Osiris Organization gains Microsoft funding
In an effort to help promote technology literacy among underserved
individuals in the city of Minneapolis, Microsoft announced a grant to
the Osiris Organization totaling $122,644 in cash and software. The
announcement is part of Microsoft's global Unlimited Potential (UP)
program, a company initiative focused on providing technology skills for
disadvantaged individuals through community-based technology and
learning centers (CTLCs). Microsoft's UP grant will be used by the
Osiris Organization to support their computer technology and training
program.
Studio Data releases CD burning system
Plymouth-based Studio Data Products introduced its new professional,
low-speed, high-accuracy CD burning system to the general computer
market. The professional system achieves superior performance through a
custom-tuned writing mechanism and specially formulated blank media. The
SCSI II CD.1 drive burns at rates of 1x and 2x for precision pit
patterns on the disc. The complimentary M74/M80 media was custom
formulated by Taiyo Yuden specifically for use with the CD.1. The media
are optimized for minimum error rates at 1x and 2x when used with the
drive. The writing surface of each disc has a peel-off layer to protect
the surface from dirt and scratches.
iCentera releases icSuite
Minneapolis-based iCentera, a provider of marketing intelligence
centers, launched the iCentera icSuite, a hosted marketing and sales
intelligence center that delivers information to internal teams and
external partners and customers, on-demand. The icSuite provides an
automated intelligence center through which teams can effectively
communicate, collaborate, market and sell. Companies using icSuite can
deliver relevant and actionable information externally to partners and
customers through portals without IT involvement. iCentera also said
that netForensics, Inc., a maker of security information management
products, selected the icSuite to provide a virtual marketing support
tool for its global sales force. Through the icIntelligence Center,
netForensics can promote and deliver marketing and sales materials in a
matter of minutes, creating a virtual marketing tool for its
geographically dispersed sales force.
Kinetic Data releases survey software
St. Paul-based Kinetic Data, Inc., a provider of tailored and packaged
service industry software products, released its new Kinetic Survey
software. Kinetic Survey enables users to create the survey questions,
the look and the rules, in minutes; send data where and when it's
needed; respond to customers immediately; and integrate easily into any
Remedy-based application. Customer support departments or IT help desks
can automatically trigger surveys on the spot, as part of their existing
call completion process. Surveys arrive when the call is fresh in the
customer's mind, avoiding batching and delays on "hot" matters. On
subsequent customer calls, the data is at the user's fingertips.
Altara forms Networking Solutions Group
Altara, a global solutions partner for Microsoft Business Solutions with
a local office in Bloomington, will bring Data Management Services
(DMS), a managed service provider and network systems integrator based
in Cedar Knolls, N.J., into the company as Altara Networking Solutions.
Altara Networking Solutions has attained Cisco Premier Security
Authorization and is a Qwest Master Agency authorized to sell the entire
Qwest voice and data solution set.
Sentara picks iXmatch
Minneapolis-based iXmatch Inc., a maker of advanced search software,
said Sentara Healthcare, a not-for-profit healthcare provider in
southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina, licensed its
search engine, iXfind. iXfind enables Sentara customers and employees to
easily find the information they are seeking. Sentara uses iXfind to
search its intranet, extranet and Web site. iXfind, iXmatch's search
engine, incorporates search methods to find, evaluate, and rank the most
relevant results. iXfind puts these results into context by clustering
them into groups of similar documents.
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