GSA Technology Council

Google announced today that it will apply to participate in the Federal Communications Commission’s upcoming auction of wireless spectrum in the 700 megahertz (MHz) band.

As part of the nationally mandated transition to digital television, the 700 MHz spectrum auction — which begins January 24, 2008 — will free up spectrum airwaves for more efficient wireless Internet service for consumers. Advocacy by public interest groups and Google earlier this year helped ensure that regardless of which bidders win a key portion of the spectrum up for auction (the so-called “C Block”), they will be required to allow their users to download any software application they want on their mobile device, and to use any mobile devices they would like on that wireless network. The winner must ensure these rights for consumers if the reserve price of $4.6 billion for the C Block is met at auction.

“We believe it’s important to put our money where our principles are,” said Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google. “Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today’s wireless world. No matter which bidder ultimately prevails, the real winners of this auction are American consumers who likely will see more choices than ever before in how they access the Internet.”

Schmidt also praised the leadership of FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and his fellow commissioners for adopting the new rights for consumers earlier this year.

Google’s formal application to participate in the 700 MHz auction will be filed with the FCC on Monday, December 3, 2007 — the required first step in the auction process. Google’s application does not include any partners.

Applications for the seventh annual South Carolina Silver Crescent Awards for Manufacturing Excellence are now being accepted.

With nearly 5,000 manufacturers serving as the lifeblood of South Carolina’s economy, the Silver Crescent Awards for Manufacturing Excellence recognize the best and brightest of our corporate citizens. The awards honor outstanding small, medium and large manufacturers and promote the importance of manufacturing to our standard of living and quality of life in the Palmetto State, while increasing awareness of the importance of manufacturing among the general public.

To be eligible, nominees must have been in business in South Carolina for at least three years, as of May 1, 2008. Awards are presented in three categories—small, medium and large manufacturers—as determined by the number of employees. Anyone may nominate a manufacturer, including employees, community leaders and volunteers.

Nomination applications may be completed on thei website no later than March 3, 2008, for presentation to the award selection committee.

Exopack Performance Films, whose corporate offices are in Spartanburg, SC, today finalized the purchase of the performance films division of DuPont Liquid Packaging Systems (“Liqui-Box”). This purchase includes the Sclairfilm® and Dartek® operations at Liqui-Box’s former Whitby, Ontario facility. These film products are used in a variety of packaging and industrial applications.

The Whitby, Ontario operation will be led by Ron Tutak, Performance Films Sales/Site Manager. Ron’s broad knowledge of the operation and familiarity with the facility’s current customer base will be tremendous assets as Exopack works through a brief transition period and identifies growth opportunities resulting from this acquisition. Ron will report to Doug Bengtson, who has recently been named Vice President of Exopack Performance Films.

“We are very excited about this opportunity to expand our capabilities and product offerings with the purchase of this facility,” said Bengtson. “We are also delighted to add the customers of the Whitby facility to our family of important stakeholders.”

Exopack Performance Films Inc. is an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm located in Boca Raton, Florida.

With the release of it’s new maps for mobile, Google allows web enabled cell phones to determine their approximate position on a map. The new software uses information received from the cell phone tower to tag the approximate position of the cell phone. While using cell towers to determine position is not nearly as accurate as a GPS, the system works much quicker. Typical use will deliver a position in just a few seconds. Google says that fewer than 15% of cell phones come equipped with GPS built in and we know that even fewer give access to the GPS to web applications running on the phone.

Google explains how it works:

Customer Effective, Inc. has been honored as one of South Carolina’s Fastest-Growing Companies in 2007 during the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Summit event in Myrtle Beach, S.C. on November 15.

Ranked third of 25, Customer Effective was recognized among an exceptional and diverse assembly of businesses from across the state with both revenue and employment growth. This year’s winners represent a cross-section of industries and business categories including: financial services, construction, manufacturing, professional services and technology.

“Being named as one the state’s fastest-growing companies is testament to our success as a business,” said Scott Millwood, president, Customer Effective. “Our significant growth shows the high demand for CRM technology across the board. We have conducted more than 200 Microsoft CRM implementation and development projects thus far, and we anticipate even stronger growth moving forward as this technology becomes necessary for organizations to remain competitive.”

Submissions were evaluated and ranked by a review panel from Elliott Davis, LLC, a co-sponsor of the program. Final selections were based on both gross revenues or assets, and full-time employment.

About Customer Effective

Customer Effective, with headquarters in Greenville, SC, is a leading innovator in customer interaction solutions based on the Microsoft Dynamics CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platform. Customer Effective is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Independent Software Vendor (ISV) and Solution Implementer serving mid-market and enterprise organizations worldwide. With a sole focus on Microsoft Dynamics CRM, the company has been engaged in more than 200 Microsoft CRM implementation and development projects.

via CustomerEffective

According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Server Tracker, factory revenue in the worldwide server market grew 0.5% year over year to $13.1 billion in the third quarter of 2007 (3Q07). Although this is the sixth consecutive quarter of positive revenue growth and the highest Q3 server revenue since 2000, it was the slowest growth rate since the first quarter of 2006. Server unit shipment growth of 6.3% year over year in 3Q07 represented a slight decrease over the 7.8% year-over-year growth reported in 3Q06.

Volume systems revenue growth improved to 8.1% year over year in the third quarter, the second highest growth rate for this important segment over the past eight quarters. In the midrange, despite growth in Windows servers, Linux servers, and Unix servers, revenue for midrange enterprise servers declined 2.2% year over year, marking the second consecutive quarterly decrease in that segment. Revenue for high-end enterprise servers declined 14.5% year over year, the largest decline in year-over-year spending growth in more than 5 years.

“Although demand for x86, Blades, and Unix systems remained strong, other parts of the market cooled off in the third quarter,” said Matt Eastwood, group vice president of Enterprise Platforms at IDC. “Concerns about the economy, particularly in the U.S., are causing customers to re-think their infrastructure needs at the same time that new levels of compute and power densities are expanding power and cooling challenges and driving different IT infrastructure acquisition patterns in the market. IDC believes that we are in the early stages of a market-wide transition, which will require significant IT investment in a more flexible IT fabric; however, concerns among buyers about an economic slowdown could slow investment in new systems somewhat.”

Overall Server Market Standings, by Vendor

• Although IBM lost market share because of weakness in System z and System i, it maintained the number 1 spot in the worldwide server systems market, with 30.0% market share in factory revenue.


• HP grew server revenue 10.3% year over year and continued to hold the number 2 spot in terms of factory revenue with 28.6% share with both the ProLiant and Integrity brands performing well.


• Dell experienced 13.5% revenue growth in the quarter and maintained third place with 12.1% market share in 3Q07.


• Sun maintained its fourth place position by posting 0.9% year-over-year growth and holding 10.2% market share for the quarter.

Top-Level Server Market Findings

• Microsoft Windows server revenue was $5.3 billion in 3Q07, showing 9.7% year-over-year growth and gaining 4.8 points of revenue market share over 3Q06. Windows servers comprised 40.4% of all server revenue in 3Q07.


• Linux servers posted a fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, with year-over-year revenue growth of 10.7% for a total of $1.8 billion in the quarter. Linux servers now represent 13.4% of all server revenue.


• Unix servers experienced healthy 4.1% revenue growth when compared with 3Q06. With growth in both the volume and midrange enterprise segment, Unix servers did particularly well in the high-end enterprise segment of the market, where revenue grew 9.3%. In 3Q07, worldwide Unix revenues were $4.1 billion for the quarter, representing 31.1% of quarterly server spending.


• After 5 consecutive quarters of positive growth, IBM’s System z servers running z/OS experienced a 31.9% decline in year-over-year revenue in the quarter.

“Unix servers continue to be important platforms for mission-critical workloads, with advanced management capabilities and high RAS levels built into the server hardware,” said Jean S. Bozman, research vice president, Enterprise Platforms Group. “This level of investment in the third quarter—traditionally a slower quarter for Unix servers than the end-of-year fourth quarter—is a sign that businesses continue to place value on Unix servers, and are retaining them to run important custom and ISV applications.”

“IBM’s overall revenue and market share decline is attributed mainly to a significant drop in System z sales during the quarter,” said Steve Josselyn, research director for IDC’s Enterprise Computing group. “We believe that many customers are delaying System z purchases based on the expectation of a new family of systems to be introduced soon. Customers are typically very cautious about investing heavily in a product family that will see decreasing residual values as a new enhanced product is announced and shipped.”

via IDC

Formerly Senior Vice President of Operations at SDS, Steve Roberts will now be responsible for all aspects of HealthPort’s operations, ensuring proper controls, administrative and reporting procedures, and people systems are in place to successfully grow the company.

As Chief Operating Officer for HealthPort, Mr. Roberts will lead a nationwide workforce of approximately 2,300 people, deploying software and outsourced services to hospitals, clinics, and not-for-profit healthcare organizations. Mr. Roberts will report directly to Frank Murphy, CEO and President of HealthPort.

“Steve’s exemplary leadership experience, broad knowledge of the healthcare industry, and focus on operational excellence will help HealthPort deliver world class service for our clients,” says Murphy.

Among his recent accomplishments, Steve Roberts instituted a national rating system, measuring customer, individual, and regional performance. He has implemented training boot camps to provide educational tracks, ensuring high standards across customer bases and has set in motion metric scorecards and actions that have improved the company’s performance and retention. Mr. Roberts has also implemented six sigma processes to improve efficiencies in business and customer processes.

Prior to joining SDS in 2005, Mr. Roberts served as General Manager at Americas Services for General Electric (GE) Healthcare where he led a team supporting the $240 million GE Healthcare IT PACS business. Previously, he held the position of Vice President of Operations for Allscripts Healthcare Solutions as well as key leadership positions in the areas of services, systems integration, and support for over nine years at McKesson Corporation. Steve Roberts earned an MBA from The Kellogg School at Northwestern University and holds a BA in Business Administration from Augustana College.

In the spirit of encouraging innovation toward energy-efficient technology Intel Corporation in April launched a challenge to European universities to design a device capable of powering laptops by using renewable, sustainable energy sources. Intel today awarded the winners of the Intel University Competition On Renewable Energy (CORE), the culmination of 7 months of creative endeavors from the participating teams.

The jury was composed of Nir Tessler, professor at the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Eszter Morvay from the international IT analyst house IDC, and Ofri Wechsler, Intel Fellow. They judged entries from universities from Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands and Spain. Each entry was judged according to several criteria, from ecological value to ingenuity of design to commercial viability.

The winning solution, by the Spanish team (Polytechnic of Madrid), is based on a pedal machine powered by human energy. The cycling action produces energy which is turned into the electricity necessary to power the laptop by a power electronics converter. The solution was chosen as it demonstrates the team’s systematic approach to deal with all aspects of the challenge – from its ease of implementation to the innovative quality of its electronic components – with special features to allow for a realistic usage model. The Spanish device is particularly user-friendly as it enables the user to adopt a flexible, customizable rhythm including any required breaks. Original features include the power electronic converter specifically designed to minimize charging time and keep energy flow at a constant level.

The runners-up, the Polytechnic of Milan (Italy) and Delft’s University of Technology (Netherlands), will also be recognized on the respective merits of their solutions. The Italian team devised an ingenious way to utilize hydrogen fuel cell to power a laptop, which is particularly noteworthy by its duration and for being environmentally clean. Hydrogen is a renewable and sustainable source of energy, the most common element in the universe and although it is not present on earth in its elemental form it can be obtained from water through electrolysis. This presents an additional advantage in terms of utilizing time-sensitive energy (such as energy obtained through solar panels) and converting it back into electrical energy through the hydrogen-producing electrolysis process.

Delft University’s design is also innovative and consists mainly of a rocking-motion pedal mechanism. An integrated design approach, drawing knowledge from a range of disciplines, was used to optimize the design.

The winning team, from the Polytechnic of Madrid (Spain), receives €10,000 as funding to support scientific research. The two runners-up receive a top-of-the-line laptop.

Internap Network Services Corporation has announced the promotion of Randal Thompson to vice president of global sales. An Internap veteran since 2003, Thompson’s advancement supports the company’s significant revenue growth and success in providing integrated IT solutions to enterprise markets. Under Randal’s leadership, Internap plans to further invest in the skills of its growing sales force.

Prior to this promotion, Randal was Internap’s regional vice president, mid-America and Europe. In this role, he built relationships with many of Internap’s strategic customers and led local sales teams to expand the company’s market share in the US and European territories. His new responsibilities include maximizing all opportunities with Internap’s client base, as well as attracting new customers and expanding the company and its services in new markets.

via Internap

In Motion Technology has announced that Guilford County EMS (GCEMS) in North Carolina has deployed In Motion’s onBoardTM Mobile Gateway and onBoardTM Mobility Manager, and has achieved improvements in medical emergency operations, response times and communications for the residents of Greensboro, High Point and the surrounding areas.

“We are very pleased with our new communications platform from In Motion Technology. It has greatly enhanced our current operations, and it will enable us to seamlessly adapt to future wireless technologies,” said Guilford County EMS System Administrator Jeff Boyers. “We now have an unparalleled ability to communicate life-saving data and monitor our vehicles and equipment in a manner that enables our crews to focus on patient care. This technology has improved the service we provide to our community while reducing costs.”

Guilford County EMS, with nearly 40 vehicles, provides paramedic coverage to 500,000 people who live and work in the 657 square miles of Guilford County, including the cities of Greensboro and High Point. In Motion’s technology allows GCEMS to track vehicles throughout the county’s rural, urban and suburban areas, and diagnose potential equipment problems before they happen.

The Gateway also enables electronic information in the ambulance to be communicated seamlessly and reliably to an operations center or hospital. GCEMS uses the Gateway to transmit patient data from laptops, cardiac monitors and other devices at the incident scene and while in transit.

“EMS organizations are always looking for faster, more reliable mobile communication solutions to support their applications,” said In Motion Technology CEO Kirk Moir. “We are pleased to provide this next generation network that is helping Guilford County EMS improve patient care.”

The In Motion onBoard Mobile Gateway is a cognitive wireless system that turns vehicles into secure local area networks that sense and select the best available wireless network, enabling emergency medical technicians to access and disseminate information from the field. The onBoard Mobility Manager monitors the vehicle location and health of the mobile network, helping public safety organizations improve response times.

“We have seen process improvements tied to the consistent network access provided by the Mobile Gateway, and have found that consolidating and sending data with this technology is saving GCEMS about $24,000 each year,” said Boyers. “Most importantly, In Motion Technology’s gateway enables us to keep more vehicles in service, on the road and saving lives.”