Category Archives: Internet

Outsourcing Can Help In Successfully Launching A New Business

Entrepreneurs and small business should no longer fear accessing the professional skills required in getting a new venture off the ground.

That’s the message from OutsourceMyProject.com, a web based marketplace which allows small businesses to outsource work and business functions to specialists in the UK and aboard.

OutsourceMyProject launched at the start of 2011 and has already helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs find a freelancer or professional in service categories such as web design, e-commerce, graphic design, copywriting and administrative support.

Recent research carried out by OursourceMyProject.com illustrated the strong demand for its service as 74% of entrepreneurs claimed that they would have found it easier to launch their business if they had access to a network of experienced professionals to outsource specific functions to.

Managing director Loren Holland, said: “Entrepreneurs need access to a variety of professional skills in order to successful launch a business venture. OutsourceMyProject helps connect businesses with a network of professionals and freelancers across a wide range of service categories. Whatever your need, you can find the right expert on OutsourceMyProject”.

The research also found that the main factors in choosing to outsource were, i) access to specialist skills and resource (37%) ii) flexibility and choice of labour (24%) and iii) Price (18%). However, many (33%) struggled to find suitable suppliers and some (17%) are concerned that the level of skills, quality and experience may not be up to scratch.

Loren added, “It’s clear that entrepreneurs and small companies are aware that they need to access external specialist skills in order to succeed. OutsourceMyProject.com provides an online portal to not only find, but also evaluate and manage service providers and projects. Concerns over ability and experience of providers are mitigated by our comprehensive feedback and rating system.”

The research also focussed on attitudes to outsourcing work abroad, with 58% of those questioned admitting they have, or would consider, sending work abroad.

However, the main concerns from those who have not considered outsourcing abroad centred on sacrificing quality compared to UK providers (26%) and ability to meet the required standard (22%).

OutsourceMyProject.com helps smooth the process of finding the right professional or freelancer to outsource to, whether they are based in the UK or abroad. Of those surveyed 82% said that OutsourceMyProject was a service they will use in the future.

One early customer was Manchester based Edge Worldwide Logistics who posted a web design project.

Director Philip Edge said: “We posted our job on OutsourceMyProject and received over 20 offers to redevelop our company website from specialists in the UK, India and other offshore locations, all at a significantly lower price than I had budgeted for.”

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Online Shopping Boom Makes Parcel Courier Choice Even More Important

The spike in internet shopping means it is more important than ever to ensure goods purchased online are delivered by a reliable parcel delivery firm, says Parcel2Go.

Over the past year, UK retailers have seen more and more consumers purchasing goods through the internet – not a huge surprise considering the range of products and discounts available online. Much of the growth in online shopping is related to increased use of smartphones.

Communications regulator Ofcom said earlier this month that over a quarter of adults and almost half of all teenagers now own a smartphone. Separate research conducted by comScore found that the number of British smartphone owners who accessed internet retail sites in the three months to the end of May increased 163 per cent year-on-year.

However, according to the Bolton-based parcel delivery specialist, there are potential pitfalls linked to this sharp increase in online activity and internet shopping. According to Richard Mercer, marketing director at online parcel delivery firm Parcel2Go, choosing the wrong carrier to deliver your package can be costly.

He said: “Finding a reliable parcel courier has always been important for individuals and businesses sending consignments within the UK and abroad. However, the huge increase in online shopping means that there are more people than ever having goods purchased online delivered to their homes and workplaces.

“Ensuring that a reliable and reputable carrier is handling your package won’t only provide peace of mind, it will also ensure that the goods arrive in one piece. Using a service like Parcel2Go means you’ll enjoy the services of a leading courier and your items will get to their destination on time and in the right condition.”

Parcel2Go has been helping businesses and individuals find the right international parcel delivery service to suit their needs for more than 20 years. The business now handles in excess of two million parcels every year.

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Bargains at Amazon Easier Than Ever Thanks to New DiscountVouchers.co.uk Deal Matrix

DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the money saving website which boasts deals redeemable at over 800 leading stores, has announced a new price matrix which helps consumers to save money – and time – on all sorts of products from Amazon.co.uk.

DiscountVouchers.co.uk updates its site in real time to always offer consumers the very best deals around, and this week sees them launch the new Amazon matrix which consumers can use to save up to 75% on Amazon products. The portal will build and grow, leveraging the DiscountVouchers.co.uk expertise which the company has built on to grow by 60% in the previous 12 months.

Doug Scott, managing director of DiscountVouchers.co.uk, comments: “Our goal is to always offer people the best ways to save money at all the top stores and this week sees us launch something more innovative than ever. The new Amazon matrix can help people enjoy greater convenience than ever before.”

Scott continued: “We are leveraging our skills and expertise – plus our technology – to launch this innovative new service. Helping people save both time and money when looking for last minute Christmas or birthday gifts from Amazon is a great motivation right now.”

The new tool can be accessed at http://www.discountvouchers.co.uk/amazon-hub-txt.

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Fasthosts Launches Hosted Microsoft Exchange 2010 Email Packages

Fasthosts Internet Ltd, a leading web hosting provider, has launched a brand new range of high quality email packages based on Microsoft Exchange 2010. The solutions offer businesses and private users alike the very latest functionality for email, including mobile emailing and can improve productivity with shared calendars, tasks and contacts accessible from any computer. The feature-packed and robust email platform is ideal for small or medium sized businesses to equip their staff with varying levels of mailbox functionality for different types of user. In addition, Fasthosts new email packages deliver an efficient mobile email system which can lead to increased productivity and better response times for businesses in handling customer enquiries.

Fasthosts is a long-standing expert in delivering hosted Microsoft Exchange email solutions. The high quality features and reliability of the platform make it a popular choice for many UK firms. Fasthosts’ new Microsoft Exchange 2010 based packages provide ways to handle email more speedily and professionally. Free inclusive Microsoft Outlook software for PC or Mac enables users to synchronize email from multiple mailboxes, track email conversations, share calendar availability within groups, and manage work schedules with ease. Auto responders can be used to automatically respond to incoming emails. Forwarders and Catch-all Email can be used to distribute incoming emails effectively and manage which addresses are used as public-facing.

Remote access to email is now an important issue for many firms. All Fasthosts email packages now benefit from Microsoft Outlook 2010 Web App, a webmail solution for working flexibly from any computer. Email, contacts and calendars are updated in real-time so users always have the latest data to hand. Fasthosts Business email packages feature Microsoft ActiveSync, a simple to set up software that makes it easy to use the platform from a mobile device or tablet. The solution provides email, calendar, contacts and tasks synchronized directly to a mobile device.

For personal users, the Fasthosts Personal Email package is a highly affordable way to send professional, personalised email from a domain name. The 2 x 1GB virus and spam protected mailboxes are ideal for handling large attachments, an additional 5 x 100MB mailboxes included, and 10 email forwarders. For users whose mobile devices do not support full Exchange, IMAP Access enables users to access email in a slimmed down format on most handsets.

The Fasthosts Business email range now starts with the Business Standard package, which features 1 highest specification Professional mailbox, 5 Starter mailboxes and 20 email forwarders. The Business Premium package includes 3 Professional mailboxes, 2 Starter Plus mailboxes, a further unlimited Starter mailbox and unlimited email forwarders. Especially important for business users, all email data is hosted in Fasthosts’ highly secure state-of-the-art UK data centres, and benefits from industry-leading virus scanning and multi-level spam filtering. Fasthosts also provides the reassurance of a dedicated technical support team on hand 24/7.

Steve Holford, marketing director, Fasthosts Internet Ltd, said: “Firms of all sizes are learning that how email is handled can affect customer spend and loyalty. Our latest Exchange-powered packages enable a business to handle email and calendars more effectively across teams, and access important materials 24/7 from outside the workplace. The newest functionality can further help drive efficiencies and ensure that maximum value is had from every email sent and received”.

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Parcel2Go launched its very own blog

The UK’s largest online parcel delivery service Parcel2Go has launched its very own blog to help people stay up-to-date on everything from changes involving eBay and Amazon to the very latest hints and tips for sending goods abroad with an international shipping courier.

Parcel2Go has been bringing its customers breaking news relating to the big players in the online retail and parcel delivery sectors for a number of years. The new blog, available at http://blog.parcel2go.com/ has been designed to offer yet another valuable resource to individuals and businesses as well as a place where people can find more light-hearted news, banter, hint and tips and debates.

The blog will be updated on a daily basis, and the moderation team will be around to approve new comments throughout the day.

Richard Mercer, Director of Marketing at Parcel2Go, said: “We’re really excited about the opportunities that our new blog will present. The team at Parcel2Go has been using social media to keep in touch with customers, offer advice and solve problems for a while, but this is the first time that we have run a daily blog.

“We hope that customers old and new will find posts on there that appeal, and we’re asking people to make full use of the comment facilities available. Blog posts aren’t a one way conversation, we want to get people involved – talking to us and each other about the issues and stories that are affecting them.”

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Plusnet Blows Its Own Trumpet in New TV Campaign

Plusnet, the Yorkshire-based ISP, has announced it will return with a new TV advertising campaign in August.

To celebrate Yorkshire Day, the Sheffield-based home broadband provider will debut the first 30-second commercial during the ad-break of “Emmerdale” (ITV1) on Monday 1st August at approx. 19.15hrs. The campaign, planned and bought by Maxus, will again make use of Yorkshire values and will feature a straight-talking character named Joe. The new advert will also introduce Joe’s Dad who will enter the public’s TV consciousness on a ride-on lawn mower.

The campaign, which will run throughout the remainder of 2011, will promote the UK-based, 24/7 customer support from the broadband provider. With call centre support based entirely in the UK, Plusnet is one of few broadband and phone companies where all advisors are technically trained and do not work from scripts – a point of reverence that has seen Plusnet already pick up six awards and be highly commended 13 times across the industry for its product and services in 2011*. Later in the month, Plusnet will air a second advert in which audiences will be treated to a rendition of Kaiser Chiefs’ “Ruby” played by the Plusnet Brass Band. This 40-second commercial will run for four weeks promoting Plusnet’s great value.

Nick Rawlings, Commercial Director at Plusnet said: “We’ve always been proud of our Sheffield roots. Our customer feedback suggests the 24/7 availability of our UK operations is popular so, we wanted to convey our local and friendly approach in the new campaign.”

Shot on location in Ilkley and Ripon, the adverts have been created by Karmarama ad agency and directed by film and TV director, Steve Bendelack, whose work includes “The Royle Family”, “The League of Gentlemen”, “Little Britain” and “Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)”. Both Karmarama and Steve worked together when Plusnet made its TV advertising debut in 2010.

Sam Walker, the creative lead on the campaign at Karmarama said: “We have developed an ad that would best exemplify Plusnet’s key differential – a UK call centre that is free to call, from a landline, at any time.

“We chose to use a local theme and convey the emotional benefits of helpfulness and community that stem from this whilst keeping the character of Joe and the sense of Yorkshire we had created in our previous advertising. We have introduced his Dad after he worked well in radio executions back in the spring.”

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Photo AC – Free Images Stock Photo Album

Photo AC has many free photos that can be downloaded by registration with e-mail address. Registration is completely free and can be easily done in 10 seconds. Currently there are seven categories to browse: People, Business, Animal, Flower & Plant, Food & Drink, Cityscape, and Medical Welfare. It is also possible to search other photos with using keywords!

You can find free photos by professional photographers, and you can download as many photos you want. There is no limitation in the number of downloads. All photos can be used for any purpose, profit and commercial use is also permitted (except selling downloaded photos to third party directly).

Recently we opened a new category with particular photos about medical instruments, welfare, tools, medical equipment and so on. We will provide regular uploads with new amazing photos to download.

Try and have fun with new Photo AC!
http://www.photo-ac.com/en

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Joe Jedlowski Announces New Website Launch

Joe Jedlowski, former regional Vice President, Mid-Atlantic at Atria Senior Group, is proud to announce the launch of his new website, www.joejedlowski.com. On the website, people can read about Joe Jedlowski’s educational background. They’ll learn where he went to school, what he studied and what he planned to do as a result of his study. They’ll learn where Joe Jedlowski has worked, and what he learned as a result of his extensive work experience. They’ll learn a little about Joe Jedlowski’s hobbies and personal life. And finally, they may be inspired to read about what Joe Jedlowski plans to do with his career as he moves forward.

The website, www.joejedlowski.com, is easy to navigate. The site’s path is completely understandable, and graphics are kept to a minimum, so people who are unfamiliar with the Web should still be able to work through the website with a minimum amount of irritation. Graphic elements are also kept to a minimum, so the site will be easy to load, even on computers with slow Internet connection speeds. Joe Jedlowski made sure the site functioned in this way as he knows many of his greatest fans are seniors. He wanted to make sure all of his former clients could keep up with his activities with ease.

www.joejedlowski.com is up and running now. Content will be added regularly, so people are encouraged to check back often to stay up-to-date on what Joe Jedlowski is doing with his life and his career.

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Mums around the land able to save on great quality goods from likes of Boots and Mothercare

DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the website which helps consumers to save money at over 800 leading on and offline retailers, has this week launched new money off vouchers aimed specifically at mums. Parents who want to get toiletries, pushchairs or other essentials for the summer can do so on a budget now thanks to new Boots and Mothercare deals.

A new pushchair, baby clothing or goods for a nursery can be had on a budget this week thanks to DiscountVouchers.co.uk introducing new Mothercare vouchers. A visit to the popular website this week allows mums to get great value deals like as much as half price off in the Mothercare sale.

Toiletries and healthcare products can be had on a budget too thanks to new deals for saving money at high street favourite Boots. New Boots promotional code offers include free delivery when spending £40 or over at Boots and there is also a promotion for saving by using the new Boots Advantage Card.

More money-saving deals are available this week too, with offers to be had like 3 for 2 travel accessories at Mamas & Papas, 50% off when buying in the Kiddicare Summer Sale and 50% off in the Babies R Us sale. Consumers can also look forward to free delivery on purchases of £50 or more at Babies R Us.

Doug Scott, managing director at DiscountVouchers.co.uk, comments, “We’re here to help the country’s consumers save wherever possible and this week we’re able to get mums great value at the likes of Boots and Mothercare. Money off pushchairs, nursery items, kids’ toiletries and more can be had this week through our site.”

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A Domain Name And Web Hosting Expert Offers Customers The Chance To Build Their Own Site For Less Than £10 A Month

Names.co.uk is building on its reputation for top-quality professional web hosting – including superior linux hosting – with an improved, and easier to navigate Sitemaker area on its website, www.names.co.uk.

Curious would-be sitemakers can even take a free 14 day trial of the package, which allows up to 15 web pages to be created, as well as 20 MB of web storage space and 1GB monthly bandwidth.

Simply upgrading to £4.58 per month for the regular Sitemaker package immediately entitles customers to a free .uk domain name, 5 email accounts, 500 MB of email storage space – not to mention 500 MB of web storage space (doubled from 250 MB in 2011) and 10 GB monthly bandwidth.

Names.co.uk has also recently introduced its upgraded Sitemaker PRO package, which has doubled its offer of 500MB web storage to 1000 MB, and also offers 20 GB monthly bandwidth, unlimited web pages and a PayPal shop, as well as increased email storage space and addresses.

Names.co.uk is sure that these generous offers will be music to the ears of online entrepreneurs as well as bloggers and writers looking to professionalise their internet product.

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Valued Opinions Reveals People Are Unsure About Facebook Tag Suggestions Facial Recognition

Valued Opinions has revealed that the majority of people don’t like or don’t mind the Facebook’s new facial recognition feature.

Market research surveys carried out by Valued Opinions show the new Facebook feature, called ‘Tag Suggestions’ has proved a controversial topic.

Valued Opinions ran an online poll which was designed to find out how current Facebook users view facial recognition with results showing 35% of American respondents don’t like the feature, 35% don’t mind it and only 16.5% of the respondents admitted to liking the new feature.

This new system allows Facebook to recognise someone the user knows, or the user themselves, in a photograph and ‘tag’ them automatically.

Users do have the option to deactivate this feature but complaints have arisen because members feel they were not sufficiently notified about the global launch. The face tagging feature was introduced in the US during December 2010 and launched globally in June 2011. The facial recognition feature means that Facebook is now embroiled in a privacy controversy as many privacy groups have filed complaints with the US Federal Trade Commission over Facebook’s automated facial recognition technology.

The feature was originally launched on the US only version of Facebook, but it has been recently rolled out to most of the social networks remaining 600 million users without prior notification. While the feature only applies itself to newly uploaded photos, all users are automatically opted in to the feature, and therefore have to turn it off if they wish to opt out.

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OutsourceMyProject.com’s Founders Divulge Top ten tips on Outsourcing

As businesses attempt to cut costs in the new year, many small businesses are looking at outsourcing as a means to reduce outgoings, but how can SMEs and start-ups make a success of a practice traditionally reserved for big business?

ecently launched online portal OutsourceMyProject.com aims to open up the global outsourcing market to businesses of all sizes. Founders Loren Holland and Sumit Agrawal give their 10 top tips on how to make outsourcing pay.

1. Clearly define your project and set out what you want before opening it up to proposals. Poorly defined briefs tend to attract low quality proposals and can often end up as much larger, and so much more costly, projects than anticipated.
2. Don’t just go with the first offer. If possible get a selection of proposals from both the UK and overseas, and evaluate them.
3. Don’t just decide by cost, look at other factors including experience, references and communication amongst others.
4. Come up with a short-list and don’t be afraid to negotiate to get the best possible deal.
5. Get references from people who have used the supplier before, you can ask who they’ve worked for in the past and get in touch yourself. Don’t forget references provided by the supplier are only going to be positive so try dig around for more.
6. Once a supplier has been selected, make sure the full agreement and the payment terms are set out clearly in the contract, misunderstandings can prove costly and time consuming.
7. Negotiate potential copyright and ownership rights upfront and make sure anything that is produced becomes your property on payment. In the case of web design projects, make sure that final files and source codes are transferred onto your own server so you can control future changes.
8. Agree procedures from the outset in terms of communication, project management, delivery and feedback and ensure these are adhered to.
9. Be aware that deviating from the agreed contract once, be that by allowing late delivery of work or agreeing to early payment, is likely to result in accepted practice. Only make one off concessions if you are prepared for this to be acceptable in the future.
10. Finally, don’t forget to leave honest feedback, even if this is negative. Remember how valuable feedback was to you in choosing a supplier.

ENDS

OutsourceMyProject.com is a member of the National Outsourcing Association (NOA), the UK’s outsourcing centre of excellence.

Loren Holland is co-founder of OutsourceMyProject.com, a website which brings together providers of professional services with organisations and individuals looking to outsource business functions or projects.

Businesses which have a project they wish to outsource can visit the new website and upload details of the project and invite bids – free of charge. Potential providers each have their own unique online profile, including details of ratings and feedback for past projects and freelance jobs, to help customers decide who to award the contract to.

The site also includes web-based tools to ensure projects run smoothly. These include a payment platform, project management facility and messaging system to facilitate open, clear and safe communication between customers and suppliers.

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Web Perspectives Reveals 80% of Canadians Still Use Facebook

Web Perspectives has revealed that 80% of Canadian respondents said they use Facebook at the same level of high than they did a year ago.

Despite Facebook ‘losing’ 1.5 million users in Canada over the past 2 months, speculation is rife that this social networking empire is on the decline.

With almost 700 million users worldwide, Facebook has revolutionised online social networking.

However, the Inside Facebook Gold Data Service reports that growth has slowed down in some of the biggest markets in the world for two consecutive months. Over the past year, the company gained an average 20 million new users each month but in April and May, the figures were significantly lower (13.9 million and 11.8 million respectively). Despite sharp growth in countries such as Brazil, Mexico and India, some of Facebook’s biggest markets are actually losing active users. The United States lost almost 6 million users during May, and Canada lost 1.5 million in the same month. The UK, Norway and Russia also posted losses of at least 100,000. Facebook stated that its aim was to reach 1 billion users worldwide*.

This headline news has sparked speculation that Facebook’s reign as the King of the Social Network may be drawing to a close. High visitor numbers are important for the company to attract advertisers, but if its growth rate continues to fall, Facebook has cause for concern**.

However, Facebook’s critics should not rejoice too soon. In a recent statement, Facebook stated that it was ‘very pleased’ with its growth, and questioned the accuracy of the IFG figures.

Toronto was the first city to pass the million user mark, and in some Canadian cities non-Facebook users are in the minority. Canada’s 15 million active Facebook users represent half the population, and ironically, this high penetration may explain why Facebook usage appears to be flagging here. According to the IFG, developed countries where Facebook users represent around 50% of the population reach a ‘saturation point’ after which usage inevitably slows down to a halt***

Despite the 1.5 million users that have shut down their Facebook profile over the past couple of months, over 9 million Canadian users still log on to Facebook every day. 41% of Canadian respondents to the Web Perspectives’ survey questions still use Facebook as much (or as little) as they did a year ago and some 39% of Canadian respondents actually say they now use Facebook more often compared to their usage of the site this time last year. A very small 2% of Canadians surveyed said they used the social network in the past and have since stopped using it.

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Leading consumer codes site helps shoppers save at leading online retailer this summer

DiscountVouchers.co.uk, the leading voucher codes site, this week announces new deals redeemable at online specialist Amazon to help people save on gardening tools and goods for the summer. The website offers deals redeemable at more than 800 stores and online retailers and is this week the place to go for summer outdoor bargains.

Examples of the new DiscountVouchers.co.uk money-saving deals available this week to help people save on top brand garden items include Amazon vouchers for money off furniture. The deals on show this week include as much as 30% off patio sets for two and also a great saving in the shape of 20% off loungers, recliners and deckchairs from Amazon.co.uk.

Also on show among the latest range of DiscountVouchers.co.uk deals which can be found online at present is a deal for getting money off gardening tools. Consumers can log on and find a choice of new Amazon discount codes offering them up to 40% off garden hand tools and also a deal for saving as much as 40% on barbecues from Amazon.

Doug Scott, managing director at DiscountVouchers.co.uk, comments, “We appreciate entirely that summer can be an expensive time for families, with holidays to pay for and kids to look after and so on. However we can help people get more for their money right now at top online store Amazon with great online vouchers for saving on furniture for the garden and also tools for doing up one’s flowerbeds.”

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Micro Focus reports UK Businesses Risk £36.7 Billion Due to Website Failures

Micro Focus has revealed new research which shows businesses in the UK risk losing up to £36.7 billion in revenue per year if their websites fail during peak periods.

This is according to a new report by the UK tech firm Micro Focus (LSE: MCRO.L), the leading provider of enterprise application modernisation, software testing and requirements management solutions, and the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), which found that nearly £100 million of British e-commerce revenue is already lost due to website failures and outages every year.

The report shows that the UK’s e-commerce industry is worth £320 billion per year and growing at an unprecedented rate of 20 per cent year-on-year. The market is likely to grow even faster in the next ten years, as the proliferation of smart phone usage fuels more online transactions, meaning they stand to lose significant revenue and market share to rival firms if their websites fail.

David Valentine, general manager at Micro Focus, commented: “As a result of website failures, almost £100 million of e-commerce revenue is already lost every year. If businesses don’t ensure their e-commerce applications can handle the extra loads experienced during peak times, such as July and the run-up to Christmas, the cost could reach £36.7billion.

“Businesses must not only protect against this potential loss of revenue in the short term, but also protect their brand and reputation in the longer term by ensuring a better customer experience,” continued David Valentine. “Making sure that websites and the applications that run on them are tested for the highest volume of anticipated users has traditionally been expensive and difficult to manage but new, scalable cloud-based testing services make this much more cost-effective.”

Ensuring that e-commerce sites can withstand peak loads is a challenge because traffic can vary from 5,000 transactions per hour at normal times to 50,000 during a promotion or peak period. Traditional approaches to load testing required a large investment in infrastructure to replicate the peak volumes, but Micro Focus’ cloud-based model removes the need for this overhead. Instead of investing in hardware that is not used for a large portion of the time, businesses can use Micro Focus SilkPerformer CloudBurst on demand to test for peak user volumes only when they need to. In addition, CloudBurst lets website and software quality teams rapidly launch any size peak-load performance test, from any location in the world, without the burden of managing complex infrastructures, and offers diagnostic tools that locate the root causes of performance issues and fast-track their correction. When integrated with the SilkPerformer family it even lets IT teams test enterprise applications that have mixed internet and internal-facing aspects.

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Skype brings video calling to Android phones

Skype has announced an updated version of its Skype for Android app – Skype for Android 2.0, bringing Skype Video Calling to the currently fastest growing mobile OS.

With the new version, users will be able to make and receive free 1-to-1 video calls over Skype between their Android phone and other Skype contacts on the iPhone, Mac, Windows PCs and even TVs. The Android video call app works over Wi-Fi or 3G data connections and can be downloaded for free from the Android Market or the Skype website using any phone browser.

“We are committed to bring Skype Video Calling to as many platforms as possible and are delighted to deliver on this with our new updated Android video chat app,” said Neil Stevens, Skype’s vice president and general manager for product and marketing.

“With approximately 30 million concurrent users logging into Skype at any given time and making up to half a million simultaneous video calls, the Skype video chat on Android app makes it even easier for users to share moments with their contacts wherever they are.”

In addition to video chat, users can also make calls to landlines and mobiles around the world, as well as send SMS’s to friends and family anywhere in the world at great Skype rates. All this comes with a complete redesign of the Skype for Android user interface. There’s a new main menu on the Skype app for Android where users can navigate easily through their contacts, access their Skype profile to change personal details or see the balance of their Skype Credit. Finally a new mood message box at the top of the Skype app menu makes it easier than ever for users to share how they are feeling, what they’ve seen, or what they’re up to.

For this first phase of launch, handsets that support video calling include the HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and the Google Nexus S.

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New website creation intensifies the importance for quality of web hosting confirm Names.co.uk

There are over 90 million .COM domain names on the World Wide Web. As each year passes more new websites are created, yet this number is decreasing, report Pingdom.com. In 2009, 47 million new websites were added to Webospshere, with only 21.4 added in 2010. An over 50% drop in new website creation points to a number of web-based factors. Despite the popularity of new website creation, it has become increasingly hard to get sites noticed, well hosted and picked up by search engines, online users or potential website customers. Names.co.uk offer effective web hosting for both personal and professional website platforms and provide expert advice for those hoping to set up and maintain their own web pages. In time where only well-developed sites will succeed, it is imperative to ensure your website stands out from the crowd.

With award-winning excellence since 1996 and voted the best for shared web hosting for three years running, Names.co.uk are among the UK’s top hosting companies. Whether you are looking to set up or get your website online, Names.co.uk provides all the right support and know-how to make your web hosting dreams happen. Choose between starter kits that are ideal for the personal and small company website, professional packages for powerful business hosting, premium hosting for high traffic business websites and platinum packages for developer and reseller hosting.

Each web hosting package from Names.co.uk comes equipped with the right technical features and support for the website in question. Each package also includes a free domain name, bandwidth, email accounts, web storage space and a free advertising voucher from Simply.com. Quality web hosting only comes with bespoke website maintenance and support. For this reason, Names.co.uk provide fast and friendly help from their expert UK-based team, plus all customers are guaranteed access to a 24/7 online support centre. Whilst the total number of websites sits at over 260 million, a rise from over the last two years, the importance of quality web site hosting and development has never been greater. Log onto Names.co.uk now to secure web hosting that will see your site sit above the rest.

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BT Openzone to enhance Internet services across Hilton Worldwide’s UK and Ireland hotels

BT Openzone has entered into a strategic agreement with Hilton Worldwide to provide a fully-managed suite of Wi-Fi and Internet services across hotels in the U.K. and Ireland. The new technology will provide a tenfold increase in bandwidth and an even more consistent, high-quality online experience for guests at nearly 100 Hilton Worldwide properties beginning in Autumn 2011.

This agreement provides guests with BT Openzone Wi-Fi access, high-speed broadband, conference and event services in more than 17,000 bedrooms, public areas and meeting and conference spaces, including 24-hour customer support. The new Wi-Fi service will be available free of charge to all Gold and Diamond Hilton HHonors members and over five million BT Total broadband customers. BT Openzone users and customers from iPass, AT&T and other BT Openzone roaming partners can also use the super-fast broadband when visiting the hotels.

“We are committed to providing our guests with access to the very latest technology, complementing our world class hospitality, and are delighted to collaborate with BT Openzone to deliver an outstanding service in the U.K. and Ireland,” said Robert Webb, Chief Information Officer, Hilton Worldwide. “This deal builds on last year’s agreement with AT&T in the United States and Canada as we look to partner with the very best technology providers around the world.”

Chris Bruce, CEO, BT Openzone, said: “The growing number of travellers with mobile devices such as tablet computers and smartphones, means guests increasingly expect to be able to log on wherever they are and with a fast and reliable connection. BT currently has 2.8 million Wi-Fi hotspots across the U.K. and Ireland. By expanding our coverage at Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of hotels, we are demonstrating our commitment in providing leading edge technology services to partners in a very demanding service environment.”

BT Openzone will use an ‘above property’, centralised cloud computing architecture, and will oversee network operations, guest Internet support, network engineering, software development and 24/7 network monitoring for Hilton Worldwide’s business Wi-Fi and Internet services.

Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of six brands in the U.K. and Ireland includes Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels and Resorts, Doubletree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton.

Via EPR Network
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Intranet Connections has announced the latest release of their social intranet software

Intranet Connections has announced the latest release of their social intranet software. Intranet Connections v11 builds on employee participation and engagement via your intranet by giving users the power to embrace and share company culture with innovative tools that are out of the box.

“Our intranet software helps to connect employees by information and knowledge sharing, online collaboration and the enhancement of your company culture,” says Carolyn Douglas, CEO of Intranet Connections. “We added dynamic tools such as our new Application Builder, allowing you to easily create any type of application you need for your intranet. We want to provide tools that help improve your business, through your employees and the intranet.”

Application Builder gives you the power to be creative when building applications. You have complete control over input forms, fields, and layout screens. Intranet Connections has harnessed AJAX drag and drop, creating an easy to use and dynamic application-building experience, with collaborative social elements such as employee tagging, comments, ratings and widgets.

This release also offers several new interactive widgets that engage with employees, including quick polls to measure employee opinions; a weather widget; widgets that cycle content such as snippets of customer feedback, tip of the day, or inspirational quotes; upcoming birthdays and anniversaries; and features employees with their photo, what they do in the company, and how to reach them or launch an intranet live chat.

Intranet Connections v11 offers extensive theme options along with fixed width layouts to provide modern intranet designs that are out of the box. With their easy to use theme builder, you can build themes that incorporate your company brand, which fosters culture because employees recognize the importance of your brand in the workplace.

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commissum Sponsorship of Open University Student Prize

commissum is proud to again be the sponsor of the prize for the Open University Post Graduate module for Information Security Management; the M886 module. This is the second year that commissum has sponsored this prize.

The winner of the prize this year is Canadian student Sara Maharaj, from Ontario. Sara took the Information Security Management module as a standalone course for her professional development. The Information Security Management module is very focused on taking a practice-based approach; this encourages the student to base what they do upon an organisation that they are familiar with.

The course provides the foundation knowledge, understanding, analysis and synthesis needed to develop a practical information security management system (ISMS), to the standard set by the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 and BS ISO/IEC 17799:2005. It also targets helping the students acquire the personal development skills that they need to keep abreast of important developments in the rapidly changing field of Information Security.

Sara, having successfully undertaken the course as the top student, said:

“The course provides valuable insights into how to strategically manage information security within the organization. The practical exercises force you to think through a methodical implementation of the ISO 27001 standard, which facilitates excellent learning.”

Managing Director at commissum, Martin Finch, is a keen advocate of this practical approach to learning. He said:

“When students are given the opportunity to apply what they learn during the course of the module, it not only reinforces the lesson and benefits them and their respective organisations, but also instils a sense of great satisfaction”.

Last year’s joint winners were Ian Knight and Sally Anderson. Ian Knight who graduated with a BA/BSc Open Degree took the Information Security Management course as the last step in his degree journey. Ian works for a major Telecoms provider, with responsibility for Information Assurance on large client contracts. He said:

“The course materials were some of the best that I have encountered in the OU and in other study; I found the course to be of immediate practical use in my work almost from the start of the first unit”.

Sally Anderson, who is Head of Web and IT in a leading University, also commented on the practical nature of the course, saying “I have directly applied the new knowledge and skills to my work already and have the confidence now to advise and manage information security on behalf of my organisation”.

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