Profit forecasts for computer and software makers are holding up better than any other industry in the world, a sign of confidence that corporate spending will keep the American economy expanding next year.

Net income at companies from Apple Inc. to Oracle Corp. will rise 11 percent in 2012 on average, according to more than 2,900 analyst projections compiled by Bloomberg. The profit estimate is down 2.3 percent from its peak this year, the smallest reduction of any industry in the MSCI World Index.

The resilience in technology, which accounts for more of the U.S. market than any other industry, underscores optimism that the American economy is recovering.

PHARMACEUTICALS

Onyx stock falls on FDA ruling

Onyx Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of the kidney cancer drug Nexavar, dropped the most in about six weeks Monday after U.S. regulators declined to give the company’s experimental carfilzomib an accelerated review.

Shares of the South San Francisco company fell 4 percent to close at $39, its largest single-day decline since Nov. 1. Onyx shares have increased 5.8 percent this year.

The Food and Drug Administration said Onyx hadn’t conducted the clinical trials necessary for the quicker review of carfilzomib, the company said Sunday. The agency scheduled a target date of July 27, four months later than under an accelerated approval, to decide whether to clear the drug for patients with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells, Onyx said.

CHIPS

Intel scales back on its fourth-quarter forecast

Intel Corp. reduced its fourth-quarter revenue forecast by about $1 billion, saying a shortage of hard-disk drives is cutting customers’ production of personal computers.

The company said Monday that revenue will be $13.7 billion, plus or minus $300 million, compared with a previous estimate of $14.7 billion, give or take $500 million. Analysts predicted $14.7 billion, the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

While PC sales will rise in the fourth quarter from the prior three months, Intel said customers are stockpiling fewer parts because output has been hurt by a shortage of disk drives, the main data-storage devices in computers. The supply constraints, resulting from the worst flooding in Thailand in 70 years, will continue into the first quarter, the chipmaker said.

Shares of the Santa Clara company fell 4 percent to close at $24, leaving the stock up 14 percent this year.

INTERNET

Stop Online Piracy Act assailed

Google Inc. Chairman Eric Schmidt assailed Hollywood-backed legislation aimed at curbing online piracy, saying that measures under consideration by the U.S. House and Senate would spur censorship of the Internet.

Requiring Internet service providers and search engines to take down links to websites accused of trafficking in counterfeit movies and music would amount to “censorship” and set a bad example for other countries, Schmidt said after a speech in Washington.

The House Judiciary Committee could vote this week on a bill supported by movie studios and the recording industry that would let the U.S. Justice Department seek court orders forcing Internet service providers, search engines, payment services and advertising networks to block or cease business with foreign websites linked to piracy.

Source:http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/12/BUIT1MBIHV.DTL

The days of Mountain Home students using the “force” to help with their school work may be numbered as the Mountain Home School Board approved the purchase of a software program that may replace a current piece of software called JEdI.

JEdI is currently used in Mountain Home schools to help students with remediation work. The computer-based learning software places emphasis on reading and math outcomes within the framework of the No Child Left Behind Act, according to the Arkansas Department of Education.

With board approval of purchasing a one-year license, teachers at the district’s high school, junior high school and alternative school will start using a remediation software program called Classworks.

Teachers from each of the three schools gave presentations to the board, lauding their initial trial of the Classworks software.

Perhaps one of the best examples of what teachers say is the significant flexibility of the Classworks software is Carrie O’Brien’s classroom in the district’s alternative school.

“I have students working on eight different levels in my classroom at the same time,” O’Brien, a special education teacher told the board. “This software allows me to keep students on task and engaged consistently.”

If a student has trouble with a particular lesson and fails a quiz, the software will search for a way to present the information formatted for a different learning style, according to David Martin, a science and math teacher at the alternative school.

“It has 17,000 modules so there’s a good chance the software can find a different way to present the material to a student so that maybe they can learn it in a way they are comfortable with,” Martin told the board.

Teachers can track student progress using the software, which is web-based, in almost real time.

“I can be walking around my classroom with my Ipad in hand, and Classworks will alert me if a student has trouble, and I can intervene right at that moment,” O’Brien told the board.

The program also adjusts when a student completes work successfully, according to high school English teacher Bill Thomas.

“What’s magical about this program is that when a student completes a test, the program assigns work to the student based on the outcome of the test,” Thomas said.

Teachers told the board the software is capable of helping with initial and periodic assessments as well as remediation. It also can be used to challenge advanced students with enrichment work.

In addition to its potential to replace the JEdI software, teachers and administrators say it also may have the potential to replace assessment tools. The software also has an ACT preparation ability.

“If it can replace some the assessment tools, it will more than pay for itself right there,” said district superintendent Lonnie Myers. “Any piece of software is only as good as the people using it, and I believe we have good people who are excited about this software.”

Myers told the board he would suggest dropping Classworks after the initial yearlong license expired.

“If it doesn’t work out, I don’t have a problem dropping it,” Myers said.

Prior to the board approving the purchase of a one-year license for the three schools at a cost of $38,000, board member and former teacher Steve Bergman had some questions.

“I just want to make sure we’re not going to plop kids down in front of computers and tell them go to work,” Bergman said.

Teachers assured Bergman the software would be used as a tool for remediation, enrichment, and catching students up who have missed classes for some reason.

Teachers noted students with computers and an Internet connection could do school work from home, the hospital, or any place should they need to.

There was no bidding process for the contract as the specific requirements for the software were met by only one company. This legally allows the board to justify the purchase without a bidding process due to the sole-source provider exception to state bidding laws, according to school officials.

The board also approved the purchase of 100 new computers for teachers and staff at a price of $73,332. The old machines will be moved into student computer labs and classrooms. School officials say they expect to use Classworks on those machines in addition to existing student-accessed computers.

Source:http://www.baxterbulletin.com/article/20111118/NEWS01/111180345/MHSB-approves-new-software

Advanced Computer Software Group’s (LON:ASW) first-half results provide evidence that the company is making good progress on its strategy to drive growth by promoting cross-selling and product extensions while making acquisitions to broaden the product offering, according to Edison Investment Research.

In a note following the healthcare focused IT systems and software provider’s interims, the research house said the period has shown organic growth from all divisions, a strong order book and revealed a £35 million headroom for acquisitions.

Group revenue was £47.3 million, up from £44.2 million a year earlier while adjusted pretax profit rose to £10.4 million from £9.1 million.

The firm’s Health & Care division grew by five percent, while the Business Solutions and Managed Services divisions saw growth of four percent and nine percent respectively.

Edison believes the valuation is not factoring in ACS’s growth potential.

Management has previously guided to revenue growth of 4-5 percent per year, and first half results show that ACS is on track to achieve this for the full year, it said, adding that consensus forecasts are in line with guidance for full-year 2012 although they factor in lower growth in full-year 2013.

“If management can maintain its target growth rate then we view the stock as attractively priced at current levels,” Edison stated.

Source:http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/35814/advanced-computer-software-making-good-progress-on-its-strategy-edison-35814.html

Two brokers have followed up yesterday’s interim results from Advanced Computer Software (LON:ASW) with positive comments about the company.
Advanced Computer Software announced robust half-year results, in which the firm reported a seven per-cent increase in revenue during the six months to August 31 and 14 per cent growth in adjust pre-tax profit.

Group revenue was £47.3 million (H1 2011: £44.2 million) while adjusted pre-tax profit came in at £10.4 million (H1 2011: £9.1 million). Adjusted earnings per share were up nine per cent at 2.4 pence.

In a note titled “Encouraging set of interims”, independent broker Collins Stewart commented: “Against a backdrop in its core markets that is flat at best, it is clear that ACS is winning market share. Its integrated portfolio of software solutions and service are playing well to the general theme of increased efficiency and cost reduction. We are particularly pleased to see the Business Solutions division recording organic growth in the period as we had previously pencilled in flat revenues for the full year.”

Collins Stewart added that it expects margins “to continue their upwards trajectory on the back of cross-selling and leveraging of its hosting capabilities”.

House broker Singer Capital Markets noted that the firm reduced its net debt to £10 million following the disposal of the non-core Cedar HR Software business. It also noted that opportunities remain both within and outside of the public sector as customers continue to look for ways to improve efficiency and cut costs. “With the strong execution we have seen so far, a good order book, and nearly 60 per cent recurring revenues, we are confident of a positive outturn for the rest of the year,” it said

Collins Stewart forecasts sales of £96.6 million for the year to February 2012, compared to the £95.3 million that Advanced Computer Software generated in its last financial year. EBITDA is estimated at £24.5 million (2011: £24.1 million).

Collins Stewart has set a target price of 56 pence for the shares, which were trading for 44.25 pence each during late-morning trading today.

Source:http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/35635/advanced-computer-software-city-positive-following-interims-35635.html

LAPTOP computers are a major risk – powerful enough to store all your important files, yet mobile enough to be easily stolen or lost. Several software programs will now track your computer, should the worst happen.

Find My Mac

Apple’s Find My iPhone app has famously helped many people track stolen smartphones. The feature has now been added to iCloud, allowing its tracking capabilities to be extended to Apple MacBooks. After signing into iCloud, users can select Find My Mac as an option.

To track the computer’s location remotely, users can log on to iCloud.com and see it on a map, assuming the Mac is turned on and connected to the internet. Users can also set off an alarm, lock the Mac down or, in extreme cases, remotely wipe its contents.

Prey Project

Prey anti-theft software is available as a free download for tracking up to three of your devices (preyproject.com). Users can install the software on computers using Windows, Mac or Linux and can track the devices after logging into a website. The software can be used to send updates of your laptop’s location, but it can also set off an alarm on the computer, lock it down or use its webcam to see who is using it.

GadgetTrak Laptop Security

This software program, available for Windows or Mac computers from gadgettrak.com, will track your computer using its wi-fi connection and can be used to take a still photo of the person in front of your missing laptop. Once installed, users can check on their computer at trak.me. The software is available free for 30 days and costs $19.95 per year for a single laptop.

Source:http://www.heraldsun.com.au/technology/how-to-locate-your-stolen-gadget/story-fn7celvh-1226196330231

We are pleased with our third quarter results as we were able to see growth in revenues and income, with our Technology Solutions Segment having a particularly strong quarter,” said Nancy Hedrick, CEO of CSI. “Our Financial Management Applications Segment continues to see an improvement in overall revenue and has a healthy backlog of activity for the upcoming quarters. We are continuing to invest in our Cloud Services Segment and, although revenue was improved over last year, this segment is not yet profitable. We do have numerous Cloud Services implementations underway and expect to have continued revenue growth in this segment in the months ahead.”

Financial Results:

Three Month Financial Results for the Period Ended September 30, 2011

CSI posted revenues of approximately $17.3 million for the third quarter of 2011, an increase of $2.8 million, or 19% compared to the third quarter of 2010. The revenue increase was due to a $2.6 million increase in Technology Solutions Segment revenues and a $0.1 million increase in both the Financial Management Applications Segment and Cloud Services Segment revenues.

CSI’s gross profit for the third quarter of 2011 was $3.4 million, an increase of $0.4 million, or 13%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The increase was due to a $0.6 million increase from the Technology Solutions Segment, partially offset by a $0.2 million decrease from the Cloud Services Segment, while gross profit for the Financial Management Applications segment was relatively flat.

CSI’s operating income for the third quarter of 2011 was $0.8 million, an increase of $0.1 million, or 9%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The increase in operating income came from the increase in gross profit, partially offset by an increase in operating expenses, particularly selling expenses.

Net income for the third quarter of 2011was approximately $0.8 million, or $0.12 earnings per basic share and $0.06 earnings per diluted share, compared to a net income of approximately $0.4 million, or $0.06 earnings per basic share and $0.03 earnings per diluted share for the same period of the prior year. The increase in net income was due to the increase in operating income and reduced income tax expense.

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”) for the third quarter of 2011 was approximately $1.4 million, an increase of $0.1 million, or 7%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The increase in EBITDA was primarily due to the increase in operating income compared to the prior year. (EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See reconciliation to GAAP measure net income which follows below.)

Nine Month Financial Results for the Period Ended September 30, 2011

CSI posted revenues of approximately $40.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2011, a decrease of $0.5 million or 1% compared to the same period of the prior year. The revenue decrease was due to a $0.4 million decrease in Technology Solutions Segment revenues and a $0.3 million decrease in Financial Management Applications Segment revenues. These decreases were partially offset by a $0.2 million increase in Cloud Services revenues.

CSI’s gross profit for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was $8.1 million, a decrease $0.3 million, or 4%, compared to the same period of the prior year. The decrease was due to a $0.5 million decrease from the Financial Management Applications Segment and a $0.4 million decrease from the Cloud Services Segment, partially offset by a $0.6 million increase from the Technology Solutions Segment.

CSI’s operating income for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was $0.5 million, a decrease of $0.7 million, or 59%, compared to the same period of 2010. The decrease in operating results came from the decrease in gross profit and increase in operating expenses, particularly selling expenses.

CSI’s net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was approximately $0.4 million or $0.06 earnings per basic share and $0.03 earnings per diluted share, compared to a net income of approximately $0.5 million, or $0.08 earnings per basic share and $0.04 earnings per diluted share for the same period of the prior year. The decrease was due to the decrease in operating results, partially offset by reduced interest expense and reduced income tax expense.

EBITDA for the nine months ended September 30, 2011 was approximately $2.2 million, a decrease of $0.7 million, or 25%, compared to the same period of 2010. The decrease in EBITDA was primarily due to the decrease in operating income compared to the prior year. (EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure. See reconciliation to GAAP measure net income which follows below.)

Conference Call Reminder for Today The Company will host a conference call today, Monday, November 14, 2011 at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time to discuss the Company’s financial and operational results for third quarter of 2011, which ended September 30, 2011.

Conference Call Details Date: Monday, November 14, 2011 Time: 4:15 p.m. (EST) Dial-in Number: 1-877-941-8416 International Dial-in Number: 1-480-629-9808

It is recommended that participants phone-in approximately 5 to 10 minutes prior to the start of the 4:15 p.m. call. A replay of the conference call will be available approximately three hours after the completion of the call for 30 days, until December 14, 2011. To listen to the replay, dial 1-877-870-5176 if calling within the U.S., 1-858-384-5517 if calling internationally and enter the pass code 4486135.

The call is also being webcast and may be accessed at CSI’s website at www.csioutfitters.com . The webcast will be archived and accessible until December 14, 2011 on the Company website.

About Computer Software Innovations, Inc. CSI provides software and technology solutions to public sector markets. CSI software solutions have established the Company as a major software provider in the southeast education market including through its award winning financial management solutions for the education and local government market sectors. CSI’s Version3 products, which include identity and access management and cloud based communication and collaboration solutions, expand CSI’s presence throughout the US. The CSI@K12 Education Cloud provides the education community with enterprise class, hosted voice, hosted email and hosted web solutions.

The CSI 21st Century Connected School solution has established the Company as a major technology provider to the southeast education market. CSI 21st Century Connected School is a seamless integration of instruction, collaboration, and network solutions. CSI financial management applications and the 21st Century Connected School solutions have been a significant factor in nearly doubling company revenue in the past four years to over $50 million and increasing education revenue contribution to approximately 90% of total revenue.

The CSI solution portfolio encompasses proprietary financial management software specialized for the public sector, lesson planning and identity and access management software, cloud-based communication and collaboration solutions, SharePoint development, network infrastructure and end device solutions, IP telephony and IP convergence applications, network management solutions and managed services, and interactive classroom technologies.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/computer-software-innovations-inc-announces-third-quarter-2011-financial-results-2011-11-14?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Computer Software Innovations, Inc. CSWI +60.00% , CSI Technology Outfitters(TM) (“CSI”), today announced that it will host a conference call on Monday, November 14, 2011, at 4:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time to discuss the Company’s financial and operational results for the quarter ending September 30, 2011.

Conference Call Details:

Date: Monday, November 14, 2011 Time: 4:15 p.m. (EST) Dial-in Number: 1-877-941-8416 International Dial-in Number: 1-480-629-9808

It is recommended that participants phone-in approximately 5 to 10 minutes prior to the start of the 4:15 p.m. call. A replay of the conference call will be available approximately three hours after the completion of the call for 30 days, until December 14, 2011. To listen to the replay, dial 1-877-870-5176 if calling within the U.S., 1-858-384-5517 if calling internationally and enter the pass code 4486135.

The call is also being webcast and may be accessed at CSI’s website at www.csioutfitters.com . The webcast will be archived and accessible until December 14, 2011 on the Company website.

About Computer Software Innovations, Inc. CSI provides software and technology solutions to public sector markets. CSI software solutions have established the Company as a major software provider in the southeast education market including through its award winning financial management solutions for the education and local government market sectors. CSI’s Version3 products, which include identity and access management and cloud based communication and collaboration solutions, expand CSI’s presence throughout the US. The CSI@K12 Education Cloud provides the education community with enterprise class, hosted voice, hosted email and hosted web solutions.

The CSI 21st Century Connected School solution has established the Company as a major technology provider to the southeast education market. CSI 21st Century Connected School is a seamless integration of instruction, collaboration, and network solutions. CSI financial management applications and the 21st Century Connected School solutions have been a significant factor in nearly doubling company revenue in the past four years to over $50 million and increasing education revenue contribution to approximately 90% of total revenue.

The CSI solution portfolio encompasses proprietary financial management software specialized for the public sector, lesson planning and identity and access management software, cloud-based communication and collaboration solutions, SharePoint development, network infrastructure and end device solutions, IP telephony and IP convergence applications, network management solutions and managed services, and interactive classroom technologies. More information about CSI CSWI +60.00% is available at www.csioutfitters.com

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Among other things, these statements relate to our financial condition, results of operations and future business plans, operations, opportunities and prospects. In addition, we and our representatives may from time to time make written or oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in our reports to stockholders. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words or phrases “may,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “predict,” “project” or words of similar import. These forward-looking statements are based upon our current knowledge and assumptions about future events and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, prospects, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Many factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. You are accordingly cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date that we make them. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by or on our behalf.

In our most recent Form 10-K, we have included risk factors and uncertainties that might cause differences between anticipated and actual future results. We have attempted to identify, in context, some of the factors that we currently believe may cause actual future experience and results to differ from our current expectations regarding the relevant matter or subject area. The operations and results of our software and systems integration businesses also may be subject to the effects of other risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to:

– a reduction in anticipated sales; — an inability to perform customer contracts at anticipated cost levels; — our ability to otherwise meet the operating goals established by our business plan;

– market acceptance of our new software, technology and services offerings; — an economic downturn; and — changes in the competitive marketplace and/or customer requirements.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/computer-software-innovations-inc-announces-third-quarter-2011-results-conference-call-2011-11-07?reflink=MW_news_stmp