On August 1, 2006, the Insurance Accounting and Systems Association (IASA) will begin accepting presentations which will be evaluated for possible inclusion in the educational offerings at the 2007 IASA Annual Educational Conference & Business Show.  Individuals, member companies and industry volunteers can submit potential topics and suggested speakers on the IASA website, www.iasa.org, via the "Call for Papers" link.  The deadline for submissions is September 1, 2006.

IASA 2007 will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from June 3 - 6, 2007.  This annual event attracts more than 3,000 accounting, technology and financial services professionals who work for, or are affiliated with, the insurance industry.  IASA 2007 will provide educational sessions for attendees in four broad categories: Accounting, Finance, Technology and Career Skills Development.  For a list of the 2006 sessions that were recently offered in Boston, please go to www.iasa.org/annual conference.

IASA strives to enhance the knowledge of insurance industry professionals, and participants from similar organizations closely allied with the insurance industry, by facilitating the exchange of ideas and information.  As a result, the goal for these presentations is to provide attendees with an opportunity to learn by sharing real-life examples from leaders within the insurance and financial services industry.  Presentations must include participation from insurance company professionals to be considered for inclusion in the 2007 program.

The following details must be included with each presentation submission:

Name of topic

Contact information

Description of topic

Target audience

Sessions that are selected for inclusion will be announced in November of this year to give all scheduled presenters time to prepare for the Minneapolis event.

For more information about the "Call for Papers" Program, please contact Gina Jolly via email at gjolly@iasa.org or via phone at (919) 489-0991 (x204).

About IASA

The Insurance Accounting & Systems Association, Inc. (IASA) is a non-profit, education association that strives to enhance the knowledge of insurance industry professionals, and participants from similar organizations closely allied with the insurance industry by facilitating the exchange of ideas and information. IASA is the insurance industry's largest, and most well represented trade association. IASA membership includes insurance companies of all types (Property & Casualty, Life, Health, Fraternal, HMO and others) as members, as well as companies serving the insurance industry, regulators and also organizations more broadly representative of the financial services industry, including banks and investment brokerage firms. Learn more about the IASA by visiting our website at www.iasa.org or by calling (919) 489-0991.

Read Full Article

Huntersville, NC - Effective immediately, COSS Corporation President John Lundsten has assumed the role of Chairman, Chief Architect.  Chief Operating Officer Joe Herrmann has replaced Lundsten as President.  For Lundsten, the "new" role is more like a return to his roots as company founder and visionary developer of COSS' innovative systems.

In 2007, COSS will celebrate its 20th year as a specialty provider of illustration and point-of-sale systems for the insurance and financial services industries, a milestone few software developers ever reach.

Under Lundsten's leadership, COSS grew from a two-man start-up to an international industry leader with offices in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia.  "John has always been the innovative force behind COSS' systems," said Herrmann.  "As Chief Architect, we will leverage his considerable creative talents to envision and drive the next generation of COSS' product offerings."

Lundsten laid the groundwork for the leadership transition early in 2006, with the appointment of an executive management team comprised of COO Herrmann, Chief Marketing Officer Julian (Jay) Stevens and Chief Technology Officer Mathew Clark.  "This would not be possible without such great leaders in place," he said.

Joe Herrmann joined COSS in 1994 with 24 years' executive-level experience in major insurance groups.  As Chief Operating Officer, he managed resource allocation and partner/subsidiary relationships, and provided valued client counsel in the successful field and home-office implementation of COSS software.

"The road ahead for COSS is as bright as ever," stated Lundsten.  "Our business and our technical leadership have never been stronger, and we are well positioned for great success in the years ahead."

New Contact Information:

John L. Lundsten, FLMI Chairman and Chief Architect (704) 948-4103 johnl@coss.com	Joseph Herrmann, CPCU, CLU, ChFC, FLMI President (704) 948-4103 joeh@coss.com

About COSS:

COSS Development Corporation is an employee-owned technology company serving the financial services industry with point-of-sale solutions.  Founded in 1987 with offices in Wisconsin, North Carolina and Georgia, COSS offers a complete suite of solutions, including product illustrations, hypotheticals, historical illustrations, asset allocation, needs analysis, advanced marketing, wealth distribution planning, intelligent forms and interactive agent training.  COSS provides Web and desktop solutions in both the .NET and J2EE environments.

For more information about COSS Development Corporation, contact:

David J. Ruggerio
Director of Marketing
daver@coss.com
P:  704-948-4103
F:  704-987-1228
9820 NorthCross Center Court
Huntersville, NC 28078
www.coss.com

Read Full Article

Streamlines processes while complying with all government mandates   

Enterprise information management (EIM) software solutions provider Alero TechnologyT announces Alero Electronic Document Warehouse product. Comprising of Alero's high performance and scalable repository, business process management, compliant storage, and electronic signature management, Alero Electronic Document Warehouse enables financial institutions of all sizes to meet strict government and industry regulations by providing them with a compliance-ready vault.

"Every document this solution manages complies with industry and government regulations for creation, storage, management, retrieval, retention, and disposition--from the moment the document is created to the moment that it is destroyed," Maurice Correa Alero Technology CEO says.

According to a Gartner Research report:

The growing complexity and interdependence of the global economy means that businesses will have to comply with more demands for compliance in the future, rather than less. Although the thought of more regulations is daunting, the real challenge is that companies have tended to respond to each new compliance mandate as an individual project, rather than as part of a proactive compliance program based on sustainable processes.

Excelling in the banking industry, Alero is the enterprise information management software of choice for numerous prominent financial institutions including: Korea First Bank, Bank of Tokyo, Woori Bank, ShinHan Bank and many others.

"I'm thrilled Alero has created a banking compliance solution based on a compliance-ready vault where documents, once placed under the management of this solution, are compliant regardless of the specifics of the government regulation, country, or market where the organization resides," Alero Technology client and SpenCom IT Consulting founder Kay Lee says. "This solution turns compliance from a large, government or industry imposed expense into an opportunity to streamline processes, efficiency, and productivity at the enterprise level."

Alero Electronic Document Warehouse is comprised of the following modules:

-          The Alero repository -- provides a singular virtual repository that can be comprised of any number of repositories of the same or different type and has one central point of configuration, administration and operation, scaling servers, databases, vendors and data. 

-          The Alero process -- essential to compliance by providing the ability to create sustainable processes that promote efficiency and productivity as well as accountability. 

-          The Alero Content Management -- delivers support for storage devices and appliances from multiple manufacturers that promote compliance by protecting the content from invasive, non authorized applications and/or individuals.

-          The Alero Electronic Signature Management -- protects content by assigning a key to each of the files.  Only authorized users with the correct key will be able to work with the files.

"This out-of-the-box solution provides organizations with the flexibility, reliability and high transaction capability required to meet even the most complex requirements," Lee says.

About Alero Technology

Alero Technology is a pioneer in the enterprise information management (EIM) arena and a global provider of software solutions. The company's AleroT products line combines enterprise content integration, enterprise information integration, enterprise content, and business process technologies under a single, uniform solution. Designed to manage any information in a production-level transaction processing environment, Alero Technology's EIM development framework can be integrated and embedded into existing business applications or deployed as complete out-of-the-box solutions, speeding deployment and reducing development costs. The solutions are developed on a J2EE, XML, Unicode and service-oriented architecture (SOA). Alero Technology is a privately held company with headquarters in San Diego, CA.  www.alerotech.com

Read Full Article

Upgraded core features .NET architecture, Shared Application Framework and end-user navigational improvements

Open Solutions Inc.^® (NASDAQ: OPEN), a provider of integrated enabling technologies for financial service providers across the United States, Canada and international markets, announced the availability of the latest version of its relational core data processing application The Complete Banking Solution^® (TCBS) and The Complete Credit Union Solution^®(TCCUS) - release 2006.1. This latest release further enhances Open Solutions' advanced open platform by exploiting the strength of its unique universal data model, its customer/member-centric processes and adds additional functionality to further Open Solutions' goal of making its open platform one of the standards in the world.

This new release of Open Solutions' system incorporates the latest version of the Microsoft .NET platform (v2.0), further improving scalability and security as well as interfacing to a "Smart Client" design. The .NET architecture offers the ability to separate the system applications into multiple tiers to improve program performance and reduce deployment time.

St. Louis-based Aerospace Credit Union, with $160 million in assets, 3 branches and approximately 27,000 members, is beta testing this release of The Complete Credit Union Solution. "The system has an entirely new look and feel," Kaye McMullin, Process Improvement/Applications manager of Aerospace Credit Union. "It's going to save time and make our daily operations more efficient by reducing the amount of clicks and the number of screens we have to access. The single sign-on feature is another important, timesaving aspect of this upgrade. This new version has far exceeded our expectations. I feel our staff will embrace the changes. Once they see it and begin to maneuver through the programs, they will realize how much time they're saving."

This release introduces Shared Application Framework (SAF), which is designed to allow for the connectivity of all Open Solutions products. In addition, the new release offers improved navigation and workflow, a simplified single sign-on, improved screen design and layout as well as an overall simplified delivery of applications. The underlying functionality remains unchanged - the release further builds upon the great strength of Open Solutions' powerful relational database model, improves feature functionality and processing capabilities and makes the system even easier to use.

"We expect this release will provide our clients with a more enhanced and more streamlined positive end user experience," said Esther D'Albero, director, Financial Product Management. "Because enhanced functionality, improved navigation and help wizards make the system more intuitive, we believe employee training should be minimized. The functionality and the processing behind the scenes are the same."

This release introduces Open Solutions' clients to an updated and improved look and feel. Each redesigned screen contains the product title bar, a navigation bar, a banner area, the work area, left and right side slide out panels, a processing task bar and a status bar.

"One of the benefits of working with Open Solutions is the opportunity to encourage change and make recommendations for workflow and process improvement," McMullin said. "We get instant support, and Open Solutions is with us every step of the way. We also have the opportunity to correspond with other bank and credit union beta testers and learn from each other."

"We reduced the number of screens by 60 percent, thus reducing processing time for the thousands of financial institution front line employees who use the system each day," D'Albero said. "We were able to consolidate the process and offer increased functionality within one screen because of the tools offered by the .NET architecture."

Version 2006.1 offers numerous navigational improvements and wizards. The wizards deliver workflow processing related to functions such as creating new persons or organizations, opening deposit and loan accounts, opening retirement plans and teller balancing.

Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Piedmont Federal, with $850 million in assets and 11 branches, is beta testing The Complete Banking Solution. "Part of being a beta tester for Open Solutions is self-serving; the learning opportunities are so much greater," said Mike Hauser, senior vice president, Operations of Piedmont Federal. "As our employees learn the system, they learn more about their own job as well. In today's world, the better your software and the better you understand it, the more you can deliver to your customers. Being a beta tester is also a commitment to the ongoing enhancement of our product. When Open Solutions is successful, it trickles down to our customers."

"Our 2006.1 release takes our industry proven data model and further adds to its functionality thus setting the future direction for our processing operations and hopefully for the industry for many years to come," said Mike Nicastro, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Open Solutions. "The value of our platform is not only what we've developed today, but what we've developed for the future. We will be integrating all our strategic products so they will all be one click away."

Finally, comprehensive system user documentation is available through the completely redesigned help function. Readily available on each screen, the help menu guides users through the manual.

"The Quality Assurance staff we work with at Open Solutions are a great group of people," Hauser said. "When you call them, they want to listen. You get a real sense of their commitment to getting their product right. Another benefit to being a beta tester comes from the weekly phone meetings with other banks involved in the beta testing. It's helpful to hear their experiences and I have made some excellent contacts who I can call on anytime during the year. There's a real bond between us."

"The delivery of this release is the culmination of almost two years of planning and development," said Louis Hernandez, Jr., chairman and CEO of Open Solutions. "We're pleased to continue our efforts in striving to set the standard in the industry and we are extremely excited to bring our clients a continually enhanced product-line that further allows us to better meet their financial services needs. We believe that this product is unlike anything else available in the industry. Open Solutions is dedicated to delivering a truly intuitive enterprise-wide data processing platform and ensuring through research and development that the system continually improves."

About Open Solutions Inc.
Open Solutions Inc. offers a fully featured strategic product platform that integrates core data processing applications built on a single centralized Oracle relational database, with Internet banking, cash management, CRM/business intelligence, financial accounting tools, imaging, Check 21, document imaging, interactive voice response, network services, Web hosting and design, and payment and loan origination solutions. Open Solutions' full suite of products and services allows banks, thrifts, and credit unions and financial service providers in the United States, Canada and internationally to better compete in today's aggressive financial services marketplace, and expand and tap their trusted financial relationships, client affinity, community presence and personalized service.

For more information about Open Solutions or its financial product line, contact Mickey Goldwasser by email at mgoldwasser@opensolutions.com by phone at 860.652.3153 or via fax at 860.652.3156. Visit Open Solutions' Internet site at www.opensolutions.com.

Read Full Article

Sony Ericsson M600 and P990 are the First UIQ 3.0 Smartphones to Ship with Integrated Exchange ActiveSync Technology

DataViz announced a partnership with Sony Ericsson to provide Exchange ActiveSync connectivity for Sony Ericsson's new Symbian OS based UIQ 3.0 smartphones, both the M600 and P990. The Exchange ActiveSync mailbox and synchronization engine included on these new smartphones is powered by DataViz' RoadSync which provides secure, wireless and "Direct Push" synchronization of corporate e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments from Exchange Server 2003. Both DataViz and Sony Ericsson are official licensees of the Exchange ActiveSync protocol from Microsoft.

According to industry analyst firm, The Radicati Group, 33% of corporations worldwide currently use Microsoft Exchange as their insourced corporate messaging solution, and this market share is anticipated to rise to 39% by 2009. Additionally, by 2009, the corporate wireless e-mail install base is projected to increase from 6.5 million to 123 million*. Given the expected growth of both corporate Exchange mailboxes along with corporate wireless e-mail, the inclusion of Exchange ActiveSync functionality allows Sony Ericsson and DataViz to deliver an integrated push e-mail solution for more enterprise customers who rely on Exchange for their messaging needs.
 
"As more enterprises take advantage of the mobility features built directly into Exchange Server 2003, our RoadSync technology provides the M600 and P990 with essentially the same level of push synchronization of Windows Mobile 5 equipped handsets that have the Messaging & Security Feature Pack installed," said Rob Hoxie, Director of Business Development for DataViz, Inc. "Sony Ericsson's new devices offer a quality brand, user-friendly experience and enterprise-grade functionality which we believe will be highly popular and help to extend Exchange ActiveSync and push e-mail to more corporate customers."

"Secure mobile access to e-mail, calendar and other business data are core requirements for mobile professionals who need to maintain communication with clients and colleagues while out of the office," said Henrik Voigt, Director, Head of Enterprise Solutions, Sony Ericsson. "Working closely with DataViz has allowed us to achieve a tight integration of Exchange ActiveSync functionality into our portfolio of smartphones and solutions."

About DataViz' Exchange ActiveSync Solution
The integrated Exchange ActiveSync mailbox and synchronization engine included with the M600 and P990 is based on DataViz' RoadSync solution. Using the Exchange ActiveSync protocol licensed directly from Microsoft, RoadSync provides secure, wireless and "Direct Push" synchronization of corporate e-mail, calendar, contacts and attachments - all in one affordable, scalable and easy-to-manage package. In addition to significantly enhancing end-user productivity, RoadSync simultaneously lowers IT costs by providing an easy to implement mobile e-mail strategy which eliminates the need for middleware servers and subscription fees.

Customers who purchase an M600 and P990 can register their ActiveSync client with DataViz.  More information can be found at www.dataviz.com/roadsyncse .

About DataViz, Inc.
DataViz is an industry leader in developing and marketing Office compatibility and productivity solutions across a variety of platforms including Palm OS, Symbian OS, Java, Windows Mobile, Windows and Macintosh. Founded in 1984, DataViz began its business developing file conversion software and has since expanded its expertise to providing solutions that meet the increasing demands of the handheld and mobile markets. With solutions that include its award-winning mobile Office suite, Documents To Go, and wireless Outlook synchronization solution, RoadSync, DataViz is committed to providing premium solutions that mobilize 'Microsoft Office' for today's knowledge workers and provide instant access to critical files and business data. DataViz is a member of Nokia Forum Pro, Palm's Plugged-In Developer's program, Sony Ericsson Core+ developer's program and is a Microsoft Certified Partner, Symbian Platinum Partner and Orange Partner Premium member. In addition, the company has developed strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Palm, Sony, Apple, Sony Ericsson and other industry leaders both domestically and abroad.

Read Full Article

Deploys SunGard's ASP Solution for Portfolio Management

SunGard (www.sungard.com) announced that M.D. Sass, a leading multi-discipline investment management firm with approximately $8 billion in assets under management, went live this month on IMpower (www.sungard.com/impower), SunGard's ASP solution for portfolio managers. 

A SunGard customer for more than 20 of its 34 years in business, M.D. Sass has continually leveraged its partnership with SunGard.  This partnership served as an important factor in M.D. Sass' choice of IMpower to support the firm's portfolio management functions.  M.D. Sass employs a wide array of IMpower functionality including: investment accounting, portfolio reporting, trade order management and allocation, compliance, and performance measurement calculation and reporting.

"IMpower provides the power and flexibility to meet our firm's unique accounting and reporting needs, helping us to deliver superior service and investment products," said Martin D. Sass chief executive officer of M.D. Sass.  "SunGard's expertise and dedication to our implementation were critical in allowing us to circumvent traditional deployment challenges.  M.D. Sass is pleased to continue its partnership with SunGard."

"M.D. Sass' selection of IMpower attests to the functional strength of the product and the firm's confidence in the service and support that SunGard will provide," said Doug Morgan, president of SunGard's investment systems business unit.  "SunGard is proud of our long-standing customer relationships and looks forward to extending its support of M.D. Sass well into the future."

About M.D. Sass

Founded in 1972 by Martin Sass, M.D. Sass has been a leading name in investment management for over thirty years. Today M.D. Sass employs a staff of over 90 people and clients include some of the world's largest financial institutions, state and local governments, Fortune 500 and other corporations, endowment funds, foundations, Taft Hartley funds and high net worth individuals.

About IMpower

A multi-faceted processing solution for investment management firms, IMpower provides portfolio management, trading, accounting, performance measurement and reporting. Firms use IMpower's real-time processing features to support investment decision-making. They rely on its global, multifunctional capabilities to process international investments. And they leverage its straight-through processing to integrate front- and back-office functions, help simplify workflow and speed settlement cycles.

About SunGard

With annual revenue of $4 billion, SunGard is a global leader in software and processing solutions for financial services, higher education and the public sector.  SunGard also helps information-dependent enterprises of all types to ensure the continuity of their business.  SunGard serves more than 25,000 customers in more than 50 countries, including the world's 50 largest financial services companies.  Visit SunGard at www.sungard.com.

Read Full Article

                    About INSTEC

Read Full Article

PGP Corporation, a global leader in enterprise data security and encryption solutions, announced that HSBC, one of the world's largest banks, has chosen PGP UniversalT Series 500 Gateway as part of its core business solution to enhance the level of protection over the corporation's global email communications. The product will provide HSBC with additional assurances over the privacy of confidential information and customer data shared with customers and business partners via email and meet the latest information security regulatory requirements.

Data protection regulations such as the UK Data Protection Act, the European Union Data Privacy Directive, and California Senate Bill 1386 require that organizations implement internal controls to prevent unauthorized access to confidential customer and company data. "As a global enterprise, HSBC has to comply with many different information security regulations," said Stephanie Daman, Head of Information Assurance at HSBC. "We chose PGP Universal because it is trusted globally by business customers and can be adapted to meet the various regulatory requirements."

About PGP Universal

PGP Universal automatically secures confidential email with PGP encryption and digital signatures at the gateway, based on centrally defined policy. The encryption is completely transparent to the user, and email is automatically encrypted to match recipients' encryption capabilities.

About the PGP® Encryption Platform 

Based on a unified key management and policy infrastructure, the PGP Encryption Platform offers the broadest set of integrated applications for enterprise data security. The platform enables organizations to meet current needs and expand as security requirements evolve for email, laptops, desktops, instant messaging, PDAs, FTP, bulk data transfers, backups, and shared files on network storage. By implementing the PGP Encryption Platform, organizations can reduce security infrastructure complexity, lower maintenance costs, and realize a strong return on investment.

About HSBC Holdings plc

HSBC Holdings plc serves over 125 million customers worldwide through some 9,500 offices in 76 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, the Middle East and Africa. With assets of US$1,502 billion at 31 December 2005, HSBC is one of the world's largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as 'the world's local bank'.

Through an international network linked by advanced technology, including a rapidly growing
e-commerce capability, HSBC provides a comprehensive range of financial services: personal financial services; commercial banking; corporate, investment banking and markets; private banking; and other activities.

About PGP Corporation

PGP solutions are used by more than 30,000 enterprises, businesses, and governments worldwide, including 84 percent of the Fortune® 100 and 66 percent of the Fortune® Global 100. As a result, PGP Corporation has earned a global reputation for innovative, standards-based, and trusted solutions. PGP solutions help protect confidential information, secure customer data, achieve regulatory and audit compliance, and safeguard companies' brands and reputations. Contact PGP Corporation at www.pgp.com or +1-650-319-9000.

Read Full Article

ChoicePoint (NYSE: CPS) announced the acquisition of certain assets of California-based ePolicy, Inc., including the industry-leading ePolicy Solutions RightRisk^TM product line.  Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

ePolicy provides a comprehensive set of administration solutions for commercial insurance carriers, all of which are adaptable and configurable to customer platform requirements with quick and simple integrations.  ePolicy's products are designed to improve "time to market" for new products as well as deliver immediate and long-term competitive advantage by improving business agility.

"The acquisition of ePolicy is a strong complement to our suite of solutions for the insurance market," said Tony Reisz, vice president and general manager of ChoicePoint`s Insurity division.  "In addition to strengthening our market reach, it will help further our ability to address the growing needs of customers seeking customizable, tools-based solutions and `best in class' approaches.  The ePolicy team brings experience and a strong reputation in the marketplace to our insurance services business."

ePolicy's products will be offered within ChoicePoint's Insurance Decisions suite of business process improvement products and services for property and casualty insurance sold through the company's Insurity division.  Insurance Decisions incorporates processing applications onto one Web service platform, which provides effective decision support in the insurance value chain for policy, claims and reporting decisions.

"The ePolicy acquisition offers a unique opportunity to enhance the Insurance Decisions suite of offerings, bringing enhanced flexibility and advanced technology to the existing policy, claims and reporting administration solutions, especially for customers that want a tools-based solution," said Billy McCarter, a former ePolicy executive who joins ChoicePoint as part of the acquisition.  "Together, we'll be able to build upon our combined experience, product vision, implementation expertise, stability and well-respected brands to drive success."

The transaction is not expected to have a material impact on ChoicePoint's financial results or to be dilutive to earnings.

ChoicePoint (NYSE: CPS) helps businesses, government agencies and nonprofit organizations make better decisions through information and technology solutions. Each year, ChoicePoint helps more than seven million people get the jobs they deserve and more than 100 million people get fairly priced home and auto insurance. Small businesses can obtain affordable commercial insurance because of our products. Businesses grow revenue with our marketing services and cut costs through our authentication and anti-fraud tools. Government agencies use our data and technology to fulfill their missions in all parts of the world. Visit www.choicepoint.com for more information.

About ePolicy, Inc.

With state-of-the-art Web-based technology services, ePolicy, Inc. helps clients become more competitive while streamlining their business processes, and provides businesses with a range of products to automate the rate, quote, bind and issue insurance processes. Its capabilities include fully configurable screens, workflows, business rules, insurance tasks and data models, making it a leader in providing solutions that satisfy the insurance industry's need for comprehensive flexibility and rapid time to market. Visit www.epolicy.com for more

Read Full Article

Internet software and collaboration tools for growing business now allows users to keep using Outlook, yet share calendars, contacts, documents, and tasks both with and without Microsoft Exchange

HyperOffice (http://www.hyperoffice.com) today introduced HyperShare for Outlook, software tools that make it easier
for growing-business owners, employees, clients, partners and suppliers to work together as a team, plan projects, share and edit documents, schedule meetings, and stay connected via email - without the cost and complexity of Microsoft Exchange.

Built into HyperOffice at no added cost, HyperShare extends the power of Outlook and operates as an alternative to  Microsoft Exchange.

For companies using Outlook but not yet sharing calendars, contacts, documents and tasks, HyperShare for Outlook delivers the communication and collaboration tools that growing organizations need -- POP3, SMTP, Web mail, shared calendaring, shared address books,  document management and support for Outlook, Netscape, Thunderbird, Eudora and other email clients - without the pain of buying, installing and maintaining Microsoft Exchange.

For growing organizations tired of paying for, upgrading, patching and supporting Microsoft Exchange, HyperShare for Outlook migrates all user data and settings from Microsoft Exchange and offers all Microsoft Exchange functionality for a fraction of the cost.  And, HyperOffice also co-exists and synchronizes with Microsoft Exchange.  This unique configuration enables a business to operate and insulate Exchange behind a corporate firewall, yet also extend HyperOffice as a secure extranet in order to collaborate with suppliers and contractors by synchronizing contacts, calendars, notes and tasks; home, office and laptop computers; mobile and wireless users.

"A lot of people use Outlook. It's the default," said Farzin Arsanjani, president and co-founder of HyperOffice. "But they break out in a cold sweat if they want to share calendars, contacts, documents, notes, tasks and more, because you need to buy, install, learn, fix, upgrade, patch and support Exchange Server, SharePoint, and a VPN. Does a small business have time for this? Staff for this? Thousands of dollars in the budget for this?

"By contrast, HyperShare for Outlook operates as an alternative to Microsoft Exchange and slots seamlessly into other existing HyperOffice services," said Arsanjani. "HyperOffice is a compelling alternative for users of Outlook who hate dealing with expensive and complicated server software like Exchange."

HyperOffice delivers to growing organizations today the power and productivity of software that only the largest company with a mammoth IT budget could otherwise afford -- business-class email without spam and viruses; document management with online storage, versioning, user rights and workflow; contact management, scheduling, project management, discussion groups, security, backup, and more.

"You do not install HyperOffice on your hard drive," said Arsanjani.  "Instead, just fire up your Web browser. Your office is just a click away - from your desk, from a hotel room, from a client's office. HyperOffice is software-as-a-service, 'hosted' by HyperOffice. It's software without the pain of software. Instead, you can exploit technology to differentiate, compete and grow your business. You focus on your business.  You are no longer forced to be your own IT department - installing, configuring, fixing and upgrading software and hardware, worrying about security, spam and viruses.

"HyperOffice is priced right for any business," said Arsanjani. "You pay as you grow - around $7 per month, per user.  The alternative costs thousands more - for servers, an array of software applications, a VPN and backup, IT staff, maintenance, upgrades, training and support."

About HyperOffice
HyperOffice Inc., (http://www.hyperoffice.com), is a leading provider of Internet software and collaboration tools for growing organizations. The company offers a simple and affordable suite of Intranet and Extranet software that provide new and growing businesses essential tools to collaborate, communicate, and manage information from any browser running on any platform. First launched in 1998, HyperOffice is used around the world by a growing number of innovative businesses.

Read Full Article

Relational product suite selected for business services offerings, information security and increased functionality

$1.6 billion Eastman Credit Union has selected Open Solutions Inc.'s® (NASDAQ: OPEN) relational technology and service offering The Complete Credit Union Solution® and complementary product suite to handle its enterprise-wide data processing needs. Open Solutions is a provider of integrated enabling technologies for financial services providers across the United States, Canada and international markets. The Kingsport, Tenn.-based credit union has 16 branches in five states, approximately 80,000 members and is the 47^th largest credit union in the U.S.

Eastman Credit Union expanded its field of membership in early 2005 and is experiencing record growth. The credit union experienced the highest percentage of member growth of all Top 100 credit unions in 2005 and consistently ranks in the Top 10 ROM (Return of the Member) scores, according to a study published by Callahan and Associates.

"We've been with our current vendor for almost 17 years and the system was facing a major conversion," said Darrell Dinsmore, vice president of Information Technology at Eastman Credit Union. "We took this opportunity to evaluate other vendors and determine the one that best matched our long-term requirements. We selected Open Solutions because we feel they can better adapt to evolving market needs. We believe the relational technology platform will provide better access to member information and improved third party interface capabilities. We also like Open Solutions' information security and business continuity offerings."

Built on a single, centralized Oracle^® database, The Complete Credit Union Solution is a relational enterprise-wide data processing platform designed to meet the unique needs of credit unions of all sizes. Its open architecture and member-centric platform is designed to help credit unions streamline both front and back office applications with a focus on improving member service. With The Complete Credit Union Solution, credit unions can select either an in-house or outsourced processing option to support its initiatives.

"We hope to see functionality improvements in several key areas, including business services, loan servicing, financial analysis and new product flexibility," Dinsmore said. "All of those things should translate into offering better member service - our ultimate goal. We are looking forward to our new partnership with Open Solutions."

According to Dinsmore, "Another important feature that Open Solutions offers is a real-time disaster recovery plan. Open Solutions has the capability to have two central servers in two separate locations and write data to both of them at the same time. If you ever lost your primary machine, the duplicated data is secure and readily available. It's a very effective pre-emptive measure."

In addition to The Complete Credit Union Solution, Eastman Credit Union will implement Open Solutions' cView^T (business intelligence); credit card module; asset collections; ProfitVision; safe deposit box; Maxxar^® (telephony solutions); Interaction Management Center (IMC); and premium overdraft applications.

"We are pleased that this industry-leading credit union has seen the benefits that our open architecture platform affords and has selected Open Solutions to support its core data processing operations," said Louis Hernandez, Jr., chairman and CEO of Open Solutions. "While we serve the needs of credit union of all sizes, we are very pleased at the continued interest larger credit unions are taking to look at their legacy infrastructure and see what benefits newer technology can offer them and their members. More and more progressive credit unions are turning to Open Solutions to take their financial institution to the next level of growth and member service. We are looking forward to a long, mutually beneficial partnership with Eastman Credit Union."

About Open Solutions Inc.
Open Solutions Inc. offers a fully featured strategic product platform that integrates core data processing applications built on a single centralized Oracle relational database, with Internet banking, cash management, CRM/business intelligence, financial accounting tools, imaging, digital documents, Check 21, interactive voice response, network services, Web hosting and design, and payment and loan origination solutions. Open Solutions' full suite of products and services allows banks, thrifts, credit unions and financial services providers in the United States and Canada to better compete in today's aggressive financial services marketplace, and expand and tap their trusted financial relationships, client affinity, community presence and personalized service.

For more information about Open Solutions or its financial product line, contact Mickey Goldwasser by email at mgoldwasser@opensolutions.com by phone at 860.652.3153 or via fax at 860.652.3156. Visit Open Solutions' Internet site at www.opensolutions.com.

Read Full Article

Relational product suite selected for business services offerings, information security and increased functionality

$1.6 billion Eastman Credit Union has selected Open Solutions Inc.'s® (NASDAQ: OPEN) relational technology and service offering The Complete Credit Union Solution® and complementary product suite to handle its enterprise-wide data processing needs. Open Solutions is a provider of integrated enabling technologies for financial services providers across the United States, Canada and international markets. The Kingsport, Tenn.-based credit union has 16 branches in five states, approximately 80,000 members and is the 47^th largest credit union in the U.S.

Eastman Credit Union expanded its field of membership in early 2005 and is experiencing record growth. The credit union experienced the highest percentage of member growth of all Top 100 credit unions in 2005 and consistently ranks in the Top 10 ROM (Return of the Member) scores, according to a study published by Callahan and Associates.

"We've been with our current vendor for almost 17 years and the system was facing a major conversion," said Darrell Dinsmore, vice president of Information Technology at Eastman Credit Union. "We took this opportunity to evaluate other vendors and determine the one that best matched our long-term requirements. We selected Open Solutions because we feel they can better adapt to evolving market needs. We believe the relational technology platform will provide better access to member information and improved third party interface capabilities. We also like Open Solutions' information security and business continuity offerings."

Built on a single, centralized Oracle^® database, The Complete Credit Union Solution is a relational enterprise-wide data processing platform designed to meet the unique needs of credit unions of all sizes. Its open architecture and member-centric platform is designed to help credit unions streamline both front and back office applications with a focus on improving member service. With The Complete Credit Union Solution, credit unions can select either an in-house or outsourced processing option to support its initiatives.

"We hope to see functionality improvements in several key areas, including business services, loan servicing, financial analysis and new product flexibility," Dinsmore said. "All of those things should translate into offering better member service - our ultimate goal. We are looking forward to our new partnership with Open Solutions."

According to Dinsmore, "Another important feature that Open Solutions offers is a real-time disaster recovery plan. Open Solutions has the capability to have two central servers in two separate locations and write data to both of them at the same time. If you ever lost your primary machine, the duplicated data is secure and readily available. It's a very effective pre-emptive measure."

In addition to The Complete Credit Union Solution, Eastman Credit Union will implement Open Solutions' cView^T (business intelligence); credit card module; asset collections; ProfitVision; safe deposit box; Maxxar^® (telephony solutions); Interaction Management Center (IMC); and premium overdraft applications.

"We are pleased that this industry-leading credit union has seen the benefits that our open architecture platform affords and has selected Open Solutions to support its core data processing operations," said Louis Hernandez, Jr., chairman and CEO of Open Solutions. "While we serve the needs of credit union of all sizes, we are very pleased at the continued interest larger credit unions are taking to look at their legacy infrastructure and see what benefits newer technology can offer them and their members. More and more progressive credit unions are turning to Open Solutions to take their financial institution to the next level of growth and member service. We are looking forward to a long, mutually beneficial partnership with Eastman Credit Union."

About Open Solutions Inc.
Open Solutions Inc. offers a fully featured strategic product platform that integrates core data processing applications built on a single centralized Oracle relational database, with Internet banking, cash management, CRM/business intelligence, financial accounting tools, imaging, digital documents, Check 21, interactive voice response, network services, Web hosting and design, and payment and loan origination solutions. Open Solutions' full suite of products and services allows banks, thrifts, credit unions and financial services providers in the United States and Canada to better compete in today's aggressive financial services marketplace, and expand and tap their trusted financial relationships, client affinity, community presence and personalized service.

For more information about Open Solutions or its financial product line, contact Mickey Goldwasser by email at mgoldwasser@opensolutions.com by phone at 860.652.3153 or via fax at 860.652.3156. Visit Open Solutions' Internet site at www.opensolutions.com.

Read Full Article

Acquisition Strengthens Commitment to Agent/Carrier Connectivity

AMS Services, a leading provider of software solutions for the insurance industry, announced the acquisition of BCF Technology, Inc., a privately-held insurance software and services provider based in North Carolina. Prior to the acquisition, BCF Technology and AMS Services had a multi-year partnership involving collaboration on the technology within the industry's most popular connectivity solutions, AMS SETWriteT and AMS TransactNOW®. This acquision is the next logical step in that successful connectivity partnership and strengthens AMS Services ability to provide the most comprehensive connectivity solution available to agents and carriers.

BCF Technology's suite of insurance industry solutions is designed to allow insurance carriers and agents to conduct real-time transactions across both new and existing technology platforms, thereby enabling broad carrier-agent connectivity.  The breadth of integration capabilities within the suite ensures that all carriers can cost effectively enable real-time connectivity for their agents. BCF Technology initiatives have ranged from developing custom, single-carrier solutions to standards-based, multi-carrier solutions that can be extended across the entire industry. Some of BCF Technology's customers include Allied Insurance (a Nationwide company), CNA Insurance, OneBeacon Insurance and Wausau Insurance.   

"BCF Technology's focus is on delivering comprehensive solutions to carriers that enable them to connect with their entire agency community," said Fred Covely, CEO of BCF Technology.  "We are very excited to see AMS Services get fully behind this vision for broad, standards-based connectivity across all agency automation technologies."

"One of the insurance industry's best opportunities to increase efficiency is through better agent-carrier connectivity," said Euan Menzies, president and CEO of AMS Services. "AMS Services is wholly committed to this vision today and tomorrow. BCF Technology's deep experience in providing open, standards-based solutions will greatly further this goal."

For the past four years, AMS Services has invested heavily in connectivity solutions and with over 250,000 real-time transactions per month, is the leader in real-time connectivity among agency management system providers. AMS Services maintains the broadest array of connectivity transactions available including support transactions and new business transactions. Some of the carriers currently collaborating with AMS Services are Allied Insurance, Allstate Insurance, CNA Insurance, Hartford Insurance, Jimcor Agencies, St. Paul Travelers and Safeco.

Through the acquisition of BCF Technology, AMS Services is expanding its ability to provide comprehensive connectivity solutions that benefit both agents and carriers. Agents will be able to share information better and collaborate more easily with carriers, saving them time and money. Simultaneously, carriers will be able to more efficiently support their customers and write new business with agents due to easier electronic collaboration.

About AMS Services
AMS Services is dedicated to helping independent insurance agencies achieve maximum performance and operational efficiency. The business offers a comprehensive, insurance-specific solution for managing critical business activities, including agency management, rating, benefits, performance management and carrier connectivity. With more than 150,000 users in over 15,000 agencies, as well as 600 carrier partners, AMS Services is a proven market leader providing the strategy and scalability to help independent agencies excel now and in the future. For more information on AMS Services, please visit www.amsservices.com

Read Full Article

KOM simplifies Archiving and Compliance on Windows

KOM Networks Inc., an innovative provider of Data Archiving Solutions and Storage Management software, announced it has attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program with three competencies, recognizing the company's expertise and impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified Partner, KOM Networks has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers' needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the channel.

"Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and technology capabilities, "said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp. "They need to trust in a company that can act as an expert adviser for their long-term strategic technology plans. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, which have certified expertise and direct training and support from Microsoft, can build a positive customer experience with our technologies. Today, Microsoft recognizes KOM Networks as a new Gold Certified Partner for demonstrating its expertise providing customer satisfaction using Microsoft products and technology."

"KOM Networks is extremely pleased with our new status as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. We are proud to be recognized for our expertise and commitment to our customers and partners," said Dr. Taher Shaath, CEO, KOM Networks. "This achievement illustrates KOM's expertise in delivering world class data archiving solutions and reinforces KOM Networks commitment to deliver compliance enabling solutions for the Microsoft centric SMB market."

KOM Networks flagship product, KOMworx, provides data archiving and storage management software solutions that are affordable for any organization and simple enough for anyone to use. KOMworx leverages Windows Server 2003 R2 compatibility and makes it simple to use and integrate.

Microsoft technology and solution customers can leverage KOMworx to deliver archiving and compliance solutions to meet customer requirements and achieve regulatory compliance on a windows platform. KOMworx is hardware independent, and easily integrates with e-mail archiving, ECM, DMS and vertical applications in organizations such as hospitals and financial institutions.

"KOM Networks' innovative solutions bring additional value to customers by allowing them to implement long term archiving of fixed content data on hard disk, ensuring data security while maintaining hard disk performance," said Dr. Claude Lorenson, group product manager for storage at Microsoft Corporation. "Microsoft is pleased to recognize KOM Networks as a Gold Certified Partner and values its ability to address the archiving and compliance needs of both Microsoft partners and customers."

The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in October 2003 and represents Microsoft's ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognizes partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners' businesses be successful. KOM Networks has achieved competencies in Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Information Worker Solutions & Networking Infrastructure Solutions.

About KOM Networks

KOM Networks, founded in 1969, is the world leader of innovative storage management software solutions. Pioneers of Data Protection & Retention, KOM Networks' products provide Compliance, Archiving and Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) to over 10,000 installations globally. KOM Networks products are delivered through a worldwide network of value-added resellers, strategic partnerships and alliances. KOM Networks' easy-to-integrate products let you Simply Manage, Protect, and Serve STORAGE, The Way You Want It. For more information please visit www.komnetworks.com.

For additional information about KOM Networks and how its products can help simplify archiving and Compliance, please contact

KOM Networks
Tel: +1 (613) 599-7205
Fax: +1 (613) 599-7206
Email: info@komnetworks.com
Website: www.komnetworks.com

Read Full Article