Information Technology News

Microsoft Corp. announced that it has completed settlement of its tender offer for Fast Search & Transfer. Microsoft's plans to acquire FAST were originally announced on January 8th. FAST will operate as a Microsoft subsidiary, with a dedicated enterprise search research and development center in Oslo, Norway, and offices throughout the world. John Markus Lervik will transition from his role as FAST CEO to become Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Enterprise Search, reporting to Jeff Teper. Under Lervik's leadership, the group's charter will include the development of a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise search offerings - including Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express, search for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and FAST ESP - and future delivery of a single enterprise search platform. Existing FAST customers will continue to be served by their FAST sales, services and support teams, while the combined product lineup extends customer choice. http://www.microsoft.com/

Posted by NewsShark at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: acquisition, FAST, Microsoft, search
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Ascentium Corporation announced the release of two search tools: Search Center Branding Removal and ASP.NET Search Controls, respectively. The tools are part of a larger Search Community Toolkit on CodePlex, the Microsoft open source project hosting web site. An official Microsoft Search Server 2008 partner, Ascentium worked with the Microsoft product team to develop tools that enable the global search community to build search solutions. Posting the new tools on CodePlex makes them available to a global community of experts and those seeking to learn more about how to leverage the Microsoft enterprise search platform. ASP.NET Search Controls will facilitate quick search enablement capabilities for any .NET application that interfaces with Search Server 2008 and/or Office SharePoint Server 2007. The Ascentium-sponsored search tools and other components of the Search Community Toolkit are intended to help teams save time creating search interfaces and to increase the quality of search experiences and results. http://www.ascentium.com, http://www.codeplex.com/sct

Posted by NewsShark at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: Ascentium, enterprise, search, SharePoint
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ADAM Software announced full breadth XPS-functionality. XPS stands for XML Paper Specification. ADAM’s provider model allows third party developers to co-engineer on emerging opportunities. As for XPS, ADAM software joined forces with the Belgian company NiXPS to build an XPS-engine for ADAM. The 'NiXPS Library v2.0' widens the scope in which ADAM can handle data. Thumbnails of XPS files are shown in ADAM, the previewing of XPS files starts here. Metadata can be read by ADAM when importing. ADAM handles a conversion of XPS files to Adobe PDF. http://www.adam.be, http://www.nixps.com

Posted by NewsShark at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: ADAM Software, NiXPS, PDF, publishing, XPS
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Mediasurface (UK, AIM: MSR) announced a new extension to its Morello web content management solution that adds benefits to allowing enterprise users to work together on content creation using MOSS 2007. The new Morello MOSS 2007 Connector makes it easier and quicker to find, organise and publish MOSS generated content through an enterprise web delivery infrastructure on one or more websites, intranets and extranets. Mediasurface addresses this with the new Morello MOSS Connector which integrates MOSS tools with Mediasurface's Morello enterprise web content management solution. Automated processes keep information synchronized, ensuring that websites always display the very latest, approved version of a document whilst SharePoint users will always have direct access to information captured on the websites. In addition, the Morello MOSS 2007 Connector plugs into the generally available standard collaboration and communication services of SharePoint (called WSS), so there is no technical setup required. Users can collaborate, create and review documents, images and pages using familiar tools such as MS Word and Outlook. The connection to Morello helps ensure users know which MOSS generated content is approved for use, avoiding duplication and speeding up the publishing cycle. http://www.mediasurface.com

Posted by NewsShark at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: mediasurface, SharePoint
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Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq “MSFT”) announced that it will make an offer to acquire Fast Search & Transfer ASA (OSE: “FAST”) through a cash tender offer for 19.00 Norwegian kroner (NOK) per share. This offer represents a 42 percent premium to the closing share price on Jan. 4, 2008 (the last trading day prior to this announcement), and values the fully diluted equity of FAST at 6.6 billion NOK (or approximately $1.2 billion U.S.). FAST's board of directors has unanimously recommended that its shareholders accept the offer. In addition, shareholders representing in aggregate 37 percent of the outstanding shares, including FAST's two largest institutional shareholders, Orkla ASA and Hermes Focus Asset Management Europe, have irrevocably undertaken to accept the offer. The transaction is expected to be completed in the second quarter of calendar year 2008. In addition to bolstering Microsoft's enterprise search efforts, this acquisition increases Microsoft's research and development presence in Europe, complementing existing research teams in Cambridge, England, and Copenhagen, Denmark, with new capabilities in Norway. http://microsoft.com, http://www.fast.no/

Posted by NewsShark at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: acquisition, enterprise, FAST, Microsoft, search, SharePoint
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Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSK) (NASDAQ:CMCSA) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) have launched a new Internet-based communications product for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), giving SMBs access to services that have traditionally only been available to larger companies with IT staffs. Comcast's SMB customers will receive Microsoft Communication Services from Comcast, which will provide them with corporate-class e-mail, calendaring and document sharing. This product is Internet-based, so SMBs do not need additional server capacity and is backed by 24x7 Business Class customer support from Comcast, which will serve as an SMB's "help desk." Comcast makes this product available at no additional cost with its broadband services. Microsoft Communication Services enables SMB teams to share documents and access calendars, track tasks, and use e-mail through corporate-class productivity and collaboration solutions based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. It also improves communication by letting SMBs extend access to these collaboration tools, such as document sharing, to business partners or suppliers. Microsoft Communication Services is the first major product to be launched in conjunction with Comcast's introduction of high-speed Internet, phone and video services for small businesses across the country. http://www.comcast.com/

Posted by NewsShark at 11:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: collaboration, Comcast, document management, ISP, Microsoft, SharePoint
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Microsoft Corp. unveiled Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express, a new addition to its enterprise search lineup. Search Server 2008 Express. A release candidate of Search Server 2008 Express is available today for download and evaluation. Microsoft has taken the enterprise class search capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and made them available as a stand-alone server for free. Search Server Express is designed to be easy to configure and administer, allowing IT professionals to go from download to search in as little as 30 minutes. In addition, Search Server Express has no preset document limits, so it will scale to meet a company's evolving needs. For users, Search Server Express provides advanced security and access to relevant results using a Web search experience. Microsoft also announced two search product portfolio enhancements that provide connectivity to a number of common customer information sources. First, free connectors that index content from EMC Corp.'s Documentum and IBM Corp.'s FileNet are scheduled to be available across the portfolio of Microsoft search products in early 2008. Microsoft has also added new federated search capabilities based on the OpenSearch standard. Many applications and services already support OpenSearch, and Microsoft is working with a number of partners, as well as with its own product groups, to create new connections based on the standard. Several companies, including Open Text Corp., Business Objects SA, Cognos Inc. and EMC, have already signed on to develop federated search connectors that will enable Microsoft's enterprise search customers to connect to their information systems. Search Server 2008 Express is the newest addition to Microsoft’s enterprise search lineup, which includes the new Microsoft Search Server 2008, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. http://www.microsoft.com/enterprisesearch

Posted by NewsShark at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: enterprise, Microsoft, search, SharePoint
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SchemaLogic announced the availability of SchemaLogic Enterprise Suite (SES) for Microsoft SharePoint 2007. With this software, SchemaLogic enables employees to find and share corporate information assets stored across multiple SharePoint sites. SES for Microsoft SharePoint 2007 enables companies to develop, manage and connect the metadata structures that describe corporate information assets stored across multiple SharePoint sites and other systems. This combined structure is published to content management and search systems across the organization, providing a consistent foundation for unified information access. SES continuously updates and synchronizes the metadata across multiple sites and throughout diverse systems. http://www.schemalogic.com/

Posted by NewsShark at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: metadata, SchemaLogic, search, semantic technologies, SharePoint
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NewsGator Technologies, Inc. announced the general availability of NewsGator Social Sites, an add-on to the NewsGator Enterprise Server (NGES) that enhances the social computing capabilities for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 and Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. NewsGator Social Sites enables discovery of what colleagues within an organization are doing and making connections between people. NewsGator Social Sites is a collection of site templates, profiles, Web parts and infrastructure that integrates directly with SharePoint Server 2007's existing architecture and security models. Social Sites works in conjunction with NGES to make SharePoint 2007 an Enterprise 2.0 destination. Administrators can bring in RSS feeds from outside of SharePoint Server 2007. Users can mark items as read, filter by tags and subscribe to the underlying feeds with one click. With one-click subscriptions for all SharePoint Server 2007 feeds, users can keep up with updates or changes from their desktop, e-mail client or mobile device. The "Social Sites" rollup view also facilitates content discovery in SharePoint by showing the most active users as well as "colleagues," allowing users to quickly assess the most popular content, feed trends and tag clouds. By clicking on a link for the content author or tagger, the user sees an in-line profile with their contact information, blog and wiki entries, articles and feeds that they read, tag and recommend. NewsGator Social Sites 1.1 is currently available. http://www.newsgator.com

Posted by NewsShark at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: collaboration, Microsoft, NewsGator, RSS, SharePoint, social computing, syndication
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Atlassian announced the integration of Microsoft (MSFT) Office SharePoint Server 2007 with Atlassian Confluence enterprise wiki. Users of SharePoint and Confluence will be able to access and share content across these two technologies. The connector will feature: Search -users can search SharePoint and Confluence content together from one place; Content sharing - from within SharePoint, users can embed Confluence page contents allowing users to blend content; Linking - within Confluence, users can access SharePoint document facilities so users, in a single click, can edit Microsoft Office documents, and; Single Sign-On and Security - with one login, users can access both systems while seeing only what they have permission to view. The SharePoint Connector for Confluence is available now at http://www.atlassian.com/sharepoint

Posted by NewsShark at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: Atlassian, collaboration, enterprise, SharePoint, social computing, wiki
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Bluespring Software announced the release of BPM Suite – SharePoint Edition. BPM Suite – SharePoint Edition is designed for businesses looking to deploy SharePoint in an environment with complex process or workflow needs. BPM Suite – SharePoint Edition comes pre-packaged with SharePoint, SQL Server and Office 2007 licenses to get started. By purchasing the unified solution set, customers will enjoy a 20% discount on all of the Microsoft and Bluespring products included in the bundle. BPM Suite – SharePoint Edition brings the following complex workflow capabilities to SharePoint. Rapid Process Deployment – Design processes in a “zero code” environment and deploy them with the push of a button. Graphical Process Monitoring – Visually track the progress of processes in-flight. Process Agility – Modify in-flight processes by stopping, changing & restarting processes from any point in the process. Interoperability – Configure processes that span not only SharePoint, but other disparate systems and desktops across the enterprise. Data Repurposing – Dynamically create Office documents with data captured throughout the process to present the right information to the right people at the right time in the right format. http://www.bluespringsoftware.com/

Posted by NewsShark at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: BPMS, business process management, content management, document management, Microsoft, Microsoft Office
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Microsoft Corp. laid out the next phase in its strategy for online services, offering a road map for new offerings that synthesize client, server and services software. Microsoft plans to deliver a variety of solutions during the coming months under two families of service offerings: "Live" and "Online." "Live" services from Microsoft are designed primarily for individuals, business end-users and virtual work groups. These services emphasize ease of use, simplicity of access and flexibility, and are suited for situations where people either don’t have access to professional technical expertise or don’t require high levels of system management. "Online" services are for organizations with more advanced IT needs where power and flexibility are critical. Online services from Microsoft give businesses the ability to control access to data, manage users, apply business and compliance policy, and meet availability standards. Microsoft is providing business customers with the flexibility to choose between traditional on-premise implementations, services hosted by Microsoft partners and now Online services that reside in Microsoft's datacenters. Microsoft also unveiled: Microsoft Office Live Workspace, a new Web-based feature of Microsoft Office that lets people access their documents online and share their work with others; Microsoft Exchange Labs, a new research and development program for testing new messaging and unified communications capabilities in high-scale environments; Continued customer and partner support for Microsoft Dynamics Live CRM; The renaming of the Microsoft Office Live hosted small-business service, a service dedicated to addressing small-business pain points, including core IT services and sales and marketing services, to Microsoft Office Live Small Business; and Microsoft BizTalk Services, a building block service that enables developers to build composite applications. Anyone can pre-register for the English language beta of Office Live Workspace at http://www.officelive.com

Posted by NewsShark at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: Microsoft, office software, SaaS
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Microsoft reported that its Microsoft Office SharePoint Server business generated revenue of more than $800 million in fiscal year 2007 with a growth rate of 35 percent, due to demand for the enterprise, integrated server capabilities of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007. This represents a growth rate of more than 35 percent over fiscal year 2006. Office SharePoint Server 2007 is being used for enterprise search, content management, business intelligence, collaboration, social computing and portals. http://www.microsoft.com/sharepoint

Posted by NewsShark at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
and tagged: collaboration, content management, enterprise, Microsoft, portal, search, SharePoint
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