ROO Media, a provider of Internet video management solutions, and AP Digital, a division of The Associated Press that provides news and multimedia information to interactive markets, has introduced the AP Digital ROO Online Video Portal, a turnkey video news solution for Web sites that features integration and marketable advertising space. ROO Media integrates the video portal with the "look and feel" of subscribing sites and then hosts the portal and video clips, eliminating most traditional development time and costs for subscribers. ROO Media then provides ongoing support, content management, and streaming services, resulting in a frequently updated and fully maintained video platform customized for each subscriber. ROO Media also allows subscribing sites to generate revenue from their portals by providing space for and integration of 15 to 30-second, TV-style advertising clips before and after news content. Subscribers can sell ad space directly to their advertisers or through ROO Media's range of advertising programs. The AP Digital ROO Online Video Portal delivers a choice of content including channels for breaking news and entertainment. AP Digital provides updated news video compatible with top media players and a range of connection speeds. AP Digital's video packages provide coverage of breaking national and world news, as well as entertainment topics such as fashion, music, and movies.

(http://www.ap.org), (http://www.roomedia.com)

Thomson Financial, an operating unit of the Thomson Corporation and provider of information and technology solutions to the financial community, has announced a partnership with Alacra, Inc., a provider of Public Information Book (PIB) building solutions, to deliver its PIB generator, Alacra Book, via Thomson ONE Banker. It is expected that Alacra Book will be integrated into Thomson ONE Banker early in the third quarter. Alacra Book is a Web-based publishing platform that facilitates the collection and packaging of business information from multiple sources into a single PDF document. The combined content and technologies of Alacra Book and Thomson ONE Banker will shorten the time spent researching and formatting formerly required to produce the PIBs that investment banks use for detailed analysis of a target company or prospective client. Using Thomson ONE Banker, investment bankers will be able to choose Alacra Book as an add-on workflow tool to build custom Public Information Books from a multitude of third party and proprietary sources. Current users of Alacra Book will experience the same customized interface with which they are accustomed to working. Thomson ONE Banker can be accessed via two platforms: a browser-based solution and a desktop solution. Using the Thomson ONE Banker browser-based solution, users can click on the Alacra Book icon and a PIB generator will launch in a separate window. Using the Thomson ONE Banker desktop solution in the workstation version, Alacra Book will launch as a window within the Thomson ONE framework. Thomson ONE Banker is a component of Thomson ONE, an open application framework that allows for the integration and distribution of Thomson products, third party, and proprietary products onto one convenient platform. Each component within the solution suite is tailored to a different audience: Thomson ONE Equity is aimed at the institutional equities market; Thomson ONE Advisor offers financial advisors a wealth management solution integrated with market data; Thomson ONE Banker is aimed at the investment banking market. Thomson Financial will also launch Thomson ONE Yield for fixed income users early in 2003. Investment management and investor relations product suites will be introduced later in the year.

(http://www.alacra.com), (http://www.thomson.com)

The Special Libraries Association, which has been investigating changing its name for some time now, has announced that it will in fact retain the organization's nearly 100-year-old name. President Cynthia Hill made the announcement at the association's 94th annual conference in New York City following a vote at the annual business meeting. A two-thirds majority vote was needed to change the name. The vote culminates three years of research, discussions, and brand name debates. Members of the Special Libraries Association include, but are not limited to, chief information officers, knowledge managers, librarians, and Web developers. They work in settings such as information centers, libraries, competitive intelligence units, and intranet departments in corporate, academic, and government institutions.

(http://www.sla.org)

A new survey sponsored by LexisNexis U.S., a provider of legal, business, and news information, shows that a strategic shift is occurring in the information professional market as individuals are challenged with providing more value to their organizations and aligning themselves closer to profit centers. Ninety-one percent of respondents agree that their roles have shifted from information gatherer to information consultant. Highlights of the survey include the fact that 69% cite that "adding value back to the organization to meet its business goals" as one of their top priorities for the future; 67% point to "improving the quality, efficiency and value of information as a business and competitive asset." Improving the productivity and business impact of information technology and services is central to the librarian's enhanced role, with the highest priorities being "upgrading services to take advantage of new technology" (64%), "increasing employee productivity in their information use" (58%), and "managing more information with fewer resources" (58%). Information professionals are on the cutting edge of leveraging technology to make information more valuable, relevant and accessible, with 85% of librarians saying they currently use intranets for managing and distributing information, and seeing collaborative workspaces (55%), wireless (53%), and portals (51%) as very important for the future.

The survey also identified three major trends based on the results. Information professionals are charged with developing a stronger mastery of technology and understanding of the tools available on the market. Ninety percent are now involved in the evaluation and review of new technologies and services, with 51% highly involved in the selection of these services.  Ninety-one percent have become more involved in training internal clients to use information services more effectively.  Respondents see this trend continuing, reporting that they see themselves becoming more directly involved with information technology and how it relates to the information within the company. Information professionals are challenged to understand the business in which they operate, and deliver results that are more relevant to the business. Information professionals realize that they need to become more aligned with the organization in order to provide value. They identify the following as their highest priorities in the future, to align themselves with the business: Continuing to add more value back to the organization to meet its business goals; Moving into a strategic role internally; collaborating with business development; and Understanding the context behind their client's needs. Information professionals are being underused in their organizations.  

Just as their managers are focused on establishing greater productivity and yield with fewer resources, information professionals know that they must set priorities within their organizations for better packaging and delivery of information. However, the survey shows that while respondents are aware of these issues, 59% feel that they are underused when it comes to helping internal clients prioritize research requests for value/efficiency. An additional 47% believe that they are not fully exploited for their analysis and interpretation of information. The survey was conducted in May 2003 by Insight Express, a professional online research firm, and was anonymously sponsored by LexisNexis.

(http://www.lexisnexis.com), (http://www.reedelsevier.com)

Techstreet, an online supplier of industry codes and standards for technical and engineering professionals, introduces a new Subscription service that provides simultaneous multi-user access to a custom set of standards from multiple worldwide locations anywhere the user has an Internet connection. Documents are updated automatically so users always have the most current and correct information. Techstreet's new Subscription service allows organizations to pick and choose just the standards they need, across multiple publishers, resulting in the ideal information set for their particular industry and discipline. Standards initially available in Techstreet's Subscription service include API, ASME, IEEE, ACI, NSF, CSA, NACE, 3-A, ASHRAE, ISA and more. Clients already using the service include those in manufacturing, food processing, petrochemical, energy, pumping systems, and industrial lighting.

(http://www.techstreet.com)

In a move to help customers more easily link new and legacy applications and technologies, IBM has announced an extension of its WebSphere adapter portfolio. IBM now offers more than 350 adapters in its portfolio, all updated to connect with WebSphere Application Server V5.  There are now more than 300 new adapters available through IBM business partners--including 50 brand-new adapters as well as + adapters updated to support WebSphere Application Server V5. The first-ever partner adapters (over 100) for WebSphere Studio application development tools are now available through IBM business partner, iWay Software. There  are also more than 40 WebSphere Business Integration adapters updated for WebSphere Application Server V5. New focus areas include  energy, utility, and healthcare.

(http://www.ibm.com)

Open Text Corporation, provider of Livelink, collaboration and knowledge management software for the enterprise, said today that Motorola, Inc. is expanding its use of Livelink as its central knowledge repository and platform for collaboration. Motorola, which first adopted Livelink in 1997, plans new initiatives this year for Livelink, including consolidating file servers and moving more information into Livelink, where 3.5 terabytes of information is already maintained. The company will also create an extranet with Livelink and extend the system to customers, vendors, and partners. Livelink serves as the foundation for Motorola's COMPASS system, a global intranet, which acts as a central repository for a wide range of information, and as a place for small workgroup collaboration and general enterprise-level communication. Motorola's plan to extend COMPASS as an extranet will help the company collaborate more closely with customers, improving communication and overall service. COMPASS will also be extended to Motorola's partners.

(http://www.motorola.com), (http://www.opentext.com), (http://www.opentext.com/livelink)

Unisys Corporation has announced two solutions based on its the Unisys Business Blueprinting initiative for the communications and media industries: Messaging Revenue Plus Solution for communications providers and Media Industry Solutions for media companies.

Communication providers are facing competition from a variety of new sources, including mobile/wireless carriers, ISPs, cable companies, and smaller messaging service providers that offer interesting IP-based solutions. It is critical for carriers to be able to deploy innovative, unique solutions in order to continue to compete. Unisys Messaging Revenue Plus Solution features an open services platform that provides the basis for fast-cycle, lower-cost, reusable deployment of custom solutions that deliver more revenue. This next-generation messaging solution comprises a modular, open architecture and process framework that integrates leading unified communication platform components. The solution includes order, provisioning and billing processes that interface and interact with the communication platform.

Media companies also face many challenges in today's marketplace with consolidation within the media industry occurring at two levels. The first is based on companies leveraging the emergence of new technologies to expand their distribution options. The second is the merging of major brands and enterprises under one conglomerate. Unisys Media Solutions address these market trends. Media Solutions allows media companies to consolidate their newsroom activities and organizational structures around the three basic phases of a media asset's lifecycle--creation, production and distribution--rather than around application software or distribution channels.

(http://www.unisys.com)

Intraspect Software, Inc., a provider of enterprise collaboration solutions, has introduced the Intraspect Project Delivery/Program Management Office (PMO) Solution. This solution is designed to enable IT and other business units to improve project team efficiencies, implement project best practices and methodologies, and gain new insight into critical project and program status. As an Intraspect solution, it enables faster and lower cost implementations for higher return on investment, and because it is developed specifically for project/program management teams, it drives higher levels of end user adoption and value when compared to other collaboration products. Companies using Intraspect to manage key projects and programs include: Quaker Chemical, Hill and Knowlton, and Cadence Design Systems. The Intraspect Project Delivery/PMO Solution provides tailored project workspaces to help companies lower the costs and increase the quality for project and program management. Within each workspace, all documents relevant to a project can be easily captured, managed, and distributed to team members, and users can search across the enterprise to uncover and apply the best practices and content developed by other project teams. Team calendaring and task management features enable effective tracking of team activities and deliverables, and project dashboards provide graphic indicators of status and can capture the milestones and process flows of the leading project quality methodologies to ensure teams follow prescribed best practices.  The solution includes built-in extranet capabilities for easy and safe and secure deployment across firewall boundaries to external team members including subcontractors, partners and offshore resources.  The Project Delivery/PMO solution is available now and costs $100,000 per server for software and services. The Intraspect Project Delivery/PMO Solution is a combination of its collaboration software platform- Intraspect 5, application-specific user interfaces and data models, business process models and workflows, connectors to enterprise applications and packaged consulting services designed to meet the needs of Fortune 1000 customers.  

Corio, Inc., an enterprise application service provider, and Intraspect Software, Inc., a provider of enterprise collaboration solutions, have announced a strategic joint offering. The two companies will deliver a hosting service for Intraspect software, which includes infrastructure and managed services in both pilot and production modes using Corio's Applications on Demand service. This new offering is available immediately. Intraspect solves business processes, manages content lifecycles, and enhances internal and external collaboration for Global 2000 companies. Its collaboration solutions are packaged offerings specifically designed for the processes of managing strategic accounts, driving financial deal flows, and delivering complex projects. Corio Applications on Demand is a "pay-as-you-go," utility-like service that provides the expertise and infrastructure needed to deliver enterprise applications. In this offering Intraspect delivers the software, the implementation of the software, and the ongoing maintenance of the application while Corio delivers the infrastructure and technical services including: Data Center services, Hardware and system software, Database and system management, Back-up and disaster recovery, and Multi-layered security protection. Intraspect's software and ongoing applications management combined with Corio's on demand infrastructure approach are intended to enable customers to scale the service as project needs evolve while maintaining the predictability of a fixed price contract.  

(http://www.corio.com), (http://www.intraspect.com)

Authorize.Net, a provider of IP-based payment solutions, and Yaga, Inc., a provider of advanced payment services for digital content and online businesses, have partnered to offer digital content commerce services to Authorize.Net's network of resellers and merchants. Services offered will include: Content access control to secure content files behind a payment, Flexible merchandizing and selling tools including multi-level subscriptions & pay-per-access, Subscription, account and content management tools, Micropayments and alternative billing methods, and Split payment accounting for affiliates or royalty commission payouts.

(http://www.authorize.net), (http://www.yaga.com)

Atomz, a provider of enterprise Web site management software delivered as an online service, has added new features and functionality to enhance the usability and security of its enterprise Web content management solution, Atomz Publish. The company launched an enhanced, browser-based WYSIWYG Rich Text Editor, increased the number of Internet security standards and protocols it supports for content deployment, and has upgraded its integration with desktop applications.

Atomz Publish now works with customers' desktop applications, including Adobe GoLive and Macromedia Dreamweaver, as well as Web folders on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. An improved browser-based WYSIWYG Rich Text Editor interface now offers content contributors an enhanced authoring environment to create, manage, and publish their work. The interface contains a button bar, enabling content authors, creators, and editors to edit, manipulate and, align text and images in much the same way they would with any standard desktop application. Several customization features provide greater control over the site's look and feel, including the ability to apply styles defined by the Web site designer, an assortment of formatting options for HTML tables and the ability to insert and upload images directly into content authoring Web forms. The new Rich Text Editor is available for customers who run the Windows operating system and use Internet Explorer. No software downloads or plug-ins are required. Atomz Publish now provides more than a dozen publishing options for transferring files from its content management system to production and staging Web servers. These include FTP, SSH1, or SSH2 File Transfer Protocols, DES, ARCFour, Blowfish, and more. Web teams can tackle collaborative projects using Atomz Publish and its WebDAV support to deliver integration between the desktop and the CMS. Customers can now drag-and-drop files such as Microsoft Word documents, PDFs, and images directly in and out of the Atomz Publish content repository using Web folders, supported by both the Windows and Macintosh platforms. Atomz Publish can serve as a shared network file system, providing a protocol for managing and staging content and templates that have been developed in standard desktop applications, including Adobe GoLive or Macromedia Dreamweaver. The files can then be managed by workflow processes to assure that design, information architecture, and content standards are maintained.

(http://www.atomz.com)

CrownPeak Technology, a provider of hosted content management systems, has been selected by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to provide content management services for the USTR public web portal, www.ustr.gov. USTR will deploy CrownPeak's Advantage CMS solution as part of an effort to build greater transparency into the development of trade policy through a complete overhaul of its online presence. A new Web site employing CrownPeak's CMS is expected to launch this summer. The Office of the USTR is responsible for developing and implementing trade policies that promote global economic growth, and creating new opportunities for American businesses, workers and agricultural producers. The USTR's Web site is the primary channel of communication between the agency and the general public, and requires a continuous updating of content to keep pace with the administration's trade agenda.  

CrownPeak has also announced that it has been awarded certification by the US General Services Administration (GSA) and has been added to its prime contractor's line of products and services. Advantage CMS can now be acquired directly by federal and state agencies. With its GSA certification, CrownPeak now offers its Advantage CMS to any federal or state agency directly from www.gsaadvantage.gov. Earlier this year, CrownPeak Technology unveiled AdvantageMail, an email campaign solution that provides customers with interface components for rich media email creation, publishing, and management, all incorporated into Advantage CMS. The AdvantageMail system draws on a partnership with EmailLabs, a provider of advanced email marketing technology solutions. This partnership enables non-technical USTR staff to create, edit, and publish email alerts and newsletters, automatically building the HTML version, the text version, and the AOL-friendly version and pushing them out to the USTR subscriber list. As part of the USTR project, CrownPeak will implement a new navigation and indexing system for www.ustr.gov, integrated with its search system. The new navigation system will include multiple search categories and indexes for complex sets of trade documents.  By enabling the USTR staff to publish out specialized indexes and establish new categories and sub-categories for site content, the agency can expand and adjust the site as needed in the always-changing environment of international trade. The goal is to make it easier for the public to locate, inspect and copy federal government documents, contributing to the goal of a more transparent government.

(http://www.crownpeak.com), (http://www.gsaadvantage.gov), (http://www.ustr.gov)

ECNext, a provider of technology and services for selling and delivering commercial business information via the Web, has been selected to build and manage Solucient's online channel for selling health care industry directories, publications, and sourcebooks. Solucient is a source of business intelligence for the health care industry and serves a client base of more than 5,500 including 3,000 hospitals and 18 of the 20 largest U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturers. ECNext's ecommerce solution is designed to enable Solucient to capture new transactional revenue by reaching the rapidly growing group of business users who depend on the Internet for finding, purchasing and accessing critical information. Decision-makers and analysts within health care providers, insurance, and pharmaceutical companies, banks, financial analyst firms, and medical equipment manufacturers rely on Solucient products such as The Comparative Performance of U.S Hospitals: The Sourcebook. By making their financial, operational, and clinical data about health care providers, nursing homes, and retirement facilities available via the Web, Solucient hopes to serve a broader audience. ECNext's solution will extend the Solucient brand and power all aspects of Solucient's online publishing business. Web search engine optimization programs will bring qualified buyers to the site by ensuring Solucient products are listed on the first page of relevant Web searches. Visitors will be converted to customers through ECNext's ecommerce functionality, including secure shopping cart, checkout, and credit card processing capabilities. As transaction histories grow, Solucient will also be able to offer personalized information bundles to meet the needs of its customers.

(http://www.ecnext.com), (http://www.solucient.com)