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The WAVE Report
Issue #0538------------------9/23/05 |
The WAVE Report archive is available on http://www.wave-report.com
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0538.1 Wireless Security Defense
0538.2 Backup Systems
Yosemite Technologies Introduces a New Family of Backup Solutions
0538.3 High-Speed Services
0538.4 Something Old and New
Yeahronimo Announces Commodore is Back! And a Big Success at the IFA 2005
0538.5 Display Markets
DisplaySearch Indicates Q2'05 LCD Desktop Monitors Rise 4% Q/Q
0538.6 Computer Education
Wiley Publishes The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math
0538.7 Home Recording
In-Stat Survey Finds Consumers Getting Comfortable With Non-PC DVD Recording
0538.8 Home Networking
0538.9 Identity Protection
0538.10 Employee Productivity
0538.11 Information Growth
0538.12 Smart Applications
0538.13 Speech Recognition
0538.14 Telecommuting
New Mandates, High Gas Prices Propel Telework in Federal Government
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0538.1 Wireless Security Defense
***AirDefense Personal 2.0 Solution Protects Users From Wireless Security Risks at Coffee Shops, Airports, Hotels and Other Hotspots
ATLANTA
Sept. 19, 2005
AirDefense has launched AirDefense Personal 2.0, the industry's first and only software agent to protect consumers from wireless security risks while using laptops at coffee shops, libraries, airports, hotels and other hotspots. The AirDefense Personal 2.0 agent is a FREE product that protects the consumer 24x7 from today's growing list of wireless security risks, such as identity theft, evil twin attacks and denial of service attacks.
AirDefense Personal can easily be installed on a user's laptop and within minutes allows the user to monitor the laptop for potential wireless security risks. If a security threat is discovered, the user will be alerted of malicious activities or wireless misconfigurations. The user can configure a basic security policy for their laptop, and the solution will automatically close the user's wireless connection if a critical event that violates the policy is detected.
By downloading AirDefense Personal 2.0, AirDefense provides users with the easiest way to protect themselves from wireless security threats and device misconfigurations. AirDefense Personal monitors wireless activity and complements most personal firewall and VPN (Virtual Private Network) client software. In addition, AirDefense suggests that consumers take precautions to prevent wireless security risks. Wireless users should also:
1. Install a personal firewall and the latest security patches on their laptop.
2. Enter passwords only when using secure Web sites that include the SSL (Secure Socket Layer) lock meaning the information is encrypted.
3. Do not access files or sites that contain confidential or personal information.
4. Stick to casual Web surfing, rather than balancing a checking account or 401 (k). Remember nothing is truly private at a hot spot.
5. Never click on a link in an email they receive claiming to be their bank or another online vendor. It could be a Phishing site. Find the URL on their own and conduct their business.
AirDefense Personal 2.0 is integrated with AirDefense's flagship product, AirDefense Enterprise. The combined solution enables network administrators to effectively protect enterprise information assets automatically from threats not only within the four walls of the enterprise but also outside the confines of the building. Policy profiles are defined centrally on AirDefense Enterprise and automatically downloaded to each mobile user. If threats are discovered, AirDefense Personal notifies the user and sends the alerts to AirDefense Enterprise for central reporting and notification. This unique solution allows the network administrator to enforce corporate policies and provide complete protection for the mobile worker, regardless of location.
For a free copy of the AirDefense Personal 2.0 agent, mobile users can log onto:
http://www.airdefense.net/products/adpersonal/trial.php4
***Yosemite Technologies Introduces a New Family of Backup Solutions
SAN JOSE, Calif.
Sept. 21
Yosemite Technologies announced the release of its new family of backup solutions to enhance its Yosemite Backup family of products. Yosemite Backup Advanced 8.1 represents a new class of data protection for the midsize and distributed enterprise. Yosemite Backup Standard 8.1, targeting the small to medium business, will replace the popular Yosemite TapeWare product, and Yosemite Backup Desktop 8.1 will highlight Yosemite's prowess in the home user market.
Yosemite offers customers a unique product experience that is designed to grow as a customer's needs grow. With Yosemite Backup, a customer can move from a single server or desktop solution to an enterprise solution with a simple license key.
Yosemite Backup Standard and Yosemite Backup Advanced Features:
-- Three-Tier Architecture -- allows the product to scale to accommodate data growth without affecting performance. Data protection is extended through the cost-effective, modular expansion of additional media and client servers.
-- Self Tuning Logic -- automatically tunes backups and restores by optimizing the number of source data streams, target data streams and target devices. Manual intervention is not required.
-- True Bare Metal Disaster Recovery -- allows users to restore a server damaged by a virus or other data loss in less than half the time of competing products by installing a good image of the server, including all configurations and service pack updates.
-- D2D2Ne (Disk-to-Disk-to-Any) -- Option which allows users to create virtual libraries for flexible disk-to-disk-to-tape backup methodologies.
-- Updated GUI for ease of use -- the simplified wizard-driven interface maintains a consistent framework for all platforms, reducing training time and total cost of ownership.
-- Heterogeneous and Multi-Language Support -- in addition to Microsoft Windows support, platform support expands to include Linux, Novell NetWare and UNIX. In addition, 9 languages are supported.
***J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Cox Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction among High-Speed Internet Providers; SBC Yahoo! Ranks Highest among Dial-Up Providers; Dial-Up Accelerators Make Big Impact on Time Subscribers Spend Online
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.
Sept. 21, 2005
Cox ranks highest in satisfying high-speed Internet customers, while SBC Yahoo! ranks highest among dial-up Internet providers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Internet Service Provider Residential Customer Satisfaction Study just released.
Now in its eighth year, the study measures customer satisfaction with Internet service providers based on seven factors. They are: performance and reliability; cost of service; image; customer service/technical support; billing; e-mail services; and offerings and promotions.
Cox records the most improvement in the study, increasing 20 index points from 2004. Cox receives the highest ratings in the high-speed segment in performance and reliability and customer service. Following Cox in the rankings are Verizon, BellSouth and Bright House, respectively.
SBC Yahoo! receives particularly strong ratings from its dial-up customers in offerings and promotions and cost of service. SBC Yahoo! is followed in the rankings by AT&T Worldnet and EarthLink, respectively.
The study finds that dial-up accelerators are having a big impact on the number of hours dial-up users spend online. Overall Internet usage among dial-up customers has increased from 15.6 personal hours per week in 2004 to 17.8 in 2005. Among those using dial-up accelerators, Internet usage averages 19.9 hours -- 10 percent higher than broadband users, who average 18.1 hours per week. Customers using dial-up accelerators also report spending less on Internet service than the dial-up average -- $19.35 per month compared to $20.04 for all dial-up users. Reflecting increasingly competitive pricing, high-speed users report spending less on average in 2005 -- $43.83 per month in 2005, down from $44.12 in 2004.
Although DSL subscribers are significantly more satisfied than cable modem users for a second consecutive year, cable modem providers are increasing market share at a faster pace than DSL. In 2005, cable modems account for 28 percent of Internet subscriptions -- up from 24 percent in 2004. Sixteen percent of Internet service subscriptions are for DSL service -- up just 1 percent from 2004. However, among the 32 percent of dial-up subscribers who say they will definitely or probably switch to high-speed in the next six months, 47 percent intend to go to DSL. Only 30 percent intend to switch to cable modem.
High-speed subscribers are more price sensitive than dial-up in deciding when and where to switch, whereas connection speed is much more important for dial-up than high-speed subscribers. The effects of discounted packaging of services are also evident, with this issue having factored into the decision of 62 percent of subscribers who switched to high-speed versus 39 percent to dial-up.
The 2005 ISP Residential Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 6,313 residential customers of Internet service providers nationwide.
***Yeahronimo Announces Commodore is Back! And a Big Success at the IFA 2005
LOS ANGELES
Sept. 19, 2005
Yeahronimo Media Ventures Inc. at the IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung in Berlin) announced the return of Commodore, the Company with the most successful home computer, the legendary C64. After ten years, Commodore represented itself to the German audience by introducing a range of innovative products in the field of consumer electronics. YNMO acquired Commodore International BV from Tulip Computers at the beginning of this year; and also entered into a partnership with SupportPlus Europe, BV, a distribution and sales organization in Europe and Australia with annual sales exceeding $90 Million USD, for the distribution and sales of Commodore products.
Together Commodore and SupportPlus, at the IFA show, presented a wide range of consumer electronic products for both the consumers and retail market, such as MP3/MP4-players, C64 gaming joysticks, multimedia download dispensers and home media centers. The management of YNMO and SupportPlus anticipate gross revenues from the Commodore Products in the European market to exceed 162 Million Euros within 3 years.
According to YNMO, in the '80s and '90s the name Commodore represented successful, innovative and technically first-class products. Therefore the management of Yeahronimo and SupportPlus believe it is an obligation, when using the Commodore name, to continue offering the electronics consumer with products that have a high-quality and are attractive in price. SupportPlus already has showed they are an excellent partner in the historic re-launch of Commodore
***DisplaySearch Indicates Q2'05 LCD Desktop Monitors Rise 4% Q/Q; LCD Monitors Account for 65% of Desktop Displays Shipped Worldwide in Q2'05
AUSTIN, TEXAS
September 8, 2005
DisplaySearch indicated in its latest Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report that worldwide LCD desktop monitor shipments grew on par with expectations, rising 4% Q/Q and 36% Y/Y to 23.6M units in Q2'05. 15", 17" and 19" models remained the most popular sizes, collectively accounting for 96.6% of all LCD desktop monitors shipped in the quarter; the 17" monitor size was the most popular category with a 58.1% shipment share in Q2'05. However, slight M/M panel component price increases for 15" and 17" panels may stunt growth in 2H05.
Average low street pricing for 15" and 17" LCD monitors dropped in Q2'05; 15" went from $245 in Q1'05 to $228 and 17" fell from $306 to $285. The only trend preventing LCD monitor revenues from dropping further was the continuing shift towards larger displays, with the percentage of 15" share dropping to 17.2% from 19.7% in Q1'05. While a good portion of the 15" demand shifted to the 17" category, some of the 17" demand shifted in turn to one of the fastest growing categories: the 19" category, which increased its share from 18.3% in Q1'05 to 21.6% in Q2'05. Collectively, the total unit volume of LCD desktop monitor shipments in Q2'05 accounted for 65.0% of all desktop solutions shipped in the quarter.
Street level pricing for LCD desktop monitors remained aggressive in Q2'05 despite three to four consecutive months of $2-5 component-level LCD panel price increases due to the fact that component-level price increases usually take a quarter before impacting street level pricing. This aggressive LCD monitor street pricing caused the worldwide CRT monitor market to continue to drop, falling 29.3% Y/Y and down 7% Q/Q to 12.3M units. EMEA, formerly the world's largest market for CRT monitors, dropped 59% Q/Q, but price-sensitive markets such as China witnessed a 16% Q/Q growth, making this region now the top region for CRT desktop monitor shipments. However, EMEA remained the largest market for LCD monitor shipments in Q2'05 with 38.2% of the world's shipments going into this region, slightly down from 41.0% in Q1'05. The North America market remained the #2 region for LCD monitor shipments with a 33.4% share, an increase from its Q1'05 share of 31.6%.
Dell remained the worldwide leader in the shipments of desktop LCD monitors in Q2'05, with a relatively stable worldwide market share of 20.3%. After Dell in worldwide shipments were Samsung, HP and Acer, all of which increased share slightly. LGE remained in the #5 spot despite a 5% Q/Q drop in unit shipment volume. Other changes in the worldwide top ten rankings were caused by the break-up of NEC-Mitsubishi into NEC Display Solutions and Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and by the consolidation of IBM into Lenovo.
Dell continued to hold the top position in Japan with a 15.2% share and in North America with a 37.8% share, but it lost the top spot in Latin America to Samsung, which enjoyed a 27.7% share in Q2'05. Samsung was also the market leader in the world's largest market for LCD monitors, EMEA, where it saw its share increase to 12.6%, as well as in Asia Pacific with a 16.3% share. Lenovo remained the top vendor in China with an 18.8% share.
Dell's impressive North America market share dropped slightly in Q2'05, falling down to 37.8%, with unit volumes growing only 7% sequentially in a region where total shipments grew by 9%. Consequently, both HP and Samsung increased share due to much higher quarterly unit volume shipment growth rates than Dell. Of the top ten vendors in North America , Samsung showed the most impressive Q/Q growth increasing 34% sequentially.
Shipments of monitors 20" and larger were approximately 2.9% of the market total in Q2'05. On a percentage basis, this total seems small, but analysis shows that there was a greater shift to wide desktop monitors in this category. New products such as 20" Wide, 21" Wide, 23" Wide and 24" Wide are all competing in the market; wide desktop displays accounted for 29.6% of all the monitors 20" and larger. The wide trend was bolstered in a great way by the combined 23"/24" WUXGA market, which grew 35.1% Q/Q due to such industry heavyweights as Dell, HP, Samsung, Sony, ViewSonic and others joining Apple in promoting large, wide, high resolution displays for desktop monitor usage.
Since 57.8% of large-area LCD panels were consumed by the LCD monitor market in Q2'05, the importance of this market to the overall health of the LCD market is evident. DisplaySearch has recently expanded its tracking of this category and now offers the most comprehensive look at the overall LCD and desktop monitor market place tracking unit volume shipments by size and by technology into all major regions on a quarterly basis. Now capturing data from over 33 brand companies, 19 OEM/ODM companies and 17 large-area LCD panel producers, DisplaySearch is able to offer on-going tracking of over 20 different sizes and resolutions of LCD monitors by the six major regions (NA, EMEA, Japan, Greater China, Latin America and Asia Pacific) to offer the most detailed and compressive tracking of the desktop LCD monitor market.
The Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report includes shipment and forecast data for LCD monitors, CRT monitors, LCD PCs, and TFT LCD monitor modules. The Quarterly Desktop Monitor Shipment and Forecast Report also provides cost forecasts of TFT LCD monitor modules, LCD monitor interface electronics, and LCD monitors. This report is delivered in PowerPoint and includes Excel pivot tables.
***Wiley Publishes The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math; New Book Features a CD-ROM With a Virtual ``Do-It-Yourself'' Calculator
HOBOKEN, N.J.
Sept. 19, 2005
Publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has announced the publication of the new book, The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math: Featuring the Virtual DIY Calculator, a fascinating and entertaining guide to the mathematics behind computers.
Written by Clive Maxfield and Alvin Brown, two experts in the field of electronic design automation (EDA), The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math first outlines fundamental math, computer, and calculator concepts such as powers, place-value number systems, the stack, and subroutines, and then provides step-by-step interactive laboratories that focus on a particular task with a defined objective and an expected duration. The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math demonstrates how to create a set of basic math subroutines for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and then to assemble these subroutines into a framework program that is used to construct a four-function calculator.
The accompanying CD-ROM features the DIY Calculator, a microcomputer that functions as a "virtual machine" on a standard personal computer. The book illustrates how to create a program that runs on the DIY Calculator. The CD-ROM also contains a set of PowerPoint slides with all the figures from the book, as well as Adobe Acrobat PDF files of each of the interactive labs. The Official DIY Calculator Data Book and The History of Calculators, Computers, and Other Stuff, additional documents that provide supplementary material not included in the book, are also available on the CD-ROM.
The associated website (http://DIYCalculator.com) provides upgrades to the DIY Calculator, as well as additional subroutines, historical information, and additional tools.
The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math offers an accessible and enjoyable guide to the basics of computer arithmetic that will appeal to practicing engineers; students of mathematics, electronics, and computer science; and individuals who simply want to know more about how computers function.
Clive Maxfield is President of TechBites Interactive Inc., a high-technology marketing consultancy. A bestselling author and engineer with a large following in the electronic design automation (EDA) and embedded systems industries, he is Co-Editor of EPE Online, Executive Editor of iDesign, and Executive Editor of SOC Central. He has authored or co-authored numerous technical articles and books, including Bebop to the Boolean Boogie (An Unconventional Guide to Electronics), Bebop BYTES Back (An Unconventional Guide to Computers), EDA: Where Electronics Begins, and The Design Warrior's Guide to FPGAS (Devices, Tools, and Flows.)
Alvin Brown has more than 30 years experience in the electronics and computing industries. He currently holds a senior management position with a prominent EDA vendor. In addition to publishing numerous technical articles and papers, he is Co-Editor and Co-Publisher of EPE Online magazine.
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471732788.html
***In-Stat Survey Finds Consumers Getting Comfortable With Non-PC DVD Recording
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.
Sept. 19, 2005
While PCs are the expected, and most obvious platform for DVD burning, it is clear that non-PC platforms are rising in popularity for this activity, and DVD recording habits are evolving, reports In-Stat. An In-Stat survey shows that the greater flexibility provided by DVD playback (vs. VCR tapes) is resulting in changing consumer habits, as they often play them while traveling, while at school, or elsewhere.
In-Stat has found that consumers are becoming more active in recording their own DVDs. DVD recorders are being used to burn DVDs of personal content from home videos and digital photos, as well as TV shows and movies.
A recent report by In-Stat found the following:
-- Consumers are more likely to record TV series shows with their PVR/DVR with built-in DVD recorder than any other type of programming.
-- Many respondents would be willing to pay for rights to permit them to record commercial-free versions of their favorite TV shows or mini-series.
-- Over one-third of respondents are likely to purchase a DVD even if they have already recorded it.
The report, "DVD Recording Habits Change: Non-PC Recording Popular" (#IN0502127CM), covers the results of a recent In-Stat consumer survey. Survey respondents indicated their ownership and use of DVD players by platform type and where they are being used; ownership and use of video capture and recording devices; DVD burning behavior and type of broadcast programming by platform; interest in downloading, recording, and paying for commercial-free content, and how they desire to receive those downloads; and awareness and use of popular DVD burning software.
http://www.instat.com/catalog/Ccatalogue.asp?id=212
***Networked Entertainment Devices Expected to Drive Distribution of Digital Content and Expand Opportunities for CE Vendors, According to New InfoTrends/CAP Ventures Report
WEYMOUTH, Mass.
Sept. 20, 2005
The market for multimedia home networks (home networks that contain A/V devices) is still in its infancy. A recent InfoTrends/CAP Ventures study shows that while nearly 20% of U.S. households have a data home network, less than 5% currently have a multimedia network such as one with a television or stereo connected to the network. Nevertheless, several factors are laying the groundwork for sharing digital content in the future, including the growing penetration of devices such as digital cameras, camcorders, PVRs, and MP3 players, as well as lower-cost networking technologies being integrated into these same products.
It is not yet clear exactly how the market will develop, but the scenario that appears to be emerging includes a central server and one or more devices delivering and receiving content from the server, such as a PC, stereo, or TV. The central server in the home can be the household PC or a dedicated media server/set-top box, with double- or triple-digit gigabytes of storage space that is specifically dedicated to storing and recording A/V content. PC vendors envision a PC as the central server in the home, while most other players believe that a consumer electronics device is the hub of the multimedia network.
According to InfoTrends, consumers are accumulating digital media files at a rapid clip, making multimedia networks even more desirable. Now is the time for vendors to stake their claims as new possibilities unfold. Potential avenues include providing users with a central server or hub where entertainment content resides, media adapters that extend content to other rooms in the home, entertainment content, and service and support of home networks.
For digital camera and other imaging vendors, enabling their cameras to connect to a wireless network to share images on a TV or mobile device will create extra value in the eyes of the consumer. Similarly, cameras will be more valuable as electronic photo albums if consumers can instantly retrieve photos stored on a media server or an online photo site.
InfoTrends/CAP Ventures' new report entitled The Digital Domicile: Digital Entertainment in the Home and the Impact of Multimedia Networks is available immediately. The report examines the impact of new media technologies on the digital home. Multimedia networks and new content distribution technologies are examined, as is the impact on existing vendors, consumer platforms, and technologies. Market drivers and barriers are assessed, and industry players are profiled. A five-year forecast for PC-based home networks and media networks is also provided.
***IntelliMover to Bring Identity Protection to New PCs; Users can secure their identity on new PCs from the get-go
BELLEVUE, Wash.
Sept. 19, 2005
Detto Technologies, makers of data transfer and migration software, IntelliMover and Move2Mac, has announced the latest phase of its strategy of providing new PC users a secure computing environment. Detto has entered into an agreement with WhiteCanyon Software, a Utah based company, that will result in WhiteCanyon's identity protection software, MySecurityVault Pro, shipping with Detto's PC migration product, IntelliMover.
Identity Theft
In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission reported that almost 10 million people in the U.S. had their identities stolen, with an estimated cost to the country of $50 billion. In March, 2005, Financial Insights, an IDC company, reported that "Close to 60% of U.S. consumers sampled in January 2005 expressed concern about identity theft."
Most users are unaware that oftentimes the passwords they type in when logging into websites, displayed to them on their screen as asterisks, are easily retrieved by malicious software programs, such as spyware. These programs can scan a user's hard drive and steal "identity" information, such as usernames, passwords, and banking URLs.
About MySecurityVault
MySecurityVault Pro provides three levels of identity protection:
-- The Identity Guard protects against identity theft by continually scanning a PC to find instances where identity related information such as usernames, passwords, banking URLs, credit card numbers, etc. are easily accessible and vulnerable to theft. Examples include information entered in AutoFill forms. The Identity Guard alerts the user and offers to store the information in its encrypted SecurityVault.
-- The SecurityVault enables users to securely store any type of information in its encrypted vault. MySecurityVault uses RAS encryption technology to protect user data.
-- The Password Manager allows users to not only store usernames in a highly customizable, secure vault, but also provides form filling to reduce time spent filling out web based forms.
In addition to MySecurityVault Pro, IntelliMover will include a trial of WhiteCanyon's SecureClean which enables users to clean their old PC before disposing of it. Over half of today's users dispose of their old PCs, and with mounting theft from the hard drives of these old PCs, it's become critical for users to clean their old PC before giving it away.
Detto's strategy has resulted in prior offerings including anti-spam and anti-spyware shipping alongside IntelliMover. Now with MySecurityVault Pro, Detto helps users face the latest security threat, identity theft.
Availability
IntelliMover with MySecurityVault Pro will be available in early October through Detto's OEMs partners, Dell, Gateway, and HP, as well as from Detto's website.
***Office Workers Admit Personal IM is Too Much to Resist; Akonix Survey Reveals Hundreds of Hours Are Wasted Through Chatting with Significant Others over Instant Messaging
SAN DIEGO
Sept. 20, 2005
Twenty-six percent of today's employees admit to spending more than two hours each workday communicating with their partner over instant messaging (IM) networks, causing potentially significant compliance and productivity concerns for companies, according to a September 2005 Web poll by Akonix Systems, Inc.
The survey of 120 US employees also revealed that 46% spend 1-30 minutes a day talking with their significant other over IM. 12% claim they send personal messages for between 30-60 minutes a day, while 17% spent one to three hours sending IMs to their partner. The average time spent on IM for non-corporate usage across the survey population was 61 minutes a day. This time-consuming habit can lead to lost productivity, costing companies thousands of dollars a year, per employee.
Akonix's survey reveals that a typical company loses one hour in eight to employees' personal IM use. This does not take into account the cost of additional network bandwidth, capital equipment and user support hours necessary to keep up with the load on the LAN (local area network).
http://www.akonix.com/zdcompliance/
***In New Report, Outsell, Inc. Forecasts Single Digit Growth for the Information Industry, Reaching $358 Billion
BURLINGAME, Calif.
Sept. 19, 2005
Outsell, Inc. has released FutureFacts: 2006 and Beyond, the market's first-ever comprehensive forecast of the trends and drivers fueling the Information Industry. The report pegs the Information Industry to reach $358 billion by 2008, lending credit to innovative companies like Yahoo!, Google, Baidu, Interactive Data Corporation, Greenfield Online and HealthStream Inc. for growing the market.
In an industry first, FutureFacts forecasts eight key industry segments: Company, Credit and Financial; Education and Training; Search, Aggregation & Distribution Services; Market Research, Reports and Services; News and Trade; Scientific, Technical and Medical; Legal and Yellow Pages and Directories.
Outsell's analysis places the Search, Aggregation & Distribution Services segment ahead of all others, with a forecasted 17 percent growth over the next three years. This segment is driven by red-hot search players like Yahoo! and Google.
The next growth segment is Market Research, Reports and Services at 11.6 percent. Outsell discusses hot companies in the segment, including Greenfield Online, Health Grades and MarketResearch.com.
Lagging the rest are the Yellow Pages segment at a sluggish 3 percent growth, and News and Trade continuing its anemic pace with a mere 5 percent growth. The News and Trade segment is most impacted by end user and technology trends, as revenue models shift from subscriptions and transactions to ads, and from print to online. Its strongest competition is from free Web content, as well as social publishing phenomena such as blogs, citizen journalism, and peer-to-peer and social networks.
As part of the forecast, Outsell also identified seven scenarios that underscore the overarching themes and shifts that cut across all sectors.
The report draws extensively from Outsell's industry metrics and analytics, as well as Outsell's daily contact with leaders across all segments of the information industry, and the deep industry experience of its analytical staff. The firm tracks and sizes 4,000 industry firms that create and aggregate information and make it commercially available (across all business models), and has six years of information-user buying and usage statistics, including in-depth interviews with over 40,000 information consumers since 1998. It also draws upon enterprise information management benchmarks and best practices that tracks staffing, budgets, content spending and enterprise content management, in global 2000 organizations and federal agencies.
***IFS Develops Smart Clients for Information Workers
LINKOPING, Sweden
Sept. 21
IFS has announced that it is developing a new product that will help companies provide faster and easier access to enterprise data, enabling better-informed business decisions. The product, code-named Attila, will provide direct access to information and processes in IFS Applications from within Microsoft Office applications. The development is being done in close cooperation with Microsoft.
Attila will increase efficiency for information workers who use Microsoft Office as their primary working environment, allowing them to browse and update enterprise data directly within Office programs. The initial release of Attila, which includes reporting, budgeting, and financial planning modules integrated in Microsoft Excel, is scheduled to be available for select customers in the second quarter of 2006.
Most companies use Microsoft Excel in their budgeting and financial planning processes. With Attila, department managers and other workers involved with budgeting and planning will be able to retrieve, review, and update budget data directly through the familiar Excel interface. While working in Excel, they will benefit from the centralized storage, distribution, and revision handling provided by IFS Applications. The reporting module makes all business data stored in IFS Applications instantly available for processing and analysis in Excel, with the full security and access control of IFS Applications. Subsequent releases of Attila will include modules that integrate Microsoft Outlook with the workforce management and document management components of IFS Applications.
Attila will use web services and IFS Service-Oriented Component Architecture to seamlessly integrate the two company's products, demonstrating IFS' and Microsoft's commitment to open standards. Attila leverages the openness of IFS' component-based architecture, Microsoft .NET, and the upcoming Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 to provide a completely standards-based integration that does not require any additional setup or management.
***Philips, Citrix Co-Operation Enables Speech Recognition and Digital Dictation for 50 Million Professional Users World-Wide
VIENNA, Austria
Sept. 20, 2005
Royal Philips Electronics announced the release of an enhancement to the professional document creation platform SpeechMagic enabling for the first time adequate speech recognition in Citrix environments. With SpeechMagic supporting 23 recognition languages and providing a portfolio of more than 150 recognition vocabularies for the medical, legal, governmental and financial sectors, potentially more than 50 million Citrix users worldwide can now benefit from increased documentation efficiency and reduced operating costs.
The deployment of speech recognition and digital dictation applications from Citrix servers will be a key factor in more efficient documentation workflow. It will also enable the centralization of IT administration, and bring critical speech recognition features such as automatic learning and acoustic adaptation - significantly reducing the strain on financial and human resources. By centralizing applications and the delivery of data, Citrix and SpeechMagic are able to provide an extremely high level of security (no files are stored locally), dramatically improving the protection of personal data.
By adding bi-directional audio capabilities, Citrix enabled the digital recordings to be uploaded and Philips developed a real-time speech recognition channel. This channel improves the usability of dictation hardware, such as Philips SpeechMike and allows for the deployment of the full range of speech recognition features within a Citrix environment. Numerous authors can now dictate simultaneously anywhere within the Citrix network and either delegate the dictation to a secretary/ transcriptionist or correct it themselves.
SpeechMagic for Citrix will be presented live at the Citrix iForum Global conference in Las Vegas, Nev., on October 9 - 12, 2005. The new component to the SpeechMagic platform will be released to the Philips global network of more than 200 integration partners on September 20, 2005.
***New Mandates, High Gas Prices Propel Telework in Federal Government; By John Persinos, Larstan Business Reports
WASHINGTON
Sept. 19, 2005
Federal telework initiatives, combined with increasingly powerful technologies and the proliferation of Internet broadband access, are making the option of working from home an increasing reality for federal workers, according to government analysts and industry insiders. Another compelling incentive for telework is skyrocketing prices at the gas pump.
"Telework is a growing trend in the federal government," says Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis, the Teal Group, independent consultants in Fairfax, Virginia. "Telework not only saves money and fosters greater efficiencies, but it's a vital tool for ensuring continuity during sudden disruptions. Telework makes good business and economic sense, especially as gas prices rise, but it also ensures the viability of mission-critical functions within the extended enterprise. Operational continuity is vital within homeland security and key regulatory agencies."
Recent legislation has laid the foundation for teleworking within the federal government. The House-passed fiscal 2006 appropriations bill for the U.S. Commerce, Justice and State departments requires these agencies - along with the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Small Business Administration - to certify that more telework opportunities were available than in fiscal 2005. NASA and the National Science Foundation must certify to Congress that telework is available to 100 percent of eligible workers. Non-compliance carries a budget cut of $5 million. The appropriations bill awaits consideration in the Senate, where passage is considered likely.
The federal Office of Management and Budget outlines the following benefits of teleworking:
-- Flexibility for families and lifestyles
-- Benefits to individual federal staff
-- Support of continuity of operations
-- Recruiting advantages
-- Reduced pollution
-- Efficient use of facilities
-- Cost savings
Government managers are responding. Notably, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) recently embraced telework, by implementing a secure socket layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN) solution from Juniper Networks, Sunnyvale, Calif. The MSHA needed a secure solution that allows network access to inspectors around the country and MSHA employees working from home. Today, more than 2,200 MSHA employees wield access to online resources through the Juniper Secure Access SSL VPN, which allows connection from any browser.
Security Standards Come to the Fore
Juniper is the only SSL VPN supplier undergoing Common Criteria testing, an internationally recognized ISO standard that's increasingly applied by the federal government to assess the security capabilities of IT products.
According to Juniper, the borderless enterprise confers increased productivity and many other benefits. It allows an agency, for example, to work with many contractors who may not necessarily be on site. However, it also creates increased exposure to security threats, from both inside and outside the perimeter. Agencies must open up the flow of information to certain players in real time, without revealing security vulnerabilities within the network.
A strong authentication and authorization capability, based on user identity is absolutely required. Juniper says its solution takes the extra step of ensuring that the device that the user is connecting on is secure. The system provides granular access control.
Conventional systems had no way to determine the security of the connecting device. One of the greatest IT security vulnerabilities today comes from mobile workers. Juniper says its solution centers on a host check - it scans the connecting device for viruses and validates the presence of desktop anti-virus software.
Juniper has produced a free whitepaper on "10 Easy Steps to Secure Tele-Networking." It is available at
http://www.junipertelework.com
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