Online Technologies helps put WJR on Web
Ann Arbor-based Online Technologies Corp. said it recently began
providing the technological backbone for live Internet broadcasts of WJR
radio (AM 760).
Online said it will provide the data center, Internet connectivity,
servers, and software. Broadcasting began Feb. 14 and is at www.wjr.com.
Tech companies anticipate ownership changes
As competition continues to increase and companies battle to win new
customers, executives of technology companies are not ruling out a
possible change of ownership in the next decade, reports a survey
conducted by Chicago-based Grant Thornton LLP, the accounting, tax and
business advisory firm.
According to the Grant Thornton Survey of U.S. Business Leaders, 42
percent of technology respondents expect a change in company ownership
in the next 10 years, while only 30 percent of all companies nationally
feel the same. Among those who expect this change, 39 percent believe a
merger is most likely, while 30 percent anticipate a trade sale.
Additional findings from the survey include:
-- Three-quarters (73 percent) report they are optimistic about the
economy's growth in the next six months.
-- Almost all (95 percent) say they are optimistic about the growth of
their own business.
Stardock releases Multiplicity
Livonia-based software developer Stardock Corp. released Multiplicity, a
program that allows users to control multiple computers with a single
keyboard and mouse.
The company said a typical configuration for the product is two or three
computers, each with its own monitor connected to that computer. The
primary computer would have the keyboard and mouse hooked up to it. The
secondary computers receive input via a network connection about the
mouse's location. When the mouse passes onto the screen, the user is in
control of that PC.
Indigo sold to California company
Ann Arbor-based information-security company Indigo Security L.L.C. has
been acquired by San Mateo, Calif.-based Tablus Inc.
Indigo was bought for an undisclosed sum with help from Sloan Ventures
L.L.C., a Birmingham-based venture capital firm. Tablus plans to move
Indigo's employees to its California office.
Ann Arbor IT Zone names officers
The Ann Arbor IT Zone recently announced its officers and board members
for 2005.
Elected president was Ken Nisbet, executive director of the University
of Michigan Office of Technology Transfer. Kurt Riegger, a venture
partner in Ann Arbor-based North Coast Technology Investors L.P., was
elected vice president.
Survey: CIOs see security as job one
Technology executives now see enhancing network security as job one, a
new survey shows.
Thirty-five percent of chief information officers (CIOs) polled by Menlo
Park, Calif.-based Robert Half Technology said improvements to network
security are their highest priority. Operating-system upgrades were the
second-most frequent response, cited by 16 percent of executives.
The national poll includes responses from more than 1,400 CIOs from a
stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 100 or more employees.
Among Detroit-area executives, network security was cited as the highest
priority by 30 percent, followed by CRM (19 percent), and database
upgrades and OS upgrades (both 16 percent).
ePrize moves into new headquarters
EPrize recently moved from Farmington Hills to a former brewery in
Pleasant Ridge.
The new headquarters, at 1 ePrize Drive, will house most of ePrize's
75-person staff. The company also has staff in other cities, including
New York and Chicago.
The company, which designs and develops online promotions, has a client
list that includes Blockbuster Inc., Dell Inc., Home Depot Inc. and
Target Corp.
The company expects to hire 50 more people by the end of the year.
Fry Inc. redesigns Waterford Web site
Ann Arbor-based Fry Inc. recently launched a redesigned Web site for
luxury crystal-maker Waterford.
Fry specializes in developing e-commerce Web sites. The new Web site can
be seen at www.waterford.com.
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