Classic Website nets major support from LG

Microsoft introduces solution for service providers to deliver messaging and collaboration services to consumers, professionals and small businesses

Solution for high volume exchange offers first integrated platform for delivering profitable and compelling internet messaging.

February 7, 2003, Redmond, Wash: Microsoft Corp. today announced the public availability of the Solution for High Volume Exchange, a comprehensively tested solution optimized to enable service providers to deliver to consumers, professionals and small businesses superior and profitable Internet messaging services that complement their current offerings. Utilizing key Microsoft® technologies, the Solution for High Volume Exchange provides the first integrated technical platform that enables service providers to offer basic e-mail services -- from POP3, IMAP and Web mail to integrated messaging and collaboration tools such as calendaring and scheduling -- using the Outlook® Web Access client. Reducing operational costs while enabling the delivery of a richer suite of services to a broader range of customers, the solution drives new and sustainable revenues for broadband Internet access service providers in an intensely competitive marketplace.

Built on the leading collaboration platform, Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server, the Solution for High Volume Exchange provides efficiency and revenue-generation opportunities to service providers. On a single platform, service providers can offer a variety of compelling services such as e-mail, calendaring, contacts, storage and hosting of vanity domain names (second-level domains) for a broader array of customer segments. With the Solution for High Volume Exchange, service providers can drive new revenues and improve customer retention by combining expanded and competitively priced services with their current offerings such as ADSL, broadband access and Web hosting to consumers, professionals and small businesses.

Apptix, a leader in delivering private-label hosted solutions to network service providers worldwide, estimates that by utilizing the Solution for High Volume Exchange its customers can save 75 percent or more in upfront capital expenditures to deploy and deliver expanded Internet messaging services to their customers. "The flexibility of the solution enables our customers to add on services as needed, presenting upsell opportunities as consumers, professionals and small businesses demand greater features and functionality," said Alex Hawkinson, CEO of Apptix.

In addition to providing a single collaboration platform for premier upsell opportunities, the Solution for High Volume Exchange delivers the tools and technologies that service providers need to reduce operational costs and more effectively manage their business and service their customers. Integrating Microsoft Operations Manager (MOM) and the Microsoft Provisioning System (MPS), the solution enables service providers to reach new levels of automation and customer self-service, reduce provisioning errors, and improve service reliability, while improving customer satisfaction, increasing customer loyalty and decreasing "churn." MOM and MPS also collect and measure critical service data, track performance against service levels, and report on subscriber statistics to help service providers efficiently manage services usage, delivery, billing and provisioning.

"Our service provider customers need and want a platform that reduces operational costs and has the capacity to scale their business and drive new revenues," said Ron Eller, vice president, Solutions, HP Industry Standard Servers. "Partnering closely with Microsoft in a rigorous testing environment, we've scaled the solution to ensure that service providers can deliver the best services to their customers at the lowest possible cost. Utilizing the power of our HP ProLiant Servers, we were able to scale more than 3 million mailboxes in a single domain based on the Solution for High Volume Exchange."

The solution, a highly scalable, commercial-grade collection of technologies, tools and support combined with a documented reference architecture, enables service providers to achieve optimal performance when offering Internet messaging. Because of its integrated XML-based infrastructure, the solution also lays a foundation for future value-added services and revenues.
"As we are committed to providing the best technologies and support to our service provider partners and enabling access to affordable and exciting services for end users, we are proud to announce the availability of the Solution for High Volume Exchange," said Pascal Martin, general manager of platform and application hosting at Microsoft. "With this solution, service providers can offer consumers, professionals and small businesses advanced messaging and collaboration capabilities using Exchange and Outlook Web Access, with exceptional efficiency and profitability."

Computer Associates extends Brightstor storage management solutions line with acquisition of Netreon Computer Associates International, Inc.

(CA) today announced the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Netreon, Inc., a privately held developer of storage area network (SAN) software. No purchase price was disclosed in the all-cash transaction.

February 5, 2003, Islandia, NY. : The acquisition represents the next step in delivering CA's vision of Managing Storage Without Boundaries. With the addition of Netreon's SANexec Designer, CA now offers solutions for managing the entire storage life cycle - enabling customers to optimize returns on corporate storage technology investments.

SANexec Designer will be integrated into CA's BrightStor family of storage management solutions and will be branded as BrightStor SAN Designer. "At a time when storage needs are escalating and IT staffing is not, BrightStor SAN Designer offers a great solution for simplifying the deployment and ongoing management of storage networks," said Frank Yang, senior vice president and general manager of CA's BrightStor brand unit. "Netreon's technology is a timely and valuable addition to CA's BrightStor product line."

SANs have become increasingly popular for companies seeking to consolidate data storage in order to reduce costs, optimize efficiency, and ensure full protection of critical corporate information assets. The Netreon technology significantly reduces the time required to plan, deploy, change and document new and existing SANs. KERALAMONITOR.COM

Classic Website nets major support from LG

Mohammed Buamim welcomes PC Choi, President, LG Electronics Gulf FZE, to the 2003 Dubai Desert Classic

Consumer electronics giant LG has joined the growing family of supporters of the 2003 Dubai Desert Classic by becoming the official sponsor of the £1.2 million tournament's official website.

Like the tournament itself, the web site - www.dubaidesertclassic.com - has proved to be an international success with golf fans from all over the world. Last year, more than 700,000 hits were made on the site during the week of the tournament alone. And with world superstars Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Colin Montgomerie in the 150-player line-up at the Emirates Golf Club from March 6-9, interest in the action and news from Dubai is likely to reach an all-time high.

PC Choi, President, LG Electronics Gulf FZE, said the company was excited at the prospect of working hand-in-hand with the 14th Dubai Desert Classic, sponsored by Dubai Aluminium (DUBAL).

"Associating with such a global and high profile event will raise the awareness of the LG brand in key strategic markets in the Gulf especially in UAE," he said after confirming the deal with Mohammed Buamim, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Desert Classic Executive Committee.

"Golf is a very popular sport among many sections of the UAE population and this tie-up will further strengthen LG as a premium brand. In addition, the international coverage of the event will raise the profile and awareness of the brand in other markets as well." Like the Dubai Desert Classic, LG Electronics Gulf FZE has also seen great success in the Internet business with the company ushering in its online marketing era with the launch in December 2002 of its home page www.lgegulf.com.

"Maintaining the high standards of the Dubai Desert Classic requires a great deal of support from the business community so we are delighted to welcome onboard LG Electronics as the event's first web site sponsor," said Buamim.

On-line followers of the action from the Dubai Desert Classic can access all the news and pictures from the event, find out more on the history of the tournament, previous winners, player list, tee times, latest scoring, prize-money breakdown and details of the Emirates Golf Club's famous Majlis Course

Coincidentally, Emirates Golf Club also has the LG 40-inch, 42-inch and 60-inch plasma screens installed at various locations. "Desert Classic spectators can really enjoy the action on our plasma screens in the plush surroundings of the Emirates Golf Club," said PC Choi.

In addition to DUBAL, other sponsors include official carrier & Hole-In-One sponsor Emirates Airline; official caterer, hotel and challenge match sponsor Jebel Ali Golf Resort and Spa; co-sponsors and Pro Am sponsors Arabian Ranches by Emaar; co-sponsors The Palm; official courtesy car BMW, and official newspaper Gulf News. -KERALAMONITOR.COM