) goals upfront.
Some businesses are jumping in without articulating a long-term cloud strategy and how it relates to the overall business. As with any project, establish realistic goals and priorities, a clear budget and deadline, as well as a shared understanding of what resources are available for implementation and maintenance. While cloud computing promises significant ROI - productivity gains of 50 percent and upward - keeping complexity and cost to a minimum requires planning and strategy.

2. Learn from the mistakes of those who came before.
Early adopters took a standalone approach to cloud computing. The services were readily available, easy to consume and economical, and the implementation challenges few. However, for enterprises where traditional IT infrastructure often serves core business operations, the "detached" cloud might deliver only short-term value, and potentially require future re-implementation or migration. While a standalone approach risks creating silo-ed applications, an integrated cloud strategy will deliver long-term results.

3. Get serious about autonomy.
Integration of on-premise applications has traditionally required a team of IT specialists who have a deep understanding of underlying application frameworks and processes. SaaS applications are designed to be managed by business users -- non-domain experts who want to quickly and easily connect data with other enterprise systems. Cloud integration should complement the model by minimizing development, implementation and maintenance resources, allowing users to focus on their core business.

4. Address security concerns.
According to analysts, nearly 75 percent of CIO and IT executives cite security as their number one concern when it comes to cloud computing. Because integrated cloud computing involves moving sensitive data between the cloud and on-premise networks, guaranteeing security is vital. When vetting an integration solution, determine which standards are supported for securing the data in transit. Keep in mind that as enterprises move more processes to the cloud over time, the volume of sensitive data flowing to and from the cloud will only increase.

5. Maximize connectivity options.
Cloud computing has become a loose definition for services on the Web: everything from software-as-a-service (SaaS) and platform-as-a-service (PaaS), to Web-based utility and storage solutions, and emerging Web 2.0 properties such as Google Docs, LinkedIn and Twitter. According to research from Saugatuck Technology, by the end of 2010 one-quarter of business process improvement initiatives will include integration of information from Enterprise Social Computing solutions. Connectivity requirements will continue to evolve beyond standard enterprise applications, legacy systems and databases, to modern Web service and Web 2.0 APIs.

"Clearly, current conditions are driving businesses toward cloud computing," said Sharam Sasson, president and CEO of Jitterbit. "But complexity will ensue if long-term strategy and goals are not identified early on in the process. Today's enterprise cloud initiatives require decoupled data systems working together - without the need for personnel and other resources to set up and maintain them - making integration key to success."

The recommendations above are based on Jitterbit's direct interactions with enterprises considering or making a move to cloud computing, but concerned about integration. To follow this topic, visit Jitterbit's blog or Twitter.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/five_integration_tips_to_cloud_computing_success.html

Network Solutions Expands Open Source Application Offering

2009-04-16T09:39:00-04:00

Herndon, VA (Gawkwire.com) Parallels today announced that Network Solutions® has significantly broadened its range of open source hosted application offerings through the Application Packaging Standard (APS), which was developed to enable companies to make applications available in the software-as-a-service model quickly and simply. Network Solutions® is a leading global hosting provider that manages more than 7 million domains, over 1.5 million e-mailboxes, and more than 350,000 websites.

The APS applications have been added to the Network Solutions® Open Source Library to enable web hosting customers to create new revenue streams by offering value-added services and better engage and interact with their own customers. The newly added services include blogging software WordPress, content management service Joomla! and photo organizer Gallery2.

Utilizing software-as-a-service allows businesses to pay only for the applications they need, for as long as they need them, without the hassles of installing and maintaining software. The APS standard is a key enabler of SaaS and simplifies the integration of web applications into hosting environments. The standard is a packaging format that makes it easier for service providers to deliver hosted applications developed by independent software vendors (ISVs). APS-certified applications can be easily "plugged" into hosting platforms that conform to the standard. While some of these applications are offered free on the Internet, they require significant time and skill to install and maintain. The APS standard streamlines installation and management of these applications while simultaneously removing the need for downloads registrations and passwords.

"Utilizing APS enabled Network Solutions® to expand our Open Source Library as quickly and simply as possible," says Bill Jolly, Director of Product Management, Network Solutions®. "The result is that our customers can easily tailor their hosting package with dozens of open source applications, allowing them to engage and interact with their users by installing blogs, wikis, forums and other applications with a single click."

"By implementing the Application Packaging Standard, Network Solutions® is able to offer its customers a greater variety of valuable applications with minimal cost and effort," said Jack Zubarev, President, Service Provider Division, Parallels. "We are pleased to see Network Solutions® realize real business benefits as the result of our ongoing effort to work with the industry to drive an open hosting platform."

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/network_solutions_expands_open_source_application_offering.html

Top UK SEO Companies Announced by topseos for April 2009

2009-04-16T09:36:00-04:00

Plymouth, IN (Gawkwire.com) Gawkwire.com) Staying abreast of who's who in the United Kingdom Search Engine Optimisation world is easier than one would think, and doesn't require hours of research either. With topseos conducting their extensive research and background checks, you can rest assured that the results topseos has provided you are an exemplary representation of the best SEO companies in the UK.

A stringent process is undertaken to separate the mice from the men, ensuring that the final results offered will unveil who has come to the forefront as the leaders in their field of expertise. Numerous questions are asked and evaluation processes are set in place for the eventual outcome that will determine whether or not a particular company has what it takes to be listed among those ranked in the top 10.

April 2009 has heralded the following 10 companies as the Top Organic SEO Companies in the United Kingdom through topseos:

1.   SEO Consult
2.   Weblinx Limited
3.   Just Search
4.   High Position Limited
5.   Smart Traffic Ltd.
6.   Bullseye Media
7.   SEO Positive
8.   Bigmouthmedia
9.   Greenlight
10.   Bluechilli Ltd.

As much as such recognition fills the listed companies with pride and high esteem, it also provides those seeking the services of SEO with an excellent starting point. With so many chance takers and con artists making money for themselves on the web, it is difficult to know who to trust.

If you are a UK based SEO firm and would appreciate the opportunity to be evaluated for rankings by topseos, you may click here for further information: www.topseos.com/rankings/search-engine-marketing-agencies/apply-for-ranking.

For further information on UK based companies ranked by topseos, please visit: http://uk.topseos.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/seo_sem/top_uk_seo_companies_announced_by_topseos_for_april_2009.html

Hostway Names M. Jay Sinder Chief Financial Officer

2009-04-15T16:05:00-04:00

CHICAGO, IL (Gawkwire.com) Sinder brings extensive leadership experience in finance, operations and corporate development, including helping to take a company public. His experience has been predominantly in the communications and technology industries, having held both board and management positions with companies such as Birch Telecommunications Corp., Focal Communications Corp., Ameritech Corp., IBM and MCI Communications Corp. Sinder comes to Hostway most recently from Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Co. where he served as chief operating officer and chief financial officer.

“Jay is a critical addition to our team,” said Lucas Roh, CEO of Hostway. “He brings a substantial body of expertise, knowledge and experience to the role. He has worked in both large public companies and start-ups. We look forward to working with him.”
Sinder earned his MBA from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business and has a BS in mathematics and statistics from the University of Michigan.
About Hostway Corporation
Hostway Corporation provides domain name registration, Web hosting and ecommerce, colocation, managed dedicated hosting, SaaS hosting, Web design and online marketing services to over 1.4 million Web sites and 2 million customers worldwide. It operates over 250,000 square feet of state-of-the-art data centers that reduce the complexity and cost of Web-based technologies for small businesses and large enterprises. Founded in 1998, Hostway is one of the world’s largest Web hosting companies with a direct presence in 13 countries, 17 worldwide operation centers and more than 700 employees.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/hostway_names_m_jay_sinder_chief_financial_officer.html

RANKSENSE SEO SOFTWARE PARTNERS WITH HOSTGATOR

2009-04-15T16:04:00-04:00

MIAMI, FL (Gawkwire.com) RankSense SEO Software, which incorporates revolutionary, easy-to-use yet powerful SEO technologies and solutions to facilitate the design, execution, and management of successful organic search optimization campaigns, is extremely pleased to announce the release of RankSense SEO to HostGator’s and SEO Hosting’s customers.

The highly-advanced RankSense SEO Software Suite delivers robust new SEO capabilities, enhanced flexibility, an intuitive user interface, and vastly improved processes for gathering and manipulating data generated by its integrated SEO software tools. RankSense SEO provides over 12 highly advanced SEO tools designed to simplify the process of organically ranking web pages highly within the major search engines. Unlike other SEO applications, RankSense provides users with a wizard driven tool that walks the user through the necessary steps needed to achieve improved natural search rankings.

”HostGator and SEO Hosting recognize that in today’s highly competitive hosting marketplace, the key to getting and keeping hosting customers is ensuring they are provided all the necessary tools to ensure their success,” states Chad Bean, Director of Marketing for HostGator & SEO Hosting. “This of course, includes the ability for customers to successfully market their websites online, especially being able to drive quality, increased traffic from the search engines to their web sites. Now with RankSense SEO our clients have an easy to use, step-by-step SEO tool wizard which walks our customers through the SEO process.”

According to Curtis R. Curtis, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer with RankSense SEO, “We are very excited about what partnering with hosting companies such as HostGator and SEO Hosting offers their hosting clients. Today’s web site owners understand that over 85% of all website traffic comes from search engines; better rankings can make or break their success. With RankSense’s easy-to-use, step-by-step search engine optimization software, it’s easier than ever to pinpoint the most profitable, sought after keywords necessary to drastically improve search engine rankings and radically increase the quality and quantity of their natural search traffic.”

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/ranksense_seo_software_partners_with_hostgator.html

Webchutney Selects NaviSite Dedicated Hosting for its IT Infrastructure

2009-04-15T10:42:00-04:00

ANDOVER, Mass.(Gawkwire.com) NaviSite, Inc. (“NaviSite”) (NASDAQ: NAVI), a leading provider of Enterprise Hosting and Application Services, announced today that it will be providing managed dedicated server and virtual dedicated server solutions to Webchutney, through its Dedicated Hosting line of business.

Webchutney, one of India’s leading full service digital media and interactive marketing agencies, requires a high-performing, secure, and easily configurable hosted IT infrastructure that will support their leadership stance in the digital marketing space. NaviSite’s dedicated hosting solutions which include powerful servers, server management, and network services create a strong foundation for its IT Infrastructure and enable Webchutney to deliver best in class services to support the business goals of its customers.

“We were looking for a provider who would address our IT concerns effectively and NaviSite turned out to be the perfect match,” said Rahul Nanda, COO, Webchutney. “Several factors contributed to the selection of NaviSite, including their reputation as an experienced provider of enterprise class dedicated hosting solutions, a long history of excellence, and their broad portfolio of solutions that met our requirements. Most importantly, NaviSite’s exceptional customer care with a promise of 24x7 support, was one of the key reasons why we selected them.”

Every managed dedicated server at NaviSite is backed by exceptional customer care, which covers support for all aspects - people, processes, communication, and audits - to ensure solutions are up and running around the clock. NaviSite has infrastructure and trained professionals certified in their specialties to provide superior support to customers while following industry leading processes and controls. ”NaviSite’s customer care team continues to deliver the delight factor by offering timely support and resolution to configuration issues, by working closely with us.” says Mr. Nanda.

”While we have the latest technology and infrastructure, we view it as only one element of our overall value proposition,” said Sumeet Sabharwal, SVP Dedicated Hosting, NaviSite. ”In today’s highly competitive and fast paced, business environment, small and medium sized businesses are not just looking to outsource their technology infrastructure, they expect a comprehensive approach to fully achieve their business objectives. NaviSite’s customer care delivers on that promise, and raises the bar on what customers expect from their provider.”

NaviSite’s dedicated hosting services feature the latest technology, including dedicated servers with NaviView Server Monitoring and Server Management, Intel® Quad-Core CPUs, and a choice of operating systems including Red Hat®, CentOS, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or 2008. Other available advanced services include virtual dedicated servers, shared and dedicated Cisco® firewalls, shared and dedicated load balancers, managed backup, and SAN storage.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/webchutney_selects_navisite_dedicated_hosting_for_its_it_infrast.html

Data Center European Awards 2009, Shortlist Revealed

2009-04-15T09:36:00-04:00

London, United Kindgom (Gawkwire.com) The Trinity House, built in the 18th Century, and located at Tower Hill in London, and only a few minutes' walk from the conference and exhibition venue in America Square, will house the event.

Ashley Davis, Managing Director, JP Morgan Chase, and chair of the Judges Panel remarked, ''The Awards Panel received nominations from companies across Europe, central and eastern Europe and the panel has undertaken a rigorous review over the past three months assessing the nominations. The calibre of entry has been high and very competitive. In deciding the shortlist, the awards have been judged on the quality of entry and we feel there will be a compelling and exciting outcome for the companies and individuals involved.''

The shortlisted companies nominated are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Best Managed Service Provider category, the shortlisted companies include Controlcircle, eBRC, and Savvis

Best Risk Mitigation Service Provider and eBRC, Mainroad, and SunGard

Most Innovative Environmental Policy - Citi, Digital Realty Trust, and TelecityGroup

Best Regional Data Centre Operator - eBRC, Baltic Data Centers and Lamda Hellix
Best Pan European Data Centre Operator - Equinix, Interxion and TelecityGroup

Best Corporate Data Centre - Deutsche Bank and HSBC/Digital Realty Trust

Outstanding Contribution To The Data Centre Industry - Ian F Bitterlin, Director, Prism Power Ltd, Lex Coors, Director of Engineering, Interxion and Mike Tobin, CEO, TelecityGroup

Special Annual Judges Award - British Computer Society and 5Nines, the Data Centre Company

5th Data Centre Europe is the leading regional forum for data centre, managed services, outsourcing and cloud computing businesses. The conference brings together Data centre operators, service providers, telcos, network infrastructure providers, managed services specialists, systems integrators, enterprise and government IT directors, property and investment firms, law firms, professional intermediaries, consulting firms, regulatory bodies, and supplier organizations to inform and update, provide critical insight and offer top level networking opportunities.

Nicola Hayes, vice president of BroadGroup, the consulting firm and producers of the event added, ''We anticipate an outstanding Awards Party, and one fully reflecting the fifth anniversary of DCE. It will offer an exceptional European networking opportunity for all, including the highest number of CEOs ever to attend DCE and who now make up more than 20% of the total audience. This really is the decision makers' conference of choice.''

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/data_center_european_awards_2009_shortlist_revealed.html

WiredTree Completes Strategic Network Infrastructure Upgrade

2009-04-14T12:00:00-04:00

CHICAGO, IL (Gawkwire.com) WiredTree (http://www.wiredtree.com), a leading provider of Managed Dedicated, Managed Hybrid and Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting solutions, today completed several strategic upgrades to its network infrastructure, including the addition of three new IP transit providers and new network hardware.

Housed in downtown Chicago’s preeminent 427 LaSalle private data facility, WiredTree’s network infrastructure now features gigabit ports on routers, switches, and dedicated servers. Managed Dedicated Server customers also now benefit from 1000Mbps port upgrades to WiredTree’s public network.

WiredTree has also added connectivity to three new backbone providers for IP transit, including Sprint, NTT, and Level(3). Alongside existing providers Savvis and Cogent, the new connectivity will boost transit speeds and offer reduced latency to the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the Middle East. In addition, the three new providers increase domestic redundancy and boost overall network throughput.

With the upgrades, WiredTree now has five tier-1 network backbone providers.

The added network capacity has enabled WiredTree to reduce customer pricing to reflect its changed cost structure. Customers can now take advantage of less-expensive unmetered transit options and reduced data transfer overage costs. Specific pricing information can be obtained from WiredTree.

“Our engineers began the planning process for these infrastructure upgrades in June 2008, and we have spent the last six months testing and deploying the upgrades in our facility,” said Zac Cogswell, WiredTree president. “All WiredTree customers will benefit from improved performance, reduced pricing, and greater overall scalability in meeting their global data transit needs. This is an important milestone for our company.”

For more information about WiredTree, please visit http://www.wiredtree.com.

For more information about WiredTree’s network infrastructure, please visit http://www.wiredtree.com/ournetwork/network.php.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/wiredtree_completes_strategic_network_infrastructure_upgrade.html

concrete5 Sets Sights on Drupal and Joomla with Powerful New CMS

2009-04-14T12:00:00-04:00

San Mateo, CA (Gawkwire.com) concrete CMS, developer of next-generation open source solutions for web sites, today announced general availability of concrete5, the latest version of its popular open source Content Management System (CMS). concrete5 combines the ease-of-use of a blogging platform with the flexibility and power of a web development platform. To date, thousands of advertising and creative agencies and web developers around the world have downloaded early versions of concrete5 and used the technology to quickly and inexpensively build sophisticated web sites that can be updated by end users.

New features in the GA version of concrete5 include:

Upgraded file manager: includes a completely revamped interface and improved searching and ordering.
Picnik integration: tight integration with the online image editor picnik.com enables users to crop, resize and make other alterations to images right from within the browser.
Automated site augmentation: users can shop for themes and add-ons in the concrete5 marketplace and have them automatically installed on a 3rd-party site without touching a line of code or even opening FTP.
Advanced permissions: users can grant administrators access to work with all files, or just the files they've uploaded, and limit which file types can be added by which users. Individual files can now have their own permissions and passwords.
New help system: Help now connects concrete5.org directly, returning results to questions and requests in real time. Additional help can be requested directly through the interface.
concrete5 provides a flexible, powerful and streamlined framework for developing enterprise-quality web sites. concrete5's block-based architecture gives developers a "playing with Legos" experience to building and extending web sites, with few limits to what can be done from a design or build perspective. concrete5 is unique as it was built from the ground up for in-context editing, giving site owners a toolbar that enables them to make edits directly on the page they want to update. Independent web developers and creative agencies are able to build client sites, quickly train end users on making updates, and then hand the site off to the client to maintain and update themselves.

"As long-time web developers, we saw a real need in the market for a platform that was strong enough for geeks, but made for marketing. Developers want flexibility and power; site owners want to be able to update their own sites. This is why we developed concrete5," said Franz Maruna, founder and CEO of concrete CMS. "The feedback we've gotten from our users has been tremendous - we hear time and again that concrete5 is allowing them to work faster, close more business and improve client satisfaction."

Easier than Drupal, More Powerful Than WordPress

Frye/Wiles, a creative web design and branding agency based in Riverside, California, discovered concrete5 when they were researching ways to build web sites that would enable clients to update their own sites. The agency had investigated open source content management systems like Drupal and Joomla, but they found these systems were too complex for their clients to use, while blogging systems such as WordPress weren't powerful enough to build sophisticated sites. Frye/Wiles began using concrete5, and they have now migrated nearly all of their web development over to concrete5; to date, they have completed four sites using the platform, including meadowviewipa.com and angiesworld.com, and have several others in development.

"concrete5 has been a massive time and money saver for our business. concrete5 allows our small team of web designers to build complex sites quickly and easily. But most importantly, concrete5 really empowers our clients to take the reins of their own web sites," said Robert Frye, Founder and Creative Director of Frye/Wiles. "Our clients are thrilled with this streamlined, modern way of doing web development because it reduces their costs and makes managing their web sites really easy. In turn, our agency is able to offer the type of service our clients have been wanting for years and turn around projects more quickly, and that means more repeat projects and word-of-mouth referrals."

Fast Development, Simple Updating

Extreme Ice Survey (EIS), an environmental photography project by award-winning nature photographer James Balog, also needed a sophisticated web site with a simple updating process. EIS wanted to integrate Google Earth into the fabric of their site, overlaying EIS footage and photos over Google Earth satellite maps. This couldn't be done in EIS's existing Flash-based site, so the team began looking for an HTML-based content management solution that would allow them to build the sophisticated site they needed and would also allow for easy, automated posting of photos from the project's 26 time-lapse cameras. The site also needed to integrate real-time blogging functionality so that James Balog and the wider community could add comments and thoughts to the site.

EIS chose concrete5 as the foundation for their new site. The EIS team appreciated concrete5 for its intuitive interface and ease of use, as well as the ability to apply different "themes" with the click of a mouse. With concrete5, EIS now has a state-of-the-art web site that its non-technical team can update continuously with live photo feeds from the 26 cameras, blog posts and other real-time content.

"I've used Drupal and Joomla on client projects in the past, and I found these platforms to be inflexible and difficult to theme. A site like EIS's would have taken significantly longer to develop using Drupal or other platforms and would have involved a lot of client training," said Bryce Tugwell of Fusestudios Media, developers of the EIS web site. "concrete5 provides a very powerful toolset right out of the driveway. Using concrete5, we were able to integrate the design very quickly and had our site up and running in under two weeks."

To try out a free hosted demo of concrete5, please visit:
http://getconcrete5.com/demo

To see other examples of sites built using concrete5, please visit:
http://concrete5.org/about/showcase

To get more amazing customer quotes, please visit:
http://concrete5.org/about/testimonials

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/concrete5_sets_sights_on_drupal_and_joomla_with_powerful_new_cms.html

Belkin 19" LCD Rack Console 1U Offers Secure Control of Rack-Mount Servers

2009-04-14T12:00:00-04:00

COMPTON, CA (Gawkwire.com) Belkin today announced its new 19" LCD Rack Console, enabling system administrators to conveniently control rack-mount servers from a single, secure, and compact console. Featuring a 19-inch, Grade-A LCD display, this 1U drawer saves space and reduces clutter in the server rack.

This 19" LCD Rack Console complements Belkin’s comprehensive line of 17" LCD Rack Consoles, which feature both single-rail and dual-rail designs, as well as optional 8- or 16-port built-in KVM switches.

AVAILABILITY

•Currently available in the US
19" LCD Rack Console 1U (F1DC102P-SR) – $1299 MSRP

•Saves space with 1U, 19", rack-mount drawer design
•Fits standard 19" EIA server racks, ensuring compatibility in virtually any IT environment
•Built-in keyed lock prevents unauthorized access
•Features Grade-A, 19", TFT, active-matrix LCD to accommodate high-resolution computing applications
•Integrates compact, 106-key function keyboard, including numeric 10-key pad
•Works with virtually any KVM solution, including Belkin’s lineup of analog and digital KVM solutions

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/belkin_19_lcd_rack_console_1u_offers_secure_control_of_rack-moun.html

BannerView.com Announces DataCities.com Acquired by GlowHost.com, Inc.

2009-04-14T09:28:00-04:00

LAS VEGAS, NV & STUART, FL (Gawkwire.com) "We acquired DataCities.com in November 2007 as part of the Lpanel Web hosting and billing automation software," said Mark A. Cenicola, President & CEO of BannerView.com. "In 15 months, we turned around the operations by improving support, consolidating servers across multiple data centers and minimizing customer churn, putting it in a position to be sold to a company that focused on end user Web hosting using cPanel. Now we can continue Lpanel development without it and continue our focus on high end Web hosting with maintenance, managed dedicated server offerings, Web Site development and e-business products."

"DataCities.com is a great fit for GlowHost.com and we foresee a smooth transition into our operations," said Matt Lundstrom, President of GlowHost.com. "The way that BannerView.com was able to turn around DataCities.com and make it a respected brand within just a short period of time is exactly the type of operation that made sense for us to acquire. The loyal customer base that has stuck with DataCities.com should find the continued support and expansion of available services beneficial to their future Web hosting needs."

GlowHost.com is an award-winning Web Hosting provider that specializes in extremely reliable and affordable web hosting plans for individuals, businesses, Resellers, and Mission-Critical Enterprise Hosting operations. Specializing in Managed Dedicated Servers, and hosting tens of thousands of web sites for customers from virtually every country in the world, GlowHost.com is a wise choice for web site owners serious about uptime, reliability, support and scalability. GlowHost.com - Proudly serving millions of pages since 2002.

BannerView.com helps companies and organizations of all sizes do business on the Internet. Through a variety of E-Business Solutions including Web Design Services, E-Mail Marketing Software, E-commerce Systems and Web Site Hosting with Maintenance, BannerView.com can build, promote and maintain your online presence to Give your Web Site the BannerView!

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/bannerview_com_announces_datacities_com_acquired_by_glowhost_com.html

DedicatedNOW.com Donates Hundreds of Computers and Servers

2009-04-14T09:27:00-04:00

Clifton, NJ (Gawkwire.com) DedicatedNOW, the leader in fully managed dedicated servers, announced today the donation of hundreds of dedicated servers to the Urban Renewal Corp (URC), a community-based non-profit organization that provides emergency services, counseling, housing and vocational training for the homeless and economically disadvantaged in New Jersey. DedicatedNOW, realizes the hardship felt by many due the current economic crisis, not only locally in New Jersey but across the country. "Rather than selling off servers and equipment to parts suppliers, we made the decision to donate these computers to the Urban Renewal Corp, so they may be put to good use," says Matthew McCormick, Director of Operations for DedicatedNOW.

Given the current economic decline, there is no shortage of homeless or jobless citizens in America. In addition to housing and rehabilitation services, URC's goal is to find the best way to get people back to work. "The common denominator seemed to be computers," says Lane Jacobs, Founder and President of URC. "Every company, regardless of the industry, needs computers to operate. So, we felt that computer training would put our clients one step ahead in their job search," says Jacobs.

URC's Computer Training Program teaches the jobless to repair, maintain and operate computers. At the end of the program, students are given the computers for their own use. Any computers which are unable to be rehabilitated are sold to local recycling companies, thereby generating additional revenue for the organization. URC's computer literacy program provides beginner to advanced classes as needed to compete in today's job market. With vocational training programs that include computer salvage, repair and refurbishing, building maintenance and facilities management, URC is a savior to many during these tough times.

DedicatedNOW plans another similar contribution of dedicated servers later this year.

To find out how you can help the homeless and unemployed in New Jersey, please contact Lane Jacobs at 973-632-9343 or via email at lane (at) urbanrenewal (dot) org.

For more information about DedicatedNOW's managed dedicated hosting and collocation services in New Jersey, please contact Josh Ewin, Director of Sales & Marketing at 973-572-1078 or via email at jewin (at) fortressitx (dot) com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/dedicatednow_com_donates_hundreds_of_computers_and_servers.html

Portent Team Co-Publishes New Web Marketing for Dummies Book

2009-04-14T09:25:00-04:00

Seattle, WA (Gawkwire.com) Good news for those lacking internet marketing aptitude. Ian Lurie, President and Elizabeth Marsten, Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Manager of Portent Interactive recently co-published Web Marketing, All-in-One for Dummies, one of the most comprehensive books on internet marketing to date. The Portent team collaborated with John Arnold, Marty Dickinson, and Michael Becker on the 894-page paperback, which reached bookstores nationwide in March.

Lurie, President of Portent Interactive, an internet marketing company has a lot to say about web marketing. He has authored several books on the subject and his blog, Conversation Marketing has a cult following. But the author is most proud of the Dummies book. The volume breaks down into eight mini-books and of that, Lurie wrote Search Engine Optimization, Web Analytics, Blogging and Podcasting, and Social Media Marketing.

"Smart business owners and traditional marketers who want to make their move online should read this book. Novice or beginner, you'll get a lot out of it," says Lurie. "You can literally have no online business or web site, open this book, start with section one and get your whole business going," he relays.

Marsten, Portent's resident PPC Villain adds that the web marketing book isn't just for dummies. "It's a smart book, written in a way that makes sense to those diving into internet marketing for the first time. Anyone can use it as a reference, guide, or dictionary, and it's affordable too," says Marsten.

The PPC section includes how to set up an account and start the first campaign. "I first tell readers how to figure out if PPC is right for them," relays Marsten. "Even if you've never heard of PPC, with this book you'll learn how to maintain an account, how that account should be organized, how to take care of keywords, choose ad copy, and how much to spend," she explains.

Lurie and Marsten celebrated the release in true Portent fashion: burgers, beers, and ice-cream cake. "I'd never presume to say that this is the best internet marketing book ever. There are a lot of them, each with pluses and minuses. However, this is definitely one of the most complete," Lurie concludes. Web Marketing, All-in-One for Dummies retails for $34.99, includes a $25 Google AdWords Credit, and is available on Amazon.com and in bookstores.

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/portent_team_co-publishes_new_web_marketing_for_dummies_book.html

140 | The Twitter Conference Seeks to Unlock the Business Value of Twitter

2009-04-14T09:23:00-04:00

Seattle, WA (Gawkwire.com) In early March, The Parnassus Group announced "140: The Twitter Conference," a two-day event to be held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA on May 26 - 27, 2009. In the tradition of their groundbreaking Blog Business Summit and Web Community Forum conferences, 140 is the world's first event dedicated to both the business uses of Twitter and the developers who develop for the platform.

If you haven't already started Tweeting -- or have missed the non-stop discussion in the major media -- Twitter is the wildly popular service that lets millions of users send frequent, short (140 character) updates to "followers."

According to Forrester Research, Twitter is "uniquely valuable to marketers because it's more immediate and interactive than any other digital channel" and has "far outpaced its competitors and has won the battle of 'microblogging' platforms."

With over six million users, a triple-digit growth rate, and a robust API, the entrepreneurial, promotional, research and product development opportunities are staggering. And it's these opportunities that have inspired the Parnassus Group to create a two-day event dedicated to the platform.

Alex Payne, API Lead at Twitter, Inc, will be giving the opening keynote, "The Business Value of Twitter," and will provide several real-world examples of how the Twitter API is delivering results for organizations of all sizes.

"The Parnassus Group hosts great events," said Robert Scoble, noted blogger and director of Rackspace's Building 43 project. "140 will be the place where business and microblogging intersect."

The first day of the conference is geared towards business uses of the Twitter development platform, with sessions such as "What Makes a Great Twitter App?" and "Monetizing the Twitter Platform: How Your App can Make You Rich."

The second day of the conference focuses more on Marketing, Public Relations, and Business Development opportunities. Sessions include "Case Studies in Community Building," a Keynote presented by Jeremiah Owyang, Senior Research Analyst at Forrester, and "Mining Twitter: Extracting Value From Conversations and Connections," featuring a panel of speakers including Soren Macbeth, CEO of Stocktwits.

One lucky Twitterer will win a free seat to the conference by participating in the Twitter Conference T-Shirt Challenge, a contest taking place entirely on Twitter. Entrants must submit a phrase for the back of the T-shirt by Tweeting it along with the conference hashtag: #140tc.

A panel of conference speakers including Damon Cortesi, Alex Payne, Loren Brichter, and Jennifer Leggio will select the winning entry after the contest closes at midnight pacific time, Friday, April 17.

More details about the conference can be found online at the Twitter conference site.

The Parnassus Group is a Redmond-based social media agency that produces events and provides brand monitoring services. Their powerful Sentimine(tm) technology has been used by hedge funds and Fortune 500 firms to track the online buzz surrounding companies, brands, and products.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/140_the_twitter_conference_seeks_to_unlock_the_business_value_of.html

Dell and The Planet Join Forces to Support Houston Technology Center

2009-04-13T08:38:00-04:00

Houston, TX (Gawkwire.com) HTC is a nonprofit organization that enables and accelerates the growth of emerging technology companies to create jobs and promote economic development in the greater Houston region. Since its inception in 1999, HTC has raised nearly $750 million in capital for its client companies and assisted hundreds of local emerging technology companies. HTC is currently working with approximately 70 client companies in broad-ranging fields, including energy, life sciences, information technology, nanotechnology and aerospace.

“HTC performs a tremendous service for our community by fostering young companies and supporting their early-stage operations,” said Douglas J. Erwin, chairman and CEO of The Planet. “Houston is a pro-business city, and HTC works to build the city’s reputation as a good environment for building new technology companies.”

“We believe organizations like the HTC are core to the business community, and in particular to Houston as one of the brightest cities for business in the country,” said Donna Troy, vice president and general manager in Dell’s Large Enterprise Division. “By joining forces with The Planet, we’re able to support the HTC’s vision of Houston as an important technology market.”

“Dell and The Planet are technology champions in our community, and we appreciate their shared vision of the Houston Technology Center’s work,” said HTC President and CEO Walter Ulrich. “The new technologies they have generously donated enable us to support our core business operations and the entrepreneurs who count on the HTC to support their new companies.”

The HTC provides a broad range of resources for entrepreneurs. HTC University, which meets quarterly, helps early-stage companies with the necessary tools to write and develop their business plans. It also offers access to seasoned industry executives, networking opportunities and seminars, including its popular Web-Based Startup School.

About Houston Technology Center

The Houston Technology Center (HTC) is a non-profit business accelerator that assists Houston-based emerging technology companies within several key sectors: Energy, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Nanotechnology and NASA/Aerospace technologies. HTC also serves as the Gulf Coast Regional Center for the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, providing funding for small to mid-size companies to expedite the commercialization of new technologies. For more information, visit http://www.houstontech.org. http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/dell_and_the_planet_join_forces_to_support_houston_technology_ce.html

Arizona Company Offers Low Cost Web Design

2009-04-13T08:37:00-04:00

Scottsdale, AZ (Gawkwire.com) The current recession has impacted everyone, but small businesses are among those most affected. With the launch of their new division, Twirlia.com, Tempo Creative hopes to make it easier for small businesses in the area to be able to afford necessary services such as web design.

Twirlia offers a range of services to small businesses, including web design, website maintenance, hosting, and shopping cart setup. In addition, Twirlia provides affordable marketing options, such as pay-per-click, social networking, search engine optimization, virtual spokesperson technology and email marketing.

"Tempo launched Twirlia to help small companies succeed through these tough times by providing agency quality website services at the most competitive prices possible," said Josh Dolin, founder and principal of Tempo Creative. "Twirlia's packages are priced to make them affordable to even the most cash strapped businesses."Twirlia.com provides budget web design packages starting at $95 per month. Because the new division designs these websites for small companies, Dolin said, Twirlia can keep prices down without compromising the quality of the work.

"Many existing small businesses are suffering. Those trying to get a small business off the ground find it extremely difficult due to the lack of credit being extended by banks," Dolin said. "Twirlia helps by keeping costs down and passing on those savings to our customers."The economy has been in dire straights since December of 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced last year. As a result, many banks have been reluctant to underwrite loans to small businesses. Since most small businesses and startups lack the capital initially to pay for things such as web design, many have no choice but to go without and allow their sales to suffer.

"The recession is forcing many small businesses to make decisions they wouldn't normally, decisions that could possibly hurt them," Dolin said. "Twirlia offers a win-win solution for everyone." http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/arizona_company_offers_low_cost_web_design.html

Aplus.net Expands its Services

2009-04-12T23:33:00-04:00

Overland Park, Kansas (Gawkwire.com) Dennis Kittrell, Senior Product Manager at Aplus.net remarked, ''Backup and disaster recovery can certainly play a crucial role in the success of any business. While there are more choices with online backup today than ever before, business owners are demanding the utmost security along with a simple and reliable restoration process. Our partnership with i365 hits the nail right on the head.''

Available for Aplus.net customers with self-managed dedicated servers at $25 for 20 GB per month, EVault also comes standard as part of an Aplus.net Premium Managed Hosting plan.

Aplus.net offers two online backup solutions: encrypted online backup or basic hardware storage. EVault Backup delivers convenient, secure disk-to-disk backup and recovery; users may also purchase additional storage in 10 GB increments. Scalable and efficient to accommodate a company's growth, it includes 256-bit encryption and a web-based Interface, supporting multiple platforms and applications. SmartFTP backup offers low cost, flexible scripting options and secure FTP support. Both backup solutions include live 24/7/365 U.S.-based support.

EVault Data Protection software joins Aplus.net's full menu of dedicated server options, which include firewall hardware, load balancing, Smart Monitor, Smart Console and more. EVault is licensed by i365, a Seagate Company, which offers proven solutions for the protection, retention management, and discovery of electronic information.

One of the industry's longest-running Web hosting and Internet services providers, Aplus.net specializes in helping small businesses build an online customer base with a comprehensive range of services that includes shared hosting, dedicated hosting, web design, online marketing, eCommerce, domain name registration, and more. Aplus.net has received multiple awards for excellence, including the prestigious CNET Editors' Choice Award, and has been featured in top U.S. business publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, Black Enterprise, and PC Magazine. http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/dedicated_server_online_backup_and_recovery_solutions_expanded_a.html

Policies: Every Company Has Them, But Who Should Enforce Them?

2009-04-13T08:31:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) April 13, 2009 --

WHAT:   Corporate policies and procedures are developed for the protection of the organization and their employees, but often go unenforced with unintentional as well as intentional daily employee breaches.

Phara E. McLachlan, President & CEO of Animus Solutions, will provide a detailed outline on how to create and enforce policies and procedures by addressing:

    * Pre-policy: What you should know
    * Communications: What you should say and how
    * Training: What your employees need to know
    * Enforcement: Ongoing protection

WHO:   Speaker:
Phara E. McLachlan, President & CEO, Animus Solutions, Inc.

DETAILS:   Policies: The Laws Behind Process

To attend, go to https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/873160522
Dial in: 916-233-3087 Access code: 277-367-756

WHEN:   Tuesday, April 21, 2009
1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET (10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. PT) http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/policies_every_company_has_them_but_who_should_enforce_them.html

Web Hosting Partner Program Expands, at The Planet

2009-04-09T17:01:00-04:00

Houston, TX (Gawkwire.com) Steve Kahan, vice president of marketing and product management with The Planet offered, ''In today's economic climate, more companies are looking to reduce their IT expenses using hosting services. Our newly expanded Hosting Partner program provides a significant advantage to partners and resellers who can now provide value-added services to their customers, backed by our world-class data centers, and enterprise-class network and support.''

The move is hoped to add valuable opportunities and the power to choose precisely the best services for both their businesses and their customers. Partners are now able to resell not only The Planet's dedicated servers, but also managed dedicated servers, managed hosting or data center colocation services. Hosting Partners program members can accelerate revenues by reducing provisioning time from weeks to days or hours for setting up their customers' IT infrastructures.

The Planet offers partner-only discounts up to 15 percent, contingent on the amount of business conducted with the company. Additional discounts are available for customized opportunities and long-term contracts. Hosting partners gain access to a full portfolio of marketing sales tools to support the growth of their businesses.

Hosting partners and resellers can sell services in any of the company's six data centers in Houston and Dallas; it's soon-to-be-opened 86,000 square foot data center in Dallas; or in its new London facility.

Combined with The Planet's Referral Partner program, customers now have an option to simply refer business and receive a commission, or provide hosting services to their own customer base using the company's world-class data centers.

By becoming an Authorized Partner of The Planet, customers can tap into the growing and global multi-billion dollar hosting and data center services market to generate new revenue and business from current clients:

Eliminate upfront costs: Hosting partners can provide their clients more competitive bids by eliminating cap-ex requirements and using The Planet's enterprise-class network and SAS 70 Type II-certified data centers.
Lower risk, flexible contract terms: Partners can reduce their risk and choose contract terms as low as month-to-month, a one-year option or other negotiated terms up to three years.
Gain faster time-to-market options: Many orders can be placed and provisioned in less than 24 hours.
Receive around-the-clock support: Technicians actively monitor The Planet's hosted environment 7x24x365.
Use our turnkey infrastructure: Hosting Partners gain access to eight world-class data centers, multiple tier-1 bandwidth providers and Dell hardware, which eliminates partner upfront investments.
Obtain discounted rates, promotions: The Planet offers exclusive reduced rates and promotions for partners contingent on the amount of service conducted with the company.
Boost recurring revenue: By using continuous monthly billing for high-margin services, partners gain recurring revenue without additional staff time.
Power to choose: The Planet offers the broadest range of products and services in the industry, which provides hosting partners with a range of choices to fit their customers' requirements.

Ultimately, The Planet's goal is to provide:

High levels of network capacity and speed to deliver peak performance
Instant scalability to handle even the largest spikes in network traffic
Parallel, redundant, multi-tiered network routing and switching architecture to assure reliability and stability
Multiple layer network security that prevents Delayed Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks from harming businesses
Knowledgeable experts with a passion for excellence and a commitment to operate the best networks in the business
The Planet is the leading provider of On Demand IT Infrastructure solutions, hosting more than 20,000 small and medium size businesses and 15.2 million web sites worldwide. The Planet Alpha division provides the widest array of self-managed dedicated servers and advanced services backed by 24x7x365 support. The Planet Northstar Managed Hosting division combines a proactive methodology and seasoned IT experts to deliver a fully managed hosting solution, with the best choice of servers, software tools and world-class support, backed by state-of-the-art facilities and an enterprise-class network.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/web_hosting_partner_program_expands_at_the_planet.html

LogicBoxes Adds Free DNS Service to Product Portfolio

2009-04-09T17:00:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) Available with any and every product on the Platform, the Free DNS Service is bound to create a lot of buzz and excitement among Registrars’ Resellers and Customers. Each service will lend an extended level of ‘value-for-money’ for all Registrars using the Platform, and will no doubt boost domain name sales for all LogicBoxes Partners.

“The launch of Free DNS signals a new era of free products and services” said Company CEO and Founder, Bhavin Turakhia. “We are always looking to give our Partners the best tools to effectively increase their market share and through the line-up of free products, Registrars will be able to offer customers the ability to build, connect, manage and grow their online presence like never before.

In an extremely competitive domain name market, every value-add and service goes a long way towards attracting Resellers and Customers. Undoubtedly, free DNS and the following free products will pave the way for Registrars to naturally attract and expand their customer base.”

Other products indicated to go free include Domain Forwarding, Website Builder, Email and Chat.

With a focus on enhancing its core domain offering, LogicBoxes presents Registrars, with an evolving platform that caters to the dynamic market and reflects industry trends. The recent addition of the AGP Abuse Tracking tool, followed by the introduction of the Free DNS service seems like another step towards providing Logicboxes Partners with a competitive edge through its comprehensive solution.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/logicboxes_adds_free_dns_service_to_product_portfolio.html

Moniker Unveils Premium Contenders for Its Upcoming Domain Name Auction

2009-04-09T16:59:00-04:00

Los Angeles, CA (Gawkwire.com) Moniker.com (http://www.moniker.com), an Oversee.net company, today announced the availability of premium domain names at its live and extended online auction at the T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley 2009 domain conference. The live auction takes place Wednesday, April 29 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. Pacific Time at the Santa Clara Marriott Hotel in Santa Clara, California. The extended online auction will be held from April 29 - May 7.

Preliminary contenders for inclusion in the final auction catalog are:

Realty.com
Ad.com
Viajes.com (Spanish - travel)
RepairMyCredit.com
BestCDRates.com
BusinessBankruptcy.com
DebtCollections.org
DiscountToyStore.com
OfficeSupplyStores.com
MovingService.com
OnlineTelevision.com
PopUpBlockers.com
NonProfits.com
CureForCancer.com
Junk.net
SanBernardino.com
SantaClara.com
FreightLines.com
CollegeCourse.com
SiameseCats.com
Punks.com
Reunions.info
HairReplacement.info
Commitment.org
DiscountSoftware.org
Deal.mobi

The complete catalog will be released on April 14. For more information, visit: http://domainauctions.moniker.com.

Multiple Bidding Opportunities Available
Registered T.R.A.F.F.I.C. Silicon Valley attendees are automatically eligible to attend the private live auction. Bidders not in the room for the auction can place bids online through SnapNames Live™, an integrated live and online auction platform developed by SnapNames®, another Oversee.net company. Interested bidders may also submit an absentee bid form to the auctioneer, or may sign up for telephone proxy bidding.

Moniker will also host an extended online auction in conjunction with the live event, offering thousands of additional names for sale. The online auction will run for a full week starting on Wednesday, April 29 at 12:15 p.m. Pacific Time (3:15 p.m. Eastern) and closing on Thursday, May 7 at 12:15 p.m. Pacific time (3:15 p.m. Eastern).

To learn more about bidding options for this event, see a complete list of rules and procedures for all Moniker auctions and review all live and online domain auctions throughout the year, visit the Moniker Domain Auction website at http://domainauctions.moniker.com. Bidders may also contact sales(at)moniker.com or call (800) 688-6311 for more information.

Domain Name Financing Available
Domain Capital will partner with Moniker to offer financing for domain purchases made at this event or for other transactions. Please contact a sales representative at sales(at)moniker.com for more information.

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/moniker_unveils_premium_contenders_for_its_upcoming_domain_name_.html

eCommerce Spring Summit - Atlanta, GA - June 3-4

2009-04-09T09:33:00-04:00

New York, NY (Gawkwire.com) Many of the leading ecommerce entrepreneurs will gather in Atlanta, Georgia for the 10th eCommerce Summit (www.ecommerce-summit.com) on June 3rd and 4th. The world-class educational event will again be hosted by the eCommerce Merchants Trade Association (www.ecommercemerchants.org) and the Professional eBay Sellers Alliance (www.gopesa.org).

eCommerce Summits have an impressive history of bringing industry thought leaders together in a more intimate and educational format than most large format conferences. Attendees at previous events have found the information so valuable that many participate daily in an online ecommerce discussion forum at http://community.ecmta.org.

Brandon Dupsky, Managing Director at eCommerce Merchants, recently asked some previous summit attendees why they plan to attend the Spring 2009 Summit.

"I'm going to the summit to be able to network with fellow ecommerce sellers, service providers, and many ecommerce movers and shakers. The relationships that can be developed and nurtured at a conference like this are invaluable," commented Larry Phillips, Owner of Long Beach Philatelics, Inc.

Clarissa Parashar, the owner of TatooApparel.com and PerpetualVogue.com shared, "This will be the 5th PESA/ECMTA Conference that I have attended. I make invaluable contacts and find new business strategies each time I attend. I would not miss it!"

Gary Richardson, the owner of GogglesandGlasses.com replied that "The summit gives me the chance to talk to the best and brightest minds in ecommerce face to face, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

The Atlanta eCommerce Summit will provide attendees with two days of intensive learning, sharing and networking with their peers and industry thought leaders. Building on the success of previous summits, educational topics will include: Expanding International Sales, Search Engine Optimization, Social Marketing, Professional Website Makeover, Effective Email Marketing, Adding Revenue via Online Marketplaces, Managing Multi-Channel Sales, Efficient Product Sourcing and Maximizing Website Analytics.

"Most of the early registrations and initial sponsors for the Atlanta Summit are from organizations that participated in our previous events and understand the tremendous value they receive versus other large-format conferences," noted Mr. Dupsky. "People regularly tell me that our 2008 summit New Orleans was the best and most informative conference they have ever attended."

Companies wishing to attend the event can register now at www.ecommerce-summit.com

Companies interested in sponsoring the event can contact Brandon Dupsky at brandon(at)ecmta.org

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/ecommerce_spring_summit_-_atlanta_ga_-_june_3-4.html

Generic Domain Name Doubles Traffic From PPC Search Engine Ad Campaign

2009-04-09T09:29:00-04:00

Tokyo, Japan (Gawkwire.com) Online marketers needing to generate more search clicks got a big boost today from the results of a new analysis of generic domain names.

A study tested the AdWords performance of ads sharing identical headlines, copy and landing page content, but using different display and landing page URLs.

We finally have some hard numbers to back up the long-standing belief that generic domain names attract more clicks in search engine listings.
Businesses looking to improve CTR and clicks from their PPCSE campaigns now have a proven and simple technique for doing so: use a targeted generic domain name in your ads.
The results showed that the use of a generic domain name matching the product searched for can as much as double the number of clicks received across a range of related keywords.

The study revealed that:

- The CTR of ads featuring an "ideal match" generic domain was between 15% and 42% higher than either of the generic and non-generic domain name alternatives.

- The winning generic domain name also produced between 45% and 105% more clicks than the alternatives, across the same timeframe and keyword set.

Edwin Hayward, owner of Memorable Domains (who undertook the study) said, "We finally have some hard numbers to back up the long-standing belief that generic domain names attract more clicks in search engine listings."

Hayward says the click boost likely comes from:

- the close match between the domain name and the product searched for (irrespective of the search keywords used)

- automatic bolding of search terms in the domain

- the potential positive impact of the domain name on ad quality score

"Businesses looking to improve CTR and clicks from their PPCSE campaigns now have a proven and simple technique for doing so: use a targeted generic domain name in your ads."

Hayward also notes that even companies with well-established brand name websites can benefit from the study's insights, by matching generic domains with appropriate keyword groups and driving traffic to product-, service- or campaign-specific minisites.

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/generic_domain_name_doubles_traffic_from_ppc_search_engine_ad_ca.html

i/o Data Centers Announces Fiber Expansion with AGL

2009-04-09T09:28:00-04:00

Phoenix, AZ (Gawkwire.com) i/o Data Centers announced today the completion of a fiber expansion in conjunction with AGL (NYSE: AGL) into its new 530,000 square foot Phoenix ONE data center campus.

"We're pleased with AGL Networks' decision to extend their dark fiber network into our Phoenix ONE data center," said Matt Calhoun, chief technology officer, i/o Data Centers. "This additional capacity will offer our existing and future clients greater diversity, flexibility and lower cost connectivity options. We are glad to have AGL supplement our world class network story."

i/o Data Centers provides next-generation data center and Phoenix colocation services which are considered best in class for hosting and maintaining mission critical data center operations. i/o Data Centers' broad range of outsourced data center services are used by several of the largest Web properties and enterprises world-wide. The company's newest data center, Phoenix ONE, is a state-of-the-art, high powered colocation facility which serves as both an enterprise data center complex and Phoenix carrier hotel. All i/o Data Centers' sites offer carrier neutral colocation services which allow customers the flexibility and cost savings of direct, no-charge cross connects to the AGL network.

"We are thrilled to offer dark fiber service to both the Scottsdale ONE and Phoenix ONE i/o Data Centers' facilities," said Jim Gillis, president, AGL Networks. "The need for dark fiber network solutions is growing in today's current economic climate. Providing our clients with lower operating cost with enhanced network security and redundancy is essential."

The benefits of leasing capacity from AGL Networks through i/o Data Centers' carrier hotel include the ease and ability to increase bandwidth on demand, complete route diversity from other providers, enhance network security with an all underground network, provide flexibility in applications that utilize dark fiber and reduce overall telecommunication costs.

This addition brings AGL Networks on-net building list to over 70 sites. Today in Phoenix, AGL's fiber footprint encompasses 255 route miles.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/i_o_data_centers_announces_fiber_expansion_with_agl.html

Web Design Company, Clocktower Media, Named 'Business of the Year'

2009-04-09T09:25:00-04:00

Seattle, WA (Gawkwire.com) Seattle Web Design agency, Clocktower Media, celebrates an exciting accomplishment this week. They were the chosen recipients of the prestigious 'Business of the Year' award for their recognized success in 2008. Owner and CEO, Tim Mushen, accepted this award in the presence of an impressive crowd at the Eastside Business Association's annual awards ceremony. Among other nominees for 'Business of the Year' were Costco, Event Source NW, Gregorek & Associates and the Eastside Business Journal. Mario Morales, president of the Eastside Business Association comments, "Clocktower Media has shown outstanding commitment to their community and the work they do. They are excellent role models in their industry and very deserving of this award."

Clocktower Media's immense growth in the last three years has set them apart as a recognized business leader in the Seattle area. In 2006, Clocktower Media received a Webby Award for their work on the Canlis Glass website. Since then, Clocktower Media has doubled in size and expanded their services and client base on a national level. The workforce is comprised of eight talented web designers, marketing specialists, programmers and office personnel. This vibrant group works together in all aspects of building a website from start to finish. In recent years, they have found their niche in building customized Content Management Systems and successful online marketing campaigns. President Tim Mushen explains, "We are a very young, energetic and tech-savvy team and I think that helps us keep up with the most current and effective web trends."

Clocktower Media is honored to be recognized by the Eastside Business Association (EBA), an organization representing businesses in Seattle's Greater Eastside area. The EBA's goal is to help businesses establish connections while promoting growth and support for local organizations. Their foundation is in the belief of giving back to the community that gives to you. For more about Clocktower Media please visit http://www.clocktowermedia.com or call 425.458.4580.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/web_design_company_clocktower_media_named_business_of_the_year.html

Intel Chairman Announces Winners of INSPIREâ€¢EMPOWER Challenge

2009-04-08T15:00:00-04:00

BEIJING (Gawkwire.com) During his keynote today at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Beijing, Intel Corporation Chairman Craig Barrett announced the four winners of the INSPIRE•EMPOWER Challenge. Launched at the IDF in San Francisco last summer, the challenge called on the developer community to submit the most innovative ideas for applying technology to address some of the world’s most pressing problems related to education, health care, economic development and the environment.

More than 200 proposals were submitted from companies, non-profit organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGO), universities and individuals from 44 countries around the world.

“The caliber of submissions demonstrates the incredible collaborative power of the developer community to use technology to help solve real-world problems,” said Barrett. “Today we honor the winners of this challenge and celebrate the hundreds of other innovative ideas aimed to help promote social and economic growth worldwide.”

The winners of the four $100,000 prizes were evaluated primarily for impact sustainability and innovativeness. The prize money will be used solely toward the implementation of the solution.

•CellScope: Telemicroscopy for Disease Diagnosis: Daniel Fletcher, professor at the University of California, Berkeley, leads a research team responsible for the CellScope, a blend of “cell phone” and “microscope.” This new approach turns camera-enabled cell phones, smartphones, handhelds and netbooks, such as an Intel-powered classmate PC, into high-resolution, handheld microscopes with the capability to capture and transmit images. CellScope provides a portable and inexpensive way to diagnose and monitor infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria in the developing world.
•Great Lakes Cassava Initiative (GLCI): Michael Potts, Catholic Relief Services’ director for GLCI, is overseeing a pilot project using laptops to help cassava farmers increase food availability and incomes. Millions of families in East and Central Africa rely on cassava as a primary food source, but two virulent diseases are wiping out fields across the region. GLCI aims to educate 1.15 million farmers in six countries about these diseases and provide them with disease-resistant cassava plants. The laptops will facilitate information exchange among farmers, field agents and project managers; support remote distribution of training modules; and improve disease monitoring through automatic data transfers.

•Mobile Solar Computer Classroom (MSCC): Eric Morrow, executive director of the Maendeleo Foundation in Uganda, operates a computer-lab-on-wheels that takes teachers to multiple schools each week to provide PC skills, training to up to 100 children per day. Topped with solar panels to re-charge the computers, the MSCC is a modified SUV with a foldable tent, tables, chairs and 15 Intel-powered classmate PCs. The foundation hopes to open the doors to better paying jobs and to spur an African-owned and -operated computer services industry to boost local economies, decrease unemployment and help alleviate poverty.

•Rural Livelihood Enhancement: Bibek Chapagain, Clean Energy Group director at Winrock International, has proposed a Rural Livelihood Enhancement project to deliver information and communication technology (ICT) services to rural communities in Nepal. To address the lack of grid electricity, the project will utilize renewable power from micro-hydro stations and solar photovoltaic panels. The goal of the project is to bring about economic development and improve access to energy, education, employment and information in remote areas. The ICT service centers will serve as computer labs for students and will be open to the public during off-school hours to provide services to the community.

For more information on the challenge, visit www.intelchallenge.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/intel_chairman_announces_winners_of_inspire_empower_challenge.html

topseos.com List of the Best PPC companies for April 2009

2009-04-08T15:00:00-04:00

Plymouth, IN (Gawkwire.com) The evaluation has been completed of the companies hoping to be included in topseos.com's list of the best PPC companies in April 2009. Each company has been put through an extensive evaluation process to determine the best of the best when it comes to pay per click campaigns. With this list, you can find the best PPC agencies that can help increase your sales and get you noticed in the web.

Independent Authority on Search
Independent SEO ranking firm, topseos.com, is bent on putting together a comprehensive list of the most productive PPC companies. This will help companies get connected with the responsible PPC firms while avoiding the one's who may be abusive.

The top 30 PPC companies are:

1.   JumpFly, Inc.
2.   Intrapromote PPC Agency
3.   SEOP
4.   Clicks2Customers
5.   Increase Visibility Inc.
6.   Bruce Clay Inc.
7.   SEO Image Inc.
8.   Customer Magnetism
9.   ThinkBIGsites
10.   Web.com Search Agency
11.   Webrageous Studios
12.   Portent Interactive
13.   SEO Inc
14.   Location3 Media
15.   Efficient Frontier Inc
16.   Maximum Hit
17.   Didit.com, LLC
18.   Reprise Media
19.   Enquiro Search Solutions Inc.
20.   Morpheus Media LLC
21.   Target Logics
22.   KeyRelevance
23.   Response Mine
24.   Page Zero Media
25.   eVision LLC.
26.   SpiderSplat Consulting Inc.
27.   Pure Visibility Inc.
28.   NetSetGo Marketing
29.   Point It, Inc.
30.   Pepperjam.com

topseos' evaluation process looks into the firm's knowledge of PPC, actual results and, most importantly, the overall customer experience. Customers are interviewed by topseos. They are asked questions such as: "What type of a ROI were you anticipating, what was achieved and in what time frame?", and "By what % have you increased your PPC budget and over what time?".

Pay Per Click Companies that would like to be considered for the topseos.com rankings can apply at: www.topseos.com/rankings/search-engine-marketing-agencies/apply-for-ranking

To learn more about the Pay Per Click Firms, visit: www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-pay-per-click-management-companies

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/topseos_com_list_of_the_best_ppc_companies_for_april_2009.html

400 DotNetNuke Video Tutorials and a New Tutor

2009-04-08T10:49:00-04:00

Leeds, UK (Gawkwire.com) DNN Creative Magazine, the leading resource for DotNetNuke® video tutorials, module reviews and web design tips, has announced that they have now increased the number of video tutorials available to their subscribers to 400.

"It really doesn't seem that long ago since we reached the 300 video mark. We have gone from strength to strength producing professional video tutorials for the DotNetNuke Community since 2005. We set ourselves the goal of achieving 400 videos this month, it's been hard work to get there, but I'm very happy we did." said Lee Sykes, Director of DNN Creative Magazine. "This month we are also pleased to announce the addition of Paul Deschenes, of Advologix, to the team. We brought him onboard to do a special series of tutorials covering R2i's Open Web Studio. I'm delighted that Paul has joined us and given us his expertise."

DNN Creative Magazine"Having Paul as an OWS tutor on the team now means we can put even more time into researching and creating tutorials. Providing quality, professional and easy to understand video tutorials to the DotNetNuke community is something we pride ourselves in." said Richard Wootton, Manager of DNN Creative Magazine. "We enjoy the work we do and very much look forward to the next 100 videos!"

DNN Creative Magazine provides premier tuition for beginner and advanced users. Every month a new issue is released covering topics ranging from DotNetNuke core modules, administration, through to advanced pure CSS skinning techniques and powerful SQL queries. DNN Creative Magazine is the best place to learn DotNetNuke online with over 400 hundred video tutorials available to download direct to your computer. A year's subscription not only gives you quality tutorials, unbiased reviews and interviews for the year you subscribe but also the entire back catalogue too.

If you are interested and would like to learn more about DotNetNuke, DNN Creative Magazine is currently running a free trial of their services. Via a special introductory issue they provide free examples of their tutorials to demonstrate what they have to offer. The issue gives a good idea of the user friendly approach of the magazine which has gained it such high praise within the DotNetNuke community.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_design/400_dotnetnuke_video_tutorials_and_a_new_tutor.html

FastHosts Urges Businesses To Protect Web identity With Free Domain Offer

2009-04-08T10:47:00-04:00

Gloucester, UK (Gawkwire.com) Fasthosts Internet Ltd, home to more websites than any other UK provider, today rolled out an offer that provides ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ on domain names registered until 31 May 2009. Customers who register a .com domain, will receive a free .co.uk registration for 2 years. Fasthosts’ offer, with no catches or ties, is a great opportunity for small businesses and organisations to expand their visibility online and better protect their brand identity for free.

According to figures released in March by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), there has been a record growth in reported cases of cybersquatting in 2008. Whilst multi-national corporate disputes often hit the headlines, smaller UK enterprises can sometimes struggle to defend their brands and stop parties from profiting from their brands. In a challenging economic climate, the cost and time involved in disputing a web identity case is of course unwelcome.

Fasthosts latest offer is designed to help UK companies secure domain names that may reduce their risk to cybersquatting. Customers simply register any .com domain registration, priced at £8.89/year+VAT, before end of May 2009 and receive a 2 year .uk domain registration of their choice (such as .co.uk), worth £5.90+VAT, absolutely free.

Steve Holford, CMO Fasthosts Internet Ltd, said “Our ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ deal is the ideal opportunity for businesses to secure additional domains similar or associated with their identity. Many cases of cybersquatting surround typos of company names, so these can sometimes be a prudent acquisition. Even some of the biggest online brands in the world have been caught out. All companies with a web presence should review their domain options periodically”.

As the UK's largest web host, Fasthosts offers a comprehensive range of web solutions including domain name registrations, email solutions (including mobile email services), shared web hosting, dedicated servers, online payment services, reseller web hosting and feature-rich broadband packages.

For more information on Fasthosts, see the website at www.fasthosts.co.uk

http://www.gawkwire.com/domains/fasthosts_urges_businesses_to_protect_web_identity_with_free_dom.html

Limestone Networks Offers Secure Server Access Via Googleâ€™s G1 Mobile Phone

2009-04-08T10:45:00-04:00

Dallas, TX (Gawkwire.com) Limestone Networks, Inc., the Dallas-based dedicated hosting company, is the first such company to enable full server management through an Android-based application on the new Google G1 mobile phone.

“The app gives our customers secure access through our API using their G1 phone, and is free to Limestone customers,” says Gary Kendall, CEO of Limestone Networks. “Basically, it lets them use all the features of our proprietary API, which they now use on their desktop and laptop computers.”

Kendall adds: “That means even if the only Internet access they have is through their mobile G1 phone, they can still see and manage all their servers and accounts, just as though they were at their desks: they can power servers up and down, retrieve bandwidth stats and graphs, activate services, review and pay open invoices, update trouble tickets – and a lot more.”
To use the interface on the Google phone, simply open the Rockware application. It’s named Rockware after the name of its web counterpart that customers use to manage their accounts at Limestone. From the main menu, select Servers, Billing, Support, or Settings, then select from wide array of options and actions.

Kendall notes that the Google G1 phone has an iPhone-like interface and is popular with programmers and network technicians. That, plus its compatibility with Android’s open source platform, made it an easy choice for Limestone’s first foray into mobile server management.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/limestone_networks_offers_secure_server_access_via_google_s_g1_m.html

SoftLayer First to Offer Next Generation IntelÂ® Processors

2009-04-08T10:44:00-04:00

DALLAS, TX (Gawkwire.com) SoftLayer Technologies today announced it is the first hosting service provider to offer servers featuring new Intel® Xeon® 5500 processors, built with Intel’s Nehalem microarchitecture. The new line of processors provides up to 125% higher compute performance over the prior generation while maintaining similar power consumption. The processors also offer up to two times more virtualization performance, allowing more virtual machines per physical server.

Intel designed the Nehalem microarchitecture from the ground up to capitalize on all the advantages of their industry-leading 45-nanometer Hi-k metal gate silicon technology. Advantages of the microarchitecture include:

ï‚§ Dynamically managed cores, threads, cache, interfaces, and power
ï‚§ Simultaneous multi-threading (SMT), enabling more energy efficiency while increasing multi-threaded workload performance
ï‚§ Innovative extensions to the Intel Streaming SIMD Extensions 4 (SSE4) that enhance XML, string, and text processing performance
ï‚§ Superior multi-level cache, including an inclusive shared L3 cache
ï‚§ New high-end system architecture that delivers from two to three times more peak bandwidth and up to four times more realized bandwidth (depending on configuration) as compared to today’s Intel Xeon processors
ï‚§ Performance-enhanced dynamic power management

“Intel collaborated with SoftLayer to offer leading-edge technology for on-demand data center services and technology innovation to its customers,” said Jason Waxman, General Manager of High Density Computing at Intel. “We are pleased that Intel’s next generation microarchitecture in the Xeon 5500 series servers will provide breakthrough virtualization performance and enterprise class features to meet SoftLayer’s growing industry demand.”

“SoftLayer is excited to lead the industry in offering this new line from Intel,” said Lance Crosby, SoftLayer Chief Executive Officer. “We constantly strive to offer our customers the most advanced server technology and with the introduction of Intel’s Xeon 5500 series, we will be able to provide some of the most efficient solutions in the marketplace.”

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/softlayer_first_to_offer_next_generation_intel_processors.html

Pryme Technologies to Open New Data Center in Ashburn, Va.

2009-04-08T10:42:00-04:00

ASHBURN, VA (Gawkwire.com) The first 10,000 square foot phase of the facility is scheduled for completion by June 15, 2009. With the completion of the first phase Pryme Technologies will be able to offer its full suite of services from this ultra-secure, tier 3 data center. Offerings range from single rack co-location, private secure pods in sizes from 2,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet, and ultra-secure SCIF private pods in sizes from 2,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. Office space for clients is available as well.

The site built in 2009 offers 72,000 square feet of datacenter space consisting of 20 foot ceilings, 3 foot raised flooring for maximum cooling, 200 watts per square foot cooling capabilities in standard configuration, 300+ watts per square foot cooling with overhead supplemental cooling, dual fiber entry points with fully diverse dark fiber rings reaching to the Equinix Ashburn Campus, N+1 UPS systems, N+1 CRAC systems, N+1 chilled water systems, N+1 generator backup power, N+1 network systems (Cisco based), pre-action dry pipe fire suppression, and a fully secured facility with 24/7 staffed NOC.

Pryme Technologies' network consists of over 70 Gigabit capacity to the Internet via 9 diverse providers and over 640 Gigabit capacity between the Equinix Ashburn campus and the Pryme Datacenter site. Using Cisco products from core to edge, Pryme has deployed 10GE down to the customer edge. Pryme can offer any sized service customer needs dictate. From 10mbit to 10gigabit, Pryme’s network is pre-engineered to support these solutions instantly.

Founded in 2002, Pryme Technologies is a healthy, profitable, and growing business specializing in Colocation and Custom Solutions for customers. Pryme’s team has experience in building and maintaining some of the largest Tier-1 networks and datacenters in the world.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/pryme_technologies_to_open_new_data_center_in_ashburn_va.html

Somalia Pirates Go High Tech

2009-04-07T01:19:00-04:00

Santa Monica, CA (Gawkwire.com)The website MyMMOShop.com has been under a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS attack) for the last 24 hours. A DDoS attack involves saturating the target (victim) machine with external communications requests, such that it cannot respond to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered effectively unavailable.

MyMMOShop.com is an e-commerce store that sells virtual currency for popular Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) such as World of Warcraft Gold, Final Fantasy XI Gil, Age of Conan Gold, Warhammer Online Gold, Lineage 2 Adena, Vanguard Saga of Heroes Gold and EverQuest 2 Platinum.

"No customer data or existing orders are being affected by this attack," says Hunter Crowell, the media relations agent for MyMMOShop.com. Although no new orders can be taken since the website is essentially down. Numerous attempts by the websites hosting company have been unable to stop the attack so far.

Crowell believes that something has to be done quickly to try and bring some type of law and order to Somalia or things are only going to get much worse. The country has extreme poverty and when people are desperate they do extreme things. We see ships being hijacked on a weekly occurrence further and further off the coast, and now websites being hijacked, what will be next. The global recession will only make things worse for countries like Somalia.

Crowell stated that while the virtual currency business is doing well in the current economy, losing sales over an extended period of time will have a detrimental affect on MyMMOShop.com and if their hosting providers are not able to resolve the attack in the next few days, they will be force to pay the ransom and hope the attack stops.

Ask if law enforcement were any help in this matter, Crowell replied, "We were given the run around by the four agencies we contacted, it was very discouraging, but somewhat understandable when you look at where the attack is coming from."

Crowell believes MyMMOShop.com was targeted because of the recent headlines about their $10 million deal, but unfortunately he does not think this is an isolated incident and expects to hear more stories about other sites under attack.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Hunter Crowell or visit http://MyMMOShop.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/somalia_pirates_go_high_tech.html

Employees Overrate Their Abilities, Says Study

2009-04-07T10:16:00-04:00

Toronto, Canada (Gawkwire.com) Over the past 5 years employees in North America have consistently overrated their abilities, indicates a study conducted by The Beacon Group.

The Beacon Group, a leading advising firm in the field of organizational development, asked managers in the US and Canada to rate their employees after they had completed a self-assessment of their abilities. Employees were evaluated on traits such as ethics & integrity, customer focus, accountability, teamwork, decision making, communication and many others. The study analyzed over 10,000 individual surveys submitted over the past 5 years.

It’s common for employees to overrate their abilities and this becomes a more pronounced trend during recessions when individuals attempt to promote their value to the organization

Even though these surveys are completely confidential, direct reports are sometimes fearful of their managers and inflate their evaluations

In 50% of the evaluations across all categories, managers ranked their employee’s performance lower than the employee’s self assessment.

Only 33% of manager evaluations were higher than the employee’s self assessment.

“It’s common for employees to overrate their abilities and this becomes a more pronounced trend during recessions when individuals attempt to promote their value to the organization”, said Michael Sitayeb, Director Product Development & Marketing for The Beacon Group.

The average difference between a manager’s evaluation and the self-assessment of an employee is only about 4 percentage points.

“Most employees try to be fair and reflective during self-evaluations” added Sitayeb.

Direct reports to the employee (if the employee had any subordinates) rated their managers in the best light. 67% of these evaluations were higher than the manager’s self assessment. Meanwhile less than 8% of direct reports were harsher than the manager’s self assessment.

“Even though these surveys are completely confidential, direct reports are sometimes fearful of their managers and inflate their evaluations,” said Sitayeb.

An employee’s peers may be the hardest crowd to please.

Peers rarely rated better than their co-worker’s self-assessments, yet 42% of peer assessments indicated significantly poorer performance than what their peers thought they were displaying in the workplace.

Managers, Peers and Direct Reports uniformly believed that ethics & integrity, customer focus and delivering results were the strongest qualities displayed by each other in their workplace. Leadership & motivation, innovation and ongoing performance feedback in the workplace were the areas where the most improvement was required according to the survey.

The Beacon Group is a leading advising firm in the field of organizational development. Companies across various industries have used The Beacon Group’s assessment products and advising services to leverage their investment in Human Capital. The Beacon Group specializes in Employee Surveys, 360 Feedback Assessments, Early Talent Identification (ETI), Management Training, and Performance Management Systems. Clients including Mercedes-Benz, Aeroplan, Xerox, Sony and SAP have used The Beacon Group’s services to grow their thriving businesses.

For media inquiries please speak to Michael Sitayeb at 1-866-240-3948 or email at michaels (at) thebeacongroup.ca.

This press release was distributed through eMediawire by Human Resources Marketer (HR Marketer: www.HRmarketer.com) on behalf of the company listed above.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/employees_overrate_their_abilities_says_study.html

eRacks Announces a Behemoth 100TB Capacity 9U Rackmount Server

2009-04-07T10:11:00-04:00

Orange, CA (Gawkwire.com)eRacks Open Source Systems is now offering 2-terabyte drives in its NAS (Network Attached Storage) line of rackmount servers. The systems range from 8TB capacity in a 4-drive 1U-height rackmount chassis to the behemoth 50-drive 9U system with a capacity of 100TB. Data storage is a growing concern for data-heavy video and other media-based files. Cloud and other enterprise storage servers are the focus for these systems.

eRacks NAS systems incorporates Western Digital's new Caviar Green 2TB drive, which uses less power and is quieter than a typical hard drive. The large-capacity drives' technology include system-induced vibration reduction, spin-speed fine-tuning, and calculations for optimally seeking speeds to lower power consumption, noise, and vibration. Data reliability is achieved through a choice of RAID configurations of 10, 5, 6, 1 or 0. RAID 6, striped disks with dual parity, makes it possible to recreate data even under a double disk failure.

The basic price of an eRacks server includes standard or customized file system partitioning and RAID configuration. An extensive list of operating systems are offered online. eRacks' innovative NOSS (Network Operation System Server) technology allows easy configuration with a choice of back-end storage protocols automatically, including iSCSI & NFS, AoE (ATA over Ethernet), Samba / CIFS, and Appletalk.

eRacks can install OpenFiler, an open source alternative to the NetApp Filer, on request. OpenFiler supports RAID, Fiber Channel, full iSCSI (target and initiator), point-in-time snapshots, replication, and has a convenient Web-based GUI.

"We're pleased that eRacks is able to deliver dense rackmount storage in a green, energy-efficient platform," remarked Joseph Wolff, CEO.

eRacks has specialized in providing customized open source rackmount and desktop servers since 1999. The company also offers dedicated hosting services and maintains a close partnership with The Libre Group, consultants with expertise in open source enterprise migration.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/eracks_announces_a_behemoth_100tb_capacity_9u_rackmount_server.html

Data Center Internal Private Network, Debuts at Future Hosting

2009-04-06T09:41:00-04:00

Novi, MI (Gawkwire.com) The facilities are located in Chicago, Ill.; Dallas, Texas; Seattle, Wash.; Washington, D.C.; and London, England.

Charles Kowalski, COO of Future Hosting remarked, ''Whether it's synchronizing data between two failover hosting points, or managing a corporate IT infrastructure spread across two continents, our internal network is an attractive feature for our customers and it does not cost them a penny more to use. It also allows our customers to reach beyond the traditional limitations of a standalone Virtual Private Server and leverage our vast capacity for growth.''

The internal network is connected to all Future Hosting servers through physically separate network cards installed alongside network cards used for Internet connectivity. Each server’s private network card is assigned a private IP address that allows Future Hosting servers to communicate with each other on the internal network.

Through the internal network, Future Hosting customers may take advantage of unmetered data transfer between all other Future Hosting servers and services in its five data centers. This capability is especially attractive for hosting resellers, developers, and others who wish to take advantage of the geographically diverse infrastructure from Future Hosting.

The internal network also bolsters security, since it allows customers with multiple servers to transfer data between locations in a secured environment not accessible to the open Internet.

There is no additional charge for customers to utilize the private network. Customers may request access from Future Hosting's sales department.

Future Hosting is the developer of the award-winning Server Doctor, a system designed to provide a proactive approach to maintaining Virtual Private Servers. The technology automates everything from account provisioning to security scans, without tying up the resources of the customer support department.

Founded in 2001, Future Hosting is a privately held leading Internet solutions provider specializing in managed hosting, including both Dedicated Servers and Virtual Private Servers. The company has built a strong reputation for its high-quality customer service, innovative pricing models, and 3-hour Service Level Agreement. Future Hosting is based in Novi, Mich.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/data_center_internal_private_network_debuts_at_future_hosting.html

PPC Summit Announces Expert SEM Speaker Line-Up

2009-04-06T09:38:00-04:00

New York, NY (Gawkwire.com) Pay Per Click (PPC) Summit today announced expert speaker line-up scheduled for the upcoming New York conference on May 13-14. The A list of industry experts will share knowledge and lead training sessions on how to manage profitable search engine marketing and Pay Per Click campaigns for Google Adwords, Yahoo! and MSN.

In today's downturn economy, it is increasingly important for companies to have a strong hold on their online marketing plan. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has become one of the fastest and most effective ways to reach more customers at a lower cost per acquisition. Now more than ever, marketers are turning to search engines, such as Google, to maximize their company's visibility, drive sales and generate leads.

PPC Summit New York is the place to learn profitable internet marketing strategies from experts on the cutting edge of innovative search engine marketing. During two full days of in-depth training sessions PPC Summit attendees will discover what works and what doesn't and how to get the best placement on Google Adwords. Attendees will hear from industry leaders who have years of experience, with companies of all sizes, getting top results.

The upcoming PPC Summit will be held at the Westin Jersey City, May 13-14. The full speaker line-up can be viewed online at http://www.ppcsummit.com/speakers.html. Here's a sneak peak:

Mary O'Brien, PPC Summit Founder and Former Yahoo! Search Marketing Director
Session Topic: Writing and Testing Ad Copy
Online advertisers need to create winning ad copy to reach more targeted customers, produce higher click through rates, rank in the top search results, improve Quality Score and lower ad costs. This session will show internet marketers how the pros do it.

David Szetela, Owner and CEO of Clix Marketing
Session Topic: Successful Content Network Advertising
Contextual targeting can be another effective channel for driving sales and increasing brand awareness when used correctly. Most advertisers don't take advantage of this ad vehicle, but managed effectively, it can be an even greater driver of traffic and targeted leads.

Kent Lewis, President Anvil Media, Inc.,
Session topic: Balancing Organic and Pay Per Click Listing
Getting large amounts of targeted traffic from search engines is one of the key success factors for most businesses these days. But what percentage of traffic should come from the sponsored listings versus the organic ones? Which visitors convert the best and why? This workshop addresses how to get the best ROI for search engine marketing ad spend.

Mary Huffman, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President at Ionic Media, and Former Overture Director of Marketing
Session Topic: How PPC Plays in the Big Picture of All Online Marketing
Online marketers need to understand their customers and the new buying life cycle. This dynamic session will help define and address challenges: website, corporate, offline, online, maintaining brand equity, search, usability and tracking. Attendees will learn how to integrate PPC into the overall strategy, apply site usability tactics and drive conversions.

PPC Summit Media Sponsors include: Web Host Industry Review, Adotas, Search Marketing Standard, Visibility Magazine. Also PPC Summit is proud to partner with industry leading marketing organizations including; Anvil Media, Inc., New York Ad Club, Maine Marketing Association, Boston Ad Club, Direct Marketing Club of New York, Search Engine Marketing Association of Portland (SEMpdx), and the Web Marketing Association (WMA) and the Business Marketing Association.

All interested participants should register by the early bird date to reserve their seat and save $400 off the full conference pass. To attend a PPC Summit, please visit http://www.ppcsummit.com/overview.html?pr4.

About PPC Summit
Over the last two years PPC Summits have trained more than 3,000 advertisers on how to optimize their Search Engine Marketing and Pay Per Click campaigns. The training provides a unique environment to learn strategies and techniques, network with peers and experts and get the tools necessary to gain better results. Training consists of face-to-face discussions, technique sharing, real world best practices, case studies, tutorials, keynotes, personal consulting and more. PPC Summit 2009 conferences: New York - May 13-14 and Los Angeles - Sept. 23-24. www.ppcsummit.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/ppc_summit_announces_expert_sem_speaker_line-up.html

evX Systems Introduces the SaaS Integration Platform at SaaSCon 2009

2009-04-06T09:34:00-04:00

Newport Beach, CA (Gawkwire.com) RevX SYSTEMS introduced its SaaS Integration Platform (SIP) at SaaSCon 2009 to address Enterprise IT requirements for integrating Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) with legacy technologies, applications, data and business processes.

The RevX SaaS Integration Platform is designed to satisfy a broad range of enterprise requirements for federating and integrating systems. This messaging-based gateway serves as a local "integration hub" connecting on and off premise SaaS and Cloud based services. The Integration Platform addresses service usage monitoring, data security, message validation & transformation, business process orchestration and rules management.

In order to fully embrace third party service-based solutions, IT must address technical and business issues beyond data integration. These issues include management of workflow processes, monitoring performance, regulatory compliance (Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA, etc.), data security and back-up & recovery of mission-critical data. As Enterprises increasingly adopt SaaS enabled applications, SIPs will play a critical role as the solutions hub providing integration, delivery, and management services.

RevX provides the necessary tools, methods and implementation to effectively integrate SaaS applications with on-premise applications.

Key Benefits
Affordable framework to standardize and simplify the integration of SaaS & Cloud Services
Bi-directional, real-time message-based gateway
Address interconnected system workflows and robust business processes
Manage advanced event interpretation, correlation, pattern matching and monitoring

The RevX SIP not only streamlines data integration, but collectively ties numerous systems together to operate as one logical platform. This level of business orchestration with third party SaaS vendors will ensure integration with mainstream applications, realization of cost savings, and compliance with regulatory and data security requirements.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/evx_systems_introduces_the_saas_integration_platform_at_saascon_.html

New Nintendo DSi Ushers in Era of Personalization and Sharing

2009-04-04T06:00:00-04:00

REDMOND, WA (Gawkwire.com) Nintendo launches Nintendo DSi™, the third iteration of the best-selling portable video game system and the latest evolution in hand-held gaming. Nintendo DSi gives new and veteran gamers the ability to customize, personalize and share their experiences with friends and family. Two built-in, interactive cameras let people snap and modify photos, while recorded sounds can be played and manipulated in interesting and imaginative ways. Also on April 5, Nintendo will launch the Nintendo DSi Shop, a new online storefront where users can redeem Nintendo DSi Points to download an ever-growing variety of inventive games and applications. Nintendo DSi will be available in the United States in Blue or Black at an MSRP of $169.99.

“The concept of entertainment is clearly expanding to enable self-expression and creation in ways never before possible,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “Nintendo DSi is loaded with software to help people do exactly that. It’s not just about the cameras or audio playback, but what people can do with these features that makes Nintendo DSi such an enjoyable game system.”

Beyond the creative user experience, these features also give developers the tools to create new games and applications not previously possible. In the same way that WiiWare™ has given developers big and small a way to deliver their most original games directly to Wii™ users, Nintendo DSiWare™ provides access to the latest and most inventive hand-held games from a variety of studios and genres. Here are the Nintendo DSiWare titles that will be available when the Nintendo DSi Shop launches:

•WarioWare™: Snapped! – Using the built-in Nintendo DSi camera, this outrageous title puts players right at the center of fast-paced mini-games, challenging them to race the clock and get a peek at Wario’s photo album.
•Bird & Beans™ – Using an elastic tongue, players must scramble to collect falling beans. The harder a bean is to catch, the more points it’s worth.
•Brain Age™ Express: Math – In this math-focused edition of the popular Brain Age series, players can enjoy a mix of new and familiar training exercises. A new Themes mode also lets Nintendo DSi users experiment with images and voice recordings in fun, unusual ways.
•Master of Illusion™ Express: Funny Face – This game uses your Nintendo DSi as a prop in a card trick. Draw a face on the touch screen and astound your audience as the face tells them which playing card they picked.
•Art Style™: AQUIA™ – The newest addition to the eye-popping Art Style series, this mesmerizing underwater puzzle game challenges players to help a scuba diver reach the ocean floor by matching a series of colored blocks.
In addition to a diverse, constantly expanding lineup of DSiWare game titles, visitors to the Nintendo DSi Shop can also download the free Nintendo DSi Browser to enjoy portable access to the Internet. Powered by Opera, this simple-to-use application makes use of the Nintendo DSi system’s dual-screen display to provide fast, intuitive Web browsing.

As an incentive to get people connected and enjoying the online content, consumers who buy a Nintendo DSi system and connect it to the Nintendo DSi Shop by Oct. 5, 2009, will automatically receive 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points. (Visit dsioffer.nintendo.com for more details.) Software in the Nintendo DSi Shop will be available at four price points: free, 200 points, 500 points and 800+ points. Users can purchase additional Nintendo DSi Points in the Nintendo DSi Shop or via a Nintendo Points Card sold at retail locations. Nintendo DSi Points will be available in increments of 2,000 at an MSRP of $19.99.

Nintendo DSi allows users to create and share unique moments using a number of distinctive features. Two cameras – one pointing at the user when the system is open, one facing away – let people take photos and manipulate them with 10 built-in “lenses” including Distortion, Graffiti and Mischief. The cameras inspire creativity by letting users personalize their photos and trade them wirelessly with friends and family. The Nintendo DSi Sound application lets people put their own spin on their music with the ability to play and manipulate AAC sound files accessed from an SD card. These sonic tweaks are not saved or stored – they’re meant for having fun on-the-fly, changing the pitch or playback speed of a clip with a simple touch of the stylus.

Nintendo DSi features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about Nintendo DSi, visit www.NintendoDSi.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/new_nintendo_dsi_ushers_in_era_of_personalization_and_sharing.html

Marketing Strategist Rick Russo Joins SEO Marketing LLC

2009-04-04T06:00:00-04:00

Woodstock, Georgia (Gawkwire.com) SEO Marketing LLC announced today that industry veteran Rick Russo has joined the company's team of organic website optimization professionals. In his new position as a seo services provider, Russo will assist in maintaining relationships with SEO Marketing's clients as well as to develop relationships with new clients seeking natural seo or pay per click services.

"Moving to SEO Marketing provides an excellent chance to use my improve my website optimization skills and have a more personal interaction with clients," said Russo. "The ability to provide website owners with quality seo services, a belief in what we are doing and a relaxed work environment are the main reasons for making the move," Russo continued.

"I am very excited to have Rick Russo join our web services team," said Kris K., CEO of SEO Marketing. Adding Rick helps expand our seo consulting services and grow the web team's natural seo services. He has extensive knowledge of organic search and proven ability to understand his client's needs," Kris continued.

Rick Russo graduated from Kennesaw State University with a degree in Business Marketing in 2005 and has been working within the technology arena ever since. Russo previously worked as Account Director at What's Up Interactive. Prior to What's Up Interactive, Rick worked as an Account Representative for Northridge Systems.

http://www.gawkwire.com/seo_sem/marketing_strategist_rick_russo_joins_seo_marketing_llc.html

Powerful Server Recovery System for Linux and Windows Dedicated Servers

2009-04-04T06:00:00-04:00

Chicago, IL (Gawkwire.com) Chicago-based managed web-hosting provider, SingleHop, Inc., announced today the release of the industry's most advanced rescue console Server Bailout System. The Server Bailout System allows for clients to boot servers into a troubleshooting environment to address issues such as password resets, virus removal, Windows registry editing, file restoration and more. The Server Bailout System is available for both Linux and Windows based systems and can be accessed directly within LEAPwebtop.

The system has the ability to:

Restore a server in the event that it is hacked or compromised.
Copy files out of the failed server into a safe location through FTP.
Run diagnostics on the hard-drive.
Under Windows, edit the registry.
Under Linux, install third party applications.

"Outsourcing hosting has its disadvantages, namely in that the client generally loses control over key systems. Our goal is to counter that by arming SingleHop clients with an array of tools and features that allow for them to remain in control. The Server Bailout System empowers clients when things go wrong to troubleshoot issues, rather than unnecessarily having to reload the operating system, or wait for a technician to troubleshoot the server," says Zak Boca, President and CEO of SingleHop.

Taking a queue from the current and questionably ineffective corporate bailouts, SingleHop "chose to create a bailout that really does work," as Daniel Salcedo, Communications Manger for SingleHop, put it when asked about the unusual name.

Luke Tworek, one of the lead developers, commented that, "to use, customers simply access their LEAP account and open the program right off of the web-desktop. In less than a minute they will have access to the server and can start working on troubleshooting any issues even when the hard-drive is unresponsive or severe errors have occurred. We are very excited about this new program, both in terms of making our technicians more efficient and continuing to empower our clients."

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/powerful_server_recovery_system_for_linux_and_windows_dedicated_.html

cPanel Announces First Member of New Exclusive Program

2009-04-03T09:45:00-04:00

Houston, TX (Gawkwire.com) cPanel is pleased to announce the first member of the cPanel Exclusive Partner Program. Global Net Access LLC. (GNAX) has been a cPanel Partner NOC for over 5 years and has shown a commitment to excellence within the webhosting industry. As a next step, they have joined the cPanel Exclusive Partner Program which means they have chosen cPanel as their exclusive webhosting automation software vendor.

"Global Net Access (GNAX) is proud to be the first member of the cPanel Exclusive Partner program. We decided to focus on one panel to best provide support and management to our line of dedicated servers," Jeff Hinkle, President of GNAX, stated. "We selected cPanel for many reasons, including its popularity with hosting consumers, our extensive installed base,a very close working relationship with the cPanel team, and their ability to develop innovative products that fill our customers needs."

In conjunction with this announcement GNAX will be rolling out fully managed cpanel boxes (available for public order by May 1) and running special sales promotions at that time. Fully managed GNAX servers with cPanel and CentOS are currently in beta testing with a few clients and the rollout has gone very smoothly.

Hinkle added, "It is our intent to be a premier provider of cPanel-based servers while providing the best possible support. An exclusive relationship with Cpanel will allow us to focus and best allocate our resources to accomplish this goal".

About Global Net Access:
Global Net Access is the parent company of two industry-leading business lines: Enterprise level Co-Location and Dedicated Servers. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia and also has operations in Dallas, Texas. The company runs primary operations out of AtlantaNAP (www.atlantanap.com), which is host to numerous corporate and enterprise co-location clients. The company's dedicated server line, NetDepot (www.netdepot.com), operates over 2000 dedicated servers for clients spanning the globe. The recent expansion to Dallas allowed the company to better serve the high demand for co-location and dedicated server clients in that area. For more information please visit www.gnax.net or call 404-230-9150.

About cPanel:
cPanel is a leading Web Hosting Control Panel Software provider supplying hosting automation tools to numerous data centers and customers all around the world. cPanel offers web hosting software that automates the intricate workings of web hosting servers. cPanel products are used on tens of thousands of servers worldwide to equip server administrators with the tools they need to provide top notch hosting to their customers. Since our beginnings in 1997, cPanel has been setting the standard for web hosting automation.

With offices in Houston, Texas as well as White Haven, Pennsylvania our staff is always available to assist you. We pride ourselves on responsiveness to the webhosting community. Our developers and technical representatives are always interested in hearing your comments and concerns and acting on them. Our goal is very simple, we want to create the best software available so that you can provide the best hosting experience possible for your customers.

cPanel has hardware facilities in Pennsylvania and Texas to ensure operations are always running smoothly. Servers in New York, California and many other locations keep software updates available and systems functioning full speed. With multiple connections at most locations and redundancy on the forefront of our design strategy, you can be sure that our operations will be running smoothly.

Our internal testing and communication with industry professionals allows us to stay on top of the hosting industry. With years of experience, cPanel is a name that the entire industry can trust to bring quality software solutions at affordable prices.

For further information about cPanel and the cPanel Exclusive Partner program please contact sales (at) cpanel.net

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/cpanel_announces_first_member_of_new_exclusive_program.html

DediPower Managed Hosting, Selected by Media Technology Company

2009-04-03T09:40:00-04:00

Reading, United Kingdom (The Hosting News) Tony Grubb, Chief Operating Officer, Icom remarked, ''We found in DediPower a company with very similar characteristics to our own, easy to do business with, energetic, customer centric, who deliver a highly personalised service. The transition from our previous managed hosting provider to DediPower has been fast and trouble free.''

Formed in 2004, Icom's clients include some of the worlds’ leading mobile providers including Orange and Nokia. Examples of their work includes the launching with Orange of Glastonav, a pioneering mobile application for music lovers at the 2008 Glastonbury festival and through a partnership deal with Oncampus they provide more than half of the UK's Student Unions with their offline and online media. In 2008 they won a 'Special Award for Innovation' at the NMA Effectiveness Awards for its Rock Up and Play Festival Application.

DediPower's Managed Hosting solutions enable businesses to focus on their core competencies to deliver their business goals. Its fully managed enterprise solutions are custom designed to meet individual company requirements for high-end mission critical business operations. Delivering 100% uptime and the highest level of support, DediPower offers one of the best services level agreements in the industry today and is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and RedHat Ready Hosting Partner.

Craig Martin, CEO, DediPower Managed Hosting added, ''Icom is a highly innovative and dynamic organisation that is maximising the potential that the internet and rapidly emerging mobile technologies offer. It’s great to work with such innovative companies of this nature who are bringing to market exciting new applications and media sites.''

DediPower is a leading UK provider of managed hosting and data centre solutions, making the internet and eBusiness innovation a reality for businesses of all sizes. Focused on delivering service excellence through our Support with Passion philosophy, DediPower’s enterprise class data centres support business critical applications. Providing innovative solutions and expertise in dedicated managed hosting, virtualisation, multi-server clusters, security, business continuity and co-location services. DediPower is a winner of numerous hosting awards and is a Microsoft Gold certified partner and RedHat Ready hosting partner. DediPower’s headquarters is located in Reading Berkshire, UK.

DediPower Managed Hosting will exhibit at Internet World 2009, Earls Court, London, 28th-30th April, stand E5015.

For additional information, please visit: www.dedipower.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/dedipower_managed_hosting_selected_by_media_technology_company.html

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Now Also Available for iPhone

2009-04-03T09:36:00-04:00

Barendrecht, the Netherlands (Gawkwire.com) Today, Numenes launched iDcrm, the first comprehensive Microsoft Dynamics CRM application for the iPhone. The new solution addresses the growing demand for mobile CRM functionality and the fast-growing use of iPhones. iDcrm provides iPhone users with fast and easy access to customers, contacts, sales opportunities and activities. It supports synchronisation with customer-specific adaptations to the CRM software at the office and deployment of user-defined data objects or custom entities. iDcrm is available in many different languages.

"iDcrm is the perfect solution for sales representatives and sales managers who use Microsoft CRM in the office and iPhone outside the office," said Erik Paalvast, Sales Manager at Numenes. "The starting point was 'keep it simple'. What does a sales representative need on the road? The iPhone offers him all the basic features and information; for more advanced functions the Microsoft CRM application is available. The iPhone is a lightweight user-friendly device which should only be used for essentials on the road."

iDcrm highlights:

The sales features of Microsoft CRM are synchronised to the iPhone.
What you have in Microsoft CRM is what you get on the iPhone.
No additional investments needed in IT infrastructure.
No monthly charges.
A 100% iPhone application.
The option of working locally.

You install iDcrm on the iPhone simply by double-clicking an icon, which starts the (meta) data synchronisation between the office application and the mobile application.

iDcrm for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 is available through Microsoft Dynamics CRM business partners and Apple's App Store.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/microsoft_dynamics_crm_now_also_available_for_iphone.html

Rackable Systems Announces Agreement to Acquire Silicon Graphics Inc.

2009-04-02T13:00:00-04:00

FREMONT, CA & SUNNYVALE, CA (Gawkwire.com) The combined businesses will provide customers with market leading hardware and software technology within large-scale x86 cluster computing, HPC, Internet, Cloud Computing, large-scale data storage environments and visualization platforms across many verticals and geographies. This combination is also expected to result in a stronger global services organization; reaching commercial, government and scientific sectors on a worldwide basis.

“The combined company will be positioned to solve the most demanding business and technology challenges our customers confront today,” said Mark J. Barrenechea, president and CEO of Rackable Systems. “In addition, this combination gives us the potential for significant operational synergies, a strong balance sheet, and positions the combined company for long-term growth and profitability.”

“We have been working very hard to strengthen our company, and today, we’ve taken another big step in that direction,” stated Robert “Bo” Ewald, CEO of Silicon Graphics. “This transaction represents a compelling opportunity for Silicon Graphics’ customers, partners and employees, who can all benefit from the emerging stronger company with better technologies, products and markets reach.”

Barrenechea added, “Together, we believe we will be a much stronger entity with great products and people offering a compelling proposition to compete more effectively in, and across, our collective markets.”

Rackable has signed an Asset Purchase Agreement to acquire substantially all the assets of SGI, and to assume certain liabilities relating to the assets, pursuant to Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, under which SGI filed its petition in New York on April 1, 2009. Completion of the transaction is subject to a number of closing conditions, including the approval of the Bankruptcy Court, and other uncertainties. Subject to such conditions and uncertainties, the transaction is expected to close within approximately 60 days. It is expected that SGI’s business operations will continue during the pre-closing period. SGI’s international operations would be part of the sale, but would not be part of the bankruptcy process.

Rackable also announced today that it had suspended its previously announced program including the repurchase of up to $40 million of the company’s stock.

Conference Call Information

Rackable Systems will discuss the intent to acquire SGI in a conference call at 2:00 p.m. PST today. The public is invited to listen to a live web cast of the call on the Investor Relations section of the Rackable’s website at investors.rackable.com. A replay of the webcast will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call and remain available until the next earnings call. An audio replay of the conference call will also be made available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call. The audio replay will remain available for five days and can be accessed by dialing 1-719-457-0820 or toll free 888-203-1112 and entering the confirmation code: 6691284.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/rackable_systems_announces_agreement_to_acquire_silicon_graphics.html

Top10DedicatedHosting.com Unveils onCloudComputing.com

2009-04-02T13:00:00-04:00

San Jose, CA (Gawkwire.com) Top10DedicatedHosting today unveiled onCloudComputing.com to addresses the challenges of building, deploying, scaling and managing Cloud Computing Solutions and providing Consultancy and Training. It offers Research, unique and evolving ideas and best practices, as well as an opportunity to network with leading experts in cloud computing.

Mr. Brain McCollum, Director of Top10 Dedicated hosting, commented, "Cloud offers many advantages over traditional Dedicated Server Hosting as it has completely Controlled, Reliable, Cost-effective and Flexible Instances.

Cloud computing is beyond being the new IT buzzword. It is a computing paradigm where business applications are allocated to a combination of connections, and software and services are gained access through a browser over a network, known as "The Cloud".

According to Gartner Analysis, Overall worldwide IT spending is expected to decrease by 3.8 percent in 2009, but certain parts of the market such as Cloud Services will see explosive growth. Global cloud services revenue is on pace to surpass $56.3 billion in 2009, rising 21.3 percent from 2008 whereas the worldwide IT spending would reach $3.2 trillion, down about 3.8 percent from the $3.4 trillion spent in 2008.

onCloudComputing focuses on advising businesses how to use Best of Technology to meet their business aims. In addition to providing advice, onCloudComputing also implements, deploys, and administer Cloud Computing systems on the behalf of its clients. onCloudComputing is committed to making the results productive by applying new technology standards to meet the business objectives. Cloud helps to Build Websites, Servers and Storage that Scale Instantly on Demand

"Sharing the information and collaboration are going to be the key points in the growth of cloud computing, especially in 2009, as we prepare for its continued, industry-wide impact on all types of Business and to integrate the concept of cloud computing into their IT infrastructure,". Cloud Computing is the Top Technology Trend for 2009 and is going to grow each year. Cloud Computing Search reveals the latest trends and challenges in the world of cloud computing and simplify the environment for cloud computing," said Mr. Damien Wien, Director of Business Development

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/top10dedicatedhosting_com_unveils_oncloudcomputing_com.html

WebAwards to Recognize World's Best Web Sites in 96 Industries

2009-04-02T09:49:00-04:00

(Gawkwire.com) The Web Marketing Association is pleased to announce the call for entries for its 13th annual international WebAward competition. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets industry benchmarks based on the seven criteria of a successful Web site. It recognizes the individual and team achievements of Web professionals who create and maintain outstanding Web sites. The deadline for entry in the 2009 WebAwards is May 29, 2008. A complete list of past winners and this year's entry form can be found at www.thewebawards.org.

"The WebAwards is different from other Web site award programs because we're not just a beauty pageant focused on name recognition and design," said William Rice, president of the Web Marketing Association. "The goal of the WebAwards is to not only recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing some of the most effective Web sites on the Internet today, but also provide valuable benchmarking data to entrants on how their sites stack up against their peers and industry standards of excellence. We give Web developers a way to be recognized for their creative excellence."

Web sites are judged on seven criteria, including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use and receive a numeric score. Each WebAward entry is judged against other entries in its industry category and then against an overall standard of excellence. Entrants also benefit from receiving valuable feedback from the WebAwards professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts.

Using the quantifiable data collected from more than 23,600 Web site evaluations over the past decade, the WebAwards has defined and recognized industry-specific benchmarks for successful Web sites in each of these areas and release a the Internet Standards Assessment Report to communicate the findings of the study. A copy of the study is available at www.thewebawards.org.

This year The Web Marketing Association is adding several industries to the competition based on participant feedback. They are Environmental, Gay/Lesbian, Mobile, Science and Social Networks. To make room for these new categories, several industries are being eliminated. They are Auction, Brokerage, Computer Retailer, Institutional Services and ISP.
This year's top awards will include:

A "Best of Industry" WebAward, a handsome plaque with the image of the winning site embossed, will be given in each of the 96 industry categories, including financial services, medical, small business, travel, advertising, transportation and government.

The competition's highest honor, the 2009 WebAward "Best of Show," will be given to the one site that the judges believe represents the pinnacle of outstanding achievement in Web development. Last year's Best of Show winner was Trailer Park Interactive for its outstanding work on " "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix website", which also won Best Movie Website.

The Web Marketing Association will also recognize the interactive agency winning the most awards in the competition with the "Top Interactive Agency" WebAward. The 2007 Top Agency award was Risdall Advertising Agency taking home 29 WebAwards - the most ever by a single agency in a WebAward competition Risdall, headquartered in New Brighton, Minnesota, took home Best B2B Website, 4 Outstanding WebAwards and 24 Standard of Excellence WebAwards.

Judging for the 2009 WebAwards will take place in June through August and winners will be announced in September. Judges will consist of a select group of Internet professionals who have direct experience designing and managing Web sites,-including members of the media, interactive creative directors, site designers, content providers and webmasters - with an in-depth understanding of the current state-of-the-art in Web site development and technology. Past judges have included top executives from leading organizations such as A&E Television Networks, Agency.com, Blattner Brunner, Bridge Worldwide, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Comedy Central, Disney, Euro RSCG, Ion Global, J. Walter Thompson, John Deere Company, New York Post Interactive, Organic, Inc., Refinery, R/GA, Saatchi & Saatchi, SAP, Starwood Hotels, Sun Microsystems, Warner Bros. Online, Xerox and Zugara.

http://www.gawkwire.com/events_html/webawards_to_recognize_world_s_best_web_sites_in_96_industries.html

NitroSecurity Releases Updates to Address Conficker Worm

2009-04-02T09:48:00-04:00

Portsmouth, NH (Gawkwire.com) NitroSecurity, Inc. today released additional signatures and updates to bolster protection against the growing threat of the Conficker worm. NitroSecurity utilizes IPS blocking technology, windows registry & log monitoring, and SIEM correlation features all as one integrated solution to detect and block the Conficker worm. The worm has been unusually difficult to counter because of its combined use of advanced malware techniques. Since Conficker was first discovered, NitroSecurity has released over fifty signature and policy updates to address worm variations and obfuscations.

NitroSecurity's approach provides tiered protection: first through a series of IPS signatures that can block new Conficker attacks; and then through a series of techniques to detect symptoms of a Conficker infection, including Windows registry changes, the shutdown of security services, and the creation of .dll files, all of which can be indicative of a Conficker infection. If a network is infected, NitroSecurity's Security Information & Event Management product, NitroView SIEM, combines Conficker-related actions from the IPS, information from relevant Windows logs, and system vulnerability information to easily manage the root cause, identify the vectors used to propagate the worm to other systems, and quickly identify any systems that are at risk.

"Especially in large networks, a layered approach to security is the best defense against worms such as conficker, which go to lengths to cover their tracks," said Michael Leland, NitroSecurity's Chief Technology Officer. "Stopping the threat outside of your network is ideal, but if it does get in, a comprehensive approach including log analysis and SIEM capabilities will help spot the worm, track it, and remove it." The solution, which correlates security data from multiple systems to detect and block complex attacks, was first used by NitroSecurity to successfully block DNS exploits that were announced last year at DefCon. "When threats become this sophisticated, point-defenses aren't enough; everything has to work together," Leland added.

The Conficker worm, which first surfaced in October 2008, targets Microsoft Windows operating systems.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/nitrosecurity_releases_updates_to_address_conficker_worm.html

Winners and Losers in the Blogosphere

2009-04-02T09:42:00-04:00

Washington, DC (Gawkwire.com) According to a new study from media analysis company CARMA International (www.carma.com), wholesale and club stores receive the most favorable coverage among retailers in the blogosphere, while traditional department stores and mass merchandisers trail far behind due to substantial criticism from consumers. This is based on the findings of CARMA's analysis of consumer-written blog posts about 17 leading wholesale and club stores, traditional department stores, and mass merchandisers that appeared during the first two months of 2009.

The CARMA study also identified wholesale giant Costco as the individual retailer receiving the best coverage from bloggers, while mass merchandisers Walmart and Sears and traditional department store Macy's emerged as the retail industry's laggards for the medium. Costco stood out in the blogosphere after it received the most praise for its low prices and quality product offerings.

With media monitoring assistance from CyberAlert, Inc. (www.cyberalert.com), a leading web and social media monitoring company, CARMA International searched more than 50 million blogs each day for any mention of the selected retailers, finding and examining more than 3,700 blog posts containing relevant discussions about the 17 retailers.

CARMA analyzed a sample of these posts using its industry-leading research methodology to determine the focus of this blog coverage; the reasons that bloggers praised and criticized the retailers; the frequency that bloggers discussed the current economic environment; and the favorability with which bloggers depicted the retailers.

Only the wholesale and club store sector received favorable blog coverage overall, with few aspects about wholesalers coming under criticism. Nearly 60 percent of all blog posts on wholesale and club stores were favorable, while only 9 percent of posts were unfavorable.

In contrast, the blogosphere published unfavorable reporting overall on mass merchandisers and neutral reporting overall on traditional department stores. Both faced significant negative attention from bloggers about their financial struggles in today's economic climate.

Despite widespread favorable coverage in the mainstream media that Walmart is the only retailer excelling in the current economic turmoil, the world's largest retail chain was one of the industry's worst performers in the blogosphere, receiving negative attention overall. CARMA found that Walmart was the subject of the largest number of negative blog posts across the industry, with many of these posts being highly critical of the retailer, calling Walmart "evil" or other similar invectives. CARMA's analysis showed that only Kmart witnessed a larger share of intensely negative coverage than Walmart among retailers that appeared frequently in blog coverage, with 12 percent of blog posts on Walmart depicting the retailer with intense negativity.

"We were surprised at our findings. We thought Walmart's financial coverage in the mainstream media would foster positive attention overall from the blogosphere, but that wasn't the case," said study author and CARMA International Vice President Christopher Scully. "Some bloggers criticized the company severely for being anti-worker, driving mom-and-pop stores out of business, and contributing to sprawl and to the decline of the American manufacturing base, and this hurt its overall depiction in blogs."

"Likewise, we didn't anticipate that wholesalers like Costco would fare so well and how much their ability to offer quality products at low prices would factor into their strong performance," he added. "Costco really is well positioned to excel in the blogosphere in today's economic climate, as our results suggest it can compete on price at a time when cost is foremost in consumers' minds without having to worry that people are going to think they are buying lesser quality goods."

Citing Walmart's poor performance, Scully said that it may be common for retailers and other companies to see a divergence between how they are covered by consumer generated media and by mainstream media. "That is why CARMA recommends that companies employ a comprehensive and systematic approach to monitor and measure their consumer generated media coverage, particularly since blogs and other social media increasingly are affecting public opinion and purchasing decisions," he stated.

However, he cautioned against using automated media analysis tools to identify messages being conveyed in blogs or judge the favorability of consumer generated content. Instead, Scully suggested a human-based research approach can better assess consumer generated media.

He said, "Bloggers often discuss their experiences in unique and interesting ways that make it virtually impossible for computer algorithms or other automated approaches to determine accurately whether a company is being depicted favorably or unfavorably. Not to mention that many blogs and online discussions can be rife with sarcasm, snark, slang, and references to current events and pop culture. All these factors make it far easier for human analysts to assess consumer generated media content accurately."

CARMA included in the study the largest chains from the selected retail sectors as determined by number of stores nationwide, along with several high-end traditional department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman-Marcus. Other retailers examined for the study included BJ's Wholesale Club, Bloomingdale's, Bon-Ton, Dillard's, JCPenney, Kohl's, Lord and Taylor, Nordstrom, Sam's Club, and Target.

A detailed analysis of CARMA's research, entitled "U.S. Retailers: Winners and Losers in the Blogosphere," can be found in CARMA's Research Library at:

http://www.carma.com/research/Retail_Sector_CGM_Study.pdf

http://www.gawkwire.com/reviews/winners_and_losers_in_the_blogosphere.html

SoftLayer Offers Free Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 with Dedicated Server Offering

2009-04-02T09:41:00-04:00

DALLAS, TX (Gawkwire.com) SoftLayer today announced that it is including Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 for free with all new purchases of its dedicated server offerings. The promotion runs from April 1, 2009 to April 14, 2009 and coincides with their launch of Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 and Parallels Plesk Billing 6.0.

SoftLayer is launching Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 and Parallels Plesk Billing 6.0 as an option on all of its dedicated server offerings. These products further enhance SoftLayer’s reputation for offering the most cutting edge and technologically advanced solutions in the industry.

Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 provides SoftLayer’s customers with the most advanced control panel on the market today. In addition to its award winning automation and management tools, the latest version offers resellers the most complete and seamless system available. By integrating the APS Catalog, users now have the ability to manage, deploy and update over 200 applications on the server with a single button click. The integrated single sign on allows SoftLayer’s resellers to manage all of their Parallels products from a single interface.

Parallels Plesk Billing 6.0 is designed to interoperate with Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0, so customers of SoftLayer’s dedicated server offering that buy the billing solution will benefit from the most tightly integrated reselling system available on the market. Resellers and their customers can move seamlessly between billing and control panel functionality. Moreover, upsell opportunities can be completely automated for the end user with easy upgrade and add-on purchase options. Parallels Plesk Billing 6.0 eliminates the need for third party software to address complicated billing and income collection tasks by utilizing a billing system that is designed specifically for service providers in need of recurring support.

“SoftLayer is leading in their segment. They are responding to the needs of this competitive service provider market, empowering end-users to be completely automated and managed through an integrated hosting automation control panel solution,” said Jack Zubarev, president of Parallels. “By utilizing Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 integrated with Parallels Plesk Billing 6.0, SoftLayer is able to give their customers unique offerings that differentiate their company.”

“SoftLayer is committed to our relationship with Parallels. We are proud to offer Parallels Plesk Panel 9.0 as it is the leading hosting automation control panel on the market,” said Lance Crosby, Chairman and CEO, SoftLayer. “The solution, integrated with Parallels Plesk Billing 6.0, provides our customers with the ability to create flexible service plans that offer a complete and end to end solution and save our customers valuable resources.”

To take advantage of this offer, visit www.softlayer.com/specials.html and enter the promotional code “Plesk”. For more general information, visit: www.SoftLayer.com.

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/softlayer_offers_free_parallels_plesk_panel_9_0_with_dedicated_s.html

GlobalSign Launches Simple API for SSL Partners

2009-04-01T18:00:00-04:00

London, UK (Gawkwire.com) GlobalSign Ltd. (www.globalsign.co.uk), one of the longest established Certification Authorities (CA) and specialists in SSL Certificate security, today announced the launch of its Simple API (SAPI) integration tool for SSL Partners & resellers. This new offering allows partners to embed the full SSL Certificate request process directly into their own web pages with minimal effort required, allowing SSL reselling to be faster and easier than ever before.

The launch of SAPI is especially beneficial for partners who do not have the programming knowledge or expertise to implement more complex APIs, but who wish to benefit from the automation that using an API has to offer. By simply adding one line of code to their web pages the SAPI creates the necessary forms to collect the applicant’s information and submits the application data directly to GlobalSign. The SAPI also conducts on the fly error checking with results fed directly back to the end customer during the Certificate request process. As an AJAX based application the request “box” also allows style and colours to be customised to enable partners to integrate this feature rich application without it interfering with the display and behaviour of their existing web pages, retaining their branding and corporate look and feel.

“The development of SAPI opens up the reselling channel for all types of organisations, especially smaller to medium sized enterprises wishing to integrate GlobalSign’s feature rich SSL Certificates into their product range for the first time”, said Steve Waite, Marketing Director, GlobalSign. “With minimal coding knowledge required, the SAPI can easily be implemented by all type of partners, opening up new revenue streams and significantly reducing the time to market.”

Launched back in 2007, GlobalSign’s Partner Program aimed at companies such as Web Hosts, ISPs, Domain Registrars and VARSs, was designed to make SSL reselling scalable, simple and financially beneficial from the outset. With GlobalSign’s rapid integration tool, the time to market for resellers is greatly reduced, and deployment of SSL Certificates from the Partner’s websites is quick, easy and cost effective. The SSL Partner Program and its SAPI provide an automated reselling channel to the masses - enabling resellers to take full advantage of the SSL reselling opportunity.

Other key features of the GlobalSign Partner Program include the ability to conveniently purchase SSL Certificates on a pay as you go basis or in bulk through a deposit function, creating further pricing discounts, whilst also having the ability to manage an unlimited number of sub-resellers. Assigned with a dedicated account manager, with sales, marketing and technical resources readily available to help maximise their reselling opportunity, partners receive a free SSL Certificate for their own web site as well as an ‘Approved Partner’ site seal.

For more information about GlobalSign’s Partner Program and the new SAPI, please visit http://www.globalsign.co.uk/partners/reseller/index.htm

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/globalsign_launches_simple_api_for_ssl_partners.html

Hosted Unified Communications Evangelist Wins VoIP Biz Person of the Year Award

2009-04-01T14:00:00-04:00

Atlanta, GA (Gawkwire.com) Cypress Communications is proud to announce that its executive vice president of marketing, Frank Grillo, has been named Person of the Year by voip.biz-news, an online media group that provides VoIP news to professionals worldwide. Grillo was honored for his visionary leadership and role in propelling Cypress' hosted VoIP and hosted unified communications product, C4 IP™ to the forefront of the communications industry.

"While this award is named 'Person' of the Year, I accept it on behalf of the hundreds of people who worked hard to make C4 IP a reality," said Grillo. "We, as a company, had a vision to create the most robust VoIP and unified communications solution available and then deliver it via a fully hosted delivery model, and that was no small feat. We are thrilled at the receptiveness of the market, the success of our clients, and the response from the technology community."

Commenting on the award, David Montgomery, editor of voip.biz-news said: "Frank Grillo was the clear winner of the voip.biz-news Person of the Year Award 2008. The plaudits that accompanied the many nominations for him are a testament to both Frank as an outstanding telecom professional and to Cypress Communications for the service it provides."

Frank Grillo is well known on the telecom circuits as an innovative thinker and hosted VoIP and unified communications expert. He is known for his ability to identify growth opportunities and to produce extraordinary results that make a real contribution to an organization's bottom line. His extensive career in the telecommunications industry and involvement in everything from product management to sales and marketing has provided him with the breadth of experience and depth of knowledge unmatched by most in the industry.

As the executive vice president of marketing at Cypress Communications, Grillo successfully led the efforts to launch a fully hosted unified communications product, named C4 IP for its ability to help businesses connect, communicate, collaborate and continue™. This multi-million dollar product launch included product design and development, vendor negotiations, product management, sales support and training, marketing and advertising, and support rollout of the product.

Praising Grillo's handling of the C4 IP launch, one voter on the voip.biz-news site said: "C4 IP is a technically challenging configuration and took Frank Grillo's visionary leadership, technical acumen and foresight to launch."

VoIP.biz-news.com is an online media group providing consumer VoIP business news to professionals worldwide. The site actively engages users in an environment that is rich with deep, trusted and credible content. The Person of the Year award was based purely on nominations from readers and subscribers of voip.biz-news, and the candidate with the most votes was awarded the title.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/hosted_unified_communications_evangelist_wins_voip_biz_person_of.html

Hostway's New Hybrid Microsoft Exchange Platform

2009-04-01T14:00:00-04:00

Chicago, Illinois (Gawkwire.com) Hostway Corporation, the global Web services leader, launched its Hybrid Exchange email platform this week. Now all new customer accounts will automatically be placed on this platform at no extra charge, allowing them to mix and match email plans for the perfect fit.

"Using proprietary routing technology, we've done away with the all-or-nothing approach to hosted Exchange," said John Lee, senior vice president of small business hosting.
"Hostway's new Hybrid Exchange helps bridge the gap between traditional POP3/IMAP and hosted Exchange email. The synergy of our new platform will allow our customers to create their own email solutions."

Now, any business that needs the full collaboration features of Microsoft Exchange, but was not able to justify the cost for every employee, can enjoy the benefit of Microsoft Exchange for its power users without having to pay for it for every employee.

Hosted Microsoft Exchange is the world's leading corporate email platform with shared calendars, task lists and contacts plus fully synchronized mobile functionality. While some companies charge additional fees for setup and ActiveSync, Hostway includes them free in every Exchange plan.

SiteMail is Hostway's standard business email solution that is included free in all Web hosting plans. SiteMail includes Web access to email accounts, spam and virus filters and unlimited forwarding.

So far, 2009 has been a year of innovation for Hostway Corporation. In January, the company launched FlexCloud, the first major cloud structure in the shared Web hosting industry that scales storage and traffic bandwidth up and down on command. All new shared Web hosting accounts are automatically placed on both the FlexCloud and Hybrid Exchange Platforms at no additional cost to customers.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/hostway_s_new_hybrid_microsoft_exchange_platform.html

DiscountASP.NET Upgrades and Extends Free Sandbox Hosting for Developers

2009-04-01T14:00:00-04:00

Pasadena, CA (Gawkwire.com) DiscountASP.NET, a leading innovator in Windows Server 2008 hosting, partnered with Microsoft to unveil a free sandbox hosting program at the Professional Developers Conference (PDC) 2008, designed to allow developers to get early experience with and provide feedback on next-generation web application packaging and deployment scenarios. Today, DiscountASP.NET announces extending the free Microsoft Web Deployment Tool sandbox hosting program until June 30, 2009 with the latest Web Deployment Tool RC1.

The free Web Deployment Tool sandbox hosting program is a limited program offered as an open beta on a first come first serve basis. The beta hosting account comes with 50 MB of disk space and 50 MB of SQL Server 2008 database space. Interested developers are welcome to sign up at http://labs.discountasp.net.

"Since a new update to the Web Deployment Tool was recently introduced, we wanted to extend the sandbox hosting program to give developers the chance to test publishing to a live hosting environment and provide feedback based on their end-to-end application deployment experience using the new release," said Takeshi Eto, VP Marketing and Business Development at DiscountASP.NET. "It's a great opportunity for developers to participate in improving the application deployment experience."

About DiscountASP.NET:
DiscountASP.NET is an innovative global leader in Microsoft Windows hosting, focused on providing the best value in ASP.NET hosting. A Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, DiscountASP.NET is one of the first hosting providers to offer Windows Server 2008 hosting, SQL Server 2008 hosting and MVC hosting. Through strong word-of-mouth and their commitment to ASP.NET and SQL Server technology, DiscountASP.NET has become the choice for affordable enterprise-class ASP.NET web hosting. For more information, visit http://www.DiscountASP.NET

http://www.gawkwire.com/promotions/discountasp_net_upgrades_and_extends_free_sandbox_hosting_for_de.html

Janvisoft Appoints Former PeopleSoft Exec., Yashpal Talreja as Chief Adviser

2009-04-01T14:00:00-04:00

Los Angeles, CA (Gawkwire.com) Janvisoft, a California based Software Development, Outsourcing and IT services company, has appointed Yashpal Talreja, former executive from PeopleSoft, an eCommerce veteran and Lean Agile development expert as its Chief Adviser.

Mr. Yashpal Talreja is an inventor, technologist, speaker, entrepreneur and a veteran in the field of eCommerce and internet technologies. He has a major invention dating back to 1997 when Electronic Commerce was still in its infancy. He is also an expert in Lean Agile software development practices. He has over 20 years of experience and has held senior/ executive management positions at Oracle, PeopleSoft, Amazon.com and several startups.

'Mr. Talreja has been engaged to help further our strategic goals. JanviSoft has identified adoption of Lean-Agile processes to be a critical success factor for software development. He will help us with expansion of our Lean Agile development practice and adoption of tools, technologies and processes needed to do so,' said Ashok Yalamati, CEO and Managing Director of JanviSoft.

Yashpal Talreja commented, "Janvisoft has a great wealth of expertise in the area of QA Automation, Quality Assurance, Lean agile development and e-Business solutions with experience in complete product life cycle development and management. Janvisoft also has considerable expertise in process engineering models, particularly CMMI, a registered model of the Software Engineering Institute, that helps in cutting down cycle time, improving quality manifold and achieving consistency across projects. I am looking forward to helping Janvisoft with all aspects of the business including the expansion of its Lean Agile software development practice and ensure that it becomes the commercial success I believe it can be."

"Mr. Talreja will also help Janvisoft in business development using his strong networks in Silicon Valley, Seattle and Southern California in the USA, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland in Europe and the Middle East to help us position ourselves as a major provider of enterprise wide IT solutions across the globe," continued Yalamati.

To learn more about Yashpal Talreja's work in the Lean-Agile arena, eCommerce or to arrange a speaking engagement or an interview, please contact bonnie (at) lean-agile-us (dot) org.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/janvisoft_appoints_former_peoplesoft_exec_yashpal_talreja_as_chi.html

Corsair Announces Voyager Port

2009-04-01T09:52:00-04:00

Fremont, CA (Gawkwire.com) Corsair®, a worldwide leader in high-performance computer and flash memory products, today announced the Voyager Port portable backup solution for USB flash drives.

Flash Voyager Port
The Voyager Port transforms any USB flash drive into a powerful data backup solution, complete with a simple, one-button file backup feature. The Voyager Port requires no external power supply and features a USB 2.0 port for the latest, high-speed USB flash drives.

"USB flash drives, such as Corsair's shock- and water-resistant Flash Voyager drives, are smaller and far more durable than portable hard disk drives, which have moving parts that are vulnerable to shock" said Jim Carlton, VP of Marketing, Corsair, "And with 64GB Flash Voyagers now available, USB flash drives are ideal backup solutions."

The Voyager Port is seamlessly integrated with the included copy of award-winning data backup and recovery software NovaBACKUP 10, to easily store and protect your important data. Simply press the Voyager Port's backup button and you need never again be without your most important documents, photos, email contacts, music and other data.

"Your most important personal data, such as documents, spreadsheets, PDFs and presentations generally only occupies a few gigabytes of hard disk space, meaning that huge hard disk-based backup drives are largely wasted," continued Carlton. "Our research indicated that over 80% of users have a 'My Documents' folder of less than 64GB, and more than 85% need to regularly transport less than 64GB of data between different PCs. This shows that USB flash drives are an efficient method of backing up your data, and with high-capacity USB flash drives, there's still plenty of room for your favourite music, photos and even movies."

The Voyager Port, combined with 32GB or 64GB USB flash drives, also makes an ideal total backup solution for notebooks and netbooks with smaller main storage drives. Simply use NovaBACKUP 10's Disaster Recovery option to take a snapshot of the system to preserve your data in the event of a failure.

The Voyager Port is available immediately from all good stockists, and is backed by a 10-year warranty and comprehensive customer support via telephone, email, forum and the Tech Support Express helpdesk.

http://www.gawkwire.com/technology/corsair_announces_voyager_port.html

Electronic Content Still out of Control?

2009-04-01T09:50:00-04:00

Silver Spring, MD (Gawkwire.com) In its annual State of the ECM Industry research report, AIIM has found that managing electronic office documents is still a challenge for 47% of organizations, and that modern business communication channels—instant messages, text messages, blogs and wikis—are uncontrolled and off the corporate radar for 75% of businesses. However, AIIM’s research also found that whereas two years ago compliance was the main driver for bringing this content into a controlled and searchable environment, cost savings and efficiency are now the main motivating factors.

State of the ECM Industry Research
According to the AIIM survey, for those that have invested in ECM or document and records management solutions, hard dollar savings have on the whole turned out on plan, and soft dollar benefits have exceeded expectations. Compared to other significant technology investments, ECM implementations have generally produced better returns.

John Mancini, President of AIIM, comments, “For many organizations, poorly managed and out of control information represents a huge potential source of bottom line savings in this tight economy — if only organizations would just take this cost saving seriously. Controlled content can be fed into business processes to speed them up, cut down travel via project collaboration, and form a knowledge base for the business. Uncontrolled content represents a lost opportunity -– and a major compliance risk.”

The survey also found that spending on Business Process Management (BPM) and Workflow was likely to grow strongly in 2009, with Enterprise Search, Email Management, Document Management and Records Management all set to show positive growth.

The full report in the AIIM Industry Watch series, "State of the ECM Industry – who’s achieved it, how are they doing it and is it working for them?” can be downloaded free at www.aiim.org/stateofecm2009 and is supported by EMC, Oracle, Open Text, and Allyis.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/electronic_content_still_out_of_control.html

The 30 Best SEO Firms Have Been Named by topseos.com

2009-04-01T09:48:00-04:00

Plymouth, IN (Gawkwire.com) After a month long evaluation of the SEO companies, topseos.com has narrowed down their list to the 30 best SEO firms in the world. topseos.com, the online leader for independent SEO rankings has continually delivered on their promise to find the best SEO companies.

Independent Authority on SearchTopseos.com has been at the forefront of the SEO industry for the past few years and they are committed to recognizing the best SEO company in the business. This helps companies find the value for their money while steering them away from Black Hat SEO techniques that could lead to their site getting banned from search engines. With only the best organic companies in their list you will not go wrong.

The 30 best SEO companies for April 2009:

1. Increase Visibility Inc.
2. Bruce Clay Inc.
3. SEOP
4. Intrapromote LLC.
5. ArteWorks SEO
6. Customer Magnetism
7. SEO Image Inc.
8. Portent Interactive
9. iProspect
10. Web.com Search Agency
11. ThinkBIGsites
12. Yellow7 Interactive
13. Getupdated Internet Marketing
14. SEO.com
15. Weblinx Limited
16. High Position Limited
17. Direct Hit Solutions, Inc.
18. SEO Inc.
19. iMajestic
20. eVisibility, Inc.
21. Sems
22. 1st on the List Promotion Inc.
23. First Page SEO
24. HighPoint Search Marketing
25. Infatex
26. Reprise Media
27. PageTraffic
28. SEER Interactive
29. Inteliture
30. Solid Cactus

This prestigious list is a result of an extensive evaluation process that includes topseos.com looking at the return on investment, overall knowledge of the firm and the overall satisfaction of the customer. They conduct surveys that ask the important questions like: "Did the agency modify the way they achieved higher rankings for you based on the Universal Search model introduced by Google?" or "How many of your top industry keywords rank in the top 10?".

SEO Companies that would like to be considered for the topseos.com rankings can apply at: www.topseos.com/rankings/search-engine-marketing-agencies/apply-for-ranking.

To learn more about the Organic Optimization Firms, visit them at: www.topseos.com/rankings.

http://www.gawkwire.com/seo_sem/the_30_best_seo_firms_have_been_named_by_topseos_com.html

Swiss Hosting Company Webland Integrates the CM4all WebsiteCreator

2009-04-01T09:47:00-04:00

Cologne, Germany; Boston, USA (Gawkwire.com) Swiss hosting company Webland AG has successfully launched the CM4all WebsiteCreator for its business and residential customers. Founded in 1998, Webland is one of the Swiss Internet pioneers and remains 100% Swiss-owned and still under the management of the original founders.

"Thanks to our extensive industry experience, we know the needs of our customer base very well. Adding a web site builder to our product portfolio was therefore a logical step we wanted to take. The CM4all WebsiteCreator offers our clients all the necessary functions for a professional web appearance and serves the demand for both business and consumer websites in a single installation", explains Martin Felber, CEO of Webland AG.

With the CM4all Business Edition, small companies can benefit from powerful features including a Flash intro with pre-loaded templates and integrated Flash editor; premium maps with location planner, a database module and live statistics. The software is also enriched with e-commerce functionality in the form of an Online-Shop with PayPal connection while corporate multimedia broadcast power is released via the updated Business Media Albums and a new Business Blog. Other key features include an SEO toolset for Google Analytics®, automatic sitemap.xml creation and keyword entries. Furthermore, users are able to simultaneously publish HTML, .mobi and W3C Web Accessible pages in easy and intuitive steps.

While using the CM4all WebsiteCreator Consumer Edition, customers will be able to create professional web sites intuitively and without complexity. Thanks to a variety of wizards, no special technical knowledge is required. Customers simply choose from a variety of topics to theme their web sites and each category produces professionally designed templates to match. The web sites include easy navigation and innovative Web 2.0 features such as the Community Media Album, Multi-Author Video Blog, Microsoft® Maps and Directions, Flash animations, guest books, feedback forms, online forums and voting tools. Photos, videos and music files are all easily uploaded to the website and community-friendly contribution features allow family and friends to participate in the creation of dynamic private groups.

"We are pleased to see another Swiss partner successfully distributing our products", says Robert Schovenberg, CEO of Content Management AG. "This shows that the true demand for value added services is being recognized and professionally served."

Both user interfaces are adapted to Webland's corporate design and will be installed with a German language interface. CM4all will administer the software remotely, safeguard its availability with 24/7 support and continuously update both the Operating System and applications.

http://www.gawkwire.com/web_hosting/swiss_hosting_company_webland_integrates_the_cm4all_websitecreat.html

Marc Guindon is Appointed to iWeb's Board of Directors

2009-04-01T09:46:00-04:00

MONTREAL, QUEBEC (Gawkwire.com) “Marc has been such an important element of iWeb's financial management since we went public in 2004” says Eric Chouinard, iWeb's President and CEO, “his experience will continue to be a great asset now that he is a member of the board; we are happy that iWeb's shareholders feel the same way.” shared the enthusiastic entrepreneur.

Marc Guindon, a member of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Québec and Ontario, joined iWeb in 2004 as Chief Financial Officer, and became Executive Vice-President Resources in October 2008. Having spent the early stages of his career at Ernst & Young, Mr. Guindon then joined the SNC Group as Vice-President of Finance, later filling the same position at Canam-Manac. Later creating two groups of industrial companies, he sold his interests and retired in 1996, before joining iWeb.

http://www.gawkwire.com/business/marc_guindon_is_appointed_to_iweb_s_board_of_directors.html