April 2006 Archives

Reinforcing the fact that men and women are from different planets, it would seem that men and women are wired quite differently. Scientists surmise evolutionary pressures such as childbirth have contributed to some of these differences.

Great news for those considering ending it all using electricity but who think the blow dryer in the bath tub and swimming in the rain are just -- well -- too played out. Release follows below:

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IXEurope Sponsors Britain’s Fastest Electric Vehicle in Speed Record Attempt
IXEurope, one of Europe's largest and fastest growing independent datacentre outsourcers, is pleased to announce its continued sponsorship of Primetime Land Speed Engineering as it embarks on its latest Electric Vehicle Land Speed Record Attempt.
(PRWEB) April 20, 2006 -- IXEurope, one of Europe's largest and fastest growing independent datacentre outsourcers, is pleased to announce its continued sponsorship of Primetime Land Speed Engineering as it embarks on its latest Electric Vehicle Land Speed Record Attempt.

On 7 July this year an event unique in British Land Speed history takes place on the runway at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire when current UK Land Speed Record Holders Primetime Land Speed Engineering will be making an attempt on the British Land Speed Record for Electric Cars using their battery powered streamliner ‘e=motion’.

Primetime’s 700hp electric car is already the fastest vehicle of its kind ever designed and built in the UK, having posted an FIA Accredited 189.9mph during half-power testing in Nevada, USA, last year, although a full attempt for the World Record had to be abandoned due to technical problems.

Guy Willner, the CEO of IXEurope commented: “We are delighted to see this renewed enthusiasm after encountering technical problems at the World Record Attempt in Nevada, USA, last year. The team has been working hard in preparation to ensure nothing can stop them this time. This is a fantastic effort by a world class team dedicated to pushing the boundaries of battery powered technology. Our support of the event demonstrates IXEurope's commitment to the use of ecologically sound technologies as shown by our own complex energy management systems and our environmentally friendly fire suppression and air conditioning systems within our world class IXDatacentres. IXEurope wishes the team the very best of luck in their attempt.”

At the Preview & Testing Day on 30 May the team is determined to push the car as close as possible to new record speeds prior to making the Official Attempts on 7 July at RAF Fairford. On the weekend following the July Record Attempts, e=Motion will also be on display at the UK’s greatest air show, the Royal International Air Tattoo, RAF Fairford, 15-16 July.

About IXEurope
IXEurope is one of Europe’s fastest growing providers of datacentre services. Its principal activities include datacentre services, connectivity services and business continuity solutions.

IXEurope works with enterprise, internet and technology customers to provide resilient datacentre infrastructure to house their IT systems far more cost-effectively than through in-house provision. The benefits include optimised IT performance, improved systems availability and reduced corporate risk through improved regulatory compliance. By continually focusing on quality, IXEurope also gives clients exceptional service levels and on-site access to a high level of technical expertise.

With award winning datacentre facilities in key European cities, broad technology expertise and a proven track record, IXEurope provides solutions that give clients the confidence that their operations are protected. The Company has over 400 customers in the enterprise, internet and networking markets including Merrill Lynch, Google, Network Rail and France Telecom.

Founded in 1998, IXEurope was listed on the London Stock Exchange in April 2006.

There are more and more stories pegging growth rates at varying levels between 30-100+% depending on the sector. Here is an article showing the growth rate of consumer VoIP to be near triple-digits.

A few weeks back I had a chance to meet with Arris in Georgia. The company specializes in cable telephony and triple-play/broadband solutions. Arris and Nortel are both supplying equipment to UPC Broadband in Western Europe. This is important because this service provider just passed the million customer VoIP milestone. Nice going!

John Battelle alerted me to the fact that Google and other search engines are coming out with new features. For example Google will soon allow you to drill down into a site to learn more about the site or see other search results from the site. You do this by clicking on an arrow and if you have ever used Yahoo News you understand how you can click a link and see more information in a small window.

Google in effect seems to be stealing (borrowing perhaps) page view from websites. Or perhaps Google by providing such a service will actually increase site traffic. If I had to surmise what the outcome of such a change will be I have to say that the more interesting sites or more relevant anyway will get more traffic. This is a good idea by the company and puts them yet another step ahead of the pack. It is unclear when this feature will be coming out.

Yes I am on my way to Louisville, Kentucky to speak on VoIP to a group of hundreds of resellers and next week I get the privilege of addressing a different group altogether – contact center executives. What I like about seeing and meeting with such disparate groups is that I see the different perspectives of the market. I also thoroughly enjoy talking with service providers like I did recently at the Voice Peering Forum in Miami recently.

 

If anything, addressing different groups keeps me on my toes and the content as fresh as can be. I am always tweaking and trying to find the absolutely most relevant yopics for my presentations.

 

Here is a release that will hit the wires soon:

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

For More Information, Contact:           

                                                                       

Kristyn Emenecker                                                                  

Co-President, ATA NY Metro Chapter                                               

Mercom Systems, Inc.                                                             

(201) 507-8800 x. 1158                                                                     

kristyn.emenecker@mercom.com                                                        

 

 

IP Telephony Expert Rich Tehrani to Keynote Upcoming ATA NY Metro Technology Forum and Expo

Annual contact center event to focus on IP Telephony, Risk Management Technologies and Technology Beyond the Telephone

New York, NY, April 18, 2006 – The New York Metro Chapter of the American Teleservices Association (ATA; www.ataconnect.org) today announced the group of industry thought leaders who will lend their experience, research and expertise to the discussion of contact center technology at the Chapter’s second annual Technology Forum and Supplier Exposition. The event will be highlighted by a keynote address from Rich Tehrani, president of communications media company and Customer Interaction Solutions Magazine-publisher TMC and founder of Internet Telephony, SIP and IMS Magazines. The ATA will hold the event, a popular educational and networking draw for local contact center professionals, at the Doral Arrowwood Conference Resort in Rye Brook, NY on Tuesday, April 25, 2006.

 

“We are thrilled to have Mr. Tehrani, the premier voice for IP Communications today and someone who understands the unique technology needs of the contact center, as the keynote speaker at this year’s technology forum,” stated Suzanne Ronner, Co-President of the ATA New York Metro Chapter. “The diversity and experience of all of the industry leaders which will be participating in this year’s event demonstrate the ATA New York Chapter’s strong commitment to providing excellent educational content and unparalleled networking opportunities to local contact center professionals across all industry segments.” 

 

Mr. Tehrani’s keynote address will focus on technology trends in the contact center space and specifically the future of IP Telephony. “I am thrilled to once again be working with the ATA to help educate the contact center market. Technologies like VoIP and SIP are rapidly changing the way call centers operate, making them more efficient and a more integral part of the enterprise.” explains Tehrani.

 

His speech sets the stage for a number of other speakers who will focus on the business challenges facing contact center leaders today and the technology available to meet those challenges. These sessions include plain-language presentations on cutting-edge technology offerings in the realms of risk management (in light of increasing business regulation, privacy and security concerns), and technology beyond the telephone (addressing customer contact by such channels as email and webchat). Real-life case studies and interactive session components will allow attendees to view the technology themselves and have all of their questions answered. 

 

These additional moderator and presentation contributions will be provided by Steve Fagan of NCO Customer Management, Lisa Welsher of Innovative Management Solutions, Michael Antonucci and Donna von Lipsey of Voice Verified, Paul Friedman of Mercom Systems, Joe Sanscrainte of Bryan Cave Law Firm, Frank Fuhrman of American Customer Care, Paul Kole of Kowal & Associates, Dave York of Genesys, Paul Cullen of Avaya and Greg Blackman of RightNow Technologies. Case studies will be provided by Frank Rand of Audible.com, the Call Center Director for a leading New York-based healthcare insurer and a prominent Maine cataloger.

 

About Rich Tehrani

Mr. Tehrani is an IP Communications industry expert, visionary, author and columnist. He founded the first magazine focused on VoIP in 1998 and, as President of TMC, is the owner of the registered trademark for the term Internet Telephony. He further launched the best attended VoIP show in the world, Internet Telephony Conference & Expo and the most popular communications/technology portal in the world, TMCnet.com.  More recently he launched TMC's two newest titles, SIP Magazine and IMS Magazine. Tehrani also runs Customer Interaction Solutions (CIS) Magazine. Launched in 1982, CIS is the first publication in the world to cover call centers and CRM. Tehrani further serves as an expert witness and has been quoted in such prestigious publications as the Economist and New York Times.

 

About the American Teleservices Association (ATA) New York Metro Chapter’s Second Annual Contact Center Technology Forum and Supplier Exposition

The ATA NY Metro Tech Forum is the premier local New York area event highlighting technology solutions to business problems faced by area contact center professionals. The day-long event is designed for contact centers, their partners and interested organizations to discover the latest developments in contact center technology, to explore new ways of using that technology and to network with industry leaders. The conference is organized by the ATA’s New York Metro Chapter Board of Directors, which is comprised of volunteer contact center professionals from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The Technology Forum became an annual event following the strong response of 2005’s pilot event, and will be held this year on April 25 at the beautiful Doral Arrowwood Conference Resort in Rye Brook, NY (Westchester County).  For more information see http://www.ataconnect.org/chapters/nymetro/events.htm.

 

About the American Teleservices Association

The American Teleservices Association (ATA) is a nonprofit group representing the call centers, trainers, consultants, and equipment suppliers that initiate, facilitate, and generate telephone, Internet, and email sales, service, and support. Call centers offer traditional and interactive services that support the e-commerce revolution, provide specialized customer service for Fortune 500 companies, and generate annual sales of more than $500 billion. For more information see http://www.ataconnect.org/.

We are about to announce details of our annual Supercomm – whoops – GlobalComm party that we put on with the IPCC. This is now the third year of this party. Last year it was at Sears Tower, the year before on a cruise ship and now it is bigger and better - at Chicago Landmark Soldier Field.

There is a new theme this year and you cannot miss this event.

It will now be an IMS party co-sponsored by the IMS Forum –formerly the IPCC. It will also be sponsored by TMC's new IMS Magazine and IMS Expo. The entire IMS market will be represented. If you are a service provider or vendor to the industry you must be present to rub elbows with the financial community, your peers and the most important vendors in the space.

It will be at the Cadillac Club at Soldier Field right next to the Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center. TMC's Web team is creating the site and registration form as we speak. I'll post the address in an entry later this week. 

Located on the east side of the stadium and adjacent to the historic colonnades, the Upper Level of the Cadillac Club is an impressive area. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer magnificent views of Lake Michigan. The crescent shaped room is a unique space and ideal for smaller to medium sized receptions.

The date is Monday, June 5, 2006.

 

RSVP Here.