2.28.2007
Serious continue to Sparkle Within the Media Industry
Serious will attend the annual British Video Association awards on 21st March to celebrate the very best of the industry's past year and as a nominee for the prestigious BVA Industry Initiative Award of the Year for its innovative work with its patented DVD Cardz Media.
Sponsored by Toshiba UK, over 1,200 guests will attend a glamorous event, hosted by actor John Barrowman in London's Battersea Park. This is the second industry recognition for Serious' DVD Card technology in 2007.
DVD Cardz have been implemented into a variety of business applications. U.S. retailers Best Buy and Circuit City have incorporated DVD Gift Cards into their gift card offerings. Manchester United’s membership arm, One United, also commissioned a DVD Card to be included as a gift with its new membership mailer. Serious have also released retail DVD Cardz, including three yearly sets of Manchester United DVD Cardz - player DVDs packed with highlights, music and games.
This is the second award nomination for Serious DVD Cardz in 2007, following a nomination for a Sport Industry Award for Best Use of Digital Media in Sport.
Serious DVD Cardz Nominations:
- 2007 British Video Association
- 2007 Sports Industry Award
- 2006 Sports Industry Award
- 2006 Licensing Award
- 2005 British interactive Media Award
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2.21.2007
Metatomix Executive Named to IJIS' Public Safety Technology Standards Committee
Director of Product Management Christian Barr's Appointment Underscores Metatomix's Integrated Justice Technology Expertise
Waltham, Mass. - February 21, 2007 - Metatomix, Inc., a leading provider of justice information sharing solutions to state and local governments, today announced Director of Product Management Christian Barr has been named to the Integrated Justice Information Systems' (IJIS) Public Safety Technology Standards Committee (IPSTSC). The committee's purpose is to broaden industry involvement in the vetting and endorsement of standards for information exchanges between justice computer systems in prosecutor and court agencies, and dispatch and records systems from different companies.
"We're proud of Christian's appointment to this important IJIS committee," said Metatomix Co-Founder and CFO Tim Cunningham. "The acknowledgment of Christian's expertise reflects the investment that Metatomix as a company and Christian as a key member of our team have made in justice information sharing solutions. We share IJIS' commitment to the development of industry standards as a cornerstone of this work."
"In their work with IJIS to date, Christian and Metatomix have added valuable insights from their real-world experience," said IPSTSC Chairman Neil Kurlander. "With Christian's addition to our committee, we look forward to the continued benefit of those insights and even closer collaboration toward our shared goal of furthering an integrated justice model."
"In the brief time I've worked with the professionals at IJIS, I have developed a profound respect for the organization's mission and the individuals who carry it out," said Barr. "There is valuable work ahead of us, as we advance the capability of our government's Public Safety mission in this country. I'm confident the committee and IJIS have the vision, commitment and skills necessary to achieve our goals."
About IJIS Institute
IJIS' purpose is to provide a single voice in the development of new standards and practices for law enforcement and justice information technology. Its 86 full member companies (including Metatomix) and 94 affiliated companies provide jurisdictions with assistance on issues regarding integrated justice and its implementation. The IPSTSC promotes and contributes to the development of technical and functional standards for public safety IT components; provides industry input and policy review on technical matters faced by the public safety community; serves as the industry counterpart to the public sector's Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council (LEITSC); and oversees IJIS projects assigned to the committee.
About Metatomix, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Metatomix (www.metatomix.com) is a leading provider of commercial off the shelf (COTS) justice information sharing solutions, to support superior public safety decisions, streamline processes and dramatically lower the costs of administering justice. Metatomix solutions intelligently automate JIEM (Justice Information Exchange Model) exchanges of information, provide single views of subjects across multiple agency data sources from a single screen and sign-on and perform advanced correlation of information to support investigations, sentencing and corrections activities.
For more information on Metatomix's justice information sharing solutions or to register for a Webinar, please call 781-907-6738 or visit http://www.metatomix.com.
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2.21.2007
Metatomix Executive Named to IJIS' Public Safety Technology Standards Committee
Director of Product Management Christian Barr's Appointment Underscores Metatomix's Integrated Justice Technology Expertise
Waltham, Mass. - February 21, 2007 - Metatomix, Inc., a leading provider of justice information sharing solutions to state and local governments, today announced Director of Product Management Christian Barr has been named to the Integrated Justice Information Systems' (IJIS) Public Safety Technology Standards Committee (IPSTSC). The committee's purpose is to broaden industry involvement in the vetting and endorsement of standards for information exchanges between justice computer systems in prosecutor and court agencies, and dispatch and records systems from different companies.
"We're proud of Christian's appointment to this important IJIS committee," said Metatomix Co-Founder and CFO Tim Cunningham. "The acknowledgment of Christian's expertise reflects the investment that Metatomix as a company and Christian as a key member of our team have made in justice information sharing solutions. We share IJIS' commitment to the development of industry standards as a cornerstone of this work."
"In their work with IJIS to date, Christian and Metatomix have added valuable insights from their real-world experience," said IPSTSC Chairman Neil Kurlander. "With Christian's addition to our committee, we look forward to the continued benefit of those insights and even closer collaboration toward our shared goal of furthering an integrated justice model."
"In the brief time I've worked with the professionals at IJIS, I have developed a profound respect for the organization's mission and the individuals who carry it out," said Barr. "There is valuable work ahead of us, as we advance the capability of our government's Public Safety mission in this country. I'm confident the committee and IJIS have the vision, commitment and skills necessary to achieve our goals."
About IJIS Institute
IJIS' purpose is to provide a single voice in the development of new standards and practices for law enforcement and justice information technology. Its 86 full member companies (including Metatomix) and 94 affiliated companies provide jurisdictions with assistance on issues regarding integrated justice and its implementation. The IPSTSC promotes and contributes to the development of technical and functional standards for public safety IT components; provides industry input and policy review on technical matters faced by the public safety community; serves as the industry counterpart to the public sector's Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council (LEITSC); and oversees IJIS projects assigned to the committee.
About Metatomix, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Metatomix (www.metatomix.com) is a leading provider of commercial off the shelf (COTS) justice information sharing solutions, to support superior public safety decisions, streamline processes and dramatically lower the costs of administering justice. Metatomix solutions intelligently automate JIEM (Justice Information Exchange Model) exchanges of information, provide single views of subjects across multiple agency data sources from a single screen and sign-on and perform advanced correlation of information to support investigations, sentencing and corrections activities.
For more information on Metatomix's justice information sharing solutions or to register for a Webinar, please call 781-907-6738 or visit http://www.metatomix.com.
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2.16.2007
El Paso County Colorado Selects Metatomix's Judicial Exchange Solution
Colorado's Most Populated County Selects Metatomix's Judicial Exchange Solution Waltham, Mass. - February 16, 2007 - Metatomix, Inc., a leading provider of justice information sharing solutions to state and local governments, today announced that El Paso County Colorado has selected Metatomix to implement its Judicial Data eXchange (JDX) product for El Paso County's Justice Information Exchange Model (JIEM) information sharing initiatives. JDX will allow El Paso County to implement an automated Summons exchange and Court Calendar Exchange. Agencies involved in the project include the Colorado Springs Police Department, El Paso Sheriffs Office, Combined Courts, and the District Attorney's Office. Located in east central Colorado, El Paso County encompasses more than 2,158 square miles - slightly more than twice the area of the state of Rhode Island. With a population approaching 600,000 and over 215,000 households, El Paso is the most populous county in Colorado, with the county seat located in Colorado Springs. "We performed a great deal of due diligence before we selected Metatomix," said Dr. Henry Sontheimer, El Paso County Criminal Justice Planner. "With Metatomix we saw a proven solution that can start small and expand and grow in stages. Their customers are very happy with the flexibility, results and value. We look forward to working with Metatomix to establish a solid, sustainable foundation for information sharing with our public safety agencies throughout El Paso County." Judicial Data Exchange (JDX) is an integral component of the ground breaking Metatomix Justice Information Solution that enables real-time, bi-directional, cross-agency information sharing without local jurisdictions losing control of their data. Based on the JIEM model, JDX provides real-time information exchange between law enforcement, courts, attorneys, and jails to automate manual processes, eliminate duplicate data entry, improve data quality, and increase the efficiency and accuracy throughout the criminal justice system. About Metatomix, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Metatomix (www.metatomix.com) is a leading provider of commercial off the shelf (COTS) justice information sharing solutions, to support superior public safety decisions, streamline processes and dramatically lower the costs of administering justice. Metatomix solutions intelligently automate JIEM (Justice Information Exchange Model) exchanges of information, provide single views of subjects across multiple agency data sources from a single screen and sign-on and perform advanced correlation of information to support investigations, sentencing and corrections activities. For more information on Metatomix's justice information sharing solutions or to register for a Webinar, please call 781-907-6738 or visit http://www.metatomix.com.link to this news item
2.14.2007
Placemark's Managed Assets Surpass $5 Billion, Powered by UMA Program Expansion
- Fueled by robust demand for the company's open-architecture UMA solutions - Dallas and Wellesley, MA, February 14, 2007 - Placemark Investments, the investment industry's largest independent provider of active overlay portfolio management services, is pleased to announce that its assets under management rose to over $5 billion as of the end of January, a more than threefold jump in 12 months, fueled by robust demand for the company's open-architecture Unified Managed Account (UMA) solutions from existing and new sponsors. In the past 12 months, Placemark has won mandates as the active overlay manager in UMA and Multi-Discipline SMA (separately managed account) programs from several prestigious clients, including Smith Barney Consulting Group, the managed account unit of Citigroup Inc.; registered investment adviser Homrich & Berg; and, most recently, Oppenheimer Asset Management, an affiliate of Oppenheimer Holdings Inc. Placemark had $1.5 billion in managed assets in February 2006. Over 30,000 financial advisors serving investors in the US and Canada now have access to UMA programs sponsored by companies using Placemark's overlay management services. Advisors are rapidly adopting these UMA programs as their preferred means of delivering highly customized solutions for their most sophisticated clients. Placemark currently works with over 200 separate account investment styles provided by over 120 industry-leading investment managers. "We're delighted to report Placemark's increase in managed assets, which is a reflection of the high regard advisors have demonstrated for the benefits of the unified managed account," said Lee Chertavian, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Placemark Investments. "We're particularly gratified that our active overlay management service plays an important role in helping our clients achieve their growth and client service objectives." Placemark highlights during the past 12 months also include: - Managed assets in the Smith Barney SELECT Portfolios program, in which Placemark serves as the discretionary overlay manager, now exceed $2 billion.
- Managed assets in the BMO Nesbitt Burns Architect program surpassed $750 million. Placemark serves as overlay manager for Architect, Canada's first full-featured, open-architecture Unified Managed Account program.
- Managed assets in the RBC Dain Rauscher Total Portfolio UMA program, in which Placemark serves as the discretionary overlay manager, topped $750 million.
- Placemark's employee count has nearly doubled since February 2006 to 95 at present, and the firm is moving to larger offices in Dallas to accommodate the company's continued growth.
Placemark works with managed account program sponsors to develop custom programs that deliver superior features and value for advisors and their clients, while leveraging the sponsors' existing operational infrastructure and preferred investment managers and products.
Placemark offers customized investment solutions, implementing transition plans for clients with concentrated positions, or portfolios with deep embedded capital gains, and tailoring client portfolios for individual tax and risk requirements. Over 35% of Placemark's total taxable assets under management are managed using the firm's tax customization and transition services.
UMAs - fee-based investment solutions that combine multiple investments such as separately managed accounts, mutual funds and ETFs into customized portfolios - and Multi-Discipline SMA programs are projected to increase by 40-50% annually to $500 billion in assets by 2010, according to research published by the Washington, DC-based Money Management Institute, an industry association. "Our ability to work with sponsors and integrate their preferred products and investment managers, plus our flexibility in features and back-office systems support, has made Placemark the overlay manager of choice for companies developing custom wealth management programs,'' said Randy Bullard, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development. link to this news item
2.13.2007
Consolidating Federal Parent Loans May Be A No-Brainer: Tips to Consider
BOSTON, February 13, 2007 -- For the majority of students and parents who have Federal Parent PLUS or GradPLUS loans, consolidating now would immediately lower the interest rate - and depending on borrower benefits - could also allow for additional interest rate reductions and other incentives.
Most new Parent PLUS and GradPLUS loans carry a fixed interest rate of 8.50%. Once these loans go into repayment - usually occurring 45 days after the final disbursement of funds (for most people that's the second semester payment, which many just recently paid) - Parent PLUS and GradPLUS loans are eligible for consolidation. With consolidation loans carrying a fixed rate that cannot exceed 8.25%, borrowers can immediately lower their base rate from 8.50% to 8.25%, ultimately lowering monthly costs and saving hundreds over the life of the loan. Additionally, many lenders offer aggressive "borrower benefits," incentives that can further lower borrowing costs by significant amounts.
There are exceptions to this "no-brainer" deal. Most notably, borrowers with Parent PLUS or GradPLUS loans through the Direct Loan program might already have a low fixed rate. But for most borrowers, consolidating PLUS loans can result in an immediate savings. To help navigate this often confusing process, SimpleTuition, Inc. (www.SimpleTuition.com), a company dedicated to helping students and parents make sense of education financing choices, offers an objective resource that helps parents and students evaluate, analyze and compare loan options.
SimpleTuition has a few recommendations for borrowers wanting to consolidate:
- Carefully evaluate the types of loans before consolidating; in some cases, consolidation is not the best option
- Weigh the relative value of "borrower benefits," as each lender may have different benefits and these can significantly change the monthly payment or total amount owed
- Pay close attention to the requirements for qualifying for borrower benefits. Make sure you remember to meet these requirements
- Don't assume you won't save by consolidating a Direct PLUS Loan, even though they typically already have lower rates
- Private and Federal loans should not be consolidated together, as Federal loans have much lower interest rates
"Combining multiple loans into one consolidation loan may enable borrowers to lower their monthly payment, lower the total cost of their loan, access better incentives and/or streamline the monthly management of their student loan payments," said Kevin Walker, CEO of SimpleTuition, Inc. "However, the best course of action is not always clear to borrowers. There are a plethora of options, but to really know the right choice for one's personal financial situation, borrowers would have to spend hours reviewing literature and crunching numbers. SimpleTuition eliminates this cumbersome process. Parents and students can simply visit our intuitive web site and provide current outstanding balances and interest rates - the site will display multiple consolidation options for their review."
With SimpleTuition, parents and students can quickly compare loans by simply entering the estimated amount needed and answering a few non-personal questions. The company offers over 50 loan products for all education loan types, including private, PLUS, Stafford, GradPLUS, federal consolidation loans and private consolidation from more than 25 lenders. Results can be sorted by monthly payment, total cost of loan, number of payments, first payment due date and APR. With direct links to the financial institution's online application, the entire process can be completed online or via a toll free call. To ensure objectivity and accuracy, SimpleTuition is not a lender.
About SimpleTuition, Inc.
Founded in 2005, SimpleTuition is dedicated to helping students and parents make sense of education financing options. Recently featured as one of Fast Company's Top 12 Web 2.0 sites, SimpleTuition is the only company to offer an independent and objective solution for researching and comparing private, PLUS, Stafford, GradPLUS, federal consolidationand private consolidation loans. SimpleTuition is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and is funded by Atlas Venture, IDG Ventures Boston and North Hill Ventures. For more information visit www.SimpleTuition.com. link to this news item
2.13.2007
Current Analysis and Synergy Research Group Launch New Competitive Landscape Reports
STERLING, VA - February 13, 2007 - Current Analysis ( www.currentanalysis.com) and Synergy Research Group ( www.srgresearch.com) have announced an agreement to publish a series of unique Competitive Landscape Reports in the networking and telecommunications equipment sectors. These reports provide unmatched company and market analysis from the leading telecommunications competitive response firm, Current Analysis, paired with quantitative market share data from one of the industry's most respected market research firms, Synergy Research Group. "The top telecom equipment vendors around the World rely on Current Analysis to stay informed of the competitive dynamics in their market, and for tactical recommendations on how to respond to key events," said Richard Mendis, VP of Marketing at Current Analysis, "Now, this same insider information is available in a unique report digest format, along with detailed market share, revenue, and shipment data from Synergy Research." Jeremy Duke, President & CEO of Synergy Research Group, added: "Synergy's quarterly-driven, comprehensive market shares, supported by rigorous methodology, are an ideal complement to Current Analysis' superior qualitative analysis. With these reports, readers will get a broad spectrum of market intelligence, which will deepen their understanding of the Networking and Telecom industry." These reports can be used by enterprises to: - Understand the latest market trends and drivers
- Find out which vendors lead the market in terms of presence and share
- Determine the strengths and weaknesses of each key vendor
- Compare revenue and shipment volume trends
Please visit: http://www.currentanalysis.com/store/reports/casrg.htm#reports
Competitive Landscape Reports include coverage of the following sectors and companies:
- Carrier Ethernet Companies: Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Extreme Networks, Foundry Networks Enterprise IP Voice Gateways Companies: Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco, Nortel
- Cable Modem Termination Systems Companies: Cisco, Motorola
- Carrier Core Switch/Routing Companies: Avici, Cisco, Juniper Networks
- Media Gateways Comanies: Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, GENBAND, MetaSwitch, Nortel, Siemens Communications, Sonus Networks, Tekelec, Thomson (Cirpack), Veraz
- Enterprise Switching Companies: 3Com, Cisco, Enterasys, Extreme Networks, Foundry Networks, Nortel, ProCurve Networking By Hewlett-Packard
- DSLAMs Companies: Alcatel-Lucent, ECI Telecom, Ericsson, Huawei, Siemens Communications
- Enterprise PBX Companies: Alcatel-Lucent, Avaya, Cisco, Ericsson, NEC, Nortel, Siemens
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2.7.2007
Serious Announces The Team for its 2007 Man Utd DVD Cardz Collection
As the January transfer window closes, a February opportunity to buy players, or more specifically to purchase the new 2007 officially licensed Manchester United DVD Cardz arrives. The exciting five player digital card set will become available at retail from February 8th, with specialist distribution on both the physical shelves of the Man Utd Megastore at Old Trafford and the virtual shelves of www.store.manutd.com - the official online Megastore. Players in the 2007 set: - Wayne Rooney
- Cristiano Ronaldo
- Ryan Giggs
- Rio Ferdinand
- Louis Saha
The 2007 collection follows on from last summer's One United DVD Cardz, recently nominated for a 2007 Sport Industry Award, (for Best Use of Digital Media) and which were gifted in the collector-edition subscription packs for the club's official membership scheme. As with the One United card, the new 2007 collectibles are also dual-feature DVDs. This means that they are packed with both fantastic MUTV video highlights and interactive games (that play in a standard DVD player, PS2 or Xbox), and exclusive PC/Mac-based extras of custom downloadables with bonus videos as well. All this to the accompaniment of an original soundtrack specially produced by White Chalk, the record label of Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand. Card Contents: - 05/06 match highlights
- Top 5 BRILLIANT moments
- Interactive biographies
- Soundtrack by White Chalk
- Music Arcade loaded with DVD games
- United Quiz
- Wallpapers
- Bonus video clips
- Printable United stickers
"This is one type of card that Man Utd is very happy to be associated with during the football season," commented Mark Hargreaves, General Manager, Man Utd Interactive. "And in line with our website coming first in the table of Premiership sites recently, MUi is delighted to be leading the field once again through this collaboration with a like-minded forerunner in new media. The feel, tone and consistently high standard of interactive design that Serious' previous card collections demonstrated have evolved yet again in 2007, and this combined with the very latest in digital technology, make our fans party to a pretty exclusive product range." Each card is available to buy as a single (3.99 pounds) or as a full set (16.99 pounds) and a sales-based contribution is donated to the club's global charity partner; United for UNICEF, which to date has raised over 2 million pounds to improve the lives of more than 1.5 million children all over the globe. Two of the Cardz also carry player video messages, with Giggs and Ferdinand lending their voices, personalities and celebrity muscle to advocate the work of this important organisation. Rio's visually impactful public service announcement (filmed with the UNICEF UK Ambassador, Jemima Khan) is featured on his card. The Ryan Giggs card additionally carries an extra special video, featuring footage from a UNICEF trip that he made to Soweto in 2006, as part of the 'Unite for Children - Unite Against AIDS' campaign. By backing United for UNICEF in this way, Serious hope that the Cardz can help deliver the agency's critical manifesto to a young and socially conscious 'gaming' audience, who can then contribute to turning the subject of the AIDS pandemic from mere polite conversation to critical mass. "If content is king," added Vince Allen, Chief Technology Officer at Serious, "then the 2007 Cardz certainly must have the metrics for a successful piece of fan merchandise, based on the outstanding material that MUi, MUTV & United for UNICEF have taken the time and care to source and supply us with." Man Utd DVD Cardz are available from 7th February 2007. About SeriousSerious is an award-winning, privately held digital publisher and marketer with offices in New York, London and Singapore. Its portfolio of intellectual property includes over 100 optical card patents in 60 countries. Applications of its proprietary technology include interactive gift cards, loyalty cards, pharmaceutical patient education cards, direct mail programmes and collectible digital trading cards (CD & DVD Cardz). Serious' clients include Disney, Nickleodeon, BBC Worldwide, Virgin, ESPN, Best Buy, Circuit City, Electronic Arts, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, US Tennis Association, McKesson, InComm, Manchester United, Sony Pictures, New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers. Serious has been nominated for a 2007 Sport Industry Award and was nominated for both a Licensing Award and a Sports Industry Award in 2006, and a British Interactive Media Award in 2005. link to this news item
2.6.2007
OpenPages Placed in the Leaders Quadrant in Gartner's Magic Quadrant
Evaluation Based on Completeness of Vision and Ability to ExecuteWaltham, Mass. - February 6, 2007 - OpenPages, the leading provider of enterprise governance, risk and compliance management (GRCM) solutions, today announced that technology analyst firm Gartner has listed the company in the leaders quadrant of its Magic Quadrant for Finance Governance, Risk and Compliance Management Software, 2007 report. According to the report, "As the applications have become more complex and with demands for integration of various other technologies that support GRC, vendors are moving to a GRC platform strategy that can integrate finance GRCM with other GRC tools and applications, and also with the general ledger, corporate performance management (CPM) and other business applications." OpenPages believes this further confirms OpenPages stance that the GRCM market has shifted with the influx in regulations and the desire by customers to abandon point solutions in favor of a platform approach for managing all compliance and governance initiatives within the organization. In addition, the report states that, "Many clients have also begun to implement operational risk management, going beyond compliance and better managing and mitigating business process risk - thus improving their business processes." The organic growth of a process, policy, risk and control framework that goes beyond the objective of achieving compliance with regulations is a trend that OpenPages has seen within its own customer base. Forward-thinking organizations are leveraging the OpenPages Governance Platformsm to not only achieve compliance with regulations but also for continuous process improvement that enhances business resilience. "We believe our position in the leaders quadrant is an affirmation of OpenPages' mission of enabling our customers to unify governance, risk and compliance processes across an entire organization into a single management system. Through strong Business Governance initiatives, organizations achieve the visibility, decision support and control essential to improve accountability, better manage risks, achieve compliance across numerous regulations, and improve operational performance," said Michael J. Duffy, CEO of OpenPages. "OpenPages is continuing to execute on its product roadmap moving into 2007. With the recent launch of two new modules, we are delivering a complete, strategic and unified approach to all areas of Business Governance - from financial controls management and operational risk management to general compliance management and IT governance." The Gartner evaluation comes on the heels of an impressive year for OpenPages which was marked by industry accolades including ranking as the fastest growing private software company in America and number 22 overall on the Inc. 500 list as well as being listed in Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 New England and Deloitte & Touche Fast 500. OpenPages also saw a strong increase in its customer base in 2006, adding to its impressive list of Global 2000 corporations that use OpenPages solutions. About the Magic Quadrant
The Magic Quadrant is copyrighted February 1, 2007 by Gartner, Inc. and is reused with permission. The Magic Quadrant is a graphical representation of a marketplace at and for a specific time period. It depicts Gartner's analysis of how certain vendors measure against criteria for that marketplace, as defined by Gartner. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in the Magic Quadrant, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors placed in the "Leaders" quadrant. The Magic Quadrant is intended solely as a research tool, and is not meant to be a specific guide to action. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. About OpenPagesOpenPages is the leading provider of Governance, Compliance and Risk Management solutions for Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, General Compliance Management, Operational Risk Management and IT Governance. The company's solutions provide the visibility, decision support and control to improve accountability, better manage risk, achieve compliance with numerous regulations, improve operational performance and align strategies to ensure better results. Market-leading corporations in financial services, manufacturing, telecommunications, media/entertainment, retail/consumer, energy, high technology, health services and life sciences rely on OpenPages to help them achieve sustainable governance, risk and compliance management -- enabling them to become well-governed businesses. Founded in 1996, the company is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, with international offices in Hong Kong, Japan, France and the United Kingdom, and regional offices throughout North America. For more information on OpenPages' suite of business governance software solutions or to register for an online demonstration, please call 781-693-5999 or visit www.openpages.com.
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2.5.2007
With The Student Loan Industry Under Scrutiny, SimpleTuition Helps Parents, Students and Aid Officers
BOSTON, February 5, 2007 - With the cost of higher education continuing to skyrocket and student loan interest rates at a record high, making education affordable has taken center stage in the 110th Congress. Combine the rising costs with increased pressure on schools to offer the most accurate and complete loan option information to families and/or students, it is no surprise that Senator Ted Kennedy's Student Loan Sunshine Act, a bill that - if passed - will require all higher education institutions that accept federal funds to publicly report rates on all loans made to students through arrangements with preferred lenders, is creating buzz in Washington. With so much attention being given to the student loan industry, it is clear that parents, students and financial aid officers need a transparent and more objective way to research and review student loan options. SimpleTuition, Inc., a company dedicated to helping students and parents make sense of education financing choices, is the leading online objective comparison resource available for student loans and student loan consolidation options. SimpleTuition helps parents, students and financial aid administrators accurately compare, analyze and apply for education financing. Since its launch in May 2006, SimpleTuition has helped thousands of families determine the best loans for their needs. The company offers over 50 loan products from more than 25 lenders and is working with dozens of leading U.S. colleges to bring objective loan information on dozens of additional loan products to students and parents. "Parents and students need to feel confident that they're comparing all of their options when searching for college loans," said Kevin Walker, co-founder and CEO of SimpleTuition. "That's where SimpleTuition can help. We are an objective resource that provides lender and loan information in a simple format that parents and students can easily understand in order to make informed loan choices that are best for their unique financial situation." With the cost of higher education continuing to rise, students are choosing not to attend their first choice school, or even worse, not attending college at all, as they fear the high costs keep the dream of going to college out of reach. A recent survey conducted by UCLA shows that one-third of college-bound students did not attend their first choice school because of affordability. This year alone, an estimated 10.1 million students will require federal student loans, according to the Department of Education, and each student brings his/her own unique - and sometimes complex - family financial situation. The borrowing process does not have to be a burdensome one. SimpleTuition currently offers research and comparison information for many student loan types including Private, PLUS, Stafford, GradPLUS, Federal Consolidation loans and Private consolidation from 20 lenders. Results can be sorted by monthly payment, total cost of the loan, number of payments, first payment due date, and APR - and are shown in random order, ensuring no lender 'preferential' treatment. With direct links to the financial institution's online application, the entire process can be completed online or via a toll free call. To ensure objectivity and accuracy, SimpleTuition is not a lender. About SimpleTuition, Inc. Founded in 2005, SimpleTuition is dedicated to helping students and parents make sense of education financing options. Recently featured as one of Fast Company's Top 12 Web 2.0 sites, SimpleTuition is the leading company to offer an independent and objective solution for researching and comparing private, PLUS, Stafford, GradPLUS, federal consolidation and private consolidation loans. SimpleTuition is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts and is funded by Atlas Venture, IDG Ventures Boston and North Hill Ventures. For more information, visit www.SimpleTuition.com. link to this news item
2.1.2007
2006 Ends as Higher One's Most Successful Year Ever
Rising Star Award and 100% Client Retention Caps Banner Year
NEW HAVEN, CT, February, 2007 - Higher One, a technology based financial services company that provides refund management and banking services to higher education institutions, today announced 2006 as being the company's most successful year to date. Client satisfaction was at an all time high with Higher One retaining every school that was up for renewal in 2006 and increased their total number of partner schools to 66, a 100% increase over the past year. While experiencing tremendous client growth, Higher One continued to be the leading provider of refund management while delivering superior service to its College and University Customers. In 2006, Higher One managed $846 Million in refund disbursements for its College and University clients. Students at those schools continued to adopt Higher One's optional OneAccount checking account and used their debit cards at extremely high rates. Students made $275 million in Debit MasterCard transactions in 2006 and Higher One ended 2006 with more than 200,000 students actively using the OneAccount. As a business, Higher One continues to expand, recording its second EBITDA profitable year and almost doubling their revenue from 2005. The company's growth has not gone without notice as Higher One was named a Rising Star (#10) in the Deloitte & Touche 2006 Technology Fast 500. "We are delighted with how steadily we are growing from year to year and are pleased with the ever increasing total of disbursements we have made for our growing client base," said Dean Hatton, President and CEO, Higher One. "We have a particularly unique and valuable program that has successfully helped higher education institutions across the country improve their refund disbursement process making it faster, easier and more efficient for everyone involved." As online banking becomes the norm for college students, higher education institutions are acknowledging this trend by utilizing Higher One's program to meet the demands of today's students. Upwards of 2.5% of all college students in the United States carry a Higher One card and over 1% of those students, more than 200,000, utilize Higher One as their primary bank. In 2006, Higher One also announced its first state-wide system contract in Georgia. After noting the trend that an increasing number of institutions were implementing refund management services, the Georgia Board of Regents and Department of Technical and Adult Education awarded Higher One the RFP for preferred refund management solution for all 69 of their schools and more than 300,000 students. Over the past year, Higher One has announced partnerships with 33 schools, including its largest individual client to date, Miami Dade College (MDC). The largest land based educational institution nationwide with over 100,000 students; Miami Dade was searching for an alternative to writing refund disbursement checks and dealing with the many hassles associated with in-house disbursement programs. Higher One's flexibility, experience and focus were exactly what MDC needed in a partner to manage their refund process. Their decision to go with Higher One was made primarily to eliminate the inefficiencies of paper checks and offer a more efficient and secure refund process to their students. Higher One continues to be the choice of leading higher education institutions because the company's service is more than just payments; it streamlines the entire disbursement process for both the school and the student. Higher One's OneDisburse Refund Management includes the handling of all disbursements, exception handling, customer service and IT security issues, and eliminates many costs that are associated with refund delivery while providing refunds to students more rapidly. Higher One's program also enables clients to offer their students a suite of financial services, including a free checking account with unique features designed for students. Students, faculty and staff can use their official ID or Refund Card provided through Higher One for primary bank access, as a MasterCard Debit card, retrieving cash from an on-campus Higher One ATM, making purchases on and off campus, transferring money electronically and monitoring their accounts online 24/7 through their OneAccount University-branded website. "As schools look to meet the demanding needs of students by providing the latest in technology and convenience, refund management and online banking is continuing to become a necessity on college and university campuses nationwide," added Hatton. "Higher One continues to see an increasing need among schools to provide effective management of the refund disbursement process and improve the student payment experience." Leading the trend within higher education, New Haven, CT-based Higher One has become the standard of service for American higher education institutions looking for ways to improve the student experience. Higher One's service is the only comprehensive refund management solution available today and features no setup costs, minimum involvement with schools' IT systems, and a unique revenue-sharing benefit for the college. Students may choose any of three options to receive financial aid and other refunds: direct deposit to the free OneAccount checking account, automatic check handling (ACH) for deposit into another bank checking account, or a paper check. About Higher One Focused exclusively on higher education, Higher One provides refund management services to higher education institutions and banking services to members of their community through a card based solution. Higher One's integrated solution helps universities reduce administrative costs, streamline business processes, create new revenue streams, increase student customer service and strengthen the campus community. Higher One's refund service, OneDisburse, provides students with more choices and better services for receiving financial refunds. Higher One also offers a suite of banking services called OneFinanceSM, which includes the OneAccount, a no minimum balance, no monthly fee checking account with the OneCard, a Debit MasterCard for ATM withdrawals and purchases, and exclusive features such as "Send Money", Easy RefundSM, and Campus AutoLoad. The OneFinanceSM and OneDisburse solutions can be integrated with the institution's ID card or provided through a separate "refund only" card. To date, Higher One has disbursed $2 billion dollars in refunds for its university clients. More than 450,000 students, faculty, and staff at distinguished public and private universities use Higher One's services through their ID or refund card.
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2.1.2007
Higher One and HID Global Collaborate to Unveil Campus Card With Unmatched Functionality and Versatility
Campus Card of the Future to Debut at NACCU 2007 Annual Conference
NEW HAVEN, CT, February, 2007 - Higher One, a financial services company that provides Refund Management disbursement and banking services to higher education institutions, and HID Global, a leading manufacturer in the access control industry, today announced that they have worked together to develop a campus card that will offer unmatched service and functionality. The Higher One/HID Global joint project will deliver students the only card offering HID's proximity access control technology, that for the first time, can serve as a Debit MasterCardwith purchasing power at millions of merchants worldwide. As with current HID Proximity cards, students can use the card for access to dorm rooms, campus buildings and parking facilities. But the revolutionary new card can also be used to pay for books, meals, clothing, etc., anywhere MasterCard is accepted, both on and off-campus. "We are extremely excited about the evolution of campus cards as we enter into this partnership with HID Global," said Dean Hatton, Chief Executive Officer of Higher One. "Both parties will be able to leverage each other's strengths to provide a campus card with more options than ever before." Higher One's Debit MasterCard is one component of the company's OneFinanceSM service. It includes the OneAccountSM, a no minimum balance, no monthly fee checking account, with the option of having financial aid refunds deposited directly into the account through their proprietary Refund Management called OneDisburseSM. Over 1% of all U.S. college students (more than 200,000 cardholders) use Higher One's OneAccount. "We are excited to work with Higher One on the introduction of the first DebitCard MasterCard that contains HID proximity technology," said Chris Sincock, Vice President of Business Development, HID Global's AccessID division. "As educational institutions aim to reduce the number of different cards that students and employees must carry, the HID proximity-enabled MasterCard addresses their needs." Further details about this one-of-a-kind campus card will be announced at the upcoming National Association of Campus Card Users (NACCU) Annual Conference, which opens on March 4th in Atlanta, GA. For additional information, visit the Higher One booth (#107) or the HID Global booth (#118). About Higher One Focused exclusively on higher education, Higher One provides Refund Management to higher education institutions and banking services to members of their community through a card based solution. Higher One's integrated solution helps it's clients reduce administrative costs, streamline business processes, create new revenue streams, increase student customer service and strengthen the campus community. Higher One's OneDisburse provides students with more choices and better services for receiving financial refunds and payroll. Higher One also offers a suite of banking services called OneFinanceSM, which includes the OneAccount, a no minimum balance, no monthly fee checking account with the OneCard, a Debit MasterCard for ATM withdrawals and purchases, and exclusive features such as "Send Money", Easy RefundSM, and Campus AutoLoad. The OneFinanceSM and OneDisburse solutions can be integrated with the institution's ID card or provided through a separate "refund only" card. To date, Higher One has disbursed $2 billion dollars in refunds for its clients. More than 600,000 students, faculty, and staff at distinguished public and private higher education institutions use Higher One's services through their ID or refund card.
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