Benchmark noted by business magazine
Santa Maria-based BenchmarkPortal was honored as the "Company to
Watch" by the Pacific Coast Business Times.
BenchmarkPortal
joined four other "Companies of the Year," including Amgen and Dole
Foods, as the most influential corporations based in California's South
and Central Coast regions.
In winning the award, BenchmarkPortal
topped a list of 10 finalists in the "Companies to Watch" category, all
of which were considered to be rising regional companies.
SecureTrieve releases trial version
Los
Angeles-based SecureTrieve released a free 30-day trial of its software
that protects and retrieves critical files from a lost or stolen laptop.
The software, called SecureTrieve Pro, is designed for users who keep
important or confidential files on their laptops and are concerned about
risks to their business if their computers were lost or stolen.
A
30-day, fully functional version of SecureTrieve Pro is available at
www.securetrieve.com.
Gizmondo unit opens L.A. office
Gizmondo Europe Ltd., a subsidiary of Tiger Telematics Inc., will
open a Los Angeles office before launching its Gizmondo game console in
North America in August.
The West Coast office primarily will
work with Jacksonville-based Tiger Telematics to develop sales and
marketing opportunities around the country.
The company said its
Los Angeles, Texas, and Florida offices also will create relationships
with the gaming, music and movie industries in the L.A. area.
The
pocket-sized Gizmondo console, which is expected to retail for $399,
features games, music, movies, messaging, a digital camera, and onboard
GPS.
Printronix partners with Microsoft
Irvine-based printer maker Printronix Inc. will partner with
Microsoft Corp. on its radio frequency identification (RFID) technology.
As part of the alliance, Printronix will provide RFID labels for
demonstration at the Tech Ed EMEA 2005 conference in Amsterdam and will
contribute RFID printers to Microsoft's technology centers, the company
said in a release.
Printronix said it also will contribute RFID
printers to Microsoft's technology centers in Redmond, Wash.; Paris;
Beijing; and Bangalore, India, among other locations.
Microsoft
said Printronix's RFID printing services will help the company track and
ship merchandise more effectively using RFID.
SYS gains
government contracts
San Diego-based SYS Technologies said it
has been awarded two contracts with a combined value of up to $4.7
million.
SYS will be providing logistics and engineering services
to the U.S. Navy, in support of the Multifunctional Information
Distribution System (MIDS) International Program Office under a contract
valued at approximately $3.8 million to be performed over a three-year
period.
SYS makes real time information technology products for
industrial and U.S. government customers.
Smith Micro buys
Allume Systems
Aliso Viejo-based software maker Smith Micro
Software Inc. bought Allume Systems Inc., a subsidiary of International
Microcomputer Software Inc. for $12.75 million in cash and stock
Smith Micro will pay $11 million in cash and $1.75 million in
shares to purchase all outstanding Watsonville-based Allume shares.
Allume makes compression software. The company's software
includes JPEG, MPEG and MP3 platforms.
Financial Systems
partners with Foot Locker
Newport Beach-based Financial
Systems Innovation licensed its credit-card fraud protection technology
to Foot Locker Inc.
Financial Systems is a subsidiary of Acacia
Technologies Group.
The system relates to a computer system to
protect retailers and consumers using a credit or debit card. It
includes an electronic card reader and the use of a specific number,
which identifies each transaction. As a result, the retailer does not
have to print detailed information concerning the cardholder's identity
or account number on the customer's receipt.
In addition to Foot
Locker, Financial Systems has licensed the technology to at least 15
other companies including Albertsons, Radio Shack, and Walgreens.
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