Archive for October, 2011

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

Athena Software and PeaceWorks Technology Solutions Partner to Launch New Report Creation Tool for Athena Clients

October 31st, 2011
Share

Athena Software is pleased to announce the introduction of mPWR, a dynamic reporting tool developed by PeaceWorks Technology Solutions for use with the Penelope case management system. Penelope is a comprehensive client information software solution designed by Athena Software specifically for human service agencies, including not-for-profit organizations and governments (http://www.athenasoftware.net).

“We are happy to partner with Athena in providing this reporting solution for their diverse client base,” said Matt Langeman, product manager and software consultant at PeaceWorks. “Development of the mPWR tool for Athena clients is a great fit with our vision to provide effective IT solutions for organizations working to make a positive difference in the world.”

mPWR is a powerful, secure and flexible report-writing tool designed to complement the already robust reporting capabilities of the Penelope client information system by allowing users to create and run custom reports, enhance existing reports or gain access to new reports created especially for use with mPWR. Like Penelope, mPWR is a web-based application, meaning users can access reports from anywhere via a secure HTTPS connection using a web browser.

“Organizations in the social service and mental health sectors have diverse and complex information tracking and reporting requirements,” said Athena Software director Diane Stanley-Horn. “Athena wanted to complement our comprehensive internal reporting with a flexible tool that can accommodate case-by-case requirements and allow multiple end users at an organization to run the reports they need, when they need them. Partnering with PeaceWorks, with whom we have had a long relationship, provided this exciting opportunity.”

As well as allowing admin-level users to create new reports with customized appearance and content, mPWR comes complete with 18 new ‘out of the box’ reports designed to allow Penelope users easy access to a wide range of statistics on client demographics and outcomes as well as service provision and productivity. These reports offer additional reporting flexibility and the capability to further ‘drill down’ into user data for enhanced statistical reporting.

Source:http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/470880

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

VMC Consulting and Rally Software Host Agile Café

October 31st, 2011
Share

VMC Consulting and Rally Software have partnered to host an Agile Café event in Bellevue on Wednesday, November 2, 2011. This event focuses on Agile development best practices and practical application, including discussions from VMC and Rally experts showcasing how Rally’s software helped bring a successful Agile culture to a client company. The event will be at the Westin Bellevue in Bellevue, WA from 9:00am-12:00pm PST on Wednesday, November 2.

“We have designed a session that gives a hands-on application of practices that we’ve found helpful in Agile development environments,” said Scott Bowen, Director of Software Development at VMC. “We will share some success stories on a project where we partnered with Rally, and then we’ll take you through some interactive exercises to help break down some of the cultural and social blocks that interfere with adopting and scaling Agile practices successfully.”

“I’m always excited to share real-world advice about Agile and some of the key characteristics seen in high-performance delivery teams and organizations,” said Ann Konkler, Agile Coach at Rally Software. “As an Agile Coach, I love helping others understand and achieve the benefits of an adaptive work culture, fostered by collaborative leadership and motivated teams.”

At this session, attendees will learn how Agile tools and best practices can increase visibility across teams and reduce defects. The benefit of establishing a strong foundation in Agile methodology, including meeting iteration commitments and successful release planning, can help an organization scale Agile from a single team to multiple teams or even across the enterprise.

The Agile Café will include presenting an Agile case study success story, a workshop by VMC on building teamwork, a Rally Software Demo and an interactive Q&A with VMC and Rally Software presenters.

Source:http://www.pr.com/press-release/365110

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

Spy Smartphone Software Tracks ‘Every Move’

October 31st, 2011
Share

As marketing pitches you don’t get much lower: “Track every text, every call and every move your spouse makes…”

Yes, software manufacturers have harnessed the green-eyed monster.

“A cell phone plays a role in almost every affair,” said one producer of mobile phone spyware.

Another spelled it out: “When you begin to notice signs of a cheating spouse, the best way to catch that cheat is to spy on his or her cell phone using spy software.
“Such software is required because the cell phone has become the modern day keeper of secrets and its uses are as versatile and diverse as their makes and models.”
But it is not just for jealous partners.

There is no way that a victim would know his phone had been comprehensively hacked.

Jason Hart, cyber security expert

Software designed to completely mine every secret on a smartphone can track its users, record their calls, copy their emails, read their text messages and bug the rooms the phones are sitting in.

Jason Hart, a cyber security expert with Cryptocard, explained how easy it is to turn a mobile phone into a pocket spy.
It starts with a little ’social engineering’.

By hacking the phone of someone the victim might trust, and learning something about them from reading their Tweets and Facebook page, the attacker will send a personalised email from a known account.

The user opens an email and a document, a picture, letter or pdf file.

A programme can be embedded in the attached document which takes the hacked user’s phone off to a secret website site which covertly downloads spying software onto the smartphone.

Shortened weblinks are also a risk.

“Using Facebook and Twitter (and) getting an individual to click on a shortened link would actually take them to a website and automatically install malware,” said Mr Hart.

“There is no way that a victim would know his phone had been comprehensively hacked.”

Spyware ‘can covertly operate all of a smartphone’s functions from afar’

Attacks on smartphones shot up by 46% last year, and this year the percentage is likely to be in the thousands.

We loaded the commercial software onto my phone and very quickly Mr Hart was watching my emails come through.

The vendors of the software promised that he would be able to intercept and listen to my calls – we could not get that to work. But, as a bug, my phone was close to perfect.

The software meant Mr Hart could dial into my phone and it would secretly answer – broadcasting any conversation I was having near the handset back to him.
“Once a criminal or spy has got hold of software like this and loaded it onto your phone, there is very little indeed that you will be able to do either to detect or, or defend yourself. This is a total compromise,” Mr Hart said.

Spyware can covertly operate all of a smartphone’s functions from afar, turning it on and off, and stealing its secret contents.
Almost 500,000 new smartphones will be sold this year around the world.

Malware developers are running ahead of the industry’s ability to develop tools which, in any case, would inevitably restrict how useful smartphones can be to a customer.

But, as losses to intellectual property theft are estimated to cost the UK £17bn a year, it is clear companies will be demanding an air gap between smartphones used for business – and smartphones used for everything else.

So, for the skiving worker, the truant teenager and the faithless spouse, there can only be a few words of advice – that phone isn’t smart, it’s a sneak.

Source:http://news.sky.com/home/technology/article/16099260

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

Smith Micro Software Announces Mobile Network Director™ Solution to Manage Data Overload for Mobile Operators

October 31st, 2011
Share

Smith Micro Software, Inc., a leading provider of wireless and mobility solutions, today announced their new Mobile Network Director™ solution to alleviate data traffic congestion from mobile devices and enable seamless network transitions and data offloading between networks (3G/4G/WiFi). The Mobile Network Director Solution provides targeted, intelligent device controls to help mobile operators manage the concentrated explosions of data traffic that can significantly impact network performance.

The rapid growth in data consumption from mobile devices, often referred to as a “data tsunami,” has driven mobile operators to consider alternative networks and broad, expensive approaches to manage network congestion. However, at the root of the problem are a narrow set of high bandwidth users, applications and cell sites that behave more like unpredictable “geysers” than a tsunami. The Mobile Network Director solution provides the device-level visibility and granular controls needed to manage these congestion issues no matter where or when they might occur. It offers a targeted, cost-effective approach to data offload that combines operator policies with real-time network conditions to intelligently move traffic between networks. Combined with Smith Micro’s device-based Analytics, the solution allows operators to accurately measure and understand the customer experience associated with offload to ensure that subscribers receive the best possible quality of service in high-traffic areas.

“The initial field trials of the Mobile Network Director solution demonstrated more than 50 percent of data traffic offloaded onto 4G and WiFi networks, relieving the 3G load from concentrated congestion areas and providing a fluid experience for end-users,” said William W. Smith, Jr., President and CEO at Smith Micro Software. “This is the next generation of connectivity – enabling mobile operators to precisely manage user traffic to optimize resources while enhancing the customer experience.”

The Mobile Network Director solution gives mobile operators greater visibility and more precise control – on a per device basis – over bandwidth usage across access technologies, particularly public, business and home WiFi networks, in order to optimize network resources. It uses operator-defined policies and real time environmental factors to intelligently manage device radios to control traffic flow across networks. Operators can make dynamic policy adjustments based on changing network conditions, time of day, device type, market segment and user activity. The analytics gleaned allow operators to measure the effectiveness of the traffic offload and management policies, and utilize traffic profiling for improved network planning.

As a stand-alone solution, Mobile Network Director can provide significant network congestion relief. It also interoperates with packet data gateway (PDG) solutions to create a secure tunnel to broadband services, including automated user authentication, data encryption, and seamless transitions between network access points. As a result, operators can offer wireless service using the best available connection at any given time and location, and users can move freely between 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connections while keeping applications active.

Smith Micro is hosting a web conference on November 10, 2011, entitled, “Geysers vs. Tsunami: A Targeted Approach to Managing Data Overload,” which will describe Smith Micro’s patent-pending Mobile Network Director solution in detail, and features industry analyst Monica Paolini from Senza Fili Consulting.

Source:http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/11/10/b2073237/smith-micro-software-announces-mobile-network-director-solution-to-mana

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

Joppa software owner found guilty of wire fraud

October 31st, 2011
Share

Jack G. Stout, 65, of Joppa, Md., pleaded guilty this week to wire fraud, in connection with a scheme in which he transferred funds from various public housing authorities to his personal bank account and the account of a friend.

According to Stout’s plea agreement, he was the owner of Modern Software Technology, Inc., which developed and maintained a program called Public Housing Authority Software (PHAS), that helped public housing authorities organize payroll and personnel information, tenant accounting information, and related tasks. Stout maintained the ability to log in to each housing authority’s software platform in order to provide custom programming, software training, system support, and consulting services.

In most cases, Stout was the only person, or one among very few persons, who knew how to use, access, and maintain the platform. More than 50 public housing authorities across the nation used the PHAS program, including the Housing Authority of Baltimore.

Beginning in February of last year, Stout accessed the PHAS program of various housing authorities to divert housing authority funds into his personal bank account in Maryland, and into the bank account of a friend in Florida. Stout concealed the transfers by accessing the housing authority program and replacing the banking information of individuals and businesses who at one time had been legitimate housing authority clients and customers with his own banking information, or that of his friend, then making transfers under those individuals’ and businesses’ names, but into his personal bank account or the bank account of his friend.

According to the plea agreement, between February 2, 2010 and December 2, 2010, Stout transferred approximately $25,542, in funds from the Shreveport Housing Authority into his personal account and used the stolen funds to pay off his debts and obligations. He also transferred some of these stolen funds into his friend’s personal bank accounts. In addition, from September 2, 2010 to January 3, 2011,

Stout transferred about $5,042, in stolen funds from various housing authorities across the nation, directly into his friend’s bank account The victim entities included the Baltimore Housing Authority; the Housing Authority of Alexandria, Virginia; the Housing Authority of Rochester, New York; and the Housing Authority of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.

As a result of the scheme, between February 2010 and January 2011, Stout divered at least $30,584, from the housing authorities, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Baltimore.

Stout faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. U.S. District Judge Benson E. Legg, has scheduled sentencing for February 21, 2012.

Source:http://www.cecilwhig.com/business/article_622e5384-01d6-11e1-b70c-001cc4c002e0.html

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

IBM Beats Oracle, Microsoft With Big Data Leap

October 31st, 2011
Share

IBM announced Monday that its Hadoop-based InfoSphere BigInsights distributed data-processing and analysis platform is available immediately as a service on the vendor’s SmartCloud Enterprise infrastructure.

The big data news kicked off of this week’s IBM Information OnDemand (IOD) conference in Las Vegas, where the company also announced a new iPad app for IBM Cognos, geospatial analysis capabilities added to SPSS Statistics software, and new information integration and master data management (MDM) capabilities supported by two InfoSphere server software upgrades.

IBM introduced its InfoSphere BigInsights software in May. The software package includes a distribution of Apache Hadoop, the Pig programming language for MapReduce programming, connectors to IBM’s DB2 database, and IBM BigSheets, a browser-based, spreadsheet-metaphor interface for exploring data within Hadoop. Hadoop’s key appeals are scalability and flexibility to handle fast-growing and non-relational data such as social network comments, weather data, log files, genomic data, and even video.

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, a new IBM customer highlighted at the IOD event, is using BigInsights software to analyze weather data to figure out the optimal placement of individual turbines and large wind farms.

IBM’s move to support big data processing in the cloud comes just weeks after rivals Oracle and Microsoft took their first steps toward embracing Hadoop. Oracle announced in early October that it will introduce its own distribution of Apache Hadoop software, and on Monday it confirmed that an Oracle Big Data Appliance that will run the software will be available in the first quarter of 2012.

Microsoft announced October 12 that it, too, will release an Apache Hadoop-based software distribution (expected some time in 2012, though no quarter was specified). It also announced it will launch a beta Hadoop service on its SQL Azure cloud computing platform before the end of this year.

EMC, IBM, Oracle, Microsoft, and other data warehousing vendors have added integrations to Hadoop so they can move data back and forth to and from their relational databases. In what’s described as a differentiator, IBM sees two opportunities for the use of big-data, according to Rod Smith, the company’s vice president of emerging Internet technologies.

“The integration of big data into data warehousing environments is important, but the other constituent is the business processional,” said Smith in an interview with InformationWeek. “How do people who don’t want to learn Pig, program Java, or master Hadoop interact with big data?” Smith said IBM is alone in offering a simple interface like BigSheets as a way for business people to analyze large data sets.

IBM is going one step further to make big data processing accessible by putting BigInsights on its SmartCloud (with basic and enterprise versions), so organizations can learn and experiment with big-data processing and analysis without investing in supporting hardware or hiring deployment experts. Customers will be able to set up and move data into Hadoop clusters in less than 30 minutes, according to the company, and data-processing rates will start at 60 cents per cluster, per hour.
No details were offered on the corresponding cost of maintaining big data sets in the cloud, but you can be sure that storage is not free. Developer sandbox environments are available for both the basic- and enterprise-level services.

IBM is beating Microsoft and Oracle to market with a production-ready cloud service (whereas Microsoft’s year-end release will be a beta service), but the company is not the first company to make Hadoop available in the cloud. Amazon released a Hadoop-based Elastic MapReduce service on its Elastic Compute Cloud last year.

In other news at the IOD conference, a new IBM Cognos Mobile iPad app available for download from the Apple app store is said to deliver a highly visual business intelligence experience that will allow Cognos software users to view existing reports, dashboards, and scorecards related to sales, customers, financial data and other attributes. The app is said to support both online and offline viewing and it’s an improvement over a previously available Cognos mobile support option for iPad.
SPSS Statistics release 20.0, another IOD announcement, includes a new mapping feature that lets users add geographic dimensions to analyses and reports so organizations can target, forecast, and plan by region, territory or other geographic breakdowns.

The 8.7 release of InfoSphere Information Server improves support for big data as both a source and target for extract/transform/load integration. The server’s parallel processing engine is said to support massive scalability, an operations console helps manage system usage across all integration jobs, and a new connector for IBM Netezza is touted as ensuring optimized and balanced loading.

On the data governance front, InfoSphere Master Data Management 10 incorporates business process management software so you can embed MDM work steps into business processes. Services-based interfaces make it easier for developers to connect MDM to consuming applications. Lastly, MDM capabilities are said to support big data analytics; for instance, a shared matching engine helps maintain a single-version of the truth around customer, product, supplier, employee, account and other data attributes.

Source:http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/info_management/231901566

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

RIM stock suffers on new tablet software stall

October 31st, 2011
Share

Research In Motion took another hit on October 26 as the BlackBerry maker delayed until February the release of a new version of the software powering its PlayBook tablet computers.

PlayBook OS 2.0 is seen as a chance to improve the PlayBook’s appeal in the eyes of businesses devoted to the Canadian company’s smartphones but increasingly tempted by hot Apple or Android mobile gadgets.

“As much as we’d love to have it in your hands today, we’ve made the difficult decision to wait to launch BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0 until we are confident we have met the expectations of our developers, enterprise customers and end-users,” tablet senior vice president David Smith said in a blog post.

The company added that it would not build a BBM text messaging feature into the new operating system as originally planned.

At a conference last week in San Francisco, RIM provided developers with PlayBook tablets powered by test versions of the new operating software so they could provide feedback.

RIM released a kit for software developers to make programmes for PlayBook devices as the company tries to tap into the importance of fun, hip or functional “apps” to the popularity of mobile gadgets.

PlayBook has lagged in the market since its release in April, while Apple has racked up blockbuster sales of iPad tablet computers.

The PlayBook software update aimed to integrate the company’s touchstone email, calendar and contact features, as well as enable the tablets to work better with BlackBerry smartphones.

Source:http://www.brecorder.com/it-a-computers/single/638/206/1247459/

Comments Off »

Posted in Software News

Tags:

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes