New figures released by *HMRC reveal that organisations which use OpenPeople payroll software from Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced), are recording success rates for Real Time Information (RTI) submissions  ahead of the national average.

HMRC first proposed RTI in 2010 as a means to deliver a more efficient tax system that was also less prone to error. RTI was implemented in April 2013, when UK employers became legally obliged to notify HMRC each time they paid an employee. Employers notify HMRC by submitting details of payments and deductions via the Government Gateway- the online entry point to government services.

Data from Q3 2013 (October 6 to January 5) saw Advanced customers who were using the company’s OpenPeople payroll software record a 99.9% success rate for their Employer Payment Summary submission figures. By contrast, the national success rate stood at 96.9%.

A similar pattern was identified for National Insurance Number Verification Request (NVR) submissions, with OpenPeople customers seeing a success rate of 84% compared to the overall RTI figures of 79.63%. For Full Payment Submissions (FPS) customers had a success rate of 99.83%, versus a national figure of 99.59%.

The legislation, which represents the biggest change to the PAYE system since its introduction in 1944, forced many organisations to adopt new payroll software capable of complying with the requirements of RTI.

Simon Fowler, Managing Director Advanced Business Solutions, said: “The statistics show that RTI adoption has not been as onerous as many were predicting prior to the go-live on April 2013.

“They also show that our payroll software has played a key role in helping businesses to cope with this challenging change to the PAYE system. The majority of users are experiencing success with their RTI submissions; a testament to the software’s rich functionality which has been closely mapped to HMRC’s electronic filing processes.”

Despite concerns when RTI was launched, research by HMRC last autumn showed the vast majority of businesses had found the migration straightforward. Seven in 10 employers said RTI had been either ‘very’ (27%) or ‘fairly’ (43%) easy to deal with overall. Only nine per cent said it had been ‘difficult’. The same research also revealed RTI had resulted in the mean average time spent working on PAYE going down from 2.6 hours to 1.6 hours a week.

Added Fowler: “Our own user figures, combined with this HMRC research, suggest that RTI has not been the major issue for businesses that many commentators were predicting. In fact, with the right payroll software in place, research shows actual time taken to process payroll is faster under RTI.”

Advanced’s payroll system is fully RTI compliant, and allows employers to take charge of compliance simply and conveniently through their payroll department. The software also includes a full assessment of employees, postponement, refund calculations, standard National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) extracts, letter generation and document management options.

OpenPeople additionally creates a pension auto-enrolment mail merge schedule, which highlights specific letters that are required to be sent to employees to ensure routine compliance is achieved. 

* http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/report304.pdf

About Advanced Business Solutions www.advancedcomputersoftware.com/abs
Advanced Business Solutions (Advanced) provides leading integrated business applications and services that enable public, private and third sector organisations to retain control, improve visibility and gain efficiencies whilst continually improving corporate performance. Advanced prides itself on getting close to its customers by understanding their businesses and responding to their evolving needs. 

Advanced’s software systems comprise core accounting/financial management, procurement, supply chain management, human resource and payroll systems, integrated with a range of collaborative, document management and business intelligence solutions to extend the value and effectiveness of the finance, human resource and payroll departments.

Management information systems for school and academies are also provided through Advanced’s subsidiary, Advanced Learning. Advanced also provides specialist vertical solutions for the not-for-profit and legal markets. All solutions can be delivered as a managed or bureau service.

Further Information

PR Officer
Tel: 01625 856 513
Email: kathryn.howard@advancedcomputersoftware.com

30 April 2014 - Mead & Co today introduced the ScriptX Independent Software Vendor (ISV) Partner Program. Created to support and extend channel deployments of ScriptX, the world's favourite add-on for controlling the printing of browser-hosted content, the program benefits ISVs through a combination of powerful technology, personalised support and tailored pricing.

ScriptX is the de facto global standard for providing total control when printing html and PDF documents, labels or bar codes from client and server computers running Microsoft Windows. It ensures that printed formatting and appearance is consistent, whatever the actual browser settings on the individual computer. Over 2 million licensed users print more than 2 billion documents that use the advanced features of ScriptX every year. Millions more use the basic free version.

ScriptX has already been deployed by thousands of developers and ISVs across the globe, and the new program formalises the benefits that ISVs receive, enabling them to easily deliver the power of ScriptX to their customers and grow their revenues. It includes full email-based support, ongoing maintenance, direct access to the development team, early view of new versions and options, as well as generous margins, whether integrating ScriptX with the ISV's own software or managing licenses on behalf of customers.

"We rely on ScriptX as part of our market-leading healthcare applications. Through our Independent Software Vendor per-customer deal we can easily buy and manage client-side licenses for our end customers, giving us complete flexibility. This is combined with the peace of mind that comes from ScriptX's comprehensive support and future-proofed development roadmap. Joining the ScriptX ISV Partner Program is delivering real benefits to our business moving forward," said Ian Hodges, Development Lead - Clinical Products, Ideagen PLC.

The partner program is dedicated to two main channels. The Independent Software Vendor ISV-class license is aimed at ISVs that want to directly incorporate ScriptX into their web application products and distribute to customers through a single, company wide authorization. This enables ISVs to redistribute ScriptX within their software without restriction or the need for end customers to purchase their own ScriptX licenses.

Alternatively, the ISV per-customer license is aimed at ISVs who want to acquire and manage individual ScriptX licenses on behalf of their customers, providing a flexible and cost-effective solution to managing browser-based printing. Through the ISV per-customer license, developers benefit from joined-up support and a tailored discount program.

"ScriptX is the market leader when it comes to controlling browser-based printing, with a global installed base already in the millions," said Jerry Mead, CEO, Mead & Co. "Whether it is ensuring consistent printing of intranet content, within mission-critical applications such as producing patient labels or creating logistics documentation, ScriptX is the de facto standard. Our new ScriptX ISV Partner Program delivers significant benefits to developers, making it simple and cost-effective to control printing within their applications and consequently boosting their revenues."

London, 1 May 2014 – Following the partnership agreement last July between Balfour Beatty and Fujitsu to undertake a UK IT transformation project, Balfour Beatty has now selected Fujitsu to implement a collaborative messaging platform across its UK businesses.

The plan is to implement a single collaborative messaging platform to support 14,000 UK users, across approximately 900 sites. Fujitsu will support the implementation of the messaging platform using Microsoft Exchange 2013 to replace 14 existing email platforms and enable the use of Microsoft Lync as a real-time communication tool.

“When we decided to invest in improving and streamlining our messaging platforms, we looked to Fujitsu to partner us.” said Danny Reeves, CIO of Balfour Beatty’s Services Division. “Implementing this collaborative messaging platform will help our employees better engage with each other and our customers.”

Helen Lamb, Executive Director for Managed Infrastructure Services at Fujitsu UK & Ireland, commented: “As a global company, Fujitsu realises the importance of collaboration and communication. The objective for this project is to create an easier to manage and much more collaborative environment for Balfour Beatty’s employees. We believe that implementing the messaging platform will provide Balfour Beatty with the efficiency and enhanced productivity it desires. The continuation of the partnership is also a testament to our relationship with Balfour Beatty.”

Planning is currently underway for implementation to be carried out over the next six to twelve months.

Notes to editors

About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 162,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.8 trillion yen (US$46 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

Fujitsu UK & Ireland
Fujitsu UK & Ireland is a leading IT systems, services and products company employing over 10,100 people with an annual revenue of £1.6 billion. Additionally, Fujitsu’s other operations in the UK bring its total employee numbers to over 14,000 and its total revenues to £1.8 billion. Its business is in enabling its customers to realise their objectives by exploiting information technology through its integrated product and service portfolio. This includes consulting, applications, systems integration, managed services and product for customers in the private and public sectors including retail, financial services, telecoms, government, defence and consumer sectors. For more information, please see

http://uk.fujitsu.com

About Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty (www.balfourbeatty.com) is an international infrastructure group that delivers world class services essential to the development, creation and care of infrastructure assets; from finance and development, through design and project management to construction and maintenance.

Our businesses draw on more than 100 years of experience to deliver the highest levels of quality, safety and technical expertise to our clients principally in the UK and the USA, with developing businesses in Australia, Canada, the Middle East, South Africa and South East Asia.

With proven expertise in delivering infrastructure critical to support communities and society today and in the future, our key market sectors focus on infrastructure - transportation (roads, rail and aviation), power and energy, water, and complex buildings (both commercial and social).

Balfour Beatty employs 40,000 people around the world. 

East Riding of Yorkshire Council has today signed a five-year contract with Virgin Media Business that will see it join the Yorkshire and Humber Public Services Network (PSN).

The installation, which will take place over the next twelve months, will support the council in building a more resilient and flexible network across its sites.

Due to the rural nature of East Riding, the council’s IT network currently covers a large geographical area. This deal comes after a recent commitment from the council to upgrade IT services, reducing costs and improving the reliability of the network.

Yorkshire and Humber PSN, which is underpinned by Virgin Media Business, was one of the first networks delivered through the Government’s PSN framework.

In partnering with YHPSN, services across East Riding will now have the tools to be more collaborative, sharing information securely and staying better connected. The new framework will help public sector organisations in enabling staff to work more flexibly whilst delivering more reliable services that benefit residents. 

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “A reliable, secure and resilient IT network is vitally important for both public and private sector organisations in the modern world and investing in its infrastructure is important for the delivery of day-to-day services that our residents rely on.

“The Yorkshire and Humber PSN contributes to delivery of improved services to the public by facilitating efficient and effective collaboration between partners, whilst reducing the barriers that can often impede the public’s access to services.

“Importantly it will assist the council in its agile working approaches that play a key role in the authority’s transformation programme, which aims to improve service delivery whilst reducing costs.

“The proposal provides a like-for-like replacement of the current network, adjusted where appropriate, plus additional resilience at County Hall, Beverley, Goole and Bridlington and a backup internet connection to the Goole offices.”

 John Skidmore, interim director of corporate strategy and commissioning at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “The council’s current network infrastructure consists of more than 250 sites, many of them having onward links to other buildings.

“The new setup will be a cloud-based system, allowing one-to-one connection between council buildings and the core network. This will ensure a more reliable service, increased security and remove any barriers that would prevent the authority from accessing increased bandwidths in the future.”

Mario Di Mascio, executive sales director at Virgin Media Business, said:  “Across the public sector, organisations are increasingly having to reduce spending and still deliver the very best services. PSNs provide a great way for them to do this; improving people’s lives while saving time and money that can be invested in enhancing the services that benefit us all.”

Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, today introduced the second generation of the InRow RC as the latest addition to the InRow product line, expanding Schneider Electric’s vast cooling portfolio to meet the evolving cooling needs of an ever-changing data centre environment.

This second generation release introduces two new models that significantly improve cooling efficiency by reducing power consumption while also increasing capacity. The high temperature model, designed for optimal heat removal, leverages warmer water temperatures and outdoor ambient air temperatures to increase chiller efficiency, thus maximizing the hours of economisation.

“With the second generation of the InRow RC, we have taken another step in the evolution of our cooling offerings,” said Lubos Vaclavek, Business Development Manager, Schneider Electric. “This product provides superior efficiency to help customers drive down ever-increasing operating costs.”

Part of the Schneider Electric InfraStruxure suite of solutions and created for high density applications, InRow RC reduces the distance between the heat source and heat removal, eliminating the mixture of hot and cold air streams, therefore improving overall cooling predictability. The solution also features variable speed fans that reduce energy consumption during off-peak cooling periods or when the data centre is partially loaded. This decreases data centre energy consumption to match the demand of the heat load, significantly impacting the overall operating costs of the data centre.

With a user-friendly design, the InRow RC features an intuitive, 4.3-inch color touch screen display to provide fast, easy access to data. Additional key features include:

• Increased Cooling Capacity: Up to 40 kW (136,000 BTUH) and 1510 lps (3200 CFM) max airflow with conditions at 7.2°C (45°F) EWT, 49°C (120°F) RAT, 6.6°C (12°F) dT for the ACRC301S (Standard Temp). Up to 60 kW (205,000 BTUH) and 1982 lps (4200 CFM) max airflow with conditions at 12.8°C (55°F) EWT, 49°C (120°F) RAT, 6.6°C (12°F) dT for the ACRC301H (High Temp).
• Improved Energy Efficiency: 1.0 kW at maximum operating condition for ACRC301S (Standard Temp) and 1.9 kW at maximum operating condition for the ACRC301H (High Temp).
• Condensate Management System: Ensures coil temperatures remain above the dew point by preventing condensation, a process achieved by recirculating coil water; compatible with the ACRC301H unit.
• Intelligent Controls: Monitors and actively adjusts cooling capacity to ensure proper server inlet temperatures. The microprocessor controller provides visibility into the operation and status of the unit.
• Compatibility: The InRow RC is compatible with EcoAisle™ and Active Flow Controller.

The InRow RC ACRC301S and ACRC301H models are now available for purchase. For more information on Schneider Electric’s InRow product line, please visit the Schneider Electric website.

==Ends==

About Schneider Electric

As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructure, Industries & Machines Manufacturers, Non-residential Building, Data Centres & Networks and in Residential. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the Group's 150,000 plus employees achieved sales of 24 billion euros in 2013, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy.

http://www.schneider-electric.com/gb

Press Contact:
Schneider Electric
Lavina Dsouza

Phone: + 44 7887 560218
Lavina.dsouza(at)schneider-electric(dot)com

Spa Communications
Damien Wells

Phone: +44 7900 302102

Further Information

Director
Tel: 07900 302102
Email: dwells@spacomms.co.uk

Claritas, previously housed at Bowcliffe Hall, Bramham, has shaken itself down and started a new life at state of the art offices in the Carrwood Park complex, Garforth, East Leeds.

The IT Solutions operation has taken space in the Brookfield Court area within the complex which allows for planned expansion, and for the 6 Apprentices due to join shortly under the Government scheme through Leeds City College.

In addition the forward looking company has appointed its first in house Financial Director.  Kirsty Sutton joined as a Consultant in October, but has now been promoted to take on this vital role.  She has a joint honours degree in Mathematics and Accountancy from Newcastle University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2003.

Glenn Scaife, Managing Director, Claritas Solutions Ltd: “This move has refreshed the team, and with the expectation of Apprentices joining us soon, we are fired up to give top quality, secure hosting, solutions and support for our ever growing national client list.”

Specialist growth capital investor, Oxford Capital, has led a £4.75m investment in London-based software company, Intent HQ.

Intent HQ's software helps its customers, who include major publishers and consumer brands, generate more revenue from their websites. The software creates a 'fingerprint' of each website visitor's interests and preferences, based on deep analysis of their social media data and online behaviour. Onscreen content, including advertising, is then automatically tailored so that users spend longer on the site, visit more pages and share more content with their friends. The end result is a significant increase in sales conversions rates, and a dramatic improvement in the impact and value of onscreen advertising.

Oxford Capital joins existing investor, Edge Performance VCT, which has backed the business from an early stage. The investment will enable Intent HQ to further enhance its platform and accelerate its global marketing and sales activity.

Colin Watts, Partner at Oxford Capital, said:
“A detailed knowledge of an audience and its social content is the next critical element in the competition for consumer engagement and advertising budget. We are delighted to have partnered with Intent HQ in this exciting market.

“Intent HQ has already attracted commercial relationships with leading media publishers, such as The Telegraph, Sky Italia, Food Network and IDG UK. Its ‘Software as a Service’ (SaaS) business model also provides a reliable and growing revenue stream and low cost integration with the customer’s infrastructure. The company’s management team has an outstanding track record and we believe it has the vision and skill to ‘win the market’ for audience intelligence and deep personalisation.”

Jonathan Lakin, Chief Executive Officer, Intent HQ said:

“Throughout the investment process, Oxford Capital helped us gain new insights into our business and refined our strategy. They really understand our space and are a great partner for our next phase of international growth.

“This funding round allows us to accelerate our global distribution and marketing and marks an important step forward in our commercial development. We are very excited about the prospects for further rapid growth in demand for audience intelligence, where our platform gives our clients an amazing opportunity to identify, access and action unique consumer intelligence.”

About Oxford Capital (www.oxcp.com)
Founded in 1999 Oxford Capital is a specialist investment manager working on behalf of institutional and private investors.

The firm is a leading UK growth capital and infrastructure capital investor. It manages a range of investment strategies designed for institutions, family offices, and sophisticated private investors.

Oxford Capital has offices in the UK, Switzerland and Hong Kong. It manages an international network of partners and advisers to support the development of its portfolio companies.

About Intent HQ
Intent HQ is a UK based technology company that uses social data to build an ‘interest fingerprint’ of each user, understanding affinities between interests and intents in a human-like way. This allows for greater understanding, targeting and activation of online experiences. Clients include Sports Revolution, Telegraph Media, The Food Network, Zequs, IDG and Sky Italia.

Dassault Systèmes today announced availability of Global Visibility for Food & Beverage (F&B) manufacturers, a DELMIA Apriso solution for Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) manufacturers to improve operational excellence. Increased focus on traceability, packaging and safety improvement programs has created enormous pressure and complexity to simultaneously elevate performance and efficiency. This new Apriso solution helps to improve visibility across dynamic manufacturing and supply chain operations occurring on a global scale, leading to better traceability effectiveness and packaging accuracy in alignment with strategic business objectives.

The Apriso Global Visibility solution for Food & Beverage manufacturers enables near real-time visibility into contextualized manufacturing intelligence. Access to this knowledge can be used to accelerate decision support, helping to address compliance, traceability, cost, and packaging complexity at a level of efficiency not seen before. This Apriso solution ensures data can be collected and seen faster, and more accurately, helping to drive greater operational excellence on a global scale.

“Globalization has had a tremendous impact on Food and Beverage manufacturing in terms of maintaining product quality, improving time-to-market for complex product introductions, and effectively synchronizing processes across a diverse supply chain,” said Rick Gallisa, DELMIA Apriso industry director at Dassault Systèmes. “Apriso Global Visibility solutions deliver near real-time visibility to better contain quality and compliance issues before they become major problems.”

Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, serves 190,000 customers across 140 countries, providing virtual universes for sustainable innovation. Dassault Systèmes’ DELMIA brand offers products that connect the virtual and real worlds. As part of DELMIA, the Apriso product portfolio – including its suite of manufacturing operations management applications – helps manufacturers transform their global operations to achieve and sustain operational excellence. Learn more at apriso.com, visit our blog at apriso.com/blog, or follow us on Twitter at @Apriso.

Telecoms leader Top Connect (www.topconnect.com) today announces that it will again exhibit at the annual International Telecoms Week (ITW) Expo in Chicago (May 12-15, 2014) at booth # 1516, Purple Level at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

ITW is a must-attend event for decision makers in the telecom industry, particularly tier 1, 2 and 3 network carriers. It provides a platform for Top Connect’s management to discuss wholesale roaming rates with its network of 200 GSM providers with a view to ensuring quality of service for its pre-paid TravelSim (www.travelsim.com) product as well as unbeatable international calling rates.

Top Connect is an agile telecoms firm and its TravelSim brand is the world’s leading international roaming card service with a user base of over 4 million. Over 80,000 new subscribers sign up for the service each month.

With the goal of growing the user base to 5 million be end 2014, Top Connect recently embarked upon a “Think Global, Act Local” business strategy and is progressively rolling out local numbers for the most popular countries visited by businessmen and holidaymakers.

TravelSim USA with #1 and TravelSim UK with #44 numbers are already available. Incoming calls to these local numbers are free from 66 countries, as are incoming SMS messages. Outgoing calls and data have the same unbeatable price plans as the regular TravelSim service.

TravelSim local cards are offered through Top Connect's distributors worldwide.

Earlier this year, Top Connect announced that the TravelSim service had saved its user base a collective $200 million in roaming charges in 2013. The firm expects to increase this increase to $300 million by end 2014 and supplying “local” numbers from power up is seen by Top Connect’s management as a key driver.

The figure compares TravelSim’s service with costs that would have been amassed if its user base had paid standard roaming charges from their local providers when travelling abroad.

Thanks to its agreements with tier one GSM providers around the globe, TravelSim provides a high quality, low cost service that can save customers up to 85% on making calls while abroad. It also offers free incoming calls in 140 countries and free worldwide SMS. The TravelSim product can be used in 190 countries.

About TravelSim
TravelSim is a product of Top Connect focused on both the business and leisure traveller. It is the world leader in international prepaid roaming solutions and is proven to save 85% on international roaming charges as well as offering very competitive data rates. Unlike local mobile operator cards, TravelSim is made for use around the world in over 190 countries. With exceptionally low rates on outgoing calls and free incoming calls in over 140 countries, TravelSim is the answer to the question “how to call cheaply from abroad.” TravelSim currently has over 4 million users worldwide. For more information visit www.travelsim.com

Further Information

CEO
Tel: +44 (0)845 8382 631
Email: hugh.paterson@whooshpr.com

Retail management solutions provider for the fashion, footwear and lifestyle sectors Eurostop, today announced the availability of its newest product; Estate Manager. Estate Manager sits between the ERP and the retailer’s EPOS solution enabling a fast exchange of product and pricing data.  Estate Manager enables retailers of any size or geography to benefit from the specialist nature of Eurostop’s EPOS solution while using its own ERP system.  At the same time retailers are able to use Estate Manager to build resilience and scale-out into their systems as store level data can be held across one or multiple server farms.

Available in the cloud, in-house or at a third party hosting site, Estate Manager can be deployed as a single, remote, small footprint database. For larger organisations, multiple copies can be deployed, where each instance holds a subset of data, controlling a specific range of stores. These become networked in a server farm; replicating and managing store level data in a pyramid fashion to ensure maximum availability.

Phil Moylan, Sales & Marketing Manager at Eurostop commented; “Estate Manager gives our customers greater choice by integrating with most of the major ERP solutions they are able to link our best-of-breed EPOS solution with the rest of their business systems. This enables better flow of information and therefore supports better business decisions.”

Estate Manager also comes with a comprehensive configuration dashboard that provides essential information and tools to remote IT teams. It allows the retailer to manage, in real-time store openings or closures, product and price files, promotions and more. It also controls when new operating parameters are to be transmitted across the whole estate, an international or local region or to individual terminals within a store. Also driving the company’s e-commerce platform, Estate Manager ensures multiple product codes remain identical across omni-channel points and store servers.

For more information about Estate Manager, please visit www.eurostop.com

Notes to Editors

About Eurostop
Founded in 1990, with operations in London, Singapore and Shanghai, Eurostop provides complete solutions for Retail Management for the Fashion, Footwear and General Merchandise sectors encompassing both hardware and software.

Eurostop’s flagship products consist of:

e-rmis: A suite of head office management applications.

e-pos: EPOS system for standalone shops, concessions and franchises that can be easily integrated with e-rmis for larger users.

m-pos: a mobile version of e­‑pos enables sales transactions and stock enquires from anywhere within the store. 

e-commerce: Custom e‑commerce solutions for Independent retailers that provides a hosted and fully integrated service.

e-cubes: Data Mining.  A bespoke reporting tool which allows the slicing and dicing of data as well as selective publication of results and graphical representation.

e-time: The capture of staff working hours which aids in monitoring both stores’ and staff performances and productivity.

e-fulfilment: Intelligent optimisation of e-commerce orders for multi-channel retailers.

Estate Manager: Middleware layer that enables the fast, reliable exchange of product and pricing data between e-pos and most major ERP solutions

All Eurostop’s solutions can be fully integrated with other management and business systems, and all major ERP systems.

As well as advising on and supplying suitable hardware, Eurostop also undertakes training, support and custom development.  Its systems are available in several different languages including Chinese.

Eurostop has accreditation for Chip and PIN solutions, and together with partner Anderson Zaks provides a Chip and PIN managed service.

High profile customers include:  Aquascutum, Ann Summers, Ben Sherman, Cambridge Satchel Company, Daks, Ghost, Help for Heroes, Joseph, Marie-Chantel, Matches, Lotus Cars, Paul & Joe, Pavers Shoes, Pentland Brands Plc, Speedo, SuperGroup, Trespass and many more.

For more information visit: www.eurostop.com or contact:

Editors’ Contacts
Phillip Moylan
Eurostop Limited
Tel: 020 8991 2700
Email: phillipm@eurostop.co.uk

Andreina West
PR Artistry Limited
Tel: 01491 639500
email: andreina@pra-ltd.co.uk

Montpellier, France, 1st May 2014 –  Cortus, a technology leading in low power 32-bit processor IP, is pleased to announce that it has joined the Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), the voice of the semiconductor industry.

“Cortus processor cores have been deployed for embedded SoC applications in all the major regions of the world”, says Michael Chapman, CEO and President of Cortus, “At a time of rapidly growing smart applications such as Internet of Things (IoT), wearable devices, smart cards and smart sensors we are excited to participate in a global forum with innovative semiconductor companies”.

Modern smart devices demand a combination of small silicon area, good code density and low power consumption. With their small size, Cortus 32-bit processor cores have been designed into a range of cost-sensitive applications including smart cards, wireless and touchscreen controllers. Cortus cores have also been foundational to solutions for secure elements, secure communication and secure execution environments.

The Cortus processor family comprises the entry level APS1, the energy efficient APS3R, the high performance APS5 and the floating point FPS6. All cores interface to Cortus’ peripherals including Ethernet 10/100 MAC, USB 2.0 Device and USB 2.0 OTG via the efficient APS bus. To date over 500 million devices have been manufactured containing Cortus processor cores.

“We are pleased to welcome Cortus to the GSA and look forward to their contributions to our globally diverse membership base,” said Jodi Shelton, co-founder and president of GSA. “Cortus brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the Alliance including many issues that we are currently addressing such as wearable technology and the smarter world. As the GSA gains new members, we are ultimately supporting and enhancing the worldwide semiconductor industry.”

As a member of the GSA, Cortus will participate in GSA activities to grow and collaborate with other companies within the industry.

About Cortus:
Cortus S.A.S. is a technology enabler for rapidly growing applications including Internet of Things (IoT), wearable electronic devices and smart sensors. It has specialised in 32-bit processor cores which can significantly reduce manufacturing costs while achieving computational performance and power constraints. Integrated circuits containing Cortus cores have been manufactured in high volumes for a wide range of applications including automotive, CMOS imaging, M2M controllers, secure microcontrollers, sensors, SIM cards, PayTV cards, smart metering and wireless
http://www.cortus.com

Cortus Contact:
Roddy Urquhart
tel: +44 753 158 7023
e-mail: roddy[at]cortus[dot]com

About GSA:
The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA) mission is to accelerate the growth and increase the return on invested capital of the global semiconductor industry by fostering a more effective ecosystem through collaboration, integration and innovation. It addresses the challenges within the supply chain including IP, EDA/design, wafer manufacturing, test and packaging to enable industry-wide solutions. Providing a platform for meaningful global collaboration, the GSA identifies and articulates market opportunities, encourages and supports entrepreneurship, and provides members with comprehensive and unique market intelligence. Members include companies throughout the supply chain representing 30 countries across the globe. For more information, please visit http://www.gsaglobal.org

GSA Contact
Nicole Bowman
tel: +1 972-866-7579 ext.129
e-mail: nbowman[at]gsaglobal[dot]org

Distributed on behalf of Cortus S.A.S. by NeonDrum news distribution service (http://www.neondrum.com)

Further Information

Director
Tel: +44 7747 017654
Email: nicky@evokedset.com

South African paper producer connects paper mills in Europe with offices in South Africa and the United States using Interoute hybrid network model

London, 1 May, 2014 – Sappi Fine Paper Europe has turned to Interoute to find a private network solution for its large production and small offices sites across the globe. The hybrid network solution from Interoute enables Sappi’s European HQ in Brussels to connect its European paper mills and offices with its sites in South Africa and the United States.

Sappi is one of the world's largest paper producers, manufacturing 6 million tonnes of paper each year which is used across the world. Its fine paper is used by a variety of industries including printing, publishing and packaging for producing high quality printed magazines, brochures for prestige brands and even packaging for the iPhone.

Interoute’s network plays an essential role in Sappi’s IT infrastructure. The company has eight paper mills running 24x7, located in Belgium, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands and Austria all managed through its centralised IT organisation. To support this model guaranteed uptime and reliability of the network is crucial. Interoute’s hybrid network model connects Sappi Europe’s main production sites to Interoute’s MPLS network while the local sales offices are connected through the Internet. With the move to Interoute’s network Sappi were able to take back and centrally manage some services which they had previously outsourced enabling significant cost savings, without any compromise of service quality.

Dennis de Baar, IT Director at Sappi commented, "Changing network provider can be complex, it is not something you do just like that, it's a big operation. We chose Interoute, because it is a network provider that does what it promises and is cost effective, the perfect combination for us."

Jan Louwes Executive Vice President, Enterprise Solutions at Interoute said "Working with Sappi we’ve created an innovative cost effective hybrid network solution which will help Sappi lower its costs and increase productivity and efficiency. Our connectivity services and innovative approach to communications and cloud computing for Sappi were decisive in their choice of Interoute."

‘Shinrai’ initiative to increase trust, confidence and loyalty in the OKI brand, building sales via common targeted sales and marketing programmes

Egham, 1 May 2014 – OKI Europe has launched a new single channel partner programme across the EMEA region, as it looks to strengthen the OKI brand by building closer relationships with existing and new partners.

The new ‘Shinrai’ partner initiative is designed to build trust, confidence and loyalty between OKI and its partner community, by opening up new business opportunities through a comprehensive EMEA-wide programme, including targeted sales, marketing, finance and training support.

“OKI is unique, as we are the only major printer manufacturer to sell 100% indirectly through a distribution network,” says Terry Kawashima, managing director, OKI Europe. “Until now we have supported this with a series of independent local initiatives. However, the new regional programme underlines our total commitment to the channel, working together in opening up new opportunities and building profitable business, as part of a true partnership approach.”

Tiered support
The tiered OKI partner programme operates at a number of levels, including Executive Partner, Premium Partner, Business Partner and specialist e-Commerce and BPO Partners.

Each is based on the individual distributor’s business model and level of integration and commitment to OKI and benefits from different levels of support and rewards.

Partners benefit from structured support across a number of key areas:

• Marketing – OKI will provide a range of marketing materials, including POS, promotional collateral, direct mail, eShots, invitations and advertisements
• Sales – Lead generation support will include lead provision (Premium and Executive Partners), visibility on OKI’s Dealer Locator and programmes of promotion with supporting marketing materials
• Specialisations – bespoke marketing, promotions, product/solutions expertise and training support is available to support partners specialising in Managed Print Services (MPS), Solutions and Graphical Arts 
• Finance (for Executive Partners) – includes access to third-party finance, assistance to provide total package solutions and refinancing of existing or old equipment

Premium Partners, Executive Partners and E-commerce Partners will receive a certificate and a Partner Programme Contract, designed to formalise the relationship and emphasise the mutual benefits of working closely together. Additional support will be provided by a dedicated account manager, whose role is to help each distributor achieve their business goals. Sales targets will be set in each case and a new bonus structure is designed to reward investment in OKI, its products and services. 
 
“Through this structured and supportive programme of incentives, tools and training, OKI will help each partner build on its existing customer base and develop new opportunities,” confirms Kawshima. “This will not only benefit OKI and its partners, but also end-customers who will not only have greater access to OKI’s outstanding product innovation but also enterprise-quality consultancy and support.”

Launches of EV|ServiceManager, EV|ServiceApps and EV|Click2Get and the next generation of EV|NEO as the codeless dynamic orchestrator of service management.

New York, 1st May 2014 – EasyVista Inc., (www.easyvista.com) a global leader in IT Service and Asset Management solutions, has launched a revolutionary suite of solutions that allow IT to radically build a new front office customer experience as well streamlining and automating back office IT management.

EasyVista is increasingly winning business from vendors who provide hard-coded, high-administration solutions. Customers now want a solution that delivers new services and a storefront that can be rapidly realized and easily administered. This launch will decimate IT costs, facilitate an increased delivery to business needs and empower IT to transform customer interfaces and applications.

EV|ServiceManager is the workflow and asset management engine that facilitates the process requirements found in best practice, whether ITIL or ISO, to provide the functional components for IT service management, financial management, project management and the consolidation of organizational and customer service.

EV|ServiceApps is the presentation engine that transforms IT by meeting the demands of business for a service experience which is familiar, easy-to-use and mobile. Being able to abstract and present services in a familiar interface increases self-service effectiveness and responsive delivery.

For example, design and deliver a service catalog with a consumerized look and feel that needs no training or introduction or present business value metrics through customized dashboards for individual decision support. EV|ServiceApps provides design templates that allow quick generation of stylized, location-based services for end-users and customers.

Global research firm, Aberdeen Group, believes organizations that modernize service delivery with a store-fronted IT service catalog will see a 7.9% increase in SLA achievement.

EV|Click2Get is the on-demand delivery engine that turns a Service Catalog into a Service Store. Users of corporate IT are increasingly mobile and remote and ‘broadcast’ methods of software distribution, today, simply fail IT and end-users. The ability to download software as and when needed, click and get, minimizes disruption to the end-user. Native integration to EasyVista software license management with the profile of the requestor delivers compliant end-to-end lifecycle management.

EV|NEO is the design and orchestration platform embedded in all EasyVista products. NEO Design enables the realization of the complete service supply chain, from customer experience through workflow to lifecycle management. NEO Connect allows for codeless integration across all EasyVista engines into traditional IT datasources, New IT Apps (Twitter, Google etc.) and a range of business applications and services. All services are delivered through familiar and stylized interfaces.

“EasyVista solutions already transform the delivery of services in organizations and enterprises across the world, from every industry. Typically we remove the complexity of legacy enterprise providers and extend capabilities to all service management disciplines with a much lower cost of ownership", commented Andrew White, EVP and General Manager of EasyVista. ‘This launch delivers the presentation layer so sought after by the business and end-users, where services and information are accessible through familiar interfaces and apps. Where a Service Store can be built like Amazon to broker the services of many 3rd party enterprise solutions and systems and parse the information logically into services as apps.”

EasyVista customers have access to these new engines within the Company’s CSN Communities and prospective customers will be introduced to the products by their account management teams. More information is available fromwww.easyvista.com.

Voted 6th in the Sunday Times’ respected 2013 ‘Top 100 Not-for-Profit’ by their employees, Coast and Country Housing Ltd (CCH) are not complacent about their commitment to continual improvement.  There’s no doubt that CCH have come a long way since they became one of the largest regeneration and housing companies in the North East in 2001, managing more than 10,000 homes, and inheriting a workforce with low engagement.   CCH know that people remain the key to their success. Following feedback on a recent staff survey, CCH have selected SpeakInConfidence to provide confidential, secure communication opportunities for senior managers and employees in their continued commitment to improvements for the workforce.

CCH have many successful communication strategies in place for upward and downward communication between senior managers and the workforce.  Leadership, management, fairness, company ethos, and staff personal development were all highlighted by employees as positive factors in working for CCH.  However, existing strategies did not encompass all the communication paths necessary.  Whilst CCH had anonymous feedback tools, both managers and employees were sometimes frustrated by the inability to directly respond. 

SpeakInConfidence offered the perfect solution - a platform for confidential, secure two-way communication.  CCH recognised that with 500 staff, open communication with the 4 members of the leadership team could often be difficult.  “Our staff surveys highlight this disconnect and we are hoping SpeakInConfidence will help us improve scores for ‘do you feel able to engage with the leadership team’.  SpeakInConfidence will allow any employee of CCH to directly send a message to any of the leadership team, who in turn are committed to respond to each and every one.“  Esme Flounders, Communications Manager.

Many CCH employees are ex-local authority and CCH were keen to provide a solution to empower employees to raise emotive comments related to pension change consultations and potential group structure changes.  Although for some anonymous feedback, it was possible to generate a company-wide response by way of a newsletter or other downward communication, some questions were so personal or specific that this was not appropriate. “SpeakInConfidence will provide a confidential platform for employees to voice any concerns they have, whilst providing senior managers with the ability to respond specifically, yet anonymously.  As communication continues, the employee can choose to remain anonymous, or can step forward and have the continued conversation 1-to-1.” continued Flounders.

It was important that any new service provision was available to all CCH employees.  About half of CCH employees are field based and do not have access to the intranet, or even have a CCH email address – a web based, mobile solution was critical. “We reviewed solutions which could be used with our intranet, however, we believe a third party web based anonymous platform would encourage more staff to speak out about issues that mattered.” explained Flounders.  “We have many existing communication systems available to staff, for example, anonymous paper based feedback, however, it was not always accessible to all employees or provide the ability to respond to a specific comment.”  The new service for employees will be publicised using existing lines of communication such as the intranet, weekly brief, team meetings, company-wide tv screens and a launch countdown. 

CCH take their commitment to employee engagement very seriously, seizing any opportunity for improvement and look forward to the next steps with SpeakInConfidence.  “People lie at the very heart of everything at Coast & Country; from our employees, who play a vital role in the running of the business, to the residents who are involved in all that we do to improve our services in the many communities that we work in.  Our strategy is to continue putting career development at the top of the agenda, equipping our staff with the knowledge, confidence and tools to do an efficient job as well as treating them with respect, and providing a healthy work-life balance.” Iain Sim, Chief Executive.

About SpeakInConfidence
SpeakInConfidence enables organisations to capture the voice of the employee for positive change.  Everyone appreciates being heard and productive engaged employees can positively impact profit.  By providing an online communication platform for employees to anonymously share ideas, questions, concerns and comments with all levels of management you can reap the benefits giving you a deep understanding of the mindset and culture of your business.

SpeakInConfidence is changing the way employees views are heard in many organisations.

MTA Solicitors LLP, a leading multi-practice law firm with offices in London, Bromley and Manchester has chosen MOJ (Ministry of Justice) portal integration software from Zylpha (www.zylpha.com), the UK’s leading innovator of legal document production and distribution systems.

Zylpha which is integrated with MTA’s existing workflow and case management systems now automates the transfer of case management information to the MOJ portal system for both RTA (Road Traffic Accident) and EL/PL (Employer’s and Public Liability) claims. As the system delivers rapid and full real-time access, the potential efficiency savings are significant.

David Reeves, Head of System Development at MTA Solicitors LLP, believes that the drivers behind choosing Zylpha’s MOJ integration software are clear. He notes, “We chose Zylpha for a number of reasons. Firstly, they had already supplied us with an Adobe Echosign integration to our Visualfiles case management software which has worked well and as a result we have already established a good working relationship between our two companies. In addition, as we handle hundreds of personal injury cases a month, having the most efficient systems in place is essential. And with the Zylpha’s portal integration covering RTA and EL/PL claims, it made considerable sense for us to use their software to cover both as opposed to maintaining two different systems.

“In short, Zylpha’s integration speeds up the process considerably. As soon as we send something to the portal with Zylpha, we get a response back instantly. We didn’t have this before. Thus, with Zylpha in place, there is no delay in getting back the document that we need to upload the documents required to support claims and submit all the settlement packs. As the Zylpha integration delivers full real-time access, the main benefit will be the significant efficiencies we achieve over time.

“Zylpha is also highly attentive on the support side and they have been quick to resolve any issues that we had as we prepared to go live. They are also helpful when the MOJ has changed its workflow. Zylpha has the appropriate update with us as soon as we need it.”

Tim Long Zylpha’s CEO welcomed these comments adding, ”As a highly respected and national multi-practice law firm, MTA prides itself on delivering the highest levels of practice management and client support throughout all aspects of its business operations. Maintaining such high standards consistently is in great part dependent on operating efficient systems and we are delighted that they have chosen our MOJ integration portal to support their RTA and EL/PL claims. We look forward to working closely with the team there to assess where else we might be able to help them in the future.”

A leading independent research and development company for telecommunications systems named UTEL is warning operators and service providers to future proof their fibre and copper network upgrades or face increasing numbers of disgruntled customers.

Despite fibre rollout to the home, building or cabinet becoming more and more widespread for many networks across Europe and the rest of the world, for most it is still not possible to monitor status in real time. For most operators managing copper networks it is also not possible to have reliable visibility all of the way into the customer premises.

“Telecom service providers are focusing on smart applications to generate new revenue sources and technology vendors are currently building their product ecosystems. The era of the smart home, coined some twenty or thirty years ago, is now teetering on imminent prominence,” says Frank Kaufhold, Managing Director of UTEL. “At ANGA there will be no end of discussions on media home gateways, apps for TV usage, home security and smart metering, all of which go way beyond triple play applications. The more customers that rely on these technologies, the more they will notice when the service is disrupted and ultimately the greater the importance network reliability will hold. I predict it will become a key differentiator, even as important as advertised download speeds are now, in the future.”

UTEL is the only company in the world to have developed a new complete fibre network management system which includes a central office OTDR fibre test system that can reliably detect ONT reflections through 128 split PONs without expensive wavelength dependent reflectors. The company also has copper covered with its Test Access Switch Matrix (TASM) which unlike single ended, double ended or metallic line tests (selt, delt, melt), does not rely on an active customer modem. It can detect and isolate faults on the copper line from the contact centre and without the need for skilled engineers to interpret the data.

Kaufhold added: “What we have is technology more advanced than anything else on the market. It can find faults before customers detect them and makes sure the entire network is running at optimal levels with fewer expert engineers. It’s win win cutting costs, whist improving resilience.”

The UTEL Fast Light PON management system consists of three key subsystems including a unique world class 1650nm OTDR that can see through multiple cascaded splitters, an ultra low cost Robotic Optical Test Access Switch that can be flexibly expanded as the network grows and an optional OSS or Application Programming Interface.

UTEL will be available to discuss how it can help implement fibre and copper monitoring solutions at ANGA COM, in Cologne, Germany, from May 20-22, 2014. The company will be showcasing its revolutionary Fast Light technology as well as TASM.

For further information about UTEL and its product range visit www.utel.co.uk.

Further Information

Service Delivery Executive
Tel: +44 (0)1522 883640
Email: enquires@realwire.com

Detroit--May 1, 2014--Compuware Corporation (Nasdaq: CPWR), the technology performance company delivering a new generation of application performance management (APM), today announced a live webcast featuring a guest speaker from Forrester Research, Inc. This webcast will highlight why network monitoring is in need of a strategic change and best practices organizations can use to implement an application-aware network monitoring strategy.

Title: “Increasing Application Visibility in Your Network Monitoring”

When: Thursday, May 8, 2014

Time: 1 p.m. Eastern Time

Presenters: John Rakowski, Research Analyst & Advisor for Infrastructure and Operations, Forrester Research, Inc.; Bruce Ecklund, Senior Director, APM Solutions Strategy, Compuware APM

Why: Today’s applications underpin virtually every IT process and service, and are critical to business success. At the same time, distributed application architectures are straining traditional network infrastructures. The question is: does your network monitoring strategy give you the necessary visibility into application performance? Or is your network monitoring approach fragmented and used mostly to exonerate your IT support teams?

What: During this free webcast, attendees will learn:

• the warning signs of an inadequate application monitoring approach;
• top features of optimal application-aware monitoring solutions; and
• how to centralize IT support to include network, application and infrastructure teams.

Register Here: http://cpwr.it/vC5hG

Compuware APM is the leader in a new generation of application performance management. Unlike traditional APM solutions that are heavy, difficult and reactive, Compuware APM is light, smart and proactive. Compuware APM is built to manage the complexity of today’s most challenging modern applications including mobile, cloud, big data and SOA. Compuware APM optimizes and monitors tens of thousands of applications for more than 5,000 customers, large and small, around the globe. Through the lens of end-user experience, our customers enjoy faster performance, proactive problem resolution, accelerated time-to-market and reduced application management costs through smarter analytics, advanced APM automation and a unique performance lifecycle foundation.

To read more about Compuware’s leadership in the APM market, click here.

Berkshire, UK, 1 May 2014 – IRIS Software Group, an industry leader in payroll and accountancy solutions has today announced the immediate availability of its IRIS AE Suite, a complete solution to help businesses, accountants and payroll bureaus meet the legislative requirements of automatic enrolment. Updated smartphone & tablets apps for Apple iOs, Google Android and Windows 8 have also been released as free downloads for any AE Suite employees.

The IRIS AE Suite sits alongside Earnie Payroll or IRIS Payroll Professional software and consists of four fully integrated components to streamline automatic enrolment, including:

• The IRIS Automatic Enrolment Module within payroll to assess and enrol employees;
• Generation of pension output files to leading pension providers;
• Production of pension letters (communications) for employees;
• IRIS OpenPayslips, the cloud-based solution allowing push-button online payslip, P60 and pension letter delivery to smartphones, tablets or web browsers.

“The process is simple and intuitive,” says Mark Paraskeva, CEO IRIS SME Payroll Division. “First, assessment and enrolment are completed directly in the payroll software whenever the payroll is run. The system then generates the required output file(s) for submission to the pension provider. All communications required by The Pensions Regulator are produced, sent and stored to meet the six-year audit requirements.”

 “We’ve been using the IRIS AE Module and IRIS OpenPayslips to produce and distribute our payslips for a number of months now and are pleased with the results. It saves us a lot of time and helps reduce waste. Knowing that we can now also produce and distribute pension communications to our employees at the touch of a button directly to their smartphones is a further added benefit!  Many of our clients are using the IRIS AE Suite. Automatic enrolment is very complex and we have complete confidence that the IRIS AE Suite will ensure our clients are compliant.” Commented Andrew Bodkin, Managing Partner, Haines Watts.  

The IRIS AE Suite is a modular solution, meaning that customers can choose the configuration best suited to their specific needs. For example, a small business or accountant may choose the entire suite to automate everything, while a larger company which is comfortable producing their own letters can omit that component.

Affordability has also been an important factor, and the IRIS AE Suite service is available for no up-front fee, and a low monthly subscription fee starting at 17 pence per employee per month.

“Finally” concludes Paraskeva, “the IRIS AE Suite extends our existing proven solution and we think we have more employees and companies on this automatic enrolment platform than any other solution today. That number currently stands at over 330,000 employees being assessed at almost 1,000 companies”.

IRIS has worked closely with The Pensions Regulator and pension providers to develop the IRIS AE Suite to meet full automatic enrolment compliance.

IRIS AE Suite is available immediately for Earnie Payroll and IRIS Payroll Professional. See www.iris.co.uk/ae-suite or call 0844 815 5656. The free mobile app can be downloaded from the Apple App store, Google Play or Windows Marketplace – search for “OpenPayslips”.

About IRIS Software
With 34 years' experience, the IRIS Software Group provides business critical software and services to the UK accountancy and SME sectors. Over 60,000 small and medium-sized companies including 15,500 accountancy practices rely on IRIS every day to run their business and collaborate, with around 93,000 end-users subscribing to IRIS cloud solutions.

IRIS offers the greatest range of specialist accountancy and payroll solutions - delivered as a choice of integrated on premise software and cloud-based applications - managed under the leading IRIS, PTP, Drummohr, KashFlow and Earnie product brands.

As a leading provider of payroll and bookkeeping software IRIS serves SMEs, corporates, payroll bureaus and a number of industry sectors including 50% of UK GP practices. More than 10% of UK businesses pay their employees via IRIS payroll solutions.

In accountancy, IRIS is the most trusted software provider in the UK today with over 98% customer retention for its core products, 60% of the top 50 practices as customers and 2.9 million tax returns successfully filed with HMRC each year.

Follow us on Twitter @irispayroll @irisaccountants @kashflow

Press Contact:
Tom Webb
tomw@whiteoaks.co.uk
T: 01252 727313

Brokers to benefit from better customer conversion and retention, improved aggregator listing returns, greater visibility of marketing spend performance and less ongoing CAPEX

Warwick, 1st May 2014: Open GI, a technology provider to the insurance industry, and Callstream, experts in cloud-based call management technology, have partnered to offer a new range of technology and communications services to UK insurance brokers.

Through the partnership, Open GI’s customer base will be able to integrate Callstream’s range of call centre technology into its wider back office platform. This integration will provide insurance brokers with:

• Increased customer retention and conversion 
• Combined web and call enquiry tracking for more effective marketing spend
• More efficient management of claims partners 
• An immediate disaster recovery and business continuity infrastructure
• PCI compliance Level 1
• Fast responses to aggregator enquiries to maximise the ‘magic minute‘
• Ongoing reduction in capital expenditure.

Callstream offers a feature-rich range of cloud-based call centre technology products dedicated to the needs of insurance brokers. This includes Callstream’s latest additions to its portfolio:

• Midas is an integrated dialler that makes the most of inclusion on aggregators’ websites, intelligently selecting the best leads according to an insurer’s own priorities. 
• Vault enables callers to enter their credit card details via their telephone keypad, but suppresses the tones so they are not audible to call recording systems or call centre agents. As data is passed securely to the payment gateway and not stored, Vault achieves PCI Level 1 compliance. 
• Webtrace tracks each visitor to the website and assigns them a unique telephone number to call, matches the customer’s online history to the telephone call, and provides a complete picture of the customer journey and accurate customer acquisition costs.

The two companies are also jointly developing specific products to integrate with Open GI’s market-leading back office management systems. For example, a fully integrated SMS function has just recently gone live and there will be more to follow.

“Partnering with an industry leader like Open GI is a mutually advantageous opportunity,” said Mick Crosthwaite, CEO, Callstream. “Together we are giving insurance brokers access to a range of products to enhance efficiency and help drive their businesses, seamlessly integrated into their current back office systems.”

Simon Hughes, Sales and Marketing Director, Open GI, added, “our working partnership with Callstream has gone from strength to strength. We are delighted to be able to offer our brokers the opportunity to access the products and support available from Callstream through our back office management systems.”

Courier Software, a specialist supplier of systems for international couriers, express delivery and third party logistics (3PL) operations, has today announced the availability of its new XML Web Service Interface. The new interface enables disparate systems to exchange data seamlessly to the end user. This means that couriers can now offer their customers a single system from which to book their consignments even when subcontracted or brokerage services are being offered. With no rekeying of shipment information the courier saves time, reduces potential errors, and is able to provide a more streamlined service to the customer.  

Part of the AIMS family of products, AIMS Web Service provides a library of over 50  functions that can be used to send and collect data via the internet, and includes interfaces to all the major systems used by FedEx, DHL, DPD, Interlink and Royal Mail.  AIMS Web Service can:

• create consignments
• create and print custom invoices
• create and print shipping address labels including barcodes
• create driver collections
• create stock bookings (for those offering warehouse/3PL services)
• track and trace consignments and stock bookings

Jonathan Hare, Founder and Managing Director of Courier Software explained, “The new AIMS Web Service enables the courier to take the order, apply their specialist knowledge such as advising on fastest, cheapest or safest route, and then place the business with the most appropriate third party. This enables smaller couriers to compete with the big five players by providing a better service and keeping the booking and paperwork straightforward for the customer.”

AIMS Web Service can be used to accept product, consignment and collection data from external systems. So it can be used to take the order from the shipper’s own in-house website and then automatically translate that information for processing by the AIMS database – system to system. This enables the database to take consignment and pick information so that they can be directly processed by the courier in the warehouse to complete an order.

Alternatively, the new web service can be used by a courier company to take an order directly from their own in-house system for processing. This can be combined with additional software provided from Courier Software where as well as the seamless integration with the e-commerce site, the AIMS system also sends back notification when an order has been completed and the manifest closed, so that the customer receives an email to confirm that their order has been despatched.

Either way the AIMS Web Service has a wide range of options, a combination of which can be configured to meet most couriers’ requirements.

AIMS Web Service is delivered via the Cloud and is available on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) subscription basis.

Notes to Editors

About Courier Software
Founded in 2002 by a team with over 70 years experience in the courier industry, Courier Software provides specialist software and services for international couriers, express delivery and third party logistics (3PL) operators.

Courier Software’s AIM family of products provides a broad range of services including:

• AIMS Express – easy to use yet highly functional solution for creating and managing courier shipments
• AIMS Pick & Pack – Warehouse management system for couriers and 3PL operators
• AIMS Fulfilment – Brower based list management enabling customers to build their own distribution lists
• AIMS Web Sites – available as a template or as a fully customised and branded service

Delivered via the Cloud (SaaS), so there are no upfront or capital expenditure costs, AMIS is used by over 40 courier companies with operations in the UK, US, Europe and around the world.

For more information please visit: www.couriersoftware.com

Editors Contacts
Jonathan Hare
Founder and MD
Courier Software
020 7118 0600
jhare@couriersoftware.com

Andreina West/Mary Phillips
PR Artistry
01491 639500
andreina@pra-ltd.co.uk

Contact Group (Looked after Call) and eGov Digital (ePEP) announced today that they are forming a strategic partnership to help benefit Virtual School Heads in Local Authorities.

Looked After Call was formed in conjunction with local authorities as a cost effective way to collate and monitor the attendance and assessment records of Looked After Children. The system works via manual calling and a secure data software tool, which transfers the data of Looked After Children from schools in and out of borough to the Looked After Call website. This can be viewed online in real time by the Virtual School Head. Data can be drilled down to show attendance, personal details, assessment, SEN status, behaviour, school history and exclusions.

ePEP (Electronic Personal Education Plan) is a system which has been successfully developed as an online tool for social workers and teachers over the past nine years. The ePEP fits around the needs of both young people and professionals as outlined in statutory guidance.  The online system provides the perfect solution for the requirements expected by all parties involved to ensure a child achieves their educational targets and successful future outcomes, which are shared with the young person. Recent developments allow increased monitoring across cohorts and individual PEPs.

Speaking at the announcement Stephen Clarke, Managing Director of Contact Group, said “We have a number of Local Authorities who are happily using our Looked After Call solution to track and report on the attendance and attainment of their Looked After Children, saving them up to 40% on costs against their incumbent supplier. As an added bonus for those Local Authorities and future Local Authority customers, we have partnered with eGov Digital to explore how Looked after Call and ePEP can work in conjunction to further benefit Virtual School Heads.”

Gary Daniels, Managing Director of eGov Digital added, “The key to success is working with systems that speak to each another, integration is a vital component when accessing data to be analysed at the PEP meeting. The Virtual School's accountability has increased with the responsibility of the Pupil Premium, plus it is important we can provide the story behind the results and to link data to smart targets.”

With this strategic partnership in place, Virtual School Heads can be confident that there is a cost-effective, whole solution that enables them to track their Looked After Children to ensure progress is being made, no matter where they are based.

Integrated security manufacturer TDSi and its technology distributor Midwich, will be welcoming visitors to Technology Showcase North, which is being held on 8th May 2014 at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton. TDSi will be showing visitors the business opportunities for installers in providing integrated access control solutions as part of the wider IT systems used by clients.

John Davies, Managing Director of TDSi commented, “We will be showing visitors the significant benefits of installing fully integrated physical security into any business’ existing IT systems. There is a growing demand for integrated security systems which interact directly with other business IT systems, to improve the overall running of any organisation. This demand for integration means there are many exciting opportunities for security and IT providers that have expertise in both disciplines and realise the potential of a coordinated relationship between these two often traditionally separate functions of a business. TDSi and Midwich recognise the enormous business potential of bringing the two disciplines together and this is why we are presenting these opportunities together as partners.”

TDSi’s Key Account Manager, LeAnne Hill, will be part of the team that will represent the company and will be giving an overview of its integrated security and access control systems. The team will also be available to answer queries and offer specific advice on TDSi’s products and services, as well as the opportunities open to installers by using these.

For more details on TDSi’s range of products and service, please visit: www.tdsi.co.uk

About TDSi (www.tdsi.co.uk)
Established in 1982, with its global head office in Poole, UK and regional offices in Cannock, UK and Noisy-le-Grand, France, TDSi has been at the forefront of the access control and integrated security management market for over 30 years. TDSi’s diverse and comprehensive product range encompasses Access Control Systems, Biometric Readers (fingerprint and facial), Security Management software, IP CCTV cameras and storage media and Video Management Software.  The portfolio can be easily integrated into other security and BMS applications and can be deployed at businesses and organisations of all sizes and types.

With customers all around the world, millions of people every day rely on TDSi cards to gain secure, reliable access to installations.  ISO9001 accredited, TDSi’s access controls range from standalone products to networked and integrated systems for all sectors.  The company has customers across a wide range of areas including: Healthcare, Finance/Banking, Education, Transportation, Ports and Airports, Utilities, Industrial and Commercial/Retail. Clients include Bristol International Airport, University of the West of England, Guildhall School, Natwest Bank, Bentley Motors, Vodafone, Université de Caen,CHU de TOURS,Ecole Centrale de Nantes and Arcelor Mital.

Cambridge University Press has announced a new collaborative partnership with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust - the charity that cares for the world’s greatest heritage sites in Stratford-upon-Avon and promotes the enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare’s works, life and times to people of all ages.

Cambridge University Press publishes over 200 Shakespeare titles, including the best-selling Cambridge School Shakespeare series. This series was initially developed from the work of Dr Rex Gibson’s Shakespeare and Schools Project, and each play in the recently published new editions has been carefully rewritten, revised and expanded to enable students to inhabit Shakespeare's imaginative world in accessible and creative ways.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust runs formal and informal educational programmes for people of all ages, and through its digital media platforms connects millions of people on every continent with the world’s best known playwright. This partnership will enable both organisations to work collaboratively and produce exclusive content including blogs, articles and webinars that will benefit from combined expertise and highlight the enduring significance of Shakespeare’s work, making it accessible and relevant to a new generation of students.

Michael McGarvey, Director of UK Education at Cambridge University Press said; “We are delighted to be teaming up with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, especially in the 450th anniversary year of his birth. We look forward to working with the Trust to create exciting new content.”

Jacqueline Green, Head of Learning and Participation at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said; “We want every child to have the opportunity to experience Shakespeare’s stories, enjoy his language, and get to know the words and wonderful characters he created. Our collaboration with Cambridge University Press is part of our work to provide teachers with the best resources available to help bring Shakespeare to life.”

TERMINALFOUR is delivering a digital engagement and web content management platform to Houston Community College (HCC), which is transforming the college’s online presence. HCC is aiming to reach its highest retention and recruitment rates, both internationally and domestically, and its online strategy is playing an integral role in achieving this. 

HCC encompasses six colleges, 22 campuses and 70,000 students. With an international student population of 7%, it has one of the largest international student bases for a community college in the US. The college is almost at capacity in terms of enrolment and a key target in the 2012-2015 strategic plan is to increase student retention and completion rates.

To deliver on these student targets, HCC is undertaking an initiative to create additional online opportunities for student communication, orientation, test practice and academic advising. HCC began a complete website redesign and made the decision to implement TERMINALFOUR’s digital engagement and WCMS platform.  This will be the underlying web technology for many of the student retention initiatives and will enhance HCC’s online interaction with students in the Houston surrounds, across the US and abroad.

TERMINALFOUR has delivered its web content management solution to HCC via its cloud solution. This approach has resulted in significant peace of mind for the college and also a reduction in operational costs.

Joe Conway, Director of Print and Electronic Media, Houston Community College commented, “We’re in hurricane alley and therefore we were conscious of deploying a system that could guarantee availability and capture all marketing and recruitment opportunities, no matter what happened with the weather. With the cloud solution, TERMINALFOUR ensures our primary marketing and sales tool is always available to attract prospective students.

“The cloud model has also delivered significant cost savings as we no longer have the hardware overhead and maintenance of the website has been reduced by 50%”, he added.

As part of the website overhaul HCC has also reduced its 16,000 individual webpages by more than half, providing an easier and more useful experience for users. Its bounce rate has now dropped from over 50% to under 25%.

The student generated blog has a leading presence on the new website and is enabling students to be active players in the college. It is providing students with a platform to interact with each other and the wider community that HCC serves, providing a first-hand view of life at HCC.  In addition, the college’s mobile content has had a significant impact on access to and engagement with personalized content.

Joe Conway, HCC, commented, “Most of our students now use mobile technology for the majority of their web searches. Before the website redesign and implementing TERMINALFOUR we weren’t even in the game when it came to mobile. Now 31% of our traffic comes from a mobile phone or tablet and we are better serving this audience”.

Piero Tintori, CEO, TERMINALFOUR said, “Engaging with students, alumni, industry and funding partners is critical to a higher education institution’s success and its ability to ensure it is filling all of its seats. HCC has been exemplary in the way it approached its digital overhaul and as can be seen from the volume and quality of its content, blogs and social media messages, it has a very active community of students and supporters”.

Cannon Technologies is pleased to announce it has received a BDO Award for International Growth.

According to Cannon Technologies' managing director Matthew Goulding, ever since the business was established back in 1978, its emphasis has been on supporting clients' technology needs by offering them best of breed' IT solutions. 

“In recent years, our brief has evolved into the business of instantly shipping fully operational data centres – and relocating them at short notice with no system damage or separate handling of IT systems," he said. 

"Coupled with our unique approach of working with local partners, and ensuring that clients receive local country staff support - backed up with our 24x7 global resources - our clients have come to understand that we are now their key data centre supplier, with available systems ranging from mini-data centres all the way through more complex ISO containerised data centres and allied systems," he added. 

Goulding went on to say that merely being in the running to receive an Award for International Growth from BDO - now the fifth largest business accountancy network in the world - is an accolade in itself. 

And, he says, to actually secure an Award from the company is true recognition for the hard work that Cannon Technologies' staff have put in to pushing the company to the pinnacle of the data networking, telecommunications, electronics and IT industries arena.

About BDO and its Award
With a wide depth of experience reaching beyond its core audit and tax services, with more than 3,500 staff across the UK, BDO today offers a range of advisory practices including management consulting, corporate finance and business analyses. 

For the last five years BDO in Southampton has produced the Central South Report which has focussed on the top 150 companies in the region. This year they are taking a different perspective and concentrating on mid-market companies who are seen as the region’s best chance for sustainable and dynamic growth. Over the coming months they will be exploring the region’s best performers in certain key areas, the first of these being international growth. 

According to Arbinder Chatwal, Director of BDO in Southampton, the firm's analysis of the mid‐market business ‐ defined as businesses generating between £10m and £300m in annual turnover ‐ has shown that Cannon Technologies is one of the Central South’s success stories in terms of growth in overseas turnover over the last three years. "Cannon Technologies has carved out a very successful niche as one of the key international suppliers in the data centre industry, giving clients access to local support backed up with a truly global presence,” he said. 

“Its growth in international turnover is to be applauded, as is its inherent understanding of the IT needs of its clients," Chatwal concluded.                                                            

Back at Cannon Technologies, MD Matt Goulding said the company could not have received this Award, without the tireless work of the company’s employees, both in the UK and around the world. 

“I would like to thank BDO on behalf of the staff at our New Milton, Hampshire headquarters here in the UK – together with our regional offices in the Middle East (Dubai), Africa (Johannesburg) and the US (Ashburn, Virginia) – as well as on a local country basis around the world," he said. 

About Cannon Technologies
With a 36 year pedigree , Cannon Technologies provides T4 Data Centre Solutions around the globe - from building complete data centres as turnkey projects up to TIA 942 Tier 4; to suites of intelligent,  environmentally managed infrastructure   racks, including cold-aisle cocooning, per-rack access control, video surveillance, intelligent power distribution and UPS. At top turnkey level Cannon designs, supplies, integrates and commissions the IT architecture for military and commercial applications, for mission critical projects.

For more information please visit www.cannontech.co.uk  

Sunnyvale, CA and Noida, India,  May 2nd, 2014 — HCL Technologies, a leading global IT services company and Cummins Inc., a global power leader, have received the prestigious Outsourcing Excellence Award from the Outsourcing Centre for demonstrating a successful partnership of 10-years. For this award, Outsourcing Centre reviewed more than 100 entries, including relationships from Fortune 500 organisations. HCL and Cummins were selected for the Best Long Term Relationship category for tangibly demonstrating a partnership that successfully represents best practices, creates and sustains a competitive advantage, provides business transformation, achieves compelling value, and significantly benefits both buyer and service provider over time.  

Since 1997, this award has recognised the world’s most successful outsourcing relationships, and over the last few years has emerged as one of the most renowned awards in the outsourcing industry.

“Throughout our 10-year partnership, HCL has helped us achieve operational efficiencies and provided access to specialty expertise, enabling us to focus on our core business,” said Curt Brown, Director – Service Excellence, Cummins Inc. “The essential element of our mutual success, however, has always been a shared commitment to trust and respect.”

“At HCL, the priority to develop relationships with our customers that serve as true partnerships rather than merely business agreements,” said R Srikrishna, President, Infrastructure and Health Care Services, HCL Technologies. ”This award validates our efforts to take customer relationships beyond the contract through transparency, flexibility, and value centricity. We are honored by this recognition, and look forward to continuing our work with Cummins for years to come.”

Cummins and HCL have established a value-centric relationship, harnessing each other’s expertise, to derive continued business success. Over these years, HCL has moved from supporting Cummins’ help desk and WAN monitoring projects to becoming its strategic managed service partner for all IT resources worldwide. Close collaboration, mutual problem solving, deep understanding of business goals, robust feedback mechanism, applied innovation, trust & transparency of operations are some of the key factors laying strong foundation of the long term outsourcing relationship between the two companies.

About Outsourcing Center’s Outsourcing Excellence Awards
This is the 18th year the Outsourcing Excellence Awards have recognized the world’s best outsourcing arrangements. An independent panel of judges selects relationships that tangibly demonstrate best practices, create and sustain a competitive advantage, provide business transformation, achieve compelling value, and significantly benefit both buyer and service provider over time. The Outsourcing Center conducts the annual awards program exclusively and is an online community specializing in thought leadership, best practices, and innovation in outsourcing. The Center also offers provider brand communication, go-to-market strategies and business intelligence services.

About HCL Technologies
HCL Technologies is a leading global IT services company working with clients in the areas that impact and redefine the core of their businesses. Since its emergence on global landscape after its IPO in 1999, HCL has focused on 'transformational outsourcing', underlined by innovation and value creation, offering an integrated portfolio of services including software-led IT solutions, remote infrastructure management, engineering and R&D services and Business services. HCL leverages its extensive global offshore infrastructure and network of offices in 31 countries to provide holistic, multi-service delivery in key industry verticals including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Consumer Services, Public Services and Healthcare & Life sciences. HCL takes pride in its philosophy of 'Employees First, Customers Second' which empowers its 90,190 transformers to create real value for the customers. HCL Technologies, along with its subsidiaries, had consolidated revenues of US$ 5.2 billion, as on 31st March 2014 (on LTM basis). For more information, please visit www.hcltech.com

Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements in this release are forward-looking statements, which involve a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. All statements, other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward looking statements, including but not limited to the statements containing the words 'planned', 'expects', 'believes’,’ strategy', 'opportunity', 'anticipates', 'hopes' or other similar words. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding impact of pending regulatory proceedings, fluctuations in earnings, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services, Business Process Outsourcing and consulting services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, customer acceptances of our services, products and fee structures, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, our ability to integrate acquired assets in a cost effective and timely manner, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, the success of our brand development efforts, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies /entities in which we have made strategic investments, withdrawal of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, and unauthorized use of our intellectual property, other risks, uncertainties and general economic conditions affecting our industry. There can be no assurance that the forward looking statements made herein will prove to be accurate, and issuance of such forward looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by the Company, or any other person, that the objective and plans of the Company will be achieved. All forward looking statements made herein are based on information presently available to the management of the Company and the Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company. 

London, 2  May 2014 – Fujitsu today announced the acquisition of GlobeRanger, a US based technology company that operates in the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology space. The acquisition will see GlobeRanger remain as an autonomous product development and marketing unit, owned by Fujitsu UK & Ireland with Fujitsu taking a place on GlobeRanger’s Board of Directors.

Duncan Tait, Head of EMEIA, Corporate Senior Vice President, Fujitsu Limited said: “This acquisition is a key part of Fujitsu’s Global Defence Initiative which aims to harness the capabilities, technology and products from across Fujitsu’s global ICT business.  It will ensure our customers can be confident of best of breed, proven and cost effective solutions for the defence and defence related industries.”

GlobeRanger has an established footprint in the US, notably with the Department of Defense, where it is highly regarded and used by many DoD departments for their software layer for passive RFID solution technology. Considered a leader in the emergent Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, GlobeRanger’s solution removes the need for wholesale replacement of customers’ existing information systems – an issue that has hampered the growth of the RFID sector to date.

GlobeRanger’s product suite provides an extremely flexible set of tools, enabling the rapid development of system which exploits data and processes at the edge of the enterprise. For the customer this will result in a transformation of supply chain management (SCM); maintenance repair and overall (MRO) and other asset management information needs by providing automatic, accurate and timely data on an asset’s geographical location enabling Business Processes to be executed even when Enterprise services are unavailable.

The merger will bring together the strength and global reach of Fujitsu in taking products to market, with GlobeRanger’s market leading Edgeware solutions.  As a result Fujitsu are able to offer global solutions optimised to customer needs in SCM and MRO.  Current market estimates for RFID are expected to surpass $20Bn globally in 2014.

About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 162,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.8 trillion yen (US$46 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

Fujitsu UK & Ireland
Fujitsu UK & Ireland is a leading IT system, services and products company employing over 10,100 people with annual revenue of £1.6 billion. Additionally, Fujitsu’s other operations in the UK bring its total employee numbers to over 14,000 and its total revenues to £1.8 billion. Its business is in enabling its customers to realise their objectives by exploiting information technology through its integrated product and service portfolio. This includes consulting, applications, systems integration, managed services and product for customers in the private and public sectors including retail, financial services, telecoms, government, defence and consumer sectors. For more information, please see: http://uk.fujitsu.com

About GlobeRanger
GlobeRanger is a leading global provider of end-to-end enterprise edge solutions including RFID, mobility, and sensor-based solutions and professional services. Its innovative Edgeware™ platform, iMotion™, provides the critical infrastructure layer for managing devices, networks, data and processes at the edge of the enterprise, enabling real-time visibility and response. iMotion serves as the foundation for GlobeRanger and its partners to rapidly develop, deploy and manage edge solutions. Founded in 1999, GlobeRanger is headquartered in Richardson, Texas. For more information, visit:  http://www.globeranger.com

2nd May 2014, London, UK – Bronto Software Europe has been named as a finalist alongside its client, Hudson Shoes, in the Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year category in this year’s BT Retail Week Technology Awards.

Run by Retail Week and judged by retailers, the awards celebrate excellence and showcase the technology that is making a difference to businesses. The winners will be announced at the prestigious ceremony in June during an evening of reward, recognition and networking.

Hudson Shoes, the contemporary UK shoe brand, has seen a dramatic rise in revenue since implementing Bronto’s marketing automation platform.  Hudson Shoes enjoyed a 53% revenue uplift in Q4 2013, with October alone producing a 183% revenue increase, year on year. A big win for the brand was a 120% increase in conversions from mobile devices after implementing responsive design in their emails.

“We are delighted to be nominated with Hudson Shoes in the Digital Marketing Campaign of the Year category of the BT Retail Week Technology Awards, said Georges Berzgal, Managing Director of Bronto Software Europe.  “We have worked closely with Hudson Shoes on the project and the shortlisting is recognition of the partnership approach we take with our clients.”

Rebecca Thompson, Insight Editor, Retail Week, said: “Congratulations to all of our shortlist – entries this year were better than ever and choosing the shortlist was a real challenge. The finalists highlight the best innovation in the sector, and showcase retail as a truly innovative industry. We think our judges have a tough job ahead of them – good luck!”

For more information on the BT Retail Week Technology Awards, visit - http://www.retailweektechnologyawards.com/home 

About Hudson Shoes
Born in 1990, we have been putting our best foot forward for more than two decades with high quality, affordable shoes. Acknowledging trends and giving them an idiosyncratic twist is the cornerstone of our philosophy. Whether it’s music, art, style icons or film, there is always inspiration to be found. Often imitated, never rivalled, we will always strive to innovate, surprise and push boundaries in footwear design.

For more information visit: hudsonshoes.com

About Bronto Software
Bronto Software provides a cloud-based marketing platform for organizations to drive revenue through their email, mobile and social campaigns. The platform is used by over 1000 organizations worldwide, including Armani Exchange, Samsonite, Hostelworld, Direct Golf and Moda in Pelle. Bronto is listed as the leading self-service email marketing provider to the Internet Retailer Top 1000. The company is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina with offices in London and Sydney.

For more information visit: bronto.co.uk

Twitter: @BrontoEurope

73% of organisations acknowledge IT-savvy workers but half lag in granting them resources to combat shadow IT

United Kingdom, 2nd May 2014: Research from LANDESK, the global leader in delivering User-Oriented IT solutions solving systems, assets, security, mobility and IT service management challenges, today announces that almost three quarters (73%) of organisations now have self-sufficient IT-savvy employees, super users, who assist other users in the workplace. However, only half (54%) of organisations are providing their super users with the resources they need to take pressure off the service desk. These super users often solve common problems, helping other employees avoid logging issues formally, thereby allowing the service desk team to focus on more pressing problems such as Shadow IT.

“When given the right control, super users can often provision their own software, hardware or other services, administer software updates and can solve simple problems without needing support,” says Nigel Seddon, Area Director, LANDESK. “With the right privileges and equipment, a modern day super user can quickly help to reduce pressure on the service desk and, more importantly, help peers with IT. Although organisations are recognising that these users exist, many service desks are still only just on the road to empowering them, despite the benefits it could have.”

The research, carried out in conjunction with the Service Desk Institute (SDI) highlights that Shadow IT remains a continuing issue within 40% of organisations. With 41% of organisations also lacking a formal “bring your own device” (BYOD) policy, Shadow IT may simply result from ambiguity in many cases. However, being unable to make the most of corporate IT – because of a lack of assistance from super users, for example – may also cause users to bring their own device into work in order to carry out their job with more familiar and easy-to-use IT.

“It’s well-documented that the launch of iTunes did more to reduce illegal music downloads than any restrictive steps, and BYOD policies and super users may well have the same impact,” continues Seddon. “If users can’t make the most of their own corporate IT and don’t know if they’re forbidden from bringing their own, Shadow IT is a natural outcome. A combination of a well-thought out BYOD policy and IT-savvy employees enabled to help other users can educate, inform and put people back at the heart of the IT agenda, as well as easing the burden on the service desk.”

Although many organisations are still concerned about BYOD, 29% of service desk teams plan to support it in the future, showing that there is an understanding of the need for change. With the number of devices increasing, and Cisco estimating that by 2020 the average user will have 6.58 devices[1], service desk teams are already becoming more innovative in the way they enable users and approach challenges.

Tessa Troubridge, Managing Director of SDI concludes, “It’s positive that service desks are being more innovative in the way they incorporate users. If an organisation takes the opportunity to offer super users added responsibilities, service desks will have more time to dedicate to planning current and future technologies.”

The research also highlighted that despite the pressures of BYOD and enabling super users, many service desks are making the time to look to the horizon. According to the research, one in five organisations have plans to support future user technologies such as Google glass, smart watches and 3D printing.

[1] http://www.networkworld.com/news/2012/070612-byod-260730.html