Should the smallest businesses pay attention to social media marketing?
eMarketer estimates that 127 million people in the US, or 57.5% of internet users, will use social networks at least monthly this year. Facebook alone has over half a billion active users worldwide. Still, many of the smallest businesses don’t believe their customers can be marketed to on such sites, according to an August 2010 survey from customer review platform RatePoint…
When asked if they thought customers wanted to hear from them on social sites, only a quarter of businesses thought they did.
Read the full article from eMarketer.
While this article touches on small businesses current views of social media and its affect on their businesses, it doesn’t address the larger question for small businesses. “Given my specific target customers, what is the best way(s) to reach them with my resources and budget?”
Fast Company Announces Atlanta As The Next Technology Hub
It used to be, if you were serious about starting a tech company, you went to Silicon Valley. But emerging entrepreneurial hubs around the country are giving startup aspirants options…
Not too long ago, about fifty years, Atlanta was the size of Little Rock, Ark. About a hundred years before that, it was burned to the ground. Atlanta has proven it can grow (adding 1.1 million residents in the last decade alone). Now, it’s building toward a sort of tech hub in the southeast, against a backdrop that includes the busiest international airport in the world; a healthy cluster of corporate giants in Coca-Cola, UPS, Delta and The Home Depot, among others; and a spur of entrepreneurial activity that put Atlanta in the top ten on this year’s Kauffman Entrepreneurial Index, which tracks new business creation…
What makes Atlanta great for startups?
Any startup community needs three great things. It needs leadership. It needs world class universities where intellectual property is being developed, and then it needs a ready and able workforce. Atlanta has all three of those things…
What types of startups do well in Atlanta?
Does Atlanta breed or attracts entrepreneurs?
What’s happening in the ecosystem that makes it sustainable?
What kind of exits do you anticipate out of Atlanta?
Read the full article on Fast Company.
We couldn’t agree more. Atlanta is a great city for technology growth. There is a diverse talent pool, funding is available for the right opportunities and community has a growing culture of innovation. It is also relatively close to other major talent and growth cities, such as Birmingham, Huntsville, Nashville and Charlotte.
Understanding the Consumer of the Future
Special thanks to one of our members (wished to remain anonymous) who forward this article.
Leigh Buchanan, of Inc Magazine, interviewed John Gerzema of Young and Rubicam in August about the consumer of the future. The interview focuses on overall consumer attitudes that are applicable to both consumer facing technologies/applications and consumer goods.
It addresses many questions such as:
- Many people have been financially devastated by the recession. Probably most were spooked by it. Is that enough to end consumerism as we know it?
- Your data also show that people increasingly seek to make purchases from companies that reflect their values.
If, as you say, consumers are pinching pennies to rebuild lost wealth, will they really be able to afford to shop at a values-oriented business like Whole Foods? - How can companies target populations that might hold different values?
- Your data show that kindness and generosity are among the qualities customers increasingly demand most from business. Yet customer-facing employees often feel overworked and beaten down, and in many instances customer service seems worse than ever. How do companies solve that problem?
- You cite research that many Americans no longer consider products such as televisions, dishwashers, and air conditioners to be necessities. How do makers of products newly rendered unnecessary rethink their marketing and value proposition?
Click here to read the complete interview.
Do you see the same change in consumer attitudes or has your experience shown something different? How should consumer facing technology companies respond to these changes?
Cloud Sherpas Raises Another $1.6 Million To Google Apps To Bring More Businesses
Cloud Sherpas, an Atlanta based provider of managed Google Apps, has raised an additional $1.6 million in funding in a new round led by Syncarpha Capital, Vento Security Holdings and Hallett Capital ( investment entity of Cloud Sherpas’ CEO, Jon Hallett).
Press Release
ATLANTA, GA – November 3, 2010 – Cloud Sherpas, a leading provider of Managed Google Apps Solutions, today announced that it has secured $1.6 million in Series A-1 financing. The round was led by Syncarpha Capital, Vento Security Holdings and Hallett Capital, the investment vehicle of Cloud Sherpas’ CEO, Jon Hallett. Cloud Sherpas has migrated over 600,000 enterprise users to Google Apps. Additionally, Cloud Sherpas software is in use at over 8,000 companies representing more than 1.5 million Google Apps users.
Google Apps is now used by over three million businesses and thousands more sign up every day, according to industry data. Adoption is being driven by the accelerating scope of Google’s enterprise cloud offerings, the demonstrated ROI achieved by those businesses who have “gone Google” and the proven integration and software enhancement capabilities of solution providers like Cloud Sherpas.
Cloud Sherpas will use the new capital to accelerate adoption of Google Apps across major industries. Retail, manufacturing, high-tech, real estate, healthcare and government have been particularly fertile markets. Cloud Sherpas recently closed enterprise deals with companies including Baird & Warner (one of the oldest residential real estate brokerages in the nation), Jason’s Deli (a leading southeastern US restaurant chain), LifeWay (120-year old non-profit Christian resources retailer), Carroll Hospital Center (Westminster, MD hospital) and 22squared (one of the largest independent ad agencies in the US). Demonstrating exceptional value and service to its client base, Cloud Sherpas has realized an industry-leading 0% lifetime churn in annual software license renewals.
These and other enterprises are benefiting from Cloud Sherpas expertise migrating users from on-premise platforms—like Microsoft Exchange, IBM Lotus Notes and Novell GroupWise—to the cloud with Google. Implementation sizes range from 75 users to 75,000, with average deployments of around 2,000 seats. As well, customers are aggressively leveraging Cloud Sherpas’ proprietary SherpaTools application. Currently the top IT admin tool in the Google Apps Marketplace and one of the “Original 50” apps in the store, SherpaTools is used by over 8,000 companies in 85 countries, with more than 1,200 domains being added every month.
Cloud Sherpas’ proven intellectual property, coupled with deep industry expertise and best practices gleaned from hundreds of Google Apps implementations, has been key to accelerating cloud migration, cloud integration and cloud management for enterprises, according to Hallett.
“Partnering with Cloud Sherpas represents the highest value, highest success rate option for enterprises large and small,” said Hallett. “We’ll use the additional funds to expand our software portfolio so that clients can fully maximize the Google Apps platform. The capital will also allow us to expand our services capability to provide enhanced 3rd party integration to Google’s software stack. We’re excited to welcome new investors and we look forward to accelerating successful market adoption of Google’s enterprise cloud offerings. ”
Cloud Sherpas announced Series A funding of around $1M in May 2010. The company has now raised close to $3M in funding.
About Cloud Sherpas
Cloud Sherpas (www.cloudsherpas.com) is a cloud computing systems integrator and application developer. As a Google Apps Authorized Reseller and leading Google Enterprise partner, we have migrated hundreds of thousands of users from legacy, on-premise messaging systems to Google Apps and Google App Engine, helping organizations adopt cloud computing to innovate and dramatically reduce their IT expenses. SherpaTools for Google Apps (www.sherpatools.com) is a free app from Cloud Sherpas that enhances the functionality and ease-of-use of Google Apps for both administrators and end-users.
Top 5 Vehicle Technologies That Will Change How You Drive
Edmunds predicts that five automotive technologies will have a significant impact on how we drive. They include:
- Connected Cars – Updated maps, local services and listings, real-time traffic information and much more are now available from your dashboard. Features like Ford’s Sync system and connected navigation.
- Next-Generation Head-Up Displays – Holographic Laser Projection (HLP) display information on the windshield and infrared cameras “paint” the edges of a road during low visibility.
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems – Lane-departure warning, forward-collision warning, blind-spot detection and pedestrian detection can help protect drivers from even themselves.
- In-Car Apps – Soon drivers will be able to download a wide variety of apps to create customizable dashboards, navigation, communication and entertainment options within their vehicles.
- Telematics and Tracking – Voice activation, text-to-speech technology, audible RSS feeds, and vehicle tracking systems are being upgraded and developed.
These technologies or their alternatives will, without a doubt, have a significant impact on the car of tomorrow and how we interact in the future. The questions begin around how these experiences will actually be implemented.
As an example, the “connected cars” experience may be implemented in a number of ways. There is a large portion of the industry proposing that vehicles will have embedded mobile data connections to provide the most stable data connection.
Will consumers be willing to pay for a dedicated data connection in their car, in addition to the one they have on their phone? Or, will tethering work seamlessly enough to allow a smart phone connection to be used for this connection, for the mass market – perhaps with an additional charge from the carrier. If not, the data over voice connections possible today are a viable option for low bandwidth services. However, this will limit the applications and potential experiences, including in-car apps.
There is a great future for the experiences that will be enabled by these technologies. It’s the rollout and implementation plans that are still very unclear. What is the best approach for the short-term and long-term? How will companies provide the best overall experience for the mobile, vehicle and fixed-internet experiences? Is there actually a difference between these? We have number of companies in Southern Technology Leaders that are deeply involved in these areas. Join the discussion on our private group.
Guntersville, AL May Be The Location Of Your Next Data Center
Deloitte Consulting recently named an elite group of locations in the seven-state Tennessee Valley region as TVA pre-qualifiers for a data center site.
“The 12 sites named are considered ready for development and meet necessary criteria to support a major data center project. TVA is partnering with local power distributors like BTES, regional, state and community economic development leaders to begin marketing these sites as part of the region’s data center project recruitment initiative.” (source)
One of the sites that jumped out as us is Guntersville’s Conners Island business park, due to our connection to the area and work with a number of firms in the area.
Budd McLaughlin, The Huntsville Times, writes in his article on the announement:
“The TVA and Chicago-based Deloitte Consulting studied more than 50 sites across the TVA region for their capacity to accommodate data centers – specially designed facilities that house computer systems and components for Internet search engine companies, financial transaction processors, and other high-tech industries.” …
“With its close proximity and easy access to all of the technology activity in Huntsville, Conners Island offers a prime strategic location for data center development,” said Guntersville Mayor Bob Hembree. “To have an international consulting firm of Deloitte’s stature confirm that we meet their demanding criteria adds a significant boost to our marketing efforts.”
Need a new location for a major data center. Conners Island in Guntersville, AL should be on the short list of potential candidate locations.
SecureWorks Ranked Number 199 Fastest Growing Company in North America on Deloitte’s 2010 Technology Fast 500
ATLANTA, /PRNewswire/ — Atlanta-based SecureWorks,® Inc., a leading global provider of information security services protecting 2,900 clients in over 70 countries , announced today that it ranked No. 199 on Technology Fast 500™, Deloitte’s ranking of 500 of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. Rankings are based on percentage of fiscal year revenue growth during the period from 2005-2009. SecureWorks grew 496 percent during this period.
SecureWorks’ chairman and chief executive officer, Mike Cote, says the cornerstone of SecureWorks’ growth has been their purpose built technology which enables them to have broad visibility into the networks of their 2,900 clients worldwide. SecureWorks’ security management platform monitors, correlates and analyzes billions of security events from their clients’ networks daily.
“With visibility across such a large customer base, our certified security analysts are able to see cyber attacks as they are emerging,” said Mike Cote. “This information, combined with the intelligence of our renowned Counter Threat Unit(SM) (CTU) security research team, enables us to prevent new cyber threats from impacting our clients.”
“SecureWorks and the other 2010 Technology Fast 500™ winners forged ahead in a challenging economic environment to realize exceptional growth,” said Phil Asmundson, vice chairman and Deloitte’s U.S. technology, media and telecommunications leader. “Deloitte commends SecureWorks for this impressive accomplishment.”
“SecureWorks has proved itself to be one of the fastest growing tech companies in North America, and we are proud to honor them as one of the 2010 Technology Fast 500™,” said Mark Jensen, managing partner, venture capital services, Deloitte & Touche LLP.
By focusing the company and securing the best talent he could find, Cote began growing the business in 2002 when he joined as CEO. Under Cote’s leadership, SecureWorks has grown its revenues from $14.4 million in 2005 to $85.8 million in 2009. Its current run-rate revenues are approximately $130 million and organic growth over the last several years has exceeded 20 percent. SecureWorks protects 85 of the Fortune 500 and employs approximately 700 people globally. Top industry analysts Gartner and Forrester rank SecureWorks as a “leader” among managed security services providers (MSSPs).
For additional details on the Technology Fast 500™ including selection and qualifying criteria, visit www.fast500.com
About SecureWorks
SecureWorks is a one of the top information security service providers protecting over 2,900 clients worldwide spanning North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. Organizations of all sizes, including 85 of the Fortune 500, rely on SecureWorks to protect their assets, improve compliance and reduce costs. The combination of award-winning security technology, strong client service, and experienced security professionals makes SecureWorks the premier provider of information security services for any organization. SecureWorks was one of only two “leaders” cited in The Forrester Wave™: Managed Security Services, Q3 2010 report (August 2010) and is positioned in the Leader’s Quadrant of Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for MSSPs. SecureWorks has also won SC Magazine’s “Best Managed Security Service” award for 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 and has been named to the Inc. 500, Inc. 5000 and the Deloitte lists of fastest-growing companies. www.secureworks.com
As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte LLP and its subsidiaries.
SOURCE SecureWorks
Will U.S. customers pay more for no-contract, 3G-embedded devices?
Subsidy or no subsidy? That’s the question that wireless execs — not to mention customers — are facing when it comes to the latest 3G-embedded laptops, netbooks, and tablets on the big U.S. carriers…
“People have proven that they are willing to spend $630 on a device, because they didn’t have to sign a contract,” said AT&T Video President David Haight at a recent conference (as quoted by CNET News.com). “Customers like having more control.”…
But the big carriers are clearly still feeling their way around pricing schemes for bigger “connect” devices like laptops, netbooks, and tablets — especially tablets, like the iPad and the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab….
Click here for the full article.
Non-subsidized devices are the norm in other parts of the world, but the U.S. has historically seen cheaper devices with multi-year service commitments. Is that begging to change? The initial iPad sales at least show that consumers are open to paying higher prices to avoid a contract. Will that extend to smartphones in the future?
First Windows Phone 7 reviews
It’s only been one week since Microsoft unveiled the initial batch of Windows Phone 7 handsets, and the early reviews are starting to come in. Bonnie Cha, one of CNET’s smartphone gurus, has released reviews of AT&T’s Samsung Focus and HTC Surround.
- Link to video review of the Samsung Focus
- Link to video review of the HTC Surround
- Link to overall Windows Phone 7 review
Reputation Management for Small Business: Options?
Social media continues to expand and become a larger part of marketing and new customer discovery for small businesses. How are businesses supposed to manage the ever growing amount of sites, profiles and reviews in the social space? Hiring a dedicated social media lead is not reasonable for many businesses. Outsourcing the work to a social media PR firm, while often valuable, may only be an option for larger businesses due to costs.
Increasingly, companies are beginning to offer platforms to consolidate these profiles and the information into a single review dashboard. Here is a pitch video from Marchex:
What other offerings are available to help businesses manage their social presence and customer reviews across multiple sites? Have you used these yourself?
GE Capital Fleet Services Launches New Intelligent Ops Telematics Solution
Related story from Smart Mobile: GE Capital Fleet Unveils Intelligent Ops Telematics Solution
Press Release:
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., Oct 04, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — GE Capital Fleet Services today announced that it has launched Intelligent Ops(SM), an integrated business intelligence solution for operations and sales leaders who manage mobile personnel. The new solution, part of GE’s innovative Mobile Resource Intelligence(SM) telematics program, is designed to help customers drive significant profitability improvements through more efficient mobile operations.
Intelligent Ops helps business leaders transform enterprise and driver performance by evaluating mobile activities and costs against goals. With a simple click of the mouse, operations and sales leaders can now access mobile resource performance ranking by division, customer cost analysis and exception-based alerts for driver best practices and coaching opportunities. Feature-rich heat maps also deliver market coverage, activity and opportunity insight at-a-glance.
“The new Intelligent Ops solution will revolutionize the way business leaders think about and manage their mobile operations,” said Dyan Finkhousen, Mobile Resource Intelligence Strategy Leader for GE Capital Fleet Services. “We’re driving innovation into smart mobile technologies to help our customers exceed their business and fiscal goals and define a new standard of operational excellence.”
The Mobile Resource Intelligence program offers a suite of telematics-based business intelligence solutions. Unlike regular telematics programs, Mobile Resource Intelligence solutions are designed to provide business leaders with critical decision tools for their enterprise productivity, efficiency, compliance, safety and green objectives.
About GE Capital Fleet Services
GE Capital Fleet Services, based in Eden Prairie, Minn., is a global fleet management company with operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Visit the Web site at www.gefleet.com or follow company news via Twitter (@GEFleetSvcs).
GE Capital offers consumers and businesses around the globe an array of financial products and services. For more information, visit www.gecapital.com or follow company news via Twitter (@GECapital). GE /quotes/comstock/13*!ge/quotes/nls/ge (GE 16.92, +0.02, +0.12%) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit www.ge.com.
Is your youth marketing strategy focusing on PAID or EARNED media?
Does your company sell directly to the youth market? Do you work with an enterprise platform to those selling to the youth market? Are you an agency or PR shop supporting clients? If you fall into any of these categories, how are you targeting the youth market?
Here is a short 5 minute video from Graham Brown of mobileYouth about what is working today and how marketing strategies for the youth market have shifted over recent years.
We’ve known Graham for many years and have always found his research and insights helpful. We hope that you do as well.
Gartner Identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2011
Gartner, Inc. today highlighted the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organizations in 2011. The analysts presented their findings during Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, being held here through October 21.
Gartner defines a strategic technology as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.
A strategic technology may be an existing technology that has matured and/or become suitable for a wider range of uses. It may also be an emerging technology that offers an opportunity for strategic business advantage for early adopters or with potential for significant market disruption in the next five years. As such, these technologies impact the organization’s long-term plans, programs and initiatives.
“Companies should factor these top 10 technologies in their strategic planning process by asking key questions and making deliberate decisions about them during the next two years,” said David Cearley, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner.
“Sometimes the decision will be to do nothing with a particular technology,” said Carl Claunch, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner. “In other cases, it will be to continue investing in the technology at the current rate. In still other cases, the decision may be to test or more aggressively deploy the technology.”
The top 10 strategic technologies for 2011 include:
Cloud Computing. Cloud computing services exist along a spectrum from open public to closed private. The next three years will see the delivery of a range of cloud service approaches that fall between these two extremes. Vendors will offer packaged private cloud implementations that deliver the vendor’s public cloud service technologies (software and/or hardware) and methodologies (i.e., best practices to build and run the service) in a form that can be implemented inside the consumer’s enterprise. Many will also offer management services to remotely manage the cloud service implementation. Gartner expects large enterprises to have a dynamic sourcing team in place by 2012 that is responsible for ongoing cloudsourcing decisions and management.
Mobile Applications and Media Tablets. Gartner estimates that by the end of 2010, 1.2 billion people will carry handsets capable of rich, mobile commerce providing an ideal environment for the convergence of mobility and the Web. Mobile devices are becoming computers in their own right, with an astounding amount of processing ability and bandwidth. There are already hundreds of thousands of applications for platforms like the Apple iPhone, in spite of the limited market (only for the one platform) and need for unique coding.
The quality of the experience of applications on these devices, which can apply location, motion and other context in their behavior, is leading customers to interact with companies preferentially through mobile devices. This has lead to a race to push out applications as a competitive tool to improve relationships and gain advantage over competitors whose interfaces are purely browser-based.
Social Communications and Collaboration. Social media can be divided into: (1) Social networking –social profile management products, such as MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn and Friendster as well as social networking analysis (SNA) technologies that employ algorithms to understand and utilize human relationships for the discovery of people and expertise. (2) Social collaboration –technologies, such as wikis, blogs, instant messaging, collaborative office, and crowdsourcing. (3) Social publishing –technologies that assist communities in pooling individual content into a usable and community accessible content repository such as YouTube and flickr. (4) Social feedback – gaining feedback and opinion from the community on specific items as witnessed on YouTube, flickr, Digg, Del.icio.us, and Amazon. Gartner predicts that by 2016, social technologies will be integrated with most business applications. Companies should bring together their social CRM, internal communications and collaboration, and public social site initiatives into a coordinated strategy.
Video. Video is not a new media form, but its use as a standard media type used in non-media companies is expanding rapidly. Technology trends in digital photography, consumer electronics, the web, social software, unified communications, digital and Internet-based television and mobile computing are all reaching critical tipping points that bring video into the mainstream. Over the next three years Gartner believes that video will become a commonplace content type and interaction model for most users, and by 2013, more than 25 percent of the content that workers see in a day will be dominated by pictures, video or audio.
Next Generation Analytics. Increasing compute capabilities of computers including mobile devices along with improving connectivity are enabling a shift in how businesses support operational decisions. It is becoming possible to run simulations or models to predict the future outcome, rather than to simply provide backward looking data about past interactions, and to do these predictions in real-time to support each individual business action. While this may require significant changes to existing operational and business intelligence infrastructure, the potential exists to unlock significant improvements in business results and other success rates.
Social Analytics. Social analytics describes the process of measuring, analyzing and interpreting the results of interactions and associations among people, topics and ideas. These interactions may occur on social software applications used in the workplace, in internally or externally facing communities or on the social web. Social analytics is an umbrella term that includes a number of specialized analysis techniques such as social filtering, social-network analysis, sentiment analysis and social-media analytics. Social network analysis tools are useful for examining social structure and interdependencies as well as the work patterns of individuals, groups or organizations. Social network analysis involves collecting data from multiple sources, identifying relationships, and evaluating the impact, quality or effectiveness of a relationship.
Context-Aware Computing. Context-aware computing centers on the concept of using information about an end user or object’s environment, activities connections and preferences to improve the quality of interaction with that end user. The end user may be a customer, business partner or employee. A contextually aware system anticipates the user’s needs and proactively serves up the most appropriate and customized content, product or service. Gartner predicts that by 2013, more than half of Fortune 500 companies will have context-aware computing initiatives and by 2016, one-third of worldwide mobile consumer marketing will be context-awareness-based.
Storage Class Memory. Gartner sees huge use of flash memory in consumer devices, entertainment equipment and other embedded IT systems. It also offers a new layer of the storage hierarchy in servers and client computers that has key advantages — space, heat, performance and ruggedness among them. Unlike RAM, the main memory in servers and PCs, flash memory is persistent even when power is removed. In that way, it looks more like disk drives where information is placed and must survive power-downs and reboots. Given the cost premium, simply building solid state disk drives from flash will tie up that valuable space on all the data in a file or entire volume, while a new explicitly addressed layer, not part of the file system, permits targeted placement of only the high-leverage items of information that need to experience the mix of performance and persistence available with flash memory.
Ubiquitous Computing. The work of Mark Weiser and other researchers at Xerox’s PARC paints a picture of the coming third wave of computing where computers are invisibly embedded into the world. As computers proliferate and as everyday objects are given the ability to communicate with RFID tags and their successors, networks will approach and surpass the scale that can be managed in traditional centralized ways. This leads to the important trend of imbuing computing systems into operational technology, whether done as calming technology or explicitly managed and integrated with IT. In addition, it gives us important guidance on what to expect with proliferating personal devices, the effect of consumerization on IT decisions, and the necessary capabilities that will be driven by the pressure of rapid inflation in the number of computers for each person.
Fabric-Based Infrastructure and Computers. A fabric-based computer is a modular form of computing where a system can be aggregated from separate building-block modules connected over a fabric or switched backplane. In its basic form, a fabric-based computer comprises a separate processor, memory, I/O, and offload modules (GPU, NPU, etc.) that are connected to a switched interconnect and, importantly, the software required to configure and manage the resulting system(s). The fabric-based infrastructure (FBI) model abstracts physical resources — processor cores, network bandwidth and links and storage — into pools of resources that are managed by the Fabric Resource Pool Manager (FRPM), software functionality. The FRPM in turn is driven by the Real Time Infrastructure (RTI) Service Governor software component. An FBI can be supplied by a single vendor or by a group of vendors working closely together, or by an integrator — internal or external.
A video reply of the Top 10 Strategic Technologies presentation will be available via the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo Webinar Series. The webinar series will provide full video replays of the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo keynotes, as well as selected Gartner analyst presentation. More information is available at http://mediazone.brighttalk.com/event/Gartner/27d8d40b22-4312-intro.
…
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!it/quotes/nls/it (IT 31.94, -0.08, -0.26%) is the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to 60,000 clients in 10,800 distinct organizations. Through the resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has 4,300 associates, including 1,200 research analysts and consultants, and clients in 80 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
SOURCE: Gartner, Inc.
Prepping for the Future of Fleet Management, GPS and Vehicle Telematics (Press Release)
ORLANDO, Fla., — CES is predicting that GPS will soon be so tightly integrated with field computers and smartphones that they will serve as the delivery mechanism for location tracking, job dispatch and vehicle diagnostics data being transported to the fleet manager or dispatcher.
“The now lonesome, covert GPS tracking ‘black box’ installed in the vehicle will become a Bluetooth or WiFi enabled ‘telematics’ box communicating vehicle diagnostics and engine maintenance to the office, using the driver’s smartphone or wireless enabled field computer as the transportation mechanism,” said Pat Lohan, Vice President, Sales & Marketing. “It is entirely possible that by 2013 this telematics box will be a standard feature on all new commercial vehicles purchased.”
To take advantage of this expected growth, CES is highlighting its recently released mobi911™ software package, designed to transform in-field computer devices into intelligent fleet management productivity tools.
mobi911™ can be installed on any Windows-compatible computer, netbook, portable hand terminal, smartphone or PDA device (Mobile, XP, Vista, Windows 7). It converts an existing or new computer device into an intelligent GPS location tracking, job/text dispatch and status vehicle tracking work tool. It also provides for driver-entered information. Instant bi-directional data direct communication is provided to the fleet manager/job dispatcher. iPhone, Android and BlackBerry compatibility are currently in development.
According to CES, mobi911™ is device-independent; eliminates the need to use a separate GPS tracking device in the vehicle; eliminates a second expensive cellular airtime plan; supports handheld terminals, PDAs, smartphones, laptops and vertical market devices; and allows the user to continue to use their existing non-CES market specific software solution. It is also WiFi-compatible.
At the dispatch end, CES develops both a web-based and enterprise vehicle tracking and fleet management software. mobi911™ can also be fully integrated with third-party software systems, including public safety, 911, transportation and service-specific software packages using the CES Application Programming Interface (API).
About CES Wireless: Established in 1974, CES Wireless is a manufacturer of integrated field data solutions, including GPS location services, asset tracking, security, fleet management and mobile information systems. Products and developed software operate over popular wireless services and provide seamless integration to third-party software systems through a published API.
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REACH Call Completes $5 Million Series A Financing
Council Ventures Leads Investment Round in Fast-Growing Provider of Telemedicine Solutions
AUGUSTA, Ga., ––– REACH Call Inc. (REACH), a leading provider of telemedicine solutions, announced today it has completed a $5 million round of Series A financing. The investment was led by Nashville, Tenn.-based Council Ventures and was joined by co-investor Croft & Bender Capital of Atlanta, Ga., and existing investor Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly known as Medical College of Georgia) of Augusta.
Council Ventures is a private equity firm that invests in fast-growing health care services and health care information technology companies.
“There is a lot of growth capital available to health care companies, but very few professional investors have the knowledge, experience and breadth of health care industry relationships that Council Ventures brings to the table,” said industry veteran Ken Rardin, president and CEO of REACH. “I have raised more than $1 billion over my career and have learned to seek out investment partners that bring far more to the table than just capital. Council Ventures has a unique business model that is supported by successful health care business executives who are investors and are aligned with successful investment partners.”
REACH is transforming the paradigm of virtual health care by enabling specialists such as neurologists to evaluate and diagnose patients 24/7 in remote, underserved and even urban locations. REACH’s evidence-based software protocols enable clinically rich collaborations in time-critical emergency situations such as stroke, regardless of distance.
The new funding will support REACH’s continued expansion into acute care services in the burgeoning telemedicine market. REACH will grow its national sales and marketing operations and invest in R&D to expand into new clinical specialties.
“Our customers, which include small rural hospitals and some of the largest health care systems, such as HCA and Ascension, have experienced the value of our telestroke solution and are working with REACH to extend that success in other specialties,” said Nirav Desai, REACH’s vice president of marketing and product management.
Council Ventures General Partner Gary Peat said that REACH is an ideal addition to the private equity firm’s portfolio of health care companies. “What really excited us about REACH were the clinical applications that allow a specialist to provide the right care remotely to the right patient at the right time,” he said. “On top of providing higher quality care at a lower cost, the REACH network benefits all stakeholders: the patient, the hospital, the specialist and the payor.”
REACH was founded in 2006 by a group of neurology and emergency medicine physicians from the Augusta-based Georgia Health Sciences University (formerly known as Medical College of Georgia).
“Our technology is helping physicians improve the quality of stroke care every day,” said David Hess, M.D., chairman of REACH’s board of directors and chairman of the Department of Neurology at the Georgia Health Sciences University. “REACH has provided cost-effective and easy-to-use technology with comprehensive services that enable telemedicine programs to thrive.”
Rardin, who joined REACH as president and CEO in June, said that he agreed to become CEO for three reasons. “First, REACH’s model leverages a scarce resource, the specialist. Specialist coverage at urban, suburban and rural hospitals is a national issue, and getting worse every day. With REACH, specialists can immediately and affordably cover a greater number of facilities,” Rardin explained. “Second, REACH benefits all stakeholders: the patient, the specialist, the hospital and the payor. And third, I was looking for a growth company that was positioned to become the leader in telemedicine and I found all three at REACH.”
About REACH Call
Founded in 2006, REACH is a leading high-tech provider of telemedicine solutions. REACH provides a full suite of telemedicine technology and services dedicated to eliminating the geographical challenge associated with access to specialized health care, bringing time-critical emergency care for diseases such as stroke close to home. REACH offers an easy-to-implement Software as a Service platform for secure, clinically rich teleconsults, with instant documentation and reporting. REACH account teams work in partnership with customers to launch, grow and sustain their telemedicine programs. REACH serves hospitals in premier health care systems such as HCA, Ascension Health, OhioHealth and Ochsner Health System.
For more information on REACH Call, visit www.reachcall.com
