Judging from the advancements in Mobile Computing in 2011, it is safe to assume that the market will grow exponentially in 2012. Developers are moving from building small mobile apps for iOS and Android, to full-scale integration with backend applications – integration that will tie into customer relationship management, enterprise resource management systems and more. More people and applications will not only be using mobile phones, but also incorporating many types of remote devices, including remote sensors. Middleware will be necessary to support these types of applications through advanced messaging and complex event processing (CEP) technology.

This year, the industry is likely to witness the intersection between middleware and big data. CIOs and decision-makers look at big data as a way to store and analyze vast amounts of information. Middleware can help to leverage and extend that information into applications via a more robust process and analytics platform.

Cloud computing- the buzzword of 2011 in the IT world- will continue to be huge. As Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solutions continue to mature, and the need for PaaS solutions to support more enterprise-related applications continues to increase, cloud-based solutions will grow beyond the core application server to include other middleware capabilities such as integration, workflow and process management. This is because organizations are eager take advantage of everything cloud has to offer – more effective economics, the shift to operational expenses from capital expenses, increased ability to scale, quicker time to market, etc. As was the case during the early stages of on-premise applications a lot of organizations have raised concerns regarding the development of cloud standards. Although the market is still young, standards will play a key role in its subsequent success.

A side-effect of increased migration to the cloud is that more developers are handling deployments in addition to development. As the emergence of this new role of developer operations, or dev-ops, becomes more apparent, developers will begin taking on more and more responsibilities. In addition, greater levels of abstraction, as a result of PaaS and cloud in general, will allow less skilled developers to create resources like sophisticated e-commerce websites without the skills needed in the past. Innovation leaders in the middleware and cloud market will come up with solution platforms which make it easier for developers to complete these tasks in the cloud, allowing more people to become involved in building applications than ever before.

A major pain point echoing through industry has been the need to scale businesses. As the global economy meanders through continued malaise, organizations are battling to maintain growth- emphasizing the need to scale without increasing fixed costs. CIOs are focused on avoiding vendor lock-in and Enterprises continue to express interest in more standards-based, open technologies.,

Talking about important standards in 2012, HTML 5 will see greater adoption, especially as a standard to support mobile applications. The benefit of HTML 5 is that it provides the richness of an application but also offers greater portability across various mobile platforms. Another standard that is receiving increased attention is Business Process Model and Notation 2 (BPMN2). This standard has made a place for itself amidst other technologies, such as Business Process Execution Language (BPEL).An increased interest in technologies like Advanced Messaging Queuing Protocol (AMQP) is expected. There has also been significant demand for a standards-based wire protocol in industries like financial services and transportation. People are tired of proprietary messaging protocols. There is also a lot of discussion around cloud standards. Although the market is still young, one may expect to see more standards starting to mature here for the benefit of interoperability and choice for the customer.

The IT forecast for 2012 is bright for vendors who pay heed to the consumer and make a conscious effort to align their cloud offerings to allow new economies of scale in IT and contribute true value to their customers’ business.

Red Hat customers and partners continue to deliver compelling business value and innovation utilizing the Red Hat technology portfolio. This award program provides an opportunity to recognize and honor these organizations for their cutting-edge usage of Red Hat solutions. Organizations have the opportunity to submit their nomination in seven various categories, and category winners will be selected based on the uniqueness, complexity and magnitude of their Red Hat implementation.

Categories for the 2012 Red Hat Innovation Awards include:
Optimized Systems – Recognition of striking performance, scalability and/or groundbreaking enhancements delivered with open source solutions.

Next Generation Business Application – Recognition of overall performance of creating, maintaining and deploying successful next generation business applications, be it traditional, mobile or cloud, all while using Red Hat solutions.

Outstanding Open Source Architecture – Recognition of a combination of Red Hat’s platform, middleware, cloud and/or storage solutions to create innovative architectures based on Red Hat solutions.

Superior Alternatives – Recognition of the most successful migration from proprietary solutions to Red Hat’s platform, middleware, cloud and/or storage solutions.

Extensive Partner Ecosystem – Recognition of the most successful use of Red Hat’s expanding partner ecosystem to create innovative architectures based on Red Hat’s platform, middleware, cloud and/or storage solutions.

Best Middleware Implementation – Recognition of the most cutting-edge utilization of the JBoss Enterprise Middleware portfolio.

Best Storage Implementation – Recognition of the most cutting-edge utilization of Red Hat Storage software.

Submissions for the Red Hat Innovation Awards will be accepted until March 16, 2012. A winner will be recognized in each of the seven categories. From these category winners, a Red Hat Innovator of the Year will be selected by the community through online voting, and will be announced during an awards ceremony at the 2012 Red Hat Summit and JBoss World.

Each submission will be evaluated by a panel of experts in the field of business and open source technology, including: Joe Brockmeier, editor/writer, ReadWriteWeb; Lee Congdon, CIO, Red Hat; Jim Kaskade, Stealth Startup CEO, PARC EIR, GigaOM analyst; Jay Lyman, senior analyst, Enterprise Software, 451 Research; Scott Merrill, contributor, TechCrunch; Craig Muzilla, vice president and general manager, Middleware, Red Hat.

For more information, or to submit a nomination for the 2012 Red Hat Innovation Awards, please visit: www.redhat.com/summit/awards. For more information on the 2012 Red Hat Summit and JBoss World, visit: www.redhat.com/summit.

(BUSINESS WIRE)– Having established a cooperation for common application development in 2009 with Makino Milling Machine Co. Ltd. based in Tokyo, Synova SA enters on January 1st, 2012 into an OEM Agreement for the manufacture of Laser MicroJet® (LMJ) machines based on Makino machine technology. Target markets for the new LMJ-machines are high-precision metal and hard-material processing industries. Major manufacturers of hard-material tools as well as electronic consumer goods have already expressed high interest in purchasing the equipment. Commercialization of the new LMJ machines will start in Japan with subsequent worldwide distribution.

The LMJ technology enables substantial reduction of total cost of ownership in material processing. The water-guided laser beam cuts/drills perfectly parallel and clean kerfs or holes with virtually no heat impact. As a consequence, production can be operated at lower waste rates, operational steps can be eliminated and the process allows to produce parts that cannot be produced at the same quality level with any other manufacturing process. LMJ technology has already been widely used in various high-precision application fields including metal, hard-material and semiconductor manufacturing.

The new manufacturing cooperation will bring together Synova’s long-standing process application know-how with Makino’s excellence as one of the world’s leading industrial machine manufacturer. A first prototype of the LMJ machine has already been built, a beta-prototype will be ready for spring 2012. The new machine, built by Makino and sold by Synova under the brand of Synova can be ordered from now.

Both, Dr. Bernold Richerzhagen, CEO & President of Synova, and Masataka Kido, General Manager Makino EDM R&D Division are confident that the new long-term cooperation will result in an important value proposition for material processing.

Makino head-quartered in Tokyo, Japan offers a wide range of precision metal-cutting and EDM production machinery. Today Makino is one of the world-top-ranked machine tool suppliers with manufacturing, sales and service facilities all over the world. www.makino.com

Since 1997 Synova SA has pioneered the Laser MicroJet technology, exploiting the synergy of laser power with water. Synova has a large R&D facility as well as a vast Application Laboratory at its head-quarters in Ecublens-Lausanne, Switzerland. Sales and service of the machines is done from various Micro Machining Centers (MMC) and sales & service points around the word. www.synova.ch

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50158159&lang=en

Contacts

Synova

Catherine Roudabush

roudabush@synova.ch

+41 (0)-21-694-3660

(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

FOLSOM, Calif. – Tuesday, February 7th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)– Meridian Systems, a Trimble Company (NASDAQ:TRMB) and the Plan-Build-Operate technology solutions leader for project-based organizations, announced today a new Value Added Reseller (VAR) agreement with Zone Technology. Concentrating on building and infrastructure program owners and managers in Egypt, Zone will provide comprehensive software sales and professional services for Meridian’s Proliance® solution to enhance the productivity, cost control and scheduling of local projects.

“Zone is well positioned with program management providers and consultants, multinational firms focused on the oil sector, developers in Egypt’s tourism and real estate sector, and with public sector clients,” said Geene Alhady, general manager, Meridian Systems. “This makes them a great addition to our international-based VAR network as they work with clients in Egypt to deliver a suite of engineering and survey solutions along with Meridian’s Proliance solution.”

“Egypt is in need of top notch software solutions to further enable our engineering community to manage their projects using best practices,” said Ahmed Kandil, MS, PE, PMP, Zone Technology. “We are particularly excited to introduce our current client base, which includes construction consultants and oil and gas customers in the area, to solutions that can effectively automate their business practices and save time and effort.”

Meridian’s global reseller network enhances customers’ investments in Meridian software solutions by providing in-depth industry experience and value-added implementation and training services. For more information, visit: http://www.meridiansystems.com/partners/findreseller.asp.

About Zone

ZONE Technologies is a multi-disciplined geospatial engineering company based in Cairo, Egypt. The company carries out operations throughout Africa and the Middle East for clients engaged in a wide diversity of industry sectors such as constructions, oil and gas, engineering, environmental monitoring, pipeline integrity, and property and geophysical studies. In addition to survey and engineering activities Zone is also provider and supplier of Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) products, services and training in its role as an Egyptian distributor of Trimble, a leading provider of advanced positioning solutions. Zone has a training facility, Zone Offshore, which provides comprehensive training services to enhance software solutions specifically for the oil and gas sector.

Meridian in the Middle East

Meridian Systems construction project management software solutions for infrastructure building owners, program management firms, and other AEC organizations are available through its parent company, Trimble, which has local dealers in the UAE.

About Meridian Systems

Meridian Systems, a Trimble Company (NASDAQ:TRMB), is the Plan-Build-Operate technology solutionsleader for project-based organizations. Building owners, construction and engineering firms, and public agencies use Meridian software to effectively manage capital building and facility renovation programs. In 2011, Meridian secured the top spot among off-the-shelf project management software used by the construction industry1. Meridian also is a pioneer in combining plan-build-operate features on an open technology platform to provide infrastructure lifecycle management solutions for capital building owners. Download free Meridian research and case studies by going to: http://my.meridiansystems.com/downloads/

12011 IT Playbook, Constructech Magazine

Contacts

Zone Contact

Ahmed H. Kandil, MS, PE, PMP, +2 010 1111323

akandila2010@yahoo.com

Meridian Contact

Tamara Kaestner, +1-916-294-2375

Sr. Marketing Manager

tkaestner@meridiansystems.com

FOLSOM, Calif. – Tuesday, February 7th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

(BUSINESS WIRE)– Meridian Systems, a Trimble Company (NASDAQ: TRMB) and the Plan-Build-Operate technology solutions leader for project-based organizations, announced today a new Value Added Reseller (VAR) agreement with Rayat Technology Est. (RTE). Concentrating on building and infrastructure program owners and program managers in the Saudi market, RTE will provide comprehensive software sales and provision of services for Meridian’s Proliance® solution.

“The addition of RTE to our partner network helps us to better serve clients in the construction and real estate, healthcare, utilities, oil & gas and public services sectors,” said Geene Alhady, general manager, Meridian Systems. “RTE’s skilled professionals have intimate knowledge of the Saudi market, and combined with a comprehensive sales and marketing team, they take a consultative approach to understanding customer needs.”

RTE is a Saudi establishment headquartered in Riyadh and operates in the information and communications technology (ITC) area through professionals with comprehensive experience and strong project management skills. As a leading provider of services and support for business critical solutions focusing on risk, service and resource management, RTE has built strong relationships with multi-national vendors and provides the market with best-of-breed products and solutions.

“Offering Proliance allows us to better satisfy the needs of the Saudi infrastructure market by allowing organizations to recognize fast ROI from the huge projects taking place in the region,” said Mr. Zouheir Diab, Executive Director, RTE. “Many of our customers, with whom we have a good history of IT consultation and services, requested a solution to streamline their operations and empower their project management practice. With Proliance, we are confident we can meet our customers needs.”

Meridian’s global partner network enhances customers’ investments in Meridian software solutions by providing in-depth industry experience and value-added implementation and training services. For more information, visit: http://www.meridiansystems.com/partners/findreseller.asp.

About Rayat Technology Est.

RTE is a Saudi establishment headquartered in Riyadh. Since 2004, RTE has been operating in the ICT area through professionals with experience and strong project management skills. RTE provides services and support for business critical solutions focusing on risk, service and resource management. Over the years, RTE has succeeded in building strong and beneficial relationships with multinational vendors and provides the market with best-of-breed products and solutions.

Meridian in the Middle East

Meridian Systems construction project management software solutions for infrastructure building owners, program management firms, and other AEC organizations are available through its parent company, Trimble, which has local dealers in the UAE.

About Meridian Systems

Meridian Systems, a Trimble Company (NASDAQ: TRMB), is the Plan-Build-Operate technology solutionsleader for project-based organizations. Building owners, construction and engineering firms, and public agencies use Meridian software to effectively manage capital building and facility renovation programs. In 2011, Meridian secured the top spot among off-the-shelf project management software used by the construction industry1. Meridian also is a pioneer in combining plan-build-operate features on an open technology platform to provide infrastructure lifecycle management solutions for capital building owners. Download free Meridian research and case studies by going to: http://my.meridiansystems.com/downloads/.

12011 IT Playbook, Constructech Magazine

Contacts

Meridian Systems

Tamara Kaestner, +1-916-294 2375

Sr. Marketing Manager

tkaestner@meridiansystems.com

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – Monday, February 6th 2012 [ME NewsWire]

Saudi Arabia’s efforts to usher in the next stage of industrial development is set to receive a major boost as the 2nd edition of Machinex Arabia, the region’s premier industrial exhibition, kicks off in Jeddah later this month.

The exhibition, organized by Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions under the auspices of the Saudi Industrial Property Authority (MODON), takes place from February 19 to 22 at the Jeddah Centre for Forums and Events.

“As the most important regional event of its kind, Machinex Arabia 2012 aims to support the advancement of Saudi Arabia’s industrial sector and reduce the Kingdom’s reliance on imports by creating national industrial alternatives,” said Walid Saad Wakid, Vice President of Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions.

He added, “In light of the rapid expansion of the various industry sectors in Saudi Arabia, and due to the surge in construction and manufacturing activity, demand for machineries and equipment has been increasing steadily, pushing local companies and contractors to look for innovative products and solutions that would give them a competitive advantage.”

Wakid noted that the massive development projects in Saudi Arabia constantly require the best and most reliable resources, particularly industrial machineries and equipment. According to estimates, investment in infrastructure projects in the Kingdom topped USD 40 billion in 2011. This amount is expected to increase sharply over the next decade, and the total amount to be invested in Saudi Arabia in infrastructure in 2020 is estimated at a staggering USD 500 billion.

For Saudi Industrial Property Authority, support for Machinex Arabia 2012 continues their commitment to the industrial development of the Kingdom. The Authority has till date established 26 industrial cities in various parts of Saudi Arabia, 12 of which were built in the last three years.

MODON confirms that the number of industrial facilities in Saudi Arabia has doubled in the past few years with a total invested amount of USD 70 billion, leading to the recruitment of more than half a million people. Together, these facilities are expected to post revenues of more than USD 140 billion by 2015.

The development of industrial cities in Saudi Arabia is moving along at a rapid pace. In addition to the two Royal Commission industrial cities in Jubail and Yanbu, there are five other industrial cities currently under construction including the King Abdullah Economic City.

Noting that Machinex Arabia 2012 offered the perfect opportunity to take the infrastructure growth story forward, Wakid said, “The exhibition provides a solid platform for local industrialists and dealers to meet representatives of the world’s leading manufacturers; it affords them a unique opportunity to build new relationships and acquire new technologies that will help accelerate the development of the industrial sector in Saudi Arabia.”

- ends –

Contacts

Jumanah Y. Dukhan

Media Executive

Al Harithy Company for Exhibitions Ltd.

Tel: +966 2 654 6384 Ext: 169

Email: jumanah@acexpos.com

www.acexpos.com

If a business has more than two computer terminals, it more than likely has a network. The network enables an organisation to easily share, communicate, interact, perform transactions – the list is endless – in fact, many organisations rely entirely on the network to operate. Whilst some small businesses have little more than a modest local area network (LAN), perhaps connecting a small server to a handful of terminals, the largest enterprises are capable of handling networks of massive data centres, as well as regional LANs and a multitude of components, linked to locations around the world.

Our networks are beginning to bow under the pressure of the colossal data volumes that industry, government and consumers are now handling and transmitting. In fact, IDC predicts that the world’s data doubles every two years, with 1.8 zettabytes of data1 created during 2011. Many providers have recently – and very publicly – felt the impact of severe outages, causing millions worldwide to go without access to services, and these companies are still feeling the repercussions today. Despite ploughing extensive budgets into business continuity to protect customers (as well as an organisation’s integrity) from server or data centre downtime, the network does not often get the attention it deserves.

Now is the time to really think about your organisation’s network and whether it is up to the job. Could your network let you down at the worst possible time, or is your business taking smart (and often simple) measures to mitigate disaster?

Ignorance is bliss
One of the primary challenges for technology-dependent organisations is that the network manager, or team, typically has little visibility with business managers. The network manager finds himself or herself in a bind as they are driven by sourcing and maintaining reliable, robust technology, but the board is driven by budgets and efficiencies. Senior management often doesn’t see the need to throw money at a problem that doesn’t appear to exist, until it is too late.

Let’s go back to basics for a moment. The fact is the network is a complex and often misunderstood business entity. ‘Network’ is often used as a ‘catch-all’ term for two or three parallel networks – at least one for storage (reliability, guaranteed data integrity and non-blocking performance) and one for data (typically unpredictable bandwidth and frustrating levels of complexity). Separate switches, host bus adapters (HBAs), network interface cards (NICs) and cables are required for each network. This clutter causes day-to-day pressures on IT department time, budgets, power consumption and cooling.

The IT department is often charged with building their own network monitoring and diagnostics tools to claw back some form of network visibility. Whilst they offer some form of check on switches, bandwidth capacity and the flow of data through the network, they rarely cover all requirements, nor provide rapid diagnosis before outages can occur.

Planning, testing and simulation building ensures that business applications are resilient against stress and aren’t close to falling over anytime soon. Network managers are concerned about what the network is doing, while not knowing, and not being able to do anything about it. Knowing about bottlenecks and where they are, whether the network is near its limits, and whether a component is near the end of its useful life, are key to keeping the network robust.

Prepare for change
Business change is also a key variable on the capability of the network – whether this is a large influx of new employees, a merger, or a new service or product reliant on delivery by the network. How can your organisation account for business change if you do not know that it is a day away from imploding? The network should be resilient enough to cope with today’s demands, as well as those of the future. This is particularly true for organisations that rely on the network to deliver products and services to customers.

Systems upgrades, new business applications and anything else that sucks up network bandwidth should be prepared for. Changes can cascade throughout the business, and these situations are difficult to work back from.

A Cloudy outlook
Given the widespread adoption of Cloud computing, enterprise mobility and virtualisation, it is important to understand if the network is ready to support the planned growth of the business and respond quickly to the unexpected opportunity without time-consuming and expensive architectural changes. Business managers also need to control levels of customer expectation and, with any new network model, manage user education.

Whilst Cloud computing and virtualisation deliver considerable efficiencies, this has only added to the demands imposed on the corporate network infrastructure. Both clearly mean more traffic travelling across corporate networks and beyond the firewall, whilst virtualisation relies on one server to host multiple virtual machines and keep up with demand during peak times; the Cloud has its distributed applications, residing on different machines and all performing different parts of the vital business process.

“We need double capacity for tomorrow’s launch…”
The business case for the network does not end here; business leaders need to recognise it for the foundation on which all progressive businesses depend, and its role in underpinning all future business growth. In today’s fast-paced business environment, business leaders often need to respond quickly and therefore having visibility of what a business has is crucial. Being able to flex and react to change without affecting performance – whether it is to increase capacity within 24 hours, or simply add a few more users – will give an organisation a core edge on competitors. It is for this reason that technologies like Ethernet Fabric are making significant in-roads in achieving converged, highly reliable, robust and resilient, low latency networks.

Keeping well-maintained and monitored networks that deliver continued resilience if something does go wrong means a certain amount of trust needs to be imparted onto the network manager, so that budget is not released at the last minute, by which time it may be too late. Visibility (of the network team and the network itself), preparation and planning and keeping a firm grip on projects, upgrades and applications can ensure the network is fit for the future and cemented on the corporate agenda.

Severin’s range of fully automated coffee machines is set to win the hearts of UAE coffee enthusiasts, as each machine features a comprehensive starter kit with useful coffee tips to ensure every cup of brewed coffee is perfect.

At the push of a button, Severin’s easy-to-use S2 One Touch, a fully automated bean-to-cup coffee machine grinds whole fresh coffee beans for the selected coffee. The German-made machine is also equipped with a high-grade grinding mechanism and unique hygiene easy-clean technology.

Severin’s starter kit reveals simple tips and know-how – such as choosing the right milk, which is essential to making the perfect coffee cup as it is to choose quality beans. It is the milk protein and not the fat content that achieves the foam, as the fat simply adds flavour!

Available from Juma Al Majid outlets for AED 3,450 in a range of colours including silver, brown, black, orange, red and white. Visit www.severin-s2.com for more details.

- Ends –
About Severin
For more than 60 years, Germany’s Severin has focussed its energies on the quality design, production and distribution of a comprehensive range of small domestic appliances and personal grooming products – always geared to lifestyle enablement at a sensible investment.

Severin recently revealed its coffee expertise with launch of the Severin’s lead product S2 One Touch, a bean-to-cup automated coffee machine features a unique hygiene easy-clean system, one-touch technology, high-grade grinding mechanism, Energy-On-Demand (EOD) and excellent price-performance ratio.The S2 seamlessly brews, Expressos, Expresso Macchiato, Cappuccinos and Latte Macchiatos with the press of one button!

In the Middle East, from its Dubai-based office, Severin introduces a wide range of products to regional markets across breakfast, lunch, dinner, entertaining and grooming, including the extensive range of coffee makers,
www.severin.com and www.severin-s2.com

Media contact: Sarah Azad Mobile 0097150 980 3810 Email media@strategicsolutionsonline.com

-(BUSINESS WIRE)– STT Condigi, a leading provider of technology and services to the elderly home care and nursing home markets in the Nordic region, has announced today that it has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Tunstall Healthcare Group Limited, a leading telecare and telehealth provider based in the UK. Subject to the receipt of mandatory competition clearances, the transaction is expected to close at the end of February 2012. Kristoffer Axelsson, the STT Condigi CEO, will lead the combined Nordic business. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Malmo, Sweden STT Condigi has businesses in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway as well as a growing export division. STT Condigi has been built from its suite of software services which are provided to local authorities and providers of care in the community which allow carer optimisation, mobile planning, activity reporting and mobile alarm handling. In addition it offers a range of independent living products as well as communications systems for nursing homes.

Torbjorn Olsson (Investment Manager), of the majority shareholder of STT Condigi, the 6th AP Fund said, “We are delighted to have negotiated the sale of STT Condigi with Tunstall Group. The two companies complement each other well. We have been pleased with both STT Condigi’s strong development and market position in the Nordics which we believe will be of great benefit to Tunstall. In addition, the management performance of STT Condigi has been excellent and we feel they will enhance and strengthen the combined Tunstall/STT Nordic business.”

“The decision by the board to join forces with Tunstall is a very positive move that is good for our business, employees and our customers,” said Kristoffer Axelsson, Chief Executive Officer of STT Condigi. “Tunstall has over 50 years experience of innovation and a true commitment to improving lives and enabling people to live more independently, which is perfectly aligned with STT Condigi’s mission. By joining with Tunstall, STT Condigi will have access to world class monitoring software and centres into which our applications will add extra services for our customers. In addition STT Condigi will have unprecedented access to Tunstall’s engineering, manufacturing and product portfolio as well as its global operating resources. This transaction will allow STT Condigi to rapidly accelerate the scope of our portfolio in both remote monitoring and call centre solutions thereby benefiting our entire customer base.”

Gil Baldwin, Chief Executive Officer of Tunstall Healthcare commented: “It is clear that STT Condigi will make a very positive addition to the Tunstall Group. Our visions are aligned and we complement each other in a number of areas. STT Condigi is a leading provider to our market and has a set of products and services that will enhance our offering and presence both within the Nordic countries and across the rest of the Tunstall Group. STT Condigi brings a strong track record of growth and innovation upon which we want to build. I am confident that together we will accelerate our delivery of leading edge products and services to our customers and all those who depend on us to live their lives as they wish – with independence and dignity. We welcome Kristoffer and his team to our Group”.

Castlegreen Partners served as financial adviser and Linklaters Advokatbyrå Aktiebolag served as legal adviser to Tunstall. Danske Bank acted as exclusive financial adviser and Mannheimer Swartling Advokatbyrå Aktiebolag acted as legal adviser to the Shareholders of STT Condigi in this transaction.

About Tunstall

Tunstall is a leading provider of telecare/telehealth solutions. Operating in more than 30 countries and employing over 1,800 people, Tunstall supports 2.5 million people around the world. Tunstall’s philosophy is simple – to protect, support and care for people – by providing healthcare technology and services that enable anyone requiring support and reassurance, such as older people or those with long term needs, to lead an independent life with dignity and reassurance.

Tunstall provides complete and fully-integrated telecare and telehealth solutions for home, assisted living and specialist care environments, hospital communication systems, associated support services, response centre software systems and monitoring services.

More information is available at www.tunstall.co.uk.

About STT Condigi

STT Condigi is a leading Nordic supplier of systems for safe, efficient care with a presence in the Nordics through wholly-owned subsidiaries and in Europe via a well developed distribution network. For more than 30 years, the company has developed its own products and complete solutions that streamline care work and provide care recipients with a higher level of safety.

STT Condigi has a broad range of skills and offers safety solutions for all types of residents, such as alarm systems for elderly residents in their own homes or complete internal systems for sheltered accommodation. We also offer ultra-modern equipment for alarm reception and advanced administrative systems for more efficient care. Our aim is both to increase safety for elderly and functionally-impaired people and to improve work conditions for care personnel, while also making care work more cost-effective.

STT Condigi has offices in Sweden (Malmö, Stockholm and Umeå), Denmark (Århus), Finland (Tampere) and in Spain (Madrid) and has a turnover of approximately 230 MSEK.

For more information, visit www.sttcondigi.com

Contacts

For Tunstall

Alison Rogan, UK Communications Director

+44 1977 661234

or

Press Contact: Context

01625 511966

tunstall@contextpr.co.uk

or

For STT Condigi

Kristoffer Axelsson, CEO

Phone: +46 40 6252544

kristoffer.axelsson@sttcondigi.com