While WatchGuard saw a YoY increase in sales across customers of all sizes, Q1 results showed that the XTM 5 Series Unified Threat Management firewall, a solution targeted at mid-sized enterprises, led the charge and continued to be WatchGuard’s top-selling product. In fact, product and attached service billings for mid-sized companies showed 24 percent growth when compared to the first quarter of 2012.

WatchGuard noted a global spike in sales of product and attached services. The Americas saw YoY gains of 26 percent and EMEA gained 16 percent. In addition, the company saw a surge of new customers who replaced legacy security systems with WatchGuard products in Q1. WatchGuard experienced its largest quarter ever in terms of trade-in volume with a 65 percent YoY increase.

“The growth we’ve experienced over the past three months makes it clear that more customers are looking to WatchGuard, not the competition, to safeguard their networks against today’s blended threats,” said Richard Barber, CFO at WatchGuard Technologies. “We have completely revamped our core product offering in just a little more than a year and there is more to come.”

On the heels of a successful quarter for the XTM 5 Series, SC Magazine named the product “Best SME Security Solution” at their 2013 Europe Awards presentation last week. These annual awards recognize security professionals and vendors that deliver innovative security services and technologies. The first quarter of 2013 also resulted in multiple awards and top ratings from industry sources, honoring excellence in the company’s partner program and in its products. WatchGuard was recognized with awards from CRN and Info Security Product Guide, and it also achieved a five-star review of its XTM product from SC Magazine. You can read more about these industry recognitions here.

About WatchGuard Technologies, Inc.
Since 1996, WatchGuard® Technologies, Inc. has been a global leader of business security solutions that intelligently combine industry standard hardware, Best-in-Class security features, and policy-based management tools. WatchGuard provides easy-to-use but enterprise-powerful protection to hundreds of thousands of businesses worldwide. The WatchGuard family of Smart Firewalls provides; smart security through seamless integration of multiple security services; smart management by providing a single console for deploying and maintaining services; and smart performance to ensure that customers of all sizes can securely operate at the pace of business. WatchGuard products are backed by WatchGuard LiveSecurity® Service, an innovative support program. WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Wash. with offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. To learn more, visit www.watchguard.com.

Under the MoU, Tata Industries through its wholly owned overseas subsidiary will be the lead investor in Ramot’s US$ 20 million Technology Innovation Momentum Fund, which will invest in promising breakthrough technologies. Technologies with significant commercial potential will be selected by committees comprising Global Domain experts and Tata representatives, who will drive the process to translate such innovations into licensing opportunities for Industry.

Tata Industries promotes the Tata group’s entry into new and high-technology businesses. It has initiated and promoted several Tata ventures in sectors like control systems, IT, auto components, advanced materials, telecom hardware and services. The Tata group, which champions deployment of technology for consumer-centric benefits, operates in seven business sectors: materials, engineering, IT and communications, energy, services, consumer products and chemicals.

Mr. Shlomo Nimrodi, the CEO of Ramot, commented, “Being a lead investor, Tata will be able to see a pipeline of technologies. They will have an option to commercialize certain promising opportunities from Tel Aviv University (TAU). The diversity of innovation at TAU, coupled with Tata’s uncompromising commitment, creates a major opportunity to impact communities across the world.”

Mr. K. R. S. Jamwal, Executive Director of Tata Industries, said, “Tata has taken the decision to partner with Ramot and TAU with a desire to enhance capabilities of Tata companies and leverage technology as a differentiator for our businesses. An extensive due diligence process was conducted by CTOs from major Tata companies prior to this MoU and we were encouraged by the technological leadership, the passion and the commitment demonstrated by TAU. During this process, the Tata team was exposed to more than 70 promising innovations and had the opportunity to interact with leading scientists at TAU.”

Commenting on the development, the TAU President Prof. Joseph Klafter, said, “We are extremely proud that Tata has selected TAU as its partner for innovation. Our joint initiative sets an example for others to follow. The MoU demonstrates TAU’s long-term commitment to enhancing India-Israel relations. TAU pioneered the prestigious India-Israel Forum in 2007 with CII and Aspen India and this endeavor is bearing substantial fruits.”

About the Tata group:

The Tata group comprises over 100 operating companies in seven business sectors: communications and information technology, engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products and chemicals. The group has operations in more than 80 countries across six continents, and its companies export products and services to 85 countries. The total revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $100.09 billion (around Rs475,721 crore) in 2011-12, with 58 percent of this coming from business outside India. Tata companies employ over 450,000 people worldwide. The Tata name has been respected in India for more than 140 years for its adherence to strong values and business ethics. Every Tata company or enterprise operates independently. Each of these companies has its own board of directors and shareholders, to whom it is answerable. There are 32 publicly listed Tata enterprises and they have a combined market capitalisation of about $94.06 billion (as on April 11, 2013), and a shareholder base of 3.8 million. The major Tata companies are Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Teleservices, Titan, Tata Communications and Indian Hotels.

About Ramot at Tel Aviv University Ltd.

Ramot is Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company and its liaison to industry, bringing promising scientific innovations made at the university to commercialize with industry. The company provides the legal and commercial frameworks for inventions made by TAU faculty, students and researchers, protecting discoveries and innovations with patents and working jointly with industry to bring scientific innovations to the market.

About the India-Israel Forum

This annual gathering draws together policy makers and captains of industry in order to explore areas of bi-lateral collaboration. The Forum is a joint endeavor promoted by Aspen Institute India, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Support for the Forum has been provided by the Pears Foundation, Stanley and Marion Bergman Family Charitable Trust, the Aimwell Trust and a few corporate sponsorships including Tata.

• New VDK accelerates software development, system integration and test, fault and coverage testing
• Synopsys® VDK includes virtual prototype of the Freescale® Qorivva® MPC5643L MCU, extendable to support all Qorivva MCUs
• Seamless integration with tools such as Mathworks’ Simulink, Synopsys’ Saber and Vector’s CANoe enable development of automotive systems supporting ISO 26262
• Plug-and-play integration with the most popular third-party software debuggers allows use of familiar development environments
• Multi-year agreement with Freescale enables automotive developers to access MCU models from Synopsys

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS), a global leader providing software, IP and services used to accelerate innovation in chips and electronic systems, today announced the availability of Synopsys’ Virtualizer™ Development Kit (VDK) for Freescale Semiconductor’s Qorivva microcontroller (MCU) family to accelerate the development of automotive control applications in powertrain/hybrid, chassis/safety and body electronic control units (ECUs). The VDK for Freescale’s Qorivva MCU family is a software development kit that includes: virtual prototypes of the Qorivva MCU family; software development tools; built-in support for integration with Mathworks’ Simulink, Synopsys’ Saber and Vector’s CANoe simulation tools; and sample code and scripts supporting a broad range of automotive software development use cases. By using the new VDK for Qorivva MCUs, automotive engineers can start software development, integration and test tasks prior to ECU availability, shaving months off development schedules and increasing the system reliability. Increased fault and coverage testing in support of the ISO 26262 safety standard is also achieved through earlier testing with VDKs. The VDK for Freescale’s Qorivva MCU family seamlessly integrates with third- party debuggers and automotive development tools, allowing software developers to use their familiar development environment.

VDKs enable automotive developers to start software development before the physical ECU is available, accelerating the system integration and fault and coverage testing necessary to address the challenges created by the increasing software content, system complexity and safety certification requirements in automotive ECUs. Synopsys’ VDK for Freescale’s Qorivva MCU family gives designers full system visibility and control to accelerate the debug, analysis and testing of software running on Qorivva MCUs, resulting in higher product quality and containment of rising development costs.

“Our automotive customers are more focused than ever on quality, development schedules and costs. Virtual prototypes enable them to start their development earlier as well as improve quality through more and better testing,” said Ray Cornyn, vice president of automotive microcontroller products at Freescale. “By working closely with Synopsys, we are making it easier for our Qorivva MCU users to realize the benefits of VDKs for accelerating their systems development.”

The Synopsys VDK for Freescale’s Qorivva MCU family includes a reference virtual prototype for the Qorivva MCU family. This reference virtual prototype represents a complete microcontroller that includes multiple CPU cores, timers, memories, communication blocks such as LIN or CAN, and analog and error control modules to enable immediate deployment. The collaboration between Synopsys and Freescale gives automotive designers a “one-stop shop” for virtual prototypes that represent their actual systems. In addition, designers can easily customize Synopsys’ VDKs for device-specific requirements and to create additional VDKs for other MCUs in the Qorivva MCU family with the Virtualizer tool set.

“Synopsys’ automotive VDKs empower OEMs and tier-one suppliers to enhance their embedded software development processes by starting earlier, improving productivity and enabling more and better testing in support of safety standards such as ISO 26262,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and systems at Synopsys. “The Synopsys VDK for Freescale’s Qorivva MCU family was designed to address the unique needs of automotive software engineers, easily integrating with their existing development environments and providing all the necessary models and tools to accelerate the development and debug of embedded software targeted for automotive ECUs.”

Availability & Resources
The VDK for Freescale Qorivva MCUs is available immediately from Synopsys. Learn more about the Freescale VDK:

• http://www.synopsys.com/Systems/VirtualPrototyping/Virtualizer-Development/vdk-freescale/Pages/default.aspx

About Synopsys
Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:SNPS) accelerates innovation in the global electronics market. As a leader in electronic design automation (EDA) and semiconductor IP, its software, IP and services help engineers address their design, verification, system and manufacturing challenges. Since 1986, engineers around the world have been using Synopsys technology to design and create billions of chips and systems. Learn more at http://www.synopsys.com.

Much like the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement, consumers are a key driver of M2M technology initiatives and services in global markets. When it comes to embracing BYOD, China emerged as the leader among the countries surveyed, with 56 percent of ITDMs there stating their company embraces BYOD and provides productivity apps for one or more mobile platforms. The survey results found that most ITDMs in all six countries view M2M as the natural evolution of the “consumerization of IT,” with India and China at 92 percent and 90 percent respectively. The majority of Brazilian, German, UK and US ITDMs agreed, with a combined average of 81 percent.

“The number of ‘things’ connected to the internet is expected to reach 50 billion by 2020¹ and consumers are playing a central role in this transformation,” said Sanjay Poonen, president of Technology Solutions and Mobile Division, SAP. “Today, M2M technology is primarily being used to collect vast amounts of machine data. The ‘Internet of Things’ goes one step further by integrating data from machines, ERP, CRM systems, social media and more, in real time, allowing humans to intelligently interact with devices, devices with devices and devices back to humans – the ultimate social media collaboration of man and machine. This vision requires a technology infrastructure that can handle big data, analytics and mobility in the cloud securely – something SAP is uniquely able to deliver.”

Looking beyond the benefits of an individual consumer or company, pluralities from all six countries surveyed said that smart cities would be the coolest possible outcome of M2M: China (35 percent), Brazil (35 percent), Germany (30 percent), India (27 percent), US (25 percent) and UK (21 percent).

“Our vision of the ‘Networked Society, where anything that benefits from being connected will be connected, is supported by our global platforms in machine-to-machine communications,” said Douglas Gilstrap, senior vice president and head of Strategy, Ericsson. “This will lead to new, innovative business models from connected vending machines and automobiles to connected homes and cities. High volumes of data can be transformed into in-depth knowledge for real-time decision-making. Companies like SAP and Ericsson are actively uniting work and living environments that were previously separate, bringing deeper engagement to the interactions between cities, municipalities, businesses, institutions, associations and citizens. Ultimately this will boost life satisfaction and economic growth.”

Global Alignment on the Power of M2M
Survey respondents in all six countries expressed a strong belief in M2M representing a natural step in the evolution of technology and widely agree with the need for, and benefits of, the broader adoption of M2M. In fact, an average of 70 percent of the ITDMs in all six countries surveyed agree that companies that fail to implement M2M technologies will fall behind their competitors. This is likely due to most ITDMs from the countries surveyed perceiving tangible benefits of M2M, including:

• Giving companies greater insight into their business: China (96 percent), India (88 percent), Brazil (86 percent), Germany (79 percent), US (74 percent) and UK (61 percent)
• Enabling businesses to respond to real world events: China (92 percent), India (86 percent), Brazil (82 percent), Germany (82 percent), US (78 percent) and UK (73 percent)

Those surveyed also view the following as presenting the biggest opportunities for M2M in the workplace:

• Increased efficiency was the No. 1 response in Brazil (54 percent), UK (53 percent) and US (49 percent)
• Increased productivity for employees was the top selection in China (69 percent), significantly higher than any other countries surveyed
• Increased employee collaboration was the No. 1 opportunity in Germany (63 percent)
• Increased mobility among the workforce was the biggest opportunity in India (65 percent)

Obstacles to M2M
Before any of the opportunities and benefits can be fully realized, an overwhelming majority of those surveyed in all six countries cited at least one obstacle to M2M adoption. ITDMs from all countries except China were most likely to see a lack of expertise needed to manage the adoption and security of M2M as presenting the biggest impediment to adoption: India (66 percent), Brazil (62 percent), US (57 percent), Germany (56 percent) and UK (50 percent). In China, while a substantial majority of ITDMs still cited a lack of expertise as the biggest obstacle (63 percent), a slightly higher proportion said “how to manage and analyze all the real time data resulting from M2M” (65 percent).

“The benefits of M2M are undeniable but there are barriers toward the adoption of M2M solutions, such as the lack of complete multi-industry offerings, management, security and big data issues, and deficiency of suitable global connectivity solutions that are needed by multinational enterprises,” said Poonen. “SAP is one of the only companies at the nexus of mobile, big data and cloud with the ability to turn the huge amounts of data into instant wisdom and deliver best in class ‘Internet of Things’ solutions for consumers and enterprises.”

ITDMs from all six countries were also emphatic that the availability of broadband infrastructure, such as LTE/4G, will be instrumental in allowing M2M technologies to flourish in the future: US (91 percent), China (91 percent), India (91 percent), Germany (88 percent), UK (87 percent) and Brazil (85 percent). ITDMs themselves, however, will most likely not serve as a barrier to the success of M2M as majorities in nearly all countries surveyed acknowledge that M2M will have an impact on the workforce (average of 62 percent for the combined six countries) and yet a majority are not concerned about a disruption due to M2M (average of 55 percent).

For a closer look, see: “Infographic: How The Internet Of Things Is Raising Your IQ.” For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.

¹Berg Insight, “The Global Wireless M2M Market” report, Tobias Ryberg, April 2012

About the Survey
The survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive on behalf of SAP among 751 IT decision makers (ITDMs) in Brazil (n=126), China (n=125), Germany (n=125), India (n=125), the United Kingdom (n=125) and the United States (n=125) between January 15 and February 1, 2013. For the purposes of this study, an “IT decision maker” (ITDM) is defined as an adult (age 18+) who is currently employed, either full- or part-time, has at least some influence in the selection of voice, data, and mobile telecommunications services and works at a company of the following size for each country: Brazil (75 million reais), China (10 billion CNY), Germany (100 million EUR), India (500 crores), UK (100 million GBP), US ($500 million). Total sample data in each country are weighted by number of employees to be representative of companies with the aforementioned minimum revenue in each country.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 238,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

In a world seemingly too hectic and ‘noisy’ for most to bother, these small – yet effective – gestures add up. It puts you in a minority that shows a caring attitude and, certainly, it’s the first step to building effective rapport.

There are more opportunities to adopt simple techniques. I call them ‘tactical engagement strategies.‘ You see, when most cite “engage!” and encourage us to strategise – which of course is important – there’s a tendency to inadvertently join the crowd.

Our world is certainly a crowded and noisy place. The on-line word is no exception.

So, with the ‘buzz’, not to mention the incessant hype from many quarters about on-line marketing, you need to outsmart. By this, I don’t mean everyone being a smarty pants!

Here’s what I mean: Take LinkedIn for example.

There you are, still sitting in front of your screen at 6pm on a midweek evening. All of a sudden, one of the best recommendations you’ve received pops up on LinkedIn from a customer. When will you accept that written recommendation? Having asked many business people, I can share with you that the vast majority would accept it there and then.

By being tactical, thank your customer there and then, however hold back on accepting that well earned recommendation until a weekday morning. Around 8.30am to 9am would be ideal. Why? Well you want to flaunt that recommendation. You worked hard for it after all, so why not? Accepting it at peak time, (when many of your LinkedIn connections are logging into LinkedIn, not logging off), optimises the opportunity for your connections to see it on their network update stream. Sure, your recommendation will stay on your LinkedIn profile, however by adopting this simple tactic, you’re increasing the probability for others to see your worth!

Do you feel you deserve more written recommendations? Ok, ask! Step forward and ask your customer(s) to drop you a line. If they do, not only thank them, however value they took the time to write one, especially in a world that seems more time-bound.

There are many other tactics like this you can apply when on-line I share in my book, ACCELerate™ Your Social Media, helping busy professionals realise return on investment is a realistic and practical way.

Being strategic is one thing. Being able to outsmart, not just your competitors, but the noise out there is an entirely different matter.

John Coupland, author of ‘ACCELerate™ Your Social Media’, is a multi-award winning e-Business & Networking Professional. John has over 25 years of award-winning experience in retail and account management, with over 18 years in e-business. He left the corporate world in 2009 and founded and runs a number of influential social networking groups, consisting of thousands of business owners, alongside his business, @networkerplus Social Media. He helps businesses with their social media strategies, speaks at events and also runs on-line campaigns for SMEs and leading brands.

http://www.networkerplus.net

http://www.ACCELerateYourSocialMedia.com (Book)

Ethertronics’ EtherModule 1.0 offers a highly modular and optimized wideband self-tunable antenna solution for wireless vendors designing M2M products. As a turnkey, plug-and-play, active antenna system module, EtherModule 1.0 combines Ethertronics’ advanced antenna architecture with its EtherChip 1.0™ tunable capacitor for easy integration by wireless product designers – minimizing the need for additional engineering design and getting products to market faster. Its compact size and ability to cover a wide range of frequency needs – from 100 MHz up to several GHz covering 2G, 3G, 4G cellular as well as Bluetooth, ISM, WiFi and ZigBee bands – make it ideal for M2M devices.

“On behalf of the Ethertronics team, I would like to thank CTIA, judges of the E-Tech Awards and our peers in the industry for recognizing our EtherModule 1.0 solution as a significant innovation in the wireless industry,” said Laurent Desclos, president and CEO at Ethertronics. “By combining expertise from our three divisions – antennas, systems and chips –we are able to provide designers with a way to differentiate their products and stand-out in a competitive market.”

Nearly 300 entries were judged by a panel of highly respected industry experts, reporters and analysts. Submissions were scored on innovation, functionality, technological importance, implementation and overall “wow” factor. E-Tech winners, including Best in Show and Online Pick will be announced at the awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 22 at 2:00 p.m. PDT at CTIA’s Exhibit Innovations Stage on the trade show floor within CTIA World, booth #5646.

To learn more about EtherModule 1.0, visit http://ethertronics.com/products/M2M/.

Between now and May 20, website visitors may vote for the “Best Online Pick” at www.ctiashow.com/awards. CTIA 2013 show attendees will vote on-site via text message for entries in the E-Tech Awards display to win “Best in Show.”

To get smarter about CTIA 2013 or to register, visit www.ctia2013.com.

“Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments for Duchenne; however, there are several potential therapies in development and currently in clinical trials,” notes Pat Furlong, founding president and CEO of PPMD. “It’s essential that patients and their families have ongoing access to information on the latest clinical trials. We’re proud to bring this new resource to the Duchenne community.”

The app was developed with the goal of filling a need for the Duchenne community and developed with the experts at PPMD.

Especially for rare disorders, enrolling enough patients in a clinical trial can be challenging. “With the explosive growth of mobile devices, people are using their smartphones to access information 24/7 whenever and wherever they need it,” says Wendy White, founder and president of Siren Interactive. “This app will make it easier for Duchenne families to find the right resources. We’re also very pleased to be able to support the amazing work of PPMD.”

About Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy
Duchenne is a fatal genetic disorder that slowly robs young men of their muscle strength. Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD) is the largest, most comprehensive nonprofit organization in the United States focused on finding a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy—our mission is to end Duchenne.

We invest deeply in treatments for this generation of young men affected by Duchenne and in research that will benefit future generations. We advocate in Washington, DC, and have secured hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. We demand optimal care, and we strengthen, unite, and educate the global Duchenne community.

Everything we do—and everything we have done since our founding in 1994—helps boys with Duchenne live longer, stronger lives. We will not rest until every young man has a treatment to end Duchenne. Go to www.ParentProjectMD.org for more information or to learn how you can support our efforts and help families affected by Duchenne.

About Siren Interactive
Siren Interactive is a digital relationship marketing agency focused exclusively on addressing the challenges and unmet needs of patients, caregivers, and physicians dealing with chronic rare disorders. Because of this expertise, the agency can drive new patient starts and lifelong adherence to therapies for its biopharmaceutical clients. A recipient of the 2011 Manny Heart Award, Siren Interactive is the nation’s first and only marketing agency with dual regulatory compliance certification for Patient Relationship Marketing and Internet Promotion/Social Media. The agency was founded in 1999 as a woman-owned business and has been on the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest growing private companies in the US since 2010. Visit http://www.sireninteractive.com.

Emergent’s solutions will be available to the Government through ECS III Contract # HHSN263999900464I. Leading IT providers, such as Adobe, Google, Red Hat, and Symantec are available on the contract along with other solutions in Mobility, Collaboration, Open Source, Security and Cloud Computing.

ECS III streamlines ordering and procedures to save time, money and resources for all federal agencies acquiring hardware, software, networking and telecommunications equipment, scientific research stations, warranty, support, and maintenance. ECS III provides agencies with a secure, web-based RFQ system for delivery order competition, management, awardee selection and notification. Delivery orders are placed directly by agency with end-to-end management by the procuring Contracting Officer. Customized terms, conditions and additional products and services can be easily added to delivery orders. ECS III fees do not to exceed .5% with a $10,000 cap per delivery order, modification or exercise of option. ECS III offers a 1-hour response to any contractual, technical or procedural question and free on-site training.

Agencies can use ECS III to procure IT products and services from simple commercial hardware and software items to integrated applications and enterprise services to strategic sourcing efforts.

“The Office of Management and Budgets is recommending GWACS and Schedules to agencies in order for them to save money through IT Strategic Sourcing,” says Greg Christensen, President of Emergent. Adding the ECS III GWAC to our existing contract vehicle portfolio enhances our ability to offer strategic sourcing solutions to federal agencies.”

An overview of the ECS III contract can be found at: http://nitaac.nih.gov/nitaac/contracts/ecs-iii

About Emergent

Emergent is an award winning Value Added Reseller (VAR) and GSA Schedule Holder (GS-35F-0119W) providing comprehensive IT solutions including product acquisition, consulting and training services. The company specializes in total solutions solving business challenges leveraging its unique specializations in the areas of Business Intelligence, Collaboration, Cloud Computing, Security and Open Source. Emergent offers complimentary technology solutions with strategic vendor partners including Adobe, Cisco, Google, Red Hat, Symantec and VeriSign, among others within the government, commercial, education and healthcare sectors. For more information, visit http://www.emergent360.com

The Defense Security Service (DSS) instituted the award two years ago to recognize the cleared defense contractor that best demonstrates the ability to stop foreign theft of sensitive and classified information and technology.

DSS Director Stanley L. Sims said DRS Technologies earned the award for 2012 by demonstrating “an unrivaled commitment” to security.

“The quality and timeliness of reporting of security-related information reflect the commitment to compliance that DRS employees have and the proactive stance the company has taken to partner with the U.S. government to maintain the highest levels of security,” Sims said.

In a series of DSS assessments, some 90% of DRS facilities where employees handle classified content received a “superior” rating, the highest level granted, compared with a national average of just 8% superior.

DRS CEO and former U.S. Deputy Secy. of Defense William J. Lynn said compliance with security requirements is one of the most critical responsibilities of any company in the defense industry. “Our warfighters are counting on U.S. industry to maintain the technological edge they deserve to ensure their own safety as they defend us around the world,” Lynn said.

The DSS Counterintelligence Directorate is responsible for evaluating defense contractors’ compliance with a wide range of security regulations and procedures. To select the recipient of the Defense Security Service Award for Excellence in Counterintelligence, they consider best practices, results and whether the corporate culture promotes vigilance.

About DRS Technologies

The DRS security compliance program includes online and in-person employee training. The company encourages rapid reporting of suspicious activity through a number of channels, including a 24-hour/per day service hotline.

DRS Technologies is a leading supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and prime contractors worldwide. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Finmeccanica SpA (FNC.MI), which employs 70,000 people worldwide.

“After this latest round, where the system hit and killed 100 percent of the shots in a very demanding test series, the only rational conclusion is that the system simply works,” said Keith Brendley, CEO of Artis, LLC, developer of Iron Curtain. “We proved not only that Iron Curtain defeats threats and saves lives, but the risk from collateral damage is minimal, especially when compared with the alternative.”

Brendley said that the system protects military vehicles and other assets by intercepting threats such as rocket-propelled grenades inches from the vehicle and rendering them inert, even if the threat was fired from extremely close range. Iron Curtain uses two independent sensors, radar and optical, high-speed computing, and tightly controlled countermunitions to minimize the false alarm rate and provide extraordinary system effectiveness and reliability.

“In addition to these compelling test results, Iron Curtain has an approved safety architecture as unanimously recommended by the Joint Services Weapons Safety Review Board. These accomplishments along with our cost studies show that this system is affordable and ready to integrate today,” said Brendley.

The system’s radar was developed by Mustang Technology Group in Plano, Texas. BAE Systems integrated the system onto a combat vehicle as a system demonstrator for government testing.

Mark Signorelli, a BAE Systems executive, said, “We evaluated many active protection systems. Iron Curtain was selected because of its test history, maturity, robust capability against many types of threats, and safety to personnel outside the vehicle. Clearly, the outstanding result from these tests vindicates our decision. The BAE protection systems team picked the best APS in the market, and then did an excellent job in integrating it with our platform.”

Retired Army Gen. Walter “Skip” Sharp, former head of U.S. and U.N. forces in Korea, said, “The threat posed by small rockets and missiles is very real in places such as Korea and around the globe. When I first heard how Iron Curtain shoots down threats just inches from the vehicle, my reaction was, ‘No way!’ But after I examined the data and witnessed a live fire demonstration, I was convinced. It defeats a real threat, and I can’t see any technical, safety or affordability reason why this shouldn’t be deployed today and save lives.”

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Expeditionary Warfare, Brian Detter, said, “This is clearly a life-saving technology, and the testing demonstrates it is ready to be included in existing ground vehicles and those under development, such as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. Currently, there is no plan to include APS, and modifications can be made which preserves this capability at very little cost.”

About Artis, LLC

Artis is privately held and a partially owned subsidiary of Plasan U.S. Founded in 1999, the company specializes in advanced concept development of technology supporting defense and security markets. Its focus includes advanced real-time information systems, with an emphasis on distributed sensor and actuation networks operating at extremely high speeds.

President and CEO, Barry Sloane said, “Despite an improved lending environment and recent highs in the equity market, the small business economy continues to limp along without much growth or momentum. We still see a lack of business confidence, particularly in the areas of weaker retail sales and anemic to negative small business formations. Entrepreneurial spirit and business confidence is lacking in the small business economy to make any major difference and contribution to the overall economy.”

About Newtek Business Services, Inc.

Newtek Business Services, The Small Business Authority®, provides the following products and services:

• Newtek Advantage™: Mobile real-time operating platform for business intelligence. The Newtek Advantage™ puts all critical business transactions in real-time. Access data on your smartphone, tablet, laptop or PC as it relates to eCommerce for credit/ debit transactions, website statistics, payroll, insurance and business loans.
• Electronic Payment Processing: eCommerce, electronic solutions to accept non-cash payments, including credit and debit cards, check conversion, remote deposit capture, ACH processing, and electronic gift and loyalty card programs.
• Managed Technology Solutions (Cloud Computing): Full-service web host, which offers eCommerce solutions, shared and dedicated web hosting and related services including domain registration and online shopping cart tools.
• eCommerce: A suite of services that enable small businesses to get up and running on-line quickly and cost effectively, with integrated web design, payment processing and shopping cart services.
• Business Lending: Broad array of lending products including SBA 7(a) and SBA 504 loans.
• Insurance Services: Commercial and personal lines of insurance, including health and employee benefits in all 50 states, working with over 40 insurance carriers.
• Web Services: Customized web design and development services.
• Data Backup, Storage and Retrieval: Fast, secure, off-site data backup, storage and retrieval designed to meet the specific regulatory and compliance needs of any business.
• Accounts Receivable Financing: Receivable purchasing and financing services.
• Payroll: Complete payroll management and processing services.

Newtek Business Services, Inc., The Small Business Authority, is a direct distributor of a wide range of business services and financial products to the small- and medium-sized business market under the Newtek^® brand. Since 1999, Newtek has helped small- and medium-sized business owners realize their potential by providing them with the essential tools needed to manage and grow their businesses and to compete effectively in today’s marketplace. Newtek provides its services to over 100,000 business accounts and has positioned the Newtek^® brand as a one-stop-shop provider of such business services. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are over 27.5 million small businesses in the United States, which in total represent 99.7% of all employer firms.

“Chicago magazine is already known as a premium destination for news and information about restaurants in greater Chicagoland,” said Sean McClure, co-founder & VP of strategy at TableSAVVY. “With TableSAVVY, we can help satisfy their audiences’ hunger and spontaneity, as well as help restaurants efficiently manage reservations and offer seating opportunities easily and instantly. It’s the perfect partnership.”

Eager diners can sign up for TableSAVVY at chicagomag.com to review their options. Restaurants already on board include the Levy Group (Spiaggia, Cafe Spiaggia, Fulton‘s, Bar Toma), Rockit Ranch (Sunda, Rockit, Rockit Burger Bar, AyChiwowa, Dragon Ranch), Element Collective Group (Nellcote, RM Champagne, Old Town Social), and Prasino, to name a few.

“We know that our readers love exploring the fine dining available throughout Chicago,” says Rich Gamble, general manager/publisher of Chicago magazine. “It’s our job to help them navigate the best the city has to offer, not only through our content but also through various solutions like TableSAVVY. We like the concept, are proud supporters of all things Chicago, and are excited to champion such entrepreneurial efforts coming out of 1871′s digital start-up hub.”

The TableSAVVY partnership is just one of many recent digital initiatives from Chicago magazine. Earlier this year, the publication launched a “Best of Dining and Drinking“ mobile app for iPhones and Android devices and a tablet app, available in the Apple iTunes Store and coming soon to Google Play. The tablet app is a one-stop shop showcasing Chicago‘s Web-exclusive content, curating the top Chicago social-media conversations, and housing the digital version of the magazine. The free app allows subscribers to read the digital replica of the print magazine. Non-subscribers can access the app’s digital-only content, with single-issue purchases also available. In February, Chicago also launched a partnership with Gold Star, giving readers of their culture pages greater access to tickets for cultural events.

In an ever-changing industry, Chicago‘s mission is to deliver experiences to readers beyond the pages of the magazine, while demonstrating and maintaining a continued commitment to high-quality journalism, as shown most recently by the magazine’s finalist nominations in 3 national, 7 city/regional, and 14 local journalism awards competitions. Winners of the journalism competitions will be announced in May.

For more information about TableSAVVY, contact support@TableSAVVY.com.

About Chicago magazine
Chicago magazine is the largest monthly city magazine in the country, with a circulation of more than 150,000.

About Chicago Tribune Media Group
Chicago Tribune Media Group publishes the Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Tribune as well as related print and interactive media serving Chicagoland such as RedEye, Hoy, Triblocal, TheMash, chicagotribune.com, triblocal.com and metromix.com.

For more information about Chicago magazine, visit www.chicagomag.com/press

The patent relates to the use of heat generated infrared signals to produce high contrast images of banknotes which reveal new information on the levels of soiling and particularly void free tears and tapes which are beyond the resolution of current optical inspection technologies employed by central banks.

Today the primary methods for evaluation of the fitness of banknotes rely on various types of optical imaging to determine excess wear and damage. These high speed camera systems produce images for examination but are often incapable of detecting severe creasing, pinholes, and transparent tape used for repairing torn notes. Spectra’s technology represents an entirely new approach to sensing wear and damage and given the high volume of banknotes in circulation; the slightest improvement can affect a dramatic benefit in quality and cost.

“We are pleased to once again be bringing breakthrough technology to the centuries old banknote industry,” said Nabil Lawandy, CEO of Spectra Systems Corporation. “The accurate determination of banknote fitness is of critical importance for maintaining the quality of banknotes in circulation as well as controlling spending on replacement orders.”

About Spectra

Spectra Systems, headquartered in Providence, RI, is a leading provider of machine-readable banknote authentication technology and transaction security software with manufacturing and engineering facilities in East Providence, RI and Vancouver, BC Canada. Spectra Systems is a traded company on the London Stock exchange since July of 2011.

Gregory Kennedy, VP Marketing, TapSense comments: “It’s great news that UDID is finally being phased out and marketers should be excited about the new IFA alternative, which has been available since the release of iOS 6 last year. For a long time, many advertisers have found themselves in a legal gray area as the compliance guidelines have been unclear. Marketers now have the clarity they have been looking for and we anticipate advertising on iOS to increase significantly because of this.”

Apple’s IFA alternative is built into iOS 6 and users can opt out of any tracking method by changing a setting at the device level. The device level solution also puts iOS ahead of the PC web, where legal compliance with ad tracking has to be handled on a site-by-site basis via cookies.

Now that Apple’s IFA is available for marketers, TapSense offers the following tips on how to get the most out of app conversion tracking:

1. Understand user Lifetime Value (LTV): Conversion tracking lets you understand an acquired user’s LTV and focus on getting users who spend in your app.
2. Avoid Software Development Kit (SDK) conflict: With one conversion tracking SDK in your app you can avoid the headaches of managing multiple SDKs.
3. Work with multiple publishers: With conversion tracking in place you can easily work with new publishers, ad networks and other third parties.
4. Acquisition deduplication: Don’t pay twice for the same user from different networks. Conversion tracking attributes users to the right source.
5. Focus on iOS: With the legal gray area surrounding UDID now clarified, you can track all your advertising campaigns with confidence.
6. Get better ROI: With conversion tracking you can optimize your marketing by channel and creative to reduce your cost per acquisition.
7. Improve your product: Follow users through the conversion funnel and identify the drop off points so your team can correct them.
8. Get back to marketing: With Apple’s IFA and the right conversion tracking in place, marketers can stop worrying about tech issues and get back to doing what they do best – marketing.

TapSense is happy to answer questions from marketers and provide consulting on how to make their analytics and mobile marketing work with Apple’s IFA. Questions should be directed to help@tapsense.com.

For more information on TapSense, please visit: http://www.tapsense.com

For more information or an interview with a senior TapSense executive, please contact:

Dan Gamble
Hotwire PR
1-415-971-7938
Dan.gamble@hotwirepr.com

About TapSense
TapSense creates tools to make mobile marketing simple. Their flagship product, M3 Cloud, is an enterprise platform that allows marketers to do conversion tracking, monitor multi-channel funnel analytics and optimize campaigns directly to revenue. TapSense boasts over 40 customers, including: Fab, Trulia, HotelTonight, Poshmark, Pocket Gems, and Tiny Co.

TapSense was founded in 2011 and is based in San Francisco, California.

To learn more, visit: www.tapsense.com