Compiled by Mark Balestra
The Conference and Seminar Circuit
E-business persons who either live in San Francisco or have the urge to travel to San Francisco to supplement their thirst for knowledge might want to take note of a "Technogrpaphics Summit" there produced by Forrester Research, Inc. The show, "The Net-Powered Generation," to be held tomorrow at the Hyatt Regency, is designed to "enable marketers to understand the Net-powered generation as well as to provide the tools for targeting this dynamic consumer group." Summit speakers will explore how young
consumers' technology attitudes and behavior put them at the forefront of digital innovation,
raising the bar for marketers. The presentations will focus on achieving online success by
targeting the right young consumer with the right product or service. Marketers will also learn
how to provide compelling Web content and deliver valuable online experiences, as well as
how to satisfy consumers' needs through multiple media or distribution channels. Forrester has the lowdown at www.forrester.com.
More help's on the way for execs on the hunt for competitive intelligence (CI) skills. MarketingBase, a worldwide business research and consulting company, offers CI and due diligence research specifically for companies in Internet-related businesses. The company's president, Amelia Kassel, has scheduled several upcoming seminars, including a two-day seminar to be held at the University of California, Berkeley on May 6th and 13th. The workshop is designed to teach market and competitive intelligence professionals, and small, medium, and large businesses, new and fast ways to use the Internet while providing techniques for uncovering critical information in a time-and cost-effective way. For more information, visit www.unex.berkeley.edu/sprcat/bus13.html##054. Another seminar, "Conducting Market Research and Competitive Analysis on the Internet," will be held in conjunction with two Frost and Sullivan Conferences: Advanced Marketing Research (June 5, 2000 in Las Vegas, 2) and Competitive Intelligence in Business (August 14 in San Diego). See http://www.frost.com for details.
Daman Consulting, a provider of enterprise business intelligence and enterprise integration solutions, will hold a free all-day event targeted toward executives who want to use business analytics to power their e-business initiatives. The eBI Conference, to be held June 22, 2000, in Austin, Texas, will feature both high-level presentations and in-depth workshops. http://www.damanconsulting.com/ebi.
Smart Cards Are Getting Smarter
A new e-commerce solution, jointly developed by G&D Security Card Systems, Oasis Technology and CIT Inc., aims to pave the way for secure smart card banking transactions over the Internet. The smart card authentication system will verify the identity of customers and financial institutions engaging in Internet banking transactions. G&D SCS will combine its smart cards and PKI security software with Oasis' leading ePayment technology for mobile commerce and the Internet. CIT will develop the client-server security architecture and provide worldwide integration services. The companies will also create a strategic consortium to oversee development of the Internet banking solution, and join forces to launch a broad based marketing and sales program. G&D SCS President Jim R. Frye calls the new technology "an Internet banking solution that combines the highest level of security with the convenience and portability of smart multi-application bank cards."
In entirely unrelated news, to accommodate the influx of smart card usage, Visa U.S.A., Catuity Inc., Cyberpro Technologies, IBM, Oberthur Systems, Inc., Smart Card Solutions LLC, VeriFone and Welcome Real-time announced this week the completion of "Smart Loyalty - A Loyalty-Payment Integration Guide," a document that provides member banks and merchants with a guide for integrating loyalty and payment applications on a single smart card. The group, tasked with the development of best practices and guidelines for the integration of loyalty and payment, has sent the document to key industry players, including member financial institutions and merchants, for validation. Electronic copy's of the document are available at www.visa.com/smartloyalty.
NetScout Aims to Refine Network Performance Management
NetScout(R) Systems, Inc., a provider of networked application performance management solutions, this week unveiled a new line of software geared toward keeping e-business infrastructures up and running none-stop. The company calls the product, nGeniusTM, "a real-time, system-wide performance management solution for visibility and control of both the front and back-office network."
The system is composed of:
nGenius Server, a simple-to-use and highly scalable network management server that provides a
single point of access to all of NetScout's e-business performance management solutions;
nGenius Traffic Monitor, a tool that provides an intuitive network troubleshooting solution that enables managers to identify and rectify potential network trouble spots and drill down for rapid problem resolution; and
nGenius Probe, a probe that extends the value and reach of NetScout's instrumentation by providing data on URL traffic, response-time measurements, error rates and connection requests.
For more information on these products, visit www. netscout.com.
A Hub for Investors
EMBRO Capital Network, a global network for small-capitalization financing supplying debt and
equity services, has launched a website intended to bring securities and investors from around the world together. The EMBRO network, accessed at www.embro.com, provides the corporate issuer exposure to investors around the world and a system to target the appropriate investors and increase the probability of a successful offering in a timely, efficient and effective manner. EMBRO provides investors with a broad
selection of investments from around the globe and a convenient, efficient and effective way to
access the pertinent information, complete the transaction and stay informed. In addition, EMBRO serves as a syndication hub for investment dealers, venture capitalists, merchant banks and other professionals wishing to participate in the various offerings from around the world.
Good News for Mobile Lawyers
LEXIS PublishingTM, a leading provider of products and services for the legal profession, and GoAmerica, Inc. (Nasdaq:GOAM), a nationwide wireless Internet service provider, announced intentions this week to co-develop an improved, Web-based wireless product and service for legal professionals. The two companies will work together to enhance the existing lexis.com(sm) Wireless powered by GoAmerica service. The service will offer practical applications for legal professionals,
optimize existing wireless access to the lexis.com(sm) research system and result in faster access to industry-leading LEXIS Publishing products such as the Shepard's(R) Citations Service. LEXIS Publishing will also commit its new business sales force to market and sell the co-branded product and service.
The offering will initially be introduced to solo practitioners and attorneys in small law firms.
And for Those Who Are Both Mobile and High...
Boeing, the aircraft maker, last week unveiled a service, using satellite-based communications, to provide passengers with high speed online connections, television and other entertainment. At the same time, Rockwell International announced it will buy Sony corporation's Trans Com unit to increase its airborne communications and entertainment offerings. The services, the announcements said, will give passengers the opportunity to watch sports events, order groceries over the Internet, check e-mail and send messages. Boeing's service, called Connexion by Boeing, will cost roughly the same as a cellular telephone call and will enable passengers to use laptops to surf the Net at speeds rivaling digital subscriber lines or cable modem lines, up to 140 times faster than the fastest standard modem service, according to the announcement story in the Los Angeles Times. The technology involves Boeing installing cables in the
cabin floor which will enable passengers to plug in their laptop computers or access programming through built-in monitors at every seat.