Announced today that Daktronics Inc. has made its sports statistics software available for high schools nationwide free of charge via the DigitalTown network. School administrators can access Daktronics statistics software via any one of DigitalTown’s 27,000 online communities. These Spirit Sites host content that can be retrieved, edited, and organized by administrators, athletic directors, and fans.

According to Dan Bierschbach, Vice President of Schools and Theaters for Daktronics, “Daktronics has been on the leading edge of sports statistics software since the creation of DakStats(R) baseball software and its launch at Camden Yards in 1992. We are pleased to help streamline this process for high school sports administrators through the DigitalTown network.” Daktronics has a suite of software, much of it bundled under the DakStats brand software, including baseball, basketball, volleyball, football, and soccer. The potential value of in-kind donations of the software is $20 million.

According to DigitalTown CEO, Richard Pomije, “It’s time to get the sports statistics out of the desk drawer and onto the Internet in a standardized form where everyone can benefit. Daktronics software has made this possible.” To get started, coaches can download the free software by searching their school name at www.digitaltown.com . The DigitalTown project will assist in creating the first standardized system for collecting and publishing scholastic team data, and is supported through a strategic partnership with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA).

According to NIAAA Executive Director, Bruce Whitehead, the software will “be provided to schools at no cost and will provide an opportunity to generate revenue for athletic administration through advertising sales for the site. Everything is a win-win.” The goal of this project is to empower students, coaches, and fans to share their sports stories in an accurate, easily accessible environment. Pomije adds that he has “already been contacted by several coaches that have captured the vision of DigitalTown early on. They can’t wait to take ownership over the statistics and populate the site with their own information.” The project has captured public attention, particularly as a tool for sharing results in the current fall sports season.

Source:http://www.marketwatch.com/story/daktronics-gives-sports-software-to-high-schools-via-digitaltown-network-2011-11-01?reflink=MW_news_stmp

iKAN Software, a document capture software and solution provider, recently announced availability of its OneFile document scanning solution for the Fujitsu ScanSnap N1800 Network Scanner from Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. (http://us.fujitsu.com/fcpa). The solution will enable companies to attach network based scan devices from Fujitsu and immediately be able to deploy them in their environments. The first versions of the software will provide a scan to cloud capability and an automated scan to SharePoint capability.

The Fujitsu ScanSnap N1800 Network Scanner is designed to simplify document collaboration for all types of organizations, including small and midsize businesses (SMBs), groups within an enterprise and across the front office to the back office. The latest network scanner added to the award-winning line of Fujitsu ScanSnap scanning solutions offers new tools to make digitizing documents simple and specialized training unnecessary, enhanced security features to combat the threat of data compromise, and added flexibility to easily create customizable interface screens for a consistent user experience.

Additionally, Instead of requiring a PC, the unit is totally self-contained and can be monitored from an administrative console. A programming interface allows companies to create touch screen based applications making it easy for customers to use and share. Applications can be tailored for specific customer needs and provide a simple way to ensure content governance across the organization.

“We think the ScanSnap N1800 scanner represents the future of distributed based scanning,” stated Ed Amash, Partner at iKAN Software. “Network based devices are a logical evolution for front office scanning applications, providing advantages over both digital copiers and devices attached to PC’s. The development of the solution for the N1800 extends our strong commitment to Fujitsu and to providing the best experience possible for users to get their content into the corporate mainstream. I am sure we will see increasing interest in these types of devices to address the different requirements of our customers.”

“The adoption of network scanners has gained tremendous momentum over the past few years by helping organizations decrease the complex nature of scanning without compromising access to important document scanning functionality,” said Scott Francis, vice president of marketing, Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc. “Fujitsu has worked closely with iKAN for the past seven years and we’re excited to integrate its OneFile document scanning solution with our latest network scanner to provide customers with a powerful solution to help streamline their document capture workflow.”

Source:http://www.ecmconnection.com/article.mvc/iKAN-Software-Announces-Software-Support-For-0001

The Internet scammers often referred to as “phishers” are using smarter tactics to get around protection services and obtain personal information from Internet users. Instead of preying on victims through email, cybercriminals are tapping into the dark side of the latest online phenomenon: social media.

At the end of 2010, nearly 85 percent of recorded phishing attempts used social networks as a lure, up from 8.3 percent at the start of the year, Microsoft Malware Protection Center reported.

Phishing, which is the act of tricking someone into surrendering private information over the Internet, follows the idea of actual fishing — you throw out bait with the hopes that while some ignore it, others will bite. Attacks most commonly come in the form of emails or messages that contain viral links.

Tim Rains, director of product management for Trustworthy Computing at Microsoft, said social-media sites make it easier for attackers to spread malicious software through links, photos and applications because those users are typically more trusting.

A reasonably savvy Internet user may be unlikely to open an email from an unknown correspondent and click on the attached link. But if someone on Facebook sees a link from a friend, he or she may be more inclined to believe it to be safe.

When the information is shared by a user the victim knows, attackers assume the attempt will be “more successful than anonymous email,” Rains said.

For example, you see a message from a friend or a link on your Facebook news feed. You click on it only to find a second window that pops up asking for your log in, credit card or other personal information. You may trust it because you think it came from your friend. But security experts say these are common Internet scams, used to get you to input your information.

Some 43 percent of social-networking users were thought to be victims of such attacks, according to a report by ZoneAlarm, a software technology company. Tabatha Marshall, founder of nonprofit organization Phishbucket, which seeks to protect job seekers from phishing attacks, said she gets many comments from people who have fallen for attacks via personal messages on Facebook. Many of these messages contain job offers and are from someone the victim has mutual friends with, she said.

“It’s relatively easy for a scammer to get into someone’s daily life on social networks,” Marshall said.

Internet Identity, a Tacoma security company, said password reuse, willingness to click on bad links that look legitimate, and poorly controlled databases are becoming well-known problems for businesses and organizations.

Rod Rasmussen, president and CTO of Internet Identity, said criminal phishing groups act like real companies with strategies and areas of specialization that allow them to be successful.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” he said. “We are highly connected and are all sharing information, but at the same time, that makes it far easier, quicker and more effective for them to spread their virus.”

Dave Dittrich, senior security engineer at the University of Washington, said phishing will likely be even more of problem as more people go online and use smartphones. Cybercriminals will shift their attack from one platform to another, he said, comparing Internet users to a growing field from which scammers can harvest.

But the real story isn’t the type of mechanism being used to target victims, he said.

It’s that “people are simply not learning how to avoid being tricked on the Internet,” Dittrich said.

Source:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2015969968_phishingscams22.html