Here we go again! As I do each week, I am really enjoying bringing our readers a quick round-up of the blog coverage I didn’t manage to get to during the week prior.
In addition, here at SMB Nation, we are already gearing up for our annual fall event to be held Oct. 10-12 in Las Vegas at the Rio! We have been hard at work designing a brand new Web site specifically for this event, which you must check out today: http://fall.smbnation.com/. For additional information on the new Web site and our fall conference, check out our blog post here.
Speaking of live events, Harrybbb will be virtually attending this week’s Microsoft WPC event held in Houston this week. Harry will be viewing the event and reporting live from his home office on Bainbridge Island…it’s the “new new” business model known as hybrid conferencing! Join Harry virtually at WPC by logging on to: http://www.digitalwpc.com.
Please take some time to peruse a few snippets of information that we didn’t get a chance to bring you last week….let us also know if there was something we might have missed, which is not mentioned in this entry…because as you know…we love news!1.) Panasonic Announces Telesphere as Panasonic SIP-Hotes Preferred Partner: Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, announced Telesphere as a Panasonic SIP Hosted Preferred Partner in its new program.
To provide a complete hosted PBX solution for its customers, Panasonic’s alliance with Telesphere, along with its broad network of authorized resellers, will provide rich service features, high quality Panasonic SIP phones and valuable support to meet the communication needs of end users in all business environments.
This alliance brings together Panasonic’s SIP phones and its extensive reseller network with service and support from Telesphere to provide customers with reliable, affordable hosted phone solutions, including predictable costs, flexibility, support for multi-site and remote workers, and rich feature and applications suites.
Additionally, customers with tight budgets who prefer to pay operational expenses on a monthly basis can take advantage of a hosted PBX service’s ability to provide lower upfront costs and the flexibility to add and remove users, as needed. Utilizing Panasonic authorized Business Telephony Systems (BTS) resellers, end users will receive on-site support during installation as well as ongoing support and expertise for their business telephone solutions.
2.) Dell Partners with Prentke to Develop Custom Tablet for Special Needs Users: Dell OEM Solutions has entered into a strategic partnership to provide its OEM technology, development and deployment expertise to Prentke Romich Company (PRC), a provider of assistive technology and augmentative communication (AAC) solutions for individuals with speech disabilities.
PRC turned to Dell to help bring its latest tablet-based, assistive technology to market while managing costs. Under the terms of the partnership, Dell OEM is using Latitude 10 tablets to power PRC’s Accent™ 1000 solution, and the two companies have plans for future projects together leveraging more Dell solutions and services to help improve outcomes and develop personalized solutions for those with special needs.
The Accent 1000 features Unity, a proprietary language system that gives individuals the ability to go beyond simple commands and pre-programmed phrases, enabling them to express unique thoughts and ideas. Recently, PRC sought a partner to help deliver its powerful language system using the most innovative technology available in the market and selected Dell after a comprehensive search of tier one OEM vendors.
3.) Zoho Launches Online Survey Tool for SMBs: Zoho last week launched Zoho Survey, its online survey tool for business. Zoho Survey lets users easily create, publish and report on the results of online surveys. Zoho Survey boasts an easy-to-use interface to quickly create online surveys with a broad range of customizable themes and easily share the surveys with users through pre-integrated campaign management tools and social integrations.
Zoho Survey is available immediately. The Free Edition includes unlimited surveys and up to 15 questions and 150 responses per survey. The Standard Edition is $19 per month with unlimited surveys, unlimited questions and up to 2,000 responses per month. The Professional Edition is $180 per year with unlimited surveys, unlimited questions and unlimited responses. The iPad Survey Builder for Zoho Survey is available now in the Apple App Store at http://ow.ly/mgtfO.
4.) Rep. Honda Intros Bill to End Cybersecurity Crime: Last week, Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.) introduced the Excellence in Cybersecurity Act. The legislation will establish five regional and industry-specific Centers of Excellence nationwide, bringing together stakeholders from academia, government, and the private and non-profit sectors to analyze threats and develop best practices.
The cybersecurity centers established in the legislation will be based in innovation hubs like Silicon Valley and accomplish four objectives: examining existing threats in a specific field; acting as a clearinghouse for information and education; promoting community-centric solutions; and developing yearly reports to the industry and security officials. This approach is supported by tech executives, government officials, and national security experts across a broad political spectrum.
5.) Tech Data Partners with LANDesk Software: Tech Data Corporation last week announced its partnership with LANDesk Software, which acquired Shavlik Technologies earlier this year, to offer Shavlik's products and services to its channel of more than 60,000 resellers. Shavlik, a recognized leader in agentless patch management capabilities, offers two primary product lines: Protect and SCUPDates. Both are immediately available for purchase through Tech Data's Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (AIS) division.
Shavlik Protect is a patch management product for both client and server devices that offers IT administrators agent or agentless flexibility. Shavlik SCUPDates is an add-on offering to Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) that seamlessly expands patching capabilities to include third-party applications.
