Tag: North America

Pitney Bowes sees geospatial software as key to fed sales

Posted by | Oct 1, 2007 | |

Pitney Bowes Inc. is merging its Group 1 Software Inc. and MapInfo Corp. business units into Pitney Bowes Software, a new unified entity that will make an aggressive effort to become a major government provider of geospatial software.

Pitney Bowes developed the business strategy in 2002, as part of an effort to shed its reputation as a business mailing com-pany and become a software provider. Its first major acquisition was the Lanham, Md.-based Group 1 in 2004, which developed enterprise data quality and integration software for local, state and federal agencies.

The acquisition of MapInfo, based in Troy, N.Y., was completed in April, said Bernard Gracy, vice president of strategy and business development at Pitney Bowes. The two units will merge their operations in the next several months. “There is a very carefully planned transition period,” Gracy said. MapInfo and Group 1 have well-known brand equity “and we want to make sure that that brand equity gets carefully transitioned to this new unit. That’s really the most important part of this integration.”

It’s also important for the federal sector and the major government integrators to know what Pitney Bowes Software now delivers, he added. “In the government space, the systems integrators are key to our mutual success.”

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Verizon and Spacenet win USD 25M USPS satellite contract

Posted by | Oct 1, 2007 | |

Verizon Business and Spacenet Inc. announced today that the companies won a USD 25 million contract to provide point-to-point satellite communications for about 5,000 U.S. Postal Service sites.
The two-year contract, dubbed ORB-IT (for Outerspace Radio Broadcast Information Technology), could be extended to eight years in all under three, two-year optional extensions, both companies reported.
Both providers will offer the Postal Service full-time broadband satellite data services and on-demand connectivity, using VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) technology. Verizon Business, a unit of Verizon Communications Inc., has also been the Postal Service’s private network provider since 1997.
Spacenet said in a statement that the satellite network will support a number of applications, including a video relay service for postal workers who are deaf or hard of hearing, multicast content delivery, real-time video broadcasting, voice-over-IP telephone service, and more routine data transport and point-of-sale transactions.
Sites are expected to be in operation this fall. The network will also support 20 mobile satellite communications kits to be used in USPS vehicles during emergencies.

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Gilat’s Spacenet subsidiary teams with Verizon Business to provide custom satellite communications network for U.S. Postal Service

Posted by | Oct 1, 2007 | |

Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Spacenet Inc., is working with Verizon Business to deploy a custom satellite network for the U.S. Postal Service. The satellite network will provide high performance broadband communications for over 5,000 Postal Service sites in the continental United States, Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico. In addition, the satellite network will support on-demand back-up communications for a number of larger USPS facilities, as well as portable communications for the US Postal Inspection Service fleet of more than 20 incident response vehicles.

For the USPS custom satellite network, Spacenet is providing a fully managed satellite communications service based on the Gilat SkyEdgeTM VSAT platform and utilizing a combination of individual SkyEdge satellite modems and the router integrated Cisco VSAT Network Module. These technologies offer high performance broadband service for converged communications including simultaneous support for carrier class voice, two-way video, and broadband data.

The USPS satellite network will support a wide range of applications including an innovative video relay service (VRS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing postal employees, multicast content delivery, real-time video broadcasting, VoIP based digital telephone services, as well as routine data transport and point-of-sale transactions. Installation is already substantially under way with all sites expected to be operational by later this fall.

In addition, the network will support the Postal Service demands for continuity of operations by pre-positioning emergency portable VSAT kits in strategically selected locations. These kits provide for rapid deployment to Postal Service facilities should they lose terrestrial voice and data service in the event of a natural or manmade disaster.

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US ecommerce sales see a 6% spike in Q2

Posted by | Oct 1, 2007 | |

There were no major holidays and it was a bit early to be planning for a summer vacation. Still, Q2 was a good quarter for e-tailers and merchant websites in the US. According to a recent report from the US Census Bureau, ecommerce sales saw a 6% spike over Q1.

Year over year (YoY) that is an increase in sales of just over 20%. Ecommerce sales reached USD 33.6 million while total retail sales reached more than USD 1.01 billion. Ecommerce sales accounted for 3.3% of total retail sales for the quarter.

According to a recent study from Tealeaf Technologies, 42% of consumers who have problems completing a transaction online have abandoned that site in favor of a competitor site. What is more shocking, though, is that more than 80% of those studied said, they have had transaction problems on a website.

With sales continuing to increase, merchants need to be more vigilant than ever about the software and information on their websites. Product details, pricing and customer service will cause consumers to change merchants sites but having good cart technology, making it simple to contact the company and ensuring prices are marked correctly will keep them coming back for more good deals.

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Modiv Media launches retail in-store self-service solutions

Posted by | Oct 1, 2007 | |

Modiv Media Inc., provider of retail interactive media delivery solutions, has announced the launch of Modiv Shopper, Modiv DeliVision and Modiv Mobile, a multitouch platform that delivers consumer-convenient media through in-store self-service solutions and on-the-go shoppers’ mobile phones. The new products enable brand marketers and retailers to connect and engage with individual consumers when they are at their “moment of decision,” making it possible to create truly personalized relationships. By reaching customers at the right times and locations, retailers and brand marketers can better influence buying behaviors and drive sales throughout the shopping experience.

“More than ever, the way shoppers shop and the way media is delivered are changing,” said Robert Wesley, president and chief executive of Modiv Media. “Today, 40 percent of shoppers are using self-service checkout at retail stores when available, and 240-plus million U.S. mobile-phone subscribers are beginning to use their mobile phones as personal convenience devices. Reaching consumer purchasers at these touchpoints — and at the most critical moments — is proving to be the best way to take shopping to the next level. Modiv Media’s products let brand marketers and retailers reach the target they seek and give customers relevant coupons and offers the way they want to receive it.”

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