(BUSINESS WIRE)– Netsize, a leading mobile commerce enabler and a Gemalto company (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), announces that CityzenCar, a peer-to-peer car sharing social network in France, has deployed its SMS-based communication solution to secure and simplify car rental for consumers. CityzenCar enables 12,000 members across 2,000 French cities to rent a vehicle in complete trust and with no commission.

The Netsize SMS communication solution supports the entire rental process, from renter validation to rental notifications, as well as confirming booking details. It works on any handset and is compatible with all wireless networks, guaranteeing 100 percent reach so CityzenCar customers can use the service anywhere, anytime.

Car owners will be notified of each rental request by SMS and if they approve it, the driver will receive a text message on their mobile phone containing details of the car and location. The car owner can then choose to either deliver the keys to the driver in person or authorize CityzenCar to unlock the car doors. This innovative and convenient unlocking system is made possible by the “CityzenBox”, an embedded telematic device that sits within the car.

“We wanted to make it as easy as possible for our customers to interact with each other and make the best use of our service, “ commented Nicolas le Douarec, CEO, CityzenCar, “Netsize’s flexible and highly dependable SMS solution is crucial to ensure the quality of our service.”

“CityzenCar is ahead of the curve in its innovative use of technology to engage with customers. SMS is ideal where mobility is key as customers can be reached while on the move. It is also exceptionally interoperable, providing us with a far wider end-user reach,” said Frédéric Deman, General Manager, Netsize.

About Netsize, a Gemalto Company

Netsize is the leading provider of global mobile carrier billing and messaging solutions, enabling its customers to boost mobile services revenues while increasing business efficiency and brand awareness.

Netsize‘s Mobile Payment solution covers 50 countries and 136 wireless networks worldwide and enables mobile commerce, integrating all available carrier billing methods, including direct billing. It supports both pay per use and recurring, subscription-based transactions. Netsize Mobile Messaging provides reliable, secure and certified bi-directional communication using SMS and MMS in over 200 countries, enabling enterprise messaging, mobile marketing and machine-to-machine applications.

Netsize is part of Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security with revenues of €1.9 billion in 2010, and over 10 thousand employees operating out of 87 offices and 13 Research & Development centers in 45 countries.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital securitywith 2010 annual revenues of €1.9 billion and over 10,000 employees operating out of 87 offices and 13 Research & Development centers in 45 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure. Gemalto delivers on the growing demands for personal mobile services, identity protection, payment security, authenticated online services, cloud computing access, modern transportation, e-healthcare and e-government services. Gemalto does this by providing secure software, a wide range of secure personal devices, and managed services to wireless operators, banks, enterprises and government agencies.

Gemalto is the world leader for electronic passports and identity cards, two-factor authentication devices for online protection, smart credit/debit and contactless payment cards, as well as subscriber identification modules (SIM) and universal integrated circuit cards (UICC) in mobile phones. Also, in the emerging machine-to-machine applications Gemalto is a leading supplier of wireless modules and machine identification modules (MIM). To operate these solutions and remotely manage the software and confidential data contained in the secure devices Gemalto also provides server platforms, consulting, training, and managed services to help its customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the Company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemaltoon Twitter.

Contacts

Netsize

Media

Alexander Vlasblom, +31 20 50 47 176

alexander.vlasblom@gemalto.com

Gemalto

Media

Europe, Middle East & Africa

Peggy Edoire, +33 4 42 36 45 40

peggy.edoire@gemalto.com

Latin America

Ernesto Haikewitsch, +55 11 51 05 92 20

ernesto.haikewitsch@gemalto.com

North America

Jessi Marshall, +1-512-257-3902

jessi.marshall@gemalto.com

-(BUSINESS WIRE)– SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) announced today that it is confirming its satellite leadership in TV channel carriage and high definition transmission. By year-end 2011, SES broadcasts over 5,200 TV channels, including over 1,200 High Definition (HD) channels. In the second half of 2011 alone, SES added more than 100 HD channels.

While North America and Europe contribute the majority of the channels broadcast on SES satellites, an increasing portion of the channel growth is coming from emerging markets such as Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. SES now carries 44 DTH platforms, more than any other satellite operator in the world. In addition to over 5,200 TV channels, close to 1,000 radio channels are broadcast via the global satellite fleet of SES.

Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer of SES, said: “These numbers are unrivalled in the industry and demonstrate the advantages of satellite for the distribution of high quality content to large audiences. In line with our fleet investment programme, we see continued channel growth coming from Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa. The addition of new HD channels continues to accelerate globally and will remain another growth driver for our company.”

About SES

SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 49 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.

Contacts

SES

Markus Payer

Market Communication & PR

Tel. +352 710 725 500

Markus.Payer@ses.com

JOHANNESBURG – Saturday, February 4th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

-(BUSINESS WIRE)– Dimension Data, the $5.8 billion IT solutions and services provider said today it has become the first company in the world to be awarded TelePresence Video Master Global Authorised Technology Provider (ATP) status from Cisco. This new accolade means Dimension Data has been certified to sell Cisco TelePresence visual solutions to its local, multinational, and global clients across over 49 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, Middle East & Africa, and the US.

A Cisco TelePresence Video Master Global ATP Partner understands global commerce delivery and logistics, has trained resources around the world, and supports a Cisco TelePresence Video Global deals desk to drive global opportunities for telepresence. Dimension Data has established the greatest depth of knowledge and skill in deploying the entire Cisco video portfolio, which comprises single- and triple-screen Cisco TelePresence units, custom TelePresence suites, and infrastructure solutions utilizing their Center of Excellence demonstration capabilities, scaling to meet large global opportunities. Cisco TelePresence Video Master Global ATP Partners possess deep networking and advanced Cisco Unified Communications expertise

“As a Cisco TelePresence Video Master Global ATP Partner, Dimension Data has made an investment in the global sales, technical and services capabilities needed to deliver the industry’s most comprehensive and interoperable Cisco TelePresence Video portfolio,” said Richard McLeod, senior director of collaboration for worldwide channels at Cisco. “Cisco values the commitment and expertise that Dimension Data has demonstrated to drive global customer opportunities for telepresence.”

Shaun Struckmann, Dimension Data’s Solutions Director, Visual Communications who led the certification initiative for the Group said, “The Video Master Global ATP illustrates Dimension Data’s commitment to its 20-year partnership with Cisco, and our mutual drive to provide our clients around the world with visual solutions. In total, 92 Dimension Data field engineers, system engineers, and project managers were certified as Host or Satellite ATP Masters in different roles related to video. This underscores Dimension Data’s market leadership and operational excellence in visual communications, and commitment to expanding our global reach.”

“With 21 countries equipped and connected to our Global Centre of Excellence in London, Dimension Data has extensive, globally deployed technical and solutions expertise across Cisco architectures. Cisco’s TelePresence infrastructure, together with Dimension Data’s global procurement capabilities combined with our Managed Services for Visual Communications provides our clients with new and exciting ways to procure and support their visual communications estate, ” said Struckmann.

About Dimension Data

Founded in 1983, Dimension Data plc is an ICT services and solutions provider that uses its technology expertise, global service delivery capability, and entrepreneurial spirit to accelerate the business ambitions of its clients. Dimension Data is a member of the NTT Group. www.dimensiondata.com

About Cisco TelePresence and Video Collaboration Solution

Cisco TelePresence® and Video collaboration solutions provide life-like, high-definition, conferencing facilities with superior audio and video, allowing participants to meet their colleagues, customers and business partners across a virtual table. Participants can enjoy a same-room meeting experience, even if they are located in different locations around the world. Participants can also meet more often and enjoy more productive sessions, helping to improve business interactions while potentially building stronger customer relationships, accelerating sales cycles, improving project management and forming tighter integration with remote offices.

Cisco, the Cisco logo and Cisco TelePresence are trademarks or registered trademarks of Cisco and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. A listing of Cisco’s trademarks can be found at www.cisco.com/go/trademarks.

Contacts

Dimension Data

Hilary King, +27 11 575 6728

Global PR Manager

Cell : +27 82 414 9623

hilary.king@dimensiondata.com

“Market demand was strong and we executed well during the fourth quarter, a combination that provided a strong finish to a year with record revenues,” said Interactive Intelligence founder and CEO, Dr. Donald Brown. “In 2011, we firmly established Interactive Intelligence as a vendor-of-choice at the high end of the contact center market. We continue to consistently grow faster than the overall market with our on-premise solutions and are emerging as a leader with our cloud-based offering.

“We show ever-increasing momentum among customer cloud deployments, which is the highest growth segment of our market. In 2012, we plan to capitalize on this momentum and step up investments to further enhance our brand recognition, extend our product capabilities and gain additional market share.

“Our order mix is expected to continue shifting toward the cloud, which combined with strategic investments in sales, marketing and development is expected to reduce our reported profitability from a near-term perspective. However, we’re confident in the long-term viability of our business model, and our ability to generate shareholder value. We’re addressing a multi-billion dollar market opportunity, and we’re taking focused action to grow the business for long-term financial success driven by increasing recurring revenue,” concluded Brown.

Fourth-Quarter 2011 Financial Highlights:
Orders: Total orders increased 17 percent year-over-year, with cloud-based orders up over 500 percent year-over-year. The company signed 101 new customers during the fourth quarter of 2011, up 29 percent from 78 new customers during the same period in 2010, including 12 new customers for its cloud-based offering during the fourth quarter of 2011, up from 8 during the same period in 2010.

Revenue: Total revenues were $57.7 million, with non-GAAP revenue of $58.0 million, an increase of 14 percent on a year-over-year basis. Recurring revenues, which include both maintenance contracts and cloud-based subscriptions, increased 23 percent to $24.4 million and accounted for 42 percent of total revenues. Cloud-based revenues increased 61 percent year-over-year to $3.8 million. Product revenues were $27.3 million and service revenues were $6.0 million, up 9 percent and 4 percent, respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of last year.

Operating Income: GAAP operating income for the fourth quarter was $6.5 million, with an operating margin of 11.3 percent, compared to $9.1 million and an operating margin of 18.0 percent for the fourth quarter 2010. Non-GAAP operating income was $8.7 million with an operating margin of 15.0 percent, compared to $10.5 million and an operating margin of 20.7 percent for the fourth quarter of 2010. The year-over-year decline in operating margin was primarily due to the shift toward cloud-based orders, which are recognized ratably over the life of the contract, and away from on-premise product orders, which are typically recognized as revenue on an upfront basis.

Net Income: GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $4.6 million based on a 30.0 percent effective tax rate, and includes an adjustment of the full year effective tax rate down to 33.4 percent. This compares to GAAP net income of $7.1 million based on a 22.3 percent effective tax rate for the same period last year. GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the fourth quarter was $0.23 based on 19.9 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding, compared to $0.37 based on 19.3 million shares outstanding for the same period last year. Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $7.3 million based on a 16.6 percent effective tax rate, compared to $10.4 million based on a 0.5 percent effective tax rate for the same period last year. Non-GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.37, compared to $0.54 for the same period last year.

Full Year 2011 Financial Highlights:
Orders: Total orders increased 28 percent compared to 2010, with product orders up 11 percent and cloud-based orders up 179 percent year-over-year. The company signed 301 new customers in 2011, up 16 percent from 259 new customers during 2010, including 42 new cloud customers during 2011, up 91 percent from 22 new customers during 2010. Cloud-based orders were 23 percent of total orders in 2011, up from 11 percent of total orders in 2010.

Revenue: Total revenues were $209.5 million, with non-GAAP revenue of $210.1 million, an increase of 26 percent on a year-over-year basis. Recurring revenues, which include both maintenance contracts and cloud-based subscriptions, increased 33 percent to $91.4 million and accounted for 44 percent of total revenues. Cloud-based revenues increased 96 percent year-over-year to $12.2 million. Product revenues were $94.7 million and service revenues were $23.4 million, up 19 percent and 32 percent, respectively, compared to 2010.

Operating Income: GAAP operating income was $21.6 million, with an operating margin of 10.3 percent, compared to $23.4 million and an operating margin of 14.1 percent for 2010. Non-GAAP operating income was $29.3 million, with an operating margin of 13.9 percent, compared to $27.8 million and an operating margin of 16.7 percent for 2010.
The year-over-year decline in operating margin was primarily due to the shift toward cloud-based orders, which are recognized ratably over the life of the contract, and away from on-premise product orders, which are typically recognized as revenue on an upfront basis.

Net Income: GAAP net income was $14.8 million based on a 33.4 percent effective tax rate, compared to $14.9 million based on a 34.0 percent effective tax rate for 2010. GAAP EPS was $0.74 based on 19.9 million weighted average diluted shares outstanding, compared to $0.79 based on 18.9 million shares outstanding for 2010. Non-GAAP net income was $24.9 million based on a 16.7 percent effective tax rate, compared to $26.5 million based on a 1.8 percent effective tax rate for 2010 and non-GAAP EPS was $1.25, compared to $1.40 for 2010.

Deferred Revenue: Total deferred revenue was $75.4 million as of Dec. 31, 2011, up 39 percent from $54.1 million at the end of 2010. Unrecognized future cloud contracts were $34.6 million as of Dec. 31, 2011, up 172 percent from $12.6 million at the end of 2010.

Cash and Cash Flow: As of Dec. 31, 2011, the company had cash and cash equivalents and investments of $92.5 million, an increase compared to $85.9 million at the end of 2010. During 2011, the company generated operating cash of $21.4 million and used $13.4 million for acquisitions and $13.3 million for purchase of property and equipment, including significant fourth-quarter purchases to support facilities expansions and cloud operations.

A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures has been provided in the financial statement tables. An explanation of these measures is also included below under the heading “Non-GAAP Measures.”

Additional Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Highlights:
For the fourth quarter of 2011, the company had 6 orders over $1.0 million and 31 additional orders over $250,000, compared to 5 and 26, respectively, during the same period last year.

For the full year 2011, the company had 17 orders over $1.0 million and 96 additional orders over $250,000, compared to 19 and 71, respectively, for 2010.

The company launched Customer Interaction Center™ (CIC) version 4.0, a major new release of its flagship all-in-one IP communications software suite, which added real-time speech analytics, increased scalability, Web portal access, and a private cloud deployment model.

The company launched Quick Spin, a cloud-based communications-as-a-service trial program, providing a risk-free introduction to sophisticated applications with set-up time in minutes.

The company was named among the Top 500 Software and Service Providers by Software Magazine for the eleventh consecutive year.

The company was positioned in the Leaders Quadrant in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Contact Center Infrastructure, Worldwide report for the fourth consecutive year.

The company was honored by Frost & Sullivan with its Company of the Year, Contact Center Systems North America award for the second consecutive year.

The company was ranked by Forbes Magazine among America’s Best Small Companies for the second consecutive year.

(BUSINESS WIRE)– On the 24th January 2012, in the Federal High Court of Nigeria, the Honorable Justice Shuaib, handed down judgment in the matter between Econet Wireless Ltd (‘EWL’) vs. Bharti Airtel Nigeria Limited, suit No FHC/KD/39/2008 (Formerly FHC/L/172/2004)

The summary of the judgment is as follows:

Econet Wireless Ltd, an international company, domiciled in the United Kingdom, is a shareholder of Bharti Airtel Nigeria Limited and holds 5% of the issued shares of the company. The Court ordered Airtel to reinstate the shareholding of EWL.

The Court ordered that all actions, and resolutions taken by the company, since October 2003, at which EWL was entitled to be notified, and to participate in, as a shareholder, but was prohibited, are null and void. This includes decisions to sell shares, issue shares, and also transfer shares to third parties.

The Court also ordered that the name change from Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited, effected in 2003, was irregular, and must be reversed forthwith.

The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has been ordered to cancel any certificate previously issued for the change of the name of the company and restore the name of the company to Econet Wireless Nigeria Limited.

As a result of the judgment by the Honorable Justice Shuaib, Econet Wireless Limited through its lawyers has now written to the company, with the following requests:

Immediately reissue shares in the company to Econet to reinstate its 5% interest.

Provide Econet full access to information relating particularly to board decisions and shareholder resolutions in accordance with the Companies Act, the shareholders agreement between the parties and in pursuance of the orders of the Federal High Court of Nigeria.

Econet Wireless intends to review the decisions taken by the board and other shareholders to ascertain which actions are in violation of the order of the High Court.

Commenting on the decision, Econet Wireless Group Chairman – Mr Strive Masiyiwa said:

“It is universally accepted throughout the world, that when shares in a company are allotted and share certificates issued, as confirmation of ownership, this is sacrosanct.

“In October 2003, Econet Wireless Ltd received a letter from the chairman of the company – Mr Oba Otudeko, in which he advised that at a board meeting directors had decided that Econet Wireless was no longer a shareholder, Econet’s share certificate had been cancelled, and Econet’s name removed from the shareholder register. The motive for this unprecedented action was the circumvention of Econet Wireless’ rights as a shareholder in order to facilitate the sale of shares, first to Celtel International, and later to Bharti Airtel.

“As a result of these actions, Econet Wireless was left with no option but to seek redress through the courts. An application was filed in the Nigerian Federal High Court in October 2003, more than eight years ago. Since then, every legal avenue to delay the process was pursued by the defendants through their lawyers, in order to frustrate Econet Wireless.

“I am very disappointed that whilst it was clear to Celtel, Zain and Bharti-Airtel that Econet Wireless was a shareholder, they still chose to pursue a path, in which the end justified the means. It is clear even to those with the most basic understanding of company law that the board of a company has no power in any jurisdiction to simply cancel the shares of a shareholder but their desire to own the company was so great that they were prepared to overlook the facts and ignore our rights

“The substance of this ruling, which was known by Celtel and then Bharti, was a matter of record in the legal documents of the company. It is also common cause to even the casual reader that the order given has far-reaching consequences on the current ownership status of the company.

We have made it clear to the company, that as a shareholder, we would like to ensure that all actions that must be taken to comply with the Court order are undertaken in such a way that there is minimal disruption to the ongoing operations of the company.

“The board of Econet Wireless and I remain willing to sit down with Bharti-Airtel, to review the best way forward for all parties. In the meantime, we have a fiduciary responsibility to take all of the necessary steps to vigorously protect the interests of our shareholders.”

For further information about Econet Wireless please visit:

www.econetwireless.com

Contacts

Media Enquiries:

Tavistock

Matt Ridsdale,

+44 20 7920 3150

+44 7545 577 754

IP communications systems, based on a soft switch design, are rapidly replacing aging digital PBXs. All-in-One solutions support traditional telephony services and unified communications tools on a single centralized server; full featured contact center services may also be available. Today’s customer has the option of fully replacing their existing system or installing a co-located IP soft switch for a gradual system migration while leveraging the new technology and associated benefits. So how does one make an informed decision when preparing an enterprise communications system upgrade roadmap?

Today’s Enterprise Communications System
Most enterprise customers have been migrating their communications systems from traditional digital PBXs to those based on Internet Protocol (IP) communications standards. These IP communications systems support traditional telephony requirements and in addition offer customers a collection of more advanced communications services. While there are several design options available, the one of choice for most of today’s customers is referred to as a soft switch based on traditional client/server architecture topology. The advantage of this design is that the adoption of industry standards permits compatibility between the system and third party applications and that most, if not all, of the hardware equipment is non-proprietary.

In spite of these advantages, many customers chose to upgrade their digital PBX to either an IP-enabled or Hybrid system design. This is done so as to retain a sizable percent of their earlier communications systems investment. The viable option to extend the life of existing systems is to install a co-located soft switch. The customer can then execute a gradual migration of users between the two systems. It may not be an ideal situation, operating two systems, but the cost savings and performance advantages to be gained are likely to outweigh the negatives.

The Basics of Unified Communications
One of the many advantages of an IP communications system is the availability of a range of features, functions, and processes collectively referred to as Unified Communications (UC). While many customers believe IP telephony and UC to be one and the same thing, in actuality, UC offerings facilitate and enhance the traditional telephony experience, not replace it. Implementation of IP communication systems provides the necessary framework for UC solutions. Many UC features and applications are enabled by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), a prominent industry standard for IP communications systems, particularly when customers need to interface to third party solutions.

Justifying an IP Communications System
A new IP communications system should be viewed as a business asset, not as an expense item (which many do). And as a business asset it should help reduce existing communications expenses as well as affect how the enterprise operates and competes in the competitive market. Basic justification factors fall into two categories: hard cost savings and enhanced user/business productivity (both real and perceived). The following are a few of the many justification factors for implementing a current generation All-in-One soft switch IP communications system.

Reduced hardware costs owing to: fewer common equipment hardware elements and as a result lower maintenance costs; use of non-proprietary third party hardware equipment which allows flexibility in design choice; option of using PC-based soft phones.

Enhanced system survivability and resiliency (reducing system disasters) based on: a limited number of points of failure compared to traditional PBXs; availability of cost efficient, fully redundant and geo-distributed communications control server options; pooled media services and gateway resources; alternate transmission signaling paths among servers, gateways and endpoints.

Consolidation of multiple networked PBXs by migrating to a centralized data center system design offers numerous benefits including: fewer systems with significant hardware/software savings; easier and more manageable growth and network expansion; centralized, more efficient system administration and management; lower cost integrated voice/data network transmission services; greater user mobility across the network.

Many UC features and services are designed to automate communications. Among the many UC cost/time savings and productivity benefits are the following:

Faster and more efficient contacts through presence management services
Reduced messaging management time/cost through unified messaging
Lower cost and self-managed audio conferencing services
Simplified and more efficient access/implementation of communications systems features and functions through a GUI-based soft client screen

The Systems Upgrade Checklist
It is recommended that a comprehensive corporate communications strategy be in place well before a customer is ready to replace their aging voice-centric communications systems. This approach must address goals and objectives of the enterprise’s overall business strategy and identify how a new system can contribute to such things as: revenue enhancement; cost reduction; competitive positioning; market expansion; improved customer service; and Green initiatives.

Current generation All-in-One communications systems support hundreds of features and functions and it necessary to understand and identify the distinct communications needs of many different system subscriber communities, to avoid a “one size fits all” approach.

Replacing an existing communications system can be traumatic for the majority of customers, because many system subscribers are averse to change. Identifying the current communications issues that can be addressed, corrected or improved by a new communications system will help gain stakeholder support and facilitate the migration process.

An incremental implementation approach across the enterprise network is recommended for purposes of manageability and to avoid too much change at once. Customers with large networks should consider having a mix of new and old communications system platforms for a few years, gradually migrating on a site-by-site basis according to a well defined time line.

Sufficient training services and help desk support must be provided to cover feature operations and system interfaces (desktop telephone instruments, soft phones, mobile clients). Personal one-on-one training may be mandated at the executive level and small group training for system specialist, such as attendants, system administrators, and contact center personnel is also often necessary. Systems upgrades are inevitable and a well thought out strategy can greatly ease the transition process.

As per the arrangement, Scope ME will provide support contracts and professional services to A10 Networks’ wide customer base in the Middle East. These support contracts can be customized to suit the requirements of each individual customer.

Mark Edge, Sales Director, EMEA, for A10 Networks indicated the importance of the agreement and its strategic implications in consolidating the company’s position in the Application Delivery Controller (ADC) market in the Middle East which is valued at over $20 million (AED 73 million) annually. “We entered the region with the intention of rapid market capitalization. Signing Scope Middle East on as a distributer in 2011 was the first step towards this goal. Differentiating ourselves by providing superior and highly dedicated customer support was the next logical phase.”

“We have experienced first-hand Scope Middle East’s technical expertise and professionalism. They already have a well-established support center and extensive experience in security and networking products and we believe that our customers stand to benefit greatly from this,” he said.

Scope ME already handles hundreds of support contracts with customers in the region from various segments of industry such as telecom, government, education, internet service providers etc. The certified engineers, who have extensive networking and security experience, are capable of providing 24/7 support via telephone, web and email in multiple languages including English, Arabic, Hindi and Urdu. In addition, customers can opt for a dedicated support engineer.

“We are extremely excited to build upon what has already proved to be a mutually beneficial relationship. There has been a good reception to A10 Networks’ AX Series solutions in the region and as a value-added distributor; we have worked closely with a number of their customers. Our contact center engineers have been trained and certified by A10 Networks and we are all geared up to provide world-class support,” said Mr. Fadi AbuEkab, Chief Executive Officer of Scope Middle East.

SCOPE ME is one of the Middle East’s premier technology solutions providers. Its vendor base includes well known leading global technology vendors like Blue Coat, Legrand, Kaspersky, SpliceCom and intranet technology specialist Adenin Technologies.

This 75-minute Web event will be held Tuesday, Jan. 31 at 8:30 p.m. Gulf Standard Time (GST)/ 11:30 a.m. Eastern time (EST).

The webcast, already attracting more than 900 pre-registrants, will feature Forrester Research Inc. principal analyst, Art Schoeller, who brings with him 35 years of experience in the computer, communications, and software industries.

This webcast is designed for call center managers, customer service VPs, and anyone in charge of managing the customer experience. Trends covered will include cloud-based delivery models, incorporating multichannel communications, the role of mobile devices, and more.

Also presenting will be Interactive Intelligence senior VP, Joe Staples, who has 30-plus years of experience in the communications technology industry.

“We designed this webcast to help contact centers answer the central question: ‘How can I leverage the latest technology trends to both drive down costs and boost customer satisfaction?’” Staples said.

This webcast will feature an extensive Q&A, with presenters on the panel being joined by industry veterans, Sheila McGee-Smith, founder of McGee-Smith Analytics; and Don Van Doren, founder and president of Vanguard Communications. The concluding Q&A session will enable attendees to submit questions to panelists.

All webcast attendees will receive a free copy of the Interactive Intelligence contact center automation enewsletter, which features the latest Gartner Magic Quadrant for Contact Center Infrastructure, Worldwide report.

To register for the webcast, visit www.inin.com/webevent.

Under the terms of the agreement, effective Jan. 1, 2012, these assets are now owned by Interactive Intelligence Group Inc. The new company will operate as Interactive Intelligence South Africa Pty Ltd.

As part of the all-cash transaction, Interactive Intelligence South Africa Pty Ltd. will employ approximately 40 ATIO team members, and will begin direct support of nearly 40 joint ATIO and Interactive Intelligence customers located throughout South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.

ATIO was founded in 1986 and is a privately held provider of information and communications technology services. It had been an Interactive Intelligence reseller since 2002.

“ATIO has ranked among our top revenue-generating resellers of all partners throughout Europe, Middle East, and Africa each year since it first began offering our solutions,” said Interactive Intelligence founder and CEO, Don Brown. “This successful track record, combined with a talented support and services team, mature infrastructure, and expertise in key industries such as financial services, telecommunications and government, makes ATIO’sInteractive Intelligence business an ideal acquisition choice.

“This acquisition marks our continued strategy to more effectively grow our existing operations in key international geographies, which began early last year with reseller acquisitions in Germany and Australia. This acquisition also lays a strong foundation for planned investments in the region that support our rapidly growing cloud-based communications-as-a-service business,” Brown concluded.

“Africa is increasingly popular as a preferred destination of contact centers,” said Frost & Sullivan’s business unit leader, ICT Africa, Birgitta Cederstrom. “South Africa specifically has been a natural choice for contact centers due to its large and articulate English-speaking population and service-oriented business culture. Another strength is its expanding broadband connectivity, thus ensuring that the latest unified communications and collaboration tools will run efficiently.”

As part of the transaction, Interactive Intelligence South Africa Pty Ltd. will occupy one of ATIO’s buildings in Johannesburg, which will now function as its regional headquarters serving all of Africa.

The new company will continue offering the complete Interactive Intelligence all-in-one IP communications software suite, which includes applications for contact center automation, unified communications, and business process automation.
Interactive Intelligence South Africa Pty Ltd. will sell its solutions both directly and through authorized channel partners.

For more information about the acquisition, visit http://www.inin.com/Pages/Atio.aspx.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Saturday, January 14th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

Economic Zones World (EZW) has signed an MoU with the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), represented by the UAE Computer Emergency Response Team (aeCERT), to boost its information systems and strengthen cyber security across its operations.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Mrs Salma Hareb, CEO of Economic Zones World and H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of TRA.

Under the agreement the two parties will collaborate on information security including the provision of early warning and notification of threats and vulnerabilities in order to detect, prevent and respond to the broader set of cyber security threats such as hacking, viruses and corruption on the Internet.

The MoU outlines the various phases of the work that will be undertaken by the parties. aeCERT, established by the TRA in 2008 as the cyber security coordination centre for the UAE, will initially evaluate the current information systems used by the free zone operator, and its effectiveness against cyber attacks.

As part of the agreement, the Centre will make suggestions and provide consultation on preliminary threats to better protect EZW systems and electronic data. The two parties will also jointly work on new and existing technologies that could enhance operations and mitigate risk.

Mrs. Salma Hareb, CEO, Economic Zones World, said:

“With our operations getting increasingly more advanced and complex, we give the highest priority to quality and security. This collaboration with aeCERT reinforces our commitment to applying the most stringent standards for information security management. We are continuously evaluating and enhancing existing systems for the betterment of our clients and their businesses.”

H.E. Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, Director General of TRAsaid:

“The TRA, being a regulatory authority for ICT, aims to provide the best level of services to users, and one of the ways we can ensure industry-best standards, is by protecting our users from cyber threats. We are pleased to sign this MoU with a leading UAE company such as EZW who is witnessing growth and prosperity, and its expansion in an ever-developing world of IT requires the highest possible levels of protection for its data and network. We are confident that the experience of our aeCERT team will be of great benefit to EZW’s cyber security.”

The Free zone operator has taken many measures to shore up its IT infrastructure over the years. In 1996 Jafza won ISO accreditation (ISO 9002:1994) becoming the first ISO certified free zone in the world. In addition to receiving an ISO 27001 certification, Jafza has also developed a process based Quality Management System meeting ISO standards which documents all core business and support processes in the free zone..

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Contacts

Adeti Changulani,

Hasaad Communications

Mob: +971 50 429 5576

adeti.changulani@hasaad.ae