LAS VEGAS. - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
ISC WEST 2014
(BUSINESS WIRE) ImmerVision, the inventor of the 360° panomorph lens and worldwide expert in immersive optical and imaging technology, announced today the release of ImmerVision Enables 2.0, a new ground-breaking and patent-pending 360° standard that provides automatic 360° viewing compatibility between any ImmerVision Enables 2.0 certified video devices and software. To the user, ImmerVision Enables 2.0 offers seamless access to navigating any 360° panomorph video, regardless of media storage or file format.
This new 360° video standard goes beyond the original ImmerVision Enables standard or any 360° viewing capabilities on the market, requiring no software configuration. Once connected to the network, the certified software will automatically read the 360° parameters which are embedded in the video content when captured by an ImmerVision Enables 2.0 certified camera device. Then, users can locally or remotely view the 360° panomorph content through any certified device or software and intuitively navigate the 360°video without distortion, regardless of where it is stored or how it is published, through a close circuit or the cloud.
“ImmerVision Enables 2.0 extends device compatibility and 360° viewing beyond the scope of a single application or market,” says Pascale Nini, President and CEO at ImmerVision. “Whether the panomorph video derives from a security system, a mobile phone, a car or an online social media platform, users can view and navigate 360° content from any certified application without requiring additional configuration.”
The 2.0 standard provides an easy upgrade path to software and devices that have previously been certified ImmerVision Enables. Software and viewing application vendors simply replace their existing ImmerVision Enables library, while device vendors can use the ImmerVision Enables 2.0 SDK that is designed to facilitate onboard processing and camera-to-mobile-client viewing applications.
The new ImmerVision Enables 2.0 standard will be privately introduced to partners during ISC West 2014.
About ImmerVision
Leading innovation in 360° panoramic imaging, ImmerVision licenses its patented panomorph optical and software technology to global lens producers, product manufacturers and software developers. Panomorph lenses are the only ones that can be adapted to any camera, any sensor, and any consumer, commercial and government market. ImmerVision Enables is the recognized standard for 360° solutions and applications. www.immervisionenables.com
Contacts
ImmerVision
Martine Guay, +1 514 985-4007 ext. 3025
martine.guay@immervision.com
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10527/en
Thursday, April 3, 2014
CMMI Institute Extends Software Development Framework to Address Security
Security by Design with CMMI for Development V1.3 is available now
PITTSBURGH - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The CMMI Institute, the leading center for global best practices and organizational benchmarking, announced today it has extended the CMMI for Development framework to address security concerns in software and systems development. This increased emphasis on security will help developers to protect their work from attack.
Security attacks against major companies have become regular headlines. In many cases, hackers are taking advantage of weaknesses resulting from inattention to basic security measures. An August 2013 study of Ponemon Institute and Security Innovation found that most software development organizations do not consider security in the development process, leaving the end applications and products vulnerable. While this absence may appear to keep costs down, any savings realized by disregarding security during development is lost many times over when costly updates are required after product releases, or worse, when a breach occurs and requires significant effort to remedy.
Another Ponemon Institute 2013 research study, sponsored by Symantec, found global security breach costs ranging from $1.1 to $5.4 million per breach.
CMMI adoption results in cost savings by increasing speed to market and reducing costs connected to defects and rework. CMMI for Development is a framework of practices designed to improve quality and reliability in development processes, and many users have included security efforts in CMMI adoptions. Today’s news addresses security in a new way, with a set of practices explicitly designed to include security concerns in CMMI adoption and appraisals.
With the release of a technical report entitled, Security by Design with CMMI for Development V1.3: An Application Guide for Improving Processes for Secure Products, the CMMI framework is extended to include guidelines for including security requirements as quality criteria in the development process. Specific new process areas include Organizational Preparedness for Secure Development, Security Management in Projects, Security Requirements and Technical Solution, and Security Verification and Validation. By integrating security into systematic management of the development process, companies will reduce security risks and costs for themselves and their customers.
“We understand that security issues concern every level of the technology centered enterprise,” said Kirk Botula, CEO, CMMI Institute. “At the institute, we are actively seeking ways to help CMMI users tailor the frameworks to best meet their organization’s business goals. We are pleased to help organizations to develop operational resiliency against attacks by creating sustainable methods for developing secure products.”
Security by Design with CMMI for Development V1.3, along with a usage guide and a recording of a global webinar, is available for download at www.cmmiinstitute.com/securityextension
About CMMI Institute
The CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of Carnegie Mellon University, is dedicated to elevating organizational performance through best-in-class solutions to real-world challenges. The institute is the home of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) for Development, Services, and Acquisition; and the People Capability Maturity Model, which are process improvement models that create high-performance, high-maturity cultures. The models are used in thousands of organizations worldwide to deliver business results that serve as differentiators in the global market.
To learn more about how CMMI can help your organization elevate performance, visit cmmiinstitute.com and make plans to attend the CMMI Conference in May 2014.
Contacts
CMMI Institute
Katie Tarara, 412-282-4042
ktarara@cmmiinstitute.com
Lois Paul & Partners
Brandi Ellerbee, 512-638-5327
Brandi_Ellerbee@lpp.com
Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/10523/en
PITTSBURGH - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The CMMI Institute, the leading center for global best practices and organizational benchmarking, announced today it has extended the CMMI for Development framework to address security concerns in software and systems development. This increased emphasis on security will help developers to protect their work from attack.
Security attacks against major companies have become regular headlines. In many cases, hackers are taking advantage of weaknesses resulting from inattention to basic security measures. An August 2013 study of Ponemon Institute and Security Innovation found that most software development organizations do not consider security in the development process, leaving the end applications and products vulnerable. While this absence may appear to keep costs down, any savings realized by disregarding security during development is lost many times over when costly updates are required after product releases, or worse, when a breach occurs and requires significant effort to remedy.
Another Ponemon Institute 2013 research study, sponsored by Symantec, found global security breach costs ranging from $1.1 to $5.4 million per breach.
CMMI adoption results in cost savings by increasing speed to market and reducing costs connected to defects and rework. CMMI for Development is a framework of practices designed to improve quality and reliability in development processes, and many users have included security efforts in CMMI adoptions. Today’s news addresses security in a new way, with a set of practices explicitly designed to include security concerns in CMMI adoption and appraisals.
With the release of a technical report entitled, Security by Design with CMMI for Development V1.3: An Application Guide for Improving Processes for Secure Products, the CMMI framework is extended to include guidelines for including security requirements as quality criteria in the development process. Specific new process areas include Organizational Preparedness for Secure Development, Security Management in Projects, Security Requirements and Technical Solution, and Security Verification and Validation. By integrating security into systematic management of the development process, companies will reduce security risks and costs for themselves and their customers.
“We understand that security issues concern every level of the technology centered enterprise,” said Kirk Botula, CEO, CMMI Institute. “At the institute, we are actively seeking ways to help CMMI users tailor the frameworks to best meet their organization’s business goals. We are pleased to help organizations to develop operational resiliency against attacks by creating sustainable methods for developing secure products.”
Security by Design with CMMI for Development V1.3, along with a usage guide and a recording of a global webinar, is available for download at www.cmmiinstitute.com/securityextension
About CMMI Institute
The CMMI Institute, a subsidiary of Carnegie Mellon University, is dedicated to elevating organizational performance through best-in-class solutions to real-world challenges. The institute is the home of the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) for Development, Services, and Acquisition; and the People Capability Maturity Model, which are process improvement models that create high-performance, high-maturity cultures. The models are used in thousands of organizations worldwide to deliver business results that serve as differentiators in the global market.
To learn more about how CMMI can help your organization elevate performance, visit cmmiinstitute.com and make plans to attend the CMMI Conference in May 2014.
Contacts
CMMI Institute
Katie Tarara, 412-282-4042
ktarara@cmmiinstitute.com
Lois Paul & Partners
Brandi Ellerbee, 512-638-5327
Brandi_Ellerbee@lpp.com
Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/10523/en
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
The Rubicon Project, Inc. Prices Its Initial Public Offering
LOS ANGELES. - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE) The Rubicon Project, Inc. (NYSE: RUBI) today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 6,770,995 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $15.00 per share. Rubicon Project is offering 5,416,796 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders named in the prospectus are offering 1,354,199 shares of common stock. Rubicon Project will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. In addition, Rubicon Project has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,015,649 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The shares are expected to begin trading on April 2, 2014 on The New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RUBI.” The closing of the offering is expected to occur on April 7, 2014, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Needham & Company, LLC, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., and LUMA Securities LLC are acting as co-managers for the offering.
The offer is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus may be obtained from: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department; from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282; or from RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 3 World Financial Center, 200 Vesey Street, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10281-8098.
A registration statement relating to shares of the common stock of Rubicon Project was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2014. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor may there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About The Rubicon Project, Inc.
Founded in 2007, Rubicon Project is a technology company automating the buying and selling of advertising with ten offices including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, Sydney, London and Tokyo. Rubicon Project’s automated advertising platform is used by sellers of digital advertising to maximize revenue from advertising, decrease cost and protect their brands, while accessing a global market of buyers representing over 100,000 brands since inception of Rubicon Project.
Contacts
The Rubicon Project, Inc.
Media contact
Brynn Moynihan, 646-202-9753
Press@rubiconproject.com
Investor contact
Investor@rubiconproject.com
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10526/en
(BUSINESS WIRE) The Rubicon Project, Inc. (NYSE: RUBI) today announced the pricing of its initial public offering of 6,770,995 shares of common stock at a price to the public of $15.00 per share. Rubicon Project is offering 5,416,796 shares of common stock and the selling stockholders named in the prospectus are offering 1,354,199 shares of common stock. Rubicon Project will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholders. In addition, Rubicon Project has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,015,649 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The shares are expected to begin trading on April 2, 2014 on The New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RUBI.” The closing of the offering is expected to occur on April 7, 2014, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and RBC Capital Markets, LLC are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Needham & Company, LLC, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., and LUMA Securities LLC are acting as co-managers for the offering.
The offer is being made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the final prospectus may be obtained from: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department; from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282; or from RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 3 World Financial Center, 200 Vesey Street, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10281-8098.
A registration statement relating to shares of the common stock of Rubicon Project was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2014. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor may there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
About The Rubicon Project, Inc.
Founded in 2007, Rubicon Project is a technology company automating the buying and selling of advertising with ten offices including Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Hamburg, Sydney, London and Tokyo. Rubicon Project’s automated advertising platform is used by sellers of digital advertising to maximize revenue from advertising, decrease cost and protect their brands, while accessing a global market of buyers representing over 100,000 brands since inception of Rubicon Project.
Contacts
The Rubicon Project, Inc.
Media contact
Brynn Moynihan, 646-202-9753
Press@rubiconproject.com
Investor contact
Investor@rubiconproject.com
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10526/en
iQor Completes Acquisition of Jabil Aftermarket Services
Creates Leading Customer and Product Support Company
NEW YORK - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE) iQor, a global provider of business process outsourcing services, today announced it has completed the acquisition of the Aftermarket Services business of Jabil Circuit, Inc. (NYSE: JBL). The acquisition positions iQor as the first global company with the integrated capabilities to address the $40 billion market at the intersection of customer relationship management and product support solutions.
“We are excited to welcome the more than 13,000 Aftermarket Services employees to iQor,” said Hartmut Liebel, CEO of iQor, who previously served as CEO of Jabil Aftermarket Services for more than 10 years. “The transaction combines iQor’s leading customer support capabilities with Jabil Aftermarket Services’ experience as the premier product support organization to create a unique service offering that addresses needs across the customer value chain. Our broader global footprint and wider range of solutions will create a powerful value proposition for many of our clients."
Jabil Aftermarket Services will operate as a separate business unit of iQor and will be called iQor Aftermarket Services. iQor’s Customer Care and Receivables Management divisions, comprised of more than 19,000 employees, will continue to provide services to clients across a wide range of industries and verticals.
The combined company will have approximately $1.5 billion in revenue, more than 32,000 employees, and operations in 17 countries around the world supporting clients in over 60 countries. As part of a multiyear partnership agreement, iQor Aftermarket Services will become the exclusive aftermarket service provider for Jabil Circuit, Inc., which will retain a financial stake in the combined company.
The proliferation of technology devices around the world, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, DVRs, HDTVs, video game consoles, Internet-connected appliances, and smart meters is creating growing demand for customer care, technical support, repair services, and network maintenance. Over time, the business combination will help provide an integrated solution to today’s fragmented service experience.
“More and more, clients are examining each touch point where a customer interacts with their brand,” said Bryan Maguire, who joins iQor from Jabil and will serve as Chief Operating Officer of the company’s new Aftermarket Services division. “They understand consumers are judging companies by the quality of these experiences and the speed in which they can resolve issues. We believe that through our shared focus on service and logistics excellence we can develop new and innovative ways to better serve customers through integrated solutions.”
About iQor
iQor is a global provider of business process outsourcing and product support services with 32,000 employees in 17 countries. We partner with many of the world’s best-known brands to deliver aftermarket product and customer support solutions that span the consumer value chain, from customer care and receivables management to product diagnostics and repair services. Our award-winning technology, logistics and analytics platforms enable us to measure, monitor, and analyze brand interactions, improve business processes, and find operational efficiencies that lead to superior outcomes for our partners across the customer and product lifecycles. For more information, please visit us at www.iqor.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/iqor.
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10521/en
Regus Opens New Gateway into Africa with Launch of First Centre in Botswana
Flexible workplace provider expands footprint to 17 countries in Africa and 101 globally
GABORONE, Botswana- - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regus is creating new opportunities to do business in Sub-Saharan Africa with the opening of its first centre in Botswana. The launch, which represents Regus’ 101st country, will help companies of all sizes to explore a nation expected to achieve real GDP growth of around 5.5% in 2014.1
Botswana is a highly attractive market for businesses, offering “an impressive track record of good governance and economic growth”, according to the World Bank.2 In addition to having a thriving mining industry, the country also has steady agriculture, financial services and tourism sectors, with the government committed to expanding non-mining private business – opportunities that Regus’ presence in Botswana will help firms to explore.
Following its launch in Botswana, flexible workplace provider Regus now operates in 17 countries in Africa, offering exceptional openings for companies to expand into frontier markets. They can use Regus’ network to assess the market opportunities without the financial risk of long-term, fixed property arrangements.
Mark Dixon, Regus Plc. CEO, commented: “With this launch, Regus now operates 43 locations in Africa. That’s 43 different options for companies to generate new revenue and forge local partnerships in a region that is truly exciting.”
“Regus’ strategy is to further increase the support we offer to companies, by growing our presence in Africa and, moreover, globally. Our target is to open at least 300 centres by the end of 2014 which will assist all of our customers to become more successful.”
About the centre
The first Regus centre in Botswana is at Gaborone itowers in the capital’s new central business district. The business centre features offices, meeting spaces, walk-in business lounge, virtual offices, and high-speed wifi throughout.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
About Regus
Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges. Over 1.5 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities across 1,800 locations in 600 cities and 101 countries. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Henry.collinge@regus.com
1 African Development Bank Group, ‘Botswana’.
2 World Bank, Botswana Overview’.
Contacts
Regus
Henry Collinge
PR and Communications Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 7917067182
GABORONE, Botswana- - Wednesday, April 2nd 2014 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regus is creating new opportunities to do business in Sub-Saharan Africa with the opening of its first centre in Botswana. The launch, which represents Regus’ 101st country, will help companies of all sizes to explore a nation expected to achieve real GDP growth of around 5.5% in 2014.1
Botswana is a highly attractive market for businesses, offering “an impressive track record of good governance and economic growth”, according to the World Bank.2 In addition to having a thriving mining industry, the country also has steady agriculture, financial services and tourism sectors, with the government committed to expanding non-mining private business – opportunities that Regus’ presence in Botswana will help firms to explore.
Following its launch in Botswana, flexible workplace provider Regus now operates in 17 countries in Africa, offering exceptional openings for companies to expand into frontier markets. They can use Regus’ network to assess the market opportunities without the financial risk of long-term, fixed property arrangements.
Mark Dixon, Regus Plc. CEO, commented: “With this launch, Regus now operates 43 locations in Africa. That’s 43 different options for companies to generate new revenue and forge local partnerships in a region that is truly exciting.”
“Regus’ strategy is to further increase the support we offer to companies, by growing our presence in Africa and, moreover, globally. Our target is to open at least 300 centres by the end of 2014 which will assist all of our customers to become more successful.”
About the centre
The first Regus centre in Botswana is at Gaborone itowers in the capital’s new central business district. The business centre features offices, meeting spaces, walk-in business lounge, virtual offices, and high-speed wifi throughout.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
About Regus
Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges. Over 1.5 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities across 1,800 locations in 600 cities and 101 countries. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Henry.collinge@regus.com
1 African Development Bank Group, ‘Botswana’.
2 World Bank, Botswana Overview’.
Contacts
Regus
Henry Collinge
PR and Communications Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 7917067182
Leading Industry Groups Create the ‘Open Cloud Project’
Launch of Open Test and Iterative Standards Development Program for Vendors, Operators & OTT Services
LAS VEGAS - Tuesday, April 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]
Interop Las Vegas 2014
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Booth #522, Interop Las Vegas, USA
The CloudEthernet Forum (CEF) and MEF today announced the creation of the CEF ‘Open Cloud Project.’ The Open Cloud Project will focus on creating an open test and iterative standards development program for service providers, industry vendors and over-the-top (OTT) cloud service providers.
The Open Cloud Project includes a dedicated proof of concept test laboratory based in Silicon Valley, to provide ongoing testing and support for the iterative development of the CEF’s CloudE 1.0 open cloud environment. It will also provide the basis of future compliance and benchmark testing. Informed by the experience and learning of its close association with the MEF, and seeing the benefits that rapid, iterative development has brought to the cloud industry, the CEF is taking the pioneering step of integrating testing into the standards development process right from the start.
Initial work will be focused on three areas: application performance management, cloud security and traffic load balancing. The project’s open test program will lay the groundwork for a fully inter-working cloud environment, and the advancement of best practices to manage OTT and cloud services.
“This is vitally important work if we are to avoid fragmentation of the cloud,” explains James Walker, CEF President and Vice President of Managed Network Services at Tata Communications. “Cloud services rely on the end to end interoperability of so many players – enterprises, network and datacenter equipment vendors, datacenter operators, orchestration layers, management and reporting platforms, security devices, network service providers – the list goes on. The MEF has shown a successful model of defining service types and attributes which everyone can agree to and align with, which through this test bed we can adapt and bring to the cloud industry. Unless we can define industry best practices and global standards to establish an open cloud environment, cloud services run the risk of becoming more and more fragmented and difficult to integrate.”
The Open Cloud Project is an industry leading program of the CEF, a close affiliate of the MEF with a combined 240+ members, made up of leading equipment and cloud software vendors and the world’s largest telecommunications providers and cable operators.
“Network security and application performance management are two critical areas for future work,” said Nan Chen, president of the MEF. “The Open Project is intended to create an open test process for NFV, SDN and Carrier Ethernet applications. We also plan to work in conjunction with other relevant influential industry forums to maximize efficiencies and avoid any duplication of work.”
“The industry faces a real challenge: simultaneously integrating three relatively new concepts – NFV, SDN and Carrier Ethernet – to create an open cloud environment,” said Jeff Schmitz, CEF Chairman and Executive Vice President of Spirent Communications. “Here’s a chance to test and standardize your cloud services with an initial focus on application performance management, cloud security and traffic load balancing. If you want to be involved in the future of cloud, the CEF is your chance to put your ideas to the test.”
Analyst Rohit Mehra, Vice President, Network Infrastructure at IDC agreed with the need for an initiative such as the Open Cloud Project being spearheaded by the CEF, saying: “By 2017, IDC expects worldwide spending on public IT cloud services to exceed $100 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.5% for the period 2013-2017, five times that of the IT industry as a whole. Hence it is important we look at cloud interoperability as a key goal across the spectrum of vendors and cloud service providers that will participate in this growth.
The CEF has already started work on defining a reference architecture for cloud interoperability, including discussion with other standards bodies to make sure that work is aligned. The aim this year is to decide the initial, fundamental criteria for a set of standardized, open and interoperable cloud specifications called “CloudE 1.0”. The lab will play a key role in this development, ensuring faster establishment of workable and proven open standards.
For more information about the CloudEthernet Forum, please visit www.CloudEthernet.org
For more information about the MEF please visit www.MetroEthernetForum.org.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140331005846/en/
Contacts
PR Contacts:
EMEA & International:
Zonic Group PR
Kate Innes
kinnes@zonicgroup.com
+44 (0)1672 550123
Asia Pacific:
Zonic PR Asia
Shirley Yeh
syeh@zonicgroup.com
+86 21 321 00018
Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/10514/en
LAS VEGAS - Tuesday, April 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]
Interop Las Vegas 2014
(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Booth #522, Interop Las Vegas, USA
The CloudEthernet Forum (CEF) and MEF today announced the creation of the CEF ‘Open Cloud Project.’ The Open Cloud Project will focus on creating an open test and iterative standards development program for service providers, industry vendors and over-the-top (OTT) cloud service providers.
The Open Cloud Project includes a dedicated proof of concept test laboratory based in Silicon Valley, to provide ongoing testing and support for the iterative development of the CEF’s CloudE 1.0 open cloud environment. It will also provide the basis of future compliance and benchmark testing. Informed by the experience and learning of its close association with the MEF, and seeing the benefits that rapid, iterative development has brought to the cloud industry, the CEF is taking the pioneering step of integrating testing into the standards development process right from the start.
Initial work will be focused on three areas: application performance management, cloud security and traffic load balancing. The project’s open test program will lay the groundwork for a fully inter-working cloud environment, and the advancement of best practices to manage OTT and cloud services.
“This is vitally important work if we are to avoid fragmentation of the cloud,” explains James Walker, CEF President and Vice President of Managed Network Services at Tata Communications. “Cloud services rely on the end to end interoperability of so many players – enterprises, network and datacenter equipment vendors, datacenter operators, orchestration layers, management and reporting platforms, security devices, network service providers – the list goes on. The MEF has shown a successful model of defining service types and attributes which everyone can agree to and align with, which through this test bed we can adapt and bring to the cloud industry. Unless we can define industry best practices and global standards to establish an open cloud environment, cloud services run the risk of becoming more and more fragmented and difficult to integrate.”
The Open Cloud Project is an industry leading program of the CEF, a close affiliate of the MEF with a combined 240+ members, made up of leading equipment and cloud software vendors and the world’s largest telecommunications providers and cable operators.
“Network security and application performance management are two critical areas for future work,” said Nan Chen, president of the MEF. “The Open Project is intended to create an open test process for NFV, SDN and Carrier Ethernet applications. We also plan to work in conjunction with other relevant influential industry forums to maximize efficiencies and avoid any duplication of work.”
“The industry faces a real challenge: simultaneously integrating three relatively new concepts – NFV, SDN and Carrier Ethernet – to create an open cloud environment,” said Jeff Schmitz, CEF Chairman and Executive Vice President of Spirent Communications. “Here’s a chance to test and standardize your cloud services with an initial focus on application performance management, cloud security and traffic load balancing. If you want to be involved in the future of cloud, the CEF is your chance to put your ideas to the test.”
Analyst Rohit Mehra, Vice President, Network Infrastructure at IDC agreed with the need for an initiative such as the Open Cloud Project being spearheaded by the CEF, saying: “By 2017, IDC expects worldwide spending on public IT cloud services to exceed $100 billion, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.5% for the period 2013-2017, five times that of the IT industry as a whole. Hence it is important we look at cloud interoperability as a key goal across the spectrum of vendors and cloud service providers that will participate in this growth.
The CEF has already started work on defining a reference architecture for cloud interoperability, including discussion with other standards bodies to make sure that work is aligned. The aim this year is to decide the initial, fundamental criteria for a set of standardized, open and interoperable cloud specifications called “CloudE 1.0”. The lab will play a key role in this development, ensuring faster establishment of workable and proven open standards.
For more information about the CloudEthernet Forum, please visit www.CloudEthernet.org
For more information about the MEF please visit www.MetroEthernetForum.org.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140331005846/en/
Contacts
PR Contacts:
EMEA & International:
Zonic Group PR
Kate Innes
kinnes@zonicgroup.com
+44 (0)1672 550123
Asia Pacific:
Zonic PR Asia
Shirley Yeh
syeh@zonicgroup.com
+86 21 321 00018
Permalink: http://me-newswire.net/news/10514/en
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
TIAA-CREF Successfully Closes Real Estate Joint Venture with Henderson
TIAA Henderson Real Estate Launches Today
NEW YORK. - Tuesday, April 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]
Completes Acquisition of Henderson’s North American Property Business
(BUSINESS WIRE) TIAA-CREF, a leading financial services provider, today completed the successful launch of its previously announced real estate joint venture with Henderson Global Investors (“Henderson”), one of Europe’s largest investment managers.
The new real estate investment management company, TIAA Henderson Real Estate (“TH Real Estate”), will pursue core and value-add investment opportunities in all major sectors of global commercial real estate. It launches with a combined $22.6 billion of assets under management (AUM) across 50 funds and mandates, overseen by a network of offices in Asia, Europe and North America. Headquartered in London, the joint venture is 60 percent owned by TIAA-CREF and 40 percent owned by Henderson.
“TIAA-CREF continues to evolve and expand its asset management business, and today’s launch is a major step forward in our strategy to build a truly global investment organization,” said Rob Leary, president, TIAA-CREF Asset Management. “Expanding the scale and scope of our global real estate business, already one of the largest and most diverse real estate investing platforms in the world, strengthens the franchise and helps us continue to meet the needs of sophisticated institutional clients.”
TIAA-CREF will continue to operate its existing $48.2 billion global real estate platform, which invests in directly owned property, real estate securities and private commercial mortgages through an innovative platform built on over six decades of real estate investing experience. The combination of TIAA-CREF’s real estate platform and TH Real Estate represents one of the largest real estate investment management enterprises in the world with approximately $71 billion in AUM, as of Dec. 31, 2013.
“TH Real Estate will drive the growth of our real estate platform globally by expanding our footprint, service capabilities and access to new investment opportunities,” said Tom Garbutt, head of TIAA-CREF global real estate and chairman of the new venture. “We will harness local knowledge and deep experience in the global real estate markets to deliver distinctive real estate investment solutions to our clients.”
Concurrent with today’s launch, TIAA-CREF completed the acquisition of Henderson’s $2.6 billion North American property business. The business is being managed as a distinct, yet complementary operation within the existing TIAA-CREF real estate organization. It will continue to operate out of Hartford, Conn. and Chicago with its current team of investment and client service professionals. The platform offers commingled funds and separate accounts for institutional clients, and invests across the four primary real estate sectors in U.S. core and value-add strategies with a current market emphasis on the apartment, student housing and medical office sectors.
About TIAA-CREF
TIAA-CREF (www.tiaa-cref.org) is a national financial services organization with $564 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/13) and is the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields.
TIAA-CREF products may be subject to market and other risk factors. See the applicable product literature, or visit www.tiaa-cref.org for details.
Past performance does not guarantee future results.
TIAA-CREF products may be subject to market and other risk factors. See the applicable product literature for details.
Investment, insurance and annuity products are not FDIC insured, are not bank guaranteed, are not deposits, are not insured by any federal government agency, are not a condition to any banking service or activity, and may lose value.
TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., members FINRA, distribute securities products.
C16023
Contacts
Press
TIAA-CREF
John McCool, 888-200-4062
media@tiaa-cref.org
Stewart Lewack, 888-200-4062
media@tiaa-cref.org
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Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10516/en
NEW YORK. - Tuesday, April 1st 2014 [ME NewsWire]
Completes Acquisition of Henderson’s North American Property Business
(BUSINESS WIRE) TIAA-CREF, a leading financial services provider, today completed the successful launch of its previously announced real estate joint venture with Henderson Global Investors (“Henderson”), one of Europe’s largest investment managers.
The new real estate investment management company, TIAA Henderson Real Estate (“TH Real Estate”), will pursue core and value-add investment opportunities in all major sectors of global commercial real estate. It launches with a combined $22.6 billion of assets under management (AUM) across 50 funds and mandates, overseen by a network of offices in Asia, Europe and North America. Headquartered in London, the joint venture is 60 percent owned by TIAA-CREF and 40 percent owned by Henderson.
“TIAA-CREF continues to evolve and expand its asset management business, and today’s launch is a major step forward in our strategy to build a truly global investment organization,” said Rob Leary, president, TIAA-CREF Asset Management. “Expanding the scale and scope of our global real estate business, already one of the largest and most diverse real estate investing platforms in the world, strengthens the franchise and helps us continue to meet the needs of sophisticated institutional clients.”
TIAA-CREF will continue to operate its existing $48.2 billion global real estate platform, which invests in directly owned property, real estate securities and private commercial mortgages through an innovative platform built on over six decades of real estate investing experience. The combination of TIAA-CREF’s real estate platform and TH Real Estate represents one of the largest real estate investment management enterprises in the world with approximately $71 billion in AUM, as of Dec. 31, 2013.
“TH Real Estate will drive the growth of our real estate platform globally by expanding our footprint, service capabilities and access to new investment opportunities,” said Tom Garbutt, head of TIAA-CREF global real estate and chairman of the new venture. “We will harness local knowledge and deep experience in the global real estate markets to deliver distinctive real estate investment solutions to our clients.”
Concurrent with today’s launch, TIAA-CREF completed the acquisition of Henderson’s $2.6 billion North American property business. The business is being managed as a distinct, yet complementary operation within the existing TIAA-CREF real estate organization. It will continue to operate out of Hartford, Conn. and Chicago with its current team of investment and client service professionals. The platform offers commingled funds and separate accounts for institutional clients, and invests across the four primary real estate sectors in U.S. core and value-add strategies with a current market emphasis on the apartment, student housing and medical office sectors.
About TIAA-CREF
TIAA-CREF (www.tiaa-cref.org) is a national financial services organization with $564 billion in assets under management (as of 12/31/13) and is the leading provider of retirement services in the academic, research, medical and cultural fields.
TIAA-CREF products may be subject to market and other risk factors. See the applicable product literature, or visit www.tiaa-cref.org for details.
Past performance does not guarantee future results.
TIAA-CREF products may be subject to market and other risk factors. See the applicable product literature for details.
Investment, insurance and annuity products are not FDIC insured, are not bank guaranteed, are not deposits, are not insured by any federal government agency, are not a condition to any banking service or activity, and may lose value.
TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC and Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., members FINRA, distribute securities products.
C16023
Contacts
Press
TIAA-CREF
John McCool, 888-200-4062
media@tiaa-cref.org
Stewart Lewack, 888-200-4062
media@tiaa-cref.org
Friend us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Connect on LinkedIn
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/10516/en
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