The Asia Pacific network security market registered a decline in revenues of 6.8 percent in the first quarter (Q1) of 2006 compared to the final quarter (Q4) of 2005. Spending decreased across all security technologies, except for SSL VPN (secure sockets layer virtual private network). Read more

The impact of gas prices is down, confidence is up, and consumers are feeling better about increasing their spending this holiday season according to BIGresearch's September Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey (CIA) of over 8,000 consumers. In fact 42% reported that they plan to spend about the same if not more than last year. Read more

IRMO, SC - "'Curtis and Jerry on Mount Omega' offers children a fun, affirming look at two friends who learn that a bleeding disorder can't keep them down," says Celynd Scaglione, author of the new book for children about hemophilia which is being sponsored by Blood Diagnostics, Inc. "I noticed many good educational resources about hemophilia were geared toward adults. I wanted to provide an additional avenue for children to learn about hemophilia and how it impacts their lives." Read more

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - Australia's Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA) has signed a contract with IBM (NYSE: IBM) for a major business transformation program.

The Systems for People program was announced in this year's Budget, following independent reviews into DIMA's business information needs and record management practices. Read more

NEW YORK, NY — September 29, 2006 — U.S. Banker, the leading magazine for senior bank executives published by SourceMedia, today released the results of its fourth annual ranking of "The 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking." Topping this exclusive "Who's Who of Influence" list, published in the October issue, are Marion Sandler, co-CEO of Golden West Financial Corp.; Amy Brinkley, global risk executive of Bank of America; and Heidi Miller, CEO of Treasury and Securities Services, JPMorgan Chase. Read more

TOKYO — September 29, 2006 — IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that it has collaborated with Xing Incorporated, a subsidiary of the Brother Industries Ltd., to engineer, design and develop two new wireless karaoke portable controllers — "Kyoku-NAVI II" and "Kyoku-NAVIs" — which will be available in Japan from Xing starting in early November. Read more

With the number of joint ventures between local and global automotive manufacturers escalating, there has been a corresponding rise in the risk of counterfeiting. The sharing of suppliers has complicated the privacy protection of product designs, necessitating increasingly stringent laws on intellectual property rights (IPR) protection. Read more

NEW YORK, NY (September 28, 2006) — Advertising spending on the Internet, which has enjoyed 30%-plus growth rates over the last two years, will slow slightly to 26.8% in 2006, eMarketer predicts in its new report, US Ad Spending 2006: From Peaks to Plateaus. In dollars, that 26.8% growth year over year equals $15.9 billion for 2006. And, even as spending growth subsides, the continued positive gains will push US online ad spending over $21 billion in two years and past the $25 billion mark by the end of 2010. Read more

The replacement tire market is a very highly fragmented market, with restraints all around for the participants. Conversely, the market is offering growth opportunities to participants with a strong brand image and those who target specific customer groups. For others brand image is very important, but the issue of efficient inventory management and lowering costs are proving themselves to be the key to successful sales. Read more

Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. today announced that it is running a host of programs to prepare, enable and take feedback from the partner community for the 2007 Microsoft Office System launch. Microsoft has already touched over 1000 partners across India under these programs. The programs include initiatives like,ISV Touch Down and Ascend Program, Breadth Partner Readiness Program, System Integrator Solutions Series,, Partner Readiness Program, , Partner Capacity Planning and Building for Office 2007. 2007 Microsoft Office System represents Microsoft’s next generation platform for business computing needs and is designed to help businesses manage the huge influx of information and accelerate the effectiveness and impact of their people. Read more