Software Industry Announcements and News


Avangate Enables Cash Software Sales, Online

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 05.31.11 under ASP Member Companies, Business

Avangate Teams Up with PayNearMe to Help Software Vendors Reach Millions of US Shoppers

Software Buyers Can Order Products Online and Pay with Cash at 6,200 7-Eleven Stores

AMSTELVEEN, The Netherlands–Avangate, a full-service provider of eCommerce and partner-management solutions for software vendors, announced today the integration of a payment application from PayNearMe, the cash payment network, enabling consumers to pay for software purchased online with cash at nearly 6,200 7-Eleven stores across the U.S.

Avangate is the first eCommerce provider for the software industry to implement this payment method.
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Digital Rivers Reports Q1 Results

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 05.28.11 under ASP Member Companies, Business

Increases full year revenue and earnings guidance

MINNEAPOLIS–Digital River, Inc., a leading provider of global e-commerce solutions, reports its first quarter financial results.

First Quarter Ended March 31, 2011
GAAP Results
First quarter revenue totaled $98.2 million, compared to $98.7 million during the same period in 2010. This result was in line with management’s first quarter revenue guidance of $98 million.

First quarter GAAP net income was $7.0 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, which compared to GAAP net income of $7.0 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2010. These results exceeded management’s first quarter earnings guidance of $0.16 per diluted share.
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No Shopping Cart Left Behind

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 05.27.11 under ASP Member Companies, Business

No Shopping Cart Left Behind: The Buying Habits of Virtual Goods Consumers

Social Survey Conducted by Plimus, Inc. Finds Consumers Hassled By Online Shopping Experience

FREMONT, Calif.–Plimus Inc., the leader in complete, configured and connected hosted e-Business solutions, today released the results of a social survey on the buying habits of online consumers from a random, at large consumer survey via Facebook and Twitter. The survey provides a real-world perspective of the online shopping experience.

The “No Shopping Cart Left Behind: The Buying Habits of Virtual Goods Consumers” survey found:
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IT Certifications Growing in Importance

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 02.08.11 under Business

IT Certifications Grow in Importance in Hiring Process, but Employers Challenged by Evaluation, Validation Issues, CompTIA Study Finds

Greater emphasis on validated skills as companies struggle to fill IT staff openings

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Employers are inclined to rely more heavily on professional certifications when hiring information technology (IT) workers, but are challenged by credential evaluation and validation issues, research from CompTIA, the non-profit trade association for the information technology (IT) industry, reveals.

Professional certifications are already viewed by hiring managers as a high-value validation of IT skills. The CompTIA study suggests certifications will grow in importance as organizations seek to fill tech jobs.

Among IT hiring managers nearly two-thirds (64 percent) rate IT certifications as having extremely high or high value in validating skills and expertise. Eight in ten human resources (HR) professionals surveyed believe IT certifications will grow in usefulness and importance over the next two years.

But employers also expressed concerns about some aspects of using IT certifications in the hiring process. There is a perception among some hiring IT managers that the HR department does not have a solid understanding of IT certifications. Some firms also said verifying a job candidate’s credentials can be a challenge due to the time involved (cited by 44 percent of hiring IT managers) and effort required (38 percent).

“The value of certifications can be enhanced in a numbers of ways,” noted Tim Herbert, vice president, research, CompTIA. “Stronger links with education; easier methods of verification; greater understanding of what IT certifications can and cannot do; and more organizational support for certifications as part of a professional development program all would be positive steps in this direction.”

Nearly 1,700 business, HR and IT executives participated in the survey, designed to gain insight into how they evaluate job candidates; the role of IT certifications in the hiring process; and how organizations support professionals’ development.

Experience, track record and accomplishments rank as the most important factors when evaluating job candidates, according to the study. But education and credentials such as certifications also rank high. For example, 86 percent of hiring managers indicate IT certifications are a high or medium priority during the candidate evaluation process.

“From the employer’s perspective, top benefits of IT certification are validation of an individual’s ability to understand new or complex technologies, higher productivity and more insightful problem solving,” said Herbert.

The study suggests that certifications will become even more important as employers struggle to find individuals to fill job openings. Despite a virtual buyer’s market for hiring, roughly eight in ten HR executives in the United States said it’s challenging to find the right candidate with the right skill set to fill their openings. Many IT managers in the study share a similar view. For certain positions, the pool of available talent is not as deep as they would like it to be.

“Now more than ever there’s little margin for error for making a bad hire,” Herbert said. “In an environment of needing to do more with less, organizations cannot afford the time and cost of bringing on a new employee who cannot contribute immediately.”

The CompTIA study Employer Perception of IT Training and Certification is the result of two separate online surveys: to 1,385 business and IT executives that made a recent IT hiring decision in the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa; and to 300 HR professionals in the U.S. The complete report is available at no cost to CompTIA members who can access the file at www.CompTIA.org or by contacting research@comptia.org.

About CompTIA

CompTIA is the voice of the world’s information technology (IT) industry. Its members are the companies at the forefront of innovation; and the professionals responsible for maximizing the benefits organizations receive from their investments in technology. CompTIA is dedicated to advancing industry growth through its educational programs, market research, networking events, professional certifications, and public policy advocacy. For more information, visit www.comptia.org or follow CompTIA on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/comptia.

Red Hat calls to Correct Patent Litigation Rules

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 02.03.11 under Business

Red Hat Joins Technology Leaders in Requesting the U.S. Supreme Court Correct Patent Litigation Rules

RALEIGH, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Red Hat, Inc., the world’s leading provider of open source solutions, has continued its efforts to improve the U.S. patent system and to challenge poor quality software patents. Red Hat joined a large group of companies in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court which explained that the burden of proof applied to invalidate patents impedes innovation and should be changed.

The amicus brief was filed in the case of Microsoft v. i4i Limited Partnership. Red Hat joined the brief with Google, Verizon, Consumer Electronics Association, Comcast, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, HTC, Intuit, L-3 Communications, LinkedIn, Lockheed Martin, Mastercard, The New York Times, Rackspace, Shutterfly, Software & Information Industry Association, Time Warner, Wal-Mart, and Zynga.

This case concerns whether the party attempting to show that a patent should never have been granted must establish invalidity by clear-and-convincing evidence. The amicus parties argue that this standard favors holders of bad patents, and should be replaced by the standard of preponderance of the evidence. The amicus brief explains that the existing burden rule is bad law that should be corrected by the Supreme Court. The brief further explains how large numbers of bad patents are issued based on minimal review, and how those bad patents hinder innovation. Even when there is strong evidence of invalidity, that evidence is often technical, and it may be difficult for a jury without a technical background to conclude that the evidence is clear.

“Burdens of proof sound technical, but they make an enormous practical difference in how lawsuits come out,” said Rob Tiller, Assistant General Counsel for IP at Red Hat. “As things now stand, the clear-and-convincing burden prevents invalidation of lots of patents that should never have been granted. A decision from the Court which corrects that would be great for software innovation.”

Red Hat has filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in the past, including a brief submitted in December 2010 seeking reversal of a lower court decision that threatens to expand patent litigation. Red Hat also addressed the Court on the issue of patentability for abstract subject matter in an amicus brief submitted in October 2009 in the Bilski case.

To read the full amicus brief, please visit: http://www.redhat.com/f/pdf/amicus-brief-2011-02-02.pdf. For more information please visit opensource.com or press.redhat.com.

About Red Hat, Inc.

Red Hat, the world’s leading provider of open source solutions and a component of the S&P 500, is headquartered in Raleigh, NC with over 65 offices spanning the globe. CIOs ranked Red Hat as one of the top vendors delivering value in Enterprise Software for seven consecutive years in the CIO Insight Magazine Vendor Value survey. Red Hat provides high-quality, affordable technology with its operating system platform, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, together with virtualization, applications, management and Services Oriented Architecture (SOA) solutions, including Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization and JBoss Enterprise Middleware. Red Hat also offers support, training and consulting services to its customers worldwide. Learn more: www.redhat.com.

Apple’s App Store Downloads Top 10 Billion

[ Comments Off ] Posted on 01.27.11 under Business, Web Sites

CUPERTINO, California—January 22, 2011—Apple® today announced that more than 10 billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store? by the more than 160 million iPhone®, iPod touch® and iPad™ users worldwide. The 10 billionth app downloaded, Paper Glider, was purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 10 Billion Apps, Gail Davis will receive a $10,000 iTunes® Gift Card.

“With more than 10 billion apps downloaded in just two and a half years—a staggering seven billion apps in the last year alone—the App Store has surpassed our wildest dreams,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “The App Store has revolutionized how software is created, distributed, discovered and sold. While others try to copy the App Store, it continues to offer developers and customers the most innovative experience on the planet.”
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