California County Sues Deloitte For Fraud In SAP ERP Project (Channel Web)

Behind the scenes with SAP Chairman Hasso Plattner (ZDNet Blogs)

Will Comcast’s ‘Empire Building’ Be Its Downfall? (NewTeeVee)

Bentley Forges GIS Tools to Build 3D Cities (Cadalyst)

Aria Systems Introduces SubscriptionsPlus for PayPal (eWeek)

The Big Shift: Moving to LTE From WiMAX (GigaOM)


Of megamergers and edifice complexes
Commentary: Comcast chief looks for a home in the Big Apple
(MarketWatch)


Daily Links 5/28/2010: Environmental Tectonics posts sales gain, profit

Quality Systems Reports Fiscal 2010 Fourth Quarter and Year-End Results (Business Wire)
Quality Systems' business is primarily composed of Horsham-based NextGen Healthcare Information Systems.

Senate antitrust leader fears Comcast will kneecap Hulu (Ars Technica)

The next Apple TV revealed: cloud storage and iPhone OS on tap... and a $99 price tag (Engadget)

Icahn's stake in Lawson means likely push for sale (IDG via Bloomberg
Business Week)

Environmental Tectonics Corporation Announces Fiscal 2010 Results (PR Newswire)

Brook Lenfest growing Net Carrier (Philadelphia Business Journal: Technology Blog)

SES Will Be Bird-Watching Over Memorial Day Weekend
Intelsat's ‘Zombie' Satellite to Pass Near Operator's AMC-11 on May 31
(Multichannel News)




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More changes at GSI Commerce

While King of Prussia E-commerce company GSI Commerce has recently brought on board some new top executives, others are leaving.
Telecom equipment vendor Avaya annnounced the appointment of Stephen J. Gold as Chief Information Officer. He had been Executive Vice President, CIO and Corporate Chief Technology Officer at GSI.
And TRAFFIQ, a New York-based digital media platform, appointed Nick Pahade as CEO. Pahade had been President of TrueAction, GSI's interactive agency (formerly known as GSI Interactive).


Philly Tech Tidbits

Novell, the company best known as a pioneer in local area networks that is now taking bids for a buyout or acquisition, was originally backed by Wayne's Safeguard Scientifics, though reportedly they almost shut the company down when it wasn't doing well back in the early '80s.
O' Reilly's RailsConf 2010 (for the Ruby on Rails community) will be held June 7-10 down the road at the Baltimore Convention Center.
SAP plans to have 12,000 of its 14,000 engineers using agile development methods by the end of the year, according to an article by Bloomberg Business Week.
Ryzing, a yet to launch Philly-based "social gaming" startup, has funding from Conshohocken's SeventySix Capital (formerly ETF Ventures).
Philadelphia's MentorTech Ventures led a $1.1 million Series A funding round for SeniorHomes.com, a Seattle-based online directory and resource for finding senior care or senior housing.
An inaugural Philadelphia meetup for Alfresco, an open source Content Management System (CMS), will be held June 3 at 6:30 at the offices of Zivtech in Philadelphia.


Google/Invite Media rumors heat up again

Peter Kafka of All Things Digital (Wall Street Journal) reports that Google may be close to a deal for Philly/New York-based demand side advertising platform (DSP) Invite Media, which is backed by First Round Capital and Comcast Interactive Capital among others. There had been rumors about this a few months back. Invite Media CEO Nat Turner,who cofounded the company while an undergraduate at Penn, told Kafka by email that "we have not entered into any agreement with any company" which may seem a little short of a complete denial that something might be happening.
Turner tweeted on Friday, "Haven't gotten anything done today, just been playing Pakman on Google's homepage", which was presumably meant as a tongue in cheek response to speculation.


Customers' revenge: Cable providers to play nice (Associated Press
via Google News)

Portfolio Night matches ad execs with the talented (Philadelphia Inquirer)


Philly Tech People News 5/23/2010

Lockheed Martin Realigns Commercial Space Systems Structure (PR Newswire)
Joseph M. Rickers named president for Newtown-based Commercial Space Systems.

Scott J. Sprague to Head Integrated Global Sales Force of SES WORLD SKIES (Business Wire)

SaaS CRM expert Ami Assayag Joins SeventySix Capital as Entrepreneur in Residence (Press Release)

Wolters Kluwer Health Announces the Appointment of Susan Driscoll as President & CEO of its Professional & Education Business Unit (PR Newswire)

Razorfish Health adds Alfred O'Neil and Rob Ulliman to executive team (Philly Ad Club News)


Google: FTC clears AdMob deal

Google announced today that the FTC has cleared its $750 million acquistion of AdMob, the mobile advertising network. As previously reported here, AdMob was founded by Omar Hamoui when he was a first year MBA student at the Wharton School, though it is now based in California.
(See Business Week's recent profile of Hamoui.)


Princeton's SES World Skies plans orbital maneuver to minimize Cable TV disruptions

Princeton-based satellite operator SES World Skies is planning an "orbital maneuver" later this month that will hopefully minimize the probability of major cable TV reception problems, the company said in a press release today.
The maneuver is aimed at steering SES' AMC-11 satellite and its customers clear of interference from Intelsat’s troubled Galaxy 15 spacecraft, the so-called "Zombie" satellite. SES also plans to reposition its new SES-1 satellite to serve as a backup to enable some customers to "leapfrog" their broadcasts over interference. The company says the risk of interference should end by June 7.
One can only imagine how much processing power SES chewed up in calculating this solution.


NHL Eyes New Rights Deals As Ratings Climb: Collins
NHL COO Says Renewal Discussions With Versus, NBC To Take Place In Late Fall
(Multichannel
News)


The SAPPHIRE of Second Chances: SAP and the Road to Redemption (Enterprise Irregulars)

SAP Launches Virtual Platform for SAPPHIRE(R) NOW (PR Newswire)


Daily Links 5/14/2010: Bernanke visits Philly

Analyst makes case for HP to top SAP's Sybase bid (San Jose Business Journal)

SAP pays dearly with $5.8 billion Sybase purchase (Reuters)

Americas’ SAP Users’ Group Announces Impact Award Winners (Business Wire)
Comcast wins in "Large Enterprise" category.

Ben Bernanke’s Field Trip to Philly (New York Times: Economix)

TiVo: Lazard Downgrades On Court Decision; Stock Off 40% (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

Comcast's 4G Market Primer
(Light Reading)
Interview with Comcast's Cathy Avgiris (Video).

Gannett Folds Ripple6 Into Pointroll (paidContent)
PointRoll is headquartered in Conshohocken.

Pa. cuts scarring Ben Franklin (Philadelphia Business Journal)


Alteva joins Cloud Communications Alliance, partners with Microsoft and BroadSoft for hosted Unified Communications solution

When I wrote about Philadelphia-based hosted VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) services provider Alteva a few months ago, I highlighted two important strategic issues the company faced. First, it had to determine how to begin moving beyond a primarily regional footprint as the industry inevitably begins to consolidate. Secondly, Alteva needed to define its strategy in the growing market for "unified communications services".
In recent weeks, Alteva took significant steps on both fronts.

In April at the Cloud Computing Expo in New York, Alteva was announced as a founding member of the Cloud Communications Alliance along with seven other companies. The network will offer nationwide peering with interconnected switches and gateways across the country to provide greater network efficiences and more HD voice connections, a common infrastructure to provide nationwide customer support, closer integration of mobile and fixed platforms, formation of a Cloud Communications Alliance 'Sandbox' which will allow the rapid rollout and customer adoption of new apps, joint product development, and other shared services. The combined companies represent more than $100 million of revenue and 100,000 customers.

On the second front, Alteva announced it was partnering with Microsoft and BroadSoft to deliver a hosted Unified Communications (UC) solution to small businesses. Alteva says it interconnects its hosted voice and messaging services with the Microsoft Communication Services product suite, including Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint and Office Communications Server (OCS). In part to reflect the emphasis on this offering, Alteva is rebranding itself as a hosted unified communications solution provider, according to Chief Sales Officer Louis Hayner. (This is reflected in their redesigned website). In addition, Alteva now has a web store where organizations with less than 25 users can evaluate and select applications.

Also, Alteva was recently awarded Unified Communications Magazine's "Product of the Year" award for 2009 for its new voice application, Alteva Vision.




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Online system streamlines mortgage modification (Philadelphia Inquirer)

SCVNGR, a Google Ventures-Backed, Location-Based Mobile Gaming Company, Launches Into the Consumer Market (Marketwire)
SCVNGR was founded at Princeton and is a graduate of the DreamIt Ventures incubator, though it is now based in Massachusetts.
A New Entry Into the World of Location-Based Games (New York Times: Bits)

FBI Gets Evidence in Student Webcam Scandal (Wired Blogs: Threat Level)

MedQuist cost cuts lift profit 7 percent (Associated Press via the Courier-Post)

Astea Reports First Quarter 2010 Results (PR Newswire)


Views on the SAP-Sybase deal

SAP to Buy Sybase, Ally in Software (New York Times)

SAP Buys Sybase, and History is Re-Written (Enterprise Irregulars)

SAP to acquire again?
(ZDNet Blogs)

Short-term memory gain
Will a takeover and new technology revive the German software giant?
(The Economist)

SAP Advances Innovation Strategy With Sybase Acquisition (Forrester Blogs)

Of SAP, Sybase, the Mets and the Yankees (Information Week: Intelligent Enterprise Blog)




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SAP agrees to buy Sybase for $5.8 billion

SAP agrees to buy Sybase for $5.8 billion (MarketWatch)

SAP TO ACQUIRE SYBASE, INC. (SAP Press Release)
Company cites Sybase's mobile platform, integration of SAP in-memory technology with Sybase
analytics.


News from The Cable Show: 5/11/2010

Cable worries about Web video as fee disputes grow (Reuters)


Canoe Floats VOD, Interactive Demos (Multichannel News)

Comcast Expands On-Demand Movie Offerings (New York Times: Media Decoder)

Live-Blogging Comcast CEO Roberts on Cable TV’s Future (Wall Street Journal: Digits)

Itaas Spiffs Comcast's Cisco Boxes for EBIF (Light Reading Cable)

Cable Show 2010: Motorola Unboxes Digital-Only Multiroom DVR (Multichannel News)




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Daily Links 5/11/2010: Heartland Payment Systems Plans to Hire 1,198 Sales Professionals

The Genius of QVC
How the shopping network became one of the most effective retailing machines ever invented

(The Atlantic)

FCC's 'Third Way' Criticized for Over-Regulation (PC Magazine)
FCC's Clyburn criticizes corporations for misinformation on broadband reclassification (Washington Post: Post Tech)


Heartland breach expenses pegged at $140M -- so far (Computerworld)
Heartland Payment Systems® Plans to Hire 1,198 Sales Professionals in the Next 18 Months (Business Wire)
Why 1,198? Why not 1,195 or 1,199?

WorldGate Introduces ‘Ojo Vision’ Video Phone (Business Wire)

Oracle Unveils Oracle's Primavera Inspire for SAP 7.0 (Marketwire)

SAP's Vertical Future (Forbes)

Bridgeline Digital Acquires TMX Interactive (Globe Newswire via MarketWatch)

Better government through code
Code for America founder Jennifer Pahlka wants to empower developers to become civic coders

(O'Reilly Radar)
Philadelphia one of 5 initial cities chosen to participate.

First SaaS CRM Application Network for Life Sciences Industry Launched By Veeva Systems at Customer Summit (Business Wire)

Citizens Bank of Pa. parent hiring 180, spending $500M on technology (Philadelphia Business Journal)

Universal Display Team Awarded $4 Million Contract from the U.S. Department of Energy to Support Establishment of an OLED Lighting Pilot Manufacturing Facility in the U.S. (Business Wire)



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GSI Commerce acquires VendorNet

The Wall Street Journal reported last night (subscription required) that GSI Commerce has acquired VendorNet, a Boynton Beach, Florida provider of supply chain management software and services for retailers. VendorNet offers a service that enables retailers to drop-ship items customers order online from nearby retail outlets. The company says it has about 100 customers and 32 employees. Deal terms have not been disclosed.


GSI Commerce Press Release


Daily Links 5/10/2010: Top themes at The Cable Show

SAP Accelerates Corporate Overhaul, FT Deutschland Reports (Bloomberg)
Not a lot of detail yet on what this may mean.
But here is a version of the interview from Financial Times Deutschland with SAP Co-Chief Executive Officer Jim Hagemann Snabe, as translated through "Google Translate". (A little patchy in spots.)


Cable: Bernstein Pulls The Plug; Downgrades CMCSA, TWC, CVC (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

Cable Show 2010: The Hot List (Light Reading Cable)

Clock Re-Starting June 3 On Comcast/NBCU
FCC Will Pick Up Clock With 151 Days Remaining On Merger Review Deadline
(Multichannel News)

Liberty Interactive: Merrill Downgrades; QVC Results Disappoint (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

Court gives preliminary OK to $4M consumer settlement in Heartland case (Computerworld)

The Agenda Behind Electronic Health Records (New York Times: Bits)

Ben Franklin group announces $2M in early-stage funding (Philadelphia Business Journal)

DreamIt Ventures Kickoff Weekend – 2009 cohort panel on lessons learned (Robert Shedd)

There are east coast (below Boston) hackers--draw us out... (Gabriel Weinberg's Blog)

Universal Display Corporation Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results (Business Wire)




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Upcoming trade shows highlight area tech companies

Three big trade shows with connections to major area tech companies kick off over the next week.
The Cable Show, the most important show in the Cable industry, will highlight many new developments from Comcast and its various entities, and from others such as Motorola's Home unit and QVC. It starts Tuesday in Los Angeles and runs through the 13th.

SAPPHIRE NOW, SAP AG's biggest annual event, will begin next Monday, the 17th, in Orlando and runs concurrently with ASUG's (the Americas' SAP Users' Group) annual conference. This year, SAP is also holding a separate European version of SAPPHIRE NOW in Frankfurt at the same time. This SAPPHIRE will be interesting to watch because it will be the first with new Co-CEOs Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe at the helm; also worth following will be Chairman of the Supervisory Board Hasso Plattner's address.

And CAD/CAM software firm Bentley Systems of Exton will hold its "Be Together: The Be Communities ‘Live'" conference at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from May 17-20.


Comcast: FCC opening Net neutrality door 'scary' (CNET News)

Pa. newspapers' layoff notice called 'procedural' (Associated Press via Google News)


A few tidbits

"Morgantown is the next Exton, Malvern, and King of Prussia", says Glenn Porter, a manager at software services provider LMC Software Solutions, according to the Inquirer. LMC recently received VC funding and moved from Chester County to Morgantown. Where in the heck is Morgantown, you ask? (Actually, its in Berks County).
Philly-based Urban Outfitters reported a same store year-to-year sales increase of 11%, which is rather remarkable though admittedly coming off a bit of a down year. Urban Outfitter's direct-to-consumer channel (its eCommerce business) grew 42% and is now running at $86 million a quarter.
The reported problems and shutdown of J&J's McNeil Lab's Fort Washington plant may have a human origin, but could it also raise question about the production and quality control software systems used there, I wonder?
Chester-based sales comp software vendor Synygy has announced it is opening new sales offices in the UK (to serve the EMEA market) and Singapore (to serve Asia).
Retailer Wireless Giant has opened a new store at Philadelphia International Airport featuring BlackBerry devices, software and services.


Internet Capital Group ups stake in ICG Commerce

Internet Capital Group has increased its stake in ICG Commerce of King of Prussia from 64% to 76% by spending $35.3 million to acquire shares from another investor. ICG intends to acquire the additional 5% of the company owned by non-management investors. The deal would appear to value ICG Commerce at around $300 million.
ICG Commerce specializes in procurement outsourcing, helping large clients manage their "spend function". The company reported revenue growth of 28% in 2009.

Press Release


Daily Links 5/6/2010: FCC decides on "third way" to regulate broadband; Comcast "disappointed".

How the FCC Plans to Regulate Internet Lines (Wall Street Journal: Digits)

FCC statement on 'third way' for broadband (CNET News)

Comcast “Disappointed” With FCC Move To Reclassify Broadband
(Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

Clearwire May Dump WiMAX (GigaOM)

Clearwire Reports Strong First Quarter 2010 Results (Business Wire)

SunGard Announces First Quarter 2010 Results (Business Wire)

Safeguard Scientifics Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results (Business Wire)

Heartland Payment Systems Reports First Quarter Results (Business Wire)

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc. Reports Results for its Second Fiscal Quarter 2010 (Business Wire)
CEO Scott Kulicke cites "current, unprecedented demand for semiconductor assembly capacity".

International Battery Closes Series C Financing Round (Business Wire)

Hasso on Hasso (ZDNet Blogs)
Interesting, amusing "self-interview" by SAP co-founder Hasso Plattner in advance of SAPPHIRE presentation.

Kaplan EduNeering and ProtonMedia Announce Alliance
Partnership to combine Kaplan’s online compliance and knowledge solutions with ProtonMedia’s leading 3-D virtual environment, ProtoSphere, to help life sciences companies speed collaborative decision-making while meeting regulatory requirements
(Business Wire)


DreamIt Ventures Kicks Off 2010 Program on May 7 (Business Wire)

Introducing Motorola Medios, Part One (Motorola Blog: Media Experieces 2 Go)

Dockers Holds Pitch but Awards Digital Creative to None of the Contenders
Levi Strauss Brand Shifts Digital Buying From Razorfish to OMD
(Ad Age)
GSI Commerce's agency to play a role.

DormNoise rounds up $500k Series A funding (Mass High Tech)
DormNoise was founded by 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania junior Jay Rodrigues, though the company is now based in Cranston, RI.




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FCC to reclassify portions of broadband to assert authority over Internet access

Genachowski to reclassify portions of broadband to assert FCC authority over Internet access (Washington Post: Post Tech)
Seems like a quick turnabout from a few days ago, but not quite sure what it means or whether the FCC will have the legal power to enforce it.


Daily Links 5/5/2010: IBM and NetSuite connect with Cast Iron

Google Ups Its TV Bet, Invests In Invidi (All Things Digital: MediaMemo)
Invidi was headquartered in Princeton and still has significant operations there, although the official headquarters has apparently been moved to New York.
Inside Google's Invidi TV Advertising Deal (MediaPost: Around the Net in Online Media)

Five Cities Get Free Civic Apps Through Code for America (Mashable)
Philadelphia is one of the five.

IBM and NetSuite connect with Cast Iron (ZDNet Blogs)
Important read.

SAP delays local ByDesign cloud offering launch (The Australian)

Sysco Has Selected SAP to Help Transform Its Business (PR Newswire)

Vishay Reports Results for First Quarter 2010 (Business Wire)
Vishay Shares Slip As Q1 Revs Miss; Says Spin-Off On Track (Barron's: Tech Trader Daily)

BioClinica Announces First Quarter 2010 Financial Results (Business Wire)

USA Technologies, Inc. Commences $3 Million Public Offering (Business Wire)

Cable Show 2010: Motorola Touts 'Medios' Software, VOD Servers
Vendor to Showcase Media-Delivery Platform, On-Demand Servers
(Multichanel News)

More 4G in More Places, Says Clearwire (GigaOM)


Comcast: Reports Confirm Benefits Of NBCU Deal
Company says merger would have lack of adverse impact on online video distribution
(Broadcasting & Cable)

Cable Gets Its Wrist Slapped For Pretending To Offer Fiber
Better Business Bureau says Cox, Time Warner Cable ads mislead consumers
(Broadband Reports)




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Daily Links 5/4/2010: Report blames IT staff for school Webcam 'spying'

Checkpoint Systems, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2010 Results (Business Wire)

FCC likely to hire outsider to oversee NBC-Comcast review (The Hill: Hillicon Valley)

Report blames IT staff for school Webcam 'spying' mess (Computerworld)

SunGard Launches Cliq, a SaaS Solution for Derivatives Post-Trade Processing (PR Web)

Commentary on IBM WebSphere – Cast Iron Deal (The Boomi Blog)

LMC Software Solutions Awarded Ben Franklin Technology Partners Funding (PR Newswire)

Startup Wants to Be R Alternative to IBM, SAS
(IDG via New York Times)

Comcast Does 3G In Beantown, With WiMax In The Wings
MSO's High-Speed 2go Initially Available Only via Sprint's 3G Wireless Network
(Multichannel News)

Kenexa Announces Financial Results for First Quarter 2010 (Business Wire)

New Kenexa 2xTM Platform Drives Business Transformation (Marketwire)

Intelligroup® Q1 Revenue Increased 8.7% to $33.5 Million, Net Income Rose 159% to $2.0 Million and EPS Rose 165% to $0.05
(Business Wire)

Ulticom says 1Q sales lower than expected (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Technitrol shares dive after 1Q loss
(Associated Press via Forbes)




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Daily Links 5/3/2010: FCC Chairman Genachowski leaning towards leaving broadband services deregulated

Philadelphia competes for tech expertise (WHYY)

FCC Chairman Genachowski expected to leave broadband services deregulated (Washington Post)

e-Dialog Acquires Database Marketing Solutions Provider MBS (Business Wire)
e-Dialog is a division of GSI Commerce.

IBM Advances Cloud Initiatives With Acquisition of Cast Iron Systems (PR Newswire)
One of Cast Iron's major competitors is Boomi of Berwyn, which I imagine has a few suitors of its own.
IBM to build out hub for cloud of clouds with Cast Iron acquisition (ZDNet Blogs)
With a few words from Boomi.


SAP, Waste Management Settle Lawsuit (PC World)


Verizon Mum On How They Determine A City's Worthy Of FiOS
Baltimore holds hearing to (unsuccessfully) find out why they were overlooked
(Broadband Reports)

SPRINT, CLEAR SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE IN CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA (Going WiMax)

USA Technologies, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Fiscal 2010 Financial Results (Business Wire)

Apriva Challenges USA Technologies in Cashless-Vending Market
(Digital Transactions)

Germany's Software AG says 1Q net profit up 9 pct (Associated Press via MSnbc)

Technitrol Reports Q110 Results; Dividend Declared (Business Wire)




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Philly Tech People News 5/2/2010

Veeva Systems Expands Leadership Team
Addition of Vice President of Europe and Chief Financial Officer Marks Important Expansion Milestone
(Business Wire)
Though based in California, Veeva handles much of its sales & marketing out of the Philadelphia
area.

ICG Commerce Appoints Joseph Waterman Chief Financial Officer (Globe Newswire via MarketWatch)
Perhaps another sign that ICG Commerce may consider an IPO, as previously mentioned here.

Lockheed Martin Unit to Honor Superlative Employees in New Jersey and Georgia (Marketwire)


Report from Health Information Technology in Massachusetts
(O'Reilly Radar)

A glimpse of coming air-traffic technology (Philadelphia Inquirer)