Posts Tagged ‘mobile devices’
Get Ready; Windows Marketplace for Mobile Offers Millions of Potential New Customers
July 14th, 2009 | 
Author: My name is Todd Brix and I am the Senior Director for Mobile Platform Services Product Management at Microsoft. I am on site at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans to talk about Windows Marketplace for Mobile and the terrific opportunity it represents for developers and partners. Given the enthusiasm we’ve seen around Windows Marketplace since we announced it earlier this year, I’m excited to have this opportunity to provide an update and hopefully address some of the feedback we’ve received.In terms of milestones, I’m pleased to report that Windows Marketplace is on schedule to open for submissions in 29 supported countries* on July 27th. We’re already working with a wide range of leading developers for both business and consumer applications and will soon be able to make available a new wave of applications that will be ready for download when Windows Marketplace launches with Windows Mobile 6.5 in the fall. To make things a little more interesting, later this month we’ll also be announcing the details of a developer contest that will kick off at launch.
We’re working hard to create a new experience for mobile users and developers alike; where users can easily discover and confidently purchase and download applications for work, life or play and developers feel good about the submission process and are able to reach a new market for their mobile applications. In fact, we’re announcing today that by the end of 2009 Windows Marketplace will also be available to Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 devices. This means that developers will have an opportunity to reach more than 30 million Windows Mobile devices. To help those millions of business users find what they’re looking for, we’re also unveiling the Windows Marketplace Business Center; a category in Windows Marketplace that will contain mobile business applications across several common industries and line of business functions from leading companies that include Avanade UK, Formotus, Ilium Software, Pyxis Mobile and WebIS. Business Center is another way for our partners to differentiate themselves and showcase their business applications, while making it easier for users to locate and purchase the latest mobile business tools.
(sample view of Windows Marketplace Business Center, subject to change.)
To recap the Windows Marketplace for Mobile announcements at Worldwide Partner Conference:
Application Submission Opens on July 27th: Windows Marketplace will open for application submissions from 29 supported countries July 27.
Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 Support: Windows Marketplace will be available for Windows Mobile 6.0 and 6.1 by the end of 2009 (in addition to Windows Mobile 6.5 at launch in the fall).
Business Center: Windows Marketplace will feature a “Business Center” category for business applications.
Developer Contest: Microsoft will be disclosing the details of a Windows Marketplace developer contest on July 27.
I’ll be on site at the Worldwide Partner Conference today talking to partners and presenting our Windows Marketplace strategy and even offering a brief demonstration on the main stage on Wednesday morning. Throughout the event, I’ll be gathering feedback and doing my best to drive registration and application submissions for July 27th. My team and I are eager to get your feedback and will do our best to address your comments and questions in the days and weeks ahead.
You can also view my video post here on Channel 9.
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and the United States.
Posted in Windows Mobile | 
Tags: amp, application, brazil, business, business applications, developers, line of business, Management, microsoft, Mobile, mobile application, mobile applications, mobile device, mobile devices, mobile platform, mobile users, pda, Software, t mobile, Windows, Windows Mobile, world | 
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Security: 70% of UK organisations have been hit by at least one data breach incident within the last year
The public sector experienced the highest number of data loss incidents in the last year; reporting an average of 4.48 breaches per organisation. Financial services firms were the next most likely to suffer data loss (an average of 3.11 incidents per year); followed by the education sector (2.74), healthcare and pharmaceutical firms (2.65) and the professional services industry (2.52). Faring better were the entertainment, media and defence sectors, none of which reported any data breaches.
Those organisations experiencing the highest number of data loss incidents were the least likely to have introduced a consistently enforced, company-wide strategy governing the use of data encryption technologies. Of the firms reporting more than five loss incidents, none had any kind of encryption strategy in place. In contrast, one third of those companies reporting no data loss incident had instigated an enterprise-wide encryption policy, with a further 36% having introduced a partial strategy to protect certain applications, departmental activities or data types (e.g. credit card numbers).
In response to some high profile cases of lost and stolen laptops, together with the increased business use of smartphones, this year’s study also assessed organisational approaches to encrypting data held on mobile devices. While 51% responded that this was ‘very important’ or ‘important’, 34% of firms believe it is only sometimes necessary to encrypt the confidential data held on portable devices; 13% considered it completely unimportant.
“While the number of breaches is growing, there is increasing appetite for solutions that can alleviate the costly and time consuming task of managing encryption keys across the whole of the organisation,” said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of The Ponemon Institute. “On the whole, UK businesses are looking closely at platform-based encryption solutions – with built in key management capabilities – rather than point solutions supplied by multiple vendors. This doesn’t just make sense from a management or cost point of view. This study clearly illustrates that a unified approach reduces the risk of data loss.”
Despite the rising number of data breaches, UK organisations are aware of the consequences of such incidents, with 61% of respondents stating that data protection played an ‘important’ or ‘very important’ role in an organisation’s overall risk management efforts. 46% felt encryption helped them meet privacy commitments and almost the same number (45%) believed encryption was a critical factor in protecting a company’s reputation. Of the regulations currently impacting firms’ approaches to data encryption, the EU Privacy Directive was considered the most influential, followed by Payment Card Industry (PCI DSS) requirements and then the UK Data Protection Directive. Only 10% singled out the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as the most influential regulator impacting data encryption.
“It’s clear that UK organisations recognise the need to protect customer information and other valuable data assets, but while their intentions may be good, not all of them are doing everything it takes to make this a reality,” said Phillip Dunkelberger, president and CEO of PGP Corporation. “This study underlines the critical importance of implementing an encryption strategy that encompasses all aspects of an organisation’s data, not to just meet privacy or data security regulations but to also protect against brand damage and loss of customer.”
The study found that 57% of UK businesses are using some type of encryption solution in order to protect sensitive information, with the remaining 43% all currently planning to implement encryption technologies. Encryption is most widely used to protect the data held on file servers, Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and databases. VOIP and mainframe encryption are the least deployed applications.
Slightly more organisations (14%) are now using a single platform to deploy and manage encryption across multiple applications than in the previous twelve months (13%). Nearly all of those adopting this approach (90%) reported it enhanced the efficiency and effectiveness of their IT security procedures, while all platform users confirmed this approach improved the management of encryption keys. Key management is a major focus for UK businesses, accounting for 34% of all current spending on encryption. This expenditure is largely expected to deliver a return on investment, with 59% of respondents confident it will reduce the operational costs associated with data protection. A third of organisations are currently exploring the use of a single key management solution to cover their entire operations.
Recent research, also conducted by the Ponemon Institute, found that the average UK data breach costs a total of 1.7 million pounds Sterling; the equivalent of 60 pounds Sterling for every record compromised.
70% of UK Organisations Hit By One or More Data Breach Incidents Within Last Twelve Months
see also Encryption Reports
Posted in Communications |
Tags: amp, application, blog, blogs, business, car, Health, information, laptops, Mac, Management, management efforts, management solution, Mobile, mobile device, mobile devices, Network, reporting, research, smartphone, vpn |
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Liechtenstein: Telecom Liechtenstein is migrating to unified communications
Nortel is integrating Microsoft’s Office Communications Server (OCS) environment with the company’s existing Nortel voice communication infrastructure to enable unified communications applications that will simplify and speed up business operations, improve the way employees communicate and enhance customer service. The new system will enable the 130 employees of Telecom Liechtenstein in Vaduz to determine whether colleagues they wish to contact are available, and then instantly make phone calls, start conference calls and send e-mails and instant messages through a simple mouse ‘click’ on their desktop.
The new unified communications network will also allow employees to securely access the Telecom Liechtenstein corporate network via mobile devices to retrieve information and respond more quickly to enquiries. In a second phase of this implementation, Telecom Liechtenstein plans to offer a hybrid network unified communications solution to enterprise customers in Liechtenstein, Austria and Switzerland.
“With the support of our longstanding partner Nortel, we have been able to simply and inexpensively modernise our internal communication network within a tight project timeframe of only eight weeks,” said Christoph Beck, NGN project manager, Telecom Liechtenstein. “The new OCS environment will enable our employees to not only communicate more efficiently, but also gain experience using new UC applications to better help us roll out UC solutions externally.”
“Telecom Liechtenstein will derive considerable future benefits from the unified communications solutions enabled by our Innovative Communications Alliance,” said Rolf Weidmann, sales director, Service Providers, Nortel. “Unified communications bring speed and simplicity to business processes and improve operations. These new capabilities can also provide Telecom Liechtenstein with new and innovative business opportunities because many small and medium-sized enterprises could use Telecom Liechtenstein’s hybrid service to leverage the productivity enhancements that unified communications offers themselves.”
Nortel also provided system integration services to support implementing Microsoft’s Office Communications Server environment with the Telecom Liechtenstein network upgrade.
Enterprise Innovative Communications Alliance solutions from Nortel and Microsoft span four key areas: Voice, Telephony and Unified Messaging; Unified Communications Integrated Branch; Multimedia Conferencing; and Data Networking. The ICA is delivering new solutions that empower customers to realize the productivity potential of their organization by communications-enabling their business processes. The ICA has chalked up more than 1200 wins with more than 200 Nortel service deployments globally.
Telecom Liechtenstein Selects Nortel for Unified Communications Network
Posted in Communications |
Tags: application, blog, blogs, business, business operation, Business Opportunities, Business Process, Business Processes, Communications, Customer Service, Environment, information, Integration, microsoft, Mobile, mobile device, mobile devices, Network, Networking, service providers, system, upgrade |
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Uganda: Grameen Foundation launches mobile services tailored to the poor with Google and MTN
This launch makes available the first suite of applications resulting from an endeavor initiated by Grameen Foundation 18 months ago called the Application Laboratory (AppLab). The five mobile phone applications provide real-time health and agricultural information and a virtual marketplace for buying and selling goods and services. This field-based program in Uganda is based on an innovative partnership that strategically combines the resources and experience of Grameen Foundation, Google, and MTN.
The suite of five mobile services, provided using Google SMS Search technology and the MTN network, includes Farmer’s Friend, a searchable database with both agricultural advice and targeted weather forecasts; Health Tips which provides sexual and reproductive health information, paired with Clinic Finder, which helps locate nearby health clinics and their services; and Google Trader, which matches buyers and sellers of agricultural produce and commodities as well as other products. The services are SMS-based and designed to work with basic mobile phones to reach the broadest possible audience. Users can access the services quickly and privately at the time of their choosing and search relevant content on-demand, like someone with access to the Internet.
AppLab Uganda, which is located in Kampala and directed by Grameen Foundation’s Technology Center, focuses on creating opportunities for poor people to share and access essential information through innovative uses of mobile phones which are in the hands of over four billion people around the world. The new services in Uganda can be accessed by existing Village Phone Operators (VPOs) who extend service to people without mobile phones as well as by people who have their own phones. VPOs and other trusted intermediaries serve as a bridge between communities who lack access to essential information and the sources that can provide it. Building on the pioneering work of Grameen Telecom in Bangladesh, Grameen Foundation and MTN Uganda launched Village Phone in Uganda in 2004 to expand telecommunications access to poor people.
“AppLab is a great example of innovation from and for the base of the pyramid, bringing relevant, actionable information to communities where access to the Internet is unavailable,” said Alex Counts, president of Grameen Foundation. “Through an approach including sector research, field-based rapid prototyping, extensive interaction with target users, and carefully structured field pilots, we have been able to gain deep insights from the people who benefit directly from using these applications. We are excited to take the next big step — going from an innovative product development approach to scaling proven and sustainable applications across Uganda for the benefit of the poor and poorest.”
The information in the applications was developed in collaboration with key local partners. The Busoga Rural Open Source Development Initiative (BRODSI) provides locally-relevant and actionable agricultural information created and tested by small-holder farmers and designed to meet their needs. For the health application, AppLab works with Marie Stopes Uganda, the local affiliate of a leading service provider for sexual and reproductive health, and Straight Talk Foundation, a Ugandan NGO which specializes in health communication.
Using the Google Trader application, local buyers and sellers, such as small-holder farmers, are able to broaden their trading networks and reduce their transaction costs. AppLab worked with the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, TechnoServe and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation to hone the concept with banana and pineapple farmers in southern Uganda (Mbarara region).
“These sustainable and scalable models put critical information and knowledge directly into the hands of poor people who have access to mobile devices, in an effort to further alleviate poverty,” said Joseph Mucheru, Google’s lead for Sub-Saharan Africa. “This work is significant both for individuals and for the broader regional economy.”
“These services represent the first of what will be many initiatives reaching the segment of our market that has been underserved for a long time,” said Noel Meier, CEO, MTN Uganda. “We are hoping to reach people in rural and disadvantaged communities while we build up a new line of business for the company.”
With the nationwide launch, Innovations for Poverty Action, with the support of Google.org and AppLab, will also conduct a social assessment to determine the effectiveness of the Health Tips service in changing the knowledge, attitudes and behavior of users.
Looking ahead, the Grameen Foundation Application Laboratory will continue to develop applications and related services tailored to the needs of poor communities. It will work on a project basis with technology partners such as Google, mobile operators such as MTN, NGOs, foundations and government entities to develop new applications and innovative services for the poor in Uganda and beyond — working to transform lives through innovation in information access.
Grameen Foundation Launches Mobile Services Tailored to the Poor With Google and MTN Uganda
Posted in Communications |
Tags: amp, apple, application, Audi, blog, blogs, business, car, Commodities, Communications, Culture, Design, google, Health, information, Innovation, Internet, line of business, Mobile, mobile device, mobile devices, mobile operators, mobile phone, mobile phones, mobile services, Network, research, sms, t mobile, Technology, Tips, weather, world |
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WiMAX: most operators are focused on the less capital-intensive fixed and nomadic WiMAX broadband services now to address underserved markets
ANALYST NOTE
“Although WiMAX service strategies differ from operator to operator and from market to market, most operators are focused on the less capital-intensive fixed and nomadic WiMAX broadband services now to address underserved markets seeking ‘wireless DSL,’ and many have formalized plans to migrate to full mobility WiMAX over the next couple of years. VoIP, CPE and device subsidization, and an emphasis on pre-paid and ad-hoc pricing are also integral service components for many operators we interviewed,” said Richard Webb, Infonetics Research’s Directing Analyst for WiMAX, Microwave, and Mobile Devices.
WiMAX SERVICE PROVIDER SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS
59% of respondents plan to offer VoIP over WiMAX services by 2011, indicating the strong potential of voice over WiMAX as an additional high-value revenue stream for operators
An increasing number of GSM operators are entering the WiMAX market, seeking to leverage their trusted consumer brand by offering basic broadband services, and WiMAX offers the more cost-effective delivery option
To move to full mobility WiMAX services, operators must continue to deploy network infrastructure to ensure coverage to support mobility and roaming, and wait for the mobile device ecosystem to become more diverse and affordable for consumers
REPORT SYNOPSIS
Infonetics’ Global WiMAX Service Strategy 2009–2011: Service Provider Survey captures a strategic overview from WiMAX network operators (WiMAX-only, competitive, mobile, and incumbent operators) to better understand how and why WiMAX networks are being deployed, the rationale behind the services offered, the business model, the target markets, and the subscriber and revenue numbers operators are projecting between now and 2011.
Of the operators surveyed, 41% are from Asia Pacific, 36% from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), 18% from North America, and 5% from Central and Latin America (CALA).
Operator survey shows market reality of WiMAX services;
VoIP a key component
Posted in Communications |
Tags: blog, blogs, broadband service, business, business model, consumers, ford, Mobile, mobile device, mobile devices, Network, psi, research, system, wimax, Wireless |
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