dhc Advises on IT Budget Investment

Following the recent Economist Intelligence Unit survey of companies and their IT budgets, dhc, provider of integrated software solutions, is today advising organisations to recognise the benefits of investing in Client Relationship Management (CRM) tools to maintain and improve their competitive position. The results highlighted that 63% of UK and Irish companies surveyed are likely to increase their IT budgets in 2010 with 41% of firms stating that CRM software would receive “significant investment.”

Despite the economic climate causing IT budget cuts across many organisations and industries, businesses are still focused on increased customer retention and profitability. With this in mind, Surrey-based dhc is emphasising the need for companies to drive business growth whilst managing costs, and encouraging managers to deploy CRM solutions that allow seamless and secure delivery of business profitability.

“Every business is different, so flexibility and functionality is paramount to success,” said dhc’s Director, Matt Garman. “By deploying CRM solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, forward thinking companies will be able to make informed decisions in order to strengthen and improve their current customer relationships whilst embarking on new leads during the current economic conditions.”

For further information please contact dhcpr@mccint.com

Emerging Technology Workshop To Educate Managers On The Business And Productivity Benefits Of IT

dhc, a provider of integrated software solutions, is today inviting business managers to attend the Emerging Technology workshop on 13th January 2010. Held in partnership with The FD Centre and ramsac, the free-to-attend event aims to take a straight-talking, non-technical approach to the opportunities and operational efficiencies that IT can deliver to SMEs.

Explains dhc’s Director, Matt Garman, “Today’s abundance of technical jargon and the pressures of the recession, combined with the fast-paced nature of technology, mean that many business owner/managers are faced with the challenge of ensuring that they are investing wisely in IT, but still maintaining a competitive edge. Our workshop will break down the opportunities available to improve productivity and highlight the risks that should be avoided.”

For further information please contact dhcpr@mccint.com

ZyXEL Joins Extreme Networks Go Purple Partner Program to Jointly Promote Interoperable Carrier Ethernet Solutions

Extreme Networks and ZyXEL Communications , a leading broadband access solutions provider, today announced that ZyXEL’s MEF certified Carrier Ethernet Switches and Extreme Networks’ Carrier Ethernet solutions, including the BlackDiamond® 20800 Carrier Ethernet switch, have been jointly tested for interoperability to ensure reliable network performance.

Architectural flexibility and intelligent service delivery were tested for interoperability as part of Extreme Networks® Go Purple™ Partner Program. The companies also evaluated fast failover over resilient rings, the implementation of Quality of Service (QoS), and network security. These jointly tested solutions help service providers to build a scalable and reliable service-driven Carrier Ethernet network.

UK Contact Centre Professionals Vote Noetica Synthesys as a Top Ten Call Centre Technology of 2009

Readers of Call Centre Helper vote for the latest version of the multi-channel contact centre software solution

Noetica, a provider of agile customer interaction management (CIM) solutions for the contact centre, today announces that Synthesys^TM version 4.1 has been recognised as a Top Ten Call Centre Technology of 2009. The award is based on votes from readers of the UK’s leading online weekly magazine for contact centre professionals, Call Centre Helper (www.callcentrehelper.com). For further information and interviews, please contact noeticapr@mccint.com

Extreme Networks Data Centre Strategy Helps Organisations Migrate From The Physical To The Virtual To The Cloud

Extreme Networks is presenting its data centre network vision at this week’s Gartner’s Data Centre Conference in Las Vegas, providing a blueprint for the critical data centre transition ahead, migrating organisations from a physical network, to a virtual network to a location-independent cloud network.

The challenge in today’s data centre consists of transitioning to a virtualised environment while leveraging existing network investments. The migration of the data centre to a virtualised infrastructure means bringing visibility of virtual machines (VMs) to the network level and solving the department divide between switches and server staffs that has been introduced with virtualisation. Finally, organisations seek to avoid approaches that strand their assets and are tied to proprietary architectures.

“Extreme Networks has developed a network infrastructure solution that accommodates the evolving technology landscape in the data centre,” said Extreme Networks Chairman and co-founder, Gordon Stitt. “Our data centre infrastructure solution allows users to migrate from a traditional or ‘physical’ infrastructure to a virtual one, without forcing a certain technology, or operating methodology on the user.”

For further information please contact extremenetworkspr@mccint.com

Xenos Enterprise Server Earns Intel Certification

Xenos Group Inc. (TSX: XNS) today announced that the Xenos Enterprise Server™ has been certified through the Intel® Certified Solutions Program.

The Intel Certified Solutions Program leverages the SpikeSource Solutions Factory™, a proven automated platform for assembling, testing, packaging, and updating software solutions. The certification ensures that Xenos provides the highest levels of security while reaffirming the fact that Xenos Enterprise Server (ES) is enabled for Intel technologies and free of all known significant security vulnerabilities.

For further information or interviews, please contact xenospr@mccint.com

Mondial Assistance (Schweiz) Takes Out Customer Service Insurance With Noetica Synthesys.NET

Hosted Contact Centre Platform Streamlines Campaign Management And Reduces Training For Leading Travel Insurer

Noetica, a provider of agile customer interaction management (CIM) solutions for the contact centre, today announced that Mondial Assistance (Schweiz) has implemented its hosted solution Synthesys.NETTM at its Service Center in Wallisellen, near Zurich. Installed on 15 agent seats, Synthesys.NETTM enables Mondial Assistance (Schweiz) to reduce call durations and maintain a consistently high level of customer service.

For further information or interviews, please contact noeticapr@mccint.com

Bancolombia Works with Actimize, a NICE Company, and Unisys to Build Stronger Enterprise-Wide Fraud Management Program

Actimize, a NICE Systems (NASDAQ:NICE) company and the largest and broadest provider of a single financial crime, risk and compliance software platform for the financial services industry, and Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced that Bancolombia is working with both firms to strengthen its ability to fight fraud across the entire bank. Bancolombia is implementing Actimize ATM/Debit, Remote Banking, Wire & ACH Fraud prevention solutions. As a strategic Actimize partner, Unisys is working on deployment of the solutions.

As a leader in the Colombian market, Bancolombia strives to best protect customer and firm assets by combating the threat of fraud across all its lines of business. Once deployed, the Actimize suite of fraud prevention solutions will monitor all types of transactions enterprise-wide, alerting on suspicious behaviour and blocking truly risky transactions.

"We performed an exhaustive review of all the top fraud prevention solutions in the market, looking for a single vendor who can cover our entire enterprise fraud needs,” said Joaquín Fernando Yepes, IT security and compliance director at Bancolombia. “Actimize solutions and Unisys services are a major component of Bancolombia's strategy to provide greater levels of security to our customers."

Ipswitch’s MOVEit DMZ solution installed at Hermes

Ipswitch, Inc. File Transfer division, the leading global developer of comprehensive secure and managed file transfer solutions, today announced that Hermes Fund Managers, a multi-specialist asset manager owned by BT Pension Scheme (BTPS), has implemented Ipswitch’s MOVEit DMZ to provide them with a secure and reliable solution to help protect the transfer of sensitive data and information.

“We exchange a lot of data including sensitive market information, pricing and trade information, with a large number of third parties” explained Jamie Dewar, Technical Services Manager, Hermes. “We therefore required an enterprise-class FTP solution which needed to be very secure due to the sensitivity of the data.”

Hermes offers investment solutions ranging from alternative strategies, such as fund of hedge funds and commodities, to engagement focus funds, real estate, private equity and specialist equity products. Its pension fund management service, Hermes Pension Fund Management Limited (HPFM), runs alongside its multi-specialist structure and acts as the executive arm of the BT Pension Scheme (BTPS). Hermes currently invests assets on behalf of 204 clients across these product areas and has over £20 billion under management.

Extreme Networks Names Westcon As International Distributor Of The Year

Extreme Networks is pleased to announce that it has awarded Westcon Convergence with its prestigious International Distributor of the Year award. The presentation was made to Westcon during Extreme Networks’ recent Partner Conference, held in Barcelona between the 5th and 8th October. The conference was attended by more than 200 of Extreme Networks’ resellers and distributors from Europe, Middle East and African Markets.

Westcon Group is one of the industry’s largest distributors, specialising in advanced network technology solutions. The company works with significant global partners, including Extreme Networks, to provide the channel with leading solutions for modern networking and convergence challenges. Westcon provides its partners with the highest levels of service and support programmes, intensive training and the tools necessary to ensure increased profitability for its resellers – giving its customers the opportunity to be more competitive in their chosen markets.

For further information please contact extremenetworkspr@mccint.com

dhc is the Supplier of Choice for The Guild Of Master Craftsmen

dhc, provider of integrated software solutions, is today announcing that the publishing and distributor group The Guild of Master Craftsmen (GMC) is using its Access Dimensions and iConnekt SOP software to improve its system integration and reporting services.

Based in Lewes, East Sussex, and with a presence in the USA, the GMC realised it faced various complexities with its incumbent system, which was unable to fully integrate with different parts of the business. “We like to be technically proficient, and with our previous software we experienced stability and functionality issues as the group continued to grow,” explained the GMC’s Finance Director, Ebrahim Saleh. “We’re always looking for ways to improve our working practices, so we decided to investigate other possible software solutions in order to manage subscriptions as well as related accounting processes.”

After initially inviting three software houses to pitch their individual solutions, the GMC appointed dhc, purchasing Access Dimensions along with the iConnekt SOP software for customised book, magazine and subscription sales. Since dhc installed the software, the GMC has benefited from increased system speed, stability and functionality as well as improved system integration and reporting services.

For further information please contact dhcpr@mccint.com

Kaspersky Lab announces Costco as first UK wholesaler to stock Kaspersky Internet Security 2010

Kaspersky Lab, a leading developer of Internet threat management solutions that protect against all forms of malicious software including viruses, spyware, hackers and spam, today announced that all 21 Costco cash and carry membership warehouse clubs across the UK will be stocking the three-desktop one year license of the award-winning Kaspersky Internet Security 2010.

Costco operates the chain of cash & carry membership warehouses that sell high-quality, nationally branded and selected private-label merchandise at low prices to businesses purchasing for commercial use or resale, and also to individuals who are members of selected employment groups.

Buyer at Costco, Alison Owen explains why it is important for all of its stores to stock the very latest security software: “The self employed, small businesses and family homes of today will often have two or three Internet-enabled PCs or laptops that connect to a wireless network. Without up-to-date protection each of these devices are at risk from the threat of cybercrime. By stocking the three-desktop version of Kaspersky Internet Security we are able to provide our customers, their families and businesses with the comprehensive protection and reassurance they need to stay safe from the threat of cybercrime.”

For further information contact: kasperskylabukpr@mccint.com

Extreme Networks Cools The Data Centre With 2nd Generation 10GBASE-T Data Centre Switch

Extreme Networks continues to innovate products for the data centre by addressing power consumption and operational costs. Extreme Networks is now shipping a greener, more energy efficient version of its Summit® X650 10GBASE-T data centre switch, a high performance 10GbE, Top-of-Rack Ethernet switch, designed for the next generation data centre, cloud computing and hosted environments.

A second generation 10 Gigabit, Top-of-Rack switch, the Summit X650-24t consumes 200W less power during operation than the first generation, to address the energy efficiency goals of data centre planners. The SummitX650 is complemented with Intel’s new lower power 10GBASE-T adapter that provides state-of the art interfaces to high performance servers.

For further information please contact extremenetworkspr@mccint.com

NanoKTN Announces Event Focused on Micro and Nanotechnology in Drug Discovery

NanoKTN hosts event to raise awareness of the opportunities nanotechnology offers the Pharmaceuticals Industry
Wednesday 16th December, BioPark Hertfordshire, Welwyn Garden City

The Nanotechnology Knowledge Transfer Network (NanoKTN), one of the UK’s primary knowledge-based networks for Micro and Nanotechnologies, has announced the date of its first NanoPharm Special Interest Group (SIG) event, dedicated to looking at the opportunities for nanotechnology within the pharmaceuticals industry and the barriers to further commercial adoption.

dhc Announces CRM Seminar With Microsoft

dhc, provider of integrated software solutions is today inviting business professionals to attend its Microsoft Dynamics® Customer Relationship Management (CRM) event on Wednesday 18th November. The free-to-attend seminar will educate and inform about the traditional deployment of CRM, as well as the operational efficiencies that will benefit all departments within an organisation. The seminar will also introduce attendees to the concept of xRM (Anything Relationship Management)

As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, dhc brings an extra element to Microsoft Dynamics CRM through seamless integration, so that CRM can work alongside Access Dimensions Accounting and Finance software as well as dhc’s own workflow solution, iConnekt. dhc’s seminar, which will be hosted by Microsoft at its campus in Reading, will showcase the benefits of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and feature guest presentations from Partner Account Manager at Microsoft, Antony Ford and Partner Technology Specialist at Microsoft, Hayley Bass.

For further information please contact dhcpr@mccint.com

Taylor Wessing Installs Intelligent Network Infrastructure from Extreme Networks

Extreme Networks has today announced that leading law firm Taylor Wessing LLP is using a selection of its BlackDiamond and Summit® family switches to install a fast, resilient and future-proofed network that is able to support a fully converged voice and data infrastructure.

A dynamic and pragmatic organisation, Taylor Wessing identified the need to provide its employees with the latest technological advancements in integrated communications. Prior to the relocation of the London offices to New Street, London in November 2008, the firm realised that it needed to implement a fast, resilient and fully flexible network to support the triple play services it was looking to host.

For further information please contact extremenetworkspr@mccint.com