NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - Redbox, a subsidiary of Outerwall, (NASDAQ: OUTR); Verizon (NYSE: VZ) - Pop the popcorn, dim the lights and fire up the Roku. With the new addition of the Redbox Instant by Verizon channel, millions of homes now have the ultimate living room movie hub with access to thousands of streaming favorites and new releases.

Redbox Instant by Verizon is a unique service for movie fans offering a compelling subscription package, which includes thousands of popular movies for streaming, plus four DVD credits to get the newest releases on disc at any Redbox kiosk nationwide for only $8 per month. A Blu-ray™ package is also available for an extra dollar. No other subscription offer is servicing the millions of customers who regularly head to Redbox kiosks every month by offering the best movies at a great value on disc and digital.

Both subscribers and non-subscribers can also take advantage of the Redbox Instant by Verizon online store to purchase and rent new releases on-demand.

The new channel allows anyone with a Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku HD (model 2500) and Roku LT (models 2400 & 2450) player or the Roku Streaming Stick to access the Redbox Instant by Verizon service, offering:

• 5,500+ active digital movies instantly and more than 680 discs available in Redbox kiosks
• The ability to locate and reserve movies and video games* on disc at more than 43,000 Redbox kiosks nationwide
• Movie trailers and user reviews to allow previewing and researching films before you stream, reserve at the kiosk, rent or buy (when available)
• Bookmark functionality to keep track of all movies discovered on the service for future viewing
• The option to start, stop and resume watching movies 
• Parental controls to manage on-demand purchasing and content restrictions for young children, children and teens

To access the service, Roku users can simply visit the Roku Channel Store and look in the "New" section for the Redbox Instant by Verizon logo. Once in the channel, they will have access to thousands of hours of great movies and can begin streaming the content they prefer right away -- all with the ease of navigation to which Roku users are accustomed.

For those new to the service, Redbox Instant by Verizon offers a one-month free trial with subscription that includes unlimited streaming of a collection of hit movies and four DVD credits.

For more information, visit www.redboxinstant.com/roku.

*Games can be reserved through the Redbox Instant by Verizon service but cannot be redeemed using subscription DVD credits.

About Redbox Instant by Verizon
Redbox Instant by Verizon, a joint venture between Redbox Automated Retail, LLC, and Verizon Communications, Inc., offers movie lovers the best value for the biggest movies on disk and digital. It is the only service to offer a compelling subscription package that includes the newest releases on disc available through more than 43,000 Redbox kiosks nationwide and a selection of thousands of movies to stream instantly. Redbox Instant also offers the ability to purchase or rent new releases, making it a great destination for movie fans to find what they want to watch right now. The service is available on a growing list of major platforms such as Roku, Xbox 360, Android and iOS devices, Samsung Smart TV and Internet Connected Blu-ray devices, LG Smart TV's, and Google TV. For more information, visit us at http://www.RedboxInstant.com. Follow us on Twitter @RedboxInstant and like us on Facebook at http://facebook.com/RedboxInstant.

SINGAPORE--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia participated in the annual CIO Summit 2013, and Jonathan Yeo, General Manager, Regional Headquarters, was one of the distinguished speakers at the event.

Held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 31 July to 1 August, the CIO Summit is the foremost gathering of Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Senior Information Technology (IT) Executives in Asia. The summit, which was attended by more than two hundred participants in Singapore, provided a number of platforms for the audience to hear about how latest technology trends, best practices and solutions can optimize their offices.

A thought leader in the field, Konica Minolta was represented by Mr. Yeo as he spoke on Enterprise Transformation through IT Innovation. In the presentation, he spoke on the speed at which office technologies had advanced and how users' needs had changed. Transformation in IT affects the Front Office and has implications on technology adoption. Cloud and Mobility will also play critical roles in Front Office automation. Mr. Yeo then provided insight on how a managed print strategy could lead to reduction in cost, higher productivity and efficiency whilst maintaining a secure print environment.

As the business landscape has transformed in recent years, CIOs are now faced with new types of challenges that were not part of the job only a few years back. This year's CIO Summit explored the new types of challenges that CIOs are faced with as a result of third platform technologies -- or what the International Data Corporation (IDC) refers to as the four pillars of technology: Cloud, Big Data, Mobility and Social.

In light of the managed print strategy, Konica Minolta's Optimised Print Services (OPS) combines consultancy, hardware, and software implementation and operation to develop improvement on the basis of precise facts and figures.

In his speech, Mr. Yeo also touched on the digitisation and how output management could lead to cost savings, efficiency and optimised workflow.

Konica Minolta Business Solutions Asia
Konica Minolta Business Solutions, a leading company in advanced document management technologies and Managed IT Services for the desktop to the print shop, brings together unparalleled advances in security, print quality and network integration via its award-winning line of bizhub® multifunction products (MFPs); bizhub PRESS® and bizhub PRO® production print systems; magicolor® color printers; and pagepro® monochrome printers. Konica Minolta also offers software solutions and optimised print services to reduce document output cost, improve productivity and optimise office environment, backed by impeccable service and support team.

Konica Minolta adopts a proactive effort in reducing global environmental impact through its green product lifecycle.

In line with its core message "Giving Shape to Ideas," Konica Minolta endeavours to respond to its customers' needs across the world with relentless creativity, innovation and advance technology.

Konica Minolta is a registered trademark of Konica Minolta Holdings, Inc. bizhub is a registered trademark of Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

Konica Minolta, the logo, and other trademarks are trademarks of Konica Minolta and may not be used without permission.

Company Logo
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WALTHAM, MA--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - Viewfinity (www.viewfinity.com), the leading provider of next generation application control, has successfully delivered privilege management and application whitelisting benefits to Apex Companies, LLC is a leading national water resources and environmental services consulting and engineering firm. With financial benefits estimated upwards of $100,000 a year, Viewfinity-generated reports additionally provide a wealth of asset and configuration management information regarding systems, applications and licensing.

According to Phillip Stasko, Director of IT for Apex, the biggest challenge facing IT is to provide immediate support for end users so as not to impede productivity.

"The IT staff consists of only three support members who routinely troubleshoot problems or provide special assistance for employees in over 35 office locations and remote sites throughout the U.S. At times, the number of requests can cause significant delays in customer response and although our support reps quickly turn around cases, any delays in responding to end users can result in frustration and revenue loss," he explained.

After Stasko and his team conducted an audit of support tickets, it was determined that IT typically performs well over 500 installs on an annual basis, ranging from simple upgrades to full application installs. It was further discovered that the majority of the tickets were small upgrades for commonly used applications that could have been installed by the end user at their most convenient time. End user frustration would escalate particularly when updates such as Flash, Java or Adobe Reader were denied. The only way to resolve would be a call to the IT support desk and time would be required by both the IT member and employee.

Stasko sought an approach that would reverse the previously ineffective and costly way to deploy updates, and found Viewfinity Privilege Management to provide all of the needed capabilities, and more. Viewfinity has been extremely useful when managing end user requests. Because of the product's whitelisting capabilities, users no longer need to contact Apex IT in order to perform routine updates or whitelist installs. This helps tremendously as late night requests and deadlines are no longer held hostage to the time and work hours of IT. It also frees up the very limited IT support time that would normally be spent assisting with installs. It has reduced the amount of time required to inventory and assess hardware and software. 

Stasko reports that Viewfinity allows users to perform 95 percent or more of their would-be support calls on their own. Since a majority of calls were install related, Viewfinity has eliminated the need for end user's to stop working and call for IT support. 

"Because of the product's whitelisting capabilities, users no longer need to contact Apex IT in order to perform routine updates or whitelist installs. This helps tremendously as late night requests and deadlines are no longer held hostage to the time and work hours of IT. It also frees up the very limited IT support time that would normally be spent assisting with installs, and has reduced the amount of time required to inventory and assess hardware and software."

For the full case study, see http://www.viewfinity.com/Customers/CaseStudies/Apex_Companies.aspx

To hear in Philip Stasko's own words how Viewfinity is working for him, you can find the archived webinar "Improving Endpoint Security Case Study: Hear how a Customer is Actively Managing Admin Rights in a Least Privilege Environment" at http://www.viewfinity.com/News/Webinars.aspx

About Viewfinity
Viewfinity provides the only solution which offers complete application control features and administrative privilege capabilities to protect against sophisticated zero-day attacks, malware, and advanced persistent threats. Our next generation application control provides everything needed for whitelisting - from trusted sources and updaters to a cloud-based system which can rank unknown applications, reinforced with managed administrative privileges. Applications not yet classified run in a "greylist mode" and are automatically evaluated and assigned to a white/black list. Our patent-pending forensics automatically tracks file origins to enable better investigation of malware incidents. This fortified approach leads to more secure desktop and server environments, enables high operational IT efficiency via a lower TCO model, and maximizes end user productivity. For more information, visit www.viewfinity.com.

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) -  Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS), a pioneer and leading provider of cloud security and compliance solutions, today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2013. For the quarter, the Company reported revenues of $26.3 million, GAAP net income of $0.9 million, non-GAAP net income of $2.1 million, adjusted EBITDA of $4.5 million, GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.02, and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share of $0.06.

"We are pleased to report another solid quarter as we continue to execute against our strategic plan and drive momentum throughout our business," stated Philippe Courtot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Qualys. "Our years of investment in the QualysGuard Cloud Platform and product innovation are clearly paying off, resulting in increased adoption of our solutions by organizations worldwide. Our core Vulnerability Management customers are increasingly adopting our new solutions, including Web Application Scanning and Policy Compliance. Our continued investment in innovation also has produced enhanced platform capabilities, including the ability to now package the entire Qualys platform and deliver it to customers fully virtualized on a single VCE Vblock System. This significant milestone opens up another avenue of growth for the Company, expanding our reach to organizations such as managed security service providers and government entities that require an on-premise solution for our cloud offerings. With a growing base of more than 6,000 customers worldwide, we remain confident in our outlook for the second half of 2013 and will continue to focus on strategic investments that maintain our technical leadership while leveraging the strength of our SaaS business model to grow revenues and increase value to our customers and shareholders." 

Second Quarter 2013 Financial Highlights

Revenues: Revenues for the second quarter of 2013 increased by 18% to $26.3 million compared to $22.2 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue growth was driven by a combination of increased sales of subscriptions for additional solutions to existing customers, as well as sales of subscriptions to new customers. 

Bookings: Four-Quarter Bookings (a non-GAAP financial measure) were $109.0 million for the four-quarter period ended June 30, 2013, an increase of $15.0 million, or 16%, compared to $94.0 million for the four-quarter period ended June 30, 2012. The increase in Four-Quarter Bookings was primarily due to sales of subscriptions for additional solutions to the existing customer base, as well as sales of subscriptions to new customers. 

Gross Profit: GAAP gross profit for the second quarter of 2013 increased by 16% to $20.4 million compared to $17.6 million in the same quarter last year. GAAP gross margin was 77% for the second quarter of 2013 compared to 79% in the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP gross profit for the second quarter of 2013 increased by 16% to $20.5 million compared to $17.6 million in the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP gross margin was 78% for the second quarter of 2013 compared to 79% in the same quarter last year. The decrease in gross margin was related to increased depreciation resulting from higher levels of capital expenditures and related operations costs to support the growth of the Company's business, including the deployment of new solutions and the expansion of its data center infrastructure.

Operating Income: GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2013 increased to $0.9 million compared to an operating loss of $0.2 million in the same quarter last year. GAAP operating margin increased to 3% for the second quarter of 2013 compared to (1%) in the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP operating income for the second quarter of 2013 increased to $2.1 million compared to $0.7 million in the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP operating margin increased to 8% for the second quarter of 2013 compared to 3% in the same quarter last year.

Net Income: GAAP net income for the second quarter of 2013 was $0.9 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $0.3 million, or a $0.05 net loss per diluted share, in the same quarter last year. Non-GAAP net income for the second quarter of 2013 was $2.1 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, compared to a non-GAAP net income of $0.6 million, or a $0.02 net income per diluted share, in the same quarter last year.

Adjusted EBITDA: Adjusted EBITDA (a non-GAAP financial measure) for the second quarter of 2013 increased by 82% to $4.5 million compared to $2.5 million in the same quarter last year. As a percentage of revenues, adjusted EBITDA increased to 17% for the second quarter of 2013 compared to 11% in the same quarter last year.

Second Quarter 2013 Business Highlights

New Customers:

• New customers included: Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Airbus, CBS Corporation, C.R. Bard, Graybar, InBev, Lufkin Industries, Maroc Telecom, Mayo Clinic, Northern Trust, Pearson PLC, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and State Street Corporation.

New Products and Functionalities:

• Introduced QualysGuard Express Lite as an all-in-one, easy-to-use and affordable IT security and compliance package for small businesses, enabling protection against Internet attackers and simplifying compliance with PCI and regulatory mandates.
• Released the QualysGuard Private Cloud Platform on VCE Vblock Systems, providing managed security service providers and government entities with a complete and integrated turnkey solution where data resides on premise with the same performance and scalability that the Qualys' public platform offers.
• Introduced QualysGuard Questionnaire as a cloud-based customizable solution to help customers automate vendor risk management and certification processes.
• Announced the availability of QualysGuard Web Application Firewall (WAF) Beta for Amazon EC2 and for on-premise deployments, delivering customers a next-generation distributed WAF to protect web applications running in the cloud or on premise against known and emerging threats.
• Released an integration with FireMon to deliver real-time network risk visibility and remediation through proactive attack simulation and threat detection.
  
  

Channel Partners:

• Partnered with OISG Group to deliver cloud IT security and compliance solutions in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
• Partnered with Proficio to deliver to medium-sized businesses the QualysGuard offerings integrated along with real-time event monitoring as one unified easy-to-use cloud service.
• Launched with du Telecom their managed services offering to support customers in the U.A.E. based on the QualysGuard Private Cloud Platform installed at du in Dubai.
  
  

Financial Performance Outlook

Third Quarter 2013 Guidance: Management expects revenues to be in the range of $27.1 million to $27.6 million. GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $0.00 to $0.02 and non-GAAP net income per diluted share is expected to be in the range of $0.03 to $0.05 based on approximately 36.1 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter.

Full Year 2013 Guidance: Full year 2013 guidance remains unchanged with management expecting revenues to be in the range of $106 million to $108 million. GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $0.02 to $0.06 per diluted share and non-GAAP EPS is expected to be in the range of $0.16 to $0.20 per diluted share based on approximately 35.8 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the full year.

Investor Conference Call

Qualys will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss its second quarter 2013 financial results today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time (5:00 p.m. Eastern Time). To access the conference call, dial (877) 881-2609 in the U.S. or +1 (970) 315-0463 for international participants with conference ID #13344544. The live webcast of Qualys' earnings conference call can also be accessed at investor.qualys.com. A replay of the conference call will be available through the same webcast link following the end of the call.

About Qualys, Inc.

Qualys, Inc. (NASDAQ: QLYS), is a pioneer and leading provider of cloud security and compliance solutions with over 6,000 customers in more than 100 countries, including a majority of each of the Forbes Global 100 and Fortune 100. The QualysGuard Cloud Platform and integrated suite of solutions help organizations simplify security operations and lower the cost of compliance by delivering critical security intelligence on demand and automating the full spectrum of auditing, compliance and protection for IT systems and web applications. Founded in 1999, Qualys has established strategic partnerships with leading managed service providers and consulting organizations including Accuvant, BT, Dell SecureWorks, Fujitsu, NTT, Symantec, Verizon, and Wipro. The company is also a founding member of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA). For more information, please visit www.qualys.com.

Qualys, the Qualys logo and QualysGuard are proprietary trademarks of Qualys, Inc. All other products or names may be trademarks of their respective companies.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements related to: continued revenue growth and overall momentum in our business; our expectations regarding strategic investments in our business; our guidance for revenues, GAAP net income per diluted share and non-GAAP net income per diluted share for the third quarter and full year of 2013; and our expectations for the number of weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the third quarter and full year of 2013. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results in future periods are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks include our ability to continue to develop platform capabilities and solutions; customer acceptance and purchase of our existing solutions and new solutions; our ability to retain existing customers and generate new customers; the market for cloud solutions for IT security and compliance not continuing to develop; competition from other products and services; and general market, political, economic and business conditions. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2013, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 10, 2013. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Qualys as of the date hereof, and Qualys disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to reporting financial results in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, Qualys monitors non-GAAP measures of Four-Quarter Bookings, non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA. 

Qualys monitors Four-Quarter Bookings to understand sales trends for its business. Qualys believes this metric provides an additional tool for investors to use in assessing its business performance in a way that more fully reflects current business trends than reported revenues and reduces the variations in any particular quarter caused by customer subscription renewals. Qualys believes Four-Quarter Bookings reflects the material sales trends for its business because it includes sales of subscriptions to new customers, as well as subscription renewals and upsells of additional subscriptions to existing customers.

Qualys also monitors non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA to evaluate its ongoing operational performance and enhance an overall understanding of its past financial performance. Qualys believes that these non-GAAP metrics help illustrate underlying trends in its business that could otherwise be masked by the effect of the income or expenses, as well as the related tax effects, that are excluded in non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA. Furthermore, Qualys uses these measures to establish budgets and operational goals for managing its business and evaluating its performance. Qualys also believes that non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income (loss), non-GAAP net income (loss) per diluted share and adjusted EBITDA provide additional tools for investors to use in comparing its recurring core business operating results over multiple periods with other companies in its industry.

The presentation of this non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this press release to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included with the financial statements contained in this press release. Management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP information in evaluating and operating its business internally and as such has determined that it is important to provide this information to investors.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - nGage Labs™, Inc., the leading provider of in-store shopper engagement solutions that enable retailers to recognize, personalize, and engage shoppers, today announced the appointment of three top executives: Peter Charness, President; Nancy Terzolani, SVP Client Experience; and Larry Negrich, Vice President of Marketing. With years of industry experience at leading companies including JDA Software, Manthan Solutions, Experian, Merkle, Inc., Microsoft, and Avnet, these executives are joining the nGage Labs to lead the company in its next phase of growth.

"nGage Labs has emerged as one of the leading thinkers in developing new capabilities to enable the personalized shopping experience. We're perpetually seeking to attract talented and gifted individuals to lead our business as our innovations continue to gain momentum in the market," said Rod Ford, CEO, nGage Labs. "We have a strong focus on new science and innovation around our platform, enhancing the customer engagement experience, and leveraging marketing and public relationships to share our thought leadership with the market. I am pleased to welcome these proven performers to the nGage Labs team to lead our growing company forward."

Peter Charness, President
As President, Peter is tasked with guiding product development direction to fully leverage technologies and accelerate delivery of shopper engagement solutions; for overseeing customer implementations; and for guiding the operations at nGage Labs. Peter brings extensive experience with all types of software and business solutions, with over 30 years experience driving success in both retail and technology companies. Prior to nGage Labs Peter led the successful growth of two innovative retail-focused analytics companies: Manthan Systems and SilkOakSolutions.

Peter also served as Sr. VP of Global Marketing and Chief Product Officer for JDA Software where he led the functional direction and strategic advancement of JDA Portfolio. This comprehensive collection of over 45 best in class products help retailers and their suppliers maximize their inventory investment while improving revenues, efficiency and customer focus.

As a former Vice President of Logistics and Technology for a major Canadian specialty chain, Charness oversaw the implementation of world-class supply chain programs. He has also had executive responsibility for store operations, merchandise planning and control, replenishment, POS, warehouses and distribution centers for various retail organizations.

"Peter Charness' executive experience at leading teams to develop breakthrough products at industry-leading companies, such as JDA Software and Manthan Systems is an invaluable asset to nGage Labs," said Rod Ford, CEO. "He has an impressive history of bringing new ideas to market. We value his experience and leadership to guide our growth in the fast-growing shopper engagement solutions market."

"The retail industry has struggled to leverage the full potential of mobile to achieve measurable business goals," said Charness. "NGage Labs is leading in shopper engagement solutions featuring new mobile technologies for retailers by leveraging the strengths of mobile. We will be able to help retailers blunt the 'Amazon Effect' and to leverage the advantages a retail chain with physical store offers."

Nancy Terzolani, SVP Client Experience

As a key member of the nGage Labs executive team, Nancy will be responsible for growing nGage Labs professional services team and will oversee all services-related strategy and initiatives. As SVP of Client Experience, Nancy is responsible for overseeing the client facing teams, supporting growth and development within new and existing business, and ultimately ensuring overall satisfaction with nGage Labs. Nancy brings over 20 years of CRM, data management, analytics, and business development experience to the team from the perspective of both the retailer and the service provider. Prior to nGage Labs, Nancy held client leadership responsibilities within the retail vertical at both Merkle and Experian as well as held marketing management positions at JC Whitney, Spiegel, Crate & Barrel, and Barrie Pace.

"It's rare to find an executive with the depth and breadth of retail client experience that Nancy brings to nGage Labs," said Ford. "She has worked on both the client marketing side as well as the service provider side of the industry, working with some of the largest retail brands in North America. Her unique combination of experience along with intimate knowledge of retail operations will serve her well as she builds out our Client Engagement Experience."

Larry Negrich, Vice-President, Marketing

As Vice President of Marketing at nGage Labs, Larry is responsible for overseeing and driving nGage Labs marketing organization and initiatives. Larry brings over 20 years of enterprise software, marketing, and business development experience to the team. Prior to nGage Labs, Larry had marketing leadership responsibilities at leading enterprise software companies including Microsoft, JDA Software, and Avnet Technology Solutions. 

"Larry brings to nGage Labs a unique blend of retail solutions subject matter expertise and a track record of successfully building brands and marketing organizations that deliver results," said Ford. "As we look to significantly increase our brand awareness in the market, Larry brings the marketing executive characteristics we need to support our goal of being the thought leader in the shopper engagement solutions market."

About nGage Labs, Inc.

nGage Labs, Inc. (www.nGageLabs.com) provides in-store shopper engagement solutions that enable retailers to recognize, personalize, and engage shoppers directly via the customer's mobile device and interactive smart displays. Using a proprietary mobile-enabled cloud platform, in-store location technologies, and dynamic real-time purchase propensity analytics, retailers can finally deliver a customized, personalized, and enriched shopping experience. This enriched shopping experience means that shoppers stay longer, buy more, and increase store visits. For more information, visit www.nGageLabs.com.

Additional nGage Labs Resources:

• Follow nGage Labs on Twitter: @nGageLabs
• Visit the nGage Labs Blog for discussions on in-store engagement & shopper engagement technologies
• Connect with nGage Labs on LinkedIn or nGage Labs on Facebook

Related links:
www.nGageLabs.com
www.AZDigitalFarm.com
www.Metamorphic.VC

Recent nGage Labs News:
nGage Labs™ Appoints New CEO to Lead Next Phase of Company Growth
National Wholesale Liquidators Wins Channel Innovation Award
nGage Labs, Inc. Secures $6.9M in Series B Funding

SEATTLE, WA--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - Skytap, Inc., the leading provider of self-service cloud automation solutions, today announced that their resident cloud computing experts will be sponsoring and providing demonstrations at upcoming industry events in August and September, including Agile 2013, VMworld, and STARWEST. In addition, Brian White, vice president of products at Skytap, will be giving a feature presentation at CAMP IT in the Chicago area on September 25, providing insight into how an organization can choose between a public, private, or hybrid cloud computing solution.

Agile 2013
When: Mon. August 5 to Fri. August 9
Where: The Gaylord Opryland Hotel & Convention Center, Nashville, TN
Description: Agile 2013, the leading Agile development and testing conference, gives attendees unrivaled insight into the latest innovations and trends, including updates on Agile approaches, methods, technologies, tools, leadership principles, management philosophies, and processes. Conference attendees will also be kept up to date with the most recent in policies, theories and research. Stop by the Skytap booth or the Skytap sponsored beer garden for a look at how organizations can use cloud computing solutions to further accelerate their agile development and testing cycles through scalable, flexible infrastructure.

VMworld
When: Sun., August 25 to Thurs., August 29
Where: Moscone Center, San Francisco, CA, Booth # 431
Description: VMworld, the global conference for virtualization and cloud computing, presents attending IT executives an opportunity to gain the tools needed to transform conventional remedies into agile solutions that allow organizations to simplify operations and provide unmatched business advantages. Attendees will receive in-depth training and hands-on experience, as well as review the latest product research and analysis from the world of cloud computing today. For an in-person demonstration of Skytap's hybrid cloud capabilities, visit Skytap at booth # 431.

CAMP IT: Cloud Computing Strategies
What: Choosing Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud Computing
When: Wed., September 25 from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT
Where: Donald E. Stephens Convention Center Rosemont, Rosemont, IL
Who: Brian White, VP of Products
Description: At the CAMP IT: Cloud Computing Strategies event, industry experts will come together to discuss the various benefits that enterprises can see from cloud computing, such as financial savings and flexibility, contrasted with today's top concerns regarding cloud, such as security and data availability. As part of the conference, Brian White from Skytap will give a presentation, "Choosing Public vs. Private vs. Hybrid Cloud Computing," where he will provide attendees with best practices in choosing the type of cloud that is best suited for their organization's workloads, including the pros and cons of each option and how well they can integrate with existing infrastructure architectures.

STARWEST
When: Sun., September 29 to Fri., October 4
Where: Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA
Description: The STARWEST event showcases software testers and quality assurance professionals. All conference attendees are encouraged to stop by the Skytap booth to chat with a representative for a product demonstration and overview of how their unique cloud solution can dramatically accelerate software testing cycles, enabling organizations to ship better software faster with global collaboration.

About Skytap, Inc.
Skytap is the leading provider of self-service cloud automation solutions for dynamic workloads. Skytap Cloud gives businesses a fast, easy, and secure way to create complex computing environments in the cloud. Customers can run enterprise applications unchanged in the cloud, collaborate securely with global teams, and gain unparalleled business productivity. Additionally, IT organizations maintain full visibility and control over cloud projects, align capacity with demand, and reduce costs. Enterprises can securely connect Skytap Cloud to their data centers and create hybrid clouds. Skytap is ideal for any dynamic workload including development and testing, software demos and evaluations, and virtual training. To try Skytap Cloud and learn more, visit www.skytap.com.

TACOMA, WA--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - IID today announced Gartner, Inc -- the world's leading information technology research and advisory company -- has included IID's new threat intelligence sharing solution in a recent report. The Information Sharing as an Industry Imperative to Improve Security¹ report, by Gartner Research Director Anton Chuvakin and former Gartner Vice President Dan Blum addresses the need for threat intelligence sharing to secure the Internet, highlighting IID.

"Collaborative defense is becoming much-needed in information security, and broader security data sharing is at its core due to the proliferation of advanced threats," noted Chuvakin and Blum in the report. "This document assesses the current state of data sharing and provides recommendations for enterprises and vendors."

Recently, IID announced it is expanding its offerings to include security information sharing -- a collective threat intelligence solution for aggregating, filtering and sharing actionable data from thousands of contributing sources. The solution is selectively available today and being leveraged by designated brands to automate the collection and dispersion of collective intelligence. By automating, and providing broadly sourced and analyzed threat intelligence, enterprises and governments can free valuable human resources while increasing speed and accuracy of cybersecurity efforts.

"We believe IID's inclusion in this new information sharing report from Gartner further validates our approach to information sharing; moving from one-to-one manual sharing to large-scale structured collaboration," said IID CEO Lars Harvey. "Only with collaboration and sharing, on a large scale, will we be able to secure the Internet. We find it refreshing to see that Gartner recognizes this need."

For a sneak peek at IID's information sharing solution, visit www.internetidentity.com/activetrust-network.

About IID
IID empowers threat intelligence sharing for enterprises and governments in a trusted environment that reaches beyond limited trust groups. The company aggregates and analyzes widely sourced threat data, and delivers actionable intelligence to facilitate the protection of assets, brands and users. Top financial firms, the largest government agencies, and leading eCommerce companies, social networks and ISPs leverage IID to detect and mitigate threats. For more information about IID, go to www.internetidentity.com.

¹ Gartner, Inc., Information Sharing as an Industry Imperative to Improve Security, Anton Chuvakin and Dan Blum June 17, 2013.

PHOENIX, AZ--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - People Power is proud to announce its partnership with Miami Unified School District #40, Dr. Charles A. Bejarano Elementary School and Lee Kornegay Junior High School in an initiative to help make schools a safer place. The Safer Schools Campaign will utilize the new Presence by People Power application to recycle outdated iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches, into Wi-Fi security cameras which will be placed in various locations around the schools and will assist administrators in security monitoring around the facilities.

"We are thrilled that our new app Presence will be a key player in this effort to improve the security of schools," said David Moss, CTO and co-founder of People Power. "Student safety is always a top priority for parents and the community, and this is an initiative that all of us here at People Power are proud to be a part of."

With the cameras placed around the school in areas like hallways, exits, cafeterias, and gyms, and Presence's ability to put old iPhone's built-in audio and motion detection to practical use, officials can monitor and record all activity on campus, day and night, to keep students and the school surroundings safer. The Presence app is free and the schools will be turning to the community for donations of outdated or unused iPhones, iPads and iPods so the security system will be at no cost to the school.

"Nothing is more important than maintaining safe and secure facilities for our students and teachers," said Sherry Dorathy, Superintendent of Miami Unified Schools. "After seeing Presence, we knew it was an excellent opportunity to enhance the surveillance of our grounds and monitoring or visitors. We are excited to kick off this program and will be enlisting the support of the community to make it a huge success."

Traditional security systems are extremely costly but the People Power Presence app will eliminate any need for pricey systems and help detect potential threats to safety.

To find out more information about the program or to donate iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches please contact People Power at info@peoplepowerco.com.

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ and OAKBROOK TERRACE, IL--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) -  Tetrus Corporation, a leading provider of information sharing, collaboration, and analysis products to Public Safety, Homeland Security, and Justice and Corrections stakeholders, and Quipa, a global software company delivering an innovative approach to secure network connectivity, today announced a Reseller Partnership to facilitate and accelerate the introduction of QuipaLoop into the markets that Tetrus currently serves. Tetrus will leverage the QuipaLoop solution in critical nationwide law enforcement systems that require high availability without compromising data confidentiality and integrity.

QuipaLoop is a unique approach toward borderless network connectivity that is more agile and secure than traditional VPN technologies. It secures access to services anywhere on the network and protects data-in-transit across the network using Quipa's Secure Connection Broker (SCB) technology, a proprietary, secure networking capability that segments the network into "loops" of trusted devices. Unlike a physical network, a loop is a non-addressable virtual overlay, secured by trusted devices that self-authenticate and operate across one or many physical networks. QuipaLoop eliminates the security weaknesses that result from spoof-able certificate authorities common to SSL VPN or discoverable directories of IP addresses used to manage IPSec solutions.

"We are delighted with our new relationship with Quipa," said Tetrus CEO Sharad Rao. "As a technology company constantly looking for more innovative and efficient ways to deliver collaborative, high-quality, and secure solutions for our Public Safety and Security clients, Quipa's unique and cutting-edge technology fits perfectly into our overall interoperability framework. Tetrus takes adherence to national standards regarding data interoperability, security and privacy extremely seriously. Integrating Quipa technology into the very fabric of all of our offerings enhances our overall value proposition to our clients. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the security team at Quipa."

"Quipa is proud of our new partnership with Tetrus in the public sector business vertical," said Wayne Eveland, Senior Vice President, Quipa US. "Our relationship with Tetrus allows us to provide a new technology dynamic to the public sector and a superior security solution that ensures protection against today's evasive cyber threats. We are pleased to work with Tetrus to deliver a simpler, cost-effective, and more secure environment for rapid information sharing and mission-critical data-in-transit for law enforcement and government agencies."

Government agency funding is currently stretched to the limits while the need for service has increased. Information sharing has emerged as a significant tool that increases capacity while reducing costs. By combining the QuipaLoop-patented data security solution with the cutting-edge applications built by Tetrus, simplified collaboration within the public sector can now be achieved with greater ease and with the complete affirmation that their encompassing networks, devices, and information will be highly secured and more readily accessible. Public sector organizations will benefit by leveraging their existing data systems while reducing costs and obtaining information from a broad spectrum of resources without compromising control and security of data-in-transit.  

About Tetrus Corporation
Founded in 2003, the Tetrus Corporation provides information sharing, collaboration and analysis products and services to Public Safety, Homeland Security, Justice and Corrections stakeholders. Our portfolio leverages our subject matter expertise surrounding national standards and industry best practices to afford each client a holistic approach to technology initiatives. We are currently applying our robust experience in the sharing and analysis of information and identification of patterns indicative of potential terrorism activity to introduce new concepts of real-time, multi-jurisdictional and multidisciplinary collaboration. For more information, visit www.tetruscorp.com.

About Quipa US LLC
At Quipa, our goal is to help our customers protect their information and their reputations, yet still meet the evolving challenges of connectivity and information-sharing in today's increasing virtual and mobile workplace. Founded in 2004 by executives with over 50 years of combined experience in the telecommunications and security sectors, our software solutions are designed to help companies, government agencies, and Cloud service providers shape their online connections with a higher level of security and flexibility, enabling an agile, any-device-anywhere working environment, without loss of compliance or control. For more information, visit www.quipa.net.

ST. PAUL, MN--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - OptiMine Software, provider of the measurement and optimization platform that transcends third-party cookies to maximize financial performance for digital advertisers, announced today that the company has nearly doubled the advertising spend under management in the first half of 2013, as compared to the same period in 2012. Likewise, year-over-year revenue has doubled, and the company is poised for continued revenue growth, having at least doubled the incremental value of new contracts signed in each of the last two quarters. Reflective of OptiMine's expanded customer base, the company's daily bid changes grew by 2,400 percent as compared to the first half of 2012. To fuel continued growth, through further product innovation, the company has hired Jeff Minich as vice president, products.

As OptiMine continues to expand its platform capabilities to address the unmet need of measuring the cross-channel value of advertising, such as display, customer data reveals that more than 90 percent of display ads are undervalued by traditional measurement approaches. Some are even being valued up to 50 times less than their actual worth. OptiMine's unique approach bypasses the limitations of third-party cookies to identify the value other approaches miss. It taps readily-available, device-spanning ad impression data to measure the full cross-channel impact of each display ad's views on each paid search keyword's conversions -- determining the ad's cross-channel Value per Impression (VPI). The software then bids according to each ad's VPI, driving a 15 to 25 percent boost in advertiser results across display and paid search.

"OptiMine's continued momentum is validation that digital advertisers crave solid ways to measure digital ad value that overcome the challenges inherent in legacy, third-party cookie-dependent schemes," said Jim Moar, OptiMine CEO. "As a result of continued innovation that solves core unmet advertiser challenges, we have seen steady growth and look forward to building on this trend with the addition of Jeff's talents to our team."

To fuel OptiMine's continued growth and product innovation, the company has expanded their executive team by hiring digital ad veteran Jeff Minich as vice president, products. Minich will lead OptiMine's efforts to expand the company's products for digital measurement and optimization.

Minich brings more than 10 years of product management and marketing experience at both early-stage, venture-backed and large public technology companies. Most recently, Minich was part of the Yahoo! Ad Products team, where he helped build advanced audience targeting and measurement solutions for Yahoo! display advertisers. Prior to Yahoo, Minich led platform product marketing at Omniture (now part of Adobe), where he helped launch a number of partner-based analytics and optimization solutions with leading marketing technology and service providers.

"OptiMine, with its unmatched ability to measure the combined effectiveness of display and search and drive action against the resulting insights, is leading the way for advertisers to see truly exceptional ROI," said Minich. "The upside, in terms of value creation, will ultimately be measured in many billions of dollars, in both increased ad efficiency and incremental revenue for digital advertisers. I look forward to helping the company achieve its great potential."

About OptiMine
OptiMine Software's measurement and optimization platform helps digital advertisers maximize display and paid search financial performance. Its unique, cross-channel analytics break the cookie barrier and set a new standard in digital advertising measurement and optimization, leveraging atomic-level, predictive modeling and unique Value per Impression (VPI) methodology to measure the cross-channel value of ads -- across all devices -- and optimize accordingly for extraordinary in-channel and cross-channel results. With OptiMine, each individual paid search keyword bid and display ad bid is geared toward maximizing performance for the financial goal set by the advertiser. The company's flagship paid search bid optimization consistently increases financial results by more than 20% for four out of five advertisers. The company's audience-based approach to display measurement and optimization is driving 15 -25 percent incremental increases in results across display and paid search together. Across a range of industries and business models -- from retail to financial services lead-generation to travel -- OptiMine Software drives bottom-line results.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA and INDIANAPOLIS, IN--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - Predixion Software, a developer of collaborative predictive analytics solutions, and the Indiana Health Information Exchange Inc. (IHIE) announced today a strategic partnership to jointly develop predictive health analytics solutions to be offered by IHIE to accountable care organizations (ACOs) and hospitals across Indiana. More than 90 of Indiana's 120 hospitals are connected to IHIE, a private non-profit company, which is governed by a multi-institutional board of leaders from hospitals and health care stakeholders, as well as a data governance body with representation from healthcare providers, payers, state government and patients. The first module available from the collaboration will be Predixion Readmission Insight™, a predictive solution for reducing preventable hospital readmissions.

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, as many as 48 percent of hospital readmissions are preventable. The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services reports that 76 percent of hospital readmissions within 30 days are preventable. The potential savings associated with preventing readmissions is estimated to be $31 billion annually, making this a top priority among many ACOs and hospitals looking to cut costs.

The Predixion Readmission Insight solution will provide Indiana ACOs and hospitals with a risk stratification of its patients to help them determine proactive intervention opportunities. The risk stratification will be available as either a data feed or via a tablet-based thin client module leveraging Predixion's "last mile of analytics" approach to solutions delivery. This module and others will be focused on the goals of improving patient outcomes and improving the patient experience while reducing costs.

Gaining insights from a 20 terabyte clinical database
IHIE, the nation's leading health information exchange, maintains the country's largest inter-organizational clinical data repository, the Indiana Network for Patient Care (INPC), a statewide network that provides physicians with a "virtualized" longitudinal patient record to provide a better overall picture of a patient's health. The INPC consists of more than 20 terabytes of data and 10 million unique patient records, handles over a million secure health transactions daily and contains three billion pieces of clinical data, 80 million radiology images, 50 million text reports and 750,000 EKG readings.

As part of the partnership agreement, Predixion and IHIE will use Predixion Enterprise Insight™, Predixion's flagship predictive analytics platform, to develop new predictive applications aimed at further supporting the patient and business needs of Indiana ACOs and hospitals. The INPC database will fuel current and future Predixion solutions that IHIE will market to its customers.

"As a health delivery organization that is rapidly expanding its accountable care business, we are finding that access to better forward-looking data analytics tools is essential," said Dr. Dick Roskam, chief medical information officer for Franciscan Alliance, Inc., an IHIE client which serves patients in 13 hospitals and numerous medical practices in Indiana, Illinois and Michigan. "To further improve both quality and cost outcomes, knowing what may happen to a particular patient or within a population of patients becomes paramount, compared to our traditional retrospective approach to data. Applying the science of predictive analytics to healthcare, especially when combined with Big Data, holds great promise for us."

"We are pleased to be partnering with Predixion Software to make predictive healthcare solutions available to Indiana ACOs, hospitals and other stakeholders, enabling them to make better-informed decisions based on the analysis of massive amounts of pertinent patient data contained in the INPC," said Curt Sellke, vice president of analytics for IHIE. "In conjunction with Predixion Software, we look forward to leveraging the INPC to develop and deploy predictive applications that enable physicians to reduce hospital readmissions, choose optimal therapies, reduce redundant testing and avoid drug-drug interactions, among other life-saving and efficiency-generating efforts."

Added Mark McNally, Predixion vice president of business development, "The combined experience IHIE and its extensive network of participating hospitals has in sharing and utilizing data to improve patient care makes for ideal partners to assist in co-innovating high-value predictive healthcare solutions. Together we'll be able to develop some truly exciting and cutting edge solutions for the healthcare industry. Our strategic relationship with IHIE is also a strong validation of Predixion's vision that leading technology and data companies will be looking to embed predictive analytics offerings into their current product and service lines. We look forward to working with IHIE to make this new offering a wild success."

About Predixion Enterprise Insight™
Predixion has created a world-class predictive platform for big data. Predixion Enterprise Insight is natively integrated with the Microsoft® BI stack, leverages Apache Mahout Algorithm libraries and is fully integrated with Microsoft SQL Server®, EMC® Greenplum® and Hadoop, with other analytic platforms on the way. An advanced deployment framework was designed to simplify the process of sharing models across an enterprise, automate predictions directly from source data to line-of-business applications and Predixion's own thin client app for PCs and tablets, and eliminate complexity from the end user experience, resulting in self-service predictive analytics. 

About Predixion Software
Predixion Software is a disruptive predictive analytics software company with a unique focus on the last mile of analytics -- the deployment of powerful predictions to the people who need to act upon them. Predixion offers an easy-to-deploy, self-service predictive analytics solution that allows customers to unlock deep insights within their data with technology that integrates with leading business intelligence platforms, business applications and clinical systems. More than 200 companies in 48 countries are now using Predixion Enterprise Insight. For more information visit us at predixionsoftware.com.

About the Indiana Health Information Exchange
Indiana Health Information Exchange Inc. is the nation's largest health information exchange organization and responsible for securely delivering clinical information to assist with care coordination and improve patient outcomes for an area with a population of more than six million people. Through the Indiana Network for Patient Care™, IHIE is connecting more than 90 hospitals in Indiana, and more than 25,000 physicians across the country are enabled to receive electronic clinical messages via DOCS4DOCS^®. Healthcare providers trust IHIE to deliver critical patient data when and where it is needed most. In addition to hospitals, IHIE also serves long-term care facilities, immediate care centers, public health centers, and freestanding labs and imaging centers. IHIE is a nonprofit corporation formed by the Regenstrief Institute, private hospitals, local and state health departments, BioCrossroads and other prominent organizations in Indiana. For more information, visit www.ihie.org.

Predixion Software recognizes all of the trademarks referenced in this press release.

KNOXVILLE, TN--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) -  Top 50 Sales/Marketing Influencer Ken Thoreson, author of articles and book series for sales leaders, renowned author, columnist, speaker and Acumen Management Group principal, has earned a spot on Top Sales World's 2013 "Top 50 Sales & Marketing Influencers list. He was recognized for his notoriety as an inspiring speaker on sales management topics and motivation, "Your Sales Management Guru" blog, "Why Sales Managers Succeed" newsletter, and a plethora of online, web-based articles, and other resources to help sales leaders develop high-performance sales teams.

Speaking about his commitment to advance selling and marketing practices, Thoreson said, "I believe that as a sales/marketing thought leader/influencer, I have a responsibility to create unique approaches (in addition to proven techniques) to solving business issues this field faces. One of the new approaches we're taking with sales organizations is Business Guidance Selling." 

Thoreson added that he has recently expanded the Sales Managers Tool Kit, which contains more than 50 tools that help sales leaders implement sales management best practices to minimize the impact of economic cycles. New tools include a quarterly business review, cross-selling and up-selling plans, and many more.

In addition to an active speaking schedule that includes August engagements at the Cloud Summit 2013 and Retail Solution Provider Association's RetailNOW Convention and Expo, Thoreson is also working on a new E-book based on his consulting experiences and includes reader comments/suggestions. To request an advance copy, email ken@acumentmgmt.com.

About Ken Thoreson
Ken Thoreson, Acumen Management Group, Ltd. president, is a sales leadership professional who for more than 15 years has helped executives revitalize their organizations by pulling sales results from the doldrums to predictable revenue. He is a recognized expert in sales execution, channel management, revenue generation, sales analysis, compensation, forecasting, recruitment, and training. Ken's consulting, advisory, and speaking services have illuminated, motivated, and rejuvenated sales efforts for companies across North America. For more information about Thoreson and his "Your Sales Management Guru's Guide" books, visit www.yoursalesmanagementguru.com, www.acumenmanagement.com or call 423-884-6328.

REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - oDesk®, the world's largest online workplace, today announced that more than $1 billion (U.S.) has been spent on work conducted via its platform. This milestone highlights significant disruption taking place in the way businesses staff and in the way people work. Data also released today by oDesk underscores how online work is fulfilling increasing demand for specialized professionals. Startups especially are turning to online work as tech innovations make it easier to start a business from anywhere. This "rise of the rest" movement can be seen in data looking at where online hiring is happening, which shows rapid growth spanning from 100% to 1000% annually over the past two years in the top emerging startup communities outside of Silicon Valley.

"Work is no longer a place," said Gary Swart, CEO of oDesk. "Businesses are building flexible, distributed teams which create more economic opportunity for everyone. Online work is especially empowering startups in emerging hot spots, as the Internet connects them with the skilled professionals they need."

Announcement highlights:
oDesk released data that shows how it is transforming the world of work, including how a long tail of specialists is emerging online. For example:

• Online work is taking off -- $1 billion+ has been spent on oDesk alone.
• oDesk has more than four million registered freelancers today, and 2.6 million skills tests proving their expertise were completed in the last twelve months alone.
• A long tail of skills is emerging
  • In 2007 just four categories of skills represented 90% of spend on oDesk.
  • By 2012, 35 categories represented 90% of spend.
• Almost 2,400 skills were listed on oDesk in the last twelve months and this number continues to climb.
  
  

New data on U.S. hiring hot spots on oDesk shows where businesses are tapping into talent online:

• More than half (58%) of businesses hiring on oDesk classify themselves as startups. The availability of "talent-as-a-service" is empowering startups everywhere, by increasing flexible access to the skills they need for growth.
• Last year, startups in the West did the most hiring through oDesk ($104M) while the South came in a strong second ($63M), followed by the Northeast ($43M) and the Midwest ($22M).
• In 2012, the top five metro areas using oDesk to hire online workers were 1) the San Francisco Bay Area, California, 2) New York, New York, 3) Los Angeles, California, 4) Chicago, Illinois, and 5) Boston, Massachusetts.
• All reporting more than 100% annual growth each of the past two years at a minimum (and up to 1000% annual growth), the top five fastest-growing online hiring hotbeds are primarily locations affiliated with universities: 1) Amarillo, Texas, 2) Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 3) Chico, California, 4) Lubbock, Texas and 5) Wichita, Kansas.
  
  

Online work has arrived
This spring The Economist pronounced that "'talent exchanges' on the web are starting to transform the world of work."[1]

The online work market grew 67% in 2012, according to Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), and is expected to reach $2 billion by 2014. oDesk, ranked the market leader in SIA's "2012 Online Staffing Competitive Landscape Report," is the first company in the space to reach $1 billion cumulative in spend.

Says Swart: "Today, it's all about finding the right people to work together. Bringing the work to the worker via the Internet is quickly becoming the norm. Businesses want the best talent to ensure their competitiveness, and professionals want freedom and flexibility."

Previous work models restrict business success
According to Stanford Associate Professor and Director of oDesk Research Ramesh Johari, the biggest staffing friction for businesses has historically been finding an available worker with the skills needed. And despite a tight economy, there is widespread recognition that skills gaps still exist. In fact, 66% of multinational companies say "talent shortages are likely to affect their bottom line in the next 5 years."[2]

Online workplaces are creating a flexible, global community of businesses and professionals who can now work together to close these talent gaps.

On-demand access to skills is empowering businesses everywhere, especially startups
In addition to a growing number of enterprise companies, 58% of businesses hiring on oDesk classify themselves as startups[3]. These businesses are gaining access to the skills they may not otherwise be able to find or hire.

Many hiring on oDesk exemplify a new era of entrepreneurship -- coined by AOL co-founder Steve Case as the "rise of the rest" -- in which cloud computing is making it easier to start and grow businesses. Jeremiah Owyang of Altimeter Research defines oDesk's role in this entrepreneurial era as: "'talent-as-a-service,' offering virtual workers on-demand."[4] 

According to Case: "the 'rise of the rest' will play a key role driving economic growth and creating new jobs… Over the past three decades, startups created 40M American jobs, accounting for all the new job creation during that period."[5]

As businesses staff up online, a long tail market for specialized skills is emerging
Opening up access between businesses and freelancers everywhere is generating a long tail market for increasingly specialized skills. Popularized by Chris Anderson, the term "long tail" describes a business strategy of selling a large number of unique things with relatively small quantities sold of each. The Internet is an enabler of long tail markets, as suppliers of these more unique items are able to find demand.[6]

As work roles become more specialized, this increasingly "long tail" job market trend is highly evident on oDesk -- logical given the ability to find specialists online for specific project needs on-demand. While just four categories of skills represented 90% of spend on oDesk in 2007, 35 categories represented 90% of spend in 2012, with another 40+ categories growing quickly. A visualization of the long tail of specialized skills on oDesk is available here and more details on it are here.

Additional resources

• Full materials for this announcement are available here.
• For more information on online work in general, please also visit The oDesk Client Resource Center, launching today. The Resource Center includes:
  • A new ebook with guidance from businesses hiring online workers
  • Videos of oDesk clients sharing their personal best practices
  • A general online work FAQ
    
    

About oDesk
oDesk (www.oDesk.com) is the world's largest online workplace, enabling businesses and freelancers to work together on-demand via the Internet.

By using technology to remove the barriers of traditional hiring, oDesk's platform aligns businesses' talent needs with freelancers' desire to work when and where they want, on projects of their choosing. More than 35 million hours were worked on oDesk in 2012.

oDesk is a registered trademark of oDesk Corporation. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

[1] June 2013 issue
[2] A June 2012 study by the Economist Intelligence Unit
[3] oDesk 2012 Online Work Study
[4] Collaborative Economy Report, June 2013
[5] WSJ, February 2013
[6] Wikipedia "Long tail" entry, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail

FRAMINGHAM, MA--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - IDG's CIO Executive Council -- a member-led executive organization of global business leaders working to drive value from the intersection of business, information technology and strategy -- announces a new innovation workshop in partnership with Imaginatik plc (LSE: IMTK.L), a global leader in innovation management, at the CIO 100 Symposium on August 11, 2013. The workshop, entitled "The New CIO: Chief Innovation Officer," is offered exclusively to members of the CIO Executive Council and Pathways Leadership Development participants.

"With a renewed focus on innovation and transformation from CEOs, this an opportunity for the CIO to be the driver and amplify IT's C-suite relevance," said Pam Stenson, SVP and general manager of the CIO Executive Council. "We host a General Assembly for our member community every year at the CIO 100 event and are thrilled to be partnering with Imaginatik on this workshop to bring trusted, proven methods to our members."

Luis Solis, President of Imaginatik, will lead the interactive workshop program focused on the Current Innovation Maturity state of many IT organizations, the six faces of a Chief Innovation Officer, and a highly collaborative experience to help attendees determine personal next actions.

"Innovation is all about people, about leadership: it's about the CIO of the future, the Chief Innovation Officer," Solis said. "Our methodology will enable the CIO to gain decisive action from his or her management team and align with business peers so that growth and results are attained in reasonable timeframes."

"Our CIO members sit at the helm of constant technology disruption and will walk away from this workshop with a tailored action plan to accelerate their personal innovation development," said Stenson.

The private workshop kicks off the CIO 100 Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO on August 11, 2013 for CIO Executive Council members and complements the overall event theme of "Thriving in an Age of Disruptive Innovation." During the symposium, many of the CIO 100 award winners will offer their expertise on IT strategy, business model shifts and evolving customer needs. The event concludes on the evening of Tuesday, August 13, 2013 with the annual gala awards dinner and reception to celebrate the achievements of the CIO 100 winning companies.

Registration
There are a limited number of non-member passes for this exclusive session. Please reach out to Pam Stenson at pstenson@cio.com for more information. For further information about the speaker Luis Solis, visit www.linkedin.com/in/lfsolis.

Become a CIO Executive Council Member
To learn more about the CIO Executive Council and how to become a member, visit council.cio.com/join-us/ or call +1 508-766-5696.

About Imaginatik
Imaginatik® is the world's first full-service innovation firm with 17 years of experience building innovation into a sustainable competence at some of the world's largest and most respected companies. Through a mix of consulting and advisory, hands-on innovation projects and program management, and award-winning enterprise software platform, Imaginatik helps clients develop innovation capability into a permanent competitive advantage. Imaginatik is the trusted partner of leading organizations including Blue Cross Blue Shield, CSC, Ladbrokes, The World Bank, Cargill, Mayo Clinic, The Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, HCA, Windsor Foods, Dow Chemical, and Goodyear.

Imaginatik is a public company whose shares are traded on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE: IMTK.L) and is a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer with offices in Boston, MA, and Fareham, UK. For more information visit www.imaginatik.com.

About the CIO Executive Council
CIO Executive Council is a member-led executive organization of global business leaders working to drive value from the intersection of business, information technology and strategy. Through peer reliance, collaboration and outreach, members apply the knowledge, insights and best practices of their peers to the success of their enterprises and their own personal achievement. Launched in April 2004, by the parent organization of CIO magazine, the Council is comprised of hundreds of the world's leading chief information officers. To learn more about CIO Executive Council, please visit their website at http://council.cio.com/. CIO Executive Council is part of IDG Enterprise, an International Data Group company. Company information is available at http://idgenterprise.com/.

Follow CIO Executive Council on Twitter: @cioec

SAN FRANCISCO, CA and BEIJING--(Marketwired - August 5, 2013) - Yodo1 (www.yodo1.com), a leading publisher of Western smartphone games to China's 500 million iOS/Android market, today officially announced it will also publish select games to the global mobile market as well. In mid-September, mobile gamers around the world will get a chance to play Yodo's first global title: Cavemania, an innovative "match three meets Age of Empires" game from BonusXP, the Dallas studio led by veteran game developers Dave Pottinger, John Evanson, and Jason Sallenbach. The trio made their mark as leads and directors on the classic Age of Empires along with Halo Wars and other hit titles.

Cavemania heralds Yodo1's expansion from publishing games in China, where it's already earned 50 million players in under a year, to the world's other top smartphone markets, including the US and Canada, Japan, across the EU, Korea, Southeast Asia, and Russia. Starting mid-September with Cavemania, gamers can get Yodo1's free-to-play games in these markets and others via Apple's App Store, and for Android via Google Play and the Amazon Appstore. As with its China-published games, Yodo1 will partner as co-developers with selected studios to optimize their games' monetization channels, handle the app store submission process, share in the design/artistic/programming resources, and aggressively market these apps through media outlets, social media, cross-promotion, and partner advertising networks. Yodo1 global publishing is led by Jung Suh, lead developer of several hit iOS games, co-founder of Gamefly, and former executive with Activision and Electronic Arts. Game developers worldwide are now welcome to submit their titles for consideration on Yodo1's new website through the contact page.

"We designed Cavemania's irreverent style to pull people in, but the strategic depth and replay value seal the deal," says Dave Pottinger, explaining why his studio chose Yodo1 as the game's publisher. "BonusXP is full of dedicated, passionate people. The whole Yodo1 team won us over by loving Cavemania as much as we do. Henry and Jung share our 'GAME COMES FIRST' focus and made us feel like part of their family, which is all too rare in this business."

Yodo1 CEO and co-founder Henry Fong believes Cavemania is a fresh new variation on the match three game that stands a very good chance of gaining both mid-core and casual players: "We've seen a lot of variations on the match three genre with jewels, candy, and so on," says Fong, "So we love how the BonusXP team re-imagined that mechanic by adding resource management, playable heroes, combat, and a lot of other features which made Age of Empires so great."

This announcement comes as Yodo1 shoots past 50 million active users in the China market, just 12 months after launching its publishing platform, and releasing over 40 hit titles in China, including Chinese editions of Cut the Rope: Time Travel from Zeptolab and Ski Safari from Defiant Development, which currently rank in China's top app charts. (Full list of Yodo1-published hits here, under "Hits & Featured Games".) 

"We've learned a lot about the China market to reach 50 million players in less than a year," says Yodo1 CEO Henry Fong. "With a user growth run rate of over 10 million new players per month, we're eager to apply our knowledge and platform on a global level."

Yodo1's platform includes Kryptanium, the company's proprietary Games-as-a-Service community SDK, which enables developers (both publishing partners and third party developers) to create, manage, and grow their userbase through discussion boards, screenshot sharing, notifications, rewards, and cross-promotion, all within the same in-game experience. Already used by several closed beta developers to grow their games' engagement rates, Kryptanium goes into open beta very soon -- go here to the Kryptanium.com site for more information and to request early invite access.

After Cavemania, Yodo1 will publish many other titles to Android and iOS app stores worldwide, including a new multi-touch physics combat game, a tower defense PvP hybrid, and a multi-touch hardcore arcade shooter -- more details on each coming very soon.

About Yodo1
Yodo1 is a leading publishing platform which helps game developers gain traction and monetize in China and everywhere else mobile games are played. Staffed by a team of experienced engineers, creative artists, game designers, and global market experts, Yodo1's platform includes Kryptanium, an in-game community SDK for developers who want to sustain growth and engagement. Yodo1 has co-developed hit titles with leading game developers including ZeptoLab (Russia), Robot Entertainment (Texas), XMG Studio (Toronto), Defiant Development (Australia), and HandyGames (Germany). Founded in 2011, Yodo1 is based in Beijing with a presence in San Francisco. For more information, please visit www.yodo1.com and follow Yodo1 on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yodo1

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - August 6, 2013) - TRADESHIFT has signed an agreement with the Lear Corporation as part of a large shared services transformation project. Lear will start by rolling out TRADESHIFT's latest app, Collaborative Workflow, to select regions, revolutionizing how the company's employees are able to work with each other and with suppliers.

The TRADESHIFT platform allows large global corporations, like Lear, to connect with their entire supply chain to conduct better, more efficient business. Apps developed by TRADESHIFT, their customers and even third parties allow these enterprises and their suppliers to bring countless business processes online including e-invoicing, payments, logistics, workflow and more.

"More and more multinationals are looking for ways to bring the different branches of their global companies together on one platform. As more governments begin to mandate e-invoicing and other business processes, having a unified solution that works across borders will be critical. Lear understands this and by working with the TRADESHIFT platform they'll be able to ensure compliance and scalability in every region they do business," commented TRADESHIFT CEO, Christian Lanng. 

In nearly a century, Lear Corporation has stormed the Fortune 500 to become a leading manufacturer and supplier of automotive seating and electrical power management systems. With 113,000 employees and 221 locations in 36 countries, it faces the challenges that a lot of global enterprises are confronting today. And TRADESHIFT provides the answer.

With Mexico's January 1, 2014 CFDI mandate looming, and other countries following suit, multinationals everywhere are evaluating the best solutions for meeting the complex compliance regulations. TRADESHIFT ensures documents sent and received on the platform meet these standards and are compliant with the CFDI format.

TRADESHIFT will begin the implementation and onboarding of Lear's suppliers throughout North America and Mexico. These suppliers will join the 500,000 companies already connected on the TRADESHIFT platform today.

About TRADESHIFT

TRADESHIFT is platform for all your business interactions. It helps companies run more efficiently by harnessing the power of their network to create new value from old processes like invoicing, payments and workflow.

Launched in 2010, TRADESHIFT connects 500,000 companies across 190 countries, with over ten thousand more joining every month. Businesses on the platform include the National Health Service (NHS), DHL, French Government, Kuehne+Nagel, MITIE and Vestas Wind Systems.

TRADESHIFT was awarded Best Enterprise at The TechCrunch Europa awards and Most Innovative Solution by Financial-I. TechCrunch also recognised it for "Kicking Ass Globally".

About Lear Corporation
Lear Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of automotive seating and electrical power management systems. The Company's world-class products are designed, engineered and manufactured by a diverse team of approximately 113,000 employees located in 36 countries. Lear's headquarters are in Southfield, Michigan, and Lear is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol (LEA). Further information about Lear is available at lear.com.

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - August 6, 2013) - Epazz, Inc. (OTCQB: EPAZ), a leading provider of cloud based business software solutions, announced today that the Company is moving quickly forward with the Project Human Mobile Power spinoff. Epazz is currently working with a Patent attorney to file for a patent pending status.

Project Human Power is a project to develop a mobile power device that allows iPhone and other smartphone users to power up their phone on the go without needing an outlet or a second battery.

With regard to growth initiatives, Epazz is actively pursuing acquisitions that are already cash flow positive. Over the last 2 years, the Company has completed two acquisitions and is currently in process of completing a third. The strategy going forward is to continue making accretive acquisitions and spin each one off into its own publicly traded company with a dividend being paid to shareholders. Epazz is in negotiations to acquire several other B2B software companies as part of its long-term strategic growth plan to acquire profitable B2B software companies.

Shaun Passley, CEO of Epazz, stated, "We have been working hard on both the business end and the public company end to bring Project Flex, our first spin off project, to fruition. Our Company is at a point now that we can begin announcing things like dates and percentages as well as other significant information. Project Flex and Project Human Power are going to make a big difference to our bottom line and for our shareholders."

About Epazz Inc. (www.epazz.com)

Epazz Inc. is a leading cloud based software company that specializes in providing customized cloud applications to the corporate world, higher education institutions and the public sector. Epazz BoxesOS™ v3.0 is the complete business web-based software package for small to mid-size businesses, Fortune 500 enterprises, government agencies, and higher education institutions. BoxesOS provides many of the web-based applications organizations would have to otherwise buy separately. Epazz's other products are AgentPower™, a workforce management software, and AutoHire™, an applicant tracking system.

SAFE HARBOR

"Safe Harbor" statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements contained in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking statements such as "may," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" (or the negative thereof) or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risk, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from future results or implied by such forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Epazz assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements and takes no obligation to update or correct information prepared by third parties that is not paid for by Epazz. Investors are encouraged to review Epazz's public filings on SEC.gov, including its unaudited and audited financial statements, and its Registration Statement, Form 10-K's and Form 10-Q's, which contain general business information about the Company's operations, results of operations and risks associated with the Company and its operations. Penny stock picks need to be research. Do your homework. Please review all of our filings.

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - August 6, 2013) -   Ignite Sales Inc., the leader in retail banking customer acquisition and retention technology, today announced a new service that automatically syncs qualified sales leads and valuable lead intelligence generated by Ignite's Recommendation Guides into Salesforce.com. Sales teams quickly receive highly qualified leads with the information they need to open new accounts and put customers into the right products. 

The Ignite Sales-Salesforce.com integration connects the processes and tasks that previously were managed in separate, disconnected platforms, giving sales management an effective way to manage and track the highly qualified leads generated by Ignite's Recommendation Guides. From within Salesforce.com, sales and executive teams can view the detailed customer intelligence collected at the point-of-sale from the Recommendation Guides into their current targeted market. Executives can use Ignite's Analytics Dashboard to:

• determine profitability based on customer eligibility by channel,
• manage sales performance in the branch, online, and within the customer service center,
• find out which products perform and which products do not.

Alternatively, the data can be imported into other analytics solutions for further analysis.

"Retail banking has never had to focus on a comprehensive sales process. However, now that the market has become increasingly competitive, banks need a lead generation tool like Ignite's as well as a proven CRM system such as Salesforce.com to track those leads through the entire sales process," said Mitchell Orlowsky, CEO at Ignite Sales.

Delivered as a service, Ignite's Recommendation Guides and Eligibility Analytics platform matches banking products and services to customer needs and eligibility in real-time at the point-of-sale in all channels. The Eligibility Analytics is used to compare product recommendations and account openings and therefore track the gap between the two. The analytics are also used to conduct predictive analysis based on Eligibility data. Data is obtained using several unique and patented algorithms gathering input from the user, banking product thresholds, and specialized banking data based on over 3,000,000 data points on actual purchasing behavior of bank customers have been collected during a 10 year period.

Ignite's solution has also been integrated into FIS Customer Relationship Management solution and Avidian Profit CRM solution. Click here to learn more.

About Ignite Sales
Ignite Sales Inc. is changing the way retail banks sell products and service their customers. Ignite's services combines a recommendation platform with powerful analytics that matches products to customer eligibility in real-time at the point-of-sale. American National Bank of Texas (ANBTX), Comerica, Fifth Third Bank, Sovereign/Santander, SunTrust and Wells Fargo & Company are just a few of the retail banks that are using Ignite to increase customer acquisition, increase customer retention and optimize profitability. Ignite Sales is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

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