*CA Technologies has announced the acquisition ofprivately-held 4Base Technology, a virtualization and cloud infrastructureconsulting firm. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 4Base will becomethe CA Virtualization and Cloud Strategy group, a competency practice withinthe CA Services division. With experience in more than 300 engagements, 4Basewill help customers move quickly, pragmatically and successfully fromvirtualization to cloud by providing strategic advice and implementationexpertise. With 4Base, CA Technologies customers can access proven approaches,skills and experience as they begin or continue on the virtualization-to-cloudjourney, significantly reducing risk and accelerating returns.
*Symantec Corp. has completed its acquisition ofVeriSign’s identity and authentication business, which includes the SecureSockets Layer (SSL) and Code Signing Certificate Services, the Managed PublicKey Infrastructure (MPKI) Services, the VeriSign Trust Seal, the VeriSignIdentity Protection (VIP) Authentication Service and the VIP Fraud DetectionService (FDS). Symantec has begun the process to transition to a new corporateidentity incorporating the VeriSign check mark. The external global roll-outwill begin in the December quarter. Integration efforts are expected to provideVeriSign’s SSL Certificate Services with Symantec Critical System Protectionthrough the sales channel and align the VeriSign SSL and client PKI authenticationsservices with Symantec Protection Center (SPC). Symantec aims to strengthenuser access security by expanding Symantec’s Data Loss Prevention solutions andData Insight technology with VeriSign’s identity security services. VeriSign’sidentity and authentication business will become part of the EnterpriseSecurity Group, led by Francis deSouza
*McAfee Inc. unveiled its McAfee Threats Report:Second Quarter 2010, which uncovered that malware has reached its highestlevels, making the first six months of 2010 the most active half-year ever fortotal malware production. At the same time, spam leveled out with only 2.5 percent growth from Q1 2010. There were 10 million new pieces catalogued in thefirst half of this year. Consistent with last quarter, threats on portablestorage devices took the lead for the most popular malware, followed by fakeanti-virus software and social media specific malware. With approximately55,000 new pieces of malware that appear every day, globally AutoRun malwareand password-stealing Trojans round out the Top Two malware threats. Attackersleveraged major events such as the World Cup and Middle East conflicts topoison Internet searches, however the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico wassurprisingly absent from the Top 20 toxic search terms.
*Avnet has announced its fourth quarter and 2010fiscal year-end results. Avnet reported record revenue and earnings per shareresults in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010, fueled by the sharp cyclicalrecovery in the technology markets. The company emerged from the globalrecession stronger, and with increased scale and scope. Avnet’s quarterlyrevenue increased 38.5 per cent year over year to a record US$5.21 billion,with fiscal year 2010 revenue growing by 18.1 per cent year over year to arecord US$19.16 billion. From an Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) perspective,the technology refresh cycle continued to drive better-than-normal seasonalgrowth. ATS sales grew double digits year over year for the third consecutivequarter, and in all three regions. Growth was driven by servers, storage andnetworking products. Operating income margin increased 31 basis pointssequentially and 46 basis points year over year, and return on working capitalwas up 844 basis points over the year-ago quarter and was well above Avnet’sstated target for ATS.
New Products
*OtterBox has released a protective case for theApple iPad as part of its Defender Series and Commuter Series cases. TheDefender Series case for the iPad combines a two-piece polycarbonate shell linedwith soft felt, silicone outer skin and a self-adhering screen protector forrugged protection. An additional polycarbonate cover snaps over the face toprotect the Multi-Touch display or can function as a built-in stand whilebrowsing the web or watching a video. Silicone grip pads on the bottom of thecase prevent the iPad from sliding when sitting on a flat surface. The casealso accommodates the optional dock accessory. The OtterBox Commuter Seriescase is another option. Starting with a self-adhering screen protector, thedevice is then wrapped in durable silicone and fortified with a one piececustom molded polycarbonate shell that snaps perfectly over the outside. Layersnot only safeguard the iPad from unsightly scratches and dings, but also makeit easy to slide out of any backpack or briefcase. The case also featuressnap-off access to the optional iPad dock.
*VMware Inc. launched the Zimbra CollaborationSuite Appliance, an enterprise-class e-mail and collaboration solutiondelivered as a virtual appliance. Designed to run on the VMware vSphereplatform, the Zimbra Appliance helps reduce the cost and complexity ofinfrastructure management. In addition, VMware announced that Zimbra, which itacquired in February 2010, is now fully integrated within VMware. All Zimbraproducts are now available via VMware’s sales and channel partner ecosystem,providing VMware customers and partners full access to Zimbra’s e-mail andcollaboration product suite. The Zimbra Appliance leverages the virtualizationcapabilities of the VMware vSphere platform to enable dynamic provisioning andscalability, high availability, backup, and disaster recovery. As a result,customers can improve service levels by reducing the impact of planned andunplanned hardware downtime. The Zimbra Appliance also features integratedsecurity technologies including a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spam solutions.
*Symantec Corp. has announced new product updatesto its data protection solution, Backup Exec 2010. The latest version enables users to reduceinstallation time through improved Wizards, delivers new in-product guidancefor optimal Windows data recovery, and provides additional platform support,including Microsoft SharePoint 2010. Customers can now install and set-upBackup Exec up to 20 per cent faster through streamlined installation andbackup wizards. Backup Exec 2010provides reliable recovery for Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Exchange 2010 SP1,SQL 2008 R2, Mac OS X 10.6, VMware vSphere 4.1 and enhanced NDMP support. A Product Recommendation Engine alertscustomers to gaps in their backup practices for SQL Exchange, SharePoint,Hyper-V, and Active Directory environments to provide more reliable recovery. Andan integrated RSS reader and in-product renewal assistant provides critical andtimely product updates to ensure Symantec customers have the best set of toolsto easily tune and support their backup environment.
*Innergie, a provider of power adapters, announced thatits complete line of power adapters for use with most consumer electronicproducts will be readily available to consumers in Canada, both online andthrough AVS Technologies. Designed for consumers looking to minimize the numberof power adapters needed to charge several devices, business travelers withlimited space to carry multiple chargers, students, and today's mobile consumerwill all benefit from Innergie’s products. For example, Innergie's mCubePro all-in-one universal laptop adapter can charge nearly any laptop, Netbookor portable device while on the plane, in your car, or just about anywhereelse. Using just the mCube Pro will reduce the number of electroniccables and components necessary to keep you connected. Innergie’s completeline of power adapters will help consumers customize their power supply needswhile reducing power consumption.
