DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, iQuate announced it has been selected as a finalist for the Microsoft Software Asset Management Innovation Partner of the Year Award.

“iQuate helps Microsoft customers unravel the complexity of their server environments. The challenges presented by the modern data center, with its hybrid fabric of physical, virtual and cloud based infrastructure, has prevented companies extending their SAM best practices to these sensitive, mission critical environments” commented Pat Durkin, iQuate CEO. “We are delighted to receive this recognition of our innovative approach that provides the data needed to drive successful SAM processes in complex, cross-platform environments. Customers finally have the control they need over valuable server-based software environments that are responsible for up to 80% of enterprise software budgets.”

Awards were presented in multiple categories, with winners chosen from a set of more than 3,000 entrants worldwide. The Software Asset Management (SAM) Innovation Partner of the Year Award honors a partner who consistently innovates and leverages SAM solutions and services, enabling customers to take advantage of new technologies such as virtualization and cloud computing. This award recognizes iQuate, whose successful innovative solutions, services, and marketing strategies are used to provide outstanding service and results with appropriate supporting customer evidence documentation. (more…)

Enterprise Ireland Bringing an Innovative Group of Software Vendors to Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Los Angeles, CA

Location: June 15, 2011 – Enterprise Ireland, the Trade & Technology agency of the Irish Government, is arriving in the U.S. as a Bronze Sponsor of Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference 2011. In Booth #328, they will be showcasing some of Ireland’s most innovative Microsoft vendor solutions. Thirteen companies will represent the best of Irish software development, offering solutions for a range of applications that include telecommunications, mobility, social media and/or networking, e-learning/ education, energy efficiency, financial services, information security, virtualization, and more.

These Irish companies will join the scene in Los Angeles this July 10-14 to share their business-ready solutions with the Microsoft reseller channel. Each ISV is committed to expanding their network of reselling partners and will be “meeting and greeting” in person at the conference. More information can be found on each of these companies on their websites:

• iQuate- Software License Discovery
• Cloudium Systems- Server Based Desktop Virtualization
• iSite web technologies- CRM Sales and Marketing solutions
• Trade Facilitate- Ease Customs Documentation
• Global Business Register- Global Business Register
• Headway Software- Software Analysis and Architecture
• DEI International Sales System- Professional Training and coaching
• Spanish Point Technologies- Business Process Management
• CareWorks Software- Social Care Management Software
• Celtrino- Supply Chain Document (Automation)
• Flextime- Time Management and Recording
• Inishtech- Software Licensing Tools
• MXSweep- Internet Security & Compliance Services

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By Shawn Lesser
Thursday, January 20th, 2011

Ireland has a worldwide reputation as a successful location for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Almost 1,000 multinational corporations, in sectors including Life Sciences, ICT, Engineering and Financial Services, have chosen Ireland as their strategic European location.

Ireland is now also emerging as a significant location for investors in the Cleantech industry, largely due to natural resources advantages backed by a talented and skilled workforce, a thriving research and development environment, and pro-Cleantech government policies.

Ireland is committed to becoming a world leader in several Cleantech niche sectors within five years from today. Due to its strategic location between Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland has an abundance of natural renewable resources. Coupled with grid access to the UK and Europe, this puts Ireland in the ideal situation to become a leader in the Cleantech industry.

The Irish Government is firmly committed to developing the Clean Technology industry and positioning Ireland to become a world leader in this rapidly-growing sector. Clear policy targets have been set: 40% of all electricity generated from renewable sources by 2020, a 20% saving on current energy costs by 2020 and a penetration rate of 10% for electric vehicles by 2020.

Here are the top ten highlights of the Cleantech sector as it exists in Ireland today:

1. In March 2010 Ireland saw the establishment of IBM’s first Smarter Cities Technology Centre in Dublin where IBM will build a highly skilled and cross-disciplinary team to help cities around the world better understand, interconnect and manage their core operational systems such as transport, communication, water and energy. Dublin City will collaborate with IBM as a ‘Test bed’, positioning Dublin as a smarter city, embracing technology to stimulate economic activity and meeting the challenges of a globally competitive sustainable city for the future.

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These are my (David Smith’s) notes for the event – http://www.yankeegroup.com/misc/californiaSeminarRSVP.html

Yankee Group President and CEO Emily Nagle Green and Research Director Joshua Holbrook will present their strategies for success in powering the ubiquitous global network. You’ll receive a complimentary signed copy of Yankee Group’s new book ANYWHERE as well as the opportunity to share your own business insights, discuss industry challenges with the experts and network with other executives from leading organizations.

Date: Thursday, April 22, 2010

Location: Doubletree Hotel San Jose, located just off the Airport Parkway

9:00-9:45 a.m. “Satisfying Anywhere Appetites” with Emily Nagle Green

9:45-10:30 a.m. “Profiting from the Mobile Work Force of Tomorrow” with Joshua Holbrook

Satisfying Anywhere Appetites

Emily Nagle Green, President and CEO, Yankee Group

Great speaker, really engaging

What’s anywhere?

Ubiquitous connectivity for people and things we care about– not here yet

“Anywhere Network” = Seamless, intelligent, Ubiquitous and abundant

Rich connectivity – far from a dumb pipe

Will be the largest technology revolution of our lifetimes – see $ 1 trillion in equipment and services and $ trillions of this in added value

How will Anywhere unfold?

Availability of broadband is the key determinate of Anywhere transformation

Yankee defines broadband as a min of 2.5G (very low for developed nations, very high for emerging markets)

The Anywhere Tipping Point occurs when a region reaches one broadband line per person = Sweden, Japan, South Korea and Australia are here now and USA and most of the EU will be there soon

-         Developed economies – unchained workers (unchain them for locations)

-         Developing economies – access to health care and banking, drive economic growth, drive literacy

Rise of anywhere consumer

New breed of consumer – will expect this connectivity and experiences everywhere

Even with the recession, connectivity expenses have risen slightly in the USA since 2008

Many USA consumers do not know what devices they own are connected or connectible but most consumers want connected devices

Cell phones – the most plentiful electronics device ever, 3 billion now

Will be 50 billion connected devices and their pathways by 2014

Explosion in exponential = more people X more things X more activities

This connectivity will expose latent demand from user

What does it mean for networks

Network reach

–        spectrum is key

–        as is pricing – In India as prices fell below 1 Rupee, the subscriber base grew exponentially

Network capacity

-         based on the investment in the infrastructure

Affordability and intelligence

Carriers’ Global capex – big growth in EU this year, reasonable growth in USA

Profiting from the Mobile Work Force of Tomorrow
Joshua Holbrook

The world is changing

-         China is the No 1 English speaking country in the world

-         India has more honor students than the USA has students

-         Today’s USA students will have a 10-14 jobs by the time they are 38

-         1 in 4 employees prefer to communicate by email, by 2020 it will be 3 in 4

Offering telecommunicating is increasing used as tool to:

-         retain employees

-         cuts costs (especially office costs)

-         green issues (commuting, etc)

Mobile enterprise issues

-         security breaches – loss of data or IP, spread malware

-         managing IT costs – secure access to internal networks

-         Managing heterogeneous equipment

-         Employees may start using own equipment or consumer technology (increased security risk) for work = very common

-         Segments of workers need different solutions (intra-office, field workers, telecommuters, long-distance travelers) – can you define these well?

-         Remote workers feel more isolated from coworkers and managers = increase churn and are 20% less productive than engaged employees

-         In Asia – houses/apartments are small and don’t have a separate “office” room, unreliable power and telecoms infrastructure

How to keep distributed workers productive

-         technical connectivity

o        UC, wiki, blog, social networking, IM

-         social connectivity

o        technology – using IM is key to keep people engaged

o        feel engaged, not isolated

o        Offer remote working centres or use co-working centres, employee cohorts/clubs

-         professional connectivity

o        promotion opportunities

o        recognition

o        enterprise social networks

Distributed working is a corporate and a social movement

Title: Telcoms Council Annual Handset Innovation Review
Location: HP 3000 Hanover St., Building 20, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
Description: Our Annual Handset Innovation Review is a ½ day meeting to showcase the handset development lifecycle, what innovations are coming to handsets, and how new innovation gets inserted into handsets. Like our other Mobile Forum meetings, this gathers 100 decision-level participants for a private and interactive agenda that includes plenty of time for senior-level discussions. We expect to address:

What innovations can we expect from the current generation of phones and the next.

How new technology and ideas get inserted into the handset lifecycle.

How can entrepreneurs influence future handsets.

Touch, haptics, faster processors, rounded-square icons, screen size, buttons, keyboards. What are the physical elements of success?

What do handset Corporate VC and R&D groups want from Silicon Valley?

We have space on the agenda for 8 entrepreneurs/startups who would like to demo a product or technology. Please submit an application here: http://www.telecomcouncil.com/speakers.php
Start Time: 8:30
Date: 2009-10-22
End Time: 14:30

New company, based in Dublin, will relaunch Microsoft Software Licensing and Protection Services as its primary offering.
REDMOND, Wash., and DUBLIN, Ireland - June 9, 2009 – A new startup company based in Dublin, InishTech, is entering the market today to relaunch Microsoft Software Licensing and Protection (SLP) Services. The new company, founded through collaboration between Microsoft IP Ventures and Enterprise Ireland, takes on responsibility for SLP Services’ existing customer base and will continue to provide, expand and grow the service to independent software vendors (ISVs) and developers around the world.

InishTech has assumed full responsibility for the existing customer base, acquired all rights to SLP Services, and licensed related intellectual property (IP) from Microsoft Corp. Microsoft will have an ongoing minority interest in the company and will continue to offer product service and support to customers for an initial period to ensure a smooth transition.

The Windows eHome Division is among the base of more than 120 customers that InishTech will take on board and InishTech will continue to work with  other product groups, business teams and divisions within Microsoft to expand the use of the SLP Services solution. InishTech is also participating in the Microsoft BizSpark program and will be actively marketing SLP Services in association with Microsoft.

“New development environments provide major benefits in terms of speed and cost to ISVs but can also create security challenges,” said Eddie Amos, general manager, Platform and Tools at Microsoft. “SLP Services, and now InishTech, fills a security need by offering superior code protection as well as flexible licensing management services.”

SLP Services - an easy-to-use family of technology services - enables ISVs and developers to implement strong code protection and flexible licensing models aimed at increasing sales, improving development efficiency and providing assurance to customers that their IP is more secure. In addition to security and protection services, InishTech will offer greater flexibility to software publishers relating to licensing models in order to meet increasingly diverse customer demands.

InishTech was created through collaboration among the Microsoft IP Ventures program, Enterprise Ireland and experienced entrepreneurs Aidan Gallagher, John O’Sullivan and David Smyth.

“We are committed to offering our customers the most flexible licensing and IP security solutions possible,” said Gallagher, CEO and co-founder of InishTech. “Software publishers have invested thousands of hours into their products, and InishTech will help provide code protection and flexible licensing without adversely impacting their product development life cycle or compromising the functionality of their applications. We believe SLP Services is the quickest to deploy, easiest to use and most feature-rich solution in the market today.”

The services offered by InishTech will allow software publishers and ISVs to license products in flexible ways that support and enable new business models, and to protect their software investment through code transformation, license compliance and product activation. More information on InishTech can be found at http://www.inishtech.com.

Enterprise Ireland, the enterprise development agency of the Irish government, was responsible for introducing Gallagher, O’Sullivan and Smyth to the Microsoft IP Ventures team. In June 2008, Enterprise Ireland was instrumental in the formation of Zignals, an Irish startup - also launched through the Microsoft IP Ventures program - that provides online investing tools to traders.

Frank Ryan, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, welcomed the announcement, saying: “The establishment of InishTech as an Irish startup company represents a significant milestone in the relationship between Enterprise Ireland and Microsoft. InishTech is a prime example of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy to enable Irish companies and entrepreneurs to acquire technologies from global corporations in action. This is one of a number of agreements concluded between Irish enterprises and Microsoft with the support of Enterprise Ireland.”

“The launch of InishTech is a tangible example of how IP licensing and collaboration can significantly benefit the entrepreneurial and small-business communities all around the world as well as the overall IT ecosystem,” said Sharieff Mansour, director of Microsoft IP Ventures, noting that this is the first time the Microsoft IP Ventures program has spun out an existing Microsoft business. “We’ve been very impressed with the vision and collective IT experience at InishTech and have complete confidence that our customers will thrive under its leadership.”

Microsoft Program Combines Innovation With Unique Approach to IP Licensing
InishTech is the most recent company to be launched under the dynamic Microsoft IP Ventures program, which started in May 2005 to expedite the commercialization of new innovations developed through the company’s significant research and development investment. Microsoft IP Ventures is a global program demonstrating the potential of intellectual property to create opportunity for both startup and existing firms by combining world-class computer science technology with entrepreneurial spirit. More information about the Microsoft IP Ventures program is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/Presspass/presskits/ipventures/default.mspx

About InishTech
Founded in 2009, InishTech provides Software Developers and Product Managers globally with code protection and license management solutions that protect their most valuable asset and enable their customers to deploy and use their products in the most flexible manner possible. InishTech’s Software Licensing and Protection (SLP) Services provides ISVs with a choice of either a managed or in-house service that is both easy to deploy and simple to incorporate in applications and products. For further information, please visit http://www.inishtech.com.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

For more information, press only:
Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, (503) 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com
Monika Wencel, Operations Manager InishTech, mwencel@inishtech.com

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

Successful US Market Entry Strategies in Today’s Economy
What every foreign company should know about doing business in Silicon Valley

June 24, 2009, 6-8pm
San José City Hall, Wing Building
First Floor, Committee Meeting Rooms 118/119
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113

Join us for a moderated panel discussion with executives from established foreign technology companies that have made Silicon Valley their gateway to the US Market. You’ll hear about their success stories and how they’ve overcome challenges faced by many foreign companies when entering the United States.

Attendees will learn strategies for understanding your competitive edge, building partnerships, managing intercultural challenges and also the latest news on immigration policies.

Moderator: Chuck Erickson, CEO, US Market Access Center
Panelists: Michiru Lackey, Project Coordinator, JETRO (Japan)
Joni Girardi, Sales Director, DataSelf Corp., (Brazil)
Matthew Hately, General Manager, California, Macadamian (Canada)
Jang H. Im, Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. (Immigration Attorney)

Who should attend: Tech entrepreneurs and executives from foreign countries that have recently arrived to the Bay Area.
Trade commissioners and business development representatives from international agencies in the Bay Area.

Format: 6pm-7pm: Registration and networking
7pm-8pm: Panel discussion

Cost: $30.00 Register

Key issues addressed:

Seizing Silicon Valley. How to determine your market potential prior to entering the US, and how to identify challenges and opportunities in the current economy.

Preparation. How do you determine your value proposition in the US compared to your home country?

Learn how to develop an ideal strategy that fits with your timeline and budget. What immigration implications exist?

Soft Landing in the US. Once you are active in the US, what types of business development strategies will work for you?

Exit Strategy. What is your end goal and how do you position your business accordingly? (e.g. – licensing technology, acquisition, funding, expanding customer base.

Event sponsor: Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.

A new book on Microsoft’s trail-blazing IP Ventures Program profiles Enterprise Ireland and Ireland-based software pioneers, Zignals, Vimio and Softedge as major players and catalysts of “…one of the most unusual and productive government-industry collaborations in the history of entrepreneurialism…” (p84)

Burning the Ships: Intellectual Property and the Transformation of Microsoft, was written by Marshall Phelps, Corporate VP, Intellectual Property Policy and Strategy at Microsoft, and David Kline, journalist, author and IP consultant.  The book is published by Wiley.

Innovative Asset Recovery Solution Takes Ruban d’Honneur Prize

Tralee, Ireland, April 28, 2009 – FreeFlow, the award-wining provider of inventory asset management technology and services, announced this week that it has been awarded the overall winner of the 2009 Ruban d’Honneur European Business Awards in the category of the Information and Communication Technology Effectiveness Award, a category sponsored by information technology giant Infosys.

At a ceremony held in Rome, winners in the ten European Business Awards categories were announced from a shortlist of ninety-nine companies from Ireland to Poland and from Estonia to Italy.  Recognizing excellence and innovation in European enterprise, the award competition this year singled out companies that have defied the economic downturn and responded with a blend of inventiveness and industry.

The judges selected FreeFlow as the winner of the ICT Effectiveness category because of its success in helping enterprises generate new revenue streams from excess inventory. Because companies have traditionally focused on the forward supply chain, they seldom have the resources to run an excess inventory remarketing program as a profitable business. Whether they are an OEM selling obsolete inventory still in factory packaging, or are a manufacturer with returns or component inventory, FreeFlow offers a deployment solution to address each category.

FreeFlow provides pre-auction services such as FreeFlow Market Intelligence to maximize recovery with targeted pricing, fully-hosted online B2B auction technology, and post-auction financial settlement, all on a pay-as-you-go basis. This end-to-end solution has transformed the way enterprises view and manage inventory.

B.G. Srinivas, Senior Vice President and Member of Executive Council at Infosys, a global leader in the next generation of IT and consulting services, remarked: “The quality of entries this year despite the economic backdrop, has demonstrated a business environment in Europe that fosters talent management, gritty commercialisation and agility, that have enabled organisations to execute existing projects and in some cases completely re-engineer their business models for success.  In our opinion, FreeFlow is a prime example of this.”

“FreeFlow has been adopted by more and more Fortune 1,000 companies who want to empower their sales and supply chain organizations to deal more profitably with excess and at-risk inventory,” noted Alan Scroope, FreeFlow’s CEO. “Such a prestigious award as the Ruban d’Honneur highlights our success in helping those companies utilize innovative software and business services to shift the paradigm of asset remarketing from a cost center to a revenue program.”

Despite the stringent economic climate, those companies shortlisted for the awards averaged an impressive 56% growth in profits. The judging panel, made up of highly regarded academics, heads of state, industrialists, entrepreneurs and media commentators drawn from across the 27 member European States, was impressed by the ability of all entrants to buck the downturn in the global economy and to post a combined turnover in excess of EUR570 billion.

FreeFlow has proven to be a top Sales and Supply Chain partner by addressing its customers’ needs to disposition slow-moving, aging or end-of-life finished goods and components, wherever those products are located. The company’s branded and anonymous auctions provide a private forum where only approved buyers view and bid on a company’s inventory. Auction and ‘member privilege’ dynamics are deployed to improve bidding performance, returning higher recovery rate on all goods. FreeFlow’s inventory asset management solution is utilized in the high-tech, automotive, consumer package goods, telecomm, and apparel industries. With its auction platforms, detailed market analysis and related business services, FreeFlow provides a low-cost, high recovery alternate channel for excess and at-risk inventory in all stages of the product lifecycle.

About The European Business Awards

The European Business Awards recognizes and rewards excellence, best practice and innovation in companies across the European Union. Extensive research and high standards of judging have established the European Business Awards as the showcase of Europe’s skills, achievements and innovations in the field of business. The competition is free to enter and open to organizations of all sizes and from any industry sector.

The European Business Awards program serves three purposes for the European business community:

• It provides examples for the business community to aspire to
• t celebrates and endorses individual’s and organization’s success
• It provides case studies and content for learning from these exceptional organizations

About FreeFlow

Founded in 2001, FreeFlow improves its customers’ product profitability by helping them identify excess and at-risk inventory and dispositioning the inventory through the channel mechanism most appropriate to that asset. Some of FreeFlow’s industry leading customers include Apple, Creative Labs and SanDisk. FreeFlow’s leadership in the supply chain arena has been recognized with a string of industry awards, including Gartner’s Cool Vendors in Supply Chain Management and Procurement, Global Logistics and Supply Chain Strategies magazine’s Top Supply Chain Partners, and Manufacturing Business Technology magazine’s Top 40 Emerging Software Vendors. Privately-held, FreeFlow has headquarters in San Jose, California and Tralee, Ireland, with offices throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.FreeFlow.com.

Press Contact:
Anne Patterson
FreeFlow
860.705.0285
Anne_Patterson@FreeFlow.com