Sydney, Australia… Software Alliance Group has announced availability of a Business Intelligence add-on module for Sage Line 50 customers. The Business Intelligence Centre (BIC) for Sage is an affordable and flexible tool that delivers critical business information in the familiar environment of Excel.

Together with Sage Pastel International, Alchemex developed the BIC for Sage solution now available which offers the Sage Line 50 installed user base quick implementation and easy integration of Business Intelligence functionality into their existing accounting environment. The solution addresses SME customers’ need for simplicity, functionality and affordability, offering a suite of pre-formatted as well as customisable reports that ensure access to relevant business information at the click of a button.

“Sophisticated BI reporting tools have traditionally been costly, requiring extensive in-house skills and lengthy turnaround times on third-party report customisations. The BIC for Sage closes the loop between applications that focus on transactions, such as your accounting system, and reporting on this information. With the BIC, SMEs can deliver formatted business information directly in Excel, while leveraging their existing Sage and Sage Pastel accounts database,” says John North, managing director of Software Alliance Group.

The application will allow organisations to produce reports beyond just their monthly management packs. While ensuring man hours are saved each month by automating these repetitive and time-consuming tasks, it will also allow dynamic analysis of sales or stock information, consolidate data from multiple companies and deliver true Business Intelligence to users’ desktops, graphing KPIs, for example, in a dashboard view.

“Software vendors are having to provide businesses of all sizes with flexible BI solutions that allow them to slice and dice their information in the way they choose. The Alchemex-powered solution goes one step further by taking advantage of the experience most SMEs already have working with Excel, and eliminates the cost and maintenance overhead of third party reporting tools,” says Charles Teversham, sales director of Alchemex.

“Companies can literally be up and running with the BIC in a matter of minutes. It’s a simple process of choosing your data source and selecting the reports you’d like to view,” North adds.

Two modules are available for different user requirements. The BIC Standard Edition is aimed predominantly at business users who wish to view operational and financial information in a number of preformatted reports. More advanced users will be able to explore some of the added functionality in the BIC Advanced Edition to customise reports around more specialised reporting needs.

A trial version of the BIC for Sage will be made available with the Sage Line 50 product set.

Media Contact:
Patrick McAuliffe
Marketing Manager
Software Alliance Group
Ph: 02 8436 6000
Email: patrick.mcauliffe@sagepastel.com.au
Web: www.sagepastel.com.au/au

In line with its strategy of letting business drive technology and going beyond accounting, Sage Pastel has brought to market a Point of Sale (POS) add-on module for its Sage Pastel Partner accounting software range.

Says Australian Authorised Distributors Software Alliance Group’s Managing Director, John North: “Of the 180 000 businesses in the 52 countries around the world that use Sage Pastel software, the majority have some sort of POS data capturing and invoicing requirement. Not all are pure retail organisations but nearly all have some section of their business that sells either to the trade or people off the street.”

In a business world working at ever-increasing speed, businesses, especially SMEs, all share a need to improve loss prevention and management of store inventory, alleviate data capturing errors, speed goods receipt, and boost the accuracy of back office systems.

This has led to a requirement for robust, high volume processing capability at the point of sale says Lewis. He adds that many of Sage Pastel’s customers have simply adjusted their existing Pastel invoicing functionality to try and cope, but invoicing software is much more complex and detail-orientated and therefore not suited to the POS environment.

As a general rule, POS environments are often manned by people with fairly low levels of IT literacy or by casuals, like students, who have no direct insight into the running of the business. One needs, therefore, to make their operations as simple as possible – to eliminate errors and to prevent customers wasting time in queues.

“We therefore decided, to extend Sage Pastel’s traditional invoicing functionality into a true POS environment,” North says.

Key features of Sage Pastel POS include the ability to process all daily reporting such as daily sales and variance reports, processing of cash-ups at multiple times during the day (making shift changes simpler and faster), and scanning of inventory items and serial numbers into the system.

The solution also allows for both cash and account sales - as well as quotations and orders. Bar-coding and scanning features cater for shops that have different prices for packs with different weights.

Running on a standard, networked PC, Sage Pastel POS continues to work when the main business servers are down, updating itself to Sage Pastel Partner automatically when the servers come back online.

The application integrates with all POS devices, including till slip printers and credit card machines.

For existing Sage Pastel Partner and Sage Pastel Xpress customers, the POS add-on module is available as a seamless upgrade.

Sage Pastel has launched an entry level software package, Sage Pastel Invoicing. The new product is aimed at enabling small businesses to automate the two most common business activities - production of accurate, timely invoices and control of customer balances, thereby saving the business time and money.

Sage PastelDirector Jeff Lewis says that, worldwide, more than 30% of small businesses still do their accounting manually or on spreadsheets - unnecessarily extending debtor days because of inaccurate records regarding customer balances and delays in sending out correct invoices.

“Those delays mean that your revenue comes in more slowly than it should and that can have a serious impact on cash flow and therefore the sustainability of the business. But for a large number of small businesses that risk is smaller than acquiring full-feature accounting software of which they will use only the portion related to invoicing and customer balance control.

“It seemed logical for us, therefore, to give them just the functionality they need and, in the process, get them used to computerised accounting so that they can migrate to more feature-rich accounting solutions when they grow enough to need the extra functionality.”

Lewis believes that too many features make life complicated for most small businesses, who need to focus on doing business rather than learning to use and maintain complex software. “Many software vendors continually add features to their products in an attempt to fend off competitors who sell their wares purely on features.

“We, on the other hand, are very focused. We know our market, which is generic accounting for small and medium-sized business, and accordingly we apply the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of our customers want accounting software that helps them manage and control their finances in the simplest, most cost effective way. So we don’t overload our products with features only 20% of our customers would be likely to use. We provide add-ons to give those customers what they need.

“Sage Pastel Invoicing is consistent with that logic – because it provides customers who don’t yet have the efficiency benefits of computerised accounting with only the functionality they need at the time. It also gives them an opportunity to get comfortable with generic accounting products.”

Sage Pastel Invoicing is extremely user-friendly, with a dashboard that gives users a snapshot of the financial standing of the company in a single page.

In terms of functionality, it creates invoices easily and quickly, creates customers and items to invoice on the fly, manages customer invoices, payments, credit notes, and statements, reports on what customer amounts are outstanding and which items are selling the most  and it e-mails invoices and statements to customers. Intuitive screen designs allow effortless drill-down into transaction detail.

Media Contact:
Patrick McAuliffe
Marketing Manager
Software Alliance Group
Ph: 02 8436 6000
Email: patrick.mcauliffe@sagepastel.com.au
Web: www.sagepastel.com.au/au

Against the backdrop of a slowing economy and shrinking profit margins, it’s not surprising that accountants and business consultants are seizing on any opportunity to improve client service and maintain healthy revenues.

All reasons and necessary actions are recorded in one central place, so each collector no longer needs to print or export information and keep their own private notes. Complete transparency will allow you to optimise your collection process by managing your debtors’ behaviour. Negotiate with hard facts and quickly bring non-payments in line with your target ranges.

For accountants who are eager to solidify their client relationships and expand their range of service offerings, Interprise Suite offers a wealth of business opportunities. An affordable SME solution that combines the features of accounting, customer relationship management (CRM), point-of-sale and e-commerce, Interprise Suite represents a genuine revolution in business management software.
Interprise Suite takes advantage of new ‘Smart Client’ technology which allows a desktop application to run over the Internet like a secure browser application. The product provides the business connectivity customers want without sacrificing the performance and rich user interface they have come to expect from a desktop application. The result is a solution that gives businesses the power to operate without boundaries, allowing remote users to work together as if they were all occupying the one office. For businesses that do not need internet connectivity, Interprise Suite can be installed on a local area network just like any other Client/Server application.

One of the outstanding features of Interprise Suite is that it enables accountants to access client data without the need to go on site and visit the customer’s premises. As long as they’re given the necessary security access, accountants can simply log onto their client’s account information over the Internet as if they were there in the office.

Interprise Suite provides business consultants, accountants and software resellers with a business management software option that is more affordable, more functional and less complex than current alternatives while also delivering greater margins.
Caitlin Baker, Director of Gold Coast-based Vogue Business Solutions, is both a user and a reseller of Interprise Suite.

“Interprise Suite is attracting a lot of attention from our small-to-medium sized business clients because it is powerful, affordable and, perhaps most importantly, fully integrated”, Caitlin said. “One of the biggest bugbears for today’s typical business owner is reliance on multiple, often incompatible, databases. Interprise Suite solves this problem by delivering a complete solution that combines all of the most commonly uses business processes together in one easy-to-use solution. No longer do business owners have to spend unnecessary time, money and frustration re-keying and synchronising information.”
Caitlin believes Interprise Suite has enormous potential for accountants, providing them with a toolset that can improve the operating efficiency of their clients’ businesses while opening up new revenue streams for their accounting practices.

“Interprise Suite will be great news for accountants who would like to expand the range of business advisory services that they offer their SME clients”, Caitlin said. “By integrating accounting with CRM and other key business functions, and by enabling authorised service providers to access their client’s data over the Internet, Interprise Suite gives accountants the opportunity to perform a comprehensive health-check of their client’s business. What’s more, everything is transparent. As well as helping accountants secure their long-term future with their clients, Interprise Suite provides enormous scope to increase client revenues.”
Interprise Suite was developed from the ground up by US-based Interprise Software Solutions, Inc. In April 2008 Interprise Software Solutions was acquired by Taylor Corporation, a Forbes Private 200 company with over 100 subsidiaries and 14,000 employees worldwide.

In July 2008 Sydney-based Evolve Systems Australasia secured exclusive distribution rights to Interprise Suite. The product is available now for an average price of $2,000.00 per user including support. Multi-user licences are also available. Additionally there is the option to obtain software finance from Evolve Systems Australasia from $30.00 per user per week. For further information on Interprise Suite contact Evolve Systems Australasia on 1300 736 637; email sales@interprise.com.au; Web: www.interprise.com.au.

Sydney, 9^th December 2008 … Evolve Systems Australasia (ESA), distributor of the integrated Accounting, CRM, E-Business and Point-of-Sale software solution Interprise Suite, announced today that it will be actively targeting MYOB’s small-to-medium business software customers.

After experiencing a very favourable response to the first phase of the Australian/New Zealand rollout of Interprise Suite, ESA has identified an enormous opportunity to penetrate the customer base of the established leader in the business software arena, MYOB.

Unlike the current product offerings from the likes of MYOB and Xero, Interprise Suite delivers a complete business solution that combines the best aspects of a Web application (internet‑enabled, easy to deploy and update) with the best attributes of a desktop system. The development of Interprise Suite has been based on the rationale that customers should not have to settle with a business solution that is either wholly Internet-driven or LAN-based.

“For some time now the big players in the business accounting software market have been promising, or at least foreshadowing, the release of an affordable, reliable and comprehensive business solution which users can run over the Web as a browser-based application or over a LAN as a desktop application”, said Floremee Charles, Managing Director of Evolve Systems Australasia. “Unfortunately for the tens of thousands of small to mid-sized businesses which are struggling to remain profitable during these challenging economic times, the current market-leaders have let their customers down.

“With Interprise Suite business owners can finally have the best of both worlds. Interprise Suite has bridged the gap by providing the business connectivity customers want without sacrificing the performance and rich user interface they have come to expect from a desktop application. Whereas MYOB and its main competitors would have to completely re-write their software to meet the connectivity demands of today’s small-to-medium sized business, Interprise Suite has been developed from the ground up. Whether a user is connecting via the LAN or the internet, Interprise Suite’s state‑of‑the art ‘Smart Client’ technology will automatically optimise itself based on the connection method.”

Interprise Suite’s ‘Smart Client’ technology allows a desktop application to run over the Internet like a secure browser application. For companies that do not need internet connectivity, Interprise Suite can be installed on a local area network just like any other Client/Server application.

In the lead-up to the release of the 2009 version of Interprise Suite – scheduled for rollout in July 2009 – ESA will be aggressively marketing Interprise Suite not only to the broader small-to-medium sized business market but also to existing users of MYOB and competing products. This will be supported by an expanded product sales and support team at ESA, as well as by an ever-growing network of channel partners.

“We are projecting big things for Interprise Suite in 2009 and we have every reason to believe our high ambitions for the product will be achieved”, said Charles. “The simple fact is that the big players in this market cannot deliver what their customers demand right now, namely an affordable and easy‑to‑use business solution that includes all the powerful functionality of Interprise Suite – namely accounting, CRM, point-of-sale, ERP and e-business.”

Interprise Suite was developed by US-based Interprise Software Solutions, Inc. In April 2008 Interprise Software Solutions was acquired by the Services and Technology Division of Taylor Corporation, a Forbes Private 200 company with over 100 subsidiaries and 14,000 employees worldwide. A leading provider of business and personal communications products, technologies and services, Taylor Corporation provides products and services to over 3,000,000 small businesses and consumers and the majority of the Fortune 500.

In July 2008 Evolve Systems Australasia secured exclusive distribution rights to Interprise Suite for Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Pacific Islands.

Pricing and Availability

Interprise Suite is available now from Evolve Systems Australasia for an average price of $2,000.00 per user including support. Multi-user licences are also available. There is also the option to obtain software finance from Evolve Systems Australasia from $30.00 per user per week. For further information on Interprise Suite contact Evolve Systems Australasia on 1300 736 637; email sales@interprise.com.au; Web: www.interprise.com.au

###

About Evolve Systems Australasia

Sydney-based Evolve Systems Australasia is the exclusive distributor of Interprise Suite for Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the Pacific Islands. With 18 years’ experience in business application distribution, Evolve Systems Australasia provides solutions that are designed to help customers get the most out of their business software without incurring substantial expenses. Our corporate strategy focuses on the development of enduring client relationships and the provision of quality software solutions to Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). We are dedicated to helping clients achieve their highest objectives and goals. For further information contact Evolve Systems Australasia on 1300 736 637; email sales@interprise.com.au; Web: www.interprise.com.au.

Media Contacts:

Patrick McAuliffe

Marketing Manager

Evolve Systems Australasia

Ph: 1300 736 637

Email: patrick.mcauliffe@interprise.com.au

Floremee Charles

Managing Director

Evolve Systems Australasia

Ph: 1300 736 637

Email: flo@interprisesuite.net.au

The cost of maintaining an in-house IT department is an extra financial burden that many companies could do without in these credit crunching times. But it’s vital to choose the right IT support business if outsourcing. DMC Software Solutions www.dmcsoftware.co.uk, an award winning Sage, Microsoft Gold and Dell Business Partner looks at the most important factors to help businesses reduce their IT expenditure.

A company’s computer network is the nerve centre of the business which all operations rely upon. However the cost of maintaining an in-house IT department can require a large investment, both in terms of resources and finance. With a recession looming many companies are opting to reduce or cut their spends and the first things to be assessed can be the in-house IT department.

Outsourcing IT responsibilities can provide a company with reduced expenditure and the ability reallocate resources to better effect. However, if the wrong support IT support company is selected the effects could be disastrous impacting upon efficiency, productivity and even competitive advantage.

DMC Software’s Top Five Tips for selecting a competent IT support company can provide businesses with help top reduce IT expenditure and the risk associated with IT outsourcing.

Full information on IT support can be found at http://www.dmcsoftware.co.uk/TotalCare-ITSupport/TotalCare-Overview.aspx

1. Always ask for a fixed monthly cost- Knowledge of monthly cost upfront allows companies to budget more effectively for their IT support.

Inevitably there will be an hourly rate in addition to this fixed cost should a problem arise. It is also good to be aware of this so you can plan for any contingencies.

2. Ensure the vendor selected is experienced- Check the level, expertise and experience of the consultant who will be handling the business account. By doing your homework before signing up the IT support company can avoid the implications of a bad decision further down the line.

3. Request client references- Ask to speak with other clients and ask probing questions to find out exactly the type of company the provider is. Ask questions so that you can ascertain the quality of the service offer, for example, did they deliver what was promised? How do they handle problems? Would you recommend their services?

4. Choose a package that suits the business needs- Choose a plan that suits the business needs and budget, don’t choose an expensive plan that isn’t required. Look at what each plan provides and select the one that suits the business (and the budget.)

5. Get everything in writing- To avoid ‘surprises’ down the line ensure everything in writing from payment terms through to the work schedule and pace. By having everything in writing the vendor can be held accountable for the promises made.

If a good IT support company is selected the benefits are endless, more money and resources are freed, productivity is increased and operational costs are lowered.

DMC Software Solutions is a reputable company with strong partnerships with both Microsoft and Dell. TotalCare from DMC offers different IT support service packages to cater for businesses with different needs each providing unparalleled support and system maintenance.

For more information on IT Support from DMC Software visit http://www.dmcsoftware.co.uk/TotalCare-ITSupport/TotalCare-Overview.aspx or FREEPHONE 0800 6522 423 to speak to a member of the sales staff.

For press enquiries please contact Gemma Clements, Marketing Manager.

Email: gemma.clements@dmcsoftware.co.uk

Tel: 01733 362120.

Pinnacle Studio™ 12 Winter Edition. Thanks to its ease of use, Pinnacle Studio video editing software is #1 in the consumer video editing market in the U.S. and in major European countries. It allows you to create and edit your pictures and short home-made videos so you can give a Christmas card that will last for years to come.

With the Pinnacle Studio Winter Edition software, creating your own videos cards with the family means this Christmas can be spent together building and preserving memories forever. As well as having fun, an edited video memory of the day or a video montage of photos from the year can make a great (and cost effective) card.

In just a few moments and simple clicks you can immortalize and enhance your holiday season images and turn them into a unique movie. With the Studio 12 technology you can produce an emotive Christmas card or a round robin letter for the 21st century - instead of writing about your past year, now you can show it!

Perfect for sharing Christmas best wishes

The Pinnacle Studio Winter Edition includes 38 festive titles and 15 seasonal DVD menus to give your home movie that Christmas feel. There are also 5 montage themes which apart from `Christmas’ includes `Presents’ and `New Year’. The clever Scorefitter music generator helps you add emotion to your movie by automatically creating a soundtrack to the exact length of your film!

Once you’ve created your Christmas Video Card, sharing it couldn’t be simpler. You can easily send it as emails or upload it on the internet. It can also be burnt directly onto DVD for sending as a thank you for your favourite presents or as a memento to those who joined you on Christmas day. It’s also a perfect gift for family and friends who are miles away and won’t be with you for the festive season.

Knowing what a busy time of the year it is, Pinnacle Systems has designed its Pinnacle Studio Winter Edition to be as easy as turning your PC or laptop on. It really is Santa’s little helper to add extra sparkle and colour to your Christmas memories for many years to come. Pinnacle Studio Winter Edition retails at £29.00. You can buy it at major retails or at www.pinnaclesys.com.

For tips, tricks and techniques on all Pinnacle solutions, visit Pinnacle Life.

About Pinnacle Systems, Inc.

Pinnacle Systems, Inc., a part of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industry leader in providing a complete set of home video editing and TV viewing tools for the consumer market. The company’s product lines including Pinnacle PCTV™, Dazzle®, Pinnacle ShowCenter®, and its flagship Pinnacle Studio™ line, cover the needs and requirements of any level of video storytellers or consumers who simply want to enjoy TV from their computer. Pinnacle Systems has received nine prestigious Emmy® Awards for its technical innovations and carries the commitment to help consumers enhance, preserve and share their memories with ease. For more information, visit www.pinnaclesys.com.

About Avid Technology, Inc.

Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio, 3D animation, gaming and broadcast professionals – as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign, M-Audio, Pinnacle Systems, Sibelius, Softimage and Sundance Digital. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid’s products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid® Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company’s Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com.

# # #

© 2008 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements, and availability are subject to change without notice. Promotions and discounts are subject to availability and change without notice. All prices are MSRP for U.S. only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local reseller for prices outside the U.S. Avid, Digidesign, Film Composer, M-Audio, Pinnacle Systems, Sibelius, Softimage, Sundance Digital, the Pinnacle Pinwheel logo, Pinnacle PCTV, Dazzle, Pinnacle ShowCenter, Pinnacle MobileMedia, and Pinnacle Studio are trademarks or registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Oscar is a trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. Grammy is a trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

Press Contact: Julie Thompson Dredge, Focus PR, Phone: 020 7845 6637, julie@focuspr.co.uk

Bristol, 05 Nov 2008- R B Mthethwa Limited today launched a new website on anti-virus software to advise on the best and most reliable antivirus software to use.

Viruses are destructive form of software simply designed for one purpose : to wreck havoc on your computer. They destroy anything that comes into contact with them and they replicate to infect as much of the computer’s operating system or network as possible

Signs that your computer is infected include: pop-up ads that seem to be not related to the site you are viewing. Usually, spyware pop-ups are advertisements about adult content. Also if you notice your computer slowing down, its highly likely that spyware and its other components have found their way in your operating system. When your computer takes a longer time to start, its best to scan your computer for infections.

It is good to regularly update your virus or spyware scanner so that your computer is protected from the thousands of spyware and viruses in the internet. Do not be fooled by adverts claiming that their products only contain adware as they may well be adware or spyware disguised just waiting to be deployed for them to gather your information. Setup firewall systems and always block pop-up blockers to minimize computer infection and ensure the security of your computer.

Nowadays, lots of anti-virus software also provides spyware and adware scanning and removal tools. Some programs, also focus on locating and deleting spyware and adware programs. Whether its an anti-virus software or a anti-spyware dedicated scanner, they will both search your computer and identify any spyware and virus installed on your system

The newly launched Anti-virus Reviews website provides important and specific information on which antivirus software to use as computer viruses become more sophisticated as more programmers try to find methods of getting rid of their malicious computer codes providing a list of top contenders in the field. It also provides information on anti virus software, firewall, spyware blockers, adware removers and other utilities.

To learn more please visit the website

http://www.path.to/antivirus/

For related articles visit

http://2009adwareremover.blogspot.com/

http://bestspywareblockers.blogspot.com/

Summary:

November 2008 marks the Madison debut and Milwaukee rekindling of “99 Bottles Documentary,” a documentary film that explores the history, culture, and brew making processes of craft brewers in Southeastern Wisconsin. Contributions from the founders and brewmasters of 16 unique Wisconsin breweries and brewpubs along with interviews from local historians culminate in a timely and relevant celebration of Wisconsin’s worst kept secret - Beer! The tour starts with four shows in Milwaukee from November 6-9, 2008 at the Times Cinema in Milwaukee. Tickets are $8, with half of the box-office sales going to help sponsor the Kiwanis Club of Metropolitan Milwaukee Nights’ November 7th “Brew Fest” event.  Next stop is a series of four shows in Madison at The Orpheum Theatre from November 13-16. Attendees that arrive a half-hour before all shows can taste samples of beer from the breweries that are covered in this film.

Detail:

“99 Bottles Documentary” explores the history and culture of the craft brewing industry in Southeastern Wisconsin. A collaboration between Wisconsin-based Mutant Barmonkey Productions, LLC and Haptic Vision, “99 Bottles Documentary” began over a pint at Wolski’s Tavern. Producers Glen Popple and David Oplinger, in partnership with director Jason Williams, set out to explore what it takes to make great beer in their own backyard. Otto Dilba of Ale Asylum in Madison commented, “It was a great excuse to have a beer and reminisce about the origins of Ale Asylum, and was the most legal fun we have had with our pants on.”

Over the course of their travels, one common theme has emerged: ‘free beer’ is not free. With the single-minded purpose of a master chef, the men and women that bring you pint after refreshing pint strive to survive ever-toughening legislation, worldwide resource shortages, and an ever-growing public demand for excellence in their product.

The filmmakers’ quest took them all over the state of Wisconsin, from Mount Horeb’s tiny award-winning brewpub, the Grumpy Troll, to the glimmering halls of the New Glarus Brewing Company’s newest stainless-steel beer mecca. “Mark and I enjoyed being interviewed for this worthwhile project. Coming from a small village in Wisconsin, we are honored to be part of a project that allows us to showcase our award winning beers…”, said Douglas M. Welshinger, The Grumpy Troll Restaurant and Brewery.

In addition to researching the rich pallet of breweries, the filmmakers ambushed average people and beer aficionados alike. From Comet Café’s “Beer School” to the Milwaukee Public Museum’s “Food and Froth” fundraiser, they polled the public inquiring: “What one question would you ask a brewmaster if given the opportunity?”

With centuries-old brewing traditions of European families that settled the Midwest, it seemed only fitting that the trials and successes of their descendants should be explored. The rigors of this emerging market, the time-honored traditions that they uphold and the daily regiment of sweat equity necessary to meet the bottom line make for a fascinating expose of one of Wisconsin’s worst kept secrets: Beer.

AGR Upstream, Asia Pacific

AGR Asia Pacific is an Australian and Asian integrated oil and gas service provider. AGR-AP manage, engineer and service offshore and onshore oil and gas production facilities throughout their life cycle. From exploration and appraisal drilling, through to full field development, production and final abandonment.

AGR specialise in assisting oil companies with low cost, fast track commercialisation of hydrocarbon resources using leading edge technologies and world class processes.

Background

Necessity truly was the mother of invention at AGR Upstream Petroleum, a natural resource exploration firm that last year found itself needing a way to co-ordinate a AU$100 million ship refit involving nearly 40 subcontractors in three countries.

Projects for the company include both onshore and offshore Australian sites, as well as sites in India, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea.

In the past, Upstream had managed such projects via e-mail, with new versions of drawings, schematics and other large documents regularly forwarded between team members separated by large distances. This approach, while more or less effective, introduced countless delays and retransmission efforts because of the sheer volume of information being pushed through the e-mails.

“You’re in a situation where you go through one design, have got to make modifications, then have to reissue the drawings and get everybody up to speed,” says IT manager Ivan Prescott. “We’re talking about 30,000 drawings to be sent to 30 or 40 people, and it was silly to try and put this stuff out over the e-mail. We needed to collaborate in a managed way.”

Upstream faced financial motivators as well as practical ones: with the company wearing nearly AU$1 million in lost revenue for each day the ship was away from its normal home in the Bass Strait, it was essential that the risk of delays be eliminated as much as possible.

Having identified a potential problem area early on, Upstream began discussions with long-time web design and web development partner Newpath WEB about ways to address it through the use of technology.

Solution

By embracing custom web and application development rather than off-the-shelf applications, Newpath WEB was able to spec out and build an online document exchange solution that would provide a common repository for Upstream’s documents.

Designed and built with a custom Web interface and MySQL database backend, the new exchange was fast-tracked and completed within just three weeks. “Normally, says Prescott, developing, testing and refining such a significant project would have taken up to three months”.

Hosted from Newpath WEB hosting facilities, the document exchange was put through heavy usage during the course of the project, which ran through the second half of 2006 and involved the regular transmission of many gigabytes of data. Rapid turnaround in the delivery of the system proved incredibly valuable for Upstream.

The company began using the system from the beginning of the six-month refit, and it quickly proved popular with all parties concerned — including no fewer than five subcontractors in Singapore and four more in other countries.

“Newpath WEB were able to provide us with something that would fit in with our public Web site (which was also designed and developed by Newpath WEB),” says Prescott, “and allow a secure login to a backend where all parties concerned could upload and download documents very, very quickly. Documents were available within minutes of being uploaded, rather than sending our very large files via e-mail and having the delays associated with that.”

One of the most valuable parts of Upstream’s new content management system was that it not only enabled upload and download of project documents, but also tied in with the broader scope of work that Newpath WEB was also performing for the company. This included a fully featured Website, with everything from corporate policies and organisation charts to information on procurement, vacant positions, system processes and other corporate information.

Newpath WEB built the entire site around an easy to use editing tool that let employees update the Websites quickly and easily. Building on the site, the company has also developed tools such as an e-mail signature generator, which produces consistent employee e-mail signatures according to a single common style. Another development included a job ad generator, which integrates with Upstream’s career management system to automatically extract and format job-wanted ads as HTML code for publication on third-party employment sites.

Online Marketing, specifically SEO & SEM was also an element that was included in the project, with results producing an increase in traffic by 1500% to the site within the first 3 months.

Result

Having taken the company from a manual and inefficient email based method of collaboration to full online publishing and document sharing in just a short while, AGR is predictably enthused about the results of project and the long-term benefits it will deliver to the company.

“We were able to get the whole thing up and operational without too much hassle, and had full collaboration via our Website,” Ivan says. “It was a job well done, saved us an enormous amount of money and has already paid for itself many, many times.”

Such innovations have helped Upstream greatly improve employee participation in the online conveyance of information. And, given its massive success in saving time and money on the Crystellation refit, the system is now being considered for a broader use within the company, with plans to roll the application in with its own Microsoft SharePoint Server environment, developing it for use by partners and other subsidiaries worldwide.

For further information, please visit:

www.agr-ap.com or www.newpathweb.com

David Young, VP Infrastructure Services of leading SaaS solutions provider Global MainFrame, announced today the company has successfully tested and launched its proprietary Dynamic Provisioning Engine, which now forms the robust back-end of the Energy Resource Manager platform. “We are continuing to set the pace for the Oil and Gas sector,” Young says. “DPE is a fully integrated and secured service, which complements our Microsoft partnership, to enable the efficient delivery of network resources to activate any requested software.”

The Dynamic Provisioning Engine seamlessly performs the work of several engines commercially available today. With intuitive operational and administrative overlays, it deploys new services in the field very quickly. DPE also provides users a requisite policy-based security component and authentication control for selected business management, communication and CRM solutions. Augmenting existing accounting systems, this technology currently allows users to create and modify accounts, add (and delete) multiple users, change user passwords and check user balances.

“It serves as a centralized gateway, and as a result of the automated provisioning processes,” Young continues, “users will realize the activation of any purchased service in a very short amount of time. The system allows us to push content dynamically. At provisioning time, it can log on to any network device and make the necessary changes to activate a service in real-time and allows for the incredibly efficient distribution of our systems, modules and applications online.”

The engine, which utilizes various Microsoft solutions, is extremely flexible and will scale accordingly to accommodate many thousands of new clients and users. “Our development team has done a tremendous job in responding to the needs of our Oil & Gas clients,” Young concludes. “We’ve definitely come along way since cumbersome assembly languages controlled the market. This software paves the way for our exciting new programs coming down the pipe and straight into the hands of users in the field.”

About Global Mainframe: http://www.globalmainframe.com

Global Mainframe, trading on the NASDAQ Bulletin Board, symbol: GMFCF, delivers asset management SaaS modules online. Now a Certified Microsoft Partner, Global MainFrame has been selected one of Microsoft’s 14 exclusive field-managed partners out of 3,000 in Western Canada. Additional modules will cover operational areas such as dispatching, field ticketing, inventory controls, and employee training. Global Mainframe also offers an extensive mapping engine integrated into its base platform to help clients’ visualize and operate their businesses efficiently and effectively.

Winnipeg MB, June 29, 2008. Http://stonat.bezoogle.com/ launches a new, up to date review of game downloading programs for your computer. There are thorough explanations as to why, out of hundreds of products, these are rated the best. Site includes an abundance of information on the products mentioned, and there is no pressure to buy. However, there are links to connect individuals to the direct site for each product for anyone who is interested in learning more about the company and/or its software.

When you are downloading games for free, it is easy to accidently get more than you bargained for. That’s why it is extremely important to have the greatest downloading software possible to help keep your computer secure from Trojans, spyware or adware. There are huge savings to be made with not only your money, but with your time as well from the right product.

In this day and age there is an excessive amount of different games out there. With technology reaching a whole new level of excitement, original, more advanced games are being released at rapid speed. That’s why we checked to ensure that these programs are able to keep up with the masses in a convenient, easy to use manner.

With the “Games Reviews” website launch you’re able to learn vital information about the best of the best out there for your discretion. Here is a detailed list of the most effective and efficient software available for your computer today. Where not only the quality of the software is measured, so is the variety of games and the quantity of games downloadable and the software’s defense against spyware, etc is kept in mind too. Enjoy!

To view the reviews please visit my website:

Http://stonat.bezoogle.com/pp/games/

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Calgary – Brian Pike, President of Calgary-based SaaS solutions provider Global Mainframe, announced four new appointments to his management group following the completion of the recent MapFusion acquisition. Joining his elite team are Guy Paterson, David Young, Graeme Boyce and Mark Paterson. Effective immediately, each has been given a Vice President title and will be located at the company’s office in Toronto.

“These guys are uniquely talented and very welcomed additions,” explains Pike. “We know their expertise and experience will help us grow and succeed. Their combined output will enable us to rapidly introduce and commercialize our Energy Resource Manager, which has now been integrated with a fully functional data-driven mapping engine, to our Oil and Gas clients on an exclusive basis, prior to us tackling the Forestry and Mining sectors.”

Guy Paterson, VP GIS Services, previously architected and developed the WAN-based Geographic Information Systems capable of extremely efficient data delivery and location based analysis for MapFusion. He will continue in his expansive role at Global Mainframe to oversee and manage the application development life cycle from initial concept, research and prototype to final product and deliver multiple innovative technology solutions.

David Young, VP Infrastructure Services, formerly Director of Technology at MapFusion, began his career in the automotive sector, where he managed and deployed initial technical web-based ETL, CRM, and Call Centre applications. “This past week David ensured the smooth transition of MapFusion servers,” Pike continues, “and is now responsible for mission critical systems and core services required by our company.”

Graeme Boyce, VP Marketing and Communications, will consistently position Global Mainframe and its assets by unifying the brand components and aligning key messaging across the company. Upon establishing long-range goals, he will then implement strategies, and coordinate action plans to further reinforce and stimulate sector-specific revenue efforts.

Mark Paterson, VP Client Services, co-founded MapFusion and will provide the required leadership, direction and administration to accomplish the company’s strategic objectives. “We are expecting to deliver the quintessence of high quality and flawless services,” concludes Pike. “Mark will ensure we provide our users an exceptional experience.”

About Global Mainframe:

Global Mainframe, a Calgary-based company, trading on the NASDAQ Bulletin Board, symbol: GMFCF, delivers SaaS modules to the Oil and Gas industry over the internet. Forthcoming additional modules will cover operational areas such as dispatching, field ticketing, inventory controls, and employee training. Global Mainframe also offers an extensive mapping engine integrated into its base platform to help clients’ visualize and operate their businesses efficiently and effectively.

Leading UK independent CRM specialist Concentrix has released an Easy-Start Package for Goldmine Premium Edition, one of the UK’s most popular CRM solutions for marketing, sales and customer service staff.

GoldMine Premium Edition was released in mid-2007 by FrontRange Solutions. Since its release, this innovative CRM software has established itself as one of the strongest forces in the CRM market.

The Concentrix Easy-Start Package for Goldmine Premium Edition is aimed at small and medium sized businesses that need a quality CRM system implemented quickly, effectively, and with minimal disruption to their business.

GoldMine Premium Edition helps companies manage all aspects of their business relationships. It offers a complete marketing, sales and customer-service management solution, with a range of tools and features to save time and make staff more efficient. The Concentrix Easy-Start Package for GoldMine Premium Edition includes configuration of the software specifically to the requirements of individual businesses. In other words, Concentrix will make GoldMine Premium Edition work how your business needs it to work.

Commenting on the popularity of Goldmine, Peter Elgar, Marketing Manager at Concentrix stated “The GoldMine suite of CRM solutions has a strong and loyal customer base, and for good reason: Goldmine software has always offered powerful CRM functionality combined with ease of use and value for money.”

GoldMine Premium Edition builds on the success of previous versions of GoldMine, offering enhanced functionality, flexibility and a state-of-the-art user interface. As well as improving marketing processes and activities, GoldMine Premium Edition helps companies manage all aspects of their business relationships, including a complete sales and customer service management solution.

Asked how GoldMine Premium Edition helps marketers, Peter continued “Streamlining marketing processes and activities is a key function of all quality CRM systems. With the Concentrix Easy-Start Package for GoldMine Premium Edition, marketing staff have access to a dedicated campaign management centre with high-quality, easy-to-use planning, tracking and analysis tools. The package also enables marketers to define lead ownership and automate processes to make sure marketing staff can monitor and progress leads effectively: no more ‘lost’ leads, no more lead duplication.”

Concentrix has priced its Easy-Start Package for GoldMine Premium Edition extremely competitively, with the cost including a business assessment, licences, data import, installation configuration, user training, maintenance and support, plus a free system review after two months.

For more information about the Concentrix Easy-Start Package for GoldMine Premium Edition, call 01509 410500 or email nfo@concentrix.co.uk.

Calgary – Global Mainframe’s CEO Steve Turcotte is proud to announce the company has appointed Brian Pike as its President upon successfully acquiring XTYVIA, a company Pike had founded and operated. In this role, effective immediately, Pike will assume the day-to-day operations of the company. Having released V2 in January, within a month XTYVIA developers had integrated GoodLink™ and BlackBerry™ Mobile Service into the ODIS platform, allowing two-way synchronized connection to Microsoft Exchange Server® and ODIS – On Demand Imagery Solutions.

“Our business model requires great leadership,” Global Mainframe President and CEO Steve Turcotte enthused, while addressing his staff and making the announcement at his head office in Calgary. “Brian has proven to me his value. I can’t say enough about his vision and ability to achieve goals. His main task in the short-term will be to properly align our partners and integrate all assets, enabling us to continue providing solutions online, effectively and efficiently.”

Global Mainframe is unveiling a branded series of critical SaaS modules this year for the Oil and Gas industry and GoodLink™, a standards-based wireless messaging and corporate data access system, provides mobile field forces in any resource sector with a two-way connection, offering low total cost of ownership, includes software, service, support, powerful fleet management capabilities and state of the art security, including VeriSign™ and end-to-end encryption of all email, data, and attachments.

Earlier this month Global Mainframe showcased its innovative Energy Resource Manager™ software at the Global Petroleum Show. Commonly referred to as (SaaS) Software-As-A-Service, the ERM platform is managed, upgraded and delivered directly to clients online. “These days, clients do not need to pay for hardware or software,” Pike added, “but rather for using it, simply. Our clients are now obtaining the same benefits of commercially licensed, internally operated software without the associated complexity and high cost. The potential for this product is enormous.”

The Global Mainframe platform and proprietary modules are delivered over the Internet so companies need not build up costly infrastructure and support teams. The servers, applications and data are managed by SaskTel in their secure world-class facility.

About Brian Pike:

Brian started his career working with ConXia, deploying software and hardware technologies to improve efficiencies within international telecommunication companies. He then founded GEOTrac International, a GPS tracking company. There he developed the first mapping technology operating on the ESRI platform to offer clients LSD, BCGS, and NTS search functionality. Brian was on the logistics advisory board for the MacKenzie Delta Pipeline project and was involved with the PCO for Iraq.

Broner Metals Solutions, the world’s leading provider of supply chain planning, scheduling and manufacturing execution systems, specifically for the Metals Industry, has been awarded a further participation in the Global Scheduling Project by ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Works in South Africa.

The Phase 2 of the project has started after the implementation and launch of the Phase 1, which spanned steel making facilities, slab casters, hot strip and plate mill and included four Broner modules: Caster Scheduler, Hot Mill Scheduler, Online Slab Allocator and Melt Shop Control Centre.

The new Phase covers planning and finishing facilities and comprises the following Broner applications:
· Production Planner performs fixed capacity, end-to-end material flow planning for all stages, from steel-making to packing
· Material Planner is responsible for automatic allocation and re-allocation of physical inventory to sales orders, to replace currently manual process
· Plate Combination is responsible for automatic allocation and reallocation of physical inventory to plate sales orders
· Production Scheduler is an automated scheduling tool that uses physical and virtual coils to improve visibility of impact of a schedule on downstream equipment.

Graham Hocknell, Project Manager for Phase 1 and 2 at ArcelorMittal South Africa Vanderbijlpark, said, “ We were pleased with the results delivered by Broner in the first phase and are now implementing Phase 2 together.”

[b]About ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark[/b]
ArcelorMittal is the world’s number one steel company, with 330,000 employees in more than 60 countries. ArcelorMittal pro-forma revenue in 2005 showed combined revenues of 62.2bn euro (77.5bn$) and approximate production capacity of 113 million tonnes, which represents about 10% of the world’s crude steel output. With an industrial presence in 27 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, ArcelorMittal has a balanced geographic diversity within all the key steel markets, both developing and developed.

ArcelorMittal South Africa is the largest steel producer on the African continent, producing 7,1 million tonnes of liquid steel per annum, with Vanderbijlpark being just one of its facilities. ArcelorMittal Vanderbijlpark Works is one of the world’s largest inland steel mills and the largest supplier of flat steel products in sub-Saharan Africa. It produces hot rolled sheet, hot rolled steel plate, hot rolled steel strip, cold rolled steel sheet, hot dip galvanized steel sheet, electrolytically galvanised steel sheet, colour coated steel sheet and electrolytic tin plate.

[b]About Broner Metals Solutions[/b]
Broner Metals Solutions specialises entirely in delivering value to the Steel and Aluminium industries. We provide Supply Chain Planning, Scheduling and Manufacturing Execution Systems and Consultancy, which improve shareholder value, through: reduced inventory; shorter manufacturing lead times; increased throughput; improved delivery performance and better customer service.

All Broner Metals Solutions products have been developed specifically for the Metals industry. Our Product range includes Demand Management, Sales and Operation Planning, Availability To Promise, Capability To Promise, Advanced Planning and Scheduling and Manufacturing Execution solutions.

The Broner Metals Solutions team has 30 years experience in improving the performance of metals supply chains worldwide. We are the global corporate standard supplier of production scheduling and MES solutions to the world’s largest steel company, Mittal Steel, as well as supplying metals companies such as Baosteel, Dofasco, Corus, Cosipa, CSN, Gerdau Group, Nippon Steel, Norandal, OMK, Taiyuan Steel (TISCO), TMK, and Usiminas.

Broner Metals Solutions is part of Hyperion Systems Engineering Ltd.

For further information please contact:
Broner Metals Solutions
Ksenia Mustafina
+44 1923 652008 – direct
+44 1923 652000 - switchboard
ksenia.mustafina@bronermetals.com
www.bronermetals.com

Steve Turcotte, CEO and Chairman of Calgary-based software solutions provider Global Mainframe, is proud to announce today the completion of an exciting merger with MapFusion Inc. Under the agreement the companies will begin immediately to share critical knowledge and resources to co-launch and maximize recent respective technology developments and new product releases, such as ERM and MoveWISE.

“It’s taken a few months to get to know each other,” explains Turcotte, “but we’re extremely happy with the result. This provides us many opportunities and we are certainly better positioned to compete effectively and support a broader portfolio of services.”

MoveWISE, a geospatial-enabled reporting solution, was unveiled this past November for relocation professionals at the ERC symposium in Denver. The product augments MapFusion’s current inventory, including CommunityWISE, a popular online application currently used by consumers across North America. “Based on feedback received at the conference,” Turcotte continues, “our teams succeeded over the past few months to refine the product, and this month showcased an advanced version at the NRC show in San Antonio.”

Located in Toronto, over the past year MapFusion’s executives have been working closely with industry leaders and partners, like Royal Lepage Relocation Services (RLRS), Canada’s largest relocator, to evolve the brand line, integrating new and innovative technology with data-driven maps to reduce the clients’ actual cost of relocation, as well as the personal stress involved with moving the employee and family members.

“As a data aggregator this merger is a logical step for us,” concludes Turcotte. “We are aware that MapFusion has been instrumental in developing proprietary and renowned tracking software for the transportation industry and we intend to leverage our complementary c