Introducing the Fraud Prevention Suite to combat fraud in international eCommerce

March 9, 2010 · Filed Under Business Software, Internet Software, Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Wirecard AG Presents a Further Development in the Field of Risk Management

Munich-based Wirecard AG introduces the Fraud Prevention Suite, a further development within the scope of its risk management product line. By means of a refined analytics system, fraud patterns automatically identified in the field of electronic online payments processing are now directly included in bodies of rules to combat fraud in international eCommerce.

The Fraud Prevention Suite provides merchants with optimum fraud detection facilities, combined with a simultaneous minimization of the number of transactions erroneously categorized as being suspected of fraud. This is because portfolio data is used to optimize sets of rules by means of integrated simulation functions to assess the relationship between identified cases of fraud to rejected, regular transactions.

Not only are merchants operating with an international reach exposed to fraud attempts more frequently; they also have to contend with a larger variety of fraud patterns than merchants trading within a single country. Particularly as far as credit card processing on a global scale is concerned, the challenge is to be able to identify fraud better and faster and to take preventive steps to counteract fraud.

“Online fraud is becoming increasingly sophisticated internationally,” says Heiner Kallweit, Head of Product Line Risk & Fraud Prevention at Wirecard AG. “On the basis of our many years’ experience, in combination with new software developed we have created a solution which, based on extensive possibilities of analyzing inventory data, identifies online fraud before damage or loss can occur,” adding: “In this context, the behavior patterns differ completely from one industry segment to another, making it necessary for industry-specific parameters of relevance relating to fraud to be included in fraud detection as such. In the case of airlines, for instance, these are the route, method of payment, flight class or advance booking periods. The system even identifies complex patterns to distinguish genuine transactions from fraudulent ones.”

Wirecard AG has adjusted its new Fraud Prevention Suite solution to the requirements of the core industries of eCommerce: consumer goods, airlines/tourism and digital goods.

The range on offer from technology services provider Wirecard comprises individually tailored, industry- and customer-specific payment and risk management systems, ranging from special BSP solutions for airlines, tele-shopping and Internet trading all the way through to PoS terminal solutions in the stationary segment. The services of the online-oriented Wirecard Bank complement and extend the array of products and services for business customers to include credit card acceptance agreements (acquiring), banking services and innovative prepaid card products.

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Panda Security and Defence Intelligence coordinate massive botnet shutdown with international law enforcement

March 4, 2010 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · Comment 

Collaborative cybercrime investigation results in three arrests, more pending

Personal and financial data compromised from massive cyber attack impacting nearly 13 million unique IP addresses, 50 percent of Fortune 1000 companies

Preliminary damages estimated to be in the millions of dollars

According to IT security firms Panda Security and Defence Intelligence, the Mariposa botnet, a massive network of infected computers designed to steal sensitive information, has been shutdown and three suspected criminals accused of operating the botnet have been arrested by Spanish law enforcement. Mariposa stole account information for social media sites and other online email services, usernames and passwords, banking credentials, and credit card data through infiltrating an estimated 12.7 million compromised personal, corporate, government and university IP addresses in more than 190 countries. The botnet was shutdown and rendered inactive on December 23rd, 2009 thanks to the collaborative effort of different security experts and law enforcement, including Panda Security, Defence Intelligence, the FBI and Spanish Guardia Civil.

With almost 13 million compromised computers, Mariposa is one of the largest botnets ever reported on record. Christopher Davis, CEO for Defence Intelligence, who first discovered the Mariposa botnet, explains: “It would be easier for me to provide a list of the Fortune 1000 companies that weren’t compromised, rather than the long list of those who were.”

Following the discovery of Mariposa’s existence in May 2009, Defence Intelligence, Panda Security and the Georgia Tech Information Security Center spearheaded the Mariposa Working Group as a collaborative effort with other international security experts and law enforcement agencies to eradicate the botnet and bring the perpetrators to justice. The main botmaster, nicknamed “Netkairo” and “hamlet1917″, as well as his immediate botnet operator partners, “Ostiator” and “Johnyloleante”, were arrested earlier this month.

Pedro Bustamante, senior research advisor at Panda Security, said: “Our preliminary analysis indicates that the botmasters did not have advanced hacking skills. This is very alarming because it proves how sophisticated and effective malware distribution software has become, empowering relatively unskilled cyber criminals to inflict major damage and financial loss. We’re extremely proud of the coordinated effort made by all of the Mariposa Working Group members and the speed at which we were able to bring down this massive botnet and the criminals behind it.”

Late last year, the Mariposa Working Group infiltrated the command-and-control structure of Mariposa to observe the communication channels used by the suspected botmasters. These channels relay information from the compromised computers to the perpetrators and are commonplace, similar to those used by the Zeus, Conficker and Koobface botnets or as shown recently in the Google/Aurora operation. After analyzing the main command-and-control servers the Working Group was able to facilitate the coordinated worldwide shutdown of the Mariposa Botnet on December 23rd. Panda Security is currently leading a comprehensive analysis of the malware, as well as coordinating international communication among other antivirus companies to ensure that their signatures are updated.

Highlights from Panda Security’s preliminary analysis include:

– Once infected by the Mariposa bot client, the botmaster installed different malware (advanced keyloggers, banking trojans like Zeus, remote access trojans, etc.) in order to gain additional functionality into the zombie PCs.
– The botmaster made money by selling parts of the botnet, installing pay-per-install toolbars, selling stolen credentials for online services and using the stolen banking credentials and credit cards to make transactions to overseas mules.
– The Mariposa botnet spread extremely effectively via P2P networks, USB drives, and MSN links.

A more comprehensive report from Panda Security’s forensic analysis will be available at http://pandalabs.pandasecurity.com/ shortly. In the meantime a short description of the Mariposa botnet software can be found at http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/security-info/217587/ButterflyBot.A.

“Once again, the coordinated efforts of various international law enforcement agencies and Spain’s Guardia Civil, together with the Internet security industry, have been able to tackle the global threat of cyber-crime,” said Juan Salom, commander of the Cybercrime Unit of the Guardia Civil.

According to Dave Dagon at the Georgia Tech Information Security Center: “Instead of making pie charts, we should treat a botnet as a crime scene and not just a research project.”

The Mariposa Working Group has officially seized control of the communication channels used by Mariposa, effectively severing the botnet from its criminal creators. In an apparent act of retaliation, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack was initiated against Defence Intelligence shortly after the botnet was shut down in December. The attack was powerful enough to impact one large Internet Service Provider, many of whose customers were knocked offline for several hours.

According to a representative from CDmon, the ISP that collaborated in the investigation and where the criminal domains were hosted: “We are pleased to have been able to support this international operation, along with the Spanish Guardia Civil, Panda Security, Defence Intelligence and other law enforcement agencies, and to help bring down the botnet. CDmon is strongly committed to the concept of quality Internet, guaranteeing standards of quality and security across all our services. This collaborative effort is a big win in the fight against cybercrime.”

“We will continue to fight the threat of botnets and the criminals behind them,” says Davis. “We’ll start by dismantling their infrastructure and won’t stop until they’re standing in front of a judge.”

Defence Intelligence and Panda Security are attempting to contact affected organizations. To find out if your organization has been compromised, contact compromise@defintel.com or info@pandasecurity.com.

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SAP Business One 8.8 beckons new era of software for small businesses

March 2, 2010 · Filed Under Business Software, Software News · Comment 

New Release of SAP(R) Business One Application Features Enhanced User Interface, Embedded Analytics, Business Network Connectivity

SAP AG announced a new release of the SAP® Business One application that accelerates time-to-value, facilitates business adaptability and increases ease-of-use and affordability based on strong co-innovation with SAP partners for small and midsize companies. With thousands of customers in over 80 countries, SAP Business One is designed to enable small business owners to effectively manage their entire business and future growth. The new 8.8 release of SAP Business One includes new innovations and advancements in the areas of functionality, performance and user experience that will improve customers’ usability and productivity. For example, with embedded analytics from the SAP® Business Objects(TM) portfolio, customers can increase transparency of business operations and improve decision-making. The new release also offers enhanced business network connectivity that enables customers’ to quickly and affordably integrate their business partners in the ecosystems, local subsidiaries or branch offices with headquarters running the enterprise resource planning (ERP) application SAP® ERP. The announcement was made at the CeBIT trade fair, being held in Hannover, Germany, March 2-6.

SAP Business One 8.8 has been in ramp-up since August 2009 and is planned to be generally available at the end of April 2010. Already, more than 150 customers are experiencing the benefits of the new release, including C&T Network Systems (Germany), Crayola (Costa Rica), Lifepark (Germany), Glowmac Lighting Pvt. Ltd (India), Interadapt Sistemas (Brazil), Orga-Buro (France), Reynolds Logistics (UK), Schulp Vruchtensappen (Netherlands), Skytek Telecomunicazioni Srl (Italy), Solis Import (Panama), SPM Instruments (USA) and Vet’s Sheet Metal Ltd (Canada).

“We produce optically unusual and very individual bikes, which we sell mainly through 19 online shops with integration to SAP Business One and a network of resellers throughout Europe; a delivery time of 12 days from order to delivery is very important,” said Manuel Ostner, managing director, PG Trade & Sales GmbH. “SAP Business One was known to us as one of the best products for these requirements. Since its introduction, we have all orders and inventory in one single system, so we are informed in time about missing parts and have no loss of production anymore. SAP Business One includes everything we need. We can also process new ideas right away.”

The new SAP Business One release accommodates the continuous demands of the changing market by including an upgrade wizard that is simple and straightforward, reducing customer’s downtime to a minimum. In addition, the new release integrates to partner applications and business services. Based on the flexible business platform of SAP Business One, small businesses can quickly start with core business management applications and add additional capabilities over time with easy-to-consume business applications from SAP partners. In the future, customers will be able to more easily extend their solutions with cloud-based applications, mash-ups and mobile integration.

“Innovative solutions whet the appetite, especially if you get benefits at the same time,” said German Mayr, managing director, Part Business Solutions GmbH. “During a presentation of SAP Business One we already saw the iPhone integration with SAP Business One. This was ultimately the impetus for the switch to the new version. While others may have taken the last days of last year as leisure time, PART used the time to migrate our operations to SAP Business One 8.8. The upgrade went smoothly in a very short time. Meanwhile, not only are our ERP processes running on the new platform, but we have also integrated the archive system. It saves time and money when your software helps drive business decisions — and on top of that, is easy to use.”

Additional enhancements in the latest release of SAP Business One include:

  • Universal code base for 40 countries, supporting different time zones and helping to ensure compliance with standard legal requirements;
  • Data archiving to reduce operational cost in growing businesses;
  • A remote support platform for SAP Business One, with embedded product life-cycle support that assists customers and partners in proactive issue diagnostics and resolution and system reliability;
  • DATEV interface for payroll accounting in Germany;
  • Integration to on-demand Web services such as eShops, based on country availability, to reach out to new market segments.

SAP partners are finding that the new release of SAP Business One is making it easier to service their vast array of clients and allowing solution partners to rapidly extend the core solution to meet unique, industry-specific processes and changing needs. SAP Business One 8.8 is able to accommodate customers’ unique needs, whether for brick and mortar, online operations or hybrid business models that need powerful e-commerce connectivity as well as more traditional business management proficiency. In addition, the solution can be quickly implemented. Among partners participating in the ramp-up were Asecom, Vision33, SAND Technologies Limited, and Navigator Business Solutions. SAP and its partners intend to deliver additional innovations for SAP Business One throughout 2010, such as integrated Web 2.0 capabilities and social networking, mobile integration, extended collaboration and integration of cloud-based applications.

“As a SAP Business One solution partner we drive strong co-innovation with SAP to accelerate product innovation for the benefit of customers,” said Manuel Grenacher, CEO, coresystems ag. “SAP has an extremely flexible, sustainable development platform and quality standards to deliver added-value applications for customers. This is a fantastic opportunity to grow our own business in a volume market.”

“The innovations to SAP Business One stand to revolutionize the way small businesses owners manage their businesses,” said Robert Viehmann, head of SAP Business One development worldwide. “With SAP Business One 8.8, we enter into a new era of business software for small enterprises. Small businesses must become empowered to adapt their business models rapidly with a flexible IT platform that adapts to business changes instantaneously. Today, business software allows company owners and managers to accelerate decision making based on true real time insight. Additionally, business software should be more consumable to provide ease of use for users living in today’s web world.”

Viehmann speaks about the new features within the SAP Business One 8.8 application in the video accessible here. To read how the new release of SAP Business One is making it easier for SAP partners to service their vast array of clients, please see “Addendum: SAP® Business One 8.8 Beckons New Era of Software for Small Businesses.” To see the innovations to SAP Business One 8.8 at CeBIT, visit the SAP SME booth A4 in hall 5; the SAP World Tour in halls 19 and 20; and the OS XP Pavilion. SAP partners at CeBIT will also be exhibiting the new release.

Next Major Event: SAPPHIRE® 2010

SAPPHIRE® 2010, SAP’s premier customer conference and networking event, will be held simultaneously in Orlando, Florida, and Frankfurt, Germany, May 17-19, 2010. This year, SAP will utilize several new, unique, and compelling experiences online and at the events to share SAP insights and innovations, and connect customers and partners around the world. As in past years, SAPPHIRE offers the opportunity to meet top SAP customers, partners and executives for in depth discussions, and to experience the latest solutions being offered for today’s business needs. For more information about the Orlando show, visit www.sapandasug.com; for the Frankfurt event, visit www.sap.com/sapphire/emea.

SAP® Business One is a single solution that integrates the entire business across financials, sales, customer relationships, inventory and operations. It is best-fit for small businesses that have outgrown their accounting-only systems and are looking to streamline business operations with an integrated, on-premise solution. With SAP Business One, small businesses can streamline end-to-end operations, get instant and complete information and accelerate profitable growth. SAP Business One offers over 550 add-on solutions, many industry-specific, that can extend the core functionalities of SAP Business One to meet specific business processes and fast-changing needs. Since 2007 SAP has doubled its SAP Business One customer base. Available in over 80 countries and in 26 different languages, SAP Business One is sold and supported through the extensive network of authorized SAP channel partners, and is trusted by thousands of customers worldwide. Additional information is available at www.sap.com/smallbusiness.

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Microsoft announces global launch of Windows MultiPoint Server 2010

February 25, 2010 · Filed Under Educational Software, Software News, Utilities and Operating Systems · Comment 

New shared resource computing solution increases access to affordable technology in education.

Microsoft announced the release of Windows MultiPoint Server 2010, a new Windows product that increases access to affordable computing in educational scenarios such as classrooms, labs and libraries by allowing multiple users to simultaneously share one computer using multiple screens. Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 is now globally available to OEMs and will be rolling out to Microsoft academic volume licensing customers on March 1. In addition, Microsoft is announcing new partnerships that create a strong global ecosystem of hardware companies that give customers a breadth of choices to buy and use Windows MultiPoint Server solutions.

“We heard clearly from our customers in education that to help fulfill the amazing promise of technology in the classroom, they needed access to affordable computing that was easy to manage and use,” said Anthony Salcito, vice president of worldwide education at Microsoft. “That’s why we developed Windows MultiPoint Server — a solution that meets these needs and delivers an up-to-date, trusted Windows experience.”

Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 is an operating system that enables multiple people to connect to a single host computer with their own monitor, keyboard and mouse through USB or a video card. Each person individually controls his or her own station with an independent and familiar Windows computing experience. Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 is the flagship product in a family of shared resource computing technologies, the MultiPoint solutions, which provide teachers and students with greater access to educational technology. Shared resource computing is an emerging category that allows a customer to tap into more of a computer’s capability to enable a single host computer to support multiple users simultaneously.

“Shared resource computing can multiply the number of student workstations available to schools, delivering more value while staying within the same budget,” said Bill Rust, research director at Gartner Inc. “Teachers can better align computing resources with instructional strategies while deploying fewer fully configured computers and reducing workstation support liabilities.”

Building an Ecosystem

Helping to fully realize the opportunities created by Windows MultiPoint Server, the solution is launching with strong support from vendors all over the world that have committed to developing creative and effective solutions for the MultiPoint platform. In November 2009, HP became the first OEM to announce support for Windows MultiPoint Server 2010. HP is now rolling out its HP MultiSeat shared resource computing solution to customers worldwide. In addition to HP, Microsoft is pleased to announce partnerships with DisplayLink, NComputing, ThinGlobal, Tritton Technologies Inc. and Wyse Technology Inc. to provide an increasing number of Windows MultiPoint Server hardware options for customers globally. At the local level, Microsoft is working with a broad array of OEMs, such as Howard, Positivo, Seneca Data and Tarox, to deliver even more choices to meet the varied needs of customers.

Software vendors, such as AB Consulting, LanSchool Technologies and NetSupport Ltd., will also be developing applications that extend the Windows MultiPoint platform and provide teachers and students with access to classroom management and other education-focused technology.

Having the support of a broad range of partners makes it easier for customers to purchase Windows MultiPoint Server solutions and content optimized for their individual language, content and curriculum needs. More information on the Windows MultiPoint Server ecosystem is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/multipoint/solutions.aspx.

Affordable Access for Schools

Customers from around the world have already endorsed Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 and are experiencing firsthand the benefits this affordable solution can provide. With lower initial hardware acquisition costs, schools can expand access to more students with lower-cost or existing resources. Using the familiar Windows-based interface on the host computer, teachers can establish a consistent Windows experience depending on the needs of the class. Students can work on individual projects and at their own pace, while finding, using and sharing information effectively, enhancing their productivity and learning experience. All this can be done within the classroom, since Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 was designed for nontechnical professionals to set up and manage.

“With Windows MultiPoint Server, we can offer more computer access to more students, even on our tight technology budget,” said Cary Petersen, executive director of information technology, Jefferson County Public Schools. “Teachers can easily distribute tailored curricula to individual students and help them progress at their own level and pace. Students can develop 21st-century skills that will help them with their school projects and prepare them for the next level of schooling and for jobs in the future. Besides, the system is easy to set up and maintain, meaning less work for our IT department.”

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SIIA announces finalists for 2010 CODiE Awards in Education categories

February 24, 2010 · Filed Under Educational Software, Software News · Comment 

Fifty-four companies qualify for second round of prestigious award program

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) announces the finalists for the prestigious CODiE Awards in the categories relating to education technology. The products that qualified will now be reviewed by members of SIIA, who will vote on winners for all 24 categories. The winners will be announced at a special CODiE Awards Dinner on May 24th, which will be held in conjunction with the 2010 Ed Tech Industry Summit.

Eighty-eight products from 54 companies were selected as finalists from more than 327 nominations submitted by 124 companies. Nominated products underwent an intensive review by subject matter experts, analysts, journalists, and others with deep experience in the field. Pearson has 13 nominations reaching the final stage, the most for one company this year. Five companies have 3 nominations reaching the final stage. The finalists may now be reviewed on the CODiE Awards Website at www.siia.net/CODiEs.

“This is the twenty-fifth year we have recognized excellence through the CODiE Awards program,” noted Ken Wasch, President of SIIA. “The competition is always tough, and in this economic climate, companies are doing even more to innovate. Excellence within the education technology industry shines through in the products selected as finalists, and we are very excited to see how the voting goes this year.”

Originally called the “Excellence in Software Awards,” the CODiEs were established in 1986 by the Software Publishers Association (SPA), which preceded the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). The program was created so that pioneers of the then-nascent software industry could evaluate and honor each other’s work. Since then, the CODiE Awards program has carried out the same purpose – to showcase the software and information industry’s finest products and services and to honor excellence in corporate achievement and philanthropic efforts.

Source: Software & Information Industry Association

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New Emotional Technology in KODAK Picture Kiosks creates opportunity to tap into trillions of images

February 21, 2010 · Filed Under Digital Photo Software, Productivity Software, Software News, Utilities and Operating Systems · Comment 

New KODAK Picture Kiosk Software v4.0 Unlocks Images from Consumer Video, Social Networks and More

The Eastman Kodak Company  introduced a series of powerful new features and enhancements to its KODAK Picture Kiosk software, including a number of industry firsts. The new features are designed to inspire consumers to create something truly memorable with their most important photos easily and in minutes, through highly-profitable premium at-retail photo products. Utilizing Kodak’s proprietary materials and digital image science, these unique-to-Kodak features are compatible with KODAK Picture Kiosk G4 series – the majority of the KODAK Kiosk fleet.

Hot on the heels of the award winning KODAK SLICE Touchscreen Camera and KODAK PLAYSPORT Video Camera announced at CES, KODAK Picture Kiosk Software v4.0 now debuts Kodak’s Video Snapshots, a first-of-its-kind video-to-still capture application at retail that allows consumers to easily select individual pictures of that “perfect moment” from video clips shot with digital still and point-and-shoot digital video cameras. Other industry firsts include Kodak’s Pet Eye Retouch, Kodak’s Facial Retouch and true one-touch premium products. In addition, onboard workflow enhancements in KODAK Picture Kiosk Software v4.0 make it faster and easier than ever to create popular premium products such as photo enlargements and collages, as well as KODAK Picture CDs, and Photo Books, making this Kodak’s most powerful software release for its kiosk fleet – ever.

“Our new KODAK Picture Kiosk software is the best we’ve introduced. It uses our Emotional Technology Initiative, designed specifically to help consumers tell their life stories quickly and easily,” said Nicoletta Zongrone, General Manager Retail Systems Solutions and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “We’ve had a number of market firsts since Kodak invented the photo kiosk category in 1993, and we’ve now created what we believe is the most satisfying customer experience to date, along with introducing proprietary features, that help our retail partners create vibrant, reliable and highly profitable photo retail destinations.”

New features of KODAK Picture Kiosk Software v4.0 solve real problems for consumers and retailers:

– Solving the problem of capturing that special individual moment locked away in a video, Kodak’s Video Snapshots feature lets consumers review and select individual frames from their video files, convert them into still images, and then use them to create prints, collages, greeting cards, photo books and calendars, or store them on a CD making them easier to share and relive. Consistent with Kodak’s core competency of delivering breakthrough, easy-to-use consumer experiences, the simple and elegant user interface is quick, easy and fun. Kodak’s Video Snapshots will support video formats of top brand digital still and point-and- shoot digital video cameras, including the newest HD models. With consumers in the US alone shooting more than 4 trillion video frames annually, this presents an enormous opportunity for retailers.(1)

– With 71 million pet households in the US alone(2), pets rank in the top four of all captured images.(3) Kodak’s Pet Eye Retouch allows these consumers to fix the very common and problematic pet eye glare caused by flash photography of their furry companions. Consumer research shows that 65 percent of consumers were likely to use this feature, and remarkably, 28 percent would be willing to change where they print to get it. (3)

– Helping people look their best, Kodak’s market-proven Facial Retouch Feature, at the touch of one button smoothes wrinkles, diminishes and/or erases blemishes and improves skin tone for more perfect photo keepsakes. This technology was successfully tested and launched with major European retailers and is now available to all Kodak retail partners around the globe.

– The new Software v4.0 also gives consumers using the KODAK Picture Kiosk the ability to access the photos they have stored or shared on the KODAK Gallery, Facebook® and Picasa(TM) Web Albums, and easily use them to create photo keepsakes in minutes right in the store. With more than 475M active consumers in 180 countries and more than three billion photos uploaded each month to these sites, the software offers retailers a huge opportunity to market their unique in-store services to these users.(4)

– Designed to help consumers become aware of the powerful new sharing solutions, and retailers to increase market basket opportunity, the new software now offers a complete suite of merchandising tools.  Fresh, lively welcome screen messaging offers ideas for new projects right from the start, and the intelligent one-touch premium upsell feature creates animated product suggestions using the consumer’s own images, allowing her to purchase an additional product instantly with the touch of one button.

In addition to exciting new features, KODAK Picture Kiosk Software v4.0 takes work out for the consumer. Consistent with Kodak’s focus on delivering a superior consumer experience in store, the new software requires fewer consumer touches, writes KODAK Picture CDs up to 33 percent faster, and creates KODAK Photo Books faster and more easily than with previous generation solutions. This translates into less queuing, improved customer satisfaction and more profit potential per minute.

“With all these amazing new features and powerful upsells, the KODAK Picture Kiosk is the hardest working employee in the store – always helping and always selling,” said Zongrone. “In the end, this category is not about bits, bytes and pages, it’s about putting technology to work to solve real problems and create opportunities, so that consumers and retailers get what they need. We call it ‘Emotional Technology.’ We’re very proud of our new software and we’re working with our retailer partners around the globe to roll it out as we speak.”

KODAK Picture Kiosk Software v4.0 will begin shipping in the 2nd quarter of 2010. . For more information on this and other exciting solutions come visit the world’s leader in the photo kiosk industry at PMA 2010 – booth 3100, Anaheim Convention Center, California, from February 21-23 2010.

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Tableau launches free software to make data social

February 11, 2010 · Filed Under Communications, Downloads, Internet Software, Productivity Software, Software News · Comment 

New product helps blogs and web sites start conversations with interactive visual data

Tableau Software launched a new product that brings public data to life on the web. Tableau Public, available for free, lets anyone who posts content to the web easily create interactive visualizations and publish them to blogs, web sites, Twitter feeds or anywhere online. Instead of viewing static charts or tables, Tableau Public lets people answer questions and share data interactively on the web.

“Imagine if online data was as fun and accessible as online video,” said Christian Chabot, Tableau’s CEO and co-founder. “We created this product because we want to make data a first class citizen on the web. We want to change the way people interact with data online by letting them tell stories with flexibility and beauty.”

Current alternatives for sharing data online are clumsy. Typically, data is pasted into tables and lists, or posted as files or catalogs that are difficult to use. Available at TableauPublic.com, Tableau Public is helping to solve this challenge – bringing data to life on the web for ordinary people. With its interactive visualizations and dashboards, Tableau Public helps people start conversations based on data that is useful, beautiful and shareable. No special plug-ins are required, all that’s needed to see and use the data is a web browser.

From bloggers and journalists to researchers and students, Tableau is already being used as a tool to create conversations with data. For example, Timothy Ellis at SeattleBubble.com, a community blog focused on the local housing market, is using Tableau to increase the depth of conversations about the changing real estate market.

Robert Kosara, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of North Carolina, recently used Tableau Public to compare temperature data collected from 343 weather stations over twenty years, or 77,172 observations. He was able to show warming trends clearly and posted a blog about global warming. “I was impressed how Tableau helped me create a more analytical visualization that was easy to share on the web. It’s an amazing product, and I regularly use Tableau for my Visual Analytics class,” said Professor Kosara.

Tableau Version 5.1

In conjunction with the general availability of Tableau Public, the company is also releasing today Version 5.1 of its Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server product suite. Version 5.1 provides more analytic richness, better publishing, and increased scalability and performance. Analytical features include reference bands that provide context to a user’s analysis, bullet charts to evaluate related data, and intelligent data labels to call out the most critical data. New publishing features include rich formatting, streamlined toolbar design, more filter options, and a flexible layout.

Source: www.tableaupublic.com

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Solutionary identifies Top Security Risks and provides precautionary tips for Winter Olympic Games

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Internet Software, Security Software, Software News · 1 Comment 

Company encourages businesses, event advertisers, and corporate and individual attendees to remain vigilant and take information security precautions

Solutionary, has identified the top information and data security risks facing businesses, Olympic advertisers and attendees of the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver from February 12th to 28th. In addition, the company has provided precautionary tips to help these people and organizations protect their data and assets.

Solutionary is a trusted security advisor to companies of all sizes around the world, processing more than 300 billion events annually through the company’s Security Operations Centers (SOC). Solutionary’s certified SOC analysts and technology offer 24/7 live and automated event monitoring to ensure the highest levels of protection.

“Hackers, spammers and scammers often take advantage of major events, like the Olympics, to steal confidential consumer and corporate data and information or to generally create chaos,” said Don Gray, Chief Security Strategist of Solutionary. “Since the 2008 Games, new and more malicious threats have surfaced and attacks are more prevalent, from the Google email hacks to Twitter and Facebook denial of service (DDOS) attacks. In the age of Web 2.0 and constant connectivity, it’s more important than ever for businesses and individuals alike to remain vigilant about information security – especially around an event of such international significance.”

Solutionary’s information and cyber security experts have identified the following as the top five information security risks around the Olympics:

Social Networks & Instant Messaging (IM) – In recent months, sites and services like Facebook, Twitter and MSN Messenger have been repeatedly targeted by hackers. Keep your guard up, even during the excitement of the Games. Who you are connecting to? How you are connecting to them? Are you sharing information that could be used for social engineering? Never share files thru IM services and connect only to branded, trusted information sources.

Masquerading Wireless Networks - Always know what network you are connecting to and avoid unsecured wireless networks. Only connect to networks associated with trusted brands/providers and be sure to verify names and credentials of the access points.

Malvertising – Website ads containing malicious exploit code may be hosted by unsuspecting websites in an attempt to maximize online ad revenue around the Games.

Hacktivism – Nationalistic pride can be a powerful motivator in driving hackers to initiate attacks. In the recent Google hacking incident there was evidence of retaliatory hacking affecting Baidu.com.

Whaling – Corporate executives and guests should be trained to recognize attempts to target them, their laptops, and phones for exploit. Promotional items can easily be faked. Emails, devices, CDs, and memory sticks can all convey malicious software.

Solutionary’s experts recommend Olympic attendees, advertisers and Vancouver-area businesses take the below security precautions, at a minimum, leading up to and during the Games:

Awareness – Make sure everyone in your network – whether it’s your kids or your employees – is aware of potential threats. If they are aware of heightened risk, they will be more vigilant and likely to flag suspicious activity or items.

Protect Endpoints - Attendees must protect mobile computers and phones as these devices often are targeted for the data they contain as well
as an exploit path for stealing account credentials, credit card information, etc.

If you can, leave them at home. Consider limiting yourself to one pocket-able device that’s easy to keep track of.

If you must have a laptop, ensure that it is up to date with the latest patches, anti-X (virus, spyware, malware) software.

Remove all non-essential data from laptop before traveling – especially if it’s confidential or sensitive.

If you must travel with sensitive or confidential data, employ strong whole disk encryption.

Check, Double-Check and Re-Check Security Processes – Local businesses and advertisers should review their information security countermeasures, validate that patches are up-to-date, that web applications are not vulnerable, and that wireless networks are secured using WPA/WPA2 authentication and TKIP/AES encryption.

Log Monitoring – Local businesses involved with the Games and advertisers must recognize that their participation brings about the possibility of increased motivated attackers targeting them for nationalistic or political reasons. Ensure security log monitoring is adequate to handle the increased threat level and volume.

Check ATM’s – Attendees and local financial institutions should be vigilant about checking for ATM pin-pad skimmers. Most pin-pad skimmers can be detected by careful examination and physical checking as they are often taped on top of the real card-entry mechanism on the ATM. If there is any doubt, find another ATM to be safe.

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Top 10 Malware Threats for January

February 4, 2010 · Filed Under Security Software, Software News · 1 Comment 

Leading anti-malware developer finds continued prevalence of Trojan horse programs

Sunbelt Software announced the top 10 most prevalent malware threats for the month of January 2010. The report, compiled from monthly scans performed by Sunbelt’s award-winning anti-malware solution, VIPRE® Antivirus + Antispyware, and its antispyware tool, CounterSpy®, is a service of SunbeltLabs(TM).

In January, the malware landscape remained remarkably similar to December, according to Sunbelt Software ThreatNet statistics. The top seven detections were the same as December, but in a slightly different order. In December and January, six of the top 10 detections were Trojan horse programs.

Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT – a generic detection for Trojans that comprised nearly one quarter (23.15 percent) of all the malware found. It remained in the top position for the third month in a row, growing by nearly 20 percent from 18.69 percent of all detections in December. It is a detection that includes many downloaders associated with scareware or rogue security products.

After holding the top spot on the list for most of 2009, the password-stealing Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zbot.gen held the second position on the list for the third consecutive month, decreasing from 6.23 to 4.91 percent of all detections.

“I think we can expect to see Trojan horse programs continue to be the top detections for the foreseeable future,” said Michael St. Neitzel, Sunbelt Software vice president of Threat Research. “Trojans used to download and install a wide variety of other malware and those are the real moneymakers for the bad guys.”

Other Trojans in the top 10 were:
– Trojan.Win32.Generic!SB.0
– Trojan.Win32.Malware
– Trojan.ASF.Wimad (v)
– Trojan.HTML.FakeAlert.a (v)

Meanwhile, three new detections moved onto this month’s top 10 list. Virtumonde — a generalized description of an adware program with many versions of pop up advertising — constituted 1.23 percent of overall detections. Packed.Win32.TDSS.aa.3 (v) — a sophisticated rootkit and Trojan that is used primarily to redirect search engine results — made up 1.21 percent. Finally, Trojan.HTML.FakeAlert.a (v) — a detection for an HTML file which replaces a desktop background and works with other rogue malware — made up just under one percent of all detections.

The top 10 results represent the number of times a particular malware infection was detected during VIPRE and CounterSpy scans that report back to ThreatNet, Sunbelt’s community of opt-in users. These threats are classified as moderate to severe based on method of installation among other criteria established by SunbeltLabs. The majority of these threats propagate through stealth installations or social engineering.

The top 10 most prevalent malware threats for the month of January are:
1. Trojan.Win32.Generic!BT 23.15%
2. Trojan-Spy.Win32.Zbot.gen 4.91%
3. Exploit.PDF-JS.Gen (v) 4.55%
4. Trojan.Win32.Generic!SB.0 2.40%
5. Trojan.Win32.Malware 1.93%
6. Trojan.ASF.Wimad (v) 1.92%
7. INF.Autorun (v) 1.46%
8. Virtumonde 1.23%
9. Packed.Win32.TDSS.aa.3 (v) 1.21%
10. Trojan.HTML.FakeAlert.a (v) 0.98%

Source: Sunbelt Software

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Microsoft study reveals small and midsize businesses using hosted services have better financial performance

February 4, 2010 · Filed Under Business Software, Internet Software, Productivity Software, Software News · 1 Comment 

Research suggests correlation between IT usage and business growth.

Microsoft released its global SMB IT and Hosted IT Index 2010,(1) which investigates how small and midsize businesses (SMBs) across multiple segments fared during the recession and how they use technology. The research finds that businesses that value IT as an enabler for better business productivity and effectiveness and those that use hosted services performed better fiscally than those that do not.

IT Critical to Revenue Growth

Despite the global recession, more SMBs surveyed in 2010 reported an increase in revenue than in 2008. Those that reported growth view IT as critical to their business success.

– In the past 12 months, 52 percent of SMBs reported an increase in revenue, up from 39 percent in 2008.(2)
– Increasing 20 points since 2008, 55 percent of SMBs view IT as critical to their business.
– Of the SMBs that view IT as critical, 60 percent saw revenues grow over the past 12 months. In contrast, among SMBs that stated IT is not important, less than 29 percent saw revenue increase.(3)

SMBs Moving Toward Cloud Computing

The 2010 index indicates SMBs are beginning to see the benefits of cloud computing; more than 40 percent of the respondents that use hosted or cloud technology reported revenue rises of 30 percent or more compared with 90 percent of respondents not using hosted technology that saw decreases in revenue. The advantages of hosted or cloud technology are viewed as reduced cost and IT management and maintenance, as well as increased business value, productivity and competitiveness.

– Awareness of hosted services is increasing with 65 percent of SMBs using hosted software to some extent, while 73 percent of the remainder have considered it, compared with only 44 percent in the 2008 Index.
– SMBs are beginning to understand the value of “renting” IT as a service — 36 percent said a pay-as-you-go model would be attractive.

Cloud computing has become a watchword for the IT industry as software and services such as e-mail, Web sites and e-commerce are increasingly available in an on-premises, off-premises or hybrid model depending on business need.

“Over the last five years, we have seen nearly 40 percent growth in usage of hosted services,” said Michael Korbacher, director of EMEA Software plus Services in the Communications Sector at Microsoft. “Using pay-as-you-go cloud technologies, small and midsize businesses can now afford and easily have access to enterprise-class, secure services across any platform.”

Correlating Business Performance With Technology Usage

The findings from the research were concluded by analyst firm Freeform Dynamics Ltd., which independently assessed the SMB IT and Hosted IT Index 2010 to ascertain to what degree IT adoption is driving revenue growth specifically within the SMB community.

The SMB IT and Hosted IT Index 2010 commissioned by Microsoft researched 3,193 SMBs in a cross section of private industries in 15 countries. Overall, the findings show greater awareness of the benefits of IT among SMBs and a high reliance on IT across all industries and geographies. The findings indicate a clear path toward better financial performance than for those not currently taking advantage of IT advances such as hosted services.

“Our assessment of the report tells us that an increased focus on IT correlates with good performance in all of the size categories surveyed,” said Dale Vile, research director of Freeform Dynamics. “This whole picture corroborates the notion that technology and hosted services can provide tangible business advantage, even for smaller companies, and it’s not surprising to see that investment in IT and hosting goes hand in hand with good financial performance.”

Role of IT Within Business and Revenue Change

It’s critical to our business; we cannot work without it.
– 14.38 percent – Revenue up more than 30 percent
– 34.01 percent – Revenue up 10 percent to 30 percent
– 11.56 percent – Revenue up less than 10 percent
– 25.49 percent – No change in revenue
– 14.55 percent – Decrease in revenue

It’s very important for the majority of our activities.
– 8.86 percent – Revenue up more than 30 percent
– 28.32 percent – Revenue up 10 percent to 30 percent
– 8.65 percent – Revenue up less than 10 percent
– 40.16 percent – No change in revenue
– 14.01 percent – Decrease in revenue

It’s important but not essential to the running of the business.
– 8.21 percent – Revenue up more than 30 percent
– 18.48 percent – Revenue up 10 percent to 30 percent
– 8.21 percent – Revenue up less than 10 percent
– 46.33 percent – No change in revenue
– 18.77 percent – Decrease in revenue

It complements our business but is by no means essential.
– 7.41 percent – Revenue up more than 30 percent
– 13.89 percent – Revenue up 10 percent to 30 percent
– 7.41 percent – Revenue up less than 10 percent
– 42.59 percent – No change in revenue
– 28.70 percent – Decrease in revenue

The IT Services Outlined in the Research Are as Follows

E-mail
– 67 percent SMBs have on site
– 29 percent SMBs have hosted
– 4 percent SMBs don’t have


File sharing/collaboration
– 56 percent SMBs have on site
– 23 percent SMBs have hosted
– 21 percent SMBs don’t have

Backup
– 71 percent SMBs have on site
– 22 percent SMBs have hosted
– 7 percent SMBs don’t have

CRM
– 52 percent SMBs have on site
– 31 percent SMBs have hosted
– 17 percent SMBs don’t have

Webconferencing
– 40 percent SMBs have on site
– 39 percent SMBs have hosted
– 21 percent SMBs don’t have

Web site
– 49 percent SMBs have on site
– 39 percent SMBs have hosted
– 12 percent SMBs don’t have

Server
– 59 percent SMBs have on site
– 28 percent SMBs have hosted
– 13 percent SMBs don’t have

E-commerce
– 46 percent SMBs have on site
– 33 percent SMBs have hosted
– 21 percent SMBs don’t have

The Microsoft Small Business Technology Index 2010 research report was executed by Vanson Bourne  between November 2009 and January 2010. The research questioned 3,193 small and midsize businesses (up to 500 employees) across 15 countries worldwide: Australia, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

(1) 3,193 SMBs surveyed in France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Africa, Spain, U.K., U.S., Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore in a cross section of different industries. Microsoft Small Business Technology Index 2010 available on request.

(2) Microsoft Small Business Technology Index 2008. Available on request.

(3) Table showing correlation between the role of IT within businesses and revenue change

Source: Microsoft Corp.

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