Archive for November, 2009
Microsoft 
on Tuesday showed a preview of its redesigned MSN.com home page. The page hasn’t had such a sweeping change in 10 years and features Bing search, the top news and entertainment stories, and some of the most popular social networks.
The home page taps the new MSN Local Edition to offer visitors a localized experience. Microsoft said the redesigned site with a bright look and feel began rolling out Wednesday and will become widely available to U.S. customers early next year.
“Both Yahoo and Microsoft have suddenly realized that their portal properties are incredibly valuable and they should invest in them,” said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. “Both companies got so focused on Google that they forgot they had these incredibly powerful sites that pull massive amounts of traffic. Traffic for both Yahoo and MSN has been going up steadily.”
Read the rest of my story on CIOToday.
November 5th, 2009
Regus is officially celebrating its 20th anniversary this week, and its founder is predicting a rapid, major structural change in working practices over the next 10 years.
Regus opened its first business center in Brussels in 1989. The company now operates more than 1,000 serviced office facilities in 450 cities in 76 countries. In all, Regus boasts 500,000 clients around the world, including half of the Fortune 500 and thousands of small- to mid-sized companies.
As Regus Founder and CEO Mark Dixon sees it, the office industry is experiencing a watershed moment of change in workforce and workplace practices driven by three factors: the maturity of the Internet and mobile technologies, the constant drive to cut costs and boost growth, and the increasing workforce demand for flexible working.
Read the rest of my story on aBetterOffice.com.
November 4th, 2009
In a move to compete more aggressively in the digital age, Best Buy is launching its own on-demand video service through a strategic partnership with Sonic Solutions. As part of the multi-year agreement, Best Buy will license and deploy Sonic’s Roxio CinemaNow technology platform. The deal opens the door to on-demand digital content delivery as a standard feature on the electronics devices consumers purchase at Best Buy.
“Our relationship with Sonic Solutions allows Best Buy to quickly establish a strong position in the digital delivery of video entertainment,” said Brian Dunn, CEO of Best Buy. “It also enables us to make deeper and more meaningful connections with our customers and expand our relationships with content owners and hardware vendors to create compelling new home-entertainment solutions.”
Read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.
November 4th, 2009
Defying the down market, one brave mobile-device maker is betting Twitter can help generate new revenues. Peek just rolled out the world’s first Twitter mobile device on Amazon.com.
Also the maker of a dedicated e-mail and texting device, Peek designed the TwitterPeek to empower consumers who don’t want to invest in a full-fledged smartphone. With TwitterPeek, consumers can tweet their status, share stories, and spread news as it happens in real time without shelling out a monthly fee for a data package.
“TwitterPeek will make it easy and affordable for everyone who doesn’t have a smartphone to really enjoy Twitter on the go,” said Peekster-in-Chief Amol Sarva. “Twitter diehards will appreciate its always-on instant tweet delivery, and newbies will finally get Twitter once they have TwitterPeek in hand. Even businesses that Twitter will dig TwitterPeek as a convenient way to stay connected with their customers.”
Read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.
November 4th, 2009
In a move to offer companies more flexibility and better service, shared office industry pioneer David Myers has parted ways with The Regus Group and launched a new serviced office brand called OfficeKey.
“Since I opened my first executive suite in 1984, my goal has always been to keep overhead as low as possible and offer value-adds to clients. By breaking away from Regus, OfficeKey locations are shedding unnecessary expenses so we can invest more in the technology and services our clients in the Cincinnati area need,” says Myers, president of OfficeKey. “We also will offer more flexible options. If your business needs change, you can terminate your agreement with just 60 days notice – and with no strings attached.”
Formerly donning the HQ brand name, Office Cincinnati, Office Blue Ash and Office Northern Kentucky are now part of OfficeKey. The tagline: “Unlock your potential! Flexible arrangements that won’t weigh you down.”
Read the rest of my story on aBetterOffice.com.
November 3rd, 2009
Corporate Office Centers is on the move again. This time, the Arlington serviced office company is stepping across state lines to open a new office space in Gilbert, Arizona.
That makes five business center locations for Corporate Office Centers in Arizona and 30 nationwide, including facilities in California, Nevada, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Hawaii, Texas and Tennessee.
“Not only do our services provide a more cost effective alternative to conventional office leases, the flexibility they offer to quickly accommodate one workstation to several, allows businesses to right size for their needs and save expenses by avoiding paying for office and meeting room space that sits empty,” says Thad Pittman, president of Corporate Office Centers. “We handle the details of operating the workplace so our clients can focus valuable time on their core business.”
Read the rest of my story on aBetterOffice.com.
November 3rd, 2009
Microsoft released its latest security intelligence report on Monday — and the picture looks grim for enterprises. Enterprise worm infections rose nearly 100 percent in the first half of 2009 from the previous six months. In the same period, consumers continued to struggle with rogue software.
According to the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIRv7), rogue security software remained the single largest threat category for the first half of 2009. Despite progress combating rogues, this is still a major issue for computer users. Also known as “scareware,” rogue security software takes advantage of customers’ desire to protect their computer from threats.
But there is good news for enterprises and consumers. The report highlights a significant decrease in Zlob Trojan infections, from 21.1 million at its peak in 2007 to 2.3 million in the first half of 2009. Microsoft is offering some security best practices to help PC users ward off threats.
Read the rest of my story on Sci-Tech Today.
November 3rd, 2009
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