Industry Indicator

According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) sales of semiconductors were $14.7 billion in March, a gain of 3.3 percent from the prior month.

Kiosk Event

KioskCom Self Service Expo 2009 takes place May 6 and 7, 2009 in Las Vegas. http://kioskcom.com. Contact ExportAction for a list of exhibitor profiles.

$1m IT spend by grocery chain

Beacon Enterprise Solutions Grouphas been awarded the IT design and service contracts for three highly regional distribution centers and 46 stores of one of the nation’s largest grocery chains. The contract for the distribution centers represents ongoing IT design and engineering work for the voice, data and video infrastructure that supports their vast logistical needs. The number of locations that can be added is open-ended. The store spend alone is in excess of $1 million.

With 19k outlets, candle-maker engages online

The Yankee Candle Company has selected Silverpop as its online engagement marketing provider. Yankee Candle has become the most-recognized name in the candle business and the country’s best-selling candle brand by sharing its customers’ “passion for fragrance” in every product it brings to market. Yankee Candle will engage its customers via email to share promotional messages and special offers. The company can now deliver one-to-one relevancy by considering factors such as recency of last purchase and average spend per transaction before engaging customers. Additionally, through Silverpop’s Share-to-Social capability Yankee Candle’s customers can now share special offers and new product information within their favorite social networks. (Dana Springfield, general manager of consumer direct at The Yankee Candle Company.)

Yankee Candle sells its products through a North American wholesale customer network of 19,689 store locations, a growing base of Company owned and operated retail stores, direct mail catalogs and its Internet websites (www.yankeecandle.com and www.aromanaturals.com).

Enhancing safe medication practice

Methodist Medical Center, a 353-bed facility with almost 600 board-certified physicians providing a full spectrum of health care services, has signed an agreement to install the InformMed system for enhancing safe medication practice. Methodist will be the first hospital in the country to implement the system from InformMed in the emergency department and take advantage of its patient safety features. The InformMed system will provide care nurses at Methodist with access to essential information that insure dosing calculations are correct, independent double checks complete. By taking advantage of the system nurses will be able to focus their time and effort on delivering the care only they can provide their patients. (Anthony Howard, Administrative Director of Emergency Services for Methodist.)

Two-to-Watch: Kelsius automates temperature monitoring of refrigerators and cold rooms, simplifying task management and providing cost effective compliancy reporting for users in the healthcare industries. http://www.kelsius.com. CMSense from Cain Medical provides a simple solution to acquiring data from bedside medical devices such as patient monitors, ventilators and infusion pumps. Clinical applications can be given the ability to be compatible with a wide range of devices, rapidly and with the confidence to support any hospital applications. http://www.cainmedical.com.

Security in New York state

McAfee has secured a multi-year, multimillion dollar enterprise license agreement with the State of New York to provide endpoint security for servers, PCs and laptops at agencies and counties across the state. The agreement, which includes McAfee Total Protection for Endpoint Advanced and McAfee Total Protection for Data, will provide the Empire State with an improved security posture and increased mobility at a total cost of ownership savings of approximately 75 percent over previous purchases. The agreement covers all of the state agencies and counties, comprising over 200,000 servers, PCs and laptops. (Dr. Melodie Mayberry-Stewart, New York state chief information officer and director of the office for technology. Rico Singleton, deputy chief information officer for the State of New York.)

The State Chief Information Officer and Office for Technology (CIO/OFT) provides statewide IT strategic direction and centralized IT services to the state and its governmental entities. CIO/OFT provides a number of IT services to support the missions of state agencies 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, over 90,000 telecom users, more than 50 statewide mission critical applications, a secure network of over 1,600 miles of owned and leased fibers, including mainframe operations, telecommunications, internet and intranet provisions, email, IT training, networking, data storage and processing services. In addition, the agency has a world renowned project management practice, assists with application development, and sets technology strategy and policies for the state enterprise. www.cio.state.ny.us.

Two-to-Watch: Lanxoma, security software developed by Unity Solutions, restricts access to the root level of computer operating systems, grants limited time access permission to authorized users and records all activity while the authorized user is logged-on - so being a deterrent to the "insider threat." http://lanxoma.com. At home Spysure's PC product helps protect children from paedophiles and blocks adult content. In the office it monitors and views employees' activities and tells you what is happening online. http://www.spysure.com.

One millionth 3D CAD license

OGIO International has bought the one millionth license of Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp's 3D CAD software. OGIO International bought the license for aluminum design engineer Sean Peterson, who is working on OGIO’s new line of motocross racing accessories. Peterson will use SolidWorks software to design products such as ramps, stands, and hardware for motocross bikes. OGIO is famous for designing creative and edgy athletic bags with innovative features like the zipper-less ball pocket on its golf bags. The company’s designers use SolidWorks software to model injection-molded plastic pieces such as carrying handles, wheels, and golf bag frames.

One-to-Watch: CADSmart software enables users to easily and automatically asses the skills of existing and prospective members of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) team: ensuring the right people are hired and training is given where it is needed. http://www.cadsmart.net.

Facebook security

Facebook has selected MarkMonitor AntiFraud Solutions to supplement its own in-house security efforts in protecting users against malware attacks. Facebook, which already uses MarkMonitor AntiFraud Solutions to help combat phishing attacks, is expanding its use of MarkMonitor to further protect the Facebook platform and its millions of loyal users against ongoing malware attacks. (Ryan McGeehan, threat analyst at Facebook.)

Many security threats come from "inside." Lanxoma, security software developed by Unity Solutions, restricts access to the root level of computer operating systems, grants limited time access permission to authorized users and records all activity while the authorized user is logged-on - so being a deterrent to the "insider threat." http://lanxoma.com

Full-service ticketing at New Era

New Era Tickets, a full-service ticketing and digital fan marketing subsidiary of Comcast-Spectacor, has chosen the Interactive Intelligence communications-as-a-service (CaaS) offering, called Interactive Contact Center Services (ICCS), to add multichannel customer service options, including routing, queuing and recording of e-mail, faxes and Web chats. ICCS will support New Era’s branded ticketing and contact center services, which are offered to a wide range of clients including the Philadelphia 76ers, Pocono Raceway, Portland Rose Quarter, and the Wachovia Complex. (Fred Maglione, president and CEO of New Era Tickets.)

Cloud computing platform

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Inc. and EyeIT, Inc. for the SIMtone cloud computing platform. SIMtone’s Universal Computing platform is a stateless and massively scalable intelligent network computing solution that allows users to securely access data and applications residing in any cloud from a broad array of endpoint devices. Through its patented technology, by placing intelligence in the network, SIMtone allows firewalls to be closed to inbound traffic so that data and applications remain secure in corporate data centers yet are globally accessible via any device on any broadband connection.

The Defense Information Systems Agency is a combat support agency responsible for planning, engineering, acquiring, fielding, and supporting global net-centric solutions to serve the needs of the President, Vice President, the Secretary of Defense, and other DoD Components, under all conditions of peace and war. http://www.disa.mil.

Boosts for confidence, causes for optimism

The US Conference Board said that its consumer sentiment index had climbed to 39.2 during April, from an upwardly revised 26.9 in March. The April reading, which was above economists' expectations of 29.8, was the highest since November 2008.

The Case-Shiller index showed that US house prices were down by 18.6 per cent in February, from a year earlier. The figure was an improvement on the 19 per cent decline recorded for the 12 months to January.

US Federal Reserve: The central bank reinforced markets' hopes that the worst may soon be over for the economy, and renewed its pledge to keep official interest rates on hold at close to zero “for an extended period”.

New for U.S. consumers

Now available in the U.S., GrowVeg.com is a web-based garden planning tool which helps gardeners grow fruit and vegetables to the best of their ability, whatever the size or shape of their garden or plot. It is easy to draw out a garden plan and decide how best to plant it. The planning tool clearly shows how much space plants require and how to group them for maximum success, removing the need to look up planting distances and crop families. Growing advice is just one click away as you select the plants that you wish to include, enabling you to solve problems and maximise your harvest from the space you have. An annual subscription costs just $25, but a free 30 day trial is available at http://www.growveg.com.

Another consumer product newly available in the U.S. is Spysure. This PC product helps protect children from paedophiles and blocks adult content. It monitors and views activities and tells you what is happening online. http://www.spysure.com

It is estimated that in July 2009 the number of consumers in the U.S. will exceed 307 million (compared to 61 million in the UK). It is also calculated that 24 percent of the world's PCs in use are in the U.S.

Tesla Motors’ Model S

Roundarch, a digital agency focused on designing and building enterprise class Web sites, Web applications and next-generation “screen-based” experiences, has announced its involvement in the launch of Tesla Motors’ Model S – an all-electric, zero-emission prototype that Tesla plans to produce starting in late 2011. Roundarch technology, named Merapi, connects the Model S prototype’s sophisticated on-board computer system with peripheral hardware. The result is a car that delivers intuitive, responsive touch-screen controls through a 17-inch display. Thanks to Merapi, the Tesla Model S show car offers users the ability to interact with vehicle hardware systems by engaging with the car’s cockpit control center, including a touch screen consisting of HD radio integration, quick GPS navigation, streaming audio and other Internet and cloud-based data and information.

Ethernet-based casino floor

Bally Technologies, Inc., a leader in slots, video machines, and casino-management systems for the global gaming industry, has won a contract to provide a comprehensive slot accounting, player tracking, and marketing system solution for the opening of The Lodge at Deadwood in Deadwood, S.D. Bally was selected to provide a complete solution for the new casino’s high-speed Ethernet-based casino floor. Bally’s solution includes the new SDS Windows Version 11.0 slot accounting system; the CMP player-tracking system; iVIEW displays; a full suite of marketing, promotions, and customer-relationship solutions including Bally Power Bonusing and Bally Live Rewards Tournaments; and Bally’s award-winning Business Intelligence Solutions. (Ryan Wordeman, President of Deadwood Resorts LLC.)

Volvo sponsors mobile ad network

Edmunds.com, the online resource for automotive information, has selected Quattro Wireless, a mobile ad network, for an exclusive mobile advertising and publishing partnership as they steer their business into mobile channels. Quattro, in partnership with Media Contacts and Mobext, has secured Volvo as a site sponsorship for the re-design launch. Volvo became the first sponsor for Edmunds.com’s site re-launch and will have exclusivity over Edmunds.com’s “Vehicle Spotlight” for the duration of the campaign for the launch of its 2010 XC60 Crossover vehicle. Quattro is developing an expandable mobile microsite and ad unit for Volvo to support their sponsorship site placements and create an interactive experience for the consumer. Quattro worked with Mobext and Media Contacts, Volvo’s digital media agency, for the sponsorship deal.

Anesthesia solution

DocuSys, Inc., an anesthesia information management system (AIMS), medication management, and presurgical care management system provider, teamed up with Computer Programs and Systems, Inc., a provider of healthcare information solutions, to install DocuSys’ anesthesia solution at Muskogee Community Hospital (MCH). MCH, a physician owned facility with 45 licensed patient rooms, recently completed construction on their green hospital and opened their doors to the public. MCH is the first health care facility in the nation to get an energy star award from the EPA and Department of Energy. (Anesthesia Director at Muskogee Community Hospital, Ronald S. Stevens D.O.)

Anticipate IT investment

According to the latest CDW IT Monitor, an increasing number of IT decision makers from small and medium-size business sectors anticipate investment in the next six months. The latest survey suggests, 29 percent of small business IT decision makers expect budget increases in the next six months, an increase of seven percentage points from February. Additionally, 18 percent of medium-size business IT decision makers anticipate hiring in the next six months, an increase of six percentage points since February. For the first time in eight months, this reading remained flat with the previous IT Monitor, indicating that sentiment may have stabilized. The CDW IT Monitor is based on an online survey of at least 1,000 IT decision makers from businesses of all sizes and all sectors of government. www.cdwitmonitor.com.

Meanwhile... more than 25 percent of companies are increasing their investments in information technology (IT) this year, according to the Value of IT Investments survey of more than 500 IT professionals in the US. Conducted by ISACA, a nonprofit association serving 86,000 IT governance, audit and security professionals in 160 countries, the survey also found that only 16 percent of companies are making across-the-board cuts in IT spending and 14 percent are freezing at current levels.

IT for oil, gas and renewable energy industry

Quorum Business Solutions, Inc., a provider of business and information technology solutions for the oil, gas and renewable energy industry, has entered into an agreement with Luminant to license Quorum PGAS. Luminant will leverage PGAS as a validation tool for the gas delivered to their gas fired power plants. Luminant, a subsidiary of Energy Future Holdings (EFH), formerly TXU Corp., is a competitive power generation business, including mining, wholesale marketing and trading, construction and development operations.

EHR implementation, training and support

Medsphere Systems Corporation, a provider of open source healthcare IT solutions, has won a contract with Connecticut’s Silver Hill Hospital for implementation, training and support of the company’s OpenVista electronic health record (EHR) solution. (Sigurd Ackerman, M.D., president and medical director at Silver Hill Hospital.)

Security services in Texas

SGI Protective Services has completed its service assignment for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). SGI Protective Services entered into an interim service agreement in July 2008 to provide security staffing services on a special assignment. Safeguard’s SYSTEMSgroup division has provided security technology services to TxDOT for the past three years, including access control, closed circuit TV, identification technologies and security systems. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), is made up of 21 divisions and 6 offices that support 25 geographical districts around the state of Texas. TxDOT is responsible for maintaining nearly 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail and public transportation across the state. TxDOT and its 15,000 employees strive to empower local leaders to solve local transportation problems, and to use new financial tools, including tolling and public-private partnerships, to reduce congestion and pave the way for future economic growth while enhancing safety, improving air quality and preserving the value of the state's transportation assets.

One-to-Watch: There are some IT people you just have to trust. Lanxoma, security software developed by Unity Solutions, restricts access to the root level of computer operating systems, grants limited time access permission to authorized users and records all activity while the authorized user is logged-on - so being a deterrent to the "insider threat." http://lanxoma.com

Licenses and ID cards - $39.8 million

The Michigan Department of State has awarded a $39.8 million contract to L-1 Identity Solutions to centrally produce secure digital driver’s licenses and ID cards. All cards manufactured by the L-1 system will meet federal credentialing security standards. Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDLs) issued under the new contract will satisfy federal border crossing requirements under the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). “We will be pleased to offer Michigan residents new licenses and IDs that further protect the identity of Michigan citizens,” - Terri Lynn Land, Michigan Secretary of State.

Pier 1 Imports email marketing

Pier 1 Imports has chosen ExactTarget to power its global one-to-one marketing campaigns. The choice by Pier 1 Imports, North America`s largest specialty retailer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts, continues a relationship between the two companies and brings with it new tools to build better communications for its customers. Pier 1 Imports, Inc. is the original global importer and is North America’s largest specialty retailer of imported decorative home furnishings and gifts. Information about the Company is available on www.pier1.com. (Jeff Haddox, a direct marketing analyst at Pier 1 Imports.)

Fire district spends <$1.15 million

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) of Aloha, Oregon, the state’s largest fire district has signed a three-year Application Service Provider (ASP) agreement with Tyler Technologies. TVF&R serves almost half a million people in nine cities and three counties, covering 210 square miles of land. The District has 23 fire stations and 400 emergency response personnel and 100 fire prevention, training, and support staff. Tyler’s MUNIS financial management solution will provide TVF&R with an integrated software system that will enhance business operations within its Finance, Payroll, Human Resources and entire Logistics Division (Supply, Fleet, Facilities, IT, and Communications). The three-year contract is valued at almost $1.15 million. (TVF&R Chief Financial Officer Debra Guzman.)

Infrastructure mesh network at marina

New York’s family-owned Treadwell Bay Marina and Resort recently became a fully wireless-enabled enterprise. Using a Firetide infrastructure mesh network, deployed by Wells Communications, the family operation now owns a cost-effective and easy-to-use, yet industrial-grade, wireless infrastructure for more efficient business operations, public Wi-Fi and video surveillance over a single network. With more than 400 boat slips and the ability to dock boats measuring up to a 55 feet in length, the marina covers approximately 100 total acres. (Gary Titherington, owner of Treadwell Bay Marina.)

Software support services - $9.3 million

ICF Information Technology, LLC, has been awarded a recompete contract by the Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) to provide software support services to the agency’s Information Technology Customer Service Organization (ITCSO) and the eTools program. The three-year agreement, which includes one base and two option years, started in April 2009 and is valued at $9.3 million.

Integrated managed services solution - $1.4 million

Watts Regulator has awarded INX with a $1.4 million contract to provide an integrated managed services solution for its Data Center and IT Service departments. Faced with a need to cut costs throughout the company during the recent economic downturn, Watts Regulator decided to downsize its IT headcount. Reduction of headcount hindered the ability of Watt’s IT department to balance their demand for service to the end user community while continuing to manage their existing IT infrastructure. The managed service solution addresses these needs by allowing Watts to outsource the management of their data center operations, Cisco Unified Communications solution, and security tools. (Ty Muscat, Watts Regulator Director of Datacenter.)

Secure information exchange solutions - $2.7 million

GlobalSCAPE, Inc., a developer of secure information exchange solutions, has received a multi-million dollar order from the U.S. Army for Secure FTP Server and CuteFTP. The $2.7 million order includes new product licenses as well as 36 months of associated maintenance and support services.

Learning Management Suite

Lone Star College System (LSCS) in Texas, one of the largest community college systems in the country, is adopting the ANGEL Learning Management Suite (LMS). LSCS will implement the ANGEL LMS through LSCS’ online learning division, Lone Star College-Online, for support of web-enhanced courses and hybrid instruction and to power online learning. (William Durham, associate vice chancellor for Lone Star College-Online.)

English as a Second Language

The Orleans Parish School Board has introduced Rosetta Stone Classroom into the English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum of the New Orleans Public Schools. Rosetta Stone Classroom Version 3 is available online in both Spanish and English to all of the ESL students and teachers in order to complement teaching expertise and provide students with a unique and complete immersive language experience. (Charlotte Steber, curriculum consultant- Limited English Proficiency, Orleans Parish School Board.)

Pep Boys software

Transplace, a provider of transportation management services and logistics technology solutions, relationship with Pep Boys has been extended through a full contract extension. The partnership continues Pep Boys’ use of the award-winning Transplace Transportation Management System (TMS) and its business intelligence analytics. Pep Boys has approximately 6,000 service bays and nearly 600 stores across the United States and Puerto Rico. Since 2006, the company has utilized Transplace to manage inbound transportation from domestic vendors to its distribution centers and crossdocks. Transplace gives Pep Boys and its suppliers the Web-based application technology and business intelligence tools needed to network, monitor and optimize shipments. Pep Boys has the ability to access real-time reports and the drill-down capability to see information needed to run a business effectively. (Joshua Dolan, director of Global Logistics and U.S. Customs Compliance at Pep Boys. Vice President of Distribution and Logistics for Pep Boys, Stuart Rosenfeld.)

Statewide Other Services (OS) contract

DLT Solutions, Inc., a value-added reseller of information technology (IT) products and services, has been awarded a statewide Other Services (OS) Contract for software products and services by the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). This contract, TX DIR-SDD-917, enables the State of Texas to purchase technology solutions and products from Red Hat, Nexaweb, Solarwinds and ScriptLogic.

Online security for students

Bemidji Area Schools is using DeepNines' iTrust solution to control their Internet traffic and provide better online security for their students. DeepNines iTrust provides granular, application-level control of Internet traffic. It fully integrates with identity management solutions so that rules on Internet traffic and applications can be applied to specific user groups. This allows administrators to control traffic for specific user groups in order to ensure that critical traffic and online applications are always accessible. (Tony Andrews, technology coordinator for Bemidji Area Schools.)

One-to-Watch: Spysure's PC product helps protect children from paedophiles and blocks adult content. It monitors and views activities and tells you what is happening online. http://www.spysure.com

Critical care manager

Picis has been awarded a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contract for the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 12, also known as the Great Lakes Health Care System. In a competitive selection process, the system selected Picis Critical Care Manager, part of the CareSuite family of high-acuity solutions, to provide intensive-care unit (ICU) clinicians with the point-of-care information they need to help make well-informed treatment decisions and ultimately help improve patient care. With more than 30,000 admissions and 2.5 million outpatient visits per year, the VA’s Great Lakes Health Care System decided to deploy a comprehensive critical care system across its six VA medical centers to better manage patient information and the complex workflow of its ICUs.

Picture Archive Communication System

Health Diagnostics, a national provider of outpatient diagnostic services is to implement Aspyra’s AccessNET Picture Archive Communication System (PACS) solution. With thirty-four locations throughout four states – California, New Jersey, New York and Florida - Health Diagnostics collectively provides a full array of advanced medical imaging technologies, including Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Multislice CT (Computed Tomography), PET (Positron Emission Tomography), Ultrasound, Mammography, and Nuclear Medicine. Health Diagnostics offers every type of MRI scanner – High-Field MRI (1.5T & 3.0T), Open MRI, and the latest MRI innovation, Stand-Up MRI, which allows patients to be scanned in virtually any position, including weight-bearing positions. (Mark Cooper, Health Diagnostics’ Chief Information Officer.)

Dairy Queen reaches consumers

Mobile Posse, Inc., the provider of idle screen content and advertising for mobile, is helping Dairy Queen reach consumers on-the-go through their mobile phones. Starting in March, Dairy Queen and digital agency space150 piloted Mobile Posse’s idle screen advertising platform to promote its new Sweet Deals value menu. Consumer response to Dairy Queen’s campaign was outstanding, with click-through-rates averaging more than 22 percent. These results raise the bar for mobile campaign performance and demonstrate the ability of mobile advertising to effectively engage U.S. consumers.

Dairy Queen’s campaign drove awareness of its Sweet Deals value menu among value-conscious consumers. Delivered at 5 p.m., as people start to think about dinner plans, the advertisement promoted meal options from $3 to $5 . The Sweet Deals value menu was also promoted through sponsorship of daily weather forecasts. Click-through-rates for the Sweet Deals advertisement averaged a remarkable 22 percent. The campaign was also very effective at engaging unique mobile users, with nearly 54 percent of all Mobile Posse users electing to view Dairy Queen’s Sweet Deals advertisement via the idle screen banner or through the application’s Recent Offers Menu. In addition, more than 69 percent of all Mobile Posse users viewed the Dairy Queen sponsored weather forecast at least once during the campaign.

International Dairy Queen (IDQ), develops licenses and services a system of more than 5,600 Dairy Queen stores.

Caterpillar equipment dealer

Wheeler Machinery Co. (Wheeler), a U.S.-based Caterpillar equipment dealer, has licensed the Lawson for Equipment Service Management and Rental Suite to help support the company’s long-term growth plans. The equipment distributor will use the Lawson solution, designed for equipment dealers and the service management & rental industries, to help support integration with Caterpillar, enhance customer service, gain organization-wide visibility into business processes and create a reliable, consolidated source of information. Wheeler will also use the Lawson Human Resource Management Suite to help optimize its workforce. (Rob Campbell, president of Wheeler.)

Online community

The Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) has selected KickApps (www.kickapps.com), the on-demand social media, video player and widget platform, to power its online community, myMDA (www.mda.org/mymda). myMDA is a place for people whose lives have been affected by muscular dystrophy and associated diseases to gather and share their experiences and get support from each other. (Gerald C. Weinberg, MDA president and CEO.)

Disparate HIS and EMR systems

Clara Maass Medical Center (CMMC), has implemented Axolotl’s Elysium Exchange, “Clinically Networking” disparate HIS and EMR systems so that patient information is available when and where it is needed. Clara Maass is part of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, New Jersey’s largest integrated health care delivery system. (Donald Lutz, Chief Information Officer, Clara Maass Medical Center.)

Global freight blog

Global freight management company Langham Logistics has selected Compendium Blogware, the search-driven business blogging software platform, to drive its search engine marketing efforts. (Cathy Langham, CEO of Langham Logistics.)

$20 million workforce project

The Iowa Workforce Development (IWD), a state agency that links job placement and skill development into a system of lifelong learning and opportunity, has leveraged iRise on a $20 million project to modernize the state tax system for unemployment insurance. The new Web-based application replaces a legacy mainframe system and is designed to help employers, accountants and payroll firms manage unemployment insurance tax accounts. The new system also gives internal IWD employees an easier way to access and manage the unemployment insurance tax system. (Erich Grubert, Business Project Director at IWD.)

$340,000 media management contract

DigitalPost Interactive has signed a $340,000 contract to install a custom-designed interactive- media management system for a leading Internet search company providing instant rich media Internet visibility for their business partners.

Laser-generated patient identification wristbands

LaserBand, LLC has renewed a sole-source contract with HealthTrust Purchasing Group (HPG), one of the health care industry’s largest group purchasing organizations (GPO), to provide 1,300 hospitals and other health care organizations with the latest laser-generated patient identification wristbands and companion products that improve patient safety, streamline workflow and productivity, and increase printer and patient ID functionality. This agreement is now is extended to include HPG’s newest equity owners Consorta and Universal Health Services (UHS). All of LaserBand’s wristbands feature a unique, patented self-laminating technology, which protects patient information at the point of care and preserves the data for longer wristband usability and the prevention of re-banding. HPG supports over 1,300 not-for-profit and for-profit acute care hospitals, including HCA, HMA, Community Health Systems, Consorta, UHS, and LifePoint Hospitals, as well as over 3,000 ambulatory surgery centers, alternate care sites, and physician practices.

Chicago Board Options Exchange

Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) is home to a uniquely dynamic trading environment. Alongside the iconic images of frenzied hand signals and open-outcry trading, CBOE leverages a state-of-the-art electronic trading. The largest U.S. options exchange, CBOE’s daily trading volume has totaled nearly 10 million contracts at its peak. Consequently, the Exchange relies heavily on a strategic IT management approach that not only supports high availability and performance, but also allows CBOE to continuously enhance its trading platform, expand customer reach and grow its competitive position. “Open outcry trading is still here, but an increasing amount of our actual trades and income is derived from the electronics side of our business,” said John Strege, director of systems software at CBOE. “Standardizing on BMC Software’s Business Service Management platform gives us a comprehensive, business-service view that significantly enhances the efficiency of our IT organization, enabling us to roll out new and enhanced functionality more quickly.

55 million catalogs

FootSmart, the largest direct retailer of foot and lower body healthcare products in the U.S., has chosen ExactTarget to power its personalized email marketing campaign aimed at America’s baby boomers. The direct retailer of products ranging from shoes and socks to back braces will use ExactTarget’s content and email segmentation tools coupled with their customer browsing and purchase history to build personalized offers for its growing list of more than 1 million email subscribers. Through ExactTarget’s integration with FootSmart.com’s customer database and Web analytics provider Coremetrics, the company will develop a profile of each customer based on their online browsing and purchase history coupled with their offline purchases from FootSmart’s catalog mailings. FootSmart will use the combined customer profile to automatically control which offers and news to include in emails it sends to subscribers. The move by FootSmart to integrate online and offline data to power its online customer communications is a first for the company that mails more than 55 million catalogs every year. (Kim Gnatt, vice president of FootSmart.)

Public Sector Report

California’s Contra Costa County is among the first to implement the complete jail management system from L-1, Omni Jail Management System (Omni JMS), and Missouri’s Jasper County jail implemented Offender-ID for immediate and accurate identification of offenders. The L-1 solutions are highlighted this week at the American Jail Association’s 28th annual training conference and jail exposition in Louisville, Kentucky. L-1 Identity Solutions' iris-based identifications replace traditional methods such as name, designated number, wristband or photo, with an on-the-spot, non-intrusive scan of the subject’s iris, an identifier that is unique to each person and therefore inherently more accurate. With L-1, an arresting or pre-booking officer can quickly and accurately determine the identity of a subject prior to incarceration, and with powerful and time-saving workflow tools like Omni JMS, they can customize and streamline every step of the inmate management process from identification, intake, custody, and eventual release. The Contra Costa Office of the Sheriff (CCC) is a pre and post sentence detention operation with over 2,050 inmates across four facilities. The operation sought a jail management system that could address the need for fast and accurate identification of inmates and control over workflows with a robust system capable of accommodating the flow of arrestees and inmates throughout all its facilities. (Captain Sean Fawell of the Technical Services Division of the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office.) Jasper County Jail in Missouri first installed L-1’s Offender-ID in August of 2007 and has enrolled nearly 7,000 offenders into their database. (W. Archie Dunn, Sheriff of Jasper County, Missouri.)

Life sciences platform for Merck

NextBio, provider of a platform that enables life science researchers to search, discover and share knowledge within public and proprietary data, has reached a licensing agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. NextBio offers the life sciences enterprise secure data access, knowledge discovery and collaboration tools, and enterprise integration capabilities for seamless correlation of internal research data. NextBio is delivered as a SaaS (Software as a Service) solution resulting in quick deployment and rapid return on investment. NextBio is used by over a million researchers and has been deployed at Burnham Institute for Medical Research, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Genzyme, Johnson & Johnson, Regeneron, Scripps Research Institute, Stanford University, and Takeda, among many others. http://www.nextbio.com.

Kodak’s global e-commerce operations

Digital River, Inc., a provider of global e-commerce solutions, is expanding its relationship with Eastman Kodak Company to manage Kodak’s global e-commerce operations. Under the agreement, Digital River will be providing a full range of e-commerce and e-marketing services to support all consumer online sales of Kodak’s innovative line of digital cameras, digital video cameras, digital picture frames, all-in-one inkjet printers, film and accessories across multiple countries in North America and Europe.

CDMA roaming service

On Waves Ehf, a maritime mobile services provider, has entered into an agreement with MSC Cruises to provide CDMA roaming service across their entire cruise line fleet. The agreement covers 10 vessels and as well as future new-builds. On Waves’ CDMA service offer will include voice, text messaging and mobile data service while the vessels operate at sea. On Waves’ launch CDMA roaming partner is Verizon Wireless, the leading U.S. mobile phone operator, whose customers can now enjoy seamless voice and SMS roaming while vacationing with MSC Cruises. (Emilio La Scala, General Manager of MSC Cruises.)

Technology Law Conference

The International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw; http://www.itechlaw.org) will hold its 2009 World Technology Law Conference and Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA, May 14-15, at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. ITechLaw is an organization for lawyers in the technology sector worldwide. The annual conference (http://www.itechlaw.org/seattle2009/) draws attendees from around the globe, and features international speakers on current important topics in technology law, including e-commerce, intellectual property, outsourcing models, data privacy, open source, Internet gaming, Internet and telecommunications convergence, and the effects of the financial services sector's recent instability on technology law practice.