Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Unisys Joins Harrisburg University’s Government Technology Institute as Founding Member

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology has announced that Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS), a worldwide information technology company headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, has become a Founding Member of the new Government Technology Institute (GTI) on the university’s campus.

Harrisburg, PA, November 09, 2011 - “We are pleased to have Unisys as a Founding Member and supporter of the Government Technology Institute (GTI). Unisys clearly values the potential of the GTI to benefit public sector technology leaders throughout the Commonwealth and beyond,” says Dr. Eric Darr, Executive Vice President and Provost at Harrisburg University. “As a Founding Member, Unisys is supporting government IT leaders, and ultimately their constituents, through its participation in the GTI.”

As a Founding Member of the GTI, Unisys will collaborate with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology on a number of thought-leadership symposiums on relevant subject areas.

Anticipated topics include best practices in IT service management and current disruptive trends in the IT field, such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, mobility and social computing.

Under the leadership of Co-Executive Directors Charlie Gerhards and Barbara Shelton, the GTI provides education, training, resources, and networks in which government technology leaders and professionals can learn, collaborate and explore effective technology solutions for Pennsylvania.

“Unisys has a proud history of supporting institutions of higher education, such as the Harrisburg University GTI, that step forward with new and innovative thought leadership programs,” said Reed Laughlin, vice president, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Team, Unisys. “We do extensive work with the Commonwealth, and we increasingly see a real desire on the part of Pennsylvania’s government IT leaders to enhance their skills and knowledge in recognizing the sophistication and complexity of the mission-critical systems that their constituents expect them to provide and support 24x7x365.”

Unisys traces its roots in the Commonwealth to the development of the world’s first large-scale digital computer at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1940s. Today Unisys is a major supplier of information processing services and technology to public sector organizations across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Laughlin adds: “The Harrisburg University GTI provides a new opportunity for Unisys to help the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s IT leaders set the pace of innovation in public sector IT solutions that can be models across the United States.”

About Unisys
Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. We provide a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology that solves critical problems for clients. We specialize in helping clients secure their operations, increase the efficiency and utilization of their data centers, enhance support to their end users and constituents, and modernize their enterprise applications. To provide these services and solutions, we bring together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 23,000 employees, Unisys serves commercial organizations and government agencies throughout the world. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

About the GTI Co-Directors:
Barbara Shelton was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge as the Deputy Secretary for Procurement for Pennsylvania, where she was responsible for virtually all purchasing activity in the state. She teamed with other government leaders to dramatically improve the state's procurement processes by making the most sweeping changes to procurement law since 1929. In 2002 Ms. Shelton was asked to lead the Philadelphia regional office of the U. S. General Services Administration (GSA), where she was responsible for over 1,000 employees, revenue of $1.8 billion and an operating budget of over $600 million. In 2005, she went to Washington to lead the merger of GSA's Federal Technology Service and Federal Supply Service. She designed the new organization, the Federal Acquisition Service, in just over seven months, while performing as Acting Commissioner for all three entities.

Before starting Gerhards Consulting in 2003, Charlie Gerhards served as the Governor’s Secretary of Administration, as well as, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As state CIO he was responsible for establishing statewide policies, standards, and guidelines governing the planning, management, acquisition, security, and use of information technology assets in all Commonwealth agencies under the Governor's jurisdiction, impacting 85,000 state employees. Mr. Gerhards was appointed to this post by Governor Tom Ridge in January 1999 and served under both governors Ridge and Mark Schweiker. He retired from the Commonwealth in January 2003 after 33 years of public service.

About Harrisburg University
Founded in 2001 to address Central Pennsylvania's need for increased opportunities for study leading to careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, Harrisburg University is an innovative and ambitious private institution that produces graduates who provide increased competence and capacity in science and technology disciplines to Pennsylvania and the nation. Harrisburg University ensures institutional access for underrepresented students and links learning and research to practical outcomes. As a private University serving the public good, Harrisburg University remains the only STEM-focused comprehensive university located between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

For more information on the University's demand-driven undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs in applied science and technology fields, call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu.

Contact:
Steve Infanti
HU AVP Communications
326 Market Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
717.901.5146

VisitMobileTM to Provide Mobile ConciergeTM Solution for Two Colorado Business Improvement Districts

Cherry Creek North (Denver) and Downtown Denver Partnership

Boulder, CO, November 09, 2011 - VisitMobile is proud to announce two new Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) will soon be launching Mobile Concierge smartphone applications: Denver’s Cherry Creek North shopping district and the Downtown Denver Partnership. Mimicking a real destination concierge, Mobile Concierge provides convention and visitor’s bureaus (CVBs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs) and business improvement districts (BIDs) with a customized smartphone app that delivers real-time trusted advice and insider knowledge.

In addition to customizing and fulfilling the mobile strategy solution for Cherry Creek North and Downtown Denver Partnership, Mobile Concierge will provide these BIDs with an ongoing revenue stream through in-app enhanced listings and advertising opportunities. Mobile Concierge also allows clients to easily demonstrate the value they are delivering to their merchant stakeholders through measurable metrics and detailed usage reports. VisitMobile’s innovative approach to destination mobile marketing is so revolutionary, it garnered the prestigious Platinum Adrian Award from the HSMAI (Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International) in January 2011 for Napa Valley’s Mobile Concierge.

Mobile Concierge is fundamentally different than simply creating a destination guide app or a mobile optimized version of an existing website. Visitors who are already in the BID need information in a completely different format than those who are planning a future trip. Mobile Concierge uses a powerful GPS Relevancy Engine loaded with expert local content and multimedia to help the in-market visitor find retail shops that match their needs, make restaurant reservations, access insider deals and decide what to do next.

“BIDs spend tens of thousands of dollars on mass media and websites to attract guests to their destination, but they lose control of the guest’s experience once they arrive,” explained VisitMobile CEO Jeff Kohn. “Mobile Concierge will offer Cherry Creek North and the Downtown Denver Partnership a unique competitive advantage; the opportunity to continue interacting with their visitors in a way that benefits the guest and maximizes revenue for their merchant partners.”

Cherry Creek North is known nationally as a premier retail, dining, and mixed-use area located just 5 minutes from downtown Denver. More than 350 businesses that make up the neighborhood are independent to international brands, featuring a broad range of unique fashion, jewelry and home furnishing stores, spas/salons, art galleries and restaurants. In addition to retail businesses, the District is also a national and regional office center, home to two hotels, and has a growing number of residents. In combination with the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, CCN is the number one visitor destination in Colorado, according to the Longwoods Study conducted for Visit Denver Inc.

The Downtown Denver Partnership, Inc. is a non-profit business organization that creatively plans, manages and develops Downtown Denver as the unique, diverse, vibrant and economically healthy urban core of the Rocky Mountain region. The BID is a public organization funded by private commercial property owners. It funds cleaning & maintenance, safety initiatives and targeted marketing for Downtown Denver. With a reputation for more than 50 years of excellence, the Downtown Denver Partnership plays many diverse roles to enhance Downtown Denver. The Partnership is a leader, place-maker, convener, idea generator, facilitator, recruiter, team-builder and policy advocate.

Even better than a stationary hotel concierge desk, the trusted Mobile Concierge is always on hand as the guest explores the BID, and is ready to answer their question, “I’m right here, now what should I do?” Mobile Concierge bridges GPS map-based navigation and time-based, hyper-local content to help both leisure and business visitors discover nearby and timely events, attractions, dining, shopping, special offers and more. Whether a visitor has an iPhone, Blackberry or Android device, Mobile Concierge is available for every platform.

With the popularity of unofficial destination apps and mobile search engines, research shows that less than 20 percent of visitors return to the destination’s website for local information after they arrive. VisitMobile is a dream solution for BIDs, resorts and even college campuses looking to take back control of the conversation.

Mobile Concierge is not just affordable; it’s incredibly easy to manage. To avoid duplicate manual data entry, the solution is designed to update content continuously from the destination’s existing website or database. With the added benefit of trackable metrics for merchants and opportunities to create offset advertising revenue for the BID, Mobile Concierge is a “win-win-win” for BIDs, merchants and visitors.

Destinations and clients already experiencing success with VisitMobile’s Mobile Concierge include Napa Valley, Steamboat Ski Resort, Keystone Colorado, Destination Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) and Flatiron Meal Plan, the student meal plan for University of Colorado, Boulder. Other VisitMobile clients that are in the process of deploying their custom Mobile Concierge are Visit Aurora (Colo.), Southern Idaho Tourism, Boulder Weekly (Colo.), and Rocky Mountain Meal Plan (Ft. Collins, Colo.).

About VisitMobile
VisitMobileTM (www.visitmobile.com) is the Mobile ConciergeTM smartphone app for tourism and shopping destinations. VisitMobile serves as an on-the-go trusted advisor helping visitors discover nearby attractions, businesses, and events through a patented GPS Relevancy EngineTM. Mimicking a real concierge, VisitMobile uses expert local content and multimedia to help visitors make instant reservations or ticket purchases, access insider deals, or see what’s around them to answer the question "what should I do next?" As the official Mobile Concierge of the destination, VisitMobile allows the destination marketing organization to maintain control of the conversation and in turn, maximize revenue for destination partners.

Contact:
Amy Larson
CSG | PR
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, CO 80206
303.433.7020

New NanoMarkets Report Projects $1 billion OLED Lighting Materials Market in 2015

Report titled OLED Lighting Materials Markets: 2012 is the latest update from NanoMarkets on the OLED lighting materials market and it quantifies the opportunities that are emerging from the nascent OLED lighting industry.

Glen Allen Virginia, November 08, 2011 - Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets today announced the release of its latest market report covering the OLED lighting space. The report titled, “OLED Lighting Materials Markets: 2012” says that 2014 will be the year that OLED lighting begins to generate significant revenues for suppliers of OLED lighting materials. The report notes that the total market for OLED lighting materials will generate $1 billion (USD) in revenues in 2015.

This report is the latest update from NanoMarkets on the OLED lighting materials market and it quantifies the opportunities that are emerging from the nascent OLED lighting industry. The report analyzes the strategies of some of the key OLED lighting manufacturers like Philips, Osram, Lumiotec, and Visionox, and discusses the impact of their strategies on the materials sector. Finally, the report predicts what the latest market and technology developments will mean to the industry overall.

The report also contains detailed volume and revenue forecasts for materials used for OLED lighting broken out by material type and functionality in the OLED stack, as well as by OLED fabrication method – solution processing vs. vapor deposition, and small molecules vs. polymeric materials. In the report NanoMarkets says that revenues from emissive layer materials are expected to top $375 million by 2015, and over 90% of this will come from sales of vapor-deposited small molecule materials. And while solution-processable materials still have the potential to revolutionize OLED lighting with respect to increasing throughput and lowering costs, recent setbacks have pushed their impact beyond the timeframe of this report

Additional details about the report are available at www.nanomarkets.net/oled_lighting. The report follows recent NanoMarkets reports on OLED lighting manufacturing, OLED lighting global market forecasts, OLED encapsulation and OLED materials markets.

About NanoMarkets:
NanoMarkets tracks and analyzes emerging market opportunities in energy, electronics and other markets created by developments in advanced materials. The firm is a recognized leader in industry analysis and forecasts for the OLED lighting and materials business and has been covering these markets for more than five years.

Visit www.nanomarkets.net for a full listing of NanoMarkets' reports and other services.

Contact:
Robert Nolan
NanoMarkets LC
(804) 270-4370
PO Box 3840
Glen Allen, VA 23058
804-270-4370

Impact Investing Gets A Boost From OPIC Reports AAA

Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), which is a major advocate of impact investing, has welcomed the announcement from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) that it has approved finance for six new impact investment funds.

Boston, MA, November 08, 2011 - Alternative Asset Analysis (AAA), which is a major advocate of impact investing, has welcomed the announcement from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) that it has approved finance for six new impact investment funds.

The Board of Directors at OPIC, which is the development finance institution for the US government, said the extra finance and the new funds will see some $875 million being injected into the industry.

The financing from OPIC total some $285 million, which will raise some $875 million for projects in emerging markets. AAA claims the investment marks an important day for the future of impact investing. POIC President, Elizabeth Littlefield, stated, "This is a watershed day in the evolution of impact investing.”

The money will go towards a range of projects that will all be looking to help fund environmentally and socially responsible projects in the developing world. Impact investing has been successful in providing small business loans in Africa, which help communities to work their way out of poverty by providing education and access to essential financial help.

AAA has supported impact investing, not only as a way to make a difference, but as a way to see healthy returns during a time when traditional investment looks increasingly unattractive. AAA’s analysis partner, Anthony Johnson, said, “Impact investment projects an really change peoples lives for the better and investors are starting to view the as a viable and ethical alternative to putting cash in stocks and shares that could lose their value overnight.”

AAA also promotes investment in other ethical projects, such as plantations in Brazil, run by Greenwood Management. This project gives anyone with EUR 10,000 to invest, a chance to own their own section of Brazilian forest. The non-native tree plantations are also an effective way to protect native species from deforestation, claims AAA.

Past successful impact investment funds have offered banking services to the unbanked in Africa, improved healthcare and invested in small businesses in countries affected by conflict, such as Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Contact:
Anthony Johnson
Alternative Asset Analysis
71 Commercial St
Boston, MA 02109-1320
617-939-9596